Born in Blood

516  HQ

Liam's assessing gaze scoured the ocean floor. Instead of being met with underwater wilderness and untamed lands, the scene ahead cemented Bill's reputation as a CEO of the NOCL. The first thing that caught his eye was a blocky, square building made from an aquamarine, crystalline, iridescent material. From top to bottom, fluorescent lights made it seem like a stronghold of importance. At the top, a string of ethereal letters — 'NOCL' — were displayed, hovering mid-air. Surrounding it was a collage of similar, but smaller buildings with various shapes, sprawled across thousands of kilometers! All of it brimmed with life. Sealife, to be exact. Here and there, upon fortified, coral reef-shaped towers made with natural azure crystal, Liam saw Hammerhead Sharks standing guard on two legs!

Swimming this way and that, were a diverse range of oceanic creatures. No two were the same species, but all of them seemed to have roles of their own.

Liam saw Swordfish.

Their bills were sharpened to an unparalleled degree, and spanned dozens of meters in length.

He saw Lionfish, covered with layers of cruel spikes that crackled with lightning. He saw broad shouldered humanoid Sharks, their muscles bulging through white, light-blue skin and light armor. He saw Eels that somehow blazed with fire, despite swimming through water! He saw Piranha, Catfish, Seahorses, Guppy and more, all of which radiated a heavy, menacing air. On the seafloor, Liam saw mean-looking crabs and lobsters, traversing through their side. This wasn't a society or an active civilization by any means.

This was a private militia.

Of vicious, scarfaced, war-hardened Seafolk!

Bill McGill's entire company focused on security, escort and protection, after all. All the Seafolk present were on guard, rotating between the countless buildings with a fixed, repeated pattern. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But out of all these buildings, the NOCL HQ was the biggest and most menacing of them all, a brooding piece of architecture that rose more than 400 floors. "Home sweet home," Bill said with a toothy smile, then looked at Liam and winked. "What do you think?"

Liam resisted the urge to cringe. "Not bad."

As soon as the Seafolk saw that Bill and the Kraken had entered the HQ, they immediately halted their tracks and looked at the CEO with respect.

"Greetings, Oceanmaster!" All of the Seafolk screamed that sentence in unison.

Liam had to bite back a laugh. …Oceanmaster?

He couldn't pick a better name?

Sure, Liam wasn't one to talk.

But… Oceanmaster?

Really?

Bill gave back a stony nod at the Fishfolk, who quickly returned to their routines and paths. Then, together with the Kraken, Liam and Bill descended to the highest floor of the NOCL HQ Building.

With a light jump, Liam and Bill both landed on the roof of the building. Then, Bill used his mental waves on the Kraken once more, his eyes glowing blue and magical.

Under his command, the Kraken slowly twirled around and swam away.

"Alright, follow me," Bill said, turning to Liam with a grin. "Let's get this party started!"

Liam gave a terse groan in response and followed Bill as he entered through a wide staircase, leading to a broad hallway furnished exquisitely and painted pictures hanging on the walls.

"The Sharks are called Sharkmen, Squid people are called Squidmen and so forth," Bill said as they walked together. "You don't have to be polite and remember all their names."

"Good to know," Liam said, passing through corridor after corridor. "Is this just one Quadrant out of the four you have a hand in?"

"Indeed," Bill confirmed. "Except, this is the smallest out of all of them. The average Quadrant is roughly 1,500 kilometers." Eventually, Liam arrived at a penthouse of sorts. In terms of luxury, it rivaled Mount Mayhem, albeit just a little more inferior.

It was clean, modern and minimalistic. In the center were two chairs, divided by a single table.

"Please," Bill said, taking a seat on one side. "Sit down."

Liam sat down and made himself comfortable.

Then, Bill put his palm flat down on the table's surface.

A low, steady hum rang out within the room. Slowly, the panes of glass around the room darkened, basking the room in pure darkness.

Then, a white spark lit the room in a hazy, violet light. On the panes of black glass, there were photos and pictures of all kinds of Seafolk, locations and even items. Below them, names and Quadrant numbers, along with a brief job description. 'Ah,' Liam thought, looking around. 'How sinister and mysterious…' "This," Bill said quietly with dark eyes, "is the War Room." He gestured to the photos.

"Each picture you see is a mission."

Liam narrowed his eyes. "I see no rewards," he said.

Bill smirked. "That's the catch, my friend," he said. "This is the first time I'm hiring an outside contractor. There are no rewards because there isn't a need for a reward system."

"But…" Bill said, winking. "I can make one tailored just for you."

Liam furrowed his brow.

"Explain."

Bill grinned again.

"Just tell me what you want, and I'll see what I can do. Magical locations to make your Path learning easier? Treasures to help you comprehend Concepts? Forbidden knowledge? You name it, we probably have it." Silence.

This…

Liam might have just struck gold.

But he didn't show anything on his face.

"Tell me more about the Path part," Liam said. "Ah," Bill exclaimed, chuckling. "Of course, you'd start off with that."

Then, Bill grew a little more serious.

"The ocean is special because of the innumerable number of magical habitats it contains."

"In fact, it's quite common for Zeniths to move here as soon as they awaken all three centers of power, using the environment to bolster their understanding of the Concepts."

Pretty much what Eyes of Knowledge told him.

Liam leaned forward. "Any of them?"

Silence.

"Most," Bill said. "I can't guarantee the Quality you want to learn will be there… but if it doesn't come in the form of an environment, it'll be in the form of an enemy."

"All of it depends on what job you do, and how well you execute it."

"I'm guessing the 'secret job' you have in mind for me isn't on display," Liam said. Bill chuckled. "Get a bit of experience first," Bill said. "Then I'll tell you everything." This chapter might be edited a bit after its upload. Just a note.

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