by Rachel Aaron
“He has a point,” SilentBlayde said.
“I would be excessively grateful if you’d take gold to my parents to pay my debts,” James said, not believing his luck. “Thank you, Zero. What do I owe you?”
“It’s on the house for you guys,” the Assassin said, grinning at Tina and James. “I owe you two at least four of my nine lives. I think that’s worth a little free travel. Just give me contact info and a letter so they know I’m not a weirdo and we’re good.”
“Done,” Tina said. “Thanks, dude.”
“Don’t mention it,” Zero said, waving the words away. “Consider it a wedding present, though it’ll have to be a late one since I’m planning to stay here for at least six more months. Can’t take the chance of going back before they off me.”
“That’s fine,” James said. “I’ll need time to get the gold together, anyway.”
“And I’ll need time to drum up all my new business,” Zero said, rubbing his paws together greedily. “You guys get a freebie, but everyone else pays ten percent commission. I’m gonna be rich!”
“That’s the spirit,” Tina said, laughing.
The Assassin smiled back and bounced away, leaving them staring at the train of players going through the portal. CincoDeMurder had already left, as had most of the rest of Red Sands. Roughnecks were leaving, too, and soon Tina was pulled away into a line of tearful goodbyes.
“Man,” James said to SB. “I’m almost sad I’m not going home now. Things are going to be crazy over there. I wonder if magic works on the other side?”
“Leylia was born a Portal Keeper in our world, so there has to be something,” SilentBlayde said, then his eyebrows shot up. “Speaking of, I just realized I need to go talk to Anders. I know we promised to keep her secret, but he’s had Leylia’s Disease for a long time. He deserves to know the truth.”
“Go for it,” James said. “I don’t think she’ll mind.”
“Thanks,” SB said, then his smile got wider. “Brother.”
“It’s brother-in-law,” James called after him as the elf darted off.
“I can’t believe you’re fine with your sister marrying the Assassin who tried to kill us,” Ar’Bati grumbled.
“Considering that was Tina’s idea, I can’t hold it against him,” James said with a shrug. “I’m just happy he finally told her the truth. I knew they’d work it out eventually. They weren’t nearly as good at hiding being in love as they thought they were.”
He really was happy, he realized. There was so much still to do, so much to rebuild and fix, but for the first time ever, James was looking forward to the future. They’d won so much more than a battle today. They’d won a chance to start over, a chance at a new life, and not just for the players. The Once King had moved away from the portal once the rush began. He was now standing at the edge of the terrace, staring out over the now glaringly white desert of the Deadlands, his face pensive.
“I wonder if the trees will return now that there is sunlight again,” he said as James approached. “This land was verdant once. Perhaps it will be so again in time.”
“I’m sure it will,” James said. “It’ll certainly be busy. Every player in the world who wants to go home will have to come here to do it. Back when the portal system worked, that wouldn’t have been a problem. Now, though, I have no idea how we’re going to manage it.”
“The Bedrock Kings will help,” the Once King said with certainty. “They always said I was wrong, but they never gave up on me even when I banished them. I’m sure they’ll be so happy to be proved right at last that they won’t mind keeping the Timeless Tunnels open for a while. I’ll need those tunnels myself in any case. There are many I must apologize to.”
James nodded, unsure what else to say.
“I do not expect the world to welcome me,” the king said quietly. “But if I am to make amends, I must start soon. Once the Great Pyre burns out, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to support my life. But I suppose that is what it means to be mortal. You never know how much time you have.”
“That’s why smart mortals don’t waste it,” James said, smiling. “I’ll be happy to help you if you need it.”
“I won’t,” Ar’Kan said, starting toward the stairs. “But thank you.”
James waved after him, watching the winged elf’s back as he descended the stairs back to…James had no idea, actually. The fortress was the king’s home, and it had been a very long night and day. Maybe he was going to bed. He could go anywhere now that he wasn’t tied to the Great Pyre or forced by the game to sit in his throne room waiting for people to come by and kill him. He was honestly surprised the Once King hadn’t already flown away. Maybe he was saving that for later, when the world knew he wasn’t trying to kill everyone and people wouldn’t try to shoot him out of the sky.
Either way, it was a beautiful day. Sitting up on top of the mountain, James watched the sun set over the Deadlands for the first time in who knew how many years. Ar’Bati sat next to him, telling his brother of all the honor they would reap once the world knew of their deeds. It honestly sounded like a lot of work, but James liked it anyway. He liked everything that involved his new future here in this world he’d always loved so much. They were discussing how best to get back to the Savanna now that things were over when a huge bang sounded from below. A few minutes later, a very bloody Garrond rushed up onto the terrace, loudly demanding to know what was going on.
“Hoo boy,” Tina said, walking up to clap the furious paladin on the shoulder. “Have we got a story for you.”
***
In the end, fewer people went through the portal than Tina expected. Tons wanted to, but now that the Once King had given them such an unexpectedly long timeline, a surprising number were no longer in a hurry. They were far more interested in getting their money out of the bank and living it up like kings for a bit before returning to their lives, and honestly, Tina couldn’t blame them. She wanted her bling back, too.
They couldn’t stay on top of the mountain forever, though. It was cold up there, and structurally unsound thanks to all the holes and cracks in the floor. Everyone who was going through the portal today had already gone anyway, so when the sun started to sink below the mountains, Tina ordered everyone to pack it in and head back down to camp.
Garrond had already gone ahead. The Order commander had flat-out refused to believe what had happened at first, even when Tina told him about the Sun’s direct intervention. It had taken both James and Anders working on him before he finally stopped trying to go down and tear the castle apart so he could kill the Once King once and for all. Which, in hindsight, was probably why the winged elf had made himself scarce, the sneaky old bastard.
“You staying too, Roxxy?” Frank asked as they all started down the spire. “I’m glad. I ain’t ready to be main tank.”
“I thought you did great,” Tina said, grinning at him. “You finally learned to use your shield! It was beautiful. I legit cried.”
“Well, I’m staying,” Killbox said over Frank’s shuffling and “aw, shucks.” “No way I’m abandoning all this”—he slapped his rock-hard eight-pack—”and I still haven’t gotten my elf hottie.”
“Probably because you call them ‘elf hotties,’” Tina said flatly.
“Try treating women like people,” Zen suggested, cutting in gracefully to join them. “I think you’ll have more luck.”
“Whoa, Zen?” Tina said, cutting off Killbox’s explanation of how “elf hottie” was a compliment. “You’re still here? Weren’t you hell bent on going back?”
“I was,” Zen said. “And I’m still thinking about it, but I realized while everyone was saying goodbye that I haven’t actually made up my mind.”
“Fair enough,” Tina said. “But what about your body? Aren’t you worried about it?”
“I was, I am,” the Ranger said. “But I forgot I’d promised my mom I’d meet her for lunch on my day off. She knows I’m never late, and she has a key to my pla
ce. She’s probably already found me.”
“That’s a relief,” Tina said with a smile. “But don’t you still want to go back? I thought you loved your job.”
“I do, but the hospital won’t fall apart if I’m out for a week, and I can’t go back in good conscience without at least finding out if Gregory and the others survived.”
Tina homed in at once. “Gregory,” she said in a suggestive voice. “Not King Gregory?”
Zen rolled her eyes. “Tina, we left them to die. I don’t think it’s weird to be worried.”
“No, no, I think it’s sweet,” Tina said, batting her eyelashes.
“I also want to get back to the Savanna, because I don’t think they have another modern medical professional,” Zen went on, ignoring her. “Healing spells are fine and dandy, but there’s a lot they don’t handle. Someone has to teach the Bastion medics about germ theory at the very least. They don’t even wash their hands! It’s barbaric.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re staying,” Tina said with a smile, glancing over her shoulder to locate her husband, who was safely tied up in conversation with Anders. “I want you to remain on as my second in command. I need someone who can yell at me when I’m being stupid. SB was no good at that even before we got together. Now that we’re married, he’s utterly hopeless.”
“I don’t like yelling at you, either,” Zen said gruffly. Then she smirked. “Maybe you should try being less pigheaded.”
“Yeah, I don’t ever see that happening,” Tina said proudly. “My head is stone to the end!”
“Amen to that,” Zen said, shaking her head in defeat as they all walked together down the stairs, out of the empty fortress, and into the surprisingly beautiful calm of the Deadlands’ blue twilight.
***
After a good night’s sleep and much partying, it was decided that a player force would stay and guard the portal and the Dead Mountain Fortress. Commander Garrond wanted to tear the place apart brick by brick, but James and Tina managed to talk him down. He still refused to leave until every spark of the ghostfire was gone, which James felt was fair, but there was no way they could leave the zealous holy warrior alone near the Great Pyre that fueled the portal until every single player was out.
In the end, they compromised on building a temporary Order base located in what had been Grel’Darm’s courtyard. James wasn’t sure how the Once King would feel about that, but the elf wasn’t there to complain. No one had seen him since yesterday, actually, which was both convenient and scary. Even with his new epiphany, having the world’s most dangerous raid boss MIA felt like a Very Bad Thing. But for once the undead were not at the top of James’s concerns. He was much more concerned with getting back to the Savanna.
Thankfully, the Once King appeared to have been right about the Bedrock Kings. They showed up bright and early the next morning all on their own, no summoning circle required, and offered the extended use of the Timeless Tunnels until all players were where they wanted to be.
“Dude,” Tina said as they hurried under the ground on their way back to the Savanna. “My stone parents are so awesome! Almost makes me sad I’m not a stonekin anymore.”
“I’m just glad someone’s happy to hear the Once King’s still alive,” James replied. “I was starting to get worried.”
Tina rolled her eyes. “Only you could be worried about a raid boss.” Then she smiled. “And that’s a good thing.”
“Glad you think so.”
“I know so,” she said, punching him in the arm. Lightly, thank the Sun. “Now that I’m not spending every second being down on you, you’re actually a pretty cool dude. I’m super glad you’re staying. I’m fine with the fighting and stuff, but all this political crap is way over my pay grade. I need you here to tank the nobles for me.”
As nervous as James was, that mental image made him laugh. “I’m happy I’m staying, too,” he told her as they ran into the dark, sprinting through the distance-warping tunnels toward what, James hoped, would be a victory celebration.
When they finally reached the circle of daylight at the other end, though, he realized that his joy was premature.
“Whoa,” Tina said, skidding to a stop.
James stopped too, eyes wide in horror. At his request, the tunnels had brought them straight to Red Canyon, the gnolls’ fortress where all of Bastion was supposed to be making their last stand. But while they were definitely in the right place, the fortress—and all the grassland for a mile around it—was a smoking ruin. Undead were everywhere, their bodies lying in pieces as if they’d simply fallen apart where they stood. Given what the Once King had told them, that was probably exactly what had happened, but that still didn’t explain the emptiness. James didn’t see so much as a bird in the morning sky, and it was terrifying.
“Where is everyone?” Ar’Bati demanded, voicing what everyone else was thinking as he bounded up from the tunnel.
“They can’t be dead,” James replied quickly, looking around at the destruction. “There are only zombies and undead out here. No fresh corpses.”
“Then why is no one on the walls?” the warrior demanded, pointing at the smoking fortress. “And why do no flags fly from the towers?”
“Oh, crap,” Tina said in a small voice. “Did the Once King stop things too late?”
Everyone lapsed into horrified silence, and then James slapped his fist into his hand. “I bet they’re underground!”
“You mean in the Red Canyon dungeon?” Tina said skeptically. “Wouldn’t that place be crawling with monsters?”
“Not since we cleaned it out,” James said, grinning at his brother. “Thunder Paw is no fool. I bet he saw that army coming and led everyone straight down the canyon.”
“Then what are we standing here for?” Ar’Bati said, dropping to all fours. “Let’s go!”
The two of them raced into the Red Canyon fortress, followed quickly by Tina and the rest of the players. The destruction was even worse in here. Gnoll and jubatus bodies littered the streets beside humans wearing the red of Bastion. James even spotted a few player bodies, which meant the lowbies they’d left behind must have decided to fight after all. It was a gruesome spectacle, but James remained hopeful, because while the dead were many, there were still not nearly enough corpses to account for everyone. Wherever the main force was, it hadn’t fallen here. He just prayed they were still alive as he and Ar’Bati sprinted down the canyon toward the dungeon at the bottom.
Just like the fortress above, the base of the canyon was littered with broken undead. There weren’t nearly as many of Bastion’s corpses here, though, and that gave him hope. That hope rose even higher when they reached the entrance to the lich’s former stronghold and discovered that the hall where the dungeon portal had been was choked with the remains of countless undead boars, their bodies hacked to pieces by gnoll axes.
“There was an incredible battle here,” Ar’Bati said, leaning down to examine the wounds. “But where are they?”
“Keep going,” James said, hopping over the boars to continue the search.
It was a brutal one. Every inch of the Red Canyon dungeon appeared to have been a battleground. There were bodies everywhere, mostly undead, but too many not. James and Ar’Bati called out to their allies as they searched but got no answer. By the time they reached the bridge where the Naturalists had made their last stand during their last visit to Red Canyon, James was starting to lose faith.
“There’s only one room left,” he whispered nervously to Tina. “What if they—”
“Here!” Ar’Bati called.
James sprinted over to see what his brother had found. The warrior was standing on the steps next to the portcullis they’d used to lock themselves in with the lich what felt like forever ago. When James arrived, Ar’Bati pointed up the stairs, where the massive enchanted steel doors of the lab were closed tight.
“You think they’re in there?” James asked breathlessly.
“Only one way to find out,�
� his brother said, running up the steps two at a time.
James followed eagerly then slowed, his eyes going wide. Now that they were closer, he could see that the lab’s doors were nearly destroyed, their heavy surface riddled with slashes and dents. At their foot, the body of a giant elf lay crumpled. When Ar’Bati turned him over, James realized he was looking at the remains of Sanguilar.
“He must have collapsed when the Once King stopped the army,” James said quietly.
“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer asshole,” Tina said behind him, kicking the former raid boss in the gut with her boot. “Let’s get these doors open.”
James nodded, stepping over the boss’s body to pound his fist against the damaged doors. “Hello!” he called out. “If you’re in there, it’s James of Claw Born. We won! It’s safe to come out now!”
For a minute there was no answer. Then the huge doors jerked against his hands, causing James to leap back in surprise. As he retreated, the doors began to rattle and bulge, as if some immense power was pounding on them from the inside. James was still trying to make sense of that when Tina tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hinges are warped,” she said, pointing up at the huge, boss fist–sized dents at all four of the door’s corners.
“Can we break them free?” James asked.
His sister grinned. “We can break anything.” She looked over her shoulder. “Team Hulk to the front! It’s clobbering time!”
James stepped out of the way as the Knights and Berserkers came forward, wedging their hands or blades into any crack in the doors they could reach.
“Ready?” Tina asked, getting in there as well. “Heave!”
