Bill chuckled sarcastically. “But your so-called tiger mom is okay with you skipping school and logging on all day, and your professors are totally fine with you skipping class entirely, as long as you take the tests, cramming from compiled notes they personally e-mail you the night before. And your drunk ass actually passes with flying colors because you boosted your Scholarship all the way to 17, and no one bats an eye at your suddenly photographic memory. Because this is all just a game. You really believe that shit?”
Jiu’s dark eyes flashed daggers at Bill. She clenched her fists tight. “Just shut the hell up, Bill. If I had known what 17 Scholarship really meant? Jeezus, you ass. Anyway, I already said it doesn’t matter. If shit hits the fan, we just yell P—”
Quickness skillcheck made!
Eyes wide with terror locked onto Val’s own. He sensed the sudden hot tension in the air when he slowly stepped away, carefully lifting his hand from a terrified Jiu’s mouth. For all that she was technically a world away and should be immune to Psionic attacks, Val had glimpsed just a flash of the pain Jiu kept hidden away.
“You were about to say para—I mean, the P word,” Val softly explained to the awed gazes and odd whistles sent his way.
“You’re fast,” Jiu whispered, blinking at Val like a very pretty fish. “That… that was crazy fast. Just what level are you?”
Val grinned, taking in the entire crew. “Level awesome, of course! What’s say we go kick some monster butt and fill our inventories with sweet, sweet, lewt!?”
Mick nodded. “The newbie’s right. Let’s get in formation. We’ve wasted enough time. We’ll leave a marker for Merlon to follow if the princess actually bothers to log on and join us.”
Snipe snorted. “I thought you were babysitting him, Eric.”
“I messaged him and I called his house twice!” Eric protested. “Not like there’s anything else I could do. You know what he’s like, when his team wins.”
Bill nodded. “We’ve wasted enough time on deadweight. You all heard the man. Time to link up. Standard tactics from here on out.” He glared at Val. “Don’t do anything fancy until you know our flow. Just follow Mick’s lead. If you get a sudden surge of insight about what you should be doing? Don’t overthink it, just do it. Mick’s our Paladin. Besides being able to cast group blessings, he can also give tactical instructions at the speed of thought. Pretty savvy for a highschooler, but there you are.”
Val nodded. “Got it, Bill, but here’s the rub. I’m afraid I can’t link up with you guys.”
Bill’s jaded gaze turned flinty-hard. “Why the fuck not, Jager? You’ve thrown enough fucking wildcards our way. If you won’t even link up...”
Val flashed his best disarming smile. “Class requirement! The quest chain I’m working on demands I not reveal my secrets to anyone, or all my efforts this month were wasted. Look, don’t sweat it, the only one losing out on info is me. And if I can’t pull my weight, I’m out, and no skin off your back. But if I can, well, you need a second shieldman, right? Far better my being half-clueless than having everything hit your paladin.”
He held up a hand as Bill’s jaw tightened. “Look, I’ll even do you hardasses one better. If any equipment gets damaged on this run, and you think me being linked could have changed that, I’ll repair it for free. Hell, I’ll repair it, even if I had nothing the fuck to do with it, okay? And the sweet sweet healing potions I got in my inventory I’m not going to ask you all to spend any credits on either. So can we quit dicking around now and actually go in there and make some money?”
Persuasion + Mercantile skillcheck: Success! Good thing you’re not linked, Val. You’d hate for your newest friends to realize they’re little more than pawns on the board!
Jiu actually grinned. “This idiot obviously doesn’t know how much arcane artificers are charging us to repair our enchanted gear. Come on, guys. We already know he’s strong and quick as fuck. We’re getting a steal, here. And if everything works out… hell, who knows? Maybe he’ll be good for more than just this trial. If he actually turns out to be a decent tank, I mean.”
Mick chuckled. “Have it your way, Jager. If you can keep your Synergized Ward up? You can keep all the fucking secrets you like.” His bemused smile hardened. “But if you think for a second we’ll let you stab us in the back...”
Val smiled, offering his hand. “Let’s make a pact. I'll swear to guard your back from whatever automatons or undead crap might be inside as best as I can without getting myself killed for the entirety of this delve. You swear in turn never to reveal my secrets. Deal?”
Persuasion skillcheck: Mixed!
The group went dead silent. Mick’s steely gaze met his own. “What the fuck are you playing at, Jager?”
Val gazed into the young man’s eyes. For all that he was already built like a charismatic linebacker, Val was certain he couldn’t be older than 18. High school seniors trying out for pro football indeed. “I’m offering to bind us to an oath. So you know you can trust me. So I know I can trust you. Either of us will know if the oath is broken.”
Reed and Snipe glared. “What the hell is this shithead doing?”
Eric’s eyes widened as if Val was a scorpion in their midst.
Crystal whimpered.
Val wondered just how badly he had fucked up.
Strangely, it was a smirking Bill that defused the sudden tension.
“Shit, Arcane Oathbinding? You are one eclectic fucker, aren’t you, Jager?”
Mick frowned. “You’ve heard of this?”
Bill gave a begrudging nod. “Sure. It’s what those Justicars judging the ascension contest use to bind people to their words. I think the Dominion also uses Psionic Oathbinding in their courts, but they don’t bother using that with us, since their Psionic powers can’t really do shit when we’re porting in with our black cat helms.” Cynical eyes glared at Val once more. “Are you seriously going to tell me you’ve had dealings with Justicars?”
Val grinned. “That I can tell you. Yes, I have. And maybe you’re sharp enough to figure out why I don’t want to mess up my quest chain.”
Crystal’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, you’re going to try to become a Justicar!”
Jiu winced. “Fuck, Crystal. You better not have deep-sixed his quest chain!”
Crystal’s mouth widened in a big O, and she immediately slapped her hands over her cheeks, as if she could take back the words she had said.
Val smiled, eyes closed, feigning complete indifference.
Mick’s features creased in a frown. “Damn, Jager. Please tell me we didn’t mess things up for you?” He took off his gauntlet. “And yeah, for what it’s worth, I have no problem taking that oath.”
Val grinned, taking the young man’s hand. “Excellent! I’m sorry, did Crystal say something I should have been listening to? I’m guessing no. Because I haven’t told her a damn thing about anything! And there we are. Oath given and accepted. I got your back, you keep my secrets close.”
And even as he let the words wash over them, Mick couldn’t hide the shiver of awe he felt. “Jeezus. That’s what an Oathbinding feels like?”
“How do you feel, fearless leader?” asked a concerned Jiu.
Mick flashed a bemused smile. “Actually, I feel pretty good. Like I took an oath that mattered. Swore myself to a cause that means something.”
Eric frowned. “Is that how he’s supposed to feel, Bill?”
Bill shrugged. “How the fuck should I know? I’m not a Justicar. I just know they take the law seriously here, and they’re all ‘proud to serve.’ So yeah, it makes sense, I guess. Alright, we’ve wasted enough time. Let’s get this shit in gear!”
And within moments, all banter was replaced by hard-eyed focus as a group of young adventurers as disciplined as any military unit naturally slipped into customary positions, Mick and Val leading the vanguard with Bill, Reed, and Snipe a few feet behind, in perfect position to lash out with polearms against whatever Val and Bill came across. Er
ic and Jiu were just behind. With a single coordinated shout, they would alert everyone just in front of them to duck low, whereupon they would blast fire and ice to devastating effect over their heads. And at the heart of them all was Crystal, ready to force healing magics in the tight Spirit Mesh Mick had forged between everyone save Val, who was happy to see he wasn’t the only one who used Spirit Links to aid in quick heals.
Despite all that he had seen and done, Val still felt a delicious shudder of anticipation wash over him as they approached the massive slabs of Altersian crystal serving as stone doors blocking entrance into the mountain, delighting in the thought of discovering what secrets lay hidden within.
Then Val noted the neatly cut hole right in the farmost slab, the Altersian rubble in a carefully carted pile just a few feet away. Even Vulcan autocannons would have had a dickens of a time shooting through the barrier. Reflected blaster fire would be as likely to destroy the battle-mech as the slabs of energy-reflecting crystal before them. The only thing that could have cut through that crystal so neatly was a Psiblade. No doubt the one formerly wielded by Highlord Avarum himself.
His companions didn’t hesitate, ducking their heads and going through the entrance of cut stone leading into the heart of the mountain. Val took a last breath of pine scented air and followed just behind.
37
“Illuminarius” Eric whispered, and the increasingly dark and gloomy corridor smelling of damp and limestone suddenly lit up in flickering flame, a ball of fire bobbing over all their heads, showcasing the ancient runes and hieroglyphs painstakingly carved into the squared off corridor of smooth, polished stone.
“Save point just ahead,” Eric muttered as they followed corridor into a natural cavern, stalactites hanging high overhead.
Val carefully eyed the chamber, sensing no signs of trouble, able to see with Magesight and Psi-sense the massive ebony crystal levitating in the air. His friends all touched it and smiled before stepping away. Val wondered if they had backed themselves up one last time, or simply did it for added reassurance.
Struck by sudden curiosity, Val put his own hand where he could just sense the crystal jutting into their own dimension.
Gate point accessed. Do you wish to jump to one of your gates?
He slowly lowered his hand, dispelling the image of his entire network of gates from his mind’s eye, making sure he left no taint of his presence.
“Good,” said a relieved-looking Crystal. “Now you have a close-by save point. If anything happens and you yell parachute—” Her eyes widened as she faded away.
Jiu blinked. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Bill vented a sarcastic chuckle. “We’ve been together for how many weeks now? And that bitch has ‘chuted herself out of three engagements! If she weren’t so strong, if we even had access to another healer specialist...”
“—And we don’t,” Jiu snapped. “She’s not a coward. She just panics sometimes. And she’s gotten better. You know she has.”
A mortified Crystal stepped out of the obelisk a few quiet minutes later. “I’m sorry, guys. I swear I didn’t mean it!”
“We know,” soothed Jiu, taking the embarrassed girl in her arms and glaring at a smirking Bill. “We all fuck up sometimes. God knows I fuck up all the time. Just ask my mom. But as long as you cast your healing magics and I blast nasty shit with my spells, we’re all good, and no one can say a goddamned word.” She smirked. “Even Mother forced herself to smile at me when my check hit the family account.”
Eric frowned. “But Jiu, I thought you said...”
“Shut up. She’s still my mom. Okay, Eric? With Dad gone and my uncles being my uncles, we’d have to sell the house if I wasn’t doing this. And I’m not going to do that to my sisters.” She swallowed, taking a shuddering breath. “I’m not going to dishonor my family, no matter how much I hate them sometimes.”
Snipe smirked. “We got our emotional bonding out of the way? Good. Now get back in formation. It’s time to go kill some shit.”
Even Jiu chuckled at that. “Yeah, enough with the fucking feelings. Mick? Time for you to rock the blessings.”
Mick nodded. “You got it, Ice Princess.” The Paladin immediately belted out a powerful baritone chant, and Val could sense the gentle waves of mana washing over the party, increasing their Vitality and Quickness stats, even giving them all mild regeneration and a very low order Synergized Ward.
“See how sweet it is to link up, newbie?” Bill quipped. “You feel strong now? Your buffs would be doubled if you were. Now keep your eyes pointed forward. Mick’s going to be focused on the buffs and blocking shit with his shield. You’re gonna be our eyes, ears, and shield. You dig?”
Val smiled, summoning his brilliant Synergized Ward once more. “I dig. You sure you don’t want me to scout?”
Bill chuckled softly. “No need, Jager. We already got our scout.”
Val’s eyes widened as the Obelisk pulsed darkness before a cold-eyed young man with coal dark hair stepped through, dressed in Highlord Battlemesh, utterly free of dwarven armor or any other reinforcement, save for the shimmering black cloak he wore, so very similar to Val’s own. And the saber and dagger at his hips more than compensated for his lack of wand or blaster.
“Greetings, ladies and worms,” the man quipped as he drew his glowing saber in the blink of an eye, flashing through a brilliantly fast series of moulinets that left streaks of light as they passed, the runes of his name sparkling in the air before fading moments later.
“Ramos Aldieren at your service.” He flashed a quick smile with his bow, showing off brilliant white teeth.
Val felt a cold chill when he recognized the dark eyes behind the mocking smile.
He remembered all too well the mocking voice of a former Elerium player who had happily claimed an entire in-game barony for himself, and all the spoils to be found in a treasure room never before explored. He had left Val and his friends with nothing to show for their desperate efforts but the loss of irreplaceable items and four more deaths pulling down their rankings. The devastating loss had effectively broken up their Elerium party, never to recover before Val’s life had changed in ways beyond his wildest dreams.
“What color is the hilt?” Val had asked, forcing himself to grin and bear it as all their dreams of victory came crashing down around them.
And how memory of that mocking chuckle made him choke with rage, even now.
“So you get it, do you? Then you know how this goes. My hilt is as black as the blade I’ve stuck in your back. Thanks for the haul, Val. For someone who played Solar Crowns once upon a time, you should have seen this coming from miles away.”
“Yeah, cute, Ramos. You were supposed to show up ten minutes ago,” Bill said. “Merlon choked and didn’t bother showing at all. So we got some fresh blood to back up the front line. You ready to scout, or do you want to posture for a few more minutes?”
Ramos chuckled even as he handed a suddenly blushing Crystal a pale blue rose. The younger girl lowered her gaze, but her shy smile grew when he brushed back her lustrous curls and placed his gift carefully behind one ear. “A goddess. You are no less.”
Jiu rolled her eyes. “Smooth. You know Crystal’s still in high school, right? Now get scouting, Romeo.”
“I’m 18, same age as you, and I thought you said it was all just a game, so none of this counts!” whispered a flustered-looking Crystal.
With a soft chuckle and wave, and a single sardonic wink for a coldly staring Val, Ramos proceeded down the largest of three corridors branching off from the cavern, blending into the shadows as if he were born to them.
Just like a Dauda.
Which was technically impossible, unless Ramos was using magics somehow able to mimic a Dauda’s powers.
Or he was really here.
Just like Val.
Val clenched his fists.
“You okay there, Jager?” Bill asked as they began to make their way forward.
Val jerked a
nod. “Sorry. The way that guy blended into the shadows? Wow. No wonder he’s the scout. What kind of invisibility spell is that?” he asked softly as they proceeded down the corridor, voices naturally lowering to a whisper.
“Don’t know,” Eric whispered back. “Strange shit, that’s for sure. I can’t sense him at all! Not like that necro-wizard I met who thought he was the bomb with everything. Sure, his magic was ‘leet and he could hide his voice and his appearance. He liked leading baddies off cliffs, mocking them the whole time before drowning any survivors in Darkflame. But he didn’t know I could pick him up with my Magesight.” Val could sense the boy’s smirk. “And I didn’t see any need to tell him, either.”
Val blinked. “Baddies?” he offhandedly said.
“Rebels, insurgents, southerners coming here up north to start trouble. You know, the bad guys,” said Eric. “Not as bad as the shit in these caves, but bad enough.”
Val nodded, taking in his surroundings, nose crinkling at the musty damp smell as they proceeded down the stone corridor, all but tasting the harsh ozone-like scent of wild magics now permeating the air as their descent became increasingly noticeable, the roughly hewed stone giving way to a naturally arching tunnel, miniature stalactites forming overhead. Occasionally the tunnels branched, but their path continued to lead downward, Ramos always scouting ahead before leading them on.
Mick frowned. “No one was stupid enough to bring Dominion tech this far, right? Save for Cyberports which we can pay for with points, everything else is going to start fragging out.”
Val smiled, impressed by the player’s perception, but he still had a role to play. “Why would anything short out? No one’s casting spells, right?”
Eric snorted. “Is he really that stupid?”
“Apparently,” Jiu quipped.
“It’s because the mana level is getting really high. It’s why the air smells a tiny bit like ozone,” Crystal softly explained.
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