Desert Storm (Puatera Online Book 3)

by Dawn Chapman

  Rai lowered his head. “I’m honoured to assist you, Maddie. I won’t let you down at all. I promise.”

  I had no doubts about that.

  Lidia re-entered the room, and I noticed her move over to a rack of weapons. Once there, she plucked out a set of armour and then two smaller items. I wasn’t sure, but they didn’t look like daggers, but maybe some kind of throwing knives.

  “I know you’re unaware of a lot of what we’ve been doing in the background, Maddie, but we’re here to help. If you believe that Dail needs to be taken down, we’re with you. My friend Tanya is on her way. She’s one of the best I know with a katana. She’s also got some skills with fire and air. I’m surprised you’ve actually never met her. She does a lot of work for the Runners, though it’s been a while since she’s been in this part of town.”

  Maybe I’d seen her, somewhere. It could be that we’ve just never crossed paths, though. I didn’t know everyone. At least I didn’t think I did. Dresel had about seventy-two Runners, and then there were out-of-towners I knew he used. Maybe another hundred spread about. This could be interesting then.

  I heard the door open, and a petite lady stepped inside. She seemed to shimmer in all white as the sun glinted off the sword she spurred. She wasn’t afraid of letting anyone see she was armed and dangerous no doubt. Lidia waved her over. I noted that she wasn’t just petite but extremely dainty too. Her light olive skin radiated the magic she held within.

  When she reached us, she practically glowed. “I’m Tanya, I believe you’ve got a quest for us?” she asked directly as she looked up into my eyes. I stared for a moment, and then finally, embarrassed, I looked away.

  “Yes, we’re going to hunt down and hopefully take out the man who is plotting the war against us here. The only one who I think can do us damage. He might have the backing of Port Troli, but when I get him on his own, there’s going to be nothing that will stop me from slitting his throat. He threatened everything I love, and I won’t let him win.”

  “So where are we going then. You seem so sure that you’ll be able to find him.”

  I knew Port Troli was a big place, but yeah, I had some ideas to where he might be holed up. If they were gathering forces to come at us, this would have to the craziest place to do so, because there wasn’t a lot of out of town room.

  “Yes, I have a fairly good idea where they’ll be, so that’s where we’re going to start.”

  Lidia grinned. “How are we going to get there? Not all of us will fit in your Hog.”

  That I’d also thought about, and quickly pulling my contact list up, I messaged one of the only other guys I knew who might be in the area with a working vehicle.

  The voice message came in very quick. “Already in town, Maddie. On my way.”

  “How did you know?”

  “Got an inkling that there would be some good jobs coming my way. No better place to be than right at the heart of it all.”

  I laughed. “Problem solved,” I said to the others. “We’ll have more transport in a few minutes.”

  “No way we can sneak those through under their eyes, though, so what’s the plan for getting near Troli itself?” Tanya said.

  “We’ll drive in as far as we can. The rest might have to be on foot. There’s a town I know which I think we can use effectively to hide the vehicles and sneak in under cover of night.”

  “Thought of it all, haven’t you?” Lidia grinned.

  “I don’t think we have a choice. Bar dropping in on their heads with the Tromoal leading the way—this is the only way I think we can.”

  Lidia heard another engine and smiled. “Guess our ride is here. Three to a vehicle?”

  Once outside, all kitted up it was easy to see why John was in town. His vehicle had a fair few bits missing. “Needed to get fixed up?”

  John opened the door, and it’s creaking metal gave a terrible squeal. “Yeah, came across some really unfriendly folks when I left Troli a few days ago.”

  “I can’t imagine why. They probably wanted the vehicle for themselves,” Lidia said.

  Quickly, I introduced them, and then, leaning on the door, I waited while they chatted. It was nice to have a group of such talented and strong people around me. This whole ordeal with the Tromoal and Alex had taken everything I had away from me lately—emotion and resolve. I had vowed to try to do the best I could, and I wouldn’t let anyone down. Dail had to die and die where he couldn’t be resurrected by the game.

  Tibex, are you there?

  I am.

  What do I need to do to make sure that Dail isn’t respawned by the game?

  Good question. Only so many NPCs were given respawning capabilities, and he wasn’t one of them. If he dies, do not worry. He will not be coming back.

  I thought for a moment then realised the whys.

  Dresel programmed my ability to respawn like a Visitor, didn’t he?

  He did so because he loved you. Once you took the role of Maddie, it was much more than that. I would have programmed it in for you, as well.

  That was good then. “We can really kill him. There’s no coming back if I put a dagger in his heart.”

  Lidia smiled. “Then all we need to do is make sure you get to do it.”

  Steve patted my arm. “Time to go, Maddie.”

  I nodded and moved to the Hog. Once I slid inside, I punched in several command codes, and within a second, we had a live link up to John’s vehicle. “Good to hear your voice too. This might come in handy as we get nearer to the Port. I think every side is going to be monitored, so we’ll have to be on high alert.”

  Lidia’s voice came over, “Don’t worry. We’ll get spotters out the back.”

  “I can do that,” Steve said from behind me.

  “Well, we’ve got some ways to go before we get that far. We’ll make a quick stop at the caves, as well. Probably best to stay there during the day and then travel at night. You got good eyes in the dark?”

  John laughed. “Had quite a few upgrades since we last conversed.”

  I grinned. That was good because his was way behind mine in tech. “Give it a name yet?”

  “Sassy.” He laughed. “And don’t you be mean to her. She’s got quite the temper if you don’t behave.”

  Steve and Lidia’s laughter could be heard echoing around both of us.

  The desert drive this time wasn’t as nice. I knew there was no real danger, and we passed several caravans of equipment and supplies that were heading for the Tromoal caves. I stopped only the once so the guys could use the toilet. After that, I found there was little chance the roads were very busy.

  Steve asked, “Is all this heading to the caves?”

  I didn’t think they were, so rolling down the window, I asked some of the passers-by. “Where are you all heading?”

  “Back to Hanson’s estate, ma’am.”

  Now that was something that made my heart soar.

  “I presume it’s safe and being cleaned up?”

  The woman quickly explained the reasons why they were heading back. Simple, really, a mages guild ahead was planning to restore the lands to their former glory.

  Candice might have gone off hunting monster ebolos or worse, but it didn’t mean she hadn’t set this in motion. I nodded to her ingenuity and rolling the window back up, I settled into the drive.

  Chapter 10

  We arrived at the camp by the caves to the bustle of every one. It was Sarah who came over. How she’d managed to look like she was almost in two places, I had no idea. The gang was quick to disperse and get caught up, helping unload wagons and horses.

  “You’re doing a great job,” I said. “Thank you. How is it inside the caves?”

  “Few people have been let inside, don’t worry. The movement around the eggs has been minimal, but several of our mages have taken it upon themselves to keep a very close eye on them.”

  I smiled. “I’ll go and see for myself, but again, thank you.”

  She moved aside as
I made my way towards the cave system. I was actually very impressed. There were two stationed guards now, and I paused before them. They smiled at me and bid me inside. “We’re not here to stop you. Just the odd person who is too excited.”

  I thanked them too and headed in. There were several lights now that lit the pathway. I didn’t need goggles.

  I walked in silence, and eventually, I heard the rushing of water. The caves were warm and inviting.

  But there was something different. I felt it. Almost as though the Tromoal were at peace. This was comforting and made me feel much better.

  I moved quickly to where I knew I needed to be. I just wanted to see Alex’s egg once more. Hope filled my mind as I thought about being able to talk to him again. Would he know it was me, would he remember anything at all?

  When I spotted Riezella’s clutch, I let out a squeak. I couldn’t help myself. The eggs still looked the same. There was nothing new about them, but I had hoped I could see something, maybe sense something new.

  I moved in closer and allowed my energies to pool forward. I’d not known my mana capabilities before the other day, but I guess that was indeed what I was using right now to communicate with the young inside the eggs.

  A voice greeted me. But not one I recognised straight away.

  Maddie, I’m asking you to turn around.

  Dalfol?

  Yes, Maddie. Please listen to me. Do not go down any further. Return to the surface.

  I wanted to ask so many questions, but I paused. I reached for the wall to steady myself.

  Maddie, you’re better than this. This programming doesn’t make you who or what you are.

  I love him.

  Really, do you really love him?

  I searched within, seeing my character sheet tabs. This time, I clicked through almost automatically to where I thought the programming for ‘falling in love’ was.

  You see this… I tried to point at it with my mind, almost making myself laugh at the same time.

  I see everything I need to, so yes, I do.

  There, right in front of both of us was exactly what I knew to be the truth. Dresel had done the one thing I asked back when I learned he was the worlds’ programmer.

  FLAW – BOUNCES FROM RELATIONSHIP TO RELATIONSHIP – DISABLED

  I smiled inwardly.

  Then do this for me. He’s not ready to talk to you, yet. Please, give him some space.

  I placed my forehead on the wall, feeling the cool earth against my skin. That I could understand. The information given to me over the last few days had been quite enough, and yet I was still inside my own body. I couldn’t imagine the internal processing of going through the kind of transformation he had.

  I turned around and looked back to where I’d just came from. There was still a tiny amount of light. I made a few steps forward, not daring to look to the clutch of eggs, and returned to the surface.

  Steve waited for me. “Everything good down there?”

  I nodded. “I think so.” I noticed the way he looked me over, then added, “And you? Why are you waiting on me?”

  “Had some news from the Savage Angels.”

  I motioned towards the campfires ahead of us. I could smell food, and my stomach grumbled. “Oh, do tell me their news.”

  With a huge grin, he said, “The Mayor’s camp is no more. But they lost Chip and Rose, they’ve both respawned back with Dresel.”

  I immediately thought of Josh, and Steve placed a hand on my arm. “He’s fine. Chip took the hit that would have killed him. Candice is ecstatic. The zombie creatures hadn’t overtaken the farm, so they’re going to spend a few days organising it and making sure there are no zombie animals at all sticking around. There are a few tricks she said she’s learned in dealing with the undead. Totally blew her expectations fighting for something that large, but their rewards have doubled their chances in a major fight.”

  I let out a breath. “That’s good then. What are Chip and Rose going to do?”

  “I think Candice said they were going to stay, but they’re already on their way out here. They want to assist us in going after Dail.”

  “Putting together quite the little invasion army, aren’t we?” I moved to pick out a cup from a pile, then filled it with water. Waiting in the small queue for dinner to be served. “Sarah’s outdone herself in organising this little lot.”

  Steve picked up some water too and downed it before getting some more. “Yes, Chip said they’ll be here before we want to leave tomorrow. So we should get some rest and be on our way as soon as they arrive.”

  Feeling the ring on my finger almost tighten in anticipation for the upcoming fight, I waited as a lovely lady smiled at me and then piled a bowl full of meat and stewed vegetables. “Thank you,” I said and inhaled the aroma of the dish. It smelled divine. I moved away from them all and, finding a rock place to lean on, sat down to eat.

  Steve joined me a moment later and tucked in.

  I put my spoon down and stared at him. “How are Chip and Rose getting here if they don’t have their bikes?”

  I saw Steve raise an eyebrow just as something streaked overhead. The long shadow that followed it had me jump up and rush alongside everyone else to where Dalfol set himself down.

  Dalfol? I practically screamed inside my head.

  I rushed forward as he lowered his neck to the ground to let his passengers off safely.

  What the hell are you playing at?

  His eyes flickered, and his energy glowed around the edges of them, beautiful swirling colours. I could not leave my Lady or my son any longer.

  I reached out and stroked down the side of his cheek. That familiar rumbling sound escaping his now spread lips. Almost looking like he was smiling.

  You can’t come with us. You know that, right?

  I know what you are thinking, but that is my decision to make. If my son’s protector is in danger, I must protect her so that she may continue to do her job.

  I laughed, and Steve came up beside me. “I wanted to tell you right away, but he asked me not to. Sorry.”

  Dalfol’s head slumped even more, and his body started to turn ridged. I’d not seen the transformation for a while, but the energy around us started to swirl together. Onlookers gasped and moved back as the dusty sands picked up, and there before them stood a young man.

  Dalfol in human form was something. His strong muscular body and greying hair denoted, not only his age but his sheer strength.

  I stepped towards him, and he embraced me. “Come, let’s finish your meal, and we’ll talk for a while before you rest. Tomorrow will be a long day for all of us. We’ll need all the strength we can get.”

  It had felt so good to talk with Dalfol and the others.

  We actually ate and drank for quite some time. Other people had stopped by to listen to his stories, and then they went on their way. The spirit of the camp itself had lifted once more with the arrival of just one Tromoal.

  Now, I closed my eyes and rested, dreams flittering through my mind as I drifted in and out of sleep.

  Before I knew it, the next morning was here, and we were packed and on our way. The heat of the desert made the ride uncomfortable, but within the confines of the Hog, bearable—at least for now.

  “How close do you think we can get before we have to go on foot?” Steve asked once more. The proverbial child always wanting to know answers to things they can’t understand.

  “We’re stopping not far from here. A small village called Spirit Vein. There are maybe a hundred homes there. If we stop on the outskirts, they won’t see us with the vehicles or Dalfol, and while you stake out the area, I’ll head in to see what things I can find out about them and their side of the war efforts.”

  There wasn’t much of a response, but we pulled up beside a dusty outbuilding just as the sun had started to dip. John and I made sure the vehicles were hidden as best as possible, and Dalfol stayed well clear.

  I didn’t know who was best to take wit
h me, but I wanted the best of both worlds. Someone I knew and trusted from Puatera and Steve. I watched as they all stood around, and I could clearly see the fun he was having in the situation we were in.

  “John, Steve. You’re with me. The rest of you hold up, wait for my signal. If you can come into town, I’ll let you know. But we’re on our own for now.”

  I pulled out some supplies, and John did the same, handing Lidia the main control to his vehicle. He didn’t quite have the tech I had. His had an older locking mechanism.

  When we started walking towards town. I saw the notification and read.

  QUEST – LOCATE AND DESTROY – DAIL, THE HARBINGER OF WAR.

  REWARD – 1 KARMA – TRUST WITHIN ALL OTHER MAICREOL CITY WALLS.

  Steve’s eyes gleamed. I knew more about the rewards given now than I did before.

  “Only one Karma point? That doesn’t seem like a lot,” I stated.

  Steve shook his head. “No, Maddie. Karma is the biggest reward for any of us. Remember when I said you had the gift of a lifetime in assigning yours?”

  I did, but it seemed so long ago. I still hadn’t made those decisions. I needed someone to help as it wasn’t something I felt confident in doing. If I didn’t understand the way things worked, how could I assign something to my personality when it could suddenly alter my whole being?

  I saw that recognition on his face as he stumbled forwards. “You haven’t done what I suggested, have you?”

  “You mean assigning the Karma to my personality? Essentially changing things about me that I can’t undo. No.”

  Steve stopped dead. “Maddie, you don’t understand, I really need you to do something for me… no for us, right now…” I looked at the seriousness in his eyes. They were sharply focussed on mine. “Go to your character sheet and drop some extra points into your learned abilities. Anything that you can use here and now.”

  It wasn’t hard to locate the items I knew I needed. The first screen itself. My Aspects. I vaguely remembered seeing the rules flash before me. 1 Karma will raise it to a 2, 2 Karma will raise to a 3.