Black Hat (Afterlife Online Book 2) Read online

  Still more flunkies charged from the keep. The growing snow engulfed them, dead and buried. We stood at the heart of a blizzard now, beautiful destruction all around.

  But the warden simply leaned into the gale-force winds and pressed forward. "I will have your head," he growled. He broke into a charge and cut through the snow.

  "Uh, guys?" said Izzy, bracing behind her blizzard. "A little help?"

  I pointed my spear forward before noting the swath of ice spilling from Izzy's staff. The storm magic didn't do more than slow Hood down, but its destructive power couldn't be denied. I turned my spear to Izzy's staff and forced her aim to the left. The vigorous winds turned to the makeshift section of logs against the dam. The rotted wood couldn't stand up to the torrent.

  A sound even greater than the howling wind shook the valley. The river burst through the wood and roared toward us. The rushing whitewater instantly overtook the warden and barreled just as mercilessly toward us.

  The sleet storm over, Izzy flipped her staff down and waved a hand before us. A wall of ice materialized. "Hold on," she yelled, bracing against it.

  We did. The incoming wave knocked me senseless, but Izzy had the wherewithal to build the ice platform around us. The entire thing overturned and skimmed the water like the world's largest boogie board.

  "I will follow you," Hood boomed over the rushing waves, "to the ends of the world."

  Then the water overtook us all.

  0560 Toobin'

  The makeshift inner tube surged to the surface of the waves, all of us still accounted for. I hugged Bandit down and we surfed north as the entire basin of the Blackwood flooded.

  "Watch the trees!" screamed Kyle.

  We leaned left and right avoiding obstacles, batting them away with spear and staff. Behind us, the deluge calmed. The dam had only given so much. We skimmed along the water to the edge of the ashy forest where our little iceberg joined the main river and washed toward Stronghold.

  The warden was nowhere in sight.

  That fact turned what might've been a pleasant drift into a nervous affair. At some point, the rapids grew too treacherous to brave on a glorified ice cube. We disembarked, marched the rest of the day, and camped a night. There was definite lingering worry about the whole "to the ends of the world" threat made by Hood, but it was somewhat tempered by my possession of a stranger's cowl. The mysterious item did little to hide my identity in plain sight, but it made me difficult to track from afar.

  "Hey, guys," said Kyle as we huddled by the fire, "any idea what this is?" He produced a hardened ball of polished ivory.

  "You holding loot back from us?" Izzy asked pointedly.

  "Course not. I picked it up off one of the Blackwood prisoners in the throne room. There wasn't exactly time to discuss." He let us examine it.

  [Bone Pearl]

  Polished orb with ivory swirls, but inert.

  "Weird," I said. "No powers or anything. You heard of these, Izzy?"

  She pressed her lips together in thought. "Surprisingly, no."

  "Maybe it's just like a valuable gem or something," offered Kyle.

  I shrugged. "Maybe... Better not sell it until we discover its purpose."

  It wasn't until late morning that we finally made it back to Stronghold territory. Walking along the river, we crested the mountain summit and saw something I had hoped never to see again: an army occupying the tended land outside the city.

  A sea of full plate, men and horses wrapped in black and white tunics. Flags beat in the wind above. Tents swayed. The symbol was a clear one: a white cross on a field of black. These were crusaders.

  I took a relieved breath as I realized the army wasn't hostile.

  Stronghold's huge walls were not under pressure. The west gate was open. Towering above everything was our home, Dragonperch, a tower that stood taller and was older than anything in the city. Beside it was a petrified cyclops on his knees, an impressive vestige of the pagan assault.

  The crusaders? You could call them a reaction. Their faction had existed since the start of the simulation, their cause already stated: keep the land free. Despite their mission, most residents of Stronghold had never seen a single crusader in person before a week ago.

  The order of knights was based out of Oakengard, a heralded fortress to the far west. No player had ever seen the inside of those walls, however. Not even a screenshot. Information on the wiki was sparse. The leading rumor was that the town was unfinished, which made sense given Haven was still in beta. Word was it was an NPC town. A crusader town. For all intents and purposes, just colorful history.

  Until now.

  The appearance of the faction was obvious fallout from recent game events. The crusaders had found their cause bolstered by the audacity of the pagan attacks. It was a movement that had swept the land over the last week, in no small part due to developer support. My quick estimation of the present army put it at two hundred men and women. That wasn't all of them, just the number camping outside the gate. Two hundred swords equaled Stronghold's entire NPC army of legionnaires and watchmen. Sure, the four hundred players in town tripled the defending force, but many of those players weren't combat effective. Hell, many of them were now part of the crusader faction.

  NPC driven but popular among players, I understood the desire to join. The crusaders swore to protect the land. To wipe the villainous pagans from civilized doorsteps. This black-cloaked force was the source of all the recent pagan quests. Quests which I'd happily devoured. Which we were in the middle of right this second.

  Which is all a way of saying that I didn't have a huge bone to pick with these guys. It was more like one of those little bendy fish bones that gets caught in your teeth. A niggle. I understood what the army was here for, but the whole thing felt a little culty to me.

  Outside of tended land, I couldn't check the wiki. I did, however, break out the patch notes from several days ago while we walked.

  Haven version 0.9.22

  - Several stability enhancements for gatherings of large armies.

  - Rebalanced certain enemy groupings.

  - After the incident at the Wicked Crow, Banishing Demons is now a prerequisite to Summoning Demons.

  I chuckled. That sounded like a screwup I would've enjoyed watching with a bucket of popcorn in my lap.

  - Recall Runes and Teleport spells no longer function in safe zones like player homes and the Pantheon rotunda.

  - Recall Runes have been removed from stores. Teleport spells have undergone adjustments.

  - Addressed friendly fire loopholes.

  Heh. I took a perverse pleasure in noting these additions were for me. With teleportation options being vastly limited, Lucifer would need to find a new trick to gain access to the game code. I had missed the recall rune phaseout on my last read, however. Izzy and Kyle had used a pair to get to the top of the Black Keep. The patch now meant the items were a valuable resource that were only going to grow scarcer.

  As for the friendly fire, whether the devs successfully surmounted the hack or not was an open question, since I didn't go around attacking guards in my own city. Not anymore.

  - New drop rules to protect beginner players.

  - New drop rules concerning silver to prevent inflation.

  - Renamed silver bars to plates (100 silver coins=1 plate). Introduced new currency: silver bar (10 plates=1 bar).

  - Rebalanced Tornado Spin.

  Nerfed was more like it. I was pretty sure the devs didn't like me, but as one of the most powerful players in all of Haven, I thought it would be petty to complain.

  Finally, I reached the section I was looking for.

  - New pagan bounty and fetch quests added.

  - Quadrupled conscripts in crusader army.

  - Bolstered crusader stats.

  - Fortified Oakengard. Increased Oakengard resource output.

  I scoffed. It all seemed a little much. This was one hundred percent a developer response to pay back the pagans for attempt
ing to sack Stronghold. It's the core city in all of Haven and, while I couldn't be sure of the specifics, it sure seemed like holding the city translated to controlling the game. As for Oakengard, judging from the patch notes it sounded like a hell of a lot more than an incomplete rumor to me.

  "Heads up," warned Kyle, lifting his crossbow. We'd cleared the foothills and were getting close to the tended farmland. A detachment of crusaders approached on horseback.

  "Lower your weapon, Kyle. No point starting anything with these guys."

  He rested the crossbow over his shoulder. The horsemen slowed. All wore plate armor with enclosed helmets, but the man in the lead had black armor to match his tunic. Shin guards, vambraces, and a jet-black crusader helmet with a white cross emblazoned over the eye slit. Gray letters above his head read [Grimwart] and signified him an NPC.

  "Hail, soldiers," I said, producing my spear but spiking it to the ground and leaning on it. Casual dangerous, I liked to call it.

  Grimwart studied us. "Forsooth, is it really you?" He dismounted and approached. "Talon, Izzy, and Kyle. I have heard much of your exploits against the pagans."

  "No way," said Kyle. "We didn't use any exploits. You're just jealous."

  Izzy slapped his back. "He doesn't mean it like that, jackass. Although looking at you, one might wonder how else you've come so far."

  "Says the five-foot purple lady."

  I sighed and accepted Grimwart's hand. "Ignore them. They do this all the time."

  He nodded and allowed a chuckle as he took them in. His eyes lingered on Bandit, a mount that dwarfed many of the crusader horses. "Aye. 'Tis not a crime. Levity is needed in these dark times." His helmet turned to my spear. "Is this the famed lance—"

  "Spear," I corrected. "Dragonspear. The other one's trademarked."

  He seemed unsure of my meaning but nodded. "The spear of Magnus Dragonrider?"

  "It sure was," said Kyle. "Now it's Talon's. You should've seen him wield it against that titan."

  Grimwart turned to the petrified cyclops and huffed. "I'm sure it was a sight to behold. It is well the crusaders can call you friends."

  A notification window intruded on the conversation.

  You have befriended crusader leadership.

  Crusader Reputation +100

  "Well, that's a positive for once," muttered Izzy.

  I snickered. "And here I thought rep could only be subtracted."

  Grimwart made a point to introduce himself to the rest of the party. "I am Colonel Grimwart, the field commander for the crusader army." Kyle heartily took his hand. When the knight moved for Izzy, he bowed low. "It is an honor, lady."

  "That surprises me," she said dubiously.

  He took her hand lightly in his glove and bent lower. "I understand your sentiment. There are some in my army who distrust mages, but you will be afforded full respect by my men." He turned to his mounted companions. A horse snorted, but there were otherwise no objections. "Walk with me."

  We started amid the tents and general throng of soldiers. Men and women bustled with a variety of endless tasks. Loading, cooking, cleaning, sorting. It made me tired just looking at it. The horsemen followed behind us at a loose clip.

  "I was personally looking forward to meeting you," said Grimwart, "and was concerned by your absence."

  "Seriously?" asked Kyle. "We were only gone three days." The whole trip could have been condensed into two but we'd left ample time for scouting the Blackwood before sneaking in.

  "Nevertheless," he continued, "it has been an eventful three days. Shorehome has fallen."

  "What?" we all said.

  "Aye, the city is lost. Where the pagans failed at Stronghold, they succeeded to the east."

  I needed a second to take it in. There are supposed to be nine great cities in Haven, but only three reside in the Midlands. According to the wiki, the rest of the world isn't even released yet. With Oakengard being a black box, Shorehome was really the only other city besides Stronghold worth noting. Reports made it sound more like a large fishing village and hive of pirates, but players had slowly begun populating it over the last month as Kablammy expanded Haven's spawn locations.

  "I don't believe it," I finally responded. "The city was sacked by the horde?" I supposed, with their infinitesimal player count, Shorehome couldn't have hoped to repel the pagans as easily as Stronghold had.

  "It is surprising," he sympathized. "Field reports claim the goblin army suffered heavy losses at Stronghold. We know many scattered across the Midlands. For them to organize so successfully after a debilitating defeat..."

  I grumbled. They couldn't have done it without strong leadership, that's for sure. I wondered if General Azzyrk had turned his sights to the coast. My face darkened as it dawned on me that Lucifer might be involved. "Why didn't we get a server-wide notification about the event? This seems pretty important."

  "I know not of these things. I am a practical man, Talon. I'm accustomed to relying on firsthand accounts of those personally exposed to such carnage. Unfortunately, we have very little presence on the western front." He spat. "It matters not. Those pagans will pay. Blood for blood, but threefold."

  Did I mention the crusaders were overzealous when it came to killing pagans?

  "My army is resupplying at Stronghold. We're only here a short while until we march for Shorehome. Currently, we're recruiting in town and making it known that Stronghold's families are safe. Even if it is too late for the unfortunate souls who lived in Shorehome."

  I studied the hundreds of soldiers camped out in the tended land. Dressed for war. So all of this wasn't about the cyclops at all. Orik was a precursor, sure, but the fall of Shorehome was the cause for this paranoia. I began to wonder just how paranoid it was...

  "The Pantheon," I realized. "Does Shorehome have an equivalent capitol that protects the game state? Have the pagans breached the codebase?"

  "You speak of the Great Well. I have been told it is secure but have received no further word."

  I swallowed. I needed a word with Saint Peter about this. It was imperative to determine exactly how threatened the entire simulation really was.

  The colonel stopped at the great double gates to the city. He wasn't coming in. "I hope to speak to you again, Talon, before it is time to set off."

  I nodded slowly. I was sure he wanted to enlist my help. I wasn't at all sure what I wanted to do about it. "I'll be in touch." We shook again and entered the city.

  The watchmen at the gate snapped to attention. "All hail the hero of Stronghold!"

  I stiffened as I passed, still unsure how to fill my new mantle. Protector of Stronghold sounded grand, but I was just grinding the same as everyone else.

  0570 Company of Heroes

  What a difference a few days makes. That was the extent of our absence, but Stronghold felt like a different city than the one we'd left. A foreign energy was in the air. Was it urgency? Desperation? I couldn't place it, but it was markedly different than the post-battle unity and optimism we'd experienced.

  What was plain was the bustling crowd on the main thoroughfare. Crusaders proudly marched in full plate. Scores of families and merchants crowded together, players and NPCs alike. No doubt the troubled lands had frightened wanderers to the safety of these walls. The sudden influx was a strain on the town.

  Not that I was worried about security. Between the crusaders and the increased city watch patrols, Stronghold was heavily guarded. As I took a breath, I wondered if that was part of the problem. The changed mood of the place. The dynamic between the people and officials felt more like a public protest than day-to-day work. Stay on the roads. Keep moving. Don't loiter. There was no room to enjoy a frivolous stroll.

  Half of me wanted to put it all in my rearview and head out adventuring for a few more days. Of course, the other half was lazier and wanted nothing more than to rest on the couch. Both avoidance strategies had their merits, but as we were just returning from a long trip it was never really a contest. Laziness
won out.

  A seven-foot-tall knight in matted white armor stomped up to us, accompanied by her trademark bleached highlights, gold hoop earrings, and eyeliner jags. "What's up, bitches?"

  Kyle jerked but otherwise stood firm. After recent events, the incessant bullying had pretty much stopped.

  "Who you calling bitch, bitch?" replied Izzy with a grin. I was waiting for the shtick to get old so they would move on.

  "What's up, Lash?" I nodded to her party. "Glinda. Conan."

  Izzy noted their levels. Lash had made 7. "You guys are looking good."

  "Tell me about it. We stumbled into a raid event north of town. We fought through a circle of ogres."

  My eyebrows arched, but it was in response to the new sash she wore over her shoulder plate. A black cloth emblazoned with a white cross.

  "You joined the crusaders?" I asked.

  "Hell yeah we did. You didn't?"

  "We didn't join anyone."

  "Well, why not? You know the devs boosted their faction stats."

  "Yeah, I saw the patch notes too. But I thought you hated the crusaders?"

  Lash shrugged. "I hate everything, dude. I just don't like anyone bigger and badder than me closing in on my turf. But I solved that nicely. Technically I'm still a trainee, so I just get the sash."

  Kyle frowned. "A white knight wearing black."

  "Yeah," she admitted. "It's not really my color. I like to keep it to the eyes. More dramatic that way. Seriously, bitches, the only way I leveled so fast was aligning with the crusaders. You should get on board."

  Izzy grumbled. "You know how much I hate allying with anybody."

  Lash laughed. "True that. At least see them in action first. You know, we're about to head out with a small band of knights to do some cleanup."