“Are we ready to go?” Ronin asked once Leo had donned his golden lion mask. Oddly enough, he got the feeling the man was putting on his true face, rather than covering it up. With a frown, Ronin looked over the well-dressed monster. No, he was just a man. A well-muscled man, standing around five foot eleven. He was at a height with Ronin, yet that extra inch and the decades of experience Leo Dawson had over him, were like an insurmountable gap between the two men.
“Not quite,” Leo said lifting his wine glass to his mask. Ronin frowned, curious at the gesture, until the glass passed right through the mask, as if it wasn’t there. Ronin couldn’t see through it, but he assumed it met the man’s lips, because he tilted the glass back and the level of the wine went down. “My escorts arrived while you kids were getting dressed. They will be coming in momentarily… and yes, your mask will do the same thing. We exist in a crystallin matrix where the rules of reality don’t always apply, remember?”
“…This is… it’s just too weird…” Elyria muttered, bringing her fingers to her own glaring sparrow mask, and letting out a slight gasp when they passed right through. “… I, I need a moment.” She said, yanking her fingers away from her face and hurrying back into the fitting room.
“You might have been better served to bring an escort who was a little more… stable.” Leo said, in what Ronin did his best to convince himself wasn’t a growl.
“I was in a meeting, sequestered from nearly all my population. With a five-minute deadline, my options were limited.” Ronin said, not wanting to appear meek in front of this man.
“… Yes, I suppose they were at that.” Leo said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Listen son, I can’t emphasize enough how important tonight is. Not only for me, but for you and your personal realm as well.” He dropped his hand with a sigh and took another sip of wine, “there are several factions at play here, and I am far from the most powerful among them… Ah, here they are.” He said, the last four words sounding almost relieved.
Ronin followed his gaze to the exit room to see a pair of women walk through it. He blinked, doing a double take to be sure he’d seen right. The women who’d just walked in were six foot tall and covered in golden fur. That on its own would not have caught him off guard, after all the bugbears were also covered in fur. These women however, unlike the bugbear, didn’t resemble thickly built furry humans with sharp canines. These ladies had the heads, hands, feet, and tails of actual lions.
“My king,” they said in unison dipping low into a bow. Their voices came out in a deep rumbling purr that Ronin swore he felt from across the snow white and empty room. “Sorry for our tardiness, customs were waiting outside your residence with accusations of our vehicle having been illegally obtained. It took some time to prove our innocence.” The slightly larger of the two said, and the pair bowed again.
“It doesn’t matter,” Leo said looking like some of the tension he’d carried had now relaxed. “My enemies are trying to get me disqualified before we even arrive. Keep your eyes open, there will likely be further attempts.” He said, causing Ronin to wonder exactly what was going on.
“Of course, my king.” Replied the lionesses once more.
“Ah, Before I forget, this is my son Alexander. Though he fancies himself a bit of a warrior and has been calling himself Ronin of late.” Leo said, waving his hand towards Ronin like an afterthought.
“Prince Alexander,” the lionids said. Giving him a shorter bow. Ronin bowed back, taking them in with his eyes. They barely looked humanoid at all, and if they were to crouch down beside a normal lion and remove the leather straps that were their only clothing, Ronin doubted he’d be able to tell the difference.
“Just Ronin, please.” He said politely, “and you are?”
“They don’t have names,” Leo said when the lionids didn’t answer. “They are part of my pride, and only the leaders of a pride earn the right to a name… Now, go and get my son’s escort from the fitting room. She is having trouble adjusting and may need some reassurance. Still, make it quick. I want to arrive before any more misfortune befalls us.” The lionids entered the fitting rooms the moment Leo finished speaking, making Ronin curious what the man’s pocket world as a whole was like.
Ronin looked at Brie while he listened as the women talked in the other room. He couldn’t hear any words, but he could feel the rumbling purr that accompanied their speech all the way in here. She was standing close by, fully on guard and ready to act at a moment’s notice. For a moment, he wondered what happened to the girl who had flirted with and comforted him when he’d first arrived in his world. Perhaps she’d only thought of that as her duty. A duty he no longer needed her to perform now that he’d entered a political marriage.
“Alright, I’m coming.” Elyria said, exiting the near coffin sized and featureless fitting room between the two much bulkier women. “I’ve got to say White flame, I’d thought you were overbearing at times but, seeing the way your father treats his people, I take it all back.”
“He’s…” Ronin almost told her Leo wasn’t actually his father, but thankfully he was cut off by the man in question. Before he could divulge that secret.
“Good.” He said, releasing his wine glass, to fall almost a foot before it disappeared. “The car is just outside I trust?” He asked, already moving, in a tone that implied the car had dang well better be just outside. Ronin took another look around before following him out. He didn’t know what tailor shops normally looked like, but this empty white box wasn’t what he’d expected. Heck, he’d never even seen a tailor, the clothes had just appeared on his body once he’d stripped down in the fitting room. With a shrug, he followed Leo Dawson and his escorts, who were still flanking Elyria, outside. Owl five bringing up the rear.
The car was indeed just out front. A sleek black sports car, with only two doors that looked too small to fit even three people, let alone six. It had landed on the lily pad that grew from the organic tower they’d just left. Looking down, Ronin couldn’t even see the ground. Now, that was strange…
“Hey, Si… dad?” Ronin called out to his host, who was already climbing into the parked car. “When we went into the tailor’s shop, it was on ground level, and the building was reminiscent of a pre fall skyscraper… now its…”
“Best not to think too hard on things like that.” Leo said from where he stood, upright, inside the car. The car whose roof only came to his waist before he’d ducked in. “The public areas are somewhat fluid and tend to change. Now get in the car, if we’re late I won’t have any further need of you.” The not-so-subtle threat got Ronin moving faster. He was nearly tripping over Elyria and the lionesses in his rush to get to the car.
The inside was decorated like he’d expect the office of a mafia don to look. Based partially on his own knowledge gained from reading while still on earth, and partially from the ship generated memories that randomly fed him tid bits of data, from time to time.
“Come in and have a seat.” Leo said from where he’d seated himself behind a solid wood desk. It was bigger than the car they’d just climbed into. Ronin followed his instructions, sinking onto the sinfully comfortable cushions of a two-seater couch beside Elyria. While he took in the rest of the wood paneled office.
It was dimly lit with candles, hung from brackets mounted directly to the walls. Candles that, despite flickering from the wind of their passage, gave off steady and unwavering illumination. The wall directly behind Leo’s desk was covered with a portrait of Leo himself, several years younger. It was clearly painted before he’d crystallized, though Ronin didn’t know how that was possible. He was thin, balding and his smile showed a few missing teeth. The woman beside him looked just as bad, if not worse. Her dark hair was thin and stringy, much like Alexander’s had been, and her smile was missing at least as many teeth as Leo’s.
Ronin remembered her faintly. She’d been Leo’s wife back in the caves and had died when Ronin was only eight years old. He couldn’t remember her name, but he remembered her kindness. Mrs. Dawson had been a bright light in the darkness of the cave, and her husband had been a nice man too… before she died. The surge of memories Ronin received from seeing the picture took him off guard, so he was glad he’d already sat down. That was strange, the memories of his early life weren’t that clear. Where had that come from, more ship inspired knowledge perhaps?
He took in the rest of the office with a quick sweep of his gaze. A few more portraits decorated the walls on either side of the desk, but they were landscapes. His eyes lingered on the bookshelves, but he knew for a certainty he wasn’t going to be given the chance to peruse them. The entry wall was empty, apart from the door. It was also crafted from solid wood, carved in the likeness of a lion, and sporting an engraved brass knob.
Neither Owl five nor the two lionids sat down on the two remaining armchairs. Instead, they each moved to stand in a guard position behind their respective masters. Ronin thought it was a little over the top, a sentiment Elyria seemed to share because he heard her faint snort of derision from where she was seated beside him. He felt a sense of relief at the sound. The elf had been unnaturally passive since they’d left his pocket world.
“Alright, listen up because we don’t have a lot of time and I only want to say this once.” Leo said once everyone had settled in. “We’re going to a masquerade ball. Where they will announce the contest. The contest will be real, it just isn’t the contest we will be participating in.” He said, running his fingers across his golden lion rings. Ronin noted for the first time that the palm side of the rings consisted of a bar that spanned the length of his hands.
“I don’t know the specifics. Just getting the invite in the first place was hard enough. But I do know when they come to collect us, they will do so with a sign. I don’t know what form it will come in, but the sign will be three interwoven circles on a gold disk. When you see that symbol, all you have to do is follow the one who presented it to you. Understand?” Ronin frowned at the older man, glad that, at the moment he was wearing a mask hiding his expression.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“He’s nervous.” Elyria whispered softly, mirroring Ronin’s own thoughts. “Dear lady Luna, what could make a man like him nervous?” Ronin felt as much as saw Elyria come back to herself in that moment. She’d been set adrift since they’d arrived, but something about seeing the powerful Leo Dawson show even the slightest anxiety had anchored her.
“I understand.” Ronin said with a nod. “Will I be bringing Elyria and Owl five with me to the meeting room?” He added, hoping to clarify now so he didn’t make a mistake later.
“I don’t know the answer to that.” Leo said, leaning back in his chair. “I have just conveyed everything to you, nearly word for word, how I heard it myself. Just follow along quietly when the time comes. Don’t draw attention to yourself. If they want your girls to come along, they’ll let you know. I think it’s just as likely we were told to bring them to provide a pleasant distraction for our absence, however, so don’t get your hopes up.”
“And your enemies?” Elyria asked, her confident tone creeping back in. “They delayed your car. Will they try anything else tonight?” Leo eyed her from behind his lion mask for a long moment before he replied.
“It’s likely they will,” he admitted. “Though I am hopeful once we make it inside, we’ll be free of their interference.” As he finished speaking, a soft chime echoed throughout the office. “We’re there.” he said, rising to his feet and moving towards the door. His escorts fell into step beside him, now sporting featureless, golden half masks, which covered their eyes. “Just remember, you are my son. Everything you do, everything, reflects on me. So don’t embarrass me, and most importantly, don’t show any weakness to anyone.”
With those parting words, he stepped out the door, and onto a red carpet. It led across a narrow bridge and towards a castle straight out of the prince’s adventure. Ronin looked down with a hard swallow, realizing in that moment they were on the floating island in the sky he’d spotted a few hours, or perhaps minutes, ago. Depending on how much time dilation they’d been exposed to. He gulped as he stared at the intimidating castle.
Not wanting to be left behind, Ronin took a step forward, before he was stopped by a throat clearing just behind him. Turning around, he saw Elyria standing there, her arm extended.
“I’m your escort tonight, White flame.” She said in an overly sweet tone that had his hackles rising. “From the time we step out of this… car… until the time we are safely back inside it, I will be stuck to your side as if glued there. Do you understand?” She asked as she hooked her arm into his. “Your father fears this place. So, for now at least, we’ll watch each other’s back.”
“Right” he said, taking her arm more firmly in his own and giving a brief nod to Owl five before he walked out onto the narrow carpet covered strip that separated him from miles long drop to the ground. “Here we go then.”
Their trio caught up to Leo’s quickly enough, since they’d been stopped at a red velvet rope just outside the castle doors. Two hulking brutes stood to either side of the entryway with their arms crossed, scowling down at the lion masked man.
“I asked you for your invitation.” The one on the left said, apparently for the second time. “This is a private party, not just anyone can enter.” He continued with an evil smirk.
“You know as well as I do, my car being given clearance to park, is proof I’ve been invited.” Leo growled.
“Is that right?” The question drifted from the double doors leading into the castle, where a weasel faced man dressed in a tan suit had just emerged. “Because that would mean the car was the one invited to the party, instead of an upstart like you boy.”
Ronin frowned. The man didn’t look a day over thirty, why had he called Leo an upstart boy.
“Fabius.” Leo said with a snort, “I should have expected something as petty as this was your handiwork.” With a theatrical sigh, Leo lifted his right hand, palm up. A holographic projection of a globe, with a band wrapped around it, appeared to float just above his palm. Squinting slightly, Ronin was able to make out the words ‘father, son invitation.” Written on the band.
“Urgh,” grunted the talkative brute on the left. “It’s legit sir, we gotta let him in.” He didn’t look any happier about it then the now scowling Fabius. Who glared at Leo, lifting a black crows mask from his waist. Putting it on, he walked back inside without a backward glance.
“How droll,” Elyria said in an aristocratic accent, as the bouncer lifted the rope for them to enter. “That mask dear, did you see it? The dreary thing didn’t even match the suit. Are you sure this is the finest party this city has to offer?” Ronin just stared at her in shock, while Leo let out a snort of laughter, as Fabius stumbled across the doorway’s threshold.
“Quite right my dear,” he said. “Now, bring that wayward son of mine along and let’s get to the party, before Fabius drinks all the good wine.” Ronin, realizing only a beat later than Leo that Elyria was playing a role, let out a snort and, channeling his inner Alexander, answered with a drawl of his own.
“Right you are father. Come on dear, let’s see what this place has to offer.” The firm squeeze Elyria gave his arm after he spoke, letting him know he might not have come off as natural as he’d hoped. Ah well, maybe he’d go for the strong silent type instead.
When Ronin stepped through the double doors, he was transported into a dark room. Before panic could set in, he found there was light all around, it was just much dimmer than the sunlight outside. Leo and his two lionid guards, or escorts, were standing right in front of him and with a look over his shoulder, he noted Owl five’s presence as well.
“Please move away from the teleportation pad, to make room for our next guests.” A calm, soothing voice said from just beside him. Before he could look in that direction, however, Elyria had firmly guided him away from the platform they’d been standing on.
“This place is… fascinating.” She breathed as they walked behind Leo’s group, making their way deeper into the dark room.
They were on the outside of a massively high, domed room. Like a strange gothic mixture of an auditorium and cathedral. Lit by hundreds of candelabras suspended in midair. A thick mist swirled around knee height, with occasional eddies that ballooned up to swallow people where they stood. There were two sets of pillars, some fifteen feet apart and away from the outside of the round room’s walls. They arched together, and out to the outer wall. Leaving a hundred-yard dome in the center that had been set up as a dance floor, with food tables and a seated rest area. Surrounding that open space were two much darker rings, created by the pillars, with plenty of little nooks a few party goers could sneak away too. In the dim light, Ronin thought he could see several people taking advantage of those nooks before the mist thickened and swirled up to shroud the sequestered party goers from his view.
“Privacy screen,” Leo said, no doubt guessing what Ronin was thinking. “The mists don’t block line of sight unless the individuals themselves don’t wish to be seen. Allows for private deals and secret meetings to take place right out in the open… or a quick tryst with your, or someone else’s, escort should the mood take you.” He said with a deep throated chuckle, seeming to have relaxed now that they had finally made it to the party.
Ronin didn’t need the glaring sparrow mask to turn in his direction to know such a tryst was never happening. Still, he was intrigued by the mists swirling around their legs. It gave the whole place a mystical feeling that reminded him of the magic systems in his favorite books.
“What a shame the pocket worlds couldn’t be set up with magic…” he said wistfully, thinking about how much fun it would be to fling fireballs instead of bullets at his foes.
“What are you talking about?” Leo asked, a frown clear in his voice. “You can have magic in your personal realms. It just has to be integrated at the time of creation. The first realm I ever created had a magical system implemented. I still visit that world from time to time…” he said, trailing off before clearing his throat. “Anyway, go mingle. I have a few people I need to see before anything important happens. Be careful, and don’t look weak.” After he finished speaking, he was off in a swirl of mist.
Ronin looked after him with an anxious gaze. Not only for being left alone, but for opening his mind to the possibility that magic was real in this place… and that multiple pocket worlds were possible. How did one even go about getting a second world?
“Come on, let’s mingle a little. Stay quiet and let me do the talking.” Elyria said, leading him along by the arm.
He was more than happy to be led around the domed room. Elyria chatted and made small talk with masked people neither of them knew, while Ronin took in the towering statues that surrounded the dome, and the marvelous painting on the ceiling, that somehow changed as they moved from section to section.
“…is that so? I’ve always preferred to grow them from seeds myself. I realize the process can be enhanced of course. Yet, watching them grow under my own care brings me the most satisfaction.” This from an old sounding man with a middle-aged body. Ronin was fairly sure Elyria had picked him to speak with because he was wearing a mask patterned like oak bark, which had maple leaves growing from the edges. Something the man had done on purpose it seemed, to see who would notice. If the conversation they’d been having about the proper way to grow strangler fig indoors, was any indication.
“My lord,” Owl five said appearing at his side from nowhere. Her black pants suit and grey turtleneck and gloves helped to blend her seamlessly with the dark misty room. “Please, have something to eat.” She continued, holding up a tray delicately set with finger foods and a glass of wine. Only one glass, Ronin noted. Sure, that the slight to the elf was fully intended, causing him to sigh internally.
“Thank you, Owl five,” he said reaching for the tray. When he was jolted violently from behind.
“Watch where you’re going, you damned grounder trash…” shouted an angry voice behind Ronin who only avoided a collision with the tray and Owl five holding it, because of how swiftly the goblin woman moved. Before he’d even righted himself, she’d set the completely undisturbed tray down on a nearby table and was holding a butter knife she’d acquired from somewhere to the aggressor’s throat.
Ronin couldn’t see the man’s face behind the bull mask he wore, but he saw the man freeze when the tip of the blunt utensil touched his exposed neck.
“Oh my,” said the old man with the oak and maple mask, into the ensuing silence. “You really stuck your foot into it this time didn’t you Philip?” He asked the bull masked man, who now that Ronin had a second to look, was dressed in much the same fashion as the old man.
“I’m sorry dad,” he said still unwilling to move away from the knife wielding servant. “But, uh, do you think you could get this demi human off me, please?”
“Demi human?” Ronin asked, still processing the fact that he’d been assaulted by their conversation partner’s son.
“Oh, that’s right. How silly of me.” The old man, who Ronin now remembered was called Stanly, said with a smile in his voice. “I forgot that you have only been crystalized for a handful of days… at the request of your father, for this vary ball.” The accuracy of his words sent alarm bells ringing in Ronin’s mind, and he reoriented himself to face Stanly as Elyria backed up to stand beside him.
“You see, I’d had this whole elaborate scheme planned out to trick you into attacking my son. But thankfully, you took care of that on your own.” He continued, with an honest to goodness evil chuckle.
“What are you talking about, I didn’t attack him. He rammed into me.” Ronin said with a sinking feeling.
“Oh, I know, but your demi, or sub, human… that is to say, any living sentient born inside a world owned by a person crystallized from earth, is the property of said individual and is thus considered to be an extension of that individual.” Stanly said the words as if quoting them directly from a rules book. “Subject to either a fine or an honor duel, should the aggrieved party feel the provocation warrants such a duel.” The man said with glee, “and I think it is warranted. Don’t you Philip?”