The sun hadn't even bothered to rise yet, but the Spire was already buzzing with the cold energy of the Sanguine elite. Chen stood by the obsidian gates, his small travel pack slung over one shoulder and his Gilded Folding Fan tucked firmly into his belt.
"Leaving so soon, little variable?"
Chen didn't need to turn around to know it was Marquis Malphas. The air always got heavy and smelled like old money and iron whenever he was nearby.
"The North calls, Mister Marquis," Chen said, popping a piece of gum he'd found in his inventory. "Lady Elara promised me better milk and a fluffy coat. A man's got to look out for his skin care routine, you know?"
Malphas walked toward him, his velvet robes whispering against the stone. He held out a small, ornate box made of bone-white silver.
"A token of my esteem. A Sanguine Heart-Stone. It will stabilize your Bronze-rank energy and protect you from the Northern frost."
Chen took the box, his fingers brushing the cold metal.
[Item Identified: Sanguine Heart-Stone (Modified)]
[Status: Contains a 'Blood-Link' Tracking Array.]
[System Note: The Marquis can see your location and listen to your heartbeat within a 500-mile radius.]
Chen's eyes flashed violet for a split second before he plastered on a look of wide-eyed, moronic gratitude. "A rock! You got me a shiny rock! Oh, Mister Marquis, you shouldn't have. It's so... heavy. It'll make a great paperweight for all the fan-mail I'm going to get."
Scoff, Chen thought internally. A tracking device? Really? That's so pre-apocalypse. He probably thinks I'm going to wear it around my neck like a loyal dog.
"Wear it close to your heart, Chen," Malphas said, his smile not reaching his eyes. "So I know you are safe."
"I'll keep it so close you'll think it's part of me," Chen chirped, shoving the box deep into his pocket—specifically, into a pocket lined with a scrap of lead-infused fabric he'd "accidentally" picked up in the Under-District.
[Notice: Tracking signal muffled by 90%. The Marquis now only hears 'Static' and 'Occasional Humming.']
A sleek, black carriage pulled by six obsidian-skinned horses clattered up to the gate. The horses had glowing blue eyes that matched Lady Elara's precisely. The door opened, and a gust of freezing air rolled out, turning the morning mist into frost.
Elara sat inside, draped in furs that looked like they were made from captured clouds. "The Marquis is quite sentimental," she noted, her sapphire eyes glancing at the silver box in Chen's hand.
"He's a big softie," Chen said, hopping into the carriage and immediately putting his feet up on the silk cushions. "He gave me a rock. I think he wants to start a collection."
As the carriage began to move, rolling out of the Spire and toward the jagged peaks of the North, Chen looked back at the receding black tower. Malphas stood on the balcony, a silhouette of absolute power, likely already tuning his 'radio' to hear Chen's heart.
Have fun listening to the 'static' of my soul, you overgrown bat, Chen mused.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was a different kind of tense. Elara was watching him, her chin resting on a gloved hand. She was still thinking about the 'slip' on the balcony.
"You scotted at his gift," Elara said suddenly. "I saw your face for a heartbeat. You knew it was a tracker."
Chen opened his fan with a lazy thwack. "A tracker? Why would he track me? I'm just a jester. Maybe it's a GPS for the nearest strawberry farm. I have a terrible sense of direction."
Elara's eyes narrowed. "You are a very poor liar, Chen. Or perhaps, you are so good at it that the truth is just another layer of the joke."
[New Mission: The Long Haul]
[Objective: Reach the Northern Stronghold without being 'analyzed' by Elara's Sapphire Gaze.]
[Bonus: Find a way to use the Marquis's tracker to feed him false information.]
"Lady Elara," Chen said, leaning back and closing his eyes. "If I were a liar, I'd tell you your carriage is comfortable. But honestly? It's a bit stiff. Do you have any snacks, or am I going to have to eat the upholstery?"
Elara didn't answer. She just watched the 'Bronze' boy drift off to sleep, wondering if the ticking time-bomb in her carriage was going to explode before they even saw the snow.