“What?” Cagna eyed him suspiciously.
“I’m saying that we’ve got most of the makings of a circus, here.” He opened the barrel of monkeys and chucked a few apples in, before shutting it again. Then waited for the chattering to subside before he studied Renny. “How would you like to learn to be a stage magician?”
“Is that a Tier Two job?” Renny asked, wide-eyed.
“I don’t know, maybe it is!” Thomasi smoothed his mustaches with his thumb, smiling.
“What can I do?” Greta wondered.
“You can go home and let Mom and Dad know we’re fine,” Chase told her.
“Yeah no.”
“No, yeah!” Chase protested.
“Chase, I have a fraction of your levels, and no idea where Mom and Dad even escaped to. And the Inquisition will be watching Bothernot.” She spread her hands. “I have no place to go if it isn’t with you.”
“But... but...”
Dijornos spoke up. “I can take her with me.”
The group looked at him, then at each other.
“Yah not coming with us, big guy?” Madeline asked.
“Yeah... teddy bear kingdoms aren’t my thing,” Dijornos shrugged. “Too much cute. I’d go nuts.”
Renny raised his paw. “Technically it’s a republic, and it’s not all teddy bears.”
“No,” Dijornos shook his head. “I’ve made up my mind. Tabita... Grace didn’t know how to get home. But the Inquisition? If anybody knows how to, it’s the ones who are paranoid about keeping us prisoner.” His teeth peeled back in a hungry leer. “So, I’m gonna find them and ask real nicely.” The player’s words came out as a growl and despite herself, Chase shuddered.
“Are you sure?” Thomasi asked.
“Yeah. Best lead I got. Besides, if I’m real lucky, they might have some of my friends. But it’s the best shot I got for answers, and I really, really want to know how to get back home.”
“They might not know the answer,” Chase cautioned. “Thinking back on that talk I had with Zenobia, I’m not sure how much of what she believed was true. The dragon seemed to know more, but... well....”
“I still worry about that,” Thomasi said, leaning forward. “He was supposed to remove the corruption, but he died on us. The after-effects of her breath, and the possibility of werewolf-dragon things mean that the threat’s not gone.”
“I trust Vitale to stay on top of that,” Cagna said. “I expect they’ll treat it like a magical mishap, testing all who were at risk with Wizards and Scouts, and quarantining the tainted areas. We’re probably fine. Probably.”
“If not then some other Oracle can handle it. Maybe Corinithia. I expect she got a lot of levels from this.” Chase stifled a yawn.
“Tired so soon?” Thomasi grinned. “I was just about to celebrate our escape!” With a flourish he pulled a bottle of wine from his hat, and most of the cabin crowded around, murmuring at the fancy bottle and the faded, peeling label that attested to its age.
Most of the table. “Have fun,” Chase said, patting his arm. “I’m going to get some fresh air.”
She made her way up on deck without incident, listening to the distant murmur of conversation as The Muscle Wizaard taught Carmina how to fish.
And after a few minutes, Greta padded up next to her, standing on tiptoes to peer over the railing. “So. Cylvania, huh?”
“That’s the name of their country, yes,” Chase said, sitting down with her back to the railing. The ship just kept rocking back and forth, and that was going to take some getting used to. The stolen bread was sitting a bit heavy in her stomach, and she eyed her jar of worms just in case she needed to transfer some nausea.
“We’re gonna have to go through the Yelps. Those are some really tall mountains.”
“So I hear,” Chase said, watching the full moon rise. “But we owe it to Renny to get him home, and the secrets we learned are too big to let him risk traveling back with Madeline. That’s a long way, even with a dragon along.”
“Dragons,” Greta sat down next to her, resting her hands on her crossed legs. “Never thought I’d see those. Not sure I want to see more. Well, toy ones are okay, Madeline’s adorable. But you know what I mean.”
“I do,” Chase nodded. Then a smile crept across her lips. “A circus. That’s an honest living, you know.”
“Boffer Pinto wouldn’t think so.”
“To hell with him. He was a moron who thought clerical healing gave people autism.”
Greta snorted laughter. “What?”
“He did! It was why his kids grew up sickly until Mother Bloom put her foot down. He still grumbled about it for years.”
“What an idiot... how did you know this?” Greta looked at her sidelong.
“I knew most of what happened in Bothernot. It was small, really small, and I had nothing to do but learn other people’s business. Any given day I’d know how life would go. But now?” Chase grinned at her sister. “Now I’m the best diviner any of my friends know, and I’m out in the big world, and it’s all new, and I have no idea what tomorrow’s going to be like. And I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
“And you’ve fallen for a human,” Greta grinned.
“What! No, I... Shoot.”
“No lying to family, that’s the rules, Chase,” Greta punched her arm. It hurt, just a bit.
“Fine. I... I don’t know, honestly. He’s...” Chase sighed as she studied the moon. “I’m not sure if I’m attracted to him or to what he represents, you know? Freedom. Mysteries. Travel to places I’d never dreamed of seeing.”
“And a pretty nice butt.”
“That too— hey now!” Chase punched her sister’s arm right back. “Shut up.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s too old for you.”
“What, not going to give me grief over how he’s human?”
“No. Because that’s what Boffer Pinto would do, and we already decided to hell with him,” Greta said. “You want to go after a human okay, just bring a stepladder or something or kissing’s gonna be rough.”
“Height doesn’t matter when you’re lying down,” Chase said before her brain could stop her mouth and blushed hot when Greta laughed and laughed and laughed.
“But seriously,” her sister said when she could breathe again, “You’re fifteen. Which is why I have to stay and keep an eye on you for at least a few years.”
“You don’t have to—”
“You’re fifteen and you’ve got stupid big charisma. You know it’d be wrong. He knows it’d be wrong. But one moment of weakness, and your charisma’s gonna make you irresistible. So I’m gonna chaperone your butt until you’re older, and it isn’t wrong. And if you’re still making eyes at him then, then we’ll see, eh?”
“Fine, whatever,” Chase said, rolling her eyes. But her stupid wisdom saw the sense in it. Stupid, stupid no-fun wisdom. “Fine,” Chase said, and put her hand on Greta’s. “Thanks.”
“Eh, Mom and Dad would kill me if I didn’t.”
They watched the moon.
“So. Cylvania,” Greta said again.
“They need to know about players and dragons and the game and all that,” Chase said, eyes staring past the moon, at the unknown darkness of the night. “Renny said they’d burned up dragon eggs to fuel that Oblivion thing they had. If the dragons were willing to burn a city over one corrupted egg, what do you think they’ll do to a land that did that to their eggs?”
“I don’t know, but it’s probably not good.”
“Me either,” Chase said, sighing. “I’m hoping that wiser heads than mine will prevail, because I see a lot of trouble coming if they don’t.”
*****
The stone spire clawed its way toward the sky, the scaffolding around it lined with people so small they looked like ants from this distance. Metal girders snapped into place one by one as the golems did their work, and the Elementalists supplied the concrete, shaping and firming it in midair. Just below them, the steam train r
umbled past on its elevated track, and below that, thousands of people moved along the streets of the city, each a cog in a process so precise and efficient that none of them knew it was there.
“The Gnomans had the right of it,” the Minister said, sleeves creaking as he folded his hands behind his back.
“I’m sorry, milord?” Featherquill asked.
He turned to face her, the light from the floor-to-ceiling window briefly eclipsed by a passing airship. “Some see cities as organisms, life forms unto themselves. But in truth, they’re machines. Cold, impersonal, uncaring. Interchangeable parts... if one fails, then another will suffice.”
“Quite,” Lady Featherquill said, taking an elegant sip from her teacup. Her black dress did her no favors, and the Minister thoroughly approved. The force of her personality was thus concentrated solely in her face, and that expressive, razor-thin smile that she wielded with the consummate grace of a Bureaucrat. “As our latest part has failed us, I fear.”
“The Inquisition was always an imprecise tool,” the Minister turned back to the window. “A stopgap measure. We needed something to keep the dragons happy.”
“A task that’s only grown more difficult since yesterday. You’ve read the report about Gnome, then?” A slight quaver in her voice.
Weakness?
The Minister turned and studied her, her red, red hair neatly done up in a bun, her eyes narrowed behind stern spectacles, her pale skin slightly flushed.
No. Not weakness.
Annoyance.
“I have,” the Minister said, taking his chair, lowering himself to her level in a subtle use of body language. “I trust you’re not going to ask for direct intervention?”
“Hardly,” Featherquill said. “With our primary asset dead, we have no reason to further invest in a flawed organization. We shall leave the Inquisition in that area to their own devices and sever their ties to other iterations in the western nations until such time as we can reform them into something useful... with your permission, of course.”
“It may be time for a reorganization. Shifting them from a stopgap measure into something more useful,” the Minister nodded. “You have my permission... to send me the applicable plans. I shall have my people review them, and we can figure the best way ahead.”
“As a matter of fact, I have a few right here.” Featherquill’s smile was sharp enough to shave with.
He took the folders with grace, not letting his own annoyance show on his face. She was looking for his job, he had a feeling. And given time, she could take it. The city was a machine, and one gear was as good as the other, so long as it performed adequately for the task.
“Which leaves the matter of handling the dragons,” the Minister sighed. “If we’re reforming the Inquisition, then we’re losing one of our best tools for using them properly. We’re far from the point where we can manipulate them without a few blind puppets between us.”
Unexpectedly, her smile grew. “As to that, Minister, I have some good news. They will be distracted for quite some time. You see, the eastern brood has called for war. The scaled lords are waking, and they are furious.” She sorted through her handbag as she spoke.
“What?” The Minister choked down unseemly rage. This, this was just the sort of thing he should have known before she did!
Another folder hit the table. Eight block letters stood out on the beige paper.
CYLVANIA
He closed his eyes, in understanding. This wasn’t a surprise then; he’d seen it coming ever since the dark arts division had lucked into that succubus.
“Ah,” he said. “So it begins.”
And Featherquill’s smile grew and grew.
EPILOGUE
Once upon a time, there was a halven.
She ran away and joined a circus.
But her tale isn’t done yet.
And soon her destiny will intertwine with yet another dragon, and a small, fuzzy Ruler of a small, mostly-not-fuzzy nation...
Name: Chase Berrymore
Age: 15 Years
Halven level 12, Cook level 5, Archer level 10, Gambler Level 10, Grifter level 16, Hand of Fate 1, Medium level 10, Oracle level 20, Painter level 2, Teacher level 6
Attributes Pools Defenses
Strength: 78 Constitution: 44 Hit Points: 122 Armor: 10
Intelligence: 74 Wisdom: 146 Sanity: 220 Mental Fortitude: 60
Dexterity: 153 Agility: 70 Stamina: 223 Endurance: 0
Charisma: 256 Willpower: 62 Moxie: 318 (367) Cool: 73
Perception: 148 Luck: 316 Fortune: 464 Fate: 57
Generic Skills
Archery – Level 1
Brawling – Level 8
Climb – Level 15
Dagger – Level 2
Dodge – Level 13
Fishing – Level 14
Ride – Level 10
Stealth – Level 19
Swim – Level 7
Throwing – Level 31
Halven Skills
Fate’s Friend – Level N/A
Small in a Good Way – Level N/A
Cook Skills
Cooking - Level 20
Dishwasher – Level N/A
Freshen - Level 12
Archer Skills
Aim – Level 9
Crippling Shot – Level 1
Demoralizing Shot – Level 9
Far Shot – Level 1
Flame Arrow – Level 1
Missile Mastery – Level N/A
Quickdraw – Level N/A
Rapid Fire – Level N/A
Razor Arrow – Level 8
Ricochet Shot – Level 21
Gambler Skills
Ace in the Hole – Level 2
Ante Up – Level 8
Assess Challenge – Level N/A
Cardsharp – Level 9
Deadly Dice – Level 1
Double Down – Level 7
Gambler’s Fortune – Level N/A
Hold’em – Level N/A
Slot Machine – Level N/A
Suit Sorcery – Level 10
Grifter Skills
Bluster – Level 1
Feign Death – Level 7
Fools Gold – Level 4
Forgery – Level 11
Master of Disguise – Level 15
Mega-Moxie – Level N/A (+15% Moxie)
Old Buddy – Level 7
Pickpocket – Level 21
Silent Activation – Level 36
Silver Tongue – Level 35
Size Up – Level 9
Unflappable – Level N/A
Hand of Fate
Draw – Level N/A
Medium Skills
Bad Fortune – Level 17
Crystal Ball – Level 10
Draw Fortune – Level N/A
Focus Vision – Level 5
Fortuna – Level N/A
Good Fortune – Level 18
Object Reading – Level 1
Palmistry – Level N/A
Séance – Level N/A
Stack Deck – Level N/A
Oracle Skills
Absorb Condition – Level N/A
Afflict Self – Level 1
Diagnose – Level N/A
Divine Pawn – Level N/A
Foresight – Level 47
Grant Vision Level 7
Influence Fate – Level 15
Lesser Healing – Level 51
Omens and Portents – Level N/A
Random Buff – Level 9
Short Vision – Level 17
Trance – Level 1
Transfer Condition – Level 18
Unerring Strike – Level N/A
Painter Skills
Fast Dry – Level N/A
Painting – Level 5
Teacher Skills
Lecture – Level 24
Red Ink – Level 3
Smarty Pants – Level N/A
Unlocked Jobs
Farmer, Herbalist
Gear
Enrico’s Last Hand
Light Leather Armor
APPENDIX I: CHASE’S JOBS AND SKILLS
HALVEN
Smaller even than dwarves but nowhere near as sturdy, halvens normally hate excitement and love regular meals. As such, normally only the weirdos among them go adventuring.
Level 1 Skills
Fate’s Friend
Cost: N/ADuration: Passive Constant
You gain a bonus to your fate equal to your halven job level.
Small in a Good Way
Cost: N/ADuration: Passive Constant
Sure, you’re small, but you know how to use that! Whenever your size would be an advantage for the situation you’re in, you gain a bonus equal to your halven level. This doesn’t apply to combat situations unless you’re fighting in very small tunnels, or the foes are all the size of giants, or some other similar factor applies.
CRAFTING JOBS
COOK
Cooks specialize in treating and preparing food for consumption.
Level 1 Skills
Cooking
Cost: Cooking IngredientsDuration: Permanent
The Cook spends thirty seconds and a variable amount of ingredients and either attempts to craft a known recipe or discover a new recipe. This skill is influenced by wisdom.
Freshen
Cost: 10 ForDuration: Instant
This small charm has a chance of removing any rot and reversing any decay or spoilage on a particular ingredient or foodstuff. Luck weighs heavily in the success of this spell, as does the amount of time the food has been spoiled. Beyond a year, sorry, there’s no salvaging the foodstuff.
TEACHER
Teachers pass on valuable knowledge and skills to their students.
Level 1 Skills
Lecture
Cost: 10 MoxDuration: 10 minutes per Teacher level
When used before starting a lecture or otherwise passing along information, this skill increases the chance that your audience will remember your lesson accurately. This is dependent on both their intelligence and your skill level.
Well Done Page 33