The Labyrinth, page 7
part #2 of The Gods' Game Series
But the end to this damnable mission was in sight, so with determined steps he forced himself forward to meet the waiting feral kobold chieftains.
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Chapter 5
07 Augi 2603 AB
The audience with Zarr had lasted the whole day. It had been a strange experience. Not three weeks ago he was fleeing in panic from the undead, yet here he was now learning about the game from them! Could he trust the undead? Aveyad, Zarr and even Tyeliss were likeable enough, and for all their talk of torture, death and turning, they had not mistreated him—well, other than capturing and incarcerating him, he thought wryly.
They had an agenda. That was clear. But it seemed everyone on this world did. What was theirs? And could he live with it? Matters in Crota were not as simple as he had initially thought. The Crota undead were not evil. Could he find common cause with them? He had much to consider. He lay down on his pallet and closed his eyes; he would see what the new day brought.
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Morning arrived, and with it came the vampires. “Player Kyran, where do you wish to go today?” asked Tyeliss.
‘Player Kyran’… it sounded like a title. Tyeliss was always formal, a stickler for etiquette, sometimes painfully so.
“Let’s visit Eld’s Jest.”
Aveyad raised his eyebrow in surprise at Kyran’s continued interest in the chamber, but said nothing. Without further ado, the trio set off.
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Zarr was in a good mood today. The conversation with the player had been enlightening. Kyran was a curious mix of perceptiveness and naivety. He easily grasped game concepts that many a learned scholar struggled with and yet was baffled by the extent to which the gods would go to achieve their ends. Evil was not in his nature. This Zarr was certain of. He could, with time, prove to be a valuable ally. The lich king made his decision.
He would place his trust in Kyran.
But that was only part of the answer. Trustworthy, though he may be, Kyran was still weak, and in no position to accomplish what Zarr needed of him. He required aid. Aid that the undead, confined by the curse and the necessity of subterfuge, could not give.
He was interrupted from his thoughts by the arrival of one of the wraiths. “My lord, there has been an intrusion through the southern gate.”
“Champions?” asked Zarr sharply, prepared for the worst.
“No, my lord, these appear to be ordinary scavengers, petty thieves seeking to loot the fabled wealth of Crota,” pronounced the wraith with a touch of scorn. “Should we deal with them as usual?”
On the verge of giving his assent, Zarr paused. He scryed the southern entrance to assess the scavengers personally.
Yes, perhaps. It might work, he thought. He knew what needed to be done.
“No,” he replied to the surprised wraith, “continue to observe them and summon Aveyad and Tyeliss here, at once.”
The final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place and now, he had a plan.
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Kyran and the vampires had nearly reached the chamber known as Eld’s Jest, when the two vampires stopped suddenly, and swung left. Following their gazes, Kyran saw a wraith approaching. What now? he wondered.
The wraith floated up to the two vampires, and said, “Greetings Lord Aveyad, Lord Tyeliss.”
Both vampires nodded back. “Does our liege require us?” asked Tyeliss.
“Yes, Lord Tyeliss. He requires your urgent attendance.” Glancing Kyran’s way, it said, “The lich king sends his greetings, and requests that you return to your room.”
Aveyad and Tyeliss exchanged glances. “Alone?”
The wraith nodded. “So commanded Zarr.”
Aveyad looked to Kyran. “Can you find your way back?”
“Yes, I will be fine,” said Kyran, feeling some measure of excitement at finally being alone outside his cell.
The vampires bid him farewell and trailed by the wraith, started back down the corridor. Aveyad hesitated, then turned towards Kyran. Unwontedly serious, he said, “It seems that Zarr has chosen to extend you some measure of trust. Do not betray it.”
Mutely, Kyran nodded.
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Kyran stood frozen with indecision. One part of his mind screamed, Go! Run! Escape while you can, this is your only chance! while another turned Aveyad’s parting words over. Trust. Something that Kyran rarely did. Zarr had extended his trust. And was asking for Kyran’s in return. Indecision gripped him.
A few days ago, the decision would have been easy. He would not have given it a second thought. He would have fled as fast as he could. Now… In the last few days his view of the undead had changed. But enough so, for me to trust them? Kyran gazed off in the distance, thinking hard. While he did so, his eyes slipped over the warded chamber.
He stepped forward, heading not back towards his cell, but towards Eld’s Jest. The decision of whether to trust Zarr or not could wait a little longer. First, he would satisfy his curiosity about the chamber.
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He reached the chamber unmolested. No undead sprang up to punish him, as he half feared. He studied the entrance intently. Physically, the door to the chamber was an ordinary one, no different from hundreds of others in the citadel. In the ether though, a golden aura emanated from it. This was the first time he had sensed a magical aura without truesight cast, and he itched to know what caused it. He cast truesight.
Kyran has cast truesight, revealing the magical signature of Eld’s Jest.
Type: Enchantment
Rank: Godlike.
Special properties: Unknown.
Description: The enchantments around this door have been crafted by Eld for purposes unknown.
The faint golden aura transformed into a shimmering blaze. So bright was its magical signature, Kyran was forced to shield his eyes and look away. He studied it from the corner of his eye, but could discern no pattern or purpose to it. Perhaps, as Tyeliss had said, it served no purpose, other than to confound the curious.
He considered walking away. It did not seem a wise choice to tangle with an unknown magical object, especially one with as powerful an enchantment as this door. But his curiosity got the better of him.
Bravely (or idiotically) he stepped forward and turned the handle. The shimmering enchantment vanished. The door opened. Struck blind by the sudden absence of light, Kyran was left gaping foolishly and holding an ordinary door handle.
Nothing else happened.
Feeling very much the victim of a jest—Eld’s or Tyeliss’s—he scowled and stepped into the room.
Gong!
Congratulations! You have uncovered a hidden quest!
Hidden Quest: Find the Thirteenth Well.
Objective: Since its inception, the Game has been balanced on the twelve Essence Wells, but unbeknownst to most, a thirteenth well exists. Unclaimed and hidden for all these millennia, this well is the key to disrupting the game’s balance. Find and control the thirteenth well and change the game forever!
Rank: Hidden (This quest is concealed from most).
Reward: Essence crystals.
A game window opened in his mind, and a hidden quest, Find the Thirteenth Well, was revealed.
Huh? Thirteenth well, but there are only supposed to be twelve... The quest was marked as hidden, ‘concealed from most’—and that was pretty vague. Who was considered ‘most’? And more importantly, who wasn’t? The well’s existence would throw the game into upheaval, and reduce the odds of his survival significantly—if any of the gods realised he had a quest to find it.
Standing in the door, he surveyed the room. It was small, barely larger than his cell. In the middle of the room sat a pedestal strategically placed to capture the attention of whoever entered. Cautiously, Kyran approached it. On the pedestal sat two items, a bound scroll and a pair of spectacles. To his truesight, the scroll appeared normal; the spectacles however had a strong magical aura to it, nothing like the door, but powerful nonetheless. He inspected the items with insight.
Found: Unknown letter.
Type: Item. Weight: 0.0 kg. Rank: Common. Description: A letter, no more.
Found: Spectacles of Revealing.
Type: Item.
Weight: 0.1 kg.
Rank: Mythic.
Special Properties: Pierce the hidden veil.
Condition: Indestructible.
Description: Mysterious spectacles that reveal magical objects keyed to the same frequency as it.
The scroll was just a scroll, nothing more. The spectacles were identified as a strange magical artefact, with no more information provided.
Tentatively, he picked up the scroll. He held his breath. No reaction. Releasing his pent-up breath, he broke open the scroll.
Dear Free Agent,
Congratulations, you have solved my Jest.
You are probably confused and bewildered right now, so let me explain what I can.
The door through which you just entered was covered by a divine enchantment keyed to players. The enchantment’s strength increases with the divine spark of the being trying to enter. For you to have broken through, must mean you are a player without divine spark, and thus bound to no god.
Which means that my plan to bring a free agent into the game has succeeded. As you have probably guessed, I am Eld. Creator of the Game and the one who orchestrated your entry into it. Why have I done so? Well, that I cannot share now. Perhaps someday…
To the matter at hand. Next to this scroll is a special item. One that you will need to fulfil the hidden quest you have received. You are not doubt wondering about that as well. It is no joke. Believe me. It exists. Here in Crotana. And you must find it.
Search the labyrinth for White Rock, a marble cavern with a waterfall flowing into a small lake. You will find the object of your quest behind the falls. The key to seeing it, is the item next to this scroll. I hope you realise the significance of the quest, and the danger tied to it. Tell no one.
Writing this letter, I know not when you will find it, nor the manner of your entry into the game, or indeed, even the circumstances in which you may find yourself. Know only, that if it has come to pass, then my plans have come to ruin, and you remain my only hope…
I am sorry that I cannot answer more of your questions and that I have brought you to this world. I had little choice.
One more thing, on your way out, close the door behind you. The ward will reset and none will be the wiser.
Good luck.
Eld.
Kyran finished reading the note in stupefied wonder. The gods were right. Eld had engineered his presence here. The why still remained a mystery. Was he Eld’s pawn?
Not if he could help it. He was beholden to no god. He would figure out Eld’s game and he would forge his own path, no matter how he got here. Idly he picked up the spectacles. Briefly he considered leaving the item behind but the opportunity it represented was too great to ignore. He stowed it in his inventory along with the scroll.
He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. The ward blazed back into existence. He looked down the corridor in both directions. He still had a decision to make.
His discoveries in the room had made clear that the game was played with deadly seriousness. He could only imagine when Eld had set up the room, and over how many centuries he had conceived and executed his plan. He would not survive without allies. So. He would return the lich king’s trust, and see where it took him.
Decided, he thoughtfully made his way back to his cell.
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Kyran was sitting cross-legged in his cell, back to practicing his scrying when the two vampires arrived. Both looked grim. “Zarr wants to see you now,” said Aveyad.
“What is this about?” asked Kyran, wondering if somehow the undead knew about his foray into Eld’s Jest.
The vampires refused to answer, and continued to wait patiently for Kyran. Saying nothing, Kyran got up and followed them to whatever fate awaited him.
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Yddreinth’s eye cracked open. Finally. After eons, the hidden quest had been activated, a long time even by the standards of an elder dragon’s lifespan. Yddreinth grumbled quietly to himself. He had lost the wager. Years ago he had scoffed at Eld’s plan, calling it a fool’s gamble. That had not gone down well. Eld, like all gods, did not take kindly to criticism; he would be certain to call the dragon out on the wager when they saw each other. Yddreinth sighed sadly. If they saw each other. These long years of his search for Eld had uncovered naught.
He wondered where Eld was hiding and how he had managed to pull off such a remarkable feat—concealing himself from god, demon and dragon alike. Eld had always been a tricky one, if a tad full of himself. He shook his head; it was no use trying to fathom Eld. He always played his own game.
He turned his focus back to the hidden quest. It had been triggered. And Eld was gone. Or at the very least, deep in hiding. It fell to Yddreinth to decide on how to act. Should he act? Was it time for him to take a hand in the Game?
It felt only an eye-blink since he had sensed the agent’s entry into Myelad and already the player had disturbed his sleep again. The game was afoot. And matters were coming to a head. He cast his senses over Crota and spied the champions of Iyra and Xetil on missions for their sponsors. He noted with interest the brotherhood force. Elasien had responded swiftly and decisively to his warnings, he saw approvingly.
But of the free agent, he could find no sign. Confounded, he frowned in consternation, only to quickly realise the cause. Of course. Zarr’s barrier. Idly, he probed the lich king’s scrying barrier. It was as powerful as ever. The bag of bones is still kicking, he thought fondly.
If the agent was under Zarr’s protection, there was no urgency for him to act. Yddreinth gave a mighty yawn. He could rest a while longer. But it was perhaps prudent to warn his allies of the gods’ machinations. He blasted off another sending in the ether to Elasien, trusting her to act. With that done, Yddreinth closed his eyes and returned to his slumber, waiting for events to play out.
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Chapter 6
08 Augi 2603 AB
Natural essence controls growth. This is a fundamental truth of the Game. Without natural essence, a domain’s expansion is slowed to a crawl, and its existing essence structures cannot be repaired. And because each domain’s supply of natural essence is fixed, as an empire expands, its growth slows.
When then, is an empire too large? Some scholars have suggested (controversially so) that empires such as Iyra’s and Kharmadon’s are oversized and in fact, more vulnerable than smaller realms such as Balkar’s commonwealth. For in any concerted push by a rival god, the rate at which essence structures can be destroyed far exceeds the rate at which they may be replenished... – excerpt from Treatise on the Game by scholar Kel Maldax.
On entering the throne room, Kyran started in surprise. The lich king was not alone. Arrayed in a line to the left of Zarr were four mortals, kneeling with mouths gagged and hands bound. “Welcome, Kyran,” greeted the lich king.
With his thoughts on the captives before Zarr, it took Kyran a moment to realise the lich king had greeted him. By name. Zarr’s attitude to Kyran had mellowed much. “Uh, thank you, my lord.” Kyran decided to be polite.
His eyes drifted to the four mortals, wondering as to the reason for their presence. Three of the captives were male, the other female. The female was a wolflike creature with short grey fur, gleaming fangs, long whiskers, grey eyes, and flickering tail. She was roughly Kyran’s height and dressed in brown leather armour with a bow and quiver strapped behind her.
One of the males was a tall, bald, pale-skinned human covered in tattoos. His ears were pierced with multiple rings and he had a jagged scar running down his left cheek. He wore studded black leather armour and had two short swords belted at his hip.
Another of the males was a wiry, dark-skinned half-elven youth. He had shocking blue hair, and bright black eyes, and was dressed in an ill-fitting garish blue robe. He bore no weapons.
The last was a short, older dwarven male. He had a protruding gut, short unkempt beard and was armoured in shoddy, rusty steel armour. He had a large two-handed battle hammer sheathed on his back.
All four of the prisoners’ eyes bulged with fear. Sweat dripped profusely down the human’s eyes, while the half-elf cried openly. The wolflike woman frantically tried to cut her bonds with her sharp claws but only managed to injure herself. The dwarf shook his head vigorously, to all appearances half-dazed.
“I have decided to let you go.”
At Zarr’s pronouncement, Kyran’s head whipped around, his inspection of his fellow captives forgotten. He could not help but ask, “Why?”
The lich king answered him indirectly. “For the last six hundred years, we undead of Crota, have borne a curse—of my own making—to protect its remains from the hands of the Gods and other scavengers.” The last was said with a menacing glare at the captives. “When you arrived, I believed you to be a champion, another gambit of the gods to claim Crota and that I could not allow. But from what I have since learnt it appears that other forces may be at work.
“What these forces seek, I am not sure. However, in all of this, I sense an… opportunity—to finally free my people of their curse.” At this, both vampires stirred involuntarily but then stilled.
“I will free you and provide you with the means to escape Crota but in return I ask for your service in fulfilling two tasks. Do you accept?”
The undead had earned a measure of his trust but not so much that he would blindly pledge himself. He peered intently at Zarr, trying to uncover any sign of deceit but the lich king’s face was an unreadable mask. “What are the tasks?” asked Kyran cautiously.
