Even in our enlightened age, where magical devices are available to all throughout the Coalition, the power to wield magic unaided is rare and prized. Mages, as they are called, often aid in the development and creation of the devices we live with every day. Others use their power for purposes less beneficial to others, and are sadly able to gain great personal influence this way. This makes magical potential one of the most prized things one can possess… and never gain through effort or purchase.
– Katelyn Fargrove, Teacher
A shimmering rainbow of colors burst into empty space. Moments later, where none had been before, the distinctive silhouette of a dragon materialized from Etherspace. Its majestic presence sailed onward, stately and elegant, paying no heed to the nearby cold and desolate planet that served as the nearest local spaceport.
Inside, the situation was far less grandiose.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of options now.” Sallus lounged in her chair, watching the human across from her eating at the small table. She’d brought the meal herself, as usual. Even with the addition of extra crew, Naven’s meals had continued to be hand-delivered by the elf, which was a little odd. Such a mundane task taken on by the apparent leader of this cell was something the Lieutenant found very curious.
The elf crossed her arms and looked over Naven again. “We can’t let you go, not yet at least. Even dropping you off in the middle of nowhere, you may end up back in Coalition hands before we’ve done what we need to do. Nothing personal or anything, but I can’t risk that. So it’s kill you or keep you locked up in here.”
For his part, Naven didn’t look surprised nor worried about the statement. He was still eating the unappetizing meal bar on his tray, and just paused to poke the uneaten part with his fork. At least he’d been allowed a fork. “If you do the latter, I don’t suppose you can look into picking up a proper chef for the crew?”
Dryly, Sallus muttered, “You could at least pretend to be worried.” She sighed and uncrossed her arms, sliding palms onto the table. “Though you’re right, a proper chef would be nice. We have the supplies in the galley, but none of the cultists have any experience with that.”
The intercom crackled to life as Apex joined in the conversation, “I can cook. Or I could, before I was in this body. And you will not be killing Naven.”
A hand waved away the dragon’s protests as the elf leaned back in her chair again. “I was only stating the options. I’m not bloodthirsty, but you have to admit it would simplify the problem.”
Naven gave up on the fork and picked up the remainder of the meal bar with one hand, breaking off a piece to nibble on with the other hand while he looked at Sallus. “I notice you haven’t let me talk to the rest of the crew.”
Apex mentally sighed to himself. The two had been dancing around topics off and on for the entire meal, and it was growing tiresome to the dragon. Sallus rarely stayed long enough to talk to the prisoner, so today was a rare opportunity, but… he had no idea of the social expectations of this time, and barely any of his own. He’d hoped they would sort things out without his intervention.
“Would you like them to try to convert you?” Sallus purred, putting on a more amused smile. “You don’t seem the type. Even if you did know what we really want, you’re unlikely to be willing to do what needs to be done.”
Even without knowing the more nuanced human facial expressions, Apex could tell that Naven’s look was one of disgust. The dragon rumbled, “We have arrived in the Lariat system. You can stay here in the room for now, unless you have information that would be of use to us.”
Sallus shot the camera a scowl as the dragon revealed their location to the prisoner, her cheek twitching. He could understand her anger… she’d wanted to keep the captive in the dark about their movements, in case he escaped. Logically, this was the right way to handle him. The problem with that idea is it was what Sallus wanted, and Apex much preferred to gauge what he was getting into by how Naven reacted.
He was not disappointed.
“Lariat system? Of all the places you pick to run to, you jump into that drug-addled den of misery?” Naven’s casual meal was forgotten as he sat up straight, his face hardening. “Are your cultists hooked on hallucinogens? Is that how you keep them under control? Regular doses of ‘scope?” He started to rise, and Apex saw real anger in his face – more than he’d had the first time he saw Sallus, knowing she’d planned the death of his crew.
“Sit down.” Sallus spoke in a frigid voice, and even Apex had been too distracted with Naven to see her draw the weapon she pointed at Naven. He’d paid enough attention to the technology here to realize it was a smaller version of the mana cannons he mounted on his hull – sleek, lightweight, and using a design that tapped into the elf’s own mana to power it. He made a mental note to himself that Sallus wasn’t just an engineer that knew how to repair his systems, she was either a spellcaster or potential spellcaster.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
The woman was disturbingly competent in multiple disciplines, and he was starting to wonder about that.
Naven lowered himself into his chair, but his glower didn’t let up for an instant. “That shit is dangerously addictive. If that’s how you’re controlling your cult…”
“It is not.” The denial was curt and severe. “The Cult of Renewal believes in keeping the body pure. Medicinal drugs and implants only. We don’t even field combat cyborgs, unless you count Apex here. But he didn’t exactly have a body we could patch together, did he?”
Naven crossed his arms. “Dealers, then? What are we doing here? They call this route ‘The Wasting Road’ for a reason, you know. Get too involved and you end up rotting away like the rest of the addicts.”
Satisfied that Naven wasn’t going to leap at her, Sallus tucked the weapon to her side and stood up, walking over to the tiny window in this berth. She sighed heavily, then glanced back at Naven. “Apex probably wants to know this, as well. What do you know of Kaleidoscope?”
The captive military man relaxed slightly, rubbing the stubble of beard he’d grown out as he thought. “It’s highly-addictive, seems to be sourced out of Lariat but has distribution all over Coalition space. It’s a mild hallucinogen and stimulant, and can boost spell power if used in small amounts, but repeated use damages the mana conduits of the body. They’ve had different versions over the last century, and I think the modern version is less lethal but still dangerous. Unless you’re asking about the cartels?”
Sallus waves off the last question. “The cartels are a symptom. Kaleidoscope is far more dangerous than what you think. We’ll probably sell off a few cargo ships worth just for the cash infusion, but my goal is to find the source. If it doesn’t put me too much out of my way, I’ll stop the production, too.”
This was the first Apex had heard of any of this, and it made him curious how it related to their goals. He had yet to tell Naven that he planned to kill the thirteen heroes, and Sallus hadn’t brought that up, so he instead focused on the new information. “This is something people use for recreation?”
“That’s the common belief,” Sallus clarified with one finger raised into the air for emphasis. “And it does happen.”
Naven shook his head, “But it’s made across the Coalition, it’s not just here. Lariat’s a major distributor but that’s not going to cut off the source. I’m pretty sure anyone with the formula can make it.”
The elf tsked, “With most drugs, that’s true. Kaleidoscope is different, though. It requires a very specific substance that is only produced here, in the Lariat system. It won’t kill the cartels entirely – they have other drugs they can distribute – but if you cut off that supply, Kaleidoscope will vanish for good.”
“Hold on,” the human said, holding up a hand. “I get that, but there’s a disconnect here. You haven’t fully explained what your goals are, but the Cult of Renewal is about overthrowing the Coalition, I thought. How does this help you achieve your goals? Wouldn’t taking down one of the most dangerous drugs in Coalition space just solidify their hold?”
Now Sallus sighed, turning around and leaning against the wall with her arms crossed again. “If I can find out this information, do you really think the rest of the Coalition doesn’t know? They let this happen, because ‘scope is just a weaker and diluted version of what they really want. The Hellfire Troops, the Faelin Royal Guard… even the Commonwealth Custodians use the more potent version. Five of the Principalities have some kind of elite force that they enhance with combat drugs created from this, and the addiction keeps them loyal.”
Naven made a face, then picked up his water for a sip. “Now that sounds like an insane conspiracy theory. You’re saying the Coalition made Kaleidoscope and doesn’t want it destroyed?”
“I doubt they made it, at least on purpose,” Sallus admitted, spreading her hands. “It’s possible, but it’s a lot more likely someone stumbled into it, and the Heavenly Court – if they even know about it personally and it wasn’t the regencies making the decisions here – just opportunistically refined something interesting. The Kaleidoscope problem is just what they have to tolerate so they can get their supply. It’s why none of them have made any real push against the cartels lately.”
The dismissive snort Naven made told everything even before he spoke. “So it isn’t that crazy conspiracy, it’s a different crazy conspiracy?” He shook his head, “Doesn’t matter. We’re way out of my jurisdiction, so I can’t really help you much in this even if I wanted to. But fine… if you’re really going after ‘scope, I’ll be good and stay in my room for now.”
“Is what you told the human the truth, Sallus? Is this really the source of this substance?”
Apex only asked that question after Sallus had left the room. She was now in her own cabin – a much larger, well-appointed one, he noted – where he could speak privately, without the other cultists or the prisoner overhearing. He vaguely noted two of the cultists were having a heated argument just outside the cargo hold, but after a few moments of observation, determined it was an entirely personal argument that would not affect him in the least.
The elf grumbled, “I’d rather keep him in the dark about everything I can, but… yes, it’s the truth.” She opened her own locker and searched through it, tossing out a loose shirt and a new pair of pants, then threw the jacket she was wearing over to join them. “Not all of the thirteen heroes are active in the Coalition right now. Several have just vanished, and some never became involved in politics, but fade in and out of public notice for other reasons.”
She turned toward the camera suddenly. “When will we arrive at Reinfall City?”
Apex did a quick check of the estimation and answered, “About one more hour before we enter the local space. So is one of the heroes behind this substance?”
“Behind? I’m not sure.” Sallus shrugged, then peeled out of her skin-tight suit she wore around the ship, changing into the more casual outfit as she talked. “Involved somehow? Almost certainly. Too many threads connect them to this region of space for the last century. Tifello, a swordsman, if you’re curious which one.”
“I never learned any of their names, but there were five swordsmen,” Apex grumbled. “That doesn’t help.” He thought back and reconsidered. “Actually, I think one of them may have been female.”
Sallus tugged her jacket back on and adjusted the collar. “Yes, Ariella. One of the twins. I’ve studied the heroes extensively, or I wouldn’t have found out how to summon you in the first place.”
“Hmm…” Apex rumbled that aloud through the speaker. “Very well. I will attempt to sense if one is nearby, after you have returned to the ship. I presume you are looking for something in this city?”
“Information, if I can find it. Maybe, if there’s a local cell, I can find us a cook. Naven’s right about that, these meal bars are dull.” She smirked at him as she laced up her boots. “Why? You want me to fetch you anything?”
The intercom managed to convey the annoyed grunt Apex let out very well.
