Chapter 646: Nexus Investigators

Blake marched with the small army of players and civilians chosen to investigate the Nexus, bored in several pieces of his brain. He slapped at mosquitoes and glared in the general direction of the sun. Oh how he

hated

nature walks.

After some upgraded teleporter infrastructure in the holy city, they’d been able to at least send everyone to the settlement nearest the structure in a single go. Though they would be forced to spend at least a night in the settlement before they could warp back. He didn’t look forward to that, either.

Still, the atmosphere of the ‘Nexus Investigator’ group was pleasant, and optimistic. Now that the easterners were starting to realize Mason was no Jeong, and that they really were safe from undead and tyrants in equal measure, they were getting downright friendly. Especially the women.

“So…it’s actually true? You’re the king’s brother? Like his

real

brother?”

The young, attractive blonde enchantress Blake had started chatting with pushed some hair behind her ear. She laughed at everything he said, and had started swatting or at least touching his arm with every second sentence like he was just

so

bad. He did his best not to roll his eyes.

“Like his

real

brother,” he agreed, giving her a wink. “Now tell me some more about this enchanter consortium. It’s part of the Arcane Order? Or at least associated? I don’t really get it.”

He did, in fact, get it. Mostly. But he saw no reason not to get as many data points as possible before heading into his new role as ‘Player Mayor’, or whatever superior, preferably non-rhyming title they’d call it.

Anyway, to stave off boredom, he was multi-tasking. In several ways.

“Yeah, it’s totally confusing. Think of it like…a corporate org chart, I guess, but like one of those weird new tech company ones. We don’t

report

to them, exactly, but we still sort of belong to them. Like my ‘boss’ is really…”

He let one of his Mental Partitions listen as he went back to warping the minds of the pack of chained civilians behind him. He’d brought the ‘Civilian Killers’ Mason wanted investigated—after a lengthy argument with Phuong.

“They’ll try to escape. Hurt someone. Who knows. It’s not worth the risk.”

Blake had smiled politely, fighting the awareness of the older man’s genuine dislike. The soldier had his uses, no doubt, but putting the old goat in charge of important things in this new world seemed like a strategic error on Mason’s part.

“Mason ordered me to investigate them. And as you can tell, he’s in something of a hurry these days. If you want my help at the Nexus, I need to get started. But I can go do the other three jobs he gave me instead, if you prefer.”

He knew Phuong wasn’t stupid. The Nexus was the most important job they had, and Blake was one of the best people on the planet to investigate anything magical. So eventually he’d relented, and here they were, eight convicts in tow, a constant barrage of Mental Influence oozing into their brains to make Blake their bestest friend.

All were men. Four seemed like the worst, most despicable, murderous individuals you’d care to meet. The sort of people who’d join whatever evil regime you pleased just to get a chance to kill. The other four were more nuanced—two with anger problems, two who’d fought back against Jeong’s killers, and got a little…carried away. It was these two Blake had the most hope for.

But as he mentally massaged them, and chatted with the enchantress, and used another partition to read up on a few different country’s constitutions, the Eastern Nexus finally came into view.

It was a lot more ‘civilized’ than the west, which he supposed wasn’t shocking. Instead of an ancient pyramid in a desert (or so the others had described), this one was more like a sleepy European town. The various beacons were tastefully laid out on stone foundations, a sort of circular pattern with a brick-like path connecting them all.

“There’s no danger in or around the Nexus itself,” Erik the Swede explained to Phuong and the others. “The entrance is in the center of the circle—a kind of cellar or tunnel leading into the ground. There’s nothing that stops you from entering, save that it requires a group of six.”

“There was an old man at the eastern nexus,” Carl said. “Like an NPC, er, a kind of game-created guide that gave some flavor and told us a few things. Nothing like that here?”

Erik shook his head.

“I suggest everyone enter and explore,” he said. “We have no idea what different classes, items or powers may reveal. Try everything you can think of. But please be careful, if you’re unsure what to do, speak with me or any of the other wizards of the order.”

Blake damn near snorted at the tour-guide like tone. The hand holding. He understood it, but once again he was reminded of the difference between the experience of east and west. He tried to imagine the speech if Mason were there leading them instead—‘be ready for anything, try not to die’.

But then he was moving into the Nexus with everyone else, eyes filling with incredible magic power as the beacons came closer. He knew instantly this was no Maker creation.

The Nexus beacons weren’t made by artificers who constructed with runes. They were made by magic in its purest form—the kind Psion used. They were made by the gods themselves.

Navi flew up from his shoulder with an excited blink. As he got closer with powers, he already saw the different patterns and forms of the magical energy flowing from the beacons, quickly seeing things to study and understand.

He hadn’t seen the beacons in the desert before they were captured. Apparently they were different before they were in their ‘finalized’ form like in Nassau. Unrefined, somehow. Still full of possibility. Perhaps shapable in the right hands…

His desire to get in that dungeon was getting urgent. He’d assumed he’d be welcome, but Mason had been pretty squirrelly over the past few days. There was a chance he’d given him so much to do trying to ease him into not getting a Nexus spot…

The thought definitely had him debating what he’d do if that happened. Negotiate, beg, and otherwise cajole Mason, obviously. But if that failed? He wasn’t sure. He truly wasn’t. But in his soul he knew he might go further than he cared to admit.

For the moment, he moved into the Nexus grounds, ready to learn, and hoped it didn’t come up.

**

Demi walked uncomfortably beside Rosa and Ayet as they explored the Nexus. It wasn’t Mason’s other women who made her anxious, it was everyone

else

. She supposed it was exciting to see the thing, but mostly she was just there to help protect the group if there was trouble.

All these problems of civilized humanity…and all the

tedium

of the game. She had no idea how Mason suffered it all.

All she wanted to do was run off into the woods with him (alright and

maybe

his family) and never come out again. But she supposed she liked

some

people.

She just wished they didn’t all look at her so much. And definitely not

talk

to her. Partially it was her glowing green eyes. She knew that. Partially it was the fact she was sleeping with the king of the world. But she definitely wished she had some kind of invisible power like Carl. The lucky bastard.

The elven enchantress seemed as nervous as she was. On the other hand, the elf had good reason to be afraid of things. Demi had no logical reason at all.

“Look at

this

!” Rosa circled some kind of big, stone table, dark eyes glowing with system power. “It’s for crafting. You put your stuff on it and it like…supercharges it with some pluggable, or whatever…see?” She gestured at a series of slots and indents. “It’s for runes, crystals, who knows. Why didn’t we get

this

Nexus first?”

Demi smiled politely. Ayet seemed genuinely interested, the delicate elven woman following Rosa and bending down to inspect the table. A good dozen nearby men all stopped and stared. Demi cleared her throat, and Ayet met her eyes then stood back up with a shy, grateful smile.

“I should have worn human clothes,” she said quietly, stepping closer with a shiver. “But I find your fabrics so…scratchy. I’ve no idea how you tolerate it. We usually have overcoats but I didn’t bring anything suitable.”

It was a cool evening as winter approached. Demi annoyed Rosa until she summoned a decent jacket from her void storage, draping that around the elf’s slender shoulders.

“Thank you.” The enchantress met Demi’s eyes, staring like everyone else. She shook her head. “Sometimes I forget you’re the avatar of a god. An immortal. Then I look in your eyes and remember what incredible times I live in.”

There was that urge to run into the forest again. Demi smiled and pushed some hair out of her eyes. What did you say to that? ‘Yeah. Sure.’?

“I apologize.” Ayet seemed to recognize it and smiled, touching her arm. “I’ve made you uncomfortable. I’ve spent a century in one city, and with my own people. This is all so new and amazing.”

It was truly bizarre how you could literally be naked and fucking the same man with a person, and then feel awkward trying to make small talk with your clothes on. The Power of Mason, she supposed.

“It’s my fault,” she said. “I’m not good at this. Talking to people, I mean. Or elves. Or really anyone.”

Her mushroom familiar was making little agreeing sensations in her pocket. She slapped it before realizing that probably made her look crazy.

“It’s just my mushroom,” she explained. “He’s…really annoying.”

The elven woman smiled like this made complete sense, then wandered back closer to Rosa.

Yeah, she definitely thinks I’m crazy.

Demi sighed. With their long lifespans, she figured they’d get plenty more chances to get to know each other better. Unless the world exploded, of course.

The maybe hundred people Phuong and Carl had brought swarmed the Nexus using identify powers. They pulled out crafted items, or tested portable devices, the wizards all standing around like a group of scholars at a conference. It reminded her of her father.

But she soon got bored and wandered away, missing Mason desperately. She smiled thinking of him there, as uninterested as she was, giving her the eye that maybe they should wander off while everyone was busy…

It was enough to send warmth coursing through her body. And then her hands down to drift over her stomach. She knew she was pregnant. The life magic she and Mason shared had made a mockery of her ‘player birth control’. Though she’d been thinking of turning it off anyway.

The idea of sharing that with him filled her with a kind of swooning joy she couldn’t yet articulate. She was going to be a mother. And unlike her own, she’d found a man who would never leave her.

Literally

never. Who would help raise her children to be strong and good, just like him.

But they had to win. To survive the doom.

As she stood there staring out into the nearby valley, her hair flew back with magical energies. A portal swirled to life, and she was readying to channel her first power before she recognized it as the fey plane.

Mason’s bonded Stag stepped through, followed by a line of wild-haired, beautiful women. Er no,

nymphs

. The creature bowed its antlers, the nymphs all clinging in desperate fear to its fur until Mason’s ally Calypsa stepped forward and nodded too.

“The druid asked us to find you,” the dark-haired warrior nymph explained. “He’s busy in the Whispering Wood. He said you could help guide us to the correct crops, and whatever else he wishes to be grown.”

Demi looked between the beautiful creatures. If Mason was too busy to come with her and a bunch of sex-creatures to make more ‘magic’, there was really only one explanation. She narrowed her eyes.

“Exactly how dangerous is this ‘Whispering Wood’? And when is he coming out?”

The Stag made a ‘oh the ranger is extremely stupid and probably dead’ sort of scent. Even Calypsa shrugged like he’d done something not very smart.

Demi sighed, not fearing for her man in the slightest.

“Alright then. We have a bunch of enchanters and wizards and so on. I expect one of them can help us open a portal. Follow me. And don’t use any magic on anyone. In fact try not to look at them, especially the men.”

If she’d thought the stares were bad before. Well. Now she was walking through the camp in front of a giant Stag and a line of half naked magic women. She cringed as about two hundred eyes started to stare.