by E K Baxter
Rogue Online: The Devil's Gate
Rogue Online, Volume 1
E K Baxter and M E Glarvey
Published by Elizabeth Baxter, 2018.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
ROGUE ONLINE: THE DEVIL'S GATE
First edition. February 3, 2018.
Copyright © 2018 E K Baxter and M E Glarvey.
Written by E K Baxter and M E Glarvey.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 1
Max paused at the end of the corridor, raising his hand to tell his raid squad to do the same. He pressed himself against the rough stone wall and went very still, listening. Nothing. No sound of tramping feet, no clink of weapons. The citadel was as quiet as a grave.
“What are you waiting for?” Mianna hissed from behind him. “The longer we wait, the longer she has to prepare a surprise for us. We need to get moving!”
Max flicked an annoyed glance at the ranger. Mianna was an excellent tracker and melee fighter but she never knew when to keep her mouth shut. For a tracker she had very little patience.
“Wait,” Max said. “There’s something wrong here. I can almost feel...”
Mianna snorted and flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder. “Come on, you’re worrying over nothing.”
Hefting her knives, she stepped into the intersection, a landing where five corridors met. She kept low, moving silently, eyes darting everywhere, alert for enemies. Nothing happened. After a moment she straightened, grinning.
“Told you.”
Something brushed Max’s senses. It felt like...danger.
“Mianna, get down!” he bellowed, just as a wave of flame erupted from the walls and engulfed the landing.
Mianna screamed, threw herself flat, and the wall of fire passed mere inches above her prone form, the tail end of it scoring her back. After a moment it dissipated, leaving behind the stink of singed hair and clothing.
Mianna groaned. Her health was down to 40%. Shit. That was a big hit.
“Don’t move,” Max commanded, holding up a hand for everyone to see. “Don’t anybody move until I tell you.”
His eyes flicked to Kalrick, who stood on the opposite side of the corridor, his broad back pressed against the stone, a battle-ax as tall as he was clutched in one meaty fist. Kalrick never let Max out of his sight. He was staring right at Max with a look that said, so what are you gonna do now?
That, of course, was the question. As a level 99 assassin mage, he had the highest level in the group and was, therefore, the leader. At least in theory. In reality the others only followed him as long as it was in their interests to do so. The way the game was set up encouraged co-op play. Everyone who made it to the last stage was guaranteed a share of the winnings and this meant that working as a team was the best way to ensure a payday.
But he had to remember that they weren’t friends. They were rivals. Only their shared desire to reach Nightshade kept the others in line. Every one of them would stab the others in the back if it meant winning—Max included.
Max glanced at his user interface, or UI. The bottom left showed the live feed and a continual stream of messages scrolling across the bottom, showing that the audience was busy, discussing what Max should do next. After his warning to Mianna, the odds on Max winning the tournament had improved. He glanced at Kalrick again. His handler would be pleased. The Corporation would be making a fortune off him.
His raid squad shifted uncomfortably, waiting for his next instruction. There were five of them, six including Max, all that was left of the fifty five players who’d entered the tournament. It had been hard work getting to this stage—far harder than Max had imagined and on more than one occasion he had been sure his time was up. But a combination of luck, skill and sheer dogged determination had gotten him right to the end. This was the final stage. Now all he had to do was achieve the final goal: kill Nightshade.
And earn a whole mountain of riches in the process.
Or that was the plan, at least. Right now some members of his raid squad were making that difficult. Like Mianna. He ought to leave her writhing on the floor—it was her own damned fault she’d been toasted like a marshmallow. He didn’t give a damn about Mianna, she was a means to an end, just like the rest of his band, but he knew the audience would be watching, wanting to see his leadership skills. It was important he give them what they wanted—higher viewing figures meant a bigger prize for the winner.
And a bigger payday for Max when he delivered what the Corporation had paid him for.
He glanced at his raid squad. They were a varied bunch. Little of Darla’s face was visible from under her hood but her eyes gleamed in the shadows. The priestess gave a slight nod. Mandro, the dwarf warrior, had his thumbs stuck in his belt and a look on his face like he was chewing rocks. His patience was about as good as Mianna’s. Eklon, the elf archer, had his bow drawn and an arrow aimed at the landing, but his sweaty skin betrayed his nervousness. The weakest of them, Eklon knew he’d been lucky to make it this far. That left Kalrick. Ah, Kalrick. Always watching, always waiting, reporting back to the Corporation to ensure Max did what he was supposed to.
Ah, hell, he thought. So much for hoarding my spells for Nightshade.
He quickly scrolled through his inventory and selected Cloak of Shadows, grinning as power blossomed around him.
Max’s own avatar was perfectly suited to the assassin mage class. Half-human, half-elf, he’d carefully nurtured the best attributes of both. Like any self-respecting assassin mage, he wore a long hooded cape over leather armor that was supple enough to allow easy movement.
Throwing back his cape with a flourish to please the audience, he stepped out onto the landing, arms held out to either side. The landing’s defense ignited immediately, shooting flame out of the walls in a jet designed to incinerate trespassers in an instant.
In response, a cocoon of darkness flared around Max, swirling like tendrils of night, devouring the flames before they reached him. He waited as the inferno raged around him, dimly aware of Mianna being pulled to safety and taking a health potion. Then he flung out his senses, searching.
There.
High on the wall a dark gemstone pulsed. Max lashed out with Lightning Strike, and a bolt of power slammed into the gemstone, shattering it into thousands of pieces. The flames fizzled out, leaving behind nothing but the faint smell of burning cloth.
Max quickly checked his stats. Cloak of Shadows had done its job and his health was still at 95%. Good. He’d need every last drop of it if he was to beat Nightshade.
“Come on.”
They quickly crossed the landing and entered the corridor opposite, skirting its length until they reached a set of steps winding upwards. Mianna, as impatient as ever, set a foot on the first step and an almighty screech cut through the air. Goblins came pouring down the steps bellowing battle cries and brandishing wicked-looking curved blades. With grim looks of determination, Mandro and Kalrick, the two tanks of the raid squad, stepped forward to meet
them, weapons ready. Mianna hung back, ready to take out any that made it past their defenses. Eklon, several paces behind, launched a volley of arrows into the goblins, taking down many of them before they reached the bottom of the steps. Then, with a cry, the goblins crashed into the raid squad and chaos erupted, the din of battle suddenly filling the once-empty hallways.
Max and Darla hung back. They were both mages, better suited to ranged attacks and besides, Max knew that there had to be a boss somewhere, and it was only a matter of time before he revealed himself. Footsteps echoed behind him and Max spun to see more goblins pouring down the corridor they’d just left. With a snarl Darla stepped to meet them, white fire forming around her hands.
“I’ll deal with them,” she said. “You find a way to get us up those steps.”
Something lumbered into view at the top of the stairs. A goblin, larger than the rest, with thick black hair sticking out of his nostrils and ears and riding atop a small, snub-nosed bear. Max grinned.
Here we go.
Goblin Chieftain: Level 70. He’s one mean-tempered fellow. Don’t get on his bad side!
Smaller goblin warriors arrayed themselves around the chief as he made his way down the stairs, small black eyes fixed on Max.
The rest of the raid squad tried to fight their way towards the chief, knowing that to take down a boss of his level would increase their experience (XP), get them some awesome loot that might better equip them to take on Nightshade, and improve their ratings with the audience. Goblin warriors surged to intercept the raid squad, blocking the way to their chief.
“Come on, you little shits!” Mandro howled. “You want some? Do you?”
The dwarf surged forward, smashed his shield in the face of a goblin warrior, then swung his sword and took its head off, green blood fountaining. Kalrick followed, trading several blows with a goblin wielding a club. He stabbed the goblin through the thigh then sheared its leg off at the knee. It fell shrieking to the ground before Kalrick stabbed his blade double-handed into the creature’s chest.
“Kalrick! Behind you!” Max bellowed.
He raised his hands to use Lightning Strike but there were too many people in the way. He would be just as likely to hit Kalrick from this distance. A goblin warrior reared up behind Kalrick, swinging his blade at his head, but at the last second Mianna surged forward, caught the goblin’s blade on her own then smashed the hilt of her sword into its face. As it staggered back holding its shattered nose, Mianna stabbed it in the eye.
Kalrick nodded his thanks. The raid squad resumed their formation but they couldn’t stop the goblin chief making his way inexorably down the steps towards Max.
“Nightshade sends her greetings,” the chief rasped in a voice that sounded like cracking rocks.
“I’ll be delighted to return her greetings,” Max replied. “Just as soon as I’ve taken your head.”
A quick glance showed him that there must be at least twenty goblins in addition to the chief. The amount of skill needed to control this many mobs was staggering. No wonder Nightshade had been champion for so long. No wonder so many people wanted to beat her.
Max flicked through his inventory and equipped Spirit Blade, holding it in a two handed-grip in front of him.
The goblin chief snarled and hefted a staff that sported a human skull on top.
Nice touch, Max thought as he stepped forward. Nightshade’s taste leaves a little to be desired.
The chief drove his bear at Max, howling a battle cry. Max ducked under a swipe of the bear’s paws then pivoted and sliced Spirit Blade across the chief’s back. The imbued weapon sent out a shower of sparks as it struck and the chief’s health bar shrank by the barest fraction.
The goblin slewed his bear around and grinned at Max. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
He sent a pulsing strike at Max. In a heartbeat Max threw up Holy Shield and the blast ricocheted off in a shower of blue sparks. Max’s mana took a hit, dropping by 10%.
With a cry Max sprang forward, brandishing Spirit Blade. The goblin chief swung his shield up but Max wasn’t aiming for him. Instead he sank Spirit Blade into the bear’s chest right up to the hilt. A shockwave of power passed through the bear, lighting up its innards for a moment before its health bar stuttered to zero. With an almighty groan it collapsed onto its side, throwing the goblin chief to the ground with an audible crunch.
With a roar the goblin chief picked himself up and lunged at Max, a huge double-handed ax appearing in his hands. The half-moon blade swung for Max’s head and it was all he could do to get his sword up in time to block the strike. The two weapons collided and a shock of pain pulsed right down Max’s arm. Equipping a knife with his free hand, Max stabbed into the goblin chief’s rib cage. The goblin howled in pain then head-butted Max so hard that Max’s vision swam. Dimly he noticed his feed was going crazy. His odds were lengthening, the audience laying bets that the goblin-chief would finish him and that Nightshade would remain champion after all.
“Like hell,” Max muttered to himself.
He rolled to the side as the ax came crashing down onto the floor where he’d just been lying and raked Spirit Blade across the back of the goblin’s legs, hamstringing him. With a bellow, the goblin crashed to his knees and Max scrambled back. The goblin began fighting to his feet but that few seconds of delay was all Max needed. He threw his arms wide and activated Dark Winds.
The spell was powerful but took a few seconds to build, not good with an enemy so close, but Max needed to finish this. With a snarl the goblin chief staggered to his feet, dragging his injured leg, and began staggering towards Max, ax raised. One heartbeat, two heartbeats, and Dark Winds was ready.
Speaking a word of power, Max let it go and a great gust of frigid air wrapped itself around the goblin chief. His eyes bulged as the wind lifted him from the ground. Max curled his fingers and the winds began to tighten, spinning around the goblin chief like a tornado. The goblin thrashed and bellowed but the spell held him fast. Bits of skin and flesh began to shear off, blood spattering the floor. The winds whipped faster, tearing into the goblin chief who was howling now as the flesh was flayed from his bones. Dark Winds cut through tendon, muscle, and finally bone.
The goblin chief’s howl suddenly cut off as his head was torn from his body to go sailing through the air and land on the steps with a wet thump. Max released Dark Winds and the bloody remains of the goblin chief fell to the ground.
Looking around, Max realized that the battle was over and the raid squad had dealt with the rest of the goblins. Mianna wiped her knives on the tunic of a dead goblin and then came over and inspected the goblin chief. There was nothing left of him but a shredded pile of bone and meat.
“That,” Mianna said, sniffing disdainfully. “Is gross.”
Max shrugged. “Got the job done didn’t it?”
Congratulations! You have slain Goblin Chieftain. You sure showed him!
You have levelled up!
Level: 100
Class: Assassin Mage
Alignment: Light
You have earned 10 stat points. Stat points can be allocated as you choose.
Max’s heart thudded. Ten points! This was exactly what he’d been hoping for. He quickly added all of his stat points into Intelligence. This now sat at 85—only 5 behind Nightshade herself. Ten points into Intelligence gave him an extra 500 mana, bringing his total up to 5000. And at that level of mana surely he should get...
Congratulations! You have increased your magical ability! You are now level: Master.
A surge of exhilaration rushed through him. Yes! Max’s entire plan hinged on him reaching this level. It would give him access to a whole array of new magic and it was the only way he’d have a chance against Nightshade. He resisted the urge to whoop and fist pump and allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction instead.
Max and the others quickly picked up the loot the goblins had dropped—mostly gold and a few potions—took what health potions they ne
eded, then hurried up the stairs. At the top was a large doorway. Warily, the raid squad edged through together.
They found themselves in a large circular hall that filled the whole of the top of the citadel tower. Several large windows gave a fantastic view of the mountains of Valmorra marching into the distance and the plains of Nargoth far, far below. But Max didn’t have time to admire the view. His eyes were drawn to the figure seated on a throne in the center of the hall. She was tall, clothed in a shifting gown of roiling black smoke. Hair the color of shadow cascaded down her shoulders and large blue eyes, as cold as a winter storm, regarded them all with disdain.
“Well, well,” Nightshade said. “You took your time.”
Name: Nightshade
Level: 100
Class: Dark Sorceress
Alignment: Dark
Magical level: Master
Max gave a quick look at his feed and saw that now they’d reached Nightshade the viewing figures had gone through the roof. Max’s odds had shortened since finishing off the goblin boss too. Good. Everything was going according to plan.
Nightshade merely watched impassively from her throne, a slightly disinterested look on her face. Max had met Nightshade only once before in the real world—at another tournament. He’d been a fresh-faced newb then and Nightshade had already been on her way to being a champion. Although she kept her private life private, there were rumors on the forums that she’d once been a soldier, and a high-ranking one. Max could believe it.
“Give it up, Nightshade,” Max called in his most strident voice. “You’ve lost. You no longer control this kingdom, we’re here to see that your tyranny is ended. My brave companions and I have defeated your evil minions and now we’ll defeat you.”
Beside him Mianna snickered. “Nice speech. I think I’m blushing.”
“The audience loves this kind of stuff,” he muttered. “So stay in character, right?”
Mianna arched one perfectly shaped eyebrow but didn’t say anything else.
