by Rachel Aaron
"Well, you did, and thank you," Tina said, looking around at the raid. Beyond the circle of her officers, everyone was watching her nervously, waiting for her to tell them where to go, what to do next. Normally, Tina relished that attention, but right now all she wanted to do was hide. If this had still been the game, she would have dumped herself out of VR right then and there. A few hours of barfing in her tiny bathroom from dumpshock sounded like paradise compared to taking even one more step through this horrible, hellish city. But this wasn't a game anymore, and she didn't have that luxury. Someone had to stand up and keep moving, and unless she was ready to give up her position as raid leader, that someone had to be her.
"All right," she said, pulling herself straight. "We didn't get everything we wanted, but we rescued our people, and that's what's most important. We've got a whole city to scavenge supplies from, so we're going to stick to the plan and make for the bank. They're already reinforcing the square behind us, which means we gotta move. Anyone who still needs healing, stay to the middle. Casters, you're cleared to heal as we march. Get everyone to full and stay on alert. We're still in enemy territory. Rangers and Assassins, you're our scouts. Keep an eye out for trouble and make sure we don't get lost. Everyone else stay in formation. I'm going to hang back and watch our rear since that's the most likely direction of attack. Zen, you're on point. Move out!"
Zen saluted and raced to the front of the raid as the players started to trundle forward.
When she was satisfied that everyone was paying attention and on the move, Tina turned to SB. "Sorry I didn't get to ask before," she said quietly. "But are you okay? Malakai hit you pretty hard."
"Not as hard as he hit you," SB replied, but though the words were typical flippant Blayde, Tina instantly knew that something was off. Though he was walking right beside her, he refused to meet her eyes, which made her more upset than if he'd yelled in her face.
"What's wrong?"
"We're missing some people," came the quiet reply.
Tina cursed under her breath, furious with herself for not doing a head count before starting the march. "Who's unaccounted for? KatanaFatale I know, but who else?" How many more of her friends had she gotten killed?
"No one else is dead," he said quickly. "It's just..."
He faded off, leaving Tina ready to gnaw through her armor in anxiety. "Just what?"
SB stopped with a sigh, and then he turned to face her at last.
"James is gone."
Tina froze. "Gone?" she got out at last, then her hands curled into fists. "What do you mean, he's 'gone'?"
SilentBlayde looked down at his feet, tugging his mask up so high, it touched the bottom of his eyes. "He and Ar'Bati knocked me out and stole the bag of letters," he whispered. "I didn't wake up until one of the lowbie Clerics dumped her entire mana pool into me. By that point, they were long gone."
"Knocked you out?" she repeated, unbelieving. "How did James knock you out?"
"He got to me right after Malakai threw me through the barricade," SB explained, hunching lower and lower. "I thought he was coming to heal me. I never dreamed he'd whack me over the head! It wasn't even a real attack, but I was so low already, I couldn't take it." He wrapped his arms around his stomach. "I'm so sorry, Tina. I failed you. This is all my fault."
"No, it's not," Tina said emphatically. "It's James's fault."
It was always James's fault. She didn't want to believe he'd attack SB when he was nearly dead, but she should have known better than to trust her brother. He could make a mess out of anything. Now SilentBlayde was super upset, which was making her upset, and all she wanted to do was strangle her stupid brother for causing it all. Not even the drama vortex that was NekoBaby had been enough to counter his ability to wreck everything of Tina's that he got close to. When she got her hands on him again, she was going to hog-tie him with his own tail.
"I'm sorry, Tina," SB said, still not looking at her. "I couldn't save you from Malakai. I couldn't stop James. I couldn't do anything."
"Stop that," she ordered sharply. "For the last time, this is not your fault, and I don't blame you for any of it. And you did save me from Malakai. If you hadn't appeared when you did, he would have stomped me into Roxxy dust. I'm the one who should have kept him off you. I'm the tank."
"But you can't do it alone!" he cried, meeting her eyes at last. "You almost died! I'm the one who messed up. I shouldn't have let him hit me. Should have been faster. If I'd been able to stay in the fight, we might have been able to save Katana, and you wouldn't have nearly..."
He looked back down at his feet, unable to finish, and Tina sighed.
"SB, come on," she said gently. "Look at me."
When he didn't lift his head, she moved a little closer. "Haruto--"
"Please don't call me by that name," he said in a hard, quiet voice. "Today is enough by itself without reminding me of my old life."
Tina smiled at him. "But I like Haruto. He's the best. I could never have made it to college without him, and we always had so much fun playing--"
"I'm not him," SB snarled, making her jump back. "Haruto is gone, and no one will miss him."
Tina blinked in surprise. She'd never heard SB sound so nasty before. She wanted to ask what part of what she'd said had made him so angry, but she was terrified to try. The one time she'd pushed him on this subject, it had almost ruined everything. Losing SB was a risk she'd sworn she'd never take again, but he just looked so hurt. She couldn't stand seeing him like that, not her SilentBlayde. So she took a shaky breath and eased forward again, speaking the words like she was easing her giant stonekin feet onto a sheet of thin ice.
"Want to talk about it?"
"No," came the sharp reply, making her flinch. When he saw it, SB sighed.
"Please, Tina," he said in a tiny voice. "Let it go. I will always give you everything SilentBlayde has, but I can never give you Haruto."
"But--"
"You don't want it, anyway," he said firmly, his blue eyes glittering above his mask. "Trust me. This is what's best for both of us."
Tina didn't believe that for a second. Almost from the first day he'd come up to her in Founder's Square, she'd known SB was hiding something. No matter how much time they spent together, he never told her anything about his real life. She'd always assumed he'd eventually trust her enough to tell her his troubles, but while he'd poured everything he had into the guild and their tanking video channel, giving her countless hours of his time while never asking for anything in return, he'd never given her that. Even here, in a totally different world, he wouldn't tell her.
And that hurt.
It actually hurt more now than it had the first time he'd shut her down, because they'd been through more. But while Tina wanted to yell at him that there was nothing he could say that would change how she felt about him, forcing this conversation would break their silent truce on this topic. That risked driving him away for good, and she had lost too many people today already.
"Fine," she said, putting her hands up in surrender.
SB let out a long breath. "Thank you."
Seeing how relieved he was not to tell her stung, but Tina forced herself to let it go. She had more pressing disasters to deal with right now, anyway. "I still need to ask you a big favor, though."
"What?"
"I need you to go find James," she said. "I'm sorry to ask. He's an idiot who doesn't deserve a rescue after knocking you out and running away, but he's still my brother. You heard how stuck he was on those stupid letters. I bet he's still trying to get them to the king, but we just kicked the hornet's nest big time back there, and if he starts trying to get into the castle, the Royal Knights will kill him for sure. He just doesn't understand how dangerous this place is! While we were fighting for everyone's lives in the Deadlands, he was chilling in a low-level zone, making friends with cats. I bet he thinks he can still solve this by completing a quest or some bullshit, but I can't turn the whole raid around to go and stop him. You're
the only person I trust who can move through the city without being seen. I know he doesn't deserve it, but please, SB, save my stupid brother."
"Of course," SB said immediately, clutching his swords tight. "I was going to offer, anyway, since it's my fault he got away. I promise I'll bring him back to you safe and sound."
Tina hadn't realized how worried she'd been until he said that. "Thank you," she said, sagging in relief. "I don't care if you have to bind and gag him, and you don't have to rescue his pet NPC. Just get James back to me alive. That's all I ask."
"I'll bring him back to you, Tina," SilentBlayde swore. "Just keep moving toward the bank. I'll meet you there with James."
"Thank you," she said again. She felt stupid repeating the same words, but what else was there to say? James couldn't take care of himself, so as always, the responsibility fell to her, but she was bound to the raid, which meant SB had to pick up the slack. He was cleaning up her mess again, just as he always did, and yet again, she didn't know what she'd do without him.
"You're a life-saver, SB," she said, reaching down to squeeze his shoulder. "But please stay safe. If you die because of James's idiocy, I'll rip this whole damn city apart."
"I'll be fine," he said, pulling down his mask to flash her a dimmed version of his usual cocky smile. "I'm the best Assassin in FFO, remember? I'll have him back to you before you know it. Trust me."
Tina did. More than she was comfortable admitting. "See you at the bank, then."
SB pulled his mask back up and stepped into the shadows, vanishing without a trace. Tina stared at the spot where he'd been for several long moments, then she turned on her heel and started marching after her raid, sword drawn and shield up, ready to take out her frustrations on anyone who dared to try to stop her.
Chapter 7
James
In a narrow side street west of the Royal Mile, James crouched in the shadows behind a crate of empty jars, holding his bound staff close and his breath closer as he waited for a squad of Royal Knights to walk by. Above him, Ar'Bati clung flat to the underside of a shop awning while Flameboyant hid around the corner, crouching under a brown rug that was part of a pile of trash.
"Nice sword you got there, kid," one of the heavily armored knights said, smiling at the youngest member of his group, an elf who was staring at a yellow-glowing sword like it was his new darling.
"Thank you, Sir Roal!" the young elf said, holding up the weapon he'd been admiring. "I found it on the ground during my last patrol. It feel empty when I touch it though. Sir, you were in the Nightmare. Do you know how I get its 'stats'?"
"You gotta get it bound to you by a magic-user," another knight said in an annoyed tone. "Which you can't do because its owner is probably still alive. Didn't you pay attention to this morning's briefing? It's worthless to you as it is."
"Excuse me, sir, for wanting a sword that won't break!" the young knight said, lowering his luminescent weapon. "All the patrols who've died so far did so because they couldn't stop the player's weapons." He glowered down at his armor. "Why are we so poorly equipped? We're the king's own knights! We shouldn't have to scavenge for suitable arms. If I swing my sword, I want it to work."
The older knight, Sir Roal, stopped in his tracks. "Boy," he said in a tired voice. "You'd better hope you never have cause to swing any sword, player made or not. Swords are for killing. We're peacekeepers and defenders, not butchers. We've been lucky over here on the west side. All the players we've found were low-level and easily caged up."
"I heard Captain Malakai's units have seen a lot of action," the young knight said excitedly.
"Trust me, you don't want Malakai's brand of action," the older knight replied, patting his young friend on the shoulder. "Just be glad we're on loan to Captain Hightower of the Guard. Malakai..." He stopped, shaking his head. "That's all I'm going to say about that, and if you're smart, you'll say even less."
Some of the knights grumbled at the mention of Malakai's name, though whether they were grumbling because they disapproved of the Royal Knight's captain or Sir Roal's assessment of him was unclear. Either way, James was happy to see the back of them. The patrols had been getting thicker the closer they got to the castle. At this rate, they wouldn't get to the Diplomatic Quarter before midnight.
"James," Ar'Bati said, dropping back to the street as the guards vanished around the corner. "That man asks what I, too, have wondered. Why did the Nightmare give all the good non-players such bad weapons when you players and our enemies have such amazing ones?"
"It's the helpful NPC problem of game design," James said with a shrug. "FFO--at least the part of it that was actually a game--was designed to let the players be the heroes. The bad guys have to be strong, or they're no fun to fight, but allies can't be too useful or there'd be no need for player heroics. With the exception of plot-important hero NPCs like you, the normal guards and soldiers and such were deliberately weakened to make sure they'd need player help."
"Then we are in the worst situation possible!" the head warrior hissed. "Your stupid game made our allies powerless and turned our enemies into monsters none of us can fight! Bastion is out-matched in every way. I thought the Nightmare was the end of the world, but I'm starting to believe it was just the beginning of an even worse end, and it's all that damn game's fault!"
"I agree it's a raw deal," James said. "But the problem came packaged with the solution, and that's players. Yes, our enemies are powerful, but they're also balanced specifically so that players can beat them."
"Except the Once King," Flameboyant said, finally wiggling out of his hiding place and jogging after them. "No one's ever beaten him."
"Roxxy's Roughnecks almost did," James said proudly. "That's why it's so important that we all stop fighting each other. Like it or not, this world needs the players to beat what's coming."
Fangs's expression made it clear that he was firmly on the "or not" side of that, but he kept his mouth shut for once, motioning for James and Flameboyant to follow him as he snuck down the street the knight's patrol had just vacated. James followed as silently as he could, keeping his eyes on the lengthening afternoon shadows. He must have been doing it too well, because he walked straight into Ar'Bati's back, stepping on his tail in the process.
"What do you keep looking for?" his brother demanded angrily, rubbing his tail.
"Sorry," James said, moving over to make sure he was standing in sunlight. "But it's common sense to be cautious after you mug the best Assassin in FFO."
"You mean the elf you knocked unconscious with your staff?" Ar'Bati snorted. "You should not cower before him so much. It is dishonorable."
"It's smart," James replied, hustling them faster down the street. "We got lucky because SilentBlayde was already hurt, but make no mistake: dude is a monster. He's the number-one damage dealer in what was a top-five world-ranked FFO raiding guild. That makes him one of the most dangerous people in the world right now. Trust me. We do not want him to catch our trail."
"SilentBlayde, huh?" Flameboyant said, scratching his chin. "Isn't he the guy who wrote all those guides pinned to the top of the Assassin forums that everyone was always yelling at me to read when I tried the class?"
"That's him."
"Wow," the Sorcerer replied, looking impressed. "I didn't realize we were traveling with someone famous. Do you think he'll come after us?"
"Absolutely," James said. "I embarrassed him pretty bad in front of Tina, and he tends to take that personally. But their raid has bigger problems than us right now, so I'm hoping that if we just keep moving, we can get inside the castle before he catches us. The royal castle has shadow wards all over it that prevent people from entering the Lightless Realm, so it's pretty much the only place in the city that's safe."
Ar'Bati looked at him in disgust. "What was the point of getting free of your sister if you're still cowering before her dog?"
"Dude, did you see him while we were marching through the city?" James demanded. "SilentBlayde can
step through shadows and stab you in the back before you know he's there. Of course I'm afraid of him!"
"If that's how you feel, why do you still call him friend?" Fangs growled back. "Seems to me a friend would help you in this crisis, not hunt you down."
James sighed. "It's complicated, okay? I've known SB for years now, and ninety-nine percent of the time, he's the nicest guy you'll meet. He's polite, funny, considerate, generous, honorable, honest--everything you could ask for in a friend. But he has one horrible problem."
"It's your sister, isn't it?" Flameboyant said. "I've seen how he looks at her. Dude's got it bad."
"'Bad' is an apt description," James said bitterly. "Like I said, SilentBlayde is normally a great person, but when Tina gets involved, his morals go completely out the window. There's literally nothing he won't do for her. He always feels horrible about it afterward, but that never stops him from doing it again, and it's only gotten worse since Tina went to college." James shook his head with a sigh. "That's one of the big reasons I avoid raiding with the Roughnecks. SB is cool but only so long as Tina's nowhere near by. I swear he'd kill someone and hide the body if he thought it would make her happy. It's not a healthy relationship."
"You think he'll try to kill us?" Fangs asked as James hurried them into a sheltered alley--a nice, sunny one.
James winced. There was no sugarcoating this football, so he just spit it out.
"He won't kill me," he said as he walked briskly down the narrow backstreet. "That would hurt Tina, and SB would never do that. But I can't vouch for you guys. I'm afraid he'll murder both of you without thinking about it because it gets him to me faster. Especially you, Fangs, since he sees you as an NPC. So yeah, you're both in mortal peril, which is why I'm trying to hurry."
"Then we shall be careful," Ar'Bati said, marching out of the alley and into the open road.
James's heart leapt into his throat. "Fangs!" he hissed, running to the edge of the alley. "What are you doing? That is the opposite of careful!"
