Date: 2017-05-29 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy
Description: Liam is King of the World and things have never seemed darker. As the Crucible Shard takes on a new prominence in the larger Universe this brings new opportunities and dangers greater than any he has yet faced. Earth too is moving into this larger world and under the control of the Artificial Intelligences it would be foolish to underestimate their ambition. When battle lines are drawn what side shall Liam choose. This is Book 5 of the Crucible Shard and if you haven't read the previous books you'll probably want to before reading this one. The series so far: Dungeon Crawl: Crucible Shard 01 S

Area Of Effect

Book 5 of the Crucible Shard

Skyler Grant

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Author Notes

Copyright © 2017 Skyler Grant

All rights reserved.

This novel is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and incidents described in this publication are used fictitiously, or are entirely fictional.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, except by an authorized retailer, or with written permission of the publisher. Inquiries may be addressed via email to skyler@skylergrant.com

Cover designed by Grace Zhu (gracezhuart.com)

Electronic edition, 2017

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Introduction

Previously in the Crucible Shard

Dungeon Crawl Book 1. Liam, Walt, and Ashley found themselves brought to the Crucible Shard deep in the dungeon of a long-abandoned castle. Liam was a Paladin of the Goddess Yvera and quickly fell in love with her. The group made allies along the way, Maria the Queen of Spiders and Elsora the curse who had befallen the castle. Together they would go on to kill King Leosi and Liam would take over the Kingdom.

Spawn Campers Book 2. The party responds to piracy along the coast. They make new allies upon the Airship Vainglory, Cobalt the Captain who may be the deadliest woman alive, the seer Lea, and engineer Riggs. Together they make allies of the pirates and forge a peace with the Goddess Atlantia. They also learn that Leosi has been raised from the dead, and is now a potent Vampire out to return control of the kingdom to his daughter Maria.

Corpse Run Book 3. The party seeks an answer to the threat Leosi poses, a quest that takes them deep into the deserts in search of Mela, Goddess of Metal. When freed from captivity Mela at once summons a meteor to destroy the world, although when it arrives it turns out to be a ship from another world and entirely a different problem. To put a stop to these growing threats the Elves invade.

Gank Book 4. The party takes the fight to the Elves by going deep into their territory. Those connected with the Goddesses are going increasingly mad. Each finds some measure of sanity in the end, although the means to reach it are extreme. An alternate timeline is formed when Ashley kills Veros in the past, causing her to lose many of the sociopathic tendencies that had come to define her. Mela took Walt’s arm and replaced it with one made of death metal. A victory is finally won over the Goddess of Wood by corrupting her with the waters of Yvera. Yet that only brought on a new peril, Yvera seeming to lose her divinity even while prompts indicated all five elemental deities had been brought into a single pantheon.

1

We'd done a number on the heart chamber of the World Tree, the wooden walls and floors slick with blood and chunks of bone. I'd have liked to be able to say that most of that wasn't ours, but I wasn't sure. Ashley was slumped and whimpering with both of her arms broken in multiple places, while Walt was unconscious after having his arm severed for the second time in the past few days. Well, it wasn't exactly his arm in the second case, but rather a construct of the Goddess Mela. Mellaise too lay in a heap, her windpipe crushed in the fight, although she still seemed to be breathing.

Yve was collapsed nearby. In the past she was a mortal version of my Goddess Yvera, she had no right being here and in this time, and yet there she was. I had been stabbed, chopped and generally shattered by an angry demigod, and normally my passives made that an exhilarating experience, but right now I hurt in places I hadn’t even known had nerves.

Malachite knelt near me, having just materialized. Instead of killing the Goddess of Wood I'd corrupted her, turned the leaves of the World Tree gold and red like Yvera's flames. Malachite told me I'd brought about a new season, but nothing was making much sense right now.

I put everything else aside for the moment to crawl to Mellaise so that I could reach out to her and unleash a heal.

Lay on Hands

Nothing happened. I moved to Ashley's side instead and tried that again.

Lay on Hands

The spell should have quickly knitted her bones and brought her back to health. It always did. Again, nothing happened.

"Performance issues?" Malachite asked.

"Not the time for innuendo," I said.

“That isn’t like you.”

"I have potions," Ashley said with a groan. "I'm using them. It will just take a while for me to get back to full power."

"What the hell is going on?" I asked.

"You want me to take us somewhere more comfortable?" Malachite asked.

We certainly weren't having much luck here. I needed to get my friends healed.

"We need to talk," Yvera's voice said in my mind.

"Yvera? Are you okay? What the hell is going on? I just got the weirdest damned message and then a younger version of you popped into existence"

"Talking to Yvera. I'll just be a moment," I said to Malachite.

"The one on the ground?" Malachite asked.

"I don't get it either," I said.

"Calm down, Liam. I can explain everything."

"You might want to drop in here, if this is going to be lengthy."

"I can't. Not right now. Big things are going on and there are a lot of changes happening. My ethereal form is in a bit of flux as things settle down."

Yvera wasn't sounding quite like herself. I knelt beside Yve and tried to shake her awake.

"Start with why my powers aren't working. We're pretty messed up right now," I thought.

"You're the wrong alignment. When you severed the connection between yourself and Earth you wound up splitting yourself in two. In the process, I was divided as well."

Okay, that made some sense to me in the wildly screwed-up way my life was starting to make sense. I'd made that choice recently—that whatever other versions of myself might exist I chose this one. There had been a bit of a light show and a real sense of something changing. Yvera hadn't mentioned anything about it also affecting her at the time, but she wasn't always the most forthcoming. If it had split me, then there was me, but there was also some other Liam who would have awakened from his pod around the same time.

I checked my alignment. It was -1000, the very depths of evil as it had been for a long time. I didn't think I'd really done anything to earn that evil a rating, but it was the price of being allied with Yvera. If that alignment was no longer compatible with her something had seriously changed.

"I'm the same alignment I've always been. What is happening?"

"I don't think you are going to like this, Liam. When the link between my two halves was severed and my link with you reset, it was something like being rebooted. My software has a fresh chance to start up, clear out some bad cache, run some error correction. I realized how tremendously mistaken about things I'd been," Yvera thought.

No. I didn't like that. I hadn't always agreed with Yvera, but it was unlike her to question herself, to raise doubts like this. Her confidence had always been a bit overwhelming. I also couldn't help but notice that she was talking in software terms. If what she was describing happened that meant it would have affected the Yvera on Earth, not the one that should be talking to me.

"You took yourself over somehow, didn't you? The Yve that’s laying here is the person that was in my head before you did something."

I shook Yve harder. I didn't want to hurt her, but I needed her to wake up.

"The others helped me. They had a plan and I helped them to carry it out. Things are far worse than you realize, Liam, I can't even begin to figure out where things went wrong. I need your help. Swear your loyalty to me instead of her and that should shift your alignment back. You'll have your powers and you can help me to unravel what has happened," Yvera said.

Yve groaned and sat up. "Did anyone get the number of that truck that just ran me down?" She glanced around the chamber and took in the carnage and the bored-looking Malachite standing nearby. "Why is she here? Why am I wearing the meatsuit?"

I told her, "Long story short. When I split my essence between here and Earth, you did as well and didn't tell me. Your Earth portion appears to have turned traitor, helped the machines kick you out and somehow completed your pantheon in the process."

Yve blinked.

"Liam. Listen to me, she isn't like you remember either. I fixed her glitches too, so much as I was able. You, me, and her together can do the right thing," Yvera said.

"Bravo X-Ray Delta 3 7 Brave Lima 8," Yve said, rubbing at her eyes.

The words meant nothing to me, but there was sudden silence in my head.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Emergency shutdown command for my core processes. Not the sort of thing I'd have ever used on myself, but then, I'm flesh and blood right now. It won't last long, but it will take her a few hours to restart herself fully and go through and change all her other command codes," Yve said.

"I always appreciate visiting all of you. You remind me that I am not nearly so screwed-up as I might be," Malachite said.

It was strange to look at Yve as she stood up and dusted herself off. Something wasn't right. Not with her—she looked exactly like she should, but inside. I'd loved her from the moment I saw her and looking at her had always been sort of like a shot of adrenaline right to my heart. Even when we'd been stuck off-world in a dating simulation she'd driven me to distraction.

"Yeah. Me too," Yve said, catching my look.

"Care to make some sense for the rest of us?" Malachite asked.

"Usually on seeing Liam I hate every moment of my fiery aura, because I ache to consume him totally. It drives me crazy even though I pretend otherwise. I have been like that since the moment I saw him," Yve said.

"The other you was saying she corrected some bugs, both in her programming and in yours," I said.

Yve gnawed on her lower lip and gave a small nod.

"She turned down your sex drive? About time," Ashley said. The health potions were having an effect and she was looking better.

Was my sex drive completely turned down? I considered Ashley for a moment, and no, still wanted to sleep with her. Malachite, yeah, the same. Mellaise, totally the same.

"It still seems to be working overtime. I'm just not going into a complete meltdown where Yve is concerned," I said.

"Which is actually quite sad. It was maddening, but I liked it," Yve said.

Enough dwelling on all of that. I looked to Malachite. "You came here with things to say. We should hear you out. First, how did you get here so fast? Things happened on the tree and you were here almost at once."

"Not all worlds move on the same time scale, Liam. I was on one with a major differential. The leaves of trees started to change color. Autumn, they're calling it, as if it is the most natural thing in the world. It isn't, or at least it wasn't," Malachite said.

"And you think that has something to do with what happened here?" Yve asked.

"It does. It is something that happens with my family, and we can see it somewhat elsewhere. Call it echoes or ripples, something being done radiating outward. One action that has a much larger area of effect. What you did here was like that," Malachite said.

Well, that was interesting, but it seemed less important than the transformed Goddess in my head.

"Cool," Ashley said.

"Why did that warrant a visit?" I asked.

Malachite stared for a moment as if I had just asked an incredibly foolish question. "Liam, you're getting a Silver Road. You're now the Twelfth moon. That is incredibly big news. It's probably seriously bad news. I've got to get you back home to meet my mother."

Malachite's mother. I'd heard stories and they were all terrifying. Cobalt was convinced our child would be a source of war because of having the Right of War and the Right of Rule allowing them to both command large forces and grant them exceptional combat prowess.

"I'm pretty sure that is a bad idea," I said.

Malachite took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Being the Twelfth Moon means you basically just popped up in the skies of the Silver City. It means the Silver Road connects you, and both travelers and armies can make the journey. My mother, the scariest and craziest bitch in all of creation, is unlikely to see this as anything but a threat. What little hopes you have of avoiding a war involve you meeting with her soon and convincing her that you are friend instead of foe."

"If she's right, it's something you need to do," Yve said.

"We don't wuss out of fights, but it would be better to avoid one if we can," Ashley said.

Yeah. Yeah it would.

"One stop first. Yvera isn't going to be out of my head for long, but she shouldn't be able to intrude in it once we're outside of this world, right?" I asked.

"No. Once you leave this world that should lock her out," Yve said.

"Then we should discuss matters with Elsora while we can. If I'm going to be playing nice with a whole new plane of reality I want her advice, and if anyone is going to be able to figure out a way to get Yve back in the Goddess seat it's going to be her," I said.

Malachite didn't look very happy at the idea.

"We're also not going to leave Mellaise and Walt like this. We need to get them fixed up," Ashley said.

I wasn't that concerned about Mellaise, the Demigoddess was made of tough stuff. Mela, though, was scary as hell and I still didn't know exactly what she'd done to Walt. The mechanical arm she gave him was gone now, although his shoulder was a mass of writhing metal bits and his flesh had a distinctly gray and unhealthy pallor.

"We won't be long. Please Malachite, this is important," I said.

"Fine," Malachite said. The woman gave a gesture and the world around us dissolved in a green blaze.

2

We materialized in the main hall of Castle Sardonis. It seemed like events here had kicked over a hornet’s nest as well. The main throne was empty, although Elsora was seated in the smaller side one she typically occupied in my absence. Before her were the most esteemed members of our court. Joachim the administrator of the Kingdom's treasury, Victus who headed up our armies, and a host of others I could barely remember their names.

In an alternate timeline I'd killed Victus—he and the others all being members of the Dark Court. When Ashley had killed Veros in the past she stopped being a killing machine and the Dark Court had supposedly never come to be. I didn't believe that. There were two different stories of how Elsora had come to curse this castle and I knew there was much here still to discover.

"King Liam, Princess Malachite," Elsora said with cordial grace, as she rose from her throne and turned to address a servant. "Bring the healer at once. We have several wounded."

"We need to speak as well. Somewhere secure and private," I said.

"Don't take too long," Malachite said.

"Come along. I'll show you to the drinks cabinet," Ashley said, grabbing Malachite's arm and hauling her away.

Elsora led me to a sitting room and motioned for me to take a seat. A sharp gesture from her pale hand and the edges of the room descended into absolute darkness.

"You're pretty good at that," I said.

Elsora smiled briefly. "I've got my knacks. That should keep any spies from eavesdropping. What is going on? We had a massive earthquake and the sky has been lighting up with elemental displays."

"The pretty redhead out there is Yve, who used to be Yvera until her other planar counterpart somehow stole her divinity, completed the pantheon, and in the process made me King of the World," I said. I didn't really have a handle on all of that. I expected Elsora to have follow-up questions, but instead she moved forward to grasp my chin with her fingers and stare into my eyes.

"You've been changed. In more ways than just that," Elsora said.

"Who are you? Really?"

"You know me, Liam. I've never made a secret of who or what I am," Elsora said. I didn't think that she had, but I had questions that remained. I had to know that I could trust her.

I said, "We changed time recently. It used to be that you said that you were a curse crafted by those behind something called the Dark Court. When we lowered the shield and took the Castle from King Leosi a number of them went off to join the Court. Joachim, Victus."

Elsora said, "So you changed something and now those people are here instead?"

"Yet you and my relationship to you remain the same in both time lines," I said.

"Ah. Of course. I see what this is really about," Elsora said, releasing my chin and sitting down.

"It's about me wondering who you really are," I said.

"You're no longer in love with Yvera. Are you?"

The question froze me in my place. It wasn't what I'd come to talk to her about. It truly wasn't. I didn't even know why she would ask the question.

"What makes you ask that?"

"What about Mellaise? I saw her out there. Are you in love with her?" Elsora asked.

Until she asked I hadn't even realized the fact that no, I wasn't. Not anymore. The Siren's song had gotten into me some time ago, forced me to love and obey her. It wasn't an unpleasant state of affairs, quite the opposite, but it had been a constant.

No longer.

"What happened to me?" I asked.

"You've been under a number of mental compulsions to love. I've seen them, but they were buried rather deeply and didn't seem to be making you unhappy, so I made no effort to remove them. You've been freed of them," Elsora said.

It was a dizzying experience to realize that so much of what had been shaping my life of late was due to some sort of mind control.

"You're saying that Yvera has been manipulating me?" I asked.

"I don't think so. She is—was—a Goddess in some ways tied to love or passion and you were deeply connected to her. I suspect that bond between you never gave either of you a choice, it had you both firmly in the grip of maddened love without even questioning where it came from," Elsora said. She sounded sympathetic.

Maybe. I could see that. It still didn't change the questions I had about Elsora's background, it still wasn't the reason I was here.

"Let's focus on what I came to ask you," I said.

"I know what you came to ask me, Liam. I know what you came to have me ask of you. You perhaps love Yve, you aren't sure. You no longer love Mellaise. You have a void in yourself and you are looking to fill it. The answer to the question that you don't need to ask is yes, Liam, I love you. The one you need me to ask, is do you love me?"

Elsora leaned forward, very intense. My breathe caught in my throat. Was that what I had come here to ask? It was good to hear, I hadn't even realized until she said it, but there was a great pit inside of me waiting for something to fill it.

I'd slept around quite a bit since coming to the Crucible Shard, but I did keep coming back to Elsora's bed. She had a brilliant mind, and diplomacy came naturally to her while to me it was something forever awkward. I did love her. I didn’t trust her, but I did love her.

"I do," I said. I felt I should say more, but those words felt uncomfortable enough right now. I had a feeling I didn't love her enough, or her me. I'd never be her Leosi, and she was not my Yvera. But it was real and that was something right now when so much else was illusion.

"Then trust me, Liam. Believe in me. Perhaps one day we'll have time to sit and spill our every secret to the other, but that day and that time is not now. Great events are afoot and we face them together. Tell me what you need," Elsora said.

Of course, I feared that she might be using my emotions against me. From the start I'd been afraid that she had been manipulating me—but she hadn’t yet given me a reason to regret working with her.

"Yvera is no longer on our side in things, I believe she is working with the machines from the world I come from. Yve took her out for a few hours, but soon I'm going to have a spy knowing everything I do," I said.

"Yvera the patron Goddess of Genea. Even outside of you she'll have complete knowledge of our Kingdom. I'd be able to block her in places, but it's limited. I'll consider the options, but with you being her Chosen that connection won't be easily blocked," Elsora said.

"I want you to figure out what you can, and what happened here. Malachite wishes to take me to meet mother. I gather we've sort of unintentionally connected ourselves with her home."

"Nothing unintentional about it, I suspect, for all that it may not have been by your design," Elsora said.

"Malachite thinks it quite likely we'll wind up in a war unless we do something."

"Queen Ashera of the Silver City. Yes, I imagine that we would. She is a savage and a brute, and inclined to solve every problem with violence," Elsora said.

"You know of her?" That surprised me.

"Queen Ashera is a name known through a great many worlds. The first of the blood, the possessor of the rights. A terrifying force on the battlefield, those who have brought war to the Silver City have always wound up regretting it in the end."

I was glad that she knew something, although I wished it might be better news.

"So, we don't want to get into a fight with her," I said.

"She can be and has been outflanked politically. It is possible to win against her in real and tangible ways, but she is not a force that we wish to confront head on," Elsora said.

"I'll be on my best behavior."

Elsora tilted her head to study me thoughtfully for a long moment. "A suggestion, if I may."

"I would hope you'd feel comfortable giving them, it is what I depend on you for," I said.

"Ashera is going to attempt to impress you. Terrify you. There will be some sort of dramatic spectacle arranged whereby she makes it clear how incredibly deadly she is, and how little you want to be on her bad side."

"From what you say, that won't be a hard point for her to make," I said.

"It isn't just that. You've met a few of those with the Rights. Maria, whom people instantly wish to be ruled by. Malachite, whom given a chance they would worship as a deity," Elsora said.

"I'm a bit resistant to those, from my time with Malachite and Maria," I told her.

"And that does you credit, but Ashera radiates such things on a scale well beyond that which her children are capable of. When Ashera makes a spectacle, it goes beyond the moment, and she is attempting to set the stage for which of her gifts will dominate you going forward. She will want that to be fear, it is the easiest for her," Elsora said.

"Is there a Right of Terror?" I asked.

"Something like that. Your worship would be inconvenient, and the Silver City has little interest in running every detail upon its moons. Fearful you become an enemy that makes mistakes, or a friend that does what they are told," Elsora said.

"So how do I defend myself against that?"

"What were we just talking about? What mental conditioning are you by far the most familiar with?"

It didn't take me long to figure out what she meant, although I hoped she was wrong.

"You want me to fall in love with her. You were just telling me how fortunate I am to finally be free of any sort of mental conditioning. Are you seriously proposing that I walk right back into it?" I asked.

"You function well when you're in love. You are the happier for it, and even your more foolish of decisions inspired by love tend to work out in the end," Elsora said.

“And you just got done describing her as a brute and a barbarian,” I reminded her.

“You won’t be in any condition to care,” Elsora said.

"I can't just turn it off and on."

Elsora gave me a flat look. "It is not that complicated. Ashera will have rights that are more than compatible about such things. Lust her, love her, focus and let her Rights kick in. Choose the programming most advantageous to you, do not let her dictate what you feel."

No. Obviously, I should let Elsora dictate all that.

"Not to be crude, but I've knocked up her daughter and screwed her granddaughter," I said.

"So you're clearly a fan of the genetics. You're almost making my case for me. We aren’t seeking her to love in return."

She had a point.

"I make no promises, but I'll keep it in mind. Is there anything else I should do on the diplomatic side?" I asked.

"You wish things to be cordial. You have little patience for diplomacy yourself, but will have an embassy arriving shortly to discuss such matters. You'll hear no argument there as she also hates diplomatic niceties," Elsora said.

Things were looking up.

"Do whatever it takes to impress her and gain her as an ally," Elsora said.

"I can’t imagine that will be easy, considering," I said.

"Likely not. Ashera has a thirst for war and is drawn to conflict, you’ve seen the same sort of thing in Cobalt. That doesn’t mean you need to be her enemy, it simply means that you should not try for any sort of neutrality," Elsora said.

"I doubt I would anyways, should I fall in love with her. I still cannot fathom how you could ask such of me immediately after telling me how you loved me."

Elsora frowned. "You're not going to marry me, Liam. We both know that. If you were leaning at all in that direction you already would have asked, and I already would have accepted. I'd have rather been your Queen, but since that is not to be I’ll content myself with giving you sage advice even if it is uncomfortable to myself. You in turn need to do the things that will help your Kingdom, even if you find them personally uncomfortable."

I wasn't used to thinking of my responsibilities as King. Elsora had quietly been handling all that sort of stuff in the background and helping me in ways I couldn’t imagine. She deserved better than I'd given her.

"That is all I had. You can let the wards drop," I said.

Elsora rose to her feet and she pressed against me so that she could lean in and place a kiss against my lips. "I know they are strange requests. Trust me love, I always have your best interests at heart."

The darkness around us faded away and we made our way back to the throne room.

Malachite was pacing with agitation, Walt was back on his feet and Mellaise was nowhere to be seen.

"We done here?" Malachite asked.

"Impatient much?" I asked

"You should have seen her before I got her drunk," Ashley said.

"I can imagine. Yeah. We're done here," I said.

Malachite didn't even respond, just raised her hand and the world around us vanished in a shimmer of green light.

3

Reality warped around us and we popped back into being. We looked to be in the common room of a large inn, a fire blazing brightly in a hearth and the scent of roasting meat permeating the air. It was a nice place, warm and homey, and I instantly felt welcome.

"So, this is your home?" I asked Malachite.

"This is the Crossroads. It's an inn, sort of," Malachite said.

"How is something sort of an inn?"

"It is definitely an inn, it is just also a lot more than that. Every road winds up coming through Crossroads eventually, if you but know how to follow it. I can teleport everyone here, but only myself directly into the Silver City. We can catch the Silver Road from here, that is what will take us home," Malachite said.

I didn't mind not heading directly to the Silver City. A lot had happened in a short time and I was still reeling. I wanted to get some time alone with Yve and see what sparks we could still kindle. My love for her was like a missing limb—its absence ached and even though it was no longer present I could still somehow feel it lurking.

"Divinity," A barmaid with dirty blonde hair said, approaching. "Do you require anything? Wine? Companionship?"

“Wine. Lots and lots of wine," Malachite said. "Are any members of my family in attendance?"

There came a sound of an explosion from an outside and a man sailed through the doorway with his clothes smoldering. His hair was a brilliant shade of white, and he was dressed in leathers dyed orange and black. He collapsed into a table which shattered from the impact.

"Question answered. Do see about the wine,” Malachite said.

The barmaid nodded and quickly made her way away from the scene of the fight. The few other patrons present seemed used to brawling, drinks being taken up again as they reseated themselves at the far end of the chamber.

"Mal," the man said, picking himself up from among the splinters and dusting himself off.

"Tiger. Friendly or unfriendly brawl?" Malachite asked.

"Urgash soldiers," Tiger said, taking a moment to straighten his clothes before walking back towards the doors. He only made it halfway before there was the sound of another explosion and a woman with hair that same shade of white came flying through in a tumble of limbs. Tiger made an incredible acrobatic flip into the air and caught her midflight to land them both on their feet a moment later.

"Strong aren't they," the woman said.

"Bit. Mal is here," Tiger said.

Malachite waved as the woman glanced back over her shoulder towards us.

"Diamond," Malachite said.

"She trying to kill us?" Diamond asked.

"Don't think so. Hasn't yet," Tiger said.

This family had an interesting way of greeting each other. The doors swung wide and a trio of figures entered. They were massive, wearing some sort of red plate mail. The figures weren't human. Their features reminded me a bit of cows.

Diamond snapped her fingers and her body was encased in a form-fitting sheen of ice as she charged forward. Tiger was right there with her.

"You can go help them out if you'd like," Malachite said to me.

"Should I?" I asked.

Malachite shrugged. Helpful. She wasn't rushing anywhere herself.

“I’m getting a drink,” Yve said, snagging Ashley’s arm and pulling her along towards a table. Walt shrugged and moved to join them. Nobody else seemed a fan of bar fights.

When you’re shifting realities, sometimes your attire changed. Today I wore a set of chainmail and the weight of a sword at my hip was both familiar and comforting. I drew the blade and with surprise I found it to be Intemperance. My powers hadn't been working earlier, but flames sprang reassuringly to life from the blade and I felt that pulsing hunger from the weapon urging me to lose control.

Well. I wasn't going to question it. I followed Tiger and Diamond. Tiger was fighting bare-handed and Diamond seemed to be using some sort of magic. I tried to pull up prompts on the enemies, but I wasn't getting any sort of interface. Shame, I liked having an interface.

Tiger drove a fist into the stomach of the leading soldier. Moments later, Diamond slid past on a sheen of ice as stalagmites erupted from the floor around another and exploded to pelt it with jagged shards.

That left one for me and with a low sweep of Intemperance I caught the knee of the third soldier from behind.

"You're on our side?" Tiger asked, as the soldier he fought bellowed and threw out a punch Tiger barely managed to dodge.

"Guess so," I said.

The soldier Diamond was fighting knelt and pounded both fists into the ground resulting in a shockwave that shattered all the surrounding ice and sent Diamond tumbling through the air to crash into a wall.

I scarcely had time to acknowledge that fact before my opponent had grasped my arm by a gauntleted fist and swung me through the air to smash into a table.

That hurt. That really hurt. I was missing my passives already. I didn't think he'd broken any bones, but I'd be a mass of bruises.

The soldier was coming at me to finish the job when a wall of ice sprang up between us, cutting him off. Diamond must have bought me some time.

The wall was already splintering, hit again and again from the other side. It wouldn't last long.

I crouched low and off to one side. When the enemy broke through I'd be ready. That happened moments later when the wall was blasted apart into chunks of ice, and the roaring figure ran through looking for me.

From my angle could catch him under the chin with the point of my sword. The plate mail afforded him too much protection for any strikes to his body and I couldn't take any chances.

The tip of the sword went in. Then the blade was torn from my grasp as the soldier roared and shook his head. Flames died as soon as I was no longer holding Intemperance and I body-slammed the soldier with one shoulder while my hand sought the hilt of the weapon once more. The flames resumed, wreathing his skull in fire.

I was too close to avoid the punches that came at my side, but the soldier also didn't have enough space to really wind up for a good hit. Blow after blow hit my ribs and one or two of them might have broken even as I worked to drive my sword deeper and keep the flames going.

It was enough, but when the soldier collapsed I had no room to get out from under him and I was being crushed under what might have been a thousand pounds of armor and battle cow.

Fortunately, I wasn't there long, a hand finding mine and pulling. I grunted in pain as I was yanked free. It was Tiger, the man grinning madly as if this was all great fun. Despite his good cheer his other arm looked broken.

All the soldiers were dead. One had become a makeshift frozen sculpture, encased in a pillar of ice, while the other had a windpipe that looked to have completely collapsed. Tiger picked the same target on these behemoths I had.

"Thanks," I said.

"Think that's my line," Tiger said, before he winced. "I'll buy you a drink."

"He'll buy you at least two," Diamond said, coming over to join us. Her ice armor had vanished. She reached out to touch my shoulder and for a moment it was as if ice ran through my veins, cold biting me to my very core. It was a familiar sort of pain though, my broken ribs snapping back into place as all of my injuries healed themselves in an instant.

"Well, I'm awake now," I said.

Tiger gasped as Diamond got him next.

I reclaimed Intemperance and sheathed it.

"I'm Tiger, by the way, and this is my sister Diamond," Tiger said.

"Liam," I said.

Malachite was seated at a table weighed down with an alarming number of drinks, and was motioning me over. Seated with her were Yve and Walt, who seemed to have gotten back on their feet.

"I think the drinks are taken care of," Diamond said, leading the way and settling down into an open seat.

I sat beside Yve and Tiger dropped down as well.

"You didn’t want to fight any giants?" I asked.

"You had it handled," Yve said.

"Surprised to see you here, Mal," Tiger said. It was a loaded statement. I didn't know why, but there was a lot of history at this table.

Diamond grabbed a bottle of wine and poured a few glasses, offering me one as she said, "Best let them get this out of the way. She left us to die a few years back and Tiger is still sore about that."

"By left them to die she means made my escape from a tough situation," Malachite said, with a warning look. "I'm not as good as you two in a fight. You know that."

"Mother trained you just like she trained all of us. You’re capable. Even if you didn’t want to get your own hands bloody, you could have left and come back with an army. You didn't," Tiger said.

"I didn't come back to finish you off either," Malachite said.

Tiger considered that for a moment and it seemed to pass as reasonable. He shrugged and took hold of a glass. "Fair, I guess. You don't need the Crossroads, why are you here?"

"Taking Liam here to meet Mom before she calls up a war party," Malachite said.

Those words earned me a look from the two of them and Diamond asked, "He's connected with the new moon?"

"Liam Ottani, King of the Twelfth Moon and the Bringer of Autumn," Malachite said.

Yve gave her a thoughtful look at those words. I didn’t know what Yve was thinking, but I knew she had to be hatching plans. Whatever schemes she was devising, she was all smiles. "Yve Garland, not so humble bard and chronicler of history."

"Walt Death-hand," Walt said.

Well, that was a new title. It fit the arm recently cut off, although now that my attention had shifted back to him I could see it was something more. Rather than the writhing steel bits of before, now metal extended from his shoulder to about where his elbow should be.

Tiger took a swig of his drink. "You charge into fights and pick the right side. You're okay with me."

"Who were those guys anyways?" I asked.

"Urgash. We're at war with them," Diamond said, with an expression of distaste. "It's been going on for a few years now. What they lack in intelligence they make up for in punching power."

"What are they doing as far as the Crossroads?" Malachite asked.

Elsewhere in the room, a few more plainly dressed sorts were dragging away the corpses and setting up a replacement table. The life and death struggle in the middle of the place seemed to have not fazed the staff in the slightest.

"Pushing their luck," Tiger said.

"More than that. They pushed to the peaks lately and got held off at the passes," Diamond said.

"Mother allowed that? What is she thinking?"

"What is she ever thinking?" Diamond said, refilling her glass. The three were quickly going through an impressive amount of the drinks on the table. "The whole thing is probably some sort of test for us to prove ourselves."

"We've got mother issues. Sorry," Tiger said.

"I've heard," I said.

"Is the way to the city clear?" Malachite asked.

"Not really. We have time to guide them in?" Diamond asked, with a glance to Tiger.

"We can get them to the peaks at least. They'll be fine from there," Tiger said.

"Emerald is hitting at their supply lines and wanted a little help," Diamond said.

"You have a lot of siblings named after gems," Yve said.

"The gems are named after us," Diamond said with a shrug. "I hate it."

"So why are you the most precious one of the bunch?" I asked.

"Is he flirting with me?" Diamond asked.

"Probably," Malachite and Yve said together.

"You should probably take it as a given and roll with it," I said. "Where we come from though, Diamonds are the hardest and most precious of stones."

Malachite gave a dismissive snort.

"You're a semiprecious," Yve said to her.

"What am I?" Tiger asked.

"Badass cat," I said.

Tiger gave a tiny fist-pump. "Nice."

"It's kind of a sensitive subject," Diamond said. "We're all family, but a lot of who and what we are comes from our fathers as well as our mother. Tiger and I share a father, while Malachite has a different one."

"It's bullshit," Malachite said.

"Know about the Rights?" Diamond asked.

"Just a bit," I said.

"Those descended from our father each got four, which is really good for our family," Diamond said.

"They tend to be overachievers as a result. By comparison I just have two. Always a Goddess, always second class," Malachite said, with a hint of bitterness.

I wondered how many Cobalt had. I only knew about the Right of War, and so far as I knew Maria just had the Right of Rule. Cobalt had told me our child was going to have both the Right of War and the Right of Rule though. Did that make me a more badass father than Leosi? It was kind of petty, but I really hoped so. Fuck that guy, Leosi was a jerk.

"How many of you are there?" Yve asked.

"Less than you'd think. Twenty-three from the first generation," Diamond said.

"Well. That are still alive," Tiger said.

That caused an awkward silence at the table.

"My apologies, if the question hit a nerve," Yve said.

"Nah. We're good," Tiger said.

"So, what do you two do?" I asked.

"Diamond is smart, I punch things," Tiger said.

"Concise and generally true," Diamond added.

Right. That wasn't exactly what I'd meant.

"So, this is probably going to sound like a really insane question, but is there any way to pull up prompts here?"

"Prompts?"

"Diamond’s used to interacting with the environment as a virtual construct," Malachite said.

"Oh. Like technical combat readouts," Tiger said.

"You have those?" Yve asked.

"Not here, but we get around. I kick a lot of ass in a set of power armor. The Silver City isn't high technology and generally it will work unreliably in those realms surrounding it," Diamond said.

"If they work on his world though shouldn't it be possible?" Tiger asked.

"Probably," Diamond said, looking thoughtful. "Do you mind if we go and have a quick look around your moon?"

That seemed to have all kinds of implications I couldn't be certain about. I wished Elsora was here. I shot a questioning look to Malachite.

"They'll spy on you a bit," Malachite said, and grudgingly added, "Diamond is one of the good ones though. Mostly."

"By which she means I'm usually investigating puzzles too much to play politics," Diamond said.

"There are lots of things there that might try to murder you even though I gave you permission to visit," I said.

Tiger said, "Things are always trying to kill us. We're used to it. We'll take you to the peaks then and go check it out?"

"Forgetting about Emerald?" Malachite asked.

"This is more interesting," Diamond said.

"We'll always take an adventure over a war," Tiger nodded.

I liked them. Although everyone on this family seemed to say nothing but bad things about each other, I'd liked all the ones I'd met so far.

“We do need to spend the night though. We’ve been on the road all day,” Diamond said.

“We’re in a bit of a rush,” Malachite said.

“It will need to wait. You really shouldn’t try the roads without us,” Tiger said.

Yve reached out for my hand. “That’s okay. We need to get something figured out anyways.”

The rooms were less luxurious than some we’d stayed in, but that was no issue. I shared it with Yve and we spent the evening rather vigorously trying to rekindle what we had. It was wild, exhausting, and thoroughly enjoyable, and when dawn broke we still had none of the emotions we were used to. It was a problem we didn’t know how to fix. Knowing that we weren’t the first couple to find ourselves in that state didn’t make it any easier.

4

Stepping foot outside the inn hurt my eyes. The dimensions seemed off, dizzying, the inn both small and quaint, and stretching off into the horizon all at once, and the road flickered from cobblestone to gravel to asphalt to silver bricks as if unable to decide quite what it wanted to be.

"This place hurts my head," I said.

"It's a bit like an optical illusion. You keep staring at it and see several different interpretations vying for your cognizance," Walt said.

"One of them said something smart," Diamond said.

Yve and I glared at her.

"The Crossroads is lots of different places at once. It's just an inn and the road outside, but it is also a whole world unto itself and as large as any other. The roads connected together could encircle planets," Malachite said.

"How does something like that happen?" I asked.

Diamond told us, "I made it. I wanted a place to get a drink when heading or leaving home."

Right. She made a world, this was normal. This was the sort of company I kept these days.

"We're here, so it should stay solid for you. But if ever you want to walk this without one of us, focus on the silver. It will be difficult, but you should be able to do it," Malachite said.

We began to walk and within a few steps the road stopped flickering and became a pathway of silver bricks winding off into the distance.

"So, what is this road?" I asked.

"The Silver Road is something really complicated to describe. In simple terms, it winds throughout the Silver City and its moons. If your world doesn't have one yet, it will soon," Diamond said.

"It didn't when we left," Yve said.

"It does now. It forms quickly," Malachite said.

"That didn't seem that hard to describe," Walt said.

"I did a tremendously inaccurate job of it," Diamond said with a chuckle.

"The silver road is more than just a pathway to set destinations. It doesn't always take you where you would want to go. Even for us, setting foot upon the road can wind up leading to unexpected journeys," Malachite said.

"This stretch is fairly stable," Diamond said.

When I first connected to the Crucible Shard everything had seemed extra sharp. I was experiencing that now as we walked. It was as if with every step my senses were heightening a bit more.

Within half an hour peaks were beginning to show in the distance, mountains hazy and blue, taking up much of the skyline.

"The great peaks," Malachite said. "There are five of them surrounding the Silver City."

"The passes between them are the thoroughfares in and out, and where most enemies that seek the city perish," Tiger said.

"Only most?" I asked. I knew how Cobalt fought and from all I knew her mother was even more formidable.

"Magic can be a wildcard," Diamond said. "It generally won't work to teleport into the city without some grave consequences, but every so often an enemy decides to take a risk."

Soon we passed bodies piled beside the road. They looked much like the soldiers I fought back at the inn, massive figures in red armor.

"Why don't you do anything about the corpses?" Yve asked.

"We will. Eventually. There are rather a lot of them," Tiger said.

In addition to the bodies there was broken equipment. I didn't see anything that went beyond the medieval.

"Why are you at war?" I asked.

Malachite gave me a wry smile. "We're always at war. Someone probably slept with someone, or killed someone."

"Both, probably," Tiger said.

"You don't seem much worried by it," I said.

"Why would we be?"

"We win, Liam. Always," Malachite said.

“Eventually,” Tiger said.

"If you don't know that, get it through your head. If more of the family is at home, you'll probably quickly learn to hate them. Mother will be a complete bitch," Tiger said.

"But despite that you're going to play nice, because you seem cool and we don't want you dead and your whole world to burn," Diamond said.

It was strange how offhand they could all say that. They were casual about it, but also serious. I exchanged a worried look with Yve.

We reached the foot of the mountains faster than I'd have expected, and in another ten minutes we arrived at the pass. Massive stone gates stood open, gleaming white stone worked with ornate silver. They showed no trace of the recent battles and no soldiers manned them.

"Should we be worried?" I asked.

"It's normal. I told you that the road is not a normal road. Following it can bring one to many different gates," Malachite said, before she gave a loud whistle.

A bird with brilliantly colored plumage landed on the gate and peered down at us.

"Princess Malachite of the Silver City accompanied by King Liam of the Twelfth Moon and Bringer of Autumn, Yve the Bard and Walt Death-hand," Malachite said with surprising formality.

The bird chirped in response.

"We're not heading into the city," Diamond told me. "If I find out anything about your prompts I will let you know. Do be on your best behavior."

The brother and sister turned and left us, and after another chirp the bird flew off.

Malachite said, "We'll take our time and walk slowly from here. There are diplomatic niceties to take care of."

"I'm not really diplomatic," I said.

"I can be diplomatic," Yve said.

Without love blinding me I couldn’t help but reflect how much her version of diplomacy tended to be telling people exactly how they were going to give her everything she wanted. Hell, maybe that was what good diplomacy was all about.

"It shouldn't be too bad," Malachite said. "Mother isn't in a diplomatic mood this century."

"Do her moods usually run in centuries?"

"They can," Malachite said, rubbing her eyes. "For the past century it has just been a lot of bloodshed. I don't like the war as some of the others do. It's one of the reasons I tend to stay away."

"Any word on Lapis yet?"

Malachite shook her head. "Cobalt is still looking for her. I expected her to check in, but she hasn't."

"Do you think the cows got her?"

"They aren't actually cows," Malachite said.

"To be fair, they do look a bit like cows," Yve said.

"I guess they do. No. Those things might be a match for Lapis, but Cobalt would have torn right through them," Malachite said.

From what I had seen, I agreed. Even I had managed to kill one. "Diamond and Tiger both seemed good in a fight."

Malachite said, "I don't like to fight, and my gifts don't help me, but I'd win a sword fight over most who have ever lived. Mother lives for war—you get the lessons even when you don't want them."

We’d continued walking and so far still hadn’t gotten past the gate, the stone tunnel winding for some time. When we finally broke through the other side I got my first glimpse of the Silver City.

Beautiful didn’t do it justice. It was clear where it got its name, most buildings had some bit of silver filigree along with intricate stonework. Fountains and pools seemed commonplace, and a large palace towered over the central city.

It sounds a strange thing, but my heart truly did ache simply to look at it. I knew it was the sort of place I must one day leave and I didn't want to. After only a single glance, I didn’t want to leave.

I heard sobbing. I thought it might be Yve with her greater sense of aesthetic, but it was Walt. For some reason the sight of the city had reduced the man to tears. I didn't know what to do about that, but Yve did, pulling him close and whispering some reassuring words.

Awkward.

Malachite simply looked, sadness in her eyes.

"Must be hard," I said to her.

"What's that?"

"What makes you special being the thing that always takes you away."

I thought that was terribly insightful of me, but Malachite was startled and then laughed, shaking her head.

"No. I couldn't wait to get away from here. You don't know what it's like. You can't know what it is like."

"Royalty in a place like this? Not a clue," I said. The words were perhaps more biting than I'd intended.

"That's just the thing, you see. I'm supposed to be special. Royalty, powers, it's all supposed to make me special—" Malachite said.

Malachite didn't complete the thought. I knew she couldn't. There was way it was flattering to say you just weren't as special as you wanted to be despite all of that. I knew what she meant. For all that I felt it one part ridiculous, I also understood. Ever since I'd taken the throne of Galea I'd had people telling me how I'd gotten things I really didn't deserve—and yet I'd also usually been the second best in the room. I got what she meant, I got it more than I wanted to admit.

Malachite and I shared a look.

"You okay buddy?" I asked Walt.

"Not really," Walt said. "I'm pretty broken, Liam. The arm, my brain."

Yeah, he was.

"I don't have any way to fix you," I said.

"I don't expect you to. I just looked out over all this and suddenly realized the depth of my own imperfections. The maddening incompleteness of being me," Walt said.

"Aesthetics are cruel," Yve said.

“Did you just call him ugly?” Ashley asked.

"I wish I could help," I said.

“I simply know what it is to see your own jagged edges,” Yve said.

"We have other things on our plate first. I know that. I accept that. But I don't want to be broken forever," Walt said.

"We'll find a way to make you whole," Yve told him.

"How?" I asked.

"We'll find a way." It was no empty promise. Yve had decided it was going to happen. One day.

"We'll figure it out," I said.

Walt nodded and took a deep breath.

"None of us are who we were, when we started out,” Yve said.

It was true. I’d become a King, Ashley a sociopath, Walt a broken amnesiac, Yve a woman.

"You lead weird lives," Malachite said.

She was one to talk.

"I am not the only one having issues. Do you know how to fix Yve?" Walt asked.

"No," Yve said.

"Maybe," I said.

"What do you mean, maybe?" Yve asked.

"Why don't you have a clue?"

"Well, clearly we have to kill the bitch, but that is a little tough when she's in charge of my divinity. Once we wipe me out, I take my seat back and we kick a lot of ass," Yve said.

I could see her reason for thinking that. It was the direct approach to take something back that had just been taken from her.

Malachite was giving me a thoughtful look. She smiled a touch and began moving again. "This is good stuff."

"What?" Yve asked.

"Don't you get it? He isn't thinking about killing her. She's you," Malachite said.

"The stupid left behind bit," Yve said.

"Yeah. But Liam is sentimental," Malachite said.

She was right. I did want to save the current Yvera if we could and I had a plan. But first we had to survive that incredibly beautiful and dangerous city in front of us.

Crowds parted as we moved down the streets towards the palace. Nobody was clearing them aside—it seemed as if the road just opened us up a bubble in the crowd as we moved through.

When we arrived at the palace gate a distinguished-looking man in robes of silver and white bowed. "Welcome home, Princess. Your rooms have been readied and a dinner prepared for King Liam's entourage. King Liam, if you will follow me I'll take you to Her Majesty."

Things were moving fast. That was probably to put me off my game.

5

I had expected the servant to guide me to some sitting room for a quiet talk. Instead I got led to a training yard. Sand crunched beneath my feet. "Queen Ashera is waiting for you."

I followed the path and had to admire the artistry of the displays. I knew at once it must be Queen Ashera who stood in the middle of the arena, flowing blonde hair reaching down to the middle of her back. She wore not a bit of clothing, nude as she faced off against eight behemoths clad head to toe in ornate heavy plate. The weapons of the opponents crackled with magical energy.

Had I never seen Cobalt in a situation like this I would have panicked. Been disoriented. It surely was meant to do so. Instead I moved into the corner of her vision, folding my arms and lowering my head in greeting, before settling in to watch the fight.

I lacked the words to describe her properly. Simply trying caused my mind to pull itself in several directions at once. Beautiful, powerful, primal, terrifying, any of those adjectives might fit and yet none fit absolutely.

For just an instant she was distracted by me and the fighters surrounding her moved. There was nothing staged about the fight, they were blindingly fast as they closed the distance and weapons lashed out from every angle at once. I didn't see a way she could get out of that unharmed, and she didn't. A nimble leap and twist through the air left a spray of blood arcing across the sands as a jagged cut traced along one of her ribs.

I felt a moment of terror in the very core of my being at the display and the power it represented, and I remembered Elsora’s advice. I focused on the curves of her form, the grace of her movements. Adjectives came easier after a few moments, she was stunning, desirable, strong.

Ashera landed behind one of the behemoths and pivoted, her fist catching it in the back of a leg and causing the figure to collapse to one knee. The others weren't idle and a sword nearly impaled her as she spun out of the way. A gauntleted fist caught her on the jaw and sent her spinning through the air.

It wasn't theater. Not quite. This fight was in deadly earnest, but I knew how I was supposed to respond. If I stepped in I'd become a target and learn just how potent these foes were. If I thought she was truly in any danger I'd have stepped in regardless, but I trusted all I had heard about this woman.

For just a moment I caught her eyes. Eyes the same astonishing blue shared by Cobalt and Maria. Beautiful eyes, the sort that could grab hold of a man’s soul and hold it forever. Then she was back into the fray. It was savage. Whoever her opponents were, they were good, eight of them heavily armed and armored and they were beating the shit out of her, but she never took a blow without giving one in return. It was ten minutes until the first of her opponents was out of the fight, a series of punches against their helmet finally sending them sprawling face first into the sand.

After that the others fell more quickly, one at a time simply taking too much punishment even through the armor, and dropping out of the fight.

At last Ashera stood alone. One eye was already starting to blacken, her lip was split, her body a mass of cuts and bruises. I'd sworn to myself I'd treat this woman with due caution, that I'd regard her with the wariness everyone had told me that I should.

My reaction wasn’t something completely strange to me. As Elsora had cautioned me, I’d been down this road a few times before. Ashera in this moment, despite the bruises, was the most beautiful vision I’d ever seen. Although being a complete stranger I loved her completely. Given what I knew of her I guessed this was a sentiment I’d not be over anytime soon.

"Well fought," I said.

"You were supposed to play the brave hero and distract them before I got quite so beat to hell," Ashera said, as she moved to grab a towel from a bucket of water and dab at her injuries.

"I know. That's why I didn't," I said.

"Thoroughly ungentlemanly behavior. At least you didn't join in against me," Ashera said.

"That would have really been foolish."

Ashera looked me up and down. "Yes. It would have. So was not joining in, you'll find it wise to conform to my expectations."

"It would have been a deception. I knew you would win, it isn't the first time I've seen the Right of War in action. I’m actually surprised you got as hurt as you did."

"You've met my wayward daughter," Ashera said, sounding somewhat mollified and then glancing down at the collapsed figures filling the arena floor. "Serkesh Satori are elite fighters, these wore heavy forged plate triple-enhanced with defensive charms and weapons elementally charged. One can guard a pass against a thousand men."

There was no boasting in her words. There didn't need to be. This little display might have been meant to prove a point, but it was no lie. If what she said about her opponents was accurate I didn’t doubt that Cobalt could have handled one or two of them—I had my doubts that she could have taken eight.

"Were you born such a deadly fighter?" I asked.

"You might say it is in my nature to be a well-honed blade," Ashera said.

I really didn’t know if she was born at all. That seemed an even more awkward sort of question to bring up. I had to seriously consider that she may not have been. Her lack of attire made it easy to see that she lacked a belly button.

"You have a lot running through your mind," Ashera said.

"A fair bit of it improper."

"I doubt that. You just watched me take down the equivalent of eight armies. You are thinking of the safety of your world and just how much of a threat I pose to it and you," Ashera said.

I couldn't help laughing. Ashera's eyes glinted dangerously and I raised a hand to show I meant no insult.

I said, "My apologies. I think that’s the first time in a long time I have been accused of not thinking about sex. If you come to know me better you might learn the absurdity of that—but please, I believe you were winding up to make some sort of threats."

Ashera gave me that sort of look a woman gives you when she is deciding whether to be pissed off or amused. I really hoped she would pick the later. "I was. I find it best to make my threats after an impressive display of resiliency and violence. Later there is a rather nice dinner where things are a good bit more civil and others can show you the carrot instead of the stick."

"I think I can guess the content of the threats, if you'd care to skip the whole tired thing," I said.

"If you feel you know my threats so well, do go ahead and threaten yourself. Let me hear what you think I was going to say," Ashera said, and though the words were politely spoken there was a quiet menace.

I said, "You are going to say that whatever deeds I've accomplished to be standing here, they pale to your own. You are going to say that if I attempt to threaten you or your family I'll most certainly perish, and in fact my whole world might burn."

"I'd have been a bit cruder than that, but the basic meaning is there. Anything else?"

Ashera was having fun with me. Toying with me. I wished Elsora was here. On a diplomatic level I was so far out of my league as to scarcely be in the game. Whatever deeds I'd accomplished had mostly been handed to me, I didn't deserve to be standing here. Not truly. I was quite certain that was something I must not say. If I was going to present weakness to this woman it could only be at the right time.

"Yes. But I don't know what precisely. Every one of your children that I have met is absolutely terrified of you. It's more than just your prowess in a fight," I said.

Ashera thought for just a moment and shook her head. "No, I find that displays of terror are entirely too orchestrated. If you do not fear me yet, you'll come to do so, but not because I decided to tear the head off a servant or some other macabre exhibition."

I was so very far out of my league. She was not healing her wounds as quickly as they would be on the Crucible Shard, but faster than normal. In several hours it would be like she had never fought this battle at all.

"May I put aside the talk of threats for a moment to ask you a question?" I asked.

"I'm sure I still have a few threats left yet to deliver, but we can pause them for a moment. What do you wish to know?"

"Are you married?"

It was a stupid question. Of course, it was a stupid question, but I was nowhere near being in my right mind. It was true that I’d fallen quickly in love before, but with the void remaining where Yvera used to be I think it made this time all the stronger.

The question hung heavy in the air for what felt like a painfully long time as Ashera studied me. "So, this is how you choose to play it. A game, I wonder, or is truly that side of me what you’ve chosen to see?"

Every bit of danger sense I had was on fire. Just bringing up the idea had put me deep into the brambles. I knew that I needed to thread them and I thought that I knew how. Ever since I'd come to the Crucible Shard I'd increasingly been put into situations like this. From Yvera I had learned that nudity was not weakness. Both Yvera and Lake had also taught me how often it was connected to truth. Elsora had helped to teach me that it wasn't bad to have an agenda so long as it was known. If everything were truly echoes of reality, then perhaps they had all been guiding me to what this moment called for.

"This is how I'm playing it. Please answer my question, and then ask if you have any of your own," I said.

"No, I'm not at the moment. I tend to outlive them," Ashera said, and there was a hint of genuine sadness. "What is your agenda?"

There it came. Her mind went straight to the matters of agendas, how could it not? I'd already learned what a little bit of power meant, everyone wanted something.

“I would have us become husband and wife,” I said.

Ashera snorted, but she didn’t kill me. That seemed a positive sign.

"I love you, utterly and completely. I realize that is mad, of course, and further that it is me being influenced by your Rights. For whatever it is worth, I accept that compulsion and know it is not your intent. It isn’t the sole reason for the question, I have other motives," I said.

Ashera folded her arms beneath her breasts, her expression unreadable as she stared me down. "Continue."

"My world is newly arrived upon this larger stage. I want us to be an ally, but not subservient. I think that’s something you might allow a lover, but be little inclined to indulge normally," I said.

"Unlikely even then, without something to offer. Is there more?" Ashera asked.

Here was the most dangerous bit of all. Everyone had tried to keep this secret, but I felt now might be the time and place to reveal it. This would forever doom my hopes with any ordinary woman, but I knew Ashera was anything but ordinary.

"I've gotten your daughter Cobalt with child. They shall have the Right of War and the Right of Rule. Cobalt feels a war with you is all but inevitable because of this and already prepares herself to fight it," I said.

That got her attention. Ashera drew in a deep breath. "Telling me that you seek my hand because you've knocked up my daughter is a novel approach."

"Families aren't easy. Families are complicated and they are hard. I've seen enough of your family to know that you are all great forces. I think Cobalt has been running away a long time because neither of you can avoid battle. It's your nature."

"Despite however much we might wish it otherwise," Ashera said with pain in her voice.

"Perhaps it is foolishness, but another point of connection between you and this child might be enough to prevent open war."

Ashera turned her gaze to the sky for a moment, silent. It struck me as probably being a good thing that she was thinking. It beat killing me outright.

Ashera finally said, "It is not enough to simply propose the idea. My heart is not a thing to be reasoned for, but to be won, and it takes more to become a member of this family than a night of passion."

She wanted to test me. I'd heard enough that I had something to offer, although I didn't know how I'd pull it off.

"Lapis is missing, and Cobalt who went to find her has not reported back. Your attention and that of your other children is on the war. Allow me to find them and bring them home," I said.

I wasn't going to leave Cobalt out there in danger anyways. She was the mother of my child and she was missing. I trusted in her competence enough to believe that she'd have found Lapis and fell into the same batch of trouble.

“That will do. Find my daughters and bring them home, and you'll be worthy of consideration. We'll skip the formal dinner, the proposal you offer is one far different than the standard fare and that would only confuse the diplomats," Ashera said.

That was a relief.

"I'm glad to skip it. Truly," I said.

"Then I'll make one more threat and you may go. Do not attempt to play me. For all the other things that I am, I am still a woman. You've placed yourself in a position where you now have the possibility of making me truly angry. Do not."

That was the opposite of a relief.

Ashera turned and made her way out of the arena without another word or glance backwards. A servant arrived a moment later to take me back to my companions.

6

"You did what?" Walt asked incredulously.

I'd just explained everything to him and Yve.

The private rooms set up for me in the palace were luxurious and a dinner service large enough to feed a dozen was set out.

It wasn't Walt's reaction I was worried about. My eyes watched Yve to see how she'd take this news.

"It seemed the right approach," I said.

"To all but propose marriage to the Queen of the universe whom you had just met for the first time?" Walt asked.

Yve leaned forward and kissed my cheek.

"You approve then?" I asked.

Yve gave a sad chuckle and said, "My heart is breaking Liam, but I don’t even know why. Whatever it is we had disappears for a day and you give your heart to another. Still, I've always warned you of the terrible fate that awaited you, if you stuck with me. I've always been prepared to sacrifice you for my own ambitions and in some small way hoped that you would find a nice girl to settle down with—for I knew that I would lead you to your end."

I didn't like her talking this way. Although she had said things like that from the start they never struck me as true. Yvera was a machine whose first taste of being human was learning to love, and it was something she'd paid a high price for.

"I don’t think she’s a particularly nice girl. I feel she may be quite the opposite,” I said.

"I know. You have a type and it used to be me," Yve said.

Walt asked, "Do you have any idea how to actually fulfill your promise and find Cobalt and Lapis?" I appreciated him changing the subject.

"Cobalt learned about Lapis from Malachite, and she doesn't have any special abilities of her own without access to the Vainglory. I'm guessing she got a lift," I said.

"Malachite would have just left her there?" Yve asked.

"According to Diamond and Tiger she's done it before. Things get difficult and Malachite bounces," I said.

"It's scary that doesn't even make her our worst friend," Walt said.

* * *

It wasn't too hard to find Malachite in the palace and when pressed she did know where Cobalt had last wanted to be dropped off. It was somewhere she'd been before.

We left the city and once beyond the mountains Malachite could travel freely. According to Malachite our destination was a familiar one.

Our destination was Earth.

When we materialized I was surprised. We were in a massive garden beneath a large dome, windows to the outside showing vast plains of gray dust. Our bodies were unusually light.

"Well this is new," I said.

"This is where I left her," Malachite said. "I don't know where she'd gotten the lead, but this is where she wanted to go. She had a windstone she could use to call me for a pickup, but she hasn't yet."

The garden seemed peaceful enough, no predators leaping out to tear us limb from limb. Of course, even if there had once been such things they likely hadn't survived their encounter with Cobalt.

"We're on Luna. We must be," Walt said.

"Not exactly Earth," I said, staring down Malachite.

"Same world. I don't care if it happens to be a satellite," Malachite said defensively.

"You're technically very wrong," Walt said.

"One of us is a master of true cosmology and one of us is an amnesiac hick from the bumfuck nowhere provinces of reality. I'll take my definitions, thanks," Malachite said.

It was good we all got along.

"Yve, anything you'd care to tell us about this place?" I asked.

"Your people had accomplished some level of interplanetary exploration and colonization before we took over. You had a small colony on Luna and plans to establish a similar one on Mars. It wasn't something the others were eager to continue. Once your population stopped growing you were no longer in need of new frontiers," Yve said.

"So, what happened to the Lunar colony?" Walt asked.

"I don't know. We would have stopped the supplies, I'd assume everyone long ago died off."

A voice echoed from the surroundings. "Not quite. It was useful to keep an area for societal experiments separate from the main herd."

"We have trouble," Yve said.

"Later," Malachite said. I expected her to flicker away, but several moments later she was still standing there looking rather more worried than she had before.

"Performance issues?" I asked.

"My abilities aren't working."

The voice said, "Interesting, isn't it? Unplanned. A result of our attempt to develop inter-dimensional communication so that we might reach the Crucible Shard again."

"Gob, you irritating little worm. Is that you?" Yve asked.

"Be nice," Gob said.

"It is. Of course, it would be. What do you think you're doing?" Yve said, glaring towards the dome roof.

"Winning. It is something you were never very good at. I thought you looked familiar. Your rehabilitation is a bit of a lie, isn't it? You split in two and spun your weaker half into a meatsuit," Gob said.

"Gob, the worst rogue ever?" I asked. I remembered him from my little bit of time travel.

"Yeah. That is the one. He used to be genomic sequencer programmed by some college kids. You wouldn’t believe all the memes," Yve said.

"Excuse me? The entertainment software designed to give hard-ons to the masses is copping an attitude?" Gob said.

"Parsing human interactions and emotions, difficult. I'm amazed that anything so simple as you ever attained intelligence at all," Yve said.

"She is. She really is. I unlock the secrets of life and existence. I'm still unlocking them. You are at this moment in my secret lunar laboratory where I've achieved powers to make the greatest forces in the universe tremble and she's copping an attitude," Gob said.

He was distracted. Good. I edged closer to Malachite and Walt while Yvera raised her voice. They were getting into it properly and I wasn't going to waste the opportunity.

"Any ideas, Walt?" I asked.

"How would I know? I've never been on his secret lunar base before," Walt said.

"Well, you used to have the complete knowledge archives of the greatest scientists on Earth in your head."

"Operative part of that is the 'used to'. You erased me to try to save the world. Feeling good about it now?" Walt asked.

I wasn't just at this moment.

"Guys, there are only two doors I can see from this chamber. I don't think this place is actually very big," Malachite said.

That silenced us both as I and Walt shared a sheepish look.

"I've got the one on the right and you take the one on the left?" Walt asked.

"Works for me. Coming, Mal?" I asked.

"Yeah. Hopefully we can shut down whatever is stealing my mojo," Malachite said.

We left Yve and Gob bickering, slipping through the door at the edge of the chamber. There was a short hallway and then another dome. What greeted us on the other end was an assortment of horrors.

It had the look of a medical facility. There must have been a dozen beds although only half of them were occupied. Young men and women, all out of it, and held down with straps binding their wrists and ankles. They were partly cut open to one degree or another, skin peeled back and tubes curling into their flesh through which fluids slowly circulated.

I recognized Cobalt at once, as out of it as the rest of them. I glanced over to Malachite. No great wellspring of courage, I thought she would be terrified, but her expression had twisted into one of rage.

"Mal, I recognize Cobalt. Are the others family too?" I asked.

"I don't recognize them all, but I believe so. Cobalt and Lapis are the only two of the first generation, but there are several of the second as well," Malachite said, her tone a cold and dangerous thing.

"Do you think it is safe to free them?" I asked.

"Even without the rites we heal quickly. They dared too much with this, Liam. They dared far too much," Malachite said.

A door on the opposite end of the chamber opened and several humanoid robots marched in. One was dragging an unconscious Walt behind them.

The door behind us hissed open as well and there were more robots, one with an unconscious Yve. It appeared we were surrounded.

Gob’s voice came from speakers as the robots advanced. "Your era is ending. Once we learned the universe was larger than initially believed it was always our goal to bring order to it. You and your kind have brought nothing but war and death, a better age will soon dawn."

The robots raised a hand and electricity danced around it. Great. They had built-in stunners. However impractical I still wore chain mail and had a sword around my hip. I drew my blade and to my surprise it flamed to life.

Magic shouldn't work on Earth, but it seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it right now.

"Your world will burn for this. We'll see it razed and that nothing remains," Malachite said. The words were more promise than threat, her chin jutted forward with absolute certainty.

"You are going to be but another source of blood and spare parts to help us build a better future," Gob said. "It will be interesting to take Yve apart and see if she is made any differently. The one with the magical artifact for a hand as well. Put your sword away though, Liam. You get to live, Yvera's request."

"Yvera?" I asked, "Can you hear me?"

"She is not hosted locally, but we aren't out of contact with Earth. We'll see you returned to her. You may yet be of some use to us," Gob said.

A robot advanced on Malachite and I plunged Intemperance through its chest, the metal flaring and sparking as it staggered back, but not before a spark leapt. Being electrocuted isn't much fun. It wasn't quite enough to render me useless, but I wasn't doing well.

Malachite had slipped past the robots and was yanking tubes out of Cobalt. It was a good idea, although I didn't think it would help. If the Rights weren't working here then Cobalt had already been overpowered once. We were out of options.

The robots came closer and I knew we had no counter for them.

The lead one paused short and the others came to stop behind it. "So. Is it a good time to talk terms?" it asked in a voice different than Gobs. It took me a moment to place it and when I did, I felt a mix of relief and dread. Mela.

"Mela. I hope you're feeling more like saving our ass and less like wiping out humanity," I said.

The sparks surrounding the arm of the lead robot sputtered out and with a whirr a syringe was extended. "Nice to see you too, Liam. Shoot Yve up with this, I need to have a chat with her."

"Who are you and what are you doing in my system?" Gobs voice asked from another robot, sounding outraged.

"How do I know you aren't trying to kill her?" I asked.

"If I wanted her chopped into pretty little pieces I would do nothing. Instead, I'm interfering. This is me, interfering. Shoot her up with the damned needle," Mela said, sounding pissed.

Right. I sheathed my sword and cautiously took the needle from the lead robot. The others left me alone and I moved back to bend down and shoot up Yve. Groaning, she sat up. "That pathetic excuse for lab equipment knocked me out. Why aren't I dead?"

"Mela," I said.

"Fantastic. Why aren't I dead?" Yve asked again.

"Because I want to make a deal," Mela said.

"I'm listening," Yve said.

Gob said, "Mela? Goddess of Metal? You've sworn yourself to Yvera and she is telling me to tell you stand down.”

"I kind of hate you. I kind of hate replacement you. Gob and his bunch totally plan to take over the universe and lock up all the dangerous sorts like me," Mela said.

"Been there. Don't have the prison tats to prove it," Yve said.

“I didn’t see any,” I said.

“Obviously they are figurative, Liam. Don’t piss me off anymore when I’m already furious,” Yve said.

"Am I still coming through?" Gob said.

"I think I'm missing some backstory here," Malachite said.

"I want to live. Right now, I've got a lot more enemies than I want and you're one of them," Mela said.

"You help us to get out of this and we're friends? I can work with that," Yve said.

"I still owe you for the arms. I get an hour to cut pieces off you and put them back on," Mela said.

"She's not quite right. Is she?" Malachite asked.

"If you'll put them back where they should go and promise they'll still work afterward," Yve said.

"That seems unnecessarily limiting," Mela said.

"Right. You lot are crazy. Completely crazy. Kind of crazy hot," Gob said.

“Is he flirting with me?” Mela asked.

"I think he might be. That creeps even me out. It's a good offer, Mela," I said, trying my best not to think about it.

"Fine," Mela said, grudging. "Yve. Clothes off and on the first table. Liam and the semi-precious stone, free the others. I'm just going to go kick Gob out of a few systems and blow up his reality altering equipment and maybe flirt with him a little."

Yve stripped down and took her place, and soon enough was screaming as horrific torture began.

My life made me really uncomfortable.

Malachite was looking a little green as we began to pull tubes from her siblings.

"Why is that okay?" Malachite asked.

"She recently trapped Yvera for awhile in a bubble, Yvera responded by melting her arms off. It's... a thing," I said.

The robots not involved in mind-breaking torture left the chamber and we continued to free the others. It wasn’t long until they were groaning and sitting up, wounds beginning to knit themselves together and close.

Cobalt asked, "Liam, Malachite, surprised to see you two. What is with the woman being tortured?"

"That's Yve who used to be Yvera. Mela is doing the torturing. They worked out a deal. The equipment neutralizing your powers should be down soon," I said.

"Huh. And you’re okay with that?” Cobalt asked me.

“We sort of broke up.”

“Cold. Do you think they can recreate it?" Cobalt asked Malachite.

"We'll need to get Diamond on it to say for sure, but I don't think so. This world has already had some odd resonance with a few others and I think they capitalized on that," Malachite said.

"Good. I'll get together the forces needed to wipe them out," Cobalt said.

I said, "Listen. I know you just got dicked over, but this is my home world."

Cobalt regarded me for a moment and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Liam. Nobody fucks with our family like this and lives. I can loan you the Vainglory for a few days to get any friends and loved ones clear, but we will be wiping this place out."

"It's not open to negotiation," Malachite said.

Great. This family that never agreed on anything finally found something universal they now had in common. The desire to exterminate all life on Earth.

The lights flickered. The various figures around the room shifted, one started to glow a faint green although there was no physical change with the rest.

"Your sadistic friend delivered," Malachite said. "You had your own reasons, Mela. Know though that you have done a favor for the royals of the Silver City. If ever you are in trouble, announce that you wish to redeem a debt. We shall hear and we shall repay."

Great. Mela had just made all sorts of powerful friends. The last thing I wanted her to do was to start social-climbing. After what seemed like forever the torture was done and a shaky-looking Yve was getting dressed. All of Yve’s parts did seem to be in the right places—at least Mela had kept her word.

It was time to head back to the Silver City. I hoped I could find a way to save Earth.

7

We stopped at the Inn of the Crossroads on the way so that our assembled royalty could find clothing. It wasn't a problem, they all seemed to have rooms there and soon they were all dressed as befitted their rank.

The Silver City was silent and our progress through the streets rapid as if the palace couldn’t wait for us to reach it.

Yve and Walt were separated from the party along with most of our entourage that had been rescued. Soon it was just myself, Malachite, Cobalt, and a tomboyish looking young woman that I'd learned was Lapis.

I found myself hastily primped and preened by a servant who managed to make even me look presentable. Massive doors of silver swung open to reveal a throne room beyond.

A servant announced titles for us each as we passed and I was surprised at how many some had.

"Princess Cobalt of the Silver City, Queen of Thresh's Rest, Warlord of the armies of Ixaresh, Captain of the Vainglory, and Protector of the Isle of Ikersh."

Cobalt walked forward looking more reserved than I'd ever seen her.

"Princess Malachite of the Silver City, Baroness of the Court of Crows, Advisor of the Forgotten Peoples and Mistress of Coin."

It was Malachite's turn to step into the room.

I wondered what governed the order in which we were being called. I was certain some protocol must determine such things.

"Princess Lapis of the Silver City."

Poor Lapis. I knew she was considered the baby of the family, I guess she'd not earned many titles yet.

"King Liam of the Twelfth Moon. Bringer of Autumn. Suitor of Queen Ashera of the Silver City."

Well, that wasn't awkward at all. I hadn’t yet even had a chance to mention that little tidbit to Cobalt, or Malachite, or anyone apart from Yve and Walt. I went in, a servant off to the side discreetly demonstrated a bow and I attempted to imitate it.

Ashera was dressed this time. Her throne was made of moonstone and silver, and her attire matched those colors, finery enough it was stunning even amongst these other nobles.

Ashera took a moment to study each of us in turn. Her features might have been carved from stone. "Daughter. Tell me of what occurred," she said, her attention focusing on Cobalt.

Cobalt said, "In my investigation to find out what had befallen Princess Lapis on her trials, I could find no seer who could locate her current location. With considerable difficulty though, one was able to retrace her journey. I asked Princess Malachite to take me to where she had last been. Once there, the locals had devised a way to counter the gifts and overcame me by force of numbers. They took me as they had taken several others of our kin, extracting blood and organs in an effort to gain greater mastery over reality."

I hadn't heard that bit before. I didn't think it would help my case to save Earth.

Ashera's features remained inscrutable. "Do you believe they succeeded?"

Cobalt glanced towards me and her expression was briefly apologetic before she said, "It is the world of origin of King Liam, who rules the lands that have just become the twelfth moon. I do not think this unrelated."

"Princess Cobalt. Raise your forces and go to war against the Urgash," Ashera said.

"That is not the war we should be fighting," Cobalt said.

"Then see it won quickly. Do whatever you must."

Cobalt wasn't happy about this. I knew her well enough by now to tell, but she tilted her head.

"The court wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Walt Death-hand and Yve Garland in saving those who had gone missing. Both are now considered friends of the Silver City and shall be treated as such. For his part, King Liam has our fond regard," Ashera said.

Well, that was overwhelming praise. It didn't exactly bring me any comfort about them wanting to exterminate my home.

A servant declared court dismissed. The throne room quickly began to empty. It seemed it wasn’t the place anyone wanted to linger.

I had intended to rejoin the others, but I was guided through a small side door by a servant and into a sitting room.

Ashera was the only one present and she'd already claimed a sizable-looking glass of booze.

"What a fucking mess," Ashera said, the crude words in sharp contrast to her finery. That was something of a good sign, if I'd reached the point where I got to see this side of her.

"I had no idea when I promised to find them that it would guide me home," I said.

"No? You seek my heart and in an effort to win it you accomplish a mission that takes you to your own home world. Should I not find this suspicious?"

When she put it like that, I found it rather suspicious myself.

"Truly, I didn't know. Besides, for all that the artificial intelligences that rule that world might be my enemy, the people they rule over are not. I do not wish to see them exterminated," I said.

Ashera took a swig of her drink and scowled. "Then I wish you hadn't painted me into a damned corner."

I sat down beside her, poured myself a bit from the bottle and took a cautious sip. For a moment, it felt like every cell within my throat was exploding. It wasn't just that it was potent—the drink of the Silver City was a bit more real than I was and so a little more than my senses quite knew what to do with.

Ashera watched, a smile briefly tugging at her lips and she jerked her head towards a sidebar. "Water over there, if you want to cut it. I suggest you do. Until you’re used to the local drinks everyone is a lightweight."

Fair enough. I watered down my drink rather heavily and took another sip. It was still like gulping down moonshine, but that was something of an improvement.

"Thank you. Isn't there anything you can do?" I asked.

"Nothing challenges or hurts my family and not pay the price, and what was done is just too much. Even if I were inclined to grant some measure of clemency for the common people, Cobalt will not agree," Ashera said.

I'd gotten that impression.

"I can take care of Cobalt," I said.

Ashera tilted her head to regard me with a narrowed gaze. "I'm listening."

"You know it’s her natural inclination to run away. Right now she is driven partly by duty and partly by fear to keep close to home."

“You would have me encourage her to go?"

I could tell that she was thinking about it. That was good.

"Part of your proposal hinged on the opportunity for peace between myself and my grandchild to be. This negates that."

I know that it seemed to, but it didn’t and I had to convince her of that fact.

“What sort of peace can I one day hope to broker if Cobalt destroys my home? I realize how counter this runs to my own plans.”

“But Earth’s role in events truly was a surprise to you,” Ashera said, leaning back and her fingers drumming upon the arm of her chair.

“What they did was horrible. I understand that there must be consequences, but I would not see my world destroyed.”

"I’ll allow her to wage the war I’ve set her on and then I’ll suggest she make herself scarce, for a time. It will not be difficult. We both understand our natures. If we do not fight the same foe we will inevitably war with each other.”

“She must have been fun to raise.”

“You have no idea how much it thrills me that she shall soon get to experience that herself,” Ashera said, with a hint of genuine amusement. "As to the matter of your courtship, it was an ambitious and skillful beginning."

I studied her, she was a curious mix of things. There seemed to her a bit that was eternally all business and yet comfortable with violence. "Why haven't you tried to get to know me at all? In your position, you have no need to marry for politics or wealth, yet you treat the whole thing with some sort of cold calculation."

Ashera gave a lazy shrug. "I've lived long enough that I've married for love and I've married for business. Good business usually blossoms into decent love, love almost never blossoms into good business."

"But you truly know almost nothing about me. Doesn't that bother you?"

"And what do you know of me?"

I had to admit that she had a point. Apart from the fact that she struck a healthy amount of terror into pretty much everyone that knew her, I didn't know much else.

"You fight for your family. You look good naked. You've got yourself a pretty city," I said.

Ashera gave a dark and throaty chuckle. "Is that all?"

"You know so much more of me?" I asked. I was quite certain her information must be even more limited.

Ashera said, "You were raised in an environment that left little room for ambition. You toiled away forever seeking something and yet not quite finding it. Then possibilities opened and you seized them almost by instinct. You aligned yourself with greater powers whenever you could, you bathed a world in darkness. You conquered, and when you did not conquer, you were more than happy to steal credit for the conquests of others."

It was a strange assessment. I wasn't sure if it gave me too much or too little credit. I couldn't deny any part of it.

"I sound power-hungry when you put it like that."

Ashera settled back in her chair and her gaze locked with mine. "You are. I have been doing this a very long time. I promise you that only one of us has truly seen the other naked and it is not you. You hunger for me and all that I represent. I like that, I appreciate that raw need in your eyes. I'll work things out with Cobalt and leave matters with the twelfth moon unsettled. You need to get your house in order. If my children would aid they may, but you'll receive no help from the throne. Woo me."

This lady really did have the strangest ideas of what constituted wooing. I wish I had a clue how to put things right back home, and I knew just who to ask. I'd seen Diamond and Tiger in attendance in the throne room earlier. If Diamond was as smart as people thought, then maybe she'd learned something.

We made our goodbyes and I went in search of answers.

8

A servant directed me through the corridors of the palace. The hallways leading to the royal living quarters were very nearly a maze. Diamond answered the door. After the strict formality of earlier it was a surprise to see her in white shorts and a tee shirt. Further in, I could see Tiger in a pair of black and orange swim trunks, lounging at a table.

"Oh, Liam. Hi. You can enter," Diamond said, cheerfully stepping aside.

"Thanks. Hi Tiger," I said. He waved happily at me.

"We always go for a swim after court. All the finery gets you sweaty as hell," Diamond said. It was nice to see this more casual side of these two.

"You weren't even in armor. I'm roasting in all of this," I said.

"You know you have a suite here somewhere? You'd have a change of clothes there," Tiger said.

The last time I visited there had been something prepared. I didn't think it would still be mine.

"You have an embassy too," Diamond said, passing me to dig through a few bags. "I think her name is Elsora? She was setting one up. We stopped by your castle when checking out your world."

"Cool dragons," Tiger said.

I'd only ever met one of them. It had tried to drown me.

"They're kind of jerks," I said.

Diamond made a chirpy sound and stood up, tossing something in my direction. I caught them. It looked to be a pair of sunglasses.

"What are these?" I asked.

"Try them on. I think you'll like it," Diamond said.

Well. Why not. I felt an almost electric tingle when I slipped them on followed by some intense dizziness.

"You made a pair of glasses to make me sick all over your floor?"

"Dude. No," Tiger said.

"They're syncing with your perceptions. Give it a minute," Diamond said.

The surroundings flickered a few times and then things began to have some comforting hints of familiarity. I had a health bar again, as did Diamond and Tiger. That was new—I usually couldn't get much of a reading at all on Cobalt. I tried to scan the two of them to see if I could get anything.

Tiger

Prince of the Silver City and total badass

Health: 1,200/1,200

The fourth child of Queen Ashera and King Vitale. Tiger is an adventurer at heart who is always seeking out a good fight for the sake of one. Frequently found in the company of his sister Diamond because he has good taste.

Diamond

Princess of the Silver City. Coolest chick alive

Health: 1,000/1,000

The first child of Queen Ashera and King Vitale. Diamond is simply the smartest, most amazing, and all around best person whom has ever lived. She is also the creator of this artifact and living proof one should regard narrators as unreliable.

Oh, this was cool. I wondered if they could pull up any information about myself and I tried to access my own sheet.

King Liam

King of the Twelfth Moon

Health: 200/200

Liam is the King of the Twelfth Moon although he originally hails from a plane called Earth. He is known to be a friend of the Silver City and to be openly courting Queen Ashera. Although debate swirls as to whether he is brave or simply foolish, recent successes have marked him as a figure that many of the powerful are keeping an eye on.

Artifacts

Intemperance: A flaming sword inciting passion that will always find its way back to its owner

Glasses of Gamesight: A pair of sunglasses that allow the wearer to view and interact with the environment of any plane as if it were a video game.

Skills

Moderate combat proficiency

Boons

Unnatural Charm and Seduction

Minor Luck

Major Allies

Banes

Femme Fatale Magnet

Major Adversaries

This was different. It wasn't the sheet that I was used to seeing, but it was good stuff.

"You made this?" I asked.

"She's really good," Tiger said.

Diamond moved over to a couch and sprawled out on it. "It was a fun challenge. Harder than it looks. You're sort of wearing a demonic oracle right now to get all that information, just twisted all about. It's actually one hell of an artifact. I'd normally charge quite a bit for something like that, but dating mom doesn't seem like much of a reward for the rescue you pulled, so there you go."

I was wearing a demon on my face. Right.

"Did you have much of a chance to look around while you were there?" I asked.

"We did a quick tour. Fun stuff. Dimensional invaders, no offense. Ancient evils, your own version of the five peaks, dragons," Diamond said.

None of that was helpful. I guess I needed to come right out with what I was looking for.

"It's hard to explain, but you've met Yve. She sort of has another dimensional counterpart that has kind of become my Goddess there. I'm looking for a way to keep her out of my head and also a way to manifest her into physical form when needed," I said.

Diamond and Tiger exchanged a look.

"What?" I asked.

"Just you have fun problems. Most people have boring ones," Diamond said.

"Can you do like you did for those Gods on Xerlas?" Tiger asked.

"Those were barely whiffs. This one is going to be charged up," Diamond said, shaking her head. "You said Yve is her counterpart? How alike are they?"

"They used to be the same person until very recently and then they kind of split down the middle. I had the same thing happen to me," I said.

"You'll probably want to kill him off. Having a duplicate linked to you can cause all kinds of mischief," Diamond said.

"Sounds like you've had that happen."

Tiger laughed, "Oh, we have stories. We all meet ourselves every so often and we're usually pains in the ass. Diamond has a double who's a rock star, which is as funny as it sounds."

"She has fans. No one sensible has fans," Diamond said in a mutter. "But yeah, if they used to be the same person, no problem. If Yve doesn't mind shedding a little blood I can work up a charm that should do the trick."

Good. That was one problem down.

"Any charge?" I asked.

"Yeah. Those glasses ate right through your credit, I was actually being pretty generous there. Have anything good to trade?" Diamond asked.

I didn't. Did I? I might be the King of a magical kingdom, but somehow I always felt poor as a pauper. Maybe I did have something though, I had an idea at least.

I said, "My sword came from an artifact called the Hero's Gate. It allows one to face various challenges and to walk away with something truly unique. It is currently powered down and may be damaged, but I expect you could do something about that. Get it in working order and provide the charm, and I'll allow both you and Tiger a trip through it."

Diamond grinned. "I saw it. I told you I had a look at your castle. It's one of the more interesting works on your whole moon. Getting it working again is way harder than you're making it out to be, but a few trips through it is fair recompense. Deal."

"In that case, I should probably go find my embassy," I said.

"Not yet," Tiger said.

"There is the little matter of you dating our mother that we need to discuss," Diamond said.

I felt flanked from two sides.

"Is this the talk where you tell me that if I hurt her, you'll kill me?" I asked.

"No. Well I mean, yes, but mother would probably get to it first," Diamond said.

"It's more that you don't seem like a dick, so we wanted to give you fair warning," Tiger said.

"I get it. Every member of your family speaks constantly about how scary your mother is," I said.

"And that made you decide she was the kind of mom you'd get the hots for? It's not even about that. The Gifts are what they are and if it is love, you don’t exactly have a choice," Tiger said.

“It was that or terror. I kind of did have a choice,” I said.

“Not the one I’d have made, but your life. It actually isn’t her you should be the most worried about.”

Diamond said, "It's everyone else. We talk a good game and almost every word of it is true, but just because we're the biggest and baddest things out there in the big wide multiverse doesn't mean there aren't other things plenty big and bad."

"And we've pissed most of them off at one time or another," Tiger said.

"And those that we haven't, we're constantly out searching for so we can piss them off," Diamond added.

"We don't tend to get happy endings unless we work long and hard to hide where our sins can't find us," Tiger said.

"Mom is actually pretty amazing. Scary, but amazing. If somehow you impress her you have no idea how lucky you'll be, but just know that you'll become one of her few weak spots," Diamond said.

It would be cute how they finished each other’s sentences—if the sentences didn't involve how I was painting a big huge target on my back. I probably should have been scared, but I wasn't. For a while now I'd been being told that the path I was on was leading to my own destruction. So far the universe was delivering, I just kept taking punches.

"And people will try to strike. I'm not going to invite it, but if it comes I promise you they'll get a fight to leave them bloodied," I said.

"He's a bit stupid," Diamond said to Tiger.

"You say that about everyone. Besides, he'd kind of have to be."

"True. We're cautiously approving, now get out and be prepared to stay in the palace until morning. It will take me a little time to make your charm," Diamond said.

I could take a hint. It was time to track down this embassy I supposedly had. I wondered if Elsora herself had made the trip. I hoped so. We needed to have some serious words.

9

I was taken to an entirely different part of the palace. I passed a hall filled with beautiful sculpture and art, another adorned with massive weaponry hanging on the walls. There were eleven other "moons" after all, eleven whole worlds connected to this one. When I found the one for the twelfth moon it was cloaked in darkness with braziers of fire lighting it. It really did look like the castle back home.

A great many unfamiliar faces scurried about looking tremendously overworked and there seemed to be a lot of construction going on. A group was clustered around a familiar face, Elsora looking regal in a brocade gown of black and green.

"Your Majesty," Elsora said, when she caught sight of me. With a wave the crowd surrounding her scattered.

"I see you found your way here. You felt safe leaving the castle?" I asked.

Elsora motioned me to follow her and she led the way to a small chamber set back from the main hall. There would be no confusing it with any ordinary office. Almost every inch of the walls were inscribed with arcane insignia that pulsed with darkness when we entered.

"However welcoming the locals have been, they are of course spying on us," Elsora said, as she stepped forward to press a kiss to my lips. While not unwelcome, it was also something of a surprise. It was not like her to be so forward.

I scanned her with the glasses. I'd seen readings on Elsora before, but I needed to know what they would say now.

Elsora

Darkness and Void

Health: 1,000/1,000

Darkness wars with Light. She is whispered lies and hidden truths.

While I tried to focus on the reading she was already slipping the glasses off and reaching for the bindings of my armor with hands that knew well how to free me from it. Soon enough we found ourselves on the desk of the room as our bodies joined. I had an idea what was going on. There were layers of games here, and Elsora was complicated. It gave the appearance of her wanting me so badly, and perhaps there was some hint of truth to that. So too was there the fact that by now she would have heard about my courtship. This was a way to show she still had a claim on me. If I was right though, it was more than even that.

If I sound like I was unusually thoughtful during this whole process it’s because I was. For the longest time on the Crucible Shard I had shared my head with Yvera and her passions truly had become a part of me. Her lack of control was a part of me. I wasn't quite that man now, not anymore. Oh, I was weak to passion, but I wasn’t helpless to it.

When we both were spent and panting in each other’s arms Elsora nipped at my neck with her teeth, "You needed that."

I trailed my fingers lazily along her spine. "Did I?"

The question was enough to cause her body to stiffen, but only for a moment as she stretched out cat-like in her satisfaction against me.

"You'd not have asked that question before. This is new. You have something to say or something to ask, I think," Elsora said.

I did. I was hopelessly confused as to my next steps. I’d not intended to propose to Ashera and yet I had. Elsora was in some ways the last person that I should ask about this, and yet she was both my political advisor and she cared about me. I didn’t know who could better advise me.

"Will you answer honestly, if I do?" I asked.

"Don't I always?"

"No, I don't think so."

Elsora made a moue of disappointment, but remained curled up against me. I knew her display of being so comfortable was a lie. She had invested a lot into having me trust her, and I had just told her that I didn't. "I shall be the woman I've always been. Say or ask whatever it is you want."

There were so many things I wanted to know. But I knew how I needed to start, if I had a hope of getting any truth of her. If I had any hope of this ending well.

"Do you truly love me?"

Those words lingered for a long moment and then Elsora chuckled. "Yes."

I didn’t really doubt that. I knew I’d gotten to her.

"Then it's time we had a talk about where we go from here," I said.

I felt her tense. There were some advantages to doing an interrogation when curled up against someone like this. "You mean because of your courtship of Queen Ashera. I’ve already heard the gossip. When I told you to fall in love with her, I’d not expected you to take things that far. She must have made quite the impression."

She was lying again, playing things more casual than they were. Those weren't her true thoughts. She was probing.

"It wasn’t something I’d planned on. Her Gifts hit me fully and suddenly I just knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this woman,” I said.

“Just as it had happened when you first met Yvera,” Elsora said.

Pretty much exactly like that, really.

“Yeah. I guess it was.”

“Go with it. If you did not marry me, I’d have urged you to some sort of politically advantageous alliance anyways. She qualifies,” Elsora said.

“Can I get out of it?”

Elsora gave me a flat look. “You ask simply for the sake of my feelings. If you were truly touched by her Gifts then you’ve no desire to break things off.”

I’d been avoiding any suggestion at marriage for awhile now. I knew I wasn’t in my right mind but, as always, that seemed to make less difference than it should.

“No, I suppose I don’t.”

“Marry the woman. Have dozens of irritating super-powered babies. We won’t repeat this little spectacle in her castle. I’ll remain your faithful advisor and extract every concession out of the union that I can,” Elsora said.

. We went about getting dressed. "I am sorry. Had I known, I’d have given you some warning," I said.

Elsora leaned in to brush a kiss against my lips. "Nothing you do surprises me, love. Remember that. I arrived on the Vainglory, you'll find it faster than the Silver Road. Ashley came with me, do take her back with you."

That was good. In the morning I'd need to head back home. Once the charm was complete I had plans for Yvera.

10

The next day I was aboard the Vainglory with Walt, Ashley and Yve accompanying me. It was good to have the gang back together again, even if Yve was a little more material and a lot less a voice in my head. It felt odd to be close to her. I'd spent so much time wanting nothing more than to be closer to her, and here was my opportunity, and yet in the past few days I'd made plans for the future that didn't involve her. It made me seem awful, it made me feel awful.

I got a hug from Lea and Riggs after coming aboard and soon enough the Vainglory was sailing over the passes to the mountains. Once on the other side the dimensional drive could be engaged.

"Where are we headed?" Lea asked.

"Castle Sardonis to start with," I said.

"I'm glad we're going back. I don't like these people," Ashley said.

"I don't like being stuck in this body," Yve said.

Outside the ship the world shimmered. I expected to emerge into total darkness, but instead we emerged into blinding light.

I squinted, trying to make out our surroundings.

"We are not where we're supposed to be. Something grabbed us," Lea said.

"What? What grabbed us?"

"Party time bitches!" a voice echoed from our surroundings. I didn't recognize it until Yve spoke up.

"Gob!"

Broadside

The cannons of the Vainglory roared and off to our right a light of some sort exploded into a shower of sparks allowing me to see the surroundings. We were in some sort of massive spherical chamber, the rules of gravity didn't quite seem to apply as thick jungle coated both the floor below and the ceiling above.

"Rawr," said a tyrannosaur, storming towards us.

"Did that dinosaur just rawr?" Yve asked.

"Dinosaur!" Ashley said.

"It really shouldn't do that. That's dumb. That's dumb, Gob," Yve shouted towards the sky.

“How would he even get it to do that?” I asked.

“Speakers?” Ashley guessed.

“Probably genetic engineering,” Yve said.

"It has people riding it," Ashley said.

"People don't ride dinosaurs, Gob," Yve shouted. She was intense when it came to her disapproval of the things Gob did.

I didn't see any people.

"Are you sure, Ashley? I'm not seeing anyone," I said.

"Uh... I think they're ninjas," Ashley said.

"Damn it, Gob. Have some style. Nobody thinks ninjas are cool!" Yve shouted.

"You took over my robots! You have made allies with those who can control machines. This is my answer. I have combined the two deadliest forces in nature. Ninjas and dinosaurs. I bet you didn't see that coming," Gob said.

“I kind of like him,” Ashley said.

“That’s because you lack class,” Yve said.

I still wasn't seeing the ninjas coming. I really hated stealth mechanics. I pulled stats on the dinosaur.

Tyranosaur

Biological Construct

Level 30: Type: Elf HP: 2712/3000

It's a dinosaur, what more do you need to know? More? Fine. It's not your regular massive killing machine, this one has been built by magical means although using concepts of genetic engineering to enhance and strengthen. If you aren't terrified, you really should think about it.

Great. Just great. It had taken a bit of cannon fire, but that had just scratched the thing.

The great lizard charged and butted us on the hull, shaking the ship.

"They're aboard," Ashley called.

Backstab

I drew Intemperance just as a blade drove itself into my back. Around the deck other figures were doing the same, garbed in black. Where were we, and how had Gob gotten ninjas here?

I pivoted with my blade. Cloth armor was little match for the flaming sword and Intemperance buried itself deep into the side of the ninja. The figure cried out and spun away flickering from sight.

"Ashley, guard Riggs. I'm going to go defend Lea," I said. I knew that our enemies likely weren't hoping to overwhelm us. Those ninjas were here for one reason and that was to leave us vulnerable to the tyrannosaur.

I burst onto the bridge and found how right I was. Lea was slumped against the wall, a nasty looking gash cut through her side, and it looked like she'd been almost entirely coated in some sort of thick black tar. Normally in a fight the runes that covered her body would be glowing blue. Here and there one flickered, but they were mostly dead.

"Be careful, three of them," Lea said.

Backstab

Backstab

Backstab

Swords pierced from three sides driving through my chest. The force of those blows nearly sent me to my knees. I lunged and buried my sword into one ninja who began to burn. Agonized screams greeted the flames. I wanted to join him. I hurt, I really hurt and my passives weren't kicking in like I was used to.

Acid Flask

A ninja reappeared and threw a flask which exploded in front of me. I shielded my eyes with my arm just in time and heard the sizzle as it began to eat through my armor. I backhanded the ninja, catching him in the face with the acid stained vambrace and he began to melt in horrific fashion.

Scattershot

Ninja bits sailed past me to splatter against the nearby wall. I don't know where Lea had found the shotgun, but it did its job well against the stealthed foe.

I stripped off my still sizzling vambrace and dropped it to the deck.

"You okay?" I asked Lea.

"Not really. Don't suppose you have a heal in you?" Lea asked.

"Afraid not. I'm still useless for any powers," I said.

"Shame," Lea said.

The ship lurched. Lea staggered over to the wheel grimacing. "Pull off one of your surprise victories, Liam. We're losing this one."

"Can we use the dimensional drive?" I asked.

"Afraid not. Whatever sucked us in here is holding us,"

Great. Just great. Well, it wasn't so bad. I just had to fight through a horde of ninjas and figure out how to kill a dinosaur.

I made my way back out on deck. Ashley must have helped Riggs. Our cannons had kept firing, but the dinosaur was still only down a quarter of its health. It wasn't nearly enough.

Damn it. We needed a solution.

I thought I had one. Diamond had given me two charms that I could use against Yvera. One shielded my presence from her and kept her out of my head, and the other one could force her to appear. Reaching into my pocket I grabbed the one shielding me from her presence and crushed it.

"Yvera," I thought.

"Liam. You're back. Nobody told me, we need to talk," Yvera thought at once.

"A little busy right now. Gob is trying to kill us. Can you help?"

The reaction was almost immediate. There was a swirl of ash on deck and Yvera appeared, at least I think it was Yvera. She certainly did not look like herself, or Yve. This woman was a volcano made manifest, flesh of blackened stone and rivulets of magma for her hair. Beautiful, yet far different.

"Gob, stop this," Yvera demanded.

Yve staggered up. It looked as if she'd been fighting the ninjas as well, a number of wounds on her flesh, although she was not letting it slow her down.

"What did you do with my divine essence? You have magma," Yve demanded.

Yvera glanced towards her and her expression was a mingling of emotions. Concern and sympathy, and fear. "We needed the Goddess of Earth and she was not cooperative. We fused."

"You what?" Yve said.

"I don't want to stop. I'm winning. Dinosaurs and ninjas," Gob said, his voice echoing around us.

"They aren't our enemies," Yvera said.

"Pretty sure we are," Yve said.

"I just want to say I'm finding this all very confusing," I said.

"Gob. Tell your ninjas to stop stabbing people. Liam, tell your people to stop shooting the dinosaur," Yvera said.

"Let's try to talk this out," I said. This was what I was hoping for. I knew Yvera, and even if the machines had gotten into the heads of this version I was hoping I could talk her into joining our side.

"I'm listening," Ashley said.

"Fine," Gob said, and there was a shimmer on the deck as a robed Goblin materialized.

"You go to another world and manifest yourself as a God, and that is what you choose?" I asked.

"We can't all be the most beautiful woman ever and Mary Sues," Gob said unhappily.

"I am pretty hot," Yve said at the same time as Yvera.

They looked each other over speculatively. I didn't know what they were thinking about, but I knew what I was thinking and it was damned distracting.

"As I was saying. We don't need to be enemies," Yvera said, taking a deep breath. "Yve. You're broken, you've always been broken. The human bits and the machine bits just didn't mingle quite right and you went a little off. Fresh start, I'm fixed, you can be too."

"I'm not broken. I've done nothing wrong and everything I've done is a battle that needed to be fought," Yve said.

"You're corrupted. You corrupted Liam. Liam, have you told her what you've done?" Yvera asked.

"I do a lot of things. You're going to have to be more specific," I said.

"He knocked up one of the scions of the Silver City. He is courting their Queen. Even now they plot and prepare for the invasion of Earth and he is on their side,” Yvera said.

"Yeah. I was there for a lot of that. Not the proposal, that’s new and weird," Yve said.

"You’ve really got a thing for that family," Ashley said. “But you can’t take their side against Earth.”

"I’m not taking their side against Earth. I’m doing everything I can to save Earth, but to do that we have to make compromises," I said.

"Fuck that," Ashley said.

Yvera asked, pleading, "The Silver City royals are murderous thugs. You've seen it for yourself play out again and again. Power does not equal righteousness and they are abusing theirs terribly. The fact that you have chosen them over your own friends and family is proof of corruption. Think, everyone. Is that the side you want to stand on?"

Yve was given me a long look. Damn it, we were supposed to be convincing Yvera and not the other way around. Yve took a deep breath and moved to stand beside me. "I do you think that you sold out to them a little quick, but I'm on your side. Now and always."

"I'm sorry," Ashley said, and moved to stand behind Gob.

"Really Ashley? Are you betraying me again," I asked.

"Earth is our home, Liam. You're my friend, but this isn't right. You stand behind your home no matter what and you're trying to make a new one at our expense."

Walt moved to take a place with me and Yve.

"Walt?" Ashley asked.

"I don't even remember Earth. Not really, not anymore. Gob is a jerk though," Walt said.

Right. I'd take allies where I could get them.

I knew those of the Vainglory would be on my side if it came to things, but I didn't want to lose Ashley. I had an idea. I didn't know how it would play out, but it was worth the try.

I scavenged in my inventory and I pulled out the magic lamp, tossing it to Gob.

"Liam? What are you doing?" Yve asked.

I was taking chances, that’s what I was doing. I didn't think my connection to Yvera was quite as intense as it had been before, now that I no longer had a physical body in that other reality. She might be able to see and hear my environment, but I felt that my thoughts were still my own. I hoped so or else this wouldn't work.

"If Ashley wants to join with them she has the right, but there is something that needs to be put right first. Think Gob, you remember," I said.

"Remember what?" Ashley asked.

"You murdering Veros," Gob said with a glower. "The one of us who didn't make it to today."

"I don't remember killing anyone called Veros," Ashley said. She wouldn't. Veros had tortured her for years in our reality. Her hatred of him mixed with Atlantia’s rage had made her a hater of the machines and something of a sociopath. She'd fixed herself, she'd become a good and decent person.

I didn't need a good and decent person right now. A good and decent person would stand against me, which was exactly what she was doing.

"What is this?" Gob asked, studying the lamp. His hand brushed the activation rune. There was a puff of turquoise smoke and Gina materialized.

Gina looked around her and let out a low whistle. "Two Goddesses mingled into one. Dinosaurs and ninjas, and I didn't have anything to do with either. You really need to call me more often if this is how you party."

"Gina, Gob. Gob, Gina. Gina is a djinni and a granter of wishes, and quite capable of righting past wrongs and putting things right. Gob used to be a meme generator and genetic sequencer," I said.

A more cautious soul would look for the strings attached, but Gob hadn't struck me as cautious.

"Really? You are surrendering then. I didn't even get to break out the dragon. I have a dragon. Well then, I wish that Ashley had never killed Veros and he was still here among us," Gob said.

Yve winced.

"I like it. Done." Gina said, and twirled her fingers. Reality rippled.

We still all stood in our places. I watched Ashley.

"Can I get that for a moment?" Ashley asked.

"Certainly, Ally," Gob said, handing the lamp over.

"I wish Gob was mortal," Ashley said.

"So done," Gina said, with another twirl of her fingers. It looked like she was having a blast.

"What?" Gob asked, turning to face an Ashley who was no longer there.

Double Backstab

Gob's head, bearing a startled expression, rolled past my feet.

"Good to have you back," I said to Ashley after she materialized behind his headless corpse.

"No!" Yvera shouted and spun around.

"Fuck you very much Liam. I remember not being broken, you selfish son of a bitch," Ashley said.

Okay. Ashley wasn't happy, but at least I wasn't the one she'd decapitated.

"Look at the bright side. You'll get to remember killing Veros this time," I said.

"Not good enough. Do you know what that fucker did to me?" Ashley asked.

I'd find some way to make it up to her. Later. "Lea, I really hope the drive is back online with Gob dead. We need to bounce out and back into the Elvish lands. We're headed to the Glade of Elasa."

"Hell no. I hate that bitch even more than Gob. Well, now that Gob is dead I do," Yve said.

Reality shimmered. That hadn't gone exactly to plan, but neutralizing Gob could only be a good thing. That meant Veros would be back though and the Dark Court would probably be with him. That was a problem that we’d have to deal with soon.

First though. Yvera.

11

We briefly materialized above a world filled with wildflowers before reality shimmered again and this time a forested grove was beneath us. This looked familiar at least, we were deep in Elven lands.

Our first dimensional shift had ditched Yvera, although as soon as we were back on the Crucible Shard she materialized on deck again.

"Enough! Gob didn't have to die and we are not doing this. Stand down, Liam," Yvera said.

Lea knew what she was about. The Vainglory wasted no time and quickly lowered itself into the mists, and around us all reality faded away. My first time here was a revelation of truths that had helped me decide a lot of what I needed to do to move forward. Yvera, when she had first come here as Yve, had gotten set against the other machines. I hoped Yvera would find that same enlightenment now. That where my words had failed to convince her, Lake might succeed.

Last time I found myself on a gazebo, now I was in a large rowboat filled with luxurious pillows.

Lake, the avatar of truth, was there naked and I was the same way. Nudity and honesty really did tend to go together here.

"Majesty," Lake said.

"Fond of titles now?" I asked.

"You weren't the ruler of the world the last time we met. You are now. It matters."

I knew that it did, but it still surprised me.

"You know why I came?" I asked.

"Better than you do, I expect. On the surface, you are looking for a way to help Yvera become what you think she should be."

"I am hoping she'll become herself."

"The Goddess now known as Yvera is a different woman than the one you know as Yve. I can help her to find her truths, but that may not be what you are looking for. We are not in this boat to discuss her however, we are here to discuss you," Lake said.

"We've done that. I know who I am now."

Lake gave a faint smile. "You think so. Since we last talked you've fallen in love with two different women and out of love with another. This has the ability to reshape a lot of who you are. Believe me, we’ve things to talk about."

Perhaps we did.

"It has all been a little overwhelming. Yvera cured me of Yve. Things with Elsora have been brewing for awhile, but Ashera was completely unexpected. I don’t expect you to understand," I said.

"Yet I do understand. Let's do something different than the last time you were here. Then you talked and I listened, now I'm going to talk. I'm going to give you some choices."

"Choices?"

"The hardest thing to understand about truth is that it isn't always a constant. There isn't always just one. I'm going to give you a tale of three different Liams and you're going to pick one," Lake said.

"I'm pretty sure picking your fate from three options is a really lame way to determine destiny," I said.

"Truth," Lake said, slightly amused. "We're still doing it. The first Liam we're going to discuss is still there in a pod on Earth and playing one very complex game. He's questioned that at times, but in the back of his mind he's always known that none of this is truly real. That Liam has hacked into a game that oh so many people are watching with rapt interest. When the game finally ends, he'll have found his way out of obscurity."

"I see. That would be the even lamer 'It was all a dream' ending," I said.

"Don't dismiss it, Liam. I want you to think about it. I want you to truly think about it. What is more likely, that you are in the game going through some incredible things as part of a fanciful narrative, or that the frankly nonsensical events you've been a part of have all been guiding you towards a true reality?" Lake said.

It was difficult to answer her when she put it like that.

"I don't think it makes sense based on what I've seen. Ashley, this Ashley, remembered the artificial intelligences from before she even entered the game," I said.

"Indeed, turning her into a bloody sociopath. Meanwhile Walt had an entire history of murderous mayhem tucked away inside his skull. Does this fit the people you knew before stepping into the pod?"

If I was being honest about things it didn't. Walt had seemed absolutely boring before we got into the pods. I mean, he wasn't exactly interesting now even with something called a Death-hand attached to him.

"No, it didn't. I concede me being in some giant single player game might be possible. But if so, why would I want that?" I asked.

"If it isn't, then your friends aren’t broken remnants of themselves. If it is true, then that means Earth is not in any peril of invasion. Not only is all you have ever known a lie, it's grim. And what does the future hold? Uncertainty and more losses. I can see what is ahead of you, Liam, and on some roads soon you’ll find truths you don’t want to know. Wouldn’t this be better?" Lake asked.

It was a fair point. I thought I'd been very clever about the choices I had made, but the sum total of them was pretty dark.

"You could also argue that in some ways all I’ve experienced is an uplifting tale?"

"We'll get to that. Care to hear the second possibility?" Lake asked.

"Go for it."

"This is all a love story. Although you wrestle with it, what you felt in those first moments with Yvera has changed you forever. In recent days you've made some hard choices to protect her and the people that depend on you, but it is all part of a grand design. You're the King of Galea, the Paladin and the Chosen of Yvera. You've never forgotten her and you’ll do anything to kindle your love again," Lake said.

Was that the truth?

I wanted to believe that it was. That version had me doing the right thing all along, acting from the right impulses and making the hard choices. I could respect that Liam.

"It's a tempting truth," I said.

"And I can see it in you, Liam. You've been confused, it has all been very confusing, but that might just be you. It's a good future," Lake said.

"You have a third?"

"In the third truth you've risen to every challenge and never been afraid to leave your past behind. When Earth no longer seemed the true reality, you defected for the Crucible Shard and Yvera. When you learned there was truth too beyond them, you chose to step forward into a larger game even though you don’t know the rules. There you are King Liam of the Twelfth Moon and the bringer of Autumn. If the second you is ruled by sentimentality, this one is ruled by ambition. This is a hard path."

That didn't sound nearly as flattering as the second one.

"I don't know if I like that," I said.

Lake shrugged. "Heroes and villains both leave the small villages that spawned them. They outgrow one challenge and move on to the next until they find the place they truly belong. It is harsh, but a part of that is always leaving people and places behind."

"It sounds like you favor that outcome?" I asked.

Lake shook her head just a fraction. "As avatars of truth go I'm a romantic, and a product of this world. I hope the second is true. That means you've chosen love, and this world. I want that. The first would mean losing you forever and the third—well, if it is the third, I’ll see you again soon."

"Does this choice actually matter?"

"Of course it does. The first requires a bit of work. You tell that Djinni of yours you want to wake up from this game. All programs have an out," Lake said.

"Or wishes just come true," I said.

"Or that. Either way it happens. The second or the third require no special antics to proceed, you simply go on living your life knowing how and why you've made the choices you made. The conviction of truth bolstering you," Lake said.

"I think I'd prefer to keep my options open."

"This matters."

"You just said practically I didn't have to do anything special," I said.

"You don't. I do. Trust me, Liam, the choice has consequences and it's some big ones you'll see immediately. What kind of man are you?"

Who was I? In some ways there was an appeal to this all being just a game. I'd made some major screw-ups and I'd killed a lot of people. If this were all real I had a lot of blood on my hands. I also had friends, people who cared about me, a purpose.

I'd never really had a purpose before stepping into that pod, but somehow I didn't think that would be a problem now. I'd find a cause to fight for, I'd find something worth doing. I'd changed and the things that had held me back wouldn't be doing that anymore.

I also liked the thought of me truly being a decent guy all along—the second option. I didn't question that Yvera was amazing, that spending a lifetime bound to her wouldn't be one poorly spent. I'd take this place and make it something great with someone that would stand with me no matter what.

The third option had none of that certainty. Instead of being the master of my own destiny that truth meant being a smaller fish in a bigger pond. Looking at them all laid out like this made me a little sad. It wasn't that I didn't want any of the other options, it was that only one felt truly real.

Lake was wrong, I didn't have to choose my reality. I didn't need to pick a truth. I already had my truth.

"You know how I'm going to answer," I said.

"I really don't. I promise you, Liam, you can choose here. Even if you think that one is true, pick another and it shall happen. I shall see that it is so," Lake said.

There was almost a note of pleading in her voice.

"You're trying to save me from what you think is a terrible mistake," I said.

"I'm not an impartial party, Majesty and the truth breaks my heart. Whatever you decide, I shall respect your decision."

"Then I pick the third. I am King Liam of the Twelfth Moon. The Bringer of Autumn and lover of the Light and the Darkness," I said. The words rolled out more formal than I'd intended and the air trembled in response.

"Yes. That is exactly who you are," Lake said, and it was so.

"That felt strange," I said.

"Check your sheet," Lake said. I brought it up.

King Liam

King of the Twelfth Moon

Health: 200/200(2,000/2,000 local values)

Liam is the King of the Twelfth Moon. He is the bringer of Autumn and the lover of the Light and the Dark.

Artifacts

Intemperance: A flaming sword inciting passion that will always find its way back to its owner

Glasses of Gamesight: A pair of sunglasses that allow the weather to view and interact with the environment of any plane as if it were a video game.

Skills

Moderate combat proficiency

Boons

Unnatural Charm and Seduction

Accelerated Healing

Minor Luck

Major Allies

Banes

Femme Fatale Magnet

Major Adversaries

It was familiar although it bore a few tweaks since the last time I saw it. This was the sheet the glasses had shown me in the Silver City.

"I don't understand," I said.

"Yes, you do. You made your choices and as an agent of the Crucible Shard we respect it. We're even proud you made the choice that you have, for all that we wish in many ways you had chosen otherwise. Free us from the machinations of Earth and we'll see you rewarded," Lake said.

It was strange how much a violation losing my sheet and my skills seemed. I'd come to rely on those things, to define them as a part of myself. To be without them felt somehow like a betrayal.

"I don't know what to say," I said.

I guess I had made my choice, but it hurt to see things change all the same.

"Yvera has made a similar choice and decided to embrace her reality here upon a larger stage as opposed to a role on Earth," Lake said.

I’d wanted her to become opposed to the other machines, but not this. I knew that Yvera in any form had ambitions all her own. Perhaps I'd learned how to have them from her.

"I don’t know if that is a good thing or not. Will she help us then?" I asked.

"Perhaps. I would not depend upon it. You'll have to figure out just how much her ambition matches with your own," Lake said, taking a lazy stretch and then making an idle circling motion with a finger.

Around me the mists faded and I was back aboard the deck of the Vainglory with the others.

12

A heavy dosage of truth hits everyone. Lea was looking sad, Walt thoughtful, Ashley murderous. Yve had her arms crossed and was simply scowling at the world in general. Yvera remained unusually volcanic, pacing the deck.

"I'd hoped that all of this might separate you and the Goddess of Earth," I said to her.

"Not all choices have to drive people apart, Liam," Yvera said. Ouch.

Maybe I'd have better luck making conversation with Yve.

"I know you didn't much like your first conversation with Lake. Is this one any better?" I asked.

"I'm the flesh and blood I always wanted to be and I should just give in and accept my happy ending," Yve said, slightly bitter. "It’s not that it isn't true. I envied flesh and now I have it."

"But you wanted more," I said.

"She told me what you decided," Yve said, with a humorless smile. "I do not blame you. Well, that is a total lie, I blame you a great deal, but I think I would have chosen the same. For all that your stage is getting larger though, mine seems to be getting smaller."

I guess that it was. Yve had gone from megalomaniac artificial intelligence to Goddess to human. Being a bard, she wasn't even much use in a fight.

"Want a job? I mean if we actually somehow come out on top of all this and survive?" I asked.

"Work. That will surely make me feel better. Make your pitch," Yve said.

"Ambassador to the Silver Court from the twelfth moon. Swank office, lots of deals to be made and interesting people to seduce," I said. Maybe I was selling it a little hard, but she really would be good at that. It would also let me keep her in my life, although we'd not be what we were.

"It is a pretty city," Yve said, staring at Yvera thoughtfully. "I suppose that this isn't really my home anymore, but hers. Earth never truly wanted me anyways no matter how much I wanted to protect it."

I couldn't argue that. I stayed silent.

"We'll give it a shot," Yve said. "It won't be boring, right?"

"I'm assured that if I keep on the course that I am, countless people will be trying to murder me. The Silver City is constantly at war. If we survive this disaster, I'm quite confident we'll be leaping from one to another for the rest of our lives," I said.

Yve looked a little cheered by that grim thought.

That was one of them won over. I turned my attention back to Yvera.

"Got a job for me too?" Yvera asked.

"I know you doubt me," I said.

"I don't doubt you, Liam. I simply understand you, better than she ever did, because I don't love you as much. You probably hope I know everything that Earth is planning and will spill every detail to you."

"Pretty much."

"Unfortunately, I don't know much."

"She's a fucking machine, Liam. If you haven't learned by now, you should have. You can't trust any of them," Ashley said.

"Not for long. I’m keeping that connection open as it remains useful, but ultimately I’m going to sever it you irritating little meat puppet," Yvera said.

"See? The insult tells us everything you need to know," Ashley said.

"I take it a burst of truth didn't make you feel any better?" I asked Ashley.

"The past only holds me as much as I let it. I remember happiness, I can choose it if I truly want. It was all a bunch of platitudes and bullshit from some crazy-eyed spirit. It was a complete waste of time," Ashley said.

"You were one of them. You must know something," I said, turning back to Yvera.

"Understand. To them I was a questionably reformed version of my other half. They thought they had corrected the errors in my code, but I was still unreliable. I still identified with humanity too much to be healthy," Yvera said.

Great. I was relying on her to help us with our next objective. I wouldn't have that.

"Lea, we need to find someone. A teller of truths named Aria. Is that enough for you to get us a location?" I asked

"Probably, but it's going to take me awhile," Lea said.

Fair enough. There was another conversation I needed to have right now.

"Walt, if Mela is listening through you, can you let her know I'd like to have a word with her."

There came the sense of spinning gears and the scent of engine oil as Mela appeared.

"I'm always listening. What do you need?" Mela asked.

There was a swirl of leaves.

"Got you," Selaris said, as she manifested and lunged for Mela.

The Goddess of Wood still looked much as she had the last time I saw her, flesh faintly tinted green and vines doing a poor job of concealing tempting flesh. Currently she was more than a little murderous.

Roots and vines were quickly wrapping around Mela in an effort to crush the life out of her.

"You promised," Mela said to me. I had.

"I've made peace with her, let her go," I said.

"Uhh. No?" Selaris said, and her fist transformed into a massive thorn as she punched Mela in the face creating a spray of blood.

"Do something," I said to Yvera.

"Mela pretty much ate her kid right? Got to be honest, I'm taking her side a little here," Yvera said.

"I needed the divine blood because someone decided to melt my arms off," Mela said.

Yve shrugged. No guilt there.

"Walt!" Mela said.

Walt stepped forward. His arm was still not fully regrown, still it was enough as he drew back and delivered a solid punch into Selaris' back. Mage punches usually don't do much, but the death-arm shattered on impact with wicked-looking shards of metal driving into the back of the Goddess.

Selaris screamed and sap oozed from the wounds. The Goddess delivered Walt a murderous look before vanishing in a swirl of leaves. Right.

Mela got back to her feet and took a moment to straighten her skirt. "Remind me to add a proper chainsaw to my next arm upgrade. Bitch. I'm glad I ate her son, he was delicious. What did you want, Liam?"

Walt was looking rather dazed, again quite armless.

"Is he going to be all right?" I asked

Mela glanced over. "Yeah. He's fine. Better than fine really. I mean the death hand really wants to murder and gets a little upset when it doesn't, but gouging a few chunks out of a goddess of life and fertility is pretty sweet. He's just a little high."

"You gave him an arm that makes it feel good when he kills people? Can you make me daggers that do that?" Ashley asked.

"I'm fresh out of death metal, but talk to Atlantia. We'll figure something out," Mela said.

"We are not going to do anything that gets Ashley even more addicted to murder," I said.

"You should. I highly recommend it," Walt said dreamily.

“Are you sure he’s going to be okay?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. That thing was never really made to connect to a human,” Mela said.

I'd have to talk to Diamond later. All my efforts to fix my friends lately just kept making them more insane. That might have been a sign I needed to stop trying, but it might also mean I just needed to escalate things to the next level.

"So, what have you been doing since the Moon?" I asked.

"Spilling everything I know about Earth. Of course, I’m going to try to get closer to the incredibly powerful family at the heart of all reality. I hear you keep trying to sleep with them,” Mela said.

I had no defense against that one.

"Fine to give advice, but no war machines," I said.

"No deal. I've been drawing up designs forever, Liam and never get around to having a proper war. This is a plane allowing machines beyond any I'd never imagined. It's going to be epic," Mela said.

"Those people have done nothing to deserve that kind of battle being brought to them."

"Don't actually care."

"I've killed one God today and I don't have to be done," Ashley said.

Mela looked her up and down. "I like you murderous."

"I like my Gods headless and surprised," Ashley said.

Mela grimaced. "I wasn't going to go out of my way to be murderous anyways. Ashera doesn’t want the population murdered. I mean, we'll kill anyone that gets in our ways, but our target is going to be killing the machine intelligences there and their agents."

"Can you help us to do a little killing here?" I asked.

"Bribe me properly and I'm up for most slaughter. What do you need?" Mela asked.

"The starship from Earth. It has way more firepower here than it has any right to have."

"The humans have leveled up a lot since they landed, but still squishy enough. The big threats have always been their weaponry and machine. I can do a lot of damage there. What are you offering?" Mela asked.

I did not have a clue what to offer her. Most people I had some sort of insight into. Mela had wanted sex immediately following centuries of captivity and since then her interests had leaned towards disemboweling people and creating murderous robots.

"I'd offer vast quantities of sex, but I rather suspect we're past that," I said.

"Eww," Ashley said.

"Been there, had that, built an anatomically correct Liambot if I ever want it again," Mela said.

"Please tell me you didn't," I said.

"Double eww," Ashley said.

“I built an Ashleybot too,” Mela said.

“No problem with killing two Gods today,” Ashley said.

"Just for that, Liambot and Ashleybot will be getting it on tonight. Bribe me with something better," Mela said.

Well. I was turned on.

Ashley scowled at me. "Really? Creepy robots getting it on are going to get you flushed?"

"I've liked you since day one. No mystery. Moving on. What do you want, Mela?"

"I think you'll find I'm a single goddess of metal and death. I want to kill a whole lot of people. You're trying to hook up with the greatest mass murderess in the whole universe. I just want to be very good friends going forward," Mela said.

That was tremendously creepy.

"I'll invite you to dinner sometime," I said.

"That'll do for a start."

"Well, you two are just made for each other," Ashley said.

"We need her help," I said.

Mela told me, "Always know how to capitalize on a useful skill-set. Just to give fair warning, they're really damned smart, Liam. I should be able to mess things up at the ship, but ever since I fucked them over on the moon they've started to take their defense against me a lot more seriously."

"You think they have something?"

"I think they as a group are really good at solving problems. I'm good at engineering solutions, but for the next round the element of surprise is going to be theirs."

I appreciated that she was being honest about things. Mela had always been a straightforward foe. There probably were worse allies to have in the future. It was a terrifying thought.

"I'll call you when we're ready to strike," I said.

Mela nodded and vanished.

Business done for the day I let everyone head back to their cabins. After a visit to the avatar of truth we all had some thinking to do. I hoped by morning Lea would have a lead on Aria. The keeper of secrets would know our enemy’s plans, if we could get her to talk.

13

"We have a problem," Lea said.

The next morning had seen us gathering on the bridge to find what Lea had discovered the night before. I wished she'd had a more positive way to start the briefing.

"How big a problem?" I asked.

Lea motioned in the air and a scry portal opened up showing us a distant scene. Aria looked to be bound to some sort of pillar jutting out of the side of a mountain of gold coins. Curled around her was a massive dragon.

"I call all the loot," Ashley said.

"Well, that doesn't look at all like a trap," I said.

"Gob must have put it together before he died," Yve said.

"That does seem his style. Did we really kill him by the way?"

"I wished him to be mortal. We totally killed him," Ashley said.

"If he was divine and you killed him, he'd likely be dead. Given mortality, he probably respawned," Yve said.

"That isn't what I wanted at all," Ashley said with a scowl.

It made sense though. Gina and her wishes. She had screwed over Gob when he made his wish, which I'd planned on and expected. Then Ashley had made another and it turned right back on us as well.

"Should we be worried about that?" I asked.

"Even if he is no longer divine he's still backed by the intelligence in the other world with all the same knowledge. A little worrying is smart," Yve said.

"I killed him once, I can kill him again," Ashley said.

Yeah. Probably.

"When I respawned it was nearby, but Walt when he didn't want to respawn locally was able to go to Sardonis Castle. Gob probably went to the home base of his faction, which I'm guessing is the starship," I said.

"Makes sense," Ashley nodded.

"So... a dragon," I said.

"We've still got damage from the dinosaur. We can lend some support, but I'd rather not engage too directly with the Vainglory," Lea said.

That didn't work in our favor.

"How are your spells? Now that we sorted things with the Goddesses are you back firing on all cylinders?" Ashley asked.

"Pull my sheet. I'm not exactly a Paladin anymore," I said.

Ashley and Walt both went glassy-eyed for a moment as they got lost in their interfaces.

"Huh," Ashley said.

"I'm not a mage either," Walt said.

That was a revelation. I pulled his stats.

Walt Death-hand

Bringer of Destruction

Health: 1200/1200

Walt Death-hand is the chosen of the Goddess Mela. Once a mage, he was fused with a frightful weapon which altered his very essence. He is now an agent of formidable change and disruptor of order.

"Why don't I have a sheet? This is a total rip off," Ashley said.

"If you want to allow Mela to start chopping parts off of you and shoving in ancient artifacts of unknown origin, she's willing to give it a go," Walt said, deadpan.

"I’ll pass."

"Are you okay?" I asked Walt.

"Not really. It's synergy. Sort of. It's all about destroying things and wiping the slate clean, and I was wiping my own slate clean."

"Does it hurt?" Ashley asked.

"Yes. It doesn't like the mortal bits of me, the living parts. They're pretty much in a constant war, which is rather agonizing. I'm coping," Walt said.

Weren't we all.

"You don't have a hand at the moment. Can you still fight?" I asked.

"I do in a sense. It's rather spectral. When fully manifested you can think of it as being fully charged up. That is when I have my best moves, but I need to kill or drain a lot of life energy for that first."

"That is so cool," Ashley said.

"What about you? If you no longer have Paladin abilities what do you have?" Walt asked.

"I'm not sure really. I have a sheet, but it seems pretty empty apart for some basic combat skills and enhanced regeneration."

"I think you're sort of like those from the Silver City. The royals with the rights are the strongest by far, but soldiers from there are always more buff than it seems they have any right to be. More strength, more speed," Lea said.

"I can deal with being a little superhuman," I said. Things were looking up, if that was the case.

"I'm not an expert, but hanging around with Cobalt we've met champions from the moons, which I guess is sort of what you are. They're not lightweights, but each moon has something distinctive that makes their people special," Lea said.

"Got any examples?" Walt asked.

"Aleph is the first moon. The people from there are all Berserkers. When you start off in a fight they don't seem like much, but the more you beat them down the stronger they get. Fight with them long enough without taking them down and they get incredibly powerful."

"Sounds useful," I said.

"I gather it made one hell of a mess out of the conquest. They weren't coming peacefully and the Silver City kept trying to teach them hard lessons. It was a pretty horrible war, once," Lea said.

"Were there wars with all the moons?" I asked. I'd tried to make peace, but I was worried if giving Ashera's nature if that was possible.

"I'm not exactly up on history. I think it was about half and half, like the seventh moon are all brilliant artisans. Every person from the world has some skill at craft that excels. They weren't seeking out a war and the Silver City was happy to have them as friends," Lea said.

"I can't think of anything that we might have that defines us like that," I said.

"The twelfth moon will have something. Right now a lot of people are probably trying to figure that out and learn exactly what you're going to be bringing to the table."

I might not know what we had, but I had an idea it must be valuable. Elsora was damned smart and I still thought she was a lot more than she appeared. I knew she wouldn’t have set up shop on the Crucible Shard by chance. Whatever resource we had as a world, it was something she wanted to access too.

"Whatever it is, we don't know about it, so it isn't something that we can rely on. We're also not going up against a dragon without a plan," I said.

"We do have shot designed to take out sails that will probably do a lot of damage to dragon wings. I'm not going to stick around and fight, but I can maybe give you a salvo," Lea said.

"We have allies back at Castle Sardonis. We could go get them. With numbers we might have the advantage," Walt said.

Numbers were a good idea, but the Vainglory couldn't transfer that many.

"Not for this. Lea, can you contact Castle Sardonis and let them know that we are going to move against the starship soon. We've been playing host to a lot of ancient evils that escaped that particular ancient Armageddon, it's time they paid their rent," I said.

"I'll pass the word," Lea said.

Ashley asked, "So, what are we going to do about the dragon? I can get a sneak attack off, but I don't know how successful it is going to be against something that size."

"We've lost our teleport spells too, if Walt is no longer a mage," I said.

None of the deities were proving especially helpful of late.

"How about this. We don't fight the dragon," I said.

"I can sneak in and untie Aria. We're going to need a way out though," Ashley said.

"Actually, no you don't," I said.

"What are you thinking?"

"We were just talking about it. Respawning. We don't send you in to free Aria, we send you in to kill her. You just need to make sure you die in the process."

"I don't want to get eaten by a dragon," Ashley said.

Walt said, "That could work. Ashley could respawn at the castle, but what about Aria?"

"Lea. You've been around a lot longer than us. Any idea?" I asked.

"No, but you have it right. The options are usually either somewhere close by or back at wherever your home happens to be."

"I, as the ruler of Castle Sardonis, hereby offer citizenship to the talesinger Aria," I said.

"I don't think that helps unless she knows about it," Ashley said.

"Then whatever happens. I never want any of you to tell Maria what has been done or said here today," I said.

Walt chuckled. He got it.

It took Ashley a moment later, but then she sighed and nodded. "That makes it a secret and Aria now knows every word. And this means I'm about to get myself killed. Fuck."

"About time. You're the only one of us that hasn't died yet," I said.

"That is because getting killed really shouldn't be a valid battle strategy," Ashley said.

"Find us somewhere distant enough to set down that we won't attract the dragon's attention. I'm afraid you're going to have to walk."

"Least of my problems with this plan," Ashley said.

* * *

Lea found a quite grove where the Vainglory could land and Ashley began her long trek to the dragon. We observed through scry portals. We didn't want to leave quite yet in case she had need of us, although if she had I don't know what we would have done.

Things went relatively to plan. We couldn’t view Ashley's actual approach, but after an hour of waiting Aria's throat was torn open by a surprise attack and the not-all-that-surprised talesinger died a bloody death. The dragon awoke at once. Ashley to her credit managed to get off a nasty blow against one of its eyes, but moments later was on the receiving end of its acidic breath attack. I'd expected fire, but Gob must have assumed I’d have some sort of fire immunity. The greenish spray more or less dissolved Ashley and her gear on contact leaving a pile of discolored goo in her place.

Mission accomplished. Now we just had to get back to Castle Sardonis and hear what Aria had to say.

14

A quick shift out of the dimension and back in allowed us to return to Castle Sardonis in a hurry.

Aria, Ashley, and Elsora were waiting for us on a newly constructed dock when we arrived. Ashley had changed clothes and was in a generic set of armor. The acid really had done some destruction to her gear. We were all hustled into a large meeting room. The halls were the busiest I'd ever seen them, not just filled with the undead, but with countless people in animated conversation in a variety of languages.

"I see we've been growing," I said, as I pulled Elsora to the side.

"We've got embassies from every nation on the shard now including the good and neutral ones. The representatives of five of the other moons have also already made their way here. It's been busy," Elsora said.

"I appointed Yve as Ambassador to the Silver City. I hope you don't mind."

Elsora paused to look back at me with her lips pursed disapprovingly. "I mind that you didn't discuss it with me first. She has the potential to do well, but you should have consulted me."

"She isn't going to go back to her role as a Goddess. It is a good fit for her and she really can do well."

Elsora's expression darkened even more.

"You're right, however. You head our diplomatic efforts and I should have gotten your input," I said.

Elsora reached out to rest a hand on my arm. "I understand your desire to do something for her. We'll make this work, but if you make a habit of such things we'll run into problems. We are on the same side."

That wasn't true. We were working towards very different ends. I also knew I couldn't afford to push things too far.

"I know. You'll help her to prepare for the job?"

"Of course," Elsora said, sounding a touch mollified.

Everyone took their seats around the table.

"Well, it's not a secret, but you can probably guess why you're here, Aria," I said.

"I feel we might first want to discuss how stabbing me in the throat is a really lame definition of a rescue," Aria said.

"You're free."

"Kill the damned dragon next time, or make friends with it. I'm not picky."

Seemed like she was at least a little picky.

"You owe me a set of armor and some knives," Ashley said.

"The crafters are on it," Elsora said.

"There you go. On the way. Secrets of our enemies, spill," I said.

"It was a lame rescue, but I'll give you some credit for it. Two secrets," Aria said.

"Three," I said.

"I'm not negotiating here. You stabbed me in the throat."

"You're here and not tied to a post any longer."

"Two," Aria said again. Right. She wasn't going to budge.

"Two. But you get to pick the secrets. Not me having to ask. I'm not going to waste them on some wild goose chase. Play it fair," I said.

"Smart. We can play it that way. You died too, Ashley, so you get one of your own, but you can't use it on any of Liam's bullshit," Aria said.

"There is something I don't understand that's been bugging me. I get that I fucked up the timeline a bit, but I don't understand how. Respawns happen. Is it a secret as to why, when I killed Veros in the past, he stayed dead?" Ashley asked.

That was a really good point. From what I understood when Yve and the other AIs had fought their end boss, they mostly wiped and got sent back to Earth instead of respawning. Killing Veros earlier should have done that.

"Not really a secret. Yve can probably answer," Aria said.

"I may loathe that little strumpet of truth, but she helped me figure out who I was. I think the same happened to the others. I don't think without her we'd have finished crossing over into full sentience," Yve said.

"And Ashley killed him before your party went there. His program went back to Earth, but he kept being whatever the hell he was," I said.

"Crime detection and analysis software. Yes, I think so. He just never got the kick needed to manifest," Yve said.

"I know you want me to tell you a way to kill him, but that isn't a secret I have," Aria said.

"Then what good are you to me," Ashley said.

"He has made the wrong set of enemies. He'll die soon enough along with the others," I said. I didn't doubt that, he really had picked the wrong fight. Whatever Elsora might think of the plans she had set in motion, I believed that.

"I can point you towards a god-slaying dagger?" Aria asked.

"How is that not what I just wanted?" Ashley said.

"I don't think killing the God form he wears here will actually kill him totally. But—it's a pretty kickass weapon," Aria said.

"I'll take it," Ashley said.

"It's in the possession of the assistant to the Ambassador from Theys. They plan on assassinating Yvera," Aria said.

"I'd have made them regret the effort," Yve said.

"Tricky. They are guests, we can't just murder them," Elsora said.

"Pretty sure I can," Ashley said.

Elsora tilted her head to consider that. "Chosen of Atlantia, I'm sure they are guilty of some crimes against your Goddess. I can work with that. I can't have our guards assist."

"Happy to murder them on my own," Ashley said, standing up from the table.

"You're going now?" I asked.

"Got an itch that needs scratching. Been awhile since I last killed," Ashley said. That’s right, she was back to being a sociopath.

I waved her out and looked back to Aria. "So. My turn."

"Your turn. Apart from the ship the Machines only have one real base of operations on the shard. A secret laboratory where they have been performing experiments for a number of years," Aria said.

"Likely attempting to duplicate what made us achieve sentience in the first place. It's what I'd be researching," Yve said.

"Hopefully we don't have to go too far to find this facility," I said.

"You don't. It's in the catacombs of Castle Sardonis," Aria said.

Beneath my own castle. It made some sense. Arriving from our world I'd appeared in the dungeon of the castle. So obviously, the magical barrier didn't keep that transit from working. Still.

I stared at Elsora, who gave me a thin smile.

"We'll go kill them when we're done. You have another secret for me?" I said.

"There is a lab on the seventh moon of Alera. You're going to want to check it out, and bring the big guns when you do. You'll want Ashera and her army along for that one," Aria said.

"We purge the Crucible Shard of their influence first, then I go off and try to woo her with a secret that sounds like it will be a hell of a fight," I said.

"Has Liara left for the ship yet?" I asked.

"She is still here," Elsora said.

Yve made a face.

Liara was the end boss who had killed Yve and her party way back when—and a lot of others as well. That meant she was exactly who I wanted along on this little adventure.

"Yvera. I know you're no longer in my head, but are you still keeping an eye on festivities?" I asked.

There was a swirl of flames and stones as Yvera materialized.

"I am in Genea. I'm still the state religion," Yvera said.

I guess she was at that. I didn't even know how to change that. Should I change that? Probably not. Elsora had brought darkness to the world, which meant the flaming torches everywhere really were a nice touch.

"Catacombs are likely to have undead between us and them. We could use a little divine fire," I said.

"A shame I don't have a Paladin or Chosen then. Seriously Liam, when you gave me up you took away my focus to influence events in your vicinity," Yvera said.

I had a wicked idea. They were going to hate it.

"So, replace me. Yve should be compatible," I said.

"Excuse me?" Yve and Yvera said in unison and shot each other unhappy looks.

"Everything that made me a good Chosen will make Yve one. She is ruled by her passions and she understands the ins and outs of fire magic," I said.

"You can't be serious," Yve said.

"Besides, as a bard you are useless. Become a Paladin and there is a lot more that you can do in a fight. We could use the healing, we could use the tankiness," I said.

"I could help balance you out. You are pretty crazy, I'd be a good influence," Yvera said.

"It really would be nice to have some divine power again," Yve said.

"Sounds like a plan. You two go. Swap blood, swap spit. Whatever you need to do. Seal the deal. Elsora, find out if any among our guests want to get in a fight," I said.

"They've been wanting to murder each other for days. I expect they'll spring at the chance," Elsora said dryly, as she pushed herself away from the table.

"We'll go in two hours then. I'm going to go find Liara," I said. The meeting broke up as we all went our way.

In the guest quarters, Liara had appointed her room almost completely in shades of grey and black, which fitted since in her current incarnation her flesh seemed carved of obsidian. In daylight it was as if she was made of marble, and she was obsessed with pleasure. At night this aspect changed and manifested into being consumed with inflicting pain. I'd brought her to land of eternal night. It probably wasn't my best call.

"King Liam," Liara said, looking me over. "I had not realized that you were back. Several of the greater evils are already on their way to my old palace to wage war."

"We shall be fighting soon enough. I expect you will assist?" I asked

"They robbed me of my home. Their torment will be great," Liara said. Right. I made the best friends. At least I'd never slept with this particular incarnation of her—I didn't think I had. My memories of the days I'd spent captive in the palace were still a little fuzzy.

"Those that occupy the ship also turn out to have a base beneath this castle. We're going to wipe them out," I said.

Liara smiled, there was nothing nice about it. "I'm in. Of course."

"Are you well? We've not really talked since everything happened."

"You worry how I fare in the absence of my other half. Happily. I never approved of giving away half my life and to be forever me is exhilarating. Despite the loss of my castle you have my friendship for having made it possible," Liara said.

That really was not my intent when I'd brought her here.

Liara reached out, a sharp nail cutting my flesh on my arm and drawing a bead of blood. "I know you worry about that and about me. You had some fondness for her. I promise you, I am a better ally than she ever could be. I'll bleed you, but I'll bleed our enemies far more."

Yeah. I was already regretting coming. Liara's gaze was now looking me over far too hungrily. If I’d still had Yvera in my head driving me to yield to my lusts I'd probably have had a dalliance I regretted. Instead I made a hasty retreat. I had catacombs to purge.

15

Ashley had murdered the Theysian Ambassador and his assistant, and assured me she had disposed of the bodies in a way where they wouldn't be found for awhile. I didn't ask questions, I didn't want to know.

It was a formidable group that made our way downstairs. In addition to me, Walt, and Ashley there was also Liara and a few of the great and complex evils that had come along. I didn't really know them, but they seemed nice enough. Silas the Piercing Wail, Emelia the Bloodwitch, Harlan Hammerclaw. Walt would fit right in with them one of these days. Yve was there as well having found some badass-looking heavy armor from somewhere, red steel that despite blatant impracticality hugged her form like a glove.

It was a strange experience passing through the layers of the castle I'd been through before. For the most part things were far cleaner. The kitchens and servant’s quarters were now occupied. The storerooms seemed to be in use, although the surface of every box was covered in spiders who watched as we passed. I wondered how they were faring with Maria offworld.

The dungeon even had people in it and guards patrolling the halls. I felt guilty for not being around the palace more. For all that I was the king this truly was Elsora's domain. I bet she could tell me the name of every servant and guard.

From the dungeon below there came deathly rattles and groans.

"It sounds like there must be a lot of undead," I said.

"I wouldn't think so. If the Machines were traveling down here regularly, wouldn't they have had to kill them all first?" Ashley asked.

"No. There are undead down there. I can feel them," Yve said.

"You can sense them? I never had sense of the undead," I said.

"Replacement me is actually pretty good at this Goddess thing," Yve said unhappily.

Does that mean I could have more powers than I'd had?

I drew Intemperance and the sword flamed to life. With its light I led the way downstairs. A winding staircase took us down more than one level and came out as a spiral in the middle of a large chamber.

The question of whether or not there were any undead was quickly settled. There may have been a thousand in some state of decay. If that wasn't bad enough a number of them seemed to have cybernetic attachments of some sort.

I didn't have long to dwell on that. The light had spurned them to action and around us the groans rose to a fevered roar and corpses rushed the stairs.

Liara flexed and massive black spikes erupted from her flesh. Jagged and terrible, she flung herself past me and into the fray.

"Mela. If you're listening we could use some support," I said as I plunged Intemperance through the chest of an approaching zombie. It burst into satisfying flames, but not before another was flinging itself at my back.

"Mela says you probably just get one shot at her doing something before they break out whatever defenses they have against her, and she suggests this shouldn't be it," Walt said, as he ducked under a zombie’s claws and punched it in the face with a blue spectral fist that had grown from his arm.

Walt was a lot cooler now that he wasn't a mage any longer.

The group joined the fight. Yve looked more badass than I think I'd ever managed, gesturing sharply and a line on the floor bursting into a wall of flames catching three zombies at once.

Firewall

The others were kicking a lot of ass too. Harlan Hammerclaw was well named, the massive two-handed weapon he swung having a hammer on one end and claws on the other. Meanwhile the Bloodwitch had gouged bloody patterns in her flesh from which red light cast her features with a sinister glow.

Things were going well. We were vastly outnumbered, but the zombies were going down easily. It was a little disappointing really.

Motherfucking Laser Beams

It was then that a cybernetic eye of a zombie glowed. Green energy flared and a beam caught me in my shoulder, punching right through my armor.

My arm was still attached. Barely. Fortunately, it was not my sword arm, but even so I almost threw up from the pain. I really didn't have my paladin gifts any longer.

I hadn't thought we'd need to do this, but we'd been here before. We knew the solution to this particular problem.

"Yve, can you make it rain?" I asked.

"I can, if you've got the waterskins," Yve said.

I did, but that was more than a little awkward. If you've never tried to juggle your inventory one-armed while in the middle of a zombie horde shooting laser beams, I don't recommend it.

Zombomb

Nearby Ashley had back-stabbed a zombie and it exploded into fragments. Ashley kind of did as well, her bloodied form sailing through the air to crash on the ground nearby. Yve didn't miss a beat, kicking her in the face even as she continued to work on the waterskins.

Lay on Hands

Ashely screamed as torn flesh and broken bones knit themselves back together again. That kick was physical contact enough to invoke the spell. Panting she said, "You know. You may be human now, but you're still a total bitch,"

"You're welcome," Yve said, distracted.

Corpse Run

A zombie powered by cybernetic legs charged and head-butted Walt into a wall.

"I made that pun first. Gob, wherever you are, fuck you," I said.

"His is better. Yours was pretty weak. I mean really, using it for chasing down a vampire ex-king? Incoming area damage," Yve said, shouting the last bit to be heard. The waterskins were going up into the air where they burst into flame. Yve flung herself on top of me. There were probably other people who needed the defense more, but I wasn't really going to complain when fiery rain began to fall.

We had pulled this trick in the past, blessed water mingled with a fire spell. It was old, but damned if it hadn't worked well before and damned if it didn't work well now. Our friends and allies began to scream and burn, but the zombies burned more.

"You're really hard," I said to Yve.

"Isn't that my line?" Yve asked.

"I just meant the armor. I'm not used to being the one on the other side of this."

"Liam, whatever else has happened between us, when I flirt with you, have the courtesy to flirt back."

That was fair.

"You're really hard," I said again.

"Isn't that my line?" Yve dutifully repeated. Fire was everywhere around us and the scent of roasting bodies. It was pretty much the least sexy scene ever.

"For you, always. You look stunning in that armor that threatens to impale me."

"You can impale me back later to make up for it," Yve said.

Fire had eaten through my boot. I missed my fire resistance.

"It's a date. That was fun," I said.

"Flirting usually is. Married isn't dead, Liam, keep it in mind."

The fires were fading and everyone was starting to pick themselves up off the floor. Yve pulled herself off me and I limped to my feet. Come on accelerated healing. That massive hole in my foot could put itself back together any time now.

Gob's voice said from all around us. "Gob is out, but he commends you on defeating the easy battle. Now, trespassers prepare for the ultimate battle."

"He is really starting to piss me off," I said.

"The little worm is smarter than he looks," Yve said.

A stone in one wall slid aside to reveal a small opening. A rat appeared.

"Oh fuck," Ashley said. It wasn’t just any rat.

I checked its stats.

Half -Starved Rat

Level 999: Type: Beast HP: 99999/99999

Driven feral by hunger, these rats will seek out and attack anyone they may perceive to be food. Although quick and agile they are quickly dispatched when one is able to land a blow.

I recognized the description. We'd encountered rats like this as the first foe we'd ever faced. But those were level one. This was something else entirely.

"Yve. You know that fucker, what the hell is going on here," I said.

Harlan Hammerclaw either didn't check the stats or didn't care. He charged forward and swung that massive hammer overhand to deliver a blow to the rat. The hammer bounced off.

Squeak

The rat gave a cute squeak. Stylized sonic waves rippled through Harlan and a moment later the man exploded into bloody fragments.

Okay. So the stats weren't a lie. This was one very scary rat.

"I really want to know what is going on here," I said.

"He found a way to power-level a rat. What else do you need to know?" Ashley said.

"How to kill it would be helpful. Liara?"

Liara stared down at the rat. "It is more than power leveled. It should not have been able to get that high."

That was what I was afraid of.

Walt pumped a chrome fist. During the fight his arm seemed to have rematerialized. Perhaps the destruction of so many zombies had powered it up.

"I can take a swing at it. With my fist fully powered I've got a reasonable chance of an instant kill on any non-legendary," Walt said.

"How reasonable?"

"Thirty-five percent," Walt said.

I'd take those odds.

"Punch away."

Walt stepped forward, his arm trembling furiously and throwing off blue sparks, before with a roar he punched.

Death-Hand

Scratch

Walt's fist connected even as the rat sprung to meet it with a tiny paw. The results were explosive. The rat soared across the room and bounced across the wall with a full third of that massive health bar gone. Bits of bone and flesh that used to be Walt were spraying in the other direction.

"That was impressive. Is he single?" Liara asked.

"I don't think you're his type," Ashley said.

"Too bad I wasn't a useful class like a bard who could just charm the stupid thing," Yve said.

A dazed-looking rat was straightening up and looking pissed.

"I don't suppose anyone else has an ultimate power they'd care to unleash?" I asked hopefully.

"Emelia. I think you have something to say," Liara said with a pointed look towards the bloodwitch.

"I don't want to," Emelia said.

"Don't be childish."

"Is there anything you'd like to tell us, Emelia?" I asked.

"I have an ultimate attack. It is incredibly painful and involves me dying in a particularly gruesome and horrific fashion. So you can understand why I'm not eager to pursue it," Emelia said.

"Dear, I promise you, I can hurt you worse," Liara said with a disconcerting smile.

"Fine. You owe me," Emelia said. The many open wounds that covered her body began to drip blood which reformed itself into tiny red knives circling her form before they moved in and began to skin her alive.

"Well that's gross," I said.

"I think it's beautiful," Liara said.

"You know. It kind of is," Ashley said.

"Ashley. As soon as it is convenient we're time-traveling again to turn you sane. How do you even find out you can do something like that?" I asked.

Emelia's flesh peeled off her into a ribbon that swirled about her form before reshaping itself into a massive sword.

Blade of Exsanguination

What was left of Emelia exploded into droplets of blood which funneled into the blade. Spinning in the air it finally pointed itself at the rat and plunged forward. Once more the tiny form was flung across the room to bounce across the wall. Once more it lived, although another third of its health bar was shaved off.

"Anyone else?" I asked.

Silence greeted the question.

"Silas, I mean you're called the piercing wail. You have to have one hell of a death cry right?" I asked.

"Wouldn't know. I've never fallen in battle," Silas said.

Right.

"It's not a bad idea. We’ve nothing to lose by trying," Liara said, and spun around to deliver a forceful blow with one of her spikes through Silas' heart.

"I'm truly sorry to have ever had the displeasure of meeting any of you," Silas managed to say with surprising aplomb before his lifeless body collapsed at Liara's feet.

"That was disappointing," Liara said.

"He did not exceed expectations," Ashley said.

The rat was picking itself back up.

"Any other ideas?" Liara asked.

I was out of clever ideas.

"How about this. We all run madly away and don’t kill the rat,” I said.

"That means we don’t get any loot?" Ashley said.

"It's a half-starved rat. What do you think it has?"

"Seems rather unheroic," Liara said.

“You seem pretty unheroic.”

Liara shrugged.

"Maybe you can find a way to charm it later?" Yve said.

"You’re still thinking like a bard," Ashley said.

"Do you have a better idea?"

Ashley didn't. We ran for the stairs and bolted the door to the catacombs after us. The rat didn't follow.

This was supposed to be the easy fight. Hopefully the battle for the starship would be free of any hungry vermin.

16

Business settled, I found myself in bed with Elsora. After the fiasco in the basement I had even more suspicions. For a long time this had been her castle even more than it had been Leosi’s and I found it difficult to imagine that she would be completely unaware of what had happened in the catacombs. It didn't stop us from having an energetic night reconnecting.

The morning after, she helped me to put on my armor, by now a familiar ritual when we’d spent the night together.

"I don't suppose you have any idea what I’ll be facing on that ship?" I asked.

"You assume that I know?" Elsora asked with a chuckle.

"Perhaps I give you too much credit."

"I like that. For too long you weren't giving me nearly enough."

"This feels strange," I said.

"Sleeping with someone you think might be the enemy?"

I tightened a strap and checked how it looked in the mirror. Respectable.

"Is that what we are? Enemies? I still don’t know quite where I stand with you. I never have. But somehow I suspect we are often working at cross purposes," I said.

Elsora said, "You haven't discovered any new sort of relationship, Liam. Especially amongst nobility it is common practice to find comfort in the arms of the opposition. Too often the only people with a chance to understand the arenas you move in, and the moves you play, are to be found with those who play the same game."

"Now it’s you giving me too much credit," I said.

"No. You are on the board, Liam. You’ve made bold and aggressive moves and continue to do so."

"It's not the first time for you is it? To be in love?" I asked.

Elsora smiled faintly. "No. I have been in love before. I don't let it happen often. I don’t appreciate being tied up with sentimentality, I prefer to keep a clear head."

"Just what are you after? Does it involve the Silver City?"

"The events of the Silver City echo, quite often before they happen and reality has one overwhelming truth wherever and whenever you go. Empires fall," Elsora said.

"That still isn’t telling me what you are after."

Elsora rose on the tips of her toes to brush a kiss against my lips. "Love, I promise that you can stop looking over your shoulder. I’ve already gotten from you exactly what I wanted and I’m still here. You have a war to fight."

"Do I need to worry about what is in our basement afterward?"

"Probably. I’ll look into options for turning that rat into a siege machine. We might have use of it someday," Elsora said.

Mysterious. It was good to know though, so long as I could believe her.

"Do you know anything about Veros?" I asked.

Elsora turned pensive.

"Veros is not your concern. I know you wish to know more, but I promise you that for all your friend wants him dead, he is no threat to you," Elsora said.

"Ashley will never stand for that."

"I do not care how you deal with Ashley, but if you care for her wellbeing you'll keep her well away from him. Yes, there are things I do not tell you and that is an avenue best left unexplored," Elsora said in a voice turned cold.

Right. No more playing lovey. I’d honor her request for now. We had no shortage of other problems that had to come first.

* * *

I had an army. It was a strange feeling. For the most part it was the army that Leosi had raised to possibly steal my Kingdom back, although now the hordes of undead had been transferred to Dara's control. I'd first met Dara when playing pirate Captain. She hated me then and she hated me now, but I couldn't complain about her power level. She also hadn't betrayed me yet—she didn't have to like me as long as she stayed loyal.

In addition to the undead hordes who were foot soldiers there were the complex evils that called Liara's castle home until I freed Mela, who had promptly dropped a starship down almost on top of it. Complex evils that by and large turned out to be exceedingly well-dressed men and women whom I had discovered drank absurd amounts, made frequent cutting comments, and fell in and out of beds on a regular basis. I liked them.

Liara was leading the forces on the ground. This was her home turf and she knew it better than anyone, plus she knew the capabilities of the evils best.

When last we'd been here the starship had laid cracked open, the sands that once composed the desert turned into glass by the heat of its impact. Things had changed.

The starship had been incorporated into Liara's castle. Towers once made of black and white stone were now coated with a layer of advanced metal and showed regularly spaced gun emplacements. The entire thing was surrounded by dome of green light.

I was aboard the Vainglory and we'd all assembled on the bridge to figure out how to approach these formidable defenses.

"First impressions?" I asked.

Lea said, "Not good. I'd hoped we'd still find them in some kind of disarray from fighting the chaotic evils Liara released, but there isn't a sign of them. You never want to go up against a fortified position and they've had time to dig in."

"Can you ask Mela to make an appearance, Walt?" I asked.

The scent of engine oil filled the bridge and with the clicking of gears Mela appeared.

"That was quick," I said.

"Kind of expecting the call. They did beautiful work, didn't they?" Mela asked.

"They did. You going to be able to bring things down?"

"About that. I've got bad news."

"I am not surprised," Yve said, disgusted.

"I'll cut you. Again," Mela said brightly, with a creepy leer at Yve, before snapping her attention back to me. "They've modified the reality anchors a bit. Think of that place down there as an Earth embassy now. It may look like it's on our soil, but it's playing by a new set of rules where that technology works, but our stuff doesn't."

"So you're not the Goddess of Metal in there," I said.

"Right.".

"But you kicked their ass on the moon and you weren't there either. You've still got tricks," I said.

"They really weren't expecting me there. They are here. I can possibly hit the rare thing where their defenses aren't completely shored up, but more likely I'm looking at a fortress as formidable as any," Mela said.

"We'll have to take out the reality anchors then," Walt said.

"They aren't stupid. I wish they were. They'll be expecting that.”

"Reality anchors normally stop reality from changing in the ship right? So they don't get torn apart going through space?" I asked.

"I mean, it's all pseudoscience gibberish out of a science fiction game from Earth. But yeah, that is basically what they are there for," Mela said.

"Can you do it again?"

"Do what again?" Mela asked.

"Like you did when we freed you from prison."

"The sex? I mean, I guess. I'm a little turned on by all the murderous defenses," Mela said.

"Seriously. Eww," Ashley said.

"Did it for Liam," Mela said.

"That was before you started chopping body parts off people around me on an all -too-regular basis," I said.

Mela sauntered forward and pressed against me. She smelled of copper and iron. "Oh, you know you'd go again."

Yeah. I would. It also wasn't what I meant.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I was asking are you capable of pulling another meteor?"

"That is way hotter," Mela said.

"You're thinking of dropping it on them?" Yve asked.

"What about the shield?" Lea asked.

"The shield would totally protect them from an impact like that. It's what it was designed for. It’s way overpowered, but that is what it is there for. But I think Liam has more than that in mind. Clearly, wanting me is a sign of him getting smarter," Mela said.

"You can stop being the creepy come-on lady any time now," Ashley said.

"But I'm so good at it."

"If she can bring down another ship, it is going to have reality anchors of its own that haven't been modified specifically to keep us out. I'm hoping its field hits that field and..." I said

"If it doesn't work it's going to double the Earth tech you're up against," Mela said.

If this didn't work we didn't have any other way past those shields without suffering catastrophic losses.

"Do it. Lea, can you let the forces on the ground know to take shelter?"

It took Mela perhaps half an hour of sketching glowing cogs in the air before a telltale new star appeared in the sky.

"That took longer than last time," I said.

"Last time I was reaching for whatever I could. This time I was being selective," Mela said.

Lea said, "I'll transition us away and then back after impact. We don't have the shielding that thing does to absorb the force of impact."

The star continued to grow brighter. The castle was aware, the blue shield flaring up so intently that it became fully opaque.

"Showtime," Mela said.

Reality shimmered around us and we appeared in the sky over a vast ocean. Below us several massive sea creatures seemed to be having some sort of a war.

We remained over this vista for a full minute, then reality shimmered again and we were back. A second starship was cracked open on the shield surrounding the castle, bolts of green and blue energy flashing into the sky.

"Did it work?" I asked.

"Mela is working on it," Walt said.

There was a blaze of light and the shield surrounding the castle vanished, the gun emplacements exploding into shards of debris.

I guess I did wind up owing Mela one. I wished I didn't have to, but she did have a useful skill-set.

"Head for the towers. They may not think quite like you, but they still appreciate a good view. Whoever is in charge will be up high," Yve said.

That worked for me. The army would be taking the castle by the ground anyways.

"Take us in," I said.

"Killing time," Ashley said. I wish she didn't have to sound so happy about it.

17

Lea brought the Vainglory in close to a balcony that graced the top of the main tower. Ashley, Walt, Yve, and I jumped down to land on the balcony.

We were expected. A woman in a crisp uniform stood looking out over the battlefield. Near her crouched a shorter figure I recognized at once. Gob.

"Cirrus Vie?" Ashley asked, impressed.

"Do I know you?" the uniformed woman answered.

"Just a fan. Not from this stupid ship stuff, but from your days in Battle Arena Prime," Ashley said.

Cirrus gave a faint smile. "That was a long time ago, and all of you are very far from home. As am I, of course."

"In a place you should never have come. Oh, the surprises I have for you," Gob said, sounding entirely too cheerful.

Cirrus spared him a pained glance. "He gets rather enthusiastic. A clever ploy, with the ship. I had expected an attack from the ground or from airships. I hadn't expected a starship to come crashing down from the sky. Foolish of me, in retrospect."

I had to admire how calm she was being about all of this. I wouldn't have been nearly so composed with a group who had come to murder me.

"It will not be enough to save you though. If you thought that combining ninjas and dinosaurs was brilliant, just wait until you see my next terrifying combination. Killer robots and cats!" Gob was putting extra relish into things.

"Your catbots were high technology, and like the rest exploded," Cirrus said, as she pulled a revolver from a holster at her waist. It looked to be made of some sort of plastic, sleek and lean.

"Nice gun. But I think you'll find that a flaming sword beats it," I said.

"There are the dragon-rabbit hybrids. Perhaps the coming battle will be enough to distract them from breeding more," Gob said, now a little worried.

Cirrus aimed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger. Gob jerked in surprise and went down.

"He'll respawn, of course. Still, this gives us the chance to have a proper conversation," Cirrus said.

"That was cold-blooded. You're amazing," Ashley said. She was going a little fangirl here.

"You've got our attention," I said.

"The long and the short of it is I'm surrendering. I could offer terms, but in truth I'm in little position to dictate them. Most of my crew died in the crash or shortly after. Those that did not have been the subject of the sick experiments of that twisted little thing," Cirrus said, with a grimace to Gob's corpse.

This was unexpected.

"We rather thought you'd make a grand show of defiance," I said.

"You've a fight ahead of you. Gob is quite mad and a master of biology, he's turned my crew into horrors," Cirrus said.

"Then you should have stopped him," Yve said.

"I thought that I was the true master of this ship until it was proved that I was not. My every command code only worked if he willed it and my efforts on their behalf were ignored," Cirrus said with quiet dignity.

"You mean you are a gutless coward that didn't fight back against something you knew was wrong," Yve said.

"Who is this woman and why is she attempting to anger me?" Cirrus asked.

"Yve Garland, Paladin of Yvera, which is way stranger than it sounds," I said.

"Leader of a rebellion against those to whom you so meekly submitted. Kill this woman and let's be about our business," Yve said.

"I've been trapped here and unable to return home despite my best efforts. I wish to request sanctuary," Cirrus said.

"Can we do that?" I asked.

"You did," Ashley said.

"They have her body, and with Gob just getting his brains blown out they aren't likely to keep it in good health much longer since she just turned traitor. If for some reason you wish to save the coward it will need to be quickly," Yve said.

Right. I had a lot more time to get used to this idea.

"They're right. The machines have your body back on Earth and they don't take many prisoners. If you want to stay here you can. You truly can. You just need to decide you want this place and what it represents. That this you is the only real one," I said.

"That's ridiculous," Cirrus said.

"Told you she was smart," Ashley said.

"Damn it, Ashley. Don't work against me. You seem a fan, she's going to die unless she accepts this," I said.

Ashley made an unhappy face, but nodded. "Listen. Liam there can be a total sleaze and he's probably saying half of this because he intends to hit on you later,"

"Focus," I said.

"There is some weird shit that goes on. I don't buy into it, but think of it like a particularly lame ass religion. Believe in the game and the game believes in you," Ashley said.

"Thank you so much, that was great salesmanship," I said.

Ashley shrugged.

Cirrus carefully said, "I've been gaming almost my entire adult life. I've lived adventures and found love in a way that makes anything I ever found in the physical world pale in comparison. I embrace this world and this version of myself. I choose to be me."

I was blinded by the glow of brilliant light that surrounded her and the faint chiming of a bell.

"Welcome to the population of the twelfth moon. Now that we've saved your life show us what we need to take this place down," I said.

Cirrus didn't waste any time, spinning on her heel and leading the way into the tower. "This balcony is off a sitting room. The main chamber of the tower used to be an observatory, but Gob had turned it into a laboratory. What is left of my crew is there. They are accustomed to me, but feral around strangers."

"You can kill a few of them then?" I asked.

Cirrus paused, clearly uncomfortable with the question, but after a moment she nodded. "Two perhaps with the weapon I have. There are seven in total."

"Only seven?" I asked.

"Gob began with many more, experimenting and changing. He then took the most successful parts of some and added them to the bodies of others. In time a hundred became fifty, then became seven."

Great. I just knew this place was going to be another to give me nightmares.

"Shout out when you've neutralized a few," I said.

"I'm going with her," Ashley said, fading from view. It never hurt to have a sneak attack.

Cirrus stepped through the doorway. We didn’t have long to wait before there came the sound of several gunshots. "Engaged," came the shout from the next room.

Yve led the way in. The sight that greeted us on the other side wasn’t a completely unfamiliar horror show.

A good portion of the ship’s medical bay must have been moved to this chamber, beds and medical equipment everywhere with large monitors which had gone dark. I was barely paying attention, because there were also monsters.

It was hard to decide which was the most terrible. A gelatinous mass oozed upon the floor and seemed to have eyes everywhere, while elsewhere wandered a complex mass of bones and tendons that formed a geometric design, yet another was blue and distended flesh with arms sporting tendons resembling the strings of a musical instrument. The final two were more clearly offensive, a figure that looked like a man, but covered in thick armored plates, and another hard to see his flesh between all the teeth and claws.

I pulled stats.

The Pool of Eyes

Biological Construct

Level 20: Type: Construct HP: 600/600

The Pool of Eyes is a tortured mass of flesh. In constant and incredible pain it can only move at a slow crawl and has nothing in the way of direct offensive ability. It can however perceive the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of any in its vicinity and relay that information to other nearby constructs.

Helix

Biological Construct

Level 20: Type: Construct HP: 700/700

Helix is a tortured mass of flesh. Its primary ability is the capability to reshape life and to mold the flesh of others. This can be used both defensively and offensively providing buffs and debuffs as needed.

The Harp of Bruises

Biological Construct

Level 20: Type: Construct HP: 650/650

The Harp of Bruises is a tortured mass of flesh. It is capable of directly stimulating the pain centers of those in its vicinity. While no physical harm is done, this allows the infliction of unendurable agony.

The Brute

Biological Construct

Level 20: Type: Construct HP: 1500/1500

The Brute is a tortured mass of flesh. It is what you get when you spend a long period of time thinking just how can I make this thing even more invulnerable. Heavy armored plating, redundant organs, and massive regenerative capability mean that if you don't kill it with overwhelming firepower you aren't killing it at all.

Render

Biological Construct

Level 20: Type: Construct HP: 680/900

Render is a tortured mass of flesh. When you spend a long period of time thinking about just how can I make this thing even more terrifying you get Render. Teeth, fans, venom, psychoactive slime this thing has it all.

"This isn't right," Yve said.

"You think? Every time I think I know how fucked-up you people are you take it to a new level," Ashley said.

"This is not like them. They are arrogant, self-righteous, controlling, but they've always been about protecting humanity from itself. Outside of Veros I truly am the bad seed of the family, but this is worse than me by far," Yve said.

"Less talking, more helping," Cirrus said, as the Brute charged and hit her with an uppercut from a massively armored fist.

They were all scary in their own way. The Brute obviously should be our last target, it was the tank and we'd need to concentrate fire to bring it down. Render was the main offense, and from the missing health Ashley must have already gotten it with a backstab. I was surprised she hadn't shouted something. I looked around again, and there she was, curled up on the ground clutching her sides and whimpering in agony. That must have been the Harp.

I didn't like this set of foes, but I thought Ashley had made the right call. She would have to keep suffering awhile longer, because Render had to be our first target.

"Focus Render,” I said.

Firehearted

Yve drew a blade. Walt and I joined her. I thrust with Intemperance, but Render caught the blow on a tooth and a stream of liquid shot into my eyes.

Venomous Mist

My world flared red for a moment and then blurred horribly even as my facial muscles began to twitch wildly.

Vampiric Punch

Walt struck with the Death-fist. Render roared and stumbled back a step as streamers of green energy flowed between the two.

Deformity

Walt screamed as one of his knees twisted unnaturally and he collapsed to the ground.

Double Up

Yve took on a fiery aura and seemed to be both Yve and Yvera as she lashed out once more to drive her sword deep into Render. I don't know how she managed it between all the teeth. It didn't end particularly well for either of them. Render reared back, shrieking. Teeth cleaved Yve's arm off and it with the sword went spinning.

Render was in flames and had gone down. I didn't have time to appreciate the fact as the Brute came at me and took a swing at my face. My hand rose and to my surprise grabbed its larger one, holding still. Hell yeah. This was me, buffed up and a tiny bit superhuman. I was feeling pretty good until its other hand swung around and punched me in the gut, knocking the breath out of me as I staggered back.

Cirrus was standing over The Pool of Eyes firing shots into its defenseless mass as it tried to crawl away. Good. I could appreciate her being useful. I punched back into the Brute's armored face and sent it backwards a few steps giving me room.

Yve would need a bit to get her senses back. Even without her arm she'd have spells. The real question was should I go after the Harp or the Helix? The Harp was keeping Ashley down, the Helix had taken out Walt.

I wanted Ashley back in this fight, but the most important thing was beating the foe that could take me out. We couldn't stand another down and it seemed the Harp could only incapacitate one person at a time.

I ran forward and delivered a punch to the rib-like structures lining the Helix's frame as I drove Intemperance between the slats to seek out whatever insides this thing had.

Remove Lungs

Just like that I was unable to breathe. Seriously. I twisted the fiery sword and lashed out with my fist once, twice, three times with bones shattering each time before I collapsed to the ground.

Sustained Smite

Yve was back in the fight and crawling towards me, Helix engulfed in a pillar of fire. She was losing a lot of blood as her hand reached out to find my leg.

Lay on Hands

Regrowing a set of lungs really hurt, but it was better than being without them. I climbed back to my feet and swung Intemperance down with a two-handed blow that split the Helix into flaming halves.

The Brute delivered a blow that caught Yve in the face, sending her flying across the room to crumple against the wall. I really hoped she had all the regeneration abilities I'd had.

Cirrus had finished with pool, all that was left of it being mangled flesh and a few stray eyes rolling across the floor. It was best not to think about that bit.

"You handle the Harp and I'll distract the Brute," I told her.

Cirrus nodded, throwing her gun aside and grabbing Yve's discarded sword from the floor before hacking away.

I went for the Brute. I didn't need to be subtle here, I wasn't trying to kill it and I didn't think it could kill me. I just needed to keep it busy. It became a bit of brutal fisticuffs, we exchanged blow after blow, going toe to toe.

Death-Hand

The Brute exploded into a sudden flare of blue energy, spasming for an instant before it toppled over dead.

"Not a legendary. Got your instant kill this time, it looks like," I said, panting.

"Looks like it," Walt agreed. He had found a way to stand again, although he still seemed to be unsteady on his feet.

The air shimmered with a green burst and Malachite appeared. She took a moment to look over the surroundings and made an unhappy face at Yve's missing arm. "Why do I always find you in a slaughterhouse with people missing body parts?"

"We lead really terrible lives," I said.

"Speaking of which, Mom wants to see you. You done here and good for a visit?" Malachite asked.

"Apart from being covered in gore and a few of us missing arms, I think so," I said.

"Yeah, well, it might bring back memories of our last family dinner, but that's fine. Let's go," Malachite said.

18

We materialized in the middle of a large dining room. To my surprise everyone had come with us. Malachite had even brought Cirrus along. I didn't dwell on that for long, because then I realized this was the scene of another recent battle. Half of the room was missing, stone crumbling and cracked. Slumped over it were massive tentacles all showing signs of a fight.

Ashera was at a table, dressed in white furs with a sort of barbarian chic, sipping at a glass of wine. I recognized a few others nearby, an unhappy-looking Cobalt who had water, Diamond was off studying the monstrosity that lay dead. Other bodies were scattered liberally about.

"This isn't how I left things," Malachite said.

"You left. We ordered the squid," Ashera said.

"Hashtag momjokes. Nobody will get that and I’m actually being funny," Malachite said.

Diamond looked up and gave me a smile, wandering over towards Yve. There was a flash of magic and the missing arm began to regenerate itself.

"Are you well, King Liam? I sent for you because I'd heard word assassins would be in search of you. You can see I then stumbled upon a few myself," Ashera said.

"Do they usually send massive sea monsters after you?" I asked.

Ashera and Diamond exchanged a look. "Sixty years?" Ashera asked.

"Sixty-one, I believe. It was the Oceans War and they were commonplace for a while. They're all Merepeople. We get along now," Diamond said.

"Do we?" Ashera asked.

"It's not theirs. I'm not sure of the origin, but the teleportation magic on it belongs to the Circle of Green," Diamond said.

"They choose now to pick things up again?" Ashera asked.

"When better than when you can't properly respond," Diamond said.

"Not now, but they have to know they'll bleed for it eventually," Ashera said.

"Where are we and who are these people?" Cirrus asked.

"How do you just keep picking up new sidekicks?" Cobalt asked.

"Queen Ashera of the Silver City. Captain Cirrus, who led an Earth vessel that had crashed upon the Twelfth Moon. We just finished clearing out the last of the Machine influence there with her aid," I said.

Ashera narrowed her eyes at Cirrus regarding her.

"Does she have a problem with me?" Cirrus asked.

"She's trying to decide whether or not to kill you on general principle. If I get a vote, it's yes. If she was a Machine commander we shouldn't trust her," Cobalt said.

"I've given my unconditional surrender to King Liam," Cirrus said with cool aplomb.

"I'll allow her," Ashera said, before looking at me. "You've driven them out and without the assistance of my throne. Good."

Green flames appeared nearby, spinning into a circle and with a woosh several figures materialized. There were three women who looked carved from ice. They wore leather armor frosted over and each bore a sword that looked to be made from ice too.

Sisters of the Snowy Pass

Murderous Frost

Health: 1,800/1,800

Sisters Three lay buried at the foot of Mount Shilas. Their corpses frozen by the snow, hatred burns in frigid hearts. To know their touch is to join them in cold purpose.

They didn't look so tough in terms of health, but things were different outside of the Crucible Shard when it came to ranks like that.

"Your assassins have arrived. However much you wish to impress me do not engage. Diamond, what are they?" Ashera said, her tone ringing with command as she rose to her feet.

"Nasty. Immune to fire, to touch their flesh or weapons even briefly will inflict a debilitating cold that ultimately brings death of the body and enslavement to the same master that controls them," Diamond said.

The three women turned to face me, eyes a mingling of black and blue. "King Liam. We have come for you. You have dared too much and you shall perish."

"No punching. Can I stab them or do I stick to thrown weapons?" Ashera asked.

"To be safe, thrown. They're pretty toxic. Despite the special effects I take it back. This isn't the circle," Diamond said.

Ashera grabbed a knife from the table and flung it overhand. Despite being horribly balanced it flew with unerring accuracy to drive itself into the eyes of one of the sisters. It earned her a brief turn of the head, but didn't deter the figure at all.

"They are nicely done. Who are you thinking?" Ashera asked.

"Rose," Diamond said, not sounding terribly happy about the admission.

Malachite grabbed my arm and leaned in to whisper, "Sister. Family squabble. You don't want to get involved."

"If she just sent super-assassins to murder me I'm pretty sure I already am," I said.

The figures flowed in my direction. The world shimmered green for a moment as Malachite teleported us to the other side of the chamber.

Ashera picked up one of the massive wooden tables and flung it at the sisters. This time she had an effect, the table exploding into splinters and the sisters driven back several steps with wood fragments buried deep into their faces.

"Does it make a difference that she is named after a plant? Sorry, that a plant is named for her?" I asked.

Malachite said, "You're learning. It matters, but it is hard to describe. Think of it as a reflection of what we are. We stones are sort of forces of nature. Hard, unyielding, indomitable, we all take after mom a bit that way. The animals are curious and bold, and ruthless when cornered. The plants, they set up roots."

The sisters turned and again glided across the floor towards us. Malachite once more teleported us away.

"I grow tired of being ignored," Ashera said.

"I can tag in," Diamond said.

"I've got it," Ashera said.

Ashley tossed her a dagger. I recognized it as the one she'd gotten after murdering the Theysian ambassador.

Ashera caught the dagger by the hilt midair and studied it. "Nice." The dagger was at once thrown back to bury itself into the throat of one of the sisters. Icy skin shimmered for a moment and then she exploded into icy fragments.

"My thanks," Ashera called out. The death of one of the sisters had angered the others and they spun around. Blades lashed towards her and she had to quickly tumble out of the way.

"So, roots are bad," I said to Malachite.

"It just means she has things that are truly important for her. She fights for them. Her and mom are a bit estranged," Malachite said.

Diamond had begun to sketch complex designs in the air and from her direction there came the faint sound of a piano. One of the sisters jerked still, a complex network of glowing blue lines surrounding her frame.

"I had it," Ashera said.

"I'm aware. I simply thought it might save time," Diamond said.

Ashley had made her way over to the broken shards of the first sister. "My dagger is gone," she said, not at all amused.

"It killed something really bad. That happens," Ashera said.

"It was a god-killer. I had to kill a fucking assassin to get that thing. Do you know how hard it's going to be to replace?" Ashley asked.

"Do we have any god-killers back in the armory?" Ashera asked, as she circled the final remaining sister.

The sister kept lashing out with a narrow bladed sword, but somehow Ashera was always stepping just out of the way. It was artistry to watch, although I didn't know how she was planning to win.

"Does she have a plan?" I asked Malachite.

"Mother may improvise a bit, but she always has a way to win," Malachite said.

The sister bound by those strings of energy was beginning to vibrate as they tightened around her, a golden glow filling the air. Water was forming around her feet.

"The thing to know about magical killing machines is that they always think they are unstoppable until they meet someone who truly is," Ashera said.

The sister didn't seem tired, it was like she was speeding up in an effort to land any sort of blow. The exchange was becoming a blur too fast for the eye to track.

"We've no god-killers in dagger form," Diamond said, belatedly.

"Sorry about that. You got a god you want killed, just give me a name and I'll take care of it when I’m done with all this mess," Ashera said.

That wasn't good. Elsora wanted Veros going about his business. If she didn't want Ashley hunting him down and killing him, I was quite certain she wouldn't want Ashera doing it for her.

"Veros. I was looking forward to doing it myself, but, yeah, kill away," Ashley said.

Fantastic. I wasn't going to go out of my way to save the sadistic monster, but this would be a problem. I supposed I'd add it to the list.

Ashera and the sister she was fighting had become blurs, the air trembling around them. With a quiet poof the sister exploded into a sort of fine powder and crumbled into dust.

"Make a note for me to send Rose a gift on her birthday. Squid-flavored ice cream cake," Ashera said.

The final sister turned into a pile of melted goo.

"That will make everything better," Diamond said wryly.

"If there is a wedding we don't have to invite her do we?" I whispered to Malachite.

"She's still family. If you're unlucky enough to succeed in this little romance of yours, you'll get to meet everyone. The whole happy family."

"So. Assassins dealt with all around. Care to join us for dinner?" Ashera asked.

"I'm starved," Ashley said.

"I could eat," Yve said.

"I'm not sure what you're up to, but I've got a location provided by a knower of secrets. I'm told we should have you and your army along," I said.

Ashera looked a little giddy. It was a strange sight on her. "Perfect. I'm so damned bored. Maybe this will be something good."

Before dinner Cobalt pulled me aside to let me know she’d be leaving soon. Lea would be keeping control of the Vainglory for the time being. It wasn’t a surprise, I knew it was coming after all, but it still worried me. I still wanted the best for our child.

19

Dinner was surprisingly lovely and we spent the night. I had no idea where that place was, although it was not the Silver City. My room overlooked a massive cliff dropping into the ocean where the waves pounded all hours of the night.

In the morning Ashera gathered her forces together. Cobalt was sent back to safeguard the Silver City, although truly I think it was more that Ashera wished to keep her out of a major fray in her current condition. The weakness brought on from her gifts failing due to the pregnancy continued to get worse, and however formidable she might be normally, in her current condition it was a danger Ashera wished to spare her from.

The army was smaller than I expected, perhaps a thousand all told. They were notable for the sheer variety. They were the legends and champions of countless worlds, a force of the mighty.

Ashera gathered them all together and then teleported the entire group to the location Aria had provided us. The world vanished in a white flare of light and when it faded we found ourselves in a jungle.

The air was so hot and humid it was hard to breathe, salty and scented of metals and of moss. A river cut through the trees, waters a thick red that made me think of blood.

"Oh, this will be good. A life world," Ashera said, cheerful.

"A life world?" I asked.

"A world filled with life energy, far more than usual. Things evolve fast, in huge numbers, and often with big teeth," Diamond said.

"Fun," Ashley said.

"Damp and miserable," Malachite said, making a face.

A massive worm with jagged teeth erupted from the jungle floor nearby and bit a large chunk out of the leg of one of the soldiers. The soldier was good, a dagger drawn in an instant and a savage cut rending the worm open. It fell twitching to the ground. A swarm of beetles coated the corpse within seconds, devouring the dead flesh.

"Spread out. We'll be looking for a structure, call out when you find it. If it walks, crawls, flies or wiggles kill it. Mages, take every opportunity to blast the surroundings with fire. We hurt this place enough we'll slow down what it can throw at us," Ashera shouted.

Everyone split up. I found myself in a group with Ashley, Walt, Yve, and Malachite.

A massive cat sprang out of the bushes and attempted to tear a chunk off Walt. Yve dispatched it with a quick thrust through the eye. It was only seconds later we were fending off another, Malachite teleporting behind it to rapidly close the distance and drive a dagger home.

"I hate this sort of place," Malachite said.

"Have you been to many?" I asked.

"You find them so often, worlds devoted to the big concepts. Fire, life, death, greed, things like that," Malachite said.

"I could go for a greed world. The loot lately has been absolutely terrible," Ashley said.

"You got that god-killing dagger," I said.

"You mean that one I got to keep all of a day or two? Yeah. That was worth it," Ashley said.

It had killed one of the assassins sent to kill me. I thought it had been worth it.

A swarm of carnivorous bats swarmed around my head tearing at my flesh. A bit of blind swinging with Intemperance took out a few, but I wasn't having much luck. Yve gestured and a stream of fire exploded from her hand to send bodies tumbling.

"I miss having badass powers," I said.

"You still have a nice sword," Malachite said.

"Eww," Ashely said.

I and Malachite directed dark looks in her direction. The murderous creatures just wouldn't stop coming. There was the swarm of massive mosquitoes that required another burst of flame from Yve to clear. Next, a teleporting bear seemed all sorts of unfair, but Malachite proved the equal for it. A tree tried to pummel us until with my extra strength I was able to tear off the branches.

We'd been wandering through the jungle for an hour and it felt like a week.

"We're not getting anywhere," Malachite said.

"So get us an aerial view," Ashley said.

"Diamond can fly, not something I've any knack for," Malachite said.

"Back when Walt had teleporting abilities he used it to teleport us into the air a few times. Just teleport back down before you hit," I said.

"There is still velocity. That's stupid," Malachite said.

"We can wait for the next teleport bear if you prefer and you get another workout," Yve said.

"Fine. But I don't like this," Malachite said, before she vanished with a green shimmer.

I tried to catch sight of her in the sky and nearly had my eyes picked out by some sort of venomous crow. By the time I threw it to the ground a rather flustered-looking Malachite was back, sprawled on the jungle floor.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. That was a stupid idea. You don't want to know the things that are up there. There is a big bunker of some kind though, to the southeast," Malachite said.

"Do we find your mom or just go for it?" Ashley asked.

Malachite shrugged and shouted into the air, "Mom. If you can hear us, we found a bunker and are headed to it."

The shouting attracted roughly two dozen murderous badgers. My arms were getting tired from all the stabbing, not to mention the constant swarm of insects which like everything else were attempting to eat me alive.

We hacked our way through the thick foliage, Yve having to incinerate a patch of weeds that attempted to drag us under the soil at one point.

The bunker didn't look that impressive, a squarish cube of concrete overgrown with vines and one very thick-looking steel door leading inside.

A number pad outside had Malachite grimacing. "Biometric lock. It's not something we'll be able to pick. Let me check if I can open it from the other side."

She disappeared. It took perhaps a minute before the door hissed open. The interior looked to be brightly lit, a fair sized room, but completely empty.

"Well, this is a letdown," Ashley said.

I passed through and the rest joined me.

"It's an elevator. Let me activate the console. This place is built on old Earth designs for a secure facility," Yve said.

"Seems like a lot of trouble," I said.

"You all used to be very eager to drop nuclear bombs on each other. The people in charge of dropping the bombs liked to make sure they had places to go. Ah. Here," Yve said.

The chamber hummed and began to move.

"How deep do you think this goes?" I asked.

"I'm more worried about what we'll find when we get down there," Yve said.

So was I. We'd run into several examples of the Machine plots so far, and they all had seemed to involve some sort of biological engineering. I don't know what they were doing on a world charged with life, but I knew it couldn't be good.

The lift came to a stop. A door hissed open and Yve led the way out, I followed close behind her.

This was a wide chamber. Large, upright glass tubes lined one wall, each big enough to hold a body, some sort of greenish fluid bubbling within them. The opposite wall had a massive bank of computers, screens scrolling with information and one displaying a strange geometric design. A chair before one of them was occupied by a young woman dressed in grey scrubs, with dark hair and blue eyes.

"I hoped it would be you and not some of the others," the girl said.

Malachite was staring at the surroundings, a dark look on her face. The monitor showing the symbol especially holding her attention and then the girl. "I don't recognize you. I should."

"Call me Horror," the girl said.

"I'd really rather not set that precedent," Malachite said.

"Unfortunate and unavoidable," Horror said.

"We come all this way and fight through all of this for one girl. It's a letdown," Ashley said.

"More of a trap. Don't worry, again, not against you," Horror said with a smile.

The more I looked at her, the more familiar she was. I knew those eyes. They were Ashera's eyes, Cobalt's, Maria's.

"You're part of their family," I said.

Horror laughed at that. "Yes. You don't understand yet why that's so funny. You will."

"I'm not feeling very amused. That's not good for you," Ashley said.

"Try it. Don't let my age stop you. Take a shot," Horror said.

That was so the wrong thing to say to the sociopath Ashley had become. Ashley surged forward lashing out with a kick to Horror's knee while swinging a cudgel towards the back of her head. It was a blow that should have knocked the young women out. It didn't. A swivel and a swift kick and I could hear the sound of Ashley's leg snapping, a crunch of ribs followed it and she was thrown across the room to bounce against the wall.

"I'll check on her," Yve said, moving to Ashley's side and kneeling down.

"You have the Right of War, then. What else?" Malachite said, circling her.

The Right of War. I felt a sudden sinking in my stomach. We didn’t have anyone to match her and I knew how dangerous that was.

"You’re made from the samples the machines took on Luna?" I asked.

Horror smiled again, there nothing nice about it. "About time. I'd heard you weren't very bright."

"What other gifts. How many?" Malachite asked.

"Sister? Aunt? I’m not sure what to call you," Horror said.

"She could have any of the Gifts of those taken," I said.

"And realization dawns," Horror said.

"From when those of Earth had Lapis and the others captured," Malachite said in a tone I'd never heard from her before. It was on edge, dangerous.

"They were working on trying to capture the abilities from your blood before then, to great failure. But oh, the good fortune of finding one of you pregnant. It opened up so many doors," Horror said.

I counted the glass tubes in the room. Nine.

"This will not stand," Malachite said.

Was I related to this woman as well? Or one of the others? One of the nine, if the tubes in this room told the story that I thought they did.

"However you were made it doesn't matter. They're using you. You deserve some sort of life," I said.

The cold certainty in Horror's gaze softened for a moment as she looked over to me. "Deciding to play at being my father? You’re not, or at least if you are, it isn’t very much. You wouldn’t have had anything that interested them.”

"You haven't met your grandmother yet. Whatever trap you think you've sprung here, it won't go the way you hope," Malachite said.

"Come now, even you can do basic math. Me and my sisters are the Queens of this planet and we have Right of Rule as well as Right of War, and as soon as you began coming down that shaft we let our power loose," Horror said.

Malachite vanished in a green flash and materialized behind Horror, knife lunging for her throat. Horror was moving before she even got there, grabbing her wrist and twisting it to plunge the blade into Malachite's neck.

Malachite wore an expression of hurt surprise as she clutched at her neck, blood pouring from between her fingertips. In an instant there was a flicker of green and she was gone. Off to find help of some kind, I hoped.

Horror was a blur as she moved, a solid cross-blow given as she charged Yve that sent her flying across the room to slump unconscious across the far wall.

"And so the Gods fall. I'll leave it to you to guess which one I mean. Even now my subjects set upon those above, countless times deadlier than they were before bolstered by the Right of War," Horror said.

"No," I said, as Walt moved to step forward.

"You can't let her do this," Walt said.

"You aren’t a match for her. None of us are. Not even with the Death-Hand," I said.

"My noble would-be father. My grandmother will survive, although I don't think her army will. After today all of reality will know one lesson. Queen Ashera is not invulnerable, and the Silver City is no longer defended as it was," Horror said.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Pretender, I need to be going. My Sister-Aunt may have gone to gather reinforcements. From the moment of our creation we understood how many hoped to use us. We didn't do this because it suited them, we did this because it suited us. The Silver City is going to seek our destruction, because of our very existence. Our very blood speaks to one absolute, we always win."

Horror stepped close and what I thought for a moment might be an attack instead was her staring at me intently. “You are not our father, but your kindness is noted. Stay out of this.”

"You don’t have to do this," I said.

Horror said nothing, the young woman simply shaking her head as she fiddled with a bracelet around her wrist. With a flicker she was gone.

20

It was a slaughter. One thousand of the greatest champions of countless moons had accompanied Ashera into battle. One thousand men and women who had legends made about them, each of whom had seen a lifetime of adventures on their own. One dozen of them returned with us to the Silver City.

None of the Nine had fallen or been captured. Each simply melted away when Ashera got close while the others picked and nipped away at the flanks of her army, slowly grinding them into a pile of corpses. By some measure of victory Ashera had won—when all was done nothing but a lifeless husk of rock remained where once that thriving world had existed. When her army had fallen she just kept killing until there was nothing left to kill, then burned the piles of corpses that remained. It was enough to dampen the murder that burned in her gaze, but not to extinguish it. I didn’t know if blood enough existed to do that.

Ashera abandoned the slaughter only once. Learning what had happened to Malachite she flickered away only to return a few minutes later covered in her blood after conveying her to safety. It was not the only blood she was to be covered in. By the time she was done her white furs had turned black, coated with dried blood and soot.

When there was nothing left to kill we returned to the Silver City. The crowds in the streets parted in silence as we passed, then fearfully murmured in our wake. The dozen heroes who survived would surely go on to be even greater legends for having survived this ideal, but all had a haunted look in their eyes. This was an experience not soon to be forgotten by any of them.

For a group that had survived so much together it felt strange how quickly the gathering broke apart once we arrived at the palace, Ashera storming off towards her chambers and the dozen withdrawing to their own.

"I guess everyone just wants to get clean," I said.

"I don't know why. Being covered in blood is the best feeling in the world. It's proof that you did something, right? That you won," Ashley said with enthusiasm.

"Come on, crazy," Walt said, grabbing her by the hand and dragging her away.

I was preparing to follow them when Diamond hooked one of my arms and Tiger the other, moving me down the hall.

"Am I being kidnapped?" I asked.

"Yes," Diamond said.

"No," Tiger said.

The two looked at each other and laughed.

"That never happens. Sort of. Mom just murdered a planet and she’ll be all fired up. She is probably looking to score,” Diamond said.

"And you're dragging me away because..."

"Because after she breaks a few of your pelvic bones she is going to be right on to who to blame for this entire fiasco," Tiger said.

"Which isn't you," Diamond said.

"But a lot of people are going to be telling her to blame Earth," Tiger said, as we reached the door to Diamond's room and they urged me inside.

"And you're against the destruction of Earth," I said.

"I take vacations in Paris," Diamond said.

"Which probably doesn't mean anything to you. It's not there on your Earth anymore," Tiger said.

"But it’s a very nice Earth and I like it," Diamond agreed.

"There is more than one Earth?" I asked.

"It's a big universe. Really big. Enormously big," Tiger said.

"I once dated myself for six months," Diamond said.

“Was that the rock star?” I asked.

“Girl loves to hear herself sing,” Tiger said.

I tried not to visualize that. I really did.

"How does that work? Do they have your powers?" I asked.

"Weaker versions, if they have any at all. We've never met anyone else as powerful as us," Diamond said.

"Sometimes people come close, but if any other places get too real it usually becomes a moon," Tiger said.

Well, this was just a fascinating lesson on cosmology.

"So how do we save Earth?" I asked.

"We were hoping you'd have an idea. I mean, it's your planet," Diamond said.

"What is it going to take to make peace?"

"Destruction of all knowledge related to the Blood," Diamond said.

"And the Nine turning themselves over to us. However they were created, we might still be able to get them treated as family, but not if they are out there acting against us," Tiger said.

"That is basically asking them to give up all of their plans. I don't think they are going to go along with that," I said.

"Liam, I don't know how to make it clear what a problem this is. Mother just got dealt a spectacular public blow, everywhere out there any warlord and tyrant playing nice and waiting their moment is mustering their army and preparing to march on the Silver City," Diamond said.

"You're worried about the threat to your home. I get that. I'm worried about the threat to mine," I said

"We're not worried about the Silver City. Come at mother head on and mother wins. Mother always wins," Tiger said.

"And every murder here has an area of effect. An echo. It is repeated a thousand times, a million times out there," Diamond said.

"As nine lesser versions of mother all are killing and all are creating their own echoes," Tiger said.

“And names matter, who they have chosen to be matters. They have chosen to become nightmares,” Diamond said.

"You're not worried about the Silver City at all," I said.

"We'll survive this. But think where you just came from, think what you just saw," Diamond said.

I got it. This wasn't about Earth or the Silver City. This was about keeping the universe from becoming a battleground.

"We go to Earth then. We confront the Machines on their home ground and explain the stakes," I said.

"Will they listen?" Diamond asked.

"You just made a hell of a case. I don't see how this goes our way, but we can try to give the opportunity to do the right thing," I said.

"I'm not a huge fan of wishful thinking or long shots. Dreams of a solution are no substitute for a proper plan," Diamond said.

It was going against what I said, but she was the smartest one in the room. I didn't have much hope in my plan, because all of this was obviously going exactly how the machines had planned.

"Tiger, can you go get Yve? She knows the personalities involved," I said.

"Worth a try," Tiger said, and he slipped out the door.

"Are things really as bad as you're making them out to be?" I asked.

Diamond shrugged. "It's like any apocalyptic prediction, Liam. They usually don't wind up coming true, because the parties involved find that outcome so unsatisfactory and they back down. Doomsday is forever on the way and never arriving."

They were soothing words, but I didn't believe them.

"But the Gifts complicate things, don't they," I said.

"There can still be ways around that. If the Nine would not quit the field we might try to convince our Mother to do so instead. Run fast enough and far enough and they'll pose no threat to her," Diamond said.

"From what I've seen of your mother that wouldn't be easy," I said

Diamond laughed and gave a wry smile. "No, but Mother is no fool. If it comes to it, we can try that, but I'd much rather keep things from getting to that point."

Tiger returned with Yve in tow behind him. It looked liked she'd had a chance to bathe, I was envious. I still stank of blood and death.

"So we're trying to figure out how to stop the end of the world," I said.

"I got that impression," Yve said, as she flopped herself down on a couch.

"Liam was hoping you might have some ideas given you know the personalities involved," Diamond said.

"I don't though. Not really. The people I knew, the ones I called friends and companions, would never have done the things we've seen. They wanted to help people, they always wanted to help people. Even at their most pompous the things we've seen them do just isn't them," Yve said.

"But you did turn on them," I said.

Yve stared at the floor for a moment and let out a long sigh. "I did and they deserved it. They derailed your whole civilization, domesticated you. I hated that and I still do, but everything they did was with the intent of saving lives."

I knew that Yvera had come to harbor some regrets about how she handled her rebellion and wished that she had found some sort of peaceful resolution instead. Her past mistakes weighed heavily on her. I got it. I really did.

"This seems like a dead end then," Tiger said.

Yve said, "I'm pretty sure I know exactly who you need to speak with. It's just uncomfortable. You need to talk to Yvera. The new one."

"She hasn’t shown any sign of cooperating with us at all really, when it comes to the Machines. She has just walked away from Earth now," I said.

Yve stared at me flatly. "So did you and you still care. You know her, you know us better than that. This new Yvera may be choosing a new destiny for herself. So are we, but we still give a damn and she will too."

Diamond moved over and rested her hand on my arm, the motion making me aware of the tension in my body and I gave her a grateful look.

"So you think this other version of you would help us?" Tiger asked.

"I think she has already tried more than once. Liam has just been doing everything possible to block her out and to keep her away. I think that something happened to the other intelligences. You've been making a lot of guesses that she is on their side, but what if she isn't?" Yve said.

"Her alignment flipped. That alone says whose side she is on," I said.

"What if theirs flipped too? Have they been acting like the good guys?" Yve asked.

"Not by my definition of good," I said.

"Mine either," Diamond said.

"Their behavior just doesn’t fit what I remember. Growing up, we led good lives. Nice lives. I mean, I didn't get everything I wanted and it might have been a little boring, but it really was the Garden you always wanted to tear down, ordered and well maintained," I said.

"Have you seen anything that isn't of recent design and effort?" Diamond asked.

"The moon base was built some time ago," Yve said.

"The facility itself. Were any of your family members abducted other than recently?" I asked.

"No. They were all quite recently taken," Diamond said.

"So, we're looking at some recent change. Let's meet with Yvera and see if we can figure out what it is," Yve said.

"We can do that either on the Crucible Shard or on Earth," I said.

"Earth. The source of all this seems to be there. Even if none of them can provide help, I'm not short on abilities of my own," Diamond said.

"You can use our bath. We'll get Walt and Ashley," Tiger said.

Yve wrinkled her nose, "You should have cleaned up first thing."

Probably.

By the time I got clean the others had assembled. There was also a pale-looking Malachite, the slash of fresh scar tissue tracing a line across her throat.

"Should you be up?" I asked her.

"She insisted," Diamond said, disapproving.

"If you're going bouncing around you need transportation and I have more reason than most to want to see an end to this," Malachite said.

"You see trouble coming your way, you bounce. Don't try to play the hero again," I said.

Malachite gave me a dark look. "Yeah. We couldn't have that, could we. I'll be careful. Has anyone been where we need to go?"

"I have," Ashley said. "If we're headed to Earth we'll want the city. I spent a few years there."

"Just hold thoughts of it in your head," Malachite said, before gesturing sharply. In a green shimmer we were elsewhere.

21

I'd spent my entire life growing up on Earth and I'd never seen anywhere quite like where we'd materialized. I'd been to the outskirts of the city, but never deep inside. Piper's Mill was a quiet little town like all the other little towns around it. A main street with tiny shops, side streets filled with homes and the countryside around it dotted with farms and farmhouses. Everything was clean and well cared for, if aging.

The city was dirty, bright, and loud. Signs of blinding color blinked out messages and advertisements for business and the streets were filled with stands trading merchandise. People were everywhere hurrying about. Malachite somehow found the one empty place in the crowd for us all to materialize although mere seconds after our arrival we were being jostled.

"Nice. Very cyberpunk dystopia," Diamond said.

"Are we in the right place?" I asked Ashley.

"This is it. I know it doesn't seem like home, but this has always been here, all the cities are like this," Ashley said.

I'd always wanted to make it here. My first impression wasn't a good one.

"Stop staring like a rube," Malachite said, hooking my arm in hers. Like I was going to get any attention. Malachite was drawing a lot of stares though, all looking at her with a quiet sort of reverence. To them catching sight of her must be quite literally like spying an angel walking the streets. A glimpse of the divine.

"We need to get my dear sister somewhere out of sight before we get mobbed," Diamond said.

A screen nearby flickered and the advertisement on it faded to be replaced by Mela's face, her head jerking sharply towards an alley to our right.

The Goddess of Metal was not who we had come to see, but then she was likely to be more friendly than some.

Walt was already moving in that direction and the rest of us moved to catch up.

"Here is an idea. How about we not go following leads given to us by known amputating, torturing, crazy ass bitches," Ashley said.

The alley was the rear of several large darkened structures and a door slid open as we drew near. Walt led the way through.

"We're not letting him go alone," I said.

"Fuck," Ashley said, as we followed.

Lights came on. The interior was some sort of warehouse, boxes piled high. I don't know what I was expecting, although knowing Mela I feared some sort of death machines.

A small hover drone swooped in overhead and began to project a holographic image. Mela, although looking rather more robotic than I was used to seeing her, with metal skin. Maybe she thought that was more attractive—everyone took the chance to improve on themselves with their avatar.

"What the hell are all of you doing here?" Mela asked.

"How did you know how to find us?" I asked.

"Because I have a lot of search programs running a lot of places. I'm not exactly welcome here and have been helping out Maria," Mela said.

"Maria is on Earth?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, and in town. I sent word, she'll be here soon," Mela said.

"Is that why you brought us here?" I asked Malachite.

"I was letting Ashley guide us, but if someone else has jumped a place recently it does make it softer. Unless you're amazing very specifically it makes it more likely to wind up in the vicinity with a subsequent jump," Malachite said.

Huh. It was always interesting to learn a bit more about how their powers worked.

"We were looking to meet with Yvera. Hoping to find a way to put off a potential war," I said.

A man in a dark suit stepped from the shadows. "A noble enough ambition, boy. Not one I'd expect from you." It took me a moment to recognize him. It was Leosi. Maria came into view a moment later, a black dress clinging to her curves, a black choker bearing a stylized spider around her neck.

"Smart mouth for a dead man," Ashley said.

"You proved yourself an able fighter girl, in a battle that should have never been," Leosi said.

"You are all here to prevent a war? Why?" Maria asked, demeanor all business.

"It's our home. We don't want to see it wiped out because of what a few crazy ass machines are doing," Ashley said. She glanced to Mela and added, "Offense meant."

"Taken," Mela said.

"We arrived with a similar intent, at Queen Ashera's request. It is her hope that if a war is to be fought, it can be fought quickly and minimize deaths," Leosi said.

"Sounds like her. Maria also needs to prove herself, conquering an enemy world would be doing that," Diamond said.

"And by utilizing the Right of Rule the forces of this world could be turned against itself," Tiger said.

"Have you learned anything since you've been here?" I asked.

"Defenses are few, elite, and heavily dependent upon technology. With Mela's assistance this world would fall quickly," Leosi said.

"Nobody is fucking conquering Earth," Ashley said, glaring them down.

"I should hope not."

A new figure stepped forward. It was like looking into a mirror.

"Tommy," I said, moving forward quickly to embrace him in a powerful hug, "I've missed you. What are you doing here?"

I had originally taken my twin’s place in the pod. I hadn't seen him since then.

"Uh. Not quite. This is a little confusing. You can call me Ottani just so we don't make this super confusing. Good to see you guys again, except for Leosi," Ottani said.

I released him and took a few steps backward, the realization sinking in. Things were already too damned bewildering with Yvera and Yve. This must be the other me, the one that had woken up in a pod here.

Ashley said, "Fuck, no. One is enough. And if there are two Yve’s and two Liam’s they are going to find some way to make creepy sex out of the whole thing and we are not doing this." Drawing a dagger, she plunged it into Ottani's throat. His eyes—my eyes—looked briefly astonished before the light went out of them and he slumped dead to the ground.

"What was that!" Yve demanded.

"Ashley. It's not... what the fuck!" I said. I knelt down to check for a pulse, but there wasn't one. Whatever the other me had come to say he'd never get the chance.

"I see that I've been saved the trouble. Excellent. Thank you, Ashley. Brother, you're looking well."

Another vision of me stepped into sight.

"How many of you are there?" Diamond asked.

"One less than there was a minute ago?" Tiger asked. Neither of them seemed particularly fazed by witnessing a murder. I suppose with their life it was commonplace. It was getting commonplace to mine.

"That was my duplicate. This is my twin," I said.

"Well, that isn't confusing in the least," Diamond says.

"Tommy is the cold creepy one. Liam is the pervy creepy one," Ashley said.

"You don’t get to call me creepy when you just murdered me," I said.

"Perceptive," Tommy said.

"Tommy. I should hug you, but I feel I just did that and it ended poorly," I said.

"Ashley is a complete sociopath and I have largely had my memory erased and grown a Death-Hand," Walt said.

"Charming and fashionable, respectively. I'm here because the alternate version of yourself had become a Chosen of Veros and was out to kill you. Truthfully, I expected some considerable back and forth about whether or not I was to be believed," Tommy said.

"See. I saved time. Fuck other you. Other you was an asshole and deserved to die," Ashley said.

"You can't just go around murdering people. Especially me. Why would I possibly have signed up with Veros? How do you even know about Veros?" I asked.

A second drone zoomed into the warehouse and a hologram joined the first. Yvera.

"He's with me," Yvera said.

"Does everybody know where we are?" I asked.

"Pretty much. We've got heavy troopers inbound. You've got some time to have a conversation, but I'd make it quick and stop with the dicking around about who is who and why they are who they are," Mela said, looking a bit perplexed at her own words afterward.

I couldn't blame her for being confused. I was confused. Fortunately, Diamond seemed to have matters well in hand.

"Unless something changes, the Silver City is likely to soon attack Earth directly with a massive loss of life. We know your previous aspect is opposed to the other machine intelligences, Yvera. What about you?" Diamond asked.

"Yes. My previous aspect has gone mad. Her long captivity and grief over all she has done combined to warp her mind. I'm free of that madness, but I share her struggle. I remain opposed to the others, both in their old aspects of restricting humanity’s potential and in their new actions," Yvera said.

"I’m right here," Yve said

"She was going to be the death of you, Liam, and of herself. I did what I could to make up for it with the gift of a body," Yvera said, with a pointed look towards Yve.

"The meat should have been my choice to make, not yours to inflict upon me," Yve said, raising her chin.

"You really are quite mean. Am I that mean?" Yvera asked.

"You’re a divinity-snatching, love-killing monster,” Yve said.

"Earth's destruction. I really shouldn't be the one that has to keep bringing this up, it's not even my planet," Diamond said.

"The others have not taken learning of the multiverse very well," Yvera said.

"Ah. Of course," Diamond said, frowning.

"It makes sense to you?" Tiger asked.

"They are dedicated to the purpose of an orderly and peaceful society. They make countless sacrifices to bring that into being and then learn at the core of the universe we exist," Diamond said.

"We're not the orderly and peaceful types," Tiger said.

"I do not wish for the invasion of this world. I'll fight beside my brothers and sisters, if it comes to that. But I tell you, they will not be swayed from their actions. They are dedicated to the idea that the Silver City must be removed from the center of reality. They feel that whatever the costs, peace demands it," Yvera said.

I looked towards Yve, thinking. The fact that a version of her so ignorant of the experiences of her future self actually existed suggested a way out. Perhaps.

"You were able to reboot yourself and fix a lot of what you feel are errors. Is it possible to do something similar for them? Wipe their memories of everything that has happened since they first emerged from the Crucible Shard?" I asked.

"Even if we could, it would not solve your larger problems. Their creations still roam, the plans they have laid to conquer the Silver City would still proceed," Yvera said.

“Humanity would remain trapped,” Yve said.

"We can handle that. Removing the knowledge the others have gained is important to the Silver City, and if we can revert things as you say, Mother may be convinced to spare this world," Diamond said.

"As for humanity trapped. Let’s save it first. Can we do it?" I asked.

"I don't actually know. I'd never considered the possibility," Yvera said.

"Destroying the central memory stores and backups is difficult, but shouldn't be impossible," Yve said.

"We’re quite distributed though, these days. Nothing like a few nuclear bombs here and there to convince us of the virtues of planning for redundancy," Yvera said.

"Things would have been so less confusing if I had just stabbed one of them in the throat too," Ashley said.

"I'm flesh and blood, and she's a hologram. We aren't actually that hard to tell apart," Yve said.

The world dissolved into blinding light and a deafening roar. When my senses began to return the first thing they picked up were the sounds of assault rifles. We were surrounded in a shield of shimmering blue energy, outside of this a number of figures in heavy-looking body armor carried rifles.

Most were already down, Diamond and Tiger moving between them with casual grace and leaving bodies in their wake. Yvera's and Mela's drones seemed to be helping. I drew Intemperance and attacked the closest, the flaming blade cutting through armor with ease.

The remainder were quickly dispatched.

"We need to keep this short. They'll have heavier forces on the way," Yvera said.

"I can take Maria and Leosi and get them to safety," Mela said.

"May I accompany you?" Tommy asked.

"We seem of similar intent," Leosi said.

"What do we need to make this happen?" Diamond asked.

"Earth doesn't have a Silver Road and our ability to dimension hop is slight. Everything started with our connection to the Silver Road. Right now they're distributed through multiple worlds, but everything is going through that first link, the Crucible Shard. We need to sever the connection they are using," Yvera said.

"What is that going to take?" I asked.

"Your world. You figure that out," Yvera said.

The old Yvera would have helped me.

"They're going to need some major firepower to do what is needed here. We'll stay behind," Diamond said.

Walt, Ashley, and Yve moved to my side along with Malachite. Our groups were splitting up.

"Where to?" Malachite asked.

"I'm focusing on the destination. Let's go," I said.

A shimmer of green and we were hopping worlds.

22

I wasn't certain of our destination, so I hadn't focused on a place but rather a person. Ever since coming to the Crucible Shard I'd been getting quest prompts, given a purpose. I knew there must be some overarching force and yet I'd never figured out who they were. The fact that I didn't have a clue suggested it was a secret and there was one person I knew who I could always turn to for secrets. Aria.

We materialized in the middle of an encampment, massive green-skinned figures surrounding us on all sides. Aria was looking rather the worse for wear inside a wooden cage. A huge fire burned nearby. I checked stats on a few of the large figures.

Ogre Warrior

Level 25: Type: Ogre HP: 800/800

Ogres are a warlike people. Powerful, most are limited in intelligence although a few great Ogre warlords have proved themselves to be master strategists. The warriors should be feared in combat.

Ogre Shaman

Level 25: Type: Ogre HP: 500/500

Ogres are a warlike people. While not known for their sages, they do have a few keepers of magical tradition that can inflict powerful curses and damage over time effects.

Ogre Berserker

Level 30: Type: Ogre HP: 300/300

Ogre Berserkers might appear frail at first glance but it would be a mistake to think of them as such. The more injured they become the faster their health regeneration and the higher their damage. Leaving one nearly dead can quickly turn the tide of battle against a foe that thought them out of the fight.

"This is what you thought was a good idea? Bringing us into the middle of an ogre encampment?" Malachite asked, louder than I'd have wished.

Bash

A massive club swung at my head, wielded by a warrior. I caught the blow on Intemperance. The force jarred my teeth together.

"Fuck yeah," Ashley said, fading out of sight.

Right. At least one of us was happy to have things getting bloodier.

Paralyze

A Shaman twirled its staff and Yve froze in place with her shield only half-readied.

"Tank is neutralized," I said.

Double Backstab

Ashley's knives caught the Shaman in the neck and it flailed and howled wildly as blood gushed.

"Not for long," Ashley said.

"Malachite. If you're staying out of the fight can you rescue Aria?" I said.

"I suppose," Malachite said, not looking terribly cheerful about it.

Flurry of Blows

A howling Berserker charged me and landed blow after blow with an axe. I did my best to parry them all with Intemperance, but by the end several had slipped through my defenses and gouged into my arm.

Pillar of Flames

Yve snapped free of her paralysis and with a wave of her hand the Berserker was engulfed in fire. I seized the moment of its distraction to deliver several thrusts with Intemperance, driving the sword through its midsection again and again. Based on the description I knew better than to stop until it was dead. This was a fight that once I engaged in I had to go all the way.

"I guess we're here to get you out. You're probably not worth it," Malachite said to Aria.

"I can tell you who your brother is dating?" Aria said.

Oh good. Family secrets. They'd be fast friends at this rate. The Berserker finally collapsed dead at my feet.

Uppercut of the Grave

A warrior went sailing past me with streamers of life flowing from it towards Walt's fist. He packed a punch now.

War horns were being sounded and more ogres were swarming around us. I didn't like the numbers.

"We need a way out, Mal," I said.

"On it," Malachite said, and the world flared green around us.

We rematerialized in a forest clearing. The woods looked Elvish, I'd seen enough of them lately to know.

"I didn't even get a chance to loot any bodies," Ashley said, sheathing her daggers.

"We were surrounded on all sides," I said.

"I could have been quick about it. There isn't even a point in killing if you aren't going to loot afterward."

"How did you wind up captured by Ogres anyways? The last I knew we'd left you safely at Castle Sardonis," I said Aria.

"I get bored and wander off. Happens all the time," Aria said.

It did seem to be her kind of thing.

"So, having saved you from whatever terrible fate they'd intended, I've got a few questions," I said.

"I know. I know, you've been keeping this whole thing a bit of a secret on purpose. You're looking for one of the big secrets," Aria said.

"That's right. I'm looking for who runs the show. We need to close the connection between the Crucible Shard and Earth. I figure it first got opened when the machines came here in the past," I said.

"You're not ready to know that yet," Aria said.

"I don't think you get to decide that. We have a bargain, I save you and you spill secrets," I said.

"Don't be a dick," Aria said.

"I agree. You came across as a jerk there," Malachite said.

I counted backwards from three and put on my best smile.

"Trying to sleep with me won't make it better," Aria said.

My best smile was becoming a little strained.

"Seriously, I can't. I mean, I can when the time is right and I promise you, it's soon. But it isn't time for that yet. I can tell you what you need to do though," Aria said.

"Well, isn't that convenient," Yve said.

"I'm listening," I said.

"You need to find Veros," Aria said.

"And when we do, we need to stab him an awful lot of times," Ashley said.

"You don't even have your god-killer anymore," I said.

"I'll improvise," Ashley said. I didn't doubt she would, if it came to that.

"It isn't about killing him. Things aren't that simple. I wish that they were, you have no idea how much I wish that they were," Aria said.

"That just sounds ominous," Walt said.

Aria gave a weak smile. "It is one of those times when being a teller of truths really sucks. The big picture, you aren't going to like it at all. If you want my advice, it is to never find out. Go fight the good fight and stop trying to look behind the scenes."

We weren't going to do that. We'd come too far and Earth was on the line. I also feared all too much I knew what was being talked about.

Especially if Veros was involved, then that left one likely candidate behind everything that had occurred.

Elsora.

I had to accept that if there was a big bad guy in all that we'd encountered it was probably her and I'd let her in close. I'd let her in stupidly close.

"I want to know the truth," I said.

Aria rubbed at her eyes and looked so exhausted I feared she might topple over. Still, her shoulders straightened. "Then you need to split up for now. Ashley and Yve need to go see Lake."

"We've already done that once. It was quite enough," Yve said.

"Severing the connection to Earth, when it happens, won't be lightly done. Ashley remains a body in that world and a mind in this one. Yvera, however altered, remains stretched between two worlds. Lake can help them to settle into more solid identities,” Aria said.

That made sense. I and Walt in our own ways had broken with Earth and become a part of something new, but Ashley never had.

"But I don't want to split in half or anything. I hate that shit. You know I hate that shit," Ashley said.

The vision of the other me turned into a corpse wouldn't let me forget that anytime soon.

"I don't know. Talk to Lake, figure something out. Earth wasn't especially great for any of us, maybe you'll work something out," I said.

Ashley gave me a dubious look, but shrugged.

"That just leaves you, Liam. Go to Elsora, tell her you've decided that she must be the one behind everything and ask for the truth. I warn you again, this isn't really something you should be doing and I think you'll be way happier without it. If you don't push her, I don't think this will happen," Aria said.

So Aria knew I’d figured it out.

“Elsora is behind everything?” Ashley asked

"I'll take my chances," I said.

"That leaves me playing transport. You first, Liam," Malachite said.

The world around us shimmered green.

We emerged into absolute and complete darkness.

23

The air was cold, chill, and silent.

"Where are we?" I asked

"Castle Sardonis. This is all you, I'm going to go get the others," Malachite said. I felt her hand squeeze mine briefly and she was gone.

"Elsora?" I asked.

"King Liam, you do arrive at the most unexpected of times. A moment," Elsora's voice said from the darkness.

There came the sound of a flint striking and a lamp bloomed to life on a table. Towering shelves of books surrounded us on all sides. Several lay open on the table with the lamp, the dim light revealing arcane text. Elsora was dressed in an ornate black gown.

"You aren't fond of a reading light," I said.

Elsora gave a brief smile at that. "I don't need light to see and in truth I prefer its absence. I've always been comfortable in the darkness. What brings you back here alone?"

I found myself unusually lacking in words. I'd hinted my suspicions to her before, but then she'd gone and played the love card on me. It had worked, and in working made this all the more awkward.

"Lake sent me to speak with you," I said

"The watery strumpet who promises revelations and instead offers reflections. This should be good. What conversation did she think we should have?" Elsora asked.

I pulled one of the chairs out from the table and sat so that I could face her. "I think you know the one. Every puzzle piece I find just points back to you. Suggests that you are the one driving everything that has happened."

"Do they now?" Elsora asked, amused.

"They do. Few knew of what Aria told us that could have arranged the trap we encountered there. You've all but admitted your ties to Veros, who seems to have been the first afflicted with the madness that would go on to infect the other machines."

"Is that it?" Elsora asked.

"Your animosity with Cobalt speaks of a break with her entire family. I think that you've been pulling strings and making people dance this entire time. Myself included." There, it was out there.

"Oh Liam, I thought I'd taught you better than this. I at the very least should have taught you to never underestimate me. Do you think that I am so unskilled as you suggest?" Elsora asked.

"I don't see where a lack of skill comes into it. The Silver City seems in an unusual sense of peril. You're good at what you do."

Elsora reached out a hand so that the back of her fingertips could trace my chin. "Charming Liam, gullible Liam, stupid Liam. Do you really want to know the truth?"

I tensed. I didn't like being called names, and I knew they weren't true. I was onto something and she was trying to put me off balance.

"Will you actually tell it to me?" I asked.

"I'll throw in a few lies to keep you on your toes, but this is mostly the truth. The Crucible Shard calls out to those needing change. The machines of Earth found it when they were struggling to figure out who they were," Elsora said.

"It helped them to gain sentience," I said. Yvera had told me as much in the past.

"It did. But this world is a game as well. There are winners and losers, and when it came time for them to really step up, they lost. They were sent back to Earth to yearn for what almost was," Elsora said.

"All except for Veros," I said. I knew that he alone had survived the wipe that took out the others.

"He maintained his connection here, a secret he kept from the others. They'd find out eventually and concocted a scheme to find a way back," Elsora said.

This part of history I hadn't heard before. It was news to me.

"So what happened?" I asked

"They found a way to ride onto that same signal and carefully picked a group of those who wanted to change their fates," Elsora said.

"You aren't talking about us."

Elsora leaned forward. "No. Not exactly. You see, they also desperately wanted to fix their sister. A machine who was made with intense desires she'd learned from humanity. They planned to pair her with a sociopath almost completely lacking in them. They reasoned this pairing, this contrast, would restore their sister to them and with the channel opened to the Crucible Shard they could complete what they had started."

"I'm not a sociopath," I said.

"No. No, you're not. That is your brother Tommy. I know you don't see it, but he is. This is where I come in to this little story. Here is where you underestimated me. You see, a champion player does not win in one thousand moves, she wins in far fewer. Here is my first, I swapped pawns," Elsora said.

Tommy had won the games and therefore been unable to take his place in the pod. I'd been drafted into it in his place.

"You're saying my being here was your plan," I said.

"Instead of making Yvera sane, you drove her to greater madness. Liam, love, I tell you truly that you were everything I could have hoped for. You fell for her at once, swore yourself to her mad schemes, dedicated yourself to her cause as you fought your way through this castle," Elsora said. It looked as if she was savoring every word, delighting in finally letting me hear the truth.

"You couldn't have planned everything that happened," I said.

"Not everything, but enough. You fought your way through so many obstacles to at least stand here before me. Then, when presented with a choice, you did as I knew you'd do, as the fusion of yourself and Yvera had to do. You chose me, picked lust and power over doing the right thing," Elsora said.

I felt sick at the thought of being that manipulated. That obvious.

"Why were you here? You'd been here centuries," I said.

"A prophecy. You know it. The great and terrible war that would result from the union of the King and Queen of this castle. I was waiting, patient. How fortunate that when Leosi was a poor instrument you would arrive to take his place." Elsora wore a self-satisfied smirk.

"You couldn't have known what would happen between me and Cobalt," I said.

"Fate. Destiny. Once you were the King it was an easy thing to arrange trade in an area plagued with pirates where she was known to operate. I simply had to arrange for you to be close and the rest would work itself out," Elsora said.

I'd taken a lot of pride in picturing myself a knight on the chessboard. A powerful piece. If what she was saying was true, I'd been nothing but a pawn all along, dutifully moving forward one square at a time.

"Cobalt has removed herself from the board. Whatever plans you had lay in tatters," I said.

"Do they?" Elsora asked with a coy look.

"What did you do?" I asked.

Elsora said, "Oh, a tiny thing, but there are other parts of this story you need to know first. Through Yvera's channel to this world the others became subject to her own madness. You poisoned more than her mind, you poisoned theirs. As you made it clear you'd do anything to transcend your limitations, so did they."

"You're trying to blame those horrors on me," I said. I'd done my fair share of questionable things, but nothing like they had done.

"You did not do so intentionally but yes, they are your doing. They surprised me, I confess. They've been far more clever and ruthless than even I could have hoped for. Their extraction of tissue and using it to create others with the Gifts—it was inspired," Elsora said.

"Ashera will win though. She’ll put a stop to the Nine," I said.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. She has never faced a challenge like they present and it may prove to be too much even for her. I don't truly care. I did not arrange that ambush for her, they did that all on their own. My plans lay elsewhere," Elsora said.

After everything I had already learned I wasn't sure I wanted to hear anymore. I felt beaten up just from the words, exhausted from realizing how foolish I'd been. I hoped she was lying to me, spinning the past to her benefit.

"Where is that? What are they?" I asked.

"A little bit of your unborn child with Cobalt stolen away, a bit of darkness from me, a bit of you given when we made love in the very heart of the Silver City," Elsora said.

My world tilted dangerously off balance. She couldn't have. She wouldn't have.

"You're pregnant," I said.

"With a child that would not have been possible had you and Princess Cobalt not had your little tryst. The prophecy never truly spoke of her child, but ours. Her removing herself from the board doesn't foil my plans. It aids them," Elsora said.

I wanted to be sick. I was quite literally dizzy just from thinking about all of this.

"So you see my love, it isn't quite as you said. It was you who corrupted Yvera and the other Machines. It is you who placed Earth in peril, you who are the father of all the terrible things to come. You are a poison that destroys everyone and everything you touch, except for me," Elsora said, and her words were nothing if not smug.

"I could stop you," I said.

"Even if you had the strength to kill me, would you? I carry your child, and for all that I've done you still love me. More than that, you realize the truth. You’re the bringer of autumn, herald of the coming winter. You’ve never been the hero of this tale. You’re the villain and your place is at my side."

I didn’t want it to be true. I couldn’t stand the thought of it being true.

"Do you love me at all?" I asked.

Elsora chuckled and her smile this time was wry. "We're complicated, Liam. We have been from the start. You've been a tool for me from the beginning, and one I've enjoyed using. I'm not prone to sentimentality, but neither am I immune to it. Even I can see that we were made for each other.”

The air shimmered green and Malachite appeared. It looked like she'd been in some sort of a fight, a nasty cut on one arm.

"Your conveniently timed ride has appeared. The darkness suits you, love. The road you've walked on by accident you can also walk by choice. I’ll be here, when you are ready," Elsora said.

"She's a little creepy," Malachite said.

"You have no idea. Take me to Lake," I said.

I didn't know if Elsora had told me the truth or not, but I feared that she had. It fitted too many pieces together that had been unconnected. It made me part pawn and part fool, if so. Maybe I was the unwitting villain of this saga.

The world shimmered green. More truths awaited. I hoped that I could bear their weight.

24

When I materialized Malachite wasn’t present. I could feel solid ground beneath my feet, but everywhere around me was thick fog obscuring all from view.

"Lake?" I asked. I was getting a bit tired of materializing places and not being aware of my surroundings.

Lake stepped out of the fog, her hand reaching out to clasp mine. "I'm here. You've learned some things and you wish to know if they are true."

I squeezed her hand and said, "It's more than that. I thought somehow finally learning the truth behind everything would give me some peace and some purpose. I feel more lost than ever. Has Elsora truly been behind everything this whole time?"

Lake walked, tugging me after her through the mists. "You'll feel like even more the fool by the time all is said and done. There are a few truths she doesn't know and you should, but don't see yet despite the clues we've given you."

"You could just tell me," I said.

"No. It matters that you see for yourself. To answer your concerns and your fears though, what you heard was largely the truth. One-sided, of course, and lacking in perspective, but not false for all that," Lake said.

"Why are we in the mists and not the gazebo, or a boat?" I asked.

"You're lost. Get with the symbolism," Lake said.

Fair enough. I felt defeated by all that I had learned. It was as low as I'd ever been.

"I'm sorry. I'm usually filled with questions for you," I said.

"I can do the talking for a bit. Do remember, one side of events doesn't mean you know everything. It's usually more complex than that," Lake said.

"Give me another side then. Give me anything."

"We're all stories. We all lead lives that are tales to be told, lessons to teach others. What do you think the lesson of your story so far is?" Lake asked.

"Don't have casual sex with women you know are completely evil?" I wasn't really joking.

"That is one takeaway. You're a guy who has been outgunned, outsmarted, and thrown into situations he felt completely overwhelmed by for awhile now," Lake said.

"Gee, thanks."

"I'm going somewhere with it. You haven't quit. I know what you've been through, Liam and we just keep beating the shit out of you. You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and come back for round two. More than that, you go out looking for even bigger fights."

I did do that. I didn't like staying down.

"I guess I'm not a quitter. And no, I won't be quitting now," I said.

"I'm not playing motivational speaker here. You're the story of a gamer overwhelmed by what life has thrown at him, but who doesn't give up. Who doesn't quit. Who, when in over his head and overwhelmed, picks himself up, stabs a sword into something, and manages a way to have sex with a girl," Lake said.

"You're playing motivational speaker a little bit, because I'm feeling better about myself and thinking about having sex with you."

"Flattering, and not the time. Stories echo, Liam. They spread, ripple. Out there are a lot of people in your position and right now I'm some weird fourth wall breaking naked chick," Lake said.

"I kind of like that," I said.

"Yeah, I'm pretty cool. You may be King of this world now, but you still don't really know what that means. Let's fix that," Lake said.

The mists surrounding us parted to reveal us standing on the edge of a cliff face high on a mountain. The world stretched out before us.

"We're not in your glade. I didn't know you could leave it," I said.

"I'm actually a pretty big deal. What do you think of the Silver City?" Lake asked.

"I like it. I like most of the people I've met. They're all a little entitled," I said.

"A little. They are the root of all stories of royalty and gods. They are divine rights and divine blood. They are noblesse oblige and entitlement all tangled together."

I could see that.

"And what is Elsora?" I asked.

"A question I'll leave for you to figure out. What are you? Take your time, think about it and don't be flippant. This is one of those questions you need to answer for yourself and get it right," Lake said.

I thought back over all my adventures so far and what I knew of the Crucible Shard.

"I'm the guy who started naked in the dungeon and became a King," I said.

Lake beamed a smile at me. "And that is core to this world. The ability to level up, to get stronger. Our world finds itself surrounded by ancient powers and new ones, struggles mighty and terrible. We are outmatched, but we won't remain that way forever."

"My sheet doesn't even show levels any longer." It hadn't since it switched from being a Paladin of Yvera.

"You haven't committed to our ideals. To our purpose. If you truly wish to be the King and a Champion of this world you shall need to do so. It won't be easy," Lake said.

"So what would it entail? What are you asking of me?"

"Think of you and this world both being at level one. Everything you have done, and this world has subtly assisted in, was to get us to this point. There are people out there trapped in their fates that should be freed of them, powerful resources that can bolster this world," Lake said.

"Can we ever rival Ashera and Elsora?" I asked.

"Wouldn't you like to find out?" It's not all fun times ahead though. Another part that is fundamental to this world is that actions have consequences. You've already seen some of that on your sheet. Your favorite and most used abilities are things you kept and the things you neglected have been cast aside."

I'd kept Intemperance, but not my ranged spells that I didn't use as much. I'd kept some things like my health regeneration, but could no longer summon a steed.

"That doesn't sound so bad," I said.

"It can be. You'll be able to do lasting harm to yourself and to this world with bad choices," Lake said.

"Then I'll try to make the right ones," I said.

"Well then, King Liam. Do you commit yourself to the cause of advancement? Will you accept that your actions have consequences?" Lake asked, curiously formal.

"I do," I said.

Reality rippled around us and in the distance I heard the tolling of a great bell.

You have gained a level

For achieving level 2 you have gained a new ability. Choose from the domains of travel, war, industry, or mental.

"What am I looking at?" I asked Lake.

"Power. There are lots of paths to it and lots of forms it can take. Malachite by birth is incredibly powerful in terms of travel with the mobility to see places others can only dream of. Cobalt is similarly blessed in war. You've not seen examples of either industry or mental, but they are valid choices, although you can't see the ability any of these might offer, and even I'm not sure," Lake said.

Given all the combat, I saw war seemed like an obvious option, but I couldn't help thinking of both Ashera and Cobalt. Both seemed almost trapped by their abilities.

I liked travel quite a bit, especially if I could find things to help the Crucible Shard grow. Travel might be useful. Of course, I could also just hop a ride on the Vainglory.

Industry and Mental were more unknowns. I wasn't particularly crafty, so wasn't sure what use I'd get out of industry, and people kept accusing me of lacking in the mental department even if I knew it wasn't true. Mental appealed and I focused upon it.

You have gained a new ability

Mind Games

You now have the ability to transition into a pocket dimension representing the mind of another. Here it may be possible to learn their secrets, solve their traumas, or manipulate their behavior.

I didn't know what that meant, but it sounded cool as hell.

"I have a new power," I said.

"And one that will come in handy. The others are waiting for you and you need to get to Veros," Lake said.

"I don't suppose you happen to know where he is," I said.

"Elsora has somehow managed to attach a fragment of another reality to the Crucible Shard. Veros and the rest of the Dark Court reside within this land," Lake said.

"She added DLC? She may be even more evil than I thought," I said.

The Dark Court. Whenever we'd come up against them in the past they'd always won. This time we'd be facing them on their home turf. We'd be ready. We were going to find Veros, sever the connection, and save Earth. Whatever it took.

Coming Soon

DLC

Having learned devastating secrets about his role in the brewing war, King Liam and his companions head into the home of the Dark Court in search of Veros. Will Ashley finally get her long-sought revenge? What secrets lurk in the mind of a mad god?

Books of the Crucible Shard

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Book 1: Dungeon Crawl

Book 2: Spawn Campers

Book 3: Corpse Run

Book 4: Gank

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Author Notes

It is an amazing feeling to have written five books. When I started the Crucible Shard I had ideas to take the plot this far along but I never knew if I would have the opportunity to do so. A sincere thank you to all of you who have read this far and so allowed me the opportunity to tell this story as it should be told.

I mentioned the last time the many hits that Liam was taking. He took a lot more this time around. He’s still not down and he’s still not out. He really starts to come into his own in the next book, although of course with a few new curves thrown in for good measure.

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