Path of Dragons

Book 8: Chapter 46: Division of Labor

It was all a mirage, and the cracks in the illusion had already begun to show themselves.

Never was that clearer than when Sadie attended the so-called gladiatorial games. She was no stranger to combat sports. Growing up, she’d participated in more martial arts tournaments than she could count, and she had enjoyed them for what they were. However, to see eighty thousand people cheering as a man was beaten nearly to death was a long way off from a couple of teenagers trying to score points against one another.

It was grotesque, and not just because of the glorification of violence. In their world, it was a necessity, and one she had long since accepted. Instead, her disillusionment came from the purpose of the games. They weren’t meant as mindless and harmless entertainment. Rather, they were intended as distractions, harnessing humanity’s tribal nature and lust for blood to draw people’s attention away from the very real issues plaguing Seattle.

Sadie hadn’t needed Elijah’s descriptions of the undercity to know that something was wrong. She’d sensed it via Pursuit of Justice, which kept trying to drag her attention downward. So far, she had ignored it, largely because there were more important issues afoot.

After all, when the fate of the world was at stake, what did it matter if a few people were mistreated? If humanity failed to unite, they wouldn’t last past the next decade. Sadie had seen the effects of excisement. That was not a fate she would wish on anyone, let alone her home planet.

Of course, she knew that she wouldn’t share that fate. Not unless she wanted to, at least. Already, she’d received a message from Gabriel. This time, he didn’t appear to her in person, but instead, he’d used the system’s messaging function to invite her to the angels’ seat of power where she could embrace her destiny.

He’d never even mentioned Dat’s death, much less offered his condolences. That didn’t make sense to Sadie, either. As far as she knew, granting someone a core advancement was an energy intensive endeavor, even for those belonging to elder races. Giving four people elder cores represented a massive investment, so she expected that he would be somewhat upset about having lost two already.

But he didn’t seem to care.

Which only heightened Sadie’s suspicions. The angel had never felt trustworthy to her, and his detachment made it much worse. Still, if it came down to it, she would have little choice but to take him up on his offer. She didn’t trust him, but she also had no interest in living – and likely dying – on an excised world.

All of that flowed through her mind as she sat at the table. It was a long, ostentatious thing of carved wood and silver insets, with matching cups and pitchers of water every few feet. More than thirty people sat around it, most of whom were deep in conversation with their neighbors.

The seat to Sadie’s left was empty, with a tiny placard on the table labeling it as reserved for Elijah. To her right was a frumpy woman named Ivanka, formerly of Russia. Apparently, there was a Primal Realm near her village, which was remote even before the world’s transformation. She hadn’t revealed much more about its nature – her people mostly avoided it – but she did know that it was populated by ogres and hobgoblins.

“They are much more dangerous than you can imagine,” Ivanka stated. “Anyone who ventures too close, dies. No exceptions.”

“I don’t know. I can imagine a lot,” Sadie replied, not looking at the old woman. Ivanka had likely once been quite pretty, but age and hard living had robbed her of much of that beauty. Still, when she’d grasped hands with Sadie in greeting, her grip had been like iron.

“I’m sure you can, girl,” the woman said with a harsh laugh. “I hope you’ll consider my invitation.”

Sadie nodded. She’d met Ivanka at the games, and the two had become friendly. The meeting hadn’t been by chance, though, and Ivanka had used that opportunity to invite Sadie to help with the Primal Realm. She had yet to accept, and what’s more, she’d received other invitations as well. Anyone close to a confirmed Primal Realm had asked for her help.

“Where’s your precious little hobo?” came a sneering voice. Sadie didn’t need to turn around to know that her brother had arrived.

“What do you want, Nico?” she asked with a sigh.

He pushed into the gap between the empty chair and Sadie’s position and leaned against the table. “He would abandon the Summit focused on the very survival of our planet,” Nico said, drumming his fingers against the edge of the table. “No sense of community. He only thinks of himself.”

“That’s quite an accusation coming from you,” Sadie pointed out. In most other situations, she probably would have hit him. He certainly deserved it. But she was acutely aware that everyone in the room was watching her. They tried to hide it behind their other conversations, but even they could feel the tension in the air.

“I’m the picture of public service. Ask anyone in Heaven’s Bastion.”

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“Nico. Leave,” came a voice Sadie hadn’t expected. She flicked her eyes past her brother to see Song Tianwei standing behind Nico. He was dressed in a crisp suit, but he carried his silver-topped dragon cane, likely to get a rise out of Elijah. Thankfully, the Druid wasn’t there.

“But grandfather –”

“The delegation from Mexico wishes to establish trade relations. You will go to them. Now.”

Nico clearly didn’t want to, but he obeyed their grandfather’s orders, circling the room. At first, he looked sullen, but with every step, he pushed that aside. So, by the time he reached the Mexican delegation, he wore a broad, welcoming smile. The transformation was so effective that Sadie questioned whether it was the result of a class ability.

But she knew it wasn’t.

He’d just learned the art of manipulation from a master.

She turned to Tianwei and bowed her head slightly as she said, “Grandfather.”

“Little Star.”

“Don’t call me that,” she responded.

“Permit an old man his pet names,” he said with a slight nod.

Sadie knew she wouldn’t convince him to do anything he didn’t want to do, so she just asked, “What do you want?”

“To apologize.”

“For?”

“Everything. I resented you for being gone so long, and I pushed you away. For that, I am sorry. You belong in Heaven’s Bastion with us. We are your people. Your family. You need us just as much as we need you.”

Sadie very nearly gasped. To hear an apology from her grandfather was so unexpected that she barely even heard the explanation or the invitation. But the moment her mind caught up to the conversation, she realized what was happening.

“Is it the Primal Realm? Or the necromancers?” she asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just want my granddaughter to come home.”

She sighed. “If you can’t be honest with me, I see no reason to return.”

“Very well. The necromancers. They claim more territory by the day. Soon, they will be our neighbors in truth. We cannot allow the spread of such evil,” he spat, his demeanor completely changed. “They must be destroyed, and soon. Only when that blight is removed from this Earth can Hong Kong return to its former glory.”

Sadie narrowed her eyes. “They’re just people, grandfather. They only want to survive.”

“They spread their corruption and endanger us all. Surely you of all people can see that. Especially after the death of your sister. And your…friend.”

“Wait – you believe the necromancers are responsible for the spread of death-attuned ethera?”

“Can you prove that they are not?”

“It’s the Primal Realm. I don’t –”

“You cannot say that for certain,” Tianwei stated. “Your empathy is admirable, but those people have made their choice. Earth cannot prosper while such abominations are allowed to exist.”

Sadie was about to respond – or argue, more accurately – but she cut herself off when Isaiah strode into the room. The time for the meeting had come. The man looked the same as he always did, which meant that he was wearing a predominantly navy blue uniform with a high collar. Now that Elijah had told her all about the man’s artificial pieces, including his leg and heart, Sadie could sense the subtle difference.

He planted himself at the head of the table and said, “The Summit draws to a close. You have the information you need. Now, we must develop a plan of attack. To that end, we ask that those closest to Primal Realms recruit the people here.”

“What’s in it for us?” asked the man from Philadelphia. Vinnie Sorento. He’d exchanged his purple velour tracksuit for a black one, and he sat with his feet propped on the table.

“The fate of the world rests in our hands,” Isaiah answered. “Survival of the human race is what’s in it for you.”

“No offense, cue ball, but I got no interest in riskin’ my life for the good of the world. As far as I’m concerned, the world ain’t never given me shit, and I don’t owe anything in return. You want my help, you’d better be prepared to pay for it,” Vinnie said with a shiny grin. “Now, if that’s what’s on offer, you got my attention. If not, thanks for the parties and the good time, but I think it might be time for me to hit the ol’ dusty trail, if you know what I mean.”

Sadie expected Isaiah to react negatively, but instead, the man said, “Very well. You wish to know what is in it for you?”

“That’s what I said, boss.”

“Money. Rewards. Experience. Those come to all who conquer Primal Realms.”

“Towers, too. And they’re easier,” said another man wearing ceremonial robes.

Vinnie pointed at him, saying, “The man in the dress is right.”

“It’s not a dress. These are the –”

“Looks like a dress, buddy. Nobody else’ll tell you, but ol’ Vinnie here,” he said, thumping his chest. “He’s as honest as they come.”

“Fucking putz,” said Lamar. It was just loud enough to carry across the room.

“Nobody asked you, fella.”

“Enough,” Isaiah shouted, slamming his fist into the table. It rattled with the impact. “You want more rewards? Fine. Seattle will pay one-hundred gold ethereum to every person who enters an unconquered Primal Realm. Happy?”

“Heaven’s Bastion will match that sum,” announced Tianwei. “It is the least we can do.”

“Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about,” said Vinnie, grinning. “Now, who wants me? Best damn tank in the business right here. If there’s somethin’ out there that can kill me, well, you’d better run from it, ‘cause it can definitely kill you too.”

Nobody said anything.

But Isaiah recognized the potential for embarrassment, so he stepped in and said, “We will form teams later. For now, we need to organize our search for the other Primal Realms. We suspect they might be spread relatively evenly across the planet, so…”

Sadie listened as Isaiah droned on, even taking notes. That wasn’t strictly necessary. There was an Administrator in the room whose job it was to compile the information conveyed in the meeting and pass copies onto the participants. But Sadie liked to do things herself.

By the time the meeting was over, they had a plan. Most factions with significantly leveled Explorers and Rangers had agreed to send their people out to search for the Primal Realms. Meanwhile, everyone else would focus on conquering the ones they knew. They had a little less than ten years, which seemed like a lot, but Sadie knew it would pass in a hurry.

When the meeting was finished, Isaiah approached Sadie and asked, “Where is Elijah?”

“He had an emergency back home. I’ll let him know what was discussed.”

“I see.”

“Do you want my advice?” she asked.

“I believe you intend to give it to me regardless of what I want.”

“True. Don’t push Elijah. He’s –”

“Powerful. I know that at least as well as you do.”

“Do you know about Easton?”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“But I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you haven’t heard anything from them in a while. Do you want to know why?” she asked.

“I suppose you’re going to tell me.”

“They pushed Elijah. Now, the city doesn’t exist anymore. Just remember that next time you think to use him as a prop for your little power games,” Sadie said. “You might not live to regret it.”