World Sphere - 226 -

Chapter 226:

I didn’t think I was influenced to get into the vehicle, but I could be wrong. I didn’t feel threatened by the man, and hearing him out wouldn’t hurt. He sat with both hands on a cane and a contented smile as we took our seats in the spacious vehicle, which had long bench seats facing each other. Adrial and Kiara took up the entire floor between the bench seating. Our host eyed the cats warily but didn’t object to their inclusion.

The man appeared middle-aged, with a perfect dark brown beard and eyes to match. His shoulders under his fashionable clothes, were square and muscled, indicating he trained or used magic to maintain a physique. “I apologize. I am not familiar with House Shadowbloom.” I said as the vehicle started moving. There was a slight hum in motion, and I was concerned that it might be the runes giving dangerous feedback, but I quickly realized it was the wheels on the road and relaxed. The vehicle seemed reckless as it sped down the road, but it also had inertia sinks like a skyship, and as passengers, we didn’t feel the turns or acceleration.

The man smiled and shifted while adjusting the cane between his legs. “Ah, we are not as well known outside the Passage. Maybe you have heard of our delving operations? We are registered as Guild Shadowfall with the Adventurers Guild.” The man said with a slightly disappointed tone.

“No. Still not familiar, but Skyholme is very far from the Sapphire Passage,” I countered politely.

He frowned. “Yes, well, when we began operations in the Passage, we took the name House Shadowbloom since it sounded less aggressive. Every enterprise in the Passage is known as a House, as if that makes it seem more wholesome for the conglomerate,” he chuckled darkly. “This is where we will be eating,” he said, pointing at the three-story building made mostly of white stone with some black highlights. It looked out of place among the other buildings that soared into the sky. “I think you will be pleased with the menu. It will be fresh, and the sourced dungeon rotates every day,” he smiled happily.

The half-giant opened the door, and the man exited first, leaving me and my companions to follow. The cane he carried was clearly for show as he whirled it expertly while waiting for all of us to join him. The streets in this area of the Elespolis were sparsely populated with pedestrians, but those who were on the walkways looked affluent, and most had a guard or attendant shadowing them.

The restaurant was called the Gourmet Delver and had lots of glass windows that appeared to be mirrors on the outside, but on entering, they were one-way glass. It did not appear artificed like the glass at the Shiny Platinum. I hadn’t heard about this type of manufactured glass before. I couldn’t help but brush my hand across it and use my metal sense on it. The crystalline structure was mainly silica but had a wide range of other metallic elements. I could replicate it using my metal creation ability, but it was not nearly as strong as my artificed glass. Maybe I could artifice this glass and improve upon it with artificing. Freya yanked my hand, dragging me inside as I had stopped to caress the glass for too long.

The restaurant had gold and white decor lit by bright artificial lights. Tables were spread out, and most had patrons, but the sound of conversation was absent. Each table had its own privacy spell. A youthful dark-skinned human with white hair approached our group. “Master Cinders, your table is prepared.” We followed the human up the wide stairs to an alcove with a large table, with the exact number of chairs for our group and even two places on the floor for the cats. Bleiz and the Skyguard looked uncertain about joining us, but I waved my hand to indicate they should sit. There was no reason to remain on guard.

I sat next to the man as he hung his cane on the back of his seat. It had runic script running its length, and I almost reached out to inspect it, but resisted. “Shall we call you Master Cinders as well?”

He chuckled. “No, Malik is fine. Malik Cinders, Scion of House Shadowbloom.” He bowed slightly in his seat as he introduced himself.

“What information do you have about what is happening in the Endless Dark?” I asked.

“There is no need to rush the conversation. I believe today’s menu comes from the Withering Waters Dungeon. I hear you have your own unique restaurant back in your homeland. We are kindred spirits in that way,” he said, smiling.

“You know of the Shiny Platinum?” I said a little surprised. A salad was placed in front of us all at once by a flood of waiters. The bowl was clear glass, and the salad appeared to have vibrant greens, shaved onions, and some marinated meat I couldn’t identify.

“Not really. Your trader,” he pointed at Remy, “was very talkative in his marketing of your goods.” Remy turned bright red, but I was not too concerned. Not only was Skyholme very far from here, but it also offered very little to people in the Passage.

“Is this restaurant yours then?” Bleiz asked while trying the salad. He picked off the meat, leaving the greens behind.

“Part owner,” Malik said. “House Shadowbloom specializes in dungeon harvests and lesser dungeon essences. We supply this restaurant and fifty more in the Passage with the freshest ingredients daily. Please eat. Time is a luxury we do have.”

The greens were crisp, and the red onion added a nice zest to the salad. I watched Malik, and he squeezed the marinated meat with his fork, which provided a light dressing for the greens. I followed suit, and it was well-balanced. The meat was chewy but had the fatty taste of bacon. Everyone quickly devoured the salad to Malik’s satisfaction.

A dark red bread was brought out next, accompanied by two spreads: one bright yellow and the other dark purple. The bread was steaming and pre-cut. My companions, having enjoyed the first course, helped themselves. “So everything in this meal is sourced from just the one dungeon?” I asked skeptically.

He leaned in close as if he was revealing a secret. “Everything except the salt. The master chef was once a delver himself and takes great pride in creating the menus from a single dungeon. I can introduce you if you wish.” It put the simple fare of the Shiny Platinum to shame, and I shook my head that it was not necessary. One thing the Shiny Platinum had going for it was that, despite being expensive at one silver a meal, it was at least affordable.

I took one of the pieces of bread and chewed on it, trying to guess the origin. It had a slight yeast taste to it, but the richness and mineral content masked it. It was not made with flour and was too dense. “It is from the fruit rinds. Dried and powdered,” Malik answered, delighted that I was confused.

“Interesting. But you brought us here for more than a meal,” I said, putting down the bread. He looked slightly disappointed that I wanted to get down to business. Although I was intrigued by the restaurant, I found it gimmicky in order to charge exorbitant prices.

He put down his own bread. “Very well. In the region of the Sphere where you are from, there have been some interesting happenings. Skyholme Islands have come up in my social circles a few times, and when I learned your small trade ship was from that region, I was slightly intrigued. When House Day was embarrassed by the captain of that small ship, my interest was piqued. You came across as someone who might be competent.”

“What interesting happenings are you referring to?” I asked, chewing on the bread and ignoring the praise.

“The Worldwalkers most recently,” he said with a tight smile.

“Why did no one from the Passage come to help?” I said conversationally.

“The Adventurer’s Guild did petition for interdiction by some of the militant Houses from the Sapphire Passage. In the end, there was not enough value in sending a force, as the target cities were very carefully chosen.” Seeing my disgust, he added, “A few did send some aid. One of the cities even managed to erect a powerful shield array to turn away one of the walkers,” he said enthusiastically.

“Oh, was that one of the Houses?” I asked, as my companions also listened in. I gave Freya a look to keep her mouth shut.

“Who else could have done it in such a short time? I am not sure what House gave the aid, but I can find out for you if you are interested,” he said as the waiters came and placed bowls of an orange soup in front of us.

“No need.” I already knew, as I was the one who had created the array, and if Malik didn’t, then he hadn’t done his research on me thoroughly. “Do you know who was controlling the Worldwalkers?” I asked.

“Controlling? That is too strong a word. Worldwalkers cannot be controlled. Nudged, maybe, but not controlled. This is why I wanted to meet. A few of the scions of the Houses have theories, and a few of us have sent agents.” Some slurping from my companions told me they were enjoying the soup. Malik pushed his bowl away, and I did the same. Whatever the cooks pureed to make the soup had a slightly odd texture. Malik looked disappointed that I didn’t try the soup.

“And you are recruiting me as an agent?” I guessed.

He didn’t deny it immediately. “A mutually beneficial relationship. I tell you what I know, and when you learn things, you inform me.”

“What do you know?” I asked, not committing to work for the man.

“What do you know of the mind reapers?” Malik asked seriously.

“Nothing,” I said, looking at my companions for help. They all seemed as clueless as I.

Malik sighed. “Most people have never heard of the mind reapers. A race of beings that was supposedly hunted to extinction more than ten thousand years ago.”

“What are they then? And how are they using the Worldwalkers?” I asked, intrigued.

“The race was powerful wielders of mind magic. Destroying minds, controlling minds, seeding minds. You cannot teleport a Wordwalker against its will. A few of us believe the mind reapers have returned, weakening the minds of the Worldwalkers enough to be teleported. Our theory makes sense when you consider how weak the Worldwalkers that were transported actually were.”

“Weak?!” Bleiz growled in disagreement.

Malik looked amused, his brows dancing. “Yes, weak. They were juveniles, and none were predators that have a higher intellect.”

“And what do you think our small group of floating islands can contribute?” I asked, calming Bleiz with a look.

“The mind reapers once controlled nearly half the Sphere through proxies.” I scoffed, as that was impossible, given the Sphere’s vastness. Malik, undeterred, continued. “Believe what you may, but it is true. History has buried them, but back 20,000 years ago, the mind reapers ruled from the shadows with merciless authoritarianism.”

“How did they fall?” Freya asked, her soup bowl empty, but I was proud to know she had been listening. She belched a little from the soup and flushed in embarrassment.

Malik smiled at Freya, and my protective nature made me want to send her away. Malik continued. “It was a powerful artificer that started the revolt. He made protections against their mind magic and also built powerful trackers to hunt the mind reapers. No one knows who he was as the mind reapers killed him shortly after, but the knowledge of those devices spread through the Sphere like wildfire. It took the people millennia to throw the shackles off, but once they did, they eradicated the mind reapers wherever they hid with zeal. Those hunters were the founders of the Adventurers Guild. For the mind reapers, most retreated to the Endless Dark, but they found no sanctuary there. But now, some of us believe that they have returned.”

“Why not use the devices to hunt them down then?” Bleiz said with skepticism.

Malik opened his arms. “That is the problem. The devices and the plans to create them still exist, but they do not detect any mind reapers in the Sphere. We believe they have evolved into—something else or have found a way to hide. Please make no mistake, the Sphere was purged of their existence, but there is an entire universe beyond the Sphere. Some likely fled into the void.”

“Do you have a schema for the artifacts to protect and hunt these mind reapers?” I asked.

“They are complex devices, but a master artificer can create them,” Malik said, producing two folios and placing them on the table between us. “You can find these plans in any large Adventurers Guild archive. They should be free, but some unscrupulous Guild Masters charge for them.”

I opened the folios, and they were complex devices. In the mind reaper locator, I could see similarities to the magitech radars. The flaw of the device is that it required a sample of a mind reaper to function, so it was likely linked to their species’ blood. The other device, an artificed collar to protect from mind magic, was simpler but required mithril and adamantine in the plans. I wasn’t sure if the effectiveness would be less if lesser metals were used. I continued to study them as the main course was brought out, and my companions ate and let me study them undisturbed.

When I finished, I closed the folios, and Malik indicated I could keep them. “Where do you get bone samples from mind reapers if they are extinct?”

“Your understanding of the device is remarkable after just an hour studying it. As for the mind reaper bones, only a small sample is required and can be purchased at any Adventurers Guild in a Passage,” he revealed.

“Okay. I am interested. What is happening in the Endless Dark?” I said storing the schema.

Malik put on a large smile. “As you know the Endless Dark is has many fold the population of the Inner and Outer Sphere, but the races and beasts that reside there are in constant war for resources since they have almost no dungeon access.”

“I thought the dungeons were in the Endless Dark,” Freya interrupted.

“True child,” Malik said smiling, and again I wanted to take him away from his influence for some reason. “The dungeons reside inside the massive ley lines that run throughout the Sphere, but can only be accessed through the dungeon entrances, which almost always appear on the Inner Sphere. There are only two hundred known dungeon entrances on the Outer Sphere, yet there are millions inside the Sphere. The Adventurers Guild believes that for every one hundred dungeons on the Inner Sphere, there is just one entrance that appears in the Endless Dark.”

“That does not include the moons,” I added.

Malik nodded emphatically. “Yes, the twenty-three moons have their own ley lines and their own dungeons. But as you know, those ley lines are much smaller, and so the dungeons on the moons are also much smaller.”

“You were telling us what is happening in the Endless Dark?” I returned to the topic.

“Yes. I, or rather we, believe it is related to the mind reapers. The Worldwalkers destroyed a number of the ancient portals, making travel in your region of the Sphere more difficult. There is someone, we believe an agent of the mind reapers, uniting the cities in the Endless Dark to take over a vast swath of the Inner Sphere. Nations are already starting to fall.”

“We are aware. Why are the powers in the Passages and on the moons doing nothing?” I responded.

“The Adventurers Guild is working hard to stem the bleeding, but as for the Houses of the Sapphire Passage, there is just no value in lending aid at this point. Our important dungeons are not affected. But I do care, and others do as well. If you bring us evidence that the mind reapers have returned, then I can guarantee there will be an overwhelming response to eradicate them,” Malik said with a grin. I sensed this was more of a game to him than a genuine concern for the people affected.

“And you will be proven right and get much acclaim, I am assuming,” I replied flatly.

He smiled broadly. “We can share the acclaim, High Mage Storme Hardlight.” For some reason, I doubted that was his plan. He was trying to get an agent close to the disturbance for no cost. Well, maybe the cost of this meal alone.

“I think we can come to some exchange. What sort of dungeon essences does House Shadowbloom deal in?” I asked, realizing the meal was over and everyone was sipping on some dark amber liquid. Courses had come and gone while I was engrossed in the plans.

Malik frowned, understanding I would not be doing this for free. “We have extensive contracts with Houses on the Outer Sphere for tier one, two, and three dungeon essences. It is a very profitable endeavor for my House, and we also have lucrative contracts for consumables in the Passage, as I mentioned.” As he talked, I got the impression we were not going to be able to get anything from his house in exchange for being an informant.

“What about the dungeon reward chests you open? What do you do with spellbooks?” I asked.

He seemed to consider my request. “Typically, they are sold in lots in the Passage auctions. They become less valuable the more copies that are collected, and our delve operations focus on the same twenty-nine dungeons.”

“What is the volume of the spellbooks? Would you be interested in avoiding the auctions for a flat fee for them?” I asked.

Malik thrummed his fingers on the table for a bit in thought. “Typical lots are a hundred books lumped by tier. We harvest approximately two lots of tier one spells and one lot of tier two spells each month. Tier three is sold in smaller lots of ten.”

I wanted the spell books for the Academy Shop, and also to seed the Progenitor and Frost Vault dungeons. I could also get lucky and stumble across a codex. “So two hundred tier one and one hundred tier two spells a month?”

“Typically. Yes.” He replied. “But you are looking at perhaps seventy different tier one spells and fifty tier two. How many copies of each would you need? Are you opening your own spell emporium?” He chuckled.

I smiled. “Something like that. I wouldn't be opposed to House Shadowbloom adding spells from other dungeons to increase variety, provided they have good relations with other delvers and can purchase them below cost. I would be interested in contracting all three hundred spellbooks every month, just dungeon spell books, no copies. I will consider tier three spells if this transaction turns profitable,” I said. Dungeon spellbooks were more valuable since they were easier for a mage to learn from, but they also disintegrated after the mage learned them.

“We shouldn’t have a problem meeting quota. But penalties for incomplete deliveries?” Malik asked cautiously.

I looked to Remy, who had a much better grasp on the value than I did. Remy looked slightly bloated, and I wondered how much he had eaten. I could see his mind working on the trade. “Fifteen thousand for the entire 300 lot. 125 gold less per tier 2, and 25 less per tier one not delivered in a shipment. But if the variety of spells does not match your assertions, then we would seek an arbiter for resolution.” Doing the math, if they delivered nothing in a month, they would have to pay us 2500 gold.

Malik nodded, doing the math himself. “I would have to run it by my House leaders, but that is fair and close to returns for the auctions. A three-month contract, renewable with both parties in agreement?” Malik offered.

“Agreed,” I said, offering Malik my hand to shake. Fifteen thousand was a small investment, even if I would have preferred to strike a trade deal on essences instead.

Malik rose, seemingly happy with the interaction. “Stay as long as you wish. I believe I can have the first shipment of spellbooks delivered tomorrow, along with a communicator so we can talk after you return to your islands, and we can coordinate the search for evidence of the mind reapers. I am sure this relationship is going to be beneficial for both of us.”

Except that we were the ones on the front lines. After Malik left, we discussed what we had learned. Other than the possible origin of the threat, it was nothing we didn’t already know. The politics of the Passage were definitely different than Skyholme. Every House had its own agenda that seemed to focus on collecting fame and gold.

We took a taxi back to the apartment and I found a contract to sign for the one hundred trackers. It looked like we would be ready to leave the Sapphire Passage soon. When I returned to Skyholme, I would have to build another skyship for Remy to return.

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