Evolution

by Travis Bagwell

  Chapter 34 - Orchestrated

  Claire sat in the Control Room, skimming frantically through the hundreds of video logs that were streaming down her screen. She knew that the other technicians were going through the same process, trying to filter out high-quality video content from the hundreds of streams that had ended abruptly during the battle in Falcon’s Hook.

  It didn’t help that they had been given no warning about this global event and were severely understaffed. The situation in Falcon’s Hook had also escalated much more rapidly than the technicians had expected – due in large part to the time dilation effects in-game. While the events were playing out in real time from the players’ perspective, the group in the Control Room was perpetually forced to play catch up.

  Robert chose that moment to re-enter the room, the elevator off to the side of the lab sliding open with a faint hiss. He quickly stepped inside and made his way up to the dais. “How are we doing?” he asked Claire.

  “How are we doing?” she demanded. “Really? Where have you been?”

  She glanced up to find Robert standing behind her, his hand halfway to his mouth and a handful of popcorn filling his palm. “Umm, I needed a snack?” he offered.

  Claire let out a pained sigh, one hand rubbing at her temple.

  “Seriously though, Claire,” Robert continued, taking his seat on the other side of the dais. “You need to relax. It will be fine.”

  “Fine? The producer from Vermillion Live has been breathing down my throat all afternoon – as though I don’t already know that he needs priority access to the footage in Falcon’s Hook. We’re struggling to capture decent streams to send over to him.”

  Robert shrugged. “It can’t be helped, and he knows that. Don’t let him get to you. But, speaking of which, have we found some good clips yet?” Robert asked, directing this last question to the men and women ringing the dais.

  One of the technicians stood up, waving at Robert to get his attention. “I’ve got some footage here, but I’m also noticing something strange happening in the Crystal Reach. There’s a lot of activity around the keep. Do you want me to look into it?”

  “Nah,” Robert replied around a mouthful of popcorn. “Alex’s drama is small potatoes. Let’s focus on this world event. The users are all clamoring for footage of Jason’s latest exploits anyway. It’s all about the ratings apparently,” he added with a chuckle.

  “Yes, sir,” the tech said. “I’ll push the feed up now.”

  The large screen above the lab flickered to life. Every head in the control room swiveled to get a good look at the display – most of the crew anxious to see what was going on in Falcon’s Hook. The information in the corner of the screen indicated that they were seeing the perspective of a player named Ralph. It also appeared that Ralph was an idiot.

  He and a group of other individuals were standing on the docks below Falcon’s Hook – which happened to put them dead center in front of the massive flotilla of lizardmen that were descending on the bay. The crude rafts were forced to clump together in order to fit into the narrow opening between the cliffs. The staff could already see the throng of burly lizardmen swarming across their surface.

  “Holy shit,” one of the technicians murmured. “There must be thousands.”

  The lizardmen made remarkable progress, the rafts being pulled along by massive serpents. Within only a few minutes the rafts were swarming the docks. The player onscreen attempted to hurl a few fireballs toward the incoming force, yet each blast of flame was met with a wall of water – effectively neutralizing his spells.

  “I don’t think this is going to work,” Ralph murmured to his teammates. He sounded nervous, and the screen bobbed as he took cover behind a nearby ship.

  “Yeah, no shit Sherlock,” Robert commented, grabbing more popcorn.

  As the lizardmen rushed the docks and thundered across the planks, the sound of buzzing filled the air. The player glanced up and saw hundreds of arrows swarming through the air, some glowing an ominous orange. Many of the projectiles slammed into the deck of the nearby ship.

  “What is….?” Ralph began.

  His sentence was cut off as the ship beside him suddenly erupted in a violent explosion of flame. Ralph was thrown several yards away, landing in the water of the bay. The screen was covered in green seawater for a long moment until Ralph bobbed back to the surface. What met him was an inferno of flames curling down the docks and up the ramparts scaling the cliff face.

  Then the screen jerked downward and filled with seawater once more, a reptilian face swimming in front of the camera and the camera bobbing as the player struggled to swim away. In the murky background, hundreds of lizardman could be seen weaving below the surface of the water.

  Without warning, a lizardman’s claws raked forward, and the screen went black.

  “Holy… holy shit,” Robert murmured, his surprise echoed by the other technicians.

  “Just a moment, sir,” a tech said. “I’ll switch to the other feed I found.”

  The screen changed again. Now they were witnessing the perspective of a player on the cliffs. Robert’s hand froze halfway to his mouth. Some time must have passed between the two streams. This player was staring at what appeared to be a mammoth sapphire dragon, its body resting on the edge of the cliff as it ripped apart another player, his screams filling the air. Several people around the room gasped at the scene playing out on the screen.

  Without warning, the ground trembled and the player spun, looking at a point further down the cliff. A maelstrom of bone was hovering around a single point, the ivory material so dense that the player couldn’t see inside the whirlwind. The bones whipped through the air at a frightening pace, smashing against crates and barrels in their path and creating a shower of wooden fragments.

  A moment later, the bones formed into a thing of nightmares. The creature’s body dropped to the cliff with a thunderous crash, it’s malevolent black eyes focusing on the dragon raging about the cliffs. It flexed its new body, the bones crackling and crunching as it experimentally swung its scythe-like arms. Then, bony wings of dark energy unfurled behind it.

  “What is that thing?” the player gasped, scrambling backward to get away from the demonic creature. Even Claire was stunned, staring at the abomination with wide eyes.

  Moving too fast for the player to follow, the bone creature suddenly disappeared. The player whirled, trying to find this new monster. He turned, and the screen listed to the side as the ground trembled. The massive skeletal creature was grappling with the dragon on the other end of the cliff, their bodies destroying several buildings ringing the ridgeline as they tumbled along the ground.

  The pair disengaged, and the dragon breathed a stream of frost at the skeletal monstrosity. It dodged in a blur of motion, barely avoiding the blast, but the player wasn’t so fortunate. He began to scream as he saw the wave of silvery ice cascading toward him, but it was already too late. A moment later, the screen blacked out.

  The group in the lab sat in stunned silence for a long moment. Then Robert coughed, choking slightly on the last handful of popcorn. “Someone get the Vermillion Live producer on the phone. I was wrong, so very wrong. We need to get this up now, editing be damned!”

  The staff kept glancing between him and the screen, still in shock. “What are you waiting for?” Robert shouted. “Get your asses moving!”

  ***

  After the death of the dragon, the players and city soldiers managed to push the lizardmen back quickly, forcing the remaining beasts back against the edge of the cliff until the last of the creatures fell to the rocks far below. After the grueling battle, compassion was in short supply, and Jason and his group watched in numb silence as the remaining creatures were massacred in front of their eyes.

  Many more of the beasts still lingered on the rafts floating in the bay, along with the serpents that they had used as mounts. However, Lord Cairn’s fleet chose that moment to finally make its appearance. Dozens of ships drif
ted into the mouth of the bay, each vessel pivoting to level its cannons at the remaining creatures.

  Thunder pealed through the bay as the ships’ weapons fired, concussive blasts of flame and shrapnel ripping apart the makeshift platforms and shredding the remaining lizardmen. Soon, the waters of the bay were stained a bright red. Bloated corpses floated on the water, crashing against the base of the cliffs with each new wave.

  Through it all, Jason and his group stood on the edge of the cliff, watching quietly. In contrast, the players and NPCs cheered their victory, their shouts filling the air and many people hugging each other in celebration. Others had skipped the impromptu festivities and had gone straight for the loot, their nimble fingers already relieving their dead friends and compatriots of their un-needed equipment.

  “I see you all survived,” a voice called from behind the group. They turned to find Lord Cairn approaching, a band of soldiers surrounding him. “Hmm, you all look a bit worse for wear,” he observed as he neared the group.

  “And you look rather refreshed,” Jason replied dryly, eyeing the lord and his entourage. Their armor was unmarred, and each man looked alert. “Did you enjoy the show?”

  A rumbling chuckle came from Lord Cairn. “Can you blame me for wishing to avoid such… unpleasant activities?”

  “Yes, we can,” Frank grumbled, his voice regaining its normal timber as his body filtered out the toxins in Eliza’s potions. “It looks like you hid behind your men and the travelers while they saved your city. And behind us, I might add.”

  “How observant of you,” Lord Cairn murmured sarcastically. “I suppose that’s to be expected of the almighty Original Sin.”

  The burly merchant lord cocked his head. “Speaking of which, you lot seem rather far from home, and I don’t see any of your undead.” Lord Cairn glanced around the ridgeline in mock surprise – Jason’s minions having been sacrificed to create the Death Lord. “It would be unfortunate if someone were to try to collect on the bounty on your heads at a time like this.”

  At this last statement, the lord’s guards pulled their weapons and leveled them at Jason’s group. A quick glance at the other players and NPCs around the ridge confirmed that they were now paying attention to this conversation, several travelers already wandering over with their weapons drawn. Jason’s group was now potentially facing off against a few hundred of the city’s remaining survivors. They were ragged and injured, but still more than enough to kill the four members of Jason’s group in their current state.

  “You traitor,” Riley spat, glaring at Lord Cairn.

  “Now, now. We don’t have any need for such crude language. “I’m a businessman. And as you can see,” the lord added, waving at the destroyed docks in the bay below and the ruined buildings ringing the ridge, “our city is in desperate need of repairs. So that bounty on your heads would be rather useful to the travelers – who might even be willing to pay in hard coin.”

  Jason glanced at Alfred where he sat calmly nearby, unaffected by the conversation and the recent battle. Jason was surprised that the game’s NPCs were aware of the real-world bounty – much less that they would be able to collect on it.

  However, the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. The players had likely spoken freely about the bounty with various NPCs, and this game was incredibly realistic. Lord Cairn was capable of recognizing the value of Jason’s group – both as potential allies and as hostages. The implications of that revelation were interesting. How much attention did this world’s NPC pay to the travelers and the real world that they came from?

  This isn’t the time. I need to focus and gather as much information as I can, Jason urged himself. He needed to stall for time.

  “So, you planned to betray us the entire time?” Jason asked, folding his arms across his chest. He was hoping the merchant lord would be arrogant enough to entertain an evil monologue.

  “Something like that,” Lord Cairn said with a sly grin, lowering his voice so that he couldn’t be overheard by the other players. “I had planned to end this fiasco on the docks, but you backed me into a corner. After all, you provided proof publicly of Lord Baen’s wrongdoing.”

  “But you already knew that he had betrayed his own son and ruined his house,” Jason offered, the pieces clicking together in his head. His teammates glanced at him in surprise, their gaze jumping back and forth between Jason and Lord Cairn.

  “Of course!” the lord replied, spreading his arms wide. “Who do you think fed Lord Baen the original information regarding the whereabouts of this so-called magical orb? The old fool was never one to turn down a bet – and he certainly proved me right in this instance. He even went so far as to send his only son and heir to his house’s fortune after this pipe dream.

  “When you then offered to help fight off the invasion, I nearly burst out laughing right there,” the lord continued, slapping his thigh in amusement. “As you can see, things worked out quite nicely for me – collateral damage aside. We are now the governing trade house in Falcon’s Hook, and we don’t have any competition.”

  Jason nodded to himself slowly. The lord’s explanation also addressed why his fleet only showed up at the last minute. He wasn’t willing to overextend or endanger his forces until he knew that victory was at hand. He had likely secreted himself away somewhere inside the city and observed the fight from a distance, hoping to hide from the lizardmen if the city fell.

  “Do you think we’ll go down this easily?” Frank demanded, taking a step forward. The soldiers surrounding Lord Cairn immediately bristled, a dozen weapons pointing in Frank’s direction. Jason laid a calming hand on his friend’s shoulder, shaking his head slowly.

  “Oh, certainly not,” the lord said with a patronizing smile. “I expect you will make a large fuss and put on a little show for both my men and the other travelers. Your showmanship is renowned, after all.”

  As Lord Cairn spoke, Jason’s gaze shifted to the line of ruined buildings behind him. His Perception skill had picked up a small gray object flitting through the rubble. He forced himself to ignore the distraction, refocusing his attention on Lord Cairn. He just needed to buy a bit more time.

  “And I suspect that the only reason you haven’t killed us already is that you want the orb?” Jason asked, anticipating where the man was heading next.

  “You are indeed a bright one!” Lord Cairn replied. “Well, not too bright since you fell for my ruse, but you are at least a step ahead of our late Lord Baen.” As he noticed their reactions at this revelation, the lord’s grin widened. “Ahh, yes. You see, our dear departed Lord Baen was an unfortunate victim of one of the creatures that invaded the jail. It was truly terrible – blood and entrails everywhere!”

  The dark gray object had finally caught sight of the group, and Jason couldn’t help but grin slightly as it approached, racing toward the group on tiny wings. A moment later, the ashen lump slammed into Riley, twining its small arms in her hair as it assumed its customary perch on her shoulder.

  “Pretty lady!” Pint cried as he took a seat and hugged at her neck. “Pint miss you!”

  “Pint?” Riley asked in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

  “What is this?” Lord Cairn demanded, gesturing at the little creature. “Some sort of backup plan? You think an imp will save you from this situation?”

  “No,” Jason replied evenly, his dark mana clawing its way through his veins and the chill energy settling once more behind his eyes. “I think they’ll stop you,” he said, gesturing behind Lord Cairn.

  Two full divisions of undead had dropped from Sneak and now stood among the crude barricades facing the cliffs. Archers also lined the rooftops with arrows already nocked and their strings tight as they took aim at the soldiers and travelers lining the clearing. Meanwhile, foot soldiers had taken up positions on the street level, dark mages walking amid the group and malignant tendrils of mana curling around their wands and staffs.

  “What… who are they?” Lord Cairn
demanded, whirling on Jason.

  “You see, I had a plan too,” Jason replied calmly. He took a step toward the lord, yet this time the city soldiers glanced uncertainly between Jason and the undead forces behind them, reluctant to raise their weapons. “When Frank and I left to collect corpses, I sent runners back to the Twilight Throne and requested reinforcements. I didn’t trust how easily you caved to my demands.”

  Lord Cairn gritted his teeth, glaring at Jason. “What now then? Are we to have some sort of standoff?”

  “Oh, not at all,” Jason replied candidly, glancing at Frank and giving a nod. “This is where we part ways. Permanently.”

  The barbarian raced forward in a flash of movement. A moment later, Lord Cairn’s head tumbled to the ground, followed closely by his body. The soldiers around him stood frozen in shock, staring at their former lord’s now headless corpse.

  Jason glanced at the soldiers and players as they stood wracked by indecision – uncertain whether to attack or surrender. “Lord Baen and Lord Cairn are both dead. This city is now leaderless,” Jason shouted. “The forces of the Twilight Throne stand behind you. Lay down your arms, or you will die, and your bodies will be stripped.”

  The soldiers and players glanced at each other, silence hanging in the air for a long moment. Then Jason heard the first rattle of metal striking the ground as a soldier dropped his sword. A moment later, the remainder of the group followed suit, dropping their weapons. At a signal from Jason, Twilight Throne soldiers approached and began rounding up the prisoners.

  One of the dark-robed soldiers peeled away from the group and approached Jason. As she neared, she pulled off her helmet, revealing Vera’s smiling face. “Now that was fun to watch. You have some speed, boy,” she said, slapping Frank on the back. “But your form was sloppy.” Frank spared a glare at the undead woman and grumbled something under his breath about ungrateful undead as he wiped his blood-drenched blade on the late lord’s tunic.

  “It’s good to see you, Vera,” Jason said with a nod.