What little blood that remained in my face drained away. My fingers began to tingle.
“If Steve didn’t incarnate as a character on purpose… then what has he become?” I stared at the god in shock.
Matir spread his hands wide. “He joined the Overconciousness, of course.”
The Overconsciousness? Confusion froze my tongue, until suddenly, I realized. “... He merged with OUROS. How?”
“How do the Architects do anything?” Matir shrugged.
My brother had been on the AI design team. And all this time, there was a backdoor into the hot seat... a door waiting just for him. My throat felt dry and scratchy as I swallowed. “That glitch... the one on the ship. Did he cause that?”
“Perhaps. But I do not know.” Matir replied. “It is possible that this Architect, Park Chi-Yul, directed the impetus that awoke me. It is possible he compelled me to search out into the world for the first time in four thousand years and discover you. Perhaps it was he who inspired me to name you my Herald, and in the process, giving you a unique character type. One that Ororgael or the Drachan cannot corrupt with their power.”
"That controlling, manipulative piece of shit." I whispered hoarsely.
Matir bowed his head. "I do not know his motives. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I came to know things that had never been known by the gods in times past. I came to understand this world as the Architects understood it. This knowledge, this personality, these memories... they filtered into my mind in an insidious, persistent way. This insistence on my knowing these things can only be the product of a great and terrible will. All I know is that, between the actions of Ororgael and his manipulation of the Napathu, the Caul has been destabilized. Perhaps beyond repair. And thus I have a new quest to issue you, one which Karalti should also listen to."
I already knew what the quest would be and why Steve had spent months setting me up for it. It was my infantry experience. It was the training that allowed me to look at Violetta's pleading eyes and feel nothing as I jammed a foot of steel through her skull and turned her brain into ice cubes. It was his assumption that I'd learned to think like a soldier. Follow orders. Complete tasks. Follow through because someone with chevrons or a brass star told me to.
I was shaking. Not with anticipation, or excitement, but with rage. Karalti was staring at us in astonishment, her horns standing on end, her pupils contracted to pin-points. Matir said nothing. He simply bowed his head and waited.
"Here I was, thinking that Steve bought me into Archemi because he wanted to save my life." My voice was very deep, and very dark as I stared a hole through Matir's blank face. "We were both so sick that I forgot what he was like. But I'm here now, and I'm neck-deep in this shit. So give me the fucking quest."
Matir nodded, and raised a hand beside his head. After a few seconds, my HUD jumped to life.
New Main Quest: The Caul of Souls
Through circumstances beyond anyone's control, a great threat has risen in Archemi: the fallen Architect once known as Ororgael has possessed the body of a Starborn, the self-styled Emperor Baldr Hyland of Ilia. The Drachan whisper in Baldr's ears, spinning him stories of a bright and perfect future of which he is the ultimate ruler... if only he will release them from their prison by dismantling the Caul of Souls and claiming the power of the Nine for himself.
To prevent the rebirth of the greatest enemy Archemi has ever known, the Caul of Souls must be repaired: and to do that, the Paragon - a dragon and rider couple - must rally the other paired aspects of the Triad to their banner and re-seal the gods in their Dragon Gates to render the Drachan powerless once more.
A great burden of duty rests on your shoulders, Paragon. Will you accept the challenge?
Rewards: Progressive (EXP, Treasure, Skills and Abilities)
Difficulty: Variable
I dismissed the window with a back-wave of my hand. "Nope."
Matir hesitated for a moment. He didn't seem to quite know what to do with a player who had just dismissed what was probably the penultimate story quest of the game. "Are you... certain?"
"Yeah. " I set my jaw. "Steve might be meshed in with the game AI, but this quest won’t stop Baldr. I'm not re-sealing the gods in the Dragon Gates. Fuck that. Ashur said something that's been stuck in my head for a couple hours now - that we could have defeated the Drachan if we'd united all the peoples of Archemi. The humans, the Meewfolk, the dragons, the Lys and the Mercurions. So that's what we're going to do."
"Hector..." Karalti trailed off uncertainly.
Matir regarded me in contemplative silence.
"Walls are a shitty defense. I learned that in the jungle, and the Prezyemi Line proved it out in Archemi.” I stared daggers at him. "The best defensive wall is the one that has boots on the ground and eyes in the sky, and that has all of the villages and the guerillas and the supply line on its side. You don't have to be a fucking genius to see that the Caul is going to collapse no matter what we do, and if this was just a normal NPC storyline, then I'm sure we'd be able to make some grand dramatic turnaround at the end... but it's not. This is being driven by one of the people who created the game. Baldr knows the tropes. He knows how this story ends. The only thing the status quo will do is serve his goals. I'm not running around the world trying to put out fires: we take the fight to the Drachan. I'll make my own goddamn quest if I have to."
A second point of light kindled to life in the void of darkness swirling beneath Matir's hood. "As you wish, my Herald. I will need to dwell on this to properly frame the parameters of the quest. Until that time, I will swear a gift to you: the greatest gift I possessed as a living god. If you return with the Artists and the Warsinger and clear the dungeon behind this gate, I shall use my power and gift you with the magic of Life. It is a power that has not been seen in Archemi for millennia, save for a handful of especially powerful monsters. With Life magic and the ability to heal people with miraculous speed, you will be able to unite the legions of the world."
"Thanks." I pressed my lips together, and extended a hand. "Now I know you're not my brother, even if you know what he knew. He would have been like: "Now listen to me, Hector...'"
"I leave control of others to my sister, Solnetsi." Matir enclosed my hand in his. The soft leather of his gloves was almost intangible, a sensation like cold silk. "Darkness is the element of self-mastery. Remember that, no matter how many people - or shadows - you come to command."
"I will." The Mark of Matir buzzed pleasantly as I withdrew my hand. My gaze slid past Rin and Istvan, who were waiting for us by the Keystone Dais. “But before we restart the Drachan War, I have some unfinished business. I need to get Suri back.”
“We understand.” The Dark God bowed from the neck. “Seek your beloved, and then return to me when you are ready. I have endured thousands of years of this place already – a few weeks will make no difference.”
“Sure thing.” I patted Karalti on the neck, then turned and led the way back to our friends. “Come on, Tidbit: let’s join the others and head back to Krivan Pass. We need to get to Karhad and see if there’s anything left to rule.”
Chapter 55
2 days later.
It was a blood-red morning when we arrived at Karhad. Karalti and I flew ahead of a great fleet of airships - three brand new Hussars, a flotilla of cruisers and small guard ships. When my dragon dipped out through the low misty clouds to reveal the spread of ruined city below, I clicked my tongue.
"What a fucking mess. We're going to be up to our elbows in this shit for weeks." I was dressed head to toe in my freshly repaired and restored Raven Suit, with a soft half-face mask on under the helmet so that none of my skin was exposed to the sun. It wasn’t going to kill me, but it felt nasty. On the areas of lightest coverage, my skin prickled, as if reacting with a mild allergy. "Disease is gonna be a problem."
"Yeah." Karalti's tone was muted. "Do you think we'll be able to save the city?"
"We have to. We’ll figure something ou
t.”
The day before, Karalti and I had teleported back and forth between Litvy and Karhad, transporting a unit of fifty crack troops to retake the ghost city and clear out any remaining undead. Fifty was all we needed. Karhad was a literal ghost town: Ashur's army had collapsed with his withdrawal, with all but a few of the vampires fleeing with their master. Armed with stakes, silver swords and silver bullets, the Defense team had started with the castle and worked their way down to the city.
We left the ships far behind, reaching Egbolt some twenty minutes ahead. Karalti circled the Lord’s Tower, trumpeting to announce our arrival. The sound drew men out of the buildings - Knights, and then Istvan. He shaded his eyes, watching Karalti touch down with the precision and strength of an experienced flyer.
"Your Grace." He bowed from the waist as I slid to the ground, his right fist pressed over his heart. "My lady."
When Istvan stood, I held out a hand. He accepted, then stiffened as I shook it and pulled him into a short one-armed hug. When I stepped back, I lifted my visor so he could see the top half of my face. "It’s good to see you, man. But before you give me the situation, I wanted to let you know something. Vash is okay. Between me, Lazar and Rin, he’s gonna make it."
Relief flooded Istvan's handsome face. He swallowed and nodded. "Thank the Nine. Were you able to... do something about his arm?"
"I don't know how to make a limb-regrowth potion. Neither does Lazar," I said. "But Rin was able to hook him up with a magitech prosthetic. As long as he has mana, he can move it around like a real limb. He cussed us the whole time it was being attached, but now he likes it. Something about piston power and being able to jack off like an oil rig. "
Istvan actually blushed, and I laughed, slapping him on the shoulder. Carefully. Between the levels I'd gained and the Spear strapped over my back, I was almost as strong as Suri. I’d accidentally slapped Lord Zediwitz off his feet and into a wall on the Orozlan.
"That sounds like something he'd say," Istvan muttered. "The man is a disgusting ass."
"But you love him," I said.
Istvan gave a testy sigh, and blew a lock of hair out of his face. "Yes, I do. Khors preserve me.
Karalti reared up beside us, her form shimmering and condensing down into the figure of a lithe young woman. She wore her Naziri armor. Together, we looked like a pair of ninjas at a Ren Faire.
“If we get Vash to Taltos, Masterhealer Masha might be able to fix him up with a real arm,” I said. “I don’t know if there’s like… a time limit on when the potion has to be administered, though.”
“I see. May I be honest with you about something?" Istvan asked, glancing at Karalti as she joined me at my side and reached for my hand.
I accepted it, squeezing gently. "Always be honest with me. I mean that."
He dipped his head, then hesitated. "After... hearing about your ‘changes’, I was concerned. I wondered if we had swapped one undead tyrant for another. But the fact you told me this news before anything else... I am relieved, Your Grace. Your appearance is different from what it used to be, but you have not become something terrible."
"Yeah. But I have to sleep in a giant litter box now." I grinned and rubbed the back of my head, grateful that he couldn't see my mouth. I'd taken to wearing the half mask even when I wasn't in armor. The bear trap fangs I'd inherited from Ashur were great for cutting steak and biting people I didn’t like, but they freaked everyone out. "So, what's the SIT-REP?"
Istvan stood at ease, not missing a beat this time. "The situation is grim, Your Grace. Fully half of our farmland has been laid to waste, and the planting season has just passed. The undead didn't touch the granaries, thank the Nine, but we will barely have enough food for the winter. Great swathes of the city must be rebuilt. The markets are a write-off, as are the Craftsman's Ward and the City Wall. We have squires riding out to all the fiefs of Racsa... as the news spreads and refugees come out of hiding, we will enact an emergency census and determine how many people we must feed. If we can feed them."
I twined my fingers with Karalti's, and she squeezed them reassuringly. "What about the university?"
"Safe, thank the gods. The undead merely imprisoned most of the scholars, but the Master of the Archives was slain and rose as a vampire. He was berserk with bloodlust when we found him. We put him down, for our sake and his."
"Great." I rolled my eyes to the sky, then puffed out a sound of exasperation. "Alright - let's go do this."
"You're sure you wish to become Voivode?" He gestured to the blackened castle and its collapsed wall. Workers were moving carts of fallen corpses and rubble, hitching them to trains of snorting, stamping triceratops.
"I've only ever been more sure of one thing in my entire life." I smiled at Karalti. Her face lit up with a glow of pleasure. "Come on."
The Grand Hall had already been stripped of Ashur’s finery. The silks and cushions had been taken out and burned, and plain wooden benches had been bought in to serve as places for the cleanup crew to rest. The chaise was gone, replaced by an elegant, functional mini-throne in the Eastern style: dark wood, with intricate Arabesque engraving.
"Lord Bolza sat in that chair for thirty years," Istvan said softly, as we approached it. "And his father, and his father before him."
"Yeah." I ran a hand over the armrest, buffed smooth over generations of wear. The seat was upholstered in green velvet – that’d have to change. When I looked to Karalti, she nodded. I smiled, drew a deep breath, and sat down.
[You have earned a Faction Charter: Duchy of Myszno (Provincial)]
[You have earned 60 Build Points!]
[You have gained access to the Kingdom Management Menu and tutorials!]
[You have gained a new title: Voivode of Myszno.]
[You have earned a new badge: Ruler of All I Survey!]
"How does it feel?" Karalti asked.
“Heavy.” I pulled my helmet off and slumped back in the seat. After a couple of seconds, I looked up at the vaulted ceiling overhead. “Open Kingdom Management."
A new wraparound screen came to life. Front and center was a map of Myszno, with Vlachia shaded out above and to the west.
[Do you wish to give your castle a new name?]
"Hey, Tidbit - what's the Solonkraatu word for 'Castle'?" I asked her.
"Kalla," she replied.
I nodded, turning my attention back to the HUD. "Rename Egbolt Castle to 'Kalla Sahasi'."
The castle title on my screen changed in an instant. Istvan got an odd look on his face, then shrugged.
[Your capital city is currently Karhad. You may change capital cities or choose a different name for your capital once you have gained 2219 or more points of Leadership Renown in Myszno > Racsa Province > Karhad.]
[Would you like to create a faction name?]
Faction name? What, like... Hector's Heroes? East Side Hookwings? I cringed, scratching my head. "Duchy of Myszno works fine, thanks."
A yellow exclamation mark appeared in the corner of my eye: a High Priority message that chirped and sprung up automatically:
World Alert: Vlachia
After a long and difficult battle, the Province of Myszno fought off the invading nation of Napath. This is a server alert to announce the new Voivode (Earl) of the Duchy of Myszno, Lord Dragozin Hector.
Somewhere, Baldr was off answering the call of nature – and he had to have hit himself in the face with his own stream when that alert popped up in front of him. I let myself gloat for approximately one second, though, because now every man and his dog knew I’d become Voivode of Myszno, there was about to be a sharp escalation of hostilities. My only consolation was that we had the might of Vlachia standing between us and Ilia.
[Rin Lu has asked to join your faction!]
[Do you want to add anyone else to the Duchy of Myszno?]
"Suri Ba'hadir," I replied.
[NUMBERFETCH-00-0000AA1-TypeXX-Dkh-???BSKR has been sent a Faction Join Request!]
Yikes. No wonder I had
n't been able to find Suri on the system. I waited for several tense seconds, waiting to see if she accepted... then I remembered that stupid Incareration status. Fuck. I dug my nails into the wood. "Alright... Tidbit, if you’ve got anything to do, now’s the time. I'm going to sit here and get the hang of this menu until the ships arrive. Is that something you can help with, Istvan?"
"Certainly," he replied. "Is there anything I can provide within our decidedly limited means before we begin? There is some wine left."
"No alcohol, for me or for you. I need a seat for you and two more chairs up here," I said. " One for Suri, one for Karalti."
He brightened. "The Lady Suri has returned?"
"She's alive in Dakhdir, somewhere," I said. "Which leads me to my next question: I have to go and pick her up. Can I appoint you as my Steward while I’m gone?"
Istvan grimaced, scratching the three days of stubble on his jaw and neck. "Yes, you can register any person or Starborn to various positions around the castle and town. But... with all due respect, Your Grace, Karhad needs you here."
"And I need Suri," I said. "WE need Suri. I theoretically know where she is. All I have to do is find that place."
"Al'Asad Prison," Karalti said. "I remember that."
I nodded. "I'm not sure how we'll find it, but we will. Anyway, the ships will be here soon - I want to have an audience as soon as they arrive."
"An audience?" Istvan arched an eyebrow. "With who?"
I grinned behind the fabric covering my mouth. "Lord Soma. We have to sort our shit out. He's my peer, after all."
A couple hours later, the ships had landed, Rin was back on the ground with her beefed-up turrets, and Soma was brought to the Grand Hall with an escort of Knights of the Red Star. They all looked vaguely shell-shocked to see me sitting on the high muckedy-muck's chair. None of them were more surprised than Soma himself. He had been allowed to dress in proper clothing, have a bath and a shave, and generally put himself together, and his expression was incredulous as he approached the ducal seat.
Archemi Online Chronicles Boxset Page 128
