Yvvaros: The Clash of Worlds (7 page)

The morning sky was clear and bright by the time the three of them reached the Sarchia Desert. Luke could feel the air warming up quickly and it sapped his stamina. He began to yearn for the water of the oasis and shade of the palms in Dunidan’s Rest.

“I’ve been through your zone many times before,” said Kaoru as they approached the walls of the settlement. “It’s the crowning jewel of the desert.”

“Flattery isn’t going to get you anywhere, Kaoru,” said Luke. “If you want to sell us on your plan you’re going to have to be more direct.”

“But of course.” Kaoru leaned forward, swinging his arm in front of him in a mock bow.

The gate opened and Luke led the group in. Tess and some members of Athena’s Wrath were milling around the new smithy. Anna, the newly appointed blacksmith, was working the bellows of the forge and talking to the girls at the same time.

“Hey,” called Luke. “We’re back. And we brought company.”

Tess turned. She’s been smiling with the other girls, but when she saw Luke, the expression on her face shifted.

I never responded to her letter. I’m still not sure what to say back.

“Hello. I’m Kaoru.”

Tess looked at Kaoru with cautious eyes.

“This is Tess,” said Luke, cutting through the silence. “And these are members of our allied guild, Athena’s Wrath. Tess, is Katrina around?”

“She said she’d be logging back in sometime soon.” Tess crossed her arms and frowned. “It shouldn’t be long if you don’t mind waiting.”

Luke wanted to pull her aside and talk to her, but the moment wasn’t right. They needed a chance to talk on their own, to really talk, to close the gap that had slowly formed in between them.

Hang on, Tess. Just give me time to get my life sorted out.

As if on cue, Katrina appeared over by the oasis, glancing around and going through the motions of taking stock of her surroundings after logging in. She saw Luke and Kaoru, and slowly began walking over.

“Kaoru, this is Katrina,” said Luke. “Katrina, meet Kaoru. He’s got a… proposition for us.”

Luke chewed his lower lip.

We’ve reached a crossroads. I’ve already put Dunidan’s Rest in danger just by bringing him here. Now we have to decide just what we’re willing to risk.

“Well, that’s certainly an interesting introduction for a new arrival.” Katrina was smiling as she walked over to Kaoru, giving him a curious look. “So, Kaoru, just what-”

“Uh, there’s another player approaching on the horizon.” One of Katrina’s lookouts called out to them from the wall. “Were you guys expecting more company?”

“What?” Luke hurried over, hand on his sword hilt. He climbed the steps up to the wall and squinted into the sun.

“Who is it, Luke?” asked Silverstrike. “Maybe Megwin decided to start the trade negotiations.”

“No.” Luke took a deep breath and then pushed it out. “It’s an Arbiter. We must have been followed.”

A murmur passed over the group. Luke closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists.

I’m not going to back down. Not this time.

“Kaoru!” Luke waved him over, and then leaned in close so that only the two of them were in the conversation. “How did you do it? How did you kill the Arbiter before?”

Kaoru frowned.

“I’m a Nightblade, Kato,” said Kaoru. “A Rogue subtype, devoted to sneak attacks and stealth magic. I snuck up behind one of them on a mountain, and used one of my whips to pull him off a cliff face.”

It was Luke’s turn to frown.

“I know, I know,” continued Kaoru. “Not exactly the most exciting war story. But they don’t go down easy. It might be best if we… well, if we run.”

Luke shook his head.

“I’m not running,” he said. “No matter what.”

“That sounds like something that the Hero of Kantor would say.” Kaoru clapped him on the shoulder. “Very well, I have your back. There are a couple of things we should keep in mind, however.”

The Arbiter was approaching at a steady pace. Luke had just enough time to gather all of the high level players together into a huddle.

“He’s going to get in contact with the rest of the Arbiters, if he hasn’t already,” said Kaoru. “We have to all attack at once and finish him off before he realizes what’s going on.”

“Is that even… possible?” Silverstrike raised an eyebrow and fidgeted nervously.

“Arbiters aren’t invincible,” said Kaoru. “They are incredibly powerful, but most of their strength comes from their armor. I suspect that’s part of why they pursued me so doggedly.”

Luke thought for a second about what they needed to do, and then turned to Tess.

“Tess, what level are you at right now?”

“Level 22.” Tess smiled. “Why?”

Level 22? She’s at a higher level than me?

“You look surprised,” said Tess. “I think you’re forgetting how much extra time I have to train.”

A loud pounding came from the settlement’s gate.

“This is a raid, open up.” The Arbiter’s voice was loud and commanding. “I have cause to believe that an anti-government dissident is hiding on these premises.”

“What’s to stop the government regulator controlling that Arbiter from sharing our location after we kill him?” Luke asked the question quietly, realizing the dilemma they were in as it left his mouth.

“I don’t think all of the Arbiters are actually human players,” said Kaoru. “It’s subtle, and they have rather realistic personalities, but they never log out. And they don’t play like humans.”

“Tess, you can cast a Silence spell, right?” Luke watched as she nodded, and then pulled her in a little closer. “Cast it on him as soon as we engage.”

“Right!” Tess gripped her staff in both hands and steadied herself.

“Good thinking,” said Kaoru. “If we silence him, there’s no way he can get in touch with the other Arbiters. Our location will remain a secret, as long as he hasn’t already given it away.”

“It’s just one of many risks we’re going to be taking in the near future,” said Luke.

“Open up!” The Arbiter was pounding on the gate with a frightening amount of strength. Luke took a deep breath and then moved into position to open it.

“Sorry, sir, we were on the other side of the compound.” Luke pointed to various positions and ambush points, and watched as his friends took to them. “Please, come on in.”

He slipped the gate’s lock up and pulled it open. The Arbiter walked in. The shiny gold of its armor contrasted strangely with the gritty yellow sand. Luke felt a flash of  emotion remembering the last time he’d faced an Arbiter.

There’s no backing down now. Either we take him out, or Dunidan’s Rest will eventually burn.

“Now!”

A number of things happened at once. Katrina dropped down from the wall and slammed the gate shut.  Kaoru and Silverstrike rushed forward from either side launching into a furious attack. Tess finished chanting behind Luke, and a shining blue aura of magically induced silence settled over the Arbiter.

CONJURE SWORD 3

PIERCE ATTACK 3

Using up almost all of his magicka, Luke activated his combat abilities. He lunged forward, pointing his physical sword at the enemy and swirling the rest of them in defense around himself.

The Arbiter was much faster than Luke expected. He shifted at the last second, dodging not just Luke’s attacks but Kaoru and Silverstrike’s as well. Luke swung again and was surprised to find that his opponent wasn’t even within range of his sword.

“Look out!” He yelled, but not quickly enough to save Silverstrike. The Arbiter was wielding a mace, and he smashed it into the rogue without any hesitation.

Silverstrike’s health dropped to a sliver of his maximum, and he froze in place as though petrified.

His mace… it’s enchanted.

Luke ran side by side with Kaoru and the two of them launched toward the Arbiter together. Kaoru swung first, pulling his whips in a downward arc over his head.

The Arbiter smiled coldly. He caught a whip in each hand and pulled. Kaoru flew through the air toward him. Kaoru’s face was a mixture of shock and confusion. With another strike of the Arbiter’s mace, it was over. Kaoru’s health bar faired only slightly better than Silverstrike’s had, but his rigid body flew through the air and landed on the ground, frozen just the same.

Damn it! We don’t stand a chance!

Katrina was standing a little behind Luke, and Tess was another few feet back. Luke sunk down into a crouch and studied the Arbiter. It watched him back, still smiling, almost daring him to make a move.

“Tess…” Luke spoke without turning his head. “The silence spell that you hit him with… how long does it last?”

“What?” Tess shook her head. “It lasts for one minute. Luke, we have to kill him now!”

“Stay there!” Luke turned, waving his hand toward Tess as though trying to push her back from a distance. “Tess, don’t get close to him.”

All of the Arbiter’s attention was on Luke, and he was glad for it. He moved his hand over to Katrina, also signaling for her to keep still.

“As long as I don’t get hit…”

MIRROR IMAGE 3

“I can take him out.”

Luke moved forward with slow steps, keeping his entire body tensed behind his sword. The Arbiter was watching him carefully, but there was something about the way he stood that was unnerving.

He’s almost casual. Is he that sure that he’s going to win, or…?

Luke lunged. The Arbiter was fast with a counter attack, but Luke was ready. He ducked and rolled, keeping his conjured blades with him using them to keep his opponent off guard.

The Arbiter smashed into one of them with his mace, and it disappeared into the ether.

PIERCE ATTACK 3

Luke missed. The Arbiter’s boot connected with his back as he went by. Luke flew across the courtyard.

I can’t keep getting hit like this!

Blue light surrounded Luke. He felt his wounds healing and he looked up to see Tess glowing in blue light. She chanted something else, and another spell dropped down on him.

“Haste!” she yelled. “Luke, you can keep up with him!”

Luke nodded, and immediately moved toward his opponent. He jabbed his blade forward, and watched as the Arbiter turned to dodge. Everything appeared to move slower, but really, it was Tess’s spell allowing Luke to move faster. Only an inch separated his blade from making contact, and Luke was able to slip out of the way of the counterattack.

“Hurry, Luke!” yelled Tess.

She started chanting again, and another spell landed on the Arbiter.

She silenced him again!

Luke attacked the Arbiter with his physical sword while he directed the two remaining magical ones forward. This time, the Arbiter’s defensive footwork left him open, and one of the conjured swords slammed into his shoulder.

The Arbiter opened his mouth as though to scream, but no sound came out. Luke attacked again, feeling confident. The Arbiter countered, and when Luke moved to dodge, he realized he’d fallen for a trap.

His opponent’s metal boot slammed into his stomach. All of the air rushed out of Luke’s lungs and he flew several feet through the air, falling into the sand with a thud.

“…Damn it.” Luke watched as the Arbiter moved forward to finish him off. He caught the enforcer’s eye, and saw cold determination staring back at him.

Tess stepped forward from behind Luke, and Katrina lunged out from the side. Katrina’s lunge was too slow to be effective, and she was easily knocked away by the Arbiter, but Tess had her staff pointed forward. She finished chanting and closed her eyes.

A strand of blinding white light shot from her staff. It struck the Arbiter square in the chest, and he flew back against the wall of the settlement. He was slow to recover, slow enough to give Luke a chance to get up and get moving.

“Katrina, now!” he yelled. “Everything you’ve got.”

The Arbiter had begun to recover by the time that Luke and Katrina closed the distance, but Tess was chanting again. She cast the same spell as before, slamming their opponent with holy energy and giving Luke and Katrina the extra second they needed.

ELEMENTAL INFUSION: HOLY

CONJURE SWORD 3

PIERCE ATTACK 3

Luke followed her example and used both of his offensive combat skills. Four holy infused blades, along with Katrina’s daggers, slammed into the Arbiter at once.

Its health was already at half of its maximum from the damage of Tess’s spells. Their combined attack was enough. It pierced through the Arbiter’s armor and into his body underneath

The silence spell wore off just as the Arbiter’s health zeroed out. He let out an enraged scream, and then fell to the side.

We did it…

Luke stared at the body. Katrina and Tess were next to him, shaking their heads from side to side.

“I can’t believe it,” said Luke.

“There’s no turning back now,” said Tess. “But then again, there never was.”

CHAPTER 8

The stun magic was wearing off Kaoru and Silverstrike by the time Luke made his way over. Luke helped them to their feet, and then looked over at the body of the Arbiter.

“What do we do with the body?” asked Luke. He frowned as he stared at the armored corpse, rendered in such detail as to be indistinguishable from a death in the real world.

“We have to take the armor,” said Kaoru. “It might end up being a necessary part of what comes next.”

Several of Katrina’s guild mates nodded and immediately moved to start stripping the Arbiter of his armor.. Luke sighed and examined the expression on Kaoru’s face.

We’re in deep, and it’s all because I decided to trust him.

“Once you’re done taking the armor off, bury the body in the sand in the zone immediately south of this one.” Kaoru pointed with his finger, and the players cleaning up nodded. “He’ll become food for the Dunidans, and the other Arbiters will be none the wiser.”

“Kaoru, I think it’s time that you tell us exactly what it is that you’re planning.” Luke folded his arms and widened his stance slightly. Kaoru just smiled.