Then his thoughts turned to the message he had sent before entering the dungeon. He might have a few days before the reset timer ran out, but he needed to conquer the dungeon well before then.
I’m cutting this close. We better hurry.
“Hey, guys,” Jason said, trying to catch Frank’s and Riley’s attention. “I need to go take care of an errand in the real world. It’s probably going to take me the rest of the day. You guys want to start again tomorrow?
Frank nodded. “Sure thing, man. Tomorrow’s Friday so we can keep going as long as we need to.”
“My evening is free tomorrow too,” Riley added. “Besides, I’m curious what that minotaur meant when he mentioned the Masters.”
“You and me both,” Jason murmured. He suspected there was a lot more left to this dungeon and he was already anxious that they would be able to complete it in time. Putting aside his worry for the moment, Jason bid his friends goodbye and logged off.
Chapter 17 - Flat-Footed
Alex walked down the street toward the temple of the Lady of Light. It was nighttime, and the occasional lantern along the street emitted a weak light, partially illuminating the packed dirt and cobblestones of the road.
As he approached the temple, a black cat passed in front of him. It stopped and stared at him for a moment before continuing on its way down the street, melting quickly into the shadows. The image of the black cat Alex had seen in the marketplace flashed through his mind, but he pushed the memory aside. It was just a coincidence. He couldn’t afford to be distracted this evening.
As Alex reached the temple, he stepped quietly through the entrance. The priests had long since retired for the evening, and the central hall was shrouded in darkness. Only the faint light from the lanterns outside filtered into the temple. Alex murmured softly, and a golden globe encased his hand, the light pushing back at the thick shadows that filled the room.
He made his way toward the door behind the altar. He needed to move swiftly. Once he had scouted the crypts, he could send a message to the other players he had “persuaded” to assist him. They were a reliable lot - made that way by the blackmail material that Alex had collected on each of them. They wouldn’t dare cross him.
Alex gently pulled open the door to the crypts, revealing a narrow staircase. He slipped through the doorway and closed the door firmly behind him. At the bottom of the stairs, Alex hesitated and glanced around the room. A large rectangular chamber sat directly beneath the main hall above. The ceiling of the room was built of smoothly curving stone arches, and columns stood in neat rows at regular intervals. The chamber was filled with shelves, and the walls were lined with crevices, each containing skeletal remains and urns.
His mission was simple. He was going to defile the crypt and remove the remains. The desecration and a short message painted in blood should make it clear who had despoiled the tomb. He was still trying to decide between “Beware the Twilight Throne” or something more direct. Perhaps “Death to the living.”
Still pondering this choice, Alex approached a sarcophagus that lay at the back of the crypt. The stone vessel was decorated with intricate carvings depicting the Lady guiding a man to the afterlife. She cradled the man’s body as onlookers knelt nearby in worship.
Without thinking, Alex pushed at the lid of the tomb. With his increased strength, the stone slab slid back with little resistance. Within the stone box, he saw a skeleton lying prone, its hands crossed over its chest. A gold ring still sat around the man’s finger, and an expensive necklace hung loosely across the bones of his chest.
As Alex gazed down at the remains, a strange feeling suddenly overcame him and his vision blurred. The stone sarcophagus disappeared. He now stood in front of a mahogany coffin, his head barely cresting the lip of the vessel. The wood had been polished to the point that Alex could see his reflection on the surface. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his nose was running.
However, what captured his attention was the woman that lay inside the box. His mother looked serene, her eyes were closed, and her face was relaxed. She barely resembled the sick and angry person that Alex remembered.
Tears streamed down his face as Alex looked at his mother. She was simply asleep. She would wake up soon, and they would go home. Things would go back to normal, like before she became ill.
His small hands clutched at the edge of the coffin. “Wake up, Mama!” Wake up!” he yelled, his tiny knuckles white as he shook the wooden box.
“George!” a voice called. Alex glanced up and saw a man dressed in a black robe standing on the other side of the casket. The man was frantically calling for his father. “George, come take care of your son!”
“What are you doing, Alex?” an angry voice demanded from behind him. Alex’s head whipped around as he heard his father. George frowned, raising a hand to the stately man beside him, indicating that he needed a moment. He then weaved through the crowd toward the coffin.
Alex didn’t have much time left if he was going to convince his mother to give up her game. He shook the coffin more violently. “Please wake up! You’re just faking! Lanes don’t die!” he cried desperately.
A hand grasped his shoulder, pulling him roughly away from the casket. “What are you doing, Alex?” his father repeated. George’s eyes hovered in his vision, filled with anger. He glanced at the crowd around them, frowning at the attention they were drawing.
“You’re making a spectacle,” his father hissed under his breath. His hand on Alex’s arm clenched tighter, causing pain to radiate down from his bicep to his fingers. “Is this what your mother would have wanted? Would she have wanted you to show such weakness in public?”
Alex’s mind scrambled to process what his father was saying. Was he being weak? His mother had hated weakness. Yet the despair and sadness he felt were overwhelming. His mind scrambled to find some relief from the sensation. Then a strange, hollow feeling overcame him, washing away his pain and his anxiety. He let the feeling settle over his mind like a warm blanket, reveling in the relief from the pain.
The image faded, and Alex leaned heavily on the stone sarcophagus in front of him as his breath came in heaving gasps. That familiar hollowness had abandoned him again, leaving a soul-crushing despair in its absence. His mind recoiled at the sensation, and his heart raced.
“Mother…” he gasped with a broken sound.
A cough sounded from behind him. “What are you doing?” a voice asked in irritation. It was one of the men who had come to help him clean out the tomb. “Are you ready to get started or what? We need to move quickly; I have homework to do... Not that you care.”
Alex quickly wiped away the tears that streamed down his cheeks, stifled a sob, and forced himself to take a breath. He had work to do. He needed to focus. A Lane didn’t show weakness in front of anyone. Yet the despair still radiated through his mind - unfortunately, the hollowness didn’t answer his call this time.
***
An hour later, Jason walked into the lobby at Cerillion Entertainment headquarters. The grand ceiling towered over him, and his shoes whispered softly against the marble tiles. He had plenty of time to replay the fight with the Minotaur King in his head on the way to meet Robert and Claire. They had been lucky. The King’s aura had prevented Jason from summoning new minions quickly, and they had been outnumbered. If Frank hadn’t acted when he did, he was pretty sure they’d be replaying that battle again but with fewer minions.
I wonder if the horde would have respawned if we had failed. I’m glad we don’t have to find out.
As Jason surveyed the lobby, he caught sight of Robert leaning against one of the ornate stone columns near the entrance. He was dressed in his typical t-shirt and chucks, which caused him to stick out amid the world of suits and ties that surrounded them. As Jason approached, Robert watched him with a conflicted expression.
“Hi, Jason,” he said in a subdued tone.
“Hey, Robert,” Jason replied, uncertainty in his voice.
Why is he acting strangely? He was practically gushing with energy the last time we met.
“Is something wrong?” Jason asked.
Robert stared at him with a confused expression. “Are you joking? You might have just started some sort of rebellion, and you’re asking me if something is wrong?”
Jason’s eyes widened in shock as his mind scrambled to process what Robert was saying. “What are you talking about? I’ve been in a dungeon pretty much all day,” Jason responded, his brow furrowed in worry.
Robert’s mouth drew into a pinched line. “Then how do you explain this?” he replied shortly. He grabbed Jason’s arm and pulled him to the security terminal in the center of the lobby. Robert motioned to the guard to vacate his seat. The man complied with an irritated scowl. However, a quick glance at Robert’s security badge was enough to keep his mouth shut.
After manipulating the keyboard for a few moments, Robert pulled up the internal network for Cerillion Entertainment. Jason then watched as Robert logged into the console for the company’s new streaming channel, Vermillion Live. A video soon appeared on the screen, showing two reporters.
“Big news from Grey Keep today,” a male reporter announced in a serious voice. “The temple of the Lady of Light has been ransacked. It appears that all of the bodies in the crypt under the temple were stolen.”
“That’s not all,” the woman beside him added. She glanced anxiously at her hands for a moment and then back at the camera. “The intruder killed everyone in the temple, including all of the lower priests. He also left a message...”
The screen behind the pair shifted and showed the image of a poorly illuminated crypt. The camera panned slowly to the right, revealing the lone body of a priest. Blood pooled on the floor and ran down the grout between the stone tiles. Above the corpse was a message written on the wall in drying red blood. In a blunt challenge to the people of Grey Keep, the message stated, “Welcome to the darkness mortals.”
“This is clearly the work of the Twilight Throne,” the man continued. “I sense Jason’s psychological warfare at work here. Just as worrisome, the people of Grey Keep are now calling for war, and the leadership in the neighboring kingdoms are in an uproar.”
The woman shook her head slowly. “Reports from a few players indicate that Regent Strouse is urging his people to stay calm. He’s indicated that Grey Keep isn’t in a position to launch another full-scale attack after the last confrontation with the Twilight Throne.”
She hesitated before continuing, holding a hand to her ear as she listened to some tidbit of new information being relayed by her producer. “Our sources have indicated that the NPCs in Grey Keep aren’t satisfied with this response. Some players are predicting a full-fledged rebellion.”
“What’s even more concerning is the response by the other players,” the male reporter continued. “The bounty on Jason’s head has increased again, and many players are discussing banding together to launch another attack on the Twilight Throne with or without the aid of Strouse.”
“This wasn’t me,” Jason muttered, his eyes riveted on the screen.
Robert tapped the console, pausing the video. “If it wasn’t you, then someone just made a big goddamn mess and stuck your name on it.”
Jason’s hands clenched. His good mood at having cleared the first floor of the dungeon had vanished instantly. He didn’t need a problem like this right now. Not when he was already racing against the clock to complete the dungeon and was days away from the city. Not only that, but he had just ordered three divisions to reinforce Peccavi. Who could have done this? And better yet, what was their objective?
He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.
There’s nothing I can do about this right now. I need to have my conversation with Robert and Claire and then get back into the game. The only thing I can do at this point is pray that we can complete the dungeon quickly.
Jason sighed and turned to Robert. “I suppose this is the price of fame… or infamy.” He forced a grin at this last part. “We may as well get on with our meeting. I need to get back into the game.”
Robert looked at him evenly, an unreadable expression on his face. He didn’t seem entirely convinced by Jason’s nonchalance. “Sure thing,” he replied quietly. “Let’s go up to the control room, and we can meet with Claire.”
They walked over to the bank of elevators. As they approached the metallic doors, they slid open with a faint pneumatic hiss, and a young blond man stepped out. Jason stopped short, his eyes widening in surprise.
Damn it. This day just keeps getting better.
Jason was standing face to face with Alex Lane. “Hello, Alex,” Jason greeted, taking the initiative. Gone were the days where he was going to shrink away from his former tormenter. If Alex put together Jason being here with his in-game character, then there was nothing he could do about it at this point.
A brief look of shock registered on Alex’s face, turning swiftly to confusion as he tried to determine why Jason was at Cerillion Entertainment headquarters. Then Alex’s eyes darted to Robert, and his frown deepened.
After a long pause, Alex responded, “Hi, Jason.” He then turned to Robert. “It’s also nice to see you again, Robert.” Alex didn’t even manage a polite smile at this greeting, his mouth twisted into a pained grimace.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Robert replied dryly. “I take it that the two of you know each other?”
Jason nodded, watching Alex carefully. “You could say that. We used to go to school together,” he said in a sardonic tone.
Alex eyed Jason curiously, surprised at his cavalier attitude. “We did indeed. Jason here left the school a few weeks ago. In quite a hurry I might add. Something about a girl. It was rather dramatic,” he said with a suggestive expression.
Refusing to be baited, Jason simply smiled - the image of Riley blowing Alex’s head off dancing in his mind’s eye. “Well, the girl turned out to be a bit of a firecracker. She just has an explosive effect on people. You know what I mean, don’t you, Alex?” Jason received a stunned look from Alex.
“It’s been a pleasure to run into you again,” Jason continued. “However, we have some work to do.”
A tremor of confusion flashed in Alex’s eyes, but he held his tongue. This was the most tongue-tied and off-guard that Jason had ever seen his nemesis. “It was good to see you too, Jason,” Alex finally managed to reply as he stared at him coldly. “Take care.” With that, Alex walked swiftly toward the entrance to the building.
“I don’t know what the hell that was about, but I really don’t like that kid,” Robert muttered. “If he wasn’t George’s brat…” he trailed off, shaking his head. He turned to Jason, eyeing him seriously. “By the way, you didn’t hear me say that. They like me around here, but you still don’t cross the boss’ kid.”
“Of course,” Jason replied with a good-natured shrug as they entered the elevator.
Although he was trying to stay calm, Jason’s mind was in turmoil. This was the worst thing that could have happened to him today. Especially since it was coming on the heels of someone pinning the desecration of a temple on him. Alex would inevitably connect the “real world Jason” with the “in-game Jason.” His dad was also on the board of directors, and he had more money than he knew what to do with. If he decided to make Jason’s life a living hell, he could certainly do it. Hell, he was probably the one that had put out the real money bounty on his head.
Jason struggled to calm himself.
This is just one more thing I can’t control. Focus!
As they were riding up the elevator, Robert interrupted Jason’s jumbled, frantic thoughts, “What about the events in Grey Keep? What are you going to do if everyone is gunning for you?” he asked.
Jason hesitated for a long moment before responding. He couldn’t change the mountain of bad news that he had been confronted with today. However, he wasn’t going to lie down and let anyone take what he had created.
“I�
�ll make them regret it,” Jason vowed in a cold voice, as his eyes drilled holes into the door of the elevator.
This drew a surprised look from Robert, who observed the skinny teenager from a fresh perspective. He might look like a kid who had just started growing some hair on his chest, but sometimes Jason acted in a way that made it clear that Robert was speaking with the leader of a dark city.
When they arrived at the control room, Robert ushered them into the small conference room to the side of the lab. Techs watched Jason closely as he walked past, and he could make out whispering between the terminals.
They’re just a bunch of gossips here, huh?
Jason and Robert took a seat at the conference table, and Claire entered a moment later. She set a pedestal down on the conference table and then turned to Jason, her lips curling in a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Hello, Jason,” she greeted him in her usual, efficient manner as she offered her hand.
Jason shook Claire’s hand gently and saw her flinch slightly as she touched him. That was a bit odd. He wasn’t exactly a lady-killer, but women didn’t usually edge away from him when he shook their hand. She also hadn’t acted this way when they last met. What had changed? Pushing the thought aside, Jason got down to business.
“So why am I here?” Jason asked bluntly. In light of recent events, he was no longer in a mood to play games or step gingerly around the elephant in the room.
Claire took her seat and fiddled with the pedestal distractedly, not meeting Jason’s gaze. “Well, we originally called you in to ask you to do an interview related to what happened in Peccavi. However, with what has now occurred in Grey Keep…”
“Our producer wants you to do an interview regarding the desecration,” Robert interjected with a frown. “I just don’t know how you’re going to do that if you didn’t defile the temple.”
Awaken Online: Precipice Page 25