Awaken Online: Dominion

by Travis Bagwell

  Jason could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he remembered the scene. He had yelled at them, venting some of the things he had been bottling for months. How the hell would they know if he had changed? They hadn’t even been around enough to notice! They had always been workaholics, but deep down, he had thought they would have his back when push came to shove. He thought that they would at least be there when it really mattered.

  They had proven him wrong.

  “I just can’t shake the look on my mom’s face,” Jason muttered, sinking back to the tiles beside Frank. “It was like she thought I was sick or something…”

  Silence hung over the rooftop as Frank processed that information and Jason struggled with his own memories.

  “Geez, I’m sorry, man,” Frank said, putting a heavy hand on Jason’s shoulder. He hesitated for a moment, as though considering how to ask his next question. “Honestly, this Gloria lady sounds like a bitch. I can’t believe she ambushed you like that. I’m still not even sure I get what she was trying to do.”

  Jason just shook his head. He knew what Gloria had wanted, but he couldn’t tell Frank that she wanted him to flip on Alfred. He still felt like she was fishing for something. “Who knows,” he muttered noncommittally.

  Frank just nodded, a frown creasing his forehead. He glanced at Jason beside him before asking tentatively, “So where did you leave it?”

  Jason chuckled grimly. “Francis got me out of the room as fast as he could, so I didn’t make too much of a scene. I bet Gloria will push for the regulatory hearing soon. It’s just a matter of time, and she doesn’t seem like the sort of person to back down from a fight.”

  “And what about your parents?” Frank probed gently.

  “What about them?” Jason snapped before doing a double take. He shouldn’t take this out on Frank. “Shit. I’m sorry, man. It’s just been a rough couple of weeks.”

  Jason sighed. “I guess I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t really feel like talking to either of them right now. And I’m sure as hell not moving out of my apartment at Cerillion Entertainment. George assured me I could stay there for as long as I want. Plus, what would happen to Angie? Her house is still a crime scene.”

  Jason sighed, glancing at the city around them. “As if that wasn’t bad enough, we’re probably going to lose this place – AO, I mean. I’m sure Gloria will force me to attend this hearing. Hell, she’ll probably make me testify or something. If they’re successful, the CPSC will start some sort of witch hunt. Which means Cerillion Entertainment won’t have any reason to keep paying me or giving me a place to stay.

  The pair sat in silence for a long moment, staring up at the boiling clouds and the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the dark city around them.

  Meanwhile, Jason’s thoughts spun in the same, worn circles as he tried to think of some way to salvage the situation. It was worse than what he had told Frank. So much worse. And he didn’t see a way out. They would make him testify – of that he was certain. Gloria had been pretty clear about how she planned to present her case at the regulatory hearing, and Jason was her crown jewel. His only hope at this point was that she was bluffing and using the threat of calling Jason as a witness to try to convince him to testify against Alfred and Cerillion Entertainment.

  Although, what if he did end up testifying? Would he get up and lie about Alfred – about the things he had witnessed in-game? What if she had some evidence? Did he even know if the AI was really helping people? He had the impression that no one was even watching Alfred. Unsurprisingly, the AI didn’t seem too concerned about his own lack of oversight.

  On the other hand, he didn’t think the AI was harming him. Short of the break-in and Gloria’s thinly-veiled threats, his life had improved since he had started playing the game. He was more independent than ever before. He stood up for himself now instead of letting people walk all over him.

  And then there was the look on his parents’ faces. It was like they thought he’d gone mad. They had pointed out that he had no qualms about killing other players in cold blood, despite the realism of AO. He wasn’t going to apologize for that. It was just a game. It wasn’t like he was going around killing people in the real world for sport.

  That thought immediately conjured the image of the boys that had broken into Angie’s home. They might have been there to hurt him, but that encounter had very real and lasting consequences. Part of him was unsure of how he might have acted had he been conscious. Would he have done the same thing? Killed someone if his back was to a wall? Was he certain that the AI had done the right thing? Had killing them been necessary? All he had was Alfred’s word.

  Jason shook his head. In the end, it all boiled down to a single question that he wasn’t certain he knew how to answer.

  Was he really picking the right side here?

  With a groan, Frank lifted himself to his feet and offered a hand to Jason.

  “What’s this?” Jason asked, staring skeptically at his friend.

  “We’re not going to sit here and mope, so c’mon,” Frank insisted. “We have stuff to do and people to kill. Evil kingdoms to run. You know the drill.”

  “Really? What’s the point of playing some game with everything going on?” Jason said, despair tinging his voice. “Hell, we probably won’t even be able to play AO in a couple of weeks.”

  Frank glared down at him. “Don’t give me that whiney crap. You conquered a damn city – actually, two by my count! We fought an army of players and made our way through a crazy god’s labyrinth of messed-up games. We fought a freaking dragon!”

  “I’m not sure I see the point…” Jason began.

  Frank looked him squarely in the eye. “This lady is nothing compared to what we’ve tackled so far. You know how we can stick it to her? We make sure that we’re the evilest, most badass sons of bitches this world has ever seen.

  “You know how many views your videos get? Millions. Millions of people watch your stream and tune into Vermillion Live to see what we’re going to do next. And when they have this little hearing or whatever, there’ll be thousands of people lining up outside to complain. They don’t want the game they love to go away or to miss out on what you do next. It’s a blast watching you get a little evil. I should know; I’ve had front row seats for a while now.”

  Jason just stared at his friend, a peel of thunder echoing in the distance. His thoughts whirled and spun – anger, fear, and self-doubt creating an unbearable cocktail of despair. Amid the hurricane of emotions, he could also feel a faint trickle of hope as he considered what Frank was saying. Jason clung to that feeling. He had to. Because if he didn’t, he wasn’t certain what else he could do.

  Abruptly, he reached out and grabbed Frank’s hand, hauling himself to his feet. He threw up the hood of his cloak, only his grin visible beneath the magically enhanced shadows cast by the cowl.

  “You know what, you’re right,” Jason replied, dark mana pulsing through his veins and forcefully pushing back at the anxiety and fear that still clouded his mind. “We need to get to work.”

  Chapter 3 - Decimated

  Frank and Jason trod down the streets of the Twilight Throne, wooden buildings towering on either side of the roadway. The ivory silhouettes of Jason’s Death Knights created a phalanx ahead of them, forcing the occasional pedestrian and player out of the way with their heavy, spiked shields. The rhythmic thump of footsteps and the creak of bone behind Jason reminded him that a similar force covered their rear.

  Jason had learned his lesson a long time ago. It was becoming difficult to disguise his movements within the city, and there had been far too many assassination attempts for him to be careless. The presence of the hulking skeletons, armed with hefty, ivory weapons and their eye sockets containing roiling balls of dark mana, were usually enough to ward off all but the most foolhardy of the players.

  As the group walked in the direction of the market, Jason noted that several of the buildings they passed wer
e under construction, and the structures had been completely gutted. Exposed wooden beams created a rough outline of what might eventually become a building. Even as Jason watched, one of the zombie minotaurs appeared, hauling a massive beam and slamming it down onto a pile of similar material. It seemed that Grunt’s renovation project in the southern part of the Twilight Throne was still underway.

  Frank followed Jason’s gaze. “Jerry and Grunt have made good progress. The new buildings are pretty rough, but we actually have a few open homes now after relocating the current residents, and that includes the new recruits that William keeps sending.” He hesitated, a grin creeping across his face. “Not that the players are exactly fighting each other to buy a house here… yet. I still hold out hope that this could become a prime vacation destination.”

  Jason raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Really? For who?”

  “Uh, goth people – is that still a thing? Sadists and murderers? People practicing their evil cackle? It’s all about playing to a niche market,” Frank said, rolling his eyes at his own attempt at using the “business speak” his father employed.

  “Well, while we’re on the subject of people moving into the city, what’s the deal with the new recruits for Original Sin?” Jason inquired.

  This earned him a grimace from Frank. “Ugh, it’s been slow going. I’m still trying to think through an easy weed-out process besides me interviewing every single person. Right now, it’s mostly crazies.” He sighed. “Joking aside, many think we kill and pillage every player in sight.” He spared a glance at Jason. “Which isn’t quite true. It’s just most players and NPCs.”

  “I admire their enthusiasm, but that’s not really practical from a stability standpoint,” Jason replied, his thoughts distant as he considered the problems plaguing the Twilight Throne. “Right now, we could use some trading partners with the nearby cities and more visiting players.”

  “No kidding,” Frank grumbled. “Plus, your videos don’t exactly help with recruitment. They’re great for keeping the players and NPCs from attacking us, but they sort of attract the bottom of the barrel. That being said, a couple people seemed relatively normal, so I’ve got a few prospects for some guild lieutenants. We’re at maybe fifteen or so members right now.”

  Jason’s frown deepened. He suspected that it was only a matter of time before someone decided to attack the Twilight Throne again and they would need boots on the ground. William’s corpses certainly helped, but not every new NPC decided to join the military, and they weren’t exactly expendable. What they really needed were more players.

  He hated to admit it, but the city was struggling. Population was just one problem. Most of the NPC cities weren’t interested in trading with them given their current reputation. Although, that ignored the fact that they didn’t really have anything to trade. Their main export seemed to be dust and rainless black clouds. Also murder, but that hadn’t seemed too popular either. You’d think at least one ruler would have considered hiring them as mercenaries with their current track record. It was little consolation that Jason suspected that they were too nervous to even broach the subject.

  His troubled thoughts were interrupted as he saw a small gray object barreling toward the group. A Death Knight attempted a lazy swing at the creature, but it swiftly darted out of the way, coming to rest in front of Jason. He soon saw that it was the small gray imp, its wings a flurry of movement as it hovered in the air.

  “Meanie pants,” Pint grunted in greeting, his pitchfork resting lazily on his shoulder.

  “Pint,” Jason answered with a pained expression. “What is it?”

  “Pretty Lady asked you and Fatty come to Keep,” Pint said, his eyes brightening as he mentioned Riley. “Not sure why need you,” he added bitterly.

  “Maybe it’s because he’s the Regent of the city,” Frank offered, his hands clenching around the hilt of the axes dangling from his waist. “You know, your boss?”

  Pint just snorted at that comment and immediately darted away before Jason could say anything. “I hate that imp,” he muttered. “Why couldn’t the familiar bound to the keep be a little more agreeable?”

  “Maybe you should re-roll as a girl,” Frank offered with a grin. “He sure seems fond of Riley. It’s actually a little sexist if you ask me.”

  “I’m half tempted. Plus, it would be an awesome disguise. No one would expect a pretty blonde girl to be the ruler of an undead city.”

  Frank glanced at Jason out of the corner of his eye. “A pretty blond girl, huh? Interesting choice of words. I’ve been meaning to ask what was up at the bubble tea place. It looked like I was interrupting something.”

  Jason could feel his face warm and he was thankful for the magical darkness that his cloak provided. He and Riley hadn’t had a chance to talk since they had almost… well, whatever had been about to happen there.

  When Jason didn’t respond immediately, Frank nudged him with his elbow. “It almost looked like you two were about to kiss. Although, the tears were a weird addition.” Frank lifted a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Wait! Did you actually kiss her and that’s what made her start crying? That would make a lot more sense.”

  Jason punched him in the shoulder, the blow barely budging the barbarian and earning him a chuckle from his friend. “Shut up. We didn’t do anything. I guess… I guess we were about to kiss? I don’t know.”

  “Hmm. Well, if I get a vote, it’s about damn time. You should have made a move months ago. Especially before Alex got his hooks in her.”

  Jason couldn’t help but agree. He probably should have asked her out. Correction, he probably still should ask her out. His encounter with Riley had been overshadowed by the meeting with his parents, but he was excited to see her again. Actually, it was one of the few things that had helped him get through the last few days. Although, he was also a bit nervous about her reaction. He hadn’t lied to Frank. It had been a couple of days since they had spoken. He wasn’t sure what to say when they saw each other again. Maybe he could ask her to dinner or something? For some reason, the thought made his heart race and his palms feel damp.

  Frank gave him a knowing look but decided to drop the subject, an amused grin still lingering on his face. The pair lapsed into silence. A few minutes later, they caught sight of the entrance to the marketplace in the center of town. Even at this distance, they could make out the roar of dozens of voices and the teeming mass of NPCs and players that weaved between the dark booths. However, Jason couldn’t help but notice that the numbers were nothing compared to what had frequented the market before the creation of the Twilight Throne.

  Even the visiting player population had decreased after the initial appeal of his dark city had worn off. New players were also rare. They didn’t have the best leveling areas for low-level players, and there was a decided lack of class trainers in the Twilight Throne since it didn’t have a mage guild. Unless a player was looking to train in dark magic, there wasn’t much reason to venture this far afield, and it was a big gamble for a new player.

  There were even articles on a bunch of gaming websites warning new players away from the Twilight Throne. Not for the first time, Jason realized he would need to do something to fix these problems. He had thought things would be easier after completing the Old Man’s quest, but his recent transformation hadn’t solved any of the major economic and social problems plaguing his city.

  Why does this game have to be so damn complicated? he thought to himself.

  Frank seemed to note the way Jason was glaring at the sparsely populated market and he rested a heavy hand on his friend’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out, man. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Or, you know, the evil equivalent of Rome.” His head tilted to the side in thought. “Actually, it’s sort of like Rome got hit by volcanic ash like Pompei and that ash also carried a zombie virus.”

  “Is this supposed to be making me feel better?” Jason asked. Despite his grumbling tone, he couldn’t help the small smile that curled his li
ps.

  “Not really, I…” Frank trailed off as three figures stepped in front of the group, effectively blocking their way. They wore heavy cloaks that obscured most of their bodies, but Jason could make out bands of gray cloth crisscrossing their arms and torso as they moved. Their faces were obscured by the hoods of their cloaks, the shadows impenetrable even to Jason’s Night Vision.

  “Oh, for the love of… This is what? Like the fiftieth assassination attempt?” Frank muttered. “You would think you guys would learn your lesson at some point. And why is it always the market? There are plenty of other places to confront us. What about the stables? The inn? The lack of creativity is just disappointing.”

  While Jason appreciated his friend’s complaint, it didn’t help them right now. Besides, he had an odd feeling about this encounter. This group seemed unusually quiet, and they were in a position that made it difficult to surround or ambush Jason’s forces from the rear, which must mean that these three men felt confident taking on Jason and Frank by themselves. They were either suicidal or incredibly dangerous. To be safe, Jason sent a mental order for some of the Death Knights at the rear to reinforce the group facing the strangers.

  “What can I do for you?” Jason demanded, raising his voice. He was conscious of the players and NPCs in the nearby market. He could see that they had already captured the attention of more than one curious passerby. The last thing he needed was another video making him out to be some sort of psychopath by cutting down random strangers. Not with the CPSC breathing down his neck. Maybe he could resolve this peacefully.

  The figure in the center stepped forward, pushing back at his hood to reveal his face. Scars crisscrossed the rough skin, marring the stubble on his chin. A thin cloth bandage was draped over one of his eyes, obscuring it from sight. Jason might have thought that the man had just escaped from a medieval hospital if not for his confident posture and the way his lone eye stared evenly at Jason – its crystalline blue iris holding no hint of fear or doubt.