Daily Short: Matt 15

Matt had done a project before he’d been transported away from home. It was a rather basic application of calculating. The question posed had been simplistic. It was a demonstration of the value of perfection.

What happens when only 99.999% of a water purification plant works?

The result was eye-opening. With easy math, the death toll for the average city of ten million was total annihilation within less than a week. That lesson had stuck with him through the years and had a particular application when he created the Dark Bank. Contracts with the bank were easy to understand. They were written in a language that left nothing to chance. Every arrangement was a work of art created by Melissa, the Bank Manager.

Every contract from the Dark Bank had a 100% repayment rate.

“Why do they think they can get away with garbage like this?” Matt said, staring at a nun. His current location was an orphanage listed in one of the Ani-Verses. They were a set of universe shards created by the collective creativity of countless artistic individuals. Most of the ones closest dealt with ninjas, pirates, mechanical armor, and Systems.

“I’m certain the applicant didn’t have a choice. I’ve investigated every possible lead, and they all point to the King.” Jeeves said, brushing his crimson and black suit nervously.

Matt’s irritation grew as he said, “King? How annoying.” Removing a king was difficult in standard times. It had been clear within moments of checking the contract that the nun in front of him was the embezzler.

However, she didn’t have a shred of Soul Mana.

To have a patsy sign and then reap the benefits. Classic moron in motion. Matt thought, annoyed. Another example of people not reading what they sign.

Matt ratcheted up his power, shredding reality as he scanned for the missing Soul Mana. Jeeves started to sweat near him as fluctuations rippled out from the epicenter. Within moments the missing Soul Mana was located. As soon as he sighted the swirling mass, it vanished in a pop.

“Ugh, a Time Mage,” Matt said as his eyes darkened with a crimson glow.

Time Mages always thought they were so incredible and intelligent. Rather than regenerate, they just turned the clock back to before being damaged. Rather than take their lumps, they sped away in accelerated time. Such things were the annoying pastimes of those labeled Chronomagi.

Unfortunately for this Julio individual. Matt thought as Darkness covered the world. I can move at the speed of the dark.

The reality around the two of them fractured as Matt split the dimensions into countless mirror shards. Time Magic was powerful, but there was a reason Space Magic existed. It didn’t matter how fast you accelerated time if the distance was infinite.

Matt flickered between shards looping through the infinite fragments in a moment of frozen time. After locating his target, he snapped his fingers, forcing the pieces to combine. A single world existed once more. Only the retching noises of Jeeves to the side blackened the smooth transition.

“Sir…” Jeeves said, his face pale as hellfire melted the soil below him. “Can you give a little warning next time?”

Matt shrugged and said, “If I remember.”

Both figures vanished, appearing in a cavern far beneath the capital city’s streets. Strangely it was directly underneath the orphanage. Perhaps something else was going on, but Matt couldn’t care less.

A thirteen-year-old child stared at both men as they appeared with a light orb over his head. With narrowed eyes, the child glanced at the rotating sphere of Soul Mana by his right shoulder.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Matt said, watching as the King attempted to use a localized time field to trap and age them to dusted death.

“They never listen,” Jeeves said as the boy king grabbed the mass of Soul Mana forcing it into his mouth with a gulp.

“Time to die!” the Chronomagi in the form of a young boy said.

The power of Time moved in a shockwave toward Matt and Jeeves as both watched with apathetic expressions.

“Do you think it’s a training issue?” Matt said as the shockwave slammed into an invisible wall before gradually dissipating.

Jeeves nodded, “They seem to forget the proper formula for time. Tragic.”

“Listen up, idiot,” Matt said, stepping forward as Darkness crept from the sides of the cavern. The pool of light radiated from the orb above the Chronomagi shrunk with every step forward. “The first lesson you should remember is don’t try to cheat the Dark Bank. The second is infinite distance requires infinite time to cross.”

Darkness covered the young boy snuffing the light above him like a candle in the wind. Matt ripped the mass of Soul Mana out of the idiot before turning away.

“How many left?” Matt said to Jeeves. They had been tracking embezzlers for just under five years. The number of people trying to steal from the Dark Bank was staggering. It was clear he needed to tighten up the audits, so this didn’t happen again.

Audits, ugh. Matt thought as he compressed the Soul Mana into a marble.

“Just over seven more left, sir,” Jeeves said teleporting next to the fallen Chronomagi and poking him with a finger. A six-pointed star appeared, marking the victim as property of the Dark Bank.

“Seven more…” Matt said with an annoyed face. He was getting smashed and partying after this collection gig was over.