The Trapped Mind Project (Emerilia Book 1)
Page 51
“Well, you are learning!” Josh smiled as Cassie rolled her eyes, seeing it for the joke it was. “So how much do you want for that apartment building? I want to put a base here and seeing as you were so nice as to build it, we’d be interested in putting it to more use.”
With the support of the People of Emerilia and the abilities of Players, a guild could be one hell of a threat. Josh might act like a joker most of the time but it seemed that he’d tapped into that idea and he was building not only a guild but a place for that guild in Emerilia’s ranks. She also couldn’t deny that although he might be a goof, she had come to respect him. He looked out for his people and those who were beside him in battle.
At the portal, they had worked together but done different objectives. Standing beside him at the citadel had made her come to see him and the Stone Raiders in a new light.
A smile spread across her face as she shook her head, remembering the report she’d heard of different towns and kingdoms sending messages to the Stone Raiders about various raids. It seemed that they were turning themselves into the go-to force to clear out problem areas.
“What would it take to get an invitation to join the Stone Raiders?” Cassie asked.
“Learn how to actually swing a damn sword and stop relying on actions all the time.” Josh gave her a severe look before it turned into a smile. “Why, like my company that much?”
She rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh. He was a bit annoying but he wasn’t bad on the eyes and his accent was nice. “A girl has to keep her options open.”
***
Jules looked down at Dave and Deia.
She’d logged off and back on as Josh had, but Dave hadn’t.
Now he was lying on the ground, sleeping, with Deia next to him. Both of them were covered in grime, their armor dented and used. In places, Deia’s looked as if the dragon scales had melted together.
Dave shifted, groaning.
They’d been moved from the citadel to the camp at the base of its stairs. People had tried to separate the two, only to have Deia frighten them off with her blue flames.
He opened his eyes, coming fully awake in seconds and lurching upward. His eyes glowed gray as power filled the room, making Jules take an unconscious step backward as her hair stood up.
“We won,” Jules said.
Dave’s eyes found hers before he fell back onto the pallet.
Deia shifted, her armor plates making noise.
Dave looked at her, the look that Jules shared with Esa filling his face.
Esa had been killed and would be back online in a few hours. Jules had been so scared when she died, thinking of her lost forever, until Esa sent her a message and she remembered it was just a game. Jules steeled herself. She needed to tell them what had happened.
“Max, Tounk, and Joko are dead. Malsour and Induca are probably respawning.” Jules spoke quickly. She’d had to tell others about the losses of their loved ones—such was the life of a combat medic.
Tears appeared in Dave’s eyes.
“Thanks.” His voice cracked from the emotional pain.
Deia and Dave’s arms found each other as they dealt with their losses.
Jules nodded and left the tent, leaving them be.
“How are they?” Mikal asked.
“They’ll heal.” Jules looked at the camp. There were wounded all over the place; she’d spent hours working on the People of Emerilia. Players were left to their own devices—they could come back to life, after all.
The battle had changed them all.
“What about their minds?” Mikal asked.
“It will be hard but Deia will get through it. Dave wasn’t made into a fighter like us. He has no military training or any of the tricks we use to try to make ourselves forget the grief. He’s a strong dude. He’ll probably make it past all of the guilt. But this is his world. He’s ingrained into Emerilia harder than any E-head I’ve seen.”
“I feel that he won’t be the last one to get this attached to Emerilia.” Mikal looked over the Players who were helping the People of Emerilia around.
“No, I don’t think so either.”
Chapter 39: Reckoning
Neutral popped into existence. He was in the form of a gnome as he sat on his chair, not a recliner—an actual chair.
He always gets this way when there’s a fight. Light kept herself from rolling her eyes. The People of Emerilia and the Players—they were just pawns for the power that the lords and ladies had. The Dark Lord had it easy—he could just show that it was a true game; the others had to make it look as if they were looking out for the good of the people so they continued to devote energy to them.
Light kept a smile off her face as she looked to the lords of Dark and Earth. The two of them weren’t the best at hiding their emotions. Both of them looked annoyed.
The Dark Lord had lost a truly powerful citadel as well as a bit of support from the Dwarves. The Earth Lord hadn’t really looked at the consequences of his actions. Kufo’tel was being purged of any and all forces that the Earth Lord had created instead of using paladins.
The Dwarves, the fractious midgets that they were, had cut off all their devotions, not only to the Earth Lord, but all of the Affinities.
Light’s fists closed in anger. The two idiots had gone too far and now the People of Emerilia were closing off their power to not only them, but the whole Pantheon of Affinities.
The Players who had fought at the citadel had stopped their devotions. The Golden Sabres who had been her tool to open the Alturaran portals were a large source of power and led a great number of other Light-allied guilds and people.
Devotions toward Light meant that they gave a part of their power to her in order to receive her blessing. Now, they disregarded her blessing and kept that power.
She couldn’t cut them off from the Affinity as that was directly tied to the land. She was just the manager of favors and broker of power.
And now they’re bypassing me, weakening me and every other Affinity by making no devotions and instead using their power for their own means.
“I…will…have…paladins…” Earth’s voice rumbled through the room.
Neutral looked to him.
“You picked sprites—deal with it.” Neutral’s voice was cold and uncaring.
Earth rose and towered over Neutral. He looked as if he were going to crush the gnome. “I…am…god…my…word…is…law!”
“Well, seems that the Dwarves disagree with you. The way I see it, you pissed off the Dwarves and the Elves who were your biggest supporters, one group actually trying to follow you when their Affinities closely matched with the Lady of Fire. Even the short-lived Humans of Emerilia are going to be hesitant to follow a Earth Lord who takes their devotions and betrays them with his own creations.” Neutral’s voice was heated as he looked up at the creature ten times his height.
The Earth Lord let out an enraged bellow as he made to step on Neutrality.
A small smile passed over Light’s face. She’d wanted to see the annoying little creature killed long ago, but he was a good balancer of the Pantheon.
The Earth Lord stopped, as if held in mid-air.
Neutral sighed, rubbed his face and then held his ear.
***
Neutral watched the foot that was coming for him. He locked down the Earth Lord using his own Affinity. Neutral had been around so long that he’d learned a good amount from each of the Affinities, mastering them all.
He was a man of curiosity and had lived forever.
He heard a ping, which meant a message from someone. It didn’t have Deia, Fire, or Dave’s tone, so that left only one source.
Lo’kal rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Yessir?”
“Lo’kal, the emperor has deemed that this iteration, we will reduce the control over the lords and ladies of the Affinities. Your monitoring will be reduced,” the voice said.
“Very well.” Lo’kal could try to fight the decision but he
knew that it wouldn’t matter. He’d played the game more than once. “The Earth Lord is currently trying to kill me. He wants to have paladins and creatures of power to exercise his control. I believe a new incarnation might be necessary.”
Lo’kal didn’t miss the shocked expressions on the faces of those in the room.
Only Fire looked unaffected. After all, she hadn’t done anything to piss Neutrality off, and she was happy doing as she wanted.
There was a pause on the other side of the line.
I don’t get why the emperor doesn’t just call me. Old prick just wants to get his aide to do it so he seems all the more powerful.
“You will remove the restrictions on paladins and creatures of power. You will not supply the extra power to do this; it must come from their own reserves. Make sure that the lords and ladies of the Pantheon know their place. Keep him around; he has proved to be interesting in his stupidity.” The call ended.
Lo’kal pushed the Earth Lord back with Air magic and released his bind on him.
He crashed into the floor as Lo’kal looked at the ceiling in thought.
The Earth Lord worked on trying to get to his feet.
Lo’kal destroyed the spells he tried to use in order to assist.
The twin green orbs of his eyes showed his anger.
“You will be allowed to create champions and creatures of power; however, their power must come from your personal vaults. The next person who threatens me will have a new incarnation.” Neutral looked at the lords and ladies in the room.
“Let the games begin.” Neutral smiled, but the expression never reached his eyes.
Benvari Mountains Book 2 of the Emerilia Series will be available on the 7th February 2017
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