Awaken Online: Dominion

by Travis Bagwell

  However, the game world – and Alfred – didn’t seem to be done with him.

  The ground of the market began to shake. The vibrations started gently but quickly grew in strength. Jason wobbled, trying to maintain his balance as the earthquake continued. Meanwhile, the ground in the center of the market began to crumble and crack, splitting apart in deep furrows. At the apex of the fault lines erupted a massive bone fist, the skeletal fingers penetrating the soil and debris before stretching into the sky.

  “Oh, come on,” Jason muttered to himself. “Can’t we catch a break. Just one?”

  “Kin, prepare yourselves,” he shouted, addressing his soldiers.

  The weary and injured undead responded to this call, marshaling themselves into a haphazard, semi-circle around the skeletal fist that now rested in the center of the market, clutching at their weapons, and whispering prayers to the Dark One. Jason was tempted to do the same, his knuckles white as he held his staff at the ready. They couldn’t take much more.

  The skeletal hand slowly unfurled, its fingers drifting open with the creak and snap of bone scraping against bone. As the hand opened fully, Jason saw that a massive fragment of some unknown substance rested in its palm. The strange object wasn’t alone. Two other individuals stood beside it, their palms resting on its surface and their weapons held at the ready. One was wearing heavy gold-plated armor – its once-shining surface now dented and clouded with dirt. The other was a hulking man, his body almost entirely stained in dried blood and his eyes wild as he glanced around the courtyard.

  In their current state, it took Jason a moment to recognize the pair, his tired mind struggling to catch up. Then he realized that it was Frank staring back him, familiar lightning crackling up the length of his axe, which meant that the man standing beside him must be Alexion. Jason’s nemesis seemed to be struggling to understand where he was, his eyes flashing with golden energy as he surveyed the undead soldiers surrounding him cautiously.

  “Uh, hey Jason,” Frank said, meeting Jason’s gaze. “I guess I brought you some presents.”

  Chapter 62 - Cruel

  “I guess you did,” Jason replied to Frank, a grim smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

  He turned his attention to his nemesis, noting the way he crouched defensively, his sword raised. “Hello, Alex. Or I suppose I should call you Alexion here. If we had known we were expecting guests, we would have tried to clean up a little,” Jason offered.

  As he spoke, Jason made a subtle gesture at Frank to get his attention, motioning for him to move away from Alexion. A glance at his system UI confirmed Frank’s health was low. Frank took the hint and backed away, keeping his eyes on Alexion even as Eliza moved to hand him a batch of potions.

  Alexion slowly lowered his sword, an impassive expression lingering on his face. He was completely outnumbered and surrounded. The Kin stared at him menacingly, and a line of archers formed among their ranks, arrows drawn and pointed at Alexion. Despite their haggard appearance, they were still more than enough to kill him.

  “It does look like your city has seen better days,” Alexion remarked, gesturing at the ruined courtyard, ivory debris and corpses riddling the ground. “Although, I’m sad to see that the invasion proved insufficient to wipe this place off the map.”

  Jason snorted. “It will take more than a few ghouls to best us.”

  “Indeed,” Alexion replied. His hand still clutched his sword tightly, and he made no move to drop the weapon. “What now? I suppose you’ll kill me?”

  “Now, now, don’t be so hasty,” Jason offered. “Killing you seems a little extreme. Perhaps we can talk for a second. Think of it as a party – we certainly have plenty of guests.” He gestured at the line of Kin to the left, and Alexion turned his head slightly to survey the collection of archers.

  Jason used this window to look over at Eliza. The water mage still hovered beside Frank, inspecting his wounds, but she noticed Jason staring. He glanced meaningfully between her and Alexion, causing Eliza’s brow to furrow in confusion. Frank saw the exchange, and he leaned down, whispering in her ear. The water mage’s eyes widened. She gave a curt nod and clutched at one of her wands as she started to edge around Alexion to the right. Frank moved to back to the line of Kin, passing among their ranks and issuing a series of hushed orders.

  Jason just needed to buy some time.

  “I see you have me at your mercy. So, what exactly do you want to discuss?” Alexion demanded, facing Jason squarely. “It seems that you have the gate piece,” he offered, gesturing at the fragment behind him.

  Jason’s eyes widened slightly as he glanced at the strange hunk of metal. He had seen the universal system notice, but he hadn’t realized that Frank had already secured the piece. His friend had apparently delivered more than one present.

  Recovering quickly, Jason replied, “Well, there’s still the matter of the undead slaves you took in Fastu. Why are you kidnapping civilians, by the way? Even for you, it seems a bit low. Or perhaps it’s a fetish thing…” he trailed off, hearing Jerry’s snort of amusement behind him. Perhaps he had been spending too much time with the innkeeper.

  Alexion grimaced, ignoring Jason’s barb. “Civilians?” he echoed, his voice incredulous. “This is a game. They are nothing more than NPCs – to be spent and discarded. Or to be traded for coin.”

  Frank surged forward angrily, brandishing his axes, but Jason motioned for him to stand down. He hadn’t missed the fact that Frank had arrived alone. He had likely seen many of the Kin fall already. Jason could sympathize. They had lost many lives today.

  “To think I’ve been worried that you are a real threat,” Jason murmured. “It’s becoming clear just how little you understand this world.” This statement caused Alexion to start, the gold-clad man glaring at Jason. “You see this market? This wasn’t caused by a traveler. A single enemy did this. An NPC did this.”

  Alexion hesitated, his eyes scanning the destruction in the courtyard with an appraising expression. “One man…” he muttered.

  “Indeed. The NPCs of this world are not to be treated lightly. We are the trespassers here,” Jason replied, arching an eyebrow. “Now answer my question. What did you want with our people?”

  Alexion smirked. “We wanted to sell them. We still will. I came through the portal with your fat friend here, but my men are still alive, and I’m certain that they will return to the Crystal Reach with the slaves.”

  Jason spared a glance at Frank and saw the truth of Alexion’s statement mirrored in his friend’s eyes. As he had suspected, his friend must have been on the losing end of his exchange with Alexion. That would explain his haggard appearance and low health. He must have tried to grab the gate piece as a last-ditch effort, Jason thought to himself.

  Turning back to Alexion, Jason’s expression hardened, his mana surging angrily. That meant those people were likely out of their reach. They were in no condition to aid anyone. And even if they sent help now, Alexion’s men would be long gone before they arrived. That just meant even more of the Kin had had lost their lives. However, the cause of their suffering was standing in front of Jason. This time, he wouldn’t have to hunt down his enemy.

  “Then it looks like we have another score to settle,” Jason said darkly, his voice echoing with power and a dark aura radiating away from his body. Almost instinctively, he summoned a Soul Slash, the blade of obsidian energy arcing away from his staff.

  Alexion’s grip tightened on his sword as Jason took a single, ponderous step forward. The Kin behind Jason shuffled anxiously, ready to strike. “Then let’s end it. I’m not afraid to die,” Alexion retorted, readying himself.

  Jason barked out a harsh laugh. “Die? What makes you think I plan to kill you?”

  Alexion looked confused, his brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you see, if we were to kill you here, then you would just respawn somewhere else – likely back in the Crystal Reach,” Jason explained, approaching slowly.
Alexion was starting to look nervous, his attention fixed solely on Jason’s dark form.

  “I have something much better in mind,” Jason continued. “Why don’t you stay a while? We have some nice accommodations that would fit you perfectly. It might not be what you are used to, but I’m sure they will grow on you over time.”

  Alexion’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. “What are you saying?” With his eyes glued on Jason, Alexion didn’t seem to be aware of the mist that was creeping around his feet, the moisture glowing with a sickly yellow light and thickening swiftly.

  A grin crept across Jason’s lips, his eyes glinting with dark energy. “I’m saying that you aren’t going anywhere.”

  Realization dawned in Alexion’s eyes, and he suddenly twisted his sword, moving to slice his own throat. Yet he was too slow. The yellow moisture accumulating around his feet shot upward, enveloping his face and nose in a thick fog, even as the dark mages among the Kin released a wave of curses, the occasional needle managing to pierce his armor and dramatically slowing Alexion movements.

  A moment later, Jason’s nemesis crashed to the ground unconscious. They had barely stopped Alexion in time, the line of blood on his neck evidence of the close call. As Jason watched the paladin’s prone form, his smile widened. He gestured at two of the Kin who stood nearby, and the undead soldiers snapped to attention.

  “Strip him of his weapons and armor,” Jason ordered. “Inspect him carefully. Don’t leave anything on him that he could use to hurt himself. Then I want him placed in one of the tower cells. Post guards. I want eyes on him at all times.”

  Jason hesitated, watching the soldiers. “Let me be very clear. Do not let him harm himself – under any circumstances.” They gave him a curt nod in return before moving forward to carry out his orders.

  “Why not just kill him?” Eliza asked, stepping back around the bone fist, her wand clutched in her hand and the yellow mist beginning to recede. Her eyes glowed a brilliant blue, and her voice was impassive, entirely devoid of emotion. “He just admitted that he took slaves. He deserves to die.”

  “Perhaps he does. But this will be even worse than death,” Jason answered, his gaze still fixed on Alexion. It seemed the universe had decided to toss him a bone after all. “If we kill him, he’ll simply respawn in the Crystal Reach and immediately go back to harassing us. However, if we imprison him and keep him from killing himself, then there’s no way for him to return to the Crystal Reach. His avatar will be trapped here, and he will have to roll a new character.

  “I guess we’ll get to see if his god’s favor lasts through a re-roll,” Frank muttered, a smirk on his lips.

  Eliza looked at Jason in surprise, her gaze darting between him and Alexion’s prone form. “Oh,” she said quietly. “Oh, shit.”

  “I’ll admit it’s a little dark,” Frank offered with a grimace. “But this asshole deserves it.” He punctuated this statement by kicking Alexion’s unmoving body. “He’s killed dozens of the Kin and has been a royal pain in our ass since day one.”

  “Besides, it’s the logical choice,” Morgan offered as she stepped forward. She had found another robe at some point, tucking away her extra set of limbs beneath the heavy fabric. “It’s the necessary choice.”

  At the sound of Morgan’s voice, Jason turned, his dark eyes flashing menacingly. He hadn’t forgotten what the mage had done, and she still had much to answer for. At a gesture, the remaining Kin turned to face the dark mage, their weapons at the ready once again. Morgan froze, raising her hands into the air in a placating gesture, her gaze fixed on Jason.

  “That’s an interesting observation coming from you,” Jason said, sweeping his staff forward as he advanced toward Morgan. “In your case, I don’t need to worry about you returning from beyond the grave. You have sixty seconds to explain yourself, or we’ll be painting this courtyard with your blood.”

  “What are you doing?” Frank asked, confusion riddling his face.

  “I’ll explain later,” Jason answered tersely, his mana throbbing in his veins and urging him to kill the mage. She was responsible for many, many deaths. For the near destruction of his city. “For now, Morgan needs to tell us a story. Her life depends on it.”

  The dark mage met Jason’s gaze evenly, unperturbed by the bloodlust that radiated off him in waves. “Now this is the dark regent I was meant to serve,” she murmured, watching him. “A man that can make hard choices to save his people. A ruler that acts with ruthless efficiency.”

  “You are wasting your time,” Jason grunted. “Explain. Now.”

  Morgan sighed, rubbing at her neck. “Do you remember the mission you gave me several weeks ago? You asked me to find the gate pieces, no?”

  “I remember,” Jason answered tersely.

  Morgan met his eyes again, her expression unapologetic. “Well, I spent days scouring the scrolls and tomes that I recovered from the keep. There were very few mentions of these gates or the fragments. Even more disturbing, it appeared that references to the gates had been intentionally purged from those writings. Pages were ripped out and lines of text inked through. In short, I reached a dead end.” She hesitated, grimacing as she recalled the memory.

  “That’s when Thorn approached me.”

  Morgan waved a hand as she continued, “I expected him to kill me. I assumed he was making the rounds of the Shadow Council, knocking us off one-by-one. I was wrong.

  “Instead, Thorn made me an interesting offer. Apparently, his Order had been watching me for some time – since before the fall of Lux. They were concerned that the Dark One might tap me as his chosen. Flattering really. Thorn sought to prey upon my presumed resentment. He assumed that I wished to be the Dark One’s avatar. He asked me why I wasn’t the one leading this city. Then he offered me rulership of this kingdom in return for my help.”

  Jason’s hand clenched around his staff, and he was already visualizing lopping the arrogant mage’s head from her shoulders. The only thing that held him back was the memory of her betraying Thorn. She and Jerry had given him the window he needed to stop the one-eyed man. So, he held his tongue. For the moment, at least.

  “Don’t misunderstand me,” Morgan continued. “My life hung in the balance, so initially I played along out of self-preservation. If I had turned down Thorn’s offer right then and there, I would be dead. So, instead, I pretended to weigh it and then accepted. My thought was that I could simply report the event to the council, and we could take appropriate measures.”

  Morgan leaned forward, a hungry smile appearing on her face. The expression felt unnatural, and Jason suddenly realized it was one of the few times he had ever seen her smile. “Then I had another idea. What if I just kept going? I could endear myself to Thorn, and he might reveal more information regarding the gates. He might give me an opportunity to betray him. The chance to kill him.”

  “You’re claiming that you were working as a double agent?” Jason asked, tamping down on his anger. This story was unexpected, but he detected an element of truth in Morgan’s words. She had always helped him – which is why her betrayal had come as a shock.

  “I am not claiming anything. My actions speak for themselves,” Morgan retorted forcefully. “We would not be having this conversation if not for my choices. Thorn is dead, and we stand here – alive and victorious.”

  Jason gestured at the ivory remains that littered the marketplace. “We would also have avoided this battle, the deaths of hundreds of our own soldiers, and the destruction of our city. And don’t think that I have forgotten that you repurposed the injured Kin to create that… that creature,” he added, motioning toward the remains of the Abomination. The remaining soldiers in the market shuffled uncomfortably.

  “I’m not claiming that the price was small,” Morgan replied with a shrug. “However, I worked with what was given to me. If I had chosen a different path – if I had come to the Council – Thorn might have noticed. I have no doubt he was having me watched closely.”

&n
bsp; “Besides, ultimately, the outcome was favorable. We destroyed Thorn and his little band of sycophants. We have also conquered the outlying area around the city, imprisoned your nemesis, and we have secured the gate piece and valuable intelligence.”

  Morgan met his eyes. “I did what was necessary to protect this city and to preserve the Dark One’s power. Or did you think that Thorn would have simply stopped if I had refused him? He would have found another way. There are other dark mages. However, I would no longer have been in a position to help. In fact, I would likely be rotting in my old graveyard right now.

  “So, tell me, Jason, what would you have had me do?” Morgan demanded, her eyes flashing with obsidian energy, causing the Kin to shift anxiously and their grips on their weapons to tighten.

  Jason carefully considered what Morgan had just said. What would he have done differently? He was angry that Morgan had betrayed them and had concealed her actions from the Council, but she was right that it had led to their victory – even if had come at an exorbitant price.

  He was reluctant to admit it, but some part of him also admired what she had done. Her plan was cunning. Her strategy had used people like pawns on a chess board, but she had also obtained results. Jason couldn’t help but think of Gloria and George as he stared into Morgan’s eyes. They were filled with the same cruel, cold light. More important, he knew that he needed that – that ruthlessness – if he was going to survive, both here and in his own world. Even now, he knew he still had much to learn.

  “There is some truth to your words,” Jason finally admitted.

  He paced forward, a blade of darkness sliding away from his staff as he summoned another Soul Slash. Despite her attempt to remain calm, he could see Morgan squirm under his gaze, shifting her weight ever-so-slightly. He had no doubt that her other set of arms was moving beneath her robe, preparing to cast if he attacked.