Kaden dozed to escape the pain, but couldn’t help jerking awake. The world was golden, and warm, and Kaden was certain that whatever else had happened he’d never be cold again. Also, he no longer felt like he’d been stabbed everywhere, which was definitely a positive.
“Good, you’re awake.” That was Sara’s voice. “Your eyes should be healed enough to see.”
Kaden opened them, and found himself bathed in warm yellow light that didn’t remove the memories of pain but did leave them distant. “Where are we?”
“We’re ‘guests’ of Broker Oberix. Technically you’re her guest, I’m a companion to Lord Suridev. Have you ever seen an angry dragon?” Sara asked. “It’s not pretty.”
“Vanya?” Kaden asked.
“Alive. He landed in an encampment of merchant traders who declared him a hostage for eleven minutes. Then miraculously changed their minds when a literal [Dragon] showed up looking for him. Vanya is brilliant. ‘These fine men were helping me’ will give him their loyalty for life.” Sara touched his lips with something cold. “Just a sip more.”
It burned on his tongue and made Kaden sit up, as dozens of glass spines pushed out of his body, clinking as they landed on the wooden floor. “Where are we?”
“Oberix’s Sky Vault. I rode a dragon to get here. I never dreamed I’d ride a dragon.”
Kaden couldn’t help being jealous. “How was it?”
“Uncomfortable. [Dragons] do not wear saddles, and there are spines in places I do not enjoy spines. Lord Suridev is discussing the situation with Oberix now. By discussing, I hope he means ‘eating’.”
Kaden explained about the [Twist of Fate] prompt. How he’d known something was wrong. “I wasn’t going to ignore the prompt, but that Karmic Penalty really messed with me.”
“I won’t say be more careful. But you’ll need to consider the consequences. [Thorn Cage] is quite possibly the ugliest summons I’ve ever seen, and it’s illegal in any civilized place.” Sara picked up one of the thorns. “There were dozens of these in you.”
“I don’t recommend it.” He stood up and brushed himself off, collecting all the glass spines. “What does Oberix want?”
*Hey, kids.* Lord Suridev’s mental presence wasn’t quite words, but it wasn’t dragon growls either. *You’re coming to meet Oberix. I know, you were hoping I’d bite their head off, or their arm off, or something off. I have to get along with these people, if I bite heads off, it’s harder to do business afterwards.*
Kaden stored his disappointment for later and relayed to Sara. Trinity was always happy to bite things. She could handle any biting off that needed to be done. He stood in something that was less prison cell and more storage room, though the door didn’t open when Kaden tried it.
A few moments later, the door opened and a man in a cold blue smock with geometric designs on it stepped in. “Oberix deigns to see you now. Consider yourself blessed that they choose to spend time on your request. Oberix knows all. Oberix sees all. Oberix has all, or can get all.”
That was patently untrue, but Kaden would wait to bring it up with Oberix themself. He followed the worker out into a hallway, then up several stairs and out onto the deck of a magnificent sailing ship easily three times the width of Kaden’s ship. Several masts jutted up at the front and back, but in the center, a pavillion stood that stretched from one side to the next.
In the shade of the pavillion, a golden dragon lounged, now the length of a sky-skiff, with his wings folded. Workers tended to the dragon, polishing scales and buffing claws. As Sara and Kaden approached, the dragon rolled to its feet and reached out to them.
With the shift in size, the dragon’s head was now wider than Kaden’s chest. Its eyes faced forward the way Trinity’s blind head did, gleaming with solar mana.
Kaden bowed before it, as did Sara. “Suridev.”
*Giving the middle claw to Fate? I knew I liked you. I like your TriTerror better, but it’s not your fault you don’t have three heads, razor scales and a spear tail. You can still meet with Diggus, but you’d be wise not to offend Oberix. They’re the better Broker.*
“I don’t like it. But I can live with it,” Sara said. “What if they decide to screw us over and go after the spellbook themself?”
*That wouldn’t give Oberix what she desires. Speaking of desires...* The dragon shrank, becoming the size of a monitor lizard, and its wings became stumpy folds along its back. *Stick out your your hand.*
Kaden reached out, scratching the dragon’s chin.
He couldn’t help smiling as his fingers ran over the scaly surface. It was a beast unlike the Falcrow. A true beast containing an immense amount of mana. Enlighted. Powerful.
*That wasn’t what I meant. But, whatever.* Suridev reared back, then slammed his claw down, puncturing a hole in the back of Kaden’s hand.
He would have screamed, but before he could, his hand began to burn, and Kaden could only groan.
You have received: 1x Dragon Scale (Solar)
New Quest! Gotta Catch ‘Em@#$%%ERROR_QUEST_NAME_ILLEGAL
Issuing New Name
New Quest: Must Obtain Many (Part 1)! - Obtain three Dragon Scales (1/3) Reward: Beast Form Slot.
Kaden gasped. “[Beast Form]? This can unlock [Beast Form?” He hadn’t so much chosen [Beast Soul] as had it chosen for him during his tier up. He could be a [Minotaur]. “Hell, I could be a [Dragon].”
*In about a thousand levels, maybe. Aim low for your first form. You could be a lizard, anything with scales is better than anything without. That’s for saving Vanya. Three hundred years of toilet training I would have had to re-do.*
Kaden was ready to deal with Oberix. Ready to explain about the Vichorean spellbook.
Oberix was a…person. Their form was largely shapeless, though shorter than Kaden and thinner. Their skin was a light grayish white the color of Mr. Dervish’s scars, their hair slightly lavender, and they wore a split gown that left Kaden struggling to figure out if it was a woman with a very slight bust or a man with larger than normal one.
[Broker Oberix - Fate Changer]
The Broker known as Oberix delights in the desires of their clients, perhaps too much. They give as asked, but never enough and never all that’s needed, because that would deprive them of a game. To stand in their presence is to risk receiving all you have ever wanted.
Level:???
HP:???
Mana:???
“Fate Changer?” Kaden asked as he approached.
“I adjust Fates to match people’s desires. I break and bend them.” This was that voice from the boat. “And I normally see the future quite clearly, which is why I was always going to wind up with your wonderful offering.” Oberix laughed to themself. “Why did you fear me? Who was whispering truths about me? I can’t have that.”
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Sara took this one. “It’s said you know what we’re after. What we’re truly after, not what we claimed. The wise course of action was to deal with Diggus, the broker we already had an introduction to.”
“He’s sane,” Kaden added.
“He’s boring,” Oberix answered. “And Syntera? Selling that magnificent Mana Dust to her for a seat at her Feast of Pleasure—”
“Not interested.” Kaden and Sara said together. “But if she can get me that Vichorean Spellbook, I’ll party with her all night every night for a week. That’s what I want.”
For a moment, silence reigned. “Your first lie to me. How odd. And the daughter of Mistress Scylla. We have been great allies, great enemies, and now, there is only business between her and I. Your desires...how sad. How pathetic.”
Sara tensed, her hands curling into fists. “What I want now, what I want tomorrow, or ten years from now, are my concern, not yours.”
Oberix turned back to Kaden. “You say ‘spellbook,’ but I forsee you buying this.”
A servant approached and kneeled with a bronze platter. On it sat a crystal globe filled with the power of a dying star. It shimmered with violet entergy.
[Fate Breaker]
The Fate Breaker can unmake any binding, even those keeping someone alive. Created to free the first god, it has passed through many hands, taking the form most appropriate for the wielder. You may only use Fate Breaker once.
Kaden couldn’t help staring. Forget Mr. Dervish’s theory and Treadle’s research, this was real and it was here and it was an inch away.
“Pick it up! We can’t see what form it takes without you at least holding it.” Oberix crossed their arms.
Kaden reached toward the sphere of energy-and closed his hands on a knife he hadn’t held for a decade. The carved antler handle and dull steel blade had belonged to his father. But that was just the image. Deep inside, he felt the power waiting to be used. If he could see the binding, he could obliterate it. “How much?”
“A trade. That War hammer of yours.” Oberix tipped their head.
Kaden didn’t hesitate, drawing the axe from Inventory. “You’ve got—”
“Sorry, changed my mind,” Oberix said. “But gods, if you could smell the desire coming off you, you’d understand why I couldn’t resist. Besides, you know that hammer has chosen you. A tier two baby with a tier four skill? So naughty.”
The crushed feeling was so close to bursting into rage. Kaden’s hands shook as he dropped the knife on the platter.
Sara put a hand on him. “We have a tube of Mana Dust to sell. You know of the quality. Separately, we need a Broker to locate a Vichorean spell book that was sold in the market. If you don’t have it, we want to know who it was sold to and where we can find them.”
“Funny, how you say the word ‘want.’ I’m offering what’s desired. Two different things. Or not, in your case, right? You do so want to be desired. Or is it even sadder, and you simply desire to be wanted?”
The Dragon beside them growled long and low. *Enough games. Either you can do it or you can’t, and my money’s on can’t.*
“Time. I need time. I had what he truly wants. I don’t have the book but I can get you information on it. Are you willing to pay? Are you able to pay? A rare spellbook won’t come cheap. Even information won’t be ‘cheap.’” This was focused on Kaden.
And inside him [Authority of Vichor] gave weight to his answer. “Of course. A reasonable price will not be a problem.”
“Never speak of ‘reason’ in my presences. Reason is no match for desire,” Oberix said. “You will be very entertaining to me.”
Only one problem. “We still have a meeting with Diggus.”
Oberix flashed an unsettling smile. “I will act as a broker if—and only if—you also ask this of Diggus. I never miss a chance to show the entire market which of us is better.”
Kaden looked to Sara, who nodded. “I’ll accept that.”
*You got the best broker in the Market looking for your spellbook. Take the win and take the exit,* Suridev sent.
“Oh, does our little Dragon desire his pets alive?” Oberix called. “I wouldn’t dream of hurting them. They’ll do that all on their own!”
Kaden had been heading for the door. And now he couldn’t. “You didn’t answer me. You didn’t answer my question. How much for the [Fate Breaker]?”
“Indeed I didn’t.” Oberix thought for a moment. “I couldn’t possibly name a price so quickly. Not for such a rare treasure. Oh, I have an idea. Why don’t you take it with you? We can make a [Contract] that it belongs to me until you buy it. But it will guarantee no one else buys it first.”
Sara almost shouted. “I’d bet you already know exactly, to the coin. You ‘desire’ control. Your entertainment is watching people agonize over what you offer.”
“It is.” Oberix picked up the blade. “You know you want to. I will swear before the System, I won’t sell it to anyone else. But you must swear before the System, you cannot use it before you buy it.”
Kaden weight his choices. Mr. Dervish was working on a way to break the Binding. But this was a way now. A guaranteed way. “If I change my mind?”
“You return it to me. Our deal ends.”
He took the blade. “I swear before the System I will not use it without purchasing it.”
You have sworn an oath: You will not use the [Fate Breaker] without purchasing it from Oberix.
“And I swear I will not sell it to anyone else,” Oberix said. “We will meet again and again.”
Kaden was ready to leave. Ready to be anywhere but here. “How much do we get for—”
Suridev bumped him. *Don’t be rude. Vanya would have handled this, but now you’ll get paid when Oberix sends an envoy to collect it. It’s more gold than you’ve ever had.*
“I’ll wait for your envoy. But what’s to stop you from jacking up the price for the Fate Breaker by however much we get for the Mana Dust?” Kaden regretted asking.
“Absolutely nothing. Just kidding, oh, I love the way you look just now!”
Kaden turned and headed toward the blazing gold portal that opened up a few yards away. It opened to Suridev’s business, and he strode through, waiting only for Sara. The dragon did not come.
“I know. Bad decision,” Kaden said.
“What are you talking about? There’s zero risk. I was trying to signal you to take the offer. You have it, no one else has it, and no one will until you return it.” Sara patted him on the back, then wiped her hand. “We both need to bathe and clean our clothes. I don’t understand how you continued fighting with [Thorn Cage].”
Suridev’s business bustled as Adventurers poured through the door, accompanied by different guides, but Vanya stepped through the entrance and headed straight for them. “Quickly, follow me.” He pulled aside a tapestry to reveal a stairway downward into glowing orange stone. “First, the Lord has told me how you interceded against Fate. You have my gratitude, for what it is worth. Second, you offended Bluderyn and Syntera in one go. It would be better for you to wait in Omnor tonight. I’ll send for you when Diggus is ready.”
“Where is this going?” Sara hesitated as the stone began to glow more brightly.
“Lord Suridev has his own ways in and out of the market.” Vanya stepped past them and touched stone that should have set his skin on fire.
Instead, magma rolled back, revealing a portal.
“I’ll go first.” Kaden jumped through the portal. The world twisted sideways as it re-oriented, but [Split Second] gave him a moment to find his bearing and land on his feet—then catch Sara as her Horror did its best to balance.
They’d emerged in an alley in Omnor, where a merchant stacked crates larger than he was. He didn’t even flinch or look up at Kaden or Sara, so it must not have been that odd.
“Where are we?” Kaden asked. Better to stay hidden until he understood if they’d arrived in the shadow of the Emporium. “Tell me that’s not the Emporium.”
“It’s not.” Sara’s tone said it was trouble. “For a Dragon, I’m sure this isn’t a problem. For you it’s a problem. We’re in Xik’limee’deus’s Domain.”
The one section of Omnor where Kaden was a declared enemy.
Kaden peeked out of the alley. His Demon Sight showed that all the guards were lesser demons. For that matter, the look of the Adventurers shopping in this area made Kaden think he didn’t want their attention any more than the demons.
He studied the alley. “I have an idea. We can hide under one of those crates. When no one’s looking, we’ll move. As long as we’re careful, we should be able to move from alley to alley.”
“Don’t you have [Stealth Aura?]” Sara asked. “Hiding under boxes to avoid guards would never work. Someone would see the box moving and come to investigate.”
Kaden still liked his crate idea, but he activated [Stealth Aura]. The skill settled over them, and he guided Sara out of the alley. *Long way around or quick run to the border?*
*Long way. The streets are crowded. So many people wanting to shop in the presence of a Demon Lord.* Sara’s thought carried the disgust.
Moving through crowds in [Stealth Aura] was an exercise in patience and prediction, watching crowds and guessing who was going where. Kaden let Sara choose the path if she saw an opening, and they worked their way diagnoally and into another alley, then up onto the rooftop.
A gasp of delight or fear ran through the crowd, and the [Grahts] guarding at street corners brayed out. Multispeak and [Beast Soul] did nothing to translate their speech, but Sara pointed. *It’s Xik. Xlick. Limey himself*
If Kaden had never seen another Demon Lord he would have been perfectly happy. The Demon Lord towered over the low stone shops, and his gray skin glistened as he moved. The spikes on his head and spine weren’t as pronounced as Asmodeus’s, but they weren’t the bumps that had covered Demon Daddy Darmando, either.
And to make things worse, two [Demon’s Daughters] flanked him, each dressed in flat black chain-mail which seemed to drink in light and armed with spears.
“Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.” Limey’s voice boomed out, and Kaden heard it both in demon speak and translated. “If you come with ill intentions, you are welcome. If you come with only gold, you are welcome. My daughters will attend your needs, and all that the Hells can offer, I can obtain on your behalf.”
Crowds surged into the stone building Limey had emerged from.
And Kaden began to shudder.
*What’s wrong?* Sara asked.
What was wrong was the notice.
PATTERN OF FATE DETECTED. AVOID/ENCOUNTER DEMON LORD [ENCOUNTER]
Kaden shared the logs with Sara.
*Karmic Penalties are nothing to laugh at. If you repeat, it’ll be more severe this time. Remember my failed Busineses?* Sara asked.
That Karmic Penalty had killed innocent bystanders. Kaden tried to apply a simple question. ‘What would Centurion Ranger Viktor do?’ but the problem was Kaden wasn’t a Centurion, wasn’t a Ranger and didn’t have a plan for how to escape. Kaden deactivated Stealth Aura. “Hey. Limey. You. Over here. I want to talk.”
The Demon Lord blinked slowly, focusing on Kaden. And began to lumber toward him.