In Another Castle

By Larry Gent

What is worse than being stuck in a video game? Being stuck in your Bank Alt.

After many months of battle, the Brotherhood-Enclave war is finally over and the PCs were victorious. Rake can finally get back to finding out what caused the Glitch and finding the final peices of the Kahail set. After weeks of searching, Rake finally locates th

• Language: English
• Publisher: Midnight Reading Publishing
• Release date: Nov 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9780995951556

Book preview

Vörissa's Catalyst Online

Patch 1.04

In Another Castle

by Larry Gent

Midnight Reading Publishing

Published in Canada by Midnight Reading Publishing, Ottawa

Gent, Larry, 1983-, Author.

In Another Castle: Vörissa's Catalyst Online/Larry Gent

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9959515-5-6

Copyright © 2017 Larry Gent

This is a work of fiction. All characters and situations are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblence to actual persons, living or dead, events, locals or businesses is coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduce or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for brief passages quoted in a review.

Cover Design: Valérie Gent

Midnight Reading Publishing

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Also by Larry Gent

Avalon Lost

Lightyears To Go Before I Sleep

The Benedict Forecasts

Be All That You Envy (2018)

Never Been To Mars

To Money And A TV

Bedroom Walls That Save Us (2018)

Vörissa's Catalyst Online

Patch 1.01: New Game+

Patch 1.02: Escort Mission

Patch 1.03: Corpse Run

Patch 1.04: In Another Castle

Patch 1.05: Silent Protagonist

Chapter One

What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets. - Dracula (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)

If you could be one of the Avengers, which one would you be? Everybody knows who they would like to be. For me, it's either Hawkeye or Captain America, but that is unlikely who I am suited to be.

The thought, among others, occurred to me as my feet raced across the forest floor of the snow-covered forest. Slashlore led the Enclave army against the final stronghold of the Nohorian Brotherhood. We were running through the snow, like the Avengers, in the battle that would hopefully be the Nohorian Brotherhood's last stand. If everything went as planned, by the end of the day the Brotherhood would be no more. This was our Age of Ultron moment and our Avengers Assemble cry.

President Slashlore led the way, using his paladin abilities to magically throw his shield. He stood as our icon of strength and guidance. He was, without a doubt, the Captain America of the group.

Tialla controlled the battle with her abilities, ordering us to and fro as she used her shadowy tendrils to grapple and toss the unlucky Brotherhood members who got before her. She was our Iron Man.

Punchocalypse called on destruction like it was a bolt of lightning. He would send Brotherhood member flying, destroy watchtowers with ease and doing it all while looking suave and confident. He was our Thor, son of Odin.

Montra's moves were swift and deadly. Every strike was precise and efficient. Never was a punch or a kick wasted. She moved in ways others couldn't and performed feats other thought impossible. She was our Black Widow.

Scova rode atop her mount, firing spells from her hand. Her fiery blasts were exact, felling people with an amazing accuracy. She never missed and used the smallest of spells to cause the greatest of damage. She was our Hawkeye.

Skith, son of Zook, atop his Un-Orc, was the unstoppable force barrelling through the battlefield. Enemy blows bounced off their hides as he tore through their forces. Men fell from single cuts of his glaive. The gnome was our Hulk.

As we ripped through the snow-covered forest, I found myself realizing that rarely was a person the Avenger they thought they were. I wasn't Hawkeye or Captain America, my shitty aim and lack of helicopter grappling skills were proof of that. I wasn't even any of the second-tier Avengers like War Machine or the Falcon. I wasn't even Ant-Man. I was, at best, Daredevil and I wasn't even the good Charlie Cox one.

Slashlore and Tialla had laid the plan out before us. Our goal was to reach the Brotherhood's Stronghold, breach its walls and destroy the final strands of their organization. We'd do that by tearing them down, one mob after another, and destroying their resources, one watchtower at a time.

Tialla assigned us to groups of five and placed us across the field. Each party was assigned to one of five raid groups. Each raid group would attack from a different point and push inwards. We would overwhelm the Brotherhood and tear them down. This was our do-or-die moment. We could end the Brotherhood here. The Brotherhood invaded Havenhold, they launched attacks on the PC - targeting parties and solos in the wild- and they even tried to assassinate Slashlore. The more desperate they became, the more brazen their actions. What would the Brotherhood do when they had nothing left to lose?

With my blades at the ready, I ran alongside my party. We descended on the nearest Brotherhood watchtower and unleashed hell upon the mob. I activated the speed in my boots and shot forward. Reaching the mob first, my blades started dancing. Like a practiced waltz, my blades moved to meet the defense squares and attack circles. Whaitiri Edge slapped aside a Brotherhood spear as Splinter's Edge dove into the nearest chest. Music played as I danced, I started with a châiné turn as my blades deflected and parried any steel that approached and ended my turn with a feather finish. My dance was beautiful, or so I thought.

With each block Whaitiri Edge sent a jolt of electricity through the attacker's weapon and up into their body. The jolts had been getting stronger. They used to be akin to a small bee sting, now they were closer to the zap a child would get when they jam a fork into an electrical socket. It wasn't enough to drop any of the Brotherhood but it was enough to stagger their step.

No gear ticks alone! With a cry of battle, my own personal Hulk - a three foot two inch tall gnome who weighed 43 and 1/2 pounds - plowed into the mob. Riding high atop his Un-Orc, the pair sent the unlucky Brotherhood grunts flying. The Un-Orc roared and Skith struck with his glaive. Blasts of necrotic energy flowed through the mobs. Like greedy boney hands, they gripped the life force of the mobs and started to drain them of their health.

A trio of sickly green darts soared inwards. The warlock spell ripped through the chest of the unsuspecting Brotherhood guards. Fleyming - a woman I still didn't completely trust - raised her hand as she tapped out another spell. A blast of green flame ignited a grunt and caused him to scream in pain. She flicked her hand to the left and the burning man flew sideways.

Scova, the burning typhoon of chaos, descended from above. With a single, deadly accurate blast of flame, the watchtower ignited in flame. In two seconds the tower became a burning beacon akin to the Warning Beacon of Gondor. I didn't know who our Hawkeye was trying to signal but I sure as hell didn't expect the Rohirrim to come to our aid. Her feet touched the ground, flames rippling outwards, and she gripped her katana with both hands. Keshim's Fang swiftly cut through the Brotherhood, the steel ripping through their skin with little resistance.

With each strike of Montra's fists and feet, healing rippled through the party. The Brotherhood members fought back against us, cutting into us but Montra kept us going. When they struck us, our Black Widow made it so we could strike back. She was the one who kept us together.

Rake: Tower 34 down.

Tialla: Move to the waypoint.  I'm regrouping Juno Raid.

Tialla. Was it possible to miss someone that you were actively avoiding? I missed hanging out with her and I missed talking to her but after her truth bomb I needed space. I wasn't ready to cut her out of my second life but I needed time to readjust my feelings.

Rake: Anything wrong?

Tialla: Yes and No. Gold Raid and Sword Raid are taking some losses but mostly the Brotherhood are providing little in the way of a challenge.

Tialla: I'm having all Raids wrangle in their parties. Then we're going to push towards Zareed Bastion.

Zareed Bastion was a daunting castle that resided deep within Glacial Woods. In lore, it was the home of Enchantress Icial Zareed. She was a mage who had an affinity for ice magic, a desire for eternal life and a tendency to commit human sacrifices. When the Crypt Walker rose, she allied herself with him. He instantly killed her and resurrected her as a lich. Her magic power increase tenfold and a winter's curse spread across the forest. The woods were encased in eternal snow and ice, forever cold and never melting.

In game terms, the Enchantlich (as she was called by the players) was the boss of the 25-man raid called Zareed's Curse. She was tough, hid in a castle protected by an army of ghosts and specters and she wasn't afraid to unleash a flurry of glacial spells. Luckily, we didn't have to fight her. Zareed Bastion, much like the Crypt Walker's Keep, was void of the undead and their ruler. The castle was instead held by the Nohorian Brotherhood.

My party came to a halt at the waypoint. We weren't the first of Juno Raid to reach it but we were far from the last. Each of the five raids was made from twenty parties. The Enclave army was five hundred PCs strong. If the Guinness Book of World Records still existed, this would be listed as the largest coordinated player mission.

Tialla was leading Juno Raid while coordinating the battle with Slashlore. Her eyes fell upon me as I approached but she quickly looked away. "All five raids are nearly ready. We'll