Ch 154
It didn’t take long for Matt to locate Rudan as he pondered what to expect moving forward. First, he was certain that Tempormr was still angered by his actions. Second, Radoznaormr seemed to be enjoying watching his actions, which implied that the five locations Radoznaormr intended to send him would be anything but straightforward. Finally, he had failed to secure any leverage to protect the current world from being conquered the moment the penalty period ended. This, more than anything, made it difficult for Matt to meet Rudan's gaze as he stood before him, with his full-sized puppet positioned a half-step behind him.
"I take it that you didn’t manage to secure anything to protect my life then?" Rudan inquired, as if he had anticipated this outcome all along. "It’s a shame, I thought that if you survived meeting with Radoznaormr, there might have been a chance."
"There still is, if he honors the deal I offered him, and it sounds like he might," replied Matt, though his voice lacked confidence. "The bigger question is how long do you think you'll have after the penalty period ends before Godfrey Enterprises makes their move?"
"A galactic week, maybe two, and that's only if they haven't already prepared themselves just out of sight to attack even now," answered Rudan. "If they have, it means they truly fear you and want to ensure your organization has no room to grow."
"Do you have any strategies that you think might work?" asked Matt, uneasy with the idea his mind was toying with.
"None. I was branded the scapegoat and will be used as such."
"Rudan, I might have a way for you to do what I did to the owl-man who tried to kill me, or at least injure the one who kills you."
"They will know if the puppet next to you tries to take my place."
"No," replied Matt, shaking his head. "Did you see the owl-man that left a bit ago?"
"Yes, he was the same one you were keeping tabs on and the only one Radoznaormr allowed within a thousand yards of you the whole time you were under his shield. What does he have to do with anything?"
"He is fully my puppet now and can only control his body if I let him," stated Matt, a bit sheepishly. "Most of his body is now composed of my cells, and well, as drastic as it is, there are some advantages."
"Like having access to both his skills and yours," stated Rudan, frowning deeply as eyes narrowed. "I would likely be sent to your world if you did that to me, and that isn't what we want."
"Radoznaormr is going to create five portals for me to use to leave my home world. He said that I would need to find my way back onto my world, but if you do end up on my world, then you could use one right away if you wanted."
"Why would I leave your world when I should be able to use being there to grow stronger?" Rudan's voice carried a hint of curiosity despite his resistance.
"To save all those in this one, as the idea is to gain at least one backer wherever you're sent."
"You are grasping at straws," commented Rudan, shaking his head firmly. "No, I will not allow myself to become your puppet."
Matt smiled, relieved, as he didn't want to actually do to Rudan what he had done to the owl-man. Truthfully, Matt would be fine if he never did that to someone ever again, even if he had a feeling that he would in fact be doing it again at some point. Though Matt found himself wondering just how many times he could split his mind, as he was currently only doing so four times. One was what he considered his main self, the one that all the rest returned to. Then there was his real body, the puppet he had been strengthening, and the owl-man.
Maintaining the four selves didn’t seem to be straining him, yet Matt feared what pushing himself could truly mean. After all, he was certain his mental state had to play a crucial role in all of this, and if he pushed it too far, it could end in disaster for him. The only fate worse than having his body become useless was losing his mind, and were it not for the threat of death, Matt would have never taken the risk to even split it once. This realization made Matt frown as he understood that Radoznaormr had actually helped him. Truly helped him, simply by threatening his life. The same could be said for what happened when Matt had been trapped in the sphere of metal; he had grown from that experience. Instantly, Matt wondered if everything that had occurred up to the present moment was all about pushing him to grow stronger. Even though Greg and the others had significantly closed the gap in levels in the months that had passed, they were still only at level 48. The single kill of the owl-man had been worth more in terms of pure experience gained than remaining in the dungeon. It was rather unsettling if that had been the intended outcome from the very start, and if it hadn’t been, then it was a miracle that things had worked out the way they had.
“How powerful do you think I am?” Matt asked.
Rudan frowned as he considered his response. “You’re like a tiny spider with venom so potent it kills any living thing you bite, no matter the size difference. Only by capturing you alive—and killing you before you even have a chance to bite—can anyone hope to survive a direct confrontation with you.”
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Matt ran a hand through his hair and frowned. “Alright then. Was it your idea to send that A-rank owl-man after me, or did the order come from higher up?”
“It came from above,” Rudan admitted, shifting his weight. “But only after I told them I felt genuine fear at the prospect of attacking you. They’ve been wagering on your growth—planning to negotiate peace once you’ve proven yourself indispensable. That won’t save me, though. Now that they’ve painted me as a traitor, I’m as disposable to them as the owl-man you killed. Letting me live would be an indelible blemish on their organization—one they can’t risk if I ever fall into their hands.”
Matt’s jaw tightened. “I see. So there really is nowhere you can hide that they won’t hunt you down and execute you. We’d better make sure you’re never found. Is there truly no escape route off this world for you?”
Rudan’s shoulders sagged under the weight of his predicament. “There’s always a way out, but to what purpose? Where would I even go, and why?”
“Pick any world you think you could survive on—and go,” Matt urged. “If you can bring one of my puppets with you, take it—”
Rudan shook his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. “No matter which world I flee to, I’ll be chased. I’m already branded a traitor; no one will grant me sanctuary.”
“How can you say that if you’ve never ventured beyond Godfrey Enterprises’ territory?” Matt shot back, frustration lacing his tone. “If I can stare down certain death and carve out a path forward, so can you. Otherwise, why should I bother keeping you alive?”
“Fine,” Rudan said quietly. “I’ll care enough about my life to try, but I won’t tell you where I’m headed. I only ask that you let me leave Scattered Stars before—”
“No,” Matt interrupted, folding his arms. “You will stay and prove yourself worthy of becoming a vice-leader someday. I’m already annoyed that I’ll have to find someone else to hold the fort here—I doubt they’ll be half as capable.” Matt stopped, pointed at Rudan. “You know what? Screw subtlety. I’m walking straight up to them and telling them how it’s going to be.” He paused, brow furrowed. “Rudan, do you think they’d shut down the portal from their end?”
Rudan frowned, seemingly reluctant to answer Matt, before shaking his head and informing Matt that the connection was likely still available if they wished to proceed. This news brought a smile to Matt's face as he realized he had at least another 30 days before he was compelled to return to Earth. If he used all that time wisely and stretched a few things further than he preferred, he could potentially put on a grand finale to bring things to a close.
"Rudan, take us back to your compound and prepare for us to infiltrate the heart of Godfrey Enterprises' power. We are going to deliver a blow that should cripple them and ensure they have no idea where you are at the same time."
Matt noticed that Rudan seemed to want to say something, but he held back, and Matt allowed himself to be carried as both he and his puppet were lifted by Rudan. As Matt lay unconscious on Rudan, he crafted a consciousness for the puppet with Greg and the other team members. Observing them in the midst of a fierce battle, Matt simply smiled, realizing the importance of developing this puppet of his, as well as spending more time with all of them regularly.
"You know that you can join in at this point," stated Greg, having noticed Matt's presence.
"I could, but I need to grow this puppet first," replied Matt, flexing the puppet's fingers experimentally. "I have succeeded in ways that I didn't think possible and ways that I should have never done."
"Cool, then is Radoznaormr going to work with us?" Greg asked while dodging a swipe from their opponent.
"Not like I would have liked, and I am starting to think that everything that has happened to me has just been about forcing me to grow more powerful. Honestly, there is too much for me to unpack for me to start while you're mid-battle."
"It's good that you finally realized that," stated Greg, his breath coming in short bursts as he fought. "Tempormr found a way to reach me without heading to a safe room, though it was only one way, and he couldn't do more than say a single line when he did."
"Oh, and what did he say?" Matt leaned forward mentally, curious.
"All that matters is that Matt grows," retorted Greg, his voice tinged with bitterness. "Really, it's like the rest of us are nothing but hostages that can be used to get you to act."
"Yeah, I kind of feel like that is what's going on as well," admitted Matt. "I don't like that they're forcing me to care about others and would have rather had them just grab me and toss me into a gauntlet to face alone from the start."
"Right," replied Greg somewhat reluctantly, wiping sweat from his brow. "Because getting to know all of us is that bad. Matt, you really don't make sense sometimes. What is the point of anything if you have no one to care about it or care about you?"
"Not everyone looks to others for fulfillment," countered Matt. "Still, once we care about others, it can be hard to stop caring about them, and that is the trap I feel I've fallen into."
Greg simply shook his head and refrained from speaking for the remainder of the brief period before the fight they were engaged in came to an end. At that moment, Matt updated everyone on the situation above and outlined his plans for the very limited time they had left before their return to Earth. This sparked a productive discussion about the pros and cons of his idea, as well as a few alternative options that had not been previously considered. However, when he concluded the conversation by recounting what he had done to the owl-man, including his feeling that it had crossed a moral line, the atmosphere turned awkward. Finally, it was Eleanor who broke the uncomfortable silence.
"Matt, you should never tell anyone else that you're capable of doing that," Eleanor warned. "Even knowing that you're on our side doesn't make me feel safe."
"I am more concerned about whether others can do that," Emily commented. "It reminds me of a fungus that affects ants back on Earth."
"Great, now I'm thinking about being mind-controlled by a fungus," Greg retorted. "Still, Matt, you really crossed some lines with this one."
"I know," Matt agreed. "Even if he was an enemy, it felt terrible knowing that I did that to him, and I should be weaker than him."
"Good, now let's never talk about it again," Rose stated firmly. "Instead, let's celebrate that Matt survived meeting Radoznaormr and..."
With that, the mood lightened, and the conversation shifted to the future, as they all anticipated facing new challenges upon their return to Earth. Even the knowledge that there would be an endless dungeon for ten years didn't do much in terms of concrete planning. However, they all agreed that working together would be worth considering if it was an option. That was, except for Matt, who pondered whether he should continue allowing Bob to remain connected to him or consider shifting Bob’s link to Apricity or Yumiko.
