Raid

by Terry Schott

“Every single one.” She raised one eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

  “Me against over two thousand players, who are all twenty or more levels higher than I am?”

  She nodded.

  Xander smiled. The midnight flowed from his arms, moving in all directions to cover his body and take the form of ridged, obsidian plate mail. Two lengths of the substance extended from his gauntlets and became swords in the style that he was most comfortable using. A faceplate materialized, covering his mouth and making him look like a fanged Japanese demon from back home.

  Mercy looked at him appraisingly, nodded, then looked to his immediate right as if seeing someone standing beside him. “Death has joined you tonight.”

  Xander nodded once. “Then I will do my best to entertain her.”

  ***

  Xander found Shale on the second floor of the third tavern he entered.

  He watched her sleep for a few seconds. She stirred and half rolled over. Xander considered waking her, thanking her for the kindness and camaraderie that she had shared with him. To tell her that he had enjoyed their time playing together.

  He shook his head, deciding against it. Instead, he formed a thin dagger in his right hand and slid it into her neck, killing her quickly and without causing any pain. As her avatar drew its last breath, Xander whispered the customary sentence shared between gamers when a playing session ended.

  “Good game, well played.”

  He pulled the blade free, eyes already moving in search of his next victim.

  ***

  Isaac opened his eyes, unsure what had caused him to wake up. He turned in the darkness and spied an even darker outline of a person sitting on a chair near his bed. He frowned and started to sit up.

  “Lie still, Isaac.”

  He froze.

  “Good.” The outline crossed one leg over the other, something that should be impossible since it was obvious the person was wearing plate mail.

  “Who are you?” Isaac asked.

  “Come on now. You don’t remember me? I didn’t even make it hard to guess. How many players do you know who wear armour and are most comfortable in the dark?”

  Isaac frowned.

  “Okay.” The shadow stood, making no sound as he rose and moved closer. “I’ll throw you another clue. Someone asked you to dump me into this world, alone and without any help. To strand me here so I wouldn’t be a threat back home.”

  Isaac’s eyes widened.

  Faint laughter. “Now he gets it.”

  “Xander.”

  The shadow bowed. “In the digital flesh.”

  Isaac sat up, ignoring the earlier command not to. “Hey, man,” he said. “Good to see you.”

  “Pardon?”

  Isaac grinned. “Come on, Xander. You don’t believe I sent you here thinking you would fail?”

  “That’s exactly what I believe.”

  Isaac laughed and shook his head. “You’re a professional gamer. Sure, I held back on a few things—”

  “Everything.”

  “Maybe.” His eyes widened. “But here you sit, obviously having done very well for yourself in spite of the rocky start. I hope you’re not gonna ask me to believe you never figured it all out?”

  “I did, but at great cost to my body, and mind. The pain—”

  Isaac scowled. “You gotta be kidding me.” He shook his head. “You chose to enter this game and play a Death Stryker. A literal killing machine, forged in blood and misery.” He paused. “Hey. This is like a revenge encounter from the PC game, isn’t it?”

  Xander did not reply.

  “Haha, wow. This is a revenge encounter.” Isaac spoke the next sentence as one would talk to an infant. “Did little Xander have a bad time playing the class he picked? Poor little baby.” Isaac paused and waited for the player to say something. When no reply came, he laughed once more and spoke normally. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, kid, but if you came to frighten me, it ain’t gonna work.”

  A full minute passed in silence. Then Xander turned and walked toward the door.

  Isaac lay down and pulled the covers up as he turned to face the wall. “Close the door on your way out, will you? It gets drafty in here sometimes.”

  Light filled the room.

  Isaac frowned and turned over. His eyes widened as Xander’s gauntleted fist came down hard and gripped him by the mouth. The gauntlet twisted, causing pressure that forced Isaac to turn onto his back. Isaac swatted at the Death Stryker’s arm and tried to shout for help, but the metal from the gauntlet bit into his mouth, cutting his lips and preventing him from making any noise.

  Xander’s face plate melted away to reveal his face. He leaned close. Isaac could feel the icy coldness emanating from the young man’s ruined eye socket. “I’m not going anywhere, Isaac,” he said in a deep voice. “Every single player in this town is dead.” He saw Isaac’s eyes widen further, and he nodded. “That’s right. I slaughtered them all in their sleep. It’s just you and me now. I don’t have to be gone until dawn, and that’s not for a long time.” He held a knife between their faces and grinned wickedly. “At least it will feel like a long time to you.”

  The knife touched Isaac’s left cheek near his eye. He felt a sting of pain as the tip pierced his skin.

  “You’re right, Isaac. I knew what I was getting into. Why should I be upset that I had to endure a little pain? It’s a great question, and deserves an answer. I could tell you, but I’m not great with words. I’d hate to do a bad job at conveying how real pain can be in this world. So instead of talking, I’ll show you.”

  Isaac shook his head and shouted, his voice making a garbled sound as the blade sank deeper.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you until you beg for it. And likely not right away when you get to that point. Now let’s get started, shall we? First I’ll cover how I lost my eye. The first time.”

  Isaac felt a searing pain at the same moment the vision in his eye disappeared in a flood of heat and oily wetness.

  Xander adjusted his grip so that he was now holding Isaac around the throat.

  His lips now free, Isaac opened his mouth and began to scream.

  Chapter 59

  A crafter becomes a lich by storing his or her soul in a receptacle called a phylactery.

  Unlike most undead creatures, the lich retains all memories, personality, and abilities. It is the same person as before, but it also becomes immune to poison, disease, degeneration, and aging.

  With such invulnerability, a lich can exist for a very long time. As such, the lich will invariably become extremely powerful in both intelligence and magic use.

  So long as his or her soul is protected in its container, the lich is immortal.

  The Lich — Blades VR Monster Guide, 3rd edition, pages 145-147

  Sebastian lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He heard a new person enter but did not turn to see who it was. Something in his gut told him he already knew.

  “Want some tea, Kieran?” Aleron asked.

  “Sure, I’ll have a cup.”

  Silence returned to the room. The fire crackled, and pretty soon the water inside the pot began to heat up. Sebastian heard water poured into a cup, but still he looked at the rough-hewn stone above him.

  A sipping noise. “Great tea, lad. You’ve a knack for it.”

  “I drop some leaves into a cup and pour hot water over them.”

  “You make it sound simple. That’s the mark of a true craftsman.”

  Aleron laughed. Sebastian sighed loudly and shook his head.

  “Ahh,” Kieran said. “We finally hear from the man on the bed.”

  “There’s no man over here,” Sebastian grumbled. “You know damned well what I’ve become. What you and my buddy Fen over there turned me into.” After a few seconds, he heard someone get up and drag a chair. He turned as Kieran sat down and nodded his head once in greeting. “You look pretty damned good, if you ask me.”

  “For a lich.”

&n
bsp; “For anything.”

  “I’m a monster.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Am too. I have my own page in the third-edition monster guide. Might be three pages. It’s at least one, for sure.”

  Kieran laughed.

  “It’s funny to you, is it? Figures.”

  “Do you feel different?”

  Sebastian frowned. “Huh?”

  “Inside. Or out, for that matter. Does anything about you feel different than it did before you died?”

  Sebastian sat up and tilted his head backward. “I’ve got a nice little scar right here. Didn’t have that before. That’s different.”

  Kieran shook his head and laughed.

  Sebastian stared at Kieran for a long moment. “I understand why you did it. And I am glad to have access to the magic.”

  “It is known that Scouts are the most powerful beings in Preu Treya. No one would think of going up against us.” Kieran smiled. “A few did at first, but we made examples of them.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Better to create a legend than continually have to worry about threats.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “You tried to come into the game with too much power. More than us.” The Scout shook his head. “We couldn’t allow that. At least, not before we were ready for it.”

  “You want me to help you fight the godling?”

  “We need you to help fight her.”

  “How many Scouts are there?”

  “A good number.”

  “You expect me to believe that your combined powers can’t defeat her?”

  “We are able to do our part, but we can’t succeed without your help. Your power.”

  “What happens after we destroy her?”

  The Scout smiled. “That will be up to you, my friend.”

  “I find that hard to believe. Seems as if you Scouts have been steering this boat since you first arrived.”

  “We have.”

  “And you expect me to believe that you’ll stop?”

  “We will stop. I’m certain that you don’t believe me, but it doesn’t matter. You’ll see that I speak the truth. If the godling is defeated.”

  Sebastian stared for a long moment. Kieran shrugged. “You’ve got nothing to lose.”

  “You’re right. I’m already dead.”

  “Undead. And the best form of undead there is. Your flesh is warm, your heart pumps blood through your body.” He raised his teacup and took a drink. “A medical exam back home wouldn’t show anything to indicate you were anything less than normal.”

  “Better than normal, if you ask me,” Fen said, from where he sat at the table with Aleron.

  “I didn’t ask you. Not now, and not the last ten times you said that.”

  Fen laughed. “You won’t get sick. You will live for a long time; centuries if you want. And you can craft magic.” He shrugged. “I don’t see any downside.”

  “There are downsides.” Sebastian raised an eyebrow and looked at Kieran. “Right?”

  “Nothing’s perfect.”

  Sebastian grumbled. “I should melt you where you sit.”

  “That’s your prerogative.”

  “You know I won’t.”

  The Scout grinned. “I convinced myself the odds were against it before I decided to come see you.”

  “And if you had thought the other way?”

  “I still would have come. It’s important that you help us.”

  “And then you never bother me again?”

  Kieran raised his hand with three fingers held up. “Scout’s honour.”

  “You were a scout?”

  Kieran laughed. “I am a Scout.”

  Sebastian grumbled again. He looked at Fen. The warrior smiled and gave him the thumbs-up.

  Kieran took another sip of tea.

  Sebastian nodded. “Tell me what to do, then.”

  Chapter 60

  Kieran finished the last bite of sausage and groaned as he set the fork on his plate. “That was delicious.”

  Fen nodded from across the fire. “Nothing tastes so good as breakfast when camping.”

  Aleron shook his head. “I’d prefer to have someone else cook and serve it to me at a table, instead of sitting on the ground and balancing the plate on my lap.”

  Sebastian smiled and looked around the fire. “This has been fun.”

  “Wait till you have to do it for another week or more,” Firth grumbled.

  “I don’t mean the camping.” Sebastian set his plate on the ground beside him. “I mean this whole adventure. Coming to this land.”

  “It is remarkable, Seb,” Fen said. “You really outdid yourself.”

  “I think so, too.”

  “Are we going to gather for a group hug now?” Mercy asked.

  “Would you join in if I said yes?” Sebastian asked.

  Mercy scowled and shook her head.

  Xander laughed and stood. “Should we bring our supplies?”

  “No,” Kieran said. “We can come back for them after the day has been won.”

  “Awesome,” Fen clapped Sebastian on the back. “I can’t wait to do this.”

  “I’m sorry, old friend,” Sebastian shook his head. “You can’t come to this party.”

  “What?” Fen frowned. “Why not?”

  “Because if the godling kills you, that’s it,” Sebastian spread his hands. “You cease to exist. Not just here, but back home as well.”

  “Oh.”

  “It’s not worth the risk. You have a long life ahead of you.”

  “Yeah. Still. I wish I coulda been there.”

  Sebastian nodded, and the two men hugged. Sebastian loosened his grip, but Fen held the embrace for a bit longer. “I’m gonna miss you, man.”

  “Same here, buddy.” They each took a step back. “I hear there’s a way to view players?”

  Fen nodded.

  “Maybe you can look in on me from time to time? I won’t know when you are, but I can pretend that I do.”

  “We can have your favourite kind of chat. Where you do all the talking and I listen.”

  “Ahh, that sense of humour. I shall miss it.” Sebastian smiled “And your wisdom.”

  Sebastian stepped back and Aleron hugged Fen, saying his goodbye as well.

  “I’d suggest heading back to your reality soon,” Kieran said.

  Fen raised one eyebrow. “Did you just tell me to go kill myself?”

  Kieran laughed. “I guess I did, yeah.”

  Fen gave him a thumbs-up. “As soon as you all leave.”

  Kieran faced the group. “I will need to summon a few portals since we all start from a different location.” He paused and looked at each of them. “Before the chaos starts, I want to say that it’s been an honour finally meeting you all. I am confident each of you will perform your task superbly. I’m so relieved that everything came together as well as it did.”

  He summoned a portal and placed a hand on Aleron’s shoulder. “This one is yours, lad. In case this is our last time together, I wanted you to know how proud of you I am.”

  “Thanks, Kieran. It’s been an honour to know you.” The young Scout smiled. “But I know you’ll kick the crap out of that godling and we’ll be celebrating over ale tonight.”

  Kieran smiled. “I am sending you to a safe vantage point. Do not try and come closer to the battle. Your part in this occurs after she is gone.”

  “I understand.” Aleron looked at the rest of the group and smiled. “Good luck, everyone. See ya when it’s done.”

  Aleron stepped through the portal and disappeared. Kieran waited for a few seconds and closed it with a wave of his hand.

  ***

  Aleron stepped out of the portal and frowned.

  Instead of being high on the canyon where he could see the battle safely from above, as Kieran had promised, he found himself standing in front of the walled gate of the Scout outpost.

  “Damn it. Kieran messed up and
sent me here by mistake.”

  He jogged to the gate, prepared to knock and have another Scout send him where he was supposed to be. He got closer and saw that the gate was partially open. He slipped through the gap and looked around.

  The outpost was empty.

  Chapter 61

  Xyclotl screamed as he pivoted mid-air and brought the head of his axe crashing down into the skull of a giant bat. A spray of blood misted the air and covered his face as the dead creature fell from the sky, pulling the axe free as it fell away.

  “Behind you!” Xander shouted before sweeping around to dispatch two orcs. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the shard imp zip up a few feet and raise the handle of his axe in time to deflect the attack of another flying beast. Xander rolled to his left and half stood, using the momentum to stab a third orc in the throat. He turned to see Helias dispatch two more enemies with a single flash of his blade.

  Looking back toward his imp, Xander saw that Xyclotl’s opponent was getting the upper hand. Somehow the imp had lost his axe and was flying in circles to stay out of attack range. Xander flung his hand outward and sent a thin rope of inky blackness flying through the air. It reached the flying rat, wrapped around the creature twice, and then tightened. The beast was cut in half and dropped toward the ground.

  “Thanks!” Xyclotl shouted. He flew to the ground and plucked his axe from where it had landed, then flapped into the air and rejoined Xander.

  “You’re doing well,” Xander said.

  “Look at her.” The imp pointed and Xander turned. Helias was jogging toward them, laughing as the archon flew at his side. Celeste was moving her arms as she talked, obviously recounting a recent encounter. “She actually looks happy to be fighting.”

  “Of course she is. Archons are warriors to their core. What’s the matter, Xy? This not as fun as you expected?”

  “Shard imps are backstabbing sneaks to our core.” The imp shook his head. “Of course I’m not having fun. This is madness. I shoulda been killed during the first minute of battle! I can’t believe I’ve managed to stay alive this long. My luck can’t hold, pal. I’m done for soon, and she isn’t noticing a single freakin’ thing I do.”

  Helias and Celeste reached them. “Isn’t this wonderful?” The archon’s eyes were filled with excitement as she smiled at Xyclotl.