Chapter 29
It took another twenty minutes to finish emptying the cells and freeing all the prisoners.
Quest Alert: Rescue Operation 5 (Recommended Level 25-30) – Completed!
Now that you have successfully infiltrated the Slaver’s Fortress, it is time to actually rescue someone. Find the slaves without being discovered or raising an alarm and liberate them.
Reward: +50,000-Experience, +1,000-Experience per Slave Liberated (x53)
I was glad it was over. The slaves were freed.
“My Sister is not here,” Tikka said, the fur around her neck bristling.
“Nor is mine,” Nahid said, popping into view. “Her scent is not present here.”
Quest Alert: Rescue Operation 6 (Recommended Level 25-30)
The majority of the slaves have been set free, but there are at least two still unaccounted for that you know of. Find out what happened to Najah and Chosi. Free any other slaves you uncover.
Reward: Experience, Hidden
Do you accept this Quest?
Yes
No
I cursed mentally. I knew this was far too easy. I accepted the quest.
“Then we better go find them,” I said.
“There is only one other building to check,” Twill said. “It will be heavily fortified, even with the chaos we caused in the courtyard.”
“Then we storm the castle,” I said. “We’ve still got some element of surprise. We should use it while we still can. Once they get the animals sorted, they are going to investigate. And that is assuming we got extremely lucky and they didn’t see the slaves escaping. It won’t take them too long to figure out that their sewers have rats.”
“Do not all sewers have rats?” Gofi asked, confused by my statement.
“We are the rats he speaks of,” Tikka informed Gofi.
“But I am a Rhinoman,” Gofi said, sounding even more confused.
“Never mind,” I said. “It won’t take them long to figure out we are in the sewers.”
“Then we attack now, boldly and without fear,” Gofi said.
“No, we sneak in using the sewer system,” I said, pointing to the door we originally came from. “We won’t get a better chance.”
Sooty cleared his throat loudly, then asked, “What about the Slaver’s still upstairs?”
“Most of them will be out in the courtyard chasing after their mounts or trying to put out the burning stable,” Twill said. “Same for the keep. It should be minimally guarded.”
“Okay, we’re going,” I said, motioning to my friends, including the newly returned to us Thief . . . Jack of All? Whatever, Heath was coming with us.
“I shall also fight alongside you,” Gofi said, thumping one of his heavy metal gauntlets against his chest.
“As shall I, I need to find out what happened to my sister,” Tikka said.
I didn’t hear anything from Sooty or Nahid, but I assumed they were of the same mind.
I was about to ask Harrison if he was going to join us when he spoke first, addressing me specifically. “Bye-bye Jacko,” Harrison started, though his gaze seemed to be miles away. “How did you become a Warrior Priest?”
No one had really ever asked that before. I think I may have given an abridged version at some point to my friends, but I don’t think I ever gave them specifics. “Why?” I asked. I wasn’t against telling him, but the timing was odd.
“When my class of Patrolman was taken from me, I felt lost. You see, I always believed in serving the law, in seeing that Justice was done. But in the last day, I saw that the law does not reach everywhere. That Justice is not always given to those in need. I saw that the World Tree needs more people like you, those who will seek justice no matter the cost and far beyond the reach of what Root City can provide. I need to know, how do I become like you?” Harrison asked, his eyes focus on me with an intensity that wasn’t there before.
“I don’t know if you can become like me,” I said, holding up a hand to forestall any questions. “In the first seconds of my arrival to the World Tree, I was murdered by another adventurer. Someone who was a much higher level. He did it for fun and to increase his kill count to join an order of adventurer murderers. When I came back to life in the graveyard, I was furious. I cursed and raged at the unfairness of it. Not even one minute in this world and I was already murdered.”
I paused as I thought back on it. “There was another adventurer there named Old Benji. He was a kindly old man who came to this world to catch fish, to reminisce on his youth when he did the same thing with his father. The thing was, Old Benji had been killed by the same adventure. I felt a righteous indignation at what happened to Old Benji and myself. I swore to the Gods and Goddesses that I would have justice. I shouted it to the heavens and my vow was heard. The Goddess Issara granted me the Warrior Priest class.”
“Anyway,” I said, shrugging. “I don’t know what other Gods and Goddesses of Justice use to select their champions. Also, you’re a citizen. You might not be able to, even if you want to.”
“Only one way to find out,” Harrison said seriously. “Okay, listen up Gods and Goddesses. I am someone who has never put much stock in your lot. I was never sure if you really cared about us or if we were just your playthings. Today, I witnessed true evil. True injustice. So, I will ask. If any of you Gods or Goddesses of justice need a capable, strong, and fiercely loyal Warrior Priest, I am your man. I will get justice for the evil I witnessed today. I swear it.”
A disembodied voice spoke, asking, “Do you?”
I could see my friends and the NPC’s around us were frozen in time, except for Harrison. He was looking around for the source of the voice. Something I only recently experienced when the God Oshosi appeared in the Temple of the Orishas.
“I do,” Harrison stated.
“You understand, if I grant this to you, this class, your powers will not be the same as other Warrior Priests? As you are a part of this world, you will be given a different spell from the one Bye-bye Jacko and those like him use to balance the scales of justice against adventurers. Your . . . ‘Injustice Breaker’ will only work on the Citizens of the World Tree. Do you still want this burden?” the God Oshosi’s voice inquired. I thought he sounded . . . amused when he called the spell ‘Injustice Breaker’ instead of ‘Justice Bringer’.
“I do. The citizens of the World Tree are just as capable of causing harm as the adventurers are,” Harrison said. “Bye-bye and the other adventurers like him can police the murderer adventurers. I will police the murderer citizens. Justice gets served either way.”
The God Oshosi let out a soft noise of amusement. “Very well then. John Harrison, do you agree to become my servant from this day forth? Do you agree to fight injustice where so ever you find it? Do you swear to seek justice for those wronged by the Slaver Scum that exist within this fortress?”
“Yes, to everything,” Harrison said.
“Then you will complete my quest and earn your class,” the God Oshosi stated. A flash of light later and everything was moving again.
Class Quest Alert: Assist the Warrior Priest of the God Oshosi
You have been charged by the God Oshosi to assist his Warrior Priest in bringing the Bandaka Slave Ring to an end. Eliminate Khan, Righthand Chagha'an, and Lefthand Köke
Reward: Experience, 15-Sigils of the Goddess Issara, Hidden
Do you accept this Quest?
Yes
No
Of course, I accepted, then there was a blinding flash of light.
“Ow,” I complained. So, it didn’t really hurt, but still, colors dots filled my vision.
“What? What happened?” Rose asked, looking from Harrison to me.
“I got a new class,” Harrison said with a grin. “Now, let us go kill some Slavers.”
“Wait, that actually worked?” Rose asked.
“So it would seem,” I said, equally surprised by the turn of events.
“Great, another Warrior Pri
est,” Heath complained. “Just what I needed.”
“He can only use his ‘Injustice Breaker’ on citizens,” I said. “You have nothing to worry about Heath.”
“It’s the principal of the thing,” Heath replied.
“We are wasting time,” Olaf said, before I could retort. “Let’s go already. I owe these Slavers some pain.”
“Where is Vision?” Micaela asked.
“He was with Titan, he should be here soon,” I said, hoping that was still true.
“I will scout ahead,” Sooty said, appearing and disappearing in the same breath.
“Everyone, buff up if you can,” Olaf ordered, checking his weapons now that he could equip them. Having the ‘Captured’ debuff made it impossible to equip any kind of weapon.
I spread around my ‘Holy Barrier’, ‘Combat Blessing’, and ‘Mental Fortification’ then took a few quick swigs from my mana canteen.
“Let’s go,” Olaf said, looking eager for payback.
As we were moving back into the sewers, I saw Olaf pull Twill aside.
I heard Olaf, though his voice was soft. He said, “When this is over, we will discuss what you did to us.”
Twill nodded once.
Olaf and Twill followed after that.
The sewers were just as dirty as the first time with food but lacked the body parts that flowed from the torture room. It was a few hundred yards before the sewers turned west. We followed, looking for a ladder as close to the far west corner as possible.
“Two ladders,” Sooty reported upon reappearing. “One leads into a storeroom with a locked door. The other into a kitchen with staff . . . slaves mostly I think.”
“I like the idea of using the storeroom,” Olaf said.
“But the kitchen might have cookbooks,” Micaela protested.
“Did you miss the part about slaves?” Tikka asked.
“Oh, yeah, I suppose that is more important,” Micaela said.
“My only concern with entering through a kitchen filled with slaves is that they are unlikely to be unguarded,” Olaf said.
“I can handle it,” Heath said, grinning. “Did you already forget about me?”
Olaf furrowed his brow in thought. “Scout it out first,” he said. “I don’t want to put any of their lives at risk.”
“Nahid and I will help,” Sooty volunteered.
“Alright, show us to the ladder,” Olaf said.
We followed Sooty around the far corner and past one ladder to a second. “This way,” he whispered, vanishing as he activated his ‘Stealth’ skill.
Heath was already missing when I looked for him, presumably already on his way up the ladder.
“All clear,” Sooty’s voice carried from above.
Rose went up first and I followed with the others just behind me.
The kitchen had maybe ten slaves in total, all women and all terrified.
“We are here to save you,” Gofi almost shouted.
Several of us at once, hissed, “Shh,” at the oblivious Rhinoman.
Gofi didn’t seem to notice, but at least he didn’t say anything else.
One of the slaves, an older woman spoke, “Is it true? Are you here to rescue us?”
“Yes, we are,” Tikka said. “I will guide you to safety myself.”
“Oh, thank the Gods,” the older woman said, dropping to her knees in tears, one hand covering her mouth to stifle the sound.
Tikka smiled sadly.
“Are you sure?” Rose asked. “I know you are worried about your sister.”
“I cannot leave these people on their own. I will help them. Just promise me, you will help my sister if you find her,” Tikka requested.
“We will,” I said, not sure how I would feel if I saw Chosi again.
It took a few minutes to help all the women and Tikka into the sewers to escape. Rose and I pushed the cover back in place just to be safe. If a guard happened to come by and saw the open sewer entrance, it wouldn’t take long for him to raise the alarm.
Heath appeared just as I met Olaf by the doors to the kitchen. “Three patrols of two roaming the halls, not very efficient but both are level 22 so they might have a little fight in them.”
“Troop compliment?” Olaf asked.
“Foot soldiers, daggers or swords. No bows that I saw,” Heath replied.
“How far apart?” Olaf asked.
“Maybe twenty yards, not far,” Heath said.
“So we should expect to pull all of them at once,” Olaf said, nodding. “Alright, Rose, Harrison, you’re up.”
“Alright Red, let us bring them a little justice,” Harrison said.
“Is that going to be a thing with you now?” Rose asked.
“Maybe,” Harrison answered with a grin. “Just getting a feel for it.”
“Trust me, no,” Rose said with a shake of her head as she kicked open one of the twin kitchen doors at the same time Harrison kicked the other.
“Must you kick open every door?” I asked, rubbing my face. “We don’t want to draw everyone down on us at the same time.”
“I say let them come,” Gofi cheered, as the six Slavers that were patrolling the hallway came storming in only to be bowled over by Gofi as he charged right through them, trampling and cutting them with his horn as he went.
That was one way of doing it. I just hoped Harrison and Rose could grab up aggro now.
Olaf grinned and let them have it with both barrels. The hand-cannon fire making me cringe at the loudness of it all.
“If they didn’t know we were here before, they certainly do now,” I complained.
Heath, Sooty, and Nahid all appeared among the downed Slavers, knives stabbing in and out of bodies rapidly then vanishing again.
A fireball flew past me that I recognized as the work of Micaela’s ax, Sundance.
Which left me, looking for a way to contribute but coming up short. There wasn’t enough room for me to get in there, not with the tight door and tighter hallway outside of it. And my friends were too close for me to use ‘Boar Charge’. ‘Holy Smite’ would do a little damage but not as much as I would have liked. A look at my spell list and I found the perfect spell. It was one I had left basically untouched this month, though I really shouldn’t have.
Spell: Holy Lightning
Level: 1
Experience: 0.00%
Description: Call down lightning charged with Holy Energy.
Spell Damage: -100-150-HP
Spell Cast Speed: 5.00-seconds
Range: 25-yards
Spell Effect (Active): Holy Lightning strikes at a single target and will branch to strike 1 additional random enemy. Next physical attack to each target struck will deal an additional -100-HP damage.
Mana Cost: -400-MP
This really was the ideal time to use it. So I did. Five long seconds later, lighting struck. It hit the one at the back I was targeting before a fork split off and hit the one Rose was currently fighting, putting an end to him. A well-timed stab from Nahid killed the one I actually targeted. Then I cast it again and two more died. I never got to a third cast.
Nahid appeared next to me, surprising me when she said, “I like that lightning spell, my stabs hurt them more after.” Before I could say anything to that, she was gone again, back into ‘Stealth’.
“Heath, Sooty, and Nahid,” Olaf started. “Scout it out.”
“Yeah, yeah, mate, we’re on it,” Heath replied, disappearing again.
“Don’t ever tell him I said this,” Rose whispered to me. “But I kind of missed having him around. He’s . . . you know . . . useful.”
I chuckled. It really was good to have Heath back. I couldn’t wait to see what he could do with his ‘Jack of All’ class. From what Heath told in his story, it sounded like it would add a new dimension to our fights.
We didn’t need to wait long for Heath to return. “Found the storage room and the dining hall, both were empty.”
“Six more guards at the front entrance,�
� Sooty said, appearing right after Heath. “Four on the stairway, two at the top and two at the bottom. There are two more on the entrance door.”
Nahid appeared next, looking disappointed when she failed to startle any of us. “I caught my sister’s scent. It is coming from upstairs.” Then, as if the three had rehearsed it, they all vanished back into ‘Stealth’.
“That was awesome,” Micaela cheered.
“Don’t encourage them, babe,” Olaf said, shaking his head. “Alright, let’s go. Harrison, the door, Rose the stairs. Bye-bye, bar the door if you can.”
Rose and Harrison led the way. Based on what my ‘Location Awareness’ was telling me the kitchen was situated on the west side of the keep. The Hallway ran the length of the back wall, at the other end of which was the storeroom. About a third of the way down the hall was another door and past that, another third of the way down the hall was a second door, both facing the front of the keep.
Rose stopped by the first door and peeked around the corner. She then waved Harrison to the next door but didn’t follow.
Harrison stopped at the next door and peeked, similarly to Rose. He came back and whispered, “Both doors lead to the entryway. The area between the doors are the stairs leading up. I think we should attack from both doors at once. It should cause at least some distraction.”
Olaf and Rose both nodded and Harrison went back to his door. Rose then waved both Olaf and Micaela past, which left Twill and I with Rose.
Harrison held up three fingers and began counting them down. As soon as his fist closed, Rose and he turned through the door and blurred from sight. There was a loud crashing sound I assumed was Rose slamming into one of the Slavers.
I ran in, preparing to stun the first one I saw. Only there wasn’t a Slaver, just an empty suit of armor. And Rose and Harrison were standing almost with their backs to the doors, their shields raised in defense as arrows rained down on them, seeming to come from the top of the stairs.
World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive Page 51