Grand Game 427: A Suitable Reckoning (Patreon)

“You will kill them all?” Adriel asked softly. “All thousand-odd souls? And what about Farren and myself? Will you see us dead too as payment for our crimes?”

“No,” I said softly.

She tilted her head to the side, her face still devoid of animation. “No? You will spare us and kill the rest?”

“No,” I said again.

She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

I leaned forward. “The possessed must be destroyed, but they don’t need to die unless they desire to. They can be remade—” I paused—“if, and this is a big if, my plan can be made to work.”

“Tell me,” she said.

“Remember what you told me about the possessed’s finger bones?”

Her frown deepened. “I’m not following you.”

“You said the possessed had to retain some part of their original selves—their finger bones—because neither you, Farren, or Loskin were able to fully sever the ties between the dead scions’ spirits and their bodies,” I elaborated. “And because of this, they could only be spirit jumped into similar shells, which, in their case, meant player bodies.”

Adriel inclined her head. “That’s not exactly how I put it, but yes, the gist of what you’ve said is true.”

“Well, what if you could? Fully separate the possessed’s spirits from their old bodies, I mean. What then?”

The lich shrugged dismissively. “That’s not possible. If it were, Farren and I would have done so a long time ago.”

“But assuming you could,” I persisted. “Would you then be able to create flesh golems for the possessed as you did for Ghost?”

“Maybe,” Adriel allowed, “but Michael, I told you, I can’t do what you’re asking. It’s—”

“—impossible, I know. But what if I told you I know of an artifact that could do what you can’t?”

“An artifact?” Adriel threw me a puzzled look. “It would have to be extremely powerful to do what you suggest.”

I smiled. “A Prime forged this one.”

Ceruvax sat up abruptly, finally realizing where I was going with this.

“An artifact created by a Prime would certainly qualify,” Adriel said wryly. “But I find it hard to believe you’ve been hiding something like that in your pockets all along.”

I chuckled. “I’m not. But I know where to find it. The artifact is called the Ring of Astral Walking, and I had occasion to use it when—”

“—you entered the mind trial,” Adriel finished for me. “I recall you telling me.” Her eyes narrowed. “This is the same artifact that transformed Ghost into a spirit after she stepped into it accidentally?”

I nodded.

“Describe the Ring and leave nothing out,” Adriel instructed.

I glanced at Ceruvax. “You likely know more about the thing than I do. Go ahead.”

The old wolf looked oddly reluctant. “What you suggest smacks of desecration. Atiras did not build the rings for this purpose, and I’m not sure he would approve of you using the rings in this manner…”

I opened my mouth, ready to convince him otherwise, but Ceruvax stopped me before I could speak.

“But times have changed, and whatever else he was, the Prime was always pragmatic.” He sighed. “Then, too, I cannot deny your idea has potential.”

He turned to face Adriel. “Prime Atiras created the Ring of Astral Walking as a gateway to the mind trial. The artifact is formed of two interlocking rings that split when activated.” He glanced at me. “From what the wolf lord has said, I’m guessing it’s the functioning of the first ring that interests him.”

I nodded. “That’s right.”

“The artifact does two things,” Ceruvax continued. “The first ring frees a spirit from its body. The second ring teleports said spirit to the mind trial. The two stages, while interlinked, are still separate.”

Adriel frowned thoughtfully at me. “Then what you’re proposing is to completely disembody the possessed by sending them through the first ring and for us to rehome the freed spirits in flesh golems before they can be drawn into the second ring?”

I nodded. “Not quite… but close.”

She looked at me questioningly.

“The rings are not here,” I explained. “They’re with a dire wolf pack who are themselves needed to operate the artifact, and I’m not comfortable with allowing the possessed so close to the pack. What I am proposing is that we use the finger bones only.”

“Then you’re suggesting we kill the possessed, extract their finger bones, and take them to the rings for rehoming?” she asked neutrally.

“Yes,” I said grimly. “Could it work?”

She bowed her head. “What you suggest is audacious, and as the old wolf said, certainly not the use the artifact was intended for. Nor will it be a matter of simply throwing the finger bones into the rings. Each spirit will have to be carefully readied beforehand. But yes, with adequate time and preparation, I think your plan can be made to work.”

I sagged in relief. “That’s… good.”

If Adriel had dismissed my plan, I would’ve had no choice but to slaughter the possessed, and as inured as I’d become to killing, I was not yet the hardened killer that could deal death without qualms.

Adriel was biting her lip, still working through the details. “You realize, though, that the possessed’s rehoming will be permanent? Just as in the case of Ghost, the bindings forged between their spirits and new bodies will be unbreakable.”

My lips curved upward. “I consider that an advantage. The days of the possessed living forever by skipping from body to body are over. They will get one life. Just like almost everyone else.”

“What about their crimes?” Ceruvax asked suddenly. “Will you make them pay for their misdeeds?”

“Oh, yes, they’ll pay,” I said softly. “I may intend on granting the possessed new lives, but their slates will not be wiped clean. To make amends, the possessed will spend the rest of their natural lives serving New Haven.”

✵ ✵ ✵

Adriel and I spent another hour working through the details, not only the mechanics of what needed to be done but how we would convince the possessed to comply. Obviously, some would resist. Both Adriel and I expected it.

They would have to be dealt with—harshly.

Ceruvax did not participate in our discussions. Instead, he sat with his head bowed and lost in thought, only half-listening. There was something about my plan that troubled him, I guessed.

“I will see to it that the rings are not damaged,” I said finally, thinking that this was what worried him.

He shook his head. “It’s not that.”

I studied him carefully. “You can’t believe I’d let any harm come to the dire wolves? We’ll not do this unless Duggar and the elders agree. Their safety will be assured, I promise.”

Once more, Ceruvax shook his head. “It’s not that, either.”

My brows drew down. “Then what is it?”

He sighed. “There may be another way.”

I blinked. “Another way to…?”

“… to end the possessed’s current state of existence,” he said, finishing the thought for me.

Beside me, I felt Adriel’s interest quicken.

“End how?” I asked, still staring at the old wolf.

Instead of answering directly, Ceruvax replied with a question. “Do you know what my primary duties as Atiras envoy were?”

I frowned, not making the connection between his question and my own but, willing to humor the old wolf, answered anyway, “I would guess you served as his ambassador to the other Houses.”

He nodded. “I did. But that was only one of my functions. I spent as much time meditating internal House disputes as I did external ones.”

My frown deepened. Ceruvax was losing me.

Reaching into his robe, the former envoy extracted three objects and placed them before me. The first was a simple tarnished gold ring the size of my palm, the second was a chipped and yellowing wolf skull, while the third was a flat stone disk about the same size as the ring.

Adriel gasped, clearly recognizing the objects.

“Go ahead,” Ceruvax prompted. “Analyze the items.”

Doing as he bade, I reached out with my will and inspected each object.

The target is the Ritual Combat Circle, an artifact of unknown rank forged by the Wolf Prime Atiras. This item is soulbound to the player Ceruvax and may only be activated by him.

The target is the Skull of Souls, an artifact of unknown rank forged by the Wolf Prime Atiras. This item is soulbound to the player Ceruvax and may only be activated by him.

The target is a Blood Talisman. This is a Game-created item that can be used to awaken a player’s blood, bringing to the fore long-dormant memories. When sufficiently infused by the spirits of the fallen, your blood can be made to ‘remember’ its ancient lineage and perform feats you had not thought possible before.

I gasped, echoing Adriel’s earlier astonishment.

I had no idea what the soulbound artifacts did, but the fact that they were soulbound and created by a Prime said enough of their value.

The blood talisman was not something I was likely to forget or undervalue either. I’d come across only one, in the mind trial where I’d used it to choose my first, and thus far, only blood memory. This talisman was different, yet similar to that other one. On closer inspection, I saw that dozens of images of wolves and other wolf-like creatures had been carved into the stone’s surface.

“Two soulbound artifacts and a blood talisman?” I asked in a half-strangled voice. “What are you doing carrying around all this?”

“They were required to perform my duties,” Ceruvax answered.

I rubbed my chin. “I don’t understand,” I admitted.

“The talisman, you know already of,” the old wolf said. “The Skull is a spirit vessel capable of holding the souls of fallen scions—indefinitely if need be.” Seeing the sudden hope in my face, he added. “Unfortunately, it’s empty at the moment.”

“Oh,” I muttered. “What about the Circle then?”

“Ritualized combat was how disputes in House Wolf were settled,” Ceruvax replied softly.

“You’re saying the House’s scions fought each other to prove who was right?” I asked. “Isn’t that pretty… uhm, primitive?”

“Oh yes, definitely,” Ceruvax said with a feral grin. “But then, House Wolf has always prided itself in strength. Weakness was not tolerated, and mistakes could often lead to death—even for Everborns like us.” Ceruvax smiled. “Atiras—and not just him, but the Primes who came before—believed in the power of final death. They believed a scion never more fully appreciated life as when his life, all his lives, were imperiled.”

I stared at him incredulously. “Hold on. So, you’re saying that not only did they fight, but that they fought to the death—final death?”

He nodded.

“That’s…” I began.

“Preposterous?” Adriel suggested.

“That’s one word for it,” I muttered.

Ceruvax chuckled. “Oh, it wasn’t all that bad. No one could be forced into ritual combat; the Circle will only work if the combatants are willing. Thus, it was always a measure of last resort when the parties refused to back down.”

“I see,” I said, still frowning. “I’m guessing then that the three items work together.”

“Correct,” he replied. “Ordinarily, the spirit of a scion who fell in the Circle would be absorbed by the victor, infusing his blood. But if, for whatever reason, this did not occur, the Skull could be used to shelter the spirit until a scion was ready to accept it.”

“And the talisman would be employed if the victor needed to awaken a new blood memory,” I finished.

Ceruvax nodded.

I scratched my head. “Right, I get all that, but getting back to the possessed, what does any of this have to do with dealing with them?”

The old wolf didn’t answer immediately. Looking strangely hesitant, he pushed the Circle toward me. He still didn’t speak, though.

“Tell me,” I said.

Adriel answered in his stead. “I do believe the old wolf wants you to challenge the possessed. He wants you to fight them in the Circle and absorb their spirit essences.”