by Rick Scar
Raven had five hundred and eighteen dead. Alien Body and Scarab had lost about four hundred each. None of them knew how many their rivals had lost, but everyone hoped their losses were worse than their own.
The incident that had cost Will most of these lives had happened during the fourth wave that included within itself creatures with the ability to mess with people’s minds, imposing on them the idea of betrayal, suicide, or even mutiny.
Before going to bed, Will, despite being absolutely exhausted, still visited his Floor to make sure Adamarona was safe. After hearing Emin’s brief report, he yawned and exited the game.
As he sat up in the capsule, he took his room in and muttered: “I haven’t been this tired since... I don’t even remember...” Finding his slippers, he yawned and went to the bathroom.
His plan for tomorrow was browsing the web for any useful information on sieges.
After he had exited the game, the air over a spot next to his palace started to shiver and soon burst open, letting out a one-handed man. When he took a glance around and saw the guards running toward him, he walked to meet them.
His trail passes through here...
“In the name of the king, I’m ordering you to leave the royal palace grounds immediately!”
“I need White Raven,” Radermin told one of the guards. “I’d appreciate it if you took me to him. I’m an old friend of his.”
The guards exchanged glances and nodded to each other. They stepped up to the stranger, and one of them spilled powder all over him to make sure he wasn’t a Latian. After that, the other guard said: “Please follow us. Our captain will decide what to do with you.”
Chapter 252. An Old Friend
T he websites describing sieges and telling stories of famous fortresses, castles, and forts, were numerous. Browsing the pages, Will realized with horror that a magic world provided way more opportunities to capture a fortress than he could even have imagined. And such an advanced AI as The Emperor could do it in such an efficient way that… that it made Will decide to buy more protective spells like the Barrier. He had to prepare his Floor for the arrival of other players, anyway, and prevent them from taking over important countries. Mollie had recently dropped a hint to him that a passage to Floor Four could be opened in a few days.
“And that’s still without the flying mobs.” Will leaned back in his old chair, tapping on the table with his fingers as he considered the situation. The past day had been hard. The unusual experience of having to protect the citizens while fighting made him see his way of ruling (and the war he had rushed to start) in a new light.
A single fortress, and I’m having such a hard time protecting it. Just thinking about it made him feel uneasy. What will it be like when they storm Adamarona? I doubt they’ll line up in waves... Am I ready for that?
“You haven’t had breakfast yet. Go wash your face at least.”
Will gave a start at the voice coming from behind. He wasn’t yet used to sharing his apartment with someone else. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his father leaning on the doorway, with a mug of coffee in his hand.
“Yeah, sure.” He stood up and, smiling sheepishly, headed for the bathroom.
“Are you okay?” Darius asked when Will passed by him. “You don’t look well. Something wrong in the game?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll sort it out as I always do.” Will’s voice was firm, but Darius could hear anxiety hidden under a layer of confidence.
Reluctantly, he admitted that he could do nothing to help his son. He sighed as the bathroom door closed and the sound of running water broke the silence. Then he went to the room with the capsule and stared at it, and at the VR helmet on the shelf.
Suffering for the sake of family and his own goals...
Darius could never do that. He had none of Will’s determination, so he couldn’t bring himself to join the game. Will was a wolf with jaws clenched tightly around his prey’s neck as he drained it of blood, while he was a hard-working ant who would get his well-earned reward for his honest work.
Even as an ant, he always gave Will all the support he could, helping him when he’d come home from school bruised all over, or in tears. On one occasion, according to his ex-wife, Will had come home stripped down to his underwear.
Hearing that, Darius realized that he was a weak man, too weak to raise a strong son. So he stepped back in order to prevent Will from growing up just as weak as himself.
He watched Will become gloomier and more reserved. But all he could do was pray to God that his son would grow up to be strong, and not a coward. And the day that Leah was born, his prayers seemed to have been answered. Her birth transformed Will. Sometime after, Darius began to notice a steely gleam in his little wolf’s eyes – and love for his little sister.
Darius sighed at these memories, and took a sip of coffee.
I was a terrible father, after all. Wasn’t I?
He was lost in thoughts when Will exited the bathroom, wiping his face with a towel. Darius looked at his son and patted him on the shoulder before leaving for the kitchen.
But even if I was, my withdrawal has been good to him.
“Want me to get you something to eat?” he asked.
“Yeah, thanks.” Will shifted his gaze from his father’s back to the capsule and smirked. “You’re a slow decision-maker, old man.”
Having had breakfast, Will logged into the game. It was eleven in the afternoon; he had to meet the commanders of the border forts and castles. He planned to pick up some defense strategies from them, and to solve the problem of the Barrier scrolls being too few to protect all of the fortifications. However, upon arrival, he got intercepted by an errand boy who told him about a visitor.
“Radermin’s here?! But it’s too early!” Will had a look at his quest journal, and checked the Safeguarding the Worlds quest. The countdown showed twenty-six days before Insanity broke free. So why was Radermin here?
After a quick walk along the halls, Will faced his old friend and the one responsible for this journey of his. He was surprised to see that he was missing an arm.
“Greetings... Your Majesty.” Radermin stood up from his chair and smirked, extending his right hand for a shake. “You’ve always been shooting for the moon, yeah?”
“Yes, I have.” Raven couldn’t help stealing a glance at Radermin’s stump while shaking his hand. “I don’t understand… I saw you grow a new arm before we parted. Have you lost it again?”
Radermin cast a tired glance at his missing limb and took a seat.
“Yes. As you’ve seen already, I regenerate quickly. But soon after my arm grew again, it…” He looked up at Will with empty eyes. “It’s infected with insanity. I… Or rather, this arm… Killed one of my friends. One of those who had been following me all this time. It happened too fast for me to react. Before I could stop it, his head was rolling across the floor. That’s the gift that vile creature left me.”
Christ... A debuff of such power? Will was astonished. Sure he had a thing that could remove any curse, but giving it to Radermin before fighting Insanity would be… Well, insane.
Raven smirked at this unintended pun, and decided to introduce his friend to his witches. He had no idea what kind of remedies they could make, so there was a possibility that they just might know a way to help Radermin.
Will sat down across his guest.
“So, why have you come now? To see if I’m ready?”
“Correct. I’ve come to ask if you’ve found a way to destroy Farris. He’s been weakened by the transformation. Still, killing him won’t be easy.”
“Well…”
As Raven told him about his plan, Radermin became thoughtful. In the worst-case scenario, he could seal the demon again, but he hoped that he wouldn’t need to do that as he was afraid that the demon might find a way to escape. He had done it before, after all. Luckily, none of the other demons had been able to use the loophole that Insanity had used to leave their prison. Or rather, they hadn�
�t been allowed to do it by the one who was assisting Insanity. The slit between worlds they had created was unstable. Radermin had no idea who they were, but he was certain that there had been an outside helper. Insanity was strong, but much weaker than other demons. And it was precisely this weakness that had made his escape possible. However, the identity of his mysterious patron was still unknown. A fact that still concerned him.
Such a thing was impossible when Pandora was alive... No one, except maybe Ahennia, could’ve created such a passage.
But all legendary heroes had long died.
“Radermin?” Will called out after waiting five minutes for an answer. “What do you think?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. But if this skill is a gift from a hero’s soul, it must be powerful. So, my answer is yes. Our deal stands.” The hunter stood up and extended his hand. “It was nice to see you again. I’ll come again a day before his imprisonment ends. Choose a spot where he won’t be able to do much damage. And don’t bring any soldiers with you. The more people there are, the higher the risk is that someone gets infected with insanity and becomes dangerous for their allies.”
Having said that, Radermin was about to walk away but Will stopped him.
“Wait. I have several strong witches working for me. You may visit them. They might have a remedy for your problem.” Will beckoned a guard who reacted instantly and came up, staring blankly and waiting for a command. “Take my guest to see the ladies.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please, follow me.”
“Oh, that’s sudden. Thanks.” Radermin nodded and headed for the exit after the guard, but suddenly stopped and looked back. “Oh, I almost forgot. How’s the pup? Any progress?”
“Ah, yes.” Will snapped his fingers at the recollection (he had almost forgotten it, too) and summoned Hade, curious about Radermin’s reaction.
The hunter stared at Hade with wide eyes as she came up to him with a smile. Hugging him, she said: “Thank you, Great Guard.” and backed a few steps to stand by Will’s side.
“That’s… that’s impossible! You… She… How?!” Radermin shifted his gaze between her and Raven, opening and closing his mouth as he stumbled over words. He looked like a father seeing his child take its first steps. “Such a great result in just six months! How’s that even possible? If you keep up like this, you’ll be able to achieve what no one had in the last thousand years. Ten heads, and the legendary power of the Leader of the Race. But…” He lost his zeal, shaking his head as he finally paid attention to Hade’s level. “She’s too weak still. Raven.” He stared at the rogue. “Don’t rush things. Evolution of any species isn’t a thing to take giant strides forward. Let her become stronger before striving for the top.”
Will nodded. Having said goodbye to Radermin, he left his Floor. The second day of The Siege was upon him, and he had to check a few things before it began. He had learned that medieval sieges weren’t all about the enemy knocking on the main gates, but also about surrounding the fortress so as not to let anyone slip out, or bring provisions to the defenders. When faced by such a great army of enemies for the first time, you could only think about the immediate threat. However, historically, the strongest blows almost always came from the back.
Once in his fortress, Raven sent scouts to the rear, and received an immediate confirmation of his guess. The enemy groups huddled at the back gates were much smaller than those in the front, but they were there. His small garrison had to be spread really thin to prevent a sudden attack from behind.
This task required knowledge of strategy and military tricks. Rather, of anything that would get rid of the enemies, or keep the citizens alive.
The alarm bell signaled the beginning of the preparation hour.
Chapter 253. A Lone Wolf
B OOM!
The ram beetles, crawling over the corpses that had filled up the moat, eventually reached the gate and ran their strong heads into them, all at once.
BOOM!
Their passive (or maybe active) skill was so powerful that Will could feel the vibration from their synchronous blows on top of the wall.
However hard he had been trying to make the moat wider and longer during the past breaks, he couldn’t. The corpses didn’t disappear so they were in the way of digging, and eventually made the moat useless as a defense line. But that didn’t stop him from finding another job for his citizens; he wouldn’t have been himself if he had allowed anyone to lollygag at a time like this. Women and children were searching the battlefield for arrows and collecting them, while men, overseen by a group of masons, had been tasked with walling up the main gate. Between the past waves, they had already fortified the gate’s bottom so it could no longer be opened.
As the groups of beetles and other mobs were trying to break in, the ballistae were showering them with projectiles, injuring or killing with the first shot. Slow but efficient, the small group of four ballistae and three scorpions reduced the attacking force by almost a half.
There had been no point using these powerful machines from the very start as the ammo was limited, so Will had decided to save them until they were really needed.
Besides them, attacking from the top of the wall were mages, who were busy healing and buffing their allies.
Will had used up the assigned hour to organize the defense of the two gates at the opposite ends of the city, sending about two hundred soldiers to each. One soldier was given the task of blowing the horn when the enemy surprise group appeared, so Raven could come to their aid in time, summoning the Great Forest Spirit, the summoning potion for which he had already been given by the witches.
The mobs proceeded on their mission of breaking down the gate without realizing how pointless it was. Raven smiled at their attempts when the air was ripped by a blaring horn.
Oh! They’ve come earlier than expected.
Will ran to the other wall, picking up speed and glancing around, in case any other enemy was planning a surprise attack. But everything was quiet. Soon, he stood behind the back of the archers shooting the monsters. He could’ve reached his destination faster by mounting Hade, but the idea of riding an almost human creature just didn’t sit right with him.
Having uncorked the bottle filled with an expensive potion, he jumped onto the edge of the wall and poured it onto the ground at its foot.
The potion’s description included HP, mana, magic attack, strength, and other things one needed to summon the Forest Spirit. Its title of “great” was justified by the quality and quantity of resources required to create the potion.
Once the first drops touched the soil, Will said the incantation, and the ground began to swell. It looked like Mother Earth was heaving a sigh. A big mound was growing until it was nine feet tall and then burst like a boil, spitting stones and lumps of earth. They flew in all directions, but suddenly froze in the air and got pulled back into a whirlwind forming the Spirit.
Roots came out of the ground, creeping over the medley of earth and stone to become the muscles of the ghastly body that had a head, two arms, and… nothing more. Will briefly wondered if there had been not enough earth for the creature to form legs.
Everything happened in a matter of seconds. Soon, Raven and the audience could see a genie-like creature hovering several feet above the ground, its body formed by the fine dust that remained of grass and earth, and its eye sockets black and empty. The creature hung in the air motionless until it saw the enemies; then it dashed toward them, attacking from a distance.
“It has thirty thousand HP. I doubt they’ll manage to defeat it.” Will was about to come back when he saw two groups of mobs flying up and plummeting down toward the Spirit. “I fucking knew it.”
Having suspected that the devs would’ve filled the air with monsters, he came prepared. He summoned Shimiraz and Khalapheer.
“Come closer, everyone! You in the back lines: shoot only those enemies that attack you directly. Everyone else: attack!” Will shouted one command after another to his
soldiers standing in three lines, at a distance of about three feet from each other. “Guard them,” he told his pets.
The Ogre could throw his club, which made him more efficient than the ballistae. And the bear-like Khalapheer could move about the battlefield with lightning speed. Watching the battle for a while, Raven came back.
Wave eight. Nine. Eleven.
At a glance, the whole thing seemed simple: invent a strategy, follow it, and join the fight when needed. But those players that were fighting side by side with their soldiers were seeing it quite differently. They were exhausted not only because of their high sensitivity level, but also because they couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of losing. If it hadn’t been for their obsession with winning, they wouldn’t have come this far. The dream of conquering the top and standing level with the sun was the thing they lived for… and the thing that killed them.
Their weariness caused mistakes, and mistakes caused causalities. Step after step. Mistake after mistake. One dead. Five. Ten… Until the chance of winning slipped through their fingers.
It hurt. It was unfair.
Sixteen fortresses fell to the monsters hitting the walls and crashing them with just a couple of blows.
Will’s city and its dwellers were also in danger. The giant frogs from the tenth wave were taking running jumps at the walls, hitting them with the full weight of their bodies, and soon there was a breach. A silver lining to this cloud was that the frogs couldn’t leap over the wall (otherwise, the time he had spent on preparing the defenses would’ve been wasted). The breach was twelve feet above the ground: beyond the reach of the other mobs.
When one frog tried to leap in through this gap, Raven, not without great effort, managed to debuff it and all its friends, winning some time and distance for his archers and mages who were shooting at the enemies without pause.
