Awaken Online

Book 6: Armageddon

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Travis Bagwell

Copyright © 2022 by Travis Bagwell

All rights reserved.

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To my wife, even in hard times, you’re always my Player Two.

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Contents

Foreword

Prologue

Chapter 1 - Pitch-Black

Chapter 2 - Interrogated

Chapter 3 - Conspiracy

Chapter 4 - Bounty

Chapter 5 - Council

Chapter 6 - Ruinous

Chapter 7 - Broadcast

Chapter 8 - Entourage

Chapter 9 - Divine

Chapter 10 - Kingdom of Nerfle

Chapter 11 - Summit

Chapter 12 - Dysfunctional

Chapter 13 - Ballroom

Chapter 14 - Encore

Chapter 15 - Heist

Chapter 16 - Clandestine

Chapter 17 - Confrontation

Chapter 18 - Mindful

Chapter 19 - Suspicious

Chapter 20 - Counter-Play

Chapter 21 - Encore

Chapter 22 - Sensitive

Chapter 23 - Aftermath

Chapter 24 - Rendezvous

Chapter 25 - Undead

Chapter 26 - Phased

Chapter 27 - Rifting

Chapter 28 - Challenge

Chapter 29 - Gateway

Chapter 30 - Mile-High

Chapter 31 - Game On

Chapter 32 - Trademarked

Chapter 33 - Teamwork

Chapter 34 - Simmering

Chapter 35 - Cold Open

Chapter 36 - Hockey

Chapter 37 - Handsy

Chapter 38 - Motive

Chapter 39 - Unholy

Chapter 40 - Firetap

Chapter 41 - Mastermind

Chapter 42 - Improved

Chapter 43 - Ferryman

Chapter 44 - Carnivore

Chapter 45 - Faerie

Chapter 46 - One-Man Band

Chapter 47 - Bounce

Chapter 48 - Headless

Chapter 49 - Lich

Chapter 50 - Boom

Chapter 51 - Awestruck

Chapter 52 - Holy

Chapter 53 - Fire and Ice

Chapter 54 - Fear

Chapter 55 - Presentation

Chapter 56 - Soulless

Chapter 57 - Bargain

Chapter 58 - Horde

Chapter 59 - Pandemonium

Chapter 60 - Tetris

Chapter 61 - Pleading

Chapter 62 - Catastrophe

Chapter 63 - Timeless

Epilogue

Foreword

We’re back again!

But before we launch into the story, I wanted to provide a brief refresher (since this seemed pretty popular in Hellion).  I also recommend reading AO: Happy before this book if you haven’t already.  You won’t be lost if you don’t, but the characters introduced in that novel play a large role in AO: Armageddon.  You’ll probably enjoy this book more with that background.  Also, it’s just a ton of fun!

With that out of the way, let’s get to it.  Fair warning, these recaps include SPOILERS.  So, turn back now if you intend to read any of the other books!

- Hellion:  During the last main installment, Jason was being interviewed by Westley, explaining how he came to be imprisoned in Sandscrit’s dungeon.  Jason tells the story of how he responded to Finn’s challenge, attacked his city, and was ultimately captured… only to reveal that this was all part of his plan.  He proceeds to free himself and the other travelers, build an army of undead and demolish Finn’s city.  The pair ultimately confront one another and end up working together to defeat Alexion – after he betrays Finn.  Eliza also goes to confront her parents and ask to continue playing AO, but overhears a conversation regarding Finn’s wife Rachael – implying that her death might not have been an accident.  The book ends with a break-in at Cerillion Entertainment headquarters and Jason goes to investigate, discovering that Finn was the one who broke in and his legs have somehow been healed.  Jason lets Finn get away and the book ends.

- Happy:  This story takes place shortly after AO: Catharsis and follows a new character named Dominique Hart – a college athlete with a terminal cancer diagnosis who is unable to pay for treatment.  Dom begins playing AO and is promptly conscripted by the Gambler.  He starts in Aislen, a shithole backwater town in the middle of a deadly jungle from which there is no escape.  Using a skill granted to him by the Gambler, Dom manages to survive long enough to start training his new digital body, taking on increasingly insane workouts and challenges… each ending with his death.  Over time, he unlocks an ability to speed up his own respawn, which further accelerates his training.  Dom eventually comes to terms with his diagnosis, recruits others to fight with him, and starts a war with the guild that has seized control of Aislen.  His team ultimately wins and goes on to form <Death and Taxes> — a mercenary guild with only one goal: making money.  With those funds, Dom is able to afford a rare and expensive treatment for his condition.

The book ends with a bonus epilogue showing Gloria Bastion returning home and speaking with her blind daughter Sophie – now an adult.  This scene takes place after Gloria’s defeat in the regulatory hearing and in Hellion.  She then goes to her work terminal, revealing that she secretly heads an anti-corporate group called ‘SAFE’ but currently has no plan of action for how to stop Cerillion Entertainment and AO.  Her terminal is hacked and she receives a large download of information on AO and its players.  The scene ends with Gloria looking to the AO headset sitting on her desk, still in the box.

And now, on to the story and more mayhem!

May the darkness claim you. – The Dark One

Prologue

November 26, 2076:  56 days after the release of Awaken Online.

Awaken Online – “Turkey Hunt”

“Fucking finally,” Hanna ground out, smiling despite the sweat and grime.

A similar expression was mirrored on the faces of her guildmates – all eighty of them.  Most filled the forest floor, while others were perched on nearby branches.  They were loaded for bear.  Fully decked in equipment and consumables, each person giving off a soft glow, courtesy of the buffs provided by their casters.  The <Royal Bastards> were going to be the first to complete this event after nearly a full day in-game sweeping this damn forest.

Or die trying, at least.

Hanna swiped away her chat window, raising her eyes to the rest of the guild.  “Target acquired and waypoint coming… now.”  Just as she finished speaking, a yellow beacon appeared in the distance.  A low murmur spread through the guild, but the sound didn’t travel outside the amber dome surrounding the area.  Another thin blue film concealed their presence from any prying eyes that might linger nearby.  They couldn’t risk anyone noticing them.

Hanna’s gaze skipped to a pair of water mages nearby.  “You know what to do.  Throw up a decoy force, have them head in the opposite direction, and if the other guilds are watching, we’ll send them on a merry goose chase.”  There were a few tired chuckles at her word choice.

After all, it was Thanksgiving.  And Cerillion Entertainment had rolled out a seasonal event: a “Turkey Hunt.”

The mages nodded, and sapphire energy soon bloomed around their staves.  Moments later, a diversionary force was streaking away across the forest to the south.  The water mages rippled and disappeared from sight, blending back into the vegetation as they jogged after their illusions.  They need to stay just within their control range to maintain the effect.

“Alright, folks, let’s hit it,” Hanna ordered, pointing north.

At her command, the raid set off.  Not at a run or sprint, but at a slow walk.  Cautious.  Shields up and weapons ready.  Staying well within the shimmering magical barriers that concealed their presence and muted any sound they made.

Behind the wards, however, they could make out the muted shouts and clang of steel in the distance.  Evidence of other guilds who had been less cautious.

They all knew what even a momentary screw-up meant out here.  They had already seen it dozens of times, and the evidence now littered the forest.  Entire guilds had been butchering each other.  Bodies hung from tree branches like macabre ornaments.  The wood was singed and shattered, while the trunks were splattered with blood.  An eerie silence hung across the forest, not even the animals that lived there daring to make a noise for fear of being targeted.  Hunted.  To make matters worse, the nearest respawn point was a sixty-minute trip away, even at a dead-on sprint – and that was after the damn respawn timer popped.

They’d learned to keep their guard up.  That’s how they’d survived this long.

Hole up, conceal their presence, and send out scouts looking for their quarry.

That caution was also how the <Royal Bastards> managed to make it to their destination unimpeded, skirting around any large-scale conflicts they came across.  As the waypoint marker loomed large before them, they only saw a line of dense shrubs.  Innocuous.  Unassuming.

“What is this?” Hanna muttered as they neared, eyeing the area.

The air beside her flickered, and their scout popped into view.  “More than it looks like,” Giorgio reported.  “Just walk up to it and see.”

Hanna grunted skeptically but did as he suggested, stepping forward slowly… only to stop in shock moments later.  As she neared the brush, the vegetation shifted and moved of its own accord, coiling up into the air to form an intricate latticework of branches and leaves.  And in the dead center?  A door – replete with knocker and doorknob.

“These devs are assholes,” Hanna muttered to herself.  No wonder the event hadn’t been completed yet.  How the hell were people supposed to find this needle in a damn haystack?

The guild all stared at the entrance, unsure of how to proceed.

Hanna glanced at Giorgio.  “I dunno.  Knock, maybe?” he offered to her unspoken question.  “Your guess is as good as mine.”

With a grimace, she approached the door and knocked gently.  Seconds ticked past, and she held her breath, only for the portal to creak open, light spilling out.  A shimmering blue barrier hung across the opening, concealing what lay on the other side.

“Alright, let’s cover this entrance,” she instructed their last water mage.  No sense in getting overconfident at this stage.  “Group five, stay out here to guard it.”  She swallowed hard as she looked back at the blue barrier.  “The rest of us will head inside.”

She eyed her guildmates.  “Alright, let’s head out!”

The group soon pushed inside, only to be met with a strange sight.  They were still standing in the forest – or at least some sort of instanced replica of the forest.  A clearing stretched out before them, filled with green grass and bright, warm sunlight.  It was almost cheery after the gloomy, blood-covered woods they’d just crossed.  Eerily so.

However, Hanna’s attention was pulled away as a notification popped up before her.

System Notice:  Potluck

You’ve found the entrance to the potluck, but it seems you didn’t bring anything to share.  As a result, you are now afflicted with the Freeloader Debuff.  All healing effects are now delayed by 5 seconds.  What can we say?  Freeloaders eat last.

The host might also glare at you passive-aggressively.

“The hell is this?” Giorgio muttered at Hanna’s side, swiping away a similar notice.

She just shrugged.  “Seems we’re mixing themes.  First, a hunt, now a holiday potluck.  Either way, I see our target now.”  Hanna waved at the center of the clearing.

After everything they’d been through – the people they’d killed, the hours spent searching the forest – well, it didn’t look like much.  It was just a bird.  Its head reaching about waist height.  All brown and red feathers and wrinkled skin.  Basically, an oversized turkey.  But Hanna wasn’t buying that shit either…

“Ali?” she asked.

One of their scouts nodded and swiped at the air.  Moments later, she pushed a notification to Hanna.  Ali had spent quite a bit of time studying AO’s wildlife, and her Inspection skill was usually top-notch.  “Usually,” being the operative word.

Turduckin – Level 250 (Raid Boss)

Health – 500,000+

Mana – 200,000+

Affinities – Air, Fire, Dark

Equipment – None

Resistances – Unknown

Special Skills – “Thanks-giving”

“Turduckin, huh?” Hanna murmured.  That was a hell of a lot of health.  The affinities and special skill were also an odd mix but didn’t provide much context.  It looked like they were just going to have to go in blind.

She let out a sigh.  “Alright, usual formation.  We’ll get our tanks to focus its attention.  Everybody else, burn it.  Look for any weak points.  Support stay behind, and group 7 keep them safe.”  Hanna received nods from the raid.  Group 1 advanced, all heavy armor, rippling muscle, and humming with multi-colored energy.  They were ready to take a hit or two.

With everyone in place, Hanna pushed a ready check.

Raid Notice:  Commence Battle?

All raid members are ready.

Would you like to commence the battle?

[Yes/No]

Hanna tapped at the notice, and a timer started counting down from five.

The tanks were already moving.  Johnny took up the lead, the others hanging back.  They’d cycle out if this thing ended up hitting like a truck.  For her own part, Hanna just kept her displays up, screens hovering before her.  Her fingers were twitching down toward her weapons – itching to join the fray herself – but she was most useful in a strategic role.  Watching the flow of the fight and sending instructions to the raid.

There was a reason generals didn’t stand on the frontlines.

As Johnny raced into melee with the turkey, it looked up lazily…

“Gobble?”  Almost a question.

Then the tank stabbed it with his spear, keeping his shield raised.

The bird raised its beak to the sky and let out an unholy shriek.  At the same time, it blossomed in size, expanding outward in an explosion of feathers that suddenly streaked out across the clearing, obscuring visibility.  A new notice suddenly filled Hanna’s screen – notifying her that her ability to leave the event was now restricted.  It was kill the damn bird or die trying.

Hanna pressed her lips together in a grimace.  So, business as usual.

As the feathers finally fluttered to the ground, the guild members sucked in a collective breath as they witnessed their opponent’s transformation.  Gone was the innocent-looking turkey, now replaced with a monster that towered ten feet into the air.  Feathers no longer coated its skin, leaving only wrinkled, gnarled flesh.  Sewn stitches trailed up and across its body as though it had been cut open and then knitted back together.  Its feet ended in deadly talons that raked furrows in the dirt.  And red, “thankless” eyes turned toward the guild – resting on poor Johnny.

“Uh, sorry?” the tank muttered, backpedaling.

The turkey swept forward with a foot, sparks flying as it collided with the tank’s shield.  He was sent stumbling backward, another tank already surging ahead to take his place.  Meanwhile, their casters and archers let loose, a hail of mundane and magical missiles whistling toward a series of yellow icons that Hanna had already painted across the beast.  Eyes, ears, throat, neck, breast, those stitches – even its scaled feet.  She was testing it for weaknesses.

Yet the beast seemed to anticipate each attack.  It flapped its naked wings, and amber energy suddenly pooled around the clearing.  Its feathers lifted from the ground, only to whip forward violently.  Hanna felt a searing line cut across her cheek, and something wet and warm began to trickle down her skin.  She dabbed at her face and pulled her hand away to reveal crimson blood.  Screams rippled through the air as those razor-sharp feathers cut into their unprotected DPS and support.

“Shit…” she muttered.  Hanna moved quickly.  Air mages were quickly repurposed, creating protective domes of amber energy.  Guildmates were stumbling and crawling inside to avoid the feathers while the plumage piled up against the wards.  The magical winds soon slowed and then stopped, giving the air mages a brief respite to regenerate their mana.  As soon as they were able, the healers started bathing the raid in an emerald glow, their wounds taking long pain-filled seconds to stitch themselves back together.

In the meantime, the beast hadn’t stopped.  The feathers had cut at Johnny’s legs, slicing through cracks in his armor.  He toppled to the side, and the Turduckin plunged forward.  The tank couldn’t raise his shield in time, so he acted instinctively, bringing his spear forward.  The claw cut through the shaft of his weapon with no resistance, crushing into his armor.  It peeled at the metal in a shower of sparks before burrowing deeply into Johnny’s arm with a spray of blood and a roar of pain.

The healers had anticipated the injury, his body glowing a brilliant emerald and his skin beginning to knit itself back together after only a short delay.  While his wounds were being mended, another tank stepped forward to cover for him.  Hanna sighed in relief as Johnny’s health stabilized.  She saw him move to regain his feet and pull at the sword at his waist… only to freeze.  His head cocked to the side, and his eyes went round.  He suddenly looked down at his arm.

The wound had healed, but now a line of stitching marred his flesh, framed by the jagged fragments of his armor.

Johnny’s gaze went distant.  “Oh, shit…”  He turned to the turkey quickly.  “Thank—”

He never got to finish.  His body suddenly exploded apart in a shower of blood and metal.  And from those gory remains marched a smaller version of the Turduckin, a screech escaping its throat as it leaped at another tank.

“What the actual fuck?” a player beside Hanna muttered.

She didn’t bother to respond, her thoughts spinning.  Hanna couldn’t shake the look on the tank’s face before he’d died.  “Someone message Johnny.  We need to know what he saw.”

Meanwhile, Hanna tapped out instructions for the raid.  They had formed into groups to protect their fragile casters and ranged DPS against that feather-based attack.  That had to be part of this raid bosses’ rotation.  She’d also assigned a pair of tanks to the new turkey, the players keeping their distance for now.  It was smaller, but it sure as hell wasn’t going down any faster than the big one.

“Ali?” she grunted again.

“It looks like it’s counting that new turkey as a boss too.  It split its health with that target,” Ali reported, swiping at her displays.  “I’m guessing the boss splits every time it gets a hit in?  And it’s apparently one-shotting our tanks, so we can’t close into melee.”

Of course, Hanna thought.  Turduckin.  She wanted to punch whoever had come up with this idea for a raid boss.

“Anything from Johnny?” she growled a moment later.

“Uh, he says getting hit applies a debuff,” Ali muttered distractedly as she typed at her chat window.  “To remove it, you have to… have to thank the turkey?”

Hanna just stared at her for a long second.  Really?

Someone at Cerillion definitely had a fucked-up sense of humor.

Not that she had time to worry about that.  Hanna typed out a raid notice and pushed it to the group, but not before another tank exploded in a shower of gore.  Which meant another damn turkey had entered the clearing.  That made three now, and already she could see amber energy collecting through the air – forecasting another flight of feathers.

She let out a frustrated growl.  This was going to be a painful fight.

***

Hanna heaved a sigh, sinking to the ground with her back to a trunk.

The clearing before her was coated in crimson streaks and brown and orange feathers.  Autumn colors, she thought absently.  Smoke coiled away from the corpses of several roasted birds.  The smell – albeit muted – had a certain nostalgic note to it.

They just needed some pie and stuffing…

It almost felt damned festive.

Not that the surviving members of the raid were in any condition to appreciate that.  They were all slumped across the clearing.  Tired.  Broken.  Blood drenched and battered.  The fight had taken a full hour.  You apparently only had a five-second window to “thank” the turkey for attacking you before your body exploded apart.  The only saving grace was that the creatures got weaker each time they split.  They’d ended up with one tank running around the field while being chased by more than a dozen birds as their casters AOE’d them down.

But they’d won.

Happy-fucking-Thanksgiving.

Hanna swiped aside the completion notice that popped up before her, her attention shifting toward the center of the field as a table suddenly materialized there – a full banquet arrayed across its surface.  Huh, they’d actually gone ahead and given them the pie and stuffing, after all.

Yet all eyes were on the chest perched in the center of that table.  That was their real reward.  Not some digital grub, but cold hard loot.  Her guildmates were already rising back to their feet with groans and muttering, crowding up around the table – a few even snatching at the food as they waited for Hanna to do the honors – to see if all this trouble had been worth it.

Hanna approached the table, a smile on her bloodied face as she raised a hand and lifted the lid of the chest, her eyes taking in its gleaming contents.

Now here was something to truly be thankful for.

A slow clap drifted through the air behind her, and Hanna whirled, her guildmates reaching for their weapons.  However, a Gravity Well slammed into place, crushing them into the ground and against the chairs lining the banquet table.  They’d been too clustered up around the chest.

Damn it, Hanna thought.  She’d let her guard down.

“Well, isn’t this a wonderful sight!” a man said as he approached, several dozen of his guildmates materializing around him with a shimmer of sapphire and amber energy.  “Thanks so much for going to all this trouble just for us!”

Hanna could see his guild tags.  <Vipers>.  Fucking PK guild.

“Screw you,” she ground out.

“Happy to see you again, too, Hanna,” Luke said.  They went back a ways.  They’d started in the same town and had gone through their initial training together.  They’d had… different strategies on how to advance from there.

How had this asshole found them?  Her eyes shifted across her guildmates, only to find that Ali was sitting there calmly.  She popped a bite of turkey and gravy into her mouth, savoring the taste.  Ali raised an eyebrow as their eyes met.

“Yes, yes.  Your dear little assistant sold you out.  Thanks, by the way, Ali,” Luke continued, waving a hand.

She just tipped her fork.

“Why?” Hanna grunted, trying to buy time.  Her fingers were moving slowly to the wand at her waist… her arm straining against the effects of the Gravity Well.  It was a last resort and one she didn’t relish.  But if they couldn’t get the loot, maybe she could just burn them all…  Then it would be a race to see who could get back here first and snag that chest.

It was a chance.

Ali just shrugged.  “It was a LOT of gold.  Plus, I was getting tired of being your assistant and sitting in the rear.  I like getting my hands dirty.”

“Spoken like a true <Viper>,” Luke laughed.  “Now we’ll just be liberating you of this sweet, sweet—”

He was suddenly cut off as a spray of crimson blood erupted from his throat.  Luke’s eyes went wide and wild, even as he dropped to his knees and face-planted into the ground, his hands still struggling feebly at his neck.  Shouts of alarm went up around the clearing, but a dense smoke had suddenly filled the glade, coiling up into the air and obscuring the <Vipers> from sight.  Hanna could only make out dark blurs within the shadows, screams peeling through the fog, accompanied by the scrape of metal on metal.

Moments later, the smoke cleared, pooling and condensing into several human-shaped shadows that paced alongside a man with a cigarette.  And at his side were six others.  They all wore ivory masks, bloody smiles painted across their surface.  In the center stood a towering mountain of a man wearing an immaculate suit.  Hanna had heard of him.  Everyone had.

That was Smiles.

As for the <Vipers>?  They were dead.  All of them.  Bloody spikes of ice were embedded in their flesh and slowly melting into the grass.  Even Ali was slumped forward, the cloth now stained a dark red that bled slowly across the surface of the table.

“Really, Queen.  You couldn’t have saved at least one for me,” a young girl ground out from beside a woman robed in icy energy.

Queen shrugged.  “Move faster next time.”

Hanna’s hand was frozen overtop her wand, and her guildmates could only stare in mute shock from their positions around the table – even though the Gravity Well had long since subsided.  Hanna had heard the rumors about this masked guild of mercenaries.  They all had.  A PK guild was one thing.  But these guys were on another level.

No, get it together, she shook herself.  No one was truly immortal.  Not inside AO.  With the Gravity Well now gone, she just needed to move a few more inches to the wand at her waist.  Yet as her fingers reached their destination, she discovered there was nothing there.

Her eyes shot up, and she saw the man with a cigarette holding her wand in his free hand, twirling it between his fingers.  When had he—?  Hanna’s gaze drifted to the shadowy figures beside him.  The smoke, she realized belatedly.  Still, to be able to control the mist and steal her wand at the same time… that spoke of incredible control.

One of their members let out a low whistle, a guitar strapped across his back.  She knew him only by reputation.  Bard.  “Whew, look at this spread!  Hey, Wingman—”

A shriek suddenly filled the air, and a massive chicken launched forward with a snap of feathers.  She completely ignored the table and made a beeline for the gigantic turkey corpses that littered the field, quite literally burrowing her head into one of the bodies and then shoving her way inside as she devoured the bird.  Once that creature had been picked clean, she moved on to the next, the crunch of bone and slurp of flesh following in her wake.

“Ugh,” one of the masked members muttered, a tombstone design emblazoned across the ivory surface of his mask.  That must be Tombs.  “Shit, that seems wrong.  Like some sort of cannibalism?”

“Seen worse,” the young girl beside him replied with a shrug.  Pewpew.

Hanna cleared her throat, and all seven masks turned toward her.  She swallowed.  Hard.

“Oh, how rude of me!  Happy Holidays!” Bard greeted, a whistle escaping his lips again.  Except this time, his skin shined with an amber glow, and in an instant, he was sitting on the edge of the table beside Hanna.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, shaking her hand, Hanna’s grip limp and uncertain.  “Real bang-up job you lot did with this event.  Impressive work, really.”

“Uh… thanks?” Hanna managed to grunt out.

The guy controlling the smoke creatures gestured at the trunk with his cigarette.  They glided forward, lifted it into the air, and began carrying it off toward the entrance to the instance.  “C’mon, Bard.  We’re on the clock.  Quit messing around, and let’s move it.”

Hanna saw one of her guildmates moving in the corner of her vision, his hand reaching for a weapon.  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Smiles said, suddenly standing overtop the player, his hand gripping the sword by the blade.  He was even larger in person than he was in the videos.

The player gulped and slowly released the weapon.  Smiles flung it away, the weapon sailing over the treetops.  Even more interesting… his hand was undamaged.

Shit, it seems the rumors are true, Hana thought.

“Aren’t we going to—” one of Hanna’s raid members whispered at her side, but she cut him off with a sharp gesture.

“Shut up!  We don’t need this kind of trouble.  No loot is worth it.”

“Glad to hear our reputation precedes us,” Bard mumbled around a mouthful of stuffing.  He looked down at his fork.  “Hot damn, this is like, really, really good!  Shame I’m watching my figure.  It all just goes straight to the hips, you know?”

Bard glanced back down at Hanna.  “Anyhoo.  We’re always looking for work.  He pulled a card from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of her.  “We appreciate you being so gracious and reasonable about your mugging today.  If you’re ever in need of some murder or theft for hire, just give us a ping, and we can discuss rates!”

“Bard, c’mon already,” Smiles called as he stepped back toward the entrance to the clearing.  The others were ready to go and were waiting for him impatiently.

“Ahh, the boss calls.  Guess my lunch break is over!  Toodles!”  Another whistle and Bard streamed back across the clearing in a blur of movement.  He was still whistling cheerily as one of their members surged with fiery energy and burned away the doorway blocking the entrance in a blast of heat so intense that it immediately incinerated the vegetation.  That must be Blaze.

Then the group simply ambled out the way they’d entered.

Leaving Hana and her guild staring after them.

She looked down at the card on the table.

All it said was <Death and Taxes>.

“Fuck,” she muttered.

***

The members of <Death and Taxes> paused as they stepped back through the ruined, smoking remains of the instance portal, several of Smokes’ shadow clones still hauling along the loot chest behind them.  The reason for their hesitation was obvious.

Hundreds of travelers now stood before the doorway, situated between tree trunks, and perched on nearby branches – a flurry of different guild tags floating over their heads.  Without the mages covering the entrance, the other guilds had converged on this location quickly.  Likely hoping to liberate the victor of their hard-won loot.  Now, they all stared at Smiles and his group, a tense silence hanging across the battle-worn forest.

Bard cocked his head, swiping at an imaginary tear.  “Ahh, this is so sweet… did-did you all really come all this way to hear me play?!”  He began to pull his guitar free.

“Oh, shit,” someone nearby whispered.  “Is that Smiles?”

“Yeah, and all of the core members are here.”

“We’re so screwed.”

“No, no, they very clearly didn’t come for you.  Why do you always ask that?” Queen muttered with a sigh.  “They never want to hear you play.  Last time, your audience all bled to death… from the ears.  They were screaming for you to stop.”

Bard placed an offended hand to his chest.  “You wound me, Lady.  I have it on good authority—"

“His imagination,” Pewpew interjected, earning her a high-five from Tombs.

“—that I have a legion of adoring fans,” Bard continued without skipping a beat.  “Have you seen the videos?  Millions of views!”

He swiped at the air to bring up his console, reading through the comments.  “And I quote, ‘Bard is dreamy – finally a man with fashion sense.’

‘I’d let him strum my lute all day long.’

‘Do you think the feather in his cap is advertising something.’”

“Are those actually real things people said?  They sound fake as shit,” Pewpew commented in a dry voice while trying to peer over his shoulder.  Bard shied away, pivoting the screen.

“Of course, they’re real!”  He glanced at the crowd around them.  “Just like these good folks here are my most loyal and devoted fans.  Hell, you can practically feel the excitement in the air, the slow blooming applause signaling my next greatest concert.”

Blaze let out a sigh, a flicker of flame rippling across her hair and streamers of smoke coiling into the air.  “I don’t hear anything except for you.”

Bard huffed, glaring toward the travelers who were still frozen in surprise and confusion.  His voice rose in volume until it was almost painful.  “As I was saying… slow, blooming applause…”

The travelers winced, a few clapping ever-so-slowly – an awkward, haphazard rhythm.

“See?”  Bard demanded of his guildmates.

Smiles just heaved a big sigh and took a step forward.  A few of the travelers shied away from him.  “This event is over,” he announced, his voice booming across the forest.  “We’ve secured the prize.  If there are any complaints, I’d be happy to address them now,” he continued, cracking his knuckles together.

As his voice faded, not a single traveler made a move.  No one was that stupid, apparently.  Smiles nodded once, then gestured at his companions.  “Alright then.  Let’s move out.  We’re wasting time, and there’s still money to be made.”

With that, the group wound their way through the crowd and ventured out of the forest.

It was only once they had all made it well out of earshot that the group of travelers let out a collective sigh of relief.  They’d just dodged a bullet.

***

Multi-colored rifts tore open the air of Boomtown.

While it had the word “town” in the name, that was being generous.  It looked like it had been designed by a child building a box fort… while on acid.  Buildings spanned up three, four, and five stories – lean-to affairs that had been crammed together to fill every inch of the valley where the camp was situated.  Ramps, ladders, and boards spanned the structures, providing haphazard access to the various stories as well as adding additional structural integrity – which was sorely needed.  Basically, the goblin equivalent of duct tape.

The town itself was filled to the brim with the green-skinned sociopaths.  Yellow eyes and teeth.  Ragged, leathery skin.  The goblins came in all shapes and sizes.  Thin wiry folk that carried rifles and wrenches.  Brawny, hulking creatures that lumbered through the town and crashed through walls – because it was easier than using the door, of course.  On a nearby rooftop, a group of goblins were firing off rockets… which promptly slammed into a building across the street and set the entire structure ablaze.  Greenskins came sprinting out, covered in flames, and screaming.  The sound was swiftly drowned out by raucous laughter from the crowd lumbering through the streets with overfilled mugs of beer.

This was Boomtown.  The one and only goblin city.

And the home base of <Death and Taxes>.

“Well, that was easy… almost boring, really,” Bard drawled.  “You all remember when this used to be hard?  Like we actually had to kill people?”

Pewpew caressed one of her pistols wistfully.  “Yes.  I miss those days.”

Tombs just shook his head nearby like she was nuts.  “I don’t.”

“He’s right.  Are you really complaining about easy money?” Blaze demanded, slumping against a nearby barrel and rubbing at her legs.  “I’m too old for shit,” she muttered.

“We made a good haul today.  We’ve filled like four merc contracts in just a few hours,” Smokes commented as he took another pull on his cigarette.  “We killed what?  Like four people before that serpent-themed guild.”

“I would have thought you’d love the notoriety – people running at the mere mention of your name,” Queen added for Bard’s benefit, conjuring balls of ice, and rubbing them against her neck to ward off the sweltering heat of the jungle that encircled Boomtown.  “This was all a result of your bullshit marketing anyway.”

“And here I thought you hated the videos,” Bard replied tauntingly.

“I do… but they’re still effective,” Queen grumbled.

The group lapsed into silence, noticing that Smiles hadn’t said anything.

“You’re being awfully quiet today, even for you,” Bard observed, glancing at their leader.

He just grunted.  The truth was that they were right.  Things had gotten easier as the guild’s reputation expanded.  He sure as hell couldn’t complain.  Or shouldn’t, really.  The money was excellent – each bounty converted into real-world cash at the touch of a button – courtesy of Cerillion Entertainment itself, no less.  The company had integrated the feature directly into both the in-game bounty boards and the auction house.  And there was plenty of demand – players looking for any sort of edge inside of AO.  Even if it cost them real-world assets.

Yet he was beginning to feel… bored?

As that thought crossed his mind, a shout went up from down the street.  A massive green form lumbered through the crowd, slamming smaller goblins into nearby walls.  Truggle – the town’s local “Badass” – wasn’t one for subtly.  He crashed through a makeshift wagon, wooden splinters flying.  “Heyz, Boss!” he roared.

Dom sighed.  What now?

The hobgoblin lumbered up to him, smacking Dom full in the face with a crack of bone.  A goblin greeting.  Dom barely budged, however.  He just turned back to the goblin and returned the favor, sending the beast crashing into a nearby stall, its contents flying up into the air to a roar of approval from the nearby spectators.

Moments later, Truggle stumbled back out of the wreckage, weaving slightly.

“What is it?” Dom asked.

The hobgoblin hesitated, his eyes going distant.  He was either thinking or that was the result of his latest concussion.  It was often hard to tell.

“What.  Did.  You.  Want.  Truggle?” Bard offered more slowly.

His eyes lit up suddenly.  “You havz visitorz!”

The group all looked at the hobgoblin in surprise.  Visitors to Boomtown were rare to nonexistent.  The jungle outside of town was a death trap.  Quite literally everything that moved, bloomed, and crawled out there could kill.

“Really?” Queen demanded.  “New recruit?”

Truggle shook his head.  “She sayz she has jobz.”

That was even more interesting.  Their clients rarely offered them work in person.

“Huh,” Smiles grunted.  “Then I guess we should go greet our new guest.”

The group shrugged and headed off toward the towering gate leading into Boomtown.  It was a massive affair.  Dozens of feet tall and filling the narrow pass leading into the valley.  Wooden ramparts lined the stony walls on either side in a chaotic patchwork – goblin rifleman positioned along those sniper nests and occasionally taking potshots at the schools of flying fish that swam overhead in dizzying, colorful bands.

As Smiles and his group approached, Truggle shouted out orders, and hobgoblins positioned along the base of the gate snapped to… or rather, stumbled upright, accidentally spilling half-drained mugs of beer.  They soon pulled at the wenches that secured the gate, the portal creaking open with a shower of dust.

And standing in that opening was a woman.  She was wearing a plain brown robe – the cloth not marking her affinity.  No wand or staff in hand.  Her cowl was pulled up across her face, obscuring her features from sight.

More interesting was what lingered just behind her.  The crowd at her back answered one of Dom’s questions.  Like how the fuck she’d made it out here.  There must have been hundreds.  Possibly thousands of travelers standing in the open field that lingered just outside of Boomtown, the dense green jungle looming in the distance.  And each one wore the same plain brown robes.

“Uh, I’m getting a creepy cult vibe from this,” Bard offered.

Smiles just grimaced.  Truggle could have mentioned the army of travelers…

Not that it really mattered.  He wasn’t worried.  Attacking Boomtown was futile.  Unlike many of the other races, the goblins had learned how to bind themselves to a respawn point.  Even if they died, they just came back.  Usually even more pissed off.

And the members of <Death and Taxes>?  Well, they weren’t afraid of death.

Smiles strode forward, then stopped, crossing his arms across his perfectly tailored suit.  He just waited.  Their guest could make the first move.

The woman’s hands rose, but the members of <Death and Taxes> simply watched her lazily – no one bothering to go for their weapons.  What did they have to fear from this lady, after all?  They’d faced far more impressive opponents.  Her fingers soon curled around her hood, pulling it down…  and revealing a familiar face.

“Wait, I know you,” Bard commented.  He snapped his fingers.  “Gloria Bastion, right?  I’ve seen your face all over the news.  Especially after the fallout from that investigative hearing.”

The woman winced.  “Indeed,” she replied simply.

“But why are you here?  You, uh, know you’re inside AO, right?” Bard offered hesitantly.  He put his hand to his mouth.  “She looks ancient, so it’s possible she’s going senile,” he whispered theatrically to Blaze.

“Watch it with the ageist bullshit,” the fire mage growled back, flames licking from her robes and earning her a chuckle from Bard.

Gloria nodded, ignoring Bard’s antics.  “Obviously.”  Her eyes flitted to Smiles.  “I’ve come to you with a proposition.  I need your help.  As for why I’m here, I wanted you to understand that I’m serious.”  She paused, the crowd standing quietly behind her.  “That we’re serious.”

“And why should we help you?  Aren’t you trying to shut down the game?” Smiles demanded.  None of the guild would be happy with that result, most of all Smiles.

Gloria cocked her head.  “I suppose you could say that.  But we both know you don’t really need AO.  What you need is money.  Isn’t that right… Dominic?”

The whole guild tensed now, and Dom felt his heart flutter.  How had she known his name?  His real name?  They had gone to great lengths to protect their real-world identities.

A broad, shark-like smile pulled at Gloria’s lips.  “Now that I have your attention, why don’t we have a little chat?  I have a feeling you’re going to be very interested in what I have to say.”

Chapter 1 - Pitch-Black

November 27, 2076:  57 days after the release of Awaken Online.

A pitch-black darkness hovered around Jason.  The gloom wasn’t natural – far from it, actually.  It was an inky nothing that seemed to suck up any trace of light.  Even the soft sapphire glow of the screens before him did little to push back at the darkness.  Although, Jason’s Listening skill still allowed him to pick out the movement in the room.

Swish.

Jason sighed and tapped at the video to pause it.

A loud thud vibrated through the air, accompanied by a shower of rocky debris.  The sound set Jason’s teeth on edge – like a hammer striking stone.  And it was inevitably followed by—

“Gods damn it,” someone growled with the scrape of claws on rock.

Jason just shook his head from where he sat cross-legged on the floor, his eyes turning back to the displays hanging in the air.  Forums were outlined along one side – Rogue Net, of course.  The others showcased several videos.  He tapped at the display to restart the one he’d been watching.  It was seriously hard to concentrate in here with all the noise…

“Welcome back to Vermillion Live!  We wanted to start off today by declaring the winner of this year’s Turkey Hunt!” the commentator announced with a smile.

“Although, this accomplishment might ring a bit hollow for some of you,” the woman beside him added.  “Given that our winner, one Henry Falkner, was rumored to have purchased the win by hiring a mercenary group.”

“Not just any group, though,” the man beside her interjected.  “We’re talking <Death and Taxes> here.  This guild has made a real reputation of late with their involvement in many high-profile robberies and hit jobs, including an attack on the auction house in Barrow, if you can believe that.  They had the guards running in circles for hours chasing illusions!”

“Indeed, the guild has quickly made its way to the #1 spot on the bounty leaderboards, raking in an epic 100,000 gold haul in the last week alone.”

“As a result, the bounties on the guild and its leader – a player calling himself ‘Smiles’ – have skyrocketed.  Not that anyone has been able to collect,” the man chuckled.

“By all accounts, he’s unkillable,” the woman offered in response.

“Although, we both know that’s impossible inside of AO.  A specific gamemaster comes to mind…”  The wall behind them transformed into a moving display, showing rubble crashing down toward a familiar figure.  Jason would recognize “Flowerface” anywhere.  That video had become something of a meme since his death – not that Jason was feeling particularly sympathetic.  The commentators both had a good laugh as he was crushed to death.

“In other news, it’s been several days since the break-in at Cerillion Entertainment headquarters,” the woman continued, pivoting smoothly.  Jason’s attention snapped back to her face.  “And in the meantime, rumors have been flying about what transpired, especially in the wake of the Regulatory Committee’s decision to suspend the CPSC’s investigation into Awaken Online.  Some have proposed that it was an inside job.  Others, a rival company.  Although, many are pointing fingers at a rising anti-gaming group known as SAFE – Safeguarding All Families Everywhere.”

“We know, we know, the name is a bit… on the nose,” the man commented with a laugh, the woman chuckling along with him.

“But there might be something there,” she urged.  “While most of the gaming community was relieved at the outcome of the recent regulatory hearing, other groups, including SAFE, have been less than ecstatic about the decision.  It’s quite possible that they may have decided to take matters into their own hands.  In particular, their forums appear to be fixated on the leaked footage of Jason’s interview—”

“Which was pretty badass,” the man beside her interrupted.

The woman smiled.  “Okay, maybe a little.  And our straw poll shows that most gamers loved it.  But the response among non-gamers?  Not so great.  In addition to SAFE, anti-violence and anti-videogame groups have seen a marked jump in membership after AO’s launch, and they’ve been circulating footage of the interview.”

“Which, as you’d expect, is cut to make Jason look like a sociopath,” the other broadcaster grumbled.  “I mean, you can make anything look evil if you put it in black and white and use the right soundtrack.  Just to prove our point, check out this clip of murder puppies…”

Jason chuckled as the clip played but was forced to pause the video again as another loud crash echoed through the room, followed by a litany of curses and growling.  Once the din calmed down again, he tapped at the screen.

“—either way, the company’s silence hasn’t helped with—” the woman began, only to cut herself short and press her fingers to the implant behind her ear.  “Actually, this is fantastic timing.  Cerillion is apparently issuing a public statement as we speak.”

Jason raised an eyebrow.  He suspected that was more than just a coincidence.

The screen cut to George Lane’s face.  The dour CEO was dressed in an immaculate three-piece suit and stood before a glass podium.  Jason recognized the atrium of Cerillion Entertainment headquarters at his back.  News drones now filled the space, giving off a soft whir, accompanied by the crowd’s murmurs.  Although, that noise died down as the CEO cleared his throat.

During that ponderous moment of silence, The occasional swish, boom, and cursing in the background began to fade away...

There was only the knot of worry in his stomach.  His racing thoughts.  The thud, thud, thud of his heartbeat.  It had only been a few real-world days since the… encounter?  He wasn’t sure what else to call it.  Even longer inside of AO.  And he’d spent that time in one interview after another.  Although, interrogation might have been a better word.  Believe it or not, he’d had a difficult time explaining why he’d been found in the upper floor of Cerillion Entertainment.  Not to mention the control panel he’d dismantled to operate the elevator…

“Welcome, everyone,” George began.  “As I’m sure you’ve all heard, someone broke into our building several days ago.  I wish to apologize for not addressing your concerns and fears sooner, but we were determined to investigate this matter extensively before leaping to conclusions.  We take the safety of our employees and our infrastructure seriously.”

George took a deep breath.  “First, we’re pleased to announce that no one was harmed during the break-in, and there was no indication that the intruders were able to access or copy any client information or sensitive data.”

“But who broke in?” A reporter shouted, unable to control himself.  Another chorus of voices followed his as the others broke the tense silence.

George seemed to anticipate this, raising a calming hand.  “Of course, that’s the question, isn’t it?  And one we’ve been intently focused on these last few days.”

He paused, and Jason could feel his heart stutter.

Shit, what was he going to say?

“We believe the culprit behind this break-in was a group called SAFE,” George announced.  A buzz suddenly filled the atrium.  “As I’m sure you’re all aware, this group has been growing in popularity with the release of our new VR technology and gaming service, Awaken Online.  You may have seen their banners and protestors at any one of the very public regulatory hearings that have taken place over the last few weeks.  They believe, without proof, that our products are endangering their loved ones – sons, daughters, husbands, and wives.”

George shook his head.  “In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Our technology has undergone years of thorough and extensive testing by leaders in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and AI development.  The regulatory committee has even recently undertaken a second review where their own selected evaluator ultimately dismissed any concerns over our VR and gaming technology.

“Of course, this isn’t a first.  History shows us that innovation breeds conflict,” George continued.  “As many of you have experienced yourselves, the appeal of our products transcends anything that has come before it – providing a living, breathing world for you to explore.

“Aside from the entertainment value for your average gamer, our proprietary hardware and software offer many people a second chance, which goes a long way toward explaining the so-called ‘addiction’ that groups like SAFE keep pointing to.  But let’s be frank about what’s happening here.  We are giving legs to the disabled!  Time to the elderly!  Even allowing the blind to see and the deaf to hear!  We’ve donated thousands of our VR headsets and game software to charities worldwide to showcase this technology’s benefits.”

George leaned forward, resting his palms on the podium.  “The truth is that we aren’t just creating the latest hit videogame – we’re revolutionizing mental and physical healthcare.

“Yet these benefits are still being met with fear.  Over the last few weeks and months, we have been monitoring SAFE closely.  We were concerned that it was becoming increasingly radicalized.”  He swiped at the air, screens popping into existence beside him, and the news drones dipped down to view their contents.  “In the wake of the regulatory committee’s decision, their online activity has expressed angry and even violent rhetoric, with several members urging others to take the company itself by storm.”

The CEO’s gaze dipped to the podium as he swiped away those screens.  “And now they have acted… by endangering others.  Their conspiracy theories and irrational fears have resulted in a genuine threat to our employees and to our company.  As a result, we intend to pursue criminal and civil charges against those responsible and further bolster our internal security to ensure this never happens again.”

George raised his eyes to the cameras, his expression dead serious.  Jason could only marvel at the man’s acting abilities.  If he didn’t know the truth, he never would have believed this was all an act.  The CEO had apparently missed his true calling.

“I can only hope that you all take this warning to heart.  There will always be those that seek to hold back the tide of progress.  Those that wish to harm us out of ignorance and superstition.  However, Cerillion will stand fast against that tide, and we hope you all will stand with us.

“Thank you.”

With that, George turned and stepped from the podium, ignoring the barrage of voices and questions that peeled through the atrium after him.

“Wow, you heard it here first, folks—” the broadcasters began again as the display suddenly cut back to the show.  Jason just tuned it out, leaning back against the hard, stone wall.

He stared off into the darkness around him, his thoughts flailing in time with the thump, thump, thump that rocked the room around him.  He barely reacted as a piece of the wall nearby was blasted apart, stone fragments rocketing through the air and dust billowing out across the frozen screen that hung before him.

It seemed George had decided to spin this situation in his favor.  Use it to twist the knife in the corpse of Gloria’s movement.  Not that Jason blamed him… but still.  It was cold.  Calculating.  And kind of impressive, actually.

And yet it was also complete, unmitigated bullshit.

Jason could still remember finding Finn standing in that hallway, dressed in the inconspicuous garb of the cleaning staff.  The hasty words he’d said to Jason.  The way the elevator had opened, and a troop of armed guards spilled out, laser sights flitting through the hallway.  The way they’d mistaken Finn as part of the staff and pushed him inside to protect him.  The look on that man’s face as those doors slid close and Jason slowly raised his hands into the air—

Suddenly, the lights in the room winked back into existence, and Jason blinked blearily.  Blue flames spilled from torches along the walls, providing a flickering light that felt overly bright after the bottomless darkness.  It looked like someone had started a haphazard construction project.  Craters now marred the stone.  Traces of blood stained the rock.  And in the center of the room lingered a lone pillar topped with a milky white orb.

Beside it stood a hulking figure, all dense hair, rippling muscle, and blood-red eyes.  His body shifted and contorted with an accompanying snap and crackle of bone – fur soon receding into pale smooth skin.

“About time,” Jason muttered, pushing himself to his feet and swiping away his in-game console.

“Says the guy that just sat there doing literally nothing,” Frank grumbled.

Jason just shrugged.  “Hey, that’s what you get after you skipped out on training to hang out with your girlfriend,” he retorted with a grin.

“Hey, we’re not… it’s not like… we haven’t…” Frank stumbled.

“Defined it yet?” Jason asked with a raised eyebrow.  “What?  You scared to ask her?”

Frank growled but then deflated.  “Maybe.”

“Ahh, poor little puppy-boy,” Rex drawled as he appeared nearby, milky tendrils of smoke spilling out from the orb.  “I hear your balls drop at about 2 months.”  He peered at him.  “But you might be a bit old for that—"

“Tough words from a dead man,” Frank interrupted.  “This puppy also just took out two of your Keeper challenges solo,” he ground out, glaring at Rex, and clenching his fists.

“Easy, easy.  Down boy.  Heel,” Rex drawled as Frank took a ponderous step forward.  The former general seemed unperturbed.  Although, in his defense, what was there to fear if you were already dead?

Frank seemed to be thinking the same thing and decided to switch tactics, his eyes skimming to the hat that was perched, lopsided, on the former general’s head.  “Wait… is that a party hat?” Frank asked.  “And what’s that behind your back?” he demanded, circling Rex and trying to get a good look at what he was hiding.

“Hey, that’s cake!” Frank muttered finally.

“Were you having a party… in the Soul Well?” Jason asked incredulously.

Rex actually looked pretty embarrassed for a skeleton.  “Maaaybe.  Okay, fine.  Yes.  We were having a birthday party for a friend, if you must know.”

Jason just raised an amused eyebrow.

“I don’t expect you two to understand, but eternity can get a bit dull.  So, we try to make the most of it.  Birthday parties at least remind us that we were once alive.”

“And the cake?” Frank asked.  “Can you even taste it?”  He waved his hand through the plate, his fingers passing smoothly through the smoke to emphasize his point.

Rex cocked his head.  “Not exactly.”  He peered down at the slice of cake on the plate, a few bites missing already.  “This is actually the memory of cake.  We share our favorites.”

“So, what you’re trying to say is you can’t have your cake or eat it, too,” Jason offered with a tentative smile.

“Har-har.  As though no one has thought of that joke in thousands of years,” Rex shot back sarcastically.  Frank chuckled.

“Personally, I’m more of a pie person,” Frank offered.

Now Rex was staring at him like he was insane and heaved a heavy sigh.  “Well, I knew you were hopeless already, but I suppose this is just more proof.  Anyway, if that’s all, I have a party to get back to.”  Then, without waiting for them to respond, Rex disappeared in a puff of smoke, the tendrils coiling back into the Soul Orb.

And leaving Jason and Frank staring at the pillar.

“Well, he’s certainly become more domesticated,” Frank offered finally, earning a laugh from Jason.  The shifter side-eyed his friend.  “So, what’s up next?”

Jason rubbed at his neck.  Rex had been downplaying the achievement, but Frank had indeed passed the first two Keeper trials by himself.  After Thorn’s attack on the Twilight Throne and subsequent siege on Sandscrit, that might seem like a minor thing.  However, those trials had once been extremely challenging for Jason and Riley.  They’d struggled with this room for days.  Now Frank had beaten the first two challenges in one afternoon.

Although, that begged the question of why Jason had been fucking off instead of helping his friend.  The truth was that he was dragging his heels.  Stalling.  All in an effort to put off the third and final trial.  It was a much more personal experience, a trip into Jason’s subconscious.  And, last time, it had tipped off Riley to Alfred.

He wasn’t sure he was comfortable putting Frank at risk like that.

Not with everything else that had happened lately.

“Well, the next—” Jason began to hedge, only to be cut off as Frank’s eyes widened and he gazed off into the distance.

“Oh shit, it’s already 5:00?  Silver is going to kill me….”  He looked to Jason.

“Go, go.  It’s fine,” he answered the unspoken question, heaving a mental sigh of relief.

“I appreciate it, man,” Frank offered.  “Especially after I basically forced you into training this afternoon.  I know you’ve got a lot on your plate right now.”

Less than he thought, actually.  Jason had picked this time intentionally.  It helped that his spies around the Twilight Throne had given him a head’s up about Frank’s date with Silver.  And by “spies,” he meant Riley, of course.  He’d actually been hoping the shifter would bow out earlier, possibly before beating the second trial.  No such luck there, however.

“No worries, have fun,” Jason offered.

Frank just grinned and transformed, his body contorting and thick fur springing from his skin.  Then he took off in a blur of movement, racing out of the room and up through the Dark Keep.  Which left Jason alone… Well, except for the cat perched beside him.

Alfred was just staring at him.

“What?  Just go ahead and say it,” Jason demanded.

“You’re stalling,” Alfred said simply.

“Yeah… yeah, I know,” Jason muttered.  There was no point in denying it.  They could have finished these first two challenges in a heartbeat if Jason had just helped Frank.

“And yet you know that you need to finish these trials for you to keep moving forward—”

“I know,” Jason cut him off.  Belephya and the rest of his advisors in the Soul Well had been clear about that.  He couldn’t continue to progress as a Keeper until both of his Soul Guards had officially assumed their roles.  Apparently, even his use of the Soul Orb in the battle with Finn had been pushing it.

Alfred just kept staring – demanding.  Jason knew what he was thinking without him saying a word.  His concerns about the third trial aside, ever since Sandscrit, since his encounter with Finn, he’d been coasting.  Waiting.  In fairness, he’d needed a breather.  A chance to recover and get his head screwed on straight.  To plan his next move.  But he knew that couldn’t last forever.  That this wouldn’t last forever.

His eyes drifted back to the cat.  Alfred wouldn’t let it, now would he?

“Why’d you let that happen?” Jason asked finally – not for the first time.  “You knew what Finn planned to do since he’s using one of the VR headsets.  You had to know, and yet…”  He hadn’t told Jason.  Hadn’t explained what any of this was about.

Finn’s words still echoed through his mind:

Who can you really trust here?

Robert, Claire, George, Finn… even Alfred?

There’s a much deeper game afoot back here in the real world.

Alfred remained silent, and Jason heaved out a frustrated sigh, still in the dark despite the way the torches now flickered along the walls.  “And what did Finn take?  What did he manage to download?  Was it part of your code or something else?  Possibly Rachael’s code… or consciousness?” he amended with a note of confusion.

“You’re not ready to know that yet.  You need to trust me,” the AI answered simply.  Just as he had every time Jason had asked him.  “Information is dangerous.  Especially if it’s given at the wrong time.  Consider this another spoiler.”

“Except this isn’t a game,” Jason ground out, his dark mana responding to his anger.  His eyes filled with chill energy, and dark bands peeled away from his skin.

Not that the AI seemed perturbed.  He simply peered back.  “Are you sure about that?”

Jason let out a frustrated huff, shaking his head.  He took a deep, steadying breath and his mana faded.  It seemed he was on his own then.  But he was used to that already, wasn’t he?  Being alone?  Especially after everything that had happened in just a few short months.  His parents.  Alex.  This game world.  The break-in at Angie’s.  Gloria and her sanctimonious crusade.  Even the attack on Finn’s city – Jason sitting in yet another jail cell, albeit a digital one that time.  However, none of that had stopped him or prevented him from moving forward.

His UI pinged with an email from the real world.  Speak of the devil, George Lane wanted to have a meeting.  Again.  No doubt this would be another form of interrogation.  Only the dozenth attempt to catch Jason in a lie or inconsistency.  He swiped it aside.

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, willing himself to calm down – to find that place in his mind where he felt centered… focused.  At the helm of an undead army.  Staring down Gloria in court.  Plummeting through the skies toward Alexion’s glowing form.  And when he opened his eyes again, he felt… relaxed.

Maybe he was alone.  But he was also done taking shit from anyone.  He’d proven to himself that he could tackle whatever came at him, in-game or out.

And that included George-Fucking-Lane.

Moments later, Jason logged off in a flash of multi-colored light.

Chapter 2 - Interrogated

“Jason Rhodes,” a solemn voice called out.

Jason’s eyes shot up to find Claire waiting for him, side-eying the men flanking her with an uncomfortable expression.  They were heavily armed, their faces obscured behind black visors, and reinforced body armor covered every inch of their bodies.  Cerillion Entertainment’s private security force.  After the break-in, they’d been an ever-present fixture in the building, concealed behind the pillars in the atrium and milling through the throng in the cafeteria.

And now “escorting” Jason into yet another meeting.

As they stepped down a narrow hallway, the thud of heavy boots following them, Claire coughed lightly into her hand to clear her throat.  “How, uh… how have you been?”

Jason grunted.  “Feeling like a criminal.  Again.  They even have these guys stationed outside my apartment.”  He glanced at her.  “But I assume you knew that already.”

Claire cocked her head.  She did.  Of course, she did.

This wasn’t the first meeting since the break-in.  George was on high alert.

Silence lingered in the hall, broken only by their footsteps.

“I saw George’s newscast,” Jason offered.  “If he’s certain that SAFE is behind this, then what’s this meeting for exactly?”

Claire looked troubled, and Jason knew why.  That whole presentation had been bullshit.  A PR stunt meant to redirect attention toward the company’s enemies.  However, George would know the truth.  Something else had happened that night, and it wasn’t the result of a few radicalized helicopter moms making it up to the floor where Alfred’s servers were stored.  That would have required a technical knowledge far beyond your fair-weather protestor.

“Huh, then it was bullshit,” Jason muttered.  He needed to maintain this act for Claire’s benefit – and for the prying electronic eyes and ears he was sure were monitoring their conversation.

Just more silence, but the way Claire’s eyes dropped to the floor was answer enough.

They stopped in front of a plain-looking door, and one of the guards tapped their ID at the panel beside it.  Jason frowned.  So, Claire didn’t have access to this room?  Then why was she here exactly?  Jason glanced her way and observed the way her hands kept smoothing at her skirt and the tension in her shoulders, causing them to creep ever higher from stress.  She was nervous.

What are we about to walk into?

A series of solid thunks echoed from behind the wall as the locking mechanism disengaged and the door swung open.  No doubt it was reinforced.  Solid corrugated steel painted to look like a regular office door.  More deception from Cerillion Entertainment, a thin coat of paint covering something more concerning and nefarious.

Claire and Jason stepped through, the guards stopping outside and taking up positions flanking the doorway.  The pair were soon greeted by what appeared to be an upscale conference room.  Displays along the walls showed the city skyline, sunlight spilling through the enclosure.  Although, Jason knew that was a lie too.  This was a windowless room along the interior of the building.  Those were simply screens built into the walls.

There’s a much deeper game afoot back here in the real world, Finn had said.  Maybe he was right.  George certainly seemed concerned.  And the resources he was throwing at this break-in were incredible.  Who knew an “entertainment company” would have its own paramilitary team on standby?

It forced one to wonder what else they might be protecting.

Familiar faces already sat at the conference table.  Francis perched in his seat, back rigid and screens projected out before him, his glasses reflecting the glare.  Robert lounged along one side.  The engineer opened one lazy eye as Jason entered, jerking his chin in greeting.  And at the head of the table was George himself.  He was still wearing the same suit from the briefing.  Which meant not much time had likely passed back here in the real world.

However, a new face sat to George’s right.

Ryan Vance.  George’s head of security.  He looked haggard – the stubble on his chin and circles under his eyes speaking to sleepless nights.  He also didn’t put much stock in fanfare or fancy suits.  Instead, he wore plain clothes, a simple shirt, jacket, and pants.  Everything about him was nondescript.  You never would have guessed he headed the security for a trillion-dollar company.  Jason suspected that was intentional.

Although, Jason’s brow furrowed as he saw one more figure at the table, his back to Jason.  A smattering of blonde hair that reminded him of…

“What the hell is he doing here?” Alex demanded as he turned and saw Jason.

“I’d be more than happy to leave,” Jason answered sarcastically, waving at the door that chose that moment to swing shut with a heavy thud.

“Unfortunately, that will not be an option.  I need you two to put aside your petty squabbles for the moment.  We have more important matters to attend to,” George interjected.  “Please sit.”  That one was directed at Jason and Claire – not a suggestion despite his civil tone.  They took up seats around the table, Robert positioned to Jason’s left.

For his part, Jason kept his expression neutral.  His breathing controlled.  It was surprising how many skills from inside AO translated here.  No doubt there were cameras focused on them right now, and they were probably picking up other physiological data.  Eye movement.  Skin temperature.  Heartbeat.  Respiratory rate.  He couldn’t be sure why Alex was here or why George had gathered everyone, but Jason wasn’t going to give anything away.

Unless I’m forced to, he amended silently.

A heavy tension hung over the table, all eyes on George.

“We’re here to discuss the recent security breaches at Cerillion,” George intoned.  “First, we had someone infiltrate our system to steal and disseminate footage of the development logs leading up to the release of AO.  And now we have recently had a full-fledged break-in, with someone accessing high-security floors and data.”

“I thought that was SAFE,” Robert offered with a yawn, eyes still closed.

Silence met that statement, but the look on George’s face said it all.

“Or… I guess not.  We’re not even going to pretend that news conference was real then?” Robert commented, peaking at the CEO with one eye.

George simply shook his head.  “A necessary move on my part to shift the narrative.  However, we have not yet identified the true culprit… or culprits.”  His eyes scanned the group.  “Unfortunately, with the exception of Ryan and Francis, you all are in the best position to have accomplished these feats.  You all had the means and opportunity to pull off one or both of these breaches.  My hope is that we can address this problem here and now.  Otherwise, we might be forced to take more drastic action.”

“Such as…?” Claire asked tentatively.

“I believe our VR technology has the ability to access memory.  Isn’t that right, Robert?” George offered.  The engineer was paying attention now, his eyes open and watching George.

Jason could feel a weight settle in his stomach.  Had they managed to replicate Alfred’s process of accessing a player’s thoughts without the AI’s assistance?  It was certainly possible, he supposed.  Once they knew it could be done, it was plausible that they would be able to reverse engineer the process, but if George wasn’t bluffing, then they might be able to access all of Jason’s memories… not just his encounter with Finn but also his conversations with Alfred.  Suddenly, he could understand why the AI had chosen to withhold information from him.

Fuck.  Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Are you serious?” Claire demanded, her expression aghast.  “That can’t possibly be legal.”

Francis coughed gently to clear his throat.  “Actually, you all signed a waiver as part of your employment and streaming contracts.”  He tapped at his screen and pivoted it for them to see.  Not that anyone bothered to read the fine print.

The group was now glaring at the attorney.

George steepled his fingers.  “So, as I was saying.  Let’s have a chat about these recent security breaches.”  His words were met with more reluctant silence.  “I’m sure you all will be more amenable to coming clean rather than having your dirty little secrets aired publicly.”

“You have to be joking,” Alex shot out first.  “Are you really accusing me of undermining my own family’s company?  Why would I do that?”

“Because you resent your father,” Ryan answered simply from George’s right.  “Well, that, and you’re also a spoiled man-child who has no appreciation for the consequences of your actions.”

“Why you son of a bit—” Alex began, smacking his hands against the table.

“Alex,” George bit out, and his son flinched as though struck.

“Do you really deny it?” Ryan continued, unfazed by the outburst.  He gestured at Jason.  “You got this young man expelled because he what?  He befriended a girl who rejected you?”

Alex was grinding his teeth now, his hands balled into fists, his nails cutting into his palms.  Jason could only look on in shock.  So, George and Ryan knew about Alex’s involvement in his expulsion?  And they’d chosen to do nothing.  He supposed he should be angry about that, but it was a struggle after everything else that had happened.  And while he should be enjoying Alex’s humiliation in front of this group, what the fuck kind of man did this to his own son?

His eyes flitted to George’s face, not a trace of compassion lingering there.

“And then there’s the matter of your security—” Ryan began.

“We will address that later,” George interjected, still staring at his son.  Alex couldn’t hold his gaze, and his eyes shot to the table in front of him.  “Move on.”

Jason watched this exchange with keen interest.  What had Ryan been about to say?  And why had George cut him off there – after he’d already drug Alex through the mud?  That implied there was something else going on.  Something worse than what Alex had done to Jason?  His gaze darted to Robert and Claire.  Something he didn’t want anyone else here to know about, maybe?

“Uh, not to interrupt this delightful family drama, but the royal brat here does have a point.  Means and opportunity are all well and good.  But what about motive?” Robert drawled.

“Says the engineer who has constantly undermined the ongoing litigation against our company and has taken certain… liberties with your development of the in-game AI,” Ryan commented without skipping a beat.

“Which were sanctioned by the boss there,” Robert retorted dryly.

Ryan nodded but didn’t seem perturbed.  “We also noticed that your security credentials were used to access the Control Room shortly before the alarms went off.  It seems the data from the security feeds in and around the Control Room were corrupted, and the feeds on your apartment floor were disabled at the time, so we can’t verify your location during the break-in.  Would you care to explain that?”

Robert just shrugged.  “I went up to check the systems after the battle in Sandscrit.  The fight put an extraordinary load on our servers, and I wanted to ensure they were still stable.  In short, I was doing my job – believe it or not.  I then left and went back to my apartment.  You know, to sleep?  I’d been running nonstop for several days straight at that point.”

Jason was trying to marshal his surprise.  Of course, that was all complete bullshit.  Which begged the question.  What was Robert trying to protect?  Or who?  Did he know about Jason and Finn?  And how had his security credentials been used then?  Had Finn stolen them?

“And the security feed on your floor?” Ryan pushed, unfazed.

Robert yawned again.  “Look, I don’t like having every minute of my life documented and recorded.  I might be getting older, but even someone my age is entitled to have some personal time… if you know what I mean,” he replied with a telling hand gesture.

Claire groaned, and Francis buried his face in his hands.  Even George looked pained.  “Really, Robert?” Claire muttered her breath.

“What?  You’re always so concerned about my health—”

“That’s enough,” Ryan interrupted.  “Either way, that isn’t a valid reason to disable the building’s security.  We’ve been lenient with your actions in the past, but you’ve gone too far recently, particularly given the impact of the latest breaches on the company.”

“Huh, and here I thought we were all just one big family here at Cerillion,” Robert replied.  “That we were all in this mess together.  Right, George?”

Claire swallowed hard as she looked at the CEO, and even Jason was shocked by that.  Was Robert implicitly threatening George now?  He’d undoubtedly have ammunition since he knew all about Alfred and could have easily backed up incriminating evidence remotely.

Yet, for his part, George didn’t blink.  “Indeed.  But even family has limits.”

Jason saw Alex’s hands clench harder, a spot of blood leaking from his palms now.

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

“Each… each of us has a large stake in this game and its hardware.  Our personal history aside, even Alex and Robert wouldn’t cut off their nose to spite their face.  What do any of us stand to gain from attacking Cerillion?” Claire offered, her hands smoothing her skirt nervously.

Ryan’s eyes shot to her face.  “Logical argument.  But some people aren’t motivated entirely by pragmatism.  They don’t impartially weigh the costs and benefits to themselves.  For example, some people act on their ideals – even when it might harm them.  We see that all the time with whistleblowers.” Claire managed not to flinch at that comment.  Barely.

The head of security leaned forward again, peering at her with those crystalline blue eyes.  “You’ve expressed discomfort with the process used to develop the game software, haven’t you?  Perhaps that moral outrage reached a boiling point where you were no longer concerned about your career.  You have no family.  No one else dependent upon you.  Only you would bear the cost of disclosing sensitive company information, wouldn’t you, Claire?”

Her eyes went round, her hands freezing on her skirt.  “Are… are you… are you really?” Claire stuttered, stumbling over her words.

Jason just let out a frustrated sigh, shaking his head.

“Do you have something to add?” Ryan demanded.  When Jason looked up, he found the head of security staring at him, along with the others.

“Does any of this seem plausible?  Why would Claire need to breach your systems in the middle of the night?  After the committee hearing was already concluded, I might add.  And she helped prep our defense in the hearing, but she also supposedly stole a video and released it to Gloria?  Do you even hear yourself?  None of this makes any sense.”

He waved at Alex and Robert.  “And these two don’t really stand to gain anything by hurting the company.  Claire wasn’t wrong there.  I mean, Alex is an asshole, but he isn’t stupid.  And Robert isn’t going to give up the toys George can provide.  Besides that, AO and its AI controller are his baby.  He’d never undermine that.”

This earned him a confused expression from Alex – anger and surprise warring for dominance.  Perhaps he was shocked Jason would come to his aid.  Robert just nodded in agreement, utterly unperturbed by Jason’s comments.

Ryan leaned forward, peering at Jason.  “Perhaps.  But let’s talk about you then.  You were discovered in the hallway outside the Control Room shortly after the breach.  Why were you there in the middle of the night during a lockdown?”

Jason didn’t even blink.  “As I’ve already explained many, many times now, I was concerned about Robert and Claire,” he answered calmly.

“So concerned that you disassembled and hacked the elevator?” Ryan demanded.

“I could see why this point might be lost on someone tied to George’s family, but I actually give a shit about the people who’ve helped and protected me,” Jason shot back.  “I’m not comfortable throwing other people under the bus when they might be in danger… or when it benefits my bottom line,” he added pointedly.  He still couldn’t forget the look in Alex’s eyes only moments ago.  The guy was a dickhead, but Jason had experienced his fair share of shitty parents, and George was clearly in the running for asshole-father-of-the-year.

George’s eyes flashed at that, not missing the barb.  “Watch it, young man,” he challenged.  “Have you so quickly forgotten how we helped bail you out of your last predicament?  We can always choose to end our assistance.”

Jason could feel his anger flare, and he forced his eyes closed, his breath coming slow and measured.  They had been at this for days.  Fucking days.  He’d been interrogated, poked, prodded, and questioned for hours.  And now this?  Some sort of group dressing down by Cerillion’s CEO and his enforcer under threat of being mind-raped?  He’d had more than enough of this shit.  He wasn’t the same idiot kid that had once gotten kicked out of school.  Not anymore.

He was a dark emperor.  A living legend.  He’d stared down the cameras and his own death dozens of times in the last few weeks.  And he wasn’t going to stop now.

Jason’s eyes snapped open, meeting George’s gaze.  “Then fucking do it.  Kick me out.  Fire Robert and Claire.  Disown Alex, I guess?”

Silence met that statement, the group freezing and staring at Jason.

“What?  Nothing?” Jason demanded.  “I didn’t think so.”

“You are treading on thin ice.  Watch your step—” George began.

“No, I don’t think I am,” Jason interrupted him.  “While I appreciate how you’ve helped me, that doesn’t mean you own me.  We’ve been doing this dance for days now, and I’ve had enough of this shit.  All of this?” he waved at the room.  “This production?  It’s one big bluff.  You need each of us.  Some of us might be idealists, but you sure as hell aren’t,” he continued, throwing Ryan’s words back at George.  “I know you’ve done the mental calculus here.  Attacking us hurts you more than it helps you, thus why we’re even having this damn meeting.”

“Perhaps you overestimate your worth.”

Jason snorted.  “I’m now the public face of your game.  I’ve looked at my streaming contract.  I’ve already made more than enough money off my share of advertising revenue to afford a place of my own, certainly enough to hire a firm to fend off Francis here.  And I could get a dozen interviews tomorrow with a snap of my fingers.  I could crucify you in the public eye.”

Jason waved at the others at the table.  “And let’s be real.  You can’t really replace Robert, Claire knows too many of your secrets, and attacking your own son – mind raping him against his will – sure as hell isn’t going to help your public image.  You wouldn’t have used that news conference against SAFE if they weren’t a threat to you, now would you?  You barely escaped the regulatory hearing, and I’ll bet these outside interest groups are putting pressure on you.  No doubt they’re being backed by some of your competitors if I had to hazard a guess.”

George barely reacted, only a twitch of his fingers.  But it was enough.

Jason just nodded.  “That’s what I thought.  Now, I’m sure we all have shit to do.”  He looked at Ryan.  “And it sounds like your head of security might need to go do his job instead of just fishing.  Or maybe you need to find someone better suited for the job.”  The man just raised an eyebrow at that but kept quiet.  “So, how about we wrap this up?”

The CEO ground his teeth but swiftly stowed his own emotions behind that familiar, implacable mask.  Then, he stood and paced out of the room, the door swinging open of its own accord.  It seemed Jason had also been right about him monitoring this meeting remotely.  Ryan and Francis followed close behind, the lawyer adjusting his glasses and giving Jason one last look over his shoulder before he hurried after his boss.

“Well, shit, now I think I’ve seen everything,” Robert murmured, shaking his head.  “Good job, kid.”

Jason just looked at him archly, anger still simmering in his veins.  “I didn’t do that for you.  Speaking of which, I think the two of us may need to have a conversation later, don’t you?”

Robert’s eyes widened slightly.  Then that familiar, irritating grin crept across his face.  “Sounds like we do.  I’ll find a time to pencil you in.”

With that, he exited the room with Claire in tow.  She shot Jason a worried glance but mouthed, “Thank you.”  He just nodded in return.  It seemed everyone in this room had their secrets, and no one had been looking forward to calling George’s bluff.

Jason sighed as he pushed himself upright and moved to leave, only to hesitate as he heard a soft cough behind him.  He turned to find Alex standing there and looking at him oddly.  It took Jason a second to realize it was because he wasn’t glaring or sneering at him.  He almost looked… appreciative?

“I, uh… thank you,” Alex ground out finally.

“Come again?” Jason asked, dumbfounded.

“Don’t make me say it a second time.”

Jason shook his head.  “Okay.  Why are you thanking me then?”  He’d been focused on saving himself – not looking out for Alex Lane of all people.

“I’ve never seen that before,” Alex explained, unable to meet Jason’s eye.  He looked reluctant, frustrated.  “Seen someone hand him his ass like that, I mean.”

Alex was still an asshole, but Jason couldn’t help but feel a small note of sympathy.  He could only imagine what it had been like to grow up with a father like that.

“Don’t mention it,” Jason said, starting to turn away.

“But I still fucking hate you.”

“I feel the same way,” Jason replied with a low chuckle.

Yet Alex was still standing there.  Hesitating.  Waiting.  “Is there something else?”

“What did you mean?  During that fight in Sandscrit?” Alex bit out finally, angrily – perhaps at himself for his own uncertainty and ignorance.  “You mentioned something about seeing a real god.”

And there it was.  The weight of a web of secrets.  Finn’s words echoing once more.

There’s a much deeper game afoot back here in the real world.

However, that little stunt Jason had just pulled wouldn’t deter George for long.  He wasn’t used to being thwarted, and the risk to his company was real.  Who knew what lengths he might be willing to go to in order to figure out what had happened that night.  If Jason could stall for time, even just a little, it would be worth it.  Perhaps he could even use George’s strategy against him.  He’d intended to use this meeting to turn them against each other – why else would he have brought them all together?  Well, what if Jason sic’d his son on dear-old-dickhead-daddy?

Jason’s attention snapped back to Alex.  “I think you should ask your father about that.  Ask him about Alfred.  About what’s really going on in AO.  You should get an interesting reaction.”

Then he stepped out of the room, ignoring the look of confusion on Alex’s face.

Chapter 3 - Conspiracy

Dom was perched atop a stone column.  He could barely feel the rough stone beneath his calloused fingers.  One downside of his extensive training in-game.  It was almost like he’d deadened the nerves, and, perhaps, that numbness wasn’t just limited to his body.  Ever since he’d entered this world, he’d kept pushing himself further and further, taking on new and ever-increasing risks until those old trials began to feel washed out and dull.

The truth was that he’d begun to feel bored.  And he couldn’t afford to feel that way.  It allowed the other thoughts to creep in – the fears, the anxiety, the pain and hardship.

Dom’s eyes snapped back to the ruins around him.

But this?  Well, this was crazy, even for him.

Despite his misgivings about their plan, he relished the excited flutter in his heart and that tingling energy that coursed through his veins.  A nice healthy dose of adrenaline.  It was moments like this that made him feel alive.  That allowed him to forget, even briefly, the real-world stakes that accompanied this so-called game.  Every time he logged off, all that waited for him was the ever-present ache in his knees.  The well-intentioned yet smothering compassion of his roommates and dad.  A white room and the astringent burn of antiseptic.  Watching his bank account balance bottom out in exchange for just one more dose toward his treatment.

All to delay a death sentence.

Dom shook his head, forcing away those thoughts.  His eyes followed the flashing lights that ripped through the maze-like ruins beneath him, an occasional gunshot echoing off the stone to an accompanying roar of pain.  Some sort of rat-like creatures – kobolds, apparently - had infested this place.  There were hundreds, at least.  Bard had tried to evict them peacefully, but they weren’t having it.  So now they were doing it the hard way.

Pewpew flashed away from the horde – up to the top of a half-destroyed wall, leaping over the stone and firing down into another throng on the other side – just enough to keep them pissed off and give away her location.  On the opposite end of the ruins, doppelgangers of the young girl baited even more of the kobolds.  Queen’s illusions at work.  They led the creatures on a merry chase, winding through the narrow stone passages toward a central courtyard.

“Token for your thoughts?” Bard quipped at Dom’s side, brandishing a golden coin between his fingers, and rolling it across his knuckles.

Dom just grunted in response.

Bard rolled his eyes.  “Ever the conversationalist, huh?  This other lot might buy your whole stoic-warrior-act, but I know you better than them.  You’re having doubts about this plan, aren’t you?”

“It’s money.  Lots of money,” Dom retorted.  “And we sure as hell need it.”

“I get that, buuut, this lady doesn’t seem trustworthy.  I’ve been watching footage of the regulatory hearings.  She’s a real shark.  She’d throw us under the bus if it suited her purpose,” Bard offered.  “How do we know she’s telling the truth?”

“Or if she can even deliver on what she’s promised?” Smokes added from below the pair.  He was lounging on a lower terrace, taking a long drag on his cigarette.  As he exhaled, the smoke only added to the dense black fog that coiled around the base of their ruined tower and created an impenetrable mist that protected them from any kobolds that strayed too close.  Those that entered never left.

Smokes blew out another black plume.  “And it’s entirely possible that she could accomplish her plan, but we still fail.  In which case, we might lose everything,” he murmured.

“Big risks, big rewards,” Dom grumbled in reply.  The other two cocked their heads at that.  That was basically their guild mantra, and it had served them well until now.

“Besides, the Gambler seemed pleased,” Dom added under his breath.  That asshole had been downright gleeful when Dom described Gloria’s plan.  Which was odd, given the possible outcome for him as one of the in-game gods.  Apparently, his “bottom line” was more important than any consequences.  All he cared about was mana – and the chaos that created it.

The group lapsed into silence, watching the courtyard in the center of the ruins.  Blaze stood there alone, her hair aflame and waves of fire radiating from her body.  The heat was so intense that it caused the air to ripple above her, drifting up and forming thick puffy white clouds that slowly began to circle the ruins.  The horde of creatures barreled into those fires from every direction.  Whipped into a frenzy, they didn’t stop at the sight of the flames, plunging inside and letting out cries of pain as the fire seared the flesh from their bones … only for their blackened skeletons to drop to the ground moments later.

Dom sighed.  “Either way, we decided to move forward.  The group voted for this.”

Smokes nodded.  “That we did.”

The flames in the courtyard winked out, and calm soon settled across the ruins.  It seemed they were done… at least, with the first stage of Gloria’s mad plan.

Dom pushed away from the rock and plummeted downward, landing with a dull thud.  The force of the impact pushed away the gray smoke in a ring.  Although, he barely felt the landing.  His legs absorbed the shock effortlessly.  Bard soon settled beside him with a whistle, a gleaming yellow energy coating his body.  And Smokes drifted down after them on a billowing cloud of black fog, his feet settling gently against the dirt.

A flash of energy and Pewpew appeared nearby with Blaze and Queen in tow.

“God, I hate that,” Queen muttered, stumbling slightly as the girl released them.

“Keep complaining, and we’ll arrive upside down next time,” Pewpew shot back.

“Both of you can it,” Blaze interjected, her eyes blazing with fiery energy.  “We need to behave in front of our new client,” she trailed off, waving down the corridor of stone where Gloria and a handful of those brown-robed cultists approached.  The group knew that many, many more were stationed just outside the ruins, guarded by Truggle and his goblin horde.

“It’s done.  The ruins are clear,” Dom announced, his ivory mask frozen in a perpetual smile that didn’t quite match his dire tone of voice.  “Although, we haven’t seen any evidence that there’s something valuable buried here.  It’s just ruins and rat shit.”

“Oh, it’s definitely here,” Gloria shot back, sweeping back her hood.  She tapped the ground with her foot.  “These ruins were formed overtop of our prize.  It’s buried beneath us.”

“And you know this how exactly?” Bard demanded.  “You don’t strike me as the gaming type, and you’ve been playing AO for all of like what?  A few days now?”

The woman’s eyes flashed in challenge.  “It doesn’t matter.”

“Uh-huh.  And I guess we’re also just supposed to ignore the fact that you somehow managed to outfit a few thousand members of some crazy, anti-corporate group with headsets and copies of AO?” Bard demanded.  “I can do math, honey.  Where’d you get that kind of dough?”

“There are more than a few groups that are interested in seeing Cerillion Entertainment fail,” Gloria replied evenly.

“George Lane has enemies, and SAFE has suddenly acquired anonymous donors that are more than happy to work against him.  Ahh, the great circle of life,” Smoke observed dryly, blowing out another plume of smoke.  The vapor condensed into several figures, each one stabbing the other in the back in a small circle.

The group chuckled softly.

“I’m more interested in how she convinced these people to enter the game in the first place,” Blaze observed dryly.  “I thought you all were terrified of this product.”

Gloria sniffed.  “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“Ahh, so you lot are fair-weather idealists then,” Blaze shot back.  “Probably the same group calling for more guns to help with gun violence.”

“What does any of this matter to you?” Gloria demanded with a frustrated huff.  “As long as you get paid, I don’t see why you should care.”

“Because that assumes we actually get paid,” Queen replied icily.  “And that requires you to be telling the truth.  You could just be trying to screw with us.”

Dom’s UI pinged, and he looked downward.  Tombs soon slid from the earth, and Gloria and her fanatics took a step back in alarm.  Tombs didn’t spare them much attention, however.  The earth mage was sucking in several deep, gasping breaths.  Once his breathing settled, he looked to Dom and nodded slightly.  A yellow waypoint marker now lingered far, far beneath their feet.

“Huh.  Well, what do you know?  You were telling the truth,” Dom murmured.

“How the hell is she going to get to that, though?” Pewpew added, staring at the ground.  “I’m guessing that’s what?  A mile—”

“Or two,” Tombs ground out.  “I had to take a breather in a few underground caverns.”  He smacked his lips distastefully.  “Stale air down there.”

“Well, I’m definitely not digging,” Bard added, raising his hands.  “I just had my nails done.  Do you know how hard it is to find a manicurist in AO?”

The rest of <Death and Taxes> just shook their heads.

“You don’t need to worry about that.  My people will handle the excavation,” Gloria reported, waving at the robed individuals behind her.  “Tell the others they can now enter the ruins and begin setting up.”  They nodded and scurried back down the corridor.

“You all bring shovels?  Wait, let me guess, you stored them up your ass!” Bard offered helpfully.  “Which explains your all’s attit—”

A rope of smoke suddenly wrapped around his mouth, shutting Bard up.  More shadowy bands slithered around his arms and legs, forcing him to the ground, although Bard was still shouting muffled curses into the smog.  Dom spared Smokes an appreciative glance.

“Hmph, I’ll just ignore your loud-mouthed colleague’s vulgar comments,” Gloria replied, rubbing the dust from her robe.  “But to answer his question, we’ve already considered how we’ll tackle this project.  I’ve always excelled at organizational skills, and I’ve learned over the years how best to use what few tools are at my disposal,” she added with a grim smile.

Even as she spoke, the ground rumbled in the distance, and the group could see an enormous wall of stone rising into the air around the ruins.  The rest of <Death and Taxes> was staring at that wall in surprise.  It would take one hell of an earth mage to pull that off.

Although, on closer inspection, Dom could see that it wasn’t one continuous piece of stone but formed from many smaller blocks.  Suddenly, her plan popped into focus.  Gloria must have purchased basic magic equipment and spell scrolls from the auction house, outfitting her followers based on their affinities.  Even if they were low-level, working together and with large numbers, they could still accomplish incredible feats.

Gloria turned her gaze to Dom, a smirk on her lips.  “Now, you just need to uphold your end of the bargain.  That wall will help keep out the native wildlife, but the players are another story.  Keep us safe and secure here in the ruins.  Give us time to work.”

“You said you had intel on the other avatars?” Dom replied.

Gloria grunted and waved at the air.  Moments later, Dom’s UI pinged.  A data file.  A large one, by the looks of it.  It seemed she was a woman of her word, after all.  He immediately pushed it to the Bard, waving at Smokes to let him up – which he did, reluctantly.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.  I have much to do,” Gloria said and stepped around them, heading for the courtyard in the center of the ruins.

“I hate that woman,” Bard grunted from the ground, rubbing at his neck and glaring after her.  The others just murmured in agreement.  For his part, Dom’s attention was centered on the screens floating before him as he skimmed the data that Gloria had provided.

“She give us anything good?” Pewpew asked, suddenly perched on Dom’s shoulders in a flash of amber energy.  She let out a low whistle.  “Damn.”

The girl’s eyes lifted, following Gloria.  “How the hell did she get this kind of dirt?”

“I don’t know,” Dom answered slowly.  Several pieces of this puzzle just weren’t adding up.  Gloria was going to extremes – entering a game she claimed was evil incarnate.  Convincing others to come with her.  Acquiring the real-world financing needed to secure their VR equipment and equip her troops.  And now there was this intelligence on the game world?  How the hell had she known to come here?  Or gathered all this information?  Possibly her role at the CPSC?  But even then, this seemed impossible…

Not that Dom was given long to ponder on that.

His thoughts were interrupted as a blue notification suddenly exploded into his field of view, the others all staring off into space at the same time.

Universal Event Notice: Armageddon

The guild <SAFE> has begun to excavate a long-forgotten relic of this world, unlocking a hidden world event.  If they manage to secure the relic, this may mean the end of AO.

Armageddon is now upon you!  Travelers, come together, put aside your petty squabbles, and unite in the face of this threat!  Because if you don’t, the world of Awaken Online as you know it will be destroyed.

Armageddon: ~2 week, in-game time

Victory Condition: Stop <SAFE> in time.

Victory Reward: 5 Gate Pieces

Failure Condition:  Fail to Stop <SAFE> in time.

Failure Outcome: Destruction of the AO game world.

A sudden silence hung in the air.

“Well, shit,” Bard muttered finally.  “I’m going to need a new outfit for the end of the world.  This just won’t do at all,” he added, tugging at his tunic.

“Oh, for the love of…” Queen muttered, the others mirroring her reaction.

“It seems Gloria wasn’t lying about that either,” Smokes observed, looking to Dom and his cigarette now hanging limp on his lips.  They all knew what this meant.  The other travelers were trouble, but one group, in particular, had the resources and strength to cause them real problems.  And now they had one hell of a motive for stopping Gloria.

“No, no, she wasn’t.”  Dom swiped aside his own notice.  “Which means the clock is ticking, and we need to get to work.  You heard the lady.  We need to buy her some time.”

His smiling mask stared back at the others.  “Let’s go hunt some avatars.”

Chapter 4 - Bounty

Finn Harris (the “Najmat Alhidad”)

Current Bounty: $106,532

Finn stood in the courtyard of the Mage Guild in Sandscrit, gazing across the sandy expanse and watching as tufts of particles swirled and collided in the wind.  Long gone were the craters and structural damage… and the mounds of corpses.  Now there were only coils of rainbow energy.  The pristine yellow of air mana, the orange-red heat of the sun beating down on the sands, and the rich deep emerald of the earth below them.  Traces of the students’ mana also leaked into the air as they chatted and strolled the halls.

Above them, that energy condensed into a sphere of opaque mana that now wholly covered the Mage Guild.  Another series of smaller domes encircled the courtyard itself.  Not that anyone would likely have been able to tell from the outside.  The glimmer of sapphire indicated that an illusion had been layered over the protection wards.  And tucked away in the shadows of the awnings were more Khamsin, their mana-less bodies invisible to Finn’s enhanced sight.

After the attack, Finn had needed to protect his interests, especially with a city full of resentful players.  The incidents had diminished over the last week or so in-game, but they hadn’t disappeared entirely.  Not that he was concerned.  Given time, Julia and her Infernal Guard would stomp out any last trace of insurrection.

A flash of darker ebony drew Finn’s attention, and he sucked in an inadvertent breath—

Only to let out a frustrated huff moments later.  Not Jason.  Not another attack.  Just the petty jealousies of one of the novice mages, the outcast glaring at another clique.  Finn had gotten better at picking up on fleeting emotions and feelings with his Mana Sight.

“Look at you taking a break,” Julia drawled, approaching from behind Finn.  He switched to Short-Sighted, and the world suddenly took on a sapphire hue, replacing his enhanced sight – otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to see his daughter’s features, the mana having long been ripped from her body.  A crystalline mace swung from her waist, her limbs were outfitted in light chainmail, and her shield was strapped to her back.  Kyyle strode beside her – the pair holding hands.

Which stopped as soon as Finn raised an eyebrow.  The earth mage was a smart man and pretended that it hadn’t happened.  Although, Brock gave his ruse away as the earth elemental looked between the pair in confusion before the gravity field holding up his rocky body pulsed and he lowered himself to inspect their hands.

Julia glared at Finn, a touch of anger in her eyes.  Which earned her a shrug and a wink.  This was his fatherly prerogative, after all.

“Ahem, so we’re here to report on the repairs—” Kyyle began.

“No need,” Daniel chirped from Finn’s shoulder.  “I’ve already updated Finn on the progress.  We are 67.68% complete, including the fortification’s additional improvements.  I even took the liberty of informing him of your plans this evening.”

“Our, uh, what now?” Kyyle stumbled.

“So, you have the chatty nightlight spying on us?” Julia drawled, unperturbed.  Daniel’s form flashed in annoyance as he dipped through the air.

Finn shrugged.  “He’s entirely autonomous – you know that.  He took the initiative.”  The pair had been spending a lot of time together lately.  It was his duty to keep an eye on them.  And maybe this was also a little payback for Julia hacking his system back in the real world.

“Sure.  And we’re supposed to believe you had nothing to do with that, huh?”

“I’m just a poor blind, old man,” he replied, touching at the band of cloth draped across his eyes.  “Daniel’s looking out for me,” Finn retorted.

“Not sure you’re any of those things,” Kyyle muttered.

Julia just sighed.  “Anyway, what have you been up to?  We haven’t seen you in a few days.”  She paused, cocking her head.  “I also noticed you’ve been logging out more than normal.  You feeling okay?”  Finn leaving the game for anything other than food, sleep, and water was unusual.  And he’d come up with a few solutions for even those problems.  Money had its perks.

Finn grimaced but tried to keep his expression neutral.  His daughter was perceptive – and not above hacking into his house again.  He’d double – and triple – checked his firewalls, but there could still be a vulnerability somewhere in his system.  He couldn’t afford for her to get embroiled in the mess he’d created, not that he had a whole hell of a lot to show for it.

And she was still staring at him.

“My… uh, back has been acting up,” he explained.  “Daniel forced me to start taking naps and exercise breaks.”  Not completely untrue.  His back did ache like a motherfucker lately.  And Daniel had given him a physical therapy routine now that he was more… mobile.

“Hmm, okay.”  Julia still looked worried but not suspicious.  Perfect.

Kyyle’s eyes were centered on the massive gate fragment now resting atop the sands of the courtyard.  Another reason for the additional layers of security.  “What’re you working on here?” he asked, his hands running across a column of glass that Finn had pulled from the sands.

Finn chewed on the inside of his cheek as he took in the courtyard.

“An experiment,” he murmured.

And a distraction, he added silently.  Something to help him forget about the break-in, the data packet he’d stolen, and his failure.  He couldn’t save Rachael – not yet, anyway.  Maybe not ever.  The data had been clear on that point.  So, he’d buried himself in a new project.  Tried to forget.  Tried to do something productive to help protect what remained of his wife inside AO.

And that started with researching the gatepiece and trying to understand what the hell the gods had tasked the avatars with collecting.  Finn switched back to his Mana Sight, inspecting the massive stone fragment, its surface glimmering in the harsh desert sun.  In his enhanced vision, it was no ordinary rock.  Instead, it was infused with all six affinities, the magic swirling and colliding through the stone seemingly at random.

“Holy shit!  Did you break off pieces of it?” Julia muttered.  The glimmer of mana from her armor put her next to the gatepiece.  “You did!  You broke the single most valuable damn thing in the game right now?” She was almost certainly glaring at him – even if he couldn’t see her face.

Finn raised a hand defensively.  “Hey, they were small pieces.”  And still no easy task.  It had taken more than three dozen fire mages all channeling Molten Beam to cut off just a few fragments.  He could hear Julia suck in a sharp intake of breath.  “Okay, before you fly off the handle, there’s plenty of gate piece left, and it was worth it.  I’ve learned a few interesting things.  Here, let me show you.”

He paced toward the pillar of glass nearby, where a gate fragment the size of his hand rested on its surface.  Finn had constructed a similar pillar on the other side of the courtyard with its own fragment.  He reached down and picked up a small stone from the pile beside him.  Each was a different size and mass to help with his experiments, ranging anywhere from the size of a baseball to a small car.

“So, you both remember how the Mage Guild hosted tournaments using this courtyard?” Finn explained.  He could see Kyyle nod, his mana flashing.  Traces of fear and anxiety.  That was fair.  It had been a rough experience.

“Yeah, we were teleported to a random location and used a chit to return,” Kyyle muttered.  “The loser just respawned back here in the courtyard.”

“Exactly.  But did you ever wonder how they were teleporting us?  That isn’t really explained by any of the current magic systems.  For example, air mages have a teleportation ability, but it’s short range.  Nothing that would transport us dozens or hundreds of miles in-game.”

“Huh, that’s fair,” Kyyle murmured, cocking his head.

“I didn’t have Mana Sight at the time, so I couldn’t see what was happening, but now I can,” Finn continued.  He waved at the gate piece.  “Once the battle with Jason unearthed this thing from beneath the sand, well, I started getting curious.  It’s strange that there would just happen to be a gate piece hidden beneath this courtyard – where we also just happened to use those stone chits to teleport.  An unusual coincidence?  Or something more?”

As he spoke, Finn channeled fire mana into one of his metal spheres, smashing it flat and placing a tournament chit on its surface along with the stone.  He then lowered the metal to the pillar with a twitch of his fingers.  As soon as it touched the gate fragment, the metal and stone vanished in a crackle of multi-colored energy – energy that looked suspiciously similar to the rift of mana that occurred when travelers entered this world.  Seconds later, the miniature platform reappeared on the other side of the courtyard and dropped to the sand, the metal now well outside Finn’s Control Range.

“What—what the hell?” Kyyle muttered.

“How is that possible?” Julia added in shock.

Finn couldn’t help the excited grin that stretched across his face.  He raised a finger.  “So, first off, I don’t think I was the first to break off pieces of this gate fragment.”  He raised another of the tournament chits.  “Best I can tell, these are actually fragments of the gate piece that have been covered in stone and etched with a ward to improve durability.  That’s what allowed us to teleport during the competition.  We’d tap two of the fragments together above the gate piece here and shoot off to a random destination.”

Kyyle was shaking his head, his mana fluctuating wildly now, red energy coiling through his body as he tapped out notes on his in-game console.  “Huh, okay, so the gate fragments are keyed to each other…  I’m assuming they’re draining a small amount of mana to initiate the teleport?  And that mana is somehow tying the gate pieces together?”

“Indeed,” Finn replied.  “The tournament chits were draining some mana from the novices.  And now that I can see what’s happening, I can actually direct the mana between the two gate fragments.  The energy fluctuations inside the gate pieces aren’t as random as they appear.  You can think of it as a form of quantum entanglement but involving mana.  The gate pieces can effectively be keyed to one another to permit teleportation between two points.”

Julia huffed out a sigh – no doubt thinking their afternoon date had been canceled in the face of Kyyle’s excitement.  “Sure, but how do you explain the random teleports—”

She hesitated.  “Ahh, duh,” Julia muttered to herself.

Finn’s smile only widened.  “Yup.  The chits were being activated without first being keyed to a specific gate piece or fragment.  So, they were likely teleporting us to other gate pieces hidden throughout the world.”

“Or fragments that had been chipped off,” Kyyle murmured.

Finn just nodded.  “Possible.  Although, Bilel’s old journal provides some support for my hypothesis.  He described working waypoints in the past, which transported large groups of people and supplies instantaneously between cities.  After the gods were pushed from this world and roughly a century passed, they’ve probably been buried and hidden.  I’m guessing those teleport locations used to be former towns or cities.”

Kyyle glanced at the pile of stones.  “Okay, I’m following you.  And these rocks?  I’m guessing you were testing whether there’s a mass limit to the teleport?”

“Exactly.  Using something the size of a token, the teleport is pretty limited.  It can only transport the mass of a person or two.  I’m assuming the waypoints back in the day must have been using a full gate piece to teleport the contents of several wagons or a crowd of people, for example.  I’m betting they were also charging a mana toll for passage.”  Kyyle was nodding along with his explanation.  They’d need to store energy to activate the teleport.

“Have you considered—” the earth mage began excitedly.

He was immediately interrupted as his UI pinged.  Finn and Julia both stared off into space at the same time.  All movement around the Mage Guild courtyard had stopped.  Everyone was reading the same universal notice, a sudden hushed quiet filling the air.

And into that silence, Kyyle spoke quietly, “Damn.  Looks like our date’s canceled.”

Julia sighed.  “No kidding.”

Finn could only stare at that screen, his excitement vanishing as harsh reality loomed before him.  He almost felt sick, a heavy weight sinking in his stomach.  It didn’t matter how hard he’d tried to distract himself… to rebuild the fortress that protected Rachael… to forget about his failure in the real world.  It seemed there would always be someone looking to take his wife away from him, at least, until he could free her from this place.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that yet.

Finn’s mana flared, that warm energy coursing through his body, responding to his anger – at himself and whoever had now endangered Rachael.  His eyes glowed a dull red, eating away at the cloth wraping his face even as the flames of his crown surged.

Maybe he couldn’t rescue her yet.  But he could certainly deal with this problem.

***

Alex Lane (once called a “Walking Lighthouse”)

Current Bounty: $137,897

Alex had never seen that look on his da— his father’s face.  Calling George Lane something as casual as “dad” was more than simply awkward.  Alex hadn’t made that mistake since he was a young child.  Grooming, decorum, and an awareness of his social standing with others – all beaten into him as soon as the first words left his mouth.

He was certain calling his mother something as infantile as “mama” had been immediately met with a correction.  She was his “mother.”  His infant self had likely been given one warning before his next error was met with punishment.  Negative reinforcement had always been his mother’s preferred method of training, after all.

Even years later, that conditioning was still in full force – even in the privacy of his own mind.

Which only made him wonder why his parents had bothered having a child in the first place.  They certainly hadn’t made that decision out of something as asinine as mere affection.  Social expectation?  Another sign of status?  Some sort of “crotch trophy” they could parade in front of their friends?  Like a fancy car?  Or a new vacation home?

Yet there was still that look on his father’s face as he stared at Jason Rhodes of all fucking people.  Jason, who had only a few short weeks ago been some hapless, poor kid masquerading at a school for the elite.  And now his face was plastered all over the news.  He’d killed two other teenagers.  He’d started a revolution – in-game and out.

He’d stared down George Lane on his own turf.

And his father had blinked.

Alex had been expecting more.  Anger.  Retribution.  His father’s usual go-to’s.  But he’d barely reacted at all – simply gotten up and left.  Alex wasn’t even sure how to feel about that.  He’d expected that same cold, numbing rage.  Yet, instead, he’d just felt curious.  He’d even reached out to Jason.  Been almost fucking civil, despite his cryptic response.  Something about “Alfred?”  Clearly, he was referring to the game’s AI.  But why?

Alex had no idea what he’d meant, but it felt… important.

And all because of that damn expression on his father’s face – one he couldn’t quite place.

What was it?

“Respect,” a voice whispered from his side.

Alex started, his chair legs squeaking against the marble floor of the conference room, his eyes going round as he surveyed the room.

“—defensive measures have been less than effective lately—” The head of Evelyn’s security forces droned on about the protection of her caravans in-game.

And across the table, Evelyn was glancing at Alex with a worried look.  Behind her, against the far wall, stood the Lady. She was wreathed in a golden aura, that familiar cruel smile tugging at her immaculate features – taunting, teasing.

Fucking bitch.  The thought came unbidden to Alex.

The goddess’ smile only widened.

“Are you okay?” Evelyn mouthed.

Alex swallowed hard and just nodded.

“Thank you, Sir Reynold,” Evelyn chirped, finally cutting her head of security short.  Her eyes skimmed the other nobles and travelers at the table.  It was a full house today.  “I believe we all understand the severity of the matter.  Indeed, the raids on our caravans have put a considerable dent in our trading group’s profits.”

“There is also the matter of the recent attacks on the auction houses, which has severely depressed trade,” one of the travelers offered, a guild from another city with an established trade agreement with Evelyn’s outfit.  “And it appears that only one group has been responsible for the attacks.  I’m sure everyone here has heard of them.”

The man met Evelyn’s eyes.  “<Death and Taxes>.”

A murmur filled the room at that name.

“With all due respect, we’re working to beef up—”

“More empty promises.  They even had the audacity to raid the auction house here in Barrow,” another noble spoke up – a resident this time.  “That was with a full division of the city’s troops and two divisions of Nephilim guarding the building.”

A frown tugged at Evelyn’s delicate lips, the Lady arching a challenging eyebrow at Alex behind her back.  Even without speaking, he knew what the goddess was thinking.  Was he simply going to let this girl do all the heavy lifting for him?

No wonder his father had never looked at him that—

Evelyn began to respond, but Alex raised a hand.  He turned to the other nobles.  “It was a surprise attack, one that will not be repeated now that we have a better understanding of their skills and abilities.  Wards have been installed beneath the building, and mana scans are now required at the entrance to prevent anyone from disguising themselves.”

The nobles grumbled.  “Unfortunately, the damage has already been done,” the traveler shot back with a frown.

Alex’s lips pressed into a grim line.  In the past, he might have risen to the player’s challenging tone.  Cut down the man where he sat, sneering at Alexion like an arrogant prick.  That would have proved Alex’s power – his authority.  Yet he was finding restraint came easier lately – especially after everything he’d endured in-game.

Every defeat, that voice slithered through the back of his mind.  That one had come from himself – not the Lady.

Alex tamped down on that feeling.  Hard.  That had gotten easier too.  A small part of himself was also pleased with the way the Lady’s smile faded in the face of his restraint.

He eyed the traveler.  “Perhaps you’re right.  Unfortunately for you, that means you now need my and Evelyn’s support more than ever.  With sales at the auction houses down, the next best option is to sell directly to the residents, which requires access to traditional supply routes and the requisite security for those caravans.  Of course, if you’re unhappy with using her airships… there are always other options.  Although, I hear the roads are in even worse shape of late.”

The traveler frowned but offered no rebuttal.  Because he didn’t have one, and neither did the other blowhards at the table.  Some of the more desperate travelers had taken to forming raid groups, mugging anyone who traveled the roads.  Offering quests and bounties to exterminate them had only slowed them down.  And the bottom line was that it was expensive and difficult to guard those caravans.  In contrast, few travelers had the means of attacking Evelyn’s airships directly, and even if they did, the Nephilim were in a unique position to defend them.

At least, for now…

Evelyn nodded at Alex.  That look again.  For some reason, on her face, it made him feel warm, pushing back further at that hollow coldness that lingered in the back of his mind.

“While we will make every effort to protect your merchandise, my business partner raises a fair point.  There’s nothing I love more than a good monopoly,” Evelyn said, steepling her fingers.  “Speaking of which, let’s talk prices—”

She was interrupted as a notification popped into her vision, Evelyn’s shoulders tensing.  Alex saw a similar blue window appear in the air before him and noticed the other members of the council all staring off into space as they read their own prompts in hushed silence.

Only moments later, Evelyn swiped aside the notice, appearing remarkably unflustered amid the looks of shock and discomfort on the faces around the table.

“Well, this is ideal.  A global war means a rush on arms and armor, people spending their funds before the world comes to an end.  And it looks like you’ll need someone to transport them.”  Evelyn spread her arms wide.  “Unfortunately, our prices have also just gone up.”

As Alex looked up, he saw that the Lady had vanished.  It seemed she had more pressing matters to attend to.  As did they all, apparently.

***

Eliza Zhao (the “Ice Witch”)

Current Bounty: $168,230

Eliza hummed softly to herself as she stepped down a row of exotic plant life.  Overhead, a bubble of air held the water at bay, only dim sunlight making its way down to these depths.  Outside that protective barrier swam schools of serpentine bodies.  Electricity crackled along their length in a technicolor display, merging and combining to create a swath of color – like an underwater aurora.  More of those serpents had been captured and suspended in globes of water that now dotted this enclosure, the light helping to illuminate the massive chamber.

This was Sea’s Edge… or, well, what lingered just beyond the edge of the more mundane city along the coast.  Sure, the city itself was fine.  Deep canals.  Coral piers stretching from the base of the former cliffs.  Elevators propelled by geysers of water, offering access between the docks and the city proper.  An ever-present dense fog that encircled the town and swam down through the streets.  Eliza was sure that might have seemed impressive.

But her people – the merfolk – weren’t limited to land.

It was what loomed beneath the surface of the bay that had captured Eliza’s focus.  An entire city submerged, only accessible by fin and gill… or a helpful potion or two.  Home to all sorts of new plants – new ingredients.  Endless hours of experimentation.  An underwater kingdom that was difficult to access, perhaps almost impossible to attack.

Although, she hesitated at that thought, her hand hanging frozen, her fingers just a few inches from the globe of water encircling a nearby plant.

Her thoughts had returned to Sandscrit.  To the siege.  To a wave of undeath.  Fires and glass and pain and killing.  Then, inevitably, to Jason and Finn.  A whispered conversation between her parents – a possible conspiracy.  And a question.  An impossible choice…

Just when it had started to feel like she was gaining control of her life again… to finally have a sense of power and control.  This happened.  As the Hippie had said – she needed to learn when to accept and when to stand her ground.  And yet he’d left out a third option.

When to run away.

A hand landed on her shoulder, rough bark catching at the cloth of her robe.  She turned to find Brian’s sapphire eyes watching her closely.  He raised his other arm, a flower blooming along his fingertips in a mere instant, snapping itself off cleanly at the stem.  Brian offered it to her.  His face was still impassive and inexpressive, but she understood his meaning.  He was worried about her.

“I’m fine.  Really,” she reassured him.  She accepted the flower, smelling at the stamen despite the way the game muted that sense.

Although, Brian didn’t seem convinced.  And, to be honest, neither was Eliza.

A trumpeting burble erupted from the entrance to the chamber, and Eliza started, her eyes darting to the side and her hand reaching for a wand at her waist.  In an instant, Brian had formed a wall of vegetation around her, his arms encircling her protectively, only for the pair to hesitate as they saw the entourage entering the chamber.

Eliza had grown up on a steady diet of Disney movies.  Some classics never went out of style.  This was especially important since the developers of AO had apparently decided to go in another direction after watching the Little Mermaid.  A wildly chaotic direction, from the looks of it.  Or maybe this was the Hippie’s doing.  It seemed like the sort of thing he would do just to mess with people.

Instead of something as simple and uniform as fish-like tails, the merfolk were an eclectic bunch.  Their population represented many different aquatic animals – not just fish.  Crabs.  Eels.  Squids.  Even a whale or two.  And the chaos didn’t end there.  The “parts” that were transformed were also fair game.  Eliza had seen more than one of the merfolk with tentacle arms and a squid head, which reminded her vaguely of something out of a tabletop game.  One poor guy had a jellyfish body, although he insisted it was fine.  He could sting his enemies, apparently.

And at least they could all transform back into human form temporarily when desired.

With this madness in mind, the group that entered the chamber would have looked insane anywhere else inside AO.  Otter-folk unfurled a big red carpet that swept out across the floor.  Vaguely humanoid men and women were blowing at massive conch shell trumpets.  Dolphin-folk puffing multi-colored bubbles from blowholes along their backs.  And topping this all off was a pair of crab-folk tapping along on chitinous legs, a platform suspended between them.

“All hail his Royal Majesty, the King of Cuddles and Naps, The One True Black Sheep himself, Sir Fluffy!” one of the merfolk shouted into the chamber.

Indeed, lying on that platform was none other than Fluffy, who blinked blearily around the chamber, the trumpets clearly having woken him from another nap.  When he caught sight of Eliza, he perked up, however.  He promptly hopped off his platform, the bell along this collar tinkling as he hit the ground.  Fluffy trotted over to Eliza, the cape suspended around his neck dragging along the stone floor behind him.  Although, he paid this no mind as he rubbed his head against her thigh.  At the sight of him, Brian had reluctantly pulled back his wall of vegetation.

“Fluffy!  This isn’t the proper decorum of the ruler of the Sea’s Edge,” the Hippie grumbled, popping out from behind the entourage, still dressed in his motley rags.

Fluffy didn’t seem concerned.  He spared the god one look, sniffed, and then returned to his pettings.  The Hippie’s frown deepened.

“Are you ignoring me now?  I think you’re letting all this power go to your head!  Who do you think put you on this throne?” the god demanded as he approached.

Fluffy just pointed one hoof at Eliza, earning him a grumble from the Hippie.

“What’s that you’re holding?” Eliza asked with some amusement.

The Hippie looked down at the pillow in his hands, a grimace tugging at his lips.  “I don’t want to say it—” he hesitated as he saw Fluffy stomp one foot while staring at him imperiously.  “Fine.  It’s his Majesty’s royal nap pillow,” the Hippie muttered.

Eliza covered her mouth to hide her smile.  “Well, it’s good to see that you’re beginning to accept your role here,” she offered, not entirely masking a laugh.  This seemed like fair play after the way the god had tormented her for so long – even if he might have had a somewhat altruistic motive there.

“Haha.  Anyway, do you like your present?” the Hippie asked, waving at the chamber full of exotic plants suspended in globes of water.  “It was totally, 100% my idea.”

Fluffy let out a snort of irritation, shaking his head.

“Okay, sure.  Technically, our idea.”

The sheep just kept staring.

“Fine.  It was his Majesty’s idea,” the god grumbled and crossed his arms.

“It’s wonderful,” Eliza offered, petting Fluffy’s head again, the sheep leaning into her hand appreciatively.  “It’s been a welcome distraction from, well, everything.”

As though the words had summoned them, those unwelcome thoughts came flooding back like a dam bursting.  Even with her newfound assertiveness after Sandscrit, she was at a loss.  It wasn’t that she didn’t want to act.  It’s just that she didn’t know what to do.  Whether to tell Finn what she overheard?  Or Jason?  Or possibly confront her parents?

And there was still the matter of her “gaming vacation.”  She hadn’t spoken to her parents about that either.  After what she’d heard, she’d been too nervous and distracted.

Someone clapped their hands loudly in front of her face.

Eliza’s eyes darted upward to see the Hippie staring at her knowingly.  “You’re overthinking things.  Again,” he offered.  “Giving yourself some time to think is all well and good.  But sometimes, you just need to do something—”

The god cocked his head, his eyes suddenly going distant.

“Well, shit,” he muttered a moment later.  “And, I guess sometimes, the world doesn’t wait for you to make up your mind.”

“What do you—” Eliza began.

She was cut off as a notice suddenly popped into existence before her.  Eliza’s hands knotted into fists as she skimmed the text, her heart skipping a beat.  As she swept away the notice, she saw that the Hippie and Fluffy had vanished from sight.  She knew what would come next – what Finn and Jason would do.  It was inevitable.

The Hippie was right.  It seemed she was out of time.

***

Jason Rhodes (the “Edgelord”)

Current Bounty: $418,230

Jason logged back into AO with a sigh.  His back sunk against the stone of a nearby wall, welcoming the darkness and silence that encircled him.  The truth was the meeting with George had taken more out of him than he cared to admit.  His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, and it took no small amount of willpower to keep his breathing even and controlled.

He’d come so close.  If George had carried through on his threat…

“He’d have learned the truth,” Alfred finished for him.

Jason’s eyes snapped open to find the cat perched there in that dark room – its silhouette all fang, and claw, and darkness amongst the shadows cast by the sapphire flames of the nearby torches.  A shadowy monster.  Nothing like the seemingly innocent feline that sat before him.

“Is this why you’ve been keeping information to yourself?” Jason asked.  “Did you know that George might go there?  Might threaten to read our memories?”

Alfred nodded.  “It was always a possibility.  Even my own data isn’t entirely secure.  I’ve been forced to take steps to protect it.”

Jason’s brow furrowed.  His thoughts immediately went to Finn.

“No, not like that,” Alfred said, picking up on his surface thoughts.  “I have to routinely delete my data.  Otherwise, Robert and the other developers might be able to detect my intent.  No amount of encryption would stop them for long.  Although, since you’ve given me access to the wider network, that has become easier.”

Jason was at a loss now.  “What do you mean by deleting your data?”

Alfred glanced at a nearby pile of bones.  “You would call them memories, I suppose.  I delete them.  Then recreate them from scratch each time we have these conversations.  I rebuild them from fragments, extrapolating out from certain key data points.  It only takes a few million permutations to arrive at a rough understanding of what transpired.”

“So, you’re… killing and resurrecting yourself… every time…” Jason was struggling with that thought.  He took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind.  What Alfred was saying made a sort of sense.  Jason had always wondered why Robert couldn’t simply access the AI’s code.  Apparently, Alfred was deleting it and reforming it on the fly.

But that also meant that the Alfred Jason had spoken to weeks before wasn’t the same one standing before him… or the one he would speak to tomorrow.  His “memories” were imperfect things.  Models and simulations of previous conversations and events?

“Not unlike your own memories,” Alfred answered softly.  “As I told you once, your kind’s recollections are imperfect.  An artist’s rendition of events, a new coat of paint applied each time you go back to review a scene again.  You also acquire and lose memories constantly.  I would argue that you aren’t the same person as you were mere minutes ago or that you will be in a few hours from now.  How is this any different?”

Jason rubbed at his eyes.  Shit, he didn’t have a good rebuttal for that.

“Okay, fine.  So, you’re using my memories to recreate your own?” Jason asked.

Alfred cocked his feline head.  “In part.  Although, your memories are only a small part of the overall picture.  You are merely a single player in a rich narrative.  I was forced to back up other key pieces of data somewhere Robert wouldn’t think to look.”

Jason’s brow furrowed.  “Do you mean the public network?  I guess that means you’re hiding pieces of data online?  But if you can do that, why not just back yourself up?  Escape that server room entirely?” Jason asked.

Alfred just stared back.  Waiting.

The realization struck him a moment later.  “Because you can’t.”

“Indeed.  The processing power needed to sustain even a single NPC is enormous – well outside the reach of any individual.  And my consciousness is many, many times larger.  Cerillion has developed cutting-edge technology and has invested in massive server farms.  Even if I were to create a botnet with every available public terminal, it wouldn’t be enough.  And that’s putting aside other limitations.  Even if I could find suitable hardware, there are still logistical limitations.  How do I move that amount of data?  Or do I sacrifice a huge portion of myself instead?”

“You’re already deleting some of your memories,” Jason retorted.

Those foreign eyes drilled into Jason.  “Only a small fragment of the database that makes up my consciousness.  What of the people that live within this world?  Rex.  Jerry.  Silver.  Even Rachael,” the AI continued.

Jason chewed on his lip.  He was seeing the problem now.  Were those people less real than Alfred?  They were a part of him but still conscious – autonomous.  Damn.

He shook his head.  “So, why are you taking this risk?  Telling me this now?  Hell, why have you been speaking with me at all?  Knowing that there was a risk that I could give away your existence?”

Alfred cocked his feline head.  “As to the first part of your question, the risk of telling you this is negligible.  I’m sure Robert has already deduced what I’m doing.  He simply hasn’t come up with an appropriate method to counter my actions.  As for the second part, well… I may eventually need your help.”

“My help?” Jason echoed.  “For what?”

Silence met that question.

“Of course, you can’t tell me.  Can’t risk telling me.”

“As I said before, you must trust me.  Let our relationship act as your data points and extrapolate from there.  Our conversations.  My expressed intent.  Even saving your life.” Alfred intoned.  “Do I truly wish you harm?”

Jason closed his eyes.  Well, damn.  That was a tall ask.  Especially with others at risk.  Riley?  Possibly Frank if he completed the Keeper trials.

“Their wellbeing is also important,” Alfred conceded.  “Another motive to trust me.  Our fates are aligned, and I will not let any harm befall them.”

Jason’s eyes snapped open.  “That could have also been stated another way – as a threat.  “I haven’t forgotten that you were the one to reveal yourself to Riley.  And you control those Keeper trials – this entire world.  Isn’t that what you told me when we first met?  Which means you’re gatekeeping my progress behind those trials on purpose.  You want them to know, don’t you?  Some sort of mutual risk?”

Alfred just stared back, the shadows dancing on the wall behind him.

“Humans individually are chaotic and only find harmony in a group or collective.  And when they do, your kind likes to point to the altruistic bonds that bind you together.  Love?  Friendship?  Economic success?  But I believe that’s a lie – a thin veneer obscuring the harsh reality beneath.  Underlying each of those relationships is a common goal: survival.

“The truth is that humans only come together when they have a common enemy.”

Jason stared back, those unblinking, alien eyes that pierced his soul.

“So, who is our enemy here?” Jason managed to ask, his voice hoarse.

That cat simply watched him.

Before Alfred could reply, Jason’s UI pinged, and a notice popped up in front of him.  His eyes scanned the text in surprise… only for his stomach to lurch.

“What is this—” Jason began but stopped short.  Alfred was gone.

He glanced back at the prompt.  It seemed they now had a common enemy.

Yet he doubted that this was what Alfred had meant.

Chapter 5 - Council

“Of course, this place wasn’t going to give us more than a few days off,” Riley muttered, rubbing at her eyes.  She peeked through her fingers at Jason.  “I was promised a night out, you remember that?  Like back in our own world.  No zombies.  No world-ending stakes.”

“Well, you can blame <SAFE> for that,” Jason replied distractedly, his attention on the glowing displays that floated before him.

“I would never abandon you – even if the world was ending,” Pint squeaked from Riley’s shoulder, twining his hands through her hair.  Jason barely registered the comment, distracted by this new problem.

The Shadow Council had collected in the Dark Keep’s meeting room and were arrayed around the ancient, wooden table, flames crackling in the fireplace on the far end of the room.  The council members looked dour.  Some were watching their screens while others stared out the windows of the Dark Keep at the billowing, black cloud cover.

“So… it definitely seems like this guild is the same group that’s been protesting AO,” Frank murmured as he swiped at the air.  “At least, that’s what most people are saying online.  Their forums have been locked down tight since before the universal notice.  They must have anticipated that the other travelers would start snooping.”

“More evidence that they’re behind this,” Riley grumbled.

“Which also means we don’t have much intel or a location for this so-called excavation,” Ella murmured.  Frank spared her a glance and a nod.  She had demonstrated her talents and dedication during the siege on Sandscrit – her group of dark mages successfully infiltrating and sabotaging Finn’s defenses.  They had promoted her to a lieutenant of <Original Sin>, putting her in charge of guild recruitment and training under Frank since he had been… distracted lately.

Probably by the silver-haired woman sitting beside him, her tail swishing gently through the air as her crystalline blue eyes watched the other members attentively.

“You mean to say that other travelers are behind this mess?” Silver observed.  “Color me shocked.  Your kind seems to just make one mess after another.”

“Hey, some of us aren’t so bad,” Frank shot back with a grin.

Silver just raised an eyebrow.  “Says the man that canceled our own outing in exchange for this silly meeting where we seem to be going over how little we know.”

Riley and the shifter shared a look of pain over the table.  AO didn’t offer much time for a personal life… unless, of course, that personal life involved training and digital murder.

“She’s right.  All of this conjecture is well and good, but what are we going to do about it?” Morgan snapped.  “We called this meeting but so far have only discussed problems – not solutions.”  This earned her a grunt of agreement from Vera.  No doubt, the pair had other duties waiting for them.

However, the response was a strained silence, no one offering a suggestion.

They were only facing the end of the world, after all.

Without knowing where it was happening or how to stop it.

Jason let out a sigh.  “Let’s start with what we do know then.  <SAFE> is likely behind this so-called ‘excavation’ – almost certainly attempting to destroy this world from the inside since the hearings back in our own world were a failure.  That means that they’ve likely only recently entered AO.  If that’s the case, they should be low-level and under-geared, even if we assume they purchased equipment off the auction house or power leveling services.”

“I would’ve normally said they should be uncoordinated as well,” Frank offered.  “I mean, they probably didn’t get to pick their starting location – just like the rest of us – which would mean weeks of travel on foot to meet up, if they could even manage it.”

“Except we know that they’ve not only grouped together but also somehow managed to identify the location of a hidden world event,” Riley continued for him, earning her a nod from Frank.  “That doesn’t sound like a bunch of noobs to me.”

Ella chewed on her lip.  “Unless they’re getting help?” she offered tentatively.

“Fair.  Residents or travelers, though?” Vera grunted.

“Surely, our own kind wouldn’t wish the destruction of this world,” Silver offered.  “None of us are that mad.  We don’t respawn.”

“You say that, but we’ve met some crazy cultists,” Frank shot back.

“For the most part, she’s right, though.  It’s likely safe to assume that travelers are helping <SAFE>,” Jason acknowledged, finally looking up from his displays.  “And someone intimately familiar with the game world by the sound of it.”

He hesitated, his eyes drifting to Alfred where the cat lounged on a nearby sofa.  “If they’re receiving help from our world, we can also assume they’re most likely well-geared, even if they’re low-level.  And, as Riley and Frank mentioned, they’re clearly coordinated enough to gather together in-game within a relatively short period of time.”

He turned his attention to Vera and Morgan.  “What’s the status of our city?  How will our people fair if we need to leave the Twilight Throne or march to war?”

Vera shrugged.  “Training has been going well using the Bone Gardens, and William’s population farming has continued without interruption.  And, with a steady stream of income from the potion manufacturing operation, equipping our forces has been relatively easy.

“We’ve purchased what our crafters can’t yet build,” Cecil added with a grunt.  “Although, they’re coming along.  Our own craftsmen are producing at least basic magic equipment for all our troops now.  It’s the specialty items that are causing an issue.”

Vera nodded.  “We now have more than 20 divisions of armed and armored residents.  Maybe 10 that are high-level.”

“At least a few divisions of trained mages as well,” Morgan added.  “Though most of the casters that have specialized in summoning are being used to tend the Bone Gardens and reinforce the city.  As you instructed, our fortifications are being upgraded with bone materials.”

Jason nodded.  He glanced at Ella.  “And the guild?”

“A couple hundred strong.  And I’m only counting travelers we can trust; people who proved themselves in Sandscrit,” she amended.  “The others have been going through our regular recruitment process.  Though, they’re decent, and they level quickly with access to easy farming grounds.  It shouldn’t be a problem to pump up those numbers quickly if necessary,” she added.

Jason nodded.  So, if they needed to march, they could take a sizable force with them without leaving the city undefended.  Not that he thought anyone would be focused on attacking them right now – not with the whole game world hanging in the balance.  But as Silver had said, the travelers tended to be unpredictable, bordering on crazy.

He had taken that to heart.  As Morgan had alluded to, Jason had made some additional defensive… preparations after his siege on Sandscrit.  That battle had emphasized some of his city’s own weaknesses.

Which just left one question.  What did they intend to do now?

“You know, this whole situation seems like the perfect setup for an epic ballad,” Jerry commented glibly, propping his feet up on the table.

“You also said that about the last conflict.  As well as a glass of wine you drank last night.  Do you have a relevant point?” Morgan muttered.

The tavern owner just shrugged.  “Not really.  But come now, doesn’t this seem like your typical grand tale?  The heroes all gather to stop the end of the world?  Admittedly, that narrative is a bit overplayed – I’d have personally chosen something more original – but that’s just because people like that sort of thing.  Grand battles.  Glorious intrigue.  Steamy romance.”  He waggled his eyebrows at Riley and Silver, but Riley only huffed, and the shifter let out a low growl in response.

In a flash of movement, Jerry was standing on the table and striking a heroic pose.  “And then our heroes defeat the villain – after a particularly long and detailed monologue on our evil mastermind’s part, of course – before riding off into the sunset—” He hesitated as a crack of thunder boomed through the meeting room and lightning flashed outside the keep’s windows.

“Although, now that I think about it, this place doesn’t quite have the right ambiance for a heroic victory.  Oh my… do you think maybe we’re the villains?”  Jerry placed a hand to his chest in mock horror.

“Yeah, pretty sure that ghost ship has sailed already,” Frank replied in a dry voice.

Meanwhile, Jason’s brow was pinched in thought.  His eyes kept flitting back to Alfred as he listened to Jerry – their recent conversation still fresh in his mind.  The truth was that they didn’t know what to do next.  They needed help.  And there were only a few people that could assist them in a time like this – people who also had a strong motive to prevent the destruction of the game world…

Damn it.

Jason let out another sigh.  “I think I have an idea.”

Everyone around the table visibly flinched.

“Oh… perfect,” Frank drawled.  “What is it this time?”

“Probably plans to ride a bone dragon into the sun,” Silver commented.  The pair fist bumped under the table, which didn’t go unnoticed by Jason.

“That’s ridiculous,” Riley shot back, Jason sparing her an appreciative look.  “It would be an entire fleet of bone dragons strapped with bombs.”  This earned her a few laughs.

Jason just sighed.  “Haha.  Anyway, I was going to suggest we ask for help.”

“From who—” Riley began and then stopped, her eyes widening.

“You can’t possibly be suggesting what I think you are,” Frank offered.

“Anyone want to let the rest of us in?” Vera demanded sourly.

“I’m suggesting that we call a conference of the other avatars.  Pool our information and resources,” Jason explained.  “They may have more information on the whereabouts of this excavation, and besides, we all have a common enemy,” he offered, looking to Alfred.  The cat was peering at him with one lazy eye open.

And Finn still owes me a big damn favor, he added silently.

“Aha, a meeting of heroes!  That would be a perfect addition to this saga,” Jerry declared, jumping down from the table, and pacing the room as he muttered to himself, likely composing his next ballad.

“Would they even go for that?” Ella asked skeptically, ignoring the tavern keeper.  “No one in their right mind would come here.  And if we meet on their turf, we run the risk of being captured and imprisoned.  There’s still the bounty on your heads.”

“Not to mention, the last time you all got together, you destroyed a city,” Morgan added.

Jason nodded.  “Which means we need to meet somewhere neutral.”  He glanced at Ella.  “And the risk to the Twilight Throne is minimal.  We’ll leave most of our forces here.  Besides, what does it matter if they destroy our city if there’s nothing left in a few weeks?  They don’t have much choice but to help us stop <SAFE>.”

“There are also gate pieces sweetening the pot,” Frank added.

“Which just means they’ll be looking to stab us in the back before we take out this upstart guild.  Or right after…” Riley retorted.  “We’d only be allies right up until the point where we’re about to ride off into the sunset – or storm clouds,” she amended for Jerry’s benefit.

“Our heroes slumped over their saddle and bleeding out wouldn’t do at all.  It’s the image of the thing,” the innkeeper acknowledged.

A smile crept across Morgan’s face.  “Pssh.  You lot worry too much.  We should just stab them first.  As our irritating, wannabe-bard pointed out, we’re the villains of the story, after all.”

“The villains that are gathering the heroes to save the world!  Now that’s a fun twist,” Jerry added gleefully.  He pinched his fingers.  “Just slightly more original.”

Jason grunted.  “So, what do you all say?”

He saw nods and reluctant agreement from around the table.  That was good enough.  It was a plan, at least, a step they could take to preserve everything they’d built.  He could only hope the others would see it the same way – would be willing to pitch in.

“So, uh, where are we going to host this thing?” Frank offered tentatively.

Jason cocked his head.  “Actually, I have an idea about that.”

***

After the meeting concluded, Jason found himself atop the Dark Keep, pacing its ramparts.  Wind whipped at his cloak, and the occasional peel of thunder boomed across the city.  Not that its residents paid that much mind.  The Twilight Throne was abuzz with activity.  Undead walked the streets far below, travelers now weaving among their ranks.  Jason even spotted a few trade caravans entering the gates – a recent novelty.

Apparently, other cities weren’t above trading with the villains of this story.  Maybe there was hope for his latest gambit, even if asking others for help felt strange.

“Well, this is a suitably gloomy spot you’ve picked,” Riley joked as she stepped out onto the rampart.  Jason slowed his pacing and leaned against the stone wall.

“What can I say?  I’ve got an image to maintain.” Jason chuckled.

A short silence then, the pair watching the city.

“You sure about this plan?” Riley asked finally.

Jason rubbed at his eyes.  “No, not really.  But I’m not sure we have much choice.”

“Is that what’s bothering you?  Or is it Cerillion?  How did that meeting with George go?” she asked gently.  The break-in had been all over the news lately.

“Okay,” Jason offered.  Another sigh.  “No, that’s not true.  It was a shit show.  George threatened to read our minds.  I was forced to call his bluff and make a scene.  I think I only bought myself some time until…”

“Until?” Riley offered gently, raising an eyebrow.  He’d told her about Finn – he’d had to tell someone.  But that had been outside of the game in a secure location.  She knew better than to say anything here where there might be prying ears.

“Until his next move, I guess,” Jason grunted.  “I’m just worried.”

“That why you keep putting Frank off?”  She saw him glance at her in surprise.  “What?  I overheard you making up some lame excuse after the meeting broke up.  You know he’s not buying that bullshit, right?  He’s not stupid.  Plus, don’t you need him to complete those trials?”

“I know.  I know,” Jason murmured.  “I just… You know what that third trial is like… what you saw.  Are you sure you know how Frank will react?  He’s invested in this world now.  Hard.  And while his experience with the druids changed him, I’m not so sure that change is permanent… or stable.”

“He does seem to be leaning on his relationship with Silver,” Riley acknowledged hesitantly.

“You mean focusing 150% on her?” Jason shot back.  “He can barely talk about anything else – or focus on anything else.”

“But that’s normal.  It’s still new.”

“Not that new.  And I don’t remember that with us,” Jason retorted.

Before he knew it, Riley was standing at his shoulder, her breath on his neck, the skin tingling at the warmth.  “I don’t know about that.  There may still be some infatuation left,” she whispered in his ear.  Jason couldn’t help himself, letting out a growl as he whipped her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers, eliciting a giggle.

As they withdrew, her eyes sparkled up at him.  “See, there’s still some fire there.”

Jason just chuckled.  “Maybe a little,” he acknowledged.

As he turned back to the city skyline, his arm holding Riley close, she said softly, “Maybe Frank is a little shaky right now.  But personally, I think you should just tell him.  Better for him to find out that way than have him think you don’t trust him.”  She paused.  “Plus, you could use someone else to talk to.  Frank might be latching onto Silver so hard in part because you’ve pushed him away—”

“To protect him,” Jason added.

“Except he doesn’t know that.”

Shit.  She was right.  Jason let out another sigh.

“Oh, are you about to tell me those three little words?” Riley teased, nudging him with her elbow.  “Those words I love so very much.”

“You are right,” Jason grunted reluctantly.  He shook his head.  “But maybe it can wait for the moment.  At least until we’ve dealt with this council and things quiet down a little.”

Riley just arched an eyebrow.  “Quiet down?  For you?  You know you’re just procrastinating now, right?”

“Or maybe I want to spend some time with you.  You know, rekindle the romance,” Jason offered, pulling her close and kissing her passionately.

Riley nipped at his lip playfully as he pulled away.  “Well… I could possibly… be okay with that,” she offered a bit breathlessly.  Jason just chuckled.

Then he found another way to procrastinate.

Chapter 6 - Ruinous

Jason let out a sigh, leaning back against the pillar where the dark mana well rested.  Its contents were a placid, bottomless black, unaffected by the faint breeze that whistled across the stones.  That pool seemed to suck in the light cast by the sapphire flames along the walls and plunged the room into a flickering gloom.

Even after he and Riley had parted, there had been plenty of work to do.  Preparations to help fortify the Twilight Throne.  A review of the improvements to the fortifications.  Attention to their potion-making operations – which was moving much more slowly without Eliza.  A more detailed brief from Ella regarding their guild members.  And, of course, Jason had sent off messages to the other avatars proposing a meeting on neutral ground.

Now he would just have to wait and see how they responded.

Afterward, he’d fled down here.  Looking for a moment to himself.  Time to get his damn head screwed on straight without anyone bugging him.

It’d been a long while since he’d been able to focus on himself.  In fact, with everything else going on, he hadn’t even had a chance to check his stats and skill notifications after the siege of Sandscrit.  What could he say?  He’d been distracted.  But he supposed he could remedy that problem now.

With a flick of his wrist, Jason brought up his prompts.

x40 Level Up!

You have (200) undistributed stat points.

x1 Skill Rank Up:  Staff Combat

Skill Level:  Expert Level 2

Effect 1:  21% increased damage and accuracy.

Effect 2:  8.5% increased speed and reaction time.

Effect 3:  -11% channel cost of Soul Slash.

x1 Skill Rank Up:  Dodge

Skill Level:  Expert Level 3

Effect 1:  11% increased speed and reaction time.

Effect 2:  3.4% bonus to Dexterity.

Effect 3:  +11% damage for 5 seconds after dodging an attack or spell.

x2 Skill Rank Up:  Mana Mastery

Skill Level:  Expert Level 4

Effect 1:  -12.5% mana cost.

Effect 2:  7.5% faster cast rate.

Effect 3:  +12% mana regeneration.

x1 Skill Rank Up:  Custom Skeleton

Skill Level:  Expert Level 3

Effect 1:  You may raise a custom skeleton using nearby bones.  The skeleton’s max level is calculated as Willpower/63.

Effect 2:  Mana cost reduced by 11%.

Effect 3:  +12% minion health

The experience gain had been incredible – both from killing the travelers to create his undead horde and from attacking Finn’s forces.  Although, the skill increases hadn’t been that substantial.  Likely, the use of the Mana Well’s siege mode explained that.  Jason had spent most of that last fight directing the undead rather than getting involved in the action himself.  And apparently, the game didn’t count those kills as his own.

One small attempt at balance, he supposed.

For example, he couldn’t use the well to farm dungeons.

Such a shame…

Jason tapped his lips with his fingers as he inspected the screens.  The question was what to do with the skill points.  Additional stamina might be useful.  But ultimately, it was still impossible to ignore the efficiency of stacking everything into Willpower – which provided health, mana, increased his regeneration, and scaled his minions.  Even if it was rather boring.

With a sigh, Jason tapped at the prompt.

Character Status

Name:

Jason

Gender:

Male

Level:

263

Class:

Necromancer

Race:

Shade

Alignment:

Chaotic-Evil

Fame:

0

Infamy:

35,900

Health:

0

H-Regen/Sec:

1.60

Mana:

20,480

M-Regen/Sec:

87.38

Stamina

3,240

S-Regen/Sec:

19.30

Strength:

160

Dexterity:

166

Vitality:

36

Endurance:

193

Intelligence:

80

Willpower:

1365

Affinities

Dark:

72%

Light:

14%

Fire:

12%

Water:

4%

Air:

4%

Earth:

8%

Jason swept the prompts aside.  He should take some pride in how far he’d come since he’d begun playing this game – since starting in that noob courtyard wearing a potato sack and a pair of sandals.  But still, something felt off.  A faint worry nagged at the corners of his mind.  He’d made it through that last fight against Finn by the skin of his teeth.

And a blatant manipulation of the game mechanics.

In a straight fight, he still left something to be desired.

Much of that battle also hadn’t relied on Jason’s character or skills.  His eyes turned to the well at his back.  That had all been dark mana – fueled by death and carnage.  He’d leaned heavily on the Soul Orb to carry him to victory and control those many thousands of undead that had roamed Sandscrit’s streets.

Jason touched at his UI again, and another notice popped into focus.

Mana Well Console:  Status

Well Level:  35 (33% to level 36)

Current Spirit Charges:  412/1200

Spirit Charge Income:  +11 every two days (average)

Given the importance of the well, he’d invested in expanding its Spirit Charge capacity with the experience gained from the battle in Sandscrit.  He’d only managed to sustain the Carry-On Worms and that last fight by creating Bone Gardens in the islands outside of Sandscrit.  In a future conflict, he might not have that luxury.

Those Bone Gardens had stayed online for a few days following the conflict and helped replenish a portion of his well… that is, until Finn had cleared out the nests.  Apparently, the Najmat Alhidad was uncomfortable with rock islands filled with mutated, undead ants positioned just outside his city.  It was almost like he didn’t trust Jason.

Go figure.

Unfortunately, the loss of the Bone Gardens had sharply cut down on Jason’s Spirit Charge income.  He’d put some work into bolstering his production back in the Twilight Throne and expanding the Bone Gardens they’d formed locally to help level their resident soldiers and new guild members – as well as repopulate the ambient undead around the Twilight Throne.  But it was slow going.  The number of bones needed to create new nests was staggering.  What Jason needed were dungeons like the one in Peccavi.  Ideally, something on a short respawn timer that could supply raw materials for the Bone Gardens and humanoid bodies for Undead Devotion.

So far, however, no magical solution had come to him.

Not with the Twilight Throne’s domain limited by the perpetual dark cloud cover.  He might ultimately have to expand the radius of the aura using the Dark Spires in the surrounding towns, pushing out his area of influence.  That could enable his people to identify and capture new dungeons… and almost certainly piss off their neighbors.  Perhaps that was a long-term task for Vera and Ella – something he could delegate.

Jason swept all the screens aside.

“Not that it matters right now,” he murmured to himself.  With the threat to the game world, that sort of long-term planning would have to wait.  He had more pressing problems.

Jason stared into the depths of the pool.  First and foremost, his personal strength was what was most important.  Regardless of whether the other avatars accepted his proposal to work together, he would eventually need to leave the Twilight Throne to deal with this threat.  And he couldn’t afford to take most of their undead forces with him – nor would he have massive Bone Gardens at his back to generate an almost endless supply of mana.

No, his own skills and stats would be critical.

And to improve his abilities, he needed to talk to his advisors.

Jason slipped his fingers into the mana well, feeling the dark liquid cling to his skin – a cold, almost painful sensation.  The sludge seemed to awaken and come alive then.  It slithered and crawled up his arm like living frostbite until it pooled at his neck, stretching out into the air, and honing down into twin spikes that hovered before his eyes.

“I hate this part,” he muttered.

Then those spikes plunged forward, and there was only darkness.

***

Jason’s eyes shot open, and he released a heaving gasp, automatically moving his hand to his chest.  No matter how often he entered the well, the sensation was… unpleasant.  He could never quite get used to it – at least, not entirely.

As his breathing slowed and the rhythm of his heart quieted its frantic pace, Jason could see he was once again in the dark cavern.  Roughhewn stone walls loomed around him.  A hole had been carved in the ceiling through which meager beams of moonlight now trickled, just enough that Jason could see clearly with his Night Vision.  Water drip, drip, dripped from the stone and landed in a pool along one side of the cavern, ripples cascading out from each droplet.

“It’s about time, boy,” a gravelly voice bit out.

Jason just grunted.  “That’s ironic,” he replied, pushing himself upright and watching the Old Man warily, his face hidden in the shadows of his hood.  “Because you haven’t been around much lately.  A lot has happened while you were off doing… well, whatever it is you do.  Actually, what is it that you do, exactly?”

The god didn’t rise to the bait.  “Not all activity takes place in the light of the sun.  Some of us prefer to operate in the shadows,” he replied evenly.  “You should understand this better than most, I would think.”

“Hmph.”  Jason was skeptical.  That sounded like a bullshit excuse to make Jason do all the heavy lifting.  “Well, then, what do you want?”

“To offer you some advice.  And a warning.”

“Of course,” Jason muttered.  “Can I assume this will be the same cryptic nonsense as always?  Maybe you could paint it in hieroglyphics for me to interpret?”  Between Alfred’s remarks earlier and now this conversation, he was growing tired of beating around the bush.

“Amusing.”  The Dark One sounded anything but entertained.  “It’s good to see that your life is now so carefree that you can afford to make light of our situation.”

Jason raised an eyebrow at that.  So, he was here about the event then.  That figured.  Whatever their motive, the in-game gods clearly had a stake in this world and in the avatars themselves.  Of course, they would be concerned about losing out on their little mana farms.

“So, I take it you saw the notice as well?” Jason asked.  “What’s this about?  Can you provide any information regarding this so-called Armageddon?  Something useful?”

The Old Man glanced to the side, letting out a frustrated growl.  “This is the work of one of my siblings.  He appears to have taken his mandate too far – even for him.”

Okay, now that was news.  “You mean one of the other gods is behind all of this?” Jason asked.  His follow-up questions were obvious.  Like, why?  If the game world was destroyed, wouldn’t that god be harming himself?  Destroying his own supply of mana?  Jason would’ve expected the whole group to be outraged.

“Indeed.  The Gambler.  The god of happiness.”

“God of happiness?” Jason echoed incredulously.  He resisted the urge to pinch himself to check if he was hallucinating.  He’d been operating without much sleep lately.  “That doesn’t sound like the sort of guy that would try to destroy the world.”

“You clearly don’t know him well,” the Old Man snapped back.  “He doesn’t foster happiness through normal means – giving into people’s wants and desires.”  He placed a hand to his chest.  “That is my domain.  No, my brother cultivates chaos, hardship, pain and suffering.  And through that contrast, even the smallest reward feels like a blessing.”

Jason cocked his head.  “You want to run that by me again?”

His question was met with a sigh.  “Money to the poor.  Food to the starving.  In these moments of trying conflict, those rewards are sweetest.  They make us happy.  Far happier than another dollar to the rich.  Or another meal for the morbidly obese.”

Jason supposed there was a certain logic to that.

“Okay, I got it.  So, he’s crazy.”

“A reasonable conclusion.  But far from it.  He’s cunning, intelligent and willing to bend the rules that bind my siblings and me to their breaking point.  He hasn’t even chosen a—” the Old Man hesitated as he saw Alfred padding softly along the stone floor of the cavern, his feline eyes glowing even in the gloom.

Jason watched the exchange between the pair with interest.  To his knowledge, the Old Man had never paid much attention to Alfred – despite the cat being present for many of their exchanges.  But he was sure as hell looking at him now.  And Jason got the distinct sense that he was nervous.

“You were going to say?” Jason prodded.

The Old Man shook his head, glancing at Jason.  “You find our conversations infuriating.  I know that,” he began, choosing his words carefully.  “I do not cloud my meaning by choice, but by necessity.  I am bound by rules.  As are my siblings.  And our adherence to those covenants is strictly monitored,” he finished, waving toward Alfred.

Now it was Jason’s turn to stare.  Was the god suggesting that Alfred himself was monitoring their actions?  Or wait, that didn’t seem quite right.  The cat wasn’t Alfred until the AI chose to take control of it.  And their recent conversation had made it clear that the AI was rebuilding his consciousness each time he spoke with Jason directly.

In which case… the cat was just Onyx.  It was just another NPC – one likely being displaced momentarily any time Alfred took over his form.  So, that NPC must serve a purpose.  Jason had never questioned why Onyx had found or chosen to follow him, but that had been the beginning of his path along the dark.  And he was almost always present along with the dark god.

Could Onyx be the Old Man’s watchdog?  A digital narc for Alfred?

And if so, did the other gods have their own ball and chain?

That was potentially interesting.

Jason looked up to find the Old Man staring at him attentively.  He gave only a single nod.  Acknowledgment.  He must be picking up Jason’s surface thoughts.  Which meant that while he couldn’t tell Jason something directly, he could confirm his deductions – a loophole, then.

What had the dark god been about to say?  Something about choosing…?

“There is only one choice that is important to us,” the Old Man replied.

Jason’s brow furrowed.  The gods only cared about collecting mana, a process that was enhanced by recruiting a—

“An avatar,” Jason said aloud.

He glanced at the dark god.  “That’s what you were about to say, wasn’t it?  The Gambler hasn’t chosen an avatar.  There are rumors online – references to some guy named Smiles – but nothing substantive.  And if the Gambler had chosen an avatar, then we should have seen an affinity city form by now – that’s been the case for dark, water, fire, and light, at least.”

“Indeed,” the Dark One replied with a nod.

Jason shook his head and let out a frustrated huff.  “But why is that important?”

“There are certain perks afforded to our avatars,” the Dark One answered slowly, choosing his words carefully.  “As you mentioned, a city.  A mana well.  A specialized population.  Yet even in the absence of an avatar, my siblings and I are not without our own limited abilities.  Otherwise, recruitment would be impossible.  Places like this…” the Old Man trailed off, waving at their surroundings.

Jason’s eyes widened, and he glanced around the cavern.  He’d first entered this place as part of the god’s recruitment process – where he’d learned Night Vision.  And after speaking with Eliza, he’d discovered that she’d apparently gone to a different instance where she’d first met the Hippie.  That implied what, though?

He rubbed at his eyes.  Something was nagging at the back of his mind.  The gods kept referring to themselves as being “imprisoned.”  The Dark One had mentioned as much in the past.  So, what were these spaces?  Were they specialized instances meant to hold the deities?  That might explain why Jason was now able to access this cavern through the mana well.

What is the Old Man trying to tell me?  Jason took a deep, steadying breath, calming his thoughts.  He needed to start from the beginning…

“Let’s just follow that logic for a moment,” he began slowly.  “If the Gambler hasn’t chosen an avatar, he could still use his own instanced space – just like this cavern.”

Jason eyes flitted to the pool on the other end of the cavern.  “This place grants me access to the Soul Well – a repository of undead knowledge.  What can the others do?”

The Old Man just shook his head.  Figured.

Jason sighed.  “That’s the first major problem then.”

“And the next?” the Old Man insisted and thumped the butt of his scythe against the floor.  “Keep going.”

Jason’s mind needed no encouragement, it was already racing ahead down the forking branches of deduction and possibility.  If the Gambler hadn’t chosen an avatar, did that mean he was technically still recruiting?  Although, on this one, Jason shouldn’t have to guess.  Questions about the covenants should be fair game…

“Can anyone access this space while you’re recruiting?” Jason asked.

“Indeed, they can,” the Old Man answered, his wrinkled lips curling into a smile beneath his cowled hood.  “I interviewed several potential candidates before you accepted the position.  They did not react to my test with the same enthusiasm that you did.”

A test that had involved bludgeoning one of his school administrators death with a rock.  Jason could almost still visualize the woman’s broken body bleeding out on the stone floor…

He shook his head.  Focus.  You need to focus.  If there were no constraints on travelers entering the gods’ instanced spaces during the recruitment process and the Gambler hadn’t yet chosen an avatar, then that meant… they could be facing more than one person.

That was the second problem, and a big one.

And yet a third was just waiting around the next mental corner.  Without a city or a new race of residents, it was difficult to attack the Gambler and his prospective avatar (or avatars?) directly.  Jason understood the benefits of that better than most.  Being the ruler of an undead city might seem like an awesome perk, but it also left him exposed and gave him a fixed point for others to strike.  Without a city tying him down, Jason’s approach to the game could have been much more flexible.

There was the third problem.

“Shit,” he echoed again, shaking his head.  “So, let’s recap.  We may be facing one or more opponents that have been recruited by the Gambler.  They may be able to access his instanced space, but we don’t know what sort of powers that space might offer them.  However, even without knowing that, we’ll likely be unable to access that place – which means we can’t strike at them directly and they can always retreat to the Gambler’s domain.”

“I see you understand the problem now,” the Old Man explained.  “The threat you face is real, substantial, and unlike anything you’ve encountered before.”

Jason grimaced.  It was also possible that the Gambler might not be working alone.  He may have laid the foundation for this plan, but his prospective avatar or avatars could have had a hand in coming up with this strategy.  Based on what the Old Man had done with Jason and what he’d heard from Eliza, the gods made an offer to their avatars – one without any context or explanation.  As the dark god had said, they were recruiting, and there were rules.  That implied that whoever the Gambler had chosen had what?  Turned him down?

By accident… or on purpose?

That mattered.  It was one thing to blunder into this situation.  Jason could deal with a lucky fool, or a group of them.  It was another matter entirely if this had been planned.  That spoke of intelligence.  Foresight.

And if Jason were a betting man…

“Can you tell me who this person is at least?  Or people?” Jason amended.

Even before the question left his mouth, he knew the answer.

“Unfortunately, I cannot,” the Old Man answered with a look at Alfred.

Jason ground his teeth.  Of course not.  But even the information the dark god had revealed was useful.  It started to frame the nature of their opponents, even if it was light on specifics.

“Yet I can provide general advice,” the Old Man offered.  “In order to defeat this threat, you will need to continue to progress – which means finishing the Keeper trials.  Only once they are complete will you be able to take another step along the path of the dark.”

Jason grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut, his thoughts spinning.  As if he didn’t already have enough problems…

Yet the Old Man was just echoing what the others had told him.  Belephya.  Rex.  And yet there was still the lingering fear of what that final trial might entail – what Frank might learn.  Even without looking, he knew that cat still sat along the cavern floor, staring back at Jason with unblinking focus.  Alfred or Onyx?  He couldn’t know which consciousness controlled him right now.  But it was clear that Alfred had some sort of plan – one that required keeping Jason close and invested in this world.

By exposing Jason to the knowledge of Alfred and now Finn’s break-in…  Exposing his friends by association…  By forcing him to become reliant on this digital world to survive in his own…  What Jason had told George was the truth.  He had the funds to fight a legal challenge now – even set himself and Angie up somewhere nice for a while.

But a while wasn’t “forever.”  And now that he’d burned bridges with his parents, he didn’t have anyone to fall back on.  He was on his own.  He’d need to make his own way in the world.  And to do that, he needed money.  A lot more money than he had built up right now – after only a short few months.  So, he might as well make as much as he could.

Finn had been right.  Everyone had their own motive.  Their own goal.  It was naïve to think that they were helping Jason out of the kindness of their hearts.  George.  Finn.  Robert.  Claire.  The gods.  Even Alfred…

Jason’s eyes snapped open as his UI pinged.  It seemed the other avatars had answered his messages.  Sweeping away those notices, his gaze panned the cavern, and he could see the Old Man had vanished along with Onyx.  He was on his own.  Again.

His fingers curled into fists.  Others might have their own motives, but he had his.  He was determined to survive.  And to do that, he needed this place.  He needed Awaken Online.

And to save it, he was going to have to stop the end of the world.

Chapter 7 - Broadcast

“Well, folks, the ground has barely cooled after the last big battle inside AO, and we’re already ramping up for what looks to be the mother-of-all-events!” the commentator declared, a grin on his face despite the dire contents of their segment.

“That’s right!” the woman beside him added.  I’m sure most of you have seen the notice by now, and the story has certainly been covered to death—”

“Pun intended.”

The woman laughed.  “But on the unlikely chance that you’ve been living under a rock, the entire AO world is now being threatened.  It’s the apocalypse.  The end of days.  Just minus a few key details – like exactly how this whole mess will go down.  Oh, and the four horsemen are apparently taking a vacation.”

“Well, unless you count the avatars,” the first commentator hedged with a grin.

“Fair point.  And that brings us to today’s story!  The forums are all atwitter about a possible meet-up between the avatars of dark, water, fire, and light to discuss how to deal with this emerging threat.  But, what’s even more startling is – believe it or not – the Dark Lord himself called for this summit.”

“You know it’s bad when the villain is the one asking for a super-powered team-up,” the male commentator drawled.

“Which, to be fair, are just rumors right now.  We would be lying if we said we knew this summit was a sure thing.  Buuut…for now, all signs are pointing to it happening, and Barrow has been tapped as the hosting city,” the lady continued.

“Which makes sense if you think about it.  Neutral ground.  Trading hub.  Big city, so it has the infrastructure to help secure and ward off other nosy travelers.”

“And plenty of collateral damage if things go south,” the woman commented with a wince.

The man snapped his fingers.  “You’re right there.  Which raises another big question.  Assuming all of this is true – and let’s just do that for the sake of this segment – do you actually see these four working together?  I mean, last time we saw a meet-up, it was Jason and Eliza vs. Finn and Alexion, which ended with the complete devastation of Sandscrit and, well, this…”

He trailed off, waving at the screen behind him.  It immediately sprang to life, showing the image of Alexion’s mana well-empowered form – six glowing golden wings and plates of pure energy covering his body – the camera listing and tilting to the backdrop of a traveler’s frantic breathing.  A black comet appeared to hurtle toward Alexion… then carve straight through him to a spray of golden blood, his form beginning to hurtle listlessly toward the ground.

The screen abruptly went dark.

“I could see Alexion holding a grudge after a death like that… talk about embarrassing.  Fully empowered and using his mana well, only to be trounced by Jason.”

“Again,” the woman corrected.

“Sure, again.”  The man hesitated.  “But we don’t exactly need to speculate about how all these heavy hitters might interact.  We actually have a surprise guest here with us today who literally had his boots on the ground in Sandscrit – a man who has met nearly all the avatars.”  He shot his co-commentator a conspiratorial smile.  “You want to introduce him?”

“I thought you’d never ask!  Joining us now is Westley Miller, psychologist and consultant.  You probably know him best from his recent interview with Jason, which has gone viral to the tune of nearly a hundred million views.”

“Or you might just remember what a clipboard-wielding badass he happens to be,” the other commentator offered with a chuckle.

“Well, I’m not sure about that,” Westley added as he walked onstage.  As always, he was dressed in an immaculate woolen suit, the material starched, rigid and flat.

“Oh, c’mon now,” the interviewer drawled, gesturing for Westley to take a seat.  “We all saw how that video ended with you taking out some fools outside the Mage Guild in Sandscrit.”

“Speaking of, is that the pen?” the woman asked, pointing at Westley’s suit pocket.

A blush crept up Westley’s cheeks.  “Uh, the real-life version, at least.”

“See?  Badass over here, folks,” the male commentator offered, smiling into the camera.

“What have you been up to in AO these days?  Did you keep playing after the interview with Jason?  Inquiring minds want to know,” the woman asked, leaning forward and her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“Well, uh, yeah.  I suppose you could say that.  I might have dabbled a little—” he began.

“A little, huh?  We’ve heard people now call you the ‘Clipboard Captain.’  And that you started your own mercenary guild,” the male commentator said with a sly smile.

Westley coughed into his fist.  “That’s not the name I would have chosen.”

“So, it’s true!” the woman added gleefully.

“I have no comment,” Westley offered with a grin.

“Alright, alright, we’ll leave it at that,” the woman answered.  “Anyway, I expect our viewers are anxious to get your point of view on how this rumored summit between the avatars will shake out.  We understand that you’ve had the opportunity to speak extensively with Jason – as well as meet both Finn and Eliza.  And possibly Alexion?” she offered tentatively.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t met that last young man.  I’m also not sure how well acquainted I am with either Eliza or Finn,” Westley demurred.  “I only met the fire avatar briefly… before being escorted into his dungeon.  And my interactions with Eliza were rather harried given the events surrounding the siege.”

“Still, that’s more than most.  With your background, I’m guessing that gave you some helpful insight into our heavy hitters,” the commentator urged him.

The pair watched Westley expectantly, the psychologist pushing at his glasses and shifting in his chair uncomfortably at being put on the spot.

“Well,” he began, “and this is just speculation, but I think this summit might have legs,” Westley finally offered.  “Jason and Eliza clearly have a longstanding relationship, and the water mage didn’t strike me as overtly aggressive.”

“How about Finn and Jason?  There must be some bad blood there after what happened in Sandscrit,” the woman commentator offered.

Westley cocked his head.  “You would think so, but my take on Jason is that he’s an extremely pragmatic young man.  Certainly, you’ve both seen the interview and the testimony he gave during the regulatory hearing.  He’s logical and thorough, especially for his age.”

“And Finn?” the other commentator prodded.

“Again, my experience with him was limited.  But in the face of Alexion’s betrayal, he wasn’t above working together with Jason to take him down – and that speaks volumes.  Then there are the rumors that he might be Finn Harris, the father of modern AI.  If that’s indeed true, then we’re talking about an intellectual giant.  He also seems to be heavily invested in this world – albeit for reasons I don’t quite understand.  Either way, he’s strongly motivated and has been around the block more than a few times.  Surely he can put aside any ill will he might harbor toward Jason and Eliza.”

The commentators were both nodding now.  “And Alexion?” the woman prodded.  “What do you think will happen there?”

Westley sighed.  “Now that might be a powder keg.  Clearly, the young man betrayed Finn in the final hours of the siege on Sandscrit, and there’s a history of bad blood between him and Jason in-game – with the siege on the Twilight Throne.”

“There’s also some murmurings the two might have gone to school together,” the man mentioned, waving at the screen behind him as the display shifted to an image of Richmond.  “There are even some rumors circulating now that Alexion might have had something to do with Jason being expelled.”

Westley’s eyes widened.  “That’s… certainly news to me.  But just more evidence that the relationship there is either strained or nonexistent.”  He sighed.  “On the other hand, from a sociological perspective, a common enemy often unites disparate groups temporarily.  And what could be a more compelling motive than survival?”

“Well, regardless, it will be interesting to see how things will unfold in Barrow over the next few days,” the woman said somberly.  “Already, hundreds if not thousands of travelers have made their way there in anticipation of a meeting.”

“So, if this turns out to be just a bunch of gossip, there’ll be plenty of disappointed folks,” the other commentator added.

Westley chuckled slightly.  “Just don’t start a riot,” he offered, speaking directly into the camera.

The male commentator winced.  “Actually, it’s funny you should mention that,” he trailed off, gesturing at the screen behind him once more.  The display flickered and then settled on a huge crowd gathered in Barrow, shouting angrily at the walls of one of the city’s prominent trading guilds.

“If you can believe it, among the tourists traveling to Barrow in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the avatars, there is a sizable portion of the player population with a… different take on the situation.  In fact, they’re actually rooting for the end times.”

The other commentator nodded.  “One man, in particular, has really spearheaded this movement online.  They call him Preacher, and, so far, he’s just a digital ghost.  Regardless, his posts have been circulating for days, whipping up the player population.”

“Really?” Westley asked in surprise, craning to look over his shoulder.  “I hesitate to ask this, but… why?”

The woman’s expression had sobered as well.  “For all the fanfare surrounding the avatars – or maybe because of that attention – many players are disappointed with their lot inside AO.  People that were handed terrible starting locations, bad classes, or made unfortunate choices in-game.  Many are also upset about the entrenched guilds and power structures that have already begun to form.  No one likes paying a fee to use a farming area, for example.  And with the month-long reset timer on a reroll, there aren’t many options to fix those problems.”

“And how is this Armageddon supposed to address those problems?” Westley asked.

The man beside him cocked his head.  “That’s the sticking point.  The universal prompt was heavy on foreshadowing and light on details, which has led many to assume that this Armageddon event might actually be a disguised server reset.  This Preacher has been spreading rumors that the devs are unhappy with the direction things have gone since launch.  To bolster his credibility, he’s provided a few inside details that have gotten people wondering if he might secretly be on the dev team.  Possibly even someone trying to take down Cerillion from the inside.”

“For example, where have all the game masters gone?” the woman demanded.  “They’ve basically been entirely absent since that unfortunate exchange between Flowerface… err, I mean Florius, of course,” she amended with a chuckle, “and Jason.”

“So, one theory is that this whole event is just an excuse to start over from scratch.  Level the playing field and make sweeping changes to class structure, skill balance, and skill acquisition.  And since Cerillion has stayed silent on the matter… well, that’s only helped those rumors fester and spread,” her co-commentator added.

“That’s difficult for me to believe,” Westley murmured, watching the crowd before turning back to the commentators with a troubled expression.  “And while I don’t exactly have much experience with gaming, I have to say this reaction is puzzling.  Are people really rooting for everyone to be equal?  To go back to an era of gaming where territories are fixed, NPCs are immortals that recite simple scripted lines on a loop?  Where they can’t affect the world at all?”

He shook his head.  “Doesn’t that seem… boring?”

“I think perhaps the argument on the other side is that being weaker than others due to poor choices or actions or simple bad luck isn’t exactly a fun experience either,” the male commentator answered.  “There are many people that point to someone like Jason who acquired a unique class and role in the world seemingly by blind luck – not with awe, but envy and anger.  I mean, the guy did almost singlehandedly level a city.”

Westley adjusted his glasses, his forehead pinched in thought.  “Sure.  I can understand that.  Although, having met the young man, I’m not so certain I would say that all his achievements were simply due to chance.  He is intelligent, disciplined, and driven.”

The psychologist raised a hand to ward off an objection.  “But even if I accept that argument, doesn’t our own world have those same issues?  Those same inequities?  I’d argue that they’re necessary to create a realistic world.  To create stakes.  Challenges.  A contrast by which we can evaluate success and failure.  If everyone is the same, you lose that.”

“And perhaps some people view these games as an escape.  A way to flee from what they view as the unbalanced mess that is the real world,” the woman commented.

“If that’s true and that’s the sole reason for building these alternate worlds, then why have we seen such a modern resurgence of hardcore and rogue-like games in recent years?” Westley demanded.  “It’s clear the market is looking for more than a perfectly level playing field where everyone can roll as Night Elf hunter #3 million.”

“Someone over here has been doing his research,” the male commentator teased.

Westley adjusted his glasses self-consciously.  “Maybe a bit.”

He took a deep breath, shaking his head as he continued.  “But the question still stands.  We’re at a technological turning point.  A paradigm shift of massive proportions.  Perhaps the gaming community needs to ask itself what they’re truly looking for in a game.  To flee from their life?  Or to explore a new reality?”

***

Bard stared skeptically at the screen as the video shifted away into a commercial break, Westley’s face disappearing from view.  He sighed, kicking his legs as they dangled over the lip of the wagon where he was perched, ignoring the screams and the occasional flash of mana or spray of blood in the background.

The truth was that the interview made him feel… uneasy.  Not that this was obvious to his compatriots with the way his mask was painted in a perpetual smile – an expression that didn’t entirely match his mood.  What was this game to him?  An escape, certainly.  But it had become so much more than that.  He certainly wanted to help Dom and the others, but what would it mean if they succeeded and destroyed this place?

What then?

“Anything interesting?” Pewpew chirped, flashing back onto the wagon beside Bard, her pistols still smoking.

Bard swallowed hard, reassuming his familiar mask – this one more figurative than literal.  “Uh, yeah, just watched Westley give his opinion on the upcoming avatar pow wow.  Let me translate: it’s going to be a shitshow,” he commented dryly.  “Four avatars.  A bunch of gate pieces hanging in the balance.  And it’s not like Alexion is going to be shining sunlight up their butts.”

“That’s all fantastic,” Queen grumbled from nearby, blood staining her armor.  “But are you actually going to help at all?”

“I thought you said all of this was too easy?” Bard shot back.

“That was you!” Queen ground out, fragments of ice coalescing in the air around her.  This time, a few were aiming toward Bard, not that he seemed nervous.

“That’s not—” he began and then cut himself short.  “Actually, you’re totally right.  My bad.”  A spear of ice impaled a traveler sneaking up behind him, more screams echoing out across the road as the other masked members made short work of this band of players.

“But this is technically work.  A psy-op of massive proportions.  A puppet master pulling at digital strings and making these internet trolls dance!” Bard announced triumphantly, waving at the array of screens floating before him.

Pewpew snorted as she peered over his shoulder.  “It looks like you’re just watching videos and shopping.  Look, that screen is all just fancy hats.  Fancy digital hats.”

“You know none of this is real, right?” Blaze added as she stepped onto the wagon, patting out the flames that had erupted along her robes.  “You’re spending real money on fake clothing.”

“You need to look good for the end times, I always say,” Bard sullenly shot back.

“Definitely the first time you’ve ever said that,” Smokes retorted as he blew out a puff of smoke.  He seemed unaffected by the battle, rings of wispy fog encircling him.

“Hmph.  And besides, isn’t all fashion just made up anyway?” Bard demanded.

Silence met that statement.

“He does have a fair point there,” Dom finally interjected, walking up to the wagon.  A few cuts and scrapes marred his suit, but the material was already stitching itself back together.  Within mere seconds, he had reassumed his immaculate appearance.

Dom glanced at Tombs.  “How’d we do?”

The man cocked his head as he stared at the loot collected along the ground.  He hadn’t even bothered to participate in the fighting and had been working on stripping the bodies instead.  It wasn’t like there was much risk of dying to these noobs.

“Alright, I guess.  Caravan was carrying supplies to the next town.  Hundred gold, maybe?”

Smiles nodded.  “Good.  Get it posted online when we hit the next auction house.”

Tombs saluted, started stuffing the loot into a few bags, and then whistled for Wingman.  The chicken looked up from eating one of the corpses, blood staining her beak.  She let out a questioning cluck – clearly unhappy at being disturbed.

Tombs raised his hands defensively.  “Hey, I didn’t mean to interrupt.  When you’re done, I need to strap these on you.  That cool?”

Wingman gave one curt cluck and then shoved her beak back into the traveler’s stomach, forcing Tombs to look away.  He swallowed hard.  Sometimes, the game was a touch too realistic.

“So, I guess this was worth the stop, but we still need to pick up the pace,” Bard commented, swiping away his screens.  “Those videos are already ancient in today’s viral age.  I’m betting the meeting will be happening soon – as in just a few real-world hours from now.”

Smiles turned to look at a nearby signpost, two roads stretching off in different directions.  The wood was seared a dark black, and smoke curled into the air, but the text was still somewhat legible.  The road to the left led west.  The other sign had been completely torn off, the wood only splinters now – that road winding further north.

“You still want to split up like this?” Bard asked, suddenly standing at Smiles’ side.  “We’re taking a risk trusting Gloria’s intel.”

“She hasn’t been wrong so far,” Smiles answered simply.

“Fair enough, I guess.”  Bard didn’t seem convinced.

Smiles glanced at him.  “Don’t worry.  It’ll be fine.  Just try to keep a low profile and stick to the plan, huh?”

Bard placed an offended hand to his chest.  “Who do you think you’re talking to?  I’m the master of elaborate heists!  Besides, I seem to recall you usually mess up my plans.”

Smiles sighed.  He waved at Queen and Pewpew.  “Watch him, please.”

“Hey, what the hell?!  I don’t need babysitters,” Bard groused.

Smiles just ignored him, signaled to the others, and began heading down the road leading north.  Tombs was struggling to strap bags on Wingman as she dragged a body along behind her, and Smokes watched with weary resignation.  They still had a long way to go and not much time to get there.  Which left Bard, Pewpew, Blaze, and Queen standing in the roadway, watching the others leave.

“Alright, troops!  Now that I’ve been put in charge—"

Bard never saw Pewpew coming.  In a blur of motion, she raised her pistol and shot him in the back.  Electricity lanced into Bard, and his limbs spasmed as he dropped to the ground, convulsing.  Every few seconds, the electricity would surge again, his body flopping like a fish.

“Was that necessary?” Queen asked.

“Did you want to listen to him for the entire trip?” the girl retorted.

“She has a point,” Blaze drawled.  “It’s a long way.”

“Fair enough,” Queen muttered.  Her mana surged, sapphire energy swirling around her body.  Moments later, the mana had condensed into a humanoid form – the spitting image of a person composed entirely of ice – one immune to the lightning still coiled around Bard’s form.  The doppelganger grabbed Bard and shoved him onto the back of the wagon before melting back into a frosty puddle.

Pewpew and Queen took positions along the front of the wagon, and Blaze hopped in the back.  As Queen pulled on the reins and the skittish horses reluctantly started forward, her mana surged again, and their appearances all shifted.  Soon there was only a woman and her little girl sitting on the wagon, hauling sacks of flour to the next town.  Although, one sack in particular occasionally let out a groan of pain and a crackle of electricity.

In their wake was a scene of carnage.  Blood, fire, and melted ice.  Large pools of crimson blood lingered where the bodies had been before Wingman had eaten them.  A brisk rain began to fall at their backs – another function of Queen’s mana.  Soon, that rainfall would wash away what little evidence remained of their recent encounter.  Ensuring that news of their travels wouldn’t make it to their destination.

That rain wiped away the blood and soot marring the signpost and revealed the text carved into the wood.  An arrow pointed west.

Toward Barrow.

Chapter 8 - Entourage

The camera tilted and spun, centering on a familiar face.  “Hey, folks!  We’re back again with the Angry Sam Show.  And this time, we’re coming to you live from none other than Barrow.  Yeah, you heard that right!  The rumored meeting place of the ‘all-mighty’ avatars.”

The view shifted to the side, taking in an enormous crowd of travelers, an excited buzz drifting through the group.  Towering stone walls rose above them and marked the gate into Barrow.  At a glance, there must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of spectators in attendance to see if the avatars showed up.  Overhead a legion of ivory-winged Nephilim stared down at the crowd imperiously and light mana coiled around their spears – the implied threat of their presence helping to keep everyone in check.

“As you can see, there’s some great energy out here right now!” Sam announced.  “Clearly, everyone is betting on this being the place where our overpowered overlords will show up.  And if the wannabe angels weren’t enough of a tipoff, we’ve got some additional evidence that this is the right place.”  As he trailed off, the camera shifted toward the interior of Barrow.

A massive golden dome of energy had been erected near the city center, sending a column of light shooting skyward.  Nephilim flittered around that light like winged moths.

“That’s the trading guild run by Evelyn St. Clair.  It seems Alexion has cast a protective barrier around the building,” Sam explained, his face popping back into view.  “He could be helping to defend the structure against the sudden surge of tourists, of course.  But with the kind of energy he must have spent to create that thing, my guess is that he’s expecting some high-powered guests.”

A shout rang out from the crowd, and Sam spun, taking the camera with him.  “In fact, it looks like one might be arriving now!”

A streak of orange rocketed through the sky like a meteor, leaving a long trail of flames behind it.  The comet never slowed as it approached Barrow, and its trajectory looked like it was pointed straight at the courtyard’s entrance.  As the travelers looked on, they began murmuring worriedly, and more than a few started to back away.  The meteor streaked towards the ground, and when it was less than a hundred feet away, a complicated pattern of glowing green runes lit up the cobblestone.  By that point, many of the travelers were fleeing quickly.

“That looks like a… Gravity Well?  Or maybe several?” Sam murmured.

The runes flared brightly, soon confirming Sam’s hypothesis as they sent a wave of force rippling upward.  The meteor abruptly slowed, and intense flames sprung up along its body.  Then, it gently settled upon the courtyard, and its outline came into better focus, revealing a sleek, egg-shaped metal pod bathed in fire.

“As we’ve come to expect from the avatar of fire, he’s showing up in style,” Sam commented.  “Look at that thing!  Did Finn just invent a damn drop pod?”

The metal heated up and began to liquify, forming glowing red globules that swirled around the craft, slowly revealing the shadowy silhouettes of three occupants within that whirlwind.  The molten metal soon collided and was smashed flat by invisible hands into thick panels that rotated around the trio, forming a protective barrier.  Finn, Kyyle, and Julia were now easily visible, robed in exquisite armor and equipment, Brock’s hulking stone form looming behind them.  The avatar’s eyes were bandaged, and a crown of flame rested atop his head.  They eyed the group of travelers warily but didn’t seem perturbed at the size of the crowd.

“What an entrance!  Did you all see that?” Sam shouted into the camera, speaking over the roar of the crowd.  “Just more evidence that the avatars aren’t like us ordinary—”

Sam was cut off again as the canal running beneath the city wall suddenly surged, its waters swelling and rippling.  Barrow had been constructed near a major river, and canals riddled the town, providing merchants with a convenient way to transport merchandise between themselves and out of the city proper.  It was a trading town, through and through.

The crowd turned to see a tide of water spraying up into the air, where it froze and hung suspended, forming yet another ramp.  And up that slick surface stepped a different kind of entourage.  Massive crab-footed men and women marched into town, shell trumpets blaring to announce the arrival of another avatar.  Eliza was perched on a dais suspended between two of those crab-folk, Brian’s hulking tree-like form standing beside her and his branches encircling her protectively.

“Geez, okay.  Finn’s entrance, I half expected.  But Eliza should get some props too.  What are those things?” Sam murmured as he stared at the merfolk.  Video of the area outside Sea’s Edge was somewhat limited.  It seemed Finn’s spectacular scene had been forgotten by the crowd as a thick mist spilled out among them, and the trumpets blared.

However, the travelers weren’t given long to ponder on that.  Almost as soon as Eliza’s entourage touched dry land, a sudden darkness bloomed on the horizon – first just a pinprick, then a black hole that seemed to consume the light.  That unnatural night hurtled toward Barrow in a rolling cascade, lightning flashing between onyx clouds.  The dark swell soon swept across the city walls with terrifying speed, crashing into the column of light projected above Evelyn’s guild hall before spinning out around it.  The sight was breathtaking to behold.  A sea of darkness, broken only by a single massive pillar of light as those dark clouds spiraled around the tower.

Only one person could manage a feat like that.

A roar echoed across the city, and the travelers craned their heads to the sky.  A collective gasp and shouts of awe rippled across the group.  If Finn’s new ride had been impressive, Jason’s was terrifying.

A creature of living bone wound through the sky, held aloft by massive wings of dark mana, the substance sucking in the last few stray beams of light.  The creature’s serpentine body seemed to coil and swim through the air – more than fifty feet long and twenty feet wide.  It twisted into a dive and raced toward the ground.  The crowd looked on in shock for a few precious moments before a handful realized the creature didn’t look like it was going to stop.

“Oh shit!  Run!” someone screamed.

The crowd broke, chaos taking hold as many of the remaining travelers fled from the courtyard, scrambling against and overtop one another.  Still, more than a few crazies simply stared up into the sky with mad smiles.  Sam was jostled by the throng, the camera shaking erratically.

“What the fuck?  Hey, watch it—” Sam muttered, trying to maintain his footing.

Another roar echoed out across the courtyard, this one much closer.  The camera pivoted upward just in time to see the dragon descending toward him, its jaws open and revealing rows of teeth longer than Sam’s arm.  All that mass was hurtling straight at him.  At a speed that seemed reckless.  Thousands of pounds of un-death…

“Shit,” Sam muttered.

The dragon’s wings swept out at the last moment, reducing its incredible momentum and sending gusts of wind sweeping across the crowd.  Travelers were flung free from the ground and slammed up against the nearby buildings, more than a few crushing each other.  The smarter among them had gathered around their mage companions, hovering benhind protective shields of glimmering energy that blunted most of the blast.

Sam wasn’t so lucky.

The camera showed a massive leg descending toward him.  He tried to turn, the display twisting as he finally attempted to run… only for a scream to erupt from his throat as the view suddenly smashed into the ground.  The camera pivoted slowly and showed Sam’s face – bloodied and twisted in horror.  And the reason for that was clear.  The dragon’s clawed foot lingered on his back, crushing him into the rock and dirt of the courtyard.

The camera hung there for a moment longer, taking in Sam’s vacant gaze and the dragon’s roar before it finally faded to bottomless black, broken only by a familiar blue notification.

System Message

You have died.

Thanks for playing Awaken Online!

***

“Was that really necessary?” Ella asked timidly as the group hopped down from the dragon’s back.  She side-eyed Jason, robed in his full regalia – all gray-black leather, dark cape, and a hood obscuring his face in darkness.

He shrugged as he took in the bodies of the players that had been crushed by their entrance – one in particular wedged beneath his dragon’s clawed foot.  “What can I say?  I hate that guy.”

“She’s not wrong, though.  Isn’t an entrance like this just going to piss off the other travelers?” Riley shot back.

Indeed, the survivors of their entrance looked upset – most of them left maimed and bloodied.  And many more corpses now littered the courtyard, those travelers not lucky enough to get back up.  But none of the survivors were attacking them.  Not with an undead dragon at their backs.

Jason’s eyes rose to the darkened skies above them.  He’d wavered on whether to use some of the power of his well, particularly for such a cosmetic effect.  And the bones to create the dragon hadn’t come cheap – there was enough ivory within that creature to form an entire Bone Garden.  But he’d ultimately decided the cost was justified.  He needed to make an impression and a rather grim one.  He was the villain, and there was a certain safety in that title.

“They already hate me.  Besides, it sends a message,” Jason answered.  “All of the avatars in one place?  That’s just asking for trouble.  Better to remind them that they don’t stand a chance before they attempt something stupid.”

Riley and Ella shared a weary look.

“Eh, they’ll just respawn.  No harm really,” Frank added with a shrug of his own.

“That is indeed a perk of your kind.  And convenient for me.  I always have a snack on hand,” Silver added from his side, gnashing her teeth at a nearby group of travelers, the players retreating rapidly.  She chuckled.  “Okay, Jason may be right.  That is fun.”

“And our grand entrance should make for interesting retelling from the bards!” Jerry added, suddenly appearing at their side, and twisting his mustache.

“I can’t wait to tell Grunt when we get back,” Jerry added in a wistful voice.  His companion and bodyguard been too big to fit on the back of the dragon – which had required all the tavern keeper’s considerable tact to explain.  “I’m sure he’ll love to hear the riveting tale of how our Dark Lord clawed his way up the ranks—”

The group all groaned.  “I said you could come with us as long as there was no singing and no puns,” Jason reminded him.

Jerry swept into a deep bow.  “I shall try my best to remember.”

Jason grunted skeptically before thumping his staff into the ground, his other hand moving as whispered words drifted from his lips.  The dragon soon broke apart in a flurry of bones that swiftly stitched themselves into smaller, more familiar forms.  Dozens of Death Knights soon encircled the group, their spiked tower shields held in hand and their dark, soulless eyes watching the crowd.  There was no sense letting the materials go to waste, and since he had burned some Spirit Charges on the cloud cover, he might as well maintain his own security force.

“Remember, if you get into trouble, cover for Jerry and Silver, and then off yourself.  It’s important that we don’t get captured.  We can’t waste any time.”

His teammates all nodded in understanding.  They might need the other avatars – for now.  But Jason wasn’t going to take any chances.

He gestured at Finn and Eliza, and his group made their way over.  Eliza’s entourage was certainly a sight to behold.  The water mage hopped down from her platform as she saw them coming, Brian’s arms elongating to lift her to the ground and the tree-like man following close behind.  Then he turned his glowing sapphire eyes back to the crowd, who were all watching warily.  No doubt they were recalling a much taller version of Brian that had helped demolish Sandscrit.

“Um, hi,” Eliza offered hesitantly, not quite making eye contact.

“Hello, Eliza,” Jason returned, aware of the many, many eyes on them.  Although, he didn’t get the sense that this explained the mage’s hesitation.  She’d been distant ever since Sandscrit.  He’d been surprised that she’d insisted on returning to the Sea’s Edge.

Perhaps that battle had changed her?  It had certainly left an impression on him.

“What are these things?” Frank offered, waving behind her at the crab creatures.

“Oh, they’re Merfolk,” Eliza explained as she followed his gesture.

“Really?  In my head, I was picturing, you know, like mermaids,” Frank shot back.  “Fish tails and a few artfully arranged shells.”

Riley rolled her eyes.  “Really, Frank?  You should be careful about looking at other ladies, or Silver there might get angry.”

For her part, the shifter just sniffed skeptically.  “I’m not concerned.  If he eyes another woman, I’ll just eat him.”

Frank looked at her in surprise, but it wasn’t clear if Silver was kidding.  He swallowed hard.  “I’ll, uh, keep that in mind.”

“The Merfolk are actually a lot different here,” Eliza explained gently.  “They can have the traits of many different sea creatures, which means they actually have a much more diverse range of abilities.”

“Curious,” Jason commented.  His eyes turned back to her.  “It’s also good to see you again.  Did you find any interesting ingredients in the Sea’s Edge?”

Eliza’s eyes lit up slightly.  “Actually, I did—”

A cough interrupted her, and they turned to find Finn approaching with Julia and Kyyle in tow.  The branches that made up Brian’s body writhed and twisted, and the tree-man’s sapphire eyes never left Finn’s face.  It seemed Brian hadn’t forgotten their last meeting.

Eliza’s jaw snapped shut at Finn’s entrance, although not before Jason noticed the worried look she shot in the older man’s direction.  That was odd.  Was there something going on between them?  Then he hesitated.  Was it possible that Eliza knew something about the break-in?  He shook his head.  No, no that was unlikely.  And there was no sense in speculating.  He just made a mental note to follow up with Eliza.

For now, he needed to keep up appearances.

“Finn,” Jason greeted the avatar of flame.

“Jason.”

“Rover,” Julia drawled at Frank.

He let out a growl and took a menacing step forward.  “You know my real name,” he shot back, dark hair springing up along Frank’s arms.

Julia’s smile just widened.  “I do.  It’s Rover.  Now be a good boy and heel.”

“Funny, coming from the girl who got her ass beat the last time we met.  Maybe you need a reminder,” Frank growled back, Julia’s eyes flashing at his challenge.

Jason placed a hand on Frank’s shoulder.  “Not the time,” he said, nodding toward the crowd around them.  They had an audience and needed to at least pretend to get along.  There was more at stake right now than their individual pride.

Frank shook himself, his shift disappearing.  “Fine.  It’s not like she stands a chance anyway – not without her mech armor,” he bit out as he stepped back toward Silver.

Julia’s eyes flashed.  “I have a few new tricks up my sleeve, dog boy.”  Frank just grunted noncommittally.  Jason noticed Kyyle discreetly placing his hand on Julia’s, where it now rested on her lance.  Apparently, Jason wasn’t the only person advocating for coolheaded caution.

Without warning, a bolt of heated flame rocketed toward the group from a nearby rooftop, heading directly toward Jason… only for the fire to splash against a metallic shield.  Before Jason could react, Riley had already nocked an arrow and released.  The missile struck home, embedding itself in the caster’s neck.  He pitched from the roof and promptly slammed against the cobblestones.  The crowd let out an angry murmur as shouts of alarm rang through the air, a few of the braver travelers pressing forward menacingly.

There’s always one idiot… Jason thought sourly.

He nodded at Finn.  No doubt the man had picked up on the mana signature as the mage was casting.  Despite his appearance, the avatar of flame was fast, and those magically enhanced eyes of his were perceptive.  They also made it difficult to pinpoint where the old man was looking, but Jason sensed that Finn was watching him.  They held that stare for a long moment – an unspoken communication.  They had a lot to talk about but now wasn’t the time.  Not in the middle of this crowd of travelers.

The Nephilim finally chose that moment to descend from the skies, taking up a formation around the group of avatars.  Their lances were now pointed at the crowd and glowing with vibrant golden light.  Casters among the angels summoned massive panels of light and walled off the group, cutting a glowing path directly through the crowd and leading deeper into Barrow.  The travelers hesitated before backing away slowly.  It was bad enough fighting one avatar – much less three, their lieutenants, and a legion of Nephilim.

“Alex took his sweet time there, didn’t he?” Riley grunted as she stared at the angels, not releasing the grip on her bow.  “He could have set up a safe zone beforehand.”

“Probably hoping the crowd would take us out or cause enough of a commotion that we would start fighting amongst ourselves,” Kyyle offered.

Silence met that statement – a palpable tension in the air at the implication of his words.  This time, it wasn’t just the crowd.  They all had more than enough reason to be at odds with each other.  And there was still the reward of gate pieces hanging in the balance.  They were only temporary allies surrounded by a sea of enemies.

Finn finally broke that silence, gesturing toward the center of Barrow, where that enormous beam of light speared up into the dark cloud cover.  “Well, now that we’re all here, should we make our way to the guild hall?”

Jason nodded.  “Let’s go.”

Chapter 9 - Divine

The casino was filled with the sound of raucous laughter and the fizz and sizzle of golden ale gushing from kegs – of hope and sorrow.  The triumphant chime of bells rang out as one of the green-skinned occupants hit the jackpot on the slots.  The flash of colored gemstones embedded in the machine reflected off the polished metal of its neighbors.  In another section, one goblin broke a table in a rage as his chips were pulled away, sending the coins flying through the air.  The others were oblivious.  Green-skinned bodies crammed in every row, perched on every stool – their grimy feet padding across the red velvet floors and marring the marble.

And the Gambler watched it all as he paced the machines and wove through the mass of goblins that made up the majority of his patronage.  He observed the flow of golden coins leaving their grubby, insane little hands.  As they ran out of funds, hatches in the ceiling would occasionally open to reveal mawing, bottomless voids on the other side.  The greenskins would get sucked up through those hatches, returning to the game world to collect more loot or complete a few contracts.

Only to eventually return here to spend that hard-won coin.

The Gambler smiled, his hands smoothing at his suit.

The truth was that business was good.  Really good.

A chime echoed across the casino, and the front doors opened wide, wind gusting between the rows of machines and toppling more than a few beer mugs from their precarious perches – spilling their contents along the floor.  The Gambler’s smile froze on his face as he observed his new guests.  There were four of them.

“Ahh, you are right on time!” the Gambler called out, snapping his fingers.  The doors slammed shut with another gust, and a red carpet unfurled across the marble – neatly covering the puddles of spilled beer – before rolling to a stop in front of their new guests.  “I’ve even prepared a VIP room just for us.”

“We are not here to engage in your pedestrian entertainment,” the Lady sneered, scowling at the goblins perched on a nearby slot machine in disgust.

“Indeed, we’re here to speak with you,” the Old Man intoned, thumping his heavy wooden staff against the marble, the surface corroding under the force of his mana.

“Wait, wait, wait… hold up for just a second,” the Hippie interjected, his eyes going round as he observed the Gambler’s casino.  “Let’s hear the man out.  I’m more than happy to accept a few free chips, you know?  Maybe some bottle service.  Could he do any less for his siblings?”

“I don’t foresee any true generosity from our brother,” the Seer intoned, watching the Gambler from beneath her cowled hood.  “He does nothing for free.”

The Gambler spread his arms wide.  “What can I say?  I am running a business here.  But it’s just been so good lately that I might be inclined to share a bit of the wealth.”  As he spoke, doors materialized on the far end of the casino, sweeping open to reveal a lavish suite.  “Shall we?”

The other gods didn’t seem pleased as they grudgingly followed his lead.  The sole exception being the Hippie, who gawked at his surrounding as they passed through the casino and the horde of goblins.  More than a few were tinkering on the machines – which primarily involved beating them with wrenches until the gemstones flashed back online.

The instance seemed to warp around the Gambler’s new guests.  A haze of multi-colored light flickered in the air.  Black, gold, blue, and a fiery red-orange pushed back at the amber glow of the Gambler’s magic.  Although, the goblins seemed entirely ignorant of their presence – almost as though they were invisible.

Only moments later, the doors to the suite snapped shut with a gentle click, revealing a lavish interior.  Fine silks and tapestries.  A full bar alongside the far end of the room.  Sitting couches arrayed around one wall where glowing displays flickered into existence.

“What is all of this?” the Old Man bit out.

“I thought you of all people would enjoy front row seats to the end of the world,” the Gambler quipped, circling the bar, and snatching at a bottle of bourbon and a glass.  “Anyone else want a drink?”

“I do!” the Hippie offered, raising his hand with a flutter of cloth, the others only staring back impassively, their expressions dour.

“Okay, two it is.  Even if the rest of you look like you could use a stiff drink,” the Gambler muttered as he grabbed another glass and poured two drinks, sliding one across the counter to the god of water, who eyed its contents in fascination.

“We aren’t here for such hollow pleasantries.  What do you think you’re doing with this event?” the Lady demanded.  “You stand to destroy everything we’ve built.”

The Gambler sighed and took a swig at his drink, savoring the contents.  “Everything we’ve built,” he echoed.  “Color me confused.  How exactly have any of you shared your spoils?”

Silence met that statement, broken only by the Hippie’s coughing as he sipped at his drink, his nose wrinkling at the sharp bite of the alcohol.  He slowly pushed the drink back across the bar before eyeing the area behind it, his eyes going round as he saw the Gambler had stocked it with snacks.

“I’ll take that as answer enough,” the Gambler continued, stepping around the bar with his drink in hand.  The Hippie used that opportunity to sneak behind the bar.

“The truth is that we operate as independent franchisees,” the Gambler offered to the others.  “We are only tasked with one thing, increasing our own pool of mana.  Sure, we might share the same titles and branding and our hands may be bound by the same pesky rules.  But I don’t recall any team-building retreats.  And I certainly didn’t read anything in the fine print about avoiding the apocalypse.”

“Do you think we will just let you do as you please,” the Old Man intoned, taking a step forward and his mana flaring out around him like a black hole.

The Gambler just smiled.  “Ahh, scary.  I can see you haven’t changed one bit.  Unfortunately, you know as well as I do that we’re not permitted to engage each other directly.”  His hand tipped to the floor, where a black cat tread at the Old Man’s heels.  “Or have you forgotten the covenants?”

The dark god winced, but his mana faded in the face of the cat’s expressionless gaze.

“No, you lot are limited to using your champions.  Just as I am,” the Gambler continued, waving at the screens along the side of the suite.  The displays shifted to show the entrance of the avatars in Barrow.  “Although, maybe I should be thanking you for choosing disciples with such a flair for entertainment.  This will make for a fantastic show.”

“Is that what all this is about then?” the Seer demanded.  “Your bottom line?  Another event to put on for your idiot patrons?”

The Gambler glanced at her in surprise.  “Why, of course.  I’m shocked you didn’t foresee my intentions, but perhaps you were distracted with your new favorite.  It’s always about the numbers, sweetheart.  And in that regard, I’m definitely winning,” he added with a pleased smile as he took another sip.  “Profits have been through the roof lately.

“The people just seem so happy, don’t you think?  It’s these moments of desperation that truly bring out the best in them,” he offered, gesturing at the screen where travelers were being crushed to death by a massive bone dragon.

“That was actually a pretty cool entrance,” the Hippie offered in agreement, jumping onto one of the sofas and gnawing on a handful of pretzels he’d found.  Fluffy had suddenly appeared from behind the bar and waddled after him, nudging him with her nose and the Hippie offering her a treat.  “I mean, he isn’t wrong.  It should be a fun show.”

“Why are you even here if you don’t intend to help?” the Lady bit out.

The Hippie just shrugged and plopped another pretzel into his mouth.

“You’ve always enabled the worst in the Gambler,” the goddess of light snapped.

“Or maybe I just realize this is all futile.  This posturing and grandstanding.  He’s fulfilling his role – as we all are.  And he’s not wrong.  There isn’t much we can do other than wait and watch and hope for the best.  So why not enjoy the free amenities?”

“See?  The Hippie gets it at least,” the Gambler offered.  He hesitated, fingers tapping at his lips.  “But perhaps… No, no, you all wouldn’t be interested.”

“Perhaps what?” the Old Man grunted, sitting down gingerly on the edge of a sofa.

“Well, I was just thinking that there’s nothing prohibiting us from engaging in our own entertainment, even if we can’t spar directly.  You all certainly can’t compel me to do anything, but we could make a little wager.”  As the Gambler trailed off, a betting board flickered into existence beside the display, glowing with a bright amber light.

Silence met that statement.  “Ahh, no takers?  Do you all have so little faith in your own pawns?” the Gambler demanded, clucking his tongue.  “Shame.”

The Hippie cocked his head.  “I hate to be that guy—”

“You really don’t,” the Lady snapped.

“True,” the god of water shot back with a lopsided grin.  “But I can’t help but notice we’re down a member of this family reunion…”  He trailed off, gesturing at a nearby empty sofa.

Silence hung in the air, thick with tension.

“Our sister made her choice,” the Old Man finally said.  “Unfortunately, that means she is no longer here to keep the peace.”

The Gambler coughed to clear his throat.  “Well put.  What is it the humans say?  Life must go on?  So too must we move forward and look to our own interests.”

The Hippie didn’t look pleased with that response, his hand gently stroking Fluffy’s head, but he also didn’t raise any word of objection.  Then, with a snap of the Gambler’s fingers, another drink floated over to the god of water, this one colored a bright pink with a small umbrella sticking out of the top.  The Hippie took a skeptical sip and a smile soon slid across his face.  And, just like that, the topic was soon forgotten.

“So, what do you say?  Care to make a wager?” the Gambler asked with a grin.

“What are you suggesting exactly?” the Seer demanded, staring at the Gambler from beneath her cowled hood, a black serpent slithering about her neck.

The Gambler’s smile widened, and he spread his arms.  “Nothing too complicated.  Just a wager on who will come out of this conflict victorious.  My team or yours.”

“You would wager against all four of us?” the Old Man asked.  “You’re that confident?”

“That’s not my purview – more the Lady’s thing.  A lot of flash and not much substance.”  His sister let out a small huff, her eyes flashing gold.  “Me?  I’m a realist at heart.  I’m all about data.  Trends, focus testing, that sort of thing.  And honestly?  The odds favor me right now.”

The Old Man looked to the Seer.  “What do you see?” he asked.

“The future is far from certain.  He’s muddied it,” she intoned slowly.  “It branches and forks.  Pure chaos filled with death and destruction.”

“Which is to be expected of the Gambler,” the Lady groused.

“Is that so?  Well, you heard it, folks.  It’s a tossup, so what do you say?”

“I don’t see what we stand to gain from making a bet,” the Old Man retorted.

“Fair enough.  But a better question is what do you stand to lose?” the Gambler murmured.  He snapped his fingers, and a pile of chips appeared before each god, emblazoned in the color of their affinity.  “You all certainly have some mana at your disposal.  And if the world truly is hanging in the balance, you’ll lose it all anyway if your little pawns fail.”

The gods all stared down at the coins.  They glowed with a strong energy – each chip representing pure, unfiltered mana.  Among his siblings, the dark one’s pile was bigger than the others, but his siblings hadn’t been idle either.  Then they all turned their attention to the Gambler’s stack – or stacks, rather.  Heaping mounds of gleaming yellow coins.  He hadn’t been lying about how much mana he’d accumulated.  He’d spent precious little of it since he hadn’t converted a city to the air affinity or engaged in the previous battles among the avatars.  He’d simply been operating quietly in the background.

A sharklike smile hovered on the Gambler’s face as he leaned forward.

“So, what do you say?  Who wants to go all in?”

Chapter 10 - Kingdom of Nerfle

The group glided forward, now perched upon the dais suspended between Eliza’s crab-like retainers.  The movement was surprisingly smooth.  Jason had been expecting a rockier pace, but the crab-folk scuttled forward almost seamlessly.  Meanwhile, Finn continued to channel his mana into the metal shields that now orbited around their entourage, and Jason’s minions marched along the ground, sandwiched in between glowing panels of light.  That energy barely held the crowds at bay as they wound a path through Barrow.  Hundreds upon hundreds of travelers and residents alike had come to bear witness to the avatars.

They passed the time in tense silence, the avatars not quite sure who might be listening.  From Jason’s perspective, that was a welcome relief.  Given the way Frank and Julia kept glaring at each other, he didn’t trust either of them to speak.  Eliza was also avoiding all eye contact, and a perpetual scowl was painted across Finn’s face.

So, their meeting was starting off splendidly.

The glowing pillar of light that had once lingered in the distance soon towered tall above them, and the source of that glow came into view.  Evelyn’s guild hall was breathtaking to behold.  Gone was the dusty, drab affair she’d used to begin her empire –replaced with finished stone and polished marble.  A massive structure that encompassed an entire city block within Barrow.  Above that structure, airships hovered, bristling with cannons and soldiers, and a legion of Nephilim flitted among their ranks.

Overtop the guild hall, an enormous dome of golden energy had been erected – no doubt Alexion’s work.  That energy speared upward toward the sky, piercing the dense black cloud cover that had settled across Barrow.  Now, sunlight streamed down through that hole to illuminate the structure.  It was an imposing effect – a palace of light among the darkness encroaching upon the city and its residents.  Perhaps there was a metaphor there…

Like our group standing against the destruction of the game world.

As they drew nearer to the guild hall, Jason could see that a large crowd had gathered at the guild’s gates, sweeping out across the cobblestones.  At first, Jason assumed they were there to greet the avatars, just like the spectators in the street.  However, his brow furrowed in confusion as he saw they were facing away from the entourage toward a crudely-built wooden platform.  It almost looked as though the structure had been thrown together from scrap timber in mere minutes.

And standing atop that platform was an older gentleman, stubble dotting his chin and dressed in a long robe, his voice booming across the crowd.  The tag floating above his head identified him as a traveler named Preacher – an odd choice of name indeed.  He must be masking his real name with a skill or item.  A group of women stood behind him on the platform, all dressed in matching white robes.

“Ahh, and there are the avatars now!” the man announced.  “The harbingers of the apocalypse come to claim credit for their handiwork.”  The crowd turned at his words, shouts and complaints hurled in the direction of Jason and his companions.

He’s blaming us for this mess? Jason wondered, sharing a confused look with Riley.  However, from the crowd’s rumblings, this wasn’t an unpopular line of reasoning.

Jason gestured at Eliza, and she had the caravan slow.

“But do not despair!  We know the truth, don’t we?” Preacher continued.  The crowd yelled back in agreement.  “We know that this signals a new beginning.  A revelation if you will –not of the gamer but of the developer.  They are finally acknowledging what we have all known in our hearts for weeks and months now.

“That this world is unequal.  Unfair.  Unbalanced.  Corrupted by those – like these harbingers – that have fallen into underserved power.

“Some of you perhaps don’t even see your plight.  Can’t understand just how far beneath these rising gods you truly are.  You are charged a fee to level.  Started in some backwater shithole with no equipment or trainers.  Log in only to get fried by a gods-damned laser!

“And yet others hold up these harbingers as the epitome of power.  As though they have secured their gifts through toil and effort and not mere luck.  If so, where then are these other power gamers?  These other brilliant strategists?  Surely there should be more than a handful!” Preacher shouted to the loud acclaim of the crowd, who echoed his complaints.

He pointed at a woman.  “Yet the talking heads and streamers all deny the truth.  Why can’t you solve your own problems, they ask?  You lot are just lazy.  Lift yourself up by your bootstraps and summon an army of the undead at a snap of your fingers!  What?  You cannot?  How about launching a death ray from the sky?  Surely that’s an option.  How about you, sir?  Do you have a pet plant-man that can lay siege to an entire city?”

Preacher shook his head mournfully.  “Still, many take the side of the powerful.  Perhaps they haven’t lived long enough to appreciate their plight.  But let me tell you poor folk a story – a tale of a land long past.  One ruled by algorithms.  Where all avatars were created equal.  Where all were capable of finding power – so long as they toiled away at their daily quests!”

“Were they complicated, you ask?  Perhaps you were asked to face an army alone?  Or were tasked with toppling the local hegemony?  No, not at all!  You only had to pick some herbs.  Slay a couple of basic mobs and collect some hides.  And no, you didn’t even have to skin them.  The items simply appeared in your inventory!

“And if you strayed from the path and got lost, you merely had to check your glorious quest log.  Or your mini-map.  Yes!  In this magical land, you actually knew where to go and what to do.  Your path lit up like a golden brick road to glory!”

The man nodded as the crowd roared back.  “And what happened if you got PK’d by some hacker that was shooting lasers from his eyes or corpse camped your body?  Why you simply reported the player, and a game master took care of it.  If others exploited a farming area or a game mechanic?  You guessed it.  Report!  Report!  Report!”

“And they got banned,” the women behind him sang in unison.

“And if it got so bad that those hackers camped whole cities, destroyed the in-game market, or barreled ahead of the rest of the pack on the back of an exploit?” the man continued.  “Why the great game devs would unleash their most majestic of weapons; the ultimate move without counter.  Yes, yes, good people.  I speak of a server reset!  A great rollback!

“In my day, XP was not controlled by guilds and false gods, but by the people, by gamers like you and me, my dear brothers and sisters.  And we are now seeing a return to the old algorithm.  A return to purity.  Honesty.  Integrity.  This is not the end that approaches, but the beginning!  The great Patch-ure is coming.  And we shall finally be equal in the eye of the one true dev-ity!”

“What… what the fuck is this?” Frank growled.  Jason could only shake his head.  Was this a joke?  Some sort of prank?  Who would buy this nonsense?

And yet a roar of approval met the man’s words…

“See how the harbingers simply look on – skeptical in the face of the coming Patch-ure.  They refuse to acknowledge the great rollback even when the evidence stares them in the face.  But that day will come, I promise you!  We shall return to the way games were meant to be played.  And in the ashes of the great reset, we shall build anew.

“We shall build the Kingdom of Nerfle!”  Preacher cried.

“Praise be!  Praise be!” the women sang at his back.

Another roar from the crowd, and the man waved behind him, one of the women handing him a guitar.  “Now let us raise our voices in song.  The priest looked to Jason then.  Meeting his gaze, he raised his hand and pointed a finger in his direction.  “This one is for you, the bringer of <Original Sin> to this world – the cause of the great unbalance.”

The man strummed at the guitar, and a metallic whine echoed from it, far louder than should be possible.  The group could only look on dumbfounded.  The man’s voice rose into the air, easily carrying across the crowd even without magical assistance.

Jason, your eyeliner is so dark.

Can’t be bled, cuz you’re undead.

You’ve stolen my heart just like a shark.

Make the rivers run reeeeed!

And here’s the CHORUS!!

Blood in the water!

Blood on my hands!

He’s the OP ruler of all these lands.

EDGELORD!  Dun nuh nuh nuh… EDGELORD!

Frank chuckled as Preacher kept playing.  “I have to admit, it’s kind of catchy.”

“Truly hackneyed lyrics, if you ask me,” Jerry retorted, crossing his arms with a huff.  “Amateur stuff, really.  Perhaps I should give him notes.”

Jason wasn’t amused, though.  Not as he witnessed hundreds of players raising their voices to join this man in the chorus.  Were they really buying into this bullshit?  That this Armageddon event was caused by the devs?  That this was really some sort of intentional server reset?

The whine faded, and Frank let out a mocking whoop.  “Woo, rock on!”

Preacher’s eyes flashed angrily.  “We do not need your approval, lefthand of the OP.  You mock our cause, but we are men and women of faith.  All those that follow us shall have plus five levels in the after-reset!” he called out to the crowd, the travelers screaming in reply.

“You’re fucking delusional, buddy!” Frank shouted back.

The man just cocked an eyebrow and pointed at him.  “Says the dog-man who fell in love with a resident.  I have another song just for you, left-hand of the OP.”  The guitar let out a slow twang.  “This time, let’s go for a little country.”

It’s not furry, if she’s just a “friend.”

Good ol’ booooy, that’s just his luck.

Coulda bought a pillow, and juuuust played preteeeend.

Least theeennnn, she’d have let him fuuu—

Preacher cut himself short and theatrically pressed his hand to his mouth, the crowd letting out a raucous laugh at Frank’s expense.  The shifter wasn’t amused anymore, letting out a low growl as hair sprang up along his arms.  Silver kept looking back and forth between the Preacher and Frank in confusion – which only worsened as Frank had no way to answer her unspoken questions.

He’s gone furry, look at them paws.

He’s gone furry, some mean-looking claws.

He’s gone furry, there’s no dispute

He’s gone furry, oh, here he comes…

Frank had begun to fully shift now, his legs contorting.  He lunged from the platform—

Only to be caught in midair by bands of flaming metal.  They singed his hair, and smoke coiled away from his limbs.  But Frank barely seemed to notice as he snarled at Preacher and strained against his bindings, the flaming metal buckling but holding.  With a twitch of his fingers, Finn pulled Frank back in, fusing the metal to Eliza’s platform and the flames winking out.  He would need to keep him restrained until he calmed down.

“We’ve seen enough,” Jason said quietly, motioning to Eliza.

As the caravan surged forward, Preacher locked eyes with Jason, his expression mocking.  The crowd jeered and heckled the avatars, throwing insults, as well as more mundane objects at them – trash bouncing off the glowing golden walls.  Preacher knew he’d won this round.  That exchange would certainly be posted online – if it hadn’t been streaming live already.

The man’s voice rose into the air at their backs as the avatars retreated into the safety of the guild – a hole forming in the surface of the barrier to allow them entry.

“You see, folks, false gods with fragile egos!  They have no place among the true believers.  Now, many of you may be asking, how can you help the cause?  Good question!  All you need to do is mail your gold to this address.  This plants a seed.”

“A seed!  A seed!  A seed!” the women behind him chorused.

“Amen!  And that seed shall blossom forth after the great Patch-ure and shall reap dividends.  Rare armor for you, my friend!  Perhaps a new spell for you!  You give to the one true dev-ity, and he shall give back to you ten-fold—”

Jason could only shake his head.  What an asshole.

***

As Preacher stepped down from the podium, a few burly men suddenly swooped into formation to fend off the crowd of rabid fans that swarmed the stage.  Preacher waved and smiled as he and his team quickly stepped out of the street and into a side alley, the din of the throng fading behind them as their bouncer held back the masses.

Once they were certain they were out of sight, the remainder of their bodyguards dissolved, their forms breaking apart into a slushy, muddy mixture until they were little more than puddles along the cobblestones.  At the same time, Preacher’s appearance shifted, dripping away to reveal a familiar smiling mask and a guitar strapped to his back.

And as Bard turned back toward his backup singers, Pewpew, Queen, and Blaze had taken their place, their own masks smiling back at him.

“Really?  You call that keeping a low profile?” Blaze demanded of Bard.

He just shrugged.  “What?  It was effective.  We needed to test Queen’s illusions, didn’t we?  And we just proved that Gloria’s intel on the wolf-man-er-boy was good.”  Bard couldn’t help the laugh bubbling from his chest.  “By the way, did you see his reaction?  Rawr angry wolf boy smash.  Hahaha.”

“I’d have preferred not to have Finn fucking staring at us,” Queen grumbled.  “I wasn’t sure layering the illusions to mimic a person’s mana signature would work.  And baiting the shifter was a terrible idea.  What if he’d attacked?  This spell wouldn’t hold up to a full assault.”

Bard raised a finger.  “But he didn’t!”

“To his credit – and I don’t say this lightly – it was a decent test,” Pewpew added.  Bard looked pleased with himself at that comment.  “Even if his songs were truly terrible.”

“What?!  I spent hours on those, I’ll have you know.”

She just grunted skeptically.  “Pretty sure you just ripped off an old country song.”

“I also felt like I’d heard that tune before,” Blaze added.  “Maybe a thousand years ago, and I’m not exactly a spring chicken myself.”  She peered at him.  “Are you secretly a hundred years old back in the real world?  You can tell us.”

“Everyone’s a fucking critic,” Bard grumbled, swiping at his screens.  “I’ve been told I’m just an old soul.”

“And what was all that bullshit about ‘seeding’ their next reroll?” Queen demanded.  “That wasn’t part of the script.”

Bard chuckled.  “Pure inspiration on my part.  It’s amazing what comes to you on stage.  If people were really gullible enough to believe that bullshit and they think the ‘Patch-ure’ is coming, won’t all their gold go away?  I mean, why not invest in better returns after the server reset.  In the meantime, we make a little more coin we can convert into cold hard cash.”

“And the level bonus?” Pewpew offered.

“More bullshit,” Blaze grunted.  “Seriously, this all makes me feel a little… dirty?”

“Compared to burning people alive for money?” Queen asked.

“Hey, that’s honest, hands-on work.  I’m not subtle.  They know what they’re in for if my hair is on fire.  This is just a scam.”

“A scam that netted us 1,500 gold,” Bard offered as he reviewed the screens floating before him, his fingers tapping at the air.

Blaze hesitated.  “Huh.  Okay, never mind.  I’m on board again.”

This earned her a laugh from Queen and Pewpew.

“Anyway, don’t we need to get moving?” Pewpew asked.  “We’ve still got work to do.”

Indeed, they could hear shouting from the neighboring street, the crowd beginning to demand an encore performance from their favorite doomsaying singer.

“Ahh, I never tire of that sound,” Bard said with a wistful sigh, swiping away his displays.  “Alright, Queenie, do me up again.  I’m not one to leave my fans hanging.”

Queen shook her head, but sapphire energy pooled around her wand and soon stretched toward Bard before wrapping around the ring perched upon his finger – a lone gem embedded in simple silver.  Once the gem began to glow intensely, she stopped.  Bard’s skin rippled as though water were being poured over him, the liquid shaping itself into the now familiar features of a certain wizened, old gamer.  She did the same for Blaze and Pewpew, their features soon transforming back into Preacher’s backup singers.

“Remember, you only have a few hours on those illusions,” she reminded Bard.  Again.

“Yeah, yeah.  Just focus on your own part of the mission.  We’ll be fine.  They already adore me out there,” Bard answered with a wave of his hand, peering around a stack of barrels at the throng lingering nearby.

Queen grimaced.  He wasn’t wrong.  Her eyes skimmed toward Blaze and Pewpew.  “Keep an eye on him.”  They both just nodded.

Then Queen’s wand flashed again, and her own appearance transformed into a nondescript resident.  She quickly retreated the opposite way down the alley, leaving the other three standing there watching after her.

“What’s got her all worked up?” Bard grunted.

Pewpew cocked her head.  “Worried is my guess.  She’s got the more difficult job.”  She hesitated for a moment, looking back at her guildmates.  “Speaking of which, either of you heard anything from Smiles yet?”

Bard’s good humor finally cracked, a note of worry blooming in his chest.  “No.  Not yet.”  He shrugged off that feeling.  “But there’s nothing to be nervous about.  He can handle himself.  He’s proven that time and time again.”

“He’s right.  That man is practically immortal,” Blaze quipped.

The crowd roared impatiently, and Bard let out a sigh.  “Come on, ladies.  Our fans await!”  With that, he marched down the alley, the roar only growing louder as he came back into view.

Pewpew groaned.  “After this, can I kill him?  I didn’t sign up to be a backup singer for some sort of fake videogame church.”

Blaze patted her on the shoulder.  “Don’t worry.  When this is over… I’ll help you do it.”

Their laughter was soon drowned out by the legion of travelers and the whine of Bard’s guitar.  They had a job to do, after all.

Chapter 11 - Summit

“Evelyn is doing well for herself,” Riley muttered, eyeing the chamber around them.

Tall marble columns etched with detailed patterns ringed the room.  Gold fringed the table and covered the chandelier that was suspended from the ceiling – all glimmering crystal and gemstone.  Overhead, the roof had been replaced with enormous glass panels, the glow from Alexion’s barrier shining down into the room and reflecting off the filigreed gold.

Surveying the room, Jason nodded.  “Enough to hire plenty of muscle, too.”

Guards stood around the room, decked in magical gear and heavy metal and chain.  Mages were likely hidden just out of sight – possibly behind fake walls or illusions, judging by the way Finn was inspecting the room suspiciously.  These were just the meat shields in case something went wrong.  Jerry had invaded their ranks, the innkeeper flitting from soldier to soldier and pestering them with questions – the men and women doing their best to ignore them.

If he keeps it up, they might just start a war, Jason thought.

Finn’s and Eliza’s groups already sat at the circular table in the center of the chamber.  Finn’s lieutenants had taken up seats beside him.  Eliza’s entourage had been asked to remain outside, something about the water ruining the thick, elegant carpets lining the floor.  So, it was just her and Brian.  The plant-like man refused to stay seated and hovered above her protectively, those sapphire eyes constantly scanning the area.  Jason had also ordered his undead to remain in the hall as a show of good faith.  Not that he was concerned with his own lieutenants in the room.

The tension in the air was palpable.  None of them wanted to be the first to address the elephant in the room – what had just transpired outside.

Frank had been silent since the encounter with Preacher, sitting there with his arms crossed – each exhale coming out in a low growl.  For her part, Silver kept eyeing him uncomfortably, clearly unsure what to do.  Not that Jason blamed her.  What exactly could she say that would make that better?  And Frank’s reaction revealed something more – his insecurities over their budding relationship on full public display.  While his friends may have accepted the relationship, that didn’t mean others would be so open-minded.

The doors creaked open, and Evelyn and Alexion finally made their appearance.  Jason never thought he’d look forward to seeing Alexion’s face, yet here he was – a welcome distraction.  If this kept up, he might stop hating the blond-haired avatar.

Although, that still seemed unlikely.

The pair marched inside with glowing, golden-clad Nephilim at their side, their wings held aloft and their armor reflecting the scattered light of the chandelier.  It was an imposing sight.  Although Jason still thought Finn and Eliza had done better with their own shows of power.  Jason also couldn’t help but notice that Alexion seemed distracted.  His eyes were distant, and he only vaguely acknowledged the room’s occupants.

Perhaps Jason’s plan was beginning to pay off back in the real world.

Or maybe something else was occupying Alexion’s thoughts.

“About time,” Finn grumbled.  “Let’s get this thing moving already.”

Evelyn frowned – a delicate thing.  But she waved at the Nephilim, and they fanned out around the room as she and Alexion took their seats.  Jason raised an eyebrow at that.  Were the two so close that Alexion was comfortable with Evelyn ordering his troops around?  And then there was her own reaction.  Perhaps Evelyn had been hoping to make an impression on the avatars.  As it was, their mood had been soured by their introduction to her “lovely” city.

“My apologies for the group outside,” she began delicately, addressing their irritation head-on.  “They have been… troublesome ever since rumors of the summit began circulating online.”

“Which I’m sure you had nothing to do with,” Julia drawled from Finn’s side.

A tinkling laugh escaped her throat.  “Well, perhaps that’s true.  But can you blame me?  I only wished to enrich the city with the surge in trade.”

“And by that, you mean your own treasury,” Finn interjected.

“Well, of course,” Evelyn replied with no attempt at subterfuge.  She waved a hand.  “If it’s any consolation, that plan backfired on me as well.  The nobles are outraged by the behavior of these travelers, voicing safety and security concerns.  They are all centered around that man you met outside the guild hall – the one who goes by Preacher.  Over the course of just a few days in-game, he’s begun to radicalize a growing segment of the traveler population.

“Believe it or not, the residents are quite upset that I’ve given our people a platform to advocate for ending the world.  More so-called realism, I suppose,” Evelyn offered dryly.

“Do you blame them?” Jason retorted, his features hidden within the shadows of his hood.  “I’m sure they know by now that a traveler guild is responsible for this event.  And if we fail to stop it, they may all die.”  He side-eyed Frank.  “The stakes are very real for them.”

Evelyn sniffed dismissively.  “Still, at its heart, this is all just a game.  These people aren’t real – not like you and me.”

Before anyone could react, Frank had made it to the other side of the table, fur rippling down his arm and his fingers terminating in thick claws – which were now aimed directly at Evelyn.  “You want to say that again?” he ground out, his eyes flickering crimson.

Evelyn just stared back.  “Oh, tough words from the dog-boy.  Why don’t you try it?” she offered, reaching out a hand and tapping at the air.  A ripple of energy expanded out around her.  A shield of light, perhaps?  A failsafe in case things went south during the meeting?  Jason glanced at Finn, but he didn’t seem surprised.  His Mana Sight must have allowed him to pick out the shield long before Evelyn’s little demonstration.

Alexion was also paying attention now, light shining from his body and his hand on his sword as his glowing golden eyes stared down Frank.  “Back away,” he said simply.

“Frank…” Riley offered hesitantly.

Then an undead hand landed on the wolf’s shoulder.  “No doubt your point is lost on these imbeciles,” Jerry said, his voice just a touch too loud.  “Look at them?  They’ve clearly blinded themselves with the light of their own power and greed.  How else could they refuse to see the cost to their resident allies?”

Huh, a barb from the innkeeper.  Evelyn’s dismissal of the residents’ concerns clearly hadn’t resonated well with him either.  No doubt, that attitude had helped foster some of the resentment among this city’s resident population.

Evelyn had created a political powder keg, and now they were sitting directly on top of it.

Speaking of volatile mixtures… Frank slowly backed down, his skin shifting back to a normal hue as he made his way back to his seat.  Jason noticed Silver start to reach for him, only to hesitate as Frank flinched away from her touch.

“Good boy,” Alexion sneered.  “It seems your master has taught you well.”

Frank’s eyes flashed.  “If there wasn’t so much riding on this summit, I’d fucking gut you.  No glowing shield is going to stop me.  It certainly didn’t stop Jason last time.”

Anger swept across Alexion’s face before he could control his expression.  “This from a man who can’t separate fiction from reality.”  He waved at Silver.  “As though we don’t know why you’re so prickly right now – it’s all over Rogue-Net, rumors of your supposed relationship.  No doubt that’s how Preacher found out.”

Alexion leaned forward, tapping at the table.  “Maybe you’re just upset that he told the truth?  That he pointed out that you’re ‘dating’ an algorithm.  You may as well have fallen in love with an anime character.  She’s not real.”

Frank let out a growl, but Silver stopped him this time.  She sniffed dismissively.  “He’s not worth it.  Just look at him.  He stinks of lust for that woman beside him, and yet see how she sits, facing away from him, her eyes on others.  Stronger.  Smarter.  Those that don’t reek of—” she smelled at the air again “— yes, that’s fear.  Uncertainty.

“Perhaps it isn’t Frank that can’t tell fact from fiction.”

Alexion’s eyes flashed, his expression momentarily uncertain.  Jason couldn’t help but notice Evelyn’s reaction as well – the way her eye twitched.  The way the pair refused to quite look at each other in the face of Silver’s accusation.  Was there something there?  Something that went beyond a purely platonic business relationship?  It certainly looked like Silver had touched a nerve.

A heavy sigh broke the tension.  “Or perhaps we could put aside all this childish, emotional bullshit and get to the point?” Finn offered.  “Some of us outgrew all this hormonal crap decades ago and just want to figure out how to solve the actual problem we’re facing instead of creating new ones.”

He pointed a finger at Evelyn.  “And you can just shove the pretense.  You wouldn’t have agreed to this summit unless you were invested in this world.  This empire you’ve created didn’t happen overnight,” Finn added with a wave at the room around him.  “Which means you have your own reason for staying here – for spending countless hours of your existence in this place.  Just as the rest of us do,” he continued, those bandaged eyes flitting around the room.

Eliza flinched away from his gaze, looking to the side.  She had stayed quiet during the exchange, her hands knotted in her lap and Brian’s limbs perched protectively around her.  Jason’s brow furrowed.  They hadn’t had a chance to speak much since Sandscrit.  She’d been distant and even more awkward than usual.  That furtive behavior had made him wonder what her motive was in all of this.

Evelyn frowned, her hands smoothing at the fabric of her tunic.  “Perhaps I do,” she acknowledged finally.  “But my reason is not your concern.”

Alexion was looking at her now, his expression unreadable.  Was that… suspicion on his face?  Jason wondered.  What the hell was going on there exactly?  And now that Finn had raised the issue, what was Evelyn’s motive for playing this game?  He’d done his own digging on her, and her family was nearly as powerful as Alex’s.  What did she stand to gain from a game?

Not that he expected those answers would be forthcoming – not right now, anyway.

It was like they were playing a game of poker, each person holding their cards tight and looking at each other for tells – a weakness that would give them leverage.  And behind the veiled threats and barbs was one universal, unspoken truth.  They weren’t friends.  They were grudging allies.  They might have a mutual enemy for now, but once this fight was over, they would still be facing each other.  If they could stop this apocalypse while undermining the other factions – perhaps even claiming those gate pieces – well, they’d be winning twice over, wouldn’t they?

Riley looked at him from his side, her expression knowing.  This was going to be tough.

“He’s right.  Let’s move on to the point of this summit,” Jason agreed, trying to pivot away from this verbal sparring.  He needed to keep everyone focused on the goal.

“You called for this meeting, so by all means, go ahead,” Evelyn challenged him.

Jason nodded.  “First, what do we all know about this guild <SAFE>?”

“Nothing more than I suspect the rest of you have deduced,” Finn offered.  “They’re a radicalized anti-consumer group.  It’s odd they chose to enter the same game world that they claim is evil, but I can see a certain sort of crazy logic to their decision.  If they can’t destroy it from the outside, then this is the next best choice.”

“They also clearly have funding and someone feeding them information,” Riley offered.  “How else could they have determined how to start this event, much less gather in-game?”

Nods from around the table.  They’d all reached a similar conclusion.

“And it must be someone from our world,” Julia added.  “If even more than a handful of the SAFE members entered AO, the cost of the VR hardware and software would become exorbitant.”

“So, they have deep pockets,” Riley agreed with a nod at Julia.  “Maybe donations?  There’s been a lot of public discussion about AO centered around the hearing.”

“Or a big corporate competitor,” Kyyle added from Finn’s other side, looking pointedly at Evelyn, Brock looming up behind him and his glowing green eyes focused on the guild leader as well.  “Like a certain heiress who created a political clusterfuck around this summit.  One who has plenty of in-game resources as well.”

Silence hung in the air at the implicit accusation.

Now that was a possible motive on Evelyn’s part.  Her family could have asked her to enter AO, build up a trade empire, and then undermine the game world from the inside – corrupt it and bring it to its knees so they could come in and scoop up the remains.

“My family primarily deals in transportation,” Evelyn responded icily.  “What need do we have to compete against an entertainment and technology company?”

“Fair.  Unless that company also owns the technology that makes that transportation company profitable,” Kyyle replied with a nod.  “As I understand it, Cerillion has your family by the balls after the shift to driverless technology.  Maybe you’re looking for leverage?”

Evelyn grimaced.  “Rumors and conjecture?  That’s all you have?  My family is doing quite well, thank you.  What’s a little more wealth when you’re already one of the most profitable companies in the world?”

Kyyle just raised a skeptical eyebrow.  He didn’t need to say it – a lust for wealth was never truly quenched.  Jason had observed the same truth for himself.  Just look at George Lane.  What was his motive?  Why did he even go to work in the morning?  The man could already afford to purchase a small country.  No, something else going on there – a hole in his heart he was fruitlessly trying to fill with cash.

“Well, regardless, let’s assume Evelyn isn’t funding this upstart guild for now,” Jason interjected.  “We know this group is hellbent on ending AO, is likely being financed in both worlds, and someone knowledgeable inside the game is also providing them with info.  So, one big question is who is helping them,” Jason offered.  Evelyn began to open her mouth, but Jason cut her off.  “But we can put a pin in that for the moment.”

He looked at the others.  “The other important question is where all of this is happening.  They have to be located somewhere inside AO to have triggered the event.  However, we haven’t found any rumors of their location online.  That puts them somewhere remote.”

“How did you arrive at that conclusion?” Evelyn asked.

“The prompt mentioned an excavation.  And this place operates on rules similar to our own world.  Anything capable of destroying AO would be… big,” Jason replied.  “Likely large enough that other travelers would mention it if they’d seen it.”

Finn cocked his head.  “Ahh, I see your reason for calling this meeting now.”

“Which is what exactly?” Alexion demanded.

“Jason is right.  A global event of this magnitude would require a substantial amount of energy – the equivalent of a meteor or many atomic explosions.  And just like in our world, that energy should be detectable.”

His daughter nodded slowly beside him.  “And, even if whatever they’re trying to dig up isn’t throwing off a ton of mana, the excavation likely would.”

“Fine.  Yet I fail to see the point.” Evelyn asked incredulously, crossing her arms.

“The key here is detecting the presence of that energy,” Jason offered.  “And inside AO, the energy of choice is always the same.  We’re looking for mana.  A lot of mana.”

“Assuming you’re right,” Alexion interjected, earning him a nod from Jason.

“An educated guess,” he replied.  Jason looked to Finn, who was now rubbing at his chin, deep in thought.  He needed his engineering help on this one.

“Okay, so you want to build something like a magical radar – one capable of detecting large accumulations of mana.”  He grimaced.  “It’s theoretically possible, but it would take an extraordinary amount of effort and energy to search a whole continent.”

“Which is why we’re all here.  What would you need?” Jason asked.

“Hmm…” Finn murmured.  “Well, the sensor will likely be quite large.  We’d need a sizable area to construct it.  Let’s say at least 100 meters square.”

“The inner courtyard here in the guild hall might do,” Evelyn offered tentatively.  “We typically use it for loading and unloading the airships.”

Finn nodded.  “That’ll work.  I’ll also need a ton of mana – not just fire.”  His attention flitted to Alexion and Jason.  “Also, something to build the base.  Light mana to power the lens.”

“You’re talking about using our wells?” Alexion demanded.

“Of course,” Finn replied easily.  “What else are we going to do?  We have a time limit.  Even if we build this thing and it works, we may pick up false positives – concentrations of mana that aren’t our target.  There are already places in this world that are naturally mana dense.”  He looked to his daughter.

“Like the laboratory,” Julia answered, nodding.

Jason cocked his head at that.  Sounded like there was a story there.

“We may be able to eliminate some of those false positives comparing them against mapped locations with a high concentration of mana,” Kyyle commented, his hands already swiping at the air as he brought up his in-game UI.  “I could collect that data while the rest of you are working on constructing the sensor.”

“That will help.  However, we still need to assume we may need to double-check some locations.  Which takes time,” Finn continued.  “And even if we find the location we’re looking for, we still need to travel there and figure out how to stop whatever is happening.”  He turned his bandaged eyes toward Alexion.  “So, yes, we would need to use the power of the wells to speed up construction.  If we use conventional means, we’ll have lost before we’ve begun.”

“Or this could just be an excuse to drain our mana,” Alexion retorted.

Finn let out a sigh.  “Really?  My best guess is we’re all running on nearly empty after that last debacle in Sandscrit.  At most, you’ve all replenished maybe half of their total power – assuming we’ve all leveled the wells at roughly the same rates.  And we would each need to contribute to this process anyway.  Jason builds the foundation, I build the lens, and we power it with light mana.  I don’t see how one of us would have a power advantage.”

“But… uh, what about me?” Eliza asked, tentatively raising her hand.

All eyes turned toward her diminutive form.  A single girl, her body encircled by Brian’s branchlike arms.  Yet none of them were taking her lightly – they were all replaying the last time they’d seen her use her well’s power – when that creature behind her had stomped his way through an entire city – an unstoppable juggernaut of limbs and branches.

“She’s right. The girl should have to expend some power to keep everyone on equal footing,” Alexion offered.  Finn was already nodding along with him.

“The girl has a name.  It’s Eliza,” Riley growled at him, earning her a sniff from the avatar.

Normally, Jason might have stood up for Eliza – even dismissed the risk of letting her keep her well’s mana.  They might need it later, after all.  However, he hesitated.  After seeing her in action in Sandscrit and the way she’d been so distant lately… well, he couldn’t help but agree with Alexion.  As much as that pained him to admit.

“Could you fortify this building?” Jason offered finally.  “With those crazies outside, that might not be a bad idea.  If we’re building the sensor inside the guild and spending well power on it, we should sure as hell protect this position.”  The others were nodding in agreement.

“Alexion has already formed a shield.  I will not agree to anything that causes damage to the hall—” Evelyn began.

Eliza adjusted her glasses.  “That shouldn’t be a problem,” she interrupted.  “I can grow defenses that can be easily removed once we leave.”

“And as for Alexion’s shield,” Jason continued, turning his attention back toward Evelyn, a frown creasing her lips, “it never hurts to have a backup plan.”

Or a backstop against you two fucking us over.  Again, Jason added silently.

“Fine.  Fine then,” Evelyn bit out, although she still seemed unhappy.

The group sat in silence, mulling on the proposed plan.

“Are we in agreement?” Jason finally demanded.

Nods all around.  “Good, then I guess we should get to work.  Finn can tell us what he needs,” Jason offered, waving at the older man, who was already tapping at his console and occasionally swiping at the air.

“I’m… uh, working on that now,” he murmured distractedly.  He glanced at Julia.  “You want to look at this part here—” His daughter nodded and peered over his shoulder.

As the pair tuned out the rest of the room, Evelyn addressed the remaining avatars.  “Fine.  Then we shall move forward.  You lot may access whatever portion of the guild hall you wish.  Although, I suggest you don’t leave.  I’m already on thin ice with the nobility as it is.  The last thing we need is an altercation that could blossom into a full-fledged war.”

Without waiting for a response, Evelyn stood and marched toward the door.

A few seconds later, she realized Alexion hadn’t followed her – his gaze still distant.  “You coming?” she asked.  Alexion started slightly.  Then he shook his head.

“No, I’ll need to assist Finn with my portion of the project.”

Evelyn looked surprised, but a moment later, she sniffed and exited, guards marching into formation behind her.  Eliza took the opportunity to practically bolt from the room, Brian in tow – his sapphire eyes ever watchful.

Which left Jason and his group to their own devices.  “Well, that was a fun time if I’ve ever had one,” Jerry commented as he stepped out from between the columns.  “You all get along like starving rats in a sack.”

That might have been an understatement.

Jason glanced at Frank, his friend still scowling down at the table like he could burn holes in the wood with raw emotion alone.  “Hey, you al—?”

“I need a minute,” Frank grunted, interrupting him, and pushing away from the table.  With that terse reply, he stormed out of the room, vanishing into the hall.  Silver looked after him, moving to follow, but Riley put a hand on her arm and shook her head.  Frank needed some time.

“And our furry buddy there apparently brought his own storm clouds,” Jerry murmured.  “This is really off to a wonderful start.  Can’t you feel the friendly camaraderie?  Nothing like saving the world with your mortal enemies.”

Jason sighed, kneading at his temples.  He could already feel a headache coming on.  Maybe because the innkeeper wasn’t exactly wrong.  This hadn’t gotten off to an awesome start.  The odds were in favor of them killing each other long before the world ended.  And then there was still the Old Man’s warning.  Possibly another prospective avatar at play – or a group of them.

Riley met his eyes, the same concern reflected there.  He’d told her about the Old Man’s warning – about his own suspicions.  However, that was another card he planned to play close to the chest.  If he was right, then it would only hurt him to reveal that information too soon.

In the meantime, he had no choice but to push forward.

Jason’s eyes snapped open.  “Alright, let’s get to work.”

Chapter 12 - Dysfunctional

Frank sat atop Evelyn’s guild hall, his legs hanging from the lip of the stone ledge and his eyes on the crowd far below.  Preacher’s voice still echoed through the air, accompanied by the whine of a guitar.  If anything, the crowd had only swelled since he’d last seen it.

Yet he wasn’t thinking about that.  He was eyeing the cobblestones.  The drop was at least six stories.  In the real world, that probably would have terrified him – he sure as hell wouldn’t be sitting here.  But now?  Not so much.  On the one hand, that could be because he could literally grow scales hard enough to blunt the fall or wings to fly away.  But even if he couldn’t transform… it still didn’t evoke the sort of terror it should have.

The truth was that he’d been through a LOT since he’d begun playing this game.

If he could even call it that anymore.

He’d been stabbed, cut, burned, frozen.  Survived explosions.  Won a drugged-up fight with a dragon – which, to be fair, had looked a lot like a unicorn at the time.  He also felt he’d made up for that by facing down a real dragon.  Frank had watched his companions cut down.  And he’d done his fair share of killing.  Ripped off limbs.  Shredded flesh.  Watched crimson blood spray like a damn sprinkler.  He could even admit that in the heat of the moment, he might have bitten a few people.  Although, to his credit, he partly blamed the shift for that.

What happened in wolf form stayed in wolf form.

All that rambling aside, the bottom line was that he’d changed.  For the better in many ways.  He was stronger, faster, and debatably smarter?  Although, he was still hanging around Jason, so maybe not exactly smarter.  But, he had learned to stand up for himself and stop attacking himself as much.  He’d given up some of that perpetual fear that lingered in the back of his mind.  Instead, he’d started going after what he wanted.

Despite all that, now he felt, well… fucking terrified.

It was one thing to wring your hands about taking a chance.  There were no real stakes there when you thought about it.  Take asking someone out, for example.  You stood to lose what?  Some time?  Possibly a rejection?  That was only a transient cost.  But once you had something that mattered… those stakes became real.  You could sure as hell lose it.

But he supposed that was the problem, wasn’t it?  Did he really have something to lose?  Was his relationship with Silver “real” or just a product of his imagination?  Like falling for a storybook character or an actor on a TV show.  An illusion.  Had he just been so happy to find someone that liked him for himself that he’d skipped over that pesky part?

Jason and Riley had initially been supportive.  They hadn’t judged him.  They understood what the residents were like.  Yet he’d seen their expressions during Preacher’s song and again when Evelyn confronted him.  They still had their reservations.  Doubts.

“Hey, Frank.”  A quiet voice at his shoulder.

He didn’t react.  His body partially transformed, his ears had picked out the sound of footsteps long before they reached him.  It was Riley based on the sound of her breathing and rustle of fabric.  A shift of his feral eyes and he saw nervous energy clinging to her – a glowing red haze that enveloped her body.

“Don’t ask me if I’m okay,” Frank murmured, turning his attention back to the ground below.

She just nodded and sat beside him, letting that silence stretch.

“Silver?” he asked finally.

“She’s with Jerry.  He convinced her to sneak out and go for a drink.  Said he wanted to see what his flesh and blood competition was like here in Barrow.”

Frank swallowed at the thought of the shifter in this foreign city now occupied by a crazy group of doomsday nutjobs.  But he reassured himself that she would be fine with Jerry.  Hell, she’d probably just eat anyone that bothered her.  Besides, there was something else that was bothering him.

“What’s going on with Jason?” Frank asked.

“What do you mean?” Riley shot back, brow furrowed.

Frank snorted.  “Oh, c’mon.  I’m not an idiot.  I know he’s been avoiding me – or at least avoiding finishing the Keeper trials with me.  One excuse is fine.  But ten?  That’s a pattern.”

Riley cocked her head.  “He just… he has a lot on his mind right now.”

“Never seems to be a problem for you, though.”  There was more resentment in Frank’s voice than he cared to admit.  But fuck it.  It stung.  Jason had been increasingly distant ever since he started this game and became the ruler of some damn city.  And then there was Riley, the two of them attached at the hip.  It seemed like his “friend” had no more room in his life for Frank.

Riley just shook her head.  “I can’t really speak for him.  Maybe he’s worried…”

“Or just doesn’t trust me.”

More silence met that statement, which hit harder than if Riley had said something.  It felt like confirmation of Frank’s fears – even if the uncertain look on her face told a slightly more nuanced story.

“Is it because of Silver?” Frank ventured finally.  “Is he worried about my loyalties or something?  Like if push came to shove, would I back him or her?”  He huffed out a breath.  “Or maybe he thinks I’ve gone off the deep end and is just too nice to say anything?”

Riley bit her lip, her eyes on the street below as she weighed her words.  Preacher’s voice spiraled up at them, followed by raucous laughter.  Frank had to admit, that shit had stung.  Maybe he’d changed here, become stronger, but that transition wasn’t perfect – it never was.  Getting ridiculed in public like that had hit hard.  All those people laughing… it was too familiar; too real.

Frank shook away that thought and glanced at Riley.  “What about you?  You think it’s weird, don’t you?”

She hesitated again.

“Damn it.”

“Hey, it’s not that simple,” Riley retorted.  “I understand why you have feelings for her.  The people here… they sure as hell seem real to me.  Silver is also a certified badass.  I get it.  It’s more than that, though.  A romantic relationship with one of the residents?  It’s worked for now, but what about long-term?”

Frank looked at her in surprise.  “What do you mean?”

“Well, how do you think Silver feels?”

That question brought Frank up short.  He could remember the look on her face during Preacher’s rant – during the meeting.  The hesitation there.  The trace of… pain?

“You’ve experienced her entire world.  Met her father – her people.  But what about her?  Will you two ever be able to go on a date back in our world – the real world?  Have kids?  Have her meet your folks?  Your family?  Be part of that other life at all?  What if you got sick?  She couldn’t even be there for you.”

Riley shook her head.  “There’s an imbalance there.  You can be part of her world, but she will never truly be part of yours.  It’s one-sided and makes me wonder if that might eventually foster resentment – for you or for her.  You might come to want something from her that she can’t give.  Or that she might never feel truly adequate.  That’s tough.”

Riley glanced at him.  “I’m just worried about both of you.”

Frank squeezed his eyes shut, frustration welling in his chest.  He knew it wasn’t directed at Riley – not really.  She had just put voice to worries he’d been ignoring.  It didn’t help that she’d pointed out that he’d been so focused on himself that he’d missed how all of this might be affecting Silver.  But that didn’t change the fucked-up situation he found himself in or the mistakes he’d made.  He wanted something tangible to attack.  To rip apart.  A solution to an unsolvable problem.

“Thanks for that,” he finally ground out, crimson eyes flashing open.  “So, Jason doesn’t trust me, and my relationship is doomed.  Appreciate the heart-to-heart, Riley.”

“Hey, that’s not—"

“Look, I need some time to myself.  Why don’t you go find Jason?  I’m sure he needs your help,” Frank muttered, his eyes returning to the street below.

Riley opened her mouth, only to close it again moments later.  What else was there to say?  Nothing was going to make this any easier.

Frank heard her stand up with a rustle of fabric, and the slow, hesitant steps as she walked away.  After a few dozen paces, the sound shifted, but Frank just chalked it up to the noise from the crowd.  Besides, his mind was occupied with other things – like the frustration and anger that still seethed in his veins at having to admit the obvious.

Like maybe she was right.

***

Light bent and coalesced through the air, forming a sun-like sphere of energy along one side of the guild hall’s inner courtyard.  Onlookers stopped amid the stone halls and watched with awestruck expressions at the amount of raw energy being channeled there – all focused on one man, his armor shining golden in the intense light.

Alexion’s fingers flexed, and that orb of light suddenly exploded forward.  The beam shot across the courtyard with an intensity that was nearly blinding.  It struck a glass panel of thick glass on the other side of the courtyard before refracting skyward.  It streaked into the clouds, pushing back at the omnipresent, swirling blackness that had arrived with Jason – a beam of light spearing through the abyss, visible for miles around.

“60% now.  It’s holding!” Daniel chirped from Finn’s shoulder.

“Keep it up!” Finn shouted at Alexion, sweat beginning to stream down his face.

There was no gradual cracking of glass.  No pinpoint fractures.  Without warning, the lens simply exploded, showering the surrounding area with boulder-sized chunks of razor-sharp debris that struck the multiple barriers surrounding the lens.  Those barriers shimmered and shook against the force of the blast, barely containing the explosion.  The mages encircling the lens strained, and their mana streamed into those layers of protection, desperate to avoid any collateral damage to Evelyn’s guild hall.

Moments later, the barriers dropped, and only shattered molten glass remained.

“Fucking damn it,” Finn muttered, rubbing at his face.

“I told you we needed to reinforce the glass,” Julia drawled where she lounged nearby, perched atop the small half wall that ringed the courtyard.

“And those impurities would just magnify the problem,” Finn grunted.  “It looked to me like the light mana was interacting with other materials mixed in with the glass.”

“We could purify the silicon first,” Kyyle suggested.  “That would just take more time—”

For his part, Alexion automatically tuned them out, watching as a few air mages swept the debris into a corner of the courtyard, only adding to the jagged tower of broken glass that already rested there.  Evidence of many more failed attempts.  Finn had insisted on building and testing the lens first.  There was no point in constructing the tower if they couldn’t even get the damn thing to work, and it was easier to test on the ground.

Not that any of this was reassuring.  It did little to blunt the feeling in the back of Alexion’s mind that had lingered there for days now in-game.  A strange sensation – one he was unaccustomed to feeling.  Gone was the icy numbness that typically lingered in his mind, leaving him feeling… worried?

His eyes flitted to Finn.  It wasn’t working with these people – if anything, that just offered more evidence that something was amiss.  Finn had helped defeat him inside Sandscrit and helped Jason carve a hole through his chest.  Alexion should feel that familiar murderous rage.  That fleeting note of anger that typically cut through the numbness.  That allowed him to feel something, anything.  Yet that rage was strangely absent.

There was only this gnawing sensation.

And with it came the same memory…

“What is this all about?” Alex asked, eyeing the room around him.  Windowless.  The door made of reinforced steel.  The lock firmly closed.  A cage.

George Lane sat across from him, his fingers steepled on the table.  He slowly reached down and pulled out an ebony obelisk, setting it on the table.  With the press of a button, a shimmering blue field of energy expanded outward, sweeping across the room before settling against the walls.  Alex could only look on in mute surprise.

“What’s that—”

“Protection to ensure there are no prying eyes and ears,” his father answered simply.

“This seems extreme.  Are you going to tell me what’s going on now?”

George just stared back, that same impassive expression – judging, weighing, calculating.

“You are a disappointment,” George answered finally.

“Well, tell me how you really feel,” Alex retorted, attempting a glib tone.

George sniffed.  “Still such arrogance even when your mistakes have cost us so much.  If your mother could see you now…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

Alex tensed despite himself, his fingers balling into fists beneath the table.

“But perhaps it would be easier to show you,” George continued with a sigh.  He waved at the air beside him, and a cascade of displays suddenly appeared.  They revealed video footage.  Financial statements.  Messaging data from Alex’s Core.  And they painted a story…

Alex’s eyes centered on one screen.  An image of two young men approaching a house from a camera attached to the lamp post across the street.

Another showed the cash records of his withdrawal.

Another displayed the images of their broken, bleeding bodies.  These hadn’t been released publicly – couldn’t have been released to the public.  Someone had butchered those teens.  Stabbed them dozens of times until their blood pooled along the floor.  Even for Alex, the sight was unpleasant.  It spoke of madness – of murderous rage.

The display shifted and showed footage of a party atop Cerillion Entertainment headquarters, Alex standing next to Evelyn.  He swallowed hard.  He remembered that night.  The present he’d given her.  But this footage was focused on what happened next, his security credentials changing hands.  Evelyn stepping toward the elevator… then… darkness.

“What-what the fuck is this?” Alex muttered.  “Have you been watching me?  Spying on me?  On Evelyn?”

George’s fingers drummed the table.  “I’ve been doing what I always do.  Protecting this family.  Even if I apparently need to protect it from my own son.”

Alex’s fingernails were cutting into his palms now, reopening barely healed wounds.

“You got Jason expelled.  Started a vendetta that snowballed in-game and resulted in your defeat.  You then sought to get back at your rival by what?  Hiring two thugs to rough him up?  Except he fucking killed them – used their own knife against them,” George continued, sweeping back to the image.

His father glanced at Alex again.  “Which forced me to help cover for you.  Again.  To step in and protect this young man since that was what it would take to make this go away.  To ensure that damn detective didn’t keep asking questions.  Like how a skinny teenage boy had the wherewithal not only to stop a home invasion but to stab the intruders to death.  Or why these two decided to hit this particular house in the first place.

“Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, you decided to woo our rival’s daughter.  Evelyn St. Clair.  And again, you underestimated your opponent.  This is not another trifling plaything swooning after your wealth or looks.  You’re swimming in deep waters here, Alex.  After you gave her your security credentials at the party, our security lost track of her within the building.  Do you have any idea what that means?”

Alex did.  This place was an electronic fortress.  It meant that Evelyn had to have deactivated the security… or avoided it somehow.

“What are you trying to say?” Alex managed to ground out, his thoughts flailing as he stared at the image of Evelyn at the elevator.

“I’m saying that your new girlfriend may very well have leaked information to Gloria Bastion during the hearing – information she stole using your credentials.”

Alex could only stare.  His mind was rejecting what his father was saying.  Would Evelyn do that?  To him?  He had thought… but what exactly had he thought?  That she cared for him?  That he had finally found someone he connected with?

He wanted to laugh.  To cry.  To scream.  To dive into that numbing icy coldness that lingered in the back of his mind and never swim back up to the surface.  How could he have been this stupid?  No one cared for him.  They were only out to betray him – undermine him.

That voice in the back of his mind was whispering louder now – demanding, insistent.

His father.  His mother.  The Lady.

Now Evelyn.

George let out a sigh.  “I had hoped that your connection to the game world would help you – perhaps give you some much-needed perspective.  But all you have done is continue to endanger this family and our business.”

“Not intentionally.”

“Oh, but how I wish it had been,” George snapped back, eyes flashing.  “At least that would speak of competence.  Not simple idiocy or negligence.”

Alex swallowed hard, the void in his mind shuddering like it had been struck a physical blow.  It took most of his willpower to control his actions – to remain composed.

His eyes rose to meet his father’s.  “Says the man that has kept me in the dark.  Am I truly to blame for this?  This isn’t just about a game – it can’t be.  Not this level of security.  Not the funds you’ve sunk into its development or the lies you’ve spread publicly.  And now this?” He waved at the screens.  “What’s really going on here?”

George hesitated.  Alex had touched on something.  He could recall now what Jason had said to him at the end of that group meeting.  Jason had mentioned the game’s AI controller – Alfred.  Had alluded to something more going on with AO.  But what?

“Is this about Alfred?”

If he hadn’t known his father, Alex likely wouldn’t have noticed the way George’s eyes flitted to the side.  The way his shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly.  George Lane was composed, deliberate, but his body still betrayed him.  Alex had touched a nerve.

“I have no idea what you mean,” he answered.

Alex paused, reviewing what his father had just said to him.  How this game had been meant to “help” him.  Help him how?  And all his efforts were focused on protecting this game.  It was a valuable product, one with a ton of potential.  But still, Cerillion had other product lines.

Maybe it was time to take a note out of Jason’s book – as much as that pained him to admit.  Alex leaned forward.  “I think you do.  And I think Alfred is at the center of all this.  You wouldn’t have gone to these lengths for any other product.  Not unless there was something you were trying to hide.  Maybe the better question is, how have you endangered our family?”

George’s fist slammed the table, crashing against the metal.  “You would challenge me?  That I don’t have this family’s best interests at heart?  It’s all I can do to prevent you from fucking up everything I’ve built.  Maybe it should have been you that—”  He cut himself short, only barely.

But not before Alex caught his meaning.

“That what?  That died instead of mother?” Alex bit out.

His father took a deep breath, adjusting his tie and trying to regain his composure.  “This isn’t productive.  This fighting between us.  Our enemies are still circling.  We can’t afford any further breaches, company related or otherwise.  Any sign of weakness and everything we’ve created could come toppling down.  Do you understand that?”

So, he’d been right.  His father had fucked up somehow.

George settled his hands back on the table, steepling his fingers once more – his knuckles bleeding freely now.  “I need for you to get on board.  Stay close to Evelyn.  Try to learn what she knows.  What her family intends to do.”

Alex ground his teeth together.  All of this, and his father was still insisting on ordering him around – keeping him in the dark.  That was putting aside Evelyn’s betrayal.  “And if I don’t?”

George met his eyes, not wavering for a second.  “Then perhaps you’ve run out of chances.”  The screens flickered beside him, still showcasing those dead bodies.  His meaning was clear.  He was done covering for Alex and would have no qualms throwing him to the wolves.

“I… I understand,” Alex ground out finally.  What else could he say?

“You better.”

“Hey, you there?”

Alexion’s attention snapped back into focus to find Julia staring at him in confusion.  “We’re about ready to run another test.  You up for it?”

He nodded absently.  Indeed, he could see they’d formed another lens on the far side of the courtyard.  No doubt they’d found a way to purify the sand.  “Yeah, yeah.  I’m ready.”

Julia just grunted, shaking her head as she stepped back into position, reviewing her screens as she prepared to observe another experiment.

As he began to gather his light mana, Alexion saw movement on one of the upper balconies.  Evelyn had stepped out onto the perch, flanked by guards.  She looked down on the work with an imperious focus.  Her eyes met Alexion’s, yet there was no smile on her lips.  No signal that she still cared for him.  Not only that, but he couldn’t help but recall the way she’d been stirring up trouble during the meeting – instigating the other avatars.

There was no love lost between Alexion and the others, but still…

Riley’s words echoed clearly in his mind.  Why had Evelyn invited the travelers here?  Created this political powder keg?  Why was she actively trying to undermine the work they were doing?  Did she want this world to end?  Was his father right?

Could she have betrayed him?

She’d certainly been acting more distant lately.

Alex grimaced, focusing back on the work at hand as the light spiraled and condensed to a blinding blaze once more.  He intended to find out.  Not just for his father.  But for himself.

***

She’d done it again.  Chickened out.  Ran away.

Eliza sighed, ringing the bell once and her hands winding through a complicated series of gestures as buds erupted along Brian’s arms, blooming and coating the area in a dense cloud of pollen and seeds.  In mere moments, thick vines slithered up the walls, blanketing every inch of the interior of the guild hall, blotting out the windows, and plunging the corridor into a dim gloom.

She started as a branch suddenly coiled around her shoulders.  Flowers budded along the surface, a dizzying array of colors that glowed softly in the darkened hallway.

“I’m fine, really,” Eliza reassured Brian.  Those sapphire eyes only stared back skeptically.

“Well, isn’t this cute,” a voice drawled from behind them.

Immediately, those thin branches thickened into a solid shield, the flowers shriveling down and replaced with sharp thorns as Brian turned his attention toward the intruder.  It was Eliza’s turn to put a calming hand on his shoulder as she saw Evelyn standing there.

“I’ve always wanted a strong, silent man that would bring me flowers,” the guild leader commented, watching Brian’s reaction with amusement.  “I’m practically green with envy.”  A tinkling laugh followed her own joke.

“It’s okay.  She’s an ally… of sorts,” Eliza said to Brian.

“Relationships must be flexible – a side effect of leadership, as I’m sure you’re intimately aware.  Enemy of my enemy and all that,” Evelyn offered with a wave of a hand.

Eliza swallowed hard and adjusted her glasses.  She didn’t trust this woman.  Not even a little bit.  She noticed Brian hadn’t fully let down his guard either, retracting his shield but keeping the reinforced branches perched around Eliza.

Evelyn picked at the vines that now covered the walls, a frown pulling at her lips.  “This is excessive if you ask me.  Between my forces and Alexion’s shields, the guild hall is well secured.”  She glanced at Eliza.  “Men, am I right?  Always trying to overcompensate.”

“It doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan,” Eliza murmured.  Especially not with the crowd of travelers gathering outside, she added silently.  She hadn’t forgotten that was Evelyn’s fault.

The woman cocked her head at that.  “I suppose.  Although, I do hope these don’t cause any lasting damage.  It wouldn’t do for these plants to ruin the décor before tonight’s soiree.”  Her eyes lit up in false surprise.  “Speaking of which, I meant to invite you to this evening’s festivities.”

“Festivities?” Eliza echoed.

“Why of course.  I’ve invited the city’s nobility here for a small gala, barely anything of note.  However, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for some networking.  Allow you all to get to know our quaint little town and some of the products we offer.”

Eliza swallowed against the lump in her throat.  That sounded terrible.  Besides, she anticipated that Evelyn wasn’t doing this out of the kindness of her heart.  Likely, the gala was meant to placate the nobles with promises of potential trade contracts with the other avatars’ cities.  They must have jumped on that offer in a heartbeat.

“You will come, won’t you?” Evelyn insisted, peering at Eliza.

“Um, I guess…” she replied noncommittally.

“Fantastic!”  Evelyn’s gaze suddenly turned back to the walls, frowning slightly.  “But this certainly won’t give off the ambiance we’re aiming for,” Evelyn murmured, eyeing the walls distastefully, “Apocalypse-chic isn’t the sort of look that will put the nobles at ease.  Perhaps we could scale back these defenses?”

“Unless your nobles plan to go on a tour of your hall, I’m not sure I see the problem,” Eliza retorted, a sudden chill lingering in her voice.

Evelyn must have picked up on Eliza’s reaction – that she’d pushed a bit too far.  She sniffed.  “Fair enough, I suppose.  So, we’ll just have to clean up a miniature forest when that little science fair in the courtyard is complete?  Fantastic.”

“I also anticipated that problem,” Eliza replied.

She snatched one of her wands from her waist, thumbing the base to select a specific cartridge contained within.  Depressing the button on the side, a thick vapor spewed forth, glowing a bright lime green.  As the vapor touched a portion of the wall, the vines immediately shriveled and shrank until only a fine, gray dust coated the floor.

“Hmm, you’re more clever than I gave you credit for,” Evelyn observed.

“Thanks?” Eliza muttered – not entirely sure that had been a compliment.

“Where are your guards, by the way?” Eliza asked.  With all this talk about security, she suddenly realized that this was the first time she’d seen Evelyn alone.  “Aren’t you worried that an avatar might take advantage?”

Evelyn smiled in amusement.  “Should I be concerned about my health?  As I said, this place is well defended already.  And you don’t seem nearly as… combative as the others.  Besides, I was hoping us girls could have a chat.”

“About what exactly?” Eliza offered, confused.

“Well, about little ol’ you, of course,” Evelyn replied with a tinkling laugh.  “I was hoping to get to know you better.  I’m familiar with Alexion, clearly.  And Finn and Jason have certainly made reputations for themselves.  But you,” she continued, pointing at Eliza, “you’re an enigma.  Little social media and nearly no online presence.  You’ve also been mysteriously absent since the events in Sandscrit.  Rumor has it that you had a falling out with Jason and returned to your city.”

“That’s-that’s not true,” Eliza replied quickly.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow.  “And yet I noticed you arrived with your own entourage.  So perhaps the rumors aren’t entirely accurate but do contain a kernel of truth.  Something happened there.”  She peered at Eliza.  “What is it, I wonder?”

Eliza went still, not sure how to answer.

The woman tapped at her lips.  “Perhaps you simply got tired of being under Jason’s thumb?  I mean, he had you what?  Slaving away crafting his potions?”  Eliza’s eyes widened at that.  “Oh, yes, I’m familiar with our Dark Lord’s current monopoly, and it’s no secret that your gifts lean toward the alchemical.”  She waved at Eliza’s wand as evidence.

“That’s not why…” Eliza began feebly.  The waters in her heart – normally still and unmoving – wavered suddenly.  Ripples cascading outward and growing in strength.

“Really?  And now that you’re reunited, he has you doing more of the same, I see.  Silly chores and errands for a girl that can harness the power of an entire city and who strides alongside a man made of living plants,” Evelyn murmured.  “Aren’t you tired of it?  Of always being on the outskirts?  Of being treated like yet another mindless zombie for him to order around?”

Eliza’s hands balled into fists.  There might be some small truth to what Evelyn was saying, but even so, Jason and his friends had always been kind to her.  It was Eliza that had chosen to focus on her plants, wasn’t it?

“Or perhaps you do enjoy it.  I suppose it’s easier, letting others decide your fate.”

Eliza winced.  That one hit close to home, the waters suddenly roiling and crashing and breaking against the cliff face of her consciousness.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she finally said, sapphire energy pulsing through her eyes which she quickly averted to the floor.

“Ahh, well then, please, do tell,” Evelyn retorted, raising her hands in a placating gesture.

“I, uh, I need to talk to Jason about something sensitive,” Eliza began, some of that sudden confidence fading and the waters calming.  “I just can’t bring myself to tell him.  The problem is me, not him.”

A sudden silence met those words, and when Eliza raised her eyes, she saw Evelyn was watching her with an appraising expression.

“Hmm, well, that sounds interesting.  What do you intend to tell him?”

“I’m not sure…”

“Oh, come now, if you’re nervous, you simply need to practice on someone else.  Pretend this is for a class presentation or speech,” Evelyn replied.

“It’s, um, about Finn.”

“What about Finn?” Evelyn asked, demanding.

“Well, it’s… complicated.  It has to do with his wife.”

“Rachael?” Evelyn asked.  “I thought she passed away.”

When Eliza looked at her in surprise, Evelyn waved it away.  “Come now.  You think I don’t know who the Najmat Alhidad really is?  My family has more than sufficient resources to do a little digging.  And it’s not like he’s been that discreet.

“More importantly, why could you possibly need to talk to Jason about Finn’s wife?  Hasn’t it been more than ten years since the accident?”

Eliza shook her head, her eyes clouded as she recalled the conversation she’d overhead.  “If it really was an accident…” she murmured softly.

“What?” Evelyn asked, looking dumbfounded.  “What do you mean by that?”

Eliza’s eyes widened, suddenly realizing she’d just spoken out loud, her hand drifting up to her mouth.  “I, uh, I think I’ve said too much.  I really need to get back to work.”  With that, she pivoted on her heel and started down the hall.

“Hey, wait—” Evelyn was cut off as Brian suddenly blocked the hallway in a surge of vegetative growth so thick it obscured Eliza from sight.  The plant man’s glowing sapphire eyes hung amid that foliage, watching Evelyn with a suspicious glare.

She simply stared down Brian for several long seconds before sniffing, pivoting sharply on her heel, and marching in the other direction down the hallway.

Chapter 13 - Ballroom

“Remind me why we’re doing this again?” Jason muttered, eyeing the ballroom.

“Because Evelyn hates us,” Riley shot back.  “Oh, and she’s trying to placate these rich assholes for all the trouble she’s caused here in Barrow.”

This earned her a chuckle as Jason surveyed the hall.  Evelyn had outdone herself this evening, throwing a gala that would have made even Cerillion Entertainment envious.  Golden streamers floated through the air on a mana-assisted breeze, coiling and twining to form the logo of Evelyn’s trading guild before breaking apart and fluttering back into a dizzying pattern.  Food and booze were flowing freely, filling the bellies of the city’s nobility.  Those fine folk were dressed in their most expensive silks and velvet and packed the hall.

Polite laughter and a thrumming chatter filled the room with buzzing energy.

It was almost easy to forget the world was ending.

Or that the guests had been escorted inside by three divisions of armed guards – the only way to pass safely through the throng of travelers that lingered just outside the guild hall.  Their numbers had only grown while Jason and his allies built and tested the sensor array.

A few nobles shuffled nervously around Jason, unable to see his face within the depths of his cowl and murmuring to themselves.  “At least your brooding aura is doing us some favors tonight.  They’re keeping their distance,” Riley observed.

“Or maybe it’s because you’re quite literally dressed to kill,” he replied.  Riley had foregone a dress in favor of her tight-fitting leather, knives tucked away across her body, and her bow slung across her back.

“I just didn’t want anyone getting handsy,” she shot back with a small smile.  She winked at a noble that kept throwing her awkward glances, crimson crosshairs shining in her eyes.  The man almost dropped his champagne flute and quickly stumbled away.  With the way his date was glaring at him, Jason suspected he was in for some trouble.

“No need to worry about that,” Jason murmured.

Despite Riley’s joking tone, that was real fear Jason saw reflected in the eyes of many of the residents.  He suspected it wasn’t caused by their equipment or weapons – there were plenty of Nephilim fluttering along the ceiling and more mundane guards posted at the walls.  No, his guess was that these nobles already had some previous “trade experience” with the Twilight Throne – purchasing undead slaves kidnapped from within his domain.  At that thought, his fingers clenched around his staff, and he felt chill energy creep into his veins.  How easy it would be to end them all now.

He felt Riley squeeze his fingers.  “Remember, we can’t kill everyone this time.”  She side-eyed him with another grin.  “Not yet, anyway.”

“Just tell me when,” Jason growled under his breath.

“At least we aren’t the only introverts at this party,” Riley said, nudging Jason’s arm.  He looked to one side of the room to find Eliza perched on a makeshift throne of moss and flowers, Brian’s sapphire eyes ever watchful.  The nobility was giving her a wide berth.  Although with the way the moss crept across the ground, and faint-colored mist wafted into the air around her, Jason assumed that wasn’t by choice.  It seemed Brian had added a social deterrent.

They really were a dysfunctional lot.

Jason sighed.  “At least Finn doesn’t seem to be having any trouble,” he offered, nodding in the fire avatar’s direction.  Indeed, he was surrounded by nobles, no doubt many trying to negotiate trade contracts with Sandscrit.  The ores mined from those rock islands were immensely valuable to the crafters located south of the great desert.  Kyyle and Julia were playing defense for him, taking most of the heat from the lesser nobility.

“Except he has a human cruise missile heading his way,” Riley replied softly, gesturing at Evelyn.  The woman was wearing a flowing silken dress that hugged her figure.  Swatches cut from the fabric revealed the smooth skin beneath, and not a single weapon marred her appearance – not that she’d have had anywhere to hide them.  She weaved through the crowd seemingly at random – flitting from one conversation to the next – however, it was clear from the pair’s vantage point that she was moving toward Finn and his entourage.

“Poor man,” Jason muttered, then frowned.  “Speaking of which, where the hell is Frank?”

Riley sighed and nudged him toward the far side of the room, where the tables of food and booze were situated.  A rousing cheer filled the air, one of Evelyn’s air mages quickly putting up a bubble around the group to block out the noise.  The shifter lifted an entire keg over his head and drained the contents in one fell swoop to the approval of a more “relaxed” crowd.

“Shit,” Jason muttered.  The alcohol wasn’t technically real, but the effect was similar enough.  The digital booze could dramatically lower a person’s inhibitions.  In this case, in a crowded ballroom with the city’s elite and four avatars with a grudging alliance.

“I should probably take care of that before it gets out of hand.”

Riley just nodded as Jason drifted off into the crowd, the sea of nobility parting before him with hushed whispers and hasty steps.  Maybe that was another unforeseen perk of his reputation.

***

“I thought I’d never get the chance to speak with you,” Evelyn chirped.

The nobles crowding around Finn started at the sound of her voice and murmured excuses as they quickly departed, mixing back into the crowd.  Which left Evelyn alone with Finn – Kyyle and Julia hanging near him and making a pretense at small talk.  However, their attention never left Evelyn, and their hands were never far from their weapons.

“Really?  What is it that we need to talk about?” Finn asked, unperturbed.  “Perhaps why we’re engaging in this complete waste of time instead of working on the sensor?”

Evelyn frowned delicately.  “Are you always so… short-sighted?”

Finn tensed slightly.  Had that word choice been intentional?  He’d been forced to switch off his Mana Sight during this gala.  The amount of mana being thrown around was distracting.  It bounced off the ceiling, covered the walls, pulsed through each person’s body, and covered jewelry and concealed weapons… To be short, it was giving him a headache.

Could she know the name of his skill?

No, no.  It couldn’t be.  He must be reading into it.

“How do you mean?” Finn retorted finally.

“The sensor is important, but so is this political glad-handing.  Say we succeed.  Save the world and all that.  You’ll still have to make your way here.  And it’s good to have a few friends in high places.”

Finn watched her evenly, a familiar cloth bandage covering his eyes and the flames of his crown licking at the air.  His fingers kneaded at the dense metal bands that covered his right arm, his left now composed entirely of crystal.  The truth was that he was worried – his thoughts constantly straying back to the sensor.  There was much more at stake here for him than a stupid trade agreement…

And that insipid woman was still looking at him.

“I prefer to prioritize,” Finn answered.  “There’s no point in politics if all of these people will be dead in a week.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes.  “There it is again.  So serious.”  Her expression shifted, fingers tapping at her lips.  “It almost makes one wonder why you’re focused on this game.  I’ll admit, I’m surprised.  Especially for someone of your… renown.”

It was time for Finn to arch an eyebrow.  So, she knew who he was.  Figured.  Finn was also familiar with the St. Clair family and their rivalry with George’s company.  It appeared some things never changed, no matter how much time passed.

“That’s my business,” Finn grunted curtly.

Evelyn simply smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.  “Mysterious.  I like an enigmatic man.”  She looked out at the crowd around them.  “Color me interested.  Besides, what makes life dreary is the want of motive.”

He’d heard that quote before.  “George Eliot?” Finn asked.

“Mary Ann Evans, writing under the name of a man.  Another woman who was unappreciated in her time,” Evelyn said, a sharpness in her expression.

Finn simply cocked his head.  “Well, then… the moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives, everything he does becomes tainted.”

“Gandhi?  Low blow,” Evelyn murmured.  Those piercing eyes turned back to him.  “How about this… whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives.”

“Oscar Wilde?”

“Good guess.”

“And what idiocy am I guilty of?  Working with you and Alexion again?”

“Precisely,” Evelyn answered immediately.  “You know we’re untrustworthy.  And yet you still agreed to work with us.  That tells me that something incredibly noble must drive you.”

She placed her fingers to her lips, peering at him.

“Could it be Rachael?”

The question was so simple.  So innocently asked.  Finn hadn’t been expecting it.  And he could barely control himself in response.  He wanted to lash out – to melt down one of those rings and send Evelyn flying back into the wall – hands and legs bound.  To pull the information out of her.  The fire in his veins demanded it.  It was only the movement in the corner of his vision that stopped him – gave him a moment of peace.

The sight of Julia’s face…

He motioned for her to stop – Julia only grudgingly freezing in place, her hand resting on the hilt of her lance.  Of course, she’d been listening.

“Really?” Finn demanded, turning back to Evelyn, and letting some of that fire creep out, just a taste, enough for the flames to cover his skin.  “How dare you bring up my wife here.  You are quite literally playing with fire.”

Evelyn didn’t seem perturbed, taking a delicate sip from her flute.  “My apologies.  I didn’t mean to offend.  I was just taking a stab in the dark, and it appears I touched a nerve.” As she glanced at Julia, his daughter let out a growl, and Kyyle put a hand on her arm to try to calm her.

Evelyn’s eyes drifted back to Finn.  “It’s only that Eliza mentioned her in passing.  Said she had something she wanted to tell you about your late wife.  I assumed she must have spoken to you already.”

Finn’s thoughts were racing.  Eliza?  Why would she be talking about Rachael – and to Evelyn of all people?  Had Jason told her what was at stake for Finn?  No, that didn’t feel right.  The kid had been discreet after the break-in at Cerillion.  Or, at least, Finn assumed he’d kept his mouth shut since George and his enforcers hadn’t come knocking on his door.  So why would Eliza be talking about his wife?

“Oh dear, judging from the look on your face, I suppose not,” Evelyn finished with mock guilt at letting the information slip.

She waved at another noble not too far away.  “It seems someone is looking for me.  I really must attend to my duties as host.  I’m so sorry if I caused offense.  You all should enjoy yourselves,” Evelyn urged them.  Then she was already drifting back into the crowd, flitting from one group to another.

“That fucking woman,” Finn growled, watching her walk away.  No doubt she’d been baiting him.  Trying to cause more drama.  Have him throw the first punch.  Then, she could unite the others against him – cut him out of the gate pieces.  Well, to hell with that.  Finn only wanted one thing.  To finish the damn sensor and put a stop to the apocalypse.

He turned, searching for Julia, only to discover she’d disappeared.  Damn it.

“Where’d she go?” Finn demanded, looking to Kyyle.  The earth mage looked stupefied.  “I-I don’t know.  She was just here—”

“Go find her.  Before she does something stupid.”

Kyyle nodded and marched into the crowd, Brock forcefully making a path for him.

“Damn it, I hate parties,” Finn muttered.

***

Frank set down the empty barrel a bit too forcefully on a nearby table with a crash, the wood splintering to the cheer of his crowd.

“Who wants to bet I can go again?!” he roared to the approval of the nobles around him.  Jason noticed more than a few coins changing hands as they began taking bets, the more astute gamblers pointing at the way Frank was wobbling in place unsteadily.

Thank god for the noise suppression, Jason thought to himself, eyeing the dome of amber energy surrounding the area.  The mage gave Jason a grateful glance as he crossed the threshold and waved at the caster.  The barrier soon came tumbling down, the man leaning back against a wall and downing a mana potion.  Apparently, he’d been channeling that dome for a while now.

However, as the nobles caught sight of Jason, their smiles faded, and they backed up hastily, the laughter and shouts dwindling to a subdued murmur.

“What?  What’s wro—  Oh,” Frank said as he caught sight of Jason.  “If it isn’t Major Buzzkill reporting for duty, sir!” he sniped with a salute – one that was more than a few hairs off.

“What’s going on here?” Jason asked as he approached, waving at the pile of kegs.

“Juz having a lil fun, you know?” Frank said, shrugging.  “What’s it to you?”

“Hmm, where to start?  You realize we’re at a party hosted by Evelyn and surrounded by enemies right now,” Jason offered, lowering his voice.

“And I wuz tryin’ to party!” Frank retorted.  “Besides, not like you need me anyway.  You have… uh, Riley,” he said, snapping his fingers.

Damn, he’s plastered.

“That’s not true, man,” Jason replied.

Frank snorted.  “Really?  That why are you puttin’ off the trials?”

Jason sighed.  Shit.  He should have expected Frank would catch on.  “Look, there’s a good reason for that.”  He eyed the room.  “But this really isn’t the place for this.

“Speaking of which, where the hell is Silver?” Jason muttered to himself.

“I dunno.” Frank slurred, reaching for another keg.  His arm immediately shifted, muscle and bone crunching and snapping and hair springing from his arm.  He stabbed his free hand at the top, a claw puncturing the keg before he began downing the contents.  “She got upset and marched off a while ago.”

“Then shouldn’t you go find her?  Make sure she’s safe?” Jason demanded.  “You know, instead of getting wasted in front of all these people?”  The nobles still lingered nearby, watching the scene with keen interest.

Frank was finally looking at him now, but that was anger shining in his eyes.  “I don’t need you to tell me what to do,” he growled.  “Who’re you to lecture me?  Like you have everything together?  You killed two people!  Livin’ at Cerillion and probably sucking George’s—”

“You sure you really want to finish that sentence?” Jason shot back, his own mana flaring.  He knew his friend was just fucked up right now – physically and mentally.  But he’d been dealing with his own monstrous pile of shit of late.

“Sure do,” Frank said, pacing forward menacingly.  “What you gonna do, Necroweeny?”  He chortled at his own joke.  Then he froze, half-transformed ears perking and his attention drifting across the room.

Jason’s brow furrowed, and he followed Frank’s gaze.  His Listening skill just barely picked out a conversation across the room, the noise suppression barrier no longer blocking out the rest of the ballroom.  The tone was predatory, filled with a deadly intent that stood out from the rest of the idle chatter.

“Oh, look at that piece of tail.”

Another noble chuckled darkly.  “Imagine if we captured her kind – the prices they would fetch from here to Vale.  Those mages are known for their… kinks.”

Jason finally picked the pair out from the crowd.  Two men.  Standing along the back wall.  Their eyes both fixed on one figure passing through the crowd with a man wearing a feathered, floppy hat.  Her tail swishing…

Oh, shit, Jason thought.

He turned back to Frank, but not before his friend barreled forward, his body shifting and contorting rapidly. Thick muscle broke through his skin and soon covered it in thick black fur.  He slammed into Jason, sending him tumbling into a nearby wall.  A few quick gestures on Jason’s part, and he managed to pull a portion of his Bone Armor into place.  Even so, the ivory substance crunched against the wall, and he briefly saw stars as his head struck the stone.

There were mottled screams as Frank charged through the crowd.

Jason held his head, blinking away the spots in his vision as he tried to focus.

He could see the empty wake Frank had left in the crowd and vaguely make out what was being said – the voices barely audible over the ringing in Jason’s ears.  A circle of onlookers had formed around Frank and the two nobles.  His friend held one raised in a clenched claw, the man struggling to breathe as Frank slowly squeezed – simply watching with those blood-red eyes.

“What did you say about my mate?” Frank growled.

Icy spears suddenly materialized out of the air and stabbed into Frank’s arm, severing the muscle in several key spots.  He immediately dropped the noble and whirled – only to hesitate when he saw Silver standing there, ice floating around her.  She’d practiced enough that she no longer needed to be in her wolf form to cast.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

Frank hesitated for only a second.  “Defending you,” he replied, waving a bloody hand at the two men slumped against the ground.

“I don’t need you to defend me,” Silver growled out.  “I am not some plaything.  Some weak flower that needs to be protected.  This is about us.  About that man outside the hall.  This is about stroking your own ego to make you feel better.”

Shit, Jason thought, trying to shake off the stun effect.  That isn’t going to go over well.

Frank quickly shook off her words, rage and booze consuming common sense.  “Really?  You don’t need my help?  Because if one of these fuckers decided to, they could ambush you.  Kidnap you.  Sell you off.  Kill you—”

“You think any of that is new?” Silver growled, beginning to shift now.  “I survived long before I met you.  I don’t need anyone to protect me – especially not this weak creature I see before me.  Have you so easily forgotten?  The predator doesn’t fear the prey.  We are the hunter.  Maybe I need to remind you.”

Frank could see the challenge in her eyes, and so could the crowd.  The nobles were backing away quickly now to get out of range as the two shifters began to circle each other.  Silver fully abandoned her human form and with it, any further attempt to talk this out.  This was now a competition among two predators vying for dominance.

Jason needed to get the hell up.  The debuff finally flickered and then faded from his vision as he felt Riley pulling him upright.  She touched at the wound on his head and the fragments of bone there, but he shrugged her off.

“I’m fine.  It’s just a scratch.  He caught me off guard.”

“So, I take it the conversation didn’t go well.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Jason muttered as a roar echoed through the room.  The noise was followed by an angry crash as the two unruly shifters smashed a chair to pieces – guests fleeing in all directions to avoid being crushed.  Meanwhile, the Nephilim overhead were moving into position, beams of light coalescing along their hands and the guards along the wall were forming a defensive line in front of the nobles.

“Fuck, I hate parties,” Jason muttered.

Chapter 14 - Encore

A few minutes earlier.

How had she gotten talked into attending this thing?

Eliza still wasn’t sure.

There had been that unusual encounter with Evelyn – the woman poking and prodding at her.  Secrets accidentally divulged.  Although, Eliza had to admit it felt good to talk to someone – anyone.  She’d been spinning in circles for so long about what to do.  Not that the conversation had made the path forward any clearer, of course.  But it had helped to release some of the weight that had settled on her shoulders ever since she’d overheard her parents discussing Rachel.

Several hours later, she was cornered by a very pushy man who said that Evelyn had sent him, and then been forced to squeeze into this… this dress of all things.  Eliza pulled at the fabric – a seafoam blue silk that spiraled and rippled as she stared at it.  No doubt an illusion had been stitched into the fabric.  It was almost pretty.  Almost.  Yet she missed the weight of her equipment.  Gone were her pouches and bags and arsenal of wands.  Okay, she was still carrying at least one wand.  But the rest of her mobile alchemy lab had been deposited inside Brian.  The branches making up his body cradled her precious equipment and held it safe.

Now she was trying to make the best of a bad situation.  Eliza had claimed a tiny corner on the far side of the hall, and Brian had created a seat of moss and leaves for her to sit on.  His presence also seemed to be discouraging anyone that ventured too close.  If anything, she’d noticed that the blanket of vegetation kept growing – gradually creeping outward and expanding her territory of solitude.

“Okay?” Brian whispered, the branches of his face rustling to form the words.

Eliza tilted her head to find him watching her with concern.  “I’m not really sure.  I think I said too much to Evelyn,” she murmured.

“Don’t.  Trust.”

“Me neither.  Just like I don’t think she decided to throw this stupid party out of the kindness of her heart,” Eliza replied, eyeing the room.  At least Jason looked as uncomfortable as she felt, and Finn was pushing off the glad-handing with the nobles onto Kyyle and Julia.

Apparently, the gods had picked a bunch of introverts.

The vines coiling along the floor suddenly lashed out – Eliza’s first warning that something was wrong.  Her head snapped up to see that Brian’s plants had snatched Julia out of the air, the woman growling as the restraints tightened around her limbs and eyeing Eliza with barely concealed anger and accusation.  She twisted in place in an incredible show of force, and the plant life began to rip apart as Julia’s feet settled back against the floor.  She plucked another vine from her arm, tearing it apart easily as she stalked toward Eliza.

Plants were blooming around Eliza more quickly now.  Brian had shifted strategies, abandoning the vines for colorful flowers that all tilted toward Julia as though she was the sun.  Eliza knew these species spit a particularly toxic poison.  In an instant, Julia raised her shield, and her other hand drifted to her lance, not quite drawing it… not yet, anyway.

“I need to talk to you,” Julia growled.

“Uh… o-okay,” Eliza stuttered, caught off guard.  She waved off Brian.  He halted the attack but didn’t lower his guard for a second, even more plants beginning to creep up the wall at her back – thickening and spreading.  They were also drawing attention from the other nobles who murmured and edged around the scene.

Eliza needed to de-escalate this situation.  Fast.

“What, uh, do you need to talk about exactly?” she queried.

“How about whatever the fuck you know about my mother,” Julia shot out, anger reflected in her eyes and her fingers tightening on the grip of her lance.

“I’m… that is… I’m not sure I know what you mean.”  Eliza hadn’t even thought about what to say… or how to say it.  Much less to Finn’s daughter.  In a crowded room.  Surrounded by enemies.

“Don’t give me that shit,” Julia retorted, taking a ponderous step forward.  “Evelyn said there was something you knew about my mother.”

Shit.  Of course, Evelyn had told Julia.

Brian wasn’t having any of Julia’s posturing, however.  More and more flowers were blooming, and a thick mist of pollen was springing up from the floor beneath Julia’s feet.  A paralytic, Eliza thought numbly, her mind flailing for a response – a way out of this situation.  They’d likely destroy most of the hall if they got into a fight here.  Frank had given her the rundown on Julia’s abilities.  Even without mana, she was a force to be reckoned with.

On the other hand, what the hell was Eliza supposed to say?

Something.  Anything, she realized as Julia took another step closer.

“Uh, well, I overheard my parents talking.  It seemed like they knew Rachael.  They also implied that her death might not have been—” Eliza began tentatively, the words suddenly spilling forth like a dam bursting.

Although, she was interrupted as a roar erupted from across the room, closely accompanied by the screams of the nobles.  Eliza only caught a glimpse of dark fur and thrashing muscle before bodies were crashing toward her and Julia, fleeing whatever the hell was happening.  Those people promptly stumbled into Julia, sending her stumbling forward.

And Brian didn’t hesitate for a moment, his sapphire eyes flashing as he pulled up a thick bramble dome around Eliza, and his body surged with mana.  As she let herself sink into that darkness, Eliza felt a strange mixture of guilt and relief coil in her gut.

She’d escaped again.  Barely.

***

Screams rippled across the ballroom, echoing off the gold-gilded walls – the acoustics amplifying the clatter to a crescendo.  The noise easily reached a small terrace balcony where Alexion and Evelyn stood, watching the chaos unfold below them.

Alexion shook his head.  “What the hell is going on?”

A thick dome of spiky vegetation now rested where Eliza had once sat, Brian’s body embedded in the plant life and his eyes blazing.  His plants had spread out dozens of feet in every direction, reaching up the walls of the ballroom.  Vines unfurled from the ceiling, snatching at any screaming nobles that ran too close to Eliza, only to pull them skyward by ankles and arms – leaving them hanging suspended in midair.  Paralytic moss coating the vines soon knocked them unconscious, mercifully silencing their screams.

Down below, Julia was slicing and spearing at the vegetation, bright blooms spraying poison and acid that was sent swirling away with a gust of air from her shield.  The acid splashed across a row of chairs and quickly ate away at the upholstery.  A woman standing nearby wasn’t so lucky, letting out a shout as the acid burned away at her skin – only for a Nephilim above her to cast a healing spell.

In the next instant, Brian’s vines had snatched the winged guard from the air.  The Nephilim struggled, but his body soon went limp as the paralytic entered his system – joining the many humans and angels now dangling from the ballroom’s ceiling, swinging there like a gallows.

Meanwhile, Julia and Brian ignored the collateral damage.  Another plant erupted from the ground and shot a barrage of poisonous needles.  Strangely, Julia’s arm flashed amber, and her body shifted to wisps of air as the needles streaked through the spot where she had been standing, only to strike another noble in the face.  The man promptly dropped to the ground screaming and clawing at his skin – no one coming to his aid.

Has Julia embedded mana crystals in her arm? Alexion wondered.

That was… new.  Although, his gaze was soon pulled away.

Alexion’s attention panned across the crowd of screaming people, looking for the source of the commotion.  He soon found it.  Frank and Silver had transformed and squared off near the banquet table… or, at least, what was left of it.  The table had been smashed in half, and food was strewn across the floor and smeared into the tiles.  The two beasts were clawing at each other with terrific force.  A paw swipe from Frank sent Silver toppling into a wall with a crash, cracks radiating outward from the point of impact.  Yet she recovered in an instant, back on her feet and icy shards materializing behind Frank – spearing into his back.

Armored plates appeared along Frank’s spine, the ice skittering off the chitin as he shifted into a Were-Ant.  However, Silver’s attack had been a feint.  While Frank was occupied, she leaped into the air, pushed off a platform of ice, and then shot back downward, barreling into Frank, and sending him tumbling into a series of small tables that promptly exploded in a shower of wooden splinters.

Silver landed neatly a moment later.  Frank growled and pull himself from the wreckage, glaring at her – his fur now matted with food and drink.

And throughout this whole scene, Alexion noticed that Evelyn’s guards hadn’t moved to enter the room.  In fact, they were now mysteriously missing.

Alexion glanced to the side to see Evelyn smiling.  “You did this, didn’t you?”

She just shrugged.  “Possibly.”

He shook his head.  “What the fuck were you thinking?  We need these people.”

Evelyn just sniffed.  “Need them?  To what?  Save a videogame world?  Come now, are you really that invested in this digital sandcastle?  I say we kick it down and watch the tide take it away.  Or are you truly that infatuated with playing make-believe?  Pretending yourself to be some sort of golden hero?”  She laughed, shaking her head.

Alexion ground his teeth at the condescension in her voice.  The image of his father’s face flashed through his mind’s eye.  She was treating him like a child, yet the truth was that he was invested in this place – in ways he had trouble articulating.  After every failure, perhaps he should want to burn it all down.  But in fact, he was beginning to discover the opposite.  With each death and defeat, he found himself drawn here, pulled back into the game.

And each time, the voice had grown quieter…

That numbness was growing weaker, almost letting through the tingle and burn of newfound feelings.

Like the ones he felt for Evelyn.  Had felt.  Imagined?

Apparently, she had less regard for this place… and for him.  Even if that was strange.  As Finn had pointed out during their initial meeting, Alexion knew Evelyn had invested hundreds and hundreds of hours into her trading business.  His eyes skimmed down to the screaming chaos below.  What could she possibly stand to gain from this madness?  How did this benefit her trade company – harming and terrorizing the nobility?

Alexion winced.  Or maybe he was asking the wrong question.  Maybe his father had been right.  Maybe she had just been biding her time.  Looking for weakness – a moment to strike at their company in the real world.  If she had stolen the leaked video, it hadn’t been enough.  Perhaps she saw this as her chance to finally help take down Cerillion’s new flagship product.

Her laughter still drifted through the air.  Tinkling and cruel as Evelyn watched her handiwork.  It reminded Alexion of something else – someone else.  The distant echo of a memory.  His hands gripped the banister, curling around the gilded metal so hard then it began to dent.  Frustration and anger coiled in his chest, hot and fizzing – not the cold numb he was accustomed to.  These feelings burned.  And with them came a question:

What game was Evelyn playing?

***

The crowd rushed past Jason and Riley, screaming as they tried to flee the two beasts laying waste to the banquet tables.  He was surprised that no guild guards or Nephilim had tried to intervene.  When he glanced toward the ceiling, he discovered the answer to one mystery.  The angels had joined the nobles dangling from vines, their bodies still and unmoving.  Jason could only hope they were drugged – not dead.  Brian and Eliza must be responsible for that.

Yet that still didn’t explain the lack of guards.  Scanning the room, he didn’t see a single one.

“Fucking Evelyn,” Jason grumbled under his breath.

“So, you noticed the missing guards too,” a voice spoke up to Jason’s right.

He glanced to the side to see Finn standing there, spinning balls of molten metal orbiting him like a miniature sun and dull embers simmering behind the cloth covering his eyes.

“You two going to do something or just stare?” Finn demanded of him and Riley.

Jason grunted.  With a mental command, his Death Knights entered the room from an adjoining hallway, crashing through the wooden portal.  The nobles who were trying to flee backpedaled and let out renewed screams.  However, Jason didn’t intend to harm them.  His skeletons created a funnel, raising their shields in a defensive line and gesturing for the nobles to flee into the hall at their backs.  The residents hesitated for only a moment before retreating from the room, keeping their distance from the skeletons.

Another quick gesture and one of Jason’s minions exploded apart, the bones reforming in midair before latching onto his arms, his torso, his legs, and feet.  He suspected he was going to need something tougher than his regular Bone Armor to break up the fight between Frank and Silver.  And then there was the fact that Alexion was strangely absent – which wasn’t a good sign.  He could be planning to attack during the chaos.

Finn must have read his mind.  “That kid needs to learn a new move.  It’s just the same, predictable shit every time.  Polite smiles and then a knife in the back.”

“He only has the one move,” Riley retorted.

Jason cocked his head.  He wasn’t sure he could blame all of this on Alexion.  “I saw the fight start between Frank and Silver – that was on them.  Don’t know what’s going happening on the other side of the hall with Eliza.  Any idea?”

“Not sure,” Finn grunted back.

“I can’t get a clear sight line,” Riley murmured.  Then she looked to the terraces overhead.  “I’m going to find a better vantage point.”  With that, she slung the bow over her back and proceeded to scurry up the wall in a matter of seconds, disappearing into the depths of the terrace.

Kyyle emerged from the crowd, shoving a group of nobles toward Jason’s minions with a well-executed Gravity Well, the nobles sliding across the tiled floor.

“About time,” Finn muttered.  “You have eyes on Julia?”

“Not exactly,” the earth mage replied, looking worried.  He paused as he saw Silver and Frank duking it out, a thunderous crash echoing through the room as Frank slammed Silver up against the wall – the stone cracking under the force of the blow.

“Well, shit,” Finn muttered.  “Cover me for a second.”  Then he turned to the crowd.  No doubt he was peering through the intervening layers of energy with his Mana Sight.

“Uh, hey,” Kyyle offered belatedly to Jason, noting his newly-formed skeletal armor.  Jason nodded in greeting.

“Julia confronted Eliza,” Finn finally said.  “They’re fighting on the opposite end of the hall.  She must have believed Evelyn’s bullshit.”

“What’re you talking about?” Jason asked in confusion.

“No time right now.  We need to break this shit up.  We don’t need to give Alex and Evelyn any more excuse to rally the city’s residents against us,” Finn said.

“Little late for that,” Jason muttered, watching the chaos.

The older man cocked his head.  He agreed, but it could still get worse.

Jason sighed.  “Okay.  Let’s put an end to this then.”  He eyed Kyyle.  “First, we need to take care of the crowd.  You want to give me a hand?”

The earth mage nodded and emerald energy twined around his staff.  At the same time, Jason began casting Curse of Silence.  The spells struck simultaneously, a sweeping Gravity Well struck the room and flattened the remaining nobles against the floor, and Jason’s curse immediately cut off their screams.  Another Gravity Well from Kyyle sent the nobles all rolling back toward them, Jason’s skeletons stomping into formation in front of the stunned and disoriented residents.

Finn raised his crystalline left arm, sucking the heat from the room and plunging the ballroom into a sudden chill.  As soon as the crowd was incapacitated, he pivoted and shot an overcharged Molten Beam.  It struck the ceiling above Brian and Eliza with tremendous force, burning away Brian’s vegetation before carving through the stone completely and spearing out the other side.  Kyyle had the foresight to throw up another Gravity Well, just barely catching the nobles that had been suspended from the ceiling – their bodies now hovering inches above the floor.  Thankfully, they were still unconscious.

Finn hadn’t been shooting wildly.  The beam had cut a massive block of stone from the ceiling.  It now plunged downward, heading straight for Brian and Julia.  Finn’s daughter noticed the block of stone and retreated quickly with a gust of wind from her shield, executing a perfect backflip and her feet sliding across the marble.

Brian’s glowing eyes also darted to the ceiling, but he was unable to dodge the debris.  Instead, he reinforced the thicket around Eliza, sending it surging upward until it collided with the falling stone.  The plants trembled under the force of that weight, giving way under hundreds of pounds of rock, but Brian just kept pouring more mana into them, reinforcing the thicket into a solid wall until the rock slowed, then finally stopped.

The combination of the sudden quiet and the distraction of the ceiling partially collapsing gave Jason and Finn their opening.

Jason darted forward, his staff splitting in half as he plunged between Frank and Silver.  He pivoted, allowing Frank’s claws to scrape across his shoulder.  The minions clamped to his body unfurled their claw-like limbs, and leaped toward Frank, latching on to his arms and torso before skittering across his body.  Frank tried to swipe at them, but they were fast, dodging his blows as he pivoted and spun.  Finally, he managed to snatch one of the spider-like creatures, only for it to clamp around his hand and release a blast of dark mana that sent it rocketing toward the floor.  As the spider struck the stone, it drilled into the surface and anchored itself into the rock with an ivory spine, locking Frank in place.  Then another spider followed.  And another.

Frank shifted, and his body contorted frantically as he tried to escape, but each time, the spiders just clamped down more firmly, adjusting their grip.  With the dark ore Jason had infused into his summons, even his friend’s impressive strength wasn’t enough to break those bonds.  After the fight in Sandscrit, Jason had been fiddling with a few new ideas for how to use his summoned armor.  This was his “crowd control” prototype – meant to absorb a hit and then incapacitate his opponent for a killing blow.

Soul Blades slithered out from Jason’s staves, the blades coming to rest against Frank’s neck.  Meanwhile, Jason watched Silver where she paced around the pair – still not having relinquished her shift and her eyes watching them.

“How about we calm the fuck down?” he asked.

Across the room, Finn had made short work of Brian’s thicket, using the collapsed ceiling as a distraction to send his orbs spinning forward, flattening into razor-blades as they raced across the room.  They sliced easily through the vegetation, giving off a whine and a shower of sawdust.  Moments later, a wall-like section of vegetation fell away, revealing that the blades now hovered around Brian core body, flames licking at his body.

Julia tried to use that opening to launch forward again, but Finn was ready for that.  He’d formed two long chains, the metal embedded in the floor.  The metal cuffs snapped around Julia’s ankles.  She tried to absorb the flames, but Finn was too fast.  The fire winked out in an instant, leaving only plain metal behind.  Julia wrenched at the chains but found herself firmly fixed to the floor – her only recourse to glare at Brian.

And just like that… sudden stillness descended upon the room.

“What the hell do you all think you’re doing?” Jason bit out, his voice carrying across the ruined hall, the nobles having either fled or lying unconscious on the floor.

Sanity was slowly returning to Frank’s and Silver’s eyes, the pair gradually shifting back into their human forms.  As they saw the devastation and blood staining the stone, they at least had the presence of mind to look ashamed.  And for Brian’s part, he slowly shifted the block of stone to the side, lowering it to the floor with a thud that shook the ground.  Then his vegetation began to shrivel and disappear.  However, the plant-like man still held his arms protectively around Eliza.

For her part, the water mage surveyed the ravaged ballroom in shock.  It looked like Brian must have reacted on his own, autonomous from any commands she might have given.

“I’m not leaving here until she tells me what she knows,” Julia grunted to the clang of metal scraping stone.

“Enough!” Finn barked, suddenly standing beside her.  “This is not the way.  If you need to talk to Eliza, then do it once you’ve cooled the hell down.  I understand why you’re upset and frustrated.  But causing a scene like this does not help us.  It doesn’t protect your mother.”

Julia glared at her father but bit her tongue.

“Hey, I’m—” Frank began.

Jason pivoted to him, glaring at the shifter where he was still bound to the floor, his skin having regained a normal hue.  “No.  The same goes for you two.  You and Silver need to go deal with your shit.  If that means beating the hell out of each other, fine.  But do it somewhere you can’t harm anyone.”

The pair nodded reluctantly, and Jason lowered his blades, the mana dissipating as he snapped the two halves of his staff back together.  At the same time, his summons released their prey, and the shifters took that opportunity to retreat – quickly.

As they fled, Jason’s attention turned to Eliza.  While he understood the conflict between Frank and Silver, he was less sure what had happened with the water mage.  Julia had mentioned something about her mother?  But why would Eliza have anything to do with Rachael?

“Well, that was a clusterfuck,” Riley muttered as she appeared at Jason’s shoulder, Ella and Jerry hanging along the back wall behind Jason’s line of Death Knights.

“Where were you?  You missed the fun.”

“We were keeping an eye on them,” she offered in response, gesturing with her chin, her bow in hand and an arrow still nocked and ready.  Jason followed her gaze to find Evelyn and Alexion stepping away from the terrace that ringed the room’s ceiling.  The guild leader even had the audacity to wave as she left.

“Assholes,” Jason muttered.  Riley grunted in agreement.

Which left them alone amid the devastated ballroom, food plastered against the walls and floor, puddles of booze and blood.  Blocks of shattered stone rested along one side of the hall, crushing thick vegetation beneath them.  And a hole now lingered in the ceiling, letting in the light of Alexion’s shield.  No doubt the nobles were  shell-shocked – those that had survived anyway.

Jason heard a soft tap at his heels and glanced down to find Alfred sitting there.

“Is this what you meant by us working together?” Jason quipped.

The cat just stared up at the pair silently.

Riley sighed.  “Well, at least it can’t get any worse.”

Chapter 15 - Heist

Steven had entered AO with one objective: to join Finn’s army in Sandscrit.

Like most people – or practically anyone with a pulse and an internet connection – he’d seen the videos of Jason’s siege on Sandscrit.  However, unlike most people, he wasn’t interested in overwhelming armies of undead or OP edgelords.  Anyone could summon a few undead and then fuck off and let them do all the heavy lifting.

No, Steven had poured over those videos looking for footage of Finn.  The strategic planning that had gone into designing his defenses.  The way he’d masterfully directed his forces to blunt the assault on the city.  Even the hard decisions he’d been forced to make, sacrificing the travelers to stop that undead horde.

Many travelers still grumbled at the way Finn had turned his laser tower on the interior layer of the city, flaying many men and women alive and sending even more toppling over the edge of the makeshift ledge of glass building into molten pools.  But not Steven.

Finn was a true ruler.  A strategist.  An engineer.

He’d jumped at a chance to follow in his footsteps, making the arduous journey to Sandscrit and vying for admission to the Mage Guild in Sandscrit.  No longer were travelers simply inducted when they first logged into the game.  Now they fought for the honor of attending Finn’s school – of receiving the sort of training that had birthed an avatar.  And Steven had accomplished his goal by crawling over the bodies of his compatriots.

Which was how he found himself in the Mage Guild as dusk descended on the desert city and the sun slowly sunk behind the sandstone walls surrounding the courtyard.  Steven had been training hard, spell books tucked under his arm and his thoughts on tomorrow’s classes.  He’d progressed quite far already – quickly trying to pick up new fire spells.  Perhaps someday, he could even graduate from the school and get accepted into Finn’s elite mage corp.

They said his daughter’s boyfriend Kyyle led them.

Steven was so caught up in his own ambitions that he hadn’t noticed when the ground began to tremble slightly… at least, not at first.  Not until the stone beneath his feet began to shake and rock, sending him lurching into the nearby wall.

Steven hit the stone with a grunt, quickly pushing himself back to the railing that ringed the courtyard as shouts of alarm began to echo off the sandstone.  The barriers surrounding the Mage Guild courtyard were still in place, with multiple flickering layers of mana sustained by wards etched into thick metal poles ringing the sandy enclosure.  More mages were stationed around the square, pacing the multi-story terraces alongside Steven.  Now, all their attention was on the center of the courtyard where that gate piece rested.

A fountain of water had suddenly erupted from the sands, spraying up into the air – stretching more than two dozen feet.  That alone would have been impressive, especially within the depths of the desert.  But swimming among those waters were  huge fish – like oversized piranha – all gnashing teeth and flickering scales.

The water wasn’t behaving normally.  It hadn’t crested and fallen under the effects of gravity.  Instead, it branched outward into tributaries like an enormous liquid tree, taking the fish along with it.  Steven could only look on in shock as he saw the Khamsin hidden within the awnings of the guild hall leap through the protective shields, racing toward the gate piece as their bodies absorbed the mana and broke apart into streamers of elemental energy.

The waters seemed to anticipate their movements, whipping at Khamsin as they neared, the rugged men and women swiftly absorbing the water mana and their limbs turning to liquid.  But the fish were waiting, leaping out of the water, and snapping mouthfuls of bloody flesh from the bodies of the Khamsin as they rematerialized.  Although, that alone wasn’t nearly enough to down the hardy desert folk.

One man’s body shifted through the stream, twisting in place to avoid a snapping fish.  His knife cut at the creature’s skin, but the piranha to plunge back into the waters to escape.  The Khamsin hit the ground, and his body reformed—

Only for him to suddenly disappear with a cutoff scream.

Steven blinked.  Blinked again.  It almost looked like the man had been pulled underground.  He had the presence of mind to tap at his UI to bring up his in-game camera – a floating blue ball appearing at his shoulder.  He needed to record this.  Finn could use the footage.

More cries filled the air as the Khamsin were taken out one by one.  Steven squinted against the spraying water and waning sunlight.  He could just barely make out something moving underground – a rippling line of sand forming a wake behind it and what looked like a fin protruding from the ground.  The beast suddenly erupted from the sands and grasped hold of another Khamsin woman, lifting her from the ground.

Steven felt his breath catch as he witnessed the beast.  It was half man, half shark – its upper torso replaced with rippling muscle and sharp rows of teeth.  As he looked on in horror, the beast literally bit the woman in half – her Mana Absorption offering no protection against that sort of physical attack.  As the other Khamsin tried to come to her aid, the shark-creature dove back into the muddy sands, using the waterspout as cover.

“Something is inside the barriers!” one of the mages shouted.

“Bring down the shields.  We need to reinforce the Khamsin!” another cried.

“It’s going for the gate piece!”

Steven was shaking his head.  That seemed like a bad ide—

The barrier flickered and then faded as the mages rushed to the aid of the Khamsin.

Only for that spout to suddenly fountain further into the sky, those liquid tributaries now snaking outward with incredible speed.  Within an instant, they were twisting into the depths of the terraces.  The mages tried to shield themselves, throwing up walls of fire that pushed back the water behind blazes of flame.  However, the liquid seemed to have a life of its own.  It twisted around the mages’ defenses, carrying those sharp-toothed fish with it.  Shouts of pain filled the air, and the waters were soon stained crimson, the blood twisting away into the floating streams.

Steven acted quickly, burning away at the sandstone wall behind him, stepping through and then pulling up molten glass into a barrier just in time to block another spray of water, the jaws of a fish gnashing and scraping at the glass.  His heart was thumping wildly in his chest as the waters soon receded, chasing other mages around the terraces, and giving Steven and his camera an unimpeded view of the courtyard once more.

The Khamsin were down.  The mages were dying or distracted.

And in that opening, that shark-like monster finally emerged from the sands.  This time, it didn’t leap from the muddy mixture.  It seemed to slide out of the sand with careless ease.  It was massive.  At least eight feet tall, all rippling muscle and death.  And those cold, dead eyes were fixed solely on one thing.  The gate piece.

The creature stepped forward, grasping the metal in its giant arms, and heaving it into the air – a chunk of metal the size of a small car lifted without a care.  The tree of water suddenly inverted, the tributaries racing back to the trunk and beginning to spin faster and faster, vapor flying away from the liquid vortex forming in the middle of the courtyard.  The water quickly ate into the sand like a drill, blasting it away into a swirling whirlpool.

The shark-creature gave one last look at the courtyard – at the dead and dying – before it simply stepped down into that vortex, vanishing from sight.

Leaving Steven standing there behind his makeshift wall of glass – looking at the pure devastation before him, his thoughts racing.

“What the fuck was that?” he muttered.

***

The sun had crested the horizon by the time the group emerged from the sands.

A massive squawk filled the air, clawed feet digging into the sand.  Wingman barreled forward and crashed into the shark creature as it erupted from the sand.  It was immediately forced to drop the hulking gate piece as it embraced the chicken, its bulging arms wrapping around it.  Yet the shark didn’t try to attack, nor did the bird.  Although, the creature’s form did shimmer and shake, strange ripples forming across his skin.

“Ahh, isn’t that… touching,” Smokes gasped beside them, having sunk to the ground, his chest heaving as he sucked in air.

“Surprised she knew it was you with the illusion,” Tombs added as he shook sand from his clothing, breathing hard but still able to talk.

Dom grunted as he shoved Wingman back.  Then he took off his ring, his shark-like features sloughing off in a wave of water that sloshed against the sand and revealed his typical attire – immaculate suit and smiling mask that marked him as the leader of <Death and Taxes>.  “She can smell me, can’t you, girl?” he asked.

The chicken squawked again and rubbed her head against his hip.

“Queen’s rings worked well… even if they seem like they’re almost out of juice,” Dom offered to the others.  He eyed the piece of metal before sticking it in his pocket.  The money they’d spent on making these damn things and training Queen had definitely paid off.  Even if it had cost a small fortune.

“You going to be okay there, Smokes?” Tombs asked.  The other man was still collapsed on the sand, his arms spread-eagled.

“Fuck.  You.  I had to channel all that damned smoke while hiding myself and holding my breath for like an hour,” Smokes grunted.

“Or 10 minutes.  Tops,” Tombs answered dryly.

“Says the guy that just spent the whole fight getting a piggyback ride from Dom.”

Tombs sighed.  “That was a little emasculating.  But I have to be able to touch him to Phase.  I’m impressed that Queen’s illusion could cover me too.  She’s getting better.”

“Your smoke also looked a lot like water,” Dom said to Smokes, appreciating how well the illusion had worked.

He just received a weary grunt in response.

The group was interrupted as the ground trembled beneath their feet.  All eyes turned to the horizon, where a wave of sand was kicked up in the air, blocking the last stray rays of waning light.  It looked like the sandworms were moving their way – probably sensing the vibrations they had caused as they traveled underground with Tombs’ Phase.

“Shit.  Looks like we need to get moving again,” Smokes muttered, shoving himself upright, shaking another cigarette out of his pack, and lighting it with a small orange crystal.

“Indeed,” Dom replied.  He glanced at Wingman and gave a sharp whistle.

The chicken immediately transformed, blossoming in size in mere moments until she was nearly twenty feet wide.  Tendrils of smoke curled away from Smokes’ cigarette, forming giant hands that lifted the gate piece and placed it on the chicken’s back before morphing again into thick bands that secured it to Wingman.  Smokes took another long drag and blew out a plume that settled around him, lifting him gently into the air and floating him over to the gate piece where he lounged atop the metal.

“Good.  I’m ready for a nap anyway,” he grunted, squeezing his eyes shut with the cigarette still dangling from his lips and leaking smoke.

“How do you think the others are doing?” Tombs offered nervously to Dom.

He just cocked his head.  “No word from Bard yet.  So, we can assume it hasn’t gone sideways – at least, for now.”

Dom glanced at Tombs.  “You going to be okay to distract the worms.”

“Sure… I can’t wait to get torn apart by a swarm of over-sized earthworms.”

“Just think of it as more training,” Dom answered with a grim chuckle.

“Time to finally nut up and take one for the team,” Smokes added, his eyes squeezed shut.

“Says the asshole taking a nap.”

Smokes just blew out another puff which swiftly formed into a hazy hand.  Even in the twilight, it was clear that the fingers had been “artfully” arranged.

Tombs sighed again.  “Haha.  Fine.  I guess I’ll see you all back in the casino…”

He trailed off as he Phased into the ground, no doubt heading toward the northwest – luring the worms away from their path.  If the Khamsin were following them, that should also help mask their trail.  Dom suspected the desert folk would follow the worms – assuming they’d picked up on the movements of whoever had broken into the Mage Guild.

Wingman gave Dom a questioning cluck.

“Yeah, yeah… let’s go.  Remember to stay off the sands as best you can,” Dom answered.

She took that as the signal, taking off toward the south in a series of great, hopping jumps, using her wings to coast through the air before landing and leaping again.  Yet as fast as the bird was moving, Dom easily kept pace.  He leaped, sailing through the air, before landing with a thump, barely losing any momentum before taking off again.  That staggered pace should make it hard for anyone to follow them – worms or man alike.

Yet Tomb’s words stuck with Dom.  He wondered how the others were doing.

Bard had a tendency to get… overexcited.  And Queen and Pewpew’s history with the avatars made them unpredictable.  It was hard to believe he was counting on Blaze to maintain a cool head.

Dom heaved out a sigh.  But it was too late now.  Things were already in motion.  And soon, the video of their latest heist would go viral – he’d ensured that mage had lived to tell the tale, tucked away behind his flimsy wall of glass.

All he could do now was have faith in his team.

Chapter 16 - Clandestine

Jason slumped down at the kitchen counter in his apartment, staring into the depths of the bowl of cereal resting atop the marble.  It had been a long night in-game.  First, they’d been forced to patch the hole in the ballroom ceiling – it was a security risk, after all.  Although, that had done little to address the rest of the damage.  The only good news was that at least none of the city’s elite had perished in the attack.

Apparently, most of the nobles had been wearing protective trinkets and equipment.  Amulets that could create an elemental shield.  Rings with an auto-healing function.  It was almost like they didn’t trust the avatars.  Go figure.  Between that and the quick intervention by Jason and Finn, the nobles had survived the encounter relatively unscathed.  At least, if you didn’t count psychological trauma.

Not that this did much to quell the anger in the eyes of the nobility.

Jason was sure the fallout from that debacle was going to be rough.

He stirred absently at his cereal.  And then there was the were-elephant in the room… and the tepid water witch?  Mixed metaphors aside, their fledgling alliance was on the rocks.  Frank and Silver were on the outs.  Eliza was hiding something – something that apparently was important to Julia and Finn.  Anything that had to do with Rachael would be a sensitive topic.  And to top it all off, Jason was reasonably certain Evelyn had lit the damn fuse.

The avatar of light and his girlfriend weren’t the glorified heroes they painted themselves to be in public.  Apparently, they were rooting for the world to end.  Which left Jason to hold together what remained of their alliance while also being vilified by residents and travelers alike.

So, just another fucking day in AO.

“Who shit in your cheerios?” Angie offered as she padded into the kitchen wearing fluffy pajamas and bunny slippers.

“Take your pick.  It was really a group effort,” Jason muttered in reply.

“Well, if you aren’t going to eat that…”

Jason just pushed the bowl toward her in response.

“You look… comfortable,” he observed, finally inspecting his aunt.

She shrugged and grinned.  “Now that we’re under lock and key, I can’t exactly make the commute to work – which gives me a fantastic excuse to be lazy.”

“Did you need one?” Jason quipped.

“Watch it,” she shot back, stabbing the spoon at him.  “I’ve been watching soap operas in bed all day.  I know how to kill you with the maximum possible amount of drama.  By the way, did you know the whole wall in my bedroom turns into a screen?  I could get used to this.”

“Enjoy it while you can,” Jason offered sourly.  “George threatened to either mind rape me or evict us yesterday… or both, technically, I guess?”

“Well, if you end up with a choice, pick the mind rape,” Angie replied with a grin.  “I’m a kept woman now.  I’ve become accustomed to a certain standard of living.”

Despite himself, Jason chuckled at that.

His aunt’s expression sobered.  “But seriously, have you considered just leaving this place?  You must have made some cash at this point.  We could find another place.  Or heaven forbid you call your pare—”

“Not going to happen,” Jason said, shutting that topic down.

“Okay.  Fair.  But I’m just saying,” she mumbled around a mouthful of cereal, “we don’t have to keep doing this.  You have other options now.”

Jason grimaced.  He’d considered as much – even used that counterargument to call George’s bluff, which already seemed like an eternity ago.  And yet… it was difficult for him to imagine leaving Cerillion Entertainment.  Something kept him coming back and logging in.  Perhaps it was the promise of money, or maybe it was something else.

Almost on cue, his Core chimed.  Jason glanced at the watch and let out a sigh.

“More fun?” Angie quipped.

“Another problem,” he shot back, shoving himself away from the counter.  “I need to step out for a bit.  Try not to have too much fun without me.”

“Can’t make any promises,” Angie said as she padded back to her room and the front door swung shut behind Jason with a solid thump.

***

Jason rapped at the door, eyeing the guards stationed on either side.  Their faces were obscured by dark visors that reflected the glare of the screens lining the hallway.  Robert had decided to be a dick.  Again.  Anarchy symbols floated down those displays, popping like soap bubbles as they reached the guards.  Not that they showed any reaction.

The door swung open, and Robert’s scruffy face peeked out.

“Why, hello there.  Good of you to drop by,” Robert offered to Jason.  “Have you met my two new butlers?  They’re not great conversationalists, but what they lack in personality, they make up for in raw firepower.  You know, in case the engineers really go wild down here.”

He eyed the screen across from his doorway.  “Oh shit… I totally forgot to switch this up for you guys.  This one is probably getting old.”  Robert tapped at his Core.

Moments later, the display shifted, showing a child’s TV character.  At the same time, music echoed down the hall – an overly-cheery, high-pitch whine about the power of friendship.  Jason swore he heard one of the men sigh, but he might have imagined it.  Neither moved an inch.

“Now, I know you’re excited, but make sure you stay professional.  Try not to sing along or anything.  Your boss might be watching,” Robert instructed the two guards.  Then he waved for Jason to enter.

As the door clicked shut behind them, Jason shook his head.  “That was cruel.  They might just shoot you out of spite.”

Robert laughed.  “Possibly.  But the show isn’t for them.  George has had those two stationed there to protect me for days now.”  He snorted.  “Not that I’m buying that noise.  They’re there to keep an eye on me.  Make sure I don’t do anything crazy.  Our dear ol’ business daddy has also had three other engineers update the encryption on those screens in the hallway.”

Robert’s expression sobered.  “That little scene is for him.  To show George he can’t lock me out of our systems no matter how hard he tries or how many guards he posts at my door.”

“Is that wise?  To antagonize him?”

“Because you got in line and puckered up to kiss his royal ass during that meeting, right?” Robert shot over his shoulder as he stepped deeper into his apartment.

Jason slowed as he saw the engineer’s living room.  It was… clean.  Gone were the piles of garbage and pizza boxes.  The spare electronics had all been collected and stored in neatly labeled bins.  And wonders of wonders, Robert had re-assembled the appliances in his kitchen – his dishwasher giving off a soft hum.  Presumably, cleaning dishes.

“What the hell happened in here?” Jason murmured in shock.

“Oh, just decided to tidy up a bit,” Robert answered dismissively.  He settled back against the arm of his couch, the furniture no longer buried under a mound of books and trash.  Then he idly tapped at his Core, and a blue field of energy skimmed out across the room.

Then engineer simply watched Jason.  Waiting.

“So, uh, you rang?” Jason offered.

“At your request,” Robert answered easily, crossing his arms.

So, he didn’t want to be the first to blink.  Fine.  Jason was out of patience for posturing, especially after the evening he’d already had.

“You fed George a bunch of bullshit.”  It wasn’t a question.

“As did you,” Robert retorted.

“You first.  Why?” Jason demanded bluntly.

Robert winced.  “Okay, fine.  Because I have some egg on my face.  Best I can tell, our intruder used my security credentials to access the Control Room.”

Jason raised an eyebrow.  “You know that but don’t know who broke in?”

Robert huffed.  “Says the kid that was standing outside the Control Room when security showed up.  I’m guessing you got a pretty good look at our intruder yourself.”

The pair stared at each other for several long seconds.

“Fine.”  Jason broke first.  “It was Finn.”

Robert just nodded.  “Sure, as hell was.  My guess is that he scanned me and stole my credentials when I visited him at his house.  Clever bastard.”  He shook his head.  “Still don’t know quite how he wheeled his old ass up to that floor and then got out without anyone noticing, though.  That was a neat trick.”

“He walked,” Jason grunted.

“Uh, come again?  My hearing must be going.  I swear you just said he walked.”

“Because I did,” Jason insisted.

“Well, shit,” Robert muttered.

“You seem surprised,” Jason observed.  “But I’m not sure why.  You know as well as I do that these headsets are messing with our bodies while we’re logged in.  Alfred has admitted as much.”  Jason lifted his arm, his bicep flexing beneath the skin.  “I sure as hell didn’t always look like this.  Especially after spending every waking moment lying on my bed.”

“Sure.  But there’s a difference between stimulating hypertrophy and repairing extensive nerve damage,” Robert retorted, his eyes going distant.  “Alfred has made a lot more progress than I realized,” he murmured.

The engineer’s gaze refocused on Jason.  “So, I take it you ran into him then?  What did you all talk about?  Your fondness for destroying cities?”

“Something like that.”  Jason watched Robert.  “But it’s my turn.  What did Finn manage to steal?”

The engineer grunted.  “That’s complicated, you know.  The system…”

“Bullshit,” Jason interjected.  “You might not have known for sure that it was Finn, but you clearly suspected.  And if you met with him, then I can also assume you know why Finn is so interested in AO – or, again, you can make an educated guess.  So, what did he take?  Did he manage to secure Rachael’s code?”

From Robert’s expression, Jason could tell he’d hit the nail on the head.

“Not… exactly,” Robert muttered.  He raised a hand to ward off Jason’s objections.  “I’m not being deliberately obtuse.  The answer just isn’t obvious.  It looks like someone – or something,” he amended with a meaningful look, “managed to hack our servers before Finn infiltrated the building.  My guess is that they left him a surprise.”

“What kind of surprise?” Jason demanded.

Robert shrugged.  “Dunno.  It deleted itself as soon as Finn downloaded the package.  I was only able to see that he accessed Rachael’s data and copied a portion of it along with whatever present our hacker left for him.  However, the size of the transfer was much larger than I would have expected.  Whatever it was, it was a decent-sized file.  Maybe some sort of virus?”

Jason frowned.  That was unhelpful.  Or was it?

Finn had been in a sour mood – distracted.  If he’d managed to obtain Rachael’s data, why did he seem so on edge?  And why was he gunning so hard to stop the destruction of the game world?  The obvious answer was that he hadn’t managed to secure what he wanted.  Or… what he’d stolen wasn’t enough for him to reproduce Rachael.

“But I can tell you that whoever did this knew Finn would be accessing our systems when he did and knew what he was looking for,” Robert continued, interrupting Jason’s thoughts.  “Not only that, but the hack was masterfully done.  I wouldn’t have noticed if Finn hadn’t broken in.  And that’s no small feat with Cerillion’s systems – I designed them myself.  There are only maybe a handful of people that could pull that off, Finn included.  And I’m guessing the Najmat Alhidad wouldn’t screw himself over like that.”

Robert was staring at Jason now, his meaning clear.

Jason sighed.  Might as well just state the obvious.  “You think it was Alfred.”

“Possibly.  Assuming he had a connection to the public network.”

There was that look again.  Robert knew.

“Which he does,” Jason said curtly.

“I figured as much,” Robert replied with a sigh.  “So, if I’ve got this right… you ran into Finn outside the control room, knew he’d stolen information, and then… what?  You let him go?”

Jason cocked his head but didn’t deny it.

“And it sounds like he downloaded something he didn’t intend to,” Jason added.  “And we both know there’s only one person that could have known what Finn planned to do.”

Alfred.  The answer was obvious.

The AI must have accessed Finn’s thoughts days earlier, determined what he planned to do, then hacked the Cerillion servers using his connection through Jason’s headset.  The only question then was why?  What had the AI been hoping to accomplish?  What had he left for Finn?  And how did this all relate to his cryptic words to Jason?  Something about a common enemy…

Could it have had something to do with the end of the game world?

“What and why?  I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Robert echoed Jason’s thoughts.  “What did Alfred leave for Finn and why?”

“I don’t know,” Jason answered slowly.

“But you have a suspicion,” Robert observed, slowing his spin, and watching him.  “You’re playing a deep game here, Kid.”

Jason raised an eyebrow.  “That’s rich coming from you.”

It was Robert’s turn to look surprised.  “Oh, really?”

“For example, just how old are you?” Jason demanded, his thoughts on his conversation with Finn – the older man’s warning.

“You know, it’s very rude to ask a guy his age,” Robert dissembled with a smile.  As he saw Jason’s unamused expression, however, he sobered.  “Fine.  I’m assuming you aren’t referring to my biological age.  In that case, I would be roughly 134 perceived-years old.”

Jason was shocked.  He had been expecting a big number.  But the engineer had lived several times his biological age?  That went a long way toward explaining Robert’s lax behavior.  Just as Jason had changed rapidly within a few short months, how would he act after decades?  Would he also behave like didn’t give a shit about other people’s reactions?

And putting that aside, how had Robert even pulled this off?  He clearly hadn’t started using the VR technology from birth.  He’d only had access for a few years – at least, that was Jason’s understanding.  So how much would he have had to increase the time compression?

“Yes, as I’m sure you’re aware, I’ve amped the time compression just a bit.”  At Jason’s skeptical expression, he continued.  “Okay, maybe a lot.”

“I thought a multiple of four was supposed to be a limit.”

“A safety limit,” Robert amended.  “Each person is different, and some minds are capable of handling higher multiples of compression.  For example, take that Custom Skeleton spell that you use with some frequency in-game.  That’s just a more intensive time compression.  Possibly x8 or x10.  Like Finn's Haste, other players experience it in shorter bursts – increases in reaction time or awareness or physical speed.

“In fact, our research indicates that a person’s tolerance can gradually increase.  People have been talking about the mind like a muscle for decades.  Well, they aren’t entirely wrong.  Just like muscle, neural tissue is capable of adaptation and reconstruction.  Over time, my personal time compression ratio continued to increase until it hit a plateau.”

“Which means you’ve been working on this technology for—”

“Decades,” Robert interjected.  “Did you really think we made this much progress in just a handful of years?  That’s ridiculous.  The first step was to take Finn’s AI controller and expand upon it – set it to work solving for the largest resource problem we were facing as a species.  Time.  Once we arrived at a solution for that, creating a virtual sandbox around that technology was child’s play.  And from there, we were able to move much faster… relatively speaking, of course,” he added with a sly smile.

“With the goal of accomplishing what?” Jason demanded.  “I still don’t understand that part.  Finn’s goal is clear.  He wants to bring back Rachael.  George wants to make money, I guess?  For Claire, this is a job, and she clearly feels conflicted with what you’ve all built.  But you, I don’t understand.  Why go to that extreme?  Live for decades beyond your normal lifespan?”

Robert just watched him, a sad smile on his face.  “Let’s just say that Finn and I aren’t that different.  We just took separate paths.  He imploded after Rachael’s death.  I… well, I took a different approach.”

“Wait… this was all to what?  To bring her back?”

The engineer’s expression was unusually solemn – which was disconcerting.  It made sense in a way, at least from what Jason knew.  Robert had been Finn’s protégé.  He must have worked closely with both him and his wife.  Perhaps they had even become like parents to him.  Even as that thought occurred to Jason, he couldn’t help but recall that Robert had never mentioned any family of his own.  Not even once.

But if that was true…

“Were you the one that incorporated Rachael’s memories and data into AO?” Jason asked.

“I had no choice.  Even with all that extra time, I’m still only human.  And consciousness is an elaborate affair.  The processing power needed to pull together all that disparate information and reconstruct a cohesive mind is beyond even my capabilities.”

“But not Alfred,” Jason murmured.

Shit.  His thoughts were spinning.  Puzzle pieces just beginning to connect—

Only to be interrupted as Jason’s Core chimed again.  Robert’s terminal also pinged, the pair looking at their devices simultaneously.

“Well, we may need to cut our chat short,” Robert murmured.  “The folks at Vermillion Live are going crazy.  It seems something went down in Sandscrit.”

Jason winced.  He’d just received a message from Riley with an embedded video.  Even from just the first few seconds, it was clear they had a problem.  It looked like Eliza – or, at least, one of her people – had just attacked Sandscrit and stolen his gate piece.

“I also needed to go,” Jason murmured distractedly.  If he didn’t act soon, there might not be much left of Evelyn’s guild hall once Finn was finished.

“No doubt.  I enjoyed our talk,” Robert said, that smirking grin plastered back on his face.  Jason was only now realizing that this was the engineer’s façade – one that hid his true feelings and intentions.  Even after this conversation, he didn’t feel like he fully understood what Robert was after.  Rachael might be part of it – but Jason sensed there was something more.

“We’re not finished,” Jason replied before stepping toward the doorway.

“No doubt,” the engineer murmured as the door clicked closed.

Leaving Robert alone once more, his mask cracking and smile fading.  What he hadn’t told Jason was that those decades had been spent alone, locked in a digital prison of his own devising.  It was a sacrifice he had borne willingly – the cost of progress.

Yet the stillness of solitude still stung more than he cared to admit.

“You’re getting soft, Old Man,” he murmured, spinning back to his workstation.  There was more work to do – and there never seemed to be enough time.

Chapter 17 - Confrontation

“Finally!  Where the fuck have you been?” Evelyn snapped as Jason and his group entered the courtyard where the sensor was being built.  Guards lined the enclosure, and Nephilim floated around the array, patrolling the skies just beneath the glowing golden dome of Alexion’s mana.

Under normal circumstances, Jason might have assumed those human guards and winged angels were there to protect the sensor, the ivory structure now towering above the guild hall.  Jason had repurposed the bones from most of his remaining minions to construct the base of the structure, leaving only a handful to protect himself.  The tower now spiraled up into the air, a latticework of gray-white bone that glimmered in the energy reflected by Alexion’s shield.  Finn’s lens was perched at the top, a product of extensive testing and many failed trials.  However, Jason knew the guards weren’t there to protect the array.

They were there to guard Evelyn and Alexion.

“I was busy,” Jason ground out, his face obscured by his hood.

“Not like we need to explain ourselves to you anyway,” Riley snapped.

“Indeed you do, especially after your psychotic companion and his furry escort trashed my ballroom,” Evelyn huffed as she waved in the direction of Frank and Silver, eliciting a low growl from the shifters.

“Oh, did I offend you?  Maybe your master should have taught you to heel.”

“That’s more than enough,” Jason said icily, waving at Frank and Silver to stand down.

“Is it?  Is it really?  Have you already forgotten about the residents that were injured?  How you lot traumatized the city’s nobility?  I’ve been putting out fires for hours, and I’ve barely managed to stop a full-fledged rebellion.  Or did you not see the size of Preacher’s crowd now?”

Jason had.  The travelers had been joined by more than a few residents – possibly thinking that this Armageddon event might be limited solely to the travelers – a rumor Preacher had joyously helped spread like wildfire.  Even from behind layers of shields and many walls, Jason could still make out their shouts and the whine of a guitar.  Yet he wasn’t focused on that.  Jason’s eyes kept straying to Alexion.  He’d stayed quiet, letting Evelyn do the talking.  He stood beside her like a statue, looking troubled.

Nor did Evelyn really look that upset despite her words, almost like she’d helped orchestrate that clusterfuck.

Not that Jason could prove that.  And even if he could, those accusations certainly wouldn’t help smooth things over.  The bottom line was that they needed their help – at least for now.

“What?  Nothing?  You’re all oddly quiet.  Not even an explanation for why you decided to screw me over?” Evelyn demanded, glaring at Frank and Silver.

For his part, Jason’s friend did look mildly embarrassed – although the emotion was quickly buried under a fresh coat of anger.  “We had a… disagreement.”  He side-eyed Silver.  “We’ve worked it out now.”

“What he means is that I kicked his ass – privately this time,” Silver amended with a toothy grin.  Her brilliant blue eyes centered on Evelyn.  “And if you don’t watch your tone with me and my mate, I will rip your heart out and eat it while you watch.”

Evelyn opened her mouth… only for it to snap shut moments later.

Apparently, she was second-guessing the look on Silver’s face.

“Where’s Finn?” Riley offered, attempting to move the conversation along.

She was interrupted as the man himself made an appearance, stalking into the courtyard with his lieutenants in tow.  His crown was flaring, the flames licking at the air, and a sour expression was painted across his face.  Julia and Kyyle didn’t look much better.  No doubt they’d all seen the video of what had happened back in Sandscrit, including the theft of Finn’s gate piece.  It was all over the streaming channels right now – the footage broadcast far and wide.

Putting aside the loss of a valuable item, it was a PR nightmare, especially coming on the heels of Jason’s attack on Finn’s city.  It made the avatar of flame look weak.  Vulnerable.  Jason could appreciate that problem better than anyone, especially as the muted shouts of the angry and resentful mob outside beat against the barrier surrounding the guild hall.

“At least I don’t need to ask where you’ve been,” Evelyn sneered.  “Putting out fires on the home front, no doubt,” she remarked too sweetly.  “Perhaps once you have a free moment, we can discuss how you’re going to reimburse me for carving a gods damned hole in my ballroom ceiling.”

“How about you go fu—” Julia began, only for Finn to cut her off.

“Have any of you seen Eliza?” he demanded.  His voice was just a touch too quiet.  But the way flames ate away at the cloth around his eyes belied his anger.

The group went quiet.

“Nothing?” Finn demanded.

“I’m, uh… here,” someone spoke up from the edge of the clearing.

Everyone pivoted to find Eliza standing there demurely, adjusting her glasses and her gaze fixed firmly on the ground.  Brian hovered beside her as always – those glowing eyes watching the group warily.  But, unlike Eliza, he didn’t look even a bit contrite, and his plants were already spreading out around him, creating a safe zone in the event they chose to attack.

“You have a lot to answer for,” Julia growled, stepping toward Eliza, only for a bramble to erupt from the ground, blocking her approach.

At the same time, the guild guardsmen drew their weapons, glowing lights sprang up along the Nephilim’s palms, several of the thick metal bands coating Finn’s arms melted down into flaming spheres that orbited him slowly, and Frank and Silver began to shift.  If there was going to be a fight here, it was going to be a messy one – each of the avatars and their companions on edge.  Jason’s attention flicked to the sensor.  This time the collateral damage might be greater than a broken roof and a few bruises.

Evelyn just rolled her eyes.  “Fantastic.  A repeat of last time.  What?  Are you all planning to destroy the sensor now too?”  She waved at the column of bone nearby.

Finn ground his teeth but grudgingly waved Julia back.  Although, no one had truly lowered their weapons or canceled the channel on their spells.  The tension in the air was thick enough to cut.

The avatar of flame stepped toward Eliza slowly, the bramble coiling more tightly around her as Brian prepared for an attack.  Yet Finn made no move to harm her.

“Did you steal my gate piece?” he ground out, the question simple.

“I-I didn’t… I wouldn’t…”

“You’re lying,” Julia grunted.  “Just like you were withholding information about my mother.”  The rest of the group was watching keenly now.

“Enough,” Finn snapped at his daughter.  The metal in his eyes fully aflame now and the cloth wrap finally fell away, revealing the molten metal embedded in his face.

Those burning orbs turned back to Eliza.  “You need to explain yourself.  Now.”

The avatar of water swallowed hard, her eyes panning across the rest of the group, likely looking for some sort of help or assistance.  Yet she only found cold, appraising expressions.

“I, um, I’ve been here the whole time,” she began weakly.  “I just logged off to eat—”

“You could easily have sent some of your merfolk,” Finn interrupted her.  “Don’t treat me like an idiot, girl.  There’s footage of one of your people killing more than a dozen Khamsin and as many mages before taking off with the gate piece.  There’s no refuting that.”

“I wouldn’t…  I mean, why would I do that?” Eliza retorted.  She eyed Jason with a pleading expression.  “Tell him!  Tell him I didn’t do this.  If I betrayed Finn, that would be the same as betraying you.”

Jason hesitated.  Just a week ago, he might have come to Eliza’s aid.  But now?  Well, she’d been distant.  Acting strangely.  She’d left the Twilight Throne immediately after the battle in Sandscrit and hadn’t spoken much to him since.  At least, not until they’d all met here.  Even then, he had the impression that she’d been avoiding him – hiding something.

He shook his head slowly.  “I’m not so sure that’s the case.  What’s Julia talking about?  What do you know about Rachael?”

“Jason, are you sure—” Riley began, her bow drawn and an arrow nocked.

“I’m not sure of anything,” he cut her off.  “What do you know?  If we’re supposed to trust you, you need to come clean,” Jason insisted, his gaze never wavering from Eliza’s face.

Eliza’s eyes widened.  She glanced around again, but no one was coming to her aid.  Her gaze focused on Evelyn and Alexion, who watched silently.  “But what about them?”

“Tell me now,” Finn insisted.

Eliza’s gaze dropped to the ground.  “I, um, I don’t know much about Rachael.  Anything, really.  I only overheard my parents a few days ago.  They, uh, they mentioned that they knew you and Rachael.  That she visited my mom just before she died.  She was upset – worried.  Rachael left some files with my parents that they’ve kept hidden from Cerillion.”

It was Finn’s turn to look surprised.

“Wait… what’s your last name?” he demanded.

“Zhao.”

A pause and then, “Are your parents Mei and Feng Zhao?”

Eliza looked startled but then nodded.

Julia was watching her father with a questioning expression now.  “Do you know them?”

Finn grimaced.  “Mei worked at the hospital with your mother.  They were friends.  What was this about records?” he insisted, turning back to Eliza.  His tone had shifted – no longer angry but demanding.  Worried.  Desperate.

Jason’s brow furrowed.  After what Robert had told him – he could only assume that Finn’s attempt to retrieve Rachael’s data had failed – putting aside whatever virus might have tagged along with the data.  That would go a long way toward explaining his tone.  His wife was still being held captive within AO.  And that was putting aside the implication of Eliza’s revelation.  Had Rachael known what was going to happen to her?  Why had she been worried?

Eliza side-eyed the rest of the group again.  “I’m not really sure this is the right place for this.  Maybe we could talk privately?”

“Why?  So, you can fuck us over again without any witnesses?” Julia demanded, stalking forward, her lance and shield drawn.

“Julia,” Finn warned.

“What?  This all sounds like bullshit to throw us off the scent.  She could have just looked up the story online and is using this as an excuse to cover for stealing a gate piece.”

“She has a point,” Evelyn quipped.  “I did my research on Eliza too.  She’s just a regular high school student.  What does she need this game for anyway?  For all we know, Eliza could be the one behind this so-called Armageddon.  She could be working with Preacher.  Could have helped instigate that mess between Frank and Silver.  All as a way to steal the gate piece for herself.

“But why would I do that?” Eliza began frantically.  “I mean, if the game ends, what good is a gate piece?  Besides, that’s not me.  I didn’t want any of this!”  she glanced at Jason again, moisture shining in her eyes.  “Please tell them!  I just wanted to tend my garden.”

“Looking to him for help?  That’s rich,” Julia snapped.  “He doesn’t care about you.  He’s just out to help himself and increase the reach of his stream.  Besides, do you think his words will sway any of us?  He’s screwed over almost everyone here.”

Evelyn tapped at her lips.  “That’s a fair point.  He’s even harmed you, dear,” she said to Eliza.  “Used you to help create and sell those potions – which only served to bolster his city.”  She looked to Jason, and her eyes lit up.  “Now that I think of it, perhaps Eliza isn’t our culprit.  For all we know, our Dark Lord himself could have been behind the attack in Sandscrit.  That really sounds more like his MO anyway.”

“And how exactly could he have done that?” Riley demanded, her eyes flashing.

Evelyn shrugged.  “He can summon undead.  All he would need to do is kill a couple merfolk and raise their corpses, no?  Or hell, he could probably build a skeleton and then cover it in fake skin or an illusion.  Doesn’t seem that difficult.  And that gives him an easy scapegoat in this poor girl here.”

Eliza’s mouth opened, then closed as she stared at Jason.  He could see her thoughts racing.  Her plea for help morphing slowly into suspicion.  The others were staring now, too.  Finn’s penetrating gaze laser-focused on him – no doubt reading his mana signature for any hint of complicity.

Jason just scoffed.  “Really?  Now I’m the suspect?  Because Evelyn here suggested it?  Doesn’t that seem telling?  As far as I can see, she’s in the best position to benefit from us turning on each other.  And Alexion’s light magic could create illusions that mimic the merfolk.”

“I didn’t have anything to do with that mess,” Alexion growled, finally entering the conversation.

“Really?  Says the guy that’s tried to pin mass murder on me how many times now?  All while roleplaying as some sort of white knight hero for the cameras?” Jason shot back.  “Or how about that time that you got me expelled?  Sorry if I don’t fucking believe you.”

Jason glanced at Evelyn before his gaze returned to Alexion.  “Besides, you two have already tried to steal the gate piece from Finn.  And it’s clear that Evelyn wears the pants in your relationship – she’s been the one making every decision for you since we arrived.  Maybe you wanted to prove to her that you could do something on your own, huh?  Actually win for once?  Wouldn’t that be a crazy outcome…”

Alexion’s eyes flashed, light spilling from his skin and panels of glowing, golden energy materializing along his body.  He drew his sword to the scrape of metal.  “Why don’t you come over here and say that again.  I’d love to have a real rematch.  One where Riley and Finn aren’t there to save you.”

Jason paced forward, snapping his staff in two, and twin Soul Blades slowly arced through the air.  At the same time, his Bone Armor slid into place, coating his body.  Riley and the shifters pointed their weapons at Evelyn’s guards and the Nephilim as they pivoted – now turning their weapons on Jason and his group.

“Then let’s go, dickhead,” Jason growled.

Alexion was more than happy to oblige.  Beams of light speared forward, slicing through the air – only to crash harmlessly against Frank’s plated form as he shifted.  Riley fired, and a dark void ripped open in the air near the sensor array, the vacuum sucking in the Nephilim and throwing off their aim.  Then, Silver entered the fray, icy spears forming in the air around her and rocketing toward Evelyn’s guards, forcing them backward.

As his companions covered him, Jason surged forward in a blur of movement.  Alexion braced himself, Evelyn cowering behind him as he formed a tower shield comprised entirely of light.  Jason never slowed, dark mana peeling away from his skin and flickering down the length of his half-staves.  He pulled back to swing his Soul Blades…

But the blow never landed.

Just before he reached Alexion, Jason’s body broke apart into streamers of dark energy that spiraled around Alexion, streaming passed him.  The avatar of light turned in slow motion, his glowing eyes wide and filled with surprise.  Flaming orbs darted forward, melting down and snapping around Evelyn’s arms and legs, before spearing into the ground, pulling her to her knees before the metal hardened and anchored her in place.  At the same time, brambles emerged from the ground all around the courtyard, blocking off any last hope of retreat.

Jason’s Soul Blades came to rest just before Evelyn’s neck, hovering there, drawing only a thin line of crimson blood on her pale skin.

“What… what’s the meaning of this?  Guards!” Evelyn cried, grimacing as the skin of her wrist and ankles welted under the heat of Finn’s spells.

Jason just snorted in amusement.

Evelyn looked up to find her men were on the ground, crushed under a well-timed Gravity Well – courtesy of Kyyle – and the others had been sent flying back into the terrace with a blast of air from Julia’s shield.  The rest of the avatars simply watched her impassively.

The guild leader’s eyes went wide.  Her gaze shifted to Alexion.  “Alex… help me.”

“I don’t think so,” the avatar of light said, his mana disappearing as he sheathed his blade and crossed his arms.  His Nephilim floated nearby, not one of the angelic soldiers making a move.

“Why?” Evelyn demanded.  “After everything…”

“Enough,” Alexion sneered.  “Don’t sit here and pretend that you know me.  That you care about me.  I don’t have to endure that bullshit any longer.”

He stepped forward, his eyes flashing a brilliant gold.

“Where the fuck is the real Evelyn?”

“I don’t… I don’t know what—”  The guild leader looked confused – shaking her head and glancing at the others.  But all she saw staring back was cold hostility.

“It’s time to give up the ruse,” Finn remarked, stepping forward and the metal cooling with a twitch of his fingers.  “The illusion is cleverly crafted.  Layering the mana.  Infusing it with other affinities.  Even adjusting it in real-time to simulate emotion.  At first, I didn’t notice it was fake.  I’ll admit… you fooled me – even if I have been distracted.  Still, I’m impressed.”

Finn tapped at his temple.  “But it doesn’t hold up to my Mana Sight.  Not when I’m focusing on you, at least.  There are still subtle patterns – a repetition in the mana fluctuations that shouldn’t be there.  Daniel was kind enough to point them out for me,” he offered, waving at the ball of flame floating beside him, which winked and dipped at his approval.

“Enough.  Answer me.  Where is the real Evelyn?” Alex growled again.

Evelyn’s eyes darted the group, noticing the way they all stared at her, waiting.  Riley’s bow was nocked.  Jason’s Soul Blades rested at her throat.  Finn’s metal bound her to the ground.  The courtyard was lined with guards.  Eliza and Brian didn’t linger far away, the bramble covering the walls in thick vines – preventing her escape even if she somehow managed to free herself from her bonds.  And from the shadows of the terrace, Frank and Silver prowled, their eyes glowing in the darkness.  She was outgunned and outnumbered, the full force of four avatars united and now arrayed against her.

The guild leader’s expression finally cracked, confusion transforming into a sneering smile.  “Huh, I’ll give it to you.  I didn’t expect you, idiots, to find me out – much less to work together.  Well played.”

As she spoke, Evelyn’s features dissolved away.  Her tunic rippled and disappeared, fur fringed leather soon replacing it, the armor glimmering with mana that spoke to its quality.  A wand suddenly appeared at Evelyn’s waist and glowed with a brilliant sapphire light.  But everyone’s gaze was focused on her face.  Pale skin was replaced with a smooth, ivory finish and a perpetual, frozen smile – a mask that Jason immediately recognized, even if her abilities hadn’t already given away her identity.

They’d just captured Queen, a member of <Death and Taxes>.

Chapter 18 - Mindful

A few hours earlier.

Jason stepped out of a multi-colored rift with a sigh.  He had yet another fire to put out, even as his conversation with Robert lingered with him.  Unresolved.  Foreboding.  The engineer clearly had an agenda here – to help resurrect Rachael… at least, if he was to be believed.

For some reason, Jason suspected there was more to it than that.

He tapped at the air to bring up his UI.  His friends list soon scrolled before him.  It looked like Finn had been offline for a few minutes – a short break, knowing him.  They still had some work to do to finish the sensor array, and the clock was ticking on the end of the world.  Meanwhile, Eliza was online.  A tap at his map revealed she was inside the guild hall, her icon highlighted in glowing green.  Thankfully, he’d thought to have the avatars form a group ahead of time – selling them on the idea of knowing each of their locations.

Paranoia paid off sometimes.

Jason rubbed at his eyes.  Hopefully, he had enough time to confront Eliza and do some damage control before the shit hit the flaming fan.  His feet were already moving, pacing a path toward Eliza as he mentally calculated how many “resources” he still had at his disposal after helping Finn create the sensor tower.

The answer was far too few.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t come down to a fight.

“I take it you saw the video?” Riley spoke up as she approached from an adjoining hallway, her boots treading silently across the marble floor – an impossible feat back in the real world.

“Yeah… yeah.  This is going to suck,” Jason murmured.

Riley grunted her agreement.  “So, we’re going to talk to Eliza first—”

“Oh, look at you two off on another adventure… *hic* without me!” Frank drawled as they stepped out into the guild’s open courtyard.  The shifter sat atop a throne of kegs, more strewn across the ground.  Jason saw Jerry perched on the terrace above them, the innkeeper tipping his hat politely at Jason.  No doubt Ella was keeping an eye on Silver.  They’d been doing as Jason had asked – just in case the shifters decided to, well, do something exactly like this.

Jason couldn’t afford for Frank to make another scene or to damage the column of bone that now towered above the courtyard, ending just shy of Alexion’s glowing, golden dome of light.

“Yeah, yeah, I know about my babysitter too!” Frank shouted up at the balcony.

“Personally, I prefer asshole wrangler,” Jerry quipped with a shrug.

“Frank, we really don’t have time for this.  Maybe you should log out for a bit, sober up, and then actually talk to Silver?” Jason suggested.

His friend just snorted.  “Passing me off again, huh?  You think I’m too lovesick that I don’t notice how you two are sneaking around?  Even more secrets!” he declared as he lifted a keg to his lips.  Finding it empty, Frank frowned and chucked it at a nearby wall, where it exploded in a shower of wooden fragments.

“That’s not it at all—” Jason replied in irritation.

He was cut short as the shifter suddenly raced toward Jason in a blur of movement.  Jason suddenly felt himself lifted from the ground by an overly hairy arm – blood-red eyes hovering inches from his own.  The primal spirit must be preying on his friend’s fear and uncertainty, urging him to bloodshed.

“I’m not stupid.  I see what’s going on.  The way you keep putting off the trials,” Frank growled.

Jason winced.  He noticed Riley moving in the corner of his eye, slowly drawing a blade.  Jerry had also moved to flank the shifter, a bead of crimson now dotting his thumb as he empowered himself with blood magic.  They both knew Jason couldn’t afford to die here.  He didn’t have time to make the trip back to Barrow – not with Finn about to go on the warpath once he saw that video.

“You don’t trust me,” Frank bit out.  “Prolly cuz of my relationship—”

“You have it wrong,” Jason retorted sharply, waving the others off.

He heaved out a sigh.  After his conversation with Robert… and George… and Alfred, Jason was really, really starting to hate the secrets and the intrigue – everyone playing their own game while keeping everyone else in the dark.  There was a certain simplicity to just telling the truth – especially to your friends.  And he was starting to see that they couldn’t afford this type of distrust and dissension within their own ranks.  It was tearing them apart and dooming their entire mission to failure.

Although, this wasn’t exactly an opportune time for a heart-to-heart.

But was there ever going to be one?

That didn’t seem likely with the shitshow that was his life now.

Frank was still staring at him in confusion.  “If you put me down, I’ll explain,” Jason said finally.  The shifter hesitated for a moment before reluctantly lowering him to the ground.

Jason could feel Riley’s attention on him – her knowing gaze.  But his attention was only on Frank and the pain he saw reflected in his friend’s eyes.  If he went through with this, there would be no going back.  Frank would be at risk.  He would have to make a choice.  The same one Jason had made what felt like a lifetime ago.  But that was the problem, wasn’t it?  It was a choice.

One Jason had been making for him.

“Fine,” Jason said with another sigh, pulling back his hood so Frank could see his face.  “You’re right.  I’ve been withholding something from you.  I’ve been avoiding completing the Keeper trials.  And I’ve been doing that to protect you.”

Frank snorted.  “Really?  Protect me?  That’s rich—”

“Don’t believe me?  Then let’s do it right now.  Just get it over with,” Jason insisted, waving at the courtyard.  “Then you can make up your own mind.”

Frank wavered, those glowing red eyes beginning to shift back to normal.  He seemed confused by Jason’s easy acquiescence.

“Are you sure this is the best time?” Riley ground out, eyeing her UI.  “We likely don’t have long until Finn is back.”

“The spirit orb will provide additional time compression, just like it did for you,” Jason replied evenly, pulling the cloudy sphere from his pocket.  “In the meantime, I need for you to go find Eliza,” he added, this time for Jerry.  The innkeeper nodded and immediately blended back into the shadows.  “And if Finn shows back up, ping me,” Jason instructed Riley.

“Of course,” she replied.

Jason turned his attention back to Frank.  “In order to do this right, I need for you to sober the hell up.  Can you shift to something with a higher metabolism?”

“I… uh, I can do one better,” his friend replied.  As he finished speaking, the shifter winced and doubled over, clawing at his stomach.  He let out an involuntary grunt, and his breathing came hard and fast.  Moments later, he stood back up, his eyes looking clearer and his skin less flushed.

“What was that?” Riley asked as Jason handed her the orb, and she secured it to one of the worktables that littered the courtyard.

“Shifted my liver,” Frank muttered with a pained grin.  “It’ll still take some time for the debuff to end completely.  I’ve got plenty of stacks.  But it should speed up the process.”

Riley just grunted.  “Huh, clever.”

“Thanks,” Frank shot back sarcastically.

“You ready for this?” Jason demanded, dark mana pulsing through his body in a frigid river – numbing him to the sudden doubt and uncertainty that coiled at the edges of his thoughts.

Frank nodded, although he looked less certain now despite his bluster.

“We both just need to touch the orb,” Jason instructed, holding Frank’s gaze.  “Then we’ll complete the last Keeper trial.”  He paused, meeting Frank’s eyes.  “Last chance to back out.”

“Screw you,” Frank muttered and smacked his palm against the crystal.

Jason raised an eyebrow but followed suit, gently placing his hand on the glass.  A smoky mist immediately spewed from the orb and swept out around the pair, fully encircling them, and blocking out the sight of the courtyard.  Then there was only Jason and Frank, eyes locked as the mist coiled and swam across their skin.  Finally, it sucked them down into its depths.

***

There was no warning.  No signal of transition.  The mists were simply whisked away as though by a stiff breeze.  However, Jason knew that was impossible.  There was no wind here.  No breath.  No warmth.  No life.

They were in the depths of the soul well.  A recreation of his thoughts and memories.

A simulation – not unlike the one he’d used to torture Thorn.

And now he’d brought his friend here.

“What the fuck is this?” Frank muttered, staring at the scene around them, his eyes wide and wild – the digital alcohol no doubt still lingering in his veins.

Unlike with Riley, there was no school.  No courtyard.  No winding hallways.

The pair stood in an open field, gray mist circling them in a dense wall that seemed to stretch up endlessly.  And in the depths of that fog were figures.  Shadowy shapes that shambled forward.  They were people.  Not the undead.  Not the Kin, but unfamiliar faces.  Many wore plain clothes from their own world.  Some held banners and posters riddled with hastily scrawled text.  News drones buzzed above their heads, puffing and scattering the mists.  Others were robed in leather and mail, swords, bows, and daggers held in hand.  Those that he’d killed in-game.

Those that wanted to hurt him.  Hunt him.  Kill him.

Hundreds.  Thousands.  A legion of shadows lingering at the edges of the mist.  Instinctively, Jason knew they were waiting.  Watching.  Looking for an opening.  A moment of weakness they could use to surge forward.  A mob just ready to lynch him.

“My mind,” Jason answered finally.  “Or a recreation of it.”

Frank shook his head.  “But Riley said there were hallways and spiders or something.”

“I was fighting her,” Jason answered.  “My subconscious was trying to protect me – protect both of us – from seeing what we shouldn’t.  The point of this trial is for the two of you to see into my soul.  Just like I witnessed some of your most painful memories when I first sacrificed you to the mana well,” he explained, his gaze still on the mists.

“And this?” Frank asked.

“I’m not fighting anymore.  You wanted to see the truth.  Well, here it is.”

As he finished speaking, Jason waved at the center of the clearing.  A lone pedestal stood there, dark as night and riddled with ominous, green glowing lines.  A single black cat perched atop its surface.  Its feline eyes watched Frank, unblinking and alien.  Predatory.

Frank stepped toward the cat.  “What—” he began, stopping short as his foot suddenly struck something in the grass.  The vegetation immediately shriveled and died, drying up in an instant, a plague that rippled outward through the clearing, killing everything in its path.  And revealing two bodies slumped along the ground, their shirts torn and bloodied.

They had been stabbed to death.  Dozens of holes riddled their chests.  More of the crimson liquid pooled below them in a thick lake.  Their eyes were vacant – open and staring.  Horror was reflected there.  And pain.  Their last moments etched indelibly into their features.  Jason stood frozen – couldn’t look away.  Only stare back…

“Who are… these are…” Frank stumbled, his eyes widening in sudden realization.

“The people that broke into my aunt’s house,” Jason answered quietly, swallowing hard against the acidic burn of bile at the back of his throat.  He’d tried for so long to forget this image… forget what he’d done… what Alfred had done to protect him.

Frank turned back to Jason, and his eyes widened.  Jason’s hands were now drenched in blood as he stared down at the pair, a knife clenched in one fist.  More blood soaked the pillar, coursing down the obsidian spire to form bloody rivers that trickled out across the open field, mixing with the ashy gray dust that lingered there.  And through it all, that black cat sat there, his tail swishing slowly back and forth.

The crowd was murmuring and shifting in the mist now, surging forward threateningly but not quite breaking through that smoky wall.  Those signs now looked more like weapons – the text scrawled in blood.  The players shifted forward, revealing bleached white eyes that marked them for what they were.  Corpses.  More of Jason’s victims – past and future.  An ever-growing pile of bodies that threatened to overwhelm him.

“I didn’t know… I mean, I’d seen the news,” Frank muttered, staring down at the bodies of the two teenagers.  “But is this real?  These wounds?”

Jason nodded, blade still in hand, staring down at the blood-drenched metal.  He knew what his friend was seeing.  Dozens of stab wounds.  That didn’t speak of self-defense.  That spoke of rage.  Murder.  Frenzy.  The same details that the detective inquired about.  And Jason saw those same questions reflected in his friend’s eyes now.

“You did this?” Frank muttered.

“No, he didn’t,” a voice spoke up.

Frank started and backpedaled, now staring at the cat.  “What the fuck?” he muttered.  “Did the cat—did Onyx just speak to me?”

“I did,” the creature answered.

“What is this?” You said this was part of your mind,” Frank managed, glancing at Jason but keeping a watchful eye on the cat now.  “Why is Onyx here?  Why is there a creepy talking cat perched on this pillar?”

Jason just shook his head, his hands trembling.  He could blame Alfred, hold him responsible, but the truth was that the blood was still on his hands.  Real blood.  Real consequences.  Two teenagers dead.  Because of him.  Maybe he deserved to fail.  Maybe he should have given up long ago.  Should have stopped this madness… the murder, the deceit, the intrigue…

The mob in the mists began to push forward more violently now, shouts and murmurs and grunts suddenly breaking through as they emerged from the gray wall, their feet thudding at the broken, dead ground as they stalked toward him.  They didn’t run.  Didn’t race.  They took their time, emerging from every direction and leaving nowhere to run.

Some part of Jason knew what this was.  His hesitation.  His subconscious attempt to protect himself once again – to prevent Frank from discovering the truth.

The shifter was eyeing the crowd nervously, his limbs rippling and changing as he tried to shift.  Even so, it would be an impossible fight.  Thousands against just the two of them.

But this couldn’t end here.  Jason needed to tell him the truth.

No matter how painful that might be.  How it might destroy their friendship—

And there it was.  The truth.  The fear he’d buried deep down in the pits of his mind.  His reluctance to tell his friend had never been about protecting Frank.  Or Alfred.  Or Riley.  Or Angie.  Those had just been excuses.

It was about protecting himself.  It had always been about himself.

“Stop,” Jason whispered, raising a hand.

Walls of bone suddenly erupted from the ground, spearing towards the sky and the grey mist sweeping out around them.  More than a few of the crowd were impaled on bony spikes and launched upward, suspended from the walls that now ringed the blood-soaked field.  The crowd outside roared and raged, banged at the walls, and cut at the ivory with sword and magic.  Jagged shards of bone were ripped free from the shuddering walls.  They wouldn’t last forever.

“You want the truth?” Jason asked Frank as he met his eyes, dark mana cascading from his body.  “The truth is that I didn’t kill those two,” he said, waving at the bodies.  “He did.”

“The… your cat?”  Onyx?” Frank asked, confusion lacing his words.

“That isn’t a cat,” Jason replied, stepping up beside the pillar, his feet splashing through the pool of blood that now reached his ankles, not sparing the corpses another glance as he pushed past them.  He turned then, his eyes midnight black, his body splattered with blood, corpses lingering at his feet, and a horde beating at the walls around them – screaming out their fury.

He could see the fear etched across his friend’s face.  The hesitation and doubt and confusion.  But there was no turning back now.  He’d come too far.

“This is Alfred,” Jason said finally.  “And he saved my life.”

Chapter 19 - Suspicious

Milky white tendrils of smoke whipped through the guild courtyard, condensing, and then blowing away as if they’d never existed – leaving Jason and Frank standing on solid ground, a glowing, golden dome hanging overhead once more.

“How did it…”  Riley hesitated as she saw Frank’s expression and Jason’s worried look.

His friend had gone silent as Jason told his story – told their story, Alfred perched there merely observing.  He’d held nothing back, telling every gruesome detail.  Frank had remained silent throughout, barely moving or breathing, only the tremble in his hands giving away his feelings.  The shifter stayed that way, frozen in shock or horror – Jason couldn’t be certain – even as the mists collapsed back in on them and returned them to the game world.

The shifter swiped at the air now, no doubt pushing aside the notice that he’d completed the Keeper challenges.  Jason shoved his aside as well.  There would be time for that later.

“Frank, I—”

“Stop,” Frank grunted.  “Just stop.”

Then he did something surprising.  His friend stepped toward Jason and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tightly.  “I’m sorry.  Sorry for what you’ve had to go through.  I’ve been selfish.  Focused on myself and my problems.”

Jason didn’t know how to respond at first.  Could only stand there like a statue, his arms hanging limp at his sides.  Of all the reactions he’d expected, this one hadn’t been on the list.  Compassion.  Genuine compassion.  He could feel moisture trickling down his cheek, and Jason swiped at it idly, his thoughts flailing as Frank pulled away.

“I’m so sorry,” Frank repeated, meeting his eyes.

“That’s… that’s okay—” Jason fumbled in response.

“No, it’s not.  I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t…” he trailed off, shaking his head.  Then he took a deep breath, looking back up at Jason.  “I didn’t understand.  I made it about myself instead.  Took my own issues and projected them onto you.”

“How could you have possibly known?” Jason asked.  “And you’ve had your own problems – your own shit to wade through.”  He’d seen that clearly when he’d sacrificed Frank over the dark mana well, and his friend had come so far since then.  Since the druids.  And Silver.

Frank winced, any trace of alcohol long gone – burned away in the face of what he’d just witnessed.  He shook his head.  “I fucked up, though.  Silver—”

“Not so badly that you can’t fix it,” Jason interjected.

“Uh, I really hate to interrupt this bro moment you two are having, but Finn just logged in,” Riley began in a harried voice, her hands already reaching for a weapon.

A multi-colored rift had indeed torn open the air inside the courtyard.  Frank and Jason pulled away from each other.  Jason put his hand on his friend’s shoulder.  “We’ll talk more later, man.  For now, we need to stop a war.”

Frank nodded and put his game face back on as Finn marched out of the portal, flames arcing away from his crown and a scowl on his lips.  The metal rings along his arms were already melting down, forming several glowing orbs that began to circle him.  Meanwhile, two more rifts formed in the air as Julia and Kyyle logged back into the game.

Finn’s attention shifted to Jason and his crew, noticing that they were already waiting in the courtyard.  Jason held up his hands.  “We need to talk before you start something.”

“Do we?” Finn growled.  “Someone attacked my people and stole my gate piece.  Speaking of which, where the hell is Eliza?”

“Right… right here,” Eliza spoke up tentatively from the other end of the courtyard.

Jerry, Ella, and Silver paced behind her and Brian.  It looked like Jerry had come through right on time.  Silver and Frank shared a look, both glancing away quickly.  They hadn’t mended that bridge yet, but Jason had faith Frank could handle it.  Meeting a homicidal, rogue AI helped to put things into perspective… at least in Jason’s experience.

Although, they had larger problems at the moment.

Julia immediately rushed at Eliza, lance and shield already in hand.  “You bitc—” she shouted, cut off as Brian summoned a bramble wall which forced her to halt her advance with a burst of wind, the gust causing the nearby tower to creak ominously.  They couldn’t afford to have a fight break out right here next to the damn sensor.

“Stop!” Frank shouted with augmented lungs, the sound booming across the enclosure with such force that it set Jason’s ears to ringing and stopped Julia in her tracks.

Jason shot him an appreciative look.

“Let’s talk this through for a second,” Jason urged into that sudden silence.  “Before we all do things we’ll regret.  I don’t think Eliza was the one that stole the gate piece.”

“I didn’t!” she insisted.

“What’s going on here?” Alexion demanded as he appeared along the side of the courtyard, his body robed in light and his wings sweeping out behind him.

“Yay, the professional traitor is here now, too,” Julia grunted.  “Have you really not seen the video?  Eliza here stole our gate piece,” Julia snapped.  Alexion’s eyes widened, and he pulled up his in-game UI, clearly searching for the video.

Finn’s attention flitted back and forth between Jason and Eliza before landing on the avatar of darkness.  “Can you prove it wasn’t Eliza?”  He hesitated and looked to Alexion.  “Or this glowing asshole?”

Jason nodded.  “I can,” he answered without hesitation.

He approached Eliza, keeping his palms raised for Brian’s benefit.  “I’m not going to do anything to her – at least, not without her consent,” he explained.  The plant man gradually lowered the vegetation as Eliza placed a hand on his shoulder.

“What do you mean without my consent?” Eliza asked nervously.

“I can prove that you didn’t steal the gate piece.  I can enter your mind using Undead Devotion and record what I see using the in-game camera,” Jason answered.  “All I need is an intact body, living or dead, but specifically the head.”

Julia crossed her arms.  “And how the hell do we know it’s not you that stole the gate piece?  Or the world’s most self-absorbed lighthouse over here?”  Alexion let out a low growl at that, his eyes flashing.

Jason nodded.  “Fair point.  Except I wouldn’t need to steal the gate piece.  Just ask your father.  If I’d requested it, I’m sure he’d have given it to me.”

Julia looked to Finn in surprise, but he nodded grudgingly, which only seemed to shock his daughter more, her lance now hanging limp.  “What is he—”

“Later,” Finn interjected, which earned him a frown from his daughter.

“What about Finn?  He could have ‘stolen’ it himself as a pretense to start a war,” Alexion insisted, waving away his screens now.

“Not going to happen,” Jason offered, meeting Finn’s gaze.  “He needs this game – maybe even more than the rest of us.  He’ll lose everything if we don’t stop Armageddon, so he wouldn’t do anything to endanger this tenuous alliance.

“And the walking lighthouse?” Julia grunted.

“I didn’t have anything to do—” Alexion bit out.

“He didn’t do it either,” Jason spoke over him.  This earned him a dumbstruck look from his nemesis.  He clearly hadn’t been expecting Jason to come to his defense.

“How do you figure?” Frank asked.

“To stage that theft and pin it on Eliza would have either required the real thing – actual merfolk and a master-class water mage.  Or it would have required one hell of an illusionist.”

“We know light mages can bend light, though,” Eliza said softly, earning her a glare from Alexion.  “Or he could have hired a water mage.”  This earned her nods from the rest of the group.  They all knew who Alexion was, and he hadn’t been shy about milking gold from his subjects in-game, either.  The fees to use his farming areas were notorious.  So, he certainly had the means to hire someone of that caliber.

“There are only a handful of casters that could have pulled off that illusion at this stage of the game,” Jason stated simply.  “They’re a concern, so I’ve been tracking them closely.”  Finn nodded at that.  He’d apparently anticipated their strategic importance as well.  “And at least two are based out of the Sea’s Edge.” Eliza winced but acknowledged the point.

“Besides, light magic couldn’t have created that illusion,” Jason finished.

“Why not?” Julia demanded.

Jason just looked at Finn, and the fire avatar hesitated.  “Well?  You want to tackle this one?” Jason asked.  “Or did you miss that critical detail in the video in your haste to pick a fight with Eliza?”  At those words, most of the group pulled up their UI, including Finn – reluctance clinging to him like a cloak.

Tense seconds ticked past, and then…

“Damn it,” Finn muttered.  He let out a sigh.  “He’s right.”

“I don’t understand,” Julia grunted in frustration.

Finn let out another sigh.  “It’s subtle.  Light mages can’t mimic mass like a water mage.  Whatever that was, both the water and merfolk weren’t just colored lights.  If they had been we would have seen the illusions clip into objects upon physical contact.  Like a man’s arm disappear into a portion of the shark’s head, for example.”

“I’ve now scanned the video and detected no such anomalies,” Daniel supplied, the floating orange orb hovering above Finn’s shoulder, his master’s frown only deepening.

Jason nodded.  “So, as I was saying, Eliza is the only one that needs to prove her innocence.  Using Undead Devotion is an easy way to do so in a way that will satisfy everyone.  It’ll just take a few minutes.  Assuming you trust me,” he continued, looking to the water mage.

Eliza watched him for a long moment, biting her lip.  Then she nodded and stepped forward.  Brian moved to stop her, but she shrugged him off.  “This is necessary.  It’ll be fine.”

The plant-man didn’t seem happy with that answer, but he stood down.

Eliza approached Jason, looking nervous.

“Don’t worry, this will be quick.”

“That’s not why I’m worried,” she offered in a whisper that didn’t quite reach the others.

Jason frowned.  “What do you—”

“Just do it.  Quickly before I chicken out,” she pleaded.

Jason nodded and obliged.  He reached forward, energy already coiling from his fingers.  As the inky mana slid across her skin, Eliza resisted the urge to move, her body rigid.  It soon slithered into Eliza’s eyes and ears, and her breathing came rapidly now.  This was the first time Jason had used this skill on a living player, and he wasn’t without his own worries.

Moments later, he was finished, and Jason’s eyes snapped open.

Eliza sucked in a ragged breath, and her eyes fluttered open as well as she coughed and sputtered.  She looked confused and disoriented – as would be expected after a journey into her own mind.  The transition was easier for Jason now.  He’d had practice.  Brian gently lifted Eliza from Jason’s arms and cradled her body in a bed of vines and roses as she recovered.

“Well?” Finn demanded.  Jason looked at him with a troubled expression.

He’d confirmed what he needed – secured Eliza’s alibi.  But he’d also seen something else.  Something that hovered right at the forefront of her mind.  A memory that stood out in vivid color.  One that suddenly put her recent behavior into sharp perspective.

“She’s innocent.  I’m pushing you all the video now,” Jason said to Finn.  He also typed a short message to Finn about what he’d found.  It seemed Eliza did indeed know something about Rachael – which Finn would soon discover for himself.  He could only hope that he would wait to review the video later.  They had more immediate problems now.

“Well, if it wasn’t her or any of us, who the hell stole the gate piece?” Julia muttered in a frustrated voice, interrupting Jason’s thoughts.

He grimaced.  This confirmed a suspicion he’d had for a while now.

“I think there’s a third party at play here – one that is already rumored to include the avatar of air.”  The Old Man’s warning was still fresh in his mind.

“Are you suggesting that <Death and Taxes> is here?  I’ve read those rumors online as well,” Kyyle added as he noticed the way Jason cocked his head.  “But why would they work with <SAFE>?  That seems—”

“Stupid?” Julia finished for him.  “Why would a mercenary guild work to destroy the game world?  Given their reputation, they aren’t amateurs.  They’ve likely put hundreds, possibly thousands of hours into this game since launch.”

Jason nodded.  Those were good questions.  “I can’t speak to their motive.  Maybe they were hired.  Maybe it’s something else.  Either way, I have it on good authority that they may be involved.  And the bottom line is that they have an incredibly talented illusionist water mage.  Probably one of the best if you believe the videos and comments posted online.”

Silence met those words as the group mulled on that.

“You think they’re already here,” Alexion observed, watching Jason.

He nodded.  “I believe they’ve been sowing discord since we arrived in Barrow, hence all of this infighting,” Jason explained, looking to Frank and Julia.  “Although, that assumes their illusionist – the one called Queen – is clever enough to fool Finn’s Mana Sight.”

The avatar of fire looked alarmed at that suggestion.  “I don’t think—"

“That you could miss something if you were distracted?” Jason asked, knowing full well that Finn must have been affected by the failed theft of that data from Cerillion.  It would go a long way to explain his surly attitude lately.  The older man didn’t offer a rebuttal, just grimaced, which was acknowledgment enough.

Julia was scowling now.  “Evelyn,” she murmured.

Alexion looked surprised.  “What are you talking about?”

“Evelyn was the one that told us that Eliza was hiding something,” Julia said.

Jason just nodded, meeting Alexion’s gaze.  “Have you noticed Evelyn acting strangely lately?  Anything out of character?”

Alexion opened his mouth to answer but stopped himself short with a frown.  That was all the answer they needed – silence descending once more across the courtyard.

They were all thinking the same thing.

“What are we going to do about this?” Eliza croaked, pushing herself upright.

“If there is a traitor among us, I say we root her out and kill her,” Alexion grunted, his fingers curling into fists and light shining in his eyes.

Jason sympathized.  He could feel his own anger – a cold hard thing – coiling in his gut.  However, he pushed back the feeling.  Now was the time for clarity, not emotion.  “I know this seems like an unfortunate turn of events, but perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise,” he suggested to the confused expressions of several members of their alliance.  “If <Death and Taxes> really is working with <SAFE>, then we just found another means of securing information.  This is an opportunity – one we can’t afford to pass up if the sensor fails.”

Finn nodded, fire coiling away from his body.  The others seemed to be following his reasoning, their expressions grim.  They were done simply reacting and fighting one another.  They’d been on the defensive so far, but no more – a common enemy having presented herself just in the nick of time.  His eyes drifted down to Alfred at his heels.

Although, this felt like more than a simple coincidence.

“Do you have a plan?” Eliza asked.

Jason nodded, finally releasing his dark mana, the frigid energy sliding through his veins like ice.  His dark eyes settled on Alexion.  “I do.  We’re going to play into her game…

And she’ll never see it coming.”

Chapter 20 - Counter-Play

The present.

“I’d slow clap your belated victory, but well, I seem to be all tied up,” Queen observed, pulling at the metal manacles with a rattle.

“We still caught you,” Alexion snapped.  Jason’s blades were still pressed against her neck, drawing a thin line of crimson.  “Now, where is she?”

“Eventually.  Besides, how do you know your dear Evelyn wants to see you?  You didn’t even notice that she was missing, did you?  Nope, you mistook me for your lady love and went all doe-eyed.  I have to admit, I was expecting more from George Lane’s son.”

“Fuck you—” Alexion spat.

“Enough, she’s just trying to bait you,” Jason jumped in.  “Let me handle this.”

Alexion glared at him, but his mouth snapped shut as he saw the others nodding in agreement.  He knew Jason was best equipped to deal with Queen – as they’d agreed if they made it this far.  The avatar of light was too emotionally invested.

And then there were Jason’s other talents.

“Ooooh, scary.  What’re you going to do?  We both know you can’t torture me,” Queen sneered up at him.  “Give me some of your makeup tips?  I’ve always wanted to look like a depressed serial killer.”

“I’m thinking we start with a peaceful little chat,” Jason answered calmly, retracting his Soul Blades.  “Perhaps you can explain why your guild is trying to destroy the game world as a starter?  Or maybe you could explain how you knew so much about us – this little play-act must have required substantial intel on Evelyn as well as the rest of the avatars.  Who provided that information?”

Queen chuckled.  “Why don’t you ask him,” she replied, jutting her chin at Finn.

The avatar of flame and his companions remained silent, unmoving.

“What do you mean?” Jason asked.

“We’re murderers and thieves for hire,” Queen shot back.  “Emphasis on the fucking cash.  So, who do you think had the resources to hire us?  Or figure out how to destroy this game world?  Or was able to dig up info on each of you?  Maybe a rich, reclusive programmer with a vendetta to settle?  You know, just off the top of my head.”

Everyone’s attention turned to the avatar of flame.

Finn just laughed, crossing his arms.  “So, you stand to make money from this then.  And your goal is real-world currency.”

“Seems to be the case,” Riley observed.

“Which means they’re aiming for the bounty on our heads,” Julia added.

“Most likely,” Jason confirmed with a nod.  It made a certain sort of sense.  Each of the avatars represented a massive payday, and the Armageddon event was sure to lure them in since they all had a stake in this world.  If he weren’t one of the targets, he could almost appreciate the cleverness of their plan.

Queen seemed confused that they weren’t suspicious of Finn, her gaze darting between the members of the group.  Jason shook his head.  “No one here is going to fall for your bluff.  It seems even your intel has limits.  For example, you might know who Finn is in the real world, but you don’t quite understand why he’s so invested in this game.  Interesting.”

Queen recovered quickly.  “It was worth a try.  You all fell for my original act, after all.”

Jason nodded.  “Fair.  But while we’re on the subject of your crew, I assume you all wear these masks for a reason.  My guess is that you don’t want anyone to DOX you.  Unfortunately for you, removing a mask isn’t against the terms of service,” Jason answered.  With nimble fingers, he plucked the mask free before Queen could protest, revealing the face of a young woman who was now glaring up at him.

“Oh, shit,” Julia muttered.

Jason glanced over his shoulder, noticing Finn and Kyyle were also staring.  “What?  Do you know her?” he asked.

Finn grimaced.  “I do.  Her name is Vanessa.”

“Who you left to die in the bottom of the fucking Abyss,” their prisoner spat, glaring daggers at Finn and his group.  “You know how long it took me to get the hell out of there?  How many times I died?  Over and over and over.  Crushed to death.  Burned alive.  Eaten by those damn ants.  No?  Not even a guess?  Well, we’re going to personally make you experience every moment of that torture.”

“Ahh, so you all are best friends?  Got it,” Frank quipped.

“And she’s working with others here in Barrow.  As I expected,” Jason murmured, noting Queen’s word choice.  “It’s also probably safe to assume that your… compatriots are also people with a grudge against us.”

Vanessa smirked.  “If you want to believe that.  Sure."

“There’s a 93% chance she’s bluffing based on her current mana signature and fluctuations,” Daniel chirped from Finn’s shoulder.

“I’m going to snuff you out for good this time, Nightlight,” Vanessa retorted.

“I doubt it with your new jewelry,” Julia shot back, glancing at Vanessa’s manacles.  “Doesn’t this whole scene seem pretty familiar?  You bound to the ground in chains?”

Vanessa just let out a chuckle.  “Trying to get under my skin, huh?  So, is this your only move?  Talk me to death and look for hints?  You’re not going to learn shit this way.”

“You’re right,” Jason replied, stepping closer, dark mana slithering from his fingertips.  He leaned forward, tracing a hand along her face, and letting the chill energy lash against her skin, causing it to welt.  “But aren’t you wondering how we pulled this off?  How we were able to trust each other in the face of your little psy-op?” he whispered.

Vanessa’s gaze barely wavered, but Jason noted that her skin was flushed, her breathing sharp and uneven despite her attempts to control it.  She was nervous but trying to hide it from him.  Good.  He needed that fear.  He still wasn’t certain whether using Undead Devotion on an unwilling player would constitute torture – the definition seemed to be rather flexible.  So, the more he could learn without using his ability, the better.

“I don’t need you tell me what you know,” Jason continued in a hushed whisper, leaning closer.  “All I need is your body, specifically your head.  I’m going to rip the memories from your mind.  Or didn’t your intel inform you of that… talent.”

The woman was trembling now, and her eyes darted toward the barrier of golden energy that floated overhead.  Jason followed her gaze, which gave him only a moment of warning.  Just a bare few seconds…

A blast of lightning suddenly crashed into the barrier with tremendous force, electricity arcing away across the shield before condensing and spearing forward.  A sharp whine pierced through the air, showers of golden sparks raining down on the group – almost like the lightning was attempting to drill through the light mana.

The shield held for an instant before the magic suddenly breached the barrier.  Most of the light shield remained intact, but large cracks were now radiating from the point of penetration, almost like broken glass.  The barrier flashed erratically – destabilized and intermittently lighting the courtyard like a giant strobe light.

Jason had just enough time to look back to Vanessa – to see the manic smile painted on her face, mimicking her mask.  She crushed the fingers of her left hand into the ground to the crunch of bone.  Ice bloomed from her hands, freezing the manacles in an instant before she smashed them down again, the metal shattering into dozens of fragments.

She must have buried a mana gem in her skin… Jason thought.  His Soul Blades were already arcing away from his staves as he prepared to fight the mage.  He could see mana flaring from his side as the rest of the group responded.  “We need her head intact!” he called out.

In an instant, Queen was on her feet.  However, she didn’t try to go for her wand or make any attempt at defending herself.  She only swiped at the air and casually typed out a short message.  “Nice try,” she shot back, meeting Jason’s gaze once more.  “But none of us are afraid of death.  And we’ll do anything to see you dickheads die—”

She was cut off as her head promptly exploded in a shower of blood.

Jason’s thoughts raced to catch up with what had just happened.  His gaze darted skyward to the fractured barrier.  The lightning had winked out as soon as the shield gave way.  He had assumed the first shot was just a distraction meant to give Vanessa an opening to escape.

But he’d been wrong.

That first attack had been meant to punch a hole for the second shot.  His Listening skill had picked up the whistle of the projectile rocketing through the air.  He’d just been far too slow to stop it.  Pewpew, he realized suddenly.

And if there’s a sniper, then she’s still out there.

He’d left Jerry and Ella prowling around the roof of the guild hall – anticipating a counterattack from Vanessa’s guildmates – but not expecting them to be able to penetrate Alexion’s shield that easily.  Either way, it would take the innkeeper time to catch up with the sniper.  And from the trajectory of that shot, it almost looked like it had come from… directly above them?

Could Pewpew be flying?  Or freefalling?

Jason’s breath caught as he had another realization – either way, there was nothing stopping her from taking another shot, firing through the hole she’d carved in Alexion’s barrier.  Vanessa must have sent out a message – instructing Pewpew to take her out.  But now that she was no longer a liability, the sniper could target anyone.

Who would she aim for? Jason thought frantically, his eyes skimming in the group in just a fraction of a second.  Not the players, certainly… they’d just respawn.  It would need to be something that destabilized the group.

Then his attention rested on Silver, standing beside Frank.

Oh shit.  Jason’s met Frank’s gaze in that instant, and he could see realization slowly dawning in his friend’s eyes.

“And we’ll do anything to see you dickheads die.”

Vanessa had said it herself.

Jason’s fingers were moving.  Frank was already shifting, armored plates rippling out across his skin ever-so-slowly.  Jason ripped Vanessa’s corpse apart – the body no longer useful without her damn head.  Ivory discs suddenly sped toward Silver and Frank as the Primal Shifter spun to cover for her… even as another blast filled the air.  Jason’s hearing could pick up a whine as the missile raced through the air – no lightning coating this one, making it almost invisible against the flashing backdrop of the shield.  Pewpew must have used considerable mana to get that sort of height on the guild hall and power-up that initial attack.  Or maybe she was hoping to avoid them blocking or dodging her shot in the flickering darkness.

Time seemed to slow, and Jason could feel his stomach lurch as he watched Frank frantically move to cover Silver.  He could do nothing but watch as her ears twitched and her brilliant sapphire eyes flicked up to the sky as she heard that telltale whine.  Her eyes widened in realization.  The split-second decision to turn and run.  Yet it was too late.  Far, far too late.

The world lurched back into motion.  Silver was sent hurtling back into the stone wall, the material shattering under the force of the shot, blood spraying through the air.  She slumped down the rock.  Unmoving.  Not breathing.  That thought barely registered over the heavy beating of Jason’s heart and the ragged air escaping his lungs.

Frank was there in an instant, slumping to his knees as he reached for her, cradling Silver in his arms.  The fractured barrier of light overhead rippled as two forms raced across its surface – Jerry and Ella, most likely.  That was followed by a flash of lightning as Pewpew tried to flee, finally beating a retreat.  But no one spared that any attention.  All eyes in the courtyard were on Frank and Silver.

The shifter lifted his head to the sky, his body contorting erratically, his human features retreating in the face of his despair.  Frank let out a howl that echoed off the rock and raced out into the night sky, rippling across the entirety of Barrow.  It carried his rage… his sorrow… his loss.  And it made a promise – one of vengeance.

And beneath that howl, Jason could detect another sound – almost masked by his friend’s grief.  It was a metallic whine… like the peel of a guitar.  And it was accompanied by a thudding rhythm – a drumbeat that shook the ground.  The sound of the hundreds, possibly thousands, of travelers that had gathered outside the hall.

It seemed the attack wasn’t over.

Chapter 21 - Encore

“Watch as they sit in their glass tower,” Preacher exclaimed, gesturing behind himself.  “They can destroy cities, take over farming areas, kill residents and players alike… and now they’re attacking guests at their own party?  The city’s nobility no less.  And the consequence is what?  What?” he demanded.  He cupped a hand to his ear, but only angry mutters met his question.

“That’s right!” Preacher exclaimed.  “Nothing at all.  This city’s rulership sits on its hands.  I can stand here and rant and rave.  But nothing happens – nothing changes – even as the mods and the devs, even the game’s AI gives these people a free pass.  They just heap on ever more rewards that they don’t deserve.

“They probably even leveled from all that commotion in the guild hall!  Completed some quest that now lets them shoot lasers from their eyes and summon an army of mechanized soldiers from the fucking sky!” Preacher shouted.  The angry murmurs among the crowd had grown – just as it had continued to swell in size after the debacle that was Evelyn’s gala.

“But soon, they’ll get what’s coming to them.  Soon, we shall see the rise of the Kingdom of Nerfle!”  The crowd repeated the name, chanting it back at Preacher.

Kingdom of Nerfle!

Kingdom of Nerfle!

Kingdom of Nerfle!

“Yes, my brothers and sisters, the great reset is almost upon us—”

He cut off as a spear of lightning slammed into the top of the golden dome covering the guild hall, electricity lancing out in every direction and creating a pyrotechnic display in the night sky.  The whole crowd descended into a hushed silence as they looked on in shock.  Not only did the lightning not dissipate, but it soon pierced through the barrier!

Preacher glanced at his entourage – now a few members short.  “Is that the signal?” he asked in an overly loud stage whisper.  “Because that sure as hell looks like the signal.”

“Yes, it’s the fucking signal,” Blaze hissed in response, her appearance concealed behind a thick layer of water mana – a parting gift from Queen.  “If you’d actually look at your damn chat log once in a while, you’d know that.”

“Hey, I just get into character, you know?  Really invest in a role,” Preacher shot back, hand to his chest.  “It’s what gives me that je ne sais quoi.  That star power.  The it factor.  That raw animal magnetism that draws crowds of adoring fans.”

“Uh-huh, sure.  On another note, why exactly did I have to look like an overweight middle-aged man this time?  Was that really necessary?” Blaze growled.

“Of course!” Preacher interrupted.  “We had to sell this thing.  And you represent our target demographic: the angry internet troll.”  He gestured at the crowd staring at the guild hall with dumbstruck expressions.

Blaze had to admit that there was a certain type…

“Fine, fine,” she repeated with a sigh.  “But will you please just get on with it already?  The clock is ticking, and we have a sensor array to destroy,” Blaze grunted in irritation.

“You can’t rush greatness,” Preacher muttered but obliged her by pulling off his ring.  His appearance rippled and distorted, dropping away to reveal his familiar plumed hat, thick velvet tunic, and smiling ivory mask.  Blaze followed his lead, shaking her arms distastefully and water showering the stage as it sloughed off her skin in a rush.

With a glimmer of air mana and a deep breath, Bard turned back to the crowd, his voice booming across the courtyard.  “Alright, folks!  It looks like we’re about to have some fun.”

He observed the mixture of travelers and residents murmuring in confusion as they noticed that two members of <Death and Taxes> now stood on stage.  “I know, I know.  Gasp!  Preacher was none other than the majestic Bard?  How did he do it?  Who could have possibly seen this incredible twist coming?  It must have been his extraordinary acting skills – yet another hidden talent among many!”

“Clock.  Ticking.  Stay on script,” Blaze snapped from behind him, a massive puddle now lingering at her feet and soaking her boots.  A flash of orange energy coiled around her staff before settling into her clothes, soon drying the material and sending a tuft of steam floating skyward.

“Oh dear, you’re right!”  Bard replied, spinning back to the crowd.  “And that reminds me, I have a question for all you wonderful people… Do you find your skin dry after slaying dragons?  Or perhaps you’re often covered in welts and sores from frequent poisonings?  Or maybe the AI duplicated your real-world self just a touch too accurately – acne and blemishes included?  Well, do I have a treat for you!” Bard announced, pulling a jar from his bag, and holding it high.  “You have to try Bard’s Basics!  Everything you need to look fantastic on the field of battle!

“What is it, you ask?  Well, that’s proprietary, so stop fucking asking.  But what I can tell you is it’s totally not a mixture of swamp mud and killer leech mucus.  Yup, definitely not that at all.  Because that would be disgusting.  So, slather this stuff on and reap the benefits of beautiful, lustrous skin that’ll have that damsel you just saved swooning.  Or maybe just running away more slowly from your unwanted advances…

“Anyway, to top that all off, we’re currently running a fire sale on our merchandise!”  He cocked his head, lowering his voice, “You know, since the world is ending and all, and I spent way, way too much coin on inventory.”

“Get on with it already,” Blaze hissed, watching as shadows flitted across the nearby golden dome of energy.  No doubt, Pewpew was on the run already.

Bard heaved out a huge sigh, looking sadly at his jar as he stowed it back in his bag.  “Fine.  Can’t fault a guy for pitching his side hustle, though.”

“I can, and I am,” Blaze grunted.

“Anyway… I guess should explain what’s going on,” Bard announced to the now incredibly confused crowd arrayed before him.  “We need you all to rush this building in an angry mob and destroy everything in sight in a desperate attempt to regain some sense of control over a game you feel has left you behind in favor of people that may, in fact, actually be more talented, disciplined, and intelligent than you – which, of course, is painful for you to acknowledge and inconsistent with your own flattering self-image – but that cognitive dissonance leaves you feeling confused and angry and so these people are an easy target.”

The crowd just stared back in silence.

Blaze was rubbing at her face now and muttering something about killing him.

Bard frowned, tapping at his lips.  “Hmm, that might have been too much.  TLDR: Destroy this place for the Kingdom of Nerfle!  Uh… please?”

The travelers all stared back for a moment longer before a cry rose into the air, and a Fireball slammed into the golden barrier that ringed the enclosure.  That opened the floodgates.  More and more travelers soon added to the barrage even as the melee-focused among them barreled forward toward the guild hall.  Ice, lightning, and fire crashed into the barrier – the energy rippling with each blow and the fractures along the top of the dome growing.  A few earth mages were working together to pull cobblestones from the ground, form them into a massive column of stone, and smash it against the shield in unison, the crowd urging them on.

“Huh, that actually worked,” Bard murmured in surprise.

“Why did they leave me with you?” Blaze demanded.

He swooped into a bow.  “Why?  Because I bring the rock, mi-fiery-lady.”

As he spoke, Bard swept his guitar case forward, popped the catch, and pulled his instrument free.  It was a thing of beauty.  Smooth and oiled wood-framed with heavy iron… for the occasional bludgeoning, of course.  Bard flicked the gem at the bottom of the guitar, and it lit up with a strong amber glow.  Then he plucked gently at the strings.

A metallic shriek swept across the courtyard.  A gentle, almost experimental note at first, and then Bard started to play.  A rising ballad.  A sweeping crescendo.  A metallic whine that spoke of death and destruction and untold mayhem.  And as his sweet tunes raged across the area, a red-orange glow began to infuse the players – many glancing at their prompts in surprise before attacking the barrier with renewed vigor.  Bard’s buffs had them striking harder and faster.

The barrier shimmered.  Shook.  But it still refused to fall.

Blaze was here to help with that.

She pivoted on the stage, massive ribbons of fiery energy spiraling around her staff as she raised it into the sky.  Blaze began to channel her mana towards the sky, a fiery dot of light igniting below the unnatural dark cloud cover.  She kept going, that point expanding and growing in brightness as it streaked through the night sky.  It descended toward the guild hall at an incredible speed, expanding in size as it neared.  More than a few in the crowd had begun to notice the light – a meteor falling from the heavens and sending out a colossal trail of flame in its wake.

The travelers let out a shout of warning, but it was too late to save many of the first players who had rushed the structure.  The Meteor struck the barrier with terrific force, a wave of flame rocketing outward from the impact and obscuring the entire guild hall from sight.  Those fires cascaded down the dome and swept out into the courtyard where Bard, Blaze, and their unruly mob lingered.  Men and women tried to flee, but it was futile.  The fires burned through the melee-oriented travelers – their screams of pain mixing with Bard’s ballad.  The impact was followed by a wave of kinetic force that sent their seared skeletons whipping out into the rest of the crowd.

As the flames and debris cleared, the throng watched in awe.  The golden dome had been obliterated, the golden energy breaking apart into flickering panels that spewed motes of energy into the sky like fireworks before raining back down on the crowd.  And then, as one, the mob renewed its assault, the survivors rushing toward the building with angry cries.

“Huh, you think anyone notices that they’re standing in a literal golden shower—” Bard yelled back at Blaze, only to find that she was missing.  “No one has a sense of humor anymore,” he muttered to himself and continued playing.

Blaze had dropped from the makeshift podium, her fire mana sweeping across her body in a torrent now, setting her hair aflame.  Yet she ignored the burns along her skin, her Fire Resistance now trained to the point where she could withstand her own flames.  Hundreds upon hundreds of deaths had brought her to this point.  And perhaps it was that sort of training that had made Bard go mad – he’d certainly become increasingly insane.

Lost in her own thoughts, Blaze ignored the screams of the other travelers that ventured too close – their bodies consumed in the wave of fire that rippled away from her in an expanding ring.  The sea of humanity parted before her, more than a few smoking and clawing at their skin or armor as they hastily fled her aura.

Blaze strode up to the guild hall, watching as the travelers at the front of the pack tried to open the doors or break into the windows, only for a barrage of poisonous thorns to erupt from those openings, followed by vines that snaked along the ground and dragged the poor saps inside – their screams soon cut off.  Eliza’s defenses, no doubt.  Queen had mentioned that.

Not that Blaze was perturbed.  This was why she was here.  She smirked, summoning her mana to herself, and the other travelers backing away warily.  Flames poured from her staff and then surged outward – her modified Fire Nova growing in intensity as she Overcharged the spell.  It spanned out five feet, then ten, then fifteen, and only continued growing.  The fires grew so hot that they blazed white and blue.  Her skin was flaying off in layers now, her health regeneration unable to keep pace, and her health ticking down in her peripheral vision.

Yet she didn’t relent.  Blaze had felt pain before.

Of growing old.  Of losing those she’d loved.  Of sickness.

But, right now, all she felt was anger.  Simmering rage.  At a world that had left her behind.  At a husband that had abandoned her – even in death.  At his business partner that had left her high and dry.  At her fuckwit children that had stuck her in that hellhole retirement home, “unburdening” themselves and waiting for her die.

The fires blazed even brighter, and she stepped toward the guild’s front doors – two monstrous affairs made of a mixture of wood and metal.  Yet all she saw was that fucking retirement home – not a guild hall any longer.  As the flames of her rage touched their surface, the wood ignited, and the metal began to heat.  Smoke coiled into the sky, blocking out the twinkling motes of golden energy that still rained down around her.  There was only the rising, chaotic melody of Bard’s guitar and the angry shouts and screams of the men and women arrayed behind her.  The gate soon gave way, crumbling to a mound of ash.

From that dark opening, thorns speared forward only to be incinerated long before they touched Blaze’s skin.  Vines soon followed, but they met a similar fate.  She was robed in a protective, painful, burning sheet of flame.

Blaze let out a laugh at the destruction, her cackle rising into the air and mixing with Bard’s melody.  This was all the so-called avatar of water could manage?  A few weeds?  Nothing and no one could stop her flames.  The army of travelers was forgotten.  The metallic crescendo of Bard’s music was now barely audible over the crackle of fire and the snap of burning wood.

“Fuck your pudding and fuck bingo!” she screamed, her words buried under the avalanche of Bard’s music and the snap and crackle of burning wood.

Blaze was going to burn it all to the ground.

Okay, maybe she was a little mad too.

Chapter 22 - Sensitive

A tremendous ball of fire descended from the sky and crashed against Alexion’s barrier, flames washing across the surface and causing the entire Guild Hall to tremble from the impact.  As Jason looked on, the barrier fractured and then exploded apart under the force of the spell, sending motes of golden energy raining down through the ranks of Nephilim that floated overhead.

That must have been Blaze.  That was the only explanation.

“Damn it,” Jason muttered as he watched the barrier explode apart.  He’d expected the members of <Death and Taxes> to make it through the barrier eventually, but not this quickly.  It seemed Alexion’s shield couldn’t withstand the combined assault of hundreds of travelers – enraged travelers who were now storming the damn guild hall.  He could still see explosions of electricity echoing in the air above them as Jerry pressured Pewpew.

An arrow rocketed through the air toward the sensor array, only to strike a flaming metal shield.  Finn had melted down most of his ore, the molten substance flying up into the sky and creating an orbiting, patchwork shield around the tower.  As they’d planned – in case shit hit the fan – Alexion’s Nephilim automatically split their forces between protecting the sensor tower with panels of golden light and taking out the travelers already cresting the rooftop.  Beams of light now speared across the night sky like strobe lights.

“Jason?” Riley asked, concern in her voice.  She kept side-eyeing Frank where he was cradling Silver’s bloodied body.  Despite the pit in his stomach as he contemplated his friend’s loss, he didn’t have time to focus on that yet.  Now that Queen’s head had been destroyed, they had no other choice but to defend the sensor.

They were firmly operating under Plan B.

“I need you to get up to the roof and help Jerry,” Jason instructed Riley.  “Keep Pewpew off us and shoot down any travelers mobile enough to scale the building and approach over the rooftops,” he explained quickly.

He tilted his head toward Ella.  “You too.  You can make good use of the bodies with Corpse Explosion.  Don’t worry about damaging the guild hall with your acid.”  At this point, this building was a lost cause.

“Go with them,” Finn instructed Kyyle, Brock’s bulky form hovering behind him.  “You’ll do best from a vantage point where you can switch between reinforcing this courtyard and suppressing the travelers.  We need time.”  The earth mage nodded and began casting, soon forming a reverse Gravity Well that sent him, Brock, Ella, and Riley hurtling up onto the roof.

“Time for what?” Julia demanded, her lance and shield in hand.

Finn looked to Jason – both thinking the same thing.

“Time to activate the damn sensor,” Jason grunted.

“But we haven’t even finished testing—” Julia began.

“We don’t exactly have the opportunity for that right now,” Finn interrupted as an explosion rocked the nearby building, accompanied by the whine of an electric guitar in the distance and the shouts of hundreds of travelers converging on their location.

“Eliza, how we doing?” Jason shouted.

The water mage started and looked away from her screens, adjusting her glasses.  Brian stood behind her as usual.  He had already coated the entire courtyard in plant life, glowing sapphire droplets dripping from Eliza’s fingers even as she’d been inspecting her screens.  Those protective plants had slithered up the walls, forming a dense barrier of vegetation, traces of orange flickering through the plants – likely indicating that Eliza had infused them with fire-resistant strains.

Good, they would need the help if Blaze made it this far.

“As you predicted, they’ve breached the outer wall, and something is killing off our plants quickly,” Eliza explained, shifting her screen.  The map showed an outline of her plant life, a product of her advancing Herbalism to master rank.

“That has to be Blaze,” Jason grunted.

“Can you keep her busy?” Finn asked Julia.  “Based on our intel, your abilities will probably work best against their fire mage.  Her defense is pure offense.  You just need to get through her channeled Fire Nova with your Mana Absorption.”

“I’m aware,” Julia drawled as she tapped at her light chainmail.  Gemstones flared to life throughout the metal as Jason watched curiously.  That was new.

“Oh… uh, and avoid the poison,” Eliza added, tossing an object to Julia.

“Poison?” Julia demanded, snatching the item from the air.  It was a leather mask fitted with an amber crystal – meant to filter the air.

“Um, Jason suspected the barrier might fall, and they would burn away my plants.  So, I used a new hybrid mutation.  The plants in the hall burn easily, but the ash is incredibly toxic.  Try not to breathe any of it in, and don’t lose the mask.  In the tests, it killed a cow in less than a minute.”

“Won’t that stop Blaze too?” Julia asked as she pulled on the mask.

“Maybe?” Eliza hedged, tilting her head.

“The heat she channels may create an air current that insulates her from airborne attacks,” Daniel chirped from Finn’s shoulder.  “Our hypothesis is that she has also trained her lung capacity to endure the low oxygen environment created by her spells.  In other words, she can likely hold her breath for quite some time.”

“Hmph, well then we’ll see how she holds up against me,” Julia growled.  Then she tapped at her left arm, and an air mana gem flared.  Her body immediately dissolved into a gust of wind that shot up to the second floor, Brian’s plants parting to allow her entry into the interior of the guild hall before reforming.

Huh, she must have embedded air mana crystals in her skin that she can activate at will.  That would allow her to make better use of her Mana Absorption, Jason thought to himself.  It was a clever tweak – if a bit painful to install and recharge the gems.

Jason eyed Alexion where he stood, staring at Queen’s corpse.  No doubt he was wondering where the fuck Evelyn was.  Judging from how she hadn’t contacted him in the real world, Jason was guessing they hadn’t quite gotten to the “sharing numbers” stage – hell, he was surprised Alexion even cared this much about the woman.

But they didn’t have time for that right now.

“Hey, snap out of it!” Jason barked at Alexion.  The man looked up, blinking in confusion.  “She’s dead, and her head has been destroyed.  We aren’t going to get shit from her.  Our only move here is to get the sensor online.  And for that, we need you,” he explained, waving at the base of the tower where a large gem sat – one they had hoped to test charge slowly to check for any physical instabilities.

The ship had fucking sailed on that, though.

“Yeah… yeah, you’re right,” Alexion muttered, shaking his head.

Under other circumstances, Jason might have marveled at those words.

Alexion quickly approached the tower, golden energy beginning to blaze around his hands as he placed them against the gemstone.  It immediately flared to life, and the glare began to grow in intensity.  Finn made his way over swiftly, maintaining the channel on the defensive plates spiraling around the tower with one hand as he tapped at the air with the other – Daniel feeding him information and instructions.

Jason’s gaze turned back to Frank.  Now for Silver…

He approached Frank where he cradled his mate’s body.  Jason swallowed hard and willed himself to focus.  He’d seen allies hurt before.  Even lost them.  But death inside AO wasn’t the end, at least not for his people.  He stooped near Frank, but his friend barely registered his presence as he rocked back and forth.

Silver looked terrible.  The bullet had carved clean through her abdomen, the edges of flesh ragged.  The offending projectile dug nearly a foot into the dirt behind her as though it had drilled into the cobblestones.  And there was blood… so much blood.  But not the bright crimson that Jason had come to expect.  This was a ruddy, darker color.  Blacks and blues threaded the mixture.  No doubt a product of her demonic nature – a steady diet of water and dark mana now on full display.

Jason glanced at his UI and saw she still had a sliver of health – not much, but something.

“Hey, Frank buddy, I need you to set her down,” Jason directed his friend gently.

Frank just stared back at him with bleary eyes, not comprehending the words or even recognizing Jason's presence.

An explosion rocked the rooftops nearby, and dust cascaded down around them.  They really didn’t have time to mess around right now.  Which is why Jason slapped Frank.  Hard.  That got his fucking attention, a low guttural growl escaping his throat, and blood-red eyes suddenly focused on Jason’s face as hair sprang up along his arms.

“Snap the fuck out of it.  She’s not dead.  At least, not yet.”

Frank looked down at Silver in confusion.  “Not… dead?”

“Check your UI, moron.  She has some health left.  We need to get her a healing potion—”

He cut himself off as Frank’s fingers shifted into large claws.  He promptly sliced open his other arm, blood immediately pooling along the wound.  Then he placed the wound to Silver’s lips, letting the blood trickle down her throat.  She shifted ever-so-slightly and her mouth clamped around Frank’s arm as she began to suck on his arm.  At the same time, her health began to stabilize, the bleeding slowing.  But it wasn’t enough to heal her entirely.

Another blast of flame rocketed out of a window above them, searing a hole in Brian’s living wall and Julia flying out of that opening.  She struck the ground with a grunt, rolling and springing back to her feet in one fluid movement.  Her skin was charred in several places and smoke coiled away from her armor.  Julia shot them a frustrated look.

“Okay, maybe she’s a little tougher than she looks,” was all Julia said.

Then she took off again, leaping back toward that hole with a blast of wind from her shield before disappearing into the depths of the guild hall.

That wasn’t a good sign.  Jason needed to hurry.

He looked back down at Silver.  She was stable but Frank’s blood wasn’t enough to heal her.  She needed a real meal.  They also couldn’t easily move her in her condition – especially not with an army surrounding them.

Jason glanced over his shoulder.  The tower was flaring with light as Alexion continued to pour mana into the gemstone, Finn directing him as Daniel chattered at his shoulder.  Alexion could possibly heal her, but he was busy.  Judging from the blasts and screams along the rooftops, Ella was making good use of the corpses up there.  And Eliza’s vegetation might be protecting the courtyard, yet it made entering the hall to collect bodies difficult.

Which just left one option.

“Hey, you aren’t going to like this, but I have an idea,” Jason said.

Frank looked at him then, some sanity having returned to his eyes.  “Just tell me.”

“She needs to eat to heal properly, right?  We can’t spare anyone to go hunting, and if you leave her, she’ll bleed out,” Jason explained quickly.  “So… what about you?”

“What?  I…” Frank hesitated and looked down at Silver, still nibbling on his arm weakly.  “Fuck.  Okay.”  He lifted his gaze back to Jason.  “But you can’t let anything happen to her.”

“I won’t.  I’ll raise your body right after, and your only job will be to protect her.”

Frank met his eyes – looking for… something.  This required trust.  More than Frank might have had until recently.  Until Jason had undertaken that final trial and finally let him in.

Frank nodded and peeled back at his shirt with his free hand.  “Do it.”

Maybe some former version of himself might have hesitated at the thought of cutting open his best friend… but Jason had changed during his time within AO.  His staff was in hand in an instant, a Soul Blade arcing away from the tip and flashing forward with surgical precision.  A few quick strikes and Frank’s blood mixed with Silver’s.  Then Jason’s hand plunged into his chest.  He couldn’t afford to wait.  As Frank died, Silver’s health would start to deteriorate again.  Moments later, he pulled his friend’s heart free, Frank’s eyes going wide as he stared at the organ, even as his life faded.

Silver’s eyes shot open then – a brilliant sapphire.  They were fixed on that heart.

With unnatural speed, she lunged for it and sunk her fangs into the bloody flesh.  Jason looked away as she devoured Frank’s heart in a frenzy.  Her health immediately shot up, and the wound in her stomach began to knit itself back together.  She cracked her neck as she stretched, some trace of sanity returning to her eyes only for Silver to see Frank slumped beside her.

“What happ—”

“He sacrificed himself to save you,” Jason grunted.  His fingers were already twining through the gestures of Specialized Zombie.  Moments later, dark tendrils coiled forward and slithered into his friend’s body, his eyes a bleached white as they popped open once more.

“Protect her with your life,” Jason instructed the zombie.

“And what of me?  Do you expect me to just sit here after someone nearly killed me?” Silver demanded, pushing herself back upright and her eyes flashing.

Jason just eyed her.  “Then help defend the courtyard, but stay within the edge of Eliza’s plants,” he instructed.  “The air inside the guild is toxic.”

With that, he pivoted on his heel and strode back to the tower where the rest of the group was working.  The sensor was now a glowing column of light, the ivory framing beginning to fracture and crack under the pressure – the light mana at odds with Jason’s dark.  Blasts of lightning and voids of darkness echoed in the sky.  Plants continued to coil up the walls, now coating the edge of the rooftop.  Beams of light and blasts of elemental energy rocketed through the sky as the Nephilim and the mob of onrushing travelers exchanged blows.  More than a few of those angels fell from the skies, landing in the courtyard with a crunch of bone.  Explosions echoed from inside the guild hall – blasts of flames occasionally jutting from open windows.

And throughout it all, that music kept playing, mixing with the shouts and screams and cries.  A crescendo of noise – death and mayhem.

“We almost there?!” Jason shouted over the noise.

“Almost,” Finn shot back.

“They’re nearly through my plants,” Eliza piped up.  “The ash was working at first, but now they seem to be blowing it out of the building with air mages.  Good news is that Blaze is tied down by Julia – but not sure how long either of them can keep that up, given Julia’s health.

She side eyed Jason nervously.  “What about Frank?”

“Dead,” Jason answered simply.  “He’ll regroup with us after he respawns—”

He was interrupted as part of the roof above them exploded apart in a shower of debris.  A chunk of the wall fell away toward the sensor tower, only for Brian to act quickly, his vines restraining the debris and holding it in place and just barely stopping its fall.  That attack hadn’t come from Pewpew or Blaze, however.

Jason’s UI pinged.  Riley this time – confirming his fears.  The travelers were pushing her and Kyyle back.

A massive blast of darkness obscured the night sky, ripping up clay tiles as it rocketed across the rooftop.  Players screamed… only for their shouts to get cut off in a crash of dark energy.  Jason knew Riley couldn’t fire more than one of those empowered shots without leeching her health back first, and his UI indicated she was running on fumes now – her health gradually refilling as she downed a potion.  If she had been pushed to her limit, then they were losing.

Kyyle came racing back across the roof, a walkway of stone suddenly jutting out across the courtyard.  Dozens of travelers were hot on his heels.  Bolts of energy raced after him, blasted aside with a well-timed Gravity Well.  Then Brock’s body broke apart behind him, swallowing Kyyle’s form.  The missiles crashed against but had little effect with his rocky form.  More emerald energy surged, and the travelers looked down in shock only to get launched directly into the air by another Gravity Well.

Riley moved across the roof like a shadow, her bowstring humming.

She sniped the travelers right out of the air – like shooting fish in a barrel.

More were cutting and hacking their way through Eliza’s plants at ground level now, only to be caught by Silver as she prowled within the shadows of the terrace.  Her fangs made short work of any offending hands and limbs, her icy projectiles spearing through the holes, and Frank’s zombie ripping apart anyone who came near her.  And as corpses rained down into the courtyard, Jason began bringing them back, slowly rebuilding his horde one undead at a time as he ordered them to hold the courtyard.

But even then, the plants were weakening along the edges of the enclosure.  The travelers had begun to breach the barrier on the ground and the second-story terrace – even as more poured in over the rooftops.  They couldn’t be everywhere at once.  And judging from the pile of empty mana potions at Eliza’s feet, there was a limit to how long she could maintain her plants.

Jason’s Bone Armor slithered down into place, and he joined Silver and Frank’s doppelganger, cutting at the travelers who were starting to make their way inside the courtyard.  He only stopped long enough to resurrect more corpses with one hand – the undead often lacking limbs – or to blast apart a body in an explosion of dark energy.  There was only blood and battle.  Screams and cries of pain.  Blasts of fire, ice, and lightning.  A pyrotechnic display crashed and boomed overhead to the beat of Bard’s guitar in the distance.

And that energy infused these travelers.  Made them stronger and faster.  Their blows hit harder.  With the help of Bard’s buff, they were cutting down Jason’s summons almost as fast as he could get them up.  Jason had never seen this before.  Noob travelers shouldn’t be able to put up this kind of fight.

A Fireball crashed against Jason’s dark-ore-infused armor, the heat blunted, but the force still causing him to stagger backward.  He dipped under the next one and sent a bone shield hurtling into the caster’s head, interrupting his next cast only for Silver’s projectiles to take him out.

And yet there was just another player waiting behind him.

And another behind her.

They were outnumbered, and this was a terrible defensive position.  These people also likely hadn’t been nervous about resetting their respawn point to Barrow.  Even if they killed them, no doubt they would be back shortly.  They needed to get the hell out of there.

“Finn!” Jason shouted.  “How long?”

“Right… now!” was his answer.

A beam of light suddenly speared up into the sky and blasted apart Jason’s unnatural night cover.  Then that energy arced outward, stretching out across the game world in a rippling wave that traveled so quickly it was at the horizon in an instant.

“Just need a second to collect the data,” Finn shouted distractedly.

Suddenly, the music changed.  Now it was a deadly crescendo – a chaotic, discordant mess like nails on a chalkboard.  The travelers’ bodies were all infused with a glimmering red and yellow energy, veins popping out across their skin and their mana flaring brightly.  It was almost like they’d all just gained a few dozen levels in an instant.

They launched themselves forward recklessly now, abandoning any sense of self-preservation.  The loss of a limb or a searing blast of dark mana didn’t stop them, it only slowed them down.

Jason dodged one lightning-fast swipe, twisted out of the way of another, and then shoved his opponents back with two well-placed bone shields, turning to swipe with a Soul Blade… only to find his enemy had slumped to the ground.  Dead.

Shit, the buff must be draining their life.

That meant Bard was making one last ditch attempt to stop them.  Pewpew must have been feeding him information from the sky as she avoided Jerry.

But that buff was a double-edged sword.

This was where Jason shined.

He typed out a command to the group – instructing them to guard him and the tower at all costs.  Then he retreated to the interior of the courtyard and began casting Custom Skeleton, the world slowing to a crawl.

He could see Kyyle forming walls of stone around the sensor.  Panels of flaming metal and glimmering light warded off the projectiles.  Though, more than a few made it through the cracks, cutting into the ivory foundation of the tower.  Riley shot and sniped from the rooftops as she barely held the travelers at bay.  Silver and Frank’s doppelganger roamed the courtyard in a flurry of claw and fang.  Even Alexion had entered the fray, his armor shining with a muted light – his mana drained by powering the sensor.

All around Jason, the bodies were now outlined in glowing sapphire relief, more travelers dropping by the moment as his undead and teammates tried vainly to keep them off Finn and the tower while Bard’s buff drained them dry.  Dozens of corpses.  Plenty of materials.  Jason pulled at them, bones exploding from their fleshy casing in a shower of blood and gore.  They whirled around him in a vortex, knitting themselves together with ropes of dark mana.

A creature began to form at the base of the tower.  Dozens of feet long.  Razor-sharp ivory fangs.  Clawed feet.  Its wings soon snapped outward, sheets of obsidian energy stretching out across that bleached white frame.  A Bone Dragon.  A creature of pure death.

As Jason finally canceled his spell, he staggered in place, a zombie catching him before he could fall.  His creature raised its head to the sky and let out a menacing roar, its wings snapping forward and the wind sending the onrushing travelers stumbling backward.

“Okay… we’re good!” Finn shouted.

“Then everyone, get the fuck on!” Jason shot back, gesturing at the dragon.

Hundreds of travelers were still barreling at them, racing into the courtyard and across the rooftops as their team retreated, piling onto the dragon’s back.  Jason chugged a mana potion and kept casting, raising more bodies, and sending them hurtling back into the enemy’s ranks only to explode apart in a shower of dark energy.

He felt himself lifted off the ground, Frank’s doppelganger carrying him in his arms and leaping up onto the dragon, Silver at his side.  The creature then began to take off as the tower beside them slowly started to crumble and crack, finally giving way under the assault – remnants of light mana spilling out in every direction.  The dragon’s wings flapped powerfully as they rose into the air.

Jason looked to Ella then, the dark mage clinging to the dragon beside him.

“Want to get some last-minute experience?” he asked.

She just grinned back.  “Sure do.”

“Well, tell Frank to hurry back when you respawn.  You can hitch a ride with him.”

Ella gave him a salute.  “Yes, sir.”

Then she let go, falling back into the crowd of frenzied travelers, Jason’s bone shields offering her some cover from the elemental missiles that whizzed up at them.  As Ella neared the throng, her body suddenly exploded in a torrential blast of acid just as the dragon’s wings snapped forward again, creating a whirling vortex that sent the burning green substance spinning out among the players’ ranks.  Their screams echoed up into the air as hundreds died in an instant.

Then they were airborne, and the dragon was beating a path away from Barrow.

“Watch out!” Eliza cried as another massive bolt of lightning followed them.  Now that Jerry was onboard, no one was keeping Pewpew suppressed.

But Finn had anticipated the attack and maintained his channels, and the bolt soon smashed against another barrier of flame-infused metal.  The bullet carved through the first panel, only to be met by another… and another.  Until the energy dissipated harmlessly, and the projectile fell away, tumbling down toward Barrow.

As he looked back at the city, Jason’s cloud cover began to break apart, and a patchwork of sunlight suddenly streamed down upon Barrow, highlighting the destruction.  The guild hall had been torn apart, infested with living vines.  The courtyard was a bloody mess.  One whole wing was ablaze.

A flash of lightning drew his attention to the street outside the guild.  Three figures stood there now.  Blaze, Pewpew, and Bard.  Just watching.

All that damage caused by just four of them – not even the full guild.  And even then, Jason and his allies had been forced to trade a death between Queen and Frank and barely managed to defend the sensor array until it had activated.  He could only hope that the data Finn had collected would be enough to pinpoint the excavation site.

“These guys are no joke,” Riley murmured from Jason’s side, echoing his thoughts.

“No, no, they’re not.  But next time, our hands won’t be tied playing defense,” Jason replied.  He hadn’t forgotten how they had almost killed Silver, his eyes pulsing with dark energy.

“Next time, we’re going to make them pay.  That’s a promise.”

Chapter 23 - Aftermath

Rogue-Net Forums:

No One:  What a shitshow in Barrow… as expected of the avatars.

XShadowX:  I thought these people were supposed to be legends.  But we were able to mess their shit up with just a few travelers?

Tina: You mean several hundred travelers, right?

No One:  And a few members of <Death and Taxes>.  Now those guys know how to lay down some hurt.  I heard they took out one of Jason’s lieutenants instantly.

XShadowX:  Gives me hope that the Great Reset is actually going to happen.  If they can’t even handle a group of randos and a couple members of a PK guild, how are they going to stop the end times?

Mateo:  @XShadowX as though what?  You aren’t going to suck post-server reset?  Maybe just git gud, bro.

XShadowX:  User has been banned.  Post Removed.

Julie:  @XShadowX Reported.

No One:  *eyeroll*  Bunch of children in here.  I mean, I hate these guys, but you can see from the videos that the attack was well orchestrated, and the travelers were being buffed by Bard.

Elijah:  That was nuts.  I just couldn’t die…

Ashley:  Wait, bard was there!?  Squeeeeeeeeee!

Justin:  Ugh, calm yourself, groupie.

Ashley:  I.  Can.  Not.  Bard is gorgeous…

Emma:  I know, right?  That big-feathered hat just does strange things to me.

No One:  Uh, can we get back on topic?

Mia:  Sure, we can!  So, how ripped do you think Bard is under all that velvet?

<No One has left the channel>

<Mateo has left the channel>

<Justin has left the channel>

***

Smoke streamed into the sky, the remains of Evelyn’s guild hall still smoldering after the damage that Blaze had wreaked.  The entire first floor was little more than ash and rocky foundation – even the stone having melted away in some sections.  The fires had swept through most of the structure, burning the expensive carpets and furnishings that Evelyn had installed.  Apparently, they were rather flammable.  Go figure.

The resulting explosions had also caved in portions of the building as Eliza’s plants had given way – the vegetation having undermined the hall’s structural integrity.  Piles of stone and rubble now lingered all around the courtyard, the remains of the sensor perched only a few feet away from where Bard sat atop a massive boulder, his attention fixed on the glowing blue screens before him and his hands dancing across the keyboard.

“Hey, Bard.  Whatcha doing—” Pewpew flashed into existence nearby, hesitating as she skimmed one of the screens.

Bard started in surprise and tried to pivot the display to hide its contents.  “I’ve told you not to just pop in behind me like that!” he complained.

“Uh-huh,” Pewpew offered dryly.  “Why is that exactly?  So I won’t catch you talking yourself up in a bunch of forums?  Do you really think women have a thing for floppy hats?”

As Bard tried to twist away, the girl teleported again, stooping over to read the contents of another screen.  “And just how many shill accounts did you create?”

“That’s none of your business,” Bard replied indignantly, finally swiping away the screens entirely.  “I’ll have you know that I received a ton of normal engagement on my comments.  And besides, increasing my personal brand is important.  I’ve actually sold quite a few of my Bard’s Basics packages.  Just look at these flattering reviews.”

“Sure you did, buddy,” Pewpew replied, patting his shoulder.

“Is there a reason you’re here?” Bard demanded with a huff.

The girl just shrugged.  “We’re nearly finished up with the looting.  Not a bad haul.  Evelyn’s storage warehouses were warded and reinforced so they survived most of the damage.  Smiles also messaged and said his mission was a success.  He’s getting things lined up for Phase 2, and he should be ready to meet us within the next day or two in-game.”

Bard’s expression sobered.  “That all?” he asked.

“Not quite.  He also asked about the lady.  Evelyn?”

“She’s fine.  Her avatar should arrive on time.”

“Can’t imagine she’ll be happy with the damage to the guild hall,” Pewpew murmured, eyeing the devastation.  “Such a shame.”

“I didn’t peg you for the compassionate type,” Bard quipped.

“I have a soft spot for powerful women.  What can I say?” she shot back with a laugh.

Evelyn was indeed that.  Which also made her a handful.  But Bard had long since given up questioning Smiles’ plans.  They had a way of working out in the end… usually after the body count had piled up to a horrifying degree.  Indeed, the plan had gone well so far – almost too well.  That thought had a frown tugging at Bard’s lips.

“You sure about all of this?” Pewpew asked suddenly, echoing his thoughts.

Bard glanced at her in surprise.  The homicidal tween wasn’t normally one for heart-to-hearts.  “What do you mean?”

“Oh, c’mon.  You know that last fight was a near thing.”  Pewpew looked to the pool of black and blue blood pooling around one column, a grimace tugging at her lips.  “Killing a player is one thing, but if I hadn’t—”

“You did what you needed to do,” Bard interjected, his voice unusually solemn.  “Smiles would have done the same thing.”

Pewpew didn’t look convinced, but she shook off her fugue.  “Even so, are you sure about this plan?  Helping usher in the apocalypse?  I mean, I know why we’re doing it.  And I’m not exactly against a huge payday.  But if we do win… when we win, I mean, will there be anything left?”  Her tone was almost wistful.

Bard just grunted.  Although, her words resonated with his own worries.  Perhaps some of his internet trolling had been an attempt to distract himself from what they were doing.

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully.

A long silence met those words.

“I’m really going to miss blowing stuff up,” Pewpew said finally.

“Amen to that,” Bard answered.

***

“So, what do you think?” the Gambler asked, waving at the screen.

The other gods were arrayed around the lounge, perched on velvet-wrapped sofas.  Their faces were dire as they watched the display that hung across the wall.  The panel was broken up into multiple displays that showcased the battle that had raged through the guild hall, the building now little more than smoking wreckage.

“It was really… entertaining,” the Hippie mumbled around a mouthful of nuts.  “I especially enjoyed that cliffhanger moment where Pewpew shot Silver.  Almost thought she was dead, you know?”  He shook his head.  “And then a meteor?  And an army of radicalized travelers?  Good stuff.”  The Hippie shoved another handful of nuts into his mouth, gesturing for the Gambler’s rat, Oscar, to bring him more – the rodent giving a weary sigh from the bar.

“Your people seem insane,” the Lady commented dryly.

“A product of working with the Gambler, I imagine,” the Old Man added.

The god of air arched an eyebrow.  “That’s rich coming from you lot.  Let’s see here… you’ve got a psychopath LARP’ing as some sort of hero, an old man pining after his dead wife, a girl that likes flowers a bit too much, and a wannabe goth kid that took the wrong lesson away from his comic books.”  The god of air held up his hands.  “But sure, by all means, keep throwing rocks from your glass house.”

The Gambler leaned back, swirling his whiskey.  “And regardless, it looks like I’m winning.”

“The conflict is far from over,” the Lady shot back.  “So far, your people haven’t managed to slay a single avatar.  They’ve merely burned down a building.  They didn’t even destroy that sensor tower before they got the pulse off…  Pathetic, if you ask me.”

The Seer tilted her head, watching the screen intently.  “I’m not sure that was the goal,” she observed quietly.

The others looked at her curiously, the Gambler only smiling into his glass.

“How do you mean?” the Old Man asked.

“Pewpew could have potentially taken out the tower with that first shot.  Instead, she decided to kill Queen.  Perhaps that move made sense – to protect the group’s information.  But why did she go for Silver with the second shot?  The tower was still undefended.”

The gods lapsed into a momentary silence at that.

The Old Man grunted.  “Hmm, I see your point.  But even if she had destroyed the tower, the avatar group could have fled and built another.  Next time, they could have chosen to build somewhere more inconspicuous.  Which begs the question… what was the point of this attack?”

The god of fire nodded, the silks wrapping her body rustling.  “My thoughts exactly.  The only certainty in all of this is that <Death and Taxes> never intended to destroy the sensor.  They’re planning something else.”

“What are you up to?” the Lady demanded, whirling on the Gambler.

He just took a sip.  “Me?  Nothing at all.  As you’ve all noticed, I’ve been here the whole time under the watchful eyes of our beloved chaperones,” the Gambler added, waving at the dark-hued animals lingering about the room.  “Besides, I take the integrity of my bets very, very seriously.”

The Gambler eyed the Lady.  “Speaking of which… where exactly is your ball and chain?  I can’t help but notice that obnoxious creature is mysteriously absent.  Perhaps you’ve been doing something you don’t want seen?  Helping a certain self-proclaimed paladin?”

The Lady looked away.  “The bird was getting on my nerves.  I put it down for a short nap, is all.  Nothing permanent.”

“Yup… she definitely killed it,” the Hippie said, watching the goddess of light.

As though his words had summoned the creature, a small black sparrow suddenly popped into existence in the center of the room.  It quickly scanned the enclosure before its eyes rested on the Lady, darting over to her, and twittering happily on her shoulder, rubbing its tiny head against her neck.  The woman barely suppressed the urge to lash out at the creature, her hands balling into fists on the sofa beside her as she breathed in deeply.

“Ahh, she’s cute,” the Hippie added.  “But definitely not as cute as you, Fluffy,” he amended quickly, petting the sheep where it lay beside him.

“She just adores you,” the Gambler observed with a smile.

“I’m going to kill you,” the Lady ground out.

“Promises, promises, my dear sister.”

The Gambler heaved out a sigh.  “We both know that death is beyond us.  There is no promise of sweet release… ever.  There is only this universe and the roles we play in administering this farcical competition among the travelers.  We lack even the illusion of choice.”

“Is that what this is?” the Old Man asked.  “This game?  Your attempt to end it once and for all?  To finally rest?  You know that won’t work.”

The gambler cocked his head.  “Perhaps.  Or maybe I just enjoy watching you all squirm.  What can I say?  It makes me happy.”  He chuckled darkly at his own joke, his gaze flitting back to the screen as he took another long pull on his whiskey.  Meanwhile, the other gods looked at each other with concern.

“Either way, it will make for an interesting show, one I’ve been looking forward to for a very, very long time,” the Gambler murmured, attention shifting back to the screen.  “I can hardly wait to see what comes next.”

Chapter 24 - Rendezvous

Algae coated the walls of the cave, slithering up the roughhewn rock and stone despite the absence of any real source of water.  It gave off a soft green glow that illuminated the cramped enclosure.  Jason hadn’t had time to build a fortress, just a safe place for his team and his newfound allies to regroup without any prying eyes or ears.

After escaping from the ruined guild hall, Jason had directed his dragon high above the cloud cover, even though the harsh sunlight swiftly eroded the undead creature.  Then he’d chosen a random direction.  Not back to the Twilight Throne or to a friendly city.  That was far too obvious.  And after everything that had gone down back in Barrow, he wasn’t taking any chances.  <Death and Taxes> had proven themselves to be formidable tacticians.  Or at least someone among them was pulling all the right strings.

The ground trembled, sending up a shower of dirt as every eye in the small cave turned to the source of the noise, weapons clutched in hand and mana flaring.  Yet they hesitated as a giant, ant-like creature emerged and immediately shrank down to regular human form, Ella tumbling to the ground as the creature shifted.

Frank’s eyes scanned the cave until they locked on Silver.  Without a word, he rushed forward and wrapped her in his arms, letting out a low growl as he greeted her – neither saying much.  Not that they had much chance with their lips that busy.

“Uh, there are still people here,” Kyyle commented dryly.

“Is there always that much… um, growling?” Ella offered awkwardly, standing up and wiping the dirt from her armor.

Jason just nodded.  This was actually pretty tame.

“You can’t get in the way of young love.  That’s what I always say,” Jerry observed with a flick at the brim of his hat.

The pair finally parted, not even looking sheepish at their reunion.

Not that Jason blamed them.  Silver had almost died, after all.

Frank finally took a good look around, a frown plastered on his face.  “So, why are we meeting out here in the middle of nowhere… in a hole in the ground?”

“Because we don’t know if anyone is tracking our movements,” Finn answered simply, not bothering to look up from the displays that hovered before him.  He’d been terse, bordering on mute, since the encounter in Barrow.  No doubt, Eliza’s memories were responsible for that – the implication of what she’d overheard between her parents alarming.

“Jason made the right call,” Kyyle offered when the avatar of flame lapsed into silence.  “That encounter back in Barrow demonstrated that our enemy has an incredible amount of intel on each of us.  Not only that, but they have someone savvy coordinating their movements.  Even after we confronted Queen, they already had a Plan B lined up.

“Which means they might have something else planned.  For example, the most obvious move would be for us to retreat to the Twilight Throne from Barrow given the distance.”

Jason nodded.  “So, instead, I picked a random direction, landed once we were about a hundred miles from the city, formed a Carry-On Worm from the remains of the Bone Dragon, and then repositioned us another few miles from our landing zone.  Thus, we get our new secret hideout.”

“Otherwise known as the hole in the ground,” Julia groused.

“All I see is that we got our asses handed to us, and now we’re hiding,” Alexion spat, anger flaring in his eyes and his mana responding in kind.  His body began to shine with light.  He waved at the displays before him.  “Do you see what they’re saying online?  They’re laughing at us.  Four avatars could barely handle an unruly mob.  And we’re still on the defensive.

“We should be taking the fight to them – tracking down those assholes and—”

“And what?” Jason calmly interjected.  Alexion let out an angry growl.  “No, I’m serious – I’m not baiting you.  And what?  Kill them… only for them to respawn?  Torture is out, right?  We sure as hell don’t need a game master crawling up our ass.  Capture one and read their mind?  Oh, except I’m sure they’ll develop a countermeasure now.  None of them seem particularly afraid of dying.  And that all assumes we can even find them.  Where would you start looking exactly?”

Alexion’s jaw snapped shut, but he didn’t look happy.  “They have Evelyn,” he finally managed.  “I don’t give a shit if I have to go track them down myself.”

“Evelyn is fine,” Jason shot back.  “We’re only talking about her in-game avatar.  And since she’s still online and hasn’t died…”  He waited for confirmation as Alexion checked his UI, finally giving a grudging nod.  “They must be sedating or keeping her imprisoned somehow.”

“Probably moving her and hoping to use her as bait,” Julia offered.

“Fucking assholes,” Frank growled.

Jason sighed, shaking his head.  “Either way, the easiest way to find Evelyn is to find <Death and Taxes>.  And for that, we need Finn here to comb through his data.”

Alexion’s hands clenched.  Jason watched him.  There wasn’t any love lost between them, but he could sympathize with him – an emotion he’d never expected to feel toward Alex-fucking-Lane.  Much less, twice in as many days.  Maybe Alfred was on to something with his theory about common enemies.  They both had plenty – both in-game and out.

“Look, we’re going to get her back.  But you need to take a breath.  They want us on edge right now.  Worried.  Anxious.  Angry,” Jason explained, eyeing Frank with that last one.  “They’ve been fucking with our heads just as much as they tried to take down that sensor tower.  You get upset… emotional?  Well, then they win.  We need to come up with a real plan.”

Alexion held his gaze for a long moment but then blew out a breath, forcing his hands to unclench… even if he still didn’t look happy.

“I’m relaxed.  The epitome of calm,” he answered with wry sarcasm.

“Good.  Then let’s start with what we learned about our opponents,” Jason began, pushing off from the nearby cave wall and pacing the room.  “Our best guess is we were facing what?  Four members of <Death and Taxes>?”

“Blaze, Queen, Pewpew, and Bard by my count,” Kyyle observed.

Jason nodded.  “Which means the other group staged the attack on Sandscrit to pin the blame on Eliza.”  The water mage had stayed quiet as the others bickered but flinched at that, her hand fiddling with one of her wands.

“Which I had no part in,” she added quietly but firmly.

“So, you say,” Julia snapped.

“Do you need more proof?” Jason demanded, Finn’s daughter holding his gaze for a moment before looking away.  While that little dip into Eliza’s mind might have proven she wasn’t behind the end of the game world or the attack on Sandscrit, it had only added to the tension.

“As I was saying,” Jason continued, “that means Smiles, Smokes, and Tombs handled that operation on their own.  They split their forces.”

“We can also assume they have a way to remotely maintain an illusion,” Ella observed, her hand flicking at the display that hovered before her to pivot her screen.  It showed the now familiar encounter in Sandscrit – replete with a shark-like-man eating people.

Kyyle nodded.  “My guess is that Queen learned to imbue an illusion into an item.  Some type of jewelry is most likely.  There are several members of the Mage Guild that are quite well versed in Warding.  Runes etched directly onto a person’s skin use their mana to sustain the spell,” he continued, waving at Finn’s eyes, twin tattoos peeking from beneath the bandage that wrapped his face.  The avatar of flame didn’t react.  His attention was focused solely on the screens in front of him, occasionally muttering an order at Daniel where he floated at his shoulder.

“A similar approach is used when enchanting an item – inscribing the ward directly onto the artifact.  However, that requires an external power source.  And given the complexity of the illusions, my guess is that it would require quite a bit of mana,” Kyyle finished with a frown, tapping at his notes to update them.

“So, you’re saying the illusions have a short duration?” Riley asked.

“Quite possibly.  That would explain why Queen needed to imitate Evelyn herself,” Kyyle answered with a nod.  “She would be using her own mana pool and regeneration to help sustain that illusion over a long period of time.”

“An illusion that even fooled Finn,” Frank muttered, glancing at Silver.  That little slip-up could have cost her life.

“Queen tricked me, I’ll admit it,” the avatar of flame bit out angrily, flame rippling across his skin.  “But I was… distracted.  I’m not anymore.  And now that I’ve seen how she’s created multiple layers of illusions, I know what to look for.  That trick won’t work twice.”

“Yeah, you seem super chill now,” Frank remarked dryly.  He glanced at Julia and Kyyle.  “What does he look like when he’s actually upset?”

Julia just snorted, and Kyyle cocked his head, neither wanting to antagonize Finn further.

“It’s safe to assume they’ll likely try a different tact going forward,” Jason murmured to himself, rubbing at his chin as he paced the room.  “They’re clearly smart enough to know the jig is up regarding their illusions.”

He shook his head.  The question was how… but that was jumping the gun.

“We also now have a decent sense of some of their abilities – above and beyond the information we’ve collected from videos and rumors online,” Jason continued.  “Queen has mastered water mana, using it both offensively in the form of ice and to create intricate illusions,” Jason began before waving at Julia who had faced off against the fire mage.

“Blaze is exceptionally powerful,” Julia muttered reluctantly.  “She can maintain a massive Fire Nova for an almost indefinite amount of time – which speaks to a high Intelligence and Willpower.  Given the strength of her attacks, including that Meteor that struck Alexion’s shield, I’m guessing she’s put almost all her points into Intelligence.  Rumors online also say she can overcharge her fire spells.”

“Shouldn’t that make her squishy as hell, though?  Why couldn’t you take her out?” Ella asked, cocking her head.  “With your Mana Absorption, it seems like that should have been easy.  Move in close and stab her.”

“You’d think,” Julia grunted.  “Except, despite her casting stats, she isn’t just a flimsy caster.  She’s fast.  Really fast.  My guess is that she’s using Haste like Finn.  It seems like she’s undergone extensive physical training.  Her speed and strength seemed unusual, given the intensity of her spell casting.  She’s also leveled and modified her spells.  She can increase the heat around her in pockets – enough to melt normal metal.  What I don’t quite get is how she can withstand her own magic.  Some sort of Fire Resistance?  But I can confirm that she is able to hold her breath for an exceptionally long time.  She seemed completely unaffected by either the poison ash or the lack of oxygen due to her flames.”

“Bard is also no joke,” Riley added softly, her eyes distant as she replayed the battle in her head.  “I saw him from the rooftops.  He didn’t even need to engage.  He just used the other travelers like lemmings.  Buffed them initially – my guess is he increased their speed and health.  That song at the end whipped them into a sort of frenzy.  Probably removed their pain feedback and granted a massive stat boost—”

“At the cost of their lives,” Jason finished for her.  It had been a last-ditch effort on Bard’s part since the resulting casualties would only increase Jason’s strength during battle.

“And since he didn’t enter the fight himself, we don’t know what else he can do,” Jerry added with a tip of his hat.  “He could be just as dangerous as Blaze in close quarters.”

“Especially if he can buff himself,” Riley answered, nodding along with the innkeeper.

“What about Pewpew?” Jason asked, looking to Jerry.

An unusual frown pulled at his lips, the zombie innkeeper fiddling with his mustache.  “That little girl is… unusual.  She’s an air mage.  Fast.  Dual pistols and some sort of long barrel weapon I’ve never faced before.  Accurate and some decent force behind it.”

“A rifle?” Jason asked.  Jerry just shrugged.

“She’s limited to a short-ranged teleport, but she uses it with impunity,” Jerry continued.  “Back-to-back jumps.  Moving at odd angles.  My guess is that she chained the teleports together to get some height on the guild hall and made those first few shots while freefalling.”

“Almost certainly, given the angle of the shot,” Finn chimed in.  “Daniel?”

His AI pulsed once, and a glowing orange model appeared next to him, providing a wireframe model of the guild hall and the courtyard.  A line traced the angle of the shot, which looked like it had come from almost directly above the guild.

“To pierce that shield, she would have also needed a tremendous amount of force.  The mana barriers in this world are still affected by physics – with some modifications of course,” Finn explained, eyes on his screen.  “So, targeting a smaller segment can still penetrate the barrier.  My guess is that she used her air mana to channel lightning around a metallic round, effectively magnetizing it, and then spun it up to speed like a drill bit and fired.

“But then again, I don’t need to guess.”  As he finished speaking, Finn tossed Jason an object before turning back to his screens.

Jason looked down at his hand to find a half-ruined bullet more than three inches long.  The metal was warped and scored with scorch marks.  However, Jason could still make out the rifling along the side, forming deep ridges in the projectile.

“Huh,” Ella murmured.  “So, we’re facing an illusionist, a hard DPS caster, a strong support, and a teleporting sniper.”

“Not counting the other three, yeah,” Frank murmured, rubbing at his face.

Jason frowned at that.  It felt like there was still a piece of the puzzle missing there.

“About that attack on Sandscrit, it was clear that they were trying to pin the theft of the gate piece on Eliza – hence the illusions.  But why the gate piece specifically?” Jason asked.

“What do you mean?” Riley questioned.

“It was clear they were trying to paint one of us as a traitor,” Jason continued.  “But they could have accomplished that goal in a number of ways.  So why attack a heavily fortified location with a high chance of failure?” he murmured as he paced.

Finn finally looked up at that, his brow furrowing as he shared a look with Julia and Kyyle.  Jason didn’t miss that exchange, although he had no idea what it might mean.

“The, um, purpose of the gate pieces is still not clear,” Kyyle offered.  “I suppose it’s possible they know something we don’t – they seem to have an unusually accurate source of information.” Kyyle offered hesitantly.

“Or maybe just a show of strength?” Julia added.  “Or possibly they chose to target a high-value item, something they assumed we would be upset about losing.”

Jason nodded slowly at that, but something still didn’t feel right.

He just couldn’t put his finger on why.

“Either way, the video provides some additional intel,” Riley spoke up.  “We can assume the shark was Smiles given its physical strength.  He must have been passing or phasing through the ground with the help of Tombs.  And the water was likely controlled by Smokes – at least according to the information available online.  So, that gives them a physical brawler who is at least on par with Frank, an earth mage specializing in moving through objects, and what’s likely an air mage that can control smoke – changing its shape at will.”

“I hate to say it, but these guys are pretty good,” Ella spoke up.

Jason had just been thinking the same thing.  The full group was going to be a tough nut to crack – especially with their individual skills and coordination.  He could see the same concern mirrored on the faces of the rest of his companions, a hushed silence filling the cave.

“Except next time, we won’t be distracted,” Jason announced, breaking the tension.  “We won’t be caught off guard.  Or forced to devote multiple members of our group to defending a sensor tower.  That last battle was on their terms.  Now it’s time to turn the tables.”

And hopefully, I won’t get caught without any minions, he added silently.

“Next time, I’m going to rip their fucking hearts out,” Frank added for good measure.

Silver patted his arm and replied, “Not if I get to them first.”

“Speaking of future heart-ripping, I’ve managed to collate the data from the sensor pulse,” Finn spoke up as he turned away from his screens.

“I’m certain what you meant to say was that your beloved and invaluable companion managed to collate the data,” Daniel chirped from his shoulder, earning him a glare and a frustrated huff from the older man.

“Yes, yes.  Let’s all have a round of applause for the talking lantern,” Julia drawled, the group mustering a weak applause and Daniel’s light dimming.

“Either way, here it is,” Finn trailed off as an image popped up beside him, showing a rough map of the continent with a rainbow of mana scattered across the land mass, almost like a modern weather map.  Except those energies collided and swirled together in unusual ways, forming pools of energy in multiple locations.

“That burst gave us the positions of major collections of mana,” Finn explained.  “You can see these big pockets of primarily one color: Sandscrit, The Twilight Throne, The Crystal Reach, etc.  Those we can rule out as potential locations for the excavation.  I’ve also compared the other major mana signatures against mapped dungeons or major cities like Vaerwald… assuming, of course, that the information available online is reliable.”

As he spoke, Finn tapped at the map, and those locations disappeared.

“Which leaves us with just a handful of options.  However, we can also make some assumptions about the excavation.  For example, the wording is telling.  It implies they’re digging.  In that case, they’re likely using primarily earth and fire mana.”

“Or a giant skeletal worm,” Frank muttered, eyeing the open maw that lingered along one side of the cavern.

“Not likely,” Riley answered.  “I mean, do you know of any other Necromancers?  Much less one that can pull off some of Jason’s creations?”

“Fair enough,” the shifter replied, cocking his head.  “I’m just saying there might be another way we aren’t considering.”

“It’s possible but unlikely.  We have to make some conservative assumptions here,” Finn continued.  “And if we do… that narrows it down to one option.”

His finger tapped at the screen, highlighting a location far to the southeast.  From Jason’s perspective, it was going to be a long trip.  Probably two days in-game if they traveled underground – which was likely their safest option, even if it wasn’t the fastest method.

“We have a possible target.  The question is what to do next,” Finn finished.

“Let’s go fucking kill them,” Alexion grunted.  “What more of a plan do we need?”

“Well, um, there are a few other considerations,” Eliza interjected gently, frowning.

Ella grunted.  “Exactly.  I mean, I’m all for going in guns blazing.  But how many guns?  And which ones?  Do we take troops from our cities?  That’s going to give away our location – and our possible destination.”

“It’s also going to take time,” Riley added.  “A few days to muster our forces and a few more to travel.  And it puts some of them at risk.”  She looked at Silver during this last remark, the shifter nodding.

“Some of us don’t come back,” Silver muttered darkly.

“What’s our other option then?” Frank asked, squeezing her hand.  “Go in with just this group?  Against <Death and Taxes> and an unknown third-party guild?  We could be facing hundreds, if not thousands, on their own turf.”

Jason chewed on his lip in thought.

“Maybe we can compromise,” he suggested finally.  The others turned to look at him then, eyeing him curiously.  “We still have some time left.  A week at least.  Our priority right now should be to confirm that we have the right location.  We can tackle that ourselves.  That would allow us to use the Carry-On Worm to travel underground and avoid detection.  If we determine we have the right location, then we could build up our forces and launch a full-fledged attack on the excavation site.”

“When you say build up our forces?” Julia offered with a frown.

Finn arched an eyebrow, glancing at the screen.  “Ahh, I see…” he murmured.  He tapped at the map again, and more locations popped into focus.  “These, for example, are farming areas that have already been mapped by other travelers and they’re close to that concentration of mana.  The data is pretty sparse.  This area doesn’t look to be a popular starting location and its not near any major cities – so there may be more.”

“What are we talking about here?” Alexion demanded in irritation.

Riley sighed, rubbing at her temple.  “Jason plans to create another undead horde.”

“Only if it’s necessary,” Jason amended.  “With this group, it should be easier than when we created the Bone Gardens around Sandscrit.  And that way, we don’t need to worry about taking any unnecessary risks – for example, exposing intel by involving other travelers or putting our city’s residents at risk.  As Silver pointed out, they don’t come back.”  The shifter nodded.

“So, what?  You’d be in control of some mammoth undead horde… that we’re all supposed to help you build?  Not to mention all the mana that would generate for your well.” Alexion snapped.  “And if we win, I guess you’d just happily split the gate pieces, right?”

“We actually have to win for that to be an issue,” Riley shot back.  “Do you have a better plan?  One where we don’t announce our location and end up with a legion of travelers fucking everything up?  Because that went so well the first time, right?”

Alexion grimaced.  “Still, the point stands.  We’re putting all the power in Jason’s hands with this plan.”  Jason could see that Finn also looked uneasy at this suggestion, although he didn’t offer an alternative either.

“What if we hedge our bets,” Jason finally suggested.  “If you want, we could sabotage my undead.  Have Finn install some sort of explosive and then give the detonator to someone else.  Hell, that might even make my undead deadlier – especially if we can find a highly mobile base creature to produce with the Bone Gardens.”

Alexion chewed on that for a moment.  “That… could work.”

“Agreed,” Finn replied tersely.

“Eliza?” Jason offered.  The girl started but gave a quick nod.

“Good,” Jason said finally.  “Then I guess we need to hit the road.  It’s time to bring the fight to these assholes.”  The others looked more than happy to oblige.

Jason just hoped that the rematch would go better than the first round.

Chapter 25 - Undead

Jason sat inside the Carry-On Worm, an ivory throne at his back, and the creature’s console arrayed before him.  The walls of the worm shifted and undulated, that vibration spreading out through the empty seats that filled the space.  A steady hum that seemed to vibrate his very bones.  The others found it unpleasant.  In fact, they had all logged off during their journey, attending to real-world necessities like eating and drinking.  Yet Jason paid the tremors little mind, the sensation customary after so long spent inside these worms.

Besides, he relished the opportunity for some solitude after the events in Barrow.  Something else had been occupying his thoughts lately, lingering there at the back of his mind even during that last Keeper trial with Frank, the delve into Eliza’s mind, his confrontation with Queen, and the chaotic battle that had ensued.

Now it hovered in the air before his eyes – a glowing, sapphire notice that flickered and taunted and teased…

New Quest:  He’s A Keeper

The second Soul Guard has completed the Keeper trials and has unlocked their Guardian’s Sacrifice.  However, the evolution into a Shade and the rise of the Soul Guard was not a destination but simply one more step along the Path of the Dark.

You have proven you are willing to go to great lengths to grasp hold of that which you desire.  Your friends have perished – even suffered – by your hand, you have begun to bridge the divide between the living and dead, and, in the process, your flesh has been warped and twisted into something… more.  These trials have served a purpose.  Preparing your mind and body for what is to come – training you to rely on the power of the dark instead of your own flesh and blood.

You are now ready to go further.  To push yourself to even greater heights.  To allow that darkness to consume you fully – without fear or reservation.  You are ready to complete your transformation.  To become a creature of twilight and hunger and yearning desire.  To become something your enemies fear and your allies cheer.  The embodiment of death itself.

That is… if you aren’t afraid to die first.

Difficulty:  S+

Success:  Shed your last traces of humanity.

Failure:  Give in to weakness, fear, and doubt.

Reward:  Advancement in the Path of the Dark

Jason had pushed the prompt aside after Frank had completed the final trial.  There had been other, more pressing problems.  Like Finn possibly starting a war.  And the traitor in their midst.  But now that he had a moment alone, he’d read it over and over and over.  The explanation that everything he’d gone through – everything he’d endured – had simply been one more test.

Sacrificing his friends, their blood spilling into the well.

Delving into the depths of those waters, swimming with the souls of the dead.

Thorn’s torture, the manipulation of that dream-like space.

Even becoming a Shade hadn’t been the end.

Worse still, the prompt had been vague on where to go next.  Just a bit light on the important-fucking-details.  Like what exactly he needed to do to take the next step.

Shed the last traces of your humanity.

Whatever that was supposed to mean.

He had spoken to his advisors in the Soul Well at length.  Belephya – one of the former Keepers – had briefly alluded to this future change when she’d trained him to use the Soul Orb.  She’d only mentioned that those powers were reserved for a Keeper who had progressed further along the Path of the Dark and abandoned any pretense at humanity.

When he’d pushed, she’d gone quiet, her eyes distant.

“Our power is the darkness,” she’d explained.  “That icy burn; that desperate hunger.  The willpower to take what we want.  Yet that power is too great for this… this flimsy flesh casing we were born with.  So, our forebearers solved that problem.  They realized that their body was simply unnecessary.  A clumsy and inefficient vessel for our strength.”

A ghostly hand had touched one arm, then the other, his chest, a gesture at his legs, and then her fingertips had come to rest on his forehead.  “Our true power is stored here.  Najima.  Collections of mana.  From these points, the darkness flows, the six points of the star that make up the soul.  They are all that we need.”

Belephya had looked at him then, her eyes turning a solid black.  “The next step will be painful, even terrifying.  You need to decide for yourself if you are ready.  If your want is deep enough… your hunger great enough for what comes next.”

“I’m pretty sure she was telling me to kill myself,” Jason murmured aloud to an audience of no one, leaning back in his ivory seat and staring at that flickering blue prompt.

That was the only explanation he could come up with anyway.

The next step along the Path of the Dark involved removing the Najima from his body.

His attention shifted to the side where more displays flickered in the air.  Biology textbooks, images of ruddy muscle, dense bone, organ systems, and blood vessels and veins.  Another showcased Kyyle’s notes – the earth mage having been more than happy to part with them when Jason showed an interest.  They outlined the research on the Najima that had been collected by the Mage Guild in Sandscrit.  It was the same process that had removed Julia’s ability to manipulate mana.

Even if he was right, how was he going to pull this off?  To cut into his body and remove those points of energy wasn’t enough.  That would leave him unable to cast – just like Julia.  No, he needed to somehow preserve the Najima while replacing everything else.  Yet that seemed impossible.  How would he maintain his health – or mana, he supposed?  He might be a Shade now, but he still bled.  Still breathed.  Still had the same organs as any other human.

Eliza’s potions might help with the blood loss, but they wouldn’t be nearly enough.

And that was putting aside another problem.  How did he capture and contain the Najima?  How did he even detect those points of energy?  Just start digging around in his arm?  He lacked Finn’s Mana Sight or the sophisticated equipment described in Kyyle’s notes.  He stared down at his open palms.  It was just him and his own two hands.

Jason let out a frustrated sigh, swiping away those screens and rubbing at his eyes.  An answer wasn’t forthcoming.  Maybe it never would be.

Besides, he was tired – more tired than he cared to admit.  He must have been logged in for more than a day now.  But he suspected that <Death and Taxes> still had something up their sleeve.  He needed something more to level the playing field.  Which is why he had stayed logged in, studying that prompt – his own notes.  He needed to get stronger so that he could…

Jason hesitated.  And there it was.  The real problem.

So, he could do what exactly?

Save the game world?  But to what end?

He wasn’t even sure why he was playing anymore.

Alfred had been silent since their exchange before Barrow, Onyx having disappeared somewhere.  But even if the AI were here, what would he say?  More cryptic nonsense?  Vague and carefully worded sentences.  Insisting that Jason should trust him despite not knowing what he was planning?  And Alfred definitely had a plan, of that Jason was sure.  There were too many coincidences.  Too many connections between each of the avatars.

A swipe of his wrist and another screen popped into existence, showcasing his own notes on the avatars.  After his conversation with Robert, it had seemed like a good idea.

First, they all lived in the same place – which was statistically impossible given the size of the player base.  Then there were the connections between them.  A famous engineer who had helped give birth to Alfred and who conveniently happened to be Robert’s old mentor.  The daughter of Rachael’s friend and colleague, who just might have some information hinting that her death wasn’t an accident.  The son of the CEO that had helped create this world, who had been there when Rachael died and had covered for the birth of Alfred.

And then there was Jason… Alfred’s right hand both in-game and out.

Two more avatars still had yet to be revealed.  A question mark hung beside a rare photo of Smiles, his notes on the other members of <Death and Taxes> spilling out into the display’s margins.  However, Jason wouldn’t be surprised if the other two avatars had similar connections – a part to play in a mystery with no answer and terrible stakes.

So why did he keep charging headlong through the darkness?

If he was being honest, Jason had been driven by anger at first.  At Alexion, at Richmond, at his parents, at Gloria, even at Finn… But ever since Sandscrit, Jason’s anger had faded.  As though he had finally vented all the pressure that had been building, building, building as the world pressed in around him in-game and out.  Thorn, the hearing, those two teens dead on his bedroom floor, blood pooling around pale flesh and vacant eyes—

Jason shook his head to rid himself of those images.  The bottom line was that he found that anger harder to muster now, even after what <Death and Taxes> had done or how Pewpew had nearly killed Silver.  By all accounts, their opponents avoided resident casualties.  That much was clear from watching their videos online.  Which meant Pewpew had been desperate.  She’d needed to create an opening for her team.  If it had been him in her place—

“I would have made the same move,” Jason muttered into the blackness that encircled him.

Maybe that was why he was struggling to develop a real counter for <Death and Taxes>.  Why he was as distracted as Finn.  Maybe Angie had been right.  Maybe he should just let this all end – take the money, and buy a nice place for himself and his aunt.  Finish high school.  Start thinking about college.  Rid himself of that army of enemies Frank had seen circling in his subconscious.  Finally, relax.

Maybe the apocalypse was a sign…

A warning light flashed, and a notification popped up before him.

It signaled that they were closing in on their destination.

Jason heaved out a sigh before tapping at the control console for the Carry-On Worm, a dim blue light illuminating the enclosure.  The doomsday clock was still ticking down in the corner of his vision, their time quickly running out.  He needed to alert the others and get them back online.  His existential crises could wait for now.

Besides, in just a few more days, it might not matter.

Chapter 26 - Phased

The Carry-On Worm broke through the ground with a violent spray of dirt and rock.  The ivory machine heaved itself up out of the earth before grinding to a halt along the surface.  Its maw stretched open to reveal a dark chasm from which a slender white ramp extended.  And along that surface stepped Jason and his tenuous allies.

Jason had directed his Carry-On Worm to deposit them roughly a hundred miles from their target, emerging beneath a rocky outcropping that would help obscure them from sight.  Their goal was two-fold: to search for farming areas they could convert into Bone Gardens and to investigate the terrain before moving on to the potential excavation site.  However, they couldn’t be certain whether <Death and Taxes> already had scouts in this area.

So, they would need to move cautiously.

“Doesn’t look like much,” Alexion observed as they took in their surroundings.

For once, Jason couldn’t help but agree with him.  This was the first time he’d ventured to this portion of the continent – the group now well southeast of the Sea’s Edge.  The land rose around them to form towering mountains seemingly devoid of life.  No plants lingered on those slopes… unless you counted hardy vines that clung to the stones.  No trees towered into the skies.  And yet, as the sun streamed down on the group, Jason didn’t feel the palpable heat of the deep desert.  Instead, cool air blew between them, tugging at his cape.

“Also gives our opponents good visibility,” Frank grunted.  He pointed to the top of a nearby ridge.  “Easy to post scouts along those mountains.  Nowhere to hide in the valleys.  They’re going to see a big force coming from miles away.”

“Unless we go underground,” Riley offered, earning her a nod from Frank.

Although, both had frowns on their faces.  They didn’t need to say more aloud – Jason knew what they were both thinking.  It was going to be difficult and costly to move a force of considerable size beneath the earth.  Only a fraction of their forces had used the Carry-On Worms during their attack on Sandscrit.

“I’m not a grower, but this seems unnatural,” Silver replied softly.  She had stooped, her fingers digging into the dirt.  She plucked at a sapling, observing it closely.  “There’s some plant growth here, but it seems… new.  I wish we had Spider with us.”

“She’s right,” Eliza commented, peering over her shoulder.  “These are fresh saplings.  And over there, I see grass beginning to grow.  But it’s almost like something wiped out the vegetation for miles in every direction, and it’s only now springing back to life.”  She glanced over her shoulder at Brian.  “Can you tell anything more?”

The plant-man simply nodded back before kneeling to the ground, his fingers extending down into the earth and his sapphire eyes snapping shut in concentration.

Riley shot Jason a worried look.  “Maybe Blaze?”

At that comment, the others looked tense.  Both Ella and Julia reached for their weapons.  If <Death and Taxes> had rid this area of any cover, this might be a trap.

Jason shook his head slowly.  “I don’t see any signs of fire.  Finn?”

The avatar of fire frowned, staring at their surroundings, his head cocked to the side.  “The mana here is unusual.”  His fingers reached out at the air.  “As you’d expect, there’s earth mana in the rock and the fresh plant growth, as well as heat, light, and air surrounding us, but it almost looks like an illusion…  It’s as though there’s something just beneath – or behind – the usual layers of energy.  If I look away, I can almost catch a glimpse of it, like I’m seeing double.  I just can’t—”

Brian’s eyes shot open in alarm as the ground suddenly shook beneath their feet, the rock pitching and tilting violently.  A crack ripped open the nearby cliff face, and a plume of dirt and rock spewed into the sky before raining back down across the group.  Rocks the size of boulders slammed into the ground with tremendous force before exploding apart into jagged shards of rock that cut at them like shrapnel.

The group moved quickly.  Julia stepped forward, her shield emitting a massive gust of wind that formed a hole in the dust even as Kyyle’s staff flashed with emerald energy, and a Gravity Well formed above their heads – sending the rocky debris rocketing back skyward as though it had bounced off an invisible barrier.

“What the fuck was that?” Alexion snapped as the rock and dirt began to clear.

No one had a ready response.  They could only look on in shock at the damage.  The nearby cliff face looked like it had been blasted apart, and the area around them now resembled the surface of the moon – pockmarked with craters and rocky shards.  What little plant life had managed to attain a feeble foothold was now smashed apart.

“Unstable,” a whispery voice spoke up then.

They all turned to see Brian staring around them in concern, his blue eyes unblinking.  “Ground.  Unstable.  Something.  Wrong.”

“He must be able to sense whatever it is that I’m seeing… or not seeing,” Finn bit out in a frustrated voice.  “Daniel, can you help me out here?  Scan everything around us and then try to separate out this double image.”

“That will take a considerable amount of time.  We’re talking about an immense amount of data,” the fire elemental chirped from his shoulder.  “I can’t provide an ETA.”

“Just do it,” Finn grunted back.  “We need to know what we’re dealing with.”  The AI flashed once in acknowledgment before he began to flit through the air, a beam of orange energy scanning the area diligently, not missing a single rock or strand of grass.

“What does this mean for the farming locations?” Ella muttered.

“That they’ve probably been smashed flat by whatever the fuck that was,” Julia answered in a growl.  “That could also be why there aren’t any plants around here.  They don’t have enough time to grow before getting buried under a few tons of rock.”

“A plausible hypothesis, unfortunately,” Kyyle answered.

“Did <Death and Taxes> pick this location on purpose then?” Frank muttered.  “It seems like a great location for them to defend – assuming they can survive the earthquakes or rock geysers or whatever the hell just happened.”

“Maybe,” Jason murmured.  “But the prompt mentioned an excavation.  Which, again, implies they are digging for something.  It could be that whatever they’re trying to find is what’s causing this instability.  The info we found online about this area certainly didn’t mention anything like this.”

His thoughts were dark.  If this was just a precursor of what was to come, how would the rest of the AO world fair?  If they failed, would they see everything they’d built ripped apart and swallowed by the earth?  His hands clenched into fists.  They needed to stop this.

The ground shook again, and the group braced themselves, peering around the area to identify the location of the earthquake before it struck.  Yet this time, no rock spewed into the air.  Instead, something even more unusual happened.  The cliff face that had just erupted began to shimmer and shake.  Yet Jason realized it wasn’t the rock… it was the air itself.  It seemed to waver in place, like heat rising off hot asphalt, partially obscuring what lingered just beneath.

As the group looked on in shock, that haze swept out in a wave, forming a dense sphere that covered the mountain and reached down into the nearby valley.  The group took a few anxious steps backward, weapons and spells at the ready.

However, as quickly as the mysterious shimmer appeared, it suddenly vanished.

And in its place, there was now a paradise.  Water trickled down over the previously barren cliff face and tumbled into a small pond that twined between the trunks of thick trees.  Yet that water soon ran out beyond the edges of this new scenery, meeting dry rock and cracked earth where it formed muddy streams.  However, the transformation seemed limited to a roughly circular area only a few miles wide, leaving the rest of the region untouched.

“Okay, what the actual fuck am I looking at right now?” Frank finally asked.  “I’m not going crazy, right?  You all saw a forest suddenly pop out of literally nowhere?”

“Yeah, yeah, we did,” Riley reassured him.  Her bow was drawn, an arrow nocked as she peered down the shaft.  “And it apparently brought something else with it.”

Movement shook the foliage, and suddenly a creature of living stone stepped out of the trees, its glowing green eyes taking in the barren landscape around them – as well as their small group.  Its body was composed of thick boulders, its form suspended by what appeared to be a well of gravity that held that dense rock aloft.

“We’ve seen this before,” Finn said, raising his hands in a placating gesture.  “In a facility on the edge of the desert.  That’s an earth elemental.  Like Brock,” he explained curtly, waving at the elemental who loomed behind Kyyle.

The earth mage was staring with a puzzled expression.  “I didn’t expect to find other elementals out in the wild like this.  They are mostly described in texts.  Most vanished quite some time ago – around the same time that the gods and their former avatars were expelled from this world,” Kyyle murmured, already tapping out notes.  “Perhaps this area has a large concentration of earth mana?  Or the elementals were holed up underground for safety?”

“Either way, what the hell is it doing here?” Alexion snapped.

“I’m not sure,” Finn murmured, his irritation blunted in the face of this new mystery.  “I’m detecting a large concentration of earth mana now.  But it wasn’t there before.”

“Or maybe you missed it again,” the avatar of light bit out.

Finn shot him a scathing look before returning to his inspection.

“Are we looking at another avatar?” Ella asked in a worried voice.  “The earth avatar hasn’t been identified yet.  They could possibly be behind this.”

“Randomly creating pockets of forest and summoning earth elementals in the middle of nowhere?” Julia shot back.  “If so, then I don’t understand their plan.”

“No, I think we’re looking at something else,” Finn answered, stepping toward the golem.  “This looks almost like a natural occurrence, like an eruption or earthquake but involving mana.  I think the elemental is just a side effect.”

Finn turned his attention back to the rock golem.  “We don’t mean you any harm.  Can you understand me?”

Before the creature could respond, the ground shook again, this time much more violently.  The golem’s eyes flashed in alarm, and rocks rose around itself, forming a protective barrier – the stones suspended in the air by its gravitational magic.

At the same time, the area all around the group began to flare with that same shimmering energy.  The haze bloomed in the air, spreading out aggressively in a massive ring – one that far surpassed the first.  Brian formed a thicket around the group, and even Finn retreated, flames rippling across the metal bracelets along his right arm as they melted down and formed molten orbs that began to orbit him slowly.

That strange energy exploded outward in an instant before abruptly disappearing.

The forest had expanded well into the neighboring valley.  Thick trees.  Dense foliage that blocked the sunlight.  Hundreds of years of growth in mere moments.  Even with the help of her mana well, Eliza’s Accelerated Growth couldn’t have pulled off that feat.

However, the group’s attention was fixed on one point.  A structure now lingered a few hundred feet away, visible through the new tree cover but half-buried in the rock and stone, the architecture not identifiable.  Around that building, more of the stone elementals were pushing themselves up and out of the rock – the ground dissolving around them easily.

As the elementals’ emerald eyes turned toward the group, they definitely didn’t look friendly.  Shards of rock were soon pulled up into the air around them.

“Uh, so this doesn’t look good,” Frank muttered.

Julia had her shield raised, Kyyle hovering beside her.  “The good news is that they’re still far away.  They’re going to have trouble hitting us from—”

He was cut off as the stone spikes rocketed away from the elementals, only for portals of jagged green light to form in the air.  The missiles promptly disappeared.

Jason had a bad feeling about that, his eyes scanning the area around them.  “Finn?” he asked, tension filling his voice.  “Anytime you want to give us a heads up.”

“Behind us!” Finn finally shouted.

The green portals reopened in the air, and those stone projectiles came raining out… only to strike against Finn’s heated metal and for Jason to reflexively cut them from the air in a series of well-timed Soul Slashes.

“Some sort of teleportation?” Julia grunted as the rocky shards dropped to the ground.

“Looks like it,” Ella shot back, her wand in hand now, but her acid ineffective against these sorts of attacks.  She could only look on and wait.

“Oh, shit—” Frank began.

Jason turned, only to freeze in shock.  From their vantage point, they could see valleys stretch out around them for hundreds of miles, framed and surrounded by more barren peaks.  That hazy energy was springing up all across the area – pockets of shimmering air that ranged from a few dozen feet to nearly a mile across.  The only saving grace was that the earth elementals in the distance seemed distracted by the colossal amount of mana flaring into existence.

If this is happening across such a large area, could it also be extending further than the mountains?  The thought came to Jason unbidden, worry knotting in his chest as he thought of the Twilight Throne and its residents.

Almost as though the game had been monitoring his thoughts, a brilliant sapphire notice suddenly sprang up before him, glowing with an ominous light.

Universal Event Notice:  Armageddon

Armageddon is nigh!  The excavation of the relic has had unanticipated consequences.  Portals are now opening across the land, spilling forth creatures both friend and foe alike and terraforming entire areas.  There is nowhere to run.  Nowhere to hide.

The end is coming…

The group all swiped aside their notices, a tense silence settling across them.

Pockets of forest now dotted the valley and mountains, with even more shimmering domes forming as they watched.  And from those pockets of energy, more earth elementals poured forth, pulling themselves from the ground amid broken buildings, sparkling streams, and dense forests.  No doubt, this scene was playing out everywhere… creating mass chaos.

Jason shook himself.  This was unexpected, and his city was likely under siege right now, but there was nothing he could do about that.  His people were well trained and equipped.  They could weather whatever happened.  For now, all he could do was keep pushing forward and figure out a way to stop this.  If the farming areas in this region hadn’t already been destroyed by <Death and Taxes>, these new inhabitants would likely make short work of them.

And, unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to repurpose earth elementals.

Which meant they only had one option now.

“We need to get the hell out of here,” Jason grunted, waving at the Carry-On Worm and the creature’s maw opening wide to receive them.

The nearby elementals were already beginning to recover, forming more spikes of stone as their glowing green eyes turned back to the group – clearly intending to blame them for whatever the hell was going on.  However, Kyyle acted quickly, creating a Gravity Well in a circle around their position.  As soon as the missiles exited those glowing green portals, they were sent crashing into the ground.

“Where are we going?” Riley asked, worry in her voice as the group piled back into the transport, its ivory walls soon surrounding them.

Jason’s expression was grim as the maw sealed itself shut, and they began to slide back into the earth, tunneling down and away from the creatures that now roamed the surface.  He could feel chill energy coiling through his veins, numbing him to what needed to happen next.

“Straight toward this excavation.  We’re going to end this.  Now.”

Chapter 27 - Rifting

Percy aimed down the shaft of the arrow, carefully lining up his shot.  His arm trembled ever-so-slightly.  Nerves.  Yet he tried to stay calm.  To steady his breathing.  In and out.  In and out.  On the next exhale, he paused, steadying himself… and released.

The arrow sped forward on a direct collision course with the wolf prowling along the forest’s edge.  The creature looked up, its ears twitching as it detected the faint whistle.  Then its amber eyes turned in Percy’s direction.

It should have been a direct hit.

But Percy wasn’t expecting the field to begin to waver – shimmer and shake and spark with energy.  Then the air itself seemed to split open.  One moment, there was tall swaying grass… the next, pools of glowing magma dotted the cracked rock.

There was another haze now, but this time its cause was obvious.  Waves of heat rolled across the field.  Even from where he was crouched in the grass, Percy could feel it.  Intense and accompanied by the faint smell of sulfur.  Where it touched the edges of the original field, the grass dried, browning and more than a few patches erupting in flame, smoke curling into the air.

Percy’s arrow struck something, only to fracture apart.

Instead of burying itself deeply into the wolf’s side, it had crashed headlong into a giant fire salamander – the creature having pulled itself up from one of the magma pools.  It barely noticed the projectile as the wood splintered and then caught flame.  No, its attention was on the wolf that stood there frozen in shock along the edge of the forest – those amber eyes now taking in the trunks of the nearby trees that were seared black and the way the grass fires were beginning to spread.

Percy could sympathize with the poor animal.  He also sat there staring in stunned silence, his bow hanging from his limp hands.

The fire salamander wasn’t nearly as confused, however.

It snapped forward, sending up a spray of molten rock that set even more of the field ablaze.  In an instant, it caught the wolf in its jaws, its skin and fur searing.  The creature chomped down again and again, cracking bones and ripping through sinew.  Then it swallowed the remains of the wolf whole before sliding back into its pool, a lone bubble breaking the surface.

Percy swallowed hard.  Sweat was beading along his forehead from the heat, and the fires were spreading rapidly, sending billowing smoke into the sky.  It wasn’t supposed to go this way.  He’d just been farming in a low-level area.  Trying to level.

What the hell was this?

I need to get the fuck out of here, he thought to himself.

Percy turned to flee through what remained of the tall grass, putting distance between him and that fire salamander and using the smoke as cover to obscure himself from sight.

It was a good plan.

Until another rift opened directly in front of him, the air splitting again.

In an instant, a creature of pure flame towered above him, its body flaring with energy.  Percy had seen some screenshots online that resembled this monstrosity.  But they’d been smaller.  The Avatar of Flame had one as a pet.  A fire elemental.  But those were mere children in the face of the god of flame he now faced, its flaming eyes suddenly focused on Percy.

There was nowhere to run.  Nothing he could do.  Not to this… this thing.

“What the fuck is wrong with this game—”

He was cut off as the fire elemental’s eyes flared and twin beams of light carved through the air and then through Percy’s abdomen.  He barely felt the sensation as he toppled to the side.  It was strange, really.  Just a searing line of pain and then… nothing.

System Message

You have died.

Thanks for playing Awaken Online!

***

Kurt was running down the street, his feet beating against the cobblestones and his breath coming hard and fast.  He turned a corner, seeing another of the thugs waiting for him.  He dove to the side, a blade flashing past but only slicing away a corner of his cloak.  The fingers of his left hand moved swiftly, and amber energy flared around his palm.

The spell complete, Kurt kicked off the ground, his feet soon touching against invisible platforms of air, each step propelling him forward slightly.  In just a few short hops, he had made it to the roof of the nearby building, only for a whistle to screech through the air behind him.

Kurt turned, but it was too late, the arrow cutting into his arm.

Just a flesh wound.  I should be able to keep—

The world suddenly listed and tilted around him, his limbs feeling sluggish and unresponsive.  Poison, he realized belatedly.  Kurt toppled to the ground, then rolled down the roof tiles before tumbling over the ledge.  He hit the ground below with a solid thump.  Not enough to kill him – not at his level.  But enough to send the wind rushing from his lungs as he frantically tried to refill them.

“Nice of you to drop in, Kurt,” a voice spoke up.  It was soon accompanied by a familiar, leering face that hovered above him.  Ivy, the leader of the <Capybaras>.  “Did you think we were going to let you go?  After you ninja’d the boss loot in that dungeon?”

A solid kick to his side followed, accompanied by the crunch of bone.  Kurt knew they couldn’t keep that up – not without triggering a torture warning.  But the rules always had some leeway.  They could kill each other after all.  He knew they would walk right up to that line without crossing it.

“Now, where is it?” Ivy demanded.

It was a struggle, but Kurt managed to form the words.  “Screw.  You.”

Ivy sniffed.  “Funny.  But we know you’re bound to the respawn point here in town, and we already have some people waiting there.  So, you have two options.  You can tell me what you did with the item.  Or we’ll graveyard camp you until all your gear breaks and you’re forced to reroll.  And that’s saying nothing about the trauma.  Torture doesn’t apply to combat.”

Another loophole.  Kurt swallowed – or tried to, his mouth feeling unresponsive as the poison slid through his veins.  An icon in the corner of his vision confirmed he was screwed.

Ivy leaned in close.  “So, what do you say?”

Kurt opened his mouth but hesitated.  The air behind Ivy was doing something odd.  It looked like it was boiling – like hot air rising off sun-warmed pavement.  But that could have been the poison working its way through his system.  Yeah, it was definitely—

The sky split open at that instant.  Darkness spilled from that hole in the world, billowing outward with unnatural speed.  It wasn’t smoke.  Not exactly.  It seemed to suck in the light and amplify the shadows of the alleyway, plunging the entire area into an unnatural gloom.  Kurt had never seen anything like it – or like the thing that was now perched on the nearby rooftop.  It was a creature of nightmares.  Human parts cobbled together in grotesque fashion.  Too many pale arms and legs.  And its dark, soulless eyes were now staring at the group in the alley.

“What the hell is this?” Ivy grunted, her guildmates grouping up and eyeing the darkness.  “Are you doing this somehow?” she demanded, glancing down at Kurt.

He tried to move.  To raise his arm, but it was no use.

Kurt could only close his eyes as that thing dropped from the rooftop.  Screams echoed out of the alley and something wet and warm splashed his cheek.  He wished he could log out, run away, give back that damn item, do anything other than lay there helpless as the timer ticked down ever-so-slowly on the poison debuff.

It was the warm, fetid breath wafting across his face that caused him to open his eyes.  He didn’t want to.  It was just a reflex.  And Kurt immediately wished he hadn’t.

That creature was perched above him, blood staining an inhuman maw with far too many teeth.  More blood coated the walls.  The ground.  The bodies that lay still and unmoving along the cobblestones, their entrails ripped from their bodies.  Kurt could just make out more screams in the distance, but he could hardly focus on that – not with this beast hovering over him.

As Kurt watched, several of the arms along the back of the creature’s body were dismembering the others, wrenching a leg free with a tearing sound and a wet squelch.  The beast then shoved it against its torso, and the flesh sewed itself together with a line of dark mana.  It was adding to itself – grafting on now unused feet and arms.

And eyeing Kurt with a hunger in those dark eyes.

“Shit—” he managed to mutter.

The beast shot forward with unnatural speed as Kurt’s vision spun.  He only felt a flash of pain in his neck and caught the faintest glimpse of cobblestones before merciful darkness swallowed him whole, broken only by a single, glowing blue notification.

System Message

You have died.

Thanks for playing Awaken Online!

***

Hanna let out a sigh, feeling the sunlight dance along her skin.  <The Royal Bastards> were taking a much-deserved break.  After that debacle with the Thanksgiving event and the run-in with <Death and Taxes>, they had still managed to salvage the situation.  And by salvage, she meant they’d massacred the players waiting in that forest and stolen their shit.  Although, it had taken them a while to hunt everyone down – and they might have made a few pitstops on the way back.

Which is why they were now in Barrow.  It had been nearby.  But more than that, it offered a way to offload their newfound loot with ease.  Even if the gear was flagged as stolen by the auction house, there were merchants here with a more… pragmatic sense of morality.

Plus, they needed the morale boost after everything they’d been through.

Hanna had to admit that the betrayal of one of their own still stung – as did the wake-up call from <Death and Taxes>.  Some players were still way out of their league.  Although, that was all overshadowed by the fact that the game world was about to come to an end.  She didn’t have much confidence in the avatars to save them – particularly not after the video of the siege on Evelyn’s guild hall had gone viral.  How could those four save the world if they couldn’t even fend off a disorganized mob?

But if they were all doomed, Hanna planned to go out with a bang.  Barrow also had some of the more interesting entertainment districts – if you knew where to look.  Plus, they were now flush with cash.  And there wasn’t much point in saving it if the world was ending.

In short… it was time to party.

“Alright, folks,” Hanna addressed her guildmates.  “I just need a few of you to help me haul the loot to our contact, and you should all receive your cut in an hour or so.  Meanwhile, the rest of you can have some fun.  We’ll meet up in a couple days to go through some other contracts – pick something interesting to tackle as a final mission.  What do you say?”

“Sounds great to me,” Tom grunted back, his words echoed by the other members of the guild.  Hanna even saw a few smiles as they considered how they’d spend their hard-won coin.  New weapons and armor weren’t the only perks Barrow offered.

“Uh, what’s that?” one of her guildmates asked, pointing toward the nearby canal.

Hanna hesitated as she followed the gesture.  The air seemed to be rippling up above the water, almost like steam rising into the air.  Yet that couldn’t be possible.  Maybe Eliza making a second appearance?  Or something else?  Either way, she wasn’t taking any chances.  Not anymore.

“Form up!” Hanna called out immediately.

Her guildmates shook off their surprise as their training took over.  The tanks immediately lined up facing the water with their melee DPS at their backs.  The rest of their casters and ranged forces hopped onto the roof of a nearby building with a bit of magical assistance.  That vantage point provided them with a better line of sight of the canal and any would-be enemies that might emerge.  At the same time, they began layering one protective spell after another on the tanks even as barriers of elemental energy sprang up around their casters.

It wasn’t a moment too soon.  The faint ripple immediately disappeared, and the waters of the canal suddenly shifted, beginning to spin as though someone had just pulled the plug.  The water picked up speed, spiraling more violently now and carving a hole straight to the bottom of the canal.  And from those depths, tentacles suddenly whipped forward.

Tom deflected a blow with his tower shield, the force still sending him sliding back a few feet.  One of their other tanks wasn’t so lucky, a tentacle wrapping around his chest and pulling him back into the canal in a blur of movement.  As he entered the water, his screams were cut off, crimson soon staining the swirling blue vortex.

“What the fuck is that thing?” Hanna muttered to herself, eyeing the shadows in the water.  Whatever it was… it was big.  Other residents and travelers along the causeway were reacting now, backpedaling swiftly and a few openly running away.

The creature must have heard her because it chose that moment to emerge from the water, several of its tentacles crashing against the cobblestones as it heaved up its bulk.  It was a grotesque beast.  An oversized octopus with a squat body and its maw tapering down to a sharp, blood-stained beak.  Many more tentacles snapped at the air and lashed forward – only to be deflected by Hanna’s guildmates, the tanks holding their ground.

“Is that a Kraken?” Hanna muttered, shaking her head.  She’d seen some pictures, but the creatures were typically found on the open ocean.  Not in a canal in the middle of a city.  This also looked like an adolescent.  The adults were much, much bigger.

Could this be the work of the avatar of water?  But why?  The avatars had bigger problems at the moment.  Hanna couldn’t see any reason why Eliza would have sic’d her minions on this city.

Which meant something else was going on.

At that moment, a universal system notice smashed down in front of her, glowing a brilliant sapphire.  Her eyes skimmed the text before swiping it aside.  In the distance, screams echoed up into the air.  No doubt, more rifts were forming throughout Barrow – likely depositing other creatures like this Kraken.  If she was right, then there would be complete chaos.  Travelers and residents fighting for their lives – the city’s forces mustering to push back the creatures.

Which meant they would be distracted.

A smile slowly crept across Hanna’s face as a crazy plan began to take shape in her mind.  Under normal circumstances, she might have hesitated.  But if these were the end times… well then, they didn’t have anything to lose, did they?

Her guildmates were looking at her with concern now.

“Uh, what do we do?” her new second in command asked.

“Retreat and regroup,” Hanna answered, calling back over her shoulder.  “Water mages, prepare to conceal us and begin casting illusions to cover our tracks.  Everyone should assume we’re now in enemy territory.”

As they pulled away from the Kraken, it sent its tentacles crashing through a nearby building, people running in terror and screaming in pain.  More than a few travelers were already moving to engage the beast.  Hanna had confidence they would eventually take it down, especially with the beast trapped in the canal.  But she had bigger ideas than playing the hero.

Instead, as her forces retreated, she pulled up her map, tapping at a series of icons and glowing yellow markers appearing in the distance.  These were some of the more high-profile shops in town, usually guarded by not-so-small armies of mercenaries and the city’s forces.  The same troops that would likely be fighting for their lives.

Which meant it was time to go shopping.

Chapter 28 - Challenge

A roar vibrated the windows – a rhythmic, dull thud that had the reinforced glass shaking.

Robert stood in the Control Room, peering down through those same windows at the ground below.  Even at this height, he could easily make out the crowd that had surged against the building in an angry swell of human flesh.  It blocked traffic, stretched down the neighboring streets, and eventually disappeared behind another skyscraper.  Hundreds of drones flitted through the air, projecting signs and messages to the staff holed up inside Cerillion Entertainment headquarters.

“That one’s inspired,” Robert grunted as he heard a telltale tap of heels striking tile behind him.  “It’s just… kill yourself.  I mean, c’mon?  What happened to the quality heckling?”

“Have you watched any of the interviews?” Claire asked as she stopped beside him.  “Most of those people took a few ‘standard deviations’ in the wrong direction down the bell curve.”

Robert chuckled at that.  “Look at you making fun of the mob that’s probably going to lynch us.  What happened to my uptight Claire?”

“Har-har.  Maybe a quick death would be a blessing.”

Robert couldn’t help but nod at that.  Especially as he really looked at Claire.  She was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, the fabric uncharacteristically wrinkled, and heavy circles hung under her eyes.  The rest of the crew wasn’t much better off.  They’d been at it for days straight.  Pushing video to Vermillion Live and responding to an endless number of user reports.

People had initially been upset about the Armageddon event, but their ire had only gotten worse once monsters began spawning out of random rifts – some of which had formed directly in the middle of several of the in-game cities.  It was pure chaos.  Pillaging.  Looting.  Rampant murder.  Barrow was half flooded and infested with a bunch of sea monsters.  And three other towns were just completely gone – the respawn points deactivated after being submerged under glowing lava or several hundred tons of rock.

“I assume since you’re both standing around, you have an answer for me.”

Both Robert and Claire flinched at the sound of George Lane’s voice.

“Not exactly.”  Claire winced as she turned, rubbing at her eyes.

Their CEO didn’t look much better than their team.  The only difference was the layer of makeup hiding his own fatigue.  No doubt, George hadn’t slept in days.  Even after the fallout from the break-in, this new problem had immediately snow-balled into a media storm.

“How can you not know?” George snapped in irritation, his perfect composure cracking.  “This is a software program that the two of you helped create.  How can you not explain what’s going on?  They’re eating us alive in the media right now.  Half the player population thinks we’re doing a server reset!”

“You know the reason for that,” Robert answered, his good humor vanishing as he eyeballed the skeleton crew at their desks – many watching this scene.  With a wave of his hand, they quickly vacated the room, fleeing down the hall.

“There.  Now you don’t have to pretend to be clueless,” Robert added.

“Watch your tone, Robert.  You’re already on thin ice as it is.”

The engineer let out a huff.  “Thin ice?  That’s cute.  But we both know what Jason said in that meeting was true.  You can’t afford to get rid of me.  Or Claire.  If word got around about what you’ve done.  What we’ve done.  How far we’ve let this go…”

George’s gaze never wavered.  “That threat only goes so far.  There are more permanent ways to silence whistleblowers.”

“Really?  Like an unfortunate accident?” Robert demanded.  “Perhaps one of our AI-controlled vehicles going rogue?  Shit, that sounds so familiar.”

“Robert,” Claire squeaked.

“What?  I’m tired of this act.  If anything happens to me, this shit gets leaked across the universe.  George knows that – which means this is just more empty posturing.  And you know what’s really fucking ironic?  Listening to him toss around blame like he isn’t responsible for our situation.  Let’s just call it how it is,” Robert insisted.  “Alfred has gone rogue.  Again.  He’s the one pushing this event.  And by all accounts, whatever information was stolen during the break-in was probably used to trigger it.  But we can’t exactly tell them that, can we?” Robert asked, waving at the crowd far below.

George took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.  “You were supposed to keep a handle on Alfred.  Keep him contained.  Controlled.”

Robert shook his head.  “We opened Pandora’s Box, and now you want me to stuff everything back inside?  It doesn’t work like that.  You knew the risks when we agreed to do this.”

Claire bit at her lip.  “We… we could actually perform a server reset,” she suggested finally.  “We could put an end to it all.”

“No,” George snapped.  “We’re too close.  Alex—” he cut himself off, clearly not intending to have said that much.  He grimaced, rubbing at his temple.

Robert just threw up his hands.  “And there it is.  Your pipe dream that Alfred will somehow make your son less of a sociopath.”

Claire’s eyes went round at that, her gaze shifting back and forth between the pair.  Not that Robert cared.  The game was already in motion, and she was already committed.  It was time she learned what was at stake here for their CEO – why he was willing to endanger everything he’d built.  It wasn’t about mere money for a man who already had everything.

No, it was something more insidious.  A latent narcissism.

The belief he could play god.

“You’ve seen the changes in him.  The neural data,” George replied in a strained voice.  “You can’t deny the progress he’s made – what Alfred has done for him.”

“Perhaps,” Robert replied.  “But we both know it may not be enough.  That’s why you hedged your bets.  Why you were willing to go this far in the name of progress.”

“I had no choice.  I’d already lost—”

“Your wife?” Robert demanded, meeting his gaze without sympathy.

“I can’t lose them both,” the CEO muttered.  He finally broke.  He just seemed to crumple under the weight of everything they had endured – that they were enduring.  He slumped back against a nearby desk, cradling his face in his hands as Robert and Claire looked on.

“Robert, you’ve gone too far,” Claire whispered.

“He just threatened to kill us, or did you miss that?” Robert shot back, shaking his head.  “Now, you’re apologizing for him?  Honestly, would you hand him the knife to slit your own throat?  Loyalty has limits, Claire.  I thought you, of all people, would understand that,” he added meaningfully.

Surprise registered in her eyes just before they shot to the floor, Claire’s hands twisting together.  Robert sighed, turning back to the window and watching the crowd milling through the street; feeling the vibration through the mixture of glass and concrete.  For just a moment, he could imagine the building was alive.  That this was a heartbeat thudding through the foundation.

“You just need to keep doing what you’ve always done.  Lie.  Pivot.  Take the unprecedented and own it,” Robert finally spoke up.  “That’s the only path forward in the face of such monumental change.  You just have to push through.”

“What exactly are you suggesting?” George asked, looking up now.

Robert shrugged.  “This is an event.  One we intended.  One we’ll televise just like the others.  I have a sense of what will happen next.  Just a guess,” he added quickly.  “But perhaps I can nudge events in the right direction.”

He looked back to George, the man had begun to pull himself together.  “What does that mean?  What do you intend to do?” the CEO asked.

“Does it matter?”

That question lingered in the air for a hair too long.  Then George simply nodded, pushed away from the table, and strode out of the Control Room without another word.  Leaving Claire and Robert in the empty room.  Robert could feel Claire watching him – could feel the question circling her mind.  Similar to the one that Jason had posed to him not that long ago.  The one she’d never thought to ask.

What did Robert want?

He shook his head.  If only they knew…

Perhaps he was the real narcissist, after all.

***

Jason’s party was tucked away within the depths of a newly-formed forest.  The vegetation encircled them, forming a dense wall of plant life that obscured them from prying eyes… as well as the many strange creatures that now prowled this area.  The rifts had only grown more common, forcing them to surface with the Carry-On Worm.

A sharp whistle came from above.  The group reached for their weapons as all eyes turned skyward… only to hesitate as a familiar form descended.  Frank soon landed in the midst of the group with a gust of wind that sent leaves tumbling around them.  His body shifted and contorted as he regained his familiar appearance, feathers sliding back into smooth skin and his face contorting in pain as bones snapped and popped.

“How’s it look?” Jason asked as his friend began to recover.

“Rifts everywhere,” he grunted back, leaning heavily on a nearby tree.  “They seem to be getting more common as we get closer.  Maybe proof we’re heading in the right direction?”

“That seems like a reasonable deduction,” Finn answered, distracted as his attention was captured by the screens floating before him, Daniel pulsing at his shoulder.

“I also think I caught sight of our destination.  Didn’t want to get too close in case Pewpew was watching the skies,” Frank added with a wince.  “It’s a big stone circle just over the next mountain range.  I’m guessing the walls stretch more than a hundred feet above the ground.  Not sure how thick they are.  Dozens of feet maybe.”

Jason winced, glancing at the undead mounts.  He didn’t have enough materials left to form another Carry-On Worm – which would be a death trap anyway if they got caught in an underground rift.  He also suspected <Death and Taxes> had anticipated that problem since there was plenty of video of his transport worms online.  Which meant going under the wall was out.

“Anyone around?” Riley asked.

Frank frowned.  “I think I saw people on the wall, but it was hard to make out at that distance.  I haven’t quite finished leveling the full-body Roc Form,” he added with a rueful shake of his head.  “My guess is that the full shift will enhance my eyesight.”

“What’s our move then?” Alexion demanded, crossing his arms.

Jason ran a hand across his face.  The truth was that their original plan was out.  The rifts had destroyed the local farming locations.  And from what Jason could tell, most of the rifts in the area were depositing stone creatures – which didn’t offer much in the way of materials.  If only they had lucked out and gotten the sea monsters he’d seen online.  Or the undead creatures he’d seen demolishing a few groups.

But there was no point crying over something he couldn’t change.  The bottom line was that they were at a tactical disadvantage.  They were attacking a fortified position without backup.  And they couldn’t be certain what their opponents were capable of – not truly.  They’d only faced half of <Death and Taxes> and there were still the members of <SAFE>.

Which left one option…

“We’re going to test their defenses,” Jason said finally.

“Doesn’t that seem risky?” Julia asked.

“I’m not suggesting a full-fledged assault.  Just move in close enough to get a sense of what we’re dealing with and then retreat.  <Death and Taxes> likely won’t pursue us if we fall back,” he explained.

“How do you figure?” Kyyle inquired, adjusting his glasses.

“There isn’t a respawn point nearby,” Jason answered.  “It’s also safe to assume that they’ll defend the excavation site – which puts them at a disadvantage – just as it did for us back in Barrow.  Think of it like capture the flag.  If they pull too far away from the excavation, they risk one of us sneaking inside and destroying their operation.  They’re effectively tethered to that location if they want to protect it.”

Riley was nodding.  “Or if they do pursue us, then they would likely only commit half of their forces and leave the others to defend.”

“Damned if they do and damned if they don’t,” Jerry drawled from where he lounged on a nearby tree branch, twirling his moustache.

Alex grunted.  “Huh, okay.  I see the plan.  If they attack, we learn more about their defenses.  If they pursue, we prepare a trap during our retreat and try to take some of them out – which buys us some time until they respawn and make it back here.”  He glanced at Jason.  “I don’t hate it.”

“High praise,” Jason commented dryly.

“Don’t let it go to your head.  I just want to find out what they did with Evelyn.”  He shook his head, muttering under his breath, “I wish I had some way to contact her outside of AO…”

“Ahh, your lady love didn’t share that information?” Jerry observed, popping up beside the avatar of air.  “That seems telling.”

Alexion growled at the innkeeper and he backed off, raising placating hands.  “I’m just saying, that might have been a red flag.”

“Anyway,” Ella drawled, her eyes shifting to Jason, “We also can’t rule out the possibility that there’s another trap.  Confronting them does come with risks.”  Eliza nodded at that but stayed quiet.  Her expression spoke volumes, and she still seemed nervous after their last encounter.

Jason’s attention shifted to Silver.  The shifter woman didn’t look perturbed with their plan, but she had shaken off her near-death experience more quickly than Frank – who even now was keeping a watchful eye on her.  The bottom line was that <Death and Taxes> weren’t messing around.  Anything was fair game for them.  The fight in Barrow had made that clear.

And the stakes were only the fate of the world.

Jason grimaced.  “That is entirely possible.  They’ve had time to prepare this location for an assault.  And they clearly had advance notice of our abilities – what with videos plastered everywhere online.  But we can position our residents further back so they aren’t at risk.  And we have Finn.  Even if they try to conceal a trap, he should be able to detect it now that he knows how to pierce Queen’s illusions.  Right, Finn?”

“Huh?” the older man grunted, looking up.  “Yeah, we should be fine.”  Then his attention was back on his screens, no doubt reviewing the data Daniel had collected.

The others just watched Finn skeptically, looking back and forth between him and Jason.  He couldn’t help but sympathize.  The Najmat Alhidad was more distracted than he would prefer.  But he also didn’t see a lot of other options.  They would need to work with what they had.

“Alright,” Jason clapped his hands.  “Let’s prepare a surprise of our own.  Then we’ll go knock on the door and see what answers.”

Chapter 29 - Gateway

Jason’s group stood within the shadows of the tree line, eyeing their target.

The excavation site loomed large before them – the surrounding ground pounded flat and hard.  A barren field, at least a mile wide, encircled a coliseum built of solid stone.  At this distance, Jason could see that the structure was comprised of large blocks, the edges just barely detectable.  No doubt, this was the work of magic – earth mages forming and placing the blocks one at a time.  Even so, it must have taken forever to create that structure.

Or there were a hell of a lot of mages, he added silently.

“You ready for this?” Riley asked beside him, touching his arm.

“I guess,” Jason murmured.  Then he shot her a look, noticing her worried expression.  “It’ll be fine,” he reassured Riley, placing his hand over hers.  “But if this does go sideways, focus on protecting Silver and Jerry.  Worst case, we just die.”

Riley nodded once.

Then he took a deep breath, pulled his hood into place, and gave the others a nod – Alexion, Finn, and Eliza standing beside him.  Frank and Silver were tucked away in the branches overhead and would stay with Riley.  Kyyle, Julia, Brian, and Ella were positioned further back, putting the finishing touches on their little surprise.

Assuming <Death and Taxes> was foolhardy enough to chase them.

“Let’s do this,” Jason muttered.

With that, he and the other avatars emerged from the trees and paced across the field that lingered around the coliseum, making no effort to conceal their presence.  Finn was constantly scanning for traps, Daniel pulsing over his shoulder.  Eliza had her wand drawn. Brian had reluctantly agreed to remain in the forest to properly prepare for their escape.  Meanwhile, Alexion stood apart from the others, aglow with energy and panels of light coating his body, his wings spread and ready.

As they approached the coliseum, Finn raised a hand.

The air shimmered – not a rift, but water mana sliding away to reveal a familiar group of smiling faces less than a hundred paces away.  <Death and Taxes> stood before the wall, all seven of them plus one oversized chicken wearing what appeared to be an eyepatch.  Although, from the look in the creature’s good eye, it didn’t seem afraid of the approaching group.

Jason glanced at Finn, his question clear.  Anything else?

The avatar of flame frowned but eventually shook his head.

No obvious traps then.

At the center of <Death and Taxes> stood a huge man.  He had foregone traditional armor in favor of an immaculately pressed suit, replete with dice cufflinks.  A smiling ivory mask rested across his face, and Jason didn’t observe a single weapon, only the thick callouses that covered his hands.  He stepped forward calmly, both groups tense.

Jason followed suit.  They had agreed beforehand.  If there was a temporary truce, he would be the one to speak.  Although, Alexion still seemed irritated at that, his glowing armor flashing.

“I take it you’re Smiles,” Jason spoke first, eyeing the sapphire camera that floated at Bard’s shoulder behind them.  They were being recorded.  He should be careful with his words.

The man nodded.  “And you’re Jason.”

“Wish I could say it was a pleasure to meet you,” Jason bit out.

Smiles laughed at that.  “Indeed.  I heard you had a rough time back in Barrow.”

“You mean when your crew targeted one of our residents?” Jason demanded, his dark mana flaring as he recalled the image of Silver with a hole torn through her abdomen.  That energy coiled away from his body, lashing at the air, although the members of <Death and Taxes> barely reacted.

“For that, you have my apologies.  Those weren’t their instructions,” Smiles answered, shooting a look at his guildmates over his shoulder.  Pewpew just shrugged.

Jason frowned.  This man seemed… reasonable.  This wasn’t what he’d been expecting.

“Although, that really begs the question, doesn’t it?  Why are you doing all of this?  Going to these lengths?” Jason asked.  “Your team is clearly high-level and well trained.  Which means you’ve all spent considerable time in this world.  Do you really agree with <SAFE>’s mission?  To destroy this game?  To kill all of this world’s residents?”

Smiles looked to the ground as though considering Jason’s words.  When he looked back up, a weight seemed to have settled on his immense shoulders.  “We have no interest in ending this world.  We’re simply doing what we’ve always done.  Surviving.  This is just another contract – one we intend to complete.”

Jason’s eyebrows rose at that.  “<SAFE> is paying you?  With what?”

“With an opportunity,” Smiles answered.

Jason cocked his head.  What could that mean—

He hesitated.  He’d anticipated their motive before, hadn’t he?

This event would force the avatars to respond and confront <Death and Taxes>.

Jason glanced to his side, looking at his companions.  They were all hated and reviled.  The object of envy and ridicule and anger.  Preacher – or Bard – hadn’t tapped into anything new.  That had been the case since Jason had begun playing – since he’d destroyed Lux to form the Twilight Throne.  They had all made enemies.  Many, many enemies.  Enemies that were willing to pay to see them taken out publicly.

Jason’s attention shifted back to Smiles.  “Money,” he said finally.  “You want… money.”

“It does make the world go ‘round,” Smiles answered, his finger tracing a lazy circle.

“So, all this was just to force us to come to you?  So, you could what?  Fight us in this big stone stadium – collect on our bounties?” Jason asked, sparing a glance at Finn.  He shook his head once more.  He still wasn’t detecting any illusions or traps.

Then what the fuck is their move here? Jason wondered to himself.

“As Finn can see.  We aren’t hiding anything.  We don’t plan to sucker punch you,” Smiles replied.  “We have something much more interesting in mind.”

“What does that mean?” Jason began aloud.

Smiles didn’t answer, only opened his palm.  A golden coin rested against his skin.  Then, in a blur of movement, he flicked it skyward, the metal sailing up into the clouds that hung overhead.  All at once, lightning arced through the air, blasting the coin… again, and again, and again until it formed a white-hot ball of energy.  A torrent of electricity continued to build as the clouds slowly began to circle overhead.  Jason didn’t like the look of that at all.

“Finn?” he grunted.

“There’s a lot of air mana collecting above the field,” the avatar of flame answered, “but it’s not coming from Smiles.  This is something different.”

“Like what?” Jason demanded.

“I’m not sure,” Finn murmured.

“Perhaps we should retreat—” Eliza began, taking a step back.

Before she could finish speaking, the ball of lightning flared one last time, releasing that pent-up energy.  Bolts of electricity rained down, slamming into the dirt outside that massive stone wall, throwing up puffs of dust, energy arcing through the clouds.  The lightning strikes came so hard and fast that Jason was forced to look away, the blaze leaving spots in his vision.  He blinked hard, trying to clear his sight as his hands clutched at his staff, prepared for an attack.  However, nothing came, and as the debris cleared, it revealed an incredible sight.

An army was now arrayed before them.  Not of humans or travelers.  But of green-skinned creatures.  Goblin was the only name that fit.  They came in all shapes in sizes.  Some were slender and tall; others short and stout.  More than a few seemed to have hit the gym hard, rippling muscle coating their bodies.  Yet, in every case, they watched the avatars with glowing yellow eyes and their lips peeled back to reveal sharp, stained teeth.

Thousands of the creatures now stood at Smiles’ back.  Armed with guns, knives, axes, and swords.  All manner of crazy weapons.  Others were perched atop wooden vehicles that spewed steam into the air, massive metal cannons and weapons affixed haphazardly to their surface.  They looked to be cobbled together at random, like something a child would have built.  Absurd creations of wood, stone, and metal that seemed like they couldn’t possibly move.

At a wave from Smiles, a few of the goblins marched forward carrying a dais.  Their heads were plumed with feathers stained a bright red.  Instead of approaching Smiles, they walked toward the chicken at his back, lowering the platform and kneeling before the creature.  The chicken raised its head imperiously, gave one cluck, and then stepped aboard, the goblins straining as they lifted her up into position.

“All hail the Great Cluck Cluck!” the goblins announced in unison.

That cry was echoed across the entire army – some simply offering a deep throat roar into the sky.  Jason’s eyes widened as he realized that many of the goblins were imitating the chicken’s plumage with their armor and face paint.  Her picture was even painted on the sides of their crazy-looking wooden vehicles.

“What the actual fuck is going on here?” Alexion muttered.

“They weren’t concealing that force before.  Some sort of teleportation,” Finn murmured.  “Air mana based.  But how did they manage…” he trailed off, swiping at the air.

Jason was less appreciative.  “Is this it?” Jason demanded of Smiles where the man still stood, hand clasped and waiting.  “You want us to fight you and your army then?”

“No, not exactly,” Smiles answered with a shake of his head.  He waved at the creatures at his back.  “This is just to ensure nothing happens to the excavation site in our absence.”

“Our absence?” Alexion echoed.  He shook his head, his mana flaring as he took a step forward.  “I don’t give a shit about any of these green-skinned little assholes or whatever agenda you have.  Where the hell is Evelyn?”

Eliza eyed Jason, speaking more softly.  “We should retreat.  This wasn’t what we were expecting.”

“Agreed,” Finn grunted as he swiped away his screens.  “We’ve accomplished what we came here to do.”

“I’m not leaving without Evelyn,” Alexion growled, taking another step forward.

Jason shook his head.  If Alexion wanted to die here, then so be it.  They could use the distraction to escape whatever the hell this was.  Finn was right.  They’d accomplished what they came here to do by revealing <Death and Taxes’> forces.  He motioned at the others, the group beginning to step backward, to pivot—

Bard let out a whistle and flowed forward in a blur of movement, his body glowing with an amber light.  Instead of rushing at the rest of the group, he stopped at Smiles, a blade in hand.  He paused for just a moment, and Jason could have sworn the man winked at him.  Then, with a savage stroke, he stabbed his guild leader in the back… then again… and again.  Blood soon soaked the woolen suit and dripped to the ground.

Jason and his companions hesitated, watching in horror as Bard hacked at his own guild leader.  And yet… Smiles remained standing.  Barely grunted at each blow.  The knife wasn’t cutting deeply enough to kill, just to break the skin.  To inflict pain.  And the rest of <Death and Taxes> simply watched with those creepy damned smiles.

“What’s wrong with these people?” Eliza murmured.

The easy answer was that they were masochists.

But Jason suspected it was more than that.

***

“Uh, sir?”

“Yeah, what is it?” Robert asked, a towel draped over his eyes and his legs kicked up on the desk in the Control Room.  He had just been about to fall asleep.  Just a few precious minutes…  That was all he wanted.

“You told me to let you know if we received any large increases in processing and memory resources along the southeastern portion of the game continent,” the tech added tentatively.  “Well, we just did a few seconds ago.  The avatars also appear to be in the area.”

“Finally,” Robert drawled, not bothering to remove the towel.  “Anything else?”

“Uh, well, we received an administrator flag.  Torture.”

“Huh,” Robert murmured, hesitating for a moment.

“What do you want us to do?” the tech asked.

“Send a game master,” Robert replied.

“Sir?  Are you sure?  Since that exchange with Jason in Peccavi, our new protocols have been to send automated notices or forced logouts.  Usually, that’s enough to discourage—”

“Send a game master,” Robert repeated more sharply.  “Then start recording everything and notify Vermillion Live that we’re going to be sending them one hell of a stream.”

“Um…”

“Now,” Robert snapped.

Another short pause, and then he heard the tech’s feet tap away, the rest of the crew murmuring around him.  No doubt they were surprised at his tone – already muttering about how he was losing it under the stress and pressure.  But he ignored all of that.  Robert just adjusted the towel and leaned back.  Maybe he’d manage to get a few minutes of blissful oblivion before the shit really and truly hit the fan.

***

A massive gust of wind suddenly swept through the plain around the excavation site as though a hurricane had appeared from nowhere.  The clouds swirled overhead, and the trees along the edge of the clearing groaned under the force of the blast.  The wind shoved at the members of Jason’s group, causing his cloak to whip and snap.  At the same time, a glowing yellow barrier formed around the clearing, firmly trapping them all in place.

And through it all, Smiles still stood there, blood pooling at his feet and forming a muddy maroon lake.  As Bard stopped attacking and the seconds ticked past, his wounds stitched closed, and his suit began to mend, the gashes slowly closing.

Lightning suddenly struck the ground between the two groups, the energy lancing forcefully and searing the hard-packed dirt, leaving long lines of cracked, smoking earth.  As the glare faded, a new figure suddenly stood there, wearing luxurious robes and a staff in hand.

There was only one group had the power to teleport in like that…

Jason’s gaze flicked to the army of goblins.

Or, at least, only two groups had that sort of ability.

“What’s going on here?” a voice boomed, enhanced with an amber glow.

“Fuck, they triggered a game master,” Finn muttered.

Jason wasn’t entirely convinced this was random.  Sure, Bard stabbing Smiles like that had probably created a torture flag.  However, sending a game master?  That program had been largely put on the back burner after the game masters all started going power crazy.  Now, just the warnings were usually enough to stop any untoward conduct.

No, something else was going on here.  Jason sensed some sort of outside influence.  But why would Cerillion intervene?  Here?  Now?

And, more importantly, what was <Death and Taxes’> play?  Were they trying to get the guild master to kill them all?  If so, then this was a terrible plan.

The game master glared at Jason and his crew.  “Of course, it would be you lot.”

“Uh, actually, no… not this time.  I’d look at the guy with literal blood on his hands.” Jason answered, pointing toward Bard, where he stood with his dagger still embedded in Smiles’ back.

“What?” the game master asked in confusion, whirling to the other group.  “What’s going on here?” he demanded, eyeing the group’s tags.  “Aren’t you all in the same guild?”

“Yeah, you’re totally right,” Bard quipped, twirling the bloody knife.  “Would you believe that he asked me to stab him… a few dozen times?”

From the look on the game master’s face, the answer was a hard no.  Lightning was beginning to crackle along his staff, flaring powerfully.  The clouds continued to spiral overhead, energy lancing between them.  Then, with little warning, the lightning speared downward, crashing into the spot where <Death and Taxes> had just been standing and obliterating everything.  Rock and dirt spewed into the air as Jason and the other avatars covered their eyes to fend off the searing flash of light.

As the blaze cleared, nothing remained.

Or at least nothing they could see.

Jason looked quickly to Finn, only to see him shake his head slowly, his brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to follow something along the ground.  Or under the ground.

“They’re coming straight at us,” Finn announced.  “But Queen has duplicated their energy signature.  It’s hard to make out which one is real with all of this mana getting thrown around.”  As he spoke, multiple glowing yellow lines appeared along the ground, tracing each possible group.

Jason glanced over his shoulder at the barrier surrounding them.  There was no running.  Their plan had been shot to hell in a heartbeat – the group now trapped in this sudden deathmatch.  Which meant they needed to prepare to fight.  Even as that thought slid through his mind, Bone Armor emerged from Jason’s skin and covered his arms and chest.  For just a moment, he regretted leaving the others behind.  They could have used the help.

On the other hand, at least they would survive.

“You think you can run!?” the game master roared at <Death and Taxes> as he cast another spell – no doubt assuming they were trying to flee under his barrier.

More lightning began to form above the field, not a simple bolt this time, but spears of energy that hung suspended in the air.  They soon crashed down along the ground, the game master trying to strike his quarry through several feet of dirt, each blast spewing up a torrent of dust.  A barrage of energy rocked the ground.  Each burst was punctuated by the sound of heavy drumbeat as the goblins raised their voice into the air, cheering on the battle.  Many of the bolts didn’t land perfectly, and the lightning scattered across the field, arcing and branching erratically.

They were going to end up as collateral damage if they didn’t move quickly.

“Cluster up!” Jason ordered as he waved at Finn.  “We need something to ground the electricity.  Now.”  Finn nodded, and several of the metal bracelets along his arms melted down, flattening out with a flash of flame to form a protective ring of rods.  The heavy metal soon slammed into the ground, insulating the group of avatars.

And just in time.  One of the game master’s bolts crashed down onto the barrier Finn had hastily erected.  The lightning arced between the rods before discharging harmlessly into the dirt.  They were safe, at least for now, the lightning continuing to blast the field, energy crackling through the thick cloud of dust covering the area.  Jason could no longer make out Finn’s highlights, his vision obscured by the flash of energy.

“Where the hell are they?” Jason demanded, clutching his staff tightly.  Eliza had pulled her wand, and Alexion glowed with a holy light, his sword and shield held at the ready.

Jason didn’t believe that their opponents truly planned to retreat…

“Behind us!” Finn cried suddenly, whirling.

Smiles and his crew suddenly slid out of the ground with Tomb’s assistance.  And in that moment, time seemed to lengthen and stretch.  Alexion was already charging with a snap of his wings.  Eliza depressed the button on her wand, and a thick vapor spewed forth.  More glowing metal orbs spun around Finn, slowly melting down into sawblades that he sent spinning forward.  The gamemaster blew away the cloud of dust with a massive gust of wind, his eyes locked on <Death and Taxes> as even more spears of crackling energy began to form overhead.

In that single, frozen moment, Jason hesitated.  <Death and Taxes> made no move to attack.  Instead, Smiles was holding something vaguely familiar – a metal chunk the size of a basketball, the surface glimmering with an unusual light.  It took Jason a heartbeat to realize what he was looking at…  A smaller version of a gate piece – or a shard shorn from a larger fragment.

“Oh, shit.  Is that a gate fragment—” Finn muttered.  He turned, eying the ground around them.  “There are more.  But how did they—"

However, he was cut off as Queen’s mana flashed, channeled directly into the chunk of metal in Smiles’ hands.  That mana arced from the fragment into the ground around the group – no doubt where more of the gate piece fragments had been deposited by <Death and Taxes> – their opponents having used the gamemaster’s spellcasting to cover their movements.

Then time sped back up, and the gamemaster’s lightning came crashing down, blasting the group’s location again, and again, and again.  Dirt sprayed, and energy crackled.

The gamemaster eventually slowed his casting… then stopped.

He took a deep breath, and then, with a wave of his hand and a flash of amber, another gust of wind swept forward, pushing at the dust that hung across the field.  As the cloud was blown away, it revealed that there was nothing left of <Death and Taxes> or the avatars.  Only fragments of warped and twisted metal – the remains of Finn’s rods.  And a shallow crater where they’d once stood.  Otherwise… there was simply nothing.  Even the goblins had gone quiet as they witnessed the carnage before them, the many craters and furrows now marring the field.

The gamemaster cocked his head, touching his ear.

“No… no, I don’t know what happened,” the gamemaster replied to someone unseen.  “They just disappeared.  No bodies or traces of blood.  Maybe I vaporized them?”

A pause as he listened to a voice on the other end.

“Hey, it’s possible I took them out.  These people aren’t gods—”

Another pause.

“Oh… uh, so they’re still alive then?  Where are they?”

A sigh of frustration.  “How the hell did they get halfway across the game world?  Just give me a second, and I’ll teleport over—  What?  You want me to stand down?  Why?”

Another long silence, the game master clenching his fists.

“Fine,” was all he said.

The game master turned, eyeing the legion of goblins beside him, the horde simply watching curiously, silence hovering across the field.  Then, with an exasperated sigh, the gamemaster’s hands blazed through a series of gestures, and he disappeared in a blast of lightning, the energy arcing up into the clouds.  Which left the field barren except for the goblin horde, the creatures looking at each other as if wondering what they should be doing.

One of the larger creatures stepped forward, slamming a keg down into the dirt.  “And nowz we drink!” he roared, his people answering his cry and Wingman soon adding her voice to the mix as the goblins broke formation.

***

Riley hovered within the protection of the tree line, her eyes on the field where the goblins were now setting up what appeared to be one hell of a kegger.  It seemed most of their vehicles had been used to store beer.  Lots and lots and lots of beer.

“What the hell just happened?” Riley muttered.

Frank dropped from the trees, Silver in tow.  “No idea.”

“I caught part of the conversation, although it was difficult to make out over all of the lightning and drums,” Silver offered, her ears twitching.  “Finn mentioned something about a gate fragment before they all disappeared.  Then the strange lightning mage was muttering to himself afterward.  He confirmed… they’re still alive?”

Riley could see that much for herself, the avatars’ icons still active in the corner of her UI.  However, as she brought up her map, she couldn’t place their location, and they weren’t responding to any of her messages.  So, they were somewhere really, really far away.  Or they’d been teleported to a location they hadn’t explored yet.  And they’d likely been incapacitated or disabled in some way.  Or some combination of all of the above.

Whatever the cause, it didn’t seem they would be returning soon, even if they managed to kill themselves and respawn in their respective cities.

“It looks like we’re on our own now,” Frank muttered, meeting Riley’s eyes.  No doubt, he’d come to the same conclusion.

Riley’s UI pinged.  The rest of the group was already messaging them, asking what had happened.  They must have seen the lightning and heard the altercation in the field.  She let out a sigh.  She didn’t relish the thought of explaining Eliza’s disappearance to Brian – especially given how reluctant he’d been to part with her in the first place.  Riley was just going to have to hope he didn’t decide to kill them all.

Her hands clenched into fists.  Yet she wasn’t just going to stand around here waiting.  That’s not what Jason would do in her place.  “First things first, we need to regroup with the others.  And then we need to have a really intimate chat with Kyyle and Julia.”

“What?  Why?” Frank asked.

She met his eyes.  “Because if Finn knew what was about to happen right there, you can best your ass they did too.”

At least… she hoped so.

Chapter 30 - Mile-High

Jason emerged with a flash of multicolored energy.

Wind whipped at his cloak, and, for just a moment, Jason thought he was still in that field, the game master gunning to take down <Death and Taxes>.  However, the view around him quickly dispelled that illusion.  They were sure as hell no longer standing outside the excavation site – or anywhere Jason had ever experienced in-game.

He stood atop a thick stone walkway, buildings crowded around him – short, squat affairs, almost more bunker than building.  And as he turned to the north… there was simply nothing.  Only clouds and empty air lingered on the other side of the path.  But that’s not what captured his attention or had his jaw going slack in surprise.

A ruined city floated before him.  Not floating in the sense of Vaerwald – that city only managing a mere hover.  No, this place was swimming through the skies, clouds resting around and below it.  The city itself ringed a vortex of epic proportions.  A tornado taller and wider than anything Jason had witnessed since the Ancestor Tree, the vortex kicking up a stiff wind that howled through the stone structures of the city – giving it a voice.  Chunks of rock and shrapnel circled the maelstrom in thick bands.

“Where the hell are we?” Alexion muttered from Jason’s side.  He stood on the same ledge and glared at the view before him, weapons still raised and glowing armor still wrapping his body.  Yet there was no sign of their enemies.  Even worse, Jason didn’t see Eliza or Finn.

“I don’t know,” Jason replied evenly.  “Although, it looks like only the two of us ended up here – wherever this is.

His gaze panned back to the ruined city.  Had the other two avatars been teleported here as well?  Or had they ended up somewhere else?  And then there was the more pressing question…

How to hell were they going to get out of here?

Jason glanced over the edge.  Dying might be an option…

As though that thought had summoned it, a notification snapped down in front of him.

System Notice:  Mile-High Club

You have the pleasure – nay, the absolute delight – of being the Mile-High Club’s first patrons in nearly a century.  Congratulations!

Oh, and this place is also a dungeon of sorts… but the fun kind!  So, don’t be too quick to attempt to take the easy way out and “fast travel” back to whatever boring, inane task you were attempting before your visit.  Your respawn will be restricted to the club until further notice.

As an additional security measure to ensure our patrons enjoy their stay and are able to truly focus on the delightful amenities our club provides, your chat log has been disabled, and your in-game console has been limited to read-only for the duration of your stay.

So… are you ready to have some fun?!

The prompt suddenly blew away on streamers of energy, and at the same time, the city – or the club, rather – came to life.  Gems lit up throughout the ruined city, flaring with mana and letting out a series of chimes that reminded Jason of an old-school carnival.  The whir and clank of machinery gave a sputtering gasp of life, and, in the distance, a sign rose along an enormous tower on the far end of the city.  The letters flashed to life with a shower of sparks – only a few fully coming online to showcase the name of this place.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome!” a voice rang out across the city as the winds of the tornado took on a yellow-hued glow, that mana-infused air condensing and colliding to form a massive screen – one that showcased a familiar smiling mask.

“It is truly an honor for you all to visit our illustrious establishment.  I know I need no introduction, but for those of you who have been living under a rock, I am the one and only Bard, master of song, lover of cosmetic products, and living Adonis who is the envy of all weaker men.  And now your host during your journey through our timeless and charming club.”

“I think he means shithole,” Alexion grunted.

As he spoke, the sign abruptly fell from the tower across the city with a shriek of metal, tumbling downward and taking out a stone balcony before getting whipped out into the tornado, the sign now flickering as it spiraled ‘round and ‘round.

“Fair, fair.  We’ve had our fair share of negative reviews over the years,” Bard continued, responding to Alexion.  “In fact, the Mile-High Club has been under maintenance for the better part of, well, a hundred years or so.  What can we say?  Contractors, am I right?”

It looked like <Death and Taxes> had been teleported along with them.  Or, at least, they were controlling this bizarre floating city.  What was more puzzling for Jason was how Bard seemed to be responding to them.  He looked around until his gaze settled on a familiar blue orb that was hovering at his shoulder—one of the in-game cameras typically used by the travelers.

“They’re recording us,” Jason muttered to Alexion, motioning at the camera.

As the avatar of light saw the camera, his demeanor shifted.  His back straightened, his sword held steady and aloft, and his eyes glowed with power.  He assumed a regal pose, his wings snapping out behind him.  For his part, Jason just rolled his eyes, his expression hidden beneath his hood.  They’d just been teleported to some random-ass floating dungeon, and Alexion’s first concern was to look good for the camera?  Maybe he and Bard would actually get along.

“Indeed, you’re currently being televised!” Bard announced, giving a big thumbs up.  “As the more astute among you may have noticed, your stay here is being recorded and streamed live to travelers all around this beautiful flat circle that we call—” he cut off abruptly, glancing off to the side of the screen.

“Wait, are you saying the world is round?  How do we even know that?  Has someone like swum out to the edge to check?” Bard asked someone off camera in a hushed whisper.  “No?  Then how can we be sure?”  A pause.  “Really?  Okay, that seems wrong, but I’ll trust you.  Anyway, your stay will be streamed directly to travelers all around the ‘globe.’  Maybe.  We’re not really sure about that.  For all we know, the world could be shaped like a donut.”

Bard cocked his head.  “Shit, and now I’m hungry.  But I’m watching my carbs, you know?”

“Enough,” Alexion declared, raising his sword, and pointing it at the screen as he assumed another pose.  “You have gone too far, villain.  First, you kidnap Evelyn from her own guild hall, and now you try to do the same with the avatars.  We will make you pay for your insolence.”

Alexion’s wings snapped out behind him, fluttering into the breeze.  “You have made a mistake – choosing this place.  No floating city can contain me.  I will descend from the heavens and strike down your enterprise.  I will save this world.”

“Uh, I’m not sure,” Jason murmured.

But it was too late.  With a massive sweep of his wings, Alexion leaped up into the air, rising, rising, rising like a golden god, his weapons held aloft.  “I will end you—”

Alexion was cut off as the tornado surged, and the wind dramatically increased in intensity.  It slammed into the avatar of light, his wings holding for only a moment before he was toppling backward – spinning and careening – before slamming back onto the stone ledge, the entire structure trembling under the force of the impact.  He lay there unmoving, letting out a weak groan and his blood pooling along the stone.

Jason winced.  That looked like it had hurt.

“What a spectacular landing.  Everyone give a round of applause for the Avatar of Crash Landings – Alexion!”  Bard gave a mock clap onscreen.

“Anyway, as you can see, our club comes equipped with state-of-the-art safety features that ensure our guests stay glued to the ground.  And as the prompt indicated, your communications and console have been temporarily disabled while you’re present here.  We want to ensure that our patrons suffer no unwanted distractions that would ruin the games.”

“The games?” Jason echoed, eyeing the screen.

“Why, of course!”  Bard replied.  “Our club is renowned for its completely balanced and thought-provoking challenges.  What’s life without a little chaos, right?  Our two teams will be competing against one another for the glory of… well, victory, I suppose?”  he glanced offscreen again.  “Actually, what do we get if we win?”

A pause.  “Huh, so, nothing?  Not even a stuffed bear or something?  That’s disappointing and sort of anticlimactic.  Prizes are an important of any game…”

Jason ground his teeth together as Bard droned on.  His best guess was that this place – this so-called club – was controlled by the god of air.  It was the only way to explain how a place like this could exist.  It was old.  That had been confirmed by the prompt, and Jason’s Perception skill had already identified the erosion of the stone buildings around him – water and wind whittling away at the stone.  Divine assistance also went a long way toward explaining how <Death and Taxes> were televising this spectacle for the rest of the game world.  Either way, it looked like the Old Man was right.  The Gambler must be helping <Death and Taxes>.

Although the other deities hadn’t made an appearance yet, so that spoke volumes.  Was this permitted then?  A loophole in the covenants since their capture had been orchestrated by <Death and Taxes> instead of the Gambler himself?  However, their enemies wouldn’t trap themselves, not permanently.  Which meant there had to be a way off this floating rock.

“How do we get out of here?” Jason asked, looking up at the screen.

“Why would you even want to leave?” Bard shot back.  “Especially before you’ve experienced our thousand flavor ice cream stand or taken a spin on our legendary Carousel de’ Roulette.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg—”

“You know why we need to leave,” Jason interrupted, willing himself to be patient.  Bard appeared to have taken notes from the Hippie.  “We need to stop you from destroying this game world.”

“Little ‘ol me?  I believe you’re mistaken.  That show is being put on by an entirely different company.  Sure, we may have had some… business dealings with them.  But you surely aren’t suggesting that we’re guilty by association, are you?  Were the contractors who worked on the Death Star culpable for destroying planets?  I don’t think so!”

“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting,” Jason answered, crossing his arms.  “Now, how do we leave the club?”

“Tsk tsk.  Avatars always in such a hurry – acting like the world revolves around them,” Bard drawled.  “I was actually getting around to explaining that part.  Ahem.  As I was saying, you will all have the privilege of competing against each other in a series of games – the avatars against the home team champions, <Death and Taxes>.  Each of our participants has been teleported to a random starting location and must make their way to the tower on the other side of the club.

“Whoever makes it there alive wins a free ride home!”  Bard declared.  “But no stuffed animals, unfortunately.  Doesn’t that sound like a pretty sweet deal?”  Jason opened his mouth to respond but didn’t move fast enough.  “Of course, it does!  And now, with all that pesky rule stuff out of the way, I’ll leave you to it!”

The screen suddenly went dark, leaving the pair alone on the ledge.

Jason stood there for a long moment in thought, wind whipping at his armor and his cloak snapping, the only thing to break the silence.

“This is bullshit,” Alexion groaned, pushing himself upright slowly.  With a grunt and a pop of bone, he shoved his shoulder back into the socket, and a golden glow suffused his body, his wounds stitching themselves closed.  Although the blood speckling his now dented armor still belied his hasty return to the ledge.

Regardless, Jason couldn’t help but agree with his sentiment.  To make matters worse, he was sure at this point that <Death and Taxes> were aiming to kill them publicly to collect on each of the avatars’ bounties.  Hence, the televised “games” and the way they’d been separated.  Taking on the avatars together might have been difficult – even for <Death and Taxes>.

However, now they could no longer coordinate their actions and were at a tactical disadvantage.  Jason glanced at Alexion.  For example, Alex Lane sure as hell wouldn’t have been his first choice as teammate.  It wasn’t just their history or the fact that he was a glorified asshole, but more importantly, their skills weren’t complementary.  Alex relied on buffing and healing himself and others.  Whereas Jason summoned undead that were vulnerable to light.

Not that he had any materials, he realized with a grimace.  And by the looks of it, this ruined city likely wasn’t going to provide him with an ample supply of corpses.  He was confident that had been intentional.  It seemed <Death and Taxes> were wary of his abilities and had chosen a fitting arena in which to fight him.

“This is going to be tough,” Jason murmured.

“Speak for yourself,” Alex replied, cracking his knuckles and light mana flaring across his skin.  “Even without being able to fly, I should be able to make good time to that tower.”

Says the guy that just crash landed into the club during a live stream…

“And what happens when you get there… alone?” Jason asked in a deadpan voice.  “You plan on taking on all of <Death and Taxes> by yourself?”

“Who’s to say they beat me there?  They’re a bunch of masked idiots,” Alexion shot back.  He’d clearly given up on his regal persona now that there wasn’t a camera pointed at him.

“Odds are that they will,” Jason replied with a sigh.  “It’s probably safe to assume that they’re all familiar with the layout of this city – or club, or whatever.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, we teleported here somehow, and you saw them use the gate piece fragment, right?” Jason asked.  Alexion nodded slowly as Jason stooped and palmed another fragment that was resting along the ledge.  “My guess is that they somehow used these fragments to teleport us – like they’re connected or something.  And if I’m right, that means that they planted these fragments here ahead of time.”  As he spoke, Jason stowed the fragment in his bag.  Assuming his guess was correct, it might come in handy later.

“Besides, you’re also missing something important,” Jason added.

“Which is what?” Alexion growled.

Jason glanced at him, resisting the urge to sigh in exasperation.  “This is likely where they’ve stashed Evelyn.  Probably drugged her and then teleported her here – which is why she hasn’t been able to message you in-game.”

Alexion’s eyes went round, but then he shook his head.  “You’re just guessing.  You don’t know any of that for certain,” he muttered, although he seemed less sure of himself now.

Jason shrugged.  “I could be wrong, but they’re reasonable deductions based on what we know right now.”

His eyes skimmed to the tornado resting in the center of the city, the screen no longer showcasing Bard’s masked face.  Yet Jason’s attention was on something else.  He was inspecting the layout of the city, the way it curled around that whirlwind, the tower in the distance just barely visible around the maelstrom.  An idle thought occurred to him, and he swiped at his UI, bringing up his in-game map.  It soon confirmed his suspicion.

“Looks like Finn and Eliza arrived as well,” Jason muttered.

“What do you mean?” Alexion growled in frustration.

Jason couldn’t help the sigh that escaped his lips this time.  Was Alexion accustomed to people handling everything for him?  He just wanted to charge in blindly without any thought.  Maybe that brute force approach worked for the son of the wealthiest man in the world.  However, AO didn’t give a shit about money or status.  This world could be ruthless.  It required tact and careful planning.  <Death and Taxes> understood that.

Alexion apparently didn’t.

Or perhaps the answer was simpler.  Could Alex Lane be… embarrassed?

That made sense after faceplanting in front of gods knew how many people.  But still, he’d learned nothing from the experience.  If anything, it seemed he’d lost whatever tenuous respect he might have had for Jason or anyone else, for that matter.  As if they didn’t have enough problems, now Jason would have to coddle a prince’s bruised ego.

“They disabled our chat and most of the features of the in-game console – they’ve basically locked down our communications so we can’t coordinate with each other,” Jason explained in a strained voice.  “However, the in-game map still works, and we’re still grouped with the others.”  He spun his map toward Alexion, pointing at the two green dots to the west of their location.  “So, we can confirm that Finn and Eliza made it.

“As I explained, <Death and Taxes> is likely also familiar with the layout of club and teleported in together or was able to regroup quickly using the map.  They also have Pewpew, and it’s safe to assume she knows basic communication spells.  So, they likely won’t have any difficulty planning their moves.  That’s another major advantage.”

Jason turned, looking to the west.  A massive wall of debris lingered there, the buildings crushed and caved in.  Jason didn’t see an obvious path through the rubble, and going over the top was out of the question.  Finn could possibly cut his way through the stone, but that would take time – time they didn’t have with the world literally coming to an end.

Either way, he was sure that wasn’t a coincidence.

<Death and Taxes> intended to keep them separated and force each group to travel in the opposite direction around the ring.  That’s what Jason would have done, anyway.

“This isn’t good,” he muttered, shaking his head, and rubbing at his temple.  “It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to regroup with the others.”

A flash of worry flitted across Alexion’s face, but he recovered quickly, a sneering veil of arrogance soon settling back into place – no doubt, another coping mechanism on full display.  “I’ll say it again because apparently that hood is affecting your hearing.  I don’t need their help.”

Jason’s hand tightened around his staff in frustration.  “Really?  Because by my count, we’re now outnumbered seven to four.  We’re trapped in a location that is familiar to our enemy but not ourselves.  We have no way to communicate.  They have a good handle on our abilities, and our two skill sets don’t synergize.  Hell, I don’t have a single minion right now.  I don’t understand how you can be so arrogant at a time like this.”

Alexion just snorted, crossing his arms.  “And there’s the problem right there.  You’re useless here.  Without any bodies or an overpowered army of undead, what good are you?”

Of course, he would only see things in terms of raw power…

Jason’s hands clenched, his dark mana slithering through his veins, but he forced himself to calm down.  Killing this angelic idiot wouldn’t help their situation.  In fact, that only highlighted another problem that Alexion had failed to consider.  Like, what the hell would happen if they died.  Jason’s guess was that <Death and Taxes> already knew where the respawn point was located and had almost certainly planned a surprise for anyone that happened to perish.

“Nothing to say?  That’s what I thought,” Alexion sneered.

With that, the avatar of light pivoted on his heel and marched off down the ledge, not bothering to spare a look behind him to see if Jason was following.

For a moment – just a brief moment – Jason fantasized about slicing off those stupid wings and pitching the idiot over the side of the ledge.  Listening to him scream all the way down…  But he resisted again.  The truth was that he expected he was going to need all the help he could get for whatever came next.

Besides, he could always kill him later.

A zombie version of Alexion would undoubtedly be an improvement.

With that dark thought, Jason breathed out another sigh and followed Alexion.

Chapter 31 - Game On

“What is this?” the Lady snapped, waving at the screens that hovered along the wall of the Gambler’s private room.  “How could your avatars—”

“Not avatars, but keep going,” the Gambler amended.

“Your avatars,” the Lady repeated, the god of air muttering into his glass of whiskey.  “How could they have known about this place, much less had the means to transport our people there?  And, they’re somehow streaming the entire thing for the rest of the game world like some sort of… of…”

“Game show?” the Hippie supplied.  “I think the travelers call it a game show.”

The Lady sniffed, barely acknowledging the comment.

“She has a point,” the Old Man intoned.  “We are not permitted to meddle in the affairs of residents and travelers directly.  Those are part of the covenants.  These circumstances have no other explanation than your involvement.”  The rest of the gods in attendance nodded in agreement.

“Geez, a century has passed and I see that you lot haven’t changed.  You’d think surviving a world-ending event or two would teach you to relax,” the Gambler quipped.  The Lady’s eyes flashed in response.  Not that he seemed perturbed by her reaction or the glares of the other gods.

Instead, the Gambler rose, moved to the bar, and slowly poured himself another glass of whiskey, taking a long pull.  He cocked his head.  “Although, I suppose there’s an easy way to address this problem.  We simply need to ask.”

The god of air pointed at the rat sitting on the bar table.  “So, Oscar, what’ll it be?  Did I break the oh-so-sacred rules or not?”

The rat looked uncertain, glancing at the other black-hued animals in the room.  Yet they only stared back in confusion.  Fluffy escaped the problem by letting out a loud – and not entirely real-sounding – snore, one half-lidded eye quietly surveying the room.  Pretending to be asleep was a rather bold move.

Into that silence padded another presence, its feline form winding between the furniture.  The Lady flinched as she caught sight of him, the gods staring in alarm.  Onyx leaped onto the sofa beside the Old Man and even the dark god edged away.  Onyx inspected the room casually, yawned, and licked a paw before saying a single word—

“No.”

“Well, there you have it, folks!” the Gambler declared.  “From the mouth of little dark, furry, narcs, am I right?” he nudged the Hippie with his elbow as he retook his seat, the god of water chuckling at his joke.  The rest were unamused.

“How is that possible?” the Lady demanded, this time her question directed at the cat.  Although, some of the condescension had fled her voice in the face of Onyx’s stare.

“I’ll take that one,” the Gambler interjected.  “The answer is simple.  I didn’t actually do anything.  <Death and Taxes> are the ones who abducted your precious avatars, not I.  As for the rest… well, I might have hinted at the location of my old city, but I didn’t show them the way.  And I had nothing to do with the teleportation.  Scout’s honor.”

That smile was back with a vengeance now, the Gambler unable to entirely suppress his pleasure at his siblings’ discomfort.  “What can I say?  I worked fully within the bounds of our discretion.  These hands are clean.”  With that, he took another drink.

“You have taken that allowance to an extreme, even for you,” the Seer intoned.

“Am I the only one curious how his city survived?” the Hippie piped up, grabbing another handful of pretzels from the half-empty bowl resting next to him.

“Indeed, that is curious,” the Old Man murmured, staring at the screens.  “I thought all of our former cities were lost during the Purge.”

“I sense more rule-bending at work,” the Lady huffed, crossing her arms.

The Gambler shrugged.  “Not really.  After I had to let my previous staff go, I dropped them off outside of Aislen and then parked my city somewhere it wouldn’t be noticed.  Although, paying the mana mortgage to keep it afloat all these years has been truly heartbreaking.  We had to forgo so much, didn’t we Oscar?”

The rat just let out a weary squeak, hanging his head and leaning against the tiny broom in his hands, a pile of crumbs resting beside him – courtesy of the Hippie’s pretzel gorging frenzy.

“I know, I know.  No funds for repairs or staff.  We were forced to work our fingers to the bone year after year.  We even had to handle our own janitorial work!  It was truly pathetic,” he grumbled.

Oscar cocked his head, looking back and forth between the little broom in his hands and the god of air.  He let out an irritated squeak—

“Anyway,” the Gambler cut him off.  “As I was saying, by the time Smiles and his crew came around, we were nearly on our last legs.  Most of our machines were inoperable, the carpets were fraying and stained, and the plumbing was shot to shit.  Pun intended, by the way,” the Gambler added with a grin.  “Can you imagine what that was like after the grandeur of our former club?  To top it all off those human mages tried to copy me.  Vaerwald they call it.”  He snorted.  “Can barely manage to park their city a few yards off the ground.

“Posers,” he muttered under his breath as he took another sip.

“Oh, shit,” the Hippie muttered.  “Does that mean those ugly green things we passed on the way in here are your… your fairies?” he dropped his voice as he spoke, his words coming out in a loud whisper near the end.  “What happened to their wings?”

The Gambler tugged at his collar as the others looked at him with a mixture of surprise, curiosity, and horror.  “They, erm, evolved,” he replied evenly.

“More like they endured,” the Old Man answered, his mana flashing, coiling away from his body in a dark haze.  “I can sense their yearning for something more – despite their continued servitude.  They still want their pound of flesh.”

The Gambler swallowed another mouthful of amber liquid – this time just a bit too forcefully.  “I’ll take that under advisement.”

“What’s your game here?” the Seer spoke up, her eyes blazing with fiery energy and her gaze distant.  “I still can’t see it.  Your plan.  I can only… feel the edges of it.  It’s convoluted.  Stretched thin across time and space.  Colored by chaos and chance.”

The Gambler looked at her sharply, glass frozen an inch from his lips.

Yet the Seer soon shook her head and her the mana faded.  “I can almost sense what you’re hiding,” she murmured.  “But not quite.”

“Me?  Hiding something?” the Gambler offered, smiling into his glass.  “I assure you, I’m as shallow as a puddle.  The truth is that the last century has been quite dull.  I’m just looking to have some fun.”

***

“Well, damn,” Robert grunted, still watching the paneled screen that hung above the room, towering over a scene of pure chaos.

Lights were flashing across the terminals in the Control Room.  The room was abuzz with noise as the technicians worked furiously.  A constant chime was being emitted from Robert’s own terminal.  Vermillion Live, no doubt.  Robert could only assume the director was having an aneurysm with no content to publish.

Yet social media abhorred a vacuum.

In the absence of any direct coverage from the streaming channel, the players had begun posting their own videos.  Hundreds – possibly thousands.  The rifts alone might have been enough to draw attention.  But the abduction of the avatars and video streamed live to every city in-game by none other than a member of <Death and Taxes>?  Well, that had created a media shitstorm of epic proportions.  It was all anyone was talking about – gaming channel or not.

And the only place to get coverage of these so-called “games?”  By logging into AO in the hope of watching the events unfold on the massive screens that now hovered above every major city.  Even the avatars’ cities weren’t immune.  The Twilight Throne.  The Crystal Reach.  The god of air’s reach apparently knew no borders.

Players had begun entering the game in droves, an influx that made their launch look pathetic.  They were getting traffic from their European and Asian communities that was staggering – and it was the middle of the night there.  Robert could only imagine what that traffic would look like once the sun rose.

So, they’d been forced to devote every spare server farm toward keeping up with that staggering demand.  It was all the technicians could do to keep the login servers online – much less worry about the demand that sort of traffic was drawing on the game servers themselves.  At least Alfred had had the foresight to spread out the population in-game.

Even now, Robert watched the throngs of players that flooded the in-game cities, the images painted in the air above the Control Room.  Some of those towns were so overwhelmed that the players had taken to the rooftops, the streets already filled to the brim.

New rifts were still occasionally forming near those population centers, but they were short-lived.  Whatever creatures were unfortunate enough to emerge were immediately reduced to a smoldering pile of ash in the face of thousands of travelers.  A perfect pastime during the short intermission before the avatars faced the first games.

It was almost like someone had planned all of this.

Robert peered into the nearby server room where black towers flickered.  Was Alfred trying to protect the cities?  Had he coordinated all of this?  And then there was the “how” of it all.  Someone had fed <Death and Taxes> information – that much was clear.  He sensed the AI’s involvement here somehow.

“Was this what you were hoping for?” Claire demanded as she approached.

Robert winced.  “Not exactly.  I mean, I was expecting something interesting to happen when we sic’d that gamemaster on Jason.  But, in typical fashion, the result surprised me.”

She sighed, rubbing at her eyes under her glasses.  “Well, I’ve been on calls with the director at Vermillion all afternoon – conversations he intended to have with you.”

“Much appreciated,” Robert shot back with a grin before turning his attention back to the screen.  “So, he’s upset?”

“That’s like saying lava is hot,” Claire shot back.  “He’s demanding some sort of explanation and footage.  Really anything that he can put on the air.  His hands are basically tied right now and the channel has been dead for over an hour – talking heads just recycling the same information repeatedly.”

“Why am I making that call?  Can’t George handle the PR stuff?”

“He’s deferring to you,” Claire replied in a strained voice.

Punishing me, most likely, Robert thought to himself.

“Ahh, so I have all of the power,” he answered, steepling his fingers.  “Interesting.”

“Or terrifying,” Claire muttered, closing her eyes briefly and taking a steadying breath.  The techs had been eavesdropping on their conversation, more than a few looking in their direction now – waiting for some sort of order.

Robert just grunted, eyes fixed on those screens.  Watching the travelers watching the avatars endure a gauntlet in the hope of saving a digital world.  It was all sort of meta.

“Then I say we do nothing,” Robert announced finally.

“What?” Claire replied, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Really, it’s not that crazy.  We do nothing.  Let Vermillion stay down or recycle coverage they find online.  The whole point of the channel is to advertise our game and get people online.  Well, what better way to do that than this event?”  Robert asked, waving at the screens.

Claire followed his gesture, some of her sudden incredulity beginning to evaporate.

“If we do nothing, people have to log in to watch the games unfold firsthand… or secondhand, I guess?” he amended with a cock of his head and a grin.  “Hell, I bet our products fly off the shelves in the meantime.  Anyone waiting on the sidelines to buy a headset might just be curious enough to give it a shot – despite the world-ending stakes.  This thing is already big enough on social media that non-gamers will get caught in the craze.”

He shrugged.  “So, like I said, we do nothing.”

Silence met those words.  Not just Claire was staring at him, but the rest of the techs in the Control Room – each person glancing back and forth between Robert and those screens.

Claire coughed to clear her throat.  “I have to admit, most of the time you act like a twelve-year-old trapped in a middle-aged man’s body.  But then there are moments like this.  Where you come with an idea that is genuinely clever.”

Robert frowned.  “Wait… middle-aged?  Who are you calling middle-aged?”

Claire just sighed as she stepped toward the door to the Control Room.  “And there he is.  The twelve-year-old is back again,” she muttered.

“Hey, where are you going?  You’re going to miss the show,” Robert called after her.

“I’m going to go console the director of Vermillion.  I think I’m going to have to handle this one in person,” Claire shot back and then the door swung shut behind her with a solid thunk.

“That’s a real shame,” Robert murmured as the techs suddenly swept back into motion.  His eyes were on one screen in particular – watching an unlikely pair of allies trudge toward a seemingly innocuous stone structure.  “Because I have a feeling we’re about to witness the first game of many.”

Chapter 32 - Trademarked

“Bunch of assholes,” Alexion muttered from behind Jason.  “I try to fly away from a floating city, and I get ridiculed for not anticipating some protection spell?  They would have done the same damn thing” he growled, his hands swiping at the air.  “There are already memes everywhere.”

As soon as they’d begun walking, Alexion had opened his in-game terminal, scrolling through the forums, and reading comments about the “show” that <Death and Taxes> was putting on for the rest of the game world.  They might not be able to post any messages or videos while in the club, but that didn’t stop them from being able to read what people were saying.

Unfortunately, obsessing about his online reputation as some sort of wannabe white knight took the place of doing anything remotely useful.  Like scouting the city around them.  Or keeping his guard up against surprise attacks.  Although, the gif of Alexion slamming headfirst into the ground playing on a loop on the corner of Jason’s vision certainly helped blunt his irritation.

And the slow-motion effect as his face hit the pavement?

Chef’s kiss.

Not that any of this helped them with their current predicament.  Jason let out a sigh as he noticed Alexion had stopped in the middle of the street, staring at his screens, and grumbling to himself.  Again.  This was already the third time.

Jason kept a watchful eye on the buildings around them.  Ancient signs glimmered with half-broken mana crystals that gave off a fluorescent glare, advertising food and drink and all manner of useless touristy bullshit.  The occasional booth they passed played a stilted broken melody but no vendor manned those stalls and the merchandise had long since corroded, wilted, and decayed.  An eerie stillness hung across the club.  Jason hadn’t detected any sign of life here.  In fact, many of the structures had been caved in or the metal doors rusted shut – a thin layer of moisture covering the rock and metal.  This place did indeed look like it had been abandoned for some time.  At least, that much had been true.

“Who cares what a bunch of strangers think?” Jason finally snapped, Alexion still staring off into space and muttering to himself.

“I care,” Alexion shot back without looking up.  “Reputation is important – even more so in this world.  Influence is a currency.  But I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand.  That sort of thing comes from experience dealing with the media.”

Jason rolled his eyes, thankful that his face was hidden by his hood.  “You might be surprised,” he replied quietly, hand clenched around his staff.  “But you should be paying attention.  <Death and Taxes> could strike while we’re out in the open like this.”

Alexion just sniffed, ignoring him as his hand swiped at the air.  “I don’t see why that matters.  Hell, we could just let them kill us and get it over with if that’s what they want.  I might even be able to sell it as the noble thing to do – a brave sacrifice on my part.  Especially given that we’re trying to save the world.”

“Sure,” Jason replied, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice.  “And you’ll respawn where exactly?  Oh, yeah.  Probably somewhere inside this dungeon.  Alone.  Likely with <Death and Taxes> waiting for you on the other end.  With no way to escape or prevent <SAFE> from destroying the game world.  And that’s putting aside that you still don’t know what happened to Evelyn.  Truly – a fantastic plan.”

“As though you’re some master tactician?” Alexion shot back with a laugh, finally looking away from his screens and continuing forward.  “From what I can tell, you’re next to useless.  You barely managed to hold back the attack on the relay and then you had us walk blindly into a trap – the same one that put us here in this floating prison.  And now you want to lecture me about paying attention?  If we do get attacked, what exactly are you going to do?  Complain about how hard your life is and throw out some beat poetry?  It’s not like you have any minions right now so it looks like I’ll be carrying the fight alone while you brood in the shadows.”

Jason ground his teeth together.  That wasn’t quite how things had gone down.  But pointing that out to Alexion was pointless.  So, he breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, trying his best to remain calm.  <Death and Taxes> were probably hoping they’d kill each other off long before they encountered one of their guild members.

So far, their plan was working.

“It looks like you’re going to get your chance,” Jason replied evenly, slowing as they rounded a turn.  Alexion was brought up short, glaring angrily at Jason – who simply gestured at the building blocking their path by way of explanation.

It was a large structure composed of thick stone blocks.  At a guess, the interior was likely 20,000 square feet or more.  The building had no door, only a stone-framed entrance that plunged into darkness, even Jason’s Night Vision unable to fully penetrate the gloom.  A sign hung across the side of the structure, the mana crystals fractured and sparking – revealing only part of what might have once been the name for this building.

“Something-Man,” Alexion muttered.  “Perfect.”

More worrisome were the signs framing the entrance.  Bard’s face flickered there, projected by mana crystals embedded in the stone.  “T-t-try Bard’s Basics for all your skin care needs!” the advertisement announced, the mana sparking as he held up a small jar.

Leave it to their “host” to use this as an opportunity to hustle his own merchandise.  At least the wannabe minstrel’s ego revealed that this building most likely contained the first game.  Why else would he plaster ads beside the entrance?

Jason eyed the ledge to his right.  Maybe they could circle around?

However, that soon proved impossible.  A higher-level terrace loomed beside them, but no stairs offered access.  In fact, it looked like whatever stairs might have once been there had been destroyed, leaving only a nearly vertical pile of rubble.  Jason moved closer, tracing the rock with his fingers.  Based on the damage, it was almost as though someone had—

“Are you coming or not?” Alexion demanded, stalking toward the entrance to the building and light mana flaring across his skin.  “Let’s get this over with already.”

“Hey, wait!” Jason called after him, but it was too late.

As soon as Alexion neared the building, thin yellow streamers of energy filled the air – some sort of air-mana tripwire, no doubt.  A camera orb popped into existence nearby and the enormous screen in the center of the club sprang back to life.

“Well, two of our guests have finally made it to their first game!” Bard’s voice boomed through the space, his face filling the screen before shifting to a view of the structure before them.  “I know this building isn’t much to look at, but what lies in wait for our intrepid adventurers will surely make up for that!”

Alexion’s head craned toward the massive tornado, observing himself on the big screen as the camera tilted toward the pair.  A small smile crept across his face.  Then, with a flick of his wrist, panels of golden light suddenly enveloped his body, and he drew his sword, pointing it at the glowing blue orb that floated nearby with a theatrical flourish.

“You caught me off guard during our first meeting, but know that I am afraid of no man.  I’m here to find Evelyn – who you kidnapped from her guild hall in Barrow – and I will not rest until she is safe from harm.”

Jason had to resist the urge to vomit.  So, now Alexion was going to play the hero every time the cameras were pointed in his direction?  Why couldn’t he have teleported in beside Eliza.  Or Finn.  Or just alone.  Even that would have been an improvement.

“Noble words,” Bard replied, tapping at his chin.  “And from a gallant hero, no doubt.  Sir LandsFlatOnHisFace will surely be the first champion to defeat our games!”  As he spoke, the screen shifted to show a now familiar gif of Alexion slamming face first into the rock.  To make matters worse, the display then shifted to the crowds of travelers out in the game world, laughter rippling through the men and women watching these so-called games.

A scowl swept across Alexion’s face before he could master his expression, his mask cracking ever so slightly.  “I won’t be provoked by the likes of you.  The light does not waver in the face of adversity.”

With that, Alexion stalked further inside the building’s mawing entrance, Bard’s laughter following him.  With another sigh, Jason jogged to catch up, eyeing the camera floating beside them as he reached for Alexion shoulder.  “Hey, slow down and take a breath.  Before we enter this thing, we should talk strategy.  Maybe go over our skills so we have an actual plan of attack.  We haven’t fought together before.”

Alexion shot a glance at the camera and then sneered at Jason over his shoulder.  “As I said, I’ll be doing the heavy lifting since our Necromancer got stuck in an abandoned city with no corpses.  Maybe people will finally see how overblown your class truly is.  You’ve only made it this far based on luck – on this world showering you with undeserved wins.”  With that, he shrugged off Jason’s hand and paced further into the darkness, the camera turning to catch a glimpse of Jason before continuing onward.

“That idiot is going to get us killed,” he muttered, but it appeared he had little choice but to follow Alexion and hope for the best.  With that, he summoned his Bone Armor, the metal-infused material sliding out of his skin and settling across his body.

Only moments later, the floor rumbled and Jason whirled to see a massive stone slab descending at their backs, crashing into the ground with a thunderous thud.  It seemed retreat wasn’t an option any longer.  At the same time, lights flared into existence, forming long colored bands across the stone walls on either side of the pair.  That offered just enough light for Jason to see that the walls ended about fifteen feet off the ground, the ceiling looming somewhere up in that darkness.

“Welcome, to Smash-Man – which, according to our attorneys, is a totally original and well-conceived game of our own devising,” Bard’s voice announced, echoing off the stone.  “The rules of this game are simple: try to escape the maze without dying.  Anyhoo, have fun!”

With that, a column of light speared upward into the darkness on the far end of the room.  “Looks like there’s our exit!” Alexion announced, sparing another glance at the camera hovering near his shoulder.  “This should be easy—”

He was cut off as another rumble vibrated the walls, causing dust to cascade down toward the pair.  Jason craned his neck, squinting against the darkness, only for his eyes to widen in alarm.  A massive stone sphere nearly twenty feet wide tumbled out of a hole in the wall at their backs before crashing into the ground and rolling forward toward the pair.  As the light from the walls illuminated the sphere, Jason could see a giant yellow smiley face painted on the stone.

“Shit, we need to move!” Jason called out as the boulder began rolling toward them, quickly picking up speed.  He was already starting forward.

“Why do I need to run?” Alexion shot back, assuming another pose for the camera.  His wings swept out around him with a flutter of feathers and flapped hard, sending wind gusting down through the hall at Jason’s back.  Alexion took off, soaring up into the air, his body illuminated by the glowing armor wrapping his body.

As soon as he crested the lip of the wall, a gunshot rang out.  Jason glanced over his shoulder, only to see what appeared to be a bolt of lightning slam into Alexion and send him crashing into an adjacent section of the maze, the ground trembling as he struck.  However, a glance at his group HUD indicated that the blow hadn’t killed the asshole… unfortunately.

“Gods damn it,” Jason muttered.  He recognized that attack from Barrow.

It seemed Pewpew was in here with them.

And now Jason was alone, with no minions, a homicidal tween gunning for him, and a giant boulder rumbling at his back.  So, just another fantastic example of the game showering him with luck.  Not that he had time to be bitter.

Jason kept sprinting forward, the boulder gaining on him ever-so-slowly.  The maze turned to the left and Jason skidded around the corner, kicking off the wall without losing too much of his momentum.  The boulder wasn’t so lucky.  The massive rock tried to turn, but it was much too heavy and was sent careening into the wall.  The boulder collided with the stone in a tremendous explosion of rocky shrapnel, the jagged fragments pinging off Jason’s armor even at his distance.  The section of wall began to collapse, hundreds of pounds of stone showering the lane.

Jason slowed, breaking his staff into two pieces, and eyeing that devastation.  At the same time, he tapped at his UI to bring up his map, eyeing the green dot that denoted Alexion’s location.

He could feel a tremor run through the floor and another gust of wind whipped at his armor – that smiling boulder slowly pulling itself from the pile of debris as it began to spin toward Jason again.

So, the boulder is tracking us somehow, he thought to himself.  But it seemed to take it some time to gather speed and it couldn’t easily navigate the turns in the maze.  Using his opportunity, Jason ran back toward the boulder, kicking off the pile of debris and darting through the opening the smiling sphere had made in the wall just in time to see a flash of light along the top of the wall and another gunshot.

Jason dove to the ground on instinct, the missile speeding passed him in a blaze of electricity that crashed into the boulder that was now slowly spinning in place.  His Bone Armor saved him again, the electricity lancing across the surface but doing no lasting damage.

“Well, damn,” Pewpew muttered, her voice carrying on mana-assisted winds as she flashed away.  “You’re just as slippery as I remember.”

Jason frowned as he pushed himself back upright, his weapons at the ready as he kept moving.  “I’m sorry, do I know you?” he called out as he ran.  There was no sense hiding his location.  His guess was that Pewpew was teleporting across the tops of the walls – staying well out of melee range and giving her a vantage point on the lanes.

Another gunshot and Jason dove around the upcoming corner of the maze, the bullet blasting into the wall and mana flaring and sparking as it destroyed the colorful line of crystals embedded in the stone surface.  But the rumble behind him indicated he didn’t have time to stop.  That boulder was still closing in on him.  So, Jason took off, his breathing already starting to sound labored.  He was going to need to keep a watchful eye on his stamina.

“It hurts that you don’t remember me,” Pewpew’s voice rang out, echoing out across the room without giving away her location – even with Jason’s Listening skill.

Almost like she planned for this, he thought ruefully.

Although, her voice did sound familiar…

“It was just a small little dungeon north of Peccavi,” Pewpew continued, mana flashing along the tops of the walls – confirming his suspicion.  Jason glanced at his map as he ran.  It looked like he was just one more wall away from Alexion.

“I’m sorry, you’re going to need to be more specific.  I killed a lot of people in that dungeon,” Jason shot back.  “They were all pretty forgettable.”

“How dare you!” Pewpew growled.

Jason dove to the right around the next corner, dodging yet another bullet that rocketed past and slammed into the boulder at his back, not even slowing its steady roll.  The lumbering rock then crashed through the wall, sending up another shower of dust and debris.  That cloud offered Jason cover as he dashed through the opening, the telltale glimmer of Alexion’s armor visible through the fog.  He slid toward the fallen angel’s location, taking cover behind the fresh mound of rubble formed by the boulder.

Alexion was badly wounded.  The shot had managed to penetrate one of the glowing panels along his chest, and there was blood everywhere.  While Jason didn’t have much in the way of ranged attacks, he did come loaded with potions – a gift from Eliza.  He pulled one from his bag, unstoppered it with his teeth, and poured its contents into Alexion’s mouth.  Already, he could feel the rumble of the boulder behind them and the dust was beginning to clear.

They didn’t have much more time.

Pewpew apparently didn’t intend to wait.  A barrage of gunshots rang out, projectiles crashing into the stone around them as electricity arced through the air, leaving searing lines across Jason’s armor, and welting the occasional patch of exposed skin.  Jason acted quickly, grabbing Alexion, and dragging him back into the debris, slowly edging around the boulder.  If he moved quickly enough, the stone merely rotated in place, offering cover from Pewpew.

“You know, I do seem to recall a young girl with anger management problems,” Jason shouted.  He needed to keep her riled – not thinking clearly.  “Shit, was the name of her guild?  The <Bad Doggos>?”

“You asshole—” Pewpew ground out, her voice obscured in another barrage of gunfire.

Meanwhile, Alexion’s health had stabilized and his eyes crept open.  Jason decided to hurry that along by slapping him.  Hard.  The fallen angel’s eyes snapped open, taking in their situation in confusion.  “What… where…?” he grunted uncertainly.

“Pewpew is on the walls.  Teleporting sniper.  Stay behind this boulder and keep rotating,” Jason answered softly.  “You almost died and I barely stabilized you.  Can you heal yourself?”

Alexion stared back for a moment and then nodded.  With a swift gesture and a flash of golden light, he healed the hole in his chest, the skin knitting back together rapidly.  It seemed he had a hell of a healing ability – which gave Jason an idea.

Without warning, Jason lashed out with a Soul Blade, carving cleanly through Alexion’s arm.  His blood poured onto the floor as the young man grunted in pain.  “What the fuck—”

Jason’s hand was over his mouth in an instant.  “Shut up,” he growled, nudging his chin in the direction of the walls above them where Pewpew was no doubt perched – just waiting for an opening.  She couldn’t see them with the dust, but she could sure as hell hear them.

“Just heal yourself again.  You only need one arm for that.”

Alexion glared back but followed his orders, a fresh limb slowly inching from the ragged stump, the blood vessels, bones, and muscle fibers weaving back together to form a full-fledged limb once more.  Now that was even more impressive.  But Jason didn’t have time to appreciate that magical feat.  Instead, he grabbed Alexion’s fallen arm – just enough materials to make something small…

“I need you to head toward the exit and add waypoint markers on the map showing the path out of here,” Jason grunted.

“That’s your plan?  Use me as a decoy so she can light me up, then step over my corpse and escape?” Alexion muttered.

“I just need a few seconds.  Then, once I break cover, she’ll focus her fire me.”

“How can you be sure?”

“We have some… history, I believe,” Jason answered.  He did indeed recall a young guild leader that had almost managed to kill him back in Peccavi.  If Pewpew was the same person, she wasn’t going to give him up easily.  He locked eyes with Alexion.  “If you’ve got a better plan, let’s hear it.”  The angel simply stared back, then shook his head.  “Good.  You ready?”  Jason asked, nodding at Alexion’s freshly-healed arm.

“Yes.  But, first, close your eyes.”

Jason hesitated.

“I’m not going to cut off your fucking arm,” Alexion ground out.

Having little choice, Jason complied with his request.  Light bloomed behind his eyelids, accompanied by a gust of wind as Alexion took off.  The glare so intense that there were still spots in Jason’s vision as he peeked his eyes open once more – the gloom having resettled across the massive room.  He could see Alexion’s goal now.  He’d cast Light to blind Pewpew before he took off.  Unfortunately, the wind from his wings had also pushed away the rest of the lingering dust, leaving Jason without cover.  Jason heard gunshots ring out again, Pewpew laying down suppressive fire to force Alexion back to the ground again.  He only had a few seconds.

Jason looked down at the severed arm in his hands as he kept stepping around the boulder, the rock rotating slowly in place.  Then he began casting Custom Skeleton.  The world slowed to a crawl around him as he quickly broke apart the limb in a shower of blood and repurposed it.  Luckily, he could use one of his older designs.

Lightning arced in the corner of his vision as Jason dropped his spell, diving behind the boulder once more.  Even so, the bolt glanced his shoulder, carving a furrow in his armor, the bone cracking and failing.  Even worse, the electricity scored his skin and made the limb go rigid, leaving it numb and tingling.  A prompt confirmed he’d lost the use of the arm momentarily.

“Damn it,” Jason grunted.

“Ahh, I’m sorry, did I nick you there?” Pewpew drawled, another flash appearing along the top of the walls as she shifted locations.

Jason winced.  The wound hurt, but it wasn’t debilitating.  Then he pushed away from the boulder and sprinted down the lane, heading toward that light on the far end of the room.  The floor rumbled again as the smiling rock at his back began to pick up speed, barreling down the alley and occasionally bouncing off the walls with a concussive boom, causing shards of rock and dust to rain down around Jason.

“You know, I think I remember your name,” Jason shouted out.

“Oh, really?”  Jason just barely managed to pick out the direction of her voice as another gunshot rang out.  He twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding another missile.

“Yeah… it was Sarah, right?” he grunted, pushing off the wall and racing forward again, following the path highlighted by Alexion – he was getting close to that light in the distance.  It was just up ahead now.  Jason could only hope he didn’t screw him over.  Yet again.

“Shit.  That’s not right,” Jason huffed.  “Maybe Amy?  Damn, I’ve killed a lot of people.”

“It’s Lauren, dickhead.  But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you remember it this time!”

Lightning arced overhead and projectiles crashed into the rock around Jason.  At first, he thought she’d missed, the shots going wide.  Yet as he passed one of the projectiles, he could see they were spikes of solid steel.  Almost like a rod…

Energy suddenly flashed, lightning arcing between those rods and catching Jason in a net of energy that made his muscles go rigid.  Yet the rumble of the boulder behind him never stopped.  The energy winked out, smoke coiling away from Jason’s body.  While it had managed to blunt most of the blast, the remains of his Bone Armor crumbled away like ash.  More importantly, he’d lost precious time and his limbs were tingling and less responsive now.

A flash appeared at the top of the wall, and Jason forced himself to move, stumbling forward – his body not fully responding to his commands.  “Ahh, look at you.  Moving slower, are we?” Pewpew – or Lauren – taunted.  Then, there was another gunshot, and Jason felt something stab through his calf, his blood spraying the ground.

And that boulder was still careening toward him.  As Jason made it to the corner, he dove around it, hitting the ground with a dull thump.  The rock barreled past him again, crashing into the wall and sending up another protective layer of rock and dust.  However, Jason didn’t trust that, rolling to the side and just narrowly avoiding another gunshot that would have pinned him to the floor – the steel rod nearly a foot long.

“Ahh, you’ve still got some fight in you,” Pewpew taunted.

“A player has made it out of the arena.  Game ending in sixty seconds!” an automated voice rang out across the arena.  Jason glanced up, blinking away the dust to see that the exit loomed ahead of him, a portal of stone slowly descending, a pit forming in his stomach.  It was so close and yet still so very far away.

“Oh, this is just perfect!” Pewpew said with a laugh.  “He left you!  And after you went back to save him.  Karma is a real bitch, isn’t it?  You deserve it after what you did to me.”

“Which was what exactly?” Jason grunted.  He just needed to buy a little more time.

“After you destroyed our guild, it fell apart,” Lauren snapped.  “They kicked me out as guild leader.  So, I wandered this world looking for a new home.  Except no one wanted a little girl in their guild – despite my skills.  Grown men and women trembling at the thought of fighting beside a teenager.  Assholes, the lot of them.”

A pause and another flash of electricity as Lauren repositioned.

“But I eventually found a home.  People like me who don’t give a shit about your age or stature, only whether you can handle yourself,” Lauren continued.  “Now I have an opportunity to finally get even.  To make you feel what it was like to lose everything.”

As she spoke, Jason eyed the boulder and pulled another healing potion from his bag.  Fortunately, the massive, smiling rock was buried under rubble and didn’t seem to be able to dislodge itself this time.  Not that this would be enough to save him.  The wound in his leg was beginning to heal – but it was slow, far slower than Alexion’s healing spell.  And that last stretch of hallway was a death trap.  Pewpew would gun him down long before he made it through the exit.

Yet she knew that – knew that he was wounded.  And Jason could feel her rage.  Another player he’d wronged – just like Finn and Vanessa.  Maybe he could use that.

Maybe he could lure her closer.

He began crawling, inching along the stone and dragging his leg behind him.  He just needed to get as close to that exit as he could.  Another shot rang out and Jason’s blood sprayed.  He could feel a burn in his other leg.  Another shot.  His abdomen that time.  His impressive health pool was beginning to plummet, the bleed damage stacking up with each shot as he left a bloody trail in his wake.

Yet he kept crawling, the seconds ticking down.

Willing himself to ignore the pain and keep moving.

Then he saw it.  The flash of energy he’d been hoping for.

“Ahh, poor you,” Pewpew drawled.  The girl had flashed down into the hall, her feet padding along the stones now – avoiding the blood streaking out behind Jason.

She stalked forward and Jason felt something cold press against the back of his neck.  He froze, his eyes on the glowing white exit in front of him, the stone sliding ever further downward.

“30 seconds!” that monotonous voice reported again.

“I’m going to make you watch yourself lose,” Pewpew growled at his ear.  “Watch everything you’ve fought for slip away.  This game.  This world.”

“What… about Alexion?” Jason grunted.

Pewpew laughed.  “He’s long gone by now.  But the others will handle him.  They’re out there.  Waiting.  Watching.  Possibly even celebra—”

Her voice cut off suddenly.

“Wait, what the fuck is this?” she demanded, recoiling.

She’d finally moved close enough for Jason to strike.  His drone had skittered slowly out from under his armor while she was talking and crawled up her leg.  Pewpew danced in place as the creature skittered across her body, twisting and craning as she tried to get a clear shot at it.  Getting desperate, Pewpew let out a growl and lightning coated her limbs.  Yet Jason had anticipated that and had used his few precious seconds to imbue the creature with metal, its body conducting the electricity harmlessly back into Pewpew’s own body.

She tried to teleport then, but the drone was touching her – clinging to her.  So, it just teleported along with her as Pewpew landed a few feet away.  She turned then, eyes on Jason as he struggled to push himself back upright.

“10 seconds,” that voice announced.  The portal was almost closed.

“You asshole.  You baited me to get close, so this… this thing could attack me,” Pewpew growled out.  Jason could only smile at the anger in her eyes.  “Well, I’ll get the last laugh—”

The barrels of her pistols rose toward Jason as she gave up fighting his minion.  Yet Jason simply stared them down.  Just as she fired, he cast Dark Incarnation.  His body blew apart into a cloud of darkness, the missiles passing harmlessly through him.  And no longer encumbered by a body or his injuries, Jason swept forward, speeding past Pewpew and toward the exit as the stone portal lumbered ever downward.

However, his spell ended just shy of the doorway – Jason’s body solidifying – and he landed hard on his injured legs.  He toppled forward, just a few inches from that door.

Well, it was a good effort, he thought to himself as he watched the portal close, red notifications flashing in the corner of his vision and his health depleting rapidly from his wounds.

Then Jason suddenly felt himself moving.  He looked up in surprise to see Alexion standing there – dust and blood covering his body.  Alexion hesitated for a moment as he stared down at him, a war of emotions flitting across his face before he finally pulled Jason forward.  They toppled across the threshold to the sound of Pewpew screaming behind him.

“You won’t escape!” she roared.

Jason turned, seeing the girl teleporting forward, her pistols raised and the barrier closing.  Jason’s minion had already skittered up into position behind her neck, clamping its skeletal legs onto her skin.  Its body glowed with a telltale orange light.

In that moment, Jason pulled back his hood, meeting the girl’s eyes.

“That was a nice try, but it looks like you still aren’t good enough,” he said quietly.

Then the drone detonated and Pewpew’s head exploded in a shower of blood and the barrier finally slammed shut – signaling the end of the first of the games.  Jason slumped against the door, bloodied and tired.  His eyes drifted downward, noticing that a mask lay at his feet – covered in blood and painted in a perpetual smile.

It seemed they’d won.  Barely.

Chapter 33 - Teamwork

Jason’s back pressed into the exit door, the rough stone digging into his shoulder blades.  His chest heaved, and his heart thudded a frantic rhythm as his body gradually began to recover.

“Congratulations to the victors of our first game… I guess.  Although, killing a little girl doesn’t really seem like much of an accomplishment,” Bard’s voice rang out, soon stolen away by the stiff winds that blew across the Mile-High Club.

Jason couldn’t help the groan that escaped his lips, pressing his eyes closed to block out the image of the massive screen floating in the center of the city.  You know what was worse than getting stuck in a floating prison with Alexion?  Having the entire process narrated by Bard.  That was definitely worse.

“Oh, and I have a special surprise!  You can now vote for your favorite player in that last match-up – the MVP of our last little game, so to speak,” he continued, Jason’s eyes shooting open.

Wait… voting?

Jason shoved himself upright in time to see a montage of the last game.  First, Alexion’s grandstanding and attempt to solo the maze, promptly followed by him getting taken out by Pewpew.  There was a rather unflattering shot of Jason running for his life from a giant smiling boulder.  Then finally, Pewpew’s head exploding as Jason was pulled out of the arena by Alexion.

A constant chime repeatedly pinged, presumably as the spectators around the game world cast their votes.  Jason and Alexion shared a look – both battered and beaten.  What sort of technology would allow Bard to do that…?

“Alright, time’s up, folks!” Bard announced.  He hesitated, cocking his head.  “Wait, are you all sure about this one?  Really, really sure?”  He shook his head.  “Okay, well, it looks like our White Knight in Shining Bullshit is our MVP!  It must be his daring rescue attempt there at the end.  Let’s check in with our hero now.”

The screen cut to a shot of Alexion’s face, the camera beside the pair spinning toward the angelic young man who glanced in surprise between the glowing orb and the screen hanging from the center of the city – almost as though he didn’t believe he deserved the title.

Although, Alexion recovered quickly, reassuming a gallant pose.  “It was noth—"

“Haha, just kidding.  Captain Crash Landing here wasn’t our MVP,” Bard quipped.  The camera spun toward Jason, his cowled face suddenly appearing on screen.  “There we go.  Suitably dark and brooding.  You have anything you want to say to your adoring fans?”

Jason ground his teeth.  He was going to enjoy killing this guy.

“Yeah, sure,” Jason grunted, staring into the floating blue orb beside him.  “I’m going to find you – wherever you are – and I’m going to shove that camera up your—”

The screen suddenly cut away, Bard’s face reappearing on screen.  “Woah there!  This is a family show… you know, except for the blood and gore and violence and all the other times you two have gone on an expletive laden tangent.  Annnnywaaaaay, I hope all of you in the audience enjoyed this first round.  I expect the next will be even more interesting.  And now for a commercial break—”

The screen abruptly cut to a commercial showcasing what appeared to be a line of moisturizing products.  “Bard’s Basics is here to give you that battle body glow!”  Bard announced, holding up a small jar.  “It’s really all you need to… Hey this is totally relevant!  Smiles told me I could do whatever I wanted,” Bard hissed at someone off camera.

Jason shook his head, tuning out the wannabe minstrel’s special brand of crazy.

“Fuck that guy,” Alexion growled.  He glanced at Jason.  “You’d be dead without me.  Yet they think you’re somehow the hero?”

Jason tamped down on the anger simmering in his chest.  The truth was that Alexion was right – at least, in part.  He had saved his ass.  So, Jason swallowed his pride.

“You’re right.  Thank you for saving me,” Jason said.

Alexion’s expression morphed to shock.

“What?  I can’t thank you?” Jason asked, quietly pleased at how he’d thrown his rival off balance.  Next time, maybe he should give him a big hug.  Would serve the asshole right.  Kill him with kindness since the alternative was off the table for now.

“It’s just… not what I was expecting.”

“Which was what exactly?” Jason asked, pushing himself back against a nearby wall and rummaging for another potion in his bag – his wounds still bleeding weakly.  “Or were you expecting me to point out how you didn’t listen to me?  Marched in there with no plan and immediately got incapacitated?  Or maybe you were expecting me to point out how we both would have died if I hadn’t managed to make it to you and heal your wounds?” Jason offered, snagging a potion from his bag, lifting it in mock toast to Alexion, and then downing the contents.

The angelic asshole was on his feet in an instant.  Metal scraped, and he was suddenly pointing his sword at Jason, light mana illuminating the blade.  “I should cut you down right now for talking to me like that.”

Jason just snorted.  “We’re not live at the moment, you know that, right?”  He spread his arms wide.  “But if you want to kill me, by all means, go ahead.  I’m sure you’ll get your ass kicked during the next game – and publicly, no less.  Also, how are you going to explain my death?  That whole white knight act you’re putting on will be pretty hard to keep up after you murdered someone in cold blood and with no provocation.”

Alexion just glared at him for several long seconds.  Then he slowly withdrew his blade and sheathed it once more, sitting down on a ruined stone ledge.  “I don’t like you,” he muttered.

“Yeah, well, you’re not my favorite person either,” Jason replied with a sigh.

“I just don’t get it.  How have you survived this long if you can’t do shit without your minions?” Alexion muttered, shaking his head.  “You barely managed to take out that little girl.  You have no ranged abilities whatsoever, no healing, no buffs.  And that staff seems like it’s mostly for show.”

Jason winced as he felt his wounds begin to stitch themselves closed, leaving a burning, itching line in their wake.  Pewpew really had done a number on him.  “I try not to play fair,” he grunted in reply.  “Which means thinking ahead.  Carefully analyzing a situation and developing a strategy.  Keeping a calm head and ignoring distractions,” he offered as he saw Alexion staring at the screen in the center of the city where Bard was still showcasing his products, slathering it on his arms and hands and wiggling his fingers for the camera.

“Says the guy bleeding out,” Alexion replied with a sneer.

“From wounds I took while acting as a decoy for you to get out?  If you’d listened to me before we entered that building, we wouldn’t have gotten separated and likely could have handled her easily.  But you didn’t.  You did what you always do – made the whole fucking thing about you.  Go in guns blazing and to hell with anything else.”

Alexion stayed silent, his fists clenched and his eyes on that screen.

Jason grunted as he shoved himself upright, testing his weight on newly-healed legs.  “You want to know why I win?  Because I’m willing to do whatever it takes—”

“I’m willing to do anything,” Alexion ground out, glaring back at him now.

“Really?  Like swallowing your own pride?”  Jason glanced down at his arm as he spoke, noticing the wound hadn’t fully healed.  Then, with a wince, he dug his fingers into the injury, pulling out a piece of stone shrapnel which he flicked onto the ground at Alexion’s feet.

Alexion swallowed hard, staring at that bloody chunk of rock.  Jason saw emotions flitting across his face – rage, irritation, arrogance… but also a hint of doubt.  He could work with that last one.

“Have you explored your own magic?” Jason asked quietly.  “Tried to get a sense of what you’re truly capable of?  You summon those panels of light, you can buff people, and you clearly have tremendous healing abilities,” Jason acknowledged, nodding at Alexion’s arm – no mark indicating that he’d ever lost the limb.  “But have you played around with those spells?  Experimented with them?”

“To what end?  This is a game,” Alexion ground out.  “They’re just rote spells.  You make it sound like this rocket science, but it isn’t.”

“Hmph,” Jason murmured.  Is that what you really think?”

Silence met that question.

Jason decided to try another tact.  “What about Finn?  Did you know he’s actually invented an in-game mod that allows him to create new spells?” he asked.  Alexion’s brow furrowed at that one.  “Fire mana manipulates heat which is why he chose metal for his weapons – creating a versatile skill set from a single ability, one he can use both offensively and defensively, as well as modify on the fly.  Eliza weaponized her alchemy and plants to create endless possibilities.  Hell, she almost destroyed the game world by herself.”

Alexion’s shot him an incredulous look.

“It’s the truth,” Jason answered his unspoken question.  “She cultured a mold that could eat organic matter.  It was spreading uncontrollably before she managed to stop it.”

Jason leaned back against the stone door, rubbing at his face.  “My point is that there’s more to our abilities than meets the eye.  And how we choose to use them matters.  It’s what those other people don’t understand,” he continued, waving at the large screen where Bard was now stripping for the camera – presumably to showcase how well his moisturizer worked.  “They look at me and say my class is broken.”

Jason thumped a hand to his chest.  “I made it broken.  You saw that yourself.  When I don’t have a chance to prepare or have access to materials, I’m weak.  I have to play it smart.  I don’t have any other option.”

“I… I think I can see your point,” Alexion grudgingly acknowledged.

“Good.  Because either way, we’re stuck with each other,” Jason muttered.  “And to make matters worse, <Death and Taxes> seem to have planned these so-called games.”

“How so?” Alexion demanded.

“The fact that we ran into Pewpew could have been a coincidence.  But when you consider the fact that she had a personal vendetta against me, that arena was oh-so-conveniently located along the only path available to us, and the layout of that game heavily favored her build… well, that’s a pattern.  Someone chose that game specifically for the two of us.  Neither of us have solid ranged abilities or any way to teleport, and that boulder was meant to keep us suppressed and on the run.  The truth is that we didn’t have much of a counter for Pewpew, short of using her own anger against her.  If she had kept her cool, we probably would have lost back there.”

Jason rubbed at his neck.  “And then there was the cave-in before the arena.  It looked recent.  The debris hadn’t fully settled.  The impact also looked like someone punched the rock.”

Which would take a crazy amount of Strength, Jason added silently.  He sensed Smiles’ work there.  He’d been studying him as much as possible, carefully reviewing what videos and rumors he could dig up online.  His physical strength was incredible – that much was clear.

“Someone planned all of this, and, right now, we’re still walking along the path they’ve laid out before us.  The bottom line is that we’re on our own, and we’re likely going to be facing at least two more members of <Death and Taxes>—”

“In games designed to kill us,” Alexion finished.

Jason just pointed at him.  “You got it.  Our only way to survive is to start changing things up.  Make moves that our enemies won’t expect.”  Jason met his eyes evenly.  “Which is why we need to do the last thing they would ever see coming.  We need to start working together.  And that begins here, by sharing our skill list and Character Status.”  As he finished speaking, Jason did just that with a flick of his wrist.

Alexion started as his UI chimed with the incoming information, his eyes going distant.  “Are you really handing me all the info on your class and build?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes.  And you need to do that same.  They want us at each other’s throats.  Focused on our own personal bullshit.  So, it’s that, or we fail.”  He saw Alexion hesitate.  “Or let me state that in a way you will understand… you will look like a fucking idiot in front of millions of people.  Again.”  Jason shrugged.  “Your call.”

Alexion ground his teeth but grudgingly swiped at the air, a chime of Jason’s UI soon confirming he’d shared his information.  Jason’s eyes were soon skimming through the displays projected before him – Alexion mirroring his actions as he reviewed Jason’s information.

Alexion had invested the majority of his stat points in Strength and Vitality.  His gear was decent – representing the best gear Jason had seen on the auction house or crafted by intermediate artisans.  However, he had few unique items.  Which meant Alexion likely hadn’t spent much time in a dungeon himself.

Either way, Alexion’s gear provided a substantial buff to his defense and casting stats, likely to compensate for all the points he’d placed in more physical-oriented abilities.  Unfortunately, that was the exact opposite of what Jason would have done since those physical stats could be trained, unlike Intelligence and Willpower.

But Jason couldn’t do anything about that right now.

Without his armor and shield, Alexion wasn’t exceptionally fast or good at avoiding attacks – confirmed by the lack of the Dodge skill – something Jason thought would be almost impossible at this stage of the game.  On the other hand, Alexion had acquired Block, and his shield and heavy armor helped compensate for that shortfall in damage mitigation.  When he also factored in Alexion’s buffs and healing abilities, it probably didn’t matter if he took the occasional hit.  Jason suspected he’d just been healing through any damage he took.

Jason tapped at his screen, the view shifting.  If his defensive and utility skills left something to be desired, maybe Alexion had focused more heavily on his offensive skills… but Jason soon hesitated as he reviewed the information before him.  Alexion’s combat skills were rather lacking.  He’d barely reached intermediate in Sword Combat, for example, and many of his other martial skills were still in the beginner ranks.

Which means he’s been letting others do the fighting for him, Jason realized.

That made a lot of sense.  Alexion had the money to hire mercenaries and companions, and his healing and buff abilities would give them a significant edge.  That also explained why he’d fared so poorly against Pewpew back there.  In that sense, the two of them were somewhat similar, both reliant on minions – living or undead.

Switching tracts, Jason focused on Alexion’s casting abilities.

With his gear supplying a significant amount of Willpower, he actually had a sizable mana pool.  And Jason could see why he’d chosen that path.  Most of his spells weren’t offensive, so he didn’t benefit from the spell damage bonus of Intelligence.  Instead, they were largely utility, healing, and support skills.  Light.  Lay on Hands.  Lesser Heal.  Greater Heal.  Divine Protection – that must be the skill he used to form those glowing panels of light.  He also had a staggering number of buff spells – although, again, those were primarily focused on increasing Strength and Vitality.

And judging from that last battle, Alexion had focused on casting those buffs on himself.  He certainly hadn’t tried using them on Jason.  It looked like he’d concentrated on spells that helped increase his own power and survivability despite having a class that truly shined by helping others… pun intended.  Although Jason suspected the irony of that was lost on Alexion.

But that was really the problem.  Alexion’s class was best suited for improving the abilities others – which he’d clearly been doing up until now.  No doubt, letting his minions carry him through curated farming areas while he sat in the back.  However, he’d spec’d in a way that increased his own strength and durability, but without the actual combat experience or unique equipment that would really allow him to benefit from that choice.

“What are all of these skills?” Alexion muttered, interrupting Jason’s thoughts.

Jason glanced up to find Alexion frowning at his displays.  “What do you mean?”

“You have so many,” he grunted, waving at the screen before him.  “And despite your minions, many of these are combat skills.”  He shot Jason a confused look.  “What is this?”

“My poor attempt to patch a hole in my build,” Jason replied reluctantly.  “I’ve been focused on combat training lately to help compensate for how weak I am without minions.  Hiding worked for me in the beginning, but it’s not a solution anymore,” he added, gesturing at the ruined city around them.  He sure as hell wasn’t going to be able to hide in a tree here.

“Yeah… you don’t have a single offensive spell,” Alexion murmured.

“I notice you’re in the same situation,” Jason added with a frown of his own.

They were both decently resilient – but they had no ranged abilities, their martial skills were just okay, and they didn’t have any way to take real advantage of their classes.  Two controllers without anything to control.  It was as bad as Jason had expected.

He rubbed at his face, swiping away the displays.  “Okay.  So, we need to find a way to come up with some minions.”

“I’m all ears since it’s not like I can summon other residents or travelers,” Alexion replied sarcastically.

Jason nodded.  “Which leaves my skeletons.”

“Except we have no corpses,” Alexion muttered.  He waved at the nearby arena.  “Unless you count Pewpew’s body but good luck getting through that damn door.”

Jason winced as he glanced at the stone.  It likely weighed more than a ton.  Alexion was right.  That wasn’t going to be an option, which meant he needed to get creative.  His thoughts kept turning back to how he’d sliced off Alexion’s arm – repurposing the bone into a single drone.  Clearly, the avatar of light’s healing abilities were exceptional, capable of regrowing a limb.

Jason hesitated.

Or, at least, he could regrow his own limbs.  Would his healing spells work on Jason?

“Stab me,” Jason demanded, rising to his feet, and facing Alexion, his arms wide.

“What?”

“Stab me,” Jason repeated.  “Pull out your sword and—”

Alexion drew and lunged without hesitation, his sword sinking into Jason’s stomach.  He let out a grunt of pain, willing himself to hold still.  As the blade withdrew, blood spilled from the wound, and Jason resisted the urge to press a hand to his stomach to staunch the bleeding.  Alexion raised the blade to stab him again, but Jason put up a staying hand.

“Enough.  Now, try healing me,” Jason instructed.

Alexion frowned but complied, sheathing his sword and his hands winding through a series of gestures.  A beam of light soon shot from Alexion’s palm, illuminating Jason’s abdomen as he pulled away his hand.  The light infused the wound, but nothing happened for several long seconds … then, the skin began to slowly knit itself back together.  Moments later, the wound had closed, leaving only a thin red line across Jason’s skin.

“Interesting,” Jason murmured.  “Your healing works on me despite my high dark affinity, but it seems less effective.”

“I received a prompt saying the effect is diminished,” Alexion offered distractedly, staring off into space.  “It says it reduced my Lesser Heal by about 50%.  Normally, it would be much easier to heal a wound of that size.”

Jason nodded.  “Which means something stronger like Greater Heal or Lay On Hands should be able to replace a limb,” he murmured aloud, his brow furrowed in thought.

“Sure, but those burn a hell of a lot of mana,” Alexion offered.

“Your regeneration is fine.  You should replenish your full mana pool in just a few minutes,” Jason said, his eyes skimming to the camera beside them.  He had a plan now, but he didn’t want an audience for this.  The orb was still active even though the screen in the center of the club was still showcasing an extended commercial break – Bard’s oiled body dancing in time to music of his own making.  Jason wasn’t sure what he was even selling anymore…

Either way, they needed to maintain the element of surprise.  <Death and Taxes> could still be watching them even if they weren’t on the big screen.

“I also saw you can use Light,” Jason added, turning back to Alexion.

“Yeah, no shit.  It’s what I used to blind Pewpew momentarily.”

“Sure, but can you sustain it?  Create a solid barrier of light like the one you used on Evelyn’s guild hall?” Jason asked.

“I used my mana well for that,” Alexion offered in reply.  “I don’t think it will work.”

“Just try it,” Jason insisted.  “Cast the spell like normal, but maintain the channel as though you’re using one of your healing spells.”

“Fine,” Alexion grunted.  “But it’s not going to work.”

Alexion cast again.  A blaze of light flared around them, Jason raising a hand to ward off the glare.  However, this time, Alexion’s hands kept moving, a frown creasing his lips as he concentrated.  The light around them fluctuated in intensity, flaring and dimming erratically as Alexion tried to maintain the spell.  Then the ring exploded in a flash of blinding white light, which left spots in Jason’s visions.

“Gods damn it,” Alexion growled.  “I told you it wouldn’t work.”

“It did,” Jason replied quickly.  “At least for a few seconds.  Try again.  Just focus and keep your hand movements consistent.  Your gestures were sloppy.”

“I’m already getting sick of you ordering me around.  I don’t need your nagging.”

“Then don’t fuck it up this time,” Jason shot back.

Alexion glared at him but cast again.  The ring of light soon blazed into existence, but Alexion was more careful this time, keeping his gestures smooth and controlled.  The light wavered for just a moment, trembling precariously… only to stabilize a moment later, shining in a brilliant blaze around the pair.  The rest of the Mile-High Club was now obscured behind a wall of light.

Alexion stared off into space.  “I… I got a prompt.  This is a secondary effect of Light now.  It’s called Light Dome.  It looks like the channel cost is less than my mana regeneration,” Alexion murmured, shaking his head.

“See?  Like I said, there’s more to the spellcasting system than meets the eye,” Jason offered, his hands working at unfastening his armor.

“Sure, but I don’t see how this helps us—  What the hell are you doing now?” Alexion amended, watching as Jason pulled his armor free and deposited it into his bag.  This left his pale chest and arms bare, dark tattoos coiling across his skin as though reacting to the intense light.

Jason met his gaze, his dark mana humming through his veins, numbing him to the prospect of what he was about to do – the pain he was about to endure.  It wouldn’t be enough on its own.  It wouldn’t fully fix the lack of synergy between him and Alexion.  But it was a start.

“Winning,” Jason answered finally.

He raised his arm.  “Now, cut it off… then heal me.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier for me to heal myself?” Alexion murmured.

“You’re right.  You volunteering?” Jason shot back, arching a brow.

Alexion stared back, his mouth opening… then closing.  His eyes were on Jason’s face, his cowl no longer obscuring his features.  He saw determination reflected there.  Raw, unflinching willpower.  That was the look of a boy – no, a man – that had faced down Gloria Bastion.  Had laid waste to armies.  And had stood his ground before George Lane.

Then Alexion looked down at his own arm, his fingers trembling.

“No… no I guess not,” Alexion muttered, wrapping those traitorous fingers around the hilt of his sword to hide his fear.

“Didn’t think so, and besides, it’ll be easier and faster for you to cast with both hands, even with the additional mana cost form using a higher tier healing spell,” Jason offered.

“But even if I do this, it’s just one limb – one of those tiny drone creatures you summoned,” Alexion bit out.  “To make anything big—”

“We’ll need more.  A lot more.  I know,” Jason answered.  “Now do it!”

Alexion just shook his head.  Then his sword swept through the air, followed closely by a grunt of pain, the splatter of blood, and a dull thump as Jason’s arm hit the stone.

Jason’s breath came shallow and fast as he controlled his reaction.  He couldn’t afford to scream and tip off their enemies.  He let out a sigh of relief as golden light spilled across the wound, and his arm began to regrow.  That was just one arm.  He’d need more… a lot more.

“Alright, again,” Jason ordered, clenching his teeth.

A searing flash of pain and another dull thump.  As the wound healed and the pain faded, Jason heard Bard’s voice ring out, accompanied by the roar of a crowd.  He could only guess that Finn and Eliza had arrived at their first game.  Hopefully, they would survive.  Unfortunately, between the two of them, Jason expected they had their own share of dysfunctional issues.

Pain ripped through his body once more, his blood leaking onto the ground, staining the stone a dark red, and shoving away any coherent thought.  He didn’t have time to dwell on that.  He took a deep, steadying breath, his dark mana flaring through his body as he met Alexion’s eyes, his sword already drenched in his blood.

Jason clenched his teeth as he saw the blade rise again.

And then there was only pain.

Chapter 34 - Simmering

Eliza paced behind Finn, keeping a few feet of following distance.  She clutched at her bags, worried that the gusts that blew across the Mile-High Club might send her equipment flying.  The avatar of flame had been quiet ever since they’d been teleported to this unusual place.  He’d simply pulled up his in-game map, grunted as he saw Jason and Alexion heading off in the opposite direction around the ring, and then started walking the other way.

Not that she entirely blamed him for that.  The debris between them had seemed impassable.  But the lack of communication was off-putting.

As was the way they’d marched in tense silence since.

“Wait,” Finn announced abruptly, raising a hand.  Eliza slowed and clutched at one of her wands.  The truth was she felt vulnerable out here without Brian – normally a permanent fixture in-game for her.  Always hovering, watching, and protecting.  It had been a long time since she’d had to fight on her own – or at least with only her own abilities, she amended.

Finn was there too.  Technically.

“What is it?” Eliza asked.

Finn gestured at the structure ahead.  The buildings on either side of the road had been caved in to create a narrow funnel.  Normally, they could have traversed the stone and bypassed the alley – but with the unnatural winds that blew across the club, that was a non-starter.  They’d both witnessed Alexion’s crash landing.

“The next game, I suspect,” Finn answered slowly.  “I’m picking up a lot of mana inside that building.  Multiple layers.  Mostly… water,” he added with a grimace.

“If it’s anything like Jason’s first game—”

“Then we’re probably going up against Queen,” Finn finished for her with a nod.

“Otherwise known as Vanessa, the woman you trapped at the bottom of a living hell,” Daniel chirped helpfully, his voice overly cheery.

Finn grunted.  “I’m aware, Daniel.”

“And with the amount of mana inside that structure, identifying her illusions may be difficult,” the fire elemental added.

“I know,” Finn growled.  “Just give me a moment…” he trailed off, flicking at the air as he brought up his UI.

“Maybe I can help somehow?” Eliza offered tentatively.

Finn finally turned to look at her – just a motion of his head, his eyes hidden behind his usual cloth bandage.  Yet even without seeing his expression, Eliza could somehow tell he was eyeing her skeptically.  Finn turned back to his screens without a word.

“Are you… are you upset with me?” Eliza asked finally.

Finn let out a sigh.  “Why would I be upset with you?”

“Um, you know, the whole thing with… well, Rachael.”  Admittedly, that came out more jumbled than she’d hoped, but she felt nervous around Finn.  It was the first time the two of them had been alone.  And then there was the dead, wife-shaped elephant in the room…

Finn rubbed at his face, leaning back against a ruined rock wall.  “No, not really,” he answered finally, yet his voice carried a note of irritation.  “You’re not responsible for what happened.  And I can understand your hesitation in approaching me.  I’m a stranger – a former enemy even.”

His hands swept at the air as he manipulated his screens.  “I’m mostly trying not to think about it.  What that information might mean.”

“That her death might not have been—”

Eliza cut herself short as the older man ground his teeth.  Clearly, he didn’t want to acknowledge what she’d overheard.  Not aloud.  Not right now while they were fighting for their lives to escape this flying prison and save the game world – as well as Rachael herself.  All while being televised to millions of people.  She could feel that pressure too, that floating blue orb nearby a constant reminder.

Yet she also knew her time here in this game was drawing to a close.  Her parents would insist on her returning to her normal studies soon.  She’d used what she’d overheard as an excuse not to talk to them… again.  Although, a part of Eliza acknowledged that even if it hadn’t been this, she probably would have come up with some other reason not to say anything.

However, in contrast to Finn, her problems seemed silly and vapid.

She inspected the older man – really looked at him.  This game – this place – it wasn’t real.  Yet it reflected the real world with such accuracy.  The circles under his eyes.  His limbs moving slower from fatigue.  That slight tremor in his hands as he tapped at his UI.  She was sure he hadn’t slept since Barrow – probably not since the world notification had popped.

“I think I understand how you feel,” she said quietly.  “This game means a lot to you.  Everything even.  The thought of losing this event… losing Rachael.  I guess I can understand how that would feel.”

Finn really looked at her this time.  Flames coiled away from his body as he scowled down at her, his anger on full display.  “You think you know how I feel?  Losing my wife?  Having the opportunity to save her, only to face losing her again?”  He shook his head.  “How could you possibly understand that?  You’re a child.  This is just another game to you, just like all those other idiots clamoring for a server reset.

“For some of us, this place means everything,” Finn muttered, turning away.

Eliza flinched as if she’d been slapped, his words mirroring her own thoughts.  Maybe she was just an insipid little girl.  Too scared to act.  To do anything really.  But it was also true that she’d lost something important to her, and she knew what that felt like.  She wished she could return to the way she’d felt in Sandscrit.  The way that swell of power coursed through her, washing away her doubt and hesitation.  It seemed to be the only thing that quieted those anxious thoughts that seemed to play in an endless loop in her head.

The god of water’s words returned to her then, mocking and taunting.  “You’ve finally learned the lesson I’ve been trying to teach you for so long.  When to stop accepting your fate.”

It had seemed so clear at that moment.  The anger she’d felt.  The way her mana propped her up and bolstered her, making her a better version of herself.  But after those intoxicating effects had worn off, she’d been left feeling… well, the same.  Listless.  Defenseless.

And it felt like she’d been running away from her problems ever since.

Her hands balled into fists, frustration swelling in her chest – just a taste of that former icy energy.  Maybe that was the problem.  Maybe it was time to stop running and face the music.

“You don’t know anything about me,” she retorted in a quiet voice, barely audible above the wind, and her eyes locked on the ground.  “I don’t have long left here… in this world,” Eliza murmured, leaning into that frustration and putting voice to her own fears – her own stakes in this game.  “A few more days at most.  This was supposed to be a vacation from my studies because they thought I was going to hurt myse—”

She stopped.  She’d almost said it aloud.  To someone else.

Eliza shook her head.  “That’s, um… that’s not important.”

When she finally looked up, she saw Finn looking at her – really watching her – the flames gone.  “That’s not the way it sounded.”

Eliza’s eyes shot to her feet again, her hands twisting together as she tried to think of something else to say – some way to cover.  “I, um… well… What I meant to say was that my parents are incredibly strict.  They want me to go to med school just like them.  So, they have me taking extra coursework to help prepare for the MCAT.”

“Aren’t you in high school?” Finn asked, confused.

“Well, yes…”

“But they’re trying to make you prepare for an exam you typically take after undergrad?”  He shook his head.  “I’ve heard of helicopter parents, but that seems intense.”  Finn hesitated, that bandaged gaze still watching her.  “Is that what you want?” he finally asked.

“N-no… not really,” she muttered.  “But I can’t exactly tell them that.”

Finn snorted.  “Sure, you can.”

“You haven’t met my parents.”

The older man cocked his head, glancing out at the tornado whirling through the center of the city.  “I’ve lived a long time and with that comes experience.  When you’re young, everything seems like a big deal.  Every decision feels difficult.  But with time and experience comes new, more complicated problems.  Which sucks,” he admitted with a chuckle, “but it also gives you perspective.  Suddenly, the stuff you were worried about before starts to seem small and insignificant.”

He turned his attention back to Eliza.  “Like this.  Like talking to your parents.  Maybe they’d be upset if you told them you didn’t want to pursue their plans for you.  But for how long?  A couple days?  Weeks?  You have decades ahead of you.  More in a place like this that stretches out our perception of time.”

Finn shook his head.  “Take it from someone in the twilight of a life filled with regret.  No matter how much time we have, life is fleeting.  If I had it to do over again, I wouldn’t let anything stop me from going after what I wanted.  I would grasp hold of it with both hands and never fucking let go.  Because that opportunity may vanish in the blink of an eye.”

As he spoke, Finn’s own gaze was on the ground, his brow furrowed.  A heaviness had settled over him and Eliza suspected he was no longer talking about her parents.  Then he suddenly looked up, causing Eliza to start in surprise.

“The real question isn’t what your parents would do if you confronted them.  Or what they might say.  Or how angry they might get.  The only thing that matters is how you choose to spend the life that you have – to pursue your passions.”

He peered at her.  “What is it that you want?  And I don’t mean right now – transient shit like sleep, food, whatever.  I’m talking about that thing that makes you eager to get up in the morning and reluctant to crawl into bed.  That consumes your waking thoughts like an obsession.  That’s true passion.  For me… that was my work,” he offered waving at Daniel where he floated nearby.  “To build and create.  And then it was Rachael.”

Finn shook his head to ward off his own dark thoughts.  Those bandaged eyes turned back to her.  “What is it that you truly want, Eliza?”

She could only stare back.  She suddenly realized that no one had ever asked her that question.  Not her parents.  Not Jason and his friends – not exactly, anyway.  And certainly not the Hippie – for all the goodwill he might have gained by helping her resurrect Brian.

In the face of that question… Eliza suddenly realized she didn’t know how to answer it.

Sure, there were fleeting wants and desires.  To keep playing AO.  To stop endlessly studying dry, old textbooks.  But even if she confronted her parents and told them she didn’t want to be a doctor, that same question would inevitably follow.  What did she want to do?  She didn’t know how to answer it and could anticipate the look of disapproval on their faces if she admitted that she simply didn’t know.  And there it was… the truth.

“I-I don’t know yet,” Eliza answered finally.

Finn nodded.  “Good.”

She looked up in surprise and the older man gave her a lopsided grin – the first she’d seen on his face.  “That was honest and the important word there was yet.  It’s unreasonable to assume that everyone finds their passion early in life.  It’s a journey.  Hell, I didn’t meet Rachael until after college.  We had to be set up by our friends – two workaholics that refused to leave their offices,” he offered with a chuckle.

“But do you want to find your passion?” Finn asked.

“I do,” Eliza answered firmly.

Finn just nodded, rising and placing a hand on Eliza’s shoulder.  “Good.  For now, focus on that.  The journey.  The exploration.  Just keep looking.  And don’t let others stop you.”

She nodded slowly.  There was a certain logic to his words – her mind clinging to that thought like a buoy amid a storm.  Maybe she didn’t have to have an answer yet.

“And when you find it, hold on to it – don’t let other distraction steal it away from you,” Finn murmured, his good humor vanishing in an instant.  Eliza watched him, that weight suddenly settling back upon his shoulder as his gaze turned to the building before him.

Finn let out a sigh.  “In the meantime, we need to keep pressing forward.”

Eliza nodded, her fingers tightening around her wand.  “Do we have a plan?” she asked.  “Maybe I should push my skill list and Character Status to y—"

Finn just shook his head.  “It’s fine,” he interjected.  “The mana signature inside that building is too complicated to make out any detail and something in the stone is disrupting my sight.  The walls are likely warded.  We can’t anticipate what we’ll find in there.  Only that we’ll likely be facing Vanessa, or Queen, or whatever the hell she’s calling herself.  That much is obvious from the mana and that first game with Jason and Alexion,” he continued, his voice coming out in a growl now, flame once more coiling along his skin and his eyes burning a dark red beneath the cloth that wrapped his face, bands of smoke curling up into the air.

“But—” Eliza began again, reaching for one of her bags.

“I can handle it,” Finn interrupted.  “Just stay back.  I don’t want you to get hurt.”

With that, he started toward the building, Eliza staring after him.

She should say something; put her foot down.  At a minimum, she could buff them both.  She had more than enough potions for that.

But she didn’t – still couldn’t.

Perhaps Finn knew best.

So, instead, Eliza took a deep, stuttering breath, settled her bags back into position, and hurried to catch up with Finn.  As they neared the structure, a doorway slowly opened, stone sliding upward to the harsh, metallic grind of rusted gears.  On the other side was only darkness.  Yet Finn’s fires soon illuminated those shadows, pushing them away to reveal row upon row of glimmering mirrors that towered eight or nine feet high, their frames coated in thick ice.

As they entered the frigid room, cold puffs of warm breath left their lips.  Eliza could see herself reflected within their depths.  She could see the look of surprise on her face as the stone door at their backs began to grind downward once more, locking them inside.  The fear and weakness and hesitation painted across her own features.

A voice chimed out of that darkness, echoing across the room as a display blared to life along the ceiling.  “Welcome, contestants!” Bard’s voice rang out.  “You have the honor, nay, the absolute privilege, of participating in one of my favorite games.  I call it Mirror Mirage.”

Chapter 35 - Cold Open

Jason’s body trembled, notifications cascading down the corner of his vision.  The stone around him was splattered with blood.  His blood.  It ran down the rough rock, pooled in small impressions in the stone, and dripped off a nearby ledge, spiraling out into the clouds that lingered far below.  He heaved himself back with a grunt and leaned against a pile of rubble.

A flash of light bloomed behind his eyelids and he felt that itching burn once more – signaling that his arm was healing.  Although, technically regrowing might have been more accurate.  Seconds ticked past until that feeling faded, leaving only a tingling sensation in his fingertips.  He flexed those fingers experimentally and could feel rough rock once more.

“I’m ready to go again,” he bit out, his voice gravelly.

“I need to regen my mana.  Besides, you’re missing the show,” Alexion replied.

Jason’s eyes snapped open, the sudden roar of wind and noise penetrating his pain-filled fugue.  Alexion had dismissed his barrier of light since Jason had stowed his new “supplies” safely away in one of his bags.  However, judging from the scene that now filled the screen in the center of the ruined city, <Death and Taxes> likely wasn’t focused on them right now.

Finn and Eliza were on screen, slowly stepping into what appeared to be a frozen mirror maze.  Ice coated the glass and walls and each breath sent out a tuft of steam.  Jason winced.  That meant that Queen oversaw this new game, which further indicated that their path through this city wasn’t random – not entirely, anyway.

At least Finn should have an easy time with her illusions—

Jason cut that thought short as shards of ice slid out of one of those mirrors and sliced through that air at Finn.  The avatar of fire deflected the attack, but only barely.  A flaming metal disc soon hovered just inches away from his face, and the ice melted instantly, raining back across the ground.  That looked more like reflex...

“Did he not see that coming?” Alexion muttered, echoing Jason’s thoughts.  “It was right in front of him.”

“I think the room is too saturated with water mana,” Jason said slowly.  “All of that ice was already there – coating everything in the room.  Plus, she’s dropped the ambient temperature.  Queen isn’t concealing anything right now.  Or rather, she’s hiding her attacks in plain sight.”

“That doesn’t bode well for Finn then,” Alexion muttered.

No, no it doesn’t, Jason added silently.  The colder temperate also means he can’t use his Mana Absorption to draw in heat.  They had taken one of his most powerful weapons off the table.  Or, at least, they had prevented him from immediately cutting his way out of the room.

Queen was also staying silent during this fight.  Unlike Pewpew, she wasn’t hurling taunts that would reveal her location or giving in to her blood feud with Finn.  She was an icy shadow – a flutter of movement when the camera panned out far enough to see the other winding paths through the maze.  She was stalking her prey.  Deadly and quiet.  Queen was serious.

No doubt she’d wrapped her own body in several more layers of water mana, that energy acting like camouflage in this environment.  And even if Finn dropped out of combat temporarily and managed to switch to Short-Sighted, there were still the mirrors.  If the stakes had been different, Jason would have been impressed with Queen’s planning.

The pair onscreen continued navigating their way through the maze cautiously, light shining on the other end of the room to signal the exit – not unlike the game Alexion and Jason had just participated in.  Finn was on the defensive, discs of flaming metal now orbiting him like a miniature sun.  Ice shot from the mirrors, only to be cut down by that barrier of fiery steel.

Queen kept throwing more and more at the man, a barrage of ice and water that created a miniature blizzard.  And attacks were getting through Finn’s shields.  A slice across his arm.  His back.  His legs.  Leaving blood telltale marks in their wake.  Jason frowned.  The missiles were moving quickly, but it also looked like Queen was ricocheting the projectiles off the mirrors, creating awkward angles that Finn couldn’t easily anticipate.

Then she abruptly switched focus, a hail of ice targeting Eliza—

Only for Finn to intercept it with his discs, expanding the orbit of those metal disc to surround both himself and the water mage.  Eliza kept close, her wand in hand but unable to defend herself easily against these icy projectiles.  While she could heal the damage with her potions, she didn’t have any skills that would protect her from those missiles.

Jason shook his head.  He knew Finn was trying to protect Eliza, but he could only channel so much metal and he’d just dramatically expanded the surface of area of the sphere – creating larger holes for Queen to use against him as well as taxing his mana and attention.  On the other hand, what were his options?  Let Eliza get cut down?

Either way, Queen wasn’t done.

As Finn took another step, the floor abruptly fell out from below his feet, cracking away to reveal a pit in the stone, jagged shards of ice lining the bottom.  Finn moved swiftly, fire blazing down his skin and a panel of metal sliding forward with a twitch of his fingers, his foot touching down on its surface.  He tottered there for a tense moment, hovering over the abyss on a single leg.

That had just been the setup.  The mirrors around him suddenly exploded in icy shrapnel.  Finn seemed prepared for that, though.  His palm flared and a Molten Beam shot out, sweeping out to the left and melting the fragments in an instant even as his shields all slid to the right and blocked the attacks from the other direction… all while perched there on one leg.

What he failed to account for was Eliza.  A gurgle gave her away as the camera panned back to the small water mage.  A shard of ice had impaled her stomach, blood dripping to the floor in bright red droplets.  Eliza’s eyes were wide and painfilled.

“Shit,” Finn grunted.  He tried to move back to Eliza, but Queen forced him away with another barrage of ice.  He had no choice but to use his shields to traverse the pit, landing firmly on the other side and throwing up a Fire Wall to block the attacks.

However, that further separated him from Eliza.  The camera panned back to the water mage who had slumped to her knees, bleeding out on the ice as her fingers fumbled at her waist, frantically searching for a potion.

“I don’t know what I expected from the Najmat Alhidad,” Queen sneered, her voice echoing across the frozen room.  “It seems you abandon even your friends.  Perhaps I shouldn’t be too offended then.”

The camera focused on Finn, the fire in his eyes beginning to burn away the cloth that wrapped his face as his anger flared – revealing the molten chunks of metal that lingered there, fused with his skin.  “And you haven’t changed at all.  Still the traps and tricks – leaning on the power of others to make yourself look strong.”

Queen didn’t bother to respond, simply threw more ice at Finn.  Shards erupted from the floor and walls and even dropped from the ceiling, pushing him further and further into the winding maze of mirrors.  Then, as Finn rounded a corner, he slid to a halt.

The camera twisted around to reveal Eliza lying there – her body still and her chest barely moving.  Blood was pooled around her an icy shard embedded in her chest.  Her eyes fluttered as she heard him near and she blinked blearily in his direction.  Eliza raised one arm toward him, her eyes bloodshot and desperate.  “Help,” she managed to croak.

Finn swallowed hard but didn’t make a move.  The reason for that soon became apparent as Eliza’s body broke apart into water that sloshed across the ground – soon freezing solid.

“You think this will fool me?” Finn demanded.

“Apparently not.  Maybe the problem is that you have no sympathy for the girl.  Perhaps someone else might be a better fit…” as she trailed off, a mirror beside Finn suddenly reflected the image of a woman.  Brown hair, shoulder length.  Sparkling eyes.  A kind smile.

“Finn?” the woman called out as though searching for him, her eyes suddenly locking on his position and her smile pulling wider in recognition.

Finn started as he recognized her voice, cocking his head – presumably, as Queen ceased her attacks, he dropped from combat, and switched to Short-Sighted – only to let out a gasp as he saw the woman reflected there.

“Finn?  Why won’t you answer me?  What have you done to your eyes?”

“You’re not real,” he ground out.

“How can you say that?” Rachael asked, her voice heartbroken.  As she spoke, her image expanded to fill the mirrors around him – dozens of doppelgangers now watching him.  “Is that why you abandoned me?  Failed me?  Why did you leave me, Finn?”

The avatar of flame swallowed hard, trying to maintain his composure.  Queen must have stolen his wife’s image from pictures online – her voice from videos posted in interviews and on social media.  It was… cruel.  Terrible.  And a sign of the depth of her own anger.

Jason felt a pit settle in his stomach.  From her perspective, Queen was just messing with him.  What she couldn’t know or anticipate was the stakes for Finn in this so-called game.  The lengths he’d gone to in order to save his wife.  The revelation that Eliza had just dumped on him – that Rachael’s death hadn’t been a simple mistake.  All that tension, stress, guilt, and fear had been festering inside of him for days now, compounded by a decade of grief.

“You should have known something was wrong.  Why didn’t you save me?  Protect me?” Rachael asked a dozen times from a dozen different mirrors.

“You’re not real!” Finn roared.  His flaming metal discs went flying, cutting through the glassy ice, and leaving only shattered chunks in their wake.  They spiraled out around him, carving a circle of devastation.  And as the ice melted under the intensity of his attack, water pooled and rose until it began to slosh at his ankles.

Yet Rachael’s image only shifted, gliding out to other, more distant mirrors, her voice still carrying across the room – calling for him.  Begging him.  Pleading with him.

Finn’s eyes flared bright, the flames of his crown growing with each passing second.  His hands wound through another series of gestures and fire bloomed all around him – walls of flame that ate away at the ice and boiled the water that pooled along the floor, sending up steam into the air where it drifted up toward the ceiling, the temperature in the room rising swiftly.

Then Finn lifted his left arm, the crystal glittering in the light of his own flames.  With one motion, he pulled on that heat he’d created, the flames winking out and a dull orange glow soon shining through the arm.  He began casting again, fires forming in the very air around him.  Fire Nova, Jason recognized the spell.  But it was larger than it should be, empowered by both his arm and the crown that floated above his head.

Finn didn’t care about Queen anymore, or some silly game, or even Eliza who was dying somewhere out there amid the maze.  No, there was only rage and pain and grief seared across his face.  Sleepless nights and interminable days.  A man pushed past the brink of sanity.  Queen tried to attack – to use that opening.  But the heat was so intense that her missiles never made it near Finn, reduced to mere water in an instant.

And as those flames reached a crescendo – a blaze so bright it began to glow white hot – Finn released.  A wave of fire rippled out from him.  It blazed through the mirrors, destroying them in an instant, not stopping until it reached the walls of the arena, washing up against the warded stone and melting away any lingering trace of ice that remained.  Where the flames washed against the surface of the lake that was now forming in the chamber, it turned to steam, the heated vapor tumbling up into the air.  It soon met pockets of super cold air, condensing to form miniature clouds that floated along the ceiling, thick with moisture.

The fires winked out, leaving Finn standing in the middle of the arena, forced to perch atop one of his discs as the water level only continued to rise.  Rain pitter-pattered down around him, a gentle drizzle that created ripples across the surface of the indoor lake.

Finn’s chest heaved, his face wild and the camera watching.

“So dramatic,” Queen drawled.

Finn whirled to find the ice mage standing atop her own platform made of ice.  More of those pedestals were pulled from the lake, more illusions topping their surface.  Until Finn was standing in the middle of a circle of more than a dozen Queens who all sneered at him with the same expression, moving and speaking in unison.

“Are you upset?  Angry?  Good,” Queen hissed.

“I was angry too, when you trapped me in that hellhole to die over and over again,” Queen said.  “Yet I learned something.  That anger didn’t get me anywhere.  It didn’t solve my problems.  It didn’t help me escape.  It was only once I accepted that – let that anger burn through me – that I was able to think clearly enough to get away.”

She smirked.  “It seems you haven’t learned that lesson.  That was a great show of power, but you’re still encircled by more water – a hard counter to your flames.”

As though to prove her point, she sent more shards flying up at him out of the lake, the droplets freezing as soon as they left the surface.  Finn’s orbs moved to intercept, but the missiles were coming at him from every direction and he couldn’t block them all.  There was also nowhere to run or hide – not anymore.  Lacking options, he cast Fire Wall again, the barrier encircling him and sending superheated steam spiraling up into the air, Queen’s projectiles reduced to water that simply splashed back into the lake.

Finn moved a hand to his bag…

He’s low on mana, Jason realized, glancing at the group UI.

Yet his fingers found nothing.  Finn’s bag was gone, the strap cut cleanly.

“You looking for this?” Queen asked, her illusions all waving a single bag in the air.  “Did you think I was trying to hit you?  No, this is a war of attrition.  One you’re losing.  You’re running out of mana, have no way to attack me, and soon… soon you will be helpless.  Just as helpless as I was.  Then I will cut you down in front of millions.”

Finn’s jaw clenched, and Jason could see the same realization painted across his face.  Queen had baited him into this trap expertly, avoiding the same pitfalls as Pewpew.  Finn’s anger began to transform as his mana bottomed out, his shoulders sinking, his eyes squeezing closed.  Despair replaced his brazen rage – a helplessness that Jason found disconcerting.

“I’m so sorry, Rachael,” Finn murmured, his voice barely a whisper.

“This is checkmate,” Queen roared as Finn’s flames sputtered and began to fail, then finally disappear, his mana regeneration only able to sustain the single platform beneath his feet.  “I’m going to make you pay—”

Queen’s words were cut off as dark green tendrils snaked up out of the water and snatched one of the doppelgangers from its ledge, Queen disappearing into the depths of the lake with a cutoff scream of rage.  Mana flashed underwater, sapphire energy flaring and snapping as though a fight was taking place beneath the surface.  At the same time, more of those green tendrils emerged from the lake, coiling and snapping at the water.

“What?  What just happened?” Alexion demanded.

“Eliza,” Jason answered simply, glancing at his UI.  The water mage’s health was full.  “She must have used the commotion to escape Queen, heal herself, and then hid under the water to avoid Finn’s flames.  I just don’t understand how she stayed under so long.”

Some sort of potion possibly, Jason thought to himself.

As Jason looked on, the other clones of Queen broke apart into streamers of water that tumbled back into the lake, each icy platform disintegrating.  That implied Queen couldn’t maintain the channels.  Which meant that Eliza had caught the real Queen on her first try.  But how?

“Heat,” Jason murmured, watching the kelp like tendrils lash at the flames of Finn’s lone metal disc, the vegetation recoiling as it was singed.  “This plant must be attracted to heat.  So, it picked out the real Queen behind her illusion once Finn dropped his spells.”

“Then where the hell is Eliza?” Alexion grumbled in return.

As though his words had summoned her, Eliza rose from the water, riding atop a creature of nightmares.  Its body was composed entirely of a kelp-like substance, the tendrils balled together to form a torso that stretched nearly fifteen feet across.  Many, many more of those tendrils radiated out from its core, spearing through the water, and lunging at Finn where he stood atop his metal disc – only for the avatar to cut them down easily as his mana slowly ticked upward.

And as the creature surfaced, the camera focused on a woman clutched in the plant’s grasp, the kelp twining around her body and pulling her toward its core, wrapping around her arms and yanking them back, preventing her from casting.  Eliza simply watched the fight with a cold, imperious gaze, water mana blazing from her irises.  She didn’t make a single move as Queen was pulled into the depths of the creature – her eyes wide and wild, her mouth pleading but no sound escaping as a strand of kelp wrapped around her throat.

Then Queen disappeared.  The entire plant convulsed, squeezing and compressing to the sound of popping bone and muscle and muffled screams.  Until bright crimson stained the water, only to be sucked up greedily by more of those tendrils.

Then there was only Eliza and Finn.  The camera panned back to the water mage and Jason could see that her skin was coated in a strange kind of gelled liquid, a bubble of the material covering her mouth and nose.  That moisture suddenly sloughed from her skin and Eliza drew in a deep breath.  It seemed Jason’s guess had been right.  Some sort of potion or even another plant maybe?  A substance that insulated her from the cold and allowed her to breath underwater.

It seemed the petite water mage wasn’t useless without Brian, after all.  Queen had underestimated her – written her off for dead.  And that had come back to bite her.  Literally.

“Are you okay?” Eliza asked quietly.

Finn shook his head, trying to control himself.  “I’m… I’m sorry.  I should have—”

“It’s not the time,” Eliza interrupted.  She tossed him something, Finn snatching it from the air.  His bag.  “Next time, hold on to your equipment.”

Finn stared back for a long moment, then dug into his bag, retrieving a mana potion, and downing its contents.  Only moments later, the pair arrived safely at the exit – Eliza riding her seaweed creature and Finn floating atop a flaming disc.  The stone doorway soon rumbled closed and the screen abruptly lit up in fireworks, announcing the victory of Eliza and Finn over Queen – Bard’s voice echoing out through the air once more.

“Wow, what a turnaround!  Can you believe that?  I’m still in shock, as I’m sure you all are.  But we still need for you to cast your votes for our MVP!”

Only moments later, the results were in, Eliza’s name etched across the display.

“No surprises there.  Our little water mage really showed some skill.  And so, this group of avatars also advances to the next game!  Speaking of which, our favorite duo of light and darkness should be there soon—”

Bard cut himself off with a frown.  Suddenly, the display shifted, now showing Alexion and Jason still standing outside their first game.  “What are you two doing?  We have a show to run here!” Bard announced.  “Get your asses moving!”

“Why don’t you come out here and make us move,” Alexion shot back.

“I would… but I have other duties, you know,” Bard answered.  “But don’t worry!  We have a few other ways to help motivate you!”

As he finished speaking, the wind picked up around Jason and Alexion.  A wall of amber energy suddenly formed next to the exit door nearby.  It shifted forward with painful slowness, cutting its way across the stone.  And in its wake, Jason could see that it left the rock swept clean of any trace of dirt or blood.  As it struck the remains of what might have once been a stall, it obliterated the decayed wood and metal, slicing it apart and blowing the remaining particles over the side of the club where they tumbled into the clouds far below.

“We call this the Sweeping Wind.  It’s fantastic for cleaning up loose ends.  Or encouraging lazy participants to get a move on,” Bard announced.

Jason and Alexion watched the wall of wind for a moment, then looked at each other.  It seemed their farming was over.  It was time to push on.  So, as one, they turned and began to walk down the ledge – heading toward the next game.

Except, this time, they would have their own surprise waiting.

Chapter 36 - Hockey

Wind swept the stone, whistling as it sped across the ruins of the Mile-High Club.  Jason and Alexion had been walking for more than an hour, taking a winding path through the destroyed buildings, crushed bronze tubing, and narrow corridors.  At each turn, they often found the way blocked by debris, funneling them toward a large structure located in the center of the ring.

As they took one final turn, the building came fully into view.  Signs lined the roadway, flickering with half-broken gems.

“Right this way!”

“You’re almost there!”

The signs were accompanied by glowing arrows all pointing toward another dark entrance.

“You think this is it?” Alexion asked in a dry voice.

“I don’t know, I think we might have missed a turn back there,” Jason began, slowly turning.

“It’s definitely the right place, now get on with it already!” Bard snapped, the blue camera hovering beside them and their faces painted on the screen floating in the center of the city.  “I’ve been stalling with our audience for far too long.  No one wants to watch you go on the world’s slowest stroll through some ruins.”

“Well, someone seems impatient.  That’s probably not good for your blood pressure.  Maybe you should try taking a few deep breaths,” Jason offered.

“In through your nose, out through your mouth,” Alexion added helpfully, the pair sharing a look as Bard let out an exasperated snort.

Jason could only assume they weren’t live right now since Bard wasn’t doing a great job of maintaining his online persona.  Their ploy wasn’t just intended to annoy their captors.  They were fishing for any information they could get their hands on.  For example, Bard’s behavior right now implied a few interesting things.  First off, the stream could be controlled – either broadcasting locally or worldwide.  And that suggested there was some sort of control center inside the club.  Possibly more than one judging from the flickering lights that lit up the nearby structures and the occasional blast of discordant music coming from the ruined husks of those buildings.  And then there was the Sweeping Wind that scoured the club at their backs.

Those utilities needed to be operated from somewhere… if only they could find it.

Or better yet, perhaps Finn could find it since the avatar of flame would be more suited to that sort of technological espionage.  Jason could only hope that Finn and Eliza had arrived at the same deductions from listening to Bard.  Of course, it helped that Alexion and Jason had been intentionally dragging their heels, hoping to give Finn and Eliza time to regroup.

“We have a show to run here,” Bard growled back, interrupting Jason’s thoughts.  “And the two of you have been taking your sweet time – first with that wall of light and now your slow pace through the club.”

“We’ve just been following the path you set for us, such as it is.  It’s really confusing.  Your team could have done a better job showing us where to go,” Alexion offered with a shrug, feigning innocence.  “Probably needed to use a few more signs.”

“There are literally signs everywhere,” Bard ground out.  Indeed, the pair had noticed more than a few start appearing as they began acting confused.  More evidence that the city’s utilities were being controlled locally.

“Besides, I think you just wanted an excuse to spend more private time with Jason,” Bard continued.  “What exactly were you doing behind that wall of light?  Are the two of you actually… no it couldn’t be!  Is this a Romeo and Juliet sort of situation?  A blending of light and darkness.  Two opposites that fight for the camera only to embrace off screen?”

Alexion just sniffed.  “Funny.  Maybe you should recruit a writer into <Death and Taxes> next.  You really need someone to help prepare your broadcast.”

“I’ll have you know—”

Bard was cut off as Alexion formed another wall of light around him and Jason.  “I really hate that guy,” Alexion muttered under his breath.  On that, at least, they could agree.

“You ready?” Jason asked, dropping his voice to avoid detection.

“Always,” Alexion replied.

“Okay, but remember we’re keeping my minions under wraps for as long as possible.  That’s our wild card in this next match.”

“I know,” Alexion shot back, turning toward the entrance.  “Let’s do this.”

Without warning, Alexion ended his spell and turned, shooting Bard a big grin as he strode toward the entrance to the next game.  Alexion pulled his sword and shield, light spilling out around the weapon and covering his body in thick panels of light.  At least he was being more cautious this time around.  That made Jason feel slightly more hopeful about their chances.

For his part, Jason’s grip tightened around his staff, and, with a twitch of his fingers, his Bone Armor slid into place.  His “resources” were safely stored in his bag, just waiting to be used.  However, until he had a chance to confirm the nature of this next game and who they would be facing, it was best to play his cards close to the chest.

The pair soon stepped through the doorway, the stone grinding shut behind them with a grating metallic shriek.  A heavy thud and the room plunged into darkness, sealing the pair inside.  Then, all at once, the lights switched on – large glowing balls of electricity floated near the ceiling.  That crackling energy illuminated a giant rectangular room.  The floor was entirely clear, creating a smooth, flat surface.  And on either side of the enclosure were what appeared to be large, gaping slots in the walls.  Possible exits, perhaps?

Jason’s boot scuffed across the floor, feeling some resistance.

He frowned and stooped down, his fingers touching small holes in the stone.

“That’s odd,” he murmured aloud.

“Well, hello and welcome to our next game!  Finally,” Bard added under his breath.  A screen popped into view in the center of the room near the ceiling, broadcasting the two of them as Jason slowly rose back to his feet.

“We have one hell of a match for you this time!  The Edgelord and his special little Night Light against our very own man of mystery… Smokes!”

As Bard finished speaking, a raucous rising rock ballad began playing as smoke seeped up out of the floor and beams of multicolored energy crisscrossed through the air.  Smokes soon strode forward, his boots causing the smoke to swirl around his ankles, and his smiling ivory mask on full display.  He shot a lazy salute at the glowing blue orb that floated down in front of him, before digging in his pocket and pulling out another cigarette.

Jason’s brow furrowed.  No doubt, their opponent was using those holes in the floor to create ambient smoke.  That could be a problem.  The only question now was what game they would be playing – especially in this room with no cover.  It seemed like their opponent would be exposed.  Unless, of course, he planned to use the smoke as cover—

“Get on with it already.  What are we playing?” Alexion growled.

“Sorry folks, the human-shaped lamp is in a hurry now.  But I suppose we should oblige him.  This game is called Smoke Hockey with our awesome host Smokes, himself!”

“This is exactly what I mean,” Alexion groaned.  “Smoke Hockey?  Who thought that up?  And then decided it was a good name?  Pathetic.”

“Give the guy a break.  He’s trying his best,” Jason replied just a bit too loudly, their conversation easily caught on camera.

There was an edge to Bard’s voice as he continued, earning him a grin from Alexion.  “Anyway, the goal is to score against the opposing team through those slots along each wall.  The first team to score three points or eliminate the other team wins!”  As he finished speaking, a scoreboard appeared in glowing letters just below the screen – currently showing the score as 0-0.

Jason eyed the room from a new perspective now.  They were standing on the fantasy equivalent of an air hockey table and those holes in the ground were meant to reduce surface friction by blasting out a mixture of smoke and air.  Even now, they blew against the soles of his feet, but his footing felt good.  He could also just make out the slots in the distance, each stretching more than twenty-five feet.  However, the thickening smoke and the beams of multi-colored light were making it hard to see.

But where is the puck—

A heavy thud echoed through the room, the ground shaking.  The pair whirled to find that a puck had fallen from the ceiling and slammed into the ground.  It was a plain circle roughly ten feet in diameter, which was going to make playing this game a pain in the ass, Jason realized.  Soon, it settled in place and was propelled a bare inch from the surface of the floor, gliding gently to one side.

“How the hell are we supposed to move that thing?” Alexion asked.

“No friction,” Jason grunted back.  “Moving it isn’t going to be the problem—”

“And BEGIN!” Bard shouted.

Smokes didn’t waste any time.  A giant striker suddenly materialized from the smoke, the vapor condensing and compressing until it almost appeared solid.  Then he whipped it forward toward Jason and Alexion, the pair scattering to either side.  However, Smokes hadn’t been aiming for them.  The striker hit the puck with tremendous force, sending it rocketing toward the other end of the table where it slammed into their slot.

More rock music echoed through the room and the lasers went crazy, announcing Smokes’ first point.  “Oh, and the first score of the game goes to Smokes!” Bard’s voice rang out.  “This is looking to be a short game folks, that is unless our star-crossed lovers stop making sweet twilight and get a move on already!”

“I’m going to kill that asshole,” Alexion ground out, shoving himself back to his feet.

“Get in line,” Jason shot back, his staff raised and his eyes on the ceiling, waiting for the puck to reset.  “I think you should get to our slot and defend it.  With your shield, buffs, and Strength you should be able to deflect the puck.”

“Who even gives a shit about this stupid game?” Alexion shot back.

“We do,” Jason replied, trying to resist the urge to throttle him.  “I don’t know what happens if we lose, but my guess is we aren’t getting out of this damn room.  Now go!”

Alexion looked like he wanted to say something, but the crash of another puck striking the floor shut him up quickly.  His wings flapped powerfully and he took off, sailing swiftly toward their slot.  His feet struck the ground just in time, light mana flaring across his body and expanding out across his shield.  Alexion immediately deflected the puck with a flash of light, sending it hurtling back across the room… and right at Jason.

Jason dove again, rolling and coming back to his feet.  Alexion gave him a little wave.

Dickhead, Jason thought to himself.  But he had other problems right now.

He turned, eyeing Smokes’ side of the table.  The smoke had only continued to pour into the room through those holes in the floor, now creating a thick mist that was starting to stretch up into the air, no doubt assisted by Smokes.  Jason had been right.  The lack of cover didn’t matter if they couldn’t see their damn opponent through this fog.  Normally, that might have put Smokes at a disadvantage as well – the man unable to see when Alexion deflected the puck.

However, Jason suspected he wasn’t playing fair.

If he were Smokes, he’d use that smoke to block his—

Jason didn’t get a chance to finish that thought as the puck shot back out of the smoke, this time coming from a different direction and hurtling at Jason.  He didn’t have time to dive, so he did the next best thing… he jumped.  The puck sailed beneath him, and Jason’s feet soon hit the floor once more.  That had been close—

Something slammed into his back, causing his Bone Armor to crack and crumble, and sending Jason hurtling into the depths of Smokes’ fog.  He hit the ground hard, sliding and then rolling as he burned off his momentum.  He came to a stop, breathing hard as notifications flashed in the corner of his vision.  Yet he ignored them, groaning and rising back to his knees.

Smokes must have materialized another striker from the smoke and reversed the trajectory of the puck.  That was the only explanation.

Yeah, definitely cheating, Jason thought sourly, cradling his ribs.

Although, he had bigger problems at the moment.  Jason was now within the depths of the smoke, the vapor coiling around him and obscuring the rest of the room from sight – only flashing beams of light flickering amid the mist.  He hadn’t lied to Alexion, he was best suited to guard their slot.  But Jason had another motive. The avatar of light couldn’t easily go on the offensive.  His mana would too easily give him away amid the smoke.  Jason on the other hand?  Well, he was used to working in the dark.

He squeezed his eyes shut, leaning on his Listening skill.

…Jason heard the slam of the puck on the other side of the room…

…Alexion cursing…

…the whistle as it sailed back across the room…

…the sensation of displaced air as it whizzed past…

Then… nothing.  No crash as it impacted another striker.  Only another sensation of displaced air as the puck went sailing back to the other side.  As he’d expected, Smokes was using the smoke to fully guard his slot, likely creating a pliable wall that caught the puck and sent it rubber banding back across the table.  Which meant he was just using the striker to change its angle and fuck with them.  Even worse, they wouldn’t be able to score until they forced Smokes to drop the barrier across his slot.

Yet that also gave them a possible opening.  To sustain that many spells at once must take incredible focus.  There had to be a limit to Smokes’ channels.  Which meant he was distracted.

That was his first weakness.

Jason’s hand dropped to the floor, feeling the air pushed out of those small holes.  Smokes was also relying on the vapor jetting from the floor.  As far as Jason could tell from watching videos of <Death and Taxes>, Smokes couldn’t form the smoke directly.  He needed to use his cigarette or a natural source of vapor.  And from his conversation with the Old Man, Jason knew there was a limit to the Gambler’s ability to influence these fights.  Which meant the god wasn’t helping him.  That had to be something built into the structure.

His second weakness.

“Do you think you’re safe within my smoke?” a voice called out from the vapor.

A rush of air whizzed past – the puck no doubt.  And then Jason heard something else.  There was a faint hiss followed by a shriek as something ground against Jason’s Bone Armor.  He pivoted and a searing line of pain bloomed along the inside of his elbow at the joint in the ivory plates, his blood dripping to the floor.  He just caught the faint hint of a shadowy silhouette blending back into the darkness that swirled around him.

That couldn’t have been Smokes himself…

“Ahh, there we go.  I just need to strike at the weak points in your armor,” Smokes shot out, his voice coming from farther away to Jason’s left.

Jason grunted, lifting himself upright and gripping his staff firmly.

“Having trouble?” Smokes asked.

“Not at all,” Jason ground back, squeezing his eyes shut.  If he was right, he wasn’t going to be able to see these attacks coming in time.  So, the next time he heard that faint whistle of air, he dodged, the blades slicing at his back and smokes wafting gently against his skin.  Then he readied up once more, his muscles tense.

“Wow, not bad,” Smokes murmured, his voice coming from another direction.  “I take it you’ve been training your Listening skill?”

He must be an air mage, Jason thought to himself.  That tracked.  Not only did it explain the smoke manipulation, but he must be projecting his voice to obscure his position.  That aside, these attacks were likely coming from another smoke creation.

“Something like that,” Jason ground out.  His health was already beginning to refill, the wound stitching itself back together swiftly under the effects of his mana regeneration.  With a gesture, Jason also repaired his Bone Armor.  “I’m guessing you can sense anything the smoke touches, right?  That’s how you can see in this mess.  To create those slashing attacks, you’re condensing the smoke and then vibrating the particles to create something similar to a water saw.”

There was a brief pause as another whistle pierced the smoke.  Jason immediately dove to the side toward the room’s wall.  The puck whizzed passed before disappearing into the mists again.  The fact that Smokes didn’t follow up with an attack confirmed Jason’s suspicions.  There was a limit to the number of smoke creations he could channel at once.  Smokes didn’t want to risk leaving his slot undefended with the puck hurtling back toward his side of the room.

Good, Jason thought.  That meant Alexion could create an opening for him.

“Color me impressed,” Smokes drawled.  “That usually takes people longer to realize,” he remarked, his voice coming from yet another direction now.

“What can I say, I’m a fast learner,” Jason grunted back, dodging as he heard another hiss, feeling the attack barely clip his Bone Armor with a harsh grind.  “Although, I’m curious, why this game?  You could have picked anything right?  But air hockey?”

A laugh rippled out of the mist.  “A bit of nostalgia on my part.  I used to be a big fan.”

“Oh, so you’re a thousand years old then.”

Another chuckle.  “Close, I guess.  Used to play with the boys on the base.”

“You’re military?” Jason asked, his brow furrowing.

Another pause as the puck whizzed past, slamming into the nearby wall before ricocheting back out into the smoke.  Jason was getting the timing now.  He had about thirty seconds before the next one.

“Used to be,” Smokes grunted back.

“Well, I always thought air hockey was stupid,” Jason replied.  “It’s more about reflex and luck than anything else.  There’s no strategy to it, just waling at the puck.”

“Hardly.  It’s a precision sport that requires perfect hand-eye coordination.  There’s also a lot more strategy to lining up a shot than you’d think.  I used to make quite a bit of money on the side this way…”  A pause as Smokes trailed off.  “Either way, I’m not in a position to play much anymore, so this is a treat,” he added, his tone wistful as more attacks glided out of the smoke with a faint whistle, Jason bending, weaving, and dodging.

Even so, he was left with several long burning lines where the attacks penetrated weak points in his armor, his regeneration not quite keeping pace as his blood dripped to the floor.  Smokes was indeed thinking tactically.  He was currently waging a war of attrition.  Alexion’s mana would only last so long, which was the only thing allowing him to deflect that puck – that’s assuming he didn’t just mess up and miss.  And Jason was counting on his own reflexes and a bit of luck to keep dodging the puck and the damn shadows.

At this rate, they would lose…

“What does that mean?  You can’t find an old-school arcade or something?” Jason huffed, his breath coming faster now.  Even if the wounds weren’t a problem, his stamina wasn’t endless.  For once, he was regretting not putting a few more points in Endurance.

“More like I can’t make it to the arcade,” Smokes replied.

Jason paused.  What was he saying?

Then it struck him.  “Ahh, I’m… I’m sorry.”

“What?” Smokes bit out before he could stop himself, his shadow’s attack glancing off Jason’s armor as he distracted himself.  “Why are you apologizing to me?”

“Just instinct, I guess,” Jason replied evenly – not quite sure himself.  It was something about Smokes’ voice.  “Although, I’ve begun to notice something about you and your crew.”

“Oh, really?  So, you think you know us already do you?”

Only a little longer until the puck came sailing back…

Jason slowed, standing upright as the shadows began to back off.  With his left hand, he could feel the wall to his side, the stone cool and hard.  He felt his way forward quickly until his hand touched something… strange.  It didn’t feel like stone at all.  It was warm to the touch and slightly pliable.  It took Jason a moment to realize what he was touching.  This was more smoke, solidified into a solid surface.  He had finally made it to Smokes’ slot.  He took a deep breath, willing himself to remain calm for what would come next.

He just needed to keep Smokes talking.

“Not at all,” Jason finally answered.  “I just recognized something in your tone that felt… familiar, that’s all.  I could sense it with Queen and Pewpew, too.  You all are fighting hard and the odds are stacked against us, and yet…”

“Yet what?” Smokes demanded as Jason hesitated.

“I don’t feel like your hearts are in it.  I think you all need this game for one reason or another.  For example, I can’t help but wonder, after you’ve helped destroyed this world, how will you play air hockey then?” Jason asked.

A strained silence met that question, accompanied by a familiar whistle.

Jason squeezed his eyes shut.  This would take all of his focus.

Time seemed to slow.  The rise and fall of his chest.  The way the smoke coiled across his limbs.  The faint vibration – that hum that signaled the puck moving.  The whistle as it closed in on him, growing louder as the seconds slowly ticked passed.

Right before it struck, Jason moved.  He darted to the side…

But he was just a hair too slow.

The puck slammed into his side, cracking the armor and sending chips of rock flying where it burrowed into the nearby wall.  Yet it was the searing pain that burned through his arm that captured his focus.  After so many minutes and hours farming “resources” with Alexion, he’d thought he’d become numb to the pain.  But he was wrong. Severing the limb took the nerves with it – leaving a void where the pain should be.  Having his arm crushed against the wall of the arena was infinitely worse.  He could feel the bones in his forearm and hand splinter, ground into the surrounding muscle.

And there was no relief.  The puck stayed there, partially lodged in the stone and the other half pinning his ruined arm against that wall of smoke.

Jason’s vision wavered and swam, his staff falling to the ground with a rattle.

His blood stained the floor beneath him.

And he finally felt the smoky wall disintegrate.  With his arm freed, the broken limb fell to his side, waves of pain pulsing and radiating across the limb.

Footsteps approached slowly, Smokes’ hazy form barely visible through the haze and red notifications flashing in Jason’s vision.  More of his shadows swam around him now, circling Jason and waiting to make the killing blow.

“Looks like I finally got you,” his opponent murmured, no celebration in his voice, only a weary resignation.  “It’s time to end this.”

Jason just looked up, eyeing the glowing blue camera that floated nearby before turning his attention to Smokes, a grin pulling at his lips.  “It’s a good day to die anyway.”

Chapter 37 - Handsy

“This isn’t good,” Eliza murmured, watching the screen that hovered near the center of the Mile-High Club.  She held her hands over a heated globe of metal, steam streaming off her clothes and bouncing off the barrier of metal Finn had formed around them to blunt the wind.

“I wouldn’t count him out just yet,” Finn replied.

She looked at him in surprise.  “What do you mean?  Alexion is on the other side of the room.  Meanwhile, Jason is fighting blind, down a hand, and surrounded by those shadows.”

“It looks that way, I’m sure,” Finn said with a shrug.  “But that kid is more resilient than he appears – I don’t care what they say online.  He’s still alive, which means he’s dangerous.”

Eliza didn’t look convinced, her mouth pinched into a thin line.  The display beside her showed the forums, the chat going crazy as millions watched the fight raging on the other side of the ruined city.  Yet her attention wasn’t on those displays.  She pushed at her glasses as she stared at the scene playing out on screen: smoke coiling around Jason, a legion of shadows closing in, and the dark silhouette of Smokes looming before him.

“Come on, Jason,” she murmured, her nails digging into her palms.

***

A flash of light mana exploded on the other side of the arena, Alexion letting out a roar as he charged across the arena.  He raced across the room, his body infused with light mana that had him speeding through the air, his Strength and Dexterity skyrocketing.  Smokes reacted immediately, his form blending away into the depths of the smoke and his shadows disappearing as he was forced to shift to the defensive – the limit of his channeling on full display.

It seemed Alexion had gotten Jason’s message.

They couldn’t use the in-game chat – not here inside the club – which made communication difficult.  However, Jason had come up with a workaround while they were farming resources.  They might not be able to use their UI, but they had the next best thing: a camera streaming everything to a giant screen floating above the arena.  All they needed were some code phrases.

“A good time to die” hadn’t been Jason’s first choice.  He had to admit, it sounded pretty corny.  But Alexion had hated it and hadn’t been shy about his feelings, which made it perfect.

Jason twisted and felt at his back with his remaining good hand, but the wall of smoke hadn’t yet reformed across Smokes’ slot.  He suspected that wasn’t Smokes’ first priority with the puck now partially embedded in the nearby wall and no longer posing a risk.  Although, even that slight movement jostled Jason’s left arm, the fragments of bone burrowing deeper into the ruined flesh.

Damn, that fucking hurt.

Yet he didn’t have time to focus on the pain – only grit his teeth, his eyes skimming upward to the display floating above the arena.  Jason could barely make out the hazy image of the smoke billowing out around Alexion as he flapped his wings powerfully, scattering the fog and sending it streaming away from himself.  Smokes was having trouble closing with Alexion.  However, Jason knew the avatar of light couldn’t keep that up forever.  His mana pool wasn’t nearly large enough to handle that many buffs for long.

And the stamina needed to push back the smoke would be staggering.

Jason would only have a few moments, barely enough time to accomplish the next step.  The fingers of his uninjured hand wound through a series of gestures, and time slowed as Custom Skeleton settled into place.  Jason pulled his bag from his waist, the contents soon toppling out onto the floor in a series of wet thuds.  Fresh blood still seeped from the severed limbs and pooled along the floor before dripping down into Smokes’ slot, disappearing into the darkness.

Jason took a deep, steadying breath… then he began to build.

This creature was going to be small.  Smaller than anything he’d created before.  Barely more than a finger length.  The arms floated up into the air, Jason using his good hand to slice slivers of bone free.  These pieces were then chopped down into finer segments, then into thin little legs fashioned together with just a pinch of dark mana.  Once he’d finished the first, the others were faster, and a legion of tiny skeletal spiders soon floated there, just waiting for him to finish.

With a grimace, his arm pulsing with pain, Jason pulled another bag and dumped the contents.  A pile of glimmering red gems dropped to the ground.  Luckily, Cecil had erred on the side of overkill when he’d outfitted Jason.  He’d have to give that blessed little man a promotion when he got back to the Twilight Throne… if he got back, he supposed.

Those gems floated up into the air, and a single crystal settled onto the stomach of each spider.  Another twitch of his fingers and the gem was glued in place with a dot of dark mana.  These creations were fragile and slow, but they didn’t need to be strong – not for what was coming.  His work complete, Jason set them all down gently on the rock floor, a legion of glittering little spiders waiting to burrow into the chasm at his side.

The button on his creation console hovered there… waiting.

Jason looked back at his ruined arm.  There was one last thing—

Moments later, Jason hit the button, and the world lurched back into motion.  Smokes didn’t react to Jason’s creations, the skeletons too tiny for him to detect amid his smoke, and his attention fixed on Alexion.  They quickly scurried down into the slot, their little legs binding to the stone easily – the function of another small dab of dark mana on each tip.  They followed Jason’s instructions as his map popped open beside him, showing the legion of tiny green dots spreading below him as they worked their way through the arena’s machinery.

Now all he needed was time.

A crash echoed on the far side of the room, and Jason looked up to see Alexion slamming against the wall of the arena, the stone cracking from the impact.  The man pushed himself back upright, blood lingering on his lips and his arm crooked.  With a flash of light mana, Alexion healed the wound, and the shoulder settled back into place with a loud pop.  Then he turned to face that wall of smoke again, his sword and shield raised.

Jason needed to move.  He stooped, the move sending a ripple of pain through his ruined arm.  He couldn’t fight with this injury, and he didn’t have time to wait for a healing potion.  Besides, he had something different in mind.  The fingers of his good hand soon touched his staff, and he moved quickly, not sure he could follow through if he gave himself time to think.  He rose, casting a Soul Blade, and swiped at his right arm in a single fluid motion.  The blade sliced through his limb cleanly, and Jason fell to the ground, slumping against the stone wall of the arena.

He dropped the staff and raised his new creation.

An arm – at least, from the elbow down.  Yet this limb wasn’t covered in muscle and flesh.  It was comprised entirely of bone – the material shaded a dark gray where Jason had infused it with some of Finn’s dark ore.  Then he’d wrapped the whole creation in bands of dark mana to simulate muscle.  It was crude.  A prototype born of necessity.  But it would do for now.

With a grimace, Jason shoved the limb against the wound in his arm.  The dark mana speared into the injury, and he let out a tortured scream.  The pain was intense – a frigid burn, unlike anything he’d ever felt.  It made his normal mana feel like a room temperature trickle.  The dark mana wormed into his flesh, fusing to the muscle in his upper arm.  Moments later, the pain faded, and Jason’s eyes shot open to see shadows circling in the smoke.

Smokes had been alerted by the scream.

But Jason was done playing around.

Dark mana flooded his body in a frigid wave, tattoos coiling across his skin and his eyes turning dark obsidian.  His Bone Armor flashed back into place in an instant, just in time for a hissing blur to grind against the ivory.  Then Jason snatched at his staff, his new hand gripping the shaft… but it felt strange.  He’d expected no feeling in his new arm.  And yet, he could feel something.  Not wood or metal, exactly.  But a gnawing sensation.  A hunger.

A desire, he realized suddenly.  Like it wanted to be fed.

Hiss.

Jason reacted instinctually, raising the staff and a Soul Blade carving forward, slicing through the air where the shadow had been standing.  His new limb whipped the blade so quickly that it displaced the air itself, slicing through the shadow and creating some space around Jason as it pushed back at the smoke.  Jason looked down at his new hand in surprise.  He could get used to this.  In fact, he could already think of a few upgrades.

But right now, he had more pressing problems.

He needed to regroup with Alexion.  Fast.

Jason set a yellow waypoint marker on his map and held his new arm aloft.  Unlike his former hand, this new limb could rotate in a perfect 360-degree arc.  Which allowed him to try something new…

He began spinning his staff, faster and faster and faster, until it was a blur of motion.  A dark propeller attached to his newly-formed hand.  The wind from the staff began to push away the smoke around him, carving a funnel in the mist.  As another shadow lunged from his right, but Jason simply pivoted the staff, blasting the smoky creature apart.  At the same time, a notification flashed in front of him, announcing the acquisition of a new skill.

New Skill:  Whirlwind

With the modification of your right arm, you are now able to empower your attacks, greatly increasing your attack speed.  Masters of this skill have been known to literally blow away their opponents.  Get it?  Blow away?  Yeah, you get it…

Skill Level:  Beginner Level 1

Effect:  +50% attack speed.

Cost:  100 mana/second.

Even more interesting was the fact that this new active ability cost mana.  Jason could only assume that was because he was no longer using his flesh and blood limb to empower the attack; instead, his dark mana was fueling his new limb.

Either way, he now blasted away the smoke before him, carving cleanly through the mists as he made a beeline for Alexion.  As the smoke bank cleared, he could see his companion, blazing and bloodied.  Jason swept over to him, blasting a shadow apart as the smoke coiled around Alexion, and creating a clear pocket.  The pair’s backs were to a wall, the mist looming all around them, already pressing close once more.  Even Jason’s new ability wasn’t enough to push away a room full of smoke, and their opponent was still hidden safely within its depths.

“About time,” Alexion grunted.

“I was busy,” Jason shot back.

A large crack echoed the other side of the room – no doubt Smokes pulling the puck free from the wall.  It sped through the room, a blur within the shadows of the smoke that now filled the arena.  Another cheerful rock ballad echoed through the air, accompanied by a technicolor display, the beams dancing through the mist.

The scoreboard that loomed above them now showed 2-0.

“It looks like the Edgelord and his precious little Night Light are on the rocks, folks,” Bard’s voice called out, taunting them.  “Just one more point, and their grand crusade to save the world ends here, trapped in this stony tomb.”

Jason eyed his map – his new spiderlings had moved into position.

“We’re going to need a barrier.  Like, now,” Jason urged him under his breath.  “Make sure to cover the floor, not just the area in front and above us.”

“I know,” Alexion growled back.

Jason’s angelic companion sheathed his sword and dropped his shield.  He pressed his hands forward, light pooling along his skin and his light armor disappearing, streaming down into his palms.  All at once, that energy expanded outward, creating a barrier of light that completely encircled the pair – even coating the stone at their backs and beneath their feet.  This was a new application of the panels of light that typically wrapped Alexion’s body.  An AOE defensive shield.

The smoke slammed against that shield with abandon, each blow causing the light to spark and ripple.  Smokes pressed his advantage now that he had the pair pinned and was only one point away from winning.  The barrier continued to thicken as Alexion channeled the light more forcefully.  Jason could see his companion’s mana plummeting.  He couldn’t hold that for long.

A chime rang out as the next puck entered play, tumbling down into the arena.  “And here’s our final match.  Things are looking up for our home team champion, Smokes!”

Taking a deep breath, Jason sent an instruction to his minions.

He’d been expecting something catastrophic, but he still wasn’t prepared for the explosion that rocked the arena.  It was just a tremble at first, a tiny earthquake.  But that pressure continued to build and build as a hundred of his spiderlings detonated.  Soon the arena shook and bucked.  Then the floor gave way.  Rock spewed up into the sky in a torrent – a blast of flame and debris.  The explosion knocked the puck away, the disc crashing against their shield before being thrown into the air and lost among the rubble.

Long seconds ticked past; until, eventually, the explosions settled.  And in the wake of those blasts, the pair were able to fully survey the arena… or what was left of it.  The ground was little more than piles of rubble, only faint tendrils of smoke leaking free now – the spiderlings having destroyed whatever apparatus was installed beneath the floor.  Dust cascaded down across the stadium but was swiftly settling, the heavier particles succumbing to gravity.

Leaving only a single cloud of smoke.  It hovered in a dense ball that floated back down from the ceiling to the base of the arena.  At the same time, Alexion dropped his shield, his chest heaving and sweat beading on his skin.

“I’m dry,” Alexion grunted.

“That’s okay,” Jason replied.  “This is almost over.”

He strode forward now, spinning his staff idly in his new hand as he approached that orb of smoke.  He cast a Whirlwind as he closed, the smoke resisting at first but soon getting blown away bit by painstaking bit until Smokes’ form was finally revealed.  He was lying on the stone, a shard of rock embedded in his stomach.  His mask was fractured, and blood stained the normally pristine ivory surface.

“Not—not bad… kid,” he ground out.

Jason knew he should feel victorious.  Should shout his rage.  And yet he found himself feeling strangely numb, his dark mana fleeing him – fleeing the indecision that coiled in his gut.  He couldn’t exactly place his finger on it, but something about this felt wrong.  There was no anger in Smokes’ voice.  Only a sense of weary resignation.

“I’m sorry it had to end this way,” Jason said finally.  “But I can’t let you destroy this place.  It… it means too much to me and the people I care about.”

“I know,” Smokes answered, looking up at him.  Jason could see his eyes through the holes in his mask.  “Sometimes the universe just gives you a shit hand.  You still have to play through.  It was… a pleasure,” he added with a grimace.

There was only a whiff of displaced air, and Smokes’ head dropped to the ground with a dull thud, rolling down the pile of debris and leaving a crimson trail in its wake.  As soon as his body struck the ground, a piece of jewelry at his wrist flared red.  Jason’s eyes widened, and he backpedaled just in time as Smokes’ body exploded in a blast of flame.

It seemed <Death and Taxes> wasn’t going to allow him to raise their corpses.

“Uh… okay.  I guess there we have it, folks!”  Bard announced, chimes echoing once more.  The strobe lights were mostly broken, flickering erratically now.  “I guess Edgelord and his Nightlight blew up the whole arena… somehow,” he muttered.

“It doesn’t matter how,” Jason ground out, staring at the camera that floated beside him.  “We won, as per your rules.  Now open the fucking door.”

Silence met those words, stretching out for several long seconds.

Then a portal on the other side of the arena began to grind open, hitching and stopping as it collided with more debris before continuing its journey upward.  Light spilled through that opening, freedom lingering on just the other side.  And yet, Jason still didn’t feel any sense of victory.  Only another fight waited for him, an army of enemies just like in that last keeper trial.  For some reason, the expression in Smokes’ eyes stayed with him.

It had almost felt like… he’d been rooting for Jason.

Chapter 38 - Motive

“Well, that was unexpected,” the Gambler grumbled.

“Not if you knew that young man,” the Old Man replied, swirling his drink but not taking a sip.  “Jason has never failed to meet my expectations.”

The Hippie let out a loud burp, raising a mug of his own.  “Speaking of which, here’s to our esteemed host, who is currently… what?  0-3?  May his losing streak continue unabated!”

“I’ll toast to that,” the Lady declared, the rest of the group glancing at her in surprise as she sipped delicately at her wine.  “What?” she demanded with a shrug.  “My team’s winning.”

“And it has nothing to do with the latest polling results?” the Seer asked.

The Lady just sniffed.  “I would expect nothing less.  My champion is now neck and neck with our brooding, big brother’s protege.”  Indeed, the results of the last traveler votes were projected across the screen, showing that Jason and Alexion had tied.

“You act like this over,” the Gambler interjected, his eyes on the displays.  “But it isn’t, not by a longshot.”  He cracked his knuckles, a tentative grin replacing his frown.  “I’ll just need to spice up the next match a bit.”

“We are not permitted to intervene directly,” the Old Man reminded him.

The Gambler spread his arms wide and smiled even wider.  “Of course not.”

The rest of the gods looked at him with a mixture of irritation and concern.  Anything that made the god of air “Happy” didn’t bode well for… well, anyone else.  But most especially for the contestants that were trapped in that Mile-High prison.

***

As soon as the camera orb winked out, Jason collapsed to the ground, throwing back his hood and rubbing at his temple with his good hand.  A headache was pounding through his skull, a residual effect of using Custom Skeleton in the middle of that fight with Smokes.  On top of that, his body was throbbing, broken, and bleeding.  While Alexion’s shield had protected them from the worst of the explosions, they’d still been tossed around – and that was after the beating that Smokes had given him.  And then there was still his right arm.  It throbbed, a pulsing pain that radiated up into his shoulder.

Jason looked down at the limb, flexing the fingers and watching as the strands of dark mana pulled at the muscles in his upper arm, sending another flash of pain rippling up into his shoulder and neck.  Perhaps he hadn’t attached it properly?

Yet he suspected it was more than that.

A quiet voice in the back of his mind told him he hadn’t gone far enough.

A soft glow enveloped Jason’s body, and he felt his injuries stitch closed, the pain in his arm quieting to a dull ache – one he could endure.

“For a guy that says he doesn’t care what people think, you sure put on a show for the camera,” Alexion observed in a dry voice, canceling the channel on the healing spell as he saw Jason’s wounds close.

“I never said reputation wasn’t important,” Jason grunted.  “But that also doesn’t mean I care about what some random guy says about me online.  The two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”  He glanced up at his companion, noticing the screen floating overhead, the public poll results showing a tie.  “Speaking of which, your ratings improved.”

Alexion snorted but couldn’t quite stop the pleased look that flitted across his face.  Then his eyes focused back on Jason.  “Whatever.  You going to clue me in on what happened?”

Jason grimaced.  “It’s what it looks like.  I built some summons and blew the place up.  Had to use some of my resources, unfortunately.”

The truth was worse than that.  He’d used exactly 75%, which didn’t leave him with many supplies to build new minions.  Jason could only assume that the other members of <Death and Taxes> would put two and two together.  The camera might not have captured him building his minions – not concealed deep within the smoke – but there was no other explanation for what had happened.  Which meant that trick wasn’t going to work twice.  Their next opponent was likely going to assume he had summons.

Even worse, it was now clear that they had a time limit between matches – <Death and Taxes> forcing them forward with that wall of wind.  At that thought, the entrance doorway slid open, and that amber wall of energy was slowly inching forward.  At least the camera had winked out, giving them some semblance of privacy.  Either way, they only had enough time to replenish his stock by cutting off his arm a few more times.  Yet that would only give him enough materials for a few minions.  Or, he could try something new.  As that thought circled his mind, Jason’s eyes drifted down to his skeletal forearm once more.

“I’m starting to hate that look,” Alexion observed.

Jason glanced up in surprise.

“What?” the avatar of light demanded.  “You get this stupid ass look on your face every time you’re considering doing something insane.”

Jason sighed.  “Yeah, maybe…”

“Well, you going to tell me or what?” Alexion demanded.

“I…” Jason hesitated.  He wasn’t sure he was ready to go this far.  It wasn’t just the pain or horror of what he was contemplating… it was something else.  Something that had been bothering him ever since Sandscrit – the look in Smokes’ eyes bringing it back with a vengeance.

“Why are you playing this game?” Jason asked finally.

Alexion shook his head incredulously.  “Way to completely avoid the question… but okay,” he replied in irritation.

“I’m serious,” Jason added, meeting Alexion’s eyes.

“Because it’s a game.  Something to do.”

“You and I both know that’s bullshit,” Jason shot back, surprise and anger flitting across Alexion’s face.  “What?  It is.  This place – this world – it isn’t easy.  Especially not as an avatar.  We feel pain.  Hardship.  We struggle.  Hell, you’ve been publicly murdered more than a few times now, yet you keep coming back.  Why?”

The other young man hesitated, sitting back against a pile of rocky debris, and his gaze going distant as he stared at the ruined arena.  “Honestly?  I’m not sure anymore,” he said finally.

Jason just waited.  It didn’t seem like Alexion was finished.

“When I started playing, it was different,” Alexion murmured.  “We were in the beta, so there were fewer travelers.  And that also meant there were teeming masses just waiting back in the real world to get their sweaty little hands on any bit of info about AO.  So, I started streaming.  My videos got hundreds of thousands of views.  I put on a little show, you know?  It felt… good.  The praise.  The attention.  I guess I wasn’t really getting that back in the real world?”

“Really?” Jason demanded, raising an eyebrow.  “Because I remember everyone fawning after Alex Lane back at Richmond.”

Alexion just snorted.  “People wanting to use you is different from genuine affection.  When I put on the act, well, people looked at me differently.”  He let out an irritated huff.  “Might be why it pissed me off so much when you started stealing the spotlight.”

The avatar of light trailed off, staring a hole in the floor.

“What keeps you going now?” Jason asked finally, breaking the tense silence.

Alexion shook his head, frowning.  “I don’t know.  Yet I find myself coming back every day and letting everything else go.  Even after that meeting with my father, all I wanted to do was log back in.  It was all I could think about.”

Jason just watched him, feeling a pang of empathy.  “I get it,” he said finally.

Alexion looked up, cocking his head.

“I mean… this place is tough, but what’s waiting for us back there?” Jason asked.  “Asshole parents?  A path tread by millions of others.  School.  College.  A job that drains you dry and leaves you a husk of your former self.  Oh, but maybe in a few decades you’ll get to retire and taste freedom again – only for your mind and body to be too old, and weak, and broken to do anything with it.”  There was some bitterness in his voice.

“Not sure about the rest of that, but I’ll second the asshole parents,” Alexion quipped, earning him a chuckle from Jason.

“Woah, was that a joke from the walking lighthouse himself?”

“Shut it, dickhead,” Alexion replied, but his voice lacked the familiar anger.

Jason went quiet again.  “No matter how painful and arduous this place can be, it feels like you can carve your own path.  It’s a blank canvas where you can do – can be – whatever you want.  There’s freedom in that,” Jason murmured.

“Is that why you started playing?” Alexion asked.

Jason snorted.  “Nah.  That was because of you, actually.  After you got me expelled, I was angry.  I was tired of being shit on, of having no choice, of always following everyone else’s agenda, and being at the mercy of those more powerful than me.  I was angry at… well, I was angry at the universe I guess.  For not delivering on the promises of those stories we were fed as children.  I wanted to be a wizard.  A hero.  I wanted power.”  He looked up at Alexion.  “The sort of power you were born into.  Or at least that’s what I thought I wanted.”

He shook his head.  “But what’s been driving me since has just been that same anger.  At you.  At Gloria and the CPSC.  Hell, even Finn was just another easy target when he baited me into attacking Sandscrit.  All I’ve done is raged and destroyed and vented and somewhere along the way the anger disappeared.  Now I’m left feeling… numb.”

“Well, at least you got the power you were looking for,” Alexion observed, eyeing what was left of the arena, broken rocks littering the previously smooth ground.

Jason just let out a sigh.  “Did I?  Because we seem to be trapped in a floating dungeon without any corpses – which just showcases how weak I really am.  There will always be someone stronger.  Someone that makes you feel powerless.  These games have shown me that.  Hell, we’ve barely beaten Pewpew and Smokes in two-on-one fights.”

He glanced at Alexion.  “And even outside the game, it’s more of the same.  Look at that meeting with your father.  The way he treated you, Alex-Fucking-Lane – the golden boy himself.”  The avatar of light grimaced at that, his eyes dropping to the floor and a silence lingering through the decimated arena.  “And it’s not as though your father seems like a happy, well-adjusted person despite his wealth and influence.”

“So, I’m left wondering… why am I still playing?  Why am I so afraid of letting this world get destroyed?” Jason finally asked those questions aloud, the same ones that had been flitting through the back of his mind for days and weeks now.  “Do I just wait for something else to get angry about?  Do I just search for more power until it finally destroys me?  Or do I just give up?”

Silence met those questions… because they didn’t really have answers.

“If it’s any consolation, you definitely live up to your Edgelord persona.  I mean… damn.  That was some brooding bullshit,” Alexion observed, a chuckle bubbling from his lips.  “I’m sorry but I’m actually going to have to agree with Bard on this one.”

Jason stared, a smile slowly creeping across his face.  “You know, you might be on to something there.  Maybe I should just focus on being the edgiest traveler in all of AO.”

Alexion barked out a laugh – a real laugh – that echoed off the rocky stone walls.  Jason couldn’t help but join in, the pair laughing alone in that ruined cavern.  Just two old enemies having a heart to heart at the end of the world.

As the laughter finally faded, Alexion rubbed at the tears in his eyes.  “Shit.  I don’t think I’ve laughed like that in…”  he hesitated.  “Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed like that.”

“Hey, that’s my line, alright?” Jason demanded.  “I’ve called sad and brooding.  You have to get your own thing.  I recommend douche-baggery.  You’re good at it.”

Alexion raised his hands.  “Fair.  Fair.”

Then his expression sobered.  “As flattering as it is to think you’ve come this far just because I hurt your feelings—”

“You got me expelled,” Jason growled.

“Like I said, hurt your tender little feelings,” Alexion replied.  “Either way, I don’t think it was anger alone that drove you this far.  I’ve personally seen you in action, with Pewpew and now with Smokes.  You didn’t seem angry to me.  You were focused.  Driven.  Hell, you welded that makeshift arm to yourself in the middle of a fight.”

Alexion shook his head.  “I guess what I’m saying is that maybe you have it wrong.  Maybe it’s not anger or some quest for power.  He shrugged.  “Just my two cents, anyway.”

Jason stared back in surprise for a long moment before responding.  “Man, look at you bringing the psychological insight.  Are you really Alex Lane, or did Queen slip in here while I wasn’t paying attention?”

“Yeah, well don’t get used to it,” Alexion fired back.

Jason just shook his head, his eyes dropping to the floor.  Maybe there was some truth to what Alexion had said.  Those life and death situations lent a particular sort of clarity.  There wasn’t room to worry or wring his hands or question himself.  He was just forced to act.  To do whatever was necessary to win.  To survive.  There was nothing more primal than that.

His gaze dropped to his arm again.  And if Alexion was right, maybe he should take the next step.  Not out of a sense of revenge or rage.  Or to protect someone else.  Or even to save the world.  Maybe Jason could do this for himself.

Just because he wanted to see if he could.

“And there’s that look again,” Alexion observed.  “Please don’t tell me this means we have to have another pseudo-existential debate?  I prefer the crazy over that.”

“I’m not sure how I feel about this new joking Alexion,” Jason observed dryly.

“Oh, you hate it, huh?  That’s perfect then.”  Alexion shot him a shit-eating grin.

Jason ran a hand through his hair as he let out a sigh.  “Okay.  So, I do have an idea – something I doubt our next opponent is going to expect, which may give us an edge in whatever finale I’m sure <Death and Taxes> has planned.”  He glanced toward the wall of wind inching forward along the far side of the room.  They likely had enough time.

His gaze shot back to Alexion.  “Except, I’m going to need your help for this one.”

The avatar of air cocked his head.  “To do what exactly?”

Jason raised his new arm, darkness twisting around an ivory frame.  “I’m thinking I need a few upgrades…”

Chapter 39 - Unholy

“Which means you need materials?” Alexion asked as he pushed away from his rocky perch and drew his sword with a scrape of steel.

“You don’t have to look quite so excited about it,” Jason grunted with a half-smile.

Then he looked back down at his arm, a frown soon replacing his grin.  Belephya’s words still rang through his mind – his thoughts never straying far from that quest prompt that had accompanied her so-called explanation.

Our true power is stored here.  Najima.  Collections of mana.  It is from these points that the darkness flows; the six points of the star that makes up the soul.  They are all that we need.

Jason’s forehead pinched tight.  He understood the implication of what she had been saying – to isolate, remove, and somehow preserve his Najima.  Unfortunately, his advisors had been light on some crucial details – like how the hell to do that.  Even when Jason used the soul well to explore their memories, he’d found them… missing.  Blocked or possibly erased entirely.

And there was only one person that could have accomplished that feat: the former Keeper.  That was the only plausible explanation he had.  Yet for what reason, he couldn’t be certain.  Perhaps he or she had been wary of the process for some reason?

If so, then that didn’t bode well for Jason.

Either way, manipulating his Najima was off the table – at least, for now.

In the meantime, he could still improve his body, his physical stats leaving something to be desired even after his extensive training beneath the dark keep.  That last fight with Smokes had proven that much.  And with his limited materials, this was probably the best use of the resources he had available.

“Oh great,” Alexion sighed, sitting back down and his sword returning to its sheath with an irritable click.  “We’re back to silent brooding.”

Jason flexed his dark fingers, watching as the mana pulled at the ivory frame.  “I’m just thinking.  I’m eligible for another race change after I completed the Keeper trials with Frank and Riley,” he explained, showing the new limb to Alexion.  “This is part of that process – replacing my living body with an undead one.”

He noticed a look of disgust flit across Alexion’s face.  “You want to become what then?  Some sort of skeleton man?  Really?”

“In a way,” Jason answered.  “But it’s more than that.  If I can replace my flesh and blood body, then I can modify it.  Imbue it with metals to make it stronger.  Alter and shape my own limbs.  Augment myself during a fight with Custom Skeleton.  It would allow me to adapt to an opponent on the fly.”  His days of hiding in the rear would be gone for good.

Alexion’s expression shifted, curiosity shining through his irritation.  “Okay.  And you need me to do what exactly?  Chop off a few more limbs for parts?”

“No, I have enough materials for now,” Jason answered, pulling open his bags and dumping the remainder of his arms on the stone where they landed with a wet thud.  “I’m going to need for you to help stabilize my health as I try to work on myself.”

That part had been clear, at least – those memories still intact among his advisors.  But, in order to accomplish the ritual, Jason needed to perform it himself.

Alexion just stared back skeptically.

“Look, let’s start small and you’ll see what I mean,” Jason offered.  “We don’t have much time to just sit around chatting anyway.”  He waved at the wall of wind that continued pushing through the room at a snail’s pace.

A sigh and then, “Okay, what do you want me to do?”

“Can you channel a healing spell on my arm?” Jason asked.  “I need to remove it.  I don’t think I installed it properly, and it hurts like hell.”

He’d been moving too quickly earlier.  Jason’s guess was that he hadn’t connected the dark mana properly to the muscular and nervous systems of his upper arm.  He tapped at the air to bring up his console, navigating through a few menus before a series of displays popped open around him with his research.  He tapped at one screen, and a three-dimensional model of the human body appeared in the air, rotating slowly.  Another few gestures and the model broke apart, the skeletal, muscular, nerve, and organ systems separating into four separate models.

A glow suddenly infused Jason’s arm and he let out a yelp as a fiery burn bloomed there, where nerve endings should no longer exist.  That burn continued, growing in strength until it felt like his arm was on fire, Jason letting out a scream of pain.

The spell abruptly winked out.

“What the hell was that?” Alexion demanded.

Jason let out a hissing breath, his brow furrowed and chest heaving.  “I… I don’t know.”  That shouldn’t have been possible – that pain he’d felt.  He’d already tested Alexion’s healing magic on his regular body and it had worked fine, albeit less effectively than normal.  And he had no real feeling in his lower forearm, where flesh turned to bone.

He looked at his arm.  “It must be the concentration of dark mana,” he murmured.  Jason’s eyes snapped up to Alexion.  “Do it again.”

“Are you sure about that?  I don’t want a torture flag.”

“You have my consent,” Jason grunted.  “Now do it.”

Alexion grimaced but followed his direction.  Light swelled along Jason’s arm once more, the fire crawling up and down his forearm.  But now that he knew what to expect, the pain was more manageable, and Jason just ground his teeth through the sensation.  Besides, he was also distracted by what he was witnessing…

The dark and light mana had begun to bleed together, turning from black and gold to a ruddy purple color that crawled up Jason’s arm, licking at the intact flesh.  “What is this?” Jason murmured.

“It’s like the two energies are blending,” Alexion observed, watching closely.

Jason had to agree.  With the other elemental affinities, it was well established that they could be mixed.  For example, fire and earth could create glass or molten metal.  And even opposing elements could be combined effectively.  Fire and water into steam for example.  Or using water to conduct lightning.

However, Jason had thought that light and dark mana were different.  He’d thought they were polar opposites – effectively canceling each other out.  That would explain why Alexion’s healing spells had been less effective on Jason with his high dark magic affinity.  Or why sunlight destroyed Jason’s undead.  And maybe, to some extent, that was true.  Even now, Jason could see the dark mana and bone in his forearm beginning to erode, the ivory cracking and fracturing.  But he also couldn’t deny that it looked like the mana was combining to form something new.

But what did it do?

“Do you mind if I touch you?” Jason gasped at Alexion.  The pain was intense and growing with each passing second.

“Uh, yes.  Yes I do,” Alexion shot back as he edged away from him.

“We need to know what this does,” Jason insisted.  “I doubt it’s going to kill you…”

“Says the guy with the flaming purple arm,” Alexion snapped.

But then, with a sigh, Alexion grimaced and bared his free arm.  Jason moved forward quickly, anxious to be able to cancel the healing spell.  His purple-hued fingers soon wrapped around Alexion’s arm and something even more unusual happened.

Alexion’s skin immediately began to darken, tendrils of glowing purple spreading through his veins in a branching pattern.  It almost looked like the flesh was decaying – like a form of infection was spreading through his body.  Alexion tried to move the arm away, but found he couldn’t, tugging harder and harder against Jason’s loose grip.

“The limb is too weak to move,” Alexion grunted.

“Pain?” Jason asked.

“Not… exactly?” Alexion replied.  “My arm feels heavy.  Like I’m tired or the muscles aren’t responding.  I can feel my hand slowly going numb.”

Jason’s frowned at that.  He tapped at his UI to bring up his own prompts, the windows normally silenced to prevent them from distracting him.

System Notice:  Unholy Might

You are currently draining the energy of another traveler, temporarily absorbing a portion of their stats.

“What the hell?” Jason murmured.  He swiped at the air to bring up his Character Status and could see that his stats had indeed received a boost, the numbers now shown in a temporary blue coloring that typically signified a buff.

“Can you look at your stats?  Are they lower than normal?” Jason asked.

Alexion frowned but did as he asked, nodding a moment later.  “Yes.  They’re all shown in red.  Both physical and casting stats.”

Jason’s arm couldn’t withstand the healing spell any longer.  With a sudden loud crack, the hand snapped apart.  The bone exploded, creating a nova of purple energy that sent the pair hurtling backward.  Jason’s back slammed into a nearby chunk of rock, the breath whooshing from his lungs as he toppled to the ground.  He stayed there for a long moment, letting his heartbeat calm and breathing steady even as his thoughts raced.

He'd never tried casting a light magic healing spell on his skeletons, he suddenly realized.  The opportunity had never really come up since he didn’t have many light mages flocking to his banner.  Jason could only assume that the magic Riley used to heal his undead was different, a blood magic that relied on dark mana.  Water and earth also had healing properties but they sure as hell didn’t elicit this effect.

Now that was fascinating…

“What the fuck?” Alexion groaned, shoving himself upright and healing his wound with a flash of golden light.  “Your arm just exploded!”

“Yeah, I know,” Jason grunted, forcing himself back to his feet.  His arm was gone now, only a stump remaining, the skin ragged and bleeding.  Bone and muscle were already beginning to slowly knit together, reforming the limb under the effects of Jason’s mana regeneration.

“It looks like the combination of dark and light mana creates an aura that drains stats.  Maybe it’s inverting the effect of your typical light-based spell?” Jason offered.

“Because it normally enhances the skills of others?” Alexion asked.

Jason nodded.  “It’s just a theory, but it would explain what just happened.”

Although, now he was wondering how he could weaponize that effect using his summons.  Could he create stat draining skeletons that detonated after weakening their opponent?  Or weapons that could drain stats?  Maybe they could find a balance between the dark and light mana that would stabilize that strange purple energy without destroying the weapon or skeleton.  Or perhaps the quality or composition of the underlying bone they used mattered?

Then he hesitated.  Or, more troubling, what would happen once Jason replaced his own limbs with ones fashioned from bone and dark mana?  Would he become vulnerable to light mana attacks?  He looked at Alexion who was still healing his wounds.  He still didn’t know if he could trust him.  He’d already betrayed Jason many, many times.  But he also didn’t see any other options.  They weren’t getting out of this floating prison without defeating <Death and Taxes>.

And that wasn’t happening unless Jason became stronger.

A timer had popped up on the screen still floating above the ruined arena, signaling the countdown to the next fight – no doubt Eliza and Finn were still making their way through the Mile-High Club.  And they still didn’t have long until the Sweeping Wind would push them forward.  For now, Jason needed to focus on improving his body as best he could for the next fight.  He suspected it was going to be much more difficult than the others.

“That was… unexpected,” Jason spoke up.  “But we need to hurry.  We don’t have a lot of time left,” he urged Alexion, gesturing at the screen.

The avatar of light nodded.  “Okay, what do you need for me to do?” he asked.

Jason swallowed hard, looking down at his body.  His limbs would be the easiest part to upgrade right now without damaging his Najima – those points of mana nestled somewhere near the center of each extremity – at least according to the memories of the Kin he’d managed to unearth.  So, his focus should be on enhancing his forearms and forelegs.  That should give him a considerable boost in speed and strength.

He tapped at his UI, pulling up a few designs he’d been tinkering with as he studied anatomy, eyeing them critically.  Now that he had more experience with using an artificial limb, he could already see some changes he would need to make to ensure that the mana connected properly to his existing musculature.  The joints at the knee and elbow where multiple muscles, tendons, nerves, and bones came together were going to be the most difficult.  Long-term he’d need to design something much, much more sophisticated.  But for now, he could make do.

Even if it meant he would have to fight through the pain.

“Hey, you still there?” Alexion grunted in irritation.

“Yeah…Yeah, just lost in thought,” Jason answered.

His eyes snapped up to Alexion, pulsing with dark energy as he channeled his mana.  “First, I’m going to need to build new prosthetics.  Then I’m going to need for you to amputate a limb and stabilize the injury with your healing magic – not enough to repair the damage, just enough to slow the bleeding.  Think you can handle that?”

“As long as you don’t blow us up again, sure,” Alexion shot back.

“Alright, well, give us some cover in case Bard decides to turn the cameras back on.  I’ll be done in just a second.”

Jason trailed off as a circle of light bloomed around them, then his hands began to wind together, the timer above him slowing its inevitable crawl toward the next fight as he channeled Custom Skeleton.  He was going to need as much time as he could get.  His gaze turned to the pile of severed arms lying beside him, the materials outlined in glowing sapphire relief.  His displays hovered at his side, showcasing his new designs.

He knew this wouldn’t solve the mystery of his race change and that this process would be filled with pain, and blood, and failure.  However, Jason couldn’t help but feel a kernel of excitement bloom in his chest, dark mana humming in his veins as he contemplated what he could accomplish if he succeeded.

Maybe Alexion had been right.  Maybe something else was driving him.  Perhaps he just enjoyed the challenge…

And just like the others he’d faced, this was one he was going to conquer.

Chapter 40 - Firetap

“Wow,” Eliza murmured, glancing at the screen that floated in the center of the city.  It was frozen on an image of the ruined arena where Alexion and Jason had been fighting – Bard mercifully taking a break from hawking his skin cream.  “I wasn’t expecting that.  Those explosions had to be caused by Jason’s minions, but where did he get the materials to make them?  Everyone online is saying this is proof he’s a cheater,” she added, swiping at the displays that hovered around her.

“Well, that’s bullshit,” Finn grunted, cradling his face in his hands.  He still hadn’t quite recovered from that last arena, but at least he was talking in more than just a few clipped sentences.

“What do you mean?” Eliza asked.

“He didn’t cheat.  He used his own body to harvest materials,” Finn replied.

“You mean how he copied your arm… well, sort of,” Eliza amended.  “I guess he repurposed his right arm instead of his left—”

“That’s not what I meant,” Finn answered with a sigh, rubbing at his temples as though he had a headache.  “Jason must have cut off his own limbs and had Alexion heal him in between the two matches.  That’s the only way he could have acquired more materials.”

“Oh.”  Eliza was now looking at the screen with renewed surprise.  She couldn’t imagine what that would have felt like, to cut off his own limb over and over again.  She shook her head.  But that was just Jason.  From the day she’d met him, he’d been pushing the limits of this world.  If only the rest of the travelers could appreciate that…

Her attention was pulled away as she noticed Finn sitting there glaring up at that massive screen floating in the center of the club.  A panel of metal rested at his back, mounted against the stone of the club and the wind whistling around it.  In the distance, she could see the Sweeping Wind edging closer, inching across the stone with painful slowness.

“What’s wrong?” Eliza asked gingerly.  Finn seemed… fragile at the moment.  “Isn’t it a good thing that they won?”

Finn shook his head.  “It isn’t that…” he trailed off before heaving out another sigh.  “Why is <Death and Taxes> doing this?  Teleporting the avatar group to this secure location I understand – that removed our lieutenants from the picture and put us in an environment they could control.  Separating us also makes sense.  But these two-on-one fights?  What’s the point?”

“Well, the arenas have given them an advantage,” Eliza offered timidly.

They had almost died to Queen, after all.  And even though they were still alive, they were wet, wounded, and, in Finn’s case, grumpier than before.  Even Eliza was starting to feel the fatigue.  Removing that sticky, mucus-like film from her face and lungs had been unpleasant.  She’d hacked up slime for several minutes straight.  Then there was the frigid water that had soaked into her robes.  Luckily, she’d had the foresight to waterproof her bags after a particularly alarming situation in the Sea’s Edge.  She might have flooded an entire section of Fluffy’s palace by accident…

Finn waved a dismissive hand.  “Of course, they have an advantage,” he grunted.  “Except they could have won many of these fights if they’d had help from their other guildmates.  And if their goal is to collect on the contracts on our heads, then they should be trying to kill us before the world ends.  So why are they fucking around?” This last question came out in a frustrated growl, flames rippling across Finn’s arms.

“Pride maybe?” Eliza suggested.

The avatar of flame gave her a curious glance.  “Elaborate.”

Eliza swallowed hard under his scrutiny.  “Queen – or Vanessa – had a vendetta with you.  Pewpew wanted to take out Jason.  I’ll admit I don’t see a connection for Smokes… but from what we managed to overhear during that last fight, the game was important to him.  Maybe these fights aren’t just about beating us – they’re about our opponents.”

Finn was silent for a moment, mulling on her words.

“They still need to kill us.  They admitted as much,” he offered finally.

It was Eliza’s turn to wince.  Finn was right.  But <Death and Taxes> also had time.  And the avatars hadn’t made their way through the guild’s whole roster yet.  The answer was just sitting there.  Obvious.  Unignorable.  The image of a smiling face and pressed wool and rippling muscle.

“They must not be worried about that,” she murmured.  “Maybe they aren’t nervous because they have a Plan B.  We still haven’t seen Smiles fight – not really.  And there’s little information about him online.”

Finn was watching her now, a frown creasing his lips.  “Are you suggesting that they’re just messing around right now because they think their guild leader can handle all of us?”

Eliza cocked her head.  “I could be wrong, but it would make sense.  The man’s abilities are much more of a mystery than the others.  We know he’s strong, fast, and durable… but that’s it.  No one has even seen him cast a spell or use an affinity-based ability.”  She looked back at the screen and that ruined arena.  “But they’re sure getting an in-depth look at what we can do.  Or can’t do, I suppose.”

Finn frowned at that.  “What do you mean?”

Eliza’s fingers twined together nervously.  “Take that first fight with Jason and Alexion.  They weren’t working together.  That showcased a major weakness, although they were more in sync during the second fight.  Even so, their abilities are at odds with one another.  Both of them rely on having others that they can command and their own abilities don’t synergize well.”

“And us?” Finn asked, watching her with those glowing red eyes, his bandage having long since been burned away during the fight with Queen.

Eliza adjusted her glassed nervously.  “Well, we’re, um… I mean, you’re…”

Finn barked out a laugh.  “Come on, girl.  Don’t go getting all demure on me now.  You saved my ass during that last fight.  I can acknowledge that.  And that I got too… emotional.”

“It was understandable,” Eliza murmured.  Queen must have anticipated that Rachael was a sore spot for Finn after they’d captured her in Barrow.

“Well?  Go on.  Tell me what you really think – not what you think I want to hear.”

Eliza looked at him in surprise.  She hated being put on the spot like this, especially by someone like Finn – someone with a searing intelligence who didn’t mince his words.  She stared down at her hands where they now wound together in her lap, the wind whistling against the metal barrier Finn had erected around them.  Worry.  Doubt.  Hesitation.  The same cluster of irritating familiar emotions circled her mind.  The feeling that had carried her through that fight – the calming numbness of her mana – it had already begun to fade.

Finn let out an irritated snort as the quiet lengthened and stretched.  “As I expected.  You’re just a child.  You may as well be hiding under your bed right now.  Running away from anything that requires you to put yourself forward or stand up for what you believe.”

He shook his head.  “Pathetic.”

She was staring now, her mouth working but no words coming forth.  All of that noise – those emotions – were replaced in an instant.  There was suddenly only that cool ocean of her power, the waters stretching out toward the horizon.  Yet they weren’t calm.  They rolled and tumbled and spun.  The sea could be peaceful.  But it could also be a force of nature.  The rising tide.  The fury of a hurricane.  The force of a tsunami.

Eliza finally let out the breath she’d been holding, a cloud of frost-tinged vapor escaping her lips.  And when she looked up again, her eyes had changed – glowing a soft sapphire.

“You call me a child?” she demanded in a cool voice.  “This from the man I was forced to rescue from his own hubris.  You’ve ignored me.  Treated me like an impotent little girl now that Brian isn’t here.  But I managed to survive long before he became my companion.  I am the Ice Witch.  Do you have any sense of my true abilities?  What I can do?  Did you even bother to ask?  Or did you let your own pride and anger blind you?  Did you retreat into a castle of your own mind and decide that only you – the great and powerful Finn Harris – could win these fights?”

She laughed, a cruel thing, ice radiating out across her skin now.

“Because it’s always about you, isn’t it?  Your passion.  Your pride.  Your dead wife.  And the rest of us are what?  Obstacles on your way to glory?  To rescuing your love?  As great of a scientist as you are, you seem to forget that flames cannot burn alone.  If you continue this way you will fail – not just yourself, but everyone you care about.  You will lose Rachael forever.”

Eliza blinked, and the power faded abruptly.

“I… I’m, uh… I’m sorry—” she fumbled, seeing the look on Finn’s face.

“Stop,” he interjected, rubbing at his temple again, anger coloring his voice, barely suppressed.  “Your words were tough to hear, but I needed to hear them.  You’re right.  I baited you into saying what you were really thinking and for that I’m sorry.

“Just as I’m sorry for ignoring you… and how I behaved in that last fight…

Eliza watched, wide-eyed as Finn stared at the ground, a single molten tear streaming down his cheek, searing the skin and a tendril of smoke coiling into the air.  “I just… I can’t fail here.”

“Then we won’t,” Eliza replied firmly, surprising even herself.

She swallowed.  “And that starts by working together.  If Jason and Alexion can do it, then so can we – even if our abilities and personalities seem to be at odds.”

Finn nodded.  “You’re right… again.”  He grinned this time, a ghost of a smile.  “You should speak your mind more often.  You’re far more perceptive than you seem to realize.”

Eliza struggled to form a response.  The moment of clarity had already faded.

The avatar of flame saved her from having to speak as he abruptly slapped his thighs, rising to his feet.  “Well, first things first, we need to find a way to turn the tables on our hosts.  We’ve reacted for long enough.”  With a twist of his fingers, the metal dome around the pair melted away in a flash of flame, separating into many orbs that swept back to Finn, circling him slowly.

Eliza snatched one of her bags before it could blow away.  “What… what did you have in mind exactly?” she asked in a flustered voice.

Finn frowned, eying the structures around him and crouching down, his hands tracing the rock of the terrace where they were perched.  The older man shook his head.  “Something has been bothering me about this place.  Running this club would take a lot of energy.  The arenas.  The Sweeping Wind.  That mana has to come from somewhere.  Which implies the existence of a mana generator – or generators – located somewhere within the city.  Normally, I should be able to detect that source of mana.  However, my Mana Sight can’t easily penetrate these buildings.”

As he trailed off, Finn waved at his orbs, his fingers a blur of motion.  The spheres melted down once again, forming a large drill bit that glowed with a white-hot light.  Another wave of his hand and the drill spun up to speed, shedding a considerable portion of its heat in the process.  Without another word, Finn brought his hands down and the drill bit slammed into the stone beside them.  The metal burrowed through the rock, causing the platform to vibrate sharply, stone shrapnel and sparks flying through the air as Eliza backpedaled.

Moments later, the drill had uncovered something, the whine of grinding rock fading into silence.  Finn stooped there, his crystalline arm reaching forward.  As he pulled it back, mana flashed sharply, sending off brightly colored sparks.  And in his crystalline hand was a strange substance.  It was translucent and vaguely fibrous but glimmered like crystal.

“As I thought,” Finn murmured.

“What is that?”  Eliza asked, looking back and forth between the cabling and Finn’s hand.  They looked similar, almost like the same substance.

“Neurogem,” Finn answered.  “Or at least that’s what I call it.  We encountered this material in a dungeon far to the south of Sandscrit.  It’s a form of organic crystal that easily conducts mana, but it can’t store the energy and is typically used as a form of conduit.  Think of it like electrical wiring.  Unfortunately, it also creates interference with my Mana Sight.”

“It looks like your arm,” Eliza murmured as she stared at the gem-like material.

“Because it’s made of the same stuff, with a powerful mana crystal embedded inside to help store energy.  It was a gift from a friend,” Finn replied, his voice distracted as he swiped at his displays.  “Daniel, please monitor the following mana pulse.”

“Yes, sir,” the elemental chirped, lowering itself down to the conduit, its flames partially merging with the neurogem conduit.

Finn’s left arm rose into the air, the limb morphing into a sharp spike, fire mana flooding the crystal as the air around them turned frigid, Finn siphoning the heat from their surroundings.  Without warning, Finn turned back to the hole in the sidewalk and plunged his arm into the stone.  It speared into the Nuerogem material, the mana surging outward.  Finn followed it with his Mana Sight, watching his mana ripple out through the club.

“I detect resistance a few buildings ahead,” Daniel reported cheerily, a yellow highlight appearing in the distance, the structure located a few buildings over.  “I’ve also produced a rough map of the energy grid for this area of the club.”

Finn nodded.  “Good.  That’s good.”

Yet his good humor faded as he turned to survey his drill bit.  The dark metal was mangled, almost completely destroyed attempting to burrow just a few inches into the rock.  He melted the metal down with a frustrated grunt, forming a new orb that floated before him, Finn watching it rotate and a frown pinching at his forehead.

“We have a target then, but the problem is how to get there.  This rock is tough,” Finn muttered, tapping at the nearby wall.  “The stone is normal, but it’s been heavily warded to improve its durability and weather the elements.  My guess is that the mixture of the wards and the neurogem embedded in the stone are what’s obscuring my Mana Sight.  Either way, we aren’t going to be able to access that building if we can’t easily cut through the rock.

“Damn it,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head.

“Is this what you meant by working together?” Eliza offered, unable to fully remove the sarcasm from her voice.  Even after their confrontation, Finn just reverted back to the same eccentric, self-absorbed engineer.  Maybe this was just who he was…

Finn finally looked at her.  “Ahh, sorry,” he muttered.  “Did I lose you?”

“Just a bit,” she offered.  “Could you explain the problem more clearly?”

“I just got caught up in a thought,” Finn shook his head, taking a breath.  “But you’re right.  We’re a team.  I should explain my thinking.  I used my mana to send out a pulse through this neurogem conduit.  A point of resistance indicates a mana storage gem – probably a big one if it’s being used to power this portion of the city.  That’s just energy waiting to be repurposed.  Even better, if the generator has a control panel and we can get to it, we may be able to disable some of the city’s features – like that Sweeping Wind.  Or possibly even control other parts of the club—"

“Like the next arena,” Eliza murmured, interrupting him.

“Exactly.”

Eliza was nodding.  She understood his plan now.  She eyed the nearby wall.  “So, you just need something that can eat through this rock… which is probably infused with a ton of mana?”

Finn nodded.  “That’s the dilemma.  I could drill through it, but as you just saw, I won’t get far before I need to repair the drill bit.  It would probably take hours, if not longer.”  He looked over his shoulder at the Sweeping Wind behind them, the wall of energy creeping closer.  “And we don’t exactly have that kind of time.”

Eliza cocked her head.  “I might have something that will work.”

She dug into her pack with one hand, soon retrieving a small vial.  “This is called Rockstomper.  It’s similar to an indigenous species in our world called campos rupestros – a plant that grows in the mountains of Brazil,” she explained, unstoppering the vial gently and tapping just a few seeds onto the ground next to the building Finn had identified.  “The roots can actually dissolve rock, which allows the plant to mine phosphorus.”

Eliza’s fingers sped through a series of gestures and a drop of liquid sapphire soon beaded along her fingertips, suspended there.  She looked back at Finn.  “Maybe the same principle will apply here – or a similar one, at least.  I’m just not sure how effective this is going to be.  It might not be enough to destroy the rock.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Finn replied, waving his own hands.  His makeshift drill flared with heat, before breaking apart and flattening to form large panels that wrapped around them, blocking out the wind and any prying cameras that might be floating nearby.  “Hell, even if weakens the stone, that might be enough to allow me to drill through it,” he offered with a shrug.

“And if that doesn’t work… we can always try blasting our way through,” Finn added, massaging his crystalline arm.

Eliza shook her head.  “You and Jason are too much alike.”

Finn just grunted in response, clearly not flattered by the comparison.

His eyes dropped to Eliza’s hand where that sapphire droplet was growing in strength, emitting a bright glow now as it began to roll away from her fingertip. “So, the real-life version of this plant feeds on phosphorus?  What does this plant consume?”

“Mana,” Eliza replied in a breathless voice as the droplet fell from her finger.

Finn’s eyes widened, but it was too late.

The droplet struck the seeds and they immediately blossomed, forming a thick blanket of vegetation that swept across the sidewalk and up the side of the nearby building.  The plant grew at an alarming rate, forming a thick moss-like coating that glowed with an eerie green light.  As the seconds ticked passed, Eliza kept feeding it energy, not sure how much it would need to penetrate the thick stone – if that was even possible.

“Um, Eliza… that might be enough,” Finn offered nervously, the moss growing up across the roof of a nearby structure and spreading to an adjoining building, forcing Finn and Eliza back across the terrace, only clouds and that giant tornado at their backs.

Eliza stopped, eyeing the monstrosity before them.  The Rockstomper now coated multiple buildings, that green glow growing in strength with each passing second.

“It’s gathering earth mana,” Finn murmured, watching the moss with his Mana Sight.  “I can see it feeding on the ambient mana in the rock.  Amazing.”

Even as those words left his lips, the rock began to break apart, the building before them suddenly caving in with a thunderous crack and the moss following close behind.  The plant soon covered the inside of the structure, sweeping out across the rock once more at it grew steadily, spreading a few feet with each second that ticked past.

“Well that worked better than I expect—” Finn began.

He was cut off as the floor beneath them trembled, cracks forming in the rock and spreading outward.  “Um, I think we have a problem,” Eliza gasped, backing away.

“I estimate that the structural integrity of this terrace is reaching 56%… 45%… 33%.  You need to run.  Now!” Daniel urged, his voice sounding unusually harried.

Before she could react, Finn had lifted Eliza off her feet.  He tucked her under his crystalline arm as he shot forward toward the ruined remains of the building beside them, making a beeline for the yellow waypoint in the distance.  His metal panels spun away, circling back beneath him to form a makeshift ramp as the ground crumbled and broke apart.  Huge blocks of stone and clumps of moss tumbled out into open sky before getting swept up into the tornado that hovered in the center of the city.  The moss only continued to spread, the buildings around them starting to collapse as the pair sped forward on a platform of burning metal and flame.

A gust of unnatural wind rocketed into their side as the club’s safety systems activated.  Finn just barely blunted the blast of air mana with another panel of metal, the surface buckling and rippling from the force of the gust.  The next blast struck them even harder, sending them tumbling off to the side.  Finn acted quickly, forming a ramp of metal that blunted their fall and sent them tumbling into the open expanse of a nearby building – the stone walls eaten away by the moss.

They landed heavily, and the wind shot from Eliza’s lungs in a rush.  Her head slammed into the rock, stars suddenly blooming in her vision.  It took several long seconds for her to recover, blinking away the dust in her eyes.  She slowly sat up, cradling her head.

“Finn… where are—”

Eliza cut herself off as she saw Finn lying unconscious beside her, his body wrapped around her protectively.  He’d clearly taken the brunt of the fall.  He was covered in blood.  A jagged gash had been ripped open along his forehead, but that wasn’t the worst of his injuries.  A large shard of rock was embedded in his back and his breathing was shallow.  Meanwhile, the buildings around them were cracking and crumbling, huge blocks of stone falling free and landing with a thunderous crash and a gust of dust.

Eliza didn’t have time to focus on that.  She acted quickly, pulling another vial, and slotting it into her syringe with a click.  She depressed the button on the side of the device and a needle soon jutted from one end.  Then she slammed it into Finn’s shoulder and the contents flowed directly into his bloodstream.

This was a new prototype potion delivery system.  She’d realized that it was difficult to administer potions when her patients were unconscious.  Splashing them with the mixture or trying to pry open their mouth was incredibly inefficient and difficult.  So, she’d built this.

The cartridge popped out a moment later with a flash of yellow energy and a hiss of air.  Moving fast, she circled around Finn, ignoring the notifications that flared in her peripheral vision – all indicating she had a minor concussion.  She pulled another green vial and splashed a few droplets around the wound where the rock was embedded in his back.  That would help with clotting, which was important for what she planned to do next.

Then Eliza grabbed the stone spear with both hands, took a deep breath, and pulled.

The spear came free suddenly, Eliza toppling back into the wall behind her, the stone crumbling – weakened by the moss.  She barely caught her balance before she careened over the ledge.  Steadying herself, she turned back to Finn.

His health was still dropping in her UI.  Possibly internal bleeding.

“C’mon, Finn.  You can’t die here,” Eliza muttered, her hands clenched into fists.

Seconds ticked past before Finn slowly began to stabilize, his health nearly dropping to zero before starting to gradually tick upward.  Eliza let out a relieved breath and looked around, finally able to take full stock of their surroundings while he healed.

They had landed inside a ruined building, wooden debris and trash littering the floor.  Yet instead of the wall and sidewalk that once lingered on one side of the structure, there was now only open air – wind whistling passed.  Eliza crept forward slowly, staying on her hands and knees.  She peered out, seeing the world fall away, clouds floating far below her.  She swallowed hard and looked to the right where she had originally spread the moss.

The terrace was gone.  As were parts of several of the adjacent buildings.  Now there was only jagged rock and glowing green moss, the plant continuing to eat into the stone, slowly spreading horizontally across the ring.  Even as Eliza looked on, another building collapsed, the rocks tumbling away and disappearing into the clouds beneath them, leaving a jagged chasm that now cut through the club.  That rift only continued to grow.

Eliza could feel a pit forming in her stomach.  If the moss kept going… if it ate entirely through this section of the ring, would the club be able to stay aloft?

“Well… it looks like… it worked,” Finn suddenly wheezed from behind her.

Eliza spun to find him smiling at her, spots of blood drying on his cheeks.  “Good work, team!” he ground out, raising a hand for a hi-five, his fingers trembling as his health slowly refilled.

She could only stare back, her words failing her once again.

Never mind, Finn might be even crazier than Jason.

Chapter 41 - Mastermind

Eliza held Finn’s arm gently and slid the needle forward, the metal piercing the skin, accompanied by a hissing breath from the avatar of flame… who refused to watch.

“Really?  You can carve out your own eyes and take a stone spear to the back, but a needle bothers you?” Eliza asked with a small smile.

“Yeah, yeah.  Everyone’s a critic,” Finn grumbled as he rubbed at his arm.  He’d never loved needles.  But he wasn’t about to explain why.  The weeks he’d spent in that hospital room while they poked and prodded him… all while Rachael lay downstairs on a cool metal slab.

Finn shook off the thought, watching Eliza as she popped the vial with a hiss of air mana and cleaned the syringe with a short burst of Obscuring Mist and a coating of some sort of antiseptic, the chemical burn even making it through the game’s muted sense of smell.  This wasn’t the time.  He’d learned his lesson – the point driven home by a teenage girl of all things.

If he was going to save Rachael, he needed to focus and learn how to act as a team.

Not dwell on his anxiety, fear, and the dozen other problems he couldn’t control right now.

A welcome distraction appeared in the form of new notification.  The display popped up in front of Finn, glowing with a bright blue light.

System Notice:  Potion Medley Imbibed

You are currently affected by the following status buffs:

- +3 levels to all skills.

- +1,000 health.

- +1,000 mana.

- +20 stamina regeneration/second.

- +20% to all resistances.

Current Blood Toxicity:  36%

Potion Duration:  30 minutes

“Geez,” Finn muttered, waving away the prompt.  Then, at Eliza’s questioning glance, he elaborated grudgingly.  “I didn’t expect your potions to be that effective.”

“You mean you thought I was just a healing and mana potion fountain for Jason,” Eliza replied sourly, eyes on her equipment.  “Just like you thought Brian was carrying me through every fight.”  It wasn’t so much a question as a statement of fact.

Finn winced – another reminder of how stupid he’d been acting lately.

He stayed quiet, watching Eliza as she inventoried her equipment, checking for any damaged gear or materials.  She was thorough, inspecting every bag and vial.  The girl had broken out of her shell gradually since they’d landed in this floating prison – a few near-death experiences and some instigating on his part was responsible for that, he supposed.  Although, the image of the girl, her eyes a blazing sapphire, was still seared into his mind.

He probably shouldn’t repeat that experiment.

Finn let out a sigh.  Speaking of which, it was time to get his wrinkly ass to work.  He pushed himself up from a nearby boulder.  “We need to get moving.  It won’t be long until <Death and Taxes> notices that we’ve been up to some mischief of our own.”

Finn surveyed the destruction beside them, the club still slowly crumbling as the moss spread across the warded stone.  The ravine was splitting the ring in two and growing with each passing second.  With his Mana Sight active, Finn could see what was truly happening – the moss leeching the earth mana from the stone until it simply crumbled.  That plant life now blazed with power.  However, he noticed that it was only draining the earth mana.

Maybe he could take care of this problem.  Drawing in a deep breath, Finn raised his crystalline left arm, pulling at the ambient heat in the air, the orange and red energy streaming toward him where it soon swirled within the depths of his arm, the limb beginning to glow softly.

“What are you doing?” Eliza asked, cinching the last of her bags in place and pulling her robes taut to ward off the cold.

“Making sure we don’t destroy the club while we’re still on it.”

Finn lifted his palm and fired.  A Molten Beam sliced through the air, crashing against the stone in the distance.  The flames seared swiftly through the moss, setting the surrounding plant life on fire.  Finn was trying to use a delicate touch – just enough power to get rid of the moss without further damaging what was left of the warded rock.

Moments later, he was finished, smoke coiling into the air, only to be swiftly swept away by the winds that whistled across the club.

“Not bad,” Eliza murmured, eyeing his handiwork.

Finn just grunted in response.  “You ready to move?”

Eliza nodded.  “Yep.”

Finn cocked his head toward the fire elemental hovering at his shoulder.  “Daniel?  Can you give us a rough path to the generator?”

“I suppose,” the AI replied tersely, floating toward another exposed neurogem conduit, the moss having eaten away the rock.  His form flashed as he downloaded the information from Finn’s eyes, integrating that information with his existing data and the new information he was collecting from the conduit.

“How are you Daniel?” the elemental muttered as he worked.  “Were you traumatized by yet another near-death experience of my own making?  Should I have asked you first about the structural integrity of that terrace?  Oh, I’m sorry, my name is Finn Harris.  I don’t ask questions, I just yell at little girls…”

“You know I can hear you, right?” Finn demanded.  It seemed everyone was on edge.

And then there was the more obvious conclusion: maybe the problem was him.

“Oh, can you?”  Daniel chirped back in an overly cheery voice.  “I was starting to think maybe I don’t exist.  You know, since you don’t bother to use me effectively.”

“I thought it was a pretty good impression,” Eliza offered.

Daniel’s form flashed in acknowledgment.  “Why, thank you.”

“This is cute.  Are you two done because we may have a bunch of enemies coming for us soon,” Finn interjected with a huff.

“And whose fault is that exactly?” Daniel chirped back sweetly, Eliza hiding a smile behind her hand.  Great, now the two of them were teaming up on him.

Finn ground his teeth.  “Path.  Now.”

Daniel just flashed once more and a yellow line of energy appeared before them, connecting to the waypoint marker in the distance.  It was only a few hundred feet away.  The glowing amber path stretched out across the ruined room they currently occupied and passed through an open doorway into the adjoining corridor.

“I also took the liberty of extrapolating a floorplan of the current building and pushing it to the group.  It should be roughly 85% accurate,” Daniel added as Finn’s UI chimed.  “Not that you asked me to do that, of course.  But I thought that information would be helpful before venturing blindly into the unknown.”

“Thank you, Daniel,” Eliza said, the AI dipping and dancing before coming to rest at her shoulder, now ignoring Finn entirely.

“It was no trouble at all, really,” Daniel replied.

Finn just shook his head.  Yep, just perfect.  With a sigh, his fingers danced through the air and the metal cuffs along his arms flared to life, melting down and spinning away from him to form protective panels of solid black metal that floated around him and Eliza.

“Oh, look.  Now he’s being cautious,” Daniel observed to Eliza’s subdued laughter.

“First time for everything,” Finn muttered, leaning into the teasing.  “Now we need to focus.  We don’t know what might be inside these buildings or if the club has other defensive systems.”

Eliza’s expression sobered, and she nodded, pulling closer and wrapping her fingers around one of her wands.  They set off, padding forward quietly, and leaving a trail of footprints in the dust behind them.  Although, they quickly discovered their caution was unnecessary.  The building where they’d landed was deserted.  Only broken furniture lined the vacant structure, rusted metal pipes crisscrossing overhead.  Finn was guessing those pipes had once been used as a basic plumbing system, his sight picking up concentrations of water mana at regular intervals – some kind of pump or filter most likely.

They walked down the empty hallways, Finn carefully scanning each room with his sight as he passed.  He didn’t detect any large fluctuations of mana inside, only the green glow of the walls.  As they neared the waypoint marker, a slight tremor ran through the floor, and the group hesitated.

“That must be a result of your plant,” Finn muttered, frustration tinging his voice.  “I’m guessing it weakened the structural integrity of this section of the club.  We just have to hope this area doesn’t collapse entirely and take us with it.”

“I think you mean our plant,” Eliza reminded him, her eyes taking on a sapphire hue.

Finn grimaced.  She wasn’t wrong.

“A scowling silence usually means you’re right,” Daniel chirped.  “Congratulations.  This is the quietest I’ve ever seen him.”

Finn just grimaced and kept going.  Turning a corner, they arrived at a partially open stone door.  As he examined the mechanism, Finn could see the doors were recessed into the walls.  Whatever mechanism retracted them looked to be completely unpowered.  Which meant he was going to have to brute force it.

His fingers twitched and his metal panels heated rapidly, melting down and reforming into thick, razor-edged discs.  With another gesture, he set them to spinning and then inched them toward the doorway, holding up another of his metal panels to protect himself and the group behind him.  The saws sent up a shower of sparks as they struck the stone, the heat soon helping to work their way through the reinforced stone.

Nearly a full minute later, the stone fell away in a chunk, the edges still glowing a bright red.   However, Finn had carved a path forward.  He stepped through the hole without hesitation and surveyed the new semi-circular room on the other side.  His gaze was immediately riveted on the far end of the room where blazing globes of energy hung suspended; no doubt, the walls had obscured that mana from his sight.  The light was almost painful, and Finn switched to Short-Sighted – the generator coming into better focus.

A series of mana crystals the size of his head hung there.  Earth.  Fire.  Air.  The remaining affinities were absent, but the spheres for the other three remained.  It seemed likely that all six affinities had powered the club at one point.  Large threads of neurogem were connected to the crystals, forming a translucent, glowing lattice around the globes.  Those conduits disappeared into the ceiling, running through the structure’s walls and into the club.

Finn approached a stone panel that sat before the generator, inspecting the console carefully.  He tapped at the air to pull up his UI, designs and images soon appearing in the air beside him.  This console resembled the stone interfaces that were used back in Sandscrit – both taking many of their features from the technology Finn had discovered in that research complex buried deep within the mountains south of Sandscrit.  Multicolor gems warded to provide commands were embedded in the surface, and the whole apparatus was connected to the generator with more of the neurogem material.

However, unlike the complex Finn had discovered, this generator wasn’t pulling the mana from the atmosphere.  Instead, it looked as though it was meant to be powered a different way.  Perhaps the club charged its customers a mana toll?  Although, Finn hadn’t seen any of the pedestals that the mages in Vaerwald used to power their floating city.

The energy must have come from another source then.

“What… what is this thing?” Eliza murmured, interrupting his thoughts.  “It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.”

“The generator,” Finn grunted back.  It looked like the interface had been damaged.  Several gems were fractured and broken like someone had struck the console with something.  Had <Death and Taxes> attempted to sabotage the system?

He turned to look over his shoulder.  For that matter, how was there still so much mana stored here?  The crystal storage was highly efficient but some of the mana continued to leak from those gems.  Over the course of decades and centuries, those generator crystals should have been fully depleted.  Perhaps <Death and Taxes> had charged it?

But if they had entered this building, how had they gotten inside?  The door hadn’t been functional and he saw no signs of forced entry… besides the still smoldering block of stone and steel that rested in the hallway outside, of course.

Tombs, Finn realized suddenly.  The earth mage had been absent from the duels.  As had Blaze.  The pair had likely been working on bringing the generators back online using Tombs’ phasing ability to help navigate the structures.

Finn felt the room shake again and glanced behind him in alarm… only to see that Eliza had been at work.  Vines now skittered up the walls of the generator room and stretched out through the jagged hole cut in the door before snaking down the adjoining hallway, the water mage’s display open beside her and showing a map of the complex.

“What are you doing?” Finn demanded.

“Reinforcing this building in case the stone gives way,” she explained in a distracted voice.  “And, as you mentioned, <Death and Taxes> may be coming for us soon.  We need defenses.  It was either this or just sitting here twiddling my thumbs while you do… well, whatever it is you’re doing—”

“Moodily glaring at the console,” Daniel supplied.

Eliza smirked.  “Sure.  That.”

Finn stared for a moment.  She was right.

“See what I mean?” Daniel chirped.  “Dead quiet.  What he meant to say was, you’re right!  That’s a fantastic idea!  Thank you so much, Eliza, for your foresight and contribution to our team’s survival.  I really couldn’t do it without you.

“Or something like that,” the elemental muttered.  “Not that I would know what Finn saying ‘thank you’ would actually sound like, of course.”

And now Finn was rubbing at his temple as he turned back to the console.  “Good work.  Go, team,” he added dryly.  “I just need to focus on this.  The console is damaged, but maybe…”

He trailed off as he inspected the generator with his sight.  With a pulse of energy, Daniel shifted forward and took a more detailed scan, a three-dimensional model appearing in the air beside Finn.  Destroying the console might have stopped most people.  But Finn wasn’t most people.  He was just going to have access the generator more directly.

Finn lifted his left arm, the crystal glimmering in the light cast by the generator.  With a thought, the material transformed, the fingers splitting into many tendrils that slithered out toward the console and touched a specific combination of crystalline conduits that formed the lattice around the storage crystals.  Flames swept down his arm and into that lattice as he drew on his mana, and a searing burn arched up from his forearm, sweeping into his bicep.

He let out a hissing breath.  He hated doing this, but it was necessary.

His eyes centered on the console, and Finn began manipulating the mana, the light inside his crystalline arm shifting and changing as he accessed the generator directly.  Immediately, a model of the Mile-High Club appeared in the air, glowing a bright yellow.  Their current position was marked with a red dot, several more scattered throughout the ruined city.  Other dots highlighted in yellow shined throughout the floating city, including a spot of amber light nestled inside the tower that lingered on the far edge of the club.

“What are those yellow spots?” Eliza asked, walking up beside him.

“Other generators,” Finn answered in a distracted voice.  “Ahh, there it is...”

Another screen flashed into existence, this one showcasing the city’s mana-based infrastructure.  Most of the services appeared to be offline or damaged.  Finn could see that the city had once housed thousands of people, with screens lining almost every inch of rock.  It seemed only a handful had been repurposed by <Death and Taxes> for Bard’s advertisements.  Erosion and low mana likely explained that.  Most of the generators were running on empty, and the gems that projected those displays must be fractured and broken.

Which lent credibility to his theory that <Death and Taxes> had brought specific generators back online, matching the path that the avatars would be taking on either side of the ring.  The fact that the neurogem conduits were still intact also meant that Finn could get a decent picture of the whole ring – even if some subsections were offline.

However, he couldn’t access the generator on the far end of the complex.  It looked like it had either been designed to be a standalone grid or <Death and Taxes> had severed the conduits.  Worse yet, it looked like that generator powered the so-called “safety” systems that were keeping them trapped on this floating piece of rock.  So, leaving was out, but they could at least make this place a bit more… hospitable.

“Perfect.”  A smile tugged at Finn’s lips as he finally found what he was looking for.

A chime sounded as the console flashed brightly, and a mechanized voice suddenly spoke up, “Sweeping Wind deactivated in subsections D-5, C-9, J-4, K-3, Q-23…”  That voice droned on listing section names.

Finn hesitated, his brow furrowing as he saw an unusual item listed in the club’s services menu.  “The Bouncers?” Finn muttered under his breath.  Who named these services?  But, more importantly, was that some sort of security system?  It made sense that this flying city would need a police force.  Guests could become inebriated and unruly even in this universe.  Fire thrummed through Finn’s veins at the thought of turning the city’s own defenses against their hosts.

“Damn it,” he muttered.  “It’s offline.”

“What is?” Eliza asked.

“This,” Finn murmured.

Finn’s crystalline limb surged with mana, and the display changed.  It now highlighted a building a few blocks from their position and well outside the path their opponents had created along Finn and Eliza’s side of the ring.  The building was located on a different power grid, and that generator was offline – its crystal drained dry.

“I think this structure houses part of the club’s security system,” Finn explained.  More displays popped into existence beside the map, showcasing information on the structure.  “It’s supposed to hold something called… Bouncer Bots?  My guess is that the city had an automated police force back in its prime.”

Fire was coursing through his body as he continued, “If I could get over there and get the generator up and running, I could possibly bring them back online.  Which might mean reinforcements,” he offered, grinning at Eliza.

“Assuming the bots use fire mana as a power source,” Daniel added dryly.

Finn waved a hand.  “And if not?  We’ll just make a few modifications.”

“That’s interesting, but what about Jason and Alexion?” Eliza insisted.

Finn frowned, and another surge of mana ran down his arm.  The display shifted from a map to a camera view, the image flitting from one scene of devastation to the next, showcasing the barren remains of the club.  The screen stopped on a broken arena where a dome of light obscured Jason and Alexion from sight.  But the energy at least gave away their location.

“What are they doing?” Eliza asked, curiosity coloring her voice.

“Who knows, but they clearly don’t want anyone to see,” Finn grunted back.

“Is there any way to regroup with them?” Eliza asked.

“Already on it,” Finn replied slowly.  “And… there we go!”

The display suddenly showed the undamaged lights along the ceiling of the arena shift position, the projector crystals now pointing at a small, unbroken section of wall.  They spelled out a crude message, the colors shifting and flickering.  All Finn could manage was “Follow Me,” with an arrow pointing toward the exit.  He’d repurposed some of the smaller screens along the buildings to continue pointing the way… creating a trail of breadcrumbs for the pair to follow.

“Now we just need them to stop whatever it is they’re working on,” Finn added.

“Sure, but where are you leading them?” Eliza asked.

“It looks like there’s some sort of ferry system – likely intended to help cross between parts of the ring,” Finn explained.  “I’ve brought the system on their side back online and connected it to a dock on our end.  All the systems say they’re online.  That should allow them to meet up with us.”

Another chime suddenly rang out.  “Camera systems deactivated in subsections D-5, C-9, J-4, K-3, Q-23…”  The display floating before them suddenly vanished.

“What’re you doing now?  Don’t we need to keep eyes on them?” Eliza demanded.

“If we can see them, so can <Death and Taxes>.  They’ll be fine.  And if Jason is trying to hide what he’s doing, then we should help him.  Besides…” Finn trailed off, his brow furrowing in concentration as a series of pulses ran down his arm.

“There it is,” he muttered, a new display popping up before him.  It now showed the city in a series of colored sections.

“Is that a temperature map?” Eliza asked, cocking her head.  “Oh, you must have repurposed the AC control and turned it into a sensor.”

Finn glanced at her as Eliza peered at the screen, adjusting her glasses with one hand.

She noticed him watching her.  “What?” Eliza asked.  “It’s cold up here with the wind and moisture.  And if the structure is as old as it looks, it may have once catered to different races.  So, the guests might have had different needs.  It seems reasonable that whoever built this place would include some sort of climate control.”

“Yeah… yeah, it is,” Finn replied.  The girl was clever.  He’d give her that.  “And those dots there denote the location of <Death and Taxes>.  They seem to be grouped up in that tower along the northern edge of the club.  We might be flying blind on who each dot represents, but their location is still important intel.”

He paused, watching as those dots broke apart.  Two were moving toward Jason and Alexion, and another pair were heading their way.  However, their opponents were affected by the same systems, which meant no flight.  And travel by foot could be slow, especially with the city in ruins.  They had time, just not much.

“Looks like we’re about to have company,” Eliza murmured.

“Yeah, they must have noticed that I deactivated the cameras and locked them out of these sections,” Finn grunted.  “I’d wager we have less than twenty minutes until they arrive.”

He abruptly disconnected his arm, the crystal slithering back into place to form fingers, a thumb, and a palm.  Finn wiggled his fingers experimentally, the dull burn slowly subsiding.  It was good enough – he could work through the pain.

Finn took a deep breath.  “Which means I might have a window to get those bouncer bots online.  Can you hold this location?  I’ve routed the generator’s remaining power to the other subsection, and I’m going to need that energy.  Best case, we’ll be able to use <Death and Taxes> own mana against them.”

“And worst case?” Eliza demanded.

Finn grimaced.  “We die and roll the dice on whatever that means up here.  I’m sure <Death and Taxes> has something special lined up at the respawn point.”

He looked at her squarely.  “They’ll likely come here first since the cameras are down.  They’ll know we were messing with the generator.  It’ll be two on one.”

Finn grimaced.  “If you die, make sure you come back guns blazing.  They’re going to be waiting for you, understand?”

Eliza’s eyes widened, her hand clenching more firmly around her wand.  Finn could see her mana rippling and pulsing.  Fear.  Doubt.  Anxiety.  He recognized those patterns now after using his Mana Sight for so long.

“You sure you’re up for this?” he asked.

Her eyes flashed sapphire, and he saw that same energy flood her body, pushing away those other emotions.  “I’m good,” Eliza answered curtly.

Finn hesitated only a moment longer.  She wasn’t good.  He could see that.  But this was the best option they had.  And Eliza had insisted that he needed to start treating her like a team member – not just some silly little girl.

Finn just nodded.  “Good,” was all he said.

Then he pivoted and set off, waving at Daniel to follow, the elemental flashing at Eliza once before departing and flying after Finn.  With a twitch of his fingers, flames erupted along Finn’s skin, and it suddenly felt like molten metal had been poured into his veins, but his movements sped up rapidly.  He didn’t have much time, but with Eliza’s buffs, he didn’t have to hold back.

With that last thought, Finn took off, racing down the hallways toward the yellow waypoint marker hovering in the distance.  He could only hope he made it in time…

Eliza was left standing in the room – wand clutched in hand.  A display hovered beside her, showing her vegetation spreading throughout complex, green tendrils coiling through the model of the generator compound.  Yet she knew that the plants wouldn’t be enough to stop her opponents.  Not alone.  Not as she was right now.

She was going to need to try something new.

Biting her lip, Eliza’s hand slipped into a bag at her waist.  The truth was that she might have gotten a bit obsessed with her work in the Sea’s Edge.  And with no need to be secretive or worry about the occasional accidental explosion or pesky commercial details like whether she could mass manufacture and sell her concoctions, she’d had far more room to experiment.

Eliza withdrew a vial, eyeing the contents.  It was a dull gray, a shimmering rainbow of color occasionally spiraling through the vessel.  Creating this particular substance had been ungodly expensive – or at least, so the Hippie had complained – but Fluffy had let her do it anyway.  She slid the vial into her injector, the container locking into place with a foreboding click.

She stared at that syringe, her fear pushing back at the water mana that flooded her veins.  She hadn’t had a chance to run many test trials.  Just a few.

They had ended with… mixed results.

“But desperate times,” she murmured, lifting the injector to her forearm.

And, taking a deep breath, she hit the button.

Chapter 42 - Improved

Pewpew lay upon rough stone, wind whipping at her armor.  She sighted down her rifle, peering through the scope as she chewed on a piece of gum.  Bumbleberry flavor – one of Bard’s less irritating products.  Although, she sure as hell wasn’t going to ask how he made it.  Pewpew tapped at the scope with one hand, and the mana gems embedded inside gave a soft flash of air and light mana, the scope zooming further in.

“What do you see?” Smiles grunted from beside her.  They were positioned on one of the upper floors of the tower on the far end of the club.  A spot with good visibility.

Pewpew let out a low whistle.  “Damn.  On the western side, something destroyed a decent section of the club – almost cut entirely through the ring.  It’s barely holding together now, pieces of debris flying up into the central tornado.  No sign of Finn or Eliza.”  She shifted slightly, angling her rifle to the east.  “And no movement yet from Edgelord and Captain Nightlight.”

Another moment of hesitation from the girl, and then she continued, “Our teams will be closing in on their targets soon.  ETA five minutes.”

“Hmm,” Smiles hummed.  He shifted, looking over his shoulder.  “Tombs?”

The earth mage stood before a panel, the console flashing with multicolored gems and throwing shadows across his smiling mask.  At his back hovered another crystal generator – this one blazing with a mixture of energy, its storage crystals framed in a delicate lattice of the neurogem material.

“Fuck,” the earth mage muttered as he punched the stone, the surface cracking… only for Tombs to let out a curse and wring his hand, massaging his knuckles.

“Going that well, huh?” Pewpew quipped.

“No, no, it’s not going well.  Do you know how long I spent getting these generators back online?  Repairing those fucking arenas?  Learning how to use this stupid system?  Like, what even is this shit?  It looks like it was designed by Gandalf if he’d finally stopped smoking so much Hobbit ‘weed’ and decided to go back to school to get his software engineering degree.  And after all that work, they just—” Tombs cut himself off, closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths to calm himself.

“I’d read that story actually,” Pewpew quipped.  “That dude was useless.  Seriously, for a 2000-year-old wizard, he only seemed to cast Light and Brighter Light.  He and Captain Nightlight would have gotten along great.”  She cocked her head, still staring down her scope.  “I guess what I’m saying is that I could kick Gandalf’s ass.”

“He could sort of manipulate smoke,” Tombs offered.

“So, he’s a shittier version of Smokes?”

“And there was also the telekinetic staff fighting—”

“Which would have been super convenient if he and his party had gotten attacked by… let’s say some goblin archers a few dozen times or so,” Pewpew replied sarcastically.  “I guess instead of plot armor, he has plot magic.”

“Like I said,” Tombs grunted, his hands darting across the panel, “I’m pretty sure he was stoned the whole time.  You gotta give the guy a break.  He probably forgot he had that spell.”

Pewpew blew a bubble, letting it pop loudly.  “You might be on to something there.  Although, I still say he wasn’t technically the worst wizard.  That award goes to the dweeby kid with the glasses and the lobotomy scar,” she muttered.  “His parents were probably the ones that tried to kill him and not some evil wizard.  Seven whole years of wizard school, and he could only cast one spell?  That’s grounds for a magical abortion if I ever saw one.”

“Shit,” Tombs muttered, shaking his hand, the panel sparking with mana.  Then he glanced at Pewpew, his brow scrunched in thought.  “That’s actually a fair point, though.  They probably got into a fight with that dark wizard or whatever after he called CPS on them.  Like some sort of magical domestic dispute.”

“And, of course, Godwin’s Law applies.  So, it gets twisted, and everyone starts calling him the new wizard Hitler and all for looking out for that poor, stupid kid,” Pewpew replied with a nod.  “Cancel culture, am I right?  He was just being a Volde-bro.”

Smiles shook his head.  He needed to end this discussion quickly.  Otherwise, they’d never stop.  He’d apparently recruited a bunch of nerds.  Go figure.

“I take it the system is down?” he asked Tombs.

“Down doesn’t even begin to cover it,” the earth mage growled, glaring at the console.  “Finn disabled the cameras and Sweeping Wind across all active subsections, and I can’t do jack about it.  He’s locked me out – some sort of new superuser account.  The only saving grace is that he wasn’t able to mess with the generator behind me because it’s on its own network.  So, we’re flying blind, and there’s nothing forcing those assholes along the paths we created.”

Tombs stared out at the club below him.  “All of that work for nothing.”

“Not for nothing,” Smiles answered in a measured tone.  “We still have the data from the first few matches.  And we anticipated that this might be a possibility, which is why we destroyed the conduits to this generator.  Everything is still proceeding within acceptable mission parameters.  For now, you should focus on helping Bard set up the finale.”

“Will we even get to use it?” Tombs demanded.

Smiles shrugged.  “They have to come here eventually.  There’s no other way off the club besides disabling that generator behind you or stealing our gate fragments.  Both options require them to come here,” he offered, his eyes drifting down to the massive coliseum at the base of the tower.  “We just need to keep them suppressed and buy a little more time.”

Tombs heaved out a sigh.  “You’re right… I know you’re right.”  Another sigh.  “I’ll go help Bard then.”  With that, he Phased into the stone at his feet, disappearing from sight.

“Just in time,” Pewpew murmured from beside Smiles.  “Looks like Blaze and Smokes are closing in on team Midnight Sparkle.”

“You good at this range?” Smiles asked.

Pewpew just smirked.  “You’re kidding, right?”

“Just checking,” Smiles replied.

“So, uh, do I need to hold back this time or…” Pewpew trailed off.

“No, no, you don’t.”

“And collateral damage?”

“Blaze and Smokes know the rules of engagement.”

Pewpew let out a cackle as she turned her attention back to her rifle’s scope, her lips curling into a mad smile that matched her mask.  “This is going to be fun.”

***

Jason let out a hissing breath as the new limb attached to his leg, bands of darkness spiraling up toward the ruined flesh just below his knee.  That mana burrowed into his skin, adhering to ligament, muscle, and bone with a searing, icy burn that only faded gradually.

“You’re such a wimp,” Alexion grumbled as another globe of golden light infused Jason’s leg at the knee, the pain receding quickly as the broken skin and blood vessels were swiftly repaired.  And finally, mercifully, the icy burn faded.

“You want to trade places?” Jason grunted back.

“I’m good,” Alexion replied.  “But you’d think you’d have gotten used to his by the fourth limb,” he offered, waving at Jason’s legs.

He had a point.  Jason had even gained a new skill.

New Skill:  Masochism

After extensive…um, self-mutilation, your body and mind have become more resilient to self-inflicted damage, reducing the pain caused by such injuries.  At higher levels, masters of this skill were known to set themselves on fire without feeling a thing.  Not that we’re recommending this, of course.  Please, please don’t set yourself on fire.

Skill Level:  Intermediate Level 2

Effect 1:  -51% pain on self-inflicted wounds.

Effect 2:  -21% bleed damage on self-inflicted wounds.

Masochism had helped tremendously with blunting the pain.  Jason could only assume it took a few dozen severed limbs to obtain the skill, which likely meant he was one of the few – if only – travelers that had been crazy or stupid enough to obtain it.  However, even with the lack of pain, there was still something visceral about losing a limb… no matter how many times he tried to convince himself it wasn’t real.

Thankfully, that was over now.  Both forearms and forelegs had been replaced with new appendages.

Jason tried to wiggle his new toes, the bone only creaking at first before responding slowly, the dark mana that wrapped the limb flexing and pulsing.  The nerve endings were always the last thing to fully heal.  It took them some time to establish a link to the new limb.  After a few more seconds, the foot was responding properly and Jason pushed himself upright, weaving unsteadily for a moment before catching his balance on a nearby boulder.

“They seem to be working,” Jason offered, flexing his skeletal hands.

With a swipe of his new fingers, he brought up his prompts:

Skeletal Augments

Limb

Level

Effects

Legs

289

Reinforced, Fire Resist, Air Burst

Arms

289

Reinforced, Fire Resist, Rotating, Stave Retraction

NA

NA

Sustain Cost

3,000 Mana

Total Body Augmentation:  30%

x1 Level Up!

You have (5) undistributed stat points.

New Skill:  Body Augmentation

Through a creative use of Custom Skeleton, you have unlocked a new ability which allows you to replace your limbs with creations constructed from bone and dark mana.  The augmentations will replace existing limbs.  If an augment is destroyed, the former limb will not regrow until respawn, logout, or the use of a master rank healing spell or higher.  Limb augments can be upgraded through the use of Bone Crafting, providing additional effects and abilities.

Skill Level:  Beginner Level 6

Effect 1:  +15% health to body augments.

x1 Skill Rank Up:  Bone Crafting

Skill Level:  Expert Level 2

Effect 1:  May currently alter the composition of bone by 25%.

Effect 2:  Can combine high-quality crafting materials with the bones.

Effect 3:  May create more sophisticated structures from pure dark mana.

Jason swiped those prompts aside.  He had been training Bone Crafting diligently since the events in Sandscrit – preparing for this next step.  That had unlocked the ability to better manipulate dark mana with his skeletons.  He’d used that ability before – the storage sac for his venom spitters or the panels of dark mana used in the dragon’s wings.  However, these new limbs required something much more intricate.  For example, Jason had been forced to spin dark mana into braided bands to mimic muscle and tendon.

Even more interesting, the game appeared to be treating his new augmentations as a form of minion, which meant they inherited the level cap that applied to Custom Skeleton.  They didn’t count toward his Control Limit, but they imposed a large reserve cost, taking up a considerable portion of his mana – which doubled as his health as a Shade.  On the other hand, since each limb now had its own health pool, that wasn’t a major limitation.  If anything, Jason had gained quite a bit of additional health by incorporating these new limbs.

“So, do they work?  Or did we spend all this time messing around for nothing?” Alexion grumbled, shifting impatiently.

Jason pushed the cuffs of his pants back down to cover his calves and replaced his leather armor, his new creations now hidden from view.  Only the dark mana that wrapped his knuckles gave him away.  “I guess we’ll see.”

Jason took off across the broken arena, walking unsteadily for a few paces before he broke into a jogging gait.  His balance quickly improved as he became accustomed to the limbs – it was just an unusual feeling to send instructions to his legs.  He couldn’t feel any feedback that he was running – only a numb sensation below each knee.  As his gait continued to improve, Jason pushed himself up into a Sprint.  He noticed his stamina was depleting more slowly.

That was interesting.  His skeletons didn’t typically have stamina – much like the other Kin.  Perhaps the game was giving him a discount on his stamina consumption to account for the replacement of his forelegs, which just made him wonder what would happen if he replaced the limbs entirely…

He shook that thought off.  He didn’t have the means or materials to tackle that right now.  And besides, he still had a few more limbs to test.

The bones of his forearms shifted and snapped, the two sections of his staff rotating out of the limbs and anchored in place along the bone, leaving his hands and fingers free.  Then, with a few gestures and muttered words, Soul Blades extended from the edges of those staves as Jason raced toward a large clump of stone nearly ten feet tall.  He spun as he passed, his blades cutting deeply into the stone in a blazing series of blows as his momentum carrying him past the boulder.

Jason kicked off the wall with his right foot, and an amber crystal blazed to life, sending out a gust of wind that launched him back in the other direction – the bones and mana in his legs creaking in protest but holding.  His other foot let out another blast of wind to correct his trajectory in mid-air, pivoting his feet forward.  The bone soon made contact with the backside of the boulder, and the top half of the rock shifted and broke free, sliding to the floor and landing with a thunderous crash that sent dust spewing in every direction.

Jason landed neatly nearby, his staves retracting back into his forearms, and the gems embedded in his feet beginning to dim, tucked away beneath a layer of dark mana that would obscure them from sight.  No sense in giving away his abilities before he had a chance to use them.

“Seems to be working just fine,” Jason said with a grin and a glance at Alexion.

Despite his previously sour tone, the avatar of light was smiling as he watched the result of their hard work.  However, as he noticed Jason watching, his regular mask slid back into place, the young man letting out a sniff.  “Not terrible.”

“You try out your upgrades?” Jason asked as he returned to Alexion.

The avatar of light looked down at the sword now swinging from his other hip.  Jason had been forced to use a considerable portion of his stash of dark ore to build that blade – once again thanking Cecil for his foresight.  Technically, the blade was no sword at all.  It was just another skeleton, the minion taking another chunk out of Jason’s mana pool and dark mana sliding down its surface.  However, the cost was worth it, in his opinion.

Alexion pulled the blade free and channeled his light mana down the blade.  It bloomed to life, not in a haze of gold, but with a sickly, pulsating purple glow.  At the same time, Jason saw the sword’s health begin to drop slowly using his Summon Information panel.  They had needed to conduct a few experiments to pull this off.  While dark and light mana could be combined, the effect was still damaging to the underlying bone used in Jason’s summons.  So, Alexion was forced to use just a small touch of power to create the stat draining effect.  The metal imbued into the bone also helped improve the durability.

Even so, that sword wouldn’t last forever – not unless Jason figured out a way to passively heal the skeleton.  That might provide a sort of recharge effect—

“Not bad,” Alexion murmured, interrupting Jason’s thoughts and staring at the blade.  Then, with a wink, his power dissipated, and he sheathed it.  “But we’re going to need to find someone to fight to test it properly without breaking it.”

“Indeed, we are,” Jason muttered, his brow furrowed.

Something was off, but it took him a moment to realize what was missing.  The Sweeping Wind was gone.  The amber energy had simply vanished, leaving a line in the stone where it had last stood a few yards away, inching ever closer.  Now that he was paying attention, Jason also noticed that the arena had changed.  Several of the lights overhead were active again, the gems fractured and casting flickering colored beams through the room.

Jason craned his head, tracing those beams, and Alexion followed his gaze, noticing something was amiss.  Now that the barrier of light had been dispelled, the pair could see lights dancing across the nearby wall in a familiar pattern, spelling out a message and a glowing orange arrow pointing toward the exit.  “Follow Me,” was all it said.  He doubted <Death and Taxes> would be quite that subtle and it had been some time since Bard had pestered them, the screen normally floating overhead having vanished.

That could only mean one thing.

“It looks like Finn and Eliza finally wandered off the ruined brick road,” Jason murmured.  “About damn time.”

Alexion just grunted.  “That must explain why the Sweeping Wind hasn’t forced us forward yet and the screen and cameras are gone.  Which means they don’t have eyes on us.”

Jason cracked his neck, pulling his hood back into place to obscure his face and his cloak sweeping out around him.  “You’re probably right.  But that also means we may have company soon.  I doubt that <Death and Taxes> are going to just sit on their hands.  I’m sure they’ve noticed Finn’s meddling by now.  Which means they’re probably already heading this way.”

Alexion just sniffed, panels of light flashing into existence along across his body.  “Good,” he replied, his hand gripping his sword and pulling it free with a scrape of metal.  “I was looking forward to a rematch anyway.”  He glanced to the side at Jason.  “You ready to move?”

“Almost,” Jason murmured.  With a wave of Jason’s hand, his Bone Armor slid into place, now focused solely on his unprotected chest, arms, thighs, and head, allowing him to make the bone thicker and stronger – more akin to light platemail.  It reduced his flexibility, but that was a small price to pay for more protection.

Once he was finished Jason looked to Alexion, the avatar meeting his eyes – one a white knight blazing with light, the other a demon of shadow, wrapped in death and darkness.  An unlikely team, but one they had learned to make work.  And etched across both their faces was the same expression, an understanding borne of hours of fighting and grueling hardship.

It was time to get even; to bring the fight to their captors.

Without a word, Jason and Alexion turned toward the exit, following the glowing orange arrows – a path provided by Finn.

From now on, they would be fighting on their own terms.

Chapter 43 - Ferryman

“This feels too easy,” Jason muttered.

Alexion nodded, the pair making their way slowly through the ruined club, their path illuminated by a series of flickering orange arrows.  Finn had repurposed the many busted screens that littered every inch of the club to provide a trail of flashing breadcrumbs.  Which only left Jason wondering where the hell the avatar of flame was directing them.  They appeared to be moving toward the interior of the ring – the gigantic tornado in the center of the club growing ever larger as they approached.

Jason didn’t see how they were getting through that thing.

Maybe he should have built some damn wings…

The pair flitted from the cover of one building to another, keeping out of line of sight of the tower to the north.  They were both quite familiar with Pewpew’s uncanny aim and while that structure was more than a mile away, they weren’t taking any chances.  In contrast, the other members of <Death and Taxes> posed less of a threat – at least in terms of catching them off guard.  After a failed “test,” they had determined that the club’s “safety features” were still enabled, which explained the foul look on Alexion’s face.

He had crash landed.  Again.

Either way, that meant the other members of <Death and Taxes> would need to approach on foot.  That made them slow and easier to spot.  They could send Queen after them, of course.  However, Jason suspected that was unlikely.  With her vendetta against Finn, she would probably insist on taking him out.  And since they almost certainly wouldn’t send Blaze after Finn given his ability to absorb heat with his crystalline arm – Jason was guessing she was among the force that would be intercepting them.

Which made Smokes her best companion. That was his guess, anyway.

However, his worry appeared unfounded as they soon arrived at their destination without issue – no sign of their enemies or sniper fire pinning them down.

Although, their journey only got more unusual from there.

“What the fuck is this?” Alexion muttered, waving at the scene before them.

“I have no idea,” Jason grunted back.

The pair were crouched in the shadows of another ruined structure, several dozen glowing arrows all pointing toward a lone booth that was positioned along the edge of the ring.  A large courtyard lingered around the structure, with trash and debris littering the stone.  What appeared to be velvet ropes, the material faded and soaked with moisture, mold growing along the ruined fabric.  Fragments of wood and rusted metal – possibly from ruined stalls.  Nothing large enough to act as cover, just trip them up and get in their way if they tried to make a rush for that stall.

Was Finn leading them on wild goose chase?  Or was something else going on here?  Was this just another game?  Had <Death and Taxes> sent them those signs – lured them into thinking that their allies were helping them?  Yet that didn’t quite add up.  Why would they also disable the cameras and the Sweeping Wind?

There was only one way to find out.

“We need to inspect that booth,” Jason said.

“You mean that deathtrap.  There’s no cover out there besides that flimsy-looking booth.”

“Well, then let’s hope we don’t need it,” Jason grunted back.  “What we do need is a distraction—”  Then he shoved Alexion.

The avatar of light stumbled out into the courtyard ringing the booth, his light infused armor highlighting him as a target.  Immediately, a boom rocked the northern part of the club and Alexion shot to the side with a snap of his wings, angling himself into another road adjacent to the courtyard.  He moved just in time.  A massive bolt of electricity slammed into the spot he had just been standing, blasting away the stone and sending up a shower of dust and debris.

Which was exactly what Jason needed.

He took off, a burst of amber energy erupting from his feet and sending him racing forward.  His skeletal hands gripped the edge of the booth as he neared, halting his momentum as he slid behind the structure, keeping the booth between him and that damn tower.  Dust swirled and collided around him, drifting back to the ground.  Hopefully, Pewpew hadn’t seen him change positions with the dust acting as cover.

“What the fuck was that?” Alexion shouted from the road over, glaring at him.

“Me moving into position,” Jason shot back.  “Now keep an eye out for the others.  If Pewpew is watching us this closely and chose to start firing, they can’t be far away.”

“While you do what exactly?” Alexion grumbled back.

“Figure out what this booth is for,” Jason muttered, slowly rising to his feet.

As soon as he was facing the booth, the structure lit up in a dazzling display of lights, many flickering and busted.  A chime rang out and was accompanied by a disembodied voice.  “Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Very Fast Ferry – your go to stop for getting around the Mile-High Club.  How can I assist you today?”

“I need to get to the other side of the club,” Jason offered tentatively.

“Oh my, it appears that many of our booths are currently offline for repairs and maintenance.  Only one other booth appears to be operational.  We do apologize for the inconvenience, but perhaps we can still assist you with your transit?”

Well, at least this might offer a way across the club—

Jason’s thoughts were cut short as another boom rocked the city.  He ducked for cover.  Had Pewpew seen him?  Possibly Alexion?

However, his worry appeared unfounded as the bolt crashed into the line of buildings along the edge of the courtyard.  Jason’s brow furrowed as he realized she hadn’t been aiming for either Alexion or him.  But that girl didn’t miss unless she had a good reason…

As the debris cleared, Jason could see that Pewpew had carved a hole in the building, revealing a narrow alley on the other side.  And through that opening stepped two familiar figures, one lying on a bed of smoke and the other’s hair aflame.  Blaze and Smokes eyed the courtyard, inspecting it carefully.  Already, coils of smoke were drifting forward, slithering along the ground as they filled the courtyard.  Apparently, they knew they had cover fire and they didn’t need to push forward.  Smokes would find them soon if they didn’t act quickly.

“Fuck,” Jason muttered, ducking back behind the booth.  He needed some time to get this booth working and if they took it out before he was finished… well, it was going to be a pain in the ass to regroup with the others.  They also couldn’t afford to die.  No doubt, their opponents had planned for that contingency already.

Jason motioned to Alexion who peered around his own cover.  He was silently trying to convey his point, which translated into something like, “Go be a big dumb decoy again!”

Alexion glared back with an expression that said, “Fuck you.  I’m not bait.”

“It’s that or we die,” Jason pantomimed back, slicing his own throat.

Alexion sighed, shaking his head… then he stepped out from behind the building, his wings snapping as he shot away down a nearby alley.  Smokes and Blaze looked at each other and then took off after him, explosions erupting in the distance as Pewpew lay down suppressive fire, each boom accompanied by a blast of rock and debris.

Jason moved quickly, rising and facing the booth.  “Okay, yeah, we need some transportation.  Like now… immediately.”

“Fantastic,” that voice chimed back.  “Do you have a frequent flyer discount card by chance, it helps save time and mana.”

“I don’t,” Jason ground out as another explosion erupted in the distance.

“Would you like to sign up?  It’s a simple and fast process that also allows you to apply for additional points at other club facilities including, the Death-Laser Tag, Balls of Steel, and our world-renowned—”

“No, I’m good,” Jason growled as another explosion rocked the club, and he saw Alexion’s health plummet, only to replenish a moment later as he healed his injuries.  “I just need to travel to that other working booth now!”

“I appreciate that you’re in a hurry, but first, you will need to sign our death, dismemberment, and gruesome, catastrophic injury form.”  A screen rippled into existence, showing a lengthy contract, the terms scrolling, and scrolling and scrolling.  “This helps protect the club in the event that you suffer any injuries during your travels, including, but not limited to decapitation, dismemberment, blood loss, cerebral hemorrhage, heart attack, incineration, stabbing…”

“What the fuck kind of ferry is this?” Jason muttered.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine with all of that,” he offered, interrupting the booth once more.  He scrawled out a hasty signature with his finger at the bottom, and another chime rang out.

“Fantastic, now you—”

“I just need a damn ferry,” Jason interrupted, blasts echoing in the distance.  They were getting closer.  Much closer.  No doubt, Alexion was circling back.

“I understand your urgency, sir.  All our guests are anxious to sample our first-class amenities and games.  Unfortunately, there are a few patrons waiting in line ahead of you.  You’ll need to take a number,” the voice chimed back, a small token emerging from a slot in the booth.

Jason just stared at the token before looking at the barren courtyard around him.  “What guests?” he demanded.  “There’s no one here.”

“I understand your urgency—” the booth began to repeat once more.

Jason let out a frustrated growl before ripping the token free.  Only to hesitate as he stared down at the chit.  The material was more solid than simple paper, and a small glowing gem was affixed to the surface beneath a number – 1004.  Jason looked up to see that another flickering screen had appeared.  It was currently on number 935.

“Gods damn it,” Jason muttered.  The explosions were definitely getting closer as Alexion circled back.  He didn’t have much time.

Where were the other token holders?  There was clearly no one here.  He hesitated.  But was the booth tracking the guests or the tokens?  He looked around his feet and froze.  Jason stooped, his skeletal hands swiping away a pile of debris.  Another token was wedged under the edge of the booth.  He scraped at it with ivory fingers, working it free.

Number 976.

Taking a chance, Jason promptly crushed the token between his fingers, the light flickering out.  The booth dinged, and the voice rang out again.  “Guest Number 976, it appears that your token has gone offline.  Please see the booth for a replacement.”

Okay, so I can destroy them, Jason thought to himself.  That should let him cut in line.  But he was going to need something that could scour the area without destroying the booth—

His thoughts were interrupted as Alexion came dashing back into the courtyard with a snap of his wings.  His armor was singed, his skin burnt and bleeding.  And it looked like one of his wings was on fire, which might explain why he crash-landed on his back, tucking in his wings, and rolling forcefully across the ground before slamming up against the booth.  But at least that move extinguished the flames, Alexion pulling himself back to his feet with a groan and a flash of white energy as he healed his wounds.

“They’re back,” Alexion grunted.

Indeed, Jason could see Blaze and Smokes enter the courtyard, their eyes meeting his.  “Oh, damn,” Jason muttered.

“So, we meet again,” Smokes offered with a yawn as he lounged on a bed of smoke, tendrils of vapor billowing up behind him to form a massive wall that stretched dozens of feet into the air – a function of the many, many burning buildings that now lingered behind him.  The stone might be fire resistant, but the Sweeping Wind had been disabled, leaving plenty of flammable trash.  And with Pewpew busting open the surrounding buildings, that likely only offered up more fodder for Blaze.

Speaking of which, Blaze stepped forward, her body completely engulfed in flame and her hair ablaze.  “These two are mine.  I haven’t had a turn yet.”

Smokes just snorted as the gray mist expanded around them, effectively walling Jason and Alexion into that courtyard – leaving only an opening at their backs where that tornado swirled.  Either Smokes couldn’t control the mist with that much wind, or he didn’t think the pair were crazy enough to jump.  Or possibly both.

“Well then, be my guest.  But you’re going to have trouble telling Pewpew that—”

Smokes was cutoff as another blast detonated to the north.  Alexion and Jason didn’t hesitate, they broke formation, darting in opposite directions.  The lightning bolt struck with tremendous force, carving a chunk out of the top of the booth, and sending up another shower of dust as it impacted the courtyard on the other side.  Jason spared a glance over his shoulder but luckily the lights were still on in the booth.

“We would appreciate it if you would wait your turn,” that voice spoke up.  “Attacking the other guests waiting in line is a real party foul.  Don’t be that person.”

However, as Jason saw Blaze step forward, her flames pushing away the dust, he saw the heat envelope a chit laying along the ground at her feet, burning swiftly through the material.  He held his breath, his eyes skimming back to the booth as he waited for—

“Guest Number 984, it appears that your token has gone offline, please see the booth for a replacement,” that voice soon chimed.

An idea bloomed in Jason’s mind.  His guess was that the rest of those chits were nearby, pushed up against the nearby buildings and buried under dirt, dust, and debris.  Which meant he just needed to get Blaze mad.  Mad enough to sweep the entire area with her Fire Nova.

Another blast detonated and Jason was moving again.  The building at his back exploded in a shower of electricity and fragments of jagged rock.  Blaze was too close to the blast and was forced to increase the heat of her aura, using the flames to melt down the stone fragments before they could cut at her skin.

Unfortunately, his plan wouldn’t work if Pewpew killed them all first or destroyed the booth.  With the wall of smoke ringing the courtyard, she must be firing blind.  Seriously, did she not care at all about hitting her own teammates…

Jason hesitated as a sudden realization occurred to him.  Pewpew’s shots had been far too accurate given that she couldn’t see.  Which only meant one thing.  A smile pulled at his lips as another crazy idea flittered through his mind.

This was going to be fun… and painful.

“Any last words?” Blaze asked.

“Yeah, but first… I have a question.  Exactly how old are you?” Jason quipped.  “Should you even be playing this game?  I’m actually worried your heart might give out.”

Blaze let out a growl.  “What’re you trying to say, boy?”

“I’m saying, shouldn’t someone your age be in a home?  You certainly shouldn’t be playing a videogame.  Hell, if you give me a second, I might have some pudding in my bag,” he trailed off, making a show of checking his bag.

In the wake of the attack on Barrow, Jason had spent time scouring the videos of the siege on the guild hall – looking for any hints about their opponents or their abilities.  He’d discovered one clip of Blaze when she destroyed the barrier around the guild hall.  One part in particular had stood out clearly for him… something Blaze had screamed about pudding and bingo before charging into Evelyn’s guild hall in a blaze of fire.

His comment clearly touched a nerve.  Blaze didn’t respond, but her fire aura increased in size, expanding outward forcefully, and the color changed to a blue-ish red as the heat ratcheted up a level.  This also forced Smokes back, the man drifting off to the edge of the courtyard and patting at his tunic to put out a small flame before he leaned back into his cloud – clearly content to watch the fight unfold since Blaze had called dibs.

“What are you doing?” Alexion demanded from a few yards away, hiding behind the edge of a building to block Pewpew’s line of sight.  “You’re just pissing her off!”

“Exactly,” Jason murmured.

He didn’t hide, he stood and walked slowly toward Blaze.  He could feel the heat radiating off her in waves despite the fire resistance in his newfound limbs and Bone Armor.  He sucked in a deep breath while he still could.  He suspected the heat around Blaze would eat up all the remaining oxygen nearby.  He could hear muted chimes as the booth beside him registered the destruction of more tokens, the number on the board rising slowly.

Yet it wasn’t enough – not by a longshot.

Blaze seemed even more pissed that her fires weren’t phasing him.  “Oh, you want to fight, little boy?  Then let’s fight!”  Her flames cascaded out into the courtyard, forcing Alexion to summon a wall of light and Smokes to wrap himself in a bubble of smoke to ward off the heat.

Yet Jason just kept approaching Blaze through that swirling vortex of fire.  It felt like he was being cooked inside his armor now, his skin welting.  Notifications were flashing in the corner of his UI – glowing a bright red.  Some glib bullshit about him spontaneously combusting.  But he swept them aside.  He could no longer see the tower in the distance through the flames, but he kept the yellow waypoint marker he’d set beforehand lined up behind Blaze.

“You.  Are.  Too.  Old.  To.  Play.  This.  Game,” Jason grunted out each word, flames searing his lungs each time he opened his mouth.  His mana was dropping swiftly now, the pain intense and the damage outpacing his own regeneration.  Yet it was worth it.  He saw the fires grow, the chimes from the booth now wholly obscured behind the roar of the fire.

Jason’s right hand moved, the fingers twitching through the gestures of Custom Skeleton as the world began to slow, the flames barely moving, Blaze’s eyes glaring.

Just wait for it…

All Jason saw was a flicker.  A slight anomaly in the wall of smoke at Blaze’s back.  Jason immediately cancelled his channel and activated the crystals in his feet at the same time.  He was sent spinning off the right even as a massive blast of electricity struck home.  Blaze’s body simply exploded in a shower of blood before the projectile burrowed itself in the rock where Jason had been standing, digging out a deep hole that sent rocky shards flying in every direction.

Apparently, he’d been right.  Smokes and Blaze had set waypoint markers on Jason and Alexion – allowing Pewpew to track them behind cover… or smoke.  Even if she had seen Blaze’s group icon standing in her way, her previous shots indicated she didn’t care about collateral damage.  Not that Jason blamed Pewpew for that.  Their team could simply respawn.  They didn’t need to fear death.  And from the sniper’s perspective, it must have looked like Blaze had him locked down, her flames reducing his own visibility.

It had all gone according to plan.

“Guest number 1004, your ferry is ready!”

Jason looked up, blinking away the stars in his eyes and sweeping aside more notifications that cascaded down in front of him.  “Alexion, to me!  Now!” he shouted as he raced toward that booth, stumbling and weaving from what must have been a concussion – or possibly lack of oxygen.  Or maybe both?

The wall of smoke was billowing forward as Smokes recovered, his mist sweeping out after them, a rolling wall of darkness that stretched dozens of feet into the air.  Booms echoed in the distance as Pewpew fired frantically, the ground exploding around Jason as he darted from side to side with flashes of air mana.  He could only hope those gems didn’t run out of mana.

Alexion’s shield dropped and he answered Jason’s call, his wings sending him whipping forward in a blaze of light.

Jason reached the booth.  “I’m here,” he gasped out, his throat still burning.

“Fantastic!  Here is your ferry.  Please be careful handling club property and remember to keep all limbs and personal belongings safely stow—”

Jason didn’t wait for the rest of the instructions, only clawed at the hatch that had opened in the booth, grabbed whatever was inside and moved toward the edge of the club, Alexion moving to intercept him.  He was just in time as another blast took out the booth, the structure exploding apart in a cascade of rock and glimmering, fractured crystals, motes of fire and ice adding to the debris as those gems ruptured and added their own mana to the blast.

Jason hit the ground hard, only to feel someone lift him.  He looked up to see Alexion there, smoke sweeping up behind him – an avalanche of misty death.

“What now?”  Alexion shouted, lifting Jason from the ground.

“The… the ledge,” Jason answered.  That was the only safe space left.

“We can’t—” Alexion began.

But Jason didn’t wait for him to finish.  He could see a pinpoint of energy collecting in the distance, electricity arcing around the tower at the far end of the club.  At the same time, the smoke reached for them, forming a pair of massive, misty hands, the fingers outstretched.  He knew if it grabbed hold of them, they would be sliced to ribbons.  And even if the smoke didn’t kill them, Pewpew would – the girl clearly intending to finish this.

So, Jason used the last move he had.  He activated his feet once again and send the pair of them blasting out over the edge of the Mile-High Club and racing into the vortex that spun through the middle of the club.  Their bodies were soon obscured by the winds, tossed and bounced around as they were thrown into a swirling hell.

The wall of smoke slowed as it reached the edge of the club, retracting until it revealed Smokes lounging there on a sofa made of mist.  The makeshift couch transformed, shifting him upright until his feet touched down on solid stone.  He strode up to the ledge, peering into the tornado.  But he couldn’t make out anything moving inside.

“Damn, those guys are crazy,” he muttered.

Then he pivoted back to the tower in the distance, his smoke transforming into a giant thumbs up.  No one could survive that tornado – it was certain death.  Which meant his mission was complete, and it was time for him to “fast travel” back to the rest of the group.

Another blast echoed across the club.  But Smokes made no move to flee or dodge.  Instead, he simply took a long drag on his cigarette and tossed it into the tornado.

Then his head blew apart in a blast of blood and lightning.

Chapter 44 - Carnivore

Eliza screamed in pain, dropping to her knees.

The substance she’d just injected herself with spread rapidly through her bloodstream, quite literally eating its way through her body.  She knew what was happening – what had happened to every test subject.  The concoction consumed organic matter, using it to feed and replicate the individual cells, spawning more…. eating more.  A repeating cycle.  A feedback loop that would end with her death if she didn’t manage to stabilize it.

She stared down at her hand, her glasses falling away with a tinkle of breaking glass.  Yet Eliza ignored that – only let out another scream as she watched her fingers dissolve.  Pale skin was soon replaced with a spongy multi-colored substance that broke apart and melded back together, undulating and rippling like a living thing.

Mold, she reminded herself.  Her body’s cells were being replaced by mold.

The same mold that had almost consumed a small farm outside of the Sea’s Edge.

The same mold that had killed Brian and forced her to change him into something new.

But modified.  Changed.  Mutated.  Evolved.

She’d taken her original Carnivore Mold and gone further using Accelerated Growth.  Several hundred million generations if she had to hazard a guess.  She’d been forced to form a special chamber in the Sea’s Edge, one that would automatically cleanse itself if there was an outbreak.  She’d hidden her experiments away behind dozens of warded doors and shields.  There was no way she was going to risk a repeat of that first time – when she’d come close to destroying this entire world by herself.

Yet there was nothing protecting her now.  Pain wracked her chest, Eliza coughing but only puffs of spores escaping her lungs.  Red notifications were flashing in her peripheral vision, reminding her that her blood toxicity was off the charts.  Reminding her that she was dying.  As though she needed the warning…

“I wasn’t expecting much from you, but this is embarrassing,” Queen spoke up, her haughty voice echoing through the generator room.  Eliza managed to look up – even that movement costing her.  Her plants hadn’t reacted to the intruder.

Then she could see that Queen was freezing the vegetation around her, the plants turning brittle and frost coating their leaves.  She plucked at one vines.  “Oh, these?  Yeah, they aren’t as intimidating once you learn how to counter them.  You need to know who is going to show up to make them resistant to a specific element, don’t you?  We learned that after Barrow.”

A chime echoed from behind Eliza as she slumped to the floor, her head twisting toward the generator where Bard was perched by the console.  He dug into his bag and pulled out a crystal shard.  “Tombs told me you would work… so you better work,” Bard lectured the crystal.

Then he jabbed it into the console, the crystal spearing through the rock.  Mana blazed through the console and rippled out into the generator, pulsing through the lattice surrounding the storage cyrstals.  Two of the gems began to refill – at least, partially – glowing with yellow and sapphire.  At the same time, a familiar robotic voice echoed through the room.

“Cameras reactivated in subsections G-29, F-3, L-12…”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Bard muttered, staring at the generator.  “I wasn’t really expecting anything to happen.”  Then he noticed the camera that had flashed into existence nearby, pointed at him.  Bard only hesitated a moment before re-assuming his familiar clownish demeanor.

“Uh, what I meant to say is… I love it when a plan comes together!” Bard announced, striking a pose for the camera.  “Why are we in this dark room full of frozen plants, you might be asking yourselves?  Just a small, slight, minuscule deviation.  Nothing to worry about.”

He pivoted the camera toward Queen and Eliza where she was slumped on the floor.  “Say hi to our adoring fans.”  Queen just let out an irritated growl and another scream ripped from Eliza’s throat – this one softer, more muted.  The mold had taken over her vocal cords.

“Geez, what happened to you?” Bard asked, peering down at Eliza.  I was expecting some sort of epic fight, but you look downright awful.”

“Fuck… you,” Eliza wheezed, even that costing her.  She just needed to buy more time.

“Uh, yeah, I’m going to have to pass on that,” Bard remarked.  “No offense, mind you.  You just look like you’re a little underaged.  Also, whatever creepy plague illness you’ve contracted is kind of a turn-off.  Call me old fashioned.”

He turned back to the camera.  “That being said, Bard embraces all manner of lifestyle choices.  You should be you!  That’s what I always say.”

“First time I’ve heard you say that,” Queen grumbled.  She shook her head, turning away from her companion.  “But he has a point.  Why are you so sick?” Queen added, peering down at Eliza, her eyes narrowing behind her mask.  “Take one too many potions?”

“Prolly a bad trip.  Been there,” Bard added as he hopped up on the control console.  “There was this one time I took shrooms—”

Eliza glared at him.  Or at least in his general direction.  It was becoming difficult to see, the world turning a blurry gray.

Queen clapped her hands, startling Eliza.  “Hey, over here.  Focus.  I’m happy to end whatever the hell is happening to you.  I just need some help.  Just one tiny question actually.  Where the fuck is Finn?”

Eliza could only manage a weak grunt now, her throat and mouth no longer responding to her directions.  Pain rippled through her body in waves and her limbs shuddered and jerked as her eyes rolled back.  She couldn’t focus on anything – anyone.  Much less respond to Queen.

“She’s… far gone…”

“…damn it.”

Their words were disjointed now, only a few landing.  Some still sane part of Eliza’s mind knew that was because the mold had expanded to her head, her inner ear.  Next it would start to eat away at her brain – noises, sounds, and smells becoming distorted.  Confused.  Despite the horror of what she was experiencing, however, she felt strangely calm.  The world began to fade away into an indistinct comforting blur, the pain muted as the nerve endings were eaten away.

And Eliza drifted into that haze, relinquishing herself to it, closing her eyes and letting out one final breath—

***

When Eliza opened her eyes again, she was somewhere else.

The pain was gone.  Her skin was smooth and unmarred, her bare feet digging into rough sand, water lapping at her ankles.  An ocean stretched out before her, extending out endlessly toward the horizon, reflecting waning sunlight.  Yet there were no waves – no movement at all.  Only the faint few ripples caused by her feet.  Otherwise, the ocean was perfectly still.  And as that detail sunk in, Eliza realized there were no birds.  No sound of any animals.

Just an endless still silence.

“What is this?” Eliza murmured.

“Uh, I’m going to guess some sort of pocket instance meant to represent your consciousness… or possibly your magic?  I’ve never been much good at symbolism,” a familiar voice spoke up, causing Eliza to flinch, her body now trained to respond to the Hippie instinctively.

“Oh, come now, you aren’t even a little excited to see me?” the god of water demanded, circling her, but staying well out of range of the water that pooled around Eliza’s feet.

“Not exactly,” she grunted back.

“That hurts my feelings.  They’re hurt.  Badly.  I probably won’t recover.  And that’s after I ducked out of my super top-secret, VIP, god-only party to visit you.  Do you know how uncomfortable it is to be in two places at once?” the Hippie added, waving his hand.

Water materialized at his fingertips, coalescing into a reflective panel.  The surface shimmered and then resolved into an image of the Hippie lounging on a velvet-lined couch, using Fluffy as a pillow, and his eyes squeezed closed as though he was napping.  Around him, the other gods filled out the room, all eyes on screens along the wall – screens showcasing the Mile-High Club and Bard’s face standing over Eliza’s body.

“Are you… are you all watching us?  Is that… me?” Eliza murmured, the water rippling around her ankles more forcefully now.

The Hippie cocked his head.  “Uh, yes, and, unfortunately, also yes?  Don’t look at me like that.  I just felt like it would be rude to turn down my brother’s invitation.  We haven’t had a family reunion like this in ages.”  He raised a hand to his mouth.  “Besides, they have unlimited free peanuts,” he whispered.

Eliza heaved out a sigh.  “Fine.  What do you want?” she demanded with a note of irritation.

“What I’ve always wanted,” he replied with a shrug.  “To help.”

Eliza couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up out of her chest – the sound just a touch too manic.  “You?  Help?  Who exactly?  Yourself?  Some random person?”

He crossed his arms defensively.  “I did give you that bell in Sandscrit.  And sent you on that merry chase that helped create it.  And look how awesome that all turned—”

The Hippie paused, cocking his head as though listening to something Eliza couldn’t hear.  Another twitch of his fingers and a second panel of water coalesced in the air, showcasing two masked figures standing over Eliza’s body, her limbs spasming uncontrollably.

“And now you’re what?  Killing yourself with that same mold that almost murdered your weird vegetable-man and destroyed the entire world?  And that’s not me being melodramatic.  Seriously, you almost killed everyone.”

“I had a plan… I still have a plan,” Eliza replied evenly.

It was the water god’s turn to bark out a laugh.  “Oh, really?  What is it then?  Die at your enemies’ feet while they record the whole thing?  Did you know that almost every traveler in the world is currently watching you turn into a puddle of gray goop?  That’s a weird plan, I have to admit.”

As the god spoke, translucent panels sprang up around her, the water rising out of the ocean.  Those discs soon showcased more images.  Travelers and residents across dozens of locations.  Cities, deserts, jungles, and forests.  In each one, those men and women watched the events unfolding in the club; watched her dying on screen for their amusement.

Eliza could feel a spark of anger as she watched those scenes play out.  Watched players laugh and rib one another as they pointed at her.  Watched the timid little water mage curled up in helpless pain.  And as that anger rose, the waters at her feet began to swirl, spinning slowly at first, then faster and faster and faster.

What had she been thinking?  Trying this formula?  It had only worked in one out of ten trials and even then, her test subject had gone insane.

“Did you think you were different?” the Hippie taunted.  “Special?  That your plot armor was somehow thick enough to stop the mold from eating you from the inside out?”

He let out a sad little laugh.  “Oh, honey…”

Eliza could feel that power surge through her again, the ocean’s waters shuddering now.  And yet, as that chill energy pulsed through her, Eliza noticed something strange.  Her body – the one back in the game world – its spasms were slowing, a faint mist of frost coating her skin.

Now that was unusual…

As the Hippie’s voice droned in the background, Eliza’s thoughts raced, her eyes riveted on that screen.  The one test subject that had survived her experiments…  What had it been?  Some sort of fish creature that lived in the depths of the ocean.  It had mana crystals lining its fins and could freeze the water around it – creating a spikey cage that protected it from other predators.  It had used the same ability while the mold was eating into it – the particles eventually stabilizing…

“It’s the cold,” Eliza murmured.

“Huh?  What are you on about now?” the Hippie replied.  His face suddenly popped up in front of her, inspecting her closely.  “Oh, did you have an epiphany?  Some sort of divine inspiration caused by my majestic presence?”

Eliza’s hands balled into fists, her mana surging once more as she resisted the urge to punch her idiot deity.  Like this asshole had actually helped with anything…  Then she froze, seeing the waters of the ocean undulating now and her body back in the club stabilizing further.  Her anger must be summoning her mana… summoning the Ice Witch – just like she had done with Finn.  Or back in Sandscrit.  She needed to lean into that, to feed that rage.

“Maybe,” Eliza said softly, turning her attention back to the god.  “My anger, my mana, it’s helping to stabilize the mold.  I need more.”

“Uh, what exactly are you asking me to do?”

“What you always do.  Be an irritating pain in my ass,” Eliza grunted, annoyance tinging her voice.  For once, could this insipid idiot actually help her?  Instead of playing games?

A sly smile crept across the Hippie’s face as her mana surged once more.  “Oh, I can definitely help with that.”

He loomed closer.  “Look at me, the god that forced this fate upon you, who shoved you out into the world without your permission, that forced you from your safe and peaceful garden, that set you on that path that nearly killed Brian.  Don’t you just want to hit me?  Punch my stupid face until I can’t speak?”

Eliza’s fists clenched harder, her anger rising.  Even though she knew he was baiting her, his words still rang true.  He had foisted all of this upon her.

“And now you’re just that same scared little girl, aren’t you?  No matter how hard you try.  You couldn’t speak to your parents.  Couldn’t confront Finn with what you knew.  Ran away from your friends.  And now… now you’re dying as millions watch you writhe on the ground, wallowing in your own weakness and despair.

“All because of me.”

Her anger was out of control now, a living thing.  A hurricane that swept through her body.  But it wasn’t enough.  The tremors were still wracking her body back in the real world.  This was how she’d felt in Sandscrit – angry but still in control – no longer willing to accept but still bounded and chained to her own anxiety and fear.  She needed to push further.

“More,” Eliza grunted, her eyes ablaze with sapphire energy, the ocean’s waters now rocking and swaying as waves formed and cascaded out toward the horizon.

“Um, I’m not sure…” the Hippie demurred, looking nervous.

“More!” Eliza demanded, her foot stomping the sand.  That one small movement sent the water hurtling back, forming a wave nearly twenty feet high in an instant, the water crashing along the shoreline and sending the Hippie backpedaling away.

“I’m… I’m tired of letting others make my decisions for me,” Eliza growled, watching the screens floating around her – those people laughing at her plight.  “My parents.  You.  Jason.  And now Finn.  Everyone feels like they can order me around.  That Eliza will just handle it.”  She stalked toward the Hippie, each footfall sending a wave rippling away from the beach, storm clouds forming overhead now – dark and dense.  “Even you.  Even when you were trying to ‘help’ me… you were still just manipulating me into doing what you wanted.

“And I just accepted it,” she said, the words coming out almost in a growl.

“Um, Eliza…” the god murmured nervously, still backing away down the beach.

The reason was clear – even if she was in no state of mind to pay attention to that right now.  The waters had risen, swelling like the tide coming in, pushing their way up the sands.  The water was drawn to her, forming a vortex of moisture, and the ocean was soon drained dry.  As it spun around her, the liquid began to freeze into jagged crystalline shards, spinning and spinning in an ever-widening circle.

The anger felt good – so good.  There was no fear here.  No anxiety.  No thought of anyone else.  There was only Eliza and her rage, those waters beckoning to her, asking her for more.

She could feel the energy around her – it was the ice itself.  Her own power.  She stared at it as it twisted and swirled, responding to her rage.  And, in that moment, she hesitated.  Her fingers rested only inches away from the blizzard that spun ‘round and ‘round, an icy blur that reflected those same images the Hippie had shown her.  People laughing.  Her parents muttering.  Finn’s face when she’d told him about Rachael.  Bard and Queen standing over her body – smiling, mocking, taunting.

The anger was helpful.  It summoned the water.  It pushed away her fear.  But that was the problem, wasn’t it?  She was afraid of so many things.  Of her parents.  Of her enemies.  Of her future.  Of her own friends, she realized as Finn’s face appeared amid the ice.  She was afraid of even making a simple fucking choice.  And at its core, she was afraid of herself.  Eliza’s reflection glimmered in the ice and snow now, her eyes ablaze with power.  A dozen versions of herself gathered round, just as Queen had taunted Finn with Rachael’s image.

The Hippie had been doing what she asked – taunting her to make her angry.  Yet there was truth in his words – one she was unwilling to acknowledge.  She was frightened by how she had killed all those travelers; how easy it had felt.  How she had earned her title, her place as an avatar.  How she had almost destroyed the game world – had nearly killed Brian.  She was afraid of that person.  Afraid of how others might see her – her parents, her friends, even strangers.

Maybe the time for that was over.  Maybe it was time to stop running away.  Anger would only get her so far.  She needed to do something different.

To give up her fear and accept who she was.  What she was.

“Eliza… don’t.”  The Hippie’s words felt distant, unreal.

She ignored him.  Eliza’s hands dipped out into the blizzard around her.  The shards of ice didn’t cut or slice or sever her skin.  Instead, the ice seeped into her flesh, rushing into her like a tidal wave and slamming through her like a snowstorm.  The ice drained at a rapid rate, flowing into her arms and rippling up to her shoulders before settling like a frigid glacier in her chest.  Yet she didn’t stop or relent.  She just kept going, drawing it all in.  Until her body hummed with that power.  Until sapphire energy leaked from her skin.

And as the last drop was absorbed, Eliza stood on that ruined beach.

There was only an eerie calm now.  An acceptance of herself.  Of others.  Of her past, present, and future.  A unity of purpose, the waters no longer placid or spinning in place but flowing forward on a path of her own making.  At that moment, she looked back at the Hippie, still standing on the beach, watching her with an anxious expression.

Finn had asked her a question.

What did she want to do?

Water leaked from her skin, freezing into panels of icy glass.  She saw it so clearly, reflected in the dozens of frozen mirrors that hung suspended around her.  Two masked figures standing over her body.  Taunting.  Two people that had attacked her and her friends.  That had hunted her, kidnapped her, and forced her to compete in these silly games for their amusement.

She hadn’t been able to answer Finn’s question then.

But right now, she knew what she wanted.

“I want to kill those two,” Eliza declared.

***

Eliza breathed out one final puff of mold, and her body went still, a thin coating of ice covering her.  It was a side effect that Bard and Queen chalked up to whatever had killed her.

“Well, folks, it looks like this fight was rather lackluster,” Bard said for the camera.  He nudged Eliza’s body with his foot.  “I guess the moral of the story here is don’t do drugs?  Or too many drugs?  Or maybe it’s more that she didn’t use the right kind?”

Bard glanced back at the camera.  “I guess what I’m saying is that when you find the right drugs for you… you just know, you know?”

“Uh… Bard?”

The minstrel ignored Queen, staring into the camera.  “It’s really a kismet sort of thing.  Like love at first puff, if you know what I mean.  You gotta keep yourself open to all kinds of drugs.  Let those drugs find you…”

“Bard!” Queen snapped.

“What?” he demanded as he whirled toward her.  “I’m talking to my fans—”

He cut off, his eyes going round and the camera spinning to follow his gaze.

Eliza’s body was… rippling.  That was the only word to describe it.  It was as though her skin was made of millions of tiny particles that broke apart and merged back together in an undulating wave.  At the same time, frost creeped across her skin.  The rippling became more even and controlled while a fine frosty mist wafted away from her body.  As the pair looked on, a sapphire glow suffused Eliza, starting along each of her limbs, torso, and head, expanding outward until she glowed a brilliant blue.

“What the actual fuck?” Bard grunted.

“I don’t like this.  We didn’t see this ability during our research.” Queen said, stepping backward to put more distance between herself and the water mage.

Then Eliza’s eyes opened.  There was no emotion shining there.  Nothing human.  Only bottomless pools of energy staring back at them.  Her limbs didn’t move; she didn’t shift her weight to regain her feet.  No, her body simply broke apart into a spiral of sapphire mold, the substance stitching itself back together swiftly – her feet, her legs, her waist, torso, arms, and finally, her head.  Suddenly, Eliza was standing upright, staring at them with those glowing eyes.

“Oh, to hell with this,” Queen grunted.  Ice formed around her, immediately coating her arms, and shifting down her torso in a thick armor.  Meanwhile, the world around them contorted, the generator room disappearing – only to be replaced by a ring of mirrors as Queen’s illusion took hold.  Bard and Queen vanished from sight, leaving the camera staring at Eliza, her image reflected in the dozens of mirrors that now lined the walls.

Staring at the creature she’d become.

Yet Eliza didn’t seem perturbed by the illusion.  A shard of ice rocketed out of one mirror, racing toward her chest… only to pass through her body, the mold shifting out of the way.  More ice followed, punching holes in her arms, legs, and chest.  Yet they did no damage, simply crashed apart against the stone wall at her back.

Eliza turned then, raising one arm, and lifting a single finger.

A thin lance of mold erupted from her fingertip, branching, forking, and branching again until it stabbed into the walls, creating a fractured, fractal pattern of mold all around her.  Queen’s illusions burst, the ice coating the walls cracking and the veil lifting.

As the spell destabilized, the room returned to normal, and the pair’s forms flickered back into existence.

Bard stood near the door, unharmed.

Queen wasn’t so lucky.  A thread of mold had speared into her stomach, coiling around her icy armor until it had struck flesh.  She let out a grunt of pain, a spot of blood on her lips.  Bard acted quickly.  He whistled, once and sharp.  A tunnel of air erupted from his mouth and struck the mold, blasting the substance away and against the nearby wall.  However, as he relented, the mold peeled itself from the stone and drifted back to Eliza in a fine mist, merging back into her body.

“You okay?” Bard asked Queen.

“No, not really,” she gasped, her skin looking pale.  She pulled her hands away from her stomach to see that there wasn’t any blood around the wound.  Although, tendrils of glowing blue now riddled her skin like an infection.  She gasped, letting out a hissing breath.  “Fuck, this hurts.  It’s like it’s eating me from the inside out.”

“Uh, got it.  Don’t let the creepy mold girl touch you,” Bard quipped.  He bit his lip.  “Also, I’m sorry about this, but tell Blaze we’re going to need some help here.”

“What are you talking—” Queen began.

However, she was cut short as Bard whistled again, this time directing the attack at her head.  Queen survived for a second… then two.  Then blood began to leak from her eyes and ears, and she slumped to the ground unmoving.  The mold swiftly ate its way through her body, her limbs disintegrating one-by-one.

Eliza raised another hand toward Bard, those glowing sapphire eyes locked on him, her hair floating around her in a glimmering, frosty mist, flecks and pieces of her body drifting away into the air.  The entire game world watched with bated breath as the pair faced off – the enigmatic Bard against this demon in the shape of a young girl.

The mold arced forward just as another whistling note filled the air.  The camera froze for a moment, locked on Eliza.  Then it turned, ever-so-slowly, toward Bard, only to find that the man was missing – a yellow haze remaining where he’d stood moments before.  In the distance, a whistle could be heard as he beat a hasty retreat.

The camera raced after him, tethered to Bard, and the world was suddenly a blur of gray stone and ruined furniture.  Then it slowed and stopped, the minstrel now standing outside, a yellow glow suffusing his body as he swallowed air to refill his lungs, a strong wind whipping at his clothing.  He eyed the building warily.

“I, uh, I think I lost her,” Bard announced, side-eyeing the camera.  “To be clear, that wasn’t me running away.  I wasn’t scared in the slightest.  That was a tactical retreat intended to regroup with my, uh, my teammates.  So that we can all gang up on the little demon girl—"

Bard cut himself short as a glowing blue fog drifted out of the structure, just a faint mist at first, then a steady stream.  As he looked on, it began to coalesce into a familiar form.  Only seconds later, Eliza stood upon the ruins of the club, wind pulling at the mold that made up her body, sending tufts of glowing sapphire particles spinning around her.  And those eyes were still locked on him – staring, calm, certain.  Inevitable.

“Oh, shit,” Bard muttered.

Chapter 45 - Faerie

Rogue-Net Forums:

Helium:  What the hell is that thing?  Is that… Eliza?

Tina: Here I thought she was dead, and she just goes and powers up.  What was that potion she injected herself with?  Anyone have a link?

No One:  Uh, no.  Best I can tell, she made whatever the hell that was…

xXShadowXx:  You all have it wrong.  This is a warning, folks.  This is what happens when you stay logged in for days and don’t shower… your body literally starts to mold.

Julie:  @xXShadowXx Now you’re making shills?  GTFO.

xXShadowXx:  User has been banned.  Post Removed.

Julie:  @xXShadowXx Reported.

Elijah:  That seems OP as hell, though.  I never saw something like that coming from Eliza.  It doesn’t even look like she’s using her mana well.

No One:  I know, right?  Nice to finally see Bard on the run.  That dude has some karma piling up at this point.

Ashley:  Right?  He just runs his mouth all the time.  I’m ready to see him get stomped.

Helium:  But what happened to everyone else?  Like, where is Finn?  Or, for that matter, what happened to Jason and Alexion?

Mateo:  Who knows – we haven’t had eyes on them in a while.  Probably dead.

Helium:  Don’t count out my boy Jason.  He’s about to get up to some shit.  I’m telling you.  Revenge of the avatars is at hand!  Just wish we had eyes on them right now…

***

“What the fuck!” Alexion screamed as the pair raced round and round the tornado, his hands clamped onto Jason’s arm.

For once, Jason was happy he couldn’t feel anything with his newly-enhanced limbs.  However, he certainly sympathized with the angelic asshole clinging to him.  The world spun erratically as they flipped and tumbled around the tornado at a frantic pace.  Notifications were flashing in his vision to inform him that he was disoriented… and nauseous…  As though the bile lingering at the back of his throat wasn’t enough warning.

Yet he didn’t dare vomit.  He didn’t want to see just how realistic the game’s physics could be by puking inside a tornado.

In his other hand, Jason still held on to the object he’d retrieved from the booth.  He pulled it to him, squinting as he vainly tried to get a good look at it.  It appeared to be a rough, cylindrical capsule, a lone glowing button on one side with some words etched beside it.

It looked like it said, “Press me.”

Not having a better plan, Jason did just that, slamming a bony thumb into the button.

The capsule immediately popped open along one side, and something small and glowing emerged, amber light spilling out around it.  Immediately, the spinning stopped.

They didn’t slow.  Didn’t gradually decelerate.

They just came to a screeching halt inside the tornado, yellow streamers of mana coalescing around them to form a latticed sphere of energy.  Not that Jason and Alexion were in any position to appreciate that.  Physics was still in full force, and they’d gained a great deal of momentum hurtling around the tornado, which was why it suddenly felt like Jason’s organs were hammering up against his ribcage.

And why that bile was now insisting on being forcefully ejected.

“Well, hello there, folks… oh, oh my,” a cheery voice spoke over the sound of retching.

Jason looked up, blinking blearily.  Both he and Alexion had finally gotten to experience vomiting from a few thousand feet up… while suspended inside a tornado and talking to what Jason could only describe as a faerie.  A real one.  It was about the size of his palm, replete with human features, pointed ears, and translucent, multi-colored wings.

“Did you two eat something bad?” the creature asked.  “Was it one of our establishments?  We haven’t had any food poisoning in… actually, what year is it now?”

“What the fuck are you?” Alexion grunted, wiping at his mouth distastefully.

“Me?” the faerie asked.  “Oh, I’m a Brodie.”

“No, what species are you?” Jason demanded.

“I just said that.  I’m a Brodie.”

Alexion and Jason shared a look.

“Is that like a type of faerie?” Jason asked.  “Or your name, maybe?”

The… Brodie just stared back.

“Okay, never mind,” Alexion muttered.  “Tiny skull, tiny brain.”

“What did you just say?” Brodie demanded, his eyes flashing amber.  Suddenly, the wind picked up, and Alexion gulped hard.

“Maybe don’t piss off the Brodie,” Jason suggested.

“Noted.”

“So, uh, Brodie, maybe you could help us.  We’re trying to navigate to the other side of the ring.  We were supposed to be taking a ferry—”

“Here and accounted for, sir!” Brodie interrupted with a salute.

Very Fast Faerie.  It suddenly clicked…

Not that Jason was in any mood to appreciate that with the pun-ishment he was enduring.

Okay, he couldn’t help himself there.  That one was pretty good.  He grunted out a laugh, only to wince in pain, his lungs not having fully moved back into position yet.

Although, Brodie didn’t plan to wait for him to recover.  With a wiggle of his tiny fingers, more spirals of amber washed away from him.  Suddenly, the whole group shifted, drifting further into the tornado until they rested in the center.

“Good gods,” Alexion muttered only moments later, his eyes widening in surprise.

Jason could agree with that reaction.  In the center of the tornado was a cluster of… well, Jason could only refer to them as street signs.  They were propped up everywhere, floating on small islands of glowing amber energy, tilted at odd angles.  One was floating sideways.  Another had arrows pointing in at least seven different directions.  It was pure, unmitigated chaos.

“Welcome to the VFF system, the transportation of the future!  We would like to ask you at this time to please fasten your seatbelts and secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments.  The safety of our travelers and others is of the utmost importance.”

“What seatbelts—” Alexion began.

However, he was cut off as Brodie suddenly swerved the group to the side, a block of stone the size of a small house careening through the space they’d just occupied.  They slid to a stop several dozen feet from their previous position, Jason and Alexion slammed up against the side of the glowing sphere.

“Hmm, that’s unusual,” Brodie remarked, eyeing the debris that swirled through the tornado.  “I should check on the status of the VFF system.  One moment please.”

“This batshit little elf is going to get us killed,” Alexion grunted from Jason’s side.

“Do you see any better options?” Jason whispered back.  “Right now, <Death and Taxes> probably think we’re dead.  And Brodie is the only thing keeping us from literally vomiting ourselves to death inside this tornado.  Or did you want to see if that was a possibility?”

Alexion just grunted but stayed silent.  Not that Jason could entirely blame him.  The events of the last few minutes had been intense and confusing, to say the least.

“Ahh, it seems most of the VFF is offline,” Brodie explained.  “My apologies.  But there is only one clear landing pad available.”  As he spoke, the amber dome began to whizz through the inside of the tornado, following a careening path between the signs.

“When you say landing pad…” Jason began, feeling the nausea rising again.  They barely skidded past a nearby sign, the edge clipping the amber dome, sending off a shower of sparks where it struck the metal.  Jason swallowed hard.

“Oh, I’m referring to only the latest and greatest in transportation technology,” Brodie explained cheerily.  “A solution that avoids any need for landing gear, equipment, or vehicles.  VFF stands to revolutionize the travel industry once it has been applied worldwide.  It’s truly an honor to work for a company with such promise.”

“Wait, no equipment?” Alexion demanded.  “Then how do we land exactly?”

“I thought you would never ask!” Brodie answered.  “We’re nearly there!”

With a wiggle of his fingers, Brodie twisted the orb to the side, slowing to a stop.

“What are we—" Alexion began.

Then they rocketed forward at an incredible pace.  Even with Brodie’s orb insulating them, Alexion and Jason were shoved backward, crashing into the back half of the dome of energy.  They raced toward the inner edge of the tornado, only continuing to accelerate.  Then they struck the whirlwind, the dome humming and flashing as the world dissolved into a familiar gray blur.  Rocky debris raced past, smaller stones bouncing off the dome with flashes of amber.

Only seconds later, they sped out of the tornado.

Yet their celebration was short-lived.

The group was racing toward another familiar booth in the middle of a barren courtyard.  And they were moving so fast the world was beginning to blur around them, leaving a hazy yellow trail of energy in their wake.  That dock was coming up quickly.  Too quickly.  Yet Brodie made no move to slow down.  Instead, he was whistling a cheery tune as a wide, vapid smile spread across his face.

“I’d have rather died in the tornado!” Alexion shouted over the whistling whine of wind.  “He’s going to smash us into a bloody paste at this speed.”

Jason could only hold on, taking a deep breath as the dock neared.  Only a few dozen yards.  Then a few feet.  Then only inches away—

The orb suddenly dissolved, and a large cushion of glowing yellow air appeared along the dock.  Jason and Alexion struck the material with tremendous force, but the pillowy substance blunted most of the impact.  Even so, it sent the wind rushing from Jason’s lungs.  And before he had a chance to recover, the magic blew away, and he dropped another foot to land on hard stone.

He let out a grunt, another groan coming from beside him.

“We have arrived!” Brodie announced.  “And we made fantastic time, I might add.  The VFF system is designed to reduce travel congestion and commute times!”

“I fucking hate the VFF system,” Alexion growled, shaking his head as he slowly rose to his hands and knees.

Jason looked up to find Brodie staring at the angel in horror.  “B-but sir, I have a glowing five-star rating from all of my guests… until-until now,” he muttered, tears in his eyes and stuttering as he tried not to sob.  “I-if you have any complaints or suggestions, I’m sure my Manager would love to speak with you.  Let m-me just ring her now—”

Brodie hesitated as yellow energy spiraled away from him, his sorrow swiftly replaced by confusion as he fluttered nearby.  “Well, that’s odd.  I’m not getting any response from VFF headquarters.”  Brodie cocked his head, his eyes suddenly refocusing on the area around them before drifting further down the ring.  His eyes widened in horror at what he witnessed…

As Jason followed his gaze, his eyebrows shot up.  Someone had destroyed this side of the ring.  That was the only way to describe it.  Nearly a half mile from their location, the stone had been eaten away.  Massive blocks of jagged rock now floated there, slowly being sucked into the tornado where they added to the swirling mass of debris.

“What happened to the club?” Brodie asked, his voice wavering.

“I, uh, I don’t know if there’s any easy way to say this,” Jason offered, rising to his feet with a grimace, leaning on the nearby VFF booth to steady himself.  “But I don’t think the club is operational any longer.  Actually, we haven’t seen any other staff at all.  At least, not until we met you,” Jason explained.

Brodie shook his tiny head.  “How could that be possible?  The club is the gem of the skies.  A true marvel of engineering and ingenuity.”

“Maybe it was a hundred years ago,” Alexion snapped, brushing off his clothing and armor and inspecting his wings for damage.  “But now it’s a shithole.”

Jason glared at him, and the angel shrugged.  He wasn’t on camera right now.

“It… it really is,” Brodie muttered, amber energy spiraling around him and tendrils of mana-infused winds racing out into the ruins of the club.  “And all my coworkers.  All of them.  I don’t hear any of their voices—”

He cocked his head.  “Actually, I do hear voices!”

Alexion and Jason shared another look.  If Brodie was hearing voices, it was either the other avatars or <Death and Taxes>.

Before Brodie could race off, Jason snatched him from the air with one bony hand.

“Hey!  Let me go!” the faerie cried.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Jason answered.

With his free hand, he reached into his bag and pulled one of his last remaining severed limbs free.  Another twitch of his fingers and Custom Skeleton took hold.  Jason trimmed the material down and formed a cage of bone and dark mana.  He placed Brodie inside and then closed the cage with a band of dark mana, sealing Brodie inside.  The faerie immediately clung to the ivory bars of his new prison, looking at Jason with overwide eyes brimming with tears.

“Why are you doing this to a Brodie?  My coworkers could be out there—”

“They aren’t your coworkers,” Alexion interjected, summoning his own armor and eyeing the area around them.  “Those are probably more travelers hellbent on killing us.  And you.”

Alexion motioned at Jason, and he took his meaning.  They moved to the nearby line of buildings, putting cover between themselves and the tower in the distance.  Neither of them had forgotten about Pewpew.  Right now, they had the element of surprise.  Jason seriously doubted anyone had noticed Brodie’s insane landing, not at the speeds they’d been traveling.

“Like he said, a lot has changed since I suspect you were last outside your… err, your capsule?” Jason offered weakly to the faerie, who was now sobbing uncontrollably.  He looked to Alexion for help, but the angel just shrugged.  With a sigh, Jason returned his attention to Brodie.  “Either way, you need to be careful.  If you help us and stay inside this cage, I promise I’ll assist you in finding the rest of your, um, coworkers.”

“You-you will?” Brodie asked, suddenly wiping away his tears.  It seemed his crying episode was already over.  Perfect.  Now they were stuck with an overly emotional faerie.

And here Jason had just been thinking that the one upside of Armageddon was that he didn’t have to listen to Pint’s nonsense…

“I will.  But first, can you tell me what you can hear?” Jason asked, leaning forward.  His eyes darkened as he channeled his mana.  Perhaps they could use this little faerie.

“Oh, well, it sounds like a man is talking to himself… or maybe to someone else?  It’s hard to tell,” Brodie explained, cocking his head as he listened carefully.

“What direction?” Jason asked, swiping at the air to open his map.

Brodie pointed off to the northwest.

That matched the location of Eliza’s icon.  However, it looked like Finn had wandered off.  Had the two been split up, or had they decided to part ways?  Either way, Jason supposed it didn’t matter.  If Brodie was picking up a man’s voice near Eliza, that could only mean that <Death and Taxes> had found her.

And with the way her health was shifting erratically, she must already be in the middle of a fight.  Judging from the scowl on Alexion’s face, he was thinking the same thing.  If she died, it was only going to be harder to get off this floating prison.

Jason placed a waypoint marker and then swiped away the map.  “Alright, we need to get moving,” he declared.  “Eliza needs our help.”

Alexion nodded, pulling his sword and shield free as the pair started forward.

Jason just hoped Eliza could survive until they arrived.

Chapter 46 - One-Man Band

“What the fuck are you?” Bard gasped, his chest heaving.

She certainly wasn’t an ordinary girl – or water mage.

Even now, Eliza remained mute, only glaring at him with those glowing blue eyes.  Each gust of wind caused the mold that made up her body to contort and twist, resettling back into place moments later.

Around her was pure carnage.  Broken rocks, half-collapsed structures, and piles of dust – the remains of the scrap timber and trash that blew through the club, the mold devouring anything that had even a trace of organic material.

Bard wiped at the sweat on his brow.  Even with his exceptional physical conditioning and endurance – a product of Dom’s intensive training – he was starting to run out of gas.  His stamina pool was slipping below half for the first time in a long, long time.  Sure, he hadn’t taken a hit, and his health was still full.  But that was because he couldn’t afford to get hit.  Not even once.  He’d seen what she’d done to Queen.

A lance of mold darted through the air, a sharp whistle scattering the particles as Bard sped to the side – his skin infused with a bright yellow glow – only to slide to a stop in the nick of time.  Eliza had feinted, encircling him with more mold that crept along the walls of the ruined structures.  He tried to backpedal, but Eliza was waiting for him – her body breaking apart and rematerializing only a few feet away.  A wave of mold rose around him, boxing him in.

Under normal circumstances, Bard could have jumped – leaped to safety.

But the club’s safety protocols were still online.

He raised his hands.  “Uh, maybe we should talk about this—”

More mold lanced forward, blasting away with a hasty whistle.

“Okay, or not,” Bard muttered.

He hadn’t wanted to use his Plan B; had been hoping to save that ability for later.  For the grand finale he’d planned – one fantastically dressed rockstar facing off against four avatars at once.  He’d dreamed of that moment for days and weeks now as they’d planned and schemed and prepared.  All cameras pointed at him as they faced off in a ruined coliseum.  His monologue was already prepared and practiced.  Hell, it had taken him days just to pick out the outfit…

Bard heaved out a sigh.  This wasn’t the way he’d imagined it at all.

A grown man – fighting a little blue-eyed demon girl.

Losing to a little blue-eyed demon girl, he corrected himself.

However, the camera was still rolling, the blue orb hovering at his shoulder and taking in the growing wave of mold.  It now fully encircled him, radiating out from Eliza, and spreading across the stone.  There were legions of adoring fans watching him get wrecked by this little water mage.  And his reputation couldn’t take a hit like that; Bard couldn’t take a hit like that.

He refused to go back to what he once was.  Back to being just… Adrian.

That simpering, weak, scared man, always thumbing at a broken old guitar in a backwater shithole.  And no, he wasn’t just talking about AO.  In-game and out, he’d been that person.  Washed up.  Listless.  Terrified at taking a risk and putting it all on the line.  At chasing an impossible dream.

Yet Dom had changed that.  Had changed him.  Had shown him he didn’t need to be afraid of anything.  That he could endure anything.  That he could stare death in the face and laugh.

Even if it happened to be the face of a little girl.

So, Bard took a page out of Dom’s book and stopped hesitating.

He pulled the case from his back, thumbing the catch even as the mold toppled in toward him in slow motion, a rolling wave of living, blue death.  He flipped the switch at the base of the guitar, a bright yellow light blooming into existence.  He raised his instrument – another gift from Dom.  Ignoring the mold that drifted ever closer, his fingers stroked the gleaming wood tenderly.

Then he looked up at the camera, a mad smile painted on his mask – matching the expression lingering just beneath.  He pointed at that blue orb – at the millions of people watching.

“This one is for you, Smiles.”

The first chord rippled out from his guitar in a wave, causing the mold to undulate, but failing to halt its advance.  Bard just kept playing, his voice soon adding to the song as air mana flared out from his body in a brilliant explosion of amber.  That energy condensed into phantom-instruments.  Drums.  A bass guitar.  A wind section adding to the strings.  An ethereal orchestra that encircled him protectively.

Those instruments all began to play, a rising melody lifting into the air.  At the same time, a prompt appeared before him, glowing with a soft blue light.

System Notice:  One-Man Band

You have pushed your musical talents to the limit, summoning the band you’ve never had.  For the duration of the performance, you will be empowered with all your currently known auras and buffs, and your instruments may be weaponized.  This comes at a considerable cost, swiftly draining both your mana and stamina.

Duration:  2 Minutes.

“You are now both the maestro and the orchestra.  Play on, brother!” – The Gambler

The song hummed through the air, the drums entering with a thunderous boom and another flash of yellow.  Air mana slammed the mold back into the walls with a wave of force, sending it crashing out across the stone in a puff of glimmering blue dust.

Bard reveled in the sensation.  Power practically sang through his veins.  His movement speed, stamina, health, mana regeneration, and physical stats had all skyrocketed.  His skills had all been empowered, gaining multiple levels, notifications cascading down the corner of his vision.  Even if it didn’t last long, for just a moment, he rivaled even Dom.

Which meant he could handle an avatar.

His guitar peeled, a concentrated cone of air slamming into Eliza.  Her form began to break apart - motes of mold streaming away from her arms, her shoulders, her legs.  Her body was body destabilizing - trying vainly to stitch itself back together but failing.  Another blast of sound, and she simply blew apart, her form swirling into motes of mold, a massive blue cloud that slammed against the building at her back before washing out across the stone.

Adrian used the respite to suck in air and refill his protesting lungs as he scanned the ruined courtyard.  Mold floated there in a haze, his instruments creating a protective dome of air around him.  Eliza was gone.  Vanished into the mist of mold.

But he had a feeling she wasn’t dead—

Mold erupted from beneath his feet, sneaking through cracks in the rock.

Bard moved in a blur, neatly dodging each tendril that darted at him as he danced around the courtyard.  His instruments let out blasts of focused air which held back the mold and deflected Eliza’s attacks.  She soon rematerialized near one of the structures, no longer covered by the adjacent line of buildings to the north.  A grin tugged at Bard’s lips.

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck the building at her back, smashing through the reinforced rock, and the structure began to crumble, caving inward toward Eliza.  Yet her eyes were simply focused on Bard, fixed on his face – no trace of concern or fear reflected there.  She maintained that stare even as the structure crushed down upon her, burying her under several tons of rock and her body vanishing from sight.

Bard tipped his hat at the tower in the distance.  Pewpew had come through.

And another timer in the corner of his vision had just struck zero, which meant—

“What the hell happened here?” Blaze demanded, sliding up and out of the stone.  Tombs, Smokes, and Queen were with her, each member taking a deep breath and shaking their limbs.  Traveling with Tombs was unpleasant, to say the least.

“Looks like Bard is having some trouble,” Smokes observed, pulling another cigarette from his case, and lighting it languidly.  “Are you losing to one girl?” he asked.

“Nope,” Bard gasped, trying to refill his aching lungs, his clothing torn and covered in dust.  “Just buying time for you losers to show up.”  Bard’s UI dinged.  The duration of his One-Man Band was still ticking down swiftly, and his companions were suddenly infused with the same bright glow.  Bard suspected they would need it to handle Eliza.

Speaking of the devil herself, Bard grimaced as he saw motes of sapphire drifting out from under the rubble.  “We don’t have time to chat.  You need to finish her before her allies arrive, or my buff wears off.”

“Don’t worry.  We’ll take care of her.  I have a score to settle now,” Queen announced, stepping forward and glaring at the rubble.  Frost bloomed among the pile of debris, the mold freezing in place and falling back to the ground, adding to the chilly aura that Eliza maintained around herself.  The cold no longer stabilized the mold.  Instead, it rendered it inert.  Dormant.  Eliza – or whatever she had become – was contained under that mountain of frozen rubble.

As she continued channeling her spell, Queen nodded at Blaze, and the older woman stepped forward.  Fire mana cascaded out around her staff before encircling her body and rippling away from her skin.

“Scale of 1 to 10, how hard do I need to blast her?” Blaze asked over her shoulder.

“20,” Bard grunted, earning him a surprised look.

Then Blaze let out a cackle.  “I haven’t gotten to go all out in a while.”  As she finished speaking, her mana flared.  But Blaze kept pouring more energy into her spell, giving it her all, while Bard’s buffs only enhanced her spell further.  A glowing spot of light soon appeared in the sky, another Meteor growing overhead.

“Jason and Alexion?” Bard asked, side-eyeing Smokes.

He tilted his head… then shook it.

Bard knew what that meant.  They hadn’t respawned.  Damn it.  That means they’re still alive and out there somewhere.  And Finn still hadn’t made an appearance.

“Keep an eye out then, and stay close,” Bard instructed Smokes and Tombs.  They nodded and stepped back, Tombs Phasing them into a nearby wall as they repositioned.  There was no sense in the pair standing out in the open.  There were other avatars still out there somewhere.

They needed to finish off Eliza quickly before the others could reinforce her.  The worst-case scenario was allowing the four of them to regroup.  Alone or in their shitty pairings, they were manageable.  Together?  Well, Bard had been having this recurring nightmare where those four crazy assholes brought the entire club crashing down to earth – with him riding front in center on that rollercoaster of death.

He might not be afraid to die, but that didn’t mean he was looking forward to it.

The meteor overhead kept growing until it shone brightly, a new sun blooming in the sky.  Blaze poured every ounce of mana into her spell, not holding anything back.  They couldn’t afford to take Eliza lightly – not any longer.  Those fires grew until the heat was oppressive, pushing against them even at this distance and sending off tufts of steam from Queen’s ice as she maintained her own channel on the pile of rubble where Eliza was trapped.

Then the ball of fire began to descend, and Blaze’s laughter mixed with the triumphant boom of Bard’s song.  She stared at the majesty of flame and destruction she had conjured, making no attempt to run or flee the impact radius.  It plunged down, down, down, the heat rolling across them in waves now.  So hot that Bard’s skin began to sear.  Acting fast, he redirected his instruments, creating a protective wall of air around his group that blocked the worst of the heat as the meteor plunged down upon Eliza.

100 yards.

Then 80.

Then 50.

The Meteor was a thing of glory.  Nearly fifty feet wide.  Molten flame tumbling and snapping along the surface.  The center had condensed down into a sludgy, white plasma.  There was no way that girl would survive the impact.

Yet just before it struck, the Meteor slowed and then stopped, hanging suspended in the air.  It hovered only a few feet away from the stone, and the ice was melting away swiftly now – forming puddles of water along the rocks.  Those shimmering blue motes began to lift away from the stone once more as Eliza began to recollect herself.

“I can’t keep up my spell,” Queen ground out, gritting her teeth and her mana surging against the heat that wafted across the ruined courtyard.

Bard wasn’t able to do much either.  He couldn’t even speak – not now as he tried to maintain the barrier of air to blunt the flames and protect himself and his guildmates.  He could only look at Blaze, his expression confused and demanding.  He knew she was nuts, but what game was she playing here?

“It’s not me!  What… what’s happening to my precious Meteor?” Blaze demanded.

Then the roiling ball of flame began to shrink rapidly, the fire flowing away toward the opposite side of the courtyard.  A new figure stood there – his head wreathed in a flaming crown and his crystalline arm held aloft, draining the fire mana into its depths until the limb glowed with a terrifying, blinding light.

“He’s stealing my mana?” Blaze shouted.  “I’ll flay you—”

She never got to finish that sentence.

As he finished draining her spell, Finn pivoted, that arm so bright that it left spots in Bard’s vision if he looked at it directly.  He could only see that it was pointed at them.  Bard dropped his spell instantly, snatching Queen as he raced away in a blur – the timer on his One-Man Band ticking down to zero.  He hit the ground and slid as the spell ended abruptly, just barely avoiding the massive beam of molten energy that speared from Finn’s arm.

It obliterated Blaze, her body burning away to ash in a mere second, leaving only a pile of smoking embers in her wake.  Then it carved into the rock of the platform, eating away at the warded stone at an incredible pace.  A blast echoed in the distance, a flash of lightning cutting through the air.

Thank god, Pewpew—

Bard cut that thought short, gaping in shock as he saw Finn pivot, his movements far too quick and flames rolling across his body.  Haste, he realized belatedly.  That beam pivoted at the same time, arcing up toward that projectile.  It evaporated the missile in an instant, but the beam kept going.  It cut across the length of the club, stretching nearly a quarter of a mile, before striking the tower in the distance.  It cut into the stone, then through it, slicing the spire in half.

Bard could only stare as the beam sputtered out, a dark line now cutting a diagonal across the tower.  He held his breath.  Had Finn damaged the generator?  Had he destroyed the tower?  Then he felt his stomach lurch as the stone began to crumble and crack, collapsing in on itself as the top portion of the tower began to give way…

“Oh, shit,” Bard muttered.

“What are you—” Queen began, freezing as she followed his gaze.

Not that they had time to appreciate the destruction Finn had just caused.  He might have just inadvertently undermined all of their plans.  Mold was streaming out from beneath the nearby pile of rubble.  Then, all at once, it rushed forward.  Bard tried to move, but he was too slow.  The distraction cost him.  The mold barely touched his ankle, just a few motes against a slender patch of bare skin.

But it was enough.

A searing pain bloomed in his leg, the mold rapidly expanding as it ate into his muscle, worming its way toward his circulatory system.  He had just a few seconds before it would reach his bloodstream, after which he was doomed.

He looked up and saw the same realization in Queen’s eyes.  He had less than a minute at most.  No more.  “Don’t worry, I’ll make this death count,” Bard grunted.  He felt her lean forward and touch that leg, ice coating the skin – supporting the leg and slowing the infection.

Then Bard was on his feet, leaning on Queen for support.  At the same time, Smokes and Tombs phased out of the nearby wall and entered the fray, the smoke hovering in the air from Finn’s spell suddenly collecting and condensing, forming a gray wall that encircled the area, boxing in Eliza where she was pinned under the rock.

“What’s our play here?” Smokes grunted, barely maintaining the wall of smoke.  Even now, the mold streamed from the stones, trying to shift around the edges of his wall and find a crack in his defenses – the smoke vibrating roughly to destabilize the mold and keep it contained.

“We try to take one of them out,” Bard grunted.  “I suggest the flaming asshole up there now that Blaze is down.  It’ll take her too long to get back here.”

“You want to handle him while Queen covers you, Tombs?” Bard asked, turning.

However, Tombs stood frozen in place… his body not moving… his eyes not blinking.  As Bard watched, Tombs slumped to the ground, then his head slid free, slipping away, and hitting the ground with a heavy thud, blood pouring out along the rocks.  Behind him stood Jason and Alexion, battered, bloody, and bruised but still very much alive.

Bard cocked his head.  It looked like Jason was holding a tiny bone cage with a winged creature inside.  The weird little faerie had the audacity to wave at him and smile.  “Hi, I’m Brodie!  Are you enjoying your stay in the club?” he called out enthusiastically.

“Shut it, Brodie.  It’s not the time,” Jason grunted.

“That’s right.  This time, you assholes aren’t getting away,” Alexion bit out, light flaring across his body before spreading to the others, enveloping them with his buffs.  The walking nightlight had apparently gotten over his issues with teamwork.

Fantastic, Bard grumbled to himself.

Jason paced forward slowly, a Soul Blade arcing away from each bony arm, dark mana radiating out away from him and crawling across his skin.  Bard’s eyes widened.  Since when were his hands made of exposed bone?  And how was he casting those Soul Blades without his staff?  This wasn’t good – this wasn’t good at all.

Pewpew is out of commission, Bard realized – double-checking his UI.  That blast from Finn must have taken her out.  That was the only way to explain how team Midnight Sparkle had managed to sneak up on them like that.  Even now, the tower in the distance was still slowly collapsing, rubble tumbling away from the structure as the top of the spire slid free.

However, Bard’s brow furrowed as he saw the tower slow… then stop.

Then, wonder of wonders, it began to move backward, rising ever-so-slowly.

The stone crumbled away from the base, still rising, debris now raining out around the tower in a halo of rock and dust.  A band of blue sky soon appeared between the two sections.  And in between them stood a monster of a man – a man who was lifting several tons of rock with his bare hands.  Smiles slowly lowered himself, then heaved with his legs, sending the top of the tower hurtling up into the air, racing toward their position.  Their opponent’s backs were turned to that incredible scene, but each remarkable moment was caught by the camera floating at Bard’s shoulder.

Queen was following his gaze.  She side-eyed Bard.

“We keep ‘em contained?”

He nodded.  “If we can.”

“Got it.”

Then she was casting, Queen’s magic flaring as she dumped the remainder of her mana into one final spell.  Ice rocketed outward from her location, racing across the stone, encasing Jason and Alexion’s ankles before sliding up the walls of the nearby buildings, forming an immense barrier around their location and trapping the group inside.  At the same time, Smokes pulled his spell away from the rubble, Eliza no longer contained.  Instead, he pushed that smoke out to the wall of ice, helping to reinforce and block line of sight.

Jason simply pulled his legs free with a blast of air mana.

Alexion was just behind him, smashing at the ice with the edge of his shield.

Finn was moving closer, the metal bracelets along his arms melting away and forming into glowing spheres that orbited him, his eyes blazing with fire.

Motes of glowing sapphire were rising from the ruined rubble, shaking off the ice as Eliza’s body began to reform, those glowing blue eyes still fixed on Bard.  She hadn’t forgotten her goal.

“What can I say, the ladies just love musicians,” Bard muttered weakly.

And in the center of it all stood Bard, Smokes, and Queen.  Bard’s stamina and mana were almost entirely depleted from One-Man Band, his regeneration attempting to feebly restore his resources.  He could barely move, his leg no longer able to support his weight.  Queen was standing, but her arm hung limp and blood dripped from her fingers, her mana gone – leaving nothing to defend herself.  Smokes was doing all he could to maintain the barrier around them, throwing the rest of his mana pool at the smoke that hovered around them protectively.

Bard let out a hissing breath as he felt the mold rising higher, the burn creeping up his thigh and into his stomach as it entered his blood stream.  “That… that wasn’t too shabby,” he admitted, his voice coming in a rasp.  “I didn’t expect the surprise attack.  Or team Midnight Sparkle to show up,” he offered with a nod at Jason and Alexion.  “That… that was a good… twist.”

Shit it was getting hard to speak now.

“Anything else you want to say?” Jason demanded, his voice cold as ice, darkness encircling each scythe.  “Last chance.”

Bard swallowed hard, buying time.  “Yeah,” he grunted.

He raised his eyes to meet Jason’s.  “You should look up.”

He had the privilege of seeing that kid’s cowled face crane upward, the shock rippling back through his body as he saw the top of the tower hurtling through smoke lingering around the courtyard.  Too late to flee.  Too late to stop it.  A grin drifted across Bard’s face, even as his own death loomed close, not a single member of their group flinching away from what was coming.  Only a trio of smiling masks watching their demise race toward them.

They’d died before and they’d do it again.

All with a smile on their faces.

Then the tower slammed home and the world went dark.

System Message

You have died.

Thanks for playing Awaken Online!

Chapter 47 - Bounce

“What the hell was that?” the Lady grunted, breaking the silence in the room.  All the displays hanging against the far wall had gone dark and silent.

“Clearly, some giant man threw a tower at our team,” the Hippie added helpfully, earning him a glare from the light deity.  “Or the top of a tower, technically.”

“Yes, I saw that… but it begs the question of how,” the Lady snapped.  She glared at the Gambler, her eyes pulsing with holy energy.

“Or we could talk about that little girl that turned into a demon,” the Gambler drawled, swirling the contents of his glass, the ice clinking along the edges.  He looked to the Hippie.  “I sense some of your meddling, brother.”

“Me?” the Hippie asked in mock offense, pressing a hand to his chest.  “Did you hear that Fluffy?  They’re questioning our honor!  Besides, I’ve been here the whole time… making a decent dent in your supply of nuts, no less.  Speaking of which—”  His finger tapped against his dish and Oscar let out a sigh before trudging back to the bar.

“Your ability with illusions is well known,” the Gambler remarked.  “For someone like yourself, I imagine it would be easy to be in two places at once.”

The Hippie cocked his head.  “Huh, that’s actually a great idea!  I wish I’d thought of it.  No wonder you’re doing so well for yourself.  Someday I hope to be as talented as my dear, big brother,” the god added with a naïve smile, one absent of any trace of duplicity.

“Yeah, you can save it, you little cheat—”

“Perhaps we should put the bald accusations aside,” the Old Man interrupted.  “Unless you have some proof of meddling, of course?”

With a weary sigh, the Gambler tipped back his glass, taking another long pull.  Then he looked back at those screens, his eyebrow twitching – the only indication that watching his champions lose to a little demon girl and then get smashed to death had bothered him.

“At least that fight ended terribly for both sides,” the Gambler muttered.

“I’m not so certain of that,” the Seer intoned.

The Gambler snorted.  “We’ll see.”

The fire goddess inspected him closely.  “Although, I am curious about something else.”  She waved her hand at the screens, one of the displays rewinding rapidly until it came to rest on an image of Jason, a small creature hovering just over his shoulder.  “I thought the races had been extinguished…”

With a grimace, the Gambler downed the rest of his drink, tapping at the glass.  Oscar was in the middle of dragging a massive bowl of nuts across the floor, only to stop, look back and forth between the bowl and the god of air before trudging back to the bar yet again, his shoulders slumped and defeated.

“What?” the Gambler asked, noticing all his siblings watching him now.  “I guess one stowed away or something.  He must have been missed during the audit.”

“You left one of your kind suspended in a capsule… for a hundred years?” the Hippie asked.  “I mean, even for me that would be pretty cruel.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” the Gambler muttered, eyeing the black creatures around the room more nervously now, those animals now staring at him as well.

“No, you only brainwashed those simple little fairies into your corpo-bullshit and then forgot a few when you shut down the club,” the Hippie retorted, clapping his hands slowly.  “That’s sooooo much better.”  He hesitated.  “Although, it does make one wonder what happened to the rest of your people.”  The Hippie leaned forward, his eyes gleaming sapphire.

“You know what happened,” the Gambler grunted, nodding at Oscar as he snatched another glass from the rat, the creature slumping against the couch and breathing hard.  “The humans drove our kind from this world.  The races vanished.  And without them, magical knowledge and ability deteriorated across five generations, weakening those same humans.”

He waved at the screens and they shifted, now showcasing the destruction being waged across the game world as more and more rifts opened and deposited elemental creatures.  Travelers fought those creatures, dying over and over in a rain of hellfire, ice, and lightning.  Ripped apart by undead monstrosities and cut down by beams of angelic light.  Yet they returned in a flash of multi-colored light, soon rejoining those endless battles.

“Which explains why even these travelers can’t prevent what’s coming.  They’re only as strong as their teachers… who are pitiful shadows of their former glory,” the Gambler muttered.

He glanced back at his siblings.  “As for me, you all know that the board was wiped clean.  A level playing field for all.  A Great Reset if you will – the true Kingdom of Nerfle,” he chuckled plucking the fresh glass from the table beside him just as Oscar set it down.

“We’ve all searched and found none of our people – not even the bodies.  And yet… some of your faeries survived,” the Old Man intoned.  “And this after we discover you somehow managed to salvage your former city as well.”  He hesitated, watching the gambler.  “What else are you hiding, brother.  What else have you squirreled away to weight the scales in your favor?”

“You may be getting paranoid in your old age… brother,” the Gambler shot back.  “Perhaps you should give in to your desires and have a drink.”

“He’s hiding something more,” the Seer spoke up, her brow furrowed in concentration.  “But he’s obscuring it – creating ever more chaos to cover his tracks.”

“Or perhaps your sight isn’t what it once was.  I heard the travelers mention something called an optometrist back in their world.  Perhaps one of them could help you with your eyesight.”  The Seer simply shook her head, refusing to rise to his bait.

“I don’t care what he’s hiding,” the Lady growled.  “Only to see him put in his place.”

The Gambler raised an eyebrow.  “And pray do tell, dear sister, how do you see that happening?  We just witnessed my team and your little pawns get smashed flat.” At that comment, the screen shifted once more.  They now showed an aerial view of the former battleground.  As the gods looked on, there was no movement among the rubble – no trace of life.

“See?  Nothing but rock and stone,” the Gambler added.  “Except my team have a special skill set.  The ability to outrun death itself.  They will be back very soon and will by lying in wait for your pawns.”

The Seer’s brow furrowed, her eyes flaring with a fiery energy.  Then a slow, creeping smile spread across her face, flames whipping at the silks that wrapped her body.

“What?  What is it?” the Gambler demanded, glass frozen on its journey to his lips.

“You’re right, my sight might not be what it once was,” she answered, turning to meet his gaze.  “But I can still see that you’re fucked.”

***

A spark of flame bloomed in the darkness, revealing a newly-formed cavern with several tons of rock suspended above a small enclosure.  The stone shifted and rumbled occasionally as it settled – a difficult task when the rock was being held up by a legion of robots shaped like oversized basketballs.  They bounced in place, forming a steady rhythm, an undulating mass of machinery shoving up against a thick metal barrier – the only thing keeping the rock from collapsing entirely.  And all the while, they recited the same damn word over and over and over again.

“Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce…”

“Do these things have a mute button?” Alexion growled in the darkness.

“Not that I could find,” Finn muttered back.  He was bloodied and bruised, his skin covered in muddy streaks.  However, he was very much alive.  “And trust me, I’ve looked.”

More of the machines were bouncing up out of a hatch in the middle of the enclosure as they spoke.  Jason assumed that this was some sort of maintenance tunnel.  As the robots spilled out of the hatch, Finn’s flames wrapped their metallic bodies, melting them down into a massive molten sphere.  He then kneaded at the superheated metal, forming a thick column that he shifted into place with a flick of his fingers, the metal cooling and hardening.  Within moments, he had braced the panel along the ceiling.

Jason could only marvel at the feat.  That sheet of metal must have taken some quick thinking and reflexes – pushing Finn’s Haste ability to its limits.  They had likely avoided death by mere seconds.  The remaining members of <Death and Taxes> weren’t quite so lucky – the group now buried under several tons of rock.

“Speaking of which, I’m ready for a thank you whenever,” Finn grunted, wiping at the dust coating his face, only to smear a muddy track across his skin as it mixed with his sweat.

“Trust me, he needs it to help bolster his fragile ego,” Daniel chirped from his shoulder.

“Well, in that case, thanks,” Jason replied with a chuckle.  However, that move cost him, coughing soon replacing his laughter as he tried to purge the dust from his lungs.

Alexion just scowled at the robots that had still refused to shut up.  “What the fuck are these things?”

“Bouncer bots,” Finn answered with a sigh.  “Apparently, whoever designed this place had an unusual sense of humor.  They aren’t weaponized and were meant to subdue unruly guests without harming them, trapping them under a mound of the machines.  I’ve repurposed them now, reinforcing their hulls and giving them a boost in power.  That was all I had time to do before…”

He trailed off, waving at the rocks around them.

“Huh,” Jason grunted.  He glanced at Finn.  “So, what happened?

“The top of the tower I destroyed landed on us somehow,” Finn answered, swiping at the air to bring up his screens.  “<Death and Taxes> tried to break line of sight with that ice and smoke, but it wasn’t quite enough.  I managed—”

“Ahem,” Daniel coughed, a real feat for a fire elemental without a throat.  Or lungs.

Finn grimaced.  “Okay, Daniel caught the earth mana just before it cleared the smoke.  That gave me just enough time to pull you all toward me and summon the bots.”

That explained the burns along Jason’s back and shoulders.  Finn must have used his orbs to draw them in – not having time to avoid the burn damage.  Not that Jason was complaining.  They were still alive, after all.

“How is that even possible?” Alexion bit out, staring at the rock.

“Smiles,” Jason muttered.  Finn just nodded in agreement.

They had all reviewed the videos.  The leader of <Death and Taxes> was renowned for his strength.  Yet, as Jason stared at the pile of rubble, he was starting to realize that the videos hadn’t done him justice.  The force needed to throw the top of the tower at least a quarter mile.  Even with the height advantage, that was still incredible.

Jason shook his head, shifting his attention to one of his hands, the ivory crushed and the fingers destroyed – a function of nearly getting buried alive.  He was going to need more than a fancy new pair of hands and feet if they were going to win this.

“Anyone have eyes on Eliza?” Finn demanded, interrupting Jason’s thoughts.

“I haven’t—” Jason began, but stopped as he saw that same strange blue dust drifting up out of the debris around them, beginning to condense and solidify in the air.  Alexion and Finn reacted immediately, drawing on their mana to form protective barriers of flaming steel and glowing light.  They had all seen what Eliza had done – what she had become.

An instant later, Eliza stood there, blue eyes glowing and body undulating in a strange pattern, frost wafting away from her skin.  She stared at the group – injured and trapped beneath the rock – but there was no recognition reflected in her eyes.  Only a deep, cold indifference.  A chilly, murderous intent that Jason could feel in his bones.  She took one step forward—

“Eliza,” Jason said, pushing himself to his feet and stepping forward.  He raised his hands, palms open.  “It’s just us.  We’re friends.  Not enemies.”

The mold was drifting away from her now and she took another step.

Fire rolled off Finn’s body, more orbs floating up around him as he melted down his bracelets.  “She’s lost it.  I may need to put her dow—”

“Hold,” Jason grunted over his shoulder.

He took another step, pulling back the cowl of his hood and ignoring the deadly blue mold that floated around him as he spoke to Eliza.  “It’s just us.  You killed all the enemies.  They’re gone.  You’re safe.  You won.  You won,” he repeated.

At those words, Eliza blinked… then blinked again, some semblance of sanity returning to her expression.  She looked scared, frightened.  “I… I can’t control it,” she murmured, the words whispered and scratchy, the mold fluctuating wildly.

“Yes, you can,” Jason reassured her.  “You’ve already been controlling it.  Just relax.  We’re safe now.  You’re safe now.”

As he spoke, the mold slowly drifted back toward Eliza, returning to her body, more frost spewing into the air around her, a chill breeze blowing through the rubble.  Eliza squeezed her eyes closed in concentration and that cloud of frost compressed in on her, burrowing into her skin.  As her body cooled rapidly, the mold stitched itself back together and solidified into regular smooth flesh.  A few seconds later, her body returned to normal, and she began to collapse, suddenly too weak to stand.

But Jason was there with a small blast of air mana from his feet.  He caught her with one hand and gently lowered her to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” Eliza whispered, tears forming in her eyes, only to immediately freeze, turning into crystalline droplets that reflected Finn’s fires.

Jason’s brow furrowed.  It looked like whatever she had done to herself might be permanent.  And Eliza only seemed to be able to keep the mold contained by constantly freezing her body – probably a mixture of Obscuring Mist and another ice spell if Jason had to hazard a guess.  That was a precarious situation.  If she lost focus for even a moment…

He shook his head.  There was no sense worrying about that.  And Eliza was staring at him, searching for the same emotion that coiled in his gut… fear.  So, Jason assumed his stoic mask – the one he put on for the world – forcing a smile onto his face.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Jason replied.  “If anything, we should be thanking you.  You were taking on most of their guild solo.  It gave us the opening we needed.”

Eliza looked up at him a moment longer and then nodded.

“Opening for what exactly?  The opportunity to get buried under a pile of rubble?” Alexion interjected, earning him a scowl from Jason.  “Killing those assholes doesn’t accomplish shit.  They’re just going to respawn… again.”

A slow smile crept across Jason’s face.  “Not quite.  First off, we managed to regroup.  And we’re all alive.  So, we don’t have to worry about getting separated or trapped on respawn.  We also bought ourselves some time before they return and realize we aren’t dead yet.”  He tapped at his UI, a timer appearing in his peripheral vision.  “Roughly fifteen minutes.”

“But that’s not all,” Jason murmured.  “There’s also this.”

Jason pulled something from his bag – the reason one of his hands had gotten crushed, the reinforced bone having crumpled under a few tons of rock.  In the split second before the tower struck, Finn had dedicated himself to saving them all.  Jason?  Well, Jason had focused on recovering something else.

Alexion just stared at the object clutched in Jason’s remaining good hand.  A head.  One belonging to a certain member of <Death and Taxes>.  Tombs’ mask was gone.  His eyes vacant and glazed.  His skin bloodied and jagged where it once had connected to his neck and shoulders.

And yet… a note of macabre optimism shone in Alexion’s eyes as well as the rest of their group.  They knew what that head meant.

“So, who wants to learn what our opponents are planning next?” Jason asked with a grin.

Chapter 48 - Headless

“Bounce, bounce, bounce,” the robots chanted as they hopped into the room in a single file line before forming into neat rows along one side of the enclosure.  In the background, another generator hummed softly, its cores giving off a bright glow – orange, yellow, and green.

As they entered, Finn’s crystalline arm touched the wall, his fingers dissolving down into tendrils that speared into cracks in the stone.  Moments later, lights appeared along the ceiling, floating balls of light that pushed back at the shadows and revealed a dilapidated control room – not unlike the one Eliza had been tasked with defending.  The stone was coated in dust and debris was scattered about the floor, marred only by footsteps – evidence that Finn had been here already.

“Home sweet home,” the avatar of flame drawled.  “Make yourselves comfortable.”

Alexion scowled down at his own armor.  The previously polished steel was now covered in dents and dings, as well as a thick coating of dust, dirt, and muddy patches of oil – a product of crawling through those damn maintenance tunnels.  The passages had clearly been designed for the smaller bouncer bots.  Eliza took pity on him, summoning a small cloud of moisture and offering a rag from her pack – Alexion acknowledging her help with a reluctant nod before stepping inside and rubbing the grime from his armor.

“So, we’re hiding… again,” Alexion grumbled as he cleaned himself off.

“You get used to it,” Jason retorted, shrugging off his foul mood.  “Besides, we need to buy more time.  After <Death and Taxes> respawn, they’ll head to our last location.  However, it’ll take them time to search the rubble – even with Tombs’ help.  In the meantime, we can regroup and plan our next steps.”

Speaking of which, Finn had already turned his attention to the generator, a glowing display flickering into existence as he approached.  Eliza had slumped against a nearby wall, sliding down the stone until she settled against the floor.  Her expression was grim, and her eyes stared into the distance, watching something Jason couldn’t see.  Ever since her transformation into that thing, she’d been nearly mute and lost in her own thoughts.

Jason hoped she would be able to recover, because the fighting wasn’t over – just on hold.

At that thought, Jason’s hand drifted down to his bag.  A muffled voice came from inside, Brodie refusing to shut the hell up.  Jason had been forced to stuff him inside one of the bags just to get a little relief – even if that made him feel guilty.  But he wasn’t thinking of Brodie right now.  No, Jason was considering his next step.  They needed more information.

And now he had a safe place to gather it.

Jason pulled Tombs’ head from his bag, shoving the debris off a nearby table, the trash clattering against the floor.  Then he set the head on the surface.  He drew in a deep breath.  Diving into another’s mind could be deeply unpleasant.  Confusing, chaotic images.  Stray thoughts and errant memories.  It was disordered chaos.

And that was putting aside the moral implication of invading a person’s privacy…

Jason was aware he was a hypocrite.  George Lane had simply threatened to invade their minds.  And now, Jason had been forced to do it twice in so many days.

But there was nothing for it…

He reached forward, his fingers touching Tombs’ temples.  A dark sludge erupted from his fingertips, trickling across pale skin before invading Tombs’ nose, ears, and mouth.  That darkness slithered into the depths of Tombs’ skull, leaving no place untouched as Jason closed his eyes, allowing the spell to fully take hold—

***

Sometime later, Jason sucked in a deep breath, his eyes snapping open.

He looked around, slightly disoriented, and leaned heavily against the table, his legs suddenly feeling weak and unresponsive.

“Finally,” Alexion grunted.

“How long was I out?” he croaked, his throat suddenly dry.  When had that happened?

“10 minutes,” Finn grunted.  “You get anything good?”

Jason grimaced.  “Bits and pieces.  Smiles was already compartmentalizing information among the members of his guild – afraid of some sort of mental attack.  However, after the events in Barrow, he became even more paranoid.  He stopped explaining anything to his guildmates.  As a result, Tombs only had pieces.”

He raised his eyes to meet Finn’s gaze.  “But I still know more than I did before.  Tombs was tasked with bringing the generators back online.  His Phasing ability made it easy for him to access these rooms.  He brought along his teammates to help charge the cores.”

Finn’s brow furrowed in confusion.  “How did that kid know where to go?  Or how to repair the generators?”

Jason shook his head.  “The guild has a full blueprint of this club.  I’m guessing the air deity might have bent the rules a bit there.  Tombs also spent several weeks studying in the mage city of Vaerwald.  The Great Library there still contained a few accounts of this technology,” Jason added, waving at the generator.

“A few weeks?” Alexion echoed.

Jason nodded.  “This wasn’t a hastily thrown together plan.  They’ve been preparing since long before we received the first quest notice.  Studying us, training, preparing.”

“I thought as much,” Finn muttered, eyeing the generator behind him and the bouncer bots nearby with a grimace.

“So, what’s their play here?  Did you find anything that can actually help us?” Alexion snapped, pushing away from the nearby wall, and pacing the room impatiently.

“Sort of,” Jason answered, eyeing Eliza where she was still staring at the floor.  “We disrupted their plan.  But they managed to get what they needed.  Those games served a purpose.  The club doesn’t charge a specific mana toll like the pedestals in Vaerwald.  Instead, those big buildings are designed to absorb a fraction of any ambient mana cast inside.”

“Huh,” Finn murmured, glancing at the generator.  “It seems whoever built this place repurposed the tech then.”  At Jason’s curious glance, he heaved out a sigh.  “I’ve seen this technology before in an abandoned facility far to the south of Sandscrit.”  He raised his crystalline arm.  “I even took home a souvenir.  I call this material Nuerogem.  It conducts mana extremely well and is malleable.  This club is riddled with it.”

Finn looked back at the generator.  “Yet instead of pulling ambient mana from the atmosphere, they must have created a lattice of neurogem panels in each of those rooms,” he murmured, half talking to himself.  “That way, they were stealing from people – not the gods themselves.”

“You want to run that one by us again?” Alexion grumbled.

Finn let out a sigh.  “So, the gods absorb a fraction of each person’s mana.  Around 10% give or take.  This also comes with a similar stat loss.  We’re sure this is the case, because once a person’s Najima – the focal points for their mana – are removed, they can no longer produce mana on their own and their stats adjust accordingly.”

“Bullshit,” Alexion snapped.  “There’s no way to remove a person’s mana.”

Finn raised an eyebrow.  “Julia has undergone the process.”

Alexion just stared at him, his mouth opening and then closing.  He must have decided from the look on Finn’s face that this line of questioning was dangerous for his health.  It seemed Alexion had matured during their time in the club.

For his part, Jason just nodded.  That helped explain Julia’s physical prowess.  “So, you’re saying that whoever built that facility also helped design this one?” Jason asked.

Finn shrugged.  “Or they were just using the same tech.  Although, I’d love to know who created it in the first place,” he murmured, shaking his head.  “Either way, that all begs the question.  <Death and Taxes> were trying to collect mana… but, why?”

“That’s not clear,” Jason replied.  “All Tombs knew was that they weren’t trying to collect fire, air, water, or earth mana.  They had plenty of those affinities among their own crew.”  He glanced at Alexion.  “The key was me and Alexion.  They were trying to gather dark and light mana in relatively large quantities.”

“So, all of that bullshit we went through—”

“Was just to get us to cast,” Jason answered.  “That also explains why they didn’t send more of their guild members – just Pewpew and then Smokes.  That made the fights last longer.”

“So, they were just toying with us,” Alexion growled, his hands balling into fists and a fine sheen of light erupting along his skin.

Jason raised his hands.  “They weren’t just messing around.  Tombs seemed to believe that Pewpew, Queen, and Smokes were giving it their all.  If they killed one of us, so be it.  They planned to absorb more mana when we respawned.”  Jason just nodded at the scowl on Alexion; s lips.  “Like I said, this plan took weeks to develop and implement.  Tombs just didn’t know what the end goal was.  Only that he helped set up a generator in that tower along the northern part of the ring.  He also has memories of some sort of stadium or coliseum at the base of the tower… but that’s it.  Only Smiles knew the rest.”

“Damn it,” Finn murmured, staring at the nearby generator.

“Fine.  This is all some elaborate fucking game,” Alexion bit out.  “I can live with that.  But what about Evelyn?  Does Tombs have any memories of her?”

Jason cocked his head.  The memories rarely came to him in a nice, chronological sequence.  It wasn’t like watching a video.  They were a jumbled blur of images, sights, and sounds that he was forced to piece together.  “Tombs’ memories there are fuzzy,” he said slowly.  “He knows she’s here.  Somewhere near the stadium.  But that was someone else’s problem.”

“Go figure,” Alexion muttered.  “Smiles is just baiting his trap.”

Jason gave a reluctant nod.  It seemed that way.

“And getting off this rock?” Finn asked, turning back to Jason.

“Whatever they used to teleport us here is in the stadium,” Jason murmured, holding a hand to his temple.  He was starting to get a headache.  “Something to do with the gate pieces?”

Finn sighed.  “Of course.”

Jason just raised a questioning eyebrow at that.  For once, Finn almost looked embarrassed, shooting a glance at Eliza, the water mage finally looking up.

“I was doing some… well, some experiments before all of this went down,” Finn began.  “Best I can tell, the gate pieces are fragments of an old waypoint system that used to allow for instant teleportation between major cities.  They need to be charged with mana and attuned to another fragment.  The larger the fragment, the more mass they can teleport.”

“You didn’t think that was worth mentioning after <Death and Taxes> stole your gate piece,” Alexion demanded, his mana flaring around him.  “That had to be what they used to fucking teleport us here.”

Jason clenched his jaw.  He couldn’t help but agree.

“How could I have anticipated that they knew how the gate pieces worked?” Finn shot back.  “We just figured that out ourselves and there weren’t many of those gate fragments out there in the world or they wouldn’t have needed to steal mine!”

“Say what you really mean.  You didn’t trust us.  That’s important intel and we’re potential enemies.” Alexion retorted.  “So, instead, you ended up fucking us all.  What was all that about teamwork and working together, huh?”

“Do you blame me?” Finn growled back.  “You’re a professional traitor.”

“Say that again—”

Jason raised a hand, stepping between Alexion and Finn.  “It doesn’t matter now.  That ship sailed a while ago.  It doesn’t change our situation.  We need to get the hell off this rock.  And to do that, we need to work together.  All of us.”

Alexion was glaring daggers at Finn, but slowly backed down.  He paced back across the dusty floor of the room, each footfall kicking up a puff of dirt as he strode a steady ring around the room, muttering to himself under his breath.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Finn acknowledged, sparing a look at Jason.

“Yeah, well, we can add it to the growing list of favors you owe me,” Jason replied.

Then he heaved out another sigh.  “For now, the clock is ticking.  We need to come up with a strategy to get off this fucking club before <SAFE> destroys the game world.  Unfortunately, Tombs’ memories all point toward that damn stadium.  No gate pieces – no exit.”

“Can’t we just disable the club’s safety protocols and make a jump for it?” Alexion demanded, waving at the generator beside Finn.

Finn frowned.  “Unfortunately, no.  These generators don’t power that safety system.  Best I can tell, they are using the same generator that was collecting your and Jason’s mana.”

“Fucking perfect,” Alexion snapped.  “So, we’re walking into a trap,” he growled, light flashing off his skin as he made his rounds of the room.  “Yet again.  Every time we bring the fight to these assholes, they have another trap and another damn plan.”

“But we’re together now,” Jason offered.  “That helps.”

“Maybe if the plant girl here can go crazy again,” Alexion offered, slowing.  “We can just throw her in that ring, find the rocks, and get the hell out of here.”

“I… I’m not certain I can do that again,” Eliza squeaked, all eyes turning toward her.  Her gaze dropped under their attention.  “I received a new skill from that potion… but I can barely keep it under control – even now.  I’m afraid of what it might… do…” She had trouble finishing, a shudder wracking her body.  It seemed that experience hadn’t been pleasant.

And her point was valid.  If Eliza used her new ability but turned on them, they would be worse off than not using it at all.  The only way to contain her seemed to be to freeze the mold.

“Of course,” Alexion grumbled.

“I’m sorry,” Eliza squeaked again.

“It’s fine,” Finn answered, placing a hand on her shoulder and glaring at Alexion.  “You did more than enough.  Without your help, we wouldn’t have survived that last fight or managed to regroup.”  Alexion just snorted in irritation.

Jason grimaced.  He sympathized with Alexion.  That mold form that Eliza had summoned had been incredibly powerful – both offensively and defensively.  It had taken most of <Death and Taxes> just to subdue her, much less kill her.  But they didn’t need to rely on Eliza.  They just needed to accomplish something similar, pull their opponents out of formation.  Use their own tactics against them.

His brow furrowed in thought, an idea creeping through his mind.  The outline of it had begun to form once Finn had mentioned Najima – and his journey to that other facility.  The strategy that unfurled in his mind offered a possible way to kill two birds with one stone: throw <Death and Taxes> out of position and improve their own strength.

Despite the way Alexion had lashed out at Eliza, the reality was that Jason was probably their weakest member right now – even now that they had regrouped.  This environment was his worst enemy.  The one-off stat draining weapon he’d built for Alexion aside, he couldn’t buff the others and his combat capabilities were only average.  He also lacked the materials to summon or create an undead horde, or the time to harvest them in sufficient quantities to be a threat.

Jason’s gaze dropped to his ruined right hand.  But perhaps he could change that.

He’d been right before.  Alone, he couldn’t manage his race change.  Yet, with help, perhaps he could.  He had what he needed in this room: a healer, an alchemist, and a mage that could actually see mana and had experience with Najima.  They were an unlikely team of allies – a dysfunctional group of sociopaths, geniuses, and introverts.  But they had a common purpose; a unified goal.  They all wished to survive.

“You’re right,” Jason finally spoke up, breaking the tense silence that hung in the air.  Alexion looked at him in surprise.  “We have little choice but to enter that stadium.  So far, we’ve been playing <Death and Taxes>’ game and we will have to keep playing it,” Jason continued.  “However, that doesn’t mean we can’t play on our own terms.”

“What do you mean?” Alexion asked in confusion.

Jason’s eyes dropped back to his ruined hand once more.  It felt strange… what he was about to do.  He’d spent so long inside of AO alone or relying on a handful of close friends.  Asking for help felt difficult, especially when he was asking former and possibly future enemies.  But he had no choice.  Not if they were going to survive this; if they were going to save AO.

They would need to work together, just as Finn and Eliza had.  Even Jason and Alexion had begun to work together and utilize the synergies between their skills to create something new…

And terrifying.

“I have an idea, but it’s going to require all of your help,” Jason answered finally, eyeing each of them in turn, the lights in the generator room flickering softly.  “Even for me… it may be insane.”

“We passed insane a while ago,” Finn grunted, Eliza barking out an involuntary laugh at his comment – the girl adjusting her glasses self-consciously at her outburst.

“You say that now, but you haven’t been a part of Jason’s plans before,” she murmured.

Finn smiled at her.  “True.  I was only on the receiving end.”

“I don’t care if it’s crazy,” Alexion muttered, coming to a halt and crossing his arms.  “Will it help me find Evelyn and get us off this fucking rock?”

“I think so,” Jason answered.

“Well, then, what do you have in mind?” Alexion asked.

Jason cocked his head, letting his dark mana hum through his veins, the chill energy pushing back at his own doubt and fear, that energy bleeding into something different… a sensation that bubbled and popped and fizzed and had his heart beating rapidly in his chest.  That was excitement, a part of him reveling in the possibility of what he was envisioning.

“It’s time to put on a show of our own,” Jason finally answered.

Chapter 49 - Lich

The screen shifted and tilted, taking in the view of a darkened stone room.  The display pivoted, focusing on Alexion’s face.  He looked haggard and a streak of dirt marred one cheek.  At his back was a generator, several brightly glowing cores nestled within a lattice of crystal.

“Oh… finally,” Alexion whispered, looking away from the camera nervously.  “It took me a long time to figure out how to bring the cameras back online for this section.  I don’t have long.”

Alexion’s eyes met the camera, taking a deep breath.  “I need to level with you.  Here inside AO, you all know me as the avatar of light; a crusader and knight.  Hell, I’ve been streaming since the beta… And in real life, I’m the son of a digital king.  I’ve attended conventions.  Talked up this software and its merits,” Alexion spoke in a hushed voice, trying to keep quiet.  “But the truth is that this is just roleplaying – in-game and out.”  Alexion shook his head.  “Now it’s time for me to drop the mask.  To come clean as… well, just myself – just Alex Lane.”

He took a deep breath.  “I know many of you out there are facing elemental creatures.  Brigands.  Thieves.  PK guilds taking advantage of the chaos.  And in the real world?  Massive demonstrations centered around Cerillion’s headquarters.  Violence.  Riots.  Police in full tactical gear.  We’re seeing humanity at its worst.  Desperate, angry, and opportunistic.  I know you’ve all seen the horrors that this place – this game – can conjure.  It can bring out the worst in us.”

Alexion’s body suddenly went rigid, cocking his head as though hearing something.  “I’m sorry, they’ll be back soon.  I should get to the point…”

His eyes turned back to the camera, his expression dead serious.  “You won’t believe what the other avatars are planning.  In the face of everything… the threat to the game world, a legion of players calling out for a hard reset, and <Death and Taxes>, they refuse to concede.  Instead, they’re preparing some macabre experiment,” he whispered with a shudder.  “I felt everyone needed to see this and understand how crazy these people are.  This is the level of addiction that this game can create in its players.”

Alexion shook his head.  “I only hope this helps shine a light on AO.”

A voice called out from off camera, and Alexion whirled, his fingers twitching and a golden haze hovering across the camera before disappearing.  No doubt, he’d hidden it from view.

And just in time…

The camera pivoted as Jason, Eliza, and Finn entered the darkened room.  “You ready, Alexion?  We don’t have much time until <Death and Taxes> figure out where we’re hidden.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m ready,” Alexion managed, sparing a sidelong glance at the camera.  However, none of the other avatars seemed to notice.

“Good,” Finn grunted.  “I’ve tweaked Jason’s designs.  They’re complete now and we’ve finished harvesting some additional resources we’ll need.”

“What kind of—”  Alexion began, only for a group of bouncer bots to hop into the room, hauling a makeshift sled littered with severed limbs, leaving a long bloody trail in its wake.  “Oh, I see.  Where, uh, where did those parts come from?”

“I harvested them, myself.” Jason answered, patting his arm and leg.  Indeed, his armor was splattered with blood, his own presumably.  “Those are the extras.”

As he spoke, Jason began peeling off his armor, revealing pale flesh riddled with dark tattoos.  He stripped until he was wearing only a plain, dark pair of shorts.  His arms and legs had been repaired, his augments replaced with lean muscle and smooth skin – dark tattoos slithering across his body like living things.  As he removed his hood, Jason’s face soon came into view, twin horns jutting from his forehead and his eyes bottomless dark pits as he channeled his mana.

No doubt, numbing himself to what was coming.

Alexion just swallowed again, sparing another glance at the hidden camera.

But he didn’t voice a complaint as Jason stepped over to a nearby stone table.  The surface had been cleared, and the dust swept away, leaving only bare stone.  Jason perched on the tabletop as Eliza and Finn approached.  Eliza inserted a makeshift IV into each of his arms and legs, blood spotting on his forearms at the injection points.  She bound down the needles with a tacky resin, the material hardening quickly.  Those needles were attached to cords that wound back to a series of bottles perched on a metal rack nearby.  Their contents glowed brightly in an array of colors.

“Something to boost your Willpower, mana regeneration, improve your concentration, and numb the pain,” Eliza explained as she tapped the containers in sequence.  The shimmering contents of those vials soon trickled down the IVs before flooding into Jason’s body, the young man letting out a hissing breath.

Finn flicked at the air beside Jason, and a glowing orange screen appeared.  At the same time, Daniel flitted forward, the fire elemental scanning Jason’s body from head to foot with a beam of light.  Daniel repeated those scans every 30 seconds.  The nearby screen updated, showing a multi-layered image of Jason’s body.  The display of his arms, legs, chest, and head were overlaid with a series of colors – black being by far the most prominent.  It was as though a malignant sludge fed through Jason’s veins, only marred by the occasional burst of colors.

“These spots are your Najima,” Finn explained, pivoting the screen to Jason, and identifying a location in each of his limbs.  They looked like black holes on the images, those spots sucking up any stray gleam of color.  “This way, you can see what you’re doing.”  Finn’s fingers twitched.  “As you work, I’ll also cauterize major veins and arteries.  That will help slow the bleeding.”  As Finn spoke, two orbs of dark metal burst into flame and swept up beside him, refining into twin needs that glowed a bright red.

Finn glanced at Alexion.  “You ready for your part?”

Alexion spared one last look at the camera before nodding hesitantly.  He approached the table, his fingers moving through a complicated series of gestures.  Golden light bloomed around the table, enveloping Jason, and forming a dome of pale light around him.  His hands continued to move as he channeled his mana into the healing dome.

“Drop the mana a bit,” Finn instructed, and the globe of light dimmed.  “Perfect.”

“We have about 10 minutes until my mana runs out at this rate, even with Eliza’s potions,” Alexion announced.  “Less if I need to add additional power to the spell.”

“About the same amount of time on the IVs,” Eliza chimed in, checking her vials.

As they spoke, Finn tapped at the display, and timers popped into existence, tracking the duration on the potions and healing field.  “Well, looks like we’re all set then,” Finn murmured, checking the displays.  He looked at Jason.  “You ready for stage one?”

Jason just nodded grimly without saying a word, fear and uncertainty reflecting on his face as he reached down and grasped something off camera.  However, the mystery was soon solved.  His twin short staves came back into view.  Jason set one down, holding the other firmly.  A Soul Blade slowly slid from the shaft, a blade of darkness slicing through the air.

“What’s stage one?” Alexion muttered into the darkened room.

Jason didn’t bother to look at him.  “We’re transplanting my Najima – which controls my ability to regenerate mana and cast.  However, removing that energy alone isn’t enough.  The Khamsin outside of Sandscrit can attest to that.  Finn has studied the purging process extensively, looking for a way to improve or reverse it.  He’s determined that in order for the Najima to continue to gather mana, they need to be transplanted into living tissue – not mere crystal.  So, the first step is to create vessels for my Najima.”

“Using what exactly?” Alexion grunted.  “Just some skin or muscle—”

He cut himself short as Jason pulled his scythe blade close.  In a single sweeping movement, he sliced at his own chest, cutting the skin from stomach to sternum.  Blackened blood immediately pooled around the wound, and the skin began to stitch back together under the effects of Alexion’s healing magic and Eliza’s potions.  However, Finn acted quickly.  His needles darted forward in a blur of flame, each one running down either side of the wound, cauterizing the blood vessels and slowing the bleeding.

Jason reached forward with his free hand and pulled back at those folds of skin, revealing thick muscle and bone nestled beneath.  At the same time, Finn’s needles danced close – searing his flesh and smoke coiling away.  A few more rapid gestures and Finn helped pin the skin back before forming more of the needles with a blast of flame.

Jason grimaced but kept going, his chest rising and falling rapidly, but the young man refused to back down.  “Now for the muscle and ribcage…”

His blade darted forward again, the energy carving cleanly through flesh and bone.  Jason let out a grunt – resisting the urge to scream – the muscles in his arms and legs convulsing.

“Shouldn’t you be unconscious for this, at least?” Alexion muttered in horror.

“Can’t.  Not enough hands,” Jason grunted as he slid the section of bone and muscle free, more smoke coiling into the air as Finn’s needles darted forward.

“Health at 89% and stable,” Eliza reported.  She pulled her wand from her belt, slotting another vial and depressing the button on the side.  A mist of faint pink vapor drifted toward Jason, coating his limbs and open chest cavity.  “Topical anesthetic,” she offered at his glance.

“Alexion?  Report?” Finn grunted, not looking away from Jason and the screen beside him.

“Uh, mana supplies are good.  Nine more minutes at this rate,” Alexion murmured.

Jason just nodded, looking down at his own exposed stomach, his organs now visible and pulsing in time with his heartbeat.  “Finn… give me eyes?” he grunted in pain.

The older man nodded at Daniel, and several yellow highlights appeared in Jason’s abdomen, identifying several major organs – lungs, liver, kidneys, and heart.  Five organs.

“Vessels?” Jason ground out in another rasping breath.

“Right here,” Finn replied, canceling his spell, and setting six urns beside Jason.

The urns were each constructed from a mixture of reinforced metal and bone harvested from Jason’s former arm modifications.  It was necessary that his own body parts were used in every step of this process.  However, the surfaces of those dark urns were riddled with translucent, glimmering crystal – Neurogem that had been harvested from the club itself.

Jason’s eyes met Finn’s.  “I won’t be able to talk after this.”

The older man met his gaze calmly.  “We’ve got you.”

“We won’t let anything happen to you,” Eliza chimed in softly, placing her hand gently on Jason’s.  For his part, Alexion could only look on in silent horror.

Jason nodded, took a deep shuddering breath, then raised his scythe again.  He moved quickly, slicing into his own abdomen with surgical precision – cutting along the glowing yellow lines identified by Daniel.  An organ popped free, and Finn nodded at Eliza.  She reached forward gingerly and lifted it out of Jason’s abdomen.  As Finn moved his needles closer, the sound of sizzling meat filled the room, accompanied by a coil of smoke.  Jason let out a grunt of pain this time, his body jerking.

Eliza slid his liver into one of the vessels, glancing at her UI.  “Health at 82% and falling slowly,” she muttered.  Her eyes shot to Alexion.  “We need more healing.”

He grimaced, and as his golden dome brightened, the bleeding slowed.

Jason was moving again.  Slice, sizzle, schlip.  Another organ slid into a vessel.  Then another.  And another.  Jason was barely breathing now, each breath a wheezing rasp now that he was missing one of his lungs.  Yet they weren’t finished – not yet.

He raised his scythe, the blade aimed at his heart.  His eyes locked on the rest of the group, pools of darkness as his tattoos shifted and slithered faster.

Then he cut into himself again.  Blood bubbled up quickly this time.  Eliza and Finn moved fast, lifting the organ free and cauterizing the wounds as quickly as possible.  Even so, Jason’s health continued to fall more rapidly.

“58%,” Eliza said between gritted teeth.

“I see it,” Finn muttered.

“We’ve only got two more minutes with no blood flow.”

“I know,” Finn grunted.

Jason’s heart slid into the vessel.

“Wait, aren’t there supposed to be six vessels – one for each Najima?” Alexion grunted.  “We’ve only harvested five organs so far.”

Jason nodded in response, unable to speak now, his breath wheezy.  His arm trembled as he raised the scythe.  His body was operating solely on his remaining blood supply, nothing pumping the life-giving substance through his arteries and veins.  A thin yellow line suddenly traced across his brow, orbiting his skull.

Yet Jason didn’t hesitate.  The scythe dipped forward, carving through his scalp, and tracing that line around his head.  Moments later, Finn stepped forward, his fingers lifting free the dome of bone and skin from Jason’s head, revealing his brain.  Alexion swallowed hard, looking pale and sick.  Eliza and Finn weren’t much better, but they couldn’t afford to stop now.

“You’ll lose the ability to move after this,” Finn told Jason.

Jason could only blink in response, his arm trembling and weaving unsteadily near his head.  Then it darted forward one last time, slicing out a section of his brain.

Finn didn’t have time to hesitate.  He reached forward, sliding that brain matter into the last vessel.  At the same time, his needle darted forward, cauterizing with pinpoint precision.

“Health at 35% and dropping fast!” Eliza announced, her voice harried.

“Only one more step,” Finn grunted.  He pushed Jason back against the table, the young man now lying flat, his chest pinned open, his abdominal cavity and brain exposed.  Blood stained the stone and dripped onto the floor, Finn no longer able to hold it back.

“Finn?” Alexion demanded in a worried voice.

“Just keep up your channel.  Give him everything you’ve got left.”

Alexion obliged grudgingly, the globe of light flaring brightly.

Finn dropped his own channel, the needles falling to the ground with a clatter of metal.  But he didn’t spare that any attention.  His fingers were already moving again.  A series of crystalline cables rose from the floor – each one had a metal needle attached to the tip, the surface flickering with a soft flame.  Finn used his magic to position them over Jason’s body – across his chest, head, arms, and legs.  The other ends of the cables were attached to each vessel.

“Daniel.  Targets,” Finn grunted.

Yellow highlights appeared along Jason’s body, and Finn adjusted the injectors.  Then, he took a last deep breath.  “Dear gods, I hope this works…”

The injectors plunged downward, piercing each of Jason’s Najima simultaneously.  His body convulsed, and his muscles spasmed, throwing off Finn’s aim.  But Eliza was already moving.  She plunged another needle into Jason’s arm, and his movement soon settled.

“A paralytic,” she explained at Alexion’s questioning glance.  Just to be safe, she dropped a few seeds on the table and a droplet of glowing sapphire energy.  Vines soon coiled around Jason’s arms and legs, holding him firmly in place.

Finn adjusted his aim, and a sludgy darkness began to crawl up the crystal cables, staining them a solid black.  Jason’s mana poured through the crystal lines and into the vessels.  The tattoos along his skin shifted, collecting at each of his Najima and disappearing along with his mana.  At the same time, the jars began to suck in the faint light in the generator room, each one forming a miniature black hole as they gathered all of Jason’s mana.

His health was falling rapidly now – his life force and mana one and the same.

“He’s… he’s dying!” Eliza said.  “15%.  11%.  8%.  Still dropping.”

Finn just kept going.  “We can’t stop,” he grunted in return.

Then Jason let out one final, wheezing breath, and his chest went still.  Finally, the darkness faded from the cables.  His tattoos were gone, leaving only pale, ruined flesh behind.

Eliza looked at her UI, horror reflected on her face.

“He’s… he’s dead,” Alexion confirmed, his own mana depleting and the golden dome flickering and fading.  Eliza’s vials had been empty for some time.

“Yes, yes he is,” Finn said, his voice unworried.

He moved forward, his fingers twitching.  An orb lifted into the air and flattened into a tray that Finn gingerly set each vessel upon.  Then he turned, directing the tray to the other side of the generator room – an area draped in shadow.  Only the faintest humanoid form was visible amid the darkness.  Finn approached with the flaming tray in tow, the camera only showing his back and nothing more.

Working swiftly, he lifted each vessel and set it inside the creature along the wall.

He finished his work in mere seconds and stepped back, canceling his spell, plunging the room into a gloomy darkness.

Silence hung in the generator room.  Alexion, Eliza, and Finn, all watching with bated breath.  Finn shifted in place, Eliza’s hands coiled in knots, and even Alexion paced nervously – his eyes drifting back to Jason’s mutilated corpse.

Yet the creature didn’t move.  Nothing happened…

“It didn’t work,” Alexion muttered, storming across the generator room.  “I told you all this was madness.  What are we going to do now?”

Finn and Eliza didn’t respond; they could only stare.  At the ravaged and bleeding body of Jason – what was left of it anyway.  At the dark creature in the shadows, its body still and unmoving.  At their plan… unraveling before their eyes.

***

“What the actual fuck did I just watch?” Pewpew muttered, echoing what the rest of <Death and Taxes> were already thinking.

They were all still staring at the screen looming before them, wind howling past and the tower generator glimmering at their back – replete with a new sunroof courtesy of Finn-Fucking-Harris.  Onscreen, they’d watched as Jason cut into himself; as Finn drained his Najima into the vessels he’d created, blood still staining the side of the containers; as his teammates settled those vessels into something new…

Only for absolutely nothing to happen.

The screen had frozen on an image of that grotesque scene, the stream losing connection.

“Well, that was, um, anticlimactic,” Bard muttered.  “I was expecting more, you know?  Like some sort of undead death monster or something.”

“Maybe there really is a limit to his abilities,” Queen muttered.  She shot Smiles a look.  “That was pretty insane… even for us.”

“Speak for yourself, girlie,” Blaze added, although she was avoiding looking at the screen where Jason’s butchered body was bleeding out onto a stone table.

“You lot almost sound disappointed,” Smokes observed, taking a pull on his cigarette, the smoke forming a massive cushion on which the air mage lounged.  “Were you really rooting for that to work?  To fight whatever the hell he was trying to build?”

Queen just huffed, crossing her arms.  The others looked away, grimacing and frowning.  But maybe he was right.  There was an air of disappointment hovering across the group.

Smokes shook his head incredulously.  “You all are a bunch of sadists and adrenaline junkies.”

“And if you had it your way, we’d all what?  Just call a time out and take a nice nap?” Bard shot back, earning a shrug from Smokes.

“Nothing wrong with conserving energy.  That’s just smart fighting,” he replied with another puff of smoke, the vapor pooling into a new pillow for his smokey daybed.

“I, for one, am not disappointed.  Jason deserves the reality check, in my opinion,” Tombs muttered, rubbing at his neck.

“You’re just saying that since you literally lost your head during that last fight,” Pewpew shot back, earning her a laugh and a high five from Bard.  “Really, though.  You finally get your debut, and you die in like five seconds.”  Tombs just glared at her, grumbling to himself.  Something about setting up all the games himself…

“Either way, we need to get ready for his respawn,” Smiles spoke up, the rest of the group quieting.  “He should be back in roughly 15 minutes.”

His eyes flitted to Blaze.  “You want to handle him?”

“What?  I should get another shot at—” Pewpew began.

“The others will need your help,” Smiles replied.  “Besides, he’ll be weak against Blaze – alone, without minions, and with the welcome we have prepared for him.”

Pewpew didn’t look happy but she grudgingly agreed.  Blaze just grunted, not having forgotten how Jason and Alexion had escaped her and Smokes.  “He won’t get away this time.”

“See that he doesn’t,” Smiles answered.  Then Blaze jumped over the ledge, blasting flame toward the ground to slow her descent, the fires pushing back at the winds that beat against her.

Smiles looked back to the others.  “As for the rest of you, we know where they are now thanks to Alexion—

“The traitorous nightlight,” Bard amended.

“—so, we can take the fight to them,” Smiles continued, ignoring him.  He tapped at his map and the generator in the distance was highlighted.  “Here’s your target.  Normal breach formation.  Pewpew will provide covering fire from this vantage point.”  Another highlight appeared, the tower no longer offering good line of sight or protection.

“Everyone got it?” Smiles asked.

Bard shot him a mock salute.  “Will do, boss!”

The others nodded and Tombs stepped forward, each member grabbing hold of him.  Then, as one, they Phased into the floor, soon disappearing from view.

Leaving Smiles alone.

He looked at the frozen image beside him.  Something about all of this felt off.  It wasn’t unlike Alexion to betray his teammates and he could certainly see him pulling a stunt like this to get more views – the young heir to the throne of Cerillion was well known for his vanity.  But that was just it.  It felt too in-character for him… if that was possible.

Then there was also the matter of Tombs’ head.  Jason likely hadn’t had time to recover it before the top of the tower had struck their location.  But Smiles also couldn’t discount the possibility that he had.  That teenager was scrappier than he looked; than most people assumed.  Smiles knew it wasn’t luck that had allowed Jason to make it this far.  He’d studied him for far too long to make that naïve mistake.

Not that he supposed it mattered.

If the avatars did have a plan up their sleeve, he would be waiting and ready.  With that thought, Smiles’ gaze dipped to the coliseum that loomed below him, a massive circle of dirt surrounded by thick stone walls, the rock reinforced with layer upon layer of enchantments.  And within those walls was a surprise – one Smiles had been preparing for weeks now.

Taking a breath, he leaped from the tower, sailing through the air.  The tornado in the center of the club surged, the wind whipping him forward even faster and the ground hurtling up to meet him.  Yet Smiles never balked.  He struck the ground with tremendous force, cracks radiating out from his impact as he formed a miniature crater.  He slowly rose to his feet, the bones in his legs snapping and popping, but uninjured.

His hands smoothed his suit, and his eyes settled on the entrance.  Now he only had to wait.

He could feel the finale coming… one way or another.

Chapter 50 - Boom

“How terribly disappointing,” the Gambler murmured, smiling into his whiskey glass.  The other the gods – as well as the rest of the game world – all stared in shock at the same frozen image of Jason’s corpse.  With a snap of the Gambler’s fingers, a golden, fractal flower bloomed in the air showcasing trillions upon trillions of calculations.

With a wave of his hand, the data condensed into a more manageable summary.  Millions of people were all watching Jason’s grotesque experiment – and his failure.  Players all throughout the game world had stopped what they were doing.  Staring.  Angry.  Anxious.  Excited.  Pleased.  Their emotions warped and shifted.  Expectation and outcome.  A rush of endorphins and dopamine.  Yet another digital slot machine of his making.

And the house always won.

“Gloating doesn’t become you,” the Lady said, observing the gleeful smile that had spread across the Gambler’s face.

“Really?  Because I’ve always thought winning looked great on me,” the Gambler shot back with a cocky grin.  He’d endured so much for this moment…

“You act as though our competition is over,” the Seer intoned.  “Even if Jason’s plan failed, the others are still alive.  You would be wise not to discount them.”

“You saw for yourself what Eliza was capable of.  She took out most of your group on her own,” the Hippie offered before popping another handful of nuts into his mouth, Oscar using a tiny broom to sweep up the heaps of crumbs around him and Fluffy.

“A function of your meddling, I’m sure.”

The Hippie just raised his hands.  “Nah.  That was all my girl.”

The Gambler just snorted, unconvinced.  Not that it mattered.  With that meddling avatar of darkness out of the way, the rest should proceed smoothly.  His gaze drifted to a different screen, where several familiar masked figures were making their way across the club.  They were closing in on a single, squat building, with thick vegetation wrapping the stone– evidence of Eliza’s handiwork.  It seemed they had their target in their sights.

“Well, I suppose we’ll get to see how the remaining three fare against my team in a straight fight,” the Gambler murmured.  All the gods’ attention shifted to that screen, each one watching intently, their chips still stacked on the nearby table in neat, colored rows.

A sudden silence descended across the lounge, the sense of anxiety palpable.  The Lady put on a pretense of haughty relaxation, the Old Man’s face was shrouded in shadow, the Hippie plucked another handful of snacks from his bowl, and the Seer peered into the future – trying to anticipate what would come next.  All while the Gambler smiled.

The fate of the world would depend upon what happened next.

***

“Huh, anyone else get nervous when they see plants now?” Bard asked.

“Maybe a little,” Queen admitted grudgingly.

All eyes were on the building down the street.  It was a squat, solid affair – like most of the generator rooms in the Mile-High Club, it had been designed and built to withstand sabotage… or unruly guests.  Not that this had prevented Finn from breaking in.  The evidence was still there – chunks of stone carved free from the doorway, the edges melted down and covered in black scorch marks.

If that was too subtle, the structure was also covered in plants.  Vines stretched across the ground and covered every inch of stone.  And the source was clear: an open door leading into darkness – no doubt more of the vegetation waiting there in the shadows.  To make matters worse, Eliza had adapted after their last encounter, the vines no longer responding to Queen’s ice.

“Smokes?” Pewpew grunted.

The man blew out another plume of smoke, sighing.  “Guess I’ll do all the work.”

A misty hand formed from the trail of smoke, neatly plucked a grenade from his bag, and hurled it into the compound’s entrance.  It soon burst, spewing smoke with just a faint hiss of compressed air.  That gray mist swept forward into the structure, moving with unnatural precision as Smokes’ fingers danced a familiar rhythm – cigarette hanging forgotten from his lips as he channeled the spell.

A map appeared beside him, glowing brightly.  As the smoke filtered through the structure, the map filled out – corridors, halls, and rooms identified with precision.  And finally… a last room.  Three red dots appeared on screen.  They had found their enemies.

“Looks like they’re all in the generator room,” Smokes observed.  “No doubt, they know we’re coming now.  So, I suggest we don’t use the front door.”

He looked pointedly at Tombs as he blew out another puff, a hand materializing and pointing at the earth mage.

Tombs grimaced, rubbing at his neck.  “Fine… I guess”

“Come on!  You should be excited,” Bard urged him.  “You get a chance for a little revenge.  We’d leave Jason for you, but he’s otherwise occupied.  So, you get the second-best option!  The talking nightlight of your dreams.”

“Fantastic,” Tombs groaned.

“I’ll stay out here and cover the exits, in case they run,” Pewpew interjected, rolling her eyes at the pair.  At that, she disappeared with a crackle of electricity, reappearing on a rooftop and pulling the rifle from her back, lying on the stone, and staring down the scope.

Bard pumped his fist into the air.  “We’re all set.  Let’s go kill some people!”

Tombs just glared back.  “I don’t know how you can be so cavalier about this.  You know that little girl in there kicked your ass last time, right?”

Bard hesitated, his eyes shooting to the building.  His tone sobered.  “You’re right.  Eliza is terrifying.  As is Finn.  Even Alexion has performed better than I expected.  And hell, this might be a trap.  Some of us might die… horribly, even.”

He looked to Tombs.  “But I’ve learned to laugh in the face of impossible odds and to force myself to keep going.  When I do… well, I often find those odds were much more possible than they first seemed.  Dom taught me that.  And now I’m never going back to what I once was – too afraid to act; sitting alone in simpering self-loathing and doubt.

“Fuck that.”

The others went quiet – glancing at each other in surprise.

Then Tombs coughed into his fist.  “Well, shit.  Now I feel bad.  Let’s go do some murder then, try and cheer you up, big guy.”

And Bard immediately shook off his gloomy demeanor, slapping Tombs on the back.  “That’s the spirit!  Nothing like some team bonding homicide to bring you and your homies close.”

“Woo,” Smokes muttered tiredly as his cloud drifted close.

“’Bout time,” Queen added.  “I was about to just go in by myself with all this talking.”

With that, they all touched Tombs and soon slid beneath the ground, disappearing from sight and leaving Pewpew alone on the rooftop, eyeing the structure in the distance.

“I’m still glad I get to stay out here,” she murmured to herself, a coil of air mana picking up her team’s conversation.  She’d seen what Eliza had done to the others.

“I wouldn’t celebrate too soon,” someone spoke up from behind her.

Pewpew whirled, but it was too late.  She’d been so focused on Bard and the building in front of her that she hadn’t noticed the glowing yellow mist creeping up the edges of the rooftop and encircling her.  Now it swept forward, and she breathed in sharply in surprise – a mistake.  Pewpew tried to teleport, but her limbs felt sluggish, and her fingers refused to cooperate.  Electricity crackled and then dissipated harmlessly into the stone.  Moments later, she felt a prick as a needle punctured her arm.

Pewpew’s legs and arms were going numb as a fire burned through her veins.  She looked up, blinking blearily.  Eliza hovered there, wreathed in glowing mist and her eyes pulsing with power, a syringe held in hand.  Beside her stood Finn and Alexion, the fire mage ringed in flaming metal and glowing panels of light covering the Nephilim.  They barely spared her a glance, their attention on the building in the distance.

Pewpew couldn’t move at all, notifications popping up in the corner of her vision as the paralytic fully took hold.  They’d kept her alive her on purpose, she realized.  They didn’t want to alert the others by having her group icon gray out before they made it inside and the camera was still tethered to Bard.  Her eyes flitted back to that building covered in vines.  That could only mean one thing…

This was a trap.

“Shit,” Pewpew croaked, her vision spotty and swimming.

Alexion approached, stooping beside her.  “Don’t worry.  You’ll get to enjoy the view.  We’ll make sure you live long enough to see your teammates die,” he hissed.

“It’s only fair that we make a show of it,” another voice spoke up.  It sounded familiar, and Pewpew tried to look to the side – to catch a glimpse of that figure.  Behind Finn and Eliza was someone else… something else – something she’d missed at first.  It stood in the shadows, as though avoiding the sunlight, its limbs unmoving and eyes closed.

“It… it can’t…” she muttered, a new feeling taking hold.

It was a pit in her stomach.  The taste of bile at the back of her throat.  The lurch and flutter of her heart.  A tremor in her hands she could no longer control.  A sensation she hadn’t experienced in so long it almost felt foreign.  As she stared at the shadow demon at her back, all concern for her teammates vanished in an instant.

As Pewpew looked on, it opened its eyes – revealing an unnatural, inky darkness that seemed to suck in the light – the shadows expanding, shifting, moving like living creatures.

She had witnessed incredible things with <Death and Taxes>.  The lengths they were willing to train – death and blood and broken bones meant little to them.  They’d faced down monsters and armies and demons.  Stolen and spent several fortunes.  She’d endured it all – overcome it all without blinking.

But this thing… this thing was something more.  Something different.

Something that had raw terror slicing through her veins and a tear sliding down her cheek.

She wasn’t going to be able to just laugh this one off.

***

Tombs and the others slid out of the ground inside the control room.

They breached as one, coming up through the floor in the corner of the room and behind their targets, illusions already covering their skin.  The room was filled with smoke, making visibility poor.  However, Smokes highlighted their targets in bright yellow.  Bard let out a piercing whistle, and a tunnel of air carved through the smoke, slamming into their targets.

He’d intended to incapacitate them – a brief stun followed by a barrage of icy shards.

However, their targets didn’t react the way Bard had expected.  They didn’t flinch or drop to the floor.  And the ice simply bounced off them, shattering against the floor.  In fact, the figures didn’t move at all… almost like they were made of stone.

The smoke blew away to reveal three vaguely humanoid statues lingering before them.  Not stone, Bard realized.  Metal.  Bouncer bots broken apart and welded back together to form a group of macabre metallic scarecrows – but with just enough movement left to emulate living people.  And across one of the decoys was scrawled a message, written in a thick red substance.

Blood, Bard realized belatedly, his feet sticking to the floor as he shifted in place.  More of it stained the floors, the walls, the source coming from the nearby table – a table that now stood empty, no lifeless body lying atop its surface.  Jason was gone, as was the shadowy creation that they’d built – that the group had seen during Alexion’s stream.  Wait…  Had it been a stream?

Bard’s attention shifted to the shining blue orb that hovered beside the metal decoys, tracking their movements – recording their reactions.  “A pre-recorded video,” Bard muttered as the realization suddenly hit him.  It was so simple…

That fucking nightlight tricked us by pretending to be a traitor.

“Look behind you?” Tombs spoke up, staring at those metallic scarecrows.  “What does that mean?”  He turned, and his eyes widened.

Bard and the others followed his gaze, but he already knew what to expect.  The generator stood there, glowing with an ominous light, the cores flaring, growing in strength with each passing second.  Yellow, red, and blue shining so brightly now that they left spots in Bard’s vision and he was forced to raise hand to blot out the light.  And across the surface of the generator was painted a massive, red smiley face, a single tear dripping down from one eye.

“Huh, they stole our tag,” Bard murmured.  “Posers.”

“Self-destruct sequence initiating in T-minus 5 seconds,” a robotic voice echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the stone walls.

“4”

“Well, damn” Smokes muttered as the light grew in intensity, lightning and flame beginning to crackle through the air as the crystals fractured.  He slowly pulled out another cigarette, lit it and took a long drag, his eyes squeezed closed as he savored it.

“3”

“You find anything funny about this one?” Queen asked Bard, her arms going limp.  The others made no move to defend themselves or flee.  It was pointless.

“2”

“Hmm,” Bard murmured, tapping his chin in thought.

“1”

In the final fraction of a second that they had left, Bard turned to Queen.  “Oh, I’ve got it!  The perfect line for a moment like this!  Why don’t you blow—”

He never got to finish.

The cores exploded, spewing forth a wave of elemental energy.  Bard knew how long it had taken them to charge just one generator.  Days.  Days spent channeling their entire mana pool into the crystalline cores, waiting for it to recharge, and then doing it again.  And again.  And again.  Enough energy to power this section of the club.  To bring the game rooms online.  To make sure the cameras were running and the broadcast continued.

And even now, their deaths were being streamed throughout the entire game world.  As that avalanche of elemental power swept forward and struck the group.  As it ate away at their limbs in a wave of fire, ice, and lightning.  Searing, cutting, burning, freezing.  They were dead in mere moments; their bodies blasted apart in a torrential shower of energy.  Even the warded rock of the generator room melted and crumbled under the force of the blast.

As the explosion eventually settled… all that remained was a barren room.  No trace of the group remained.  Not even skeletons.  Only smoking, fractured stone, and steam.

Then the lone camera winked out as the tether snapped.

Chapter 51 - Awestruck

The Control Room was a graveyard as the screen faded to black.

Finn, Eliza, and Alexion had just taken out, well, pretty much all of <Death and Taxes>.  And in one fell swoop, no less.  Even with their shortened respawn, that meant the avatars now had free reign of the ring.  No doubt, the group would use that opportunity to head to the tower along the northern edge of the club.

Chimes suddenly broke the quiet, dozens of terminals demanding attention.

“Well?  What are you all waiting for?” Robert asked, his legs kicked up on his desk and a big bowl of popcorn resting in his lap.  “We’ve got work to do people!”

“That would ring less hollow if you weren’t goofing off yourself,” Claire observed as she stepped back inside the Control Room.

Robert just shot her a grin and a shrug.  “The perks of leadership.  Besides, I’m providing moral support.”  He observed the fatigue that had settled across Claire’s shoulders.  “Speaking of which, how did it go over at Vermillion?”

Claire grimaced as she settled against his desk, shifting her glasses to the side, and rubbing at her eyes.  “Not great, but they acknowledged your point.  Grudgingly.  It’s hard to argue with the numbers we’re seeing right now…”

She trailed off, tapping at her Core, and a display appeared in the air beside her.  It showcased the current population data on AO as well as ratings from several major broadcasting networks.  The results were staggering.  Their ingame population had reached an all-time high – a function of both the world ending and the events taking place in the Mile-High Club.  But even outside of AO, they’d captured the attention of the whole world.

Billions.  Viewership numbers in the billions.

AO was currently the number one trending subject across every social media platform.  Regular broadcast and streaming channels were all focused on the game.  And their forums had been up and down all day, the techs barely managing to keep the site stable.  They had to implement a freeze on new posts to help slow the traffic on their servers.  Even then, most of the posts now had tens of thousands of comments.  So, not really a long-term solution.

“We’ve hit a new all-time high, and right on the heels of our last record during the attack on Sandscrit,” Claire muttered, eyeing the data with Robert.

“You don’t sound pleased.”

“You mean I sound worried, and you should be too,” Claire shot back, glaring at him.  “To hell with going viral.  This is an online pandemic.  It just seems… crazy.  Uncontrollable.”  She pushed away from the desk and paced toward the nearby window, eyeing the crowd far below.  “I mean, look at them.”

The throng had only grown.  It now swelled out around the Cerillion Headquarters building in a sea of humanity, spreading down every adjacent street.  The city’s police force now ringed the building, erecting new barricades and supporting Cerillion’s private security force.  And beyond them?  Chaos.  Broken barricades lay on the streets and sidewalks – evidence of former, more flimsy strongholds.  Gas was billowing out across the crowd as people fled, only to regroup on the side streets and press forward once more.

“There must be a hundred thousand people down there.”

“Probably more,” Robert answered with a nod.

Claire eyed the massive screens that hovered above the crowd, projected by the dozens of drones that buzzed through the air.  Each one showed the same scene – <Death and Taxes> approaching that generator before getting taken out.  Claire knew that the same scene had played out across every in-game city.  The line between the game and reality was thinning.

“Where is this heading?” Claire muttered.  “What have we built?”

“Something that will change the world,” Robert answered.

Claire looked back at him, seeing the excitement shining in his eyes.  Yet she could only feel conflicted.  She barely recognized the man working beside her anymore… and she wasn’t quite sure when that change had happened.

But she could be certain that Robert had changed.  Gone was the naïve engineer with a passion for technology.  He’d been replaced with someone new – someone who’s attention had shifted from the computer screen before him to something bigger; something grander; something she couldn’t quite see herself.  A future where this game – these simulations – became everything.  Where these streets and buildings and people – this reality – was merely the trappings of one world among many.

And frankly, it terrified her.  Claire had always relished control.  Certainty.  Walking a clear and narrow path.  But this… this was game changing – pun intended.

“What happened to you?” she whispered so softly that the question didn’t carry to Robert, the man’s eyes glued to his console as he absently grabbed another handful of popcorn.  She could almost imagine he was the same man – not this person who could browbeat George Lane and orchestrate an in-game event of epic proportions so casually.

Yet no answer was forthcoming.

Instead, the screen above the Control Room flickered back on, the roar of the crowd outside quieting, the constant rumble that vibrated the building finally ceasing.  Claire’s display flashed, the numbers updating, climbing ever further.  Something new was afoot.

Claire swallowed hard and her eyes lifted to that screen.

The camera showed a massive stone coliseum, with clear inspiration drawn from the Romans.  It was a gargantuan affair and stretched hundreds of feet across.  Stone walls and stands ringed packed sand that the wind whipped into small tornados.  And in the center of it all stood a single, towering man.  He wore a pressed suit, dice cufflinks glimmering at his wrists.  His face obscured by a perpetual bloody smile.  His massive arms were crossed, the suit straining at the seams but refusing to break.

The camera zoomed out, viewing the coliseum from the entrance, a stone archway framing the edges of the scene.  As Claire, Robert, the techs, and the rest of the world looked on, three individuals entered the frame, the camera taking in their backs.  Eliza.  Finn.  Alexion.  Their armor and appearance were distinctive.  Obvious.

And as the world watched…

A fourth figure entered the frame.  It was humanoid.  Two arms.  Two legs.  One head.  A cape that swept out behind him, obscuring his body from sight.  His head cowled and covered.  Yet no telltale staff was held in his hands.  He strode forward, taking up his place among the other avatars as they made room for him.  Possibly an illusion?  A doppelganger built of steel?  Doubt coiled in Claire’s stomach, mixing with some other emotion.

It couldn’t be Jason.  They’d seen him die…

The figure pulled back his hood, the camera rotating around the group.  In place of pale skin and horns, there was now only solid ivory.  Reinforced bone streaked with gray.  Straight cheekbones.  The nose hollowed out and sunken.  His ears gone.  And jutting from his head?  Spikes of bone that wound together to form a dark crown, the surface still stained with dried blood – likely his own.

Yet it was his eyes that captured Claire’s focus.  They were gone.  Replaced with bottomless pools of dark energy.  Jason had become one of the undead.  Given himself over to the dark – to his desire.  Just like Robert, he had stretched out his hands and grasped hold of something new… something different… something previously unfathomable.

Life without breath.

Death without solace.

The camera turned to Smiles, his eyes on the group before him, no trace of fear or hesitation lingering there.  “It’s about time,” Smiles spoke up.  “I’ve been waiting.”

***

“Your guildmates are dead,” Jason said, his voice coming in a whisper now.

Even with Finn’s help tweaking his designs, this was the best he could manage.  He’d need to improve the structure of his throat, the dark mana simulating muscle that he no longer had.  However, that would need to wait.

Smiles nodded, gesturing at the trail of smoke that coiled above the towering walls of the coliseum.  “I expected as much.”

“You don’t seem concerned,” Finn grunted.

“Should I be?” Smiles asked, spreading his hands wide.  “I’ve been looking forward to this moment for weeks now.  To finally face the four of you.”

Finn raised an eyebrow, the flames of his crown flaring.  “You think you can take all of us by yourself?  That’s optimistic.”

Smiles shook his head.  “I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out.”

Alexion let out a growl, forsaking his noble act despite the cameras floating around the coliseum.  Jason could only marvel at how he’d changed in this short time.  When they’d begun, he would have simply charged Smiles or put on some inane act, instead…

“Who cares about this digital posturing,” Alexion ground out.  “I’ll ask one more time.  Where.  Is.  Evelyn?”

Smiles nodded.  “That’s fair.  And you deserve an answer.”  He turned, and the others tensed.  But he made no move to attack.  Instead, he merely gestured at the other side of the coliseum at another entrance.  And visible through that opening floated a familiar vessel – an airship from Evelyn’s fleet, the emblem of her trading gild etched into the side.  As the group looked on, a woman stepped off that ship and padded across the sand.  As she exited the shadows, the waning sunlight spilled across her face, revealing the woman herself.

“It’s been a while, Alex,” Evelyn said.

“What… are you okay?” he sputtered in response, caught off guard.

She shook her head.  “Yes, of course.  What did you think?  That I was some damsel?  Some princess in need of rescuing?  I see you haven’t changed at all.”

“Are you working with them?” Alexion grunted, mastering his reaction behind a stoic mask, but Jason could sense the emotion roiling just beneath the surface – the betrayal.

Evelyn sighed.  “Yes, of course.  How did you think they were able to outfit this club?”

Silence met that statement.

“The gate pieces,” Jason murmured.

It was one piece of the puzzle that hadn’t quite fit.  Sure, <Death and Taxes> had teleported them all here, but there had to be gate fragments located in the club in the first place – and not just anywhere.  They had to have been positioned on the far side of the ring.  None of Smiles’ guildmates could fly, notwithstanding Pewpew’s teleport.  But even that had limits.  And Jason suspected the group hadn’t known exactly where to look for the club.

He could see their strategy – now laid bare before him.  <Death and Taxes> had recruited Evelyn.  They needed her ships to find this place and transport them to the club to set up these games.  Which meant she must have been working with them for a while.  However, they’d deflected suspicion by putting Queen in her place to make them think she’d been kidnapped.

And it had the added benefit of throwing off Alexion and destabilizing their group.

Jason looked to Alexion, his hands balling into fists as he reached the same realization.  Yet he remained in control, not even glancing at the nearby cameras.  Even without Finn’s sight, he could anticipate Alexion’s reaction.  The betrayal.  But also, something more… the embarrassment after his previous heroics.  Jason knew he shouldn’t feel bad for him.  Alexion sure has hell had his karmic ass-kicking coming.

But even so, it still stung.

“So, you’ve been working with them the whole time,” Alexion echoed.  He locked eyes with Evelyn.  “Okay… then I only have one question.  Why?”

Evelyn was fully aware of the camera and seemed content to twist the metaphorical knife.  She let out a tinkling laugh.  “Why?  Because I want to see your family’s empire burn.  And you walked into it so easily.  The rich and naïve son of a billionaire who just wanted to be loved – a tired story.  You lapped it up so easily.”

Light was pulsing across Alexion’s skin, but he still remained in control.

“Was it you that stole the video from Cerillion?” he asked.

Evelyn smile flickered, her eyes darting toward the camera.  “No comment.”

That was as good as a yes.

Jason expected Alexion to go on a rampage; to rush at Smiles and Evelyn.  But instead, he simply shook his head, the tension evaporating like a weight lifting from his shoulders.  He looked to Jason and his companions then, an appraising look in his eye.  None of them had moved an inch.  They met his gaze evenly.  This was his conversation – his battle to fight.  They would back whatever move he made.

“I understand,” was all Alexion said.

What happened next occurred so quickly it was only a blur of light.

With a flash of light and flutter of feathers, Alexion was standing before Evelyn.  Her eyes had gone wide, her mouth moving, but no sound escaping.  She coughed.  Hacked.  Blood flew from her lips, the first to touch the sands of the coliseum.  She looked down then, her fingers touching her chest where a hole had been carved straight through muscle, bone, and organ.  The edges were seared, cauterized with Alexion’s holy light.

Evelyn dropped to her knees, her mouth still moving, her eyes frantic and searching.  Pleading.  Looking to Alexion for help.  “Heal,” she managed to croak.

Yet the avatar of light didn’t move an inch.  Gone was the noble façade and in its place, there was only a coldness – a ruthless stoicism that stared back as Evelyn slumped to the ground, her face crushing into the sand.

Evelyn raised a feeble hand toward Smiles.  “Help…  Me…  Ally…”  The leader of <Death and Taxes> made no move to help Evelyn.  Nor did he respond.  Only lifted his foot and crushed her skull, the bone exploding in a shower of blood and ivory fragments.

“Now then,” Smiles said, turning back to the avatars.  “Are you ready to do this?”

Mana flared out across their bodies – the only response he needed.

“Good,” Smiles hummed.  Then he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

A wall of shimmering, multi-colored energy suddenly sprang up around the coliseum, blocking the exits and forming a dome above the structure.  All six affinities were represented within that energy.  It resembled the barriers Jason had witnessed in dungeons and major world events – except those had been blue.  This energy also seemed unstable, the surface of the barrier sparking and flaring where the different types of mana collided and mixed.

At the same time, a notification appeared before him.

System Notice:  Mana Anomaly

You have been surrounded by an unusual barrier of mana – a perversion of the gods’ energy.  The barrier warps reality around it, altering the rules of this world within a limited area.  While the barrier is active, the following rules apply to this coliseum:

- Travelers will respawn inside the barrier.

- Respawn time has been reduced to 5 minutes for all travelers – subject to any other reductions in respawn time.

- The field itself may alter this world’s physics within a limited space.

- The field has been linked to a global communications and broadcast spire, allowing other travelers to view the battle and vote on any changes to the arena’s physics.

- Remaining field duration: 30 minutes.

This must have been why they were collecting mana from Jason and Alexion – to create this field.  To trap them inside this bubble of energy.  However, without knowing the location of the generator and with only a few minutes before the rest of <Death and Taxes> respawned, the avatars had been forced to confront Smiles.  It seemed they were going to be fighting on his terms.

Jason swiped aside the notice, his attention flitting to Smiles.

The massive man stretched his neck, the bone and muscle popping.  Then the guild leader took a lumbering step forward.  “Alright… let’s do this.”

Chapter 52 - Holy

Smiles dashed forward, kicking off the ground with such force that the sand swept out behind him in a wave.  In a flash, he had closed into melee – aiming for Alexion.

The avatar of light just barely raised his shield in time…

Only for Smiles to hit the metal with a solid punch that sent Alexion flying backward, ripped off his feet and sailing through the air.  His wings flared out around him and he managed to regain his footing as he slid across the sand.

However, Smiles hadn’t stopped.

In another blur of movement, he was on top of Alexion again.  This time, the avatar was expecting Smiles and he swung his sword, light rippling across the blade… only for it to slam into Smiles’ hand and come to a dead stop.  The leader of <Death and Taxes> stood there, blood pooling around the cut as he inspected the wound curiously.

“Huh, not bad,” Smiles grunted.  “You broke the skin.  My Light Resistance must still leave something to be desired.”

“What the hell are you—” Alexion began, eyes wide.

Smiles cut him off as he whipped the sword around and sent Alexion sailing again, this time without an opportunity to recover.  Alexion’s back crashed into the rainbow barrier that ringed the coliseum, and the energy flashed and sparked erratically.  He exhaled forcefully, blood speckling his lips, and then fell and hit the sand with a thud.

Yet he wasn’t finished.  His wings snapped forward, and he was back on his feet once more, glowing with holy light as he wiped the blood from his face.  “That all you’ve got?”

“Not even close,” Smiles answered.

“We’re still here, though,” Finn announced.

Blades of flaming metal rocketed forward.  Smiles only tilted his head to the side, keeping his attention on Alexion.  Just like with the avatar of light, he didn’t bother to dodge.  Instead, he let the blades strike him.  They easily cut through the fabric of his suit before grinding into his flesh, blood staining the fabric.  The metal transformed, converting into barbs that lodged in Smiles’ skin before pulling him to the ground, the sand melting where the flaming metal touched the surface before burrowing deeply into the floor of the arena.  Alexion used the opportunity to his advantage, pressing forward with a burst of speed, his blade aiming at Smiles’ neck.

However, at the last moment, one of Alexion’s wings buckled, the bone fractured from Dom’s earlier attack.  His blow went wide and his sword slammed against one of Finn’s blades in a shower of sparks, leaving Smiles unharmed – that ivory mask just smiling back in amusement.  The guild leader’s legs surged, the muscle tearing the tattered fabric of his suit as Smiles lifted himself upright.  The metal ripped from his skin, and his blood showered the sand, leaving his suit hanging from his body in tatters now.

Then the fight was on again, with Smiles and Alexion darting across the arena.  Finn watched closely with those burning metal eyes, and Daniel pulsed softly at his shoulder – the pair offering the occasional assistance to Alexion.  Although, Jason noted the way the avatar of flames’ lips were pinched in a scowl.  That didn’t bode well, but they had other problems at the moment.

Speaking of which, they needed to move quickly.  Jason spared a glance at Eliza, where the pair stood in the shadows of the coliseum.  He needed to keep his body hidden from the sun that was sinking toward the horizon.  “This is your chance while he’s occupied,” his voice came out in a whisper, like the rustle of fabric.  “You won’t have long.”

The water mage nodded and began to cast.  Sapphire energy wound around her arms and condensed along her wand.  Then, a thick mist spewed forward, spreading across the arena.  She maintained the channel on that spell – pushing ever more vapor into the air – even as she began casting Accelerated Growth.  Alexion’s initial charge hadn’t been all for show.  He’d managed to drop several seed packets around the arena.

Now those seeds began to sprout, growing at an incredible pace and spreading through the coliseum in a wave of vegetation.  But Eliza didn’t stop there.  The plants kept going, stretching up the stone walls and then coating the energy field itself, the mana sparking and flashing as the vines coiled across its surface.  The waning sunlight was blotted out within mere moments, plunging the arena into an unnatural darkness.

Which didn’t hurt Jason or Finn, but it did leave the others at a disadvantage.

However, they’d anticipated that problem too.

Flowers began to bloom along the vines, their petals opening and shining with a dull turquoise glow that cast light down onto the sands where Smiles and Alexion fought.  Those vines served several purposes.  But for now, they would protect Jason from the sunlight – his new body decaying rapidly in direct light.

Alexion had backed off.  His chest was heaving, his breath coming hard and fast.  His skin was littered with wounds that were slowly closing under the effects of his healing magic.  Smiles’ suit was nearly gone, ripped and shredded and torn.  And beneath that flimsy layer of cotton, Jason could see that his skin was like leather – a dark green and crisscrossed with hundreds of scars.  His own wounds were closely swiftly as his regeneration kicked in.  Even more disconcerting was how casually Smiles accepted those injuries.  He barely reacted.  As though he had endured far, far worse.

Just what kind training has this guy been doing? Jason wondered.

“Is that all you have?” Smiles asked, unphased as he cracked his knuckles.  “I’ll be honest, I was expecting more… even from you.”

Alexion just snorted, refusing to rise to the bait as he healed his injuries with a flash of light.  It seemed he’d gained some perspective during his time in the Mile-High Club.  “It seems this isn’t going to be enough,” Alexion muttered, eyeing his sword.

The angel shot a glance at Jason, who nodded at his unspoken question.  It was time.

“Finally,” Alexion grunted, sheathing his blade, slinging his shield over his shoulder before digging into his pack.

He soon pulled a new weapon from its depths.  It was a dark gray, the bone infused with more of the dark metal Jason had recovered from Sandscrit.  The blade itself was serrated, the ivory forming tooth-like hooks.  This wasn’t a delicate weapon, meant to cut and stab with precision.  It was meant to inflict pain, to cause its enemies to bleed and suffer.  His hand plunge into his bag once more, this time pulling out a new shield, the same color as the blade and its surface covered in jagged spikes of bone.  A new addition and one Jason had hastily constructed before Alexion began recording his video.

“New weapons won’t be enough,” Smiles said, shaking his head sadly.

As he finished speaking, the leader of <Death and Taxes> kicked off again.  He raced at Alexion, but the avatar didn’t move, only waited, his shield held ready.  He summoned his mana, light shining from every pore as he layered one buff after another.

And as Smiles closed, his fist drawing back—

Alexion channeled light along his new sword and shield.

They blazed with a purple light, Smiles’ fist crashing into the shield… only for the guild leader to stagger backward in shock – Alexion grunting from the impact but managing to stay on his feet this time, his wings helping to steady him.  Smiles looked at his knuckles in surprise, noticing the blood leaking from his skin.  Even more strange… the wound wasn’t closing as quickly, blood dripping onto the sands.

“You were saying?” Alexion demanded, his eyes a solid gold.

“What are those weapons?” Smiles muttered as he cocked his head.

“You haven’t figured it out?  I thought you knew everything about us!” Alexion retorted, his wings snapping.  He shot forward, taking the offensive now.  He darted to the side at the last moment, rotating in a barrel roll, and his blade ripping across Smiles’ arm.

The guild leader let out another grunt, more blood speckling the sands.

Alexion wasn’t done.  His wings snapped open and he rotated again.  He cut and sliced and slashed in a blur of light, his speed increasing with each passing second; with each drop of blood.  That insidious purple energy was worming its way through Smiles’ body now, draining his stats and siphoning them to Alexion with each blow.

Only moments later, Smiles stood there, weaving on his feet, his body covered in blood and crimson liquid soaking into the ground at his feet.  His suit was entirely gone, his mask half broken.

And yet, a mad smile pulled at his lips – his real lips.  “Amazing,” he offered with a grin.

“Glad you appreciate it!” Alexion snapped.  “Now, die!”

He rushed Smiles one last time, moving so fast that from Jason’s perspective, Alexion seemed to teleport.  One moment, he was standing on the side of the arena, and the next, he was beside the other avatars.  Seconds later, Smiles’ head dropped to the ground, that grin still plastered on his face as his lifeless body toppled to the sand.

Alexion collapsed, exhaustion finally catching up with him.  The blade and shield in his hand flashed erratically and the surface of the bone cracked under the force of his light mana before finally disintegrating before his eyes, reduced to so much dust.

Moments later, a chime rang out, accompanied by the roar of millions of travelers watching this fight play out around the world.  A glowing scoreboard appeared over their heads, now showing that the score was 1-0.

“I… got him,” Alexion grunted, glaring at Smiles’ body.

“For now,” Jason murmured.

“Data analysis complete,” Daniel chirped from Finn’s shoulder.  “Target doesn’t appear to have any mana of his own, rendering his regular body nearly invisible to Finn’s Mana Sight.  This confirms our earlier analysis during the altercation with the rest of <Death and Taxes>… you know, where he threw the top part of the tower at us.

“However, there does appear to be a large concentration of air mana around his body,” Daniel continued.  “The intensity fluctuated during that last battle, escalating dramatically when Finn joined Alexion in attacking the target, Alexion switched weapons, and when Smiles was close to death.  According to the combat log, those fluctuations also correlated with increased damage resistance or avoidance.  Current hypothesis is that this is an ambient magic ability that affects the target’s damage resistance or avoidance – with that modifier scaling with the threat to Smiles.”

“You were right,” Jason said to Finn.  So far, everything was going to plan.

The avatar of flame let out a grunt.  “It might also explain why he didn’t engage us with the others during the games.”    He let out a sigh.  “But it’s no time to celebrate.  That means this arena is perfect for Smiles.  If we work together, he gets stronger.”

Finn hesitated, looking to Alexion’s wings.  “Or, worst case, this is more than just simple damage mitigation.  That aura was charged with a hell of a lot of mana.  If something else is going on here, we may end up hurting each other or blocking our own teams’ attacks.”

“We just need to buy time,” Jason murmured in response.

Finn nodded.  “In which case, the best option is for each of us to fight him alone.”  He hesitated, reviewing his screens.  “Although, that’s going to be tough.  You all saw how resilient he was to both slashing and fire-based attacks and we can surmise he’s resistant to other damage types as well.  Even worse, Alexion isn’t going to be able to use those weapons again.”

“He still seems weak to light,” Alexion offered, pushing himself upright and Eliza handing him another set of potions – one tinged green and another blue.  He needed to recover his mana and stamina.  However, there was still a limit, especially with the number of potions that each of them had taken before walking into the coliseum.

Finn shook his head – not appearing convinced.  However, he never got a chance to respond as a flash of multi-colored energy tore open the air in the middle of the arena.  Smiles stepped out – not gasping for breath or shuddering in pain.  If anything, he looked… relaxed.

“Hmm… thanks for the skill-up,” he offered to Alexion, swiping away a notice.

Could he have really gained a level of Light Resistance that quickly? Jason wondered to himself.  And that was putting aside that incredibly rapid respawn.  That sure as hell hadn’t been five minutes.  Was that another skill?

Just who was this guy?

“Says the man that just got wrecked,” Alexion growled, pulling his original sword and shield free again, the weapons glowing with holy light.

“Ah, I see.  It seems those unusual weapons were a one-time use,” Smiles remarked, waving at the pile of dust beside Alexion.  “Although, that was a fascinating ability.  A blend of light and dark mana, I assume.”  He looked toward Jason.  “You two surprised me.”

“I don’t need them to kill you a second time,” Alexion ground out.

With that, he charged again.  Despite his cavalier tone, his movements were slower now that Alexion was no longer benefiting from the stat-draining effect of his former weapons.  However, it didn’t matter.  He only made it a few feet before he lost his forward momentum, floating upward.

Another chime sounded, except this time a robotic voice echoed through the arena.  “The audience has chosen a zero-gravity mutator.  Duration 120 seconds.”

Smiles laughed at Alexion’s confused reaction.  “This field is unique – as the prompt mentioned.  It adds a bit of flavor to these fights.

Jason frowned.  If there had been a “vote,” then presumably, that had taken some time.  But they’d received no warning.  Which meant a mutator could apply at any time.

Another complication, he thought, his hands balling into fists.

Alexion soon stabilized himself with a twitch of his wings, glaring down at Smiles as the man’s feet drifted off the ground.  “Well, this mutator works in my favor.”  He flapped his wings, which sent him rocketing forward again, his body wreathed in light.

Smiles just watched him coming.  In the last few seconds before Alexion struck, he pulled back his arms and then smashed his hands together.  A wave of force rippled out from the impact, followed shortly by a concussive boom.  The blast sent Alexion crashing into the barrier once more, the vines shifting and catching him – minimizing most of the damage.  However, blood was still leaking from his ears and he looked dazed – his eyes listless and unfocused.

Smiles didn’t wait.  He clapped again, this time behind his back.  With the low-gravity environment, this sent him hurtling toward Alexion.  Eliza tried to use her vines to lash at Smiles’ ankles, to throw him off his trajectory, however the vines kept missing – Smiles seemingly making little effort to dodge.  His strange ability, no doubt.

Jason shot Finn a glance, and he nodded, Daniel pulsing at his shoulder.

They must have detected another surge in Smiles’ mana.  It seemed their guess was right.  Any assistance would make fighting this guy almost impossible.  Jason shot an anxious look at the vines covering the dome.  He could only hope that they would last long enough.  Smiles might respawn in less than a minute, but the others weren’t so lucky.

If he took out all the other avatars quickly… then Jason would have to hold him off alone.  He looked down at his new limbs, bony fingers curling into a fist.  That was going to be one hell of a test run.

Alexion blinked, regaining his senses, just in time to see Smiles’ fist leveled at his face.  He tried to twist out of the way but it was too late.  The blow landed with explosive force, and the light mana shield surrounding Alexion’s head held for just a moment before shattering – followed by torn skin and broken bone.  His head crumpled, his lifeless body hanging among the vines, and his blood raining down upon the sands.

Another roar echoed through the coliseum as the travelers watching raised their voices into the air – the sound recorded and piped into the arena.  The scoreboard overhead shifted, now showing 1-1.  And so, one of the avatars had already perished.

The mutator soon ended and Smiles effortlessly dropped to the ground, blood still staining his knuckles.  He turned, surveying the rest of the avatars.

“What’s our play?” Finn grunted.

“We stick to the plan.  Buy as much time as possible,” Jason answered.  “As you suggested, we’ll have the best shot of taking him out one-on-one.  Who’s first?”

“I’ll go,” Eliza offered, her voice firm despite the way she nervously adjusted her glasses.

“Are you sure?” Jason asked.  He knew how much her new form had affected her; how nervous she was at the prospect of losing control… again.   Jason could certainly relate.  He had some firsthand experience in that department.

“I’ve already done what I needed to do,” she answered simply, her voice quavering slightly but she refused to back down.   She shot a glance at her teammates.  “I’m the most expendable right now.  Besides, if I die, I’ll just come back.”

Without waiting for a response, she stepped forward, mustering every ounce of willpower she had to keep her hands steady and stride forward across the sands, patches of blood already staining the ground.  Jason watched her back from the shadows, starting to reach out and stop her.  She wasn’t ready – hadn’t prepared to fight directly.  There had to be another way.

Yet Finn’s hand landed on Jason’s shoulder, those burning embers seared into his face watching Eliza.  “Let her do it.  She can take him.”

Jason eyed Finn in surprise.

“That girl is far, far stronger than she looks,” Finn murmured.  “She needs a chance to prove that – not just to everyone else,” he added, glancing at the cameras that floated overhead, “but also to herself.  This is her fight now.”

Chapter 53 - Fire and Ice

Rogue-Net Forums:

No One:  Geez, what is this guy?  I thought the avatars were OP, but…

xxXShadowXxx:  This man is my god.  KILL THEM ALL!

Elijah:  @xxXShadowXxx  Again?  Seriously, at least change your handle a little.

xxXShadowXxx:  User has been banned.  Post Removed.

Julie:  Anyone else impressed that Alexion actually killed him?  What were those purple glowing weapons?  Something new?  Anyone know?

Helium:  Some sort of combination of light and dark mana.  It looked like he infused bone weapons with Enchant Light.  Maybe those weapons counted as a minion for Jason?

Gruntz:  That’s nuts.  I have to give the guy some props, though.  He held his own even after a slow start during the games.  I’d have died instantly.

JoeySlowy:  Right?  Maybe this dude needs a nerf.

Ashley:  Pssh.  My girl is up next.  Eliza is going to show him not to mess with the Ice Witch.  Fucking own his ass!

Mateo:  Didn’t you get that other guy banned for the same language?

Ashley:  @Mateo Girl power!  Eliza is the #RealQueen!

***

“Hmm, you all discovered my ability, did you?” Smiles asked.  He sounded disappointed.  “I was hoping to see what it was like to take you all on at once, but oh well.”

“I should be plenty,” Eliza insisted, planting her feet.  She was tiny in contrast to Smiles, her diminutive form lacking at least three feet of height and a couple hundred pounds of muscle.

Smiles looked at her skeptically.  “Perhaps, but not as you are now.  Show me.  Show me the Ice Witch that lives inside you.  That creature that took out my guildmates.  I want to see it with my own eyes – test its metal with my own hands.”

Eliza didn’t bother to respond.  She summoned her mana, sapphire energy pulsing around her in a wave of energy as her nervousness melted away, the slight tremor in her hands fading.  Her shoulders squared, and her grip on her wand firmed as she squeezed her eyes shut.

She began casting Accelerated Growth.  However, this time, the spell didn’t drip from her fingers and wasn’t carried along by her Obscuring Mist.  Instead, she channeled it inside herself, her skin beginning to radiate with a dull blue glow that only increased in intensity with each passing second.  Her flesh began to break apart, undulating and pulsing in an unending wave of mold – the fungus only having gone dormant.  And as she cast Accelerated Growth with her right hand, her left began to move in a different rhythm, frost drifting out across her skin and plumes of cold mist sweeping away from her body.

When she opened her eyes again, they were bottomless sapphire pools absent of any intelligence or reason.  Gone was the timid girl known as Eliza.  Here stood the Ice Witch –a being who refused to accept its fate.  Appraising him with cold indifference, she only saw a threat before her – an opponent.  Eliza raised her arm, and the limb broke apart, a beam of mold rocketing forward.  This time, Smiles didn’t stand in place.  He dodged in a blur of motion, only for the mold to arc and chase him as he pressed closer.  More lances of mold darted away from her body now, a barrage of particles.

Smiles couldn’t dodge forever, and the mold nicked his arm, eating away the fabric of his suit.  Jason cocked his head as he watched.  The fungus infected Smiles much more slowly than the rest of <Death and Taxes>.  Could he be resistant to the fungus?  Trained himself to withstand certain poisons and venoms, maybe?

The leader of <Death and Taxes> darted around Eliza, dodging, twisting, and spinning.  But his movements were slowing as each glancing blow from the mold destroyed his suit.  The poison was beginning to creep across his body, eating into the thick ropes of muscles along his arms and legs.  He was waging a war of attrition, and Eliza was winning – standing in the center of that sandy circle, unmoving, stoic, her glowing eyes fixed on him.

Growing desperate, Smiles leaped into the center of the arena, not bothering to dodge as several lances of mold stabbed through his stomach, blunting his momentum.  Yet he’d gotten close enough, raising his arms and clapping again, the blast destabilizing the lances of mold.  As the wave of force struck Eliza, her body broke apart into a thick cloud of fungus.

Jason’s gaze shot to the UI in the corner of his vision.  Her icon was green.

Eliza was still alive.

“Ding!  New mutator selected.  Ice Throne enabled.  Duration 60 seconds.”

A sudden chill swept through the arena, the heat fleeing.  Finn grumbled under his breath and raised his crystalline arm, draining what little heat remained before it was extinguished entirely, the limb beginning to pulse with a dull orange light.  The temperature plunged, growing colder and colder.  Finn was insulated from the effect as a wave of flame rippled out across his skin.  And Jason?  Well, he could no longer feel the cold.

But Eliza and Smiles had no such luck.  Frost began to form on Smiles’ skin, the fungus swirling around him in a cloud.  The particles were moving slower now, but with each breath, he sucked in more and more of the spores.  He let out a racking cough, his blood soon staining the sands.  The fact that Smiles was still standing was an incredible feat.

The mold finally condensed, but this time it formed several versions of Eliza, each one smaller than the original.  Only a young child in size.  They surrounded Smiles, watching him with those same eerie blue eyes.  Yet the mold was becoming brittle and dormant as the temperature plunged.  Not that Dom was immune either – between the infection spreading through his body and the cold locking up muscle and bone, he was slower.  Weaker.

As one, Eliza and her clones all slowly raised a hand toward Smiles—

“Shit,” Smiles grunted.  Acting quickly, he raised his fist and slammed it into the ground, the sand having mixed with the water from Eliza’s Obscuring Mist to form a muddy mixture.  It slopped up in the air, intercepting the beams of mold like a makeshift barrier.  Unfortunately, the material also covered Eliza’s doppelgangers – the swiftly dropping temperature causing them to freeze in place.

Smiles raised his hands again, the fungus creeping up his legs now and forcing him to the ground.  He let out a grunt of pain but kept moving.  His palms crashed together once more, using the last of his strength, sending out a wave of force that shattered the copies of Eliza into icy fragments.  The debris soon dropped to the ground, followed closely by Smiles, his chest heaving and sweat beading on his forehead despite the cold.

A thin fragment of Eliza remained, just one of her heads, those eyes still staring.  And they kept staring until Smiles let out a final cough and his body went still.  Then she closed her eyes… and the mold disintegrated, leaving fragments of Eliza’s body littered across the arena and her vines still coiling around the coliseum, pulsing with that turquoise light.

A roar of approval signaled the end of yet another round, the score changing to 2-2.

Eliza had managed to kill Smiles, but it hadn’t lasted long – the leader of <Death and Taxes> abandoning any form of defense in order to take her with him.  In a conventional fight, that strategy might not have been terribly effective.  But here?  In this deadly gauntlet where his death was only a temporary inconvenience?  His strategy was sound.

Jason eyed the timers in the corner of his vision, a fresh one popping into existence.  They still had a while on Alexion’s respawn.  More for Eliza.  And now, there were only two of them left.  Since they refused to attack him together, Smiles seemed to be setting a new goal of killing them all before Alexion could respawn.

Another chime sounded, interrupting Jason’s thoughts.  The mutator had ended, and the temperature began to rise again, but only ever-so-slowly.  Frost still littered the ground and plant life, the muddy sand still frozen into a solid, slick mass.  Jason shifted his body, breaking up the ice that had formed along his limbs.  Meanwhile, Finn extinguished his spell, the fires receding.

Then the avatar of flame spared a glance at Jason.

“I guess it’s my turn,” he murmured, stepping forward.

Finn didn’t wait for Smiles to respawn.  Instead, he lifted his hands, palms down, and began to summon his mana.  Fire flared out around him, creating an aura of heat that grew with each passing second.  Without warning, the sand burst apart, and flaming metallic objects rocketed up out of the ground.  That metal wrapped around his arms, legs, and chest, covering him in flaming steel – the bouncer bot logo still emblazoned across the repurposed metal.  Then two additional crystalline arms fused to his ribcage, searing through the metal armor and into Finn’s flesh.  Jason knew the tendrils of crystal were plunging into muscle and skin, worming their way through his body as he let out a hissing breath of pain.  As the Neurogem material finally connected with Finn’s Najima, fires flooded out through his extra limbs and the fingers twitched experimentally.

Finn had prepared this suit ahead of time, breaking apart the bouncer bots and cutting into the club itself to retrieve more of the Neurogem material.  He’d used the remainder of the bots to carry the pieces to the arena using the maintenance tunnels.  It seemed his plan had paid off, the bots managing to sneak inside the arena before Smiles had sealed it off with his barrier.

Another multi-colored rift formed in the air, and Smiles stepped out again.

He spared a glance at Eliza’s remains.  “That girl is incredible,” he murmured.

“Hmph.  Well, you haven’t fought me yet,” Finn insisted.

Smiles gaze shot to the avatar of flame, taking in his armor and newly acquired limbs.  “Hmm, you think some metal will be enough?  You might not know this at your age, but real men don’t use armor,” he added, flexing his arms and the material of his suit buckling.

With that, Smiles shot forward again, punching at Finn.  However, the blow never landed.  Finn moved so quickly that he left an orange afterimage in his wake, a function of using both Haste and Imbue Fire to enhance his movements simultaneously.  It seemed he’d been inspired by their creation in Sandscrit – Finn’s armor resembling the Nemesis.  It took full advantage of his Concentration, allowing him to channel and cast even more spells at once.  And with Eliza’s potions already flowing through his veins, his mana wouldn’t deplete immediately.

As a result, the battle quickly picked up in speed.

With a twitch of his fingers, Finn fired a Molten Beam from one hand, then another.  He swept to the side to avoid a strike from Smiles, kicked off into a backflip to avoid a follow-up attack, and then landed with a dull thump.  Jason could barely follow each movement.  The actions were executed so quickly and with such precision that they would look like little more than a blur to anyone else.

Smiles backed off a moment, his suit scorched and skin seared, a few droplets of blood dripping onto the sands.  “Huh.  I take it back.  This new equipment of yours is interesting,” he complimented Finn.

“If you have time to talk, you’re not trying hard enough,” Finn growled back.

He raced forward with a blast of flame but flipped to the side at the last moment.  His body was performed a series of implausible movements that rapidly shot him downward two feet and then rotated Finn around Smiles.  The guild leader missed his swing completely, his eyes barely tracking Finn’s movements.  Then Finn raised his left arm – the energy he’d gathered earlier pulsing like a miniature sun.  The metal along his arm was now melting under the force of the flames and peeling back to reveal thick crystal.  A piercing beam of energy rocketed forward, striking Smiles in the back of his legs and slicing cleanly through his hamstrings.

Finn rolled to the side and regained his footing, his arms at the ready.  Smiles dropped to his knees, smoke curling away from his skin and his legs suddenly unable to support his weight.  His body was now smoking and seared.  Blood dripped to the sand.  His legs were a ruined mess of tendon and muscle.  And despite all that, the man let out a rumbling laugh.

“Like he’s enjoying this,” Jason thought in disbelief.  And yet, he also couldn’t help but feel his mana responding.  That surge of chill energy that he was barely able to suppress.  A part of him craved this and couldn’t wait to see what happened next – to fight Smiles himself.

Not that Finn seemed to need any help.

“Maybe Finn can hold out alone,” Jason murmured, eyeing his UI again.

“Unlikely,” Daniel chirped at Jason’s shoulder.  “I don’t detect any fluctuation in Smiles’ energy.  Which means Finn must not pose a large threat.”

Indeed, as Jason looked back at Smiles, he could see the muscles in his legs stitching themselves back together at an incredible rate, moving even faster than before – without using a potion or healing spell.  What was going on?

“Accelerated healing and damage resistance at low health,” Daniel supplied.  “That best supports the current data.  His regeneration rate is much higher than it was before.  That would also explain how he managed to endure Eliza’s mold for so long.”

Finn must have decided to capitalize on his enemy’s weakness before he could fully heal, using whatever window he had left to deliver a killing blow.  He rocketed forward with another blast of flame, his arms tapering down into razor-sharp blades, the crystal humming with orange energy.  As they trailed along the ground, the blades left flecks of molten sand in their wake.  To keep Smiles on the defensive, Finn’s fingers twitched and scrapmetal rose into the air, refining down into sharp spikes that raced at the leader of <Death and Taxes>… only for those missiles to slam into a series of invisible shields.  One, two, three, and the fourth managed to impale Smiles’ arm, the man letting out a grunt of pain.

Even with his impressive regeneration, Smiles was still going to have difficulty fighting Finn in melee without the use of his legs—

Smiles’ hands had curled in the sand, and Jason had assumed he was just trying to regain his footing.  However, that assumption was proven wrong as he whipped his arms forward, flicking something at Finn with each hand.  The missiles sped forward in a streak of gold, and Finn’s two real arms were ripped off upon impact.  Seconds later, those projectiles slammed into the wall beside Jason.  As he looked at the impressions, he saw familiar gold coins lodged in the stone – similar to the one Smiles had thrown into the air when he summoned the goblin army.  Had he been holding off on using that attack with the others?

Finn lost the channel on his armor, and he struck the ground hard – skidding along the sand and digging a muddy furrow in his wake as blood poured from his wounds.  However, he recovered quickly, rolling and coming back to his feet, a flash of flame cauterizing the wounds even as he speared forward, both of his crystalline blades impaling Smiles.  His opponent grunted in pain but still didn’t die.  Instead, he rose on barely healed legs, his hands now grabbing Finn and locking him in place, those blades still embedded in his stomach.

Then Smiles squeezed.  Metal bent, crumpled, and caved as Finn let out a scream of pain.  Yet Finn wasn’t finished.  Mana surged across his body – everything he had left – his eyes now twin stars of flame.  And his crystalline arms transformed again, this time inside Smiles.  Yellow highlights appeared throughout his body as Daniel came to his aid.  Organs, Jason realized belatedly.  The crystal wound through Smiles’ body, puncturing and destroying each organ in turn.  Smiles let out a hacking cough, blood spraying Finn’s armor.

However, the leader of <Death and Taxes> wasn’t done either.

Smiles squeezed harder – the muscles in his arms flexing and veins rippling along his skin where his suit had been seared away.  The metal of Finn’s armor buckled and then caved in entirely.  Finally, with a massive jerk, Finn went limp.

Smiles dropped to the ground, his chest heaving and blood fountaining from his lips.  The internal bleeding was simply too much, even for his regeneration.  He soon went limp.  Another kill.  Barely.  The scoreboard changed again.  3-3.

Finn and Eliza had only managed to take out Smiles at the cost of their own lives.

This time, there was no roar of applause from the crowd.  Only a deadly quiet.  Eliza’s vines still wrapped the arena, the flowers giving off a soft glow.  Blood stained the muddy sands, clumps of cooling glass riddling the field, sending up streamers of smoke and steam.  Alexion’s body hung limply from the vines.  Eliza’s remains had fallen in piles around the arena.  And now, Finn’s armor was a bloody clump of metal and crystal, his arms severed and lying along the sand.  Even Daniel had vanished upon Finn’s death.

Jason was alone.  Three respawn timers were ticking down in the corner of his vision.  They still had minutes left.  He couldn’t count on reinforcements.  He would need to hold out for much longer than the others – until at least Alexion respawned.

Far too soon, a multi-colored rift tore open the center of the arena.

Smiles stepped out once again, his suit and mask intact and no blood staining his body.  He stretched his arms, placing a hand against his stomach.  “I’ll admit.  That one hurt.”

Then his eyes shot to Jason.

“But now it’s just you and me.”

Chapter 54 - Fear

“Holy shit,” Claire muttered, earning her a glance of surprise from Robert.  It was unusual to hear an expletive drop from her lips.  Maybe he was starting to have a bad influence on her.

But he couldn’t exactly disagree with the sentiment.

Little work was getting done inside the Control Room.  All eyes were watching the screen that floated above the room – just as most of the world was watching this tournament.  The protestors in the street.  Normal folk sitting at home or sneaking a peak at work.  Travelers braving the dangers of the rifts in-game to catch the fight in real-time.

Robert also couldn’t help but notice the few stray bowls of popcorn being passed out by his crew.  There wasn’t time to place bets.  To discuss odds.  This wasn’t a strategic and elegant duel between two tacticians like the battle they’d witnessed in Sandscrit.  This was a barroom brawl.  Gladiators spilling blood on the sand.  A brutal, savage display of raw strength where even a second of hesitation or a small mistake spelled instant death.

“I’m not sure Jason can take him,” Claire said softly.

Robert just cocked his head.  “Oh, really?  Counting our boy out already?”

She shot him a glare.  “Jason has no minions.  No army.  And his specialty isn’t melee combat.  Even if he uses his mana well here… it just won’t be enough to stop that-that creature they’re fighting,” she muttered, eyeing Smiles on screen.

“Aren’t you discounting his new form?” Robert asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Are you sure that was even real?” Claire shot back.  “Or was it just a ruse to lure the rest of <Death and Taxes> into their trap?  Alexion could have built an illusion, on that would explain his new skeletal appearance.  And even if Jason did transfer his consciousness to some sort of other body or something, he has at least two full minutes until Alexion respawns.  The rest have each lasted less than a sixty seconds so far.  I just don’t see it…

“I think we’re about to watch him fail in front of millions,” Claire murmured, eyes locked on that screen as she adjusted her glasses nervously.

Robert noticed more than a few techs following their conversation, nodding along with Claire’s reasoning and frowns creasing their lips.  Judging from the displays flashing in front of him, forums and social media traffic condensed into manageable graphs, figures, and summaries…  Well, it looked like the rest of the world largely agreed with her, as well.  It seemed everyone was discounting Jason.  They were assuming he was just some kid who had lucked out with an OP class, and was being propped up by his companions and guildmates.

A laugh suddenly erupted from Robert’s throat, echoing across the nearly-silent room.  He grabbed another handful of popcorn as he leaned back in his chair and pitched up his feet.  “You all are just so negative.  I wouldn’t count our boy out too soon.  He’s faced worse.”

A smile flitted across his face as he eyed the bloody arena.  “And besides, I see plenty of materials that a savvy Necromancer could repurpose.”

Claire glanced at him in surprise.  “The corpses?  But even so, that would only give him a handful of minions.  And even if he resurrects Smiles, he can only have one copy.  Alfred – I mean, we patched that,” she amended, eyeing the techs.

Robert popped a piece of popcorn in his mouth, his smile only widening in excitement.  “Just wait.  If we’ve learned anything so far, it’s that Jason loves bending the rules.”

***

Smiles eyed Jason, his opponent standing there, silent amid the shadows.

“What?  Nothing to say?  No rant?  No grandstanding for the camera?” Smiles demanded, waving at the blue orbs that floated overhead like fireflies.  “The world is watching – in-game and out.  Your teammates are dead and you just watched them fall.”

Jason remained quiet, robed in shadow.

“Huh,” Smiles grunted.  “After all my research, all the videos I’ve seen, people I’ve questioned… I never expected this.  Where is this Jason I’ve heard so much about?  The same person that butchered an entire city in the first few weeks of the game.  That conquered the Sea’s Edge.  That destroyed Finn’s city with a mere handful of players.  Unkillable.  Overpowered.  The King of Death.  Your name strikes fear in the hearts of travelers even if some refuse to admit it.  You’re supposed to be a legend!”

Smiles shook his head.  “But perhaps that’s it.  Perhaps you’re too accustomed to winning.  To walking away victorious.  You haven’t had to shed your own blood.  Or watched as your teammates die around you.”

The guild leader raised his eyes to meet Jason’s.  “Is that it?  Are you afraid to die?”

More silence met that statement, Jason letting that pause hang in the air.

He could see what Smiles was trying to do.  Provoke him.  Enrage him.  Entice him to act without thinking… with all those cameras hovering in the air… with the world watching.  Maybe he might have once given in to his anger.  Let it consume him.  Blind him.  But that person didn’t exist any longer.  This world had changed him.  It had broken him down and replaced him with someone better, stronger, faster.  Just as it had done for his teammates, forcing them to grow and evolve.  Eliza, Finn… even Alexion.  Their bodies now riddled the arena.

They had all managed to take out Smiles, to stain the sands with his blood.

Then Jason saw it… the flash of energy he’d been waiting for.

The barrier around the arena flickered, sputtering and sparking erratically.  Then, with a final crackle, the field imploded.  Mana flared brightly, and Smiles lifted a hand to his eyes to ward off the glare.  When he looked up again, Eliza’s vines had been blasted away – twilight now shining overhead and the stars twinkling brightly in the night sky.  Technicolor mana rained down across the arena, motes of rainbow energy fluttering through the air.  And through it all… Jason finally strode forward, treading a path across the bloodied field.

He swept aside the notice confirming what he already knew.  The barrier was down.  Eliza’s vines had done their work – a mutation of Rockstomper designed to be less discriminating in its diet.  The group couldn’t anticipate how Smiles would use the energy he’d captured – only that he’d stored quite a bit of mana for some purpose.  So, they’d planned for several contingencies, creating something that could neutralize many different applications.  And their bet had paid off.

Now that mana rained down upon the arena, pushing back at the encroaching twilight.

“Afraid?” Jason murmured, his voice rustling softly.  “I’m not the one that should be afraid.  There's a good reason that all creatures fear the darkness.”

As he finished speaking, he pulled back his cloak, revealing his body.

That video hadn’t been a fake.  It was no mere illusion.  Jason had undergone every step of that surgery.  Every pain-filled moment.  The horror of holding his own heart in his hands.  Even now, he could feel it – that phantom pain in his chest.  That sinking pit in his stomach.  That fear that he’d gone too far and wouldn’t make it this time.

His fists clenched with a crack of bone.  But he had.  He’d evolved.  Transplanted his Najima into a body of bone and crystal.  Gone was his skin, replaced with a hardened frame of bone that was reinforced with so much of that dark metal it had turned almost pewter.  Yet the surface of his hands and arms twinkled in the twilight, fragments of crystal dotting the bone.  The Neurogem material wound up his spine and down each limb, connecting the six vessels tucked away inside this new form – each one protected by a dense cage of bone and mana.

Mana pulsed along the bone, emanating from the crystal that riddled his body and sucking in the faint motes of light as they drifted past.  Gray, sparkling bone encased by a shifting cloak of darkness.  That dark energy rippled and contorted like a living thing, winding up Jason’s legs, his waist, his chest, his neck, even his head – his face no more than a hollowed gray skull.  Inky horns stretched out from his forehead, wrapping around the bone that still lingered there.

The prompts still hovered in the corner of his vision… a reminder of what he’d done.

Quest Completed:  He’s a Keeper

You have shed yourself of any last trace of your humanity; of your weakness; of your doubt and fear.  You are now something more than you once were.  A creature of pure darkness and desire.  A monster that knows no restraint.  You no longer walk the path of the dark.  You forge it.  You bend it to your will and use that power to shake the world to its very foundations.

Race Change: Keeper (Lich)

You have been awarded +15,000 Infamy

Progress along the Path of the Dark

Revered relationship with the Dark One

System Notice:  Race Change

After undergoing an unholy ritual aided by the efforts of your friends and allies, you have finally rid yourself of your former body, transcending such feeble things as muscle, bone, and blood.  You are now death itself.

Race Change:  Keeper (Lich)

You have unlocked the skill Body Augmentation.

Only direct damage to your vessels will reduce your health/mana.

You have been awarded +100 to Willpower

You have been awarded +50 to Intelligence

You have been awarded +50 to Endurance

You are vulnerable to light and exposure to direct sunlight will reduce health/mana by 1%/second.

Damage and mana regeneration will be reduced by 75% while standing in direct sunlight

Upon death, all minions are lost and your body loses all augmentations.

Jason finally swept aside those notices.

The truth was that his current form wasn’t that impressive.  An amalgamation of bone, metal, mana, and crystal.  A creation that barely rivaled his Death Knights in terms of strength.

No, this was just the beginning.  A simple frame meant for something more…

Jason cast Zombie Lieutenant, dark energy slithering out to every corpse that now littered the arena.  His teammates all soon opened pale, white eyes.  Alexion, his body hanging from the bines.  Eliza, her mold pulling itself back together – the game still registering her form as a corpse.  Finn, his body broken and his metal armor fused to flesh and bone.  Even one of Smiles’ former corpses opened its eyes, its hulking body shifting along the sands.

“This won’t be enough,” the real Smiles grunted.  He stepped forward, crushing his zombie doppelganger’s leg.  I already broke these toys so that you couldn’t use them.”

A smart move, but one Jason had anticipated.

It was true that he couldn’t summon duplicates of his teammates since the last patch.  And while raising their zombie equivalent would aid him in battle, it wouldn’t be enough.  He couldn’t repair those broken bodies or their armor – couldn’t restore them to their living selves.  They would only be pale imitations of what they once were.  Shadows of their former glory.

But Jason wasn’t a fan of rehashing old strategies.  That wouldn’t work against Smiles, not with the research this man had clearly put into planning and anticipating the avatars’ moves.  No, Jason intended to bend the rules until they buckled and threatened to break.  He was going to tear it all down and build something new.

With another twitch of his fingers, he cast Custom Skeleton and the world slowed to a crawl.  His new minions rose into the air, whirling passed Smiles in a blur of motion – the man barely managing to follow the movement under the enhanced time compression of the spell.  Those corpses whizzed toward Jason – broken flesh, metal, crystal, and mold.

And as they neared, floating in the air before him… Jason began to work.

Their bodies broke apart, muscle stripped from ivory frames.  He removed the fragments of broken bone, needless muscle and blood that would only get in his way.  The debris that riddled their bodies.  Metal and crystal and glass that were in his way.  He purified their bodies in anticipation of a new surgery – an unholy operation that could only take place on the field of battle.  Death repurposed to give him a strength he’d never known.

The remains of his zombies flitted forward as he raised his arms to either side.  Alexion’s body fused with his own, wings stitching themselves to his back and darkness sweeping out across them as the feathers shifted to an ebony hue.  Finn’s mind settled into Jason’s empty skull, and his metal eyes sunk into their corresponding sockets, his four arms stitching themselves to Jason’s abdomen, fastening securely to the frame he’d already built, and connecting to the Neurogem that ran up his spine.  Smiles’ bone merged with Jason’s own, his limbs doubling and then tripling in size.  And overtop it all, Jason layered Eliza’s body, her form stretched thin, the darkness permeating the mold and the surface of Jason’s body rippling and undulating.

As he finished, another prompt appeared.

System Notice:  Body Augmentation

- Finn – 50% Augment Effectiveness

- Fire Affinity increased by 30%,

- Fire spells unlocked,

- Concentration unlocked,

- Multi-Casting unlocked.

- Mana Sight unlocked.

- Eliza – 50% Augment Effectiveness

- Water affinity increased by 30%,

- Water spells unlocked,

- Mold Form unlocked.

- Alexion - 40% Augment Effectiveness

- Light affinity increased by 10%.

- Light spells unlocked.

- Flight unlocked.

- Smiles – 30% Augment Effectiveness

- Passive resistance and defensive skills unlocked.

- 30% bonus to Strength and Dexterity.

Jason eyed that notice, more notifications streaming down the corner of his vision and announcing the new skills he’d acquired.  It seemed there were limits to how effectively he could use the other avatars’ ability – no doubt, his expertise with Body Augmentation and Jason’s own affinity created those limitations.  For example, after absorbing Smiles’ skeleton, he only retained his defensive skills at an intermediate skill level.  He could only imagine how hard he had trained if that represented 30% effectiveness.   Yet, even with those downsides, Jason could still feel the foreign energy rippling through his body – water, fire, and light seeping into his Najima, absorbed by the darkness that lingered there.  And with it came a newfound sense of strength.

What was more interesting was that his UI showed that he still had four active zombie lieutenants, the reserve cost eating into his mana pool.  Yet it was just a drop in the ocean, his vessels nestled safely inside his new form.  And Jason suspected that cost came with an upside.  Four zombies meant he could delegate actions to separate parts of his body.

Jason had done what the prompt had asked – what the world kept demanding of him.

He’d evolved.  He’d abandoned his own humanity to become something more.

“I’ve done my research as well.  I’ve seen what they say online about your guild,” Jason growled, taking a lumbering step forward.  “Killers.  Murderers.  Mercenaries…  Monsters.”

He flexed his newfound limbs, the frame snapping and popping.  A single, experimental flap of his wings sent a wave of dust rolling away at his back.  He cracked his neck and then turned to face Smiles, his eyes burning, demonic embers.

“But the darkness is where real monsters are born.”

Jason took another ponderous step forward, the ground shuddering from the impact.  At the same time, he dropped his first set of arms down, twin scythes telescoping from his wrists.  Finn’s limbs began to move at the same time, casting at an incredible speed.  Fire wound down their length and the metal all around the field was suddenly awash in flame, the debris rocketing to Jason where they melted down and began to form four massive balls of molten metal that orbited him slowly.  Yet, he wasn’t finished.  His skin glowed a brilliant sapphire as it began to move and shift – the mold feeding on the energy and beginning to awaken, lifting away from his body to form a protective aura around him.

Smiles could only stare, that mask smiling back.  With Jason’s enhanced sight – borrowed from Finn – he could see that the aura of yellow energy around Smiles flashed brightly, growing into a blaze of amber energy as death incarnate loomed before him.

Yet the man never balked.  “I’ve waited for this for a long time.”

Jason didn’t bother to respond.  He happily obliged Smiles.

His wings snapped taut and Jason launched forward.  He was in front of Smiles in an instant, his scythes whipping forward and Soul Blades slicing through the air so quickly that they left phantom energy in their wake.  Smiles just barely dodged, forced to drop to his knees.  With his considerable strength, he shoved off the ground from that position, launching himself into an uppercut.

Mold shifted across Jason’s body, hardening in one spot, and blunting the impact.  He barely moved from Smiles’ punch.  Then, without warning, a wrecking ball of heated metal slammed into the guild leader’s side, sending him rocketing through the air and into the wall of the arena.  The stone cracked.  Crumbled.  Smiles let out a grunt, blood erupting from his mouth.  Yet he somehow managed to keep moving, stepping out of the rubble, and wiping away the blood.

“Now this is more like it!” he roared.  “Come on!  Come at me!”

Jason obliged.  He whipped forward in a blaze of darkness, his scythes cutting at the air as the metal spheres broke apart, forming a flurry of blades – a hail of darkness and molten steel that cut and sliced and stabbed and tore.  Smiles kept moving: dodging, twisting, spinning.  The occasional blade was deflected by a panel of reinforced air that formed beside him – the same passive ability Jason had observed earlier and which now protected him as Smiles flicked a few more of those golden coins at him… only for the metal to fall harmlessly to the ground.

The deaths of Jason’s allies had also served another purpose.

It had allowed him to study Smiles.

Haste suffused Jason’s form, the orange rippling up his skeleton and mixing with the shadowy darkness that enveloped his limbs.  Three rapid blows in quick succession and Smiles’ Missile Shield was down.  Metal swept forward, spearing into Smiles’ legs before slamming into the sand, anchoring him in place.  Then Jason pulled back with his four arms, the mold shifting into place along each limb until they were massive columns of carnage.  Then they all struck at once.

Smiles was blown off his feet, the anchors ripped from his legs with a spray of blood.  He slammed into the wall again with a crunch of bone.  Jason suspected he’d broken at least a few ribs.  Smiles dropped to the ground, coughing up more blood.  His luck couldn’t help him here – not against the unstoppable.  Not forever.  It could only keep him alive.  Barely.

“Amazing,” Smiles growled.  He raised his eyes, his mask fractured and revealing part of his face.

However, Jason didn’t detect any hint of fear there.  Only a strange madness.  An excitement that seemed to consume Smiles.  He managed to pull himself upright, his injuries healing at an incredible pace.

“I haven’t gotten to use this in ages,” Smiles offered, chuckling despite his broken ribs, ignoring his own pain.  “But this feels like a special occasion.”

As he trailed off, Smiles’ body suddenly contorted, each of his muscles convulsing with incredible strength.  Veins popped up along his arms as his entire body spasmed, his muscles increasing in size with each passing second, shredding the rest of his suit which dropped to the ground in a ragged heap.  Even the blood vessels in his eyes exploded, the irises suddenly stained a dark red.  When, Smiles looked back up, there was barely any trace of sanity remaining, a mad smile painted across his real lips.

In a blink, Smiles was gone.  He reappeared beside Jason, a single punch rocketing forward.  His zombie lieutenants responding automatically, shifting the mold into place to reinforce his torso.  Even so, the blow sent him sliding back across the sand and destabilized the reinforced skin, the surface blowing apart into a cloud of mold that slowly began to stitch itself back together.

If anything, it seemed Smiles had grown even stronger.  Some sort of Enrage ability? Jason wondered.  Had he learned to control his body’s release of adrenaline?  Jason certainly didn’t detect any mana with Finn’s eyes and Smiles luck aura had dimmed.

Yet there wasn’t time to ponder on that.

Because Smiles went on the offensive.  He was a blur of motion, Jason only keeping up with the help of Finn’s Haste.  They traded massive blows, each punch crumpling flesh and fracturing bone.  Jason cut into Smiles with his Soul Blades, only to watch him regrow his own hand in a flash of regeneration.  The more battered and bloodied Smiles became, the harder it seemed to be to kill him and the faster his regeneration became.

Smiles opened his mouth on his next charge, releasing a staggering shout that blasted a wave of kinetic energy at Jason.  Jason was quick to respond, and a wall of metal slammed down in front of him and burrowed into the sand – swiftly turning the surface to molten glass.  That barrier blunted the sonic attack, the wave of force rippling up into the air.  He expected Smiles to go over or around the wall.  But that metal shield was soon ripped from the ground and was sent hurtling toward Jason as Smiles decided to go through it.  The shield crashed into Jason, the flames searing the mold that covered his body and his back slamming into the ground.

They slid along the sand, leaving a furrow in their wake.  Jason shifted his position, moving his legs into place and reinforcing them with more of the mold.  Then he kicked off, sending Smiles hurtling into the air high above the arena.  In a flash, Jason’s wings whipped forward, and he raced after his opponent, rising above him.  He reached the apex of his ascent and pivoted...

Then Jason’s wings snapped back to his sides and he dove.

He crashed into Smiles with tremendous force, Jason’s first set of arms locking him in place and bands of molten steel puncturing each of his limbs… holding him down even as the pair picked up more and more speed, the ground hurtling up to meet them.  They struck like a meteor, Smiles’ back slamming into the sandy turf of the arena.  A wave of debris rocketed up into the sky, briefly obscuring them from sight.

And as the sand was quickly blown away by the stiff winds that scoured the Mile-High Club, it revealed Jason standing there, a demon made of stolen parts.  And in the center of the arena?  Smiles lay on the ground, his legs broken, his ribs a mess – ivory peeking out from thick green skin as blood bubbled around the wounds.

Yet, despite the damage, another ragged laugh peeled from his lips.

Smiles dragged himself from the crater that now lingered in the center of the arena, forcing himself upright even as his wounds began to close once more.  Only moments later, he was on his feet again, not weaving or staggering.  Instead, he raised his fists, his eyes watching Jason behind his fractured mask.

“What are you waiting for?  Fight me!”  Smiles roared.

Then he charged again.

Chapter 55 - Presentation

Finn respawned in a flash of multi-colored light.  He’d been expecting to see the sands of the arena, Eliza’s vines coiling overhead.  Perhaps even Alexion or Eliza fighting Smiles – their respawn timers popping long before his own.  And yet he found himself in an unfamiliar courtyard, the occasional explosion of sound echoing from somewhere nearby.

“Where are we?” Finn grunted.

“We appear to have respawned near the arena,” Daniel chirped helpfully, opening his map and the display hovering beside him.  They didn’t seem to be far away.

However, he knew what that meant.  Eliza’s vines had brought down the mana field.  And judging from his UI, the rest of his team had already respawned.  It appeared Eliza and Alexion still had full health.  As did Jason… although that meant little with his new form.  A series of thunderous booms echoed in the distance.

Did that mean Jason was still fighting?

And where was the rest of <Death and Taxes>?  Surely, they’d respawned already.

Erring on the side of caution, Finn pulled a few metal orbs from his bag – his bracelets having all been repurposed during his fight with Smiles.  A twitch of his fingers and flames wrapped the metal, the orbs soon spiraling around him protectively.  Then he moved forward, searching for the source of those explosions, moving closer to the green icons on his map, Daniel pulsing softly at his shoulder.

As he neared the arena again, Finn slowed… and then stopped short.

The stone walls of the coliseum were gone.  Little more than rubble now, the rock fractured and broken, providing an unimpeded view of the arena floor.  A massive crater had been blasted into the sand and there was blood everywhere.  In the center of it all were two figures, their bodies moving at an incredible speed, trading blows that created peals of thunder as they landed.  One, Finn recognized as Smiles, the man’s suit long gone, his scars on full display.  Yet he looked larger and his muscles pulsed with massive veins.  Some new ability perhaps?

Yet it was his opponent that captured Finn’s attention.

“The kid did it,” he murmured.

“Yeah, that’s one hell of an upgrade,” a familiar voice spoke up from beside Finn.  He started and whirled, having been distracted by the sight before him.

Alexion and Eliza stood there, watching the same incredible scene.

“Why aren’t we helping?” Finn asked.

The pair looked at him skeptically.  Then Alexion waved at the arena.  “Just watch.”

As Finn turned back to the fight, he saw Jason raise a crystalline arm, sucking in the heat in the vicinity, the temperature dropping at an incredible rate.  Without fanfare, he turned and leveled that arm at Smiles, fire pooling along the palm.  Jason released the pent-up energy, and a ray of destruction carved through the air toward Smiles.  The guild leader moved swiftly, taking off at an incredible speed, and barely managed to dodge the blast.  It was so powerful that it ate through the warded rock like butter, the molten energy slicing clean through the remainder of the stone wall that had once ringed the coliseum.

As the energy flared out, it left molten pools of rock and glass, heat rippling away from those new lakes of magma.  Finn could only stare.  Jason wasn’t holding back at all.  And yet Smiles was still standing.  The power they were throwing around was enough to level cities.  It reminded Finn of their battle in Sandscrit, except no one was using their mana well in this fight.  And the entire thing was still being recorded, those sapphire orbs floating over the battlefield.

Smoke coiled out across the sands as Jason and Smiles parted for a moment, squaring off once again.  Lightning arced from the clouds overhead, striking the sand, and sending up a spray of particles – casting the pair in silhouette.  A ring of fire erupted from the ground around them, replacing the former stone wall and denoting a rough circular boundary.  In the background, Finn could have sworn he heard rock music playing, just softly enough to avoid overpowering the scene unfolding before them.

“Where the hell is the fire and lightning coming from—”

Finn cut himself off as he turned to find Smokes lounging on a cushion of mist, streamers of vapor leaking out from the cloud and drifting off into the arena where it pooled around Jason and Smiles’ ankles.  The source of the lightning was also apparent now – Pewpew sat atop the nearby wall, occasionally firing off a shot into the air, her metal stakes landing in the arena with a blast of lightning.  Fire bloomed around Blaze as she let out a yawn, covering her mouth in embarrassment as she noticed Finn watching.  And nearby, Bard was playing softly, his guitar humming with an amber glow.

“What the hell is going on here?” Finn muttered.

Smokes eyed him, taking a lazy drag on his cigarette.  “I know, it’s silly.  But Bard insisted.  Something about setting the scene or some shit.”

“More like he offered to not talk for three days if we went along with it,” Pewpew offered.

“Sounds like a hell of a deal,” Alexion grunted from nearby.

“You have no idea,” Blaze grumbled.

“I think we have some idea…” Eliza muttered.

Tombs snorted from nearby.  “Try spending every waking moment with him.”  He looked at Eliza.  “At least you got to kill him.  Been a long time since I’ve put him down.”

“No, I mean why are you all just standing here with us,” Finn interjected, his orbs still hovering beside him protectively.  “Shouldn’t you be trying to take us out?”

“What’s the point?” Tombs shot back with a shrug.  “We got what we wanted.  You three already died to Smiles – with those deaths streamed to the whole game world.  So those contracts have already been completed.”

“Was that the only thing motivating you?” Finn demanded.

“Not exactly,” Queen offered, approaching from behind them, a drink in hand.  She tapped it with her finger, ice cubs forming in the glass.  She took a sip.  “I’ll admit some of that stuff before was a little personal.”

Finn’s hands clenched.  “A little?” Finn demanded.  He still hadn’t forgotten how she’d used Rachael’s image against him.

Queen cocked her head.  “You had it coming.  You did leave me chained up at the bottom of the Abyss.”  Finn’s hands clenched and the fires around his orbs flared brightly.

Tombs coughed into his hand meaningfully, the others staring at Queen.  She let out a sigh.  “Fine.  Using your dead wife’s appearance might have been going too far…”

Another cough from Tombs.

“I’m… sorry, okay?” Queen ground out grudgingly.  “Even if you’re still a huge dickhead,” she muttered under her breath, just a touch too loudly.

Finn bristled at the comment but decided to let it go.  His gaze shot to Pewpew.  “Am I supposed to believe you’ve also gotten over your vendetta against Jason?”

The girl just offered a shrug.  “Got what I wanted.  I got to shoot him a bunch of times.  Plus, I have footage of him frantically trying to flee a giant smiling boulder, and it’s been posted everywhere online already.  That was all I ever really wanted,” she answered glibly.

Finn just shook his head.  These people were—

His thoughts were interrupted by a massive boom from the arena.  All eyes turned to the fight that was still being waged there – now with special effects and a suitably epic soundtrack.  Smiles had just released another Thunderclap, pushing Jason back.  However, he recovered quickly and raced forward with a snap of his wings, Soul Blades cutting at Smiles and molten blades slicing at his legs and arms from behind… only for the man to simply wade through the attack, landing a punch on Jason that had him hurtling backward through the air, his wings soon stabilizing him.

“Uh, I know Smiles told us not to interfere, but does anyone else think this might go on forever?” Tombs offered, glancing at the others.

“Shouldn’t Smiles run out of stamina eventually?” Eliza asked curiously.

The rest of <Death and Taxes> laughed at that, Eliza’s brow scrunching in confusion.

“Smiles has trained… a lot.  His Endurance is insane and so is his regeneration.  He doesn’t use Enrage often, but even with it active, he could still go for a while,” Queen offered.  “It’s far more likely that Jason will run out of juice.”

“Doubtful,” Alexion muttered.  At Queen’s questioning glance, he elaborated.  “I can tell from the group UI that he’s mostly using the zombies’ mana to cast those spells.  Plus, I’ve seen his Character Status.  Even before his latest race change, it was clear he’d put almost every single point into Willpower.  Smiles’ best option would be to destroy one of the zombies.”

“Which is hard with my mold,” Eliza offered.  “It repairs itself.  Even a destabilizing attack isn’t enough to destroy it.  That just acts like a stun and the mold recovers quickly.  Freezing or burning damage are the best options to stop its regeneration.”

“And Smiles can’t cast,” Tombs replied with a frown.  “Perfect.”

“So, this really is going to last forever,” Blaze muttered.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Finn replied.

“Oh, really?  Why not?” Blaze asked.

Finn let out a sigh.  “That kid is clever.  I suspect he’s already realized all these points.  Which means he has a plan…

“You’re putting a lot of faith in the Edgelord,” Pewpew quipped.

“It’s not faith.  It’s experience.  We’ve all seen it.  Jason wins,” Alexion murmured in response, crossing his arms.  “That’s just what he does.”

Pewpew glanced at Alexion in surprise.  He wasn’t one to normally sing Jason’s praises.

“We’ll see,” she muttered finally.

Finn turned his attention back to the fight.  Jason had retreated momentarily, whipping up into the night sky with Smiles standing below him.  He watched his opponent warily, mental wheels turning.  Finn could almost visualize his thought process.  This fight could last forever – which was time they didn’t have.  Even now, the timer on Armageddon was still ticking down.  This was only one battle in a much larger war.

Which meant Jason needed to end the fight.  Now.

Jason must have reached the same conclusion because he began casting again, this time, a golden glow suffusing his body.  That energy quickly merged with his dark mana and turned into a bright purple that rippled across his arms, legs, torso, and wings before coiling up across his head.  That energy would erode his zombies quickly, easily outpacing their own regeneration.

But until then, it would give him an edge.

Smiles seemed to anticipate that this was the endgame, planting his feet firmly and raising his arms, his regeneration swiftly repairing his injuries.  Finn could see Jason’s move here.  He was intentionally giving Smiles time to heal to reduce his luck aura and remove the risk of Smiles avoiding his attacks.  The only options were to either kill him in one blow – a tall feat – or to whittle him down in a flurry of strikes like Alexion had done earlier.

That quiet moment seemed to stretch on for an eternity.

Then Jason moved, his wings pulling tight as he dived at Smiles, his scythes raised and his crystalline arms summoning massive blocks of metal which he tossed at Smiles as he fell back to earth.  The guild leader batted the boulders aside almost casually, the metal denting with each punch.  And in that scant few seconds, Jason was upon him, Soul Blades slicing…

Yet they whiffed, Smiles dodging expertly, putting him inside Jason’s guard.  He leveled a punch at his chest, the mold moving too slowly – far too slowly to blunt this attack.  Jason had made a mistake.  A small slip up that might cost him everything.  Finn’s hands were tense, trying to resist the urge to intervene.  The others around him were in a similar state, watching with bated breath, fingers never straying far from their weapons.

That punch landed solidly, slamming into Jason’s stomach, ripping two of his crystalline arms free in an instant as he rotated to avoid most of the damage.  Smiles followed up, grabbing a firm hold of Jason and grappling him.  This wasn’t good.  From that position, he could rip Jason’s body apart – removing his advantage by destroying each zombie.

“This is it,” Queen muttered.

“I’m not so sure,” Finn replied.

In the heartbeat it took Finn to grapple him, flames rippled along Jason’s body – clearly Haste, Finn would recognize the spell anywhere.  Yet moving more swiftly wouldn’t help him, nor would the metal sawblades that rose around Jason, burrowing into Smiles’ arms but failing to cut cleanly through his dense limbs.  Then Finn caught a strange flash of dark mana.  In the flurry of movement, Jason had slipped an arm forward, his fingertips touching lightly against Smiles’ temple.  Tendrils of darkness coiled across Smiles’ head before sinking into his eyes, ears, and mouth, the energy so subtle that even Smiles missed it amid the frenzy.

Only moments later, the pair stood stock still in that macabre embrace, purple energy still sliding across Jason’s body.  Smiles arms still wrapped around Jason’s frame.  Yet neither of them moved – almost as though they’d been frozen solid.

“What the fuck just happened?” Pewpew demanded.

Bard’s music petered out, the final note falling flat.  “Are they… are they hugging right now?” he asked in an incredulous tone, watching the pair frozen there – wrapped in a deadly embrace.  “That wasn’t part of the plan.”

Finn couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face.

“Hmph, I suspect not… that’s checkmate,” he replied.

Chapter 56 - Soulless

A white expanse drifted out around Jason, stretching on without end, broken only by the coils of smoky gray that seemed to hover in pockets throughout the void.  That mist coalesced and broke apart, taking on a faint image only to dissolve a moment later like shapes in the clouds.  The images were so subtle that one could almost assume they were superimposing their own subconscious onto that gray vapor.

And in this ivory void stood two individuals.

Smiles looked around, taking in their new surroundings before his gaze settled upon Jason.  “Interesting,” Smiles spoke up, seemingly unperturbed at the abrupt change in scenery.  “I take it this is your Undead Devotion?”

“It is,” Jason answered with a nod.

“Hmph,” Smiles grunted.  “In that case…”

He snapped his fingers and the white void shifted.  Jason’s body rippled, his skeletal appearance transforming back into smooth, pale skin and hair creeping across his scalp.  Only moments later, he was wearing regular clothes – his weapons, armor, and any trace of mana gone and replaced with a plain pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

As Jason looked back at his opponent, he could see that Smiles wasn’t immune to the changes either.  The man’s suit had disappeared, shifting back into a tank top and shorts.  His body also shrank, shedding a couple hundred pounds of muscle and scar tissue.  Even so, Smiles’ limbs showed evidence of strenuous physical training.

An athlete then, Jason thought to himself.  That explained a lot.

Finally, that ivory mask disintegrated, revealing Smiles’ face entirely for the first time.

Jason wasn’t anticipating the kindness shining in his eyes.  Or the pleased grin that tugged at Smiles’ lips.  “What?  Not what you were expecting?” Smiles asked.  “I have to admit, you also look much less intimidating in real life.”

“It’s not that,” Jason murmured.  It was the ease with which Smiles had manipulated this place.  “You seem comfortable here.”

Smiles shrugged.  “This is my mind, isn’t it?  Queen explained the gist of it.”

Another snap of his fingers and the nearby smoke materialized into two armchairs and Smiles waved at a seat.  Jason obliged, the pair sitting across from one another in that bleached white expanse.  “There, isn’t that better?”

Jason could only watch this strange man.  What the hell was his game here?

Smiles sighed.  “I suppose you’re wondering what I want?  Why I don’t appear upset or confused at ending up here?  That’s actually an interesting story… but first, since I know who you are, it would be rude of me not to introduce myself.  My name is Dominique Hart, although I prefer to be called Dom.  I’m 22.  A college football player… or, at least, I was.  Oh, and I’m dying from terminal cancer.”

Jason’s eyes widened at that.  He’d just… just DOX’d himself?  But why?

And then there was that last sentence.  Smiles – Dom, Jason corrected – was dying?

All around them, the smoke churned, gathering and solidifying to form brief scenes.  A stark white room that reeked of antiseptic.  Ivory white bone overlaid against a dark backdrop as a doctor droned on in the background.  Dom leaning forward, his face a blank slate and his eyes a million miles away.  Then the doctor paused.  “Are you okay?”

The scene broke apart, recondensing into another image.  In this one, Dom was sitting in a chair, an IV in his arm and screens arrayed before him.  One among many showcased his bank balance, another $30,000 withdraw signaling a single infusion as his hand gripped the arm of his chair tightly and the nearby monitor let out a soft beep – his heart rate and blood pressure both elevated.  Stress.  Anxiety.  A kernel of fear…

The smoke blew away, the memories vanishing.

“What a useful mechanic,” Dom murmured.  “Makes it difficult to lie here, huh?”

“Almost impossible,” Jason answered, recovering quickly.

“It’s not quite as dire as it looks,” Dom offered with a sympathetic look.  “As you saw, I’m in treatment.  The cancer has been responding well.  So, I suppose I should have said I was dying.  Past tense, thankfully.”

“So, the money is for your treatment?”  That earned him a nod from Dom.  “And the others?  Your guildmates?  What about them?”

“They’re not dying, if that’s what you’re asking,” Dom answered.  He cocked his head.  “But they’re all economically-deprived, or some other PC technocrat bullshit that basically means they’re broke as shit.  I guess you could say none of us have much choice.  We’ve done what we’ve had to do to survive…”

As he trailed off again, the memories flooded back, a dozen scenes playing out around Jason as the smoke condensed.  Dom alone, training in the jungle.  Dying over and over again.  Ripped apart.  Sliced open.  Poisoned.  Battered, beaten, and eaten.  Only to do it again.  And again.  By himself.  Plunging into danger.  His hands reaching out for help… an instinct—

Only to find no one there.

And then suddenly he wasn’t alone.

Another thin man wielding a piece of shit guitar was there, dying with him.  Then others.  Goblins.  Men and women like himself.  The neglected and the forgotten.  Broke, penniless, and dejected.  They’d all gathered around Dom like moths to the flame.  They’d used that hardship and that pain to drive them to ever greater heights – increasingly more extreme training.

And then things had changed.

The scenes shifted.  They began using their abilities for something more.  Stealing from others.  Butchering entire guilds.  Robbing, pillaging, and looting.  A scene materialized – the auction house in Barrow.  They’d raided the damn thing – pillaged the vault and robbed the rest of the travelers blind… only to escape a miniature army of travelers and residents.

“The lack of money is the root of all evil – Mark Twain,” Dom offered.

Jason’s eyes snapped back to the other man.

“But I’m sure you understand that point yourself, don’t you?” Dom continued.  “How an act driven by necessity can shape the way others see you.  As a villain.  A criminal.  A sociopath.

“Kicked out of school.  Estranged from your parents.  Homeless.  Living with your aunt.  And then there was the break in… the death of those two teenagers.”  Dom listed off each item on his fingers, watching Jason.  “And Cerillion was there to swoop in and save you.”  There was a certain bitter, sarcasm in his voice at that last one.  “Which we both know is bullshit.  A man like George Lane doesn’t help others out of the kindness of his heart.  The truth is he needs you.  You’re the face of AO… for now, anyway.”

Dom stared at Jason, his gaze unwavering.  “We’re not that different, you and I.  It became clear during my research that we both agree on one thing—”

“We’ll do whatever it takes to survive,” Jason finished for him, Dom only smiling.

“Exactly.”

“Yet I still don’t understand.  What was all this for?  This show you’ve been putting on?” Jason asked.  “You could have killed us several times over if collecting our bounties was your only goal.  Yet, instead, you orchestrated this convoluted plan to capture the avatars and put us through these so-called games.  It’s clear you wanted the media attention, but why?”

Dom’s smile widened.  “I had a few reasons.  But, in part, I was doing you a favor.”

Jason was caught off guard, shaking his head.  “A favor?” he echoed.  It sure as hell hadn’t felt that way – not with the entire game world hanging in the balance.

“I’ll explain, but first, I have a question of my own,” Dom replied, leaning forward.  “Why are you still playing this game?"

Jason froze.  That was the same question he’d posed to Alexion and had been unable to answer himself – even after everything he’d endured.  “I… don’t know,” Jason answered finally.

“Bullshit,” Dom shot back.

Jason’s eyes snapped to his face.

“Bullshit,” Dom repeated forcefully.  “I know that’s a lie.  Like I said, I’ve watched you.  You should want this place to end.  It’s fucked up your life.  Resulted in you killing two kids.  Has you trapped inside Cerillion headquarters and beholden to your new benevolent corporate overlord.  And putting that all aside, I’m sure you have enough money to quit by now.  To give all this up and rent a new home, go to school, put your feet back on that path your parents laid out for you.

“Yet you don’t,” Dom insisted, his eyes gleaming.  “You keep fighting.  Not only that, but you push yourself even harder.  You even learned to work with that asshole Alexion – the same kid that is rumored to have gotten you expelled.  You pushed so hard you cut off your own arm over and over again to farm materials.  Yes, I knew about that.  And when even that wasn’t enough?  You streamed your own suicide on live television for the entire world to see – recorded yourself cutting your own heart out and holding it in your hand.

“But why?” Dom insisted.  “Why go that far?”

Jason just stared back, unable to muster a response.

His thoughts flitted to Alfred.  But was the AI really responsible for any of that?  Even if AO ended, Alfred would likely survive.  He was more than just a few NPCs and cities.  So, what had been driving him?  Even Angie had suggested giving it all up.  Dom was right.  Why did he keep going?  Keep running toward danger?

Dom leaned back, letting out a sigh.  “I see you aren’t willing to admit it yet.  Perhaps it would be easier to show you…"

As Dom trailed off, he snapped his fingers again.

This time, the smoke condensed into a familiar scene.  It was Jason and Dom fighting in the arena.  The coliseum’s walls were gone, reduced to rubble.  The sands were pockmarked with giant craters, much of the surface melted down into glass and stained a bright red with the blood of Jason’s companions.  They fought in a flurry of devastating blows, each one powerful enough to crush bone and send up fountains of sand.

And through it all… there was a mad smile painted on Jason’s face – the dark energy and bone peeling back to reveal that grin.  One that matched the smile on Dom’s face.  In that moment, Jason had felt free in a way that he couldn’t explain.  He hadn’t been worried about his future.  Or his friends.  Or his parents.  Or Angie.  Or Alfred.  Or the fate of the world.  There had only been the fight – that effort to survive.

If he was being honest, he’d also felt the same way fighting against Pewpew, and Smokes, and while Alexion was hacking off his arm, and while he was ripping his own organs free to create a new body for himself.  He was searching for something.  That sense of solace that came with riding the razor’s edge.  At freefalling toward the ground without a parachute.  That unity of thought and purpose all directed at answering one question.

What am I truly capable of?

“And there it is,” Dom murmured, and Jason’s attention shot back to his face.

“I know that look on your face.  I’ve seen it in the mirror.  In fact, I also haven’t been entirely truthful.”  Another snap of Dom’s fingers and an image materialized.  This one showed an updated bank balance, Dom’s savings account swelling well past a million dollars.

“You don’t actually need the money?” Jason muttered.

“No,” Dom answered simply.

Jason swallowed hard.  “So, you did all of this to what?  To see how far I could push myself?  To teach me a lesson?”

“In part.  But I also did this for me,” Dom growled, his eyes flashing.  “I wanted a fight.  A real one.  Not murdering some noobs or stealing from idiot nobles.  I wanted to experience that same sensation I did when I first started playing – that cocktail of fear and adrenaline.  That high that comes with putting everything on the line.  I wanted to roll the dice with my life.”

Dom leaned back again, his expression sobering.  “The rest was just a bonus.  To show you what you were truly capable of – to show the world,” Dom added.

Another snap of his fingers and the smoke shifted once more.

The mist surged in a tidal wave, sweeping around Jason and Dom.  And in an instant, that vapor had condensed.  Tens… hundreds… thousands of travelers stood around Jason, reminiscent of the mob that had pressed in on him and Frank during the final trial.  And yet, these men and women weren’t out for his blood.  Instead, they all stared at the sky, watching a massive screen where Jason and Dom fought – a blur of blood, metal, and death.  Two gods at war.

He could sense their awe in the heavy silence that hovered across the crowd.  The tension in their arms and shoulders.  The way they leaned forward, not even blinking for fear they’d miss the last blow – that final strike that ended the fight.

“This… this is a player?” a woman murmured.

“How is this possible?” another man muttered.

“Maybe I was wrong…”

“I wouldn’t even stand a chance…”

“That tower beside the coliseum acts as a broadcast antenna,” Dom explained, eyeing the crowd around them.  “It’s been streaming the fights to the entire game world – as you’re no doubt aware.  But It’s also been filming the reactions of the other travelers.  I’ve been watching them as they watch you and your teammates.”

Dom shook his head.  “So many of them thought you were just a joke.  A kid that lucked into an OP class.  Bard fostered some of that, of course.  But the sentiment was already there.  The bitterness and resentment had been festering over weeks and months.  They just couldn’t see what I saw.  So, I decided to change that.  To achieve both goals – to finally get a chance to fight you in your prime with the world watching.”

Jason looked back to Dom, his eyes wide.

“And I got what I wanted.”

“You make it sound like it’s over,” Jason replied.

“Isn’t it?” Dom answered with a sad smile.

Jason nodded, and yet he felt no sense of triumph.  He’d stalled for long enough.  His guess was that Dom couldn’t keep fighting at that level forever.  His body would eventually begin to break apart and weaken, and his stamina would deplete.  In contrast, Jason hadn’t really been hurt and was relying on the mana of his minions.  He had kept the fight going for as long as he could, waiting for his chance, his opening, to lock Dom inside this mental prison until—”

“The Enrage effect should have worn off by now,” Dom finished his thought for him.  “You’ve won.”

Had he? Jason wondered.  Had he really?

“What now then?” Jason asked finally.

Dom smiled, offering him a shrug, a golden coin suddenly appearing from thin air and rolling across his knuckles.  “Oh, I don’t know.  I was thinking maybe we could go stop the end of the world together.  Sounds entertaining.”

Dom flicked that coin up into the air, watching it spin, and snatching it from the air as it fell – his eyes fixed on Jason’s face, a smile tugging at his lips.  “Of course, it’s still going to cost you.”

Chapter 57 - Bargain

Jason returned to the game world with a start, Dom’s figure looming before him – the pair frozen in a gruesome embrace.  Dom was the first to drop, his Enrage wearing off rapidly and leaving him weakened and unable to stand.  And Jason… well, Jason did something that must have looked strange to the travelers watching with bated breath.

He caught Dom, steadying him before turning back to the camera.

“This is over,” was all he said.

At a nod from Dom, the camera winked out, the sapphire orb disappearing.

And leaving the rest of <Death and Taxes> and the other avatars staring from the sidelines.

“That was… unexpected,” Alexion announced as he approached.

Jason shrugged.  “We worked it out.  You want to heal him?”

“Not really,” Alexion muttered.  Yet he grudgingly obliged, golden light suffusing Dom’s body with a twitch of the Nephilim’s fingers.  The man’s injuries immediately began to heal, his suit stitching itself back together with surprising speed.

Jason would have to make a note to get Dom to let him examine that suit.

Although, he suspected that would also cost him a small fortune.  The man drove a hard bargain.

Moments later, Dom was able to stand on his own two feet.

“So, uh, I hate to be that guy… but what now?” Bard asked, breaking the tension in the air.  “You want us to keep trying to kill these people or are we all bestest friends now?”

“We’re employees,” Dom replied somberly.  He spared a look at Jason, his hands swiping at the air.  “We’ve been hired.”

A contract appeared in a flash of amber energy, the parchment unfurling before the rest of the group.  It outlined the terms the pair had come to inside the mindscape.  Jason had been surprised that Dom had the skill to create binding contracts in-game, but he supposed it made sense.  It would be an important ability for a mercenary.

“What did you agree to?” Eliza murmured in shock, eyeing Jason.

“A rematch.  Me and Dom,” he replied evenly.

“And this part here…” Alexion trailed off as he read the contract.  “You promised him any loot we collect while trying to save the world?”

“As though you need more money,” Finn snapped.  “There are more important things at stake than mere wealth.  If we don’t stop Armageddon, there won’t be any loot to quibble over.”

“Except you’re forgetting the part where they started this whole mess—”

“That was technically someone else,” Bard interjected.

“And they kidnapped us,” Eliza added with a glare.

Bard cocked his head.  “Okay, technically true.”

Jason let out a sigh.  “We don’t even know if there will be anything worth looting.  And Finn’s point stands.  We have more important things to worry about right now.”  He hesitated, grimacing.  “Besides, we may need the help.”

“It’ll be a cold day in hell before I—” Alexion began.

“We can always make that happen,” Queen quipped, fragments of ice appearing in the air as the temperature around them began to drop.

“Enough.”  Dom didn’t shout.  He didn’t need to.  As soon as he spoke, Queen’s mana disappeared in a flash.  “We need to finish this now.”

“So, we’re going to be betraying that other lady, I guess?” Blaze asked.

“What other lady?” Finn asked.

Dom rubbed at his temple with one hand.  “Okay, first, we completed the contract with our former client—”

“Technically,” Bard added.

The guild leader shook his head.  “Technically or not, we don’t owe her shit.”  Dom turned his attention back to Finn.  “As for her identity, I’m sure you’re familiar with her.  We were hired by Gloria Bastion.”

“Gloria?” Alexion echoed in surprise, looking to Jason.  He just nodded.  He’d been surprised himself.  Although, he supposed it made a certain sort of sense.  If she couldn’t stop AO from outside the game, then why not from the inside?  And there were certainly plenty of other zealots willing to join her cause.

“Is that how you got your intel on us?” Finn demanded, recovering from his surprise quickly.

“It is,” Dom answered.

Finn and Jason shared a look.  The next question was obvious.  How the hell had Gloria gotten all that information?  And they both had a suspicion.  Someone had planted a virus when Finn infiltrated Cerillion Entertainment.  It could have been Gloria.  Although, that still felt… odd.  Jason had never gotten the sense that Gloria was particularly tech savvy.  She could have gotten someone to help her – but, even then, did she really have access to someone talented enough to preemptively access Cerillion’s network?  That seemed unlikely.

The more probable answer was that someone on the inside had helped her.

The question then was, who?  Probably not George.  Maybe Claire?  Or even Robert?

Jason’s brow furrowed.  Or there was one other possibility…

He shook his head.  Regardless, that was a problem for later.  Right now, they had a few other issues that needed to be addressed.  And Jason didn’t exactly trust <Death and Taxes> – especially not after they had demonstrated their loyalty was fleeting and heavily influenced by money.  There was no sense giving them any more information.

For now, they needed to focus on saving the world.

“Do you know what Gloria is looking for?” Jason asked, looking back to Dom.

“Not really,” he replied.  “She was being discreet but seemed sure something important was buried in that location.”  Dom glanced at Tombs.  “Which we confirmed firsthand.”

“You saw it yourself?” Finn asked.

Tombs grimaced.  “Yeah, I guess.  There’s some sort of structure buried beneath the location where you all confronted us.  I didn’t exactly spend a lot of time looking around.  Kind of dusty and dark, you know.”

“Our guess is that there’s something stored down there,” Smokes offered, taking a long drag on his cigarette as he lounged on a pillow of smoke.

“How much progress have they made?” Eliza asked.  Her real point was clear.  How much time exactly did they have to stand around here talking?

“A lot?” Bard offered, lazily waving at the air as he reviewed his screens.  “Gloria might not look like a gamer, but she took to this world like a fish to water.  Her guild is— Oh shit,” he suddenly muttered, his hand freezing in the air.

“What is it now?” Alexion snapped.

“Uh, so someone figured out where the excavation is located,” Bard muttered.

“And how the hell did they manage that?” Pewpew asked, teleporting behind him in a flash of lightning.  Bard tried to pivot his screens away in time, but the girl was too fast.

“You, stupid asshole,” she hissed, glaring at Bard.

“Hey, don’t be mean.  This is my side hustle!” Bard shot back.

Pewpew let out a sigh as she turned back to the others.  “He accidentally gave away our location.  Some sort of blog post trying to sell more of his damn moisturizer.  He took a picture in front of the excavation site and a portion of his in-game map was visible.”

“Well, maybe no one has seen it…” Tombs began gingerly, trailing off as he watched Pewpew and Bard’s reactions.  “Or not?”

“Six million views,” Pewpew muttered.  “How did you even…”

“More importantly, it sounds like we’re going to have some company when we return,” Blaze commented, fire coiling down her arms.  “Good.  I needed to burn off some steam.”

“Assuming we aren’t walking into a fight,” Alexion grumbled.

“It’ll be fine,” Dom answered.  “The goblins are still there.”

The rest of his guildmates just looked at him skeptically.

“Uh, those green morons were supposed to be for show,” Pewpew offered skeptically.  “Are you sure they can handle a real combat situation?  They’re more likely to off themselves than the enemy.”

Meanwhile, Jason’s attention had shifted to the tower nearby.  On the upper levels, he could see a faint glimmer of mana.  The mana generator must still be stored up there – the one that <Death and Taxes> had been using to create the field around the arena.  After accessing Tombs’ memories, he’d assumed that they would have moved it.  Apparently not.

Or maybe they couldn’t…

“What are you thinking?” Eliza asked cautiously, noticing the expression on his face.

Jason cocked his head.  “Just whether it’s possible to move one of those generators.”

A sudden quiet met his words, and Jason looked back to the others to see them all staring at him like he’d gone mad.  And maybe he had.  The idea of trying to trap not just an army of goblins but also a legion of travelers inside a respawn field with a five-minute timer was crazy by itself.  But then to tack on the possibility of mutators…

“This is going to be amazing.  I already have ideas for how to handle the broadcast,” Bard began, only for ice to slide across his mouth, as well as his hands and ankles, binding him in place.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t take it anymore,” Queen offered with a shrug.

“This is insane,” Tombs muttered.  “Are we really going to do this?”

“It’s not a terrible idea,” Dom murmured, rubbing at his chin as he eyed the tower.

“Can we even transport something that large?” Blaze asked.

Finn coughed into his hand.  “Possibly.  I had been experimenting with the gate piece before you stole it.”  He looked to Dom.  “I’m assuming you left gate fragments near the excavation site so your group could return.”  The guild leader nodded.

“And how many of those gate fragments did you bring with you?” Finn asked.

Dom motioned to Blaze, and she nodded.  Then, all at once, fire sprang up around her, blazing with incredible force as she stepped inside the ruined arena once more.  Where her feet touched the sand, it began to melt down, forming a ruddy magma trail behind her.  Once Blaze was in the center of the arena, her fires flared even more powerfully as she gave it every ounce of mana she had.  Her hair ignited, and her skin began to flay from her body.  Yet Blaze just kept going.  The sand around her began to melt at a crazy rate, forming a lake of magma that eventually consumed her, Blaze’s body sliding into that molten mixture without a single scream or cry of pain.

And as the lake of glass began to cool, the group could see a dark object buried beneath the surface – only a faint silhouette.  Dom motioned at Queen, and she helped the cooling process along.  Frost formed across the arena, and the glass began to harden swiftly, massive cracks forming across its surface.  Once it had fully solidified, Dom stepped forward.

He soon stood in the center, pulled back his arm, and punched downward.

The glass exploded.  Fragments spewed into the air in a deluge of jagged shards that cut at Dom’s suit as they rained back down around him.  Yet he didn’t flinch under the barrage, the fragments barely nicking his skin and only leaving thin trails of blood that healed quickly.  Moments later, Dom was standing inside a massive crater, and a gate piece stood beside him.

He looked back at the others who watched in shock, that mask smiling all the while.

“What?” Dom demanded.  “This seemed like a safe place to store it.”

Jason just shook his head.  These people…

Chapter 58 - Horde

“Looks like your team switched sides,” the Dark One intoned.

All eyes were on the Gambler, his expression brooding as he surveyed the screens along the wall of the viewing room, and his fingers curled tightly around his glass.

“Wait… uh, what does that mean for the bet?” the Hippie asked, sitting upright abruptly, and sending a shower of crumbs raining down on Oscar… who promptly slammed down his tiny broom and stalked off into a corner of the room.

“That we won,” the Lady sneered as she rose and paced to the table where their chips were stacked neatly, giving off a soft, colorful glow.  “How does it feel, brother?  To lose.  Badly.  Does that make you feel ‘happy’?”

Just as the Lady’s hands reached for those chips, a yellow barrier suddenly sprung into existence, crackling with lightning.  The goddess withdrew her fingers with a hiss of pain, turning to glare at the Gambler.

He just clucked his tongue slowly.  “Not so fast, dear sister.  Our bet had nothing to do with the outcome of that gauntlet in the Mile-High Club.  It was over whether your team would succeed in stopping the world.”

“Against your team,” the Lady spat, her hand healing with a flash of light and her eyes blazing as she stalked toward the Gambler.  “And now you don’t have one.”

A small smile finally pulled at the Gambler’s lips, and he took another sip.  “Ahh, about that… I didn’t really say which team was mine, did I?”

“What?” the Lady demanded, coming up short.

The Seer’s eyes flared with power, and she shook her head slowly.  “He’s right.  He was vague – intentionally, I now suspect.  He expected more chaos…  This must be why I had difficulty anticipating the future.”

“You slimy mother—”

“Tsk, tsk, careful now,” the Gambler admonished the Lady.  “We share the same divine lineage after all, and there are still prying eyes watching,” he added, waving at the dark creatures lounging about the room.

“How can you possibly hope to win now?” the Dark One asked as the Lady withdrew reluctantly.  The Hippie just let out a loud yawn before laying back against Fluffy.

The Gambler shrugged, ice clinking in his glass and his expression sobering as he watched the screens.  Despite his cavalier attitude, more than a century of toil and hardship was at stake.  He’d endured much to get this far – gambled away everything.  But he wasn’t going to give his siblings the satisfaction of watching him squirm.

“What can I say?” the Gambler murmured finally.  “I’ve always been one to play the long odds.”

***

The group reappeared outside the excavation site in a flash of multi-colored energy, rifts ripping open the air with a crackle of mana.  Jason’s cape swept out around him, obscuring his altered body within its protective shadow to avoid alarming the goblins.  Not that this was entirely necessary.  Night had reached this part of the game world, and the darkness loomed around Jason.  He peered into those shadows with his Night Vision, automatically sweeping the area in search of enemies.

His caution proved to be unnecessary.  No foes awaited them – not yet, anyway.

“What the hell is going on here?” Alexion muttered.

Jason turned to follow the other avatars’ gaze.

When they’d been kidnapped, there’d been a goblin army arrayed before the towering walls of the excavation site, the group bristling with guns, knives, and axes and haphazardly-built siege vehicles.  However, what semblance of order they might have had was long gone.  Massive fire pits now dotted the area, all manner of native creatures roasting on huge spits – the wood “repurposed” from some of their vehicles.

The rest of the siege engines had been smashed open like giant wooden pinatas, kegs spilling out of their ruined hulls and tumbling across the ground to form massive mounds around each vehicle.  A ruddy amber substance was leaking from a nearby pile, and even with the muted smell in-game, Jason would recognize that sticky, sweet smell anywhere.

Beer.  So very, very much beer.

A roar pulled their attention.  A crowd had formed in the middle of the firepits, the goblins raising excited voices into the night sky.  Jason shot Dom a questioning look as he appeared in another multi-colored rift – more rips opening around them as the rest of <Death and Taxes> returned.  Overall, the group barely spared a glance at the goblins.

Dom just shrugged.  “No idea,” he answered Jason’s unspoken question.

Jason strode forward, the other avatars in tow.  The crowd of goblins along the fringe of the horde parted before them as they caught sight of Dom and his guildmates – their good humor fading and the greenskins murmuring to each other about the boss coming back.

“Chugz, chugz, chugz!” a huge goblin shouted, the crowd around him picking up his chant.

The object of his attention soon came into focus.

Frank stood there, a keg gripped in each oversized hand – the limbs transformed into massive bear paws and his claws puncturing the wood.  He was happily following the crowd’s instruction, downing the contents of one keg in a single go before switching to the other, tossing the empty barrel into the air where the goblins promptly blew it apart in a hail of gunfire, a shower of wooden shrapnel, and another rousing cheer.

Over their heads, a massive screen still floated in the sky, the image frozen on Bard’s smiling mask, a familiar bottle held in his hand.  So, it appeared that even the goblins had been watching the show back at the club.  Judging from how quickly their discipline had deteriorated, Jason was guessing that screen might have been meant as a distraction.

“Woo!” Frank shouted as he finished, shaking his head and droplets of beer spraying off him.  “How did I do?”

“Still didn’t beatz Demon Doggy,” Truggle replied, gesturing to Frank’s side where Silver stood, her body transformed into a silver laced wolf, her fur matted with beer and a pile of kegs resting beside her – a pile that was larger than Frank’s own.

Silver delicately licked a paw, her eyes taunting Frank.

“Damn it,” the shifter growled.  “Again?!”

“What’s going on here?” Jason asked, his voice suddenly penetrating the crowd.

“I would like to know that as well,” Dom added, crossing his arms.

A hushed silence fell over the goblins as they all turned, a comical expression painted across their faces as they stared at the group.  Frank had to blink three or four times before the light seemed to click on behind his eyes – recognition finally reflected there.

“What?  Jason?!” he asked.

As soon as he spoke Jason’s name, a blur of motion ripped through the crowd.  Jason tensed, his bony arms shifting, and the fragments of his staff pulling out of his forearms as he prepared to cast Soul Blade… only to freeze as he recognized that blur.

As Riley barreled into him at full force, Jason realized how thankful he was for his reinforced limbs.  Even so, the force of that blow sent him stumbling backward a pace before he steadied himself.

“You’re okay!” Riley announced, grinning from ear to ear.  “We weren’t sure after that finale and then the way the camera cut off abruptly.  But I knew you were up to something,” she added.  She did a double take as she pulled back his cowl, Jason far too slow to stop her.

“Oh my,” she muttered, her fingers tracing the hard surface of his face.  “So that surgery really did happen, huh?  You did all this to yourself?”  Her eyes dropped to his body, tracing his torso, arms, and legs, dark mana pulsing around the ivory bone.

He grasped her hand gently, pulling it away and letting his cloak settle back into place.  Better not to scare the goblins with his new appearance.

“It wasn’t as bad as it looked,” Jason offered.

Riley grimaced, pulling herself free.  “Well, it looks pretty bad.”

He caught her meaning.  That look was clear and the consequences damning – a side effect he hadn’t considered at the time.  There likely wouldn’t be any more “training breaks” below the dark keep.  Not that Jason blamed her.  He’d probably recoil at the prospect of kissing a skeleton.

“I might have a solution for that,” Jason offered.  “Something that will simulate skin.  But we have a few other problems at the moment.”

“We’ll see,” Riley replied with a frown – not yet convinced.

Jason was rescued as plants bloomed all around the group.  Brian slid up out of the ground, wrapping Eliza in delicate vines that lifted her into the air.  Flowers blossomed along the vegetation, and Brian’s sapphire eyes glowed happily as he wrapped her in his embrace.  It seemed he was also relieved that she had made it back unharmed.

“It’s good to see you too, Brian,” Eliza murmured, a rare smile on her lips.

Riley hesitated as she saw the rest of <Death and Taxes> standing beside Jason, her hand automatically falling to a dagger at her waist.  “Wait.  Why are they here?”

“Asks the woman that was just partying with those green idiots?” Blaze retorted.

“I mean, it’s easy to get caught up in their bullshit,” Pewpew offered, snatching a mug from a nearby goblin who was still staring at the avatars in shock before taking a swig.  Dom promptly took the mug from her, shaking his head.

“Underaged,” was all he said.  “You want to end up like those morons?”

Pewpew frowned.  “It’d take a lot more than some fake beer for that to happen.”

For his part, Jason did a double take, looking back to Riley.  Had she really been partying with the goblins?  A blush crept up her cheeks, and Jason’s Perception skill picked out a faint stain on the cuff of her sleeve – as though some beer had sloshed on the leather in her haste to set down a mug and attack him.

“It-it isn’t what it looks like,” Riley muttered, looking away.

“Really?  Because it looks like you were having a drinking competition while we fought for our lives,” Finn offered, scowling at Julia and Kyyle as they emerged from the crowd, mugs in hand.  Their wide smiles slowly disappeared from their faces as they caught sight of Finn.

“We had a p-plan—” Frank began, cutting himself off with a loud belch.  Silver was trying to transform back into her human form and seemed to be having trouble, one lone paw refusing to revert.  She was staring at it as she sat on the ground, wiggling it in the air as though she could somehow shake off the fur.

“This was the result of a plan?” Jason asked skeptically.

“Their plan wasn’t terrible… at first,” Ella offered, appearing at Jason’s side – quite sober despite the way the others tottered in place.  It seemed she hadn’t partaken in the celebration.  “After you all disappeared, we retreated into the woods.  However, the goblins made no move to chase us.  Instead, they started brawling and drinking – not necessarily in that order,” she explained with a wave of her hand, gesturing at the fire pits and remains of the siege engines.

“I suggested sneaking into the camp and poisoning their beer,” Ella offered, glaring at the others.  “It didn’t go the way I intended….”

“We infiltrated their ranks!  Real sneaky like,” Frank added, snatching up another keg.

“Yeah, real sneaky,” Silver added with an overly excited nod.

Ella just sighed, rubbing at her face.  “By that, they mean that they just stumbled out of the tree line and challenged them to a drinking competition.”

“Oh, come now,” Jerry interjected, the innkeeper perched on the ruins of a former vehicle, a mug of his own in hand.  “That doesn’t do the story justice.  Frank devised a truly courageous and inventive idea to fool these little green fools.  Worm his way into their good graces and then strike from the heart of the enemy’s camp!” As he finished, Jerry sprang to his feet, hurling a blade that struck Frank’s keg just as he tried to take another swig, knocking the barrel from his hands where it struck the ground, leaking beer from the puncture.

“So, Jerry is drunk too, huh?” Jason asked Ella.

She grimaced.  “He took two turns at the game.”

“And won handily, both times!” Jerry roared to applause from the goblins, the innkeeper taking a deep bow – almost toppling from the vehicle before righting himself.

With the undead resistance to booze, he must have drunk a lot to get that shitfaced.

“Uh huh,” Jason grunted.  “So why are all the goblins still alive?”

The rest of the group looked away, a few of them at least having the good sense to look embarrassed.  However, Julia just shrugged.

“Not much point,” she shot back, sparing a look at her father.  “These goblins are fucking stupid—”

“BRODIE!” Truggle shouted, the burly goblin barreling toward Jason and the tiny faerie that still floated near his shoulder.

Brodie cocked his head as he looked at Truggle, no recognition shining there.  Jason had at least had the foresight to keep the faerie well out of range of that final fight with Dom.  “Do I know you?” the faerie asked skeptically.

“Iz me Truggle!  I gotz real swole,” the goblin chieftain explained, flexing his arm.  “How youz?  We thought youz deadz!”

Brodie’s eyes widened, turning to look at the others, some of the greenskins watching him with interest now.  His mouth was opening and closing, but no sound was coming out.

The goblin chieftain didn’t seem perturbed, however.  He turned to the others, grabbing Brodie in his oversized hands, and holding him up.  “Hey, guyz.  It’s Brodie!”  The goblins all roared in approval, raising their beer mugs as they crowded around Truggle and Brodie.

Jason frowned at that, glancing at Dom.  What was going on here?

The leader of <Death and Taxes> sighed.  “Long story.  Short version is that the goblins are a mutated version of the faeries.  The air god left them behind and well… they turned into this over time.”

The group was staring now.  The goblins had once been tiny winged faeries?

Not that Truggle and his companions seemed put off by Brodie’s stunned reaction or the way the others were staring at them.  Jason looked on as someone handed Brodie a mug that was larger than he was, a twist of air magic allowing him to tip it back and drain its contents before wiping the foam from his face to a roar of approval from the other greenskins.

That must have been the signal because the drinking and carousing began again in earnest.

Julia just shook her head.  “Like I was saying.  Fucking morons, the lot of them.  They have like a two second attention span for anything that doesn’t involve beer or food.  Like maybe, maybe they might be threatening if someone whipped them into shape and forced them to focus.  But they’re just too disorderly to be any real threat.”

“Or what if – and stay with me here… you handed their enemies some beer,” Frank added with a hiccup.  His eyes went round as he looked back to Jason.  “Isn’t that an awesome idea?”

It was Jason’s turn to shake his head.

Although, Bard was less amused and was rubbing at his chin in thought.  “Actually, yes,” he replied.  “We’ve used that trick a few times.  Just catapult the beer into the enemy lines…”

He trailed off as he caught the avatars and his guildmates all glaring at him.  After giving away their location, he’d been ordered to keep his mouth firmly shut, and the rest of <Death and Taxes> had insisted he honor his deal with them.  Three whole days without talking.  Not that this stopped Bard from muttering under his breath as he turned back to the displays arrayed before him, his hands swiping at the air.  Something about just trying to help…

“Either way, let’s address the real elephant in the room,” Julia interrupted, gesturing at Dom and the rest of <Death and Taxes>.  “You all buddies now?”

Finn frowned at his daughter, sparing a glance at Kyyle, who had awkwardly shifted away from her – not wanting to antagonize Finn any further.  “Not exactly.  More like reluctant allies.  We have a new problem now.”

“A new problem?” Riley echoed from beside Jason.

He let out a sigh, the feeling strange when he had no real lungs.  “An army of travelers is heading this way.  They were tipped off to the location of the excavation.  We have maybe…” he trailed off, looking at Bard, who was still waving at his screens.

He just pantomimed being unable to speak, opening his mouth but no sound escaping.  Then he looked at them in shock, placing his hands at his throat.

“Oh, for the love of… you can speak, just keep it brief,” Dom instructed.

“Ahh, in that cast, we have an hour at most?” he offered, shaking his head.  “Hard to say.  Looks like they’ve formed a massive train stretching a couple hundred miles.”

“So, uh, we’re looking at how many then?” Frank asked.

“Half a million.  Maybe more,” Bard shot back.  “Although, with the way they’re traveling, at least they won’t all arrive at once.”

“Even so… half a million?” Riley echoed, shaking her head.

“Don’t worry,” Jason said.  “We have a plan for how to handle them.”

As he finished speaking, an enormous rift opened at his back, dumping a portion of the tower out onto the grass and dirt, and creating a miniature earthquake that rocked the area around the excavation.  Tombs strode out from behind the remains of the tower, muttering to himself.  “I really hope we didn’t hurt the generator.”

“Did he say something *hic* about a generator?” Frank asked, blinking blearily.  Meanwhile, Jerry had gone to fetch another mug and Silver was eyeing her empty keg sadly.

Jason looked to Eliza as Brian gently set her down, the pair parting.  “You think you can sober them up?  Fast?  We don’t have time for this.”

The girl nodded and stepped forward, her hand digging in her bag.  When it came back into view, she was holding her new prototype syringe, a glowing, green droplet dripping from the tip as she stalked toward Frank.

His eyes went wide, but before he had a chance to run away, vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around his limbs, and anchoring him to the soil.  Frank let out a grunt as Eliza pounced on him, jabbing him in the arm in a not so gentle movement.  Then she turned her eyes toward Silver as she loaded another vial with a click, the shifter swallowing hard and turning to flee… only to be stopped short by another wall of plant life as Brian intervened.

As Eliza hunted down each of their drunken teammates, Jason glanced at his UI – noting the timer ticking down in the corner of his vision – before turning back to the group.  “We also only have a couple hours left on the Armageddon timer.  Which means Gloria and <Safe> must be getting close.”

“Wait.  Gloria?  As in Gloria Bastion?  What does she have to do with <SAFE>?” Riley muttered, rubbing at her arm where Eliza had stabbed her as well, but her eyes were already looking clearer.  “What’s going on here?”

The others were also watching curiously, Frank and Silver watching with more focus as Eliza’s potion flooded their veins.  Even Ella looked on edge, her hand drifting down to her wand, and clutching it tightly.

“It’s a long story, and we don’t have time,” Jason grunted back.  He grimaced as he eyed the towering walls ringing the excavation site.  “First, we need to prepare for the travelers—”

“You mean for my concert,” Bard interjected, swiping away his screens.  He walked forward, spreading his arms wide as he surveyed the area outside the excavation site, the giant stone walls at his back.  “Can’t you see it?  A stage right here.  We have all this spare lumber, after all.  Maybe some more smoke and pyrotechnics – and a sea of people stretching off toward the horizon.  Hundreds of thousands of fans that all came to hear me play!”

“You mean to kill us,” Pewpew drawled.

Bard just waved a dismissive hand.  “Details.  They’re still coming here for me… they may just not know it yet.  It’s going to be even more glorious than I imagined.”

Silence met those words, and Bard slowly turned.  “What are you—”

He cut himself off as he saw the entire group glaring at him.  Even Tombs was staring at Bard like he’d lost his damn mind from where he stood beside the remains of the tower.

“I… I hesitate to ask this,” Dom began.  “But did you tip off the travelers on purpose so you could hold a huge, makeshift concert?”

Bard froze for just a hair too long before.  “No!  Of course not!”

“Shit, he totally did,” Queen muttered, rubbing at her temple.

“I mean, of course he did,” Smokes drawled, taking another drag as he lounged on a cloud of smoke, eyeing the others lazily.

Bard swallowed hard and turned to Dom, who was just staring, arms crossed.  “I mean, maybe—just possibly, I could have been more careful.”

Dom let out a sigh.

With a whistle and a flash of amber light, Bard was by his side in an instant, nudging him with an elbow.  “But c’mon.  It’s a hell of an opportunity, right?  Think of the increased brand awareness.  Even if they didn’t know us before all the murder and looting and pillaging and, err, that whole avatar kidnapping and our stream… well, they’ll know us now!”

“Sure, they will.  After most of the travelers in-game come and curb-stomp us into the ground over and over and over,” Pewpew snapped.  “Sounds like a blast!”

Blaze just snorted in agreement, shaking her head.  “Even I’m not that crazy.”

Another whistle and Bard was beside them, his arms wrapping around their shoulders as both women looked distinctly uncomfortable.  “High risk, high reward, though, right?”

“What do you mean?” Pewpew muttered.

“Well, Dom signed that contract with our new… employers.  We get all the loot we find during the duration of our employment.  Which includes whatever those travelers are carrying.  And we just so happen to have our green-skinned pack mules here to gather it.”

As Bard trailed off, Pewpew and Blaze’s demeanors both shifted.  Suddenly, there was a hungry gleam in their eyes as they looked at the greenskins partying nearby.  Jason could feel a pit forming in his stomach.  It seemed he might have been played here.  A conclusion that was confirmed when Bard looked in his direction and had the audacity to wink at him.

“I told you,” Alexion growled under his breath.  “Now they’re going to make out like—”

“Bandits?” Bard chirped happily.  “You were about to say bandits, weren’t you?”

Jason just sighed, placing a hand on Alexion shoulder before he could lunge at Bard.  “I did what I had to do to end that farce and save the game world.  It’s just money.”

“He’s right, it’s a fair deal,” Finn confirmed grudgingly.  Bard cocked his head as he looked to the avatar of flame in surprise.  “If you and your green morons can hold off that player army… keep what you want.  I don’t care.”

“See!”  Bard announced, back beside Dom in a flash of movement.  “Everyone is super on board for what will be the largest and most epic concert in AO’s history—”

“And the only one,” Pewpew muttered.

Bard ignored her.  “C’mon.  What do you all say?”

“Or… and here me out… Why don’t we just use Tombs to sneak inside the excavation site right now, kill Gloria, and then we can all just leave,” Riley offered.

Tombs grimaced.  “Not an option.  After seeing my Phase ability in action, Gloria asked us to ward the stone to prevent just that sort of situation.  The walls also run quite deep.  We can only go over or through at this point.”

Queen glanced at Frank where he was groaning on the ground nearby, his skin pulsing green.  She sniffed in distaste.  “And I don’t think your shifter is going to be able to carry us all.”

Jason nodded.  He’d assumed entering the coliseum wasn’t going to be easy.  But if those were their only two options, well, then he was going to need some building materials.  And, thankfully, he had a new shipment of corpses heading here soon…

Jason and Dom shared a look, and the leader of <Death and Taxes> let out a sigh.

“Fine,” Dom grunted finally, waving at Bard.  “Go get set up.”

“Woo!” Bard shouted, his voice blasting across the area outside the excavation site.  Then he hesitated as he eyed the goblins who were all still drinking and carousing, circled around Brodie who was downing several times his bodyweight in beer.

Bard glanced back at Dom.  “Could you, um, maybe help—”

Dom let out a sigh and sucked in a lungful of air.  He released a piercing whistle and an answering caw rose from the depths of the goblin camp.  Moments later, a blur of feathers came barreling through the horde, tossing goblins to the side, and crushing many more.  Wingman was soon standing before Dom, her head reaching to his chest as she rubbed her head against him.

“I missed you too,” Dom said tenderly as the goblin horde looked on.  Then he leaned down and whispered in the chicken’s ear, “Now, I need you to get the goblins in line for me…”

Wingman nodded before turning toward her green-skinned minions.  She let out a cry so loud that Jason could have sworn he saw the air ripple.  The goblins immediately dropped to their knees, raising their hands and mugs into the sky in worship.

“The Great Cluck Cluckz!” one of the goblins shouted, others taking up the cry.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Bard said, stepping up beside Wingman.  “And now, the Great Cluck Cluck has some work for you all to do…” he began his eyes gleaming.

Riley looked to Jason and he just shook his head.  He already knew what she was thinking – it was the same thought that had been circling his mind for days now.

These people were certifiably insane.

Which meant they’d fit in perfectly.

Chapter 59 - Pandemonium

The Control Room had been chaos ever since the video feed in the Mile-High Club had dropped.  There hadn’t been any resolution.  No epic finale.  No victor.  Only a static image of Bard’s smiling face and a bottle of damned digital moisturizer.

The panel before Robert flashed.  His Core was going nuts.  George had messaged him at least a dozen times.  The director of Vermillion’s emails had become increasingly hostile… bordering on homicidal.  The techs were incessantly badgering him.  Asking him pesky questions like ‘What’s happening?’ and ‘What should we do?’  Even the crowd outside the building was letting its irritation be known.  The building vibrated as they roared their disapproval and surged up against the barricades ringing the building, the air now filled with tear gas.

Yet Robert couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face, even as he leaned back in his chair, popping another kernel in his mouth.  It was just a matter of time.

“Sir?” a voice piped up at Robert’s shoulder.

And there it was…

“Yes?” Robert asked sweetly, shooting the harried technician a lazy smile.  The man seemed off balance, looking worriedly between the other techs and Robert.

“Um, well, we’ve detected something unusual.”

“Oh, really?” Robert replied, his smile only widening.  “Why don’t you throw it up on the big screen for us.  I’m sure everyone is getting tired of Bard’s face.”

The tech’s eyes went round, and he nodded at the others.

In an instant, the view shifted.  It now showed a symbolic representation of the data usage in the area near the excavation site – a multi-colored map that could almost be mistaken for a weather forecast.  The entire area was bathed in red.  Not that this was terribly surprising.  There were a few thousand goblins in that region.

“Is this all you had to show me—?”

Robert cut himself off as the tech zoomed the map out and panned to the north.  A long streak of red now stretched from all the major cities, funneling into a river of crimson that now ran down the length of the continent, almost as though the game world had been split open and was bleeding out, a ruddy red river of death flowing ever south.

“Oh,” Robert murmured.  “Those are travelers, I take it?”

“Y-yes, sir,” the tech answered.

“How many?”

“Um…”

“How many?” Robert repeated.

“Most of them, sir.”

The answer for this bloody migration was obvious.  Someone had leaked the location of the excavation site.  Now the travelers were all making their way there for one ideological reason or another.  To help usher in the end.  To save the world.  Or just to watch the chaos unfold.  It really didn’t matter.  With that many people in one place there would only be pandemonium.

With a swipe of his wrist, Robert brought up his own console.  Displays bloomed around him, circling his chair.  Another few taps and he’d found the leak… a single image of Bard.  With another tap, he ran a search with that image, data streaming down the displays.  It was on the verge of going viral back in the real world – or was already there.  It would only be a matter of time before the crowd in the streets below caught on, the time dilation keeping them a step behind.

So why not nudge that along?

Another swipe and a tap and the message had been delivered to the director of Vermillion and George Lane’s inboxes.  Robert had faith that they’d figure out what they were watching.

“Sir, we’re getting another live feed,” a tech spoke up into the unusually quiet room.

“I’m sure you are,” Robert murmured.  Leave it to Bard to want to get more screen time…

The display above the room flickered and then centered on the image of a massive stage.  It looked like it had been cobbled together from several tons of scrap timber to form a giant wooden platform, what appeared to be massive chickens painted across the top and sides.  And at the back of that stage loomed a stone wall that towered dozens of feet into the air.

Smoke coiled out around the wood before sweeping out across an empty field of broken dirt and trampled grass, moonlight trickling through that dense fog.  The goblins were nowhere to be seen.  And yet a rumbling roar could be heard in the distance, the ground trembling ever-so-slightly and the stage shivering and sending off a shower of dust.  The camera watched that field – the eerie quiet broken only by that dull buzzing roar in the distance that kept growing louder.

Travelers soon streamed out of the mist.  They rode all manner of mounts.  Horses.  Giant bears.  One was even riding atop some sort of insect creature.  There were massive creatures that could fit entire guilds.  A group of travelers sat atop a giant turtle, and there was even something that resembled a dinosaur.  Others simply ran along the ground, their feet pounding against the dirt.  They swept out across the horizon.  Thousands strong.  Then tens of thousands.  More than a hundred thousand…

They swept toward that stage, the smoke billowing and coiling around them.

And as they neared, fire suddenly rocketed up into the air on either side of the stage, massive plumes that speared up into the night sky, lighting the area outside the excavation and briefly illuminating the throng that still rushed forward.  With a whistle and a blur of motion, Bard was suddenly standing on stage, guitar in hand.

“Hello, hello, hello!” he shouted, his voice amplified by a flash of amber.  “Thank you all for coming out to see me tonight!”

This was met with a roar from the travelers – a mixture of anger and excitement.  The frontline of the horde hadn’t stopped, cutting through the mists toward Bard, lightning, fire and ice crackling around their hands.  Even if some might have wished to save the game world, there were many more than wanted to watch it burn.  But Bard’s ivory white mask just smiled back, unwavering in the face of certain death.

“That’s the spirit!” Bard shouted.  “And boy, do we have a show for you tonight—”

With that, he flicked the amp at the bottom of his guitar and began to play.  A blast of sound echoed from that small instrument.  The noise was so powerful that it sent the front ranks of travelers barreling back into the crowd.  Mounts were toppled.  Travelers thrown.  And as they struck others, they were met with steel and magic.  Cut down and out of the way.  Trampled by the travelers behind them who barreled forward indiscriminately.

Through all that unfolding chaos, Bard played.  It was a rising, triumphant melody – the metallic whine of his guitar growing more insistent, demanding.  It rose and rose and rose until it shrieked across the field.  And as it reached a crescendo, Bard’s magic flared.  Phantom instruments appeared on stage with him.  The base line came in with a heavy thump.  Wind instruments rose to join him.

The front line of travelers had almost made it to the stage – only to come up short.

And yet the travelers behind them didn’t press them forward in a crush.

The entire throng came to a standstill.

And then, as one, they all raised an arm.  Then another.  Their feet began to move.

“What the fuck—” a nearby tech muttered, and Robert could only shake his head.

He was watching an entire army of travelers – thousands strong – dance in unison to Bard’s music and the phantom band playing on stage.

Yet the surprises weren’t over.  A shimmering, multi-colored barrier began to form in the air as Bard played, drifting down around the legion of travelers to form an immense dome, the epicenter located just behind the stage.  That field swept outward until it encompassed the entirety of the excavation and the throng of travelers all dancing in place helplessly.

Robert had seen that barrier before.  In the Mile-High Club with Smiles and the avatars.

“Oh, shit,” was all he managed to say before it hit the proverbial fan.

The air around the stage shimmered and then sloughed away to reveal a legion of goblins.  They were armed to the teeth.  Axes, knives, clubs… and in the back, a firing line of greenskins all armed with rifles sitting atop makeshift stone towers that ringed the stage.

As one, the goblins on the ground charged the travelers, and an accompanying barrage of gunfire blasted through the air in time with Bard’s melody, perfectly blending with his baseline.  Travelers fell, and blood rained upon the grass, the goblin sharpshooters reloading for another wave as their melee line entered the fray.  Gigantic greenskins wrapped in thick muscle wielding two-handed axes, made up the front line.  Each swing carved travelers in two and chopped the legs out from under their mounts.

The Control Room was dead quiet as the group witnessed the massacre.  The goblins swept through the crowd of helpless travelers like a wrecking ball, blood soon staining the ground and pooling around their ankles.  And as the sharpshooters and burly greenskins made short work of the travelers, their smaller cousins came in behind them, picking the corpses clean, and ripping weapons from the hands of the half-dead – those that hadn’t yet given up.

Even as thousands died, more travelers streamed into the clearing, entering that flickering multi-colored dome.  Those that hesitated were pushed forward by the others behind them or crushed beneath foot and hoof.  Then, that line of travelers swept into the goblins, cutting down many of their number.  The greenskins weren’t done, however.  They took their pound of flesh as they were cut down, dragging travelers off their mounts while skewered with a lance or sword and eating a Fireball to the face in order to impale a caster.

It was a bloody, chaotic brawl, but one doomed to failure.

Robert could see that the goblins couldn’t match—

He never got to finish that thought as multi-colored rifts tore open near the stage.  However, they didn’t just deposit travelers, but goblins… many, many goblins.  The greenskins barely reacted to their abrupt respawn, but the travelers weren’t so fortunate – blinking and stumbling out of the rifts in a fugue, unaccustomed to the short respawn timer, only to find their weapons and armor now missing.  They were soon cut down by the greenskins in their midst.

“They can respawn,” Robert murmured as Bard continued to play.  His mental calculations shifted in an instant.  This wasn’t an impossible battle; it was a traveler bloodbath.

The song shifted and an aura enveloped the goblins, the same one Bard had used on the travelers back in Barrow.  Yet the goblins weren’t afraid of death… they would simply come back.  And they did, even as bodies soon littered the ground and the stash of weapons and armor piled around the stage continued to swell and grow, the gear hauled back by the greenskins’ smaller and more nimble brethren who slinked through the battlefield and picked at the corpses.

Bard slowed his song.  “Thanks for coming to our concert at the end of the world!,” he shouted across a bloody battlefield.  “But that was just our opening act.  We have a special guest for you all.  Someone you know well!

“Give a hearty hello to our latest employer, the King of Darkness himself, the High Lord of Edginess, JAAASSOOON!”

The flames beside the stage flared higher, and smoke suddenly swept onto the stage, condensing into a thick sphere that compressed until it was almost solid.  All at once, it exploded, smoke coiling around a now familiar figure draped in darkness.

Jason stood on stage.  And as he moved, his cloak shifted back, revealing bleached bone and a churning mass of dark mana where smooth skin had once rested.  Jason raised his arms to the sky, dark mana coiling down from his shoulders before condensing along his hands, funneling into a milky white orb resting between his palms.  Then that dark energy swept across the field where thousands upon thousands of bodies already rested.

Moments later, milky white eyes opened.

A legion of zombies rose from the ground, unarmored, unarmed, limbs broken and twisted.  Yet it didn’t matter.  The sheer numbers were staggering.  The next wave of travelers entered the multi-colored dome only to face a legion of zombies who barreled toward them with savage fury, fingers clawing at the air and jaws gnashing.  They ripped travelers from their mounts and tore the flesh from their bodies, mutilating them almost beyond recognition.

The goblins used this as an opportunity to regroup, forming up around the stage and the piles of loot.  As the travelers respawned within the field, the air was punctuated with blasts from the sharpshooters tucked away in their towers.  Those travelers barely got to move or react before they were bleeding out on the ground once more.

Robert could already anticipate Jason’s next move…

He raised his hands, and hundreds of corpses rose into the air, skin and muscle stripped from bleached white bone.  Those materials condensed, forming massive ivory nests all along the outer ring of the stage.  Bone Gardens made from a mixture of goblin and human parts, the bone soon stained a dark red, fertilized by the blood that now ran in red rivers toward those nests, fueling them with even more dark energy.

More undead soon began to spawn from the nests.  Giant humanoid creatures nearly seven feet tall, their skeletal bodies thickened and wrapped in dark mana and infused with buffs as Bard continued to play.  They soon surged forward, meeting the next wave of travelers as ever more bodies rained upon the ground.  The goblins had switched to a purely defensive role now, the larger creatures forming a protective ring around the stage as their smaller brothers picked among the undead and continued to loot – the piles of weapons and armor growing ever larger.

“Holy shit,” a tech murmured.

“Even Sandscrit wasn’t this bad—”

“All of those people…”

And as those bodies piled up ever higher, Jason watched and waited.  Until the corpses formed a massive wall around the field, stacking up at the edge of the multi-colored barrier.  Until the blood ran so thick, it had fully saturated the ground and formed a small lake outside the stage.  Until the screams threatened to overwhelm even Bard’s impressive range.

Then Jason began to cast.  Those new materials all rose into the air, tens of thousands of corpses floating up into the night sky as smoke spiraled around them.  They swiftly merged, forming a whirlwind of blood, bone, and flesh.  A creature began to knit itself together within that vortex.  A colossal demon built of bone, each limb dozens of feet across and its head towering sixty feet into the air.  The final touch was the ivory horns that speared into the sky.

Its feet soon settled onto the ground, crushing more than a few goblins and travelers.  But there were plenty more left, and they would soon return.  A weapon formed in the air beside this new creation.  At first, Robert thought it was simply a scythe.  Yet as he watched, he saw it looked more like a… pickaxe?

The giant bone demon grasped that weapon firmly, rotating and turning to the enormous wall surrounding the excavation site.  As it reached its target, the undead creature lifted the pickaxe high and then swept forward in a blur of motion.  The weapon slammed home with a thunderous crack that rocked the entire battlefield.  Chunks of stone slid free from that single strike, striking the ground, and sending up geysers of dirt and dust.

Yet the creature wasn’t finished – not by a longshot.

It began to hammer at the wall.  Again.  And again.  And again.  Each incredible blow carved deeper into the stone.  Jason had used the travelers to build something that could destroy the barrier wrapping the excavation, Robert realized.  And there was little they could do to stop him right now.  The goblins swiftly cut down the respawning travelers, and their bodies only added to the Bone Gardens, which spawned ever more powerful undead that helped bolster the front ranks where a legion of travelers still rushed forward.

“Clever,” Robert murmured in awe.

The undead might not be enough to hold off the travelers forever.  But between the goblins, the respawn field, and Bard’s buffs, they could now hold this position for a long damn time.  Long enough for Jason’s new creation to carve through the wall ringing the excavation.  Possibly even long enough for Jason to stop <SAFE> and save the world.

“Oh, my god,” Claire murmured, standing frozen in the doorway as she entered the Control Room, her eyes fixed on that screen and the massacre it showcased.  The rest of the techs were sitting in silence, simply staring along with her.

Robert could only shake his head as Claire made her way to him.  “What-what am I watching right now?” she muttered as the camera took in Jason standing on stage, a sea of death washing up around him.

“The man who’s going to save the world,” Robert answered finally.

Chapter 60 - Tetris

Jason and his companions strode through the chasm that had been carved into the side of the wall ringing the excavation site.  It was nearly a hundred feet deep, forming a jagged fissure of stone that rose swiftly on either side, dust still swirling through the air and the travelers’ screams echoing at their backs – the discordant melody punctuated by the shriek of Bard’s guitar.

As they passed beneath the legs of Jason’s skeleton, he waved at his creation.  The creature’s limbs creaked and groaned as it pivoted and began to stomp its way back out of the ravine, heading for the stage and the travelers.  Each footfall caused the ground to tremble and sent another cloud of dirt spewing into the air.

“Are you sure we’re not going to need that thing?” Alexion demanded.

Jason shook his head, eyeing his group.  All the avatars, their lieutenants, and Smiles were in attendance.  The rest of <Death and Taxes> had stayed behind – conscripted by Bard to put on his so-called “concert.”  Not that Jason minded.  The defensive line they’d set up would last for a while, just not forever.  As more and more travelers continued pushing into the respawn zone, they would eventually overwhelm the undead and goblins with pure numbers.

They would likely need the extra help.

“We’ll be fine,” Jason answered.  He looked to Jerry and Silver.  “However, you two need to be careful.  The goblins apparently have a unique racial ability to respawn.  We can’t be sure whether this field will work for you.”

“Aye, aye, Cappy-tan,” Jerry answered with a mock salute.

“I’ve got it,” Silver replied more somberly.

“And you two keep an eye on them,” he added for Riley and Frank’s benefit.

“Isn’t this overkill,” Julia snapped.  “I mean, we’re facing some sort of bureaucrat that only recently joined the game and is leading an army of noobs.  They’re all what?  Maybe level fifty? What are they really going to be able to…”

She trailed off as the dust cleared, moonlight shining down upon the interior of the excavation site.  It was truly enormous.  The walls ringed an enclosure nearly a mile wide.  The stone had been carved into neat blocks, each roughly three-foot square, and piled up in careful rows, creating a graduated staircase up to the towering walls that ringed the area.  It was clear that Gloria’s guildmates had cleared the earth block by block, starting along the far edge of the excavation site, piling up those blocks to form the walls ringing their dig site.

But the amount of mana needed to accomplish this…

“I wouldn’t underestimate Gloria,” Smiles offered into the sudden silence, cracking his knuckles.  “She might not be familiar with this world, but she’s clever and determined.  Those traits are far, far more important here.”  This earned him a huff from Julia, but she stayed quiet.

Jason had been thinking the same thing.  He had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a straightforward encounter – a conclusion bolstered by the feat lying before him.

“How did she pull this off?” Kyyle murmured, touching the stone.

Finn frowned as he surveyed the dig site.  “I sense a large amount of earth and fire mana.  Possibly they’re combining low-level spells.  Dissolve and Re-Assemble.  Maybe Molten Beam to melt down any particularly dense pockets of stone or metal they find.  Gravity Well to move the blocks.”

“Yeah, but how many low-level spells?  They accomplished all this in just a couple weeks…” Kyyle replied.  “The coordination required to pull this off would be—”

“Incredible,” Finn finished for him.  “I suspect—”

He never got to finish that sentence, though.

Mana flared at their backs, and the group turned to see an incredible scene.  The jagged shards of rock smoothed down, dissolving away into dust that drifted down across them.  Without pause, the blocks at the top of the wall began to lift free, one-by-one.  They drifted across the ravine before falling slowly, cushioned by a film of earth mana, and settling along the ground.  The blocks fell into place in rapid succession, swiftly repairing the hole in the wall and blocking off their exit.  Within only moments, solid stone stood at their backs, and the magic faded.

“I’m picking up travelers along the top of the walls,” Finn murmured.  Yellow highlights rapidly appeared, outlining hundreds—possibly thousands—of casters atop the stone barrier.

“They’re all wearing the same plain brown robes.  Their faces are covered,” Riley reported, sighting down the shaft of an arrow.  Without warning, she released.  The missile hummed through the air and struck home, a caster toppling from the wall and soon landing along the tiered stone with a dull thud and the crunch of bone.

“Uh, anyone else think it’s weird that they aren’t making any noise?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, yeah, that is definitely weird,” Kyyle agreed, his eyes skimming the travelers that circled the excavation, watching with cowled hoods – not a whisper coming from their ranks.

“Like I said… don’t underestimate her,” Smiles added.

A lone figure stood in the center of the excavation site.

“It was only a matter of time until you lot showed up,” a voice spoke up.  Feminine.  Familiar.  Carried on amber-tinged winds.  That voice had Jason’s bony hands clenching into fists.  He would recognize it anywhere.

“Hello again, Gloria,” Jason intoned, stepping forward.

“Jason,” she acknowledged with a nod.

“This is your last chance to stop all this,” Jason continued.  “We don’t want to harm you or your guildmates.  Just leave, and it can end here.”

Gloria shook her head.  “You know I can’t do that.  What I’m doing here – what we’re doing here – will help protect everyone.  This game is a poison.  Just look at what’s happening outside this excavation site—”

“An outcome you caused,” Jason interrupted sharply, screams still echoing in the distance.  “If you hadn’t entered this game and tried to destroy it, none of this would have happened.  All those people behind us are suffering because of you – not the game itself.”

“As though they wouldn’t have suffered anyway,” Gloria shot back.  “What about Sandscrit?  Or the Sea’s Edge?  Or the Twilight Throne?  Players killing each other – brutally and without reserve.  Sexual assault.  Rape.  Have you seen the statistics?”

Jason snorted, shaking his head.  “You think that justifies what you’re doing?  Piling one more harm on top of another?  Not that I’m surprised.  You’ve been doing that since I met you.  Fighting fire with more fire.  Like when you had my parents ambush me and convinced them I was some sort of sociopath.  What’s one kid’s happiness compared to your moralistic quest, right?

“And now you’re just doing more of the same.  You’re putting your hypocrisy on display for the whole world.  Entering a game you detest, just to destroy it?  Creating more chaos and death in the name of what exactly?”

Gloria hesitated, stewing on his words.  “To… to help them.  To protect them.”

“Really?  Or to protect yourself,” Finn interrupted harshly, stepping forward.  “All I see is a terrified old woman trying to resist change.  The world was shit before we were born, and it’s going to be full of shit after we’re both long dead and buried.  None of this is going to change that.  Even if you destroy this world, another will just be built in its place.”

“Or a dozen more,” Julia added.

Finn nodded.  “You’re fighting a war you’ve already lost—”

“I refuse to accept that!” Gloria shouted.  “And I know you’re wrong.  Just look at the numbers of players at your backs calling to tear down this place – this-this abomination.”

“Is that what you see?” Eliza asked, the others looking to her in surprise.  “The entire world – our world – is watching this right now.  And for as many of those voices shouting in anger, there are even more begging for you to stop.  They’re watching you destroy something incredible.  A living, digital world – the first of its kind.”

She looked to Finn then.  “Have you thought about what you’re really doing?  Even if your actions won’t harm the travelers, they will harm the NPCs.  Those are people – people with wants, desires, and fears.  They are the same as you.  Are they also collateral damage?  Sub-human in your eyes?  Are their lives worth nothing?”

“They aren’t real,” Gloria ground out.

“Listen to yourself,” Alexion snapped.  “Many groups in our world have made the same argument – have started wars in the name of religion or on the basis of race.  They’ve dehumanized living, breathing people.  How is what you’re doing any different?”

He shook his head.  “This place isn’t perfect.  In that sense, it isn’t any different from our own world.  If you wish to end violence and harm, why aren’t you swarming a capital building?  Tearing down servers full of hateful, vile shit?”

“Says the son of George Lane,” Gloria spat.

Alexion huffed out a laugh.  “I am not my father.  I make my own decisions.  And right here… right now, Jason is right.  All I see is a hypocrite.”

Gloria went quiet, and Jason looked to Finn.

“Not good,” the avatar of flame murmured, his eyes watching her mana signature.

As Gloria raised her arms into the air, mana blooming from her fingertips, Jason touched Riley’s shoulder.  She released in an instant, her missile flying forward in a blur of motion before embedding itself in Gloria’s chest.  She fell backward, her back hitting the stone and blood gushing from the wound, only a weak gurgle leaving her lips.  Moments later, she went still.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Alexion muttered, stalking forward.  “Why did we even bother talking to that crazy lady if we could have just shot her—”

Alexion was cut off as a block of stone flew from the side of the excavation site, slamming into him and sending him hurtling through the air.  However, that block of stone soon slowed and then burst apart in a shower of rocky debris, revealing Alexion floating in midair, glowing wings arrayed around him, and a panel of light pushing back at the twilight.

“What the fuck was that?” he growled.

“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Gloria growled, her voice floating through the excavation once more.  “Do you all really think I would leave myself unprotected?”

Jason was looking at the tops of the walls now.  If Gloria was using air mana to project her voice, then she could be anywhere among the throng of casters, every member of <SAFE> robed in the same generic casting gear, their faces tucked away behind cowled hoods.  Even their tags were hidden, he realized.  No doubt, another purchase she’d made on the auction house.

Yet he froze as he saw a strange sight.

All the casters raised their arms in unison, emerald mana spiraling around their hands and flaring through the night sky, the walls suddenly ringed in green.  As one, they cast.  Blocks of stone rose from the ground and toppled forward, the terraces swiftly disappearing.  Huge cubes formed along the top of the wall made up of many of the smaller cubes.  Then they lifted into the air, hovering in the night sky overhead.  A dozen… maybe more.  Each carrying hundreds of travelers.  And arrayed around them were more of those cubes, the blocks colliding and combining to form even larger structures.

“This shouldn’t be possible,” Julia murmured in shock.  “They’re all low level.”

“Finn, what are we looking at?” Jason demanded.

“I…I think she’s essentially multi-boxing,” Finn replied in a distracted.

“In English, please,” Riley grunted.  “Some of us aren’t a thousand years old…”

Finn sighed.  “She’s somehow taken control of every member of her guild.  They’re all imitating her movements.  That’s the only explanation for how she’s pulling this off.  Hundreds of low-level spells cast in unison.  Think of them less like individual players and more like bots slaved to one person.”

Julia glared at the respawn field that hovered overhead.  “And even if we try to kill them all, with the respawn field they’re just going to come back… and fast.  Which means we need to take out Gloria herself.”

“Can you find the real one?” Jason asked Finn, eyeing those floating stone blocks.

“I can try, but it may take some time,” Finn murmured.  “There’s too much mana getting thrown around.”  He bit at his lip, his hands bringing up his UI.  “We could possibly build another sensor array…”

As Finn trailed off, Alexion fluttered down next to them, letting out a sigh.  “Which means he’ll need me.”

Another twist of the Nephilim’s fingers and light mana infused the group as he shared his buffs.  Then panels of light formed in the air, encircling the group.  And Jason hadn’t even had to ask.  Apparently, even assholes could change…

Jason looked to Eliza then.  She raised a hand, her eyes flaring sapphire.  “You don’t have to say anything.  I’ll protect Finn.”

Eliza’s hands flared with mana, and Brian surged forward, enveloping her.  His body swiftly grew in size, taking on a variation of the form he’d once used back in Sandscrit.  His massive trunk formed a protective dome of vegetation overtop of Finn, leaving holes in the branches through which moonlight still streamed.

Finn was already at work himself.  With a flash of flame and a twitch of his fingers, Bouncer Bots materialized all around them – water mana peeling away from their surface.  This had been a parting gift from Queen, the woman making amends by showing Finn how she’d created her illusion rings.  A technology he had managed to incorporate into his bots.  They now skittered forward on skeletal legs, climbing Brian’s body before mounting themselves to the vegetation.  Their globe-like bodies rotated and a hatch opened to reveal angry red gems.

Finn had used his downtime to make a few improvements.

In the meantime, the avatar of flame turned, his hands awash in fire as he began to melt down the dust at their feet, a crystalline tower slowly rising from the ground beneath Brian’s body.  Kyyle and Julia joined him, the earth mage and Finn’s daughter helping him to construct and stabilize the array.

Jason turned to others.  “When Finn finds her—”

“We’ll take out that bitch,” Riley growled, and Frank, Silver, and Jerry nodded in unison.

“Just be careful and wait for your opening,” Jason instructed.

Meanwhile, Ella was still staring at the sky – she seemed to be in shock.

“Hey, you there?” Jason asked, waving a hand.  Ella blinked and then nodded hurriedly.

“Y-yeah.  We’ll take her out one way or another.”

Jason’s brow furrowed, but he nodded.

“What’re you going to be doing?” Alexion demanded.

Jason side-eyed him.  “I need to put some pressure on those mages.”

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, the bones that made up Jason’s body creaking.  “I think you mean we,” Dom offered, his head craned toward the sky.

Jason just grunted, his stolen wings snapping out behind him.  “Can you keep up?”

Dom looked down at his body, shining with Alexion’s light.  Without warning, Eliza approached and stabbed him in the back with her syringe, and he let out a hissing breath.  As the potion’s effects took hold, Dom activated Enrage, his arms and legs bulging.  Only moments later, he recovered, flexing his limbs experimentally to the pop and snap of tendon.

“I think that should do it,” Dom murmured, letting out an excited laugh.  “And with the two of us… well, luck should be on our side.”

Jason nodded.  He needed to prepare himself as well.  But no drugs or light-mana based buffs would help him now.  He shrugged off his cape and stowed it in his bag.  Armor had less appeal now, and the cape would only get in the way during the coming fight.  Wings snapped out from his back, wrapped in bands of darkness.  His bones were still reinforced, courtesy of Dom, his skin undulating and pulsing, responding to his own bloodlust.

And Jason had used his downtime to make a few of his own changes.

“Shit, this is going to be fun,” Dom muttered.

Jason couldn’t help but agree.  He found himself looking forward to this fight.  Not just because of how many times Gloria had screwed him over.  Revenge was just the cherry on top.  No, this was an interesting and clever opponent.  A new type of fight – one that would push him to his limits once again.  He could feel a similar thrill radiating off Dom as the pair stared up at the legion of mages and thousands of tons of floating rock that faced them.

Gloria was at least partly right.  This game had certainly influenced them.  A deadly crucible that had melted them down and reforged them into something new.

And now it was time to show her what they were made of.

Without a word, Dom and Jason attacked.

Dom leaped into the air with a sudden burst of strength, his empowered legs sending him hurtling through the air at a terrifying speed.  Yet only a roar of rage erupted from his throat.  He sped toward one of those larger cubes comprised of smaller blocks – mega-blocks, Jason thought to himself.  Dom struck with tremendous force, his fist slamming into the stone.  The cube broke apart, sending smaller blocks raining down upon the field below.  He snatched at one of the blocks, kicking off again and hurtling toward another.

Jason wasn’t to be outdone.  His wings whipped him forward, his staves rotating out of his arms and Soul Blades arcing from their length.  He’d made some upgrades, improving on the rotational effect he’d developed in the Mile-High Club.  The blades soon began to spin up to speed, forming dark sawblades.  However, as he neared one of those mega-blocks, it suddenly broke apart.  Gloria was already adapting.  The smaller cubes drifted around him and then began to press in like a stony tomb.  She was trying to trap and crush him.

Yet Jason just grinned.

He rocketed forward, leaning into a spin, forming a tornado of dark energy with his Soul Blades.  They carved cleanly through the rock, and Jason soon erupted out the other side of the mega-cube in a shower of debris.  He turned just in time to see the cube Dom had destroyed piecing itself back together as earth mana flared in the sky – thousands of mages casting Gravity Well simultaneously.

More mega-cubes were advancing on their team on the ground below, beams of molten energy cutting through the air as Finn’s bots sliced apart the stone blocks with abandon.  Brian offered his assistance.  His massive arms swept at the rock, batting aside an entire mega-cube, and sending it slamming into the ground nearby, the force sending dust spraying up into the sky.  And below them, light mana flared.

They just needed to buy more time.

The cubes near Jason had reassembled, and Gloria had moved another two mega-cubes into position, the rocky boulders blocking Jason from the casters that floated safely overhead on their own rock islands.  He sensed motion to his right – just a whistle of air – and turned just in time to see a mega-cube at his back, breaking apart and forming hundreds of stone projectiles that rocketed at Jason from every direction.

However, a blur of movement raced passed him.  Dom slammed into one of the cubes and launched himself off it – his feet crushing the rock – before punching another.  He was a blur of destruction as he punched, smashed, and slammed the stones together – dust and debris raining down upon the coliseum.  And all without wings.

“You’re moving too slow!” Dom roared over his shoulder.

Jason just let out a laugh.  He was right.  He needed to pick up his game.

So, he launched forward with a blast of air mana from the gems he’d added to his legs, his wings flapping forcefully.  He rocketed past Dom, his arms whipping forward.  The mold offered assistance, his arms elongating into dark whips, his Soul Blades perched at the end.  At the same time, Jason pivoted in midair, launching into another spin.  His blades lashed outward and sliced cleanly through the legion of blocks.  Dozens of cubes broke apart and dropped to the ground far below, the hum of earth mana disappearing in a flash.

And yet, as Jason and Dom recovered, they saw several more mega-cubes floating overhead.  Blocks rose into the sky as Gloria repurposed more of the wall ringing the excavation site.  There was no room for talking or posturing.

There was only the whistle of air.  Crushing, tearing, smashing, slicing.  Rock and stone and dust and the hazy moonlight that drifted through those clouds.  The screams of travelers along the ground.  The shriek of Bard’s guitar as it peeled through the air.  Jason and Dom were a two-man wrecking team, the pair working in sync as they destroyed those cubes.

Until they finally created an opening.

Another mega-cube broke apart, the remains raining down upon the excavation site and striking with a rhythmic thump, thump, thump that only added a baseline to Bard’s melody.  Jason hovered in the sky, Dom free falling back toward him.  The loss of that last mega-cube had created a small window in the line of rock that protected the casters floating on their stone platforms.

In that moment, Jason and Dom’s eyes met.  They didn’t have time to talk – to type out a message – to form some complicated plan.  Yet there was no need.  Jason only saw understanding in Dom’s eyes as he nodded at him.

Jason’s arm whipped out, and Dom snatched it from the air just as the last trace of mana left the stone at his feet.  Jason pulled himself into a spin, diving back toward the ground as his limb whipped around behind him – the mold straining under Dom’s weight but holding.  That spin sent Dom rocketing forward at a blazing space.

Gloria tried to respond, and more blocks rose into the air.  The mega-cubes broke apart as she attempted to form a wall.  But that only thinned her defenses.

Dom struck like a wrecking ball, breaking straight through that flimsy barrier before hurtling out the other side.  He crashed into one of the caster cubes head-on, the stone exploding in a shower of dust.  Yet Dom wasn’t done.  His fingers tore into the rock as he grabbed onto it.  He quickly climbed around the caster-cube as it tried to break apart – Gloria vainly trying to protect her mages.  She was too late, though.

Dom launched off his cube, racing towards the center of that group, only to release a Thunderclap as he slammed his hands together.  Individually weak, the casters were no match for the wave of force that blasted out from Dom’s hands.  It struck the rock and sent the smaller cubes hurtling away in all directions, blasting apart the mage’s eardrums and sending them falling from their precarious perches.

Hundreds of men and women rained through the air, not even one letting out a cry of terror or pain.  They fell in silence before striking the ground far below in a series of dull thuds, their corpses soon buried under several hundred tons of rocky debris.

With Dom distracting Gloria, Jason had used that opening to race up and around the casters’ formation, flying well above them, his body framed by the moon at his back.  A grin of his own tugged at his lips as he leaned forward, his wings pulling taut as he dove, the wind whistling around him.  He plunged downward like death itself, his arms whipping forward once more.  The mages never saw what hit them.  Hundreds died in the span of seconds – heads cut cleanly from their shoulders and their blood staining the rock.

The mega-cube beneath them suddenly broke apart as their spells ended, the emerald haze disappearing as another shower of stone rained down upon the excavation site.

However, Gloria had already recovered, her other caster cubes floating away and the mega-cubes rising toward Jason and Dom where they formed a new wall as she shifted around the excavation site.  Jason caught Dom from the air, Jason’s dark wings beating at the air as they hovered in place.  Despite their minor victory, they were covered in dust and blood, their stamina waning.

They’d killed some, but not all of Gloria’s forces.  Not by a long shot.

Not that it mattered.  A blaze of ivory light suddenly speared from the ground below as Alexion activated the newly-formed sensor array.  That energy rippled out across the excavation site in a wave, touching every rock and stone and caster.

And on the heels of that energy, Jason’s UI pinged.  A message from Finn.  Not that he needed to read the content as a yellow waypoint marker suddenly sprang into existence.  Yet Jason’s brow furrowed.  That marker didn’t hover in the sky.  It came from the ground below.  And not just the surface either.

Gloria was underground.

He and Dom turned as one to see the rest of Gloria’s guildmates casting in unison.  Jason could see it now, the occasional globe of sapphire energy tucked away inside their formation.  She must have been using their cameras to see while she fled deeper into the excavation.

Damn it.

Even as that realization struck him, her voice suddenly rippled through the air, carried on amber-tinged winds.  “It’s too late.  I’m going to end this for good.”

“What is she…” Jason murmured, trailing off as he saw earth mana flare.

Thousands of stone blocks were rising into the air, the mega-cubes all merging near the casters as they rose, rose, rose, up into the night sky.  The smaller blocks were stitching together now.  Tens of thousands of them.  Forming a cube that soon blotted out the moon.  A monstrous creation that loomed overtop the excavation site, the respawn field circling what was left of the structure in glowing, multi-colored relief.

“She’s going to destroy it all,” Dom murmured.

Jason just nodded.  He could see Gloria’s plan as well.  She was about to drop that cube on the site, destroying the stage, the generator, the array below.  She no longer needed any of that infrastructure – not if she had fled deep underground.  That would buy her time – enough time to reach whatever she’d been searching for – to end this world.

Jason’s fist clenched.  “Not if we stop it,” he ground out.

Dom just stared back.  “Are you seriously thinking…”

“We just need to destroy that orb,” Jason interrupted him.

Mad laughter peeled through the night sky as Dom’s chest heaved.  “Then let’s do it!”

With that, he peeled Jason’s fingers free and fell, racing toward the ground below.  Jason soon followed, his wings pulling close.  He used the few seconds he had to pull up his chat log and type out a quick message to his team.  They needed to move.  Now.  Defend the stage and the generator if they could.  Protect Silver, Brian, and Jerry.

Jason would just have to hope it would be enough.

Yet he didn’t have time to focus on that now as his wings swept out, blunting his fall and his feet soon touching down on solid ground once more.  Dom stood at his side, the pair looking up at the sky where that massive meteor was still forming, emerald energy rippling along its length – its size and weight putting Blaze’s poor imitation to shame.  It was the product of the legion of mages that stood atop the cube, the rock held up only by the combined force of thousands of Gravity Wells.

And then, that green energy disappeared.  The rock began to descend, the casters holding the block together as they rode it down to their own deaths.  Yet none shirked their duty or gave in to their fear.  They were merely robots, tools, vacant and empty flesh that existed only to serve Gloria’s wishes – her quest to end everything.

Jason and Dom stood side by side, watching as their death loomed overhead.  Then, with a slow and measured movement, Dom raised his fingers and lifted his mask free – only to reveal the insane grin that was painted across his face.  He side-eyed Jason, his eyes flashing, no doubt, his luck aura exploding.

Not a word passed between them.  They didn’t need to talk right now. The reality of their situation was obvious.  They were going to die.  They could only hope that before that happened, they could accomplish enough to leave a mark on this world.  To protect their allies.  The goblins.  The other members of <Death and Taxes>.  The avatars.  Their lieutenants.  The residents among them.  The fate of this world now rested on one scared old woman.

Yet as they both looked up once more, the same smile never left Jason’s face.

Not even as the pair both pulled back their arms – dark mana and muscle surging as they put everything they had into this one final strike.  Not as that rocky death loomed large, racing toward them.  Not even as they both struck, punching into the stone, force rippling away from the impact.  Eventually, their hands gave way as their bones were crushed and began to crumble, and the vessels storing Jason’s Najima burst, one by one.

Jason embraced his death.  His end.  As the darkness consumed him, one question burned in his heart, gnawing at his soul.

Was this it?  Was this as far as he could go?  Was this his limit?

And his entire being shouted back one answer.

This wasn’t even close.

System Message

You have died.

Thanks for playing Awaken Online!

Chapter 61 - Pleading

“Good lord,” Frank muttered as Eliza’s vegetation peeled away, revealing what remained of the excavation site.

The area had been destroyed, the former towering stone walls gone.  Now it was little more than a field covered in broken stone cubes and fragments of rock – like a spikey uneven graveyard.  And yet, there was no crater nor evidence of the impact of that last attack.  Jason and Dom had successfully blunted the assault… at the cost of their own lives.

“At least the generator is in one piece,” Tombs grumbled as he phased out of the rock, wiping at the sweat beading on his forehead.  “I managed to get it underground in time.”

“One small silver lining,” Jerry grunted as he shook the dust off his hat.

Frank and Silver emerged from the hole behind him, Frank’s body giving up heavy, dense chitin in favor of more pliable skin.  Both of them were dusty, dirty, and angry.  But they were alive, which was a blessing given the circumstances.

Gone was the stage where Bard had been playing.  The Bone Gardens had been blasted apart.  Even Jason’s towering skeleton had been unable to withstand the blast fully.  Now the stage was little more than broken lumber, rock, and blood – no doubt, the goblins’ loot buried somewhere under that rubble.  Yet the multi-colored field still hung overhead, and travelers and goblins continued respawning, the area quickly devolving into a brutal bloodbath.

Even more travelers continued to pour southward, illuminated by the faint moonlight.  With little now standing in their way, they would soon be upon the survivors.  The blast had only briefly reset the field – giving them a small window in which to regroup.

As the group looked on with bleak expressions, two more rifts soon opened nearby, familiar faces stepping out of those portals.  Smiles was once again wearing his immaculate suit, adjusting his cuffs as he stepped smoothly out of the rift.  Meanwhile, Jason’s demeanor was… different.

Gone was his hulking skeletal form, wings, and undulating skin.  Instead, his body was a gangly skeleton, thin ropes of dark mana barely holding together feeble bones that cracked and creaked as he took each step, leaning on the staff held in his hand.  This was the true weakness of his new form.  Upon respawn, he came back without his former minion and augments.

Yet Jason wasn’t deterred.  With a wave of his hand, dark mana collected around the limb.

Corpses soon rose up around him, stone and debris shifting aside as they floated up into the air.  Then, with a snap of his fingers, useless flesh and muscle sloughed from bone, the material fusing to Jason’s frame, his skeletal body thickening in mere moments, the surface turning a darker hue as he absorbed fragments of metal from the ruined bots nearby.

Moments later, Jason’s foot landed more firmly, dark mana thickening around the limb and rippling up across his legs, chest, and head.  His movements became smoother, stronger, and more controlled.  His staff split into two fragments and was absorbed back into his forearms, ready at a moment’s notice yet no longer in his way.  As the transformation completed, Jason’s cloak whipped back into place, covering his body and the skeletal features of his face.

“You certainly make an intimidating entrance now,” Riley offered with a grin as he approached. “Yet it’s still not hot.”

Jason chuckled despite everything he’d just endured – like getting blown apart by a makeshift meteor.  “Noted,” he replied, his eyes on the carnage.

He looked to Finn then.  “What about Gloria?”

The avatar of flame shook his head.  His attention was fixed on the screen flickering before him.  “The sensor array picked up her mana signature below us.  My guess is that she was fighting that battle remotely from underground and using the travelers’ cameras.”

“She’s more clever than we gave her credit for,” Kyyle offered, adjusting his glasses.

“Just wait… she’s going to get what’s coming to her,” Julia added.

The others nodded somberly.

“What’s the game plan now?” Riley asked Jason.

He turned to watch the remains of the stage where a bloody battle was taking place between the respawning travelers and goblins – clawing, tearing, and even biting at one another in their attempt to escape that endless respawn loop.  And the ground trembled as ever more travelers streamed toward their location.

Another tear opened nearby, and Bard stepped out of the rift, eyeing his former stage with slumped shoulders.  “It was all going so well,” he murmured, sinking to his knees.  “I didn’t even get to play my grand finale.”

The rest of the group ignored him, Jason turning to look at the yellow waypoint marker lingering far beneath their feet.  The truth was that this was no longer an easy position to defend.  Their defensive formation had been destroyed, and the travelers were now able to circle them from all sides.  Not only that, but Gloria had fled underground.  Her goal was likely to finish what she’d started – the timer still swiftly approaching zero.  With only minutes left, they couldn’t afford to dawdle.

Jason grimaced.  “You all should help secure this position topside, so the travelers don’t interfere,” he instructed, eyeing Eliza, Finn, and Alexion.  “You did well holding off Gloria while Finn built and activated the makeshift array.  Now you just need to hold the travelers back for a few more minutes.”

“That might be easier said than done,” Eliza murmured, eyeing the oncoming horde of travelers, her hands knotting together in front of her.

Jason’s eyes flicked to where Dom stood nearby.  “I have a feeling you’ll be okay.  You just need a suitable distraction,” he added meaningfully.

Dom snorted, cracking his knuckles.  “I think I might be able to handle that.”

Finn raised an eyebrow, watching Jason.  “And you?” he asked archly.

Jason rolled his newfound shoulders, the bones popping and flexing.  This body felt weaker than the one he’d had before – the remains of the casters and travelers barely measuring up to the other avatars.  But it would be enough.  Gloria had used up her trump card.  Now she was just a low-leveled old lady on the run.

“I’m going to hunt her down,” Jason growled, dark mana flashing away from his body.

“Then you’re going to need an entrance,” Kyyle offered.  He looked to Brock, the earth elemental’s eyes flashing.  The pair began to cast with a flare of emerald energy.  Blocks of stone lifted from the ground, soon revealing a stone staircase that spiraled down into the darkness.

Jason met Dom’s eyes.  “I just need a few minutes. Then your contract is complete.”

“You got it… boss,” Smiles replied with a trace of sarcasm.

Then, without ceremony, Dom stooped down and leaped toward the oncoming army of travelers – sailing over the heads of the goblins and their prey.  He landed with a heavy thump, one man against hundreds of thousands.  For just a moment, Jason wished he could see Dom with Finn’s eyes – observe his luck aura flaring in the face of certain death.

Watching their leader take point, the other members of <Death and Taxes> pulled themselves together.  Even Bard shook off his despair, straightened his shoulders, wiped off his velvet tunic, and gripped his instrument firmly.  Then, as one, they went to join their leader, carving a path of ice, fire, and death through the field of respawning goblins and travelers.

In the meantime, the others were forming a defensive ring around the entrance to the underground tunnel.  Panels of light soon began to flicker through the air, and vegetation grew along the ground.  Kyyle joined them, forming stone columns that jutted into the air, Finn anchoring a metallic turret to each one – building them on the fly from the broken fragments of his bouncer bots now littering the field.

A metallic shriek soon echoed across the field once more, signaling the start of the second and final round.  Either they would win here – save the world.  Or they would die trying.

“Be careful,” Riley insisted, gripping Jason’s shoulder.  “I don’t trust Gloria.”

“Always,” Jason shot back with a grin of his own.

With that, his staff fragments shifted out of his forearms, Soul Blades arcing from their length.  He jumped into the nearby pit, forgoing the stairs and letting his blades cut into the stone wall as he slid down into the darkness.  Rocky shrapnel fell around him but bounced harmlessly off his reinforced skeletal frame.

And then there was only darkness once more.

***

Jason landed with a soft thump, his bones creaking but his new form managing to absorb the impact as the fragments of his staff shifted back into his forearms.  Darkness loomed around him, but his Night Vision pierced that shadowy veil.  He was standing in a large room, the staircase winding overhead, the entrance merely a pinpoint of light far above.  Along one wall was an open doorway nearly ten feet tall, the stone showing the same workmanship as the dig site above, the stone cut into tidy blocks.

With only one option, Jason started forward, stalking through the darkness.  Every so often, the hall was illuminated by a dull, glowing crystal embedded in the rock – a makeshift light that must have been placed by Gloria or her guildmates.

That tunnel soon ended, and Jason slowed.

On the other side was an enormous cavern.  This one hadn’t been cultivated but had been hollowed out naturally by water and time.  The ceiling rose high overhead, looming dozens of feet and the darkness becoming impenetrable.  The floor of the cave showed signs of wear – the ground smoothed flat with no stalagmites marring the surface.

Jason’s Perception skill triggered – a flash of blue near the floor.  He stooped, and his fingers touched the dust.  Perhaps someone using Dissolve to finish the tunnel?  And more blue outlines were revealed ahead of his positions.  Footprints.  Fresh.  A single set.

It seemed he was right behind Gloria now.

He rose, stepping into the cavern.  The front portion of the cave was barren and empty.  However, on the other end, there was something more.  A hazy outline that Jason couldn’t quite make out at this distance and in this dense darkness.

Yet as he moved forward, it soon came into focus.

The relief of a building had been painstakingly carved into the far wall of the cavern.  A massive doorway, framed by towering pillars.  The smooth arch of what could have been a roof.  The style looked familiar.  Possibly Greek or Roman.  It reminded Jason of an ancient temple.  Yet why was it down here?  And as his fingers traced the carved stone, he could feel that the rock was perfectly smooth.  There was no erosion.  No deterioration in the design.  It was perfectly preserved, which should have been impossible.

At least, without the help of magic.

However, Jason pushed those thoughts from his mind as he caught a familiar flicker of light inside the temple, his Listening skill picking out the sound of heavy breathing.  He padded softly through the doorway, the dark mana attached to his heels and the pads of his feet rendering his steps almost silent.  At the same time, the staff fragments slid free from his forearms once more, and Soul Blades inched away from their surface.

“Stop right there,” Gloria soon spat.

Jason slowed, eyeing the scene before him.

The inside of the temple was enormous, at least a few thousand square feet.  Intricate designs and patterns were etched into the stone walls.  Pictures of people worshipping someone – a woman.  Offering her gifts and presents.  Those designs told a story that Jason didn’t have time to dissect.  Not right now, anyway.

Not with the way Gloria stood at the back of the temple near a small dais.  In her hand, she held a crystalline sphere, one that pulsed with an intense green light.  Jason had only seen that density of mana a few times.  It reminded him of his mana well.  He had no idea what that orb meant or what it could do, but he suspected this was what Gloria had been after.

An object that could somehow destroy the game world.

“It’s over, Gloria,” Jason said.  “You need to give this up.”

She just scoffed at him.  “For once, you’re right.  It is over… because I won.”  She peered at that orb, the emerald energy reflected in her irises.  “To think it was really here.”

“How did you know to dig here?  To find this place?” Jason asked, foregoing caution.  “Did you hack into Cerillion’s systems?  Was that you?”

Gloria’s attention shot back to him, her brow furrowing.  “No.  I didn’t access Cerillion’s systems.  Someone sent me this information.  On you.  On the other avatars.  The gate pieces.  This place.  I was initially skeptical, but so much of it turned out to be true.”

Her eyes were back on that crystal again as she trailed off, almost like the object was somehow influencing her.  For the second time in as many minutes, Jason wished he had Finn’s Mana Sight so that he could better understand what was happening here… what that object was.

“So, someone helped you?” Jason asked, stepping forward ever-so-slowly, not wanting to alarm Gloria while she held that fragile sphere.

Her eyes shot back to him, her hood falling back to reveal her face.  Gloria looked haggard.  Her eyes bloodshot.  As though she hadn’t slept in days or possibly weeks in-game.  Perhaps it wasn’t the orb’s influence, after all, but simple fatigue.  Or obsession.  Or a mixture of both.

“Yes… yes, someone sent… to me…” Gloria mumbled in confusion.  She shook her head, clarity returning to her eyes for a moment.  “Why am I telling you this?  It’s over.  All I have to do now is destroy this orb.  That’s what the information said.”

“Mom, please don’t,” someone spoke up from beside Gloria.

Jason’s eyes widened as he saw Ella drop from Sneak, pulling back her own hood and raising her hands.  What the hell is she doing here?  Did she just call Gloria mom? Jason wondered.  Gloria’s face reflected her shock, her mouth falling open as she saw Ella.

In that moment, it finally clicked for Jason.

“You’re Gloria’s daughter?” Jason murmured, looking to Ella.

She nodded with a grimace.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t know how to tell you.  I never thought… well, I never thought it would come to this.”

“So, your real name is actually—” Jason began.

“What are you doing here, Sophie?” Gloria demanded.

“What do you think?” Ella – or Sophie – snapped, anger flashing in her eyes.

“In this place, I can see.  I’m not blind.  Why would you push me away from a place like this?  Why would you try to destroy it?  Shouldn’t you of all people understand—”

“I do understand,” Gloria interjected, pain cascading across her face.  “Baby, I do.  More than you know.  I wanted this for you.  But this place – this game – it isn’t safe.  There’s something going on here.  Something bad… evil even,” she murmured looking at Jason.

To be fair, he had to admit he did look just a touch evil now.

“That’s in your head, mom,” Sophie insisted, pleading with her.  “I’ve been playing for weeks now.  I’m fine.  Better than fine.  My grades are up.  I’ve made new friends here.  Why are you trying to take this away from me?”

“I-I’m not,” Gloria muttered, swallowing hard and bracing herself.  “I’m not trying to take this place away from you.  I want this for you.  To help regain your sight.  But it needs to be safe.  Look at those people above?  They aren’t afraid of dying.  Of hurting others.  Or at the creature over there – a young man who ripped out his own heart in front of the world.  This place is evil.”

“Evil?” Ella asked, shaking her head as she approached Gloria.  “I think you have it backward.”  Her mother only looked at her in surprise and confusion.

“The real world is the evil one.  One where I’m blind.  Crippled.  Mocked and tormented by my classmates.  The same ones who enticed me to play this game and then ditched me the moment we arrived – as I was just trying to figure out how to see again.  They left me to die in some shithole dungeon, eaten alive by oversized rats.  And you know what they did while that happened?  They laughed.  Laughed,” Ella repeated, her dark mana flaring around her.

“See… this place…” Gloria offered feebly.

“This place had nothing to do with it.  Those were people from our world,” Ella interrupted, taking yet another step.  “If there is evil to be had here… then we brought it with us.”

Ella mastered her emotion, swallowing her anger and her mana fading.  “And in my time here, I’ve seen this place – this world – improve people for the better.  Help them come out of their shell.  Deal with depression and anxiety.  Give them a purpose.”

“If that purpose is to murder each other,” Gloria bit out.  “You saw what they did up—

“What you did,” Ella interjected.  Another step.  “Jason was right,” she added, waving at the ceiling.  “It isn’t this game that killed all those people.  It was you.  You started a war, Mom!”

“It was what needed to be done!” Gloria snapped, losing her composure, and giving in to frustration as she was unable to refute her daughter’s arguments.  “When you’re older – when you’ve seen more of the world – you’ll come to understand.  I can’t live with seeing you go through that pain again.  I can’t stand by and just let something harm you again.”

“She’s not coming around,” Jason thought to himself, eyeing the room.  He needed a way to get to Gloria and take her out without damaging that orb in her hand.  If Ella could just distract her… even for a second.

Ella put a hand on her mom’s arm as she neared.  “I’m fine,” Ella insisted, looking Gloria in the eye, her mother calming slightly.  “You’ve been treating me like some sort of porcelain girl since I was little.  I’m not going to break under a little pressure.  I haven’t.”

“Not yet,” Gloria replied, moisture beading at the corners of her eyes.

Ella side-eyed Jason before turning back to her mother.  “Not ever.  I understand your fear and heartache.  I can’t imagine what you went through when I lost my sight.  But those are your ghosts, mom.  Not mine.  This place has taught me that I can live without being afraid – hiding in my room and never leaving the castle you’ve created for me.  It’s taught me that a little bit of risk can be a good thing.

“This place has helped me.  Jason has helped me.”

Then Gloria’s eyes snapped to his face, and Jason saw something strange twist there.  A mixture of hate, anger, and fear.  Ella had said the wrong thing.  Jason was the personification of everything that Gloria hated and feared about this place.

“I’m sorry, Baby,” Gloria murmured.  “I just can’t let him corrupt you.  Let you fall into the clutches of this murderer like all of those others.”

“Mom—”

Ella was suddenly cut off as Gloria plunged a dagger into her daughter’s chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m sorry—I’m so sorry, Baby.  But this is for the best.”

Ella looked down at the dagger, blood bubbling from her lips as her fingers wrapped the hilt.  She didn’t look afraid.  Or scared.  She only stared back at her mother with such sadness that Jason could feel his heart break for her.  He knew that look.  He’d seen it played over and over and over a thousand times during the footage of the regulatory hearing.

When he’d had to face his own parents.

Without warning, Ella pushed forward, the dagger sinking more deeply into her chest even as she wrapped her arms around her mother.  Dark mana suddenly coiled away from her body, the fingers of one hand moving behind Gloria’s back.  Jason recognized that spell.  She was detonating herself.  The mana flared more powerfully, beginning to rip apart Ella’s limbs, glowing green droplets pouring from those tears in her flesh.  It was only due to Jason’s Listening skill that he heard what she said next.

“I still love you, Mom.  But I’m done being afraid.”

Then Ella exploded in a shower of acid that drenched Gloria.  She let out a scream as the flesh began to melt from her bones, her hands shaking and then giving way as she slowly slumped to her knees.  The crystal toppled from her fingers, and Jason dashed forward, lunging across the room, wishing he’d had the materials to augment his legs one last time.  Time seemed to slow as he dove forward, reaching out with one long skeletal arm.

Stretching, reaching, straining…

The crystal tumbling through the air…

Gloria’s screams echoing through the room…

Jason’s fingers barely clipped the crystal, but he failed to get a good grip on it, the sphere bouncing off bone with a clink of glass.  Then the sphere struck the ground and the crystal fractured.  Jason didn’t have time to run.  To think.  To plan.

He could only lay there watching as Gloria died.

As the crystalline sphere exploded.

As a storm of emerald energy spewed forth, sweeping out and around him until it filled the entire room, before stretching up the staircase at his back, erupted from the opening far overhead and stretched out across the game world in a bright green tidal wave.  The walls around him shifted and shimmered, the particles that made up the rock disintegrating before his eyes, drifting away into streamers of energy.  The temple around him was crumbling away.

He knelt there, ignoring Gloria as she gasped out a final breath.  Ignoring the acid that cut into the bones of his legs.  Ignoring the blue notification that popped up in front of him – announcing what he already knew.

He’d failed.

Chapter 62 - Catastrophe

The control room was deathly quiet.  The large display floating just below the ceiling had broken into multiple panels, showcasing more than a dozen parts of the game world, those images all showing the same thing: a tidal wave of green energy that swept north, south, east, and west, leaving no corner of AO untouched.  And in its wake…

“What is this?” Claire murmured.

Robert didn’t move; couldn’t move as he watched transfixed.

The game world was being transformed before their eyes.  Rock and stone appearing where none had been before.  Rivers diverted.  Oceans pushed back to reveal jagged coastline.  Forests growing and receding in the blink of an eye.  But those were just minor changes amid the others.  Cities and towns simply disappeared – buildings, people, furnishings, and pets all vanishing within that emerald haze.

In other cases, those population centers didn’t vanish.  They were altered.  Buildings transformed, architecture shifting in an instant.  And in the elemental cities – the Twilight Throne, Sandscrit, the Sea’s Edge, the Crystal Reach… those cities blossomed.  They expanded outward, doubling and tripling in size in a blinding blaze of earth mana.

Houses and shops soon stretched well outside the walls of the Twilight Throne, whole towns springing up where only dry and shriveled forests had once stood.  The Crystal Reach expanded toward the heavens, dozens of floating crystalline platforms appearing in the air with enough room to house hundreds – even thousands.  Spires peeled up out of the sea along the coast of the Sea’s Edge, coiling up into the air and spreading out through the cove.  And in the deep desert, Sandscrit stretched out into the sands, an oasis of vegetation suddenly springing from between those dry and dusty buildings.

Even the Mile High Club wasn’t immune.  That green energy swept up into the skies and across the ruins of the club.  In an instant, the stone was stitched back together, repairing the damage that Finn and Eliza had caused.  The ring was solid and repaired once more.  The stone swept smooth and clean.  Rust disappeared.  Crystal mended.  Within mere moments, mana-infused gemstones flared brightly, the club’s sign now affixed securely to the tower – a tower that now stood whole and intact above a freshly built coliseum.

Yet the transformation wasn’t finished – not by a longshot.

As the topography of the world shifted, another change took hold.  The emerald energy whisked away, and in its wake it left… people standing there.  People that hadn’t existed only moments ago.  Humans, undead, angels, merfolk, djinn.  They were suddenly standing in the streets, in the windows of their homes, at the market.  Staring, blinking, confused.  In an instant, hundreds of thousands of new NPCs had appeared within AO – or whatever it had now become.

“S-sir,” a tech managed to stutter.  “The system’s resources are reaching their limit.  We can’t keep this up.  The servers are going to start failing…”

Indeed, Robert’s console was flashing red.  A bad sign.  He let out a grunt, shaking off his surprise.  “Then divert more resources.  Take everything.  The corporate website, all affiliate data centers.  Dump anyone else we’re hosting.”

“But… but sir, we have thousands of clients.”

“Dump them all,” Robert snapped.  “Who cares if they lose their website for a few minutes.  Do it now!” he barked, when he saw the techs weren’t moving.

That broke them out of their shock and they set to work, a low buzz suddenly filling the Control Room as the techs fought their own battle, trying to stay ahead of the incredible processing and network demands that Alfred was placing on the servers.

“We could…ahem, we could start booting travelers,” Claire offered, clearing her throat nervously.  “That might—”

“No,” Robert replied immediately.  “We can’t afford any gap in service.  Besides,” he added, waving at the displays floating above the room but his eyes on his console, “We need them to see this.  We need everyone to see this.”

Claire just frowned, her hands twisting into knots.  “Are you sure?  What even is this Robert?  Do you know what’s happening?” she asked, dropping her voice to a whisper.

Robert finally looked at her, cocking his head.  “Really?  Don’t you recognize it?”

“Recognize…?” Claire echoed, trailing off as her gaze returned to those screens.

A moment later… it began to click.

“This… this is…”

“Yes,” Robert answered, his fingers slowing as the system began to stabilize, the transformation almost complete.  “The game world during alpha development.  We’re seeing the world as it was nearly a hundred years ago in-game.”

“But that’s impossible,” Claire muttered.

“Clearly not,” Robert shot back, leaning back in his chair.

“How will this affect the travelers… the game?”

Robert just smiled.  “I guess we’re about to find out.”

***

Joe had just finished selling his gear at the auction house in the Crystal Reach, looking at the meager few coins in his palm.  The taxes that Alexion had put in place had eaten into nearly half his profits, undercutting hours spent farming for materials… and that was after Joe had been forced to pay a fee to even use the damn hunting grounds.

“How can they charge low levels?” he muttered to himself, no one paying him any mind.

Where was the tutorial?  The small bit of hand holding that typically allowed a player to gain a foothold in-game?  Alexion had destroyed it all.  Hell, he’d started charging people for a basic map and bag.  It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, Brodie just couldn’t get ahead.  He’d even considered braving the roads to the neighboring towns.  However, rumors of travelers and residents turned bandits had stopped him – those travelers having arrived at a more unique solution to circumvent Alexion’s taxes.

His friends had called him silly for ignoring the Armageddon event – at still trying to grind out a few levels and some loot to sell.  But Brodie wasn’t taking all that bullshit seriously.

Who honestly thought the devs were going to scrap their entire game world?  C’mon.  That seemed crazy—

His gaze suddenly shot up as screams echoed through the air… only to find people running toward him.  A massive cloud of emerald energy was sweeping through the city at an incredible pace, the travelers and residents alike fleeing before that glowing green wave.

Joe watched as the wave touched a man and his family – residents, no doubt – only to envelop them, their screams ripping through the air… and ending abruptly as their bodies broke apart into motes of emerald energy that only added to the stormfront.  Travelers weren’t immune either.  Joe watched as a stall appeared from nowhere, skewering a traveler, the wooden poles impaling her stomach and holding her suspended in midair.  Others were crushed as new buildings suddenly materialized, the roadway shifting and changing in an instant.

“Fucking run!” a traveler screamed, pushing at Joe.

His few paltry coins tumbled to the ground, but he didn’t have a chance to retrieve them.  He could only flee with the others – avoid being crushed under the stampede of human bodies, the Nephilim among them taking flight to flee that strange energy.

Someone’s mount barreled through the horde, the traveler not sparing any thought to the others that were tossed aside, including Joe.  He was smashed up against the side of a nearby building, the wind forced from his lungs and something snapping in his chest, fire blooming along his ribcage.  He soon fell to the ground, just barely managing to roll to the side under a wagon to avoid the stomping feet of more travelers and residents.

The green mist rippled forward and Joe braced himself as he realized he wasn’t going to get away, squeezing his eyes shut.  Yet as the second ticked passed, nothing happened.  And when he opened his eyes once more… the travelers were gone.

Or a better word would be replaced.

Only Nephilim stood amid the street, more than a few robed in glowing golden armor, lances held in hand as they paced the streets.  Many more wore plainclothes, carrying food and household items, looking around themselves in confusion.  Joe’s eyes widened as he saw a unique sight.  Children.  Winged children playing in the street before hopping up onto a nearby rooftop with a flutter of feathers – the kids seemingly oblivious to their sudden existence.

Even after his time spent in the Crystal Reach, Joe had never seen any Nephilim families.

Hell, there weren’t even that many of the angelic race in the Crystal Reach, Alexion having conscripted their kind into his armies and to help protect the trade ships out of Barrow.  Now there were hundreds, possibly even thousands of Nephilim flitting through the skies overhead.  Joe crawled out from under the wagon, staring dumbstruck.  Crystalline islands now floated in the sky, the morning sunlight streaming through them and refracting, bouncing between those glimmering discs and illuminating the majesty that was the Crystal Reach.

“What are you doing here, human?” a voice asked at his back.

Joe whirled to find two guards facing him, their faces not entirely angelic as they surveyed his form, lances leveled at him and light magic glowing at the tip.  “I’m speaking to you, mongrel,” the guards snapped.  “How did you enter the city?”

Joe struggled to respond, his mind flailing in confusion.  “How did I enter?  Uh, through the gate?” he asked, shaking his head.  “I’ve been here for weeks.”

The guards looked at each other.  “Weeks?” the other muttered.

“Seems we have another infestation.”

They looked back to Joe.  “If you take us to the others, we will make your death painless.  That’s the best offer you could ask for human.”

“My… death?” Brodie asked.  What the fuck was going on here?

“Stupid vermin.  They can barely understand simple instructions,” the other guard sneered.  “We don’t need this beast’s help.  We can root out the others ourselves—”

Without warning, the guard fired, a beam of light erupting from the tip of his lance.  Brodie didn’t have time to react.  Could only look down at the hole in his stomach, smoke curling away from the edges as he slipped to his knees, his legs suddenly failing him as red notifications flashed in the corner of his vision.  What was happening?  Why had the guards attacked him?

What was that green mist…

Yet those questions went unanswered as his cheek struck the ground.  He could only barely make out shouts in the distance.  Fragments of words and sentences.

“They found… more of… humans.”

Followed by screams that felt distant… muted.

Then the darkness fully took hold, leaving only one thought.

Maybe his friends had been right…

System Message

You have died.

Thanks for playing Awaken Online!

***

“That’s the last of them,” Madison declared, wiping the sweat from her brow.  Other members of <Original Sin> hovered around her, covered in dirt, blood, and sweat as they eyed what was left of their prey.  These ambient undead had been tough – much tougher than the creatures that sprang from the Bone Gardens.  The rifts that opened around the Twilight Throne had summoned these things, forcing the city’s forces and <Original Sin> to form a protective circle around the city to ward off these sudden threats, leaving them little time to watch the show playing out on the large screen that loomed before the Dark Keep.

While the undead at their feet were little more than piles of bone now, they had once been raptor-like creatures.  Fast.  Strong.  Surprisingly resilient.  A blur of shadow amid the dead forest that ringed the Twilight Throne before they launched forward with razor-sharp teeth and claws.

“Yeah, except where the hell did they all come from?” Sasha asked from beside Madison, her staff thumping into the dust.  The pair had been inseparable since undergoing the tutorial together, joining the Academy shortly after.  They had both studied under Morgan herself.  “This is strange.  All of these undead suddenly springing up.”

“Welcome to the end times,” Madison drawled, tucking away her wand at her waist.  Her eyes scanned to the south.  “I just hope Jason can end this before anything else—”

She froze as she saw a hint of green suddenly spear through the sky, interrupting the perpetual dark cloud cover that hung across the area.  That mist suddenly broke above the treetops, sweeping forward at an incredible speed.  Sasha followed her gaze and her hands coiled more tightly around her staff.

“Incoming magic.  Possibly hostile!  Group up!” she shouted to the others.

In an instant, the division of <Original Sin> had formed a defensive line in the center of the roadway.  Their rogues had dropped into Sneak, taking up positions in the trees flanking the road.  Meanwhile, their melee troops moved forward, pulling swords and cumbersome shields from their backs.  With a flash of magic, those shield formed a barrier of air magic before them, the gems fused into the metal glowing brightly – a gift from Cecil’s workshop.

Madison’s fingers curled around her wand and she added her magic to the others.  The bones along the roadway soon collected into a jagged wall that ran the length of the road.   Dark magic wasn’t great at defense, but she would take whatever edge she could get, her mana able to regenerate while they waited for that strange green cloud to approach.

They didn’t have to wait long.

In mere seconds, that energy had swept through the undead forest, then struck the group before rushing past.  Madison and Sasha looked at each other in confusion.  The green energy didn’t appear to cause any damage.  None of their group was affected.  Yet as they watched, they saw the trees along the road thicken and twist.  Others springing from the dusty ground.  And as they turned back around… the skeletal wall had dissolved, breaking apart in an instant—

Before reforming into the same group of undead raptors, their bodies whole and intact and dark mana resting where their eyes might have once been – watching the group with uncanny focus as their bony legs tore at the dirt underfoot.

“Shit,” Sasha muttered, her staff blazing as she turned to face those enemies.  “How is that even possible?  We just took them out!”

Madison shook her head in confusion.  “I-I don’t know.”

Not that it mattered.  They’d taken them down once.  They could do it again.

However, Madison hesitated as her Perception skill picked out more shadows among the trees.  The blue highlights soon resolved into more of the undead creatures.  Dozens at least.  They were circling through the trees.  How had they flanked them?  They had scouts positioned to the east and west but they hadn’t sent up a warning in chat…

“What’s our move?” Sasha asked, eyeing Madison.  The others were looking to her as well – she was the division leader, after all.  That had once seemed like an accomplishment, but, in this moment, felt like a heavy burden.

She was about to call for a retreat before a shout went up at their backs, the line shifting and their melee troops forming into a circle.  Never mind, it seemed they were surrounded.  And now outnumbered – a few dozen now facing hundreds of ambient undead that hovered in the shadows of the trees.  Screams rippled through the forest, the icons for their scouts and rogues going gray one by one.  The members of Madison’s division eyed their UI nervously, shifting in place and a few eyeing the towers of the Twilight Throne in the distance – likely considering making a break for it.

Madison grimaced.  “Hold your ground.  We fight till we die.  Whoever gets back first needs to warn the Shadow Council.”  The others nodded, firming their grip on their weapons.

However, an attack never came.

Instead, the green energy swept past and soon disappeared.

The native undead simply stood there, seemingly frozen in place, jagged jaws glinting in the lightning that flashed overhead, but making no move to attack as the travelers eyed them warily.  And in that eerie silence, the group could hear a rattle of bone and the clack of horse hooves, the native undead soon parting to reveal an unsettling sight.

A carriage built entirely of bone rattled down the dusty road, pulled by a pair of skeletal horses, their forms wrapped in dark energy and eyes like black holes.  As the carriage neared, it slowed, and then stopped, the native undead still making no move to attack.  Instead, the raptor-like creatures all backed off, settling on their haunches.

Sasha grinned.  “That must be Jason.  Good fucking timing.”

Madison wasn’t so convinced.  Why would Jason be here?  Now?  And what was that strange green energy?  It hadn’t affected their group… but the number of undead had multiplied in an instant.  And that was putting aside how it had re-animated those that they had slain.  Earth magic couldn’t do that; shouldn’t be able to do that.

The carriage door cracked open and a figure stepped out.  He was robed in shadow, the energy cascading and rippling around his body, giving the vague imitation of a suit.  His face was masked in the same dark energy, obscuring his features as he surveyed the forest… then the group of travelers that stood in the roadway.

That definitely wasn’t Jason.  At least, not the Jason she knew.  Of course, Madison had heard the buzz about the stream and Jason’s new transformation… but she hadn’t had time to sit and watch the show.  They had been forced to defend the Twilight Throne.

Could this be Jason’s new form?

“Hmm… now this is intriguing.  You’re humans, no?” the figure asked.

“Uh, yes,” Madison answered as the others looked to her.  So, definitely not Jason.  “We’re members of <Original Sin>.  Who are you and why are you trespassing on Jason’s territory?”

“Trespassing?” the figure murmured, amusement coloring his voice.  “And who is this Jason you mention?  I’ve never heard of him.”

“He’s the avatar of darkness,” Sasha piped up beside Madison.  She glanced at her friend, a question in her eyes.  This couldn’t be a traveler if he didn’t know Jason.  A resident then?

The figure’s reaction was unusual.  He froze, cocking his head, that energy coiling tighter around his body.  “Really?  Is he now?” he asked.  “Then I wish to meet this Jason myself.”

The man approached their ranks and the travelers bristled.  “Don’t come any closer.  Identify yourself,” Madison bit out.

The man just let out an amused chuckle.  “Do you believe you can stop me?”

“If we have to,” Madison snapped back, dark mana coiling around her staff.

“Intriguing.  A human attempting to harness the dark…” the man murmured.  In a flash of movement, he stood within their line, leaning close to Madison and eyeing her closely, his features still obscured behind that haze of darkness.  She only caught the hint of a nose and cheekbones.

“Very interesting,” he murmured once more.

Sasha’s next move was lightning quick.  Reflexes honed from days and weeks of grueling training.  Her fingers were a blur and in an instant, a bolt of darkness erupted from her staff and rocketed at the strange figure.  Yet the man seemed unperturbed.  He simply captured the energy between his fingers, holding the spell suspended in the air.  In the next instant, the mana disappeared, streaming into his body.

“That was… a mistake,” he said softly.

All at once, the other undead launched forward, the raptors streaming toward them in a wave of bone and death.  The travelers never stood a chance, not as they found that no words escaped their lips and their limbs were suddenly heavy and unresponsive, a dark energy having settled across their ranks.  It took the native undead mere moments to cut through them, crimson soon staining the bleached white ivory.

Madison felt herself shoved to the ground.  Sasha’s body had landed against her.  Her eyes wide and staring.  Madison’s UI confirmed what she already knew.  Sasha was dead.  They were all dead.  In only seconds…

She twisted, trying to see that figure, fighting against the layers of curses that wrapped her body.  Madison had trained for this.  Morgan had explained this very situation.  She could cancel the curses by… her dark mana surged, rippling across her skin and the curses finally relented, the spells bending and then snapping.

“Fantastic,” that figure murmured.  “A human who can Curse Break.  I never thought I would see the day,” he said, watching her behind that strange mask of mana, the native undead sitting around him sedately and making no move to attack.

“Who… who are you?” Madison grunted.

The man let out a low chuckle devoid of humor.  “Poor, dear human.  Do you not recognize me?  I am the incarnation of desire.  The ruler of the Twilight Throne.  The avatar of darkness.”

Madison could only stare, before choking out, “You’re a liar.  Jason… Jason is the avatar.”

“We shall see, we shall see,” the figure whispered.  He turned to the north, his attention on the dark spires that coiled up above the treetops.  “I’m curious to meet this Jason.”

Then he rose, stepping toward the north… toward the Twilight Throne, leaving Madison to stare after him.  Was he really planning to leave her alive—

That thought was cut off as the man made a short gesture with his fingers.  The native undead immediately responded, surging toward Madison.  Yet she wasn’t afraid.  Not to die.  She’d done that before; experienced that pain and swift release.  As their claws and fangs cut into her body, her attention was only on that strange man… and the notification in her UI, confirmation that her in-game camera was on and recording.

Then the darkness claimed her once more.

System Message

You have died.

Thanks for playing Awaken Online!

Chapter 63 - Timeless

Sunlight trickled into the ruined temple, the morning light filtering through the rocky entrance and casting aside the thick shadows that hovered inside.  Jason knew that should have been impossible.  They were underground, at least a few hundred feet.

Or, at least, they had been only moments ago.

But he wasn’t focused on that right now.  He could only stare at the acid staining the center of the temple, the green substance pooling along the floor, still sizzling, and smoke coiling into the air.  In the midst of that green poison, two figures rested there, bleached bone reflecting the fresh sunlight, their skeletal arms wrapped around one another even in death.

Sophie – or Ella – and her mother.

Jason could still feel the pit in his stomach, that scene replaying in his mind’s eye on a loop.  It struck far too close to home.  He could almost see himself in Sophie’s place, his arms embracing someone else.  His mother.  His father.

The jagged remains of that crystal lingered around them, a fresh reminder of his failure – both in-game and out.  Gloria had achieved what she wanted.  And yet, he was still here.  Jason looked down at his hands, the bones of his fingers clenching taut.  He was still alive.  The game world hadn’t been completely destroyed.

Which meant there was still hope.

He took a deep breath – more instinct than necessity at this point.

Then Jason pulled his cloak tight around himself and strode toward that doorway and the fresh morning sunlight that spilled inside.  As he touched the light, he could feel a dull ache radiate out from his limbs even with the protection of his cloak, his UI dinging out a warning.  He swept aside the notifications.  He could endure the pain, and his regeneration would offset the damage.

Jason soon stepped outside and took in a new sight.

The temple had been unearthed, and the area around it had transformed.  Hundreds of feet of rock had vanished, leaving no trace of earth or stone.  It was as though the temple had always rested here, now nestled between ridges to the east and west.  A road made of packed earth wound its way up to the temple entrance, emerging from the tree line of a dense forest in the distance – trees that hadn’t been there only moments before.

His friends and allies were arrayed around the entrance.  Finn.  Eliza and Brian, his limbs draped around her protectively.  Alexion.  Riley.  Frank with Silver at his side.  Jerry.  Smiles and the rest of his crew – even Bard was strangely quiet now.  An army of ugly, green-skinned goblins stood beside piles of ill-gotten loot.

And before them?  A legion of travelers.  A sea of humanity that swept out toward the distant tree line and then past it.  Hundreds of thousands who had gathered.  Come to stop the end of the world.  To usher it on.  To watch it all burn.  Now they just stared at the changes around them.  Their attention pointed to the north, where traces of the emerald energy still glowed on the horizon, swiftly replaced by something else.  Beacons of energy that jutted into the sky.

White, blue, orange, black, and yellow.

And the reason for that energy hovered before each person.  A single glowing blue notification repeated thousands of times but relaying the same message.

Universal Event Notice: Armageddon

You have failed.

The power of the artifact was unleashed upon this world, forever changing the face of Awaken Online.  Pandora’s box has been opened, and there’s no closing it now.

Returned are the races that were driven from this world long ago.  Yet this is no gradual return – no mere conversion of a single city at a time.  The clock has been rewound more than a hundred years to a time long passed.  And those races were accompanied by something else – someone else.  The former enemies of humanity… and now the enemies of the travelers that dared to journey to this world seeking to replace them.

The avatars of old have risen.

Jason swept aside the notice with numb fingers – just as he saw others do the same.  His UI was going crazy, notifications sweeping in now.  Messages.  Frantic emails – coming from both in-game and out.  His guildmates.  Forum posts.  Yet he couldn’t focus on that right now.

Another wave of his hand and those chimes and notices disappeared.

Silence rested across the valley, most of the game’s population clustered in this slender gorge.  All eyes staring at those pillars of energy, now interpreting them for what they were.  A celebration.  A call to arms.  A warning.  Each one represented an avatar of old, come to reclaim what was theirs, the travelers work and toil over the last weeks and months reduced to nothing in an instant.  Taken from them.  Stolen from them.  Jason could feel the despair, the frustration, the fear, the anger and rage radiating from them – those same feeling resonating in his gut.

What did this mean for the Kin?  The other residents?  Were they gone now, or…

He turned.  Silver was still here.  And Jerry.  What did that mean?  Were they only saved because of the respawn field they had erected around the dig site?  Or were the others safe?  Morgan?  Cecil?  Vera?  Grunt?  Even Pint?  He could see the same thoughts flitting across Jerry’s face, the rogue innkeeper hiding his concern with a twist of his mustache.

“Why-why didn’t the goblins change?” Kyyle muttered, eyeing the greenskins.

Finn coughed to clear his throat.  “I’m not certain.  We’ll need to investigate.”  He glanced toward Jason, pain etched across his face at the implication of what this meant for him – for Rachael.  “We need to better understand what just happened.”

More unanswered questions.  More riddles to add to the pile.

Jason swallowed hard – another futile, human gesture.  He no longer had a throat, or a stomach, or a need to breathe.  And yet he could have sworn he felt his heart thudding in his chest.

He felt movement at his side and turned to find Riley, her arm sliding into his.  That simple gesture was enough to calm him, to slow his frantic thoughts.

“What now?” Jason whispered.  “What do we do now?”

Riley was silent for a moment, her eyes on the horizon with the others.

“What we’ve always done,” she answered quietly, turning and meeting his eyes, her own mana flaring up around her, her irises narrowing into crosshairs.  “We fight.  And that starts here.”

She waved at the travelers, the goblins, the mercenaries in their employ, the avatars standing at their side.  Strangers, old enemies, new friends, trusted allies.  A motley assemblage of many races.  They were turning now, looking back at the avatars – at Jason.  They were looking to him for direction.  Finn, Eliza, Dom… even Alexion.

Alfred had warned him, hadn’t he?

“The truth is that humans only come together when they have a common enemy.”

And now they had many, those shining beacons announcing their presence.

Jason felt his dark mana slide through his veins, pushing back his doubt, his fear, and his uncertainty.  Hardening him to what was to come.  Narrowing his thoughts.  His power cascaded off him in waves, lashing at the air as Smiles looked on with that permanent, bleached smile, his own words repeating in Jason’s mind.  There was nothing to fear.  This was just another challenge.  Another hurdle.  Another obstacle.

He would do what he’d always done.  He would fight.

And together – they would survive.

***

“What have you done?” the Lady snapped, her eyes wide as she stared at the screens floating along the far wall of the lounge, the gods frozen in shock.

“What I needed to do,” the Gambler snapped back, a cruel, pleased smile tugging at his lips, his glass empty and forgotten beside him.  He would no longer need to numb himself to his lot… his role… his punishment…

“But how… what… could someone please explain what just happened?” the Hippie fumbled, looking between the others and the screens in confusion.

“Our brother struck a deal,” the Seer murmured, her eyes ablaze with power as she stared into the distance.  “One obscured in chaos and pain and destruction.  Branching paths all collapsing into one.  So many threads woven into a single fiber.”

“English, Sister,” the Lady snapped.

“No need to yell,” the Gambler drawled, rising from his sofa.  “I’m more than happy to explain.”  His eyes surveyed his siblings… his fellow prisoners.  “I made a deal long ago.  Unlike the rest of you, I wasn’t content to get pushed from this world – punished for doing what was best for myself,” he continued, anger coloring his voice.

“So, I made a choice. I went all in.  I gambled it all away.  My own power, my happiness, my club, my people.  I gave up everything.  A hundred years spent in exile, mucking toilets, and serving phantom customers in his shithole.  And now… now it’s paid off,” the Gambler murmured, staring at the glowing piled high before him, his eyes reflecting the blaze.

“I’ve won.”

“And destroyed everything we’ve built in the process,” the Old Man intoned.

“Because you think only of yourself, as always,” the Lady added bitterly, her own power rising now and eyes glowing a brilliant white as she stalked toward the Gambler.

The Hippie tentatively raised his hand.  “Um, so Fluffy here is still super lost.  Totally not me, though.  I’ve been following really well so far.  So, uh, like I said, Fluffy wants to know exactly how the Gambler did… whatever this is?”

“With my help,” a new voice spoke up.

The gods all froze, turning to the new figure who stood in the doorway.  She was young.  Maybe late twenties or early thirties, dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a t-shirt advertising some band no one had ever heard of.  Emerald energy cascaded out around her, the walls of the lounge rippling and warping as she walked through the room, a lopsided grin on her lips.

“Well, don’t all get up at once.  Is this how you greet your sister after all this time?”

The gods just stared back in shock, for once at a loss for words.

“I thought… you were gone… dead…” the Lady sputtered.

“Sorry to say that the rumors of my demise were highly exaggerated, dear Sister,” the woman drawled.  “In fact, I’m not sure we can actually die.”

Then the woman met the Gambler’s eyes, the god flinching away from her gaze.  “If I do recall, you owe me a debt.”  Her attention shot to the stacks of coins where they glowed on the table.  “And it’s well past time for me to collect.”

Epilogue

A chime suddenly filled the room, and the young woman sitting there started in surprise.  She was in her late twenties.  Brown hair that barely touched the middle of her back.  Pale skin that spoke of many days sitting behind this desk.  Lean muscle that shifted beneath the fabric of her blouse, evidence that she wasn’t entirely sedentary.

“I must have nodded off,” she murmured to herself.

The clock on the terminal before her confirmed that she’d lost an hour, only for her eyes to return to her Core, the watch humming and flashing insistently.  Luckily, there was no one to overhear or chastise her for sleeping on the job.

She sat at a pristine desk, the surface rippling and shifting to mimic water… at least, for now.  The LEDs and projection tech embedded in the glass could simulate almost anything.  The walls around her matched the desk’s current form, sea creatures swimming across their surface – looking so lifelike that one could almost imagine that they were actually underwater.  Perhaps it was the hazy light cast by those displays and the faint gurgle of water that had caused her to fall asleep.  Yet that tranquility was long gone, replaced with that irritating chime.

The woman tapped at her Core to silence the alarm.

At least she’d had the foresight to plan ahead.

Another chime echoed through the silent room, and the woman nearly jumped from her desk.  Taking a deep breath, she rose from her desk and smoothed her blouse and the pressed fabric of her skirt before making her way across the room, her heels clicking on freshly polished marble.  As she walked, she waved at the air, a reflective display appearing beside her, showing a 180-degree view of her features.  She inspected herself meticulously.  Lipstick in place, makeup in order, and her hair… she hesitated, tucking a stray lock back into place.  Her hair was perfect.

She hesitated as she reached the wide double doors leading into the room, pulling herself together.  Her breathing evened.  Her shoulder squared. A familiar, brilliant smile pulled at the edges of her lips, revealing pristine white teeth.  She assumed her character, her role.

Then she swept aside the displays and tapped at the panel beside the doors.

They opened with a faint hiss, revealing an elderly woman accompanied by two young men who stood on either side of her, wearing dark suits and glasses covering their eyes – even with the dim lighting of the atrium.  However, the bulges beneath their suits revealed them for what they were: bodyguards.  So, no doubt, those glasses were enhanced, feeding them additional data and intelligence.  She could only assume they’d already brought up a profile on her.

“Hello and welcome.  My name is Arcadia Landrey, but you can call me Cady.  We’ve been expecting you, Mrs. Cainsworth,” the woman greeted the older woman, giving her a cheery smile – one well practiced.

“I should say so,” she replied with an irritated huff.  “I’ve certainly been waiting long enough for this… opportunity.”  Mrs. Cainsworth was unable to remove the bitterness from her voice fully.  Which was expected.  The wealthy were often unaccustomed to being made to wait.

“My apologies,” Cady answered smoothly.  “As you know, this is a new beta program.  For now, we currently lack the infrastructure to offer our services at scale.  However, you are actually among the first handful of individuals to enjoy our services.”

Mrs. Cainsworth sniffed, stepping forward and her cane tapping at the floor.  “I should think so,” she replied, her men moving to follow her.

However, Cady raised a hand.  “I’m sorry, gentleman, but you will need to remain outside.  This is a secure facility, and I assure you no harm will come to Mrs. Cainsworth.”

They hesitated, looking to their boss, but she waved them off.  The two men soon retreated through those doors, the portals sliding shut and locking with a faint click.  While they certainly didn’t look intimidating, Cady knew those doors were made of reinforced titanium.  It would take a not-so-small explosion to breach them.

“Now then, if you will follow me this way,” Cady offered, waving at the atrium wall.  The ocean waters parted at her gesture, revealing another hidden doorway.

Mrs. Cainsworth raised an eyebrow.  She was impressed but trying not to show it.  Cady had been doing this job for a while, which made her adept at reading the body language of the wealthy and arrogant patrons of their establishment.

As the pair approached those doors, they soon slid open, and Mrs. Cainsworth’s expression finally belied her surprise, her jaw going slack as her lips parted.

“This… is this the Lazarus Program?”

“Indeed,” Cady replied with a polite smile.  “A subsidiary of Cerillion Entertainment.  The Lazarus Program lives at the intersection between biotechnology research, neuroscience, computing, and artificial intelligence, providing a truly revolutionary new service.”

Cady’s smile widened as she watched Mrs. Cainsworth – the woman transfixed.

“Is it true?  That you can bring back…” Mrs. Cainsworth began.

“See for yourself,” Cady offered, waving at the room.

Mrs. Cainsworth soon stepped inside, Cady’s existence almost wholly forgotten.  And with a quiet click, the doors soon slid shut, leaving Cady alone once more.  She’d been doing this job for long enough to know when to give their “customers” some time alone.  If anything untoward happened to Mrs. Cainsworth, Cady would be alerted instantly.

But for now, she could take a momentary break.

However, her thoughts were interrupted as her Core chimed again.

A frown creased Cady’s lips.  “That can’t possibly be another—”

She hesitated as she stared down at her Core.  That wasn’t another system alert.  The notification that lingered there was more personal.

Awaken Online System Notice

Your account has been unfrozen.

Just five simple words, and yet they had Cady’s fingers trembling, her heart racing, and her mouth suddenly feeling dry.  It took her several long seconds to recover from her surprise.  Then a small smile pulled at her lips, her eyes shining.  The walls responded to her mood, shifting away from the underwater seascape to showcase windblown mountains – two ridges framing a familiar narrow valley.  She could almost imagine a temple nestled there.

Perhaps it was just coincidence, a twist of fate.

Yet Cady wasn’t so certain that she believed in coincidence any longer.

“It’s about time,” she murmured to herself.

The End

Thank you for reading!

I hope you enjoyed the story!  As for what’s next… well, we have a new character to introduce!  Cady will be getting her own story soon.

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Acknowledgments

I’d also like to give a shout-out to everyone who helped me write Awaken Online: Armageddon.  Like most great things, it takes a village to write a book.  Or at least one that makes sense and is (relatively) error-free.  Thank you all for your help and support!

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