— CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX —

  The Calamity

  (Percival)

  It was December 20th. We'd been living at the house for a week now, and the walls were starting to close in. Don't get me wrong - we were getting some good work in unlocking our backlog of classes and grinding some good levels in the sewers, but I needed something real to think about. We needed a project to investigate.

  That's what I was thinking about as I came walking down the stairs bright and early in the morning. One of the great parts about being a mage was the robe - it was basically a socially acceptable bathrobe. I was still all warmly bundled up as I entered the main room, the smell of eggs and sausage drawing me toward the kitchen.

  Lucy was already awake and sitting at the kitchen island, one hand cutting her scrambled eggs with a fork and the other holding a newspaper. She was wearing what had become her standard everything attire - a white button-up with black dress pants. Just like Fritz, she had gradually stopped changing into real armor for battles. I couldn't blame her for that part - I was the guy wearing a bathrobe everywhere - but even at home? Come on, relax a little!

  Anyway, she was frowning intently at the paper, her eyebrows drawn together in concentration.

  "Morning, Lu. What's the news?" I asked, stifling a yawn.

  Lucy tossed the paper onto the counter. "I wish I could tell you, but this article is a trainwreck." She stood up and walked over to one of the wooden cupboards, tapping it to access the inventory stored inside.

  I took the opportunity to slide onto the stool next to hers and snagged a sausage off her plate. It was perfectly cooked - crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside. Part of me worried that, once we got out of the game, I would taste real food again and just be disappointed with life. But that was a problem for future me, so more sausage down the gullet!

  Lucy returned and spawned some plates - a new plate of sausages for herself, and a complete breakfast spread for me: scrambled eggs, toast, and more sausages.

  "Thanks!" I immediately set to work, drizzling maple syrup over the entire plate in a crisscrossing pattern.

  With a sigh, Lucy said, "There was some kind of attack on Stonehearth City last night, but I can't get much from the report. Casualty estimate is anywhere between two dozen and two thousand, and they don't even clearly say what attacked. Some parts say 'monsters' and some say 'people'."

  "What if it's both?" I asked through a mouthful of syrupy eggs. "You remember back in the Underground Woodsea? How those cannibals got infested with corruption?" I swallowed and reached for my glass of orange juice. "Well, the Protectorate theorized there was something around Stonehearth too, right? What if it's bubbling up to the surface? Who wrote the article, anyway? Sounds like it'd be one of Cherry and Ace's gigs, and they're usually consistent."

  Lucy looked at the paper again, flipping it over to check the byline. "It just says 'Special Correspondent'. They must have rushed it to print to get it into today's issue." She set the paper down. "Maybe I could message Cherry and Ace for updated details."

  A loud groan interrupted our conversation as Fritz stumbled out of his bedroom door. He was dressed only in a faded tank top and boxers with little palm trees printed on them, his sandy hair sticking up at odd angles. His eyes were barely open, giving him the appearance of a zombie fresh from the grave. He shambled over to the fridge, movements stiff and uncoordinated. He spawned a glass of orange juice and kicked it back in one motion. Half the juice made it into his mouth; the rest spilled down his chin and soaked into his already stained tank top.

  I slid my plate of scrambled eggs toward him. Fritz took it with another unintelligible moan, then lumbered toward the open window. A cool December breeze wafted in, carrying the scent of the markets with it. He reached into his inventory and spawned a joint of dreamleaf.

  "Command Sharp: Spell: Smolder. Command Sharp: Spell One: Cast."

  The tip of the joint ignited with a tiny flame. Fritz took a long drag, holding it in his lungs before blowing the smoke out the window.

  "Looking spritely today, Fritz." I said. "You win some money last night?"

  Fritz turned slowly. "Don't ask me about it."

  I turned back to Lucy and leaned in, dropping my voice. "I think we need to get him out of the city."

  Lucy nodded. "We could go out to a proper-level zone and do the static story for experience."

  "Proper-level?" I scoffed. "Where's the fun in that?" Still, going out and seeing what we stumbled into would be better than waiting for something to come to us. I pulled up my map. "What are the 'proper-level' zones for us, anyway?"

  Thanks to all the grinding over the past month and a bit, all three of us were now up to level 43. That gave us the choice of...

  "The Mile-High Mesa in the Badlands, the Winter Woods in Reifwald Taiga, and Lake Florin in the Woodsea." I read off.

  Lucy said, "The Winter Woods would be the most on-point for the season."

  "Is that a good thing, though?" I asked. "Don't most people go someplace warmer when they travel for the holidays? Escape the cold, hit the beach, that sort of thing?"

  "Do you want to go to Florin, then?" Lucy asked.

  "Well, we did skip out on the theme park last time." I said. "And if we move from Florin into the Heart of the Woodsea, we might find one of those beetle mounts."

  "Or run into those cannibals again."

  "Yeah!" I said. Nothing cured cabin fever like a good old-fashioned cannibal hunt. I wonder how the corruption has progressed in their village. Are they completely possessed, or did they migrate?

  Lucy smiled at my enthusiasm. "Alright, Lake Florin it is."

  I leaned back on my stool, balancing precariously. "You want to do target practice?"

  "Sure."

  I gathered up the empty breakfast plates and stood, holding them like a dealer's deck of cards. Lucy drew her pistol, the revolver materializing in her hand as she clicked back the hammer.

  I tossed the plates into the air one after another, sending them spinning like clay pigeons. Lucy tracked them with her eye, her arm moving in three quick, precise movements. BANG! BANG! BANG! The shots rang out in rapid succession, and the plates shattered into blue dust, leaving nothing behind - no mess and nothing to clean.

  Fritz, shoveling the last of his scrambled eggs off the edge of his plate and into his mouth, tossed his plate into the air as well. Lucy pivoted, making a snapshot. BANG! The plate disintegrated.

  "Alright, perfect score today!" I clapped.

  A knock at the door cut through our celebration. Lucy despawned her pistol and looked toward the sound, then back at Fritz. "Is there anything we should know about last night before I answer this, Fritz?"

  Fritz rolled his eyes, taking a final drag of his dreamleaf. "Come on, now that I know it's illegal they're not going to catch me."

  Lucy walked over to the door, her posture straightening slightly as she prepared to meet the public. She pulled it open, revealing Jefferson standing on our porch.

  He looked as shifty as ever in his beige trench coat, which hung open to reveal a white shirt and pressed slacks underneath. The brim of his hat shaded most of his face, making the glowing green mark of Trace on his right eye stand out all the more. It rotated slowly around his pupil.

  "Good morning." he said with a curt nod, his voice emotionless and professional.

  "Are you here on Poe's business?" Lucy asked.

  Jefferson nodded again. "Yes. Sorry for the earliness of the hour, but this one is urgent. He would like to meet with the three of you in person."

  We exchanged glances. Fritz opened his menu and equipped his usual - today's Hawaiian shirt was covered in pink flamingos and the same beige slacks as always.

  Lucy turned back to Jefferson. "Lead the way."

  Jefferson led us away from our house, but not far. We stayed within the Nebula District, moving northeast into the high-rent section where the cobblestone streets were wider and cleaner. The early morning fog still clung to the rooftops, and our footsteps echoed against the ornate buildings that lined the streets. Hardly anyone lived out there due to the low adoption rate of actual rented properties. Most people squatted in NPC-owned places. It felt like a movie set to me - beautiful, perfect, and completely devoid of actual life. It was kinda fun to wander around.

  We arrived at an upscale neighborhood, at a private shopping center with a dessert bakery with large windows and elegant gold lettering that read 'Crème de la Crème'. Inside, they had display cases filled with pastries that looked almost too perfect to eat. Only one customer sat inside - Poe, hunched over a small plate at a corner table. Jefferson opened the door and motioned us inside.

  The interior smelled like vanilla, cinnamon, and butter. Behind the counter, an NPC baker in a white uniform smiled warmly at us. Poe glanced up from his cheesecake, a small drizzle of strawberry sauce decorating the plate.

  Fritz immediately waved. "We'll be with you in a second, Poe!"

  He made a beeline for the display case, pressing his hands against the glass like a kid in a candy store. Lucy sighed and followed him with me trailing behind. The case was packed with every kind of dessert imaginable - cookies the size of my face, elaborately frosted cakes, and pastries dusted with powdered sugar.

  "Please, make yourselves comfortable." Poe called from his table, gesturing to the empty chairs around him.

  I ordered a cinnamon roll while Lucy went for a large cream puff. Fritz, meanwhile, got a slice of red velvet cake and a dozen assorted doughnuts to go. "Give me two of those cream-filled ones, and definitely that chocolate-glazed with sprinkles..."

  While he was picking out his box, Lucy and I walked over to Poe's table.

  "Not your office this time?" I asked as I dropped into the chair across from Poe.

  He shook his head. "Are you kidding me? Evermoon Gardens is far too busy with everything going on today. Have you read the paper?"

  Lucy settled into her chair. "We tried, but the coverage is spotty."

  Poe sighed and set down his fork. "Alright, this could take a minute to explain." He glanced toward the door. "Would you like anything, Jefferson?"

  Jefferson remained standing by the entrance, glancing out the window with one hand inside his coat. "No, thank you."

  Poe turned back to us. "Last night, the Fringe Consortium lured a world boss - a fire elemental of some description - across the wilderness and into the city. It latched onto the NPC guards and has been locked in a rampage across the city all morning. It's a disaster zone - untold dead and the chaos is ongoing. We are trying to organize an evacuation of the city, but the Fringe are still active in the area - pillaging the countryside and trying to sabotage our efforts."

  Fritz finally joined us, balancing his slice of cake and a boxed dozen doughnuts. "That sounds like something they'll need their Head of Logistics for." he said, sliding into the empty chair.

  "Yes." Poe agreed. "I don't have long, but this is absolutely urgent."

  "Then lay it on us." Fritz said, digging his fork into the red velvet.

  Poe's expression grew more serious. "First, I need you to swear to secrecy on this. I don't like what I'm about to tell you either, but this is not the time to deal with it. We need to keep the public's trust through this crisis."

  "You can't leave us hanging on that!" Fritz exclaimed.

  Lucy said, "We understand that some truths would only hurt the people."

  Poe said, "What I need you to retrieve is an item."

  "One specific item?" I asked. "From somewhere in the city?"

  "It's more of a title, really. It's..." He paused, reconsidering. "Alright, let me step back a moment. Have you ever wondered how the World Guard is capable of managing the prison under the capitol? Or makes keys to the palace?"

  "What palace?" Fritz asked.

  "Evermoon Palace - the World Guard's guild hall," Poe explained.

  "I thought Evermoon Gardens was your guild hall." Fritz said, confused.

  Poe shook his head. "No, that's our public offices. The Palace is deep in the Evermoon District - it's the tall, terraced building with the synthetic moon floating over it."

  "Oh." Fritz said, recognition dawning on his face. "I was wondering what that place was. You own it?"

  "Yes, it's the gubernatorial estate, automatically transferred to the ownership of the governor of the city."

  Lucy's eyes narrowed. "'Governor', you say?"

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "Yes, that is the crux of what we are dealing with here. There is a governance system built into the game's mechanics. A player may claim the position of governor from the town hall, giving them certain elements of control over the region."

  I set down my cinnamon roll. "Is there a governor in every city?"

  "Every region." Poe corrected. "So the eleven geographical regions, plus the Capital Region. The World Guard headquarters are set up in the buildings that house the titles."

  I said, "You must have moved fast to capture them all before anyone noticed."

  "Yes, it was Alka's idea - he thought it would be best to keep them in the hands of a trustworthy party."

  "Himself." I stated flatly.

  "Yes." Poe grimaced slightly. "I only learned of this myself after the Faustenburg standoff, when we needed to reinforce the outer zones."

  Lucy cut her cream puff neatly in half. "Is Faustenburg one of the regional capitals?"

  "Yes, it is connected to Desert, geographically-speaking."

  Fritz leaned back in his chair. "And you guys managed to keep the mob in the dark about it the whole time?"

  "That is precisely why they felt the need to keep it secret - can you imagine what they would have done with official control?" Poe ran a hand through his hair. "Apparently they had the door boarded up with a man trapped inside for months to keep word from getting out."

  Lucy asked, "What precisely would they be able to do? What kind of powers do the governors have?"

  "That's something I'm curious about as well." Poe admitted. "What they have told me is that they gain access to the gubernatorial estate, control the prison, and charge taxes on purchases." He folded his hands on the table. "Now, what I want you to do. As you may have guessed, Stonehearth City is the seat of the Celestial Plains region. At some point during the night, the Guard lost control of the governorship."

  "Fringe?" Lucy asked.

  "Who else?" Poe said grimly.

  I frowned. "How did they know about the system to know to claim it?"

  "We don't know, but Murdock has ordered no prisoners be taken in the city as retaliation." Poe's eyes flickered between Lucy and me. "Take that as a warning if you plan on sharing this with your sewer friends."

  Lucy and I exchanged glances.

  "How did you know about that?" Fritz asked.

  Poe smiled, a slight curve of his lips. "Because I find them quite useful, and I'm a fan of your work." He returned to business mode. "Anyway, the governorship of Stonehearth is located in the Meteor Spire, likely in the executive offices on the upper floors. I need the title recovered. But that's not all - I want documentation on all of the abilities of the system."

  I studied Poe's face. "Poe... is this a job for the Guard or a personal favor?"

  "I am not at liberty to specify. I'll make it... oh, 200 marks to each of you. Will you take the job?"

  "Will the world boss be a problem for us?" I asked.

  "No, we're fighting to contain it to the outer city."

  The three of us looked at each other. Fritz nodded slightly, and I did the same. We'd faced worse for less money.

  Lucy turned to Poe. "This sounds important enough for our attention. We'll do it."

  "Excellent." Poe looked relieved. "To prevent the Fringe from using the trains to launch an attack on Celestia Grand, we've locked down the train station, so transportation will be a problem."

  I shook my head. "Oh no it won't."

  A pegasus could only carry two people - the pilot and one passenger. As a group can only move as fast as its slowest member, on first glance you'd think that meant it couldn't speed all three of us up at all. However, here's another fun fact: When slowfalled, people maintain their horizontal speed - Lucy found that one out the hard way.

  So what we did was get Ashley flying through the air at max speed at a great height, then the passenger jumped off. I would cast Slowfall on them to extend the jump, and they would continue to sail through the air at the speed of the pegasus for miles. I would then pick up the second passenger and we would fly along for a while.

  When the first person lost enough momentum to air resistance or got close to hitting the ground, the second passenger would jump off into a glide, and I would catch the first passenger. It was a trick we called 'juggling', and it effectively let all three of us travel at pegasus speed and pass right over terrain.

  So, on the way to Stonehearth City, Fritz and Lucy took turns drifting through the air while I flew on Ashley with the other of the two.

  ---

  {Lucy}

  It had only been a few hours since we'd set out when the black needle of the Meteor Spire poked over the horizon, followed by what remained of Stonehearth City. Fires raged through the buildings, spewing thick plumes of black smoke into a sky that had turned an unnatural, bloody shade of red.

  The plains surrounding the city had transformed into rivers of humanity. The main highway to Celestia Grand was choked with refugees - thousands of tiny figures streaming away from the disaster like ants from a flooded nest. Some pushed carts loaded with belongings, others carried children on their shoulders. Many just walked, empty-handed, eyes fixed on the horizon.

  Percy pulled Ashley into a hover directly above the exodus. Her wings beat steadily, keeping us suspended as we surveyed the scene below.

  "It's going to be hard to fly through that." Percy said, nodding toward the thick columns of smoke that obscured most of the city.

  "Can you stay low and fly between the columns?" I asked.

  "Sure, but how are we going to find and catch Fritz?"

  "Oh. What if you make two trips? Drop one of us off near the spire and hide in a store, then you come back out and get the other?"

  Percy nodded. "That could work. I'll-"

  A crack split the air. Ashley wobbled beneath us, letting out a pained neigh as something struck her left wing. A small puff of white feathers burst outward, scattering in the wind.

  "Ashley!" Percy pulling her into a tight circular maneuver to avoid any follow-up shots. The pegasus responded admirably despite her injury, banking hard.

  On the ground below, an officer in World Guard uniform had his pistol raised, tracking our movement. Around him, a squad of about ten peacekeepers had formed a protective circle, spears at the ready.

  "What was that for?!" Percy shouted.

  The officer's shouted back, "This is a no-fly zone! Land immediately!"

  Percy cursed under his breath and guided Ashley into a downward spiral, aiming for the slope of a hill beside the highway. We touched down about twenty yards from the Guard squad, who immediately started jogging in our direction.

  "I already landed, geez!" Percy shouted. "What do you want?!"

  The officer approached with his pistol still leveled at us, his squad forming a semicircle around Ashley and us. "Get off the horse!" he barked, gesturing with his pistol.

  "I'm gettin' off the horse; hold your own!" Percy slid off Ashley.

  "Hands where I can see them!"

  Percy threw his hands up in exasperation. "If I was going to do something, I'd have done it while I was still in the air! Just tell me what you want!"

  I dismounted carefully and stepped in front of Percy, gently placing my hand on his arm. "Percy, please." I turned to face the officer, clasping my hands. "How can we help you, officer?"

  "State your business here."

  "We're..." I started.

  "We're on a special assignment from the Guard." Percy said. "VIP extraction."

  The officer's eyebrows rose skeptically. "Do you have any proof of affiliation?"

  "Yes." I said quickly. I went into my inventory and spawned the two medals I'd been awarded for the Oxtongue and Stone Sentinel boss kills. "We're Vanguard."

  The officer leaned forward to inspect the medals, his expression softening slightly. Before he could respond, Percy suddenly jerked his head upward, pointing at the sky.

  "Fritz!"

  Without warning, Percy leaped back onto Ashley and reared her onto her hind legs. The Guards surrounding us raised their spears in alarm, but the officer waved them down.

  "Stand down." he ordered his men, who reluctantly stepped back as Percy jumped Ashley forward into a short-runway takeoff. Despite her injury, she managed to get airborne, quickly rising into the smoke-filled sky.

  I turned back to the officer with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that - we have a third with us."

  The officer made a dismissive sound in his throat. "Hmph. If you're going into the city, don't try anything fishy. The Fringe are trying everything they can to slip into our ranks, and we've been ordered to be cautious."

  "Thank you for the warning." I said.

  A few moments later, Percy landed behind me with Fritz in the passenger's seat, both looking slightly singed around the edges. The Guards had already begun dispersing back to their positions at the gate as Fritz and Percy dismounted.

  Fritz stood beside me, watching the flow of refugees. "How many people live here?"

  "The last estimate I saw was about 16k." Percy said.

  "Oh my." I murmured.

  We headed down to the highway and toward the city gate.

  The massive stone arch was choked with people pushing to get out. Well over a dozen World Guard peacekeepers were stationed around the entrance, trying to maintain some semblance of order. They directed traffic, checked identification, and occasionally pulled suspicious-looking individuals aside for questioning.

  We were the only ones fighting the flow, pushing inward instead of outward. Each step toward the gate felt like wading against a strong current. Bodies pressed against us from all sides, desperate to escape the burning city.

  Once inside the city walls, the true extent of the damage became apparent. Buildings now looked like bombed-out shells. Their facades were scorched black, windows blown out, and roofs punctured with holes from the chunks of flaming rock that intermittently fell from the sky.

  Civilians who hadn't yet fled milled about in small groups, some searching and calling out for loved ones, others holding handmade signs with names written on them. They reminded me of people waiting at an airport arrival gate, except their faces showed fear rather than anticipation.

  Squads of World Guard peacekeepers ran in every direction, many with their menus open, frantically typing messages to coordinate their efforts. One peacekeeper stood on an overturned cart, ringing handheld bells and shouting instructions to the crowds. "This way to the gate! Evacuate in an orderly fashion! Please stay calm and follow the designated routes!"

  We pushed further upstream, deeper into the city. The crowd began to thin the further we went, replaced by an increasing number of Guards. The streets here were eerily quiet compared to the chaos at the gate, with only the occasional patrol breaking the silence.

  We turned down a side street lined with blackened buildings. The smoke was thinner there, allowing glimpses of the blood-red sky.

  Without warning, a flaming meteor shot through the air above us, trailing smoke and debris. It punched through the wall of the upper story of a shop about fifty yards ahead, then crashed through the floor inside. An explosion rocked the building as the meteor hit the ground level, blowing out the windows and scattering shards of glass across the street. The blast sent a wave of heat washing over us.

  Remarkably, the few people around us barely reacted. A patrol of Guards glanced at the building, made a note in their menus, and continued on their route. An NPC woman sweeping glass from her doorway across the street barely looked up.

  "Geez." Fritz said, staring at the new hole in the building, where flames had already begun to spread. "How badly is this gonna hurt the city? Like, are these buildings gonna regenerate themselves?"

  "A question for another time." I said, gesturing toward the distant silhouette of the Meteor Spire rising above the chaos. Its black surface seemed to absorb the red light from the sky, making it look like a gateway to the abyss torn in hell. "Keep moving for the Spire."

  Ahead of us, a whistle pierced the air, followed by the shouts of World Guard peacekeepers. The few civilians still on the street scattered like startled birds, ducking into doorways and alleyways. More World Guard troops poured in from the surrounding blocks.

  "Everyone clear the area!" A Guard captain's voice boomed from up ahead. "Fringe sighted!"

  A group of figures emerged from the smoke at the far end of the street. Fringe bandits, about fifteen of them. Many wore masks or bandanas covering their faces, and they carried a mix of weapons - swords, axes, and at least three with firearms.

  "World Guard dogs!" one of them shouted. "This city belongs to the people now!"

  The clash that followed was immediate and brutal. Steel rang against steel as the two groups collided. Muzzle flashes punctuated the haze, followed by the crack of gunfire. Blue wireframe wounds bloomed across bodies on both sides as they traded blows. Sparkling blue dust scattered into the air. An arrow whizzed past us, embedding itself in a wooden sign across the street with a solid thunk.

  The three of us shuffled into the recessed doorway of an abandoned haberdashery.

  "This isn't going to be that simple, Lu." Percy said, peering around the edge of the doorway. "Maybe we should risk flying."

  "What if you get hit by one of those meteors?" I asked. "Ashley's already injured."

  "I don't think it's any more dangerous than what's going on down here."

  The fighting intensified as a Guard was cut down, his body dissolving. The Fringe fighters pressed their advantage, pushing forward with renewed vigor. For a moment, it seemed like they might break through the Guard's line. Then, from the cross street to our right, a new wave of reinforcements arrived. But these weren't standard peacekeepers. Their armor was different - lighter, more personalized with splashes of color, and their nameplates had a variety of guild tags. Volunteer players who'd joined the defense.

  The tide turned quickly. The Fringe bandits, realizing they were now outnumbered, began a fighting retreat back the way they had come. Within seconds, the skirmish had moved away from us, leaving behind only the faint blue glow of dissolving bodies and the acrid smell of gunpowder.

  A figure detached itself from the group of volunteer fighters and jogged toward us. As he drew closer, I recognized him - Brian, Steel Rage's second-in-command. He was wearing his guild's signature red and black armor, though he'd forgone the usual spikes in favor of more practical padding.

  "Howdy there, gents, Lucy." he said with a nod to each of us. "You volunteering, too?"

  "We're on a contract to grab a VIP." Percy said.

  Fritz asked, "Do you know how we can stop the Guard from shooting at us?"

  Brian nodded. "Yeah, you're going to need the passphrase. If anyone shouts 'onions!' you respond 'shallots!'"

  "Thanks. Anything else we need to know out there?"

  Brian wiped sweat from his brow, leaving a smudge of ash across his forehead. "If you go outside the city limits, watch your backs. The Fringe are ambushing the fleeing civilians, and they brought Bedlam in to smoke them out."

  "Bedlam?" Fritz asked.

  "Yeah, you haven't heard of them? They're a guild of Fringe hunters that formed in response to the Guard's lack of reaction to Fringe activity outside the cities. They're the type to shoot first and sort it out later, so make sure you've got a clear friendly identifying mark if you're entering their range. Then inside the city they've brought in some hotshots from the detective squad that are real experts with magic."

  "Oh, is magic viable in PvP now?" Fritz asked.

  Brian let out a breath. "More than that - they are absolute monsters. They can easily control entire groups of Fringe with a few AoE spells. They herd them together, freeze them in place, then let the infantry mop it up. Things are pretty brutal right now - Fringe are running all over slugging it out with the Guard, but it's only going to turn against them as time goes on. The Fringe isn't bringing any new people into the fight, but the Guard are. The general of the peacekeeping force is on his way here with just about every spare police officer they have. I can't see this dragging on longer than tonight."

  "What about the Fringe?" Percy asked. "If we need to move through the city, what should we expect from them?"

  Brian's expression darkened. "They've got the heavy hitters present - Bad Charlotte are the ones to watch for inside the city. Most of them are over on the west side, though - that's where they've got the world boss tangled up."

  "How active is the boss?" Percy asked. "Do we need to keep track of it?"

  "Not at the moment. Both sides are fighting for control of its aggro - the Fringe are trying to bring it into the safe zone over here, and the Guard want to keep it away from the population centers."

  "And they can't just kill it?" Percy asked.

  Brian laughed, though there was no humor in it. "Oh no, it's a nasty piece of work. It's level 100, so it can one-shot just about anyone with its weakest attacks. Luckily, they've got the NPC guards to use as cannon fodder. Then, even if they could damage it, it saps health off everything it kills. Pair that with an AoE attack that kills all the civilian NPCs and anyone too close, and it's basically immortal. To make it worse, if you get stuck in combat with it and try and run away - they estimate 100 yards - it brings down a meteor that instantly kills the runner."

  "Jesus." Fritz muttered.

  "Yeah." Brian nodded grimly. "They have to fight the Fringe off while holding in the sweet spot about 50 yards from the boss, and have to maintain aggro to keep it in position."

  "What are they going to do with it?" Percy asked.

  Brian shrugged. "I don't know, but right now the focus is getting everyone out of the city."

  I pointed to the sky. "Are all those meteors falling someone getting outranged?"

  "No - it also throws them out at random. It's part of the weather effect. It turns everything around it into hell - dark as night and red as blood."

  He adjusted his belt and glanced back toward where the sounds of fighting were fading. "Do you need any help with your contract?"

  "No, thank you." Percy said quickly. "We want to move as quietly as possible."

  Brian nodded. "Alright, I need to get back in there. Good luck!" He clasped Percy's shoulder briefly, then continued running down the street after the now-distant sounds of fighting.

  Fritz watched him go, then turned to us. "We need to get this done and get out of here as fast as possible."

  "Agreed." I said, drawing my pistol. "Percy, you use your map; I'll keep watch."

  We moved as a unit down the street, stepping around debris and the occasional blue cloud - hopefully from an NPC. The sounds of fighting ebbed and flowed around us like a tide, sometimes drawing nearer, sometimes receding, never far enough to feel comfortable.