Black Hat (Afterlife Online Book 2)

by Domino Finn

  Momentum still pushing toward the monster, I lowered my spear and activated the vault skill. I lifted Izzy off the ground as it chomped empty air. Except, where I'd been hoping to jump clear over it, I'd obviously miscalculated. This guy was easily twice as long as the others.

  We landed with a thump on the giant worm's back. Izzy and I rolled precariously before clinging to any hold we could get. She switched out her staff for the smaller wand and dug its jagged teeth into the thing. I spiked it with my spear and stood, boots wobbly beneath me.

  Agility Check...

  Pass!

  That was more like it. The beast skidded across the ground, now barreling toward the clump of soldiers. I ran across its top, skin still glowing gold from the damage buff, and spiked the dragonspear where I imagined its brain should be.

  Critical Hit!

  You dealt 58 damage to [Great Sandworm]

  It was a sizable chunk of damage, but the thing was too big and too stupid to take note. Despite the buff, it must've had a better defense rating than the normal sandworms. I dug my spear deeper and turned to Izzy. Her wand glowed cold blue as she repeatedly shivved the thing.

  Cold damage!

  [Izzy] dealt 24 damage to [Great Sandworm]

  Cold damage!

  [Izzy] dealt 22 damage to [Great Sandworm]

  Cold damage!

  [Izzy] dealt 24 damage to [Great Sandworm]

  The worm bucked in pain and knocked Izzy to her stomach. I ran to catch her.

  "The cold," she exclaimed. "It's susceptible to cold." She swapped her weapon for the larger winter staff.

  "The others," I said, pointing ahead.

  The great sandworm bore down on the pack. Four other worms were pestering them, swirling and taking potshots where the swords were too slow. It was a well-coordinated defense but we wouldn't be able to stop the great worm before he plowed right through it.

  "Can you vault again?" asked Izzy.

  I pulled her hip to mine and smiled, thanking whatever game designer gave the skill a 5-second cooldown. Together, we charged to the head of the giant serpent and vaulted off his face, flying forward into the crusader party. Izzy flipped upside-down, landed facing the boss, and cast sleet storm. The protective blue runes flared on the ground and encapsulated our group. The mighty rush of the great sandworm flew headlong into the full force of Izzy's gale.

  The beast recoiled. Spear and swords surged with formidable precision. It was hardly necessary in the face of Izzy's legendary power, which these mobs had a weakness against. When the mighty worm fell, the frost mage turned her staff around us, firing snow in all directions. Two more sandworms perished before the once-a-day spell expired.

  We braced for a counterattack, but Ashen Moor fell silent. The rest of the mobs had retreated.

  The ground in a large radius around us was white with snow instead of gray with sedges and dirt. The corpses of fallen worms lay scattered, large snow-coated sculptures now part of the landscape.

  "Kinda pretty, isn't it?" noted Izzy.

  "You're such a romantic," I teased.

  Cleric Vagram scoffed. "Sorcery!" He grabbed the reins of his horse and stormed ahead.

  "YOU'RE WELCOME," called Izzy.

  I smiled and dug into the layers of snow until I could loot the great sandworm.

  [Dirt Pearl]

  Crystallized orb with light and dark brown swirls, but inert.

  The ball was polished glass, dark on the inside except where swirls of brown glittered in the light. It had a solid heft to it.

  "Huh," I said. "Another one."

  0680 Brothers in Arms

  The injuries to the fellowship weren't serious. One soldier needed heavy healing but that was it. The true cost of combat had been the loss of two horses, Izzy's and another. We just doubled up to account for it. No one was concerned. The NPCs went about their business as soldiers did.

  That night wasn't the bonding experience I'd hoped for. No war stories and tales of bravado traded across a campfire. For one thing, Vagram ordered no fires. After the sun set, the moor had cooled dramatically. It was our only defense against the sandworms which only surfaced during the day. They were attracted to heat. That meant no fire. It also meant a short, efficient rest. We were to wake up before dawn and march clear of Ashen Moor before temperatures rose too high.

  Adding to the tension was the cleric's strict doctrine against paganism. The winter staff was a pagan relic. Bandit was a pagan beast. I noticed him eyeing the dirt pearl so I kept it out of sight. His distaste for any magic but his own was clear. The rest of the crusaders took his lead and buttoned up. Even Grimwart failed to lighten the situation, opting instead for stolid duty.

  Everybody sat on blankets in a tight grouping on flat ground because the moor didn't even have a decent tree to lean on. We chewed cold meat in silence. Watching Vagram and a knight pitch a tent was the only entertainment available. It was a modest green canvas that allowed space for a few people to sit up in. Finally, I had to break the silence.

  "Cleric, that was a good thing you did back there for those travelers."

  He paused his work to glance over his shoulder. "It was the White King's doing, not mine."

  "Regardless. It was your hand."

  He turned back to his tent. "Crusaders are dedicated to protecting the weak."

  "How did you come to serve at Oakengard?"

  "It was a calling that found me. I'd be lost without the catechists." He noted my confusion. "The priestship is one of three influencing leaders of the crusader path."

  I nodded and picked a bit of gristle from my teeth. "I see. And Bishop Tannen?"

  Vagram stopped working. "The bishop is our holy leader. He guides us in matters of the spirit."

  "But why's he in Stronghold?"

  "Questioning the bishop's actions does not ingratiate yourself to me." The cleric approached our huddle. "I judge men by what they act on. Bishop Tannen is a great pagan killer. He advises the armies of Oakengard and protects the weak. This quest to recover the Squid's Tooth is his doing."

  Vagram crouched beside me. "Consider, on the other hand, the measures I have to judge yourself. You broke into the Pantheon and stole the Eye of Orik, engaged in combat with Decimus, and colluded with the fallen one."

  "Shiver me timbers!" chortled Captain Oates, sitting nearby. "All these things be yer doin'? And I didn't think ye had a single redeemable quality."

  "Silence, pirate," fumed Vagram.

  "Or what, holy man?"

  The cleric stood with murder in his eyes.

  "Calm down," snapped Izzy. "Can't we eat this crap in peace without all the dick measuring?"

  Vagram swallowed. "Please watch your language." With a huff of anger, he retreated into his tent.

  "That went well," quipped Errol.

  "Shut it," said Izzy. "What kind of pirate captain doesn't have a boat, anyhow?"

  That seemed to get to him. Errol stood, threw a scrap of food to the ground, and dragged his bedroll further from the huddle.

  "Not too far," warned Grimwart, ever ready. "We need to stick together."

  "I'll stick someone, all right." The pirate ignored the warning and marched twenty paces out before finding a spot to set down. The other crusaders had taken advantage of the drama to turn in. They rested nearby. That left me and Izzy, squeezing our blankets close.

  "You seem to be taking this in stride," she remarked.

  I looked in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

  "This. Everything. These priests, for one. Who upped and made them the boss, all of a sudden?"

  "The saints, I guess."

  She snorted. "The patch notes called out the crusaders, specifically. These catechists are a different breed. I'm not so sure the saints are driving them."

  I didn't see what she was getting at. I mean, she especially detested the priests for their antiquated views on witchcraft, and latent bigotry. I did too. The saints must've thought the paranoia was effective in the pagan conflict, despite
the consequences.

  "The developers sure are taking a back seat in this thing," I said. "I admit it's odd, but isn't it better all around? Letting the world police itself rather than acting as dictators?"

  She was silent a moment. "I just can't believe they're ceding control to those zealots."

  "I hear you. This thing has lots of moving parts."

  "So you're excusing their behavior?"

  "What? No, Izzy. Don't get like that."

  She sighed. "Then why are we here? Don't tell me you wanna make a difference."

  I chewed my lip. "Is that so bad?"

  She scoffed.

  My face burned. She was playing defensive again. Afraid to get too close to anyone or anything. "Besides," I said, pulling the stag horn from my inventory. "We have the quest chain to complete."

  "The crown of the wild king!" she exclaimed. "How'd I forget about that?" She brought up her quest screen.

  Dethrone the Wild King

  Quest Type: Fetch

  Reward: Unknown

  To destroy the crown of the wild king, you must plunge it into the Salt Sea.

  "You sneaky bastard," she said excitedly.

  She swiped to her map. It was similar to mine, colored in the areas we'd previously visited and grayed out in unexplored territory. Mine had more detail due to the cartography skill but hers had location markers for places I didn't. Borders and place names in the outlying gray territory.

  "How'd you get those?"

  "From researching world tomes. I told you I'm Haven's foremost lore expert. Various books will populate notable locations, but I still don't get details on them. Just markers." She scrolled the map until it arrived at Shorehome, another day's journey at least. Above the city label, past the winding coast was—

  "The Salt Sea," I whispered. "I didn't know it was that close."

  She gave me the side eye. "Really? For a second there I thought you were a mastermind. Killing two birds with one stone, and all that." She shrugged. "I suppose it's better to be lucky than good."

  I stared into the vacant eyes of the stag skull. Then I looked around the camp to make sure no one was paying attention to us. The crusaders rested. Grimwart paced in the distance. Vagram was chanting within his tent as it lit up with an eerie yellow glow.

  I stuffed the skull back into my inventory. "Jeez, that's not creepy or anything."

  "He's a cleric. He probably needs to pray to recharge his spells."

  I shook my rattled head. "Speaking of recharging, why don't you get some sleep?"

  I lay down too, but I had a lot to think about. Really, I was thankful for the short night. With Errol in the same camp, I couldn't get a wink of rest. The ironic thing was he slept like a baby.

  Somewhere in the haze of midnight, the moor was playing tricks on my eyes. I tightened the blanket around my shoulder and rocked back and forth, realizing how cold I was. I stood to get my blood moving. I checked the beds. Izzy, Errol, Grimwart—they were all asleep. Another knight had taken up the watch, but he sat comfortably facing the other direction. I wondered if he was even awake.

  There it was again. Movement in the dark. I focused, but my darkvision was thrown off in this inhospitable terrain.

  I dropped the blanket, equipped my spear, and silently tiptoed toward the swaying shadows. Everyone in camp was asleep. Ashen Moor was deserted. Absolutely nothing living was out here now. Nothing except a haze in the distance.

  It wasn't smart to wander out of camp but I moved closer, leaving the others behind until I came on him. Saint Peter.

  I rolled my eyes. "What're you doing here?" I grumbled.

  "We need to talk."

  "You couldn't just shoot me a message? You scared me half to death."

  "You know messaging doesn't work in the wild. You're heading into pagan territory. Soon I won't even be able to visit."

  Right. The saints had ceded control of the region. We were sneaking into hostile territory.

  "What's the deal with these priests?" I asked. "I get the crusaders, but—"

  "The knights are meant to deal with the pagans," explained Saint Peter. "The priests have their sights on another enemy entirely."

  I scoured his troubled face. "You can't be serious."

  "I'm dead serious. The last data we have points to Lucifer being in the area. We can't affix a more precise location, but he's in there."

  "And you send a single cleric to take him on?"

  "I've sent you," he retorted. "But don't sell the catechists short. In the event you encounter Lucifer, you may be surprised by Vagram's tenacity."

  I bit down. "So that's what you're here for. To discuss the real mission. All this business of saving the people of Shorehome is a cover?"

  "On the contrary," he chided. "I figured you for the kind of person who preferred to kill two birds with one stone."

  I tensed as he repeated Izzy's words. Had he been listening? It had to just be a coincidence.

  "Things just seem to end up that way," I said somberly. I kicked my boot in the dirt. "How are we supposed to succeed where the angels have failed?"

  Saint Peter frowned, puffing out his white beard. "Don't read too heavily into that. The angels are a security system. As such, they have their flaws. Exploits. It's entirely possible they have a blind spot regarding Lucifer that hasn't been corrected yet. Don't forget that you fended off a heavenly warrior yourself."

  "I ran."

  "And Lucifer has been doing the same."

  I grumbled. "Have you found them at least?"

  He shook his head. "We haven't had word from them in a long time, but that's how they operate. And Lucifer's developed a penchant for anonymity, which even you have benefited from."

  He was referring to my stranger's cowl, a gift from the fallen angel that kept me off the radar as long as nobody directly saw me.

  I clicked my teeth. "You realize how much this complicates matters. There are a lot of moving parts. We're supposed to sneak into Shorehome to see how we can best help, secure the Squid's Tooth without alerting the pagans, all the while remaining off Lucifer's radar even though he's been two steps ahead of us from the start?"

  "Saint Loras has a lot of experience with Shorehome. It's an eclectic city. He assures us a small scouting party can blend in as needed."

  "Izzy and I, maybe. The knights are a tougher sell, but I'm really not sure about Vagram."

  "Bishop Tannen speaks very highly of him."

  I spat. "Don't you think these priests are too simpleminded for a sprawling fantasy landscape? They're against magic, for fuck's sake."

  Saint Peter took a long breath. "They have some unfortunate... quirks. The priestship wasn't designed that way. The catechists are a procedural outcome of crusader structure."

  "So you're not to blame for their mentality, but if it helps in the fight against Lucifer..."

  "We're not responsible, Talon. Barring the ability to wipe, we saints can only massage the game from here on out."

  "So what do we do?"

  "You have a dragonspear. Lucifer has a dragon. Figure it out."

  Memories of the terrifying beast swooping over Stronghold came to me. Lucifer had somehow awoken a creature that hadn't been introduced to the simulation yet. He'd reached deep into the codebase and asset tree and yanked out an unfinished high-level mob. A black dragon that flies and spits acid. It was just one of his many hacked advantages.

  I re-examined the stats of my legendary weapon.

  [Dragonspear]

  Unique, Unbreakable

  The famed weapon of the hero Magnus Dragonrider, the dragonspear grants its wielder heroic power.

  +3 Strength

  +2 Agility

  +1 Essence

  Titanslayer

  +25% damage versus dragons

  +20% damage defending Stronghold

  +15% damage versus pagans

  Damn it. Idiot that I was, I hadn't even pondered the significance of the extra dragon damage. Hell, it was in the name of the damn
thing. The dragonspear. I'd just taken it for backstory. As Kyle would say, stupid fantasy bullshit. The spear was supposed to have been used in the Dragon Wars a thousand years ago. History that, of course, never occurred and was entirely fabricated.

  "All legendary weapons have a purpose," said Saint Peter. "Yours is calling you sooner than expected, but it calls nonetheless."

  "And Lucifer? What about him?"

  Peter sighed with heavy regret. "Lucifer was a mistake, like you. She was a young girl—only eight years old, if you can believe it."

  I'd already uncovered Lucifer's true identity. The adult male persona was just another glitch in Lucifer's arsenal.

  "We have a rule," explained the saint. "No one under eighteen can be uploaded to Haven. It was partly a legal decision, of course, but psychological factors are in play as well. Particularly young minds aren't ready to shed their physical limitations and enter a purely digital reality. They haven't yet learned the repercussions of their actions. They don't yet have the empathy society requires of them."

  "Funny to hear the saints speak of empathy."

  He frowned, fully aware of Kablammy's past transgressions. "We were attempting to preserve children, Talon." He looked inward. "Focus testing... didn't go well."

  "So she went rogue and you learned your lesson. Except she wants to bring down life as we know it. Digitally speaking."

  "I'm afraid the problem may be more complex than that. The persona of Lucifer is driven. His fingerprints prove that he's hacked into the Oculus more times than we'd realized. His actions are bizarre, seemingly without an endgame."

  "Or one that you can see."

  He nodded. "Suffice it to say, I doubt his only goal is to destroy the simulation. That likely could've been accomplished by now, before we were ready to defend against his hacks."

  We traded grim expressions. "You don't just want to defeat Lucifer, you want to discover his plan."

  "It may be the only way to undo the damage. It may be the only way to save Haven."