Black Hat (Afterlife Online Book 2)

by Domino Finn

  Gladius was helping Saint Peter out from underneath the gallows platform. The old man looked like hell, but he was alive. I strode to them and handed over the blood-red gemstone. A surge of power rushed over the city.

  The head of the city watch wasted no time barking orders. "The Circus is secure. Watch, form up. It's time to take back the Pantheon." The guards and legionnaires, now free to act against the wishes of the bishop, rushed from the stands and formed disciplined lines. They marched from the Circus in double time. Gladius himself remained at Saint Peter's side and supported his weight.

  "You did it, Talon," said the commander.

  I shrugged halfheartedly. "It got done, at any rate."

  "Nonsense. Your duties as Protector were upheld. It's a proud day for the city."

  The two of them moved toward the line of wildkins. Before them, the stag crown rested in the dirt where Tannen had fallen. I hurried to pick it up, but Hood growled in warning. I turned to the big monster cautiously.

  "Let him be," called the wild king.

  The warden simply grumbled. It wasn't the cleanest gesture of peace, but I felt confident enough in his loyalty to the king that I picked up the crown. I reverently brushed dirt off the skull and limped to its owner.

  "I believe this is yours," I said. "It was a mistake to ever think otherwise."

  The king's dark eyes were unrelenting voids, but he flashed a smile. He took the crown and fitted it over his head. "So it is a friendship thou art proposing?" he asked slyly.

  "I'm not so sure I deserve it. But I'm a friend if you'll have me."

  The Ruler of the Blackwood took in the post-chaotic arena. "Thy bishop was correct about the armistice not lasting. I am a king among the errant folk, but we have many kings. I've accepted thy terms, but I do not speak for all pagans. A unified faction it is not."

  I cleared my throat. "Why don't we fix that then?" I snatched Saint Peter before Gladius could take him away. "The founding of a true faction requires saintly approval."

  The skull of the stag turned to Peter in quiet surprise. The saint studied the king before turning to me and trying to speak. His voice was hoarse from the noose, and barely a whisper.

  "You have my blessing."

  Global Haven Alert:

  The wild king has formed a new faction: the Wildkins.

  This is a branched faction of the Pagans. Various faction attributes will carry over.

  I pulled one more item from my inventory. "You have a new faction, but an old home. As a gesture of goodwill, I'm thinking it's time you upgrade the Black Keep." I handed the king the bone pearl. "A creepy place like that, I'm sure you can socket this thing."

  Theoderic released a light chuckle that flowed on the breeze. "Now I see, I see how thou hast accomplished so much in so little time, Talon. Thou art a man who can accomplish much."

  "As are you, wild king. You rule your own people now. What do you say? You up for a faction alliance?"

  I opened the menu and offered the alliance to the wildkins. The Ruler of the Blackwood took an extra moment to survey the grounds. The destruction.

  "The fates, the fates are watching this day," he said in his jovial manner. "Alas, my kind are indecisive and fickle." He canceled the alliance request. "This is a good thing," he assured, noting my disappointment. "Fate is not yet clear whether thou deservest an alliance"—his face darkened—"or a war."

  I swallowed. Hood lumbered past me with a growl. The line of Blackwood prisoners filed out, Tannen in tow. His catechists still existed somewhere, but he was no longer their leader. He wouldn't be shrugging off his yoke with golden power or respawning in Oakengard any time soon. He was the warden's now, in a place between life and death. I didn't envy him that.

  The wild king motioned for the exit. His people led the way. The tension in the Circus eased as we watched the wildkins leaving Stronghold.

  "Fear not, Protector of the white city," said the king in farewell. "The wildkins shall honor the pagan armistice as long as it lasts. It will be broken, but not by us."

  "And afterward?"

  He snickered. "No doubt, no doubt fate shall draw us hither once more. We will settle the matter of our grievances anew, be it through diplomacy or conquest. Take heed, take heed the path thou choosest."

  Wildkin Reputation: 0

  1060 Black Flag

  Happy endings belong in storybooks and TV.

  I had initially hoped retaking the city would restore everything to normal, but I quickly realized there was no such thing. Life wasn't a sitcom. Neither was the afterlife, for that matter. Everything we did here—through progression, genetic algorithms, even hacks and exploits—it all summed up to evolution.

  The simple truth was we could never go back to how things were before. Seeing the vulnerability of the saints, the rise of the NPCs and mobs—it all contributed to a collective consciousness. Was it community? Kinship? Self-preservation? Maybe it didn't matter. We lived in this reality now, something not quite what it was meant to be. Something we needed to protect and nurture because of that fact.

  "You did it," exclaimed Izzy as I returned to the tower. "Without us. You were all alone and you did it."

  I shook my head. "Not alone. Not by a long shot. There was a whole city of people out there. Players who wanted to fight but couldn't. A city watch who faded into the background until they could act. Dune fought. Lash fought. Errol and Trafford and other NPCs. Everyone and everything came together to combat Tannen's oppression."

  Kyle punched me in the side. "So you got lucky."

  "I wouldn't swing the pendulum that far in the opposite direction. Lucifer claimed he acted as the grease to a bunch of cogs. I like to think I did the same. I touched base with Gladius and the city watch. I lured the warden here. I coordinated with the saints and the players and tried every damn thing I could to overthrow the bishop."

  He nodded. "Sure, I get it. You're basically saying you threw a whole lotta shit at the wall to see what stuck."

  Izzy rolled her eyes and spun me away from his teasing. "If it's any consolation, I believe in you." She popped me with a kiss. I blinked back disbelief. She wasn't being vindictive or ironic or bossy. She was just being... nice. Izzy flashed a demure smile.

  "Get a room, bro."

  I turned to Kyle. "You're still here?"

  "Aye," drawled Errol. "An' me an' Trafford as well."

  Kyle pulled everyone close in a huddle. "Just the OG crew of the baddest new faction around."

  The shopkeeper nodded. "Of course, we might strike more fear into people's hearts if we weren't fucking called (Unnamed)."

  I chortled. "Everyone's a critic."

  My faction menu opened and everyone peered over my shoulder. "Well, let's see here. I'm the Betrayer of Stronghold with a stolen weapon living in a stolen tower. Kyle's a drunkard. Izzy's a blaspheming mystic. We've got the Scar of the Six Seas over here beside a foul-mouthed questkeeper. We're occasional acquaintances of Lucifer, the Brothers in Black, and the wildkins of the Black Keep. Let's face it: we're black hats. We might as well embrace it."

  Everyone nodded their approval. It was, after all, the black hats that had saved the white city.

  Global Haven Alert:

  Talon has named a new faction: the Black Hats.

  We all tried out the new moniker. It rolled off our tongues. None of us were true villains, of course, but constantly fighting against a predetermined rule set had a way of casting one in a bad light. What was that saying? If you really wanted to make enemies, try to change something.

  I laughed at the ridiculousness of it. After everything—the raid on the Black Keep, the quest to Shorehome, the battles with Lucifer and the catechists—the party had been killed. We'd lost all our XP. Killing town guards, or those acting in their stead, doesn't award experience. Not until the official war, anyway. That meant we were technically behind from where this whole thing had started. Not a level up in sight.

  But stats didn't tell the whole story. We'd gained a c
ompletely different kind of experience. One that wasn't wiped by a spawn penalty or a debuff. Experience that told me Haven would never be quite the same as it was before. It would be stronger. It was a simulation in flux, and it all started in Stronghold.

  The Oldtown refugees were a shining example. We did our best to restore order and calm. To impress in those displaced that their city soldiers on. Some welcomed the chance to return home. Some looked forward to braving a new life past the frontier of saintly influence.

  But others no longer felt safe without the high walls of Stronghold or the guiding hands of the developers. Goblins living in a city run by criminals? It was an experiment by even the most optimistic measures. Many immigrants, having forever lost the home they remembered, focused on the future instead of trying to recapture the past.

  There were other changes brewing, too. Talk of a new patch. A way to allow city residents to always defend themselves. Awakened NPCs could initiate town combat on a whim, so to restore equality, players will be given that functionality as well. It was power to the people. Something that would've prevented Bishop Tannen's rise and stranglehold on the city.

  But the downsides were harsh. The change would essentially turn Haven into a PvP server. The city watch would still have the advantage of being protected from friendly fire, but they'd need to work three times as hard to maintain order in the city. Many saw it as a worthy sacrifice in the pursuit of true freedom from tyranny.

  But it was a process, not a solution.

  Lucifer was still out there, and his intentions were as clouded as ever. There were other inconsistencies, too. Saint Loras had worked against Kablammy's interests and handed over the keys to Shorehome. Vagram and the catechists would persist, perhaps as a rogue faction. The hostility between the holy and the pagans—and more primally, the humans and the goblins—was still a hot button. Despite everything we'd accomplished, coming events were uncertain.

  That future was something I was thinking about a lot lately. Oldtown was a mess of ruins. Dragonperch was full of budding potential. Building plans were drawn up. New accommodations to handle the influx of NPCs and faction members. I foresaw a great black hat hall. A tavern and meeting place where the people could debate, safe from the prying eyes of the capital. Hell, anything was possible.

  But, as with all plans, there was no quick fix. We had to carry through our convictions and see where they led us, even when the destination wasn't so pleasant.

  It was a journey I was heartily looking forward to.

  -Finn

  DLC Alert:

  Your quest is over, but you can get a free Black Hat expansion pack by signing up to my reader group.

  Ranger Danger is a minigame in the universe of Haven. Dune and his cohorts kill some time at the Wicked Crow while they wait for Talon.

  Download DLC?

  Character Sheets

  Talon

  Level

  9

  Class

  Explorer

  XP

  49300

  Kit

  Scout

  Next

  74950

  Strength

  17

  Strike

  337

  Agility

  24

  Dodge

  400

  Craft

  6

  Health

  261 / 261

  Essence

  10

  Spirit

  227 / 227

  Coin

  Silver

  103

  Plates

  89

  Skills

  2

  Spear

  3

  Crossblock

  3

  Deadshot

  3

  Tornado Spin

  1

  Awareness

  Darkvision

  Survival

  Navigation

  Cartography

  Traversal

  Dash

  Vault

  Scale

  Stealth

  Sneak

  Subdue

  Proficiencies

  Expert

  Searcher

  Skilled

  Tracker

  Reputation

  Pagan

  -1000

  Crusader

  50

  Wildkins

  0

  Kyle

  Level

  9

  Class

  Artisan

  XP

  49375

  Kit

  Brewmaster

  Next

  74950

  Strength

  22

  Strike

  319

  Agility

  5

  Dodge

  166

  Craft

  19

  Health

  220 / 220

  Essence

  10

  Spirit

  195 / 195

  Izzy

  Level

  9

  Class

  Mystic

  XP

  49300

  Kit

  Frost Mage

  Next

  74950

  Strength

  8

  Strike

  184

  Agility

  17

  Dodge

  265

  Craft

  6

  Health

  148 / 148

  Essence

  25

  Spirit

  393 / 393

  Town Wiki

  STRONGHOLD

  "Strength in Unity."

  The bastion of all civilization in Haven, Stronghold rests in the center of the Midlands. Ninety-foot walls protect this teeming Roman metropolis from outside invaders. The petrified carcass of the titan Orik, kneeling but unfallen, is a daily reminder of the city's victory... and vulnerability.

  Nicknames

  The holy city, the jewel of haven, the core city, the white city

  Population 800

  200 (city watch, centurions, legionnaires)

  400 (players)

  200 (general NPCs)

  Leadership

  Stronghold is the main seat of power for the saints in Haven. Their control is tenuous after a couple of challenges to their rule, but a competent city watch and standing army keep the peace. Saintly leadership confers player protection and access to the hub.

  SHOREHOME

  "Alls we need be some silver and mead."

  To some a den of villainy, to others a pinnacle of independence, Shorehome is defined by its outlaw attitude. It's a working-class port city where hard labor is often outshined by shady pursuits. Humans and goblins and more eke out livings in close proximity, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

  Population 850

  50 (players)

  300 (general NPCs)

  500 (goblins, imps, ogres, boggarts)

  Leadership

  Shorehome is run by eight criminal enterprises led by one Papa Brugo, head of the Brothers in Black. His iron grip translates to an efficient rule, but it is power obtained through fear, including the threat of the kraken. The lack of saintly presence means surviving in the city is a free-for-all, and there is no hub access.

  OAKENGARD

  "Without light there is not darkness; there is nothing."

  A super fortress atop mountain terrain, Oakengard is a training station for crusaders of all stripes: knight, priest, and sage. Not much is known about the mysterious town as no players have ever been within its walls.

  Population 500 (estimated)

  200 (sage NPCs)

  150 (knight NPCs)

  150 (priest NPCs)

  Leadership

  Ruled by a devout bishop, a holy knight, and a wizened sage. The Trinity was fractured when Bishop Tannen broke away to form the catechists. Crusader leaders are rumored to be fighting wars from within and without, but their zealotry and discipline pro
vide a unifying front.

  Faction Wiki

  Pagans

  Members: 2858

  Leader: None

  Base: None

  The largest and most disparate of all factions, pagans represent those following the call of the wild. Originally created as the quintessential enemy order in Haven, deviations in AI routines have muddied their role. Pagans are dominated by humanoid but animalistic creatures who use guerrilla warfare tactics against better-armed enemies. Most serve the Nine, but many merely seek disorder and survival of the fittest.

  Wildkins

  Members: 223

  Leader: Theoderic, the Wild King

  Base: Black Keep

  An offshoot of the pagans who favor sanctuary over warmongering, wildkins reside in the Blackwood and fervently follow their king. Other than that, their motivations are a mystery.

  Crusaders

  Members: 522

  Leader: Fractured Trinity

  Base: Oakengard