Dreaming Orora Page 16

  Jack smiled, “Trust me, you better not know.”

  The kid shrugged, “Up to you.” He thanked Jack and hopped on his jolly way out of the store. Another player joining the ranks.

  Jack looked at the machine and how close it’s to the exit and the clerk. They placed it here for a reason. He approached Emma, the clerk on duty today and the only coworker with him this evening, “Hey Em, how come the kid asked me and not you?”

  Emma’s face blushed turning her white cheeks into a rosy hue. It matched her faded blonde hair, “he started asking questions about what kind of cards available. I didn’t know and I knew you loved this game, so I told him to come to you. Hope you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all,” Jack waved her away and went back to his restocking duties. He glanced at his watch one more time. It’s not moving.

  ~

  Hok stood before Jack waiting to be selected. Below him Alkaizer all greyed out. As long as Hok remained active, Alkaizer couldn’t be selected. The game maintained the one character per player policy. At a time like this Jack preferred Alkaizer who was not stuck in a cell inside a dome, but, alas.

  Before he made the selection a red alert flashed on his display. A call from Eric. “Hey man.”

  “Hey Jack, don’t log in just yet,” Eric said.

  “What’s up?”

  “It’s Ivan, he told everyone that he got you and is going to bring you before them for a dose of ‘people’s justice’ as he called it. I can see few haters here, some bounty hunters as well.”

  Jack smiled, “man, sometimes they make my job so much easier proving the persistent level of stupidity. And you expect me to miss this? No way man. I’m kind of used to this treatment anyways. Besides, isn’t the attack happening soon?”

  “I guess, but I doubt they’ll amount to anything. Many of the people inside seems more concerned with you than actually bringing down the dome at this point.”

  Jack chuckled, “We’ll see. We just have to buy some time. I’ll see you inside man.”

  Hok materialized inside the cell, nothing changed since the last time he left it. The amount of guards around him did however. They grabbed both his hands and forced him forward. Ivan stood just outside the dungeon door greeting him with his ever-welcoming smile.

  “Ah, the hero is back. I hope you are ready for what’s to come.”

  Hok did not say anything. No point fueling this man’s ego. The guards shoved him forward and they all walked behind Ivan. They ascended some flight of stairs then passed few hallways and rooms including what Hok thought the makeshift meeting room they were double-crossed in few days back. He shook his head, how did he fell for that?

  After few minutes of pushing and shoving, they reached the main castle entrance. Behind it, several players blocked the way, cursing and shouting. Hok could not make most of it. The heavy rain persisted and he hated every last bit of it.

  Few soldiers went before them parting the crowed on each side, followed closely by Ivan and the rest, including Hok. Few hands tried to reach him but got either smacked or pushed by the soldiers. The words though, they could not stop. Traitor, filth, cheater, and many more repeated with passion. It was not the first time, but the first since his comeback. Jack could not comprehend just how much those people harbored a grudge. And for what? Some of them didn't even know why.

  They reached a small dais surrounded by yet more soldiers. The dais stood few feet away from the statue of the Lady Altana. Ivan got up the dais and beckoned the soldiers holding Hok. As soon as they ascended, another wave of soldiers covered the stairs. The mob converged around the dais. All the while, the shouting and screaming mixed with the pounding of thunder and rain melded together to form a monotonous background noise. One player tried to break through, but got pummeled by the guards and thrown back to the mix. Not bad for personal protection.

  Ivan raised his hand and the noise died out in phases, “People, I promised you the one who started this all, and here I’m delivering in my promise,” the crowd cheered. Another raised hand brought the cheering to a halt. “What a coincidence that when this exiled comes back all things went sour? The Dark One? The Dome? Death everywhere?”

  Murmur started amongst the crowd. Are they really buying this crap?

  “I promised you justice,” Ivan said, “your justice. And I shall be the first to administer it.”

  Ivan took out his sword, stabbed the air upwards and roared. The crowd mimicked him with their fists. Thunder cracked few times over the shouts. Ivan walked towards Hok, smile ear to ear. The two soldiers flanking Hok tightened their grip and Ivan drove the sword just below Hok’s chest.

  It felt like a punch to the gut. Had it not been for the two soldiers, Hok would’ve fallen back few feet. Ivan bellowed and stabbed the air few more times. The cheers followed.

  “This is justice,” Ivan said then walked towards the crowd, “now I know how much you can’t wait to get your hands on him. And I know that you can’t use your weapons due to security reasons. But I’m sure punching the life out of him again and again is more satisfactory.”

  Hok tilted his head towards the statue. That’s why they brought him here.

  Ivan balled his hand and run towards Hok delivering a cracking punch to his right cheek. The sudden attack disoriented Hok more than anything and the world blurred around him. The soldiers were not fast enough to tighten their grip so he took the full blow and fell on his back. The crowd went wild.

  The two soldiers grabbed Hok and pulled him to his feet. His HP still nowhere in the danger zone, it’ll take a lot more to keep him down. An unfortunate fact in this situation.

  “And don’t worry about getting your turn,” Ivan said, “Everyone will get his heart content. He will die and respwan here again and again. I expect to see him back to level one by tomorrow.” The crowd roared, “Don’t disappoint me.”

  Ivan grabbed Hok by the hair and shoved him to the edge of the dais. The soldiers made way and he stumbled and fell down face first in the mud. The constant rain added insult to injury; he had no love loss for it. The crowd barked in anticipation like wild dogs looking at their injured prey.

  Jack could’ve logged out and leave the game, but he wanted to stay. To see how far those people would go. How much their hate ate at them. And it served as a reminder for him just how much he hated other players. He took his time getting up to his feet just as Ivan gave the signal for his soldiers to step aside.

  “He’s all yours,” Ivan said.

  As soon as the soldiers parted ways a pillar dropped from the sky with the word DUEL on it. Hok accepted before even reading who initiated the duel.

  “Eric started a duel with you” appeared before him. Hok smiled and turned to Ivan giving him the finger.

  The crowd around them hissed and cursed. The usual words followed Hok but some were now directed towards Eric who stood next to him.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Ivan descended the stairs.

  “Well,” Hok said, “As long as I am in a duel, you can’t touch me, so,” Hok walked towards Ivan making sure his middle finger stopped few inches away from Ivan’s face.

  A call from Eric flashed and Jack picked it up, “well, this’ll buy us five minutes, what then? People are threatening me now.”

  “And this asshole wants people to help his wife,” a voice shouted, “He’s helping this filth.”

  “I hope she dies,” another scream came.

  “This better be worth it man,” Eric said.

  “Are you blinded by this man?” Hok shouted towards the crowd around him pointing at Ivan, “You so want to hurt me that you wish a human being dead now? Is this what we descended to? Did we forget the real enemy?” A murmur started amongst the crowd. Their faces started looking at one another. “I know this is a game to most of you, but this guy stands to lose his wife. I don’t care if you beat me all the way to level one. Just don’t drag his wife into this.”

  The crowd shifted their gaze towards Ivan, “Wha
t is the meaning of this?” Ivan said.

  “He got you all into this,” Hok pointed at Ivan, “he brought the dome up and he wants to see you all rot in this place.”

  A wave started to push its way through the crowed towards the dais. The soldiers at the steps brandished their swords.

  “Cowards, all of you,” Ivan screamed, “I gave you the cheater on a gold platter. And here you are questioning me. How dare you?” He called his Vagrant and mounted up. “I’ll leave you and your twisted since of justice to rot in this city.”

  He galloped off the dais and stormed away plowing few players on his way. His soldiers followed suit leaving few scattered bodies in their wake. The rain continued to hammer drenching everyone around. Few bodies popped out of existence, others popped in near the Altana statue.

  “Um, little less than a minute,” Eric reminded Hok.

  “Well, I don’t think I can win them, but at least we got rid of that annoying asshole,” Hok said. He turned around to face the crowd, “I will gladly leave this duel now, but please, I implore you, leave this man be.”

  “Anyone wants to fight them have to go through us,” a voice said behind the crowd. Some players parted way to show Murad and few other men walking towards Hok and Eric. They formed a circle around the two. A human shield. With him and Eric, Hok counted eleven on their side. Not exactly a force to be reckoned with against this mob, but it sure as hell sent a message.

  “Thanks man,” Hok put a hand no Murad’s shoulder.

  “You are just here to get the bounty,” one man shouted, “forty k gold,” the cacophony raised again from the crowd.

  “Well,” Hok said, “let’s do this,” he dismissed the duel and raised both hands waiting for the clash.

  A loud screech thundered around them. Some players covered their ears, others looked around trying to find the source. It was no lightning.

  A huge shadow bolted above them towards the castle. It flew dangerously low that Hok felt the gust in its wake. It passed the fence and slammed into the ground. A huge dust cloud rose and covered everything around it.

  Hok, alongside many others, ran towards the castle. He reached the fence but stood few feet away from it. Others reached before him and stood between him and the fence. Nonetheless, he could see the huge shadow flapping its wings hurling rain and mud. The creature screamed again.

  The third scream, accompanied by a puny crack of lightning, revealed a huge dragon behind it.

  You might notice some quests lack an entry in the quest or mission log. That is no glitch, Orora deliberately obscured those.

  Any NPC can ask you for a favor or help and that could lead to an expansive quest line. Mostly unscripted and with no limits.

  So go ahead, explore and discover those hidden gems.

  23 – Homecoming

  Home, finally. His second home to be exact. Bale stood on the bridge leading to the main gate of the Kingdom of Galawar. A huge bridge over a moat opened to an equally huge gate. They all paled in comparison to the towering wall rounding the city. His heart felt the worm embrace of his outpost whenever he had to report to Galawar. But he felt a stab of something not familiar even before entering the city. Much like all the places he happened upon on his way here.

  The old man at Paya spoke truth. Bale made a point of passing by West Point before heading here. And true enough; a ghost town greeted him where a thriving outpost should’ve been. Between the two outposts, West point was the bigger and livelier. The threat of the Hywars greater on their side and hence the need for a bigger power to stop them.

  Yet, it looked devoid of any army or regular citizens. Not even Recruits.

  Worse still, while the dark army brought about Paya’s devastation, West Point stood unscathed. No damage to the buildings or fields. Nothing. Yet, no sign of life aside from the roaming animals or beasts. This only compounded Bale’s fears; it could only mean one thing.

  The change disease ravaged Galawar as well. The change, however, veered on the other side of the spectrum. The bridge never looked this pact. Bale had to push his way towards the gate. Extra security delayed the process of entering the city and more people jammed the bridge way. The moat around the kingdom and the huge walls funneled everyone on this lonely bridge.

  Bale had no issue passing through once he identified himself, though the soldiers did not recognize him as the Warden. Inside the Common City the situation looked even worse. More people, more soldiers and more chaos.

  The early settlers built Galawar to be as an impregnable fortress, even before positioning the army headquarters in the center of the kingdom. They built it as three wall separated circles within each other. The innermost circle, smallest in size, protected by the tallest amongst the walls. Also known as the Royal Court, it housed the royal family ruling Galawar and also served as the headquarters for the army.

  The middle circle, known as the High City, housed the rich and wealthy. This part of the city showcased extravagant manors and private residences alongside high-end shopping districts. Few Recruits owned some property here. Another big wall separated it from the outer part of the kingdom, the Common City.

  This place housed the public venues, services and rented residences. So naturally it has always been the busiest of the three cities. Yet, as Bale walked by, the place packed more people than he ever remembered. More so than the last time Galawar hosted the Champions tournament.

  What added to the fame of the kingdom being impregnable, the inside layout and how the circles connected. While in the Common City, an individual would have to walk to the other end of the circle to find the gate to the High City. In the High City again, the person would have to walk half way, in any direction, to reach the Royal Court. This insured any intruder would have to travel a long distance to reach the center of the city, giving the defenders enough time to prepare counter measures.

  And so Bale had to walk through the Common City to reach the gate leading to the inner circles. His target, the army headquarters in the Royal Court. He dreaded the walk ahead, but had no choice. The scene around him added fuel to the fire. The place crawled with refugees, beggars and army personal. At times his stride came to a complete stop. The soldier inside him wanted to pause and help, but more pressing matters called for him ahead.

  He reached the High City gate and noticed the increased number in security personal. On his previous visits, three or four soldiers at most manned the gate. Bale did a quick count this time and found six on the ground and at least four on top. This only helped raising his suspicions.

  Two soldiers crossed their spears to stop Bale, “Sorry sir, access is denied.”

  Bale frowned; the two soldiers before him looked so green they missed not only him being Warden of the East, but also the shiny eagle of Galawar on his chest. He looked at his chest and saw no wings of Galawar, but a coat of dust and dirt. Perhaps he should cut the soldiers some slack.

  A soldier hurried behind them, “Stand down, have you lost your minds,” the man stiffened up bringing his right fist to his heart, “I’m terribly sorry Warden,” the other soldiers exchanged a look and followed suit, “it’s a joy to see you alive after rumors of your demise sir.”

  “At ease soldiers,” Bale said, “no need to apologize, they were just doing their job.” Bale’s gaze shifted right and left, “Tell me something, was a state of emergency declared?” Bale hoped for a yes and not what the soldier answered.

  “No sir, war was declared.”

  ~

  Bale walked in the main hall leading towards the War Room. The top ranks of the army should be gathered there. His feet raced one another. He missed a lot so far that the thought of more delay made him sick.

  “As I live and breathe,” A man’s voice came behind him.

  Bale turned around to see the source. If in the last few days Bale, Galawar and everything in between changed one way or the other, this man hadn’t. General Orion of the Galawar’s army stood tall and proud as always. Salt and pepper hair and
beard with a skin white as day. A dignified soldier with a smile that melts ice. Bale tensed and brought his clinched fist to his heart, “General.”

  “Forget that,” the man grabbed Bale and squeezed, “I’m glad to see you walk amongst us once more. The rumors were unkind to you my friend.”

  “Rumors won’t stop me sir.”

  “I kept telling them that, let’s go. Everyone will be thrilled to see you.”

  The two of them entered the War Room and all faces turned to see them. First came the stern face to greet Orion, and then the astonishment grew upon seeing Bale next to him. They greeted him with more hugs and taps on the shoulder.

  They disposed of the formalities fast and everyone returned to stand around the war table. A big table stretched across the otherwise empty round room surrounded only by standing huge columns and people. A big map covered the whole table showing Galawar in the center. His heart sank while counting the Xs on the map. A big X sat where his East outpost should’ve been and West Point suffered the same fate.

  “Well,” Orion said, “here we are now with the top officers finally reunited.”

  Orion stood in the center of the table; on both his sides were his Colonels, Titus and Dahl. The trio of soldiers wore shimmering gold armor with the eagle proudly spreading its wings on their chests.

  Bale stood on the opposite side next to Minerva, Warden of the West. Other lower ranking officers and consultants took their stand around them.

  “Sorry to cut the reunion short Bale,” Orion said, “but I’m sure you realize how pressing the situation is.”

  “Wasn’t expecting a parade sir,” Bale said, “I was humbled enough by the kind words.”

  “Well,” Titus said, both hands on his belt while his belly bulged out. Bale couldn't recall a time he saw The Colonel smiling. A good trait for a soldier, he always said. “My platoon is covering the Royal Court so I don’t think that’s changed. Dahl is in charge of the High city and the rest are protecting the Common under the command of Minerva. I think she wouldn’t mind a hand now that Bale is here.”