Author's Note:

This chapter is a bit different than the rest. It has lots of different views. Hope you enjoy it too ^^

****

The sun was burning. Kirin’s skin felt as if it was on fire. “Can I go inside?” he asked for the millionth time but the supervisor didn’t so much as glance his way. It had started happening some ten complaints ago.

Why did he ever think that this was a good idea? He never went outside in daytime! Night was his friend, not this glaring yellow orb in the sky. One that made him sweat all the time and have a hard time breathing.

It was too damn hot.

“Everyone, who wants to go canoeing?” the supervisor asked in a cheerful voice and most of the kids squealed in delight.

“Yes, yes, yes!” they shouted out. Eyes shining, bodies jumping in place.

Kirin watched them with a sour look. Was he supposed to have that much energy too? And like the daytime? Outdoor activities?

There was no way he’d ever enjoyed it, was there? He tried to remember but it had been so long ago. What, ten years?

“Hey, you’re with me, okay?” said an older boy. A wide smile was on his face as he turned to stare at the river.

Kirin sighed. “Whatever,” he muttered, moving towards the cabins. He had to pick up his life jacket.

The other boy came with him. “Have you ever canoed before?”

“No,” Kirin answered, thinking whether he would be able to pretend he got tired in a few minutes. The boy tagging along with him had to be around fourteen with long limbs and tanned skin. He had to love exercising or playing outside.

“Great!” the boy said with his smile widening. “I was afraid you’ll know everything and I’ll look a fool. Now we can learn together. Ain’t that great?”

“Sure.”

“What’s your name by the way?” the boy asked as they were next to the cabins.

Kirin moved to the one he shared but the boy still followed him. A persistent one. “Kirin,” he said in an annoyed voice. But it didn’t seem to register in his stalkers brain.

“Wow, that’s an unusual name! How did you get it? Is there a hidden meaning?” He laughed, then hit his head. “Oh, and I’m Mark.”

Inside the cabin there were four beds and a dresser for each one. It was the first day so bags lay on the sheets, next to the cabinets. Kirin opened his own and as the supervisor said, he found a life jacket.

It looked a bit too large so Kirin grabbed it without putting on.

“Woah, this is a nice place,” Mark said, looking around with dazed eyes. Kirin looked trying to understand what was so good but couldn’t see. Walls made of large logs, simple lamp at the top and single beds by the walls.

If there was a more traditional cabin, he had to find it. “Nice?”

“Yeah! You should see mine!” He grabbed Kirin by the hand. “Come, I’ll show!” Then he ran off, Kirin stumbling after.

‘When did I agree to anything?’ he thought but it was too late to resist. He just hoped that Mark’s cabin wasn’t too far away. It was damn uncomfortable being dragged by a larger person who thought that you had as long legs as he did.

On arrival, Kirin took in a breath. Was this supposed to be a cabin? He shook his head to make sure he was seeing right. It was still there.

The thing was askew, one wall almost a meter taller than the other. Logs making it were old, rotten inside showing where children had picked on. If that wasn’t enough, doors were hanging on hinges.

Mark had to hold them with a shoulder when opening. “Come in, come in!” he laughed, seeing Kirin’s dumbstruck expression. “It’s not as bad as it looks!”

It was doubtful but Kirin carefully made his way in.

Inside wasn’t any better than the outside. Five beds, two on each wall and one next to the back. There were two dressers in total, though they were a bit larger than the one’s in his cabin.

At the top hung a simple electric bulb. Not a lamp or anything, just a bulb. What in the world was this place?

Something cracked. Kirin’s head snapped in the direction but nothing caught his eye.

“Don’t worry,” Mark said, picking his own life jacket and leading them out. “It’s just the wind in the walls. Nothing dangerous.”

“You’ve stayed here before?”

“Yeah,” the boy answered, jogging towards the river. Or it felt so to Kirin who had to almost run to stay with him. “But last time my parents couldn’t afford all the activities so I couldn’t go canoeing. That’s why I’m so excited now!”

When Kirin didn’t say anything, Mark asked him. “What about you? Is this your first time?”

Kirin nodded and let the boy talk about everything there was in here. It was somewhat interesting so he listened with one ear. A lot he had read online but not everything was there. Most fun things were known only to the participants.

They walked like that to the river and Kirin looked over the expanse of the river. It was wide, slow and clean. He could see the bottom as if he was looking through a glass window.

It was kind of pretty.

“Shall we choose a boat?” Mark asked and Kirin nodded.

Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad.

Maybe he’d have fun.

As if.

As if it was going to work.

Dark blinked a few more times to get the sleep out. It has been a week he’d followed Hawk’s group of ardent followers and they never rested. At points he doubted they were humans.

“Go!” the archer shouted and Dark focused his eyes ahead. They were planning to make four players go into a hole, hoping it would lure some spirits out. It was madness, risking player lives so easily.

But that never stopped them. Few heated speeches and all were ready to do anything. All that mattered was killing those spirits. The players even fought who was going to go lure spirits.

Even though, nine of their group had already died.

A scream rose from the hole but it was cut off mid-way. Pregnant silence descended, soon filled with sucking sounds.

There were smiles on the group’s faces. “Yes!” the archer hissed and the clerics started chanting. The rest of players jumped in the hole, having no idea what awaited them there.

Luck smiled, for there were sounds of metal hitting flesh. At least some of them had survived. Now it was a race of who finished who first. Spirits draining the energy, or players killing them one by one.

“More energy! Is this what you call attacking?” Hawk’s voice came from the hole.

“Haaaaaa!” the others answered in a type of warcry. Few voices echoing on their own. It didn’t sound good.

Dark crawled from his place and moved on all fours. He was thirty steps away but it was better to stay careful. There was no telling with these zealots. They might just attack him.

But there was no one to stop him. He reached the hole uninterrupted and glanced downwards. It was all black. He lighted a stick and threw in. As it fell, he saw fifteen players being drained. Other twenty were trying to kill the spirits but having a hard time.

Problem was that saved players weren’t joining the fighters. They were too exhausted, falling in place after being released. No help ever came from them.

Not that there were many saved now. Only one player lay pale, all others caught in the spirits’ grasp. Hawk with his followers were trying to save another but it was looking grim. There was no chance they could save everyone.

They had chewed on more than they could swallow.

He had to do something. Or more like simply jump in. There wasn’t much else he was capable of doing. Daggers slid out of his sheaths and stabbed into a spirit. It growled but didn’t do anything, busy draining a player.

No one glanced his way. Three clerics could cast fast enough to prevent the spirit from being incorporeal. Players just attacked and attacked, ignoring the world around. Dark doubted anyone even noticed his appearance.

Not that it mattered. His mission was to help them survive. This meant killing the spirits as fast as possible. Daggers slashed right and left, not stabbing for time would be wasted getting them out.

What he noticed from watching Hawk’s group, was that spirits had no weak spots. It was as if their whole body was a single limb. Not a single place received more damage than the rest.

Repetition was the key here. One slash followed by another. Not a second to waste.

A spirit screeched, disappearing into thin air. All moved to another one. No break. People’s lives rested on their swiftness. They weren’t going to save everyone but maybe more than a half. That would be a win.

Ten minutes later they were done. Or the spirits were. They drained the last person and disappeared without a trace.

Five people were dead. Largest loss in one go so far. No one noticed, though. They were celebrating with hoots and shouts, hitting each other on the back. Dark received a few of those before assimilating with his namesake.

He didn’t want to be found. It might not end well. Hawk hadn’t written him more but Dark was sure he’d been named a traitor. Not once had he went ahead of the group.

“You did well!” Hawk said with pride in his voice, facing his followers. “It was a tough match but we prevailed! Ten more of these atrocious things are dead! Soon we’ll exterminate them all! Have no doubts!”

Some cheers came from the crowd but it wasn’t too loud. Saved players were laying half-dead while others were too exhausted. They sat on the ground, leaning against the walls and breathing heavy. Weapons dropped all around.

A player wanted Dark’s place. He had to move away, doing his best not to make a sound. Another person stood right in front and Dark froze in place. He couldn’t take a step without ramming into him.

He pushed against the wall, making himself as thin as possible. The fact that he was almost invisible didn’t make him incorporeal. If anyone stumbled, he’d be revealed.

Not something he wanted to experience.

It was tiresome, standing in one place but soon enough he was left alone. Hawk ordered everyone to stand up and get going. There were more spirits to kill. No time to waste as he put it.

Dark was glad. The moment they were gone, weariness washed over him. He felt his legs slip from under him and he fell in a heap of meat. Yawn escaped and he shook his head, trying to push sleep away.

Thing was, it wasn’t going anywhere this time He didn’t remember the last time he’d slept. Two, three... Could it be four days? He couldn’t tell.

His eyes closed and Dark pushed a hand under his head. The group couldn’t go too far. Only a few hours. Nothing could happen in that time. Just a moment’s rest. That’s all.

“It’s never going to work,” Mark said, watching the stones coming up. “We’re going to crash!”

“Oh, don’t be such a fail sport! It’s going to be fun!” Kirin laughed, aiming their canoe on a different path than others’.

They were supposed to go by the stream on the main path. It was a picturesque view without any obstacles. Boring in Kirin’s view so he decided to change it up a bit.

There was a branching. Most of the river went sleepily forward while a small rivulet went to the left. Moment’s after it’s beginning they could see river steps. They weren’t steep but still dangerous looking.

Mark had stopped rowing, just watching with a horrified expression. “We’re not supposed to leave the course...”

“It’s going to be fun, don’t worry,” Kirin said, a smile on his face. He moved them to the left branch and the stream did the rest, carrying the little canoe to the steps. “Get ready!”

The older boy grabbed onto the sides as they tumbled down the steps. There were only three but the canoe’s nose and tail rose in turns. Kirin laughed as he almost fell forward into the river.

This was much more fun than he had expected.

His new friend had eyes wide, face pale but once they were done he chuckled to himself. It was a bit shaky so Kirin gave him a wide smile. “Don’t tell me it wasn’t exhilarating!”

“I won’t,” Mark said. “You’re a madman, though.”

Kirin nodded, starting to row again The stream here was weaker so he needed to push harder. Mark joined him soon after.

Their speed wasn’t high but the sights here were much better. The trees weren’t trimmed and vines hung over their heads. Some branches had fallen in, forcing them to go around or step into the water.

It was on the cold side but worth the effort. At one point Mark slipped and went head first in, making Kirin laugh his head off. The other boy grumbled at him but then started laughing too.

Soon, though, it grew chill. Tree canopies hid the sun, wet clothes not drying in the least. But just as they were about to start complaining the forest ended. The rivulet widened and went through some kind of village.

Small cottages stood on both sides with well-taken care of gardens. Various flowers blossomed, filling the air with a sweet smell. Petals flew to the water, flowing on the stream.

“This is amazing,” Mark whispered, looking around. “I’d love to live here.”

“It would grow familiar and boring soon enough,” Kirin muttered. He knew that from experience. His place was filled with cliffs and wonderful beaches but to him they were an everyday thing.

A river like this or some lake would be much more interesting. For a time being. Until it got boring too and a forest or some hills were needed to change the scenery.

“I didn’t knew this became a kid’s route,” came a voice from a platform on the right. Kirin glanced in that direction to see a bearded man sitting in a fisherman’s chair. He had a wooden hand-made pole in his hand, a bottle of ale in the other and an empty bucket at his side.

“We never said it did,” he answered, putting the paddle inside the canoe. They barely moved without rowing. So he put his legs out on the front, half-sitting, half-lying in his place. “We just wanted see better sights.”

“Aren’t you too proud? What will you do when your supervisors come?”

“Tell them the stream was too strong and we were forced off the path,” Kirin answered with a wide yawn. Sun shone on his body, making warmth spread all over him. He stretched like a satisfied kitten, shifting to make himself more comfortable.

Mark behind him shuffled also. Hopefully, he was finding a good position too. It would be annoying if he wanted to travel further. This was a good place to take an afternoon nap.

There was no place to hurry. They would be found soon enough and have to return to that boring camp. He was doubting it had been a smart idea to come here.

Side trip on this river might have been fun but it was the only thing. Introductions at first had been painful, games overly childish and stupid while adult actions a horror. They thought he might need help putting his pants on.

It was true that he’d chosen one of the most expensive cares but it had been for the room. He didn’t want to live in a shack if there was a chance. Had he known it would make everyone believe he’s a spoiled brat, he’d have chosen a more average stay.

But it was too late now. It was well and done. At least no one dared to say a word to him. They rather pretended not to hear his complaints. A pathetic decision. He wondered who taught them such horrible care. Maybe they were part-timers without any experience? That would explain a lot.

“Hey, kid! Are you ignoring me?”

Kirin opened one eye, turning slightly to face the man. “What?” he asked with another yawn. This warmth was making him sleepy.

“How long are you staying there?”

“Another week and a half. What’s that to you?”

The man spit in the river. “You’ll be here plenty of times then, scaring all the fish away.”

“Not like you were going to catch anything. At least now you have an excuse,” Kirin taunted him with a grin.

“I had just started,” the man muttered under his breath, glancing at his empty bucket.

Kirin rolled his eyes. “Sure. You can show me your catch in a few days, right?”

“Don’t forget to come, you brat. I’ll give you the feast of your life!”

“I’ll be waiting,” Kirin answered, closing his eyes. They were moving away from the man and he didn’t plan to stop. There wasn’t anything more to say. He would have to come and check up on this a few days later.

It would be something to wait for in this annoying place.

Keep him from dying of boredom.

The house was dark. Aiden walked on soft steps, not wanting to wake anyone up.

At one of the of the corridors he saw the light on. He moved there, carefully opening the doors. “Tristain?” he asked, seeing the kid sitting on his bed. He was staring right ahead at the wall.

The boy turned at his voice. “Hi,” he said in a soft tone.

Aiden came into the room, sitting down on his brother’s bed. “Were you thinking about him again?”

The boy just nodded, his cheeks glistening in the light. “Why did he do that? Weren’t we friends?”

“I’m sure you were,” Aiden said, hugging the little kid. “It’s just that sometimes people have problems. We don’t know what his real life is like. Maybe something angered him there a lot.”

“You think he’ll return to us?”

“I don’t know,” he said, looking himself into that same wall the kid faced previously. It was simple green, no ornaments or anything. “You should let him decide whether he wants to come back.”

“But what if he chooses not to?” Tristain asked in a sharp voice, liquid pooling in his eye corners.

Aiden stayed quiet for a moment. Thinking. How could he explain that sometimes people left your life? That not everyone stayed there forever? “It’s not good to force people to come back. They should want to stay around themselves, or else it’s no real friendship. And you don’t want that, right?”

There was no answer from the kid. He held Aiden’s shirt in his little fists, hiding his face in his brother’s chest.

“You should remember the good times together, when you had fun. Maybe he’ll return, maybe not but you shouldn’t think bad of him. Sometimes people change or life makes them and they have to go.” Aiden quieted for a moment, then added. “All you can do then is to remember them with a good word.”

“Does it make a difference, the way I remember?”

“All the difference,” Aiden said with a smile, rubbing his brother’s back. ‘It’s better for you at least.’

“Okay, then,” Tristain whispered, closing his eyes. “I’ll wait for him, even if it takes all my life.”

Aiden wasn’t going for that but it was better than nothing. At least it should lighten the kid up. He was inconsolable for a few days and servants were getting anxious. They were thinking of contacting parents. An unwelcome ending for everyone.

But it looked like it could be avoided. He stayed with his brother for a bit longer, until the boy fell asleep. Then he gently unhooked the kid’s fingers and lowered him to the bed. The covers were too warm so he pulled them only halfway up.

Loud growl from a stomach reminded Aiden the real reason for leaving his bedroom. Kitchen was on the first floor so he made his way down, careful not to wake any servants. They’d want to make a real dish for him and that’ll take forever.

In the fridge he found a sausage, got bread and made himself a sandwich. It wasn’t much but should keep him alive. His eyes fell on a pack of rice on a cabinet when he heard a sound from behind. He turned to see one of the maids entering the kitchen.

“Morning, Eileen.”

“Master Aiden,” the girl said with a curtsy. “Would you like me to make you some breakfast?”

Aiden hid his painful groan and presented her a smile. “Thank you, Eileen, but no. I came here just to get a snack.” He grabbed a random fruit from the basket on the table. It was an apple. Good enough. “You can go to sleep.”

There was distrust on the girl’s face but she didn’t push. It wasn’t her place. She was allowed in only because her mother was such a great cook and pleaded for a favour. “If you say so. Will you want breakfast then in the morning?”

He shook his head. “No. I think I’ll enter the game for a bit.” He went for the door when a thought entered his mind. “But you should prepare something special for Tristain. He should be in a better mood.”

Eileen’s smile returned to her face. “Great! I’ll pass that to mother. Good night, Master Aiden.”

He gave her a nod and went up the stairs. Three floors, two corridors and five doors on his right. It was a pain. He wished he could change rooms but apparently the second floor was for guests and the third for Tristain.

Stupidity in his opinion but no one ever listened to him in this house. And in time he learned not to even try. Pathetic? Probably. But so much easier.

His room met him with piles of papers in stacks. There was a small one still left to look over. He sat at the table, waking his computer and looking over the three screens.

Nothing had changed in his absence. Good news.

He wrote a couple of letters, sent them along with new orders for his managers and returned to the papers. They were from the suppliers, an account of his last buy. The prices seemed okay but there was an added note. Prices were to be raised.

This wasn’t acceptable. He sent a letter to his assistant to schedule a meeting. He’ll have to have a talk with them, one long coming. They were going to lower the prices or lose the contract. There were other suppliers. This was business, not friendship where you stuck around for people.

In a few hours he was done. It was a wonder he didn’t grow one with the chair by how long he spent in it. The best plan now would be to have a rest and go to sleep but he knew he wasn’t going to do that. There was a game to play.

He had promised to train an army. It wasn’t life and death important but promises were better kept. They came to bite you in the end if you didn’t.

Cabin met him with blinking lights and he strapped himself, putting the helmet on. Most players should be on so the training could start. He had no idea what he was going to do with it but maybe something would come to his mind when he was there.

“Shit!” L cursed, throwing the papers into the air. “How the hell did he find out?”

Rowena gave him a look. “How should I know? All they said was that the whole guild was killed at night. Not a single person spared. Red Death weren’t the traitors.”

L stood up from his chair, moving to stand before her. “Then who? No one else but your sisters knew about them being spies!” He slammed his fist into the table. “No one! And now I have no idea what is happening there!”

“You can be sure he’s preparing for war.”

“Really?” L asked with a raised eyebrow. “Thanks for the news flash! He’s only been doing that for the last three months!”

The female took a step back at his outburst, closer to the door. Usually L was a good natured guy but lately his nerves been stretched. Bringing him bad news was like putting your hand in a boiling pot.

“What am I supposed to do now? I have no idea where he’s coming from! Not the slightest hint!” He started to pace. “The last messages said he was planning first to attack Vascas but I can’t trust those reports. Who knows how long he’d known about the spies. He might have given them false information. Useless idiots,” he rattled on.

“I’ll need to tell Monthu to increase the speed of his training. We might be attacked at any moment. Scouts have to be doubled to patrol the area. Where in the world is Wing when he’s needed?”

After the question he turned to Rowena who gave him a wide eyed look. How was she supposed to know? She’d met the guy only a few times and only in his disguise. Not once had she met Wing as Wing.

“I don’t know?” she said, raising her hands in the air in question.

Something close to a growl came from L and he started pacing again. “What are your sisters doing anyway?”

“They’re trying to sneak into Marion’s study. They’ll be returning afterwards whether they’re successful or not.”

“Did they tell you anything that is useful?”

The girl thought for a moment. Her sisters had discussed their mission, why it fell apart and what to do next for hours. She’d listened for most of it but at some point she’d given up and went to sleep. There was just so much strategy and planing a normal human could stomach.

“I think they mentioned something about Marion giving away an undiscovered city. They thought it was to the traitor that gave them out. But none of Red Death acted strange and were all dead. It doesn’t look like any of them received anything,” she said, trying her best to say as they had talked. It wouldn’t be good to confuse something.

“Undiscovered city?” L asked, his face scrunching. It looked as if he was getting a very bad pain in his stomach. “Ruins?”

Did he know something about it? Her sisters hadn’t heard anything so how... “Yeah.”

“You bastard, little shit,” L hissed, punching the wall. Blood showed up on his hand but he didn’t seem to notice. He just cursed and cursed for good ten minutes.

Rowena leaned against the wall, waiting for his fury to wane a bit. It wasn’t the first time he’d thrown a fit but this was the largest so far. He had to have been tricked quite well.

“So who did it?”

“No one. I’ll deal with it myself,” he said in a controlled voice but his red face said he wasn’t even close to calming down. “Report to me if your sisters learn anything. Otherwise they should come themselves. I have new work for them.”

“But they’ll be ti-”

“It’s war!” L snapped. “They can rest when I win!” He plopped into his chair, hand holding the head. It made him look like a tired old man. Poor guy.

“I’ll check up on your general. Maybe I can help him some,” she said.

“Thanks,” he muttered, forcing out a smile. “You know I appreciate all of you, right?”

She gave him a return smile. He was a good guy, just not in an enviable position. No one could be in a happy mood when his city was soon to be on siege. At least none who cared.

Outside she saw empty barracks. There wasn’t a single soldier npc or player around. After a bit of searching she met a cleaner lady and was pointed towards the walls.

Hawk form was the best one and she soared into the air. In a moment she was over the wall and saw something she’d seen only in films. Archers stood in lines, releasing volley after volley in a quick rhythm. One, two, three. Every third was some skill, all different depending on each player.

Npcs just released simple arrows even on third but that just added to the sight. Colourful shots, fiery ones and normal, all mixed into one deadly mixture. It was beautiful, and dangerous. She rose higher in the air so no arrow would find her by chance.

And then it started raining.

No not water. Meteors fell from the sky followed by lighting and ice spears. Wind rose, making it hard for her to dodge all the projectiles. The end of her wings freezing in the cold atmosphere.

Then a meteor went past and she was warm all other. Too warm for a feather on her tail caught on fire. She dropped towards the ground, wings pushed to her sides. Flame went out but now the arrows were in range. She extended her wings a bit, changing her position.

Aim was the wall itself. If she made to the base of it, nothing would come her way. They were pretending the enemies were still away, not crawling up the wall. On the ground she turned into a lizard and ran upwards.

From there she watched the arrows, enjoying the view. It was great. She could almost believe they could win with this. Only problem being that the enemies had all the same tools. It wasn’t a thought she wanted to entertain.

When she got bored, she went down but this time inside the wall. There Monthu was ordering npcs in ten member groups plus a leader and seeing how they did. If they were okay, he sent them to train. If not, he split them and put in new groups.

Players were doing some basic forms, showed by a npc instructor. The guy looked to be on the verge of exploding from happiness. Rowena doubted previous to this he’d received more than a couple of calls for training.

She turned into her normal form and approached Monthu. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Hi,” the guy answered. He had a ledger in his hand, marking something even as he talked to her. “It’s better than I expected. Most of the city’s population has joined the defence.”

“That’s good news!” she said with a smile. It would be really nice if they could win. “Think we’ve got a chance?”

The scytheman that looked nothing like himself, an accountant more like glanced over his recruits. They weren’t awful but few had any training. It was a bard city after all, place of music, songs and dancing. Not military.

But everyone was trying. Sweat was running their faces in torrents, backs bending in exhaustion yet legs fell into forms and hands rose holding swords. Time was a luxury they didn’t have. It was learn now or die first tomorrow.

“There’s always a chance,” Monthu said, shaking his head at one company. “Split up,” he ordered. “You go to that one, you there, the rest wait for now. I’ll give you a few more in a moment.”

“Do you need help with anything?” she asked.

Monthu looked her over than turned to his ledger. “What can you do?”

It was a logical question. She should have expected it. Yet her mind was empty. She didn’t have military training nor was she good at ordering people around. “I won’t bother you any more.”

She had taken a step away when his voice stopped her. “You can change shapes, can’t you?”

“Yeah?”

“The maps here are centuries old. Could you scout the area thoroughly? Like from the sky, ground and underneath it?” He gave her a smile. “I would really appreciate it.”

Rowena’s smile could have lit up the sky. “I”ll do it!” she shouted out, turning into an eagle halfway through the words. In another blink she was over the wall and looking towards the ground.

She wasn’t a map maker, there were scouts for that but she could test all the terrain. In different forms see what two legged creatures couldn’t. This was her time to shine.