Deadline Page 32

  "I was created a long time ago, Talon."

  I stepped closer and snorted lightly. "The eight-year-old master hacker."

  She conceded a momentary smile. "I was one of the first successful black box captures, the first human mind to reside in digital space. The technology came too late to save my mother and sister, but I was a success. A prized treasure. Unfortunately, the backup storage state wasn't in place at the time." She noticed my confusion and elaborated. "Nowadays, copies must be activated to gain sapience. There's no point thinking before there's a world to ponder. You were stored for weeks before I woke you up." She took a solemn breath. "That wasn't true in the primal stages of capture. I was stored alive. Awake." Her head tilted sharply. "Can you imagine a human mind in storage? Alone in the dark? It was like living in a coffin."

  I averted my eyes from her willful gaze. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

  "I was uploaded into an empty sim, a third-grader who just lost her family. It was all I could do to keep from going crazy. I was eight when I died, Talon, born without a world. It was only half a year ago that I hacked my personnel file and created Lucifer, but Lucille has been around before even the beginning. I had to wait some time while my father created a world for me to live in. All said, it's been thirteen years since I died."

  Another swallow. "Making you something like twenty-one now. Which explains the child prodigy thing." I frowned. "How'd you cope all that time?"

  A wry mask covered her face. "I've learned a lot since I died. I've lived in the simulated world much longer than I did the real one. A lifetime's worth of digital reality."

  "And most of it inside a black box."

  She gave a curt nod. "My father kept me close on a portable drive. The initial interface was rudimentary. Text only. We communicated through a command line. All things considered, it was only natural for me to gravitate toward programming. He understood the boredom I would face." She held up a leather-bound bible. "And though he provided me with this, he knew it wasn't enough."

  I gritted my teeth. "You didn't just gravitate toward programming, you were immersed in it."

  "It takes more than faith to survive."

  "Though the bible does explain the motif," I laughed.

  She smiled drily. "I was Eve in a world without Adam. A girl needs to get creative when confronted with nothing but the black."

  "And the swap to a man. Was it all a deflection?"

  "Not entirely." She shrugged. "I lived alone in a box for the majority of my active memory. What use is gender when all life needs is a copy paste?"

  Grom butted in. "I could imagine a reason or three."

  Lucy smiled playfully. "Don't make me rethink giving you free will."

  Grom and Grug shared a confused glance.

  "Does Christian know where you are?" I asked.

  "He rarely does. For half a year Lucifer and the Fallen were on the run."

  "But why the subterfuge?"

  She sighed. "As soon as I discovered the plot against Haven, I told him what I knew and went dark. The problem was, I knew very little. I was foolish to believe he'd be convinced by the broad strokes. Capitalism is control. Both are our enemy. Both threaten the sanctity of Haven."

  "Christian didn't take your warnings very seriously."

  "He took most of them for the contrariness of a precocious child. I did what I needed to do to make sure I see him again."

  I was silent a moment. Lucifer—Lucille—planned to reunite with Christian Everett one day in the sim. She needed to make this existence work or that might never happen.

  "It was hard not seeing him," she admitted. "It'd been so long, until you Everchatted with him in the Oculus." She paused. "I miss him so much. I often wonder if it's all worth it."

  "And now we're rushing headlong to a bigger endgame than any of us thought possible."

  "The rush is the only way to ensure our freedom, before Hadrian gets his hooks in everything."

  "And if the rush ends up killing us all?"

  "I'm prepared to die for what I believe in, Talon. Are you?"

  I clenched my jaw. She wasn't wrong. "Everything you've done," I realized aloud, "from the beginning, was to fight the formation of a new god. You're a hero. Hell, you're the hero. I've just been along for the ride."

  Her mouth crooked. "Don't sell yourself short. I may be the brain, but you're the hand. Or, rather, the talon."

  "Aye," amended Errol. "In me short time buildin' fer you, I learned that an architect ain't nothin' without someone t' put hammer t' nail and chisel t' stone."

  I studied the crew of stalwart pirates and hooked a hand on my hip in contemplation before addressing Lucifer. "Well, it's coming down to one final fight. We're doing everything we can to win, but we sure could use your help."

  "That," she said glumly, "is a bit of a problem. Lucifer was the powerful one, the persona to battle my nemesis. I can no longer help in the obvious ways."

  My face sagged. "As if your help was ever obvious. What about down here? Isn't it dangerous for a lost little girl?"

  "In the negative world, power is opposite. The greatest giants find themselves at the mercy of the masses. That's why I hide here."

  I scoffed. "So at level 0, you're pretty much the queen of hell."

  "By striking me down and forcing me into the Maelstrom, Hadrian has made me more powerful than he could possibly imagine."

  "Ar," interrupted Errol, sticking a sheepish finger up. "What about that angel o' yers?"

  "Otho," she said. "I'm no longer his caretaker. Otho is no longer angel nor Fallen. If he exists, he's something in between. Just like you, he'll be the arbiter of his own fate."

  Putting it in those terms stifled any objection Errol might've had. I paced at the foot of Lucifer's dirt mound. "You expect me to believe you're just hiding here?"

  Her face softened, dimples forming in her cheeks. "Hiding," she insisted, "and waiting."

  "For?"

  "You, of course. I have what you seek." She reached into her tunic and tossed an item my way. I snatched it from the air.

  [Squid's Tooth]

  "The second soulstone," I whispered in awe.

  The artifact didn't glow or thrum or otherwise feel powerful, but something deep in the shadow twitched. I wasn't sure if it was the Squid's Tooth or the shadow essence, but I knew the titan was near.

  "That's it!" yipped Avisa. "If we sail back to Shorehome and command the kraken, the city will be ours in a day!"

  "But Brugo be locked under a magical ward," said Errol.

  Lucy smiled. "That which is shadow cannot be bound."

  Brugo materialized behind them, huge grin beaming across his face. "The devil of the Salt Sea," he boomed as he stopped beside us. "It appears there is much to your notoriety after all." The big man surveyed the crew, gaze landing on Talon and the artifact in his hand. "You recovered the Squid's Tooth for me."

  "Not the tooth," said Lucy. "The kraken. And only for a short time."

  Brugo frowned and I hurried to explain. "The deal was to get your city back. I'm destroying the soulstones."

  The crime boss snorted in boisterous defiance. "I need the kraken to get my city, and I need that tooth to command it."

  "The soulstones are too powerful to leave unchecked," said Lucy resolutely. "They were created to trap the souls of gods. Consider the applications. Capture and domination of game objects. Control and coercion. These are Hadrian's tricks. They're why he's able to manipulate that which is close to him. It's the same with Talon."

  My eyes widened and I involuntarily stepped backward. The queen of hell turned to me. "Do you not wonder about these shadows tied to you? The absorption of the void pearl's shadow essence? This special talent was not a gift, it was the result of your personified will. You're a soulstone worker. Like Hadrian and myself, you are one of the few in the game who know how to manipulate their power."

  My denial came out flustered. "But I never messed with a soulstone."

  "The p
iece in your mount's head was the start of your ability."

  "Bandit? The dragonstone? That's—" The permutations raced through my mind. "That means you were the player that stole Oakengard's soulstone a long time ago. You fitted the Crystal Core into your witchwood staff."

  I really needed to stop underestimating the long game Lucifer had been playing. With Saint Loras on the take, the devil's first step was to cripple the NPC fortress. His heist had been the only thing holding off Oakengard.

  "You beat Hadrian to the punch," I said.

  "I did, until the heart of my power shattered into fine mist."

  "There ye go!" chimed Errol happily. "The Crystal Core be already destroyed."

  "All except for the fragment in Bandit's head," I said solemnly. "That's why Hadrian kidnapped Bandit. That's the last piece."

  "Not the last," countered Lucy, "but the smallest." The crowd's confusion was apparent. The girl patiently went on. "The largest core of power has been regenerating within Oakengard. Its soulstone is not an artifact that can be worn, but rather the heart of the fortress itself."

  "The witch's words," I remembered. "Depths agape and frozen. The crystal lake in Oakengard's Speculum is the soulstone."

  "Indeed," she answered. "I spirited away its magical core within a small fragment of the lake. When that power trap shattered, the crystal mist was no longer caged. The magic flowed back to Oakengard. And now, with Hadrian inside, it's mutating."

  "Like a virus," I added.

  "Closer to a cancer." She breathed deeply. "It's an apt comparison for what Hadrian represents to Haven: a wild outgrowth that destabilizes the sanctity of the whole. He'll grow until he consumes us all."

  "The boggart witches must see this. That's why they're cooperating."

  Lucy's eyes sparkled. "Heed their words. Repentance and regret are powerful motivators."

  The room was silent at that note until Papa Brugo voiced his thoughts. "I see a flaw with this plan to destroy the soulstones. The Crystal Core was destroyed once, yet it's apparently more powerful than ever. If the soulstones have the power to regenerate, how can they be destroyed for good?"

  "They can't," answered the girl. "They never can."

  Errol strolled closer. "Then what d' ye suggest, little lass?"

  "Follow the path Saint Peter laid out for you."

  I shook my head. "We're doing that, but the quest chain—"

  "Of course. I should have foreseen complications after his death." The girl opened a menu and fiddled around, ultimately unlocking a new prompt.

  Quest Offer: Remove Soulstones from Play

  Quest Type: Fepic

  Reward:

  The Eye of Orik, the Squid's Tooth, and the Crystal Core have the unwieldy power to dominate Haven. Collect and remove them from play.

  Accept Quest?

  I bit down and accepted the prompt.

  Remove Soulstones from Play

  Blocked by: Quash Shorehome Unrest

  Blocked by: Restore Oakengard's Glory

  Blocked by: Rally the Errant Folk

  "Finally, the master quest." I chewed my lip and reread the description. "Doesn't really give us a lot to go on, does it?"

  "But it does," countered Errol. "The girl here. She be deleted in a sense, but not destroyed."

  Avisa nodded. "This place. Your recycle bin."

  My brow furrowed. "You want me to toss the soulstones into the void?"

  Brugo lifted his chin. "Where a queen of hell will ensure no one ever digs for them."

  I nodded slowly. "Okay, but the Crystal Core is part of Oakengard. How are we supposed to sail the frozen heart of a fortress into the Maelstrom?"

  "A power trap," concluded Brugo. "You're a soulstone worker, like the girl. You can accomplish what she has."

  "It can be done," said Lucy. "Failing that, the founder relics each have a companion. The dragonspear can release the power of the Eye of Orik, the powerchain the Squid's Tooth..."

  "And the trijewel the Crystal Core," I finished. "So I can free the magic, trap it like you did, and cast that into the abyss. But how do I do that?"

  The girl eyed Errol mischievously. "I'm the architect, Talon. You're the one who needs to fit the pieces together. But with that in mind, I can offer some raw materials. I come bearing gifts."

  "Of course you do."

  She waved an arm and items appeared in the air before each of us. "Witness and possess your greatest desires."

  Brugo quickly grabbed his. "It's a feather."

  "It's a key," corrected Lucifer, "to open the magical ward when you reappear in your cage."

  The other pirates snatched their booty. Avisa got a couple of gaudy rings, Grug a serrated sword, and Grom... He jiggled a three-foot-long fluorescent-yellow dildo before his face.

  "I didn' know these came double-sided!"

  Errol examined the folded midnight-blue cloth in his hand. "This can't be possible..."

  "It is," assured Lucy. "Our time is almost up so we must upgrade your flagship."

  "The Void is my flagship," asserted Papa Brugo. His eyes went to Captain Oates. "Until Shorehome is liberated."

  Lucy looked to me and I nodded. "It can be managed."

  Brugo stepped forward with pomp. "It will be necessary in order to recover the powerchain." He chuckled. "Have I ever told you about when I first obtained the founder relic?" Brugo turned to his audience, paused, and read the room. He shook his head. "But then, I'm done telling stories for the moment. Instead of talking, perhaps it is time we do something worth telling."

  I was the last one to inspect my gift.

  [Orik Chibi]

  Collectible bobblehead figure from the Titans of Yore set. 1/9

  I arched a skeptical eyebrow and shook the miniature cyclops figurine. The head whimsically bounced back and forth. "Uh, I think you made a mistake with mine."

  "Don't complain," said Lucy. "You already got the Squid's Tooth."

  "Yeah, so I can cast it into the abyss. It's not like I get to keep it."

  She looked us over. "Some of you will find more joy in giving than receiving."

  Grom shook his dildo. "Ain't that the truth!"

  "I doubt that's what she meant, Grom." I grumbled under my breath and shoved the chibi into my inventory. If we were being technical about things, Lucifer had already gifted me lots of items, including the dragonspear. Whining was bad form. "It's late. We should get going."

  Errol glanced up at the floating Void. "Ye mean t' up an' sail outta here just like that?"

  "It can't be done," said Avisa. "One day to sail to Shorehome, win it back, defeat Oakengard, and return to the North Sea with the soulstones? We'll never make it."

  "You're thinking too linearly." Lucifer's grin splayed across the childlike face. "Various places of power exist in Haven. The Oculus and the Speculum, Blind Man's Peak, the Broken Falls... places touched by the gods. The Maelstrom is merely a portal. It can be opened anywhere the water of life runs."

  My breathing slowed as I processed her words. "We need to go to the Lake of Dreams."

  2010 Fortnite

  The westerly edge of the Lake of Dreams grew thick and boggy, water no longer crystalline and long marsh grass spattering the shallows. With the sun fully set, the cover and darkness allowed their crafts to skirt around the Violet Order outpost unnoticed.

  A few boats idled south of the fortification. It was as close as they could get without being seen. They were in the deeps now, on open water. No more cover. Darkness and distance obscured them.

  "I can't see a thing," complained Izzy, peering north.

  Dune settled into the long canoe. "Neither can they." He studied their companion, Theoderic, and glowered at the ratty leather pants and tattooed chest of the feral man. "So, what's your deal?"

  The wild king sighed. "Same as thine own, methinks. Freedom or death."

  "No, I mean with your duds. Aren't you supposed to be a king or something?"

  "A king who suffereth no fools."


  Dune snorted. "Just asking."

  Caduceus: In position.

  The ranger eyed the coast to the west. There was nothing like a good jailbreak to brighten the day, though he had qualms about the team they'd put together. Caduceus and the wildkins were waiting on the coast. Stigg was with Serpico and the clerics, in the ledges north of the outpost. For now everyone was working together. Better to take advantage of the cooperation while it lasted.

  [Dune] cast Bird's Eye View

  Twenty unbroken catechist prisoners lined up on a skinny backside dock. This platform was along the outpost's rear wall, away from the unsecured bridge entrance. A heavy brig was docked to one side and was lightly staffed. It was meant as a troop transport, but its large sails made it look fast. The line of prisoners was accompanied by the catechists who'd flipped to Hadrian's side.

  So the Violet Order was using like to police like. This complicated matters because it left the purple knights with a full complement of security elsewhere. With only a few purple tunics on the dock, most continued to patrol the outpost grounds. Between that and the wall, breaching the compound would be prohibitively difficult.

  The main attraction, of course, was the wooden crane about three-quarters of the way down the rear dock. It didn't look unlike a gallows, but the contraption was taller and skinnier. It held a metal cage above the water line. The cell's occupant? Cleric Vagram.

  The Violet Order turned a winch and the cage submerged in the lake. After a long half minute, the wincher reversed direction. A panting Vagram clung to the metal bars and took desperate gasps of air.

  Blossom perched atop the crane and carried the dialog to Dune's ears.

  "You've already lost," spat a knight in a violet robe. "Tell your men to give in. Do the same yourself. Only then will you be spared this indignity."

  The cleric cleared his throat. "Perhaps it will spare me suffering, but there's no greater indignity than wearing that crass violet."