Trial by Fire: A LitRPG Dragonrider Adventure (Archemi Online Chronicles Book 2)

by James Osiris Baldwin

  “Gods. Poor Rin,” Suri murmured.

  Ebisa barked a bitter laugh. “Poor Rin? Oh yes, he loves Rin, the miracle child of her Clan. She’s Starborn... a one-in-a-million among our people, destined to be able to live again and again. He was so proud to have her as his apprentice, because she makes him feel even more important than being an Artificer for the Royal family. Kanzo treats her like a trophy, but she... he never...”

  “Take off your mask, Ebisa.” Ignas dropped his voice.

  Ebisa’s shoulders hunched, and she drew her arm in closer to her chest.

  Ignas squeezed her shoulder, and gestured to us. “By their expressions, you know there shall be no judgment here.”

  She nodded slightly, then reached up to push back her hood, revealing a smooth, hairless scalp of silver silicone. She had the usual backswept crystalline wings in place of ears, but they looked different to any I’d seen on other Mercurions. They were curly and fancy, made of red stained glass and soldered metal. She unhooked her mask, and let it fall into her hand before lowering it.

  Ebisa’s face matched the rest of her scarecrow body. Her skin was drawn tight over her skull. Her nose was thin-bridged, with cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass. The overall structure of her face was one of was eerie beauty... but she had no lips, and more alarmingly, no eyes. In place of eyes, she had four polished Corvinus Rubies, two to each side. It made her face look utterly alien.

  “He had to make do,” she hissed. Without lips, the grim slash of Ebisa’s mouth peeled back from her metal teeth with every word. “That’s what he always told me. He had to improvise. So that is what I am. His improvisation.”

  “Establishing a body and brain complex enough to sustain an intelligent consciousness is extraordinarily difficult,” Ignas said sadly. “But the formulations and magic required for it are not unknown, and can be obtained by rogue artificers desperate enough to make the effort. But there is no such thing as true Life magic in the world... only the Words that simulate the complexity of life.”

  “And he does not know all of them, and nor did he have the resources to properly equip my body.” Ebisa finished. “So not only am I juchi, I am an abomination. I require Corvinus Rubies to continue living, and no Mercurion will look at me, even other juchi. I am forever without any one of my own kind, even in friendship... which was surely Kanzo’s intention. This way, I could be certain that the only one who would love me was him.”

  “I think you look kind of badass, to be honest,” I said.

  Suri elbowed me sharply. “So you’re what is being used to blackmail him?”

  Ebisa put her mask back in place, hooking it over her ears. “I am the one blackmailing him – not that he believes me.”

  “Meaning?”

  “He thinks I’m doing this against my will,” Ebisa spat. “He thought that I was happy in his little laboratory, entirely reliant on him to continue living. I learned where he kept the rubies I rely on to live, and I escaped.”

  Suri frowned. “Kanzo is murdering because he thinks Ignas will free you?”

  Ebisa drew herself up straight. “Yes. He operates under the threat that I will be revealed to our people and he will suffer their judgment. The Mercurions will cast his name from our archives here and in Zaunt. His blueprints will be burned, and no children will be modeled on him. His works will be destroyed. Even his darling Rin will purge all memory of him and find a new Master. No one will remember Kanzo, and nothing terrifies a narcissist so completely as erasure. He will do anything - anything - to leave his legacy. And so he shall: as a kingkiller and assassin, which is a lesser fate than what he has been offered if he does not comply. At least this way, he knows he shall be remembered for something.”

  Chapter 36

  “Well damn.” I put my hands on my hips. “Guess you aren’t fucking around.”

  “There is too much at stake.” Ignas shook his head, regarding Suri and I with a critical eye. “I don’t suppose you know what caused this rift between brothers to start with, do you?”

  “Nope,” Suri replied. I shook my head.

  “Not merely a case of simple jealousy, I assure you.” Ignas squeezed Ebisa on the shoulder and left her where she leaned against the desk, walking around it to sit down. “Andrik has never been a self-disciplined man. From an early age, he was always prone to fancies and laziness. He was smart, but would fail repeatedly at simple things - arithmetic, writing, magic - simply because he wouldn’t follow through on the work required. He was always looking for the pill to cure his woes and struggles.”

  I privately winced to myself a little. That sounded awfully familiar. I’d been like that before the Army.

  “You must realize that this is the reason why religion appeals so strongly to Andrik,” Ignas said. He began to fill a pipe with tobacco, and my chest panged with the memory of Matthias - and the sharp reminder that this man had been responsible for his death. “It has nothing to do with piety. When we were boys, he got it in his head that if he prayed to the gods, they would fix his problems for him. Anything from a toothache to his homework, he hoped that he could pray it away. Of course, that’s not how it works. Or it wasn’t... until he joined this, this cult.”

  “Wait. This just took a sharp left turn,” I said. “What do you mean, he joined a cult?”

  “Exactly that,” Ignas said. “He joined a cult. I was never able to dig into it very far, because he went to pains to hide his involvement, but I found small signs that I raised with our father. The problem was that the main symptoms of his involvement with this organization were, in my father’s eyes, ‘good’ things. Andrik lost weight. He became more aggressive, more confident, interested in matters of state. He began to devour information on magic, philosophy, statecraft... all of it with a peculiarly radical slant. He changed very quickly from a foppish young milksop into a shrewd courtier, which pleased our father but raised my hackles.”

  Suri had her resting cop face back on. “So how do you know he was in a cult?”

  Ignas shrugged. “I found his shrine of worship. A week after that, father came into lunch, screaming about ‘filth’ and waving a Corvinus Ruby with a very clear recording of me sodomizing a talented male Meewfolk sword dancer. I was disowned and disinherited on the spot... and thus we share this moment.”

  “Can you describe the shrine?” she asked.

  Ignas’s brow furrowed. “It was a nook inside of a walk-in closet in Andrik’s room. I went to view it after my spy – his valet – reported that Andrik was up to something in a part of his suite that he had forbidden the servants to enter. But it’s strange – I remember elements of what I saw, but I could not describe the shrine to you. I know that he had taken the Ravensblood Ruby – our crown jewel and a relic of the Church of the Maker – and had it set up in some ritualistic fashion. There was a deer’s heart there… but the rest, it is like my memory rejected the sight of it. I recall that there was a symbol on prominent display, and that it terrified me beyond all reason.”

  Me and Suri looked at one another, then back to the king. “Do you remember what the symbol was? Like, do you think you could draw it?”

  “I am afraid I cannot,” he replied heavily. “I can tell you now that it was no symbol associated with The Nine. Not even a shrine to Rusolka is as dark as what I saw that day.”

  “Your Majesty, this adds a whole new dimension to everything,” I said. “May I make you a counteroffer?”

  He twitched his shoulders. “You may try.”

  “Call a truce. Leash your attack dog, and tell Kanzo to hold off on the next target,” I said. “I’ll investigate this cult issue for you and we’ll get evidence of his blasphemy. That’s going to discredit him badly enough that if you step in, you’ll be able to take the throne again. No one else has to die, and if we’re caught, it’s no skin off your back.”

  “Not a bad idea,” Suri drawled. “My pit bosses told me to come to Taltos because the King of Cats was known to be a fair and trustworthy business partne
r. I’m willing to put my money on you and throw in with Hector.”

  Ignas clenched his pipe down between his teeth. “No. By the time you have enough evidence to convince the Council of Lords, all of the Meewfolk of this city will be staked on the walls, the Mercurions murdered and drained for their blood, and this nation will be on an unstoppable course toward becoming a corrupt theocracy.”

  “You’re living proof that humiliation is a devastating tool in the hand of a monarch,” I said. “If you prove you were framed and that Andrik is a fratricidal scumbag, you have a more legitimate claim than you would if you killed him.”

  “None of what we have undertaken is being done lightly or without consideration of the consequences. If we even pause in our efforts, more innocent citizens will die by his hand. He had already closed the Mercurion’s quarter, and this district is next. Andrik must pay for his crimes against me and Vlachia, and I will not miss the chance to take my country back for the sake of your convenience.”

  “Then we have no choice.” I shrugged. “We have to kill Kanzo.”

  Ignas put his palms against the top of his desk and pushed himself up to stand.

  “I want to let you both free,” he said quietly. “I do. But there is too much at stake. I’m still willing to purchase your non-involvement for the duration of the upcoming events, but if you continue to threaten me, I will retaliate accordingly.”

  Ebisa slowly straightened up from her slouch.

  “Go ahead. I’ll respawn at Vulkan Keep, and we’ll spill this entire thing to Andrik. This place will be crawling with soldiers within an hour.” I pulled the collar of my armor down, baring my neck, and pointed at it. “Here you go - clear shot.”

  “I never said anything about killing you, Starborn,” Ignas replied coldly. “If Kanzo dies before he achieves his final aim, you will never know peace again in Vlachia or the kingdoms of our allies.”

  “I have a dragon outside who will torch this place if you so much as lay a hand on either of us.” I crossed my arms.

  The man’s eyes narrowed. I could see the gears turning in his head. When Ebisa made to draw a dagger, he shook his head sharply.

  “You’re a strong negotiator. I can respect that,” he said. “What is he offering you both that I cannot?”

  “Sanctuary without threat of extradition,” Suri replied to him. “We’re fugitives: me from Dakhdir, him from Ilia.”

  Ignas nodded slowly.

  “He is lying to you,” he said firmly. “Because I know for a fact that Vlachia has extradition treaties with both of those countries. By the terms of those treaties, he MUST send you back to face justice for whatever crimes you may or may not have committed in those nations. I myself oversaw several extraditionary processes as Crown Prince. Suri – if you are a veteran of the syndicates, perhaps you know of Malak the Harpy?”

  Suri’s expression shut down into an implacable poker face.

  “He was one of the outlaws extradited to Dakhdir by my decree,” Ignas continued. “I believe the Sultir made an example of him.”

  Suri jerked her head in a small, stiff nod. “He threw him into Al-Asad, and he used to complain about being sent back to Dakhdir from somewhere. But he never said which country, or which king.”

  Well, shit. I looked between them, thoroughly disconcerted… and found myself thinking back to the mass attack by the Ilian Mercenaries in the University District. The guards had arrived late. The street had been empty, like an ambush. I’d put it down to the Mata Argis… but…

  “If your safety is paramount to you, no wonder you refuse my money.” Ignas bowed his head and spread his hands. “In that case, I shall reframe my offer. In the course of my work with the Nightstalkers and other similar organizations, I have developed a strong network of smugglers, forgers, and other specialists. Let our schemes take their course, and I swear on my father’s blood that I will offer you and yours sanctuary.”

  “How?” I asked.

  He regarded me patiently. “I am not yet a King, but I am a ruler within a commercial empire that spans three countries. We are fully capable of assuring your safety. The Nightstalkers and their affiliates are mobile, discreet, and are not beholden to treaties with any nation, least of all the likes of Ilia. We could even arrange for you to travel to Meewhome.”

  “Is it anything like the International District? Because if so, that’s not a perk. No offense intended.”

  “It is a tropical archipelago, actually. Here: let me make this offer official.”

  Ignas bowed his head, concentrating, and a new Quest notification jumped in the corner of my eye. When I pulled it over, my eyebrows lifted. This was not a type of notification I’d ever seen before.

  Quest Alternative (The Slayer of Taltos): Stalkers in the Night

  You have discovered that former Crown Prince, Ignas Corvinus the Third, is alive and well. After faking his own suicide and spending a year in exile, he has returned as an underworld figure in Artana’s profitable underworld fighting circuit. Not only that, but he claims his deceitful younger brother, Andrik, lied to you about his offer of reward and sanctuary.

  Ignas is offering to match his brother’s rewards, on one condition – that you abandon the hunt for Kanzo, the Slayer of Taltos, and allow Ignas to execute the master stroke of his plan. His goal? To pull Vlachia back from the clutches of his brother, a heretic guilty of betraying his own blood for the sake of power.

  Reward: 15,000 gold olbia (half up-front), EXP (progressive), +500 infamy in Vlachia. The Nightstalkers and allied Syndicate factions go from Poor to Good (Protected status).

  Special: If Ignas becomes Volod of Vlachia, your reward may change.

  Special: This is a co-current quest with the Slayer of Taltos. If you accept, you will have to fulfil the terms of one quest – Andrik’s or Ignas’. The other quest will automatically fail.

  If Ignas succeeds in his plan to retake the throne, you will suffer no faction-based penalties for switching quests and will gain Very Good (1500) fame with both the Vlachia and Nightstalkers factions.

  If Ignas fails in his scheme, you will suffer faction-based penalties from both Vlachia and the Nightstalkers and allied Syndicate factions.

  If you reject this quest, you will suffer faction-based penalties from the Nightstalkers and attain a Nemesis (Ignas Corvinus).

  Wow. Okay. I scanned the quest, lips parted in disbelief. Suri had a similar expression on her face. I’d figured out that Archemi’s AI adapted your questlines to your decisions as time went on – but I’d never seen anything like this. It wasn’t the quest forks that bamboozled me so much as the uncertainty, the ‘Ignas might win, or he might not’ aspect. I’d been playing the Slayer questline like a story, expecting it to be basically predetermined… but this ripped that notion out from under me. I’d forgotten something in all of this. The NPCs were smart enough – self-aware enough – to fucking outsmart and outplay each other.

  “Well?” Ignas said.

  “Wait.” I licked my lips and held up a hand. “I need to think about this.”

  Suri gulped. “Me too.”

  He shrugged. “Take your time.”

  To my surprise, Suri actually drew in close to me, huddling up before PMing. “Shit, Hector… I don’t know what to do. He’s right about those extradition treaties, I’m sure, but I don’t have any reason to doubt Andrik. I haven’t seen a hint of him reneging on his deal. He’s a spoiled brat… but… do you believe this guy or not?”

  “Hang on.” I reviewed the Special information again, frowning. “Karalti?”

  “Huh? What is it?”

  “Tell me that I’m smart.”

  There was a pause. “Wat?”

  “Encourage me,” I said. “Tell me I’m smart and I’m not a dumbass, and that the hunch that I have is something important.”

  “Uhh… you’re super smart! You can hold onto me while flying, and… and you jumped off and hit the frog thing! And you’re a good dancer. And you fought off all those Mata Ar
gis for ages.”

  It was weird – but it helped, hearing this voice in my mind choke down the self-doubt that was clouding my intuition.

  I messaged Suri again. “If Andrik gets his way, and we kill Kanzo, we are going to earn the wrath of the Nightstalkers and their allies, plus, there’s a chance that Andrik isn’t going to live up to his half of the bargain. If we support Ignas and he fails because Andrik stops his own assassination, we’re doubly shafted.”

  Suri sucked on one of her teeth, staring at her own display. “Right. That’s what I mean. It’s a gambit.”

  “No. It feels like a gambit, but it’s not.” I pressed my lips together. “Putting aside the fact that he killed someone I liked… The best objective outcome for all of us is that Ignas becomes king. If we choose to support Ignas, Ignas is more likely to become Volod. Players - Starborn - are agents of fate. Therefore, we get the maximum benefit if we intervene. So, probability-wise… I think we should throw in with him.”

  The woman drew a deep breath. Then she nodded. “For once, you’re not a total dumbass.”

  I suddenly realized that Suri was close enough that I could smell her perfume: sandalwood and honeycomb. Her shoulder was just barely touching mine. She looked up, and I met her golden-eyed gaze. Her lips parted a little before she stood back from me.

  “You know, I never liked Andrik anyway.” Clearing her throat, Suri turned her attention back to Ignas. “You’re a ruthless son-of-a-bitch, Ignas, but you’re a sportsman. You wouldn’t have become the King of Cats if your word wasn’t pure fuckin’ gold. I’m in.”

  “You killed one of my friends at Kobayaz,” I said to him. “Father Matthias. The way he and those other people died was terrible.”

  “We were as shocked as you were.” Ebisa shrugged her bony shoulders. “We don’t instruct Kanzo on how to take out any of his targets, except that they must be done in such a way as to mock the virtues of Andrik’s church and avoid harming civilians whenever possible. We certainly didn’t tell him to blow up Kobayaz and spawn a monster.”