Delvers LLC: Welcome to Ludus

by Blaise Corvin

  Henry shook his head. "I have no idea what's going on. Aren't Dolos rings or whatever super dangerous for Mo'hali to use? Why is a Hero just hanging out in a warehouse room reading books?"

  Kinwe-na-ibbi didn't reply. She walked over to the rabbit girl and spoke softly to her, ignoring the rest of the group. Jason glanced at Bezzi-ibbi, but he was still staring at the floor.

  Keeja chuckled. "This sort of thing is a secret all the powerful Mo'hali Clans keep. In my experience, the arrangement disturbs Terrans, and Kinwe-na-ibbi seems busy, so allow me to explain!" Kinwe-na-ibbi's ears twitched, but she continued her conversation with the girl in the corner.

  Keeja continued, "This is a world where people can use magic. Security is very difficult to establish, especially since some mages have talents that are suited to theft. Most mages and Bonded could break into a security room without much effort whether they used force or guile.

  "So what do you do when you're a merchant and most normal ways to secure goods against theft are useless against magic? What do you do when the most effective means to protect your merchandise is to take magic power itself away from thieves?"

  Jason answered, "You hire Heroes, right?"

  "No, they grow them," Henry said, frowning.

  "What?" Jason wondered what Henry was talking about. Grow them?

  Keeja clapped her hands and laughed. "Henry gets it. I would have said 'create,' but 'grow' works too. Dolos orbs and Hero rings are rare finds in dangerous dungeons. They can be bought for high prices. What's more, most Hero rings will stay intact if a host dies. So what do you do if you're a powerful Clan and you need pet Heroes to protect your most expensive assets from thieves who can use magic?"

  Jason understood and felt horrified. He replied softly, "You make people put on rings until you get a Hero."

  "Exactly!" Keeja grinned. "The best part is Heroes don't get prolonged lifespans quite like most Bonded do. Sure, Mo'hali live a while longer than Terrans... but not by much. A Hero ring only increases a Hero's lifespan a little bit. The Clans want to keep their investment for as long as possible. Want to guess how they do it?"

  Henry grimaced in distaste. "Probably by starting them young."

  "You are surprisingly good at this." Keeja was no longer laughing.

  "I studied a lot of military history on Earth." Henry shrugged. "None of this is all that shocking to me. At least they're not creating child soldiers as cannon fodder."

  Uluula frowned and asked, "Why would it be shocking? We can see how this Hero guard lives. She is obviously not restrained. She doesn't appear to be a slave, and I'm not sure she even could be enslaved since she holds real, tangible power. What is the problem with a Clan offering steady work?"

  Jason's perception of the Jaguar Clan changed. "It's not right. The odds of a Hero ring killing the host is really high, right? So the Jaguar Clan kills children?"

  Kinwe-na-ibbi finished speaking to the young Hero in the corner and returned to the group. "You judge us unfairly. In fact, now that you are a part of the Clan, you are judging yourself as well. Some Clans have forced ring assimilation, but this practice is stupid. Holding an unwilling Hero captive is expensive and foolish.

  "No, we are approached by families with desperate financial situations or children with incurable diseases. The families are paid a legacy fee regardless of success. The new Hero, if the integration is successful, becomes a proud member of the Jaguar Clan for life regardless of subrace."

  "But what made Bezzi-ibbi different? It sounds like your manufactured Heroes are like indentured servants, but Bezzi-ibbi gained more freedom, not less." Jason didn't try to hide his frown.

  "It's quite simple: Bezzi-ibbi used his own ring. He was making his own choice for his own reasons. He didn't hold any debt, so he had the freedom to become a true Mo'hali Hero. Anyone who contracts with a Clan to attempt ring assimilation owes that Clan for the price of the ring. They can choose to become roaming Heroes after their debt is paid."

  Henry scratched his head and said, "Okay, that makes sense. I guess all of this might be fair in a world as crappy as Ludus, but none of this would have been necessary for you because you're a mage, right? Can a Mo'hali mage even use a Hero ring? I know Mo'hali mages are super rare. How are you part of the Jaguar Clan?"

  Suddenly the room got very still. Mareen gasped, and Bezzi-ibbi leaned back in shock, his ears pressed flat against his skull. Most of the group nervously glanced at Kinwe-na-ibbi. The short, elegant Mo'hali mouse woman narrowed her eyes before flicking her ears. "Take what items you want. I will be outside. If you need any help, Jitta-ni-ibbi in the corner or any of the guards in the building can assist you."

  With that, Kinwe-na-ibbi turned and lashed her tail, not quite stomping out of the room. Bezzi-ibbi looked back and forth between his retreating mother and the rest of the group before sighing and staying where he was.

  Keeja chuckled, "I was beginning to think you Terrans might be clever, but then one of you goes out of your way to offend a matriarch of one of the most powerful Mo'hali Clans in the country; your new Clan in fact. The fact this matriarch also happens to be your friend's mother, your friend who adopted you into the Clan in the first place, is priceless. You are idiots."

  Jason shook his head and said, "I had nothing to do with that. Still, there's nothing we can do about it right now. Henry, next time, please don't point out people's differences in public. That's rude where we come from too. Are you going to start asking strangers about their disabilities too?"

  "I was curious. Sue me." Henry shrugged. "Don't tell me you didn't notice. Besides, Henna-ibbi already tried to take a chunk out of my throat a few minutes after I met her. What's more rude--someone asking a question or trying to kill you?

  "I'd take someone asking me a rude question over someone trying to kill me any day. Fuck feelings when I'm supposed to just be cool with almost dying."

  Henry turned to Bezzi-ibbi. "I don't suppose you'll tell me, will you? Your other two moms are jaguar Mo'hali, but Kinwe-na-ibbi is a mouse."

  Mareen cringed and shook her head. Under her breath she said, "Henry, just stop!"

  Bezzi-ibbi gave Henry a withering look. He pointed to the middle of the room and said, "Spirit stone there." Then he walked over to the Hero girl in the corner and started a conversation.

  Jason sighed. "You are just making friends everywhere, aren't you?"

  Henry shrugged again and said, "People will like me, or they won't. I don't even understand the culture on Ludus enough to know what's socially acceptable, much less how to be polite. It doesn't do me any good to worry about it. Anyone who expects me to automatically understand nonhuman cultures on a whole new planet is a fucking asshole. The only way I can learn is by asking questions."

  Jason couldn't think of a logical counterargument, so he snorted and walked away. He headed to where Bezzi-ibbi had pointed and saw a heavy wooden box before actually registering what the boy had said. A spirit stone? He noticed a handwritten note next to the box that read:

  Spirit stone.

  Original property of Bezzi-ibbi.

  Reward appearing after elimination of Thod-Bandit.

  Gifted to Henry-ibbi or Jason-ibbi.

  Jason's eyes widened, realizing he'd completely forgotten that Thod's death should have produced a reward. He opened the box and got his first look at a spirit stone.

  The spirit stone was nestled snugly in a bed of velvet. It was about the same size as a Dolos orb, but instead being formed from metal, it was clear with a cloudy, glowing, rotating interior. It was beautiful.

  Jason gently picked up the spirit stone and pocketed it, leaving the box. He was going to show it to Henry later so they could decide who would use it.

  Next he walked to the walls and did a circuit of the room. He quickly realized the one bare wall was hinged. It was some sort of large door directly out of the room. He had a feeling the other side was hidden or protected too.

  Jason examined a whole slew of bronze weapons and armor.
He saw bolts of expensive looking cloth, jewelry, figurines, sculptures--even spices. He stopped short when he opened a box and saw a beautiful dagger. It had a guard and pommel made of gold, and the blade glowed red. He reached down to touch it, but the Hero girl in the corner barked, "Don't touch that!"

  Jason snatched his hand back. A couple guards ran in at the sound of the shout. The rabbit girl, Jitta-ni-ibbi waved away the guards and walked over. "I was assuming you would know how to act in a loot warehouse since you're here. You obviously don't. That's an enchanted dagger."

  "A what?"

  "An enchanted dagger. Enchanted weapons can only have three owners, so if you handle it, you'll lower its value. How did nobody tell you this before you got here? I guess it's fine if you're going to keep it since you can have anything you want. Are you taking this?"

  Jason felt sheepish. "I'm sorry." He closed the box and walked away as fast as he could. The bunny Hero girl looked like a teenager, but she made him nervous.

  He approached the last area of the room he hadn't examined yet, opened a large box, and caught his breath. He reached into the box and withdrew a beautiful longsword. It had a white scabbard and blue leather grip. He drew the sword out of its scabbard, and the polished blade reflected the light. The steel, blessed steel, was beautiful.

  The pommel and guard had decorative etching in a cloud motif. He rapped the blade with a knuckle. Yup, pretty stiff. Jason sighted down the blade and decided it was probably an Oakeshott Type XVII, a type of sword classification he knew from his studies on Earth. The blade geometry was capable of cutting but good for thrusting too. He carefully put the sword back in its scabbard. This is mine. The sword had called to him. Everything about it spoke to him.

  He wasted no time buckling the sword on and decided on a name almost immediately. He knew a lot of guys back in his old HEMA group thought he was a geek for naming his swords, but this sword definitely deserved a name. It was obviously one of a kind, even more so on a world where steel weapons were rare. Breeze, he thought. Your name is Breeze.

  Henry walked over and eyed Jason's sword. "That looks pretty nifty. Did you already give it a dorky name?"

  Jason gave him a flat look and pointed to the box Henry was carrying. "What's that?"

  Henry opened the box up and showed him a softly glowing, steel-hafted axe. The blade looked sort of like a bearded axe, but the haft curved back before it came forward again. Jason had never seen an axe quite like it before. The weapon's soft red glow cast shadows in the box and made the engravings on the haft stand out.

  Henry smiled and asked, "Pretty, isn't it? They say this is enchanted. I guess I need to find a way to cover it up, or it's going to draw way too much attention. I'm gonna call it 'Bad Axe.'"

  Jason rolled his eyes. He asked, "Why do you think the bandits weren't using this stuff?"

  "I can think of a few reasons," Henry replied. "First of all, they probably didn't need it. Thod was a goddam force of nature, and his own gear was already extremely effective for him. Plus, if any regular bandits kept expensive gear, they might have killed each other for it. There's also a good chance Thod just kept everything for himself."

  Henry snapped his fingers at Jitta-na-ibbi, "Hey, Hero girl! How much of these boxes under the table have money? Were these bandits loaded?"

  The girl frowned and said, "They had quite a bit of coin, yes."

  "And the Clan still didn't make much profit? Jesus, how many fucking magic stones does a flying ship take to run?" Henry looked off into the distance for a moment. "Come to think of it, I need a few magic stones."

  "Why?" Jason noticed a glint in his friend's eye. He had a feeling Henry was about to say something stupid, interesting, or both.

  "Because I think when we get back, I'm gonna try building a truck."

  * * *

  On the trading road a few days north of Rohs, a middle-aged man tightly crossed his arms and struggled not to weep. His unshed tears reflected the setting sun as he stared up at his dead son.

  Jeth's body was hung on a thick stake under a sign that read "bandit." When the Jaguar Clan had arrived the previous day, every dead bandit was strung up in this manner, meant to serve as a grisly reminder that the punishment for banditry was death.

  Yelm clenched his jaw and stood mourning the dead as the last three remaining bandits did the same. None of them intended to cut the bodies down for a proper burial. Doing so would have just risked announcing some of the bandits had lived.

  Yelm couldn't believe that Thod had gotten himself killed. Once in the past, he'd seen the man get hit by a falling boulder and walk away without a scratch. He shook his head. Yelm knew who did this. He knew who was responsible for killing his little boy.

  Those gods-damned rotting bastards Henry and Jason.

  Sure, Jeth had had some problems; he'd been a little... rough around the edges. The boy had had some things to work through, true, but he would have outgrown them! He hadn't deserved to die, not for just having some sport with some slaves! He hadn't deserved to get stabbed so many times! Yelm wondered who had stabbed his son over and over again. Probably Jason, that pox-ridden snake.

  Yelm had just wanted his son to have a better life than he'd had, but that dream was shattered now.

  He'd never even had a chance to tell Jeth the good news that Thod had decided to make him an officer in the camp. He'd even received a priceless Dolos orb! Jeth, your father was moving up in the world!

  He bitterly regretted not using the orb right away. He'd been too excited to sleep and stayed up all night waiting for Jeth to return to their tent. He'd wanted to show the orb to Jeth, wanted to let his son hold such an amazing object, such wealth in his hands too.

  Maybe everything could have turned out differently. He would never forget his shame as he'd run away from the camp, run away and hadn't stopped for half a day. He'd passed out in fear and exhaustion but had at least had the presence of mind to swallow the orb.

  Now things were different. Now he could make them pay.

  Yelm clenched his fist and willed ice to play across his knuckles. Yes, next time would be different. But first, he had to report Thod's death.

  With the gift of the orb, Thod had also entrusted Yelm with knowing who they were really working for. He'd given strict instructions on where to report if the bandit camp was ever destroyed and instructions to bring any remaining bandits with him if he did.

  It was still too early for revenge, and Yelm had a mission to finish. Revenge would come in time. It would definitely come. He even knew what to do first when it was time to act.

  But first he had to go meet his new masters.

  Risky Business

  After Jason left the Jaguar Clan warehouse, Kinwe-na-ibbi informed the group they would be departing for Mirana the next morning on the airship. She still had some Jaguar Clan affairs to attend to in Rohs before they could leave. About this time, Jason finally noticed that Rark-han was missing and he wondered where the big man was. He eventually decided that nobody else seemed worried about it, so he dismissed it.

  The group milled around for a bit before splitting up. Jason went to explore the town of Rohs with a couple of hastily assigned Jaguar Clan guards.

  Bezzi-ibbi and Keeja headed back towards the house the Jaguar Clan was renting. Bezzi-ibbi carried Henry's Bad Axe in its original box. It would have been too conspicuous for Henry to carry a glowing weapon around without a proper sheath.

  Jason paired up with Uluula. He noticed Henry head off with Mareen, hesitantly keeping pace with her. About time, he thought. With a relieved smile, Jason mentally wished his friends would have a good time and stop being such idiots around each other.

  Exploring Rohs was really the first leisure activity Jason had had since coming to Ludus. He would have enjoyed himself more if the experience didn't feel so surreal. First of all, the new longsword he wore on his hip got a lot of attention. On top of that, he was also walking with Uluula and two conspicuous Jaguar Clan guards, none of which w
as exactly low profile. Last but not least, most people were startled when they saw him and then acted nervous or frightened.

  It took Jason a while to realize why people were reacting this way. Then he remembered everyone that saw him from a close enough distance was probably discovering he was orb-Bonded, the information scrolling over their left eyes. Jason tried to ignore the stares, but over time, they began to bother him.

  At first he'd thought it was unreasonable for people to be acting nervous, but then he remembered his fight with Thod and how the Jaguar Clan kept Heroes on retainer just to secure warehouses. Obviously, some Bonded were assholes, and normal people probably had no way to stop them from doing whatever they wanted. It was a sobering thought.

  Jason tried not to be depressed, but he felt an itch between his shoulder blades and wondered if someone would try sticking a dagger there. He was feeling so sorry for himself and Uluula seemed to be having such a good time that he almost didn't notice that some of the angry glares weren't aimed at him. Uluula got her fair share of mutters, pointed fingers, and glances too. The furtive stares seemed to be full of suspicion and hate.

  Jason paid closer attention and realized that Uluula's smile looked pained every time someone "accidentally" said something about Areva loud enough to hear. He also noticed that the town was almost exclusively populated by humans and Mo'hali. Now that Jason was paying attention, he also noticed that the shops seemed segregated as well.

  So Ludus really was like Earth... only worse. On earth, there were tensions between countries, races, and genders. On this planet, all of those tensions existed on top of additional ways to discriminate! Lovely.

  After realizing that Ludus hosted so many forms of bigotry, Jason's mood fell. He tried to focus on shopping for Uluula's sake and had the awkward feeling she was doing the same for him. She looked so young that sometimes he forgot she was older than he was. His heart warmed, and he felt lucky to be sorta-kinda dating someone who cared enough about him to try shielding him from public opinion. He would need to bring it up with her later and tell her it wasn't necessary, though.