Dungeon Lord (The Wraith's Haunt Book 1)

by Hugo Huesca

  Then he disconnected.

  “He’s going to remember that in the morning,” Mark commented while Lisa healed him. “Maybe you should have let us wipe, Ed.”

  The Boss and the dwarf exchanged furious blows strong enough to break the bones out of lesser warriors even if blocked.

  While they fought, Ed and the Warlock—the only remaining minion—exchanged spells as fast as their Mind attribute would let them. For a mere elite mob, the monster managed to survive a lot of abuse. For a second or two, that is.

  “Maybe I’m tired of putting up with him. Perhaps he’ll calm down when we give him his share of the loot,” Ed said. They could load Ryan’s new character—probably Rylan Silverblade the Fourth—with the old one’s loot and whatever items they got from raiding the dungeon.

  “That would be very reasonable of him.” Lisa sighed. As soon as the Warlock died, she switched from healing Mark to debuffing the Boss, making him do less damage, move slower, and be more vulnerable to Ed’s spells.

  To Ed, the battle’s results had been decided the second after the Rogue had fallen. There was still mop-up to be done, though.

  There was no surrender mechanic in Ivalis Online.

  As if thinking the same thing, the Boss suddenly switched aggro away from Mark—which netted Kael even more penalizations—and leapt straight at Ed’s Wizard.

  The claymore rose over Kael’s head, covered in the red aura of the berserker-type talents. Ed’s fingers flew over the keyboard and pressed the teleport hotkey. His Wizard reappeared behind Mark and away from Kael, just in time to see how the Boss’ sword cracked the floor as it came down.

  When the Boss turned to them, Ed swore he could see something akin to disappointment in his eyes.

  Nah. The game isn’t that detailed.

  Mark charged the Boss, but it was Ed’s Wizard who got the last hit. Kael died to a particularly mean stalagmite spell that went through his helmet like it was made of butter. Clear, pure ice pierced through, but it was dark red after its tip reappeared at the helmet’s end.

  Ed felt a rush of tired satisfaction when his screen was showered with EXP, a level-up, and a bunch of magical items that would look very, very good on his character.

  And also, away from the demands of the Boss battle, he started thinking immediately about what he had done.

  Ryan was not going to be reasonable about it.

  “Tomorrow is going to be a bitch,” Lisa said while her Cleric stepped over Kael’s corpse on her way to looting the chamber. “I hope we don’t get fired for this.”

  “Oh, shit. I guess it will,” Ed said. He took out the earplugs and rested his back against his chair. His room was lit only by the screen of the computer.

  2

  Chapter Two

  Katabasis

  The next morning just as Ed arrived at the Lasershark store he was called to the manager’s office. As expected. He left his backpack at the lockers, greeted Lisa and Mark, passed a hand over some wrinkles on his purple-and-pink uniform, and went to face the music.

  The office was closed, so he had to wait until the manager deemed fit to press the button to release the electronic lock. Ed waited for almost five minutes until the electronics buzzed and the fake-wood door opened with a smug, “Come on in, Eddy,” from inside.

  Ed took a deep breath and tried to bury the cold anger deep in the back of his mind. Anger would not help pay rent. Anger would mean letting the other guy win.

  You’re going to hear his bullshit and you’re going to let him vent and you’ll be back at work in no time, he reminded himself. No mouthing off. Just take it, Ed.

  He stepped inside and closed the door behind him before flashing his best retail smile. “You called, boss?”

  Ryan was half seated, half sprawled on his leather chair with his moccasins over the mahogany desk. He matched Ed’s smile with one of his own that made him look like a saint with his golden locks of hair and his cherubic cheeks.

  He looked little like his characters in Ivalis Online. Instead of a rugged assassin or rogue, he was thin and handsome in a “boy band” kind of way, and he dressed to impress. Blue silk shirt and trousers for him, none of that Lasershark uniform for the owner’s son, no.

  By contrast, Ed had forgotten to shave this morning. He was tall and gaunt, with unruly black hair that was almost blue. To the employees watching from the ample window of the office—Ryan loved a good show—it probably was like seeing a down-on-his-luck hobo being sentenced by a golden archangel.

  The two of them may have each been twenty-five-years-old, but were very different.

  “Eddy, Eddy, Eddy,” Ryan sang without dropping his smile. He sat straight and pawed lazily at a stack of papers on his desk. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “What do you mean, boss? Did I do something wrong?” Ed asked with enough saccharine in his voice to bake a cake.

  Ryan pretended he hadn’t heard him. Instead, he read the papers like it was the first time he had seen them. He frowned and looked at Ed for a second before returning to the papers. He did that a couple times before he started to make tut-tut noises with his tongue.

  Ed said nothing. He wasn’t going to give the asshole the satisfaction.

  He could feel the gaze of the dozen Lasershark employees behind the window, all the way back from the first floor. He entertained the idea of reaching to the drapes and closing them to take Ryan away from his spectacle, but he discarded it.

  Just wait it out and he’ll get bored, Ed told himself.

  Finally, Ryan set the papers down. “Eddy, these numbers of yours look terrible this month. Your performance evaluation has a terrible score, you know? I can’t help but wonder if your commitment to the Lasershark team is as strong as it was when you started working here.”

  You’re the one who makes the evaluations. “Is there anything specific about what I did wrong?”

  “Watch your tone, you’re talking to your superior,” Ryan said it so fast and so naturally that Ed didn’t have time to say anything before Ryan went on. “The review says you are terrible at following orders. Which paints a poor picture of you, since following orders is all you’re here for.”

  Ed knew Ryan was goading him.

  No, you want us here, the little minions of your kingdom.

  “Following orders? Funny, never had a problem with that, boss. This surely isn’t about you getting yourself killed in game last night, is it?”

  Ryan raised a golden eyebrow in a perfect imitation of incredulity. “Surely you can’t be so immature, Eddy? What does that game have to do with your job?”

  Ed deeply regretted the day that Ryan had overheard his chat with Lisa and Mark about their Ivalis Online escapades. Ryan had butted into the conversation and invited himself to the group. Being their boss, there was no way they could refuse. It didn’t take Ryan long to proclaim himself the leader of their adventuring band.

  Which meant that all the good drops went to him, all the mistakes were the fault of Ed and the others, and all the successes were thanks to his guidance.

  Ed smiled dropped an inch. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he hated himself for letting a pampered prick like Ryan get so far under his skin.

  Just let him vent, just let him vent, just let him vent. He had managed to survive five months at Lasershark so far and jobs weren’t so easy to find in the current economy.

  “See, that’s the problem with you, Eddy. You try to look too deep into things. I don’t pay you to think. If you were good at that you would be sitting in the manager’s chair. And that’s my chair, Eddy. Which means I’m the one qualified to think. Which means I’m the one giving the orders. For example, when I say you should stay late and clean, you don’t ask for overtime. You follow orders. And when I say, let Lisa ignore the stupid fucking minions and go back to heal me while I deal with the Boss, you do that, you idiot.”

  “I see.” A dark, primal part of his mind demanded that Ed lunge at Ryan across his expensiv
e desk, that he swipe away the laptop and the papers and smash Ryan’s cherubic face against the mahogany over and over—

  He took a deep breath. He recalled the advice he had heard in high school. Don’t fight back against bullies, because then they win…That sounded even more stupid now than it had back then.

  While getting his Computer Science degree Ed had believed it was the kind of situation he wouldn’t have to deal with ever again. After all, there were no bullies in computer-related fields, right?

  We’re all nerds anyway, right?

  Well, retail is a different beast, and after a mean economic crisis and a downsize from his cozy, corporate IT position, retail at Lasershark was the best Ed could get.

  So, he would just smile and nod until he climbed the corporate ladder again. Until he was high enough that he wouldn’t have to deal with people like Ryan.

  “I should fire you on the spot,” Ryan said after a pause. “But I am a fair man and I think you deserve a second chance. After all, you’ve learned your place, haven’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  Ryan nodded, satisfied that Ed was playing along. “Okay, I’ll give you another chance. But on one condition. You must show me that you’ve compromised with Lasershark, that you’re ready to follow orders.”

  “Fine,” Ed said. He didn’t like where Ryan was getting at.

  “So, here’s an order, Eddy. I want you to delete your Ivalis character.”

  “What?” the request had come so far out of left field that it took Ed by surprise. “What for?”

  “To prove you can follow orders,” Ryan said. He wiggled his eyebrows smugly. “You can see it as a test of character, too. Actions have consequences, and you shouldn’t get to keep playing your high-level Wizard while I have to start over for your mistakes.”

  That’s bullshit, and you know it.

  “Or maybe you prefer to quit?” Ryan went on. “Your call, Eddy.”

  Ed’s hands closed into frustrated fists. What kind of parent spawned a douchebag like Ryan?

  You can just level up another one, a part of him that insisted on being rational and mature reminded him.

  It was not exactly true. Lasershark left him each day with less and less free time. Mark and Lisa were getting online less and less to do raids. In a way, he knew the group would not last much longer—Ryan had already put the final nails into the coffin of their adventures.

  The raid on the Dungeon Lord Kael was the last time they were going to raid together in such a scale, Ed was sure of it. That was why he had insisted on winning instead of letting the team die saving Ryan. He had wanted the last time to matter.

  It was a dumb way to feel about an outdated videogame, but lately Ed felt that little he did in his life mattered. He was probably kidding himself thinking he’d rise on the corporate ladder with people like Ryan being the gatekeepers.

  So, he had to find small meanings where he could.

  He sighed. The cold anger that had been simmering in his chest was nowhere to be found. “Fine, Ryan. You win. I’ll delete the character tonight. Are you happy?”

  Little meanings don’t pay rent.

  Ryan smiled beatifically. “I’m sure this will be an important life lesson for you, Eddy. Now get back to work—you’ll have to stay after closing to make up for the lost time.”

  Ed sighed again, this time with relief. At least it was over. He turned his back to Ryan and went to the door feeling like a red balloon deflated by a stalagmite spell.

  “Oh, and one more thing,” Ryan said. “Go tell Lisa that she’s fired.”

  Ed stopped cold in his tracks. He faced Ryan again.

  “What?”

  “She’s useless,” Ryan explained. “And worse than useless, she listened to you when I gave her an order. I’m her boss, not you.”

  “She works harder than any of us,” Ed said slowly. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Surely no one could be this much of an asshole. “Really, Ryan? Over a game? She only healed Mark because I asked her to.”

  “I don’t give a fuck, Eddy.” Ryan grinned. “This is my father’s store. Lisa is fired.”

  Ed stood there, mouth agape. He was sure he looked like an idiot, but he was too stunned to react.

  “What are you waiting for, dumbass?” Then Ryan did something he had never done before. He snapped his fingers. Once.

  “Out of here!” He snapped them again. Twice. “Chop, chop!”

  To Ed, the sound was as loud as a pair of gunshots next to his ears. They drowned all noise, leaving only buzzing silence.

  He closed his mouth and turned to the door.

  “That’s right,” Ryan said behind him. His voice barely registered.

  Ed reached for the door handle and manually locked the electronic mechanism.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ryan asked him.

  Ed slowly, calmly, walked back to the desk.

  “Ryan, Ryan, Ryan,” he said. “What am I going to do with you?”

  Ryan started to stand up. He reached for the plastic phone at one side of the desk, the one used to call security. Ed’s arms, as if they were acting of their own accord, lunged for the neck of Ryan’s shirt and caught him mid-movement. Ryan tried to push himself free, but Ed was already pulling him down with all his strength.

  Papers fluttered away when Ryan smacked hard against the mahogany. His laptop broke and flew out of sight. The manager’s legs flailed in every direction trying to get him some leverage to free himself out from Ed’s grip. It was useless. Ed was grabbing him so tightly his knuckles were white.

  With one hand, Ed smacked away the remaining papers and the phone. With the other one, he grabbed a handful of Ryan’s golden curls, pulled his head up, and yanked down hard against the desk before the guy could react.

  There was a muffled scream and Ryan’s limbs went flailing all over like they were made of rubber.

  Ed heard the crack behind the hit, but couldn’t be sure if it was the wood or Ryan’s nose.

  So, he smashed Ryan’s face again.

  This time, flecks of blood spattered Ed’s purple-and-pink uniform as well as the desk. Ryan’s scream switched from surprise and pain into pure agony. Ed let go of the manager’s hair and watched as Ryan slid down the desk and fell to the floor with a gargled, bloody whimper.

  The expensive silk shirt was ruined with blood staining the chest, and Ryan’s angelic nose was smashed to a bloody, broken pulp, same as his lips. He raised one trembling hand to his face and whimpered loudly when he saw his blood-stained fingers. With the other hand, he tried to push himself off of the floor to no avail.

  Behind Ed’s back, he could hear people banging on the doors. Security, probably. He paid them no mind. Instead, he calmly walked over to the crumpled form of Ryan and towered over him until the guy looked at him with scared, confused eyes.

  “I quit, asshole. Consider that my notice. Also, you’re a terrible Rogue.”

  3

  Chapter Three

  Enter the Boatman

  Time passed afterward like it does in a dream. Someone had called the police. Hands were dragging him toward a police patrol while the faces of the Lasershark employees passed around his field of vision like apparitions. The reflection of the red and blue sirens gave their faces a ghostly blur and made him get the beginnings of a nasty headache.

  He must’ve been walking because the scenario shifted periodically until he was inside the car, which smelled of synthetic leather and sweat. A police officer banged the door closed, and the noise startled Ed back into reality.

  The man left with bored, casual strides to meet with Ryan, who was laying against the wall of the storefront with a wet rag streaked with pink covering half his face. They talked for a while with Ryan shooting hateful glances at Ed every once in a while.

  Ed looked away. Now that the cold anger had left him, he didn’t care much about Ryan or what he did anymore.

  A small crowd had formed around the storefront with p
eople trying to crane their necks to listen to the policeman conversation and others whispering among themselves. More glances in Ed’s direction. Disapproving stares, scandalized hands covering their mouths. A construction worker with a Subway bag listened to a Lasershark employee version of the events and then made a circular gesture with his index finger around his ear while vaguely nodding in Ed’s direction. The employee shrugged and nodded and looked away like Ed’s madness was contagious.

  Guess public opinion is already decided on this one, Ed thought.

  He recalled Lisa’s words when she had rushed to him as the police (or had it been the store’s security?) dragged him out. “Oh, my God, Ed! What have you done?”

  On the other hand, Mark had walked to him with a smile from ear to ear and had lifted his phone high so Ed could see it clearly. “Dude, that was fucking amazing! You went on a rampage, just like in the movies! I have it all recorded, you went Terminator on his ass! The look on his face was priceless!”

  Ed shifted to a more comfortable position in the patrol car’s seat and smiled to himself.

  He was as surprised with his reaction as Ryan had been. Ed had never thought he was capable of such…violence.

  It had won him nothing. Hell, he was in more trouble now than ever before in his life. He sure as hell didn’t have enough money for a lawyer, and Ryan was going to press charges without question.

  For the first time in a long, long while, Ed felt like his life was moving. Things were happening, and it was thanks to his own actions.

  He looked at Ryan, still talking to the police officer, until the manager felt his gaze and looked back. Yeah, that was a hateful look. He wasn’t so cherubic anymore. Ed maintained eye contact and then winked at him. Ryan looked away.

  Perhaps he’ll forget about firing Lisa, Ed thought. He decided to consider that another win.