The True Enemy Revealed

by Jason Cheek

  As we sat down again to recover our mana, Krishna’s story took an ugly turn as he began talking about his castle and friends coming under attack. Several groups of players had suddenly showed up out of the blue with the guild names of Global Brutality, Triple A, Roadkill, Alliance Zero, and Chaos Storm. Within minutes his guildmates and their trainers had been brutally cut down and their castle ransacked. He was the only one that had escaped, since he’d been out hunting in the surrounding woods.

  They’d never had a chance to defend themselves. It was their ignorance of the cruelty of the players in The World that had made them unconcerned about learning how to fight or setting up better defenses. As a visually impaired person, none of them had run into such cruel violence before in their lives. He’d found Lyeneru’s body hacked up a short distance away from their small fortress’ outer walls. He’d received messages then that his friends had been tossed in their castles own dungeon and left to starve to death, while their conquerors feasted on their stocks and took over their lands.

  The shock of it all had been too much for Krishna to handle. He’d gathered up his lover and walked off into the wilds balling his eyes out. He’d finally found himself before the gates of Telrain. When he’d begged for help for his lover, the players guarding the entrance to the city had simply slaughtered him again and again. Krishna didn’t know how many times he crawled back to recover Lyeneru’s corpse, but it had been dark by the time they lost interest in bullying him.

  After that, Krishna didn’t know exactly where he’d wandered, but he appeared at the gates of Darom and was taken to see the Warden of the city. Unfortunately, before he could gain an audience, a great battle had broken out between the city and the Dread Pack. When the city fell, he been thrown in with the captured soldiers and tossed in the dungeon to die. He didn’t remember much after that in his grief. Not until I’d resurrected Lyeneru.

  As he came to the end of his story, we sat in silence commiserating together. He was just another victim in the long line of players that had been griefed by the Chaos Storm alliance in their push to conquer everything in the game. Our conversation slowly picked back up in-between raising the dead as I told him my story and why I was here. When Krishna heard Domenic’s in-game name, he perked up suddenly.

  The explanation came readily from his lips. Dom had been their neighbor and they’d worked together off and on as sort of allies. He’d actually warned them on several occasions to take better care of their defenses in case something like this ever happened, but they’d thought he was being overtly paranoid and had laughed his warnings off. Partly, Krishna admitted, it was because they’d never been targeted for direct violence in such a cruel way in the real world.

  I explained to him in no uncertain terms that whatever protection their visual impairment had imparted to them in the real world was now gone. For many playing in The World, such violence was the name of the game, besides the reality of dealing with the various monsters of this world. I didn’t hold back any blows, but told him how I saw the situation and how it was in most games. As we talked, I saw a new determination flare to life in his eyes. While Krishna might have been ignorant of the evils of the world on one level, he wasn’t a pushover. Now that he was over the shock of being ganked, the rage had come and he wanted revenge. That, I fully understood too.

  By the end of our conversation, we’d come to the outline of an agreement. He’d still have to get the rest of the guild to buy-in, but he assured me it was a done deal. Once he explained to everyone what had happened and why, they’d fight, he promised in no uncertain terms, especially now that they had an ally. I told him that I’d share my Dark magic with any of his people who agreed to our arrangement and we’d get them setup with Domenic behind our defenses being built within my lands. The hungry look in his eyes at the prospect of payback said it all, as I clapped him on the shoulder. I thought we were finished, when a system window popped open before my eyes.

  Krishna has offered to teach you Nature magic. Do you accept: Yes / No

  Seeing the surprised look on my face, Krishna gave me a broad smile, explaining it was a show of good faith. After everything I’d done for him and Lyeneru, it was the least he could do. Besides, the first spell was weak as hell, he warned as I hit accept.

  Congratulations! You have learned the skill Nature Magic.

  Krishna has offered to teach you a new spell, Zap. Do you accept: Yes / No

  Congratulations! You have learned a new spell: Zap.

  Cast Time: Instant cast

  Mana Expenditure: 10

  Shoots a bolt of concentrated decay at an enemy doing 50% Spell Power damage. Requires Nature Magic skill level 0. Range 100 yards.

  Wishing us both a goodnight, Krishna stood and stretched the kinks out of his back before making his way over to the Moon elf maiden animatedly talking with my friends. The Devil Dogs gave him a toast with some friendly catcalls as he gathered up Lyeneru into his arms to steal a kiss. Promising everyone that he’d be back in the morning, he let the Druid escort him to a semi-private corner of the arena. She kept a delicate hand pressed to his chest as he laid down and logged out for the night.

  While his body disappeared from my vision, I was surprised to see that Lyeneru still seemed to be stroking her lover’s chest like he was still there. Holding off momentarily on my next round of resurrections, I silently watched the Moon elf caress Krishna’s invisible face. Leaning down, she gave a gentle kiss to his invisible lips, before once again returning to the Devil Dogs’ mini-party. With a friendly smile, she picked up her beer stein and joined in on the current discussion as I looked away thoughtful.

  Were our bodies still in the game even after we logged out? I silently pondered the question when Helgath’s yellow cat-eyes caught my attention. Giving me a meaningful wink, she climbed to her feet and gently slid her clawed fingers around my arm. My thoughts reeled with the possibilities of what that might mean as I numbly remembered back to waking-up naked in Fylreh’s arms the morning after our romp at The White Unicorn back in Delonshire. Taking a deep breath, I tried not think on the question to closely as I did my best to clear my mind and focus on the task at hand, resurrecting the next batch of civilians.

  The clock on my HUD had just clicked over to midnight, when Nivirth came striding up to me. I frowned at the unhappy look on his face as he came to a stop. Coming to attention, he looked over my head giving me a fist salute before saying, “Scout Captain Dherler reporting in the disposition of the currently missing Iron Falcon Mercenaries, Princess Reeva, and the Royal Knights, milord.”

  Pressing my eyes hard, I slowly breathed in a deep breath doing my best to calm my nerves. By the look on the Dark elf’s face, Nivirth had some really bad news to share. Without a word, Helgath stood up while scooping up my empty stein. Before I could even ask her what she was doing, she was half way to the new keg that had been recently breeched for the growing crowd of NPCs around us.

  “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable, my friend.” I tiredly said as Nivirth shifted uncomfortably from foot-to-foot unsure of what to do.

  “You might be unhappy with my decision and wish to flog me,” the Scout Captain warned, unable to look into my eyes.

  “I trust your decision, otherwise I wouldn’t have kept you in charge of your Shadow Scouts,” I said, shaking my head. “Besides, I promise I’ll never flog you. I’ll slit your throat if you betray our people, but I’ll never raise my hand to you for carrying out your orders to the best of your abilities.”

  For a second, the Dark elf didn’t know what to say as he considered my words carefully. Finding that he didn’t have any argument with what I’d said, he gave me a tired shrug and sat down next to me as Helgath returned with a stein of beer for each of us. Looking at me unsure of my preference for drinking on duty, I waved for him to drink saying “Officer’s privilege” as I silently thanked the Half-Orc. She hadn’t needed to do that, but had simply done so because she cared.

  Taking a pull, Nivirth
looked around in confusion at all of the townspeople that had gathered in the arena as Helgath took a seat next to me. “I thought everyone would have chosen to stay at the docks or return to their homes?” he said under his breath.

  “I think everyone wanted to be close to each other after the horrors they’ve been through,” I said thoughtfully. “Except for the survivors waiting for their children to be resurrected.”

  “Children?” the Scout Captain exclaimed, as his head jerked back in horror.

  “The Dread Pack slaughtered nearly all of the towns’ children once they escorted the families into the arena.” Unconsciously, my knuckles whitened as I clenched my fists in outrage. “Fucking murderous bastards.”

  This wasn’t the first time I’d seen players slaughter the inhabitants of a town or a city in an MMO, but with the people of The World, you’d have thought players would have shown some restraint. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. If anything, the realness of the people in-game just seems to have motivated some of them that much more, I thought, before continuing coldly. “I guess none of the sick bastards wanted to deal with youngsters under their feet or distracting their slaves from their work.”

  “I don’t dare start resurrecting them, until I’ve raised all of the parents that I can,” I explained to the Dark elf’s matching look of outrage. Visibly shaking at the inhumanity of it all, he took a deep breath and began his report.

  “Princess Reeva and her Royal Knights rode out the main gate shortly after you started resurrecting the troopers in the arena.” Seeing the angry look that crossed my face, Nivirth hurriedly explained his reasoning. “There was no way of stopping them without bloodshed and our forces were to split up at the time to push the issue even if you’d wanted us to stop them.” The Scout Captain shifted his stein uncomfortably in his hands. “She couldn’t stomach the idea of putting commoners before nobles. She made that quite clear as she led her knights out the gate.”

  “Thank the darkness,” I said, letting out a deep breath. Seeing Nivirth’s look of surprise, I waved the issue away and gave him a salute with my beer stein, before taking a long pull. Letting out a satisfied sigh, I explained my thoughts. “It’s actually a relief. Besides, it’s better than being forced to kill her for breaking her oath.”

  “You’d have actually cut her down?” the Dark elf asked, giving me a stunned look.

  “I can’t have dissension in the ranks.” I said, trying to explain my reasoning. “If I’m the commander, then the final decision of how we proceed is mine. Up till then, I’m more than willing to listen to what everyone has to say. Besides, whether she likes it or not, she’s sworn to me. If anything, that’s probably the crux of the disagreement between us more than anything else.”

  “When it comes down to it, she’s not accustomed to not having the final say, especially to someone she considers as nothing more than a country lordling.” Nivirth’s lips cracked a smile at that as I continued. “It’s not that I disagreed with her on the need to address the situation of the Chaos Storm guild and their alliance controlling the capital or the dishonorable prince on the throne. Our disagreement was about honoring my word to the troopers and townsfolk of Darom ahead of her personal quest to regain her throne.”

  “The Princess wanted all of us to head out immediately instead of in the morning. Nothing else mattered. Not the lives of the soldiers that fell, the townspeople that were cut down, nor the oath I gave to save the lives that I could before moving on.” I said, as my lips twisted into a snarl. “The more I see of her actions, the less I believe she deserves to sit upon the throne of the Kingdom of Kader.”

  “Heavy thoughts, my lord,” the Dark elf said, taking a pull on his beer. “But, after hearing your words, I cannot find fault with them.”

  I’m curious about the mounts though. I thought riding only became an option at level 50?” I said curiously. “Besides, I don’t remember seeing any stables at the Warden’s castle.”

  “That’s only combat mounts, my lord. A mount with feats only spec’d for riding can be achieved at level 40,” Nivirth explained, “but without combat feats, they’re easily slaughtered. Due to the high costs involved, stables don’t sell mounts until they’ve reached level 50. Also, the city’s stables were actually on my side of the wall near the main gate, which is why you didn’t see them during the assault.”

  “Well, damn, that’s good to know.” I said, rubbing my head thoughtfully and eyeing Neysa. Being a wolf rider was at the top of my in-game bucket list of things to do. Besides, if she was already this deadly, what would she look like once I started spec’ing her for combat? I felt Neysa’s happy thoughts flow through mine at the idea of us riding together as Nivirth continued his report.

  “I assigned a squad of Shadow Scouts to follow the princess and knights to the outskirts of Darom’s domain.” Seeing my surprised look, the Dark elf explained. “I figured you’d want to know if the Dread Pack attacked them or not.”

  “Good call on that.” I agreed, as he continued.

  “While those evil bastards didn’t show up, guess who did?” Nivirth didn’t wait for me to guess. “Sub-Commander Hawkin and his Iron Falcon Mercenaries. The scouts reported that he claimed to the princess that they’d left the city to follow the newfar and lost them in the woods. When he asked if he could serve the crown, she’d added them to her party and continued on her way to Telrain.” I harrumphed unhappily as the Scout Captain continued. “On their way back to the city, they found this.”

  Turning around to look behind him, Nivirth waved the four Shadow Scouts that he’d left by the entrance over to him. Each of them carried large wet sacks over their shoulders. As they came to a stop, he had the closest show me the contents. The grisly sight of decapitated heads and their dead eyes looking back at me made me puke-up in the back of my throat as surged to my feet swearing. “I’ll fucking kill them all!”

  “Just make sure you take us with you when you pay back those dishonorable bastards,” Gykac replied in a harsh voice. The rage from the oathbreakers’ crimes clearly seen in his eyes.

  “Get their bodies laid out over there and match up the heads the best you can,” I said, clapping Gykac on the back and nodding at the familiar faces of the team that was with him. Lowering my voice to a whisper, I held the Dark elf’s eye. “Bring Logan over to me here. I can’t resurrect everyone before I raise the children or we’ll have a riot on our hands, but I can at least get him on his feet and helping to match the right heads to the bodies of his men.”

  “Just bring him to me with his head,” I said in exasperation, seeing the Dark elves odd looks. Okay, I didn’t blame them on one level. It was definitely an odd comment to make. Nevertheless, it accurately described the situation perfectly. Giving me fist salutes, the team of Shadow Scouts beelined it to the other side of the arena while carefully lugging their sacks of heads.

  Quickly, we did another round of resurrects as our mana nearly bottomed out from Helgath twisting the spell. It was worth the punch in the gut feeling as ten civilians began to groan and sit up as Thompson and Yun quickly spammed out their Regeneration spells. Plopping to the ground panting heavily, I leaned forward and let my head hang, until the dizzy feeling finally began going away. Sitting a little straighter, I caught the Scout Captain’s sharp look.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a priest of light nearly puke from raising the fallen.” Nivirth said with a shake of his head. “But then, I’ve never seen a lone priest raise up ten people at once.”

  “That’s due to Helgath,” I said, nodding to the Half-Orc girl by my side. “Due to the slave rune we share, we can share our abilities. Don’t ask me for the specifics, but Shamans can tweak normal spells to a point. She’s figured out how to reduce the mana cost to five thousand and has been able to stretch the spell out to include more than one person.”

  “The Shadow Scouts thank you, my lady.” Nivirth said, bowing at the waist as Helgath blushed in surprise beside me. Focusing back on me, the Dar
k elf’s voice lowered an octave. “How bad do you think Telrain will go for the princess?”

  “With the Iron Falcon Mercenaries escorting them into the lion’s den, I don’t see it going good on any level.” I said with a frown. “I’ve already warned her about this ahead of time, but she wouldn’t listen to a word I had to say. She’ll be dead in a few days I figure.”

  “Is letting her die the best course of action?” Assault Leader Dell said as he joined the conversation. Seeing the bitter look on my face, he held his hands up speaking in a calm voice. “Be at peace, my lord. I’ve sworn my life and that of my family’s to you. My question is what would be best for the House of Kayden. If she were put to the sword, how will that affect the future of our people … of our house? Where will that leave the western peninsula if the Kingdom of Kader falls?”

  Looking into both men’s eyes, I took a deep breath and forced myself to remain calm. Princess Reeva’s nature over the last two days had been rubbing me raw. Ever since she was rescued and she’d gotten back on her feet, she’d been bossy and disrespectful as hell. It confused me somewhat, since we were such a great team during the assault. The issue was probably due to the fact that Sir Hemmet and Princess Reeva were both used to being in overall command.

  Now, they were suddenly forced to sit in the back seat and let someone unknown to them drive. While that was annoying, it was even worse when the new driver was doing things they’d never heard of before and which went against everything they believed in. Albeit, Sir Hemmet seemed to be coming over to my side somewhat, but being a soldier at heart meant that results went a long way in regards to winning over his respect. Maybe not always. History was filled with horrible generals and leaders who couldn’t see past the tip of their noses, especially if that leader were younger then the leader in question.