Hours later, I arrived at Nadir Tower at the far lower end of The Commons, exhausted.

I entered the lobby and four armed Serpents in ornate masks stopped me.

▶ I’m here to see der Schlächter. I have something I think he wants. A Relic.

The masks regarded me in silence. Then one of them nodded and bid me to follow.

We crossed the marble floors and got in the freight elevator. The Serpent guard inserted a golden key. It was a long ride to the top floor. I fidgeted, suddenly second guessing my decision to come here.

I have nothing to worry about. I am here on invitation. Der Schlächter specifically asked me to bring any relics to him for a generous reward. And I didn’t even need to be part of their creepy family. No strings attached.

So why did I feel this sense of foreboding?

Two other masked Serpents waited for us at the top of the lift. From somewhere inside a deep vibrato reverberated through the penthouse.

Ohmmmmmmmm.

The guards escorted me through the impressive penthouse to an open, central room. And there he was. The enormous, hairless man, seated in the lotus position in front of an ancient stone slab. He wore only a loincloth.

Der Schlächter.

At my entrance, he rose, reaching for a silk kimono. He smiled broadly, showing his large white teeth. Before the kimono was on, I used my ocular implants to zoom in on the Volunteer ID barcode on his wrist. It read: 01000010 01100101 01110100 01100001 00110110.

“If it isn’t the Nameless Volunteer, returned to us at last.”

▶ I have a name. They call me Magpie now.

“Magpie? Well, isn’t that exquisite? Magpie. What fair tidings bring you to the Serpents’ Lair on this auspicious cycle?”

I heard a rueful snicker and turned to see Razor, Buzzcut, and a few other Serpent goons seated nearby. Razor glared contemptuously at me.

“Razor, do be kind to our guest,” the leader’s deep, paternalistic voice chastised.

Razor gulped and sat up straighter, disguising his snickering as throat-clearing.

“Yes, Schlächter! Just had something loveted in my gorlo is all.”

The large man glided across the floor until he stood uncomfortably close to me. I looked up at him, my eye level only reaching to his silk clad chest.

“Am I correct in perceiving you have something for me?”

I nodded, reaching into my Inventory and materializing the single Voynich Manuscript page. I delicately gripped the edge between two fingers and held it out. He took the sheet in his large hands and studied it.

“Very interesting,” he murmured. “Where, pray tell, did you find this?”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

▶ In a hedge maze in Grand Central Park. Eden West.

“And this was the only one? Just this one page?”

He turned his gaze on me, large eyes boring into my soul. I had the unnerving feeling that he could see straight through me. He would know if I was lying. Somehow, he would know. I had to choose my words carefully.

▶ Another Volunteer, I don’t know his name, found a book. An invasive anomaly. This page fell out. I only have this page in my Inventory.

He continued to stare at me wordlessly. Was it getting warm in here?

▶ I remembered what you said. You have an interest in relics. Does this qualify?

Der Schlächter motioned for one of the masked guards and whispered in their ear. The guard left the room, moving to another part of the penthouse. Looking at the four ragtag goons, I began to suspect they (Razor and his ilk) were of lower rank than the Serpents adorned in the striking feathered serpent masks. They were just children in this family, not mature disciples.

The guard returned carrying a small but ornately carved wooden chest which he passed to the leader, who dismissed him. Der Schlächter opened the lid and I beheld it was full of sparkling Crystals. My pulse quickened.

“How does 100 Crystals sound in exchange for this one sheet of paper?”

100!

▶ It sounds very generous.

“You appear to be limited on free space, so you can keep this chest to hold the Crystals until you can make other arrangements. Consider it a gift.”

Low on storage space. How the frag could he know that?

I reached out to accept the treasure. Right before I could touch the chest, der Schlächter pulled it back just out of my grasp.

“But before you accept this payment, there is something else I want to speak to you about.”

▶ Oh?

“A job. A simple job that you are uniquely suited for. It would mean a great deal to me.”

I remembered the note added to my Subroutines menu. The task I hadn’t gotten around to accepting.

[>SUBROUTINES

* Assist Serpents with Package Delivery (pending)]

▶ You mean the package you want me to deliver?

Razor, Buzzcut, and the other two whose names I didn’t know snickered and nudged each other. An inside joke?

“No. We had another courier take care of that little delivery job for us. But thank you for remembering.”

I guess I waited too long for that one.

▶ A different job then? What is it?

“Instead of delivering a package, this task is but a simple and harmless act of retrieval. Pick something up and bring it here to me. I will pay you… 1,000 Crystals.”

My jaw hit the floor.

▶ 1,000 Crystals?

“1,000 Crystals. All for you in exchange for bringing me a single item that I believe to be here in The Commons. And again, this is a job that you, little bird, are uniquely suited for.”

Me? Uniquely suited? I couldn’t imagine how.

The masked guard returned, holding a larger chest with the lid already open. A veritable bounty of shimmering Crystals shone forth, threatening to overflow the container. It was a glorious sight.

I answered without hesitation, raw cupidity overriding any internal warning bells.

▶ Yes! Yes… I’m interested. Please tell me more.

The large man clicked his tongue and shook his head from side to side.

“Unfortunately, I cannot tell you any more details nor entrust you with this task unless you are willing to take a leap of faith. For right now you are still considered an outsider among us.”

▶ A leap of faith?

“All of us here have taken part in a sacred ceremony. An initiation ritual, if you will. To serve on behalf of the Progenies Serpentium you must first participate in this sacrament. I believe you will find the process most enlightening.”

I perceived the goons shifting uncomfortably in their seats and exchanging knowing glances. Did they not want me to take this initiatory step? Were they worried I would outshine them, put them to shame in front of their master? Or was there something else going on?

▶ Let me get this straight. If I take part in this initiation ritual, then you will give me the details of this job. And if I complete this ‘simple’ job, I earn 1,000 Crystals.

Another broad smile from the leader. He rested a hand firmly on my shoulder, keeping the chest of 100 Crystals tucked in the crook of his other arm.

“Beautifully summarized, little bird. It is as you said. And remember… I never lie.”

How could I turn down 1,000 Crystals? Especially if the job was as easy as der Schlächter said. This was a man with startling power. A man capable of bending the elements of this metaverse to his will.

And the things I could do with 1,000 Crystals… the possibilities…