“You were going to sacrifice my friends to your demon lord,” Jace said, trying to get this encounter back on track.

“Ah yes,” Vithium said. “And I haven’t introduced him yet. Jace Thorne, meet Karo’Kafellon, the fifth member of my party.” Behind the monk, a vortex of red and black mana popped into existence above the pentagram’s center, opening perpendicularly to the floor until it stretched to a diameter of over fifteen feet. A massive demon stepped through.

Karo’Kafellon’s canine head was twelve feet off the ground, though if he ever straightened his hunched spine, his two upright horns might top sixteen. His unoriginal body design overflowed with muscles, scales, and spikes covering a humanoid frame wearing a small loin cloth. Each arm ended with vicious claws, and his bare toes were sharp enough to cut grooves in the stone. His face had an intelligent look, not at all like the dog-faced demon minions Jace had fought earlier, but neither as human as the sultry priestess.

“Is this the one who brought Decus Gemma’s whore?” the creature asked, his voice reverberating deep within Jace’s core as if emanating from the pit of hell.

“It is,” Vithium said.

“From what you said of him, I was expecting more.” The demon walked right up to Jace, leaning his massive head down close before the orc, his hot breath nearly burning the shaman’s skin. The monks behind Jace recoiled in fear, almost letting him go, but Jace wasn’t foolish enough to try and escape. With a flick of his neck, Karo could bite him in half. Instead, the massive creature only breathed on him, conducting a magical examination.

He turned suddenly, the graceful movements in such a large body reminding Jace of CGI dinosaurs from the movies. Karo focused back on Vithium. “You still think it wise to let him live?”

The human looked confused. “Why, what do you sense?”

“A mountain of mana resides in him,” Karo said.

“What does that mean?” Vithium asked.

The demon shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

Vithium turned to Jace. “What is he talking about?”

Jace shrugged. “I’m a stone shaman. My Mana Generation is running on overdrive in an environment like this.” While technically true, Jace hoped he wouldn’t have to reveal the deeper truth.

Karo didn’t look convinced. “It isn’t natural.”

Vithium changed tactics and turned to the demon. “A moment ago, you were unimpressed. Now you are scared?”

Karo stomped his feat and bellowed into the air. “I fear nothing!” It looked like the monster might rip everything apart. The other NPC companions took a step back, but Vithium held his ground. The demon calmed quickly. “It is of no concern, but I see little profit in taking unnecessary risks. He will add nothing to our group.”

“No,” Vithium agreed, “he won’t. But his companions will.”

Karo turned and noticed Psycho and Draya for the first time. The young woman was just now coming to her senses and almost fainted back into unconsciousness when the demon approached her. She wore nothing but the starting tunic and looked remarkably vulnerable before the demon lord. Satisfied after a few moments, Karo turned toward Psycho. The elf had regained control of his shattered Will and endured the demon’s examination with his typical stoicism. Even Snowy, whom Jace hadn’t seen yet, was brought forward. Three demons held the winter wolf tight on chains, and she growled at the demon’s presence.

“Yes,” Karo said after making the rounds. “They are special. Definitely more powerful than . . .” his eyes scoped out Tristan and Atrax, “the average fare. But, where is the goblin crafter you spoke of? The idea of such a being intrigues me greatly.”

Vithium frowned. “I have reports that Gromphy was here, but he has disappeared. Jace knows but probably won’t tell until we add some pressure. Don’t worry,” the monk grinned toward the shaman. “We will have him eventually.”

“But it appears you have no room,” Jace said. Despite what he now saw, the most terrifying aspect of this encounter was what Vithium had said when he introduced Karo: that the demon was his fifth party member. Karo’Kafellon had over 6,000 HP and no level listed. As broken as Jace’s companions were, they were nothing compared to this monstrosity. If Vithium could bring Karo with him on adventures or into cities, Jace would have heard about it by now. There had to be a catch. There had to be something Vithium wasn’t saying.

“The game only lets you have five companions,” Jace continued. “If you want mine, who are you going to lose?” His eyes passed between Selvecia, Tristan, Atrax, and Jorl, who still stood by himself in the corner.

“None,” Vithium replied. “Your companions will continue to serve you, and you will serve us.”

Jace nodded. He noticed the monk had said “Us” and not “Me,” as most players would. He wondered who served whom but decided not to bring it up at this point. “And what do I get in this exchange?”

“You get to live!” Karo shouted.

Vithium replied more diplomatically. “You must be making a fortune in this game. I can’t imagine you would be as successful if you were forced to start over. Certainly, an alliance would be profitable to us both.”

Jace said nothing. A few players knew he worked for the CIA and that his exploits in this game were not primarily for personal gain. Thankfully, that information was valuable enough that it hadn’t been given away for free yet. Vithium probably assumed Jace was some pimply-faced college nerd doing this to make money. In a game without morals, joining forces with Vithium to stay alive and make a fortune seemed perfectly reasonable.

“In exchange for working with us,” the monk continued. “You will have access to more wealth than you currently do. As you can imagine, with Karo by our side, after we finish this . . .” he motioned to the five angels, “. . . ceremony, whatever we want will be ours. If anything, you should be begging to join us. And what we ask of you is hardly fair payment.”

Jace’s face remained deadpan. “And what, exactly, do you ask of me?”

“That your companions perform tasks for us when we ask,” Vithium said. “Though my own NPCs are better than yours in every way, they aren’t perfect for all occasions.”

Jace understood. Esther could enter sunlight; Atrax couldn’t. He didn’t know what would happen to demons if they stepped into the sun, and they would be barred from many peaceful cities and strongholds. Jorl looked only to have a use as an assassin. That left Tristan. The level 16 spellsword was weaker than any of Jace’s companions. “If you are looking for an escort who doubles as a bodyguard,” Jace said. “Perhaps you should let Esther go. She’s the best I got.”

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Vithium laughed. “You wouldn’t have kept her for long anyway. From what we know of your alignment, I’m surprised you kept her this long. No, after asking her to perform a few tasks for us that run against her desires, she would have left you. We’re saving you the grief.”

“How kind of you,” Jace said, sarcasm dripping from his orc tongue.

“But Draya, Psycho, and Gromphy will do anything you ask of them with no damage to your relationship,” Vithium added. “They might hate us, but they will never hate you.”

Psycho grunted and struggled against his monks. “You know we can hear you,” he said.

“Yes,” Vithium replied, walking a few steps toward the archer. “And I know you aren’t stupid. The alternative is that we kill your master, and then we kill you. You won’t wake up in your bed. Instead, you will be reset into your original module. You will go back to your grove, endlessly looking for your sister. No one knows how Jace solved your quest, and I doubt anyone will ever figure it out. That means you will spend eternity there until another Drescher comes along and tricks you into servitude.”

Vithium moved toward Draya. The young mage looked fully awake and finally aware of her surroundings. She wasn’t as knowledgeable of the game mechanics as Psycho, so Vithium kept it simple. “And you,” the monk continued. “We know you are a Celtigion, but that is about it. We can only guess that Jace rescued you from a Mongorian slave ship, though no one had ever heard of a mission like that before. And so, once you are reset, you will return to captivity where no one will ever find you.”

He stood back from the woman. “Who knows where Gromphy will go, but I’m sure living with his native people is less desirable than life in whatever palatial stronghold Jace has set you up in. So, if you want to return to your old lives, by all means, convince your leader to reject our offer. But if you’d like to keep your comfortable existence at the cost of an occasional unpleasant assignment, then I advise you to keep your mouths shut.”

“How long do I have to decide?” Jace asked.

Vithium laughed. “Until the end of our ceremony.”

“Which will do what, exactly?”

The monk laughed harder. “I thought you had it all figured out. Can I start monologuing now?”

“I’m an expert strataticion,” Jace said. “I figured out your plan. I don’t delve into demonic rituals.”

“Fair enough,” Vithium conceded. “I saw the look on your face when I said Karo was my fifth party member. You know what that means. I can take him anywhere. Or, at least, I will be able to. Right now, his character is a cross between a summoned creature and a Balrog in the Basement.”

Jace knew summoned creatures couldn’t go anywhere they wanted. They were either tethered to their summoner, a totem, or had to exist within a magic circle or some other inscribed pattern. The more powerful the creature, the more restricted the path of movement. Balrogs were restricted to one location and couldn’t move past the border to the next. Jace saw the pentagram on the floor and guessed what Karo’s restrictions were. He could only exist in this mountainous location and only within his summoning zone.

“If we change his nature to that of a god,” Vithium explained, “those restrictions disappear, and he will be able to go anywhere.”

When Jace had first met Esther, he changed her nature using his Convict ability, transforming her from demonic to angelic. Jace wondered if he could do the same thing to the demon. All he needed to do was have Karo attack him and miss while he Stood his Ground. Jace decided not to offer his assistance here. He was pretty sure his Convict ability remained a secret to most players. He also realized that the simple change he had made to Esther was what had started this whole quest. Nothing in this cavern would exist if he had just left the vampire rogue at the Gilded Swan.

“So you need to absorb divine power to transform him into a god,” Jace reasoned. “Shouldn’t that kill him?”

“Ohh,” Selvecia cooed. “He is clever. I thought you didn’t delve into demonic rituals?”

Jace shrugged. “I dabble.”

The priestess giggled. Karo grunted to put an end to the flirting. “If I were to absorb pure divine energy, it would unmake me,” the demon clarified, apparently taking offense at the idea that he could be killed. He chuckled. “So it is a good thing none of these angels are pure. They were when they fell, the result of false accusations that their gods learned about only too late. But after sufficient time in a Realm of Infamy, who could remain pure?” He howled in evil laughter.

Jace understood. All the angels had killed, cursed, worked for pirates, or turned tricks in a brothel. It was like fermenting wine before you drank it; only the realms had corrupted their spirits instead of refining them.

Karo proceeded to explain in detail. He moved to stand next to the first angel. “Meet Leah Jacobs, fallen angel of Beneficia, goddess of magical blessings. Now she’s a master of witchcraft and curses.” He moved to the next woman. “Tamar Zedek, fallen angel of Oceartas, god of the sea and open waters. But this mermaid has corrupted that freedom into power and control.”

As he moved to the next woman, Jace looked at Delly for the first time. He had correctly guessed her location in the pentagram but hadn’t been able to feel her through the stone. The woman hung by her wrists from ropes secured to a hook in the alcove’s domed ceiling, her legs dangling two feet off the ground.

“This is Delilah Sorek, fallen angel of Fortestis, goddess of heavenly strength. But she has turned that power into earthly rage. I will enjoy drinking this one’s soul.”

Karo moved to Kai, who still yanked futilely against his chains. As the demon mentioned each woman’s name and their diety, it unlocked the memories to any angel that could hear it. Leah, Tami, and Delly had been here for days and had been tortured within inches of death beyond sanity. Jace saw a flash of recognition in their eyes when they remembered their past and that of their friends but little else. The paladin, on the other hand, still brimmed with fight and vigor. He already remembered Esther’s and his own past, and now, as he remembered everything, an extra dose of fury flowed through him. He pulled on his chains toward the demon like a ferocious dog on the end of his leash. He must have been magically silenced, for while his mouth uttered curses, Jace heard nothing.

“Kai Morte,” Karo continued as if he didn’t see the knight's antics. “Fallen angel of Dignatio, god of honor and justice. Now, you are a pathetic knight filled with pride and vengeance, suspicious of everyone around you.” He sneered at Kai, only a foot outside of the inquisitor’s range. With a lightning-fast movement, Karo punched out at the knight with a balled fist, slugging him in the chest. Kai flew back ten feet until his chains snapped taut in the opposite direction, and his face silently cried out in pain; his limbs strained to almost breaking. As his body slumped to the ground, Karo laughed.

“And my favorite,” the demon said as he moved to stand over Esther. The rogue had not been magically silenced, and while Jace couldn’t see her face from his kneeling position, he used his stone powers to sense her condition up on the rock slab. With parts of her body embedded in the stone, Jace could even feel her emotions. Like Kai, she had just remembered the complete history of all her friends, and she wept. “Esther Xerxes, fallen angel of Decus Gemma, god of beauty and gemstones. But now you are a whore, filled with lust and greed. Your god wouldn’t welcome you back even if he could. The game worships your beauty, not knowing that you are a temple built over a sewer.” Karo spat on her, and his saliva sizzled on her exposed skin. Esther only whimpered in agony.

Once the presentation had ended, Vithium turned to look at Jace, the orc shaman seething with anger. “Do you need a minute?” the monk asked with mock sympathy. “Cause I’m in no . . .”

“Their souls,” Jace interrupted, his voice low enough to match Karo’s, his rage barely restrained. “Where will their souls go?”

“They will be within me,” Karo replied. “Their very essences will power my spirit eternally. Elevating my power beyond that of my holy rivals.”

Jace didn’t look at the demon waxing poetic through visions of grandeur and kept his eyes focused on Vithium. He didn’t want a philosophical answer; he wanted a game mechanics explanation. “You own this stronghold?” he asked.

Vithium nodded.

“Even though you have rejected your god?” Jace asked.

Vithium didn’t answer, and the look on his face told Jace all he needed to know. This was a stronghold dedicated to Shimbato. For as long as that god existed in the game, if another player who worshiped the deity showed up, they could claim control without having to defeat Vithium and his crew like Jace had done to earn Stormkeep. Once Shimbato had been deleted, this would revert to a regular stronghold, requiring any future challengers to kill the current owners.

Vithium could see Jace working things out in his head. “No one is coming to save you,” Vithium said. “Jorl made sure of that.”

Jace nodded. The player must have used the shadow assassin to kill all the other rivals in the game who might challenge him. Sure, someone could create a monk character in the next few minutes who was loyal to Shimbato, but they couldn’t enter PVP zones until they were level 10. Jace had a feeling the statue in the other room was the Last Defender, and since it remained dormant, there must be some believer out there who remained loyal, but the odds of them showing up weren’t worth betting on.

The orc shrugged his shoulders. “Then I have no choice. Proceed.”