Shepherd's Wolf

by M. Andrew Reid

  “It’s complicated,” Alex sighed. “He’s complicated.”

  …

  “Kate!” Limerick yelled at the figure riding along the ridge in front of him. “Stop!”

  The brown mare slowed and turned around. Kate was dressed more practically than usual, in hard riding leathers. At her side was a bushel of shimmering blue flags with golden compasses.

  “What is it, sugar?” Kate trotted up beside him. “A little ahead of ourselves aren’t we? Where’s Doc?”

  Limerick shook his head, gasping for breath, “He’s gone, Kate.”

  Kate laughed, “He’s just lost again, like that time we...”

  “No, he’s dead!” Limerick gritted his teeth, “Grave…”

  “If this is a joke…” Kate began, but stopped herself when she saw the pain in Limerick’s eyes. “He’s gone?”

  “He is. And we’re taking you back to the city now. I don’t want you out here anymore.”

  “To hell with that!” Kate sobbed, “I’m going back to get him and bring him home.”

  “No you’re not. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Limerick extended his hand, “Come on. We’re done with all this. I’m not going to lose you as well.”

  Kate drew the horse away, the cheery saloon girl persona fading away rapidly, “If we stop now, Doc left us for nothing. We have to convince these fools that Ra’ah is where they need to head.”

  “They know,” Limerick replied flatly. “I was trying to save Doc and I told Grave about the plateau.”

  “You what?” Kate’s eyes filled with tears of anger and despair, “Do you think Doc wanted that?”

  “I wanted Doc alive. The kid and the wolf aren’t worth losing you over.” Limerick’s face grew hard, “You’re starting to test my patience. Get over here!”

  “I’m not your slave! We aren’t pets! I loved him too.” The horse whickered nervously and pawed at the grass. Kate drew a breath, “We have to go get him back. We can’t leave him.”

  “That’s not your call to make. It’s mine.” Limerick’s voice was hard, “You’re going home, and we’re going to forget about this.”

  “I won’t go.” Kate’s voice wavered with fury and sadness. Tears ran down her cheeks. She looked down into the valley below them. “I won’t leave him out there for the daggerwings to pick on him.”

  “Give me your hand,” Limerick said. “That’s an order.”

  “Damn you,” Kate whispered. She walked the horse over to Limerick. Limerick had purchased her long ago; she had no choice but to obey. She held out a soft white hand. “You left him out there, you coward.”

  Limerick wiped a tear from his eye and took Kate’s hand, “I’m sorry Kate. I’m sorry.”

  In a green flash, they were gone.

  Clouds of Ice

  As advertised, the glacier made for a relatively easy descent. Apart from isolated cracks here and there, Clouds of Ice was a smooth white road that wound its way down to the valley. Warm air rushed up from the valley below, lifting their spirits. The party made good time, and were soon within a thick green forest.

  Bishop soared overhead, riding Christine like a kid with his first bicycle. Lakes, forests, and rivers stretched out before him, and the wind felt good on his face. Over the ridge was a wide, grassy plain, and after that the foothills that lead up to the White Plateau. The worst part was over; now they only had to climb out of the valley, keep moving, and hope that nobody found them. Fortunately, the region had few points of interest, which meant there were few players and few towns to worry about.

  Having a set of eyes in the sky was also an advantage. Bishop had to remind himself to pay attention; he was supposed to be watching for any sign of the soldiers on a mission to “remove” Gabe from the game.

  A brief glimmer below revealed Viper through the thick canopy. As long as the sun was out, Bishop would not lose the party in the forest. However, it was probably a good idea to check in on them. As if reading his mind, Christine dove for the forest, searching for a clearing large enough for her bulky frame.

  …

  “So how rich are you, exactly?”

  Wisp trotted beside Viper. The party was moving at a running pace, eating up ground on the easy path. Bandits like Wisp could run for days if needed.

  Haymaker huffed behind him with long slow strides and a bored face. In leopard form, Athena slinked beside Haymaker, easily keeping up with the group. She appeared naked and small without Fletch hovering by her side. Gabe brought up the rear, carrying Ben and Laura. He moved quickly even on three legs.

  Haymaker interrupted before Viper could reply, “Why Phantom of the Opera? If we’re going with a musical, couldn’t we have picked something less threatening?”

  Laura sneered defensively, “I challenge you to find something better off the top of your head.”

  “The Wizard of Oz?” Haymaker frowned, “No, that’s worse. We’d probably have to fight the Tin Man and flying monkeys.”

  “Cats?” Athena offered.

  “Think about that for a second,” Laura countered. “Try again.”

  Haymaker sighed, “What’s the one with the French name where everyone is sad the whole time? I could probably fight a bunch of sad French people.”

  Wisp moved closer to Viper while the others argued, “Did you hear my question?”

  “That’s really none of your business.” Viper replied.

  “I meant like are you rich from the game or were you rich before the game?” Wisp tried again, “Obviously you’re loaded. You’re wearing the combined GDP of several small countries”

  Viper sighed, “I had money before the game.”

  “What’s it like?” Wisp asked.

  “To be rich?” Viper shrugged, “I never really thought about it. Why don’t you find out? I noticed some rather legendary items missing from that pile on the ledge. I bet Limerick would pay to have them back.”

  “I took care of that as soon as we left the Agilar. Money in the bank. Limerick didn’t buy any of it from me, but maybe he’ll get it back eventually.”

  “So why are you still here? You don’t strike me as the compassionate type. I’ve heard about you, which says a lot for someone who’s not even above Level Twenty-Five. You don’t get a reputation like that unless nobody likes you. I know a few things about reputation.”

  Wisp fought the urge to steal a glance back at Athena. “I just want to do the right thing.”

  Haymaker snorted, “He wants to do something.”

  Viper saw Wisp’s face color, and made the connection. “All right, I get it. Say no more. I like red-heads too.”

  “Did someone say something about red-heads?” Athena picked up the pace and moved between Viper and Wisp.

  “Nope,” Wisp looked straight ahead.

  “Whatever,” Athena said. She tilted her head at Viper as she ran, “So do you think we can do this?”

  Viper nodded, “The worst part is over. I’ve been told that everyone thinks we are headed to Ra’ah, so that should buy us plenty of time. There’s no one up here to see us. I think we’ll make it.”

  “We see you just fine.”

  There was a flash of light, and three figures stood in the road before them. Three Electar wearing ornate robes glared at Viper; one red, one blue, and one black.

  “Step aside,” the Electar dressed in black spoke through a dark hood, “we’ll take care of this and be on our way.”

  Viper slid off Venom and walked toward the three Electar, “What do you want?”

  A long finger pointed, and the black robe billowed in the wind, “We were sent to follow up on a lead - to report back. I would prefer we go back to Tungsten with a wolf’s head and not just words. We’ll get paid more.”

  “That’s not going to happen. I need to get paid, too,” Viper signaled the group to back away. Athena tried to protest, but Venom herded her and the others off the path.

  “We have a problem, then.”

  The black Electar raised
a hand pulsing with dark purple energy. Swiftly, the other mages swept their arms back. Icy crystals burst around the blue mage, and the red mage clutched an orb of blazing fire.

  A droning roar filled the air, and Christine shrieked from somewhere above the trees. Leaves and twigs showered down onto the path, tinged with the smell of fire.

  “Bishop, stay back!” Viper shouted, not taking his eyes off the black mage, “Keep my payment intact.”

  “We can take the dragon as well.” The black mage laughed, “I’ve always wanted one.”

  “Come and take it.” Viper stood ready- glowering.

  Red and blue light flashed; a shard of ice and a searing ball of fire screamed at Viper. Flame and Frost spun through the air to meet them. Frost, trailing a stream of ice crystals, extinguished the fireball. Flame, with a comet tail of fire, shattered the ice shard. Both axes continued their flight and struck the mages blades-first, knocking them down in fountains of blood.

  The black mage drew back his hand, swirling with dark energy, and hesitated. Viper was tense and ready to throw a spear - a spear that had appeared from thin air.

  Warily, the mage looked at the spear’s tip, glowing white in the shade of the trees. He looked at his own hand, bathed in dark energy. He looked at his blue friend, with a flaming red axe in his chest, and his red friend, with a frozen blue axe spreading fingers of ice across his dying body. He slowly reached into a sleeve of his robe, and vanished.

  Creaking branches and drifting leaves replaced the silence that followed, until Haymaker spoke, “Can I have your autograph?”

  “We have to move faster now. They will be coming for us hard.” Viper extended his hands, and dark tendrils coiled around Flame and Frost. He brought the axes to him and snapped them into their latches on his back.

  Bishop landed on the path near the dead mages’ scattered belongings. He snagged his robe as he climbed off Christine, and spoke while tugging it free, “What happened?”

  “Someone told them where we are going.” Viper glared at the others, and his eyes lingered on Wisp. “Somebody here.”

  “What is everyone’s problem with me?” Wisp sputtered. “I haven’t said a word!”

  Bishop let out a ragged sigh, “It was me.”

  Haymaker snorted, “Right. You betrayed us.”

  “It wasn’t on purpose. I told Limerick our plans, and he must have told the Conquerors for some reason.” Bishop shook his head, “I don’t understand.”

  “At any rate we have to get going, and you need to get back in the air.” Athena dipped her head toward Bishop.

  “You’re right. It’s a race now.” He smiled tightly at Ben, “A race I think we can win.”

  Tungsten’s Pass

  Grave and Lockjaw huddled near the crystal set wedged into the crew compartment of their Stryker. Grave had convinced the Marines that the magical device was more reliable than radios. White knelt behind them, listening intently as Tungsten delivered the latest intelligence.

  “Our party confirmed sighting the wolf headed north, just west of the Clouds of Ice. They would have passed through the Agilar several hours ago. Even if you turn around now, you won’t reach them before they hit the White Plateau.”

  “We gotta’ slow ‘em down,” Grave replied. “What we got fer’ fast travel?”

  “Hold on.” Tungsten could be heard clicking through menus on his Character Manager. “There is a low-capacity receiver gate at an outpost one hundred miles north of them. A maximum of twenty moves in twenty-four hours. This is enough for a large diversion team - but it would be a suicide mission. I’m not sure I could persuade any of our members at such short notice.”

  Grave and Lockjaw conferred with each other. Most Conquerors good enough to be useful would not volunteer for suicide by Viper. Any Conquerors desperate enough to volunteer would be almost useless.

  Impatient, White spoke up, “Someone get Olson in here now.”

  “Yes, sir.” An aide quickly ducked out of the Stryker.

  Less than a minute later, Alex appeared, slightly out of breath. He forgot that running in Verdia would wind you if your character never actually ran. He dropped into a seat crammed against the Stryker’s hull, facing White. “Yes?”

  “Is there some reason why my men cannot use these gates you people keep mentioning?”

  Alex shrugged, “Omni makes the rules here.”

  Tungsten broke in over the crystal, “I can hire a team to slow them down a bit, but that is only a short-term fix. If you want to guarantee success, I will need permission to intervene directly.”

  “What does that mean?” White asked.

  “The plateau’s entrance is a dried up river,” Tungsten replied. “There is a gorge, the Devil’s Gutter, which is the only point of entry. It’s a chokepoint.”

  “You wanna’ move in from the Widow Tower?” Grave asked.

  “Yes, if we send a team of mages, they will have enough time to set up a temporary gate and we can bring in a much larger force; large enough to deal with just about any eventuality.”

  “Where is this Widow Tower?” White asked.

  “There are two faction outposts near the entrance to the plateau. The Widow Tower, on the eastern slopes of the gorge, belongs to us. The Warrior Tower, on the western side, belongs to the Explorers. They are roughly five miles south of the plateau.”

  “Well,” White said, “You are players in this game. I cannot tell you how to move your forces, I can only instruct you not to interfere with our operations. If our goals happen to align, and the Conquerors happen to help us out, well that is a pleasant coincidence.”

  “And what about the Explorers?” Alex interjected, “When they see you moving that many troops they will try to make things difficult.”

  Tungsten laughed, “I’m counting on it. I just hope they don’t interfere too much. It would be a shame for people to lose their accounts.”

  “This is disgusting.” Alex stood up, “I’m done. Enjoy the drive.” He marched out of the Stryker.

  “Brook ordered you to ride with us.” White called out.

  Alex ignored him and continued walking, “Is this what you wanted, Omni? This is your great game? The selfish get what they want and the people who care lose everything?”

  Omni was silent.

  “Why won’t you answer? I haven’t talked to you in days.” Alex’s voice was ragged.

  “I’m busy.”

  “Rubbish,” Alex choked out. “You can’t do this; don’t leave me in the dark here. Without you, what do I have?”

  “You just have to trust me. I don’t have anything else to say right now.”

  “I want to trust you,” Alex paused behind a tree and prepared to teleport to Verdia City, “but I’m not sure I can anymore.”

  Clouds of Ice

  The next few hours passed quietly. Mountains receded over the horizon, and the air grew crisp. Trees thinned out as the group climbed the ridge that would lead them from the valley.

  Viper stopped them at the crest of the ridge, and there they could see a plain that reached out in every direction before meeting the sky. Herds of grazing beasts moved lazily through the knee-high grass. Scrubby, weak looking trees dotted the landscape here and there.

  Everyone agreed to rest for six hours and return. They would then run for twelve hours and rest for five, and then twelve and four, and so forth. Viper determined that on the last day, if they ran for twenty-four hours straight, they would make it before the soldiers could reach them.

  Safety’s edge was where they rested. Once on the plain, there was no cover. They would be easy picking for any hit squads that the Conquerors sent. Luckily, they had an air force, something unique to Verdia.

  Christine curled up in a pile of brush; heat drifted from her nostrils. The dragon was mopey without Fletch to keep her company - depressed that she could not share the newfound joy of flight with her feathered friend. Bishop rested himself against her heaving side before logging off. Haymaker joined him
, his head settled on a pillow of warm dragonskin.

  Ben built a small fire to keep warm, and snuggled up to Gabe. Laura leaned against the wolf before herself signing off to take care of real-world affairs. Viper deployed his dark sentries, shadows that stood watch over the group, and signed off. Venom lowered her head and went to sleep, her tail swishing casually back and forth.

  Wisp sat by the fire, staring into the flames. Athena settled across from him and watched for some time before speaking.

  “Do you think we’ll make it?”

  Wisp poked a stick into the fire, “I’m not sure. The Conquerors will be after us. They may not be able to stop Viper, but they might slow us down enough for the tanks to catch us.”

  “Why do the Conquerors even care?” Athena asked. “It’s none of their business.”

  “Jealousy,” Wisp muttered. “When I started playing, I thought I was like them. I wanted to be in control for once. But it’s worse on the other side - a different kind of emptiness.”

  Athena nodded, “Is that why you play? Control?”

  “When I started, I wanted to win. Conquerors win. Then I realized I can make money,” Wisp stirred in the fire with his stick. “I’ve been stashing the cash from the items I steal. I’ve got enough to just disappear. I never have to go home again, and I won’t.”

  “But you are staying to help Ben?” Athena asked.

  “Right,” Wisp looked up at her through the flames, “Why do you play?”

  Athena laughed sadly, “I thought I would make friends, but I suppose I’m just not that good around people. I’ve grown so used to being alone that I’ve come to like it. When I saw that there was a class that let you have a special pet that bonded with you, I immediately chose Huntress. I still remember completing the brutal quest to retrieve that little yellow egg.”

  “Will you get another hawk?” Wisp asked.

  Athena shook her head, “No. I’m done with all this when we get Ben to safety. I need to get on with my life, and spend time out there.” She waved above her head, meaning the real world.