Nexus Games [Chps 40-41]

Hey peeps! Hope your weekend is going well. Mine has been a bit of a bummer. >.>

—Chapter 40—

—Alex Kellan the Rulebreaker—

Kellan stumbled forward and found himself in a casino-like building with lush red carpets and club style techno music. The walls were covered in abstract paintings, some with red skies, some with spaceships, and others of dragons eating machinery.

The AVU Palace Oasis

You   have entered an Oasis. While inside this non-conflict area, all mages are   forbidden from initiating direct violence. Offensive magical abilities are   limited. Any who attempt to circumvent this rule will answer to the Arbiter   himself.

The smoke that hung on the stagnant air of the AVU Palace was a welcome aroma. Kellan took a deep breath, pleased they were no longer in the twisted landscape of the first game. With a smile, he glanced around.

Husker, Mavis, and Sen stood close, each with wide eyes and half smiles. They glanced around their surroundings, obviously a little confused. They were all in a large hallway, far from the main casino and dance floors, and no one near their room.

When Kellan turned around, he almost choked on his own breath.

Xiang stood in the hallway with them, her white suit completely drenched in crimson. The blood splatters coated her from neck to toe, and even the tips of her hair and one cheek were dripping with scarlet.

She looked like she had been hit with thirty water balloons, each filled with the fresh blood of a murder victim.

But in her right hand was none other than the USB drive key. Somehow, she had secured a key for their team, teleporting everyone out of the arena and away from the many dangers.

With a flick of her delicate wrist, Xiang used her illusions to hide the blood. They “vanished” underneath a façade of pristine white. Then Xiang smothered her long, black hair, and took a deep breath.

When she glanced over, Xiang took a moment to look everyone in the eyes. “I’m glad to see you all made it.”

Kellan slowly nodded. “Are you okay?”

“Another flawless victory,” Xiang said, her voice devoid of emotion. “The first game isn’t going to stop me.”

Judging by the copious amount of blood, Kellan was positive it wasn’t as flawless as Xiang wanted people to believe. But he wasn’t going to call her out on anything. If she wanted to pretend everything was handled, he would let her.

Sen ran to his sister’s side. “I was worried about you. We should definitely get you to a mana spring right away.”

Xiang didn’t reply. She sways on her feet, almost falling over.

Both Kellan and Husker leapt forward to catch her. Husker reached her first and held Xiang with his large paw-like hands. Xiang shook her head and rubbed at her temple. Then she shoved Husker away.

“I’m fine,” she stated. “There’s no need for theatrics.”

Again, Kellan could tell something was wrong, but he didn’t know what to say.

Before he could think of anything, Mavis placed a hand on his shoulder. He glanced over, and she smiled up at him.

“We lived!”

He smirked. “I guess we did.”

“We need to celebrate.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.”

Unfortunately, the far doors at the end of the hallway slammed open. Kellan and Mavis turned around just as two Pestbyters hovered into the corridor. Their spherical bodies and wire tentacles gave them the appearance of dislocated eyeballs. The soft rumble of their hover bothered Kellan—he hated those machines more than suspected he should.

The Pestbyters moved around Xiang and Sen, and then went straight for Kellan.

“You have broken the rules of the Nexus Games,” the first Pestbyter said, sweet and girly. “You will need to speak with the Arbiter regarding your misconduct.”

Both the Pestbyters wrapped their wire tentacles around Kellan’s arms and jerked him forward. He didn’t struggle against them, because he knew it was pointless, but he did voice his frustration.

“I didn’t break any rules,” he said, biting back a curse. “I swear. It wasn’t me.”

“To the Arbiter,” the second Pestbyter said with a giggle.

Xiang whirled around on a heel and held up a hand. “Wait. I’m the team leader. I demand to know where you’re taking him.”

The two Pestbyters stopped, their wires still firmly around Kellan’s upper arms. Without turning around, one said, “To the Arbiter, of course. If you wish to contest his sentence, you will need to speak with him after.”

With a huff and dramatic swish of his arm, Sen added, “There wasn’t any rule breaking! I wouldn’t have allowed it. This man is my puppet.”

Kellan would’ve preferred his defense to be anything other than he was a puppet, but he couldn’t take the words back now. Instead, he just waited, his heart beating fast. Would the Arbiter crush him this time?

No, he thought. I didn’t do anything wrong this time. I didn’t mess with any of the Pestbyters. What could the Arbiter possibly be mad about?

The two Pestbyters didn’t wait around for more arguments. They dragged Kellan down the hallway, hovering at a quick pace. Then they slammed through a set of double doors and headed down another corridor, this one filled with tall candle stands and suits of full plate armor, like they had entered an old-world castle.

“So, what if the Arbiter is wrong?” Kellan asked as they continued to yank him.

But the Pestbyters didn’t respond.

Instead, Kellan focused his attention on the AVU Palace. He wasn’t familiar with this part of the building. The Pestbyters took him through another set of double doors, straight into a casino floor filled with card tables and buffet spreads. The smell of food caused his stomach to grumble all over again.

Would he ever get to eat again?

Kellan worried he never would.

Then the Pestbyters dragged him up a set of stairs, through more doors, up a long, straight staircase, and finally, to another set of large wooden doors.

Kellan was sick of seeing them, but he knew now the Pestbyters weren’t taking him to the football field in the center of the palace… They were taking him someplace new.

“Is the Arbiter here?” he asked as the Pestbyters hovered in front of the door.

Again, they didn’t answer.

Finally, one of the Pestbyters opened a door. Then they shoved Kellan inside and shut the door behind him, leaving him in a large office room without any windows.

Just… none.

It felt odd, and weirdly claustrophobic, to be in a room with no way to see outside.

There was a desk in the middle of the room. A desk made of metal and rivets. A single chair was on one side, and Bitso sat on the other side, one of his wrists chained to the edge of the desk. Two large TV screens were mounted on the far wall, each eighty inches, at the bare minimum.

No other furniture decorated the room. No paintings. No bookshelves. No other places to sit. There weren’t even that many lights—just one long bulb over the desk, flicking every few seconds.

Bitso had the same outfit he always had. A dark suit and a white blindfold, all decorated with slight smears of red. When Bitso smiled, his sharpened teeth practically gleamed in the fluorescent lighting.

That was when Kellan noticed all the eyes.

The ceiling and two of the four walls were covered in the Eyes of the Arbiter—giant half spherical machines that stared at him through flesh-like lenes. They were the size of a human head, all unblinking and watching him with a strange intensity.

Kellan counted two dozen.

“Ah, if it isn’t my favorite player!” Bitso held up his free arm. “Come. Sit down.” He touched his white blindfold, fixing it in place.

With hesitant steps, Kellan made his way over to the empty chair. It was a rickety thing with no cushion. The Eyes of the Arbiter watched his every movement, the lens of their cameras staying with him.

Kellan sat down, his anxiety making it hard to articulate his many grievances.

“Oh, wait a minute,” Bitso muttered. He leaned onto his desk, getting closer to Kellan. “You’re not my favorite. You’re that knock-off alternate dimension version of my favorite. You’re not even in my top ten.”

“Thanks for that,” Kellan quipped. “Can you tell me why I’m here?”

Ignoring Kellan’s question, Bitso leaned back in his chair—something leather, luxurious, and soft. “Congrats on living through the first game, sad sack.”

“The Pestbyters said I broke the rules. What’s going on?”

Bitso snickered. Then he exhaled and swayed in his chair. Blood stains appeared on his blindfold—soaking up from his face—but the man didn’t indicate he was in any pain. Bitso just chuckled to himself, amused by something Kellan wasn’t aware of.

“I want to know what’s going on,” Kellan demanded.

Bitso frowned. Then he sat straight and placed both his hands on the desk. “You’re just all business, is that right?” He tapped his fingers on the desk. “Listen, I don’t get much company in this place. Let’s just take our time, all right? Relax. I’ll get to your punishment soon enough. Trust me, the Arbiter was fairly disappointed with how you behaved.”

Kellan narrowed his eyes, his chest tight with worry. “What’re you talking about? What punishment? Why?”

“What did I just say about that? We’ll get to it. For right now, let’s watch some of your game footage, shall we? That’ll be fun. I do love judging people.”

Bitso laughed and then snapped his fingers. The two TVs on the far wall flared to life. They both displayed Kellan in the Nexus Games, running around the game arena, fighting the yami or using his shadow-stepping ability.

Bitso pointed to the left screen, and it flickered over to footage of Kellan using his Mold Metal power on the doors of the neoclassical building.

“You know what’s weird about you?” Bitso asked. He didn’t even turn around to look at the screen as he muttered, “You’re using Mold Metal. And you have the ability to make things glow. And you also Ignore Pain.” The TV flashed over to Kellan fighting the centipede.

The TVs had no sound, but Kellan could still hear the way Hank kept shrieking, We’re all going to die. It was ingrained in his memories.

“What’s your point?” Kellan asked. “Is it against the rules to pick up those particular powers or something?”

Bitso smiled wide. Then he leaned forward on his metal desk. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you understand you’re supposed to pick up powers that synergize?” he pushed away from the desk and his handcuffed wrist strained against his restraints. With a sigh, Bitso sank a bit in his chair. “Most mages pick a lane and run with it. Lots of damage. Evasion. Something. It’s almost like… You’re just picking things at random. You want to win this thing, right? You want to get to Zenith?”

“I like the versatility.”

Bitso smirked. “Ah. Yes. You did take the Void Agent focus. And you were a Special Forces soldier, weren’t you?” With more pep in his voice, Bitso pulled himself closer to the desk. “Let’s watch your fight together, shall we? I had fun with this one.” He snapped his fingers and the fight with the centipede started all over again.

The moment the centipede cut Kellan across the stomach, Bitso held up a hand. The video paused.

“Right here—look at this.” Bitso pointed to Sen. “Your teammate has the Shield Ally ability, but he didn’t use it at all. That could’ve saved you from taking a whole lot of damage.” With a laugh, Bitso waved his hand. “Look at his face! He’s panicking. And he made poor choices while frightened.”

Sure enough, Sen’s face was twisted in panic. Kellan hadn’t noticed at the time—he had been too busy fighting a damn monster—but Sen was just flailing around during the fight.

“But look at you,” Bitso muttered.

The TV showed Kellan diving into the darkness and then emerging near the monster. He threw the hydra venom on the creature, and then it spasmed and died.

“You didn’t panic. You made fantastic decisions.” Bitso giggled as he yanked against the handcuffs. “I love it when I find people who are good at murdering things.” Bitso slowly rubbed his free hand over his chest, tugging at his white tie. “I could watch this all day… It makes me feel good in the most tender part of my loins.”

The TV looped the footage of the centipede dying. It spasmed and hit the ground of the sewer, collapsing with a silent groan since the TV was muted.

Kellan wasn’t sure if Bitso was just insane, or if death was somehow a fetishistic fascination for the man. He definitely wasn’t going to ask.

“I guess you can be my eleventh favorite player,” Bitso finally said. He snapped his finger and the loop stopped. Instead, it continued to play until Kellan and Hank were dealing with the Kuji.

“Does this have anything to do with the rules I broke?” Kellan asked.

Bitso slammed a hand on the desk. Kellan flinched, but only because he wasn’t expecting it.

“What was this?” Bitso asked as the TV shows Kellan handing over the second key. “Do you even understand how the Nexus Games work, sad sack?” Bitso turned his blindfolded face in Kellan’s direction and frowned. “You’re supposed to get the keys for yourself. Instead, you were the best player on Team 80, and you didn’t even get anything for it. What’s wrong with you?”

“I… didn’t want him to die.” Kellan scooted to the edge of his seat. “Look, they said multiple teams could win the Nexus Games. Why can’t they win, too?”

“Oh, multiple teams can win. They just never have. It gets a little cutthroat near the end, which is amazing.” Bitso laughed and slapped his knee. After a moment, he rubbed at his temple and calmed his mirth.  “Wait, is that your goal? Have everyone win? What a terribly misguided vision of the future you have. It’s almost adorable.”

Kellan glanced around at the eyes on the ceiling and wall. They watched him—and only him. Kellan exhaled and tried to ignore them, but he wasn’t sure what he should be doing. Relaxing with Bitso while he replayed the whole match as though it were a home video?

“Oh, and here’s where you found a prize room!”

Kellan returned his attention to the TV. Sure enough, it was a video of him speaking with the prize imp.

“You are a fascinating player,” Bitso said, tugging harder on his tie. “You completely botched your prize request.”

“Look, I didn’t even know prize rooms existed.” Kellan placed a hand on the desk, his anger quickly replacing his anxiety. “And if I did break a rule, it’s probably because I wasn’t aware of it. As far as I’m concerned, this entire game is arbitrary and random, and it’s not my fault I didn’t know what to ask for in the damn prize room!”

He hadn’t meant for his voice to get so loud, but he couldn’t help it.

None of that fazed Bitso. He rubbed at his chin, mock-contemplating the situation. “So, what you’re saying is… you want a rulebook, is that right?”

“I…” Kellan sighed. “A rulebook would be nice, yeah. Do you have one?”

Bitso shrugged. “Sure. I’ll send one to your room. Just for you, sad sack. Since you’re so good at killing.”

“Thanks.”

“Oh, and because I like you so much, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He laced his fingers together and chuckled. “Next time you’re in a prize room, and the imp lets you pick a prize, ask for the blood of Councilor Zero.”

“Who’s that?” Kellan asked.

“Who cares?” Bitso laughed harder and then leaned on the desk so far, he was almost lying across it. “Zarr Mantis gave himself the title of Councilor Zero when he was kicked from his homeland—because he’s a dramatic edgelord. But all that really matters is that he infused his blood with the void of black stars. That’s right, his blood runs like ink, and if you drink some, it’ll give you a minus twenty percent modifier to rank eclipse magic. That makes it cheap and easy to gain power—and everyone loves cheap and easy, baby.”

Kellan opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. Instead, he lowered his voice. “Is that guy here?”

“You ask too many questions.” Bitso slid back into his seat. “And no. Of course not. He’s on some other dimension, probably brooding. You know other dimensions have their own histories and mages, right?”

“I’m starting to get that.”

“Just trust in me.” Bitso rubbed at one of his sharpened molars. “Have I ever led you astray? You definitely want some of Councilor Zero’s blood. Just remember it for next time.”

Kellan tried to keep his questions to himself, but every time someone told him about the prize room, they had a completely different suggestion for the prize at the end. Which was the best? Kellan wasn’t sure—but also didn’t want to think about it right now. He had been dragged into the room for breaking the rules.

But what rules?

“Okay, let’s finally get to the heart of the issue.” Bitso clapped his hands and the TVs switched to footage of the first key.

Kellan watched as he put the dreamweaver blanket on the ground.

“Was it because I took the blanket from the AVU Palace?” he asked. “If it is, I’m sorry. I—I didn’t think I was stealing it. I thought… it was ours. Honestly.”

Bitso laughed and slapped a hand on the metal desk. Then he turned to Kellan, his smile more sinister than it had been previously. “That’s not it, sad sack. The Arbiter doesn’t care if you take some blankets. No one does.”

“Okay… Then what?”

Bitso pointed to the TV, his blindfold secured over his eyes, to the point it looked like it might hurt. How was he watching anything?

But then the TV showed footage of Jace appearing. Jace grabbed the rabbit off the sheets and yanked the animal to the roof of the elementary school. Kellan fired at him, and shadows lifted up, blocking the bullets.

“There!” Bitso held up a hand, and the footage paused. “There it is. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Bitso chuckled as he leaned back in his seat. “The Arbiter was very disappointed in you.”

Kellan stared at the TV, trying hard to think of what he had done wrong. “Shouldn’t Jace be in trouble? He stole the key from me.”

“Oh, stealing keys is totally within the rules. But attacking another player in a PvE game… Well, that’s just straight-up cheating.”

Kellan caught his breath. He hadn’t thought about that when he had shot at Jace. He hadn’t been thinking at all, really. He had just been trying to get the key back.

“And don’t you dare say I didn’t know the rules.” Bitso snickered as he waggled a finger. “It was in the title of the game. Player versus Environment Seek and Destroy. You knew you weren’t supposed to attack anyone. Admit it.”

“I…”

There was no way around it. Kellan knew, deep in his gut—he had broken the rules.

“Say it.”

Kellan exhaled. Then he wiped his sweaty palms off on the top of his pants. “Yeah. I knew I wasn’t supposed to attack anyone.”

Bitso didn’t laugh or giggle—he just smirked. “You should’ve done what your team leader did.” He pointed at the TV, and the footage played forward.

Xiang used her telekinesis on the building around Jace’s feet, obviously trying to cause him to fall. But she never used her abilities on Jace directly.

“That’s allowed?” Kellan asked.

Bitso nodded. “Xiang is very good about following the rules. Her mother almost got in trouble during her time in the Nexus Games… It was quite an ordeal.”

“So… What’s going to happen to me?”

“First off, you’re getting your first title.” Bitso clapped his hands together once. “Alex Kellan the Rulebreaker. It has a nice ring to it.” He leaned back in his chair. “The Arbiter thought it amusing.”

“Anything else?”

“Of course.” Bitso laughed again, dark and icy. “Since you’re so trigger happy about attacking others, the Arbiter has decided that your team will be forced to participate in a PvP game for this next round.” He rubbed at his blindfold. “Lucky you.”

—Chapter 41—

—The Price of Kindness—

“My whole team?” Kellan asked, his volume increasing. “But no one else broke the rules. It was just me. You shouldn’t force them all into a PvP match.”

As though sarcastically agreeing, Bitso slowly nodded along with Kellan’s words. “Hm. I see why you might be frustrated, but this is a team competition. Teams are typically penalized as a unit.”

“But—”

“The normal punishment for attacking someone in a PvE match is death,” Bitso said, cutting Kellan off. “But the Arbiter spoke to Jace about the event, and Jace apparently asked that the punishment be lighter for you. How generous. Right, sad sack?” The man smiled. “But I suppose… if you want death instead of a team PvP match… I could make that happen.”

Kellan caught his breath, unwilling to make any further comments. Although he had created the problem, he wasn’t sure dying would actually solve anything. Would leaving his team down one member be better than forcing them to fight other teams? Kellan wasn’t so sure. And Xiang had made a big deal about how she could win the Nexus Games—even PvP matches—so long as Husker was on their side.

“Oh, what’s that?” Bitso held a hand to his ear. “You don’t want to die? I guess you’re going to have a PvP match, then.” He put down his arm and yanked on the handcuff. He had done it so much his wrist had become raw and bloody. “Welp, that’s everything. Remember the rules. Don’t break them.”

After a long exhale, Kellan got to his feet. What would he tell Xiang? Would this mess with her overall plans? He could already hear Sen’s shrill screams.

Kellan glanced around and noticed that most of the Eyes of the Arbiter had disappeared. Only one remained. It was positioned on the ceiling, directly above them, its camera pupil constricting and dilating anytime Kellan moved.

Bitso pulled on the cuffs again, drawing Kellan’s attention.

“You know, I can free you from that.” Kellan stepped closer and pointed to the cuffs. His ability to reshape metal could easily destroy the restraints. “Do you want me to remove it?”

Bitso placed a hand on his chest and leaned his head back. “Oh. How cute. You really do have a hero complex. You know what? Just for that, you’ll be my second favorite player in the Nexus Games this time around.”

Kellan narrowed his eyes. “You… don’t want me to help you?”

With a smirk, Bitso motioned Kellan close.

Against his better judgment, Kellan got closer to Bitso, going so far as to place his hands on the top of the cold desk. When Bitso motioned him even closer, Kellan tensed. Was this some sort of attack? A joke?

Bitso lowered his voice. “Listen. I’m going to let you in on a secret.”

“Okay…”

“I’m not trapped to this desk. I’m not trapped in this room. I’m not even trapped in the Nexus.” Bitso chuckled as he said, “I’m trapped in my own damn body. So, unless you’re prepared to put a bullet in my head, there’s nothing you can do to save me.” He put the last two words in air quotes. Then he leaned away from Kellan and chuckled. “Sorry, sad sack. But I really appreciate the effort. You’re the only one who’s ever offered to help.”

“Sure. Okay.” Kellan stepped away from the desk. He rubbed at his hands, surprised by how chilly the desk had been. But then remembered why Bitso was here—Husker had said it was punishment for learning one of the “unknowable” magics without the Arbiter’s permission.

Bitso tilted his head to the side. “You have something else you want? I don’t have long. Once the game ends, I need to do all my fabulous broadcasts.”

“You have fate magic?” Kellan asked. His eyes told him everything—Bitso had storm and fate—but he wanted to make sure before proceeding with his last line of questioning.

“Fate magic is one of the best,” Bitso replied with a smile.

“I wanted to know… would the Arbiter allow me to learn it?”

Bitso laughed so hard it echoed in the windowless room. He tried to spin his chair, but his handcuffed wrist prevented him from going far. Once his mirth had reduced down to a chuckle, he rubbed at his blindfold. “You couldn’t handle fate magic! Do you even know what it does? Of course not. It’d drive you insane. Trust me.” Bitso tapped a single finger against his temple.

“What about travel magic?”

“Hm. Maybe. If you had someone to teach it to you.”

“I do.” Kellan glanced up at the single eye on the ceiling. “So, can I learn it? Do I have permission?”

The Eye of the Arbiter said nothing. It stared with freakish intensity.

“The Arbiter says he’ll allow you to learn travel magic to C rank,” Bitso said with a sigh. “But if you want to learn higher than that, you need to collect at least two more gold arcana.”

Kellan returned his attention to the blindfolded news anchor. It was odd the Arbiter made such a big deal out of the gold arcana, especially since none of the other contestants seemed to be gathering it. Why did the Arbiter want that? For what purpose?

Everything about the Arbiter confused Kellan. He was certain that he was missing something—the dragon’s motives weren’t apparent.

“Why can’t I hear the Arbiter?” Kellan asked, pointing to the eye on the ceiling.

Bitso touched his lower lip and sarcastically hmmmed for a second. “You don’t know anything about magic, do you? You probably come from one of those dimensions where no one is a mage and you all live dreary, mundane lives.”

Holding back his own sardonic commentary, Kellan nodded. “Yeah. That’s right. Hence why I ask all the questions.”

“Well, rest assured that I accurately report on the Arbiter’s decisions.” Bitso offered a shrug and a smile. “He just doesn’t feel like talking to you. Maybe in the future, if you actually follow the rules, the Arbiter will grace you with his invasive mind magic. Then you’ll really know how powerful he is, when he’s clawing around your mind.” Bitso snorted and laughed. “What an experience. I can’t wait for you to have it.”

“Sounds excellent,” Kellan drawled. “I’m gonna go.” He inched toward the door, hoping to escape the room before the Arbiter changed his mind and started speaking to him.

Out of everyone in the Nexus, Bitso really was the only person who answered all of Kellan’s questions… Even if the man did so in an insane and flippant manner. So, if Bitso said the Arbiter’s speech was like taking a rake to the mind, Kellan believed him.

Kellan backed out of the room and shut the double doors behind him. To his surprise, the two Pestbyters were waiting outside, their spherical bodies hovering in the stairwell.

“Hello,” one of them said in a cutesy voice.

Kellan lifted an eyebrow and said nothing in return. He didn’t like the Pestbyters. At all. He hated the fact he was on their side, apparently. Without even a gesture of acknowledgement, he moved around the machines and headed down the stairs, taking the steps three at a time. When he reached the bottom, Kellan jogged back to the corridor he had teleported into.

The pulse of the AVU Palace was increasing with every minute. More and more voices rang out in the larger rooms, and Kellan suspected other teams were finishing with the games. Music filled the halls, and the smell of fresh baked bread hung in the air.

Again, Kellan’s stomach demanded to be heard. He rubbed at his gut as he picked up his pace. Kellan desperately wanted to return to his team and fill them in on everything he had learned.

And he wanted to spend his seventeen arcana.

Travel magic…

His only real advantage.

Kellan made it back to the starting corridor—he recognized the old paintings and lush red rugs—but his team was nowhere in sight. Desperate to find them, Kellan jogged further down the hall, opened a set of doors, and just searched through the AVU Palace, even though he had no idea where he was within.

Room after room.

He slammed open doors, pushed aside divider curtains, and checked most closets for any sort of secret pathway. Unfortunately, he didn’t recognize most of the areas. He even found a hospital-style room, complete with bedpan and EKG monitor. Why would that be in a palace? Kellan suspected the Nexus was some sort of twisted inspiration for a Where’s Waldo?book.

Finally, Kellan slammed through a door and found himself standing in the registration room. The counters, display screens, and bizarre androids were all familiar to him. He slowly walked forward, glancing around, trying to get his bearings.

Groups of people stood around the room, some dressed like they were at a cocktail party, others dressed in military combat gear, like they had just returned from the games. Kellan recognized some of the people—he had seen them in the palace the day before.

“I can’t believe what he’s done,” one man in a tuxedo said. He pointed to the screens above the registration counter. “It should be a crime.”

“I believe it.” A woman in a sleek dress—the same color as her pale flesh—slid up next to the man. “Brenner isn’t one known for subtly. Didn’t you see the vids?”

“Seems extreme. I had bets on some of those teams. He just killed them outright.”

“I told you that you shouldn’t diversify this early in the game. Way too many of these mages are going to die.”

Kellan turned around and stared up at the screens. The teams were listed by number and then by members. Some of the listings were either crossed out, blank, or filled with white static. It took Kellan a moment to understand what he was looking at.

It was an updated list for teams who had lost their leader, were still in the game, or for those who lost every single member.

Team 42—Brenner Hawke’s team—was confirmed to have passed.

With twenty-three of the forty keys offered in the PvP Seek and Destroy match.

Kellan gritted his teeth, disgusted by the information. That team had intentionally prevented others from gathering the key they needed. And from all the crossed-out lines on the registration board—as well as the static teams—it seemed that Brenner and his murder crew had wiped out a solid chunk of the competition in the opening round.

A terrible thought floated into Kellan’s head as he stared at the board. His team was next. Brenner had made that clear.

I need to discuss this with Xiang.

Kellan turned on his heel and almost ran straight into Jace. The man with the mechanical eye disturbed him, but only for half a second. Rage immediately dominated his actions. Kellan grabbed Jace by the collar of his leather biker jacket.

“You think this is funny?” Kellan asked, trying to keep his voice down, but ultimately failing. “My whole team could’ve died out there!”

Jace didn’t react with much surprise. He lifted the eyebrow over his human eye and smirked. “You should learn to rein in these outbursts, you know. They’re going to get you in more trouble, Alex Kellan the Rulebreaker.”

Their conversation garnered the attention of everyone in the room. All side conversations stopped as everyone glanced over to see what was happening. Kellan didn’t care. His new title was on the board for everyone to see, and he was certain news of their exploits in the game were going to spread like wildfire.

All Kellan cared about was getting answers from Jace.

“What’s with you?” Kellan demanded as he released Jace’s jacket and shoved the man away. “First you help me out, then you give me my dog tags—and now you’re stealing from my team and acting like it’s all a joke?”

Jace straightened his clothing and then smoothed back his dark hair. “I’m just curious about you, that’s all. And what’re you getting so worked up for? I knew you’d find another key. There’s no way Xiang would let a key slip through her grasp in the first game.”

Whispers filled the corners of the room as the cliques began their commentary. Kellan ignored them all.

“Are you going to keep doing this?” Kellan wasn’t sure what he would do if Jace said yes, but he just wanted to be prepared.

“Probably,” Jace replied. “I mean… You’re an easy mark, you know that? So focused on completing the game. So trusting. So ignorant of how magic works.”

Kellan clenched his hands into fists. “It’s not going to be that way forever.”

“And maybe then I’ll leave you alone. But until then…” Jace shrouded himself in invisibility, disappearing completely from view. His disembodied voice rang out with, “I might as well get some use out of you, right? That’s what the smart player would do.”

Kellan cracked his knuckles by lacing his fingers together and clenching. The oasis would prevent him from any violent actions, but that didn’t stop him from fantasizing. Jace obviously thought this was amusing.

“How did you find us?” Kellan asked. He knew Jace was still around—lingering like a dirty pigeon hoping for more crumbs.

Still invisible, Jace replied, “What’re you talking about? I followed you around the game arena.” His voice came from a spot behind Kellan.

Kellan didn’t turn to face the man. He just stood in the middle of the room, his gaze focused on the far wall. “Bullshit. You didn’t just follow us. You tracked us. Somehow. Probably with magic, but maybe tech. Tell me how you did it.”

“What makes you think I’m tracking you through some means?”

Kellan didn’t reply. He couldn’t.

He had given Jace’s theft a lot of thought, and Kellan had realized something startling. Jace couldn’t have followed them because… Xiang had teleported them twice. Once to Pan Town, and once out of it. How had Jace found them in the park, then? Obviously, he had to have some way to find them—and it hadn’t been with his eyeballs.

But Kellan couldn’t say that. He couldn’t say Xiang teleported, therefore he knew Jace had some sort of magical way to follow them.

So Kellan just waited.

Jace laughed, his voice coming from Kellan’s left. “Like I said—you’re an easy mark, Kellan. It’s amusing to get the better of you through simple means, especially because you’ve done this to me a hundred times. Learn by doing, that’s what you always said.”

“Oh, I get it,” Kellan said with a dark chuckle. “This about the other Kellan.”

“Something like that.” Jace patted Kellan on the shoulder. “Just think of it like this—when I was younger, you used to torment me with all sorts of magical powers I didn’t understand. And now that I’m older, I think it’s funny to do it to you. Well, a versionof you. The version I can still mess with.”

“I asked if you knew me—if you knew Alex Kellan—and you said no.”

“I don’t really know you, or the other Kellan. I told you… This happened a long time ago.”

Kellan ground his teeth, his frustration building. “I don’t find any of this funny.”

“That’s not really the point.” Jace moved away from Kellan, his steps as silent as the grave, but his footfalls leaving impressions on the rug. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything too serious. I’m not a psychopath.”

“Taking the key was more than just messing with me. You’re messing with my whole team.”

“Heh. Don’t get high and mighty. I already spoke with the members of Team 80. You gave a key away just to save someone. You’ve clearly got a screw loose.” Jace snapped a finger. “Think of it this way—I really needed your help, and you totally came through for me. That make you feel better?”

Kellan was actively starting to regret his actions. Hank went around telling everyone he gave the key away? Now everyone would be expecting that. Or they’d be like Jace—ready to follow him around and take advantage of his actions.

“And there’s no way to get you to stop?” Kellan asked.

But Jace never replied. He left the room, his steps visible until he reached the door. The door never opened, and Kellan knew the man must’ve stepped into the darkness and slithered underneath.

The whispering never stopped. Some people pointed, and others giggled as they pointed to the team boards. Kellan didn’t care. They could concoct all sorts of rumors about him, it didn’t matter.

He strode out of the room, intent on heading back to Xiang’s suite.