Business was booming.

  With the endorsements provided by Balar, several hesitant customers had reached out and inquired whether the offers were still valid. Nemeses that had been gathering dust for some time now were finally able to be sold. My points balance was overflowing, having reached over half a million.

  I was also finally ranked on the Points Leaderboards, a feature I’d basically completely ignored until now. My current standings were only in the 10,000s, but hey, progress was progress. I’d already inquired whether there were any benefits to being ranked on the leaderboards, but Melchior had told me that I needed a much higher rank to receive any.

  Of course, I wasn’t the only one who had profited. The strength of Khaelen’s group had increased by leaps and bounds, now possessing dozens of additional abilities and equipment. They were also well-stocked with a healthy supply of potions, despite me taking the lion’s share of the points.

  Good. The stronger they were, the more they’d be able to help me in the future. I’d already benefited immensely by hanging around them, and was quite satisfied with our cooperation. After all, who knew how long it’d have taken to get this many points and new pieces of equipment on my own?

  I handed over a Nemesis to a group of trembling Tier 5 otherworlders and finished my last transaction for the day.

  “Here you are. Thanks for doing business with us. Don’t forget to leave a like, follow and a 5 star rat- Oh sorry, force of habit from the old days. Enjoy yourselves!”

  “Y-y-yes. L-likewise, sir. We shan’t inconvenience you any longer then. Farewell...”

  Unlike many others, they didn’t even bother finishing off the Nemesis and instead quickly stowed it away in one of their large pincers. They slowly backed away, their beady eye stalks warily watching me all the while. The moment they reached the cover of the Monolith trees, the entire group began a full tilt run into the darkness of the Canopy and quickly vanished.

  Sheesh, no faith in me at all, even till the very end. They don’t know I’m actually one of the most honest scammers out there. You guys got off easy!

  That said, there had been something.... off about that group. A faint scent that didn’t belong to them, lingered on one of their bodies. And the way they’d run off so quickly had been rather strange.

  Well, maybe their race happened to be easily spooked.

  I brushed these errant thoughts out of my second brain’s mind and drew my attention back to the tasks at hand. I just needed to finish a few more miscellaneous chores and I’d be able to have a nice period of rest. That was the last major deal that had been lined up for the next few days, and no new Nemeses were nearby.

  Now that I think about it, it may be a good move to take this chance to relocate to a different spot. We’d been so busy that there hadn’t been an opportunity, but now seemed as good a time as any. I was mainly worried we might be starting to draw some undue attention with the constant commotion going on here. Switching locations regularly would help reduce our chances of being taken unawares by an organized ambush.

  I also needed to spend my points and maybe buy some of those big-ticket items in the Shop I had my eyes on. With how broke I was usually, it felt rather strange to be carrying around so many points, like an itch that needed to be scratched.

  Humming a small tune, I rose to my feet and began to tidy up the area. I carefully packed away the signs and dismantled the wooden stall for future reassembly. Building everything had been one of the more difficult parts of this entire endeavor, funnily enough.

  I turned my head and took a final glance at the small clearing where I’d spent the last several weeks. It was not a pretty sight, to say the least; it looked more like a warzone at this point.

  In a way it was one, with all the skirmishes and battles that had been fought. The earth was scorched black and countless craters dotted the ground, many of my own creation. The soil was practically soaked with the river of blood that had been spilt here. The native vegetation would no doubt make a quick resurgence with the ample fertilizer that had been provided.

  Still, I looked upon my time here quite fondly.

  I turned back and began to make my way back to the underground cavern. After a brief stroll through the tunnels, I was back at my turnip farm.

  Only three captive Tier 4 otherworlders remained planted in the ground, with the rest having been sold off.

  A small homemade contraption made by a handy otherworlder lay in the corner next to the heads. Several clear tubes snaked out of it and into the Tier 4 turnips, drip-feeding a constant stream of sedatives and hallucinogenics.

  I yanked out the tubes and began to dig them out from the ground. It was a bit of a lengthy process without the Talpiderys claws equipped, but I was able to eventually free them.

  With a grunt, I hoisted them over my shoulder.

  It was moments like this that made me miss having the extra utility of the Onisha body. A price for everything, I suppose.

  I also collected the bin of extra equipment and the few pieces of furniture lying about, sending a cloud of dust flying about. Soon, I was done cleaning house and ready to move out.

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  My now considerably heavier footsteps echoed softly through the empty cavern as I returned to the surface once more.

  Boom!

  My shoulder mounted cannons fired several times while walking, collapsing the tunnels behind me.

  A cool breeze gently brushed against my face upon emerging from the ground.

  As it did so, one of my passengers briefly stirred and moaned. A warm, sticky feeling quickly pooled on my neck as a trickle of drool and snot began to pour out of its mouth.

  Euch, I need to dump these guys as fast as possible.

  I quickly stuffed a rag into their mouths and took flight, activating my thrusters as well as powerfully flapping my wings. Unfortunately, these bastards were heavy. I maneuvered through the trees to the best of my ability, but my flight speed was a small fraction of what it normally was.

  The removal of the drug cocktail combined with the rushing currents of air seemed to serve as stimuli for the otherworlders. They gradually became more active, occasionally twitching or grunting.

  Soon, I felt another puddle of fluids leaking onto me, as the soaked rags began to steadily drip.

  With a sigh, I activated the Fleet Ring.

  Instantly, I felt my body become light as a feather with my agility increased to 80. My wings became a hazy blur of speed and I rocketed forward into the Canopy’s vast expanse.

  The wind roared in my ears as I weaved my way through the dense forest. A cascade of bright leaves fluttered in my wake and branches shook violently. Thousands of different scents filled my senses and then left, just as quickly as they had come.

  Hacking and coughing, I spat out several insects that had inadvertently flown into my mouth. A disgusted grimace formed on my face as I withdrew and uncorked a spare potion that I swiftly drank.

  Preoccupied with washing out the nauseating taste of shell and wings, my field of vision was abruptly filled with a thick tree trunk.

  Swoosh!

  I barely swerved in time and avoided being turned into a pancake, my thrusters sputtering wildly as they diverted course. Fortunately, the heightened reaction time of my second mind had allowed me to react in time. Taking a deep breath, I proceeded forward while vowing to pay more attention when operating a motor vehicle.

  After just a couple minutes of flight, the campsite of Khaelen and the others came into view, nestled between a pair of small hills. A rather well-concealed area, it was also easily defensible in event of an attack.

  I quickly spotted Misha sitting with a group of Glathar around a small fire as they roasted an unknown meat.

  Perfect timing, I was feeling a bit peckish after all my hard work.

  With a thud and a spray of dirt, I landed directly next to them and haphazardly dumped the goods onto the floor. I reached out and plucked an entire row of skewers from the fire while removing my helmet.

  One foot planted on a turnip’s head, I began to chow down.

  “Mmff, mmf, hey this stuff’s pretty good! Where’d you guys get it?”

  With her characteristic shriek, Misha jumped in surprise while the Glathar merely grumbled in disappointment from having their food stolen.

  “Mister, Mister Adun? What are you doing here? I thought you were still over there selling the bad guys!”

  Still chewing, I replied, “Mmf, yeah that’s all done with. We don’t have any more customers for a few days, so I packed everything up. We should move to a different spot, I’m getting a little antsy about sticking around here.”

  Misha’s perked ears slightly lowered as she said, “Aww really? I kind of like this place though....”

  With a chuckle I sat down, using one of the otherworlders as a makeshift chair, and began to wash down my meal with a swig of ice-cold water. “Don’t get too attached to anything, kiddo. Just take a look at me for example.”

  Beneath me, the Tier 4 otherworlder faintly groaned and moved its head. It began to struggle, its labored breathing growing even heavier as it attempted to raise its arms.

  With a quick flick to the forehead, it fell back to the floor as it hissed in pain. Around me, the other turnips appeared to be in similar states of awakening.

  I impotently attempted to move my tentacles, sitting there awkwardly for a few moments.

  Ah that’s right, I’m still in the Scout v1.

  I retrieved the contraption I’d been using in the cavern earlier, and began setting it up. As the clear tubes reentered the otherworlders one by one, their strained expressions began to slowly relax. Soon, their feeble attempts at resistance ceased and they drifted away into the peaceful embrace of the void.

  Just as I had finished hooking up the last otherworlder, a clear voice rang out into the camp.

  “What’s this I’m hearing about moving?”

  Khaelen and Xandros emerged from the hills, with a small group of otherworlders trailing behind them. They carried an assortment of fruit, plants, and hunted prey animals slung across their backs. Judging from the quantity of items they carried between them, it’d been quite the fruitful venture.

  With a broad grin, I stood up and greeted them.

  “Hey, long time no see. It’s been what, nearly a week? Little old me was getting quite lonely out there by myself.”

  They approached the fire and began roasting the food they had foraged.

  As they did so, Khaelen smirked and said, “Speak for yourself. I’ve been enjoying the peace and quiet whenever you’re gone.”

  This little shit!

  “I’m warning you, you better unblock my messages. Just because you don’t appreciate my sophisticated level of humor doesn’t mean you can-”

  With an exasperated sigh, Xandros raised his hands and intervened while Misha giggled on the sides.

  “Enough, enough. Let us save the squabbling for later. Please elaborate on your plan, Sir Adun.”

  “Fine. It’s nothing much, I just think we should pack everything up after we’re all done eating and resting. I’ve been getting a bad feeling since earlier and really think we need to move to-”

  I abruptly stopped as my spine stiffened and every hair on my body stood on end. Warning signals blared in my secondary mind as the 3D sonar map updated with another round of echolocation.

  Eight.... no, nine of them.

  My minds raced. But how? There were no Nemeses nearby, and I’d already scouted the surrounding areas for any potential hostiles. By all rights, there shouldn’t have been anyone here.

  Unless... that group from earlier. That faint scent that had been attached to one of them. The strange fear and desperation in their movements.

  We’d been sold out.

  Clinging onto a faint ray of hope, I turned to Khaelen and spoke with a quiet urgency, my smile having long vanished.

  “Did you arrange another deal today?”

  Taken aback my sudden seriousness, Khaelen’s brows furrowed deeply. The cheerful chatter of the otherworlders around me faded as they turned to stare.

  A chill ran through my veins. From his brief hesitation, I already knew the answer.

  “No... there was only one sale to be made.”