27 – Itinerary

Victor looked over the very short list of possible System teleports:

1. Yoonsh – 45,000 Energy beads

2. Gassan – 52,000 Energy beads

3. Wildroad – 280,000 Energy beads

Looking back at what Lesh had told him about world hubs, Victor had to assume that his best bet was Wildroad. Yoonsh and Gassan sounded like the kind of world named as part of a local custom. Wildroad had more of a feel like “Sojourn.” He thought his reasoning was sound, but it didn’t matter; the price alone was enough of a clue. Of course, the System would charge significantly more to travel to a world hub.

He looked away from the menu and motioned for Tasya and Kris to approach. When they stood before him, Tasya straight-backed and staring right into his eyes, and Kris a bit slumped, looking down and to the side, Victor said, “I’m counting on you both to keep things under control around here.”

“Of course, milord,” Tasya said.

“As you say, milord,” Kris added a bit belatedly.

“Listen, I know there’s much to do, and I know you’re still worried about some kind of repercussion from the vampires, but they’re dead. My hounds”—Victor found people understood that term better than “coyote”—“have run them down and scoured the valley. Beyond that, the Death Casters outside the valley don’t know what’s taken place here, and if they did, they’d be cautious to approach. Fausto didn’t have friends.”

Kris nodded, but he still looked like a man on the way to the gallows. Tasya cleared her throat and asked, “Milord, any idea how long you’ll be away?”

Victor nodded. “I’m hoping for a few days, but it might be a matter of weeks—two or three at the most.”

“Understood.”

“And your great beasts, milord? Must they depart as well?” Kris asked, suddenly finding his voice.

“I’m afraid so, Kris. I can’t maintain that spell from worlds away.” He put a hand on the man’s slender shoulder. “You’re just going to have to have faith that I’ll return. Try to be strong for the others.” Kris’s eyes were still downcast, and Victor took the opportunity to look at Tasya and wink, sharing his amusement at how he had to coddle the man. She smiled, nodding. Perhaps it was a little mean-spirited, but Victor was who he was. He jostled the man’s shoulder one last time, then turned back to the System Stone.

“We’ll keep things running smoothly, milord. Timmet and Von, too,” Tasya said hastily.

“I know. I’m counting on it.” Victor put his hand on the stone and selected the option to travel to Wildroad, and then he felt his stomach flip as the System’s powerful currents of Energy took hold of him.

The sensation was brief, and though his vision was assaulted by bright lights during the transit, when things stabilized, he had a clear view over a tranquil, star-lit hillside. He was standing on a wide expanse of marble which had been laid in a meticulous spiral pattern atop the hill, and he could see other such hills nearby. He was alone on his hilltop, but in the valleys, and on different hills, he saw dozens of people moving to and fro.

Victor started over the stone to a path he saw descending into a valley filled with pale pink marble structures. He passed a group of people he took for travelers; they wore packs and coats, and had the energetic air of people excited to be where they were. They looked almost human but for their mint-green flesh and oversized ears and noses. Victor towered over them in his current form, so, as he walked, he reduced himself a bit, back to his former human stature.

He wasn’t wearing anything too fancy other than his crown—just some comfortable linen pants and a loose, matching shirt. The crown obviously made him stand out a bit, even if his striking features and powerful, barely-contained aura didn’t. Nonetheless, the people he passed seemed pleasant, and many waved and smiled at him.

Victor got the impression that this particular world hub was significantly younger than Sojourn. The construction seemed newer and less overstated, but so did the people. They had a certain quality about them that made him think of them as almost naïve or innocent. He wondered if veil walkers and steel seekers were rarer in that part of the universe.

When he reached a large, circular market, he saw the first people he thought might have some sort of official duty. They were tall, insect-like beings who reminded him of praying mantises. They wore pastel-colored robes and seemed to be patrolling the streets and sidewalks, so Victor approached one of them. It had a burnt-orange colored carapace, and its robe was a soft, sky blue. When Victor attempted to make eye contact with the bulbous protrusions on its brow, it turned to face him and clicked rapidly. A moment later, its voice came to Victor with the staccato rhythm of a musical instrument.

“Can this one be of service?”

Its turn of phrase reminded Victor of the ivid, and he smiled, nodding. “I’m trying to journey to a distant world. Is there, by chance, a directory I could look at to plot my course through the System Stones?”

The creature clicked and rubbed its barb-covered hands together, creating a sort of buzzing sound as it contemplated Victor’s question. After a couple of moments, it turned and gestured toward a low, dome-shaped building, the top half of which was crafted from round, glass blocks. “Please inquire within the Hall of Records. For a fee, such knowledge may be made available.”

Victor nodded. “Thank you.”

As the creature bowed, Victor turned and walked along the sidewalk, admiring the foggy, pink-and-violet streetlights and the way they cast the streets into a festive, if dreamy, mood. The Hall of Records, or at least the entry foyer that he was allowed to see, reminded him of a library. It was quiet, and robed insect people moved back and forth behind a long, pale-grained wooden counter, accessing little crystal cards from rose-marble containers.

While Victor stood in front of the counter waiting to be acknowledged, he reflected on the strange people who seemed to be the natives of Wildroad. How had a species of sapient praying mantises come up with a name like that for their world? It had to be the System’s doing, didn’t it? When they’d decided to go the world-hub route, they must have gotten advice from the System, or perhaps an envoy from another world hub had given them advice on the naming convention. Either that, or the System had just generously translated their original world name.

“Can this one be of service?” a high, trilling voice asked. Victor looked up to see a delicate pink praying mantis creature waiting at the counter, wearing a robe that matched its carapace. He strode forward, smiling.

“I have a lengthy journey ahead of me, and I’m hoping to make as few jumps through System Stones as possible. Do you by chance have a directory I could peruse?”

“This is knowledge of great utility you seek, otherworlder. This one can find you the answer you seek, but this one’s collective would require a significant token of exchange.”

Victor nodded, leaning on one elbow. “My name is Victor. Do you have a name?”

The creature shook its pink-toned head, exposing an iridescent purple-blue sheen on its bulbous eyes as the overhead lights reflected off them. “This one functions as part of a whole. Victor”—it made the “r” sound with a clicking roll—“would you like an exchange rate in standard System beads?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Victor shrugged. “Beads are fine, but I have other valuables. Do you prize certain precious metals or gems? Items of power? Weapons?”

“This one will first work up a quote in standard Energy beads.” The insect person didn’t wait for an answer, but turned and walked over to one of the large marble counters, where its co-workers were sorting crystal cards.

Victor continued to lean on the counter, waiting. He’d anticipated something like this. It made sense that one of the first things people from a world hub would do is send envoys out to other world hubs, gathering knowledge of routes. Such an endeavor wasn’t free, so it was only reasonable that they’d charge for the information. Of course, he could imagine they’d pay off their investment relatively quickly, but that was always the way of things.

Even if they wanted an exorbitant fee, it would be worthwhile; for all he knew, there were three world hubs available to travel to from this world. If he chose the wrong one, he could end up spending millions of beads correcting the error.

After a few minutes, the pink mantis returned to the counter holding several crystal cards in its delicate digits. “Victor, this one has prepared a general estimate for the knowledge you seek, but to refine the price, this one must know the destination you seek.”

Victor tapped his fingers on the counter, racking his brain for any reason why he shouldn’t speak openly. Failing to find anything to worry about, he shrugged and said, “I’m trying to get to a world hub called Sojourn.”

“Thank you.” The mantis—Victor had given up trying to classify it otherwise—lay the three crystal cards, each about the size of a playing card, on the counter and began delicately tapping them with its small, pointed fingers. Each tap produced a small shower of orange and red Energy sparks. After a few minutes of that, it picked up two of the cards and held them against the third for several minutes.

Victor watched in fascination, and the time slipped by rapidly. When the mantis set two cards aside and picked up the third, displaying it for Victor, it said, “This one has refined the knowledge you seek. The collective has deemed this knowledge to be worth 65,000 standard Energy beads. Would you like to inquire about alternative payment possibilities?”

“Ah…” Victor briefly contemplated trying to unload some random weapons and jewelry he’d gathered from his various victories. He had quite a handful of jewels he’d taken from the vampires he’d already slain on Dark Ember. Still, he had plenty of beads, and he could always exchange those treasures, probably with a much greater profit, at the market in Iron Mountain. So, he shook his head and summoned a storage container filled with Energy beads from his spirit space. “No, I’ll pay the beads.”

The pink mantis nodded, gesturing to the counter. “Please deposit your currency here. This one will use a counting rod to draw the correct amount.”

“All right.” Victor pulled sacks of beads out of the ring, lining five, gallon-sized leather bags before the mantis. “Check that.”

The mantis nodded, reaching into its robe to withdraw a slender, crystalline rod. It tapped one bag, and it deflated. “9,423 beads.”

“Go on.” Victor gestured to the other bags.

The rod tapped, the bags deflated, and in the end, the mantis announced, “53,234 standard Energy beads.” Victor deposited two more bags on the counter. The mantis deflated one, then the other, leaving it about a quarter full. “This one is happy to announce that your balance has been paid in full.”

Victor scooped up the remaining beads and sent them into the ring. “Good.”

“Here is your requested knowledge, Victor. Is there more business that this one might assist you with?” The mantis slid the crystalline card toward him over the counter.

“Not yet. How do I use this? Just send Energy into it?”

“Precisely.”

Victor nodded. “I’ll check it.” While the mantis stared at him with its iridescent eyes, Victor sent a trickle of hope-attuned Energy into the crystal card. As soon as he did so, he became aware of the contents, almost like he would a dimensional container. The big difference between the two was that this card contained only words and numerals. When he examined them, he could “see” the report before him:

An Assessment of the Most Direct Route of Travel from the world of Wildroad to the world of Sojourn:

Leg one: Travel from Wildroad to the world of Crosshaven. Approximate System Fee: 85,000 standard Energy beads.

Leg two: Travel from Crosshaven to the world of Wanderhold. Approximate System Fee: 285,000 standard Energy beads.

Leg three: Travel from Wanderhold to the world of Vagabond’s Reach. Approximate System Fee: 180,000 standard Energy beads. Note: Vagabond’s Reach is known for its lawlessness, and caution should be exercised when traveling through this world hub.

Leg four: Travel from Vagabond’s Reach to Gloryhome. Approximate System Fee: 200,000 standard Energy beads.

Leg five: Travel from Gloryhome to Sojourn. Approximate System Fee: 125,000 standard Energy beads.

“This one wonders if the knowledge is adequate.” The pink mantis’s high-pitched, clicking voice intruded on Victor’s study of the report, and he blinked rapidly, clearing his vision as he nodded.

“Yeah, this is great. It’s further than I’d hoped, but not so terrible.” Victor slipped the crystal card into his pocket and waved. “Thanks for your help.”

“This one is pleased to have been of assistance.” The mantis bowed its hooded head, and Victor turned to show himself out. He wasn’t too happy about throwing nearly another million Energy beads to the System, but it was what it was. He probably would have been willing to pay ten times that amount, so he allowed himself to feel a little relief that it wasn’t any more costly than it was.

Outside, in the cool breeze and the moody lamplight, he looked at various street signs, trying to determine where to go to purchase the next leg of his trip. Logic would dictate that the hilltop where he’d arrived would be near the System stone and the departure pads—assuming this world hub was like Sojourn and it had departure and arrival pads. He wouldn’t be surprised if it were different, though; the traffic was considerably lighter.

As he wandered out of the marble town, back toward the nearby hills, he thought about the third leg of his journey: Vagabond’s Reach. The mantis person had seen fit to provide a warning about that one. He wasn’t sure how a “lawless” world hub was supposed to thrive. It seemed to him that the structure and rule of law were essential facets of such a place’s appeal. However, he also figured that people who were unloved by society would need to travel as well. Maybe it was a place for those who’d been banished or who were fleeing justice. It made him wonder if there was a whole network of worlds like that.

Standing beside the low, rose-colored stone wall, he scanned the hills, starting with the one he’d arrived on. Each of the nearby hilltops was artificially rounded and covered in the same marble as the town. There were paths going up and down and winding between them, too. Quite a few people were meandering down those pathways, but it looked like the widest one, big enough to be a road, passed between two prominent hills to his right. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of people walking that way or relaxing on the grass beside it, chatting or picnicking.

Victor started that way, and it was then that he noticed a small road sign that read “System Stone.” Clicking his tongue and shaking his head at the fact that he’d basically looked right over the top of the sign while he was searching for clues, he continued, eyes darting ahead to see that there were more such signs leading the way.

When he’d progressed down the length of the busy path, into the deeper shadows of two large hills, he finally laid eyes on the stone. It was a good deal larger than the one in the Free Marches—easily sixty feet high, and the smooth, glossy surface of the monolith was, to Victor’s surprise, the same rosy color of the local marble. Had the System done that by default, or was there some obscure upgrade option to alter the appearance of a System stone?

Unfortunately, there was a long line of people awaiting their turn with the stone, so Victor settled in toward the back of the queue and tried to occupy his mind with plans for Dark Ember. He tried to imagine the conversations he’d have with his supporters on Fanwath and at Iron Mountain, and he tried to think of the most efficient way to deliver his orders. Of course, that got him thinking about his other friends and allies, and he wondered if his friends on Sojourn would want to join him on Dark Ember.

He figured it would be good experience for Darren, Edeya, and his cousin, Olivia, but Lam and Lesh might just be bored. They’d seen plenty of war, and they might find it stifling to have Victor ordering them around again. He had to consider that he might just be projecting with that thought. Sure, he had some experience as a commander, but he was a little nervous about having veterans who’d studied tactics serving beneath him. Then again, he could always ask them for advice.

As the line moved along, he decided he’d at least ask his friends on Sojourn; he’d give them the option, but he’d also be sure to let them know it wasn’t a big deal, either way. They probably had all sorts of dungeons and raids and whatnot to keep them busy, and they might see babysitting some low-tier former thralls while Victor fought the undead lords as more than a little boring.

“You seem like a man with much on his mind,” a rich, tenor voice said from behind him.

Victor smiled, already answering as he turned to see who it was, “Is it so obvious?” He almost stumbled on his words when he laid eyes on the man who’d addressed him. For lack of a better word, he was silver. He wore no clothes, and his sexless features were smooth and hairless. Every inch of him gleamed with the luster of precious metal.

When he saw Victor’s face, he smiled, revealing a row of silver teeth, then reached up to rub his hairless head. “My kind tend to have that effect on folks. Allow me to introduce myself.” He held out his silver hand. “I’m Nanda Konna, the djinn.”