by Rick Scott
Great, wish that awareness skill would have kicked in a little bit sooner. And here I was worried about my stupid weapons!
“The stuff’s cursed too, so you can’t remove it. Not without my say so.”
“Why are you doing this?” Val Helena demands, her gray eyes piercing like daggers.
“Now hold on.” Braxus raises his hands defensively. “I’m actually the victim here. This is for my protection.”
“Protection from what?” Gilly says. “We haven’t done anything to you!”
“Oh, but you will,” he says. “You think I don’t know about those quests you two ladies are holding?”
Oh Geez, this isn’t going to be good….
“Look, mate,” Rembrandt says. “If we wanted to bloody attack you, we would have done so already. So stop with the bollocks.”
Braxus smirks. “I don’t understand half of what you just said…mate. But the reason you didn’t attack me, is because you couldn’t. I don’t fall for the same trick twice.”
“Same trick?” Val Helena says. “What are you talking about?”
“Your friend here came to me with the exact same story. Needing passage through the North Gate to get to the Vale. So I invite her in, show her hospitality. Even offer to help. And what does she do in return?” He shakes his head. “Tries to put a knife in my back. Literally.”
I see Val Helena go from being angry to releasing an exasperated sigh, leveling her eyes at the zombified Aiko, perhaps more angry at her now. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“It’s true,” Lady Diana says from behind us. “She attacked with no provocation.”
I feel myself sighing along with Val Helena. What the heck was she thinking?
“No provocation, but plenty of motivation,” Braxus says, stroking Aiko’s cheek. “Or so I found out, once I saw that quest she had. Nearly succeeded too. Killed the head of my praetorian guard and his lieutenant. It was only thanks to Xavier’s enchantment here that I was able to stop her before she killed me. So you can forgive me if I take some added precautions when her ‘friends’ suddenly show up two days later, to either rescue her or finish the job. So which one is it?”
Holy crap…this can’t be happening.
“I just told you what we’re here for,” Maxis says with a growl. “We got nothing to do with her!”
Braxus scoffs. “I’m finding that a little hard to believe.”
“So this is what you’ve done to her now?” Gilly says looking at Aiko horrified. “Turned her into some kind of puppet? She’s a person! You can’t do this!”
“Hey, my city, my rules,” he says. “And I think the normal punishment for regicide is death. So she’s getting off lightly in my book.” He then smiles at Aiko who vacantly smiles back at him. “Besides this is probably nothing she wouldn’t normally do anyway. Same as for you two girls, I’m sure. Given the opportunity.”
He gives a nasty leer that sends sickness coursing through my stomach.
Maxis’ knuckles crack as he clenches his fists atop the table. “Dude, I’m going to freaking bury you.”
“And there we have it,” Braxus says with a smirks. “Proof of what you really came here to do. Guess I was right.”
“You’re wrong…” Rembrandt says shaking his head. “This has gone on far enough, mate. Drop this already.”
“Hey, I’ll be the one to decide when this is over,” Braxus says. “Look, this is nothing personal. But I simply can’t trust you guys not to try and fulfil that quest. You’ve had a taste of the good life. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind having it permanently.”
Red hot anger swells within my heart. “We don’t want any of this! We’re here to save our friends. To save Citadel! We don’t care about your stupid city!”
“Whatever,” Braxus says. “You say that now, but what about a week from now? A month? A year? I can’t keep looking over my shoulder for that long.”
“What do you intend to do?” Val Helena says surprisingly calm.
He shrugs. “What a king always does, let the help do the work”
What the heck?
“But hey, I’m all for giving you a fair shot. So you’ll get your chance to flex your muscle. Just not against me. And hey, if you win, you might get to fight another day.”
What was he talking about?
“You’re going to make us fight in that coliseum,” Gilly says. “Aren’t’ you?”
Braxus just shrugs, like it’s not his decision or something. “Hey, it is what it is.”
Blacktop was right. This guy really was a prick! But I’ve got to try and reason with him somehow. No way can we get thrown into that coliseum under his full control. I’ve got to think. Get inside his head. He’s a gamer too, but not exactly like us. He’s a chair jockey. A strategist. A town builder. As such, he must see some value in making deals for the long term.
“Look, there’s no need for this,” I say, still not knowing quite where I’m going yet. “You help us, we help you. That’s how things are supposed to work, right?”
“Nah, I already tried that with this one.” He jerks his head toward Aiko. “Nearly got me assassinated. One thing I learned for sure. The most dangerous things out here are not the monster. It’s us.”
That one sends a chill down my spine and makes me think about my brief conversation with the fake Wilbur. Maybe that Builder, or whatever it was, did see us as more of a threat to it, than it was to us. And judging from my encounter with King Braxus thus far, I can totally understand why. I continue to wrack my brain for a solution. There has to be something we can offer him to not throw us in that coliseum. And then something clicks.
“You’re absolutely right,” I say, summoning as much sincerity as I can muster. “We are dangerous. And we can do things your guards and NPCs can’t. And what you can’t do either.”
This gets a puzzled look from him.
I’m on to something.
“Lady Diana mentioned the problem you’re having to the north. A power seized by the giants that needs to be put down. They weren’t able to do anything about it. But we can. And you know it.”
Your barter increases by 0.7.
Skill Up! Your barter skill is now 5!
He stares at me, running a finger along his bottom lip. “Go on…”
Val Helena: Reece, what are you doing?
Me: Trying to save us!
Geez I hope I’m right about this.
“If we agree to go out there and eliminate this threat for you, will you let us all go?” I then look at Aiko. “And I mean everyone. Including her.”
I can see him hesitating. I need to grease the wheels some more.
“You realize that this is the only way you can remove that quest on your head, right? Without that power, things will go back to normal. Then the Elves and Giants will drop their vendetta against you. No more quest. No more problem.”
I’m totally making this up but it sounds pretty good.
Your barter increases by 0.7.
Skill Up! Your barter skill is now 6!
“Okay, say I go along with this,” Braxus says clasping his fingers together. “There’s no guarantee that you all won’t just run away to this maze or wherever you’re headed. So if I’m going to agree to any of this, then I’m going to need some form of collateral.”
Crap…
“And seeing as these three chicks here are the main beneficiaries of that quest, it only makes sense that they all stay here with me, where I can keep an eye on them.”
Val Helena glances at me from across the table and then sends me a message.
Val Helena: Please don’t trust this guy!
Gah! I think I just made things worse!
“Not the little one,” Rembrandt says. “She’s our healer, mate. We need her.”
Good ole Rem. Looking out for Gilly. And using good reasoning too.
Braxus shrugs. “Not my problem. She stays with me.”
Darnnit! I send another desperate message to Val Helena.
Me: I’m sorry, Val! I didn’t mean for it to go this way!
Now what were we going to do? The idea of leaving half our party here feels even worse than the coliseum.
“Anyway, if you fail the quest or decide to abandon it, well…” Braxus chuckles looking over at Gilly. “They all look like they could make suitable additions to my harem. So they won’t go to waste.”
What the heck did he just say…?
My stomach boils with anger and disgust as he grins like an idiot. I feel like jumping over the table and creaming this dirtbag!
“Don’t you even think about touching them!” My brother beats me to it. “Deal or no deal. You’ll be paying for that one personally if you do.”
“Hey, don’t hate the playa, playa.” Braxus raises his hands all innocently again. “If you don’t want that to happen. Then you know what you got to do.”
Gilly: Reece? ):
Me: Don’t worry, Gilly. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.
Somehow…
Braxus then shares a quest with me.
Braxus has shared a quest: Defeat Jötunn
Travel to the mountains and defeat the Frost Giant Jötunn
Rewards: 120,000 XP +500 influence in Northern Territories
Wow, he actually did have a quest for it? I was only bluffing.
“I guess this all worked out in the end.” Braxus gives me a grin. “Well, now that that’s settled, I guess we can go back to enjoying our dinner.”
We all glance at one another. Was he for real?
Braxus starts chomping away at his lobster claws again and we just look at him like he’s crazy. He then looks up. “Come on. Eat.”
When none of us move, he says again with more force, “I said ‘eat’.”
And then suddenly my hunger gets the best of me…what the heck have I done…and I continue my meal.
Chapter 23: Surf and Turf
Ire builds within me as I choke down the cold lobster against my will. Braxus is still trying to carry on a conversation like nothing is wrong. Every bone in my body wants to tear these stupid clothes off and go to town on that jerk with my fists. I look at Aiko giggling away in his lap and my soul comes undone when I imagine Gilly, taking her place, the minute we’re out the door.
I can’t let that happen.
I can’t leave this room without her.
I can’t leave her with that monster.
I honestly thought for a second that maybe Braxus could be reasoned with, but there’s no way we can trust this guy now. Not with what he’s said and done. The most I’ve accomplished with this ‘deal’ is buying us a little time and maybe giving him the impression that we’ll be true to our word. And that may just give us a slight element of surprise.
But what can we do with it? Both Braxus and Xavier have those emerald rings. One word and we’ll be frozen in place or turned into puppets instantly. And once that happened, it’d be game over. We’ve got one shot at this, whatever we do.
I smile at another one of Braxus’ stupid jokes that I didn’t quite hear. I’ve got to keep up the charade, but my mind is thrashing within my body like a caged animal. I’ve never felt so powerless before. But I’ve got to do something.
I try to dissolve the stupid green outfit, sending it to my inventory, but an error message appears.
That item is cursed and cannot be removed!
Guess he wasn’t bluffing about that part. How the heck did these things have effects on them anyway? I don’t recall seeing any. I check each one again to see if I missed something.
Royal Emerald Tunic
Only the finest silk was used to make this garment fit for Royalty.
Royal Emerald Slacks
Only the finest silk was used to make this garment fit for Royalty.
Royal Emerald Slippers
Only the finest leather was used to make this garment fit for Royalty.
Nope. I suppose maybe the effects are hidden. But I don’t know nearly enough about spell mechanics to figure out a way to make them appear. Not that it matters at the moment anyway. I’ve got to try something else. I look around at my friends: Gilly looks terrified. Maxis and Val Helena are seething, but Rembrandt hides his emotions behind a mirror shaded poker face. He’s probably got the right idea. Not letting Braxus know what we’re thinking.
Although in truth, we’re not thinking anything. We’d need to communicate for that. That gives me an idea. Party chat is silent, like talking inside each other’s heads. But could we all pull off Rembrandts poker face in front of a hostile audience?
I’ve got to try.
One by one I start forming a party and pray these clothes won’t detect anything like that. When I see their names appear on my HUD, I open a party chat to speak internally and pray they don’t let on anything when they do the same.
“Guys we need to make a break for it,” I say in party chat.
“Thank bloody hell someone said it!”
“How?” Gilly says.
“I don’t care how,” Maxis says. “One way or the other I’m slamming that dude.”
“Watch your facial expressions,” Val Helena says while giving Braxus a pleasant smile. “They’ll figure out we’re communicating.”
That encourages me to pay more attention to what Braxus is saying. He’s going on about how crappy life had been for him back in Citadel. Apparently he grew up on the streets or something when his family was evicted from their hab when he was ten.
“I didn’t let that slow me down though,” he says with a mouthful of lobster. “One thing I got is smarts. And I outsmarted all of them. Who’s beating up who now, huh?” He lets out a caustic laugh. “Man, I wish they could see me now. That’s my only regret…” His countenance then sours, becoming dark, like bad memories are flashing behind his eyes. “…that I can’t rub their stupid faces in it.”
Whoa…
I got no idea who he’s even talking about but I just nod like he’s saying the most profound thing in the world. Braxus then moves on to how he conquered the game world and got his ticket out of Citadel. He skips over how he actually took over Stormwall and jumps right into his future plans for expanding into the northern mountains once the giants are removed. That gives me hope. He’s actually thinking we’ll follow through with the deal and that’s giving us an advantage.
I glance at Diana and the two knights next. They’re still standing faithfully at attention. Diana catches me looking at her and when our eyes meet, I see them soften, the same way they did when we shook hands. I guess she knew what was going to happen to us. But she doesn’t look like she feels good about.
I’ve got to risk something. I send Diana a PM.
Me: Will you help us?
Her eyes go into that cop squint and I fear I just make a huge mistake. I don’t know how AIs really work or think. Did the game rules force her to be totally loyal to Braxus no matter what? And are they all connected somehow? Did Xavier just see that message too?
Crap…I should have thought about that one some more. But the situation is making me desperate. Suddenly I get a PM back.
Lady Diana: I’m sorry. I cannot help you.
Eesh…
I’m not sure if I just made our chances worse or not. But I guess we truly are on our own.
“I think those emerald rings are the control devices,” I say in the chat. “Both Xavier and Braxus have one.”
“Are you sure?” Maxis asks.
“No. But he seemed to show it off a bit when he was gloating about it.”
“It’s a gamble,” Rembrandt says. “But I did notice that too.”
“So how do we get them off their hands without being charmed?” Gilly asks.
“I can probably get to Xavier with a Charge Strike,” I say. “That will stun him.”
“And I can grab Braxus from here,” Val Helena says. “But we’ll need a way to distract them for a second.”
“I may have an idea,” Gilly says. “But it might be a crazy one
.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
“I’m not going to do anything,” she says glancing at me. “You are.”
“Huh?”
Then aloud Gilly suddenly says: “Hey Reece, why don’t you play us a tune on your horn?”
Holy cow, she can’t be suggesting what I think she is. I respond to her aloud as well. “What?”
“Come on,” she says cajolingly. “You play so well. I’m sure we’d all like to hear. Especially the king. Right, guys?”
I get mixed signals from around the table.
“Yeah go on, Reece,” Maxis says. “Play us a tune.”
“I’m not sure about that, mate. That thing’s awfully bloody loud to be playing in such a confined area, yeah?”
Rembrandt’s encrypted warning comes through loud and clear. What the heck was a stampede going to look like inside a place like this? This could be suicide.
Braxus has a bemused look on his face. “Okay now I’m really curious. Can you play or not?”
“I’d hate to embarrass myself,” I say laughingly.
“Oh go on, Reece,” Val Helena says with a smile, but in her eyes I see a steely conviction. She’s committed to the plan no matter what. “And while we’re still young, eh?”
I put on my best reluctant sigh, but inside my guts are trembling with anxiety. “Okay, but you guys asked for it. Let me get it from my inventory.”
I materialize it in my hand and the trio of knights jump forward apprehensively.
“Easy,” I say, showing it to them. “Just an instrument.”
It’s thankfully quite small. The gnarly horn twisted like a curly ‘W’ fits like a bugle in my hand. My teammates slowly back away in anticipation and my heart starts to pound. I’ve got no idea what this thing really does besides the description.
Lakota’s Horn