Delvers LLC: Welcome to Ludus

by Blaise Corvin

  The priestess in cowboy boots bounced the object she took from the Dolosbot up and down on one hand. It was round and looked ceramic. She switched from English to Luda, "Okay, which one of you is Henry? Asian, right? Ah, that must be you." She nodded at Henry and tossed the object to him. "Catch."

  Henry dropped his sword to catch the ceramic sphere. He held it up and asked, "What's this?"

  Keeja smiled. "I believe you asked Dolos for a message. Press the top."

  Henry shrugged and did as she said. The sphere clicked, and an image of his mother appeared in a hospital bed over his hand.

  Jason gasped when he saw Mrs. Sato. She looked frail and painfully thin, but there was color in her cheeks and her spirit seemed undiminished. "Is this thing on?" Her heavily accented English rattled out in a quick staccato that Jason would have recognized anywhere. "I can just talk and hold this ball, and Henry will see, right?"

  She was definitely Henry's mom.

  "Okay. Okay. Hi, Henry!" She waved at the area in front of her. "I got your letter, and I want to let you know I am okay! What you did worked good, and the doctors say my cancer is gone! They saying it a miracle, but I know the nice man who gave me the thing to drink was telling the truth. He say it would heal me and you made him give it.

  "I wish you could be here to see this, but I know you working hard whea-ebaa you are.

  This nice man told me you took care of the hospital bills and got me a cure! I don't know how you did everything, but I am not surprised. You always have been a problem solver. I am very very, very, very proud of you, and your dad would be also! You saved my life and saved my retirement. You are amazing. My boy is amazing."

  Mrs. Sato continued to smile, but her expression got more serious, and she started shaking her finger at the air in front of her as if Henry were there. "But you always do this kind of thing! You just disappear with no word, no nothing, and then one day I'm cured? It is not your job to fix the world, Henry! It is not your job to fix everything. You have to live your life! You are in big trouble when you come home!"

  Mrs. Sato paused for a moment and slowly began to cry. "You hear me? You come home one day. I know what you do now is probably very important, but you come back to see mama, okay? I love you. Please be safe. I love you, Henry. I will wait to see you. You will always be my hero." She tried to say something more, but emotion made her voice too thick, and she just cried for a few seconds before the recording stopped.

  Henry stared at the sphere for a while with tears rolling down his cheeks. Jason was happy that Mrs. Sato would be okay, but he also felt awkward watching his friend's emotional moment. Jason also pretended he didn't have unshed tears of his own after seeing Mrs. Sato's message.

  Finally Henry coughed and roughly wiped his eyes. He asked, "She's going to be healthy now, right?"

  Keeja nodded seriously. "That was the deal. Now you just need to hold up your side of the bargain."

  Henry's eyes got hard, and his voice was ice cold when he replied, "I understand. I made a deal with the devil. No regrets. So be it."

  Jason was about to ask one of the many, many questions he had when the door to the Jaguar Clan house burst open and Tita-abbi hollered, "Bezzi-ibbi woke up! He is asking for Henry-ibbi and Jason-ibbi!"

  To her credit, the maid seemed to notice the strange atmosphere almost immediately after her announcement. She scratched one pointed Mo-hali ear in confusion when everyone didn't immediately make a ruckus over the announcement.

  Then she saw Keeja.

  Tita-abbi began shaking in fear and bowed low. "Forgive my intrusion, Great One." Jason was curious about Tita-abbi's reaction. How had she known who Keeja was? Could it have been the markings on her face? Maybe the necklace?

  He shook his head. All of his questions could wait. He wanted to see Bezzi-ibbi and make sure the kid was alright. He turned to Keeja and said, "Well, if you are going to be our babysitter, you can start babysitting. We're going to visit our little friend who just woke up. You're free to stay out here or come inside or whatever. I'm guessing you won't be going far, though."

  Keeja regarded him levelly. "Nobody has talked to me with that level of familiarity in hundreds of years."

  Jason rolled his eyes and in the back of his mind started worrying that maybe Henry was rubbing off on him too much. "Well, maybe you should work on your people skills then. Look, lady, I'm done being intimidated. I'm sure you're a badass, overpowered master of destruction or whatever, but I just really don't care right now. We're going inside to see our friend, and I'd like to talk to you later. I think we'll save time if you stay close so we can have a chat."

  He turned and asked Tita-abbi, "She can come inside, right?"

  Tita-abbi looked like she was about to pass out. "She is a priestess of Dolos. She can go wherever she wants."

  "Okay, good. Keeja, you can come inside, but if you make a fuss, we won't cooperate with you.

  "I'm not against working with you, but I want to establish right now that this is a partnership, and I really don't care how powerful or connected you are. Dolos made it clear his hands are tied and we're going to be the ones doing the heavy lifting over the next few years. It's bad enough I got kidnapped, stuck on this world, and then asked a favor by Mr. Clothing Explosion. I'm not going to be anyone's slave."

  Keeja glared at Jason levelly before covering her face with a hand. "Maybe I should have run away after all," she groaned.

  Ancient Eyes

  Jason was seriously tired of the wagon's rocking motion. He also didn't enjoy dealing with the weird ox things that most wagons on Ludus were pulled by. Their name in Luda was "yucka," but Jason called them "nasty-oxen" in his head. He appreciated how hardy and strong they were, probably a necessity on a monster-infested hellhole like Ludus. In fact, the very real possibility that nasty-oxen were the result of some monster getting frisky with an innocent cow or buffalo many years ago was something he didn't care to think about.

  They were on a road heading south, away from Mirana, and their group was in two wagons. The first wagon up front could be covered if needed; the rear wagon was uncovered and full of wooden boxes. The boxes were very impressive looking but packed with straw--perfect bait for their bandit trap.

  Most of the women in the party were acting as guards and stayed with the uncovered wagon. Jason and Henry were tasked with driving the lead wagon, completing the illusion that they were a micro caravan for a rich family or a side project for a merchant's son. The idea was to make their group look like an easy, enticing target.

  As he learned to sway with the wagon, Jason watched the farmers working their fields and examined the long, wavy vegetation by the side of the road with interest. Ludus always seemed to be some strange combination of the familiar and the alien to him. He recognized some of the vegetation they passed, and some he didn't. Same with the birds and the crops the farmers were growing.

  It was a strange feeling to know that one day he might not notice the differences between Ludus and Earth anymore.

  Their group had departed from Mirana early in the morning. Jason was impressed by how fast they'd mobilized, but then again, everything for the mission had been more or less ready to go before Bezzi-ibbi had woken up. Bezzi-ibbi had insisted they leave as soon as possible and demanded he come along. He pointed out that at least one Jaguar Clan member had to be with the wagons in case someone was specifically targeting Clan caravans. In fact, thinking of him now...

  Jason glanced up to where Bezzi-ibbi was riding on top of the covered wagon, his weight balanced on two of the wooden "ribs" that formed the wagon's roof structure. The rolled-up cloth cover allowed Jason to see the boy clearly.

  Bezzi-ibbi had fresh clothing. He wasn't wearing a suit like when Jason had first met him nor the more relaxed robe he'd worn in the Jaguar Clan house. Instead, he was sporting a dark, button-up shirt rolled to the elbows, a white tie, and a striped vest to match his striped slacks. In a world where most people wore simple, serviceable clothing, Bezzi-ibbi st
ood out like a sore thumb. What was more, the mark of his Hero ring was obvious.

  Jason swallowed down a pang of guilt as he studied the Mo'hali boy's silvery gauntlet. From the tips of his fingers to past his elbow, Bezzi-ibbi's entire left arm was covered in metal or had perhaps turned to metal. Jason wasn't entirely sure. The whole arm was so bright and shiny Jason thought it looked like mercury; the metal seemed to move and undulate at times too. Bezzi-ibbi was reluctant to talk about the arm, so everyone avoided the subject for the time being. They were all just happy he was alive.

  Since Bezzi-ibbi had woken and until they got on the road, there'd been utter chaos at the Jaguar Clan house. The Clan seemed to be collectively amazed, proud, worried, and furious with Bezzi-ibbi. They did not want him going on Henry and Jason's mission, but Bezzi-ibbi had come anyway. From what Jason could understand, a legitimate Mo'Hali Hero was considered to be a champion of all Mo'hali people until they retired. Bezzi-ibbi's Clan could not forbid him to do anything anymore. The same tradition and ceremony that they'd used to keep him safe in the past now worked against them.

  Before they'd left, Bezzi-ibbi's father, mothers, and a handful of siblings whose names Jason had already forgotten crowded him and Henry into a room. They'd asked them to take care of Bezzi-ibbi, but the request had sounded a lot like a threat. Jason could have sworn that Hajim-ibbi flexed his claws slightly when he'd squeezed Jason's shoulder. The feeling had not been pleasant.

  From the top of the wagon, Bezzi-ibbi grinned at him and jumped down to the driver's seat, his movements lithe and precise. Sometimes Jason was taken aback by how loudly Bezzi-ibbi's mannerisms seemed to scream "predator." The boy patted Jason with his natural hand as he sat and said, "Family."

  Jason looked at Bezzi-ibbi curiously. "You know, we all know that you can speak fluent Luda now. While you were in the coma, we also learned that your brothers and sisters even respect your ability with languages. Why the act?"

  Bezzi-ibbi grimaced, and his voice came out haltingly. "It's not act. I hate speak Luda. I had bad language teacher. Didn't like Mo'hali."

  "So even now, you're speaking Luda slightly broken as... what, a protest?"

  Bezzi-ibbi grinned widely, showing his fangs. "Yes!" He nodded and patted Jason again. "Family!"

  "You're a weird kid, you know that?" At the last moment, Jason changed the actual word he used from "kid" to Luda slang for "child". He'd almost accidentally called Bezzi-ibbi a baby goat. Jason didn't ever want to get the same confused, slightly concerned expressions people gave Henry sometimes. His friend didn't pay close enough attention to what he actually said in Luda.

  Jason was about to ask Bezzi-ibbi about their route when another weight settled onto the bench. Bezzi-ibbi's expression immediately became guarded as he studied their vistor. Jason turned to see Keeja nonchalantly eating an apple. He wondered how she always seemed to have fruit on hand.

  "You know," she munched for a while before continuing, "you could just teach the boy English. I already speak it, you and Henry do, Mareen is halfway there, and Uluula can learn pretty much any spoken language in a couple weeks due to the hardware in her head." Keeja pointed at her temple. Then she looked thoughtfully at her apple core before throwing it to the side of the road and scooting her hips against Jason's. She leaned back and put her arm around him.

  Jason sat still for a moment in surprise before he snorted. He looked at her levelly. "Okay, teach Bezzi-ibbi English, that makes sense. Why are you helping us, though?"

  "Oh, you're no fun at all!" Keeja moved back to her end of the bench and pouted. "Your friend is much more entertaining. I find it interesting that his reactions are much more animated despite my assumption he has more experience with women than you. Either way, Terrans are all prudes."

  Jason shook his head. "I'm not even going to ask how you know about our love lives. However, I think you're misunderstanding something, and I highly doubt you're making him uncomfortable. If you teased him and he tried to act proper, it was probably because he didn't want to infringe on your honor or something. Henry has strong feelings about chivalry."

  Keeja blinked at Jason for a couple seconds before she threw her head back, choking out peals of laughter. Jason shared a glance with Bezzi-ibbi and stared forward resolutely until Keeja had herself under control again. "Ah, I needed that! You think your friend is really trying to protect my honor? I'm almost two thousand five hundred years old, and I went through an... experimental phase. I have no honor to protect, I assure you."

  She chuckled a bit more and shook her head. "It's incredibly boring being stuck on Ludus as an immortal. I'd say you wouldn't understand, but that would be an understatement. Then again, if you don't get yourself killed, maybe you will one day. You know, I was going to abandon you as soon as the 'bot left yesterday, but I actually saw something interesting. The way you and Henry are using your orbs is very creative."

  "Thanks... I think." Jason gave the nasty-ox's reins an idle flick. "I'd like you to answer my question, though. Why help us?"

  Keeja frowned and said, "I originally pegged you as a thinker, but you still aren't very smart, are you? I already answered your question.

  "You already know I was instructed to come here in the first place. I'm just doing my job, not going above and beyond. My choice was to stay with you instead of taking off and letting you die.

  "But more importantly, I'm bored, Terran, and it's worth my time to help you stay alive if you keep entertaining me. I'm one of the oldest of my sisters on this planet, and all we ever do is work in a lab or attend meetings or set up experiment props. It's terrible. 'Priestess,' they call me. Ha!

  "Well, you are a priestess aren't you? I mean, you're one of the heads of a religion, right? And you follow a god we've actually met in person..."

  Keeja rolled her eyes at him. "Do you always believe everything you hear? Also, what makes you think I had any kind of real choice with this whole 'priestess' thing?"

  "Well, everyone seems to be awfully afraid of you..."

  She studied Jason for a moment. "You know, like all the other priestesses, I keep track of every orb-Bonded on Ludus, including yourself. Intellectually I know that you and your chivalrous friend have been on this planet for less than a month. However, most Ludus immigrants are still pissing themselves over monsters or trying to find a way to make money by this point. I should try to remember that you two aren't normal. I keep forgetting that you still really don't know much about this planet."

  She seemed to gather her thoughts for a couple seconds and said, "Jason Booth, I'm not feared because I'm a priestess of Dolos. I'm feared because I am one of the most powerful beings on this planet." Keeja raised her arm straight up. The space in front of her hand flickered, and an enormous torrent of energy burst upwards, the solid bar of blinding green light almost instantly penetrating a cloud high in the sky. The energy stopped after just a brief pulse, and Jason watched in astonishment as the tatters of the superheated cloud slowly dispersed.

  Jason was not a scientist, but he had enough working knowledge of physics to know that what he'd just seen was terrifying. The energy Keeja had unleashed could probably have reduced an entire town to a smoking ruin within moments.

  But she still wasn't done. So quickly he couldn't follow the motion, Keeja snatched one of Jason's bronze knives away in a blur. She held the knife up and slowly, deliberately, pressed the blade down on her arm and cut. Jason knew the knife was razor sharp, but Keeja didn't have a scratch on her.

  She flipped the knife around and handed it to back Jason handle first. Jason slowly, carefully, sheathed the blade and asked, "What are you?"

  "Once, I was just an Areva girl with dreams." Keeja looked wistful. "Now I'm different. What changed me, what made me this way, can't be duplicated, but Dolos is trying to create something similar using a different approach."

  A number of things suddenly made sense to Jason. The orbs, the "research" Dolos was doing... He realized the whole planet was full of guinea pigs for the
purpose of weapons research. Jason was horrified but also strangely impressed. If he were an amoral douchebag with the power of a god, using an entire planet as a petri dish would probably have seemed very efficient too.

  "Why doesn't Dolos just use you and the other priestesses to defend Ludus when this war comes in a few years?"

  Keeja sighed. "Because that would be pointless. The bet, the agreement, was to pit experiment against experiment. If beings like me participated, it would be a useless exercise. Dolos is basically betting his pride as a researcher for last few thousand years against his rival."

  "So you're telling me that people will probably die and there will be a war... because of pride?"

  "In a word, yes," Keeja said with a smirk. "The world isn't fair, child. You'd best get used to it."

  Jason frowned and looked Keeja right in her eyes. What he saw made his mouth go dry. It was one thing to hear Keeja say she was ancient or even see a display of her power. Jason had seen a lot of amazing things since he'd gotten to Ludus, so his threshold for being shocked was practically nonexistent anymore. However, Keeja's gaze unnerved him.

  She physically looked like an Areva woman in her prime. However, when Jason actually stared into her eyes, her age and power became real to him in a way it wasn't before. She represented an existence he could not fully comprehend. He felt himself shiver when he realized how alien she really was.

  Keeja must have noticed his reaction. Her expression fell. "This is another reason I hate being imprisoned on this world. Mortals are a passing fancy, and most can't ever truly understand the perspective of an immortal. But all the other Holders on this planet like me are High Priestesses, and we loathe each other." Keeja lapsed into a brooding silence, and Jason was happy to let her do so.

  He gazed at the nasty-ox as it pulled the wagon, lost in thought. He briefly wondered what kind of monster the beast might be mixed with when he suddenly realized they could be attacked by monsters at any time. He asked Keeja, "Shouldn't we be keeping a closer watch for monsters?"