The Dragon's Wrath: Shadows in the Flame

by Brent Roth

  “You only broke two, the wolves broke my femur and about twelve ribs.”

  “Whatever, you still lost.”

  “I admit, you have me beat in hand-to-hand combat,” I said while thinking over the events that had transpired. Emily was more than capable in close combat but without the extended reach of a weapon, I questioned her effectiveness in real combat.

  Her knees did hurt though.

  Surprisingly effective with the proper technique, it made me want to explore Muay Thai a bit more. She used elbows and knees and even had iron gauntlets specially crafted so she could deliver a devastating punch as well. She was a new-age Tifa as far as I was concerned but it worked for her.

  I wouldn’t admit that I held back though.

  “They’re here,” I said, cutting into our idle chat as I turned back and walked through the gate with Emily close behind. “Kate, stay up in the tower with Valerie, you two can provide cover and healing from inside.”

  “As you command master,” replied Kate with a slight bow.

  The hint of displeasure in her voice was easy to hear and the accompanying peculiar choice of words made me wonder what was wrong with her as she had been acting strangely for the past few days.

  Immediately after Kate’s reply, Emily shot a dirty glance my way as I tossed my head to the side and shrugged my right shoulder with my left arm outstretched as I loosened my bow. Motioning for a portion of the warriors to enter the other towers, there were a handful of warriors standing by that would join me on the walls.

  Taking position as Emily stood there and watched, the glimmers in the distance of my Scout Team and two Squadrons returning indicated that we had maybe ten minutes before the main force arrived. The enemy was approaching rapidly… and that was a good sign for me. Things were moving in the right direction for now.

  “I don’t see anything,” said Emily as she placed her hand over her brow and squinted, attempting to focus on the distant objects.

  “They’re about a mile out inside the forest on your left,” I explained with little interest as I was going over the plan again in my head. “We’ve got about ten minutes before the enemy appears within range.”

  “How can you see them?”

  “Pick up a bow, it’s worth the active abilities,” I stated plainly.

  “Thanks captain social,” she shot back with a sigh.

  Eight minutes passed as the casters and warriors entered the village with the enemy army hot on their heels. Motioning for them to continue through the gate and towards the second miniature interior gate that had recently been constructed, they ran straight through without a hitch. As soon as they passed the second gate, I signaled with two thumbs pointing down.

  Closing the secondary gate by dropping wooden posts into the previously dug holes, the warriors then moved to the walls as the enemy force was within range as the casters ran into the nearest towers.

  The main gate still wide open as two warriors pretended to struggle to close it, we began our attack as the enemy was now within two-hundred yards. Rapidly closing the distance with only ten to twenty seconds separating us, chants filled the air as arrows whizzed off into the distance.

  As the enemy pulled within fifty yards the twangs and thwacks of bowstrings reverberated all around me as the pop and whistle of shadow flares alerted me to their presence. The flares shot into the horde with their purple and black trails streaking through the sky, lingering only for a moment as the massive cluster of enemies continued to sprint towards the open gate. Then as they entered within thirty yards, the sounds of crackling electricity began to fill the space as lightning split the air and thunder erupted from the towers in a brilliant flash of white light.

  Multiple casts of chain lightning surging forth from the towers as dozens of players were hit and a few were stunned, the masses continued to rush without bothering to stop as the first line hit the water and screams rang out. Unable to stop their advance as the men and women crowded behind, bodies were piled on top of one another as they fell in ten at a time.

  Through the open gate the players that had managed to cross the bridge sprinted into the open courtyard only to find that they were surrounded from all sides as a second gate appeared in the distance partially closed. Rushing forward without any thought to their actions, dozens of players filtered and funneled in as all of my troops on the walls ducked down and turned to fire on the players that had made it inside.

  Ignoring those on the outside, the crowds pushed through as the interior walls began to fill up to nearly half capacity. Realizing the time had come, I shouted for the next step to begin, “FREE THEM.” In an instant the two warriors who had been pretending to close the gate and were now positioned by each cage, pulled on the rope that lowered the door to the dire wolf cages.

  Loud growls practically cutting through the shouts of hundreds of players, the wolves dashed out and began their rampage as the first man to fall had his head ripped off in a shower of blood. With both wolves pouncing and tearing through the crowd, the players were forced to fend for themselves as they panicked and fell one by one.

  “FIRE AT WILL,” I shouted.

  As I began to chant and draw electricity between my palms, a dark cloud had appeared above the center of the pack as lightning danced around and illuminated the condensed water vapor floating above their heads. Watching as nearly a hundred players had pushed and made their way through into the shooting gallery, the dire wolves had already killed twenty by my count as my casters alternated one chain lightning after another while holding off on the lightning bolts in an effort to conserve mana.

  Shadow flares continued to be chain cast into the masses as more and more players began to fall with none of my own yet succumbing due to the safety of the multiple walls and towers. Raining arrows down from a position of relatively safety, a single warrior slipped off the wall and fell into the trap and found himself quickly killed by a mass of players looking for blood.

  Shouts then filled the air as the commanders of the enemy troops began to organize and pushed a counter attack against the wolves. Slaying one dire wolf as they attempted to force the other into submission, my lightning strike hit and obliterated eight adventurers on the spot as the deafening crack of true thunder instantly sent all of our ears into a state of perpetual ringing while the true lightning blinded everyone who had been looking.

  With my vision slightly blurry as I nearly forgot to shield my eyes, my ears rang with a constant drone as I began to cast my second lightning strike near the exit. Without a portcullis to halt their retreat a lightning strike would serve as my gate. Cutting off their retreat as I focused on the first gate, the second cloud took shape as five seconds passed and the second bolt struck.

  Numerous players caught a second time by the incredible crowd control effects found themselves clutching their faces and ears as they were cut down by ranged fire. Two-hundred enemy troops now at half strength, the second dire wolf fell as multiple spears found their mark.

  Hopping over the wall and onto the edge of the moat where stakes hadn’t been placed, I quickly ran over to the gate and lifted the logs that made up the bridge. Tossing them over the moat with near superhuman strength, their exit had been removed as I turned behind the walls and began another chant unannounced to the enemy.

  “Through power, darkness turns to light, render all to ash,” I muttered under my breath as I turned slowly around the corner and faced the seventy or so players that were left. Hands extended outwards as four intertwined bolts of lightning twirled and rotated about between my palms, I held until the cast had fully-charged and then released.

  “Chain Lightning!”

  The quick flash and crack of the surging bolt following the impact as a player was caught unaware. Hitting the man in the back and splitting and arcing off onto four others, all five hit the ground stunned from the electricity as I pulled my bow and began to fire at the downed individuals.

  Thwack.

  Rang my bow as an arrow l
anded cleanly into a neck.

  Thwack.

  As another entered up through a chin.

  And then as the third thwack sounded out, the arrow missed a vital and hit the female in her shoulder as faces turned towards me. Unable to retaliate against the casters and archers hiding behind the walls and towers, the fifty remaining players charged at me as they sought blood.

  “TRAP DOOR,” I shouted.

  And in an instant the entryway had been blocked as ropes were pulled and logs collapsed over the gateway. Crushing a body as they fell, the players were now trapped like rats and the only way out was over a wall or through these piled logs.

  Walking along the edge of the moat as I finished off wounded players impaled on stakes and unable to free themselves, the sounds of the battle continued for another minute and then silence returned. My ears were still ringing but the shouts and screams had all ceased.

  The whizzing of arrows had stopped.

  Pops, whistles, crackles, and growls all gone, the battle had ended as quickly as it started as the unexperienced and overeager crowd charged blindly into an open trap and found themselves slaughtered with ease. Removing the logs that blocked entry, I walked over the field and stared at the bodies of the fallen.

  Nearly forty were lost to the moats as they jumped into the water without a second thought, thirty to the dire wolves, and at least twenty had been killed by the lightning strikes. That left a hundred and ten players standing still inside the shooting gallery for nearly fifty troops to fire at them in concentrated bursts and from near complete safety.

  These tricks wouldn’t work a second time.

  But it worked today.

  Chapter 107: Aftermath of Failure

  (Wednesday, February 2nd Game Day / Saturday, May 15th Real Day)

  Saturday ticked over without a care to the current situation and with it came a handful of golden beams and fresh faces. NPCs brought into this world in the aftermath of a battle, with corpses as fresh as their arrival. The sole loss on our side was one young warrior who lost his footing and slipped into the pit of the wolves. Killed by our own trap as he lacked the awareness to mind his surroundings.

  A warrior with a paltry potential rating of 2.7/10, he wasn’t much of a loss… but he was still a loss. One artificial soul lost to the flames of war. The enemy, they were as green as they come. Inexperienced players that believed in their numbers and broke ranks as soon as the fighting began. The ones in command showed tactics early in the battle but the untrained volunteers lacked discipline and panicked inside the trap.

  The strategy wasn’t too complicated.

  As groups jumped into the dark waters of the moat in an attempt to scale the walls, only to find themselves impaled and left helpless it left them at an immediate disadvantage. The logical step being to take the half open gate that had yet to be closed, they rushed through thinking they could disperse once inside the town and finish us off.

  They outnumbered us four to one.

  Yet the result was a simple one, as the wolves did their part to instill fear and sow confusion and the might of our combined ranged assault did the rest. We never left the town.

  They never left either.

  “Ah! It’s this late already?!” shouted Emily as she was walking around looking at all of the bodies. “Shit I’ve got work in the morning!”

  “On Saturday?” I asked, a little curious. “And it’s only one in the morning… how early do you have to work?”

  “Second Saturday, the meeting!” she said as she started to jog towards the inn. “You should go! See you later!”

  Glancing over at Valerie, she started to walk off without saying anything as I let out a singular hushed laugh. “Hey Valerie, thanks for the help today.”

  “You’re welcome, though you didn’t require any,” she said without any emotion, as she turned back for a second before resuming her walk towards the inn. After a minute had passed, the two ladies had disappeared from sight as they entered the inn to presumably log off.

  They weren’t on my friends list and I didn’t expect them to add me either. They had helped, even if it was minor… so for that, I was thankful for them and appreciated what they had done here. It was the sentiment that counted.

  “They’re gone?” asked Kate as she appeared from the shadows.

  “Yeah,” I replied with a turn of my head. “Where’ve you been?”

  “…around,” she replied cryptically.

  Ignoring the odd behavior of my companion, I decided to return to the cleaning of the town as the sun was nearing midday. The sun had been busy shining brightly on this peaceful day and it wouldn’t do to waste its hard work. After the duties are taken care of, it would be bed time for me as well.

  Chapter 108: New Information

  (Friday, February 4th Game Day / Saturday, May 15th Real Day)

  Not more than a day had passed us by as news spread across the game’s main forum that FWB had officially disbanded. Embarrassed by their last attempt at revenge the guild leaders and officers disappeared into the night and avoided replying to anyone who tried to pester them about the details. There was no reason to question them though, even if the details of the siege were largely kept under wraps.

  The end result was obvious from the start, they no longer had a territory, their buildings had been destroyed twice-over, and their attempts at propaganda only carried their movement so far. They had been defeated on every front and their last-ditch effort resulted in the deaths of over a hundred inexperienced players and one NPC.

  Complete failures in every respect, there was no need to question them anymore. There were no streams this time around either as the coalition had been formed of supporters that knew the drill. They didn’t want to provide any footage of their pathetic loss and I didn’t care to share any of my successful strategies and secrets.

  That combination left the curious without a shred of information to go off of, except for the main fact that a guild had collapsed. The complete destruction of a guild… it wasn’t the first time for me but it left a bitter taste in my mouth this time.

  I didn’t really hate them as a whole, as there were plenty of casual players that took no part in the fighting and they had suffered due to the actions of a few. I sympathized with their plight, it was an unfortunate situation for them.

  In the end though, the blame was with the mastermind.

  The one who pulled the strings and manipulated those around him, turning rumors into motivation and eventually, into action. He was the one that was at fault and he had yet to suffer. I wanted to wash my hands of it all, to return to my game… but Emily was right, the one that needed to suffer had yet to lose a single thing. It was time to shift my focus.

  “Okay!” Emily exclaimed with enthusiasm as she slapped the table where Valerie and I had been sitting. “The meeting for the Alliance has begun!”

  “Eh… what’s this, we’ve got a name now?” I questioned openly with disgust, largely due to my dislike for silly names.

  “You don’t like it?” she quickly replied with a frown.

  “I have no complaints,” stated Valerie, as calm as ever.

  “Whatever,” I mumbled while shaking my head.

  Emily and Valerie both logged on at the same time as they had returned from the Alpha and Beta meeting with some new information, at least new according to them. Due to that knowledge, I had been sitting at a table on the first floor of the inn, waiting in the relatively empty restaurant for the news.

  It seemed like a waste of my time.

  “So I gathered some intel while on my downtime at work,” Emily began to explain with an excitement in her voice I hadn’t heard before. “Get this, the guy was part of a medium-sized guild on the eastern side of the continent right? Well they were falling behind in the power rankings pretty badly, like really badly, so they allied with some other guilds that they knew from the beta, old friends right?

  “Only the alliance itself didn’t help them as much as they
wanted, so in the end they merged the three guilds and created the guild Triumvirate. With the added numbers and centralized leadership, they’re now a fairly large guild in the middle of the continent and they’ve been pushing hard to gain some control in the region.”

  Having finished her history lesson on Mr. Sardonic’s activities, it was obvious that a large guild pushing for control in a region would be involved in some sort of activities, whether it be trade involving resources or territorial expansion. A large guild needed land… and they needed a base to operate from. Money was always necessary. As a large guild they would be powerful and would definitely have an influence on those around them but it also served as a larger target.

  That made things easier for me.

  “So they’ve got ongoing operations, anything you’re aware of that we can sabotage?” I questioned as I leaned back in my chair with the intent of speeding up the conversation.

  “Yep,” she said with a giant grin that crossed from ear to ear. “This is a known secret to all the staff members and close friends, so I’ll go ahead and let you in on it now that you’re a member of our Alliance. There’s a bunch of different Call to Arms coming up in a few days, all of them in the Central Kingdoms.

  “They’ll all involve two or more large NPC factions that have been fighting for some time now. No specific date as requirements are based on the players but they’re really close. Those players have been fighting for almost two months and the NPCs are being dragged into it. It’s really cool actually. The system is adjusting and creating content based on player actions, cutting edge stuff yeah?”

  “And my guess is he’s involved with one of the sides involved somewhere out there?” I asked, wanting to clarify, while trying to cut to the chase. The nature of her job was to discuss details endlessly… if I let her go, she would talk for hours. I didn’t have hours to waste anymore. My money was limited and on the decline so if something was to be done, it would have to be done soon. There was far too much work piling up now.