The Pyramid Game Page 6

  “Is it?”

  Farn offered a sarcastic, “Sure, it’s great.”

  Kira scoffed. “Oh, come on, you didn’t even look.”

  Ginger ignored her and shifted her focus to Farn, feeling like a weight had just been dropped on her shoulders. “Okay, off with the armor. What else you got?”

  “I have this.” Farn held her arms out like a child showing their mother an outfit at the store.

  “I think she looks cool.” Kira bounced on her toes.

  “I never said she wasn’t cool,” Ginger tugged on the Shield’s baggy pants, “but it’s not really the look we’re going for right now.”

  Farn dropped her arms back to her side. “Well, I don’t really have anything else. So…”

  “Fine, warrior princess it is then.” Ginger deflated and dropped into a chair, giving up on the uncooperative pair.

  “Great.” Kira plopped herself down on the couch, putting an end to the conversation. “Now that that’s settled, who is this Sam guy we’re meeting? And how can he help us?”

  “Down to business then.” Ginger kicked her feet up on to the coffee table. “His name’s Samhain. He runs the upper floors that cater to the club’s wealthier clients. He had offered me a job up there once.”

  Farn sat down on the couch next to Kira. “But you turned him down?”

  “I did. It was more money, but I liked the floor I was on. It was affordable for most clients. And the sad truth in this business is that the more someone pays for you, the worse they treat you. If I’m going to sleep with someone, they need to give me the respect I deserve.” Ginger leaned back. “That being said, Sam is a decent guy and does everything he can to keep the girls happy up there. Which is hard when you have to foster good relationships with Noctem’s elites.”

  “And he’s been invited to the palace in Reliqua before?” Farn asked.

  “Yeah, he went to one of Berwyn’s parties to represent Everleigh a few months ago.”

  Kira stretched out on to the sofa, laying down against the armrest on the other side. “So what should we expect from this meeting? It’s like a job interview, right?”

  “And how long do we need to play along?” Farn scooted down to give Kira more room to stretch out.

  “Not long. I just needed you two to get Sam in the room. I can take things from here; I’ve known him for a while.”

  Farn slapped a hand down on the armrest. “Wait a sec, if all we’re doing is talking to this guy, why did you want me to change my gear?”

  “Oh, that’s just because most men, Sam included, like pretty girls. I figured he would give us whatever we wanted if we asked nicely and batted our eyelashes. Provided he’s not too angry that I lied about the reason for meeting him.”

  Kira’s eyebrows climbed up forehead. “That’s a little manipulative.”

  That was when a knock came at the door.

  Ginger pulled her feet off the table and got up, stopping as she passed Kira to tell her to, “Sit up straight like a grown up.”

  The fairy groaned and stretched like a cat before cooperating.

  Honestly, it really was worse than dealing with children.

  Ginger continued to the door, opening it to find herself staring at the burly chest of a massive faunus. He wore a velvet frock coat lined with gold buttons that matched the club’s luxurious interior.

  “Hi, Sam.” She waved politely.

  Samhain ducked through the doorway, bumping a pair of thick horns into the frame.

  “Damn things,” he complained.

  He’d once told Ginger that he’d designed the avatar to be intimidating to help him handle the clients upstairs. Rich or not, they still thought twice about messing with someone his size. Though, that was about the only thing about him that could be considered threatening. He wasn’t even level ten, not to mention that he was one of the gentlest men she’d ever met.

  “How’s the break?” He leaned down and gave her a welcoming hug. “We’ve missed you 'round here.” His voice came out deep but soft in her ear.

  “I’ve missed everyone here too.” Ginger hugged him back.

  He let go and closed the door. “It’s good to get away every now and then though, and family is important. So I’m glad you’re taking some time off. Just let someone know when you want to come back.”

  “I will.” Ginger nodded.

  He patted one hand against his thigh. “I wish I had more time to catch up, but I actually have another interview lined up.”

  Guilt caught Ginger off guard as it prickled at the base of her neck. “Oh, yes, that’s okay. I appreciate you seeing me on short notice.”

  He walked toward the sitting area. “Anyway, you two must be Farnsworth and Kirabell.” He gave a slight bow. “Ginger has a lot of nice things to say about you both. Do you mind if I sit?”

  “Ah, sure.” Kira gestured toward the open chair, her hand shaking a little.

  “Thanks.” He took a seat and pulled out a notebook. “Okay, first off, obviously, fairies are in short supply, and we’re always looking for more help. So we’d be happy to have both of you join the club. I do have to ask some questions, though, and just a disclaimer, they do get pretty personal. As long as that’s okay?”

  That was when Ginger sat down opposite him. As much as she’d enjoy watching Kira and Farn squirm while answering a bunch of embarrassing questions about their sexual histories, she couldn’t keep the ruse going. Samhain had actually been the one to interview her years ago, and he’d helped her a lot over the years. She felt worse about misleading him than she expected and didn’t want to waste any more of his time.

  “I have to stop you there.” She held up a hand. “As much as I agree that these two would be amazing for the club, I have to admit that getting them jobs is not really why we’re here.”

  “Oh.” His eyes widened, and he glanced back at the two sitting together on the couch.

  Farn bowed her head while Kira leaned forward and clasped a hand around her pendant, both of them offering a quiet, “Sorry.”

  Sam dropped his notebook into his lap and leaned back. “Well, I hope you have a good reason for tricking me into meeting on short notice. I really am busy, so I wish you had sent me a message about it.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” Ginger stared at the floor for a second, guilt stealing her breath away. “But Kira here is in a tough spot, and we really need some information to help her out.” She felt even worse at how easily a new lie came to her. She was already building a story about a sick relative when Kira decided to speak up.

  “Umm yeah, that’s totally true and not in any way a lie.”

  Ginger’s mouth dropped open at the fairy, who was apparently sabotaging her further attempts at deception.

  “Is it now?” Sam cracked a grin at Ginger as she started to sweat.

  “I’m sorry,” she repeated, not sure what to say next. To her surprise, Farn came to her rescue.

  “We are all sorry, but you’re already here, and we promise this won’t take long.”

  “I guess that’s true.” He sighed and settled into his chair, despite it being a little too small for his body. “What do you need?”

  Ginger took back over, a weight lifting off her chest that she didn’t have to continue lying. “We need to get into the palace in Reliqua, and I was hoping you might have an invitation that you wouldn’t mind parting with.”

  Samhain scoffed. “Oh, god, you’re getting involved in that mess. Now I definitely don’t want to help you.”

  “Yeah, but you will.” Ginger made an attempt at a charming smile.

  “And why would I do that.” He folded his arms across his enormous chest.

  Ginger cringed. “Because you still like me… hopefully.”

  “Humpf, if you say so.” He frowned, as a slight upward curl of his lip betrayed him. “Why do you need to get into the palace?”

  Ginger released at the breath that she’d been holding. “We need to learn everything we can about the place
. Layout, security, a way back in for later. All of it.”

  Sam eyed the pair on the couch. “So what are you two? Assassins or something?”

  “Something like that.” Kira snapped open her casters as a show of force, clearly forgetting that she was the least threatening thing in the room.

  He said nothing for a moment, tapping a finger on his notebook. Then he grimaced. “They call the palace the Jewel of the Sea, and let me tell you, the name fits. It is impressive. The party I went to was to celebrate Berwyn’s rise to power as ruler of Reliqua. I didn’t get to explore the palace since he had most of the place closed off, but maybe you three can figure something out.”

  “Does that mean you’ll give us the invitation?” Ginger tried to sound hopeful.

  Samhain tapped a few options woven into his stat-sleeve, and a green envelope with a gold seal materialized in his hand. He held it out before pulling it back. His face grew serious.

  “If you’re making a run on Berwyn and his Serpents, I want you to be careful. Don’t get me wrong, I had a good time when I was there, and Berwyn treated me well. But I’ve met men like him before. He’s smart, charming, and ruthless. None of that really makes him a bad guy or anything. Though, it’s a dangerous combination. Not to mention that his whole conquest thing is hurting the game for other users. I may not get to play it much, but I don’t like some of the complaints I’m hearing. So if I give you this invitation, you have to promise that whatever you have planned will bring misfortune upon the House of Serpents.” He finished with a warm smile.

  “Thank you.“ Ginger’s eyes nearly welled up.

  “You’re welcome.” Samhain inclined his head. “You’ll be allowed a plus one and two bodyguards. Though, your guards will have to keep an eye on you from the balcony since they aren’t allowed in the ballroom. There are no weapons allowed inside either, so you and your plus one will have to disarm before entering.” He held the envelope out to Ginger but pulled it away again before she could touch it. “Wait, you aren’t part of a house, are you?”

  “No, should I be.”

  “Definitely. Where you’re going, titles matter. If you’re not part of a house, then your nobody. I’d suggest stopping by the House Registry here in Lucem. You need a minimum of three members, so you should be able to get one started tonight with your current party.” He offered her the envelope again, this time placing it in her hands.

  “Hmm, Lady Ginger.” She took the item. “I like the sound of that.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, don’t let it go to your head. Also, it’s a fancy event, so you’re going to have to blend in.”

  Ginger took in a sudden breath. “How fancy?”

  “It’s a ball in a palace. So, pretty fancy.”

  She clutched the envelope against her chest and shifted her gaze to Kira.

  The fairy leaned away. “Umm, why are you looking at me like that?”

  Ginger let a giddy smile have its way with her. “I’m taking you shopping.”

  Kira responded by flopping back on to the couch and going limp.

  “Looks like you have your work cut out for you.” Sam gave Ginger’s arm a playful nudge, then took out a pen. “I can mark a good clothing shop on your map. It’s a little different, but you can buy some custom-crafted garments there. None of that mass-loaded stuff they sell at the basic shops.”

  Ginger took out her journal so he could mark a point on her map. Afterward, she spent a few long seconds staring up at his face. “Thank you so much. For everything. I really don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything, just don’t trick me into meeting again like this.” He placed one hand on her shoulder, adding a gentle squeeze as punctuation.

  She dropped her eyes to the floor again. “Sorry about that. We have a tight deadline.”

  “I can understand that.” He dropped his hand back to his side. “And speaking of being busy, I should probably get back to work.” He stood from his chair and gave a little bow to Kira and Farn. “If either of you ever decides you want a job, I could still find a place for you here.”

  Kira didn’t move from her place spread out across the couch but gave him a thumbs up. Farn opened her mouth to add something, but Ginger stepped in to cut off the awkwardness that was almost certainly coming.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they come to you if they decide to… try things out here. And thank you again, we’ll put this invitation to good use.”

  “You’re welcome, just stay safe with whatever you have planned.” Sam paused as he opened the door to leave. “Seriously, Berwyn isn’t the kind of enemy that goes down easy.”

  “Well that’s foreboding.” Kira sunk further into the couch cushions.

  “True, but more importantly,” Ginger hugged the envelope against her chest, letting her excitement show, “we have errands to run.”

  Chapter Six

  The pulse spell hit Max like a truck, launching him across the tavern and into the wall. He crashed to the floor near a bench that flipped over on top of him.

  “…Ow.”

  He struggled out of a quasi-embrace with the piece of furniture and glanced at the tattooed display of digital ink on his wrist for his health. He’d lost over ten percent, and his brain did a little fart, trying to work out how. He’d been hit by pulse spells before, usually by Kira in attempt to annoy him. The spell was nothing more than a puff of energy and didn’t carry any damage. He shook off the haze in his head. Somehow, this version of the spell was different, stronger, to a point where it could throw him across a room. It was probably the impact with the wall that had caused the drop in his health. He wasn’t even sure who had cast the spell.

  From his position on the floor, he searched the room for Amelia, finding her still standing on the raised platform where she’d been. She nodded to the tall man in black robes that was no longer resting on the floor. Well, that explains where the pulse came from. The mage was a Cauldron, which also had the spell. Still, Max wasn’t sure how the guy had packed so much power into something so weak.

  Amelia glanced back to Max, her eyebrows creating a diagonal line across her forehead, clearly still wondering who he was. Her confusion didn’t last or she just didn’t care because she gestured to the mage in the black robes. “Klaxon, kill him please.”

  The Cauldron wobbled on his feet and let out a long, “Hmmm,” before snapping his fingers and adding a casual, “M’kay.”

  Max struggled to get his new, close friend, the bench, in front of him to block whatever was coming. An instant later, a crystal shard burst through the back, lodging itself in the wood and sending a cloud of splinters into Max’s face. He spat them out as Klaxon raised a caster and opened his spellcraft menu, a field of glowing glyphs appearing in front of him. Max had seen Kira cast enough pulse spells to recognize the selection, but what happened next was new.

  The mage swiped down to cast, but instead of releasing, he held the spell. A strange sigil appeared in the air and Klaxon pressed his hand against it for a few seconds—seconds that Max used to get to his feet and leap behind a table before another pulse erupted into the space where he’d been. The remains of his friend, the bench, popped into the air and smashed into the ceiling. Max scurried under another table and kicked it over for cover. That was when he remembered he hadn’t come alone.

  Kegan jumped over a bench nearby and loosed a handful of arrows. Half were aimed at the men in the room, and the other half were at Amelia herself. She blocked but took one in the shoulder. The woman pulled it out without flinching and tossed it to the ground.

  She looked pissed.

  Good. Max smirked. The distraction bought him a little breathing room.

  Kegan gave a salute to Max and Corvin, adding a simple, “Good luck,” before running out of the front door of the tavern.

  The rest of Amelia’s Winter Moons stood awaiting orders.

  “Well go after him!” she growled as if it should have been obvious.

  Almost instantly, the
room emptied as her house poured out the door after Kegan. As soon as they were gone, she shook her head and blew out a sigh, tapping the bottom of her sword’s sheath against the floor. Then she drew the weapon and turned to Corvin, mist drifting from its edge. She smiled.

  “I think a duel might be what I need right now.”

  That’s probably not going to go well. Max peeked out of his hiding place.

  “It would be my honor.” Corvin bowed his head with respect. He sounded calmer than Max would have expected. The mid-level Blade took his stance, knees bent with one hand on his sword, ready to draw.

  Distracted by the duel, Klaxon seemed to have forgotten he was also in the middle of a fight. It suited Max just fine as he leveled a pistol at the man’s head and squeezed the trigger.

  In theory, a Fury should have no problem dealing with a Cauldron mage. Max was faster, but that didn’t seem to matter when another pulse knocked Max’s hand aside, causing him to put a round into the wall. Another burst of energy punched him in the stomach from the opposite direction. Neither carried the same impact as the first two. Probably because he’d cast them from his quick-cast queue instead of setting it up with his spellcraft menu. He must not be able to use that charging sigil on stored spells.

  Max tried to get his gun back up, but a crystal shard materialized in the air and flew straight at him. He leaped back into the cover of the tables and kicked another over. Crystal spikes traced a line through the wood in a staccato of splintering thunks.

  Max scrambled back on his rear, his brain releasing another squeaky fart as he struggled to understand why he was losing so poorly. Then it hit him. He could go toe to toe with any of Noctem’s Nightmares, but this was PVP. He wasn’t fighting an AI. Considering that Klaxon came from a House with a reputation for conflict, the man must have had far more experience fighting players. That much was clear in the way he used nothing but a couple low-level spells to control Max’s movement and keep him on the run.

  On instinct, Max glanced at his stat-sleeve for his opponent’s health bar. It wasn’t there. That was when he remembered that the game only gave that information for monsters.