Oh good.' I thought with relief as I scooped up the cash and selected VIT over DEX for the second reward. 'I was wondering if McCarthy would still qualify.'
A not-so-minor detail I had forgotten about the bounty hunter life is that you get paid 30% less for turning in a dead body than you do a live one. This reduction meant that my payday technically fell quite a bit short of the 10 mil requirement. Luckily it seems the [Game] isn't feeling stingy. 'It's good to have confirmation that the number on the poster is the one it cares about.' It's been more than a few weeks since I last really looked at all the bounty-related [Quests] I received back when I turned in Reggie all those months ago. At the time I had dismissed them as 'long-term goals'. Things that I might aim for eventually, but not necessarily ever achieve.
My, how the times do change.
'Now how should we deal with these points?'
None of my stats really scream the need to be upgraded right now. I could dump most of the points into DEX to see if if gets a new [Perk] at 250...though if it doesn't then I'll feel like I've partially wasted them. STR and VIT were just boosted by the [Quest] but I'd rather they be higher still...
Bah...don't overthink it. We'll just spread the wealth around a bit. Maybe with a slight preference to the physical. We're gonna need it.
Points to spend (60) → (0) STR (164) → (180) VIT (130) → (145) DEX (200) → (215) INT (100) → (107) WIS (100) → (107) Max Health (2,600) → (2,900) 'There we go. A healthy start on the road to the next tier for DEX, a VIT that makes [HP Regen] two HP a second, and a STR that cracks 300 once we activate [Adrenalin Rush]. I don't want to leave INT or WIS trailing behind but until I know when the second [Perk] level is I don't see placing a lot of points in them as the best investment.'
"Haha Jack!" A sweaty and boisterously laughing Mori calls as he appears at the end of the hall. "Sorry about the delay!" He booms as one arm extends for a handshake. "Curren and I were going at it pretty rough in the training yard. He's up for Warrant Officer next quarter."
"So I've heard." I reply, completing the shake. "Thanks for taking the time to see me Chief Err- sorry, Master Chief."
"Bah, don't worry about it. You're a civilian so you can just keep calling me Mori." The Marine pulls back his hand and then leans in for a whisper. "What are you doing back here Jack? Thought you were gonna stay out of Caeba because of...well you know."
"Don't worry." I assured. "I'm only in town for the day. Not really enough time for anything bad to happen."
"Ha!" He barks. "Don't jinx it! Now, what can I help you with?"
I tilt my head back and gesture towards the main hallway. "Walk with me for a minute would'ya." "Sure sure." Mori replies, taking a rag out of his pocket and wiping his sweat-stained brow. "So.. 12 million eh?" He comments as we begin our stroll. "You're moving up in the world. He give you any trouble?"
"None in the slightest." I'm not trying to be boastful. It's simply the truth. McCarthy had 22 men on his crew not including himself. An acceptable number for raiding small ships I suppose but they were all just the usual dregs when it came to power. Most of them around levels 7 and 8. A single outlier at 13. As for the man himself he was...decent...at Lv. 29, but that's nowhere close to good enough for a 1 vs 1 against me. 'I didn't even break out the pistols. It would've been unsporting.'
Mori gives a slight stumble at the nonchalance in my words and I see surprise flit across his face. He buries it quickly though and simply barks his trademark laugh. "Ha! I knew you looked tougher than last time! I've grown a bit myself but it seems you've truly left me in the dust." he says with a beaming smile.
I join him in laughter. "Hey you said it buddy not me." 'Don't feel bad Mori. Gaining two levels since we fought together isn't bad. I've only gone up...eighteen.'
"Ha! That I did. That I did." We turn the corner and Mori coughs twice to cut off his laughter. He schools his features and lets his face turn slightly more serious. "Now, that thing you needed?"
I exhaled a breath through my nose. "To be frank Mori, I asked for you because I want your help."
"My help?' The Master Chief questions. "I'm not saying no but I'm not sure what I even could help you with. My free time is limited and I can't really travel anywhere that the Marines don't send me." "That's true. Luckily, I don't actually need you to leave your office." I pause and turn face-to-face with the Marine. "I want you to send me hunting Mori."
The Master Chief's brow wrinkled in confusion. "And how am I supposed to do that?"
"The Marines keep track of pirate sightings don't they?" I ask as our walk resumes. "A written record of who's been seen where and how long ago? You all then use that data to coordinate ship movements and chase the bastards down."
Mori's expression drops markedly. It's obvious to him where my questions are heading. "Yes. Obviously we keep our logs as up to date as we can. But... I can't let you see them though." he says with a distinct frown. "That's way against protocol."
I push open the doors to the main entryway as we head outside. "Is there any protocol against you calling a friend on the phone and 'warning' him about what pirates have been sighted where? Just so that friend could be sure to, you know, 'stay away' from those places?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you enjoy reading? Visit my site on Tiendup! There you will find the advanced chapter in PDF format, ready for your convenience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://fictiontopia.tiendup.com/