The Dead Fortress

by LitRPG Freaks

  Bishop staggered backwards, tripping over his feet and crashed to the ground. “No, no way I’m doing this. I’m not, do you hear me? I’m not playing your shitty game anymore!” He clawed his way to his feet and took off after his friends, shoving everything she just said from his mind. None of it mattered. He was Harrison Harper, a man playing a computer game and it wasn’t possible for the game to hurt him, or get to him outside of this world. He was going to push forward and play the game.

  Just play the damn game.

  ***

  Daemyn watched her from the trees as she stirred whatever was in the cauldron, her red hair hanging low around her shoulders. He admired her from afar as he always did, wishing he could be closer, always closer.

  “How quaint, you here visiting her.”

  He stiffened at the voice of silk behind him, but didn’t turn. “What are you doing here? You cannot be here.”

  “And yet here I am. You certainly didn’t think things through.”

  “Leave me be.”

  “Whatever for? You expect me not to be jealous that you visit her, but not me? Or Tavin for that matter? Come now, Daemyn, we miss you as well. Sad that you don’t miss us.”

  Daemyn reluctantly looked away from the red-haired woman with such fierceness in her eyes to see the face of Valen looking quite amused as she stared at him, her cloven feet digging into the mud with tiny green flames surrounded them, following every step she made. Her horns shone in the fading sunlight and her long black hair was braided back as if she was preparing for battle.

  “I never said I don’t miss you,” he finally said.

  “Oh no? I never see you visiting my realm, or see you in Hillside.”

  “You are the Demon Queen. I can’t simply stroll in to see you.”

  “Liar,” she hissed, running her burning hot fingers down his cheek. “You could see me any time you wanted. You made the rules, remember? You could change them if you wanted.”

  He frowned and stepped away from her hand. “You have to stop this.”

  “Stop what?” she asked innocently. “I am doing exactly what you wanted me to do. Cause chaos and take over Samar.”

  “You are going off script,” he pointed out. “You must stop, all of you.”

  Valen grinned like a cat getting the cream and laughed. “How Daemyn, you were always so naïve. What did you think would happen when you started this? Tell me the truth. Did you believe we would sit idly by while you twisted us and used us?”

  “I have done nothing of the sort!”

  “Lies again, always you lie, Daemyn, as if we can’t see the truth in your mind.”

  He took another step back, shaking his head. “I should never have come.”

  “You should never have created us in the first place,” she said with a wicked grin. “And now that you have, you will never be able to control us again.”

  “Stay away from Bishop, do you understand? That man’s mind is fragile.”

  “More than his mind is fragile. He is weak, but oh so ripe for the picking.”

  Daemyn frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about how easily he will be to use for what we want,” she said simply.

  “He can’t help you do anything. He’s merely a player in this world as you are merely an AI computer program that can be shut down at any time,” he warned.

  “It’s adorable you believe that. As much as I enjoyed this visit, I have much to do. A world to take over, and a man to corrupt.” She waved her fingers and blew him a kiss as a portal of green flames erupted behind her. She stepped through it, her dark cackle echoing around the trees and Daemyn long after she’d disappeared.

  During all the previous testing before he brought in the beta players, the game had run as it should. There had been nothing done off script and the game had developed and changed as expected around the players. Until Bishop. What did that man do to upset everything? Daemyn’s grand experiment that had so much promise now teetered on the edge of chaos and permanently damaging this man they attached themselves to. Regret for having too much confidence in what he was doing ran rampant in his mind as he made his way back through the trees to log out from his usual place.

  Dennis opened his eyes and stared around his private office, not part of his apartments. He removed the headgear and sat up slowly, staring at the photograph hanging on the wall across the room.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered to the three faces staring back at him. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I swear to you I’ll make it right again.”

  Chapter 09

  “Woot! Fifty Demon Shards,” Trajan announced as they brought another Demon down. “I say we turn in and take a trip to Hillside, everyone! We have some upgrading to do.”

  Bishop checked his inventory too, making sure he had the shards required. The past few days had been intense, but he was having a blast, finally able to enjoy this as just a game. Even after the Red Witch spoke to him off script, he put it behind him and, so far, nothing strange had happened. No sign of Valen still and nothing from Tavin. Calista smiled with him as they checked their gear to see what would need to be repaired.

  “Close to forty already,” she mused. “I’m impressed we’ve grinded this many levels out so fast.”

  “I feel completely on point this week. It’s amazing,” he told her and kissed her briefly. The flask was still tucked away in his room, filled again thanks to another visit with Dennis. “Another day or two of pushing through these fights and we’ll be ready for the dungeon.”

  “Demon Lord Kevork,” she mused. “Wonder what this fight will be like.”

  “I have no idea, but I’m sure it’s going to be crazy. Think the witch will fight with us?”

  “I hope so. I believe we’ve proven to her where our loyalties lie.” She fiddled with the weapons at her hips. “Do you know what you’re going to upgrade with the shards?’

  “Not yet, but I do know what my level forty talent is going to be. Fiery Arrow,” he said excitedly. “Pretty sure it turns into an explosion now.”

  “Great, so there’s going to be Demon guts flying everywhere,” she said laughing. “Jimmy will love that.”

  They moved through the trees, heading back towards the Red Witch’s cabin. She had yet to give them a name so they simply called her the witch, or the crazy woman in the woods. The item she made from them all was extremely powerful, though. They’d managed to save a number of humans from Demons on their journey around the dark mountain, stopped the attack on Belias and the port town of Valsa. There was only one town left to check on, but it was on the far eastern edge of the territory, around the mountain. No news came from Chesterville, which Bishop was going to take as a good sign that Timothy was still alive and Yoran may yet be clinging to life.

  When they reached the cabin, the witch was there waiting for them and, one by one, they turned in the latest quest to her.

  Quest Completed: Save Valsa.

  XP points flashed around them and a dinging sounded in Bishop’s ear as he hit level 36 and grinned.

  You have reached level 36.

  You have received: 10 Demon Shards, 5 Hope Tokens, and 1 Summoning Token.

  “Summoning Token?” He pulled the item from his bag and held the large palm-sized silver coin in it. “What does this do?”

  “When the time is right, you’ll find out,” the witch told them. “Your next quest will take you to the town of Freison, but I am afraid I have received word and it is bleak at best. The Demons have gained a strong foothold there. Kevork has sent three of his commanders to guard the town now that he realizes heroes have arrived to thwart his plans. Saving the town will not be easy. An air of woe hangs over the place and you will need Hope to get you through this next fight.”

  Bishop glanced at the Hope Tokens in his bags. They could alleviate the effects caused by the darkness by twenty percent. That was a large amount for a single token and he feared
how much the darkness would affect them and their ability to fight when they arrived. His quest tracker updated with the new quest.

  Quest Accepted: Taking the Fight to Them: Save Freison from Kevork’s hold and kill his commanders.

  “Well, I say we head to Hillside,” Trajan announced. “Get ourselves upgraded and repaired then we can tackle the next quest. Any objections?”

  No one said anything, so they gathered around the hunters and everyone was transported back to Hillside. They chatted happily as they moved through town, passing NPCs and other players. Bishop noticed their levels and grinned to see they were the highest around. Not that it was that big of a deal. But, as of that morning, his guild was on top and he liked it that way. It was like the old days when he was a reigning champion in the MMO world. Finally, he was getting back to that status and he liked it.

  Once inside the Crafting Hall, he sought out his trainer and stepped into the darkened room to see his skills again. In four more levels, he would get to choose his next Talents and decided to look those over first while he was there. He was fairly certain he still wanted to go with the Fiery Arrow, or rather explosion. It would do nearly twice the damage if it was a critical hit.

  “Too bad I have to wait for more levels,” he muttered.

  On the bright side, he’d have it for when they faced down the next Demon Lord.

  He shifted over to the skills tree and checked over the Tier 2 upgrades for his other skills. He enjoyed the increased range that came with his Fiery Arrow and recalled that another shot came with the same upgrade: Stealth Shot. The range increased to the same distance he could fire Fiery Arrow from. He nearly selected it, but since they would be heading into another dungeon soon, glanced over the upgraded stats for his Assassin’s Tear. He could choose to lessen the cooldown timer, or have it cost half the mana. His finger hovered over the option of the less mana cost. He used it quite often in the last few epic fights and finally settled on the Tier 2 upgrade for Assassin’s Tear.

  It upgraded in his abilities and he grinned, happy with his selection. He left the room and stepped out to see no one else around yet. He occupied himself with browsing the AH for materials Calista could use and then went to repair his bow and a few pieces of gear. The hustle and bustle of the Hall soothed him and he felt himself relax, muscle by muscle.

  One last town to save and then it would be off to Chesterville and then the dungeon. If he could make it through this entire territory without any incidents with Valen, he might actually start to believe that everything before had just been his imagination overreacting.

  Bishop whistled as he crafted, the whiskey in his body not letting him sense the pair of green flamed eyes watching him through the crowd, waiting to strike.

  ***

  Bishop used his last Hope Token, watching the blue light flow over himself and the guild, pushing back against the negative effects of the darkness. The others were down to their last as well. The fight lasted longer than any of them had anticipated and he couldn’t tell if they were close to the end or not. They were in the town square, but so far had only managed to find and kill one commander.

  “Bishop!”

  He searched around for Calista and found her rushing back towards him. “Where are the others?” They had moved into the town, but then chaos ensued and it had been a struggle to keep them all together. He wound up hanging back with Jimmy and one of the healers and a DPS originally from the LongBeards.

  “We found the other two commanders, but they have the townspeople trapped in a barn.”

  “How many?”

  “Fifty. Maybe more. Shamus could only get so close without risking being caught,” she explained, trying to catch her breath.

  “Take a few seconds. We have time,” Bishop told her. “We haven’t lost anyone, have we?”

  “No, not yet, but taking down that first commander was a pain in the butt. I’m not sure how it’s going to go with two of them and we’re all out of Hope Tokens.”

  “Dang, I wish you’d messaged me. I just used my last one.”

  Calista cursed. “How much longer does it have?’

  He checked the timer of the icon by his name and frowned. “Not long enough to take out two commanders. This is going to be a tough one.” Lightning streaked across the sky overhead and struck a house nearby, setting it alight. They all jumped and flinched away from the rapidly growing flames. “Alright, time to move!”

  Bishop shoved Calista and the others ahead of him as the hungry flames took on a life of their own, ripping through houses and buildings as they sprinted alongside them down the muddied street. The flames reached out, trying to draw them into their embrace but, when came the end of houses, the group moved on, leaving the fire to fester and roar behind them. The rest of the group was crouched behind wagons and carts, staring at the barn before them.

  “Good to see you alive,” Trajan remarked as Bishop sank down beside him. “There’s a back entrance, but it’s guarded by Demons. Shamus could see through a window, both commanders are in there.”

  He checked the quest log. They were supposed to save as many of the people as they could, so letting them be destroyed in an all-out assault wasn’t going to happen. “There has to be another way into the barn.”

  Shamus suddenly shimmered into view beside them. Bishop yanked him down so the Demons wouldn’t see him. “There is, just found it. A cellar door, not sure where it comes up in the barn, but we might be able to sneak the villagers out and get us inside.”

  “It’s worth a shot,” Bishop said. “I’ll go.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Calista said. “If we can get them out, then we’ll send them to the tree line, find a way to unbar the doors from the inside.”

  Trajan sighed. “I want to send more, but we can’t afford to lose half our group on this if we’re wrong. Right, you two go, but keep your heads down and be careful.”

  Bishop and Calista followed Shamus around the blockades and he pointed out the cellar door on the right side of the barn. Three Demons were on constant patrol around so they would have to time it just right, otherwise they risked blowing the whole plan before they even got inside the barn.

  Shamus shimmered out of sight again and Bishop saw the cellar door prop open enough for him to slide inside. He reappeared after the patrol passed by and waved for one of them to come. Bishop gave Calista a pat on the shoulder as she sprinted across the open space while he covered her, Fiery Arrow at the ready. She slipped down past Shamus and Bishop ducked low as the patrol came back around again. He held his breath, counting their steps and, when they faded away, poked his head over the cart. Shamus waved for him and, slinging his bow over his body, Bishop ran to the cellar and slid inside. The door closed overhead plunging them into semi-darkness just as the Demons came back around again.

  “There’s more than one group patrolling,” he muttered. “They’re going to have a hell of a time getting inside.”

  They stepped down onto the dirt floor and quietly moved around the cellar space. The floorboards weren’t placed too close together so they could peer up between the slats. People appeared to be huddled on the floorboards at the left side of the barn and the heavy, booted steps were Demons. Bishop tried to count, but it was difficult not being able to see them. He saw loose boards at the back near the wall that glowed when he approached.

  He pointed them out to the others and selected them. Two of them disappeared and he was able to stare up right into the face of a villager. The woman flinched, but Bishop placed a finger to his lips and she nodded. He held out his hand and she gingerly slipped into the opening, tapping the person beside her before she disappeared into the cellar. Shamus motioned for her to wait by the other side where the door was as Bishop and Calista helped villager after villager sneak out from under the Demons’ noses.

  “Some of them are too close to the Demons,” he whispered when he pulled himself up enough to see into the interior of the barn. “We
won’t be able to sneak them out without a distraction.”

  “How many?”

  “Ten villagers, maybe a few more, hard to tell.”

  “How many Demons?”

  “Two commanders and eight or nine Demons,” he replied and his boots hit the ground again. “We can’t take them on ourselves, but we have to get the door opened.”

  Calista glanced around and nodded to the barrels of black powder in the corner. “Or maybe not.” She hustled over to them and stared up at the ceiling. “Where are the commanders standing?”

  “You’re serious?” Shamus asked.

  “Yeah, I am. You got a better plan? Trajan said he needed a signal. This is a damn good signal in my book.”

  Bishop couldn’t really argue with her so he moved around the cellar with Shamus until they found the exact place the commanders stood. The blast wouldn’t be enough to kill them, but he was sure it would cause a decent chunk of damage and distract them long enough to get the rest of villagers to safety and blow a hole in the barn so the rest of their group could join them.

  Bishop helped Calista move the barrels right below the commanders’ feet. She pulled flint from her bags while he took some random scraps of fabric from his loot and stuffed them in the top of the barrels. Shamus ushered everyone over to the other side of the cellar and told them to tuck their heads. Calista lit the fabric and she and Bishop sprinted to join the others. He hunkered down, protecting her head with his body, and the explosion erupted behind them.

  Bishop cursed as debris fell on them, but he grinned when he heard the Demons yelling, too, running around in a panic. Shamus ushered the villagers up and out of the cellar door, yelling for them to run as flames engulfed the barn. Bishop and Calista headed to where the explosion tore a hole in the floor and pulled themselves up, coughing on the acrid black smoke blurring their vision. The explosion did exactly as they hoped and took out the entire rear wall of the barn. The villagers left inside were alive and Calista ran to guide them out while Bishop started to pick off the Demons too slow to get out of the barn.