Chapter 6 Hostile Environment

Behind us, the fog of the docks ripped apart. Three beasts made of black smoke and neon light leaped over the shipping containers. They didn't bark. They emitted a high-frequency screech that made my digital vision glitch.

"Move your spectral ass, Thomas! They’re gaining on us!" I yelled.

"Those aren't just hounds! Those are Auditor Seekers!" Thomas screamed, his form flickering wildly as he glided beside me.

"Oswin! Can you slow them down?" I barked.

Oswin Vesper skidded to a halt. He let out a roar, his red static flaring back to life. He swung a massive, spectral fist at the lead hound, sending it tumbling into the grey mist.

"I can hold the line for a minute, CEO! But there are more coming!" Oswin shouted.

"Don't be a hero! We need to find cover!" I yelled.

"Where? We're in the Grey Layer! Everything here is just a shadow!" Thomas cried out.

I looked up. Rising through the mist was a massive, jagged skyscraper that looked like it was made of broken glass and obsidian. It didn't exist in the physical city, but here, it was pulsing with a dark, heavy energy.

"There! That tower!" I pointed.

"Are you crazy? That’s a High-Mana Zone!" Thomas yelled. "The spirits inside are ancient!"

"Then they’ll make great employees! Move!" I commanded.

We sprinted toward the rotating glass doors. The hounds were right on our heels, their teeth glowing with white light. I slammed my shoulder into the spectral glass, and we tumbled into the lobby.

"Oswin! Bar the door!" I shouted.

Oswin grabbed a heavy marble desk and shoved it against the entrance. The hounds slammed into the glass, their claws scraping, but they couldn't get through.

"Is this place safe?" Oswin panted, his red glow dimming.

"Look around, Oswin. Nothing is safe here," I said.

The lobby was filled with the ghosts of businessmen. They were grey, hollow things, staring at screens that showed nothing but static.

[System Alert: High-Mana Zone detected. Potential Corporate HQ located.]

"A corporate HQ?" I whispered.

"Boss, look at the elevator," Thomas said, pointing a shaking finger.

A man in a torn suit stepped out. His jaw was hanging by a thread, and his eyes were leaking black ink. He held a clipboard made of bone.

"Do you have an appointment?" The ghost rasped.

"I’m the new owner," I said, stepping forward.

"The position is filled," the ghost replied. "The Board is in session. Unauthorized entry results in immediate liquidation."

"I’m done with the word liquidation!" I roared. "I’m Cyprian Fenwick! I built the Beaumont Empire, and I’ll build this one too!"

"You have no shares here," the ghost said.

[System: Would you like to initiate a Hostile Takeover?]

"Yes," I growled. "Initiate!"

[Hostile Takeover Initialized. Cost: 50 Soul-Points. Objective: Claim the Executive Suite.]

"Thomas, Oswin, we're going to the top floor!" I shouted.

"The ghosts here are Level 5 at least!" Thomas cried. "We’re going to get deleted!"

"Not if we move fast!" I said, hitting the elevator button.

The doors opened, and four spectral security guards stepped out. They were wearing outdated uniforms and carrying batons that hummed with electricity.

"Halt! You are trespassing on private property!" The lead guard shouted.

"Oswin, handle the security!" I ordered.

"With pleasure, Boss!" Oswin yelled, lunging forward.

He grabbed two guards by their necks and slammed their heads together. Static exploded. I stepped over them and pulled Thomas into the elevator.

"Top floor! Now!" I yelled.

The elevator shot upward with a sickening jerk. Through the glass walls, I could see the city below. It looked like a circuit board made of blue and red lights.

"This building... it’s a nexus," Thomas whispered. "It’s connected to every server in the city."

"That’s why I want it," I said.

The elevator reached the penthouse. The doors slid open to reveal a massive boardroom. Twelve figures sat around a long obsidian table, glowing with a sickly yellow light.

"Who disturbs the Council of the Forgotten?" The figure at the head of the table asked.

"Your new boss," I said, walking to the empty chair.

"You have no authority here, little ghost," a woman at the table sneered. "We have held this tower since the market crash of '29."

"Then you’re outdated. It’s time for a restructuring," I said.

I slammed my hand onto the obsidian table.

[System: Managerial Insight active. Target: The Board of the Forgotten. Loyalty: 0%.]

"You can't buy us," the leader said. "We are the debt that can never be paid."

"I’m not buying you. I’m claiming the property," I said.

I reached into the air and pulled out the Blood-Equity Contract. The red light filled the room, clashing with the yellow glow of the Board.

"By the power of the System, I claim this territory!" I shouted.

The building began to shake. The Board members began to dissolve, their yellow light being sucked into the obsidian table. One by one, they vanished.

"The Silver Circle won't allow a rival firm," the leader hissed before he disappeared.

"Let them come. I’m hiring," I said.

The room went silent. I walked to the head of the table and sat down.

[System Announcement: Territory Claimed. Haunted Skyscraper is now: Fenwick Global HQ.]

"We did it," Thomas whispered. "We actually have a base."

"It's not just a base, Thomas," I said.

[Territory War Initialized.]

[Current Rivals: The Silver Circle (Beaumont Division).]

[Status: Hostile.]

"Boss, look at the monitors!" Oswin shouted.

Every screen in the room flickered to life. I saw Alaric in his office. I saw Isadora in her bedroom. And then, I saw the Auditor from the docks. He was standing in front of my building, looking up.

"He found us," Thomas whined.

"No," I said, a cold smile crossing my face. "He’s just the first customer."

"What do we do now?" Oswin asked.

"We prepare for a hostile takeover of the entire city," I said.

Suddenly, the screen showing Alaric began to glow. He looked directly at the camera.

"I see you, Cyprian," Alaric whispered. "I hope you like the office. I built it for your prison."

"Prison?" I asked, standing up.

The doors to the boardroom suddenly locked. The obsidian table began to pulse with a bright, silver light.

"It's a trap!" Thomas screamed.

[Warning: Territory Lockdown engaged by External Source.]

"Alaric, you bastard!" I yelled.

I looked at my hands. They were turning silver. The building wasn't my HQ. It was a cage.