Chương 86: Chapter 3-85 – Union Missions

Of course, there were those calling for extermination of all magical Beasts in the state who were not domesticated, but Paul Bunyan's warnings about the Beast Emperors still rang true, and Queen Gichigumi still dwelled in Lake Superior up there. Also, Michigan had a Totem Beast living here. Babe the Blue Ox had outlived his master by over a century now, and still wandered wherever he wished throughout the state.

The massive Ox's movements were closely followed by the Lumber Union and the Farmer's Collective, and if him plowing through a road or traipsing through a planted field could be annoying, well, it seemed every single irritation ended up with a silver lining. The road might be built over a vein of ore, or ready to wash away. There'd been one time he'd wandered down through the outskirts of Detroit, leaving cratered hoof-prints on the streets behind him and really snarling the traffic.

All the holes had collapsed into sinkholes shortly afterwards, showing everyone the shoddy foundation below, costing a corrupt Mayor his seat and sparking a huge turnover in the city's administration. He'd wander through planted fields, eating and pooping, and the farmers would celebrate the loss of entire crops, knowing his manure would turn a low-yielding field into prime soil. Selling his manure, now, that was a good way for all your fields to go completely barren and drive you right out of farming forever.

Cutting down what you weren't supposed to was a good way to get a visit from Babe. If you were defiant about it, it was a good way to become hoof-splatter, too. There weren't many dams in the state, but after he'd wandered through and obliterated the first one, they made sure to consult with him before doing projects of that size. There'd been a couple attempts by the Families or just ambitious bastards wanting organs or something to take out Babe.

Babe was damn tough, the scars from his fighting against the Wolverine Emperor still vivid on his hide, and every Wolverine Hunter in the state had come after his attackers, hounding them across the whole world until they died. Babe was known to speak with the local Beast Nobles, and even Queen Gichigumi, and got along with all of them. Michigan was his territory, he managed it well, and the people had prospered here under both his protection and not pissing off the Beasts in and across the waters.

Well, except for the Wolverines, but that was mutual. Babe had turned up at the Coralost Compound a couple times, clearly ambivalent about the White Magic Zone, and there was no way they could stop him if he decided to trample the place flat. Each time Briggs had just thrown the gates open and had everyone drop what they were doing and line up on the streets outside, while the Blue Ox wandered around looking at everything and everyone, especially the Refractory Towers.

The Blue Ox had wandered back outside, and any complaints about the White Mana Zone were put to rest. If Babe could tolerate it, what trueblooded Michiganders were going to say anything? Bunyantown, where the Great Axe Paul Bunyan had made his name, was also the city where the Mick and other KIA seniors had grown up. It was also the headquarters of the Lumber Union and the Wolverine Hunters alike. Little wonder the guys had grown up with such fighting instincts, and worked as a team so well.

Dow Alchemical's main plant in Birchland was only fifteen or so miles down the road from Bunyantown, the small river that ran through it gradually bending around and emptying into the same one flowing through the old lumber baron town.

The pollution they were putting out had actually bestirred Queen Gichigumi to surface in Saginaw Bay over forty years ago, scaring the piss out of everyone at the thought of fighting the Turtle Empress, especially since Babe was pointedly grazing placidly on the opposite side of the state at the time. Dow Alchemical had to shut down for a full month to put the emergency measures into place to stop the polluting, mobilizing thousands of mages to clean up the polluted waterways pissing off the ancient Turtle.

If they hadn't, they probably would have been burned to the ground by their own workforce. The expenditures had been costly, but they had worked, cleaning up the riverways and banks of pollutants and starting an environmental movement that had quickly spread across the country. It had been the event that set up the Environmental Harmony Act and the Agency that monitored it.

The Dows had reaped the benefits of being a first-mover, popularizing the technology and means, and even donating to causes that furthered environmental restoration and less conflict with the Beasts of the continent. Rumors said that Babe had basically let them and other polluters be long enough for them to be hoist on their own petards.

The frantic movements to save their company had cost the Dow Family over half its fortune, and amusingly put it into debt to the very Labor Union representing its workers, a situation that still existed as the Union hadn't let them buy it out. It was still better than being forced to sell off to another Family at rock-bottom rates, or take out loans backed by collateral they might not have been able to afford if their efforts hadn't worked. Still, Dow was a Family.

They had a lot of money, a lot of power, a private army, a lot of magical power in its members, and they moved in Family circles. The North Woods University it had founded in Birchland near its main plant was in conjunction with other Michigan Families, giving them a convenient place to send gifted underlings to and recruits for their operations, while their own scions headed off to the elite universities on the East Coast.

We all wandered over to Boonie Hall to get our share of fresh seafood and chowder, then escorted out those who were coming back to Michigan with us, while those tasked with stuff to do in Boston went about their own errands. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Briggs also took half-a-dozen more Oaths from Hunters quietly recruited and vetted by me.

They were brought back with us to Coralost as I Reduced everyone down to quarter-size, put them on Disks holding hands, spun up a Seal Focus on the ground to ease the trip, and Teleported us all the way back across the country, shocking the Hell out of the new recruits that I could do such a thing so easily and routinely... let alone shrinking them down to a fraction their normal size, something they'd only heard about in storybooks and anime. Impressing the new blood, off to a good start!

Cameron Dow was the one chosen to meet with us. He was a tall, suave, experienced businessman, brown-haired and green-eyed, and a full Mage himself, with just enough combat experience to not be called useless, but he hadn't taken on any active combat duties for ten years. He needed the magical power to get any respect in and for the Family, and he doubtless wanted to make Archmage and become an Elder of the family and be promoted to the central council of the Dows.

Obviously, they didn't think this matter was important enough to send an Elder. Sama and I just exchanged glances when we heard he was here with only a token lawyer and his driver. As Family, he naturally had to be chauffeured to anything important, but he hadn't bothered to bring his bodyguards into the White Zone. They'd be as useless as he was, so why bother? His Aura was Blue with shades of Brown, and his Elements were Earth, Air, and Void, the latter probably why he didn't look that uncomfortable.

His lawyer was Blue with shades of Red, and also a Mage... wielding Dark Magic. Looked like Air, Shadow, and Poison. The lawyer was from Merlin Marven and Members, Esq., however, a Detroit firm with a well-deserved reputation for hardcore negotiating about financial matters and aggressive tax accounting.

"Lady Fae?" He seemed fairly startled by my appearance, especially standing next to the scarred and taller Sama Rantha.

"My apologies. You look younger than I was told to expect." I shook his hand calmly enough regardless, and even that of his ascetic stick of a lawyer, introduced as Trent.

"Sama," he said warily, shaking her hand as well.

"You're looking as wicked as ever." He knew how to make Sama smile. More dangerous than I expected, even if said smile still made him flinch.

"Still a charmer, Cameron." She waved us to a table nearby, with an alabaster carafe of water and coffeepot of unique style and craftsmanship in the middle.

"Drinks? Chilled spring water and a custom roast blend." His eyes lit up instantly.

"I will certainly try another cup of your coffee. I remember last time!" I lifted a mental eyebrow. -Met him on the Slaughter Shores in Baja. Briggs and I let him accompany us in the Littoral Zone, although he thinks he hired us. Taught him how to surf, too, - she /informed me. -Good choice of a person to send, really. - She was all lazy grace and absolute control. I saw the hard eyes of the lawyer flush, and belatedly realized that he was more than just a lawyer... and Sama had realized it before I had.

She poured the lawyer a glass of spring water, ice cubes tinkling musically, and then picked up a slice of lemon, and squeezed it over the glass. The slice of lemon compressed. It was the only way to describe it as it flattened impossibly thin for such a simple movement, and it dripped its load into the glass, staying perfectly flat as she set the rind aside. She smiled smoothly and presented it to the 'lawyer' on a carved alabaster coaster held perfectly in two fingers and set down soundlessly.

"You will enjoy it. Mind your hands." He met her eyes, and I distinctly saw him swallow. He had just realized how dangerous her hands were, and whatever skills he had or was concealing didn't mean a damn thing to her.

"Yes, ma'am," he said in a soft voice, not daring to refuse the drink. It would keep his hands occupied, and make sure he didn't twitch and suddenly make himself dead. Cameron caught the exchange, too, and if there was a flicker of concern in his eyes, he hid it in his inhalation of the coffee's aroma, something I mimicked after Sama passed me a cup with cream in it. She naturally made Damn Good Coffee. QL 33 at least, world-class. I did not doubt Cameron Dow would have made the trip just for the coffee.

"I confess to not knowing why your Family contacted us, Mr. Dow," I told him calmly.

"What prompts the Dow Family to come to Coralost, and specifically to me?" Hey, it wasn't the game, there were no convenient quest flags, timers, and objectives here!...

"Mmm. Well, to business then, as normal. I was going to inquire how your social experiment here was proceeding, Sama, but your results and continued recruitment are indicative of rather expansive plans. And of course, you somehow managed to capture the attention of the most hotly-pursued mage in country." He lifted his cup to me, looking for signs of a reaction and finding not much of one.

"You're boring me, Mr. Dow," I said calmly, prompting Sama to snort in amusement.

"Either state your business or we can call an end to this. Sama will watch you finish your coffee and escort you out."

"Ah, yes." He shuffled uneasily under my stare.

"There are several matters of import." I very, very slowly lifted one eyebrow.

"Your plans to begin large-scale production of this improved Healing Potion of yours has generated great concern among the elders of not just my Family, but several others."

"You have no products that compete with the Lesser Healing Potions," I replied calmly.

"The Blood Healing, antiseptic, and ointments for which you supply components to the Strykers are simply not even in the same class as the Potions, as I'm sure you have verified. It is like claiming a Ford Pinto is in the same class as a Ferrari." I flicked a dismissive hand, watching his eyes flicker in silent agreement.

"Furthermore, production of such is highly dependent on our work force, and will never be produced in the raw quantity as the generic, lesser products." It was all true, and also complete bullshit. Lesser Healing was a Fast Healing effect, not a stop-bleeding or disinfectant. It was akin to having a portable Healer in your fist. An eighth of the bottle was equal to a Blood Healing's vials effect, stopping blood loss instantly.

It actually closed a wound, it did more than just stop bleeding and replace some lost blood. It wasn't very powerful, being equal to a Valence I, nine points of total Fast Healing if taken all at once. It wouldn't get any powerful Mage back to health quickly, but it would absolutely close any injuries and leave them able to move around, which was the important thing. It required spending a Valence I to make, and could actually be made by any of the three Typeless Classes.

However, if they had a mage's Stars to fall back on, that was a production rate of literally dozens a day per person, as long as we had the material components needed. Industrial magic, sure enough! The Rules were different here...

"That is true, venturing into an area of alchemy that was once the exclusive province of Healing Magic. Those I am representing are wondering if there would be some manner in which they might be able to invest in and contribute to this field, be it in supply, investments, or the research itself. We are not unaware of the potential of an alchemical discovery that can fully replicate the power of a Cast spell..."

"Mmm." I considered that, conferring silently with both Sama and Briggs, cheaty Marks and everything.

"Well, White Mana Zone." He blinked in confusion.

"For starters, they can only be made in a White Mana Zone."