Battle for the North (Rogue Merchant Book #4): LitRPG Series by Roman Prokofiev (the dot read aloud .TXT) 📕

“I need a word. It’s important.”

“Go on but be brief.”

“I have two big questions. First, Panther. Why did it happen? Why didn’t you — ”

Komtur interrupted me, quickly putting a finger to his lips. Then he said softly,

“He was kicked from the alliance. No further comments. What’s the other question?”

His gesture was unambiguous: I shouldn’t talk about the traitor out loud. Was Komtur afraid that someone was listening?

“The second question — can you arrange a meeting with our allies? I’m talking about NAVY and Hird, those who actually call the shots.”

“Why? What are you planning?” Komtur asked curtly.

“I’ll tell you how to defeat Pandorum.”

 Interlude: Panther

Location: Astral Plane, Atrocity, Pandorum clan castle

THE ECHO OF STEPS reverberated across large halls decorated with monstrous statues and fearsome trophies while the pink mist of the Astral Plane swirled outside the gothic windows.

How much time had passed since he was there last?

The doors swung open, and a tall gaunt player walked out to meet him. Cold prickly eyes stood apart on his narrow face.

“Captain! Welcome back!”

“Thanks, Phantom,” Captain Panther said. “Glad to see you.”

Their handshake was firm. The leader of Pandorum led Captain inside, seating him on a small couch in his study. Glass jingled, and two thick-walled glasses and a dull green bottle appeared on the table.

“How about we take a drink, for starters?” Phantom suggested. “The usual?”

Captain nodded and visibly enjoyed drinking the amber liquid with several cubes of translucent ice splashing inside. Shockingly, the in-game alcohol tasted just as good as the finest Scottish whiskey. Simulating the sensation of savoring was harder.

“You’ve done a good job,” Phantom said. “Removed the castle defenses and relieved us of unnecessary problems at Condor. If they turned the dome on, the battle would have lasted another day. Well played!”

Panther nodded without a word, waiting for him to continue.

“Your information helped, too. I just can’t figure it out — why didn’t you tell us about this new artifact, the Veil? It brought us heavy losses! Where did they get it in the first place?”

“I suppose I was already under suspicion while they were planning the operation.” Captain shrugged. “I tried asking around, but nobody knew anything. Everyone got their amulets just before the siege. Just like the instructions, it was all top-secret.”

“Too bad. We still don’t know what the deal is with this Order of Maidens and where the Northerners found so many of these amulets!”

“It has something to do with that player, HotCat,” Captain Panther said. “I tried chumming up to him, but I failed — he’s smart and keeps everyone at arm’s length. As for his weapon, I don’t know much about it, either, other than it’s a Soul Eater sword that deals True Fire damage.”

“We know that already,” Phantom replied, vexed. “In any case, I thought you’d get discovered much earlier. It’s strange you’ve held out for so long. I have to admit, you’ve done a lot for us.”

Captain Panther shrugged, put his glass on the table, and asked, “When will you restore my clan rank? I’d like to — ”

“Enter the Heart and see your pawn?” Phantom smiled. “You’ve missed her, I can understand.”

Your clan rank in Euthanasia increased to Centurion!

Your clan rank in Euthanasia increased to Tribune!

Your clan rank in Euthanasia increased to Legate!

“Hmm, I’ll need to become a Consul to unbind her from the faction,” Panther remarked.

“Wait some more, all right?” Phantom asked. “I know I’ve promised it, but all NPCs with the Ancient Gene might come in handy at the end of this war. As soon as we finish off the Northerners, you can unbind her from the Heart. Deal?”

Chapter 14

SPHERE WAS A GAME that made your interests cross with other players’ every single day: a sandbox, its events determined by the participants. The leaders of big alliances controlled thousands of people — more than some megacorporations. It was a giant anthill, its rules reflecting the laws of the real world. There was only one difference: in Sphere, you didn’t need to wear a mask.

I had long since stopped being an idealist. Human society was governed by hidden rules that had nothing to do with its professed values. The people who spoke of democracy, logic, or justice made me sneer. They tried building player communities without realizing that in the real world, all of those rules were nothing more than an illusion. True democracy didn’t exist; human behavior wasn’t controlled by logic. Those who bet on it usually lost everything, replaced by uncompromising dictators, unpredictable and cruel.

That’s why I liked NAVY. The Americans embodied the chaos of Sphere of Worlds. Their audacity was the stuff of legends. Nobody could foresee which world their fleet would invade next, cheerfully hooting along the way.

NAVY was a famous multi-game community that had existed since the beginning of the twenty-first century. The only way to get in was from the inside — outsiders were only accepted in order to rip them off and fleece them. “We’re here to have fun!” was their motto — no restraint, no grim faces, only fun!

Yet, despite their seeming self-indulgence and a carefully cultivated image of anarchists, it was a rigidly structured dictatorship controlled by an extremely efficient manager: a man called Joker who had once promoted me to the Club. He called the real shots in NAVY, although officially, he had nothing to do with the leadership of the American alliance.

Our meeting took place 24 hours after my conversation with Komtur. My understanding was that creating an anti-Pandorum coalition was Joker’s long-standing dream. Their mutual antipathy had lasted for a long time, ever since the Pandas pushed NAVY, who were just coming into their own, out of some valuable holdings, blocked them in their castle, and spent a while taunting them. Despite their common