The dragon shifted beneath him and spreads its wings. Its massive head swung around and two great big emerald green eyes narrowed at him as smoke trailed from its nostrils. Bishop gulped, ready to bail off, when the dragon opened its mouth and roared. Fire shot out, encompassing Bishop in its flames. He yelled, throwing his hands up in protection. But no pain followed. Through squinty eyes, Bishop spotted his health bar and noticed it hadn’t changed. Slowly, he lowered his arms and embraced the fire, laughing in the face of death like a madman.
This is power, the voice inside him repeated. Embrace it! Be who you were meant to be!
“Saurgaurd’s Bane!” Bishop bellowed. “I order you to attack the demons!”
The dragon swung its head back around, and the wings spread wider. Bishop heard an oomph behind him and turned to see Maverick shifting back to human form, her health at less than half from following him.
“You are insane!”
Bishop winked. “Probably. Hold on tight!”
“Hold onto—crap!” She clung to the back of the saddle as the dragon suddenly rose up into the air, its massive wings pumping hard to lift its body into the air. “Do you even know how to fly this damn thing!”
“Not a damn clue!” he hollered back.
The dragon lifted them high above the Sanctuary, circling as it went, fire dripping from its jaws. When it reached the clouds, it aimed for the ground and dove.
Maverick screamed as Bishop yelled in delight, loving the feeling as they soared closer to the ground. Everyone yelled in panic, running away from the attacking dragon, but the demon players didn’t stand a chance. The dragon fire consumed them as they ran, screaming from their former ally. Bishop cackled as they died one after the other and, soon, all that remained were the heroes.
The dragon pulled up short. It landed hard enough to shake stones from the Sanctuary walls and lowered its head to the heroes. It opened its jaws wide as if ready to swallow them whole.
“Bishop,” Maverick whispered, worried. “What’s going on?”
Bishop heard her, but she sounded far away. The dragon turned its head and stared at him again, its eyes filled with knowing. Bishop tried to move, to speak, but he couldn’t. At first, he thought maybe he was lagging, but then the voice whispered in his mind again, louder.
You could do it you know. Finish them all off and truly be worthy of Saurgaurd’s Bane. You could join me, forever. All you have to do is kill them all.
What? Why the hell would Bishop do that? He struggled to move, grimacing as his hands slowly reached for his bow, but then he was hovering in the air, surrounded by green flames holding him afloat. His arms were forced wide, away from his weapons, and the flames suddenly parted before him.
A great horned head with long, trailing black hair appeared. The feminine curves to the face would have been more attractive if there just wasn’t something off about the way those perfect red lips curled at the corners, or the fangs that filled that mouth. The green, glowing eyes narrowed on Bishop as the sultry laugh of the female demon washed over him.
“Bishop, my how far you’ve come,” the demon purred.
“Who…are you?” he choked out.
“You know me even if you do not wish to say so.” Her body followed through the opening in the flames and she shrunk to be the same size as Bishop. Her barely there leather clothing left very little to the imagination as she circled Bishop, walking on air. “You would make quite the warrior in my army for the final battle to come.”
Bishop’s eyes narrowed then widened in disbelief. “Valenastrious.”
She bowed her head, her hair slipping past her shining black horns, curling back behind her head. “I normally do not reach out personally like this, but you heard me. You used Saurgaurd’s dragon, something he may not approve of unless I tell him to simply forget the matter.”
Bishop listened to her words, wondering if this was what happened to the other player in their guild. She was turned. Is this how it happened? He wasn’t sure what to expect, a prompt window maybe, but the demon Queen ran her hands over his shoulders, laughing quietly under her breath.
“You have nothing to say to me? Nothing at all, Bishop?”
“You’re asking me to switch sides? To become full demon?” he asked slowly.
“It’s within you, the power. It’s what let you control this beast and that is only the beginning.” She stopped in front of him, leaning in as if to kiss him. “You could annihilate cities with the power I will grant you. Join me, Bishop. Kill them and you can join me, forever!”
Bishop glimpsed the rest of his guild standing in the courtyard. They stared up at him, worry in their eyes. Maverick yelled his name before it turned into a full out roar. He couldn’t see her, but he sensed her beating against the circle of flames, trying to break through to him. His guild, they were more than just players in this game. They were his friends; no, they were his family in game and out of game. Could he really throw all of that away just for a more powerful character?
He grinned widely at Valenastrious. She grinned with him until he burst out laughing. His laugh turned into a cackle. His sides ached and he doubled over, tears slipping from his eyes with his mirth.
“Why do you laugh, Bishop?” the demon snarled. “Does my offer amuse you?’
“Yeah actually it does,” he muttered through his laughter. “You think I’d turn on my family for your sorry ass? Not about to happen, lady.”
She bared her teeth as she came within an inch of his face. “How dare you!”
“I do dare. Mind letting me go or do you want to finish this, right here, right now?” he challenged, glaring her down.
“No, my dear sweet Bishop, I will be waiting for you to come to me,” she replied. “And you will, whether by your choice or not. You will face me again.” She snapped her fingers and disappeared along with the circle of flames.
Bishop’s arms wavered as he suddenly fell, the dragon gone as well. Maverick fell with him and they landed in a heap in the center of the rest of their raid group.
“What the hell was that?” Maverick yelled, kicking Bishop in annoyance.
He grunted and pushed to all fours. Before he could answer, the dragon’s roar erupted over their heads. “Incoming!”
The dragon soared right over their heads, but didn’t attack. Instead, it flew straight into the portal, still open in the Sanctuary. After it disappeared, a very different yell sounded and a demon’s head thrust out of the green fire.
“Ah, more prey for my beast to feed on. Soon, I will have your souls!” the demon said. The horns curled tightly around its head and its skin was black and peeling as if burnt. Its eyes matched that of the dragon and the head sneered before disappearing back into the flame. The portal collapsed in on itself and vanished in a burst of fire.
“Is it over?” one of the NPC priests asked, tripping over his robe as he and his companion ran into the courtyard. “Is Saurgaurd gone?”
“That was Saurgaurd?” Jimmy asked loudly.
“Yes, a Demon Lord,” the priest replied.
“If that’s who was here,” Trajan said, stepping forward, “what are the chances there’s a dungeon not too far away?”
“Probably,” Bishop said in agreement.
“Hold on, are we even going to talk about what else just happened here?” Maverick snapped. “The whole flying on the dragon thing and then the fire you were wrapped in? What the hell was that?”
Bishop pushed back the loose hair from his face and cleared his throat nervously. “We might want to finish up this quest with the priests and we can talk about it then. Please?” He expected Maverick to push back or smack him across the face from the look in her eyes, but she nodded, slamming the end of her spear into the stones of the courtyard. He let the others go to the priests and turn in the quests for the group. Maverick’s eyes never left him and he rolled his shoulders, suddenly uncomfortable. He knew being a half-breed meant he had a chance of turning, but a deeper, darker part of him
said somehow the game knew about what he came here to actually do.
Several dings sounded around him and the players high fived as everyone gained XP for the quest turn in, Bishop included.
You have reached level 12. New Skills Gained: Tracking.
You have received: Cloak of Dragon Hide. Armor +15. Agility +8.
You have received: Earring of Midnight. Agility +6. Vitality +5.
“Oh, those are some nice new pieces,” Jimmy said. “How’d everyone else do?”
“Not too shabby,” Trajan said, as he threw his axe over his shoulder. “I think we should team up some more in the future.”
“I had the same idea.” Bishop scrunched when he sensed Maverick still glaring at his back. “But I think my group is heading back to our house for a few to talk things over.”
“Sure, of course. We’ll see you guys later.”
Bishop nodded and shook the dwarf’s hand. He gathered up his guild and, after dropping the raid group and picking up just his guild members, he transported them back to the doorstep of their guild house in Weston. They all chatted happily walking in the front door, Willy weaving in and out of their legs as he went. Bishop brought up the rear after urging Maverick to get inside, too.
“Okay, so I’m sure you all have some questions,” he said once they were all inside. “I think we have something we need to talk about.”
Chapter 12
Bishop tapped his fingers on the mantle as a fire roared in the hearth, staring into the dead eyes of the stuffed head hanging over it. The rest of his guild sat in open-mouthed silence. He finished telling them what happened back at the Sanctuary a few minutes ago, but no one said a word. Willy even sat ominously silent as Maverick scratched his head, eyes narrowed at Bishop, her lips scrunched to the side in deep thought.
“You actually saw her?” Benji asked quietly. “Valenastrious?”
“Yeah, in the flesh.”
“Damn. I knew half-breeds and exorcists could turn, but had no idea she would go that far to do it. I never saw any of that happen to Clara,” he pointed out about the elf who had turned during their first dungeon.
“She said she doesn’t do this with everyone,” Bishop said. “I’m not sure if there’s an algorithm for who is approached by her and who isn’t.”
Maverick harrumphed. “So we should feel good about the fact that the Queen of the demons clearly wants you on her side, so much that she came out and asked you personally? Damn, Bishop, what type of storyline did you start?”
“Thought it was what everyone went through at some point,” he muttered. “Guess not.”
“This is some dark shit,” Jimmy said from his seat beside Maverick. “She offered you power?”
“Yeah if I killed you all. I wasn’t about to go that far just to see what it was like to play for the other team. You didn’t expect me to, did you?” he asked.
They all shook their heads laughing it off, but he saw a hint of worry in Maverick’s eyes.
“You don’t think that will happen again?”
“I guess if it’s meant to in the game, it will. I don’t plan on leaving you guys anytime soon, don’t worry about it.”
A prompt appeared in front of them all announcing log out time for lunch. Bishop breathed an inward sigh of relief, not ready for more interrogating from his guild. At least, during lunch, they would be occupied with eating and making plans to find the second dungeon and clear it with the LongBeards, he hoped. If only Maverick would drop the killer look once they were back in the real world…
***
Harrison had barely taken a seat to eat his food when someone tapped on his shoulder.
“Felicity, hi,” he said to the woman standing behind him.
She offered a polite smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Dennis has requested you dine with him for lunch. You can leave your tray. Food will be provided for you.”
Harrison frowned. “I can’t finish eating with my guild?”
“Not today, no, but I’m sure they won’t miss you for an hour or two.”
“Go on, big man,” Jimmy said, waving him away with a drumstick of fried chicken. “We can hold down the fort without you.”
Harrison shook his head as he stood. “Guess lead on then,” he told Felicity.
“You and your guild are making quite the stir around here,” she said, once they left the cafeteria behind, and they walked towards the stairs. “All the members of the Guard are ranked number one in all things, and you are the top player out of everyone so far.”
“Thanks, I think.”
“Just a statement of facts,” she sighed, as if bored already by his company. “Many of the game’s creators are impressed with what you have achieved so far.”
“We haven’t done much really. Only one dungeon.”
“It’s not the dungeons they’re interested in the testers experiencing. It’s the rest of the world they created, exploring it and seeing everything it has to offer for those who dare to dream.”
She didn’t speak again and, judging by her tensed shoulders, Harrison assumed she didn’t want to talk to him anymore than she had to. Harrison busied himself wondering if this had anything to do with him using the dragon to defeat the demon players. Was it against the rules? A glitch and not something he was supposed to be able to do? Maybe the game malfunctioned and the demon queen wasn’t supposed to say what she had said to him either.
Or it has something to do with why Rodney and those other players were taken away yesterday and you haven’t seen him yet today.
“Mr. Harper? Are you coming?”
“Huh?” He glanced at her halfway up the stairs and him still at the bottom. He hadn’t even realized he stopped. “Yeah, sorry.”
“You look as if you did not get much sleep last night. The bed not to your liking?”
“No, no it’s fine. Just a lot on my mind is all, with the game you know.”
Her brow furrowed and her eyes darkened. “Yes, with the game. Of course.”
Shit! They know, they have to know!
His palms grew sweaty and he stumbled over his feet. He licked his lips, suddenly parched for a drink, a very large alcoholic drink to help ease the fear coursing through him. All the strength he had gained from Bishop had vanished. They stopped outside Dennis’ doors, and all he could do was nod when Felicity said to knock when he would be ready to speak to the man. A man Harrison became friends with, a man he looked up to in the gaming world.
A man who would hate Harrison the second he figured out what he was really doing here in this beta test.
Heart pounding so loud it drowned out any other sound, Harrison lifted his hand and knocked on the door. Felicity had already walked away and he was left alone in the corridor. He could simply wait five seconds then turn away and leave, say Dennis changed his mind. The blinking light of the security camera over his shoulder told him it was pointless to try and run off. He was here and everyone knew he was. If Dennis knew about his attempt to steal game information, surely he wouldn’t have invited him up to his private quarters for lunch. No man was that polite when pissed.
The door opened and Dennis’ smiling face was there to greet Harrison. “Ah! There he is, my star player. Come in, come in. I hope you enjoy a good steak salad.”
Harrison’s smile wavered as he stepped through the doorway and into the rooms he had visited so many times before. “Thanks, that sounds good.”
“Splendid. I had a feeling you would enjoy it.”
Dennis clapped his hands together, rubbing them as he led Harrison to the modern style kitchen table near the windows, overlooking one of the many cacti gardens. “You had quite the morning.”
“I guess so. First time taking back a major area from the demon players.”
“Yes, but that’s not what I was exactly referring to. I’m sure you know that already.”
Harrison gulped, reaching for the glass of water in front of his plate. He chugged half of it down, though it did little to soothe hi
s raging nerves. “I’m going to guess the stunt with the dragon?”
Dennis laughed, the sound full of cheer as always. “Yes, that would be correct.”
“Was I not supposed to be able to do that?”
“Any player could have, but you took the lead and I must say I am quite proud of the outcome. We had our concerns about it, but watching you do it so magnificently, all my worries for that particular issue can be set aside.”
Both men ate a few bites, chewing in companionable silence. Harrison kept waiting for Dennis to bring up the issue of why he was here other than to talk about the dragon but, after a few minutes, his own curiosities about that morning’s game play got the better of him. He set his fork down and drank the rest of his water before tucking his slightly shaking hands under the table.
“I wanted to talk to you about Valenastrious actually,” he said slowly.
“Hmm, a curious creature she is,” Dennis murmured.
“Yeah, you could say that. Did you know I met her today?”
Dennis set his fork down hard, brow wrinkling and face turning bright red as he struggled to swallow his food. “You met her?” he finally gasped out.
Harrison cringed. “I did, right after I used the dragon. I thought you would’ve seen all of that.”
“No, no there was actually some interference during your gameplay this morning.”
“Wait, what?” Harrison’s chest tightened, thinking back over everything that happened after he rode the dragon. “I don’t remember any lag. The others didn’t say anything about it.”
“Because it only happened to you,” Dennis told him. “You need to tell me exactly what happened, everything, starting with you leaping out of that tower.”
Harrison stood to refill his water glass from the faucet, and he began with his mad dash up to the tower and his decision to leap out. He repeated the best he could the words whispered to him, then drained his water glass and refilled it. “I mean those voices, that’s what happens to a character when they have the potential for turning, right?”
The Wraith of Valenastrious: A LitRPG Epic (World of Samar Book 1) Page 18