Viridian Gate Online: Embers of Rebellion: A litRPG Adventure (The Firebrand Series Book 2)

by J D Astra

  That reminded me of the asshole who’d blown my guts out my backside, and I rubbed my stomach idly. I wondered where he respawned. Did he take up residence somewhere in the city, or would he be going all the way back to wherever Carrera was hiding out?

  “What will Eisen need for creating new wards?” Renzik took a seat next to Arcona.

  She rocked the axe back and forth in the dirt. “He should have all the materials in his home. Tell him to pack them up, and everything he needs to survive. I don’t think we will be able to let him return home.”

  “Ever?” Renzik prompted, and Arcona nodded gravely.

  “He’s too important to risk. Eisen has set up portals and protection wards for rebel hideouts throughout the West Viridia peninsula. If he were to be captured and broken, those rebellion factions could be eradicated in a matter of hours. Citizens, noncombatants, children, all could be killed because of one man.”

  The serious drop in renown for failing to return him made sense now. He must’ve been helping the rebels for some time to have done all that and maintained his presence in the Dawn Elf society.

  “What do you mean, if he’s broken?” I pulled up a seat next to them.

  Arcona rubbed a hand over her face. “Scriveners must do their work willingly. Eisen would not surrender to those requests without cause. But, he would break—they have ways.” She sat back again, the fatigue weighing on her.

  “If it ever came down to two choices, Eisen captured or killed, what should I do?” Renzik fiddled with the dagger at his belt as he asked the awkward question.

  Arcona eyed him for a long beat, her gaze fixated on his face. “Kill him.”

  Renzik chewed the idea for a moment, his fingers fidgeting with the blade hilt, then he stood. “I will do everything in my power to prevent his capture, but if he is taken, I cannot kill him. Do you need to send someone else on the portal building escort?”

  “You will not do as we’ve tasked you?” Arcona stood as well, a hulking two feet taller than Renzik.

  “I will not murder an innocent man.” Renzik looked to me, his eyes pleading for backup.

  “If he is taken, thousands of innocent men, women, and children will die,” Arcona boomed, her intimidating voice shaking me, as I’m sure it did Renzik. “Which blood do you prefer on your hands?”

  “Abby,” Renzik prompted, but I didn’t know what to say. Her logic was not compassionate, but it was accurate. Eisen was one man, one NPC, and losing the rebellion in this region would be devastating to our fight against Osmark.

  I patted his shoulder. “Just don’t let him get captured, okay?”

  His eyes glistened with the mist of injustice, and a pop-up appeared in my vision.

  <<<>>>

  Companion Alert: Favor Decrease!

  You have done something to negatively sway Renzik Wiriya’s opinion of you. Renzik will be less likely to comply with your requests in the future, and may depart from your group.

  <<<>>>

  I bit my lip as I cleared the alert.

  “You’re both dismissed. Wyatt will be your escort to get through the portal. You leave in an hour.”

  Renzik and I walked with Wyatt in silence as we went to collect Otto from the tailor. The fitting had gone quickly, and he was well disguised as a [Glome Corrie Historian]. My disguise was for a [Glome Corrie Historian’s Assistant], and together we looked like a credible pair. Unfortunately, wearing the historian robes over our armor gave us the Overburdened Movements debuff.

  We ferried the robes away into our inventory, as well as the portal scroll that would take us to the edge of town, and let the stoic Wyatt know we were ready for departure. He led us through the halls without a word, leaving us with only one as he opened the portal. “Hurry.”

  We stepped through to the tavern’s back room, and the shimmering purple doorway snapped shut behind us. We were on our own, with no way back into the underground until we’d completed the quest.

  There was no black mass in the middle of the room, and the “guards” at the other end of the room roared with laughter as they threw cards down to a small round table.

  “Where’s the Illusionist?” Otto barked as he stepped to the group of jubilant rebels. One caught a glimpse of the dagger at Otto’s hip, and she practically threw her chair up to stand at attention.

  The Wode girl cleared her throat. “There are only two Illusionists among us now, and Jeanette needed them for other placements. Sir.”

  Otto reached across the girl and picked up the table. “You will do well to protect this post. We are on high alert, so”—he paused, turned the table sideways, and slid the cards and betting chips onto the floor—“you will be on high alert. If Patrick Vaust gets through this portal, the entire underground will be at risk.”

  The other two guards stood and straightened, all chiming in unison, “Yes, sir.”

  Otto set the table down, his eyes never leaving the young guard’s face. “Without the power of an Illusionist’s magic, the drunk Imperial guards out in that gambling hall will see us walk through, and will see everyone else walk through. We have lost a lot more than an officer and a handful of competent Illusionists, we’ve lost the protection of moving freely from this place. Do you understand?” he barked, and the girl jumped, nodding vigorously.

  “Good. Now ensure this area is secure. Set traps if you have them. He will be coming back, and it is up to you to protect our home.” He rested a hand on her shoulder, and she stiffened, her once bobbing head still as she moved into a salute.

  “We’ll keep it safe, sir.”

  Otto scowled at her for a moment longer, then pulled Renzik and me off to the side as the three guards talked much too loudly about how they were going to keep the portal safe.

  “We should be able to slip out unnoticed by the Imperials. It’s late, everyone is several drinks in, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to be watched. Patrick, or any number of his defecting Illusionist scum, might be out there. Stay on your guard, watch everyone carefully.” He looked at Renzik. “But don’t look like you’re trying to watch everyone.”

  Otto sucked in a deep breath. “Alright, everyone, quarry disguises on.”

  Scrivener

  THE POWDER-WHITE, OLD West looking streets outside of the tavern were busy with the passage of workers enjoying the night off. To keep up appearances, we talked excitedly about false gossip, and Renzik stumbled from time to time, attempting to appear drunk. We made our way toward the residential district, a completely normal thing for off-duty quarry workers to be doing, but I still felt the nerves jittering in my stomach.

  We had grabbed some old leathers, something I was not at all proficient in wearing, so I had to go with the brown sack again, and played it off like we’d just done a hard day’s work in the mines. Renzik tripped and rolled in the dirt, taking a good long look behind us before Otto laughed and moved to help him up.

  “Anything?” he whispered.

  Renzik shook his head, and we all let out a collective sigh.

  “Watch your footing next time, tripping over your own feet!” Otto laughed and gave Renzik a pat on the back to clean some of the white dust from his cloak.

  The barrier between quarry and residents was near enough for us to relax a bit, quiet down, and get our heads in the game. This was the easy part of the trip. Getting Eisen out of his house and back to the tavern without anyone seeing him was going to be the struggle.

  How long would it take Patrick to regroup with his people? Would he know we would go for Eisen? As we walked toward Eisen’s home, more, completely irrelevant, questions crossed my mind like, why had Patrick betrayed the entire rebel group? Why, if his sister had been killed by Imperials, even if it was on a botched rebel mission, had he sided with her murderers?

  “Renzik, can you scout ahead? Do you remember the way?” Otto whispered, and in a flash, the NPC disappeared into the shadows.

  Otto and I walked at a leisurely pace. If there was one sure way of getting sing
led out, it was looking in a hurry to get somewhere late at night. So, we took it slow, and gave kind nods to any passerby.

  “What’s on your mind?” Otto adjusted his chainmail shirt beneath the quarry leathers, seeming to feel uncomfortable without his strong plate metal armor.

  I seesawed my head and tried not to sound nervous as I spoke. “A lot.”

  “Tell me about some of it, if you want.”

  I tapped my teeth and took a big, calming breath. “Renzik and Arcona had a conversation that left him feeling bad.”

  “Bad how?”

  “Unfavorable toward us, bad.”

  He grunted. “I see.”

  The idea of killing Eisen to protect thousands didn’t sit great with me either, so I just hoped it wouldn’t come to that for him. “I’m wondering why Patrick is working with the Imperials.”

  “Only he knows,” Otto almost snapped back at me and we fell silent as another few Dawn Elves crossed our path. We shared “Good evenings” and continued on.

  “So, what’s on your mind?” I looked up to my friend, who was obviously perturbed.

  He kept his eyes ahead. “Similar things.”

  “There is no one suspicious ahead,” Renzik said as he popped from the shadows next to me and I jumped.

  “Good.” Otto stifled a chuckle. “Renzik, how much can you carry in stealth, do you think?”

  He shrugged. “Forty or so pounds, why?”

  “I have a feeling Eisen is going to want to bring along quite a bit, and we need to move him without looking like we’re moving him. We’re just a few friends going out for a drink at a tavern in the quarry.” Otto recited it to himself as if he were trying to make the statement true.

  Having Renzik stealth all of Eisen’s belongings was asking for trouble. If he failed, it could look as if he were a thief trying to make off with someone’s stuff. He’d be detained and then we’d have to figure out how to get into the archive and do the portal escort quest at the same time... and figure out how to break Renzik free. No, it was too much of a risk.

  “Not to discredit your stealthing skill, Renzik, because you’re obviously great at it”—I gave him a smile and he smirked—“but we can’t risk you being detained for sneaking around town with someone else’s stuff. We don’t have a lot of time for this quest, and an emergency jailbreak would call a lot of attention to us.”

  Otto nodded agreement. “What are you thinking? Tell him we’ll send someone back for his things?”

  I tsked. “No, I have a feeling he’s the kind of person who won’t leave his house, potentially forever, on a promise. We’ll each carry some of his things,” I offered. “We can distribute the load and move without being stealthed back to the tavern, then leave all of his stuff in the portal room. It’ll be safe there with the three guards.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Renzik said.

  Sweat gathered on my palms as I checked my map and saw his place was just another block away. I placed my hand over the [Leader’s Bandolier] under my recently repaired Initiate’s Robe. It had better work this time. Next to me, I could see Otto slowly scanning the oil-lamp-lit streets, the roofs, and the small, dim alleys between apartment-like buildings.

  We took the steps down to Eisen’s door, and Otto knocked a special rah-ta-ta-tap, rah-ta. We waited a few moments, and then Eisen’s voice came from the other side of the door. “I’m going to open it, but don’t come in unless you want to blow yourselves up.”

  The door creaked as a small gap opened and Eisen’s ghostly blue eye appeared. “What do you want?”

  Otto started and I cut him off. “You’re in mortal danger. A rebel officer has defected in the worst kind of way. They have your Bindings Book, and they’re coming for you next. There’s no time to waste, so grab your things, give us some too, and let’s go get a drink.”

  His piercing gaze chilled me. “Why would I be any safer with you? My home is well protected.”

  “Here, you’re alone. Your wards will work for a time, but they’ll keep coming for you, and they know exactly where you are.”

  “And the officer also knows where the portals are, and how to use them,” he shot back.

  “Exactly why we need you to come with us, create new ones, and destroy the old ones.”

  “I can’t without the oh-so-missing Bindings B—”

  “Which Abby and I are going to retrieve while you and Renzik create new portals,” Otto said, cutting him short.

  Eisen opened the door a little farther to ask, “And how is it you plan on doing that?”

  “Leave that part to us.” I put my hand in the doorway. “We’re wasting valuable time. Are you staying here or coming with us? I won’t ask again.”

  Eisen stared me down, his jaw tensing, then he looked to Renzik. “Do you know anything about portal magic?”

  Renzik shook his head. “But I know everything about fighting off Imperials. I will keep you safe.”

  Eisen tutted and opened the door all the way. “Come in, Kusamay be damned.”

  We hurried in at his request, hoping we wouldn’t blow up from any hidden wards. The backside of the door was covered in glowing blue intricate marks. They flared once, twice, then disappeared as he closed the door behind us.

  “It’s not that simple,” Eisen started with a sigh. “These portals take time, and a lot of it. If I had another Scrivener half as skilled as myself, we could complete one in an hour or so, but alone, it will take me several for just one.” He crossed his arms.

  “I think that will be okay.” I nodded as the cogs in my head spun up. “Otto and I will be taking a while in the archive. We’re going to do our best not to be detected—”

  Eisen laughed and I glared as I continued, “We’re going to do our best not to be detected, but if we are, we won’t want to come back to the tavern. We’ll need another portal ready to go. If you can create one in the business district first, then go back to the tavern, it should be just before sunup when you finish that one.

  “The Archive caravan arrives in”—I checked my stack of quest timers and found the one for Step 2 of Rebels in Need—“ten hours. We still have to get aboard that, find the Bindings Book and information on Faction Seals, then escape without being seen. So, you’ll have time for a rest, even a hot meal, and then we can go about the business of destroying the other portal locations.”

  I finished my fast-mouthed ramble, Otto and Renzik nodding agreement. Eisen simply crossed his arms tighter. “That is if everything goes according to plan. What will you do if”—he started counting on his hands—“you get caught, I get caught, Renzik dies, the caravan doesn’t show, you can’t get on it, you can’t find the Bindings Book, you—”

  “Enough of the Negative Nancy shit!” I yelled and threw my hands up. “Can you seriously just try to believe in us?”

  Eisen pursed his lips.

  I mimicked his posture. “What other choice do we have? I’m open to better suggestions, but we’re running out of time, and right now you’re priority target number one for the defected officer.” I wasn’t sure that was true, but it would be stupid if it wasn’t Patrick’s first move. Having Eisen and the Bindings Book would give him ultimate power over the rebel groups, and their only option would be to abandon the hideout.

  Eisen tapped his foot three times, then rolled his eyes. “Fine. Let me get my things.”

  “How can we help?” Renzik followed after Eisen as he took off down the hall.

  The Frostlock waved him off. “Stay out of my way. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

  “Do not forget a new book for the directory!” Renzik called after him.

  Eisen growled an impatient, “I know,” in response as he passed into the room we’d teleported into just a few days ago.

  We waited in tense silence as Eisen rummaged around, cursed, and threw things in the back. He made frequent mentions of “incompetent buffoons” and “damn rebels.” Though it appeared he worked with them willingly, he did not particularly like the
rebel faction in Alaunhylles. I knew that the Hvitalfar were cozy companions of the Imperials, but the opening sequence of the game didn’t give more than that, and I didn’t really have time back IRL to dig into the minutiae of Eldgard’s past.

  It had been ten minutes and Eisen was still searching through his things, so I decided to go lend a hand. Otto gave me a stern look as I walked toward the hall, but I shrugged him off. What was Eisen going to do, frostbolt me? He needed us, and he knew it.

  “Want some help?” I poked my head through the door and caught a glimpse of a startled Eisen, who composed himself immediately.

  The room was in shambles, tapestries ripped from the walls, wards exploded, tables, trunks, and chairs overturned. The bed had been cut open and ripped down the middle.

  Instantly my playful demeanor morphed to crisis mode. “They’ve already been here, haven’t they?”

  Eisen straightened. “Just Patrick. He tried to manipulate me, I detected it, and banished him from my home.”

  “This looks a little more severe than that,” I declared as I charged into the room. With the serious change of tone in my voice, Otto came running.

  Eisen squared his shoulders indignantly. “He summoned my nightmare creature when I told him I would not accompany him on a secret mission to retrieve the Bindings Book.”

  “Which is?” I gestured to the absolutely destroyed room.

  Eisen licked his lips, his eyes darting from me to the door. “None of your business.”

  “Eisen, if we run into another Illusionist with that spell, we need to be able to spot the real threat versus the illusion.”

  Eisen shook his head. “Trust me, you’ll know the difference.” He went back to rummaging through his scattered effects. “Ah, there you are.” He pulled a silver pen from the floor. It had a small hook on one end, and the other looked like the tip of a tiny drill bit.

  Eisen reached his hand out to me. “Give me one of your rings.”

  I looked at my fingers, then found the [Simple Silver Ring] and passed it to him.