Broker - CH1 - (Patreon)

Alexander looked around the room and found that everything was… gray.

The walls, the chairs, the table, the wooden roof, the stone floor.

Everything had a misty quality to it. Nothing felt tangible or real.

Holding up a hand, he stared into it.

Lifting his other hand he touched it. Or tried to at least. His fingers slipped through his own flesh and came out the other side.

“Surprise, you’re dead,” said a female voice. “But I think you were already starting to suspect that.”

Alex spun around and tried to pin down where the voice was coming from.

“I’m not sure you’ll be able to find me by looking like that. I’m not dead, or even there,” said the voice.

“Maybe you should join me then. Talking to thin air isn’t helping me,” Alex said.

“What if I already had?” asked the voice, much louder and towards the center of the room.

Turning to face the speaker, Alex found himself staring at not much more than a darkened shadow.

“Do forgive me, but I think it’s best if I kept myself in a… simpler form. It’s not like you’ll die of shock or anything, but you mortals do tend to have problems when I reveal my nature,” said the gloomy figure.

Frowning, Alex stared hard at the taunting figure.

“You said I’m dead.”

“I did indeed. But you were already starting to suspect that before I said anything at all.”

“Yes. It isn’t every day when you can scratch the inside of your own hand,” Alex said, demonstrating his fingers going through his other hand. “So… how did I die?”

“Heart attack. Middle of the night. You pissed yourself, crapped your pants, and were found two days later by your maid. Several lovely photos got out that were plastered all over the internet.”

“Grand,” Alex said.

Moving to the table, he pulled out one of the chairs and tried to press his hand to the seat of it.

It felt solid. His hand wasn’t able to pass through it.

“Please, do have a seat. This conversation would be much easier if I didn’t have to raise my voice. Quicker too. And time is important right now. I’m not sure how long my husband will be distracted, so I’d love to strike a bargain now before he returns,” said the dark wraith.

“Your husband? A bargain?” Alex asked, sitting down into the chair.

“Indeed. I’m a married woman with a loving husband. I’d happily pull your guts out for and use them to jump rope if he asked me to. I’d pull your live out and devour it if that’s what he wished,” the wraith said, her voice breaking and going up an octave, and then down two.

Got it. Crazy.

Clearing her throat, she patted the table in front of her. “But yes, a bargain. You’re dead, and on your way to the deepest, darkest, nastiest corner of your universes’ hell.”

“What?” Alex asked, alarmed. “Why? I never broke a law. Never hurt a single person.”

“And you’re right. You didn’t. But there’s a problem for you when it comes to responsibility,” said the shade. “You see, you were a… what was it… chief operations officer?”

“Yes. Yes I was,” Alex said, his heart beating hard in his chest at the idea of going to hell.

How do I even feel a heartbeat? Aren’t I dead?

“Yes, you really are dead. You feel a heartbeat because your mind is telling you to feel it. Anyways, while you were working as the COO you pushed through a certain technology that really wasn’t quite ready.

“One that allowed the minds of your users to work in a virtual environment, and at a speed much faster than normal thought could work at,” the shade said. “It was a technological breakthrough for the white collar industry, and allowed for much more work to be completed in half the time.

“Yeah. It made the company. Made me.”

“Haha, that it did! And so here you are,” the wraith said, chortling.

“I don’t understand.”

“Part of the reason it was held up in development, was because it was testing poorly for some people. With a weak mind and extreme usage, the mind was digitized. Even being loaded into the computer. Except that when it happened, they went comatose. Never to waken.

“The body left behind was a husk. Empty.”

He nodded. He remembered when they found the first test subject in such a state.

“You’ll remember you put lockout controls on the system and… pushed,” the wraith said. She made a gesture with a shadow hand, as if shoving something along.

“I… yes. We had them sign agreements, put warnings on it, and a lockout. They took the risk if they wanted to utilize the tech.”

“And yet, the lockout you put on it was very simple. So basic, that anyone with a bit of time could circumvent it. Because you didn’t allow any time to develop it.

“You reasoned it as an acceptable risk that was now in the hands of others with that agreement you slapped on the whole thing. That others could take that risk if they chose,” the shadow continued. “Those people who digitized themselves, which numbered at least a million at the time of your death, were all considered murdered. Those ‘souls’ that showed up in the computer? That everyone thought was the actual person? Just a computer program. A complex one, but a program. Your engineers will figure that out in a decade or so. Much, much too late though for you.”

The shadow tilted it’s head to one side.

Alex had the feeling it was staring at him

Gauging his reaction.

He felt nothing. He already knew where she was going with this. There was no surprise.

After even being told that his heartbeat was false, Alex had managed to turn his entire being into controlling his “soul” as he was now thinking of it.

Alex, was a stone.

“Yes. This entire thing has been declared the reason for their deaths. That perhaps with a bit more effort on your part, they might have understood what they were doing.

“Which leaves you with the blame. Hence, going to hell with a one way ticket. I hear they even pulled up some heavy hitters just for you. Some real nasty pieces of work they keep on hold for the truly ugly souls.”

“Let’s talk about this bargain,” Alex said, changing the subject.

“I like that. Quick to decide and not even a word of argument. Yes, my bargain, then.

“It’s simple. I want to send you to another universe. Another world. Where you’ll be my agent. Your goal is to gather power for me. That’s it,” said the wraith.

“Mmm-hmm. Too simple. Give me some details or I’ll take the demons,” Alex said, staring into the dark shroud.

“Hahahaha. You mean that, too.

“Fine, fine. Alright then. The details are equally simple. I’m a goddess of darkness, and deals. Simply put, have people swear on my name for a deal, and I’ll gain power. If the deal is skewed in your favor, I’ll gain even more power.

“Please keep in mind, that all deals must be voluntary, and made without coercion. Thats it, really. My name on the world in question is Leah.”

“Ok, Leah. Again, what you’re describing is too simple. There must be more-”

The shroud stood up suddenly, looking up and to the side at something only she could see.

“Lord husband… dearest… my love,” the shade whispered, shivering. “Hes coming back. Coming back for me and my sisters. I hope I’m first.”

The shade’s head snapped towards him again.

“Choose. Now. Or I’ll toss you out faster than a used rubber. I’ll not waste a second with you that I could spend with him,” the shadow commanded.

“I accept. Now-”

In a flash, the shadow enveloped him, and the world of grey was gone. Replaced with a world of hissing, screaming, stabbing, violent, darkness.

Murder most foul.

“Oh, and I’m sending you with a crystal to measure your progress. When it’s as dark as night, and no light can shine through it, you’ll have made enough deals to cover your obligations for the month,” came the wraith’s voice. “The world I’m sending you to is a real crap-sack. They’ll eat you alive if you let them. It’s a bit kill or be killed. Show no mercy and don’t fuck up.”

***

Alex opened his eyes, and shut them quickly as light blinded him.

“Shit,” he muttered.

“Oh? Waking up are you?” said a man’s voice. “Good. Sooner you wake up, sooner we can figure how to get out of this death trap.

“Death trap?” Alex repeated.

“Eh?”

Alex pried his eyes open again. The light didn’t hurt as badly this time, but it still made his eyes water up.

He was laying on what looked to be a rotten wooden floor.

The boards were worn and had been improperly shaped. They bent and bowed, giving him a view of what could only be grass beneath.

Lifting his head up he looked around himself.

All around him stretched grasslands.

He was in a cage in a line of cages. They all seemed to be wheeled and were moving in a train like fashion.

Managing to lever himself up to a sitting position, Alex felt like he wanted to puke. His head hurt quite a bit.

Reaching up he felt around his skull. Behind his right ear he found a rather large lump forming.

“They gave you quite a thumping, huh?”

Alex looked to the speaker.

He was an unassuming man. Dressed in ratty clothes with brown hair and blue eyes.

“I guess so. I can’t… remember,” Alex said.

He looked down at himself.

He’d just been meeting with Leah and now was here. She didn’t tell him how he’d be arriving or eve his status.

The clothes he had on looked identical to the ones the other man was wearing.

“Great. That’s great. They shoved you in here, told me not to touch you or they’d beat me to death, then ran off. You must be someone worth a copper or two, otherwise they’d have shoved you in with the rest.

“I’m just a merchant, but I’m worth a ransom,” said the man, indicating the other cages.

Alex looked to the nearest cage.

It was practically full to bursting with people.

Ok, so I’m someone of some import, though we’re not sure what.

Could have really used some more details Leah.

Far up ahead, there was a commotion. It sounded like shouts and someone banging pots and pans together.

“Ho? This might be our chance,” said the man. “If only…”

A man Alex hadn’t noticed went sprinting by. He must have been hiding between the cages.

“There we go. I figured there was one watching just in case. You really are worth a sack of gold it seems,” said the man. “Right. Here’s the plan. You boost me up, I knock the roof off the place, and then I open the gate.”

Alex wasn’t quite sure about that plan, but he didn’t have anything better to suggest.

“Fine.”

“Hands together then and give us a lift,” said the man.

Complying, Alex laced his fingers together, and got into a kneeling position.

The other man put one foot into Alex’s hands and looked to him. “On three and up.”

Alex nodded his head.

“One, two, three!”

Alex lifted and shoved, lifting the man up.

Bits of what he assumed was the roof material started to rain down on him as the other man worked above.

“Ha, got it. Up we go.”

The man lifted up out of Alex’s hand. Stepping back, he looked up to see how it was going.

Wedged in the opening, the man was wiggling his way out already. It was obvious that he’d be out in a matter of seconds.

“Ah, thanks for that. Sorry to do this, but I don’t have any way to actually open that gate. Good luck, and all that,” said the merchant.

Alex stared at the man’s backside uncomprehendingly.

It wasn’t until the man had both feet on the edge of the cage that Alex realized the merchant was leaving him here.

Pure anger flooded him as he realized his mistake was trusting someone else.

He’d learned that lesson long ago in his other life.

Never trust anyone.

With a shout, Alex slammed bodily into the side of the cage, rocking it violently to one side.

Flailing his arms, the merchant shrieked and fell backward. Breaking through the roof he crashed to the ground back inside the cage.

Gasping for breath, the merchant struggled to his hands and knees.

Perfect.

Alex took two steps, planted the third on the mans shoulders, and then leapt up towards the hole.

Missing his target, he crashed through the top, lost his balance and flipped out the other side. Landing in the grass with a thump.

Ha. That worked.

Getting up quickly, far quicker than he could remember getting up in a long time, Alex looked back into the cage.

“Wait, wait,” the merchant pleaded. Pressing himself to the bars, he smiled at Alex.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that, it was only a joke. A bad joke on my part, but a joke. That’s all. Help me out here.”

“Sure, sure, of course,” Alex promised easily.

This’ll be a great chance to test how far it goes.

“I’ll need you to strike a deal with myself and my god though. Make sure you don’t betray me.”

“You… want me to swear on a gods name?” asked the man.

“That’s right. To swear on a gods name that you’ll do everything I ask until I get you out of the cage. This is so we can get out fairly and cleanly. My part is to swear that I’ll do everything I can to get you out of that cage,” Alex said.

“Ah…”

The sounds from the front of the cage train was getting louder.

“You don’t have to do this. This’d be by your choice and your choice alone.

“Though to be fair, time is of the essence. More guards might come from the rear, or come back from the front. At that point I’ll not be able to help you.”

“Fine, yes. I’ll swear it. What’s your god’s name?”

“Leah,” Alex said, holding out his hand. “I’ll have you swear it on her name, then shake on it to close the deal, on pain of losing your soul.”

“Leah and my soul!?” the merchant shrieked. Whimpering he took Alex’s hand.

There really wasn’t much of a choice.

“I swear on Leah that I’ll do everything you ask until we escape this on the condition that you will do everything to get me out of here,” said the merchant.

“I swear on Leah that I’ll get you out of the cage, one way or another,” Alex said, shaking the man’s hand.

Alex didn’t see anything, and it didn’t feel wrong.

Actually, not that he thought about it, he had a sense of correctness to it.

“Great, great, so, how are you going to get me out?”

For a moment, Alex considered the possibilities. There were a number of things he could do to get the man out.

In fact, he didn’t doubt he could probably use this man and get a considerable amount of effort out of him.

Except that he’d already betrayed Alex once.

And betrayals don’t go unpunished.

Looking around the ground, Alex found a branch as wide, and as long, as his arm.

Picking it up, he wedged it into the bars and snapped it in half.

Inspecting both breaks, he found one had definitely potential to be used as a very crude spear.

“Here. Don’t reveal where I went, tell anyone about this, and use this to kill yourself. Probably stab yourself right here,” Alex said, indicating where he thought the arteries in the neck were. “Once your dead, they’ll probably toss your body out eventually.

“I’ll be responsible for you getting thrown out of the cage because you’ll be dead. This will complete my side of the bargain.”

“The merchant screeched at him, trying to stab him with the stick.

“There was never any agreement to get you out alive. Don’t blame me for making a bad deal. If only you hadn’t tried to leave me behind, eh? Have fun debating between your soul and your life,” Alex muttered.

Jogging off to the side, Alex got low in a decently sized patch of grass and pretended to be a hole in the ground.

The merchant struggled with himself for several seconds, then tossed the stick to one side.

Giving up your soul then. Good luck with that.

An hour passed before the train of cells suddenly started moving forward again. No one came back to check on them.

Alex waited quietly in the brush. At the end of the line of cages was what looked to be a baggage cart. Guarded by a single man with a short sword.

He looked rather nervous. For as good a reason as any as well.

There’d been no word sent back about what happened up ahead.

When the cart rolled past, Alex got to his feet and slunk over behind it, only stopping to pick up a stone as big as a baseball.

As quietly as he could manage, he slithered up the back and over the top.

With the man putting all of his attention toward the front, he didn’t notice Alex.

In fact, Alex went completely unnoticed. Right up until he cracked the guard in the head with the stone.

Stopping to steal everything worth any value, and some better clothes, Alex loaded himself up. Even going so far as to load up a backpack full of valuables. He also made sure to take anything that looked like paperwork.

It might give him a clue as to what was going on.

Setting off back the way he came with a full backpack, he started his new life without any idea of what was going on.