Black Hat (Afterlife Online Book 2)

by Domino Finn

  Errol hurried between the crime boss and us, hands up. "This be not the right way," he urged.

  "Pirate," spat Brugo, "do not presume to tell me what is right and what is wrong. You are not one of us."

  "Apologies, Papa," he said with a deep bow. "I fly not yer colors. Captains like meself are so rarely team players, but I be fiercely loyal t' me city an' me people."

  The Papas of all Papas took a calming breath. "This I do not doubt."

  "Have I not been a profitable ally?" asked the pirate. "Have I not always funneled a fair share of my earnings yer way?"

  "You have." Brugo ground his teeth. "Even this opportunity is thanks to you."

  Errol bowed deeply to accept the compliment. "Then allow me t' offer a solution."

  A moment of silence followed. Brugo's biceps flexed as he thought it over. Eventually, he decided to sit back in his throne. This signaled the cutthroats to back off.

  "You have one minute," he decreed.

  Errol smiled slyly at me. He strolled past the cleric, wasting ten seconds just to enjoy the moment of power. He was making it clear our fates were in his weaselly hands. As he stopped before me, I sneered.

  "The Protector o' Stronghold," said Errol mockingly. "Is he a great man? Or is it a great legend?"

  "He's a pagan killer!" spat one of the goblins.

  "Aye," agreed the pirate. "An' a good one at that. I've seen him fight. But he's not just a killer o' goblins and ogres. He's a defier o' saints."

  Vagram showed obvious distaste for the sentiment. I tried to hold my defiant expression, but I wasn't sure where Errol was going with this.

  "This man?" asked the Papa dubiously. "The one traveling at the behest of the crusaders? He is no revolutionary. He's a soldier."

  "The saints have his ear, 'tis true, but there's a scoundrel in him yet."

  The Papa laughed. "The famous hero of Stronghold has bloody boots? Let me hear of it."

  Errol whirled around and brushed the back of his hand against the dragonspear. I yanked it away and hid it safely in my inventory. He flinched but otherwise played cool. "How do ye think a man such as he holds that weapon? Gifted from the saints? An' the tower too?"

  "No one gave me those things," I said.

  Errol continued addressing the Papa. " 'Tis a good story: The famed hero o' Stronghold. When the pagans marched t' sack the city one man stood 'gainst a god. But there are cracks in that golden shield, if one looks close enough. After all, propaganda is meant t' control the people through emotion, not logic."

  Brugo was unimpressed. "I'm not a fool, Captain. If I believed in the glorious right of humans over goblins, I wouldn't have welcomed them into my city. Papa Brugo is an equal-opportunity employer."

  "An' I would never mistake ye fer one o' the masses," deftly returned the pirate. "A champion is a symbol more than an individual. One prone to preconceived notions that even I be guilty of. I freely admit, I hated the swabber 'fore we ever met. But ye, Papa, I trust ye can see clearly once ya have a wealth o' information."

  He considered the pirate's words for a moment. "Such as?"

  "It turns out our friend Talon was responsible for breakin' into the Pantheon an' stealin' the soulstone in the first place."

  Brugo couldn't contain himself any longer. "Bah ha ha! A champion after a traitor. That is rich, Captain."

  "It is the truth," swore Vagram. "Talon was deceived by the fallen one. His allegiances have not always been as steadfast as those in my order."

  Brugo didn't mind the interruption. Instead he took the information quietly, soaking it up like a good sponge.

  "Then there be the matter o' the angel, Decimus," continued Errol. "The accounts o' the holy power cuttin' through ranks o' goblins has been related t' ye firsthand, but consider why the angel was activated in the first place. Angels only go after players. What friend o' the saints steals from 'em an' is hunted by 'em?" Errol turned to me with a grin. "I'm startin' to believe our hero's morals be as gray as his cowl."

  Brugo squinted sharply. "What say you, Talon? Do you deny these claims?"

  "I deny yours," I replied. "I'm not just a tool. I did what I thought was right then and I'm doing what I think is right now. I came here to help the residents of Shorehome."

  He leaned forward. "They have no need for a goblin slayer."

  "That they do not," agreed Errol. "What they need is living proof that standin' 'gainst the saints be not a death sentence. To know that 'tis possible t' defy yer makers. T' use independent thought, of which so many o' us are incapable."

  "You dare defy the saints," spat Vagram.

  "They abandoned us," countered Brugo. "If they want Shorehome back, they will need to take it by force. And they'll need a hell of a lot more than two crusaders."

  "You see us plainly, then," said Vagram. "The four of us don't mean to murder every pagan in the city. We're here to hunt the fallen one."

  Vagram, smartly, didn't cop to seeking the Squid's Tooth, but Brugo didn't take the bait. "I care little for such devils."

  "Then you are in league with him. He is in this town and you will tell us where or I will cast you out!"

  Brugo yawned. "I'd take note who's in a better position to do the casting." The Papa studied me a moment before turning to Errol. "You speak highly of this man yet he travels with these dreary crusaders."

  "There's no love lost between them. Dispose of the crusaders and keep the other two."

  I clenched my jaw and spoke roughly. "I won't turn on them." Vagram's face betrayed surprise at the sentiment.

  Crusader Reputation +100

  Errol shrugged. "He ain't perfect, o' course. Loyal t' a fault, really. But t' his own code, not t' a cause." He turned to the goblins in the room. "After the cleric killed a goblin in his home, Talon hid his wife an' child so they'd not be slaughtered. I personally witnessed him stand 'tween them and the blades. That was awfully unzealous o' him."

  Men muttered behind me. I wasn't naive enough to think a single act of kindness would zero out their hatred for me. Errol must've thought it was worth something.

  Papa Brugo, specifically, remained unconvinced. "It is a good argument, Captain. A worthy pursuit, perhaps, given different circumstances. You are wiser than many give you credit for. But I think the man gave his answer."

  "You would give up the opportunity because he defends an unimportant cleric? He—"

  The Papa raised a firm hand. "That is enough, pirate. I've given you your voice. Now heed mine. The crusaders stand against everything we do here. They want to force their laws on us. Their order. They detest our occupations. They desire over half our population wiped out. A portion, I might add, which increases our numbers well above theirs. I may only have two of them captive, but I see more value in throwing them to the wolves than following one scout's code.

  "Besides," he added, locking his eyes on me. "The goblins will pay good money for their god killer. Perhaps not the ones within these walls, but there are plenty more wandering the wild. General Azzyrk, perhaps. No, we are powerful enough without the Protector of Stronghold. We don't need his help to defy the saints. Take them prisoner."

  "Thank God the talking's over," muttered Izzy, "because I've been waiting forever to do this."

  She slammed her winter staff to the ground and cast sleet storm. The blue rune on the floor enveloped the four of us as snow blasted forward. Errol, who'd seen the attack before, rolled forward into the protective shell. The two shadow bodyguards moved to shield Brugo as sleet rained over him.

  Cleric Vagram's two bronze swords flashed. Errol danced away from one and swatted the other aside. The crusader and I turned to protect our vulnerable back as a golden buff overtook our skin. Twenty rogues moved in.

  I had to break their line or we were done. I triggered dash and flew into their ranks, quickly following it up with a tornado spin. The buffed damage succeeded in defeating a couple of the weaker ones but, more importantly, those who lived had been pushed aside.

  "This way!
" I screamed.

  Izzy backed away from the throne, the protective blue rune following. Vagram disengaged Errol to keep with us. Before they knew it, the cutthroats were feeling the wrath of the winter staff and the entire enclosed room was a blizzard. We rushed out the door as the spell finished. The crusaders took out the two exterior guards while I shut the door. Izzy frosted it over with ice.

  "Run!" she yelled. Cutthroats battered the sealed door.

  We sprinted through the open hallways, almost running down the wrong corridor. A few Brothers in Black were unfortunate enough to oppose us, but we made quick work of them and pressed on until we hit the exit. We found ourselves in the dry canals of the Narrows, two roaming groups of goblins between us and freedom.

  "Crap," said Izzy.

  I grabbed her hand and ran in the opposite direction, where the canal drained into the ocean. Maybe there was a boat or something there. We hurried as more of the crime gang spilled into the Narrows. No time to stop or think. But then a funny thing happened.

  The goblins, the rogues—they all seemed to back away. As the tunnel winded and the salty air blasted our faces, they gave up their pursuit completely. We ran over sand damp from the receding tide. The canal walls disappeared into a sharply sloped beach covered with the foam of crashing waves. We'd made it to the coast.

  A black presence, like a whale, moved beneath the water. It lifted up and out, an island bubbling into place. As it rose higher, water cascaded off the giant sea monster and crashed below.

  Now we knew why everybody had left us alone.

  0790 Day of the Tentacle

  A single notification dialog popped up.

  [Kraken]

  Unique Pagan Boss

  20000 Health

  Still the beast seemed to grow. A mass of suckered tentacles stretched over the beach and writhed around us. Its body was gray and pink and covered in barnacles. A quivering circle of muscle opened wide, revealing rows and rows of sharp appendages within.

  "Impossible!" exclaimed Vagram. "The Brothers in Black are in possession of the Squid's Tooth."

  I didn't know how to respond. I was kinda, you know, preoccupied with the giant sea monster.

  "Shorehome's soulstone," said Izzy. "They must've gotten it somehow before the well was flooded."

  "Lucifer," spat the cleric. "He is here, no doubt."

  So Saint Peter had been right. The events of Stronghold had been a proof of concept for Shorehome. With a smaller pagan army, the raid had played out differently, but the result was the same. A titan, risen from slumber.

  The giant squid convulsed and screeched. Putrid air blasted over us. I advanced with my spear drawn.

  "Where's the soulstone? Do you see it?"

  Izzy shook her head. "You're not thinking of getting on that thing?"

  "It's an abomination," muttered Vagram, producing his crucifix.

  The kraken suddenly roared and drove a tentacle down. We dove aside as sand exploded all around us. Vagram dropped his cross. As the tentacle slithered back into the ocean, he patted the beach for it.

  Izzy snarled. "Why'd I blow my legendary power on those schmucks inside?"

  The frost mage spread her hands wide and called on the cold. Crystals of ice formed around the titan where it met the water. It reared away as Izzy froze more of the ocean's surface, but there was simply too much to put a dent in. The leviathan was too large.

  Vagram scooped up his cross and muttered a prayer. Again, it seemed to enrage the pagan beast. The kraken twisted violently. The ice trap that had been building shattered and rained down on us.

  The cross. The dragonspear. The Squid's Tooth. All these things were more than weapons or treasures. They were symbols.

  "Put that thing away!" I yelled over the crashing water. Vagram slipped it into a satin sack as I produced the identical one he had given me. I thrust my hand inside and drew out the crown of the wild king and held it high into the air.

  The great beast slowed. A monstrous tentacle crept over the beach and tested the air before me.

  "That's right," I said, as if talking to a dog. "We're all buddies here."

  I nodded for the others to run down the beachfront. I turned back to the kraken. It was calm now. Inspecting me, almost, even though it had no eyes. The gaping round mouth-tunnel undulated. Among the sharp appendages I saw a tonsil-like obelisk. There was no soulstone within. The titan was awakened, but a captive itself somehow. Someone else was in possession of the Squid's Tooth.

  "That's a mystery and a fight for another day," I said to the kraken. "And for once, I'm happy about backing down."

  I lowered the stag crown and stepped sideways. The tentacle followed my movement but the beast was appeased for now. Whether he thought I was an ally or something else altogether, I wasn't sure, but he allowed me to retreat. I ran down the beachhead and reconnected with the group.

  "So we're running," I said, out of breath. "There's no salvaging the Squid's Tooth anymore. We're running, right?"

  Vagram stopped us and pointed toward the populous portion of the city. "We're going back in."

  "Are you crazy?"

  "Wait a minute, Talon," cautioned Izzy. "We need to think about this. After seeing the kraken, I'm not so keen on hopping on a boat and sailing the sea."

  I bit my lip. That was a good point, stag crown or no. "But there's a whole town of criminals and goblins searching for us."

  Vagram pointed above our heads. [Drifter], [Drifter], [Drifter]. Their masking magic was still disguising us.

  "As long as we don't engage in combat, we should be hidden for the duration of the skill."

  I nodded. "So we march right through town to the exit and skedaddle."

  "I'm not leaving," asserted Vagram. "Not until we've faced the fallen one."

  I deflated. Of course the cleric wanted to keep fighting.

  He sneered. "And I might just murder that scheming pirate while I'm at it."

  I swallowed. I was all for helping people, but Papa Brugo had laid it out clear. Shorehome didn't need assistance. He already had possession of the soulstone, and it wasn't being used to lay waste to the city. The only facet of the mission that still applied was settling the score with Lucifer. And if he was involved, there was probably a lot more going on than met the eye. I turned to Izzy.

  She put a hand up. "Don't start worrying about what I think now. That shithead's gonna need to deal with us sooner or later, either way."

  For once, Vagram didn't correct our language.

  My lips tightened. "That your way of saying you wanna take on the devil?"

  She winked. "It would be a shame to return to Stronghold empty handed."

  The cleric and the knight stomped toward an industrial block straddling the main port. It was the opposite direction of Underkeep and a fine place to get lost in. I put my arm around Izzy's waist and followed.

  0800 Vice City

  The morning hustle was in full swing. Shorehome was a city of criminals, perhaps, but it was also a city of hard workers. Ships unloaded cargo and loot and wheeled them into packed warehouses. Harbormasters were taking bribes and portions of shipments, too busy looking the other way to look at us. We were just drifters, anyway, in a town full of them.

  Through the industrial block was the main dock and boardwalk. The open market was a hive of activity now. Merchants at stalls and tents hawked wares. Trinkets, fishing supplies, the catch of the day—everything was as expected, but there was more, of course. Alchemists, armorers, smiths. This was Shorehome's version of Front Street and the Forum merged together.

  Unnervingly, goblins hocked and hustled just as heartily as the humans did. We were surrounded by them.

  Izzy sighed in relief. "I guess that means these disguises are bona fide. No gang escort and not a soul is bothering to notice us."

  Vagram's eyes darkened beneath his dirty-yellow hair. "It's sickening. Look at how the pagans have degraded the place."

  I blinked. "It's a fish market in a pirate town."


  "They should be driven into the water."

  I shook my head. "You heard Brugo. The goblins aren't the enemy."

  "Bah!" He glared at the mass of monsters. "I don't heed the advice of crime lords. Unlike you, I don't employ my morality as is most convenient."

  "Hey, that morality defended you back there." I grumbled to myself. "You're right. The Papa's a pompous dick. But you had a point when you told him who our true enemy was. We're not here to take on a whole city of goblins. We'd turn everyone against us if we tried."

  "Not to mention ruin our disguises," added Izzy.

  "That too. We need to keep a low profile if we want to find Lucifer."

  The cleric frowned, the logistics dawning on him. "Without our pirate guide while the largest gang in the city searches for us."

  I smiled. "That too."

  "We should split up," offered Izzy.

  Everyone turned to her with skeptical expressions.

  "Okay," she hedged, "I know it's horror-movie logic, but hear me out. We're just drifters. Most of the NPCs around won't bat an eye at us. But a smart one might. And any player looking for us, if there're any, would easily see through the trick. So, what's everybody looking for?"

  I scratched the back of my head. "Four generic drifters."

  "Exactly."

  Vagram eyed his crusader as he considered it. "You're suggesting that two groups of two drifters wouldn't obviously be us."

  "That's right," she said. "Until the disguises wear off. Luckily Hadrian seemed to be an expert so we have a while."

  I nodded. "It's a decent idea. We're just information gathering anyway. We split up for a couple of hours and cover the city."

  "Fine," he said. "Let's reconvene here in two hours." I checked my menu to mark the time as the crusaders turned to go.

  "And Vagram," I called before he got away. He turned. "Repeat after me: No killing goblins."

  He scowled and marched away.

  Izzy and I stood on the edge of the market. Free from crusaders and pirates and politics for the first time since the journey started. It was a fucking relief.