The manifestos present on Bron’s desk weighed heavy on his mind. Leaned back, he stared at the dozen more responsibilities thrust upon him by Father and began idly thumbing through the rankings on his system block.
He still remained disappointed by himself, not even within the top two thousand yet. How much time had he been fighting to bridge that gap? But he wasn’t growing faster than the competition.
Stagnation allowed the hint of doubt and madness to creep into his thoughts as he thumbed away to the Expansionist leaderboard, tracking the minor changes in both stages of competition with persistent determination.
What he saw nearly made him drop the block, his breath quickening as he reread. The last time he’d checked, the total number had continued increasing steadily as the Ascenders’ recruitment strategy, mainly their marketing of their power suits, continued being an insurmountable thorn in Bron’s side.
So how come, then, had several of the mid rankings simply disappeared in great number? No news had made its way to Bron about any Ascender expeditions into higher floors. No great conflict he knew of that would cause such loss, unless his information network was failing disgustingly, was planned on the side of the competing faction.
Before he could think too much about it, he was moving. A broker he knew had access to information that shouldn’t be accessible. Bron never asked the sources, nor questioned how much information the same broker had distributed about Bron and his own dealings either. Simply to question was to inform those types, and him knowing for sure they knew things he didn’t want anybody else to would eat away at his mind.
Better to remain ignorant and not run the risk of giving up more than determine the unknown for certain. Especially when dealing with them.
If he wasn’t careful, even his soul wasn’t safe.
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“I have the list.” Verox held out a notebook page. “Along with a full confession from the one who actually carried it out. It sounds like Laril was the ringleader, but they’re all complicit to one extent or another. They went to ludicrous extents to conceal their movements, since they knew there’d be hell to pay if they were caught.”
“Laril. Laril, Laril, Laril.” James felt the name on his tongue and found it completely suitable for someone who would orchestrate a petty plan to remove a sudden rival. “For Laril’s sake, let’s hope he’s either dead already or stays far, far away from me, not to mention Shen Ai will have a field day with him if she catches wind of this.”
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Shen Ai had been in the middle of a very dull prelude to the actual good part of the auction when the notification pinged into her vision.
[Urgent message, Co-Owner Ivy has left my current range of perception. She is no longer in the tower or within the Euriste system.]
She immediately jumped to her feet, but had no idea where to go.
“Senior Shop, can you connect me to Senior James?”
[Representative James is not currently in a mindset to be making conversation. I cannot move you around within the tower without setting off alerts, but I can give you a general map to his location.]
“Then please do that.
[It will cost—]
She raised her voice, cutting off the message before it could finish forming. “I do not care the cost, I will pay it. Show me now.” She owed Senior Ivy too much to stand by even a moment longer than necessary.
People turned to stare at her, but she ignored them. Information filled her mind, complete with the glowing beacon that was James. Floor 25 was a long way down.
She threw herself into the air and sprinted toward the lobby, leaving a sonic boom and outraged shouts in her wake.
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“Ren, Ren, Ren, explain this to me.” Bron showed Ren the drastically changed leaderboard. “You know something, don’t you? What will it cost?”
“Bron.” Ren hummed, a twinkling there Bron knew meant the information wasn’t a surprise. There was little meaning to dragging out a response, but Ren enjoyed toying with Bron, relished in Bron’s frustration. “I know you’re a lot closer to it all than you think. Take pride in the blow you’ve inadvertently delivered.”
Bron didn’t know how to take that. He was a part of far too many things to be able to pinpoint which would have caused so much of the Ascenisionist pests to disappear. Now that he knew something had happened for certain, he wanted to know, and Ren’s toying made his blood pressure rise by several magnitudes. “Make. Sense.”
“Show me what you think a once in a lifetime opportunity is worth, and I may.”
Bron contained the urge to shoot the annoying broker in the face and met the man’s eyes that knew more than Bron ever wanted to know. “Just name a price.”
“I’ve set my conditions. If you’re unwilling to make an offer, then I will conclude our business here.” Ren stood from their private booth and grabbed his coat, pulling one arm into a sleeve before pausing and giving Bron another look, as if to ask, “Are you sure about this?”
“What is it you want? Shards? I’ve got shards! Cards, connections, a favor?” His parents’ disappointed faces haunted him in times like these, as did their condescending words and his burning need to elevate his family. Something this big had to be a game changer, and he needed to know. “I need this. Please, name your price.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Ren took a moment to consider. “I will give you the information now and bind it with a magical oath. My request is this: become the leader of your faction, the Expansionists, after I give you this information.” The man held up two fingers. “You will owe me two favors, and the magical oath will ensure you do exactly what I ask. How’s that sound?”
“Terrible.” Bron looked at Ren and the v-shaped fingers and considered whether it was worth trading for. The conditions were heavily in Ren’s favor for the moment, but the brokers were always fair with the value of the information they sold. If Ren would ask so much of him, it had to be something big. He thought of his parents and their house name. The decision became clear, easy even. Once the initial hesitation passed, he couldn’t stop the visions of taking down his competition in the Expansionists, of elevating his family, of taking down Ascension.“Yes, I… I can do that.”
Quickly, Ren removed his coat from his shoulders, set it on the back of his chair, and looked around before he spoke. “Then listen carefully. I won’t repeat myself twice.”
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Cysee sat at his desk, contemplating what the xenth had told him about their current cargo. There were countless ways to monetize the impossible, but which way would bring the most benefit to him personally? There was all too much opportunity for someone else to come sweeping in and shove him aside if he couldn’t fully enmesh himself in this affair.
He needed a way to keep the creature’s capabilities permanently connected to himself in a way that no imitator could claim.
Xian may be an idiot, but he’d not been wrong. If what he claimed was true, this was too good an opportunity to pass up.
But first, Cysee needed to see for himself. He ordered a chariot from the downcity to be brought up. If he was going to cross all the way to the cargo realm he wasn’t going to do so in his ordinary conveyance. He needed more comfort for such a long journey.
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Ivy was surprised to find that the meal brought by her ratman captor/assigned butler was actually really good. It was served on plates that were perhaps unreasonably small, but there were enough courses that even the teaplate-sized meals added up. It covered an impressive array of styles as well. Sandwiches, exotic salads, a soup she wished she could ask for another serving of, a tiny roast meat that had been thoughtfully deboned for her, and what had to be the local equivalent of baked potatoes—albeit a bit more carrot-flavored and very round and yellow.
By the time Xian was done unloading the last plates, she was already finished with the first. Once she was fully finished, he offered her a tiny handkerchief that was impressively soft and thick.
“Thank you, it was delicious. I don’t suppose you’ve thought more about my—”
The creature made a shushing gesture, glancing around as though confident they were being watched.
“Okay, well, you know where to find me.”
“Your clothing is being made, but it will be another day before it’s ready.” He bowed deeply. “I apologize for this failure.”
“You don’t need to bow over that, I’ll survive. As long as it doesn’t get any colder.”
“No need to worry about the temperature, it is fully regulated. If you are uncomfortable, I can request—”
“Xian,” another voice interrupted imperiously. “Begone.”
“Yes, my lord.” Xian turned tail, scooped up the cart, and ran for it.
Ivy turned around indignantly. “Who do you…” She didn’t see anyone behind her. “Where are you?”
“I’m here, Your Glory.”
It took her another minute to locate the tiny window and the imperious mouse-person staring out at her. He was small enough that she could have measured his height with one hand. If this was what Xian wanted to look like, no wonder he felt out of place. She tried very hard not to think about the logistics of how exactly a half-breed ended up quite so close to human sized. It wasn’t very successful.
Thankfully, the creature interrupted her thoughts before they could derail too far. “Your garb is, as the xenth implied, being woven at our utmost speed. I wished to introduce myself, Cysee, the High Arbiter for this vessel. That is to say, everyone who lives here is under my command.”
“Alright…” Ivy crossed her arms. “What’re you getting at? I don’t understand.”
“When we reach the Heartship, you will be introduced to your people. Your primary responsibility is to be glorious and not disruptive. Help the people to stay happy and calm. I’m sure you can do that.”
Ivy scoffed. “If you think that having me around will make things less disruptive, then you haven’t done your research. Besides, I thought I was your prisoner. You’re making me sound more like a mascot.”
“I do not understand your disappointment. Would you prefer to be a prisoner than a goddess?”
“More like figurehead. What’re you getting out of this?”
“Me? Only the honor of being your personal arbiter.”
“Mmmmhm, which position would probably be higher and more important than running a slave ferry, am I close?”
The mouse-man bowed. “Of course, you are perceptive, as expected. One as Blessed as yourself would naturally be above any such petty concerns.”
“Yeah, sure, sounds great. And what if your Blessed One just wants you to turn this ship around and take me back to the Tower?”
“I am only arbiter of the people living within these cities, not of the vessel’s destination. Our route has been determined since before we departed and cannot be overwritten by any power I can access. The Heartship allows no foreign interference with its decrees. If you would defy it, you must do so in person.”
“And if I still want to leave?”
High Arbiter Cysee shrugged and bowed. “That is between you and the Heartship. But the fact that it has not stripped you of your power or Blessings indicates that you are the chosen one. Perhaps you can even guide the Heartship to a safe haven so we need no longer drift amid the void, living on the neglected and abandoned scraps of greater societies.” Then he sighed. “Perhaps I get carried away with my hopes.”
Ivy tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Lifespan,” she muttered, and raised an eyebrow at the four-digit number over the tiny creature’s head. “Looks like you’re in luck. I can probably get you guys a planet built custom, but it’ll probably cost your people a good chunk of their lifespan. Would you be open to such an arrangement?”
His eyes widened as he stared. “Truly?”
“Yep. I’ll have to do some searching, but I’d be willing to bet just about anything that we can get you a nice tiny planet and fix things so it’ll stay safely in the appropriate goldilocks zone so you don’t have to worry about being eaten by the sun or hurled off into space. Just two conditions. You’ll have to pay whatever the cost is in the lifespan of your people, and you’ll need to take me back to Euriste 3.”
“I… thank you, Your Glory, I will bear your proposal to our councils as soon as we reach the Heartship. Your travel arrangements will have to be made yourself, I cannot promise this ship’s availability, but I will advocate for your request as far as my voice has meaning.”
“Good enough.” Her disappointment at not having anyone to fight free of was quickly replaced with excitement at the prospect of another major deal for the shop. As far as side-quests went, this one was looking pretty quick and easy.
She just hoped whatever outfit they ended up putting her in wasn’t too gaudy.
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