Jay knew exactly what he needed to do. It was risky, but only one move on the board could lead to success. He still held the ability to fly, which brought a real advantage. If he swooped quickly, he could pick up Sarah—probably. Her armor was quite heavy. Once airborne, he could Air Dodge the blasts and drop Sarah behind Katya and Chris. The four party members working together could easily overwhelm the surviving casters. They needed to be quick. Other enemy players lurked in the wings, waiting to see where the dust would settle.
Jay sprung to action—at least that had been the plan. Instead, the battlefield changed as he swooped down to save Sarah. The Demonic spells flew true but collided with a giant shell of shimmering energy. This wasn’t Sarah’s typical protection orb. She was an Avatar of Light, wielding a spectral, holy hammer. Deftly, she brought the hammer sweeping, striking both Katya and Chris in the same maneuver.
Jay’s plan would have worked. Watching the crazy move, he acknowledged they could also do that.
The two Demons went flying, disappearing into the crowd of other combatants. Jay didn’t receive any kill experience, nor did the players reappear from the masses.
“Looks like you knocked that out of the park,” Jenny joked.
Jay nodded his agreement. “That’s definitely a new one. Maybe we can-” Sarah didn’t wait for instruction but waded into the conflict with her new, improved form. The ability would be temporary, but she could deal plenty of damage in a short time. As her friends watched, Sarah tipped over an elephant onto a jeering group of Demons, distracted as they watched, surrounded by Red Player’s Society members being slowly cut down.
For the next thirty seconds, Jenny, Taylor Lynn, and Jay offered clean-up support to Sarah. The Paladin marched relentlessly through the enemy forces, knocking enemies aside or obliterating them entirely. Her party leveled ranged attacks on anyone that survived her forward onslaught. The kill notifications raked in, though experience came in at moderate levels. Many enemy levels were rated much lower than the party level. Mercura Island and its quests had elevated them above the pack, even though they’d started behind.
Sarah rejoined the group, smiling from her path of destruction as the shimmering light dissipated. “I think they’re sufficiently distracted, but we should probably get out of here.”
Jay and the others were in agreement. He quickly sent messages through the guild chat, informing everyone to retreat wherever possible. The Demons were no longer organized since no one seemed interested in testing whether or not Sarah could do that again. The Demons hung back, uncertainty clear on their faces.
The Red Player’s Society members took the hint and seized the small momentary respite. The guild fell into full retreat, streaming through the exit at the back of the rally point. The siege tower wouldn’t be able to make it through and would need to go around. They definitely had some time since the contraption lost an elephant.
The party waited for the last guild member to stream through the opening. Jay nodded to Taylor Lynn. She closed the pass with earthen walls using magic, blocking the space between the buildings. It wouldn’t stop anyone who really wanted to follow. They could just climb over the buildings—but it could slow them.
The buildings themselves showed evident destruction. Siege weapons blasted attacks through the city, though they weren’t particularly well-targeted. The Burlen wood buildings around Jay showed signs of collapse or imminence of the same. Holes blasted through roofs, windows, and even siding. The edges of the impacts were frayed, like they’d been flaming. Perhaps some damage came from powerful magic spells being lobbed around the city.
“What’s next, boss?” Sarah asked though she directed her question toward Jay. He shrugged at his sister, gesturing toward Taylor Lynn with his hand.
“She’s in charge. What’s next, boss?”
Taylor Lynn’s eyes bounced between the two of them. She grimaced, her shoulders tensed as she awkwardly twirled her game character’s red hair. “I guess we pause to take inventory of our troops. After that, the destination is the same. If we lose the Mayor’s place, the siege is over.”
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Sarah, clearly unhappy to be taking orders from Taylor Lynn, pressed her mouth into a firm line. Jay felt impressed she managed to keep herself quiet. He could imagine the roaring quips buzzing around her head. Still feeling raw from his breakup with Claire, Jay had no desire to take control of the party or the guild.
When they emerged from the small alleyway, a small group awaited them. Casey, Lurian, and Kylar all stood around the exit. Lurian sighed as he said, “Four more.”
Jay raised his eyebrow but left the questions for Taylor Lynn.
“We’re counting everybody,” Casey offered. “We’ve been counting everyone who made it through. Are you guys last?”
The party nodded their agreement.
“Pity,” Kylar sighed, shoving his weapons back into their scabbards. “There’s the seven of us here, and only eleven other people left.”
Jay found it impressive that so many people were alive, considering the issues they’d faced. Sarah had saved more of the guild than otherwise possible using her cooldown ability.
“Where have you three been?” Taylor Lynn wondered. Her words were accusatory. It was difficult to blame her since they’d been fighting the most powerful enemies. Any help could easily have turned the tide faster. They’d scraped by through the skin of their teeth to make it out with everyone alive.
“Trying to stay alive, the same as everyone else,” Kylar said defensively, glaring her down. He wasn’t flirting at the moment. “We were keeping our eyes out for that Andrius, too. We’d be dead if it weren’t for Casey’s lizard thing. The little dude’s Earth magic saved us over and over again.”
“He’s more medium-sized these days,” Casey corrected, pointing to the lizard beside her. It was much larger than the last time Jay had seen it.
Taylor Lynn’s eyes flicked to the small throng of people that awaited instructions. “Learn anything while you were trying to stay alive? People of interest, special weapons, or anything like that?”
“No,” Lurian said, “but we didn’t see Andrius, so he’s still out somewhere.”
Taylor Lynn nodded. She left the small group, heading for the remaining eleven players. Jay assumed she went to fill them in on the plan and gather whatever information they might have.
“Who died and put her in charge?” Kylar mumbled; he trudged on, not stopping after his question. “Like we really wanted those idiots running around stomping us. A mob of people half his level killed one of my buddies.”
Sarah turned on me to answer his question, “Jay did.”
“Still?” Lurian asked, eyeing me appraisingly. Kylar shot me a look of utter disgust like anyone would be over a girlfriend’s total betrayal by now.
Sarah sighed.
***
As the guild, what remained of it, at least, stood before the government sector, Taylor Lynn turned to me. “Where—exactly—are all the other players?”
Level 80 guards stood atop the walls protecting the sector. Several dozen were spread across the immediate area Jay could see. There wasn’t another player in sight besides the remaining members of his guild. None of the government NPCs, like the Mayor, were to be seen, either.
Jay didn’t have any idea where the other players were. There should have been a group of thousands-strong guild of Elvish Alliance players. No enemies were to be found. Neither were any Elvish Alliance members. The area around the sector had been cleared, leaving empty cobblestones.
“I don’t have any ideas,” Jay said petulantly. He resented her for putting pressure on him right now. He’d put her in charge for a reason, but his surprise equaled hers. The other guild should have been here.
“You didn’t hear any secret plans from the Elvish Alliance leader before you showed up?”
“I don’t even know the Elvish Alliance leader. If there are secret plans, they didn’t let anyone know. The other guild leaders are lost, too.”
Lurian pulled his guns from his holsters, causing Kylar to follow draw his blades. The rest of the guild followed suit. Most hadn't seen what everyone reacted to but trusted leadership's judgment enough to follow along. Jay summoned his weapons, narrowing his eyes to the horizon of what he could see.
“Let us in,” Jay called up to the guards.
The guards looked at Jay, looked at the people assembling in the distance, then back to Jay. One of the guards, marked as a Captain, spoke up. “You’re going to need to make your way inside quickly. If we risk any of them making it inside, we’ll slam it shut on you.”
Jay nodded. “That’s fine. Everyone assemble inside. If the Captain gives you orders, follow them. Otherwise, join me up on the walls.”
The mutters passed through the ranks of guild members as the guards cracked the wall open. The remnants of Red Player’s Society squeezed through the wall opening in the gate. They passed into a gatehouse and up to the walls. Jay went to stand by the Elvish Guard Captain, who provided no other orders. The Captain’s level sat at eighty-five.
But it probably wasn’t going to be enough.
“What’s going on?”
“I feel like I’m in a horror movie.”
“What do you see, Jay?”
The whispers passed through the crowd. Casey stood next to Jay, squinting to follow where he looked.
“What’s going on?” Taylor Lynn asked.
“More betrayal,” Jay noted, gritting his teeth.
“What?”
On the horizon, hundreds—strike that—thousands of Elvish Alliance players assembled in the streets surrounding the government sector. There were so many it’d taken them a substantial time to organize and assemble after the siege started. They’d also been busy working on their strategy. The missing guild had a secret master plan. A vicious, conniving one.
Every Elvish Alliance name was red—they’d defected from the Elvish faction.