Factory Raids 2

I feel a couple of spells impact me from behind, mana shield negating all of their damage and impact. It’s a weird feeling, almost like a tickle. I turn back to see the guards who sent out the spells looking wide eyed and fearful. I grin, and start to run towards them and the office. Their movements slow down as my superior agility kicks in, and they start to look like they’re moving through water.

I run past the three of them, swinging a mace at the legs of the guy I pass closest too. He goes down like a sack of potatoes, as I charge towards the office door. I send out a pair of mana chains that latch on to the two other guards, and I use my momentum to yank them backwards as I run past.

Dismissing the chains, I focus my attention on the office. Before I get there, it opens and the owner walks out, a man looking to be in his mid thirties. Observing him, I note that he is indeed the owner of this place, and is a level 60 fire mage, with his stats pretty weighted towards a mage build. This will be a piece of cake.

Before he has time to fully register that I’m running at him, I’m already on top of him. Using my frost magic to reinforce my fists over my armour, something I figured out I can do with my new freeform control over ice, I punch him square in the chest before he can get a word out. He’s sent flying backwards through the already open door and crashing into a wall on the opposite side of the room, putting a pretty substantial crack in it.

Pressing my advantage, I storm through the door towards him. He raised his hand to use a spell, but a mana chain disrupts his aim as I yank his hand to the side, pulling him up onto his feet in the process. He staggers forward and tries to use the momentum to land a punch on me. I catch his fist easily, kneeing him in the stomach.

He bends forward, trying once more to raise his hand for a spell. Lightning fast, I kick his arm away from me, and deciding I’m unable to resist the opportunity, throw an uppercut. I measure my power to ensure that I don’t accidentally kill the guy, but even still, he lifts up off the ground and flies backward a full metre, dazed, his nose broken and bloodied.

I judge that he’s done fighting, and not wanting to touch him, I instead use a mana chain to drag him out the door to his office. He groans and protests, but I ignore him, not really caring for the whims of a man who could sleep at night while subjecting people to slavery. As I exit the office back into the main building, I find that my guild has already subdued all the guards. “What took you so long?” Mia banters, and I smile.

I drag the owner out into the middle of the barn for all the slaves to see. I dismiss the chain and he looks up at me, still dazed and confused. I drop down to one knee in front of him, looking him in the eyes. He trembles and it registers in the back of my mind that I must be a bit of a terrifying sight, clad in a set of frost blue armour and having mopped the floor with him.

“This operation is done. We’re not in the business of killing idly. Be grateful for that. Get away from here.” I tell him, disgusted. Dimly, he nods. He scrabbles to his feet and begins to run. I stop him with another mana chain. He turns back to look at me and I speak again. “And if you think about enslaving people again, I won’t let you live a second time.” I say.

He nods fearfully and I let him go. I turn to survey the rest of the scene. Amazingly, there weren’t any deaths. All of the guards remain alive, if a bit worse for wear. Ivy’s already healed the worst injuries they have, and they don’t seem keen to wait around to see if we’ll change our minds, with all of them leaving the barrier quickly.

I shake my head. I don’t like using threats and intimidation like that. It turns my stomach. But I also don’t really know how else to deter them from just starting up another operation, short of actually killing them. I get to work with Olivia, cutting the slaves free. Ivy heals them up and Paige and Skylar work together to smash the machines to ensure they can’t be repaired.

Between all the now freed slaves, I divide some of the money in my inventory, setting me back about $2 million in the process. I check to make sure that they’ll all be okay on their own from here. I’m reassured that yes, they will be. They’re grateful for the help that we’ve given them already, and we wish them all the best.

It’s not until they’ve left the barrier that I allow myself to relax. “Really well done.” Olivia praises, and I smile at her. Mia whoops and cheers, getting more smiles from the others. “We’re unstoppable!” She yells excitedly. I high five her and Paige hugs Skylar in celebration. “Great work. One down, two to go. It should only get easier from here.” I say to my guild.

Huh. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. 18 more statpoints to spend means I can get my charisma to 50, then start the long process of getting my wisdom to 250. I hammer the points in, and a window for the 50 charisma bonus pops up.

The difference is subtle, but immediate. Magic has long since cleared up the last of my acne, but my skin feels even more soft somehow. My posture changes ever so slightly, and the change feels natural and healthier somehow. Paige and Ivy, who are the closest to me, look at me with curiosity in their eyes. Paige starts to blush slightly, and Ivy smirks.

“I just raised my-WOAH!” I giggle as I hear my new voice. It’s very close to my old voice, except somehow just that much nicer. Voice training gave me a nice voice already, but this is on another level. I’m thankful that I still sound like me, despite whatever subtle changes the magic has worked.

Mia looks at me in surprise. “Gem? What just happened?” She asks. “I raised my charisma, and it gave me all the same stuff it gave Ivy. Pheromones, nicer skin, a prettier voice and a better posture.” I sum it up. Paige’s blush deepens as she looks at me, and I wink at her. Ivy sniffs the air experimentally. “It’s like vanilla with a hint of chocolate, you smell so good!” She exclaims, and I giggle happily.

I spend a few more seconds testing out my new voice, before Olivia reminds me that we need to keep going. I push the joy to the back of my head and focus, taking a quick look at Ivy’s character sheet. It’s pretty obvious that it’s a toss up between agility and intellect. I decide quickly on getting her agility to 50 first, just to make sure that she can keep up with the rest of us. We can get her intellect to 100 after that.

Statpoints spent, and internally jumping with joy at the new changes to my appearance, we head back to the cars to keep moving for the second strike. I’m mentally communicating with Ivy the whole way through the drive, still holding hands with Paige in the back seat, while Olivia takes us to the next factory.