Last Bastion

by Rachel Aaron

  "Are you saying she's being misled?" Gregory asked excitedly. "If that's the case, then maybe we could--"

  James shook his head, killing the king's hopeful expression. "She's not misled. She thinks she's a hero who's standing up to a blood-drenched tyrant." He nodded. "You."

  Gregory recoiled in horror. "Me?" he squeaked. "But I've done nothing to her! I've been merciful to a fault, given the situation. My father would have ordered a purge of the city the moment the Nightmare ended, but I've insisted that every player deserves a trial just like any other soul in Bastion. That's why I've had Malakai making arrests instead of killing on sight. Your sister's the one attacking the law keepers. She is the tyrant, not me."

  "She has killed knights," James admitted. "No one denies that. But what you need to understand is that she thought she was in the right. Tina's actually a very moral person who'll do anything to protect the people who depend on her. Do you know how she managed to portal into Bastion then?"

  "That should have been impossible, so no. I don't know."

  James flashed him a wide smile. "She got the portal because two days ago, Tina and her Roughnecks helped the Order of the Golden Sun defeat an undead army led by Grel'Darm the Colossal. It's because she and the other players stepped up that the western continent isn't falling to the Once King as we speak. In gratitude for their bravery, Commander Garrond commanded his mages to make her a portal to Bastion. That's why the wards against player magic didn't stop it, because it wasn't a player portal. It was Commander Garrond's, the man entrusted by all the unified kingdoms to keep the Once King bottled up in the Deadlands." James leaned forward. "Do you believe that someone as honorable and dedicated to the safety of this world as Garrond would allow Tina into Bastion if she was actually the monster you describe?"

  The king frowned deeply, giving that question careful thought. "No," he said at last. "I have met Commander Garrond before, and I think he would have fought her to the death before he allowed her into Bastion if she was not worthy."

  "And did you know," James went on eagerly, his jubatus side excited to make the kill, "that when she first arrived in Bastion, Tina's original plan was to come work for you and help defend the city? She wanted to be on your side from the very beginning. Because she's a player and Bastion has always been the good guys."

  "So what changed?" the king asked desperately. "Is she possessed? Did the Once King corrupt her? For the person you describe sounds like who you players used to be: selfless, brave heroes who threw themselves in the way of danger for the sake of others. Why is she now our enemy?"

  "It was your knights that did it," James said bitterly. "I told you I was her prisoner back in the throne room, and that's true, but not because she's a villain. It was my fault. My sister thinks I'm an impulsive fool who can't take care of himself. She thought I'd do something crazy to get the letters to you and put me under guard for my own protection. Considering I threw myself through your window, I can't say she was wrong, but I traveled with her Roughnecks for our first hours here in Bastion as we tried to get to the castle. All along the way, we kept finding the bodies of our fellow players. Players who'd been murdered in cold blood by your knights."

  "Murdered?" the king asked, voice shaking. "No. They must have fought the knights and--"

  "There was no fighting," James said coldly. "Founder's Square is full of players whose throats were slit while they were down during the transition from the Nightmare. They couldn't fight back. They couldn't even move. Naturally, Tina was furious. Those were our people. Many of her raiders recognized the bodies in the square as friends and family. Many of the raiders wanted to get revenge, but I managed to convince them that you, the good King Gregory of Bastion, would never sanction such a slaughter. Tina agreed and ordered her players to continue to the castle so we could meet you and find out why this had happened. That was when we discovered Malakai's extermination camp, and everything broke down."

  "It was not an extermination camp," Gregory said angrily. "I ordered Malakai to round up players so that they could stand trial. They were just being held!"

  James sighed. "Have you been out into the city, Your Majesty?"

  Gregory shook his head.

  "Well, I have. I saw the whole thing, and I can tell you, there were no trials. Any player high enough level to give the knights trouble was killed outright, and those low enough to bully were beaten, abused, and eventually hung without quarter or mercy. That was the scene Tina saw, and it's why she decided to attack."

  By the time he finished, Gregory was shaking. "And you saw this?" he demanded. "Saw it yourself?"

  "With my own eyes," James said, nodding. "The Ar'Bati of Windy Lake saw it, too, as did hundreds more of your own people. This was not a secret operation. It was going on in broad daylight directly in front of your castle door."

  "I can't believe it."

  "That doesn't matter," James said angrily. "Whether you believe or not, it happened. I didn't agree with my sister's decision to slaughter the Royal Knights, but I was completely on her side that the lawless genocide and torture of players had to be stopped. That's why Tina is fighting. She's not a monster who's been magically corrupted. She's someone who came face to face with injustice and decided she wasn't going to tolerate it. And since the ones doing the killing were your knights, she decided you must be responsible for their actions. That's why you have an army out there calling for your blood. You aren't the Buffoon King outside these walls anymore. You're the oppressor, the tyrant, the face attached to all the atrocities we players have suffered. The rebellion at Dawn's Hope isn't growing just because Tina's a good leader. It's swelling because Malakai and his knights--your knights--have made it abundantly clear that the people of this world want to murder us all, and if we want to keep living, our only choice is to fight back."

  With that, James sat back in his chair. He knew he'd just rolled hard on Gregory, but the king seemed to be a timid man. James was hoping the shock of perspective would knock him out of his castle and into action. To his surprise, though, Gregory didn't look blown over by these sudden revelations. He looked furious.

  "My knights would never engage in such conduct!" he cried, slamming his fist down on the table so hard, the six-inch-thick oak split. "They are sworn to uphold the law and sanctity of the Holy Throne! Each one of them is carefully selected for their virtue and honor. They train for years and are purified by the Sun itself before they are given the title of Sir. You must be mistaken. Malakai tells me every day of the players he's arrested and sent to the mines behind the castle to work while they await trial. He has only killed those who have been in open rebellion to me!"

  "If that's what he's said, then he's lying to you," James snapped back, too angry to be polite. "I've been in his camp. I've seen the gallows made for twenty and the piles of player corpses beneath them. Did you know that many players are children? We all look like adults, but there were kids as young as ten playing FFO. How guilty is a ten-year-old child?"

  The king shot to his feet, filling the room and making James cower as he suddenly remembered that this "timid man" was also a five-skull raid boss.

  "Do not besmirch Captain Malakai's name!" Gregory cried, voice booming. "He has selflessly served Bastion for over thirty years! He lost his own family in the Forgiven War because he chose to stay at his post instead of rushing to their aid. He's given everything to protect this city and what it represents. I have seen his anger and his bloodlust, but considering what you players have done to his knights, I don't think it is undeserved. Still, he could never be the demon you describe."

  "But I was there," James said. "I saw him--"

  "You players are the ones running rampant!" the king shouted over him. "I have endless reports of your thievery, brutality, and barbarism! My citizens cower in a fortified camp because you players have rampaged across our city. Can you deny your crimes?"

  James locked his fangs in frustration. He'd seen the evidence of player wrongdoing in the bodies of famil
ies and shopkeepers strewn all through the city, and Flameboyant had even seen the worst firsthand. Even so...

  "Some players have acted badly. I can't deny that, but you can't accuse players of atrocities while turning a blind eye to the same actions by your knights. Both sides shoulder blame for the current situation. That's why you need to believe me and take control of your men! Your knights are confusing revenge with justice, and they've committed heinous acts in your name, which is why you have a rebellion!"

  "That's enough, James," said the king in a terrifying voice.

  Panic rose at those words, bringing back the king's stories of his lack of control. But though he was perilously close to becoming a stain on the stone floor, James didn't back down. This might be his last chance to stop Malakai's war. Tina's life depended on him here and now. He refused to let her down again.

  "I can prove what I say is true!" he yelled, shooting to his feet so fast, his chair fell over. "Walk ten feet outside of this castle, and you will see the gallows. Go to Founder's Square, and you will see the Royal Knights' victims lying in mountains. Malakai's sins carpet this city! Look anywhere, and you will see that I am right, but you cannot call yourself king while you hide inside walls and ignore your--"

  "Enough!"

  The king's bellow was a physical force that slammed James into the wall. When he picked himself up again, the king was staring at him in horror, his whole body trembling.

  "I should never have come down here," Gregory said, sweeping up the cups and cards. "I should never have gotten my foolish hopes up."

  "What hopes?" James demanded, lurching forward to grab the king's sleeve. It was a suicidal move. Even though James was level eighty, the five-skull king could kill him with a backhand, but he didn't let go. He couldn't let it end like this, not when he'd gotten so close. "Why did you come down here, Your Majesty? I'm the one who brought up Tina. If you weren't here to collect information on the enemy, then why? What did you hope to learn?"

  The king's shoulders slumped, the terrifying anger draining out of him like water, leaving only sadness behind. "I came because I wanted to know why you--you alone, out of all the players--were still acting like a hero," Gregory said quietly. "I spent eighty years watching you players fight for Bastion with peerless bravery. The tasks I was forced to give you--dungeon and raid quests, you used to call them--were nearly impossible, but you always came through. I know now that it was a game to you, but that doesn't change the fact that you fought and died for Bastion. That's why, just as I cannot believe what you say of Malakai, I couldn't believe his tales of you, either. I'd hoped that you all were under a curse, that there was some evil driving you to commit these acts of selfish barbarism. Since you, James, seemed unaffected, I was hoping there was something in you we could use to cure the others. Some spell or knowledge I could take to Raffestain to purify the madness from your fellows. But I see now that it was just another fool's errand. There is no magic, no curse, no easy solution. You are nothing more than what you seem, and neither am I." Gregory sighed. "I truly am the Buffoon King."

  "No, you're not," James said earnestly. "You came down here looking for something with which to save your enemies. I think that makes you a great king. No one else I've met has thought to ask why the players are causing so much trouble. Even if it wasn't what you hoped, I find the fact that you cared enough to investigate very admirable."

  "Yes, well, your faith in me is poorly placed, I'm afraid," Gregory said bitterly. "Tomorrow morning, Malakai will ride out to put down your sister's rebellion, and Bastion's player problem will be solved. You needn't worry about yourself, at least. I've already forgiven your assault on my council as the genuine act of heroism that it was and given you all a full pardon. Since you are a Claw Born, I will summon Rend to the capital to collect you and your companions after we've repelled the Once King's invasion."

  The way he said that made James shudder. "Your Majesty," he said, feeling a sense of déjà vu. "I don't think that's a fight you can win on your own. If the numbers in those letters are even close to accurate, you could be facing multiple undead armies, including several raid bosses. Even if we succeed in stopping the traitor Star Fall from opening a portal and letting them in, the Once King isn't just going to just give up and go away. The enemy will still be out there, and even if your army was fresh and not about to fight Tina's, I'm not at all confident Bastion can beat them back without player help."

  "I know that," the king said tiredly. "But there's nothing we can do. There's simply no way to repair our relationship with the players now. Too much damage has been done, which is why I've called in Bastion's greatest favor."

  That statement stopped James cold. "You--you're not talking about Xthr, are you? Please tell me you didn't burn Bastion's greatest promise over this!"

  "I had no choice," the king said angrily. "As you just reminded me, I have a player army about to slaughter all of my men! With Xthr's help, I can end the player rebellion before it begins and save countless lives. He owes my bloodline a service from long ago. It is only to be used in a time of greatest need, but I can't think of a peril greater than what we face now. I only pray that the kings who come after me feel the same, assuming we still have kings when this is all over."

  James put his head in his hands. Just when he'd thought things couldn't get any worse. Xthr wasn't just a name from FFO's lore. He was a primordial Bird from the Age of Skies and a world boss who only appeared in special cut scenes. Players hadn't even been allowed to attack him because his stats were balanced for future expansions, which meant even the current world's best gear wouldn't be good enough to fight him. If Malakai had a beast like that for backup, Tina didn't stand a chance.

  "Have faith that your sister will surrender when faced with an unwinnable battle," King Gregory said quietly. "I swear that she will get a fair trial if she does. They all will. That much, at least, I can promise you."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty." The words dropped from James's mouth automatically.

  "It's the most this royal idiot can do," the king replied, opening the door to let the terrified prison guards back in. "Thank you for the game."

  James couldn't do anything but sigh at that, putting up his arms as the guards shuffled him back to his cell.

  Chapter 15

  Tina

  Tina spent all night at her anvil. She would have liked to take a break, but weapons were what they needed most, and as one of the few max-level blacksmiths in the camp, her skills were in high demand. Fortunately, stonekin didn't seem to need rest any more than they needed warmth or food, so even though this was her second all-nighter in a row, she made it through.

  The rest of Camp Comeback wasn't so tireless. While Tina just kept going, the rest of her people worked in shifts. Frank, Anders, and Zen took turns managing the production areas to make sure that all the weapons and armor people needed got made as night turned into dawn. More helpers, random low-level people, mostly, ran as gofers between Assets's warehouse and the various workshops, delivering goods and keeping all the crafters stocked. As new goods came off the line, Sorcerers and Naturalists worked in shifts to bind the new equipment for the classes who couldn't see magic.

  It was brutal, tiring work. Everyone moved with frantic purpose that bordered on panic, but while Tina could no longer make a magical sword in thirty-five seconds as she had in the game, twenty minutes to make a superior-quality level-eighty weapon was still incredible. By the time the sun rose, she and the other smiths had armed everyone in the combat raids with the best gear available.

  While she worked in the forges, the other raid leaders did their parts as well. Cinco kept his raids training late into the night, while Assets oversaw logistics, keeping an entire party of top-level chefs cooking late, preparing all manner of packaged meals for the combat groups, particularly the healers and casters, who'd been eating like freaks to keep their mana up. People joked that they'd made the first haute cuisine MREs in history, but Tina was just happy that no one on
the front lines was going to be caught without food.

  By the time the sun peeked over the city walls, all that could be made had been. The warehouses were empty, so Tina sent the rest of the lower-level smiths to the kitchen for breakfast and went off in search of SilentBlayde.

  He'd been popping in on her all night, at least until she barked at him to get back to work. It wasn't that she didn't cherish his company, but SB was now Camp Comeback's main quest giver. If they were going to be ready, she needed him making sure every player was doing their part, not hovering over her. Now, though, everything was done, which meant she was finally free to give him the attention she'd desperately wanted to earlier.

  It took a while to find him. The whole camp was busy getting food and preparing for the day, but no one in the kitchens had seen him. He wasn't in the sleeping areas, catching a last-minute nap, either, or at the quest-giving table, where Frank was snoozing. She was starting to panic when she finally spotted a lone slim figure swimming through the long shadows in the river on the island's north side.

  Tina broke into a grin and jogged down the grassy hill toward the riverbank. She was about to shout his name when SilentBlayde came out of the water, and Tina lost her ability to speak.

  He must have been bathing, because he was naked except for his linen shorts when he walked out of the water. She'd seen the male-elf model body before, of course, but never like this. Never for real. He was dripping wet, his golden hair and skin practically glittering as he shook himself off. She could see every line of his lean body and the graceful arc of his back as he bent over to wring the water out of his hair. He looked like an ethereal creature, which she supposed she should have expected from an elf, but none of the other elf players had ever looked half as wondrous to her as SB did right now, stretching his arms over his head in the pink-gold glow of the warm dawn.

  The moment fell apart when SilentBlayde turned and spotted her. His face instantly turned bright red, then he dove for his clothes and put his mask on first before shoving his legs and arms into his armor with less than his usual grace.