November 3rd, 2035
The West Keep
7:50 A.M.
The Dark Apostles regrouped early the next day near the only entrance to the Castle. Since I had spent all of my time in the Castle ever since I had spawned as a Dark Apostle two days before, that was my first time seeing the entrance to Castle Bosporus.
The West Keep was composed almost entirely of various armories, courtyards, and defensive positions. All of our weapons were held in that keep, and the structures built upon the western plateau more closely resembled modern military fortifications than medieval masonry. The plateau was dominated by two large courtyards that split the West Keep into four distinct areas. Closest to the bridge to the North Keep was the so-called Rear Wall, which housed the first four Apostles and various other diplomatic meeting rooms and armories.
Beyond the Rear Wall when entering from the North Keep was the Training Courtyard, which held all of the equipment necessary for a Dark Apostle’s strength and agility training. The Training Courtyard held weights and exercise equipment that would be too heavy for even the strongest man to use. The weights were measured in tons rather than pounds.
Next was the Vanguard Wall, which was the first structure that attackers would reach when assaulting Castle Bosporus. The Vanguard Wall looked completely different from the rest of the Castle because no one was meant to live there. It was a squat grey structure made out of stone and steel. The ground the building was built atop was slightly elevated, so one would have to walk up a flight up stairs just to enter the structure. Every window on each side of the Vanguard Wall was a thin slit with just enough space for a rifle and a head.
It would certainly be difficult to take the Vanguard Wall with infantry, I thought. I looked over at the Central Keep, which blocked out the sun when you stood in the West Keep in the morning and wondered what was preventing a competent army from merely shelling the other keeps with artillery. I knew cannons existed in Ferrum. I knew it very well. Why bother launching a frontal assault on the West Gate when you could just obliterate Castle Bosporus from several miles away?
The last area of the West Keep was the Departure Courtyard. This courtyard was essentially a terminal for the arrival and departure of ground vehicles. A one-way three-lane road made a wide loop in the center of the Departure Courtyard. Large iron portcullises stood at both ends of the Departure Courtyard, and the Vanguard Gate loomed ominously in the background. Usually, at least one portcullis would be closed and would only open to people who had undergone a lengthy check for weapons. That day, however, both portcullises were open, and the road was filled with dozens of vehicles.
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When I got to the Departure Courtyard in the early morning, hundreds of Cognoscenti (the NPCs that are aligned with GM) had flooded the area. Most of them were staff who were moving supplies in preparation for our departure or security who scanned the scene with growing concern, but some of the Cognoscenti present were excited onlookers who wanted to meet a Dark Apostle in person.
More than half of the Dark Apostles were already present when I arrived. It was difficult for me to tell who exactly was present because every Apostle present was dressed in a long black cloak and grey metal mask.
We all received a message the previous day that read:
[CosmiCrow: The Identify Talent cannot determine your physical stats if you wear something that breaks up your silhouette. It also cannot determine your race and name if you wear something to conceal your face. When you’re in front of the camera, wear something to prevent Identify from gleaning any information. We don’t know who will be in the crowd, and we don’t know who will be able to acquire the recordings of our departure. Remember, we’re trying to keep our identities secret.]
I had put on the clothes I had spawned in when I left that morning. I figured the long cloak would be sufficient to break up my silhouette. When I left my quarters, however, there was a long black cloak hanging from a bellhop trolley just outside.
The other Dark Apostles had similarly found an enigmatic black cloak, evidently, as every Apostle present wore one.
The fans had all aggregated to one side of the Departure Courtyard. All fifty-or-so fans crowded around four Dark Apostles who seemed to be more than happy to accommodate them. Bright flashes emanated from antique cameras, and pens scribbled autographs on any available surface.
Three other Apostles were standing a good distance away from the four glory hounds. I approached the group of three Apostles and could tell immediately who was who. The woman with olive skin was Null, the woman with dyed hair was Katya, and the man with slicked-back hair was Melkior.
“I see the boys are having fun,” I said to the group of Dark Apostles on the sidelines.
“The fame is there whether we want it or not,” Katya, the Eighth Apostle, said. “They might as well make the most of it.”
“Uh huh,” I said, looking sidelong at the first four Apostles. “Just to make sure, they aren’t signing their real names on those autographs, right?”
“No, no,” Melkior said. “They’re using their numbers.”
At that moment, a Cognoscentum dressed in a worker’s uniform approached us. A group of workers behind him was dragging a large crate on a wide rollable pallet.
“I’m looking for the… uh… Thirteenth. Are you here, uh, my… Lord?” The man dressed in worker’s clothes asked the question to the four of us that stood away from the crowd of fans.
I walked forward and pulled my shirt aside to reveal the XIII tattooed on my chest. I said, “Yeah, that’s me.”
“We were told to bring your supply crate for your inspection, my Lord,” the man said. By his tone of voice, I could tell that he did not know whether I was a man or a woman before I confirmed, and he was happy to see that his original assumption was correct.