Knights Apocalyptica

Chapter 148: Degenerate Deal

TO DO IN VEGA:

LOSE ALL MY MONEY

GET MARRIED TO A DANCER

BLACK OUT DRUNK (3 NIGHTS)

GET A GLYPH-TATTOO

SEE ONE OF THEIR FAMOUS PRISON CELLS

-Barbara Clancy, Degenerate Checklist (302, 3rd Era)

The Siren’s song ended with applause loud enough to rival a Royal Ceremony. Erec clapped along with the rest, watching the woman give a smile and bow. Her performance wasn’t the only one that night—even though Lucas told them it would be. During the intermission, servers can up and brought wine to their balcony. After that, was a small play, then a dance, and then a comedian.

The entire atmosphere of these shows was last-minute tack-on, but entertaining nonetheless. What purpose they served, he couldn’t say.

When the show did end, the curtains closed and soft lights appeared to show their theater. Lucas returned, asking them how they liked the performances, and motioned for them to follow. This time, though, he seemed far more stressed. More alarms went off. As the group followed him out, Erec noticed Dame Juliana shatter her glass of wine and hid the pointed stem in her dress. She’d used the noise of the crowd to cover up the act.

Taking her lead, Erec leaned down and pocketed a shard of glass. She gave him a proud nod.

It wasn’t an axe. But the progression of events left him on edge; he didn’t have spells to throw around and wanted a little something to guarantee safety.

When they made it back to the strip, they reunited with the Pendragons. Their friends had their own escorts in the form of a young lady with dyed silver hair and one of the Magi half cloaked.

As a cohesive unit, they dove back onto the strip. Down the length of it until they came to a building that caught Erec’s eye from the skyline of Vega. A massive glass pyramid from which a singular light shot into the sky from the tip, no doubt a result of glyph work. The place was the clearly intended destination of their guides. And as they drew nearer, the sheer scale of it impressed him.

And passing through the doors left his skin tingling in a way only power Mysticism could.

The interior was filled with floating books and cases, not alive, but channeled by a living spell. Far above, at the tip of the pyramid, was a floating black orb; but the different layers of the interior and the buildings within the pyramid spoke of a plethora of departments and functionality Erec could only guess at. All around them wild spells flew, and the place had a distinctive feeling that wasn’t dissimilar to the library they’d found through the Rift.

Glass panels conjured themselves from glyphs borne out of nowhere—forming a staircase from their position up to the black orb at the top of the pyramid. They circled as they did so and marked a clear path for the Knights and Pendragons to follow.

Their escorts didn’t need to say anything. They simply bowed.

Boldwick took a careful look at the glass staircase, then led them up. Upon reaching the sphere, a hole manifested for them to walk through.

Within it, space seemed to extend; eleven seats circled their entryway, each of elaborate make and personalized in their own significant ways. A throne on each council member, and seated upon them were the Arch Magi; the men and women of this Council opted not to wear the blue cloaks as those below. Instead, behind their heads were floating balls of light; within which Erec could’ve sworn he saw a shape of a small person.

As the last of their group entered the sphere, the dark exterior suddenly vanished. The view shifted as if they were far above the pyramid, looking down on the city of Vega.

The shift caused Erec to wobble—as he could see the city right below him. As if they were flying.

Illusions. It had to be.

[Interesting. Our position still hasn’t changed, yet they’ve projected what appears to be a live view of the city below. As always, your anomalous energy can be conducted in such useful ways. I wonder if you could have Colin study this and maybe develop a smaller-scale application for scouting?]

A bald man with a braided white beard bowed his head, he took the center of the ring of thrones and wore a worn smile, to his right was a man with blinded eyes, and past him a woman with sharp pointed teeth similar to monsters, one of them was a massive man, twice that of as natural human. A different council member hid his face with bandages, and yet another styled his hair with thick oil and into a pompadour, busy combing it and looking in a mirror.

The way they acted, the way this place felt reminded Erec of looking upon the Grandmasters. Some of them, at least. These were the rulers of Vega? Kings and Queens of the Jewel of the Wasteland?

“Rochester, it a pleasure to see you again,” the man with the braided beard began, a hand twirling around a curl; the smile slowly slipped from his face. “However, it is my great displeasure to inform you that your captured charge has slipped the bonds of the Magi.”

“Seven-Snakes escaped? How the hell did he accomplish that?” Rochester said, his eyes slowly gliding over the rest of the Arch-Magi. If any of them showed remorse over the mistake, it didn’t show. Aside from the old man.

“That is indeed the case. Upon transportation for this trial, as mandated for payment rendered and to fulfill our contract, he has vanished.”

“I see.”

“The Council held an emergency vote to determine a course of action, and while we currently have our Magi searching for the wanted man, until he has been apprehended, we have come to a majority vote to postpone payment of the contract until he’s been recovered.”

The bearded man steepled his hands and gave a disapproving look to the rest of the Arch-Magi.

“You have my sincerest apologies. I promise to see to the best of my ability that our stray will be found. I’m confident at least that he shouldn’t be able to slip out of Vega. However, it’s a big city. I can hope you will understand and accept however long it may take for the recovery.” He said.

“Vega is a big city,” Rochester repeated, stepping around the room, his eyes scanning the rest of the council. A couple of which looked anywhere but at him. “We had a contract. I went and captured this man, alive, as you requested. Brought him back to this city, and yet now I’m told that I will not be paid?”

Rochester stopped in front of the man with the pompadour, who slowly dropped his comb and mirror. “Listen, man. It’s a run of bad luck, for what it’s worth. I voted we pay ya, rest of the clowns don’t think so. Probably had something to do with his little disappearing act too,” the guy shrugged as if it was all beneath him. “Half of us are snakes since it takes a snake to eat up all the power they need to get through the Magi, but the other half will get it square.”

With a frown the Pendragon walked away, his tattoos crawling over his skin, he folded his arms. “This is not how you do business.”

[Unfortunately, I do not believe there are such things as lawsuits here, or else I think he might have a significant claim. If they tried that with our company, we would’ve rammed legal so far into their business, they would’ve never made the same mistake again.]

None of them had anything to say to that. One or two looked ashamed, but that was that. If they didn’t want to pay, they wouldn’t pay, and Rochester couldn’t do a thing about it.

“For the meanwhile, though I cannot fulfill the obligations of the contract without Seven-Snakes here, I will board you in my hotel for as long as required for you to stay in Vega. I’ve seen to a sum of seventy-five thousand chips to be delivered to your hotel room, as an apology and additional thanks for your work for this council.”

This seemed to at least calm Rochester. His ink stopped crawling across his skin and he retreated to his pack; the old man with a beard gave him a nod, which the Pendragon didn’t bother responding to, before a side in the chamber opened once more. The view of Vega suddenly vanished again into pure black.

An illusion. A perfect representation of this town.

Once the Pendragons filtered out of the exit, the stunning view of Vega beneath them returned. Boldwick didn’t wait before taking the center of the stage, glaring at each of the Magi. But unlike the Pendragons, they didn’t appear reluctant or reticent to talk. Now all of them were leaning forward in their seats. They took stock of the Knights, and in silence, both sides evaluated one another in the flesh.

“I do not think it bodes well to invite a party you’re seeking to establish diplomatic ties, to a meeting where you violate an agreement with the ones they approached your city with,” Boldwick declared, making the old man leading the council wince.

“I can see how that might taint our perception in your view. This council reaches decisions based on aligned interests and votes. However, as Chairman, I made the call to conduct all of our business without separation; I’d rather you see how affairs are approached honestly, rather than offending the Pendragons and having you hear it through their words later. I find it better to be upfront. So, how then may I ask is it that your Kingdom conducts its affairs? I take you’ve been invested with some diplomatic power to make agreements on behalf of your Kingdom? How much?”

Those were important distinctions and lines. At that, Duke Nitidus strode forward, rubbing his beard and standing beside Boldwick. “I am Duke Nitidus, and the Crown has invested me with the authority to speak for the Kingdom. These Knights are my escort. I will be the one to inform you if a proposed agreement is above my allowed threshold to commit.”

Boldwick gave a nod to confirm that statement; Colin’s mouth gaped, as did a thrum of shock run through Erec. Upon evaluation, though, perhaps it shouldn’t have been. If they intended to establish ties to the outside world, they needed a proper voice for the Kingdom. Who better to speak on their behalf than a war hero and Duke?

“Well then, shall we get to business?” the bald wizard gave a smile, one that the Duke didn’t share.

With that, they stood on the precipice of an agreement that would alter the course of the entire Kingdom.