Monroe

Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-Seven. The UtahRaptor Deterrent.

"Are you sure?" Bob asked. "You could do a lot of good here, as well as getting a headstart."

"While I'm not at all against popping over on the weekends to delve, I have hundreds of people relying on me back home, and while I'll be the first to admit that the administrative role I've found myself in is, without a doubt, the worst aspect of modern medicine, I can't abandon my responsibilities," Vikram replied.

Bob nodded. Over the past few days, he'd gotten to know Dr. Vikram Ramachandra and found that he rather liked the older man. Vikram had continued to monitor Jessica's recovery, and in return, Bob had provided him with enough crystals to reach level five, then sent armored him up and sent him delving with the Endless.

Vikram had accepted a Divine Blessing from Vi'Radia and had taken a healing path, with Animancy, Anima Blast, and Regeneration, as well as Protection and Divine Shield. Despite his lack of any offensive abilities, the group he'd delved with had been ecstatic to have him, as his healing and shields allowed them to delve more deeply by mitigating the risk.

They'd been grinding up their Summon Mana-infused Creature spells, and delving on lower floors meant they could cram more experience in less time. The practical result was that he'd received more than would have otherwise been his fair share of the Mana Crystals they'd gathered, allowing him to advance to level eight.

Vikram had chosen an unusual attribute distribution, placing one point each level in Strength, Coordination, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Endurance. His path bonus he'd also placed in Endurance. While his spell casting wasn't as powerful as it otherwise might have been, he was much stronger and quicker than he otherwise would have been.

"You've got your potions, right?" Bob asked.

"I'd say more than I need, but as I'm planning to move my office to the emergency room where I'll no doubt be able to save any number of lives with the quick application of regeneration spell, there really isn't any number that I wouldn't be able to make use of," Vikram replied with a smile.

Bob nodded. Regeneration was most often used as a ritual, as Anima Blast was more powerful acted instantly, but the spell did have a use outside of combat, namely that it could be used to heal wounds outside of the normal tier per second restriction. While it healed for a tenth the value, it could be channeled, and in Vikram's position, it would be invaluable.

"Let's get you home then," Bob gestured, and the pattern for a ritual portal began to glow. "We'll have to take a bit of a scenic route, but it won't take too long."

Vikram Ramachandra was having an awfully interesting week. He'd been abducted, forced to medicate his fellow captives, and then been rescued by the same people he'd acted against. If that wasn't enough, it turned out that the man they'd abducted had been the one who had introduced the entire world to an alternate universe, bringing actual magic with him.

He'd been transported to that alternate universe by means of a magic portal, where he'd been treated very well, considering the situation. He'd been introduced to the video game like system that was coming to Earth and even been gifted with the materials to level up and become a magical healer. He'd then joined a group of teenagers and practiced his new skills as they fought hideous monsters in a real, actual Dungeon.

Now he was falling through a series of portals thousands of feet above the Earth, traveling back to Bangalore.

He'd offered to take a flight home from the United States, but Bob had insisted on accompanying him and further insisted on magical travel.

Bob was an odd character. He reminded Vikram of the storied about the wandering monks of old. Quiet and unassuming, but possessing an incredible capacity for violence should they be moved to act.

He wasn't ready to call the man a friend, and he suspected it would take quite a while longer for Bob to consider Vikram as such, but the path had been cleared.

Vikram was grateful when they stopped falling through the seemingly endless series of portals. Bob was looking at his tablet, comparing it to the city beneath them. "That's your hospital, right?" Bob asked, pointing down.

Vikram squinted carefully at the cityscape beneath them. He'd decided that he would, at some point, figure out what he needed to do to fly. "Yes, it is," he agreed.

"Perfect," Bob grinned. "Let's go make an entrance, shall we?"

"What do you mean, make an entrance?" Vikram asked.

Bob smiled at the small sea of reporters arrayed in front of the portal.

"Thank you for coming," Bob said into the array of microphones thrust in his direction. "I'm here to return Dr. Vikram Ramachandra to you. He was kidnapped from the very hospital where he labors to preserve the lives of the people of this city and forced to administer medication in an attempt to subdue me."

Bob's smile turned predatory. "An attempt that clearly failed." He gestured to Vikram, who was standing beside him. "Dr. Ramachandra worked to free himself and my friends while I ensured that our captors were executed. He is an honorable man and a dedicated healer, and to make myself perfectly clear, should anything happen to him, I'll feed the persons responsible to Jake," Bob then gestured to his other side, where Jake stood in all his glory. The UtahRaptor was already looking at the gathered crowd the way a starved man looks at a juicy steak, and the implications of Bob's threat were not lost on the assembly.

Bob watched their reaction with a grim smile. He was determined to make a point, and to that end, he'd resumed his tier six form. While he'd used Yorrick's media blitz as inspiration for his video, he was taking a leaf from Thidwell's book here. He'd shown them the stick, now it was time for the carrot.

A small swarm of blue Mana Crystals flowed out of his satchel and began swirling around his head, almost, but not quite, forming the suggestion of a crown. "I've not yet identified all of the people involved in the events that removed Dr. Ramachandra from his home. So, I'm making an offer to everyone here and everyone watching," he held out his hand, and one of the Mana Crystals shot out of the quasi-crown above his head and stopped between his thumb and forefinger. "Two hundred and fifty mana crystals, enough to reach level five and take your path, as well as sanctuary for yourself and your immediate family on Thayland. Tell me who and where they are, and I'll reward you."

"To those watching who were responsible, I suggest you run, and hide. Because should I find you, Jake will be the least of your worries," Bob's smile was feral, promising horrors untold to those who had dared to lay a hand on Monroe and his friends.

"Vikram, I look forward to seeing you again soon," Bob said as he turned and shook the doctor's hand.

Bob moved to the Portal, pausing before entering it. "Come along, Jake, they aren't food. Yet." The UtahRaptor let out a disappointed screech and gave the crowd a final, hungry look before trotting into the portal.

"Bob wouldn't really feed anyone to his UtahRaptor, right?" Jessica asked.

She wasn't on true bed rest, but the overdose of sedatives had done a number on her, and while the regeneration ritual had set everything to rights, she wasn't feeling up to much.

"Bob doesn't have a lot of lines, but abducting Monroe is definitely one of them," Dave replied. "I'm pretty sure if anyone actually hurt Monroe, that Bob would lose his shit. And he's got the juice to make that a very ugly scene."

"I think it's healthy," Amanda said, drawing looks from Dave and Jessica. "What?" She replied defensively. "He's obviously got some issues, and one of them is that he was powerless to change his awful environment when he was growing up. Thayland has been good for him in that respect, but he regressed a bit once he came back to Earth. He's not helpless anymore, and his response to this has been pretty muted, considering what he's capable of."

"He's definitely not helpless," Jessica smirked. "That's his tier six form, right?" She licked her lips. "I wonder if everything is proportional?"

"You're bad," Amanda giggled, leaning into her friend's shoulder.

"I'm not the only one thinking it," Jessica replied. "He looked delicious up there. That trick with the crown of Mana Crystals..." She mimed fanning herself.

"I'm not sure where he got that flair for the dramatic," Dave shook his head. "That bit at the end with calling Jake over? That was pure theatrics."

"Right?" Amanda agreed, "The whole thing was Bob playing a role, although he did play it well."

"It did get the point across, though," Jessica added.

"Bob!" A voice called across the tavern.

Bob turned and spotted Jack waving him over. Adjusting Monroe, he turned and walked over to the table, shaking Jack's offered hand.

"Jack," Bob said, nodding his head in greeting.

"I'd like you to meet Mila, and her husband, Paul," Jack gestured towards a middle-aged woman and a slightly older man.

"Pleased to meet you," Bob said hesitantly.

"We're glad to see you're safe," Mila replied, reaching over and taking hold of her husband's hand. "Being abducted like that is one of our worst nightmares, although our fear is more for our children."

Bob frowned. "That's an oddly specific fear," he said.

Mila smiled. "I make it a point not to complain about the negative aspects of being famous," she began, "I'm well aware of just how ludicrously well-compensated we are, but the security aspects are a concern that can't be ignored. That's one of the reasons we agreed to join Jack's new city."

"How is that going?" Bob asked, settling into the chair across from Mila, but not before pouring Monroe onto the table.

"Effectively done," Jack replied with a grin. "I mean, the buildings are all up, and the infrastructure is in place. The lights are on, the water is running, and the Dungeons are open for business. I'm still working on moving people over, but we have to work with their interior designers beforehand, which is a special flavor of hell."

Bob blinked. "That's impressive," he admitted, "I didn't know you'd gotten it all built."

"It took a lot of Mana Crystals," Jack sighed, shaking his head. "So many Mana Crystals. But it's done now, and I wanted to talk to you about it."

"What's up?" Bob asked.

He liked Jack. While he'd admit the man was a bit predatory, in both his business and professional lives, he hadn't ever heard anyone complain about working with him. The people who worked at the power station, the theatre, and the cell phone tower and store all had nothing but good things to say. Jack saw an opportunity and went for it, which Bob didn't think was a bad thing at all.

"Now that it's up, I wanted to offer you one of the four penthouses at the top of the central spire," Jack grinned. "You're on good terms with both the King of Greenwold, the High Seat of the Warlocks Guild in the Karcerian Empire, as well as having the ear of the President of the United States. Add in your ability to level a small town, and just having you in the building serves as a deterrent for anyone who might consider any mischief."

"We'd be your neighbors," Paul added, "so we wanted a chance to meet you, as you have a bit of a reputation for being a recluse."

"You want to give me an apartment?" Bob asked, trying to square the idea against the canny businessman he knew Jack to be.

"To be fair, I'm also giving one to Dave and Amanda," Jack shrugged. "They don't have quite the clout you do, but as the standard-bearers for the D&D crowd, they're high profile enough. If it's an incentive, the roof has a couple of gaming rooms that you have to check out, even if you don't decide to live there."

"I'm not going to turn down a free apartment," Bob said slowly. "Although I'm starting to have a lot of places to live."

Mila laughed, and Bob was struck by just how pretty she was. "You get used to it," she smiled. "We have a place in New York, close to Paul's family, one in L.A. to be close to work, and my favorite, a ranch in Montana."

Bob reached out to give the sleepy Monroe a pet. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll take you up on it."

"Fantastic," Jack's smile widened. "How about we go take a look? It'll be Mila and Paul's first chance to see the city as well, now that it's completed."

"Mind if I grab breakfast first?" Bob asked. "I promised his imperial majesty fresh bear liver chunks."

"Impressive," Bob said, looking over the city.

Jack had opened a portal to the top of the building they'd be living in, and they were standing along the walkway that lined the edge, looking over the city.

Wide swathes of green flanked the rivers that joined together. Even the bridges were lined with trees. Bob wasn't sure without counting, but he thought there might be more space allocated to parks than buildings. The rivers had been left in their naturally formed paths, and the buildings and roads reflected that. Small complexes formed around the swaths of trees, the occasional meadow, or even two small lakes. Innumerable ponds and streams dotted the city, each one left in its natural state. It would have felt more like a small collection of oddly tall villages were it not for the massive wall that surrounded the city.

"It's exactly as you described," Mila sounded satisfied.

"Now, all I have to do is fill it up with people," Jack gestured to the city around them. "It's designed for two million people, and my hope is to have it running at half capacity before the integration, which is also the point at which it should become fully self-sustaining."

"You still have the Old Guard delving the Dungeons for you?" Bob asked.

"Yep," Jack replied. "They're renting out a few of the apartment buildings, and some of them are going to make their homes here, rather than the Redoubt. "I have a hundred or so friends coming in as the interiors are completed to their liking, but I expect I'll start to see a massive influx later this week when my ad campaign launches back on Earth."

"It's a nice looking city, and when you consider that the alternative is going into stasis for months while we wait for the integration, and then four more months after that, I can imagine you'll find some people who are willing to make the change," Bob mused.

"Being able to say that you have a home here will help as well," Jack's smile was mischievous. "Your reputation on Earth is starting to match your reputation here on Thayland."

Bob shook his head. "I'm not sure I have any sort of reputation on Earth," he disagreed.

"Have you checked your Facebook lately?" Mila asked.