Feral Beast Master: A Gamelit Adventure, page 26
“What about the child?” Kaden asked.
“I’ve got half a dozen bastards. What’s one more or less?” With every word he slapped Kaden, kicked him. “I’m holding back, you know. Don’t want this over too soon. Hand over the binding to the dog and I’ll make it quick.”
Kaden’s answer came as bubbled words in blood. Agony burst in his head as the world went dark.
“Whoops. Those were your eyes. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to see. Give this salve a minute so we can do this right.”
“Never going to happen.”
“Give me the binding. Drop it in my hand,” Aurora whispered in ears somewhere. With every word, a blow struck. A bone broke. “Give. It. To. Me.”
And Kaden had the kind of idea that only came at the brink of death. “I give up. Take it.”
He reached into his Inventory and forced broken eyes to open.
Captain Aurora gave him a fatherly grin, hand outstretched. “[Ghost Seed]? What the hell is a—”
Incompatible Item Detected.
Item/Class conflict Detected
Resolving…
Aurora exploded in a pile of protoplasm.
System messages scrolled by.
Entity unable to consent to Loot Corpse: Autoloot enabled.
Node Collapse for Full Reset in Twenty seconds. Nineteen seconds. Eighteen seconds..
Kaden crawled, dragging himself forward, closer and closer to the portal, but his health kept dropping. He summoned Trinity, who strode across the room to look down at him with all three heads. *Take me through the portal.*
The Bone head reached down to nip at his arm, and drag, but the Serpentine head whipped around, screaming at it until Trinity dropped him.
He’d never really controlled Trinity. Couldn’t order her, only ask. Now, the blind head reached down, opening a cavernous mouth. Fangs pierced Kaden’s ribs, and as his vision grew dark, his last thought was how Trinity was planning to eat him.
The world exploded, twisting sideways and upside down.
Then everyone started shouting.
Everyone started screaming.
And at last, silence ruled.
32
THIRTY TWO - KILL
GENESIS STATE DETECTED.
ERROR_ENTITY_NOT_IN_NODE.
Resolving….
ENTITY_IN_TRANSIT, GENESIS NOT AVAILBLE.
ENTITY_SPACE_OCCUPIED, GENESIS HALTED.
You have died.
You have been resurrected.
You have suffered a level penalty.
LEVEL FLOOR ENFORCED: MINIMUM LEVEL IS: 15.
Kaden opened his eyes and choked as someone pulled something from his mouth.
“Hang on, the little blighter bit your tongue,” a man with a raspy voice said. “There we go.”
Kaden’s eyes focused on the mangled rat the creepy man in ash-gray robes held up.
Your HP is low.
You require healing.
Kaden didn’t so much look around as his head flopped back and his muscles refused to work. Sara and Trella spoke with the man in gray, and coins exchanged hands, then they rushed to him.
“Drink this,” Sara said. She offered him a sip of healing potion, which drained down. His body convulsed, and his HP began to tick upward. “We’ll explain shortly, right now, we need to get out of here before Eve murders someone.”
Kaden was supposed to be proud and stand alone, but right now he seemed to have forgotten when he left his feet. Remembrance was in his Inventory. Vip and Trinity were in his soul. Everything else was fuzzy, but firmer as his health rose.
The buildings, the warm air, everything came rushing back. “The dungeon.”
“We’re in the support town, Kinnar,” Trella said. “The Guild here is exactly one building large, and we’re trying to decide if it’s safer to portal you back or stay here. Go get Eve and we’ll figure it out.”
The world wasn’t quite in sync, but every minute, he understood more how Sara had felt after the Harmpanzees. It wasn’t that death hurt, it was that the unbreakable sense of doom remained on top of him like a mound. The injuries to his body were already healing. The weight of accepting death wasn’t.
He felt less like he’d been slapped out of his body. “Aurora. Was in the core room.”
Trella’s grip on his hand became crushing. “Don’t say more. You need to recover, and anything you tell me, you’re just going to have to tell again.”
When Sara arrived, it was with Eve in handcuffs and two guards in tow. “We have to leave. It appears threatening to burn down the local temple is bad form. So is stabbing the priest.”
“I meant every word. Charging for resurrection, when we fixed your damned dungeon,” Eve said—then closed her mouth.
“Home,” Kaden said. The charms would hold. “I want to go home.”
“I can handle that,” Eve said. “The ride may be a little rough, I’m not a portal mage, but we can get you through.”
And they did.
Time was a squishy substance that stretched and snapped and blinked, but the more Kaden recovered, the more he understood. And at last, he was ready to sit down and explain to his Party.
“The Guildmaster requested permission to visit,” Sara said. “Do you want him here?”
Kaden shrugged. “If it keeps me from having to do this again. Does your Mom know we’re back?”
“She does. I’d rather not overwhelm you,” Sara said.
“Mistress Scylla is always welcome.” Kaden meant it. “Eve, any chance you can whip up some of those scorpion steaks?”
She practically skipped to the kitchen.
By the next day, Kaden sat out on the porch, watching the gathering storm build deeper and deeper. Their charms would only last a few more days, but he’d take them all. Plus, Sara had been less than subtle telling him that it was best if he stayed out of the city for now, matters they’d settle soon.
Kaden didn’t snoop when Mistress Scylla stepped through the FarPortal and ran to her daughter. He looked over to Trella, took her hand, and continued to rock.
Dominion sang out as the Portal activated again, and the GuildMaster stepped through. But he wasn’t alone. The man beside him collapsed, choking.
“It’s all right!” Sara called. “It’s just a city representative.”
A thought, and Dominion ceased its attack. Kaden headed over to meet them. “You should have warned me. That didn’t have to happen.”
The GuildMaster helped the hapless Councilman to his feet and brushed himself off. “Nothing to worry about. Very little harm done.”
Inside, Kaden recounted, his story, but as the others recounted Captain Aurora killing the core, the Guildmaster called for a halt. “Everything so far could be a regrettable mistake. We’ve tried to restore that dungeon for decades. Aurora may have found a core and set out to fix the dungeon.”
Mistress Scylla crossed her arms. “Really?”
“I’m not saying I believe that for a moment, I’m saying it can be claimed,” The Guildmaster answered. “Councilman, go on, invoke the [Aura of Truth].”
The city councilman looked at Kaden with fear. “I have to do this. It’s the only way they’ll be certain.”
Councilman Melarius Stenland has activated [Aura of Truth]. Cancel with [Authority]? [Y/N]
Kaden selected No.
You have come under [Aura of Truth]. Your answers must be truthful. System logs may not be altered.
The shock that hit him was that System logs could be altered at all.
Speaking under Aura of truth was like having a cage of needles pressed to his skull, and if he uttered a single lie, he’d die. But this time, though the Guildmaster flinched as Kaden shared logs and repeated his story, he didn’t argue. Every moment. Every kill, every injury. Sara’s death. They treated it like some buffet of information.
When Kaden explained about how [Beast Empathy] told him they couldn’t be real beasts, the Guildmaster smiled, nodding, then listened, mouth open as Kaden explained how they bypassed the normal path.
He didn’t flinch or even react as [Aura of Truth] forced a recount. And under its force, the simple acknowledgement that he was going to die hit harder than anything. The Guildmaster held up his hand. “That’s enough. That’s all we have to know. Do you have any more questions? You ask me, I’ll ask him what’s appropriate.”
The Councilman shook his head. “I have to report on this immediately. Captain Aurora is dead, isn’t he? Permanently dead?”
Kaden nodded.
“Guildmaster, this puts us in difficult situation. Keep him out of the city until this is resolved.” The Councilman stood and dusted himself off. “No level fifteen kills a Centurion. So you were present when it happened, but I doubt you have any idea what you got yourself into. Explain to him. I’ll tell you when we’ve decided how it’s going to be.” He left the farmhouse.
And the Guild master raged. He cursed and splintered the kitchen table, then threw a chair through the front window, shouting in frustration.
“Deran, get a hold of yourself!” Mistress Scylla shouted. “You, of all people, should know better than let your rage take over. Isn’t that what got us into this mess?”
The Guildmaster turned away, and after a moment, he looked back to Kaden and his party, and dropped a bag of coins on the remains of the table. “My sincere apologies, and I hope this covers repairs. If it doesn’t, let me know. I can’t believe Aurora was so selfish. We’re facing a monster surge the likes of which haven’t happened in a century, and his stupid pride—how did you do it?”
Kaden shared the system logs. “I didn’t have a class when I first touched Dungeon Loot, so there wasn’t a class conflict. My best guess is that the System marked me as compatible. It didn’t mark him as compatible.”
Even the Master Assassin looked shocked. “I shouldn’t know this. You shouldn’t know this. When I walk out of here, I’m going to pretend I never heard this. But if Centurions everywhere start exploding? You and I will have a talk. I don’t like your Dominion, but I’m remarkably hardy. Keep that in mind.”
Mistress Scylla spoke up. “What do we do about the other problems?”
“We wait for the city.” He shook his head. “We know what they want, but to get it, the System will enforce a trade, and what is there? Are you staying the night? Those charms look like they’re getting low.”
“I will,” Mistress Scylla said.
After he left, Trella dumped the bag. Twenty five gold coins. She counted them out again and again. “Kaden? What do you want to do?”
He knew his answer. “I want to book Builder Willis. It won’t pay for the repairs, but it’s a start.”
With help, he nailed boards over the broken window and dragged crates into the house to replace the table. Mistress Scylla insisted she’d be fine in his father’s rocker by the fire. But after Trella had fallen asleep, he snuck out to find her watching as she rocked.
He took the other chair beside the fire, and smiled as Vip crept down the stairs to join him. “I’m worried about Sara.”
“As am I.” She continued to rock. “She’s an adult, but I’ll always worry about her. You two have seen the worst of Adventuring at the start, rather than the end.”
“What are we going to do for her? What does she need?” Kaden asked.
“I think you’ll figure that out before I do.”
Perhaps the answer would come clear in time. “What’s the deal with the city? Aurora was an adventurer. The Guildmaster is the authority here.”
“Robert Aurora wasn’t just an Adventurer. He was also in charge of the City Knights. And more importantly, like James and I, he came looking for a quiet place to live. A small city where he could live in comfort and contribute easily.”
There was something there. “Is it about his equipment? I haven’t unpackaged the loot. I should have unpackaged the loot.”
He dumped the loot package on the crates. It resembled a luminous crate, but would dissipate the moment everything was removed.
“Don’t.” Mistress Scylla didn’t command as much as suggest. “Let James do it. You’ll learn things you don’t want to if you do, and James is a master of unpacking lives. I always tasked him with that.”
Kaden opened the box, setting the armor to the side. It weighed so much he could barely lift it. The gold axe, he staggered and dropped on the floor. Remembrance was heavy. This was impossible.
The golden belt with its charms, he threw into the pile.
Gold coins, seventeen of them, he put on the counter. Then picked out a ring with small carved stones on it. [Identify] didn’t label anything. Whatever it was, you had to know. He held it up.
“Account stones for his choice of women.” Mistress Scylla’s voice was cold and emotionless.
A golden dagger, encrusted with jewels came out next. It held no enchantment whatsoever. “Worthless.”
“That, young man, is the symbol of the Captain’s authority over the knights. Don’t equate enchanted and valuable. It would be very unfortunate if it were lost or damaged.”
He put it in Inventory, and took out a bag with grey steel plates stamped with codes. “What is this?”
Mistress Scylla’s octopi tentacles lashed out to strike it from his hand and catch them with another. She didn’t hide the hatred on her face. “Don’t touch those, it could be deadly to you. Those are slavery chits. [Slavers] are illegal and highly hunted, but there has always been a thriving market for their services.”
So many. Kaden looked away. “What do I do about it?”
“You aren’t high enough level to even look at the men and women who create these, let alone threaten them. I know people who can. I know people who do.” She put away the bag of chits as he tossed out a beaded necklace. “If you come across a tube of mana dust, don’t touch it. Many high level adventurers use it to boost their regeneration rates. The addiction is difficult to break. I speak from experience.”
Crafting materials, a complete Jester costume, a scroll that projected illusions of naked women. Two collars for Aurora’s Midnight Chevaliers. “I feel bad about his dogs. They didn’t deserve to be stuck with him.”
“Curious breed, Midnight Chevaliers. They can move through Shadows. I’m not saying we collected a pair from the rubble, but I’m not saying we didn’t.” Mistress Scylla stood and stretched, and summoned one of her creepy men.
Red light shone through the front window, and a high pitched squeal and growl shook the farmhouse. Mistress Scylla yawned. “Did you hear that? It sounds like a monster about to learn a difficult lesson. If you can’t sleep, still lay in your bed. You are safe. This situation with the City will be resolved tomorrow, one way or the other. My mother used to say, ‘there’s always more throats to slit, if you live another day.’”
With every moment, she summoned more and more of her creatures, and then slipped out the front door.
He was still awake when a silver messenger bird fluttered in through the eve entrances. It perched on the rest by the bed, drinking water and warming itself as snow melted from its wings.
“Kaden Birch, you are commanded to appear for negotiations at noon tomorrow,” The bird said in the droll tone of a diplomat. “
33
THIRTY THREE - EASY DECISIONS
The morning of his meeting, Kaden slept late, and only the smell of Eve cooking roused him from his bed. He woke Trella with a kiss, and dressed in his worn armor, while she wrapped herself in the cloak of oily black.
“Guess who got level five in cooking and unlocked recipe slots!” Eve said, dishing out eggs and bacon. “I got two slots. Eggs and bacon. And of course, I can make scorpion steak. I have a quest to give the recipe to someone else and have them cook it. The reward is another random recipe.”
Recipes allowed a cook to produce set meals automatically without spending time at the stove, but Eve seemed to enjoy her time as much as Kaden did making flat spots on sticks with his knife.
Mistress Scylla joined them at the table, complimenting Eve’s cooking. “There are matters we should discuss now that the City’s position is known. Robert Aurora was captain of the City Knights. Demanding a ceremonial challenge was meant to let him own all you have. Now the situation is reversed.”
Kaden swallowed as he finally understood. “I don’t want what he had.”
“Your wants are not material to this discussion. The knights won’t follow you, and the city is going to demand you surrender his armor and ceremonial knife and axe. They belong to the Captain of the Knights.”
“Oh, thank the gods,” Trella said. “You made this sound serious, but really it’s self-important people being idiots. You really think Kaden wants to lead a bunch of knights? He can’t even lead a party.”
“We can skip the meeting,” Kaden said. “You take the armor, you take the knife, you take everything but the gold. We’re going hunting in Fangwood!” He raised a cup of juice in a toast.
“That isn’t the only issue,” Mistress Scylla said. “Any Centurion is a mainstay of the city. Robert—Captain Aurora built and owned the barracks where the knights are housed. With the coming Monster surge, the City needs more knights.”
This, at least, Kaden understood. Men would follow a leader they respected anywhere, and he hadn’t earned or even wanted their respect. Owning their barracks was a form of control that wouldn’t be tolerated. “We can work out a deal. I need gold to repair this place.”
Eve waved for his attention. “Hello? Have you ever negotiated even a single treaty with city officials? Everything about this screams ‘We don’t have gold.’ They demand the armor back because they can’t afford to buy it like any normal government would. They want the barracks back but can’t afford to pay you for them.” She twisted to look at Mistress Scylla. “What’s their offer going to be? A minor place on the council? That’s the standard offer.”
Mistress Scylla tipped her head. “Nothing is settled, but that’s the core—”
