Mature Content Warning: Nothing in this chapter. Edit: Some people might find it graphically violent.

Author's Notes:Edit: I am considering stopping mature content warning tags altogether. The entire story is labeled mature and the only thing those warnings really adds is a chance for spoilers.

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Chapter 25.1: Truth in Faction

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There was an unwritten rule when it came to the art of performing a manhunt. The bad guys were supposed to be outnumbered and outgunned. As far as the local police department was concerned, that was still the case currently.

“Hey, I’ve got to piss.” said an officer clad in a black and brown uniform.

“Right, you just want to go look for that meth, Steve.” said his partner.

“Man, I don’t do that shit.” said Steve before he got out of the car and headed toward the tree line.

“Whatever, stay where I can see you.”

“You’re not my daddy, and you’re too pretty to be my wife.” replied Steve as he went to answer his call of nature.

“I’m serious man. What if they come back while you’re taking a piss!” called out his partner.

The experienced officer snorted then waved his rookie partner off. Where did that newbie get off trying to tell him how to stake out a place, or guard a road? Those assholes were nowhere near here. If they had any sense they would be in another country by now.

Steve unzipped his pants then pointed his wife’s tiny little regret at a tree stump. He loudly began to unleash the contents of his bladder. He laughed a little about the joke he had made earlier. “Bastard looks like my wife. That bitch needs to shave too.

The loudly urinating officer never noticed the shadow that rose up behind it. Steve’s eyes went wide when an unseen force slipped around his mouth. He did not have the chance to try to confront the origin of that force as something similar slipped forward to finish him. Blood spurted in a vivid crimson arc as a thin sharp knife sliced through Steve’s throat. Caught in the vice-like grip of his invisible killer, Steve could do nothing but bleed-out in unison with the urine flowing from his now terrified bladder.

In normal times, such a brazen act would be unthinkable outside of an action movie. However, the truth was that times had changed. The corrupt police force in this town was operating on skills from the past, while their intended prey utilized strength and power designed to be the rule of the land in the coming days.

“Man, where the fuck is Steve?” groused the junior officer. A moment later he quietly said, “Fuck it.”

He took out a pack of cigarettes, chose a sacrifice to burn, then rolled down his window so that he could smoke in comfort. He lit his comfort stick then puffed on it twice while leaning out the window. “Heh, if that asshole Ansen saw me doing this he’d kill me.”

He laughed at his joke for a brief moment before he suddenly felt something hard and sharp slam into his eye and penetrate into his skull. His left eye was completely destroyed by the small sharp knife embedded in it. His good eye blinked once before his head dropped limply, his comforting cigarette fell from his lips before the light finished dying in his eyes.

Not long after, the police cruiser started to move by the agency of some unseen force. That unseen agency moved forward twice to adjust the steering wheel before it went back to pushing the vehicle. Eventually, the cruiser was pushed off the road and hidden in an area where it would not easily be seen.

Time was short, and the invisible force moved quickly to enter its chosen destination. Once inside, Shara released her invisibility and did a quick check of the premises. “Right, time to become a pain in their collective asses.”

Originally, she had thought to simply return here so that she could acquire some of her things. On the way, however, she had changed her mind and discussed the situation with Sonja and Ashton. The world was changing, and they were going to show these corrupt bastards just what that change would mean.

Shara raised her hand and several screens appeared before her. She made several decisions then grinned. “Why yes, I would like to upgrade my house using tokens.”

As an alpha-tester she did not have to use them to respawn, and she was forbidden from giving them away. However, the committee had granted testers the right to use earned tokens for automatic updates for things like house upgrading among others.

“Let’s see those guys deal with this.” she said, a light smirk on her lips.

She finished up then walked over to the entrance to her secret room. Down her equally secret stairs, she entered her inner sanctum. While she had wanted to be the sort of super hero type of character who did not kill the criminals, she had decided to make an exception. Those officers would probably revive at least once, and who would apprehend them if she simply tied them up? Unfortunately, for the local police they had dug their own temporary graves.

Shara jogged forward and gave her motorcycle a hug. “Did you miss mama, baby? She missed you!”

She cooed at her Ninja then patted its seat like she was petting a living creature. After she managed to regain her senses she called up another series of screens. She spent tokens to create several additions to her home; two of the most important was a transport node and an absolute defense field. They would be able to come and go as they saw fit, but no one could enter or harm them on this property, at least not unless they were higher level than she was. She also added a few more nifty field effects that could not be purchased with money.

“Hmm, I need more tokens, but there should be enough for what I need to do. We should go boss hunting soon, though.” said Shara, while she finished her upgrade choices.

She added Sonja, Ashton, and Scott to her allowed entrants list then checked out the coming update schedule for world updates. She winced at what she saw. The first, and most dangerous, of the coming updates to the world was upon them. “Tomorrow morning, huh?”

“Damn, I need some good news!” she groused.

As though she had conjured the forces of the heavens by her mild complaint, she received a message from the project committee. Her eyes lit up as she read it. “Yes!” she squealed excitedly.

<<< Message >>>

Greetings, Alpha-Tester Shara Ardente.

We are contacting you in regards to your request for alleviation of the project non-disclosure agreement pertaining to the NPC registered as Scott Blackthorne.

We had initially decided that it would not be warranted to disclose everything due to the fact that the NPC in question does not represent any significant faction. However, after further consideration we have noted that his existence and growing power base can be considered as the emergence of a new faction. Further, due to the existence of other groups that can also be seen as burgeoning factions that are in opposition to Scott Blackthorne, he meets the minimal inclusion guidelines.

If he officially registers as a faction leader, after meeting all requirements pertaining to basic membership agreements and funding, you will be allowed to fully disclose the nature of both who you are and what is happening with the world. You are allowed to suggest this course of action to Scott Blackthorne pursuant to the association that your divine avatar has with him.

The price of official faction headquarters creation will be set at ten tokens, and the organization headquarters must be located on a parcel of land that is large enough to create a level one faction. The land and the headquarters building must be within the guidelines and restrictions of the faction creation code, and all matters related to the basic creation of a headquarters must be taken care of prior to disclosure.

Please read the faction creation guidelines carefully, as a failure to meet the minimum requirements will prevent his entry into the faction system for six months.

Thank you for all of your hard work.

>>

Shara jumped up and down and clapped excitedly. There was still work to do to get Scott ready, but if they could meet the minimum requirements, the group could become a true faction! There were a lot of great perks that came with that, some of which were vital to long-term survival. What truly made Shara happy, however, was that if the Blackthorne faction became a reality she could finally tell Scott things that she had wanted to tell him for the longest time.