Ch 159
Matt stood before the looming entrance of the dungeon, his mind racing with thoughts of what horrors awaited him inside. With the penalty period in effect, he understood that he would have to endure a slow advance, waiting for the spawns to strike first. It was a frustrating reality, but it was the only logical choice; he knew he couldn't hope to outrun anyone on the surface. Taking one last, lingering look at the overcast sky, he charged forward, placing his trust in the self within his puppet to negotiate a favorable outcome. He was acutely aware that sleep would be a luxury he could not afford until the very end; he had no intention of giving Tempormr an opportunity to reach out and disrupt his plans.
At the same time, a sense of duty weighed heavily on him—the responsibility to secure a brighter future for those who had placed their trust in him and joined Scattered Stars. He paused briefly, allowing his consciousness to assimilate and reform as a flood of updated information surged through him. Although not all of his alternate selves had perished and reintegrated into his memories, the majority had met violent ends. Those who had encountered the rerouted teleportation gates were far from pleased, and many had acted without hesitation, swiftly dispatching Matt's puppet the moment they achieved their objectives. The thought of another owl-man killing one of his puppets after being outsmarted elicited a sarcastic chuckle from him, but it was the haunting image of a single man decimating countless insectoids that left the most profound impact. Clearly, as his puppet had surmised, such overwhelming force would only complicate his carefully laid plans.
His strategy was faltering, as the most reasonable group he had encountered thus far was the one his main body had dealt with. This realization only lowered his expectations further regarding how organizations reacted when things didn't go their way. Matt felt as though he was navigating a playground filled with children who had yet to learn how to share their toys. To compound his frustration, the sole group that did understand cooperation insisted that everyone play by their rules. As he stepped into the dungeon, a deep sense of failure washed over him; he felt he had let down everyone on the world he currently inhabited. He knew he needed to allow them to leave Scattered Stars. All he could do now was hope that when a new organization took control, they would grant the natives a genuine opportunity to thrive.
“Very well, we can start over,” replied the hooded figure, who had just been revealed as the true leader among the four Interstellar Administration representatives summoned to this tense meeting. “Tell me, what are you willing to do to compensate us for the losses we have suffered because of your actions?”
“Are you certain this is a loss and not merely a situation that requires a period of adjustment before we can achieve even greater prosperity?” asked Matt’s puppet, his tone measured yet defiant.
“We are on the brink of an intergalactic war against unknown forces, and billions—if not trillions—will perish,” the hooded man retorted, his voice heavy with urgency. “Most of those under our rule are blissfully unaware of the civilizations that exist beyond the worlds we control, and now they will be confronted with the shocking news that several have been discovered all at once. To make matters worse, these new civilizations are not known to tolerate other organizations existing alongside their own.”
“That just sounds like it will be easy to justify the fighting that is about to unfold,” commented Matt’s puppet, a hint of sarcasm lacing his words. “Regarding what I can offer, the best I can think of is that my members will assist you in the conflict, provided your requests are reasonable and not akin to suicide missions. After all, none of those who will inhabit this planet once my integration is complete were aware of today’s plans. I am even amenable to allowing them to join other organizations if that would be more acceptable to you. I simply ask that I maintain a presence here, and that the dungeon entrance is recognized as being 51% owned by my organization.”
“I see, and what makes you think that any of that holds any value for us?” the hooded man pressed, his voice laced with skepticism. “Really, unless you have a few thousand S ranks ready to fight on our side, there isn’t much you can offer. That’s why we demanded to seize everything; we were being more punitive than anything else, as it seems you are the only asset of worth in your organization.”
“Yeah, well, unless you want to provoke Radoznaormr, you can’t have everything. He expects me to utilize certain resources he left with me once I return to my home world,” Matt’s puppet replied, a defiant edge creeping into his tone.
“Fine, but everything else—” the hooded figure began, his impatience palpable.
“If you can reach me before I’m forced back to my world. If you can’t, then you’ll have to accept my offer of 49% ownership of the dungeon entrance. You must also give the residents of this world the option to remain in my organization or join any groups you’re associated with that will take them. If you can’t even catch me, then what does that say about—”
“It seems this was truly a waste of time,” the hooded figure interrupted, shaking his head in frustration. “Your organization will be outlawed among our ranks, and this world will be seized and divided among the injured parties. You better hope you can outrun us.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“No, it is you who should hope you can catch me. If you can’t, when I return, I’ll reclaim everything you take—with interest,” growled Matt’s puppet, just before it transformed, the cells of its form shifting into a dark pool of blood.
This final act caught the gathered group off guard, particularly since the four representatives of the Interstellar Administration believed Matt was still present in the room with them. They failed to recognize the blood pooling on the floor as anything other than a bizarre spectacle and didn’t even consider avoiding the small droplets that splattered onto their clothing. With no other options available, they redirected their focus toward breaking through the situation, dismissing the fox-woman’s party to seek specialized aid.
Only four of Matt’s puppets remained active. One occupied the body of an owl-man, another accompanied Greg and the others, while a third hid among a pile of corpses on the swarm’s world, having split just before obliterating the gate there. The last puppet found itself in the teleportation hub, cornered by Daniil, who had anticipated its escape attempt.
“See, one of the abilities that most fail to develop is shadow tracking, as there are so many other ways to monitor someone that don’t require one’s shadow to overlap with theirs,” Daniil remarked, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Now, I wonder if you would be so kind as to share everything you know about the world where you stranded my friend.”
“Sorry, but I can’t provide any information about that world until the puppet there has a chance to relay the situation to my main mind,” replied Matt’s puppet, a dagger pressed firmly against its neck. “All I know for certain is that one of my puppets slipped into that world after your friend arrived. If it was the one responsible for shutting down or destroying the gate, then it must have deemed either your friend or the swarm too powerful to allow back here.”
“It would be my friend,” Daniil shot back, his voice edged with irritation. “Now, you are going to come with me, as the Interstellar Administration will have questions for you.”
Knowing he was defeated, Matt’s puppet went limp, allowing his consciousness to merge with the main one before re-engaging with the situation at hand with Daniil. This process enabled him to absorb the details from the earlier negotiation, leading him to conclude that transforming into a pool of blood was his best course of action. Just like that, another of Matt’s puppets ceased to exist, though the individual cells remained alive and pulsing with energy.
“Shit, fuck, ass-wipe! How dare you cut me off from my exit!” Vassilis roared, his voice echoing through the desolate area as he vented his frustration after dispatching the last of the swarm. “I know you’re still out there; I can feel your presence. You’re like me, a prime bloodline, aren’t you? But you still don’t grasp what that means. So, how about you come out and we can discuss it before I rip you to pieces.”
Part of Matt’s puppet, currently only four inches tall, was tempted to hear what the furious man had to say. However, he doubted Vassilis would share anything useful. The man seemed more intent on killing Matt, and Matt’s puppet didn’t trust that another prime bloodline wouldn’t have some ability to harm him or affect the main body. Thus, he chose to remain concealed while Vassilis continued his rampage around the area where the gate had once stood.
Then, a massive swarm of insectoids descended, prompting Vassilis to charge forward, battling through the seemingly endless tide of creatures. As he watched the bodies pile up in waves, Matt’s puppet began to dig a hole just big enough for him to slip into. Once he felt sufficiently hidden, he shifted his form to consist solely of tooth enamel and blood, just as he had done to survive within the confines of the metal sphere, hoping this tactic would work once again. It became clear to him that the population of this world would soon dwindle, and it was best for him to remain undetected until they returned to Earth.
“Well, this is a right mess,” Matt’s puppet remarked to Greg and the rest of the party after receiving the latest updates. “Emily, you’re going to need to start hoarding merit points; we’ll need to lift all restrictions for people leaving soon.”
“Things blew up that badly?” Emily replied, her eyes wide with concern. “I mean, why didn’t you just destroy the gate to this world?”
“It would have ruined any chance for those in this world to rise high enough to matter,” Greg asserted, his tone firm. “We’ve discussed this—”
“No, I mean after he realized it was going to be impossible to deal with.”
“Emily, there wasn’t an opening for me to exploit. The best I could do was lock them in that room and buy myself the time I needed to escape. However, depending on what the system sends back to Earth, I might have a few surprises waiting for them. After all, none of them bothered to avoid letting a few drops of my blood land on them.”
“Are you really going to repeat what you did to that owl-man?” Rose asked, her voice tinged with disappointment. “I thought we all agreed that you should never resort to that again.”
“No, I’m not turning any of them into puppets,” Matt replied, his expression resolute. “I simply plan to use them to gather as much information as I can between now and when Earth opens up to the universe as a whole. Plus, a few of them will be the first ones I eliminate if they dare to mistreat the people of this world once I reach S rank.”
“Do you genuinely believe you can attain S rank before Earth opens up?” Emily inquired, concern etched across her features. “I mean, I’m not doubting your abilities, but if it were that easy, I would expect we’d see more S ranks than we currently do.”
“I think you’re overthinking things,” Greg interjected. “We just need to do what we can and hope for the best. If it turns out to be impossible, then Matt will likely perish, and Earth will fall under the control of others. It’s not like we haven’t all lived under governments before. This time, however, that government will have a bit more power behind it.”
“No,” Matt’s puppet countered firmly. “Even if I fail to reach S rank, I have no intention of allowing others to rule through sheer power. If a democracy emerges, I’ll address it, provided it doesn’t try to force me into compliance.”
A long, tense silence settled over the group as the others stifled sighs and murmurs about his stubbornness on the issue. Nevertheless, they all acknowledged that he would be a contender for leadership if power were the only criterion.
