by Terry Schott
“This one.”
Xyclotl was about to shout something else, but Xander’s answer made the imp pause and then smile. “Good point.”
“So…”
“Well done? I guess.”
Xander nodded. “Thank you.”
The shard imp laughed again as he launched himself into the air and flew to perch on Xander’s shoulder. “Since you’re still alive, let’s go see what’s inside.”
***
Mercy entered Xander’s bedchamber at first light. She opened the door without knocking and frowned to see that her student was still sleeping. She sighed, not relishing the punishment that she would have to assign for his lack of discipline.
She moved to the window and drew back the curtains. “Get up.”
Hearing him groan, Mercy pursed her lips and turned. “I realize that we are currently awaiting orders from our leader, but that is never an excuse to be lazy. In fact, the opposite is true. When we are most tempted to be complacent—” she turned and gasped.
Xander was sitting up in bed, his naked upper torso visible. Yawning, his arms stretched skyward. He opened his eyes and noticed that she was staring at him with her mouth open. “What’s wrong?” Xander lowered his arms to rest on the blanket covering his legs and frowned. “What the—”
Oily black tendrils covered both arms from elbow to his fingertips. The blackness moved and rolled slowly, like a nest full of resting snakes. Each mark was outlined by a thin, sharp line of sparkling blue-white colour; the lines moved also, and seemed to crackle like lightning. The whiteness of his skin disappeared under the marks as they moved, only to reappear a moment later as the tendrils changed their placement.
“This is…” Mercy whispered.
“Pretty cool,” Xander said. “What is it? Some kind of living tattoo?”
“They are called grasps, and they contain immense power.”
“Wow.”
“First the Death’s Kiss, now this. And on both arms…” Mercy shook her head. “Who are you, Xander? And why does the Dark Lady continue to rain her favour upon you?”
Xander held both hands up, flexing his fingers and watching the midnight-black patterns swirl and crackle over his skin. “What kind of abilities do I gain from these?”
“As you grow in power, there will be many things you can do with them.” Mercy sat in the chair by the window. “But for starters, you can throw away your swords.”
Chapter 21
Jerry stopped at Kara’s table and stared.
She finished chewing her mouthful of food and swallowed. “Pretty sure it’s official now, Jerry. You’re stalking me.”
A waiter arrived, carrying two glasses of dark amber alcohol. He set them on the table, and Jerry dropped forty dollars on the tray. “Keep the change, pal.”
“Thirty cents?”
“Huh?” Jerry frowned.
“Change from forty for the drinks equals thirty cents.”
“Oh.” Jerry reached into his pocket and pulled out a money clip. He peeled off a ten-dollar bill and added it to the tray. “Sorry, bud.”
“No worries. Thank you, kindly.” The server moved away, and Jerry sat. He pushed one drink toward her and lifted the other to his lips.
Kara set her fork down and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “What do you want now?”
“Figured I’d come over and chat, since it’s difficult to get a meeting with you during business hours.”
“I’m busy.”
“I bet you are,” he smirked. “Running a profitable business into the ground must take up a lot of time and energy.”
“You’re clueless.”
“I don’t think so. Sales are in the garbage, Kara.”
“Which is your fault.”
“Investors are getting nervous too, from what I’m hearing out there.”
“Where?”
Jerry shrugged. “The beta testers who were released back into public life are not happy.”
“Because they aren’t still playing Blades VR. That’s not the worst publicity in the world.”
“They are saying the beta test was not long enough.”
“Beta testers always say that. It’s an indicator that the game is incredible.”
“Is investors asking for their money back a good indicator as well?”
Kara laughed and reached for the drink Jerry had bought her. “Which is it, Jerry? Are they getting nervous or are they dropping out?”
“Getting nervous first,” Jerry shrugged. “Then dropping out.”
Kara glared at him as she took a drink.
“And what about the beta testers who are still playing?”
“What about them?”
“Rumours are starting to spread. Some of the news outlets are reporting that they aren’t still playing. Rumours are that they died during testing and ARC is holding that information back.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” He raised one eyebrow. “The non-disclosure agreement gives ARC Gaming permission to do exactly that.”
“How do you know that?”
“I read it online a few minutes ago. Someone leaked a copy of the agreement.”
Kara felt a tightness in her chest. “What?”
“About three hours ago, I got a call from Jenny Crisman.”
“The reporter?”
Jerry nodded. “She asked for a comment.”
“Why would she call you?”
“Ouch.” Jerry took another drink. “Not everyone hates me, you know. Outside the walls of your office, I happen to have a good reputation.”
“She’s likely calling everyone she can find a number for that’s related to the company,” Kara mused.
“You’d better hope not.”
Kara squinted. “What did you tell her?”
“That I had no idea what she was talking about and wouldn’t comment unless I did.”
“Good.”
“Sadly, I was telling her the truth. I would have said it anyway, but shouldn’t I have been privy to the existence of such an agreement, Kara?”
“Why? You’re just a—”
“A salesman?” Jerry laughed. “Maybe that means nothing to you, but my business card does have a couple extra words below my name. Head of Sales. Did Nick see it?” He held up a hand. “Never mind lying, I know for a fact he did. And he’s just a—” He grinned. “Head of the accounting department. Turns out that every department head was informed. Except for me.”
“Look, Jerry—”
“Save it. Whatever you tell me is a lie, and we both know it.”
Kara picked up her phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Sending you a copy now.”
“No!” He reached across the table and put his hand in front of the screen. “I’ve already seen it online. The last thing I need is an actual copy emailed from you. No, thank you.”
“You’re a child. First you complain that you were left out of the loop, now you’re whining to stay out. Make up your mind.”
He leaned back and picked up his glass. “I want to be far away from anything you’re connected to. That way when it all goes to crap, maybe there will still be other job opportunities for me out there.”
Kara opened her mouth to speak, but Jerry looked past her and smiled. “There she is now.”
Kara turned to see a woman dressed in a business suit making her way toward them. “How did Jenny know I would be here?”
Jerry drained his glass, set it on the table, and stood. “I told her.” Jerry walked past her but she gripped his wrist. “Let go of me.”
“You’re fired, Jerry.” She spoke through gritted teeth.
The salesman laughed and jerked his arm free. “You don’t have the power to do that.”
“When Isaac gets back—”
“Sure. When your boyfriend returns, he can fire me.” He walked away and muttered. “If he still has a company by then.”
Chapter 22
Bramel
l and Sebastian walked down the main street of town.
“What do you think so far?” Bramell asked.
“Impressive.”
Bramell stopped in front of a shop and opened the door. “After you.”
They entered, and Sebastian smiled. “A teahouse, like back home. How quaint.”
Bramell led them to a table near the back of the room and sat. “One of my partners thought it would be cool to have a place like this.” He shrugged. “It’s turned out to be fairly popular. No matter where we go, people like a little bit of home to visit now and then.”
“Partners?”
“That’s right.” He grabbed the menu sitting on the table and handed it to Sebastian.
Sebastian scanned the menu items. “I didn’t figure you for the partnering type.”
Bramell chuckled. “That’s the only way I do business. Why take all the risk when there are so many others willing to climb on board to share?”
“Share. That’s the part I figured you would be against.”
The dwarf placed a hand against his chest. “How unfair of you to think such a thing.”
“That’s not how you work back home, is it?”
“Of course.”
Sebastian frowned.
“Come now, Sebastian. You don’t really hate me that much, do you?”
Sebastian lowered the menu.
“Go ahead. Tell me truly. I won’t hold it against you.”
“That’s the thing. Somehow you’re in a position where I don’t want to be on your bad side.”
“I doubt that could happen.”
Sebastian raised one eyebrow. “You remind me a lot of Isaac.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
Bramell nodded. “I see.”
“How did you manage to get into the beta testing? I specifically programmed measures to keep you out.” Bramell’s eyes widened, and Sebastian nodded. “You and a few other traders who were well known in the PC gaming communities.”
“Well, that explains my challenges.” Bramell stood and moved to the counter. He retrieved two glasses and a decanter filled with honey-coloured liquid. “It cost me a lot more than I expected to sneak my way in.”
“Only investors got an invite.” Sebastian crossed his arms. “And if they gave that access to friends or family, those people were thoroughly vetted.”
Bramell half-filled each of the glasses. “How many of my competitors did you catch and deny access to?”
“All of them.” Bramell raised one eyebrow, and Sebastian sighed. “Okay, I guess not all of them, since I was convinced we’d managed to keep you out, too. We caught and denied at least six.” He listed the names as Bramell returned with the glasses.
“That’s excellent.” He set one glass in front of Sebastian. “More profit for me.”
Bramell poured a measure into each glass, then sat and held his glass out to Sebastian. They clinked glasses and drank.
“Wow.” Sebastian’s smile was genuine. “What is this?”
“I call it morning glow. It’s a few different berries mixed with honey. Something my partner came up with. Any time you want a bottle, I can get it for you. No charge.”
“That’s not very business-like.”
“Please.” Bramell waved a hand. “There is very little you will ever pay for as far as I’m concerned.”
“I’d rather pay. That way I don’t owe you favours.”
The dwarf smiled. “First of all, you can’t afford most of the things you’ll need. You and your friends don’t look as if you’ve spent much time adventuring and acquiring wealth during your play.”
“We have a bit.”
Bramell shook his head. “Secondly, you owe me nothing. I am a multi-millionaire, thanks to the PC game, and I expect to be a billionaire less than five years after Blades VR goes live to the public. I know you don’t approve of me or what I do, but the fact is that I’d be a poor middle-aged man still living in his mother’s basement if it wasn’t for you and the games that you’ve created.” Sebastian started to speak, but Bramell held up a hand and continued talking. “We don’t have to agree, and you don’t have to like me—although I think you would, if you gave me half a chance—in order to have a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Sebastian took another sip from his glass.
“Twenty-five million.” Bramell raised his own glass to his lips.
Sebastian frowned.
“That’s how much it cost me to sneak into the beta testing.”
“Whoah. That’s a bit higher than the two-million-dollar price tag everyone else paid.”
“Aye.” He watched Sebastian for a few seconds and then nodded. “What the hell. I’ll tell you how I did it.”
Sebastian smiled and took another sip from his glass. “No need.”
“I don’t mind.”
“If it cost you that much, I will assume you had to bribe authorities, create dummy corporations, and pay off a lot of people to get in.”
“All the way to the medical tech who wired me up and put me under. Don’t you want to know the exact details, though? How I managed to outsmart and bypass the immaculate protocols you put in place to stop people like me from doing what I did?”
Sebastian shrugged. “Not really.”
“Wow.”
“I learned a long time ago that hackers and exploiters can never be fully stopped. If someone wants to steal badly enough, they will find a way.”
“I didn’t steal.”
Sebastian raised one eyebrow. “You’re willing to tell me how you hacked so that I will implement firewalls and security measures to prevent others from following your trail.”
Bramell grinned.
“That’s something I wouldn’t do, even if I could. Which I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I’m a permanent log-in.”
Bramell’s smile disappeared. “What?”
Sebastian nodded.
“If that’s true—”
“It is.”
“You shouldn’t be telling anyone. If you die…” He spread his hands. “Then you’re actually dead.”
“That’s right.”
“You should be careful about who knows.”
“I have been. I will continue to be.”
“I’m confused.” The dwarf shook his head. “Why would you share something so sensitive with me?”
“Because.” Sebastian drained his glass and set it back on the table. “I may not like many of the things that you’ve done to get where you are, but I know without a doubt that you are honourable. You don’t go back on a deal, and you do not screw over your partners.”
“That’s true.”
“I see what you’re building here, and I think that it’s a good start.”
“Thank you.”
Sebastian smiled. “All you need is a formidable partner to help continue what has been started.”
“You?”
Sebastian nodded.
“What can you bring to the table that I can’t accomplish without you?”
“I created this world.”
“But you can’t affect it any longer. You are stuck inside.”
Sebastian smiled. “I know the location of every instance, every dungeon, and all the best loot spots in this world. Many caches that were created and then buried, by me, for emergency situations.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am.”
“With knowledge like that, I could send out parties to retrieve it.” His eyes lit up. “I could be a true Lore Master.”
“That’s right.”
Bramell considered him for a long moment. “I always maintain the majority position in a partnership.”
“It doesn’t surprise me to hear that.”
“Fifty-one percent.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a majority share.”
“You’d be willing to partner with me despite that condition?”
Seba
stian shrugged. “Sure, why not.”
Bramell squinted as he considered the offer. Then he spit lightly on his palm and extended it. Sebastian mirrored the gesture and the two men shook. “Partners,” both men said in unison.
Chapter 23
Xander finished the stretching portion of his warmup. “I need swords for the next part.” He walked toward the weapon rack.
“No.”
He stopped and turned to face Mercy. She sat in a chair holding a glass of deep red wine. “You were given new blades by the Dark Lady. They are contained within the grasps that live on your arms.”
“Really?” Xander looked down and ran a hand over his forearm, smiling as the marks of the grasp shivered and moved in response to his touch. “I summon them?”
“Yes.” Mercy nodded and took a long drink from her glass before setting it back on the table. Then she stood. “Come here.”
Xander trotted over to her and stopped. She looked at his arms, lips pursed as if considering how to proceed.
“Do you know how I bring the blades out?” He asked.
Her eyes rose to meet his and she shook her head. “I do not.”
“Oh.”
“I have made enquiries of other Master Death Strykers. Not one is familiar with how to command the grasps.”
“Not even those who have grasps of their own?”
Her eyes flashed with anger before returning to a neutral expression. “There are no other living Death Strykers who possess grasps of their own.”
“What about the other chapter houses?”
“The last grasp bearer departed this reality seventy-four years ago.”
“Reality?”
Mercy nodded.
“What was his name?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Her name was Inzern Ceevrad, and she is a legend of our class. Such were her feats and abilities that the Dark Lady gifted her with a grasp in her fortieth year of life.”
“Forty?”
Mercy raised one eyebrow. “No one has ever received a grasp at your age, or anywhere near as young.”
“When was the last time someone was given two grasps?”
Mercy’s eyebrow rose.
When an answer did not come, Xander looked at his arms once more. “What can I do with them?”
“You must discover that for yourself. Access to the histories and lore is restricted to all but the highest ranks, but you will be given access. At least, the volumes that detail grasps and Death’s Kiss.”