The True Enemy Revealed

by Jason Cheek

  “The prince didn’t say that the city would be destroyed! He said it might be destroyed!” She hissed urgently into my ear. “There’s no guarantee that the city is going to be destroyed tomorrow at noon!”

  “Trust me when I say, there is no way that the city will not be turned into a charred pit of ash.” I replied confidently. Seeing the disturbed look on her face, I explained the situation in detail. “I know Cristiane Sekhmet very well. When she says she’s going to do something, she does it. Trust me in this, when she sees the prince and the princess being whisked away after all her carefully laid plans to take the region intact fail, she won’t hesitate to use the scroll.” And if she doesn’t, I’ll goddam make her, I mentally added.

  “From what everyone was saying at the LAN party, she’ll probably use it just to take you out.” Yun said with a laugh, until he saw the look on my face. “She wouldn’t?”

  “Hell, I’m counting on it,” I said with a grin. “It would be like taking me out with a nuke, but she’d do it in a heartbeat if she thought that it would take out all of our forces. Right now, their alliance has to be reeling at how we de-leveled the Dread Pack members.”

  “A lot of scrambling for NPC forces, I bet.” Kenzie chimed in happily.

  “You’d kill off a whole city just to take that scroll off the board!” Rani spat at me accusingly.

  “Do you know how many kings and queens she can blackmail with that power?” I snapped right back. “Don’t act all self-righteous to me. I’m doing everything in my power to save as many people of The World as I can.” I pointed my thumb over my shoulder. “Not like those jerks who are only concerned about all their stuff.”

  “You do know that this might all be for nothing.” Rani said, looking around the amphitheater to judge their strength. “Won’t the Council of Light just try to take the scroll from her now that they know she’s carrying it?”

  “Oh, I’m counting on it.” I agreed whole heartedly. I didn’t bother to tell her that these assholes were my ace in the hole. “Let’s just hope they don’t kill us all before the expected deadline.”

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Rani asked, looking at me in horror.

  “Like a heart attack,” I agreed, while looking around at the Council of Light desperate discussions. A moment later, I saw High Councilor Luzanus waving an arm our way as he screamed something to the Battle Priest councilors. A foreboding dread twisted my stomach as I guessed the subject of their discussion. “Fuck! We need to get moving people.” Seeing my friends’ confused looks, I hurriedly began calling out orders.

  “Everybody back into your defensive positions and recall your zombies to the crypt where we entered the catacombs. Make sure you have them on defensive mode. Rogues go ahead and Stealth. Thompson and Yun, get everyone fully buffed. Sarka, Unalia, and Brenna, you’re taking the lead!” There was a lot of muttering, but everyone got moving like a well-oiled machine. Crossing my fingers that our people would get here in time, I opened a private chat to Thomas.

  Startum Ironwolf: Hey Thomas, we need a hand.

  Thomas Anderson: What’s going on?

  Startum Ironwolf: High Councilor Loose-Anus of the Priests of Light might be thinking about not letting us leave. Well, at least not with our heads. Think the crew is up for some action?

  Thomas Anderson: You kidding? While the beers nice, we’d rather be in the middle of the action.

  Startum Ironwolf: Awesome! We need you outside the crypt to the catacombs in the Priests of Light’s graveyard. Their rear underground entrance. I expect our Assault Leader Dell will know where to go.

  Thomas Anderson: Who should we bring?

  Startum Ironwolf: Everyone!

  Thomas Anderson: Everyone?

  Startum Ironwolf: There’s a shit-ton of Combat Priests and Light Mages. If this gets ugly, I want to be able to overwhelm them without killing anyone if possible.

  Thomas Anderson: So you want to pull one of those operations?

  Startum Ironwolf: Sounds like it.

  Thomas Anderson: Is that really his name?

  Startum Ironwolf: What? No, he just pissed me off. He’s High Prick Luzanus something or other.

  Thomas Anderson: Gotcha, see you soon.

  Startum Ironwolf: Later, my friend.

  As soon as I closed the chat window, I was greeted with a bunch of readies as nearly a third of our group faded into Stealth. “Okay, let’s do this people!” I said, as I caught Sarka’s eye. Getting a nod from her, she began leading the way towards the doors where we’d entered.

  “Try to look as relaxed as possible.” I said, doing my best to act casual as Helgath swung up onto Neysa’s back, keeping herself pressed against the Silver Dire Wolf’s neck as much as possible. “We need to get the fuck out of here before the shit hits the fan.” I got more than a few annoyed looks from my friends, but they’d been with me long enough to know to listen to hunches. We’d cleared nearly half the distance when an ugly thought hit me. What were we going to do about the damn guards on the way down? Looking around as I tried to come up with something, my eyes settled on Natalie and Marie. Getting a polite nod from the girls as our eye meet, I gave them an innocent grin and hurriedly waved them over.

  “Lord Ironwolf.” Both Priestesses respectfully said as they made their way over to me. “How might we be of assistance?”

  “Umm, how’s it going ladies?” I stuttered as my eyes tried to keep an eye on the entire amphitheater and them at the same time. “I was wondering if you’d mind escorting us back to the catacombs. We have a lot of people in need of our help for tonight’s evacuation and-”

  “Sure, no problem.” Marie said happily. The simple innocence of her smile made me shake my head unbelievably. As if they shared one brain, Natalie began waving Reverent Priest Walt over before I could protest as she explained the issue. ”Only an Officer can escort you through the stronghold’s checkpoints.”

  “Councilor Walt! Do you mind joining us?” I heard several groans from my friends as the old Priest’s head whipped around to lock on us. His blue eyes narrowed knowingly as he saw our formation heading for the exit. Turning back to the two councilors he’d been talking with, I saw the three of them come to an agreement about something, before the two councilors took-off calling for their people to join them.

  Triggering my Identify, I saw that the white-haired female councilor was named, Yasmina Silvarn, a level 50 Radiant Mage. The other councilor was a bald-headed man with brown skin named, Nard Fulrin, a level 50 Battle Mage. I was still trying to understand what that was all about, when the old man turned towards us. Without hesitation, he called out several orders to his subordinates, before quickly striding over. Stepping in front of me, he shook his head gravely.

  “Son, you sure know how to kick a hornet’s nest.” Reverent Priest Walt said, in a low gravelly voice. Taking a quick glance around the chaotic chamber, he whistled over the two men that had come up with us. “We need to get the lot of you out of here before this turns ugly.”

  “What’s going on?” Marie asked in concern as her girlfriend looked around in confusion.

  “And what do you mean by ugly, Councilor Walt?” Natalie asked, the concern clear on her gentle face.

  “I think High Councilor Loose-Anus might not be so thrilled to let us go.” I explained to them both as we hurried towards the massive double doors.

  “Sean! Narri!” Walt called out, doing his best to keep his voice low enough so it didn’t carry as the two Priests hurried over. “Get those doors open and clear our way to the stairwell! Then grab your gear and a pack for each of us.” With a wordless nod both men took off as other priests from his section ran out the door on separate errands.

  “The next question High Councilor Luzanus will want to know is if anyone else has been given this information.” Reverent Priest Walt distractedly said. “If not, he’s sure to have the Council of Light take your heads.”

  “I’d like to see him try that.” Kenzie voice carried a sour
edge from where she watched from Stealth with Darkhorse and Zhou nearby.

  “He won’t need to do anything special once you’re brought down inside our stronghold, newfar.” Councilor Walt said grimly. “He’ll just let the Chaos Storm alliance spawn camp you until you return to your own world.”

  More than one of my friends’ heads jerked around to stare at the Reverent Priest in horror. How did the old man know so much about us? Seeing the disconcerted looks, the Reverent Priest just shrugged his shoulders. “We’ve been working with your kind since Chaos Storm took over the city. We’re well aware of your ability to respawn in the graveyards upon death.”

  There was nothing to say about that. As we passed through the massive double doors and entered the foyer, I breathed a sigh of relief. We weren’t out of the woods yet, but we’d made it farther than I’d half expected. I wasn’t surprised that the Council of Light was aware of newfar abilities. Honestly, it was only a matter of time for the people of The World to learn how to hurt players. It really behooved players to treat them with a little more common courtesy and respect.

  Sarka, Unalia, and Brenna led the race down the flight of stairs at a run. Even so, Reverent Priest Walt easily caught up to the front of our formation without any trouble. For an old fucker that looked older than dirt, he was surprisingly spry. They slowed down just before the next landing to not upset the guards as the priest took the lead. A wave of his hand settled the officer of the watch down as we headed down the long corridor for the final stairwell back to the catacombs.

  I was surprised to see secret doors opening up along the corridors as people popped out to join our exodus. All of them wore traveling cloaks and backpacks. The majority were regular Priests, but there were also a number of Light Mages and Battle Priests in the mix. There was more than one concerned look from my friends as the numbers continued to increase.

  While I knew Reverent Priest Walt was up to something, I didn’t think much about it one way or another. My main concern, for the moment, was escaping the fortress, because the last thing I wanted was to be forced to recover my corpse from a place like this. Still, it was a curious thing to see so many priests of light joining our ranks. That all changed when a familiar pair of faces popped up. My mouth snapped closed as the two councilors that had been talking with Reverent Priest Walt fell in beside me.

  “Councilor Silvarn,” the white-haired grandma said as I studied her face. She was a handsome woman, even though she had to be in her mid-fifties. Also, she was surprisingly fit, since she hefted her backpack and staff without any problems. Her white robes were made from thick leather and were well worn from travel. Switching her two-handed staff to her left hand, she clasped my wrist. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Ironwolf.”

  My fingers automatically gripped her wrist and shook as I mumbled something polite. Although, I couldn’t remember what I’d said as my mind tried to figure out what was going on. Things were moving faster than I’d anticipated and now I was playing catch-up. Obviously, I had a portion of the Priests of Light joining my party, for better or worse, as my head automatically turned towards her companion. Immediately, the old man clasped my wrist as he introduced himself with a toothy grin.

  “Councilor Fulrin at your service, Lord Ironwolf.” The old man said as we shook. My eyes briefly studied his heavy armor. It was similar to my own, meaning it was a breast plate, pauldrons, and greaves with a chainmail-leather mesh everywhere else. Unlike the skull-like impression in my breastplate, his was an engraved four-sided star. Instead of a shield, I noted the man carried an Ahlspiess spear as he released my hand. “Thank you for escorting us to the wounded outside the walls. I know Councilor Silvarn and I look forward to assisting the wounded and the dead.”

  As he talked, two shadows fell into step behind the two councilors. A quick glance told me they must be trusted guardians assigned to watch their backs. Before I could run an Identify on either one of them, a commotion at the top of the stairwell caught my eye. As we filled the room with the stairwell, I heard Reverent Priest Walt’s words as he questioned a messenger that had come up from the catacombs.

  The on duty guard had sent up a message to the council reporting that the refugees had left the catacombs. He was asking how to proceed? Giving the young messenger a friendly pat on the shoulder, he sent the young man on his way and gave me an appreciative look, before leading us down the stairwell at an even faster pace.

  What can I say? While I might not have thought ahead about ensuring safe passage from the Priests of Light, I did have Zedic and his guild Midnight Sun already carrying out the evacuation. Even I sometimes forgot that Light magic didn’t mean, Light side. At the same time, just like in real life, an oath was only as good as the person giving it. I was reminded about that once again after meeting High Councilor Luzanus.

  Our exit went smoothly, except for the Rogues complaining about the anti-stealth runes at each of the defensive landings we passed. Luckily, none of the Combat Priests noticed my people fading back into sight with such a large group passing through. By the time we reached the cavern within the catacombs, seventy-five priests of light had joined our party. I kept an eye out behind us for any pursuit, but, so far, no one was running after us to try to stop our exit. Looking around, the cavern was clear except for five priests waiting to train new customers and a group of forty-two Combat Priests that guarded the entrance from the catacombs. Excluding a few piles of refuse, the refugees and newfar had left nothing behind.

  Reverent Priest Walt didn’t slow down. He still moved as if armed pursuit were just around the corner. As we headed past the Combat Priests and into the corridor, I noticed the sign of the cross being given to the councilors from the leader as if it were a salute. That’s when it hit me. It wasn’t the sign of the cross I’d been seeing. It was the sign of the four-sided star and the Priest of Light’s salute. I shook my head unbelievably, whoever had come up with that concept must have slipped it into the game on the sly. I frowned for a second. That, or it had a special meaning beyond the obvious. Thoughtfully, I tucked that information away for later.

  I caught up to Reverent Priest Walt as we reached the stairs that lead up to the crypt in the graveyard. Before he could race up the stairs, I was able to get him to hold up. Immediately, Combat Priest Dirk’s face took on an ugly look as he started forward. Before he could reach me, the old priest gave the younger man a signal to hold position. Shaking my hand off his shoulder, the old priest turned on me abruptly.

  “There’s no time for this!” Reverent Priest Walt growled angrily. “We need to exit the graveyard before High Councilor Luzanus gets his forces into position to block us! There’s no way we can take on the entire force of all four councilors that usually side with him.”

  “If my people get here in time, that won’t be a problem.” I confidently said, ignoring the odd looks the three councilors gave me.

  “If we wait here too long, they’ll trap us on the stairs and attack us from both sides.” Councilor Fulrin warned as his eyes unconsciously scanned the corridor we’d come through. I figured he had an idea of what he was talking about since he was a level 50 Battle Priest.

  “We’ll keep on moving,” I assured everyone. “My people will follow along in Stealth while the rest of you act like you’re taking a late-night stroll.”

  “Level 45 Battle Priests have the ability to disrupt Stealth-“ Councilor Fulrin began to warn as I waved his concerns away. “We’ll be good. Just keep to the plan.”

  Ignoring the councilors’ frowns, I ordered my people into Stealth as I faded away from sight. There was more than one surprised murmur from the gathered priests as Reverent Priest Walt growled for everyone to calm down and to follow the plan. Heading up the ramp, he complained in the direction he thought I was in sullenly. “You could have at least invited us into your raid.”

  “I’d rather wait until we’re not facing your own people.” I replied back in a low voice for his ears only. Smiling at his anno
yed huff of breath, I asked Tinyr and his group to watch the rear, while the rest of us sprinted ahead to put some distance between us and the main group.

  The exit from the crypt was maybe twenty yards ahead. We’d been making good time, when the sounds of combat came to my ears. Thinking my friends were in trouble, I signaled for us to charge as I took off at a run. Not that I was particularly fast on the steep incline, but it did double my speed. I was just unlimbering my shield and drawing the Dark Blade of Lord Kayden, when the sounds suddenly stopped and a message window popped up before my eyes.

  Thomas Anderson: Come on up. We just captured the force that was waiting to ambush you.

  Startum Ironwolf: Thanks, man. We’ll be up in a sec.

  I waved for everyone to sheath their weapons and drop out of Stealth. Sending a quick update to Tinyr, I asked him to make his way up, while keeping an eye out for enemies. We could still have a force closing in on us from behind, but if my people had captured the main force, I wasn’t too worried. We’d deal with the second force one way or another. The three councilors were surprised to see us popping out of Stealth, and dubious about my claims when I explained that their quick response force of Combat Priests had already been neutralized.

  Not that I blamed them. For anyone who’d ever had to fight against a Paladin or similar class, you know exactly what I mean. I imagined a fight with Battle Priests and Combat Priests would be a similar level of difficulty. Unless you can completely overwhelm them, those combat-healing classes were nearly impossible to take down. Let alone, quickly. Even worse, the more you have working together in a group, the harder it was to take the tough bastards down. So, it was with some trepidation that the priests followed us out of the crypt into the graveyard.