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The Brothers in Black have entered an alliance!

  Brothers in Black Reputation +100

  Errol nodded congratulations to his fellow pirates, but Brugo crossed his arms, unsettled by the happy moment. "What be the matter?" the captain asked.

  "Words." Brugo bit down and squared with Talon. "Arrangements based on words have little merit. Surely an alliance cannot be all you seek?"

  "That's it," assured Talon. "I'm uniting Haven, and I need you on board to do that."

  The Papa grumbled. "I truly do not understand men like you, Talon." The big man turned to Avisa and Errol, then broke into a grin. "Ah, captain, you I understand. I still see hesitation in your features, but I also see something else. Is it... opportunity?"

  Errol swallowed. "Aye. Now that ye mention it."

  Brugo nodded. "Then name your price, loyal pirate. What do you ask to charge into hell with me?"

  The captain shrugged. "It be a simple matter, really. I want the Void. 'Tis fair recompense fer destroyin' me frigate."

  Papa Brugo's breath stopped. The Void was his flagship and the mightiest vessel in all of Haven. "Power in return for power," he mused. "The price is steep but equitable. Get me my town back and you'll have my flagship." He turned to Talon matter-of-factly. "Now that is the kind of deal I can wrap my head around."

  Talon hiked a shoulder. "This is about more than profit, Brugo. I'm sure you can appreciate that."

  "I think I do. This stirs within me a familiar feeling, back when I was nothing, alone and in the streets."

  Errol's mouth crooked as he settled in for another of Brugo's parables.

  "In his formative days," continued the Papa, "it's easy for a man to mistake himself for immortal, to favor reward over risk. A hustler means to make something of himself, to claw from his lowly station to greater heights, and to possess what he deserves. Yet possessions do not make the man. We must be stripped of our crutches in order to truly walk."

  The charismatic man waited a beat, drawing the audience to his next breath. Talon swayed in place enough to draw Avisa's eye.

  "Never mind walking. Looks like someone's having enough trouble with standing. Don't tell me you're seasick."

  Talon shook it off. "No, nothing like that."

  Brugo glared at him in warning. When he spoke, others listened. He cleared his throat. "It was during one such incident, while I was outcast and alone, that I learned I wasn't fighting for silver, I was fighting for survival."

  Talon doubled over in a fit of coughing. His breaths came quick and ragged, simultaneously hyperventilating and gagging for air.

  "What's the matter?" asked Errol. He tried to steady Talon but his hands went through the shadow. "Talon! Can ye hear me?"

  The leader of the Black Hats vanished into thin air. The pirates blinked in shock, wondering what had just happened.

  "Well that was rude!" muttered Grom. "The Papa ain't finished tellin' his story!"

  I collapsed at the foot of the sanctum master panel. A strenuous weight pushed me to the floor. It was forceful more than painful, but I had the distinct feeling it was an invader. I gritted my teeth and pushed against it, struggling to my hands and knees.

  The void pearl loomed large above me, black fingers swirling outward. The shadow magic was fighting me. I had to do something. Had to shut it off.

  With great effort, I lifted a hand from the stone and reached out. The black fingers twitched and curled, lightning seeking a contact point. Too late I realized it wanted me. I lurched backward but it wasn't enough. I couldn't avoid it. The mass of shadow rushed into me, sending me on my back. I could do nothing but writhe helplessly as the void tore through my being.

  The pain was so unbearable that I blacked out.

  1900 Advanced Warfighter

  [Rygar]

  Oakengard Hero

  500 Health

  Kyle touched the trigger of his dual crossbow.

  The monstrous knight before them didn't have a lot of soft spots. Clad head-to-toe in full plate with a well-shielded helmet, the violet armor crackled with alien energy that sent flutters through his cape. The impressive warrior was even a head taller than Lash.

  Dying flames licked the aviary tiles. The withered vegetation that was its only fuel turned to ash. The fire had caused little structural damage. Oakengard was built of undying crystal and stone. It outlasted all. It was the occupants of the room who were looking at very reduced lifespans.

  "The god emperor told me a player would come for this one," said Rygar, voice rigid and deep. Dull eyes sized up Kyle and Bravo Team. "He didn't say there'd be five of you."

  "Six," corrected Hex, fully recovered and bone rattle in hand.

  "We stick together, dumb-butt," added Kyle defiantly.

  Rygar blinked calmly, clearly unimpressed. "As does the Violet Order."

  Purple knights flooded the open chamber door and filed into a line behind him. Ten more to add to the might of Rygar.

  "I am required to ask that you surrender peacefully," he said, "but I would prefer if you would not."

  In reply, Kyle squeezed his trigger finger. A bolt lasered into Rygar's eye socket. The pop of glass injected corrosive fluid.

  Critical Hit!

  Surprise!

  [Kyle] dealt 103 damage to [Rygar]

  A fifth of Rygar's health was instantly depleted. He growled in fury and his backup knights charged. As much as Kyle wanted to take advantage of his follow-up shot, he swiveled the crossbow to an oncoming knight. The bolt cracked apart against the breastplate, but yellow liquid spattered and a wave of magical fire consumed the purple tunic. The knight stampeded blindly ahead in a panic. Kyle stepped to the side and hurried to reload as the enemy passed.

  A black shield appeared in Lash's hand and she slammed it into the floor.

  [Lash] used Shieldquake

  Onrushing knights stumbled. Conan's greataxe came down and split a helmet in two. When he swung his weapon around, the helmet came with it, only jerking loose as the axe was buried in another knight's back. The wounded enemy clutched the barbarian's ankle with a gloved hand. Violet energy built up and Conan screamed. A cleaver severed the offending hand and cut off the energy flow. Lash dragged Conan away.

  "Don't let them touch you!" cried Hex. She and her brother scrambled away from the front line. "That energy is strong!"

  The barbarian clenched his teeth as Glinda converged on him.

  [Glinda] cast Minor Healing on [Conan]

  His pained expression subsided.

  Kyle fired two more projectiles as Lash fended off the recovering knights. They were outnumbered; it was hard to keep everyone off. All it took was a stray touch to deal damage and both sides knew it.

  New projectiles rushed past and sputtered against Violet Order helmets. They were dead finches. Most of them did little more than distract, but a few found their marks through the eye slots. Knights dropped their weapons, threw off their helmets, and clawed at the animals attacking their faces.

  Kyle turned to Hex, who happened to be a necromancer. "Did you just make cute little bird zombies?"

  The girl shrugged and scanned the room for more minions.

  Conan rejoined the fray. Kyle swapped out his crossbow for the combo of bishop gauntlet and mirror shield. He batted away a sword with his metal hand. As the knight reached fingers his way, Kyle shoved the mirror shield forward. Purple energy dissipated in a flash.

  "I can hold them off!" he announced.

  By now Lash had spawned two shield walls. The small yellow energy barriers were nothing compared to her special, but they bought the group some room to maneuver.

  "Everyone joins," growled Rygar. His glowing bastard sword came down and immolated one of the shield walls. He barreled forward.

  [Lash] cast War Cry

  +10% strike for the next 30 seconds.

  The white knight charged him. Though the famed warrior of Oakengard was taller, Lash's cleaver had twice the mass of the bastard sword. The weapons met in a shock wave. Rygar's
knee came up and doubled Lash over. He spun the sword downward in his hand and readied to stab her in the back as Kyle flew in.

  Backhanded and off-balance, Rygar flicked his sword and easily deflected Kyle's punch. The brewmaster braced against his mirror shield and rushed forward. Rygar sidestepped and kicked Kyle in the back, knocking him to the ground.

  Lash had recovered, though, and her cleaver bit into Rygar's side. The hurried blow shifted him a foot but the armor held. Rygar countered with a full spin, sword aimed at bisecting the white knight at the waist. Lash's body shield cracked against the magical weapon. She flew across the room and landed hard. While she was still in one piece, her black shield no longer was.

  "Arrrgh!" screamed Conan in guttural fury.

  [Conan] used Blood Frenzy

  Motes of red energy dusted him as his double-sided axe came straight down toward Rygar's head. The hero of the Violet Order hopped backward as the weapon crashed down. Rygar readied a counter but Conan barreled into him and grabbed his sword arm. The barbarian pounded the knight's armor with a bare fist as he held his opponent's weapon at bay. Over and over, Rygar's breastplate and helmet rocked with the blows. He'd nearly been disarmed.

  But slowly, surely, through nothing but pure, brute force, Rygar's sword arm rose upward, fighting the might of the barbarian and rising above their heads.

  Kyle tried to intervene but a flurry of knights forced him on the defensive. Lash, too, was already on her feet but having trouble getting through. At the last second, Conan saw he was compromised and disengaged. Rygar's sword came down and sliced across his chest. The only thing that stopped it from going clean to the floor was the shield wall that materialized in the way.

  Crux and Glinda dragged Conan to safety. Rygar grunted and focused on the magic. His bastard sword shattered the shield and he locked eyes on the barbarian being healed.

  Damn, damn, damn. This guy was a force of nature. Kyle and Lash had both used their specials to save Hex and now they were facing a formidable opponent. As Kyle jockeyed to regroup with his friends, Lash cut down two enemies in her path toward the red mob.

  It wasn't gonna work. Lash was as tough as they came, but some combination of the hero status, the previous Oakengard buffs, and the Violet infection was supercharging this guy. Kyle continued pressing the defensive advantage of his shield to keep the enemies apart while they could be picked off. He wasn't sure how long they could last.

  Lash swung her sword again, this time going for her enemy's legs. Rygar met the sweep. Their blades reversed and met again, clanging loudly. Metal locked on metal, Lash scraped her blade closer to her opponent.

  Rygar punched her chest. The armor rang loudly as she stumbled backward. Rygar lifted his sword and stepped forward, readying another killing blow.

  Kyle dove to the floor as Rygar's boot stepped between the rope netting. The brewmaster yanked hard on his end of the net, shifting Rygar's stance just enough to throw his blow off-balance. The flat of his weapon clanked against Lash's armor and drove her to the floor.

  "He's too strong!" shouted Kyle.

  Lash was probably scowling under her helmet, but she backpedaled on the floor, cleaver fending off members of the Violet Order that attempted to overtake her.

  Rygar chuckled viciously. "This is the best Stronghold can offer?"

  Conan's eyes went wild and he roared from the other side of the aviary. He spun in place like a shot-putter and flung his weapon. The greataxe flew high and sliced the chain holding the steel bird cage to the ceiling. The weapon clattered into the far wall and tumbled. Rygar's helmet turned upward as Hex's cage slammed to the floor, open bottom engulfing him.

  "What is this?" The powerful warrior punched the bars of the cage, shoving it slightly.

  The remaining knights rushed forward as a unit for Lash, still unable to get to her feet without getting touched. Thrusts were parried as she skidded away, and then one of their own stabbed another through. The knights turned as the other member of the Violet Order withdrew a bloody sword and stabbed another one. Two men grabbed the rogue as Hex incanted and waved her bone rattle.

  "I guess she graduated from birds," laughed Kyle.

  Purple energy built up around the grappling soldiers, but no matter how much they sent into the zombie, it couldn't hurt the turned NPC.

  "The purple plague can't affect the dead!" announced Hex.

  While the zombie was immune to magical hijacking, it didn't otherwise display superior combat advantages against the other knights. Outnumbered, it took heavy blows. Fortunately, with Rygar sidelined and Lash and Conan back in action, what were left of the Violet Order combatants were defeated.

  The group breathed heavily as Glinda sent heals around.

  "Cowards," growled Rygar. "Weaklings!" He shook against the cage, which slid a foot across the floor.

  "This isn't you," insisted Hex. "Look at the magic that's infected you!"

  "Listen to her, Rygar," said Crux. "You're better than this. I saw your protest earlier. You have a noble heart. Now all the sages are dead. Is that what you really want?"

  His eyes flashed. "I want what the god emperor wants."

  He sheathed his magical sword, put both gauntlets on the cage, and lifted. Amazingly, the metal rose off the floor.

  "No!" Lash crashed into the cage and pressed it down. Conan added his strength to hers. The brewmaster pitched his weight against the metal bars too. Slowly they forced the bird cage down.

  Still struggling, purple energy flowed through Rygar. "You cannot stop the Violet Order!"

  Slowly, the metal lifted off the floor again. Their eyes went wide at the unbelievable force at the warrior's disposal.

  Kyle scanned the room for something else that could help. "The wall!" he yelled. "Push him into the wall!"

  While Rygar pushed up and the others pushed down, nobody was too concerned about the cage's horizontal velocity. The three of them grouped together and shoved with coordinated effort. Suddenly they were all walking it sideways. The focus on covering ground allowed Rygar to lift his prison almost two feet in the air. As they struggled, the bird cage and prisoner crashed against the wall.

  "Nothing's happening!" shouted Lash. "The sigils aren't working. We need moonlight."

  Although the fires were mostly embers now, thick smoke still collected beneath the skylight. Kyle broke away from the struggle, dropped to a knee, and equipped his crossbow. Two bolts streaked upward and crashed through the skylight. Glass rained down on them. The gathered black smoke escaped into the open sky, and the moon once again fed its magical energy into the wards.

  Lash and Conan recoiled from the cage. Rygar triumphantly lifted it above his head. Although the runes started at about eight feet high, the cage itself was ten feet tall, and now being held up. The sigils went off, popping and sending fire outward, pummeling Rygar's helmet. The warrior released the steel, its bars sliding down and triggering more wards. Explosion after explosion rocked the cage and its occupant, with the light recharging and reactivating the barrage.

  It was a full minute before the cage was sufficiently blown from the wall and the sigils were satisfied. In the center of the blackened steel rested a charred husk of what was once a mountain of a man.

  Even his fancy purple armor had melted.

  >> Minigame <<<br />
  A nap caught Tad off guard. He jolted awake to the sound of Christian at the keyboard. He rubbed groggy eyes and sat up.

  Police surrounded their Seattle tall tower now. The bomb squad too. For Tad it was all an aggravating formality. The shooter was dead, the bombs had detonated, and he couldn't stare at the damned security feeds anymore.

  Grimacing, Tad stood, forcing blood flow through his rigid leg. Walking was painful, but anything was better than doing nothing at all. He wandered through the office to see if there'd been any progress.

  Somewhere, a door slammed.

  Finally, they'd been rescued! Tad excitedly limped toward the west-wing stairwell, right where he'd told
the firefighters to go. Hurrying past cubicles and turning the corner, Tad stopped as a single man spun to him.

  "Sir," said the paramedic, slightly startled. "There you are."

  The man in the blue uniform approached. He wore a gold badge and had a fire department patch on his shoulder. Opposite the badge was a name stitched over his chest: Campos.

  The man tightened blue latex gloves over his fingers. "Are you injured, sir? Is anyone else here?"

  Tad tensed. Why was this man alone? He didn't have an equipment belt, though there was a radio attached to his shirt and he held a large orange plastic briefcase.

  "Are you a paramedic?" Tad asked.

  "Yes, sir. Are you injured?"

  "What's in the case?"

  "My supplies. Are you okay, sir?" He stepped closer and Tad stepped back. Seeing this, the man set his case down and raised open palms. "Sir, my name's Ramon. I'm here to help."

  "Why are you alone?"

  He hiked a shoulder. "I'm not really supposed to be up here, if I'm being honest, but I heard someone was trapped. It's my job to help people, so I'm helping." Ramon noticed Tad staring at the orange case, so he slowly bent to a knee and opened it. Various packets of medicine were slipped into pockets stitched on the case's inside flap. The bulk of the contents rested in the bottom and looked to be electronic consoles and other medical supplies.

  Tad nodded encouragingly. "There's another man up here. The CEO. He has a gunshot wound."

  Ramon closed the case and stood. "Take me to him." As he followed, he pressed for more info. "What happened to the shooter?"

  "She's dead."

  "And the bomb threat? Is it legit?"

  "It was. It detonated before anyone got here."

  Ramon nodded. "Anyone else up here? Are you hurt?"