War for Maicreol

by Dawn Chapman

  “There’s some strength out there.”

  I could only look to him and nod. “If we go in, stick to my right, I’ll take the left side. We move quick. Agreed.”

  He seemed to think for just a second. “Agreed.”

  “I won’t put you at risk,” I said. “I can respawn.”

  I saw a flicker of something in his eyes, but then it was gone. “All right, then I hope you can keep up. The higher kill count gets to pick where we have dinner.”

  I laughed, knowing it was probably a serious bet. “You’re on.”

  Gestal was making real headway toward the main leader, and I was sure the red mist tailing him was growing. I could see Diogella in his area of defence, and as he started to take serious hits from the many creatures around him, a blue shield formed. They were quite the actual team, and I glanced to Kyllan for the same purpose. The whirlwind of energy that blasted down beside us made me jump, but Kyllan just glared at Noc.

  “I’m here,” Noc panted, “and I’m here for you both. Gestal’s targeting the leader. You need to take and hit that guy.”

  Noc pointed to the far left where, as soon as I saw it, I recognised another command.

  “I agreed, on me!” I stepped forward testing the ground beneath my feet. I wouldn’t have put it past them to have traps or something worse. I made sure my footing was sure, and then I almost made a run for it. My blades didn’t need to watch where they were going as much now because Kyllan waited to see which way I was swinging and then matched me with not only speed but ferocity. His wings tucked back, yet I noticed his tail for the first time, tipped with a shiny metallic strip. When it lashed out, it struck hard and severed limbs.

  That’s when I saw the machine. It was coming into view behind the second in command. I didn’t hesitate and leapt forward. We couldn’t let them or the machines start firing. I knew they would. This was, after all, part of the ploy, but those leaders weren’t going to be making it past where they stood, their lives forfeit.

  The creatures around me and the bodies were building up. I looked to Gestal, who had stopped and was central to where he was heading. The air surrounding him was dark, and although I knew there was something deep going on here, I wanted to make sure I saw what he was going to do before I continued, so I turned slightly and started to slay those in the other direction.

  Gestal was calling on some very dark magic. Then I saw it, and laughed, of course. He was a necromancer, after all. The bodies I’d just fallen started to rise, and in our defence, began attacking those around us. It was wonderful. I’d have to learn these kinds of spells from him if I could.

  Kyllan at my side nodded and said. “You can if you wish. You do not need to just study or fight so close now.”

  Noc glared at him and said, “Less talk, more slaying, demon.”

  Kyllan winked at me, and once again, we pushed forward. The goal was to get closer to the commander. Yet, as we started in on him, I noticed something else. There were two others standing near. They seemed not to be doing much other than watching the battlefield.

  I knew where this was heading before I got there, seeing both Noc and Kyllan trade looks the once, as well.

  What then shocked me more was I saw a halo of three tags. I could barely see it, but it was there.

  These weren’t just NPCs in here, which is what I’d expected. They were like me. All three here were Visitors. I almost did a double take and missed my footing. Noc was the one who caught me. I let him and then, as he was pre-occupied with me, Kyllan’s sword flashed, slicing two critters clean through and then managed to slice two others as they headed in for a killing shot. We were back and in the swing of blades before I knew it. But I had to tell them.

  “All three are Visitors,” I said. “It looks like they’ve been here a while. They’ve got enough mods or ways to try to hide the facts.

  “Seriously? They formed an army against the town, but they’re on the wrong side?” Noc was quite upset. He visibly shook and missed his next strike for a creature’s head as it came in with a large hammer. I ducked under his arm and managed to stab forward, taking the creature in the chest. I pulled my blade out as the body fell, and then pushed myself up.

  “Thanks,” he muttered. The dance we took continued on. Then the second in command saw us making headway and looked to the two at his side. They both nodded and started to head out toward us. I wondered what was going on in their minds. I mean they must have thought they stood a chance, right?

  I glanced back to Gestal and Diogella as they made into the leader of this merry band. When these two started to clash, I knew it would throw up a lot more energy. I expected them to be on the same level as when Gestal and Kamaal had fought. My mind briefly wandered to what the real demon lord was doing. If we’d have had his extra help? But no, I could only presume these kinds of fights, although he knew they would go on, had to be won by the minions out here, not just given to the side Kamaal wanted to win.

  I sighed and sucked in a breath. Then I let out a ‘fuck’… quickly I managed to tab across and send Maddie a message.

  Me: Did you tell Akillia there was an assassin?

  Maddie: Fuck. Lila, sorry. On it.

  I hoped in all the confusion, there wasn’t something going on here that ran deeper than just Visitors. But my sneaky suspicions said there were. That corruption in making sure that certain people didn’t survive would bring in better prices all around for those who wanted to play for nefarious reasons. Money ruled everything after all, didn’t it? This was deep corruption. Maybe with some of the people Dresel considered friends. I hoped not.

  The second in command before me grinned as I got closer. “I hoped I’d see you and your entourage.”

  “Oh,” I played it down. How the hell did he know anything about me or who I was with?

  Me: Maddie, there’s a lot more going on here than we know. I think we’ve been played.

  There was no reply.

  I tightened my grip on my weapons as both Kyllan and Noc went straight into combat with the two beside the second in command.

  I waited for him to make a move, and as he drew twin blades, I grinned. I hoped we’d be evenly matched. He was a lot bigger than me, but that didn’t mean anything. Size never mattered much in games. Just skill and how and when you used the right tricks to make the most impact.

  I had no more Karma to boost anything, no extras.

  This dancing, dipping, and diving with him as my blades sparked with his was going to last a fair bit of time.

  I had my health, and I hoped Noc would be able to keep me alive if I didn’t. As we spun around trying our best, feeling out each other’s defences.

  I felt pain in my left shoulder and flinched, though I hadn’t been hit. I glanced to Kyllan, who had a slash deep and bleeding. I hadn’t known it would hurt me if he were injured. The injury led to another strike coming in at his back, and I didn’t manage to move out of my own attacker’s way as he made a pass at me. As our blades clashed, he dropped one of his. It almost seemed to stick like a magnet to mine, and then it hit me, square in the face. Shocked as I was, I took a step back, blood pouring from my nose. I pushed away from him, our blades separating in a flash of colour.

  Kyllan took the blow to the back of his head and went down. I tried to balance myself, feeling my consciousness slipping.

  My splotch went to the higher end of twenty-four, and I tried to focus and avoid the next pass my attacker made. I dodged right just as Noc let loose some kind of a magical blast.

  “Move!” he shouted, and I did. Turning my dodge into a roll, the blast of energy that hit Kyllan was amazing, but it wasn’t to hurt. This was purely a heal. I saw the wound literally close before me, and the pain vanished from my own arm.

  I turned to grin at my opponent, who looked really pissed off. So, the whole heal thing got to him. Nice. I cracked my neck and pushed myself at him directly. I focused hard and used everything I had. He wasn’t expecting it. He got used to the lower ski
ll I’d been showing. The little teenage girl who couldn’t win anything. It was perfect as a slight betrayal, and as my blade landed straight and true, I pushed it in deep with everything I had. Then I levered it upward and knew it caught several internal organs. His health dropped rapidly, and the shock on his face as he registered what was coming would stick with me for a while.

  “Don’t underestimate the other side ever. Whoever you’re working for, whatever they’ve been feeding you, know this, you’re wrong. And they’re not gonna win.”

  I watched as he choked on his own blood and panic spread through him. He tried to speak but couldn’t…

  I pulled my blade free and let his body drop to the floor, turning to see Kyllan and Noc as they finished off their closest opponents. They were now both free of their fights to check around me. The other undead were now fighting for us, and the more we killed, the more rose up. I watched and grinned as their dark energy fuelled my inner demon… I knew it was there. I liked it. I was on fire. I didn’t want it to stop.

  Chapter 39

  Maddie

  The noise and crescendo of fighting in the distance were hard to swallow, and I clenched my fists, watching the numbers on my interface.

  QUEST - WAR FOR MAICREOL

  DEFEND THE TROMOAL EGGS

  ENCOMPASSES DEFENCE OF MAVROVOK CITY

  KEEP THE ENEMY FROM DESTROYING THE WALLS OF THE CITY’S KEEP.

  ENEMY NUMBERS MUST NOT FALL BELOW – 200,004 OR YOU LOSE.

  MATRIACH’S STATISTICS

  ENEMY - 222,664

  ALLIES - 20,079

  TROMOAL WARRIERS – 2,047

  DEMONS – 75,742

  The truth of the matter was they were hitting hard. Defences were as big as we’d been able to rally in the time we had, but it had been tough to get the city and its local people to rally together to fight for everyone on Maicreol. It hadn’t helped that had to go off on two separate occasions and had to first find three lost Visitors in our world, and then to stop an attack on Kamaal. I hadn’t wanted my attention to be split. I needed to focus on the whole thing while watching out on the wall of the city we had to hold. I knew it had been an impossible task.

  Tibex’s form appeared at the side of me. I could just about see his outline, see the worry patched on his face. The grey fog was all he said to me.

  The Portal Monster. I couldn’t see it now, but I knew it was coming.

  The grey, the whiteness, that drained all colour, all life. It would not leave us alone. This was the best time for it. This was its real chance to come for me when I was at my weakest. This would draw it out. I would be able to make it choose my territory instead of its own.

  This was my plan. This was where the war for Maicreol was just a drop in the ocean. My fight wasn’t just for the Tromoal. It was for everything I was. Everything I was becoming. Everything I would be.

  There was no way these wonderful people, as brave as they were, could ever have stood up against this type of malicious attack. The enemy who still had no name was now coming in from all sides. The attack on the portal had been small, but they’d managed to come in from the seas. As hard as that had been, and for those mages to trek in by foot, they’d done it, they’d known we were heading in there to move the portal from Fosters Estate down. Maybe they had someone who could see into the future, or they had someone who knew the way code was working within the system they called the game. I hadn’t a clue. The only things not well known were some of what was going on with myself and Tibex, the Tromoal, and maybe even with Wren. There were real live digital entities in here, in Puatera, as much as it had once been meant for a game world. It had been invaded by us. This was our world now, and those of us who didn’t want it to be corrupted by nefarious means would fight to our true deaths for it.

  I know I was not a Tromoal, but Tibex thought I was capable of what I was about to do, and to do so on a regular basis, some part of the code in the system had allowed me to develop the skills to transform. And using everything I had at my disposal as the keeper of the portal gates and the ring, I would set out there to destroy our enemy.

  I couldn’t stand to see the numbers on our side drop much more. This was a physical and mental strain I had to swallow, but I didn’t like it.

  DEATH STATISTICS

  ENEMY – 200,301

  ALLIES – 18,079

  TROMOAL WARRIORS – 2,040

  DEMONS – 55, 046

  Tibex had made one appearance while I waited to launch my attack, and that was to keep me informed on the Portal Monster’s whereabouts.

  I’d watched as the start of the fog rolled in from the west. This wasn’t the Monster’s first signs. I was almost sure it was just a ploy. Port Troli’s mages were trying to hide the machines. I wasn’t being duped, and Steve knew too. We both watched as it settled on the far edge of our site.

  “They’re trying everything they can.”

  “Yes, but we can see through that.”

  I turned to Steve. “I’m going to get ready.”

  Me: Akillia, report.

  Akillia: The engines are visible from here. They’re about to start laying into the outer defences.

  Me: Message from Lila – There’s an assassin out for your blood. Be careful.

  Akillia: I’ve already tagged him. I’m good. When the time is right, I’ll nail him.

  I had to laugh at this. I should have known she wasn’t so stupid as to fall for any play in her camp.

  I walked out to the back of the camp walls and looked to where the desert stretched. I knew they were waiting, biding their time, settled before the caves and where their precious eggs rested. They’d had been allowed back inside to bond with their young through much stronger connections. When I had heard some of them reconnect to their young, the sadness, the joy, I teared up.

  Dalfol’s voice drifted to me. We’re waiting. Ready. No mercy.

  I cringed at his choice of words, but I knew he’d felt the deaths of others just as much as I had.

  “I’m coming.”

  I looked down at the distance from where I was to the dusty sandy plains below. Inside my mind, I calculated what it would take as I heard Steve behind me shout, “They’ve got something else out there!”

  I stepped off the top of the wall and didn’t look back. I already knew what was out there, and I wasn’t letting the beast take Puatera.

  Tibex’s words of warning had been just that—the fog wasn’t theirs. It was the Portal Monster, after all.

  The ground sped toward me, and I focused hard, imagining my wings spreading out, taking one long swift beat to rise into the skies. The souls of my padded feet just barely cleared off the surface. I was one heavy-assed creature. I guess now I might actually not worry about eating shit and weighing more than I usually did.

  Up ahead, I could feel the excitement of my clan. They wanted to defend theirs, they wanted blood. What would come for them wouldn’t survive if they had their way, but I needed to keep the death toll down. Puatera needed their people no matter how misguided they were.

  As Dalfol met me in the skies, I spun around and faced back toward Macrovak City. The portal and its lines spread out before us, and the darkness of the demons was obvious from this height. They were vast in numbers, but they didn’t stand a chance against the real threat. They didn’t know of the Portal Monster. They had no clue they would be killed from behind.

  Be ready. Our prime target is appearing, I called out to the Warriors. You will not fire on any creature until I tell you. Do you understand?

  Sounds of agreement came back to me. I spread my wings as far out as I could, the rising drafts from each beat caught by the others, and we powered through the lands to where the siege engines were hurtling toward the city’s main walls. I could see as they were starting to line up their opening shots, and I could almost hear the war cries of the people within them. They were excited. They wanted to win this, to take the keep and protect their lives and their families from the deadly killer Trom
oal. I paused for a moment in my thoughts.

  Tibex? I asked. Why were they given a quest to kill the Tromoal?

  They were told if they helped take out the Tromoal, their lands and their families would be safe. It’s not quite the truth because they were already safe, but they were under threat because of the food shortage. It’s misconstrued information fed to them at the wrong time.

  We can rectify that, turn them back then?

  Akillia will. You need to lay waste to those siege engines. Unfortunately, they need to be stopped. There’s no denying that.

  I looked at the numbers before me, and I knew it.

  The death toll on our side was getting out of hand.

  It wasn’t that I wanted to kill. I had to.

  I breathed in and felt the fire that burned in there and knew I could unleash it and end this the only way a Tromoal could.

  Dalfol, keep the formation lines in tight. We’ll ready the fire for one pass only. When we are passed the engines, I need you to pull in even more. Each one must stick as close as possible to the other. There’s no room for error here.

  I’m confused. We should bank and return to fight again, right?

  No, stick to me. Those are my orders.

  The noise of the engines as their barrage of projectiles was launched toward the city hurt my ears. The mages on the ground saw up into the skies as we began to pass. Swooping in low, they got the glimpse of our underbellies, and I knew their lives passed before their own eyes. A few shots were fired, but my clan ignored them. A few broke their lines and ran for it. I could almost hear their panic, feel the remorse as the other layers of my flanking Tromoal opened their mouths and prepared to lay waste in flames to their crude and deadly tech weapons. The Visitors brought them to Maicreol knowing they would bring death. Today it was their turn to die. And under my command.