Haven's Addiction

“Very perceptive of you,” he smirked like a black Han Solo. “Now can you figure out why it is that I requested a meeting?”

He took a seat in the nearby booth, very dignified and intelligent, which made him difficult to read. He had obviously been in this game a long time. He was so calm and collected as he took a sip of his drink, waiting for my response, that I don’t think anything would have rattled him.

“You want to discuss future business dealings,” which seemed like too simple and obvious of a response. He was a businessman at heart, much like Fenton and I. However, Droclin Lar was The businessman of Haven. He led the Merchants Guild that oversaw all trade in Haven and owned many of the largest businesses. Supposedly he was the richest man in all of Haven, possibly the wealthiest man in existence.

“Yes, I am anticipating having many endeavors together now and in the distant future,” his tone remained as polite as possible.

“What endeavors in particular are you currently hoping to pursue with me?” He continued to be vague, and I needed to get to the point.

“Nothing in particular. Rest assured that we will be making a great deal of profit together. Although I have a feeling that what you want to talk about is the Orbs of the Eternal Dragons.”

“Is that what they are called? I’ve just been calling them the Orbs.”

He smirked a little. “Yes, that is a clever way to weed out those who are enlightened about them. I must warn you, the Orbs are dangerous to deal with.”

“I’m ready for it.” I would have thought that he was trying to take it away, but he actually seemed concerned about my well being. Either he genuinely cared, or was a master at putting up a front. So far there was no word from Barthandolous of whether or not Droclin lied.

“I’m sure you think you are ready. The Orb you own already has a hold on you. Just like Placidious, and all the other owners before you, you will not be able to let got rid of it until it is forced upon you.”

“What about you?” I asked, finally taking a seat. It seemed that this conversation was going to go on for a while. “You are an Orb owner as well.”

“I have never used it. I would never use it. I’ve already had more than my fair share of insanity over the years. I try to cut back on it whenever possible.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that. “So what do you expect of me?”

“To be yourself and release The Twelve like you already to plan to do.”

“Now, how do you know about that?”

“It is my business to know these things.”

“What exactly business are you in?”

“Whatever is profitable and insures the overall success of the realm,” he promptly responded like someone who practiced it hundreds of times.

“If you are concerned about the future of Haven, then why would you want to assist me in releasing The Twelve?”

“Because doing so is both in my best interests and that of the realm. Haven was much more structured when The Twelve were around. Chaos simply isn’t profitable. It was a shame when they were locked away. I lost a lot of business because of that fiasco.”

Was he saying what I thought? Was he around a few hundred years ago when The Twelve were imprisoned? How old was this guy?

‘Is this true?’ I asked Barthandolous.

‘Yes. He had merchant dealings will all of the dragon clans when I was flesh and bone. Even then he was one of the more powerful merchant forces in the realm. It seems that his empire has grown since then.’

I opened up my Sense to see if he was a dragon as well. His body comprised a very strong and compressed energy signature, but not like that of a dragon. “What are you?” I asked, astonished. I couldn’t hardly believe that a human could possibly live for that long.

“I am human, just like you,” he remarked, not the least bit rattled by my question.

‘He is an eternal, like us,’ Barthandolous said. ‘He does not age.’

“You’re immortal?” I exclaimed more than asked. I had seen a lot of bizarre and unbelievable things in Haven, but meeting a person who could not die? That was something pulled right from a fairy tale or B movie script that, even then, seemed far fetched. I could buy that there were immortal dragons. Their species was fascinating enough that anything could be possible. They already live an unnaturally long time and were difficult to kill with rumors that even regular dragons didn’t die naturally. But an immortal human? It was hard enough to accept that humans existed in Haven, let alone eternal ones.

“Something like that. I have been in Haven since the beginning. I was here when the Graxis first came. Although I was a nobody then. Aside from The Twelve and The Pair I believe I am the only person left from that time period.”

This was hard to believe, but completely amazing. Not only had I found one of The Twelve, but someone else who encountered the Graxis first hand.

‘Is he telling the truth?’ I asked Barthandolous.

‘Yes,’ came his immediate response.

“What do you know of the Graxis?”

“There is not much I can tell you about them. Most of that time was spent running for my life screaming like a little girl.”

It’s a little embarrassing to admit, especially considering he was being completely serious, but I couldn’t help but crack up laughing at that. Maybe it was because of all the stress and tension that built up over the past several weeks. Maybe the fact that he was a large confident man dressed in a perfectly pressed suit, and speaking of screaming like a little girl. No matter the reason, I simply couldn’t stop laughing. Fortunately the laughter was contagious, and he laughed as well instead of taking offense.

“I’m grateful that didn’t occur when I was taking a drink. I wouldn’t want to have to do a spit take with a two thousand coin bottle of scotch,” he said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. “Would you like to order a meal while we discussed matters further?”

“Sure,” I said, catching my breath.

“Order whatever you like from the menu,” he said referring to what looked like a phone book on the table next to me. “It’s my treat.”

I looked at the book that could have passed for a copy or War and Peace, or at the very least a New York City phone directory.

“Is that the menu?” I wondered, waiting for the punchline. It never came. Instead he nodded. I took out the tome, thumbing through it. The book was in multiple languages, and with the number of different races available in Haven it would take a lot to appeal to everyone. I got so used to the translator in my ear that I forgot everyone I encountered in Haven spoke a completely different language. Even though we could communicate with each other verbally, there was still an enormous communication gap through the written word.

I took out my interpreting glasses so I could read the languages, and it read just like any other menu. Yet it was still an enormous tome.

“Are all of these available?” I asked.

“Directly from the source,” he nodded.

The ‘Menu’ contained listings from hundreds of different restaurants. It was like flipping through the yellow pages back home trying to decide what we want for dinner. Chinese, pizza, pasta, Mexican, burgers, etc. With this menu, though, the options were more like Elvish, Dwarvish, Candish, etc. With each style or ethnicity of food there was a complete menu available.

“The chef’s at the restaurant here can make any of these dishes?” I was a little confused at how that could even be possible.

“No. Actually the kitchen here isn’t equipped with any food preparation facilities. Since New Haven City is the hub of social activity in Haven the space that is normally reserved for a kitchen is better utilized for entertainment purposes, shops, or sleeping quarters.”

“Then where does the food come from?”

“Like I said, from the source.”

It took me a moment to get his full meaning, but when I did I was completely flabbergasted. It wasn’t until he saw that recognition on my face that he chose to explain further.

“Each of the restaurants I own in all the races of the realm are now equipped with a small teleporter,” he grinned. “It is very small, only about the size of that book. It can only transport an individual meal, and can’t relocate living matter. This way customers can taste the various foods of Haven without having to travel the realm.”

I didn’t know what to say. This was truly amazing, and the first real commercial use of magic I encountered in Haven. You could have freshly made authentic Chinese food, directly from China, brought right to your table, still steaming. Freshly caught Maine lobster could be on your plate within minutes of being caught no matter where you lived.

“Of course, the use of the porting boxes is only limited to restaurants within my company. Needless to say, over the last few months I have had little trouble convincing restaurants all over the realm to let me incorporate them.”

I should say not. Practically every restaurant in the world would likely be jumping at the chance to be a part of a program like that. Their client base would be expanded to infinity and beyond. They wouldn’t be limited to being busy on specific times of day either since it would always be lunch or dinner time somewhere in the world.

“I don’t own them exactly,” he continued. “They merely pay a franchising fee to be a part of my consortium, and in return get full access to my clientele and equipment.”

I couldn’t think of anything to say other than stammer, “that’s, that’s genius.” It really was too. He didn’t have to front the money to buy the businesses, they all came to him with cash in hand saying ‘sign me up’. All he had to do was provide the teleporters and the menus.

He smiled with pride, “I’m glad you think so.”

“That’s insanely brilliant,” I marveled at it. I couldn’t help it, I was amazed. Even a little ma and pa cafe out in the middle of nowhere could have a booming business if their food was good enough. Teleporters like that obviously had a great deal of other applications in the world, but for what he used them for would make him filthy stinking rich. Well, richer. Since he had a monopoly on the teleporters being used, it’s no wonder why he was considered to be the wealthiest person in Haven. The man was a bonafide business genius, and the more I talked to him the more it seemed to confirm that. I placed an order based on his recommendation because I still wasn’t familiar enough with Haven cuisine, and he began to tell me about how he got started.

“My father was a salesman who worked his whole life to get into business,” he told me as we waited for the food to come. “He taught me all I needed to know at an early age. He wanted me to succeed in business and taught me by showing me what some of the most successful people and businesses in the world did. ‘The basics’ he would tell me ‘was to invest in the core ingredients that everyone needs’.”

This made complete sense, and I don’t know why I hadn’t realized it before. The wealthiest people in the world were those who provided the basic components to make the world run. Oil to make gasoline and petroleum products, the land that everything sits on, coal to fuel railways and power plants, steel to build practically everything, and diamonds to make men feel inferior.

The richest men in the world were oil tycoons, steel barons, and politicians regulating the laws of those industries. Even Bill Gates would fall in that category because his operating system was used to run practically every computer made. He was a genius to realize that core systems were what made the world go round, just like Droclin’s father did.

“You’re the one who came up with the crystals to power magical items,” I guessed.

“Very astute,” he beamed with pride. “I didn’t invent it, but once their potential uses were discovered I recognized them for what they were, and took full advantage of the opportunity. New technologies are great, but the means to produce those technologies are even more profitable.”

I really liked this guy. He was exactly the kind of person I would hang out with back home. Smart and successful without being arrogant. When the food finally came I was so riveted by conversation that I hardly ate anything. There were far more technological advancements in Haven than I was aware of. He spearheaded a lot of them with many more on the way. Haven had become more like Earth than I realized. All the modern amenities I’m familiar with; heating, air conditioning, ovens, efficient travel, etc. They were all here. Power lines were replaced with crystal capacitors that were like large batteries.

“How is it that you know so much about predicting the advancements of technology here?”

“Because the world before Haven, my world, was a marketing mecca. Our society was so diluted with commercialism that it was likely to fall apart even if the Graxis didn’t come. I also had the experience of various other races in the progression of their world before their fall to the Graxis. When they all migrated to Haven, I took full advantage of their knowledge.”

“In the end, the realm was so terrified of the Graxis that they refused to advance. They avoided all technology completely and relied entirely on natural means and magic. I waited in the wings developing different technologies and introduced them, slowly but surely, so they wouldn’t even notice. When the Age of Light came, from light sources without the use of fire, the masses didn’t care. They were able to see perfectly at night without the danger of fire threatening to burn down their homes. Technology had been taboo for so long that they forgot why they were even afraid of it.”

“Although, I haven’t forgotten. I have kept a watchful eye over the centuries to make certain that nothing like the Graxis can occur again. It has been thousands of years and I still wake up with nightmares of the horrors I witnessed from them. The Graxis aren’t coming back to Haven, I will see to that.”

He spoke with a determination I never saw before or since. There was no denying the power behind his words. He honestly saw himself as a protector of Haven. Then again, so did Draco Gold.

“So, what is your real motivation for seeking to release The Twelve?” I asked.

He smirked. There was a long silence before he answered, as if searching his memory for just the right words. “Rumor has it that whoever collects all twelve Orbs and releases The Twelve, can become a god.” His eyes glazed over with excitement. I didn’t doubt that he honestly believed this, and truly looked forward to it. His excitement made me a little nervous.

“So, by releasing them you hope to become god?” I asked, still skeptical.

“Not The god, but A god. In particular to become the god of merchants. I have been working in this realm for too long. I still love what I do, but I am growing bored with it. I am looking for something more.”

I really had to soak that one in to process it. The fact that he was thousands of years old didn’t fully registered yet. Maybe he had delusions of grandeur, but maybe not. From what I could tell of the Orbs that seemed not only plausible, but completely valid.

Whether he was delusional or not, we both had the same overall goal in mind. If, when we released the dragons, he went on to be a god, that would be no concern of mine. Just like when the dragons are released from their prisons. They will be free to do whatever they wanted in the world, whether it was harmful or good. Besides, having a god on my side would be pretty handy in dealing with the Graxis. Even someone with the potential to become a god was a powerful ally. He claimed that the Orbs were an obsession of power, but he clearly had his own obsession, and traveled down this path for much longer than I could fathom. It’s possible that he was completely insane, but he was also filthy stinking rich and willing to help me out. I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“What do you propose we do?”

“Just continue on what you’ve been doing. Collect the Orbs. Release the dragons. Then we each go our merry ways.”

It was like making another deal with the devil. I couldn’t read him for certain and tell if his intentions were noble, but if there is one thing I learned in Haven it was that even the most noble of intentions could have disastrous results. I already made a deal with one devil. What was one more?

“Sure. Let’s do this. What have I got to lose?”

“You have everything to lose, but the saving of your world to gain.”

I couldn’t help but bust out laughing out loud. “Wow, that was Really cliché.”

He laughed right along with me, “You’re right, it was.” After more hearty laughter he finally continued. “Obtaining the Orbs won’t be as difficult as securing them. Others have tried collecting them throughout the decades. The closest anyone has ever come was the Gold clan. At one point they had seven, until Placidious turned on them. The Gold clan predecessors were too righteous to kill him, resulting in their own undoing and the further scattering of the Orbs. We will succeed because the time is right to do so. We can do it. We have the technology.”

It was odd, really. If I hadn’t known better I would have sworn he was making a reference to the Bionic Man. He continued with only a slight hesitation. “Gather what supplies you need to prepare. When you are ready we will formulate a plan to retrieve them.”

“Which one do you think we should go for first?”

“The Orb of the Silver dragon. The owner is quite anxious to be rid of it. One of the other Orb holders has been assaulting his people in an effort to force him to hand it over. He won’t give it to just anyone.”

“The mad wizard?”

“Yes. If we can take care of the madman known as Orin Stragg, securing the safety of his people, he may be willing to simply hand it over to us.”

“What about the King of Thieves?”

“Hmm,” he grumbled in thought. For the first time since meeting with Droclin, he looked worried. “He will be one of the greater challenges. He is a very mysterious character who lives up to every bit of his reputations, and has been around at least as long as I have. He will likely sit quietly while we collect the Orbs and steal them from us. We should take him out of the picture early to prevent that from happening.”

“By taking him out of the picture, I assume you mean to kill him.”

“Unfortunately with someone like that there is no other way. You can take his Orb, but he will only continue to come after us. He is a thief after all. “

He was willing to kill to acquire the Orbs. Was he willing to kill me? I spoke out loud before I even realized I was doing so. “Are you going to kill me too if I don’t fit into your agenda.?”

“Of course not,” he laughed. “Killing you would, for various reasons, be in my undoing.” There was no word form Barthandolous. Apparently he was telling the truth. He agreed to help me even without swearing by magic. He seemed legit, but there was no real way to tell.

“What about the Carnivex?”

His brow furrowed with a flash of anger on his face. “They will be an ongoing problem. In all honesty, I don’t know how we will overcome them. Just as the Gold clan, they have been in this game far too long to be diverted from their goals. Fortunately, neither can I. Nor, I believe, can you.”

We agreed to meet at a rendezvous point the following day. He knew the general location of one of the dormant Orbs and wanted to get my input on it. I didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, but was anxious to be finally doing something. I left the posh hotel confident that I was well on my way towards the goal of retrieving the Orbs. I was so overjoyed that if it happened to start raining, I would have swung around the nearest light pole and broke out into song.

I could have taken up a room at the hotel. I’m sure my new associate would have hooked me up. We ended up talking long enough into the night that it was getting pretty late. I had a lot to do, and thanks to the the magic caffeine boost from Barthandolous, I was jacked up and ready to go. The problem was that I was wired and had nothing that I could do. Instead I wandered the city to burn off steam.

After I left the hotel, I felt the presence of being watched. Barthandolous alerted me that my suspicions weren’t completely paranoid. I kept walking as casually as I could, trying to reach out with my Sense to see if they wished me any ill will. It could have been random muggers, one of Droclin Lar’s personal guards keeping an eye on me, other Orb holders, Carnivex seeking revenge, or agents of clan Gold. It was safer to assume the worst. The fact that they remained a far enough distance that I couldn’t get a bead on them seemed to confirm my suspicions. I took side streets and back allies to vary my route, but the presence remained there, following me.

They stayed at the same distance no matter what speed I went, just far enough away that we couldn’t get a read on them. They knew what they were doing. Before long there was another presence further ahead that stayed a similar distance away. Barthandolous advised that they were trying to box me in and herd me towards a trap. They knew that I was aware of them, and they were waiting for me to either confront them or run away.

‘Let them try,’ I declared in a display of arrogance. ‘I can take anything they throw at me.’

I went along my merry way, seemingly without a care in the world. I wasn’t about to be pushed around. When it came to the point that both of my stalkers were at either end of a dark alley where there looked to be no way to escape I promptly put up a complete shroud and ducked into the nearest building. Every spell of the shroud went up all at once, rendering me completely undetectable. Such a feat would be devastatingly taxing for even the most accomplished of wizards. The final piece of the shroud was a phasing spell that made me intangible. I quickly passed right through the wall of the building like it was a sheet of wet paper.

The phase was quick, it had to be. Phase spells are dangerous. You have to go with whatever momentum you already have, unless you use magic or other abilities to create movement. It felt a lot like swimming in a pool. Since you are intangible to objects around you there is no way to push off of objects. Right before the phase went into effect, I made a jump towards the wall. Once I was through the wall the phase spell was immediately cut off. The dangers of phasing are that it might end while you are passing through a solid object. Your body would then meld with that object, potentially killing you. Fortunately I was in the wide open expanse of an empty warehouse. Unfortunately, while phased you are immune to all forces around you, including gravity. As soon as the phase ends, everything returns to normal. Let’s just say that I fell to the ground in a heap that left me with multiple bruises that lasted for days. Not a shining example of grace and coordination on my part.

I managed to get back up to my feet quickly, but it wasn’t enough. That was when the net fell; literally. A rope net fell from above and wrapped itself around me like a boa constrictor. It quickly squeezed my arms and legs so tightly that I couldn’t move. It continued to tighten around my chest to the point that I could barely breath.

As I began to black out from lack of oxygen, I realized the most terrifying part of all; I had lost all connection with Barthandolous.