by David Petrie
“Why not?”
Seth tipped his glass, coating the side with liquid. “I know Kira started out as just a goofy character that I played while online, but it’s been four years now. She’s kind of a part of me, and she’s a lot of fun. So even if I’m happy with myself here in the real world, I’m also happy being her. So the idea of deleting her feels wrong. Like I’d be hurting someone or something important to me. I don’t think I could do that. I know it’s weird, but this is me now, I guess.”
Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief. “Obviously, you’re my friend, and I would support whatever you choose. But to tell you the truth, I don’t think Noctem would be the same without Kira. Besides, maybe this is just because I’ve known you for a long time, but I don’t really notice much difference between you and her anymore.” He grinned. “Well, except that ass.”
“How sweet.” Seth rolled his eyes.
“What? It’s a nice butt. At least I’m honest. If you ever decide to switch teams, let me know.”
Seth groaned. “Well, unfortunately for you, I have standards.”
“Sure you do.” Wyatt fell silent again, afraid to ask the next question on his mind. “You are okay, though, right? I mean, with everything Carver did to you? I know you don’t, but technically, you can still control the system and everything.”
For an instant, Seth winced. “That’s a whole other issue.”
“What does that mean?” Wyatt prodded, understanding that it was a subject that his friend avoided. He had ignored it for the last few months and let him get away with vague answers, but he was starting to get worried.
Seth let out a heavy sigh. “It means that whatever I let enter my mind last year is still there in my head, and I’m not sure what that means.”
“What do you mean, you let something in?” Wyatt furrowed his brow.
Seth shook his head. “Carver had you all trapped in your own personal hell, and I wasn’t strong enough to get to you alone. So I asked for help.”
“From what?”
“From whatever Carver wanted me to. I don’t know. But whatever it was, it became a part of me there.” Seth looked apologetic. “I know it’s not evil or anything, I’m sure of that. But I think it was what attacked you guys at the end. I sealed the deal and finished the quest when I touched it.”
A memory streaked through Wyatt’s mind of himself and the others screaming in agony as a clone of Kira stood over them. It had seemed frightened as if it didn’t understand what it had done. The strange part was that he remembered the moment but not how it felt. He could recall being in pain, but not how it felt.
“Do you know what it wanted?”
Seth nodded. “It wanted me, and I gave it exactly what it wanted. If you and Farn hadn’t refused to leave me behind…” He stopped to stare out the window without finishing his sentence. “The problem is that whatever it was didn’t leave.” He touched his temple. “It’s still right here, waiting for me to need it again. Every time I ask it for help, to change anything in Noctem, I feel the line between us get thinner. And that just feels…”
“Wrong?” Wyatt finished his sentence for him.
“No, that’s the thing. It feels right. Like it’s what’s supposed to happen. And that scares the hell out of me. So yeah, I avoid using that ability so it won’t get worse. Not to mention that it’s kinda overpowered. I mean, what if I asked it for help and it went overboard. I’m not sure where that thing’s limits are.”
“True, that could be a problem for everyone.” Wyatt nodded just as his phone buzzed on the counter where he had left it the night before.
They both jumped at the sound.
Seth motioned for him to see who it was, probably grateful to have an excuse to end the conversation there.
Wyatt grabbed the phone and tapped in his eight-digit passcode to unlock it. He would have just used the standard four-digit code, but Seth had been guessing it too easily and changing his keyboard shortcuts ever since he got it.
He opened Noctem’s messaging app and selected the Lockheart text chat that came with their house rings.
“Looks like our Kegan and Corvin stayed online a bit after we logged out.”
“Nice,” Seth snapped out of the somber mood that had been forming around him. “I’m gonna go find my phone.”
“Okay, but don’t forget to wash the blender,” Wyatt shouted as his friend ran up the stairs.
Seth shouted back, “Yes, dear, I will.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
House Lockhart Chat – Timestamp 9:36 AM
Kegan: So we have this whole place to ourselves.
Corvin: Provided you don’t count the NPC guards.
Kegan: Well yeah, but they’re not really much of a problem.
MaxDamage24: Any luck finding the vault?
Corvin: Not yet, but we’re heading down. It’s probably below ground level.
Piper: That makes sense.
GingerSnaps: Piper, you’re at school? Put your phone away.
Piper: Don’t worry, I have it hidden behind a book.
GingerSnaps: I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the response I was looking for. At least your brother turns off his phone in class.
Drakenstine: Yeah, I’m the good one.
GingerSnaps: Ha, that was a trap! I knew you were on here too. I can see your name in the notifications at the bottom!
MaxDamage24: Busted.
Drakenstine: Doh…
Kirabell: Max, can you call my phone. I can’t find it.
MaxDamage24: How are you typing then?
Kirabell: I’m using the computer. Now make with the calling.
MaxDamage24: Okay.
Kirabell: Found it!
Farnsworth: Where was it?
Kirabell: …I don’t want to say.
Farnsworth: Now I have to know.
Kirabell: It was in the fridge.
MaxDamage24: Yeah, that sounds about right.
Farnsworth: That’s probably not good for it.
Kirabell: I know. It was all laggy for a bit. I’m glad I found it now and not tonight. It might not have worked.
MaxDamage24: Well, now that that crisis has been averted. We can worry about more important things. How you guys doing in there?
MaxDamage24: Guys?
MaxDamage24: Kegan?
Kegan: Sorry, we were hiding from a patrol.
Corvin: We’re on the second floor. There’s more activity in the palace the closer we get to the bottom.
MaxDamage24: Okay, keep at it.
MaxDamage24: Kira, I still have a blender in my sink waiting to be cleaned.
Farnsworth: That was random.
MaxDamage24: Sorry, she left it there.
MaxDamage24: When I was a kid, I used to watch the movie Howard the Duck and pause it during that scene with the topless lady duck.
MaxDamage24: I still think about it sometimes in the shower.
Farnsworth: Well, that was far more information than I ever wanted.
MaxDamage24: It was hot.
Corvin: I remember that scene. It’s on the list of things I wish I could unsee.
GingerSnaps: Max, my kids are reading this.
Piper: Yeah, that’s messed up.
GingerSnaps: Turn your phone off in class!
MaxDamage24: It was hot.
MaxDamage24: It was hot.
MaxDamage24: Kira! Darn it. I can hear you laughing through the wall. When the hell did you put all that in my shortcuts?
MaxDamage24: And how the hell did you know I would use those words in that order.
Kirabell: Bwa ha ha ha. You have no idea how long I have been trying to get you to put a question mark at the end of my name. I figured if I didn’t respond right away, you might finally do it. Also, you always type either 'damn it' or 'what the hell' when I do that. So I just used both interchangeably.
Farnsworth: I have to ask; did you also leave the blender in the sink to give him a reason to use your name in the chat?
K
irabell: I plead the fifth.
Farnsworth: That’s… just devious.
MaxDamage24: You see what I live next to. I deal with this every day.
Farnsworth: How is it that you can plan a prank like that, but you leave your phone in the fridge?
Kirabell: I dun know.
Kegan: Well, now that everyone knows about Max’s duck fetish. If anyone’s interested, I think we’ve gone as far as we can here. The first floor is too busy.
Corvin: We could try to keep going, but we might get caught.
Kirabell: Probably don’t do that then.
MaxDamage24: Yeah, wait until the rest of us are on. I don’t want to press our luck. We can try and come up with a distraction.
Corvin: Okay, we’ll head back up and log out.
MaxDamage24: Cool.
GingerSnaps: Hey, Max, do you think I should send Berwyn a message or anything? Just to say we had a good time. Or I should just offer him a night with Kira in exchange for everything in the vault?
Kirabell: You will do no such thing, thank you very much.
Farnsworth: Yeah that might be crossing a line there.
Piper: Yeah, Mom, your kids are reading this.
GingerSnaps: Oh relax, I was kidding.
GingerSnaps: About giving him Kira. Not about sending a message. And I’m hiding your phone charger, Piper, so have fun watching it slowly die. Bahahaha… ha ha ha… ha
MaxDamage24: No, that might seem suspicious if we send him a message so soon. I feel like we should wait a day before contacting him. Don’t want to seem too eager.
GingerSnaps: Sigh… spoken like a true man.
Kirabell: Ha!
MaxDamage24: Last time I checked, you were on my side, bro. So quit laughing.
Farnsworth: What do you mean by, the last time you checked?
GingerSnaps: Yeah, just what kind of relationship do two you have?
MaxDamage24: I didn’t mean it like that.
Kirabell: It’s okay, Max, there’s no use hiding it. Our love needs to be shared with the world.
MaxDamage24: You are not helping.
Kirabell: Did you expect me to?
MaxDamage24: …No.
MaxDamage24: Anyway, how about we all meet up in the Cloudbreaker when we get on tonight and figure out our next move?
GingerSnaps: I don’t think that will be necessary.
MaxDamage24: Why is that?
GingerSnaps: Because I just got a message from Berwyn. It looks like some men don’t worry about seeming too eager.
Farnsworth: What’s it say?
GingerSnaps: House Lockhart has been invited back to the palace. Everything is going according to plan.
Chapter Twenty-Five
NIGHT THREE: THE VAULT
Kirabell hummed to herself as she adjusted the item bag on her belt. “That should do it.”
She spun around in front of the dusty mirror hanging on the wall of Sully’s Bait & Tackle. Obviously, she wasn’t there to purchase supplies. Fishing had never been her thing. If she was honest, she felt bad for the fish, even the virtual ones.
No, the place just happened to be the nearest item shop with a quick-change panel. She couldn’t wait to get out of that damn ball gown from the previous night.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like the dress. The thing had actually been more comfortable that she’d expected. The attention it got her was another thing altogether. After last night, she’d had just about all the attention she wanted.
It probably would have made more sense to kick Max and the others out of the Cloudbreaker and use the ship’s cabin as a changing room. That was what Ginger had done. Though, after fighting a horde of zombies last year in her underwear, Kira avoided disrobing if she could help it.
Fortunately, they had some time to kill before heading back to the pyramid in Reliqua. Arriving too soon might make it obvious that they had landed so close the night before. Considering that, Port Han seemed like a convenient detour with it being just across the sea on the coast of a neighboring continent.
Kira stepped away from the mirror and up to the shop’s register, tossing her journal on the counter.
Sully, the shopkeep, ignored her, picking at the curled horns that bracketed his head. He’d been quite interactive when she entered a few minutes ago, but after she’d turned down the same fishing quest three times, he seemed to have given up.
She flipped her journal open to her message page and wrote the word 'new' along with a check mark.
- New Message -
To: Larkin
From: Kirabell
Thanks so much for the beautiful dress. It really was a hit at the party. Please don’t repeat this to anyone, but I really liked it. It made me feel pretty in a way that I don’t often admit, but after the effort you clearly put into the dress, I felt I owed you some honesty. You are an amazing crafter.
I don’t have much need for a gown now that it has served its purpose, so I’m sending it back attached to this message. I hope you’ll find a good use for it.
-Thanks again, Kira
She scrawled the words 'attach item' at the bottom. Then she selected the gown that Larkin had named, A Promise Kept. She wrote the word 'send', followed by another quick check mark. The text vanished from the page, and she snapped the book shut.
“Thanks for letting me use the quick-change panel.” Kira waved to Sully as she turned to leave.
“Yeah yeah,” the NPC responded in a gruff tone before slapping a hand down on the counter. “Oi, have you heard about Ol’ Sawtooth.”
“No thanks, but good luck with that.” She waved back at him. At least he’s persistent, she thought as the door closed behind her. The Cloudbreaker waited in the distance.
Kira took a deep breath and blew it back out, deflating as she walked toward her coach. Well, let’s get this honeypot underway.
Of course, Berwyn’s invitation hadn’t explicitly requested a romantic evening with Kira or anything of the sort. No, it had been sent to Ginger in the interest of forming an alliance between their two houses. A mutually beneficial relationship, as Berwyn described it. As far as what kind of benefits he was hoping for, Kira wasn’t sure how much she should read between the lines. Fortunately, she felt confident that Farn wouldn’t leave her alone with him if she could help it.
She settled into the ship’s cabin without saying much to anyone. Instead, Kira just stared out a narrow window for the remainder of the trip. There was too much to think about, and she only had so much space in her head.
The Cloudbreaker touched down, shaking Kira out of her thoughts. It had felt like they had just taken off, like she had only left Sully’s a minute ago.
The palace dock was busier than expected, with a number of visitors coming and going. Apparently, running an empire took more networking than she thought.
Max hopped out and pulled the ramp from below the door, this time with considerably less effort than last.
Ginger exited the ship, back in her usual gear—canvas pants, a shirt, and an armored, leather corset. A hooded cloak topped it all off. The woman had seemed comfortable in the gown the night before, but Kira suspected the Coin was more at home wearing something more substantial. After all, most players weren’t accustomed to wandering around with so little defense like she was. Considering the number of mercenaries coming in and out of the palace, Kira didn’t blame her. It was a tough crowd.
A couple members of the House of Serpents greeted them as Kira and Farn set foot on the airship dock. Berwyn’s men seemed a little more relaxed than the hired guards from the night before. The palace must have returned to business as usual, no longer the high-security fortress that it had been. A number of players even came and went without an escort. Hopefully, Lockheart would be able to shake theirs as well. At least, Kira hoped so. She gave a glance to Max to see if he’d noticed.
He nodded back without a word.
The lack of security was a good sign, but that didn’t mean that things were going
to be easy. With the number of people up and about, it was going to be difficult for Corvin and Kegan to move around without being spotted.
As soon as they stepped into the palace entryway, Berwyn was already in sight. He had been in the middle of speaking to a couple of elven men. The pair took one look at Kira and made their exit but not before whispering something to Berwyn. From there, he rushed over to take Ginger’s hand.
“Thank you so much for coming.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t skip out on the chance to see the inner workings of Noctem’s first empire.” She gestured to the room and all of the player passing through.
“Spoken like a strategist. I like it,” he shook her hand, then bowed to Kira, “and it’s obviously nice to see you again, Kirabell.”
She hesitated, not expecting to be called by her full name. “Oh, just Kira is fine. Who has time for three syllables anyway?”
“Okay then, Kira.” He nodded before shifting to Max and Farn who were standing around as if they weren’t really sure what to do. “You must be the dual-wielding Fury that Nix mentioned.”
“Ah, yeah,” Max stepped forward, clearly unsure if he should shake the man’s hand.
Ginger jumped in to save him, “Yes, MaxDamage and I have been through quite a lot. There’s no one that I’d rather have as my personal guard, as long as you don’t mind letting one of the fastest guns in Noctem into your palace.”
“Of course not.” Berwyn threw out his hand, “You should stop by our training hall at some point. I’d love to see what you can do.”
Max grinned and gave him a firm shake. “Sure, if we get the time. And if you don’t mind having to repair the place afterward.”
The brag got him an approving smile from Ginger. “Yes, there is actually quite a bit of truth to his name.”
Berwyn raised his eyebrows at the claim before flicking his eyes to Farn. “And will your Shield be destroying my training hall as well?”
“No,” Farnsworth answered, politely as usual. She paused a moment later. “But you may have trouble finding me a decent sparring partner.”
Kira smiled. It was nice to hear the Shield giving herself the credit she deserved. Even if it was just for show.