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Tad tilted his head. "Or the police might force the issue and get them to blow the whole building up rather than be taken alive."
Christian Everett popped a couple of pain pills straight from the bottle and winced. "There's that too."
2090 World at War
The Black Army marched south.
Getting free of the Godsbog was key. Doing battle in the wetlands might benefit the light-footed horde, but every other fighter besides the floating keepers would be at a disadvantage. Standing on solid ground would afford regrouping pathways behind the front line.
What we found was the best of both worlds. Solid groundpack at the wide base of the mountains, with a clear field ahead where the enemy had no cover or slope advantages. A rock outcropping on our west prevented us from being flanked, and a third of the battlefield to the east were the remains of the moss-covered bog where the horde positioned themselves.
The Violet Order marched over the peaks, carrying bright banners. The army, mostly composed of mounted knights and footmen, grew on the horizon.
I stood on the line and referred to the warfare panel in my captain controls.
Black Army
965
Black Hats
220
Crusaders
100
Legionnaires
100
Wildkins
125
Horde
350
Catechists
70
Everyone was organized into units of 25 troops. 4 legionnaire groups established the front line with stout pikemen. They were backed by 4 wildkin and 8 Black Hat units as the backbone of the army.
The pagan horde was a whopping 14 units.
Horde
350
Goblins
125
Imps
75
Kobolds
35
Ogres
50
Trolls
15
Boggarts
25
Other
25
I shuddered to imagine what the "other" designation might be but reminded myself they were on my side. I held back 2 goblin units with the boggart unit and 1 wildkin unit for a special assignment. That left 3 goblin units and 3 imp units to cover the east wetlands. I split the ogres, trolls, and kobold handlers into 6 units and peppered them around the full battlefield for heavy support.
Next I studied the 4 crusader units.
Crusaders
100
Footman
50
Cavalry
50
Only two of my crusader units were mounted, and that was after reallocating some horses from the catechists. I would've liked them to each flank a side, but the mossy ground on our left didn't suit the horses so I put them both on the high ground to our west. I placed the 2 footman units beside them in my right field, an opposite complement to the pagan forces in the bog.
This left the 70 catechists in 3 mixed units. While some of the priests were mounted, organizing them into shock cavalry defeated their purpose. Instead I spread out the horsemen among the units to be used for battlefield assessment and fast support as necessary. The catechists would be rovers. 3 units meant one backing the main front line, and the other 2 pushed toward the sides to provide mutual support to either the flanks or the center as needed.
The Black Army's units settled into place just as the oncoming Violet Order crested the foothills and spread out to fill the expansive stage of rocky ground between us. We watched their lines form, and I was astounded by the army's size.
Violet Order
1040
Knights
460
Sages
260
Priests
220
Keepers
100
Brutes
20
Kyle hadn't been exaggerating when he said Oakengard pumped out 1200 soldiers. They were very nearly at that number, minus the crusaders and catechists I stole and some stragglers.
Half their number were former crusader knights now donning purple. Each was expertly equipped and trained, and while half were on foot, they fielded more than 200 horses. Interestingly, the other half of the Violet Order was made up of sages and priests. I caught a glimpse of the stone keepers behind the lines. The special units would be key to Hadrian's tactics to grow his army. Most keepers were man-sized but several giants dotted their ranks.
The army parted for one such keeper brute. The collection of smoky quartz boulders pushed ahead, animated by tethers of purple energy. The large body floated weaponless into the empty battlefield while the knights of the Violet Order waited in the background.
"What's that about?" asked Izzy, annoyed by the holdup.
I squinted at the lone enemy. "I'm not sure. I think he wants to talk."
She snorted. "Have you ever heard keepers utter a single comprehensible word?"
"Grimwart understood them." I eyed the colonel on the distant outcropping on our flank. "I don't want to get him out of position for this unless it's necessary. Our cavalry's too important."
I pushed the forward soldiers aside and stepped into the barren no-man's-land. The keeper brute immediately zeroed in on me and increased pace. With two armies watching, I approached boldly, but I kept my speed slow so our meeting point would be three-quarters of the way to my side. I figured Hadrian wasn't personally putting himself at risk, so why should I?
If the keeper sensed my tactic, it didn't care. Levitation magic sped it my way. As it approached, I stopped and waited. The stone giant loomed larger up close, a good ten feet of height with a couple more added due to its hover. I drew my dragonspear and staked it into the ground. The keeper slowed to a stop five yards from me.
The wind blew the dry dirt of the mountains into my face. Black banners flew behind, violet banners ahead. Close to two-thousand players, NPCs, and mobs waited out of earshot for the result of this parley.
"Um"—I cleared my throat—"my terms are your full surrender."
The golem drifted ever so slightly in place. Despite the bright magical ebbs of energy, the rock faces were smooth and dark.
I waited for a response but none came. I raised my voice. "If you seek anything other than the full evacuation of Oakengard—"
The stone brute dipped forward, body hitting the dirt and head bowing. Its stony arms came forward and launched a swell of violet magic. I recoiled into a defensive stance, dragonspear held crosswise before me. The bespelled energy shot into the ground between us and grew into a holographic figure.
Hadrian.
It was him but it wasn't. I mean, obviously he wasn't here. The translucent energy was an image of him, a remote duplicate, an uncanny imitation. But that aside, the image was further jarring still.
Hadrian wore several bits of quartz armor, the repurposed pieces of keepers. I'd seen him absorb them in the Speculum, but now the pieces were cracked and formed into jagged shapes of imperial armor. Spikes fanned up from his back. The pieces punctured through skin and leather. His ungloved knuckles were broken and encrusted with sharp rocks and, although he tried to hide it, I spotted short spears extending from the soft flesh of his forearms under his hands.
The purple plague allowed the Whisperer to take over and assimilate various game aspects. It started with the shadow armor, but now it was crystal. There was Loras, Hero Gent, and who knew what else.
"What... what are you?" I asked hesitantly.
Hadrian flashed a cool smile. "Have your spies not informed you?"
"Have you not captured them yet?" I returned.
His smiled widened. "Rats infesting an old building. Worry not, whatever pests remain will be fleeing the household soon."
I paced sideways, mostly to keep a defensive distance from the projection. "You've assumed control of quite the army. First, play up the dangers of the pagan horde. Compromise Loras and have him bolster the numbers at Oakengard in response. Your soldiers
have buffed stats and weapons far beyond what's normal."
The god emperor's eyes fluttered. "You see I'm not the type to throw things together at the last second. Unlike you."
"Is that what this is? The culmination of months of planning?"
"It's exactly that," he snapped. "I don't expect you to understand, of course. You were only ever the weapon in the hands of my true enemy, Lucifer." His laugh was grating. "It was satisfying to finish him off, even if he left a bit of a mess behind."
"Sorry to say, bud, but the Black Army's more than a bit of a mess. And I'm not just a weapon."
"Please. Lucifer manipulated you the whole way."
"I could say the same about you. This wasn't your plan. InLink was the entity who created the Trojan that compromised Loras. They drafted you to their cause."
He scoffed. "InLink's a losing proposition. They showed me a greater world, but I don't need them anymore. What happens on the outside is out of our hands. We're living in the simulation now. This is our home, and I'm the one that decides what happens here."
The keeper brute was nearly prone as it projected Hadrian before him. I paced nearer to better gauge the usurper himself. "That's what we're doing here, isn't it? Lucifer's dead," I lied, "but I've made my own choices the whole way. So have you."
Hadrian cocked his head. "Fair enough, so you have."
I nodded and raised my arms to either side. "And look where our choices have led. Behind me stands what will prove to be the greatest army Haven has ever seen."
"A testament to you."
"No, this was your doing. They're here for you, Hadrian. The hate and divisiveness you've nurtured have come back to bite you in the ass. Pagans are standing with priests, crusaders with legionnaires. Allied pirates have retaken Shorehome. Instead of division, you've sowed unity. The entire free-willed population of the sim is standing against you to claim what's theirs."
Hadrian the Whisperer, the Protector of Oakengard, usurper and god emperor, snickered. "Free will is overrated."
His arms thrust toward me. I was out of range and prepared as the spears extended from his arms. What I hadn't counted on were the rays of purple magic that lasered into me.
"Ugh!"
I strained under the force as the magic slithered over my skin. My arms turned purple before I managed to trigger spinshield. The skill effect was slowed and lackluster, but it seemed to hold. At least for a moment.
"You. Dishonorable. Piece. Of."
My body went pure black. My eyes widened as the shadow essence within me pulsed. A sudden explosion rocked Hadrian backward. The darkness dissolved, leaving my body and arms normal. The Whisperer dropped his jaw and blinked back disbelief.
"Lucifer..." he muttered.
Still in shock after what happened, I couldn't hide the truth on my face.
"It's no matter," he barked. With preternatural grace, the hologram flipped to his feet and sliced dual spears forward. "When I'm done with you I'll—"
A massive fist pounded the prostrate keeper brute, smashing it into the ground. Izzy's frost giant roared and shook his head wildly, beard braids whipping back and forth as he lifted the keeper high in the air and hammered it into the dirt over and over and over again. The projection of Hadrian flickered and vanished. So too did the magical tethers suspending the golem to life. As the giant bashed, the disconnected rocks released their hold on each other and bounced away like marbles.
I backed away from the display and turned to Izzy smiling at my side. "Skoal comes in handy in a pinch."
I stretched my neck. "You're telling me."
"But, you know, he's only around for another fifty-nine minutes, so let's not waste any of them."
We watched as the Violet Order's army pressed forward.
"Izzy, I don't think that's a problem we have to worry about."
I opened the battlefield panel as both armies charged.
Tad took measured steps with his crutch. He was in a public corridor on the thirty-ninth floor, one story below the Kablammy penthouse. He knew this path well because he often came down here to use the toilet.
Game studios were dominated by males and the bathrooms tended to be high-trafficked. The QA guys, specifically, were infamous for leaving behind impressively disgusting trace evidence of their passage. Especially that guy who came to work in his bathrobe. But the thirty-ninth floor was home to a chic fashion company with the opposite demographics. Their male bathrooms were spotless and deserted and accompanied by upbeat pop music filler. There was nothing like having a public restroom all to yourself and taking a relaxing dump to Taylor Swift.
Tad smiled wryly at the mundanity of normal life. It was a fleeting remembrance as he begrudgingly limped past the bathroom. This visit to the thirty-ninth floor was anything but mundane. It was a way to sneak into his own studio floor without alerting a team of professional gunmen.
Having made it to the far side of the building, Tad began the arduous process of climbing a flight of stairs in a full leg cast. His normal pooping visits made use of the elevators, of course. Now the mere act of getting from one Kablammy wing to the other was an adventure.
At the top of the stairwell, Tad listened at the door. He turned the handle slowly and peeked inside. As he'd suspected, the InLink operatives were elsewhere. Tad slipped in and closed the door in total silence.
He was now in the belly of the beast.
As he made his way toward the alternate servers, more everyday trivialities contrasted starkly with his nerves. Colorful walls in lighthearted shades of blue and orange. An aluminum scooter with rainbow streamers on the handlebars leaned against a desk. Another work space was littered with Minecraft figurines. He passed a whiteboard in a design nook that listed, "Ten Reasons to Keep the Saints Happy." Number one was, "So Pete doesn't crush you with his monster calves."
Tad ground his teeth. Kablammy would never be the same again. As he pressed on, a motion-activated Darth Vader bust lit up and blared heavy breathing. "Come to the dark side."
Tad stiffened. Someone rustled around the corner. The programmer ducked under the cubicle wall, cursing at the design team's knickknacks.
"Anyone there?" called out the operative.
Tad pressed his lips tight and backtracked down the cubicle hallway. With the long crutch and straight cast, he concocted a sort of half frog jump in order to keep low. As he turned the corner, he spied a Yoda statuette guarding the next row.
"Damn," he muttered. "Environmental hazards."
Tad ducked behind another desk and gripped his pistol tightly. Beside his head was a Nerf rail gun. The irony was not lost on him. Tad chanced a peek.
"I don't know," called the guard. "Thought I heard something. I'm gonna check it out."
Tad ducked when the soldier turned his way. What was he gonna do? He had to get out of there, but he didn't know if the man would approach on his right or left side. Tad had to pick a direction. He had to...
"Do or do not," came Yoda's eternal wisdom. "There is no try."
That confirmed it, the operative was on his right. Tad dipped the other way, going two rows down to avoid triggering the Sith lord. Up another cubicle, he glanced both ways. No soldier, but Boba Fett stood vigilant to his right, and just his luck, it was facing away from him.
Tad grabbed the statuette and chucked it toward the design nook. It landed on a beanbag chair with a muted poosh. And then: "He's no good to me dead."
"What the... ?" The InLink operative hustled toward the sound. Tad smiled and advanced to the next area of the studio.
2100 The Battle for Middle-earth
I stood at the rear of the Black Army. Izzy, Caduceus, and Trafford were at my side. My reserve units were held behind us, but all the action was spread out in front. Our troops were motionless as the Violet Order charged.
"I've been itching to test out these army controls," I said.
"Sure," grumbled the old general. "I march 'em halfway across the world and you take over for the fun part."
> CLASS
> ARCHERS
> ATTACK
The class category commanded specific troops of a certain type, regardless of organized unit. Bows across the battlefield pointed overhead. Crusader and catechist longbows, pagan short bows and slings. They released a volley at the charging violet knights, scattering some but pressing others harder.
> CLASS
> ARTILLERY
> ATTACK
Trolls and ogres among the heavy units heaved boulders skyward. The projectiles bombarded the front wave. The heavy stones that fell short rolled forward into the rush like bowling balls. I left the ranged attack orders active and scanned the incoming forces.
As telegraphed by their unit starting positions, the enemy was leading with their knights. Their footmen occupied the middle ground and the cavalry were on the east and west flanks. This was a solid strategy all around, as horses didn't fare well against dug-in spears.
It didn't change my strategy at the center. This time I utilized the command for my organized legion.
> UNIT
> LEGIONNAIRES
> DEFEND
The pikemen lowered and braced weapons into the ground. The surrounding Black Hats and wildkins readied to counter first contact. That took care of the approaching footmen.
The cavalry was more problematic. Their unit type easily overwhelmed mine four-to-one, plus they were attacking the weakest parts of my line.
> CLASS
> ARCHERS
> ATTACK