The Lesser One Book 3 chapter 2: Taller than Ever

 

Taller than Ever.

“Careful, Ada.” Kevin waves his arms as Ada climbs into the trailer of a semi-truck.

“Is that really necessary?” I  watch Ada get onto the trailer, causing it to sink a few inches.

“Ada weighs over five tons.” Kevin shakes his head. “She’s a dragon, after all. We have to take the necessary precautions. We don’t want a steel dragon flying all over the city, after all. People would freak.”

“You said you’re the director of the CIA?” I tilt my head.

Kevin rubs his hands together. “Yeah. Been so since oh-seven. Some crazy things have happened ever since the portals first opened.”

“I can probably imagine.” I frown. “So we’re visiting another planet.”

“An Economopoulos called Fargo. It’s on the other side of the Milky Way.”

“How are we going to get there?”

Kevin chuckles. “You’ll see when we get there.” He motions to Sebastian and I. “Get in the van. We’ve got a long road trip ahead of us.”

For the next seventeen hours, I watch American roadside scenery pass by, as the houses turn to forests and then hills and then desert. According to Kevin, we’re headed for Area 51. Classic.

Along the way, Kevin explains a few things to me. First, there is the fact that Jirgrar and Sebastian are technically still members of our own species, as is Tia. Their round pupils class them as “Menucarian.” The much more common “Precient” members of our species sport figure-eight infinity-shaped pupils. That includes the Racorphan.

We arrive at the newly-upgraded Area 51 complex. Now that we, the human race, understood that we weren’t alone, Area 51 became a lot more than just a conspiracy. It was a place to house portal artifacts and various other secrets about the portals that the government didn’t want anyone to know about. There were probably a lot of top secret things about the portals.

When we get out of the van, Ronald steps aside and urintes against the wheel. “Nothing better than a great piss.”

Ari smacks him on the back of the head. “Behave, Ronald.”

Ronald grins. “Yes, ma’am.”

I really don’t understand their dynamic. Ronald zips up and then follows us towards the gates.

“Past here, there are no vehicles allowed.” Kevin steps through the gate. “Come along.”

“First time I’ve been here.” Ronald looks around, making a strangely happy face. “I’ve always wanted to play with some of the weapons you boys have around here.”

“There are no major weapons depos here at Area 51.” Kevin continues to walk. “We only contain ships here.”

“From where?” I look at the gigantic complex that is looming over the horizon. It looks as if a city were placed upside-down, shimmering in the desert sun.

We come to the entrance to the compound. Kevin opens the door with his keycard. A guard nods at us as we pass. Ada’s feet send tremors through the ground. Kevin points his chin towards a door at the end of the hallway.

We step through, back into the hot desert sun. A spaceship is waiting for us. It’s about the size of the Millennium Falcon, shaped a bit like the Kestrel from FTL.

Kevin holds up his hand. “I’m going to come with you as the representative of Earth’s governments.” He takes out a key and presses a button on it. The spaceship lowers its ramp. “This is the Eagle. Welcome aboard. Ada here is our pilot.”

We climb on board the ship. “Fastest ship in the galaxy, right? Going to dodge some asteroids at a low probability of survival, right? Never tell me the odds, right?” I grin.

No one else laughs.

“Fine.” I follow Ronald and Ari on board the ship. Ronald looks back at me and grins back, showing his perfectly white teeth.

“You’re going to have to get better at making jokes.” He turns away and boards the ship.

Once we board, the ship’s engines turn on. We lift into the air and shoot off towards the horizon with incredible speed. About a minute later we’re in the stratosphere. I don’t feel any of the acceleration I expected to feel. Soon we’re past the moon.

“Going to hyperspeed.” Ada pulls back on a lever and the engines scream.

The visual in front of me is different than in Star Wars. It’s as if the universe, through the glass view port, is being flushed down a drain. The stars loop around me, the ship jerks a bit, and then everything outside the window turns to incoherent static.

What you’re seeing is billions of years of stellar movement compressed into a small time frame. Sage explains. When you start going this fast relativity says you won’t be able to see anything. Back on planet Earth, the dinosaurs are roaming.

About half a second later we decelerate.

“That’s it?” I look out the window to see a rather large star outlined against the Milky Way.

“That’s just the beginning of the journey. The last half of a half of a percent of distance between us and our destination is the majority of the trip. We’ll be there in twenty-five days.”

“Days?” I sigh. “Well, at least this ship is large.” I look around at the inside of the ship, and see Ronald staring at me, toothpick in his mouth. He takes it out and points it at me.

“Kid. You’re new to this game, so you don’t know the rules. While we’re taking care of humanity’s business, we’re allies. That’s the whole point of the Silverbones.”

“I’m not going to forget what you did. I don’t even begin to understand why you’re not rotting away in prison.” I grit my teeth. “I’m going to be the first one to abandon you.”

Ronald grins. “I’ve taken a liking to your spirit. I still think you’re a coward, but not as much. It takes guts to say that to me.”

I turn away. “Is there a video game system on this ship?”

I spend the rest of the trip playing Mario Kart with Sebastian and Robin. Twenty-five Earth-days later, our ship approaches a large planet that is covered in cities. It’s the planet we’re headed for. We fly down into the planet’s atmosphere, passing by super-tall buildings that are ringed with clear tubes.

“Where are the flying cars?” I look around at the city below me.

“None here.” Ada steers us towards an open area and puts on something that looks like a bluetooth headset with a mic. “This is Gold Kit oh-one-oh-seven.” The headset translates the missive into another language. “Requesting permission to land at Kanderson spaceport.”

Another language garbles through. It’s translated by a machine attached to the Eagle’s dash. “You’re clear. Follow the instructions.”

We land in a small cavity between two buildings. The first thing I notice about the planet is that it’s full of aliens. Like, not Star Trek Klingon type of aliens. Not “grey people” kind of aliens. I’m talking aliens. There is a walking stick bug carrying two cymbals on its back that clap when it moves. There is a floating upside-down carrot with green arms that are undulating as it floats. There is being who appears like two angler fish taped together, with a bulb at the top that is flickering with light like a Christmas tree. The strangest being of all is an amalgamation of silver coins that is, for lack of a better word, undulating, with tesla coil-like electricity flickering in between the coins.

Ada hands me a universal translator. “You’re going to need this. You won’t see very many of our species on this planet.”

“Okay.” I’m a bit put off by how alien everything is here.

One of the cow aliens that I saw before steps up to us. Its legs move little by little, in a pattern that I was not expecting them to make. Its motion reminds me a bit of Michael Jackson’s moonwalking.

“Greetings, travelers,” it says, in perfect English. Like, English so perfect it’s a bit scary. Its tongue really is as complicated and interesting as it was billed to be. “Have you paid the toll? Two hundred mint will do.”

Kevin snaps his fingers. A small VR-esque patch of light flickers between the cow and him.

The cow licks its lips, showing a shining white blade-like appendage. “Very well. Welcome to Fargo.”

“Good.” Ada turns to me. “Let’s go.”

Me, Ada, Ari, Robin, Ronald, Sebastian, and Kevin all walk out of the small spaceport and onto the open street. The place is crowded with more alien aliens. There’s a green yeti with four legs who is wearing a shoe on its head. There is a pterodactyl mixed with a frog rolling along on a scooter. A lot of the aliens are floating on the air. In a separate tube above me, aquatic aliens are passing along, all of them just as alien as the others. There are no humans in rubber suits here.

“Watch your step!” Ada pulls me back. I look down at my feet.

A small ant—literally an ant—speaks to me.

“Hello, Markus Red.” A key appears above the ant and floats up to me. “Here. You will need this eventually. It unlocks locker seventeen at the rest station.”

I take the key and put it in my pocket. “Okay.”

Ada whistles. “You just got contacted by a Gido.”

I frown. “Gido? That ant was a person?”

“Yes. They are a race known as the Gido. They’re the caretakers of reality.”

“And he was an ant.”

“She, technically.” Ada shrugs. “If you want to know more, ask your sage.”

“Sure.” I try to ignore the ridiculous aliens that are all around me.

“We’re meeting at a seventh level park in the next district.” Kevin checks his smartphone. “Great. We’re still on time. Oxygen is free on this planet, so we won’t have to worry about that.”

We walk along the large boulevard. Beneath us, through the glass, is a road filled with cars that seem suspiciously normal, considering how alien their occupants are.

We reach a small plaza that’s floating in the sky with a lot of waterfalls and greenery. I spot, coming towards us, the tallest person I have ever seen in my life. She towers over the rest of the inhabitants of the garden, though none of them even seem to be bothered by her. She approaches us and stands over our party. My head goes up to a bit above her knee. I have to crane my neck to see her face.

And by god, she is beautiful. Not as beautiful as Ada, but Ada’s beauty is sort of artificial. Her eyes are oversized for her face in a very attractive way. Her skin is clear and white, as is her hair. She has figure-eight infinity pupils. The way she walks is a bit strange. When I look at her feet, I see hooves made of pure steel. Her hands make Shaq’s look like the hands of a baby. Her eyes are pink, like the color of a ghost’s.

She kneels down and looks at me. “Hello.” Her voice is quiet, almost a whisper, a contrast to her figure. The universal translator kicks in after each line she speaks, doubling the amount of time it takes for her to say things. “My name is Snow. I’m a racorphan.”

“Are you our species?” I still have to look up at her even though she is bent down.

Snow speaks into her translator first. Her language sounds a bit like German. “Yes, I am. We’re sexually compatible, if that is what you wanted to know.”

“Um, yeah. I guess that’s what being the same species means.” I blink a few times. “Are you the person we’re supposed to be meeting?”

“Of course.” The girl stands back up.

“She’s fifteen foot three.” Kevin sits down on a small metal bench. “And she’ll be traveling with us for a while.”

Ronald whistles. “Don’t think I’d want to try her in a fight.”

I do my best to grin. “You’ve got that right.”

“Come with me.” Snow turns.

We follow her.

 

3

***

The Lesser One Book 3 Chapter 1

 

Chapter 1

I look up. The rain pounds against the awning above me, dripping down onto the concrete below with a pattering sound. The sounds of New York echo around me. My hands are in my pockets and I’m waiting outside Niol’s bakery for a meetup with Dres.

After about ten minutes of waiting Dres appears, his hands in his pockets and his hoodie over his head.

“Hey.” He slaps me on the back. “I heard you had a hard time over in London after you got left behind.”

“I wasn’t left behind. I stayed behind for a reason.”

“I know, I know. Let’s go in.” Dres passes me and enters the bakery.

We sit down at one of the empty tables. The bakery is mostly empty at the moment, just a few college students from the U of N sitting around doing things on their computers. There’s a real calm vibe coming from the establishment.

Dres frowns. “So do tell me what happened over there in London. I feel as if you aren’t telling me everything.”

“I told you everything I could.” I shake my head. “There’s nothing else that you would understand.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the flash of a knife. I leap out of my chair and kick over the table. A conjured knife appears in my hands.

The barista—who had just taken a knife out to slice some ham—staggers backwards and knocks over a pot of coffee. Black liquid spills everywhere.

I blink a few times. The knife in my hand disappears. I take a step back and breathe deeply for a few seconds.

Dres puts his arm on me. “You’ve got the jumps.”

The other patrons are all staring at me. I put my hands in my pockets and head towards the door. “I don’t like this place. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Dres follows me out the door, and then turns to me. He pushes me against the wall. “Something happened, Markus. I can tell. I know the symptoms of the shakes well.”

“No. It’s nothing. It’s nothing.” I grimace. Sage? What’s wrong with me?

You have something called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. You’ve been in too many life-threatening situations. Your brain is not functioning properly.

So what should I do about it?

Dres backs away. “I’m serious, Markus. You need to tell someone about what happened in London.”

I shake my head. Sage. What’s the solution? Is there a chemical I can conjure?

No. You’re going to have to deal with this yourself.

Dres turns around. “Most people with the shakes don’t want to talk. If you ever feel like bringing what happened to light, then I’ll be there to listen.” He puts his hands in his pockets.

I see, peeking out of the building behind Dres, Robin, who is waving at me. I step back. “Hey, Dres, get back to class without me. I have some things to take care of.”

Dres shakes his head. “Then you do that. I’ll refrain from telling anybody about what you did at that café.”

“Okay.” I nod once and jog over to where Robin is standing. She is a skinny, tall woman with blonde hair. She’s wearing a cardigan and carrying an umbrella. She smiles at me and hugs me.

“Markus.” She tugs my hand as we walk into the building. We go up several flights of stairs. “I was about to go to Ixtham and find you, when you just happened to pass by. I saw you through the window. Who was that, a friend?”

“Yeah. One of my friends.” I pause. “Robin, do you ever feel as if you’re never going to be the same after what you’ve seen?”

“Markus, all of us who have joined our organization have experienced things like that. What you do with those experiences under your belt is what defines you as a member.”

We climb to the second floor. Robin approaches a door and knocks.

“Come in.” It’s a man’s voice.

Robin opens the door and ushers me in. I take a step back and conjure an assault rifle. “Who the hell?” I point it at Ronald, who is sitting on a recliner, grinning at me.

“Hello, redboy.” Ronald shoots a finger gun at me.

Mandrake puts his hand on my arm. “Not now, Markus. Right now, he’s our ally.”

“But he’s evil!”

Mandrake shakes his head. “This is part of being a member of our organization. We work with who we have, no matter who they are. This is something you are going to have to learn.”

I toss the rifle to the side. “Fine. I’ll play by your rules.”

Ronald gets up and walks to the window. “This will be your first mission as a Silverbones, boy.”

“Mission?” I frown. “What does this organization do, anyways?”

“Now is the proper time to tell you. Have you watched the movie Dr. Strange?” Mandrake sits in the chair Ronald left behind and lights a cigar. “We’re sort of like him. We’re the organization that represents this planet to the intragalactic government.” He puffs the cigar. “And the damn Trips have us in their sight.”

“Trips?”

Mandrake points to Ari, who is sitting at a table, seeming to have lost a large amount of weight recently. She’s actually quite attractive in this state. She points her finger at the wall and a projection comes up.

On it is a cow. Or, at first glance, what looks like a cow. Instead of four legs, though, it’s got three legs on each side. The cow sticks out its tongue as it rotates in a circle on the screen. The tongue is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s got hooks, appendages, and a three-dimensional appearance to it.

“That, Markus, is what is called a Triptefelexian. We call them “The Cow.”” Mandrake points a pencil at the cow. “These boys rule the universe, and their word is law.” He grimaces. “And they’ve set their sights on Planet Earth.”

“So, um, what does that mean? Is that what aliens look like?”

“It’s a two-six on the alienography scale.” Ari snaps her fingers again and the projection ends. “We’ll teach you that later.”

Mandrake folds his arms. “You, Ari, Robin, and Ronald have a meeting with the CIA director in …” Mandrake looks at his watch— “Twenty-five minutes.”

“What the hell?” I blink a few times. “What about school?”

“What do you need school for when you’ve got your own personal tutor?”

Tia walks out of the bathroom after a toilet flush. “Am I late?” She looks around. “Where is Sebastian?”

“I told him to take the day off.”

“Great. He should be waiting for you at the CIA branch office here in New York.”

“Okay. Fine. Where are we going with this?” I cross my arms.

“The CIA will brief you.” Mandrake shrugs. “Get on your way. Ronald can drive.”

“Wait.” I hold up my hand. “Are you serious about the fact that Ronald will be joining us?”

“I am serious.” Mandrake shakes his head. “You’re running out of time and you don’t want to be late.”

Ronald grins. “Great.” He gets up and goes to the door. “What are you waiting for, redboy?”

I sigh. “Okay. Fine.”

We follow Ronald down the stairs and to the street, where a small Toyota sedan is waiting for us. Ronald gets in and starts the car. Robin gets in the side seat, and Ari and I sit at the back. We take off with a tremendous burst, the engine revving. Ronald steers us through New York traffic like a madman, dodging cars and swerving around pedestrians. We cross the recently constructed Jaxton Bridge and head for the suburbs.

About twenty minutes after leaving we pull in front of a small building that simply says “CIA New York.”

I step out, followed by my three colleagues. Sebastian is standing at the door, holding an umbrella and wearing a suit. As always, his mannerisms are impeccable.

The five of us enter the building. It is like any other small suburb office building. The greeting room contains several recliners and a beat-up old couch. Labeled rooms, partitioned by glass, surround the area. A tall man wearing a pristine suit approaches us. He extends his hand.

“Hello. My name is Kevin. Hi Ronald, Ari, Robin. Nice to see you again.”

The floor vibrates a bit. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen walks into the room, coming from the hallway. Her features are like the features of an angel, perfect in every way. She’s so perfect that I am totally convinced she’s fake.

Sage? Who is this?

Kevin will tell you.

Kevin motions to the woman. “This is Ada. She’s a steel dragon, currently polymorphed into human form.”

Ada bows. “It is nice to be acquainted with you.”

Ronald points at Ada and chuckles. “I don’t think we’re going to need powerless little girls like her in our group.”

Ada moves with impossible speed and attempts to deck Ronald with her fist. Ronald steps aside and pushes Ada’s arm up, where it slams into a glass partition and shatters it. Ronald tries to trip Ada with a sweep of his foot. Ada dodges it and pushes Ronald away.

Ronald faces Ada, breathing heavily. “I didn’t mean it that way, little lady.”

Ada motions with her fist and a sword appears in her hand. “Call me little lady again and I’ll stick you.”

Ronald laughs. “Well, I admit you’re quite the fighter.”

“Good.” Ada flicks her finger and the sword disappears from her hand. She looks at me. “You’re cute, boy.” She licks the air, showing a forked tongue. “Where are you from? You seem new to this. You certainly are powerful, though.”

I shake myself out of the mesmerized state I’m in. “Ah, yeah, um, yes.”

Robin nudges me with her elbow. “You do realize she’s a dragon.”

Ada turns away. “Good. We’ve got everyone here.”

Kevin leads us into what I assume is his office. He flicks on a projector.

“Sorry I couldn’t get you anything better than this, but the American military has its head stuck in the mud for this. Only the CIA knows what’s really going on out there in the universe.” Kevin pulls up an image of the same kind of cow that Mandrake had showed me. “These are Tripefelexians. They rule the universe right now. With an iron fist. Or should I say, tongue.” He flicks the remote. “This is our target right now.” A gigantic woman, about the height of a telephone pole, stares out at the camera, on the streets of a sci-fi looking city. “This is a racorphan named Rachel. She’s got the key to something incredible. A possible way to keep the Trips from consuming the entirety of the Earth and cleansing it.”

“Why do they want to do that to Planet Earth?” I frown. “And by god, how tall is she?”

Rachel is tall, very much so. She’s got incredibly beautiful eyes, and her pupils are figure-eight, like the infinity symbol. She’s only got one nostril. She’s dressed in a military uniform and carries a gigantic gun with her. She’s also just as beautiful as Ada, which is saying quite a bit. A regular human(?) is standing next to her, giving me a sense of her scale.

Kevin sighs. “We’re not allowed to be here. Humanity, at least.” He clicks the projector to the next slide. It’s a picture of a pear tree. “This is what planet Earth was designed to protect.” He shakes his head. “A pear. The simple pear is the reason why we’re all going to die.”

“What does that mean?” I shake my head, quite confused.

“It’s simple. We’ve got two options to save humanity and planet Earth. Number one is to defeat the Triptefelexians in combat and protect our world. The other is the completely destroy the Trips and their civilization before they destroy ours.” Kevin grimaces. “And there’s only one way to do that. This girl, Rachel, she’ll know more.” Kevin grins. “Tell your parents you’re going on a school trip. You’re headed for outer space.”

I blink a few times. Steel dragon? Outer space? Where am I going?

Somewhere crazy, responds Sage. Somewhere where your powers may save the universe.

 

 

2

***

Logic vs Love: The dichotomy between conservative and liberal economic philosophy

 Here's the thesis statement: liberals believe love should be applied to a political situation in order to resolve it, while conservatives believe logic should be applied instead. Both sides are genuine in their attempt to resolve societal issues. However, neither side understands why the other does what they do. Liberals think conservatives are hard-liner heartless determinists who hate babies (or a woman's right to choose a baby), while conservatives think liberals are ooey-gooey idiots who misunderstand society's systems and will break them through ignorance, even if their intentions are in place.

Thus, I resolve the issue here. Love and logic should be applied in respective quantities relative to the issue. The more an issue hinges on society and human interaction, the more love should be applied. The more an issue hinges on math and logistics, the more logic should be applied. Love does not make trains run on time. However, love will certainly improve the user experience of riding on that train, for a variety of reasons. 

I believe that all motivations for political and economic stances are derivatives of these two core ideologies. Love and logic. For most people, their political motivation will be composed of some derivative of these two core ideas--some more corrupted than others. For example, fear can lead to cold logic, while disgust can lead to impure love. 

The reason why I believe this must be said is because each side does not even attempt to understand the other. They do not understand the underlying motivations for what the other side is doing. Both love and logic are equally important, though for massively different things. Even their less pristine derivatives (sadness, pain, oppression, and offense) still stem from the same idea: some people want to apply logic to a situation, where others want to apply love. 

Thus, I believe that both sides should understand where their interests are coming from, as well as those of the other side. No one is truly evil unless they act with evil intent (the intent to harm or destroy or cause pain without reason). 

I end with the thought that people should know when to apply a conservative mindset and when to apply a liberal one. I do not know exactly which situations would require which mindset, but I realize that 1) they are not the same and cannot be used interchangeably and 2) when used correctly and in the right proportions can greatly improve a society. 

Also, one last postscript: the pursuit of perfection always leads to ruin. 

What is Capitalism? (That ain't no invisible hand)

 People often misunderstand the word "Capitalism." They associate it with free markets, America, and the invisible hand. But this apparent simplicity has also made it easy to throw shade at. I guarantee you, if you ask someone who hates capitalism to explain what it is, they'll give that canned answer as well as the idea that people aren't paid what they're worth and are being exploited, which they attribute to the internal flaws of the system itself. 

No, capitalism is not synonymous with a free market. They are not the same. A "free market" is a system of economic management that allows individuals and groups to, without much interference, produce and consume what they wish and how they wish. 

Capitalism does not actually have any bearing on this. "Capitalism" is a system wherein an individual or group utilizes their eponymous "capital" to create an apparatus to provide goods and services within an economy, with the expectation that their capital will grow through this endeavor. "Capital" in this sense most often means money, but can mean political and social capital as well. I.e. Elon Musk. 

Anyone who hates "capitalism" because of its purported extortionist tendencies should separate it from free market economics. While capitalism is a very good driver of said free market economics, it is not essential to that function. 

Now, on to the "invisible hand." No, it's not invisible and it's not a hand. Every purchase or exchange made within the framework of a free market influences, no matter how small, the "money line." Now, what is a money line? The money line is the agreed-upon value of every good and service within an economy, taking into account its supply and demand. It is very visible; a good example being gas prices. Do you ever wonder how gas stations are always changing their prices, and yet never stray more than ten cents away from the competitors? It's because of this very phenomena: the "money line."

If you are a state-owned factory which distributes its goods based solely on the needs of the people, you must first discover what those needs are and where they are located. Let's say that you have a system of surveys through which each household puts forth their needs; and a large number of clerks who rifle through these "need surveys" who decide, based upon social credit (either an actual number or an intangible feeling) who gets what. Can you see the problem with this system? Individuals are inclined to overstate their needs. Many individuals will slip through the cracks. Too much power is placed in the hands of the arbiters and the clerks. Don't you wish you could have a reliable, accurate system to value goods and services at? One that individuals are inherently inclined to pay attention to, and one that is difficult to violate?

Oh wait, it's there already. The "Invisible hand," otherwise known as the "money line" or "immediate value of goods and services as informed through aggregate activity;" this is what informs the decision of both the distributors and the consumers. It is an automatic and wholly reliable metric with which one can decide their distributary and consumeristic actions.  

Let's go through a thought experiment. I open a local game store with my life savings. I hire two people, nerd friends of mine, to help me out. I am officially a capitalist. Do the anti-capitalists insist on seizing my shop because I am an exploiter? Probably not.

Now my shop does good business. I open two more branches in neighboring towns. I am starting to make a lot of money, and I have a number of employees working for me. Am I an exploiter? Should my property be seized? I pour all of my earnings into the business itself in an attempt to grow it. 

A few years later my game store chain has a market cap of five hundred million dollars. I go public with it and sell shares on the stock market. Should my property be seized? Am I an exploiter? Herein lies the difficulty with setting a boundary between "capitalists" and the proletariat. Under the current order, a proletariat may, with dedication and luck, become a capitalist. While I do agree that suffering and deprivation exist, I must point out that the suffering of a wage cuck in today's America or Europe is qualitatively different from the suffering of the peasantry in pre-Bolshevik Russia. I believe that if an individual has bread and circuses, they have no right to impinge on the economic system (because that is the only job of an economic system.) [Have at the political system all you want.] If your stomach is full most of the time and you have a way to let off steam, then you are doing well as a historical human. When those two things are missing--then it is time for revolution. In America we eat well--too well--and have an infinite array of entertainment. Once those two conditions are met, any foment of revolution is guided by envy rather than a real need for change. The system works well enough. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Please be satisfied with your bread and circuses, and devote your time to obtain more bread and more circuses (in other words, the pursuit of happiness). Do not take from others what they have, unless it is clearly illicit (a whole different argument can be made about that). Instead, grow what you have. Work had to achieve your life goals. Live a life knowing that you are living the most luxurious commoner life in human history.

Be grateful, and trust the "invisible hand." 

The yacht is a broken window

"Broken window" theory states that the destruction of property belonging to someone of means is actually a net positive for the economy. Within this theory's bounds, the breaking of a window can cause more good than harm through the motivation of currency movement. When a window is broken, the owner must hire someone to fix it, and that someone gets paid. Then that someone has to pay for their supplier, and that supplier pays for their raw materials, and so forth. This theory is pushed by the kind of people who also push Keynesian economics. The idea is that the initial loss of property motivates a net gain through the growth or action of the economy. 

Now the same people who push broken window theory also vehemently hate rich people who buy yachts and mansions and such. I believe this is hypocritical. At the very worst, a yacht is a complete loss for the overall economy, as it does not contribute to any kind of need that an ordinary person could have. This is different from a train or a plane of equal value whose use is to provide service for the economy. A yacht, therefore, can be compared to that same "broken window" that so eponymously describes the theory around it. Even though the yacht has no economic value, it stimulates the jobs of thousands of people, and that ten million dollar price tag is distributed throughout the community of people who worked to build that yacht. Thus, it has the same function within an economy as a broken window. The two pictures are the same here. 

The people who harp on the rich for frivolous spending fail to realize that almost all of the money they spend goes to the everyday joe who worked his ass off to build whatever it is they buy. You know Birkin bags? Yeah, there's some everyday guy with skill in leatherworking who benefits from that. The luxury goods and services industry is filled with ordinary people who just want to stay alive, and do so because of the frivolity of the rich.

That's not to say that they should lick the rich people's shoes. Far from that. But one must understand that the phrase "don't bite the hand that feeds you" applies in quite a few cases around this industry.  

Fairy Opera: The Last Chapter

 

Party

I sat on the dock, watching the sun rise over the horizon. The skyfloor, far below the island, rippled with waves of green. The attack was coming. Activity around me displayed the tension of the moment. Sailors ran past me. Sails unfurled. Skysteel engines came to life.

Jak came up to me. “We’ve spotted the Ultimar coming towards us. We’re making the move to intercept. The plan should go as decided.”

“Right.” It was my mission to take down the Ultimar with the boon of the God Emperor. With my new magic ability, I had the power to bring the whole ship down. I developed a spell specifically for this purpose, programmed to hit both skysteel engines within the ship at once. I pulled out the scroll, checking over it one more time. I stood up. “Let’s get going.”

Our fleet of relic ships and captured Imperial vessels headed out from the docks. We sailed straight for the Imperial navy’s location. About an hour after leaving, we spotted the Ultimar, as well as two dozen support ships. Their formation was conservative in comparison to how they had attacked the previous time. A ring of protective ships floated around the Ultimar. It would be very difficult to get aboard this time. I needed to get to the upper deck skysteel engine to unleash my spell. Then I needed to be able to ditch the ship before it hit the skyfloor. These two things would prove to be very difficult, I knew.

Our ships engaged. Broadside cannons exploded as the Rebellion ships and Imperial ships came up to each other. The sky filled with smoke and cannon fire tore the air apart. Several ships went down within the first ten minutes, both sides taking equal losses.

Our ship, the Grand Mahogany, attempted to thread the line and slip through the ring of defending ships. We almost made it through the line of defense, but were caught at the last minute by an Imperial ship. We prepared to take boarding action. Two dozen Imperial marines leaped across the gap on ropes. We stood our ground and engaged.

Two marines faced up against me. I stepped forward with lightning speed and knocked one of them off the ship. He tumbled, screaming, down to the skyfloor. The second marine backed away from me. He held out his cutlass, taking up a defensive stance.

We traded a few blows. I feinted and ran him through with my blade. The marine staggered, clutched his wound, and fell backwards.

I wiped the blood off my sword and looked at the status of the battle. It looked like we had repelled the boarders. Our cannons opened fire and tore the attacking ship to pieces.

We broke through the line of defense and headed straight for the Ultimar. We were able to dodge a barrage of fire from the ship’s frontal cannons. When we were close enough to board, I turned to Jak and Tae. “Let’s do this.”

We leaped aboard the Ultimar, using ropes to carry our momentum. When we landed on the deck, dozens of marines were waiting for us. The battle on the deck devolved into a massive brawl. Jak, Tae, and myself slipped through the chaos and retreated down a hatch. I looked at a map of the ship and pointed in the direction that we were supposed to go.

About two minutes later we made it to the skysteel engine.

“I knew you would be coming.” A familiar face stepped out from the shadow. It was Malgor. He slashed his sword through the air, and then held out his hand. “Null skret.”

“Apropos!” I shouted out a counterspell.

Malgor snapped his fingers. “Precut.” His entire body lit up with energy. Tae and Jak froze next to me. Malgor approached me. “We’ve got a score to settle, don’t we?”

I held my sword out as well. “Indeed we do.” I stepped towards him. Then we both attacked. Our flurry of blocks and parries sent sparks flying. Even with my boon of the God Emperor, I was unable to find a chink in his impeccable armor. I wondered how I was able to defeat him the first time. I knew that, even if I did defeat him here, he would return just like before, through his arcane magic phylactery. But I still needed to get past him.

We exchanged more blows. Malgor’s attack cause me to slip. I hit the floor, holding up my arms.

Ruby flew out from my pocket and punched Malgor in the face. Even though it didn’t do much damage, it caused him to stagger for a moment and lose his concentration.

I recovered. Malgor lowered his sword. “You have grown much since we last fought.”

I shook my head. “I’ve been practicing for this moment.”

Malgor laughed. “It’s great, having a rival who you can see progress.” He held out his hand. “But you will see that you’re not the only one who has progressed.” He leaped for me, flipping over my head, attempting to strike me from above.

I performed a backflip at the same time. Our eyes locked as we flew past each other. I twisted and faced Malgor again. Malgor began jumping around, off the walls, kicking at me from every direction.

I blocked several attacks from above and behind. Malgor’s superior agility kept me from being a real threat.

I improvised a spell at that moment. “Null speed: degenerate!” The world shimmered and Malgor’s body slowed down. He fell to the floor, rolled, and got up.

“That’s nasty.” He sniffed, rubbing his chin. “Using magic without a spell. No fair.” He held out his sword. “Well, I guess we’ll have to settle this the old-fashioned way.”

We clashed again, our swords striking each other, as we parried, fainted, and attacked. Because of my boon from the God Emperor, I was tiring much slower than I would have. But Malgor didn’t seem to be tiring either. We continued to exchange blows.

“Ruby!” I leaped back, yelling out her name.

“Right on!” She flew straight for Malgor. Malgor swatted her away, but that left a tiny hole in his defenses, which I used to break through is guard and stab him in the side.

Malgor lifted his chin. “You’ve got me this time, child.” He staggered backwards. “But I will be back. And I will see this through.” Again, his body turned to dust, collapsing to the ground in a puff.

Tae and Jak unfroze. Both of them fell to the ground.

“What the?” Tae got up. “What happened? Where’s Malgor?”

“I defeated him. Not forever, but he’s gone for now.” I put my hand against the skysteel engine. “Null extra Bravos! Let my end be known! Target variable nine, let things come through!” I turned to Tae. “Let’s ditch this place.” I cast a fire spell to blast open the walls and leaped out into the open sky, followed by Tae and Jak. I cast a float spell, and we sat on a current of air as the Ultimar’s two skysteel engines exploded. The ship reared, and then plummeted to the skyfloor.

The zombies on board that ship would never have a chance to rampage through the Rebellion’s island. We had won a major victory here.

The remaining Imperial ships turned around and retreated. I could hear the cheers coming from our ships. I pushed our float spell back towards the Grand Mahogany. We got back on board and were greeted with smiles from our crew.

I pumped my arm in the air. “We’ve done it! We’ve won!”

Jak shook his head. “For now, that is.” He sighed. “But in any case, we’ve got to get back to the island and report our victory.”

About two hours later the surviving members of our fleet were docked at Gagna. Andrew hugged me when I stepped off the ship.

“You did it, lad. You saved us all.”

“The war isn’t over yet.” I looked up. “In fact, it’s just started. There are a lot of battles that we’re going to have to fight.”

Andrew bowed. “Yes. I understand that. But with you on our side, I doubt that we’ll ever fail.”

I grinned. “Thanks for believing in me.” I turned towards Jak and Tae. “And thank you two as well.”

About a day later, I stood at the courtyard of the castle keep, in front of a large crowd. Tae and Jak stood next to me. A knight in full armor stepped towards us, bearing medals, while a band played pompous music. The three of us were awarded medals, and Andrew held up his hand.

“The battle is not over yet!” He lowered his hand. “But with people like this on our side, how can we ever lose?”

The crowd cheered.

Fairy Opera Chapter 38: Bid

 

Bid

Tae, Jak and I sat at our table, eating, without displaying our nervousness. The constables started fanning through the dining room. One of them came up to us, holding a paper in his hands. Just as he was about to speak, the door to the inn opened and Rist walked in. He saw the constables and approached them.

“What are you doing?”

One of the constables bowed. “Sir Rist. We’re just looking for the alleged fugitives who have taken up hiding in this inn.”

Rist shook his head. “Those are no fugitives, Mr. Bandy. They’re my guests. I will not have them treated poorly.”

Mr. Bandy bowed again. “Very well then. I will bring this matter to my superior. In the meantime, have a nice day.” He gathered his men and left the inn.

Rist sat down at our table. “I had a hard time getting here unnoticed.” He took out a scroll. “I’ll make sure that we aren’t overheard.” He cast a spell that, basically, blocked our voices from going anywhere outside the table. Rist leaned forward. “The fracture is deepening. The establishment party plans to gather its army and pull off a coup. Their mission is to absorb the power of the God Emperor and utilize it for themselves. They’ve nearly succeeded.” He tapped on the table. “Only the Rebellion can tip the balance. I’ve decided that the disestablishment party will back the Rebellion as much as we can.” He spread some documents onto the table. “I’ve been looking for the assassins who killed some of your leadership. I’ve found that they’re working for the Wright Assassin Guild. If we can get together a negotiation with them, we may be able to put a stop to the assassination attempts.”

I nodded. “Okay. Then bring us there now.”

Rist stood up. “Let’s go. It’s getting dark out, and the capitol is dangerous after dark.”

“I think I can handle myself.”

“While I don’t doubt that you can, at the very least I insist you be cautious.”

We exited the inn and came out to find a group of masked men waiting for us.

I held up my hand. “Excuse me, gentlemen. What can I help you with this fine evening?”

“We’ve been paid to kill you.” The guy who looked most important pointed at me.

I cracked my knuckles. “I haven’t had a chance to test out the boon of the God Emperor.” I held up my hand. “Stay back, everyone. I’ll handle this.”

The man in charge looked a bit impressed. “There are twelve of us. How are you going to—”

I rushed forward and smashed his chin apart with an uppercut that sent him flying backwards. Two more of the men charged me, one on each side. I pulled out two fires scrolls.

“Null Bravos! Explode!”

Both men caught fireballs to the face and collapsed. Four more of the men charged me. I knocked one out with a spinning kick, slammed my palm into another one’s stomach, elbowed the teeth out of the third, and snapped the arm of the fourth with my wrists. All four men lay on the ground.

The remaining five men surrounded me. I cracked my neck. “Come at me.” They charged as one. I performed a spinning kick that took out all five men at once. I stood, victorious, over a pile of unconscious bodies.

Tae started clapping. “Wow.”

Rist came up to me. “Praise the God Emperor.” He looked down at the unconscious assassins. “We’ll take care of these thugs.”

I bowed. “Thank you.”

Rist pulled out a communication scroll. “Yeah, this is Rist. I’ve got a cleanup near the inn, Frist street. Yeah, they’re thugs. No, don’t bother. Thanks.” He let his hand fall. “Very well. Let’s go.”

Rist led us across the city, to a large mansion against the cliff that formed the island’s east side. The mansion looked old, but well-managed. Rist knocked on the door.

A man opened a small slit and looked through. “Eh? What do you want?”

“We’ve come to negotiate with the Wright Guild.”

“Very well.” Several metallic clicks later, the door opened. We stepped through, passing by the doorman, who was a buff man wearing a suit.

We entered the mansion proper. A pale, vampiric man came to greet us. He bowed.

“My name is Apple.” He returned to standing straight. “What can I help you with?”

“We’ve come to outbid a hit that was placed with your organization.”

“Ah, of course.” Apple rubbed his hands together. “There’s nothing more profitable than a bidding war.” He motioned to a long desk against the east side of the room. “Sit.”

We sat. Apple put on some spectacles and started sorting through papers. “Which hit would you like to outbid?”

“The hit on the leaders of the Rebellion.” I leaned forward.

Apple sighed. “That was a very expensive hit. Over two hundred gold pieces were paid in advance.”

I clenched my fist. “I have more money than that right here.” I pulled out the scroll that would let me access my item box. Once I cast it, a small portal appeared in the air. I reached into it and pulled out a small, but heavy, chest.

Apple lifted his spectacles. “It’s not everyday that you see something like this.” He lifted his chin. “I can use you. Perhaps we can make a deal that does not involve gold.”

“Okay. What do you need?”

“We have been working on a certain magical spell that will allow us to do a certain kind of job with more ease.” Apple rubbed his hands together. “Since you are obviously proficient with magic, I would like you to assist in the creation of such a spell.”

“How do you know I’m proficient? I just used a spell.”

“I am a good judge of people.” Apple stood up. “Follow me. I have not yet heard your names. I know sir Rist here, but not you three.”

“Rock.” I started walking.

“Tae.” She crossed her arms.

“Jak.” Jak lifted his chin.

We followed Apple through a series of hallways and into a small room that was filled with scroll paper. I looked around and noticed that there were a number of burn marks along the walls.

Apple handed me a scroll. “This is what we have created so far.”

I took a quick look. It was primitive at best. “Do you know how to use libraries?”

“Libraries?” Apple appeared puzzled. “I do not know what those are.”

“Then you’re really bad at this.” I sighed. “Well, give me a day in here, and I’ll have your invisibility scroll up and running.”

Apple sat down. “I want to watch. Explain everything you’re doing, step by step.”

“Okay.” I began an explanation of libraries, or Scode, and of hierarchies and such. Tae and Jak stepped aside and started playing Mako. Rist watched intently as I told Apple what I was doing.

“Oh!” Rist watched as I synthesized a library. “That is what you were talking about! I did not even know you could do that!”

Apple appeared impressed as well. “You have a knack for this sort of thing.”

“That’s because I am a technomage.” I wrote down a few more lines of Scode, then picked up the scroll and handed it to Apple. “There you have it. Now call off the assassination of my people.”

Apple’s eyes turned hard. “Five hundred gold.”

“Excuse me?” I tiled my head.

Apple lifted his chin. “That’s what I consider this to be worth in the bidding war. Five hundred gold.”

“Okay.” I handed Apple the chest as well. “That contains about three hundred. So the total is eight hundred.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I am not a poor man.”

“You’re really young to be throwing around this much money,” Apple paused, “But, seeing what you can do with magic, I don’t think it’s so strange.” He stood up. “I will go consult with my people. I’ll send an escort with you back to where you are staying.”

I stood up and bowed. “Thank you very much.”

Apple smirked. “If you ever want a job as an assassin, you know who to contact.” He handed me a small business card. I placed it in my pocket.

We left the mansion and returned to the docks. I bowed. “Rist, thank you for helping us. We’ll repay you in kind.”

“Let me tell you now. The Empire is preparing for a full-scale assault on the headquarters of the Rebellion. You have one month before the Ultimar is well enough to strike.” Rist bowed. “I thank you for your help. God speed, Rock.”

We got aboard our ship and left the dock. It took us two weeks to sail back to Gagna, and when we arrived, Andrew was there to greet us at the docks. We shook hands.

“Did you get everything handled?”

“We outbid the assassins.”

“I see.” Andrew sighed. “How much?”

“We paid three hundred gold.”

“Good. That’s not an unreasonable price.” He turned away. “Our Syndicate spies have found that the Empire intends to invade us soon. This time, they’re bringing their undead army.” He started walking towards the castle. “Come with me. We need to coordinate our defenses.”

We followed Andrew to the castle, and then to the meeting room, where the leaders of the Rebellion were standing around a large war table.

We discussed the attack, and how we were going to fortify the island. The last attack had almost resulted in our loss. Now that we knew they were coming, we could prepare fortifications on the island, like cannon and mines. We spent several hours going over the various defensive measures that we were planning to utilize.

After the meeting was over, I came with Jak, Tae, Ami, and Amber to the Green Dagon for dinner. We ordered our food.

Ami turned to me. “Rock, you look a lot stronger than before.”

“That’s because I acquired the God Emperor’s blessing.”

“But we’re fighting against the God Emperor, right?”

“The God Emperor, from what I saw, doesn’t really care about what’s going on in the realm. He’s a bit of an anarchic type.”

“Oh.” Ami lowered her chin. “I see.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything stupid.” I turned to Amber. “Are you doing all right?”

Amber bowed. “Yes. I am. Thank you for being so kind to me. You and Ami.”

Ami hugged Amber. “She can sing really well. She’s a wonderful musician.”

Amber blushed. “It’s nothing.”

Jak leaned back in his chair and laughed. “It’s great that we’re all here together. Before the final battle, before the night falls.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to defeat the Empire when they come?” I turned to Jak.

Jak put his fist into his palm. “Yes. Without a doubt, we will send those imperial scumbags to the skyfloor.”

Tae looked at me. “About the zombies. We know they’re coming. Do you think you can pull the same trick you did at Billerstrang?”

“Maybe. It really depends on how prepared the Empire is. If they heard about what happened in Billerstrang, then they’ll probably have prepared a countermeasure against such a thing. But we can’t know for sure. Like I discussed at the table, we may be able to deploy my cure as a mas weapon, but that is an unknown variable.”

Tae nodded. “Great. At the very least it will give them something to think about.” She clapped her hands together. “In any case, I’m hungry.”

The barmaid came with our food and placed it on the table. We started digging in. It was really good, fowl meat, pork, eggs. A great dinner. A great last celebration of what had passed, and what was to come.

When the meal was over, I left the table and, alone, returned to the room, where I climbed onto the windowsill and sat. I watched the night fall, my mind clear, thinking of things to come.

 

39

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Fairy Opera Chapter 37: Entry

 

Entry

I turned to Rabar. “Are you a member of the disestablishment party?”

Rabar nodded. “I’m just a lowly priest. If you wish to speak with our leadership, I’m not the one for you.”

I took the letter I was about to take out and returned it to my pocket. “Okay. Can you get us a meeting with the leadership?”

Rabar shook his head. “No. We’re on a no-contact order right now. The tension within the church of the God Emperor has grown recently.”

“So you can’t get us a meeting with your leaders.”

Rabar sighed, lifting up his hands. “If I could, I would. I know you have something valuable to give to our leader.”

I looked at Elco and Cliss. “Do either of you have a way into the cathedral?”

Elco shook his head. “The cathedral is locked down tight at all times.”

“A while back I spoke with the grand cardinal Rist. He used a teleport spell to get me into the cathedral itself.”

Rabar’s eyebrows went up. “You met with the grand cardinal?”

“I did. I also spoke with the God Emperor. He gave me a boon.”

“A boon?” Rabar bowed. “Then you have more influence in the church than I can ever hope to have.”

“But that won’t help us, because I’m supposedly on the run. If the establishment party knew where I was, they’d hunt me down. In fact, I believe they’ve been doing it for a while now. I’ve already fought off one group of assassins.”

Rabar sighed. “Very well, then. We shall attempt to find you a method of entering the cathedral.” He turned to Cliss. “Do you Syndicate men have any ideas?”

“We do not.” Elco shook his head. “But we know someone who may, just maybe, have a map of the ancient church the cathedral was built on. If we can locate that map, then we’ll know of any secret tunnels that go into the place.”

“Where can I find this person?” I stood up.

Elco shrugged. “I do not know. He is a very reclusive person, never accepting visitors.” He lifted up his palms. “You’re going to have to look for him yourself.”

“How do I look for him if I don’t even know his name?”

Elco sighed. “Look. I wish I could help you more, but at this point there’s really nothing we can do. The church must sort out its own beef without us.”

“Okay. I’m going to figure out a way into the cathedral anyways. With or without this mystery person.” I pulled out the same tracking spell that I had used to see the assassins that had killed Jerimiah. I cast it, changing a few of the variables so that I could draw upon the knowledge of the people in the room.

I saw the person I needed, in a shop at the other side of the capitol. He was wearing a long cloak and had two swords by his side. I shut down the spell and then turned to Tae and Jak. “We’re going. I know where this person is now.”

Rabar stood up. “What kind of magic did you just use?”

“A custom spell. Nothing for you to worry about.” I shrugged. “If you want to come, you can. You might be of help.”

Rabar shook his head. “No. I don’t want to go out in the open right now. The church is in turmoil and priests are being attacked in the streets.”

I turned to Elco and Cliss. Both of them shook their heads. I nodded. Jak, Tae, and I left the underground room and crossed the city to the place where I had seen the man we were searching for. We reached the shop, just as the man in the hood was leaving. I stepped in front of him and stopped him.

The man appeared annoyed. “What do you want?”

“You have a map of the old church, right?”

The man looked both ways. “Who told you that?”

“I heard it from the Syndicate.”

The man groaned. “Ah, you’re with them. I don’t deal with the Syndicate anymore.”

“No, we’re not with the Syndicate. We just happened to get their help.”

“So who are you, then? Who are you with?”

“The Rebellion.”

The man’s eyes lit up. “Goodness.” He turned. “Then follow me.”

We followed him through the city until we came to a short tenement building. We entered, going to the third floor. The man opened a door and we stepped into his apartment. It was cluttered, with papers everywhere, as well as pieces of machinery and glass objects.

The man sat down in the only clear chair in the room. “Sit, sit.”

“Where?”

“Anywhere.” The man shrugged.

I brushed newspapers off of a crate and sat down on it. Tae and Jak did the same, finding seats where they could.

The man leaned forward. “My name is Crystal. What’s yours?”

“Tae.” Tae bowed.

“Jak.” Jak crossed his arms.

“Rock.” I nodded.

Crystal lifted his chin. “Very well then. You are with the Rebellion and you wish to take advantage of the current turmoil within the church leadership.”

“That’s about right.”

“And to do that you need entry into the cathedral.”

“Correct.”

Crystal sighed, picking up a pipe and lighting it. He puffed. “Very well then. If you allow me to plumb your memories, I will give you my map.”

“Plumb our memories? Why?”

Crystal puffed his pipe. “You see, I am a memory collector. One of the very few left in this world. I collect memories and store them, study them, and make use of them. So, in exchange for me giving you that map, you allow me to harvest your memories.”

I lifted my chin. “Then go ahead.”

Crystal put his pipe down. He walked up to me and placed his hands on my temples. He then looked me straight in the eyes. He pressed his forehead to mine.

A shock ran through my entire body. From my earliest memories, all my experiences played through my mind at lightning speed. I felt as if a funnel were sucking away everything in my head. This feeling lasted for about a minute, until Crystal pulled away. He sat down, resting his chin on his palm.

“You are an interesting fellow. Speaking with the God Emperor mano a mano is something that very few people have done. I shall treasure these memories. Next!” Crystal repeated the process with Tae and Jak.

“Tae. You have been strong your whole life, especially for Rock. You are a good person at heart but sometimes you have trouble expressing that. While your experiences have been somewhat normal, there are a few interesting things about you.” Crystal turned to Jak. “You were an adventurer. One of the best in the world. You decided to settle down in order to raise the children of your late brother.” Crystal held up his hands. “You are quite the honorable person.” He grabbed his pipe again and puffed it. “Very well. I shall give you the map that you seek.” He got up and started searching through the pile of papers on his desk. “No, no, this isn’t it. Where did I place that thing? Here, no here?” He shuffled through the papers. “Ah, here we are.” He pulled a large scroll out from underneath a pile of papers. He then took the scroll to the table in the middle of the room. Brushing off everything else, he set the scroll on its surface.

I leaned closer to take a look at it. It was a map of the old church that the cathedral had been built on. The map itself was probably hundreds of years old. I could see several passageways into the church that were probably forgotten.

Crystal pointed to one of those passages. It was a small tunnel that went underneath the former graveyard and came up in a cloister for one of the monks. If we could find the entrance to this tunnel, we would have a clear pathway to entry.

I took the map off the table and rolled it up. “Thank you.”

Crystal grinned. “Let me come with you.”

I blinked a few times in surprise. “Why would you want to come with us? You’re just going to endanger your life for no reason.”

“I’ve seen who you are.” Crystal stood up. “I want to see what happens to you. Do this as a favor to me.”

I sighed. “Okay. You get to stay with us. Just don’t drag us down.”

“I used to be an adventurer myself.” Crystal pointed to his chest. “I can hold my own in a battle.”

I nodded. “Then welcome aboard.”

We left the tenement and exited onto the street. The streets were packed, so we blended in well, without arousing any suspicion. We reached the small clearing behind the cathedral where the tunnel’s entrance supposedly existed. I cast a detection spell, a simple one, and located the tunnel’s entrance. It was behind a hastily-constructed brick wall. I pulled away the bricks with ease, their mortar having crumbled long ago. When I did, I came across the entrance to the tunnel. The tunnel was damp and dark. Dripping water echoed along its length.

We entered. I cast a light spell and held the ball of light above my head. The tunnel was tall, but narrow, only allowing us to travel single-file.

We traveled for about fifteen minutes until we came to the exit location, which was a monk’s cloister. We entered the cloister. It was abandoned.

Crystal began to search the room.

“What are you looking for?”

Crystal picked up a small red gem, about the size of a fingernail. “All monks possess one of these.” He closed his eyes. “Ah, yes. The memories. I know exactly where to head now.” He returned the gem to its original location.

We followed Crystal through the hallways outside the cloister. It was abandoned. No one had used it for ages. We did not meet a single person—which was quite lucky in my book.

Then we came to a small balcony overlooking one of the minor church rooms. There were a few monks praying in front of the small altar. We retreated back into the hallway to search for a different route.

Crystal led us to the office area. We snuck around, hiding behind planters and statues, until we came to Rists’s office. Or at least, Crystal was sure of it.

I knocked.

“Come in.”

We entered. Rist was sitting at his desk, writing in a scroll. He looked up and then did a double take. “By the God Emperor. It’s Rock.” He set down his pen. “How in hell did you get in here?”

“I’ve got no time.” I handed Rist Andrew’s letter. “We’re in trouble. We need your help to stop the assassination attempts on our leadership.”

Rist took the letter. “I know I said that I would support you and all, but this really isn’t the right time. The church is experiencing a fracture and we need everyone on deck to keep it from happening.” Rist opened the letter and read it. “Okay. I see now. You’re asking us to help you.” He set the letter down. “I’ll do what I can. In the meantime, please leave the cathedral. It’s far too dangerous for you to be here. I will meet you at the Orange Tower Inn at nightfall. God speed.”

I nodded. “Okay.” We left the office and returned to the tunnel without any incident. When we came out into the small clearing, Crystal looked up. “I can hear the rain.”

By the time we made it to the Orange Tower Inn, it was pouring. We ducked inside. The inn was normal, with a few patrons scattered across the tables. We took a table and sat down, ordering food once the barmaid came up to us. When the food came, we dug in.

Just then, the doors burst open and a number of Imperial constables entered. “We’re looking for the fugitives!”

I eyed Tae. “Stay calm.”

Tae nodded. “Okay.”

 

38

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Fairy Opera Chapter 36: Separation

 

Separation

A desk shattered as Jak flew backwards. He hit the wall and collapsed onto the ground. After a few moments, Jak got up, rubbing his back. “My god that was powerful.” He chuckled. “I feel like I’ve been kicked by a horse.” He cracked his neck.

I made an awkward smile. “I did my best to hold back.”

“If that was you holding back,” Jak held out his hand, “Then you really have been given an amazing boon by the God Emperor.”

We shook hands. Jak turned to look at the desk he had destroyed.

“Um, sorry about that.”

“No, no worries. It wasn’t a very nice desk anyways.” I bent down. “But, uh, now I need a new desk.”

“We’ll get you one.” Jak crossed his arms.

“I kind of need one to write my new spell.” I sighed. “Well, we can go search for a desk in the castle that I can borrow. I’m sure there are extras all over the place.” I stood up, brushing off my hands. “You want to help?”

“Right.” Jak, Tae, Ami, and Amber followed me out of the room. Ami and Tae went one direction, while Jak, Amber, and I went in another direction. We searched high and low for another desk. Eventually we found one in an unused side room.

Jak looked at it. “This is a nice piece of furniture.” He crossed his arms. “But it looks heavy. We may have some trouble getting it to your office.” He bent over and looked at its underside.

I laughed. “Did you forget that I’m a mage?” I pulled out a float spell—the same one I had used to float the crates during the attack on the Ultimar.

Jak tapped his forehead. “I’m an idiot for not thinking of that.”

“Yeah.” I cast the spell and the desk rose up and floated about half a foot off the ground. We carried the desk through the halls and back to my office, where Ami and Tae were already standing. They turned to face us as we came through the door.

“You found a desk.”

I set the desk down by cancelling the spell. The desk thumped as it hit the floor. I moved my chair up to it.

Jak, Ami, Tae, and Amber watched me as I took out a mage’s pen and started writing the spell. This was going to be a complicated spell that would draw upon at least three sets of libraries. I worked on that spell for the rest of the day. Amber and Ami began to play a game of cards. Jak lit up a pipe and smoked, staring out the window. Tae played with a couple of paperclips. When the spell was done, I lifted up the scroll and the committed it to my scroll storage pocket. I stood up.

“We’re good. I have what we need.”

Ami and Amber looked at me. Jak stood up. Tae lifted her chin.

We left the room and returned to Andrew’s office. He was inside, working on paperwork. When I entered he looked up.

“Did you finish creating the spell?”
“I did.” I put my hand on Andrew’s desk. “We should hurry, though. The longer we wait after the incident, the less accurate my spell will be.”

Andrew put down his pen and stood up. “Then let us proceed.” We left the office, left the castle, and returned to the spot where Jerimiah had been murdered. I knelt next to the remaining bloodstains and pulled out my scroll.

“Null Sensory. Supplication, assign variables to all individuals. Initiate function: where have the people gone. Exert.” The spell in my hand glowed, shooting beams of light over the area. A holographic projection appeared above the spot, showing Jerimiah just as he was being murdered. With a handwave, I paused the motion. Two masked men with swords had snuck up behind him and skewered him. I waved my hand in a specific motion and time began to go backwards. The masked men walked, backwards, away from Jerimiah. I followed them. Down the street. Across the castle grounds. To a small warehouse at the edge of town. The assassins had come from in there. We entered the warehouse. The place was deserted, but dust patterns told that someone had been there recently.

I watched as my spell expanded its scope. The masked men met with two people whose faces were indistinct, probably because they were so far from the spell’s casting location.

I held up my hand. We were just able to make out their words.

“You cannot fail us. The Rebellion must be crippled if we are to succeed. The Empire cannot fracture again. We must destroy all that come in between us and our goal of consuming the God Emperor.”

“Consuming?” The spell faltered, and then ended. The holographic forms disappeared. I turned to Andrew. “They want to consume him?”

Andrew shook his head. “It is as I feared. When you spoke of a fracture in the leadership of the Empire, I did not think that it would be this serious.” He put his fist into his palm. “But we can make use of this. The Rebellion set out to stop the tyranny of the God Emperor, but from your experience it seems like he really isn’t the core problem in this situation.”

“Right.” I thought for a moment. “We need to bring this information to the disestablishment party of the church.”

“That may be easier said than done.” Andrew shook his head. “I doubt they’ll listen.”

I rubbed my neck. “We can try. I think I can call up Rist, my contact with the disestablishment party.” I pulled out a communications scroll. However, when I cast it, the spell fizzled. “That’s strange. This should contact him.” I tried it again, and the spell fizzled again.

“It’s probably because there’s a barrier around the capital.” Andrew sighed. “We’re going to have to go there in person.”

I gritted my teeth. “Then let’s get there. If we can make an ally out of the disestablishment party, then we may be able to push our win conditions.”

Andrew lifted his chin. “Then go. Bring who you need, and take our fastest ship. We’re going to negotiate an alliance with the part of the church that is against these people. We may be able to sunder the entire church into pieces.”

I turned to Jak. “Will you come with me?”

“Of course.” Jak grinned. “I’m always willing to go on an adventure with you.”

We left the warehouse. Andrew called up some of his people to search the place and see if there was anything we could use. We returned to the castle and Andrew wrote a letter, which he handed to me.

“Keep that sealed. Hand it to the person in charge of the disestablishment party.” Andrew took my hand in his. “And don’t die. We need your power to fight the final battle.”

“I understand.” I took the letter. “I won’t fail the Rebellion.”

Andrew nodded. “I’ll negotiate with the Syndicate to give you a contact in the capital.”

I nodded. “Thanks. We’ll need all the help we can get.”

Jak, Tae, and I returned to the docks, where we boarded the Titch, the fastest ship currently in port. About thirty sailors came with us. We cast off from the docks and headed out into open sky.

The capital was three week’s sail away, past numerous heavily-populated islands, as well as through many well-traveled merchant routes. We hoisted a flag of a merchant trading company, so hopefully we wouldn’t be too suspicious, but there was always a possibility that some Imperial vessel would stop us and then see through our ruse. We sailed for about one week before it happened.

An Imperial guard frigate approached us and ordered us to stop. We stopped. The ship pulled up next to us and a boarding dinghy was dropped. Five Imperial men, including an Imperial officer, boarded the Titch. The officer tapped his cane on the deck.

“Can I speak to your captain?”

Jak, who was acting as the captain in this capacity, stepped forward. “What can we help you with, sir?”

The officer grimaced. “My name is Officer Maldo. I’m with the Imperial anti-smuggling brigade. I’d like to take a look at your cargo.”

We had filled the ship with fleece to prepare for this exact situation. Fleece was a very low-danger trade good. Officer Maldo went belowdecks and examined our storage.

“Your fleece has not been sectioned by the grand office.” Officer Maldo wrote something on a piece of paper. “We’re going to have to impound these goods and bring you and your ship to port Denithan.”

We couldn’t do that. We didn’t have enough time. Going off track by so much would derail our entire plan.

I motioned to Jak. He nodded. The crew members in the room, as one, tackled the officer and his men. Without much effort, we managed to tie them up with ropes. I pulled out a scroll with a memory wipe spell on it. When I cast it, Officer Maldo and his men became very suggestable.

“You’ve found nothing of note on this ship.”

Maldo’s eyes were glazed over. “I have found nothing of note on this ship.”

I nodded. “You are going to let us go.”

“I am going to let you go.”

“Good. You will forget everything except what I have told you.”

“I will forget.” Maldo’s eyes flickered.

We untied them and dragged them up to the deck, where I ended the spell. Maldo looked around, a questioning expression on his face. “Oh. Right, right. I forgot to give you the goods pass.” He stood up. “My head hurts.” He wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Jak. “You’re good to go. Sorry for bothering you. You see, there have been a lot of smuggling attempts recently. Something about problems brewing in the church. But don’t tell anyone I told you that.”

“We won’t.” Jak pocketed the paper. “Have a good day.”

Officer Maldo and his men got back into the boat and floated across to the Imperial frigate.

Jak leaned over and whispered to me. “You did a banger job, Rock. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

“Right. I just did my part.”

We sailed away from the ship, heading towards the capital. We passed by numerous merchant ships, but didn’t encounter another guard ship. Two weeks later we arrived at the capital. It was a gigantic island, about ten times the size of Gagna, covered in buildings. We headed for the eastern dock complex and moored our ship there. We chose a few of our more savvy sailors to deal with the fleece. In order to not draw attention we needed to act like we were a merchant ship, and that meant unloading and selling our fleece.

Jak, Tae and I got off the ship and headed for our Syndicate contact. He approached us at the edge of the dock, wearing a hood.

“You’re the people?” He pulled back his hood to reveal that he was an elf. “I can smell the power of you.” He pointed to me. “Yeah, that’s right. You’re the one’s I’m looking for.” He brought his hood back up. “Follow me.”

We followed him into a small alleyway, where he opened a side door. We came to a stairwell, which we climbed to the third floor of the building. There was a small number of rooms. We entered the last room along the hallway.

Two people were already sitting there. One of them was clearly a member of the church. The other was a member of the Syndicate. The elf sat down.

“My name is Elco.” The elf pointed to the church member. “That is Rabar.” He pointed to the other Syndicate member. “And Cliss.”

Both Rabar and Cliss bowed.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

 

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Fairy Opera Chapter 35: Boon

 

Boon

The doors swung open. I stepped onto the roof of a massive industrial-gothic complex, complete with towering pillars, gothic flairs, and stained-glass windows. At the end of the walkway stretching out from the doors, a skeleton sat on a throne. Dozens of hoses and pipes were attached to the skeleton, glowing deep red. This was him. The God Emperor. Twelve priests on either side of the walkway bowed. I stepped forward.

The God Emperor’s eyes looked straight into mine. Unlike the skeleton-like form of his main body, the God Emperor’s eyes were brilliant. We locked gazes. I could feel the immense energy flowing through me, energy that would have caused a normal person to lose their mind.

“What are you doing?” Rist grabbed me.

I pushed him aside. The priests on either side of me stepped back and did not stop me.

I came to the bottom of the God Emperor’s throne. Kneeling down, I began to speak in Scode.

“Oh holy one. I must ask you a question regarding your followers.”

The God Emperor spoke. His voice came through several layers of mechanical synthesis, sounding robotic yet magnanimous. He spoke in clear Scode.

“Little one.” The God Emperor’s eyes trained themselves on me. “My followers do what they do. I came, I saw, I conquered. New ages come and old ages go. Who are you to put yourself within the deep complexities of time? Ask your question and go.”

“Do you support the zombification of your nation’s people? Do you support the heinous suppression of freedom and prosperity that your followers implement?”

“I could care less about the actions of mortals.” The God Emperor’s seat hissed as steam flowed through it. “You do what you do. I have passed my prime and I sit upon this throne, alone. All I wanted, I received.”

“So you say you aren’t taking sides.”

The god Emperor laughed, a sound which caused the priests surrounding me to cringe and fall to the ground. “Sides! As if the people who worship me actually want to hear me!” He chuckled. “You are a strange one. Your knowledge of the ancient language is fluent. I shall gift you a boon. Ask for whatever you want and I shall grant your wish.”

“Okay. I want freedom for my people and the ability to self-govern for the Rebellion.”

The God Emperor was silent. Then he spoke again. “That is a complicated request you have given me.” His chair hissed with steam again. “Very well. I shall give you a weapon that will allow you to forge your own destiny.”

Ruby flew out from my pocket.

I shouted at her. “No!”

Ruby flew up to the God Emperor’s face and pointed her arm straight at him. She put her other hand on her hips. “Hm. You’re a lot skinnier than I thought you would be.”

Surprisingly, the God Emperor spoke to Ruby with audible respect. “Old one.” The God Emperor’s tone was almost deferential. “I see you have chosen to pair yourself with this young man.”

“Ah, so the underclassman knows his place.” Ruby grinned, putting both her hands on her hips. “Very well. I accept your offer of assistance. What are you going to give my ward? And what do you want in return?”

The God Emperor laughed again. “Good, good. Technomage, I have chosen my boon to you. You shall receive the strength and magical power of a hundred men. You shall receive the ability to forge the destiny of your people. I cannot see the future far enough to know where you will end up.” The God Emperor’s chair hissed. Golden energy flowed out from the pipes and surrounded me. I lifted up into the sky, my entire body tingling. My vision doubled in power. I could see the individual tiles on a building half a mile away. My breathing deepened. My hearing increased to the point where I could hear blood pumping in the priests’ veins. My entire body felt stiffer, more powerful.

The God Emperor’s chair hissed again. “Now that we have decided that, I shall ask my priest here what he wanted from me and why he woke me from my sleep.”

Rist approached the God Emperor, never looking him in the eyes. Speaking in Scode, he bowed. “God Emperor. Your people have been fighting. I wish for your wise guidance.”

“Pah.” The God Emperor shook his head. “Sort that out yourselves. Petty rivalries do not interest me.”

Rist held his nose to the ground. “Then please tell me why you treated my friend here with so much grace.”

“Because he has power, peon.” The God Emperor sounded annoyed. “Get out of my presence so that I may take my rest.”

Rist grabbed me and pulled me back along the walkway and through the doors, back down the staircase and into the chapel. He sat down on a gilded chair, breathing heavily.

“You’ve got balls, kid.” He rubbed his hair. “You’re lucky the God Emperor was in a good mood.”

Ruby flew out from my pocket. “I think he just knew his place.”

Rist looked at Ruby while tilting his head. “I’m sorry, but who are you? Are you a fairy?”

“I am!” Ruby landed on my shoulder, her arms crossed. “Well, I understand why you worship someone like that. He certainly has the presentation part down.”

Rist sighed, leaning back in the chair. “I just cannot believe that you would speak directly with his holiness.”

“I, ah, well, did you get most of the conversation?”

“Right. He promised you a boon. And he gave it to you.” Rist rubbed his temples. “This complicates things. As you are now a scion of the God Emperor, you should be immune to inquisitorial investigation. However, I do not know how the establishment side of the chuch will interpret these signs.”

“Does the God Emperor give out boons often?”

“You are the first person I have ever seen him bless in such a manner.” Rist sighed. “Well, I appreciate everything you’ve done for us. I can’t help that the God Emperor is uninterested in our struggle, but I have learned a lot.” He pulled out a scroll. “I’ll send you home now.”

“Thanks.”

Rist pulled out a scroll and cast a teleportation spell. There was a single piece of Sode tech in that spell that I did not understand—which was why I hadn’t been able to form a teleport spell on my own. The church wasn’t totally backwards when it came to their magic.

A portal opened up beneath me and I lowered into it. I then came up in the same room I had been kidnapped from. It was empty. Blood stained the ground. With my new, enhanced vision, I could see several things that I was unable to see before. For example, there were fingerprints on the silverware left on the table. I could hear the street outside, which told me that things were operating as normal.

I left the room and returned to the street. I needed to find Tae and Jak and tell them that I was okay. I also needed to find the assassin who killed the member of the council. Unless they had solved the mystery already, which I doubted.

Tae came running towards me from the market area. “Rock!” She ran up to me and hugged me. “I was so worried about you! I thought you had been assassinated!”

“I talked with the God Emperor.” I did my best to smile. “The Imperial Church has some inner stuff going on in it. We’re not alone in our fight right now.”

Tae grabbed me and started pulling me towards the castle. “We need your help, then.”

I allowed myself to be dragged through the street, entering the castle, where we came into Andrew’s office.

Andrew turned around as soon as we entered. “By the God Emperor. You’re alive.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“You seem different. Like, your density has increased or something.”

“The God Emperor gave me his blessing.” I held my hands up. “It seems that he really isn’t the bad guy in the equation.”

Andrew shook his head. “I never would have believed it. You spoke to the God Emperor himself?”

“Yes. He was really impressive. I can tell why people worship him so fervently.”

“You saw him.” Tae crossed her arms.

“I saw him.” I grinned.

Tae sighed. “You’re always getting yourself into trouble like this.” She let her arms fall. “But you’re alive, and that’s all that matters.”

Andrew sat down in his desk chair. “Now that we have this figured out, we still need to find out who murdered Jerimiah.”

“Probably the same people who tried to kill me.” I held up my fist. “With my new magic power, I think I’ll be able to sort this out.”

“Do you have a spell that can track them down?”

“I do. Well, I don’t at the moment, but it will take less than a day to create one.” I shrugged. “Give me a day to myself and I’ll have the tracking function solved.”

Andrew nodded. “Then let’s do that. We must find these assassins before they kill any more of our leadership. Jerimiah was one of our best tacticians. Without him, we stand much less of a chance against the forces of the Empire.”

I bowed. “Okay. I’ll go work on that spell.” I turned to Tae. “Do you want to watch?”

“I know nothing about Scode, but sure.”

Tae and I retreated to my room in the castle. I sat down at my desk. “Okay. So I first have to figure out which branch of magic this falls under. I don’t think I can use Null Canus. Maybe Null Canus Blue?”

Tae sat down next to me. “I don’t understand a word of what you’re saying, but I support you.”

The door burst open and Jak rushed in, followed by Ami and Amber. They surrounded me. “You made it back and didn’t tell us?” Ami hugged me. “Rock, you’re an idiot.”

“Sorry, I didn’t think being gone for like half a day was that big of a deal.”

“We thought you were dead!” Ami gripped me hard. “You should have at least told us that you were back!”

I smiled. “I thought it was trivial. But thanks for caring about me. I have work to do, but if you want to you can watch.”

Ami sat down next to me. “What are you working on?”

“A spell that will track down Jerimiah’s murderer.” I started writing on an empty scroll.

Ami watched as I wrote. “You really have changed. You’re more shiny, too, for some reason. It’s like you’ve got some sort of gemstone under your skin. I don’t know if that makes sense.”

I shrugged. “I got a boon from the God Emperor, that’s all.”

“The God Emperor.” Jak crossed his arms. “You got a boon from him.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s not much. He just increased my senses, my strength, and my magical ability. Not much at all.”

“Not much?” Jak grabbed me by my shoulders. “Get out here so I can test that. You can do that stuffy scroll work after I figure out what “boon of the God Emperor” means.”

Jak dragged me out of the room, followed by everyone. He brought me to the training field right outside the keep. He held up his sword.

I held my sword. “I, ah, I really don’t want to do this.”

“Why not? Why not use that boon that you received?”

“I get the feeling that you really don’t believe me.”

Jak attacked. I stepped aside with uncommon ease, surprising even myself. I then tapped him on the back. He flew several feet and sprawled out onto the ground.

“Whoops.” I knelt beside him. “I’m sorry.”

 

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