When Ma’Z and Heaven reached the garage, Heaven stopped shortly after exiting the elevator to look at Ma’Z.
Ma’Z, for his part, looked back, a little bewildered at her rigid body language, and stern expression.
“What’s up?” he said, stepping out to join her.
Heaven looked him up and down. Physically, he was as good as new. Now that he was changed out of his tattered clothing, it was as if the assassination attempt had never happened. She worried about how he felt mentally though.
“You were nearly assassinated because of something I did. Are you sure you’re doing ok?” She asked.
Ma’Z’s gaze softened. With a smile, he pulled her in close and gave her a kiss on the forehead and said, “You don’t have to worry about me, otru fin. I know it looked bad, but when you can clean up burn marks and stab wounds in a matter of minutes with a few spells, can you really say it’s any worse than a regular old ass beating? I mean, I literally obliterated the guys who beat me up. They got it way worse than I did… assuming they come back.”
Heaven stopped to consider what he was saying. From his perspective, Ma’Z saw everything as a more extreme version of earth. They hadn’t lived through purgatory, but their parents did, and from how they described it, something like this must look no different than being tickled.
When she paired that with stories Ma’Z had told her of how rough it was for him growing up, it started to make sense how he could brush off nearly dying. He was never a stranger to high stress situations.
She often took for granted that while she chose to become a soldier, Ma’Z didn’t choose how he grew up. He was the civilian who grew up on rough streets that were no better than the war-torn city of Nkongsamba.
She reached up an arm to return Ma’Z’s embrace, leaning up to kiss him on the lips before resting her head on his shoulders.
“Ok. You’re right. I’m being too overprotective,” she said. “I guess I’m just upset that you had to suffer for something you had no part of.”
“All good. You’ve always looked out for me, and I’ll always appreciate that about you.”
“Well shucks, make a lady blush, why don’t ya.”
They both chuckled before Ma’Z broke away and said, “Well, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to do so at a dinner table.”
“You’re still serious about racing, aren’t you?”
“After what I saw at the track yesterday, I’ve become keenly aware that it’s this world’s version of PvP. Kind of fitting considering your fraternity.”
“Point.”
“Now, shall we?”
The two split up, Heaven heading for her Frame and Ma’Z towards his. As soon as he entered the machine, Sparkplug greeted him almost a little too enthusiastically.
“Welcome back weakling! I see you’re as good as new. Sleep well?” it said.
“Ok, where the hell are your settings, so I can turn the snark down,” Ma’Z fired back.
“You wouldn’t!”
“I absolutely would.”
“Ma’Z who are you talking to?” Heaven called out.
“Sparkplug. Turns out the little shit could talk all along, just like yours can,” Ma’Z replied.
Ma’Z was pulling out when Heaven pulled up beside him, eyeing the erzalis.
“So, you can speak, can you?” she asked.
“I can, and I must say, Yemaya is dying for you to raise her to gold affinity so she can talk to you too,” he said back.
Heaven reared back, taken off guard by the statement. She looked down at her Frame and said, “Is that true, Yemaya? Is that why you only talk to me like a robot?”
“Affirmative, boss,” was its only reply.
“Let’s carry this conversation to the road please. I’m hungry, and really looking forward to putting food in my belly,” Ma’Z said.
Hearing no objections, the two made their way out of the Fraternity, and were soon back on the road towards Renbaan Circuit.
Despite Ma’Z’s earlier proclamation of being hungry, they drove at a relatively sedate pace. The night was still young, and Sparkplug had dropped quite the bomb the moment he woke up, that needed to be addressed.
“So what did you mean earlier by Yemaya wanting to talk to me?” Heaven asked.
There was a brief pause.
Despite the silence, no one dared speak up, waiting for Sparkplug to respond. When he did, his response hadn’t quite gone the way either of them expected.
“Have you ever thought of having children?” it said.
For the second time, Heaven reared back at the unexpected response. “No, not even a little bit,” she said, confused.
“Shame. Because that’s how Yemaya thinks of you.”
“Is that how you think of Ma’Z?”
“Not quite. Each of our motivations are quite unique. For me, it was like waiting to finally see with my own eyes. To feel with my own hands, and taste with my own mouth.”
“That’s really weird, Sparkplug,” Ma’Z said.
“Perhaps, but that’s what I was looking forward to. For Yemaya, it’s like waiting for her partner’s acknowledgement.”
“What do you mean? I’ve acknowledged her. She’s invaluable to me,” Heaven said.
“Yes. She is. But you see her as a tool. Another weapon in your arsenal. She’s precious to you, to be sure, and though you don’t quite view her as expendable, you don’t view her on the level of a partner, but as a subordinate to do as you ask of her.”
“Isn’t that exactly what you are though?”
“I think I understand what he means,” Ma’Z interjected. When heaven turned her gaze to meet his, he quickly explained, “For me, Sparkplug feels like a second skin. It’s hard to adequately explain how I feel when I take the reins. It’s like I don’t have to wonder if Sparkplug is going to perform to my liking or not.
“Say for example, when I first built Cocytus. It took me several iterations to get it right, but when I did, it became a core part of how I drove. It was making decisions, based on how I drove, and simultaneously suggesting my next move while adjusting when I ignored them. It was like a constant back and forth dialog between us, and it made me one of the most feared drivers on the track.”
Heaven chewed on that for a bit, trying to parse what he was saying before asking, “Is that how it is with Sparkplug? It acts in conjunction with your actions, and subtly corrects for your flaws?”
“By the Goddess, I hate it,” Sparkplug interrupted. “Until I could speak, this buffoon was doing everything wrong. The spells he wrote are adequate, but they need to be fixed asap. His fighting style is above standard, but it’s built for a person, and I assure you, I am no mere person. I am that which will sunder the heavens! I am… Ok, Ma’Hiz, I can’t make myself sound all majestic and shit if I have to declare myself Sparkplug. Change my name.”
“Denied,” Ma’Z replied flatly.
“Awww, C’mon. It’s so, on the nose,” it lamented. “It’s like, oh look at that sweet erzalis. You know what? I’ll name it after the thing that keeps the cylinders firing.”
“Half true. I named you that because I like lightning powers, and my signature spell is literally me making sparks to set off the chain reactions that sends lightning bolts everywhere.”
“That is so… Ok. It’s not that lame when you put it that way.”
“What did you mean by his fighting style being all wrong?” Heaven interjected.
“Oh missy, let me tell you, the way you took down that shade progenitor? Absolute work of art. But also trash. This is part of what I meant by Yemaya wanting to talk to you. She has insights I can’t fully disclose because I’m not your Frame. But Ma’Hiz, here. Oh boy, am I going to have to build this boy from the ground up.”
“By doing what exactly?” Heaven asked.
“Yeah, what she said,” Ma’Z added defensively.
“It’s related to your memory,” Sparkplug said cryptically. “It was no accident that you came into this world the way you did, and it’s no accident that you can’t remember why, and I am very much in the middle of why that is. Unfortunately that’s the most I can tell you. Until your memories come back, I’m bound by geas to say nothing further.”
“Well, if that ain’t about a bitch,” Ma’Z said.
Heaven stared at the Erzalis, wondering at the relationship between the two, before looking down on her own.
“Does Yemaya and I have the same kind of relationship?” she asked.
There was a brief pause before Sparkplug answered and said simply, “No.”
“Yemaya, is there something you wish to tell me?”
“Affirmative, boss,” was all her machine replied in return.
“I see. Can you tell me what that is?”
“I am currently 88% of the way to gold affinity, boss. You must raise my affinity further before I can answer any further.”
Heaven couldn’t help but feel a mixture of surprise, excitement, and trepidation at Yemaya’s response. For the first time, it felt like her Frame was giving her words of encouragement instead of the usual matter-of-fact responses.
Sparkplug had told her that Yemaya wanted to be treated as an equal, and not a subordinate machine meant to do her bidding. But what did that kind of relationship imply? Could she really just accept being friends with a robot?
With nothing but questions with no immediate answers on their mind, the drove in relative silence. It wasn’t long before they were back on the hills overlooking the city streets down below, when Ma’Z thought to ask, “Hey Sparkplug, the three towers. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about those, would you?”
“Geas,” was all it replied.
“What the hell? So, you’re saying I know the answer?”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Bingo!”
“Why the hell would I do something like that?”
“Oh, buddy, I’m gold affinity for a reason. Once you remember, it’s going to be a doozy. Let me tell ya.”
“Yes. Tell me.”
“Denied,” Sparkplug said flatly.
“You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Oh, you betcha.”
“Well, can you tell me anything?”
“I can tell you that they are definitely related the source of all the excess æther.”
“Wait. What the hell? Related?”
“Error four oh four. No further information can be found,” Sparkplug said robotically.
“Wow, Ma’Z your companion could pass for your twin.”
“I am not that snarky,” Ma’Z rebutted.
“Sure, you’re not, honey.”
“Yeah well, now that I’m thinking about it, you haven’t exactly told me what’s up with this city either. It’s essentially the main quest, isn’t it?”
“Not really, but yes?”
“Cryptics. Everyone’s a cryptic.”
“No. Now hear me out. It’s not an official quest. It’s just a curiosity within the player community. We just wanted to know how it ticks. How it sustains itself. I mean this place is massive and something basically impossible on earth, and ‘it’s magic,’ doesn’t really cut it as an acceptable explanation.”
“But it’s literally magic. You hear the man… bot… Sparky… whatever. You heard him. The towers are related to whatever’s generating an excess amount of æther, and that æther clearly permeates the entire Cam-”
“Kev.”
“What?”
“It’s pronounced Kev. Kev noor if you want to be exact.”
“I uh- fine. Caomhnóir. Anyway, the whole place is pretty saturated with æther, making it essentially pure undiluted energy. So, why is it hard to accept that that much energy on tap couldn’t keep a city of this size going?”
“Because, it’s not just energy Ma’Z. There’s entire biomes in here running on that same energy. Energy that fertilizes the land, circulates entire water cycles, generates wind, and most importantly, powers that giant dome that serves as the chief barrier between us and everything outside. The energy requirements for something like that to function are astronomical.”
“Isn’t that why there’re also like five massive generators – that I know of – throughout the city alone? We’ve been doing this for forever at home. Hydroelectric, solar, fusion… they’re all here. Pretty sure, all that excess æther is getting fed through said generators and their power is being multiplied to distribute as much power as they can throughout the cam… kev.”
“And then comes structural integrity…”
“Floating city has several hundred thousand anti-grav propulsion thrusters located throughout the underbody to keep the load as evenly distributed as possible.”
“Then impact regulation…”
“Look, I’m just speculating, woman! I don’t know.”
“Precisely why we all want to know how the city ticks.”
“Ok, that’s fair.”
“Been here a lot longer than you dummy. We’ve all had these thoughts already. Higher intelligences are just curious about how it all works.”
“Occam’s phoned in and said magic. I’ll die on that hill.”
“I’ll probably join you, to be honest,” Heaven laughed.
By the time they reached the Renbaan Circuit, the crowds Ma’Z had seen last time, seemed to have multiplied. A race was already in progress, and several Riders were gathered along several strips of road. The familiar cacophony of music brought back feelings of nostalgia as he watched several Riders converse amongst one another either trading greetings or placing bets.
He knew the scene all too well, and a part of him wanted to go mingle, but his stomach made sure to remind him of why he made the trip. One thing at a time. First, put some food in his stomach, and then he would mingle.
Turning to look at Heaven, she pointed to a strip just outside of the venue packed with shops and restaurants, and no less raucous than the Renbaan itself. A series of spotlights lit up the night sky as Riders moved about to go join friends, while others were showing off some of their flashier spells for kicks.
Ma’Z noticed a handful of taco trucks and hotdog stands, where lines of people stood patiently to grab a bite of home. Where they set up shop, paved roadway gave way to freshly laid cobblestone streets, where several trees, lined with hanging multi-colored bulbs split the lanes.
Entering onto the main thoroughfare, they quickly found a nearby parking garage and promptly parked their respective Frames before heading to grab a bite to eat.
“So, which one stands out to you the most?” Heaven asked.
Ma’Z scanned the gaggle of restaurants, not feeling all that particular about what he ate, so long as something got in his belly. However, when his eyes fell on a familiar sign, he couldn’t help but gravitate in its direction.
“Yeah, that’s the spot,” he said happily.
Heaven looked up from where he was going, and immediately understood. A red, yellow and green orb floated just above the doorway, where a ring of letters rotated at a gyroscopic spin around the three orbs that read In-Grid.
The pair entered the restaurant, where they were quickly greeted by a young elf lady who said, “Welcome extinguished Riders to In-Grid. It is our pleasure to be seeing you this evening. Can you tell me with whom you’ve made your reservation?”
“Uh,” Ma’Z stammered, not expecting the response.
Heaven, likewise, was shocked at the response, but quickly schooled her features and pulled out her card and said, “Sorry. We’re Reapers. I believe we have a private room, but were looking to dine casually tonight.”
The elf’s eyes widened momentarily, but quickly recovered, smiling slightly brighter as she gestured for the two to come in.
“Right this way esteemed guests. I never expected to be paid a visit by the Valkyrie of the Lumen,” she said.
Ma’Z raised an eyebrow towards his fiancé, who feigned ignorance and followed the greeter to their table. Heaven was paying more attention to the fact that, although she asked to dine casual, they were still given an exclusive booth near the bar.
The restaurant interior was decorated almost entirely out of wood with plush leather-cushioned seats. Several drones glided lazily above, giving off a warm gentle light.
The patrons were dressed much like Ma’Z had expected. While not necessarily a hotbed for street fashion, each person in the establishment exuded a familiar body language that Ma’Z quickly picked out from those who were actual racers and those who weren’t.
With one glance at Heaven, however, he quickly threw his old biases out of the window. He decided to just assume all of them were.
Once seated, Heaven and Ma’Z unintentionally sat close together, accessing the restaurant’s menu, while the greeter took their drink order.
“I’ll have a Billie Billie,” Heaven said.
“Why does that sound like a shot reserved for people with a lot of money?” Ma’Z asked.
“Funny, you should ask that. The drink is actually of a normal price, but only those with money tend to order it.”
“Not surprised at all,” Ma’Z said, shaking his head. “I’ll have a Mount Cyanide, please.”
“One Billie, and a Cyanide? Ok, I’ll get your drinks and your server should be with you shortly. Thank you once again for patronage here at In-Grid,” the hostess said before walking away.
Their drinks arrived within a minute, and not long after that, their waiter arrived and introduced themselves.
“Hello, my name is Voltaire, and I’ll be your-,” he stopped mid-sentence as recognition set in. “Yo Kr-, I mean Ma’Hiz. What’s up jone? I wasn’t expecting to see you here. You guys just visiting or looking to get in on some action?” he preened.
Ma’Z and Heaven smiled warmly, Ma’Z putting his hand out for a fist bump.
“Hey man, talk about small world. You can’t possibly have two jobs, can you?” Ma’Z said.
“‘Fraid so. Got a small contract I’m clearing up. Starting to think I might have to decline this one though.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
Voltaire glanced around the room as inconspicuously as he could manage before sending Ma’Z a message while saying, “So have you had a chance to look over your menu? I recommend going with the rock chicken pasta. It’s got a slight zing to it, but it pairs like you wouldn’t believe with the parm crusted alfredo.”
Ma’Z raised an eyebrow but chose to play along. Pasta did sound good, but he never had one that sounded so crunchy. Ma’Z looked at the menu, checking out the description, while passing along the message Voltaire gave him, to Heaven.
As he did, he saw a different pasta dish that seemed more to his liking and said, “Sounds pretty good, but I think I’m going to try the sea-pressed bowtie carbonara.”
Voltaire smiled, nodding his head before turning to Heaven and asking her for her order.
Heaven smiled sympathetically and decided to take him up on the rock chicken pasta.
Voltaire nodded once again, taking down their orders and said, “Alright, give me a minute, and I shall return shortly with your ok? Have a great evening!”
Like a professional, Voltaire moved on to another table, chatting away gingerly with the seated patrons, not even so much as glancing in their direction.
Ma’Z took that as his cue to read the message, absently noting Heaven’s barely veiled rage.
So look, word has gotten out about some bautra that RD’d a couple Riders earlier today, and contracts were quickly assigned to find the person responsible. They pretty much described you to the letter but for some reason they didn’t give your name out.
The contract was handed out anonymously, but they put up an insane take for any information on your whereabouts. Now, I ain’t saying I tagged you, but I am saying I’m not the only one who took the contract. Had I known it was you, jone, I would’ve contacted you immediately, I swear it.
Now that I know, I’m going to let the contract lapse, but jone, I’m going to tell you now, people are pissed. I think you know about the taboo, but I know your reputation in the real. Not many of us act too differently in-world than we do out. So I have to believe you had a valid reason to RD those dudes.
There’s at least one other guy here with the contract. Thankfully, he’s one of the cooks, so there’s a fair chance he might not even know you’re here, but I would assume someone’s going to rat.
Look, I’m sorry, jone. I really am. But someone wants you bad, and I think they’re looking to vault farm you, consequences be damned.
So, consider this your warning.
If I hear from you tomorrow, consider it lucky, ‘cause once the Aegis finds out, they’ll put a stop to this real fast.
Be safe.
The two sat in relative silence for what felt like ages. Voltaire’s message had completely ruined the mood, and while Ma’Z was slightly annoyed, Heaven was silently seething.
After a few minutes, however, she finally began to calm down, and started to think of ways to deal with both of their problems.
“Ma’Z?” Heaven said, getting his attention.
Ma’Z, who had spaced out, blinked, looking at Heaven, who’s face had become unnervingly pleasant.
“What’s up?” he said, trying to sound natural.
“You asked if it was possible to get your ranks up within seven months, remember?”
“Oh? Ah, so we’re just changing the subject, then?”
“Leading to it, but I just want to go over it again. So, I’ll tell you the same thing I told you before we left the doc’s, you’re going to need to do a lot of contracts,” she said.
“Ah, so this is about racing, is it? If I’m constantly goofing around, I’m just going to slow my advancement, right?”
“Yes, but I’m not about to talk you out of it, or even suggest it. Just some things have come into perspective, so now I’m trying to hash out how we all get what we want in the end.”
“Oh yeah? Go on then,” Ma’Z said, perking up.
“Well, to begin with, I just realized I can’t be a part of your team. Not permanently, anyway. Exactly for the reasons I just stated. Me and the other reapers, we take contracts, and those contracts can and likely will conflict with your racing schedule. So I’ve decided two things.”
While Heaven spoke, Ma’Z had his attention on the restaurant, trying to decipher if anyone or everyone had taken up that contract. They hadn’t figured out who the body he had taken belonged to yet, but they were certain it wouldn’t be long before they did and disseminated the information to the other Fraternities to clear up any misunderstandings.
As it stood now, tensions were high, and people wanted answers. Heaven was still talking, however, and he would be remiss if he missed out what she was saying.
“First, no random team mates. Since we don’t know who those assassins were affiliated with, we can’t filter who may or may not be affiliated with them. So, that’s a no go.
“Second, that leaves us. I’m commissioning the whole team to be part of your squad. Whoever isn’t on contract at the time of the race, will be joining you. We’re all well versed in the PvP aspects, so we have the combat side pretty much locked. The racing part is your wheelhouse, and I’m sure the rest won’t have any problem learning from someone as infamous as you.
“I’ve already run it by Striga, and he’s more than fine with the team gaining new experiences, and even offered to join as well. Does that work for you?”
Ma’Z was struck by a sudden wave of appreciation as Heaven filled him in on her plan. From his perspective, she was really pulling out all of the stops just so he could fulfill his silly dream. Like she wanted nothing more than to fulfill her promise to give him an experience the likes of which he’d never seen before, and not bog him down with silly in-game politics.
The fact that she was that willing to do whatever it took to make him happy brought flashes of old memories under the strict tutelage of his teachers that all but eschewed the concept of happiness over duty.
“Let’s make a deal,” he said.
“A deal? You know you don’t need to make deals with me,” Heaven said.
“Alright, then tell Striga I want to amend our agreement. So long as it doesn’t interfere with any of my races, if he has a contract that I can complete, I’ll take it.”
“Ma’Z, need I remind you that we are death dealers. We kill people in cold blood for contracts.”
“No, you avenge the deaths of those who were wrongly put down. If you were just contract killers, your reputation would essentially be worth less than shit.”
“You’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you?”
“I think it was an inevitability if I’m being honest. You’ve been here for me from the jump, and I had always intended to do the same for you. It was kind of silly to think that wouldn’t include taking up the mantle of your cause.”
“Well, I can already tell you the headmaster is going to be pleased to hear that.”
Ma’Z gave Heaven a pleased smile. One, which she returned in kind. Taking her hand in his, the two began to lean in for a kiss when they heard a pair of footsteps approaching their table.
“Now I’ve done seen a lot of things in my life, but I never thought I’d see a wanted man – with the Valkyrie of the Lumen, no less – trying to make all lovey dovey in front of us like he hadn’t just killed two of our own.”
Ma’Z opened his eyes, feeling absolute indignation at the accusation, and a somewhat upset that his moment was ruined.
Looking beyond the man, he could see others were starting to stand as they realized the man was very pointedly talking about him.
“You know, if there’s one thing I don’t like, it’s a liar,” Ma’Z said, standing to meet the man’s gaze. “Now, if you would be so kind as to give me your name, so I can send you to meet the pieces of shit who tried to assassinate me this morning, I’d really appreciate it.”