370 days until the Arkon Shield falls

Supreme,

I stand by my report. If we are going to capture the human settlement, we must act before the Arkon Shield falls.

The thralls are in the second stage of their training. I project it will take months for them to reach Seasoned rank, and by then, I believe the opportunity to capture Sanctuary will be lost. We must act now. Do I have your permission to proceed?

—Archmage Cxal.

Ignoring everything else in the room, I laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder and began mending the damage. Healing energy surged into him, closing wounds and fixing swollen muscles.

I had not missed the dead form of the thug leader in my earlier scan of the room. He was the corpse on the bed. One of our own had killed him, and even though it complicated matters, I couldn’t find it in my heart to blame them. Seeing this room, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself either.

A minute later, I was done. I’d repaired all the physical damage inflicted upon the boy. The emotional scars, though, that I didn’t think anything but time could heal. Reaching out with my will, I analyzed the boy.

The target is William, a level 1 human child and future player. Due to his child status: the target’s Potentials are hidden, temple access is denied, and experience gains are locked.

“William,” I said, squeezing his shoulder, “you’re all right now. You’re safe.”

The boy’s eyelids dragged open revealing eyes fogged with pain and uncomprehending.

“Look at me,” I whispered again, shaking him gently. “It’s over.”

William slowly scanned the room, only stopping when his gaze fell upon Gorkin’s dead body spread out on the bed. He sobbed then, shoulders heaving and limbs trembling.

I kept my hands on his shoulders, offering what comfort human contact could. “Someone free him,” I called out, not looking away from William.

A form slipped around me and cut free the ropes binding the child. It was Giselle. With greater tenderness than I had seen from her before, the big woman wrapped the boy in her arms and whispered soothing words in his ear. William’s sobs increased, and I heard Tara curse under her breath. Rising to my feet, I patted a distraught Lance in passing and walked over to the unhappy captain.

“Are you okay?” I asked quietly.

“Of course, I’m not!” she snapped. A second later, she grimaced. “Sorry, this isn’t your fault.” She jerked her head towards the boy. “Is he all right?”

“I healed him,” I said, “but whether he will ever be okay again, I don’t know.”

Tara’s face fell, but she nodded in understanding.

I glanced at the entrance to the chamber. Two of the scouts had closed the door, sealing us within. We were safe from detection for the moment. “What happened here?”

Tara folded her arms, hugging herself. “Everything was going according to plan until we entered the room.” She kicked the dead thug at her feet. “This one was torturing the kids while the gang leader watched. The two were so caught up in what they were doing they didn’t even notice us slip into the room. Then, something his companion did made Gorkin laugh, and I snapped.” Raising her head, Tara stared at me through unrepentant eyes. “I couldn’t help myself. I killed the bastard.” She blew out a breath. “And now I’ve ruined the plan.”

My gaze slid from the blood and gore splayed about the room to the dead gang leader. His throat had been torn open. My eyes dropped further to the covered form at the base of the bed. A white sheet was draped over it, covering whatever had been done to him. I shuddered, having no desire to look beneath.

I turned back to Tara. She had killed the pair, I realized, and not cleanly either. Her arms trembling, the usually unflappable captain was in the grip of emotions too strong for her to control.

I drew her into a hug. “It’s all right, Tara. We can still do this.”

She said nothing but squeezed me once in return before extricating herself and joining Giselle.

I watched her in concern for a moment, then turned about and gestured John forward. The big man stepped up to my side. “It’s not her fault, Jamie,” he said. “If she hadn’t killed the bugger, I would have done the deed myself.”

“I know,” I said. “I feel the same way, but now we have to salvage what we can from this mess.” Time was passing, and with every minute that went by, the chances of us being detected increased.

And we still don’t have the core.

If Gorkin had hidden it, we were in real trouble. “Search the room,” I said. “We have to find the settlement core.”

John nodded. Stepping up to the two scouts, he set them to work. The three spread out in the chamber, rummaging through the gang leader’s belongings and the few pieces of furniture in the room. I took on the grim task of inspecting the thug myself.

The gang leader had been a big man. His hair was shaggy and unkempt, and his face bearded. Tattoos covered his body and even in death, he had a nasty look.

The look of a killer.

A glint of metal, almost hidden by the blood pooling around his neck, caught my attention. Lowering my staff gingerly, I pried at the object. Sure enough, the tip of my weapon hooked onto something.

It was a necklace, and hanging off its end was the settlement core.

“John, I’ve found it,” I said and raised the bloodied object aloft. Wiping it clean of blood and grime with a clean section of bedsheets, I analyzed the core.

The target is the settlement core of the village, Sanctuary. Current state: activate. The special properties of this item are: unknown. Your lore skill is insufficient.

I swallowed as I read the settlement’s name. I couldn’t see someone like Gorkin naming the village Sanctuary, which meant the settlement had to have been formed before the gang had claimed it.

“Jamie, you should see this,” John said.

I glanced at the lieutenant. He was holding a fistful of papers in his hands. I frowned. “What is that?”

“Correspondences from the orcs,” he said, “and they have a lot to say about you.”

Curiously, I took the proffered items and scanned the pages. They were letters, undated and written in Overworld standard, the common language spoken by all the world’s races, and downloaded into my mind during my Trials Initiation.

The letters primarily concerned the many gifts Jhaven would bestow on Gorkin if the gang leader lived up to his end of their ‘bargain’ but made no mention of what the bargain actually was. I skimmed through these disinterestedly. A few of the letters, though, concerned me and the rewards Orgtul was offering for information on my whereabouts, and these I studied more carefully.

Grimacing, I handed the items back to John after I was done. “Keep that safe,” I said. “Maybe Sierra’s crafters can figure out how to reuse the paper.”

John looked at me funny. “Their contents don’t worry you?”

I snorted. “I’ve known for a while now that the orcs are hunting me. It scares me,” I admitted, “but it’s a fear I’ve grown familiar with. I no longer get worked up about it.”

John nodded slowly. “Mind if I show these to Tara?”

“Go ahead,” I said and glanced the green-eyed captain’s way myself. Tara and Giselle were still busy trying to calm the boy and, deciding to let them be, I turned my gaze downwards to the settlement core in my hands.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

With Gorkin dead, the simplest solution to our mission—having the gang leader repudiate the orcs—had vanished. We would now have to do this the hard way. We still had no confirmation of the actual duration we would have to hold the core safe, though, and with so much riding on our assumptions, I thought it best to confirm them.

Clenching my fist around the core, I willed open its interface.

Settlement name: Sanctuary. Type: Village, rank 1. Leader: none. Owning faction: none. Allies: Orcish Federation. Filled council members slots: 1, Arneson Tomahawk. Empty council member slots: 5.

Warning: This settlement is without a leader. If no leader is appointed within 8 hours, the village will devolve to: a location, rank 0. Until a leader is assigned, only two control actions are available.

Action 1: Do you wish to deactivate Sanctuary’s core? Warning: Deactivating this core will destroy any Trials-created structures. Estimated time to deactivate: 1 day. Structures that will be destroyed: a rank 1 dragon temple.

Action 2: Do you wish to claim the village and become its leader? Warning: You are not a council member. Under the existing village charter, only duly elected councilors may assume the mantle of leader. If you claim the settlement as a non-councilor, it will be considered a hostile takeover. The settlement charter will be dissolved, a flash alert will be issued, and your claim of ownership will take 1 day to complete.

I frowned as I read the Trials’ information. It confirmed what I wanted to know, but there was also more I didn’t understand. Who the hell is Arenson? And why were so many council member slots empty? Replying in the negative to the Trials’ queries, I waved Tara over.

“What is it now?” she asked heavily when she joined me.

I explained what I had surmised from the Trials’ response, and her face fell further. “So I did ruin the plan and all this was for nothing,” she said bitterly.

“No, not for nothing,” I replied. “We saved him at least,” I said, gesturing to the boy. “And we can still save the others here.”

Tara’s expression lightened at that. “Still, it means we’re forced to hold the town for a day. That will cost lives.”

Does it mean that? I wondered suddenly. Tara’s comment had got me thinking.

“I’ll send a messenger to Petrov,” Tara continued, unaware of my thoughts. “Let’s clear the floor of the rest of the scum, then you and Giselle can get out of here.” She breathed in deeply. “We have a long twenty-four hours ahead of us.” Pivoting on her heels, she strode away.

I blinked. “Wait, what—?” I’d only been half-listening to Tara, but seeing her walking away, I realized I had to stop her. Stepping forward, I yanked on her arm.

Tara whipped around. “What are you—” she began. Seeing my expression, she stopped short. “You’ve thought of something. What is it?”

I held up my hand for patience while my circling thoughts settled. The Trials’ response, I realized, implied more than what I’d initially believed. It also suggested that one of the councilors could become a village leader without the one-day ownership transfer penalty.

Arenson Tomahawk. He is the key to this. My gaze drifted to Lance, and I waved him over.

“What?” he asked flatly as he joined Tara and me. The blond mage was still distraught over the girl’s death.

I ignored his despondent mood. “What do you know about village councilors?”

Lance frowned at the question but answered nevertheless. “A village council is one of the most basic settlement governing systems. The council handles the day-to-day running of the village and any major decisions that need to be made. New members are normally elected by the council itself.” He paused. “Why do you want to know this?”

I rubbed my chin. “So a councilor could become a village leader?”

Lance nodded. “With a majority vote from the rest of the council, yes.”

“Where are you going with this?” Tara asked.

“Arenson Tomahawk,” I breathed. “We have to find him.” Who was he? Probably another gang member, but that didn’t matter, as long as we found him.

“Why?” Tara asked sharply.

“Because the Trials listed him as a council member,” I explained. “With him in hand, we can still make this work without having to face the orcs in battle.” And lose hundreds of soldiers.

“But how do we find him?” Lance asked, frowning.

My gaze slid to William. “Perhaps the boy will know.”

✽✽✽

“The child is in no fit state to be questioned,” Tara growled.

“I know,” I said. “I will be gentle, promise.”

She eyed me for a moment. “I’ll do it.”

I shook my head. “You’re needed elsewhere.” I gestured to the door. “We’ve ignored matters out there long enough. Let me question the boy while you and the others secure the rest of the floor.”

I could see Tara didn’t want to go. She wanted to stay and protect the boy, but she knew as well as I did that time was running out.

“Okay,” Tara said, “but don’t take too long. If we can’t claim the settlement the easy way, we need to let Petrov know.”

I nodded. “Agreed. And oh,” I said as something else occurred to me, “make sure the scouts check the identities of everyone they come across. We don’t want to kill Arenson by mistake.”

“I will leave you a pair of scouts and—” Tara began.

“No, take them with you,” I said, glancing to the right of the room where Giselle was still speaking to the boy. William seemed to be responding well to the warren captain. “Leave Giselle behind. I think the boy will be calmer with her around.”

Tara nodded and squeezed my arm. “We’ll be back soon.” Gathering Lance, John, and the two scouts, the captain left the room.

I walked over to where Giselle hovered over William. “Has he spoken yet?” I asked.

“Not a word,” she said sadly.

“I need to talk to him,” I said.

Giselle frowned, an objection on the tip of her tongue.

I held up my hand. “He may be able to help.” I studied the boy. His gaze fixed on me, he watched me the way frightened prey eyed approaching predators. “And it may do him some good to take his mind off... other things.”

The warren captain blew out a troubled breath. “Okay, but not here.” She lifted William into her arms and carried him to the far end of the room. Sitting the boy down in the corner, Giselle shielded his view of the chamber with her body before gesturing for me to go ahead.

I kneeled down beside Giselle. “William, I’m Jamie. Can I ask you a few questions?”

The boy cradled his head in his arms, hiding from me.

“Please,” I said.

He still didn’t respond.

I paused for a moment, wondering how to go about what I needed to do. What William had gone through was traumatic, and he was likely still in shock. Right now, his mind was swamped by terror and dread, all of which were forcing him to withdraw deeper into himself. I needed to bring him back. How?

The truth, I thought. The truth, harsh as it may be, is what William needs.

I sat down cross-legged. “William, I’m going to tell you a few things. You don’t need to talk, only listen, please.”

I waited a heartbeat for a reaction, but when there was none, I continued. “We’ve killed Gorkin. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you who he was or what he did. The man was evil, and he deserved to die.”

The boy wrapped his arms tighter around himself but otherwise didn’t react.

“We know his gang has enslaved your village,” I went on. “And you will know better than us what they’re capable of. You probably also know that plenty of Gorkin’s men will be eager to take his place. What’s happening in Sanctuary won’t stop with Gorkin’s death. It will only get worse.” I paused. “Unless we get rid of them all.”

Giselle’s head jerked towards me in alarm, but I laid a hand on her arm, stifling her protest. “We need your help, William. We need your help to save Sanctuary.”

“Jamie, you shouldn’t—” Giselle began.

Another voice spoke over hers. “H-h-how?”

We both turned towards the boy. He was shivering uncontrollably, but his gaze was steady as it met mine. I held up the settlement core. “This here, do you know what it is?”

William nodded minutely. “I-I’ve seen it before. It’s important. That’s all I know.”

“It’s a settlement core,” I replied. “Using it, we can stop the orcs from aiding the gang while we deal with them. But to use the core, I will have to claim the settlement, which will take at least a day. I fear that will give the gang and the orcs too much time to stop us. There is only one person who can claim the settlement quicker. Arenson Tomahawk.”

William’s eyes grew round, and his mouth clamped shut. It was clear he recognized the name.

“Do you know who that is?” I asked.

The boy shook his head, refusing to speak.

He was lying, of course. Whoever this Arenson was, mention of his name made William deeply afraid. My own lips tightened, imagining the atrocities that Arenson must have committed to so scare the boy. “Where can we find him, William?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice even.

The boy ducked his head again and said nothing.

“You can tell us,” Giselle pleaded. “We won’t let him hurt you.”

“I-I- can’t,” William said, still refusing to look at us.

Giselle glanced at me, and I motioned for her to continue speaking. William at least was answering her questions.

“Why not?” Giselle probed gently.

“I promised grandfather not to tell,” William said, his voice hoarse.

I exchanged a puzzled glance with Giselle as I tried to make sense of the boy’s response. “Tell who?” I mouthed to her, and she repeated the question aloud.

“Tell Gorkin,” William said.

My eyes narrowed as the pieces started falling into place. Of course. There was only one reason William would promise not to tell Gorkin about Arenson, and it was perhaps the same reason Gorkin had been torturing him in the first place. “Arenson isn’t part of Gorkin’s gang, is he?” I asked.

A muffled snort. “Of course not.”

That confirmed it. Arenson was a rebel. “Will you take us to him?” I asked gently.

William raised his head, his gaze fixed on Giselle. “You promise not to hurt him?”

Giselle nodded solemnly. “We won’t.”

“All right then.”

I exchanged a relieved glance with Giselle and rose to my feet. “I’ll go tell Tara,” I murmured.