by Rae Nantes
If anything, the whole thing seemed like a knee-jerk reaction to the introduction and proliferation of magic to the world. This was the world's attempt at governance, and they were struggling.
"But why not just accept the law?" I asked. “I feel like it has a good purpose.”
"The players," she said with distant eyes. "They are the ones who invade our world, who trespass on our territories, who treat us like cattle. We're nothing to them." She furrowed her brow. "Those demons plagued us the last time the gate was open. It was only by fate my parents escaped before my village was burned and looted for their idle entertainment."
She told me stories of the past. Stories of robber barons, petty thieves, marauders, and murderers. Stories of nations and governments that struggled against the coming of the players. Stories of fame and fortune, pain and regret, victories and defeats – all within the arena of the conflict with the players. All simmering beneath the surface of our everyday lives.
She told me how a lone nipsy had borne witness to the destruction and the strife caused by players and their ambitions. The man played their own game, defeated them one after another. He conquered player guilds and towns and city-states. Soon, he became a nation, an empire, a unified continent. With the annexation of lesser nipsy states, the man almost became the unifier of the world and thus the nipsies.
"But what happened?" I asked. "If he was so strong, then where's this empire at?"
"After he was killed at the Battle of Norma, the gates between worlds closed. With the threat of players gone, there was no longer a need to maintain such a huge empire. He had no children, no heirs. The client states and regions could not elect a leader, so everyone split off. As the old governors and viceroys retired or passed away, the new leaders grew hungry for power. You've just seen how Vellen took the Nisian capital. It is but a small dent in the ever-changing geopolitical landscape, and with the return of the players, it’ll only get worse."
This girl might've been about my age, but she seemed much more in tune with the world than I ever was of mine. "So you fear the world will be plunged in war," I said.
"The world is already plunged in war."
{" In what way can I find redemption? In what way can I save my people? "}
"Wakey, wakey."
I groaned. The sunlight was peeking through the cloth cover at the perfect angle to blind me. I looked over with squinted eyes at this figure standing over me. Willow was prodding at me with her staff, similar to the way she would corpse. "Are we there yet?"
"Just about,” she said. “We have to do this last part on foot."
I rolled away from her. "Just carry me. I'm too tired." I felt hands grip at my ankles. She yanked me along the floor of the carriage, over the edge, and tossed me to the ground. Foomp. My face was wet. My hands were cold. Everything was white. Snow!
I rolled around in it like a dog would in its own poop. "Snow!" I cried out. I had no idea why but seeing wide swaths of pure white - nearly a foot deep - brought my heart joy. Had I seen snow before? Certainly, there was never any snow on Mars, at least none that could be rolled around in. I started to swim away before Willow jumped on top of me.
I had no idea what she was trying to do, but soon we both became like children. Laughing and wrestling and throwing snow in each other's faces. Even her friend Yun joined in, first standing in curiosity, then throwing snowballs and armfuls.
"Hey, is that her?" a man asked.
We all stopped to look at this new interloper, this new possible snowball target. There next to us stood a man in a long leather jacket, scraggly beard, and a strange hat. It was made of leather, covered the sides and back of his neck, and rose high before folding over. It was like he wore a boot on his head. His eyes were droopy as if he had never known sleep, but his smile told me he had never known sadness. He eyed me carefully, studying me as if I were about to blurt out some great secret.
"Yeah," Yun said. "We're takin’ her there now."
The boot-hat man looked up the mountain path. It was snowing, and the trail was winding all along the face of the mountain. "Hey, uh, let's just port there." He pulled out a small object from his pocket. It was mechanical - little wires hanging out and a fuzzy orb stuck out the side. He tugged on the top, extending a thin rod. With a click, I heard static. It was a radio. "Heyyyy, buddy." He paused and waited.
A tinny voice broke the silence. It was coming from a grumpy, buff-sounding guy. "Hey."
"We need a port."
"Where."
The boot-hat man looked up the mountain path and waved. "Right down here, buddy."
There was shuffling coming from the radio. A door creaked, footsteps. The wind agitated the static. "Just walk."
"We have her."
A pause. "Alright, hold on."
The boot-hat man slapped the antenna shut and stuffed the radio back in his pocket. He walked over, grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me away from the carriage. Beside us, a ripping sound, like tearing paper or bedsheets. It started as a thin black line, sliding out in the snow, then shooting outward with an otherworldly snap and it formed a circle. I peered over. Inside, I could see a carpet and wood flooring a few meters below. A huge guy was walking around down there, trying to aim a couch for us to land on. I felt a push and fell in.
Thunk. I landed on the hardwood floor. "Why," I croaked.
The huge guy stuck his hands out, unsure how to help. "Ah, jeez. Sorry." The wind was pulling snow in on top of us, making a mess of the place. "Hey!" he shouted. "Hurry up and get down here. Or up here. Whatever."
Thunk. Willow landed on me. Something cracked. Snow followed her and coated us both. "Why," I whined.
Thunk. Yun had the decency to land away from us, but he missed the couch completely.
Thump. Boot-hat man landed comfortably on the couch. More snow fell on us. The hole in the ceiling cracked shut, and the wind vanished, leaving only little eddies to swirl out and die.
"Okay," I mumbled from beneath Willow. "I just want to know. Why couldn't we just use this in the first place?"
"You didn't ask," she said. I thrashed from underneath her. I was gonna strangle her. She laughed. "I'm joking! Not everyone can use portal magic." She got to her feet and pulled me up.
I dusted the snow off myself. "How do you learn that spell? And how do I learn it?"
"Save it for later," the huge guy said. He looked over at Yun. "Now what?"
Yun shrugged. "We were just told to bring her here."
"That's it? Just bring her?" He shook his head. The huge guy looked like he belonged in a pizza kitchen. A thick mustache, short hair, and wore only a dirty apron and pants. "The Priestess won't be back for a few more days."
Yun looked at me and back to him. "So we just lock her up until then?"
"What? No." Huge guy crossed his arms and looked me over. "She'll be fine, just give her a room for now."
I felt hands grab at my waist from behind and a chin rest on my shoulder. "We'll just tie her to a bed,” Willow snickered. “She's into that, you know."
I jumped away. "I'm actually interested in all this," I said. They laughed. "I mean the priestess!" I used my cold hands to cover my hot cheeks. "Willow said she can look into our pasts."
Huge guy nodded his head and crossed his arms. "We have eyes and ears in certain places. When we heard about an anomaly," he gestured to me, "the Priestess requested that we bring you here." He looked at Yun and Willow. "Willingly. You didn't have to kidnap the kid." They shrugged. He turned back at me. "Make yourself at home. Don't try to run away, we're expecting a blizzard."
I sighed. The others would likely think I was killed and buried or turned to ash. Would they mourn for me? I felt at my wrist where the ribbon should've been. Maybe I could convince Willow to at least send a message.
"In the meantime," Willow said. She looked me up and down with predatory eyes and a hungry smile. "How about we play?"
Chapter 18
The Prisoner
"Willow," I s
aid between breaths. "I don't think I can keep going."
"Keep going!" she ordered. "I'm almost done!"
"I'm getting sore."
She stood in front of me in the snow, her staff aimed at my center mass. Snow was trickling down and sticking to her scarf. "Okay, one more time!"
I whined. "Alright. Wall(ice)!" Crystals manifested in front of me, cracking and spreading at lightning speed into solid wall of dense ice.
"Pyrolize," she said. The ice shield shimmered, flashed into steam, then turned transparent. "Whoa!" She walked up and felt at its surface. "It's smooth." She tapped it with her knuckles.
Yun was nearby, wearing glasses and a tattered lab coat with a clipboard in his hands. He nodded and wrote what she was saying.
"Spell at twenty percent mana, minimal steam and flashing," she said. "About... a quarter second phase transition. Not effective without the presence of an organic compound."
The ice vanished, and I fell into the snow. Foomp. "I'm out of mana," I croaked out. "That wall spell uses a ton."
"You'll be alright," she said. Willow looked up to the overcast sky. The snow was getting worse and the day was coming to an end. In the small mountain village, snow-covered huts surrounded us, each having its own cozy fireplace that beckoned us inside. "Time for bed!"
"Okay," I said without moving. The snow had already formed around my body, a blanket of it tucking me in. If it weren't for the freezing cold on my face, I would fall asleep. Hands gripped around my ankles and pulled me along the snow. "I can walk! I can walk!"
I stood up and dusted myself off. We spent hours here in the center of the village experimenting with magic, mostly just using me as a guinea pig. They had given me a wall() spell to use, which I was more than enthusiastic to receive, and I asked for the cool forbidden stuff, but they rejected the idea. "It would get you in trouble," they would say. I didn't know why they were so concerned about that, especially considering that they were fantasy-world felons, after all.
They brought me into their home. It smelled of cinnamon potpourri and was warm and inviting. Paintings lined the halls, framed portraits of grinning families, academic awards, poorly drawn figures done in crayon. They brought me to the guest bedroom, tossed me a few towels, and left me alone. A part of me was surprised she didn't tie me to the bed, and another part was almost upset she didn't. This might've been a residual effect of her seduction spell. No wonder it was dangerous.
After a quick bath, I sunk into bed and drifted to sleep.
I had dreams. Vivid ones.
I dreamt of open plains and burned out valleys. Clapping audiences and shining crowns. Erlenmeyer flasks and deserted islands. Heavy armor soaked in scarlet. Screams of terror, cheers of salvation.
When I opened my eyes, I heard the wind whipping against the roof and wall. Outside, footsteps were crunching in the snow, and something was grinding and tossing around. I got dressed and went out to look.
It was Yun shoveling snow. He was wrapped tight with scarves and bulky winter clothes. "Why aren't you just using magic?" I asked.
He saw me and didn't stop. "Keeps me in shape."
I didn't argue, for it seemed to be working. The sky was darker, and the snowfall was more intense. I groaned internally at the thought of having to stay longer than I was promised. I wanted to run back to my friends and my guild and show them the new rare spell I had.
A far door creaked open then slammed shut. A figure huddled against the cold, blowing into its hands, and hurried toward us with elongated steps. The snow was almost knee high now. It was the boot-hat man, and he had an expression of worry. He glanced at me, gave a polite nod, and went to Yun for a whisper.
"Right now?" Yun said.
Boot-hat man nodded. A heavy wind found us, and we all cringed and shivered against the cold. "And two nipsies," he said.
Yun tossed his shovel aside and walked around me.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"We have guests," boot-hat man said.
"Is that bad?"
"We're not supposed to have guests.”
Boots tapped against the hardwood floor behind me. Yun returned and jumped back into the snow. A gun holstered to his side and leather pouches at his waist. "Go back inside," he told me.
I did. I shut the door, but with my endless curiosity, I stared through the curtains. Through the snowfall and fog, four mounted figures appeared. Atop their horses, they eased toward the village center, their heads looking around with caution at the other figures that were stepping out of homes and between trees. They stopped.
Had we instead been in a desert, the scene would've looked like one of those ancient western films. The four riders were wrapped in cloaks and scarves that whipped around with every pull of the wind. One of the villagers approached the group - Yun. Some words were exchanged.
It was a conversation. Patient hand gestures were sent back and forth, then desperate ones. A gun was drawn, then a sword. The villagers brandished their staves and weapons. Shouting. One of the riders who had a huge turban pulled out his rifle and aimed it at Yun. It wasn’t a turban - it was a pink afro!
I rushed to throw open the door, sliding on the slick floorboards and struggled out into the snow. "Hey!" I yelled. "Wait!" A wall of ice shot up in front of me, trapping me. It was too high to climb over.
Gunshots.
I panicked. Those had to be my friends. Did they come to rescue me? They would have no chance against these master mages. I hoped against hope that none of my nipsy friends had come. At least the players could afford to die here. I used a fire spell to weld out a small hole in the ice wall. "Wait!" I pleaded. "Those are my friends!"
Blades clashed against armor. The hallow, metallic thunk of a weapon beating against a shield. Could they not hear me? I did not have the patience for this. "Wall(fire)!" A shield of fire erupted into existence in front of me, melting a broad patch of the ice wall. With it gone, I hopped through and sprinted to the fighting.
"Alex!" Simone yelled. She had on a tattered cloak and was struggling against the huge guy. His axe was bearing down on her, forcing her sword in a contest of strength. She was losing. "Alex we've come to—"
A gunshot. A spark lit her back, the bullet digging into her spine. She screamed in pain as electricity arced out of her. The huge guy brought the axe down on her neck. Thak. She fell over dead.
"What the hell?" I shouted. The fighting was over. The villagers looked at me in silence. Huge guy, Yun, Willow, boot-hat man, nearly a dozen others. "Those were my friends. You guys are assholes."
"Well," boot-hat man said, "you shoulda said something."
"I tried, you jackass." I was enraged. "Where are the other ones at?" I could only see Simone's corpse resting in the snow. Her sword and shield dropped beside her.
One of the villagers pointed at a pile of ash scattered beside a horse. It had to have been Relce. I pinched the bridge of my nose. "And the other two?"
"One got ported to who knows where," huge guy said. "The other one turned tail and ran I guess."
"We don't kill nipsies," Yun said.
"And I refuse to believe they came to save you," Willow said. "They probably thought you were their property."
"That's hardly the case," I said. "I've known Relce and Simone since day one here. We've saved each other a bunch of times!"
Willow scoffed and walked away. Yun shrugged. "You really like those two," boot-hat man said.
"Well sure," I said. "They're my friends." I sighed in defeat. There's no telling where they would respawn at. "Look, you assholes kidnapped me, killed my friends, killed that guy twice," I gestured to Relce's ashes, "just to show me off to some strange lady."
No one replied.
"I think the least you could do," I continued, "would be to let them stay and keep me company."
"It's not for us to decide," huge guy said.
A voice found us. An all-encompassing, grandmotherly voice. "I'll allow it."
We looked for its source - in t
he sky around us, in the trees, even under us in the snow. Finally, our eyes rested on an old lady a few paces behind me. She looked to be nearly a hundred years old. Her grey hair was shaven close. Tasteful earrings, simple white robes, and a young girl in tow - Leila!
"Come on out, young man," the lady said.
An invisible veil lifted off Trell with a shimmer. He stood facing me in his usual tough guy stance.
I smiled at them both. "You little shits came for me."
Chapter 19
The Revelation
Tock. Tock. Tock.
The clock on the wall was loud, grating on the ears, even. No other object or person in the room dared make a sound, lest they become the target of Willow's rage. She stood by the doorway like a royal guard, glaring so painfully hard at Simone and Relce that I feared she would turn them to ash should they even cough.
When they respawned earlier, we ambushed them again with a teleport spell to explain their welcome - or at least my welcome, since the Seekers were still cautious to be in the presence of players. Simone and Relce sat together on the floor, across the coffee table from me. Trell and Leila to my left and right.
Tock. Tock. Tock.
The room was warm and smelled of fresh baked lemon pastries. The rug beneath me was riddled with wonderful little patterns that I would trace my eyes into, getting lost in the mazes and labyrinths because I knew better than to bring my eyes anywhere else.
I felt vibrations from the wood floor beneath me, the thumping of footsteps in the kitchen. A faucet turned on, wet dishes clanked together, stacked, then set aside.
Someone blew a quick burst of air out of their nose. My eyes darted over at Relce. His eyes were widening, vacant, guilty even. His body shook in the faintest of shivers, causing his afro and mustache to jiggle almost imperceptibly. He was about to sneeze.
I narrowed my eyes at him. He shook his head just millimeters to the left and right. I eased my face forward to drive the point. A sniff. Even Simone beside him was tensing up, bracing herself for the inevitable.