S ending the message, Raven closed his eyes, considering his next move, the cards he and his opponents had, his allies, and the prize. He had to take a lot of variables into consideration while keeping his finger on the pulse of this fast-paced game in order not to lose it.

His well-thought plan had just one downside: in the real world, he was still helpless against the influence and money possessed by people like Kim Steyson, the youngest of the three daughters of a powerful Swiss banking family. At the age of twenty, she had founded a highly successful financial consulting company. Supported by the family money, she had entered the Forbes list of most influential people under twenty-five.

According to Kingmaker, who had told him all these details, this business was a perfect fit for a sly, shameless, and manipulative person like Queen. She was making money out of everything that caught her eye without caring whose toes she was stepping on.

The document Wild Wind had sent him had only a handful of main points, as simple as the language they were written in. Showing through the lines was Queen’s craving for vengeance.

That was the string Raven was going to pull.

The first thing Queen asked him to do was to film a video with her and officially announce the beginning of their collaboration as a king and queen from different Floors. She anticipated a great media hype and an inflow of sponsors for both.

Next, she briefly described the mutual benefit of the exchange of land, resources, and information on state management. This would’ve been no problem if it weren’t for one thing: the agreement signed by both parties would bind Raven to stop his collaboration with Rollin’ Dice, with Queen compensating him for all of his lost profits.

But her last statement was the exact reason he was now carefully considering the game he absolutely had to join.

Two stone limbs for killing Kingmaker.

His interest in the petrified parts of Daltaro’s daughter had been played against him.

***

As all these thoughts flashed through Raven’s mind, Wild Wind came out of the portal and, looking around, saw the rogue waving at him. Nodding, he walked over, taking satisfaction in the fact that Raven hadn’t run away even though he had had the opportunity.

I wonder if he stayed because of my threats or the deal...

He stopped in front of the rogue and smirked. The mountaintops were a safe, PvP-free zone. If Raven tried to escape, he’d have a hard time chasing after him.

“So? What’s your answer?”

“The part about land and information exchange — I’m afraid I have to refuse that. But I agree to film the video and... to kill Kingmaker.”

“Are you sure?” Wild Wind sensed that something was off. He hadn’t expected such a prompt and easy agreement, but still, he had to report it to Queen. “Give me a minute. I need to consult my boss.”

Two minutes later, he finished the call and warned Raven that his boss would call him. Once he said that, Raven saw a new friend request in his inbox.

Accept.

[Hi, Will.] Queen’s voice was calm and charming. [My name, as you probably know, is Kim Steyson.]

[Get to the point,] Raven urged her. He hated beating around the bush. [As I’ve said before, I’m ready to appear in your video, but only if I get compensated adequately.]

[What do you want?] She didn’t seem to be bothered by his indifferent tone.

[Influence Spheres. The more, the better.]

[Those are very, very valuable.] Her voice became serious. She was probably taken aback by him setting the price in event items instead of real money.

[I know.]

[Fine. How many?]

Raven smiled.

[I’m willing to negotiate.]

The change in his tone was immediately noticed.

[You want to negotiate?] she asked, raising an eyebrow. [Are you...?]

[I am. I want to profit from this deal... through healthy competition.]

[You wouldn’t dare...] Queen began slowly.

She never would’ve imagined that someone would try to profit from her. He could just be bluffing, of course; and she could simply give up her idea of vengeance, but there was some truth to his words. And she hated it. She, the Laughing Queen of Spades, wouldn’t tolerate such mockery.

[Fine. If you wanna play, I don’t mind.] Queen took a breath and, calming down, tried to examine the situation. [However, in this case, forget the stone parts. Consider them lost and beyond resurrection.]

[All right, all right. Let’s slow down a bit.] Raven sounded humbled. [Still. I need some Spheres. Name your price. If I like it, I’m in.]

Raven controlled his tone flawlessly, making it clear that Queen wouldn’t get a free ride. And his mention of competition was just to stir her ego and evoke a false sense of danger.

Her responses were difficult to predict yet he could see that the grudge she held against Kingmaker was partially eclipsing her analytical mind. He used that to steer the conversation in the direction he needed.

Now she had to choose her price carefully, to avoid offending him by offering too little.

[Can you tell me what Dice paid you in?] she asked, unwilling to give away the Influence Spheres. As a player on a high Floor, she knew just too well how precious they were for mind development. [I can pay you more in the same currency.]

[We both know how difficult they are to substitute,] Raven said, ignoring her off-the-topic question.

Their conversation continued, changing its direction suddenly, touching other subjects, then coming back to the main one. A word game so complex that it was hard to read between the lines unless you knew what you were looking for.

At last, both of them fell silent.

Queen smirked, although Raven couldn’t see that.

[Well, I think it’s a deal then.]

[It’s a deal.] Raven paused. [I’ll kill Kingmaker immediately after getting paid. And the video — we’ll discuss it after the event. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.]

[You have three days.]

Raven said nothing to that, hanging up, a broad smile shining beneath his mask.

Wild Wind, who had been standing by his side all this time moved and grunted, satisfied with the result.

“I thought you’d refuse to betray your ally.” The corners of his lips curled into a smile full of contempt. “Looks like you don’t know the meaning of loyalty.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Raven retorted coldly. Getting confirmation that the stone limbs had been delivered to the storage, he wheeled around and added, looking at Wind over his shoulder: “Later.”

Wild Wind remained on the spot for a while, following the rogue with his gaze. Then he dialed Queen.

[Ma’am. Are you sure he’ll do it? They could’ve planned it all out in advance.]

[Calm down, Locke.] She stared into the distance, playing with a strand of her hair. [I have everything under control. Her death, as much as it warms my heart, is but an appetizer. Come back as soon as you can. We have a battle to win.]

***

Fifteen minutes earlier

The Water Mantis exploded with a loud pop. Having dodged the explosion, Mystical Darkness stood up and, looting two Influence Spheres, moved on.

She could already see the next monster when a message dropped in. Checking it and seeing Raven’s name, she opened it.

[I need your help. Please follow these coordinates and help the person you find there. I’ll tell you more later. I owe you one.

PS: Find a safe place for your Spheres. Just in case.]

After staring at the message for a short while, Darkness looked at the attached coordinates and, turning in that direction, summoned her pet.

It must be something really serious if he’s asking for help.

***

Similar messages were sent to Night, Kingmaker, and Crimson Berserker.

A war was coming.