by Jason Cheek
“Yes way,” I said. “At least if we’re hoping some of them are still alive.”
“Could be the main castle too,” Thomas added thoughtfully.
“Then that will be where we look next,” Sarka said, as she chimed in from behind as we all turned around to look at her questioningly. “What? I know its trouble when the three of you start to huddle up.” Standing behind her, Yun just looked away innocently as he rocked back and forth on his heels.
“This is going to get all kinds of ugly if this is all from a guild waiting to ambush us,” Tinyr said with a frown as he joined the conversation. “We’re going to have to come up with a way to keep them from warning their people about us ahead of time. Any ideas?”
“You might not like them,” Thomas said as he traded a guarded glance with the rest of his guild who had gathered around as we talked. I understood what he meant, since my mind had already begun going through the possible scenarios available to us. None of them were pretty, but if these people were guilty of what I thought they were doing, then honestly I wasn’t overly concerned.
“We’ll have to kill them and have NPCs setup to take them out at the graveyards. Once they’ve been de-leveled, we’ll hogtie and gag them,” I harshly said, as the non-Devil Dog members of the party looked over at me in surprise. Seeing the expressions on their faces, I hurriedly explained my reason.
“Look, we’ll find out quick enough if they’re enslaving the town or just slaughtering the people here without regard quickly enough,” I said with a shrug. “Either way, we can’t let anyone we meet warn their people in general guild chat, hence the gags.” I could tell Yun, Sarka and Unalia didn’t like what that implied but I was surprised by Yun and Sarka’s words a second later.
“After the shit those Syndicate players put us through, I’m down with whatever needs to be done,” Yun said, in a voice thick with emotions. Looking over at his wife, he gripped her hand and looked into her eyes as he spoke. “If these PKing bastards have moved on to terrorizing cities and towns like they wanted to do to Delonshire, we’re down with doing whatever it takes to stop them.”
“You know it,” Sarka said, quickly wiping a tear from her eye as she sniffed emotionally and hugged her husband to her side. “So, what’s the plan?” She asked looking back at me.
I couldn’t help but grin at the comment. She was starting to get as bad as Kenzie with that shit. Being the one that always came up with the working plan was a pain in the ass at times. You were always one failure away from being a fuck-up. While I was good at thinking outside of the box, I knew how it worked in any group. You could get ten plans right in a row, but one mistake and people were all over your shit. Keeping the frown off my face, I turned to Unalia.
“You okay with this?” I asked the huntress while studying her face.
For a long moment, Unalia said nothing as she considered her feelings carefully on the subject at hand. I could tell she wasn’t happy with the situation but she wasn’t trying to dodge it either. Glancing at her husband Tinyr, who gave her a silent nod back, she stood up straight as her eyes took in everyone standing around the circle.
“I wouldn’t typically agree to anything like torture or tying people up,” she said in a no nonsense tone. “But, I’m not willing to stand around and let people be brutalized just to feed some monster’s ego. I might not always be able to do what might be needed, but if you’re right about what’s happening to these people, I’m not going to criticize you for getting your hands dirty either.” She blushed uncomfortably at everyone’s attention. “Just, make sure that what you’re doing is necessary and I’ll back you to the hilt.”
“We’ll do our best,” I said honestly. “You know, the saddest part of all of this shit is that PVP generally should be fun. Not the crap that we are continually having to face with these asshats brutalizing towns full of people or trying to destroy the land with monsters.” I said, rubbing my eyes in frustration. “There are so many things that we could be doing instead of killing each other like this. It seems like such a waste of time. I swear, it’s almost like these guilds are purposely trying to break the game.”
Maybe that was the lesson here in all of this. Was there any fun PVP anymore if there were people that could die permanently in the world? These people were suffering now from what some newfar considered to be just playing the game. Sometimes, I wondered if The World was a reflection of the horrors we had in our real world. That, or this was some nefarious plot to ruin the game for everyone.
My thoughts went back to the Goblin invasion. The atrocities I’d seen in the Delonshire Mines and in BrokenFang Hold were not for the faint of heart. Now, there was the Sekolahian Empire banging on our proverbial door. What other horrors were out in The World waiting for us? For now, I could only focus on the here and now, while doing my best to prepare for the future. And, if there were some players screwing around, then I’d face them head-on if I had to. Shaking the pessimistic thoughts away, I focused on my friends’ faces looking back at me.
“I figure most of the fighting will be straight up killing and sending them to the graveyard. We’ll be de-leveling these assholes to get them out of the picture for a while like we did to the Syndicate,” I said as Tinyr spoke up.
“They’ll be looking for payback if we manage to pull this off.”
“Not like that wouldn’t be the case either way,” I said with a shrug. “If they want to retaliate, then they can come after us and we’ll shove our fists down their throats again.”
“True enough,” Tinyr agreed, nodding his head as he gave me a fist bump. “Too bad we don’t get experience for PVP.”
“Tell me about it!” I said with a laugh. While that would be nice, it wouldn’t work in the long term. People would just slaughter each other to forcibly level themselves up in town without ever grinding out any levels in the wild.
“Here’s the deal,” I said, speaking to Unalia. “For those we have to question, we’ll give them a chance to talk freely. If they don’t, or if they try to warn their guild, then all bets are off.”
“What do you mean, all bets are off?” Unalia asked, shifting uncomfortably on her feet.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get them to talk. If that means a little torture to loosen up their lips, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.” I said in no uncertain terms, as I looked around the circle at my friends’ faces. “Is everyone good with that?”
Seeing Tinyr and Unalia’s hesitant looks, I once again reiterated that it would be used only as a last resort, reminding them that all the person had to do was answer the questions to make it stop. Reluctantly, Unalia and Tinyr both grimly nodded their heads in agreement. I didn’t like putting them through this moral conundrum, but it was necessary to talk about this now, then have someone get offended when I pulled the option out of my bag of tricks later.
Thankfully, there was no hesitation in Sarka or Yun’s eyes, nor did the combat vets bat an eye at the question. Getting everyone’s nods of agreement, I turned to the Devil Dogs. What we needed now was something that Kenzie had already proven she was an expert at planning. “Do you think you can take out the stragglers and smaller groups like you managed to do with the pirates on the Wind Dancer?” I asked the leather-clad rogue.
The question started a whole other round of discussion that lasted nearly until the ship pulled up to the docks. Mostly, the Devil Dogs led the conversation while the rest of us just listened in. Still, those with us with some in-game stealth skill couldn’t help adding in our two cents to the conversations whenever possible. Mainly though, this was going to be an operation led by Kenzie, Zhou, and Matt for the “wetwork” as they called it.
Right then, coming from around the wheel house, I could hear some Gnomeling swearing up a storm. Excusing myself, I went to see what the commotion was all about. I was just walking up behind Captain Windcoat when I heard her curse. “Nirim says if she doesn’t dock first there’ll be blood spilt!”
“Dark forsaken Princess!” I
heard Captain Lightouch swear out loud as I came to a stop.
“What’s going on?” Both Gnomelings looked at me and scowled. “It’s the Princess on the command ship. She’s demanding that their ship be allowed to dock first so she can find out what the hell is going on in the city. She became apoplectic after your warning to the squadron.”
“So I take it that everyone’s up in arms?”
“Yes milord,” Captain Windcoat confirmed. “How do you want to handle it?”
“Go ahead and let them dock first,” I said, squeezing the bridge of my nose trying to think quickly. “Have the rest of the biremes and The Doon hold position in the bay to stand guard. There’s no reason to have them dock, especially when we’re short on crew. Dock the Wind Dancer at the very end of the pier. That should give you plenty of time to set sail if you need to get away quickly. Also, please pass word to Captain Deepwater to keep her pet under wraps. I’d rather not show our hand before we have to.” Seeing the Gnomeling woman’s questioning look, I apologized explaining it was a newfar term for a card game.
Hearing “card game” both Gnomelings gave me odd looks. I quickly found myself inundated with questions as I was forced to explain the basic rules for Texas Hold'em. There was no question in my mind that both sailors wanted to ask more about the game, but there just wasn’t any time as I waved them off requesting for Captain Lightouch to pass along the messages while I transferred the ownership of Squidward to Captain Windcoat.
Normally, the sexy Captain with her undercut leather corset vest would have distracted me to no end. But, after everything that had occurred in the City of Auris Shaeras with the Meer Lizards, I was finding myself less distracted in such situations, especially when we were facing a major battle. The serious-faced brunette put her long hair back into a ponytail and took charge of Squidward. The intense expression on her face never let up as we quickly went over various ways she could use the Giant Squid for attack and defense.
I also took this time to raise-up another four zombies, level forty-two Sea Orcs that instantly were boosted up to level forty-five due to my amulet. By the time we’d finished up, Captain Nighthand was bringing the bireme in ahead of us as the rest of the warships took up a holding position in the middle of the bay behind The Doon. As I turned away to gather everyone up, I nearly collided with Sarka who was standing behind me listening in on everything going on.
“You think it’s going to be as bad as you think?” The spirited warrior asked under her breath, after she stopped me from nearly falling. Looking behind her, I saw the rest of the raid and my companions getting ready to move out before I met her worried eyes.
“It’s going to be a lot of things,” I said truthfully. “If even half of what we think is going on is actually happening, this is going to be as horrible as the Goblin Slavers in the Delonshire Mines when we rescued Miya. Only it will be players doing the atrocities to the people of The World instead of mobs.” Sarka’s lips tightened at my words as I continued.
“Don’t worry, it’s never going to be like it was the first time you were ambushed and stalked by those Syndicate assholes,” I said reassuringly. “If anything, it’ll be more like that adrenaline rush you had when paying back those asshats that had been spawn camping you and Yun when we first met.” A smile cracked both of our lips at the memory as I continued. “Only this time, it’ll be the big leagues.”
“Thanks Jason,” Sarka said giving me a one armed hug.
“Don’t thank me yet,” I said with a laugh. “I have no doubt it’s going to be fun as hell. We’ll be playing balls to the wall here without a second to breathe, until we’re on our way back to our own territory. At the same time, there’s no doubt in my mind that this is going to get nasty as hell. You’ll probably see me doing some ugly things you might not like.”
“Why are you saying that?” Sarka said with a laugh, giving me a fist in the ribs. “You’re a nice guy.”
“Only when people aren’t bullying fucktards,” I replied honestly. “Otherwise, I’m a complete asshole.”
The smile never left Sarka’s eyes as she gave me another hug. I didn’t know if that meant she didn’t believe me or simply accepted that I’d do what was necessary. Hopefully, it was the later. This could easily turn into a certain scene from the film Reservoir Dogs or The Cooler. Never once did I say I was a hero or a light-sider. While I was generally a nice guy and liked helping people, it came from my belief in treating people the way I wanted to be treated in kind. At the same time, I had no problems spawn camping someone to give them a lesson in common courtesy.
“Well then, lead on Lord Asshole,” Sarka said with a bark of laughter as I rolled my eyes and joined her walking towards the rest of the raid waiting next to the gangplank. “Your people await.”
I silently hoped she was truly ready for this. Sarka had become hard as nails since we’d met. She was already gaming like a top level player and could handle a sword and board as well as anyone I’d ever met. PVP like this, on the other hand, was a different animal altogether.
This wasn’t going to be fighting in an arena or in a battle grounds but a fight for survival. It wasn’t going to be pretty and I sure as hell wasn’t going to be holding anything back. If anything, I hated griefing asshats even more than I hated Goblins and that was saying something. At least, the Goblins had a reason for being the evil assholes they were to people. Newfar like The Syndicate and Chaos Storm Guilds didn’t have even that excuse.
Before I’d crossed the command deck, I saw another group expectantly waiting for me nearby. Waving Sarka ahead, I turned to Alanah, Tavon, Zinn, and Ayda and crossed my arms as Zinn spoke first. “What’s the plan with us?”
“Well, Ayda is going to be heading out with us as support on the front lines.” I said, unflinchingly meeting the Gnomeling’s pale blue eyes. “The rest of you will be supporting the home base to keep our line of retreat open.”
Instantly, Tavon and Alanah began to bitch about being left behind as Zinn started arguing that she could stay in the rear to give support with Ayda. Honestly, it was a lot of noise that I didn’t have time for. I understood where everyone was coming from. No one wanted to let their friends down, but I wasn’t about to risk their lives without knowing what we were facing. Besides, a PKer could one-shot Alanah and Tavon without really trying at their current levels.
Explaining the importance of keeping the Wind Dancer safe, I was able to calm Alanah down by telling her that I needed a healer on hand to help the injured troopers and townsfolk that I couldn’t, since I’d be focused on fighting. Tavon settled down once I asked him to keep my small companion safe. Zinn, on the other hand, was another story altogether. All that I could do was explain that we only had so many troops available and that I needed her magic here to help hold our last line of defense and to keep our lines of retreat open if everything went to shit.
Ayda kept a straight face as I talked everyone down, but, from the gleam in her eyes, she understood exactly what I was doing. While I wanted to keep them safe on the ship, the responsibility I’d asked of them was real which helped my young companions swallow their pride. Once I felt like they’d stay on the ship like I’d asked, I nodded for Ayda to follow as we headed off to join the group preparing to disembark.
Before we were halfway across the deck, I saw Valith Celaraldor’s haughty face staring out at the city of Darom. Although the ex-Red Coral Knight Commander was fully armed and armored for combat, he stood apart from the group preparing to move out by the railing. Silently, I came to a stop behind him unsure of how best to proceed.
While his level 46 could be a great help in the coming fight, I honestly wasn’t confident in his judgement abilities or fighting style to put him in command of one of my units. Besides that, he still tended to annoy the hell out of me with his noblesse oblige outlook on life. My thoughts were interrupted as Ayda softly bumped into me to catch my eye.
“Why not treat him like the young ones?” Ayda said, just loud enough for m
e to catch her words before the wind swept them away. Giving her a silent nod of thanks, I continued forward.
“Heavy thoughts, Valith?” I asked, clapping my hand on the Sea Elf’s shoulder as the other man jumped in surprise.
“Where might I be of service to you in the coming battle, Lord Ironwolf?” Valith asked proudly.
“Right here,” I said without hesitation.
“You want me to lead the battle from here?” The ex-commander asked in a confused voice.
“No, I want you to be my last line of defense.” I said sincerely. “You’re the only level 46 we have that I trust implicitly to follow orders and keep my people safe.”
“So, you don’t trust me in command.” Valith stated in no uncertain terms as a look of despair crossed the Sea Elf’s proud face.
“Not on your life.” I agreed without hesitation. Some might think my honesty was cruel, but no one ever said the truth was easy to hear. Valith could have simply accepted my explanation at face value. Instead, he’d pushed for a more detailed response, which is what I’d given him. I might be a lot of things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. Before the ex-commander could say more, I cut him off smoothly.
“Look, I need time to get to know you,” I explained. "To see how flexible you are to changing situations. I need to know how you’ll treat the troopers underneath you and if you understand what it is that I expect from you.” I said, dropping my hand from his shoulder. “That can only come with time.”
“We’ll have time in the future to get to know one another better. For now, I only ask that you keep my people safe.”
“As you command, Lord Ironwolf,” the Sea Elf said, dropping to his knee and giving me a fist salute. “I am honored to serve in whatever way you see fit.”
“Thank you, Valith.” I said, pulling the other man to his feet. “Knowing your sword is here to keep my people safe will allow me the peace of mind to focus on what needs to be done.” Giving him a final clap on the shoulder, I continued on towards my friends waiting at the railing as Ayda silently followed after me.