by J. Cee
Zeudah looked at the cages filled with screaming prisoners. There was a lot of work to do.
* * *
After recalling to the same safehouse as before, Ceph and Aeri had hurried to Myrtle’s shop, anxious for news from Zeudah. He wasn’t there.
“Can you find Zeudah?” Ceph asked Myrtle.
“No,” Myrtle answered. “Finding an individual is never easy, but in his case, it’s nearly impossible. Jexaka’s meddling may have something to do with that.”
“We can wait for him here or go back to the cavern entrance. See if there are any signs of what happened.”
Aeri was studying Myrtle. She hadn’t said much since meeting the eccentric woman.
“Going back is too dangerous,” Aeri said. “From what you’ve told me… I don’t think I’m eager to see what’s there. It could be overrun with the Swarm by now, too.”
“How long should we wait for Zeudah?” Ceph asked.
“We can’t wait for long,” Aeri said. She hesitated. “I’m sorry, who are you, exactly? Or what?” she asked Myrtle.
“You can trust her,” Ceph said.
“You can trust me,” Myrtle echoed. “I’m a mystic and mind reader, like my shop says.”
Aeri shook her head. “I don’t like this, but we don’t have time. I need to tell you about the artifact.”
“There’s a new challenge that only a Onceborn can take,” Myrtle said.
“Oh?” Aeri’s head jerked in surprise. “You know already?”
“Myrtle already told us about it,” Ceph said.
Aeri paused. “Fine. Well, Jexaka left to seek it. We have to get it before she does.”
“Do you know what this artifact does?” Myrtle asked.
“No,” Aeri said. “I believe it’s crucial to defeating the Tetramorph. That’s all I know.”
Myrtle leaned forward eagerly across her desk. “How do you know that? Did the Creator tell you? How does he talk to you?”
Aeri shifted backwards reflexively in response to Myrtle’s sudden enthusiasm. “I have visions. But no, the Creator didn’t tell me about the artifact, at least, not directly. Jexaka did.”
“Jexaka?” Ceph said. “Why would she tell you? I don’t trust her one bit.”
“Neither do I,” Aeri said, “but I think she’s telling the truth about it.”
Myrtle studied Aeri’s face. “What else did Jexaka say?”
“Nothing important,” Aeri said.
“Can we trust her?” Myrtle asked Ceph.
“Of course we can trust Aeri!” Ceph said.
The two women eyed each other. Ceph shuffled his feet, trying to pretend nothing was happening. He changed his mind. Giving them time to brew might make it worse.
“So, the artifact?” Ceph asked.
Myrtle let her gaze drop. “You want to retrieve the artifact?”
Aeri nodded. “If the challenge is restricted, we’ll only have to worry about Jexaka. Ceph and I can defeat her together.” She paused. “But she has my equipment.”
“She took your Rush boots?” Ceph asked.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Aeri said. “I don’t have a sword, either.”
“Are you sure we can beat her? Shouldn’t we wait for Zeudah?”
“Even with Zeudah’s fighting experience, I’m not sure how much he can contribute at his low rank. Or worse, what if Jexaka somehow turns him against us?”
Ceph understood her hesitation, but they were past that point. “Aeri, he risked his life to rescue you.”
“He’s safe for now,” Myrtle said. “But once an Everborn, always an Everborn. He’s deadly, even in his current state.”
“Well, I hope he gets here soon,” Ceph said. “We could use every bit of help against Jexaka.”
Myrtle chuckled. “Perfect timing. Here he comes now.”
Zeudah pushed aside the curtains at the entrance to Myrtle’s shop, letting in a sliver of daylight that made the others squint.
“Sorry I’m late,” Zeudah said.
Ceph stared. Zeudah had a light cloak wrapped around him. The cloak billowed open, revealing clothes soaked in blood.
“Are you okay?” Ceph asked. “You’re covered in blood.”
“I’m fine,” Zeudah said. “Another story for another time.”
Ceph hesitated before his next question. “What happened to the others?”
Zeudah shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
Ceph noticed that Aeri was also staring at Zeudah. “What?” Ceph asked her.
“His aura,” Aeri said.
Inspect. Zeudah’s aura was now green with a hint of blue. Ceph gaped openly. “What happened? What rank are you?” Ceph asked.
“Rank eighty-three. It’s complicated.”
Maybe Myrtle had been right. He had the sudden urge for a private conversation without Zeudah.
“So what’s next?” Zeudah asked.
Neither women said anything. Ceph wavered on what to say. Zeudah peered into each of their faces, one at a time.
“I see.” Zeudah turned to leave.
“Wait, everyone on edge. Sorry,” Ceph said. “There’s this issue with the artifact Myrtle mentioned. Aeri thinks it’s important for defeating the Tetramorph, but Jexaka’s gone to take it. We need to get it first.”
Zeudah growled at the mention of Jexaka. “I’ll go.”
Ceph looked at Aeri. “Great. All three of us will go?”
Aeri was still looking at Zeudah intently. What was going on?
“Aeri, all three of us will go?” Ceph repeated.
“Of course.” Aeri nodded. “We should head out immediately.” She turned to Myrtle. “Can you tell us more about the artifact?”
“I’m afraid not,” Myrtle said. “I can’t find anything other than what I’ve already told you.”
“To the Glass Vaults, then,” Aeri said. Her tone changed to something harder. “Zeudah, can you change into less bloody clothes? We don’t want to attract attention. Don’t forget Ceph and I are still wanted by the government.”
“Zeudah might be too,” Ceph added.
“Yeah, I’ll grab some clean clothes,” Zeudah said.
“Okay, we’ll meet you outside the southern gate,” Aeri said.
Zeudah grunted in affirmation and strode out of Myrtle’s shop.
Ceph moved to leave the shop too, but Aeri held him back.
“You saw all that blood on Zeudah, didn’t you?” Aeri asked.
Ceph turned back in confusion. “So what? He probably had to fight some Everborn along the way. That’s probably how he gained ranks, too.”
“You’re used to the smell, so maybe you didn’t notice,” Aeri said.
“The smell of blood? No, I noticed. It stank.” Ceph pinched his nose in a demonstration.
“That’s the point,” Aeri said. “Everborn blood has no odor.”
“Huh?” Ceph gave Myrtle a questioning look.
“It’s true,” Myrtle said.
“He fought a bunch of locust-men and the brutes,” Ceph suggested, but he already knew what Aeri’s response would be.
“Locust-men have blue blood, and from what you’ve told me, it didn’t sound like they killed a brute,” Aeri said.
Ceph was silent. “So the blood is from people. Regular people. What’s that mean?”
“I don’t know. But he’s dangerous, like Myrtle said. Don’t forget.” Aeri turned to Myrtle. “Did you read his mind? How did he gain ranks?”
Myrtle shook her head. “I can’t read his mind, or the mind of most Everborn, except in a very dim fashion. Zeudah’s is even more difficult to read than normal, possibly because of Jexaka’s interference.”
“You sent him ahead on purpose, didn’t you?” Ceph asked Aeri.
Aeri didn’t reply.
“But you said we can trust him?” Ceph asked Myrtle.
“Yes,” Myrtle said. “For now, his goals align with ours. That could change, though.”
“Do you think we should leave him behind?”
Ceph asked Aeri.
Aeri studied Myrtle for a moment. “Your decision, Ceph.”
Ceph’s lips quivered. “But why? I’m always making the wrong choices. I didn’t tell you yet, but Zeudah suggested I go after the artifact instead of recruiting the cultists. Everyone’s dead because of me. I always screw up.”
Ceph threw himself onto the single free seat in Myrtle’s shop. “You’re like a goddess. Myrtle’s a mind-reading seer. Zeudah is a Pit Champion. I’m nobody.”
“That’s not true,” Aeri said. “You rescued me. You survived fights against the Everborn and Jexaka’s creatures. How many people can say that?”
Aeri placed a hand on Ceph’s shoulder. “Besides, the reason I trust your judgment is because you’re not any of the things you mentioned. Everyone else… we all know too much. Your judgment is pure.”
Myrtle nodded. “That’s a good way to put it. It’s why I couldn’t choose your path with the cultists, either.”
Ceph crossed his arms and scowled. “Basically, I make the decisions because I’m too dumb to have a secret agenda.”
“No!” Both women protested together.
Ceph laughed. “I’m kidding. Fine. I say we stick with Zeudah for now. We don’t know what’s in store at the Glass Vaults. And I’ve worked together with him before.” Ceph looked towards the shop exit. “We should give him the benefit of the doubt. Being forced into a new life isn’t easy. I know that.”
“Okay,” Aeri said. “Just don’t get too comfortable working with an ex-Everborn.”
Chapter 28
The two Onceborn left to meet at their rendezvous point outside the southern gate. They lingered in the tall grasses next to the main path, hidden from casual observers but still able to identify travelers leaving the city. While waiting for Zeudah, Ceph handed his sword over to Aeri.
“We should divide up our equipment,” Ceph said. “I have my spirit ring and this belt from Zeudah. You take the sword. You’re better with it, anyways.”
“Are you sure?” Aeri asked.
“Yeah, take it.”
Aeri took the sheathed sword from Ceph and strapped it to her waist.
“It’s Zeudah,” Aeri said.
Ceph and Aeri stepped onto the path and beckoned to Zeudah. After a final check, they were ready to proceed.
“I’ll lead,” Zeudah said. “I haven’t been to the Glass Vaults, but I’m familiar with the Wild in the area.”
“I’ll bring up the rear,” Aeri said.
“That leaves the middle to me,” Ceph said. “I hope we aren’t expecting trouble on the way.”
The small party headed eastward as they spoke, the three members walking single file through the progressively thicker forest growth. It would take an hour of trekking through the Wild to reach the Glass Vaults.
“Nothing we can’t handle,” Zeudah said. “We need to be careful once we get close. There could be other Everborn watching the entrance to the Glass Vaults.”
“But they can’t complete the quest,” Ceph said. “Does that mean they can’t enter the Vaults?”
“I’m not sure, but that would make sense,” Zeudah said.
“So we should expect poachers?” Aeri asked.
“Almost certainly,” Zeudah said. “That’s what I would do. Pounce on whoever comes out with the artifact.”
Since he was leading the trio through the Wild, Zeudah couldn’t see the look that Ceph and Aeri exchanged at that comment.
“And I’m out of recall gems, so we can’t count on them any more,” Zeudah added.
“So you’re saying that we have to deal with Jexaka, whatever waits for us in the Glass Vaults, and a bunch of thieving Everborn on top of that?” Ceph groaned. “Just dandy!”
“One thing at a time,” Aeri said. “We deal with Jexaka and the Glass Vaults first.”
Ceph was confused. “How can the Everborn steal the artifact? Won’t it be soulbound?” He saw Zeudah’s back stiffen at his question.
Aeri replied. “Stealing a soulbound is usually impossible. Once found, though, an artifact is dormant until it’s activated. It only becomes soulbound when used for the first time. The activation requirements aren’t always clear or simple, either.”
“What did the other artifacts do?” Ceph asked. “Weren’t there two of them?”
Ceph saw Zeudah’s hands clench and unclench. “You tell him, Aeri.”
Ceph kind of regretted asking about artifacts in front of Zeudah, but he needed to understand what awaited them.
“There was a pair of artifacts that appeared together,” Aeri said. “The first was the Halfling Foot. It’s a charm that grants the skill called the Halfling’s Return.”
“What’s that do?” Ceph asked.
“Whenever a blow would have killed the wearer of the charm, the Halfling’s Return would instead restore the user’s blood and spirit pools to half their maximum.”
“That’s incredible,” Ceph said. “Wouldn’t that make the person invincible?”
“No,” Aeri said. “The Halfling’s Return had a long cooldown, at least several hours. Right, Zeudah?”
Zeudah didn’t reply.
“You’ve already seen the other artifact and what it does,” Aeri said. “The Twin Paradox.”
Ceph wanted to ask about its activation requirement, but he still felt uneasy about upsetting Zeudah. He kept quiet. Zeudah surprised him and spoke first.
“The Twin Paradox has weaknesses. You have to control any extra bodies with a single mind. It takes practice to fight with even one extra body.”
“Wait, even one extra? You mean you can make more bodies?” Ceph asked.
“Yes, you can make as many bodies as you want. Against skilled fighters, that wouldn’t be advised. Your reaction speed would be split among them. There’s also the other weakness. All the bodies share the same blood and spirit pools. The weakness is that if any body is damaged, the blood pool is damaged. That’s why the skill is dangerous to use unless you’ve mastered it.”
“What about equipment?” Aeri asked. “Are equipment skills copied freely?”
“Yes, but the cooldown time for an equipment skill is shared between all copies. Intrinsic skills like Soulstrikes have independent cooldowns. That means you can cast Soulstrikes twice as fast, although you’re drawing from the same spirit pool. Some skills interact with Twin Paradox in other ways, but we won’t need to worry about that.”
“But we still have a chance, right? Even though Jexaka has a super powerful artifact and is on her way to getting a second one.” Ceph moaned.
The journey through the Wild proved to be rather uneventful. The only imbued beast to cross their path was a ten-foot long jungle cat with dark brown stripes on light tan fur. To Ceph’s surprise, the beast had a green-yellow aura. None of the other creatures, including the locust-men, had an aura, as far as he could tell.
The jungle cat had circled the group several times before leaping onto a low hanging tree branch and resting its head on its paws. The group had decided that engaging the imbued beast was too dangerous, and they didn’t want to lose time to a needless fight, even if they won. The beast seemed to agree with them. It watched with lazy half-lidded feline eyes as the group walked past.
“What’s it mean when an animal has an aura?” Ceph asked.
“Those are Greater Beasts,” Aeri said. “They have their own blood and spirit pools, and they can also use skills.”
“You mean that jungle cat can use Soulstrikes?” Ceph asked.
“Unlikely,” Aeri said. “It could have other skills, though, that are specific to that beast.”
“Most likely a claw-based attack skill,” Zeudah said. “Like Blitz or Sunder for claws.”
“Those are advanced weapon skills,” Aeri explained. “Better weapons grant skills beyond basic Steelstrikes.”
No matter how much Ceph learned, it always seemed like he was far behind the other two. “We’re really just beginners, aren’t we? At our low ranks?”
/> “Don’t remind me,” Zeudah muttered.
“As I’ve said before, combat at higher ranks is very different,” Aeri said. “It still builds on the fundamentals you’ve already learned, though.”
“Good thing Jexaka’s rank is close to ours,” Ceph said. He was thinking about the Word, though. How powerful was the Word? Its aura had been red. How did it compare to Zeudah at his full power? Ceph hoped they wouldn’t meet anytime soon.
“Stop!” Zeudah hissed through clenched teeth. He raised his palm towards the others, gesturing for them to go backwards. He motioned for them to follow him behind a thick cluster of trees.
As soon as the other two joined Zeudah in his hiding place, two men dressed as city guards walked by them. Neither guard had an aura.
“I hate the Wild,” one guard said as he passed the hidden group. He slapped a bug on his neck.
“And I hate Everborn even more,” the other guard said.
“Why are they dragging us out into the middle of the Wild, anyways?” the first guard asked.
“Beats me,” the other guard replied. “Something to do with those three troublemakers.”
Ceph held up three fingers to Zeudah and mouthed the word “three.” Zeudah nodded, then shrugged. If the guards were talking about them, that meant Zeudah was now on the city’s wanted list.
The guards continued walking until they were out of earshot. Once they were gone, Zeudah motioned for the others to follow him again. The group walked in silence, slower than before. They had to hide two more times to avoid city guards.
Another time, the group narrowly missed being spotted by an Everborn with a red aura. Aeri had glimpsed the figure perched high in the treeline. The Everborn’s rustic garb blended seamlessly with the surrounding forest, but Aeri had spotted the sharp contrast of his aura while scanning the area with her Inspect skill. The group made a wide circle to avoid the danger, clinging to the denser parts of the forest. Afterwards, they traveled even more slowly, scanning both the ground and treeline.
Soon, they heard more voices. Zeudah motioned for them to stay low to the ground while he crawled forward to the edge of a rise in the ground. After peering over the edge, Zeudah waved Ceph and Aeri over. There was a sunken depression in the ground just past the rise, making an oval-shaped clearing. The three of them were on the lip just above one end of the bowl. A sparkling gateway made of translucent rocks stood at the other end. Around twenty figures milled about in front of the gateway. About half were Everborn, an even mixture of red and orange auras scattered throughout the crowd.
