by Rick Scar
He had hoped for an opportunity to settle his score with Will in the finale, but he hadn’t gotten that chance. Who knew when (and if) he’d get it next time.
After their battle in the arena, Ronald was itching to show all his character had to offer to his greatest rival. But…
“What kept you, Will?” Ronald muttered and yawned, massaging his neck, then switched his PC off. “Are you done?”
“Go to bed. I need ten more minutes.” Kate, his old friend, co-leader, and (for three months already) his girlfriend, was editing the video of him completing Round Four. Without taking her eyes off the large holographic screen, she turned her head for a kiss and, getting it, kept running her gaze over the editing menu.
Ronald lingered behind her back, watching the video and remembering how much trouble it had been to survive that maze. Those fucking collars were really dangerous, but still, he had made it into the finals.
Fixed on Kate’s temple was a chip, the size of a small coin, enabling her to manage her PC, her phone, and all household devices by mental commands, so her work was difficult to observe from the outside.
Having lingered for a while, Ronald touched her shoulder and left for the bedroom. He needed a good night’s sleep before the finals.
***
Will had already left his capsule. Lying in his bed, he went over what he had heard from Nanel.
When he had exited the game, exhausted and barely conscious, Nanel and the Order’s members got attacked by the Latian elite soldiers. God only knew what would’ve come after them if he hadn’t given her the Crystal.
Nanel’s anger, and the truth revealed to her by her sister while she had been hanging over the altar, awoke her hidden powers. And Will came to know the terrible story of her birth.
Even before the Age of Obedience had got its name, and been remembered by the Floor’s dwellers as the dark age of Dolf tyranny, Nanel’s father had committed an abominable crime.
The power he craved was forbidden and required many lives. And Emperor Dlour paid this price with the lives of his people. Legions of Dolves, including Nanel’s biological mother, perished to sate his hunger for power.
Nanel was born in a sea of blood, like a summoned demon, as a child whose destiny was to become an instrument for her father’s conquest of the world.
The mental power of hundreds of thousands innocent victims came together, soaking up into the baby’s fragile body and giving her an incredible power — the Starshine Aura. As the emperor extracted this glow with the help of his wizards, he used it to create the Obedience Crystal.
The mother’s body had been ripped to pieces by the baby’s power. Her father would only see her as his tool, sealing her inside the cradle to prevent her power from fading away. Her birthday had been marked by innumerable deaths. The nameless girl, who had seen and known no evil, had become the reason for millions of deaths and sufferings. Born in the dark, she had lived several centuries in it until the old professor discovered her cradle.
That was what Sansel-Ti-Mitz told the young queen while feeding on her mental energy and torturing her mind. Nanel had been unaware of the power that her body contained; the power that needed but a spark to be revitalized.
And that spark was struck by Sansel-Ti-Mitz. In an attempt to regain her power and youth, she summoned Nanel, sacrificing her innocent descendants just as her father had done. She wanted to drain mental energy from Nanel’s body, and then her blood, believing that it’d restore her youth. Nanel had no idea whether that was another forbidden rite, or just the hag’s madness; craving vengeance, she knew better than waste time on finding that out.
The power of the Crystal had always been her power. The power of her blood that just needed a reminder to wake. And when it was finally awoken, Nanel easily subdued the soldiers who had been sent to kill the intruders, and killed Sansel-Ti-Mitz.
The old Dolf that only had the power of subjugation couldn’t fight a power much greater than hers. Even the mental energy that she had obtained from the rite and sucked out of Nanel didn’t help her. And when the hag croaked her last, Telisssa – for the first time in many years – sensed that she was free.
And this whole process had been started by Will. Since their first meeting, he had been unconsciously paving the path toward Nanel’s becoming what she now was. He had made her stronger, protecting and training her, albeit with a different goal in mind.
As Will thought of all the small steps that eventually brought them here, he couldn’t help but think about how that ever became possible. Ascension was a game, but a very lifelike one. You seemed to live it, and not only you, but all the NPCs, too. Their past and present were fleshed out with lots of details, emotions, dreams, and endless opportunities.
What sort of AI could create that?
The last thought before Will fell asleep was about how far the cult had proceeded in their search for answers.
“Good morning.” Something small plumped down on Will’s bed, waking him abruptly. His arm shot up at the sudden visitor but, seeing that it was his sister, he stopped an inch from her neck, and lay back down.
“Leah?” He was surprised and angry at the same time. “What the fuck? I’ve told you not to wake me up like this. What’s the time?”
“Half-past eight,” she said cheerfully and, jumping off his bed, pulled at his blanket. “Get up, you. We have so many things to do!”
“What things?” He opened one eye and turned his head to look at her. “When did you get here? Why didn’t you call first?” He yawned, rolling over to press the blanket down with his body.
“I…” Leah stumbled, panting. “You… Phew! Why are you so heavy?!” Tired of playing tug-of-war, she bent over her brother and squinted. After a short examination, she drawled: “Hm... You don’t look that fat.”
“Hey, watch it!” Will smirked and reached to move her aside. “What things do we have to do?”
Leah smiled and made a broad gesture before answering when a voice from behind intruded.
“I see you’re awake.” Darius entered the room and continued: “Get up and start packing. We’re moving today.”
“Hello, dad!” Leah tossed a disappointed I-wanted-to-say-that-myself look at him and, making an unintelligible sound, left the room.
Will sat up and looked at his father.
“Really?”
“Yeah. As I’ve told you, I’ve done all the paperwork. I hope you don’t have important stuff going on in your game today.”
“None at all. I wanted to take a peek at the finals, but I can watch a video on the forum later,” Will replied after brief thought. “When are they coming?”
“At three. We’d better start packing.”
“Okay.” Will slipped into his pants and got down to packing his things.
***
The fifth round of the tournament was named The Coliseum. The final battle between contestants was to take part in a gigantic arena with high stands from where the audience could see everything.
No NPC opponents, obstacles, or special features this time. In the fourth round, the players were made to wear explosive collars that were triggered by reaching a particular part of the maze, different for each player. When that happened, the collar would explode, killing its owner.
Those competing in Round Five had no access to their inventories, or any gear and weapons. They only had their skills, the starter gear, and a temporary Messenger Ring to collect any items obtained within the arena. The whole thing was much like a Battle Royale, a popular game genre in the 2020s. Some of the differences were that the players kept their stats, and the scale and conditions of winning.
Somewhere in the center of the map, the Winner’s Stone was placed. The task was to find it. Once the Stone was touched, the coordinates of the player who had reached it would be received by all the rest until the Stone changed hands. The item could be stolen, taken away by force, or collected by killing its current owner.
Players were allowed to use their pet
s, summoned creatures, spirits, or familiars (except those that required an inventory item to be summoned).
Another important thing was the Winner’s Stone’s skill:
RUNES OF FATE
Description: Allows you to temporarily delete one of the enemy’s main characteristics (except Endurance).
Activation: Say the characteristic’s name followed by the target’s name.
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Note: The cooldown timer restarts automatically when the Winner’s Stone changes hands.
It would’ve been easier for players to make alliances if any of them were from the same clan; but all of them belonged to different groups. Though, theoretically, their clan leaders could still reach an agreement.
The final round would open access to a new Floor to the strongest, the smartest, and the luckiest player. A great opportunity for every clan to rise in the ranks, and to attract more members.
To the familiar sound of drums, four players appeared in different corners of the arena, and rushed into battle — for themselves and their clans.
***
The sun was setting when the Thomson family finished unpacking their things. A simple family dinner was a perfect completion of that day. Will felt peace come upon him as he listened to the conversation between his father and sister. For the first time in a long while, he felt like things were finally working out for them.
This wonderful moment was, unfortunately, ruined by Leah’s sudden question.
“Dad? Would you like to see mom again?”
Darius stared at her, apparently taken aback, and replied hesitantly: “Honestly, I haven’t thought about it. Why are you asking?”
“Seriously,” Will said. The question that killed his good mood was worth clarifying. “Why?”
As Leah saw them tense up at the piece of news that she had considered to be a good one, her voice became shaky.
“I… Erm… Do you remember me telling you both that I’m busy with something?”
“Go on.” Will and Darius were all ears.
“Why do you seem so unhappy?” she asked, confused about what she had done wrong.
“It was just too sudden, honey.” Darius straightened up and put both hands on the table. “Continue.”
“I… Okay.” Leah nodded. “I reached out to a private investigator specialized in finding missing people. Two weeks ago… they answered me.”
“Two weeks? Why haven’t you told us before?”
“Because it wasn’t cheap. I didn’t want to ask you for money. I wanted to surprise you, but…” She sighed.
“…but they ask for too much,” Will finished her sentence.
“Yes. So I had to tell you.”
Darius exchanged glances with Will before answering.
“Let’s talk about this tomorrow. Okay?”
“Okay.” Leah bit her lip. After a pause, she added: “I really want to see her.”
She stood up and, putting her plate into the sink, went to her room. Will had rarely seen her show that much emotion.
The two of them were silent for a while until Will spoke, tapping his finger on the table: “What do you think?”
“I’m not sure, son. I don’t know… I wanted it right after she left, but now… I’m not sure if I want to see her.”
“I understand. But we don’t know what happened back then. Do we?”
“Enough! I…” Darius stood up abruptly and shook his head as though to apologize for raising his voice. “Let’s have this talk tomorrow. Please.”
“As you say.” Will stood up as well and went to his room.
He had tried to find his mother once, but it was too expensive so he abandoned the idea. But now that he had so much money…
I ought to give it a try.
Chapter 268. The Fragile Sprouts of Peace
A fter closing the door behind him, Will considered whether he should go to bed or enter the game. He had been feeling unwell over the past few days, which knocked him out of his daily schedule. But then he remembered his upcoming meeting with the Queen Mother, and the unresolved question of the Holy Empire’s attack. He’d never forgive himself if the next morning brought him the news that the Shadow Order had been destroyed while he had been asleep.
Shit. He sighed and reached out to Rinnah using the Beads.
“Where are you?”
“In the palace. You’d better hurry. We’re having some… some sort of a meeting.”
So much for my plan to drop in for just a minute, he thought as he heard tension in her voice.
“Tell me more. What’s going on?”
“Two hours ago, the Holies came to visit the lady.”
“The Holies? What lady?”
“The goddamn Queen Mother. Yes, the Holies. And that’s not all. One of them is a Scripture, one of the three.”
“A Scripture? One of the three, huh?” he blurted aloud as he followed one of Telisssa’s guards.
“A Scripture? What’s that?”
“What?!” Rinnah sounded surprised. “You don’t know about them?”
“Would I be asking you if I knew?”
“Calm down. I just assumed that someone from the Order has already told you about our enemies.”
While she explained the situation, Raven passed through multiple posts and security checkpoints. Due to recent events, his name and presence beckoned hostile looks from every soldier he passed by on his way to the meeting. He couldn’t blame them, he had killed many of their friends after all.
Wherever he passed, a fine coating of the familiar powder rained down from the ceilings, like sparks from a campfire.
A long time ago, Umbra had told him about The Powder of True Light being used in the Latian palace day and night. Raven had thought him naive for believing that before, but now he could see that his friend had been right. There was no way to hide in the shadows while in this place.
How big is their treasury? he wondered. The cost of all this raining powder must’ve been outrageous. The queen apparently took no chances when it came to keeping the Order’s members at bay.
Ten minutes later, he reached the hall where he was to meet Telisssa, with the Order’s members and the Holies’ envoy also present. As he soon learned, Sansel-Ti-Mitz’s death had been a great relief not only to Telisssa, but also to Roxana Armovi, the Third Scripture, and to someone else.
The heavy, beautifully designed doors, covered with a multi-layered membrane and unknown bright material, closed behind him. All heads immediately turned in his direction.
There weren’t many people present even though the meeting was of great importance: four leaders of different fractions were to meet for the first time in centuries, face to face, without the intention to kill each other. Not on a battlefield, not while trying to assassinate one another in their bedrooms or in dark alleyways, but in a reception hall to discuss the future relationships between their countries.
Raven knew how useful a successful negotiation could be, but the system remained silent, offering him no quests, not even a random event, despite the moment being perfect for such a thing to happen.
Rinnah had already told him that the Holy Empire’s attack had been stopped. It had been started by Roxana, who had been possessed by Sansel-Ti-Mitz, a woman clad in white robes with a pattern of strange images and symbols. She emitted a powerful aura and was scrutinizing Raven with unblinking gray eyes filled with a mysterious light. He wondered who could’ve ever possessed such a woman as he walked toward the table and sat down next to the Order’s members under her vigilant stare.
Behind Roxana stood three girls in vaguely familiar robes. He remembered killing a spirit knight in a similar attire.
“I’m delighted to welcome you to my humble abode, Your Majesty, King White Raven.” Telisssa raised herself slightly from the table and, giving Raven a light bow and a smile, sat back down. “I know you’ve been saying rather unpleasant things about me, but… We were at war bac
k then. All is forgiven.”
Raven was sure that the only occasion when he had been trash-talking her was before his rise to royalty. But he knew better than to deny it as he stood up to greet and answer her.
“You’re right, Your Highness, Queen Telisssa-Am-Lorr. But I see you need no explanations.” He returned her slight nod. “And, please, call me White Raven. I know our disagreements have resulted in great losses on both sides and that it’ll take much time to heal these wounds. However, considering the events that brought us together, we must admit that it’s our duty to take the first step. As we’re in charge of our citizens and… our children.” He remembered this detail just in time to include it, and got rewarded with another nod. “We must work out a way to avoid future conflicts. Some of our people will probably want revenge. We must figure out how to stop them without escalating the conflict and taking it to a new level.”
He turned to Roxana.
“We haven’t been introduced properly, but you already know my name. How should I address you?”
“Your Majesty,” she said, standing up to introduce herself. “I’m the Third Scripture…” Stumbling, she corrected herself: “I still remain the Third Scripture of Patriarch Castel Farabul. My name is Roxana Armovi. I’m glad to meet you. Your wife,” she glanced at Nanel, “told me it was only thanks to you that she managed to bring down our common enemy. You’ve rendered a great service to this world. I’m thanking you on behalf of the entire Holy Empire.”
Attention! Your relationship with the Holy Empire has been upgraded.
+150
Current relationship status:
50/200 – Friendship
Attention! Your relationship with Roxana Armovi has been upgraded.
+300
Current relationship status:
0/400 – Trust
Eh? Why that much? Hold on... Did she say on behalf of the entire empire? Raven thought as he did his best to conceal his astonishment.
“Now that we’ve all been properly introduced, let me begin.” Telisssa, flanked by her bodyguards, began but Raven raised his hand, interrupting her and drawing her attention.
