Double-Blind: A Modern LITRPG

Chapter 100

Kinsley. And my name is Vernon Fields. Not that it matters. In a court of law, I would have just given you motive alongside the smoking gun, and the assertion that I cannot stop my work. But there is no court of law anymore. Vernons hands were shaking. He rotated away from me on the swivel chair.

Though I kept my crossbow pointed in his general direction, I removed my finger from the trigger. marked everything he said as true. My title was uncharacteristically quiet after the fact, as if in the face of the necromancers chilling story, its usual ghastly commentary would have been pointlessly over the top.

That wouldnt have been enough, if the story didnt fit so well.

Gray-hair and cohorts abduct Kinsley and her father and discover in the midst of an interrogation that theyve unknowingly acquired a two-for-one special. They lose the merchant, and are determined to salvage their losses and make the most of what they have. So, they mock up a body, or an illusion, or whatever. They even found a Level 1 core from a merchantwhich didnt track perfectly, especially if theyd bought things from Kinsley, and shed leveled before everything went south, but Vernon wouldnt necessarily know that. Then, they used the core and the carrot of True Resurrection to tie the remaining asset to their cause.

After all, anyone is capable of anything, given the right situation and proper motivation.

It seemed to me, given the contextoutsourced mercenaries with only a single member of their organization apart from Vernon himself, that they were confident Vernon would continue the work independently, and that necromancy wasnt overly high on their priority list, or at least something they wanted to avoid being directly tied to. It tracked with Vernons hypothesis that Gray-hair had no inside knowledge of the skill tree, and that Vernon was likely one of many resources they were leveraging, trying to get on top.

And Vernon was right that the idea of resurrection existing had logic behind it. Towards the end of the Necromancers tree, there was likely some sort of resurrection that involved implementing a Users core. The level of autonomy that revived User would have was completely unknowable, and Id be surprised if there wasnt some malignant twist to itshortened lifespan, amnesia, altered personality, imprinting on the necromancer themselves just to name a few possibilitiesbut its existence was a decent guess. From a purely rational, pragmatic standpoint, the suits had played their cards brilliantly.

That didnt change the fact that it was monstrous.

I opened my mouth and nearly told Vernon his daughter was alive.

Then, I stopped myself. Somewhere in the depths of my mind, I could hear laughing.

Vernon was already suicidal. Not in the traditional, inches away from writing a note and making toast in the bathtub sort of way. But it was clear that hurting people didnt come naturally to him, and he wanted to stop, or at least for someone to stop him. If it had been Miles who wandered into his lair instead of me, he likely would have gotten his wish.

The singularity of his mission was what was keeping him going. If I told him Kinsley was alive, and by proxy, that the murders he committed were all pointless, would he be able to take it?

No.

All of which left me in a difficult position. If I let him go and did nothing, hed continue as he had been. The same reason relocating him wouldnt work. And killing him was completely off the table. It didnt matter that there were no witnesses. Once the flow of information starts, it rarely slows. Enough people knew I was here, in this building. Other people connected to those people knew I was associated with Rodericks Lodge and the Merchants Guild. If she found out, my best-placed ally with the highest potential would be at risk, if not actively hostile. And Kinsleys name was rapidly becoming public information.

That last bit was likely an outcome the suits hadnt planned for. It seemed far more likely for them to assume Kinsley would lay low after what they did to her. Stay in hiding for weeks, even months, before she eventually resurfaced and signed on with another guild out of necessity, placing her conveniently out of their purview. With her becoming a public figureespecially when people realized shed willingly cut pricing on healing items during the eventthe suits would need to hold Vernon closer to the vest, to prevent the possibility hed talk to the wrong person.

I needed to be careful here. Playing this wrong would be a disaster.

So, I did what I always did when faced with a difficult problem. Sought more information.

Lets break this down. I said. Vernon jumped, like hed forgotten I was there. I know you can give me information about the organization itself, but can you discuss the geas? About the process of receiving it. Consequences of breaking it. Or is it a Fight Club situation?

The latter, Vernon said. He seemed confused, like he didnt understand why I was still talking to him. He looked upwards in thought. I can discuss what it isnt. As far as I know.

Is there any chance youll break it accidentally?

No, Vernon said. I would be aware.

In the case that you were notified, would anyone else be made aware of that, or is the warning exclusive to you?

I would be notified, Vernon repeated. He couldnt answer, but the repetition and feedback from my title implied that the warning was exclusive.

Okay. I could do this. I just needed to ask the right questions, extrapolate from what he was unable to answer, and use to fill in the blanks. First, I had to make sure I didnt have a fox in the henhouse. Just because I trusted Kinsley didnt mean she wasnt compromised.

Is it likely that anyone the organization interrogates is under a geas?

Vernons lips tightened. No answer. Nothing from my title. I needed to reframe the question.

Im planning to create an evil, overarching organization. Obviously, I dont want people to talk about it. Wouldnt it make sense to get someone to cast a geasor some analogueon everyone I talked to? To ensure my motives and plans stayed private.

Vernon gave that some thought. If you were able to find a cheaper, cost-efficient alternative, sure, I could see that. Otherwise, youd need to limit your applications.

The geas is expensive to use, and likely limited to members of the organization.

I smiled. That was good news. It meant I didnt have to worry about sleeper agents, and Kinsley was likely in the clear.

Im aware that breaking the geas results in death. That being said, is there any way to remove it after its in place?

Vernon was silent again.

Yes.

I moved on. As Im seeking alternatives to the geas, what do you think I should prioritize beyond cost-efficiency?

He had to think about that for a moment before he realized what I was asking. Something that stops people from taking direct action against you, for one thing. If its capable of monitoring their thoughts, letting you know whos a risk and who isnt, all the better. And being able to have a larger number of forbidden topics would be ideal as well.

The geas wont act as a deterrent against coups, or punish someone for thinking of ways to break it. Its also limited in scope, and has a low number of restrictions it can place on any given person.

Can you tell me anything about the court? I asked. It had stuck in my head, ever since Gray-hair slapped down an underling for almost mentioning it in front of me.

Vernons eyes widened in surprise. His eyes darted back and forth, as if he was furiously trying to figure out how to say something. After several false starts, he managed to voice the question. Do you know someone whos been taken?

I shook my head. Its better for both of us if I dont answer that.

It wasnt a good denial. And it wasnt meant to be. If what I had in mind was going to work, I was giving Vernon a reason for me being on his side without specifically saying it. Enough that he had plausible deniability if he was interrogated by someone with a power similar to Tylers.

There was one more thing I needed to clear up. There was no way Kinsley hadnt tried to reach out to her father since the voice and text communication came online. In my evil organization, it would probably be a good idea to limit communications from low-level members or contractors, to ensure they didnt leak anything not covered by my geas. Thoughts?

Vernon nodded. Even better if you have someone specifically monitoring, recording, and approving incoming and out-going communication of all guild members. Safer that way.

There was more I wanted to know. The goal the suits were working towards, why they were so hellbent from the beginning on building as quickly as possible, how the hell the suits had gotten such a head start over everyone else. If I had to guess, based on my experience with the all-father, they had a deity on their side. Worst-case, more than one.

Those were just things Id have to discover for myself.

From what I can tell, youve only been working on Users. Can you not work with civilian cores? I asked.

Vernons eyes slid to the side. Thats what I told them.

On the surface, it was an arbitrary line to draw. But I understood why hed drawn it. Limiting your victims to people who stood a fighting chance, even if that chance was small, spoke to Vernons humanity. And the fact that hed gone so far as to lie to the suits conveyed that there was still fight left in him, still lines he refused to cross.

That was something I could work with.

How long does it take you to process a core? Do whatever you need to do with it?

A day. Sometimes longer, if the project is more in-depth.

I think we can help each other, Vernon. I finally lowered my crossbow, placing it in my inventory. From there, I withdrew Jinnys core, holding it out where he could see it. Because I have both a vested interest in the court, and whats at the top of the necromancer tree.

Im sorry for your loss, Vernon said nervously, But giving me that would be a bad idea. Once a core is used up, it dissipates. Cant say for sure, but if theres a possibility of bringing the person back, its likely gone forever.

I was using Jinnys core as a prop. A tool to further misdirect the suits from my true identity. Theyd checked her body themselves, and our inventories after hers. They knew she didnt leave a core behind. I realized, if there was an opportunity to bring her back, I needed to try. Stupid as it was, Id made her a promise. Her dying didnt change that. And she likely wouldnt be the last person I lost. If there was a way to mitigate that eventuality, it was irresponsible not to prepare for it.

Of course. Which is why Im not giving you this one, I said.

This one? Vernon asked, suddenly wary.

There was no doubt in my mind that what I was about to do was necessary. It was the best possible solution to an impossible problem. But after this, on the off-chance there was a god, I knew exactly where Id stand.

Please. If there is a god, you were always going to hell. Nothing you do is going to change that, one way or another.

Ignoring the taunt from my title, I withdrew five cores. Three Users, two ungifted. The ungifted were age eighty-seven and ninety-one respectively. The two oldest cores I had. Vernons eyes widened as I held them out to him.

Where He started.

Youd do anything to have your daughter back, right? I asked him.

His expression softened. Yes.

Im offering you an alternative. A way to keep your hands clean and still be able to work towards that goal.

He reached out slowly and inspected the cores, reviewing them. These are real cores, but Ill burn through them quickly.

Its around a week, right?

What?

What I just gave you, and what youve gathered already. A weeks supply.

Oh. I suppose it would be, yes.

Talias voice intruded in my mind, startling me. We have a problem.

In the middle of something. What is it? I asked.

Miles has finished moving the lux to the metal vehicle. Talia said.

Please tell me hes not trying to drive off with it.

On the contrary. Despite my insistence otherwise, he is refusing to leave you behind and seems overly concerned you may be held against your will. The frustration in Talias voice was clear. He is currently fighting his way through the guards on the stairwell as it leads to your side.

I blinked, surprised that Miles would go to that level of effort. Uh. Does he need help?

If anyone needs help, it is the guards. Unless I interfere, you have five minutes before he finds you. Perhaps less.

Another timetable. Fantastic.

Dont interfere. I should be good by then. Just keep me updated.

If I was going to solidify this relationship and get Vernon out of here alive, I needed to move fast.

When you talk to the suits, tell them the truth. I started to pace. A third party attacked your operation and a User found you. After discovering what you were, he offered to provide you with cores indefinitely. Then he helped you escape.

Vernon swallowed. I could guess what he was struggling with. Whether to ask me where the cores came from, or if hed rather live without knowing the answer. In the end, he chose the latter. Im assuming theres a catch?

Other than reviving a core if you ever gain the ability? I waved him off. Nothing from you. What I want, you cant give me. Just tell the suits to meet me at Lakeside park four days from now, at noon.

Assuming the transposition event didnt destroy any semblance of normality, Lakeside park was two miles from downtown, public enough that they wouldnt feel comfortable making any big moves.

And what should I tell them you want?

I smiled. To offer my sincerest apologies for traumatizing one of their own, of course. Beyond that, what I want is simple. Entrance. Into their esteemed organization.

Something unspoken passed between us. Finally, Vernon nodded.

This was the first step. The foothold Id been waiting for. Id need to figure out a way to get around the geas and take more than a few measures in preparation, but four days was plenty of time. It wouldnt be immediate. They wouldnt trust a stranger, even less one bearing gifts. But Id eventually have access to Nick, along with their considerable resources.

Subsequently, it was a matter of placing the dominoes in the correct order.

And watching them fall.