Maya instinctively twisted aside as someone tried to grab her from behind. Unfortunately, the trickster she'd been restraining also reacted in the same moment. He grabbed her around her legs, bringing her momentum to a halt before she could fully evade.

"No you don't," she hissed.

She closed her eyes, imagining herself back in the tutorial room. She'd practiced escaping multiple attackers in close combat, practiced relentlessly for months under an unforgiving tutor. She readied herself to act.

They were both players, neither could hurt her. It was down to pure technique at this point. She could escape them. She knew it.

But … she couldn't get far with Domitius right there. If he was famous for his freeform fighting ability, then he was probably far more capable than she could ever hope to be.

She'd only have one chance to take her captors off guard and she'd need to make the most of it. So she repressed her innate desire to fight her hardest and instead contented herself with uncoordinated flailing. She was obviously trying to resist, but doing so without letting on that she'd been training since they last grabbed her. It wouldn't hurt to have them underestimate her when the time came to make her move.

"Where do you want her?" asked the trickster known as Pizza, securing his hold on her arms.

Domitius looked down at her, his green eyes glowing in the dim corridor and sending light reflecting off the rough stone walls. "My council chambers will do."

Maya twisted one leg free long enough to kick the second trickster in the stomach before he grabbed it and held her a bit more tightly. And then she whacked Pizza firmly with her head, enjoying the fact that the game didn't invoke dizziness the way such a solid blow would have in her past life. She found herself almost having fun.

At least until she thought about the fact that Venix had come along willingly to help her and now she'd be trapped for who knew how long. Venix could make a new character, sure, but Maya knew the look of a unique weapon when she saw one, and Venix's hammer was unique. That wouldn't be easy to replace.

Domitius strode ahead of them, seeming unconcerned with Maya’s surprisingly effective resistance to being carried. The tricksters had to rush to keep up, often dragging her more than carrying, and that made her job of complicating their lives easier. She probably could have broken away at any time if she'd really tried, but didn't dare attempt it with Domitius right there.

At least one thing she had going for her. No one had put that weird energy drain debuff on her yet, so her energy was steadily regenerating. She wouldn't be completely helpless. True, spells could only do so much against other players without activating PvP, but it at least made her feel better.

But then they dropped her in the council chamber, and any cheer she'd gained from recovering her energy and messing with her captors dissipated entirely.

Domitius stood at the head of the table. "It's time we had a serious discussion, Miss Stader. I'm afraid I've left things to others for too long, when I really should have been dealing with you myself."

He motioned for her to sit; she did so reluctantly, taking a place as far from Domitius’s throne as possible. He seated himself, gesturing dismissal to the tricksters. The two of them left the room, and the door closed behind them.

“How did you do it?” Domitius asked without preamble or explanation.

“Do what? Sneak into your base?”

Domitius waved a hand. “I know about the back door, and it will be dealt with. No. How did you break the soulbinding? I was under the impression that such things are permanent.”

Maya smirked, unable to resist. “I didn’t break it. It’s still there, as effective as ever.”

“If you are trying to tell me that this … whatever this is, was intended out of loyalty to me, I’m afraid I require a more complete explanation.”

The look of helpless uncertainty on the face of the world’s most powerful player was simply priceless. Maya barely managed not to laugh. But she managed. “My loyalty remains as it ever was."

“And that is?”

“My own.”

“Impossible.”

Maya shrugged. “Disbelieve reality all you please, I don’t mind.”

“How? Was it Cydrin? Galoz? Sevard? Who warned you? Who financed it?”

Maya considered telling him the truth, but almost immediately discarded the notion. The more he knew, the better he could work around it. She hadn’t kept her connection to the Oracle secret all this time only to spill to Domitius of all people.

So she simply shrugged again and said nothing.

Domitius waited, then slowly exhaled. “I see. Stubborn. I suppose there isn’t any way to convince you to work with me?”

“Not after what you’ve done. If you’d asked nicely in the beginning, perhaps. But you can’t go kidnapping and soulbinding people and expect them to be fine with that.”

“I hate to waste such a valuable resource. Tricksters aren’t easy to come by. It would be a shame …”

“You can’t just let me be?”

“I tried that. You led an invasion force into the heart of my base.”

“Only to free the mages you kidnapped. I really don’t care at all what you do in zone seven or about your quarrels with Shardlord. But leave the other players out of it. Do you know how hard it is to lose that much progress to something as stupid and petty as your rivalry? Don’t you care at all for the people you’re stepping all over?”

Domitius laughed gently. “Miss Stader, perhaps you don’t understand the nature of reality here. I understand you have only recently transitioned. Is this your first world? Perhaps even your only world?”

“Well, yes.”

“If you don’t like the way the game is played, you are free to leave at any time. The people who stay, who sit in my prison day after day, they’re the ones who understand. Who care. Who accept the good and the bad. Let me guess, you only appreciate your luck when you roll high?”

Maya crossed her arms and didn’t respond. She didn’t like his condescending tone.

“To them,” Domitius continued, “it’s a challenge. So few have ever escaped me. Which of them will be the next? And if a few noobs get caught in the crossfire, they’ll restart and be more careful in future. Or they’ll give up and go somewhere better suited to their weakness. None of this is a problem for me.”

“It should be," Maya protested. "And we’re not talking about a few hapless noobs here. You carried out a coordinated, premeditated attack on a group of fellow players, and kidnapped a great many of their higher-leveled characters.”

Domitius spread his arms to either side. “And this bothers you so much that you run in here, with your little friends, in the hopes that you can rescue them? Did you not stop to consider that if I could steal away Shardlord and his top players, I could deal with the likes of you without the slightest difficulty?”

“I thought you were distracted, that you’d be off exploring zone seven.”

“I have enough contact points to keep me apprised of what happens anywhere in the world. The moment you decided to launch your attack, I knew about it. Plenty of time to return here long before you made it through my guards.”

“So what, you’re just going to pretend that you’re not the villain here, that there’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing?”

“Miss Stader, you have to understand something. This is a simple delaying tactic. Shardlord knows it, I know it, everyone who matters knows it. There can only be one winner in this race. If Shardlord had come to the realizations I have, if he had my knowledge and resources, you may believe without doubt that he’d be doing the exact same thing to my underlings. But he places more value on spells than the deeper mechanics of the world. He’d rather spend his resources the moment they’re obtained. Doesn’t understand patience.”

“And using your soulbinder to change people’s loyalties?” Maya demanded. “Is that a simple delaying tactic too? These are people’s actual lives you’re messing with, changing their minds and priorities. Did you ever stop to consider that?”

“If they don’t like it they can leave. As can you. But I don’t see you logging out, for all your disdain. Can it be that you really do understand? That you too feel it?”

“I just don’t want to let a jerk like you beat me.”

“And yet, I have you at my mercy.”

“You have nothing. By your own reasoning, this doesn’t matter.”

“It clearly matters to you, else you’d have fled along with your so-called allies. You know how rare your class is, how valuable. You don’t want to waste this character any more than I. Which is why I believe we can come to an agreement.”

“I don’t like your methods.”

“And I don’t like wasting resources. I have a great many things to do, and dealing with your little invasion is not the most important of them. If you refuse to consider any arrangement, we have nothing more to discuss. You know how to contact my network. If you decide to cooperate, let Cydrin know and he’ll pass the message to me.”

“I won’t.”

“Your loss. I can give you anything you want, help you unlock the secrets of the world, provide you with equipment and training. I’m sure you’re aware of how quickly my faction is growing in power and influence.”

“Yeah, I already tried playing along. No thanks. I have my own goals and plans, and being followed around and treated like a slave isn’t one of them.”

“If you were willing to provide any assurances of your loyalty, such measures would not be necessary.”

“By submitting to additional soulbindings? No. I’ve already let the Trickster bind me once, and that’s once too many. If his class weren’t so useful, I’d be out of here already.”

“Oh?” Domitius smiled faintly. “Interesting. I hadn’t realized that deities could act as soulbinders. What was the nature of this binding?” For the first time, he sounded almost normal. Like a curious player, rather than an imperious leader.

“Ask him yourself,” Maya hissed.

“Hmm. Perhaps I will. But he has never been willing to share details about others in his service in the past, and I doubt he’ll do so now. Perhaps after you fail a few weeks of his requests he’ll be feeling less inclined to protect you.”

Maya froze. “You’re a trickster too? How?”

Domitius’s smile turned mischievous. “You don’t know as much as you think you do. There are two ways to become a trickster. And your way was never intended to exist.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you read the history of World 9352? It was created before uploads were viable, built on the framework of the default setup, but with custom abilities and skills. Luck was a hidden attribute, obtainable only through a secret questline that no one ever discovered. But the admin never patched the character creation for the inclusion of permanent players.” He paused, clearly enjoying drawing out the revelation. “The default option was to add a random attribute bonus for new permanent players, as an incentive for uploading.”

“And luck is in the attribute table,” Maya whispered, understanding. “It was hidden in the player interface, but not from the code.”

“Exactly. The intended way to become a trickster was to complete a continent-spanning series of insanely difficult quests. Appropriate, for such an overpowered and broken class. Once you reached the luck threshold, that proved your dedication and the Trickster would offer you his class. But permanents have the chance to begin with their luck over that threshold. It’s still rare, but far more common than was ever intended.”

“So my character’s existence is technically a glitch. An exploit.”

“Not just you. Every trickster.” He laughed. “Especially considering the quest is impossible to complete without my new Crystal Desert zone. Shardlord didn’t even realize what prize we were competing for. He just wants to win, to be seen as the best, regardless of outcome or reason.”

“And that makes you better somehow?” Maya scowled, forcing herself to remember who she was talking to. This was no time for casual camaraderie. Domitius was the enemy. “At least he’s only working together with his faction, not enslaving them.”

“You’re really hung up on that, aren’t you? Everyone has a choice, always. You’re simply too stubborn to accept that the people who work with me have chosen to do so. And if you ever agree to work with me, it will be by your choice. No one can force anyone to do anything, didn’t you know? This whole database is built on very stringent guidelines. If you don’t agree to it, I can’t do anything.”

“Except kidnap and imprison—”

“Only those who are determined to stay and willing to accept the consequences.” Domitius stood. “Thank you for the information, but I really must be going. As I said, if you change your mind, contact any of my tricksters and they’ll get the message to me.”

Maya stood as well, giving the room another quick once-over for any way out. She probably should have been plotting her escape, not letting herself get swept up in the conversation. Too late now.

The room had two entries, the main doors they’d entered through, and a back door.

Domitius left the same way he’d come in, the two tricksters entering as he departed.

Maya cursed and ran to the other door.

Locked. And before she could hope to force it open, the tricksters grabbed her.

This was no time for playing along or pretending to be weaker. With Domitius gone, she wasn’t going to get a better chance to escape.

Maya wrestled her way free with every bit of what Mayon had learned during the tutorial, almost surprising herself by slipping entirely away from both of her assailants, and ran for the main exit.

They caught her before she’d taken two steps into the corridor. One grabbed her around the legs, tripping her to the ground. She kicked and twisted her way free before the second could pin her down, but in the hallway they had the advantage. The two tricksters advanced, pushing her back. She tried to dive between them, but they’d shifted tactics. Now they weren’t trying to hold her, just direct her.

She ducked and punched, struggled and evaded, doing her very best to slip past them and away.

It might have been enough if she were faster. But though she managed to push past them twice, both times they quickly reclaimed the lost ground and continued slowly forcing her back up the tunnel.

It felt so stupid, so meaningless, to have come all this way, to get this close, only to be stopped by something as banal as stat differences. She was better trained, clearly; neither of them displayed any of Domitius's legendary freeform ability, and hardly compared even to the tutorial trainers. And yet, though she fought desperately every step of the way, slowly and steadily they pressed her back down the corridor toward the ledge over the prison pit.

There had to be some way out.

Some trick, something she could say or do.

Her thoughts raced in desperate circles as she fought and ran and dodged, occasionally gaining ground but losing even more.

She still had another use of the Trickster’s Orb left. If she could get free for long enough, fight her way clear … maybe. She didn’t know exactly where she stood with the Trickster these days. She’d been avoiding him ever since the last debacle. But it would at least buy her some time to think.

What could she ask? Nothing came to mind.

She recognized the ledge. They were getting too close for comfort. Running out of time. She had to think of something, anything.

Switching tactics, she went on the attack. But she was still only one against them both, and the advantage of numbers proved itself a deciding factor. Indeed, her attempts at aggression only allowed them to force her back more quickly.

Back, and back; one more step, and suddenly there was nothing behind her. She lost her balance and toppled backwards.

Everything seemed to slow as a desperate idea occurred to her. Maya twisted in midair, tossing Dust of Recall in a shimmering arc beneath her. It caught and held her frozen, one hand raised, the other brushing the surface of the magic beneath her.

The time started counting down, and for a moment she imagined she may have found a way out. Maybe not for anyone else, but she could come back. Try again.

It wouldn’t have worked while in close combat, the transit was fragile so it couldn’t be used as a quick escape from every fight, but suspended over the pit of magic she was out of reach.

Then she caught sight of Pizza out of the corner of her eye. The trickster backed up, then sprinted toward the edge to leapt out over the pit.

His arc was perfect. He’d land right on top of her, interrupting the transit and slamming her down into the prison. The moment he broke the Dust of Recall's transit field, she'd fall. Sure, he’d be down there too, but only until the other one dragged him out.

What else did she have? There was no way to throw him off, no way to save herself that way.

But she was touching the magic. Was there anything she could do with it? Any spell she could cast now, before it would be smothered beneath the surface?

Her mind flicked back to the last time she’d been here, and a crazy idea occurred to her.

No time to think it through. Pizza collided with her back, shattering her transit. For a split second she was back in free fall. She snapped her fingers to cast a single Spark an instant before she hit the surface.

A single Spark …

… connected to the entire volume of the prison's vast pool of magic.

Maya landed without a splash, sucked down in an instant. In the same moment, the magic around her ignited. Brilliant fiery light illuminated the entire pillar. Below her the other prisoners looked up in surprise. She thought she saw someone try to speak, but the sound was muffled and distorted by the magic, made completely unintelligible.

Pizza thrashed nearby, trying futilely to escape the flames he’d unexpectedly found himself engulfed by.

Maya couldn’t see beyond the fiery surface, but she liked to imagine the other trickster frantically trying to rescue him. Maybe if she was lucky he’d fall in too.

And the magic burned.

Last time she'd accidentally supercharged a Spark, it had taken about five seconds to burn through the thickness that clung to her, maybe an inch and a half. There was a whole lot more than that here.

Pizza stilled and disappeared. Whether he’d logged out or been killed, Maya didn’t know or care. She counted it as a victory either way.

Still the magic burned.

The surface slowly sank down towards them as the fire steadily consumed the layer of magic exposed to the air.

Maya got a firsthand view of the shifting nature of the prison, how the magic automatically reshuffled everyone to be equidistant within itself, trying to keep everything perfectly balanced. Soon, players were close enough to touch. Some quickly killed each other before the fire reached them, others waited patiently as the prison shrank and the fire drew nearer.

Maya herself floated just below the flaming surface, the heat leaving her unscathed even as it eliminated everyone else it touched. It was her spell, after all.

And then it was over.

Ability created: Inferno.

Maya stood alone at the bottom of the empty column of reinforced glass, every bit of Domitius’s magic burned away. His prisoners gone, free to respawn elsewhere.

It would be a long, long time before Domitius could collect that much magic in one place again, and she doubted he'd be able to hold so many prisoners without it.

She smiled in triumph, did a little dance, and barely stopped herself short of screaming her victory aloud. But Domitius was still somewhere nearby and it wouldn't do to get overly cocky.

She tossed another Dust of Recall into the air before her and stepped into its shimmering field.