While Kaden had everyone’s attention, he dragged the Tier Up scrolls from Inventory.
Eve’s gasp was exactly appropriate. “Any tier?”
“I haven’t tested one yet, but that was what it said.” Kaden had handled a ton of dangerous objects and none felt so worrisome. “I could be a Centurion in seconds.”
Sara shook her head. “How would the System even react to that? At fifty, it spawns a [Nemesis]. What happens if you’re already a Centurion?”
Eve turned away. “Do you know how they’re manufactured? Once, there was a skill called [Experience Drain.] It makes what you do with [Mana Drain] kind by comparison.”
The golden hue of the scrolls spoke of power. Of magnificent power, and Kaden wasn’t sure there was such a thing as cheating on the path to power. “Ashi. I want to ask your Mother about these.”
“And if she does not approve?”
“I’ve been pissing off powerful people all day. We’ll add her to the list.” He kept his eyes shut as the world shuddered, and magic drained away and then surged.
Vip began to wag her tail and barked with excitement.
“Oh, hello.” Sara stood up and walked behind him. “You’re Ashi’s mother? You’re what everyone’s so in awe of? Yes, I drank after a dragon. It is. I died and nothing was right. I’m not ‘eternal’ and I’m not ‘mortal’ and I don’t know what to make of it yet. Yes, I supposed we will see, in time.”
Kaden winced as the answer came.
Eve had her eyes closed, her hands gripped close, but she wasn’t afraid.
“What is your question?” The voice was his mothers, even though he knew it wasn’t her.
Kaden pointed to the scrolls. “We have thousands of scrolls I took from the Emporium. Some of them are probably forbidden, but these three are different. Are they real? What happens if I use these?”
“They are real. You would leave your friends and family behind. Find yourself in a new world you are not prepared for. Face a Nemesis at level one hundred with all of your power, but you would not know how to use your skills. Endure changes in an instant that most weather over centuries.” She held out a hand over one, and the light took the form of a old man with a mohawk and empty eye sockets. “It is not forbidden, but you do not need me to tell you it is not wise.”
That much was true. “What about the rest of what we took? Omnor isn’t the sort of place that cares about ‘right or wrong’”
“Of all you took as the spoils of war, seven are unfit for the world. Their power is not evil, but the destruction they bring could be a cataclysm of its own in the hands of ruthless men. Five are tools of desperation. The time to use them will yet come. Two are a crime against magic itself, a sorrow that they exist.” As she spoke, the spells flew, exploding from Inventory cubes and arranging themselves into stacks.
The shielded scrolls’s shields disintegrated into nothing.
Vichoreans regularly set themselves on fire, disfigured themselves, exploded entire houses, and more, and didn’t consider magic ‘evil.’ To hear spells described as a crime was shocking. “The two are yours to do as you see fit. The seven should be preserved. I don’t know what to say about the five.”
The wind blew warm on his face. “One will go with Ashi when she is ready. The others will be preserved for study. The System does not bind me any longer, but I swear by my own power this is true. The two, I have already unmade by your permission. When I ascend, I will take their knowledge with me.”
Kaden stored away the tier-up scrolls. “Thank you.”
“When you return to your Dungeon, you will find my gift waiting. And the Demon you carry, what will you do with her?”
He knew the answer. “When we’re done studying the binding, I’ll destroy her. I’ll send her to Mortis’ Court. Naski is evil. She wouldn’t hesitate to kill me and delight in doing it. That doesn’t mean I want to torture her.”
The weight on his soul lessened. “This answer is right. If you asked for my counsel, I would tell you not to use ‘Tier Up’ scrolls. But your choices are yours, and your Destiny will not change. Be at peace with whatever decision you make, Dungeon Master.”
She spoke to Ashi, a long song of music that would paint sunsets and form rivers. And departed. Kaden could breathe again.
“That was all?” Sara asked. “I was expecting more.”
Vip’s growl was, in essence. *I don’t know, she loved me. Then again, everyone loves me.*
It left Kaden boggled. “What more did you want?”
“More. What did she mean?” Sara asked Ashi. “I understood the part about Omnor. And Kaden. What exactly is a ‘Fate Storm?’”
“We will stay the night here, while my sister and mother work to blind Oberix. When too many changes happen to the weave of fate too quickly, it leaves all blind to the outcome. A few hours in Vichor will be more than enough to overwhile any [Prophecy.]” Ashi looked to Kaden. “This is acceptable?”
“I went to restore the twin’s inheritance. The System says it’s done. I don’t feel like it, yet. I’d invite you all to stay in my house, but it’s sort of utterly destroyed.” Kaden shrugged.
“Is it?” Ashi asked. “Or has Mother’s will restored it so that you may rest? I will stay here tonight with my family. Najur asks this, and it is what I desire.”
Eve looked to Kaden. “I don’t feel comfortable sharing a bedroom with men, not even Kaden. It’s not done where I was raised. May I continue to use my existing one?”
“Of course. You are not a Dungeon Master. You are not a Mage, but your service is never forgotten,” Ashi said. “Let no one say what you should or should not do. If sleeping alone brings comfort, then let there be comfort.”
“I wouldn’t be entirely alone,” Eve said.
Vip ran over and leaped into her lap, curling up with a *love.*
Kaden could allow that. “Sara, come on. I want to show you the city. Metami—” He wished the Shield Saint was here, but hoped she’d found happiness. “Metami showed me the city. They have coffee. And arguments about magic. And libraries, most of the time with all three.”
Together they set out into Vichor, and Kaden showed her where he’d once hidden, fearing for his life. The lake where he’d learned about mana and embarrassed Jagi. The Portal training area.
Sara found a book of [Lightning Mana] spells and though she wasn’t a [Mage], she sat in the open air and read about the thousands of different combinations of spells. “[Revitalizing Bolt], I want that when I’m high enough level. And [Searing Bolt] to remove status effects! And [Reviving Bolt]! I want all of them!”
“[Recharging Bolt] is better than [Reviving Bolt],” a nearby mage offered. “More Mana is always better than more health. More mana solves everything.”
This kicked off a discussion Kaden termed vigorous and most people would have called vicious over the nature of Revitalizing Bolt and whether it was a corruption of [Recharging Bolt] or [Recharging Bolt] was the refinement.
Kaden left her there and went searching for spellbooks of Chrono Mana. The Librarians got together and dispatched [Assistants] to search—then to search other libraries. The problem with time magic was that when something went wrong, it often obliterated records of its own existence.
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In the end, he wound up surrounded by [Researchers] working to unravel how, exactly he had received [Moment of Eternity]. Kaden described how in any battle where Remembrance gained enough power, small objects began being affected, moving slightly backwards in time.
Of course, if Kaden went back in time, he would be losing skills. And moving forward seemed impossible other than the slow movement of the sun. He was certain the war hammer was part of the puzzle, given that it grew sharper during battle. Heavier, too, he’d noticed during the battle with the beserkers.
The problem was, Remembrance’s abilities were unknown. Kaden had an idea of who could tell him. Senior Sister said the Sisters of Shadow were nearly certain they knew Remembrance’s history.
The Necromancers, on the other hand, might be able to let him speak to past owners. By the time they were done, it was well after midnight, and Kaden refused half a dozen requests to stay longer.
Sara joined him on the walk to his house. “These people would never survive in the real world. They’re more interested in determining how to tweak the color of a spell than if it would kill more monsters.”
“Vichor was meant to be a haven for dungeon masters, but it’s become a place for mages as well.” He opened the door to his house—and stopped. The burned and blackened stone was gone. What remained married simple farmhouse style with Vichorean’s stacked stone and carved wood. Even more, the carvings in the furniture were beasts. His beasts.
Well, Vip was never that still, and Trinity was always more menacing, and Rocky looked like he wasn’t sad about being out of Kaden’s soul. The cabinest were carved with wings-spread Falcrow, and the stair banisters were monkeys and wolves carved in red wood. The stairwell was twice as wide as normal, to accomodate Trinity.
Sara headed up the stairs. “Two bedrooms. And a door that’s large enough for Trinity.”
Kaden could imagine himself spending time here, if Trella was welcome.
Or Shadowvale, if they’d ease up on the whole drugging-him thing.
Home wasn’t a place so much as people. Kaden summoned Trinity and let her tromp in and out of the upper floor door. He wasn’t worried about anyone creeping in in the night. Jagi was gone. Anyone who did would discover Trinity was several hundred pounds of deadly with an absolute love for strangers. As in eating them.
For one, he didn’t have difficulty falling asleep. And he would have stayed asleep if not for someone shaking him. He gradually opened his eyes. “Go away. Ten more hours.”
“Wake up,” Sara said. “The [FateWeavers] say Omnor is completely unreadable by [Prophecy]. Ashi has the [Thread of Fate]. It’s time to go find the twins. Also, Eve fixed breakfast.”
The last had him out of bed and downstairs. “You came in my house and didn’t catch fire.”
“Tell a soul and I’ll [Plauge] you,” Eve said, handing him a plate. “I have a reputation for being unreasonable and cold, and I won’t have you spoiling it! Not you, love.” She slipped Vip a piece of meat.
Trinity’s snake head reached across the bar and seized a slab of raw meat, then she headed up the stairs and out onto the upstairs patio. While Kaden devoured his breakfast, the smell of burning meat from upstairs said Trinity had figured out how to operate the heatstone on her own.
“Where’s Ashi?” Kaden asked.
“Spending time with her mother. Such a wonderful person,” Sara said.
Behind Sara’s back, Eve shook her head.
He’d never agreed with her this much and it still felt wrong. Before he’d finished eating, the [Falcrow] swooped in from the stairs and spoke in Ashi’s voice. “It is time to return. Time to right the patterns of [Fate]. Meet me at the Dungeon Arch.”
The city was still resting, eating leisurely breakfasts and meditating, when the Party set out to the arches. Kaden had pulled Trinity and Vip into his soul for safe keeping.
Pratesh was waiting with Ashi at the arches of stone that connected to dungeons so dungeon masters could tend them. She clasp each person’s hand. “I thank you, because this is not a request of Royalty. This is not a demand of Vichor, and [Fate] does not recognize debts. The Blight must not be allowed to grow stronger than those who hold it back.”
Ashi spoke in Vichorean. “We are not friends with [Fate.] But we can do this, Sister.”
“[Fate’s] design was that only one should receive an inheritance. That one would be kidnapped and die. The other would be driven to grow stronger.” Pratesh didn’t look straight at Kaden but he had a feeling she knew he’d broken the Quest.
Sara had a better question. “What exactly do we have to do to restore them to a normal fate?”
“Even before the [Fate Storm] they were hidden. This implies that whoever took them feared someone with [Prophecy]. Find them, free them, return them to the Necrosium. If you’re willing to kill one of them, that would help too.” Prateshi stepped back. “It would help. It’s not required.”
As far as Kaden was concerned, the [Fate Weavers] could get to work and weave new fates. Like sweaters, sometimes fates got damaged and it was probably just common sense to have a spare [Fate] or [Sweater] on hand.
“Ashavan will not be fooled. The thread of fate will be drawn to them. One last request. The [Fate Storm] will have entangled many with weak fates. I will not say ‘spare them all’ but know it was not their choice.” Pretash bowed once more and stepped aside.
“We go.” Ashi activated an arch—and Kaden was looking at the inside of Ms. Anderson’s upper room.
He went through first.
Cold air hit him like a fist, and through the window, Ashfall lay thick across the city, which meant it was near dawn. Sara stepped through after him, and Kaden headed downstairs. “Ms. Anderson?”
A few moments later, she emerged from a downstair door. “You are alive! The gold kept coming, so as far as I was concerned, it was your room, but after months, I have to say I was wondering.”
“We brought a few friends,” Sara said.
“The third floor is haunted, sorry, but if you’re all comfortable there, I don’t mind. You…don’t know. You don’t know about the Great Hunt!” Ms. Anderson grew more alert with each moment. “The Four collaborated to bring the greatest event ever to Omnor.”
She shuffled thorugh a stack of scrolls on the bar.
“Eve, Ashi,” Kaden called. “Come down and meet Ms. Anderson.”
She ignored them and tossed a scroll onto the bar. “You couldn’t go outside without encountering one of these. You couldn’t buy breakfast without also receiving one. They won’t burn or break or tear, there’s been several attempts to fashion them into armor.”
The Scroll unrolled on its own, and a man spoke. “New prizes added daily, but only those with the best scores will compete in the Arena Of Blood for the grand prize.”
“What’s the grand prize?” Kaden had a decent idea.
“A wish.” Ms. Anderson said it “It’s said to be impossible, but it’s brought thousands to Omnor. The first few months were nothing but fighting tournaments. The winners of the tournaments received the right to form scavenger teams. Each team is searching for a dragon testicle. Collect all seven and you have the right to a wish.”
“I’m not doing that,” Sara said.
Eve nodded. “We have a different purpose.”
“What happened with the Necromancers?” Kaden agreed with the other two. A scavenger hunt all over Omnor seemed like a good way to get on everyone’s bad side.
Ms. Anderson looked deeply conflicted. “I’ve lived under the protection of the Emporium for centuries. I have friends who were floor managers there. Word was the owner of the Emporium—”
“Diggus,” Sara said. “We know it’s him, no need to protect a secret that’s not a secret.”
“The owner,” Ms. Anderson said, not meeting Sara’s gaze. “The owner took a task to locate a Necromantic treasure that was lost. And the good news was, it was already coming to Omnor, to be handed over to a broker.”
That was a huge mistake. “I was never going to hand it over to a broker.”
“On its way to be transferred into the posession of a broker,” Ms. Anderson said. “Then, it somehow wound up in the posession of the Necromancers. Normally, it’s easy enough. Kidnap the children, ransom them, children are the best treasure, you know it goes.”
Ashi was about one second from starting a fist-fight, so Kaden intervened. “The twins didn’t have the skull, the necromancers wiped out the Emporium. Sara and I lost a level to that mess.”
“The Necromancers want their members back,” Ms. Anderson said. “The Emporium knows that if the twins are dead, there’s absolutely nothing restraining the Necromancers. And they’re not convinced the war will end with their return.”
“We could negotiate,” Sara said.
“That’s not the real reason, is it?” Eve asked. “The real issue is that the Broker doesn’t have the skull for their client.”
“That, too,” Ms. Anderson said. “You’re welcome to try and intercede. Surely fresh eyes might find new ways to peace. Ashfall will end within the hour. Reach out to your contacts, it would be nice to not have this hanging over the city. I’m going back to sleep.”
Kaden didn’t mind. After she left, he turned to the others. “I don’t want to help broker a peace. I sawy we find the twins, free them, and let the Necromancers decide how much revenge is too much.”
“I would be happy to negotiate,” Sara said. “But Eve is correct. The core demand of the Emporium will be that they receive the skull. They’ll understand this is a crime the necromancers will never forgive.”
“I see no reason for mercy.” Ashi produced something from Inventory, a golden thread that tapered from her palm. It began to move as though blown in the wind—and then relaxed, no longer pointing in any direction. “There is no precedenct, no instruction, no guide. We may need to be closer for the Thread to find them.”
As soon Ashfall ended, they set out across the city, heading for the Necrosium.
Kaden couldn’t believe the changes in Omnor. Buildings had been rebuilt to incorporate them into huge coloseums filled with crowds who cheered. Projections of the battles inside hung over the top so that even those outside could watch.
The Trade-Rite Emporium wasn’t incorporated. In fact, the north-east corner of Omnor was largely unchanged. “Who’s the broker behind Trade-Rite?”
“Oberix,” Sara said. “It’s odd that Oberix isn’t participating in these games. Syntera is. Bluderyn is. Obviously Diggus is organizing the games.”
“Wait.” Eve had stopped. “We’re playing this all wrong. Oberix has years of experience. For all we know, they foresaw the [Fate Storm] or know we’re associated with it. They didn’t participate because they see something the other Brokers don’t. They’re still one step ahead.”
“What more could we do?” Ashi asked. “Mother has clouded all ability to forsee now.”
Eve crossed her arms, absolutely certain. “And Oberix didn’t see that coming? The only advantage we have here is him. Kaden has this talent for doing everything the wrong way. The hard way. And I’m certain the only way to truly break free of Oberix’s prophecies is to change everything.”
“You want him to do the things you hate?” Ashi asked. “Kaden, be you. You have my blessing.”
Kaden spun and headed for the nearest arena. He had an idea. He had permission. It was time to change the way he was going about it. It was time to change everything. If Oberix could still see the future, they’d be pulling their lavendar hair out.