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.”