I called Free Chains and my father the boring way.

After informing Free Chains about my thoughts, I told him to meet me at my apartment building, which is currently fully occupied. Free Chains and my PR manager set up something where people who lost their homes got free rent for a few months until they could bounce back. Free utilities if you plan to continue being a resident at the apartments once everything is settled.

I had no problem with it. The money was already put aside, so it's not hurting my wallet.

I'm in the Landlord's room - Flash Gordon - because I'm homeless.

I told my father that I was going into a fracture soon, and he should be the one to know before anyone else and to see if Val was there. She was.

"Ellis! Boss, it's good to see you."

"Accept." I elect him to be a member of my council. I can get the PR manager later. She's busy beyond belief. Not that she's complaining.

"Sure. By the way, the contract employing me would be concluded, and I was wondering if we are renewing that?"

I have options for Free Chains. He can represent Iberes - aka law - by joining as an independent [Lawspeaker] or for my legal interests.

[[Free Chains - Personal Lawspeaker] has joined the Court!]

"If that doesn't answer it, I don't know what does. Give yourself an appropriate salary that won't bankrupt me. I have a business now, right? I'll take it as a betrayal if you don't."

"I know what that means, heh heh. I saw the terms and conditions when I accepted the skill. And yes, our group chat is no longer named [Vincere Incorporated] just for fun. "

I leave Free Chains to his own devices as I hop into my mansion to tell my beasts that we're moving out, probably to a fracture. Duchess speaks in my mind.

[Ellis. Master. Thisss one want's to join your little court thing.]

"Can you?"

[May thisss one?]

"It doesn't say the two skills are mutually exclusive."

I tried the skill out on Duchess, and surprisingly, it worked. No options to choose from.

[Duchess - Tamed Beast of the Master]

I tried it on my other tamed beasts, but the skill just says, "[Faction is already being represented.]"

Rob being my tamed beast, supersedes him being a lord of a graveyard, and Flash Gordon as a building owner. Etcetera for my other tamed beasts. It didn't even come up as an option. Perhaps they have to be 'notable.'

[It feels derogatory to be designated as a 'tamed beast.' Thisss one isn't pleased.]

"Until you become hot shit, deal with it. I'm sure it'll happen eventually. Any updates on the bloodline thing you've been doing?"

[No.]

"Okay."

[...]

"Need help?"

[No.]

"Okay."

Checklist. My Gi is fixed, my lifeforce is patched up the best I could, and I returned that door I borrowed.

The Dwarf - who I later learned was the envoy of the dwarvish empire - was elated that his door was back. Then he was pissed that I took his door, then he was grateful to me since he mistook me as a first responder that saved him before anyone else.

PR manager handled the communications, and I was invited to visit the Dwarven Empire as long as I went through the proper channels first.

Not that I'm interested at the moment.

My days of casually walking the streets of the capital with my tamed beasts trotting behind me are no more. I get swarmed by people. The majority are reporters rather than fans, but still.

I straddle Khan and fly towards the FIB containment facility holding the mysterious deadly fracture. It's so deadly that entire teams perished before concrete information was gathered.

From the fuzzy drone image and the testimonials filed away, it seems strange. Not the fact that testimonials somehow survived when the person writing them perished. Journals can be enchanted to update another piece of parchment in real time.

What seems strange is that most testimonials recall something about the fracture being 'familiar.' What exactly is 'familiar' is unknown. Reports on terrain, creatures, resources, or exits were all contradictory.

Also, teams would be separated into smaller groups or isolated by themselves. That shouldn't be an issue since I hypothesized a way to abuse my mansion's entrance. I'll keep Prometheus in my [Beastial Storage], allowing me to pull him out of the mansion. Then he can turn into a door, and I can let the rest of my beasts out.

Duchess has to be in her little form, and Khan has to come out single file, but that's better than nothing.

The last strange thing reported is that entering the fracture is anomalously taxing on the body. Even hardened veterans of 100+ fractures ventured spewed blood and other things from everywhere. They were out of commission until they recovered.

The people who entered more fractures had a worse time with the transition over. Perhaps that's why there's a cap to the number of fractures I should've entered beforehand.

Also, the only reason I'm even considering going into this death trap is the reported strength of the fracture. If I waltz in there and instantly face off against a hoard of level 500+, then I don't think my resistance stats will help. So what's the measurement?

It doesn't say. It's on a "need to know" basis. I'll learn about it in person. If I don't like it, I walk. If I like it, I leverage materials from FIB and waltz on in.

I require money to create worthwhile contingencies, and that's an issue. However, after solving this problem for the FIB Containment branch, I can get any fracture of my choice that isn't 'classified.' After owning a fracture, I can start a guild and make a shit ton of money either gathering resources or taxing people who paid me to enter my fracture to gather resources.

The containment facility is slightly isolated from the rest of the bustling city. It doesn't seem damaged from the quake. It's an area with decent 'dead space' between its fence-like walls and the actual buildings.

Some FIB agent must've spotted me because as soon as I land in front of the containment facility's gate, they open, and a man in a suit waves me down. I won't tempt fate and fly right on through. I don't know if it's restricted airspace, and I don't plan on finding out the hard way.

'

"Hello, Mr. Vincere. Department head Mahog has informed us that you may be visiting. As you are a VIP, I am here to give you a tour-"

"I'm here for the fracture. That's it."

"That makes my job easier. I'll show you the way."

The agent walks me in and into the building. It's full of agents going about their day, clocking in at work, or hanging around. Lotta uniforms in one building. This isn't even the FIB's main headquarters, just one branch.

"Do you guys have to buy your own suits, or are they provided when you get hired?"

"We get an annual budget for that. It covers roughly 80% of the cost. It's quite pricy, but repair fees are waived, so we don't have to worry about 'battle damage.'"

I don't know anyone who goes into combat in a suit.

"Seems like a scam."

"It was only 55% covered three years ago."

"Why is Mahog's office in the main headquarters and not here?"

"He has two offices that go to the same place. That's typical for department heads."

"Sure."

I don't know how to feel that I'm being walked through all the various security checkpoints like they don't exist. Do they trust me that much, or are they confident in stopping me if I start looking for trouble?

Is it flattering that I get more second looks than any of my beasts? It might be a fame thing or a site-wide brief of my arrival, but I'd expect people to be more cautious of my tamed beasts. A guy casually drinks coffee while watching the parade of sharks float past him.

Eventually, deep underground in a reinforced room is a single guy sitting on a metal folding chair at a white plastic folding table. A mug, a stack of papers, a laptop, and something that looks like a pager sits on the table as he leans back in his chair without care.

A prismatic fracture casually undulates in the air twenty feet away, centered in the room. A fracture with multicolors? Have I seen one of those before? They typically don't have any coloration to them at all.

"Mr. Vincere, this is the manager of the infamous fracture. Ask him any questions, as I'll be on my way."

"What's your annual suit budget?"

"100%. Managing a fracture has its perks."

My 'tour guide' walks out of the room. Something about everyone being in the same clothes and the fact that I don't care about them makes it hard to remember their faces.

The manager is sandy blond and has a scruffy beard, but I can't pinpoint any more distinguishing factors. He's wearing the typical FIB-regulated suit and sunglasses but has a [MANAGER] pin.

"Do you get paid to sit in an empty room with a fracture all day?"

The agent tilts his hands in a 'more or less' gesture. He stops leaning back in his chair and stands up. He's shorter than me.

"Do you need a briefing on the fracture?"

"What level range is?"

"Scanners said it was a mystery. We didn't know what that meant. After drones failed, we sent a team of level 200s and barely got word back that the creatures they faced were around or under that. Then we sent incrementally higher and higher people. There were never signs of instability. There were never reports of anything deemed unnecessarily over-leveled."

"What?"

"This may be the first recorded fracture that changed 'power level' in the face of its 'challenger.' Honestly, if it weren't for the 'no one comes back' thing, R&R would be orgasmic to study this fucker. 'Twas classified information because this is an anomaly."

"I'm going to need a few things before this happens."

"Department Head already green-lit anything you want within reason."

"I want a convenient storage device and everything else within reason."

"Oh, you want the special? We can lend you a storage item, and I can fill it with goodies you can take home after- if you come back. Just know we'll need the storage item back, so empty whatever's left in your pockets before returning it."

He gives me a sly grin and starts typing on his laptop.

"One of those, two of those, that comes in a bundle... Yeah, sit back and wait a bit. Luckily, acquisitions are on this side of the checkpoints, so we don't have to wait a while."

"By the way, shouldn't I be signing something?"

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. Here."

I get handled a document that is a single page long. It says Mahog owes me a fracture when I 'clear' this one. 'Clear' is a loose term since surviving and finding an exit is enough for the FIB.

I really hope it isn't like the last fracture IOU... Actually, that wouldn't be too bad. I got a mansion out of the last deal.

"Keep all the resources you find in here, but if you come across the dead bodies of agents, we here at the FIB would understand if you don't bring their bodies back, but we'd appreciate your respect to not strip them of their underwear and take all their valuables."

"No promises."

"They weren't my men, so I don't care as much as I should. No one died on my watch. The last manager 'retired early,' and so did the ones before him. If you die, I'm getting retired, so do whatever needs to be done."

"Should I know anything else?"

"This isn't really a national security thing. This is more of an internal reputation thing. Also, Department Head doesn't want this stain on his evaluation report. He would rather have a note saying that he was the person who had the initiative to hire the required help."

"Heads get evaluations?"

"Yeah, government jobs are crazy. It's more of a reason to slash budgets than anything."

"'You looking to hop ships? I like your attitude."

"Maybe. Job security is the main thing for me." There's a knock on the door. "Oh look, your stuff is here."