Tournament Lord

by Felix Craft

  I shrugged. “About time we got some luck.”

  Muttering to herself, she nevertheless entered, myself limping after. I glanced around the first room. It was red and gold, from the carpets on the floor to the pillowed walls to the molded ceiling. It was completely boring, and my eyes glazed over at the luxuries. The decorations in this room alone could probably buy me a car. The only benefit I could see to having all that red was that the blood dripping down my leg wouldn’t leave too noticeable of a stain.

  “Over here,” Leesha said from the next room over.

  I followed her in. While the first room looked to be some sort of greeting room, this one was the bedchamber, with a four-poster, canopied bed twice as big as any king-sized mattress I’d seen. But it was the chest at the foot of it that had caught Leesha’s eye. She had knelt before it, and had the lid cracked a bit. I limped over for a better look.

  She pulled out part of fabric, and I recognized it immediately for what it was. “The banner.”

  Leesha nodded and re-latched the chest. “We’ve got to get this out of here. Do you think you can get one side?”

  I nodded, though with my HP still flagging at just over 70, I wasn’t totally sure about it. Still, I grabbed one of the handles with the hand that wasn’t leaning on my axe like a crutch, and Leesha took up her side. “On three.”

  “Actually on three? Are we not going to say ‘three’ again?”

  “Oh, that bothers you? So sorry.” She didn’t bother to hide her smirk.

  “You’re the devil.”

  But Leesha wasn’t the one to answer. A high-pitched male’s voice responded from the adjacent room, “Some have called me that.”

  “Who’s there?” I asked, thankful my voice didn’t crack. Heart pounding, I released the chest and straightened, both hands on my battle-axe as I stared at the doorway.

  “But there are worse things than a devil, I think,” the unseen man continued, ignoring my question. “Devils are devious, no? Devilishly so. Deliciously.”

  “Cut the crap,” Leesha barked. “Who the fuck are you?” A quick glance back showed she had a dagger poised in her hand, ready to throw. Too late to follow suit with a javelin of my own.

  The man appeared in the doorway, clad in red and gold just as the entrance room. “You already know, I think. I am the man you came to rob.” He spread an armed and bowed low and formally. “I am Lord Loki.”

  17

  Lord Loki's Proposal

  I stared, and not only because I was surprised to be caught. It was also that this Lord Loki didn’t exactly strike me as a “warlord.” He had long, black hair that was sleek and oiled as a beaver’s hide, and a long, skinny chin beard to match. His robes were thick and looked made of velvet. He was tall, thin as a rail, and also a bit hawkish with sharp-looking bones.

  I took the opportunity to analyze him:

  Name: Lord Loki

  Level: 31

  Profession: Warlord

  Faction: —

  HP: 170/170

  SP: 150/150

  MP: 280/280

  Jesus, he’d called himself a lord since he was a Level 1 noob. This guy just got better and better. But no matter how much of a joke he seemed to me, a glance back at Leesha showed she was still wary. Perhaps that made sense. He was twenty levels higher than her, and since he was past Level 20, he had access to magic. I knew enough about MythRune to realize that made him dangerous and unpredictable.

  “I must say, I am rather impressed,” Loki — I couldn't stand to call him Lord anymore — said as he took another step farther in. “At your levels, I did not believe you capable of infiltrating my castle.”

  “Your castle?” I sneered. “Settling in quickly, then.”

  One thin eyebrow arched on Loki’s face. “Of course, my castle. Why would you…?” He paused. “Ah. I see. Perhaps I would do in the same in her position.”

  I didn’t see, but Leesha continued right over us. “So, you caught us. What are you going to do now?”

  “Exactly what you won’t expect.” Loki folded his hands into the arms of his robes. “I’m going to propose a deal.”

  “A deal?” Leesha echoed skeptically.

  “A deal.”

  I had a feeling I wouldn’t want to take any deal this sleazy man, but if listening to him prattle on kept the pain away, I was willing to listen. Besides every second we delayed brought me closer to 100% on my HP. “Okay. What’s this deal?”

  “I’m glad you asked.” Loki’s smile was thin, and his eyes seemed to gleam as he took another step closer and gestured to the chest at Leesha’s feet. “That chest contains the banner, which you already know. Your employer, a certain Lady Vash — yes, I know all about her employing you — also recognizes the particular chest that contains the banner. To that end, I had a replica made.” Loki stepped aside from the door, and I flinched as a big guard came stepping through, an identical chest as the one next to Leesha and I in his arms. “My deal is that if you deliver this chest to Lady Vash and claim it contains the banner, I will not only let you free from my castle without harm, but absolve you from any guilt whatsoever in the killing of several of my guards and dismantling of my golem.”

  Leesha opened her mouth, but I spoke first. “What’s the chest do?”

  Loki’s steady gaze met mine. “It would be better for you not to know. But I would advise you not to open it.”

  “A curse then? What, you want to give her warts? Turn her into a frog?”

  The so-called warlord sighed, like he was growing impatient with an impetuous dog. “If you insist on knowing, the curse will instantly kill her. Her, or anyone else who opens it.”

  That was just a step too far. “You want us to not only not do what Vash wants us to, but kill her to boot? Yeah, that will go over well—”

  “We’ll do it,” Leesha interrupted.

  I looked back at her, incredulous. Loki was a total creep, and I doubted that just delivering his fatal chest would let us off the hook. And we still needed that token from Vash. Why would she agree so easily? And why didn’t I get a say?

  Sure, I’d made a decision for us earlier, but she’d gotten to make way more. It wasn’t fair.

  Loki clapped his hands together lightly. “Excellent. Bartholomew, if you’ll hand the boy the chest.”

  Boy? I bristled but accepted it from the muscle-head. He nodded at me as I took it, and surprised at the gesture, I nodded back.

  “The chamberlain will see you out.” Loki backed out the door, gesturing for us to follow. With a look at Leesha, we both trailed after him, and upon reaching then next room, found several other people now occupied it. In addition to the chamberlain, who eyed us as severely as a teacher at unruly children, four guards stood by her side. Our escort from the premises, it seemed.

  At another gesture from their master, one of the guards opened the door from the chambers, and the chamberlain moved to the entrance. But as I moved to follow, Loki arrested us with some last few words. “Oh, and one other thing. If you betray me, I will ruin everything else you attempt in this game. You cannot go far enough away that I will not find you.”

  Prickles popped up all over my skin. “Duh.”

  They stayed as we exited, but the feel of the warlord’s watchful eyes followed us out of the room.

  18

  Forked Path

  We left Castle Kronan’s grounds and walked into the hills. I bore the chest that became heavier by the minute. As soon as we got out of sight, I set down the cursed thing and rounded on my companion. “Why’d you do that?”

  She paused and half-turned back. “What? Make the only choice we possibly could have?”

  “Not let us discuss it.”

  Leesha snorted. “Because we could have had an honest and open discussion while our captor watched over us. Right.”

  Her attitude was just making me madder. “Look, we told Lady Vash we would get the banner, and now we’re turning on her. Maybe I’ve got old-fashioned morals, but where
I come from — you know, Earth, reality, weird places like that — that’s called betrayal.”

  “Good God, Z,” Leesha groaned, rolling her head back. “You really don’t see it?”

  “See what?”

  “Delivering the chest isn’t the only option. I promise, as soon as I explain, you’ll literally see what I mean.”

  I imagined a notification waiting on the bench for its big chance to get in the game. “Okay. What’s this other option?”

  Leesha walked back over to me. “That we don’t deliver the chest as the real one,” she said. “That instead, we tell Vash she has a spy in her midst.”

  Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, the notification rushed to the corner of my vision. Barely restraining from rolling my eyes, I brought it up with a command and read. It was the quest prompt from before, but it had been revised.

  Current Quest:

  Overthrowing the Overlord

  - Retrieve the banner from Castle Kronan and deliver it to Lady Vash.

  - Decide whether to use stealth, disguise, or force to get past the guards within Castle Kronan.

  - You may complete the quest in two ways:

  - Deliver the cursed chest to Lady Vash.

  - Tell Lady Vash she has a spy in her midsts. Which will you choose?

  It was getting weird how the quests changed by what we did. What if I had this in my daily life? Quest: Breakfast of Champions. You are hungry. You can complete this quest by eating Wheaties or being a bitch. Which will you choose?

  “You’re right,” I said aloud. “I see what you mean.”

  She gave me a half-smile. “Told you. That’s why I’m the leader and you’re the sidekick.”

  “I’m not the fucking —”

  “Which is why,” she continued over me, “I get to decide that we’re going with the second option.”

  I stopped, my mouth still open. Now that we actually had a choice, I was considering both options. “Will that actually get us the token?”

  “Oh, now you have doubts? You’re unbelievable.”

  “Seriously. Which will get us the token?”

  Leesha considered it for a moment. “Maybe neither,” she admitted. “If the token is bound to her character, it won’t drop even if she dies.”

  “And if we turn in the spy,” I picked up the thread, “it might not be enough to get the token.”

  “But it might be. And the token might drop.” Leesha shrugged. “Still, I figured with your old-fashioned conscience in play, you might want to go for sticking with Vash.”

  “Leesha. That was almost considerate of you.”

  She snorted. “Don't get used to it. Now, hope your leg is all healed up. My time is running up here, so it’s time to go.”

  I kicked it a bit, and it felt all right. My HP was back up to full as well. Strange to think that just a few days ago, I would have never gotten my leg right. That same bum knee would plague me no matter how much time passed. And that's what I was trying to get back to.

  As my companion took off at a run, I pushed the thoughts from my mind and set off after her.

  19

  New Deal

  We ran through the night, only slowing when we had to let our SP bar fill back up, and reached Nest just before daybreak. Leesha kept mumbling about the time, so I knew her thirty-six hours were drawing to a close. I tried not to do the math for how long I'd been here.

  We gained easy admittance to the town and the castle, and were soon standing before that old bucket of a Chamberlain. “You're back!” Francois said with delight and no small amount of surprise. “And with the chest in hand! Lady Vash will be so pleased to see you.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but Leesha flashed me a warning look, so I refrained from correcting him.

  “Is she available?” Leesha asked into the awkward silence.

  “Now? No, but soon. Lady Vash is always punctual, rigorously adhering to her schedule.”

  “How soon?”

  “Sheesh, simmer down,” I said. As impatient as she was, you'd think she was the one trapped here.

  I was positive if the chamberlain could have, he would have frowned. “She’ll be here soon,” he repeated stiffly, then turned on a metal heel and clambered away.

  “What's gotten into you?” I asked Leesha as soon as the echoes faded away. “You're acting like I ought to be.”

  “I can act however I damn well please,” she snapped, not even taking my bait. Then she leaned against the wall and put up the leather hood she'd dawned with her sneak gear, hiding her face.

  I shook my head, crossed my arms, and waited. Every time my mind started to drift into dangerous territory — AKA, anything related to my real life on Earth — I thought back to the problem at hand and how I was going to log off.

  First, I considered what I'd do if Vash didn't give us the token. Could I try using the chest, after all? But we already had it with us, and Francois had seen it. Not to mention, Vash had been able to give us info about Castle Kronan because she had spies placed there. No doubt they’d report we were escorted off the castle premises, debunking any tales of a successful recovery. In the end, circumstances made sure I followed my moral compass.

  Francois cluttered back to us. “My mistress is awake.” Some of his former warmth had returned, though he only addressed me now. “You may follow me.”

  I picked up the chest again, and Leesha and I followed Francois back to the open-air gardens. Lady Vash was in the same seat on the same balcony as before, staring out across the golden early morning glow.

  “M’lady.” Leesha gave a bow that seemed a touch too exaggerated.

  Vash looked at me, her eyes blank of expectation. But even if there was any there, I didn't comply with protocol, but stood stock still with the chest still raised.

  Her eyes slid down to the ornate box. “So. It appears you've succeeded. I must admit, I am a bit surprised —”

  “We didn't succeed,” I interrupted. I didn't want to chance Leesha flaking. In the mood she was in, I didn't know what she might be capable of doing.

  A slow smile crept onto Vash’s face. “I wondered if you would admit it. I'm pleased you confessed so quickly.”

  I thought of acting offended, but instead shrugged. No need for the bullshit now. “This chest I'm carrying—” I shook it a bit for emphasis “—is cursed to kill you if you open it. No banner inside.”

  “I know,” she said simply. Then after a pause, she said, “Is that all?”

  “No,” Leesha said. “There is … a spy in your midst.”

  It had seemed difficult for her to say for some reason. Vash raised her eyebrows. “This I didn't know. Are you sure?”

  My companion nodded. “Lord Loki knew of us coming, and of our mission. I don't know how he could have known otherwise.”

  The Lady of Nest nodded. “It is to be expected. And who is this spy?”

  I looked at Leesha, and her eyes briefly met mine. Vash read us all too well, or so I guessed from her deepening frown. “You don't know.”

  “With all due respect, Lady Vash,” Leesha said, “that was beyond our purview. I believe between this information and the warning about the chest, we've upheld our side of the agreement.”

  Vash was silent a moment, staring out over her lands again. Finally, she said, “I'm afraid not.”

  Anger sprang up inside me. And I’d been thinking I was zen as a monk about this whole thing. “Are you kidding me? We spent a whole day on your little quest! We killed several of his guards and his pet golem knight! We didn’t let you open his cursed chest! We told you about a spy you didn’t know about! And you really won’t give us a token you have no intention of using?”

  Vash looked at me coolly. “I didn't ask for a dead golem. I asked for a castle. And you didn’t deliver that.”

  So much for being a good person. I clenched my fists, wondering what the chances were that I could take her on, and if Leesha would back me up.

  “However,” she continu
ed, “if you discover who this spy is, I promise to give you the tournament token.”

  It wasn't the deal, and Vash was definitely taking advantage of us. Still, I felt a flicker of hope again. I’d been afraid we weren’t going to even have a chance of getting that token. “Fine.”

  She looked to Leesha. “Are we agreed?”

  Leesha apparently couldn’t trust herself to speak. She gave a terse nod.

  “Good. Now please see yourselves out.” The Sparrow Mistress returned to her balcony seat and sat slowly.

  I stared a moment after her, the unfairness seething inside me, but I just stuffed it in and turned around. “Come on.”

  Leesha and I walked toward the door together. Aso soon as we were outside the castle, I said, “This is all your fault.”

  Leesha barely looked at me. “Is that right?”

  “Yeah.” We ambled down the main street of Nest, aimless as far as I could tell. Where we’d go to find this spy, I had not the slightest clue. “If you hadn't stopped us from joining the Sparrows, no way would Vash have backed out on us like that.”

  “No way she would have let us go to the tournament,” she countered. “She's a faction leader, Zane. When you join a faction, you do whatever the leader says, no matter what you individually want.”

  I sneaked a look at her, a suspicion growing in my mind, but I kept mute about it. “Fine. Since we can't change it, I'll forget about it. How are we going to find that spy?”

  “We're going to press the easy button.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me into an alley.

  “Whoa! What's the big idea?”

  But she ignored me and kept moving toward the door down the alley. Shrugging, I followed, catching up as she reached her destination and knocked.