Play Testers Wanted Pt. 24

"You interrupted my game for this. Spit it out before I lose my temper."

"Ads, your videos don't carry ads, and Kat lets you get away with that. Those that cover your videos have sponsors, but there is so much money to be had if you let a few key politicians advertise since November is around the corner. What do you feel about that?"

'Intrusion alert. Whoever this guy is, he is trying to scan your brain directly to map it. May I teach them a lesson?' Surfer asked.

'Do it. Teach these motherfuckers not to mess with me or anyone else.'

"You have a lot of fans among the movers and shakers... what? Sorry, there seems to be a problem. What do you mean it's dead? How the hell?"

"Is there a problem?" I asked.

"No. Just a hardware issue," the man said. "We need that information."

"I am signing off and contacting Kat. Do you know the kind of legal hurt I can inflict after your actions? Consider your contract null and void."

Surfer severed the link, and the game snapped back into motion.

"I need a minute or two. Wake me if something happens."

"Yes, Captain."

I closed my eyes, slid into the digital slipstream, and sent a message to Kat requesting her immediate attention.

"Booker? Oh hey, how did you like my gift?"

"It was amazing, just what I'd expect from you. But, someone paused my game from the outside and asked me about allowing political ads on my streams. He tried to scan my brain while he kept me busy with his bullshit."

"Hold on just a sec. Who the fuck gave that cocksucker access to Booker? Fire him and terminate his access now. Backtrack every keystroke and interaction with the system. Booker, listen, I have a few fires to put out. From the bottom of my heart, forgive my poor judgment."

"Nothing to forgive. The contractor stepped over the line, and I am sure you'll teach him the error of his ways. A few more days of decompressing, and I'll be back."

"Take care of yourself, and don't be a stranger."

I ended the connection and focused on the game. When we reached earth, I would exit and savor more time with Bambi, Titi, and the others. After that, it was all business. I had to track down a fellow Order member and convince him to end the Black Decade.

Week's End:

Jarael, Naia, Rachel, Freki, Titi, and Bambi remained the last few days. Time in the Maze is different than the mundane world. As they slumbered for the final time together, I moved to the balcony that looked out over Jarael's home world. The room could tap into any of its occupant's thoughts and desires and manifest them. There were limits, of course, and thank goodness for that. The towering crystal peaks surrounded me, and their myriad waterfalls, each shimmering with a different shade of water, were inspiring. A soft gasp behind me made me turn to face Bambi.

"You look ill. I didn't think demons could get sick."

"That is true," she said as she tumbled into my arms. "But, their hosts can. I was dying when Bambi approached me." A fit of coughing interrupted her, so I waited patiently for her to continue. "When I first saw one of your streams, I fell in lust. As the disease progressed, I prayed for a miracle. I got one, a dark miracle in the form of a grand succubus. She promised me full health, no pain, and a week of pleasure with you for my soul."

"No."

"I haven't lived what you'd call a saintly life, and I have few regrets. We made a pact, and I became the vessel for her power. She crawled her way out of hell to be with someone she loved. We both got what we wanted. I felt every kiss, every orgasm, and your arms around me as you held me close. I wasn't sick, shitting myself, or coughing up blood for an entire week. Now, I surrender my life and soul to her at the appointed hour. I hope hell is as entertaining as my life here has been."

"That and more precious," Bambi's disembodied voice promised. "Hold her close, Booker, her body is failing, and I can't stop its decline any longer."

I held the woman close as her hand rose to touch my cheek. It never made it. It fell to her side as she took her last breath. My tears stained her face as I wept for someone I hardly knew. But her passing affected me deeply.

"That is the male I fell in love with," Titania whispered. "The power and will to reshape the entire world, and he mourns a single human life. You inspire me to embrace empathy more often though it is against my nature. Pity more sentients do not care for strangers as deeply as you do."

"What do we do with her?"

"Rick will give her a proper burial and place a marker you can visit if the spirit moves you."

"No, I will give her a final gift, a Duskwalker's funeral," I said.

"Wake up, little ones, you are about to see history in action," Titania yelled, waking the others.

I lifted the girl and carried her corpse to the balcony's edge. That older part of me uttered the syllables that would draw from the Viridian coursing through my veins and transmuting the flesh into photons of light. The longer I sang the rune, the brighter the remains became until the last cell of her body had been transmuted and raced away into the universe to be seen by those lucky enough to look up and see the scintillating display. The balcony darkened, and I smiled, hoping this little kindness would draw the attention of Bambi and the other denizens of hell.

"Well done, Booker."

Afterward:

They call it the Eldest Chapter House. It was the first structure erected by the Order of Chthon. It predated the pyramids by thousands of years and drew upon the wisdom of the Atlanteans and Duskwalkers. The Eternal Master, the founder of the brotherhood, stood amid its ancient glory, awaiting the arrival of his guest. For a long-dead race, he thought, the Duskwalkers sure knew a thing or two about engineering things to last. Pity they were extinct. The sudden thrum of power announced her arrival, the first female to set foot within this sacred place.

"I have fulfilled the contract," she said. "Where am I?"

"The first," the Eternal Master replied. "No female has ever set foot within its confines until now."

"You must have been desperate for my news to stain this hallowed ground. That is how you view it, isn't it?"

"Report."

"Nick Shaw is dead. Booker purged the last remnant scant days ago. Kat and Booker share the wealth and power of Numenor."

"Did the Ravens or Wolves detect your ruse, Rachel, or should I call you Solstice?"

The illusion of Rachal wavered and changed as she assumed the persona of Summerwind. Solstice bowed from the waist in salute.

"My theory has proven false then, and Nick Shaw was not who I suspected him to be. Someone else holds the title of Hidden Master. The activity has not slackened since his physical death, and my search continues."

"You cannot track him by his super secret decoder ring?" Solstice asked, surprised by the response.

"No. That ring is singularly unique. It was fashioned from the same meteoric alloy that the Five Kings were, and like them, cannot be traced by any means but the line of sight."

"Does it possess a power like the five?" She asked.

"No. It has an ability that even I and scholars have failed to uncover. It is exhilarating, isn't it? Few secrets have endured my long life and curiosity, but the black ring and the current Hidden Master elude my gaze. Enough prattle; what other news do you have for me?"

"Only this, the Ghost Lines are awake and growing stronger by the day. If the old texts are correct, it will be decades before they reach their former potency." Solstice said, paused for a moment, and then continued. "Oh, and there are a handful of Duskwalker survivors."