by Charles Dean
Due to Linnaeus’s growing trust in your honor and character, as well as his performance in battle, the monster has unlocked a new evolution branch that may be accessed and selected after the current quest event has ended.
Lucas carried the girls he was holding into the building and carefully dropped them off before being handed his old staff by a young Dokkalfar woman who had apparently possessed the presence of mind to grab it off the field of battle before retreating. Lucas was suddenly reminded of the various interns his company had hired over the years and smiled at both the familiar convenience of good staff and the girl’s thoughtfulness. Then, suddenly getting an idea, he turned around and began channeling one Earthen Wall after another with it as he sealed up the entrance and created as many barriers as he could between himself and the soon-to-be-incoming foes. He didn’t know why the mob hesitated, regrouping and licking their wounds, but he was thankful for their caution. If they had charged in right now, he wasn’t sure how effective he would be at holding them off.
“What next?” one of the girls, a Were-Fox like Bonnie, asked as she came up to Lucas.
Right now I get a large bath and invite you women into it since I’m filthy and hurting like hell, and you all look beautiful, he thought, wanting to respond that way for a moment, but he shook the thought from his mind and tried to focus on the situation at hand. “Right now, I need everyone in the triage facility up and operational as soon as possible. Once you guys are ready for battle, I need you to pick rooms and guard them. The guys out there won’t push the entire force into a room at once: they’ll split to cover as much ground as possible. Plus, not everyone out there is going to be cooperative. They’re going to want to find the fastest route to the top, to me, as they can.”
“Indeed. And fractured, they can break,” Lilith said as she returned from dropping off the girl she had taken from Lucas.
“Right. That’s the goal. I want you all to take advantage of those fractures. This floor is going to be overrun quickly, but the upper floors won’t be. If you stay here on the ground level when something happens, they’ll just flood into whatever room you’re in, and then it’s only a matter of time before you’re killed. You’re all far too valuable to me, and I won’t risk having you all die here. Group up into strong fighting forces of at least five to ten people, and then pick a room on a random floor. Hang out near the rope ladders and pick off as many people as you can while they make the ascent, but be ready to retreat the moment they make it to the top. Get out of there before they can see where you go, and then wait for them in that room. If they open your door, try to kill them before they get a chance to call for reinforcements. You are all going to be the most beautiful traps a dungeon has ever seen.”
“That . . . sounds strangely effective,” a redheaded girl next to Lucas said.
“Of course, it is,” Lilith commented with a smirk.
“What about this entrance? It’s a good strategic hold,” one of Lucas’s guards from his manor in Hesse asked. “Should we not try to keep defending it?”
You freaking moron, Lucas thought, wanting to smack the guard. You couldn’t defend this place easily against a few people at a time, and you expect to hold off that mob of angry men that triples our entire force’s number? He shook his head, holding back the urge to scorn one of his most loyal troops in front of others. “No, we’ll leave devices to defend it, not people. I want you guys to make your way to the top floor and wait for me in the largest room. I’m going to head up there soon. I just need to . . .” Lucas paused, holding his head. Heal. I need to heal. Even though his health pool was only at a third of its normal level, and he wasn’t in critical condition, he was still light-headed. The new spells had left him tired and slightly dizzy, a combination that was making it hard to concentrate, and he was paying the price for it even now, minutes after casting.
He opened up the Blood Goddess Reputation Point store and quickly began preparing his own welcoming present for anyone who made it to the room housing the stairs up to the second level. He knew the guys milling around outside weren’t giving him all this downtime out of charity. They were preparing to crush him and his dungeon in one swift, massive player raid.
It was going to be a daunting struggle just to survive, but when he saw the 60-plus points in his Blood Goddess Reputation store, he grinned. I guess I really owe Linnaeus. He couldn’t be happier. He had hoped to scrape by through sheer willpower, clever troop placements, and chokepoints where he could funnel enemies into unfavorable situations, but now he wouldn’t have to rely on foolish foes and dumb luck to even have a shot at living. Now he had a real fighting chance.
Chapter 10
Liu felt uneasy as she walked down the third empty street in as many minutes. She had originally sped toward the location Lucas indicated with Nick and Katie in tow, but after encountering several completely empty streets where there should have been a bustling marketplace, she decided that slowing down and being discrete might actually serve her better. As a result, the small group was now creeping along, walking softly and doing their best to hug the shadows as much as possible.
“We can go a little faster, can’t we?” Nick whined from behind her.
“If you go faster, I’ll kill you,” Liu replied in a whisper. “We’re not moving at this speed because any of us want to.”
“But that experience we’re getting means they’re already fighting without us,” Nick complained again, this time more softly.
“I said be quiet,” Liu shot back. She didn’t mind most of the people that traveled with Lucas--in fact, she normally would have considered them all to be potential great friends--but Nick was the exception. He was always quick to complain about things he didn't like and then equally unobservant when it mattered. It irked her. It wasn’t just that it made him frustrating to deal with and be around, but it also meant that he’d never have a chance at peeling Bonnie off of Lucas for himself until he grew a spine.
No, stop thinking like that! Liu scolded herself as she took a few more wary steps forward, her eyes constantly scanning for anything out of the ordinary. I’m supposed to be setting him up with someone, not trying to steal him myself. He’s my brother in law . . . He’s my dead sister’s husband. Damn it! I can’t have these thoughts! Yet her thoughts betrayed her and images of Lucas kicking down the door and facing off against Dray to save her ran through her head. It was hard to ignore that moment. The feelings she had thought she had repressed and buried when Yu Hua had claimed him re-emerged just as strong as they had been years ago.
Focus, Liu! Gritting her teeth in frustration over bother her dilemma and her lack of concentration--something she was very much aware that she criticized Nick over--she continued to move from one group of shadow to the next as stealthily as she could with a giant plate-armored moron walking around behind her.
“Are we close to being there yet?” Katie asked.
Oh my god, are you two kids? Liu stifled a sigh and resisted smacking her forehead. “We’re nearly there. Just be patient,” she replied as patiently as she could. “That corner up ahead should be one of the last turns we have to make.”
“Nnn . . .” Katie murmured. “I made us all toys in class. I hope everyone likes what I made.”
Liu’s gaze flicked to Katie’s innocent and happy face. Katie was unabashedly smiling and evidently pleased with herself, and when she saw Liu looking at her, she smiled even wider. “I made you a decanter for your drinks. Lucas said you like to drink.”
Liu forgot that she was supposed to be walking forward and just stared at her for a moment. “Thank you . . . You really are a precious person,” Liu said finally with a small, disbelieving giggle.
“Our creations are the purest expressions of our feelings,” Katie mumbled, repeating one of the Church of Lee’s mantras.
“So, what did you make Nick?” Liu was afraid of what the answer might be.
“Nick is always wasting time,” Katie said without any concern that Nick was right
there with them, “so I made him a watch. I hope it motivates him to use his time more thoughtfully. I had to use the guts from another watch, though, since I don’t know how to make those yet.”
“I see.” Liu pressed her lips together and did her best to stifle her laughter when she saw Nick’s face crumble at Katie’s unintentional insult. But the Naga wasn’t wrong. Nick was Lucas’s oldest party member, but he was also the least motivated out of anyone. He always latched onto other group members and whatever they might be doing at the time, but he never took the initiative to do anything himself. Even when it was his turn to pick out what they were going to eat during the post-dungeoning spa party, Nick would always defer to the rest of the party and let someone else choose.
“Wait. Stop.” Liu held up a hand and signaled for the others to stop as she rounded a corner and noticed someone lurking in the shadows ahead of them. She remained motionless for a moment, and when she was convinced that she hadn’t been spotted yet, she pulled out her sword and started slowly making her way toward the figure. This was the first person they had come across for some time now, and while there was no guarantee that it was an enemy, its stealthy nature and placement directly in their path meant she was better off taking precautions first and getting her blade out whether it was a threat or not.
The slender and diminutive figure of a woman became more apparent as she crept forward, and Liu was just about ready to pounce when Nick rushed by. Liu swore to herself as he brushed past her, and loud sounds of his clunky, plated boots echoed off the pavers. Does he not understand the words ‘wait’ and ‘here’?!
The figure jumped as if startled and then turned to face them.
“Oh, it’s just you,” a female voice exclaimed with a sigh of relief.
“Viola?” Liu asked, surprised at the identity of the mystery lady she had been preparing to kill. “I thought you were kidnapped with Bonnie.” Liu phrased her statement to intentionally be leading. She had seen the death notice earlier when Viola died, so she knew why the young woman wasn’t with Bonnie any longer. Still, she wanted Viola to explain what had happened and pass along any information she had.
“Yeah, I was,” Viola began. “It’s a long story, but it seems that the gist of it is that our poor bonbon got caught up with me in the schemes of one of my creepy stalkers, and then I got killed. I must say, though, my death was absolutely terrific! It was one for the ages. I think I really played my part well and scarred that poor child with the way I was all, ‘This is the only way I will be free!’” Viola beamed with pride at her work.
“Well, sorry you lost a life,” Liu said with a frown. “But why are you just creeping around here and not already back with Lucas?”
Viola shrugged indifferently and gestured to the corner she had been previously staring around. “Because of what’s between us. It seems that before I can re-emerge on the stage, a shining starlet for all to praise, I must first wait on the extras to clear out.”
Liu stepped past the Alfar woman and saw exactly what she was talking about. There, in the middle of the otherwise empty road, was a squadron of forty Royal Knights. Each was seated atop a white horse and was dressed in better plate armor than even that which Nick wore. Additionally, their swords and shields created a dazzling display in the sunlight, looking as if they had been crafted by the finest smith.
It’s like Prince Charming had forty clones, Liu thought as she stared at the handsome figures. Each was a perfect specimen of luscious long blonde or brown hair with blue, green, or brown eyes. They looked like every variation of her childhood fantasy of a perfect man. But why are they here? She glanced around, looking around for any sign of leadership or a clue that might indicate what their intentions were. What are they waiting for?
“No one matching the description of a stage director has shown up yet,” Viola explained. “That’s why I’ve been waiting here and not immediately rushing back to Lucas and Bonnie.
“Ah . . . right.” Liu nodded in understanding. “Good thinking. We need to know what they’re up to. Those are Royal Knights. If they’re here, something big is happening. Lucas may be in very real trouble.”
“Right,” Viola said. “Did you want to leave me here to collect info while you guys go help Lucas?”
“Or we can do something to disrupt them,” Liu suggested. “Maybe draw them away from a potential fight with Lucas.”
“How can you be sure they’re here to fight Lucas? They could just be here to prevent a riot from reaching the rest of the streets,” Nick said as he too peeked around the corner.
“Nick”--Liu looked over at the Dark Knight, still frustrated that he continued to compromise their two advantages, stealth and surprise--“didn’t I tell you to wait and to stop?”
“Yeah, you did, but wh--” Nick began to answer, but Liu silenced his response with a quick jab of her rapier that was deft enough to slip through a weak spot in his armor and leave a nasty wound on the unsuspecting man’s shoulder.
“Then you don’t have an excuse for disobeying me,” she said coldly. “Either lead or follow, but if you can’t make up your mind and try to do both, I’ll kill you myself.”
“What the hell?” Nick placed a hand on the wound and looked more hurt from the fact that a party member had done it to him than the fact that he had just been cut.
Nodding along, Katie added, “A loose cannon can sink its own ship. You should take what she says to heart.”
“It’s just a game though . . .” Nick grumbled as a spell from Viola landed on him and healed the wound.
“That’s only what lazy casuals say,” Katie lamented, shaking her head at Nick’s excuse. “Whether it is building a birdhouse or building a house for your family to live in until you all die, you should treat every project with the same earnest effort.”
Liu nodded at the sentiment.
“Fine. I’ll listen more then . . . Sorry,” Nick said. “But you didn’t have to mess up my armor. It’s a pain to get Willmarth to fix it. He won’t even touch it unless I bring him more black powder to play with.”
“Deal with it yourself,” Liu shot back. “We have pressing issues. Those horses will outrun us if the knights decide to give chase, so there isn’t a way for us to tag them and then kite them around until we get what we want.”
“Kite them?” Nick asked, drawing an angry look from Viola, Katie, and Liu.
“You know what we mean,” Liu said impatiently. “If we can outpace them, then we can draw their attention, get them to all try and attack us at once, then put distance between ourselves and them as we lead them as far away from Lucas as possible.”
“Do we have to?” Nick asked. “Sure, there are a lot of them, but they’re still just NPCs, right? If we bring them to Lucas with his monsters and whatnot, shouldn't we be able to kill them?”
This moron isn’t entirely wrong. They probably are just NPCs. There should be a way to simply kill them. The only thing she was worried about was that the Royal Knights weren’t just powerhouses on the battlefield, they were also low-level nobility that the Imperium used to lead troops into combat. Every single Knight was likely to be in charge of a tract of land, his own tiny little army, and his own dungeon. Technically, the character Liu was playing only had an equivalent rank to each of those men. They were specifically designed to lead troops in combat and to target enemy commanders whenever possible.
“Maybe they’re not even Knights,” Viola said. “They might not be impossibly tough to beat.”
“They’re not Knights?” Liu asked, looking at the group skeptically. The squadron was gathered at the end of the road, stacked five horses wide for eight rows, so she had trouble making out all the details.
“They all have the same crest on their shield. Knights in this game are nobility, right? Every iteration in the family should have its own variation of the crest. Since they have identical crests, they’re serving someone else. They’re just well-geared soldiers, not actual Knights,” Viola explained, giving Liu a lo
t more hope as she realized Viola was right.
They are just soldiers. Well-geared, evil, mean, tough-looking soldiers. Since they weren’t Knights, that meant they wouldn’t have the insane abilities those of higher rank within the Imperium had.
“Well, if you want to kite them, we can just use the buildings. They’re all on horses, none of them have bows, and there isn’t a single healer visible in the entire group,” Nick observed. “That’s why I thought there wouldn’t be a point to stalling them from reaching Lucas. If they made it to a dungeon, wouldn’t they be easy to kill?”
Liu sighed to herself. She hated to admit it, but Nick was right again. “Either way, we still need to find out who sent them before we do anything. You say no one has come to give them orders?” She turned to Viola, wanting to make sure that she understood what the theater nerd had meant when she said that a stage director was lacking.
“Not a one,” Viola answered. “But I’ve been watching for only a few minutes. I saw them clear out the streets earlier and then post footguards on corners to keep anyone from coming in, so I decided to follow them until my stage directions became clearer.”
“Well, I guess now we play the waiting game. If something doesn’t happen soon, we can start it ourselves,” Liu said, quietly stepping back and leaning against the wall.
“So, we just sit here and do nothing?” Nick asked. “I mean, Lucas is fighting, so shouldn’t we join him soon?”
Liu glared over at Nick. “Did the first cut not teach you how to be quiet?” she asked, gripping her weapon tightly as she stared down the weak-willed man. It didn’t take more than a few seconds before he broke, backing up and lowering his own eyes to the ground.
Coward, Liu thought as she watched his actions. You need to toughen up, or you’re never going to get anything except what’s given to you out of pity. It was a lesson she had learned the hard way--one that had cost her dearly--but it was one that you couldn’t just teach someone and have them understand. She could only strike the poor boy over and over again until the metal was either shaped or broken.
