‘How are we supposed to get to that?’ wonders Lisandra aloud at the sight of the dragon’s tooth disappearing from the hands of the successful charioteer.
‘I very much doubt we can obtain that particular tooth,’ Amaris leans back against the wall behind him and stretches out his arms as if unconcerned by the challenge of getting the Arkine Empire’s key to the epic quest. ‘But perhaps there’s a market here for dragon teeth collected by race winners. In which case, we shall find an owner and obtain one. Whatever value they set on their life will be greater than any amount of gold someone would give them.’
Lady Horsta ignores the sinister implications of the inferni’s words and not for the first time, I wonder how she manages so easily to partner with someone whose values are opposite those that a paladin should hold. ‘What we have to consider is the respawn criteria for the teeth. Are they on a timer? In which case, it cannot be a long one, because the next race is forming up.’
‘Or maybe it’s the races that cause a tooth to spawn?’ suggests Aarax.
The paladin nods, ‘Could be that. Let’s see what happens.’
This time, six chariots form up on the dirt track: three blue and three green. This will be a team race and – accompanied by even more intense roaring from the crowd than for the previous race – an exciting battle unfolds, where a blue charioteer gets an early lead and her teammates then do their best to block the greens, until the defenders are overtaken and all three greens pursue the leader. Much to the feverish delight of the people around us, and despite the fact her horses visibly tire towards the end of the race, blue has sufficient a lead to win.
‘This is so much fun!’ Belle is cheering along with our neighbours and has learned their chants.
My attention, though, is on the plinth and it seems to me that a dragon’s tooth respawned at the exact moment the winning chariot crossed the winning line. I say this.
‘Yet it could be a timer still,’ muses the paladin.
Belle stands up and walks along the row to a young couple who are wearing blue armbands. ‘Excuse me, what is that prize that the winning charioteer is collecting?’
‘It’s a dragon’s tooth from the epic quest,’ replies the woman, smiling at Belle.
‘It’s clever, don’t you see,’ says the man, ‘only an Arkine charioteer will ever win a race to be able to collect it. No outsider will.’
‘But what do the winners do with them?’
‘Collect them in their inventory. The lead charioteer of the Blues, Cassiodorus Adromecus, has thirty-one of them,’ replies the woman.
‘Don’t they sell them?’
‘Oh no.’ The man looks shocked. ‘That would be treason. They must soulbind the teeth at once.’
‘I see. Thank you.’
‘Well?’ asks Belle on her return. ‘How are we going to get an Arkine dragon tooth?’ She does not sound dismayed, if anything, she radiates confidence in the way she stands with hands on hips.
How indeed? I believe it might be possible with my skills. Especially once I have unlocked Doppelganger.
‘Crow, what are you thinking?’ Belle’s voice is suspicious, she must know my expressions well enough to realise I am feeling excited by the challenge. To steal a dragon’s tooth in front of a vast crowd of citizens from Cassiodorus would be an achievement worthy of Lord Scrithax’s chosen hero. ‘You’re not thinking about going up there, are you?’
‘You’re good,’ says the paladin, looking at me. ‘But the penalty to Stealth you’ll get from such public scrutiny of the scene, not to mention all those guards, means you have no chance of simply climbing the central wall and taking a tooth. And even if somehow you got your hands on one, the guards will kill you before you escape, probably after torturing you.’
‘I wonder how you enter a team in a race?’ says Aarax, happily changing the subject from one concerned with torturing poor Crow. ‘Could we do that?’
‘Hopeless.’ Amaris shakes his head. ‘They spend years training for these races and a fortune in gold on the horses.’
‘I wonder how, exactly, that respawn trigger works,’ says Lisandra, ‘I agree that we can’t win a real chariot race. But could we come here at night? When it is quiet? And stage our own race to cause a tooth to spawn?’
‘Brilliant!’ exclaims Gerard. A wide smile forms on Aarax’s face and even the assassin grunts approvingly.
‘Perhaps that might work,’ says Lady Horsta. ‘We must come back late tonight and see how well guarded is the stadium.’
If anyone has anything further to say about this idea, they must wait as to the blare of a dozen trumpets a man in purple robes who is large, mostly bald, but with curly white hair circling the back of his head, climbs up the stairs to the throne in the centre of the arena. Everyone around us stands to attention. This must be the Arkine emperor before me, exuding majesty.
We also get to our feet. To the north, south, east and west, the emperor makes a salute. Then he speaks. Even though the crowd have fallen silent – an astonishing scene, so many people, such little noise, mostly the clack, clack, clack of rope on flagpole – we can still hear the emperor’s words as they are relayed by heralds who are positioned in every part of the stadium. Our nearest is a little to my right, about eight rows down.
‘Citizens of the Arkine Empire, we have conquered Trolland. Their capital has fallen. Queen Togesta is dead. Daspartar is eliminated from the world.’
A huge cheer swells, fades, and swells again until the emperor waves both arms, signalling for silence.
‘To praise Asa and celebrate her increase in power, there will be a two-day festival, with races every day.’
Now the emperor takes his throne, allowing the crowd to express their delight at this news, and delight, too, at living in a victorious realm, with a powerful god and a powerful military. Although I would not exchange our necromancy for their library, I am envious of the Arkines for their success. Poor Lady Horsta, though, is clearly heartbroken. The paladin’s head is in her hands and she is murmuring, ‘Oh no. Oh no,’ over and over.
I feel sorry for Lady Horsta and stand beside her, my hand on her back. It would be horrible to learn that Nekis had fallen to its enemies. Not only because of the loss of my god but because of a fear for what might have befallen Mistress Withen, Master Cathaldus, and all my friends when enemy soldiers were marching through the streets. So I can imagine something of the pain of Lady Horsta, even while welcoming the news in my heart. I may not be cheering and dancing, as are much of the crowd, but the cruel truth is that the fall of Trolland will open the east border of the Kingdom of Lost Souls and lift much of the pressure created by our shortages of food and raw materials. The Arkine Empire’s successful attack on Callondum gives us more time to complete the epic quest and bring a dragon army to the aid of the Necromancer.
‘Well, the alliance of our kingdoms is at an end,’ says the inferni, looking at Lady Horsta. ‘What will you do personally? Will you continue to help me?’
Jaw clenched, the paladin lifts her head and spits out her words. ‘I will help all enemies of the Arkine Empire. Their lies and false treaties caught us by surprise. I will revenge my queen. It’s what she would want me to do and what Daspartar would wish. You will continue to have my support.’
We are a subdued group, therefore, who, after two more races, make our way out of the hippodrome and find rooms at an inn, the Golden Dragon. From the paintings on the walls, the banners, and the clothing of the staff, it is clear that this is a blue-supporting establishment and so we play the part of visitors from Nekis, here to support blue for the celebratory games.
That evening, while we are eating an expensive meal at the inn, my Disguise goes up to 9. Just one more and I will unlock Doppelganger. I am therefore in high spirits. Though I try to adapt to the despondence of Lady Horsta, I find myself laughing easily at the conversation around our table.
‘Can we go out now?’ asks Belle when we are done eating; I admire how she is always eager to experience the life of a new town. My own feelings are more wary. I want to understand the unspoken rules of a place before I move through it. Here, for instance, there is a man who is in a dark corner and has been watching over the room. I do not believe him a rogue and he certainly shows no intention of approaching with the intent of stealing from us. A security guard of some sort? If so, he is far more discreet than the two armoured men on the main doors. A slight flicker of his red eyes towards that corner tells me that our assassin is also alert to this man.
‘Don’t leave anything valuable in your rooms,’ says the assassin, voicing my concern too.
When we leave the inn, the streets of Cassikos are filled with partygoers. It is night but you would hardly know this, hundreds of lanterns hang from tall, wooden poles which have clearly been erected along the streets for this purpose. Most of the houses we pass are also well lit. Some have musicians playing inside and when we pass these I can hear a muffled thumping on wooden floors that speaks of dancing.
Belle too hears the same music. ‘I’m sure there are balls taking place somewhere in Cassikos tonight,’ she says. ‘I wish I’d kept that dress.’
‘You should be less frivolous and devote as much effort to your mission to that of dancing,’ mutters Lady Horsta.
‘I know you are grieving for your queen and your god,’ replies Belle cooly, ‘so I’ll forgive you that patronising remark. But you know nothing about me and nor do you seem to be aware that I can use my Dance skill in combat to cause my opponents to be considered flat-footed and vulnerable to flanking damage. I need to go dancing as much as possible to try to level up that skill.’
Not for the first time this day, I feel admiration for Belle. I also had not appreciated that Dance was an important skill for her fighting tactics as well as her chosen career. It makes sense though, that the shadow dancer class has feats and options related to dancing that are distinct from those of the assassin and rogue.
Accompanied by scents of cooked meat, rice, lentils and other dishes; surrounded by music, laughter, and smiling people; and walking under streamers of green or blue or purple we make our way to the hippodrome.
Once at the stadium it is immediately obvious that there is no question of us being able to stage our own race, for hundreds, if not thousands, of people have chosen to use the arena for their revelries. Fireworks fly across the stadium, blue and green seem to be competing for control of the sky. Performers are juggling fire. Musicians are playing with clusters of people gathered around them. No activity seems to be particularly official, there are no soldiers that I can see.
‘Let’s get closer to the throne,’ suggests Lisandra and we walk down to where the first row of seats is just five or six metres above the sand. Even though the central section has no lanterns, the explosions of stars from the fireworks lights up that area in blues and greens. There is no dragon tooth above the plinth. This surely means the appearance of a tooth is triggered, rather than on a timer.
‘Well that’s a problem.’ Lisandra leans on the inner wall of the stadium. The drop to the dirt track below her is about three times my height.
‘Perhaps bribery might work?’ suggests Belle.
The inferni shakes his head, pale hair swaying. ‘Let us just leave this realm until it has been conquered. Then we can arrange our own chariot races. Preferably with the bones of the emperor and his family buried under the dirt here, so that every race mocks him.’
‘Gruesome details aside,’ says Lady Horsta, ‘I agree. Let’s leave in the morning and hope that the wheel of fortune turns soon.’
I haven’t given up on being able to steal a tooth but I say nothing. I need to level up Disguise one more point and then test the effects of Doppelganger.
My opportunity to do so arises in the early hours of the morning, with my next skill increase. I swap my afk skill to Spot Hidden then get out of bed. Pulling the curtains of a small, locked window open, there is enough moonlight to see my reflection in a mirror. I dress in my leather armour and strap on my swords and daggers. Now I am in a moment of which crows can only dream, a moment of magic. I trigger my newly unlocked skill.
Two of me! Crowtwice. And only at the cost of 1 mana. I look at myself. I reach out to shake my own hand but while I have offered my right hand he – it – has offered the left. My doppelganger is a mirror. By concentrating, I can get it to swap hands and now we shake. His grip is firm. He’s a handsome rogue all right. An agile young man. Hair as black as a crow. With growing confidence in controlling my double, I have him draw his short sword and exchange a few feints and blocks with me. He is fast and has my reflexes.
My mana goes down a point.
Ahh, so that’s how this works. Every thirty seconds or so that my doppelganger is active, I lose a mana point. That currently gives me six and a half minutes, assuming no use of Blinkstep. That’s not bad but all the same I want more and I swap my afk skill to Meditation. And then, curious, I activate Blinkstep. Does he Blink too? No, just me. Interesting.
While I still have mana, I try, but fail, to see out of his eyes; I try issuing an order for him to climb out of the window and onto the roof and that seems to work. He moves to the window and unlocks it, before I mentally call him back. I try commanding him to use Stealth and watch with satisfaction as he steps back into shadow and crouches, still as a chair. I poke his upper arm with a dagger, carefully though, as I am concerned that I might take damage when he does. Nothing? No pain. No blood. No reaction. It is as though I have jabbed a scarecrow of straw.
Mana exhausted, the doppelganger disappears. I unbuckle my leather cuirass and remove it before flopping back on my bed. The Doppelganger skill is even better than I hoped for and I fall asleep dreaming of dozens of crows all circling interchangeably above a tower.