Awaken Online: Armageddon, page 22
“But why would I do that?” Eliza began frantically. “I mean, if the game ends, what good is a gate piece? Besides, that’s not me. I didn’t want any of this!” She glanced at Jason again, moisture shining in her eyes. “Please tell them! I just wanted to tend my garden.”
“Looking to him for help? That’s rich,” Julia snapped. “He doesn’t care about you. He’s just out to help himself and increase the reach of his stream. Besides, do you think his words will sway any of us? He’s screwed over almost everyone here.”
Evelyn tapped at her lips. “That’s a fair point. He’s even harmed you, dear,” she said to Eliza. “Used you to help create and sell those potions – which only served to bolster his city.” She looked to Jason, and her eyes lit up. “Now that I think of it, perhaps Eliza isn’t our culprit. For all we know, our Dark Lord himself could have been behind the attack in Sandscrit. That really sounds more like his MO anyway.”
“And how exactly could he have done that?” Riley demanded, her eyes flashing.
Evelyn shrugged. “He can summon undead. All he would need to do is kill a couple merfolk and raise their corpses, no? Or hell, he could probably build a skeleton and then cover it in fake skin or an illusion. Doesn’t seem that difficult. And that gives him an easy scapegoat in this poor girl here.”
Eliza’s mouth opened, then closed as she stared at Jason. He could see her thoughts racing. Her plea for help morphing slowly into suspicion. The others were staring now, too. Finn’s penetrating gaze laser-focused on him – no doubt reading his mana signature for any hint of complicity.
Jason just scoffed. “Really? Now I’m the suspect? Because Evelyn here suggested it? Doesn’t that seem telling? As far as I can see, she’s in the best position to benefit from us turning on each other. And Alexion’s light magic could create illusions that mimic the merfolk.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with that mess,” Alexion growled, finally entering the conversation.
“Really? Says the guy that’s tried to pin mass murder on me how many times now? All while roleplaying as some sort of white knight hero for the cameras?” Jason shot back. “Or how about that time that you got me expelled? Sorry if I don’t fucking believe you.”
Jason glanced at Evelyn before his gaze returned to Alexion. “Besides, you two have already tried to steal the gate piece from Finn. And it’s clear that Evelyn wears the pants in your relationship – she’s been the one making every decision for you since we arrived. Maybe you wanted to prove to her that you could do something on your own, huh? Actually win for once? Wouldn’t that be a crazy outcome…”
Alexion’s eyes flashed, light spilling from his skin and panels of glowing, golden energy materializing along his body. He drew his sword to the scrape of metal. “Why don’t you come over here and say that again. I’d love to have a real rematch. One where Riley and Finn aren’t there to save you.”
Jason paced forward, snapping his staff in two, and twin Soul Blades slowly arced through the air. At the same time, his Bone Armor slid into place, coating his body. Riley and the shifters pointed their weapons at Evelyn’s guards and the Nephilim as they pivoted – now turning their weapons on Jason and his group.
“Then let’s go, dickhead,” Jason growled.
Alexion was more than happy to oblige. Beams of light speared forward, slicing through the air – only to crash harmlessly against Frank’s plated form as he shifted. Riley fired, and a dark void ripped open in the air near the sensor array, the vacuum sucking in the Nephilim and throwing off their aim. Then, Silver entered the fray, icy spears forming in the air around her and rocketing toward Evelyn’s guards, forcing them backward.
As his companions covered him, Jason surged forward in a blur of movement. Alexion braced himself, Evelyn cowering behind him as he formed a tower shield comprised entirely of light. Jason never slowed, dark mana peeling away from his skin and flickering down the length of his half-staves. He pulled back to swing his Soul Blades…
But the blow never landed.
Just before he reached Alexion, Jason’s body broke apart into streamers of dark energy that spiraled around Alexion, streaming past him. The avatar of light turned in slow motion, his glowing eyes wide and filled with surprise. Flaming orbs darted forward, melting down and snapping around Evelyn’s arms and legs, before spearing into the ground, pulling her to her knees before the metal hardened and anchored her in place. At the same time, brambles emerged from the ground all around the courtyard, blocking off any last hope of retreat.
Jason’s Soul Blades came to rest just before Evelyn’s neck, hovering there, drawing only a thin line of crimson blood on her pale skin.
“What… what’s the meaning of this? Guards!” Evelyn cried, grimacing as the skin of her wrists and ankles welted under the heat of Finn’s spells.
Jason just snorted in amusement.
Evelyn looked up to find her men were on the ground, crushed under a well-timed Gravity Well – courtesy of Kyyle – and the others had been sent flying back into the terrace with a blast of air from Julia’s shield. The rest of the avatars simply watched her impassively.
The guild leader’s eyes went wide. Her gaze shifted to Alexion. “Alex… help me.”
“I don’t think so,” the avatar of light said, his mana disappearing as he sheathed his blade and crossed his arms. His Nephilim floated nearby, not one of the angelic soldiers making a move.
“Why?” Evelyn demanded. “After everything…”
“Enough,” Alexion sneered. “Don’t sit here and pretend that you know me. That you care about me. I don’t have to endure that bullshit any longer.”
He stepped forward, his eyes flashing a brilliant gold.
“Where the fuck is the real Evelyn?”
“I don’t… I don’t know what—” The guild leader looked confused – shaking her head and glancing at the others. But all she saw staring back was cold hostility.
“It’s time to give up the ruse,” Finn remarked, stepping forward and the metal cooling with a twitch of his fingers. “The illusion is cleverly crafted. Layering the mana. Infusing it with other affinities. Even adjusting it in real-time to simulate emotion. At first, I didn’t notice it was fake. I’ll admit… you fooled me – even if I have been distracted. Still, I’m impressed.”
Finn tapped at his temple. “But it doesn’t hold up to my Mana Sight. Not when I’m focusing on you, at least. There are still subtle patterns – a repetition in the mana fluctuations that shouldn’t be there. Daniel was kind enough to point them out for me,” he offered, waving at the ball of flame floating beside him, which winked and dipped at his approval.
“Enough. Answer me. Where is the real Evelyn?” Alexion growled again.
Evelyn’s eyes darted the group, noticing the way they all stared at her, waiting. Riley’s bow was nocked. Jason’s Soul Blades rested at her throat. Finn’s metal bound her to the ground. The courtyard was lined with guards. Eliza and Brian didn’t linger far away, the bramble covering the walls in thick vines – preventing her escape even if she somehow managed to free herself from her bonds. And from the shadows of the terrace, Frank and Silver prowled, their eyes glowing in the darkness. She was outgunned and outnumbered, the full force of four avatars united and now arrayed against her.
The guild leader’s expression finally cracked, confusion transforming into a sneering smile. “Huh, I’ll give it to you. I didn’t expect you idiots to find me out – much less to work together. Well played.”
As she spoke, Evelyn’s features dissolved away. Her tunic rippled and disappeared, fur-fringed leather soon replacing it, the armor glimmering with mana that spoke to its quality. A wand suddenly appeared at Evelyn’s waist and glowed with a brilliant sapphire light. But everyone’s gaze was focused on her face. Pale skin was replaced with a smooth, ivory finish and a perpetual, frozen smile – a mask that Jason immediately recognized, even if her abilities hadn’t already given away her identity.
They’d just captured Queen, a member of
Chapter 18 - Mindful
A few hours earlier.
Jason stepped out of a multi-colored rift with a sigh. He had yet another fire to put out, even as his conversation with Robert lingered with him. Unresolved. Foreboding. The engineer clearly had an agenda here – to help resurrect Rachael… at least, if he was to be believed.
For some reason, Jason suspected there was more to it than that.
He tapped at the air to bring up his UI. His friends list soon scrolled before him. It looked like Finn had been offline for a few minutes – a short break, knowing him. They still had some work to do to finish the sensor array, and the clock was ticking on the end of the world. Meanwhile, Eliza was online. A tap at his map revealed she was inside the guild hall, her icon highlighted in glowing green. Thankfully, he’d thought to have the avatars form a group ahead of time – selling them on the idea of knowing each of their locations.
Paranoia paid off sometimes.
Jason rubbed at his eyes. Hopefully, he had enough time to confront Eliza and do some damage control before the shit hit the flaming fan. His feet were already moving, pacing a path toward Eliza as he mentally calculated how many “resources” he still had at his disposal after helping Finn create the sensor tower.
The answer was far too few.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t come down to a fight.
“I take it you saw the video?” Riley spoke up as she approached from an adjoining hallway, her boots treading silently across the marble floor – an impossible feat back in the real world.
“Yeah… yeah. This is going to suck,” Jason murmured.
Riley grunted her agreement. “So, we’re going to talk to Eliza first—”
“Oh, look at you two off on another adventure… *hic* without me!” Frank drawled as they stepped out into the guild’s open courtyard. The shifter sat atop a throne of kegs, more strewn across the ground. Jason saw Jerry perched on the terrace above them, the innkeeper tipping his hat politely at Jason. No doubt Ella was keeping an eye on Silver. They’d been doing as Jason had asked – just in case the shifters decided to, well, do something exactly like this.
Jason couldn’t afford for Frank to make another scene or to damage the column of bone that now towered above the courtyard, ending just shy of Alexion’s glowing, golden dome of light.
“Yeah, yeah, I know about my babysitter too!” Frank shouted up at the balcony.
“Personally, I prefer asshole wrangler,” Jerry quipped with a shrug.
“Frank, we really don’t have time for this. Maybe you should log out for a bit, sober up, and then actually talk to Silver?” Jason suggested.
His friend just snorted. “Passing me off again, huh? You think I’m too lovesick that I don’t notice how you two are sneaking around? Even more secrets!” he declared as he lifted a keg to his lips. Finding it empty, Frank frowned and chucked it at a nearby wall, where it exploded in a shower of wooden fragments.
“That’s not it at all—” Jason replied in irritation.
He was cut short as the shifter suddenly raced toward Jason in a blur of movement. Jason suddenly felt himself lifted from the ground by an overly hairy arm – blood-red eyes hovering inches from his own. The primal spirit must be preying on his friend’s fear and uncertainty, urging him to bloodshed.
“I’m not stupid. I see what’s going on. The way you keep putting off the trials,” Frank growled.
Jason winced. He noticed Riley moving in the corner of his eye, slowly drawing a blade. Jerry had also moved to flank the shifter, a bead of crimson now dotting his thumb as he empowered himself with blood magic. They both knew Jason couldn’t afford to die here. He didn’t have time to make the trip back to Barrow – not with Finn about to go on the warpath once he saw that video.
“You don’t trust me,” Frank bit out. “Prolly cuz of my relationship—”
“You have it wrong,” Jason retorted sharply, waving the others off.
He heaved out a sigh. After his conversation with Robert… and George… and Alfred, Jason was really, really starting to hate the secrets and the intrigue – everyone playing their own game while keeping everyone else in the dark. There was a certain simplicity to just telling the truth – especially to your friends. And he was starting to see that they couldn’t afford this type of distrust and dissension within their own ranks. It was tearing them apart and dooming their entire mission to failure.
Although, this wasn’t exactly an opportune time for a heart-to-heart.
But was there ever going to be one?
That didn’t seem likely with the shitshow that was his life now.
Frank was still staring at him in confusion. “If you put me down, I’ll explain,” Jason said finally. The shifter hesitated for a moment before reluctantly lowering him to the ground.
Jason could feel Riley’s attention on him – her knowing gaze. But his attention was only on Frank and the pain he saw reflected in his friend’s eyes. If he went through with this, there would be no going back. Frank would be at risk. He would have to make a choice. The same one Jason had made what felt like a lifetime ago. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? It was a choice.
One Jason had been making for him.
“Fine,” Jason said with another sigh, pulling back his hood so Frank could see his face. “You’re right. I’ve been withholding something from you. I’ve been avoiding completing the Keeper trials. And I’ve been doing that to protect you.”
Frank snorted. “Really? Protect me? That’s rich—”
“Don’t believe me? Then let’s do it right now. Just get it over with,” Jason insisted, waving at the courtyard. “Then you can make up your own mind.”
Frank wavered, those glowing red eyes beginning to shift back to normal. He seemed confused by Jason’s easy acquiescence.
“Are you sure this is the best time?” Riley ground out, eyeing her UI. “We likely don’t have long until Finn is back.”
“The spirit orb will provide additional time compression, just like it did for you,” Jason replied evenly, pulling the cloudy sphere from his pocket. “In the meantime, I need for you to go find Eliza,” he added, this time for Jerry. The innkeeper nodded and immediately blended back into the shadows. “And if Finn shows back up, ping me,” Jason instructed Riley.
“Of course,” she replied.
Jason turned his attention back to Frank. “In order to do this right, I need for you to sober the hell up. Can you shift to something with a higher metabolism?”
“I… uh, I can do one better,” his friend replied. As he finished speaking, the shifter winced and doubled over, clawing at his stomach. He let out an involuntary grunt, and his breathing came hard and fast. Moments later, he stood back up, his eyes looking clearer and his skin less flushed.
“What was that?” Riley asked as Jason handed her the orb, and she secured it to one of the worktables that littered the courtyard.
“Shifted my liver,” Frank muttered with a pained grin. “It’ll still take some time for the debuff to end completely. I’ve got plenty of stacks. But it should speed up the process.”
Riley just grunted. “Huh, clever.”
“Thanks,” Frank shot back sarcastically.
“You ready for this?” Jason demanded, dark mana pulsing through his body in a frigid river – numbing him to the sudden doubt and uncertainty that coiled at the edges of his thoughts.
Frank nodded, although he looked less certain now despite his bluster.
“We both just need to touch the orb,” Jason instructed, holding Frank’s gaze. “Then we’ll complete the last Keeper trial.” He paused, meeting Frank’s eyes. “Last chance to back out.”
“Screw you,” Frank muttered and smacked his palm against the crystal.
Jason raised an eyebrow but followed suit, gently placing his hand on the glass. A smoky mist immediately spewed from the orb and swept out around the pair, fully encircling them, and blocking out the sight of the courtyard. Then there was only Jason and Frank, eyes locked as the mist coiled and swam across their skin. Finally, it sucked them down into its depths.
***
There was no warning. No signal of transition. The mists were simply whisked away as though by a stiff breeze. However, Jason knew that was impossible. There was no wind here. No breath. No warmth. No life.
They were in the depths of the soul well. A recreation of his thoughts and memories.
A simulation – not unlike the one he’d used to torture Thorn.
And now he’d brought his friend here.
“What the fuck is this?” Frank muttered, staring at the scene around them, his eyes wide and wild – the digital alcohol no doubt still lingering in his veins.
Unlike with Riley, there was no school. No courtyard. No winding hallways.
The pair stood in an open field, gray mist circling them in a dense wall that seemed to stretch up endlessly. And in the depths of that fog were figures. Shadowy shapes that shambled forward. They were people. Not the undead. Not the Kin, but unfamiliar faces. Many wore plain clothes from their own world. Some held banners and posters riddled with hastily scrawled text. News drones buzzed above their heads, puffing and scattering the mists. Others were robed in leather and mail, swords, bows, and daggers held in hand. Those that he’d killed in-game.
Those that wanted to hurt him. Hunt him. Kill him.
Hundreds. Thousands. A legion of shadows lingering at the edges of the mist. Instinctively, Jason knew they were waiting. Watching. Looking for an opening. A moment of weakness they could use to surge forward. A mob just ready to lynch him.
“My mind,” Jason answered finally. “Or a recreation of it.”
Frank shook his head. “But Riley said there were hallways and spiders or something.”
“I was fighting her,” Jason answered. “My subconscious was trying to protect me – protect both of us – from seeing what we shouldn’t. The point of this trial is for the two of you to see into my soul. Just like I witnessed some of your most painful memories when I first sacrificed you to the mana well,” he explained, his gaze still on the mists.
