On My Brother's Grave: Reconnaissance: A LitRPG Adventure (Vatenkeist Online Book 1)

by E. M. Hardy

  Elia left our quarters first, about an hour before daybreak. She had taken the armor she had stolen and donned it in one of the darker alleys close to the Griffin Fountain. The only telltale signs I had to identify her from the rest of the city guards were the mace and shield she kept with her. Everything else was exactly identical.

  When I finally left the inn, I headed straight to the Drunken Stallion and saw Sweetness was already up and ready with the wagon of rum.

  “Here you go, handsome,” she greeted me. She was wearing the sexiest nightgown and robe I had ever seen on any woman, in the flesh or imaginary. It was a little embarrassing to be turned on so much by a person who wasn’t even real – well, as far as I could tell. I never really got to ask her if she was an NPC or a player. And if she was a player, if she was even female.

  “Thanks,” I told her as I grabbed a hold of the wagon. “You might want to steer clear from the central plaza today. Things are about to get a little messy.”

  She gave me that wicked grin again and answered, “I know. Only someone as recklessly heroic as you would plan something so crazy on an execution date.”

  I saluted her one last time before I took the wagon and began hauling my way down the street. The barrels were a lot heavier than I had expected. All this rum sloshing about behind me was also getting me thirsty. Every few steps and I couldn’t help but ponder how relieving it would be to stop and take a few gulps.

  Despite how strong the temptation was, I never did stop walking. I was basically hauling a wagon of explosives under everybody’s noses. When people thought of bombs, they thought of gun powder, C-4 or dynamite. Rum wasn’t likely going to be on anyone’s list of dangerous items to carry around in the middle of the streets.

  I trusted Elia and her plan. It was the most insane thing I’d heard in a while but, then again, we already did go through some pretty ridiculous adventures. We had taken on an ogre on our own and we had boarded an enemy skyship and blown it out of the sky. Setting some barrels on fire and rescuing a condemned man sounded like just another day at the office for us.

  Carrying so much weight did slow me down but, eventually, I did make my way to the central plaza. It was still early in the morning, although there was already a big crowd. I glanced around for Elia. However, there were so many guards it was impossible to even get a good look.

  “All right,” I whispered to myself. “We can do this.”

  I passed by a couple of orcs and a circle of Venaris folks while lugging around my deadly load. I had to push my way through the crowd until I eventually situated myself right next to the entrance of the Golden Dragon Trading Bazaar and Bank. There were a lot of guards on duty here and I expected no less. It was a bank after all.

  That was when the gears began to grind.

  I let go of the wagon and quietly left the area, leaving the barrels of rum behind. I slipped through the mob and kept my gaze towards the central area where I now noticed they had erected a small wooden stage. There was a hangman’s noose and stand as well.

  Quickly, I made my way through and towards the library. It was right across the bank and it was the tallest building with a tower. That made it the perfect spot.

  As I pushed and excused my way through, I heard the guards suddenly call out and blow their trumpets. I turned and, to my utter disappointment, noticed that the Grand Duke’s carriage was already arriving. Right behind it was the procession of guards escorting a dwarf in chains.

  “Goddamn,” I muttered in frustration.

  We had hoped to kidnap our target before they ever made it here. Elia was still out there, somewhere, waiting for my signal. I guess at this point we’d just have to make do. As the Grand Duke and his family, including Ritorio, proceeded to the center stage, I hurried into the library. I didn’t even wait for someone to give me directions or even permission; I bolted for the staircase that spiraled all the way to the top.

  As I made my way up, I realized that the library wasn’t exactly how I had imagined. I had been expecting one similar to the real world, with shelves and books all lined up for people to browse through and read. Instead, this library was filled with long tables. Each table had scrolls piled onto each other in a very organized manner. It was like looking at a wine collection but with scrolls instead of bottles.

  There were a few patrons here and there, but it didn’t look like the library was that busy this particular morning. I only saw a couple of attendants – likely NPCs – putting scrolls in place or talking to some customers. Most of the folks around the library were more concerned about securing a better view of the events taking place outside.

  Of course, I didn’t wait and loiter around to read any of those stupid scrolls. I took the opportunity to dash upstairs. Fortunately for me, there was an open window that gave me a direct line of sight to the wagon of barrels way down below.

  “How far could that be?” I wondered aloud, just as I pulled an arrow from my quiver. I nocked it to my bow and took aim. I made sure to step a little bit back, concealing myself in the shadows, and then measured the distance between the tower top and the rum.

  The distance was a little too much to estimate, though I figured it was a good three hundred feet at the very least. That was even farther than the distance Oswald had to cover during the assassination of JKF. The difference being the bastard had a rifle. I was about to make a shot using nothing but a bow and freaking arrow.

  From the corner of my eye, I perceived further commotion. The guards moved Ohren to the hangman’s noose and it looked like some priest official was giving him his final rites. I could see Ritorio fanning himself and his parents were staring down at the dwarf, just waiting for the execution to take place.

  “Well, to hell with that. Fire Shot!” I decided, and finally let loose my arrow. The flaming arrow sang as it buzzed through the air. Before anyone could see where it came from, it struck right into the side of the wagon.

  I smacked my forehead with my palm.

  Several of the guards looked up my way and all hell broke loose. A handful of soldiers scrambled to run towards the library. In just a few more minutes, they’d be storming their way up to my position. I had to hurry.

  I took another shot and then a third before the second could even hit its mark. A moment passed and I thought they had both missed, but then a large explosion rocked the area. All the barrels blew in a violent blast. To my utter surprise, I watched the bank crumble as its foundations shattered and tumbled from the shockwave and intense fire.

  “Oh boy,” I muttered when I saw the billows of smoke and dust cover everyone like a blanket of death and destruction. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

  That was when I heard the guards slamming against the door. It was a good thing I had the mind to lock it before I took position. With how the situation was unfolding, though, I knew it was just a matter of time before they’d break the door down. I had to get out of there.

  “Should I just log out?” The idea seemed appealing. I could just unplug and then log back in a few minutes later. By then, a few hours would have passed in the game and the guards may no longer be around looking for me in the library.

  I shook my head in dismay. “Can’t do that. I have to stick here and help Elia.” I wasn’t even sure the game would let me quit if I had just engaged in combat. Moreover, there was the fact that I’d lose all my equipment. And I kind of liked my dagger and bow.

  Bang!

  The door kept on rattling. I could hear them smashing the hilts of their blades against the wood. It was just a matter of time now before they’d break in. If they did, then I’d probably get killed and end up way back at the Save Girl. From there, I wouldn’t have the time or opportunity to get back and help Elia. We would fail, and we’d lose all that precious intel.

  Quickly, I peered back out the window. One sole look confirmed there was no way I’d survive jumping down. That was when I saw Elia, in her guard costume, run up to Ohren and cut him loose f
rom the hangman’s noose. Several guards began swarming around her.

  “Damn it,” I cursed, as I ignited another round of Fire Shots. This consumed the last drops of MP I had left, but there was no other option right now. Chaos was all over the place. As fast as I could, I took my shots, firing at the guards closest to Elia.

  The explosion from the blast was still consuming the rubble, and smoke was everywhere. I watched as Elia grabbed Ohren and hid in the safety of the dust and chaos. Several other guards began combing through the crowd, looking for them. Elia weaved through the flood of people, drawing Ohren as far away as possible.

  I had to do my part. Providing her with cover, I fired as many arrows as I could towards the guards that were closest to spotting her. I heard the door smash behind me but I didn’t even care to look that way. I just kept on drawing arrows and firing some more. It was only then that I saw Ritorio looking up and, at long last, discern my presence. Maybe it was just my imagination but I could have sworn he bowed and smiled at me before he grabbed his parents and hauled them back towards their carriage.

  Damn. I had wanted to use that carriage to help Ohren escape, but that plan went completely out the window. I could only hope right now that Elia would manage to use the crowd to her advantage. If she was smart enough, she could get her and Ohren a few blocks away and back to a dark alley where they could change their outfits or find a safer route to the Silver Blades headquarters.

  Crack!

  The door in my back shattered and now I turned around just in time to see several guards bashing to unlock the knob. I seized my dagger and stabbed the first hand that came through the open door panels. Blood spilled, but the guard who reeled back in pain was quickly replaced with another.

  “This isn’t going to work,” I muttered. My eyes darted left and right as I began to assess the situation. That was when I sighted the only fragment of hope that I had left: a flagpole right outside the window. It had some rope, though it wasn’t long enough for me to scale all the way down to the bottom of the building.

  With the dagger, I cut off the rope at one end. I made sure that the end still tied to the pole was secure before I grabbed the other and took a deep breath. This was a really, really stupid idea, but to hell with it – if I did nothing, then they’d all break in and kill me anyway. At least, I had small chance here with my playing ninjas.

  That was when the door shattered and three guards quickly rushed inside the tight tower space. Without waiting for them to strike, I gripped the rope and leapt right outside, doing my best to keep my feet on the wall and scale down as quickly as I could.

  One of the guards then poked his head out and saw me descending. “Hey, you!” he shouted. “Where in the hell do you think you’re going, eh?”

  He took his sword and prepared to cut the rope.

  I had no time to really think this through. I took my bow and, with one hand, nocked an arrow. In order to fire, I had to let go of the rope momentarily. In that instant, I began to descend in a chaotic freefall, but I took that chance to let loose my shot. I watched as the arrow pierced through the air and buried itself in the guard’s head. His body slumped over and, soon enough, he too was crashing down.

  Almost entirely by instinct, I slung the bow around my shoulder and grabbed the rope. It tightened with the pressure and weight. Before I could stop myself, I swung a little too much and slammed against the wall of the library tower.

  The guard’s corpse then smashed into me and I lost all control. The rope slipped out of my grasp and we both crashed a good twenty feet down onto the ground with a painful thud. A jolt of shock shot through my leg and I knew something was broken. I didn’t have the time to even wince as I felt the corpse crush the wind out of me, and it was nothing but pure surprise to see I was still alive somehow.

  I opened my menu and kept it hidden. I just needed to check how many HP I had left. I had to see if getting up at this point was even worth the trouble.

  One more hit, from anything, and I would go down. That still meant I had a chance to buy Elia and Ohren more time to get away and cover their tracks from the guards. That meant getting up even when everything in my body said I should just lie down and die.

  I shoved the corpse out of the way and got up on my feet. My left leg was twisted in a weird angle and I could feel pain emanating throughout my back. I didn’t even realize it but my right arm was severely broken as well, along with some ribs and my shoulder.

  The crowd around me just stared, but they all gave me space as I began to walk my way through like some mangled zombie. Some took a few steps back and others tried to step in closer. No matter what they did, I was still an open target to the dozens of guards coming down from the library and those emerging from the dust from the blown bank.

  Frustrated, I pulled my dagger and quickly grabbed someone by the collar. It was an old, unarmed man. I figured he was very unlikely to be a player since he didn’t carry any equipment or weapon by his side. Of course, none of the other NPCs knew that and, if there were players around here, I was hoping none of them cared for what was going on right now.

  “Everybody step back and let me through,” I requested. “Let me through and nobody gets hurt.”

  That was when an adventurer did step up. He was an orc, big and clad in full armor. He even had a giant maul that needed both hands to properly wield. He took one look at me and said, “I don’t know if you should be making demands here. Every inch of you is broken. We could hand you to the authorities in a snap.”

  He had called my bluff. Without missing a beat, I tossed the old man to the side and then took my bow and arrow to aim straight at the orc. “Look, man, you don’t understand what the heck is going on right now. There are forces at work here bigger than you and I.”

  “I know you just blew the shit out of the bank and helped some rogue guard rescue Ohren,” he answered. “For that alone, you’re a threat to the Ascendants.”

  “What is it to you?” I asked. I aimed right for his eyes. “If you think you have even an inkling of an idea regarding all this crap between the factions of players, I just have to know one simple truth. Whose side do you stand by? Are you going to let me pass or will I have to dig an arrow in your skull?”

  The orc stared and, amidst the rumble of smoke and crackling fire, I could hear the stomping of boots as more guards were rushing in. In just a few more minutes, I was expecting a horde of soldiers to completely surround me. To my surprise, however, the orc stepped aside.

  “Get out of here,” he told me. “I’ll handle the guards and any lackey the Ascendants send in. I’ve had enough of those morons, thinking they can control this game or something.”

  I nodded and limped my way through until I blended into the sea of people crowding the central plaza. I could hear screams in my back. The smoke from the explosion was making it hard to breathe too, but I muscled my way through until I was a good block away. I then took a detour down a small, tight alley, and there I stumbled behind a large stack of crates.

  As I sat there, I heard more fighting. I heard yelps and shouts as the frenzy from the explosion and the sudden rescue caught on with the other players. Everything was coming to a clash back there. Yet, right now, for me, I was on the verge of quitting.

  Still, I knew I shouldn’t. I took in a deep breath and got myself back up. This time, I was able to ignore the pain shooting through every pore in my body. Maybe I was getting too used to it by now. Maybe in the real world, this amount of pain would have killed me already.

  First, I took a peek outside the alley. There were people everywhere, and I could see all the commotion was making most of the folks look out the windows or step out of their homes. Guards were roaming and I could hear the orc rallying more allies to fight, even from this distance. His distinctive roar was impossible to miss, even with the noise all around me.

  Risking exposure, I dashed into the open road. Before any of the soldiers could spot me, I crashed into th
e next open doorway and didn’t even care to see who was inside. I didn’t even apologize for barging in. I simply made my way through until I found the back door, went right through it, and then barged into the next house.

  I continued in this manner until I eventually got to a small, almost derelict home in the east side of Cael’vron. From the outside, it looked like it could have been a bakery or store at one point, but now it was just abandoned. There were even a few baking pans on the floor, and the counter had a few old receipts. I didn’t know if these were actual receipts or if programmers just added these here to heighten the realism of the place.

  “Fhauste?” I heard Elia call out.

  I looked over to one of the old rooms and there I found Elia and Ohren. She had her mace out, ready to strike, and Ohren was on what was left of a bed. He was seated on the edge and he held a knife, though his grip was wobbly and obviously nervous.

  The dwarf looked like he had been through hell. His head was shaved and his long, red beard was crusted with dirt and soot. Even his prisoner attire was so dirty I didn’t even recognize it at first. Perhaps more reasons why were the added garments Elia had given him such as a new pair of boots and some old trousers we had secured the night before. He still had on the prisoner tunic but it was so covered in filth I couldn’t even see the insignia of the Cael’vron prison.

  “Elia,” I answered as I limped my way inside. “Good thing you made it.”

  “Why didn’t you just log out?” she asked me. “Look at you; you’re a freaking mess!”

  I gave her a weak smile and answered, “I had to make sure you guys made it. I kind of started a little bit of a riot back there too. Maybe it’ll give us enough time to get our bearings and make it to the headquarters.”

  Ohren then spoke up and asked, “Just who the heck are you people? I am grateful for you saving my life but I don’t want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire here.”