Dreadwolf, Lord of Runes

A few hours later, Kane and Luna had returned to their motorcycles. After they came to an initial agreement, it had taken a little longer to hash out the details of their deal and setting up the scene of the gruesome slaughter they should have committed.

Since Father was tracking their movements, this also provided the added bonus of making him think they had spent this time actually killing these people.

Unfortunately, he did have to leave behind the Nether Cabal token that was required to trade with them, but that was fine.

The token was bound to his DNA and the Cabal wouldn't trade with anyone that didn't have a token bound to their own DNA. They might even kill you for trying. So without him, the token was useless.

Besides, it was either that, or using Luna as collateral.

On the other hand, Kane had convinced Nova to sweeten the pot a little. After all, making it seem like they were all dead was a requirement for Kane to attend the meeting tomorrow and provide the introduction.

Thus, they now walked away with a few thousand credits as well. With this money, they could not only afford to visit the Opal Oasis but also be a little more selective about their techniques when they met their contact from the Nether Cabal tomorrow.

“Thank you, Master!” Luna smiled happily as they picked up their helmets.

“What for, Luna?” Kane smiled softly while putting on his helmet. He knew why she was thanking him, but he wanted her to say it. By making her vocalize her gratitude, it would etch that thankfulness deeper into her subconscious, subtly increasing her loyalty even more.

Was it necessary? Not really. Was it manipulative? Absolutely. Unfortunately, Kane had a problem with control, and no matter how much he liked Luna, he found it hard to break his patterns.

‘I really shouldn't be doing these things anymore,’ he sighed to himself but still didn’t change his ways. ‘I’ll work on it after we get away from Father. It’s not like I treat her badly, anyway.’

Luna had no idea about any of this, however. She simply pouted and said, “Obviously for finding a way not to kill them and also getting the money to go to the Opal Oasis, Master.”

At this point, they stepped onto their bikes and sped away while the conversation continued over the radio.

“Oh, that,” he chuckled. “Well, it all worked out for the best. Had we attacked, we probably wouldn’t have made it out due to Nova’s presence, and I can’t be sure we would have gotten through their encryption to get at the money. Honestly, this is pretty much the best-case scenario.”

"Plus," he continued, a little more gravely. "I still can't help but shake the feeling that this meeting with the Cabal tomorrow is suspicious… tossing a wildcard like Nova into the mix might be just what we need."

“I see,” Luna murmured thoughtfully before suddenly giggling playfully. “In that case, you’re welcome, Master!”

Kane almost swerved off the road as he laughed at her boldness. Just like that, his previous manipulation was largely undone. But he didn’t mind. Perhaps he even preferred it this way.

They raced across the streets at breakneck speed, weaving past traffic and other motorcyclists ignoring the traffic laws just as much as they did. Behaviour like this rarely led to accidents.

Everyone who lived here was either a Mystic or a Cyber, which usually meant increased reaction speed and enhanced decision-making.

And even if they did crash, Mystics and most Cybers had bodies powerful enough to survive, which was also true for any bystanders that might get hurt. Dregs didn’t come here, after all. And if they did, a possible traffic accident should be the least of their worries.

After an hour of traveling deeper into Riftshade, largely back the way they came, they ended up in front of a sleek, modern building, one of the few in the city that managed to remain relatively low to the ground.

Above the entrance, it simply said ‘Opal Oasis’, with no further advertisement or explanation given as to the purpose of this building. Partly, this was to avoid actively antagonizing the GSA, but mostly it was to maintain anonymity for its clients and a certain standard of class.

After all, the Opal Oasis was one of the most expensive brothels in the city. In fact, it ranked in the top five. All five of which were owned by the same organization: the Opal Circle, one of the six major criminal syndicates of Riftshade.

Where the Mecha Cartel dealt with black market cybernetics and the Nether Cabal with Mystic techniques and resources, the Opal Circle dealt in, supposedly, the world’s oldest profession: prostitution.

Of course, this automatically included the slave trade and human trafficking, but for the most part, it was escorts.

Inherently, the Opal Circle worked no differently from the other syndicates, with several subsidiaries plying their trade under its parent’s banner, and a small number of operations it handled personally.

And, just like when dealing with the other syndicates, gaining entrance to one of the Opal Circle’s personal establishments was a matter of invite or introduction.

Usually, only Domain Awakening and Domain Expansion stage Mystics and equivalent Cybers got an invite, but an exception was made for those at the Core Linking stage who had sufficient influence in the city.

Luckily for Kane, that last category included Father, and the family of anyone who got an invite got an automatic introduction—so long as they could pay.

Kane and Luna came to a screeching halt in front of the Opal Oasis and parked their bikes in the appropriate zone. Naturally, the parking etiquette was far more important here than at a random communal building in the Outer Ring.

“Here we are,” Kane smiled as he took off his helmet and looked at a clearly excited Luna. “How long has it been since the last time?”

“Too long!” Luna exclaimed with a big smile. Although immediately after, her smile crumpled a little. She poked her fingers together as she looked at Kane, “N—Not that I don’t appreciate however many times we’ve gone, I—I know we need the money and it costs a lot, but…”

Before she could continue any further, Kane chuckled, “Don’t worry, Luna. It was part of our original deal, wasn’t it? If it was a little cheaper, we’d go see her every day, but it is what it is.”

Then he shrugged, “Besides, if we go any more than once every few months, Father might dig a little deeper into what we’re actually doing here.”

“Ugh,” Luna immediately groaned and rolled her eyes. “I can’t wait until we put that rust bucket on a scrap heap.”

“I know how you feel,” Kane chuckled, wrath flickering through his eyes.

“But I know you’re right, Master,” Luna sighed as they walked inside. “I just wish I could see her more.”

“One day, Luna… One day,” Kane promised, confidence and absolute surety in his voice.

Inside was a comfortable, clean, modern hall focused on relaxation and pleasing all the senses. Warm colours abounded, artificial waterfalls flowed softly, and sweet, pleasant smells hung delicately in the air.

Together, they walked up to the front desk, where Kane pulled out a multicoloured token in the form of a circle and presented it to the beautiful female Cyber working there.

He wore a charming smile as he asked: “Hello, beautiful. Any chance Myst is available?”