Rotgoriel growled, feeling the heat rise in his chest. He stalked forward...

...and Cole scrambled back, keeping his hand on Aunarox's petrified form.

“Ah, no. No no. Keep back or she goes in the hole. Or breaks.”

“You think I care about that?” Rotgoriel took another step forward.

“My plaything also has Rich at gunpoint back in his world. I think you care about that at least.”

That gave Rotgoriel pause.

“Ohhhh yessss... you're not the only one who can do that two world trick.” Cole spread his hands, then clicked his tongue as he mimed two people walking with fingers.

“What do you want, Cole?”

“That's not my name, and you know it.”

“I remember you. But not your name.”

Cole sighed, and shrugged. “I suppose that's the price of being good at my job. You made a deal with me, down in the dark. Wanted to join up with my main form. Wanted a patron. But Richie bitch said no, and here we are. I was a mite. Put. Out.”

Rotgoriel simply stared.

“I'm the Shade of Business. That's my name. But in the end I'm a mask, and now that that broken remnant of the Thing In Yellow is busy in the Forbidden Library, I have a lot more freedom to... cut loose.” Cole smiled, and the rest of him simply faded out. It was as if every part of him that wasn't clothes or smile was replaced with darkness, shadow made solid. “You were dealing with a souped up halven before. Now that the seals are gone, now that the Thing's trying to keep itself together after you broke it... well. Let's just say I probably don't need the hostages to keep you in check.”

“Then come over here and say that,” Rotgoriel offered. “Let us end this. If you are a foe to my enemies, then nothing has changed. Work with me against them and I shall forgive you much.”

This was sophistry. Rotgoriel wanted to bite the little shit's head off and get on with fixing things.

“Do you even know how to fix things? Or what needs to be fixed?” The Cole-thing shook the empty space where its head would have been, smile bobbing side to side. “Thing is, I don't necessarily want them fixed.”

“The time for games has passed. Tell me what you want, then, and have done with it.”

“I don't know,” the thing shrugged. “I don't have all the facts, here. Not enough to decide, anyway.”

“You betrayed me thrice over and you do not know? You have no goal? This is ridiculous.”

“I know, isn't it great? Ah, but you don't understand. This is chaos, my friend. That is my goal. I want more chaos. And this is the best way to get it. See that guy down there?” The Cole thing came out from behind Aunarox, and Rotgoriel squashed the urge to pounce. The halven-shaped shadowy thing pointed down into the hole in the world. “That guy down there is an integral part of all of this. All of the prison that lured us in and trapped us here. It's changed, you know. Magic, the rules, reality... every time a new wave comes in, things change. And we change with it, though some of us are more resistant than others. He's to blame down there, that chained guy. And he's a crucial piece of maintaining the whole thing. Otherwise you dragons wouldn't have left him alive.”

“Why? How did he get there?” Curiosity overcame Rotgoriel, and he moved closer, sidestepping the body of the unresponsive lich as it slowly rolled towards the hole. The wind was fiercer here, at the lip of the breach, but not overwhelming. Not to someone with his strength and bulk.

Which was a cautionary thought, when he spared a glance toward the Shade. The creature was small, but untroubled by the wind. Stronger than it looked.

“I got no clue,” the Shade said. “You want that answer, ask the folks that put him there. But I know madness when I see it. It's gnawing at him. Unmaking him. Wouldn't take much to push him right... over... the... edge. And what happens to this world when he goes? What happens to this sweet little honeypot they set up to trap us? Oh ho ho, I want to see that. I want it so. Very. Bad.”

“You do not know what will happen, but you want to do it anyway? Foolish.” Rotgoriel spoke before he thought.

But the Shade didn't seem to mind. “Oh, the worst case is nothing I can't survive, and the best case is so very delicious. So fly me over to him, and we'll get this show going, my friend. That's all I want of you. Just get me there and stand back, and Rich gets to go free. Hell, I'll even un-stone your genie, here. She can watch the chaos too. I don't mind.”

“You need me to fly you there?” Rotgoriel asked. “Why?”

“Eh... it's complicated. That in there, it's not... exactly outer space. More like inner space. It's definitely a dragon space, though. Dragons can move a hell of a lot faster in there than I could, especially if he turns his will against me.” The Cole thing shrugged again. “Without your help, it'll take me months, maybe a year to get there. On your back? Perhaps a few days.”

“You wish me to be a steed.”

“Well I wanted the mirror too, but after that whole fiasco a few days back I'm pretty sure you don't have it any more. So there's not much more left, really. What do you say, boss?”

“What would the mirror have done?”

It was the wrong question, and Rotgoriel regretted it the second he'd spoken. But the Shade didn't seem to notice the implications. “I'll tell you when you get me to bondage dragon down there. Sound good? Let's go, time's wasting.”

“I wish to know—”

ERROR!

PATCH 209.4.62.6 UNLOCKED FROM FORBIDDEN.LIB

NEW IN THIS UPDATE

OPEN WORLD INSTANCE: CITY OF MOONLIGHT AND MALICE

GUILDMASTER CLASS ENABLED

ERROR: ABORT/RETRY/FAIL

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

MINOR REBALANCING – SEE YOUR LOCAL TEMPLE OF NURPH FOR SPECIFIC CHANGES

The words filled his vision, and Rotgoriel felt something shift. It was if the world around him had become a little more solid. The wind seemed stronger now, or perhaps he'd gotten weaker? It was hard to say. He felt wrong, on a fundamental level.

LivingDeadGrrl: The fuck was that?

Agnezsharron: I saw it as well.

Geebo: The soldiers have paused. They are retreating! I think they saw it too.

“No time,” the Shade said. “They'll be here fast, now that they're done with making their meat puppets happy. Hell, the only thing keeping those glass spiders off your tail is my presence. Once they get here, it's over, Rotgoriel.”

Rotgoriel looked up and around, and found it true. The ice spiders swarmed the surrounding buildings, watching him from the loose ring they'd made. Perhaps two dozen in all, and each about a third of his size. They hunt in packs, he remembered Agnezsharron saying.

“Very well,” Rotgoriel said, making his choice. “You say you have Richard hostage?”

“I do. He's sitting on the grass, nice and peaceful like. We're just having a talk. It's doing my servant good to get some of his stress out, it's a nice chat. But he'll kill Rich in a heartbeat. All I have to do is will it.”

Rotgoriel nodded. Then he let his own smile stretch his muzzle. “Did you know we planned for this?”

The Shade looked at him for a long moment.

Then he reeled, and Rotgoriel laughed long and hard, as the name above the thing's head flashed, flickering in and out, and reappearing with a skull icon. The Shade froze in place, and slowly toppled, falling into the hole.

Rotgoriel stopped laughing when he heard the crystalline noise of spider legs on stone.

He took wing, resisting the pull with every bit of his strength, diving over the hole and snatching up Aunarox's petrified form as he went. The spiders leaped at him, but they had to deal with the suction of the wind as well, and the few that got near him were easily battered away with his free claws.

And when he was out of spider range he looked back.

The Shade was falling, a tiny speck against the starscape, but as Rotgoriel watched it bulged and rippled and expanded, like a spreading oil slick fallen into a pool of water.

For a second Rotgoriel thought that the thing wearing a halven's shell had exploded.

But no, the oil-like stains were writhing and coalescing.

Something formed there, in the lonely dark between the stars. Something that writhed with far too many tentacles, a massive torso with tentacles beneath and atop. There was no head, just a tentacle that had a mouth, and that mouth was screaming, not grinning. Two human-like arms stretched back, reaching towards the hole that Rotgoriel had, stretching... and failing to grab onto it. The thing was too far away, falling towards Konol.

You have gazed upon the Crawling CASE.

You have taken 108 points of SAN damage!

Eyes wide and mind coming apart, Rotgoriel whipped his head back around and flew back to New Fimble as fast as his wings could take him.

But as he went, the messages pelted him.

Agnezsharron: They're regrouped! And the elephants are coming in!

Geebo: Geebo cannot see them!

LivingDeadGrrl: Shit. Our villagers can't either. Get them back, I'll bring in what's left of the wendigos.

Agnezsharron: They didn't see the elephants before.

LivingDeadGrrl: No, but they'll help against the other few thousand guys who are following them in.

Rotgoriel crested the ridge, hoping that she had been exaggerating.

She wasn't. She very much wasn't. Three elephants were stomping their way across the the rubble, heading straight for the crumbled part leading up to the ridge, and the village beyond. On their backs, small figures worked under the moonlight, dropping timber and ropes down. And behind them, came the rest of the army that hadn't made it into the city.

They were just waiting for their masters to succeed, Rotgoriel realized. Now we are simply a loose end to be tied off.

He looked to the north, and saw Agnezsharron moving back against the moon, preparing to circle around and fight. Could they do the Dark Chant defense again? Probably not. He wouldn't be sufficient against three elephants, he'd need Agnez for that. But she wasn't a Cultist. Nor were LivingDeadGrrl and her wendigos. And if they ran out of luck, he had the feeling it would hurt the village, too.

But what choice did they have? What hope was there?

His gaze caught motion beyond Agnezsharron, and he saw black flecks in the distance, fast approaching. They were bringing in fliers, too? This was overkill.

He angled for the village, sped up. If it was to be a last stand, then he would fight so long as everyone who wasn't a player remained alive. He owed them that much.

But he never got that far.

Incoming Message >> Midian

Giant Eagle time, muthafuckas!

Rotgoriel slowed. He turned into a circle.

Midian: Okay, technically they're owls, but I had to work with what the snow elves had. Still, I want my Tolkien applause.

Midian... who the hell was that?

He hovered there, staring and thinking, trying to figure out what had just happened. What had he missed? What was this?

Midian: Also you should be really, really careful when you're dealing with Legion, Rich. That one plays their own games. Seriously, I hope you didn't give him anything too big for this favor.

Rutger: What.

Midian: Gimme a second. I'm deusing my ex machina.

Midian! The name rung among Rich's memories, the older ones that Rotgoriel had access to. They had played together. Come to this world together. She had been his guild master in another world, and a good friend.

He had no clue how she had come to save him, but he thought he detected his brother's hand in this.

Rutger: I am very, very glad to see you! Can you get my friends out of here?

Midian: Let me clear the LZ first.

Rutger: I have no idea what that means but yes, I... uh oh.

Hurriedly he switched to Party Whisper.

Rutger: Agnezsharron, break off! They are allies!

Agnezsharron: The snow elves are stuck up assholes!

Rutger: Yes, and they are OUR stuck up assholes right now! Help them fight!

Then he took his own advice, and roared fire as he dove upon the first elephant.

The arrows fell like rain, but they rained down upon the foe. Owls with eyes the size of windows swooped and struck down the enemies, driving them back. He could hear hasty retreats called upon the wind... but he ignored those, and worked with Agnezsharron to seek out the Tamers hidden in the underslung elephant howdahs, and tear them to shreds.

They weren't bearing cargoes of spiders this time, so the result wasn't as impressive, but without the Tamers the elephants lost their direction and fled away from the chaos. One nearly trampled the village before Rotgoriel tackled himself into it, knocking the great furry bulk just far enough off balance that it tumbled down the ridge and fell with an earth-shaking CRUNCH into the city below the ridge.

At last the foe drew back.

Rutger: I'll direct the leader of the elves to start the evacuation. Agnezsharron, become human and go with them.

Agnezsharron: They are no friends of mine! Elves hate our kind!

LivingDeadGrrl: Fuck, of all the times to have a faction conflict...

Rutger: Midian will sort it out. Go!

Geebo: What of Sir Gideon? And the mirror?

Rotgoriel landed, and dug Aunarox out of the snow from where he'd dropped her. Still intact, but stuck as stone, and he had no idea how to fix her. She was the only one who might have some idea how to use the mirror to deal with hole in reality. Without her, there was no use for the thing.

He opened his mouth to tell them to simply go, but words flashed before his eyes.

Sir Gideon is online!

Sir Gideon has rejoined the party!

In the center of the village, the pink bathrobed form of Greg's character materialized, and stared around at the carnage.

“Sir Gideon!” Geebo screeched. “Please return my pack of holding immediately!”

A babbling minute later, Geebo was pulling out the mirror, and Greg was being hustled onto one of the owls.

Rotgoriel watched, torn.

This was fate. This was destiny, or something like it. The mirror arriving at his minute of doubt, that had to be a miracle.

He looked to the west, and saw the owl riders waiting, keeping the perimeter clear while the villagers and the others loaded aboard their steeds.

He looked to the south, at the glowing city, pulsing with creeping runes, awakened from where it had been thrice sealed.

He looked down to the mirror in his claws, such a small thing for such a great fuss, really.

And Rotgoriel knew that he had been wrong. Aunarox hadn't been the only one to know what she was planning with this mirror.

“Pray to Konol,” he spoke, and the world became misty once more.