Grand Game 378: End Game (Patreon)

The void tree did not return.

At first, neither Adriel nor I wanted to believe it. The sapling couldn’t just up and leave, could it? Eventually though, once the nest started to disperse, we accepted the truth. Our foe had fled back into the open void where it was beyond our ability to pursue.

It was possible, of course, that the void tree had chosen to relocate elsewhere in the sector, but neither Adriel nor I thought it likely. The sapling could not survive Draven’s Reach alone and without its protector.

I sighed. I was sitting atop the guardian once more. Adriel hovered beside me, and together we watched the stygian nest unravel. Without the sapling’s presence—or was that its guidance?—any cohesion the nether creatures had was gone.

Half the tree’s former minions had already vanished from sight. Nor was it only the nether creatures that suffered in the sapling’s absence. According to Adriel, even the central fog bank was shrinking, as were the mist tendrils leading to the other seeds.

The nether’s occupation was over, rapidly reversing course with the void tree’s retreat, and by every measure, we had cause to celebrate. The void tree was gone. The harbinger was dead. And the stygian nest they had left behind was in shambles.

So why are Adriel and I in such a dour mood?

It was the sapling’s escape. It stuck in both our craws.

“We should have realized it would try to run,” Adriel said finally.

I nodded morosely. “Where do you think it’s gone?”

She glanced at me. “You mean other than to the open void?”

I nodded again.

“Probably back to the void father that birthed it. I’m no expert on stygian lore, but I know the trees have their own familial networks.”

“But why flee?” I asked, returning to the central question still bothering me.

“Why should it have stayed?” Adriel shot back. “The trees want to live as much as the rest of us do. But with the harbinger dead, and it unable to stop us on its own, there was nothing keeping it.” She shook her head, then added unhappily, “I should have anticipated its flight.”

I said nothing, experiencing the same regret.

“You know, there might be another reason, too,” Adriel added abruptly.

“What’s that?”

“I said there may be another reason why the sapling chose to flee instead of fighting to the death.”

Looking at her questioningly, I waited for her to go on.

“You said the harbinger knows you are a scion?” Adriel asked.

I nodded, not liking where she was going.

“That is information the void fathers would want. Even now, the sapling is probably reporting the rise of the new threat.”

“What threat?”

A weary smile sneaked back on Adriel’s face. “You, of course. You are a promise of the Primes’ return—something the void fathers will want to stop. From what you’ve told me about life outside this sector, the nether seems to be handily winning the war in the ancients’ absence.”

I frowned. “Who are the void fathers? You’ve mentioned them twice now.”

Adriel shrugged. “I can only tell you what I know, which is not much. If you want a more complete answer, you will have to seek out an expert. But as far as my understanding goes, the void fathers are the eldest amongst the trees. They are the driving force behind the nether. They are the enemy we fight.”

I shook my head ruefully. “I’ve been gathering quite the collection of enemies. Soon, I’m going to lose track of them all.”

“Then you must be doing something right,” Adriel quipped, smiling more genuinely. I grinned back, and for a second, we forgot our troubles in a shared moment of humor.

Then the lines of Adriel’s face grew grim again. “But in all seriousness, Michael, you must be careful. Your enemies are legion, and your new Mark is only going to make matters worse.”

I’d told Adriel about the feat I’d earned from slaying the harbinger. The news had seemed to trouble her, and she had begged off further discussion on the topic, but now, I sensed she was ready to talk. “That sounds like a warning,” I said lightly.

“It is,” she said, no less grimly. “You earned the Mark too early.”

I blinked. “Too early. What does that mean?”

“Even in my time, hardly anyone ever followed the route you took to earn the Power Mark.” Adriel shook her head. “If I hadn’t been away from the Game so long or distracted by events, I would’ve remembered that little bit of lore and would’ve stopped you from killing the harbinger.”

“You’re not making any sense,” I pointed out gently.

She sighed. “Do you know what prevents the Powers from destroying any player that irritates them? And before you answer, by Power, I don’t mean a creature over level three hundred like the harbinger, I mean an actual Power—new or old—a participant of the Game.”

“Uhm, I assume it’s the Adjudicator himself who stops them,” I said. “Unless a player breaks a Pact, a Power can’t touch him.”

“That’s true, as far as it goes,” Adriel allowed. “But courtesy of your new Mark, you are not just a player anymore.”

My eyes widened as the implications sunk in. “You’re saying any Power can attack me directly now? Without the Adjudicator intervening to stop them?”

Adriel nodded solemnly.

“But I’m not a Power yet! The Adjudicator’s message was very clear about that.”

“It does not matter. You have the capacity to evolve your Class beyond master rank and you’ve slain a level three hundred creature. In the Game’s eyes you can take care of yourself and no longer warrant protection.”

“Right,” I muttered, thinking this was another complication I didn’t need. Rubbing the side of my face, I considered the rest of what else Adriel had said. “So, I will be able to evolve my Class further?”

“Theoretically, yes. But to do so, you must deepen your Wolf Mark.”

I nodded, having known as much. “What about the Power Mark? How do I advance it?”

“Just in the manner the Game implied: by killing other Powers—or Powerful Initiates.”

I groaned. “Really?”

A half-smile flickered across Adriel’s face. “Really.”

I shook my head in bemusement. “This world seems to be rife with conflict—between the nether and the aether, between the Primes and the Powers, between Light, Dark, and Shadow. Even amongst the Houses and Factions. Does it ever end?”

Adriel laughed. “Welcome to the Forever Kingdom, Michael. It’s not called that for nothing you know.”

My brows furrowed.

Seeing my confusion, Adriel explained further, “This world exists at the center of everything. It is a nexus. The nexus. Someone—don’t ask me who, it was well before my time—once likened this world to a ‘kingdom forever at war with itself.’ The phrase stuck but was obviously too wordy for some. Hence, the name ‘Forever Kingdom’ was coined.”

“I would never have guessed that,” I murmured.

Adriel shrugged. “Few do.” Her gaze turned downward. “But now that I’ve burdened you with one more pointless bit of trivia,” she said with a smile to show that she was only half-serious, “it’s probably time we moved on.”

Glancing down myself, I saw that the last of the stygians roaming near the base of the statue had wandered off. “Right, I guess it’s time we did this.” I turned back to her for one last searching look. “Are you still sure about this?”

“I am,” Adriel said, knowing what I meant.

Not about to question her resolve further, I dropped down to the ground and approached the front of the guardian. With the sapling gone, the small disk-shaped hole in the statue’s base was clearly visible.

Removing the lich’s phylactery and the Emblem of the Reach from my backpack, I held them in my hands for a moment, my gaze flitting from the items to Adriel and back again.

“Go on,” she said gently.

I sighed. Knowing I had no real cause for further delay, I kneeled beside the indentation and reached out with the hand holding the Emblem.

“One moment, Michael,” Adriel said, stopping me.

Pausing, I glanced at her, wondering if she was having second thoughts.

“Before... before you do that, I wanted to say thank you. You didn’t need to help me on this quest or fight Loskin. What you did went—”

I brushed aside her words. “I only did what was necessary.”

She smiled. “Perhaps it was. But not many would have seen that, and even fewer would have risked as much as you have to see it through.” Then, surprising me, the spirit bowed from the waist. “You will make a good Prime someday. Perhaps even a great one.”

“Uh, thank you.” Rising to my feet, I returned her bow, albeit less gracefully.

Adriel laughed. “You will have to practice your courtly manners more, though. I imagine players will be flocking to your banner soon.” Her amusement faded. “Be careful of who you trust. Be especially careful of Loken.” She hesitated. “And any other Houses you may run across.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Why?”

“The rivalry between the Houses is as ancient as, well, the Primes, and even facing utter defeat, some refused to form alliances.” She held my gaze. “Not every House will be happy to see House Wolf rise again.”

I inclined my head, taking her warning to heart. “Then you believe some of the other Houses still stand?”

“I don’t know,” Adriel said, her voice turning pensive. “But I refuse to believe the Primes’ destruction was as complete as the Powers make out. If we of House Dead managed to escape, perhaps others did too. Use Farren. He knows the Game as well as I do and can serve as your teacher. He knows the location of many of the Houses too. Seek out their scions and draw them to your cause if you can.”

I nodded. It was all good advice.

“One last thing. Tell Ghost I will miss her.” She smiled. “Perhaps she and I will meet on the other side someday.”

“I will,” I said, then waited to see if she had anything more to add. When she didn’t, I kneeled beside the statue again.

My time in Draven’s Reach was coming to an end. I was not entirely done, though. They were still the New Havens to tend to. While Elron and his people didn’t need my help any longer, I had big plans for them and would have to revisit the city.

There were also the possessed to consider. How they would fit in with my plans, I wasn’t sure yet, but I couldn’t let them roam free in the Game either. Somehow, I would have to bind them to my cause as well.

Lastly, there was the dungeon. Draven’s Reach was a powerful resource, one which I had to secure for the exclusive use of me and my allies.

And those were only the things I had to do in this sector.

I sighed. My list of tasks that needed doing never seemed to grow any shorter. Best get to them, then, I thought.

Reaching down, I inserted the Emblem in the waiting socket.

Analyzing offering…

…

…

Analysis completed.

The offering has been deemed sufficient. Tithe accepted. Item lost.

Awakening guardian…

✵ ✵ ✵

The End.

Here ends Book 5 of the Grand Game.

Michael’s adventures will continue in A Scion’s Duty.

Coming soon!

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Happy reading!

Tom Elliot.