“That question is gonna cost you about… I don’t know. 100 points?” Alex offered.

Shawn stared at him. The giant’s lips parted ever so slightly in disbelief. For a long second, he couldn’t manage to muster up so much as a word. Then the giant burst out into booming laughter. The thunderous echo of his mirth rolled through the courtroom.

It took nearly ten seconds before Shawn managed to get control of himself again. He wiped a tear from his eye. Another chuckle bubbled up from between his lips before he managed to squeeze them shut again. Even still, it was another moment before he managed to find his words.

“You. Charging me. Points,” Shawn said, his voice strangled from residual amusement. “I don’t think I’ve heard such a ridiculous suggestion in my entire life. Do you have any idea how much of an achievement that is? I have lived for quite a long time.”

“Is it ridiculous enough to give me those extra points? Also, answering that other question will also cost you.”

“Don’t push your luck,” Shawn said as his smile faded. “But the first question… 50 points. I will not offer again. It is a curiosity to me. Not a necessity.”

“If I answer, will you tell me what you know of them?” Alex asked.

Shawn studied him for a moment. “Yes. But I will warn you now, this answer will be only knowledge of the Empty Court itself. There will be nothing actionable within what I tell you.”

“Is that because you don’t know anything? Or because you don’t want to say?”

“Because it’s a separate question entirely,” Shawn said. “And you can’t afford the answer to it.”

“Even with 155 points?”

Shawn hesitated. “You would spend all your points on information? Every single one of them?”

“I never said that. I was just confirming. That means the price is within my budget. You feel like whatever knowledge you’ve got is somewhere in the realm of 155 points.”

The giant snorted. “And that’s enough clarifying questions for you. You’ve gotten more information than I had planned on giving. If you want to continue this line of discussion, then tell me how it is you know of the Empty Court.”

“I’ll tell you how I know of them, but that’s it,” Alex said after a moment of thought. “Is that fair?”

Shawn inclined his head. “It is.”

“And the price for your answer? Of just the general information about the Empty Court?”

“70 points,” Shawn said flatly.

Alex’s eyes widened.

Holy shit. That expensive? Is he running my shit? It’s practically the most expensive thing in his shop! Even the Legacy was only 100 points! And that means the other info he has is probably something between 25 and 85 points. Damn. Not cheap at all.

He hesitated for a moment. Saying he knew Shawn well would have been lying. There was a small but not insignificant chance that he was getting played here. Shawn could very well say, ‘whoops. I don’t know anything at all about the Empty Court’ and technically fulfill the terms of their deal.

But that didn’t seem like Shawn’s type. The giant had been a bit underhanded at times, but he didn’t feel untrustworthy. That wasn’t exactly the strongest foundation to bet an enormous amount of points and effort on… but Alex was well aware that his decision had already been made.

No amount of internal debating was going to change anything. He’d made a promise to himself at the start of the apocalypse to do whatever the hell he wanted once it began, and that wasn’t going to stop just because there was a small chance he’d get scammed.

And Shawn wasn’t the only one that could scam.

“Done,” Alex said. “On one condition. This information is never for sale. It doesn’t matter who comes to you in the future. It doesn’t matter who you meet or what you want. You have to swear to never reveal anything about me to anyone.”

“Why would anything about you ever matter?” Shawn asked with a wry smile. “Done. An easy requirement.”

You never know.

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“I know the Empty Court because I met one of their members in the Mirrorlands,” Alex said. “He was my System Guide. I then ran into another one of them in the Cracked Steps. He told me that I should seek entrance.”

A long second passed. Shawn stared at him in complete silence. Then, finally, the giant spoke.

“What?”

“That,” Alex said, “will cost you extra. It’s also just about the extent of what I know about the Empty Court. Hence why I have a few questions.”

“Hold on,” Shawn said. His eyes went narrow. “The Mirrorlands? How was a child like you in the Mirrorlands? And why was a member of the Empty Court—”

“I wasn’t joking about the cost,” Alex drawled. “I think it’s a fair enough demand, don’t you? You’re asking for some pretty important information. And to be fully clear… I’m not answering all of it. Besides, this is just for your entertainment, right? No need to press further. You can just answer my question now.”

Shawn’s lips pressed thin. “Will you tell me the names of the ones you met?”

Alex thought for a moment. Then he shrugged.

“If you pay enough.”

“40 points.”

“60,” Alex countered.

“I will give you 50 and not a single point more,” Shawn replied.

“Done,” Alex said immediately. “I fell into the Mirrorlands toward the start of the Apocalypse. The guy in the Cracked Steps was called Zeal… and the one I first met went by Meiderly.”

Shawn stiffened slightly.

“You met a soul fragment of Meiderly? What happened to it when the System finished the guide?”

“It left,” Alex replied slowly.

The massive giant leaned forward so his eye was nearly at Alex’s level. No trace of Shawn’s former amusement remained. He was deadly serious.

“You’re certain it didn’t dissipate?”

“Yes,” Alex said, only because he was pretty sure this fell under the terms of their previous deal. “Absolutely.”

The giant’s blue features went as white as paper. Every droplet of blood in his head seemed to drain away from his face as undeniable fear dug its claws into him.

“Dead gods,” Shawn breathed. He swallowed. “Then Meiderly still lives.”

“You knew him?” Alex asked, blinking in surprise.

Shawn hesitated for a moment. Then he inclined his head. “You have purchased the answer to that, I suppose. No. I did not know him. But I knew of him. Meiderly is one of the most dangerous Incarnations to have ever lived. There are few beings more reviled and respected in the entirety of the System… and he was one of the founding members of the Empty Court.”

You’re fucking kidding me. Seriously?

“You’re telling me this guy was like, what, the strongest bloke in the universe?”

“Universes,” Shawn corrected. “And no. Meiderly is most certainly not the strongest. Not even close. But he was — is — incredibly powerful… and unpredictable. And the Empty Court was where he, along with many other unstable individuals, made their home.”

“It’s a hideout, then? Like a secret city?”

“The Empty Court is like a sect. Or a cult. I suppose it depends who you ask. I have never been invited, but the rumors agree that it is a place where all affiliations are cast aside. Anyone who comes with a grudge against another member is exiled. The only thing that matters within those walls is the pursuit of power. They’re mad… but dangerous. Incredibly so.”

“Are they evil?” Alex asked.

Shawn snorted. “No. The pursuit of strength is nothing inherently evil. It may as well be one of the laws of the System. But the Empty Court take it farther than anyone sane ever would. It is not entirely uncommon to run into one. But to run into two — and survive — is quite the feat. Did Meiderly tell you to do something?”

“I don’t feel like that’s covered under our agreement,” Alex said. “It seems a bit unnecessary for information on what you know on the Empty Court.”

“Fair,” Shawn allowed. He shook his head and blew out a breath. “The only other thing I can say within the boundaries of your first question is that there are a number of ways into the Empty Court. None of them are easy. The safest is to be sponsored. But, unless someone within the Court has a reason to believe you would fit, that’ll never happen. If you have some manner of interest in them… well, don’t bother worrying about that option. Your best bet is to find one of the trials they’ve scattered around the worlds and pass it. But to be frank — I’ve never heard of anyone beneath Expert surviving one of their proper trials, much less passing one.”

Ah. Sounds like I should not be revealing the fact that I have already gotten an invitation into the Empty Court then because some mysterious bloke vouched for me, huh?

“I see,” Alex said. “And what about after getting access? Like once you’ve got your invitation and passed their trial. Do you know how to get in?”

“Find a gateway,” Shawn replied. The giant’s eyes almost seemed to grow wistful. “The greatest of the Empty Court’s achievements. They have hidden passageways spanning throughout the universes. More than even many of the Great Families — and I’m not talking about the ones that have found their way onto this planet. Those passages allow any who have been invited into the Empty Court to pass through them. While many entrances are known, only members can pass through them. Destroying the passages is equally pointless. They just move. It makes catching or tracking their members nearly impossible.”

“I see,” Alex said. “Anything else?”

“I can honestly say that I wish I knew more,” Shawn said with a smile. “To have been offered entry into the Empty Court would have been fascinating. But it is not just power they assess. It is fit — and I suppose I did not align with them. No matter. There is nothing else I can say under the umbrella of this question.”

“Which leads us to the second one. The one you already know I’m going to ask about,” Alex said.

“One which I will warn you against asking,” Shawn said.

“But one I’ll ask anyway,” Alex said. “I want the coordinates of an entrance to the Empty Court’s passageways in a manner that can be put into an Astral Map… and I think you’ve got them.”

Shawn was silent for a long second. Then, slowly, he inclined his head.

“I do.”