Black Hat Page 19

  Still in the death grip of the unholy watchdog, I triggered dash straight at Lucifer. I'd been hoping to wrest free. Instead, I took the angel along for a ride. We slid six feet across the rock, right into the fray.

  Nightwing snapped his jaws and forced Vagram into retreat, but the cleric wasn't afraid of the dragon, just cautious and tactical. As they squared away and I suddenly breached Lucifer's space, the devil spun around and rapped me square in the stomach. Blue light flashed.

  Stun!

  73 damage

  I choked through the pain. Everything converted to slow motion. Izzy shivved Lucifer with her frost wand. A spark of damage rocked him, but the glowing gem atop his staff rammed her to the ground.

  "Away!" shouted Vagram, shining the crucifix my way. The angel immediately released me and backed off. The cleric turned to the first angel. "Be gone!" Both beings backpedaled into the water, half dazed. Lucifer watched in horror as his security force abandoned him.

  "Nightwing!" he called.

  The dragon's tail whipped Vagram into the water as he slithered to his master.

  "Not in this lifetime," spat Izzy, producing the winter staff and sweeping at the devil's feet. He hopped the strike and brought his weapon down hard.

  Despite being released, I was still stunned from Lucifer's sucker punch. Movement, attacks, skills—I was locked out of all of them.

  The witchwood staff slammed into Izzy's exposed back. Her face went rigid and her body froze over. Lucifer sneered in victory.

  Then Izzy appeared behind him with her dagger.

  The tip of Lucifer's staff was frozen into Izzy's duplicate. As the pixie moved in for the kill, the back end of the witchwood seared with blue heat. A shaft of light extended two feet from the end like a glowing dagger that pierced Izzy's belly.

  Her face snapped to me. Blood spurted from her mouth. Her eyes went wide.

  Surprise!

  Critical Hit!

  [Luc1f3r] dealt 67 damage to [Izzy]

  [Izzy] is dead!

  Her body collapsed to the ground, winter staff lying atop it.

  "Bastard!"

  I finally regained my mobility. Lucifer was already clambering onto his dragon. I attempted a quick dash but an error sound alerted me that it was still in cooldown. Vagram splashed from the water as Nightwing flapped great wings and took to the sky. I planted the spear at the apex of the island and vaulted to the sky.

  My hands missed the great dragon's leg by a foot.

  Sheets of air beat down on us as Lucifer flew away. The two angels had receded into the Salt Sea. I cursed loudly as Vagram and I were left alone on the island, half dead.

  Which was a fat lot better than Izzy. She was dead dead. I wandered to her corpse in somber shock.

  "He killed her," I said, still in denial.

  "And once again," said Vagram indignantly, "you allowed the fallen one to infect your ears."

  "It's not that simple." I spun around to give the cleric a piece of my mind.

  Two bronze swords impaled my chest clean through. I was so jolted by the betrayal that I could do nothing but watch.

  Surprise!

  47 damage

  Surprise!

  44 damage

  "Bishop Tannen will be very disappointed in you," hissed Vagram.

  I blinked, hatred welling in my eyes.

  You are dead!

  Well, ain't that a son of a bitch.

  0850 Toxic Crusaders

  I opened my eyes in bed, body tensed to maximum. As soon as I realized there was no more pain, I sank into the sheets. Glorious relief.

  "Fuck!" yelled Izzy's muffled voice. "Shit!" There was a crashing sound. "FLURRG!"

  My brow furrowed. Flurrg?

  I hurried from my room and down the staircase to the common den. Izzy was a five-foot tornado wreaking a swath of destruction. Cursing, kicking, knocking anything over within reach. Kyle's beer pong table was sideways on the floor. Chairs and plants upturned. Kyle sat on the sofa, glum and holding out an empty hand. His beer bottle was wedged into the flat-screen he'd been watching. The movie was paused on a shot of a chubby kid kicking Wolfman in the nards.

  "Uh..." started Kyle carefully, "did you just say flurrg?"

  The pixie spun on him with a pointed finger. "I can say whatever the flurrg I wanna say!" She kicked over an ottoman. "And if you say differently I'll—" She paused as I entered the room.

  Kyle didn't notice and spoke at the opening she gave him. "I was just trying to tell you the good news."

  Izzy ignored him and watched me in shock. "What?!?" she exclaimed, incredulous. "You didn't salvage my gear?"

  "I was about to..." I scratched the back of my head. "Vagram fucking betrayed me."

  Her face smoldered. I couldn't tell if she was more mad or crestfallen. "I dropped my winter staff! That means it's out there in the middle of the Salt Sea, in the hands of Lucifer or Vagram or whoever the flurrg passes by!"

  I squinted sideways at her. "Did you have a mini-stroke in the last two minutes or something?"

  "Don't you get it? My staff is gone!"

  I swallowed. Crap. I hurried to survey my inventory.

  "What is it?" asked Kyle.

  I blanched. "I dropped the dragonspear."

  Their eyes widened. We all looked around. "Are we even allowed to be in the tower anymore?" he asked.

  "Not just allowed, moron," she snapped. "We're locked down in here. For the next twenty-four hours. While you've been doing nothing but drinking and watching TV, our whole lives have changed." She visibly shook, stomped over to the flat-screen, and put Wolfman out of his misery with a showery crash of sparks.

  I blinked slowly. Was I still the Protector of Stronghold without the dragonspear? Worse, would someone else inherit the title? Lucifer had mentioned how certain relics granted mantles. Bishop Tannen had obviously wanted the holy weapon, and now his top cleric had it.

  I sank to the floor. Now I knew how the wild king felt. Stripped of his crown. Had I stripped him of his mantle? I double-checked my inventory to make sure the stag skull was still in my possession. Yup. I dared not remove it, but it was safe in the satin bag, small comfort though that was.

  "Lucifer doesn't have our gear," I reported. "Vagram backed the angels off. Lucifer flew off on his dragon. Vagram was the only one left. Practically dead, but he was the last one standing."

  Izzy scowled. "And knowing his healing ability..."

  I rubbed my face. "We're so totally screwed right now."

  A chime and a notification interrupted me.

  Your gear has been salvaged!

  The same surprise was plastered on Izzy's face. We both dug into our menus.

  "It's back," she said. "The winter staff."

  "The dragonspear too!" I tightened my hands around the magnificent weapon. "But..."

  "Who?" she finished.

  "It couldn't have been Vagram," I assured. "There's no way he'd return the weapon to me."

  Kyle shrugged and butted in. "Maybe it was Lucifer. He could've come back and killed the cleric, right? You said he was pretty much dead."

  Izzy shook her head fiercely. "Lucifer might be a lot of things we don't give him credit for, but there's no way he's the type to give up power like that."

  "It's the only explanation," I said.

  "No way."

  I didn't press the issue. I could only imagine how pissed she was at him for killing her. Izzy was prideful about stuff like that. And hey, it's not like I was immune. I couldn't wait to peel the skin from Vagram's face.

  "So this isn't a total disaster," hedged Izzy, "but we still lost 25% of our silver."

  I canted my head. "Giving 10% to that banker player doesn't sound so bad anymore."

  "Unless he decides he'd rather have 100%."

  I grumbled and checked my silver count. The loss stung, but we were still rich. As long as we didn't have repeated encore performances of this mishap.

  "So that's settled!" pronounced Kyle, hopping to his fe
et. "Now that the drama's over with, I can tell you how things have been going with me."

  "Nobody cares," buzzed Izzy.

  "Come on, bros. You left me alone for two days. You know Dune's been looking for you?"

  "Not important now," I stressed.

  He sucked his lips and took a smoldering breath. With a wave of his hand, the broken TV and beer pong table fixed themselves. He did need to physically return the chairs and plants to their original locations, however. When that was done, he went to the fridge and popped open a Mountain Dew Code Red and a can of stacked chips.

  "Seriously, bros," said Kyle. "I found something really cool."

  I sighed. "We've all seen the endless can of Pringles, Kyle."

  He was about to retort when the sound of marching boots echoed outside. The three of us exchanged exhausted glances.

  "Not again," muttered Izzy.

  We transferred to the top of the tower. At the last second, I realized I might not be able to zone outside, but we were strangely allowed to.

  "It's some kind of overlap between inside and outside," mentioned Kyle. "Like a patio. I noticed when I was on lockdown. I had full access to the grotto, remember? I just couldn't step beyond the outer gate."

  I nodded absently. It was a curious exception that hardly mattered at the moment. We strode to the battlements above Bishop Tannen at the head of an army. The gold crucifix atop his helmet resembled Vagram's artifact. As he saw us, his nasally voice rang out.

  "Talon the betrayer and Izzy the witch."

  The surrounding mass of refugees murmured quietly, surprised to see us back. Izzy and I crossed our arms in perfect unison.

  "The reports of your failure," drawled the bishop, lingering on that last word, "are troubling."

  "We failed to bring Lucifer to justice," I admitted. "We didn't foresee that he'd have two angels working for him."

  "That is not what troubles me, great Protector. My cleric, Vagram, has respawned in Oakengard. He claims to have been killed by your treachery."

  "That's a lie."

  Bishop Tannen didn't let me extrapolate. "The good cleric claims many sins on your part," he continued. "That you endangered the holy mission in a greedy attempt to fulfill a side quest." The crowd squinted at me. "That you bartered openly with the fallen one, the great devil." Some audible gasps. "That you found counsel from the likes of a criminal overlord and the very same boggart witches who ordered the attack on Stronghold."

  "That's twisting what happened."

  "Is it?" he asked magnanimously, turning to the displaced residents of Shorehome and the crusaders in black tunics. He watched me pointedly. "Where is General Grimwart?"

  I cleared my throat. "Grievously wounded, but alive. He should be riding to Stronghold as we speak."

  "If we can take you at your word."

  "You can. I've been nothing but honorable to the people."

  "And what about to the goblin menace?" he asked with a grin. "Are the goblins in the streets of Shorehome your enemy or not?"

  My gaze wavered. "It's more complicated than that." I tried to outline the logic but was immediately met with vitriol from the crowd.

  "You see?" asked Bishop Tannen proudly. "It is as I said. The so-called Protector of Stronghold is a traitor!"

  Curses fired up from below. "He's the devil's consort!" and "He's in league with the fallen one!" and more generally "Goblin lover!"

  Crusader Reputation -50

  Kyle shrugged. "It was a good run."

  The bishop waited a long minute as the accusations grew more profane. He didn't call for temperance. He didn't chide the people on their language. He let the unrest build to the most dramatic point possible, making it look like the whole city was against me.

  The truth was, none of these people knew me. None of them had stood and fought for the sanctity of Stronghold. These men and women had fled from the goblin threat. These were crusaders who'd been indoctrinated against them. There would be no reasoning with them, at least not while led by someone as charismatic as the bishop.

  Finally, Tannen raised his arms and calmed the crowd so he could speak. "It pains me to say this," he mourned. "It really does. This man did defend a good city. But he has undeniably been in league with the devil. Unfortunately, these reckless actions have lost us Shorehome."

  Spittle sprayed from angry mouths. I worked my jaw as I watched the beginnings of a riot.

  "Talon threatens the sanctity of the holy city. His allies will attempt to overrun Stronghold just as Shorehome was overrun. He claims to be a player of the people, yet enjoys special privileges, gifts from the devil. The saints have failed you, good people." Tannen turned to me. "The crusaders can abide it no more."

  Atop the tower, our faces darkened as Tannen mobilized the army.

  "He can't attack us in here," muttered Kyle in disbelief.

  My teeth ground together. "I think he's gonna try." I pulled the dragonspear into my grip. "Let's get ready for a fight."

  A hundred blades slid from their scabbards. Hardened soldiers in plate armor readied in formation. Bishop Tannen's golden eyes lingered on me, sparkling through his helmet. He raised a single arm to the sky.

  "We need to fortify the door," said Izzy.

  Tannen watched me for a dead moment and then smiled. "To the Pantheon!" he cried. His arm shot down and the mass of crusaders spun with practiced precision. The knights marched away from Dragonperch, toward the main thoroughfare leading to the capital. City watchmen stared in awe as the army moved past them.

  "They can't do that," said Izzy, aghast.

  "They can," I returned. "Lucifer gave NPCs free will."

  "Wait, wait, wait, guys," said Kyle, hands signaling time-out. "What's happening right now?"

  I gritted my teeth. Izzy and I watched, unable to leave the tower as more than a hundred armored knights marched on the Forum. I snorted when I realized the angels could only activate against rogue players, not NPCs or mobs. The saints would be defenseless against so many soldiers and the legionnaires wouldn't mobilize fast enough.

  "What's happening," I said through a sneer, "is the next phase in Tannen's plan. His plan from the start."

  "Which is?"

  "To take control of the Oculus, the city, and maybe even the game."

  Kyle upturned the can of Pringles to his lips and chewed nervously.

  0860 The Invisible War

  The three of us sat twiddling our thumbs in the war room. It had been exactly three hours and forty-seven minutes since we'd respawned in the tower. I knew this because I was staring at the countdown timer in my open menu. Only twenty more hours of this before I could do something.

  Izzy and Kyle weren't finding the wait entertaining either. Even though we were all bunched to one side of the long war table, we barely spoke. Our failures said enough. What more could we add?

  The war room was one of the more impressive spaces in Dragonperch. Located on the top floor just beneath the roof, the huge table was circled by open windows, providing a strategic view of the city. The one blind spot was the protruded wall over the steps. The dusty bricks of the wall were faded except for an elongated octagonal shape. It would've been a good spot for a flat screen.

  "Those sons of bitches," said Izzy unhelpfully. She'd been rightfully seething the whole time. I desperately wanted to aim her thoughts toward a more pragmatic venture, but I was coming up empty.

  "I know," I said. "I never trusted Tannen for two seconds, but I can't believe Vagram betrayed us like that."

  "Come on, bro," said Kyle. "He's a priest, right?"

  "Sure. What does that mean?"

  "It means you can't trust anybody who can't drink a beer."

  I rolled my eyes. "That mantra must make you extra trustworthy."

  "Sure, whatever. Laugh at your buddy Kyle."

  "Dude, you were watching The Monster Squad."

  His face went beet red and his tone serious. "I'm embarrassed you had to see that, bro, and I'd appreciate it if we nev
er mentioned it again."

  Izzy hissed. "I don't get it. What's happening out there? Why aren't there any game notifications?"

  "You heard what Papa Brugo said," I explained. "Haven's in financial trouble. They need to launch and they need everything to be smiles beforehand. The game messages are unreliable at best, propaganda at worst."

  Kyle snorted. "Just like the great Protector of Stronghold."

  I sighed. The one good part about the downtime was we got Kyle caught up with everything, even my deep-rooted fears about my mantle and our cause. I didn't like being anybody's puppet. I had worse thoughts too. What if I was the bad guy? I did my best to stave off such thoughts. This conflict wasn't as simple as black hats and white hats. I glanced at my timer. Three hours and fifty minutes elapsed. Great.

  "Anybody want some nachos?" asked Kyle.

  "How are you still hungry?" snapped Izzy.

  "I dunno. It beats staring at a table." The brewmaster stood up to go but paused as he faced the wall to the stairs. He pondered the blank spot against the brick. "Huh."

  Usually Izzy and I wouldn't have noticed a sidelong utterance like that, but there was literally nothing else going on. We both turned to him expectantly.

  "No, nothing. It's just—" Kyle swallowed and took his seat. "You guys finally wanna hear about what I've been up to?"

  Neither of us objected. Hey, we had the time. Kyle leaned forward, suddenly excited.

  "Okay, check it out. I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been feeling a little left out since we moved in together."

  "What're you talking about?" I asked innocently.

  "Don't pretend it's not true, bro. Real talk right now. Let's face it: You and Izzy are the famous heroes. Notorious. Dangerous. Badass."

  "You've helped."