The True Enemy Revealed

by Jason Cheek

  The emails were short and sweet. Kyarina wanted to know what to do with the iron that was coming in, and that she had a plan for how to run the player groups heading out onto the Plains of Atoll that she wanted to run by me. Orion’s email was asking for information about the design for Hollysharp’s fire cannons that we’d tweaked on the Wind Dancer. Information on the enchantments that were being used and the engineering processes required to get them functional for the defensive wall.

  Hearing that our resource spots for BrokenFang Hold had been cleared for miners and gathers to ply their trade was great news. With the worst of the monsters gone, Theric could send out our own people to keep our gatherers and crafters safe. For the players wanting to take on the advance scouts heading towards us, I suggested making sure that each group took with them a centaur guide and possibly a gnome miner. It might help in identifying useful materials and monsters types in the area around our fortress, besides allowing us to quickly getting get the teams into position for their ambushes.

  Orion’s issue was a little bit more complex. While I’d documented the enchantments, I didn’t have any of that information with me outside of the game. I told him I would forward everything I had once I logged in, but explained that without the Mana Accumulation Crystals, the magical engineering tech wouldn’t work. If at all possible, I hoped to bring some of the stones back with me, when I returned to BrokenFang Hold. It just depended on how many were around for us to purchase after selling the war and trade ships we’d acquired. Unfortunately, I didn’t see how we could get them over to BrokenFang Hold any sooner, but, if he could find some naturally occurring stones, that would be a different story altogether.

  The rest of the emails were pretty straight forward. There was an email chain bouncing around between Domenic, Jimmy, Danielle, Anthony, Kitty, Glen, John, Julie, and her boyfriend about the siege. I glanced over the latest news and told everyone we should be on-site in two days. With that done, I made sure our Twitch channel was still up and running, before cleaning-up from breakfast. Caught up with my work, I sat down with another glass of water and pulled out the Hydration system and catheter I’d purchased.

  The Hydration system was pretty straight forward. You filled up the attached bag with water, took the attached tube, and swabbed the end with a numbing solution, before pushing it up your nose and down your throat about six inches. Although somewhat disturbing, it was an item I wished I’d invested in sooner rather than later. The tube itself reminded me of something right out of Dune. You know, the tubes the Fremen used in their stillsuits to conserve moisture. Putting that to the side, I took out the catheter directions and started reading.

  Immediately, I gagged as a cold shiver ran down my spine. “Not no, but hell no!” I thought, as I came to the part where you’re supposed to shove five inches of tubing down your urethra … err … aka peehole. I froze, uncomfortably staring at the simple black and white directions of a flaccid penis and a long tube. The sad part was that wasn’t the worst of it. When I got down to the part where you’re supposed to pump up the bulb so it can’t be pulled out, I felt light headed as my legs unconsciously crossed protectively over my Johnson.

  “Okay, so fuck that!” I said out loud, as I tossed the directions away and pulled my laptop over. “There had to be something better than that out for hardcore gamers.”

  Five minutes later, I found what I was looking for. It was an advance suit from V-MMORG that had a customized fitting with suction for gamers that wanted to stay logged in longer. Even more upsetting, the suit cost some major bucks. I didn’t even bat an eye as I added the suit to my shopping cart. As far as I was concerned, it was more than worth it if I didn’t have to shove five inches of tubing down my peehole. I purchased the add-on for number two. Not that I was planning to use it.

  Honestly, I think I’d rather shit myself than use the anal plug. Still, it was only an additional hundred dollars and after the cost of the suit, that was really nothing. Besides, you know as well as I do, if I didn’t buy it now, you know they’d come out with a new suit and there’d be no way to get the add-on for this one if I changed my mind later. Shifting uncomfortably on my stool, I added it to my basket and hit purchase. I’d just have to make sure I hid the extension so that none of my friends would know I got the complete package. Otherwise, they’d never let me live THAT down.

  Shaking my head, I filled up my glass of water and did a bio break, before heading to my computer room to suit up. I was just zipping up my suit when I realized I really needed to wash the insides out. It was really starting to get ripe. Currently, the suit smelled like sweat-soaked gym clothes after they’d been left in your work-out bag over the weekend. Promising myself to wash it out good after I logged out tonight, I put my helmet on and sat back into the egg. Triggering the log in sequence, my vision momentarily turned black as the system booted up.

  Running Pod Diagnostic – Complete

  Synchronizing controller units - Complete

  Neuro Synchronization - Complete

  Initializing virtual environment …

  The darkened room took shape around me as I woke up alone. Helgath must have covered up my body before leaving for breakfast with Neysa, I thought as I jumped up. Hurriedly, I got dressed and packed away my sleeping hides, before taking a moment to freshen up at the water basin. Sadly, my armor didn’t smell any better than my suit outside the game did.

  Maybe, I could invest in some cologne, I thought as I headed out of the room. It worked for the medieval French. Or, you could just break down and, you know, bathe and wash out your gear, I thought sourly, rolling my eyes. Fucking Nightmare start issues they never tell you about in the fine print. Couldn’t there be something like a freaking Cleaning spell or something that everyone could use, I silently groused as I made my way down the stairs.

  I saw my friends at the table from last night. Not everyone though, Hefe and AJ hadn’t logged in yet, but my companions and vassals were present. Calling out morning, I patted Neysa on the flank, before sitting down at an empty place in-between Fylreh and Helgath. The filly gave me a silent nod as Helgath greeted me with a smile and a one-armed hug. Catching Jill, Krystal, and Bonnie’s eyes, I nodded at the empty seats.

  “So where are the boys?” I asked cheerfully as I dug into the bread, cheese, and butter that was breakfast.

  “Not so loud,” Jill groaned, holding her head. She looked like she had a hangover. Seeing my raised eyebrow, she explained further. “Sleep deprivation hangover.” Another groan came from her lips before she managed to get out. “AJ should be logging in any moment.”

  “How late did you guys drink to last night?” I asked, trying not to laugh at her discomfort.

  “Ugh, Hefe kept us drinking until nearly four in the morning.” Jill complained as if it were the boys’ fault.

  “It’s a virtual hangover?” Krystal moaned in misery from where she nibbled on her breakfast as I eyed Bonnie questioningly. She looked fit as a fiddle.

  “I didn’t drink all that much last night.” Bonnie said, with a simple shrug. “Honestly, I think the whole thing is psychosomatic.” Seeing Jill and Krystal’s questioning looks, she happily explained what she meant.

  “You both drank a bunch of alcohol last night and stayed up late, so your body automatically thinks it’s supposed to be hung over.” Both women grimaced as the Half-Orc continued in a chipper tone. “Pookey Bear said he was running a few minutes late.”

  All of us froze at her “Pookey Bear” comment as Jill unobtrusively stuck a finger down her throat to simulate gagging where Bonnie couldn’t see it. Honestly, hearing such endearing terms coming from Hefe’s mouth and being used to describe the big oaf was almost too much for me. I had to clench my eyes shut and count down from ten to not bust out laughing or crying. The crying comment came from me thinking about what their pillow talk must sound like.

  “Oh, Honey Bear, give it to me hard … stir up my honey pot.” I could hear Bonnie say while Hefe hollered in his high-p
itched Gnome voice. “Take it all, Shnukums.” I literally puked in the back of my throat as I pictured that. It was even worse with the visualization being Hefe as a three and a half foot tall Gnome and Bonnie Smash as her six-foot-six Half-Orc self. Seeing everyone looking at me, I silently waved their questions away as I forced the bile back down and tried to scrub my thoughts clean of the imagery. Sometimes I wish I didn’t “see” everything I thought.

  My companions seemed to be fine even after the long day and night. I guess Half-elves were used to partying hard; Traders too since Neristhana didn’t look any the worse for wear. Rayne and Brenna were deep in their own conversation, while Ulia and Keela were having their own intense discussion with Neristhana about something or other. The two Moon Elves, Krishna and Lyeneru, where present and just digging into the food. They must have arrived just ahead of me, I thought as they both gave me a friendly greeting in-between yawns. Seven thirty, Eastern Standard Time, in the morning was no joke for someone from California.

  Unlike the others present, Fylreh was cold as ice as she outwardly ignored me, while still managing to unobtrusively brush up against me with her lower half’s shoulder whenever the chance came. Studiously ignoring her games, I was just asking for an update from Assault Leader Dell, when the Devil Dogs came traipsing down the stairs from their rooms. The greetings were just finishing up when Hefe and AJ came down next. Hefe looked refreshed and even chipper, while AJ looked more hung over than Jill and Krystal. When everyone got settled, Dell was finally able to give his report.

  The Priests of Light had been hard at work. By around six this morning, they’d managed to rez two thousand and two hundred troopers and two thousand civilians. Add that to the eight hundred troopers and ninety-three knights that Krystal had resurrected, and that meant that there’d been five thousand and nine-three people saved from the garbage pit of death. While that sounded impressive and was a job well done, the effort was only a drop in the bucket out of the forty-three thousand and ninety-three that had initially been slaughtered over the last two weeks. Especially when you considered the city had only a little over fifty-one thousand souls in it.

  That was a staggering amount of people slaughtered by my ex just so her alliance of asshats could get ahead in the game. Even worse, that wasn’t even counting those civilians and troopers slaughtered in Darom or the expedition that was sent to clear the Strait of Icelus. On the one side, I knew this wasn’t something unusual for players in an MMORPG to do. But, unlike those other games, the people in The World didn’t respawn after being killed. Besides, that wasn’t taking into consideration the moral ambiguity of it all.

  The perspective that the people in The World weren’t real individuals was slowly changing amongst my friends. I could see the shift in their attitudes by their increased interactions with my vassals and companions. It was in those small courtesies and conversations where you noticed the change the most. Hell, even Kenzie could be found talking to Assault Leader Dell as if he was a fellow veteran, instead of a piece of digital code. My attention was pulled away from my introspective thoughts as Randel Tericius, the ex-guard Sub-Leader, gave his report.

  Randel had managed to round up another two thousand troopers that had dodged the city-wide purge conducted by the Chaos Storm alliance upon the king’s death. He’d managed to get all of them, including the three thousand resurrected troopers, armed and armored during the evacuation of the townsfolk. The other good news was that the remaining six thousand civilians had been evacuated into the forest under the cover of darkness. That gave us a total of eight thousand civilians in all.

  It was a massive number of people to deal with. Thankfully, Assault Leader Dell had started the process. Already his Sub-Leaders were getting the civilians divided up into two groups. Anyone who could help with the war effort was being asked to go to Palnisdale to assist fighting the rampaging hordes, while everyone else was being sent to Darom to be shipped out to my lands, most of those being the women and children, along with some crafters and a bunch of farmers. As Randel was coming to the end of his spiel, the door opened to admit Sub-Commander West and two of his subordinates with four Priests at his back.

  I immediately recognized Reverent Walt of the Council of Light. The older looking woman and man with him were Councilors Silvarn and Fulrin, but I couldn’t place the last man following in their wake, until I caught sight of his face. Instantly I recognized him from the amphitheater of the Council of Light. He was the only councilor that hadn’t tried to save me, or have me slaughtered because the information I’d borne was inconvenient.

  Hopefully, there wasn’t something else about him that ended up being a problem. The older man looked to be in his mid-forties with short-cropped, gray hair and a serious face with another gray tuff of hair that hung from his chin. Seeing a soul patch beard was a little surreal in the game, since I’d always pictured the look as being of a more modern style. My Identify triggered a second later as his information popped over his head, Mihel Alfonce, level 50, Reverent Priest.

  Everyone at the impromptu breakfast meeting quieted down as Sub-Leader West came to a stop and saluted. “Lord Ironwolf, Assault Leader Dell, the townsfolk have been separated into two groups as ordered.” His blond ponytail bobbed as he inclined his head at the Priests. “The Council of Light has asked to speak with Lord Ironwolf.”

  “What are we looking at number-wise for the groups?” Assault Leader Dell asked as we both stood up.

  “Five thousand, eight hundred and twenty-nine crafters have volunteered to head to Palnisdale to stop the invasion.” Sub-Leader West reported smartly. “Two thousand, one hundred and seventy-one will be heading back to Darom for the evacuation. Although, after talking to the Kayden Troopers, most of them would like to swear fealty to you, Lord Ironwolf.”

  “Good work, Logan. However, becoming a vassal to the House of Kayden was always going to be a requirement for anyone traveling with us back to our lands, so I don’t see that being a problem.” I said, before glancing at Assault Leader Dell to see if he wanted to question the young Swordsman further. Seeing Dell’s shake of his head, I turned back to the trooper.

  “Go ahead and pull up two tables.” I said, nodding to the tables behind him. “And make sure you and your men get something to eat while you’re here.” As the troopers hurriedly began moving the tables into place, I waved for the Council of Light to join us. “Please have a seat, ladies and gentlemen, and get a bite to eat.”

  “What a quaint spot for a war meeting.” Councilor Alfonce said, sneering at the other councilors as he took a seat. “I bet they’ve been sitting here eating and drinking the entire time the rest of us have been working like dogs.”

  There was no doubt in my mind the councilor thought we were guilty of doing nothing to help the people of Telrain, while the rest of them worked throughout the night. Nor did he expect to be challenged by what he thought to be justified criticism as he tiredly flopped down in his seat. Let’s just say, I surprised him on both accounts as I addressed him directly.

  “Councilor Alfonce, in the last two days the majority of us fought a major battle to free Darom from the Dread Pack, and then spent the night resurrecting the thousands of innocents and troopers that had been slaughtered. Afterwards, we marched cross country and started helping the people of Telrain in the same way. I think our accomplishments more than speak for themselves, even if we took a few hours to rest and eat.” I said, holding the councilor’s gaze until he looked away uncomfortably.

  “Please, help yourself to something to eat and drink while I go over the plan.” I said, nodding to the four Councilors of Light. I waited for the barmaid to bring everyone drinks, before continuing.

  “First off, I wanted to congratulate everyone on a job well done on carrying out the first and second parts of the plan. While the Chaos Storm alliance turtled up in the prison to ambush our forces, in case we went after the princess, you managed to evacuate the remaining townsfolk from Telrain. At the same time, you were ab
le to save a number of victims that were slaughtered during their gambit to take over the Kingdom of Kader.” I waited for the self-congratulations to die down before continuing. “The last part of the plan is going to be a lot more complicated.”

  I went over the rest of the plan, explaining the different components necessary for us to succeed. The strategy was based on what I knew of my ex, while hiding my true intent from my audience. The plan focused on punching her buttons to get her to react without considering the consequences of her actions. Something she was prone to do when she was emotionally invested. By the time I came to the finally, Councilor Alfonce had a deep frown on his face.

  “Why are you willing to lose a powerful scroll of this magnitude when we’re facing an imminent invasion of our kingdom?” Councilor Alfonce shouted, slamming his fist on the table as the plates and utensils bounced from the impact. “We should be capturing this newfar to take that power back or snatching the scroll from her grasp when she tries to use it!” Reaching into his robes, he held up a letter of fine parchment between his fingers with an elegant script for everyone to see.

  “This came yesterday from the Chaos Storm guild leader, Cristiane Sekhmet, demanding that the Council of Light send representatives to witness the punishment of Princess Reeva the betrayer.” Council Alfonce said, as he meaningfully looked around the group. “I say we send a squad of our best Battle Priests in as representatives to take possession of the scroll.”

  “That sounds like an excellent idea,” I said, meeting the councilor’s eyes steadily. “But, only if you lead the group.”

  “W-why would I lead the group?” Councilor Alfonce asked, stuttering slightly. He looked around at the group as if he’d been insulted. “I’m a Reverent Priest, not a Battle Priest. A mission like that would best be served by someone like Councilor Fulrin leading the raid.”