Gladiators of Warsong

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  Item: Ring of Expansion

  AC: 5 ׀ 120/120 Durability

  Activated Effect: Magical Expansion.

  When triggered, a magical effect can be expanded beyond regular amount based on the amount of faez spent (10 Faez = 1%)

  Special Attribute: Area of effect spells are 10% larger

  Go big or go home

  Alex held her hand up, admiring the way the sunlight caught the runes, giving them an eldritch glow.

  "Thank you, Ethel. This will help my Wind Gusts and Cloud Taunts," she said.

  "Anytime," said the Great Raven as she was preparing to leap from the marble railing.

  "I have another question, if you have time," said Alex.

  The Great Raven lifted her head in Alex's direction.

  "My friends," said Alex, lowering her voice and checking behind her to see that no one was near. She could hear their voices in the apartment, organizing the unloading of equipment. "What is their nature? Are they like you? Or something else?"

  "No one is like me, dearie," said Ethel.

  "You know what I mean. Are they NPCs?" asked Alex.

  "Does it matter?" asked Ethel, adding a squawk. "I must go, so you'll have to figure this one out yourself."

  Alex crossed her arms. "It was good to see you, Ethel. Don't be a stranger."

  "Good luck, Alexandria," said Ethel as she leapt into the air, gliding away from the Arena, over the tiled roofs of the surrounding houses.

  After Ethel left, Alex returned to the apartment to look for Nayiri. When she found her girlfriend, she asked, "How well do you know the city?"

  "Fair enough," said Nayiri.

  "Do you know where Xya Oleander is? She's a wisewoman like Zelda," said Alex.

  "I do, in fact," said Nayiri, screwing up her mouth as if she'd already had a bad encounter with her.

  "Is there a problem?" asked Alex.

  "Wisewomen creep me out," said Nayiri. "Even Zelda did, especially with her sewn eyes, but at least she was our wisewoman."

  "Fair enough," she said. "But I need to talk to Xya."

  "I can take you there," said Nayiri.

  The changeling transformed back into the ochre-robed priest she'd been before.

  "Do you have a name?" asked Alex, throwing an azure cloak overtop so she wouldn't be recognized.

  "Bethar," said Nayiri.

  "Lead on, Bethar."

  As they left the apartments, the other priests nodded towards Bethar/Nayiri as if they thought he/she was a member of their order. Alex was led out of the Arena, into the streets, where they quickly fell into the crowds.

  They passed clothiers and blacksmiths, their professions signified by a pair of scissors or a hammer and anvil on a hanging sign. Few had words on them, suggesting the residents were generally illiterate.

  The streets smelled surprisingly clean, despite the sizable population, but she saw sewer openings and aqueducts. As the western breeze wound its way through the avenues, bringing the scents of the surrounding farmland, Alex was reminded of home. Down the valley from their trailer, a few farmers worked the fields, sowing soybeans and corn.

  Bethar/Nayiri led her to a temple-like building with columns and a high angled stone roof. There were no signs of a god, no statues or icons, but there were carvings of boats, serpents, and a lotus flower displayed.

  A light incense filled the high-roofed space. Alex got chills when she stepped inside, and she glanced upward, expecting a swirling galaxy rather than white stone, then felt momentarily foolish for the thought.

  It was a place of power.

  A pressure in the back of her skull, as if she had a wealth of faez ready, gave her an intense sense of anticipation.

  There were no altars or benches inside the building visualizing the power dynamic of the temple. It was wide open, except for cushioned couches set against the outer walls, suggesting this was a different kind of space.

  Alex wondered if anyone was attending the temple when she heard a purposeful scuff against the marble floor, an announcement of arrival. She turned to find a woman in long robes, the color of violet shadow, flowing towards her. Her breath caught in her throat and she had the urge to flee.

  It wasn't until the woman was upon her that she could see her face, which flickered at the edges as if magic were at work. Wisewoman Xya Oleander looked like the woman Alex would have expected if she'd been told of the wisewoman, but she had the impression this visage was for her alone. When Alex glanced to Nayiri, who had transformed back to her original form, she saw a look of unabashed wonder, suggesting that she saw someone else entirely.

  "Would you leave us for a moment, child?" said Xya to Nayiri, who, with gaping mouth, backed away with a slight inclination of the head, looking almost fearful to turn her back.

  "I'll meet you back at the apartments," said Alex as Nayiri left.

  When Alex was alone with the wisewoman, the pressure she'd felt before lessened, as if the storm had passed.

  "Greetings, Alexandria Duke, Far Traveler and Warrior," said Xya.

  "You know where I come from?" asked Alex at the title of Far Traveler.

  Xya's nose wrinkled with knowing. "I know you come from a place beyond our world. That this one is not your own, though it can be your last world if you fail too greatly."

  "If I fail too greatly?" she asked.

  "Some who have come here never leave," said Xya.

  A trickle of recognition ran up her spine, thinking about Andre and his friends—Isla and Hayden—and Bucket, who'd gone missing after his final year. Was there more to Gamemakers Online than she knew?

  Xya's forehead wrinkled. "Apologies, child, I've worried you with my pronouncements. There are no dangers for you at the moment, and you came here for a specific question."

  "Yes," she said, digging into her Handysack then handing the wisewoman the cube. "I've been trying to figure out what this is."

  Quest Completed: Ask Xya Oleander about the mysterious cube

  You have gained experience: 10,000 XP

  Xya made a noise of recognition in the back of her throat when she took the item, though she rolled it over in her hands as if there was specific knowledge she gleaned from the designs of moon phases on the outside.

  "I thought it was strange that the cube had moons on it, since this world has none," said Alex, hoping to get further clarification from Xya, but the wisewoman only nodded and said with a twitch of a smile, "That is a wonder, but not the wonder you came to see me about."

  "So you can tell me about the cube?" she asked.

  "I've seen them from time to time, usually in the hands of a Far Traveler. They hold powerful single-use magics, but they must be unlocked for a price," said Xya, eyes glittering with danger.

  "For a price? That doesn't sound good," said Alex.

  "Come now, after all the danger you've faced already," said Xya. "But this shouldn't be too much trouble. You've come to the right place to unlock the magic."

  "I have?" asked Alex, leaning forward on the balls of her feet.

  "Yes, to unlock the magics, you must slay a great beast," said Xya.

  "The fight in the Arena," Alex said right away.

  "Yes, a rare convergence of events—you must be an important Far Traveler for things to work out like this. But know you this, it must be you who deals the killing blow to the beast, no other. If you can do so, then you will unlock the power in the cube."

  Quest Chain V: Deal the killing blow to a great beast (Unlock Cube's Power)

  Alex took the cube back and placed it in her Handysack.

  "Thank you, Xya," she said, inclining her head.

  "Good luck in the Arena, you're going to need it," said Xya, lips peeled back showing teeth.

  The near-feral display gave her shivers, so Alex took her leave. The wisewoman watched her the whole way out of the temple, which was unsettling.

  The pressure she'd been feeling dissipated as soon as she stepped outside. She quickly put distance between herself and the temple,
resisting the urge to glance over her shoulder.

  Not far from the arena, she crossed a square occupied by a huge fountain of a warrior wielding a trident. His serious expression was undone by the spray coming out his helmet.

  Alex really wasn't paying attention, so she almost ran into a red-haired girl in a crimson cloak. The Crimson Scourge. It took a moment for recognition to set in, but when it did, it hit Alex like a thunderbolt.

  It was Lily Brodziak.

  Lily fucking Brodziak.

  Chapter Forty

  Alex couldn't believe it. Lily "the Hammer" Brodziak, former MechLeague World Champion, was her opponent in the Arena of the Gods. She'd watched Lily dominate for years online and now she was faced with competing with her for the crowd's attention.

  As she stared into Lily's snarling face, she realized that she should have guessed her opponent's identity by the use of elemental magics. But she hadn't been thinking about other mages from Gamemakers Hall. The whole time she'd been thinking she'd be matched against a formidable NPC rather than the best MechLeague player in the world.

  "I should have known it was you," said Lily. "I heard tales of winning battles that shouldn't be won. It should have clued me in that you were in my zone exploiting your way to the top."

  "It's not your zone and I'm not exploiting, just plain ol' superior tactics," said Alex, leaning forward with her arms crossed.

  "Tactics, is that what you call it?" asked Lily.

  "Look, I wasn't born to a rich family with all the advantages," said Alex, heat rising to her face. "Where I grew up in Kentucky, we had to make the best of what we had."

  "So you're admitting you're a cheater," said Lily.

  "It wasn't cheating, I never bent the rules. I just used the holes in the rules. Look, there were days we went without food because of the rules"—Alex made air quotes—"which tells me the rules suck as written. This game has been a lot like living back home, with no one to help and only myself to rely on."

  "It's not as bad as you make it out to be," said Lily. "If you actually applied yourself and worked hard, you might have hit a decent level by now. If I had another month, I could have reached level 40 without this stupid champion thing."

  "Worked hard? I know your story. Your parents had trainers and coaches for you since you were four years old. You know what we had when I was four years old? No power," said Alex, stepping into Lily's space.

  "What? You think you're going to intimidate me?" asked Lily incredulously, glancing askew. "You probably came here to ruin things for me."

  Alex threw up her hands. "Why would I do that? What does it gain me? I'm just trying to survive in this game same as you."

  "You're jealous of me," said Lily, lifting her chin.

  "I admire you, but I'm hardly jealous. Honestly, I wouldn't want to deal with your fame. Seems like a pain in the ass," said Alex, feeling a little exhausted by the mutual animosity.

  Lily blinked as if she didn't know how to take what she'd said. Eventually her face screwed up as her nostrils flared. "Don't try to placate me. You're a cheater, through and through. I know you exploited your way here, just like you did in the real world."

  Heat rose to Alex's face as she squared off with Lily. "I didn't cheat. I used the tools they gave me in game."

  "It doesn't matter, because you don't stand a chance in the arena," said Lily, who to Alex's surprise looked on the verge of tears. "I have to win."

  "What is going on?" asked Alex. "I've never done anything to you. Why did you even come here? You had a world championship to defend, contracts, sponsorships. What are you even getting out of this?"

  Lily squeezed her eyes shut and spoke under her breath. "You wouldn't understand."

  At first, Alex wanted to revel in Lily's pain. She wanted Lily to hurt. But she knew it would only make her feel shitty in the end. Letting go of her anger allowed her to recognize Lily's anguish. It was just like how Andre had acted, Martina too.

  "You're trying to find someone, aren't you?" asked Alex, understanding coming like a tide.

  Lily paused midstride.

  After a long moment, she turned back, but she didn't look like the confident young woman who had conquered the esports world, but a girl run through with heartache.

  "It's my brother, Drew," she said, lips squeezed white. "He joined Gamemakers years ago and then disappeared in his third year."

  "You're trying to find him," said Alex.

  Lily pressed her palm against her cheek, wiping away a tear. "I was so excited for him when he passed the Merlin Trials and joined Gamemakers. When he was home for the summer, he couldn’t stop talking about how cool it was, how realistic, how much he was learning.

  "Then when he came back after his second year, he seemed darker. Kept mentioning that there was more to this world than Marzio had let on, that it was really a hiding place for unimaginable power. Secrets buried within secrets. The last thing he told me before his third year was that he had to win some insane gladiator battles to get a key."

  Behind Alex, Nayiri sucked in a breath. "I heard the nobles mention something about a key as a prize."

  "There's a zone not far off that you need a key to get into," said Lily, staring in an easterly direction. "Drew earned his key in the Arena of the Gods, but disappeared after that."

  "Is his one of the statues outside?" asked Alex.

  "Larius of the Song," said Lily, nodding. "That was always his name in whatever game he played. Before he was recruited to join Gamemakers, he was a Suzuki trained pianist. Could have gotten into Julliard, or Stone Singers."

  "Your brother isn't the only one missing," said Alex. "There were some kids outside Gamemakers who think their friends disappeared here."

  Lily scrunched up her forehead. "Those weirdos that watch us come in and out of the hall?"

  "Yeah, Marzio recruited two of their friends to test some zones and they never returned." Alex paused. "Is that what you were doing when we helped Marzio with the Second Year Contest? Trying to find your brother?"

  "I hoped the zone design tools would give me some insight into where he might be," said Lily, shaking her head.

  "Bucket, one of the fifth years, is missing too," said Alex.

  They shared a contemplative silence until Lily, after opening and closing her mouth, finally said, "I know this sounds selfish, but I want you to throw the fight. It's not that I don't think I can beat you, but I don't want to waste resources that I need to use to find my brother."

  After all the bravado, Alex was surprised by the request. It wasn't what she'd expected.

  "I don't understand..."

  Lily huffed her breath. "It's not that hard, and we have to work together to kill the boss anyway."

  Alex squinted at Lily. "You know what we're fighting?"

  "I have my sources," she said. "While I'd hate to spoil the surprise, I can tell you that it's the toughest boss they have in the menagerie. It has massive hit points, armor that can't be breached, and a deadly arena-wide aura that kicks in after a while that will kill us in less than a minute. It's not meant to be beaten unless we work together to reduce its defenses."

  A tickle in Alex's gut told her that she wasn't going to like the answer. "And how do we do that?"

  "There's a debuff called Vigor of the Fallen that it gets whenever one of our teammates die, which reduces its armor and makes it hit less. We pretty much can't kill it until it's only you and I, and then we can deal with it together."

  "Wait? We have to let our teammates die in the arena?" Alex asked incredulously. "I can't do that."

  "Why not?" asked Lily, her face scrunched up. "They're just NPCs. Look, it's the only way we can win. I consulted a powerful oracle to learn what its weaknesses are."

  "I'm not sacrificing my team," said Alex.

  "It's just a game. Don't get too attached. That's what happened to Drew. He believed they were real, but they're not, they're just NPCs. Getting attached will only get you killed," said Lily.

  "It d
oesn't matter. I won't do it anyway," said Alex. "I have to win, or I'll die."

  Lily screwed up her face, tilting her head. "You've got to be kidding me? I tell my story about my brother, and then ask for your help after telling you the secret of the final boss, and now you have to make up some bullshit about you dying?" She looked away. "I don't know why I thought you might be reasonable."

  "I'm not lying," said Alex, though she knew how it was going to sound as soon as she said it. "I have a weird cancer that only the staff at Golden Willow can fix. If I'm not a member of the Halls, then I can't continue the treatment."

  "I should have known," said Lily, shaking her head. "You're always looking for a way to game the system events. I told you my story, so you had to one-up me, try to exploit me. I'll give you credit, you don't give up, but your story is a lie."

  It made Alex's whole body ache to hear that from Lily, but she didn't know how to say something that would change her mind.

  "I'm sorry, Lily. I really want you to find your brother, but I really want to live more," said Alex.

  Lily put her finger right into Alex's chest. "Then I'll destroy you in the arena like I planned to in the first place. I'd hoped to make this easy."

  When she stormed away, Alex was left with empty dread. It was bad enough that her life was on the line, but now even if she won, she wouldn’t be able to feel good about it.

  "One more fight."

  Chapter Forty-One

  The next morning, Alex waited in the tunnels of the Arena of the Gods for her name to be announced, the stones quivering with energy.

  Her heart jackrabbited around in her chest and her palms were so sweaty she kept wiping them against the supple leather on her hips.

  In the Western Plains, the most people she'd fought in front of had been a few hundred, and the makeshift stands didn't reach high, so she'd rarely even noticed the audience during her battles.

  But the Arena of the Gods held nearly five thousand souls.

  "It's fine, I can do this, they're not real, right?" Alex whispered to herself.