by Jamie Davis
When the animation played out, Cari tapped the button and the display turned off.
"Well, well, that is a remarkable device. It makes me wonder where an ordinary palace guard came to have such a thing."
"I'm not your ordinary palace guard. Let's just say I'm a special player brought in for this particular situation."
"That answer intrigues me more than your magical cube, but I'll wait for you to answer that at another time. Miss Dix, you have a deal. Your magical window device is sufficient as collateral against our recalcitrant prince's debt."
Cari nodded and took a cautious step forward to hand over the projector cube. Merrick took it and nodded to the man holding Timron. The thug lowered his pistol and shoved the prince towards Cari.
* * *
Quest completed - resolve the alley standoff
500 experience awarded
* * *
"What about my brother?" Quint asked. "You're not just going to let her go after what she did?"
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll see Miss Dix again. She will want this wonderful item back I'm sure. Come along, gentlemen. Let us leave our new friend to her charge. I'm sure they have much to discuss.
Quint lowered his pistol and shoved it in his belt. He muttered something Cari couldn't hear and shot her a scowl before he turned away, following Merrick down the rest of the alley and out to the street. They turned and walked out of sight.
Cari felt her shoulders sag as she let out the breath she'd been holding. She hadn't been sure they could get out of that confrontation without further fighting. In the end, she'd been able to puzzle out a solution that didn't involve more killing. For that she was proud.
In the days leading up to this confrontation she had inquired with Chance about some of the stories involving her father. She had a hard time equating the tales of heroism and adventure with the man she knew as a simple and rather ordinary business executive.
She found herself both in awe of and disgusted by all the deaths attributed to him. One of her father's hallmark lessons to her, especially given her penchant for the martial arts, had been avoiding unneeded violence. He had preached to Cari about always trying to find another way out of conflict. How could the Hal Dix she knew be the same as the Hal Dix known in Fantasma? If the stories were true, he didn’t live up to the standards he’d set for her at home. She determined she was going to be better than her father. Cari was not going to be the cold, heartless assassin the stories made Hal Dix out to be.
Returning to the present problem at hand, Cari sighed and held out a hand, gesturing at the prince who stood speechless staring at her with a strange grin on his face.
"Come along your Highness. It's time we got you somewhere where you're safe from creditors and others who might wish you harm."
They left the alley in a hurry, stepping over the dead body of Quint's brother. While they walked back to the hideout Liam arranged for them, Cari pulled up her stats and worked out where she'd spend her newly acquired level points.
She opted to drop both attribute points into her speed and her skill point into her Acrobatic Dodge ability. If she ran into other folks with firearms like those pistols, she hoped it would help her get the drop on them. Based on what little she knew about them, pistols and muskets of this period were notoriously inaccurate. If she could power up the way she did against the Duke's guard at the dueling ground, she might be able to use that slow-motion speed ability to avoid getting shot.
She glanced one last time at her stats and nodded. They'd shaped up well in just a few levels. She smiled. This world of Fantasma was becoming more like home to her and Cari liked the way she could game the system.
* * *
Name: Cari Dix
Class: Duelist
Level: 4
* * *
Attributes:
Brawn: 10 - +1
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 8
Speed: 18 - +5
Charm: 12 - +2
Health: 40/40
* * *
Skills: Two-Weapon Combat, Acrobatic Dodge - 2, Multi-Foe Tactics
Experience: 1,800/2,400
Chapter 10
If Cari thought the difficult part of watching over Prince Timron was trailing him and the subsequent rescue from Merrick and his men, she was mistaken. The following three days cooped up with the prince in the apartment Liam and Chance secured for them proved to be more trying by far. Cari gained a much greater appreciation of why so many people wished the prince harm.
It started as soon as they arrived at the address given them by Liam after they brought the prince to him. The apartment included a small cast iron stove in one corner of the main room with a small table and four chairs. The separate bedroom had two beds and a rickety table between them.
Timron stood staring around the room with his mouth hanging open for all of two seconds before the complaining began.
"This will simply not do. Not at all."
"Your Highness," Rodrigo said. "As Liam explained, we cannot protect you if we stay in one of your usual haunts. Your enemies know to search for you there. This is owned by a friend of the crown but not one who is well known. It will help us keep you safe. We've also spread the rumor you've left the city to avoid your creditors. Hopefully, that will keep people from looking too hard for you."
"If this is what it looks like being safe, I'd rather be in danger. This place is deplorable. Look, there aren't even cushions on the chairs. I can't even begin to think about staying here."
"I don't think you understand the situation, Prince Timron," Cari said. "This is the best option to keep you safe. We don't like it any more than you do but it is the best we can do for now."
As soon as she spoke, Timron's demeanor changed.
"I suppose if I must be cooped up in a dunghole like this, it is a good thing they gave me someone like you to watch over me. Perhaps we can retire to the bedroom and test out the springs on the beds."
The prince made a grab for Cari's arm and she stepped backwards to avoid his clutching fingers. The leering grin on his face raised the hair on the back of her neck. For the third time that morning, she resisted the urge to lay him out with a roundhouse kick to the head. Maybe she'd be satisfied with a jab to the face, breaking his nose.
Rodrigo must have seen her clenched fist. He stepped between them, his hands raised to his shoulders, palm outward to try to indicate surrender to both sides.
"Your Highness, Cari is here to protect you and that is all. She has made that clear on several occasions. Perhaps we can try to make the best of things in the meantime. I have a deck of cards. Would you care for a game?"
"I hardly think you can match the kind of wagers I'm used to making."
"I wasn't thinking of gambling, just playing for fun."
"Fun," Timron spluttered out a laugh. "Who plays cards for fun?"
"Perhaps," Cari said, "If you practice a little bit, you won't lose so badly the next time you play for real stakes."
Timron stopped, and for a second, considered what she said.
"If you were to play as well as your young friend here, I might be persuaded to join you for a few hands. The chatter of a friendly card game might help us to get to know each other a little better."
"As long as it keeps you here with me and Rodrigo, I'm happy to join you in a game."
"Excellent. Do either of the two of you play crowns?"
Cari looked at Rodrigo. She'd never heard of the game before.
Rodrigo smiled. "I know how to play, Cari. Don't worry. It's not hard to learn."
Crowns turned out to be a game very similar to Gin Rummy. It took her a few hands to learn all the cards from the stylized images. Eventually she figured out the Empress outranked the Prince Consort, who outranked the Duke. Below that were numbered cards from one to eleven. There were five suits instead of the four she was used to including shields, swords, anchors, roses, and crowns in ascending order of rank.
Once she sorted out the nuan
ces of the game, Cari made a decent showing for herself. It helped that the prince was a horrible card player. He took foolish chances and forgot which cards she and Rodrigo collected from the discard pile, allowing them both to fill their hands and lay down sets and runs for points again and again. After playing cards with him for the first hour, it was no wonder to Cari why he was in debt to loan sharks and bookies. She and Rodrigo could have taken him to the cleaners if they'd been wagering on the games.
Playing cards wasn’t enough for the prince. Timron continued his advances towards her over the next two days, trying again and again to get Cari alone in the back bedroom. She restrained herself from taking any overt action other than slapping his hand away when he attempted to grope her or pull her close for a kiss.
He seemed to think it was his right to do whatever he wished and the more she resisted, the more persistent he became. She needed to blow off some steam before she killed the man she was supposed to protect.
Heading down to the small, open courtyard in the center of the building, Cari took her sword and started running through a series of training maneuvers in an effort to clear her mind. She became lost in her workout and didn't notice the prince standing at the door to the courtyard with Rodrigo, watching her exercises.
When she did notice him, she realized she dripped with sweat and her blouse stuck to her torso like a wet t-shirt. She didn't need a mirror to know her face turned a bright red. It might be anger or it might be the embarrassment. To Cari, the distinction didn't matter.
"You have a strange style to your sword work, Cari. It is unlike any of the martial schools I've studied in the past. I wonder how it holds up in a true fight?"
"It holds up fine, Timron."
"What, no 'Your Highness' this time?"
"Where I come from, people earn their honorifics."
"Perhaps I could spar with you some. I had young Rodrigo fetch the rest of my luggage yesterday. There are a pair of blunted blades there which are close to your own in size and weight."
Given how Cari felt about the prince at that moment, it might have been a good idea to turn him down. She didn't care. She wanted to teach the dandy a lesson.
"I think a sparring match between the two of us is an excellent idea."
* * *
Quest accepted - Win sparring contest with the prince
* * *
Rodrigo shook his head. "Cari, do you…?"
"I said it's a great idea, Rod. Get the prince's practice blades."
Rodrigo hesitated for only a few seconds then turned and went back up to their apartment. He came back minutes later with a pair of basket-hilted practice blades. They each had a small, steel ball welded to the end of the blades, preventing them from being lethal in a duel. Nonetheless, they'd both deliver painful blows, especially since neither of them had padded sparring vests or arm and leg guards.
Cari took one of the blades from Rodrigo and tested the spring of the steel, grabbing the end and flexing it a little. These were of excellent quality, unusual for practice swords which only had to approximate the heft and feel of a real blade.
"Shall we make it interesting, my lady? Perhaps a kiss to the winner of the bout. First to three touches out of five?"
Cari, disgusted by the wager but still angry at the prince, nodded agreement and assumed a guard position.
"If I win," Cari countered, "you cease your romantic advances on me once and for all."
"Agreed," Timron said, sweeping his blade up until it pointed to the sky just in front of his face in salute. "En guard."
She returned the gesture and the bout began.
Cari was unprepared for the blazing speed of the prince's attack. She’d assumed he was inexperienced with a blade and as inept at fighting as he was at cards. She was wrong.
The first jab slipped past her attempted parry within seconds, punching her with the ball tip just above her navel. She let out a grunt and doubled over as the powerful lunging strike drove the air from her lungs.
* * *
Health damage - health -2
* * *
"Touch," she croaked, though she didn't need to say it. It was clear he'd made contact.
Prince Timron stepped back and waited for Cari to regain her wind and composure. As soon as she assumed her guard position again, he unleashed a new attack combination, once more catching Cari unprepared and unable to counter.
The tip whipped in against her right shoulder, the steel ball leaving a red welt on her exposed skin.
* * *
Health damage - health -2
* * *
"Touch!" Timron yelled this time as soon as he connected. "One more and I win that kiss, my dear."
"You'll not get through my guard again," Cari hissed. Her anger masked the pain of the two touches.
"Temper, temper. Didn't your sword master teach you to control your emotions? They have no place in a fight."
"En guard," Cari said as she took her defensive stance once again.
This time she didn't try to attack Timron at all, focusing all her attention on blocking his attacks. She refused to admit he was a better swordsman than she was.
It didn't matter whether she admitted it or not. The third touch snaked past her defenses and struck her just above the kneecap of her left leg.
* * *
Health damage - health -2
* * *
The strike buckled her leg and caused Cari to fall to the side, landing on the flagstones of the courtyard hard enough to scrape her elbow on the rough flooring and draw blood.
"Touch," Timron announced, sweeping his blade up in a brief salute before he tossed it hilt first to Rodrigo by the door. The prince stepped forward and extended a hand to Cari.
"Here, let me help you up."
Without thinking, Cari reached up to the offered assistance. Timron grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet, standing her up directly in front of him. As her face came close to his, he leaned in and planted a firm kiss on her lips. His other hand snaked around her waist and held her close in that position for several seconds before the shock of the situation wore off and she pushed away from him.
* * *
Quest failed - Win sparring contest with the prince
* * *
Cari opened her mouth, fumbling for the words to protest the imposition of the kiss and then remembered he was only collecting the winning wager. She snapped her mouth closed, swiping the back of her hand across her lips, trying to wipe away the memory of his lips on hers. She stalked away past a smiling Rodrigo to head back upstairs to their apartment. His grin angered her even more and she ran up the stairs, ignoring the pain in her injured knee.
She burned with fury, mostly angry at herself for allowing him to trick her into a contest he could control. She should have guessed he was a better swordsman than he let on. Any royal would have grown up with the best tutors. That would include the most accomplished sword masters to teach him the use of a blade. Why else would he carry such fine practice blades around with him if he didn't spar with them regularly?
Cari considered leaving Timron and Rodrigo to fend for themselves if trouble arrived at their doorstep. She could just go and explore the rest of the world, letting the others deal with the political problems facing the Empire. Her personal sense of honor wouldn't let her go though. She'd agreed to protect the fool and besides, she had to stick around long enough to exact payback once she learned a few new tricks of her own with the sword. She'd have a rematch with the snooty prince and when she did, she didn't intend to lose again.
Chapter 11
After Timron won the sparring contest, Cari was certain he'd be even worse in his efforts to woo her. The opposite was true, however. It seemed defeating her settled something in the prince's mind about Cari and he ceased his repeated overtures, at least for the time being. He still made occasional comments about her outfit or her hair but after the constant attempts at physical contact, she was willing to put up with what amounted to a wa
r of words even though it irked her.
Cari wondered how much longer they were expected to remain hidden, cooped up in this apartment. The answer to her question came two days after the sparring match. Merry, Rodrigo's friend from the Empress's Rest Inn, showed up at their door early in the morning while the Prince was still asleep.
"Merry, what are you doing here," Rodrigo asked, sticking his head out into the hallway and checking to see if she’d been followed. "How did you find us?"
"Your uncle delivered a message from someone named Liam for you. He told me where to find you and made me memorize it before he returned to the palace. He told me it was imperative to deliver it as soon as possible."
"Hopefully it's an opportunity to get on the move and out of this place," Cari said.
Merry nodded. "The message told me to send you to a tavern called Sailor's Home in a town called Morton Creek on the southern coast. The man named Liam will either meet you there or leave word on where to go next." Merry paused and shook her head. "The next part doesn't make any sense to me."
"What?" Cari asked.
"The message says to take his highness from the city as soon as possible. The Duke of Charon has started searching for him and will close in on you soon. That is the part I don't understand. Who is it talking about? Who do you have here with you?"
Merry craned her neck to look past the doorway, searching the apartment for another person. Cari stepped into her field of view.
"It's probably better if you don't know, Merry. The less you know, the better off you are."
"But the message made it seem like you have someone like Prince Timron here holed up with you. That doesn't make any sense though. He is supposed to have left town days ago."