Dissonance 1 – An Appointment

“I’ve come to see the CEO.”

A dismissive glance was the initial response to Eldred’s words. The man that he had previously interacted with in the New Foundations Company was not on shift that day. In his stead sat an attractive female. She had black hair, tied up into a pair of messy twin tails. One of her eyes was blue, the other red, and both were stunning, sitting in a face that fused the gorgeous with the adorable effortlessly.

She was a little bit on the shorter side of things, though still within the range of human average. Same went for the proportions of her body. She was a pleasantly shaped hourglass, not as curvaceous as typically associated with that word but with a pleasant narrowness to her midriff all the same. She emphasized it with the high rise of the company uniform’s pants.

It wasn't the first time in recent days that Eldred interacted with a woman that was drop-dead gorgeous. Admittedly, if he hadn’t been drained of all of his sexual fluids that morning, he might have found himself lusting after this one as well. Currently, however, he lacked the stamina to consider expanding his company.

‘I will fix that,’ Eldred thought, feeling that flame flicker in his belly. What was the point of growing in power if he couldn’t channel it into satisfying a growing cast of loving haremettes? He had learned that he was, apparently, really good at making sexually submissive women cum their brains out. This was a skill that needed to be expanded and shared.

“Do you have an appointment?” the clerk asked.

Eldred tilted his head upon hearing the woman’s voice. It was subtly off, in a way he wasn’t sure he was just imagining. He didn’t linger on it. “Name is Eldred Noiris.”

“Weird last name…” the woman muttered. “Noir-is. Was spelling Norris too difficult?”

Eldred raised an eyebrow, it was rare, he felt, that he knew something someone else didn’t. “When an unworthy human tries to take that name, all computer systems explode. Only one legend can hold that name.”

“Right, right,” the human woman waved off. “And there you are – open invitation, huh?” The woman inspected him with greater interest now. “Are you the one that killed that Cannibal Golem?”

The recognition made him smirk. “That was me, yes.”

“Mhhhhmmmmm…” The heterochromic eyes of the woman narrowed at him. Her fingers continued to tap away at the keyboard. “The CEO will see you now. Just take the elevator to the top floor.”

“Hope to see you around,” Eldred said as he turned away. Just because he wasn’t in a state to expand his company right now did not mean he wasn’t going to set himself up for future growth.

“She is watching you intently,” Nyx whispered into his ear.

It sure was nice to have a ghostly companion. He could walk away as self-assured as he felt inside and still get to know what the reactions behind him were.

The elevator was waiting for him. A single press of the button and the silver doors parted, revealing the clean, fairly standard design of the mechanical box. Once inside, he pressed another button. The doors closed. The elevator began to rise.

Eldred put his hands in his pockets, partaking in the smoothness of the silky material used to line them. The feeling of wealth on his skin was still a new one and he loved it. The suit was an encompassing sign that he was going places. Plus, the quality was just so apparent. He had never worn anything that was simultaneously this stylish and comfortable.

DING!

Smirk on his face, Eldred marched out of the elevator. What felt even better than the suit was walking with purpose. Even if he had no idea what exactly the CEO wanted from him, this was still a more concrete meeting than randomly going out to see a flower. It beat leaving his video games on pause so he could beg for charity money.

‘I do need to buy a gaming PC eventually,’ he thought. ‘No reason to throw that hobby out entirely.’

The office of the CEO was located at the pinnacle of the building. The uppermost floor was the last in a series of gradual narrowing, giving the cylindrical company building a cone-like finish. The office was huge and all outer walls were made of glass. The elevation gave a splendid view of the surrounding district and beyond.

Iridescia’s landscape was absurdist even to someone who had grown up there. Genetic memory, passed down to Eldred by humans that had evolved on a regular world, suggested that biomes should have gradual transitions and be of a certain, impressive size.

Instead, Eldred saw a thick curtain of rain obscure one district and pointy spires of rock and plants right next to it. One block sparkled in eternal night, a black blotch surrounded by the rest of the city. Then there was a district consisting entirely of skyscraper-sized trees. The regular chunk of buildings around it should have been normal, but seemed entirely out of place among all of the absurdities. One district was just one massive chunk of granite, reaching several hundred metres up and doubtlessly reaching far beneath the earth. Dwarves and other engineering-minded species were tunnelling through it, making their home.

Eldred’s gaze eventually returned to the rain – the Ever-Rain. That had been his home until recently. The portal that sat above it endlessly delivered water from a plane that had nothing else to offer.

“One day that portal will show its coming collapse. These districts will become a warzone overnight.”

A singular, elderly woman approached him. Her species was… mysterious. She had a pronounced hunchback, but it did not really seem to bother her. Her forearms were notably longer than that of most humanoids. She clutched a gnarled wooden staff in one hand, using it to help her stay balanced while she moved towards him. The rest of her get-up was a mixture of suit and witch’s robe.

Her face was… well, she was ugly. She had a big hook nose and several pronounced warts on a wrinkly face. Despite this, she wasn’t unpleasant to look at. A gentle smile and equally friendly, grey eyes transformed her appearance into something grandmotherly.

“I know very little about how Echo comes about,” Eldred confessed. “Just that it comes from collapsing portals. Do larger portals yield more?”

“Size and strength of portals both are measurements of how much residue its collapse will create,” the woman responded in a patient tone. “Size is self-apparent and strength can be measured. The Ever-Rain portal is enormous and connects to a plane far, far away from our interstice. It will be an Echo yield worthy of the attention of the Great Ones.”

“Why haven’t any made a base there yet?” Eldred wondered.

“Who is to say they haven’t?” The woman waved her arm, gesturing for him to follow her. “Holding it openly would be too much of a running cost. The portal might begin its collapse tomorrow or in three hundred years. No one can know until the ripples start. Better to subtly position themselves in anticipation of that time.”

They entered a room at the back of the floor, following a straight corridor from the elevator to it. There was no one else anywhere on the floor. All Eldred could see through the open doors were boiling pots and fireplaces reminiscent of medieval worlds. This was a witch’s den of another name.

The CEO’s office, by comparison, was fairly normal. Everything had that shiny look. Surfaces were made from glass or polished stone, sometimes plastic. Only the desk was made from wood. The oddly shaped woman circled around it, then jumped into the chair with nimble ease. “Aaaah…” She let out a relaxed sigh. As she reclined in the expensive chair, her back popped several times. Seated, the inhuman length of her arms was even more apparent. An oddly narrow finger pointed at the seat opposite of her. “Sit down, mister Noiris.”

“I prefer Eldred,” he said, as he sat down in the comfortable chair. “I’ll also remind that I am never alone.”

Nyx took the signal to manifest behind him. He turned his head purely to take in the feast for the eyes that was his banshee in her secretary outfit. The tight, white blouse harmonised wonderfully with her blue-tipped, colourless hair. She hovered just high enough that he could catch a glimpse of her ass past the rim of her short pencil skirt.

[Nyx Secretary AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/58a447572297.png ]

Marvellous.

“I wasn’t aware of that,” the woman responded, her voice dropping in enthusiasm. She mustered first Nyx, then Eldred critically. “Are your… souls resonant?”

“Most likely not.”

“Then this conversation might turn out to be a waste of time for me…” She did not sound upset, just disappointed. “You have ended your growth before it could begin. The dissonance will–“

“Not stop me,” Eldred interrupted plainly. “But by all means, tell me I can’t do things. It only makes me stronger.”

“Oh, Eldred.” His confidence put a smile on Nyx’s forlorn face. A second later, he had an arm around her hip. Another second later, he had pulled her in and impudently used the flare of her bottom as his headrest. It was infinitely more comfortable than the back of the chair. Nyx started playing with his hair. “Doubt in you is most unwise.”

The display had the witch raise an eyebrow. “An unusual relationship between dissonant souls,” she pointed out. “But not my business… well, you are already here, so I might as well indulge you.” She cleared her throat. “I am the CEO of the New Foundations Company, Gran Terua – you may address me as Terua.”

“Alright, Terua.” Eldred moved his hand from Nyx’s waist to her butt, squeezing her cheeks as he talked. “Why the open invitation?”

“Let me begin with a question of my own… what is your relationship to the Shorn Company?”

“I inherited the property, found an old laptop and decided to use the software still on it to get a foot into the working door,” he confessed readily. “No, I have no associations with the previous owner, Adam Shorn. I have no idea how I ended up inheriting it and the company fell apart years before I was even born.”

“Do your parents have any ties to it?”

“If they had, it didn’t pass on to me. They both have been dead for years.”

“My condolences.”

Eldred just shrugged. He had loved his parents when they had been alive and mourned them adequately after they had passed. Now, looking back on them, he still respected them as those who had born and raised him. He also acknowledged that they had raised him with a loser mentality. It resulted in an apathy for them, where he could muster no strong emotion for them at all. They were his past. This was his future.

“Why do you bring him up?” he asked.

“Pure curiosity,” she responded. “We used to be colleagues. In any case, I do not mind your usage of his company name. Are you going to keep it?”

“No. My financial officer will register a new name as soon as we think of one.”

“Alright good… Shorn had many enemies, it is best not to invite them.” Terua smiled gently and picked up a bowl of sweets. She fished one out and popped it into her mouth. When she offered to him and Nyx, he just shook his head. He wouldn’t want sweetness on his tongue to distract him from the wonderful sensations accompanying his left hand pushing under the taut fabric of Nyx’s pencil skirt.

His banshee just hovered there, pushing her ass into his palm.

Terua swallowed the candy and then continued. “Now, Eldred, to get to the reason for the visit: the truth of the matter is that the New Foundations Company’s primary business isn’t metal trading.”

“No?” Eldred raised an eyebrow. “What is it then?”

“Talent scouting and advanced referrals,” she responded. “We provide simple and well-paying jobs for newcomers and then evaluate their performance. Then, we make sure they find employment worthy of their ability.”

“And I killed a Cannibal Golem,” Eldred stated.

“And you killed a Cannibal Golem,” the friendly witch confirmed. “Now, the first question: would you want to become part of another company?”

“No.” His answer was instantaneous. The ruin he had would be turned into his private den of ambition and debauchery. This was not negotiable. He would have his harem company.

“A shame, but I respect your grit,” Terua answered. “Then my offer would be this: the New Foundations Company will serve as your agency for the future. We will find good work for you and in return take a cut. 20% of everything you earn.”

Eldred stared at her. This sounded ridiculous. What kind of work would they get him that was worth the humiliation of giving a fifth of the reward up to pencil pushers?

Nyx raised her voice unexpectedly. “What benefits do you offer that you think that is an acceptable percentage?” Her tone was sharp, yet patient, reverberating with that aristocratic air that often surrounded her. It only made the ass-groping he executed simultaneously that much hotter.

“First, we will make sure you get contracts that properly pay you for the level of work you invest,” Terua responded with the patience of one who dealt with this pushback frequently. “This means we will only get you contracts that meet your standards and we have a far greater reach than the semi-public register you used to find us. We make sure your contractors are reliable as well. Transport, rates, we will negotiate all of that for you. Your mind will be clear to concentrate on what you like doing.”

Eldred hummed. All of that sounded good, but wasn’t that what he had Avari for?

“More importantly, we can offer you access to our Cultivation facility,” Terua continued. “And we can acquire Echo for you.”

That… had Eldred interested. Buying that resource was his next immediate goal, but he honestly had no idea where to start. It wasn’t the kind of thing that was just traded publicly. Further, Eldred’s education had not covered how to actually use it. He just knew it was needed to get stronger. Avari had told him a bit more. Courtesy of her, he knew that such a facility was not strictly necessary but quite helpful. Same went for the teachers that likely were there.

“…Fine,” he agreed reluctantly. “Do I sign anything?”

Terua laughed, then shrugged. “You can if you want to have it in writing. Written contracts are only worth something if you have someone to enforce them or if you want to hold someone’s reputation to account. No one can enforce these and you, frankly, don’t have the reach to drag us through the press if we break it.”

“Good, I prefer honour over paperwork anyhow,” Eldred said and jumped to his feet. Nothing written down meant that he could also quit this arrangement whenever he wanted – which he planned to. This was a stepping stone as he got situated in this new life. Nothing more, nothing less.

Eldred extended his hand. Terua did the same, shaking while remaining seated.

“I want you to prepare Echo for me immediately,” the brown-haired man said.

Terua gave him a clear nod. “Of course. As a gesture of good faith, I will have you pay for it after we have procured it. How much are you willing to invest?”

Eldred pulled out his phone. He needed to check that bank account Avari had set up for him.