I glanced at the players getting into position. Ranging between levels 10 and 40, they offered a substantial increase to our overall might. They were loud and disorganized, but their chaotic nature was also their strength.

  We were as ready as we were ever going to be.

  I teleported to the center of the arena and accessed the Runecraft Design Mode.

  The holographic representation of the arena’s dirt ground appeared in my view. But it was not empty. Large, partially constructed runes filled the arena, a leftover remnant of Vatras’s invasion to my clan. After I’d shut down his portal, the runes it manifested weren’t erased; they only deformed and became inert. The leftover enchantment was the basis for my entire invasion plan. I couldn’t do much when I first encountered the runes, but I’d strengthened considerably since then. My Runecraft skill was now high enough for the task. I was going to piece the enchantment back together.

  I went through the motions without hesitation, just like I had practiced back at Akzar. Spatial runes were straightened or redrawn and properly connected to their binding counterparts. I worked quickly and efficiently, restoring the enchantment back to its original shape. I did make a small adjustment, though, adding the ‘Tse’ triggering rune to the base of the formation, allowing me to activate the enchantment at will.

  It was an eight-rune enchantment, requiring a massive 7,200 MP to activate. It was way more than I could handle, but I wasn’t alone.

  “Kuzai, Bek, adepts, channel your mana to me,” I ordered and started pouring my own mana into the design. The priests obeyed, and thin lines of blue mana extended out of them, floating down into the pit, joining my own. The runes began to glow, drawing a huge shape on the ground.

  “How the hell does he do that?” I heard one of the watching travelers say.

  “That’s one hardcore player,” another said.

  “Should we help?” a third asked.

  I was already down to half my mana, but the enchantment was only 30 percent full. I clenched my teeth at the strain and called out, “If you can spare some of your mana, that’d be great.”

  “You got it, Chief,” Malkyr said brightly. “You heard him, boys! Casters, pitch in and give the guy some of your mana.”

  Five bright blue threads joined us. The enchantment hungrily consumed the mana, and the runes glowed brighter and brighter.

  “Holy shit, look at that!” a player blurted out, pointing at the center of the enchantment. A rift opened in the air a few centimeters above the ground. It was small at first, barely fist-sized, but as we dumped in more mana, the rift extended. With a final force of will, I poured in the last bits of mana to complete the enchantment. The rift grew into a three-meter tall portal outlined with scintillating orange energy. The opening itself was completely opaque.

  The other side of the portal hadn’t been opened yet.

  I accessed my interface and composed a short message. I hit ‘send’ and raised my hand. “Everyone, get ready! It’s showtime.”

  27 – Different Perspectives

  Raystia remained by the window, watching the courtyard below.

  After several minutes, three mid-level players had joined the NPC workers.

  “I think we’re early,” a half-orc woman said. “This is awesome! Our first guild meeting.”

  “Yes.” A halfling nodded excitedly. “I heard the guildmaster is going to be taking the stage. Supposedly about some new secret mission he wants the entire guild to take part in.”

  “I don’t know about you guys,” a third robe-wearing player said, “but I joined to learn some of their famous Prime-Badged skills. So far they haven’t delivered, and I’ve been here for a week.”

  “I’m sure they’re just busy,” the woman said. “This is the best and largest guild in NEO, after all.”

  The robe-wearing player scowled. “It used to be. They’re now rank 22. I joined because I wanted to be part of the best.”

  “What do you think the guildmaster’s mission is going to be?” the halfling asked. “I think they’ve found a new raid boss, and they need everyone on board. Like that behemoth dragon from a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Don’t be an idiot,” the robed player huffed. “That level of combat is way beyond any of us. Low-level players would only get in the way. It’s gotta be something else. Something everyone can take part in. After all, the messages said they wanted everyone.”

  The halfling frowned. “Yeah, you’re probably right. We’ll find out soon enough.”

  The three players continued to chat amicably among themselves, and Raystia quickly lost interest.

  Ten more minutes passed before her message icon pinged. ‘Penelope, we’re ready. Make sure there’s no one in the courtyard when you activate the crystal. Oren.’

  “Oh, shoot,” Raystiam muttered. “He never said anything about clearing out the place.” Still, there was a mischievous glint in her eyes at the unexpected challenge. She enjoyed unleashing her wilder side.

  But first, she was going to need a diversion.

  Clicking on her message icon again, she quickly composed one of her own. ‘Guys, I need your help to create a distraction. Anything that will make a lot of noise would do. Thanks! ♡’

  A moment later, she received a response from Misa. ‘You got it, love.’

  ***

  “She wants us to do what?” Fox said.

  “She needs a distraction,” Misa explained patiently. “We’re supposed to make a lot of noise to draw out the guild members.”

  “Shhh,” Riley said, pointing at approaching guards.

  “She wants a distraction? She’s about to get one,” Fox said grimly. The yellow bugbear slowly withdrew his axe and buckled on his shield.

  “What are you doing?” Misa said. “We need to come up with a plan.”

  “I have a plan,” Fox said. “Chaaarge!”

  He burst out from the piles of boxes and stormed the guards. The surprised NPCs didn’t have a chance to draw their weapons before the battle-hungry monster rammed into them. One guard was sent flying back, and another received an axe to the head. Fox whirled with his shield and sent a third guard tumbling.

  Shouting and sounds of alarm came all around them as the other guards and players noticed the attack. Three patrols ran at the roaring bugbear with their weapons drawn. Farther away, a couple of mages started casting, preparing their long-ranged spells.

  “Oh well,” Misa said brightly. “I guess that’s one way of doing it.” The half-goblin elf rolled out of their hiding spot and sprang to her feet. She whipped back her arm and swept it forward. A spinning metal chain erupted from her ring, flying and wrapping around one of the guard’s legs. He fell, entangled, and his two friends stormed at the woman. Undeterred, Misa drew another chain – this one thick and spiked, meant for melee combat.

  “They’re all nuts,” Riley grumbled. The dwarf stood up and pointed at the ground ahead of the running guardsmen. The darkness became deeper, opening up into a pit. The running guards didn’t react in time, and they both plunged inside, screaming in fear.

  The three members of The Mob Squad stood back to back, facing their many enemies. More players came pouring out from the mansion to join their comrades in the protection of their base.

  “Well,” Misa said happily as she eyed the host of enemies surrounding them. “I’d say we did our part.”

  ***

  Raystia didn’t have to wait long. An alarm bell sounded almost as soon as she sent her message. The three players below her exchanged worried looks, then ran out of the yard, leaving the four NPCs behind.

  This was as good an opportunity as she was going to get. The catgirl climbed through the window. Using barely visible handholds, she made her way across the outside wall to a perch directly above the servants. She let go of one hand, reached into her inventory, and threw a bundle into the air.

  One of the human workers looked up in surprise as flower petals rained lightly from the sky. “What is this?” he asked and reached out his hand.

  Another worker yawned. “All I know is that I’m so tired all of a sudden.”

  The first worker brought his hands to his nose, smelling the innocent-looking petals. A pleasant aroma filled his nostrils and his eyes suddenly felt heavier than ever. He yawned. “I could use a break myself.”

  The other two workers looked sleepily at each other. “We can’t,” one of them said. “We have a job to do. Just a few more minutes, then we can all go to slee–”

  He didn’t get to finish the sentence. Raystia landed between the four of them, her daggers already dripping with red blood as a worker fell to the ground, a slash across his body cutting him open from shoulder to hip.

  The other three blinked in surprise, but the poison had slowed their reactions. She struck with her daggers again, silencing a second worker, then dropped to her hands and swiped her feet in a wide circle, knocking the other two to the ground. With two quick strokes, she silenced them as well.

  The guild’s alarm was still going off. She didn’t have long.

  Raystia opened her inventory and extracted a wrapped bundle. She carefully removed the soft fabric, revealing a milky white, multifaceted crystal.

  She hurried to the center of the courtyard, put down the powerful item, and activated it.

  The crystal launched into the air and started rotating. Lines of electricity coated its surface and sparks of lightning shot out of it, hitting the walls and the ground. The catgirl nimbly dodged the jolts of electricity and retreated for cover.

  In the air above the crystal, a small rift appeared.

  It was starting.

  ***

  Something was happening. The portal’s opaque opening was starting to shimmer.

  I hoped Raystia had done as I asked and activated the anchoring crystal someplace out of sight. I knew the portal took time to establish, and an experienced magic user could potentially counter it. Like I had done when Vatras invaded.

  The seconds stretched out like hours, but the portal’s opening hadn’t finished stabilizing.

  Vic said.

  He was right. I had to be patient. “Aidanriel,” I called out. “Come here.”

  The players watching us exchanged baffled looks. One of them said, “Who the hell is he talking to– Whoa!”

  A large tentacle made up of dozens of metallic beads reached over their heads and into the pit. Another tentacle followed, then another. Then the golem’s main bulk came into the pit to stand beside me. “You called, mate?” he said brightly.

  “Holy shit,” another player said. “I thought that metal ball was just for decoration.”

  “As soon as the portal stabilizes, I want you to go through,” I said, ignoring the players. “Secure the other side of the portal. Don’t give any of the travelers a chance to close it.”

  “You got it, mate.”

  ***

  “Guildmaster!” A breathless low-level elven girl burst through Vatras’s office without waiting for permission. The muted sound of a faraway alarm filtered in through the open door.

  “What is it?” Vatras glared at the pathetic lowbie.

  “We’re under attack!” the player said, trying to regulate her breathing.

  “Don’t be absurd,” Vatras snapped at her. “No one will attack us at our own base.”

  “I have just respawned,” she argued. “I was in the outer yard when three monsters jumped us out of nowhere.”

  “Monsters?” Vatras scowled. “There are no monsters in Everance.”

  “Guildmaster!” Another player ran through the office’s open door. “Someone murdered the NPCs in the inner courtyard.”

  That couldn’t be a coincidence. Vatras got up from his seat. “Someone’s going to answer for this. Hirooku.” He glanced at his ever-present lieutenant. “Handle this.”

  The lean assassin yawned. “If you insist. Do you want to issue a guild-wide alert?”

  “No,” Vatras hissed. “Those newbies probably got in over their heads.”

  Hirooku shrugged. “That’s what you get when you lower your bar for new recruits. I’ll go check it out.”

  “BigPill should be logging in any minute now,” Vatras called after him. “Get him to help you.” His two lieutenants were the only ones Vatras trusted with anything remotely important.

  “I’m on it,” the lean human said as he left the room.

  The two low-level players exchanged looks. “What about us?”

  “Go back and try to redeem your pathetic performance.”

  “But the death debuff–”

  “Leave!” Vatras roared at them.

  “You’re such a jerk,” the girl said. “I don’t deserve this. Screw it, I’m out of here.” She logged off, disappearing into nothingness.

  Vatras glared at the remaining player.

  “So, ahem, yeah …” the player said nervously. “I think I’ll leave too. The death debuff, you know …” Then he disappeared too, leaving a very angry guildmaster behind.

  ***

  “Oh, shoot!” Raystia whispered. She was hiding behind one of the support pillars around the courtyard when a couple of players burst in. The two stood, flabbergasted at the light show.

  A lightning bolt discharged, scorching the ground a meter away from their feet. The two looked at each other, then turned around and fled.

  Raystia winced. That’s not a good sign.

  The catgirl’s assumption proved correct a moment later when the two players returned, followed by five more. Two of whom were high-level casters.

  The portal’s rift was still opening and shooting lightning in all directions, and it didn’t look like it would finish opening before the players got a chance to tamper with it. She had to act now.

  “Oren better appreciate this,” she muttered and drew out her willow bow.

  The seven players were rushing toward the hovering crystal when the arrows started flying. Raystia’s sneak attack, coupled with her poisoned arrows, felled the first two players, but the other five were made of stronger stuff. One of them, a tank, took out a huge door-like shield from his inventory, blocking her sight. The two casters were quick to take cover behind him. The remaining two players made a beeline for the side walkways, aiming to flank her. Raystia continued to shoot, hitting both flanking enemies, but without the sneak bonus, it didn’t cause enough damage to kill them. The poison did its job though, slowing them down and buying her a few more precious seconds.

  Then the explosions started.

  A fireball shot passed by, just barely missing Raystia’s head. It exploded against the wall behind her, showering her with shrapnel and shaving off 10 percent of her health. A ray of acid impacted the pillar and dissolved a significant part of her cover. By the force of the spells, the two players were probably around level 100. She was hopelessly outmatched.

  Raystia tried to fall back, but two more spells flew at her. She dove to the floor, but the spells hit the nearly destroyed pillar and turned it to rubble. Broken stone shards rained down on the catgirl, burying her in the debris. A few green stalks that grew through the cracks were the only remainder of the brave spy.

  With the pesky intruder dealt with, the two casters ran toward the blazing portal. Their personal magic shields flared as lightning struck them.

  A player wearing teal robes frowned and said, “Is that what I think it is?”

  His friend nodded. “It’s an anchoring crystal, but it shouldn’t be discharging like this. Something is wrong; maybe someone tampered with it.”

  “In any case, it’s a threat to the guild,” the teal-robed player said. “Any idea how we can close it?”

  “I have an antimagic scroll on me,” his friend said uncertainly. “It might work.”

  “It should. I’ll help. I can cast Break Enchantment. Together, they should be enough to close that thing.”

  “Are you two ready to do something about this thing?” demanded the player behind them holding the huge shield.

  “On it.” The teal-robed player started chanting a long spell while his friend withdrew a scroll and started reading it carefully.

  The unstable portal blazed one more time and became steady. The lightning ceased.

  “Good job guys,” the shield-carrying player said.

  “What? It wasn’t us … Wait, the portal is–”

  The last of his sentence was drowned out as a huge metal … thing erupted from the opening and smashed the player down, burying him under a pile of rolling pinkish spheres.

  “HOLY SHI–” His friend took a step back. All thoughts of casting his spell were gone.

  Two more metallic tentacles burst out of the portal. One seized the friend by the waist, lifting him, while the other one grabbed onto a pillar and pulled. The grappled player struggled futilely against the overpowering grasp as more tentacles burst through the portal, followed by something round and heavy.

  “We’re under attack!” one of the players squealed. “Huge metal octopuses are attacking the guild!” He ran away, screaming those words over and over.

  “It’s a golem,” the tank said, looking at the two remaining players. “We have to keep it contained until reinforcements arrive.”

  “Hey, that’s my line!” the golem said in a very un-golem-like manner. With an almost contemptful gesture, the golem whipped one of his free tentacles, swatting the tank aside as if he were no more than an armored fly. “Oh, this is fun!”

  Aidanriel hoisted the mage up higher and brought him closer to his core. “Well, aren’t you a fragile little thing?” he chuckled. The golem’s beads rolled on top of the mage, burying him in a heap of pinkish metal.

  The tank pushed himself off the ground. He was badly wounded and had a Fractured Skull debuff, but he could still move. His eyes opened wide as another shape appeared through the portal.

  A goblin.

  The goblin looked around, taking in the signs of battle, and nodded to himself. “It’s just like I remembered.”