After some fairly awkward, mostly silent travelling in the fresh morning air, accompanied by the high priestess that led her to where she was supposed to go, which had somehow kind of annoyed Vic because of the high priestess’s general attitude, Vic was now standing in a sort of throne room. It seemed to be made of a nexus of roots, covering walls and ground and columns, all leading to beneath the throne. Something softly beat down there, making some green glow appear to be flowing through the roots as it rhythmically coursed and clearly showed through the cracks sometimes littering the pale, opaque roots. The bark twisted often on itself, making some pretty flowing sculptures across the solemn columns and wide, expansive hall.

  Vic was tempted to smugly smile at the obvious looking weak point. This nexus had to be a weak point, right? Yeah, it was one. She was pretty sure that if she managed to stab it, she’d be damaging some pretty important part of the magic flowing system working through the roots.

  Was it supposed to look ominous? Beh, foolish. That was just showing off your weak point to guests. Oh no, how scary! The mob boss was showing her exactly where to aim to disrupt the massive amounts of magic flowing in and out of his root system!

  “…Victorya”, she heard.

  She blinked at the branched figure who had spoken, sitting on the throne, made from the cut stump of a trunk wrapped in some parts by an overgrowth of younger branches. There was a pillow between the wood and the guy sitting on it, probably because the guy was old and would have a sore ass otherwise.

  “Victorya.” he repeated. She looked at the guy now. “You weren’t listening.”

  The statement was oh so ominously said.

  “Oh, no, I was”, she said. “I just got distracted. Sorry, sorry. Yeah. Keep going. It’d be nice if you could repeat what you just said, I think I misheard.”

  The guy, looking down from the top of his pale wooden throne, stared, in silence, for a short little while. So judgey. Egh, whatever. It was all good. She put her arms behind her head and relaxed. She lightly smiled cheerily.

  “Was it about you apologising or… me getting some payment because you’re unable to apologize?” she said, to build something in the empty silence of the throne room.

  “You are lucky there are no witnesses”, he said, ticking his fingers against his throne’s sidearms, metal thumping lightly against wood. What a jackass. She bet that he didn’t want to be seen arguing with a teenager and losing.

  “Yeah yeah, get on with it, I’m waiting”, she said.

  “I had been speaking about it. How scatterbrained can you be?” he sneered.

  “Yes”, Vic said back, chuckling lightly afterwards. Huh-huh, she was so insufferably smart.

  She clapped her hands together once as she thought the cursedblood emperor squinted.

  “Well? How much money is it? Tell me, tell me! Oh, I have been waiting for this!” she cheerily said, and spun once on herself. “Oh, that will be so sweet!”

  “…Perhaps I will make you wait more, insolent girl”, he said.

  Vic stopped, lowered her head, looked at him, and from below, made an evil smile.

  “Oh, please do”, she said. “Please. Please. Prove to me that you deserve hell.”

  He paused.

  “Do you ever consider the consequences of your own behaviour? Have you ever not fought first and instead negotiated with respect when animosity isn’t required?” he asked, haughty and all.

  “Oh, contrary to you, I don’t need to!” she said. But hm, maybe, just maybe she should taunt him after he’d given her the gold he owed her, not before. Or he might try something foolish.

  Before he could answer, she interrupted him.

  “But maybe you’re unto something”, she said. “Hmmm. Yes, from now on, I’ll disrespect you only after you’ve given me my reward. Mmm.”

  “You arrogant brat”, he said. His fingers were tightly digging into the bark of his throne. This was sweet. He couldn’t keep in the insults. She preferred people who showed their colours rather than kept their feelings hidden behind a fake facade. This was nice.

  “You’ll need to get more creative with the insults, they’re getting a bit dull and uninspired”, she gently said. “So, my reward, wasn’t it?”

  “…Yes”, he said, sharp, short, and cold. “Yes, money. Your reward.”

  “Oh-ho!” Vic joyfully said. She rubbed her hands together like a hungry, greedy little mouse.

  He stared. There was probably a sneer and a variety of angered expressions behind his mask. She couldn’t see. What a shame. She would have liked to know how enraged he was slowly getting.

  His fists were now tightly closed on themselves. He might have noticed that she’d been smiling at the way he’d been digging into his armrests with his fingers, huhuh.

  After a little while, he snapped his fingers together. From the ground that was entirely made of a real mess of white roots enmeshed together, a chest slowly was pushed outwards, like a blob out of a mudpit. Vic immediately went to unlock it to check the offered amount before it was even fully out of the ground. But the chest was locked. She cringed. Oh no.

  “First”, he firmly said, like a teacher would. He sounded constrained. She rolled her eyes. Of course he needed to monologue a little before giving her what she was owed and let her put her dirty paws on the treasure. “I am making an exception by allowing you to receive the first prize of the Novel Spell Contest without having to demonstrate it for an extended period at my Academy. Furthermore, it is the full prize-”

  “YUSSS let’s fucking GOOO”, she interrupted with far more joy than she thought she felt, because it would annoy him so much. She pumped fists in the air. “I’m THE BEST! I get what I FUCKING deserveeee!”

  He was very frozen. She could picture the way his stupid mouth would be left hanging slightly open. Yes. Get more of that disrespect, asshat. If he’d expected her to give him back any sort of good will for basic decency, he was in for a shock. Tcheh.

  “There is…” he said, nearly… what, was this… pain? In his voice? “…more.”

  She lowered her hands.

  She couldn’t wait for the chest to be unlocked. She was half-tempted to brute-force it. Mm.

  But what was this? More treasure?

  MM. MMMM. MM.

  “For the… great service you’ve done to my city by destroying the Cave’s anchor while my own forces handled reducing the expansion of its propagation, you have mitigated losses.” he said. Oh? Was she getting paid for having done one of his chores? Her eyes snapped back to the tall, looming emperor who had an empire as large as one big city. “You might have been the first spark that ignited the waves of hostile entities clashing against my walls by making a spectacle of our fight, but I cannot deny that your current actions have outweighed your disastrous first impression.”

  “Can you speak normally please? You lost me after ‘mitigated losses’.” she said. She couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless after this. Did he mean that… she was going to get MORE money? Wait, had she misunderstood? There was no way it would be that.

  “Oh? Would you like me to speak like a simpleton? Would that help?” he said without any apparent emotion.

  She frowned.

  “Nah, I’m not dumb,” she said, and rolled her eyes, “you don’t need to be overdramatic all the time. But keep going. I think I like where this is going.”

  “You have helped”, he said, slowly. “You didn’t need to help”, he said, “but you have done so. For your help”, he said, and he waited a little more, “for evicting… ah, no, for removing the Cave’s presence out of my city, I consider that you deserve more. To put it more simply, Victorya, more rewards is what you could get.”

  Vic stared at him.

  Was he… mocking her?

  “Have you understood, Victorya?” he said, very slowly.

  “Yes”, she tightly said. “Come on. Don’t push me.”

  “Oh, what were your words?”, he said, and he saw him twirl one of his strands of long hair. “Help me, Victorya. I believe they were ‘I only give back what I am given’. How can you believe that I wouldn’t treat you with the same contempt you give me when those are the very words you believe in?”

  She squinted. But she soon relaxed. Oh oh. She knew this game. She knew this dance. Nah, she’d win. Teehee.

  “Kaaay, whatever”, Vic said, “I won’t give you respect you don’t deserve. So I guess it’s a silly vicious war you want. It’s very easy to get on your nerves, too. You’ll lose, damn. You’ll lose so hard you’ll start losing all your hair and whatever else gives you any pride. I’ll make sure of the latter, at least.”

  “Or so it seems”, he said, but he sounded weirdly detached, “there will never be a common ground between us two. But my offer still stands. As long as you stay here and do not attack my city and its residents, which includes me, you can get your few spare coins every day.”

  Ghhh, he sounded so annoying. Why did he sound so smug and slickly pretentious without even trying to? She was a hundred percent sure he was using her to get some leverage of some sorts against another deity. What did her presence here grant him? Was he making his enemies think that she was some sort of attack dog? No, that couldn’t be right. But she’d already gotten rid of one of his problems without really meaning to do that. She didn’t really want to do it twice if that was the case. Ughhh. Ghhhg.

  Gnnn. GN. Mgnng.

  No, from what she’d seen of him, even if he somehow found some way to blackmail her to stay, as long as she publicly roasted him, he would be unable to keep her here, because a deity couldn’t be mocked. From all her travels, that’s one of the most important things she’d learnt. It’d been one of her former mentor’s first lessons. A god would never suffer being made fun of, because ridicule was the death of worship.

  “Verbal attacks don’t count as attacks”, she said after a while, raising a finger and closing her eyes.

  He tsked. Maybe he was disappointed that’s all she had to say after being silent for so long.

  But she wasn’t done yet. She opened her mouth.

  “Very well”, he interrupted. She stared. She was starting to get offended at being interrupted all the time.

  “Wait, I haven’t finished”, she interrupted back. “If you think my reward for saving the city from the puppet god is just what you’d already planned on giving to me, aka the extra coins per day, I call bullshit.”

  “…I was getting to that point, Victorya”, he said, reproachingly, in such an annoying voice she wanted to go all “gngngn” while pulling her tongue like Jack Noir on him. “You have no self-control. Patience is a virtue you should get acquainted with.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Your mom is someone I’ve gotten acquainted with.”

  “I will smite you.” The way he was speaking was like a ripened fruit about to crash on the ground and splatter everywhere.

  “Why? She’s such a nice lady. She even asked if I wanted some cookies with my tea. What are you going on about? Why so mad?” she asked.

  She smiled again. With a bit of teeth. And extremely curled up corners of lip.

  “Yeah, why so mad?” she said.

  “You repugnant creature”, he said, spitefully, but there was so much she could see that he was trying to hide that it was worth it. Heheheh. She brought her fingers’ tip of her opposite hands together. Why was he trying so hard to be as diplomatic as possible? She jointed her hands and let them go. She was making sure that he was going to regret it anyway. Teehee. “Allow us to return to the matter that should be close to your heart. I’d considered giving you an additional hundred golden honours, but-”

  “Don’t you dare say ‘but’”, she bit. “That sentence’s perfectly fine as is.”

  A pause.

  “But”, he said, “I believe there are more valuable things than gold.”

  She squinted.

  “What-”

  “For you see, Victorya”, he said.

  “Stop interrupting-”, she bit.

  “There must be resources you must want that cannot be bought with gold”, he said anyways loudly, “Resources that you need, and that I might have in store for you.”

  She was about to continue arguing but suddenly frowned instead.

  “Like… actual resources? None of the bullshit fictional stuff that would come like eternal gratefulness from your city and whatever else that you claim your fake divinity can grant me?” she said.

  Again, his left fist was tightening. He kept speaking regardless.

  “What do you need. Victorya.” he said, stiltedly.

  That took her a bit aback.

  “Uhm”, she said. She began thinking. She brought a hand to her forehead and rubbed it. When that didn’t work, she crouched, put her hands around her mouth, and tried harder. “Uhmmmm.”

  She snapped her fingers, and raised them.

  “Oh I know! I wanted to make a staff!” she said, shaking her hands excitedly in the air.

  There was silence for a bit. The emperor was staring.

  “You need a staff.” he stated. “Why.”

  Vic frowned. She lowered her hands.

  “Well, most of the powerful people or mob bosses I’ve met had had a staff. I’m just following that trend. I’m powerful, so I should have one. That’s all.”

  There was another beat of silence.

  “Do you…”, he said, but paused. “Do you even know what a staff is for?”

  She stared at him, uncomprehendingly.

  “Oh fuck off”, she said. “It’s for magic spells, obviously.”

  There was another, longer, beat of silence.

  “Victorya”, he said, slowly, increasingly slowly. “Victorya, your spells… already… exceed…”

  He stopped.

  Oh that silly goose.

  He thought she didn’t need a staff because she was already overpowered. What nonsense. She had a quest in her game interface that asked her to make one. Of course she needed a staff. And even more, she would look pretty dope with it. She would cosplay so hard as Victorya, that was going to be great.

  “You don’t need to know why, but I want to make myself a magic staff. I think it’s cool anyway. And my uh… instincts, yeah, trusty instincts, have told me I need one. For a long while. So. Yeah.”

  She raised her hands in the air to make a “duh” movement.

  Silence, again. The way he was not moving at all was weird.

  “What other reason do I need other than the one that I want a magic staff?” she asked, uncaringly, staring at her own nails. She tried removing some more grime from beneath them, but she was doing this mostly to look cool and relaxed. Yeah, yeah, she was so cool, posing and all.

  After some more staring, he finally talked.

  “If components for a staff you need… you will get them. I also have fine craftsmen that could aid you in your endeavour. Will you be using a cardinal focus or a hemenarian grid?”

  Vic gave a sideglance.

  “Uhm”, Vic said. “Well uh.”

  What the hell were those supposed to be?

  He wasn’t moving again.

  “Are you planning on carving a staff the ways of old? Those are outdated techniques.”

  Okay, that was nice and all. But she didn’t know that one either.

  “Listen, chill, I’m doing it my way. I only need a couple of rare pretty stones and resources from the deep end of the bowels of ShitTown-

  “You do not know what a cardinal focus is”, he abruptly said.

  “Listen, fuck off, I just need-”

  “I am not here to argue with you. I am above puerile verbal spats with a brat.” He took up his hand and his staff popped in the air, extending fully in a nifty mechanical way. His voice turned nearly all teacher-like. “This is a staff with a cardinal focus. Those are mostly used by humans who have no way of storing their own magic. They’re either tuned to the land and its magic, becoming dependant on the magical landscape, or to a mana cloister that stores a limited amount of mana that is generally aspected. Hybrids can be made by master crafstmen. Mine has been tweaked to my satisfaction after much experimentation. A brilliant relic, or so do I say.”

  Okay, had she just found out what this guy’s hyperfixation was?

  He was now speaking with a raised finger, the perfect picture of the benevolent teacher that was definitely not holier-than-thou and all of that. In other words, it was a perfect, lying picture.

  “On the other hand, a hemenarian grid allows a greater versatility than the cardinal focus”, he said, nearly only for himself. “Elves can use it as a magical layout that allows several different sorts of difficult spells to be cast much faster than usual. Where a human will usually be restricted to a limited amount of predetermined spells embedded in the making of their staff, hemenarian grids allow experienced elves to have their own personalised layout to make complex spells seamlessly.”

  Half-listening, she blinked a little to perform “S-O-S” in Morse code, but he was lost in his own rambles. Sadly for her, he most likely didn’t know Morse code. He might as well have thought that she was thoughtfully paying attention. Tragic.

  “Most legendary staffs have allowed their makers to cast unfathomable spells that would have required multiple casters and weeks of incantations, all reduced to the span of a few hours under their lonesome hand”, he said. Then he turned his head towards her. “Which leads me to you.”

  She tilted her head. Wait. Did his speech have an actual point? Did he plan on actually helping her? That was downright shocking.

  “What sort of staff do you require?”, he said, in a weirdly careful voice. “One usually made for humans or one made for elves?”

  Vic rubbed her chin.

  “Uhm”, she said. “I don’t know, man. I just know I want to get my hands on a couple of very specific ingredients. I could make you a list…? Maybe I’m supposed to make my own staff schematic. Maybe that’s something I’d need to learn. Maybe.” Probably not though.

  But maybe she could learn some useful stuff here. She wasn’t against learning something new. At least something useful would be gained from this whole misadventure. She stared back up at him.

  He seemed either lost in thought, or bamboozled beyond belief. Was he disappointed that she hadn’t answered his question the way he wanted her to? Whatever.

  “I can do that”, he said. “But it would be better if I knew what each component is intended for. I might be able to give you better suited parts.”

  This was awkward. The game system literally had an unchangeable list of prerequisite materials.

  “Uhm, uh, not sharing that”, she said quickly, “I already have the Lich’s heart, so that’s one thing you don’t have to-

  “The Lich’s heart.”

  He was not moving.

  Vic sighed.

  “Yeah, I mean, for the staff. Yeah. It’s. Probably to use it as a battery”, she said.

  “A battery.” he said.

  Vic gave him an awkward look.

  “It’s the stuff that stores magic. Probably”, she said.

  “You’re using a Lich’s heart. As a mana cloister.”

  Why did he sound so offended?

  “Are you going to help me or not?” she asked, dryly.

  “I am lightly doubting your expertise”, he said. He seemed to be about to keep going because he raised dramatically a hand.

  “Gnehgnehgneh”, she interrupted, “look at me, I’m a self-proclaimed god, and I’m the only one that’s allowed to require blind trust of others, gnehgnehgneh!”

  That made him lower his hand.

  “I do not s…”, he stopped. She thought she’d heard a choked growl. So much for self-control, huh? “I do not think… Ah, nevermind. Very well.” He paused, perhaps chewing on his own words. “I will be helping you. In the meantime, you are free to roam my city, as long as you wear this mask.”

  Vic blinked.

  He had gotten out of his robes a wooden mask that had upwards branches crawling out of it. It seemed like a downgrade version of his own.

  Vic squinted.

  “Why do I need to wear a mask?” she asked.

  “Because you’ve killed more than dozens in the Lower City and you will most likely be roaming mindlessly around without care for the consequences of your presence”, he said.

  Ooh. Right.

  She frowned.

  “You meant, ‘that we’ve killed’, right?” she corrected.

  “The point being”, he said, strictly, “that you need to hide your face.”

  Huh.

  Kay.

  She tried examining the mask with her game interface but it kept showing her a description of the [Bloodcursed Emperor] with a few other warnings that she should definitely kill him or run instead of showing her a description of the mask he was holding in his extended hand, perfectly immobile, waiting for her to come there to take it.

  She sighed, and made a hand gesture for him to throw the mask.

  He didn’t move.

  “Com’on, gimme”, she said, opening and closing her hands.

  He threw it. It clattered twice before reaching and thumping lightly against her feet.

  Rude.

  She crouched next to it and examined it without prodding it, and it just showed [carved mask], with a short description of “a recently hand-made mask made by a skilled craftsman. It holds no other history yet.”

  Hm.

  Well, he’d already tried all he could to mind control her before and all had failed. She doubted that this mask could do that if she wore it. He’d have used it before if it could do it. The game system wasn’t sparking up with a dozen of warnings, so that was that.

  She picked it up. No magical bullshitery happened. She nearly put it in her inventory, but stopped, realising just now that the cursedblood emperor had no idea she had that ability. She’d rather keep it secret.

  She was left staring at the back of the mask. It had three pair of knots that she could adjust to make it fit right.

  Hm. She didn’t like at all how it looked like a downgrade to the one he was wearing. This sculpted thing wasn’t magical at all in nature.

  “Well, Victorya, do you know how to put on a mask? Do I need to give you instructions on how to do that?” he asked, full of condescension.

  “SHUT UP”, she said. “I’m not putting it on yet. That’s all. You still owe me what your servants took from me, which were some of my clothes. I want my coat back. I also want my awards before I do any other single thing that you ask me to do.”

  “If it is more of my demands that you require”, he said, and no, she did not require them, “I’ll need you first and foremost to cease your unforgivable, constant remarks when we are in public.”

  “Cope, old man”, she spat. “Take some copium. All the copium.”

  “Victorya”, he said, coldly, and threateningly, “I don’t care about what you are saying. You cannot speak to me this way in public.”

  “Wow then I guess you’ll have to avoid me and run away as soon as you see me then, old man”, she said. That picture would be hilarious too. She couldn’t wait for his Fanciness to use his gangly legs to race away like a scared deer as soon as he saw her from far away.

  “Do you want your hundred golden honours, Victorya?” he asked. He was seething a little.

  “Yes, yes I do”, she said, fake-pleading, “and oh! You will give them to me and some extra seven something golden coins for the days I stayed in your stupid city while I was unconscious because you fed me sleep-inducing drugs to try and find a way to mindcontrol me. Which you failed.”

  He raised his chin.

  “Done”, he said, without hesitation. “You will not disrespect me in public. Victorya. In private, you may spit out your odious words, you may indulge in your incessant pestering, but you will not under any circumstance treat me openly with irreverent flippancy.”

  “You have such a weak brittle ego”, she said, “I think I won’t be able to open my mouth if I even want to try to accommodate you. And I won’t be trying that. That’d be such a pain.”

  “Do you want me to help you build your staff, Victorya?” he said bitingly.

  “No”, she said.

  She gave him a look.

  She saw him freeze. As in, actually freeze this time. Not a single spec of him was moving.

  “I don’t actually need your help, duh”, she smiled. “You’re not useful, you’re just convenient.”

  Oh.

  Oh.

  That had been his game.

  He was trying to find ways to manipulate her. He was trying to control what she needed at its very source to force her to conform.

  Hoho.

  HO!

  “Victorya-”

  “Dude just give me the money”, she said. “Stop stalling. I’m bored of you.”

  She could feel an emptiness in the room.

  He wasn’t moving, yet again, yet once more, but it was different.

  He seemed… flabbergasted? It was difficult to know, with him wearing a mask and all.

  He’d been left speechless, at least. His fingers were left silently clenching on the handle of his mechanical staff. Was he going… to blast a spell her way?

  “Helloooo”, she said. “Money money money, gimme my reward, hello hello!”

  She wagged her hand for a little while.

  She nearly started doing a little victory dance, but thought better of it. He might actually blast her because he’d be that sort of bad faith raging gamer that lost all the time and that would often send his keyboard crashing through a window after repeatedly losing a game over and over. Such a skill issue was on him, just like his overreactions.But she wouldn’t get her bag of money coins if that happened.

  To her stupefaction, he didn’t speak, but he did move. He lifted his finger.

  The chest flew open. Vic’s face was illuminated by golden light. She made a dorky horrible smile. Oh my sweetness.

  FINALLY!

  She joyfully took out her bag, got on her knees and immediately started throwing the golden coins into it. She took a big handful of coins and let them fall from her fingers straight into her bag, their tinkling sound sounding so very delicious. This was the sound of future hearty meals and well-rested nights with the comfiest of beds wrapped in the snuggiest of blankets. This was the sound of new armour and new consumables falling straight into her lap like an offering from the skies.

  Oh, so many golden coins… Oh, so many, so many, she could play with them all day… She couldn’t wait to spend them…

  Oh, she was going on a shopping spree pretty soon! Heehee! She was getting a new coat! Even a fancy one!

  OH, she needed to check on that street vendor who’d called her a muddy rat. Oh absolutely fucking yes, she needed to rub her riches in his fugly face. Yes. YES. Yes Vic. Yes!

  She was chewing on her nail thinking about it when she got interrupted by a weird, careful sounding voice.

  “Victorya, if you… may, if you may listen to only one request. Please.” he said.

  Vic froze in her tracks.

  Was he pleading?!

  She stared back by giving him a shocked sideglance. His audible choked grunt did reassure her. He hadn’t been replaced by an entirely different divinity while she hadn’t been looking.

  Okay she’d heard him out just this once. After all, she needed to hear what he was asking for to be able to tell him how he should fuck off and how she would absolutely not be doing his request because he was an ass that pooped stinky shit just as much as gold.

  “I will not be asking you any favours, Victorya. Not now. I have asked enough of you”, he said.

  “Yeah, you have”, she said.

  He didn’t raise to the bait. He did pause though. Heh heh, he’d been affected.

  “You may go and vacate to your occupations”, he said. “But whatever you do, do not go to the Academy. You are not welcome within that sanctum of knowledge for the sake of the students.”

  He paused, raising his hand with quiet confidence like before while he spoke. Huh. He was getting comfortable with his fuck ups far too fast. He’d bounced back extremely fast. This man was an experienced bullshitter. Of course he was, he was a cult leader.

  “You have done everything not to go here ever since you entered my city”, he softly, carefully said. “It only makes sense that you may not enter its grounds, yes?”

  Vic stared.

  He tilted his head to the side, taking her stare for some sort of reaction he was searching for.

  “But if you do disobey once more, at least wear the mask I’ve given you while you trespass.”

  Vic squinted.

  She didn’t answer.

  “Wha-te-ver”, she said, spun around, leaving the chest empty of its contents, hearing her heavy bag clink along her footsteps. There was far too much weight on her shoulders when she left that throne room. Better get rid of it soon.