All Chapters of The laughing God's Gambit : Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
20 chapters
Chapter 1: Tell me you are joking.
“Tell me you’re kidding.”“No jokes about stealing from the gods,” a voice hissed in Ferris’s ear, crackling through the comm-crystal. “Move it, Fox! The moon’s almost down.”Ferris’s fingers shimmered, half-phased into the chest of a marble goddess. The statue stared down, as if it was quietly judging him. His knuckles brushed something cold and smooth, a crystal buried deep inside. The Tear of the Moon. It hummed, sharp and electric, right up his arm. His teeth hurt just from touching it.“Uh oh. I’m stuck.”“You’re what?”“My hand. It’s… gone through, but now it’s stuck. Magic’s thick here. Like pudding.”A beat of silence. “Did you just compare a goddess’s heart to pudding?”“It’s the feeling! I can’t get it out.” Sweat trickled down his spine. The vault stretched out, huge and silent, starlight pouring in through the glass ceiling. If he messed up, the Harmony Guardians would be on him. Or worse, the starlight would go solid and trap him for good. He’d read about it.“Jiggle it.”
CHAPTER 2: The brink.
Yeah, well, burnt eyebrows are about as good as it gets. Ferris hugged himself, shivering. And now I’m gonna die because Miss Goody-Two-Shoes went all hero on us.Don’t call me that. She wouldn’t meet his eyes just stared out at the floating islands, looking miserable. I knew what I was supposed to do. I screwed up. This is what happens.Oh, come on, spare me the martyr routine. Ferris laughed, but it sounded forced. We’re not dying for some noble cause. We’re dying because a bunch of suits couldn’t file the right paperwork.She clammed up after that. The silence just stretched. Sun hung low, a gold coin rolling toward the Sky-Spire.There’s gotta be some way out, Ferris muttered.No one gets off the Brink. Magic’s solid here.Nothing here is solid. He glanced around at the empty platform. Nothing but the drop. He felt a truly terrible idea forming. Okay, new plan.There’s no plan.The cuffs stop you using magic, right? But not just… being connected?She finally looked at him, suspici
Chapter 3: working on it.
They turned the corner and almost crashed into a couple of City Watch guys.Not Skyhaven just regular city cops. One cop had a glowing paper, and Ferris caught a glimpse of his own face staring back from a wanted poster. Lyria’s was right next to his.The Spymaster didn’t waste a second.Ferris grabbed Lyria and yanked her into a doorway. The handle didn’t budge. Locked. Nowhere to go.“What are you doing?” she hissed.“Shut up and act like you’re into me,” he breathed, mouth close to her ear. He spun them around, pressing her back to the door, his body blocking her face from view. Armor dug into his ribs. She was pissed he could feel it. He pulled her closer anyway. “They’re searching for two people, not a couple. Just play along.”The cops came closer.Ferris went with the only idea he had left. He ducked his head and buried his face in her neck. She smelled like metal, ozone, and something sweet. She went stiff as a board.“Evening, lovebirds,” one of the cops said, smirking. “Get
CHAPTER 4: The link breaker.
Boom’s workshop looked more like a tornado had blown through than any kind of doctor’s office. Ferris sat wobbling on a rickety stool, watching her rummage through jars stuffed with who knows what. Lyria just stood by the door, arms folded, trying her best to keep all the chaos at bay like that was even possible.“Alright, stuff to make it work!” Boom announced, holding up a jar full of swirling purple smoke. “I’ve got bottled-up regret, a splash of a broken promise, and… let’s see, some lazy vibes from a bard who flunked out.” She shook another jar. Inside, a sluggish gray slug barely twitched.“We are not using a slug,” Lyria deadpanned.“It’s not a slug, it’s an idea!” Boom snapped, like she’d just been insulted. “Fine. Regret it is. More mellow anyway.” She popped open the purple jar. Suddenly, the whole place reeked of old roses and missed chances. Ferris felt a weird pang for a dog he’d never even owned.“Now, the thingy!” Boom darted over to a table and came back with this smal
Chapter 5: watery mouths.
She turned, obviously not buying it.A card game. Big stakes. I got cocky. The other guy he was a dragon, just not in dragon form. I had no clue at the time. I promised to pay him back with something just as valuable. Thought I’d owe a handful of coins, tops. Nope. He wanted a dragon egg. Not his, someone else’s. Said it’d be poetic. I had to steal it. I tried, got caught, and the dragon was pissed. Still owe him.So you stole the Tear to pay the dragon.The Tear was worth way more than a few eggs. Would’ve solved everything. Then you showed up. He chuckled, a real belly laugh.She didn’t answer for a bit. The fire crackled and filled the silence.The hall. What you saw that was Stormcrown Keep. My home. It’s gone now. Bad people, bad luck, take your pick. She didn’t want to dig into it. “I was supposed to be at the gate. But I was off chasing a bandit. Came back and it was rubble. My family… buried underneath.”He had nothing. “I’m sorry” didn’t cut it.My duty’s all I’ve got left. A
CHAPTER 6: The kitchen.
Clang.It wasn’t that loud, but it was sharp in the tight vent. He froze.Down below, one cook looked up from chopping carrots, frowning at the ceiling. He listened. The dish machine kept clanging. He shrugged and went back to work.Ferris waited. Then tapped again. And again. He wasn’t trying to break it quickly, but to weaken the rusty joint bit by bit.Sweat dripped into his eyes. Lyria was staring at him intensely. Her hunger was a constant, painful ache.On the seventh tap, the screw gave way with a soft crack. The corner of the grate drooped.They both felt a surge of hope.He moved to the next screw. Tap. Tap. Tap.The second screw broke faster. The grate was now hanging by two corners.Below, a cook moved the stew pot off the table and took it to the sink. The bread and cheese were out in the open, unguarded.Tap. Tap CRACK.The third screw snapped. The grate swung down, hanging by only one corner, leaving a small opening to squeeze through. It was a twelve-foot drop to the fl
CHAPTER 7: come on! Is the gilded locked
The scout's whistle wasn't just a sound; it felt like a trap slamming shut.Lyria reacted instantly, even before the whistle cut through the kitchen noise. Instead of running for the exit, she charged toward the big stockpot simmering on the stove.Ferris internally yelled the wrong way!, but the bond had him following her, scrambling after her.The scout's whistle blew again, sharp and loud.Lyria reached the pot, didn't grab it, but kicked its iron leg with all her force.The pot tipped, sending a wave of hot, greasy broth across the floor, right into the path of the cooks and the scout who were closing in.Ow! Hot! HOT!My boots!Total chaos. Slippery, screaming, steaming mess.Now! Lyria yelled, finally making a run for the exit, Ferris right behind.They burst from the kitchen into a long, wet corridor filled with barrels and laundry sacks. The air stank of chemicals and wet wool. Shouts echoed from the kitchen.They'll seal the building, Ferris panted, running. The bond felt lik
CHAPTER 8: The dress up.
Turns out, The Gilded Lock was just a plain, gray block in a part of town that reeked of incense and desperation. The place was so boring, it was basically invisible. Plus, anyone messing with it had a habit of disappearing into Spireland’s endless holes.Ferris and Lyria watched from a storm drain, having followed the sewer to a pipe at the edge of town. Just like they figured, they looked like drowned rats, glowing a bit from sewer fungus. Lyria’s armor squeaked, and Ferris couldn’t stop his teeth from chattering.“Okay, plan,” Lyria whispered, eyeing the reinforced door. A guard in a thick jacket leaned against it, picking his teeth. Looked bored stiff.“Right. Plan.” Ferris’s brain, usually a mess of dumb ideas, had frozen over. “I’ll… distract the guard.”“How?”“I’ll chat him up.”“You’ll chat him up.”“I’m a people person! Underneath all this panic, I’m super friendly.” He tried to fix his wet hair, but it stuck up like spikes. “You, meanwhile, use your… knight skills… to go ar
CHAPTER 9: time isn't stopping.
Time didn't stop; it just got super expensive. Finn's crossbow stayed steady. His guys fanned out below, blocking the stairs and the main door. The lemon polish smell? Now it was the smell of a clean, final trap.Finn, Ferris said, sounding surprisingly calm. Nice doublet. A going-away gift?Think of it as a burial shroud. Saves money. Finn's smile was all business. Come on down. My arm's tired, and you're dripping on the client's floor.Lyria had her hand on the catwalk railing. Ferris saw her checking out the drop, the guys, the angles. A battle plan forming. The bond with her felt cold and sharp, like total focus. Four guys below. Stairs blocked. No way out.You ratted us out before we even got to the sewers, Ferris said, stalling for time. The scout in the kitchen? That was you.Business, Fox. The Skyhaven reward was too good to pass up. And you... you messed with the plan. Bad for business. Finn tightened his finger on the trigger. Last chance. Come down.Lyria spoke, her voice c
Chapter 10: thoughts on selling our story.
The ledger you kicked. In Finn’s vault. I pasted a one-way link to the glue. A little test. Goes off when it finds feels like stress and magic nearby.You have a lot of that now. Glad you are not dead.They were talking to a librarian from somewhere else. In a bar. While cops are out looking for them.Now shut up, Mavis continued, all business. Finn’s Quiet Study is a bubble inside the Vault of Echoes. It's nice, but the tea is bad. I’m on the inside to learn the Vault’s memory security.I think I have a trick to untying a soul-bind that should not blow you up.Hope, mixed with worry, crossed their minds.Then, Mavis went on, you must do three things. One, get to the Vault. Two, find a loud noise deal, it makes sad sounds and is with that deaf snob in Cloud-Silk. Three…She paused. The fizzing was much worse.You must be sure if you want to do this. We have to take off the mind guards. To let your brain bond blow up. You need to see what they are like. Not just a look, but to feel ever