The Lesser One Arc 2 Chapter 26: Tag Team

 

Tag Team

Chris and I are sitting in the small park beside the Esmex building. It is a fancy, manicured garden with a lot of rare plants—I’m assuming it’s either Crayton’s work or someone high up in Esmex. I just wanted to get some fresh air before I go to sleep. The lights of London are sparkling. I can see Big Ben in the distance, as well as the London Eye. The whole city is before me.

A bell rings. The world gains the now-familiar coat of post-apocalyptic ruin. I stand up, and Chris is teleported to the tag team bench.

I prepare for a battle. Instead, a man wearing a tacky Hawaiian shirt waves to me.

“Sorry.” He extends his hand. “This was the only way I could get your attention without getting everyone else’s.”

I take a step back. “What do you want?”

“I have a proposition for you.” He looks both ways, as if scared that someone is watching. “We have a benefactor who would like to meet you.”

I nod once. “Okay.”

He pulls out a card. “World break.” The world returns to normal and we leave the game realm.

“That’s a cool card. Is it an uber rare?” I make sure I am ready to fight if need be.

The man grins. “Yup. It’s got some limitations but it is a really good card.” He motions for me to follow him. His text box says his name is Jorge.

Chris looks at me and nods, and then the two of us go down the street to where a phone booth is standing. It looks straight out of a popular TV franchise. Jorge steps inside and doesn’t come out.

Chris pushes me aside. “I’ll go first.” She steps in and disappears.

 I step in as well and am transported to a small waiting room in an office building. I get a bit of a déjà vu feeling, but push it away. Jorge is standing next to a door.

“This is a pocket dimension that shuts off all Fallen Angel duels.” Jorge opens the door.

We enter a room full of people, all milling about and eating from a buffet line. Jorge throws up his arms. “Welcome to the Fallen Angel Honey Badgers!”

I look around. Some people seem to have noticed our arrival. They begin to congregate around us, asking us questions.

“Hey, noob! You have a skulk card!”

“Aw man, we’ve got some fresh meat!”

Jorge shoos them away and turns to me. “They’re a nice bunch. We’re all working for a single purpose here. To escape this god forsaken game.”

“Escape?”

“Yeah. When you lose your last Angel Point, your spirit is shut down. Though you can be given Angel Points, at that time most people only want to try and leave the game.”

A man with a long chin and thick glasses approaches us. He puts his arm around Jorge and grins. “Hey. You brought some new people here.”

“This is Anderson.” Jorge pushes Anderson away. “He’s one of the higher-ups in our organization.”

“Right.” Anderson takes over the conversation. “Our mission is to try and purchase the card “Resolution of Suffering” from the Angel Shop. Right now we’re fifty-eight percent of the way there.”

“With all these people?” I look around the room.

Jorge grimaces. “The kind of person who wants to leave the game isn’t the kind of person who is good at earning points.”

I shake my head. “I don’t think I want to leave this game just yet.”

Jorge shrugs. “Well, you can stay for some food if you want. It’s hot dog night.”

I walk to the buffet tray and help myself to some hot dogs. Anderson follows me. “You know, a person like you could really make some bank playing this game. Selling cards, hunting people.”

“Hunting people?”

Anderson winks. “Don’t tell anyone I said that.” He shrugs. “Not everyone has the wherewithal to purchase a skulk card when they’re low level.”

“I had some help.”

Anderson’s aura is a bit creepy. I’m not really sure I like this guy. He is wearing a wife beater and torn jeans, which really doesn’t add much to his charisma. His voice is a bit abrasive. However, I do my best not to judge him.

I try the hot dogs. They’re surprisingly good. When I finish eating I go up to Jorge, who is talking amongst a group of friends.

“Can I go home now?” I do my best to smile.

“Yeah. Just go back the way you came.”

I nod. Chris and I return to the door we entered from and leave through the office door. We pop back into existence inside of the phone booth. It’s a bit cramped but we manage to get out in once piece. The night sky is refreshing and the moon is bright.

I sit down on a bench on the street. “Yikes.” I shake my head. “This game must be harsh if there’s a whole society who wants to leave it."

Chris remains standing. “It’s probably time to get a good night’s sleep.”

“Sounds good.”

We walk back to the Esmex building and enter through the lobby doors. Sebastian is sitting at his usual spot, drinking a cup of coffee.

“Coffee this late?” I walk up to Sebastian.

Sebastian sips. “It’s decaf.”

“Ah.” I look toward Chris, who is as impassive as ever.

Her eyes don’t show anything about what she’s thinking. I nod once and then retire to my room via the private elevator. The view, strangely enough, never loses its impact. I know that the day after tomorrow is the big day where I get to meet the queen again and receive my second major award in less than a month. And then two weeks after that I’ll be headed home to New York. Truthfully, I miss my parents and I miss my friends as Ixtham. I can’t wait to go back and see who else plays Fallen Angels. Even though I currently suck at the game. Maybe I can buy some Angel Points? This game is already aggressively pay to win. And I have a lot of buying power.

I also, for a moment, am excited to eat at Rezolan’s restaurant. But that can wait for another time.

I sit down at my computer to do some research. I type “Fallen Angels” into the comm system.

The buttons “Angel Shop” and “Challenge” light up above my computer, even though I’m still in the Gaggle search results. I ignore those and look through the pages of results. The third result is a forum called “Angel’s Fallen Empire.” It sounds promising so I click on it and enter.

There are a number of sub forums. I enter the one called “new players.” There, in a pinned post, I am encouraged to introduce myself. I type up an entry.

My name is Markus Red. I am a new player. I recently bought a deck comprised of … Here I list the cards I bought. Do you have any suggestions?

I make the post and wait for people to respond. Ten minutes later I get my first reply.

<Sebeton> Yo, you rich or something? What kind of a first deck is that?

I reply.

<MRed> I am rich, yes. I am asking for help here.

I wait a while for the reply.

<Sebeton> Bro, switch Iron Gable for Steel Head Well.

<MRed> Thanks.

I get a lot more suggestions, and in the end I decide to switch out three of the nine cards I have available. The “global” slot takes up spaces in the deck but is unusable in game, though some global cards do convey benefits in game. I make the plan to head back down to the game store tomorrow after I work with my conjurers.

The day ends. I go to sleep and wake up feeling refreshed. I work with my conjurers until early afternoon, and then have Sebastian drive me to the game store, where I pick up some new cards. One the way back I am challenged.

“Oh, hell yeah.” I crack my knuckles.

But this time I am the one put on the tag team bench. The bench is surprisingly comfortable for what it is. I watch as Chris and the player known as Ignis face off against each other.

Chris uses the card <Dramatic Reversal>, which reflects the next card used. A split second later Ignis fires off <Fireball> Fireball is a card that can deal up to four hundred points of damage to a player and cause burn. The ball flies halfway across the field, turns around, and heads straight for its caster.

Chris sprints forward, holding a dagger in each hand. She slices Ignis twice, dealing two hundred points of damage each time, cutting off his right hand and leaving a long slice along his torso. It is gruesome, but I know he’ll be okay.

Ignis uses what appears to be a water spirit to push Chris away. He holds the stump of his hand.

Oh, and each time someone suffers damage, a bold number pops out of their head, floating over them for a few seconds.

Ignis loses his last few points to blood loss. The game shuts down, leaving us back inside the limo. Battles in Fallen Angels last a split second in real time, so we’re back on the road as if nothing has happened.

Chris smiles, the first time I’ve seen her do that.

“I’m wondering how we managed to be challenged in a car.” I look out the window. “Though we were at a stop light. I suppose that would allow someone to see our tags.”

Chris nods.

“You did great.” I smile back at her.

She returns to her usual icy expression, no hint of the smile left. I know I haven’t offended her, but it is a bit cold.

We arrive back at the Esmex building, where I spend the next few hours memorizing my cards and practicing with them. Chris does so as well. Both of our lives depend on it. While Chris was the one to officially get the Angel Point, we have decided to share our points as much as possible.

The day of the ceremony finally arrives. Sebastian drives us to the venue at Buckingham Palace. When we disembark, we are checked, checked again, and checked a third time. Finally we are allowed into the garden.

I get a glimpse of the queen and my jaw drops.

Elizabeth. Human level 100. Angel Points: 1210. Score: 109.

She plays it too! Our eyes meet for a split second and I can swear that she winks at me.

I break out into a cold sweat. There’s no way no one knows about this, right? Shouldn’t anyone who plays Fallen Angel instantly be able to tell by looking at her? What’s happening?

“Are you okay?” A well-dressed man holding a fluted champagne glass approaches me.

“Yeah. Yeah, uh, I’m just a little nervous.”

“You are the star of the show, after all.” The man bows. “Lord Chalet, at your service. I too am an adventurer. Though it has been a while since I last adventured.”

“Um, yeah …” I pause. “Do you think there is something unusual about the queen?”

Lord Chalet frowns. “No, nothing. Perhaps your American tastes are to blame.” His smile returns. “In any case, congratulations. You have done a lot to help the world, and especially the United Kingdom. We are happy to have someone like you with us, even if it’s only for a short period of time.”

“Thanks.” I do my best to smile.

It may be a bit difficult not to break character, this time.

 

The Lesser One Arc 2 Chapter 25 First Blood

 

First Blood

We forge our way through the A-class dungeon’s second floor. When we get to the boss room, Carl gives us a pep talk.

“We haven’t had any casualties this far.” He crosses his arms. “And I’d like to keep it that way. We’re going to hold the line and make sure that we clear this dungeon.”

The crowd of adventurers clap. Carl stands in front of the door to the boss room, takes a deep breath, and then pushes it open.

The doors to the room swing out with heavy grace. Stone grinds against stone. The doors clash to a stop, shuddering as dust falls.

There doesn’t appear to be anything inside the boss room.

Carl raises his sword. “Everyone! Attack!”

We rush into the boss room while maintaining formation. When the last adventurer enters the room, the doors slam shut behind us. We look around, expecting the boss to jump at us at any moment. The boss room is a grand platform standing in the midst of a deep cavern. Lit torches with blue fire stand at even intervals around the platform. Ancient runes line the walls.

“This is the tomb of Mesephil Razaric.” Chris is standing next to me. “From my home plane.”

“So he got used as fuel for hyperspace travel?” I turn in circles, watching the walls for signs of monsters.

Chris shakes her head. She puts her finger to her mouth and points upwards.

A gigantic spider is hanging from a web, spinning in slow motion. Its mandibles are opening and closing, dripping acid as they move.

“Above us!” I yell as loud as I can.

Every adventurer looks straight up. The spider lets go of the web and lands on the platform, smashing two adventurers who were unlucky enough to be directly under it. It skitters towards the tanks, who are forming a shield wall.

I rush behind the line. Brin, being just a bit behind me, can’t run fast enough. An egg sac full of spiders is heading straight for his head.

In an instant his body flickers out of existence, and then flickers back into existence behind the line of tanks. His Angel Point number goes down by one. He stands behind the battle line, breathing heavily. With a handkerchief, he wipes his forehead.

“Close one.” I creep towards him.

His breath is coming in gasps. “First time you’ve seen an Angel Break, am I right?”

I nod once.

Brin chuckles. “Sometimes you just can’t avoid spending them.” He takes out his spirit weapon, a black powder musket. With a deep breath, he takes aim and fires at the mother spider.

We manage to bring the beast down without any more casualties. The support squad recovers the corpses and the people who dealt the death blows absorb their spirit rings.

We leave the dungeon as a group, with the support squad carrying the bodies. When everyone is gathered, we hold a wake for the lost. I haven’t raided many A-class portals before. Heck, I was just an apprentice six months ago. A lot has changed.

We finish the wake and ride the bus back to the Blue Dryads’ headquarters. I finish my paperwork and step out onto the street. Chris is beside me, as always.

“I wonder how Esla is doing.” I kick at a piece of litter. “She was only able to stay for a short time.” I remember that I have to tell her how the thing with the Silverbones went. She’s probably waiting to hear from me about it.

Sebastian pulls up to the sidewalk in the limo. Chris and I step inside.

Suddenly time freezes. The world gains a familiar post-apocalyptic paint job. I step outside of the limo. Chris teleports to a floating bench above the battleground. A text box with “tag out” floats above her head. She meets my gaze and shakes her head.

I get it. If I get overwhelmed, I can tag team with her and switch places. So that’s how the partner system works. Above the street, a text box reads: “Challenge Started.” A single woman stands across the street, with the floating words in between us.

“New, eh?” She starts walking towards me. “It looks like today is not your lucky day.”

I conjure a bow and pull back an arrow.

“Foot Knot.” The woman takes a card from her card device and holds it up.

My feet bind to the ground.

“Confusion.” The woman takes out another card.

My whole field of view turns triplicate. I can’t see anything, everything is as if I am drunk and drugged at the same time.

I hear: “Blinding Light.” My vision goes white. I should have taken the time to look over the cards that I had. At this point I can only lose. I conjure something straight and hard from Rearden Metal and start swinging the weapon randomly. Hopefully I’ll be able to hit something.

A sharp pain echoes through my head and I collapse to the ground. All at once all my status effects disappear. I am crouched in the middle of a normal street. Another Fallen Angels player is standing over me. She scoffs.

“Noob.”

“Your score is only five hundred above me.” I push myself to my feet.

“Five years.”

“What?”

The woman, who I know is Furetta from her info box, holds up five fingers. “That’s how long it took me to gain five hundred points.” She gives me the finger gun. “Poof. Thanks for the Angel Point, honey.” She turns around and walks away.

I now have four Angel Points. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I look at the three cards that the tutorial girl has given me.

<Soft Counter>

Counters any level one spell.

What’s a level one spell? I’ll have to find out.

<Fast Wind>

Creates a quick burst of wind, directed at a single target.

Looks like a garbage card to me. I mean, Esla can probably whip up a wind ten times what this card can do. And finally:

<Ten Foot Teleport>

Teleports the user ten feet in a random direction.

Another garbage card. Or at least that’s what it appears to be. Yeah, I’m going to have to figure out how to get more cards.

I remember the game store from before. Sebastian is standing beside me.

“Sir. I sensed a disturbance in spacetime.”

“Yeah. Have you heard of the game Fallen Angels?”

Sebastian shakes his head. “No.”

I explain to him what it is. He frowns, his face turning sour. “It’s something that’s dangerous, then.”

“Apparently all wounds acquired in the simulation are removed when the battle ends.”

Chris walks up to me, her arms crossed. “You should have tagged me in.”

“I …” I hesitate. “I thought I could handle it.”

“Next time, when you’re overwhelmed, just tag me in.”

“Okay.” I turn to Sebastian. “There was this place I want to go to. I don’t know if it’s still there, but I need to see.” I direct him to King Charles Vintage Video Games. When we arrive there the lot is still empty with the for sale sign on it. However, the whole façade has a shimmer to it that I recognize. I step out of the limo. When I get closer to the door, the façade shimmers and disappears, revealing the game store. I smile and push my way into the building.

I hadn’t noticed it before when I got there, because I had assumed the cards were from a different card game, but one of the walls was totally covered with Fallen Angels cards. I walk up to the shelf.

The owner, the same person as before, looks up from his newspaper. “Those aren’t the cards you want. They’re for lightweights. You’ve got some cash, haven’t you? Come over here and I’ll show you our shining rares.”

I approach the glass counter. Again, I notice for the first time that there are Fallen Angels cards underneath the glass. I look at them, reading them.

I see one that catches my eye.

<Spatial Bubble>

Surrounds the user in a bubble shield that can absorb five hundred points of damage.

“What about that one?” I point at it.

“Two hundred pounds.”

A cheap price for such a good card. I continue to look for other cards. I see an entire category of cards that I did not realize existed. They’re labeled “creature” on the type line.

One creature in particular looks interesting.

<Giant Space Hamster>

When Giant Space Hamster enters the battlefield, your opponent must discard two cards or take three hundred points of damage.

Just the fact that it was, after all a giant space hamster made me want it. “You can put ten cards in a deck, right?”

The owner chuckles. “Sure can.”

“And global cards count?”

“They do.”

So I have room for seven more cards. I choose them from among the cards under the glass, looking for synergies. In the end I am equipped for what I believe is anything.

The owner takes my money and counts it with a glint in his eye. He looks up at me. “If you want uber rares, you’ll have to get them some other way. You can’t buy or sell those kinds of cards.”

I nod, palming through my new collection. They fit into a slot in my arm device, which locks them in place. I turn to Chris. “You should also buy some cards.”

Chris buys some good cards for herself and then we both leave the game store. Sebastian is waiting outside, smoking a pipe. He puffs a smoke ring. “If you need help from me, I’m willing to give it. I get the feeling, however, that for this portion of your journey you won’t really be needing me for any protection.” He opens the door for me. “We’re heading to get you fitted for a suit.”

“I already have one.”

Sebastian shakes his head. “In high society, it is a shame to wear the same formal outfit twice. Plus, you did not have as much choice in the tailoring of your last suit.”

“Sure.” I lean back in the seat. We start going towards the downtown area. I watch the sidewalks as we drive past, looking for people who have the marker that indicates them to be Fallen Angels players. I see several. This game appears to be more popular than I had expected, given how I got involved.

We arrive at the tailor’s. The sign above the shop reads: “Great Thomson, Tailor and Suit maker.”

We enter. The room is full of expensive-looking suits. A tailor with an immaculate mustache is measuring an old man. The old man has his arms out to his sides. The tailor holds his tape around each joint in rotation. Only when he is done does he look up.

“Yes? How may I help you?”

Sebastian steps forward. “My ward here needs a fine suit.”

The man sniffs. “You smell of plebian.”

“Plebian?” I frown.

“You’re not a purebred. I only work with the highest motes of society.”

Chris’s gaze is icy.

The tailor sniffs. “Well, I suppose I can help you if you’re what you appear to be. New American Money.” The tailor says the phrase with a lot of emphasis. His nose wrinkles. “Come. Let me take your measurements.”

I go under his measuring tape and, after ten minutes, he has taken all my measurements. I am uncomfortable for most of the time, but his actions do have a comforting expertness to them. When he is done I step away.

The tailor grunts, speaking to himself, and disappears into a closet full of suits. He pulls out a nice tan suit and holds it out to me.

“Yes or no?”

I like it. “Yes.”

“Good, good. You do seem to have a bit of taste.” He chuckles. “In any case, I’ll have it for you tomorrow morning. Now scram.” He waves his hand dismissively.

“Sure.” I motion to Chris and we leave the tailor.

The Lesser One Arc 2 Chapter 24: Fallen Angels

 

Fallen Angels

I return to my apartment and put the memory card in the computer. The computer lights up, telling me to “place the earphones in my ears.” I do so and the world freezes in place. The entire London skyline outside my window changes in form to a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Smoke and fire fill the sky. I look around, and do not see Chris or anyone else.

A beautiful girl wearing a summer dress and a wide-brimmed straw hat appears out of nowhere. She sits down at the table and looks at me. Her facial features are refined, and her dark black hair runs to her waist. She smiles. “Welcome to Fallen Angels, Markus.” She snaps her fingers and a device attaches to my arm that resembles those card holders from that popular card game animated series, YonHiYo. Three cards appear in my right hand. They are full of text and have beautiful artwork.

“Markus. You are looking to revive a young woman who has had her soul split.” Her eyes bore into me. “Your want has been recorded. Your Angel score is now ten. Battle with other Angels in order to gain more points and more cards.” She stands up and walks to the window, where she stares out at the post-apocalyptic world. “Each Angel Point can be exchanged for a sudden burst of magic, making you ten times more powerful than you would be normally. However, if you run out of Angel Points, you will no longer be able to use your spirit.” The girl turns to face me. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I will do my best to answer them.” She leans against the side of a lounge chair. “First. There are many other people who play this game. They will appear to you as individuals with information floating above their heads, thus marking them as potential enemies. They may decide to challenge you. You may decide to challenge them. Each time you fight, you wager an Angel Point. Each time you win, you gain a card. Do you want me to explain the card system?”

A floating heads-up display appears in front of me, with two buttons. "Yes” and “No.” I touch “Yes.”

“Your deck can have a maximum of ten cards. Each card has a unique effect that will help you during your battles. You can use them in a variety of different ways. As you collect more cards, you will learn more about them. Do you wish me to tell you about the battle system?”

Another prompt. This time I also click “yes.”

“Each participant will enter the battle with one thousand life points. Don’t worry—any injuries sustained within the battle system will be removed when you exit. A referee program will determine how much life is lost after each hit. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

“Also. Angel points will be awarded to those who complete quests. You will receive them from quest characters, who will be identifiable by the exclamation points over their heads.”

The girl bows, and then dissolves into pixels. The world shimmers. Everything loses its post-apocalyptic veneer and returns to normal.

Above the pocket computer, two buttons float. They read: Challenge and Angel Shop.

I touch the Angel Shop button. Another heads-up display appears in front of me. I scroll through a list of objects and their descriptions. Everything seems to cost Angel points.

Chris looks up at me. “I sense a large amount of psionic particles. What happened?”

“I was …” I pause. “Here. Put these headphones in.”

Chris walks over to the computer and touches it.

Ready player two.

Chris blinks in and out of existence in a split second. When she reappears, she has a totally different expression. “Interesting.”

A floating box above her head, as if in a video game, reads “Chris. Elf level 120. Angel points: 10. Score: 12908. Partner.”

Chris looks above my head, so I assume she sees something similar. “It appears we are partners?”

“I don’t really know what that means.” I wave my hand above my head and feel nothing but air.

“I have heard of such things.” Chris waves her hand above my head, as if grabbing for something. She doesn’t get anything and stares at her empty hand. “Entire alternate worlds that are layered on top of ours.”

“Well …” I pause. “I think we’ll be okay as long as we don’t meet anyone else who plays Fallen Angels.”

“Agreed.”

The time until I’m scheduled to arrive at the lab passes quickly. When it is time to go, I leave the apartment and go to where my conjurers are waiting.

What I see shocks me. One of the conjurers has a text box floating above their head. I instinctively try to cover the top of my head with my hands.

The conjurer, who is named Lincoln Patel, stands up. “Boss.” He motions towards the bathroom.

I follow him in. Lincoln stops, turns around, and then grins. “Welcome to the game world.”

“Are there a lot of people who play Fallen Angels?”

Lincoln nods once, and then whistles. “Your account is an OG. Where did you get it? Also, your level is absurdly high. Only three cards though.”

“Um, OG?”

Lincoln raises an eyebrow. “So you don’t know anything about Fallen Angels.”

“No.”

Lincoln grins. “Then let me tell you something. Go to the Angel shop and use five of your first ten points to buy the card “Skulk.” It will keep high level players from targeting you.”

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

“Which port did you use? The Ybox? Or the SP2?”

“What was it called? Um,” I think for a moment. “A Chronos 2A, I think.”

Lincoln whistles again. “That means your account is from the Alpha days.”

“Alpha …” I frown. “Who built this game?”

“Dunno.” Lincoln turns away. “Don’t worry. I won’t try battling you. You’re my boss, after all.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. “Even though I’m twice your age.” He winks, and then we return to the lab. The rest of the day goes as expected. I am a bit tense to know that I’ve entered a world that I don’t understand, but at the same time I am a bit excited.

When I get back to my apartment I immediately open the Angel Shop and purchase the card “Skulk.” It reads: Players with a score more than a thousand over yours cannot challenge you. You may still challenge them.

I think, and then without any other input my card device appears on my arm. There are two slots marked “global.” I understand that’s the spot I need to put the new card.

When I slide it in, my arm device shimmers, and then flickers. I feel like something is hugging me.

Chris comes in from her bedroom. “Markus. Have you found out anything else about this game?”

“Yes. Go to the Angel Shop and buy the card “skulk.”

“Understood.” She uses the pocket computer and after five minutes, her text box changes. It reads: Skulking.

Good. I have no idea what kind of world I’m entering, but I need to be vigilant if I’m to survive.

I look through the Angel Shop. There are a lot of things there that I really could use. All of them, however, a much too expensive. I am looking specifically for the liver of a tarasque, but I do not find it. I decide to take a walk down the street to see if anyone else has a text box over their head.

Before I can, I get a call from the Blue Dryads. I pick it up. “Yes?”

“Markus. The Blue Dryads, as well as London Dungeon UK, have been tasked with clearing an A-class dungeon. Please report to headquarters in half an hour. Thank you.” The coordinator hangs up.

Well, this may be my chance to see if anyone in the Blue Dryads is part of Fallen Angels. I call Sebastian.

“Sir?”

“Take me to the Blue Dryads’ headquarters. I’ll be down in five minutes.” I turn to Chris. She nods.

We take the elevator down and leave the building, just in time for Sebastian to pull up in the limo. We drive to the Blue Dryads’ headquarters and I get out, along with Chris.

“I forgot.” I look at Chris. “We’re going to have to make an excuse as to why you’re always with me.”

Chris shakes her head. “I can use my magic to make my presence feel normal. No one will ask questions.”

“You can do that?”

“I can do many things.”

When I look at the gathered Blue Dryads, my heart rate increases. There are two other Dryads who have text boxes above their heads.

Brin Dowley. Human level 89. Angel Points: 29. Score: 8091.

Charles Hemworth. Human level 41. Angel Points: 11. Score: 11201. Skulking.

Both of them look at me at once. Charles approaches me.

“You new?” He puts his hands on his hips.

“Uh, yeah.”

He looks up. “You have an OG account. Did you buy it off someone?”

“Yeah. I bought it at an auction.”

“You must be pretty rich for that.”

I shake my head. “It wasn’t …”

At that moment, Carl Stevenson, the commander of the Blue Dryads, calls us all up. He folds his hands across his back. “We’re going to be clearing an A-class today, along with London Dungeon UK. I believe all of us will make it out alive, but it’s not a guarantee. This is what we’ve all signed up for. There’s no backing out now.” He nods once and steps away from the microphone.

We load into busses. Chris sits next to me on the bus—and just like she said, no one appears to notice her. We travel about an hour to a small farm in the countryside. A tall portal has opened in the middle of the cattle shed. It hasn’t prolapsed yet, but blood is pooling outside the building—probably from the cows that were killed during its appearance.

It is sunset, and the sky is pasted with orange and red clouds, giving the world a surreal focus. I am a bit tired, but I am also ready to do whatever is needed.

We rally before the dungeon, meeting with London Dungeon UK. After ten minutes we are ready to enter.

Brin approaches me. He is a regular-looking guy with a short beard and mustache. He is wearing glasses. He pushes them up his nose. “You’re a player.”

“Uh, yeah.” I flinch.

“Charles says he already met you. I would challenge you on the spot, but you have a skulk card in effect.” He turns away. “What a waste.”

We prepare to enter the dungeon. Carl Stevenson stands up on a small stage and addresses us all. “Let’s go get ‘em.” He claps, and then steps down. The leader of London Dungeon UK also give a few words. When everything is ready, we enter.

The dungeon swallows everyone with familiar glee. The inside is hot and humid, a jungle environment. A troupe of monkeys eyes us from the branches.

“Contact!” The scouts come running back towards us. Behind them are a number of velociraptors, as well as a large T-Rex.

I shiver. This is what I signed up for. The adventures and dinosaurs collide. Tank class adventurers hold the monsters back while Damage Per Second adventurers like me fire at them from behind the lines. Bolts of magic fly everywhere, impacting the ground, sometimes hitting their mark and spraying dinosaur guts everywhere.

When the first wave is defeated, the adventurers collect their spirit rings, and we advance deeper into the dungeon. No one has died yet.

I’d like to keep it that way. After a while, we reach the second floor. Brin ends up right next to me on the DPS line. He winks at me.

I shudder and turn back to the fight. I get the feeling something is going to happen, and I don’t know what. All I can do is prepare for the worst.

The Firebird Chapter 1

 

Chapter 1

The sky over the Sea of Japan was stormy as the airship Undefeatable approached the silhouette in the distance. The waves, five thousand feet below, crested with the fury of the god of water. Rain buffeted the Undefeatable, sending slick trails of moisture down the ship’s silver grey sides.

Commander Alrond Pershing stood at the ship’s helm, looking out at the silhouette.

“We’re approaching the Hindenburg.” One of the deck officers, a young man named Fellows, saluted. “It has not initiated contact with us yet.”

“Maintain radio silence.” Pershing turned his back to the panoramic window. “I’m going to prepare the team.” He left the bridge and traveled the ship’s spine to the staging area where four British Special Aerial Forces soldiers stood, readying their equipment for the coming battle.

Pershing saluted. “We know what to expect. There will be an I-Sprite aboard. We do not yet know its true allegiance but it may try to repel us. Stay sharp!”

“Sir!” The team saluted back.

The Undefeatable came closer and closer. There was no chance the Hindenburg had not seen the Undefeatable. An impact rocked the ship, causing it to lilt.

“They’re firing their main cannons!” The intercom crackled. “We’re pulling in closer. Prepare to fire the bridge cannon!”

The ship reverberated as the cannons on the side, containing the bridge for boarding, fired them across the gap between the Undefeatable and the Hindenburg.

When the shields opened to allow the five men through, Pershing admired the sheer size of the ship before him. It was at least ten times as large as the Undefeatable. He ran across the bridge with his entry package and applied it to the hull of the Hindenburg. The explosion tore through the metal walls and allowed entry into the ship’s corridors.

Two German soldiers opened fire on the special forces members as they entered the ship. All five took cover behind a stack of crates.

Pershing looked at his I-Sprite scanner. “It’s this way.” He popped his head over the crates and shot both Germans in two seconds. They hit the ground at the same instant.

“Go, go!” Pershing pushed his way into the ship’s interior. When they reached an intersection, Pershing immediately turned to the right, heading into the bowls of the ship. There was no more resistance. They came to a single sealed door with no windows that was deep within this ship’s interior.

Pershing applied the explosive material to the door. Backing away, he detonated it, sending shrapnel flying across the corridor. Right after the smoke cleared Pershing and his team entered the room, spreading out in order to clear it.

In the room was a single person laying on a bed reading a book by lantern light. He looked up and raised an eyebrow.

“British special forces?” He closed his book. “Why have they sent such peons to greet me?” He got out of his bed, nonchalantly stretching. “In any case, I don’t like the look of your faces.” He snapped his fingers and three of the special forces members turned into ducks. The three ducks began quacking, running in circles.

“The hell?” Pershing took an involuntary step back. “What did you do?”

“I assume you know what an I-sprite is.” The man snapped his fingers and the walls turned into watermelons, which collapsed in a heap, leaving the room open to the four corridors surrounding it. At least a dozen Germans were caught in transit, all of them surprised at the sudden windfall of watermelons. The man snapped his fingers again and all the Germans turned into watercress. “You are looking for me, aren’t you?”

Pershing gritted his teeth. “I know you can do whatever you want to me. I came here with an offer. Join the British and you’ll get what you want.”

“Want?” The man laughed. “I can get whatever I want.” He snapped his fingers and a gigantic pile of gold appeared in the room. “Is this enough?”

The Hindenburg began to list. Pershing’s eyes flew open. “That gold must weigh a hundred tons! You’ll sink this ship!”

The man chuckled. “I’m here because I want to be. Obviously. If you can entertain me more than Mr. H himself, I’ll join your side.” He chuckled. “But wait. You can’t. You’re too straight-laced for that.” He snapped his fingers one last time and disappeared.

“Oh hell.”

The Hindenburg crashed into the water in that instant and the whole superstructure was torn to pieces. Pershing did not survive, but one German crew member, who happened to have caught a glimpse of the gigantic pile of gold, managed to survive in the frigid waters. When he was rescued a week later he told the tale of a ship that had gone down thanks to the gold in its hull.

And thus was born the legend of the Hindenburg.

No one ever mentioned the man who had created the pile of gold.

 

###

August passed the photograph across the table. “The Hindenburg. Are you sure this is the right ship?”

“It is, yes.” The bearded, well-built man on the other side of the ship took the photograph and slipped it into his pocket. “I heard tell of a man who knows exactly where the Hindenburg went down.”

“Then can’t you tell me?”

The man chuckled. “It’s gonna cost you. One hundred dollars.”

August sighed. “A steep price.”

“That gold is worth several fortunes.”

August cringed, and handed the man a hundred dollars. The man winked, pocketed the money, and leaned in to whisper. “There’s a man. Dex Pershing. His father was on the ship when it went down. Something about the whole operation feels fishy to me. Why would the Hindenburg, the biggest ship in the Germans’ fleet, go down in a storm when it had that much gold on it? Something’s strange.”

“So you’re telling me this man, Dex, could know what’s going on?”

“You got it, pal.” The man leaned back. “And that’s it. I’ll give you his address.” The man wrote on the back of an envelope and handed it to August. “Thanks for the change.” He stood up and left the restaurant, swaggering as he walked.

August caught sight of a beautiful young girl with white blonde hair looking at him as if she had heard the conversation. When August’s eyes met hers, she looked away.

August shrugged at the encounter and stood up, paying the bill. He left the restaurant a minute later and stepped out onto the streets of New York. Ever since the invention of sub-hydrogen, the skies had been filled with airships. August even had an airship of his own: the Firebird. It was a C-class, a little small, but he imagined it would be enough to start out on an adventure with. All he needed was a crew. He knew a few people, but it was a long shot.

He walked on foot to the tenement where Dex Pershing was supposed to reside. Halfway through the walk the white-blonde-haired girl he had seen in the restaurant stepped in front of him.

“You’re looking for an airship crew, aren’t you?” The girl put her hands on her hips.

“I don’t hire kids.”

“Kids?” The girl crossed her arms. “I turned eighteen last month. I just got my commercial zeppelin pilot’s license.”

“I don’t think I need a newbie on my crew.” August tried to walk past her.

The girl stepped in front of him again. “My name is June. I’m a zeppelin pilot. I’ll work for you for a share of the treasure.”

That stopped August. “You heard about the Hindenburg?”

“Who hasn’t?”

August sighed, putting his hand to his forehead. “Most people just think it’s an urban legend. Do you know how hard I had to search to find someone who even knew something about it?”

“That gross ugly guy?”

“Yes. Him. He was the only contact I could find after scouring the newspapers and the records. He was working with a Japanese newspaper when it happened and was near the scene with the people who were looking in to it.”

“Shoot.” June frowned. “That sure is a tenuous connection.” Her smile returned. “Trust me! I can fly a zeppelin better than most people my age!”

“You’re eighteen.”

“So?” June’s lips turned up into a pout.

August sighed. “Okay. You can be my pilot if you prove to me that you won’t steer my airship into a building.” He crossed his arms. “Meet me tomorrow at the airship docks. Dock twenty-seven.”

June appeared elated. “Of course! I won’t let you down!” She skipped away, down the street.

August sighed, and returned to his original mission. Ten minutes later he found the tenement and entered. Dex’s apartment was on the fifth floor.

August knocked on the door. There was no response. August knocked again. This time the door opened a crack and someone looked through—wearing welding goggles.

“I’m not subscribing to your damn newspaper.” The person, who August assumed was Dex, tried to close the door.

August shoved his foot into the crack. “Ow.” He then used his hands as leverage to pry it open enough to see Dex’s face. “I’m not here to sell you anything. You’re Dex Pershing, right? I need to know about the Hindenburg.”

The door opened a little bit more. “Yes? The Hindenburg? What do you need to know about it?”

“I was directed to you. By someone who knows. I’m looking for the Hindenburg’s lost secret.”

“Not the treasure?”

“Not the treasure.” August was able to open the door a bit more. “I’m looking for reasons.”

“Reasons, reasons.” Dex closed the door, unlocked the chain, and then opened it all the way. “Come in, come in.”

The room was an utter mess. In one corner stood a conspicuous machine full of levers and dials, reminiscent of the command module of a zeppelin. It hissed steam through several pipes, filling the room with moisture. The rest of the room was covered in zeppelin artifacts. Model zeppelins, at least a dozen of them, hung from the ceiling. Blueprints were stretched out across a large center table.

Dex puttered up to the complex machine and placed a teacup beneath a spout. “Tea?”

“Is that what that machine does?” August walked up to it and looked at the dizzying array od controls.

“Yes, yes. It gets tea to just the way I want it.” Dex handed August the full cup.

August sipped the tea. “This certainly is good.”

Dex bobbed his head. “Of course. Of course it’s good.” He walked over to the table and started poring over the blueprints. “What do you think happened aboard that ship?”

“What? I don’t know. I just think it’s a mystery that needs to be solved.”

Dex clucked his tongue. “No, no. There’s a deeper reason. My father. He was not an idiot. His mission was super secret and he never told me anything about it before he died. I’ve spent my entire life since then trying to find out about what happened. Legend says that the Hindenburg was overladen with the gold and sunk because of that. But why didn’t it sink right away? How did it get to where it sunk with that much gold aboard? I tell you, something is fishy.” Dex pattered over to the machine again and made himself a cup of tea. “Hm, m. Needs a little tweaking.” He took out a wrench and began adjusting bolts. “This much, this much. Maybe sweet? Maybe a little bitter? More umami for sure.”

“What else do you know?” August watched Dex tinker with the machine.

Dex shook his head, sending his messy hair flying back and forth. “Nothing. All I have is the letter my father sent me before he went on the mission.”

“Letter? Can I see it?”

“No. I don’t trust you yet.”

“One thing.” August crossed his arms. “You’re good with zeppelins, right? Do you want to join my crew?”

“Looking for the Hindenburg, right?” Dex lifted his head from inside the machine. “Sure, sure. When do we leave?”

August, surprised, tilted his head. “Two days from now.”

“Good.” Dex rubbed his nose. “It’s about time I did something.”

The Lesser One Arc 2: Chapter 23: Adventurer's Cross Part 2

 

Adventurer’s Cross Part Two

“The Darks were rotten.” Mandrake is sitting at a table in the lunch room of the headquarters, which is empty at the moment. Elina sits beside him.

Elina’s face is impassive. She drinks from a plastic bottle of soda, scrunching her nose. “Deeve was a madman. He did not respect art.”

Mandrake leans on his arm. “There were three Darks that survived. Biren, Elina, and Copy, who you haven’t met before. They’re going to rebuild the Darks.”

“Why?” I frown. “Shouldn’t we destroy an organization of killers?”

“The Darks help balance the mana that flows through our reality.” Mandrake looks completely serious. “If there is too much good, then life will become unbalanced. The thing is, the Darks became too large. There were too many of them. The Darks and the Brights need to stay in balance, in equilibrium.”

“Which is where we’re headed.” Elina stands up, throwing her bottle into the recycling bin. “I thank you for your part in this. You can leave the Darks now if you want, but I also suggest that you do not join the Brights.”

Mandrake nods. “We’ve decided that you would be too polarizing as a member of either of our groups. You should follow your own destiny. We won’t hurt you. You have enough helpers already. All of the beings of two high-level portals are following you.”

I stand up. “Yeah …” I sigh. “I suppose it’s time to return to everyday life.”

“If you need help, we’re the ones you should call.” Mandrake points to Elina. “Even though she’s definitely evil, she will also help you if she can.”

“If you need someone murdered, just ask.” Elina grins, causing her eyes to glint.

This is not exactly as I would have liked to end this adventure, but it was satisfying. In a way. I look at my watch. “Oh, shoot. I have a session with my conjurers in fifteen minutes.” I take out my phone and dial Sebastian.

“Are you okay?” Is the first thing out of Sebastian’s mouth.

“Yes. I’m okay. Are you okay?”

“I am.” Sebastian’s voice sounds happy, at least. “We have managed to subdue all of the enemies.”

“Good. Can you bring the limousine to my location?”

“Sure thing.” Sebastian is silent for a minute. “Did everything turn out well?”

“It did.”

“Good. I’ll be there forward haste.” Sebastian hangs up.

I look at Mandrake and Elina. “You guys are crazy. You know that?”

Mandrake chuckles. “Sure we are. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be doing this.”

Elina smiles sweetly at me. I try to avoid her gaze, turning to Chris. “Should we go wait outside?”

Mandrake extends his hand. “It has been good to work with you.”

I shake it. “Likewise.”

Chris and I leave the lunch room and enter the hall. Barley is sitting on a folding chair. He stands up as we arrive. “You handled this situation admirably. I’ve recommended you for another adventurer’s cross.”

“Um …” I didn’t know what to say. “I really don’t …”

“It’s a great honor. It would not be good to refuse.”

“Okay. I’ll accept it. I think having two is a bit excessive, but who am I to say?”

“If you acquire three you’ll become a Baron.” Barley’s eyes show a bit of amusement.

“Am I going to have to go through a big ceremony?” I make an awkward grin.

“You are. Don’t worry, though. You won’t be alone. Two other adventurers and a member of Wagner’s Right of Way will be awarded at the same ceremony.”  

“Oh …” I don’t know what to think about this. “I have to go home in three weeks. Will the ceremony happen before then?”

“A week at most.” Barley rubs his chin. “We’ve got to get some things sorted out. These Silverbones sure do cause a lot of trouble that we can’t account for.”

“Because of the memetic hazard?”

“Exactly.” Barley seems to think for a moment. “Do you think you can supply me with more of those pills?”

“I believe that the hazard is there for a reason.” I shake my head. “I can’t. There’s something deep inside me that says, if I distribute these pills, something disastrous will happen.”

“Right.” Barley looks me over. “You do have a damsel in distress to save, as well as an important internship. If you ever do need my help just call me. I’ll give you my office number.” He hands me a business card. “Call me on your regular phone when you need me.”

I do my best to grin and take the business card before leaving the building. The sun is bright overhead, causing me to squint. I shield my face from the light.

Sebastian is standing beside the limousine. I step inside, followed by Chris. We return to the Esmex building, where Chris and I take the elevator to my apartment.

It is here that I finally place that strange pocket computer on the table and examine it in depth. Thinking about it for a moment, I decide I need help. I reach into my personal dimension and call for Rezolan.

I will be there in a moment, Markus. Rezolan’s voice echoes in my head.

I turn the device on in the meantime. Again, it asks for a Fallen Angels ID card. I see a small slot on the side that appears to be for such a card. I feel around the device some more and see a little bulge at the back. I pull on it, and what appears to be a pair of headphones comes out. They are shiny and full of psionic emissions, which I can see thanks to my anima vision. I really do wonder what it does. I’m going to have to find that memory card if I really want to know what this is for.

Rezolan appears out of a portal in the room. He is wearing a chef’s uniform. He takes off his tall chef hat and looks at the computer device.

“That is a very powerful magic artifact you have there.” He sits down across from me and picks up the device.

Chris walks over to the table and sits down next to me. “I’d like to know what this device is as well. After all, Markus spent a lot of money on it.”

Rezolan takes out a computer repair kit. He tries to wedge the computer open, but is unable to. He turns it around in his hand. “It looks like the device is magically sealed.”

“How is it powered?” I ask.

Rezolan shakes his head. “I cannot say. Whatever power source this device has been running on has been running for at least a generation.”

“So it really is old.” I think for a moment. “Okay. I want you to go to my network and ask them if they can find a Sanctafank ID card.”

“It may take some time.” Rezolan puts his chef hat back on. “If you no longer need me, I will return to my restaurant.”

“By the way, where is the restaurant you set up?”

“New York.” Rezolan bows. “I will see you there as soon as you return. You have no choice in this matter. I will treat you with the best delicacies from lawhell.” He then steps back into his portal, disappearing from the room.

“Well then.” I look at Chris.

Chris stands up. “I will do my own research.”

The doorbell rings. I walk to the video door viewer and turn it on. It is a man in black, who is holding out an invitation card.

“Markus Red?”

I press the button. “I’ll be down in a moment.” I get into the personal elevator and take it to the ground floor. There, I see the man in black. He hands me a fancy letter and bows before leaving. I look at it for a moment before returning to the apartment.

I open it at the table. It is an invitation, handwritten, to a ceremony in three days for the awarding of the adventurer’s cross. This is the second time I’ve been through this, so I think I know what to expect. I fold it and place it somewhere where I won’t forget it. I then return to examining the pocket computer. It does not, however, give up any more of its secrets.

When the time comes, I head to the lab and teach my conjurers more about how to work with Rearden Metal. They really are shaping up to be able to create the stuff by the time my internship ends. When that ends I return to my apartment and sit down in a chair that faces the panoramic window. Chris is sitting on a couch on the other side of the room.

I watch the skyline for a bit longer and then open up the mini fridge next to the couch to retrieve a diet root beer. It is as refreshing as always.

My anima vision perks up. For some reason, it is leading me away from the apartment. I remember that this is how I found the Half Moon. If I don’t follow it, I don’t know what I’ll be missing.

I head to the door.

Chris gets up. “Markus. Where are you going?”

“I have a sense that something is calling me.”

“Then I will go with you.”

“Sure.” I step into the elevator.

Chris steps in beside me. We ride it to the ground floor.

I leave the Esmex building. I do not see Sebastian anywhere—he must be in his own room. Besides, I feel as if I need to walk. I follow my anima vision through London until I come to a basic tenement that has been converted into a place for small businesses. One of the signs reads “King Charles Vintage Video Games.” That’s the one I need to go to. I enter the room.

The inside of the business is much larger than it appeared from the outside. There are hundreds of games lined up on shelves, as well as vintage consoles. I palm the magic computer in my pocket. It seems to be resonating with the business’s atmosphere.

A man is sitting in a rocking chair behind the glass counter. He looks up as I approach.

“Eh, kid?” He tilts his head. “What are you looking for?”

“A memory card for a certain game.”

“Which game? There are lots.”

“Fallen Angels.”

The man raises an eyebrow. “Yeah. I got one of those. Ten thousand pounds. Cash only.”

“Give me a moment.” I walk outside and summon Kinley, my accountant devil.

She appears, looking a bit frazzled. “I know you control this company’s finances, but please let me know before you make a purchase of over a million dollars.”

“Sorry. I’m going to need a bit more.”

“How much?”

“Ten thousand pounds.”

Kinley sighs, and then materializes the funds in her hand. She places it in my open palm and then pushes her hair back. “Be careful. We have a lot of liquid capital, but if you keep making purchases like this …” She sighs. “In any case, I have a lot of work to do. If that’s all you need me for, then goodbye.”

“You can go now.”

Kinley disappears in a cloud of mist. I look at Chris, who is standing beside me, without expression as usual. She tilts her head.

“Yes?”

I turn away. “Let’s go buy that memory card.” I enter the game store and put down the ten thousand pounds in hundred pound notes. The owner picks up the pile and thumbs through the notes. When he is finished counting, he stands up, goes to the back of the store, and returns with a small cartridge that appears like a mix of a floppy disk and a Gamefun cartridge.

“Thanks.” I pick up the card and leave the store. When I turn to look back at it, the lot is empty, with a single sign that says “for sale.” It is as if nothing was ever there.

I turn back to Chris. “Well. At least we know where to go from here.”

The Lesser One Arc Two Chapter 22: Eruption

 

Eruption

It’s times such as these that I wish Esla was here. Her powers would be perfect against the threats we’re facing.

 I stand with the Blue Dryads, as we are loading onto a Warrior armored personnel carrier. Chris loads with me, as well as two elves from Wagner’s Right of Way.

I palm the object I picked up from the underground auction. It is glowing gently beneath my coat. As the door to the vehicle closes, I take a deep breath. It is likely that people will die today. They probably already have. But in the end, this event resulted from my own failure as much as anyone else’s.

I do wonder what Elina is doing. With her ability to read emotions, she really should know what she is doing. My thoughts churn as we return to the battlefield.

The roof of the Warrior impacts, caving in the steel.

“Go, go, go!” The leader of our squad yells as the back door lowers. We run out of the carrier and into the street.

I recognize Nameless on top of the carrier. He swipes with his hand, and it extends like a whip, slicing a member of the Blue Dryads in two. Blood spurts everywhere.

The two elves take positions beside me. Chris is behind me, watching my back.

“Shoot! Fire!” The squad leader is holding an automatic weapon. The bullets, however, simply bounce off Nameless’s hide.

I fire an arrow at him. He catches it in his hand. His eyes lock on to me. While there wasn’t much there before, now there is nothing. It is as if his soul is gone.

“Mark!” A squad of SWAT team members unload from a black personnel carrier. They spread out and open fire on Nameless.

Nameless tanks the shots and leaps into the midst of the SWAT team, tearing through them with a whirlwind of ferocity. Blood and body parts fly everywhere.

I shoot at him several more times, and each time he deflects the shots with his tail. He is in full lizard form now, appearing like a humanoid lizard man. His eyes lock onto me and I feel an intense dread build up inside me.

Chris steps out in front of me. “I won’t let you through.”

Nameless licks his claws. He says nothing, only staring at me. Then he strikes.

Chris parries the first claw strike. I roll away, dropping my bow in the process. Nameless leaps over Chris with his powerful legs and lands right in front of me.

Before Nameless can stab me, Chris grabs him by the neck and begins to strangle him. They pull away, struggling.

The two elves in the party run up to Nameless. One of them casts frost magic. Ice crystals grow up Nameless’s legs, freezing them in place. Nameless’s face I turning purple and his tongue is hanging out.

With a huge burst of strength, Nameless throws off all three elves. He looks around with fury in his eyes, and then locks on to me. His gaze meets mine

I conjure a short sword. “Come at me.”

Nameless sprints towards me, hands drawn behind his back. His mouth is open to reveal a slathering tongue.

I step aside and swing with my sword. I really need to take some swordsmanship lessons. I hit him, but the sword clangs off his hide. He careens past me.

I use my power to make my blade sharp at the molecular level. Nameless and I face off again. Nameless’s tongue flickers. His eyes land on my blade. It seems he can tell that it is a lot more dangerous this time. He takes a step toward me.

I swing my blade a few times.

Nameless backs away.

A tank careens around the corner and rams Nameless, knocking him over and grinding him against the concrete. Sparks fly. Nameless’s face eats asphalt. The tank slows down and the commander pops out of the hatch.

“What did we hit?” He looks at me. “It must have been huge.”

I look underneath the tank and see Nameless, pinned beneath the treads. He is not dead yet.

Another APC arrives and more SWAT team members disembark. They surround Nameless, tying him down with large amounts of steel and other restraining devices. He is locked and won’t be going anywhere.

The noise from the attack appears to be dying down. I don’t know if it’s over quite yet, but we’re getting there. The whole episode feels hyper-real. As if it’s more real than reality. My whole body is on high alert.

I collapse onto a bench. I am breathing heavily. Chris stands beside me. “We did it, Markus.”

“Yeah. We can let the rest of the people handle the other Darks.” I look at Chris. “You’re going to have to explain everything to the government.”

Chris frowns. “Some of this information is dangerous.”

“They need to know. Where these portals are coming from. Why magic suddenly appeared forty years ago. Everything.” I take the object I retrieved from the auction out of my pocket. “This. Do you know what this is?”

“It is a sacred artifact, though I do not recognize its make.”

It appears to be a small pocket computer from the eighties. Just a single line LCD screen and a number of buttons. I try pressing the ON button. A greeting scrolls across the screen.

Welcome, user. Please insert your Fallen Angels ID card.

I do not have this Fallen Angels ID card. The device refuses to do anything else, so I power it down. Barley’s helicopter flies overhead, lowering into the street and touching down right in front of us.

Barley steps out. “You need to come with us.”

Chris and I get back on the helicopter. I am given another helmet with a headset.

Barley gives some directions to the pilot, and then turns to me. “You’re required at HQ for a debriefing.”

“The same one as before?”

“No.” Barley leans into the helicopter’s turn. “This is the headquarters for all adventuring and hero work in the city of London. The HQ I’m in charge of is only for the organized crime unit.”

“What do they need to know?”

Barley points at Chris. “She knows something that we don’t. And we want to know.”

I look at Chris, who is not wearing a helmet. I give her a thumbs-up.

Barley talks to the pilot again and then turns to me. “We consider this mission to be a success, as we have achieved our original goal: the capture of the Darks. Anything else is just collateral damage.”

I watch the city pull away. “Harsh.”

“It’s the truth. We’ve faced it ever since the portals became a threat.”

“I understand, but …” I look off into the distance. We are approaching a compound on the outskirts of the city. Lots of other helicopters are buzzing about, and dozens of military vehicles are rolling in and out. We land in the middle of a large helipad. Barley jumps off and waves for me to do the same.

Chris and I get off the helicopter and follow Barley into a concrete building with a low roof. There are lots of people going back and forth through the hallways. I see a lot of adventuers’ guild badges.

We arrive in a conference room where a dozen high-ranking generals and commanders are gathered around a map of London. There are markers on the map telling where each of the Darks is located. I see Elina standing in a corner, a smug look on her face. Mandrake is with the generals looking over the map. What kind of internal politics were they talking about?

It doesn’t matter at the moment, however. Barley pushes through the commanders with a surprising amount of authority and brings us to a small room on the side of the command room, overlooking it. Two scientists are there, seated behind a desk. A computer monitor shows several more scientists who are tuning in remotely. I am shocked to see that Dr. Barrimore is there. He sees me and winks. I am too stunned to say anything back.

Barley sits down next to the two scientists. He motions towards Chris, and when she approaches, he hands her a paper with diagrams. “I know your world is a bit different from ours, but please see if you can make sense of this.”

Chris accepts the papers and looks them over. “I recognize this. This is a black ice regurgitator. My people use it to travel the phlogiston.”

“Black ice …” Everyone in the room is stunned. “So you know what this is.” Barley’s voice holds reverence. “Tell us what happened.”

“Do you know about the Fourth Law?” Chris folds her arms.

Dr. Barrimore is the first to respond. “I believe she is talking about reduplicative personality elimination due to excised portal effects.”

The other scientists nod their heads as if they had just understood that. I hadn’t.

Dr. Barrimore continues. “This proves my theory on the subject. There will be a paper coming about this soon. In the meantime, we have to figure out exactly why this outcome happened.”

Chris shakes her head. “No. You forgot to pray to the gods of darkness and fire.”

“What …” All the scientists look confused.

I step in. “Chis’s translation magic sometimes doesn’t work very well when describing concepts like this. Maybe if she could show you.”

Dr. Barrimore raises an eyebrow. “Are you an engineer in your home plane?”

Chris tilts her head. “What you call engineer I call arch mage. Yes, I am an arch mage.”

“What is your spirit?”

“Royal Ice.” Chris’s expression changes slightly.

“Royal ice …” Dr. Barrimore appear pensive. “I’ll have to make a note of that.”

Chris points to the diagram. “You’re missing a ley line link here.” She looks at the white board in the room. “How do I use this?”

I hand her a marker.

She turns it in her hand. “How should I work this pen device? I see no place for ink to come out.”

I uncap it for her and hand it back. “You draw with the felt tip. If you want to erase it, you just run over the marks with the eraser.”

“Is your bodyguard, Miss Chris, not familiar with this world?” One of the scientists leans forward. “I would definitely like to see her perspective on a few things.”

The other scientist raises his hand. “Later. We can do that at a later date. For now let us pay attention.”

Chris draws a few diagrams that are too obtuse for me to understand. “This is where you missed the connection. The bug here has to pray to the fire god. Otherwise the connection will be hazy and there won’t be enough aether in the cool drive.”

It’s starting to give me a headache. For another ten minutes, Chris draws on the whiteboard, telling the scientists everything she knew about this Fourth Law and antimatter used as a suction cup for consciousness to be burned in FTL travel. In her words: “Traveling through the phlogiston requires the burning of souls.”

It seems that Dr. Barrimore is about to have an epiphany. When Chris is done, the scientists all look at each other, and then thank us. Barley, Chris, and I leave the room and return to the command center. It is significantly less hectic than before.

Mandrake approaches me, Elina by his side. “I’d like to talk to you for a minute.” He pulls me away from Barley. “Let me tell you what really happened here.”

The Lesser One Arc 2 Chapter 21: Fourth Law

 

Fourth Law

The lights in the audience turn on with sudden brilliance. Wreck, wearing riot armor fitted for his huge size, rumbles onto the stage. Deeve walks behind him, arms folded behind his back. He picks up the object on the cart, examines it, and then puts it back down. The whole audience is holding their breath.

Deeve taps the microphone.

“Oh, sure, uh …” The auctioneer backs away.

Deeve grins. “Hello. We are a terrorist organization known simply as The Group. We are here to steal everything that is going to be auctioned today. If you cooperate, you will not be killed. Probably.”

Two people leap from the audience, one covered in flames, the other morphing into a wolf.

Wreck grabs the wolf man with his huge hand and smashes the wolf’s head against the concrete stage. Blood flies everywhere, ad teeth clatter against the floor.

Deeve lifts his eyepatch and the fire user is hit with a beam of pure ionizing radiation—which I can see thanks to my anima vision. The fire user screams in pain and rolls on the floor, covered in huge radiation burns.

“Anyone else have anything to say?” Deeve taps his feet on the stage. “Good then. We’ll be—”

At that moment, black balls, originating in the stomachs of the two people on stage, grow to swallow both Deeve and Wreck. The aura is blinding, causing everyone in the audience to look away, except for me.

Well, that worked.

But it doesn’t. The balls crack, shudder, and then shatter. Deeve and Wreck burst out of their prisons and begin throwing their powers all over the room. Deeve’s laser eye sweeps across the audience, burning a path in its wake. Wreck shoots lightning that fills the entire room. I duck underneath a sheet of Rearden Metal that I formed in the instant and pull Chris under with me.

At least two dozen government security adventurers burst into the room with weapons blazing. The whole place is a mess of chaos. Bullets ping off of my Rearden Metal shielding.

Wreck screams with enough volume to shake the ground.

“The Fourth Law.” Chris’s eyes are alert. “They’ve invoked the Fourth Law.”

“What?” I don’t get it. “Why … How …”

“It appears your government friends have accidentally discovered the technology to harvest consciousness.”

“Is that …” Bullets continue to ping against my shield. “Is that what happened to you? You were trapped in an antimatter cage?”

“Do you know this?” Chris’s eyes are very serious. “Faster than light travel requires burning consciousness.”

I am stupefied. “Um …” A large explosion rocks the room. “So they’re not sentient any longer?”

“No more than the monsters you fight in the dungeons that appear through portals.”

A government soldier knocks on my shield. “Markus Red?”

I let down part of the shield. “Yes?”

“I’ve been ordered to bring you to headquarters. You won’t believe what’s happening out there. We need all the S-class adventurers we can get.”

I look at Chris, and we both nod. I notice the object I bought lying on the floor about two yards away. I dart out from the shield, grab it, and then follow the government soldier out of the underground auction house. Wreck’s lighting bolts fly over my head, and one almost hits me before I deflect it with a hastily constructed lightning rod.

We reach the emergency exit. The government soldier opens it, pushes us through, and then closes it. He is breathing heavily. “The stairs lead up to the ground floor. Be careful. The whole city is in chaos.”

“Do you know what happened?”

The solder shakes his head. “We used the antimatter cages as ordered, but something went wrong.”

“You idiots.” Chris’s eyes are ice cold. “You did not tell me that this antimatter was actually black ice.”

I am astonished. “Wait, what?”

Chris starts running up the stairs. “Any one of my people could have told you that using black ice in that manner would be dangerous. Especially on those people.”

“So, your world had faster than light travel?” I run beside Chris.

Chris picks up the pace. “My translator magic is not perfect. I do not know the exact connotation of what I described to you. The concept as phrased in my own language is---” here Chris said something that was a mixture between Bach and calculus. “Do you get it?”

“No. Thank god for translation magic.”

We reach the ground floor, and everything is on fire. The whole building is filled with screaming people. Everyone is running for the exit.

Gall leaps off one of the gigantic spiral staircases and lands with a crash in front of Chris and I. He flicks his finger and the solider who was with us collapses to the ground in three parts. Blood spurts everywhere.

Chris takes up a defensive stance. Fire forms in both of her palms. The ground beneath her feet pools into magma.

Gall whips two lashes of air at Chris and I. Chris blocks it with her rapier and I block with a shield of Rearden Metal. I conjure a bow and knock an arrow.

Gall approaches us with his hands held out. When he gets close enough a sword of swirling currents forms in his hand. He engages Chris in a series of blows and parries. I can only stand back and watch in helplessness.

Sebastian runs into the building and sees us. He holds out his hands and a spray of smoke covers the space between me and the fight. He grabs me by the arm and pulls me away. “Let her handle this.”

I try to stop him. “No. I have to help her! I think she’s outmatched.”

“Then summon someone to help!”

I reach into my personal dimension and summon two devils who were on call at the moment. They both appear out of an instant portal.

“Rar, at your service.” Rar is a young looking devil with short hair and a thin waist. Her eyes are bright green.

The other devil is a fat man with a huge belly. He tries his best to bow, but is hindered by his weight. “Gor.”

I point to where Chris is fighting Gall. “Go. Help her.”

Rar and Gor move surprisingly quickly to the place where the fight is happening, both of them boosting their speed with their special abilities. In only a couple of moves, they corner Gall. Chris lops his head off with a single strike.

“That was …” I am awestruck.

“Let’s go. Gall isn’t a Dark Silverbone for nothing.”

Sebastian pulls me towards the door. Chris runs up beside me. Gor and Rar face back and hold the line.

Gall’s head reattaches to its body. His arms form into eldritch abominations and he screeches, rushing at me. He is stopped by Gor and Rar.

“Hold the line!” Sebastian drags me and Chris out of the building. Several civilians run past us. Sebastian waves them through. “Hold the line!”

A helicopter comes out from between two buildings and lands right in front of me. Inside of it is Barley, wearing full SWAT gear. He extends his hand. “Come on! We need to tell you what’s going on!”

I get on, followed by Chris. I look to Sebastian, but he shakes his head. “Sir, I will be holding the line. Go and help those who need it.”

The helicopter rises into the sky and I watch the London streets recede.

I try to speak over the sound of the rotor blades. “What’s going on?”

Barley points to his mouth, and then hands me a helmet with a comm system. “Looks like our plan failed. We misjudged our tolerances or something. The scientists tried to explain it to me but I don’t get it.”

“Chris knows a lot more about this.”

Barley looks at Chris. “Really. She’s going to have to give me the full story when we land.” Barley returns his gaze to me. “The whole city is in chaos. After we tried to capture the Darks, they went ballistic and started destroying everything. We’re passing this off as a portal prolapse for now, but we don’t know how much longer we can keep that up. There are at least five high-level bogies who are rampaging through the city right now.”

I hang on to the handle above the door. “What do you want me to do?”

“You’re going to join up with the members of several adventuring groups, as well as members of Wagner’s Right of Way who have arrived recently.”

I look at Chris and she shakes her head. Looks like we won’t be revealing our connection to them anytime soon. At least not now.

“Then let’s go!”

I watch the city scroll beneath me, with pillars of smoke and flame in the distance.

Barley holds his hand to his mic. He nods. “Markus. Someone named Mandrake is asking for you. He’s got some pretty high clearance.”

I adjust my mic. “Put him through.”

Mandrake’s voice comes in through the headset. “You tried, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“Well, I can’t fault you for doing your best. But you made a mess and now it’s time to clean it up. I’ve got Elina with me and we need to talk. But we’ll do it later. For the moment, go with the government and we’ll meet with you where you are.” The headset cuts off.

We land a few minutes later inside of a small park surrounded by tenements. It appears to be one of the rallying points for adventurer patrols. Mandrake pushes through the crowd and approaches me. Elina is behind him.

“There was a lot of internal politics in this one.” Mandrake hands me a small flash drive. “Keep it safe.”

A group of elves are gathered in the center of the park. They are obviously portal beings from the Wales Portal. The one who appears to be the leader approaches me.

“Mr. Red. It’s the first time I have had the pleasure to meet you.” He extends his hand. His hair is long, blonde, and fair. His eyes are bright yellow, and he is wearing modern day body armor as well as traditional leather greaves and bracelets.

I shake his hand.

The elf nods once. “My name is Tam. Please direct us as you see fit.”

I look around the rallying point. It appears we are getting ready to strike back. “Just follow orders from the person in charge.” I test the strength of my bow. “I’m going to follow orders as well.”

Someone with the badge of the Blue Dryads approaches me. “You’re Markus Red?”

I nod.

“I’m Ryan Bulls. An officer with the Blue Dryads. I’ll be your direct supervisor this time.” Ryan had bulging muscles, and a huge great sword hung over his back. He was also wearing a kilt and had a distinct Scottish accent. “We’re going to be taking on the bogey known as Snake.”

“I think I know him.”

“You do? How?”

I catch myself. “I think. I’ve heard legends about these terrorists.”

“Then you’re well suited to fighting them. Let’s go.” Ryan collects the rest of the Blue Dryads who are there and we prepare to move out.