The general stood a little taller at my words. “Yes, Chief!”
I gazed up at the sky. Outside the zone of darkness, the sun was a dim speck that was slowly disappearing over the horizon. “Cleanup time,” I said. “Loot the bodies and all the leftover supplies.” I glanced at the ex-dwarf. Ragnar still looked dazed. “Give the soldiers some rest, but send out a scouting party. I want to know if we need to expect another force.”
“Will do,” Sullivan said. “But I doubt it. We tried pursuing the army’s commander, but he was mounted. We did catch the symbol of Everance on his armor, though. He’ll probably return to the capital to report his failure. By the time they come up with another plan, we could be barking up their walls.”
“Good to know, but send those scouts anyway. Better safe than sorry.”
He nodded.
Kaedric, I projected my thoughts at my psychic seneschal.
The battle is over. Resurrect the fallen troops and send them to rejoin the main force.
Understood. At least this time, unlike the attack on Novenguard, I only had to resurrect each soldier once .
With a sudden scream, the ant person sprang to his legs and bull-rushed through our lines. Savol instantly commanded the nearby soldiers to pursue, but I motioned for them to stand down. “Let him go. There’s no place for him to run to. He needs a little time to adjust before he realizes we are his only option.”
“You sure about that, Chief?” Malkyr asked with a slight frown.
“I’m sure. He’ll be back soon enough. Probably before I am.”
The others gave me puzzled looks.
I raised one fading arm. “It’s time. They’re logging me out. See you later, guys.”
***
My eyes were bleary as I opened them, finding myself strapped into the comfortable FIVR capsule. A moment later, the door opened, revealing Jim and Tal.
My body felt tired … as if I’d been working out for hours. Jim disconnected the straps and let me out, and I stretched with a yawn. “Man, I’m beat. What time is it?”
“It’s noon,” Tal said. “Like we agreed. How was it?”
“How about we give Mr. Berman a few minutes to freshen up first?” Jim winked at me.
“I wouldn’t mind a shower,” I admitted. “It’s been a sweaty couple of days in there.”
“I’m sure we’ll want to hear all about it,” Jim said. “Go on, I’ll need about half an hour to go over the latest game logs, then we can reconvene in the conference room.”
“Come on, bro,” Tal said, leading me toward the lab’s exit.
I followed him through the building’s corridors, and we quickly arrived at my assigned room. “Take your time; I’ll be in the cafeteria.” He gave me a knowing smirk. “I saw Sharon heading there a few minutes ago.”
Sharon was one of the company employees, a beautiful, impeccably dressed woman who’d shown me around my room the first time. I grinned at him “So, naturally, you want me to take my time.”
He raised his hands. “Hey, you work hard; you need your rest. If it falls to me to have to entertain the very available office hottie, well … that’s just a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
“You’re a true friend,” I said, fighting down a laugh.
“I know.” He sighed. “It’s one of my many virtues. Later, bro.”
I chuckled as I closed the door behind me. I knew what Tal was trying to do. As usual, my best friend was attempting to put me at ease by creating a casual atmosphere. He did have an abundant amount of time to spend flirting with the company’s female population while I was inside the game; he didn’t need me as an excuse for that. Still, I couldn’t deny that our banter had put me in a good mood. Coupled with the fact that my clan had just scored a major victory, my future – and that of the trapped players – seemed brighter than ever.
I went into the bathroom, intending to take a quick shower, but the hot water felt so good I ended up spending ten minutes under the near-boiling stream. My bed looked incredibly inviting when I finally stepped out.
I’ve got a few minutes to lie down and rest my eyes, I figured.
I dropped onto the soft bed with the towel still wrapped around my waist and drifted away instantly.
***
A knock on the door had me bolting to my feet, panting heavily. My body was covered in a cold sweat and my heart was beating frantically.
“Bro, you alright?” Tal’s voice came from the other side of the door. “You missed lunch.”
I dropped back down to sit on the bed and buried my face in my hands. The nightmare I’d just had was rapidly fading from my mind, but I could still recall glimpses of death and agony, armies clashing, and innocents dying by the thousands. And above it all loomed a mysterious cave. The same cave I used to dream about in the game before Shiva took over.
Tal knocked again “Bro?”
“I’m …” I said shakily, then took a deep breath, pulling myself together. “I’m alright, give me a second.”I grabbed my clothes, quickly putting them on, and ran a hand through my hair to straighten it.
“Damn, what happened to you?” Tal asked when I opened the door.
“I guess I fell asleep. How long was I out?”
“It’s been two hours since I brought you here. The others are already waiting for us in the conference room.”
My pulse quickened “Two hours?” That meant more than two days had passed in the game.
Tal misinterpreted my concerned look. “Yeah, you missed lunch, but don’t worry; they’ll have sandwiches at the meeting.” He gave me a sly smile. “Sharon says hi.”
I snorted. Sharon was just another female. I could easily claim her as mine if I wanted to, as was the chief’s right. My eyes widened when I realized the direction my thoughts were taking me. I shook my head to clear out the disturbing images. “I need to get back to the game. I’ve been away too long.”
“Right …” Tal looked at me speculatively for a few seconds before adding, “Let’s get to the meeting then.”
We walked the short distance to the now-familiar conference room. Mr. Emery was already sitting at the head of the table with Jim and Mr. Goldbloom, my attorney, at his sides.
“Thank you for joining us, Mr. Berman,” Mr. Emery said evenly. “Now that we’re all here, may we get an update on the state of affairs inside the game? Mainly on the other players’ situations.”
I frowned at him. He looked a little more haggard than usual. “Is there something going on I should know about?”
Mr. Emery shook his head. “The families of the trapped players are applying more pressure on us. They’re worried and demand results. It will go a long way toward placating them if we could bring them news of their loved ones.”
“I’m not sure it’s much help, but it turns out Novenguard was holding another player prisoner, a woman calling herself Pandamonium.” I hesitated. “I think she’s traumatized by what happened to her. She’s behaving very erratically. But the other players who joined me are helping her.”
“Not exactly the good news I was hoping for,” the lawyer said slowly.
“I’m doing the best I can. We’re facing immense odds. Every NPC in the world is rallied against us, but we’re making progress. We just won a major skirmish, and I think we can take over most of the region before we finally reach Everance, the local capital.”
Jim tapped on a tablet device. “Everance … here it is. According to the information we gathered from their friends and families, almost 50 of the trapped players are supposed to be located in that city. Releasing them would be a great step forward.”
“Yeah, it’s not going to be easy,” I said. “I have a plan and a few allies inside, but Everance is strong. Very strong. We might not be able to take it.”
“Understood,” Mr. Emery said. “We trust your judgment, Mr. Berman. You�
��ve achieved far more than any other player in the game.”
“Ahem.” My attorney cleared his throat. “Any more information on that whole prophecy thing?”
“You mean about the seed that will save us all? Not so much.” I had decided in advance not to reveal the existence of my in-game daughter. I could only imagine the horrified expressions and rushed actions it might incur.
“Well, we don’t want to keep you waiting any longer,” Mr. Emery said. “Mr. Taylor, do you need to perform any further medical tests?”
“No,” Jim said. “We’re still processing the results from this morning. We might want to perform another round tomorrow.”
That translated to about three weeks in the game, which suited me just fine.
“Very well,” the lawyer continued. “So unless you have any other information to share with us, Mr. Berman, I authorize your reentry.”
The memory of the lone cave at the side of a corpse-strewn hill flashed through my mind, and I shuddered.
“Oren, is there something wrong?” Jim leaned forward, looking concerned.
I got a hold of myself. I could only imagine their reaction if they learned the prophetic dreams I received as a Totem in the game carried over to real life. “No, everything’s good.”
He narrowed his eyes and paused briefly but then said, “Alright. Return to the lab. They’ll be waiting for you.
I got up, nodded to my companions, and stepped outside.
***
The four remained sitting as the only person in the world capable of logging into the game stepped out of the room.
Tal turned to Jim. “Well, what do you think?”
The head technician frowned. “He’s hiding something.”
“That’s abundantly clear,” Mr. Emery said. “But what? And why?”
“I would like to point out,” Mr. Goldbloom said, “that my client is entitled to his privacy, even in matters related to the game.”
Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. His brain patterns continue to be erratic, though still within accepted parameters … if just barely. I could ask for a full brain scan at a better-equipped facility, but that would take time.”
“He’s my friend,” Tal said. “I know him best. Something is wrong. The game consumes his every waking thought; even when he’s out, he’s not really here.”
Mr. Emery looked at the head technician. “Do you have reason to believe Mr. Berman’s health might be in jeopardy?”
Jim hesitated. “Not at present.”
The company lawyer raised an eyebrow. “But …”
“In the past, his vitals turned critical. With the logs at our disposal, we now know it always happens in cases of extreme abuse to his game character. The heightened realism and increased pain sensation can cause severe repercussions to a player’s mind.”
“You are referring to the grievous trauma Mr. Berman suffered inside the game a fortnight ago.”
“Yeah,” Jim said. “We were lucky then. The quick response team was able to bring him out in the nick of time, but we might not get so lucky next time.”
“You’re talking about the time dilation increase,” Tal said.
The technician nodded. “Exactly. With the game running nearly 30 times faster than us, we might not be quick enough to log Oren out if he needs it. From his perspective, he would be suffering for long minutes before we’d even register a problem. By the time we moved to act, he might very well have already suffered critical, irreversible damage.”
Mr. Goldbloom sighed. “So what do we do? As his lawyer, I find myself in conflict with my client’s best interests, his wishes, and the well-being of thousands of others.”
“There’s nothing we can do,” Mr. Emery said. “You all know what’s at stake here. Fulfilling the so-called prophecy is our best chance. We’ll just have to put our faith in Mr. Berman and hope that he pulls through.”
The other two professionals nodded at him reluctantly.
Tal let out a heavy sigh. “Shadow-crap.”
Interlude: The Mob Squad
“Well, that was fairly exhausting,” Misa said cheerfully as the four members of the Mob Squad moved back to admire their handiwork.
The last of the builders had left an hour ago, leaving them alone to put on the final touches. That was to say, to consecrate the church to Nihilator.
The one-story, plain stone building now thrummed with energy, projecting a dark aura around it that caused passersby to shiver and quicken their pace.
“Yeah, not bad, if I do say so myself,” Riley said with a note of pride in his voice. “That whole ‘dark priest’ thing is nice and all until I have to open a vein and summon the forces of darkness, but other than that … yeah, not bad. I think we should go celebrate at a good restaurant. How much gold do we have left Raystia?”
“Ahem, about 200,” the catgirl answered distractedly
The four friends looked at the new church in silence for a few moments. It had taken them days and an exorbitant amount of gold to build up what was basically a simple stone box with a gothic-themed altar at the center. The city regulations, as well as its population’s aversion to their half-monster background, hadn’t made it easy for them. But they had made it. And now they stood proud and took in the glory of their accomplishment.
For an entirety of ten seconds.
“Halt right there!” a commanding voice shouted from the other side of the street.
From between the dilapidated houses that filled that part of the city came a squadron of marching warriors.
Misa furrowed her brow. “Those are the city guards. What are they doing in the lower part of the city?”
“We’re about to find out,” Fox said.
The 20 guardsmen quickly circled the four adventurers, taking special care not to step into the area of darkness emitted by the unholy church.
“What seems to be the problem, Captain?” Raystia asked the officer, her large eyes wide with innocence.
“It’s Sergeant, lady, and you four are accused of being cultists of an ancient, evil deity.”
“What?” Riley exclaimed. “We got permission to build this temple; I have the writ right here.”
“The writ grants you permission to raise a building,” the sergeant countered. “Nowhere in there is it written that you’re allowed to introduce a thousand-year-old soul-devouring creature of darkness. I’ve been sent by the Church of Light to arrest you. Now drop your weapons and surrender, or we’ll have to use force.”
“No, wait!” Raystia’s eyes instantly teared up, and she dropped to her knees in front of the sergeant. “Please, Captain, it’s all a huge misunderstanding!” She started sobbing. “We didn’t mean any harm.”
“Oh, well …” The sergeant hesitated as the catgirl looked up at him with watery eyes. “I believe you’ve acted unknowingly, but still, you’ve committed a serious crime.”
“But Cornelius, the head of the Church and Gardening department, said we’d have time to register our church after we finished building it,” she sobbed.
Dropping the name, and the tears, seemed to do the trick. The officer frowned. “Oh, you know Cornelius? I didn’t know that. Well, I don’t want to anger a department head, but I simply can’t–”
“Please,” Raystia whimpered. “Will you please allow us to set the matter straight? We’ll register our church right away, just like Cornelius said we should. Then there won’t be a problem, right?”
The other three adventurers held their tongues as the most devious of them worked her charm.
“Well … I’ll have to make some inquiries to validate what you’re claiming.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you, Captain!” Raystia’s smile was beautiful behind her teary eyes. “I’m sure all will be made clear.”
“Don’t try to leave the city, or you’ll be branded as wanted criminals,” the sergeant warned. “And I’ll leave behind a few of my men to keep watch on this abomi–that temple of yours.”
“You know he’s
going to find out we don’t have permission to dedicate this place to Nihilator, right?” Fox asked once the guards had left. “In an hour or so, he’ll be back to arrest us, and he’ll be bringing a demolition team along with him.”
“To be honest, it was kinda stupid to do this and expect the city to take it lying down,” Riley said. “I know I’m Nihilator’s priest, but even I don’t like him. There’s no way the city is going to approve his church inside their walls.”
To his surprise, Raystia smiled at him.
“What are you so cheerful about, Kitty?” Misa asked suspiciously. “I nearly bought your teary-eyed routine this time.”
“None of you have fully read the writ, have you?” the catgirl asked.
“What’s to read?” Fox grunted. “It’s legal mumbo-jumbo. You just scroll down and hit ‘Accept.’ Works every time.”
“What do you know, Kitty?” Misa asked.
Raystia’s smile widened. “There’s a section that explains what it takes to register a new church to officially join Everance’s clergy. You need to either fill out a form and get the approval from one of the city’s department heads–”
“Which we’ll never get,” Fox grumbled.
“–or,” Raystia continued, “have at least 200 believers inside the walls, which will force the city to recognize it as a legitimate religion.”
The three others stared at her.
“You’re crazy,” Riley said eventually. “We’ll never manage to convince the town’s residents to convert to Nihilator. And to get 200 of them – before the sergeant gets back … impossible.”
“Really?” Raystia quirked an eyebrow.
Misa chuckled. “Look out everyone, she has that crazed gleam in her eyes. She’s either got a brilliant idea, or she’s going to get us all killed again.”
“Probably both,” Fox huffed. “What do you have in mind, Raystia?”
The catgirl winked at him then walked over to one of the street urchins lurking around the rundown quarter. ”Hey kid, want a gold coin? All you have to do is come and listen to the word of Nihilator.”
Life Reset: Conquest (New Era Online Book 5) Page 26
