GRIFFIN TUCKER VASILIAS, GREAT HOUSE SCION, REBORN LVL 5

ROAD TO HELDON, PROVINCE OF ARAGONIA

Griffin watched in fascination as the lizard-man—he’d at least picked up that his name was Kip and remembered from his time on the Systablo that his species was called draakan—talked and talked and talked. It was like he never ran out of breath! Jessaline kept trying to interrupt politely or even get a word in at a pause, but the words just never stopped coming.

Jessaline finally cut in, “Yes, Kip! Thanks! We need a ride. In the back with the oppa hens is fine.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked to the back of the vehicle, signaling Griffin to follow. Kip never actually stopped the torrent of words, just kept up a stream of them as he hopped down from the cab and went to the back to open it up for them.

“I call this beaut’ the Oppa Palace, though my buddy Donnie says I should name it Meals on Wheels. But he’s last month’s shedskin on a good day, so who’s he to say?

“‘Sides, the Oppa Palace here,” he smacked the side of the long, tall trailer, “is designed for oppa hen comfort! We got state-of-the-art enclosures, feeding systems, and hygiene nanobots, and I even coughed up the creds for Bird Paradise, that new VR-spell combo thing from AgriCore. You know AgriCore? They’re the big name in—”

They reached the end of the trailer, and he fumbled with the locking mechanism. “—hang on a sec here, the lock’s a bit sticky, especially in this weather we’ve been having lately. The humidity’s been making all the insides stick and I think it’s actually added a whole seventeen minutes to my route. Donnie said to get the infused locks, but that’s just a cred too far. I mean there’s Oppa Palace and Oppa Palace, you know what I mean?” He finally got the lock open and hauled up the trailer door.

A wall of noise and feathers blasted out at them, and Griffin was suddenly grateful for the helmet and filtered breathing apparatus in the DEEP Suit. Jessaline grimaced but hopped up into the trailer without any prompting. Griffin clambered in behind her, careful not to bump the cages of fat, black-feathered birds, who were agitatedly fluffing their feathers and pecking at anything nearby.

Kip closed the trailer door behind them, and the Bird Paradise routine started up again, quieting the oppa hens as they gazed contentedly at the illusion in their heads. It was a little eerie, but Griffin was so glad for the relative quiet that he barely thought about it, except to be relieved about it.

Jessaline lay down on a shipping pallet stacked with large bags of what Griffin presumed was oppa hen feed. “It’ll only be a few minutes till we get into town, but I couldn’t walk another step,” she said quietly. “Rest up and don’t worry, you’re safe now.”

Griffin sighed and sat down next to her on the pallet, leaning against the trailer’s wall. The truck lurched, setting a few oppa hens clucking in irritation, and then they were in motion toward Heldon. Kismet appeared on his knee, her projected image still in the DEEP Suit. She had remained mostly quiet and hidden since he joined the other Reborn.

She removed her helmet, wrinkling her nose and looking up at Griffin skeptically. “Well, I suppose this is one way to arrive in town,” she said. “Though not a particularly dignified way—if you think about it.”

Griffin shrugged. “Anyway’s a good way if you’re alive when you get there,” he pointed out.

“I’ll drink to that!” Jessaline said, raising an imaginary glass.

“I’m not arguing that,” Kismet said patiently. “However, you now hold a political position in a world where you have little real knowledge. I won’t be much help with the most dangerous creatures you’re likely to face: other Imperials.”

“It’s probably not a great idea to go out and try to kill them all,” Griffin replied. “They’re not monsters, so I can’t treat them like the ones making everyone miserable. Innocent until proven guilty, right?”

“That sentiment has no bearing on the current situation,” Kismet replied sternly. “You’re deliberately avoiding the point. You can’t be cavalier about your appearance; not here with these people.”

Jessaline grunted and sat up. “Your System eidolon is not wrong. You’re a Vasilias Scion and now that they’re a Great House well…that kinda thing has rules and responsibilities. Not like House Braedes: we can be as indelicate as we want,” she blew a raspberry from where she was lying down, long, loud, and wet, followed by a flicking motion with her left hand that Griffin was pretty sure was meant to be more than slightly irreverent.

“We’ll have Kip drop us off at the outskirts of town,” she continued. “We can get an official Vasilias transport from there. Now lay back and rest. We have about twenty minutes before we tell Kip to stop, so take it easy while you can.”

TOWN OF HELDON, PROVINCE OF ARAGONIA

Twenty minutes later, Griffin and Jessaline climbed out of the trailer, stretching sore muscles on the roadside. Kip chattered away as he opened the door and drove off towards town. Kip talked his way through opening the door and driving off on his way into town.

As the draakan’s words faded into the night air, Griffin finally saw Heldon up close. They stood on a gracefully arched bridge made of rainbow-hued metal resembling anodized titanium. The bridge spanned a wide river rushing twenty meters below.

From their vantage on the bridge, Griffin saw a glimmering boardwalk and riverside community. Pleasure craft adorned with dangling lanterns floated on the river, with music and laughter echoing over the water.

As they headed into town, Jessaline caught sight of him under a streetlamp and wouldn’t let him continue until he got out of his combat armor. “We don’t want to cause a panic!” she pointed out. “You’re wearing infused armor that doubles as a weapons platform capable of destroying the entire town in seconds. Don’t be stupid.”

When he asked where he was meant to change, she spread her hands and gave him a look that clearly said, Figure it out, moron.

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He shrugged. If she wanted him to change, he could oblige easily enough. All he had to do was reclaim the tensa reserve for his DEEP Suit graft. With a mental command, the entire DEEP Suit disappeared, leaving him completely naked in the middle of the road on the bridge into Heldon.

Jessaline didn’t seem to particularly care, but Griffin felt like he should burst into flames from the sheer heat of his blush. He quickly grabbed a random assortment of clothes from his Inventory and fumbled them on without paying attention. This resulted in him wearing a colorful blue-green pair of surf jams, one Rick and Morty sock on his left foot, a Pokémon sock on his right foot—Bulbasaur of course—a black long-sleeve dress shirt, and a pair of steel-toed biker boots. He blushed even more when he realized what he had on, but by then Jessaline had already stripped out of her combat armor, and he didn’t notice his clothes anymore.

She seemed completely unbothered by showing her body, and Griffin understood why. Jessaline’s body was a finely tuned machine—lean and muscular, the result of extensive daily training. Her torso was covered in a startling number of faded scars, and Griffin was surprised to see her legs were cybernetic replacements from mid-thigh down.

He didn’t know if he should look away, but she seemed to have none of his hang-ups. Businesslike, she stowed her soiled scout’s armor in her Inventory and pulled out her change of clothes. She had a formal Vasilias uniform: cream-colored slacks, black boots, a black dress shirt, and a jacket with the House Seal embroidered on the left shoulder and right breast—ten gold stars arranged in a ring around a gold-bordered black circle. She suddenly looked very crisp and official, even with her unique hairstyle.

They crossed the bridge and entered Heldon proper. To Griffin, Heldon was disturbingly dreamlike. It had all the touchstones of a familiar town: sidewalks, storefronts, streetlights, traffic, people, roads, and even trash bins every few meters.

But for every familiar thing, there was something either completely incomprehensible or almost familiar. One store that caught Griffin’s eye had a large front window displaying posters with diagrams of skeletons marked with clinical precision. Other posters showed a ginpaari with a brilliant magenta and orange headflower posing. Griffin had no idea what the shop was selling.

The sidewalks weren’t abandoned. People went to and from shops and restaurants, living their lives. They didn’t look like Griffin, Jessaline, or any of the other Reborn he’d seen. They looked like... normal people.

Except for the lizard people and the plantlike ginpaari. But they weren’t dressed in fanciful cosplay armor or wizard’s robes with outlandish weapons. They wore clothes that seemed oddly cut and leaned toward earth tones in materials unfamiliar to Griffin, but he’d seen stranger outfits at LARP conventions. It made him feel a little queasy with excitement and nerves.

Jessaline produced a small, handheld device from her Inventory that looked to Griffin like a bulky phone or a communicator from old sci-fi shows. She spoke softly into it and, a few moments later, put it away, disappearing it into her Inventory with an unconscious flick of her mind. Griffin jumped; seeing someone else disappear something like that took some getting used to.

“Now, we wait,” she said with a yawn. “But not here on the curb. Let’s see if Lotus Cup is open; we can get a cup of hot scivit and some snacks.” Griffin was so distracted by the town that he didn’t even think to ask what scivit was.

They walked along the sidewalk in silence, Griffin rubbernecking like the tourist he was. Kismet kept close to him, dimming her glow until she was barely visible. Eventually, they arrived at a small shop that looked like a bistro or café.

He saw young people—younger than him—laughing and hanging on each other, completely unaware of how wild their world was. When they saw Griffin and Jessaline—well, Jessaline—they gave a bow-like nod with one hand in a prayer-like gesture. She ignored them and led the way into the Lotus Cup, a little bell tinkling as she opened the door.

Behind the counter was a white-scaled draakan with coral stripes down her snout. She smiled as they entered, her long blue tongue darting out rapidly several times before she said, “You two are out awfully late,” and performed the same bow-like gesture. “What would you like tonight?”

“Two scivits,” Jessaline replied. “I’ll take mine with pongberry syrup; he’ll just have it plain. Can you bring it outside when it’s ready? We’ve had a rough night.”

The clerk nodded, and they exited the café, taking a seat at one of the few tables outside. It was a bit chilly, but Griffin didn’t mind. Heldon's traffic fascinated him, and he couldn’t wait to people-watch some more, but Jessaline didn’t give him much of a chance.

“Look, Griffin,” she said, her face serious. “You’re…” she trailed off, frowning. “I’m not sure how to say this.”

Griffin shrugged. “Just say it. Whatever it is.”

“You’re in a lot of trouble.” She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward when this failed to provoke a reaction. “And I don’t just mean trouble from psychotic Undying Wolf Demons from the Bardouls. You’re a target, Griffin. You’re political.”

“I don’t even know who these people are. Why am I a target? I’m nobody!” Griffin gestured to his outfit as if to prove his point.

“Oh, I know who you think you are,” she said, pointing to her Third Eye, which winked at him disconcertingly. “And that’s why I’m saying anything at all. I’ve only seen that level of naïve innocence in children. It’s... endearing.”

She took a deep breath and tried to explain. “You’re not just a nobody anymore. You’re a Great House Scion. That means you have a very dangerous sort of power—power you can’t use, but everyone else can, especially those you’d think would be your greatest allies.”

The young draakan chose that moment to come out of the Lotus Cup with their scivit. She held two tall ceramic mugs with ornate handles. Aromatic steam wafted from the mugs, reminding Griffin of pickled red onions. It was a weirdly fruity, sour smell that he found unexpectedly pleasant.

He sipped the strange hot beverage, considering Jessaline’s warning. The flavor was savory, with a slightly oily feel that reminded him of a thin broth—perfect for a chilly night like this.

“I’m not clear on what makes me a Great House Scion. I’ve just been told that I am and that it’s important somehow. So that seems like the most likely source of the danger... Some arcane political system where I have power but am actually weak. Apparently. Even though I can produce gallons of liquid nitrogen at a moment’s notice.”

“In a few minutes, your life is going to change. Again. No,” she held up her hand to forestall any objections. “There’s nothing you can do about it. You’re too important to too many people, and you’ve got a role to play now.”

“So... what? Thanks, I guess? For the warning? Look, I’m grateful to you all—you in particular—for rescuing me. Seriously, you saved my life, and I won’t forget that. But,” Griffin took another sip of scivit and looked at Kismet on his shoulder. “Kismet here knows what I want, and she’s been helping me achieve it since I got here.”

“And what is it that you want, Griffin Vasilias? You’d better understand your answer,” she cautioned before he could respond. “Because in a few minutes, there will be people who will tell you they can give you whatever you want. You should be sure you want it—and that the price of having it is worth paying.”

“That’s not ominous and scary at all!” Griffin quipped. But he took her warning to heart. He didn’t know anyone here or their motivations. So far, Xander, Jessaline, and the rest had been kind to him. If Jessaline was right and wasn’t lying to him—and he had no reason to believe otherwise—then she was giving him sound advice. What would finding Sarah look like right now? How would she find him when they did finally meet? He didn’t know.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sleek, black, low-slung vehicle with mirror-black windshields and a logo that looked like a spiral with ten stars. The vehicle resembled a hearse crossed with a racecar and a bit of limo DNA. A door opened on its own in the rear, revealing a sumptuous scarlet leather interior. Jessaline got up, leaving her scivit on the café table. She took Griffin’s arm and led him into the vehicle, her expression neutral once more. Griffin settled into the luxurious seats, wondering where this trajectory would take him and when he could break free to do what he wanted.