Crystal Delivery (2)

The matter of distribution was a delicate one. There were a total of 5 people present and, at first glance, an even split appeared to be the best outcome. If not, the picking and choosing could sow discord as well as feelings of resentment.

Yet, apart from myself, everyone else seemed willing to accept whatever Kaiser arranged. It was baffling, but it also made sense for them. For me, I didn't feel such a feeling. Though I did feel a bit ashamed, clearly they were influencing me.

"I had ruminated over this the entire week" Kaiser said solemnly. With this words, we all knew he had already made up his mind on how to distribute them.

"I will be receiving 4 crystals" He said, carefully plucking out four crystals from the case. He placed these crystals into a new container and then turned to examine our expressions.

The tension was high with only 6 crystals for 4 people, it was likely that 2 people would be going out with a higher share.

"Malcolm, you get one crystal…" Kaiser said, with some exhaustion. Though Kaiser's mind had been made up, it was obvious he was now starting to have second thoughts.

"Phew…" Malcolm sighed with relief.

"I was afraid I wouldn't get anything" He added donning a gleeful smile.

His fears were unfounded, but they did make me double back. The tension was high, yes, but it wasn't because they might receive a smaller share, it was because the three feared one of them might not get a share at all.

Since they were present, to me the fear seemed inane. Nevertheless, it highlighted their great camaraderie.

"Lytton, you will also get one" Kaiser said after packaging another crystal into a new container. The radiant green light that shone from the suitcase now seemed much dimmer.

There were four crystals left. I was sure Kaiser would not give all of them to Seamus, but I still couldn't help but feel some worry. I did still owe Kaiser for the previous crystal, would he bear a grudge?

"Seamus, you also get one crystal" Kaiser said causing me to widen my eyes in surprise. That left three crystals and only one person. Was it possible he would be keeping one on the down-low?

Kaiser took out one crystal and placed it into another specialized container. Afterward, he closed the suitcase. My heart chilled.

The radiant green light was now nowhere to be seen in the room, it was just dark now.

"Huh?" But to my surprise, a suitcase suddenly came flying at me. I couldn't help but blink my eyes a couple of times in disbelief.

"That ought to get you to the next grade and quite some more" Kaiser said to me causing me to blink confusedly. It came as a surprise to me that he kept tabs on everyone's grades and maybe even approximated their energy levels.

"Thanks" I couldn't help but appreciate the gesture. I wasn't used to feeling valued.

"It's just the logical distribution" Kaiser said, waving me away dismissively. He then grabbed the three individually packaged crystals and tossed them onto the others.

"Alright, now scram!" Kaiser shouted, dismissing us for real this time.

I smiled subtly as we were kicked out of the office by Kaiser himself. It felt good to have friends, I thought as the door slammed behind me.

Seamus, Lytton, Malcolm, and I were just starting to make our way to the lounge when Seamus suddenly paused.

"Wa- Wait... We can't use these crystals…" Seamus shared his realization with us through an audible mutter. This caused the other two to also freeze in their steps.

They all turned towards the door to Kaiser's office and eyed each other.

"Dan, we'll have to settle this" Seamus said sheepishly. Their grades weren't high enough to absorb the grade 8 crystal, which was embarrassing considering their previous high.

"Oh, no problem, talk to you later" I replied without kicking up any sort of fuss. There was nothing to kick up a fuss about, after all.

Seamus nodded and led the others back towards Kaiser's office as I went back into the lounge. In consideration of me, the place was like a club with soft colorful lights keeping the illumination low. That meant that everyone including myself could enjoy the lounge.

But what I wanted to do was not enjoy the lounge, I wanted to absorb a crystal. The lounge was not the best spot to do it, but it wasn't like I had an actual room. Hell, no one had any rooms. There was just an uncomfortable sleeping quarter.

I was just about to open the suitcase when I decisively shut it again.

[HAHAAHAHAHAHAAHA, you are hilarious, Joe mama… You said… Ha!]

The man on the TV swept away a tear with one finger before placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

[Sigh, this is why nobody likes you]

The TV was playing a sitcom about a working man living with an internet addict.

The members of the gang were oddly engrossed in this garbage series. The delivery of the joke was simply not up to par with my alternate world's standards.

"Tsk Tsk" I had forgotten about the green light of the crystals thanks to my night vision. Fortunately, it wasn't like I had become colorblind. I managed to close the case as soon as I saw the toxic green light.

No one noticed this as everyone was engrossed watching the mediocre sitcom. I stood up to leave the lounge and found a secluded and narrow closet.

After entering the closet, I opened up the suitcase and grabbed one of the crystals. The grade difference was of 3 grades, well above the threshold of safe crystal assimilation.

Still, not once had that stopped me. I gripped the crystal with both of my hands and mentally prepared myself.

It only took a second.

The energy was immediately absorbed into my body, and the sensation of hot lava in my veins came back with a vengeance. The difference in grades played a huge factor in terms of this excruciatingly painful process, but…!

The difference in energy was not to be ignored either. A grade 8 crystal was exponentially greater than the grade 6 I had absorbed early in the journey. Even within the safe assimilation threshold, this would be a painful process!

I heard something crack at that moment.

I looked down at my hands and found that they had turned pitch black. Furthermore, I felt nauseous, tendril-like tentacles started to form and writhe disgustingly in front of my increasingly blurry eyes.

Blood rushed to my head and I face planted on the closet door in my attempt to free myself of the great pain. I inadvertently muffled myself with a jacket arm and let out a silent scream.

Outside, Seamus was looking for Dan Owens.

"Hey, where is Dan?" He asked one of the people in the lounge.

"If I knew that I wouldn't be a mere gangster" A person rudely responded.

Seamus decided to start making his way towards the front door where he was stationed when suddenly heard rhythmic thumping in a nearby closet. It was as if a body was being rammed against the closet door.

"...Better keep going down" He muttered to himself, ignoring the muffled screams.