“Miss Linda,” Mr. Hoffman said as he stroked his blond mustache. “I understand your store has been robbed, but you must be patient, we have to thoroughly understand the situation first before we can reimburse you for your loss.”

“You think I’m committing insurance fraud?” Linda asked, her eyebrows scrunching together. “I can turn a crystal worth fifty credits into an accessory worth thousands.” Her eyes widened as she stomped her feet and pointed at the wall. “I aided your architect in shaping crystals within your walls. Do you really think someone with my set of skills would need to commit insurance fraud to make money?”

“From what I understand,” Mr. Hoffman said and spread out his empty palms in a gesture showing off his helplessness, “your inventory hardly moves. According to the statement you’ve sent in, you’ve lost two billion credits worth of goods.” The blond man folded his hands in front of him on his desk. “It’s not unreasonable to think you hired someone to steal your items because you wanted a big payout since the items you crafted weren’t selling. Since the items have been stolen, we can’t even evaluate their true worth. What if the items you crafted were subpar and not worth as much as you actually listed? We’d be making a huge loss.”

A vein bulged on Linda’s forehead. “You know the quality of my craftsmanship”—

“Yes,” Mr. Hoffman said, interrupting the blue-eyed woman, “I do, and I understand that you’re the best crystal shaper in the city. In that case, why do your goods sell so slowly? Perhaps … the items you make aren’t actually what you think they’re worth?”

Linda’s expression darkened. “I’ve paid your outrageous premiums. If you don’t fulfill your end of the bargain, I’ll sue you.”

Mr. Hoffman touched his chest with his hand, feigning a pained expression. “Miss Linda, aren’t we friends?” he asked. “You said it yourself; with your skills, you can make money as easy as breathing. You’re not hurting financially right now, so why don’t we wait for the results of the investigation before assigning blame to innocent parties?”

“Ahem.” Vercedei made a sound akin to someone clearing their throat.

Mr. Hoffman turned his head towards the illusion of Sam, oblivious to the ferret crawling out of Sam’s shirt. Raindu scampered across the ground towards the wall, invisible to everyone but Sam and his All-Seeing Gaze thanks to Werchbite covering for the furred creature. The CEO of SAT Group narrowed his eyes at Sam. “I’m still curious as to who you are, and why you’re poking your nose into matters that don’t affect you.”

“You think this doesn’t affect me?” Vercedei asked. “Miss Linda has some fine crystal-shaping skills, and she’s going to craft me a few accessories. However, her emotional well-being is unstable from the stress she’s been experiencing these past few days, and how can a master craftsmen produce their best work when their minds aren’t clear? For me to get my money’s worth, I need Miss Linda to be in her best condition, and that can only happen if you stop giving her the runaround.”

Mr. Hoffman stared at Sam, unable to read his vibe. It sounded like the man sitting across from him was simply making up an excuse to find trouble with SAT Group; perhaps, that’s what Linda had hired the man to do. She wouldn’t have made it to his office under normal circumstances, yet here she was, and this man most likely had something to do with it. “We’re not giving her the runaround on purpose,” the blond man said and straightened his posture. “We still don’t know if a thief emptied the shelves of Miss Linda’s store, or if it was an act of God.”

Linda resisted the urge to pound the shit out of Mr. Hoffman’s table. “Act of God?” she asked. “So, what if it’s an act of God?”

“Well,” Mr. Hoffman said to Linda and put on a fake smile, “you didn’t purchase coverage for acts of God.” The man’s green eyes twinkled. “Your store had a state-of-the-art security system, and yet, no one has been identified as the culprit. Obviously, we’re dealing with something greater than a human here.”

“Are you trying to shift the blame onto God?” Linda asked. “You think God would rob my store?”

Mr. Hoffman leaned back and spread out his arms while showing his empty palms. “I’m only suggesting it’s a possibility, one we can’t ignore,” he said. “We have to be sure of all the facts before taking action; jumping to conclusions won’t do anyone any good. For all we know, you could be right, and an awakened with invisibility and intangibility talents robbed your store, but we should refrain from acting without evidence—it’s not like there’s any precedent for this; no other store has been robbed by an undetectable individual.”

“You’re good at speaking,” Vercedei said before Linda could respond with a snappy remark.

“Thank you,” Mr. Hoffman said. “It’s part of the job requirements.” His eyes narrowed at Sam. “I didn’t quite catch your name earlier.”

Through is All-Seeing Gaze, Sam watched Raindu touch the crystals embedded in the walls, causing them to vanish. He wondered what the end goal was because once they left and Werchbite’s illusion faded, the CEO of SAT Group would realize what had happened. As the crystals were stripped away by the ferret, the purple colors they were emitting faded away, allowing the sloth’s gray haze to influence Mr. Hoffman’s and Linda’s auras.

“My name is Jimmy,” Vercedei said, “from Carbon Peak.”

“Jimmy Park?” Mr. Hoffman asked. “No wonder why you looked so familiar.”

Had Werchbite disguised Sam as Jimmy? The twin-headed snake wasn’t around when Sam had met the man in Treasured Crystals, so how did it know how to disguise him as such? Well, considering what the snake could already do, Sam wouldn’t be surprised if it could draw images directly from his mind. As for why the snake wanted to frame Jimmy Park, Sam wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t going to do anything about it either. The snake had its agenda, and Sam wasn’t going to be the one to step in its way.

Linda turned to look at Sam, but her expression didn’t change lest she give away unnecessary hints to Mr. Hoffman. Whether Sam was lying to her or lying to the CEO of SAT Group, Linda found she didn’t quite care. Things happened, and sometimes, it was easier to allow them to progress without interfering. Normally, she’d speak up, but she was feeling quite lazy at the moment; which was odd, considering the situation involved over a billion credits.

“Is SAT Group suffering from any financial troubles?” Vercedei asked. “Are you unable to pay Miss Linda what she’s owed?”

“It’s not that we’re unable to pay,” Mr. Hoffman said in a daze, “it’d just look terrible on the books for us. You see, Miss Linda has only paid us around fifty-million credits in the four years she’s had a policy with us, and if we paid her two billion credits…, well, quite frankly, our stock would take quite the hit.”

“So?” Vercedei asked. “What’s your plan?”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Raise Linda’s premium and stall,” Mr. Hoffman said and shrugged. “Wear her down until she finds it easier to settle in court, so we can avoid paying the full amount. With enough time, we might even find a way to avoid paying her.” Mr. Hoffman folded his hands in front of himself. “We were thinking of creating a shell company to transfer Linda’s case over to and have that company go bankrupt. I have to do what’s best for SAT Group, and Linda’s just one crystal shaper. She might be good, but others do exist.”

“As expected of one of the six big companies,” Vercedei said. “How about you don’t do that?”

Mr. Hoffman blinked. “What would I do instead?”

“Pay Miss Linda what she’s owed,” Vercedei said. “If you want to protect the company’s finances, then you can always use your personal funds to prevent the company from taking a hit. You’re rich, aren’t you?”

“I’m rich, yes,” Mr. Hoffman said and nodded his head. “As CEO, I make close to seven hundred million credits annually, but I don’t want to use my personal funds when I can simply screw Linda over instead.”

Sam observed Joe’s gray haze permeating deeper into Mr. Hoffman’s aura. The color around the man withered at a visible rate, desaturating until it was completely gray.

“Won’t that weigh on your conscience?” Vercedei asked. “Depriving someone of what they’re due because it’d reflect poorly on yourself, have you no shame?”

“No,” Mr. Hoffman said and shook his head. “Do you feel bad for eating meat? Do you feel bad for stepping on grass? It’s only natural for us to care about ourselves above others, so no, I don’t feel bad for sacrificing someone else to save my own hide. If someone else has to suffer for me to enjoy life, so be it; that’s how the world works.”

“You’re quite selfish, huh?” Vercedei asked. “I suppose you wouldn’t be sitting where you are now if you were soft-hearted; however, for your own sake, why don’t you give Miss Linda what she’s owed right now?”

“For my own sake?” Mr. Hoffman asked. A faint smile appeared on his lips. “What’ll happen to me if I don’t?”

“Unfortunate things,” Vercedei said. “You don’t want misfortune to fall upon you, no?”

“I don’t,” Mr. Hoffman said and shook his head. A sigh escaped from his mouth as he looked at Linda. “Fine, I’ll pay you what SAT Group owes you.” He picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a few buttons. “Hello, yes, I’d like to transfer some money to another account.”

Mr. Hoffman slid a piece of paper across the table and mouthed the words, “Write down your account information.”

Linda glanced at Sam before writing down her bank account info on the piece of paper. She slid the paper back to Mr. Hoffman, and the CEO of SAT Group cleared his throat. “Yes, I have the account and routing numbers.” He read out the numbers on the piece of paper and grimaced. “As for the amount, two billion credits.”

There was a short pause. “Yes,” Mr. Hoffman said. “I’m sure.” After a short pause, he pressed a series of numbers on his phone. “Have it sent immediately.” There was another short pause, and he reentered the numbers a second time. “I know it can’t be undone. Yes, I’m sure.”

Linda’s pocket vibrated, and she pulled out her phone. On the screen, there was a notification indicating she had received a transfer to her bank, and she raised an eyebrow. When a CEO of one of the big six companies demanded their money be moved, apparently, it moved quickly without any questions even if the amount was tremendous. Linda raised her head and smiled at Mr. Hoffman. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Mr. Hoffman said as he hung up the phone. “I’m just paying you what you’re owed while warding off misfortune for myself.” He looked at Sam. “Isn’t that right, Jimmy?”

“You’re absolutely right,” Vercedei said. “You’re doing a great deed, and I’m sure you’ll be blessed with lots of money in the future instead of cursed with bad luck.” The illusion of Sam turned to look at Linda. “Mr. Hoffman is a busy individual. Since we’ve gotten what we came for, we should take our leave instead of taking up more of his precious time.”

Linda nodded her head. Her aura was also gray, and Sam had a feeling she’d do anything Vercedei asked as long as it didn’t take too much effort. Actually, she’d probably do anything anyone asked while she was in this state, Joe’s ability seemingly able to hypnotize people through complacency.

After Sam and Linda left the office, the dazed look in Mr. Hoffman’s eyes gradually became clear. His eyes widened, and he looked around before shooting to his feet. The crystals embedded in his walls were gone, and it took him a second to realize what had happened. For some reason, he had actually transferred two billion credits to that crystal shaper, and it wasn’t even company money! Mr. Hoffman took in a deep breath and picked up his phone, dialing his bank once more; however, when he demanded his money back, the reply he got was less than satisfactory. The money was sent and gone; there was no way to retrieve it.

Mr. Hoffman fell back in his seat and stared up at his ceiling. There were supposed to be crystals inlaid in the ceiling as well, but they were gone as well, causing a furrow to appear on his brow. Where had they gone? Had he been robbed by a ghost? He climbed to his feet, knocking his chair over in the process, and marched out of the room. The two guards turned to look at him, and he frowned. “Why did you let those two in?”

“They said you had a meeting with them,” one of the guards said.

“And you didn’t immediately kick them out or call us in,” the other guard said. “So….”

“So, it’s my fault?” Mr. Hoffman asked, his expression darkening.

The two guards exchanged glances with one another. “Sorry, sir,” the first guard said. “Did we do something wrong?”

Mr. Hoffman ground his teeth together. He had been bewitched, and it was likely his guards had fell for the same trick. Mr. Hoffman refused to honor his deal with Linda the crystal shaper, she had gone to another one of the six big companies, Carbon Peak, to back her. Who knew Carbon Peak had someone with such a strong bewitching ability? It was completely reasonable for them to help her; first, they’d strike a blow to SAT Group’s finances, and second, they’d obtain the best crystal shaper in the city. With Carbon Peak on Linda’s side, it’d be difficult for him to get his money back. Would he just have to swallow this loss?

***

Sam sat in a plush chair. He was holding a stone tablet in his hands. Luckily, he didn’t need his eyes to access it, using his Sahasrara to connect to the device instead. While he was busy engaging with reptilian technology, Vercedei was talking with Linda, the latter none the wiser about Sam’s usage of the tablet thanks to Werchbite’s illusion.

Although stone tablets were the product of reptilian technology, like Sam was able to obtain one, the mantid, Gregor had one as well, and they had exchanged contact information inside the dungeon. Even though they—the humans, reptilians, and lone mantid—had been in the same region within the dungeon when it had closed, they were transported to different exits, returning to where they had respectively entered from.

Gregor might’ve invited Sam to Silva Volucris, the land of the mantids, but that was when the large praying mantis was under the influence of Joe the sloth, and Sam was pretty sure once people escaped Joe’s range, their common sense would return to them. Despite that, the conversation he was having with the mantid was surprisingly pleasant.

“When are you coming to visit?” the mantid asked.

Communicating with the mantid through the stone tablet was almost like a video call, but instead of seeing the mantid’s physical features, Sam saw the mantid how he would’ve seen it through his All-Seeing Gaze. He stared at the mantid as he thought about his schedule. He didn’t have anything planned for the foreseeable future, but he did want to learn more about his sacral chakra. Since he had mastered it upon summoning Joe the sloth after absorbing the world seed, it’d be better for him to hire another tutor to teach him. “I’ll go in a couple of months.”

“I’m not sure I’ll still be alive and well in a couple of months,” Gregor said and let out a sigh, its mandibles clacking together. “Currently, I’m under house arrest. No one is pleased I’ve lost the world seed, and without your sloth as proof of what had occurred in the dungeon, I’m afraid I’ll be executed soon.”

“Well, that’s not good,” Sam said. “How much time do I have? Quite frankly, I’m not sure how to get to Silva Volucris.”

“Silva Volucris is West of Et Serpentium,” Gregor said. “There aren’t any roads connecting our civilization to yours, but seeing as you have reptilian friends, I’m sure they can guide you to us. Mantids and reptilians don’t have good relationships with each other, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have established routes between us. The region between our civilizations is just slightly dangerous to traverse.”

Sam wondered whether or not it was worth it to head towards Silva Volucris. Sure, he might save Gregor, but … did the mantid really matter to him? He had only known the mantid for a couple of days, and if it died, he wouldn’t really care—though that did sound a bit harsh, it was the truth. “I’ll try my best to make it in time before your execution.”

“Really?” Gregor asked. “That’s great to hear.”