Crystal Shards Online Omnibus 1

by Rick Scott

  Nope. I suppose the effects could be hidden. But I don’t know nearly enough about spell mechanics to figure out a way to make them appear. Not that it matters at the moment, anyway. I’ve got to try something else. I look around at my friends: Gilly looks terrified. Maxis and Val Helena are seething, but Rembrandt hides his emotions behind a mirror-shaded poker face. He’s probably got the right idea. Don’t let Braxus know what we’re thinking.

  Although, in truth, we’re not thinking anything. We’d need to communicate for that. That gives me an idea. Party chat is silent, like talking inside each other’s heads. But could we all pull off Rembrandt’s poker face in front of a hostile audience?

  I’ve got to try.

  One by one, I start forming a party and pray that the clothes won’t detect something like that. When I see their names appear on my HUD, I open a party chat to speak internally and pray they don’t let on when they do the same.

  “Guys, we need to make a break for it,” I say in party chat.

  “Thank bloody hell someone said it!”

  “How?” Gilly says.

  “I don’t care how,” Maxis says. “One way or the other, I’m slamming that dude.”

  “Watch your facial expressions,” Val Helena says as she gives Braxus a pleasant smile. “They’ll figure out we’re communicating.”

  That encourages me to pay more attention to what Braxus is saying. He’s going on about how crappy life had been for him back in Citadel. Apparently, he grew up on the streets or something when his family was evicted from their hab when he was ten.

  “I didn’t let that slow me down, though,” he says with a mouthful of lobster. “One thing I got is smarts. And I outsmarted all of them. Who’s beating up who now, huh?” He lets out a caustic laugh. “Man, I wish they could see me now. That’s my only regret . . .” His countenance sours, becoming dark, like bad memories are flashing behind his eyes. “That I can’t rub their stupid faces in it.”

  Whoa . . .

  I’ve got no idea who he’s talking about, but I nod like he’s saying the most profound thing in the world. Braxus moves on to how he conquered the game world and got his ticket out of Citadel. He skips over how he actually took over Stormwall and jumps right into his future plans for expanding into the northern mountains once the giants are removed. That gives me hope. He’s actually thinking we’ll follow through with the deal. That’ll give us an advantage.

  I glance at Diana and the two knights next. They’re still standing faithfully at attention. Diana catches me looking at her, and when our eyes meet, I see them soften, the same way they did when we shook hands. I guess she knew what was going to happen to us. But she doesn’t look like she feels good about it.

  I’m going to risk it. I send Diana a PM.

  Me: Will you help us?

  Her eyes go into that cop squint, and I fear I just made a huge mistake. I don’t know how AIs work or think. Do the game rules force her to be totally loyal to Braxus no matter what? And are they all connected somehow? Did Xavier just see that message, too?

  Crap . . . I should have thought about that some more. This situation is making me desperate. Suddenly, I get a PM back.

  Lady Diana: I’m sorry. I cannot help you.

  Eesh . . .

  I’m not sure if I just made our chances worse or not. But I guess we truly are on our own.

  “I think those emerald rings are the control devices,” I say in the chat. “Both Xavier and Braxus have one.”

  “Are you sure?” Maxis asks.

  “No. But he seemed to show it off a bit when he was gloating.”

  “It’s a gamble,” Rembrandt says. “But I noticed that, too.”

  “So, how do we get them off their hands without being charmed?” Gilly asks.

  “I can probably get to Xavier with a Charge Strike,” I say. “That will stun him.”

  “And I can grab Braxus from here,” Val Helena says. “But we’ll need a way to distract them for a second.”

  “I have an idea,” Gilly says. “But it might be a crazy one.”

  “What are you going to do?” I ask.

  “I’m not going to do anything,” she says, glancing at me. “You are.”

  “Huh?”

  Then aloud, Gilly suddenly says: “Hey, Reece, why don’t you play us a tune on your horn?”

  Holy cow, she can’t be suggesting what I think she is. I respond to her aloud, as well. “What?”

  “Come on,” she says cajolingly. “You play so well. I’m sure we’d all like to hear. Especially the king. Right, guys?”

  I get mixed signals from around the table.

  “Yeah, go on, Reece,” Maxis says. “Play us a tune.”

  “I’m not sure about that, mate. That thing’s awfully bloody loud to be playing in such a confined area, yeah?”

  Rembrandt’s encrypted warning comes through loud and clear. What the heck would a stampede look like inside a place like this? This could be suicide.

  Braxus has a bemused look on his face. “Okay, now I’m really curious. Can you play or not?”

  “I’d hate to embarrass myself,” I say laughingly.

  “Oh, go on, Reece,” Val Helena says with a smile, but in her eyes, I see steely conviction. She’s committed to the plan, no matter what. “And while we’re still young, eh?”

  I put on my best reluctant sigh, but inside, my guts are trembling with anxiety. “Okay, but you guys asked for it. Let me get it from my inventory.”

  I materialize it in my hand, and the trio of knights jump forward apprehensively.

  “Easy,” I say, showing it to them. “Just an instrument.”

  Thankfully, it’s quite small. The gnarly horn twists like a curly W and fits like a bugle in my hand. My teammates slowly back away in anticipation, and my heart starts to pound. I’ve got no idea what this thing does besides the description.

  Lakota’s Horn

  Summons: Great Herd Stampede

  Uses: Once per day

  Lakota draws strength from her herd and is never far from reaching them.

  This could be crazy stupid, but I’m center stage now and I’ve got no way to back out. How do you even aim this thing? I stand and press the horn to my lips. My teammates tense.

  “Get ready to run to the sides, you guys,” I say in party chat.

  I blow on the mouthpiece and a low, awful-sounding note emerges.

  But nothing else happens.

  Oh crap . . .

  Braxus lets out a bemused scoff. “Was that it?”

  “Just warming up,” I say.

  Come on. Work, you stupid thing! I blow again, harder this time. The note sounds again, but this time, it’s accompanied by a glowing of the horn.

  Reece uses Lakota’s Horn!

  Reece has summoned Great Stampede!

  The ground trembles. This is it! My heart jumps with anxiety when I think about what’s to occur. I wanted a distraction, but I’m not trying to get anyone killed. Especially not Diana or Aiko. I’ve got to warn them.

  “Everyone, move!”

  A split second later, the door and wall explode behind us in a shower of brick and mortar as a herd of eight-foot-tall buffalo come charging into the room. Deep bellows and the thunder of hooves fill the air with a tremendous din. I barely have time to grab a hold of Gilly and fling us both against the wall as the freight train of hulking animals crashes into the dining table.

  The thing gets flung into the air, and Braxus, stuck at its head, screams like a child.

  Aiko, alerted by my call, transforms from plaything to deadly assassin once again, her violet eyes sharpening. In one fluid motion, she slides off Braxus’s lap, grabbing him in the process. The stampede swarms over the top of them, and I lose sight of the pair in the wave of charging buffalo.

  No! Aiko . . . !

  The animals go crashing through the picture windows at the back of the room, taking out the entire wall in the process, and plummet over the two-story drop t
o the palace grounds below. I’m not sure if these buffalo are alive or not, but the wailing cries they make upon impact is horrendous. The surge of bleating animals continues for a few more seconds, the noise scrambling my brain. I press into Gilly, forcing us against the wall, and cry out as a stray horn scrapes across my back.

  You take -114 damage.

  Then, in an instant, the river of buffalo comes to an end as the last few disappear over the edge of the room, falling to the ground below. My ears are still ringing, and I feel dizzy. The room looks like a tornado hit it. Only splinters, broken glass and lobster shells remain of the once sumptuous banquet. I immediately check the HP bars on the party list, and my heart jumps when I see Maxis and Val Helena in the red.

  Less than 15%! Holy crap. They nearly died!

  Rembrandt is still in the green, tucked away in the far corner behind me.

  I look for the fat dude, Xavier, next. I almost expect him to be a smear on the floor, but instead, I see he somehow managed to press himself against the leeward side of a decorative pillar built into the wall. Our eyes meet. I prepare to rush him with a Charge Strike, but he raises his hand and yells, “Stop!”

  I freeze mid-step. No! It feels like I’m back in my hab again, in need of Mutt and Jeff. So close!

  To my right, I catch a glimpse of Rembrandt. Amazingly, he covered nearly half the room in an effort to reach Xavier before the fat man put on the brakes. Groans come from both Val Helena and Maxis as they vainly try to peel themselves off the floor.

  “You miserable wretches,” Xavier says, stepping from his hidey hole, confident now that his safeguards are in place. “You come into our world and do nothing but destroy. Would that the goddess be done with your kind for good.”

  “Lord Xavier,” I hear Lady Diana say from somewhere to my left. “I’ll see to these oath breakers.”

  When she comes into view, her cop eyes narrow at me again. She turns her head to her two subordinates, both of whom are at half health. “Ziegfried, Thomas, get to the grounds below and search for the king. I sense his life force still, but it is weak.”

  I don’t know whether to feel relieved or chagrined by the news. Part of me would like nothing more than to be done with King Braxus for good, but as much as he disgusts me, I’m not sure if I could handle the death of another human being on my conscience.

  Thomas and Ziegfried heed their commander’s words and stumble past me, out the huge opening where the door once stood. I vaguely wonder if those buffalo were actually real ones teleported here or if they were just some form of illusion. Although, looking at the destruction caused by the stampede, illusion is perhaps the wrong word. Special effect is more like it.

  Diana says to Xavier, “What do you wish to be done with them, my lord?”

  “Take them to the garrison. I suggest immediate execution for the lot.” He eyes us with venom. “After this, I have no doubt the king will heed my recommendation and will not bother with those silly coliseum games. Shard Warriors are dangerous.”

  My heart lurches into my throat.

  “I’ll round them up,” Diana says as she approaches Val Helena. “Could you make them stand, Lord Xavier?”

  “Yes, of course,” he says, and then, more authoritatively, “Stand up!”

  More groans come from Val and my brother as they struggle to their feet.

  Diana turns toward Xavier, and her eyes go wide as she draws her sword. “Lord Xavier! Behind you!”

  Aiko?

  Xavier turns to look—as do I—half expecting to see Aiko already sinking her katana into his back. Instead, I see no one. Diana releases a cry as she brings the flat of her blade down on top of Xavier’s soup-bowl haircut.

  Lady Diana uses Subduing Blow!

  Lord Xavier is now asleep.

  The fat man releases a wail and falls to the ground, face-first in a pile of lobster tails.

  Thank you!

  Diana expeditiously stoops to the ground and removes the emerald ring from his hand. She then crushes it under her heel. The gem cracks like a piece of candy, releasing a green mist into the air.

  I feel my body return to me and let out a breath of relief.

  A wave of white light washes over all of us as Gilly hits us with a mass healing spell. Maxis and Val Helena are quickly topped up to full.

  “Lady Diana,” I say. “Thank you so much . . .”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” she says. “I’d remove those garments while you can.”

  To my relief, I can finally pull them off, but have nothing to replace them with.

  Gilly flash-changes into her new white witch’s outfit I’d gotten her. Rembrandt has his normal clothes back on in an instant, as does Val Helena. It appears that only my brother and I were stupid enough to send our stuff out to wash. “Do you know where our clothes are?”

  “Probably back in your rooms by now. Depending on his mood, the king was entertaining the idea of releasing you. I, however, was not surprised by the outcome. But please, listen to me now.”

  We all go quiet.

  “I’ve taken a very great risk in helping you. And I am not doing so without a purpose.” She looks straight at me. “I sense you have the ability to lead a township. And you have a kind heart. I ask that you free us from the grips of this madman.”

  “What?”

  “Although you’re an oath breaker, I do not fault you for breaking your last one. Will you swear one to me, instead?”

  Lady Diana has offer you a new Quest: Liberate Stormwall

  Depose King Braxus by forcing him to relinquish his control of Stormwall.

  Do you accept the quest? (Y/N)

  I hesitate. “I . . . I don’t know if I can . . .”

  “Please,” she says. “It need not be tonight, but please do not forget this act of kindness. Unfortunately for us, we need no emerald garments to become slaves.”

  Darn, I never really thought of it like that. I’m not even sure how or if I can pull it off, but I owe her. “You have my word, Lady Diana.”

  You have accepted the Quest: Liberate Stormwall

  “Thank you,” she says. “Now, you must hurry to the South Gate if you wish to escape. After word of this spreads, there will be men sent to close it.”

  “But we need to head north,” Val Helena says.

  “The North Gate is already sealed, by order of the king. To guard against the giants.”

  Maxis lets loose a curse. “Then this whole thing was a waste of time? Was he never going to let us through?”

  “Not unless he got what he wanted.”

  My brother turns bright red, and I see his neck pulse in a swallow. I expect him to curse again, but instead, there’s an unsteady look in his eyes. Uncertainty. It seems almost alien on his face, but I see regret or guilt even. “I shouldn’t have egged us on to come here. We should have gone around.”

  Val Helena rests her large hand soothingly on the nape of his neck. “Don’t worry about that now. Let’s just get out of here.”

  “I’m sorry,” Diana says. “But I have one more request.”

  “What’s that?” I say.

  “Strike me.”

  “What?”

  “One of you must injure me. I can’t be found to have aided you.”

  I look to my brother and Rembrandt.

  Maxis scoffs. “I can’t hit a woman, man.”

  “Same here, mate.”

  We all look up at Val Helena.

  Diana grimaces. “I suppose it would have to be you. I’m prepared.”

  Val Helena sighs. “You have my deepest respect, Lady Diana. I’ll see to it that our promise to you is kept.”

  Val Helena slugs Diana with her massive bare fist and removes a tenth of her HP bar. Her head goes flying back, and she hits the floor with a bloodied nose, unconscious.

  * * *

  I race ahead down the corridors in nothing but my underwear, my two Dark Steel kunai in my hands. My heart rate is thumping, and I can almost feel the swarms of armed guards a
bout to descend upon us at any moment. We find our rooms and Maxis and I nearly break down the doors trying to get inside.

  To my relief, I find my gear neatly folded on my bed. Thank you, old lady!

  “Okay, we need to go!” Maxis says once we’re suited up.

  We’re about to head off, but I stop and freeze in place. “What about Aiko?”

  Everyone stops, then.

  “I couldn’t see what happened to her,” I say. “But if Braxus survived that fall, surely she did as well.”

  “We don’t have time to look for her,” Maxis says. “Besides, she’s the reason we’re in this mess. She triggered that dude by attacking him.”

  Val Helena looks torn. She releases a grunt of frustration as she musses up her hair with both hands. “Gah! I don’t know what to think or do when it comes to her!”

  “It’s okay, Val,” I say. “I’ll go find Aiko.”

  Gilly looks at me with wide, fearful eyes. “Reece! No!”

  “It’s all right, Gilly. Aiko and I can still get out of here even with the gate closed. We’re Ninjas, remember?” I crack a grin, but she looks too worried to laugh. “I just need to find her. Hopefully before Ziegfried and Thomas do. I’ll be quick.”

  Val Helena takes my hand. “Thank you, Reece.”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing, Ninja-man.” Gilly leans in to hug me, and I kiss her on the forehead.

  “Hey,” Maxis says. “Don’t screw around in here. If you run into a jam, just get out. We can always come back for her.”

  “Okay, where do we meet up?” I ask.

  “Our only option to reach the Vale now is west,” Rembrandt says. “Around the mountains and through the wild.”

  My stomach drops through the floor as I recall Rembrandt tracing that path on the map. “The wild?”

  “We can worry about how we deal with that later,” Val Helena says. “Right now, we just need to get going. And you need to hurry and meet back up with us.”