Chapter 9

  Euphoria (II)

Though it wasn’t quite on the level of the limo that Cain drove in from the airport with Rick, the SUV was also remarkably luxurious. Tinted, clearly bulletproof windows, dim, pleasant light, leather seats that made his ass uncomfortable over sitting on them... yup, rich people really do live differently...

Rick sat upfront while Emma and he sat in the back, driving in silence for a long time while Cain calibrated his thoughts. How much should I tell them? There was a fine line with giving them helpful information and giving them too much that could just be damaging in the end.

“Alright, we’re here,” Rick said. “Let’s go. The dinner’s ready.”

The three stepped out of the SUV and onto a well-lit street, standing in front of a gigantic hotel. Cain sucked in a cold breath, supposing it belonged to Rick. Once again glancing at the man, he wondered just how did the two of them become friends. Eh, ignorance sometimes certainly pays off...

Cain and Emma followed Rick inside to a diamond-shining lobby that cost more than every item Cain ever owed in his life, possibly even both of them combined. Sighing at the lunacy of it all, the trio took to the left cut in-between the hand-sculpted columns, passing a wide, clear-watered pool on their way to the slightly elevated platform above it that was the dining area of the hotel.

There was a spread waiting for them, everything from lobsters to some weird-looking meat that Cain didn’t recognize. There were fruits everywhere, drinks, salads, sauces, dips, deserts...

“... what will happen to the food we don’t finish?” Cain asked.

“We usually donate the stuff that can hold on for a while to a nearby kitchen,” Rick replied as they sat down. “While we toss the rest to the animals. Why?”

"... tsk," Cain looked at him as he clicked his tongue. "Why can't you be one of those jackasses that don't care and just throws it all into the trash? Even I can't swallow enough dignity to ask now..."

“... whenever you want to eat,” Rick said, chuckling faintly. “Just come here and all your whims will be fulfilled.”

“...” Cain looked dubiously into Rick’s eyes, sighing a moment later. There’s no doubt he’s ruthless on the job, he mused. But damn, the dude’s easy as fuck to like...

“So, can we hear the story?” Rick asked, pouring himself a glass of wine.

“... I know Emma’s had some serious issues with DnD fantasies earlier in her life,” Cain said. “How about you?”

“Hey, I didn’t!” Emma exclaimed from the side but was already too deep in the lobster to truly put up a fight.

“... why?” Rick asked, leaning forward.

“Or were you a Warhammer guy?”

“No,” Rick shook his head. “I was the guy learning to play piano and taking advanced economics while everyone else was having fun.”

“Unless you were gangbanged by aliens when you were ten,” Cain said. “It will be very difficult to buy my sympathies, dude.”

“...” Rick merely grinned, taking a bite out of the lamb.

“...” Cain took a deep breath and extended his hand over the table, charging Fire to the tip of his index finger and summoning flames out of nowhere. Both Emma and Rick stopped eating, their eyes, lips, and even veins widening like rivers carving their home.

Both fell silent as Cain withdrew his hand and continued eating, waiting for them to unclog their minds from the short-circuiting. After all, he’d just done something that should be physically impossible. Takes a while for people to get used to it.

“... what the fuck?” Rick mumbled, still looking into the nothingness as he reached for the wine, skipping the glass entirely and going straight for the bottle. “What the fuck?”

“That was not real...” Emma joined, going for bourbon instead. “That was not fucking real...”

“Very much was,” Cain said. “And it’s not me exclusive.”

“... how many?”

“I dunno,” Cain shrugged. “Anyone? I guess?”

“Let’s go there! Before it’s too late!” Emma stood up with Rick following right after, causing Cain to groan. Yup. Knew it. Fuckin’ impatience man...

“Sit down,” he said. “It’s not going to run away. At least let me have a meal in peace.”

“... how, though? Just... how?” Rick asked, some color finally returning to his face.

“Uh... aliens?” Cain tilted his head and smiled.

“Government will lose their shit once they learn of this...”

“Well, duh,” Cain shrugged. “It will essentially nullify whatever little power they hold over the people. Why do you think I was able to sit down there and stare at hundreds of guns pointing at me? I’ve got balls, but they’re not that big, you know?”

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“Why?” Rick asked.

“Well, for starters, none of the electronic equipment works inside that thing,” Cain said. “And neither does modern weaponry for some reason. Inside, I saw a guy trying to fire one, but nothing happened.”

“Couldn’t it have just been a malfunctioning gun?” Emma asked.

"Could be," Cain shrugged, realizing he probably shouldn't sound as confident as someone who'd spent over twenty years in the Towers. After all, he'd only spent a couple of days at best as far as they know. "But even if that was the case, I also have the ability to teleport."

“No you don’t....”

"Sure do," Cain disappeared from his chair and appeared behind Rick, leaning into his ear and whispering, startling the man so much he rolled back and fell off the chair. "Oof, sorry. You okay?" apologizing, Cain reached over and helped the man up who continued staring at him like he was a ghost.

“Shitting fuck... ream me up the moon and screw me down my throat, this is real?”

“... could... you could have just said it normally, you know?” Cain looked at him oddly as he returned to his seat. “But, yeah, it’s real.” I can’t have them all becoming Elementalists... should I just tell each separately there is just one shrine for all the Classes? No... they’d figure it out eventually. Furthermore, most Shrines are quite some ways from each other it will be difficult to claim I ran into all three within just two days...

"... you were lucky if that's the case," Rick said suddenly, sighing. "To get out so quickly."

“... yeah.” Cain nodded and even Emma frowned.

"There are estimated two hundred thousand people stuck in there," Rick said. "What if just ten percent of them suddenly realize they could set things on fire with their minds? Power-tripping just got a whole new damn meaning..."

“Well, let’s just hope people are good at controlling themselves.” Cain said as silence fell between the three.

“...”

“...”

“Pfft, ha ha ha, yeah, ha ha ha,” the trio burst out into a bout of laughter, shaking their heads. “’People will control themselves’, ha ha, that was a good one, damn.”

“...” Emma will definitely want to become a Paladin, Cain mused inwardly as the three continued to dine, with Emma and Rick talking about kids. Eh, it suits her. Rick... hmm... of the six classes here... maybe Behemoth? I don’t know... his personality suits a Bard as well, it’s weird as fuck...

“... setting aside the magic,” Rick said suddenly. “What’s... inside that thing?”

“... it’s weird,” Cain replied, taking a sip of water. “It’s like a whole different world.”

“Hm?”

“When I got in there,” he said. “I found myself in a valley. Not too distinctly different from any valley you’d find anywhere else in the world. Then there was a forest, a prairie, cliffs...” Best not to tell them yet about the locals... “It was massive. For all the time I spent there, I met like ten people in total.”

“... holy shit,” Emma sucked in a cold breath. “I mean, it does look pretty big... but that big?”

“It probably folds spacetime, somehow,” Rick said. “I was already surprised that its mass had absolutely no effect on the surrounding gravity, not to mention it didn’t harm any aspect of our atmosphere. That should have been a red flag...”

“...” Rick realized a moment later that the duo had fallen silent, prompting him to look up and meet two pairs of eyes looking at him strangely.

“Khm, what?” he asked awkwardly. “Rich guys aren’t allowed to be informed?”

“... but if it does fold spacetime,” Emma joined in. “We should see ramifications on the outside. That thing should, essentially, be inapproachable.”

“Which is why I said we should have noticed the red flags,” Rick nodded. “And, remember, it’s not just one -- it’s seven.”

“Seven? Wasn’t it six?” Emma asked.

“There are reports of the same construct appearing in Siberia,” Rick replied. “Aside from the other five cities and L.A.”

“Oh...”

“Every single one of them is over forty miles tall,” Rick said. “We’re talking mesosphere, bordering thermosphere. Yet... no effect whatsoever even in just the surrounding areas? Yup, if you ask me, the magic really is the only answer..."

“Okay, could you two stop being all sciency for a moment,” Cain interjected. “And focus on the fact that this is a great opportunity.”

“How come?” Rick asked, glancing at him curiously.

“I just explained to you how that place will become a hotspot,” Cain said. “Why aren’t you buying literally everything already? Aren’t you supposed to be a smart businessman?”

“OH SHIT!!” Rick exclaimed, shooting up to his feet. “Fuck, you’re right... people are probably selling at the all-time-low prices ‘cause everyone and their mother thinks it’s the end of the world or some shit. Damn... thank you for reminding me.”

“Yeah.”

“Now, can we go and learn magic as well?” Rick asked as Emma immediately shot him an inquisitive glance.

“... aren’t you gonna buy--”

"I already am," Rick nodded, fiddling with his phone. "I am paying above-market price levels just so I don't have to meet anyone. Come on, let's be on our way. Right, even satellites aren't disrupted... just what in god's name are those things?"

“... ali--”

"If you say aliens I am going to probe you with this fork." Emma threatened.

“... Alibaba?”

“... is that a racist pun?” Emma asked.

“Technically it would a xenophobic pun.” Cain corrected.

“Technically, it is still wrong.”

“Technically, you are right.”

“Why aren’t you guys at your feet yet?” Rick interrupted them, tired of listening to the two, mostly. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

“... yeah, yeah,” Cain relented, stretching. “By the way, can you have one of your jets fly out some more people out here?”

“Right, Lana!”

“... did... did you really forget about our kid because of... magic?” Cain looked at her, causing Emma’s eyes to tear up slightly.

“You’re right... holy shit, how could I have forgotten about her? What is wrong with me?”

“Alright, contemplate your self-destruction later,” Rick said. “I’ve already told them to have a jet on the stand-by.”

“Send Jenny a message,” Cain said, pulling Emma with him. “They’ll lodge here, right?”

“Yup,” Rick nodded. “Now, can we please, please, go and learn magic?”

“... now imagine yourself saying that outside the context.” Cain said with a smirk.

“Don’t give me nightmares, Cain,” Rick said, smiling at him and grabbing his shoulder firmly. “I did not need that in my life.”

“I also,” Cain replied with a smile, grabbing Rick’s shoulder as well. “Did not want to see an old man hollering how he wants to learn magic like a kid. Yet, there’s an image that will haunt me until my grave.”

“I will haunt you until your grave.”

“Well you do want to learn magic, so everything is possible...”

“You became my friend just to make my life miserable, didn’t you?”

"Oh, I'm so sorry you have to go into your room and wipe your tears away with thousand-dollar bills..."

“You know those don’t exist...”

“... wait, you wiped your tears with money before?!” Cain picked up on the implication.

“What?” Rick shrugged, pulling his arm back. “Wanted to get a feel for it...”

"..." Cain looked at him emptily, spun around, and began walking away.

“Hey, come on man... I--I did it just once! Please don’t look at me like that! Go back to the way you looked at me when I was so excited about magic! Cain, hey! Cain! Cain!!” Cain, though, did not turn around. Some things, he realized. Hurt... too much.