“You have two options,” Chase said, considering the crystal in her hand. “You can refuse to parley, and we will flee with this egg. We’ll still try to stop the corrupted egg, but we won’t be working together, and we’ll likely both fail. Or you could agree to parley, and we’ll give you the egg, and try to find a way to work together. And maybe we can do this. Maybe we can save the world.” Chase spread her arms and smiled her most winning smile. “What do you say?”
The building shook again.
A roar echoed through the room... but this one didn’t seem angry.
“Oh—” Madeline swore, finishing up with, “—he’s using skills! Gaht no idea what they ah, they sound like Shaman...”
Her voice faded away, as her Wind’s Whisper cut off.
No! No, damn it all! Chase bit her tongue. She had been close, so close; she was sure of it! She waggled her hand at Renny to turn off the projection, then turned to the couch. “Carmina! The Loot Bag!”
But Carmina wasn’t there.
Carmina was across the room, opening the secret door that Vitale’s people had shown them.
Carmina was screaming and jumping back as vines writhed and grew out of the door, gumming up the gears that operated it, filling the space, and digging into the stone.
Carmina was absolutely no help whatsoever. As usual.
“Chase!” Thomasi said, drawing his whip with a smooth motion.
She looked at him, followed his pointing finger to the doorway...
...to the top of it, where cracks lined the stone. Cracks filled with writhing green.
And then they lifted.
Chase stared, ignoring the chunks of concrete falling around her, stared up as a wicked, huge claw slid under where the vines were pushing upward and gave them a boost.
From behind and below her came a mighty crash, as the floor above her fell back into the adjacent street.
Leaving the small group staring up at a huge green-scaled head, and two black, black eyes.
Therasimalazyn’s Dragon Fear inflicts 52 points of Moxie damage to you!
You have been afflicted with the Frozen in Fear condition!
Chase couldn’t breathe.
She couldn’t swallow.
The dragon was right there. It had shucked them out of their protection like a cook peeling a potato.
“I GREW TIRED OF SPEAKING TO ILLUSIONS,” The dragon purred. Its breath was sulfur and charred meat, and it washed over her like a miasma, choking and swirling her hair in its wake. “WHAT HAVE YOU TO SAY NOW? DO YOU STILL WISH TO SKEWER ME WITH THAT SPEAR HURLER?”
Chase had to speak.
Couldn’t.
She knew that the next few words could do it, that she had the dragon on a precipice... but she was so close to going over herself.
But then Thomasi twitched. He shook his head, mustache shaking. “We... we can parley like this. Chase? Chase, come on now.”
“I DO NOT SPEAK TO SACRIFICES.” The dragon’s gaze didn’t leave Chase. “WILL YOU RETURN THAT TO ME, THEN? I ACCEPT YOUR OFFERING.” Long, long claws reached down, moving carefully, their points inching closer and closer to the crystal....
...and Thomasi took her free hand. “Chase? It’s up to you. We need you, Chase!”
Chase was frozen; she could not speak. She could not move. Unless... unless maybe...
It took every bit of effort she could muster. It took strength she didn’t know she had, but she managed to twitch her lips. Just a bit. Just four words.
“Silent Activation, Transfer Condition,” she breathed.
WILL+1
Your Transfer Condition skill is now level 16!
You are no longer afflicted by Frozen in Fear!
Chase stepped back, taking the crystal with her. The dragon’s claws closed on air.
“Do you agree to parley? Will you keep this peaceful?” So what if her voice was a little squeaky? So what if she was shaking with fear? She was still talking, and that was enough.
“I AGREE,” Therasimalazyn said.
And this time, when his claws closed around the crystal, she let him take it.
He sighed then, and his back seemed to ripple... no. No, it was a crest of light scales. They had been raised, but now they were settling down.
He’s on edge too, Chase thought, then glanced to her friends. Renny was by her feet, growling, arms ready to cast. Thomasi...
Only then did she notice that her hand was stuck. He had it in a death grip. His eyes were locked on the dragon, and he was as still as stone.
Have to apologize for that later, Chase made a note. “Well. Okay then,” she said, trying to regain her balance.
“TELL THE ONES CIRCLING ME THAT IF THEY ATTACK, EVERYONE HERE DIES.”
“It’s fine guys! We have a parley!” Chase yelled at the top of her lungs.
“Understood” Cagna whispered in her ear. “I’ll get Bastien and Dijornos to back off.”
The dragon waited patiently, with the solidity of something that cared little about time.
But Chase knew better. In two days or less, the world would end. “What’s going to hatch out of that egg? The one that Tabita corrupted?”
“AN ABOMINATION,” the dragon answered. “IT MUST BE SLAIN.”
“All right, all right,” Chase rubbed her cheek, thinking furiously. “The people who got caught in the... black stuff... when it grew, are they alive? Are they okay?”
“THEY MAY LIVE. THEY WILL BE TWISTED. ALL WITHIN THAT SPACE SHALL BE CORRUPTED. IT MUST BE DESTROYED AS WELL, AFTER THE ABOMINATION IS SLAIN. I MUST SURVIVE THE BATTLE TO CLEANSE IT. YOU CANNOT.”
“I see,” Chase nodded. He was acting in good faith, she felt. He could have gone a different direction here. “What did Tabita do?”
“YOU TELL ME. THE SACRIFICES HAVE STRANGE MAGIC THIS TIME. IT IS NOT BEHAVING AS WE PREDICTED.”
“You called Thomasi a sacrifice, what do you mean by that?” Renny burst in.
The dragon’s eyes shifted down to him for the first time. “I MEANT WHAT I SAID AND SAID WHAT I MEANT. IF YOU WISH TO WASTE TIME WITH POINTLESS QUESTIONS THIS PARLEY SHALL END.”
“Not so pointless,” Chase protested. “We don’t know what we’re truly up against. Knowing how it came to be would give us an idea of how to defeat it.”
“YOU FIGHT IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. KNOWING MORE WOULD NOT AID YOU HERE, AND I HAVE NEITHER THE TIME NOR THE INCLINATION TO EXPLAIN THE ELDER MYSTERIES TO YOU OR YOUR PET SACRIFICE.”
“Sacrifice,” Thomasi said, shuddering finally. Chase pulled her hand free the second it was loose, rubbing to get her circulation back. “Please,” Thomasi asked. “Every word you grant us helps me to understand. I beg of you, help us solve this. Help us fix what was broken.”
“I DO NOT SPEAK WITH SACRIFICES.”
“Yes, we know,” Chase said. “But you’re speaking with me. Pretend I’m asking the questions. Tell us why they’re broken?”
“BROKEN...” The dragon’s massive head turned, considering Thomasi with one eye. “TO THE WORM, THE BIRD’S QUESTING BEAK IS A FLAW IN THE WORLD. TO THE MOUSE, THE HUNTING CAT IS A HORROR IT CANNOT COMPREHEND. THE NATURAL ORDER GRINDS ON, AND ALL IS AS IT SHOULD BE. WORRY NOT SACRIFICE. YOU GOT WHAT YOU DESIRED, AND YOUR TIME IS ALMOST OVER NOW. THIS CURRENT SUFFERING IS TEMPORARY. THE INEVITABLE IS ONLY SLIGHTLY DELAYED. EVERYTHING IS WORKING AS IT SHOULD.”
“But it isn’t,” Chase pointed out. “Or this hatching abomination would not be here.”
The dragon growled. “A MINOR OBSTACLE AT BEST.”
It isn’t or you wouldn’t be talking with us, Chase realized.
WIS+1
“How do you know I wouldn’t comprehend?” Thomasi asked. “Try me.”
“ARE YOU A CODA?”
“What?” Thomasi frowned.
“A WIZARD OF YOUR OWN WORLD. ONE WHO MANIPULATES THE FORMULAS THAT BIND YOUR MAGIC.”
“I... wait. Coda. You mean a coder? No. No, I’m not a programmer,” Thomasi shook his head. “But I kn
ow a few who play this... played this, anyway. If they’re still alive—”
“IF YOU ARE NOT THEN YOU CANNOT COMPREHEND.”
Chase could tell that the dragon was losing patience. Its crest was rising again, and she hurried to cut Thomasi off. “We can discuss that after the battle.” Maybe. She didn’t know if she trusted the dragon not to tie up loose ends after he didn’t need them any longer. “How can we help?”
The dragon’s crest smoothed out a bit. “AFTER THE ABOMINATION HATCHES, I SHALL FIGHT IT IN THE SKIES, AND FORCE IT TO GROUND. YOU MUST HIT IT VERY HARD WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE.
“ALSO, IT WILL SPREAD CORRUPTION. DO NOT LET YOURSELF BECOME CORRUPTED.”
“What happens if we do?”
“THEN YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE THE CLEANSING.”
She coughed. “All right. That’s enough to work with. Now here’s what we can bring to the table.” Quickly and concisely, she outlined the three trump cards she had lined up; the lightning road, Sir Barriano, and the Duodecimen, and even the secret that she hadn’t dared speak of in front of Vitale.
“...all those come with our own assistance,” Chase said, winding up. “We’ve got a good mix of skills, and we’re all willing to help do the right thing, here.”
The dragon considered her for a moment, then nodded. “MAY IT BE ENOUGH.”
And then, with a beat of leathery wings that cracked the air as loudly as the lightning road shot had, he was gone.
You are now a level 16 Grifter!
CHA+3
DEX+3
LUCK+3
You are now a level 19 Oracle!
CHA+3
LUCK+3
WIS+3
“You know,” Renny said, lowering his paws and flopping to the ground, “The guys back there were thinking this would need like kings and queens of liars, but you guys mostly just told the truth.”
“That’s the best kind of Grifter, Renny,” Thomasi said, coiling his whip. “The kind that only has to tell a lie once.”
CHAPTER 28: BANG YOUR HEAD
“Is it time?” Chase asked, as soon as she’d woken enough to be coherent.
“No,” Cagna said, helping her out of the bed. “The big green guy says it’s going to be soon.”
Chase’s stomach growled, and Cagna chuckled. The dog-woman offered her a loaf of journeybread, and Chase got herself around it while she pulled on her armor. It had been mended while she slept, and she expected she had Renny to thank for it.
“Anything you want to do? Last-minute preparations?” Cagna wondered.
“Maybe. I got a bunch of skills back when we were fighting Zenobia, I need to make sure I understand them. After that... another fortune, I think. One last turn of the cards.”
A few minutes later she was tucking into a proper breakfast and paging through her status screens, trying to figure out what was useful for the situation.
The first new Grifter skill had possibilities, especially if the dragon had a fear power like their ally did.
Bluster
Cost: 30 MoxDuration: Until ceased
Sometimes the best defense is to ramble loudly in a distracting fashion. While this skill is active, all members of your party (except for you) gain a buff to their mental fortitude, cool, perception, and willpower equal to your grifter level. Unfortunately, while this skill is active you can’t use any skills that require speech. Your mouth is busy flapping! This skill has no levels.
The second one explained why she’d been feeling braver than usual lately.
Mega-Moxie
Cost: N/ADuration: Passive Constant
At this point your personality is off the charts! You gain a bonus to your moxie pool equal to your Grifter level, converted into a percentage. (Thus a level 16 Grifter gains 16% to their total moxie pool.) This skill has no levels.
The Gambler skills looked useful... but random. Very random.
Slot Machine
Cost: 100 ForDuration: 1 Use
Pull the lever, and watch the numbers fly! Summons a slot machine that unleashes random damage upon your foes. Occasionally it backfires against you and your friends. Powerful but risky, do you dare test your luck?
Suit Sorcery
Cost: 10 ForDuration: 1 Attack
The next card you draw for an attack will gain an additional effect based on the card’s suit. Clubs equal Earth, Hearts equals water, Diamonds equal fire, and Spades equal air. Kings, queens, jacks, and jokers may have additional effects; experiment to find out!
That left the Medium skills. One of them was nice but not really relevant to the situation. The other... the other looked like a fancy version of the Oracle’s random buff.
Object Reading
Cost: 25 ForDuration: 1 Vision
This skill allows you to handle an object and gain a short insight into its relevance or its past.
Draw Fortune
Cost: 10 ForDuration: 1 Minute
Allows you to draw a card to empower an ally with a related buff. Effects vary by card, experiment to find out!
Chase sighed. Aside from that Slot Machine power, they all looked fairly random or situationally useful at best. Nothing to build a strategy around.
Given that their current strategy was “hit it very hard,” she had been hoping for something a little more useful. Straight-up fights had never worked too well for her. And now she had her friends to worry about...
Pushing aside her worries as best she could, she found a quiet room in the Basilica and laid out the cards.
“Fortuna. How can we defeat the corrupted dragon?” she asked, shuffling the cards and laying out the cards one by one.
The first card was the two of hearts, and Chase growled in frustration. But... but hearts had meant Vitaly. Hearts had signified Yubai as well. She wasn’t just asking for herself, but the whole city then? Perhaps. Or perhaps the reading was one of the inaccurate ones, the fickle ones that meant nothing.
Too early to tell. More cards were required. “And this is the problem at hand,” Chase whispered into the darkness.
The Healer reversed. Twisted female energy. Twisted fertility...yes, that was a good analogy for spreading corruption. A good reading after all? Well, a valid one. Good was a thing she had yet to determine.
The ally card came next.
And she looked down at a landscape, filled with tiny castles and rivers and dungeons and any number of little people and monsters fighting and crafting and generally existing. “The Game,” she read. She’d not seen this one before.
Everyone and everything in the world would help her fight the corruption? That was heartening.
Next came the choice.
Ten Knights ringed a lone man, plunging their swords into him from every angle as his face registered anguished betrayal.
But...
The card was reversed. Chase let out a breath. “Regeneration. Resisting the inevitable.” Well. That was simple. They stood against the rising corruption or they didn’t, and that would determine their victory or loss.
Which left the card of their enemy.
An acolyte stared up at her, kneeling before an altar with a mitre and crook placed upon it. He was lifting the mitre, trying to peek under it.
“Creativity? Curiosity... How is this our real enemy?” Chase shook her head. It made no sense.
The cards seemed to tremble on the table. She held her breath. Was the Fortuna skill actually doing something?
The page of clerics jittered right off the table. No, it wasn’t the cards. The whole table was shaking.
“It’s hatching!” Renny yelled from a few rooms over, and Chase scooped the cards up, threw them into the case, and ran to the roof to join the others.
And there, in the light of the setting sun, sat the black oval covering the northern part of the city. Covering the entirety of the piazza that Chase and her friends had inadvertently doomed. It writhed under the sunlight, wisps escaping as it bulged, and muddy green light smoked through the cracks.
But as
outlandish as that was, something was off. Something was wrong.
There were dark pillars on either side of the egg, black lines that stretched up into the sky and poured out to the horizon on either side.
“Oh no,” Thomasi whispered.
“What is it?” She tried to turn to look at him... and couldn’t.
Instead, her perspective jerked, and then Chase was looking at herself from behind her own head. Around her the others were looking back and forth frantically, waving their hands in the air, and trying to sort things out. Only Dijornos and Thomasi were standing still.
“It’s a cut-scene,” Thomasi said. “We literally can’t do anything but watch this happen until it finishes. We’re stuck.”
“I didn’t know this game had these!” Dijornos said, glaring at the distant egg.
“Is it just us?” Chase asked. “Or is the whole city stuck in... whatever this is?”
“It’s an overused game storytelling device,” Thomasi said. “I didn’t know this one had them! Beyond the opening, I mean.”
“It’s supposed to be sandbox, so no cutscenes except for world-events,” Dijornos said. “I guess this qualifies.”
And that’s when the words flashed above Chase’s head, as the egg finally gave and the black, winged nightmare within first took flight.
WORLDBOSS: DRACOLUPUS OMEGA
LOCATION: GNOME, LARAGGIUNGERE
VICTORY CONDITION@!%#%@%#532553
The rest was garbled nonsense.
Then, abruptly, the scene shifted. Instead of watching themselves watching the dragon rise, they were seeing a metal-lined stone corridor, with alcove after alcove of still armored forms holding spears. Glowing, sparking rods were flaring to life, as rails in the ceiling charged up with lightning one by one.
And in the center, nestled in a steel egg of his own, was Vitale. Metal rods had been driven through him, cocooning him in some sort of wire-wrapped framework, and Yubai and the other beastkin were running back and forth between strange devices bearing large wrenches.
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