Chapter 362. A Performance

 

Two minutes earlier

[How are you? Holding up?]

T his sudden message from Raven made an entire storm of emotions flash across Kingmaker’s face. It was only thanks to the rogue’s good luck that he wasn’t within her reach at that moment. Their current situation was really bad, and to implement his plan, they’d have to use a precious item they had obtained through great effort.

Kingmaker was seething with rage. If Raven were here, she would’ve tried to strangle him for going MIA for three days after he had convinced her to die by his hand.

The reward would be great if they did that, but still...

I hope it was worth it.

[What do you think, smartass? We’ve lost a lot of people. Koshie just barely escaped dying to a trap.]

[Tell everyone to leave the game.]

[Are you sure?]

[Absolutely. Now be a good girl and let me kill you xD]

[YOU!]

She was at a loss for words. Exhaling slowly to calm down, she shifted to the clan chat, putting on hold her plans on all the torture she’d put the rogue through for doing this to her.

And although she was certain that he had a good reason to be this confident — Raven was many things, but careless he was not — she still doubted that he had an ace up his sleeve so powerful that it’d help them out in a situation this bad.

***

What’s going on?! Focused on looking for explanations for the sudden change in the enemy camp, Queen almost missed the message she had been waiting for.

[I’m ready to kill Kingmaker.]

She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

[You sure took your sweet time. Where are you?]

She had no doubt that Kingmaker had conspired with Raven, agreeing to die to help him get what he needed. It wouldn’t be the first time Queen saw such a scheme unfold. Not that she really minded it; she just wanted Kingmaker dead, and the video proof was just a cherry on top of this delicious cake.

But why the fuck did he waste so much time at the statues? Is it because of the skills he has? I heard some of them use Influence Points.

This question was really important, but she forgot about it when she got Raven’s next message.

[Almost there. Have the payment ready. I’ll be done quickly.]

The bluntness of his reply annoyed her. He made no effort at all to conceal his agreement with Kingmaker.

“You’ll pay for that,” she said through gritted teeth.

She was craving to see that bitch dead so much that she almost messaged him to hurry up, stopping herself in time as she realized that that’d be pointless.

Not like it really matters anyway. We have the portal. They’ll need nothing short of a miracle to get it back.

Smirking, she joined the Brotherhood’s chat where other members discussed the best way to position their forces around the city to present all their Influence Spheres to the statues before the event’s end.

Although a number of key players, including Crimson Berserker and Perdition, had survived this battle, the TOP clans had still lost their control over the portal. If this wasn’t the best proof that the Alliance was stronger, she didn’t know what was.

Now that the foundation on which the TOP clan’s reputation stood was shaken, more and more players would lose trust in them, joining the clans controlled by the Brotherhood. That meant more resources for developing their skills — and her kingdom.

Just like many of her clanmates, Queen was astonished by Crimson Berserker’s surviving his duel with Buckshot, the strongest Enlightener up to date. Buckshot was sure that he had killed his opponent but then he came back to life. His resurrection had to be a miracle as their side had no healers or priests who could’ve brought him back.

The weirdest part was that Crimson Berserker’s strength seemed to increase after his death. To defeat him, Buckshot would’ve had to use his best skills, all of which had extremely long cooldown times. But as he’d prefer not to do so, he allowed his opponent to escape the battlefield.

Nonetheless, the leaders of the Messengers and the Faceless Army were still happy with the outcome. They had bet much on this fight and came out as winners.

The massive retreat meant that even Kingmaker, renowned for her strategic and analytical mind, saw no way of winning this battle. She would have fought until the end if she did.

Or maybe it was just her fear of losing Evil-In. The Brotherhood had more chance of killing her than anyone else, considering the high levels and special skills they had acquired on their Floors.

Flying up to the island on her mount, Queen observed the ruins under her, struggling to grasp her opponents’ logic. Every player knew that coming back to the spot occupied by your enemy meant certain death. So what were they hoping for? She didn’t want to believe that they could just stand up and walk away from this event.

Where’s that bitch hiding? She couldn’t have escaped. How would Raven kill her then?

Coming over the island, she began to descend, heading for the portal, where she was supposed to meet him.

Since not all players had handed in their Influence Spheres, and considering the large scale of this battle and the number of its participants, the distribution of loot promised to be a grueling task.

“Ahahaha!” Son of Hercules laughed aloud as he jumped off his direlizard, a strong and agile pet he had obtained in an instant dungeon. “It feels good to kick their asses! Hey, Hangman! What do you think?”

Gloomy Hangman ignored him and shook his head, looking at Coffee Addict.

“Is everyone else coming?”

“Almost everyone we need is here. The rest will come after they set the traps and detection spells for untimely visitors.”

“Good. What about the rewards?”

“Don’t worry. The agreement stays the same. Once we count the total number of Spheres, I’ll give you a report. I’m an honest businessman.”

“I have no doubt in that.” Gloomy Hangman nodded, his face unchanged, and looked at the building that housed the portal. “By the way, have any of you tried to complete a Level Ten Challenge?”

“Yes. Some have.”

“And?”

Coffee Addict looked at him and, pursing his lips into a thin line, said reluctantly:

“Let’s just say it came to nothing.” Seeing Gloomy Hangman raise his eyebrows — the reaction he had expected — he continued: “It’s difficult to explain. But if I were you, I wouldn’t even try. It’s a waste of Spheres. This challenge was probably designed to be impossible to complete.”

The air became heavy as he said those words. Even Son of Hercules became serious. He had no idea the challenges were that complicated.

“Gentlemen?” Queen smiled at the crowd of players who stood a bit further away from the group of Enlighteners, waiting for their orders. “Let me congratulate you again on our victory.”

“You’ve done great,” Coffee Addict told her approvingly and asked, raising an eyebrow: “What about your vendetta?”

Queen squinted. She didn’t need a reminder.

“I see. Then...”

Before Coffee Addict could finish his sentence, messages about a flying player approaching the island flooded the chats.

Tens of thousands of pairs of eyes turned to the loner who had already covered a large portion of the distance. While some pondered over his possible identity, others recognized the mask they remembered from the video with Raven and Darrau’s statue.

 

Rolling Stone: [What’s he doing here?]

One per Thousand: [Is he an idiot?]

@Freddy-Daddy@: [Is he our ally?]

Demon of Laze: [Did anyone see him fight?]

BigMacLover: [You twat, he was doing challenges all this time. Check the forums before you ask any more stupid questions.]

Demon of Laze: [You’re a twat!]

 

While they argued, the subject of their discussion landed next to the Enlighteners and ran his gaze over them.

“I see you’ve cleaned this area.” He smiled and, stopping his gaze on Queen, gave her a mocking bow of two fingers as if he were doing air quotations. “Since everyone’s here, it’s time you and I complete our agreement.”

Queen was silent for a while, struggling to contain her mounting rage, and then she snapped back at him.

“Well, I’m waiting.”

Her voice, her eyes, and her pose seemed to scream: Can’t wait to see how you’ll get yourself out of this mess!

“Oh, I won’t let you down. I have a surprise for you.” Raven turned around and waved a hand, inviting her to follow.

Frowning, Queen walked after him. The other Enlighteners exchanged glances and went after her.

Their walk was brief. At the end of it, Raven stopped suddenly and turned to Queen.

“Maybe you want to do it yourself?” he asked casually.

Queen thought that she was prepared for anything, but this question took her aback.

What could he have promised her to make her agree to THAT?

She came up with no plausible explanation, but she wouldn’t mind strangling Kingmaker with her own hands.

Queen smirked, tilting her head to the side.

“I’d love to. Where is she?”

Everyone present knew that this was just a performance, but no one broke character.

“Right here,” Raven replied with a smile and waved toward an inconspicuous piece of a granite wall.

Queen was about to say something but, changing her mind, asked Porcelain Doll to use her best detection spell.

Nothing.

Can he be trying to deceive me? No. He can’t be that stupid.

“And?” she asked the rogue.

“I’m telling you: she’s here. If you don’t believe me...”

“Just kill me already.”

The voice that suddenly came from the wall gave Queen a start.

“So you are here?” she hissed, her face twisting with anger. “Why are you hiding?”

“It doesn’t matter. Your agreement didn’t specify how I’ll die, so...”

“YOU!” Queen bit her lip and, jumping up to the wall, activated her attack skills one after another. She could feel her magic attacks and her short blade hit the wall, but, even a minute later, she didn’t get the message that Kingmaker was dead.

“Is that the best you can do?” the invisible speaker teased.

She was about to ask for help but realized that that’d land a fatal blow to her reputation so she just yelled.

“Shut up, you bitch!”

“Seriously, girl. Hurry up. I have other things to do.”

“Die! Die! Die!”

“Are you honestly level one hundred and thirty-four? You attack like a noob.” Kingmaker’s voice was dripping sarcasm. Still, if Queen killed her, she’d be the winner.

Queen continued attacking. She couldn’t fathom why her opponent was still alive. The feeling of her clanmate’s gazes drilling into the back of her skull was urging her on, her mind clouded with anger that prevented her from focusing and giving this situation a proper thought. When her skills entered cooldown, she’d just keep using her sword until the deed was done.

The sight of Queen hacking at a piece of wall was so captivating that no one paid any heed to the violet smoke that rose after one of the attacks.

 

You have killed Kingmaker.

 

“Yes! YES! Take that, bitch!” Queen turned to Raven and smirked. “Okay. You’ve completed your part of the deal. Here’s your reward.”

The rogue remained silent and turned around to leave when she spoke again.

“Do you think I’m that stupid? I know you two conspired to make a fool out of me. You deserve to die just as much as that bitch. Pray that your Floor never opens to us.”

The Enlighteners, including Coffee Addict and Buckshot, had already surrounded Raven but he didn’t seem to care, continuing on his way as if nothing had happened.

Queen’s lips trembled with anger.

“I’LL FIND YOU!” she screamed. “Learn to sleep with both your eyes open, you bastard! Two hundred grand to anyone who kills him.”

“Ooh, nice offer.” Alien Body smirked and made a barely perceptible move, casting a slowing-down spell on the rogue.

“Get in line!” Scarab screamed, using a skill that reduced the target’s physical resistance.

The rest of the players joined in, bringing a storm of skills and spells upon Raven. Fire. Ice. Lightning strikes. Water. Gravity. Missiles.

No living thing could possibly survive such a concentrated attack. But when the magic dispersed, they saw neither the rogue’s corpse nor the dropped loot, not even the Influence Spheres. And no message about his death either.

“Did... Did he escape?” someone wondered when the sky suddenly turned black and all hell broke loose.