Day 7
Threshold City
1:20 PM
“What!?” Elias shouted, joining his voice to the predictable negative response that met Tantalus’s statement. Most notable in the voices decrying the planned course of actions was that of Maria Feldrast.
“Is it your plan to simply abandon the operation?” Colonel Feldrast asked. “We have more than enough power to break through the Deluvian line and return to the train. Why, when we are at our zenith of power, would you want to retreat?”
As Maria Feldrast spoke, Tantalus put a cigarette to his lips and lit it with a silver butane lighter.
“We could break through the Deluvians,” Tantalus admitted. “It would take us less than five minutes to get to the train. But…” he held on this word for several seconds, “if we were to do that, we would probably sustain three or four fatalities. You see, there is a group of Ogres immediately between us and the train. Synth, can you hear them?”
Synth listened for a few seconds before answering. “I don’t know what an Ogre sounds like, but I can tell there are six large bipedal creatures in the area Tantalus is talking about.”
“A group this large transporting injured soldiers would be unable to evade detection. If we were to head straight for the train, we would have to fight through those Ogres. On the other hand, if we were to try to reach the train through any other method, we would risk alerting the entire Deluvian legion. The only option available for us is to pull out, find somewhere safe to stay for a few days, and allow those of us with permanent injuries to heal up.”
“Do you really think you can just unilaterally…?” Feldrast began to ask.
Tantalus cut her off. “Yes, I do, and I think that you agree with me. You know that I’m the one who’s really been in charge this whole time. That’s why you’ve been on my side at every turn so far. You know that all of the Greycloaks are loyal to me, and you know that I only follow your orders because it is more convenient than the alternative. Right now, I don’t particularly care whether you accept or reject my plan.”
Colonel Maria Feldrast reached for the wand she wore on a holster at her thigh. Before she could reach it, however, she felt the cold steel of a 1911’s barrel pressed against the small of her back. FullDan, the Revenant who had been tending to her wounds a few seconds previously, now pressed that most unholy of weapons against her body.
“Don’t…” FullDan commanded in a dark voice completely devoid of hesitation or anxiety.
Tantalus turned his attention away from Feldrast before saying to the other Revenants, “I want to record something for posterity, and I need someone to record me. After that, we’ll have one person sneak back to the train to inform them of what has happened here.”
“Sounds like a job for me,” FullDan said, returning his pistol to its holster.
“I could do it if you need me to, but FullDan is a bit better when it comes to stealth,” GatorKing admitted.
“Okay,” Tantalus said. “The rest of you, get ready to head out. We’ve got a long walk ahead of us. FullDan, come with me.”
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The other Greycloaks started checking their equipment and stretching their legs. Maria Feldrast sat down on the edge of the fountain in the center of the town square with her face in her hands.
Once they were out of earshot with the other Revenants, Tantalus slapped FullDan on the back and said, “When you get back to the train, you’ll be in charge of the operation. Do you think you can handle that?”
“I’ll try my best,” FullDan said anxiously, “but you know I’m not a leader.”
“You don’t need to be. The players from Osiris respect you. Just speak clearly, and they’ll follow your orders,” Tantalus said. “While we’re here, I should tell you what you should do when you’re in command. You’ll want to pull the train back about a hundred miles for a few days and meet up with the rest of the Vanguard Force. In about five days, the Deluvians should be so decentralized that you’ll be able to come on through with minimal resistance.”
“That works for me,” FullDan breathed heavily in order to bring his anxiety under control. “Maybe you should send Gator, after all.”
“No,” Tantalus smiled. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
Tantalus stowed the Glock in the back of his waistband before pulling the key out of his pocket. He said, “Start recording when you’re ready.”
FullDan took a step back, steadied his stance, and activated his Record function.
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Just as the recording started, Tantalus threw his lit cigarette on the ground and stamped it out. After making sure that the flame had been extinguished, he held the obsidian key out toward the camera.
“This is Tantalus45, the commanding officer of the Greycloaks and the Revenant’s designated liaison to the Army of Osiris. With the help of my subordinate, Pixie, and the independent mercenary, Izanagi, I recently killed a Dark Apostle. Upon his death, the Dark Apostle dropped this key. To reach the Game Master, we must acquire all thirteen of these keys. The fact that I now hold this key in my hand is evidence that we can kill the Dark Apostles. It only took three Revenants with an average level of fourteen to acquire this key. We can beat this game. It’s only a matter of time before all thirteen Dark Apostles are dead, and the door at Castle Bosporus is open.
“There is one thing I must say on the nature of the Dark Apostles. They are players who died and were resurrected by GM. They now lead the Deluvians against us. They intend to prosecute a war of extermination against the Revenants and NPCs of Rubigo, but we will stand against them. During my fight with the Dark Apostles, I learned the identities of the first and thirteenth. The First Dark Apostle is a man named Svenheim. He looks like a normal person with red hair, but he has a Roman numeral “one” tattooed on his chest. The Thirteenth Dark Apostle is a man named…”
Tantalus paused for a moment, sighed, and continued. “Enzo the Baker; he is a six-foot-tall man with blonde hair. If you see these two men, kill them if you can. We cannot be free from Ferrum until they die. However, their bodies are harder than steel and bullets have no effect. Only engage them if you have a Talent that can bypass supernatural durability.
“Stand firm, protect yourselves, and resist the Dark Apostles wherever possible. Together, we can win.” Tantalus raised his fist clamped around the obsidian key in a sign of solidarity. Then, with no further fanfare, the recording ended.
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FullDan’s eyes stopped glowing yellow as the recording ended. He asked, “Enzo is the Thirteenth Dark Apostle?”
“Yeah,” Tantalus sighed. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
“You know,” FullDan said sadly, “when the time comes, it will probably be our job to kill him.”
“I am aware,” Tantalus said with an even voice. He moved his arm in a low arc and threw the obsidian key. “Catch.”
FullDan scrambled to catch the key in unprepared hands. He caught the key and looked at it in astonishment.
“You’re giving this to me?” FullDan asked.
“It would be more accurate to say I’m burdening you with the task of transporting it to a safe place,” Tantalus said. “The Dark Apostles will want to retrieve that key at any opportunity and, because of that video we just recorded, they’ll think I have it. Find the most secure, most secret vault you can find and store it there.”
“Yes, sir,” FullDan said, saluting his old friend and commanding officer.
FullDan flipped his hood up and disappeared into the shadows of the buildings surrounding the town square.
Tantalus returned to the Greycloaks at the center of the town square. Despite the injuries and hardships they had sustained, they were still standing. With his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the horizon, Tantalus gave an order to his soldiers.
“Let’s go.”
End of Book 1.