Truth, my lords and ladies, is like clay. Because truth is not a single thing. Truth is different for all people, has many facets, and can be deformed.

  Things true yesterday can be proven untrue tomorrow, and vice versa. Truth is a quantum phenomenon. It shifts states rapidly, and it keeps shifting endlessly, ceaselessly, because the world is not built on truth. The world is forged by belief, and truth is then made manifest through the efforts to see these delusions materialized.

  On this night, during this ball, we all shield ourselves with masks. The effect is two-faced: We deceive others by shrouding ourselves in mystery. We are free to admit certain things we've always assumed—certain things we've assumed to be the truth, that we wield as weapons or as medical salves to mend another's wounds. But that is the thing as well. Is this truly the truth? Or is it merely an assumption?

  And herein comes our great failure, the great collapse of every single individual who believes they are enlightened, that they alone are rational among a chorus of sheep.

  There are few things more fertile in poisons than the soil of assumption. Seeds of doubt are often planted in our minds based on suspicions we harbor for other people—suspicions that at times are most justified, while others are merely fed by mirages of personal inadequacy or misunderstanding.

  These suspicions, I feel right now. I know which of you are plotting against me. I know because I have uttered these words, and I feel the trembling within your souls. The truth, ultimately, is my weapon to wield, as this lie has your paranoia. Because you doubt, I know, and you are thus doomed to fall before me.

  To not keep you all in suspense any longer than necessary, I will now explain how the night will go.

  Those of you who will remain on my side and commit to the harmony and stability of our government, I ask that you remain still.

  And those of you here who have come today bringing poison chalices to claim my life and steal my position from me, I ask that you step forth.

  …

  No one?

  …

  How fascinating. Then, let the games unfold. You've already betrayed yourself by being dishonest with yourself. And there it is again, the truth, a double-edged blade cutting both sides of your face.

  There is no escape. You've already stepped onto the stage. Now it is time for you to dance to my whims. See if you can leave my throne vacant.

  -Legend-Owl Sir Collin Dodd, Archsecretary of the Stolen Throne

  247 (I)

  Liar

  "I just love stumbling from one mound of shit into the next," Shiv cursed internally.

  Adam, however, was quite heartened. Even with Hero-Biomancer Javelina Van Erren standing before them, the Gate Lord felt more confident dealing with her than he did with Jessica.

  "I think we have an angle," Adam said immediately.

  "What's that?" Shiv replied.

  "Well," Javelina said, crossing her arms as Shiv stared at her, "are you going to say something to me? Or are you going to continue talking silently, trying to come up with a more convincing story?"

  Shiv shook his head. "I, uh... I, uh..."

  Adam snapped his fingers to center Shiv's attention. "Remember what we did the other night? Where I was in your dorm pretending to be a member of the Inquisition?"

  Shiv winced internally. "I don't know if that's a great idea, Adam. She seems to be a lot more connected than Magnolia. If this goes wrong…"

  "…then we are exposed," Adam said. "But we don't have many other cards to play. She already knows you have extreme Biomantic capabilities—at least she strongly suspects it. And judging from her words, she also has a skill capable of detecting lies. So we have to skirt the truth. How does your new skill work?"

  "I have no idea, man," Shiv replied, agitated. "I just got it. The System doesn't exactly give you a manual. I need to figure it out on the fly."

  "Well, be careful. Tell her something before she loses patience. But I think pretending to be working under Veronica Chandler can work—because it is technically true.”

  "Yeah," Shiv announced out loud, desperate to buy himself some time. "Look, it's complicated."

  "Everything is," Javelina replied tersely. "But you brought your brand of complicated into my hospital. So, start answering questions."

  "I'm not with the vampire, for one," Shiv said. "Not really. The situation's weird there too."

  She angled her head, and the Deathless suddenly felt something. It was a trembling sensation pulsing out from her. It was unlike anything he'd felt before. It was like his bones were rattling, like he could feel the very doubt within her vibrate outwards in waves.

  Holy shit, is that my new skill? Shiv muttered to himself. Can I detect when other people are doubting me now?

  Shiv licked his lips and kept going. "I'm not exactly with the vampire, but we have to work together for now. We're also working together with the very top."

  Shiv was being deliberately vague, and Javelina didn't look pleased at all. "The very top," she said flatly. “And what might that mean?”

  But the vibrations that resonated from her being lessened. Shiv felt something else there, a feeling, an instinct that pulled on him. There was a weight on her end. Instead of him vibrating, she started rattling instead. Does this want me to continue down this path? To lie to her?

  Gardener of Doubt: The lies are fertile now. Water her doubts. Watch a malformed truth flourish.

  A voice echoed in the back of Shiv's mind. His eyes widened. His skill was speaking to him, much like Sage of the Enkindled Heart and Psycho-Cartography before it.

  "When I say the very top, I mean the very top." Shiv leaned in. "Veronica Chandler, if you need a point of reference.”

  And for the first time, Javelina's expression cracked. Vice 8 leaned in behind her. The huge Aerokinetic boar took up most of the hallway leading into the room, and he let out a disbelieving scoff. "Yeah, sure you are. And I'm about to reach godhood this weekend."

  "No," Javelina said, holding up her hand. Suddenly, she went from seeming furious to troubled. "I don't feel it. He's not lying."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Shiv continued his campaign of calculated half-truths. "I know it's not easy to believe, but I'm actually here for the Deathless. Everything that's happened here is all for the Deathless. The Ascendants need him."

  "What do they need him for?" Javelina asked.

  Shiv leaned back. He saw an opportunity and seized it.

  Gardener of Doubt: She oversteps. Remind her. There is consequence and weight in every assumption. There is a price to pay for being mistaken.

  "That's need-to-know, Hero Biomancer," Shiv said, his voice lowering. “And you sadly don’t fall into that category.”

  Suddenly, Javelina's expression changed. She went from a domineering presence looking down at a student she could punish to someone facing an adversary she wasn't sure of at all. "Who are you?" she repeated.

  Shiv shook his head. "Wrong question. You want to know? You go make an appointment at the Legend-Councilwoman's office. You can ask her. If she doesn't want to tell you, I guess you’re shit outta luck."

  Rhetoric 3 > 5

  Gardener of Doubt 51 > 52

  Once more, she rattled, only briefly this time, but he knew his lies were taking hold. Every word sowed his seeds deeper.

  "I know that you mean well for your students and those around you, Hero-Biomancer, but I need to give you a warning out of courtesy. You don't want to sink your fingers into this. You're just a bystander right now. You're caught in the middle of a struggle you have no part in, that you want no part of. I helped and fixed up everyone outside because I could, because I actually care for them, because I wanted to do the right thing after a really, really ugly day." Shiv's words were laced with honesty but evasive of the actual truth. "That being said, if you delve in deeper, if you go after this vampire or the Deathless, you are not coming out of it well. I can't even guarantee your life."

  "I don't care about this whole conspiracy," Javelina shot back, waving a hand dismissively. "All I want to know from you now is this: if this Deathless or that Legendary-tiered vampire are returning. I want to know if my residents and my students are in danger."

  "Yes," Shiv said without hesitation. “And I can’t promise you their lives either.”

  "Shiv," Adam cautioned.

  But Shiv was being guided by his new Deception skill now. Every time it trembled, every time it ebbed, the interplay between him and Javelina's souls guided him, shaped the course of his lie.

  Shiv stared intensely at Javelina. "They are in danger. They are always in danger, Hero-Biomancer Van Erren. Because we live under the heel of the System. But if you're asking me if they're in danger of the Deathless, no. He's not that kind of man. We know this because we're with him and making sure he doesn't lash out at bystanders. And if you're asking if he'll be back—probably. He's hiding, trying to avoid the Ascendants. You better not go looking for him, because he won't be found. And you won’t even notice him if he’s sitting right in front of you. And if you do find him, it'll be bad for your health. He's under our watch, he’s our interest, and you will do well to remember that and stay out of it."

  A bout of tense silence followed. Javelina grimaced as her Biomancy swirled. The hog behind her let out a low breath, and he loomed closer, a doubtless hint of violence in his posture, but also a lingering trace of concern directed towards his companion.

  "I need to speak to my contacts within the Inquisition," Javelina finally said.

  Shiv exploded to his feet faster than either the boar or the Hero-Biomancer could respond. He glared directly at her, turning to intimidation as a tool. Vice 8 stood in front of her, blocking Shiv off. “You do that,” Shiv hissed, “and I'll save you the trouble.”

  A fear chain manifested between Shiv and Javelina, but not the awakened pig-creature.

  "What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?" the boar growled at Shiv.

  "You know what it means. This is not a threat. This is me giving you the only mercy I can. What I'll do is far better than whatever you'll experience at the hands of the others."

  "Who are the others?" Javelina asked. Shiv shook his head, and Javelina proved to be wise. She dropped the topic. "Fine. So, you're a spook, then?"

  Shiv considered her question and gave her a noncommittal shrug. "Yeah, I guess you could call me that. But it's not what I would think of myself as."

  The Hero-Biomancer nearly spat, her face turned into a mask of disgust. "Yeah, well, I've heard that from your type more times than I can count. Fine. I can't get rid of you. You're worse than a parasite. But I need assurances. I need you to make sure that whatever mess you have going on at the top doesn't hurt my residents, doesn't hurt my students, and doesn't hurt my patients."

  "I'll do what I can," Shiv said with as much weight in his voice as possible. "In turn, I need something from you."

  "Oh? Like what?" Javelina replied, folding her arms as her lip curled. "I'm already letting you use my hospital."

  "You're not letting me do shit," Shiv said bluntly. "You have to do it; otherwise, there will be consequences neither of us wants to deal with. No. What I need from you is simple. I need you to help me keep my identity. I am Marcus Unblood. As far as you're concerned, I continue to be Marcus Unblood. You're going to play along with me as long as you can, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that you don't get affected by the schemes happening at the very top."

  This was working, but she wasn't entirely convinced yet. "You want to know how bad this is?" Shiv continued, testing the waters. Her insides trembled, and then the pressure lessened. He leaned in again and whispered, "Not even the very top is aligned."

  "What do you mean?" Javelina asked. "The Ascendants?"

  As soon as she said that, Javelina's body began to vibrate before his very eyes. The shaking got to such a level that it seemed like she was about to break apart before him. She suspected the Ascendants badly—so much so that Shiv wondered if her faith wasn’t in peril as well.

  Gardener of Doubt: She believes you. She wants to believe this. She has experienced deception and discord at the hands of the Council and the Ascendants before. Bury the lie deep. Bury the half-sown truth.

  Shiv clicked his tongue. "The Ascendants have clashing interests. If this goes public, then we risk worse than civil strife. I’m talking a major felling schism. You want to be a part of that?”

  And with that, Javelina understood. At least, she believed what was at stake. It wasn't even entirely wrong. Veronica was playing with the Ascendants. If they found out what she was doing, the deal she had agreed to... If they knew that Cripple had gone along as well... Well, Cripple was another case. They already didn't trust it. It was only a matter of time until everything fell apart. But that matter of time could be accelerated if truths were revealed before then. Everything danced on the precipice, and the people of the capital were oh-so-ignorant of the danger looming in their midst.

  Javelina planted both hands on her hips, struggling to keep herself upright as a look of overwhelming strain came over her.

  "I just need you to keep your emotional distance from my students," she said. "You were talking to Maxime. She's a good girl. She's suffered enough at the hands of her family. The last thing I need is..."

  "Don't worry," Shiv cut in. "I have no interest in ruining the life of some girl."

  "It's not about your interests," Javelina snapped. "It's about your objectives. Again, I know your type. And if it comes to it, you'll use her the same way as..."

  Javelina didn't finish. She didn't need to. The Sage and the Gardener could both guess.

  "I'm not that kind of person," Shiv said with every bit of emphasis he could muster. "I'm not the one that hurt you. I'm better than him—and I can tell from your face it’s him—while I am infinitely worse and greater in every other regard. And that’s what lets me keep my morals. Look at me, understand that, and we'll pretend this conversation never happened."

  Shape of Monstrosity 147 > 149

  Javelina looked at him as her hidden terror climbed. She did a good job masking her dread, but it was there, and Shiv drank it in, drop by drop. After a moment too long for his comfort, she finally offered a nod.

  "Remember, don't tell anyone," Shiv said. "You don't want to dig into this. If there's anything for you to know, I'll let you know beforehand. And if there's any threat coming, I will try to warn you. Aside from that, you keep this quiet, and you keep living as normal. It doesn't concern you until it does."

  Once he finished, she finally let out a bitter sigh filled with resignation. "When it does, it won't be about me anymore. It won't be up to me. It won't be up to my kids. And we're all going to suffer, because you people can never have enough."

  With that, she turned around, and she walked out the door without ever looking back.

  Vice 8 remained behind. The massive boar glared at Shiv, and the Deathless guessed it was a full head taller than him at baseline. However, he liked his odds against the creature. It was primarily an Aeromancer, and Shiv was nothing if not extremely magically resistant.

  "You don't got somewhere else to be?" Shiv asked bluntly.

  Vice 8 snorted. A slight oink followed at the end. "Yeah. But before I go and do what I need to do, I'm just going to tell you that you're a piece of shit, and I'm going to look forward to the day that all you questionable Inquisition folks greet the worms." He spat on the table. It landed as a messy globule right before Shiv. And then he turned to leave, stomping out of the room and making the very walls shake.

  "Well, that conversation sure could have gone a lot worse," Adam muttered.

  Shiv exhaled. "It also could have gone a little bit better."

  Both he and the Gate Lord were stressed beyond measure. But it seemed that, at least so far, the crises and troubles of the day were winding to an end. That being said, the Deathless didn't wish to announce this feeling to the others.

  He wasn't superstitious, but after what he'd experienced earlier with Adam, he wasn't going to chance things again. The System was a vindictive prick, and Shiv's asshole had suffered enough for one day.