Spires

New Hope, 2039

The small town had a different name once, but those that survived the spires apocalypse changed it.

Why stick with the disgrace of a dark past where evil men fought to keep slaves?

Besides, who was going to stop them?

The deeply racist institutions that sought to conserve their backward ways had been shattered.

The spires brought death, but they also brought opportunity.

Hope lasted close to fifteen years.

The monster that killed it glided down from the nearby mountains on broad, leathery wings.

Its front half resembled a bear’s, while its back half resembled a reptile’s.

They had been celebrating something, Deon couldn’t actually remember what exactly, but he had fond memories of many street parties. Loud music, good food and laughter.

He had thought it was perfectly normal to have huge parties once or twice a month.

His grandfather said that back in the old, old days, he and his crew would party every weekend at the stadium in preparation for the big game.

The stories filled Deon with longing.

Sure, he and the other kids played football in the park every once in awhile, but he wanted to experience being among a crowd of thousands cheering and stomping their feet or better yet, being down on the field, throwing the ball and receiving the adoration.

The monster landed with an earth-shaking thud.

Its roar drowned out the sound of people bursting like grapes beneath its paws as if it was making wine.

“Better get going to the shelter, boy,” Gramps grunted, hoisting his shovel onto his shoulder and strode against the tide of humanity frantically running away from the monster.

His grandfather cut a towering figure. Despite being elderly, his grandfather still had the barrel-chested, broad-shouldered look from his ball playing days. Ebon-colored arms bigger than Deon’s head bulged with muscles and glistened with sweat from the heat of the day.

Being a teenager, Deon lacked a proper sense of mortality and that was with all the lessons that had been driven into his head like a rail spike by the adults and his surrounding environment.

Monster attacks were monster attacks.

Sure this one was on the larger side what with how its head crested above the roofs of the two story buildings that lined the two-lane street.

It spread its wings, casting a large shadow in the dying sunlight as it bit a person in half and swallowed the pieces.

A hand tugged on his wrist, preventing him from chasing after his grandfather.

“C’mon!”

Elandria had her fancy new pistol in one hand.

She had just built it a few days ago, perks of her lucky class get.

He had been jealous, though he had kept it to himself.

Grandfather leapt with a roar.

Massive bear paw met sharpened spade-shaped head.

The former lost.

Blood splashed on the fleeing crowd like a sudden summer downpour.

The shovel head sank deeply through the center of a paw bigger than grandfather’s bulky torso.

The monster reacted with quickness that seemed impossible with its great bulk.

It spun, lashing out with its tree trunk-thick tail.

The whip like attack caught his grandfather before he landed back on the ground.

Deon tore himself from Elandria’s grasp just as his grandfather crashed through a building’s brick wall.

Las Vegas, 2049

The snap of fingers tore Deon from his reverie.

“Stop it,” Elandria said. “Now’s not the time to get into one of your broodings.”

“Sorry.”

They had beaten the monster at the cost of many of their strongest.

His grandfather among them.

That had been the moment when things had gone bad.

The years of subsequent struggle had made him and Elandria strong at the cost of their relatively happy childhood.

He sat in the lobby as people buzzed about.

The Golden Eagles controlled the area from their hotel resort and casino, which it seemed was partially-operating as it did in the old days.

Deon wasn’t unfamiliar with the concept of gambling.

The old heads, like his grandfather, had exchanged Universal Points and other random things over dice, cards and what seemed like any random thing whenever they had free time.

Not to mention the stories they used to share about wilding out in Vegas.

It had sounded fun, but being in the actual place only filled him with the bitter taste of ashes in his mouth.

Just like the funeral pyres they had set after that terrible day.

As his second, Elandria was always with him.

He had brought Brand and Saint along in case things went bad. Not that he had expected any problems.

The Golden Eagles had a good rep for being clean and straight.

Seeing the Strip for himself confirmed it.

Thousands of violence-inclined people from mercenary companies to adventuring bands to the suicidal idiots that liked to roam solo filled Las Vegas for the many encounter challenges located in a condensed area.

One could fill their leveling needs from 1 all the way up to 40 within a handful of miles.

Plenty of amenities too.

What really surprised him was that the Golden Eagles hadn’t monopolized everything.

They had their one huge hotel resort and casino, plus maybe a handful of smaller sites in the nearby area, but they had let other companies stake their own claims on other properties. With the exception of the largest resorts. Those belonged to a couple of people with the last name ‘Cruces’, who for some reason basically left them open for anyone that wanted to run through the challenges. From what it looked like, the cut they took went straight to paying for ownership fees. They didn’t take a single point for profit.

The young woman at the front desk waved to get their attention, then beckoned them over.

Elandria frowned.

“He’s ready to see you now,” the young woman smiled, “will it be all four of you? If so, please leave your weapons and any other dangerous items. Any containers of holding as well.” She pointed to the bank of lockers.

Not unexpected.

He debate trying to sneak something in, but decided not to.

There was nothing morally wrong about his operation and it was important for him to remain on the high ground.

He eyed Brand and Saint.

“You guys stay out here and watch our stuff.”

The young woman smiled as he and Elandria handed their stuff over.

“Armor too?” Elandria scowled down at the young woman.

“Do they contain offensive or otherwise threatening abilities?”

“We’re not removing our armor,” he said flatly.

“One moment, please.” The young woman picked up the phone. “They don’t want to remove their armor… okay… I’ll send them in.”

Armed Golden Eagles watched like their namesakes as he and Elandria made their way to the door leading to the back.

A Golden Eagle scanned them a strange-looking device that beeped and glowed.

“Defensive enchantments,” he said before waving them through.

More Golden Eagles met them on the other side, escorting them through the carpeted hallway down to an office.

The leader sat behind a plain desk and a humming forcefield that shimmered with a faint blue light.

Deon couldn’t feel any magic in the barrier.

He forced himself to look in the man’s eyes, scanning for an emitter or power source would’ve been taken as a sign of hostility and he had none at the moment.

“Please have a seat.” The man gestured to the two plain chairs already set out in front of his desk. “My name is ‘Ledge’ and I’m currently in charge… for now. Only a few more weeks and I’m done with my last rotation.” He gave them a rueful smile, which didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Deon regarded the man for a moment.

Tall, thin and well into middle age, judging by the lines on his face and the gray on his head.

Still, the golden eagle looked fit and he was armed with a pistol holstered in his belt and a blade was sheathed within easy reach. No armor though, just plain clothing.

Deon refrained from casting an appraisal spell.

That would’ve been both rude and hostile.

“So, what can I do for you?” Ledge said as soon as they sat.

“I’m assuming you’re a busy man, so thanks for meeting with us.”

“An 8 man team of over Level 40’s kinda gets your foot in the door. Especially when you aren’t leading a large company. That sort of thing is pretty rare.”

“Then we won’t waste your time. We have questions.” He nodded at Elandria. “Do you consent to answer them under a truth gem?”

Ledge tapped the large gem on his desk.

“Right back at you.”

“Agreed.”

They had been prepared for this.

Among the eidolon’s many gifts was a paste-like substance that when used to coat one’s tongue made every word they uttered for a day read as truth to spells and Skills. Naturally, effectiveness depended on comparative strength levels.

“Go ahead,” Ledge said.

“Will you allow my team access to the Mt. Charleston Encounter Challenge?”

The smile dropped from Ledge’s face. He muttered a curse.

“It’s in the pamphlet,” he sighed. “Huge signs pointing to it in every building.”

“We’ve read it.”

“Then you have your answer.”

“Why?”

“Are you sure you read it?”

“Those were your stated reasons. We want the real ones.”

“The stated ones are the real ones.” Ledge rubbed the bridge of his nose. “No. We’re not working with the Bat People to eventually conquer the world. No. We’re not feeding people to them. They’re mostly vegetarian. They eat stuff they grow in their caves, which incidentally is their preferred home. They’re Bat People, they don’t want to live out in the open. They’re peaceful refugees fleeing conquerors from wherever they came from. So, truth?” he regarded Elandria.

She held up the gem and agreed.

“Truth… or at least what you believe to be the truth.”

“My turn. Do you intended to go against the prohibition on attacking the Bat People? Do you intend to attempt the encounter challenge?”

Deon locked eyes.

“Not at this time.”

Ledge glanced at his truth gem, which glowed brightly.

“However, we have Quests related to them.”

“So? Who in the area doesn’t? You do understand that the spires wants us to fight amongst ourselves? You get Quests to attack the Bat People. I get Quests to stop you. You kill me. I kill you. Our sides attack each other in retribution. Everyone dies. No one wins. So, why bother? You guys look like you’re barely in your mid 20’s and you’re already Level 40. That’s some great growth! Why not just keep grinding here? Plenty of easily accessible and cheap encounter challenges within walking distance of each other. Sure, it’s not the huge gains of the Bat People stuff, but why take the risk?”

“Maybe it’s not just about the gains. Maybe, it’s about stopping alien invaders from gaining a foothold on our world. You say they’re refugees… I can accept that theory for now, but what happens in the future when they get stronger and start looking to expand? Isn’t that how it always works? Or better yet, it might be about bringing a great evil to justice.”

Tellingly, Ledge kept his mouth closed.

Deon decided to poke a bit further.

“Should I ask?”

“You can do what you want. Doesn’t mean I have to answer.”

“Some would say that is answer enough.”

“Whatever you want to think is your right. I think this is over. I direct you back to the pamphlet. It has all the information you need. If you choose to ignore it then that’s on your head. Road access is prohibited. You’ll have to hike miles up a mountain with all its monsters and mutated animals. You seem strong enough to make it, but consider how much you’ll have left when you get there.”

“You’d kill your own kind to protect Bat People.”

It was a statement rather than a question.

The pamphlet hadn’t spelled it out, but more implied.

Word spread, however, a handful of adventuring bands and mercenary company expeditions into the mountains to the west were said to have failed to return.

It wasn’t clear if it was because of monsters, Bat People or the Golden Eagles.

Deon figured it was likely all three.

“Just stick to the rules. There’s no reason we all can’t benefit from the current state of things,” Ledge said.

“Some benefit more than others, right?”

“That’s the world.”

Both truth gems glowed.

They left the office without another word and headed straight to their van parked on the side of the street.

The door had barely slid shut when he rounded on Elandria.

“Spies in place?”

“Hold on, give me a second.”

She pulled a flat disk out.

It was the color of an old musical instrument and shaped to somewhat resemble a spider web.

An image suddenly appeared above it.

“It’s tiny as fuck,” Brand said.

Elandria fiddled with it until the image quadrupled in size. Big enough to make out the smaller details in Ledge’s office.

They had spread the tiny, insect-like automatons as they had talked.

True to the eidolon’s word, they had remained undetected.

Ledge worked quickly and efficiently, which was sign of good leadership.

Other Golden Eagles were already in his office taking orders.

“I want the garrison doubled.”

“Uh… what sort of timetable are we looking at?”

“Now.”

“We’ve got the five reserve squads ready, but doubling the garrison’s going to take a few days. We’re going have to pull guys from break early.”

“Send the five now and get on the rest. I didn’t like the look of those two. They had the look of the young and the righteous, which basically means they’re going to be stupid about this.”

“If it’s this bad, then shouldn’t we let Cruces know?”

“I already sent him a message. He’s busy, but he said he’s going to send some back up. Twelve hours at the earliest, though.”

“What about the… uh… dark guy? We don’t have a way to reach him.”

“Cal will let him know.”

“Shouldn’t we pick those kids up? Can’t cause trouble if we’ve got eyes on them?”

“Too high level. It’ll be blood on the streets if they decide not to play nicely. Just get some scrying eyes on them for now. I’ll consider being more insistent if it looks like they’re headed for the mountains. Alright, no time to waste on this. Get things moving. I’ll call Captain Jackson to warn her to be on guard.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll get lost and go too deep. Let the worms take care of them.”

“That is one of the worse case scenarios. I don’t care if they’re idiot kids. No one deserves that. And it could turn our relatively safe space into hell shit. So, get that thinking out of your heads. As far as I’m concerned, best case scenario is that we can keep them from going there in the first place.”

Ledge broke the meeting up as quickly as he had gathered it.

“Shit, efficient bastards, aren’t they?” Karna said as she fiddled with the lighter-like artifact of burnished brass-like metal in her hand.

“Nothing they do is going to matter. They’ll be too late,” Brand said.

“The fort’s going to be ready.” Hollis pointed out with her new short sword. The animal fang glistened.

“Jesus fuck! Don’t wave that thing around!” Saint recoiled. “The huge bitch said that the slightest cut was enough poison to drop even Brand.”

Hollis snorted.

“Relax, you can just blood magic it away, like she said.”

“Oh yeah, that’s great, make me use my magic right before the big battle.”

“It might not come to that,” Deon said.

“Get your head into the game,” Elandria said. “Talking didn’t work in there. It’s not going to work at the fort.”

“We’re not attacking without giving them a chance to open the door. We’re on the right side of this and we’re staying there.”

“Y’all heard the ‘Cruces’ name, right?” Russ said from the driver’s seat.

They all heard stories over the years.

Which had been somewhat confirmed by the eidolon’s warnings about a flying man or two.

She had been insistent that they didn’t waste any time.

They had a window due to nebulous world events according to her.

“Alright. Clock’s on. We get back to our place. Gear up and go.”

Unbeknownst to Ledge they didn’t need the roads.

They didn’t need travel time.

The winged Eidolon of Ekra had set up an arrival site less than a mile from the Golden Eagles’ fort.

Portal magic, especially, one set up by really powerful spellcasters were a game changer.

“Um,” Brand raised a hand. “How much time do we have?”

“What part of ‘gear up and go’ didn’t you understand?” Elandria scowled.

“I gotta take a shit.”

Elandria’s jaw worked.

“You were already supposed to take care of that.”

“Yeah, he did. Clogged the downstairs toilet this morning,” Xander said helpfully.

“What? I ate like a hundred pounds of food at the buffet last night,” Brand said.

“You’re always talking about how much better your digestive system is compared to us ‘basic’ humans.” Hollis waved her fang sword in his face.

“It is. That’s just scientific facts. You think one of you normies can eat a hundred pounds in one sitting and only shit out a two pound log?” Brand said.

“Y’all are disgusting,” Russ chuckled.

“Enough! You can shit when we get to the mountain. Deon’s has to parlay first, anyways,” Elandria said.

“I heard portal magic makes you sick. That might help clear you out,” Hollis said.

“I don’t need help. Just a few minutes on the can, but whatever you say.” Brand rolled his eyes at Elandria.

Deon centered himself and relaxed.

The closer to action the less the tension.

His team bickering was good.

It was part of the familiar rhythm.

In truth, he’d be worried if they were silent.