Elusive Prey

by Cheek, Jason

  Personally, I couldn’t wait until we were back to doing regular runs with small teams. While all of these massive battles were intense and forced me to play at my very best, they could get on your last nerve at times. Once you were in the middle of something like this, you were forced to see it through to the end. At least, we were getting decent XP for the monster battles. On the other hand, PVP was starting to become a major pain in the ass. The only good thing about it right now was being able to out-strategize my enemies.

  “Hey Star,” Krishna called out from behind me, as he walked up with Lyeneru, Angie, and Gaelin. “If you don’t need us, everyone wants to go explore the city.” He explained excitedly. “This is the first time any of us have been in a real city like this.”

  “Sure man,” I said, clapping my friend on the shoulder. “You guys have fun and we’ll meet up in the morning.”

  There was a lot that he’d left unsaid. Not that any of the Uten Syn guild needed to explain what they meant. For the guild being made up of the visually impaired, this was the first time they were in a city where they could see everything and go exploring. That had to be exciting. While this wasn’t Krishna’s first time in a city, it was the first time he could truly enjoy it. The first time didn’t count since he was carrying the corpse of his murdered lover, making it an experience one wants to forget. I wasn’t about to stand in the way of their fun.

  “Woohoo, you’ve got it,” Krishna called out excitedly, as the entire guild began streaming into the city.

  “Don’t forget to look at mounts,” I called out after them.

  “We don’t need no mounts,” Angie tauntingly yelled back, as she spun around with her arms over her head laughing. “We get our own travel forms at level 40!”

  “Travel form?” I shouted back.

  “I’ll show you tomorrow!” Krishna laughingly shouted back, before disappearing around a corner to one of the main shopping areas.

  “Well, that was faster than normal,” Domenic said, as he came to a stop next to me.

  It was kind of a running joke between Mike, Domenic, and I. There were two groups of gamers in any group. Those that went all-out and those that liked to enjoy the content the rest of us created or opened up. It was similar to crafting. Everyone wanted that plus fifty points of damage to all spells, but only one or two people ended up taking the time to level up the corresponding crafting skill needed to do the enchantment.

  The same went for key quest chains needed for getting access to popular high-end dungeons in many of the more popular MMOs. At least, before the developers dumbed them down. Even in a large guild, you could count the number of people on one hand that took the time to complete the needed quest to open the doors. Though, this situation was different than normal due to me getting my ride first.

  “You sure you don’t want to go shopping for a mount?” I asked, giving him a raised eyebrow.

  “The wiki says I get a free one at level 40,” Domenic said with a casual shrug.

  “Freaking Paladins,” I said, shaking my head incredulously at him. Seriously, why does every MMO give them an automatic mount? “That’s such bullshit.”

  “Whatever you say, Overlord Ironwolf,” Domenic mockingly said, as if to say I had nothing to complain about.

  “At least, I worked for that title, dick,” I shot back, as we both laughed.

  “You know, I hate this city?” Domenic said, turning suddenly serious.

  “You want to talk about it?” I asked, not sure what he was getting at.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with this city,” Domenic said with a deep sigh, “but this is where all of my problems started.” Seeing the look on my face, he shook his head hard. “Don’t ask me what it is, I never hung out here long enough to sniff it out, but,” his face turned hard, “believe you me, something's rotten here.”

  “If you’re going to be talking like that,” I said, giving him a sardonic look. “Shouldn’t you have a quest marker or something above your head?” Domenic’s eyes flared in annoyance as I continued nonplussed. “What kinds of rewards does this spooky quest come with?”

  “Fuck you, Jay.” Domenic said, looking skyward for patience.

  “I don’t really need any swords,” I kept on egging him on, “but a Leeching Hand Axe would be nice, though.”

  I stopped the games when he gave me “the look.” You know the one I’m talking about. The one that means I’ll drive over to your house and punch you in the nose look. Yeah, that one. He’d be able to get away with it too, because I’d be laughing too hard to defend myself. Swallowing the next comment in the queue, I turned serious again.

  “How do you want to do this?” I asked, looking over at General Dell, my companions, and his five guards that were just mounting up. There were going to be two extra mounts left over for Domenic and, his Gnoll blood brother, Gutirrg. “You want to ride with us?”

  “Naw, man,” Domenic said, eying the city as if it were alive. “We’ll march up to the castle together.”

  “Thanks for staying logged in to finish this off,” I said, as we clapped each other on the shoulders. As I turned around to mount Neysa behind Helgath’s back, I paused and looked back at my friend questioningly. “Where’s Pounce?”

  “Up on the rooftops,” Domenic nodded across the square towards the top of a building, “he’s keeping “overwatch” for as long as we’re in this city.”

  Nodding, I turned back around and mounted Neysa’s back. Turning to look around, I saw that everyone was mounted up and ready to move out. Mentally urging Neysa over to General Dell, Sir Anon, Lance Leader Warf, and Guard Leader Stonier, I caught the Guard Leader’s eye.

  “Just to make this official,” I said, assuming my Raid Leader mask as I came to a stop. While I might hate giving anyone commands one-on-one, while running a raid it was another story altogether. You gave orders and expected them to be followed. I figured that being the Overlord of a city was no different. “Unless countermanded by myself or Sir Anon, you will follow normal operating procedures if the gate comes under attack. Seal the doors and sound the alarm for reinforcements.”

  “Also, I expect Sub Leader West to be returning with five hundred Kayden Troopers before darkness falls,” I said, trying to remember all the forces we had outside the walls so there was no confusion. “Lastly, Scout Leader Tanner should be returning at any time with her Royal Scout unit to report on the Orc’s invading army.”

  “As you command, Overlord,” Guard Leader Stonier said, snapping to attention as she gave me a fist salute, the two of us ignored the worried murmur that went through the guards around us. With a long face, I turned back to Sir Anon and General Dell.

  “First thing in the morning, I want all of the Royal Forces that have been laid off recalled immediately and put back into uniform,” I said in no uncertain terms, as both men acknowledged the command with excited grins. Making a mental note that I needed to find out about what happened to General Dell that led to his demotion, Neysa spun around as I called out to the Guardian Knight.

  “Lead the way, Sir Anon!”

  “Hiyaw!” Sir Anon said, as his mount took off into a gallop. Neysa, Helgath, and I were next, followed by Fylreh, General Dell, and Lance Leader Warf. Behind them were the rest of my companions, five Kayden Troopers that were General Dell’s guards, and the Heavy Cavalry guards. As we raced across the plaza in a clatter of hooves, Sir Anon shouted for everyone to clear the way as we headed for the central thoroughfare that ran to the main keep. Not that anyone was willing to stand in the way of the rotting zombies that raced ahead of us.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  (Second Assault Group: Star’s meeting with Queen Isolde and the Royal Force’s General of Palnisdale)

  As we galloped through the city, I got a chance to see the endless mass of homeless laid off soldiers lining the streets. Their uniforms were dirty and threadbare, the men and women looked dirty and hungry as they sat along the street and huddled in front of shops and homes wit
h a look of utter despair and hopelessness in their eyes. If there were this many soldiers out of work and begging for food on this one street, how many were still left on duty to defend the city walls? It was like someone was trying to take down the Kingdom of Kader’s forces from the inside.

  The level of destitution I saw around me brought tears of anger to my eyes. This was the middle of winter. There was snow and ice literally everywhere. How many of my people were dying every night from starvation and from being abandoned by the Royal Forces to die alone in this inclement weather? The fury welling up inside of me at this travesty was almost too much for me to contain. Even more disgusting were the players going about their business while laughing at the destitution and poverty around them as if it were natural. Some were even kicking and ridiculing these poor souls.

  If not for the priority of my mission, I’d have slowed down and knocked some heads together. Honestly, I couldn’t understand how this was allowed to happen. Catching up to Sir Anon, I called out to him while Fylreh and General Dell edged up close enough to hear my words.

  “This shit stops tonight!” I hollered in outrage. “Troopers will be sent out to collect their brothers and sisters to bring them back home to the Royal Forces. This …” I sputtered in outrage unable to find a word that fit the loathing welling up inside of me, “tragedy ends tonight! I will not lose another soldier to starvation or the cold if at all possible!”

  “It will be as you command,” Sir Anon shouted, with tears of relief in his eyes. “And thank you, milord.” Once again, I had the impression something else was happening here that no one felt like they could face. Whatever it was, I was going to bring an end to it here and now.

  Honestly, I didn’t remember anything about the shops or homes that we passed. I vaguely remember the architecture being unique and well laid out but nothing beyond that. My focus was on the soldiers that should’ve been defending the walls, keeping the streets safe, and training to hold back the Orc hordes that were heading this way.

  In ancient history, we learned the dry history about people living within city-states. I remember teachers talking about the city-states of Athens, Sparta, Uruk, and Thebes but they never truly made their students understand what that meant. Each small city-state was its own country with its own laws, beliefs, and traditions. One large army could come through and conquer everything. One day, you could be minding your own business and boom, everything was gone. Sometimes city-states would have an alliance of three to five cities, but even then, that was no guarantee. Alliances could quickly be broken.

  In many ways, the various kingdoms of The World were set up similarly to the ancient world of earth. They were basically city-states made up by a handful of large cities with a bunch of smaller towns. For example, the Kingdom of Kader had Telrain, Lodenburg, Palnisdale, Scottsdale, and Darom. Already, Telrain and Darom were lost. If not for my quick thinking, the rest would’ve been lost with all their people too. If someone was trying to destroy Palnisdale from the inside and it fell, what would be left of the Kingdom of Kader? How quickly would Lodenburg and Scottsdale last on their own? Hell, could their economies even survive on their own? Most city-states in the ancient days were dependent on trade with one another economically to survive.

  It was even worse than that if you looked at the general map of the area. The Dwarven Kingdom of Sayr had only three cities, while the Gnome Kingdom of Cadarea only had two. The Dark Elves weren’t any better. Their Kingdom of Thayjar had only four cities, while the Beast-Kin Kingdom of Ocilimma had only two. All in all, the known civilized world was but a handful of cities.

  How close to utter anarchy and chaos were we for the entire region if the city of Palnisdale collapsed? Who would stand against the northern hordes then? I didn’t know how many times this question had been asked throughout earth’s ancient history, before the formation of nations, but I was starting to understand just what civilization truly meant and how easily it could be lost.

  Even in the real world, I think most people didn’t realize how close the cold barbaric nature of the world really was for humans in the grand-scheme of things. Nearly all of our six million years of Human evolution was spent staving off the uncaring barbarism of the natural world. For all intents and purposes, it had only been less than a hundred years since most people didn’t have to scrabble in the dirt toiling in brutal physical labor to survive day in and day out.

  Such living conditions were truly a foreign concept for those of us that grew up in a first world country in the twentieth century and beyond. Nowadays, it was a tragedy if our feelings were hurt or if we had to wait in line for five minutes for our food. These simple inconveniences were first-world problems for people who lived in a civilized country. The idea that every second of life must be spent trying to survive the harsh cruel nature of the world or run the risk of starving to death, being eaten by a wild animal, or being cut down by people looking to take our stuff and/or being enslaved was so beyond our conceptualization that it was nearly impossible for us to understand just how good we had it or how easily it could all be lost.

  “Make way for Overlord Ironwolf!” Sir Anon announced as we raced through the curtain wall to the central keep where Queen Isolde lived while residing in Palnisdale. From what Sir Anon was able to explain to us as we rode, this area was the location of the central administrative buildings that managed the city and the Royal Forces.

  The clatter of hooves in the central courtyard was deafening as the Royal Guards came to attention around the square. There were a number of shocked and alarmed faces at the mixture of zombies, halflings, and demi-humans along with a massive Silver Dire Wolf that had invaded the keep. If not for Sir Anon and Lance Leader Warf, I might’ve had to knock some heads together, but, luckily enough, the hostlers and soldiers professionalism quickly reasserted itself as soon as they realized who was in their presence.

  “Guard Leader Cleaver,” I addressed the man in charge of the guards around us. “I am expecting a report from Scout Leader Tanner and the Lance Sub-Leader,” I turned to Lance Leader Warf who filled in his officer’s name.

  “Lance Sub-Leader Brewster,” Lance Leader Warf quickly said.

  “Both should be brought directly to Queen Isolde and me upon their arrival,” I said, as the man nervously gulped but nodded his head in understanding. “Good, there is also a large contingent of Dwarfs and Half-Dwarves that will be arriving shortly. You will make them feel welcome and show Lord Burnslinger,” I somehow kept a straight face as I said the name, “and Gutirrg, his Gnoll blood brother, to us upon their arrival.”

  The man’s face noticeably paled at the mention of a Gnoll. The outright scandal of it all was clear in the man’s blue eyes. I could tell he wanted to demand to know what was happening and complain about these halflings and demi-humans being allowed into the heart of Palnisdale, but a glance in Sir Anon and General Dell’s direction kept his mouth shut as he saluted smartly instead.

  “Oh, one last thing,” I said, before turning towards the keep. “We’ll be leaving our zombies here in the courtyard. They are currently set to defend themselves if attacked.” My eyes meaningfully swept the guards standing at attention around us. “I would suggest that you leave them in peace if you value your lives.”

  In a whirl of cloaks, we walked through the ornate doors to the keep. There was another bit of commotion as we strode into the main keep’s foyer and the servants stumbled to a stop in confusion as they looked upon our eclectic group. Seeing Sir Anon and General Dell to either side of me seemed to calm everyone down, but there were more than a few frightened looks sent towards Fylreh and Neysa.

  “What is the meaning of this intrusion?” A hard voice demanded, as a stern older woman strode in front of us to block our way. A quick Identify gave me her information, Valerie Trinder, level 32 Chamberlain to Queen Isolde.

  “Lady Trinder,” Sir Anon said in a voice that brooked no argument. “Lead us to the council chambers where Queen Isolde and General DeKhayed are
holding their discussions.”

  “Right this way,” Lady Trinder said, with a slight frown at the Guardian Knight’s abruptness. I got the feeling the man was concerned as to the safety of her highness. Some might think that odd, since the rest of the Guardian Knights should be with them, but a guardian never wanted their charge near a possible traitor. Even the most prepared defender could be caught off-guard if they thought they were amongst allies. “They are in the Red Room. I’ll have your entrance announced-”

  “There’s no need for that,” Sir Anon said, interrupting the Chamberlain as he began striding down the hall towards the specified room. “Queen Isolde is aware of our expected arrival with Overlord Ironwolf and, due to the present emergency, we can brook no delays.”

  “But all of you are fifthly and are covered in blood-” Chamberlain Trinder began to protest, as we strode down the hall. “And that beast,” she said looking towards Fylreh, “smells like a barn!”

  “You will keep to the decorum expected of a Chamberlain of Queen Isolde to all official guests and the Lord of the Kingdom of Kader,” Sir Anon evenly said, as he whirled around to face the Chamberlain. “If you insult Mistress Fylreh again, I’m sure Overlord Ironwolf will have something to say about your lack of respect to his vassal.”

  “Mistress Fylreh?” I squeaked out in consternation, wondering why our relationship status was being discussed.

  “I’m sorry if I caused any offense,” Sir Anon said, as he turned to look back at me questioningly. “Is she not in a position of authority within her Tribe?”

  “Oh, yes she is,” I hurriedly said, sighing in relief. Seeing the perplexed look on Sir Anon’s face, I hurriedly explained. “The term mistress is used somewhat differently from where I’m from.”

  “The only other meaning it has is to denote a sexual relationship with a-“ Sir Anon began to say, before stopping with his mouth hanging open as he did a double take.