Willy stood and rushed back through the tavern, down the stairs with Calista racing to keep up. Below the main tavern floor was a door and Willy scratched at it until someone inside opened it.
“You just left, you great beast,” a woman’s voice said.
“Wait!” Calista called out before she could close it and shoved her boot in the way. “Tavin?”
The NPC, or what should have been an NPC, should have responded with a normal greeting. Instead, her eyes narrowed and her hand fell to her sword until the door opened wider and her eyes alighted on Calista’s face.
“You, you travel with Bishop. Where is he?” Tavin asked.
“He’s been detained in Weston,” Calista explained in a rush. “By Godfrey.”
Tavin cursed and swung the door open wider. “We cannot let him remain in that traitor’s company,” she announced as they piled into the room, clearly her room by the look of the place.
“I’m sorry, who is this?” Trajan asked.
“I am Tavin and that is all you need to know,” she snapped. “We must leave immediately.”
“We don’t know where he is in Weston,” Calista said, but Tavin was already back out the door, two daggers added to her hips and another at her boot.
“I know every inch of Weston. If Godfrey has him, he’ll be in the dungeons.”
Calista quickly warmed up to this woman, NPC or not, and rushed after her out the door, Willy running alongside them. Coming for you, Bishop, she thought wishing he could hear her. Despite him saying they shouldn’t come after him, Calista knew the moment he was broken out of that dungeon he’d be eating his words. If he was alright. If nothing happened to him yet.
She was unsure of how much time they had until log out for dinner, but prayed it was enough.
***
Bishop rattled the chain between his wrists as the guards planted him in an antechamber to the King’s private rooms. Four of them remained at his side and he waited impatiently for Godfrey to make an appearance. Annoyed at being arrested for nothing, he rattled the chain louder, smirking when one of the guards shifted on his feet and his eyes slid over to him.
“Be still,” the guard hissed.
“Right, sorry,” Bishop said, but then lifted his hands to itch his nose, purposely rattling the chain even louder.
“Be still, traitor.”
“Traitor am I? And what exactly did I do to earn that title?”
“You attacked our King.”
“That’s a load of horseshit and you all know it. Winston and I saved your King, not like he’s even the rightful ruler anyway,” he added in an undertone.
The guard grabbed him by his jerkin and shook him. “What did you say, scum?”
“I said, he’s not the rightful ruler.”
The guard’s face reddened and he looked ready to pop when a voice called from the doorway, “Put him down, Harry. He’s our guest.”
The guard put Bishop back on his feet as he beamed at him. “See? I’m your guest, though why I’m in chains, I’d love to know. Is this how you treat all your guests, Godfrey?”
“Those I don’t trust,” the King said with a leering smile as he approached.
“What do you want with me?”
“To talk.”
“You could have asked me to come and see you,” Bishop said, holding up his manacled wrists and shaking the chain again. “I would have considered giving you the time of day.”
“You think you know everything don’t you?” Godfrey mused, his long black cloak trailing behind him as he walked closer, circling Bishop. “You know very little of this world, Bishop, very little of the plans I have in store for it.”
“You or Valenastrious?” he challenged.
The guards stiffened in unison and Godfrey rushed around to stand before Bishop. He was barely an inch from his face, snarling more like the half-demon he was instead of the human king he made the people believe he was. Bishop didn’t flinch. He smiled back widely and tilted his head.
“I know what I saw that day, as does Winston. How much of the real Godfrey is left in there? How long has it been since she’s been in your head? Since before or after you betrayed your brother and tried to expel Tavin from the realm?”
Godfrey backhanded him hard and Bishop watched his health bar deplete. That wasn’t what worried him, though. That hit, he swore he felt a sting of pain from it.
“You will hold your tongue or I will remove it and how sad would that be when all I want to do is speak with you about this…current predicament.”
“And what predicament is that, my King?” he asked with a sneer. He should be playing it safe but, for some reason, Godfrey pissed Bishop off and all he wanted to do was make the man squirm and see his cheeks redden even more.
But the most fascinating part was watching the green embers alight in the man’s eyes.
“The one where you failed to track down Ulfric Winston—”
“Sir,” Bishop interrupted. “Sir Ulfric Winston.”
“He stopped being a Sir when he betrayed me,” Godfrey seethed.
“But he never betrayed you. That witch has twisted your mind as she tried to do to your brother.”
“I will not hear you speak of my brother!”
“Fine, I won’t mention his name and, for your information, I have yet to find Winston,” he lied. “I’m not sure why you’ve arrested me when I have no news to bring you on his whereabouts.”
Godfrey gnashed his teeth and stomped away. “You try my patience, Bishop.”
“I’ve saved your life twice if you do recall, maybe you should be a little more lenient when it comes to me.”
“Or perhaps you saved my life only to get close to me.”
“And do what?”
“Finish me off? I saw you with Tavin, and rumor has it you are still working with her.”
Bishop nodded, not about to deny it. “She’s quite the useful ally in these parts. Why would I not take advantage of what advice and skills she has to offer?”
“Because she, like you, is a traitor.”
“She’s the one who should be sitting on the throne,” Bishop argued.
Godfrey raised his hand and Bishop braced for the hit, but it never came. His hand fell and Godfrey paced around the room again. “I needed Winston found and brought to justice, but you have failed me in that regard. I cannot trust you and you work with those I know to be my enemies. Therefore, until I know what to do with you, my guards will escort you to your room in the dungeons where you will remain until I have made my decision. Take him away!”
Bishop considered fighting against the guards, but there were four of them, along with Godfrey and if the king was possessed or being controlled by Valen, Bishop was in no mood to face her down alone. He let the guards lead him away, through the castle and down into the bowels beneath its mighty towers. The dungeon was lit with flickering torches lining the walls and he was unceremoniously tossed into an open cell with no windows. They didn’t even undo his manacles. His only light was a torch on the wall outside his room. He shook the bars as the guards wandered away, leaving him to ponder whether or not he’d be able to log out. Out of curiosity, he tried to open any of his menus and frowned when nothing appeared. No bags, no messaging, nothing.
“That’s not a good sign,” he murmured and tried to bring up the log out menu. “Come on, seriously?”
The button was gone. Bishop searched frantically for it, but it wasn’t anywhere in the menus or under another tab. He was officially trapped within the game…unless it was only meant to appear like that until time came to log out? But what about players not in a beta test? How long would they have to sit in this dungeon?
“Hello?” he bellowed, grabbing the bars and yanking on them again. “Let me out, you bastards!”
When the bars wouldn’t give, he kicked at the cell door over and over until his leg faltered and he slipped on the floor, falling hard on his back. There had to be a way out. Maybe it was a puzzle, something he
had to do in order to get himself out of the cell.
Bishop ran his hands over the walls of his cell, but all he felt was rough stone. He turned to the floor next, kicking away the bits of scattered hay, but again there was nothing but stone.
“Come on, Dennis,” he muttered. “What is this crap? You can’t force someone to stay in the game! Dennis!”
“Daemyn is not here,” a voice whispered, and Bishop’s blood turned cold.
He pressed his back to the cell and closed his eyes. He was hearing things. She wasn’t really here. She wasn’t anywhere near him, but when he opened his eyes, Valen stood at the bars of his cell, running her long claws across the metal making it ring out. She grinned, baring her fangs, and green fire fell from her eyes.
“Bishop, what have you gotten yourself into now, my pet?”
“You’re not here,” he whispered and shut his eyes again, willing her away. He thought these past few days he wouldn’t have to deal with Valen, but here she was showing up yet again where he didn’t want her to be. He squinted one eye open and cursed.
She cackled. “Oh my dear, I’m not going away that easily.”
“Why are you here?”
“I have business here and that is all you need to know.”
“Business with whom? Godfrey?”
She didn’t answer, just ran her claws across the bars again. “You will join me, Bishop, it is inevitable. If you join me now, I will open this cell for you and you can walk out a free man, under my protection and the protection of my Demon Lords.”
He shouldn’t do it, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Some protection they’d offer since my guild and I have already killed three, remember? I’m not sure I trust in their protection.”
Valen’s smile slipped and, to his horror, she pushed through the bars as if they weren’t even there. “You continue to fight against me when all I offer you is power and glory, immortality. Why do you resist? You know that is what you seek. It’s always what you wanted. The fame, the power, the wealth. I can give you all of that. You may have lost your way once but, here, you can start over, start over with me by your side.”
Bishop’s heart hammered in his chest. “What are you talking about?”
“Come now, you think I don’t know exactly who you are? What type of man you are? I see it in your eyes, I see you, Bishop.” She stalked closer, her hoven feet clacking on the stones. “You have been mistreated just as I have all these years. The time for vengeance is at hand, for this world and for yours.”
The horror he felt a moment ago slipped away as her words caressed his ears and soothed his racing thoughts. She rested a hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes at the warmth radiating from her body. She was right, wasn’t she? He’d been trampled on, used, lost everything. Even here in this game he was being used by Dennis, by someone with more power and money than he could ever hope to have…
“No,” he whispered, when an image of his friends appeared in his mind. He stepped away and she glowered at him. “No, I won’t do it.”
“You are weak,” she hissed. “You will come to me in the end. Your friends, your woman, none of them can save you.”
“I don’t think you know them very well.”
“No? I guess we will learn soon enough who is right.”
Metal clashing met Bishop’s ears and Valen hissed. A portal of green fire erupted in the right cell wall and she stepped through it without another word. Yet, her previous ones whispered on a loop in his mind.
The sounds grew louder and Bishop frowned, rushing to the bars, and peered out into the corridor. A familiar yell bounced off the surrounding stones and one of the guards’ bodies came flying down the corridor. The man grunted, but didn’t get up again. Bishop turned around in time to see Willy bounding to his cell, followed closely by Calista, Maverick, Jimmy, and Tavin.
“What the hell? What are you doing here?” he asked as Calista reached through the bars to hold his hand. “I said don’t come get me out! Are you insane?”
“Probably,” she agreed.
“How did you even find me?”
“Tavin,” Calista said. “And Willy. We weren’t going to leave you here in case things went sideways.”
“As apparently they so often do with you,” Trajan commented.
Bishop hung his head. “You told him?”
“We didn’t have a choice. Tell me I was wrong?” she asked. “Tell me that Valen didn’t come and visit you or that something else weird didn’t happen?”
He didn’t meet her eye because there was no way he could tell her that.
“Exactly. Now stand back so we can get you out of this rathole.”
Bishop moved back and Trajan hefted his war hammer over his shoulder. With a mighty roar, he brought it down and the door buckled beneath the attack, swinging inward. Calista rushed in, checking him over for injuries. Thankfully, on Valen’s last visit, she hadn’t hurt him.
“I’m fine, really.”
“What happened?”
“We should discuss this once we are away from here,” Tavin insisted. “Hurry now, more guards will be on their way soon and I do not feel like taking on the entire Weston army.”
Bishop wanted to ask her what else was bothering her to make her look torn between worry and fear, but the others were rushing down the corridor and all he could do was follow. Tavin brought up the rear as Trajan led the way out, passing by several guards, all unconscious by the look of it. Trajan turned right up ahead, then made a sharp left Bishop wasn’t ready for and slammed right into the set of stone steps leading up and out of the dungeon. They were narrow and he spied a speckle of sunlight the higher they climbed. When Trajan reached the skinny, wooden door, he opened it and peeked out, holding up his hand for the others to wait.
“Clear, hurry up, though, I hear yelling overhead.”
One by one, they slipped through the door and Bishop realized they must be on the northern side of the city. The door dumped them straight into a patch of woods giving them the perfect cover to escape undetected. They didn’t stop running until they were well away from the city and any guards that might have come after them.
Bishop staggered to a stop, panting hard as he sank to the ground. The others dropped down beside him, all of them except Tavin. She stood close-by, one hand on the pommel of her sword and the other on Willy’s head as he stood guard by her side.
“So? Spill, what happened,” Jimmy asked.
“Godfrey wanted to chat about my failure at finding Winston,” Bishop explained. “Then he decided he didn’t like my answers and threw me in the dungeon.”
“That’s it?” Calista pushed.
“No,” he replied, remembering the fear that had gripped him when he had realized he might not be able to log out of the game. “No, I uh, I was in the cell and I couldn’t access any of my menus, my items. I couldn’t find the log out button. I was trapped.”
“You have to be able to log out,” Trajan said flatly. “There’s no way for that option to disappear.”
“Well it did and, then, Valen showed up, but she didn’t do anything except talk to me,” he said in a rush when they all looked ready to scold him for one reason or another. “But the way she was talking… it was like she knew who I am, outside of this world I mean. And for a second… for a second I thought I was going to actually listen to her. Believe what she told me.”
Tavin turned around at his words. “You can’t fall for her lies, Bishop.”
“I don’t plan on it, but she’s messing with my head.” He pressed his hands to his ears as he heard her all over again. “It’s like she’s still in there.”
“Tune it out, sing, do something,” Jimmy muttered. “You can’t let her get to you.”
“Doing my best, man.” He pushed to his feet and held out his hand to help Calista back to hers as well. “Thanks, all of you. I thought I was going to be stuck down there for a while.”
“I told you I’d come and save your butt,” Calista reminded h
im.
A prompt appeared before Bishop’s head and he sighed in relief. “Looks like the day’s over.”
“Good timing,” Trajan agreed. “Can you logout now?”
Holding his breath, Bishop brought up the menu and nodded when the logout button appeared. “I’ll see you all at dinner. Do we want to logout here or go to the closest village?”
“Might as well do it here,” Jimmy said. “Starving. See you at dinner!”
He shimmered out of view, followed by Maverick and Trajan. Bishop told Calista he’d be along in a minute; he wanted a quick word with Tavin. She eyed him worriedly, but nodded and logged out, too. Bishop made his way to Tavin. Willy nudged his leg and he ruffled his fur.
“Thank you for bringing them to me,” he said.
“Godfrey has no right to hold you, but now that he has detained you once, you cannot return to Weston. It’s far too dangerous for you.”
“Yeah, I figured that part out.”
“This is not a joke, Bishop. Valen is inside his mind as well and you see what it’s done to him.”
“You’re saying I could turn into him? Be her puppet?” he asked, alarmed. “You think I’ll let that happen?”
“I think Valen is playing a very dangerous game and you are her prime focus. She will do whatever is necessary to bring you to her side.”
Bishop shook his head. “No, no she won’t get me.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because I care about my guild too much to do something like drift to the dark side, alright?” he snapped. “This is ridiculous. It’s just a damn game. All a freaking virtual reality game. You’re not even real and neither is she! I’m logging out now.”
He didn’t expect her to understand half of what he just said, but she turned to him and the depth of knowing in her gaze froze his hand in mid-air.
“This was never just a game, Bishop, remember that.” She bowed her head to him and set off through the trees, Willy taking off after her. “I will see you again soon! At the Dead Fortress. I hope you and your friends are prepared for what we will face.”
Bishop watched her until she disappeared and he no longer saw Willy’s vibrant fur through the trees. He brought up the menu again and forced himself to log out for the day. He closed his eyes and opened them again back inside the lab.
The Dead Fortress: A LitRPG Epic (World of Samar Book 3) Page 7