Nightmare Realm Summoner

“Is the message finished?” Claire asked, watching Alex’s face expectantly.

“Yes,” Alex said. His voice sounded slightly distant to his own ears. Something about that whole interaction had been even odder than he’d expected. It wasn’t even just that Teddy had somehow been able to know things that he shouldn’t have any method of knowing. Some part of Alex just… hadn’t actually expected to ever see Teddy again.

“Then I feel like I might be remiss in informing you that there’s a small chance that you might not have understood how the message works,” Finley said, wringing his hands together and shifting from foot to foot. “Maybe my explanation wasn’t very good. But it’s one-way. This Teddy individual couldn’t hear or see anything you said. It was pre-recorded. I hope you don’t feel as if I’ve scammed you. That was the System. It’s just how—”

“I knew how it worked, Finley,” Alex said. He shook his head in an attempt to shake the sticky cobwebs of confusion free. The attempt wasn’t nearly as successful as he would have liked. “I’m not an idiot.”

“Ah. Yes. Of course,” Finley said.

“I was responding because I wanted to. There were a lot of gaps,” Alex said. “And he expected me to reply. It just made talking easier.”

Finley stared at him. “He expected you to reply? Did he not know how the—”

“No. He knew how it worked. I just don’t think he cared,” Alex said. He pursed his lips. “You’re absolutely certain there’s no way for someone to tell what was happening during the message?”

“Yes,” Finley said with a firm nod. “One hundred percent certain. It’s impossible. Why?”

“Because he knew what I was wearing,” Alex said.

Finley paused. His head tilted to the side.

“What?”

Alex plucked at his tuxedo. Now that he thought about it, since they weren’t in the Ancestry anymore, there was really no reason at all for him to be wearing the disguise. As cool as it was, his normal clothes worked just fine. That made it all the more unlikely that Teddy had somehow managed to guess his clothing.

“He knew I was wearing a tux,” Alex said. “Care to tell me how that’s possible?”

“A… good guess?” Finely offered weakly. “Coincidence, perhaps? This is someone who knows you. Is it possible they’ve seen you in similar outfits before?”

“A tuxedo? Never. The Ancestry was the first time in my life I’ve ever worn one… and I definitely didn’t see Teddy in the Ancestry,” Alex said.

Unless he was with one of the Outworlder families? But if he was, how would he have known that it was me? And how was he tracking where I stood? He definitely turned to look right at me once or twice.

That’s a bit much for just a good guess.

“Is the scrying barrier still operating properly?” Claire asked, her eyes narrowed. “Rhyss?”

There was a faint pop. The Advisor materialized in the air before her.

“Yes, Claire?”

“Is the Veil of Stolen Confessions operating properly? Have any spells somehow managed to breach it, and is there a way that someone could manage to slip past it?”

“There have been no breaches in our defenses,” Rhyss replied without an instant of hesitation. “It is possible for powerful enough magic to break our defenses. But the chances of someone so strong that they slip past unnoticed are astronomically low given the current stage and progress of this world.”

“So how could someone who was speaking to me in a System-transmitted message possibly know anything about what I’m currently doing or wearing?” Alex asked.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“It is not possible,” Rhyss said. “There is no method for someone to garner information from a true System message. They are pre-recorded.”

“You know what?” Alex asked. “I think people use the word impossible a bit too liberally. Impossible means it can’t be done. But the number of times I’ve heard that word, followed shortly thereafter by the impossible being done, is way too damn high.”

“What exactly did Teddy want?” Claire asked. “We heard one end of the conversation, obviously. What’s he playing at? Did he want something from you?”

“He was the dickhead that shoved me into the Mirrorlands at the start of the Apocalypse. And as far as I can tell, he didn’t even want anything. He wasted the majority of the message just blabbering about vague ominous shit, then told me to find him and implied I already knew where he was.”

“Do you know where he is?” Finley asked.

“No,” Alex said. “I do not.”

“Is it possible there was a hint in what he said?” Claire asked. “Maybe some kind of puzzle or something?”

Alex chewed the insides of his cheeks as he tried to think back to everything Teddy had said. Then he shook his head. “No way. That’s way too much of a pain in the ass for both of us. It wouldn’t fit him at all.”

“Then what was the point of this?” Claire’s brow furrowed. “Just to say hi and mess with you?”

“As far as I can tell? Yeah.” Alex glanced to Rhyss. “Unless you’ve got some ideas as to what the point of sending someone a system message just to talk for no reason might be? You’re certain there’s absolutely no info that can be gained from this?”

“Absolutely,” Rhyss confirmed. “It is a one-way message.”

“Can we respond?” Claire asked.

“I don’t have the access for something like that,” Finley said. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Sending messages is a lot harder than getting them. You need to tap into the Traveler’s Guild—”

“The what, now?” Alex asked. “I thought you said it was the System.”

“Well, it is. Kind of.” Finley cleared his throat. “I mean. It is. The System is the route through which the message is passed. But you can’t just… make the System do anything. That isn’t how it works. And the System doesn’t have a built-in messaging function. That would be ridiculous.”

“So how does it work?” Claire asked. “And what is the Traveler’s Guild?”

“A group of specialized merchants spanning the Infinium,” Finley replied. “They specialize in delivering all sorts of things. People. Messages. All of it. They basically use the cracks between worlds to slip things between. Not quite stepping into the Mirrorlands, but not quite in any other reality either. It’s not a simple process. But The Traveler’s Guild usually don’t have a very strong presence on young worlds. There isn’t a big need for them and the average person wanting to get transported isn’t trying to go to a world still under System restrictions. There are better means for that.”

“I see,” Alex said. “So how is it that Teddy possibly could have sent me a message? He’s a Nativeworlder. There’s no way he should have access to something like that, right?”

“Not on his own,” Finley said. His brow furrowed. “That’s a good point. Maybe he’s working with one of the Great Families? Was he in the Ancestry?”

“I was just wondering that myself,” Alex said. He shook his head. “But I can’t see it. He’s never really been a huge one for authority. I knew him before the apocalypse. It didn’t seem like he’s changed much — aside from getting a whole lot more ominous and shifty.”

“And you said he didn’t want anything from you either,” Finley said pensively. “That’s odd. If the Great Families were using him to get information on you, then he’d definitely have tried to ask for something. The fact he didn’t is very odd.”

“Are the Great Families the only ones with access to the system messaging stuff?” Claire asked. “Is it possible for another random merchant to have a contact or the like that they could leverage?”

“It’s not about contacts.” Finley shook his head. “You need physical access to the materials and abilities to actually send the message — and the sender has to record the message themselves. You can’t just hand it off.”

“What about other organizations?” Alex asked. Something rattled around in the back of his mind. The faintest hint of an idea, but it was buried behind a layer of confusion that he couldn’t quite get out of the way. “I know 14 Great Families are on 274-50. What about… I don’t know. Lesser Families or something? Someone else with access to the Traveler’s Guild?”

“No. The only ones on 274-50 right now are the Great Families, those who arrived here under their banners, and merchants. It’s too early for any others to be present.” Finley glanced at Rhyss. “Right?”

“The assumption is accurate given the timeline.”

“Besides,” Finley added. “Only relatively powerful organizations would have access to the Traveler’s Guild. They’re not cheap or easy to get a hold of.”

Then what the hell could Teddy have used to send that message, and why did he think I already knew where he…

Alex’s eyes went wide. The little thought that had been bothering him finally slipped free of its restraints.

There was one other powerful organization on 274-50. One that wasn’t with the Great Families at all.

“Shit,” Alex breathed. “That bastard. This is why he said I knew where he is. There’s no way he’d throw in with a Great Family. And that only leaves a single place he could possibly be. Teddy is with the Empty Court.”