As Vikrum had regrouped his people and moved toward the Coalition, he'd known it would be a difficult fight.

Already he'd lost many people, and after this lighting-quick attack from Viper, he even felt a little threatened himself. It's unfortunate, he reflected. At this point, he would quite like the fighting to stop. All he really cared about was ending Viper… but Viper had control of the Coalition.

As though hearing his thoughts, a Local transmission arrived.

This is Maxine, leader of the Coalition. We've fought and both sides are bloodied, but this was never my intention. I would like to meet, and discuss terms. We desire an end to this bloodshed.

Vikrum's eyes widened, and he conferred quickly with Cornwall. After a moment he looked to those around him. 'Let's go.'

###

The large room must have once been for events of some kind, perhaps a ballroom. Ancient chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and large columns speared down from above, spaced evenly through it.

For the first time in what must have been hundreds of years, the room was once more packed with people.

There was no dancing today, and rather than perfume the air smelt of sweat and gun oil as the Chosen and Coalition came together with slow wariness. Guns were fingered, frowns exchanged.

Vikrum looked across the expanse of stone between his Chosen and the Coalition, eyeing his counterpart. The Coalition's leader. She wasn't who he'd anticipated, prior to the message. He'd imagined Viper must lead, but the man was a no-show. Probably he'd ran off to lick his wounds.

Instead he saw Maxine, another individual he'd had difficulties with. Just as much an enemy as Viper, maybe moreso. If it hadn't been for her, he had no doubt this coalition would never have gotten off the ground. Having sole control of a Radio channel had been hugely beneficial for her; a benefit he was irritated she'd never shared. They could have done so much good together. He'd tried hard to win her over, on Cornwall's suggestion. If he'd had her on side from the start, those people in the Coalition would likely all be Chosen by now.

But she'd turned him down every time, with increasing fury and contempt. She hated him for stealing Seeds, for doing what he'd had to do. But at the very least, she was willing to talk.

Her dislike struck Vikrum as unfair, if only because of the company she kept. Viper was obviously far worse than him.

Perhaps she can be convinced, murmured Cornwall. Vikrum nodded. He, and the Chosen had enough Seeds now. If he could bring her on side, he'd bring them all on side. Or enough to matter. Oddly, his hatred for Maxine had done nothing but dwindle with each attack from Viper. Increasingly the only person he really cared about, really wanted to see dead, was Viper. He was the real enemy. If he could get peace with these people he'd be able to focus on hunting the man down.

He looked the Coalition over carefully, Cornwall performing facial scans and checks for stealth tech. Nothing. Viper wasn't here. Shrugging, he strode out from his Chosen, flanked by Borg and Gilvine. Borg was as strong and steady as ever. Gilvine was a patchwork, the damage she'd sustained welded shut with a spindly new arm to replace the lost.

She'd yet to become a Cultivator, something that was obvious from her damaged state. He was glad for it. Viper was one of the threats to his life, and he believed that she was the other. Cornwall had even expressed worry that she might work together with Viper, but Vikrum wasn't overly concerned by that. In a straight up fight he would be able to beat both of them, easily, especially since he'd ensured Gilvine wasn't carrying any gun bigger than a pistol. Still, she was a threat he'd like to remove.

For now, however, it was good to have her beside him if only to present a better image to the Coalition. The implied threat of two Level 2 Cyborgs would give him an advantage in the negotiations.

Vikrum looked himself over, knowing his own body was the other implied threat. He was pristine, in perfect condition—because he was a Cultivator.

Until recently Gilvine had had little interest in Cultivating. But since she'd learned of the Rejuvenating Orbs he'd been able to use to fully recover himself, there had been quite a stir in the Chosen. She wasn't as popular as she had been, having been leveraging her influence to seize Seeds from those in positions of weakness.

Vikrum had been happy to let this continue. Cornwall informed him it was about time to get rid of her. Once he had the Coalition on his side or dealt with, his needs for her combat strength would be lessened. On top of that, she was taking care of the other problem herself; the base of support and sedition she'd built among some of the Chosen. It would also be best to move before she became a Cultivator, as she would be stronger after healing herself. So, as soon as this war was over he'd take care of her, and at last be able to relax without worry of a bomb in his bedroom.

Maxine had moved out from the Coalition, coming to meet him. There were two girls on either side of her, and a group of worthies behind. Vikrum frowned, recognising the girls. These two had often been seen with Viper. His seconds, perhaps, as Borg and Gilvine were for him.

'Odd company you keep,' he said to Maxine, glancing at her and then at the two sisters, for they could only be such. Both had blonde hair, but the one on the left had it in a ponytail while the other looked to have had it buzzcut just a few weeks ago, just a fuzzy dome. That one was giving him a dirty look, and he returned a sneer.

'These two are in close with Viper. How close are you tied to him, Maxine?'

The woman, who was short, middle aged, with mousy brown hair, blinked at him. 'Viper?'

'Nicolai,' spat Vikrum. 'The man who's been killing my people.'

'Just like you've been killing ours,' spoke up the sister with short hair.

'It's not the same. I've only fought when I had to. When you attacked me. He has come and assaulted my people, ambushed me.'

Maxine shrugged. 'Whatever grievances you have, take it up with him. We're here to negotiate terms between the Coalition and the Chosen.'

'It isn't possible for me to take it up with him, since he isn't here. Why is that?' He let that hang, a silence he hoped would make her speak, but received only more of the same as she gazed back at him, eyebrows raised. He shrugged. 'No matter. You're right, I'm getting ahead of myself. So, what do you want?'

'We want peace, one side of the trade link, and to be left alone.'

Much as he'd expected. 'No.'

She scowled, but he was quick to continue as Cornwall whispered of the opportunity before him. 'I want us to join together,' he said. 'To merge into one. Not called the Chosen—we will have a new name. Something suitably… suitable.'

Her eyes widened, surprised.

One of the toadies behind her spoke up, a red faced, sweaty man.

'Not a chance,' he blustered. 'After all you bastards did, you want us to join you? You killed us! You—'

'And you killed us,' said Vikrum. 'But I don't want you to join. I said merge. We will form a new faction, with a new organisation. I don't see myself as the sole leader of this venture.' He smiled at Maxine. 'I can think of someone perfectly suited to be co-leader.' He glanced at the others. 'Of course, you would all have suitable positions. I imagine something where everyone remains responsible for the same people they are currently responsible for, would work well. No need to change anything. Within the Chosen there are many smaller groups. We are more of a… managed alliance than you might think. I don't want us to end up as two disparate factions, always biting at one another. This castle is big enough for all of us. I want us to work together as we look upon the wide world around us.'

The toadies were looking more interested now. Cornwall had predicted that if they were sure they'd be able to keep whatever power they currently held, they would agree surprisingly easily. Maxine wore a thoughtful frown.

'Imagine what we could accomplish together,' he added.

'This will bear some thinking of,' she began, slowly. 'I can't promise anything, and I'm not going to just jump into this. I suggest the same terms as I gave previously. But there's no reason we can't work together. Big world out there. Over time, depending on how things go, we can make a more formal arrangement.'

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Vikrum shrugged, and nodded. That was about the best he'd expected. He was tired of the fighting. Tired of the stress of it all. He'd completed his quest and thus there was no need to grab every Seed he could anymore. He could simply relax and see where things went. As she said, there was a big world out there, and he didn't want to spend all his time fighting these people.

But there was one problem.

'I'm happy to accept that,' he said, and Maxine broke out in a relieved smile, one that was exchanged, with some surprise, by the rest of them. 'But there's one problem.' The smiles transformed into frowns. 'Viper.' His lip curled. 'Nicolai.'

'I get it, you don't like him,' said Maxine. 'So what? He'll abide by the terms, I'll see to that. If he refuses, then… you can have him.'

Vikrum was a little surprised by this. He looked to the two sisters, but their reaction was also unexpected. They exchanged glances, their faces sombre.

Now he understood. It was just like with Gilvine. Viper's base of support had rotted away. The man had offended more than just him. But this still wasn't enough. He knew that Viper wouldn't refuse, not on the surface. He would accept the agreement, because there was no other option.

And then he would do what he had always been doing. Set himself against Vikrum and work to destroy him, through every indirect means available, angling for the kill.

Vikrum didn't intend to suffer Gilvine much longer, and the same applied to Viper; only magnified. The man was far more problematic; his grasp of this new Cultivation magic alongside his clear skill and experience with everything from Earth. Combined, it made him very slippery.

Vikrum shook his head. 'I will not budge on this. Viper cannot stay. Either he will leave this place and go far away, or he will die. If he remains here, then we will be fighting once more.'

'He's not that bad,' said one of the sisters.

The other one grunted, and they exchanged glances again.

'What's with these looks between you?' asked Maxine, frowning at the pair.

'Recently,' said the other, looking a little sour, 'he's been a bit off. I'll admit that. Not sure if he's not being like himself… or being more like himself. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt and see which way it is.'

'Get rid of him,' spoke up one of those behind. The others stared at him. 'What? The man's dangerous, and sneaky. I don't trust him. And he was ruthless with the trading. Before we formed the Coalition the deal he gave us was raw. And after? Sure, it was better, but he still bilked us for plenty. One time he said he'd have to charge double because I wanted a battery charger, said it was an amenity! I needed it to charge my gear! He even lost all those points! 200,000, lost to the Chosen!' The man's eyes narrowed, looking to Vikrum, then Maxine. 'That's something else we ought to discuss.'

'He's right,' said another, stepping forward. Vikrum recognised her, the leader of the band calling themselves New Start Communists. He held significant dislike toward her, but that turned into confusion as she continued speaking. 'Some time ago your people caught him and the others going between the Trade Link, carrying over 200,000 points worth of goods. If we're all going to get along and even join together, I think you ought to return that. War's over, now, right?'

'What are you talking about?'

She glared at him. 'What, don't remember? The big bags of guns and ammo and all the rest your people took in the upper jungle.'

'Bags of guns?' He shook his head, confused. Am I forgetting something, Cornwall?

No, replied the AI. There have been no reports of such a thing.

'We've never found a cache like that,' Vikrum confirmed. He frowned at Borg, Gilvine, and Katnin. 'Do any of you know about this?' They shrugged and shook their heads.

'Oh, great,' said one of the toadies, throwing up his hands. 'See, I knew it would be like this. Saying he wants to work together, now lying to our faces.'

'Actually…' began another, tone slow. This was a big man, one of Nicolai's group. 'I did think it strange. When we were running with those bags, Nicolai said there were Chosen closing in on us. He told us to drop the bags, that they slowed us down too much. Thing is, I reckon we could've made it. The Chosen didn't seem that close.'

Vikrum rocked back onto his heels as the group in front of him devolved into a frantic discussion as they all demanded details from those of Viper's group, who gave them hesitantly. Cornwall kept Vikrum's features polite, placid, and faintly confused as he wrestled with the urge to grin hugely. This was perfect. Nicolai had been caught in a lie! Doubtless there were plenty, but this was a big one. He'd scammed them out of 200,000 points!

The thought made Vikrum glow with joy. It was nice to see other people suffering from Nicolai's work for once, rather than him.

'That reminds me, do you know what happens to those guys I sent to find you?' Maxine was asking the sisters. 'I don't think you've met them before, it was Eugene and some other people. Eugene was a Cultivator.' She sent an image over Local. 'This guy. Did you see him?'

'We did,' said one of the sisters, nodding. 'They came and found us, me and Beth and Nicolai.'

'So where are they?'

She made a face. 'I'm, uh, not sure. Nicolai sent us away.'

'He was acting odd. Cagey,' added the other in a murmur.

Maxine was frowning. 'Well, last report is they all died not long after I sent them to find you. One of them had a delayed death-signal setup, it pinged some time ago.'

'Must've been the Chosen, right?' asked one of the Coalition people, glaring at Vikrum—who felt this was his moment.

'We found the bodies of those you're talking about,' he said, because they had. 'Near to some of my own guys. Guys who were killed by Viper. But no one on my side knows who killed your people. It wasn't any of us. I can send proof, if you want. I have feeds from all of mine.'

The suspicious murmurs intensified.

'Could it have been him? Nicolai?' the big man was saying, his tone shocked… but not disbelieving.

'We'll ask him about it, alright? When he gets back,' said Maxine, raising her hand. She sighed. 'I think that's all we can do, right about now. Where the fuck is he?'

'Over there,' said one of the sisters, pointing.

Every eye followed her finger.

Nicolai had emerged from a side passage, and was walking toward them. He was covered in blood, and some recoiled at the sight.

Vikrum scanned him carefully, checking if he was injured. No. None of that blood was his own.

He stopped to the side of them all, looking around. He glanced at Vikrum. 'You want me dead, right?'

Vikrum sneered at him. 'That's right. And I think everyone else does, too. You killed my people, you scammed these idiots. You're not on anyone's side, are you? You're just out for yourself.'

Nicolai didn't acknowledge the accusations, he merely asked, 'Do you think you can kill me?'

Vikrum stepped forward. 'I know your tricks now. And I've got Soul Sense. I would love to put you down, if you would only stop running. Like last time. And the time before.'

'I only ran because you keep trying to gang up on me,' said Nicolai. 'Are you afraid of fighting on your own?'

Vikrum's back straightened as he sneered. 'Afraid? Not at all. I don't need any help, I just need you to stop being a coward!'

'Then let's fight. Just you and me, no interference from either side. Settle this like men.' Nicolai's human eye was a bottomless orb of dark grey, but the twist of his mouth was challenging. Electricity began to buzz and crackle over his skin.

Vikrum sneered. That damnable Symbiote.

Nicolai glanced at the others. 'I assume everyone is happy with that?'

Vikrum followed the gaze. Some were frowning, especially those two sisters, but the majority of Coalition members on the other side did all seem happy with it. Makes sense. Nicolai had offended many of them, and the outcome of the fight wouldn't necessarily affect them. Whoever won, they got what they wanted. He imagined that even if Nicolai hadn't been about to die, the man would've had a very difficult time cosying back up to them.

Vikrum found himself smiling. Everything was changing,. After so much difficulty, finally it was all going his way. At last, he would have the fight he'd wanted.

In the past Nicolai had only gotten the better of him through trickery. Running and ambushing, never sticking around to fight it out. That was because he was weak; lacking in augmentation. The tricks of Cultivation magic he possessed weren't enough to make up the difference.

In a real fight, Vikrum would kill him. Cornwall assured him of this.

But the AI did not approve of this course of action. It is still a risk. He must have some kind of plan or play. He is no fool and knows how a true fight will go. He must have something else in mind. With the revelation he scammed the Coalition, you can likely try to arrest him without any trouble. If he chooses to fight then, you will have the support of everyone; or at least, few if any of them will support him, while you have the entirety of the Chosen. If it is possible to turn all against him, rather than fighting him alone, that would be preferable. Once he's in your custody, out of sight and away from the others you can deal with him as you please.

Sometimes Cornwall was a little too logical, for Vikrum's tastes. Sometimes you needed a little instinct. And Vikrum's instincts told him Nicolai—Viper—couldn't be allowed to weasel away from this alive, could be given no stay of execution, because Vikrum was sure he would always return to strike again.

Nicolai was a problem he had long sought to remove, and now given a real chance he wouldn't let it escape. No more words, no more long games. This area was perfect for the shield-dome, too. He stood in the very centre of the room, where there were no columns. The space between him and Nicolai was wide and open. He hid his smile at the thought. The shield-dome something Nicolai was unaware of, something that he expected would ruin any plans the man might have.

As to the matter of trying to recruit all to aid him… Don't be so doubtful, he told Cornwall. You know the facts. He's little more than a Raw. With his movement restricted it is impossible for him to win against me! Vikrum didn't want to see Viper fall to a massed effort. He wanted to bring the man down alone.

'Agreed. We fight.' He made a dismissive gesture at the rest of them. 'Clear some space.'

Maxine frowned at him, and at Nicolai. 'This will be messy,' she muttered.

'Don't worry.' Vikrum gave Nicolai a cruel smile. 'You can all watch in safety.' He wanted them to see him take Nicolai apart, and he wanted to make sure there would be no escape. The space around them was rapidly clearing, and he judged everyone apart from he and Nicolai were outside of the Permit's range.

He pulled the shield-dome Permit from a pocket. 'I was saving this,' he told Nicolai. 'It's quite valuable, I thought I might need it to defend a group of my people. Let me show you what it does.' This time the activation went without a hitch. A shield sprung into life around them as the Permit crumbled to dust.

The shield was many metres across. It formed a dome over the stone, in which he and Viper were contained. Viper, who had stood silently, simply gazing at him, finally showed some reaction. His head turned slowly, taking in the shield that now surrounded him.

Vikrum watched hungrily, certain that he would finally see some sign of fear. 'None can pass. In, or out,' he said, to make sure Viper understood. The man's face remained placid, but Vikrum's grin widened at his own words. 'No tricks,' Vikrum added. 'Nowhere to hide.' At last he would have the fight he'd always wanted. Finally he would be able to take revenge for Viper's many malicious acts—and prove himself the strongest individual in the castle.

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