Chapter 65: The Siege of Genesis City

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Siege of Genesis City

The main lobby of the Investment Guild Headquarters was the size of a train station. It had vaulted ceilings, marble floors, and a massive reception desk carved from solid obsidian.

It was also completely, utterly deserted.

Donald and Evelyn walked through the heavy glass front doors. Their boots echoed loudly against the marble. Not a single receptionist, guard, or trainee was in sight.

"They took the plants," Evelyn noted, pointing at the empty ceramic pots lining the walls. "They actually took the potted plants."

"Hayes and the board didn’t waste any time," Donald said, glancing behind the reception desk. The computer monitors were gone. The physical servers were ripped out of the walls, leaving a tangle of severed wires. "When I told them they had an hour to clear out, I guess they took it literally."

They walked past the lobby and into the main training wing.

It was the same story. The heavy weapon racks were stripped bare. The enchanted training dummies had been dragged away. The medical bay on the second floor was completely cleared out of bandages, potions, and healing crystals.

The old guard hadn’t just abandoned the building; they had pillaged it on their way out.

"It’s a ghost town," Evelyn said, her voice echoing in the empty armory. She ran a hand over a bare weapon rack. "A forty-story fortress, and we are the only two people in it."

"It’s a blank canvas," Donald corrected. He wasn’t bothered. The less trash left behind by Sterling, the better.

They took the private elevator up to the top floor.

The Guild Master’s office was exactly as they had left it the day they fired the board. The heavy mahogany table was intact, but Sterling’s old desk in the corner was still cracked down the middle from when he had choked Kaelen.

Evelyn walked over and sat down in the massive leather chair behind the cracked desk. She leaned back, propping her boots up on the ruined wood.

"Okay," Evelyn sighed, rubbing her temples. "We have the building. But Julian Vane wasn’t bluffing. If Dragonheart wants to starve us out, we need to hire guards, get a support staff, and restock the armory before the city realizes we’re completely empty."

Before Donald could answer, the heavy oak doors to the office swung open.

Lady Aris Thorne walked in. She was wearing a sharp charcoal suit today, carrying a thick leather briefcase. Her heels clicked sharply against the hardwood floor. She didn’t look happy.

"You aren’t going to hire anyone, Evelyn," Aris said, dropping her briefcase onto the mahogany table. "And you certainly aren’t restocking your armory."

Donald leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window. "Good morning to you too, Aris. Problem?"

"An embargo," Aris said, popping the latches on her briefcase. She pulled out a massive stack of red-stamped cancellation notices and spread them across the table. "An absolute, city-wide embargo. The siege of Genesis City has officially begun."

Evelyn dropped her boots off the desk and stood up, walking over to the table. She picked up one of the notices.

"Magical Security Contractors," Evelyn read. "Canceled."

"Keep going," Aris said grimly.

"The Genesis City Potion Syndicate. Canceled," Evelyn flipped to the next page. "The Blacksmith’s Union. Canceled. The Municipal Power Grid... Aris, the city is threatening to shut off the electricity to this building by midnight?"

"It’s worse than that," Aris said, leaning against the table and crossing her arms. "I tried to put a contract out for low-level mercenaries to guard your lobby. Not a single freelancer applied. I tried to order basic catering for this floor. The restaurants refused the delivery. No one will take your money. You are completely toxic."

Donald picked up a cancellation notice from the city’s water department. He frowned. "Julian Vane moves fast. But Dragonheart is a Capital Guild. They don’t have this kind of granular control over local Genesis City businesses. How did he enforce a city-wide embargo overnight?"

"He didn’t," Aris said, her expression darkening. "Damian did."

Evelyn’s head snapped up. "The secretary?"

"Damian didn’t just vanish into the underworld," Aris explained. "He walked straight to the Capital emissaries and sold them his services. He brought Sterling’s stolen blackmail servers with him."

Donald’s eyes narrowed. "Leverage."

"Decades of it," Aris nodded. "Damian has the dirty secrets of every politician, union leader, and rival Guild Master in this city. He is using that leverage on Dragonheart’s behalf. He called the head of the power grid and threatened to expose his embezzlement. He called the mercenary unions and threatened to release their illegal dungeon logs."

Aris tapped the stack of papers.

"The elite Guilds are leading the charge," Aris continued. "The Crimson Lotus Guild has stationed their enforcers on the streets surrounding this building. They are physically turning away delivery trucks. Dragonheart doesn’t want to fight an S-Rank Valkyrie in open combat. They want you to sit in a dark, empty, freezing building until you go mad and surrender."

Evelyn gripped the edge of the mahogany table. The wood groaned under her S-Rank strength.

"If Crimson Lotus wants a blockade," Evelyn’s voice dropped into a lethal hum, "I’ll go down to the street and break their blockade right now."

"No," Donald said instantly.

Evelyn looked at him, her blue eyes flashing. "We can’t just let them lock us in."

"If you go down there and start throwing S-Rank holy fire at low-level enforcers, you validate Dragonheart’s narrative," Donald said calmly. "They want you to look like a rabid, violent anomaly so they can justify bringing in a Capital strike team to ’subdue’ you. We play this smart."

Aris looked at Donald, clearly exasperated. "Smart? Investor, you have thirty-eight million liquid credits, but credits are useless if the merchants are terrified to take them. You have no power, no water, no guards, and no food. The building is a tomb."

"Aris," Donald said, entirely unfazed. "Your only job is to handle the legal paperwork with the Association. Keep the charter clean. Leave the supply lines and the base security to me."

Aris stared at him. "You can’t buy your way out of a total embargo."

"Watch me," Donald smiled behind his gold mask.

Aris sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "You two are entirely insane. I’ll buy us as much time as I can with the Association. But if the lights go out tonight, don’t call me to bring you flashlights."

She packed her briefcase, shot them both a warning look, and walked out of the office.

The heavy doors clicked shut.

Evelyn turned to Donald. The anger was still simmering in her chest, but she forced it down. She trusted him.

"We have a forty-story headquarters and no electricity," Evelyn stated flatly. "What exactly is the plan, Donald? Because my [Divine Pulse] doesn’t generate wifi."

Donald laughed. He walked over to her, gently prying her hands off the edge of the groaning mahogany table before she snapped it in half.

"The plan," Donald said softly, "is for you to go pick out whichever bedroom you want on the executive floor and get some sleep. You’ve fought an A-Rank, evolved into a mythic class, and killed a mutated monster all in the last seventy-two hours. You need rest."

Evelyn searched his eyes. "And what are you going to do?"

Donald let go of her hands and took a step back. He swiped a hand through the empty air, pulling up his invisible SSS+ interface.

The glowing gold text of his new Silver-Tier permissions reflected faintly in his dark eyes.

"I’m going to do some remodeling," Donald said.