by Dante Doom
“I have longed for speech,” Jet said, “so I thank you both. But we must be quick, for I fear Draco might intercept this communication. Behold!”
A large planet rushed into view, as if someone had pulled it towards them with a gigantic magnet. The planet was barren and rocky, except for one continent that seemed to be lush and full of green.
“Long ago, Draco came to visit my people,” Jet said. “But we did not know about them. They were experts at hiding themselves. Instead, they slowly converted people to their cause. Over time… over much time, my race began to experience a string of problems all at once. Famine broke out, nuclear reactors began to melt down, governments that had once been peaceful turned violent, and dictators rose. Within a year, a single year, everything was different. Billions of us died—some due to war, some to famine, but all due to Draco.”
“What?” Sang whispered. “That’s horrible.”
“They did things that are unspeakable in order to gain control of our planet secretly. They gave us gifts, gifts that we did not realize were from a foreign race. One such gift was these pods. That was how they determined who was worthy.”
“I knew it!” Sang gasped. Van said nothing; he merely watched the dragon in silence.
“Draco was patient. It took them twenty years to build up a support network of spies and loyalists. They promised, they bribed, they threatened. Our race was destroyed not through direct warfare, but through a long, drawn out chess game. A nuclear reactor worker converted to their cause could easily sabotage a plant. A government official who was promised true power could easily support a coup. Nowhere was safe. When the infrastructure was destroyed… Draco moved in. They settled down and began to set up their own regime. After their rulers were placed on the planet, they moved on.”
Van was speechless. He didn’t know what to say. The planet zoomed in on the lush, green continent.
“Some of us were savvy. We caught on early and discovered that something was wrong. We worked hard to fight back, but very few would believe us. We were able to convince one of our nations to listen, however, and Draco’s influence was expelled. We were able to stop some of the cataclysmic events from affecting us. We survived, but barely.”
“Why hasn’t Draco wiped you out yet?” Van asked.
Jet shook his head. “Draco has no teeth. They are manipulators because they are not warriors. They see direct combat as beneath them, and respect only cunning and strength. We earned our survival because we were strong enough to fight back, strong enough to see what was happening. They allow us to live on our continent in peace, but we cannot leave.”
“So why are you here?” Sang asked. “More specifically, how did you get here?”
“It’s a game of cat and mouse, to borrow your vernacular,” Jet said. He waved his claws, causing a large pod to appear before them. It was the exact same kind of pod that Van and Sang climbed in and out of every day. “We found a way to install a work-around on their haptic systems. We can beam information directly into it. Our plan has been to find a violent, angrier race that could stop Draco. You are that race.”
“We are not a violent and angry race,” Van shot back. “We have done so much good for this world!”
Jet frowned. A newspaper floated behind him. It read Wright Brothers Fly! It was dated December 18, 1903. A day after the first flight that had ever happened.
“You discovered aerial technology,” Jet said. “A rare thing to happen without influence from Draco. Yet, it only took you forty-two years to use that discovery for this.” A nuclear cloud appeared behind Jet, and it was bright enough to where Van had to shield his eyes. He could feel the warmth emanating from the mushroom.
“That doesn’t prove we’re a violent race,” Van said, feeling a little embarassed for his species.
“My point is that your violence is a good thing. The galaxy is full of strange beings, and many of them are peaceful. My people are such beings. We developed nuclear technology before we developed our first firearm,” Jet said. “Your people have perfected the art of killing anything that moves.”
“Well, that’s something to be proud of, I guess,” Van said. He didn’t like the clear disdain that he could hear in Jet’s voice.
“What are your people called?” Sang asked, sharply changing the subject.
“Xevov. Although, we like your name for us. We like Allies, for that is what we are. With our help, you are the perfect people to destroy Draco once and for all.”
“I’m down for that,” Sang said. “How do we kill them?”
Jet shook his head as the galaxy around them began to contort and move towards Earth. The familiar planet appeared in front of them and they could see the Draco mothership hovering right by the moon. “I am unsure. Yet, I know that Bloodrock is where they are moving toward. I can intercept some of their communications, for I speak their language. A lot of Draco insiders are moving toward that area. There have also been some interesting energy signatures there. I believe you two are on the right path. Keep going, and you will find all of the information that you need to stop them, once and for all.”
“Do you hear that, Van?” Sang asked as she floated over to clap him on the shoulder. “We were right! And we have the forces—we can push into Bloodrock now!”
Van ignored her jubilance. “Jet, you said that Draco took twenty years to prepare their perfect storm of sequences that would take down the planet, right?”
“Indeed, I did,” Jet said.
“I have been playing this game for ten years,” Van said. “And it released in other countries before it released here in the U.S.”
“How long ago?” Sang asked.
“Nine… nineteen years ago,” Van said.
“Oh crap,” Sang gasped. “Jet, does it always take them twenty years to prepare their people?”
Jet nodded. “We have seen them overtake nearly 14 separate races. It is always twenty years, exactly.”
“Oh man,” Van wheezed. “We’re… we’re gonna die really soon, aren’t we?”
Jet nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“Why are you here now? Where were you guys ten years ago?”
“Are you familiar with the story of Cassandra?” Jet asked. Van shook his head. “No, I don’t know what that is.”
“Then you should read about it,” Jet said as the galaxy around them began to slowly fade out of view. Van realized that they were suddenly standing back in the empty tower.
“Holy crap,” Van whispered. “This… this really is real…”
“I told you all!” Sang said. “I knew it! We’ve got to get to Bloodrock, before it’s too late.”
Jet nodded at her, but said nothing more.
“Come on, Van,” Sang said as she turned to leave the building. “We’ve got to get moving at once.”
Van rushed out after her. “Sang, we need to wait until the rest of the players log in! Bloodrock is a high-level area and it’s really fortified. There’s no way either of us are going to be able to get in there alone.”
Sang stopped and sighed. “Alright, fine. How long before the game starts back up?”
Van looked at his timer. “Four hours.”
“Four hours?” Sang gasped. “We don’t have that kind of time!”
“Well, we don’t have any options,” Van said as he walked into the feast tent and sat down. Everything was beginning to spin. The knowledge that Draco would be moving soon was terrifying and he felt incredibly small.
“Are you okay?” Sang asked as she sat down. “You look a little disturbed.”
“I am disturbed. How could you not be? Sang, what is going on with you? First, you’re going all berserk trying to get back into the game, and now you’re cheerful at the fact that you were right about aliens trying to blow up humanity. Do you not realize how crazy that is?”
“It’s like a pressure in my head has been lifted,” Sang replied as she pointed to her temples. “I knew all of that stuff Jet said. As he spoke, I could feel eve
ry memory. That was what those aliens downloaded into my brain. They were trying to warn me! That’s why I’ve been so keyed up, Van. Because I knew it on some unconscious level.”
“We’re gonna die,” Van moaned as he placed his hands on his head. “We’re all gonna die! Sang, there’s no way we’re going to be able to get to Bloodrock by Sleep Time tonight. The CIA’s gonna cut the program. Yeah, what we learned in there was very informative for us both, but let’s face the truth: there is still no evidence.”
“Look, Van, I know you’re overwhelmed right now, but look at it like this... we still have a chance. We can pull off some kind of victory here. If we can make it to Bloodrock by tonight, we can probably get one more day.”
“How?”
“I’ll have Neil and O’Hara bolt the doors shut, and force them to come in and drag us out of those tubes,” Sang said. “Or we’ll steal them. Neil and O’Hara are bad enough judges of character to follow us. We grab a truck, load the pods on, and then run back to my place; the two of our pods should fit in there.”
“Sang, that’s insane. The sheer amount of electricity and resources that these pods use on a daily basis, it would take a fortune to pay for it.”
“I have like… three grand in my savings account,” Sang coughed. “Maybe that would cover it?”
Van paused, and then sighed. “Sang, this is an intense situation, but how the hell does someone who works a ton and never takes any time off have only three grand in her savings account?”
“Student loans are nearly as deadly as Draco,” Sang warned. “Trust me.”
Van chuckled a little at the joke. “Look, I know you’re really gung ho, here, but… I don’t think I’m cut out for this kind of thing. I’ve given everything that I could and, well... and it’s starting to get too intense. Sang, I don’t know if I can keep going. There’s no going back from Bloodrock. If we go there, it’ll be covered with Draco pros. If they decide they don’t like us snooping around… they’ll keep us from logging out again. We’ll die in here.”
“Do we have a choice?” Sang asked quietly. “I mean… if we are facing the utter annihilation of billions of people, if we are looking at the total destruction of the human race, how can we not act?”
Van’s mind drifted over to Kenwar, who had so adamantly spoken about his desire to survive. “You’re right… I’m just… this is all too much. How many people get this kind of burden handed to them?”
“You say it’s a burden, but think of it as a privilege,” Sang said as she stood up. “We can literally save the world here! We’ve got nothing left to lose. My career is over if we fail, so what am I worried about? And unless you decide to join Draco, you’ve got nothing left to lose either.”
Van looked at her with incredulity. “How is it that you’re able to so effortlessly keep going?”
“I’m a workaholic, Van. All of my stress goes into my job, so it’s fortunate for me that my job is saving the world. I promise you that, after all of this is over, I’m going to become a drunk.”
“I’ll join you at the end of that bar,” Van said. “Alright, fine. I’m in. Let’s wait for the team to assemble and then we’ll figure out some way to convince them to go to Bloodrock.”
Sang nodded and clapped him on the back. “I knew you had it in you. Next stop, Bloodrock!”
Van turned to face the army of people who were marching behind him. They were moving through the rocky terrain that would eventually slope upwards toward Bloodrock. There were nearly one-hundred-and-fifty people who were prepared to follow him into oblivion, but little did they all know that that was exactly where they would be going.
Van had taken some creative liberties with his description of their next mission, and convinced them that they would need to defeat and capture General Zac of the opposing army in order to fulfil their duties. This, of course, was a very creative lie because General Zac would be nowhere near Bloodrock. What business would a Kyrissian general have with the Ceren Kingdom? Much to his relief, no one had disagreed with his orders. Even his core team of people had been far too busy trying to manage their own squads to really argue with him. It was more or less his show now. He glanced at his Mercenary Sheet, which would keep him informed him of their size and strength.
“I’m impressed,” Sang said as they walked side by side toward Bloodrock. They had been marching for nearly six hours straight, and most of the players were on auto-walk, waiting for a direct message from Van to inform them that they had arrived at their location.
“I know,” Van said. “I am quite the impressive person.”
“And humble, too,” Sang said with a laugh.
It was so strange how happy she seemed as they marched toward their certain death. Maybe that alien technology had damaged her mind somehow. Van couldn’t make sense of it. “Well, speaking of humility,” Van said as he pointed up ahead. “I think we’re in for it.”
Ahead of them was a small retinue of horses and soldiers, clearly waiting for Van. Carrying a banner was none other than Captain Edwardson.
“Crap,” Sang said. “I figured he wouldn’t notice us vanishing on him.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure he was pissed when we didn’t show up at the battle when we were supposed to,” Van replied. “Let me do the talking.”
“Just be careful,” Sang replied.
Van departed from his group and made his way to the retinue. Edwardson had dismounted from his horse and was standing with his arms crossed.
“Well, well, well,” Edwardson said. “I cannot believe what my eyes show me. Is it true? Do I see a well-armed cadre of deserters heading my way?”
“We’re not deserters,” Van said. “Uh, sorry about the oversight, though. I forgot to mention that the Iron Dragons are formally leaving your army.”
“More like formally leaving my army without any back-up. You were supposed to take out those archers on the ridge. We were slaughtered out there!” Edwardson bellowed.
“Sorry, dude, but we’re allowed to leave anytime we want. That’s what mercenaries do.”
“You’re lucky that I don’t cut you down where you stand!” Edwardson replied.
“Sorry, sorry—we’ll make it up to you later,” Van stammered. “But we’re needed elsewhere.”
“Indeed, you are,” Edwardson said. He leaned close to Van. “The first cave that you see when you enter past Bloodrock’s walls. It’s called the Cave of Fantasy. All you need to do is enter with the dragon and everything will be forgiven. There will be a place for you at the table when Draco decides to start the feast,” he hissed. “Do it, before it’s too late.”
Van felt his blood run cold. He stepped back from the man and shook his head. “Leave us alone.”
“Oh, by all means,” Edwardson hissed. “Please proceed. But don’t think for a moment that you’re leaving Bloodrock alive if you don’t go into that cave.”
Van didn’t make eye contact with the Draco pro. Instead, he just turned around and moved back to where his army was resting.
“What did he say?” Sang asked as she walked up to greet him.
“He was just mad,” Van said. “But I smoothed it over. Let’s keep going.” He wasn’t sure why he was keeping this bit of information away from Sang. She needed to know about the cave… but at the same time, something was keeping him from telling her. He wasn’t sure what it was. Did he really want to betray humanity? No, that couldn’t possibly be it. He knew that he needed to tell her at some point, but he decided that he would wait. There was no reason to cause her excess worry; at least, that’s what he told himself.
The army began to pick up the pace as they marched onward. The journey was grueling and it took nearly 12 hours, but eventually they made it to the base of the gigantic walls that prevented people from entering into Bloodrock.
“Man!” Bidane said as she walked up next to Van and stared straight up. “Have you ever seen walls this tall?”
“They’ve got to be nearly 50 feet tall!” Kylian said
.
“It’d be fun to push someone off,” Capello said.
Van chuckled at the banter. He had missed hearing them all talk and joke during the long voyage. Now they were all standing before the massive walls, staring up in awe.
“How are we supposed to get in there?” Kylian asked. “Those walls are too high to climb and the only entrance is guarded by Level 99 guards. I don’t care how many of us charge at them—we’ll get the stuffing kicked out of us.”
“I know, but I’ve got a plan,” Van said. “Everyone always talks about how impenetrable these walls are, right? They make a lot of noise about how they were enchanted to never break, but it got me thinking... what if we were to tunnel underneath?”
“Like what, be mole people?” Sahara asked. “As a fire wizard, I oppose earth.”
“I thought a fire wizard would oppose water,” Dolly asked.
“Well, um, I oppose both,” Sahara said as she threw her long orange hair over her shoulder.
“Right, anyway. So, we have enough people. We grab shovels and get to digging, and we can probably go right underneath. No problem!” Van said.
“I’m not well-versed with this area,” Sang said, “but wouldn’t someone have already tried that?”
“Well, the people who traditionally try to enter this place are high-level enough to fight those guards over there,” Van said, pointing to the large steel gates that were guarded by four huge four-headed dogs.
“Oh, right,” Sang said. “I guess no one would have any reason to try and get inside here if they were the wrong level.”
“So, are we fighting or what?” Capello asked as he clacked his axes together. “I’m getting impatient here.”
“Getting impatient?” Sahara asked. “I can’t remember a single time when you were patient.”
“Seconded,” Dolly said. “In fact, I say we all vote to make him dig.”
“Get as many players as you can,” Van said. “We’re going to start digging underneath the wall. Hopefully, it doesn’t go into the ground too deep.”
