The Lesser One Arc 2 Version 2 Chapter 28: Game

 

Game

Lacy arrives in a yellow Ferrari. Sebastian and I get into the back seat. Lacy tears away from the side of the road and weaves through traffic like a madman, shifting gears as she does. The open top sends wind blowing through my hair.

We rip into the parking lot of a skyscraper. Lacy steps out of the car. Sebastian and I exit after her. The skyscraper is familiar.

“Is the place that was attacked by that, ah, terrorist a few weeks ago?”

“It is.” Lacy snaps her purse shut. “Come on now.”

We take the elevator to the top. The restaurant has been rebuilt since the last time I was here. Remarkably quickly, considering how much damage was done and how little time has passed.

The waiter gives us our menus. I look at the silverware and mentally rehearse how I’m going to eat with it.

A waiter fills Lacy’s glass with wine. She picks it up with a dainty hold and sips.

“Okay. You need that legal antimatter now.” Lacy puts her glass down. Her red lipstick has left a mark on the rim. “There’s one way to do that. An official decree by the Queen herself.”

“What?” I almost drop my fork. “How am I going to manage that?”

“You’ve had an audience with the Queen before, right? You’ve already gotten further than anyone I know.”

I sigh. “Okay.”

We order.

Lacy takes a piece of the bread on the table and breaks it. “You see, meeting the Queen nowadays is kind of like fly fishing. You can cast many lines, but very few of them will lead somewhere.”

Sage, fly fishing? What’s that?

It’s a method of fishing using artificial flies that is notoriously difficult.

Okay, got it.

I smile as if I understood that reference all along.

“By the way.” Lacy puts the bread down. “I never asked you why you needed something as dangerous as antimatter. The only reason why I haven’t reported it to the authorities is because you specified that you want it legally. While I can’t help you obtain it illegally, I can definitely help you with the “legal” part.” Lacy takes papers out of her purse. “I did some research into the United Kingdom’s laws on antimatter. It seems that they aren’t as strict as America’s. Which makes sense considering what happened to Detroit.”

“Right.”

“So here’s the rub. Possession of antimatter carries a hefty sentence. But the creation of it? No penalty. This is to cover the fact that there are legitimate scientists who want to study this phenomenon. The key point is that artificially produced antimatter lasts for nanoseconds. You can’t hold it. You can’t transfer it. You only know it’s there because of complicated scientific calculation.”

“Okay. Then how should I get an audience with the Queen?”

“You should talk to your friends. I hear you are acquainted with the Royal Gable.”

“Right.” I nod. “I’ll ask him.”

The food arrives. Lacy takes a bite. “I’m still charging you for the rest of this dinner. You’re paying for the food too.”

“No problem.” I engage polite mode as taught by Sebastian. “I never actually learned what your law firm specializes in.”

“Spirit law.” Lacy tilts her head. “You’re telling me you didn’t know?”

“Well, my people, they were the ones who took care of everything.”

“It’s funny hearing a sixteen year old saying “my people” like a veteran CEO.”

“I mean, yeah.” I force a smile.

“But you’ve got the cash, and you’ve got the product. I hear Esmex is betting big on Rearden Metal. I think I’ll start buying the stock of whatever company holds the copyright to Ayn Rand’s material.” Lacy shrugs. “As long as the advertising department doesn’t stick their grubby fingers in and change the name for publicity’s sake. I mean, she is a very decisive figure.”

I laugh. “That’s great. They can name it whatever they want. I just named it that because I thought it was clever.”

Lacy raises an eyebrow. “Hah.”

We continue the dinner with pleasantries and, when it’s over, I ask for the bill. It’s staggering, but I have the cash.

When we leave the building, Sebastian insists that we take the limo back. Another devil driver has positioned it in the parking lot. I step in.

Mandrake is sitting with his arms crossed in the back seat. “Markus. I hear Generica gave you a challenge.”

“Right.” I take out the tacky business card. “She gave me this.” I show it to Mandrake. “Legal antimatter. We’ve narrowed it down to a decree by the Queen. Also, Generica never said how much, so I’m planning to create five atoms of antimatter and seal them inside a device.”

“So you need the Queen’s permission for five atoms of antimatter.” Mandrake sighs. “Getting an audience with the Queen herself can take years without special circumstance. However, there is one such special circumstance that I know of. The Great Joust.”

“The what?”

“The Great Joust.”

“No, I heard the name. I was wondering what it was.”

“Oh, right.” Mandrake shrugs. “You’re not from here.”

Sage: It’s the spirit version of that big game you Americans are so in love with that plays every February.

The, ah, yeah.

“Okay?” I frown. “So how am I supposed to win that?”

“As a matter of fact, I am gathering a team of adventurers right now to play as companions to the Royal Gable.” Mandrake taps his chest. “And I’ve seen you fight.”

“How does the Great Joust work?”

“Two teams of five use their spirits to manipulate the environment and score “hits” on the other team’s goal.”

“So it’s like spirit soccer.”

“So—” Mandrake laughs. “Right, you Yankees call it soccer.” Mandrake shrugs. “The game is in a week. I know this is really short notice, especially for a professional event, but it’s quite like an actual combat scenario and I know how you handle those.”

“Gotcha.” I frown. “How do people avoid injuries?”

“The whole arena is set inside an artificial dungeon aura. That means that all injuries sustained can be healed through healing magic.”

“Right.”

Mandrake shrugs. “It’s like that, ah, what do you call it, the one with the cars?”

“Nascar?”

“Yes, yes. I think people watch the game as much for the accidents as they do for the actual content.” Mandrake shrugs. “You need four more votes, right?”

“Right. Robin’s quest is on the schedule, and I think I have an idea of how I can get Grey’s vote. Biren, a while back, said he’d be watching me to see if I did something amazing, whatever that means. So I think I have everything locked in.”

“Good. Then we’ll set a parliament date.”

“That means that people will cast their votes?”

Mandrake nods. “Yes. All Silverbones are required to attend. Each member can call a parliament once every two years, with an exception for induction votes.”

“Okay. I’ll be done with my contract on July twenty-fifth. Then give me a week to get that ingredient from Hawaii. Then a day after that for me to gather Grey’s vote.”

“Do you have an idea of how you’ll do that?”

“Yes.” I take the orb out from my pocket. “It has to do with this.”

“Lots of people seem to want that orb.” Mandrake sighs. “Okay. Then I’ll set it for August third. Today is July twentieth.”

“Right.” I take out my phone and set the date. “Then we’ll see if everyone keeps their word about my vote.” I put the orb back into my pocket—the one with the zipper.

Mandrake nods. “When’s your next lab date?”

“Tomorrow at ten in the morning.”

“Then we have time. I’ve been told you have a good work ethic when it comes to training.”

“Right.”

Mandrake leans up and taps Sebastian on the shoulder. “Here’s the address of the practice room.”

Five minutes later we pull into a lot with a short, squat building in it. It seems to be aa gymnasium of some sort.

We enter. Mandrake signs us in at the desk. Then we walk into the back room, where three people are already standing. The room has a vaulted roof, and there is a trench about two stories deep surrounding the middle. The platform is divided by a number of obstacles. On each side of the room there are five pillars with different elements inside of them. Water, fire, air, earth, and light. The five basic elemental spirit types.

I already know two of the people. Neo and Az. The third is someone I don’t recognize.

“Hi.” I walk up to the three players. “I’ve been scouted for this team for the upcoming Great Joust.”

“Have you ever played Joust before?” Neo approaches me.

“No. I don’t even know the rules, but I’ve been told my combat experience will really help me.”

“That’s correct. Joust is a game designed to simulate dungeon combat.” Neo turns. “You already know Az.”

Az bows.

“And she’s Jane.”

Jane is a tall, thin blond woman with wide-rimmed glasses. She’s wearing a track suit. She walks up to me and shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you, Markus. I’ve heard a lot about you. You’ve been in a lot of fights since you came here to England.”

“Right.” I look at the course again. “So how does this game work?”

“The goal is to destroy the other team’s monolith using spirit magic.” Mandrake stands between me and the other players. “Each monolith is constructed by the team that owns it.”

“So that’s why you allowed me on the team.” I understand. My Rearden Metal will make our monolith untouchable.

Mandrake grins. “Yeah. I didn’t just let you in out of courtesy.”

“He’s the one who made Rearden Metal?” Jane looks me over. “His aura is powerful. What is your spirit?”

“Technically blue anima. But it manifests as a toolbox spirit. Like a metaphysical toolbox. My spirit isn’t actually a toolbox.”

“Show me.”

I hold out my hand and anima fluid pours from my palm, collecting in mid air and forming a block of pure elemental copper. The bar clatters to the floor. “And I can do this.” I snap my finger and grass spreads from my feet and starts curling up the wall. “I am able to conjure iron, wood, copper, water, and grass. Rearden Metal is an alloy of iron and copper with carbon.”

Jane turns to Mandrake. “So you’re saying that this kid is going to build our monolith.”

“Correct.” Mandrake turns to me. “So the game happens in four fifteen-minute bouts. There are five balls in play at once, each ball being filled with one of the essential elements. When a ball comes into contact with a monolith, the side who threw it gets to “explode.” This means that the team uses whatever is in the ball to attempt to destroy the enemy team’s monolith. If the ball does not destroy the monolith but damages it, that teams gets points based on how damaged the monolith is. A judge makes that call. The monolith must contain three specific geometric shapes, chosen from a list. Is there anything you don’t get?”

“Right. This seems like a pretty simple game.”

“The balls are made from a special kind of rubber. They hurt, but won’t kill you.” Mandrake hands me a sheet of paper. “These are all the shapes that you need to choose from. We’ll help you.”

Az bobs his head up and down. “I am very well versed in the systems required to build a monolith. My only disadvantage is that lanthanum is a very brittle metal.”

“Right.” I look at Mandrake.

He nods. “You ever played any other kinds of sports?”

“I played soccer in middle school. I wasn’t very good at it though.”

Mandrake lifts his chin. “I know you’ll do good. When you’re done discussing the monolith with Az, we’re going to start our practice.”

 

The Lesser One Arc 2 Version 2 Chapter 27: Etiquette

 

Etiquette

We all collapse to the ground as one. I breathe heavily, feeling as if a huge pressure has been lifted from my chest. Mandrake turns to me. “You …”

Ari puts her hand on Mandrake’s shoulder. “He made the decision to protect us all. If he hadn’t agreed, he would have killed the non-Sillverbones and sent us two into …” Ari looks at me. “That place.”

Mandrake stands up. “My god.” He holds his hands to his head. “Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it. I can feel it in my bones.”

“We’re safe right now and London is safe.” Ari pats Mandrake’s back.

Esla looks confused. “That was it? He just wanted to wake up that girl Markus is interested in?”

“Which would be a very bad idea if you knew what really happened to her.” Mandrake grits his teeth.

“Then tell me!” I am yelling at this point. “Shut it with the vague hints and tell me exactly why I shouldn’t wake up Alice!”

“Because the world will end! Billions of people will die!”

“How the hell does the coma of one girl from England doom the entire human race?”

“That’s it!” Mandrake is also yelling. “I can’t tell you! I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!”

“So I need to collect the votes.”

“Of which you need four more.” Ari steps in between Mandrake and I.

“Four?” I am a bit confused. “I just got Deeve’s vote, but …”

Ari snaps her fan open. “You also have my vote. I was impressed by your riddling ability. I didn’t think you’d be the one to stump the monster.” Ari turns to Mandrake. “Now shut it. We can discuss this when we’re out of here.”

Boots hit the ground. A squad of SAS paratroopers rushes into the room. They level their guns, spreading out.

The leader walks in. “Mandrake.” He approaches Mandrake. “You’re here. What happened to the boss? All the evil clowns just disappeared at once.”

“We defeated him. In a sense.” Mandrake looks at me. “I’ll take care of all the paperwork and yelling at officers.” He waves his hand. “Sebastian, Tia, Markus, Esla. You can leave.” He turns away.  

Ari waves at me with her fingers in a very British fashion.

Sebastian looks at me, I nod, and we just walk right out of there. We arrive at the limo no worse for the wear. After stepping in, everyone is silent.

“So what the hell was that all about?” Esla looks at me. “Alice is the key in some grand conspiracy to end the world?”

I shrug. “You heard him. Mandrake can’t tell me jack because it will break some law of that secret organization.”

“Yeah, I get how frustrating that is. Because, you know, you’re doing the same thing to me.” Esla folds her arms.

I blink a few times. “Well …” I sigh. “You know what? I think I can tell you now that you’re personally involved. But please keep a lid on this. No one at Ixtham should know about this.” I lay my hands down. “Ask you god hand this. Protect me from words that would harm my mind.”

Esla lifts her hand. “Protect me from words that would harm my mind.” Her hand flashes. She rubs her temples. “Okay? Now what?”

I explain everything, including everything I know about the Silverbones. The golden had seems to have done its job and protected her from the memetic hazard. When I am finished, Esla is silent.

“Okay. I get it now. The whole story is beyond my comprehension, but I know that it really happened. Now you need four more votes.”

“Right.” I turn to Sebastian. “Do you have anything to add?”

“No.” Sebastian keeps his eyes on the road. “You did a good job. I support your decision.”

Esla sighs. “Man, I wish I had the ability to create anything.”

“You have something similar.” I point to her god hand. “We still don’t know much about that.”

Esla takes the glove off of her bionic hand. Its surface is matte black metal that has otherworldly highlights. The hand appears to exude power.

“Can I?” I reach for Esla’s hand. When I touch it, it is warm, like actual flesh.

Esla lets me hold it for a bit. Then she turns away. “That’s enough.”

I pull my hands back. “Yeah. Anyways, that’s really cool.”

“Yeah.”

Silence hovers over the limo. We eventually reach the Esmex building and step out into the foggy air. When we enter, everything appears normal. Tia splits from us to go to the café.

“Oh, Sebastian.” Esla taps him on the shoulder. “I want your opinion on something. I heard you’re really good with fashion.”

“Yes, I am.” Sebastian glances at me with worry.

“Don’t worry.” I shrug. “You have this place on lockdown, don’t you?”

Sebastian sighs. “Very well. Go straight to your room and don’t come out until I get back.”

I nod and walk to the elevators. While I wait, I tap my foot. A very pretty woman of about forty steps up beside me.

We get into the same elevator.

She taps her feet. “Thirty-eight.”

“Hey, I’m going to the same floor!”

We stand in silence as the elevator rises.

The lights go out. The elevator stops. I can’t see anything, not even my hand in front of my face.

“Hello, Markus.” The woman who got onto the elevator with me speaks. “My name is Generica. You may already know of me. I wish to make a request of you.”

“Um, okay.” I press up against the wall for stability. “What do you need?”

“I need you to find me a very special kind of material.”

“Um, okay?”

“And I need it to be registered and obtained legally.”

“Okay? What is it?”

“Antimatter.”

I exhale. “Okay. You want me to somehow obtain legal antimatter?”

“I’m sure you can handle it.” A piece of paper—a business card—slips into my hand. “Contact me here when you obtain it.”

The lights flicker back on and Generica is gone. All that is left is the scent of strawberries. I look at the business card.

Need someone killed? Intimidated? Generic support services can do it! Call XXX-XXX-XXXX for a free quote!

The card really doesn’t match the chic woman who just spoke to me. It’s got a cutesy border and a smiling emoji on the back. I pocket the card. When the elevator stops, I step out into the hallway and then return to my apartment. I sit down on the couch and let out a deep breath. Looking at the card again, I think about how strange my life has become in the last few months. I then slip the card into my pocket. “Legal.” I sigh, leaning back. “How the hell am I supposed to obtain legal antimatter?”

Sage: She means to test you. You are going to need political skill and knowhow if you’re going to continue on this track.

So she wants me to get that legal antimatter to prove that I can finangle the law?

Exactly. I can feel Sage’s smugness. I think it’s time for a certain lawfirm named after a waterfowl to intervene.

I take the battered business card for Stevens, Mallard, and Duck from my wallet. “Okay. Here goes.” I dial the number.

“Markus.” It’s Lacy. “It’s been a while. With all the action you’ve been in, it’s strange you haven’t had any legal trouble. What can I do for you?”

“I need some help, well, procuring a certain material.”

“Tell me.”

“I need antimatter, and I need it to be legal.”

“That’s not a simple matter.” Lacy’s tone is purely professional. “I can think of one way, though, to get you what you need. You’re friends with Dr. Glen Barrimore, correct?”

“I am.”

“Then it’s just a matter of getting him to forward a study utilizing antimatter. If he puts it through the same channels through which other scientist study illegal substances, gets it passed by an ethics board, and various other legal bodies, then you can have you antimatter in, say, two to five years.”

“Two to five years? That’s way, way too long!”

“Then I have one other suggestion. Do you mind if we talk about this in person? I’ll be charging you, of course.”

“Great, great. Charge whatever you want, you can deal with my people about that.”

Sebastian knocks at the door.

“Front of the Esmex building, five o’clock?”

“Sure thing.”

Lacy hangs up. I walk to the door and open it.

Sebastian appears worried. “I felt a disturbance. What happened?”

I explain everything to Sebastian. He shakes his head. “I know I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“Come on, it was ten minutes. She didn’t even try to touch me.”

Sebastian sighs. “Okay. Just be more careful about who you associate with in the meantime.”

“I didn’t—” I pause. “Okay. Yes. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Five, right?” Sebastian checks his watch. “That leaves us about an hour. I want to drill you in manners. It’s been a while since you’ve learned, and you’re probably going to a fancy restaurant.”

“Do lawyers do that kind of thing?”

“For their high value clients, yes.”

“How much?” I grimace.

“Three hundred and fifty pounds per hour. Plus surcharges.”

“Nice.” I sigh. “Well, I can afford it. It’s a good place to put all that money.” I frown. “I have something I need to ask of you. I want to get a good look at exactly how my financials stand.”

“Good, good.” Sebastian smiles. “It’s a good sign that you’ve taken an interest in such things.”

We go into the dining room. Sebastian sets up a table. “We’re going to pretend this is a conversation over a nice dinner. You’re asking about our financials.”

“Okay.” I take the salad fork. “Sir, what is my estimated net worth?”

“Good.” Sebastian folds his hands. “In short, you’re worth about twenty million US dollars. That, however, is constantly growing.”

“How did I get all that money?”

“Mostly from arbitrage and high frequency trading.”

“What’s arbitrage?”

“Buy low, sell high, but at a very quick pace.”

“Okay. What kind of companies am I invested in?”

“You’re diversified over a large number of stocks and commodities.”

I take my next utensil. “Then who’s my financial advisor?”

“I am.” Sebastian bows. “Good. However, you must remember that you are not the star of the show in most dinners you’ll go to. Here’s a good rule: two to one. You ask two questions, and then you switch the focus to the other party. Ask them something about themselves. Or what they’re interested in. Anything to make it seem like you’re not just there to mine information and connections.”

“I understand. Okay, Sebastian. Do you have any siblings?”

“Devils are born through a complicated process involving pure aether in the pits of lawhell. All devils are my siblings, but I do not have any close relatives like a human would.”

There is a knock at the door.

Sebastian bows. “Looks like Tia is here. She can teach you the finer aspects of dealing with high class women.”

I get up and go to the door, opening it for Tia.

Tia walks in. “I heard you were practicing culture.”

“Yeah.” I motion.

“Take my coat.” Tia winks.

I take her coat and hang it on the rack next to the door.

“Now pull up my chair.”

I pull up Tia’s chair.

Tia sits. We begin another round of etiquette training.

The Lesser One Arc 2 Version 2 Chapter 26: Snap

 

Snap

We arrive at a compound in the countryside. It appears miliary in nature, with high barbed wire fences and block buildings. Sebastian pulls the limousine into a parking lot in the nearby town. We disembark and walk through the small town. Mandrake takes us into a small alleyway, where there is an entrance to a local sewer system. He pulls the gate open, allowing rust to sprinkle the ground.

We stoop over to get inside. Sebastian enters last, covering our rear. The darkness envelopes us, but we brought flashlights. Or torches, as they are called in the UK. They flicker on and illuminate the dirty, bug-infested walls. The sewer continues onward past the beams of our lights. We start walking forward. There is a small ledge on either side of the tunnel that keeps our feet above the sewage. The stench is terrible, of course. We’re in a sewer after all.

Several gigantic rats scurry past our feet. They skitter, the sound of their voices bouncing off the curved walls. We go deeper. Dripping water echoes. A miasma-like cloud gathers at our feet.

A roar comes from somewhere deep into the darkness. Everyone stops.

Esla holds up her hand. “Can we get some more light in here?”

A previously unnoticed sewage grate catches the sun in just the right way, sending sunbeams into the depths of the sewer, illuminating dust motes. A twisted face appears in front of us.

The face is like that of an eldritch monstrosity. Its eyes are pitch black. Its chin is split into multiple sections. Its nose is gigantic. Tentacles hang from its scalp instead of hair. The monster lifts its massive hand and places it against the wall, leaving slime behind.

“What is it you are here for?” The monster speaks.

“We’re sneaking into a military compound.” Mandrake takes a step forward.

“Then you shall play a game of riddles with me.”

Mandrake nods. “Okay. I agree.”

The monster breaths out a cloud of noxious gas. “I am not alive, but I grow. I don’t have lungs, but I breathe air. I don’t have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?”

Ari looks at me. “Markus. Test your skills. Answer the riddle.”

I think for a long time, or at least what seems like a long time. “Fire. Fire is the answer.”

Ari claps. “Oh ho.” She turns to the monster. “How much dirt is in a hold two feet by five feet by four feet?”

“None, of course.” The monster appears smug. “I’m tall when I’m young, I’m short when I’m old. What am I?”

Esla holds up her hand. “Oh, oh! A pencil!”

“Good.” The monster lowers its head. “Ask.”

Ari raises an eyebrow. “A man was outside during the rain without an umbrella or a hat, but did not get his hair wet. Why?”

The monster seems to think for a moment. “He was bald.” The monster grins. “Your name. No mortal has ever gotten this far in a contest of riddles with me.”

Ari waves her fan in front of her face. “Oh ho. You are playing my game.” She turns to me. “Markus. Give him a riddle.”

“Okay. I am a box without hinge or lid, and yet inside golden treasure is hid.”

Esla suppresses a laugh. Mandrake looks at me like I’m an idiot.

But the monster seems to have trouble with it. “Hm. It is not elemental gold. The box, perhaps, is not square.”

Esla continues to suppress laughter. Mandrake claps his hand over Esla’s mouth.

“Egg. It is an egg.” The monster frowns. “Now answer. If you don’t keep me, I’ll break. What am I?”

I think for a while. What can be broken when not kept? Sage?

 

Sage: I believe you are being tested. It would be smart not to use my skills.

“Okay.” I think some more. “Promise. A promise.” Promises can be kept and broken. I grin. “Okay, monster. A man on a ship is heading to New York. On the way, he passes a yacht with fourteen passengers, including a dog. Then he passes a fishing trawler with six passengers. And finally he passes a small motorboat with five passengers. How many people reach New York with him?”

“Oh, my.” The monster closes his eyes. “Fourteen … Six … Five …” He sighs. “I am no good with math.”

“The answer is him alone. He did not pick up the passengers he passed.”

The monster guffaws. “Oh my.” He steps aside. “You have beaten me. Pass, and I shall allow you to do what you wish. I must warn you, however. The master I am currently serving has much more up his sleeve than you appear to know about.” The monster bows, and then shrinks back into the darkness.

Esla looks at me. “I know where you got that egg one, but where did you get that ship one?”

“I, ah, I played a video game once.”

Esla laughs. “Oh my god. You’re such a nerd.” She taps me on the forehead. “I know Ari would have bailed you out if you hadn’t answered those other two, but you did good.”

Ari waves her fan. “Oh ho.” She turns away. “It’s about time for us to continue.”

We walk through the dark sewer, which is occasionally graced with sunbeams from the sewer gates and inflows. Water drips.

We reach a crossroads. Mandrake consults a map. “Looks like we go this way.” He points to the right.

We take that right turn. The sewer starts elevating upwards. The flow of sewage decreases in size and increases in speed.

We reach a dead end with a door on it. There is a faded nuclear symbol on it.

“This appears to be the location.” Mandrake steps up to the door. “And here is the key.” He produces a key from his pocket.

The door opens with a rusty groan. Flakes of metal fall from the ceiling. We enter into a nuclear bunker that has been stripped of everything not nailed down. Dust covers every surface. Mandrake stops and places his map on the table in the middle of the room. “Looks like we’re directly under one of the barracks. This one appears to be abandoned, but the one nearby is used as a holding place for his demons.”

“They’re those clowns, right?” Esla shudders. “I really don’t like them. I’ve always been suspicious of clowns, and these guys just seal the deal.”

“You’re going to be fighting them.” Mandrake turns to Esla. “Are you ready for this? Your safety is not guaranteed.”

Esla holds up her bionic hand. “Yeah, I got that seared into my flesh by an evil mastermind.”

Mandrake appears satisfied. “Good. The SAS assault will begin at oh fourteen hundred. That’s in twenty minutes. We have until then to get into position.”

“Have we confirmed the location of Deeve himself?” I look at the map.

“No. Not yet. But we know what to do in a contingency.” Mandrake turns to Ari. “Do you have Deeve’s voice sample?”

“I do.” Ari takes out a small recording device. She turns it on and Deeve speaks. It’s just a few garbled words, but Ari apparently gets something from it. She slips the device back into her pocket. “I’m locked on.”

We nod at each other. Then Mandrake walks to the door that leads to the surface. He taps gently on the door. There is no response. He turns the handle, dragging it open with a creak. We walk up dimly lit stairs and into an abandoned barracks. Rows of empty bunk beds line the walls. Streaks of sunlight come through cracked corrugated tin walls.

“We’re waiting here until the assault begins.” Mandrake kneels and crawls to the door. He looks around the edge. “Okay.” He pulls a pistol from his coat pocket. “Arm yourselves.”

Ari snaps her fan shut and takes out a dictionary. Sebastian and Tia conjure their respective spirits into weapons. Esla takes the glove off of her bionic hand. I conjure a rifle.

We sit next to the door, saying nothing. I feel the pressure mounting. My ears ring with an ever-present buzz.

The sound of a helicopter grows from a faint rumble to a loud vibration. I can hear demons yelling at each other from the nearby barracks. Gunshots pop.

“Go, go go!” Mandrake bursts through the door, followed by Sebastian, Tia, Esla, Ari and I. We fan out, moving in the general direction of the main building.

Two clown demons spot us. Mandrake pulls his hand through the air. “Open fire!”

One demon conjures a force field. The other is hit between the eyes by Esla’s hand cannon. My rifle bullets bounce off the force field. The bullet ricochets and spits up dirt next to me.

Tia motions. “I’ll take care of him! She rushes towards him wielding a spear of ice, and collides with the clown, pushing them both ono the ground where they start struggling.

“Go, go!” Mandrake motions and the rest of us race towards the main building. A demon clown pops up over the top of the building and takes pot shots at us. Several bullets puff into the dirt nearby. I cover my head with a shield and fire off my rifle in his general direction.

The clown takes a hit to the neck and staggers backwards. Droplets of blood spatter the ground beneath the building.

We reach the wall and press up against it. Mandrake motions. “We’re entering through this wall!” He pulls a thermite package from his backpack and slaps it onto the wall. “Back off!”

We back away. The thermite burns whiter than the sun, melting the wall. Then Mandrake motions again. “Let’s get in!”

We rush into the building and catch two demon clowns by surprise. One of them pulls a pistol but the gun is shot out of his hand by Esla. The other conjures a steel spear and rushes at us.

Sebastian engages with him using a short sword. The two dance around the hallway. Sebastian stabs the clown in the chest and the clown falls. Mandrake rushes up to the other clown and slits his throat.

Tia runs into the room, covered in blood. She is holding her arm. “I’m okay.”

We move through the hallway, keeping an eye out for enemies. I can hear gunshots in the distance. Most of the demon clowns are being occupied by the special forces.

We come to a large oaken door. Mandrake pulls another thermite package from his backpack. “This is it. Deeve is probably behind this door.”

Mandrake blows the door up and we rush through into a gigantic antechamber. All at once everyone freezes. I can’t move, except for my eyes and mouth.

Esla starts speaking and her hand glows.

“Markus.” A voice comes from my right side. Deeve walks into my field of view and snaps. Esla’s mouth shuts.

Her hand stops glowing.

Deeve continues as if nothing has happened. “You found me. Congratulations. I heard you gave my pet quite the game of words.”

“Deeve.” I try to move my arm but it won’t function. “What do you want?”

“I called you here for a reason.” Deeve lifts his hand and a projector screen rolls down from the ceiling. A projector puts an image of Alice onto the screen. She is still in her cot at the hospital. Her eyes, of course, are closed.

“I want you to promise me now that you will make the choice to wake up Alice.” Deeve holds up a glowing golden orb. “You will get this choice in the not too distant future.” He places the orb on a pedestal. “The Gods will be your witness. If you make this promise, I will give you my vote as a member of the Silverbones.”

“Okay.” I didn’t even hesitate.

“Markus!” Mandrake’s voice is loud. “Why are you agreeing so quickly? There has to be a downside to this! Why would someone as powerful as Deeve want this?”

Deeve snaps his finger. “Shut your mouth, Bright.” Mandrake’s jaw snaps shut. Deeve turns to me. “Your oath is complete. I will cease all operations and attacks on the city of London.”

The glowing orb brightens. Deeve snaps his fingers again. “So be it.” He disappears.

 

I just "Won a lottery" and I'm not sure if it's a scam.

 I got a letter from a local car dealership saying I had a possibility of winning some prizes (some of which are pretty big) if the numbers I got matched with the numbers on the paper. There was a small electronic device attached to the flyer, which I thought was neat. I mean, junk mail's been getting pretty bold nowadays, right?

So I got the matching numbers, right? And I thought to myself, anyone who would actually shell out for something like that little electronic number thing attached to the flyer may actually be serious about this. So I decided to call the number. I called, entered the dealer ID and game ID, and got put on hold. When the lady answered, she took a while to "bring up my screen." I assume that, if this is legit, the car dealership hired an ad agency to handle this. That's my current theory. So they said that I was a winner after I gave them my name (and nothing else! Rule number one of possible scams, don't give out more than your name!) and my number. 

So the lady said I was a winner. She then set up an appointment at the actual dealership. I'll be gone on a trip for most of the timeframe, but I managed to squeeze in on the last day. So now there's three possibilities. Number one: they'll tell me that I can't claim my prize without buying something. Number two: it's a sophisticated scam of some kind. Number three: it's real. 

And the place is fifteen minutes away by foot. So there's no harm in actually going as long as I make sure not to buy anything I don't want to and not to sign anything that isn't a fat check. 

To make absolutely sure that this wasn't, like, a stupid prank, I called the car dealership in question on their website-posted phone number. I then asked the guy who answered if the deal was real. They said it was real. The flyer looks really tacky, but there's a picture of a lady who apparently "won" the last game. 

One other thing that makes me think this is legit: the flyer has, under each possible prize, "odds of winning is one in 80,000." Anyone not required by law to put that on the flyer wouldn't. That's my current theory at least. And then there's the little electronic number thing. No one would pay for that if it wasn't real, right? 

Does anyone who reads this have experience with Kunes County Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Elkhorn? Or with mail in surprise lotteries like this one? I've done some looking online and I can't seem to find anything on this specific prize drawing. If I'm wrong, the worst that can happen is I spend an hour walking to the place and back.

I need a reality check here. Am I getting my hopes up? Because they say that if it's too good to be true, it probably is. 

In any case, this will be a fun adventure and I'll be able to tell a great story of how I almost got scammed by junk mail. Or I'll walk away with a new car (or a pair of airpods.) 

The Lesser One Arc 2 Version 2 Chapter 25: Silence

 

Silence

After work the next day we group up with Mandrake and one other Bright. It’s Ari. She’s wearing a very flamboyant dress with lots of fluff and curls. She waves a paper fan in front of her chin.

“Oh.” She smiles. “I really am glad that I get to observe you better.”

“It’s my pleasure.” I bow.

Mandrake looks between us. “Okay. Are we ready to head out? Just remember that Deeve is a nasty fellow. He probably won’t let us enter his sanctuary without a fight.”

“We’re poking the dragon, aren’t we?” Ari continues waving her fan.

“Indeed.” I turn to Sebastian. “Try to curb your hatred for devils while we negotiate. If things go south, then we can fight our way out. But until then, don’t attack anyone.”

“As you wish.” Sebastian bows.

We get into the limo. Just as we are about to pull out, Esla runs from the Esmex building.

“Take me with you!” She waves her bionic hand, which is covered by a leather glove.

I nod. “Let her in. She could be useful with that divine hand of hers.”

Esla reaches the limo and opens the door. “Thanks.” She steps inside. “I know you’re doing something dangerous, but it’s my job to make sure you don’t get killed out here.” She pauses. “Where, exactly, are we headed?”

“To the base of a powerful villain.” I look out the window. “We need to negotiate with him about opening a portal to hell.”

“Wow.” Esla whistles. “That sounds hardcore.”

“Yep.” I can’t help but smile at that. “It sure is hardcore.”

Esla holds up her hand. “Keep us safe, handy.”

“Handy?”

“What, doesn’t an arcane magical artifact need a name?”

“But, Handy?” I chuckle.

Esla glares at me. “Don’t criticize my naming choice.”

“Fine, fine.” I open the mini fridge. “Something to drink?”

“I would ask for alcohol,” Esla shrugs, “But I imagine that I’ll need my senses around me where we’re going.”

“Good.” I hand her a diet cola. “Drink this.”

She pops it open. “All righty then. Fill me in, as much as you can, on this secret organization of yours.”

“First off, it’s not mine. I’m not a part of it yet.” I turn to Ari. “Second, these people here can give you a much better overview than I can.”

“Right.” Esla bows. “Nice to meet you. We’ve met, Mandrake, right?”

Ari waves her fan. “And my name is Ari. It is so nice to meet one of Markus’s friends.”

“So what can you tell me?” Esla folds her arms.

“We are the keepers of a great secret. The secret behind the portals and spirit magic.”

“Wow. So there really is a secret behind them.” Esla raises an eyebrow.

“Right. We can’t tell you anything about it, and probably never will, but just know that we are the people who know what’s going on.”

Esla sighs. “Yeah, I figured I’d be in the dark on that point.” She shrugs. “But what else can you tell me?”

“There are seventeen of us, separated into three camps. The Brights, Darks, and Grey. I’m one of the Brights, and we believe that the powers we hold should be used for the good of society. The Darks believe the opposite, that their power should be used to subjugate and produce personal wealth.”

“Ew, I already hate these Darks.”

“They’re human just like you and I.” Ari waves her fan. “And then there’s Grey. We don’t know much about him.”

“Right.” Esla looks at me. “So you’re training to be a part of this organization.”

“Exactly.” I nod. “I need to gather votes if I want to join.”

“How many have you got?”

“Eight. I need six more.”

Esla grins. “Well, eight is a lot!” She looks at Mandrake and Ari. “Especially for monsters like this.”

“Oh, you have a discerning eye for spirits.” Ari collapses her fan. “My spirit is the dictionary.”

“So you can have spirits like that?” Esla tilts her head. “That’s kind of a vague spirit.”

“It means that I understand language better than most. I speak eleven of them and it’s very easy for me to learn a new one.” She covers her mouth with her palm. “Oh ho ho.”

Esla smiles. “That’s great! I wish I had a spirit that would make me smarter.” Her hand shines through her glove. “Whoops. I have to be careful about that. If I use this thing too much I can cause reality tears.”

Mandrake narrows his eyes. “I was wondering, but that’s a God Artifact, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.” Esla takes off her glove to reveal the golden hand. “But it’s a weak one. I wished for a swordfish and I got this.” She holds out the swordfish pin. “Reality was warped, I guess, but it resulted in a weird interpretation of what I said.”

Ari holds out her hand. “Do you mind if I take a look at it?”

Esla puts her hand in Ari’s palm. “Careful. My nerves are attached to it.”

“I’ve never seen a God Artifact like this before.” Ari turns Esla’s hand over. “This is, indeed, one of them, but it’s very unconventional.”

Esla withdrew her hand. “Yeah. The only thing it seems capable of doing is letting me find twenty bucks on the ground.”

“Right. You must be very careful when operating God Artifacts.” Ari turns to Mandrake. “Am I right?”

“Of course.” Mandrake folds his arms. “We don’t know much about God Artifacts. All we know at the moment is that they have the capacity to bend reality. How did you come across it?”

“Markus made me a new hand after I lost my original.” Esla holds up her bionic hand. “He used his anima to conjure me a new hand, with Sage’s help.” She lowers her hand. “When we tried to upgrade it, this happened.” She shrugs.

“Then, Markus, you have the ability to create God Artifacts?” Mandrake looks straight at me. “You should keep this a secret. Always. God Artifacts are as dangerous as they are rare.”

“Right. I’ll keep it a secret.” I hold my hands up. “I won’t sell it to anyone and I won’t tell Dr. Barrimore about it.”

“Good. I don’t believe Dr. Barrimore would misuse this information, but he is a scientist at heart and will surely want to investigate. This is a door that is better left closed.” Mandrake turns to Esla. “Figure out a way to hide that hand.”

Esla takes her glove off. “It just looks like a regular bionic hand right now. That’s what I’m going to tell everyone.”

The hand did look as normal as a fully functional bionic hand could.

“Okay. This information stays inside this limousine. If this gets out, bad things will happen.” Mandrake folds his hands. “On to the more pressing matter. Deeve’s hideout is in the countryside about a hundred kilometers from here. He’ll know we’re approaching once we break the ten kilometer mark.” He leans forward. “Until then, we have time to strategize.” He pulls out the retractable table underneath the seat and places a map on it. “Here is our entry point. It’s bound to be heavily guarded.”

“Can’t we just ask Deeve for an audience?” I examine the map.

“He doesn’t work like that. He won’t let us meet with him without testing our mettle first.” Mandrake points to a location on the compound. “We’re being assisted by an SAS squad. They’re going to act as decoys so that we can get deeper into the compound.”

“Won’t they want us to arrest Deeve? Considering all the damage that he’s caused?”

Mandrake shakes his head. “No. Deeve, not to mention every other Dark, has various operations in place to prevent that. It’s safe to say that every level of government has been infiltrated.”

“Wow. So these guys really do run an international crime ring.”

“Exactly. They split territory among themselves, but they are pretty much immune to any charges we could levy against them.” Mandrake points to a small dot on the map. “There’s a secret entrance to Deeve’s stronghold. It’s a dangerous route. We don’t know what kind of monsters could be down there.”

“So we’re basically sneaking in.”

“He’ll know we’re coming. He just won’t expect us to go this way.” Mandrake points to the center of the map. “Deeve’s personal living area is right here. If we’re lucky, this is where we’ll find him.”

“What if we aren’t lucky?”

Mandrake shakes his head. “We’re just going to have to hope that Deeve is where we think he is. We can cross that bridge when we get there, if things go wrong.”

“We need to address that contingency.” I put my palm on the map. “We can’t just leave things to chance.”

“Good, good.” Mandrake appears pleased. “I was testing you there. Of course I’m going to tell you exactly what we’re going to do if he’s not there.” Mandrake points to Ari. “Part of her spirit is psychometry. That means that she can hear words spoken in a room at least a day before. Combine that with her ability to track words like a bloodhound tracks smells, and we’ll be able to find out where he is.” Mandrake folds his hands.

“Okay. I got it.” I look out the window. “About the SAS troops serving as a divergence. Why are they helping us?”

“Deeve is a registered terrorist. After all he’s done, after all the people he’s killed, the government wants to get rid of him once and for all.” Mandrake shrugs. “I told them that it would be impossible, but they didn’t listen. You can’t kill Dark with conventional means. You can’t even lock them up. Not even in The Fortress.”

“I’ve heard you mention that before. What is it?”

“It’s a prison for high level spirit users. No ordinary jail can contain a spirit user with more than a thousand year spirit ring.”

“So when we get to Deeve, what are we going to do?”

“Truth be told, he left us a challenge.” Mandrake crosses his arms. “Catch me if you can. If you can’t I’ll destroy London.”

“What!” I open my eyes wide. “Why didn’t you tell us this beforehand? An entire city is on the line and we’re only getting a couple special forces troops to try and stop him?”

“I know it’s a surprise.” Mandrake shakes his head. “But we can’t know if he’ll act on his threat.”

“He will.” Ari waves her fan. “He will destroy London if we don’t act upon his challenge.”

“Okay. This just upped the stakes.” I lean forward. “There has to be something we can do while we drive there. Some sort of plan we can put before we enter this secret passage.”

“It’s straightforward. There won’t be a second chance, but there’s really not much we can do before we get there.” Mandrake shrugs. “Like you, I don’t have any military training and I don’t know enough about infiltrating mob strongholds to know what it’s going to be like.”

I grit my teeth. “Okay. I get it now. We’re on edge and if we make a mistake, game over.” I lean back. “It’s fine, it’s fine. We’ll just play it by ear, right?” I shake my head. “Wow.”

Sebastian turns to look at me. “Despite how it may seem right now, you are in the hands of some very capable people.”

I look out the window. “I know. I’m just worried that we might not be prepared enough.”

“We’ll never be prepared for everything, if that’s what you’re getting at.” Mandrake puts his hand on my shoulder. “Just trust us to get things done. When the going gets tough, we’re going to rely on you and you’re going to rely on us.”

“I get it.” I put my chin in my hand. “I’ll try my best whatever happens.”

 

The Lesser One Arc 2 Chapter 24: Arbitrary

 

Arbitrary

“Markus!” Esla approaches me. “It’s been, what, a day or two since I last saw you? And now you’ve ended up being part of a major shootout?”

I put my glass away. “It tends to happen around me for some reason.”

Esla scoffs. “Yeah. I know.” She takes a champagne glass from a roving butler. “Cheers.” She downs the glass.

“So what have you been doing?”

“Sneaking.”

I chuckle. “Well, I’ll fill you in on what’s been happening to me.”

I tell Esla about what I’ve been doing over the past two days. She taps her bionic hand’s index finger against the glass she’s holding in her real hand. It seems like a tic of some kind. When I’m done, I ask her.

“How has your new hand been treating you?”

“I’m two thirds through the manual.” Esla sighs. “Man, there’s so much cool stuff inside this.” She flicks her finger and a small flame appears on her index finger. “Go go gadget, right?” She extinguishes the flame. “I’d thank you, but the problem is that I get pains every now and then shooting through my wrist.”

Sage? Can you diagnose and fix it?

Sure. I know exactly what’s wrong.

I smile. “Come to the lab after the party and I’ll fix it for you.”

“Thanks.” Esla grabs another flute of champagne. “I’ll probably have some trouble taking this through airport security. It’s not like I can just take it off, right? It’s embedded in my nerves.”

“We can get you an exception.” I turn to Sebastian, who is never more than a few meters away. “Hey, can you get your people working on a way for Esla to take her flight home? Her bionic hand might be a problem.”

“We can charter a private jet.”

“That’s overkill.” I frown.

“No, it’s not. We were planning on doing it anyways to get you home. With all the attacks that have been happening recently, there’s no saying what could happen. I wouldn’t put it past some of these guys to shoot the whole plane down just to get you.”

I shudder. “Yikes.”

Esla looks at me with a confused face. “It’s that bad?”

“Yeah. It’s that bad.” I shake my head. “I’ve been attacked more times than I can count here.” I pause. “Though I think it will get better when I, uh, I get a certain position. You know, at the organization.”

“Right.” Esla downs her champagne. “Anyways, what can you tell me about this Alice girl?”

“Why do you care?”

Esla appears hurt. “You know, never mind. I’ll figure I out on my own.” Her face is pouting.

“Ma’am,” Sebastian takes the champagne flute from Esla’s hand. “You probably shouldn’t drink any more tonight.”

Esla sighs. “Sure, sure.” She sniffs. “But man, this food is good stuff.” She grabs caviar from a table. “I mean look at this stuff!” She eats it. “Not very good. I was expecting it to taste like unicorn golden marshmallow. It tastes like fish.”

“Yeah, that’s caviar for you.” I take a small sandwich from another table.

Esla, of course, appears a bit drunk. No one is paying attention to the fact that she’s underage. It doesn’t seem to matter here.

I socialize, begrudgingly, with the big shots that are gathered here. I’m the star of the show, after all. I get a lot of compliments about my ability. Of course I would; it’s going to earn everyone here a buttload of money.

As soon as I can, I retreat into a corner and sip my diet cola, watching the proceedings from afar. Esla is as outgoing as ever. Which is probably a good thing, as the connections she’s making here will really help her in the long run. Like, if she needs an internship at an adventuring guild. A professional one. Not like how it works at Ixtham.

Crayton walks over to where I am standing. He stays beside me for a minute without saying anything.

“So.” He lets the word hang. “I know that you’ve been experiencing trouble recently with a terrorist organization.”

“Right.” I shake my head. “I can handle it on my own, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Oh, no, I know. I was just wondering how in the hell you’re still alive after all those attacks. There was the gunning of the Penthouse Restaurant, then there was the break-in at my apartment, and then there was that shootout just earlier today. What in god’s name is keeping you alive?”

“Frankly, I don’t know myself.” I shrug. “I have a lot of people helping me, of course, but in the end I think I’m just a really lucky guy.”

Crayton raises his glass. “Cheers to that.” He nudges me with his elbow. “Go out there and have some fun. There are a lot of interesting folk around here. They’re not all stuffy aristocrats.”

I sigh. “Okay.” I then proceed out into the main room to do some more socializing. Of course I find it boring and useless, but I do it to keep Crayton off my back.

When the night is over, I take Esla to the lab. Sebastian and Tia come with me, and several devils stand guard at the door.

Esla lays her hand on the operating table. I put Sage’s console right next to it.

“Hm, hm.” Sage’s emoji face narrows its eyes. “Yes, indeed. Tia?”

“Yes.” Tia walks up to the operating table. “What do you need?”

I roll the projector screen up to the table. Sage’s console projects onto it. Sage beeps. “This is what needs fixing. Can you do it?”

Tia nods. She holds her hand over Esla’s bionic limb and starts singing.

Something explodes. Tia is thrown backwards by the force. Esla’s hand shines like a fireball.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Esla grips her hand. It gets even brighter, brighter than the sun.

Even behind my closed eyelids, I can feel the intensity of the light. Then it fades away. The room is pitch black even with the lights on.

“Esla? Are you okay?” I hold my hands out in front of me as I try to find my way to the table.

“It’s fine!” Esla’s voice comes from my right side.

I walk towards it, bumping into her. She grabs me and hugs me.

“Markus, what happened?”

“I don’t know. Sage?”

Sage beeps. “A singularity.” Her voice is electric. “I was not expecting it to happen now.”

My vision begins to come back. I can see Esla’s outline on the table. Her hand is formed of pure gold—or at least that’s what it looks like.

Esla lifts her hand and stares at it. “What just happened?”

Sage whistles. “The anima density in your bionic hand reached a critical mass.”

“What does that mean?” Esla continues to stare at her hand.

“It means that your hand has become a celestial artifact.” Sage’s voice is filled with awe. “In all my years, I have never seen one being born.”

“Again, what does that mean?” Esla lowers her golden hand.

“It means your hand is worth more than the entire net worth of planet Earth.” Sage’s emoji face grins. “You’re lucky. Most people would have been killed by that.”

Esla’s eyes are wide. “What can I do with it?”

“You can make COMMANDS.” The word “command” floats across Sage’s screen.

“Commands?” Esla lifts her hand. “Um, I want a swordfish?”

Esla’s index finger on her bionic hand blips with a blue light.

Sage laughs. “It won’t happen immidiately, of course. Unlike Markus’s anima, which creates an object in the immediate moment, a Command Device warps reality to give you what you want.” Sage shakes her head. “Even though it is a celestial artifact, it’s a pretty low power one. So don’t try and snap away half of the population of the universe.”

“Yeah, otherwise we’d have to gather a team of superheroes to stop you.”

Esla lowers her bionic hand. “Okay. I didn’t really want a swordfish. Will I have to build a fishtank for it?”

“You must live with the consequences of whatever you wish for.” Sage’s console lights up with various colors. “Please, don’t misuse your power. Even now I’m doing the electronic equivalent of a cold shiver.”

Esla raises her hand. “Don’t worry. I’m a good guy.”

The door opens. A devil walks in with a package. “A box from Esla’s grandmother?”

Esla takes the box. “Thanks?” She blinks. “What the heck?” She opens the box.

Inside it is a swordfish keychain and a note. Esla reads it. “I got this on my vacation to the Bahamas. I hope you enjoy it.” She raises an eyebrow. “My grandma went to the Bahamas last year.”

I laugh. “Well, you got your swordfish.”

“How in the world did it get here?” Esla frowns. “Oh, right. I told Ixtham to reroute mail to London while I was here. I’m expecting a package and I don’t want to wait for it. But how did it find me here?” Esla appears very confused.

“That’s the power of the command device.” Sage’s voice is smug. “Now that we know its power, I must ask you. What do you plan to do with it?”

“Help people.” Esla holds up her golden hand. “I want world hunger to end.”

The hand bleeps, faintly. Esla lowers it. “There. Was that good?”

“Giving vague commands to a command device is actually counterproductive.” Sage sighs. “But you’ll learn how to operate it eventually.”

Sebastian looks at me and motions. When I point to Esla, he shakes his head.

“Okay, Esla.” I turn to her. “You can speak with Sage here. I need to have a conversation with Sebastian. I’ll be done in a moment.”

Sebastian pulls me into the hallway. “We’ve lost another key.” He shakes his head. “If we lose a third, then the portal to Crazehell will open and the world will be flooded by demons. I don’t want that any more than you do.”

“Crazehell?”

“The home of the demons.” Sebastian looks around. “They’re much different than devils. I am a devil, and thus I am bound by contract. By demons? They aren’t bound by anything.”

“So how much of a problem would this be?”

“A very big one.” Sebastian shakes his head. “We’d do best to nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand. I want us to go on a recovery mission for the missing keys.”

“That means I’m going to have to negotiate with Deeve.” I frown. “Maybe this will give me a chance to get his vote.”

“Right. I suggest you bring some backup. Get some of the Brights to come with you.” Sebastian nods once. “Okay. Set aside some time after work tomorrow and we’ll get this taken care of.”

We return to the lab. Esla is holding up her hand as Sage is lecturing her about how to use it.

“So how are we doing?” I walk up to Esla. “Did you learn something about that hand?”

Esla grins. “This thing is like a monkey’s paw.” She shrugs. “So I won’t use it if I don’t have to.”

I turn to Sage. “Are we good here?”

“Yes. I am printing more documentation for Esla to read over.”

I nod. “Okay. Esla, you look tired. Why don’t you get some sleep and we’ll meet up in the morning. Maybe I’ll show you what I’m doing in the lab.”

Esla nods. “Sure thing.” She turns to Sage. “It was great talking to you again.”

“My pleasure.”

Esla leaves the room.

Sebastian and Tia look at each other. “It would best be time for you to sleep as well. We’ve got a big event tomorrow.”

“Sure thing.” I return to my room.

The Lesser One Arc 2 Version 2 Chapter 23: Thanks

 

Thanks

The battlefield is chaos. Bullets fly everywhere, people scream, blasts of spirit magic scour the air. I am locked in battle with an evil clown. Smoke floats between us. I swing my halberd at the clown.

The clown blocks the halberd with a small star-shaped dagger. His eyes, which are bright red, glare at me. “You’re Markus.” The clown grins, displaying rotten yellow teeth. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“What do you want?” I throw away my halberd and conjure a short sword. The halberd clatters to the ground.

“Me?” The clown licks his dagger. “I just want to cause chaos.”

Sebastian appears next to me, coming out of a ball of smoke. “Demon!” He points to the clown. “I shall be your doom!”

“What, these are demons?” I stand back to back with Sebastian.

“The mortal enemies of devils.” Sebastian flicks his wrist and flaming smoke forms a spear in his hand. “They’re chaos incarnate.”

The clown whistles. Two other clowns walk up beside it. They get into formation and press the attack.

“You handle the center!” Sebastian rushes to engage the clowns.

I focus on the original clown. The clown pulls out three more daggers and then tosses them into the air. They zip around him as his hands become a blur.

I conjure a shield to go with my sword. The daggers fly around my head. Two of them strike my shield, deflecting off the Rearden Metal and changing direction. The clown appears to be psychically controlling the blades.

The clown catches two blades and then leaps towards me. The other two blades fly at me from behind. I duck, conjure a plate at the back of my neck, and kick the clown off his feet. The flying blades clang against my neck guard. The clown trips, falling to the ground. I stab it in the back, ripping apart its clown suit. Blood spatters everywhere.

Sebastian regroups with me, having defeated the two other clowns. He is covered in blood, some of which I think is his. He wipes his mouth. “We’re not done yet.” He turns to me. “But this isn’t your fight anymore.”

A legion of tanks pull around the corner. Hundreds of military police arrive in armored vehicles. Helicopters hover over the street. Two jet aircraft scream overhead. The stomping of boots drowns out the sounds of battle.

The clowns, sensing that they’re losing the advantage, melt away into alleyways and into the sewer through several open manholes.

Sebastian collapses. I lean over him. “Someone! An elf! Get over here!”

Tia arrives by my side two seconds later. “He’s going. Heavy blood loss.” She rips a strip from her shirt. “Hold this while I sing his blood vessels shut.” She starts chanting in elvish and Sebastian’s body lights up.

Sebastian’s eyes open. “It happened again.” He coughs. “I can’t help but get hurt every time we fight.”

“I’m happy to heal you every time.” I lean over Sebastian. “Tia. What should I modify?”

“Here, here. He needs splints. His ribs are fractured and puncturing his lungs.”

I conjure splints and fuse metal with bone. Sebastian coughs again, clearly in pain. Tia sings his wound shut and then wraps it with her makeshift bandages.

Only then does the battlefield seem to come into focus. The ground is slick with blood. There are dead clowns everywhere, as well as some dead demons, dryads, and elves. There are also a large number of dead humans.

The scene is being managed by the military and police. I know I’m not getting out of this one without an explanation. A detective that I recognize approaches me.

“Barley!” I walk towards him.

Barley sighs. “Markus, you’ve gotten caught up in something big again, haven’t you?”

“These things seem to follow me.” I do my best to smile, considering the circumstances.

Barley looks around. “I’m glad I was working a nearby beat. But god, that was some eldritch bull. I’ve never seen a killer clown before today, and now I wish I hadn’t.” He rubs his neck.

I run my arm along my shoulder. “Man, you wouldn’t believe the crazy stuff I’ve been through recently.”

Barley grimaces. “Yeah. You’re probably not telling me the majority of it. I assume that you’ve done some things that you can’t tell me.” He shrugs. “I won’t ask. I have enough work to do on my own.” He yells at a number of lower-ranking officers. “Sorry, Markus. I have a warzone to take care of.” He walks away.

I stand in the middle of the devastation, waiting for someone to approach me. But it seems that the police and military have more pressing things to worry about. After about half an hour, after a few policemen give me the most basic of questioning, I’m allowed to leave. Mandrake, Sebastian, me, and Tia all climb back into the limo. It’s full of cracks, but the thing is bulletproof, so no bullets actually made it inside. We drive away.

Sebastian taps his hand along the bottom the seat. “I …” He frowns. “I’m missing something.”

“What?” I blink.

“The key. The key to my safe.” Sebastian grips the wheel. “I had a key here.”

“What was it for?”

Sebastian grits his teeth. “It was for the Pulumex.”

“The what now?”

Sebastian shakes his head. “The Pulumex. It’s an artifact of great value. I’m its keeper.”

“You never told me anything about this.” I frown.

“I know. It has nothing to do with you. Those demons. They knew what they were doing. They were after the Pulumex.”

“What is the Pulumex, exactly? Explain it to me.”

Mandrake crosses his arms. “Tell us now. We might not have needed to know before, but we need to know now.”

Sebastian keeps his gaze straight ahead, on the road. “It’s a device that opens a portal between Hell and reality.”

“Why were you the keeper of something that dangerous?”

“Jirgrar left the key with me. Five other devils have keys like mine. One needs three to open the safe.” Sebastian shudders. “If they manage to acquire the other two, then an invasion will take place.”

“Well that’s not good.” I look out the window. “But the other keys are safe, right?”

“I haven’t heard of them being stolen.”

“Then we won’t worry about them.” I hold up my palms. “As long as they don’t get the other two, we won’t have to worry about an invasion of crazy killer clowns.”

Sebastian sighs. “You’re calmer than I am.” He shakes his head. “But I’ll do as you recommend.” He glances back at me. “You do have another thing to worry about, after all. Have you thought about how you’re going to gather the remaining votes?”

“Yeah. If I get votes from the rest of the Brights, and hopefully Grey, then I’ll only need three votes from the Darks.”

“Right.” Sebastian taps the steering wheel. “The Bright votes will be relatively uncomplicated. You’re going to have to head to Hawaii for Robin’s quest, and we have no idea what Grey will want from you, but three more Darks? That sounds like a load of trouble.”

“I know. So far, I know of Ronald, Deeve, and Biren. Biren wants me to wake up Alice.”

Mandrake counts on his fingers. “That leaves Wreck, Generica, and Elina.”

“Okay. That’s seventeen in total, right?”

Mandrake nods. “Correct.” He lowers his hands. “That means that you need to convince half of the remaining Darks to vote for you.”

“I’ve already got four of them to vote for me.” I hold my palm open. “I think the others might be easy enough.”

“You’ve been lucky so far.” Mandrake folds his arms. “You need to take these things with the precautions they deserve.”

“Right.” I wrinkle my nose. “It’s Grey that I’m most worried about. I really wonder what he’s going to want from me.”

“Right.” Mandrake sighs. “He’s an oddball. I really don’t understand him at all.”

“Well, we can just ask him the next time we see him.” My phone rings. “Do you mind?”

Mandrake shakes his head.

I answer. “Hey. Crayton?”

“Yes. Markus, there’s going to be a dinner party tonight to celebrate the release of Rearden Metal a month from now. I know you won’t be here then. Please arrive at the Esmex ballroom, dressed appropriately, by seven. Thanks.” Crayton hangs up.

I put my phone in my pocket. “Looks like I’m going to a dinner party.”

“Of course.”

We pull up to the Esmex building. I enter, take the elevator to my room, and then dress for the party. A few hours remain, so I spend them playing Jenma with Mandrake and Sebastian. We play a version of the game known as Domination, which is multi-player. As always, I lose.

When it’s time for the party, I makes sure I look the part, and then we take the elevator to the ballroom floor. There are important-looking people already arriving. The inside of the ballroom contains a number of tables with refreshments on them. There is a large dining table at the room’s center.

I see Crayton. He approaches me, holding a wine glass. “I never really got to thank you for saving me back then.” He takes a sip. “That’s just another thing I have to be grateful to you for.”

“It was nothing, really.” I do my best to smile.

Crayton motions toward the crowd of wealthy people. “You’re the star of the show, Markus. You’re the guy who invented the metal. I hope I’m not putting you up to too much, but if you’re up for it, I’d like for you to give a speech before the meal.”

“Okay.” I look around the room. “Do you have anything non-alcoholic?”

Crayton motions to a butler. He whispers to him. The butler nods and, two minutes later, returns with a fancy glass full of sparkling grape juice. Crayton winks at me. “You can’t be too careful, can you?”

I take the glass. It’s actually really tasty. I shoot the breeze with Crayton for about ten minutes before Crayton bows, walks to the front of the table, and addresses everyone.

“We are here today to celebrate the launch of a new enterprise!” He raises his glass. “I know a lot of things have been happening in the city recently, but now is a time to forget those things and enjoy the evening! We are running a charity raffle at the table near the door. Please talk to Janice if you want to know more. In other news, Rearden Metal is about to enter production at a large scale! Our profits are expected to rise by at least twenty percent!”

The crowd claps.

Crayton lowers his glass. “I know I’ve been a bit scatterbrained since my daughter went into a coma. But I want to tell you now, that from here on out, her condition won’t affect my organization or running of this company. I am fully committed to my role as CEO of one of the biggest companies in the UK, nay, the whole world.” He smiles, and motions with his hand. “I hope you have as much fun tonight as I will.” He nods his head and steps down. “Now, to give you a little taste of what he’s up to, here’s the star of tonight’s show. Markus Red.” Crayton motions to me.

I step up to the plate. “Um, thanks.” Crayton hands me a microphone. I speak into it. “I, uh, I really didn’t expect to be here tonight. I’ve been working hard to bring you, the, uh, the best product that I can.” I nod, smile, and then step down. There is a spattering of applause.

Crayton leans close to me. “You did fine.” He bumps me on the shoulder.

I do my best to grin. “Thanks.”

 

24

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The Lesser One Arc 2 Version 2 Chapter 22: Shadow

 

Shadow

We dive deeper into the furniture store. The selection of furniture on sale is getting stranger. Pieces of furniture are made of watermelon, bone, and pure black obsidian. There is an aura about us of emptiness, a liminal space between the walls of reality.

We reach a crossroads. There are three branching pathways that we can take.

I look left, and then right. “I hope you brought some way for us to get out.”

Blake nods. “I’ve been leaving a trail. But it probably won’t help, as this dungeon is always shifting. The way we came in won’t be the way we’re getting out.”

“So we’re screwed.” I take a step forward.

Something screeches. In the distance, a wail rises, one that sends shivers down my spine.

“What the hell is that?” I shudder.

“Something bad, I presume.” Mandrake pulls a gun out of his coat. He checks it and pulls back the catch.

I conjure a gun as well. Blake brings back his large kitchen knife. We continue.

A shadow is cast on the wall from around a corner. Blake ushers us into a cove where a bunk bed is being displayed.

A beast of unimaginable terror stalks past us. It stands on two legs, and clicks its jaw like an insect. Its tail sweeps back and forth. All I can see is the lower half, but already I know it’s a formidable monster. One that we probably shouldn’t face head-on.

The monster stops, sniffing. It turns around. Its feet slap the floor.

Mandrake holds his hand to his mouth. Blake keeps his finger at his lips. I nod once, pushing myself deeper into the corner of the bedframe.

Something clatters in the distance. The monster growls, and then stalks off in the direction of the noise. When the monster is far enough away, we all let out breaths of relief.

Blake wipes sweat away from his forehead. “I was not expecting that.”

Mandrake stands up. “We’re going to have to be much quieter form here on out.”

We crawl out of the bunk bed and look at each other. We nod. Then we start walking.

The display rooms never stop. There are always new pieces of furniture to put on show. The lights above us are soft, illuminating the floor with that atmosphere one gets in an empty supermarket.

There is a clatter in the distance. Mandrake and Blake stop, taking up defensive stances.

“More of those kettle monsters?” I look around.

Mandrake shakes his head. “I do not think these are the same kind of beings we fought before.”

A walking alarm clock clambers to the top of a partition and looks down at us. It speaks with a ringing voice, reminiscent of a synthesizer.

“Recognized individual. Proceeding to implement security measure four.”

“Security measure—” We are teleported to a gigantic open room filled with cardboard boxes. They are stacked high enough that I can’t see the top. There is a fog that permeates the upper levels. I feel mist gathering on my arm hair. I feel as if I am in the middle of a dream.

A voice speaks from above. “Greetings. My name is Robert. I am the owner of this establishment. Please state your reasoning for entering my store.”

Blake looks up, turning around as he does so. “We came here to speak with you. We want to know more about the furniture that you create?”

“You are not searching for lost riches or a killer deal?”

“Um, no.” Blake rubs his neck. “I just want to talk with you.”

“Very well then.”

A shadowy figure floats down from above. It is a being of pure black, with a smoky outline that distinguishes it from the background. It folds its hands. “What do you wish to ask.”

“I want to know. I want to talk with you about furniture. You see, my spirit is furniture.” Blake bows. “I idolize you. You are someone who managed to create all this furniture. I really want to get to know you.”

“You wish to speak with me? You braved the labyrinth just for that?”

“Yes.” Blake smiles. “So I have a question for you. Where do you get your inspiration from?”

I look at Mandrake, and he shakes his head. We both shrug.

Blake kneels before the shadow. “I love furniture. I live and breath it. I would love to live here for some time and be your apprentice.”

“You flatter me.” The shadow appears to be a little surprised by Blake. It leans its chin on its fist. “But I must warn you. This place is magical beyond my control. There are beings here who grew from the aether surrounding my construction.”

“Right.” Mandrake crosses his arms. “What was with that terrifying monster that almost ate us?”

“Oh, you’re speaking of the Guardian. Well, I don’t know where he came from, but he’s a really good guard dog.” The shadow sighs. “Fine. What is your name, person who seeks to be my apprentice?”

“Blake. It’s nice to meet you.” Blake extends his arm.

Shadow shakes Blake’s hand, leaving behind a layer of soot on his skin.

Mandrake and I share another glance. Mandrake turns to the shadow. “Can we go home now?” He raises an eyebrow.

The shadow leans back. “Sure, sure.”

Blake holds up his hand. “Wait. Markus, you helped me out. In return I’ll give you my vote.”

The shadow chuckles. “Yup.” He snaps his fingers and the two of us, Mandrake and I, pop into existence outside the furniture store.

Mandrake puts his hands on his hips and sighs. “Goodness.” He shakes his head. “Blake is always doing weird things for his passion. He really got himself into something big this time.”

“Do you think he’s going to be with that shadow person for a long time?”

“Probably.” Mandrake turns away. “Well, kid. You got another vote. How many is that now?”

“Eight.”

“Six more to go then, lad!” Mandrake slaps me on the back. “In any case, you’d probably go catch up with your butler and your employer. They’re probably wondering where you went.”

I check my watch. “Well, only ten minutes passed. Even though we spent hours in there.”

Mandrake checks his watch. “Well I’ll be.”

I call up Sebastian and, ten minutes later, he pulls up to the curb in the limo. We get in.

Sebastian turns around to look at us. “Did you get what you needed?” He appears confused. “I was just driving away and you call ten minutes later. How did you get everything done in there? And where’s Blake?”

Mandrake shakes his head. “Time was dilated in there. We left Blake to be the apprentice of a strange furniture creating shadow. The person who runs that complex.”

Sebastian sighs. “Well, playing around with magic is all and good, but I really think you should stop getting yourself into these messes in the first place.”

“Thanks for the concern, Sebastian.” I grin. “That was easier than I expected. I got another vote, and I got to see a really interesting place.”

Sebastian grips the wheel. “We’re being followed.”

Horns honk, like a circus is on the move. Explosions follow. People scream. Something tears through concrete. There is the sound of a huge motor, like that of a hot rod. Music, like that of a carnival, wafts on the air. Someone cackles.

I look behind myself and burst out laughing. A clown train is on our tail. Unicycles, makeup, balloons, and clown bikes, as well as a clown car with about ten clowns shoved into it.

I rub my hair. “Man, they really went all out on this one!” I laugh again, even though I know this is deadly serious.

“Deeve.” Mandrake grits his teeth. “This is nothing to laugh at.”

“But it’s a clown crusade!” I laugh again, and conjure an RPG. “Eat this, clowns!” I lean out the window and fire the rocket at the clown car. A number of clowns perform a trapeze act and knock the rocket out of the air.

I pull back into the limo. “Well then.”

Sebastian shakes his head. “They aren’t as harmless as they look. Every one of those clowns is a cold blooded killer.”

The clowns bring out a gigantic gatling gun that is painted bright colors and looks like the head of an elephant. They open fire. Bullets crack against the bulletproof glass of the limo. Several civilian cars get caught in the crossfire and spin out, crashing into buildings. The people on the street start screaming, running away in all directions. Sebastian weaves us through the London traffic. He pilots the limo with expertise, threading small gaps and twisting the limo’s body to make it past panicking cars and people.

The clown car, on the other hand, just crunches right over other vehicles with its gigantic inflated wheels. Shards of metal fly everywhere. The clown car spits flames from its numerous pipes. The unicycles are gas powered, pimped out like a biker gangs’ ride, but they’re still unicycles.

Mandrake grips my shoulder. “Do you have the orb on you right now?”

“No. I left it in the apartment.”

“Good.” Mandrake looks behind us. “We can make it through this if we play our cards right.”

A military helicopter flies overhead and gets a bead on the clown car. The clown car opens its top hatch and a missile launcher pops out. The missile fires, streaking through the air and knocking the helicopter out of the sky. The helicopter spirals out of control, slamming into the side of a building in a gigantic fireball.

Several tanks roll up around the corner.

Mandrake clenches his fist. “How did they get here so fast?”

The clown car ejects a fat clown, who springs through the air and lands in front of the tanks. The fat clown rushes the front tank and punches it. The tank’s thick armor buckles and the entire vehicle flies several meters back. It then explodes in a fireball. The other two tanks start backing up. The fat clown grabs a car and lifts it above his head, throwing it at one of the tanks. The tank shoots at the oncoming car, but doesn’t stop it. The car lands on top of the tank and disables the gun. The final tank attempts to run. The fat clown cracks his knuckles and spits on them. Then he rushes the tank.

The tank fires its machine gun at the clown, but the bullets just ping off of the clown’s suit.

“We have to save them.” I fling open the door.

“What can you do?” Mandrake tries to pull me back in. “That clown just took a machinegun to the face!”

I conjure a small dart. “If this penetrates his skin, he’s going down.”

“You won’t be able to!”

I clap my hands together. “Portal beings, heed my call. We need to save the city.”

Dozens of portals open all around me.

Mandrake snaps his fingers. “Got it!” He claps his hands together and even more portals open.

At least forty portal beings step out onto the pavement. In about thirty seconds, we’ve assembled an army. It’s the first time that I’ve called portal beings out in force.

Portals open near the clown car. More clowns step out from them.

Mandrake spits. “It looks like this is going to be a showdown.”

“Shootout at OK Corral?”

Mandrake chuckles. “You got it.”

Several armored vehicles careen around the corner. Riot police pour out from them, even as one of the riot vehicles explodes, throwing shrapnel everywhere.

The clowns, the police, the elves, the demons, and the dryads all rush towards each other. Bullets ping against the concrete. Walls are torn down. A building collapses in on itself. I conjure a Rearden Metal pike and rush into the battle. One clown steps in front of me. The world fades away and all I see is my enemy. I point my pike at him. He runs his finger along his neck. I take a deep breath and charge.

The clown snaps his fingers and dogs rise from the ground. They rush towards me, fangs out, slavering, eyes filled with rage.

I lower my pike and prepare to stand my ground.

 

23

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