by Skyler Grant
Endgame
Skyler Grant
Copyright © 2017 Skyler Grant
All rights reserved.
This novel is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and incidents described in this publication are used fictitiously, or are entirely fictional.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, except by an authorized retailer, or with written permission of the publisher. Inquiries may be addressed via email to [email protected]
Cover designed by Grace Zhu (gracezhuart.com)
Editing and formatting by Polgarus Studio (www.polgarusstudio.com)
Electronic edition, 2017
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Contents
Previously in the Crucible Shard
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
The End
Previously in the Crucible Shard
Dungeon Crawl Book 1. Liam, Walt, and Ashley found themselves brought to the Crucible Shard deep in the dungeon of a long-abandoned castle. Liam was a Paladin of the Goddess Yvera and quickly fell in love with her. The group made allies along the way, Maria the Queen of Spiders and Elsora the curse who had befallen the castle. Together they would go on to kill King Leosi and Liam would take over the Kingdom.
Spawn Campers Book 2. The party responds to piracy along the coast. They make new allies upon the Airship Vainglory, Cobalt the Captain who may be the deadliest woman alive, the seer Lea, and engineer Riggs. Together they make allies of the pirates and forge a peace with the Goddess Atlantia. They also learn that Leosi has been raised from the dead, and is now a potent Vampire out to return control of the kingdom to his daughter Maria.
Corpse Run Book 3. The party seeks an answer to the threat Leosi poses, a quest that takes them deep into the deserts in search of Mela, Goddess of Metal. When freed from captivity Mela at once summons a meteor to destroy the world, although when it arrives it turns out to be a ship from another world and entirely a different problem. To put a stop to these growing threats the Elves invade.
Gank Book 4. The party takes the fight to the Elves by going deep into their territory. Those connected with the Goddesses are going increasingly mad. Each finds some measure of sanity in the end, although the means to reach it are extreme. An alternate timeline is formed when Ashley kills Veros in the past, causing her to lose many of the sociopathic tendencies that had come to define her. Mela took Walt’s arm and replaced it with one made of death metal. A victory is finally won over the Goddess of Wood by corrupting her with the waters of Yvera. Yet that only brought on a new peril, Yvera seeming to lose her divinity even while prompts indicated all five elemental deities had been brought into a single pantheon.
Area of Effect Book 5. In the aftermath of Book 4 much is changed. Long in love with Yvera, Liam finds he no longer has the same connection with Yve, the woman his once Goddess has become. Liam journeys to the Silver City where he meets Queen Ashera, mother of Cobalt and Malachite, and complete badass. Finding himself in love Liam is soon drawn into the struggles of the Silver City in an effort to win Ashera’s favor. The AIs of Earth abducted several from the Silver City including Cobalt and used them to create The Nine, clones all possessing the Right of War and the Right of Rule. In the end, he discovers just how much Elsora has been using him in her machinations all along. Increasingly committed to rule of the Crucible Shard he gains the new Mind Games ability.
DLC: Book 6. Liam travels far to the east in search of Veros, ignoring Elsora’s warnings that he shouldn’t go. Upon arrival, he and the others have their memories wiped and find themselves serving a corporation run by fairy tales that is profiting off the deaths of adventurers. Although Veros tried to recruit Liam and the others to his cause they ultimately kill him. In meeting an aspect of the Evil Queen named Silver, he finds her to be an echo of Ashera, and with the knowledge gleaned from her puts together that Ashera and Elsora are two aspects of a single woman warring for control of the universe. Liam being Liam, and having a type, he promptly proposes to Elsora who accepts. Game on.
Chapter 1
A wedding to herald the end of the world. It wasn’t just a metaphor, although if you’d told me when I first logged into the Crucible Shard I’d eventually be getting married there I’d never have believed you.
When I first met Elsora I’d believed her to be the curse inhabiting the castle, mostly because that’s what she told me. Honesty was never her strong point.
Elsora was helping to fit me into the armor before the ceremony. The chainmail was so dark it seemed that light could fall into it forever.
“It doesn’t seem very fancy for a wedding. Are you sure it doesn’t need to be fancier to make it suitable?” I asked.
There was no armor for her, her gown was all in shades of black and purple, and ornate in ways I didn’t know clothing even could be.
“I’m certain. You’re a warrior King and these are times of war. So, have you given any thought to our vows?” Elsora asked.
“It still all sounds a bit mad to me,” I said. Elsora, as she did with most things, had a strong sense of propriety when it came to weddings and vows.
“It may, but there are reasons for it. These things will define us. Bind us. Grant us power and weaken us in turn. We don’t have to state them at the ceremony, they are between us and not others, but we do have to agree to them,” Elsora said.
“So, can you tell me yours?” I asked.
Elsora considered it while she straightened one of my sleeves. “First, the oath of forgiveness. What by all rights I should expect from you, but with free and open heart allow you escape from.”
I found that one of the strangest ones, but in a way, I’d come to understand it as well. None of my friends or allies was perfect, they all came with some big flaws. Ashley had been a dangerous killing machine for a while, Gina was forever screwing me over with wishes, Cobalt sucked us into fights.
“Are you going to forgive me for being an idiot?” I asked. It was only part a joke. It was a challenging thing to be with a woman more clever than you—and Elsora was brilliant.
“No, I expect you to be smart,” Elsora said with a faint smile. “It is fidelity you get a pass on. You’ll continue to fall in and out of beds. I accept that.”
It wasn’t something we’d talked about. I hadn’t really planned to keep doing that after the marriage.
“You don’t have to,” I said.
“I’d not try to keep you from it. If you haven’t figured it out, your infidelity is a part of what defines you,” Elsora said.
“Not my be
st part,” I said.
Elsora smiled again briefly. “No, it is not. Yet I understand and say it now. It is my full expectation that you will continue. I’ll accept it without question or concern.”
That was a big thing to say. It was an uncomfortably big thing to say, especially if these oaths mattered so much.
“I think I know mine, too. I’d like to give you a pass on honesty. You’ll continue to lie and scheme and deceive me, I don’t think you can help that. I accept it,” I said.
Elsora shot me a rueful look. “We’re quite the pair aren’t we? A good choice. Lying is a part of my very nature and while I was prepared to try honesty, I think it would have resulted in long stretches of silence where I said nothing at all.”
She went on, “So, next up is our unreasonable demand. The thing we by all rights have no right to ask of the other, but will anyways. Mine is this. I will involve you in my schemes. Without regard for your feelings or your desires in the matter, I will hatch my plans. You will back them, always.” After saying this, she spun around to study herself in a mirror.
That was one hell of an unreasonable demand. It was one thing to always watch her back or not betray her. Committing myself to always cooperate was something else entirely.
I’d had some time to think about mine. By marrying her I might be picking a side, but that didn’t mean I didn’t still care.
“Ashera gets to live, happily,” I said.
Elsora turned back to me and frowned. “I can’t promise you that, nor should I. You don’t know what you are asking or what the consequences would be.”
“I’m being unreasonable.”
“Fine. The third vow is one we make ourselves to the other. Our own unreasonable commitment. I vow that I shall always treat your children as my own and provide a home for them. There will be no danger in the universe I shall not act to protect them from, and no lengths I’ll not go to in order to help them achieve their ambitions.”
That was another big one, and not an easy one. I only had one child coming that I was aware of, that with Cobalt. Still, I’d fallen in and out of a lot of beds.
“I promise to love you. I have no illusions that you are the villain of my little tale and some terrible things are probably ahead. I’ll love you no matter what happens,” I said.
It was a beautiful wedding. Yve performed the ceremony, as a Paladin of Yvera she counted for clergy. Perhaps it was horrible to have the woman I’d once loved so completely do the ceremony, but we were different people now. Literally, in one sense. I think her tears when the ceremony was done were happy ones. I hoped so.
Many of those we met on our journeys were present. Liara, who remained in her pain aspect, wore a gown of jagged glass shards that cut anyone who got too close. Atlantia and Yvera made appearances as deities, although neither lingered long.
Gina was present, which seemed only fitting—granting my wish had set the time for the ceremony, and was why I wore the black armor.
There were some notable absences. I hadn’t invited anyone from the Silver City where, last they heard, I was still engaged to Ashera. I didn’t even know how to begin the “Elsora is the other half of your mom” speech.
The big powers of the Crucible Shard made an appearance. The new rulers of the Elves were there. Our corruption of the World Tree had changed them physically. With ebon skin and fiery red hair, I almost didn’t recognize them. They got drunk at the reception and started fist-fights with the Dwarves.
Grand Admiral Storm was accompanied by a morose Bull—it seemed Ashley had dumped the burley sailor for Wolf. Nobody blamed her, Wolf was just that badass.
I forgot my lines twice, but covered for it well. I might no longer have a sheet loaded with Charisma, but I still managed to spin a convincing line. Elsora, of course, remained unflappable and gracious throughout every moment.
The wedding night wasn’t exactly new ground. It wasn’t the first time that we’d shared a bed, but something about marriage still made it undeniably different. I’d married this woman, chosen her, and she me. Not chosen for a night, but chosen for a hell of a lot longer.
It was daunting, truly. I’d used to think that Elsora was using me for my proximity to the throne, seeking power and position for herself. I’d felt some guilt about that, but also in a way it made me comfortable—at least I’d known what she wanted. The reality was that she already had massive power, more than any I’d likely ever wield. The dynamic behind our relationship had been inverted.
That was stupid to feel, of course, because it was a lie. Our relationship was exactly what it had always been. I just hadn’t known the truth before. Still, that was exhilarating too, because here was a woman I could be completely honest with, even if she’d never be honest with me.
It had been a strenuous night and I was curled up against Elsora when she elbowed me sharply in the ribs.
“Again?” I asked.
“Hi,” Mela said.
I blinked and opened my eyes to find the Goddess stretched out beside us in the bed. At least she still had her clothes on. Mela looked exhausted. I didn’t even know a Goddess could look exhausted.
“When I said that you could invite women to your bed, I didn’t expect to be in it at the time,” Elsora teased.
“Not interested, guys. I mean, a little interested and I’m totally building an Elsorabot, but I’m not here for that. Earth is dying,” Mela said.
I sat up. When we’d killed Veros we were supposed to have severed the ties between Earth and the greater universe.
“What is going on?” I asked.
Elsora eased out of the bed and slipped on a robe. “The Vainglory is nearly back. I’ll see her resupplied quickly, in case you need to travel.” He stood still, her eyes closed.
Mela said, “What didn’t happen? Things went crazy there a week back. Massive atmospheric discharges of electromagnetic bombs along with a few more conventional nuclear bombs. The Artificial Intelligences are dead, all of them.”
That was unexpected. We’d planned to isolate them from the universe, not kill them.
“Veros must have had a failsafe in the event of his death,” Elsora said, her eyes still closed.
It made sense. “Veros thought there were two great threats that had to be stopped. The first was those other intelligences, the second was Elsora whom he had betrayed.”
“It’s a mess. I was great at screwing with their systems sometimes, but I don’t know how to keep things moving. Earth depended on them and now they’re gone. I don’t know what to do,” Mela said.
I was surprised and a bit touched that she had tried. Mela was never the most caring for human life. If she was trying it had to be because we, her friends, cared about the wellbeing of Earth.
Elsora opened her eyes. “I told the Vainglory to hurry. Lea is docking in the gardens now.”
I brushed a kiss against her lips. “Thank you for understanding. This isn’t exactly a honeymoon.”
“Honeymoons aren’t really my style. Burning moons on the other hand… I just made a joke. You’ll understand eventually. Go, save Earth,” Elsora said.
Chapter 2
Elsora was always efficient and the Vainglory was restocked and ready to go within an hour.
I hugged my way around the crew.
“So, you married the scheming Kingdom administrator and evil curse,” Lea said.
Riggs said, “I like the lass. She pays us well and keeps the pantry stocked with ale. And have you seen the handles on the halberds those castle guards have? First rate work.”
Rigg was the God of Handles. I kept thinking he needed a better shtick, but dwarves were weird.
“It’s complicated,” I said.
“Yeah. It always is,” Lea said.
I guessed she would know. I think she was still carrying a bit of a torch for the fellow who, until recently, was married to her cousin. We’d killed the cousin, which created a nice opening, but probably complicated matters. Not everyone was as comfortable with k
illing as we were.
“I’m just surprised you went through with it. Kept expecting you to make a run for it during the ceremony,” Ashley said.
Yeah, yeah. Me getting married was hilarious.
The Vainglory rose from the garden and floated above Castle Sardonis.
What had once been a shambling ruin when we first came here had changed dramatically. Holding back the eternal night, torches and bonfires lit everything, and the gardens and surroundings were filled with plants and flowers that thrived even under these conditions.
Around the castle was the city. It was originally from the Alkari desert, and being a bit of a were-city the place turned into a predatory monster at night. Still, it ate relatively few citizens and people got used to anything, if you gave them some time.
“Do you know where we’re going?” I asked.
“We took the Vainglory to Earth once before, as you might remember. You, Walt, and Ashley all had some problems then. You’re going to be okay now?” Lea asked.
I’d become attuned to the level of the greater universe since then. I kept calling it a cosmic power although that was probably completely inaccurate. Walt was the same. Ashley was attuned to the Crucible Shard, as was Yve. None of us should have any problems this trip.
“We’re good. Is there anything we need to watch out for?” I asked Yve.
