I stepped through the spider silk Gate at the edge of my Demesne. A brief second, I saw the maze-like crystalline webbing in a sea of stars, where the entrance to my Demesne was hidden in Limbo, but I was transported to the Fulcrum an instant later.
I arrived in the same non-descript room I had entered the first time I had visited this place.
“Welcome to the Fulcrum. I am your advisor for today. My name is Adam. Are you familiar with the Fulcrum, its layout and rules?“
The faceless, floating man in white robes had appeared out of nowhere. I started to move past him, but thought better of it.
“Actually,“ I said, “I think you can indeed help me. If I wanted to contact other visitors of this place, or beings that used to come here, how would I go about such a thing?“
“I can recommend two methods of communication. One is the use of the notice board near the common area of the Fulcrum. Because it is linked with all corresponding facilities of the consortium, it will give you the widest range and the best chances of reaching the ear you need to reach. The other is leaving a message with me or any other advisor, so we can deliver it when next we meet the being. I am obligated to tell you that the Consortium cannot guarantee the privacy of any such message, as the method dictates us advisors to know its content.“
That seemed like whatever method I would choose, privacy was an issue. The Consortium would always know what was spoken in its facilities. And much more eyes than that were on messages pinned to the notice board.
“Can I ask you about the status of the Moonlight Jester? Last time I was here, he was sought after by the Consortium.“
“You are permitted to access the information. Your involvement in the specific situation you asked about sets you at clearance level beta for this matter only. I will set the price for this information at 2 Shards of Essence. Shall I proceed?“
I rolled my eyes, but nodded. Nothing happened. “Yes.“ I said loud and clear.
“The differences between the Moonlight Jester and the Consortium have been cleared up and he is once again a regular visitor of the Fulcrum. Your involvement in finding the Moonlight Jester has not been disclosed to the being known as the Moonlight Jester, as per Consortium protocol.“
“Great.“ I said. This guy was getting on my nerves. “I want you to deliver two messages for me. One to the Moonlight Jester, then. And one to Bones, Admiral of the Scarlet Tide.“
“I will set the price for this task at 1 Essence per message. Proceed?“
“Yes.“
“Please state the name of the being you wish to contact and follow it up with a verbal message.“
“Moonlight Jester. I, Raven, wish to speak to you at your earliest convenience. I am ready.“ I hoped that would be enough for the Jester to come to speak with me.
“Message recorded. Please state the name of the being you wish to contact with your second message and follow it up with a verbal message.“
"Bones, Admiral of the Scarlet Tide. Meet me, Raven, at the Fulcrum in two days at midnight. I have news regarding your quest.“
"Message recorded. It will be delivered the next time the parties in question enter their private rooms in the Fulcrum.“
Had I been obscure enough? Was it too obvious? Who knew with these matters. The Consortium now knew me to be acquainted with the Moonlight Jester and Bones. Was that something to stress about or was my cautiousness misplaced? Or had they known all along?
I left Adam, the advisor, behind and entered the open sphere of the Fulcrum, once again baffled by the sights and the visitors parading around the walkways. My little corner of the world had been a dark and awful place, and the reminder that the world was so unfathomably large and unexplored by the likes of me, with all these beings and races in it, was uplifting. There were endless wonders to see and mysteries to uncover. I just had to get there one day.
For some reason, I remembered the voice of Cogar, as we had sat on the top of the Needle, and he had said to me: Modesty does not rule. No. It did not. Modesty neither ruled, nor played the game of gods as a winner. Being nice would get you killed, I reckoned. I would not live to play the game if I did not take risks and made enemies along the way. There was no way to make a few gains without ruffling a few feathers.
I wandered over to the common area, avoiding the marketplace where I knew Belen, the Storysmith to be. I was not quite ready to talk to him yet. I made sure to have my mask in place and my cloak drawn down onto my face, then approached the quest and notice boards. I quickly skimmed through them, but once again nothing caught my eye. Nothing about the Empire of the Sun or the Wyld on either of them.
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I approached a floating advisor, much bigger than the ones in my private room, near the notice board.
“I would like to leave a message on the notice board.“
“I will set the price for that action to 25 Shards. Proceed?“
I gritted my teeth at the price but nodded. He produced a wax tablet from the folds of his white tunic and held it out to me, stylus included. As I scratched my message into the wax, a floating piece of paper attached firmly to the board, letters appearing as I wrote them. Instant anxiety washed through me. Everybody would see any mistakes I made.
So carefully, very carefully, I composed a simple message, but one that would hit the right circles like a freak wave.
I know where the Dragon of Darkness is.
For further information contact the advisors to leave me a message.
I returned the wax tablet to the floating, faceless man and said: "Can you please relay all messages to me that inquire about that note? And can you please keep my identity hidden?“
“It will be done and is included in the 25 Shards you payed for the service.“ The monotone voice answered.
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I returned to my private room, looking around. That would not do. I turned to Adam, the advisor, who still floated passively in the corner.
“How can I change the appearance of the room?“
“I am here to assist you in any such endeavors.“ He said. “I can provide you with examples or we can construct the room to your liking.“
“Verbally?“
“I am able to compute many different forms of information, including, but not limited to, drawn maps, images, captured imaginations, bottled visions and telepathy.“
I sighed. Wondrous new world.
“I want the cabin of a ship. The officer‘s mess. A table with the map of the Empire of the Sun and the surrounding seas, including the nautical equipment. In the corner a perch with a big raven on top...“
Conveying the details of what I wanted verbally was a chore, but after an hour of infuriatingly slow and monotone conversation with the advisor, I stood in a room as I had envisioned it, more or less.
It was a version of the officer‘s mess of the Albatross, but I had added a plethora of curios and things to look at. Plants, bookshelves, paintings, busts, and the like. To make it interesting. The raven on his perch was the biggest eye catcher because he was large. I wanted them to know about me. I wanted to build a reputation. I just did not want them to know where I was in reality.
It was a show. A feeble attempt to throw any visitors off my scent. And I would receive a few of those. Maybe they would see the cabin and assume me to be a traveling, seafaring type of man. An explorer who stumbled upon the information he was about to sell them.
And sell the information I would. There was no way to foresee the consequences of my actions here. The hope was to attract enemies of the darkness, who would join in the fight against the dragon. Of course, there would be others. Others looking to study the subject, others to look for the dragon out of nefarious goals. It could bring more chaos to the lands of the fallen empire. Maybe. But maybe I would find allies along the way. And profit. I needed to get stronger for the people of Ravenport.
I had a modicum of control. I could read the messages and decide not to speak to them. Or look at the visitor and decide not to tell them everything.
But before any of that happened, the Moonlight Jester stepped into my room.
“That should not be possible.“ Adam said. “Notifying higher authorities of...“
“It is permitted.“ I hastily interjected. “I invited him.“
Adam fell silent, while the Jester grinned at me with his laughing and crying face, the face paint pristine and crisp. "What a pleasure to finally meet you.“ He said. “Tell the puppet to take a walk, if you want to have a private conversation.“
I did so and we watched Adam float out of the room, closing the door behind him. The Jester jumped into a chair and put his feet on the map in the middle, while he looked around the room.
“I like what you did to the place.“
“Thank you. Reminds me of home.“
He still smiled at me. “Does it now? Imagine my surprise as I came to the Fulcrum, thirsty for the divine Nectar and casual conversation, and one of the little puppets tells me about you and your message.“ He put his hand above his heart. “I feared to never hear of you again.”
"Yes. I have thought about that favor you owe me.“
"I won’t say yes to everything, you know? But please tell me, I am dying to know what you want to do with a favor of the Moonlight Jester.“
"Bones is a man very important to the survival of people dear to me. I want you to help me. I want you to ensure that he is bound to his words. That he won‘t betray me the second I turn my back on him.“
The Jester tipped his chin in thought. "You want me to be a witness to a contract?“
“More than that. I need him to be honest, that is true. But he could be a real asset to me. Bring him on board. Make him accept my propositions and hold him to it.“
“I think you are overestimating either Bones or me, but who am I to turn down your hard-earned favor? I will accompany you on your mighty quest to confer with a pirate of ill repute and do my best to aid you in your negotiations, as well as my best in making him take the contract seriously. That I swear. There, we are done. Feels good, does it not?“ He grinned.
It was what I had aimed for, but suddenly, I was not so sure anymore. Had I wasted a lot of potential here? Maybe, but could the Jester make the seas safe for my people? Could he free the slaves, could he be ally to our ships and eyes and ears to our cause? Could he supply us with food, weapons, and intelligence? Could he be a teacher to us? No. But Bones could if only Bones was to be trusted.
I wanted Bones on my side. But he was a freebooter, and as such I could not let him enter the Wyld. That was just too dangerous. But there were a thousand things I could use his infamous fleet for. Not the least of it being safe passage for the few ships I had.
“Thank you, Jester. I do not know what game you are playing, or have played the last time we met, but help me in this matter honestly, and you will have my gratitude, for whatever that is worth.“
He leaned forward, still smiling, but there was a gleam in his eyes. “Oh believe me, I will find use for the gratitude of a promising young godling.“