As all Integrated hurried to get out of the dungeon before it closed, Luke reached out to Johanson using the communication gem in his inventory.

  Luke: “Johanson! You found Relian? Since when do you have a gem?”

  Johanson: “Restructuring in DIA after a lot of people weren’t comfortable continuing their employment after recent events. And yes, we have located him.”

  Luke: “How?”

  Johanson: “Your tip of a general direction to search was enough to narrow down possible locations. Our analysts thought it unlikely that a person such as Relian would be content staying hidden and figured he would search for more metropolitan areas to gather knowledge of our world.”

  Luke: “Great! So, where is he?”

  Johanson: “Fort Wayne.”

  Luke: “What is in Fort Wayne?”

  Johanson: “We don't know. It is within the realm of possibility that this man is on his way to Washington.”

  Luke: “But you have him in Fort Wayne now? What are you waiting for? Kill him!”

  Johanson: “Like we discussed, a long-range rifle, followed by a ground effort, has the best chances of success, once we ruled out using long-range missiles.”

  Luke: “I hear you.”

  The Integrated were getting close to the portal now with a lot of time to spare, but no one felt compelled to stay after the battle they’d just fought. Within a minute or two, they’d said their goodbyes. Luke and Ray exited through the portal, heading back to Earth.

  Johanson: “Unfortunately, we will have to sacrifice your friend for this strategy to work.”

  Luke: “It’s for the greater good.”

  Johanson: “Well… yes, I suppose. The reason for me reaching out was to inform you of our pending action.”

  Luke: “Let me know when he’s dead. We are done with the dungeon now. I held up my end of the bargain, helping people and representing the DIA. Once the Fallen Shepherd has fallen, I expect a long line of patients to heal and a place where I can heal them.”

  Johanson: “Thank you. I will reach out again momentarily.”

  “What’s going on?” Ray asked after they’d shouted friendly goodbyes to Curtis as the grump made his exit.

  “Hm?”

  “That dazed look. You’re getting messages.”

  “Oh? Yeah. It’s DIA, Johanson.”

  “Love that guy,” Ray said, cracking open a soda can he’d bought from a vending machine. He took a long gulp from it, then let out a sigh of satisfaction. “What did he want?”

  Luke glanced at Ray, considered whether he should tell him or not, then decided it wouldn’t be a favor to keep information from him. “It’s Relian.”

  “Oh?” Ray asked, taking another sip, trying to feign disinterest.

  “They have him.”

  “Really?”

  “Well,” Luke began. “Sort of. They’ve found him, and a sniper is going to blow Tim’s head off.”

  Ray raised an eyebrow and nodded to himself. “I like what I’m hearing so far.”

  “Johanson said he’d get back to me when it’s done.”

  “Just like that, huh?” Ray asked, finishing the soda.

  “What?”

  Ray shrugged. “No, I mean. A little easy, yeah?”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Dammit, Ray!”

  “What?”

  “Now you’ve gone and jinxed it.”

  Ray laughed. “I’m pretty sure you were the one who jinxed it. You sounded way too confident, all like they’ll blow Tim’s head off.”

  Luke stopped, sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. “Shit. I think you’re right.”

  “Want to grab a beer and commiserate?”

  Luke considered it for a moment and was about to accept the invitation when he caught a whiff. He lifted his arm and wrinkled his nose. "I really should go home and shower first."

  A pair of men in dark suits, white shirts, and black ties, wearing matching sunglasses, approached them on the street. "Raymond Christopherson?"

  Luke glanced at Ray, who nodded. "What do you want? You DIA?"

  They both gave quick shakes of their heads. "We are with the Central Intelligence Agency."

  "Shit," Ray said. "Really? CIA?"

  "That is correct. We have a proposition for you."

  They gave Luke a look. "For your ears only."

  "Are you offering me a job?" Ray asked. "You want me to be a spook? Just so you know, I'm not overthrowing any governments."

  "Mr. Christopherson, if you please," they gestured for Ray to follow into a car.

  "You sure about this?" Luke asked.

  Ray shrugged, stepped toward the car, and turned back. "Raincheck on that beer, okay? And let me know how it goes with," He mimed holding a sniper rifle and firing it, then brought his hands up to his head and splayed his fingers to show his head exploding.

  "Sure," Luke said, eyeing the two agents. "Just be careful, OK?"

  "You can't go through life always being careful, Luke," Ray said with a grin as he got into the car and it sped away.

  Luke stood there for a moment watching the car go, then sighed and was about to run back home for a shower, hoping he'd get an added attribute in Endurance for it. It took perhaps ten more minutes for Johanson to get back in touch.

  Johanson: "Luke."

  Luke: "It didn't work?"

  It was quiet for a while. Then another text message appeared.

  Johanson: "How did you know?"

  He was about to say that he'd jinxed it, but thought better of it.

  Luke: "Had a hunch."

  Johanson: "The ranged offensive found its mark with a clean headshot. Relian fell near a parking garage in Fort Wayne and looked dead to the world. While our operative kept an eye on the remains, we made contact on the ground and fired additional rounds into both his head and heart to make sure."

  Luke: "But that wasn't enough."

  Johanson: "Unfortunately, it seems Relian regained consciousness during transport of the remains to DIA headquarters. We lost contact with the personnel in charge and, once we found the van, the body bag was empty. I can only assume Relian regained consciousness and escaped."

  Luke: "But he was confirmed dead?"

  Johanson: "Yes. It was confirmed."

  Johanson: "I will keep you informed of our ongoing search. Also, once we have a space for your healing, I'll let you know."

  Luke: "Thank you."

  That was it then. Luke had jinxed it. He sent word to Ray and got some crude jokes in reply, then stood there, unsure how to continue. Jinxing wasn't a thing, of course, but the result of their skirmish with Relian bothered him, and not just the outcome either. Taking a round to the head, then several more, should be enough to kill him. Luke saw no way of surviving that himself. If he lost consciousness, there was no way he could heal himself, was there? Perhaps that level of survivability carried over from the Fallen Shepherd class. Next time, they'd have to try decapitation and burning the corpse.

  The burning question then was: Could Luke beat Relian if it came to that? Maybe, but he wasn't confident. To beat him, Luke needed to grow stronger, and to do so at a rate that outpaced a being that possessed far more knowledge than himself. The question then was whether Luke should hunt the Fallen Shepherd right away or grow stronger first.

  Luke ran to clear his head.

  Boon of Potential grants you an attribute point (+1 Endurance).

  By the time he made it back home, he'd come to a decision. This was not a question for him to answer. If he wanted to do this, if he wanted to hunt, he would need help. A group. Not a large one, but at least a few more people to tip the scales. Just as he'd showered and sat down to compile a list of possible candidates, a message arrived.

  Mateo: "Luke. I will arrive outside your apartment building in fifteen minutes. See you soon, my friend."

  Right. Dinner with Mateo's family.

  Having Mateo join would be an excellent start to the group. Growing in power while chasing someone like Relian wouldn't be a field trip, and having someone like Mateo come with was a surefire way to keep morale high.

  Luke grinned to himself as he made his way down to the front of his building, thinking of who else to add to the party.

  A small Toyota Corolla that had seen better days came to a screeching stop right in front of Luke, and Mateo leaned over to look through the open passenger side window."Luke! Jump in, my friend! We must make haste!"

  Once seated, Mateo hit the gas and the engine roared as they drove off at a speed that rivaled Milla's insane driving.

  Luke fastened his seatbelt in a hurry. "What's going on, Mateo? Is someone hurt?"

  "No, of course not!"

  "Then why are you driving like a maniac?"

  "Because I am away from my wife, the love of my life, of course! Also, she said if dinner is cold when I return with you, she will have my hide. My friend, I need my hide!"

  Right. His family. With Mateo having a wife, children, and a job, having him come along on such a dangerous journey and keeping him away from his life would make Luke a poor friend. He studied the Lancer's open, honest face as they left the city center and shook his head, deciding then and there that he would not even pose the question. Mateo, being Mateo, he might even come out of an obligation, honor, or some such, and that wasn't an option. Not really.