Chapter 32: Dance with the Dragon

Harker quickly drew the gun in his holster, but a pickaxe was sent flying into his arms. The pickaxes blunt top smashed Harker's hand and stopped him from reaching his firearms.

"The next pickaxe won't hit you with the blunt end, General." Seeker smiled.

Harker frowned. He didn't expect Seeker to have visited tonight.

"I thought we agreed to meet tomorrow." Harker's tone was indifferent and flat. He took a look at the unconscious soldiers.

"What can I say? I'm a man of surprises." Seeker giggled.

"Now let's get down to business General. As you can see, I can easily kill you." Seeker pointed to his unconscious guards.

These were soldiers who were the elite in Harker's mini-army, yet this teen could easily conquer them.

"But do you know why I went through all the trouble to do this?" Seeker smiled.

"To make me fear you?" Harker asked with an indifferent expression.

"Now, why would I do that? Have you noticed that I haven't killed anyone of your soldiers? What kind of fear would I pass to you if I act all-merciful?"

Harker glanced at the unconscious soldiers. It was true. None of them were dead.

"Then what?"

"To prove a point. I don't need you. I don't need your help. But, right now, an alliance with you it is the most convenient way to achieve my goal." Seeker smiled.

"And how can I help you?" Harker walked over and started pouring himself a bottle of whiskey.

Harker offered a glass to Seeker.

"No thanks. I'm still under-aged." Seeker smiled.

"So a seventeen-year-old can come in, beat the crap of all my soldiers, and refuse to drink wine since he is underage. I wonder why is it that all that my hardboiled and striped elites could manage is to scratch you? What kind of world am I living in?"

"Oh, this wound wasn't inflicted by one of yours. A blind guy did this."

Harker and Alean stared at each other.

"You have a weird sense of humor, Mister Carlean. How can I help you?" The impatient General reiterated.

"Partner with me. I've got a lot of things to do, and it requires quite a bit of funding. Not to mention the needed workforce, hi-tech facilities, and a secret base of operations. Your influence in the government and military would also prove useful." Seeker spoke easily.

"So, you want me to allocate all of my time and resource for your little projects?" Harker's raised his eyebrows.

"Well, not all. I will require you to commit on some tasks, but about 30 percent of your income would do as for resources." Seeker smiled.

Harker stood in silence. He honestly expected worse.

"And what would I gain in this uh… partnership?"

"I'll make you the leader of the Pangean Nations." Seeker spoke with confidence.

Harker sneered.

"And why would I want to be the leader of this nation? If you haven't noticed, I thrive in secrecy. Being in that position would only harm my operations."

"Because the Dragon is planning to conquer your empire. You need all the power and authority you could get to survive." Seeker gave a devilish grin.

The sneer turned into a sudden shocked look.

"The-the Dragon?" Harker could not help but stutter.

"Yes. The Dragon. You might know him as Robertson Meng. The reason I wanted to get chummy with Arthur is to make sure his dad won't get in between this dance with the Dragon. If Lennox would join me in this battle, then it would assure my victory. Of course, that's a hopeless cause. So at most, I want Lennox to not meddle in this dance with Meng. Facing one of them is already frustrating enough. If the other decides to join in the commotion, then all hope for victory is lost." Seeker gave a depressed sigh.

Harker clutched his fist in fear. Seeker was talking about the same Dragon that he knew.

"Oh, and you really don't have a choice on this matter. Originally, I came here just to make a proposal. But I don't know if you know about the blind guy that you or your men abducted. Now, this battle is definitely underway."

"The blind man? Our men caught him in the middle of one of our operations earlier." Harker had a confused look.

Seeker pointed to his wound.

"Which blind guy did you think did this? The blind man who your men were interrogating is Sting. One of Meng's most skilled warriors."

"WHAT?!" Harker knew of Sting by name. An assassin of deadly repute. Never in Harker's imagination would that known assassin be a blind man.

"I don't know if he was sent here to kill you. That is the most probable cause, though. Luckily I chased him off. This, however, would be to your favor. Now the Dragon thinks that we are not on the same side considering the state in which I left your men in."

Harker walked over to his desk and sat down. The whiskey was trembling in his hand. Why would Dragon aim to kill him? It didn't make sense.

"What could the Dragon possibly want with me?!" Harker shouted at Seeker. His once fearful state was replaced with a confused and panicked expression.

Seeker pointed to Alean.

"What else, General? That thing in your daughter's heart." Seeker smiled.

Harker was shocked silent. The Dragon was one of his primary buyers. But who would have thought that he would yearn for his Programmed Slave technology?

Alean had a confused look at Seeker.

"What thing?" Alean asked.

"The Programmed Slave chips," Seeker responded flatly.

Alean felt as if her entire body was floating. She stood petrified. She never really could get out of her father's grasp.

"Why would the Dragon want my technology?" Harker asked, ignoring his daughter's surprise.

"What are the most amazing traits of the Programmed Slave chip? Let's see, it's nigh untraceable even with the most advanced technologies on earth, it's impossible to reverse engineer, and the materials used should only be native to the Pangean Nations. Gee. This is a tough one. Why would Dragon want this tech?"

A more profound sense of terror clutched Harker's heart. Who would've thought that his most frequent buyer had other motives for buying this item?

"If you want me to answer this very obvious question, then I shall. The way you've been using this technology was wasteful because of your cautious nature, General." Seeker walked over and sat down at the chair adjacent to the chair that Harker sat on. Seeker disrespectfully propped his feet op Harker's desk.

"If used properly, the Programmed Slave could allow its owner to rule the world. Perhaps even become a god. A god who could give them happiness at the flip of a switch. Maybe Dragon wants that." Seeker relaxed at the seat's incline.

Harker slowly lifted his glass and drank.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"How confident are you in stopping him?" Harker glared.

"Well… For now, he's probably twice as strong as me physically speaking. The array of my abilities would prove… helpless in front of his. So I don't think I stand a chance." Seeker laughed.

Harker was brimming with anger. Just when he thought he was saved, Casual Carlean declared that he doesn't stand a chance towards the Dragon.

Seeing Harker's descent to anger made Seeker laughed out once more.

"Relax. I said, 'for now.' I could quickly get stronger and stand toe-to-toe with him. My main issue is his subordinates. Right now, some could keep me busy. I mean, that blind guy managed to scratch me. That should speak miles for his skills. Your poor soldiers couldn't even make me flinch."

Harker sat down and had a very serious expression.

"Agree to partner with me, and I'll agree to help you out of this dilemma." Seeker smiled.

Harker slowly nodded.

"Great!" Seeker extended his hand.

Harker slowly reached out and shook it.

"Now, to prove your sincerity, I'll need a couple of things. Five million Sydian's transferred to my account immediately, the biggest red emerald jewel on your collection, a set of weapons and ammo, military intel on the following items, and a lifetime free pass to all of those Buffet restaurants you own." Seeker handed out a piece of paper. He had a look that anticipated the awaiting dishes.

Harker gave a glare. But somewhere in this glare was a trace of confusion.

Buffet restaurants?

"Alean. Transfer the account now. I'll take a look at your list once you secured my safety from the Dragon." Harker was about to keep the paper in his pocket.

"Wait. I'll tell you what to do now. It isn't that complicated, honestly." Seeker laughed.

Harker frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's review the facts. Dragon sent an assassin to kill you. But his assassin met a formidable warrior with dashing good looks and a wicked set of pickaxes. So, logically, since his assassin retreated with only managing to scratch this warrior, Dragon would have to act cautiously."

Harker gave a stupid look at Seeker. He was right. It was simple.

"His guess would be someone equal to his level must have sent this assassin. Probably Lennox or Eagle or even The Great Common Man."

"How did you-?" Harker shivered at the mention of Eagle. How did this teen know about so many terrifying personalities? Seeker, however, simply ignored this.

"After all, who would have the resource or connection to get someone like me, right? Basically, whoever the Dragon thinks is trying to get to you isn't someone he can casually mess with."

Harker's fear was subsiding. He was right. The Dragon has always been a caution man. Trouble like this would definitely be avoided.

"However, that isn't enough. Something has to occur on our meeting. The most likely expectation is that you'd wind up dead due to a master assassin." Seeker spoke with a dreadful tone.

The fear was slowly returning as Harker's heart started pumping faster again.

"BUT!" Seeker teased.

"But what?" Harker followed.

Seeker grinned confidently. He stood up and started to crack his fists. There was confidence in his look, pride in his posture, dignity in his smile, and terrifying power in his cracking fist.

Harker slowly leaned forward, awaiting Seeker's reply. He was at the edge of his seat. He was saved. What did he need to do?

"I really haven't thought about it that far." Seeker sighed.

Harker angrily smashed the table.

"Quit playing around!" Harker screamed.

Alean couldn't help but chuckle at Seeker's casual remark.

Seeker gave a loud laugh as he saw Harker's expression.

"Relax! I'm just teasing you! For a General, you sure are uptight. Oh, wait. Generals are supposed to be this uptight." Seeker nodded in realization.

"TELL ME!" Harker shouted once more.

"I already did right from the start!" Seeker smiled.

"Be a politician. Aim for the presidential seat of Phil-Pangea. And once you do that, aim for the Prime Director of the Pangean Nations! This sudden change of behavior would confuse the Dragon and make him think that you are connected with any of these men. He'll set out to uncover who it is that is pulling strings behind your show. But since there is none, he'd be wasting a lot of time and resources. And that equals enough time for me to get ready." Seeker smiled.

Harker stood silently. His hands still remained planted on the table. It was that easy.

"So, will you carry out your end of the bargain?" Seeker asked once more.

"I will." Harker resumed his usual indifferent expression.

"Oh. And one more thing." Seeker immediately snatched a medal pinned on Harker's shirt.

Harker's immediate expression was confusion. But after he realized what had just happened, he panicked. But Seeker rammed the blunt top of his pickaxe to Harker's throat.

"Alean will be working for me now. Thank you." Seeker curtly turned back after doing the light thrust. He then tossed the medal over to Alean.

Alean had a confused look and stared at the medal.

"What's this for?" Alean asked in surprise.

"What do you think?" Seeker smiled.