Awaken Online: Inferno (Tarot #3)

by Travis Bagwell

  “And this ruined workshop is where exactly?” Finn asked.

  Kalisha turned back to him, her hand waving at the air as she brought up her map. An image of the desert suddenly appeared above the table, the sand stretching far to the north and south. The merchant shifted the display, moving ever further south until she hit a mountain range that bordered the desert.

  “The facility is somewhere in this area,” Kalisha said, a glowing yellow circle appearing on the map and highlighting a patch about twenty square miles.

  “That’s vague,” Kyyle offered. “I thought you said the merchants had been there before. Do you not have a precise location?”

  “We sort of… farmed out the exploration of the facility,” Kalisha replied tentatively. “Unfortunately, our intrepid explorers didn’t exactly make it back in one piece.”

  “She means they hired mercenaries, and they’re all dead now,” Aerys barked. “Typical – the guilds sending others to do their dirty work.”

  Kalisha just met that comment with a smirk. “I’m more of a lover than a fighter myself – and that goes for most merchants. But our sour-faced desert dweller is right. The mercenaries were expendable. However, based on the technology we recovered from their bodies, we can safely assume that they found the workshop. We were also able to backtrack and follow their trail, but we lost it at the edge of the mountains.” She waved at the map. “Thus, we only have an estimate of the workshop’s location.”

  Finn wasn’t focused on Kalisha’s explanation. His eyes were on the map, and his thoughts were racing. He could still vividly recall the images he had witnessed when he had augmented his eyes, replacing flesh and blood with metal and crystal. One stood out now – the entrance to a ruined labyrinth that sat at the base of a mountain. Some of those other images had already come to pass. Had the Seer been sending him a message? Preparing him for this moment? Nudging him in the right direction?

  Although Aerys’ cautious words echoed through his mind. Was this just a distraction? Or a trap? A clever manipulation? Another step in someone else’s game? He chewed on his cheek as he mulled over this new problem. Yet his thoughts were interrupted as a prompt appeared in front of him.

  New Quest: Forging Ahead

  Kalisha has offered the possible location of an ancient workshop that may contain magical technology that will aid you in your fight against Bilel – if it even exists, of course. Interestingly, the merchant’s description matches one of the visions given to you by the Seer. You will need to decide how much you trust Kalisha – and the goddess…

  Difficulty: A

  Success: Find the ancient workshop.

  Failure: Fail to find the workshop.

  Reward: A potential method to protect you, your companions, and your allies against the effects of Bilel’s relic.

  Finn frowned. The quest notification was just the icing on the cake – the game’s way of pushing him a little further in the direction it wanted him to go. He didn’t love feeling like everyone and everything in this digital world was manipulating him, but at the same time, he couldn’t afford to look a gift horse in the mouth – not with what was at stake. If this place offered them an edge in the war that was coming, then the potential benefit outweighed the risk.

  His eyes flicked up to Kalisha. “Does this so-called workshop have a name?”

  Kalisha leaned forward, and a wide grin tugged at her lips. She knew she had him. “It does indeed. We call it the Forge.”

  Chapter 6 - Prepared

  Finn’s fingers moved rapidly, and his mana surged through his veins.

  Flames soon wrapped around the dark metal sphere that floated before him, the fire growing and lengthening as he increased the temperature through each heat rank. Within only moments, the process inverted. The flames shortened in a heartbeat and took on a blueish hue. The metal, now glowing brightly, began to liquefy, forcing Finn to spin the material to keep the molten metal suspended and intact.

  Once he was certain the metal had fully melted, Finn directed the orb with a twitch of his fingers. It rushed through the cavern and came to rest above a column of stone that jutted from the ground – a small hole bored along the top surface. Finn gently urged the molten metal toward that opening, releasing his control slowly and letting the substance drift down into the mold.

  Then he was finished and released the spell.

  As Finn wiped at the sweat from his brow, he turned to survey the room. The former arena where he’d fought the Khamsin had been transformed into a temporary crafting space. Pillars of stone now stood at even intervals along the floor of the chamber, and Kyyle maneuvered between those columns, his staff glowing with a soft emerald light as he inspected the molds. With a swift gesture, he broke one pillar apart, and tendrils of liquid stone drifted back down into the floor, revealing a carefully crafted piece of dark metal armor.

  The pair had been at this task for nearly an hour now – forming the molds, melting down what was left of the dark metal Finn had stored in his bag, and then breaking their creations free of their stone prisons. They had worked in near silence, already accustomed to this process after their time spent in the Abyss.

  Also, Kyyle seemed to sense Finn’s sour mood.

  Finn let out a frustrated sigh and took a seat on a nearby stone bench. It abutted a makeshift worktable, fragments of dark metal armor resting on its surface. With another twitch of his fingers and a muttered incantation, Finn cast Imbue Fire. A sawblade – a souvenir of his time in the Abyss – soon rose from the worktable, and he directed it forward, grinding down the jagged edges of each panel and sending off a harsh shower of sparks. Luckily, he only needed to maintain heat rank level 2 to do this sort of finishing work, which gave his mana pool a moment to recover before filling the next mold.

  It also offered a distraction since the noise and heat helped suppress his thoughts.

  He was worried – with just a hint of anxiety and a dash of frustrated anger thrown in.

  Kalisha had laid out a path forward, a mysterious promise of some sort of ancient crafting workshop that might hold secrets that would offer a defense against Bilel and the relic he now wielded.

  Yet it also felt tenuous – like he was grasping at straws. What exactly did he have to go on? The rumors from a woman who had actively tried to kill him for the last couple of weeks? And a disjointed vision from a manipulative fire goddess? The last time he had followed the Seer’s cryptic nonsense, he had ended up handing Bilel the same weapon they were now working to defend themselves against. Although, to the Seer’s credit, he supposed that move had made him some new allies.

  Maybe. Assuming they didn’t try to kill him as some sort of macabre test. Or sell him out to Bilel in return for leniency. Or kill each other long before they confronted the demon…

  Regardless, it felt like he was guessing – flailing around blindly. And he hated that, especially with what was at stake.

  As he dropped his most recent channel, Finn rubbed at the ever-present ache in his left arm. As though he didn’t have enough to worry about, the magical infection had only continued to spread as he worked…

  System Notice: Infection Status

  Continued spellcasting has caused the magical infection that afflicts your body to spread.

  Current Contamination: 21%

  Intact Najima: 5/6

  Stat Loss: -10%

  Finn had tried to keep his casting to a minimum, which seemed to slow the spread. Even so, the angry red energy now stretched almost to his shoulder. Not that he had much choice in the matter. The bottom line was that Julia was going to need the armor, especially if Finn was down an arm and forced to restrain his casting.

  “Sir, you have a guest!” Daniel reported, hovering beside Finn’s ear, and shouting to be heard over the harsh grind of diamond-like chitin striking metal.

  Finn hesitated, withdrawing the sawblade. Khamsin guards encircled the arena, stone-faced and silent. Finn knew more lingered on the terrace above them – Aerys having
directed those stoic men and women to ensure that Finn and Kyyle had some privacy. At least, that had been her excuse. He suspected she was more interested in making sure that Finn didn’t cause any trouble or try to make a run for it.

  And yet, the older man that stepped into the arena barely glanced at the guards. The other Khamsin did nothing to stop him from entering, either. He walked casually through the spires of stone, surveying Kyyle’s work with a critical eye. His skin was wrinkled and aged, toasted a dark brown by the desert sun. Yet there was a gleam in his eyes that spoke of acute intelligence, one that age had not diminished.

  Kyyle met Finn’s eye, making a quick gesture. Enemy? he was asking.

  Finn slowly shook his head. They would wait to see what this man wanted. The earth mage took the hint and went back to work, keeping a watchful eye on their visitor.

  Someone with influence among the Khamsin. Another clan leader, perhaps? Finn thought to himself. This was the same gentleman Finn had seen watching him from the terrace after his impromptu battle.

  “May I help you?” Finn asked, rising from his perch.

  The older man finally spared him a glance, his expression giving nothing away. “I suppose we shall see,” he replied plainly.

  Finn resisted the urge to sigh, fighting the frustration that already simmered in his veins. More cryptic nonsense. Did no one in this world speak or act directly?

  “Then let me try again, who are you?” Finn asked bluntly.

  “One of the other clan leaders that you have tasked Aerys with managing,” the older man replied. Despite his words, no bitterness tinged his voice. “I am called Eldawin.”

  Finn let out a soft snort. “You give me too much credit. Aerys certainly seems to have her own motivations in all of this,” he said with a wave at the arena. “I’m not sure I would have chosen such a public spectacle as my introduction to the Khamsin.”

  “And how would you have preferred to be introduced?” Eldawin asked.

  “I would have avoided it entirely,” Finn answered immediately. “I realize that I’m an icon for your people – a source of hope. But that’s a double-edged sword. Hope can be useful to prevent despair and keep you moving forward. Yet it can also blind a person to the harsh reality of their situation.”

  Eldawin cocked his head. “More wisdom than I expected from our prophet. What do you feel that our people’s hope has blinded them to exactly?”

  Finn met the older man’s gaze evenly. “That we face an immortal and almost impossibly powerful opponent, and that we cannot fight that enemy alone. Your people seem to have pinned their hopes on me. Many of them view me as some sort of cure-all for your problems. I doubt the reality will be so simple.”

  “Ahh, you speak of the need for a union between the Khamsin and the guilds then?” Eldawin said with a nod, earning him a raised eyebrow from Finn. “Yes, yes. I have heard rumblings about your plans. In such tight quarters, even the rocks have ears.”

  Or, more likely, the guards reported the conversation to you, Finn thought dryly. It seemed the Khamsin weren’t immune to their own infighting and political intrigue – Aerys had already indicated as much. At least I don’t need to be circumspect with my words then.

  “Do you not see the merit of such an alliance?” Finn asked. “Or do you join the others in your belief that I’m some sort of savior – that I’ll singlehandedly topple the Emir?”

  “Neither,” Eldawin replied, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. “I see a possible alliance forged by desperation, an opportunity for the guilds to betray us.” His eyes pierced Finn, staring at him with an eerie, unblinking focus. “Yet it is the union of god and man that most concerns me. Our mutual enemy should be seen as a warning of what happens when we meddle with the natural order.”

  “I agree.” Finn noted the older man’s eyes widen ever so slightly at that reply. “If the Seer is any indication, the gods certainly have their own agenda and play by their own rules,” Finn added, refusing to back down from the older man’s gaze.

  “Yet, what other choice do we have?” Finn asked bluntly.

  Eldawin met his gaze then, and Finn saw a steely resolve lingering in his eyes. “Our prophet could simply… disappear. The Khamsin could retreat further into the desert where we would be undisturbed. Let our enemies weaken themselves while we wait for our moment to strike.”

  “You would make a martyr of me then?” Finn offered with an amused smile, despite the knot of worry that pulled taut in his stomach. This man had just threatened to kill him – even if only indirectly. Eldawin was clearly playing for keeps. “In my world, prophets tend to hold even greater power in death than in life.”

  “Yet a martyr’s power can be shaped and molded by those that remain. Your message would be spoken and interpreted by others,” Eldawin suggested. “Perhaps, in death, your words would urge caution to your followers.”

  Is he really asking me to argue against my own death or imprisonment? The older man didn’t even look worried by what he was suggesting, and the guards hadn’t moved an inch. He wasn’t certain who this man was, but one thing was abundantly clear. Aerys had downplayed Eldawin’s influence among the Khamsin.

  Finn needed to tread carefully.

  “And yet your problems would remain,” Finn replied. “If the Khamsin refuse to align themselves with the guilds, then they will likely lose in a direct confrontation with Bilel. Or they’ll be forced into servitude. Either outcome will only grow Bilel’s strength. You must be aware that he now holds the Seer’s relic.”

  “Something that I believe we have you and the Crone to thank for,” Eldawin commented. He noted Finn’s surprised reaction before he could control his expression. “As I said, even the rocks have ears.”

  “The Seer failed to mention what we were sent into the Abyss to retrieve or explain Bilel’s nature,” Finn said, unable to fully remove the irritation from his voice. “Yet that doesn’t change the situation. If the Khamsin refuse this alliance, they will almost certainly find themselves facing Bilel alone.”

  “Most of our fighters have undergone the purge and are immune to the relic’s power,” Eldawin commented. “Perhaps it is best for us to fight alone, no?”

  “If your people had the strength to overthrow the Emir, you would have done so already,” Finn retorted. He noted just the faintest frown pull at the corners of the older man’s lips. “The truth is that you’re unable to defeat him by yourselves.”

  Finn paused for a moment, mulling on his own words. “My people have an expression. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. It’s fitting here. Allying with the guilds – and with the goddess – is your best opportunity to free the Khamsin from the demon’s influence.”

  Eldawin cocked his head. “These people who are vulnerable to the relic?”

  Finn glanced at Kyyle, noting that the earth mage was following the conversation carefully. “We may have a way to defend against the relic’s power.”

  “That sounds far from certain.”

  Finn shrugged. “A longshot at victory is better than a certain defeat.”

  The older man just watched Finn, the seconds ticking past. Then he gave a single curt nod. “Perhaps. Although, I have lived long enough to see patterns emerge in the lives of both nature and man. The wind always passes through the rock the same way, carving familiar ripples and channels. And now I fear we are making the same mistakes again – embracing one evil to conquer another.”

  A sigh. “However, you are also correct,” Eldawin said. “We must make a choice, even if it is between the lesser of many evils. Let us hope that we are each making a wise decision.”

  With that final cryptic statement, the older man drifted back to the arena’s exit and swiftly disappeared. Finn was left staring after him, his already-troubled thoughts swirling as he tried to process the conversation.

  “What do you think?” Finn asked aloud, glancing to the side where he had detected a glimmer of air mana. He had seen them enter the arena, but his companio
ns must have chosen not to interrupt the conversation.

  “I think Aerys needs to tighten the reins on her people,” Julia groused as the shield of air slid down to reveal his daughter and Abbad standing there. “That man seems to walk unimpeded through this colony, yet I can find out precious little about him.”

  “He also wasn’t shy about threatening to kill you,” Kyyle muttered, wiping at his brow as he approached the group. “So, I guess we have to add yet another faction to this mess – one that’s also a potential enemy. We’re only up to what? Five? Six?”

  Finn locked eyes with Abbad. “What was your impression?”

  The librarian hesitated for a moment. “I think there may be some division among the Khamsin. That man holds more power than is obvious from the surface. I suspect he is permitting Aerys to act on behalf of the Khamsin for now, but that could change swiftly. He will be watching what happens with the guilds and may choose to intervene if he feels it would better protect his people. We should be wary of a dagger in the back.”

  “That sounds familiar,” Finn observed, unable to fully remove the bitterness from his voice. Abbad may have saved them, but he had been playing a double game since before Finn entered this world.

  “Indeed. I speak from experience,” Abbad replied, unperturbed by Finn’s tone. “Yet I also serve as an example. Our allies will always have their own motives, but that can also be used to our advantage. As long as we work toward a common goal, we will remain united. Even Eldawin was forced to acknowledge the necessity of the alliance we are building. We must simply remain vigilant for any change in the wind.”

  Julia let out a snort. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’d prefer it if we got the hell out of this place.” Her voice was bitter, and Julia glanced at the guards that still ringed the arena. “It feels like we’re surrounded by enemies here.”