Cole took a seat at the head of the table, directly opposite his grandfather with a soft smile on his face… but it was just basic, was there any laughter he could put on his face in such a terrible scenario, the answer to that was zero.
Breakfast was basic, and unlike the lovely atmosphere he was mostly used to, this was dull and drab without a hint of the friendly registry between brothers and the doting on their younger sisters. During the meeting his father and grandfather would discuss things that had to do with the company or perhaps any other new venture the family would be undertaking…. Things were bad.
"Someone has crossed into the second floor just this morning grandfather, and a little bit of exposition about the game has come up that is quite unsettling and would spell doom for the family if care is not taken…. We will lose much more than we have."
That was sure to make most members of the family angry, and without disappointing his mom dropped her spoon with a bang and made to get up. But the fierce look on Cole's grandfather's face was one that could not be tricked with as he only said one word.
"Eat!" and she swallowed before settling down to eat as the old man shifted his attention to Cole, noticing wholeheartedly what the young man was trying to do.
Nothing brings a family together than a wedding or a funeral, and even more so an enemy. If while Cole knew there was no love lost between him and some of the current members of the family, yet he had to say something or do something that should fire emotions from everyone here and not just the full atmosphere that was hanging.
"Cole, how fast can you get to getting to the second floor, we need to get access to the fifth floor so that we can begin to start training and developing a more powerful 'metahuman' force that will keep us on top of our competition."
Cole took a bit of the food in front of him, making sure to chew quickly as he had to answer his grandfather. The news that he had developed 'superpowers' would definitely have been spread amongst the family members.
But even at that a little bit of understanding would be needed as information about the reason why the family's heirs had been brutally murdered would have to come forth and be discussed. Plus right now, what probably everyone was waiting for was news about revenge.
"I said someone had gotten to the second floor grandfather, I never said that person was not me. Before I logged off almost an hour ago, I believe I was too of the leaderboards, and the first person through to the next floor. I don't know what it's like but I will try my best and get to the fifth floor as soon as possible.
But in other news…. I was able to complete the quest for the Mona Lisa and the Sierra Corp shares."
This time the silence around the table was heavy but not one of grief. Perhaps it was a strength of weakness, but the Night family would be able to put aside all. Forms of emotional distress or euphoria in the face of profit and power. In other words, they were severely greedy motherfuckers.
"All 3%?" this time it was his father who had asked the question, drawing attention to him as most of the women if not all of them had no idea what was going on. All they knew was that he had been saved and had displayed some weird abilities during the fight to the point of being considered inhuman.
"Yes, I also got a follow up quest to get me another 7%.... or was it 10? Apologies father, grandfather the percentage to be gained after completing the next quests has slipped my mind as I had to relay a debt of blood soon as I had received it.
But beyond that we also now have the blueprints to the Mona Lisa starship, and that is something we can begin development on immediately should we decided to liquidate the shares we get from Sierra Corp, or procure assembly plants with our current capital and what we can cover from those three percent. I also think this would be as good a time to tell you that the next reward for the quest apart from the shares, is an atmospheric base.
With that I believe after extensive outfitting and construction both in game and in real life, the family should and would be set for survival against what's coming." Cole said as he took a drink of water, this time the person to ask him a question was Tehilla, her voice deep and sultry, her mixed Chinese and Hispanic heritage giving a bass to it that until now, Cole never got the chance to appreciate.
"You said both in game and in real life… what does that mean, and also why the hell is a game's final event so damn important that we've lost people important to us…. What's going on!" she asked as she banged her hand on the table, Cole's grandfather glared at her as she meekly but still defiantly told him.
"Sorry grandfather but it really makes no sense!" Cole had an answer to that, in fact he had an answer for all of them.
He explained everything he had learnt so far, and while it might seem ridiculous in hindsight and something you would pull out from the pages of bad webnovel or a sci fi movie. Cole explained everything crisply and tried to prove it to them, but of course even amongst your own family there would be skeptics and people are who would doubt you.
" this is insanity! Father don't tell me you are going to believe this crap coming out of his mouth! he's even more ridiculous now than when he left the family to go base that whore!" it hurt, it really did, and frankly speaking he deserved it. For Cole this wasn't beyond just his mother grieving the death of her two eldest sons, all her negative feelings were being poured into her never ending anger for her third child.
And not many people here would home her too as he too had been her favorite. He didn't but break Hilda's heart when he decided to be selfish and live for himself alone,, he had ended up breaking his mother's heart when he made that choice.
Cole didn't want to talk too much, explaining this would take way too much time and the family needed to come to an agreement about that their next step would be.
The water in the glass beside him rose into he air and then split into multiple drops as Cole utilized his [Gravity Mastery] skill. His senses were sharp as he began to change the water into a myriad of shapes, much to the delight and happiness of his Nephew and his niece. He carried on for another 3 minutes before he felt a little lightheaded and felt his eyelids droop a bit.
"Cole! Stop!" his mother called out, but he furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance and spun the water even faster as he said to her.
"I know you are angry mother, but I am not lying, I know it's hard to believe but this is real, If we don't…"
"Oh you stupid boy I said you should stop!" his mother yelled at him as she moved from her chair towards him, then another wave of weakness assault him, and this time came with a rather powerful migraine that turns everything in his vision black or a moment.
His mother caught him, her blouse being used to clown the blood that had begun to pour out of his nose, ears and eyes. Cole was so confused, but perhaps the explanation lay in the fact that even if he had access to his digital body, this was still his human body, he could not utilize those really powerful skills, in a body that was no evolved to handle them.
"Why don't you boys ever listen to me! I told your brothers they didn't have to go, I told you not to trust that woman, I told your staff and grandfather not to trust the cartels, and you! I told you to stop! Look at you, look at my baby! Call the hospital he's not well, he's bleeding please save my babies Arghhhhhh!"
Perhaps that was just everyone was waiting for, a license to cry as for the first time since the disaster they all started crying. Even the ever stoic and strong grandfather could not hold back his tears. The twins confused about why their mother and the rest of the adults were crying pretty much had no choice but to join in, crying their eyes out, as they lamented the absence of their father and the grief of the rest of their family.
And all Cole could do was sit there, held by his mother and crying with the rest of them…perhaps they were right…. Nothing brings a family together more than a funeral, that and revenge….lots of it.