by EA Hooper
“Wouldn’t it be safer to attack them together?” Jackal-Heart Ryan asked. “Preferably with you in the lead to ban their best people?”
“No, no,” Lucas said. “I’m not abandoning my castle, and I’m not leaving my collection unguarded. Don’t let them reach this castle, understood?”
“Why pay me a fortune just to put me in front of the castle?” Fynn asked. “Do you really think they’ll get that far? Their army is rumored to be only about a thousand people. Even if those four have cheap abilities, they shouldn’t make it that far.”
“That way, they’ll be out of mana and potions when they reach you,” Lucas said. “Those four are our main focus. If we all attack at once, they’ll use their cheating spells to destroy us. If we’re defeated, the rest of my army will fall. I’d rather force them to burn through resources before they reach the real challenge.”
Fynn shrugged. “Whatever.”
“I think it’s a great plan,” Farah of the Thorns replied. The woman brushed her long, wavy hair away from her eyes. “I presume I’ll be with Fynn, correct?”
“Of course,” Lucas said. “You two made a formidable team last time.”
“Ooh,” Grinning Gwendolyn muttered. “Sounds like Farah has a crush.” The scrawny young woman snickered. “So, who’s my partner, boss? I assume you’re going the whole duo route.”
“Yes,” Lucas said. “You and Quinton will set up an ambush on the streets leading to the castle.”
“Aw, man,” Gwendolyn groaned. “Can’t I be with someone cooler? Like Javier?”
Lucas shook his head. “Javier and Ekon will ready our men at the barracks. If our enemies break the wall, the two of them should be able to clean out all but their strongest people. Titus and Charlie will oversee the wall’s defense, but I do expect it to falter somewhere. Our enemies are persistent and have spent years preparing for this assault.”
“What about me?” Ryan asked.
“You, Sam, and Erik will stay with me,” Lucas replied. “You’ll help inside the castle—assuming the enemies make it this far.”
“That’s a big assumption,” Farah replied. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they got past the rest of these dolts, but Fynn and I are certainly in the top hundred players in the game. We were early beta testers, after all. I’ve been all the way to Styxis and only came back down because of that frustrating Demon Lord.”
“Demon Lord?” Lucas questioned.
“An Exotic Boss that started to wage war against Styxis shortly before I left,” Farah explained. “I never even made it to the angels because of him and his forces. These pests of yours can’t compare to his minions.”
“You’ve never seen enemies like this,” Lucas replied. “They might not be on your level, but they have spells that use negative energy. They’re exploiting ARKUS’s holy design to try to remove his chosen lord from power. They know they could never defeat me fairly.”
Fynn raised an eyebrow.
“Negative energy?” Farah questioned, looking surprised. “That’s just like the Demon Lord. That monster was like nothing else in this game. How could a player harness that same power?”
“Not getting cold feet, are you?” Fynn asked.
“Never,” Farah replied, clenching her fists. “It’ll be good practice before I return to Styxis. Oh, Lucas, is there any chance you can let me torture them for information on how they developed those powers? Once I’ve captured them, of course.”
And let more players learn to defeat me? Never. I’ll ban you too.
“Certainly,” Lucas lied. “That will be my reward for your loyal service.”
The gate behind Lucas’s throne opened, and Sam stepped into the great hall. Everyone turned to him.
“About time,” Erik muttered.
“My apologies, boss,” Sam said. “I was checking all the runes to make sure they were all at one hundred percent for the big battle. You never know when a stray attack could break the floor of the castle.”
“Ah, you have my thanks,” Lucas replied. “I’ll consider that part of your repayment for failing to destroy the camp. You can earn the rest of my forgiveness by acting as one of my generals. You and Erik will stay with me in the castle, but I’ll have you send private messages between different groups as we coordinate our defenses and possible counterattacks. Oh, and you’ll need to join my Party List like the other generals.”
Lucas held out his hand.
“Maybe I should form a party with the men working directly under me,” Sam replied. “That way I can keep track of multiple reports at once.”
Lucas reached closer. “No, I like my way better. I want a direct line of communication with my generals at all times.”
You’ve received a private chat invitation from Grand Chancellor Erik. Do you accept? (Yes/No)
Lucas paused and agreed to the chat invitation.
>Erik: My lord, look at Sam’s player profile. His Party List!
Lucas checked Sam’s player profile, glancing at the team listing, and blinked in confusion.
Sam is one of my loyal followers. He’s almost like a friend. One of the few people I actually respect that not’s in my collection. He—he’s a traitor?
Lucas curled all his fingers but his index and fired Mod Gun.
Sam smirked as Lucas pointed and simply replied with a snort just before the Mod Gun froze him.
The other players in the room tensed, except for Fynn the Wolf Lord. He glanced at Lucas and then Sam. “Oh, he betrayed us.”
“You didn’t have to ban him!” Ryan shouted at Lucas.
“Did you know?” Lucas asked, turning to Sam’s closest friend. “Sam joined their team. He must’ve been up to something in my dungeon. Did you know anything about it?”
“I didn’t,” Ryan replied, looking frightened. “I’ve barely had time to talk to him since he respawned this morning. Are you sure he’s a traitor? Maybe he joined them to gather intel.”
“He would’ve told us,” Erik said. “My lord, should we ban Ryan too?”
“Woah, woah!” Ryan said, holding up his hands. “I’m not involved with whatever Sam was up to. If you don’t believe me, you can put me on the front line and have the other generals watch me.”
“You don’t know anything?” Lucas asked. “Any reason he would’ve betrayed me?”
“I don’t know,” Ryan said, trying to think. “He once told me he likes talking to Valery. Maybe he got the hots for her and thought he could free her?”
Lucas looked at Sam. “My dear companion, why didn’t you say you had a crush on Valery? I could’ve put you in a cell with her. Only, I’ve recently realized how soft I’ve been. I’ve given people too many chances. I’ve been too nice. So, unfortunately, I won’t be putting you anywhere near her. In fact, you’ll stay frozen for a hundred years. When you’re a broken, tortured husk, I might give you the opportunity for redemption.”
“Come on!” Ryan shouted. “Please, don’t do that. Sam’s the reason you captured Zhang—he’s the reason you have this city. Please, don’t torture my friend—”
Lucas hit Ryan with Mod Gun the moment the cooldown finished.
“What did I say?” Lucas muttered. He glanced around the room. “I’m too nice. All Ryan had to do was keep his mouth shut, and I would’ve let him join the frontlines like he offered. Erik, drag them to the dungeon.”
“Yes, Lord Lucas,” Erik said, bowing. He grabbed the two frozen men and dragged them away.
“Excuse my asking,” Fynn said, despite the other generals looking too nervous to speak. “What do you think Sam hoped to accomplish by adding them to his friend list? You think he was planning a trap?”
Lucas forced a smile. “It must’ve been some foolish plan to incapacitate me and force me to unban Valery. Don’t worry about it. You all can leave now. This betrayal has left me in a bad mood.”
Fynn nodded and left the great hall, and the others followed after him.
Once Lucas found himself alone, he stared aroun
d the great hall. He looked at the towering, glossy walls and chandelier overhead. His eyes fell to the white floor tiles, and a smile spread across his face.
>Lucas: Erik, this foiled conspiracy has given me an excellent idea. I think we should set a trap ourselves. Do we have plenty of premade rune panels from our dungeon reconstruction last year?
>Erik: Oh, we have thousands of runes in storage, my lord. I know how much you like crafting rune systems.
>Lucas: Then you’ll believe me when I say, this will be my best one yet.
Chapter 32
Name: Vincent the Eldritch
Location: Vatar (World) | Tumbling Hills (Region)
Class: Ranger
Subclass: Mage
Vitality: Lv 165
Spirit*: Lv 174
Resolve: Lv 153
Perception*: Lv 180
Agility: Lv 163
Strength: Lv 162
Vincent eyed the buildings of the Justiciar outpost that surrounded Vatar’s Jump Gate. It looked like Lucas’s men had abandoned it in a hurry weeks ago.
“They didn’t even bother to defend this spot,” Lloyd noted. “They must have gathered all their forces to Valahym in preparation of our attack.”
“Those cowards,” Keanu said, grinning. “These Justiciars act so bravely when people are too afraid to fight back. But now that we’ve united against them, they’re hiding behind their walls and cannons, cowering and hoping their moderator will protect them.”
“Or they’re thinking strategically,” May said. “They know this little outpost won’t slow us. They might as well gather all their people together.”
“Everyone, stop!” Vincent shouted, raising one hand.
The army came to a halt.
“Move close together!” Vincent screamed. “Wardens, put up barriers around the crowd.”
Barriers raised over the army, and everyone whispered in confusion.
“You see something?” Quinn asked her friend.
Vincent’s sharp eyes focused on the subtle lines racing across the steps of the Jump Gate. “There are trip runes on these steps. They’ve set up a trap of some sort.”
“A trap?” Lloyd questioned.
“Look at the buildings,” Jim said, peering around. “I Scanned three explosive runes, but there’s probably more. They shouldn’t break our barriers, but if we hadn’t been prepared, it could’ve picked off a couple hundred of our weakest soldiers.”
“Everyone, steel yourselves!” Vincent shouted. “The buildings are about to explode.”
The army raised their shields, cast additional barriers, and equipped heavier armor. Vincent placed his foot on the nearest trip rune, and all the buildings of the outpost exploded with flashes of different-colored mana. Shockwaves rocked the army, but they held their ground, and their barriers held steady.
“Wardens to the front!” Vincent yelled. “They might’ve prepared more traps.”
“What if they’re waiting with an army at the Jump Gate?” Xan asked. “They might expect our strongest people to jump first.”
“That would be foolish of them,” Vincent replied. “They’re better off taking advantage of Midrun’s defenses. The Beholden Eye alone could kill a hundred men if they’re exposed.”
“Not to mention we’d have an amazing vantage point to fire down on them while descending,” Jim noted. “It’d be a ridiculous gamble to center the entire fight at the Jump Gate. But just in case, we should have as many people jump at once. Put forward our strongest players and best Wardens.”
“Agreed,” Vincent said.
Lloyd nodded, and then organized groups of Wardens and their most powerful players. They gathered about a third of their army on the Jump Gate, and Lloyd counted down for the jump.
“3-2-1.”
Vincent activated his Jump Crystals a split-second before everyone else. He hovered into the air and watched as the next third of their army hurried to position themselves. His eyes stayed on Valahym as he flew into space, and he equipped the Beholden Eye on the off chance the Justiciars tried such a trap.
If I see Lucas, I should take him out first and mark the exact moment of his death on my HUD. If Sam was truthful, then we know exactly where Valery is being held.
Vincent checked the highly detailed map that Sam had sent them. Sam’s advanced runes had even let him tag specific places. He’d marked all the notable captives in Lucas’s dungeon, including Zhang. The foe-turned-ally had even mapped half the castle and the surrounding area. However, Sam’s last message to them still left Vincent nervous.
Sam’s last message said he’d been found out. He’s still on the party list, but has sent nothing else, which means he was either put in a cell or banned. If Lucas guessed what he was doing, he could’ve moved Valery. But that depends on if he figured out I can free people. Even if he didn’t, he knows we’re planning something, which means he’s had time to think of a plan himself.
Vincent glanced at the map again. But what if we don’t attack the castle directly? Some of his tunnels are close to the surface. If I save the Beholden Eye, I could use it to break into the dungeon without going through the castle. Unless Lucas plans to fight on the battlefield, we might free Valery and Zhang without engaging him directly.
Vincent hesitantly unequipped the Beholden Eye as he neared Valahym. Instead, he readied a mana-storage rune, hoping he could pull off two Black Cinders if they encountered an army at the Jump Gate. However, as he floated downward, he caught no sight of an army.
Also abandoned. But I should check for traps either way.
He landed on the Jump Gate and Scanned everything in sight. He saw no signs of traps and gave a sigh of relief as the army landed safely. Vincent stepped off the platform and eyed the city in the distance. He couldn’t help but notice the grass and scattered trees where there’d once been only a wasteland.
Plugging the world magic fractures worked. In another century, this world will overflow with life again.
“There it is!” Quinn said, joining his side. “I’ve waited decades for this battle. I’m almost afraid it’ll be too easy.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Lloyd said. “Lucas has had many years to build up his defenses. It’s a good thing you four have so many friends and allies, because I doubt your original plan would’ve ever worked.”
“I’ll find a spot to place the daiglass shard while the rest of the army lands,” Vincent said. He rushed around the Jump Gate and ran toward the nearby valley. After a few minutes, Vincent found a deep canyon out of sight of the gate and buried the shard under the shadow of a young tree. He ran back to the Jump Gate to find the army ready.
Vincent joined the Wardens and stronger players in the front, and they marched toward Midrun. They weren’t even halfway there before the rune cannons opened fire. The Wardens raised their forcefields, and the army continued forward.
“They’ve upgraded their cannons,” Vincent said, Scanning them. “Looks like they added a layer of momentum runes to give them more distance and power.”
“Well, their aim sure sucks,” Keanu said, eyeing explosions that missed the army.
“They sacrificed aim for range and damage,” May noted. “Typical Justiciars. All bite and no thought.”
As they marched closer, the rune cannons’ fire became more concentrated on the army. Vincent could see they’d greatly increased the number of cannons since their original visit. However, their army kept their forcefields steady, and every soldier had a hundred ethers or more with them.
“This is too easy,” River said, helping maintain a forcefield.
“We haven’t even got to the hard part,” Athena said. “You need a top-off?”
“Yeah, I could use ten percent,” River replied.
Athena nodded and held a hand toward River. Her palm glowed with light that spread over River’s body.
Mana Gift (Cleric Only) – Mana Usage: Varies | Gives a within-reach player a portion of the user’s mana, however 5% of that mana is l
ost as a conversion cost.
“Thanks,” River said.
Athena smiled. “No problem, babe.”
The bombardment grew more intense as they reached the city-wide barrier, and Vincent used his high Perception to watch the blinking cannons closely. He waited till he saw a gap in the explosions before reaching past his side’s forcefields to shoot Void Gun. His spell split Midrun’s barrier, and his army’s Wardens set up forcefields in the gap before it sealed itself. They pushed against the barrier, widening the gap, and the Jiminy World Crickets poured past the forcefield.
As they came closer to the city, Vincent cast Zero Field on mana balls hurtling toward his army. He redirected them back at the city wall and hit it several times before he needed to refill his mana with ether. After another series of repelled attacks, he eyed the holes and cracks he’d left on the massive wall. “One powerful spell ought to bring it down now.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Quinn said, holding up her fist.
They approached too close to the wall for the cannons to target their army, however hundreds of Justiciars spammed spells from atop the wall. The Crickets’ forcefields wavered as arrows, spears, fireballs, lightning, ice, and mana rained down on them.
“Xan, use your fountain,” Vincent said between gulps of ether. “It’s the only way we’ll be able to fight from this position.”
Xan nodded and cast World Fountain. Her light beam split the earth, and rainbow-colored water rained on their army. Their forcefields held steady through the attacks, and the army barely needed ethers to maintain their defenses underneath the World Fountain.
“Xanny, you’re the best!” Athena said, smiling. “This spell gives us a huge advantage for the siege.”
Quinn rushed at the damaged wall and struck it with Gravity Fist. A section of the wall exploded inward, and even crashed onto a defense tower. Wardens protected Quinn from the falling rubble, but a thousand tons of stone fell onto Justiciars inside the city
