“My people are fresh and ready for battle.” Kala looked as fierce as ever, even through a Mirror of Communication.
“Make it so,” Alkao said. “Any more suggestions or questions?”
No one had any.
“Well, let’s get to work,” Alkao said.
Officers started grouping together, talking to one another about how to complete their transition. They all looked weary, most with blood still encrusted on their armor from the battles they had already been in.
Josh looked to Lucy. “Is Dave awake?” he asked as they left the command center.
“Not yet. His body is going through a lot of changes with the amount of power he unlocked.” She shrugged.
“Creating nearly two hundred thousand sets of weapons and armor.” Dwayne shook his head. A proud grin spread across his face. “We’re breeding monsters.” Dwayne laughed.
The others joined in.
They were doing things that they wouldn’t have dreamed of weeks ago. It was only when they were next to the DCA that they’d been able to see how strong they’d become in their time helping the Aleph.
They’d killed hundreds of thousands of Demons in just the space of a day. They had not won the battle but their force of a few hundred had been comparable to twenty-five thousand soldiers, half a DCA brigade.
The others talked among themselves as Josh moved closer to Cassie, his chest tight with anticipation. He pushed those feelings away. They could wait—the quest and the raid came first.
“Well, it looks like you took our invitation.” Josh smiled as she laughed.
“You have a lot of explaining to do. I didn’t even know that there were Demons or Beast Kin on Emerilia,” she said.
“Well, there weren’t a few months ago. We helped them out and helped them fulfill their quest so that they could move their people back to Emerilia.” Seeing her expression, he hurried on. “A bunch of creatures are coming back to Emerilia. Most of them bad, but then there are others who were almost wiped out because of the perceived threat they were. Like the Demons, Beast Kin, and the Aleph.”
“So, you helped bring the Demons, Aleph, and Beast Kin back to Emerilia? How?”
“Uh, well, we kind of are friends and help out this one dude from the Affinities Pantheon.” Josh scratched the back of his head, realizing just how odd his position was. It kind of just piled up, the next thing and then the next until we got to this point. I wonder where this journey will take us.
“Who?”
“Well, we call him Bob, but he’s known as the Grey God, or Neutral. He’s kind of the guy who balances the Pantheon and Emerilia, trying to protect the POEs and the game’s stability. He’s a really cool AI. It’s crazy how realistic they got the AIs in this game. Feels like I’m talking to real people most of the time.” Josh looked at the stretchers of wounded that filled the courtyard as they came out of the castle within the keep.
“Yeah, they’re almost too real. It’s easy to get attached.” Cassie also looked over the courtyard. “So this ‘god’ gives you really rare quests and helps to bring these races to Emerilia. Are there going to be more of the Demon Hordes?”
“I don’t think so, but there are going to be other creatures. You know that there’s a ton of lore in the game, right?”
“Yeah.” Cassie nodded.
“Well, every single creature that got too powerful, or that seemed to disappear from the world, like the Dragons, or the Demons and Beast Kin—well, all of them are coming back. From rogue Dragons and wizard covens to different cultists. Bob says that the angels might even come back,” Josh said.
“Aren’t the angels good, though? The Church of Light says that they cleansed the world of the Demon scourge,” Cassie said.
“Well, the thing is that the Demons you see around you—all of them rebelled against the Dark Lord. They wanted to lead their own lives. They used to number in the millions. A force that covered all of Devil’s Crater and could go to war with the other races. They owned most of Ashal.
“The angels fought them all the time. They had higher levels, a better mastery of their magic and they were organized, unlike the Demons. They didn’t have the Demons’ numbers but with their magic and their ability to work together, the two forces were evenly matched. With the Demons saying that they wouldn’t follow the teachings of the Affinities, the Dark Lord lost a ton of power. It also meant that this massively powerful group wasn’t losing their power to their lord or lady. They pushed back the angels.
“The Affinities banded together. At this time, they had a very close connection to those who provided them with devotions. All of the races rose up and fought against the Demons. Bob saved who he could but they were wiped from the face of Emerilia. For the angels who had been killing for years, it created a vacuum. They were grand warriors, but the fight was over and there was no one for them to vent their ire on. For a time, they reveled in their power. Then an idea started. As the Demons had fallen into depravity from not having a lord or lady to follow, there were others without faith. They went around converting whom they could. It turned into killing those who didn’t have faith. Then it turned into killing those who didn’t believe in the Lady of Light. They led a holy war across Emerilia, powerful fanatics who had overcome the Demons themselves. Bob sealed them away, the knowledge about the angels banned. Now they will return and that knowledge is free.” Josh shook his head as he followed the other guild leaders toward where the Stone Raiders were waiting, just outside the keep’s walls.
“So we’re going to fight angels, who are really just religious fanatics who want to destroy anything that doesn’t follow their beliefs?” Cassie looked troubled.
“You’re damn right we are.” Josh grinned.
“You know how insane that sounds, right?” Cassie asked.
“Ah, well, doing the sane thing is rather boring.” Kim joined the conversation, passing the Dwarven batteries that were being checked over. Lucy drifted over to talk to them.
“I wish I joined you lot after Boran-al. Everything got political and stopped being a game after that.” Cassie shook her head ruefully.
“Well, we’ve got plenty more things to do, and I know we’ll need someone to actually understand what we’re doing. Josh is more happy with going off and hunting down Demons than planning,” Dwayne said.
“And you don’t want to go hunt the Horde down?” Josh asked.
“Never said that,” Dwayne said, a smile almost splitting his face.
Josh rolled his eyes as Cassie snorted.
“Bunch of meatheads.” Kim looked to Cassie for comfort.
“I feel like I’m way out of the loop. I didn’t really get more than the fact that we have three different guild headquarters.”
“You have much to learn, young one,” Josh said, as if he were some wise old man.
“Don’t listen to him too much—will hurt your brain,” Kim said.
A monstrous aura filled the area. Cassie started to sweat and fell to her knee.
“Guess Dave’s awake,” Dwayne said as the pressure lessened.
“That was Dave?” Cassie’s legs shook and her face paled.
Weird. This aura thing seems to affect how we feel. How do they do that in the simulation? Josh thought.
“Yeah, he’s plenty powerful. Party Zero is our secret weapon. Damn scary bunch. I don’t know what they were doing at Benvari, but they’re some of the strongest Players we have,” Kim said seriously.
“How didn’t his aura affect you?” Cassie asked.
“After feeling the Lich Lord’s aura in the Aleph’s college, there hasn’t really been anything with an aura as scary as it. Also, it was only for a few seconds. I’m going to get the scouts ready. Kim, gather the parties that are ready for hunting down the Horde. Dwayne, go and check on Party Zero,” Josh said.
“Got it.” Dwayne nodded and headed away.
“Yes, master and commander,” Kim joked with an over-the-top salute, wheeling on her foot and marching off
.
Josh headed for his scouts. Cassie hurried after him. For a while, neither of them said anything.
“So, where do we stand?” Josh asked, unable to keep silent.
“You’re my guildmaster and I’m your new recruit.” She smiled, that excited twinkle in her eye.
“I meant, personally.” Josh came to a stop and looked at her.
Cassie’s face turned serious as she held her chin in thought. “Well, now that we don’t have you keeping me in the dark about everything and we’re going to be seeing one another more,” her eyes narrowed as if a judge passing sentence on a criminal, “you owe me an expensive restaurant, helping me find out a good place to become an E-head on Earth, and we’ll see.”
“Decided on becoming an E-head?” Josh smiled at her attempts to try to stay somewhat serious and failed.
“Well, after everything that you told me, it makes sense. There are just so many things going on. I should be able to make enough money just from the streaming. I hate all the traveling. All of the time that I’m not in here. Earth just feels so dull compared to this.”
“That I can understand,” Josh said. His eyes wandered from Cassie to Emerilia, the POEs and the Players. The moons in the sky signaling late afternoon. “There’s nothing really like Emerilia.” His eyes came to rest on Cassie. She had been looking over the land as well—the forest, the crater, and its cliffs.
She seemed to freeze as they locked eyes. Josh stepped closer. His arm wrapped around her back slowly and pulled her slightly. She moved forward, her hands going on either side of his head. His free hand brushed a stray hair out of her face.
They kissed gently. The stresses and worries that had built within Josh fell away, a tension easing within him. Their lips parted. Their eyes fluttered open, his green looking into her blue.
“Think of that as a deposit for dinner,” Cassie said.
Josh laughed as she moved back a few steps, looking around as people whistled and grinned at their display. Josh grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the keep’s walls where the rangers and the other people with long-range scouting abilities were.
Chapter 14: The Worries Of Gods And Kings
King Sigaird looked out over the city of Haugr. People went about their work through the sprawling city. How long will it last before Gudalo will once again be at war? It was easier when it was against those to our south instead of lords trying to gain more power.
Sigaird rubbed his salt-and-pepper goatee before he rubbed his bald head in frustration. He turned around as the door to his royal office opened.
“Lady Merguine, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He looked to the entrance into his office. The doors closed behind her. The runes around the doors and windows of his office flared to life.
Merguine’s smile fell away as she crossed the office’s floor.
Sigaird’s own glee turned to a frown.
“He’s making a move,” Merguine said. She didn’t need to say who she was talking about.
“What is Esamael doing?”
“With the new way in and out of the Per’ush bay through Verlun’s teleport pad, we’ve been able to get in more spies and get out more reports than ever before. We’ve even been able to connect to some old spy networks. Esamael’s built himself a well-trained force that doubles as the guard for the cities of Osomi, Myrar, Emaren, Mhjarovik, Verlun, Liefl, and Geldir. He has a heavy presence in Gufaross and Owesa that cut off our messages before.” Merguine sat in the seat before Sigaird’s desk.
“Do we have anything that we can use against him?” Sigaird asked.
“Nothing yet, though with the Stone Raiders having a teleport pad within the city Verlun, he’s got a hole in his net. From what we’ve been able to learn, it seems that the Stone Raiders’ Traders are getting pressured from all sides. If they don’t give in to letting Esamael rule them, he’s going to get rid of them somehow. Even then, he could say that he was protecting the city or something of the like and get praise for driving out the Player guild,” Merguine said, clearly not happy with her news.
“We need to find something, a way to show the people who Esamael really is, and then get rid of him. He cares nothing of the people. Only his greed and need for more power drives him. War will bring us nothing but turmoil.” Sigaird held his head in frustration. “What have the mage’s guild and college said?”
“Nothing. They’re making it clear that what happens is our business. If it comes near to touching their members or interests, they will defend themselves. They will also watch over any battle to make sure that the rules of war are followed to the letter,” Merguine said.
“Good to know that they are at least reliable in their impartiality.” Sigaird snorted.
“Unless we have something to show that he has overstepped his boundaries as the lord of Emaren, then we can say nothing. With the guards, they have just gone through his training camps and then to their different posts. All of it is normal in our own kingdom. We do it with the guard forces for most of the cities around Haugr,” Merguine reminded Sigaird.
“I know.” Sigaird tapped his fingers on his desk, thinking. “Okay, we’ll quietly get some of our forces on active duty moved from the southern border up to near Mhjarovik. If something happens, I want to have people in place to do something about it. Cutting off Esamael from those other city guards in different places will help us out. What information do we have on these Stone Raiders?”
Merguine’s pretty face turned pensive. “I’m not sure. We know that they destroyed a guild that made it their job to hunt down other Players and hard-to-reach people of Emerilia. Then, they disappeared without a trace from within Selhi. They seemed to appear in a flurry of a few days, appearing out of teleport pads and then disappearing again. One of their members is supposed to be a Dwarven Master Smith who owns the smithies of Cliff-Hill and the ceramics factory. They’re one of the strongest reported raiding parties. They’ve got good coordination in both large-party fighting tactics and regular party-sized tactics. They also have powerful weapons that they have to get fixed by Dwarven Master Smiths. We have reports of them going to a half-dozen unknown teleport pad locations.”
“Where are they now?” Sigaird asked.
“We don’t know. They disappeared again within a few days of a bunch of them reappearing after disappearing for six months. They seemed to all be in a hurry. Every member of their guild who could drop what they were doing, did so. I have also got reports that the Golden Sabres Guild collapsed and many of their higher level Players chose to go with their guildmaster and join the Stone Raiders, wherever they might be.”
“So, we know barely anything about them. Damned mysteries that have been seen fighting like Demons possessed, then they’ve disappeared. So, other than being a mystery, can they be a threat to us if they are thrown out of Verlun? I ask in case we are not fast enough to assist them,” Sigaird said.
Merguine paused and looked to the side, as if trying to find the right words. It was a few seconds before she looked back at Sigaird, right into his eyes.
“The guild that attacked them in Selhi Capital has been devastated. The Stone Raiders placed a curse upon their very souls. It burned them until they changed their skins. The Stone Raiders would appear in the middle of the night from unknown locations into cities with teleport pads and slaughter all those who had attacked them. The magistrate of Selhi Capital has been removed by the queen for her ban on them. When the leader of the Stone Raiders was turned away and hunted down, some in the Stone Raiders let out their aura. Even then, they were as strong as, if not stronger than, level 100s. There is no knowing how strong they are now,” Merguine said.
“What about their raids? How good are they in large-scale battles?” Sigaird asked, the boy who had been trained in the matters of war as much as state coming through.
“They were the first guild with the Golden Sabres to open a portal to the Alturaran lands. They still hold rights to the portal in Opheir. They fought Boran-al’s cultists an
d a Xelur Demon abomination. Dragons were seen assisting them. I can only make guesses at their abilities, though they seem like a guild that one would be an idiot to try to go up against.”
“What do you think Esamael will do?” Sigaird sat back and watched Merguine as his own thoughts swirled around his mind.
“I think that he believes himself much smarter than he really is. He knows how to handle the POE and he is subtle in dealing with the Players. But with a blatant challenge like putting a teleport pad within his lands? He is not the kind of man to take that lying down. He might be smart, but he’s smart at fighting and hiding his actions. He is not good at hiding his intent and he’s a proud man.” Merguine shrugged.
“So, he will attack them and we have to decide whether to tell them or not.” Sigaird stroked his goatee. On the one hand, he could keep them in the dark, waiting for Esamael to make a mistake and then sweep in with his army from the south. The Stone Raiders might die but they would come back from death. They might lose their place within Verlun and look for revenge. If he told the Stone Raiders, he might lose the element of surprise, but he might have their gratitude and still have the threat of Esamael waiting for him in Emaren.
If the Stone Raiders found out that he had known something and hadn’t told them, there was no telling how they’d react. They do think that we are some kind of constructs made to entertain them.
No matter his decision, it could backfire on him. He just needed to look for the best possible solution: one that would lead to the least death, removed Esamael, and reduced the tension within Gudalo.
***
The video stopped. Silence filled the room.
Bob looked to Fire and Water.
“So turning your Creatures of Power into your champions doubles their strength?” Water said, not really believing what he was seeing.
“Yes, but I’m more interested in where the hell he got all of that power from. He certainly hasn’t been saving it up with everything else he’s been doing. I’ve been going through all the information I have and he’s not getting it from Emerilia. I don’t know where he’s drawing it from.” Bob shook his head.
This is Our Land (Emerilia Book 5) Page 14
