Game of Ash and Bone

Chapter 10 - I finally figure out *some* of what is going on

Level three looks much the same as the last two, but the walls being coated in oil are a surprise. Nemo knew that but didn't bother to warn us. No more traveling on top of the walls. We're stuck in the shadows. By now we are all coated in ash, and tired, and fairly miserable. Lex's short cuts have proved correct, and if the game masters think we're going remarkably in the right direction, they're apparently making enough off the betting not to care. We're fine on supplies so the lack of drones is less surprising.
There was always going to be repercussions for the cheating, but I was hoping to avoid them to be honest. They come in the form of a helicopter. This time a couple of guards repel down.
Nemo's being removed from our party. Apparently they blame him. I'm the only one who finds this amusing. Well I'm sure Lex finds it amusing. They seem to think he's been the one guiding us thus far.
"Let go, it's not cheating to ally—let some of them come with me—," Nemo points out, as they take both his arms. The guards are wearing mirrored glasses to prevent psychic stuff.
"We'll meet up again," Tove says. He saw the maps he knows where we will be.
"We'll be fine," Arthur adds, quickly.
"Meet me in the next level," Nemo says, then they clip him to their repel lines. And he's tugged into the sky.
Because we're very mature, so that he will not miss us, all four of us make rude gestures, while smiling cheekily. That's mostly for the guards who are taking him away, but like he deserves it as well just because. I assume Lex isn't going to be pleased about that, he was fine with the psychic helping me avoid some of the traps.
But it can't be helped. We're back down to our foursome.
"We should be maybe four or five hours from a safe room. You guys sleep. I'll go get us more supplies. I did tell them to request one of you they may, but my contact isn't prone to listening to me," I say, as we listen to the faint whir of the helicopter. Hopefully they don't take him out of this level and he can just find us again.
"It's fine—they're your friends," Tove says, shaking her head.
"Yeah just get us the fuck out of here," Arthur says.
"We'll see. He said he'd pull me next safe room but," I shrug. He may save the money we're making good progress. I'm still more on edge without Nemo, though. The psychic was admittedly comforting to have along.
We've been a couple of days without a major monster encounter, so now on the ground, it was bound to happen.
And it comes in the form of two bull-gorillas. Big enough to eat a Cosmo in one bite.
They stop in front of us, still, staring.
I hold my axe, carefully. I can take out one maybe but this path is narrow. We have nowhere to run.
Then suddenly one turns, and rams into the other. They both scream out. The first rams the other into the wall mercilessly, till the ash ground runs red with blood. Then it turns and rams into the wall again, and again, and again, until it's own head splits open.
"ARTHUR!" Tove cry, in unison, in such parental voices I feel a bit ill personally.
"What?" He asks, completely innocently, lowering his hand, "We needed them dead."
"Scary stuff!" Lyra chides, but she's had her eyes covered so she like, wouldn't actually know that it's scary stuff.
"That was very brutal, you did not need to do that," Tove says.
"That's it young man I'm your dad now—," I begin.
"Oh my god you're five years older than me!!!"
"Well too late. Until your other dad my associate shows up to actually teach you how to do that without going insane, no experiments," I say.
"Fuck you both, seriously," Arthur says, but he's grinning, "It was not hard you are both so fucking weird."
"Oh I'm sorry we don't want you to lose your mind," Tove says.
"I'm not! Fuck that, never do that again," I say.
"Why?" Arthur asks, sassily.
All three of us, in unison, "No scary stuff."
Arthur groans, "You are REALLY getting weird guys."
The rest of the day is without incident. Either through Lex's subtle cheating, or pure dumb luck, we make the rest of the six hours without coming across cannibals or monsters. We don't run into Nemo either. But he's probably bee-lining for level five. He's beaten the maze before, why not make it there ahead of us so he doesn't have to fight us? He knows we have our plan and are good.
We make it there just after dark, and toss a few stones in to try to trigger a trap before stepping in. It's safe, as Lex predicted.
"All right, I assume I'm going to get taken here, last requests?" I ask.
"Candy," Lyra grins.
"A way out," Arthur says.
"Right, nothing else? Preferred snacks, tampons, friendship bracelets?" I ask.
"We're going to start throwing things at you," Arthur says.
"I'm good, we have a good amount of food," Tove shrugs.
"Your call, I'll hopefully come back with a more solid plan," I say, looking up. Sure enough, there's the sound of a helicopter whirring above us.
"Be safe," Tove says.
I wink. The kids are already settled down. I toss over my backpack, they can play with what's in there and read the books. I'll come back with another one.
Once again the rope drops, I think for half a second how funny it would be if someone else actually wanted to buy me. But it's Lex. I hook myself up and am once again drawn up into the sky. The guards haul me in unceremoniously, clearly not thrilled at enabling the homosexuals. I don't super care how they feel about it and grin at them. I'm filthy, but not as bad as last time, nor am I significantly injured, a few new bruises but nothing major.
The penthouse is glowing bright ahead, as I'm born through the sky above the labyrinth. I look down once but all I can see is the fires of the passages already being incinerated.
The window opens and we hop out, this time I manage not to fall, and Lex doesn't hesitate to embrace me. The guards leave, clearly not thrilled to see our swift kiss.
"I'm fine," I hold up my hands, "And we lost the psychic so—what is going on?"
Lex laughs, "Come and have something to eat. I'll explain everything."
"You'd better," I say, tugging off my shirt which is filthy, "Do you want me to shower?"
"Like a little but I'm aware you want answers," Lex says, "I'd have told you all this last time but."
"Yeah fuckin' tell me," I sigh, coming over to the sofa. Liam tosses me a clean sweatshirt. Food and drinks are laid out, "Quickly—on the cams everyone okay?"
"Yeah the Puppetmaster's on the other side from you, heading for the next level. He skipped a safe room," Joyce says.
"Guessed as much," I shrug, flopping down on the sofa, "Well?"
"Obviously—," Lex shrugs a bit, sitting down on an ottoman across from me, "We're doing a con."
"I gathered," I say, "Why did 'we' decide killing me was the best way to get in the Game?"
"It's never been about the game," Lex says, taking a breath.
"What?" I ask, shaking my head, "I'm not not having some fun but fucking hell—,"
"The game was a symptom. This is a kidnapping, and I —as I tend to—saw some improvements to be made, and benefit personally," Lex says.
"What? The only person that's been kidnapped is me—?" I say, confused.
"As I'm a psychic, you're aware I'll have a longer lifespan than a normal man," Lex says, slowly.
"Like me, yes," I say.
"By letting you die and then resurrecting you using the life of another, very long lived, psychic, our lifespans are going to be much much closer to matching," Lex says, fiddling with a bracelet.
"That part was your idea!" Liam calls.
"Oh god," I sigh, "That does—sound like me."
"Okay don't need narration, thank you!" Lex calls to the rest, who grumble, but go back to work.
"But—wait—how did you even know there would be a psychic available—? And not every psychic is long lived that's usually just you inbred fancy people," I say.
"True, enough. But back to the original con. About eighteen months ago, it became known, in, certain circles, that the heir to the Sergette family had committed suicide, troubled after the war and probably queer, he was gone. So they began shaking up. Looking for any illegitimate kids he, or his dead brother, or father had," Lex says, "Previously discarded. Next heir. Naturally, I volunteered I had the location of one."
"Oh my god," I breath.
"I didn't. But I'm me. So I said it. Soon enough we track down, that fifteen years ago old man Sergette sold a pregnant woman to a brothel. She was just a slave, nurse, one of his sons had taken a liking to, old old story. Well of course they disposed of her. But now with his sons dead? He needs the kid back, I offer to get him. For a price. He's willing to pay us anything. But the absolute idiot signed off years ago that the child if found unsuitable should be discarded," Lex says.
"He fucking signed Arthur away—and forgot?" I ask..
"Or forgot how old the kid was, or whatever yes, it was simple paperwork he said that for any illegitmate kid that would turn up. Ass didn't think anything of it. By the time we follow the paper trail, finding the mum, then that he was sent to the Academy, he's already been slated for the Games," Lex says.
"Which is where I come in, I volunteer to go and protect him as a bonus—get some of his immortal life to live long and do crime with you," I groan, as the memories start to return.
"Quite. Some of us had reservations about actually killing you but—it was the only way to get you in without suspicion. Even without your memories we agreed you'd likely bond to the boy anyway till you got to a safe room and I could fill you in," Lex says.
"What about Arthur's mum? You said we found her?" I ask.
"Completely safe, I bought her from the brothel for questioning we needed to identify him properly. She's rather skittish big surprise, wouldn't tell us much. But she's safe back at my lake property. Figured the kid would cooperate better and go home with her," Lex shrugs.
"Fuck, good, okay—how are you getting us out of there?" I ask.
"Oh, that's more simple. Whenever a contestant dies, what happens?" He asks.
"Incinerated?" I frown.
"What do you think the soap is made from?" Lex winces a bit, taking off his glasses to fiddle with.
"Oh fuck me," I groan.
"Before the fire's turned on those corpses are collected into a basement below the labyrinth, and sent off to the soap factory. Which I now own," Lex says, "All you, and the others, have to do is convincingly fake your deaths. I send you back down you pretend to kill those three like you're mad, and then go a bit farther, kill yourself. Play dead till nightfall. They dump that section into a truck which is driven by our men, you're free and clear. New identities await you. And Arthur is being sold back to his dad/grandad for a very high price, happy ending."
"If he's okay with that—," I say.
"Yeah we'll tell him I assume the street rat will want it the old man's desperate for a grandchild now. Worst case the kid doesn't want to go so we take two weeks prepping him to rob the family jewels and scurry back to us," Lex says.
"He will probably go fine for that," I laugh, "That's it—that was the plan?"
Lex nods, "So simple nobody's going to guess it. And all of your new friends can come, I just couldn't confirm that before."
"No, right, okay," I sigh. Easy. And that means that tomorrow we are out of there.
"You want to shower?" Lex asks, coming over to rub my shoulders. "Get some rest. In the morning we'll go over the fake deaths, but for now it's just whatever else I might have missed?"
"Yeah, probably," I sigh.
"Give me your pants I'll wash them—what they're bullet proof they're expensive and he's disgusting," Bran says, making the necessary hand gestures, while holding my already discarded shirt.
"Love the pants, love flame proof clothes," I say, checking my pockets to empty them. A knife, a few carribiners, and a half eaten meal bar. I drop it onto the table then stand to undress.
"Where did you get that?" Joyce asks, pointing.
"What? The meal bar—?" I ask, frowning.
"Yeah, they were discontinued two years ago that is the best flavor," Joyce says, "Chocolate chocolate? I used to love these things. I was so mad when they quit making them."
"I can't buy a company just because you don't want one snack to be discontinued—especially if they won't sell it to me," Lex mutters the last part.
"Arthur liked that flavor best to he said his mom used to—," I stop.
"What?" Lex asks.
Everything is falling horribly into place.
"Are you sure these were discontinued? Are you positive?" I ask, holding it up.
"Yes, I really wanted them you can't buy them anywhere," Joyce says.
I turn it over. An old expiration date. They're experied.
"What is wrong? Why are you this upset about an old meal bar?" Lex asks, coming around to look at my face.
"Land of the Lotus eaters," I whisper.
"What?" Lex shakes his head.
"Lex, what's the Latin word for 'nobody'?" I ask.
"Nemo—hence Captain Nemo in 20,000 leagues why—?" Lex asks.
"And what happens to Odysseus in the Land of the Lotus eaters?" I ask.
"His crew loses their memory—what is the point of this track?" Lex asks, spinning a hand.
"Nemo Lotus. Nobody. Everyone in the maze, mostly, has lost their memory after dying. He's in the Land of the Lotus eaters," I say.
"What?"
"He's using a fake name! Nemo—that is not who he is," I point urgently at the window, "He's been lying to us. A lot."
"No, Nyx— we checked. That's who he was when he was sold to the game," Lex says, quickly.
"I know. But he's playing—as big a con as we are—why do you always call me Nyx?" I ask, "No one else does. I introduce myself as Cosmo."
"We chose it, you chose that your mother chose Cosmo," Lex shakes his head.
"But you call me that, in public. He'd seen us before, at a casino, and I'm going to bet somewhere else I didn't recognize him," I say.
"What are you saying?" Lex asks, urgently now.
"Nemo's there for Arthur too. He claimed he was using us as a shield but more than once he was ready to sacrifice himself to save us. Who has he been bought by?" I stalk over to our plans, strewn across the table. I sort for the grainy image of him getting delivered.
"Sergettas," Lex says, quietly.
"That's not the embrace of a lover," I point, "Nor is it sexual. She's hugging him, he didn't expect it. He worked for them. He's been sent to find Arthur too. That's why he helped us protect them. That's why he was so suspicious of me he knows who Arthur is!"
"Shit," Lex sighs.
"Okay obviously we want to kidnap the child first but is this that big a deal? He must have a way to get him out?" Liam raises his hand.
"No. He doesn't. That's why he was always so upset —he could be there to kill him. Look he's embracing the daughter, what if she's angry she's being supplanted by an illegitmate brother or nephew?" I ask, holding up the page.
"Fuck. All right, he's half the maze away, even walking all night he'd not make it over to you we're still good," Lex says.
"No, we're not. And we don't know what he's planning. We won't be safe until I confront him," I say.
"No," Lex shakes his head, "Let it go."
"He's in there, looking for Arthur. That's why he went, he's been through three times because he didn't know when he'd start. We could be wrong, maybe the sister is just trying to find Arthur, and he's her agent. But whatever it is. I need to talk to him again. I don't think he's all bad," I say.
"I'm sorry I know this is important but—what does this have to do with the snack bar?" Bran asks, raising his hand.
"It's expired. Arthur said his mother used to leave this with him to eat while she was working. Because he was a little kid, kids are picky so he'd eat chocolate. Someone, Nemo, who was looking for the boy went by the flat or whoever they were—"
"After we'd taken her," Lex sighs.
"Quite. If he's a bounty hunter then he didn't know where the kid would have gone, anything, he took the treats knowing the kid would eat it, by then he probably guessed he was going to have to enter the game to find him, and wanted something the kid would eat or trust, he could hardly say though 'these are from your mum' when I was right there then he would have assumed I was after him too, because he always knew who I am and that I'm with you," I say, "If the sisters' genuinely worried I need to stop Nemo, before he gets killed. Tell him to withdraw, the ransom is on. Fine. If he's there to kill him then I need to slow him down while you get Arthur to safety."
"How? Nyx he's across the maze," Lex sighs, "He's not even going to know you're gone."
"He's psychic. I don't know how good but you saw yourself he's powerful. I'm willing to bet he'll know we're gone. And like I said—I don't think he has terrible intentions. He saved my life as well a time or two. And the kids," I sigh.
"It's your call," Lex shrugs, "I don't see a reason to risk it."
"I can still get out," I point out, "Just fake my death. Easy. You get me out. I just need more time. Do you trust me?"
"I trust you," Lex nods, sighing though, "I don't like it. But I trust you."
"I can try to lead you to him," Liam offers.
"You don't have to. He's heading for level 5, which means he'll get out. I'll meet him there, talk to him, he'll fake-kill me and maybe himself, if he agrees, and you take him away," I say, "He can see in my head it's all true."
"That could work," Joyce shrugs.
"It will," I say, "Can you tell Arthur's mother we're coming with him soon? I assume we're going to the lake?"
"Yeah," Lex nods, "We will. Total disclosure she doesn't trust me, at all."
"No clue why. All right, I'll shower, then you run me through how we fake our deaths," I say, looking at Lex. He's clearly still troubled. "What? This isn't worse than when we actually killed me."
"ARE YOU AWARE HOW LOW A BAR THAT IS???"