by Domino Finn
I snorted. "Didn't scare me."
Her smug expression evaporated. "Yeah, we're gonna pay you back for that."
Chico the highwayman was long dead. Colt was still hanging on after the blizzard. When Kyle rushed to support me, the cowboy raised a pistol. "Hold it right there. This fight's between them."
"Bro," replied Kyle, "do you even know how faction wars work?"
Colt scowled at the breach of honor and fired. Kyle raised his mirror shield and the bullet reflected back to its owner. A small dot of red popped into Colt's neck. He dropped his flintlock and buckled to the ground, squeezing his wound.
I charged Jackie with a deadshot. Her vanguard shield absorbed the attack and knocked me off balance. I crossblocked her counter. A quick return strike to the back of her knee swept her off her feet. Instead of following up the attack, I dashed toward the edge of the Arena, where Hadrian and his shadow had just reached the wall.
"Talon!" called Kyle. "Behind you!"
The wounded shadowguard bowled through a line of low-level players, straight for me. Kyle jumped to intercept him until a loop of rope caught his neck. Colt was still alive, propped up on one hand and knee, holding the other end. He yanked the lasso and toppled Kyle to the dirt.
I didn't have time to help because the charging shadowguard lunged for me. The damned thing had phased through my block last time, so I threw everything I had at it. I activated spinshield and used the new overload ability to pump extra SP into it. My spirit bar dipped as I twirled violently, dragonspear slashing anything within two meters.
Spinshield Overload!
You dealt 34 damage to [Shadowguard] (164/600)
A whirlpool of dirt circled me as I skidded to a stop. I had rebuffed the attack, avoided damage, and dished a bit of my own. Now at a little over a quarter health, the shadowguard whined and backed away, rejoining its compatriot at the rounded wall.
I stepped toward Hadrian slowly, waiting for the final 10 seconds of my deadshot cooldown to expire. Some of my people were hurt, but we were holding our ground. Rogues all over the Arena fell to the greater player population. It was over.
"You're cornered," I leveled. "Call off your dogs and no one else has to die. I just want you in chains." I faced the crowd behind me. "The rest of your faction is free to return to Shorehome and reflect on their mistakes."
Kyle tugged the lasso at his neck and struggled to his feet. Colt chugged a health potion and Jackie cautiously approached my back. Lash and Conan, cut off by rogues, put their backs together and made their way toward us.
Hadrian released a caustic chuckle. "You're not smart enough to see it yet. The Brothers in Black will fight to the last man."
"You hear that?" I called out to the cutthroats. "Your lives are meaningless to Hadrian." Jackie sneered uneasily. I refocused on the Whisperer. "The saints won't let you take the city. You're not an NPC like Bishop Tannen. You're not hidden behind Papa Brugo anymore. The angels will activate against any player seeking to take the Pantheon."
"The saints are already deposed. They're powerless. You and Lucifer have taken care of that part for me. Oh, no. The angels will remain sleeping because it's not the saints I'm taking this city from."
I ground my teeth. "From me, then."
"That's right, a hapless player who stumbled his way to glory. I'm taking the city from you because you don't deserve it, Talon. You're not special in the slightest."
The two shadowguards joined hands and once again formulated dark magic.
[Shadowguard] and [Shadowguard] cast Void Orb
I anticipated the expiration of my deadshot timer and lunged. Hadrian laughed as his shadowguards pulled the black hole over themselves. The dragonspear rang out against the Arena stonework as they vanished. The spymaster and his shadows were gone.
I shuddered under a heavy back blow.
Surprise!
58 damage
I dropped to one knee, bracing my weapon against the wall. Jackie swung her lance too fast for me to recover.
[Lash] cast Shield Wall
A floating yellow barrier materialized and blocked the dragoon's follow-up strike. Her momentary confusion gave me enough time to spin with my spear low, sweeping Jackie's legs out from under her.
Lash charged the dragoon but a shot rang out. Colt, near full health, had recovered his pistol. The white knight spun to block his barrage with her body shield.
Kyle growled. His bronze gauntlet released the rope at his throat. Instead of fighting against it, he held his mirror shield high and charged the cowboy.
I rounded the stationary energy shield as Jackie scrambled to her feet, eyes frantic as Colt defended the dual onslaught of Kyle and Lash. She spat at my feet and slammed her lance on the ground.
[Jackie] cast Jade Fire
A neon glow of green overtook her weapon. "If it's the last thing I do—"
"It will be," I said.
I charged with two hands on the spear, fully aware of the dragoon's powered-up strength. At least she wasn't on horseback this time so I had that going for me. Our weapons connected. The jolt rocked through my arms but I held fast. I came again, sending strike after strike quickly and expertly, making sure not to overextend myself or my position.
Jackie was good. She'd improved her hand-to-hand skills since we'd last battled. Every one of my blows was met by her lance, every opening quickly closed. But she was backtracking. On her heels. I slammed the dragonspear into her weapon repeatedly, overpowering her with sheer ferocity if nothing else. Supercharged or not, I wasn't backing down from this fight.
And besides, I hadn't been aiming for her the entire time. After my 20 seconds cycled again, I triggered dash and deadshot simultaneously. My target was her super-powered platinum lance. I poured as much SP into the strike as I could, forcing my spirit below 100.
Deadshot Overload!
Weapon Breaker!
White lightning crackled through my spear as Jackie's platinum lance splintered. Neon sparks of metal spattered to the ground. The dragoon watched it happening in slow motion.
The dragonspear flashed at full speed. Two devastating blows knocked Jackie to the ground. Behind me, Colt's pistol and severed gun hand rested on the floor beside Lash's cleaver. Kyle straddled the cowboy and pounded him into oblivion.
"No!" pleaded Jackie. "Don't kill me! I'll join the Black Hats!"
I snickered. "Sorry, we don't have openings for losers."
Her lips curled to a snarl a split second before the dragonspear crushed her face in.
Despite player deaths not awarding XP, plenty of NPCs and mobs were going down. As we stood and watched Stronghold residents take control of the Arena, blue fire rushed over Kyle as he hit level 10. The brewmaster brimmed with well-earned confidence.
I was out of breath from all the action. Without a healer around, I chugged a health vial. Lash and Conan were badly hurt and had already used theirs.
"We're not done here," I warned.
"Just a sec," said Kyle.
I tugged his shoulder. "Check your updates later. You get to pick a legendary ability, you can overload skills now with extra SP, yada yada yada—there's no time." I hurried to the north exit of the Arena.
"But they're all dead," protested Conan.
"Hadrian's not retreating. Not with goblins and bandits outside the walls. You heard him. Phase two. He's loose in the city. Lash, get Bravo Team healed and prepared for defense."
Her heavy helmet cocked sideways. "Defense of what?"
We exited the Arena. A longboat filled with Brothers in Black rowed south on the Albula. Shouts of surprise and fear came from the northern reaches of the city. I opened my broadcast interface.
Black Hat Broadcast:
ATTENTION ALL BLACK HATS!
Papa Brugo is dead. Hadrian has betrayed us. We are now at war with the Brothers in Black, and they've breached the city. They're coming for us. Not for the Pantheon—for us. Get to Oldtown and defend it with your lives. If we fail, everything we've built together w
ill be gone.
1400 River Raid
Lash growled at the sight of the invading faction. "A bunch of thieves wanna take away all our hard work? Not a chance."
Conan beat his chest. "We got this."
"No," I cut in. "You both sorely need a healer."
"I can manage," grumbled the white knight.
"No, you can't. You're both hovering at one-third health. This battle's just starting, and it'll be determined by our high-level leadership. I need Bravo Team alive, Lash. That's more important than a few cutthroats on a boat. Take Conan, muster the troops, and form a line at Oldtown. That's an order."
Her heavy helmet dipped once. "Copy that, boss." She paused a moment. "You know, you're smarter than you look."
"Get out of here, Lash."
She laughed as they headed south around the Arena. I chuckled too. Coming from her, that was a big compliment.
"And why aren't we mustering the troops?" asked Kyle.
"We opened the river gate to let Brugo's men in, except they're really Hadrian's men. Who knows how many rogues they've hidden on the Void? That ship is huge. You and I are gonna go north and cut off their reinforcements before this siege gets out of hand."
I scanned upriver. Errol, Grom, and Grug were casting off the transport barge parked by the Arena. It was a huge sturdy platform that took up half the width of the river. No longer useful for transporting supplies, it sure made one hell of an obstacle.
"The savvy bastard actually had a good idea for once," I admitted.
We sprinted to the barge as the pirates unmoored it. When it drifted to our side of the river, we climbed aboard.
"You guys going for a joy ride or is there some kind of plan?" I asked them.
"This city's spinnin' down the Maelstrom," answered Errol. "Me plan is t' fight."
"Simple but effective."
Captain Oates shook his head. "Damn that Hadrian fer cuttin' into me slack time, and killin' Brugo no less. I always said ye can't trust players..." Grom and Grug nodded agreement. "No offense."
I rolled my eyes. "None taken. It's kinda like trusting pirates."
The barge started downriver. I kept my eyes peeled for trouble as we cruised by the Forum and the slums. I didn't see any bandits or city watchmen. I understood the guards were manning the walls, but it was ludicrous there hadn't been a citywide alert yet. The war declaration and my call to arms had both been faction broadcasts. Was it possible the greater populace took this all for an Arena stunt?
I grunted, unsure if a notification would even help anymore. The old protections suppressed friendly-fire damage. The new city-combat rules opened damage up to all residents, whether player, NPC, or mob. That was the only way to balance the scales. Unfortunately, it meant banding together for defense was just as dicey as dungeon combat. Only the city guards themselves were immune to friendly fire, which had always been the case.
The pirates paddled north in great time, enhanced by the fact that we were headed downriver. Halfway to the gate, we caught sight of another longboat of rogues up ahead. Funnily enough, they were obstructed by Nooner and his length of chain.
"Ain't no one passing unless they pay the fee," said the deposed gangster boss.
"But we were invited into the city," spat a Brother in Black.
"Not by me you weren't."
"We could just kill you," growled another cutthroat.
"No," said the first. "He's not a Black Hat. We have strict orders."
Nooner laughed. "That's right, you have yer orders, and yer gonna do the same thing the last boatload of fellers did. Yer gonna pay me my toll!"
The rogues muttered and started a collection of silver pieces to hand over. They were so aggravated by the delay that they only noticed the oversize barge full of enemies when we were almost on top of them.
"Kyle," I hurried, "remember the Deep Blue?"
"Fondly," he chuckled. The brewmaster hefted a fire bomb and expertly chucked it at the enemy. Black-clad rogues screamed and abandoned ship as their boat was consumed by magical flames. Our barge knocked the longboat and swimmers out of the way. "Almost too easy," he said smugly.
"You harassing the incoming enemy, Nooner?" I asked sharply.
He hiked a shoulder. "One man's enemy is another man's customer. Besides, it looks a might bit better than what yer doing."
"Man's got a point," whispered Errol.
I smirked at the small gangster contingent and flashed them a salute. "Keep up the good work, boys."
We continued past, focusing on the next two incoming longboats. The Brothers saw us this time and drew daggers and bows. A bottle of flame gel arced through the air and exploded on one ship to great effect. More rogues were sent to the water. Rather than taking their chances, the second boat quickly docked and unloaded. Both longboats were empty by the time we reached them. Grug and Grom readied to jump off the barge and give chase.
"Leave them," I said. "Our priority is the river gate. We can sweep the town for invaders later. Every second the gate stays open, more will leak in."
They acknowledged the point and doubled down on rowing. The barge passed under the large northern bridge where the river widened. After one more bend, the north wall came into view, along with the scene beyond the tunnel.
"Flea-ridden traitors!" snapped Errol.
Longboat after longboat brimming with cutthroats rowed toward the city. Not only was the Void unloading every rogue on board, but two other Shorehome frigates were now reinforcing their numbers.
"The Black Sea!"cried Errol, eyes ablaze. His hands on the oar went idle.
Beside the three master-class ships was the Cutter, adrift and bowed in the river, waterlogged. Errol's pride and joy had been sunk.
"Keep at those oars!" I shouted. "Get to the gate! The worst is about to hit!"
The magnitude of the danger revealed itself seconds later. In the distance, possibly keeping away in order to pacify the city watch, was the undine vessel, the Deep Blue.
"That's why our voyage back from Shorehome was strangely quiet," muttered Kyle.
"That don't explain the sirens," said Errol.
"They might be part of the attack."
"An' I suppose ye be thinkin' the dolphins and barnacles be in cahoots with Hadrian as well?"
I moved to the fore of the barge as we slowed toward the gate. Silhouettes slithered through the dark water below. A longboat of rogues entered the tunnel under the thick wall. The low ceiling protected them from arcing fire bombs, at least until we got closer.
"Close the gate!" I yelled to the watchmen manning the walls.
A centurion turned to me, annoyed. "We have orders to bring them into the city. To protect them from the invading force."
"They are the invading force! The Brothers in Black are at war with us. Mobs are sneaking into Stronghold underwater. Close the gate NOW!"
The centurion held for a skeptical moment. A group of undine hopped up from the water and landed on our barge brandishing claws. The troops on the wall flinched. "Close the gates!" repeated the centurion.
Spear and swords cut through the air, keeping the undine at bay. The nasty creatures slobbered through hungry teeth. They didn't account for the archers on the wall behind them. Arrows punched into their scaly backs. The mermen writhed in confusion, and we cut them down. Seconds later, watchmen skirted the shore to close the inner gate.
Mermaids leapt onto the steel bars and spurted ink from their mouths. The oily substance acted much like Kyle's corrosive and weakened the hinges. The river gates weren't heavy portcullises that lowered. They were simple gates that swung open horizontally. The gate on the inner wall wasn't especially strong either. Rusted and corroded, the undine successfully ripped it from its hinges.
"The outer gate," I directed. "It's the heavy one, meant to stave off invaders. It should hold off their acid."
The pair of city watchmen on shore nodded and hopped on the barge. We didn't really need their help shutting the gate, but I wasn't about to
condemn such bravery. Our platform boat pushed under the thick Stronghold wall and into the river tunnel. Strangely, the mermaids on the gate immediately dove in retreat. I huffed and looked forward as the skiff of rogues approached us.
"Arm yourselves," I told the watchmen. As they were just planning on closing the gate, their swords were still sheathed.
"We won't attack the Brothers in Black," said one guard. "We still have orders to treat them as friendlies."
"They're at war with us!"
"They're at war with you, Talon. As an officially recognized PvP event, I'm not sure we can intervene."
"But the undine—"
"Are mobs and will be dealt with accordingly. We can close the gate due to their presence, but we won't fight the Brothers. That came straight from Gladius."
"It came straight from me," I grumbled. I obviously needed to arrange a powwow with Gladius about this ridiculous situation. Unfortunately, NPCs didn't use the in-game messaging system. As the longboat of Shorehome invaders approached us, I turned my attention to the more immediate problem.
Strangely, they steered their boat to skirt the barge and shied away from us. "Peace!" they cried with raised arms.
Kyle switched to his crossbow and took potshots at them. The cutthroats grunted and squirmed but rowed past. I had half a mind to cut them down, but the river gate was more important.
"Can't you set them on fire?" I asked Kyle.
"The explosion in this tight tunnel would wash over us too, but I can get us halfway there." He produced a bottle of ruddy yellow oil and splashed it over the passing boat. The thieves sped past us, slick but safe.
"Now they're just super slippery?" I asked.
"It's the usual concoction—just not ignited yet."
I clenched my jaw. It would have to do for now. On the bright side, the encounter didn't slow our progress to the outer gate. The barge banged against the wall and stopped at the metal bars. Both watchmen grabbed the massive gate and heaved. They pulled it toward us, struggling against the northbound current. Further downriver, a parade of longboats paddled furiously. I sheathed my spear and joined the watchmen.