by Rick Scar
“The chance of success is five to ten percent. Her inventory,” he looked at Perdition, “has five Dwarf Bombs, one short-range Explosive Web scroll, two Starry Summons, and also the Spider Cocoon and Spider Den skills. Judging from their descriptions, that’s exactly what you need. I’ve had a look at the plans of the nearby buildings, and one of them is perfect for what we need. If we take White Raven’s idea and give it a tweak…”
He spoke for ten more minutes. By the time he had finished, Mollie began to hope that this plan would work. Ten saved lives were better than none.
***
It was near noon. The remaining three players, having prepared their strategies, were waiting for the signal. Raven came back to Nanel patiently waiting in her bedroom to discuss his plan with her and Emin.
More than once, he had considered relieving Emin from his duty and limiting his responsibilities to guarding the palace and the royal couple, but left this problem until sometime later.
Spread on the table in front of the three was a map showing the current position of the enemy forces. Will tapped the table with his fingers as he listened to Emin’s proposed strategy.
I need to see Curtis. Poor man’s been waiting forever, he thought.
The scale of the upcoming military operation was gigantic, to say the least. He had completed his training as a military science student, earning high grades, but he was still far from being good at managing a large number of resources, like the one he now had. A loner by nature, he preferred to rely on himself whenever he could, although recently, thanks to working with Daltaro, Ukumi, Nanel, and Hade, he had started to become more of a team player.
He was sure that there were far more efficient ways to use his soldiers during the siege than what he had actually done.
“Raven?” Seeing her husband frown, Nanel touched his shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Just thinking.” Will looked up at her and smiled. “Honestly, strategy isn’t my strong suit. I’m used to achieving my goals with a more... direct approach.”
“Do you have any ideas?” Emin stared at him.
“I have, but…” Will glanced around and sank into his chair. “The problem is that my plan will be useless if they attack ahead of time.”
“May I know what your plan is?” Emin asked.
“Sure...” Will looked at them and asked: “Have I told you about the demon Insanity?”
Chapter 256. A War Council
U nlike Nanel, Emin hadn’t yet heard the story of the demon disguised as a little boy. After Raven told him about his experience of traveling with Insanity, Emin began to doubt the king’s plan.
Sure, the tremendous power that their enemy possessed could tip the scales in the upcoming battle, but if the demon’s insanity was as contagious as Radermin had told, it’d be only him, His Majesty, and three pets against a horde. This seemed ridiculous even in his imagination, and he’d prefer not to see it come true.
For several minutes, Emin stayed silent, considering any possible way to avoid resorting to asking the demon for help.
“Your Majesty, if you don’t mind me voicing my concerns… I think this plan is way too risky,” he finally said. “We can’t take any chances when Adamarona’s very existence is at stake.”
This was the first time that Emin openly and strongly disagreed with Raven’s decision. That was how much he hated the idea of his homeland, which he had sworn to protect, being left at the mercy of a demon’s caprice.
“Emin, my friend, as much as I understand your concern... I must do this. I have to kill him.” Will rubbed his temple and sighed as he stared at the map. In search of the perfect spot to bring Insanity back in, he kept glancing at the Swarm’s capital city. But upon careful consideration, he dismissed this idea: he preferred not to wipe them from the map completely. Without their commanders, the Latian soldiers would go crazy, which could end up being more trouble than it was worth.
“Forgive me for saying this, but, as far as I understood from your story, this demon wants to plunge the whole world in chaos, doesn’t he? What will happen if you fail to kill him? The lives of millions of our citizens will be in danger. They’re not strong enough to confront such a powerful enemy. And we have no guarantee that he won’t side with those bugs.” Tense, Emin waited for an answer, still hoping that he’d somehow manage to convince the king that this was a foolish plan.
Raven considered Emin’s words. Was there anything he could say to them? Plans were seldom followed to a T in real life. He had no idea what that psychopath would do this time. Fighting him was like riding a fucking roller coaster. He couldn’t promise a happy end for everyone. Truth to be told, he wished he could postpone this battle for another year or two when his chance of destroying this bastard would be close to a hundred percent. But he couldn’t.
“I—” he began, but the sound of the door swinging open interrupted him. Rinnah burst into the room, hair disheveled, and hastily swallowing the last bits of roast meat.
“Why don’t you knock?” Nanel asked and put a hand to her face, not really hoping for an answer.
The Bruxa waved and stepped up to the table.
“I’ve seen it all.” Staring at the map, she continued: “I hope you’re not thinking only about the Swarm, but about these dirty bastards as well.”
“Do you mean the Holies?” Emin asked, but Rinnah shook her head slightly. Her face became thoughtful, and she waved her hand.
“Actually, yeah. They’re sometimes called that.” She turned to stare at Raven, who stared back, dumbfounded by her words, realizing he had forgotten about the Holies, although they were just as formidable an enemy as the Latian Empire.
“Fucking fuck,” Will said through gritted teeth and closed his eyes. He then stood up to pace up and down the room, but stopped almost instantly at a sudden realization. “Hey, wait. Isn’t it Umbra who should be thinking about them? Why have you come to me?”
“You’re right, yes.” Rinnah drew in some air through her gritted teeth as she slowly approached the rogue, her hands locked behind her back, and the expression on her face showing that she’d rather not add even more salt to the gaping wound. “But there’s a problem... The official leader of the Shadow Order is you, so…”
Will groaned.
“No, no, no…” He put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from saying anything else and looked into her eyes. “The Order’s leader is Umbra. Until I complete the founder’s mission and gain his strength, I’ll remain a regular member of the Order. Have you talked to him? What did he say?”
After taking a moment to consider his words, Rinnah said: “I have, yes. But I’ve just warned him about the Holies marching. Honestly, once I said that, he sent me to you, and I thought—”
“I see,” he interrupted. “Then go back to him and find out what the Order is going to do.” As Rinnah retrieved her portable teleporter, Will nodded to himself and continued: “Actually, no. Invite him here. I don’t have a clear plan yet, but I’m sure we’ll come up with something.”
“I’ll be back soon.” Rinnah disappeared without any special effects.
Will turned to Emin and Nanel who had been silent this entire time.
“I think it’s time to make minor adjustments in order to adapt to these new circumstances and discuss all of this with the trusted and,” he winced, “respected ones. Emin. Send for Daltaro and get a couple of our best rangers. Nanel. Browse the library for any information on the country of El’Lako. I’ll go see the old man”.
Raven grimaced again as he remembered Lamaniel. Nanel sighed, understanding perfectly well just how much her husband hated paying him a visit.
While Will was discussing future plans, The Siege had reached its worst stage. The audience was now witnessing a fight for survival. The fallen city walls could no longer keep the monsters out, and the chaos raging across the blood and fear-soaked streets was eating away anyone’s chance of victory.
Everyone hoped that they’d still be
able to make it into Round Four despite dying; otherwise, the audience would probably feel ripped off if the tournament stopped here. No one knew whether or not players could still make it in spite of death in order for the contestants to give it their all.
Perdition was following the colonel’s plan by dashing about the streets and luring hundreds of mobs away from the ruins. Hidden beneath them were citizens wrapped in her webs. She couldn’t rescue all of them, but even two dozen alive people were better than a failed mission. Her goal was to last until midnight. Like a guerilla warrior, she would leap out of her hiding place to attack, and then hide again.
Crimson Berserker and Alien Body were still fighting as well, coming up with other ways to fulfill their task. Each player had to make a choice: whom to save and whom to leave to the mercy of the mobs. It’d probably be a lie to say that they felt nothing when they chose to doom these people to death just because they were mere pieces of code. The NPCs were made to be extremely realistic, staring with terror in their teary eyes, and screaming like banshees as fangs and claws ripped their bodies apart.
They are just pieces of code, the players kept repeating to themselves, and this is all just a game.
***
By Saturday evening, Will had forgotten about the tournament and its results, focused on solving Adamarona’s crisis. The most challenging argument he had had was with Lamaniel who couldn’t care less about a war that was happening far from the capital. “My job is to protect the palace,” he would say. “Don’t disturb me unless it’s in danger.”
It took all of Raven’s patience to convince the old man to attend the meeting. By the end of the conservation, though, he already doubted if Lamaniel would be of any use there.
Next was Daltaro. Will tasked him with going to El’Lako to try to find the exiled prince who should’ve found refuge there. An even more important part of his mission was finding and buying some decent gear. From what Will already knew about that county, he hoped it to have some technically advanced items that could make his army stronger.
“By the way… I forgot about the seals. Did you take care of them?”
“Yes.” The archer stopped and scratched his cheek. “But there’s a problem… I’ll tell you more when I come back. As far as I can tell, they aren’t a concern right now.”
“If you say so.”
With Umbra’s arrival, accompanied by his two guards and the Bruxa, the war council could begin.
Chapter 257. The Puppet Master’s Shadow
T he secret room of the Swarm queen’s chambers, Latian Empire
Three days ago
If anyone had dared to sneak a peek into the chambers of the Swarm’s beloved queen, they’d hear a very interesting conversation. And then they’d be caught and executed for trespassing.
“You lied to me!” a woman cried. There was anger and a note of fear in her voice. She banged her fist on the table as she stared at the dried, mummy-like body in the wheelchair. Her acquaintance couldn’t move, feeding on the mental energy supplied by the pipes from the reservoirs in the niche behind her. “We had to start a war! My children… They…” She clenched her fist, trying to suppress the overwhelming emotions. “They’re dying! One after another! And you… You’re telling me to continue with this madness! This isn’t what we’ve agreed upon!”
“Remember your place, child,” the woman’s dry, but powerful voice made the queen’s voice sound childish. “The arrival of this messenger changed our plans. Now that we’re no longer looking for the girl, we have no need for spies. The only thing my father ever respected was power. And it’s the only thing we need to achieve our goals. This war is but a cover.”
“A cover? A cover?!” The queen, whose name was whispered in awe across the Latian Empire, chocked on her words as she realized just how bad things were for her and her people. The wild goose chase started by the old hag had already cost them many lives. Not only had she forced her people into an alliance with the Holy Empire, but now she had also plunged them into a war. A war that she never wanted.
I can no longer do this. Even if I have to die. I…
Her eyes betrayed her urge to strangle the old woman, but the hag’s power was beyond her imagination. Then again, that shouldn’t have come as a surprise as she was the daughter of the Emperor of Obedience, who once used to rule this whole continent before he perished into the sea, consumed by his pursuit of even greater power.
“What makes you so sure that this’ll work?” Folding her arms, Telisssa suppressed her emotions once again and stared at Sansel-Ti-Mitz.
“Use your head, child. Do you know anything other than how to spread your legs?”
“How dare you!” Telisssa froze before she could fully express her anger, then collapsed to her knees, blood trickling down her lips as her brain was squeezed hard. “Stop.” She barely forced out this single word before prostrating on the floor, her body wriggling in agonizing pain.
“Hold your tongue, scum.” Sansel-Ti-Mitz had been paralyzed long since her sea journey, and she was long out of strength, but she had Dolf blood in her and with it, its power. The only part of her body that still could move were her lips, but she needed nothing else to bend anyone to her will. “We’re done for today. Tell the First King that it’s time to use your Plan B.”
“Yes… Empress.” Telisssa rasped as she stood up, cursing the hag, and Crunch, her mute servant who had rescued her life when she had been a young girl.
No one but Crunch and Telisssa knew that Sansel-Ti-Mitz was here. Telisssa had no idea what the hag was up to, but she realized that she had wasted too much time. If she had come up with a solution before…
As she turned to the door to leave, a voice came from behind: “I hope your feather-brain has no thoughts of betraying me.”
Telisssa swallowed the curses that were halfway up her throat and hissed without looking back: “Absolutely not. I’ve learned that lesson.”
A chill ran down her spine as she remembered sending one of her husbands to Kadil four years ago to kill the human king. Telisssa hated this idea. She had asked Tartsius not to kill anyone, but the old hag had somehow learned about that and punished her defiance with a week of torture.
Telisssa exhaled slowly. Clenching her fists, she left the room.
***
The meeting room in the royal palace
Present time
The debate reached its climax when Raven’s tired wave drew everyone’s attention.
Two hours. That’s how long it took them to reach an agreement. Lamaniel kept putting spokes into wheels, pissing Will off so much that he had threatened to stop supporting him and his experiments. But the old man only calmed down after Raven promised not to take him to the mysterious mountain. That put a strain on their relationship, but Will saw no other way out. It was better than losing his temper and making a couple of holes in the old man’s body, that much was for sure.
“All right.” Once the hall was quiet, Raven stood up and, resting on the table with both hands, looked over everyone. “If that’s all, let’s proceed to the next order of business. Umbra.” He looked into Great Shadow’s deep-set eyes. “Has Rinnah told you about Insanity?”
He gave a slight nod and looked at the girl, the scar on his forehead getting crossed by fine wrinkles.
“Good. Can my brothers and sisters provide any support?”
Another light nod.
“You have earned enough trust to ask the Order for help. Some members might agree.”
“What about you?” In all honesty, Will would be happy to recruit the Order’s leader. Umbra was much stronger than Radermin who had been weakened by the long stay outside his home world.
“No. I can’t help you. Everyone has to fight their own battles. This one is yours.”
Will said nothing, pressing his lips together, and doing his best to conceal his disappointment.
“Lamaniel?”
“If I join you, I’ll do it as an observer. To take notes.”
“I see. Then let’s call it a day. Umbra, I have another question for you. Is there any way for me to teleport to our castle?”
Silently, Umbra took out a small plate (identical to that possessed by Rinnah) and put it down on the table.
“Thank you.”
“If that’s all, we’re leaving. We have preparations to complete.”
Rinnah came up to Raven to watch everyone (except for Emin who just dropped his head down on his hands) leave the hall. Then she sat down on the edge of the table, and summoned the stone pass from the Order’s castle. “That’s a sign of trust. Although it’s really troublesome to take care of.” Handing the plate to Raven, she still wouldn’t remove her hand. “Tell me, kitten: where’s my man?”
Will shook his head, but then got a sudden idea. “I’m not sure how to put it to you, sis. He…” Will heaved a sigh. “He decided to take a break from you.”
“What?!” The Bruxa stared at him, blinking as her mind struggled to process what he had just said. “What the… Take a break from what?!”
“From you. He said you’re too loud and that he’s too young to put up with you.” Will covered his right ear demonstratively as he took the item from Rinnah and applied Identification.
***
Somewhere on the way to El’Lako, one archer twitched his shoulders as a sudden sense of doom came over him.
***
PASS
Rank: Rare
Description: Can be used for instant travel to the Shadow Order.
Shadow Energy: 43/100 (click for more details)
Cooldown: 30 min
Limitations: Can only be used by a Shadow Order member with a relationship level of Trust or higher.
Shadow Energy is a special kind of energy extracted from special shadow sources by those who have the skill SHADOW ADEPT’S HAND.