A/N: A big thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review on this story. I can't thank all of you personally through PM since sometimes there is no option available, but thank you so much. This chapter is a little late, but a few more introductions are in order.
A definition for those who are fandom blind:
NPC (non-playable character)- this is typically a character that interacts with a player in a video game. They usually provide quests or give out valuable bits of information about the world. They are a character not assumed by the actual player. Obviously this world of Puzzle and Dragons is much more advanced though.
"What is it that makes us real? Well, define 'real.'" -Anonymous
Chapter 6-The Abyssal
The Virtual World
Pirugan Continent, Castle of Satan
In-game Timer: Day 1
1:30 PM
The Divine Queen Hera strode down the long, dank hallway completely at ease, even with the tendrils of darkness that crept between the cracks of the obsidian hallway. This was the deepest she had ever been in the castle, and the malevolent presence that she was warned of that resided in the deepest bowels was near. Its aura was heavy, and the cold touch of the dark tendrils prodded her lavender skin as if testing her now wavering composure.
She didn't want to admit it to herself, but this unknown, otherworldly being exuded a power that was beyond even her understanding. This realization suddenly brought forth an alien feeling known as apprehension. She felt her air of calm begin to slip away. It was irritating how quickly one's emotions could transform in the face of the unknown.
After what seemed like an eternity, the hallway widened substantially, and Hera found herself standing before a massive wall of stone native to the abyss. It was stone that did not belong in this world, but it was here, thanks to the dark force that lurked just beyond.
Hera found that her black caricthmian armor was uncomfortable, and she worked her hands over the wrist and shin guards to readjust them. Her smooth black-scaled tail slid stiffly along the floor, and the body armor she wore also felt too tight, but this part was nothing really new. It was difficult to find armor in this world that actually fit properly to her alluring figure.
She removed her elaborate circlet from her head and let it vanish from her hands. She then let her brunette and red hair flow down its full length to her waist. Her long, elongated horns actually managed to make her appearance even more divine and seductive.
She would not allow herself to enter the chamber beyond without full control over her emotions.
And she now knew why her armor was so uncomfortable. She noticed the glimmer of sweat on her arms and cursed herself for her body's honesty. There was nothing to be done. Sitting and brooding would only serve to make her more uneasy.
With that realization, she placed her hand at the very center of the wall, and a thin vertical line appeared that extended to the floor and ceiling. Without further prompting, the two separate slabs of rock opened inward with a groan of resistance to plunge Hera into an even deeper darkness.
Hera hesitated before taking that first step into the chamber. The bit of light from the hallway was unable to pierce the darkness beyond.
Hera willed herself forward, stepped onto the unseen floor, and proceeded into the consuming darkness. The air was silent. Even Hera's footsteps were unheard as she strode forward with her controlled, even pace. The typical rustling of fabric under her metal armor that she was accustomed to was also absent. It was as if the world had been put on mute and sense of sound had been nullified, deafening the world.
As she considered this thought, a coldness seemed to close in, and she felt her body stiffen against her will. The cold was fleeting, but the soreness in her limbs that followed convinced her that it was more than just a slight chill.
As she stepped forward, the scraping of her metal heels could now be heard. Her breathing turned out to be much heavier than she expected as sound returned to the world. At first she thought her breathing mirrored her apprehension, but it was due more to the fact that the air in the chamber was now heavier. Much heavier.
Before she even had time to consider what had been done to her body, the darkness opened up before her and admitted her into another hidden chamber that glowed with a dim red light. The source of the light emitted from a small orb at the center of the room that pulsed outwards. Crimson rings swirled around it, and they appeared to be the energy source that maintained the light's glow.
Hundreds upon hundreds of stalagmites and stalactites thrust from the ground and ceiling, disappearing into the darkness beyond that the orb of light could not penetrate. Flat stone slabs protruded from all areas of the chamber around the spikes of rock. Dust swirled around in random points in the room from an unseen wind that shouldn't have existed in such a place sealed from the outside world.
Hera noticed a group of monsters, her comrades, sitting around the red orb. They leaned against the stalagmites or sat upon the flat stone slabs silently.
She first noticed Satan's massive form bent over the glowing orb. One of his hands rested open with trails of energy seeping from it, feeding the orb.
The second individual was a knight in heavy black armor who was busying himself as he tended to a long broadsword. He sat silently as his hand moved methodically up and down the sword. A light blue hue emanated from the blade as he continued to perfect his practice of reinforcement.
Sitting behind the knight on one of the jutting stone slabs was a female with folded, dark raven-like wings. Her black hair hung low to the small of her back with an elaborate, violet circlet resting on her head. The bright flowers that were clipped to her hair on either side of her head contrasted strangely with the burgundy armor she wore. Her legs were crossed, wearing stockings of armored fabric; and her arms, also covered in multi-layered metal, rested on her knees in a stance that made her boredom obvious. Her scythe was laid on the ground with the utmost care.
Standing next to Satan was the final individual. Hera was aware that he was male, but the bone mask-of-a-face made it difficult to tell, especially with the dark hood pulled up over his head. His armor was sharp and dangerous; it seemed like the armor was practically a part of his own body. His pauldrons were forged into the shape of dragon feet and his full multi-layered, caricthmian armor was smooth where the spikes ended. It was armor that was crafted by his own hands. His elaborate cloak covered most of the armor. Propped up in one of his hands was an enormous scythe with three intricate, and disturbingly realistic, dog heads where the blade of the scythe began. Two more curved blades extended upwards out of the two dog mouths to either side of the central blade. The eyes of the metal Cerberus glowed a deep yellow like a brimming fire.
What made Hera uneasy about him was the fact that she could not read his face. The hint of a mouth could be seen, but just barely since his cloak was pulled up over the lower half of his bone face (she was unsure if what he wore was a mask or if it was his actual face). His eyes were also unreadable. They were like the eyes of a beast; perhaps those of an ice wolf, with vertically thin pupils. The smaller eye in his forehead was forever unmoving, and Hera wondered if it actually observed anything. Perhaps it did, but she had never seen it glance in any direction. The black, curved ink designs around his eyes made their contrasting crystal blue color even more prominent.
Only one of her comrades came down to greet her as she approached the glowing orb. The woman with the raven wings dropped the few feet to the ground from the rock slab. She walked up to Hera and greeted her with a nod.
"It's good to see you Hera," she said in her sweet voice. There was a hint of apprehension in her tone that Hera could pick out.
"It is good to see you too Persephone," Hera replied. Her awareness of Persephone's uneasiness was enough of a reminder to mask her own.
The deep voice of Satan interrupted all of their thoughts. "Everyone is now present."
Persephone addressed the cloaked individual next to Satan with surprise, "What is he talking about Hades? There are so few of us here."
The one named Hades shook his head. "Indeed. Many of us are too far scattered throughout the continent to assemble. A few who were once among us have been removed from our covenant as well."
Hera smirked. "I'm guessing Beelzebub is one of them?"
She dismissed the fact that they had neglected to inform her about these recent events. They would get their scolding later.
"He was a liability. My only regret is that I was unable to crush his twisted brain," Satan scoffed, "Sick and demented little runt."
As Satan finished his sentence, the orb beneath his hand began to visibly dim. The void around them drew closer and melded into the stone. Hera felt the same presence from before. The dark tendrils now slithered along the stone and combined to create an even deeper darkness. The last of the inky black merged, and all around them the cavern vanished. The red orb only illuminated the individuals who stood around it.
A disembodied, mechanical voice resounded in the darkness, "I am pleased that all of you were able to convene at this critical hour." The voice seemed to be coming from all around them. It felt as if it was intruding upon their minds.
The dark knight who was reinforcing his sword stopped his work and rose to his feet. Hera was unable to see him camouflaged in the darkness, and she jumped in surprise as he appeared to join them in the circle. She let out a low curse as she composed herself. The dark knight shrugged an apology, even though he was not aware of what he had done to Hera's nerves.
Satan waved one of his six hands dismissively at the darkness. "Enough with these formalities Abyssal. Why did you summon us?"
"Best make it quick," Hades added, folding his arms over his chest impatiently. "The Players will be arriving at their Departure Towers. Time is short."
The darkness seemed to shift with irritation at their ill-mannered tone. It wasn't that this shift was seen, but felt.
Hera and Persephone glanced at each other uneasily.
"Very well," the Abyssal responded after a brief silence, "I have summoned you all here to provide information regarding the next few months that follow this recent Reversion."
Hera, despite herself, was now leaning forward expectantly awaiting the Abyssal's next words. Persephone mimicked her movement.
Hades, Satan, and the black knight stood silent and expectant.
"I will no longer be able to assist you with intelligence concerning your enemies' whereabouts," the Abyssal continued.
Satan cursed under his breath at this news and Hades simply shook his head. They had all expected this eventually. The very existence of The Reversion displayed the power of the ones who created the world. The monsters' loss of power was another signal that indicated their lack of control. It was an inevitability that they had all been secretly denying up until this moment.
Persephone spoke, "So the Creators have control of everything now? Is that it?" she asked.
The rest of them stared into the darkness for confirmation. The Abyssal's response was completely unexpected.
"The Creators do not necessarily have control of this world."
No one was able to conceal their shock at this statement. For those whose faces were concealed, their shift in stance was more than enough to reveal their surprise.
"What do you mean?" Hera asked.
"The Reversion was not necessarily enacted by the current Creators. In actuality, The Reversion was set to occur at a certain time by a very 'specific' Creator, one who is now deceased. It is set to revert all monsters back to their original states of power when they were brought to the world. This Reversion was created to only occur once. It is the final preparation for the coming of the Players."
Hera considered the words of the Abyssal for a moment. If what the Abyssal said was true, then The Reversion would not occur again. Also, the Creators were not actually in control of the world. What did that mean? If they were able to create something like The Reversion, then how were they not in control?
"I am not quite sure what you mean," Hera stated as she gathered her thoughts. The others waited for her to ask the question that was all on their minds.
"You say that the work of The Reversion was not done by the Creators, yet you say that one specific Creator is the cause of it. So what's to stop the other Creators from making another one?"
The Abyssal answered immediately, "It is because the other Creators do not know how to create another Reversion."
Hera stared blankly into the darkness. She observed every one of her comrades and noticed the same stillness from all of them. It was a time for contemplation. They had all been painstakingly forming plans around the highly likely possibility that the Creators were always watching them, always waiting to intervene. One wrong move and the Creators would have the power to reverse not only their power, but perhaps the world, or even time and space. It seemed as if most of what they had learned about the world of the Creators was false.
The Abyssal interrupted their thoughts. "In conclusion, this world is now out of the control of the Creators. The denizens of this world are considered separate from their influence. The Creators have limited power, and are only able to regulate the one who is truly in control of this world."
Hades asked the pertinent question, "If they aren't in control, then who is?"
The Abyssal answered, "My sister, Lo."
The Virtual World
Pirugan Continent, Demeter Forest
Game Timer: Day 1
2:18 PM
Ray and Leilan stood at the edge of the cliff that overlooked Demeter Forest. The forest was a sea of green that extended far beyond Ray's range of sight.
The introductions between the two companions had been awkward to say the least. After Leilan's greeting, Ray had stood their completely dumbfounded by not just her beauty, but her matter-of-fact tone. It had taken him nearly a half minute to come up with a response. His words had come out as a cluster of stutters that made him sound like he was speaking a different language. That's how it sounded to him at least. He couldn't help but be embarrassed by his ridiculous response.
Ray squatted at the edge of the cliff and gazed down into the forest. He guessed that it was at least a thirty meter fall. There was no way any normal human could possibly make the drop without injury.
"Can you make this drop?" Leilan asked as if she had read his mind.
Ray examined the cliff face before answering her. There seemed to be a number of handholds from jutting rock and deep grooves that seemed to have a good bit of friction for his fingers to get a decent grip on.
"I can probably make the climb down," Ray responded.
As Ray turned to make his way down the cliff, Leilan placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He glanced up in confusion and saw that Leilan's wings were now fully extended outward. A hint of a grin was on her face.
"I was just kidding," she chuckled softly. "I can fly you down."
Ray sighed and shook his head. Of course, it should have been obvious. He knew he wasn't thinking clearly. Everything that was going on, this amazingly real world and this amazingly real person were getting to his head.
But Leilan wasn't even a person. She may have looked like one, save for the wings on her back, but she was a monster.
Ray turned reluctantly and allowed Leilan to grab him under the arms. She tested her grip and his weight before she began beating her wings to lift them from the cliff. Ray was surprised by how easily she took to the sky with the combined weight of his armor and person.
Leilan glided a short ways until she found a break in the canopy. She released him a few feet off the ground and he landed easily in a half-crouch.
The grass was soft, just like in his own world.
Leilan alighted next to him and they began their journey through the forest.
Ray carefully picked his way down a long descent. The terrain was deceiving, for the trees grew so that they reached only a certain distance up to the sky, creating a completely even canopy of leaves. It was as if the trees were working in unison to remain as equals so that no tree reached any higher to the sky than the others.
No stone lay on the ground and no natural path was discernible.
Ray slid down the last few feet as Leilan floated to the ground beside him.
They spent most of the journey in silence. Ray found it difficult to strike up any sort of conversation. He always had a difficult time speaking to people he had just met. They were both destined to fight alongside each other without first knowing about the other. Ray found it easier to examine his surroundings and to take in the environment.
The forest was eerily silent. Ray noticed that during the whole trip through the forest, there was not a single sign of wildlife or any traces of prints or disturbed foliage to indicate that any sort of living creature had passed through.
Ray decided to break the silence by commenting on this observation. "This forest seems way too quiet," Ray said.
Leilan regarded him curiously as he continued.
"It feels like nothing has passed through here in quite some time. Why is that?" Ray figured that his partner might hold the answers for him. After all, it was her world.
But how long had she actually been in this world?
"This part of the forest heals itself," Leilan answered. "It is able to revert back to its original state at an amazing rate. Look." She gestured to the grass behind them.
She was right. The crushed grass that was previously beneath their feet was righting itself and pointed straight up once again. None of the blades of grass bent in any direction. All of them pointed straight for the canopy.
There were so many questions that Ray wanted to ask Leilan. But the sheer number of them couldn't possibly be answered in the span of a day. He decided that he would stick with the more pertinent questions for the time being and address the other ones later as the situations presented themselves.
"Normally I would ask someone I just met the typical introductory questions," Ray finally continued after a short time. Breaking his uneasiness with a bit of humor seemed appropriate. "Y'know, what your favorite hobby is, what colors you like, favorite outdoor activity, stuff like that."
Ray was about to continue until Leilan interrupted him. "You could ask. But I probably won't have an answer for most of them."
Ray smiled. "Yeah, for some reason I kind of figured."
Before he could draw out the conversation further, a dirt road caught his attention. He didn't actually notice it until he heard the crunch of the dirt under his feet, completely different from the soft muffling of his boots in the grass.
He noticed a long indent in the dirt that extended all the way down the road out of sight. Some sort of vehicle must have passed by. No, that wasn't right. The world he was in now didn't have the advanced technology of his own world. This world was based on magic. The tracks must have been from a wagon perhaps, judging from the fact that the tracks were in a pair.
Leilan looked up and down the road silently. She seemed to be weighing their options.
"If we head north, we will reach the town of Millshore," Leilan said. "To the south is the far base of the Bakke Mountains. I suggest that we head into town first. It will be evening by the time we reach the mountains, and there are too many taur demons prowling the area at that time."
Ray nodded. "Alright. You know this world better than I do. Let's head north then."
He was eager to enter some dungeons. The fast pace and thrill of the battles in the Departure Tower had him itching for combat. But it was foolish to enter territory without any experience and at such a low level.
All Players and monsters started at level one upon entering the world. As they completed dungeons and quests they would become stronger. Ray didn't want other Players getting the jump on him in terms of power, but perhaps he could gain an advantage through knowledge instead.
Leilan's words proved to be true, and the sun began to set faster than Ray had anticipated. He could make out faint traces of the moons in the sky. Having more than one moon was going to take some getting used to, and he did a double-take when he first noticed the two spheres in the sky nearly touching each other in orbit. He wondered what effect two moons could have on a world. When a third moon appeared to take the place of the sun on the horizon it didn't really surprise him.
Leilan and Ray walked in silence down the dirt road.
It was a rather unique situation; two individuals who knew nothing about the other put together and expected to fight alongside one another, holding the fate of the other in his/her hands. Success didn't only depend upon how well they worked together. Trust was another issue, and Ray found it strange that he would have to address this if they were to work together as a team. In a game, a Player was the dominant force that determined how the game would progress. And if things fell apart, then it was all on the Player. Maybe the Player gave a partner the wrong choice from a list of commands, or maybe the Player took on a quest that was beyond his/her level.
In this world there were an infinite number of choices. An infinite number of situations and possibilities.
Ray bumped into Leilan's outstretched arm. Her touch woke him from his reverie and he instinctively drew back.
Leilan motioned for him to follow her to the side of the road. Ray obeyed and they took cover in some bushes.
When they were safely concealed, she cocked her head in the direction they were headed. Ray squinted his eyes to focus on the road and didn't notice anything at first, but after a few more seconds, he could make out what appeared to be a wagon and a group of individuals walking beside it. Actually, there was more than one wagon. Ray counted about four, along with a pair of guards standing to the sides and rear of each wagon. Some of the guards rode on the horses that pulled the wagons. Gray tarps covered their bulky cargo.
One individual rode upon an armored white horse leading the caravan, carefully taking in the surrounding forest for any signs of hostiles. The helmet this person wore concealed his/her face, and a straight horizontal line was left for the eyes.
Their gray armor was worn and damaged. Some of them were bandaged and supported injured limbs as best they could using the wagon for leverage or the scabbards of weapons.
Ray noted the crest on their body armor that consisted of two swirling lines ending like teardrops surrounding a crossed halberd and glaive.
"Soldiers of Millshore," Leilan commented.
Ray didn't take his eyes away from the approaching troops. "Friend or foe?"
"Really depends," Leilan answered, "The captain of the guard holds no love for monsters. Past conflicts in Millshore have left us with a strained relationship. The guards will be keeping a close eye on us when we enter town, but they won't interfere with us unless provoked."
Leilan rose from their cover and calmly walked out to the middle of the road. Ray joined her and assumed the same air of ease. He was content to let her take the lead.
They waited until the caravan arrived and a group of guards left their stations at the sides of the wagons and formed a defensive semicircle around the two travelers. They wielded their glaives with unsteady hands not from fear, but sheer exhaustion.
The soldier on the horse slid down and approached Ray and Leilan. The soldier did not bother to draw the broadsword on his/her back and gently pushed one of the guards aside.
"At ease," the muffled voice said.
The guards lowered their weapons, but they made sure the blades settled lightly on the dirt. The dirt would take some of the strain off their arms, but they would be prepared.
The soldier, who Ray assumed was the leader, removed the helmet.
The soldier was female with long blonde hair that was now free to flow to her lower back. Her hazel eyes were heavy, but there was an intensity that remained. She was good looking despite her hard features. Ray figured she was somewhere in her late twenties, but her manner and presence suggested a mind exceeding that of those with more years for wisdom.
Her expression softened and she gave them a weary smile of greeting, but not enough to extinguish the fire in her eyes. Her relaxed stance was most likely a farce.
"A monster and a human traveling together," she said. She didn't seem surprised by the odd pairing. "I guess this means that the Players have finally descended."
Ray tilted his head in confusion. It was strange that non-playable characters were aware of the unique existence of the Players. Usually these kinds of characters were for the sole purpose of driving a story forward, acquiring information, or providing quests to the Players of the game. The fact that they had knowledge of humans outside of their own world seemed unnecessary.
"How do you know I am a Player? And how did you even know we were coming?" Ray asked.
"The keeper of this world, Lady Overlook, informed us of your coming," she answered. "It also isn't common around these parts for a human and a monster to be traveling together."
Lo told the people of this world of our arrival? Ray thought with surprise. He also found it strange the way she mentioned the relationship between the humans and monsters. It seemed like the two groups really did have an unhealthy relationship.
Leilan shifted the conversation towards a question concerning the caravan. "It's pretty late to be heading south isn't it? And your men don't seem to be in the highest spirits," she added as she got a good look at the soldiers' faces.
"Aye," the woman said with a tinge of concern, "We were assigned to escort this caravan to our new outpost on the south edge of Demeter Forest. Unfortunately, we had a few unexpected complications."
"Complications?" Ray pressed.
The woman nodded. "Looks like the taur demons in the area are all riled up, and they aren't the weak ones either. These taur demons hold the title of 'Hellwind,' first evolution taurs. This is the first time I've seen them this close to Millshore."
"I did not know there was an outpost set up so close to the edge of the mountains," Leilan commented.
"That's why the outpost is so desperate for supplies," the woman continued. "It is fairly new. The area is rich in ores, but since the area is so dangerous, the outpost was built at the base of the mountain."
Ray looked at the soldiers next to the wagons. Some of them were now seated heavily on the ground. Their heavy breathing and gaunt appearances were plain. Either this woman had been pushing them hard, or the hostiles had pushed them even harder.
He now noticed the woman's thickly bandaged leg. Her leather waist armor that hung down along her thighs had mostly hidden the red stain at a distance. Upon further observation, Ray also realized that most of her weight was distributed towards her healthy leg. The woman didn't show it, but she was badly injured.
"How much further is the outpost?" Ray asked. This drew a disapproving look from Leilan. She had an idea of what the question implied.
"With our current pace, and without any other obstacles, we should be able to make it by sundown." She threw her thumb over her shoulder to the men behind her. "We may be beaten up a bit, but we haven't lost a single man on this trip. My soldiers are the real deal."
She said that, but even Ray could see that the men were reaching their limit. Some of them were still panting, and their injuries didn't amount to just a couple of cuts and bruises. He observed one man with his waist completely bandaged and three spots of red seeping through. The weapon responsible for the wound was probably something like a trident, judging from the three punctures. The many layers of wrap indicated that the wound was deep. Many of the other men were similarly treated with makeshift tourniquets and crutches.
They would be hard-pressed in a fight with so many wounded.
It was in Ray's nature to help those in need, even if it was in a game. There might even be a potential opportunity to amend the monster and human relationship, even if it was just a little. He wanted to head to the mountains as soon as possible anyway. There had to be some dungeons nearby to explore and other places of interest. The outpost would also provide a safe place to stay for the night. Heading into town could wait until later.
He turned to Leilan for confirmation. He knew that she was aware of his intentions. "What do you think Leilan? We were going to head south anyway at some point."
Leilan shook her head. "I don't think we would be very welcome at this outpost." She gestured to the soldiers. "And I don't think these men would be comfortable taking the trip with me around."
To Leilan's surprise, one of the guards in the defensive semicircle around them relaxed his weapon and rested it on his shoulder. The rest of them followed his lead, and some even rested their weapons on the ground as a sign of trust.
"Some of us don't hate monsters," the one with the glaive on his shoulder said confidently. "Monsters may have made our lives more difficult in the past, but not all of them are to blame."
Another soldier by one of the wagons spoke up angrily, "The hell is wrong with you Carther? The damn monsters just crippled us and now you want to throw our lot with them?"
"Enough! Shut your goddamm mouths!" their commander shouted before anyone else could jump in.
The rest of the men promptly went quiet. They didn't even let out a breath. It showed just how much control and respect she had over them.
She turned back to Ray and Leilan and smiled apologetically. "My apologies. There will always be ignorant fools. I have fought alongside a monster on one rare occasion. They aren't all bad. If you would like to join us, I would be happy to have two more fighters for company. We might even be able to make it to the outpost with no casualties."
Her last comment was left as a vague indication that she believed there would be further conflict. And she knew with her exhausted and wounded men, they wouldn't all make the journey.
Leilan gave Ray another look that was difficult to read. "Very well, I suppose we will join you. Just make sure that none of your men try to stab me in the back."
The woman extended a hand to Leilan who accepted it with a bit of hesitation. She then shook hands with Ray.
"My name's Irina Roche. Just call me Irina."
"Leilan."
"Ray Andylon. Just call me Ray."
Once they finished the introductions, Irina signaled to her men that their break was over. It was time to finish the hard journey.
Leilan and Ray noticed Irina and the man named Carther approach one of the wounded men. They helped him to his feet and slung his arms over their shoulders and guided him to the white horse. A few more men came over to assist them and managed to settle the man in the saddle.
Some of the injured sat on the edges of the wagon, but the cargo that they were transporting took up most of the space available.
Along the way, many of the injured men took turns riding the horses when the pain became too unbearable to continue on foot.
Irina limped alongside Leilan and Ray the rest of the trip to the outpost.
The taur demons that flew overhead were the first sign of trouble. The second was the smoke that rose high over the trees in the darkening sky.
Irina bid her soldiers to make haste, and they pushed themselves through the pain of their injuries at their commander's call. They readied their crossbows and searched the sky for anymore hostiles. The darkness made all of the surrounding forest a place for ambush.
Leilan launched herself into the sky above the treeline so that any potential airborne enemies would not detect their location. She was just high enough to discern the source of the black smoke. The distance couldn't have been more than a mile.
She landed at a quickened pace next to Ray who was already setting up his database so that he could have faster access to his board of orbs once they entered combat.
The caravan had sped up, but their speed only amounted to a swift walk. The wagons were just simply too cumbersome, and the injured could muster only barely enough energy to keep up. Ray wondered if the soldiers would even be able to fight once they arrived at the outpost.
After a few minutes, the dirt road disappeared and was replaced by the regenerating grass of the forest. The caravan had turned slightly east back towards the forest, and the trees left just enough room for the wagons to pass through. The edge of the Bakke Mountains was now visible as the caravan came upon a small field. The outpost stood at its edge near another short expanse of forest that led to the base of the mountains.
Its wall consisted of thick, sturdy logs lifted upright with the ends crafted to sharpened points. Platforms lined the tops of the wall inside where guards ran back and forth, shouting orders and reloading crossbows. Archery towers stood at the edge of the wall as well, and crossbowmen fired into a hoard of monsters that pressed against the gate. The monsters even attempted to climb, driving their weapons into the wood as they made their ascent.
The mass of monsters hovering above the outpost and running towards the wall left the caravan in awe. They soon noticed the source of the smoke where a fire had erupted. It was continuously being fed at the base of the western wall.
A group of red, horned monsters with reptilian tails stood to one side with a circle of winged demons wielding tridents in a defensive formation. Some of them hefted shields to deflect the arrows from the guards' crossbows as the red demons threw orbs of fire at the wall.
Another group of dark demons with wings and wielding scythes descended upon the archery towers and attempted to circumvent the wooden spikes on the ledges the crossbowmen hid behind as they loaded more bolts.
"Ready them up boys!" Irina barked. Her men immediately responded.
They tore off the tarps on the wagons to reveal long metal cylinders with considerably large diameters. They were supported by gray steel slabs that attached near the front and end with wheels embedded to the bottom. A round crank extended out of one side. They threw off more tarps to present even more similar cylinders. On some of the wagons were black heavy spheres that some of the men promptly loaded.
Cannons.
"I want the injured to man the cannons and focus on the western wall! Take out those bastards before they burn the whole place. Keep moving forward and angle them appropriately. The idiots gave us a clear line of fire away from the outpost. The rest of you, hit the front and kill every last one of them! I want two lines of three archers each to swap positions for firing and reloading. I want plenty of cover as we move in. Get to it!"
With that final command Ray and Leilan rushed forward alongside Irina and her troops.
Irina still managed to keep up, even with her injured leg. The fire in her eyes was now on full blaze.
A rush of adrenaline coursed through Ray's body. A mixture of nervousness and excitement blended in. He felt his body lighten and sync with an all too familiar twitch in his muscles that acted on his combat instincts.
The Virtual World
Pirugan Continent, Castle of Satan
In-game Timer: Day 1
7:26 PM
The Abyssal brooded in his darkness about the monsters he had come to create an alliance with.
They were competent, but he found that some of them were not convinced of the intentions he had relayed to them. This would be a problem. He was going to need their assistance for a while if he was ever going to have a chance of accomplishing his goal.
He was sure that the one known as Hades would take the most convincing. All of them held a lack of trust, which was only natural. But Hades suspected far too much, even at this early stage in the game. If things went sour, then he would have to be disposed of first. The woman, Persephone, had a very intimate attachment to him, so she would be the next priority. The rest he was unsure of, but all in due time.
The Abyssal had decided to risk reaching out with his power to tap into the world and locate the positions of the Players. He could tell that his sister had not been given full command of the world just yet, which was a pleasant surprise.
His own Players had arrived just as the one Creator had promised. However, he sensed other Players with similar impressive potential that were not among his own.
Curious.
