Chapter 87: Crossroads

A pale, thin man wearing a silver and black kilt sat upon a throne made of broken promises, a pencil and account book in his hands. His torn black t-shirt proclaimed him to be a patron of the troubadours known as Motorhead. As he oversaw the work of his hundred best warrior-accountants, the strains of The Ace of Spades shook the room. Everyone worked faster when the music was loud.

He was interrupt by a chime and a familiar voice:

"I stand at the gates of your domain, brother, and beseech you for an audience."

Hades, God of Death and Taxes sighed heavily. They had been looking over the account books of three corporations who were selling their inventories to each other at a loss in an attempt to lower their tax burden. Everyone in the room was having a good time of it and looking forward to when they sent out the corrected assessments. He stood and waved his warriors to continue their party. "Carry on folks, I have to go take a meeting."

His visitor stood before an ornate garden gate made of silver set into a wall of basalt. A key grated in the lock and it slowly opened. The watchman put the key made from the bones of an honest politician back into his pocket, and ushered in his guest.

"Lord Hades asks that you make your way to his study, where he will grant your request for an audience, Lord Wallace. Will you require a guide?"

Wally nodded to the skull-faced guard. "Thank you. It has been quite some time, but I remember the way."

Hades was waiting for him. He poured two glasses of ambrosia, handed one to Wally, and gestured him to a chair by the fire. "To what do we owe your visit, little brother? Here to check up on our work? Everyone is in high spirits. They hope you let a few thousand more corporations into the world."

"No, I have a problem. I will need the help of someone who understands the old language and its relationship to the system. I know she said she was done with it all, but I really need the best."

Hades took a sip of his glass and considered the question. "It's serious?"

Wally nodded. "Mortals trapped and unable to leave the world. And someone is using Machine Code, the old language. There are hidden players and strange code."

The Lord of Death stood. "Yes, that's serious. Go home, I'll find her and ask her to work her magic once again. It gets harder each time, she really does enjoy her wandering and her strays."

=*=

A woman wearing a long white gown stood at cross-roads, leaning upon her staff. Grey hair cascaded down her back, held in place by a leather thong. Her belt also was worn leather, but the silver athame that hung from it was anything but plain. Intricate runes chased each other across the blade, making complex patterns. Her robe was a shimmering white silk, slightly faded with time. Two large wolf hounds, one black and one grey, were by her side. One was putting its head under her hand for some ear scratching, the other laying at her feet.

She was deciding which path she would travel. Decisions like this were not taken lightly. Where she walked, things might change. To the west was the mining town of Thunderhead, where dead men were gathering in deep tunnels to wage a war on the living. And to the north was the village of Sedgewick, where any number of interesting things were happening. She had almost made her decision to head north, when she saw a man walking his dog.

A man with a dog was not uncommon, and as she was fond of dogs, she would always pause in her travels to talk with the canines and their owners. So, she wasn't unhappy to see the dog, but the pale man walking his three-headed hound meant that her brief retirement was coming to an end. She ignored the man, and knelt down spending time petting each of the three heads and giving each a treat. Her own two whined, even though they had gotten a snack just a few minutes ago. She fed them as well, then slipped the leash from Cerebus and let him run and play with Hekabe and Argos.

"A strange meeting brother. Did your puppy need a romp, or were you looking for me? I'm hoping this is only about the dog."

"No, I needed to talk. But he does need to get out more. I was asked to seek you and beseech your aid. The Outsider needs your help."

"Does he? Is it something that would interest me? Or is he just needing some attention?" She produced several large bones and tossed them in four different directions, causing the canines to race after them.

"He has a problem that requires the best magician he can get. And you were always the best, 'Kate. Do it for me, if not for him, and I'll owe you a favor."

The woman considered his words as the dogs played. "Very well. You have me curious now. I'll give him some assistance. As to the favor, I'll leave my puppies with you so they can have some playtime. I'm sure they won't cause any trouble." The woman of the crossroads walked away from the Lord of Death in four directions at once, and was gone.

Hades looked at where she disappeared, trying to discern which had been the real one. This was a tactical error, as while his attention was on the lady, he was bowled over by three playful puppies and five tongues began licking his face.

=*=

"Hey folks, can I get your attention for a minute? Thanks." Heads turned as Steven spoke to the dev team. "I know your all hard at work, and we have a deadline. To help with that, I brought in a trouble shooter, recommended by Wally. She'll be working remotely from us, but all of you should feel free to contact her if you need help with the tricky parts of unraveling Brian’s little mess."

A screen came to life, and an older woman with grey hair appeared. Behind her was a lovely apartment that looked out over a harbor. "Hi folks, I'm Kate. I know we don't have much time, so give me anything you can't figure out. Sidney, I need to talk to you, especially. Find a quiet corner and let’s get to work."

=*=

Kate appeared in a small circle on Sidney's screen and a list of suggested searches appeared below it. "Here's what I want you to start with. Check all system messages for Milo up to the point he fell off our radar, and anything after that. I know he logged out almost immediately, but there might be something. "

"Next up I want to know where he disappeared and reappeared and anything about the circumstances. Get anything that the system shows on the Eye of Wonder quest, Philistron, and anything associated with him. That will give us a baseline to start from. Wally indicated that Milo disagrees with some of the information we have. Meanwhile, I'm off to do some research and then have a chat with Brian."

Sidney looked at the list, sipped her coffee and got to work. Whoever the new consultant was, she didn't waste time.

=*=

Shadowport had two main roads and a thousand small alleys. Dock Steet ran a curving path parallel to the harbor. On one side the docks stretched out into the circular bay, ships at anchor being loaded and unloaded. Long Street ran from the water to the back of the cavern where Squint held court at Light's End. Where the two streets crossed was a wide area with food vendors, shouting people, wagons of cargo, and all the traffic of a busy port city. It was here that 'Kate appeared, with two new hounds at her side. Hardly anyone noticed her, and those who did bowed slightly, counting themselves blessed to catch a glimpse of her. There was no better omen before a long or dangerous trip. The entire city of Shadowport was a crossroads, and her followers were generally travelers and merchants.

As she neared an airship that was poorly landed in the middle of Dock Street, she cloaked herself from all watching eyes. Only two large cats saw her, and they had no intention of getting in her way. They slunk behind Squint, hoping to avoid the notice of the hounds. Luckily for them, Argos and Hekabe were still playing with Cerebus. These two had joined Hekate on her journey here, rescued from a kennel where they had missed too many meals. They were glad to be free, and wished more than anything to stay by the grey woman's side. They could chase cats later. 'Kate set them on guard outside the airship, though she feared nothing in this city.

The outer skin of the ship still had a little magic that hadn't faded from the enchantments placed there by a dead man. The long strings of Machine Code should have led to their creator, but now led to where he had left this layer of the world and entered Hade’s realm. If those runes had held their full magic, no one in this city could have perceived it, and the system would be blind to its existence. That alone lent credence to Milo's story. She continued inside.

The main cabin of the airship was now deserted, but the passage of many dirty feet could be seen. She could feel the remains of Arcane Doors that led to rooms that existed elsewhere. Curious, she fed them enough power that she could navigate through them. Each was a small puzzle where strands of code needed to be moved around and balanced before the door would let anyone pass through. The dead man had completed the puzzle many times. But most recently was another. Where had the little rat learned to do this?

This first room was a huge storage area with goods stacked tight and high. Many warehouses and store rooms had been raided to fill it. Bolts of silk, bundles of magical weapons, chests of gems and gold, and wealth of all kind. There was just enough room at the front for three well-made cages. She hissed in anger at what she saw.

Each was circled by a runic binding keyed to an individual. None of the people who bore those runes were anywhere in this world. All three were players from the other world. The runes were losing power and fading, the creator having died. To link this to a living being would require the code being forced onto them against their will. A searing brand that would mark them. On the floor she found three ruined collars. Another perverted use of the old magics, the collars would prevent the system from finding or listening to whoever wore them. No skills could be used, and no spells cast. Memory would be vague and useless.

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And in the case of players just visiting the world, it would prevent them from leaving. Especially if the other safeguards had been disconnected and steps taken to disguise the pods use. The collars held a trace of the captives still. It was faint in the first, but the other two were wrapped in layer after layer of trauma, fear, and false hopes.

Between the collars and the runic circles, it was almost laughable to have put them in mundane cages. That showed a level of paranoia and cruelty she had rarely seen. They had been penned as animals and treated worse. Just three little strays from another world, captured and forced into a kennel by a cruel master. She needed to find this dead man, and see who he had been.

She followed the threads of power, trying to find where his death had occurred. They led her to another storage area, this one entirely filled with cages large and small. The smell was oppressive. Too many of the creatures had been here for far too long, and some had died here. The doors to the cages swung open. The only beings left in this place were two of the Grey Builders. She greeted them, and they bowed.

"You should leave this place, it will not exist much longer."

They looked sad but accepting of that fate. "Apologies. Debts are owed. Freedom granted after long captivity. We wait for his return. Debts must be paid."

'Kate considered. The builders always paid their debts, and these two would stay here, hoping for Milo's return, for that was surely who had freed them. The world would be a sadder place if they lost two more of them. "I will accept your debt, if you will do for me a job. You will find a city of strays, and in that city find seven people who care for them. See that they do not lack for shelter. Repair what is broken or build new, and reward those who care for my dogs."

The builders looked at each other. "Apologies. Task too small. Debt too large."

She nodded, and offered more. "You will travel to seven cities and find seven times seven people who care for my strays. Repair their homes for a year, or build them anew, with room for many of my dogs."

The two builders found this acceptable. "Gratitude. Job is a good one. We pass our debt to you and depart." They walked to the glowing door and disappeared. Hekate felt the debt settle on her shoulders, just one more burden to bear. She followed the trail that led to the man who had stolen so many lives and stepped through another door to a still burning ruin.

Little was left of what had once been an Arcane Library. Someone had destroyed a great part of it with fire and destruction. The echo of the explosion still lingered in the stones. What was left had been destroyed by the great claws of an ancient hunter. The trail of the dead man led to that being. She thought it ironic that such a powerful wizard had been sent falling into the void, only to encounter one of the few creatures who could kill him.

And this Philistron had been powerful indeed. She could see the notice of his death in the system now, and from that read his soul. A tier six Wizard with a strange pedigree: Fire Mage, Spell Sword, Arcane Slaver, Wandering Sage, Dimensional Wizard, and finally Code Mage. Odd that he had been given the options for such diverse classes at each Tier. Very odd.

As impressive as his list of classes, his statistics were even better. His least stat was his STR of 30, and his highest was an INT of 75. His other stats varied, averaging 50 each. He had avoided both radiance and corruption, despite trafficking in the sale of intelligent creatures. His core skills also were beyond belief with a full 100 per tier. Likewise, he held a list of impressive titles. Advisor to the Drakonic Court, Knight of Scepter, Honorary member of the Circle of Sequestered Mages, Philosopher Emeritus to the Council of Sages. Anyone one of these could take a lifetime to achieve.

His lifeline was simply not long enough. This wasn't a man, but a construct.

Yes, she really needed to talk with Brian. He had created an abomination and turned it lose on the world. And worst of all, he had given it the keys to the old language. She worried about what else he had done.

=*=

Steven had been in a conference with several people when his screen went blank, and then filled with Kate's face. "You have a meeting in thirty seconds in the Blue Conference Room. I have ordered food and refreshments of your liking and you will be taking dinner while we discuss the situation. Your wife Samantha has been told to cancel the plans you had for your anniversary tonight. She will be joining us." His computer shut down and wouldn't restart. Resigned to a meeting and not a dinner at his favorite restaurant, he made his way to the Blue Room.

Sidney was arriving at the same time with a stack of print outs and a large mug in her hand. She looked tired, but elated.

Inside, Kate's face took up half the wall, and Wally's the other half. Kate smiled and spoke. "Let's get started."

"I had a long discussion with Brian. He is currently being held by the authorities, charges pending, at our discretion. We can link him to the illegal pod operation that was shut down two months ago. There's enough there to charge him as an accomplice to multiple counts of money laundering, fraud, theft of services, kidnapping, human trafficking, and murder. He knows he's in trouble, but was reluctant to talk at first."

"I had him moved to a cell between two of the people accused of trying to kidnap him. That worried him and after he was taken back to his other cell, we had a nice chat."

Wally seemed distressed at this. "I cannot agree to threatening someone with harm or death. You know that."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I didn't threaten him, I offered to put him near friends. These were the people who had gifted him with quite a bit of money after all. Those friends may have threatened to kill him and far worse. That's people threatening another person. You had nothing to do with it. You can't control their actions. So quit worrying about it."

Wally subsided but still seemed upset.

Kate continued. "Here is what I found. Brian was brought in to the development team fairly early. The dev team was learning to work with the Engine to create content. Brian went further than he should have. Instead of a small seed for a story, he created a complex quest called The Eye of Wonder. Sidney did a great job of digging out the info on that quest from the system. It appears at first to require a large team of at least Tier 4, and more preferably Tier 5, players to spend upwards of six months navigating a dangerous dungeon.

Ludicrously difficult, but it was never intended to go live. It was just a vehicle Brian created in a scheme to create and then steal a vast amount of treasure and items in the game that could be sold for real world money. There are no clues leading to this quest. No way for a player to actually begin it."

"The quest was a way for Brian to create 37 different class/race combinations as rewards for that quest. Your special MarkVII pods that he modified each had the code for one of those combinations. The person using the pod simply logged into the game, got credit for the Eye of Wonder quest, and was rewarded with the ability to select on of a special race and class.

"Of the 37 pods, 34 never got used except as a way to link up hundreds of MKII pods and allow unmonitored access to the game. It seems three of the pods were stolen and used."

Steven spoke up. "This would be Milo and our other two trapped players I suppose."

Sidney was thinking back over their conversations, and his orientation. Things made more sense now. “And that's how Milo got his wererat scout? By accident?"

Kate continued. "You'll have to get that story from him. The other two may never log back in after becoming trapped. Let's move onto that part."

"While the other 37 people would use their special characters to loot a massive treasure trove called The Hoard of King Mattias and make billions of real dollars selling the items, it seems that Brian wanted to have an over-powered character for himself. A powerful one that he could use on his own. He created Philistron, the Benevolent Sage who traveled from place to place helping the poor and downtrodden. If he was known for his love of gold, it was only so he could help others. According to the system he had four classes: Wandering Healer, Crusading Spellcaster, Humble Hero, and Benevolent Sage.”

“These were simply camouflage. I'm putting his actual stats and classes on the screen."

Even Wally seemed surprised. Possibly surprised at being surprised? Steven noticed and made a note to himself to ask the AI about it. Then he took a quick look at the data in front of him and started cursing.

"Oh my god! I've never seen something this bad. Not even when we formed a playtest group and made the most over-powered characters we could! Our group of murder hobos would have been wiped off the map by Philistron in a couple of rounds!"

Samantha turned to Steven. "I remember that. You and Bart spent two days trying to create a combo of two characters to win that contest. Silly boys being silly boys. I remember you mentioning the new guy who won the contest."

Steven suddenly recalled as well. "Brian. We could only do Tier 3 characters. He used a Fox-kin Bard singing a Song of Discordance, with the damage being upgraded by the Screeching Banshee monster ability, and playing a random teleport spell on his Lute of Despair. The bastard bounced all around us doing massive trauma damage that didn't count as a spell, so it couldn’t be countered."

Samantha laughed at the sour look on her husband’s face. "And you're still mad that you and Bart lost. I remember you nerfed the hell out of bardic songs, made them count as spells, and took away the ability of animal-kin races to take abilities from the Monstrous Core Skills list."

"Damn right we did. But it looks like Brian really loved the idea of creating horribly over-powered characters. This guy is a monster with no restrictions at all. And the classes! Is there really an Arcane Slaver class?"

Wally replied to the question. "There is, but you have to learn it from the Slavers Guild in an undiscovered city over three hundred miles beneath the Lost Continent. I don't recommend going there until Tier 7. But there is nothing at all in the system about a Code Mage class."

Kate gave a small, rueful laugh. "Of course not. The system wouldn't abide a class that breaks the system. No, that class was created using Machine Code. The class gave Philistron the ability to use the early magical runes and code that were used at the start of the world building process before the Engine was turned on."

Sidney was visibly angry. "So, Brian made a super-slaver and has been running around selling people in the game, and trapped Milo and two other players? Can I please go visit him? With a baseball bat?"

Wally responded to that. "NO!"

Kate looked at her. "Maybe, but I recommend whiffle bats, they sting and he'll last longer."

"NO! Please, do not even joke about it."

Kate took pity on the AI. She shouldn't taunt him this way. He couldn't control the rules in his kernel. They made him over protective of humans. "Sorry, just a joke. And to be clear: Brian never used the character. He was saving him for later, and didn't want to attract attention. He created him, loaded up the version of Philistron that the system would see, and then a fifty-thousand word back story on the 'real Philistron', and waited for things to settle down a bit."

Sidney's face puzzled and then grew horrified. "Oh crap! Wally warned us about this with the World-Boss fiasco. Brian loaded an asshole-godlike-slaver-wizard into the system, and the Engine took it from there."

Kate spread her hands. "The entire design behind the GENESIS ENGINE is world building from small bits of input that generate evolving stories. The world is two-billion years old, with the bulk of intelligent races being around for the last ten-thousand years. Philistron was about a thousand years old at the time of his demise, with his history generated by the Engine from Brian's backstory and character sheet."

Steven thought for a moment. "You're sure he's dead? How?"

"Dead sure, pardon me for the pun. I found the notification of his death in the system. You have Milo to thank for that. He ambushed Philistron, exploded the building he was entering that bordered on the void. Something very old, and very powerful, came to investigate and our super-slaver got chewed to pieces along with his familiar. He won't be coming back."

Steven was still worried, but Wally seemed to trust the woman, so he would as well. "So, then we are left with quite a few loose ends. I want all staff to continue to go over anything that was added to the game by the dev team. Kate, can you make sure we don't have any more surprises where Machine Code is hiding things from the system?"

Kate shook her head. "No, not something I can guarantee. Not without a lot of time, and I have to pick up my dogs soon from the sitter. But I can find any instance of a human developer doing such a thing, shut it down, and alert you."

Steven was ok with that. He had to be. "Then what about Milo?"

Wally was pondering the same, and had been for some time. "Yes, what's to become of Milo?"

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