by Oliver Mayes
“Madam knight, I know not who thou art, but I do pledge my knightly word that thou art the most potent knight that I have met in all my life.”
A blessing arrived on her from Mr. Healy, quickly followed by a larger one from Judgementday. Her face filled itself in, her nose reset and her body was as new. The entity which had broken her face in the first place was now simping on her. Once again, Lillian was as polite as she could bring herself to be. She patted the back of his hand sympathetically.
“It was a good try. You did your best.”
She finished her sentence and he faded away. Ah. That old chestnut. If only all simps were so easily deterred. In the center of the room, a fat golden chest faded in as the Black Knight faded out. A welcome trade. The chest was for Lillian. It literally had her name hovering above it in her HUD. She gathered her party up next to it for the after-fight talk.
“Nice shout-outs there, Aetherius, Healy. Judge, thanks for taking the test run for me, that really helped. It says this chest is for me, let’s see what it is first.”
Lillian opened the chest and could scarcely believe her eyes. It was a full set of crusader armor: head, chest, arms, legs and feet. There was no set bonus, but the gear was resoundingly better than hers for at least one good reason. It was all level 50. Even for level 50 gear, it was far beyond Lillian’s expectations.
She had to be fair. She put it to her party.
“Should we split it five ways and I pay you for the pieces? Or does anyone want to roll against me for this gear?”
Legolias and Mr. Healy were already shaking their heads when Andrew spoke up.
“It’s pretty clearly for you, the one who completed the duel. You deserve it and it’ll be a nice souvenir of your victory.”
Judgementday had been a little slow to shake his head. Lillian couldn’t say she blamed him. He knew it wasn’t for him, but it was good gear and he’d helped. She acknowledged his sacrifice.
“Thanks, Judge. This will help me a lot once I can wear it. If you’re up for it, we can find you some tank gear and I’ll take you through the basics when you have time?”
“You’re offering private tuition on tanking?”
“Absolutely. I can’t be surrounded by people willing to die for me when I need them alive.”
19
Break the Endless Loop
Lillian rearranged all the items in her inventory to make room for her haul, and was still forced to ditch her maintenance items to accommodate all of it. By the time she’d finished organizing her possessions, the rest of her party had started chatting to pass the time. The real prize still lay ahead. Lillian appraised her party.
“We all set to go?”
At once, their smiles became strained. Lillian checked herself. She folded her arms and waited for the complaints to start. Judgementday nervously stepped forward.
“I’m really sorry, but I can’t be on much longer. I didn’t get much sleep yesterday and I’ve got a full schedule tomorrow. Class starts at 8am for me on Wednesdays.”
Right. She knew that. She was still figuring out what to say when Legolias chipped in.
“It’s been a lot of late nights in a row, I’m falling behind on my assignments. I need to catch up before I go to bed. Not sure how long I’ll be able to come online tomorrow, either.”
Lillian scrunched her eyes shut and opened them again. It didn’t help. Her grand vision of saving Camelot was being waylaid by homework.
“This was the Great Hall. Only two rooms left, the War Room and the Throne Room Two rooms and we’re finished.”
Judgementday wasn’t having it.
“It’s taken us two days to get through the last four riddles, and that’s leaving out Sunday when we had to get through the gate and fight Archimonde immediately afterwards! All of them school nights.”
“Come on, Lil—”
And now Mr. Healy had joined them.
“—that was a good fight, but it was a bit intense. Let’s call this one a win and come back fresh tomorrow, I’d like to end on a positive note for once.”
“Do you have anything important to do tomorrow, Healy?”
“I’d like to sleep before midnight, if it’s all the same to you?”
Lillian kept her cool, although she didn’t feel like it. On the same day she’d given them a break, letting them watch Damien’s stream when they could’ve been pressing on, everyone had started complaining about the grind.
There was no sense in bringing up that she’d let them watch Damien’s stream. They’d earned the break and following it had performed to the best of their ability. They all deserved better than her ire. Her problem was that none of them seemed to be acknowledging the stakes. She laid them out to them as simply as she could.
“If this were just about us and there weren’t any mitigating circumstances, I’d understand. But Hammertime is still ahead of us. Godhammer could be in the very next room, about to get through the riddle unless we stop them. Even better, they could be in the last room right now. Aetherius, back me up here.”
Everyone turned to Andrew. Andrew looked between them. He gave Lillian a long, hard stare. Then, to their combined amusement, he started typing. Lillian was less amused than the rest of them.
“Whatever you want to say, can you just say it? If you’re typing it to them because you don’t think I can take your honest opinion, that’s kinda offensive. And if you’re typing it to me—”
Her chat box pinged. She was glad he’d typed it to her instead of saying it out loud.
Aetherius: Do you remember complaining, earlier today, that I had no self-control because I played Saga Online instead of focusing on my studies?
That was completely valid. But completely different! It was different because the stakes here were higher. Besides, she had a higher goal here, even if...the rest of them...didn’t. Crap. Either they had the same goal, which they had every right to compete with her for, or they didn’t and she was really insisting that helping her with the game was more important than focusing on their studies. What she was doing was wrong either way.
She blew out a long breath between her pursed lips. This was a lost cause. However, she could convince them to do one last thing before they all logged off.
“Can we at least move into the next room before we log off? I don’t know if the gate will still be open by the time we come back and I don’t much feel like fighting the Black Knight again. We’re lucky we got through the first time round.”
There was a bit of grumbling, but Lillian drove the point home.
“If Hammertime and his group are in the next room we’ll have to fight them to log off safely. Which means we’ll know the earliest they can respawn and we’ll take control of the quest chain. If Godhammer are in the next room we’ll deal with them before we log out. No riddles. Does that sound fair?”
Andrew nodded his approval.
“Fair. Works for me.”
One by one, the whole party agreed. If Godhammer weren’t there it would be very bad news. But if they were, Lillian would sleep much easier that night. Unless the fight didn’t go their way.
They gathered at the foot of the stairs. With Lillian leading the way, they ascended and cautiously made their way through the open gate. The moment all five of them were across it, the portcullis dropped shut with a clang. If Hammertime’s party was in the room ahead, they’d know they had company. Then again, the battle had been loud enough. Godhammer would’ve had time to prepare for their arrival. Not a comforting thought.
“I’m going in. Channel your heals in advance. Look for space. Prioritize their damage dealers.”
She set her shield ahead of her and ran into the room, scanning for health bars. No sign. Godhammer had to be concealed behind the huge round table, the only point of interest in this otherwise bare room, waiting for a single player to wander into their attack range so they could even the odds before the real fight began. Lillian jumped onto the table and circled the entire perimeter, her sword
pointed over the rim, as Legolias cautiously checked underneath it.
Nothing. They were alone. There was no obvious way forward. The room was stone on all sides. It was over. Mr. Healy’s Logout Sphere enveloped him.
“I guess that’s it. Post a time in the party chat tomorrow, I’ll be there if you need me.”
Legolias gave Lillian a nod before following in Mr. Healy’s footsteps.
“Sorry they’re not here, Lillian. I’ll be online tomorrow evening, or call me if there’s an emergency.”
The Logout Spheres blipped their players out of Arcadia and back into the real world not long after. Only Judgementday and Andrew lingered. Judgementday walked up to Lillian, who was keeping her face turned away.
“I really thought they’d be here.”
“Me too, Judge. It’s alright. See you tomorrow.”
“Are you sure? I can stay if—”
Lillian closed her eyes and gathered herself before she set them on Judgementday. She opened them and saw what she’d expected. Pity. She wouldn’t fault one of her most loyal players for saying what was on his mind, nor would she allow him to feel sorry for her.
“Judge, I can’t have you playing when you have things to do. I’ve been pushing hard recently. Sorry I got carried away. Go study.”
“No, it’s okay, I can—”
She slapped him hard on the back.
“Get out of here! Study hard and I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? We’ll figure out your tanking lessons as well.”
She held her hand on his arm and gave him a quick nod, beckoning him to return it. When he did, Lillian patted him on the shoulder before sitting on the table to see him off.
The moment he was gone, she slumped over and held her head in her hands. She heard Andrew pacing in front of her but didn’t look up. Maybe if she didn’t pay him any attention he’d leave her alone. She heard him clamber onto the table beside her and pace to the middle. Curiosity got the better of her. She couldn’t help but draw her hands down her face to see what he was doing. He was scrutinizing the table intently.
“It’s over, Andrew. Either they’re in the next room or they’ve finished the whole quest already. We should leave.”
“If they’d taken Excalibur, all Saga Online would know. Hammertime wouldn’t be quiet if he’d succeeded. We need to figure out this riddle as soon as possible.”
He’d found it. She’d completely ignored the middle of the table over the course of her search for hiding players. The whole table served as the last plinth. She climbed up as Andrew finished reading, turning away to scan the rest of the room. Lillian took his place and read the inscription:
The fifth quest is a pair, with two ways through;
The path to greatness parts at no small price,
A tribute worthy of a king is due,
By you or made by one in sacrifice.
These virtues are the parents of their kin,
Aligned in disregard to personal wealth,
It is said a man’s gift opens doors for him,
And brings him before great men, such as himself.
Two ways through, it said. Lillian looked up and saw none. The War Room was a dead end. She chided herself. Psychological barrier. If they could find out the requirements, the way forward would open to them. The requirements were named: price, tribute, sacrifice, personal wealth. The question was how to make the offering in the first place. Whatever it was, it was not apparent.
“Andrew, any idea how we—”
Andrew stood upright and began pacing around the table again, shaking his head. They wouldn’t get anywhere like this. She got off the table, intercepted him and put her hands on his shoulders.
“You need to sleep. You slept late yesterday and not for long enough. You were online all day getting everyone through two of the riddles. Three if we include—”
“Don’t patronize me. I’m not leaving until this is done.”
That sounded more like the old Andrew. What was Lillian supposed to do with that? Leave him here alone? Try to convince him to log off again, presumably making it worse? Or just cut to the chase and argue with him, like the good old days? None of these options were appealing. She wasn’t having the best day herself, she’d rather avoid slipping back into old habits and making it worse for either of them.
She decided to watch. She was no more capable of focusing on the riddle than Andrew was, not when he was acting like this. She sat down on the table edge to wait him out. It wouldn’t take long, given her experience and his current temperament. Andrew made it a quarter of the way around the table before he looked back to find her staring at him.
“Oh, I see, you’re letting me do this by myself? I got us most of the way here, I thought you might—”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. Why are you here?”
“What?”
Lillian drummed her fingers on the tabletop. She just couldn’t help herself, could she? Even after everything they’d shared, even seeing how tired and frustrated he was, she couldn’t sit there and let him speak to her that way without pushing back. There was no audience for them to keep up appearances in front of. She’d reopened the box. Or perhaps it was a joint effort. There was no closing it now.
“I thought once you were clear of the wall, we’d go our separate ways as agreed. You insisted on sticking around. To watch my back, you said. But we didn’t have our talk until a few hours ago and up ’til then, you thought I’d stayed hidden to steal Rising Tide and the competition from you. Now I’m watching you lose it, because Hammertime is out of our reach. Or should I say your reach? Were you ever here to help me? Or were you always going for Excalibur, right from the start?”
The two of them stared at each other for a long time. Andrew walked back over, his eyes still not leaving Lillian’s, and stopped dead in front of her. When he spoke again, he wasn’t ranting like before. His voice was low and tight.
“Is that how little you think of me?”
“No, Andrew, that’s how much I think of you. If you want to try and take Excalibur, you have every right. You’ve done more work to get here than I have, that’s for sure. But if that’s what this is, I’d like it out in the open. There’s no Rising Tide, not anymore. No competition to worry about. Probably no Excalibur, either. We may as well be honest with one another, for a change.”
He looked at her for a couple of seconds, saying nothing, then returned to circling the table. Lillian took a deep breath and let it out. At least Andrew had stopped ranting at her. He hadn’t made it another quarter of the way round the table before he drew to a stop, staring at the ceiling. Then came back to her again.
“You know what? I wanted to make up for what I did. I wanted to show you I’m not what you think I am. I wanted to help you when you needed it most, even though you gave up on helping me. Then you told me you’d never left, that you’d never really left, and I knew nothing I could do would ever be enough. All I had left was getting you through this quest. Now Hammertime’s taken it away from me, and you don’t believe me. You helped me for years; I wasn’t even good enough to help you through a few days.”
The longer he spoke, the more his face contorted and the further his eyes drifted away from hers. It was hard to watch. But Lillian did. He showed no signs of stopping.
“I thought that if I just worked hard, I could make up for not being good enough before. But I’ve failed, again. It’s all I ever do. I had everything I needed, and I threw it—”
Lillian grabbed his hands. It was too much. She couldn’t take it in one sitting. She had to do what she could to close the box again. One particular sentence came to mind:
“Stop blaming yourself. You always take responsibility for everything, even when it’s beyond your control. You’re not perfect, and you never will be. But you are amazing.”
Andrew choked out a laugh and squeezed her hands back.
“Don’t throw my words back at me. They were for you, and you deserve them. I don’t.”
/> “You do. You really do. What I want right now is for you to get some sleep. We’ll have a lot to think about tomorrow if Hammertime gets his hands on Excalibur. I know it’s not what you wanted, but can you do that? For me? It would make me happy.”
He was a mess, but he managed to nod.
“Okay. I’ll be online tomorrow morning. I’ll fix this.”
“You already have. Go ahead. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
Andrew’s shoulders dropped. He was ready to leave. He toggled into his menu and lit up to log out. A few seconds later, Lillian did the same. The moment he disappeared, Lillian canceled her logout.
She might’ve been a big fan of the Code of Chivalry but if she had to pick between being honest or protecting people, she’d deceive them every time. Even if it hurt. Andrew was in no state to handle this. He’d done more than enough. She’d finish this alone. Not only to get Excalibur, but to catch Hammertime and give him an earful. It had always mattered, but now it was important. She’d tear down the goddamn walls if she had to.
She took out her hammer to do exactly that. The door was supposed to be here. She was more than capable of making her own if one wasn’t provided. She drew the hammer back...then set it down on the table as her Divine Might faded. This was not a question of strength, or even of will. She had to abide by the rules. The riddles had always been the way through this. She couldn’t afford to lose her temper, the consequences could be far worse than cleaning up a mess in her kitchen.
She let go of the hammer, raised her pain settings and had positioned herself to do squats – less effective in game, but still a viable distraction – when the notification came up in her HUD:
Current offering – Hammertime’s Behemoth-Grade Iron-Crusher – Level 35. Accept? (Y/N)
She froze, staring at the hammer. Why had that happened? Tentatively, she took out her sword and shield, placing them reverentially on the table.
