by David Petrie
Max smiled. It looked like something out of an old hack and slash game he’d played, the kind of coat a demon hunter would wear. It came down to mid-thigh and hung open in a way that felt aggressively casual. The garment looked light enough to move freely in, but also heavy enough to provide some protection. If Max hadn’t been there for other reasons, he might have been tempted.
Dalliance twirled in place before pulling up the large hood that hung over his shoulders. The instant he did, a wave of darkness swept across the fabric’s surface. He stepped back into a shadow, disappearing into the darkness only to reenter the spotlight a moment later.
“With this contract, you will be immune to any and all darkness-based attacks as well as blend into the shadows, which are plentiful here in Noctem.” He held out his hands as if framing a picture. “Imagine yourself, stalking through high-level areas, nearly invisible. You pass by players and monsters alike without so much as raising an eyebrow.”
He was right. Max could hardly keep track of him as he passed in and out of the shadows on the stage.
“And I’ll add that its stats aren’t half bad either.” Dalliance looked back at the audience over one shoulder as he pulled down the hood. “Plus, the hood will protect your head from taking a critical.”
“I should have waited and bid on that, it would look amazing with your scarf and shoulder holsters, Max.” Ginger looked like she might drool for a moment before collapsing against the balcony railing. “Stupid Yoink, grappling hook. Now I can’t justify spending any more money.”
“It’s okay, I forgive you.” Max rubbed her back as the bidding progressed. He groaned as soon as it finished, with Nix claiming victory. He would prefer the coat to have gone to anyone else. Not to mention it would make his job of catching her more difficult.
Ginger buried her face in her hands for a moment before raising her head again. “Take a note, Max.”
“Okay.”
“Remind me to steal that coat from Nix.”
“Okay, I’ll add that to the to do list.” Max just hoped they would get the chance.
Ginger recovered from her depression just as Dalliance pulled an orange feather from the next box. It glowed with a flickering light that burned from within.
“Next up is the Quill of Rebirth.” Dalliance fanned himself with it. “The Darkness gave this contract after a fight with the Nightmare Orpheus, the embodiment of regret. Its use is actually quite straight forward, in that you can use this quill to edit your journal’s character page, allowing you to rebuild your avatar. Maybe you wish you had chosen a different race, or want to try a new class, or maybe you just want to have different color eyes. Well, you can do that all of that and more.”
“What’s the point of that?” Max furrowed his brow. “You can already change your class and start over at any time.”
“I did that a year ago.” Corvin stepped forward to look at the item. “Plus, the game lets you redesign your appearance once every two years to stay in line with your current age if you choose to. That’s how I got taller.”
“And you could just make a new character if you wanted to try a new race.” Max continued.
“I know what you’re all thinking.” Dalliance held up one hand. “You’re wondering what the point of this contract is if you can already do all that. Well, obviously it has an advantage.” He blew the feather into the air to let it flutter back down. “That’s right, with this little quill, you can do all that without restarting back at level one. Instead, it will keep your current level and allow you to redistribute any upgrade points that you may have used.”
“Okay, that would do it.” Max couldn’t help but think of Kira. If she had a contract like that, she could change to a race that wasn’t so frail. Then he shook his head. She would never use it. The little mage had always liked being a fairy.
“We’ll start the bidding again at fifty thousand, since it worked out well last time.” Dalliance offered the quill up to the bidders. “Do I have fifty?”
Nearly everyone raised their hands, and why wouldn’t they? The contract was essentially a full character respec. That would be useful for any house to have in their vault. The bidding went back and forth for a while but finally ended at just under one hundred eighty thousand. Seven stood proud in the balcony next to theirs, her house being one contract item richer. Max smiled; the low-level mage was starting to fit in with the rest of the auction’s attendees.
The next item up for bids was a ring, nothing too fancy. It just allowed the user to stay underwater without needing to breathe. It would’ve been nice back during the fight with the Deep, but it wasn’t really a necessity. It went for forty thousand to Dartmouth.
After that was a pendant hanging from a braided leather cord. Dalliance announced it as the Heart of Ember. It made its wearer immune to fire while simultaneously applying a massive flame attribute to any weapon held. It was actually pretty badass, but again, it wasn’t a priority. Max was glad to see it go to Seven as well, who was gathering every contract she could for Leftwitch like a good employee.
Dalliance threw open the next box.
“That’s it!” Max lurched forward as soon as he saw what was inside. “That must be what then note on their invitation was referring to.”
“The Duelist’s Manacles.” Dalliance held up a long silver chain with a wicked-looking cuff dangling from each end. “From the Nightmare Monte Cristo, this contract is essentially a portable Thunderdome. Once it connects two players, the manacles won’t open for one hour, or until one of them is dead, whichever comes first. During this hour, neither player may log out or teleport. If you demand satisfaction, this is the way to get it.”
Dalliance swung the chain back and forth for a moment, making a point to make eye contact with Max before opening the bidding.
“Can I get fifty?”
Ginger raised her tile before Max had time to say anything.
Nix did the same.
“I don’t care how much we have to spend, we are leaving with that contract.” Max practically growled his words.
Ginger bid again.
Nix followed suit.
“That contract must be a threat to her.” Ginger raised her tile.
“Good, that confirms the theory that she can’t overpower a contract.”
“Can I get 200 thousand?” Dalliance skipped ahead, clearly noticing the level of interest in the contract.
“200.” Lord Promethium from House Iron Forge joined in. Max shot him an annoyed glare.
“300.” Nix called out with her tile held high.
“500!” Ginger didn’t hold back.
Promethium lowered his hand, the bidding apparently becoming too rich for his house.
“Wow. That’s a new high.” Dalliance pulled the chain taught. “I can’t say this was the item that I expected to go–”
“One million!” Nix cut him off mid-sentence as everyone in the room’s jaws hit the floor.
“Two million!” Ginger answered her in kind.
The theater erupted in gasps and whispers. It was clear no one expected anything to go for more than a few hundred thousand. The room immediately went silent when Nix raised her hand.
“Four million.”
Dalliance let out a sputter and nearly dropped the contract item. A bead of sweat rolled down Max’s forehead as he realized that Nix might have more resources than he thought.
“We might not stand a chance.”
“No, she’s flexing.” Ginger shook her head. “She’s trying to intimidate us. Why else would she go up that much at once?”
Dalliance turned to look up at Lockheart’s balcony for a response.
“I definitely regret buying that grappling hook now.” Ginger whispered under her breath before raising her hand again. “Five million.” Finally, her mouth curled up into a smug expression of casual defiance aimed at Nix.
Max’s heart raced as everything came down to money. They still had a couple million more, but that was it. Then
, Nix lowered her tile.
“You win.” She threw her hands out to her sides. “Good luck catching me.”
Max nearly collapsed to his knees, barely holding himself up on the railing. Ginger did the same, her chest heaving. He understood how she felt. Hell, he’d never been so stressed in his life.
From there on out, the bidding was uneventful. Nothing particularly dangerous came up, and most of the houses present took home one or two contracts each. With no contracts left to bid on, Dalliance closed out the auction.
“Thank you all so much for attending what we hope will be the first of many Auctions of Souls. Please give us a brief recess while we confirm everyone’s account information. We will send out a ping to each of your bidding tiles when your contracts are ready to pick up.” He took a final bow then turned to meet his twin Grindstone back on the floor.
Max leaned on the side of the balcony and wrapped his hand around the dagger sheathed at his side. It felt heavy.
“We’re almost there.”
“What about the PVP ban?” Ginger leaned beside him.
“I’m hoping a certain someone can help us out with that.” Max let his gaze settle on Alistair. “After all, it is his game.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“That wasn’t so bad.” Alastair dropped into a chair to wait for a notification that he could pick up the contract he’d won. “Aside from that Star Burst arrow, there wasn’t much to be afraid of.”
“Yes,” Jeff-with-a-three remained standing to survey the activity below. “It’s almost as if you have been worried over nothing.”
“Still–”
“Excuse me.” Larkin entered through the curtain behind him without warning.
“Oh, hello, Larkin.” Alistair hopped up from his seat. “How is the shop treating you? What was it called, Fashion Souls?”
“Yes, the shop has worked out quite well. In fact, that’s why I’m here.” Larkin looked Alastair up and down. “If you have any free time in the near future, I would like you to stop by if at all possible. I have some designs that would fit well with your rather unique persona.”
“Oh, that would be excellent, I’ve been meaning to visit for quite some time.” Alastair gestured to the crimson eyeliner he wore. “It’s not exactly easy to find gear that matches this.”
“Exactly.” Larkin reached out and clasped Alastair’s hand in both of his, to shake it tightly. “After all, you are the head of Checkpoint Systems, you must take your appearance seriously.” Larkin’s smile faded, leaving only serious frown as he gave Alastair’s hand a final squeeze. “It is of the upmost importance.”
“Yes, of course.” Alastair pulled his hand away, feeling something in his palm, possibly a scrap of paper.
“Excellent, then I’ll see you sometime this week.” Larkin’s smile returned as he slipped back out into the hall.
For a moment, Alastair motioned to look at whatever Larkin had passed him, but stopped just short. Something didn’t add up.
Why would he go through the effort of being secretive when it was only myself and J3ff here? Alastair wondered before coming to the obvious conclusion, that whatever it was, was only meant for him. He shoved the paper into his pocket and unfolded it inside. It was about the size of a page torn from a standard player journal.
Alastair checked over his shoulder, finding J3ff preoccupied with his own journal. Seeing the coast was clear he slipped the page out and glanced down.
Alastair,
Not safe to talk in the open. Jeff-with-a-three is an enemy working for Nix. 90% sure about this. He’s using the PVP ban to keep her safe. Shut it down. Counting on you.
-Max
Alastair’s blood ran cold.
How… How could that be?
J3ff had been one of his first employees, back before Checkpoint’s first investors, when the Somno system was still a mess of wires and data. How could Nix have flipped him? Or worse, what if he had worked for her from the beginning?
J3ff had never been friendly, but he was a professional who had proved himself time and time again.
I trusted him.
The thought sent a jolt of terror down Alastair’s spine.
Oh no!
I trusted him!
J3ff knew everything. Had access to everything. If Max was right about him, then Alastair had allowed a breach in security larger than any he could fathom. Nix could have access to Checkpoint’s entire system, and if Carver was working with her, then there was no limit to what they could do.
Alastair’s hand shook. If Nix could infiltrate the top level of his company, then how many other operatives did she have within his walls? She could even be in Checkpoint’s headquarters herself and he would never know. His stomach lurched.
He was currently sleeping in the building.
Alastair shook his head. No, Nix didn’t have a reason to hurt him, especially if she had gone through the trouble of placing an operative so close to him. Harming him now would be counterproductive, as long as he didn’t let on that he was suspicious.
Damn, who the hell was Nix? How could one person have done all this? More importantly, why did she do all this?
What did she even want?
Alastair took a deep breath, then swallowed down the fear that rolled through his gut, calling back some of his resolve. Max and Ginger were already handling the problem. Finding Nix in the real world was the priority, and they already had a way. They just needed his help, and by god, he was going to give it to them.
“I’m going for a walk on the deck.” He hopped out of his chair as if nothing was wrong.
“Alright.” J3ff continued to watch over the theater below. “I’ll message you when the twins are ready to release our contract.”
“You’ll do no such thing.” Alastair shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “We are aboard the Night Queen, one of Noctem’s most impressive airships. You’ll join me and take in the sights; I’ll not have you holed up in here when there’s something like this all around you.” He gestured out to his sides. “Honestly, you help run an entire fantasy world, the least you can do is go on an occasional walk.”
“Very well.” J3ff sighed. At least he understood that arguing would get him nowhere.
“Perfect.” Alastair made his way to the hall and held the balcony’s curtain to one side to let J3ff pass through first. “Now get out.”
The overly serious elf seemed to suppress an eye roll as he acquiesced. They walked in silence the entire way to the deck before Alastair finally found the right words.
“How did everything get so out of hand?”
“Pardon?”
“This whole thing with Nix and Lockheart.” Alastair blew out a long sigh. “We have some kind of criminal running around in our game, abducting players and manipulating events. If you had told me that a game that I created would have this sort of problem, I might not have moved forward with it.”
“Yes, you would have.” J3ff countered without hesitation.
“I’m sorry?”
“You are ambitious and seldom let fear hold you back.” The elf continued walking in front without looking back. “It’s a big reason why Checkpoint has been as successful as it has been.”
“I suppose so. Though, I’m not sure those traits are really virtuous.”
“It’s not about virtue.” J3ff finally looked back. “The world doesn’t need virtue. It needs progress. And that’s what you do.”
“Yes, but at what cost? Kira is likely dead. And if she isn’t, could she even still be called human after what Nix did to her?” Alastair shuddered, remembering how she had spoken to him just before her disappearance, her voice coming from the tiny speaker of his smart watch in the real world. It had been as if there wasn’t a device in existence that she couldn’t access.
“I think it’s best not to dwell on those we’ve lost.” J3ff stopped by the ship’s railing and stared off into the sky. “I realize how responsible you feel about what happened to Kira, but this sys
tem gives so much back to the world. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made to move forward.”
“That’s horrible.” Alastair’s throat tightened.
“That’s progress.” J3ff swept a hand out toward the stars. “Progress isn’t always kind. The question is, what do you think Kira would want you to do?”
“She’d want us to stop Nix.”
“Would she?” The elf lowered his head. “Kira never seemed the vindictive type.”
“Yes, well,” Alastair glowered at his assistant’s back. “Either way, we have to do something about Nix. Not that we can do anything right now with the PVP ban of yours in the way.”
“I would deactivate it if I could.” J3ff offered nothing more than a shrug. “Unfortunately, I don’t know my way around the GM system as well as you. I could only set it up as a permanent effect. I’ll have to clear my system and reinstall everything to clear it off my character.”
“What?” Alastair’s eyes widened. “Did you set the ban up using your avatar as its center point?”
“Yes. I couldn’t set it to a specific system coordinate since the ship would just fly away from it. Instead, I set it as a radius around my location.
“Why didn’t you say so?” Alastair groaned. “Just log out so the effect goes away.”
“I would, but I accidentally set it to latch onto the closest user if my connection is interrupted.”
Alastair deflated, assuming that there was nothing accidental about it. Clearly J3ff just wanted to make sure Max couldn’t go after Nix. If that wasn’t confirmation that his assistant worked for her, he didn’t know what was.
“That is problematic.” Alastair glanced over the side of the ship at the world below, noting the lights of a village.
“Agreed. So, as you can see, we’re stuck at the moment.” The elf leaned on the railing. “We’ll just have to find a way to deal with Nix without fighting her.”
“Yes, about that.” Alastair suppressed a wry smile that threatened to creep across his face. “There might a way to get around the ban.”
