“However, things change. George was murdered, and we have reason to believe it’s linked to the bandits you wiped out, the warehouse you burned down, and a few other things that have happened in Mirana and the capital of Tolstey, Taretha.
“Your exploits have proved that you’re fairly capable. More importantly, you have history with these insurgents now. Our friend from Berber,” she said, gesturing to the larger cloaked figure sitting on the couch, “has asked for reinforcements. Berber has its own problems.
“In fact, all of this is happening at the worst possible time. There are three continents on Ludus, which is about half the size of Earth. Right now, our continent is experiencing a huge surge in monster activity, especially within Berber. Another continent is at war, and the third and most dangerous continent we barely hear anything from. Now we have a war of the gods in a few years to prepare for, and on top of all that, we have this new problem.
“See, at first glance, all the assassination attempts, organized crime, manufacturing of gunpowder, all these things seemed like ham-handed attempts by a country across the ocean to weaken us. However, we may have bigger problems on our hands.
“Some of our best people have been gathering information on the insurgents for a while. Quite a few of them have disappeared. However, we learned something disturbing recently. Some of the people they’d been tracking were holding dark, religious ceremonies, some even involving human sacrifice.
“We think they might be a cult worshipping a dark god. What’s more, we’re not yet sure why they’re doing what they’re doing, but they could be trying to involve their god as a third player into Dolos’s pissing contest.
Henna-ibbi’s fur bristled. “Dark magic.” She growled, the sound so low it made Jason’s eyeballs vibrate. “Which god? What does it look like?”
Captain Haili answered, “Asag. A really nasty one. His symbol is a diagram-looking thing with crosses up top and circles on the bottom. So far, we just have confessions, though. There’s nothing to actually verify that we’re dealing with cultists and not seditionists.”
“Captain Haili is correct,” Governor Holtz said, nodding. “But Asag’s symbol was drawn on the wall of George’s house in blood. We still don’t have anything to tie the Georgetown massacre to any of the other occurrences, but the symbol showing up at all is concerning.”
Suddenly, Henry stepped forward and placed a large coin on the governor’s desk. When she saw it, she gasped. “It looks like you have verification now,” grated Henry. “I found this on the body of a man we killed while escaping the gunpowder warehouse. If these are the people who killed George, just tell me where they are and get out of my way.”
Magic Tech
Jason wasn’t quite as surprised as the others when Henry stepped forward with the coin. He’d known Henry still had it, and he’d recognized the mark on the wall in George’s house after all the carnage was removed. However, he was curious what the governor would say.
“Not so fast, young man,” the governor said, as she quickly recovered from her surprise and shook her head reprovingly. “You know, I understand the anger, I understand wanting to avenge your friend, but you really have no idea what I’m about to tell you. If you want to survive on Ludus, you need to keep a clear head.”
“I dunno, we’ve done pretty good so far,” Henry grated.
Governor Holtz shook her head. “No, you’ve gotten incredibly lucky. Even if I told you exactly where to go, even if you took your entire posse with you, including your very impressive bronze tank, you’d still be destroyed. You know nothing about this world. In fact, perhaps I can ask our guest to explain it to you.” She gestured at the larger of the robed figures on the couch.
As they focused on him, the man threw his cowl back. Henry hissed and whispered, “I’m sensing a shit ton of magic from that guy.” Jason nodded.
The man had dark hair, dark eyes, slightly tan skin, a triangular face, and a hooked nose. He was clean shaven, kept his hair short, and stood average height for a Terran. He cocked an eyebrow at Henry and flatly pronounced, “You got lucky.” Then he shrugged.
The governor rolled her eyes, “Can you please elaborate, Gonzo? Maybe introduce yourself, even speculate on this coin Henry showed us? You were the one that delivered this request from your country in the first place.”
“Alright, no problem. My name is Ryan Gonzolez, but everyone calls me Gonzo. I’m originally from Earth, and I came to Ludus about ten years ago. My background on Earth is as a US Air Force med lab tech. After I got out of the military, I was a sheriff for a few years until I found myself on Ludus. Now I’m a Berber Intelligence Officer. You are going to be working with me and travelling to Berber, the country to the north.”
Jason wasn’t sure what to think at this point. The conversation wasn’t going as he’d expected. What did he just say?
Gonzo gestured at the other person on the couch, “This is my apprentice, Vitaliya.” The smaller cloaked figure threw her hood back to reveal a pretty redhead girl in her late teens or early 20s. Jason mentally shook his head. No, this was Ludus, so she could have been any age. He had a feeling he was correct, though. He also had a feeling she was an orb-Bonded or a mage too. He glanced at Henry, and his friend gave a tiny nod, affirming Jason’s suspicion that she had some kind of magic mojo.
After Vitaliya nodded to everyone in the room, Gonzo continued, “A demonstration of how little you know might help. Henry, why don’t you spar with Captain Haili over there?”
Henry was silent a moment before replying, “No.”
Jason inwardly smiled as Gonzo sputtered for a moment. The man had obviously not been expecting a refusal. A lot of people assumed that Henry was simple for some reason, but that was not the case. Not at all.
“Why not?”
Henry’s answer was delivered evenly. “Because I’m not a fucking idiot. You wouldn’t be telling me to fight her if you didn’t think she would beat me. This is obviously to prove a point, especially since she’s so cute and tiny. What’s more, I caught the governor saying the captain is older than all of us, and I’m automatically wary of anyone the leader of this entire city seems to respect. Last but not least, if something went wrong and you misjudged her ability to beat me, this is a tiny room. I don’t want to sling magic around near so many people, especially people I definitely don’t want to piss off.”
Captain Haili laughed, the sound like bells falling on concrete. “Maryanne, you may not like this kid, but I’m taking a shine to him. This group seems to be full of innovative survivors with brains. Perhaps the future isn’t so bleak after all.”
The governor ignored her.
Gonzo blinked, but to his credit, he readjusted quickly. “Fine. Be that way. We still need a demonstration, though. I’m going to ask again, could you please attack the captain?”
Henry gave the man a deadpan look and turned his attention to Captain Haili. “Really?” he asked.
“It might not be a bad idea to see this with your own eyes. I was planning on kicking you through the doorway if you actually attacked me, but luckily, you’re not a moron. I hear you can shoot projectiles. Just do that.”
“At you?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
Jason’s raw nerves grew more frayed as Henry unslung his rifle from his shoulder. Over the last week, Henry had tinkered with all his inventions, probably as part of his own way to deal with grief over George’s death. One result of his efforts was that his rifle now featured a pump action mechanism. Henry practiced with it—a lot.
Henry shouldered the rifle and hesitated, but Captain Haili made a beckoning motion. Henry shrugged, muttered, “Fuck it,” and the air-splitting crack of a sonic boom rattled the entire room. The air in front of Captain Haili grew opaque as Henry’s projectile slammed into a barrier surrounding the dark Areva woman. After the impact, pieces of the gold projectile were directed to the side, embedding into the wall. However, Henry didn’t stop there. He pumped thro
ugh his entire magazine, sending slug after slug screaming towards his target at hypersonic speeds.
While Henry was firing, after a brief moment of confusion, Gonzo and Vitaliya plugged their ears but didn’t react much other than that. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Boon fell to the floor and scampered away from Captain Haili as fast as he could. Governor Holtz’s reaction was most interesting. Her eyes widened and her entire form exploded into dust, hanging in the air before it moved to one corner of the room and re-solidified into the form of the governor, her white dress unmarred.
Everyone in the Delvers LLC group was accustomed to Henry’s inventions by now and simply covered their ears.
After Henry was out of ammo, he slapped another magazine into place and shouldered his weapon again, but Captain Haili held up a forestalling hand. “I think that’s enough. You get the point, and I think a few more shots would actually take my shield down. Let’s not go that far. However, I should probably show you—”
The door to the chamber burst open and the Mo’hali guards rushed in, spears at the ready. Jason began feeling a strange tingle in the back of his head, almost like his magic was writhing around. It seemed he was right that at least one of the guards outside had been a Hero. The governor’s voice cracked out like a whip, “Get out of here at this instant! I ordered you not to disturb us regardless of any noise!”
The pressure on the back of Jason’s mind eased and the guards immediately left the room with sheepish expressions, closing the door behind them.
Captain Haili shook her head and said, “That was exciting. Now watch, please.” She held her wrist up and several small beads detached from a bracelet, hung in the air for a second, then zipped forward, embedding into the stone wall to one side of the room. After that, she drew her sword and cut in one smooth motion, the blade generating a thin wave of air that rushed forward to cut the wall over 20 feet away. “I think you get the point now.”
Henry nodded and Jason was fascinated. Now that he was looking for it, he noticed that Captain Haili was covered in jewelry and various straps or buckles that could all be magic devices. Jason scratched his head and asked, “How many people have items like you do, Captain Haili?”
The Areva woman grimaced and replied, “You can call me Naloo when we’re in private. I get tired of hearing my title all the time.” She glanced sternly at Lieutenant Boone. “I’m still ‘Captain’ to you, though, understand?” The other Guard nodded.
Captain Haili continued, “Fewer people than you might think own gear like this, actually. See, every magic item, whether a burning sword or a ring that creates shields, is considered a magic item, and on Ludus, enchanted items can only have a certain number of owners.”
Jason nodded; he’d already heard about this. “Three, right?”
“Correct. So if you see a magic item for sale, it can accept at least one more owner. However, if someone is using one and you take it or they give it to you, it could crumble to dust depending on how many owners it’s had.
“The rarity of enchanted items, plus their average costs, makes it hard for most people to have many. But like Maryanne said, I’m fairly old. I could probably get older if I bonded with an orb. However, I hate Dolos and I want nothing to do with that, what do you say? Rat bastard.” She said the last portion in accented English.
“English?” Henry asked.
The governor said in English as well, “Yes, I taught her some years ago. I guess I can’t completely forget the teacher in me.” She spoke with a Welsh accent. The powerful woman looked wistful for a moment before switching back to Ludan, saying, “This is another reason I hate running into people from Earth. It reminds me of my Cardiff…” Her voice trailed off into silence.
Henry spoke up, his voice terse, “That was really impressive and all, but what the hell does it prove?”
“It proves you don’t know much about this world,” Captain Haili said, shrugging. “I’ve heard about all your adventures so far. You’ve done a great job surviving, but you’ve only fought small fry. We don’t even know the highest rank of Bonded on Ludus. There are entire strike teams of highly trained soldiers like me out there with weapons like mine. They could be Areva, warriors who can literally train over a hundred years to master combat styles effective on Ludus.
“There are other countries with entire armies…well, small armies of Bonded that train together for war! Despite how Maryanne speaks of me, I’m just a Mirana Guard with a few handy gadgets. Yet I could still be a threat to you, if not kill you both. What’s more, enchanted tools aren’t affected as strongly by Mo’hali Heroes as Bonded are. Trust me when I say I would not go down easy in a fight.
“And on that note, you probably still think of every conflict as a slugging match or throwing power around. Ludus doesn’t work that way.
“You saw what Maryanne just did. I wouldn’t bring this up if you hadn’t already seen her power, but imagine a sandstorm approaching you and sand filling your lungs. How would you fight that? Not with a rifle,” she said, pointing at Henry’s weapon. “Although that is such a fine weapon I kind of want to marry this boy right now so I can touch all his inventions.” She licked her lips.
What in the hell is it with Henry attracting all these scary older women? Jason thought, bemused. Henry looked uncomfortable.
Governor Holtz clapped her hands and announced, “That’s enough! I’m going to end this now before my Guard Captain starts preying on confused, defenseless boys who haven’t even been on Ludus for a year. Seriously, Naloo, do you have any shame?”
Captain Haili shrugged. “Nope, don’t think so. And he did say I was small and cute.” She made some kind of sound, almost a purr. Jason wasn’t sure who looked more uncomfortable, Henry or Lieutenant Boone.
“Fuck me…” muttered Henry.
“That’s the idea.” The woman’s eyes sparkled.
The governor cleared her throat and announced, “That is quite enough. I’m very busy and I have another meeting soon. Henry, Jason, you have your orders.
“I want to congratulate for joining the Tolstey Intelligence Corps! You are technically in the Guard for the duration of your mission as well. Your direct superior is Agent Gonzo. Your contacts from this point forward in the Mirana Guard are Lieutenant Boone and Captain Haili. Do you have any questions?”
Henry shook his head, asking, “Why us? And this whole thing sounds important. Why not give us a choice? In fact, why not send a hundred, no, a thousand people on this mission?”
The governor tapped her chin and shook her head. “When you get to be as old as I am, you prefer forcing people to do things instead of asking for volunteers. I like predictable results. I don’t care for being disappointed. I understand your confusion, but I have a lifetime of experience at this. For everything else, Agent Gonzo can explain. Now shoo.”
The guards and the spies started walking towards the door. Jason quickly asked, “So you’re giving us money?”
Governor Holz looked at Jason like he was an idiot. “I am sending you on a mission to possibly stop a war before it starts and prevent utter catastrophe. Your mission involves evil magic and cults. Of course you get a bloody budget! What, did you think I was going to send you on a critical quest with no help or money? That would be stupid.”
“Well, yeah, I guess.” Jason had a lifetime of expectations from video games, so the governor’s willingness to fund their mission surprised him. The audience wasn’t going exactly as he had feared, and he had to admit he was relieved. It sucked that he and Henry were being conscripted, but arguing about it now would obviously not be a smart move.
“Just follow Gonzo’s directions,” the governor said, rolling her eyes. “Dismissed.”
* * *
In the hallway, Gonzo bowed to Bezzi-ibbi. Then he bowed to Bezzi-ibbi’s mother Banna-ibbi and his rekke, non-birth mother, Henna-ibbi. “I apologize for being rude in the room out of necessity. I greet the Jaguar Clan.”
“At least you have some manners,” Henna-ibbi gru
nted.
“Sister, leave it. You should get back to the Clan house and eat.” Banna-ibbi gently took her arm.
Henna-ibbi crossed her arms. “Yes, fine. Let’s go. Jason-ibbi, Henry-ibbi, please come see us when you are done. The governor made this a Clan matter by inviting us here.” She turned to Bezzi-ibbi, saying, “Since this one is a Hero”—she snarled the word—“he may go where he will.”
The two Jaguar Clan women left at a stately pace, following a servant that materialized out of nowhere to guide them.
When they were far out of earshot, Henry muttered, “I’m glad she’s not my mom, rekke or anything else.” Jason could only silently agree.
Off to the side, the two Berber agents stood silently. Jason approached and asked, “Ryan, er—Mr. Gonzalez, could you please tell me what the hell is going on?”
The man smiled and Jason sensed some legitimate compassion from him. “Please, call me Gonzo. I know this is probably a lot to take in, and I promise you that I’ll explain everything, including how you got conscripted into this. However, I think first you need to have a conversation with the Jaguar Clan. I will meet you tomorrow morning for our first meeting.
“That said, I have seen your Battlewagon and I am very impressed. First, I should probably explain something. I used to play a few games when I was a kid, and I recognize some of the similarities between games on Earth and life on Ludus. So here is some knowledge for you: if Ludus were an RPG world, Tolstey would be the starting zone.”
“The starting zone?” Every near-death experience Jason had had since his arrival on Ludus suddenly flashed through his mind. “Seriously?”
“Yes.” Gonzo’s expression was somber. “You see, there is much more advanced technology and magical devices in Berber than here in Tolstey. There are also barely any people in Tolstey…but we can talk about all that tomorrow. For now, I need to give you some instructions and ask you for a trade.”
Delvers LLC: Obligations Incurred Page 2