by Terry Schott
Blades VR
Book 3 - Raid
Terry Schott
www.terryschott.com
www.terryschott.com/mailing-list
Copyright
Blades VR
Book 3:Raid
©2018 by Terry Schott
All rights reserved.
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express, written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
If you enjoy this book, please consider leaving a short review to say so. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but that’s likely how you decide on what to read next, and I would be forever in your debt if you would leave a review for this and any of my books that you liked.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Epilogue
The Crumbs
Acknowledgements
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Chapter 1
Custodian Zecaras and the crafter, Lirana, stood at the edge of the clear pool and watched the scene unfold on the water’s surface.
The front door to the wizard’s tower opened and the godling emerged. She paused in the doorway, looked up toward the sky, and closed her eyes as if basking in the sunlight. A few seconds later, she opened them and began to walk down the path toward the road. Black leather boots flitted into and then out of sight, disappearing with each stride behind the rich purple cloth of her dress. Two crafters stood on the road, neither moving as the girl approached.
When she was a few feet from them she stopped, crossed her arms, and stared. Then, her icy blue eyes flashed, and she stretched out a hand. Suddenly, one crafter was lifted from the ground and pulled toward the girl, the air hissing as he passed through the invisible barrier that separated them.
“Interesting,” Custodian Zecaras muttered, one hand coming up to stroke his long white beard.
The crafter jerked to a sudden stop, floating inches above the ground a hand’s length away from the girl’s outstretched fingertips. The godling began to hum; a high-pitched sound that grew over time in both volume and intensity. As the sound reached its crescendo, a white light streaked from her hands and swirled around her victim.
She continued to hum, the white mist thickening. The crafter’s eyes widened and he began to moan, the awful bleating of his voice adding an eerie counter-melody to that of the girl. Eventually the moan became a scream of pain and terror, head tilted back, mouth open wide.
The godling clenched her fist and twisted it sharply. A loud cracking sounded from within the crafter’s body.
The screaming stopped, to be replaced by total silence as the man’s limp body slumped to the ground.
The girl considered the broken corpse for the period of three heartbeats. Then she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and looked at the other crafter.
Eyes wide, the magic-user turned and began to sprint away. She managed to take only a few steps before, in the same manner as her partner, she was swept off her feet and sailed through the air.
Custodian Zecaras and Lirana watched the second crafter die exactly as the first had. When the deed was finished, the godling looked left and then right. Her lips turned downwards into a pouting expression as she turned and made her way slowly up the path, soon disappearing into the tower. Zecaras waved his hand and the scene dissolved from the water’s surface.
“She drained them,” Lirana said.
“It.”
Lirana frowned.
“That creature is no more a girl than I am a manticore.”
“What is she—it—then?”
“A godling.”
Lirana shook her head. “I’m not familiar with the name.”
“I would be surprised if you were. They were banished from this world so long ago that they exist only as children’s stories. When crafters were more plentiful in the world, they often warred amongst themselves. Petty fights over land, titles, resources.”
“I’m familiar with that lore.”
“At one point in history, a powerful crafter came up with a plan to conquer the others. He created a powerful summoning spell that could call forth a being capable of not only resisting magic, but feeding on it. Three beautiful, innocent children were selected to house these demons from another reality and—” he closed his eyes and shook his head before opening them and continuing, “—the crafter went to work creating his monsters.”
“You look unsettled, talking about it.”
“The children were forced to drink blood from dying people.”
“Dead?”
“No, dying. A victim’s throat was slit and the child was pushed into the stream of blood until it ingested some. At least a drop, but the child was held in the gush of blood until the victim was drained, to make certain some of the blood had been taken in.”
Lirana shrugged. “That does sound disturbing, but there are worse rituals that I can think of.”
“The children resisted at first, pleading and screaming out in an attempt to avoid their fate.”
“Understandable.”
“By the fiftieth victim, they were no longer resisting. Instead, it was the children who were cutting the necks open and drinking as much as they could.”
“Oh.”
“By victim one hundred, the crafters needed to use force to pull the younglings away from the corpses.”
“A hundred? How many did they drink from?”
“For the transformation to be complete, each child had to drink from one hundred thousand victims.”
“What?” Lirana’s eyebrows
furrowed. “That’s—”
“Considerable?”
“Insane. Who was the evil magic-user responsible for such a travesty?”
“That’s the thing. It wasn’t someone evil. At least not remembered by history as being evil.” He paused. “It was a crafter named Traeliorn Valxina.”
Lirana gasped. “No!”
Zecaras pursed his lips and nodded.
“The hero of ages?”
“The very same.”
“But. I don’t—” Lirana shook her head. “You’re telling me that the most powerful white crafter ever to have lived—”
“Also committed such acts of abomination that the world was never the same afterward.”
“What did these godlings do? Once they were fully created.”
“They travelled the land of Preu Treya, sniffing out and feasting on everything that possessed even the smallest amount of magic, to feed their insatiable appetites.”
“They were created to destroy all magic?”
He nodded. “Every last drop of it.”
“That’s what led to the Unification?”
“Yes. After the godlings got out of hand, Traeliorn Valxina realized that his creation must be stopped. He gathered all the remaining crafters and convinced them to set aside their differences—to unify—in order to defeat the godlings.”
“How did they do it? If the godlings fed on magic and could not be harmed by it, how did the crafters manage to stop them?”
“No one knows how. Only that they did.”
“And then they formed an alliance that has lasted ever since.”
“For thousands of years, yes.”
Lirana’s eyes flicked towards the scrying pool. “Are you certain that thing is a godling?”
Custodian Zecaras nodded. “I am afraid so.”
“If we don’t know how our ancestors defeated it, then how can we hope to do so ourselves?”
“I have no clue.”
“Perhaps it is confined by the barrier?”
“Until a few minutes ago, I was one hundred percent certain that nothing could cross that barrier. But she pulled our brother and sister through as if it weren’t there.”
“Yes, but she did not go past the barrier herself. If she could get out, wouldn’t she?”
Custodian Zecaras raised one eyebrow. “Something tells me that, eventually, she will.”
Chapter 2
Mercy lifted the small iron pot from the fire with a pair of tongs and brought it close to her face. She examined the bubbling liquid, took a shallow sniff, and poured the fluorescent blue contents into a silver chalice. Then she carried the cup to Xander, where he sat on the edge of the bed.
“Thank you.” He accepted the chalice with both hands and raised it to his lips.
“Drink it all. As quickly as you can.”
He flinched from the heat but gulped it down. Mercy watched him with a critical eye and gave him a single nod of approval as he finished and handed the cup back to her.
“Now lie back.”
“I will see the Dark Lady again?”
“Maybe.” She sat on the chair beside him and shrugged. “Most do not.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t be disappointed. It’s rare for anyone to meet her even once.”
“I thought everyone did.”
Mercy shook her head. “They see something of her. A sign, or symbol.”
“What about you?” Xander looked up at the ceiling and crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you meet her?”
Mercy hesitated before answering. “Yes.”
“What did she say to you?”
“It doesn’t matter. You should focus on your own journey.”
“I am.”
“Doesn’t sound like it.”
Xander turned his head toward her. His mouth opened and he yawned.
“Do not fight it.”
“I’m not.”
“You should already be asleep.”
“Soon.” He looked at the ceiling once more. “Any tips before I fade off?”
“Do your best.”
“Sound advice.”
“Be yourself.”
“That was motivational.” The word came out slurred. His eyes fluttered shut and his breathing became slower, deeper.
Mercy touched two fingers against his throat. Then she nodded and stood, crossing her arms as she stared down at his still form. “Come back in one piece, apprentice.”
Chapter 3
Kara heard a light knock against her door frame and looked up.
“Hey.” Isaac entered the room and sat in the empty chair near her desk.
“Hi.” She pushed her keyboard forward and leaned her forearms against the edge of the desk. “Almost ready?”
Isaac ran a hand through his hair. “Almost.”
“What’s left to do?”
“For me, nothing.” He spread his hands. “Fen needed a few more hours, though.”
“Fen?”
“Jeremy,” Isaac laughed. “I figured it’s best to start calling him by his game name now. That way I reduce the risk of slipping up inside.”
“That’s a good idea.”
He winked. “Are players still getting kicked?”
“Yes,” she said. “Nowhere near as many as before, but it’s still happening.”
“Persecution?”
“That’s right.”
Isaac’s lips pursed and he shook his head. “I wish we could figure out what’s caused the NPCs to go so crazy when it comes to interacting with players.”
“Do you think Sebastian programmed it to happen? As a safety measure so that he could hide from us easier?”
“No. It’s too drastic for him to cause. Plus, it puts him in danger as well.”
“It’s effective, though.”
Isaac shook his head. “He doesn’t want Blades VR to fail.”
“What if the NPC attitude is only a temporary thing?”
“It could be.” Isaac reached for Kara’s cup and raised it to his lips.
“Help yourself.”
He grinned and set the cup back on the desk. “Thanks.”
“I’m nervous. About running things while you’re inside.”
“Don’t be. You’ll do great, Kare.”
“In the short term, but what if something goes wrong in there and you…”
“Die?”
“It’s a serious possibility, Isaac.”
“The odds of that happening are very small, but still worth the risk at this point.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Jeremy—Fen—is my best hope for locating Sebastian. If I can get in fast and find him…” He shrugged. “The glitches and bugs are getting worse. Soon they will affect gameplay and system stability.”
“I doubt that he’ll be able to fix them from inside the game.”
“I have a feeling he can.”
Kara raised one eyebrow. “What makes you think that?”
“Seb was always a control freak.”
“Like someone else I know.”
“We were similar,” Isaac smirked. “Just in different areas of the business. He didn’t care much about the financial end of things, but he was thorough and informed when it came to all technical aspects. Maybe that’s why we made such a great team. He built the magic and I sold it.”
“I guess you’re right. It does make sense that he would have some way to access the programming matrix from inside.”
“Thing is, he’s likely too close to see what’s happening. My guess is he isn’t aware of the serious issues popping up. If I can locate him and bring him up to speed on the overall situation, I have to believe that he will help.”
Kara stood and moved to the coffee pot. She refilled her mug. “Promise me that no matter what happens in there, you will come back as quick as you can. Investors are starting to request meetings with you. I’ll only be able to hold them off for a short time. If they try and storm the gates again…”
<
br /> “Don’t worry.” Isaac grinned. “Tyson Griffin is the only one with his own private military, that I know of.” Kara opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a hand. “Relax. It will be fine. Fen and I will go in, find Sebastian, and then come back out. You have nothing to worry about.”
***
Jeremy Granger checked the final item off of his list and scanned the faces seated around the table. “That’s all I have. Anyone else?”
No one spoke.
“Good. Everyone can go except Tina. Thanks, folks.”
The team members stood and made their way out of the room. When only Jeremy and Tina remained, he shut the door and returned to sit at the table. He withdrew a small device from his jacket, pressed a button on the piece of hardware and set it on the table. Tina pulled her cell phone out and handed it to Jeremy.
“Thanks.” He removed a thin, shiny mesh bag from another pocket and placed both his phone and Tina’s inside, sealing it and setting it on the table beside the scrambler. “I have one more thing for you to do. I think it might require calling in most of the favours owed me in order to accomplish it.”
Tina laughed. “You’re owed a lot of favours, boss. I doubt it will take half, let alone all, to get whatever you need done.”
Jeremy raised one eyebrow. “I need a second Quantum computer.”
Tina looked down at her notepad and jotted the task down. “We can do that. Prices might have even come down since we picked up the first one.”
“It will have to be stored in a new location,” Jeremy continued.
“No worries.”
“A piece of land purchased by one of our dummy businesses. And it needs to be underground.”
“How far under?”
“Three levels should do.”
“Okay.”
“Shielded.”
“Standard shielding…” she wrote.
“Triple-layered.”
She looked up and frowned. “Concrete, lead, and foil?”
“That’s right.”
“Hardwire connection to the net, then?”
“No. Tesla connect.”
“Um…”
Jeremy laughed. “Like I said. This will call in some big favours.”
“I’m afraid to ask, but.” She winced and looked back at her notepad. “What kind of time frame for getting this all set up?”
“Two weeks.”
Tina laughed and shook her head but wrote the instruction down without looking up. “And whose computer network are we hacking and copying onto this new quantum drive?”