Oblivion's Crown

by M. H. Johnson

  Val’s brows furrowed as he gazed down the corridor past the side tunnel, sensing it open up into a massive cavern, all but feeling the potent energies trapped within.

  And the ancient mind that had been controlling those revenants, crackling with hostility, was nestled deeper within this network of caves.

  Exactly where they were headed.

  Val schooled his features, turned around, winking at his pale-faced companions. “I don’t think they’ll be a problem,” Val said. “Shall we get going?”

  Mick just shook his head, scratching his sweaty blond locks before putting his helm back on. “You are something else, you know that, Jager? I don’t know what, but, hell with it.” He turned to the group. “Jager’s now our party warder and backup healer. Crystal? Healing’s still your primary role, and we need you ready to heal us of everything you can. We get a crazy fatal critical? That’s when we have Jager shift roles from tank to emergency caster and potion distributor.”

  He fixed Val with his gaze. “I won’t even ask how the hell you’re pulling potions and armor out of nowhere. My only question is how many potions do you have left?”

  Val grinned, thinking back gratefully on a harried-looking Gregor handing Val three score of his own purples. Only a few reds had been available, so he had less than a handful left for emergencies, but the purples plus his time-based healing magics could hopefully keep them alive with Crystal doing her part. Hopefully.

  “Sixty,” he said. “They’ll boost the effectiveness of other healing spells, or heal about 2 or 3 health a second for two hours. Not as fast-acting as my reds, but I have only a few of those left.” He turned to Crystal, still pinning him with her gaze, exquisite bronze features caught between awe, fear, and a nameless hunger he had no words for.

  “Can you force healing potions through your Spirit Link?” he gently asked.

  She blinked. “I… I don’t know. Regular healing spells, yes.”

  Val nodded. “We’re good for 2 hours with the purples you’ve already taken, but just in case, here are 6 regen vials. Don’t worry, the crystal’s far sturdier than glass. Like a heavy duty plastic. It should keep from breaking, and I see you already have a potion bandolier.”

  She smiled, delicate hands accepting his gift, slipping them in a silken sheath she had strapped from shoulder to far hip like a gunner’s bandolier.

  “Hey, Jager.”

  Val snapped his head around, meeting Reed's gaze. The taller man gave a small nod, mirrored by his brother.

  “Nice save.”

  Val nodded back. “Just doing my part.”

  “Has anyone seen any sign of Ramos?” a solemn Crystal asked, receiving nothing but head shakes in return.

  Bill snorted. “His body’s not anywhere, and I didn’t see any sparkling lights like our bodies give off when we finally kick the bucket on this world. Bitch probably ‘chuted out, and after all that drama, leaving us to clean up his fucking mess.”

  Mick frowned. “Hopefully he did ‘chute out in time, and thank god for that. And he did help us get this far, so we’re saving at least half a share for him, a full share if he gets back to us before we clear the ruins. I’m not going to forget all the close calls he saved us from, even if he dropped the ball on this one.”

  Reed and Snipe frowned at that but eventually shrugged. “Half a share, a full share only if he actually shows up in time to do some good,” Reed insisted.

  Mick shrugged. “Fair enough, but we make it a generous half-share, so no one can ever say we did him wrong, and if we find out he’s critically injured at a hospital somewhere, he gets a full cut, just like we’d do if it was any of us.”

  All of them gave solemn nods at that.

  “And you know I’ll finish his healing, if we can sneak a black cat helm onto his head and jack him back in from his hospital bed,” Crystal added.

  Mick grinned at that. “You’ve got a good heart, Crystal. Have I ever told you that?”

  Crystal flashed a brilliant smile, squeezing his hand.

  Val grinned, wondering of Mick knew what else she was saying with those pretty eyes of hers.

  Eric shuddered, gazing at the devastation all around them, seemingly both fascinated and horrified by the crimson ward still blazing before them. “I still wanna know how the hell it is that you did what you did.”

  Val winked. “All good things in time, my friend. All good things in time.”

  Eric’s brows furrowed. He swallowed, gazing at Val carefully, forcing himself to speak. “Jager?”

  “What’s up?”

  “You’re not going to, like, stab us in the back later once we get the dwarven treasure, are you?”

  Val’s eyes widened with surprise, catching half a dozen hard-eyed stares in the dark tunnel, a single brilliant point of magic light bobbing overhead, showcasing stalactites heavy with condensation dripping into the pools below, the air smelling of limestone and death.

  “Seriously?”

  Jiu’s eyes caught Val’s own. “Seriously, Jager.

  Val chuckled ruefully. “You know what, Eric? You’re right. Maybe it is time for me to lay all my cards out on the table, for all that we’re in the middle of a tunnel reeking of blood and death, leading to what we can only hope are dwarven ruins.” He gazed thoughtfully at the players peering so intently at him, kids who should be in high school or college. Kids who already knew what it meant to fight for their lives.

  “Do you guys really want to know how I was able to cast all those spells?”

  Jiu rolled her eyes. “Will you quit messing with us and just spill the fucking beans already?”

  Val grinned. “What if I were to tell you guys that there was a school of wizardry as grand and wondrous as anything you ever saw in the movies? With access to an entire library of arcane tomes. And waiting there for you was an entire clan of experienced Jordian wizards who would be happy to apprentice you in magic, and help you pursue the arcane arts in all their glory. Instructors who would do their best to mold you into wizards both powerful and feared.”

  Val smiled into eyes filled with both skepticism and desperately reined-in wonder, kids who so wanted to believe. “It doesn’t even matter if you haven’t mastered arcane literacy, which so few of us can. With professors actually willing to mentor you, you could learn spells without burning precious level-up points, or at least get such a boost that your points would stretch farther than ever. And as for potions...” He winked. “Imagine a mystic garden and magical mushroom grove complete with Silbion springs that would give you access to an incredible array of ingredients to level up your alchemy score. So instead of having to buy overpriced potions...”

  “We could level up our Lesser Alchemy skills and make a mint!” Jiu squealed, eyes lit with uncharacteristic excitement. “Are you serious, Jager? There’s a place full of NPCs willing to train us in Alchemy and Spellcraft?”

  Val nodded. “Darn right. How do you think a generalist like me got access to all these cool spells and abilities?”

  Everyone’s gazes had turned from fear and awe to careful consideration.

  Bill snorted, securing his lorica segmentata with Mick’s assistance. “You shittin’ us, Jager? There’s really such a school?”

  Val nodded. “There is indeed. And you can learn magic, even if you didn’t start with the mage class, so long as you have some sort of mana pool, and I think Lesser Alchemy is open to everyone.”

  Crystal’s gaze was transfixed on Val. “Oh my god, I’ll bet they have healing spells beyond belief!”

  Jiu nodded. “And protection spells. We could always use more of those.”

  “You guys are thinking small,” Eric crowed. “Imagine if we could actually get our hands on some tactical spells!”

  “Only if you have high enough scores in the requisite arcane arts,” Jiu cautioned.

  Reed smirked, shaking his head. “You guys are asking the wrong questions.”

  Mick frowned. “What question should we be asking our newest memb
er then?”

  Snipe’s cold smile met Val’s own. “What’s the catch?”

  Val winked. “There is that.”

  Bill chuckled softly. “Damn. And here I thought you were on the up and up.”

  “I am,” Val said, “and we need to get moving.”

  Mick raised his hand. “Hold. Let’s finish this, Jager. You’re talking a big game here, and I want to hear the rest of it. Where is this school, and what is the catch?”

  Val cracked his neck, gazing thoughtfully at the group before him. “How would you guys feel if I were to tell you that I didn’t come here just to loot old tunnels and ruins?”

  Bill smirked. “Really. What the hell did you come here for then, Jager?”

  Val grinned. “You.”

  He chuckled softly at the series of expressions crossing his companions' faces. “All of you. Any able-bodied adventurer who wants to do more than simply risk their lives in dwarven deathtraps. Players who are looking for something deeper. Something meaningful. Adventurers interested in doing something that mattered.”

  Reed’s gaze widened, he uttered a soft curse.

  Bill furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong, Reed?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? Just look at this dude. Coming out of left field with his song and dance, won’t link up or tell us his class, but can hold his own just fine in a fight. And only making his pitch after he saves our asses, as if that means we owe him shit.”

  Bill’s frown grew. “Your point?”

  “He’s a recruiter. It’s fucking obvious,” Snipe said.

  Mick’s eyes widened in sudden comprehension. “I think you two might be on to something.”

  “Recruiter? For what? What are you guys talking about?” Crystal gazed in confusion at her friends, their stares hard and suspicious once more.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Jiu snipped, jaded demeanor snapping back in place. “He’s headhunting for one of the contenders. Damn. I should have known.”

  Crystal’s eyes widened. “Shit. Are you sure?”

  “You could just ask him,” Reed quipped sarcastically. “He’s standing right the fuck in front of us.” He scowled at Val. “Well, Jager? Get it off your chest. You won’t be the first. At least you have the stones to delve while you make your pitch.”

  “Well played,” Val said. “Because you’re right. I am recruiting for one of the contenders. But this one has something no other Highlord daring the throne has.”

  “And what’s that?” Bill smirked. “More battle-mechs? More troops? More whores for our stables if we join the slaughter? And then if your man loses, we all have death sentences on our heads. And Earth will be no escape once the dust settles, from what I hear.”

  Val shook his head. “No. He doesn’t have more troops, or battle-mechs. He has no stable full of pleasure maidens. What he does possess is something no other contender can lay claim to.”

  Eric glared at Val. “What does he have that would make a single bit of difference to us?”

  “Human blood in his veins.”

  Seven pairs of eyes locked with Val’s own.

  “Shit, kid, do you even know what you’re doing?” Bill softly said. “You’re working for the guy we all saw clips of on TV. They were totally eviscerating him. Calling him a monster. Part of a rogue unit. A war criminal. What rock are you living under? They actually put a bounty on him, back on Earth. On him and his entire unit! They’re all wanted for crimes against humanity, or some shit like that.”

  Jiu’s eyes widened and she jerked a nod. “I remember that! He was pretty young-looking, but with those scars and that killer’s stare? He looked scarier than all the psychos you see in those documentaries.”

  Val felt a cold chill in his gut, hearing that unwelcome bit of news. Shit. Never mind the supposed accords. His enemies were pulling out all the stops, trying to bring him down.

  Thank god he had yet to take off his helmet since arriving, and the gaze he saw in the mirror was that of a 16-year-old idealized version of the Val he had known all his life. Still, if someone put the pics side by side… He was already living on borrowed time.

  He kept his gaze calm, refusing to flinch from Bill’s intense stare. “Like you said, this is no game. No matter how much people try to whitewash it, those bastards took over our world. Now one of our own is shoving their faces in it, and they can’t stand it. Of course they’ll violate their own damned merc accords, doing all they can to stop us. Character assassination is the least of it.”

  “The dude was on America’s Worst Minds,” Mick said. “He’s on the most wanted list of every nation on Earth. Why would they even bother to make that shit up, if he actually made the jump to Jordia, like everyone on Readit says?”

  Val turned to catch Mick’s troubled gaze. “Because they finally have reason to fear us. Because if we’re smart, resourceful, and damned lucky, a lowly Terran ape just might find himself Overlord of an entire planet.”

  His cold grin took in the entire dumbstruck party. “One of the only two planets in the Dominion with direct access to Earth.”

  Eric paled. “Oh shit. This is real. This is serious. You’re not kidding at all, are you? This really is like...” He gazed overhead. “And they blew that dreadnought up. No one admits it, but… Fuck. This is just like Nova Wars. You guys are fucking rebels!”

  Val shook his head. “This is no movie, Eric. And we’re more than just a ragged group of rebels.” His gaze hardened. “We’re an army. And we’re going take back what those bastards stole from us. We’re going to take back our home!”

  He gazed intently at each and every one of them. “The only reason why we’re here is because Caesar and bastards like him are profiting from our unique ability to triangulate our growth. To level up. All of us happy little prisoners, smiling in our cages.” He shook his head. “Tell me on some level you don’t all already know that. Tell me that some part of your soul, forced to smile and pretend everything is normal, isn’t really screaming in horror and outrage. Isn’t desperate to do something to blacken the eye of the bastards who took over our world and made whores of our entire race!”

  Val took a deep breath, seeking calm and control over the fury so close to consuming him.

  He could smell their fear. And their awe as well.

  Solemn eyes meeting his own.

  Prisoners behind a cage of confusion and fear, desperate for a way out as well.

  Hoping he could provide a key.

  He forced a smile, hands overflowing with Elementium coins.

  “Take my coin, and fight under the banner of the one contender in the whole damned Dominion that won’t treat you as valued slaves, when all is said and done. The one man who actually cares about the human race, and will be fighting for his own kind. The one contender determined not just to take the throne, but, one day, to take back Earth as well. You guys want to be heroes? Take the coin and be fucking heroes! Not just characters trapped in a game, but heroes your future children and grandchildren can one day be proud of. Men and women who had the courage to fight back and free their people!”

  A pale-faced Jiu was shaking. “Are you serious?” she whispered, reaching for her hip flask, Eric smoothly clasping her trembling hands in his own. “Oh fuck, are you serious right now? Shit, I need a…” Eric caught her gaze. Even Val could see the desperation and fear in her eyes. “Eric, what do we do?”

  “One hundred grand Elementium coin. Worth a cool million back on Earth. And all you have to do is swear to keep his secrets close, to contest no territory claims he makes.” Val carefully measured their expressions, sensing their confusion, fear, and desperate hunger to free themselves.

  He held up two brilliantly sparkling coins, flashing like chips of fiery obsidian. “Two coins for a promise never to enlist with another contender, nor cause harm to our forces, should you know who they are, unless of course you or yours are in peril or they strike first.”

  Bill tilted his head incredulously. “Wait. Seriously, wait. Are you fuck
ing saying what I think you’re saying? You’re giving twice Kentric’s sign-up bonus, just for a promise not to interfere?”

  Val nodded. “To not attack our troops or contest our claims. To keep whatever secrets you see or deduce close, yes. And you can ignore the whole damn Rite of Ascension, if you like, savoring adventures in the depths of Jordia while armies above fight for the throne.”

  Jiu swallowed. “But… but what if we want to attend this college? What if we want to learn all we can about magic? To level up and blossom into wizards the world wouldn’t dream of fucking with!”

  Mick nodded, intent eyes gazing into Val’s own. “And what if we actually wanted to sign up?” He licked dry lips. “What if we actually want to fight for our country. Our freedom. Our… world?”

  The entire crew gazed intently at Val as he solemnly held up 5 coins.

  “That’s… that’s five million dollars,” Eric whispered. “Jeezus, Jager, how much are you freekin’ worth?”

  Val smiled. “Five coins for any man or woman who would fight under the banner of the one Terran who dares to walk the Path of Kings.”

  Bill whistled. “Damn, Jager. That is some pitch.”

  Reed’s eyes narrowed. “Hard fuckin’ sell, man. Hard fuckin’ sell.”

  Jiu’s hauntingly beautiful eyes met Val’s own. “Jager?”

  Val smiled gently back. “Yes, Jiu?”

  A trembling hand reached for his own. “I… I want.” She swallowed. “I want to be a part of that school.” Her friends stared at her. She shook her head with a rueful smile. “I so fucking wish I could really be here. Be whisked far away from my crazy uncles, able to attend an awesome school full of quirky wizards and magical creatures, flying broomsticks, and boys as dorky as my Eric. Not stuck in my nightmare of a home.” She lowered her head, trembling, a worried Eric suddenly beside her.

  “Jiu...”

  “Stop,” she whispered, her soft voice like steel. “This is no fucking joke, Eric. I know there is no way I can really be here. And whatever you say, I can’t leave home. I can’t leave my sisters to… them. Even if I could move in with you. Even if your parents would welcome a messed-up girl like me.” She raised her face, tears streaming down her cheeks, gaze like steel. “But I can damn well fight for my fucking world.” Her gaze caught Val’s. “I’m in.”