by Wolfe Locke
I thought I’d made a pretty good case, but the True John looked skeptical. “How much?” he asked.
“What?” I asked, staring at him blankly.
He looked at me dead in the face. “What’s the pay structure? You know, money. How much would I get?”
“Are you serious?” I asked, looking around at all the grins on the warriors around me. “I’m offering you the opportunity to stop the apocalypse, and all you can think about is how much you’ll get paid?”
“I’ve got a good thing going here,” he said, shrugging. He pat me on the shoulder, his grip clamping down. “See, I don’t want to leave it for something worse. By the sounds of things, all you’ve got going for you is some half-assed idea with these Crusaders.”
“What?” I looked around, waving toward the walls surrounding us. “Do you get paid to fight in this Arena?”
“Well, no, but I do get room and board.” He waved toward the audience. “And fans give me things. Can’t forget the fans. Oh, and Keto. Its easy to do Keto and be paleo here.”
“You’d get room and board with the Crusaders. That’s not an issue,” I said. “No one would give you any kind of payment, though. At most, you’ll get appreciation, adoration. You know, for saving the damn world?”
He shrugged, eyes on the horizon. I’m sure he thought he looked cool. I thought he looked like a dick.
“As they say, potato, po-tah-toe. Same shit, different day. You’re just offering me a new place to do it all in.” He went quiet. “Tell me more about this prophet,” he said finally, grinning. “Tell me how I’m the savior.”
Ugh.
“Okay,” I said, trying to keep it positive. “Edgar, he works for the Crusaders, sent me to talk to this kid in a bookstore to figure out what we should do next. He’s a prophet. They take him really seriously. The kid told me we need to find a savior to solve our problems. That he’d be called the ‘True John’.”
“That’s my name,” the True John intoned.
“Yes, it sure is,” I agree, nodding. “He told me I’d find you on the biggest battlefield of all time. And look, hey, here you are.”
“What problems?” he suddenly asked.
“What do you mean?” I don’t believe this is working.
“The prophet said you needed me to solve your problems.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What are they?”
I paused. I didn’t want to tell him about our pathetic wall that had been torn down immediately by skeletons or about the fact that no one in the Republic had eaten anything but fast food for the last three days.
“Oh, you know,” I said finally. “Problems like stopping the apocalypse, getting people to come together around a common cause, that kind of thing.”
He nodded sagely. “I know what you mean.”
“So,” I said, “are you joining us, or…?”
“The idea of being a savior appeals to me.” Long, drawn out silence. Is there really that much to consider? “Fine, I’ll join you and your Crusaders.”
Oh, great. Now I had to deal with this guy until he got fed up with the whole thing and decided to leave.
“Great!” I exclaimed. “Glad to have you on board. We’re looking forward to it.”
Who was I? I’d never spoken that way in my life. The apocalypse had truly changed me. Like… it really had, and I didn’t know how to feel about.
“And just so we’re clear... good strategy in the Games,” the True John said, praising me. “It wouldn’t be my choice, but I can see how an inferior competitor might find it useful.”
I look forward to your horrific death in the coming apocalypse. “I have to go get my Mimic,” I said, pointing toward Napoleon and Blackthorn. “Then we can go.”
“You have a pet Mimic?” he asked. “You?”
I let that one slide. I was getting the sense that this was going to be a long journey back. If I got mad over every little thing he said, it would be even longer.
I climbed back up into the stands to retrieve Napoleon. He seemed happy to see me.
“Your Mimic, man,” Blackthorn said as he handed him over. “He’s loyal, really loyal. He cheered every time you got a kill. Even for the ones that…” he trailed off, and I raised a brow. “I don’t know, the ones that were kind of lame.”
“A kill’s a kill,” I said, patting my buddy on the head. “And Napoleon knows that.”
“What are you doing with the True John?” he asked, fervently gazing toward the man.
“I don’t know,” I lied, turning and waving toward him. Turning back to Blackthorn, I grinned. “He might come with me for a bit. Anyway, enough business. Did you get the money you wanted?”
“Yeah!” he said enthusiastically. “Four thousand Sols! I’m getting a new chair for my living room.”
“That’s good,” I said. I didn’t have a living room anymore. It didn’t seem fair that the goatman did and I didn’t, but hey, life’s not fair. You can either fight it or accept it.
I bid Blackthorn a fond-ish farewell and headed back down to the True John who was waiting for us in the Arena.
“Nice Mimic,” he said. “Look, I just want to make sure we’re clear. I reserve the right to leave this campaign at any time. If I get a better offer, I can’t promise I’ll stay. Okay?”
“Sure,” I said, fighting not to roll my eyes. Where did he think he was going to go? There weren’t any jobs anymore. It seemed like the options were: Crusaders, Arena, die. But I didn’t feel any need to tell him that.
The journey home was about as bad as I’d expected, although at least the True John took on most of the monsters for us. I felt like I should be insulted, like he didn’t trust me and Napoleon enough to handle things ourselves, but honestly, it was kind of nice.
Napoleon still got to eat the bodies, so he was happy, and I didn’t have to deal with any horrific and agonizing pain. It was a win-win. Plus, the True John seemed so happy doing what he was doing that I didn’t want to stop him.
Finally, as the sun drew low on the horizon, we neared the Republic. I thought it was a good idea to give the True John some ground rules.
“Okay,” I said, sucking in a deep breath. “So, you’re going to meet this guy named Edgar. He’s in charge—”
“Wait, I thought you were in charge?” he asked, glaring down at me.
“I am, kind of. It’s my Republic. I’m the King. But Edgar runs the Crusader end of things,” I admitted.
“I just thought they’d send their most important guy,” he said. “Not some random person.”
“I am important to the Republic,” I protested, doing my best to keep my cool. “I’m just not in charge of the military.”
“Okay.”
Napoleon was looking from one of us to the other, growling. He could sense that something was wrong. And, maybe I’m projecting here, it seemed he didn’t like the True John any more than I did.
“Well,” I said finally. “I’m going in. My house is in there. Are you coming?”
He scowled. “Sure. But only because I can’t go back to the Arena at this point.”
Napoleon growled.
“Good boy,” I said.
Edgar jogged over when he saw us. “Recruit! What’s the report? Who’s this?”
“I found the prophet,” I said. “He told me we needed a savior. And that that savior wasn’t me.”
“That much is clear,” Edgar sniffed.
“I’m the True John,” the sword-toting, battle-crazed man said, holding out his hand for a shake. “And I’m here to help however I can.”
I noticed that he was a lot more polite with Edgar than he’d been with me. Of course he was the kind of guy who was nicer to the people in charge than he was to the people beneath him.
“A savior?” Edgar said, looking at him skeptically. “That’s really what the prophet said?”
“Yeah. But...” I stopped. I wasn’t sure if telling him that the Crusaders’ beloved prophet was a fraud was a great
idea.
“It seems like it,” the True John said pompously. “And like I said, I want to help.”
“I just... I thought we were doing okay on our own,” Edgar said, looking so upset that I almost felt sorry for him.
“We built a great wall, Edgar,” I said, doing my best to assuage the man before he got too down in the dumps.
“I see some structural flaws,” the True John said, glancing around. His eyes drank the whole place in, absorbing the information like a sponge. Color me impressed. “And some major tactical errors. You said you’re in charge here?”
“Yes,” Edgar said, looking like a kicked puppy.
“We should talk about that. I don’t think this suburb can be defended.”
Oh, no.
“It’s one of the few monster-free areas around here,” Edgar refuted. “We thought it was a logical choice.”
“I disagree. There are too many places for creatures to hide. They could be anywhere. Do you really think you can patrol this entire perimeter? And that wall...” The True John shook his head, looking disappointed. Fortunately, he went easy when he started speaking again. “It’s okay for a first attempt, but I think we can do better. And, I’m going to be brutally honest, we should… soon. Like, should’ve been done yesterday kind of soon. There are more monsters coming.”
“Ah,” Edgar said, nodding. “Okay. yes. That makes sense.”
“Tell you what,” the True John said. “I’ll take over for a little bit. Just a temporary change of command since I can’t stay here forever. I’ll help out just long enough to get you guys in good shape.” He crossed his arms and grinned. “I’ll show you how it’s really done. I think this place can be turned around, I really do.”
And with that, he loped off without waiting for a response, leaving Edgar looking deflated.
“That’s the savior?” he asked.
“You know, I asked myself the same question.”
“He’s terrible.”
“Yep.”
“He’s going to ruin this entire base.”
“I’m sure he thinks he’s making it better,” I said.
He scowled and crossed his arms.
“I thought the wall was good,” I said, trying to be helpful. “And you’ve done a great job here. I know you don’t have much to work with.”
He looked surprised. “I thought you hated it here.”
“I do,” I admitted, but it was probably for reasons that Edgar wouldn’t expect… probably. “But I hate that guy more. Honestly, I think he’s going to take things from ‘annoying and kind of obnoxious’ to ‘terrible and unbearable’.”
“I wonder what we can do about it,” he muttered.
I turned to look at him and was surprised at the sinister expression on his face. Who knew he had it in him?
“You know, Edgar,” I said. “I like the way you think.”
Edgar shrugged. “Eh. Whatever.” He walked over to me and put his hand on the mark on my chest, and in a brief moment, it disappeared. “Welcome to the Crusade. Recruit no longer.”
“So, what now?” I asked him. “What do you need from me?”
“Not much really.” He answered. “Keep the outpost up and try not to get permanently killed by something while the rest of us actually try to win this thing.”
Arcane Summoner
Chapter One: Enter Arcadia. The Ancient City
* * *
Like the rest of the world, Arcadia had grown silent. The ancient ruins stood open to all, but everyone still living knew to stay away. It was just the way of things since the Harrowing. A world ending event that had destroyed the realm of men. Their old cities were now home to the Draugr and other creatures. Particularly, the powerful aberrations known as the Monsters of the Dark.
Zander knew this and went anyway. He was desperate and had been for a couple of weeks now, and he had grown tired of carefully trying to etch out a little bit of survival within the safety and confines of his village and of his role within it. He had not come alone. Rocktooth accompanied him. The creature of hard stone was his own personal summon, guardian, and stood by him like no companion ever had. Rocktooth was a golem who towered over him, with a body of hewn granite, its face and hands were smooth and solid.
Rocktooth looked down at him, and though the golem couldn’t talk out loud, Zander knew exactly what it was trying to say. They had a direct line of communication between each other, as did all summons and their masters. This is dangerous for you. Do not do this Zander, go back to the village and try again with a team. He ignored the golem’s concern and looked up at the sun to try for an accurate guess of how much daylight was left. Little past midday. Four hours maybe. He could get in and out before dark, but the Draugr in the buildings would still be a problem. They were far more active inside buildings, regardless of the time of day.
Through their connection, Zander could feel the quiet alarm and anxiety building up in his summons’ subconscious. It was not a natural state for one of its kind to lead their master into avoidable danger. I'm sorry to put you through this Rocktooth, but you know how important this is to me. A little bit of danger now has a lot of benefit for me if it pays off. The summon had no response to that logic.
Together they walked as silently as they could on the crumbling grey stone path that was stained green in parts from the overgrowth on the building and damp mold. While in other spots, Zander spotted darker stains. Something happened here. The thought made him shudder.
Today the two of them would be going deeper, seeking out a pace where few if any scavenger parties had managed to breakthrough in previous raids. If I’m going to put myself in danger, I at least need to be smart about it. He hoped to find something mostly untouched, something profitable and desired by the people of his village. Something he could trade.
Eventually, they arrived at the entrance to the old human building they would be exploring. Much of the paint had worn off with time, but part of the title could still be read in the ancient language of the humans. Cryo Hnologies.
Notification: Now Entering “The Ancient Ruins – Cryo Hnologies”
Details: In ages past, humans used to assemble and work in places like these. Now, all that remains of their civilization are the monsters that dwell within these haunted halls. Beware, for Draugr and other monsters are often found within.
The building itself was old but sturdy. In places behind holes in the building’s exterior, exposed like old bones, steel beams could be seen. It had none of the wear or rot he’d come across in some of the other old human buildings. Zander clenched his fist and gathered his courage. He passed through the opening into what had once been a lobby. Once inside, he saw half-melted plastic tables and furniture warped from time that had been thrown about as if something had set into them in a rage. In many places, huge gauges could be seen where claws had dug into the wall, leaving ugly scares.
“C’mon, Rocktooth let’s go,” he said with a whisper as he glanced back to look at his summoned companion to see what the hold up wise. Ah, yeah. My bad. Zander saw the golem was too big to come in. Zander sighed and walked back to poke at the magical core in the middle of the golem’s torso with his staff. The golem’s eyes lit up in response, reaffirming the contract between master and summon. “Follow me.” Aided by the magic command and contract, the golem started to shrink so he could fit into the building. Soon he stood no bigger than a man, though there was no mistaking the creature of stone for human.
The magic was simple enough, but Zander wanted more than simple magic. He needed access to more advanced spells and magical abilities. He needed to learn more, period. He needed a real teacher and that all led back to the sum of most of his current problems. Money and the lack thereof. But at least as of today I might be able to find something worth trading and put that worry behind me.
Zander waited before moving, as he stopped to listen, hoping he wouldn’t hear the telltale patter of feet that let him know Draugr would be coming. We’re good so fa
r. He nodded at Rocktooth as he tried to open the rusted door to the stairwell. He had once learned the hard way on a previous raid that the ancients had relied on another manner to move about their buildings. Zander shuddered at the memory of the elevator. The square like tomb that he’d almost gotten trapped in. He pushed the memory away to focus on the task at hand. The door didn’t budge.
He looked over at the door and imparted a message to Rocktooth. I’m going to need you on this one. It’s too much for me. The golem’s eyes flashed green, and Zander smiled cautiously. Here goes. He stepped back, and the golem walked over to the steel door. The golem sent a flurry of messages to Zander’s mind, and he stifled a laugh. The golem turned to Zander, and when he nodded, it placed a heavy stone hand on the door and pushed it forward.