บท 27: Reaper’s Breath
"What do I need to know about this student?" A tall and dark man stood as he watched a stream through a huge T.V. He was not entertained and had a very stern stare towards his daughter.
"That is Seeker Carlean. A Rising student in school." Alean stood at the corner of the room. She was trying to hide her shaking hands as she nervously reported.
General Cipril was a giant compared to the rest of the natives in the Pangean Nations. He stood nearly at 7 feet tall and had a large and sturdy build. His arms were almost twice as massive as most men. He had a glass eye on his left and what appeared to be a burn scar. His temperance was strict and silent.
"So he's able to earn quite a bit through his stream. Why do I need to pay attention to him?" General
"Let me begin with my plans. His earning potential could reach about 10% of our monthly income if pushed to the limits. That game his playing has about a billion fans. Almost everyone who plays video games knows about that, and he is expected to be a record winner. That garnered my interest. I tried to uh… persuade him to partner up with our school, but his connections are apparently not to be underestimated. I recently discovered that he is connected with Doctor Charles Lindmitt."
"The Hero-Doctor. I'll admit that this is a formidable connection but-"
"General, he isn't just connected to the Hero-Doctor, but I believe that the Hero-Doctor is his subordinate. Dr. Lindmitt is known for his rare appearances and his crazed focus on his research. But the impression that I got from how they interacted is that Doctor Lindmitt is someone who Seeker can order around."
The left brow of the General was raised. It was the first time that he was intrigued by this figure.
"So you tried to take advantage of his background and money-making capabilities. But I take it you failed as you are here now." The General's tone was very calm but a surging disappointment could be felt.
"I didn't just fail. We were talking in the Principal Decker's office along with Ted Zyrcon. He knocked all three of us unconscious and interrogated us about our operations. He used some strange form of the drug that made us all incredibly afraid. It was a numb-"
BANG!
Alean felt the pressure of the bullet pass by her hair. The sudden trigger was shocking, but Alean only frowned.
"You still aren't easily scared. Are you telling me that he has a drug that managed to turn you into a pitiful creature? That out of all the things he could have used to force you to confess, he used fear?" The General's eyes remained calm and relaxed as ever.
"Yes. As I was saying before, you rudely interrupted me. It was no use. The fear made me shiver, and I even confessed a bit when I panicked. After realizing how this fear could easily get Jonathan and Ted to squeal, I took advantage and confessed to some things that we could afford to reveal."
"Which organization is he working with?" General stood up with an indifferent face and walked towards a small table full of liquors and glasses.
"I don't know. He acted as if he was working alone."
"What did you tell him?"
"I didn't 'tell' him anything. He deduced everything. He was merely asking me to confirm his suspicions."
The General frowned again.
"How?"
"He already knew I was involved in selling drugs. He had one of the small-time pushers working for him. Cliff Fangwood, if I remember. He deduced everything from our reactions, my career and even taking into account your personality. But I do not know exactly how much he knows."
The General was silently pouring himself wine. He took a sip and walked nearer to Alean.
"What are his demands?"
"To meet with you. He has a business proposal."
"Not Interested. Kill him." The General turned around and started walking when Alean sighed.
"He was asking for something about the human trafficking operations in this country. He said that you are probably using the school for its main hub as well as the drug operations."
The General stopped. He turned around and gave an indifferent stare at his daughter. He took another sip and placed the glass on a nearby table.
The General suddenly moved towards Alean and aimed a powerful straight punch towards her stomach.
Alean immediately used her two hands to cover her stomach. The punch forced Alean backward. She could barely maintain her balance, and it felt as if her forearms were fractured from the punch. The General's eyes suddenly glared, and gave Alean a strong right hook to the face.
POW!
Alean stumbled back and spat out blood.
The General continued to glare angrily at her daughter.
"Apologies, General. Seeker has already punched me twice in that area. I could not afford another hit." Alean stood up and wiped off the blood, trickling down her mouth.
The glare subsided. And the General walked and took another sip from the glass.
"Looks like you've caused quite a problem for me." The General remained to look indifferent, but there was some anger in his voice.
"Now, what to do? The best option is to kill you three. Whatever evidences he has, is only related to you three. What do you have to say to that suggestion?"
Alean started to rummage on her purse that she placed on a nearby table.
"Seeker said that if things start to get out of hand, that I'd open this in front of you." Alean pulled out a small glass tube that was shut tight. The glass tube was empty.
The General gave a curious stare at the test tube. Alean opened it.
CRASH!
The two individuals in the room stumbled as a paralyzing fear filled the room. Alean dropped face front while the General barely managed to keep one leg firmly rooted as he knelt to the ground. The indifferent face disappeared. He now wore a face that could only be displayed in extreme terror.
Alean was gasping for air but had difficulty in breathing. Soon the paralyzing sensation started to disappear as the two managed to slowly regain control of their bodies.
Alean was shivering. She was slowly lifting herself up.
"It wasn't a drug! It was Seeker! Oh my God! It was Seeker's breath!" She couldn't believe it.
"ALEAN!" Harker shouted angrily. The once indifferent and calm temperament was now replaced with an angry and impatient attitude.
"WHAT HAPPENED?" Harker growled.
"Seeker! He did that! It was the same drug that I told you about! But that one was more terrifying than the one I felt!" She continued to gasp for breath as she slowly stood up and leaned on the wall.
"What did he put into that tube?"
"It was empty! I was sure it was. He took it and blew into that glass and immediately closed it!
"His breath?"
The General frowned and slowly walked towards Alean and picked up the glass tube. He stared at it cautiously. He held it close and took a whiff at the insides of the tube.
The moment Harker inhaled the remaining air that was locked inside the test tube, his mind went blank.
Harker suddenly gripped tightly, and the glass tube shattered. He almost lost his balance, but Alean managed to catch him as he fell.
Harker was gasping for breath. Great fear fell into Alean's heart. It was the first time he ever saw his father this afraid. She held him up tightly and waited until he could stand on his own.
Moments later, Harker's breathing stabilized and he stood up and stared at the glass tube. He wiped the blood on his wounded palm and went to drink all the wine in the glass nearby. It wasn't enough. He never experienced fear or helplessness of this level in his entire life.
He walked towards the wine table and started to concoct a drink for himself. His mind, however, was still processing everything that he has experienced. How could that be a teenager's breath? He was certain that whatever he sniffed was the cause of his fear.
He kept looking at Alean and took note of her flustered and shocked expression. She was telling the truth. Harker clutched his fist. That was a Reaper's Breath. The moment he sniffed the breath, he thought he would die.
What kind of man is this Seeker Carlean? What trickery did he use? Was this a new form of biological warfare? Bad breath, which was so horrible that it could paralyze two individuals who were usually fearless?
He started drinking and soon managed to calm his shaken form.
"I'll agree to the meeting. Get out." The General calmly ordered.
Alean walked out of the room and sighed as she closed the door.
"I guess I have to thank Seeker for this." Alean sighed and started to walk home.
Back at the duplex, Cliff was struggling to control his excitement.
Seeker earned over 25,000 credits from his viewers alone. There were several factors to why his earnings manage to reach this level. Once news of Seeker and Doctor Lindmitt's collaboration with Seeker came to light, it immediately reached national news. Despite not being a gamer, several people who were interested in Seeker decided to watch the stream and even paid for it.
Then suddenly, a celebrity gamer joined the stream.
"Please, Seeker! Am I not good enough? Join us! I'd even let me take me out on a date." This feminine voice chuckled as she spoke teasingly. For the first time, Seeker allowed a third-party to join in through a video call.
Carrying one of the most famous usernames in the gaming world, LordChokeMeSenpai joined their call.
Seeker grinned. This was yet another time for him to make easy money from gambling.
"Tempting offer. Kristine. Can I call you Kristine?" Seeker smiled once more.
"If you join us, you'd have the chance to call me bae." Kristine smiled.
The chatroom was exploding. Kristine Sythia was a beauty that could match superstars and models. Her trademark pink hair was a sensation amongst gamers. Among all the existing pro-steamers on Earth, it was without a doubt that Kristine Sythia was the highest compensated. Not only was she beautiful, but her skills in Piercing managed to get her to join the Piercing Battle Arena's official team, which represented the Pangean Nations, the Covenant of the Strongest.
In fact, right at the background of Kristine's video was the Covenant's official banner. The fact that this world-renowned gamer was flirting with Seeker and seducing him to join the stream spoke miles for Seeker's true worth.
The chatroom was in chaos. People were cursing in jealousy, attempting to get Kristine's attention. No one could call Kristine by her name. Everyone usually referred to her by her famous game handle.
"That is a very tempting offer. However, Kristine, I might sound arrogant, but I know for a fact that I'm better than you. Too bad the Piercing: Bullet Battle Arena hasn't been released yet. I can't prove my worth." Seeker sighed.
Kristine wasn't flustered or angry at Seeker's claim. In fact, a part of her believed Seeker's claim.
"Oh, I know that Zeek. Is it alright to call you Zeek? I heard that that's what your two friends call you." Kristine smiled.
"Of course. That sounds even more intimate." Seeker grinned devilishly.
On a high-tech laboratory, Charles was cursing at how easy it was for a beautiful girl to call Seeker, 'Zeek.'
"Look, Zeek, we want you to join our team. Even Danny wants you on our team. Come on. You are a Pangean native. Isn't it patriotic for you to join and represent your country like that?"
"As I said, I will only join if I get at least the same compensation that Precision is getting." Seeker smiled.
"Oh, you were serious? Quite a bold demand Zeek. Even I wouldn't dare to make that demand." Kristine smiled. But her eyes looked mockingly at Seeker.
"How about we make a bet Kris." Seeker smiled.
"Let's bet that before this Sunday ends, your company will be offering me a salary that will either match or surpass Precision's. I am willing to bet 70,000 credits." Seeker smiled.
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