Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master

Chapter Forty-Two: Following Orders

The first thing Rick did when he retrieved his bag was remove the Lucid Lock and look it over to make sure nothing had been tampered with. Seeing this, Bai turned with a hint of curiosity. Officer McGuire, who didn't appear to know what he was looking at, asked vacantly, “What’s that?”

For a younger man, it was considered odd not to keep up with the latest gaming trends, but it wasn't as if it never happened. Still, it was a rare opportunity to see the almost extinct breed of a technologically uninitiated person. Bai smirked at the man’s interest, having already grown used to Rick’s eccentric focus on the game. She knew the moment her friend made sure she was alright, he was going to dive back into the game.

“It's the VR game helmet,” Bai said patiently, “Rick’s job is the game.”

McGuire raised an eyebrow at the explanation, “Oooh, so you work on the game, Mr. Nelson?” he asked.

“I work with it,” Rick said, still inspecting his property, “You could say I sell benefits, I'm sure you'll have to learn all about it.”

Entirely new laws had been written regarding the proper procedure to follow when interacting in a virtual environment. Most officers were required to take compulsory education on the matter, and as Dream World Online paved the road for competitors, the laws would grow more and more complicated. It was something that didn't directly affect Rick, so he never paid it much attention, but he had plenty of dealings with game sanctioned law enforcement during his past experiences.

Bai smiled, “Going to go kill more monsters, Rick?” she teased.

Rick laughed, “You could say that… it's urgent, so I'll explain after I'm done,” he turned to the police officer, “I have someone coming to pick me up in an hour or so, is it alright if they come in?”

“I can allow it, if it's only for a bit, but they'll have to leave if anyone else shows up,” he said.

Rick nodded and turned to Bai unapologetically, “We’ll discuss that other thing later,” he said, referring to Bai's earlier request for his hard earned money.

He knew she wouldn't have asked if her situation wasn’t serious, so there was no reason to turn her down without knowing more. Realizing this, Bai let out a sigh of relief and didn't complain when Rick donned the helmet. As he activated the interface, his consciousness slipped away and entered the game.

The bandit camp was abandoned when Theo opened his eyes. Anything overly incriminating had been burned away, leaving only a few tattered remnants, dozens of hoof tracks, and just as many footprints in the sand. The tracks and footprints went in several different directions to throw off any trackers, but would be gone with the wind long before anyone arrived to investigate further.

In the distance, the fire in Aleside had been reduced to a few smoldering embers. Leave it to a bunch of merchants to prioritize their businesses even in a crisis, if they had left the fires burning Theo wouldn't have to worry about the lighthouse. Thankfully, the beacon was still glowing in the night sky. With the range on his [Night Vision] limited to the power of a low-level rune, he couldn't make out anything else this far away. It was impossible to tell exactly what condition the city was in, or if the battle was still raging.

“Luckily, I came prepared,” he said, activating the special ability of another gift that had been received from the city guard.

[Swift Stride Rune] Rune Point: Legs; Rank: Lesser Lv. 1

Strength +3

Agility +5

Movement Speed +6%

Special Ability: [Hustle] - Increases overland movement speed while not in combat. Effect: Movement Speed +35%. Duration: 15 minutes (Cancelled if user enters combat). Target: Self. Cooldown: 1 Hour.

With this, the efficiency of travel would increase significantly. Although Theo originally requested a one-time [Teleport Glyph] that could take him back to the city immediately, his request had been promptly denied. The council members didn't want to risk their offering getting cold feet and escaping in a way that further infuriated their aggressors. Honestly, if they had understood the real threat of who and what they were dealing with, they could have saved themselves a lot of trouble. In the end, two runes was all they had chosen to give in support of their protector.

Theo took off in the direction of the city, bounding over rocks and shrubs which dealt a small amount of damage to him if he passed too quickly. Environmental damage was a real threat in Dream World Online, as it cut into to your health based on a percentage and wasn't affected by regular defense. If he wasn't careful and accidentally ran over the edge of a cliff along the way, he might find himself dead before he even made it back. Thankfully, the bandits had pitched their camp just up the road, and it was mostly a straight shot back to town.

As he got closer, Theo heard the sounds of battle growing increasingly louder. It seemed the conflict had yet to be resolved, or the Marines had managed to arrive earlier than expected. He stopped in his tracks however, when he spotted signs of movement. Not from nearby, but in the distance, a small black shadow was rising above the wreckage of the burnt out structures. If it weren't for his increased [Perception] skill, he wouldn't have noticed it. The figure, all too familiar to the adventurer, had a pair of awkward, fleshy wings that beat against the curling trails of smoke as it took off into the sky.

It headed in the direction of the lighthouse.

“Dammit!” Theo cursed as he swiftly changed direction.

At the other line of defense, blood was still flying. With her absurd health pool and the benefits of the [Lesser Regeneration] spell, Anastasia was an unshakable bulwark. The guards which rallied around the stalwart woman were like a sharp spear to complement her shield. The mercenaries, who were sandwiched between the fierce resistance and the field of deadly traps, only grew more panicked as the battle continued. Their ability to attack was sorely hampered by the lack of space, and the havoc being wreaked on their back line forced them to bunch together awkwardly.

The sinister little mage was purposely targeting the troops in the rear with her repeated tactical [Fireball] strikes, aiming for any sufficiently large groups. Standing around was a death sentence, and more than a few men had been pushed aside in the tussle and thrown into the churning waters below. Their superior disappeared halfway through the struggle, either dying or becoming incapacitated by unknown means.

One of the mercenaries tried to tackle the woman with the axe, but was quickly skewered by the guards buzzing around her like furious hornets. The lighthouse steward was especially dazzling, flinging his old bones into the melee and sweeping around a heavy curved blade. The brilliant steel was soon dyed in crimson blood that glittered under the moonlight.

Thinking it was an easy target, only a hundred or so men had been sent to capture the Lighthouse. It wasn’t until there were only a couple dozen of them left that it became apparent this battle was already lost. If there had been any chance of survival, they might have given up, but as things were, their only choice was to fight until the end. It was with a pitiful yawn that the battle drew to a close, and when the final man fell, a cloud of eerie silence settled over the field until one of the guards shouted.

“We - we did it! Haha! We did it!” his voice was hoarse from exhaustion, and he didn’t seem to be aware of the numerous wounds that covered his body.

All of the guards were in equally poor shape, even after cycling in and out while holding the line. Three had lost their lives, and more than twice that were completely incapacitated and in a dangerous condition. How they had managed to fight in their present condition was a mystery, though more than one of them turned to look at the young woman in her tattered, blood-spattered clothes. The flimsy shield she was using had been hacked to pieces early on, but despite that, she was never once pushed back. If anything, she seemed completely unaffected by the whole ordeal.

“Hmph, Master was too worried about these pitiful hu- err, people,” Gobthnora huffed.

Despite her bravado, she was actually more exhausted than most of the guards. She had been casting on empty for a while, pushing her small body’s supply of magic to continue flinging spells even when she wanted nothing more than to collapse in the dirt.

“Not going to lose to stupid humie girl,” she kept telling herself as she managed to stay standing one grueling minute after another.

“Miss Rasa,” the gentle voice of the old steward sounded, clearly showing a fondness for the girl, “You have done a great service this evening. Why don’t you take a rest while we clean up any stragglers that might be lurking about?” he offered graciously.

None of the guards, weary as they were, seemed willing to refuse, earning a scoff from the Goblin.

Anastasia just continued to stare into the middle distance with a blank expression, “One more,” she said softly.

The group quickly readied their weapons at these words, following the woman’s eyeline into the field. Sure enough, a figure was hurriedly approaching them, having to weave through the field of bodies with hobbled steps.

“C-captain!” one of the guards, the one with the [Night Vision] rune, shouted.

Although the others weren’t initially willing to believe it, after a few moments, the man’s words were proven to be true. The figure was revealed to be none other than Guard Captain Alaine, who appeared from the darkness in tattered and bloodstained armor. Only the princess, the goblin, and the steward failed to lower their weapons. Alaine was panting as he closed the distance, hardly visible in the faint illumination provided by the lighthouse.

“Thank the Gods, you’re okay,” Alaine said, the relief clear on his face, “I came as soon as I could.”

One of the men staggered over to their captain, “Sir, how is the city?” he asked urgently.

Alaine grimaced for a moment and shook his head, “There were too many of them… I barely managed to escape after getting held down by… by some kind of monster,” he said, “This whole attack was just a ploy!”

“What do you mean, Alaine?” the steward asked.

“Bertram… I should have known you’d survive, you old salt,” Alaine flashed a quick smile when he saw the man, before continuing, “I was a fool, it was all because of that damn adventurer.”

“An adventurer?” Bertram finally relaxed his guard, but his wrinkled face remained serious.

Alaine glanced over at Anastasia and Gobthnora, his expression difficult, “You weren’t there to see him, but this whole thing started after an adventurer came to town. He’s the one who brought those girls.”

Feeling uneasy at the sudden unwanted attention, the pair in question stiffened.

“Captain, I don’t understand,” one of the guards protested, “Wasn’t Theo fighting with us? Didn’t he risk his life to protect the city?”

Alaine scowled, “Use your head for a second!” he barked, “What kind of man could actually fight off that many foes by himself? In truth, he sold us all out and was with them the entire time!”

Anastasia didn’t feel an ounce of conflict at raising her weapon against the guard captain, her stoic features sharpening into her best facsimile of a glare. It appeared very similar to the one Theo usually showed when he was criticizing her combat skills.

Alaine gave a dry laugh, “See what I mean?” he said as if this action was enough proof to support his claims, “Those girls aren’t that man’s apprentices. They’re his slaves! It doesn’t take a genius to realize the connection between these Castle dogs and a Slave Master!”

Gobthnora sidled up to her companion’s leg, “Humie girl, this is looking not good,” she whispered.

Hearing all of this at once, the men were suddenly frozen with indecision. On one hand, there was their captain, who they all trusted implicitly. These were Alaine’s most loyal men after all. However, the image of the beautiful and courageous Rasa selflessly protecting them with her own body had already carved a place into their hearts. How could such a woman possibly be their enemy? The lack of a reaction seemed to go counter to Alaine’s expectations, and he was left wearing a confused and hurt expression.

“Captain is acting very strange!” Gobthnora wasn’t going to stand around and let the man throw logs onto the fire, and she quickly spoke out, “Why did he run away like coward? Shouldn’t the captain be fighting for the city?”

Anastasia shot a downward glance at the Goblin as if seeing her in a new light. She hadn’t expected to find any support from the little creature, yet Gobthnora was able to counter so easily in this situation. This sudden inconsistency wasn’t lost on the guards, but given their currently beleaguered state, it was enough that they could already follow the conversation. This certainly wasn’t the celebration they had been expecting after their victory.

“Don’t let these she-devils cloud your judgement!” Alaine pleaded, “Their hands are dyed with the blood of hundreds of innocent lives! I swear it!”

It was the steward, Bertram, who stepped forward, “Alaine, old friend, you’re sounding like a madman. I understand that you’re upset, but this isn’t the time or place to be turning on one another like animals. Are you certain you have all of your facts straight?”

The old man’s voice seemed to hit the frantic guard captain like a bolt of lightning, and he let out a deep sigh. The fervor in his eyes cleared slightly, though he didn’t let his gaze move from the two slaves for even a moment.

“You’re right, Bertram, I’m sorry. I lost my head…” he said a bit more rationally.

The moment the scene seemed to have calmed down, Anastasia and Gobthnora made their move. As the princess charged forward, the Goblin quickly stepped back to ready a spell, but they simply weren’t fast enough. The guards were paralyzed when they saw this sudden behavior, but Alaine only smiled. The moment the steward was within reach of the guard captain, a wicked claw erupted from the imposter’s hand and dug through the man’s chest. The poor old fellow gasped in shock as he was flung towards the charging woman. The force of the collision knocked Anastasia off balance as she was forced to catch Bertram.

It happened all too quickly, and by the time the nearby men had even a vague idea of what was happening, Alaine had already leapt past them with a blinding speed. The princess was still tied down trying to settle the body of the steward who, although seriously injured, was still breathing. She didn’t have much concern for anyone but her Master, but she had been ordered to try and protect these people if she could. Even though her Master seemed to hate loud and obnoxious things, she actually risked speaking in order to encourage them not to die. Why else would she go to such lengths?

“Captain! Stop! What are you doing!?” one of the guards who couldn’t wrap his head around the situation tried to intervene, but the unforgiving claws swept over his face and sent him reeling backwards.

Gobthnora, who was used to observing the way battles unfolded from the back, was the first to understand what was happening. Her little legs shook as the Shapeshifter charged in her direction. She was a spellcaster, and the only one here who could serve as any kind of threat to the terrifying entity. Even though she realized all of this, what could she do? Her Master’s order burned in every fiber of her body, urging her to protect her own life at all costs, but nothing she could think of would get her out of this situation.

“Only move to protect yourselves or one another…”

Sharp teeth pierced her little green lips. She was slower, weaker, and every option she could think of was one that led to her inevitable demise. It would be going against thousands of years of her Goblin instincts, but Gobthnora looked up at the Shapeshifter and decided not to run away. Her incantation spilled out unhindered as a pair of hideous claws hung over her head like a guillotine.

“I’ve been meaning to pay you back for a while!” the Shapeshifter roared as it struck out, its face contorted into a deeply satisfied expression.

“Stupid Rasa better not die!” Gobthnora yelled valiantly as a green light leapt from her hands and struck the attacker just as its blow landed.

Anastasia’s hand suddenly erupted in searing pain, as the [Slave Master’s Brand] activated its punishing effects. It was the first time she had been subject to such agony since first accepting the mark, but the pain was drowned out by a deeper, even more nauseating feeling. The magic of the brand made absolutely certain the princess knew why she was suffering, and that was because she had just failed to follow one of her master’s orders. Guilt, shame, loss… such complicated feelings were lost on the young woman. The pain only seemed to fuel something stronger…

“Let’s see if you can find some spirit tonight…” she heard the echo of her Master’s voice.

Rage... Now that was a feeling that Anastasia could really understand.