The Devil In White: An AA Online Novel

The sh.i.p.s were truly amazing. Port Laudable wasn't large enough a port town to contain them all. So many sh.i.p.s in fact that they simply floated nearby waiting for Transients and Residents to board them. Hendrick and the Craftsmen had really done incredible work especially considering that the players that had been getting ready for the coming battle had finished leveling up a week fast. Different sizes and designs, colors and features, crewed by different guilds or a hodge-podge collection. Amidst it all, a slow silence settled as everyone saw another fleet enter the coastline. A fleet of old and distinguished sh.i.p.s that had gone through repairs for what looked like years. Many of them simply looked like it was a miracle that they floated. They all bore the flag of a simple design, a black background with a raven wearing a pirate's hat.

"How...many sh.i.p.s did you get Raven?" Aidan finally asked over party channel as he watched the fleet continue to sail into view.

"I lost count. 20 plus." Raven finally decided after giving up on the math halfway through her thought.

"You're truly the worst," Forsythe replied. "To make me feel pity for pirates. You should be ashamed."

"Haha, shut up! I'm leading." Raven smirked. "I have to think of a speech to tell the pirates so they'll go along with me. They're a little freaked by the number of other sh.i.p.s."

"Follow me or die." Amelia offered jokingly.

"Good one!" Raven said after some thought. "Are you riding with me or hitching a ride with some other ship?"

"We've been invited to sail with Hunter and the originals of Shadow Fall," Aidan replied. "You are welcome to join us." Shadow Fall had literally been receiving applicants by the hundreds. There were so many that Hunter had been forced to elevate all the original members to leadership roles and divide the new recruits underneath them. For the journey, however, she had elected to keep all the originals together. What she hadn't mentioned but everyone was thinking, was that it might very well be their last trip with one another.

"Nah. I like ordering people, and even with your ship enhancements we're looking at a few days right?" Raven wondered. "Will anyone be online during the trip?"

"Yes, the carvers are going to come aboard your fleet and start carving while you sail. They are pretty excited about doing work while the ship is moving. They seem to think it'll be better experience and they'll level their skills up faster." Hunter joined the conversation. "Not to mention it's almost like a party. There are still things you can do online even if you're hitching a ride."

"I'm going to ride with Raven," Elisha said suddenly.

"Totally. You can be my first mate. No. Admiral's mate." Raven decreed after checking to make sure Hunter had nodded.

"I just want to talk to you. I don't want any rank." Elisha protested looking a little miffed at the idea of joining a pirate crew. The way she looked up made it seem like she had even received a formal game invitation with some really strange text.

"Fine, but you have to wear a hat." Raven relented, apparently mollified because Elisha just wanted her company.

"...and say Arrr at least once." Hunter added, "Come on, we're loading up. Shadow Fall is leading the point of the fleet. Or we will because I want to be first."

"Khiafin is coming too…" Raven teased. Elisha didn't respond to that particular bait.

The Shadow Sword, the ship that carried the members of Shadow Fall's original members, was a beautiful ship. It had been constructed in the Silf lands under the watchful eye of Silf craftsman and Transient carvers. It was a large vessel, made from some of the oldest trees that were revered by the Silf. Hunter explained that they had only been allowed to take the lumber because of the cultural significance of memorial trees. Trees that had long since died but retained their hardness and l.u.s.ter could still stand tall for decades if not centuries, thus earning reverence in the eyes of the Silf. Such trees must be taken and created into beautiful things, as was the Silf way of remembrance. It also cleared the way for the new generation of trees within the forests.

Amelia, Forsythe, Rat, Ridley, Hunter, and Aidan stood on the side of the deck staring out over the ocean as the Shadow Sword cut waves. There was nothing to do now but wait.

"Do you think Gilduirn is going to be there?" Amelia suddenly wondered aloud.

"Yes. I watched his stream the other night and they found a hidden domain in the old Underground Cavern Raid. His group has been leveling there all this time and they're almost a match for us. The difference between level isn't that great, but what is amazing is how many people he managed to keep together in his guild despite the incentives we used to try and steal them. He is over 780 strong." Hunter had a hint of reluctant respect in her voice.

"I bet he knows each one personally." Aidan snickered sarcastically. "Probably best buds with all of them." There was something about Gilduirn that set Aidan off, Amelia thought with surprise.

"I don't mind him, really. I might even understand him." Amelia offered, earning strange looks from everyone. "He's not obligated to be on our side. He has his way of looking at things, and he is going out to meet the danger even if he isn't going about it how we'd like. I think he honestly believed the game was going to end if he spent time leveling up the masses."

"Trying to have me killed was just a whim," Aidan replied dryly. "I suppose I should be the bigger person."

"He tried to have you killed?" Rat turned toward him, a Silfen archer who thus far had been fairly quiet. She had the classic Silf litheness and a plain but pretty freckled face.

"He was going to hire a player named Khiafin to kill Aidan," Forsythe confirmed. He was sharpening his cooking knives. He had already prepared dry rations for the evening meal. Rations weren't the right word really. It was delicious salted sausage with different varieties of cheese. It looked really scrumptious and he had already chased off more than one person eyeing the barrels of food.

Hunter casually moved over to sit beside him with a subtle coyness. "Well, Aidan can have that effect on people." She slowly put her head on his shoulder, and he paused slightly to make sure he could continue sharpening his knives. Forsythe looked quite pleased for, you know, Forsythe.

Ridley was a swordsman that was one of the few Amelia had seen that chose to accept dual-wielding penalties in order to fight. They didn't get advantages like rogues in that regard and lost the protection a shield would provide in exchange for being able to swing faster. He finally piped in. "THE Khiafin? Killer that hires prey? What'd he do?"

"Stuck him and took his sword," Aidan said gleefully. "But he's mostly on our side now."

Rat and Ridley looked horrified after a moment when they realized that the 'him' was Gilduirn.

"I'm just saying that I don't think he's a BAD guy, even if he was being stupid and acted like a bad guy." Amelia offered. "Gilduirn I mean."

"Have you ever hated anyone?" Forsythe paused, looking up as he asked a question with genuine and innocent curiosity. "You say cross things, but I don't think I've ever heard you say you didn't like someone."

"Hating people takes a lot of effort, and most people who hate other people hate them because they can't understand them. Most people are easy to understand." Amelia offered casually, stretching her arms above her head and turning slightly to look out over the water. "I'm super lazy and I'm not willing to put in the effort to hate anyone."

"Thus, you don't hate most people." Aidan finished for her, looking mischievious. "Or you're just really gentle. Or really naive."

"I punch you too often for that to be true," She pointed out, causing him to concede and nod a bit. He was getting off light for her ignoring the naive comment.

"I have been told by many," Aidan began smiling down at Hunter who curled her own lips and sneered back at him in amus.e.m.e.nt, "that I have that effect on people."

"You really do." Forsythe agreed with a 'what can you do' look.

"Fours…" Aidan said cautiously. "About Raven."

"Hmm?" Forsythe looked like he didn't care but was trying to be polite.

"She's going to sing tonight… across the ocean to the other sh.i.p.s. She assures me after practice she can be heard and she wanted me to ask you…" Aidan was hesitating, causing alarm to run through Amelia. She didn't ever think in her life she would hear Aidan sound like he was making a request in a polite sort of way.

"Should I prepare for her to draw sea monsters?" Forsythe had paused, perplexed as to why Aidan was pushing this. "She is not going to ensorcell them, is she? If she tries to sing to them and make them allies I will fight her, you tell her that."

"She told me the name of the song is called '15 hours and 17 kilometers' is all, and wanted to know if you thought that was okay?" Aidan finished in a rush while at the same time ignoring what the masterful joke from Forsythe. His face held a pinched look, like he wasn't sure if he should have asked. He also looked like he really wanted to respond to the singing to sea monsters joke but held back.

Forsythe had gone absolutely still. So much so that Hunter who had started to doze on his shoulder pulled away from him sleepily and turned toward him. His face was frozen in a mask, and his hands held the knife and sharpening stone apart as he considered. "Is that… wise?"

"We all deal," Aidan said gently.

Hunter, Ridley, and Rat were watching the exchange now with great interest.

"Fine. I look forward to it." He resumed sharpening and shortly after that Hunter replaced her head on his shoulder and really did fall asleep. It was strange to think that you could sleep so peaceful in a game that was designed to be a sleep substitute in the first place. Amelia guessed that hospital life was hard.

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Amelia logged off at one point to get something to eat. The members of Shadow Fall were for the most extent, doing much the same. The journey would be a few days even with the carved and enchanted sh.i.p.s made by master Shipwrights and Carpenters.

When she removed her visor she sat up, rubbing the dry stuff from her eyes. She turned to find Raven sitting alone on the couch, staring thoughtfully at the light curtain in the dark. When Amelia got up and moved to her Raven blinked as if startled and then smiled sheepishly. "I totally forgot to tell you I was logging out and that I was thinking of coming over."

"You could turn on the light curtain if you want, I wouldn't have heard it." Amelia plopped down beside and immediately Raven twisted herself in the couch and dangled her legs over the couches side so she could put her head in Amelia's l.a.p. "Nervous?"

"No. Excited." Raven paused. "I'm going to sing about the last battle."

"Aidan told me," Amelia said reluctantly, wondering if he had broken a trust or something. "Everything really."

"Oh? He must really love you. You're going to make such adorable little babies." Raven said as she sighed wistfully, apparently not bothered by her knowledge. "Aunt Raven. Now that's a superhero name."

"I don't know about that," Amelia said, trying not to panic at the thought of Aidan marrying her and them having kids. "Kids are really awesome Raven, but the really awesome part is that eventually, they go home to their parents."

"Yeah. I guess that's fine too. You two really smart crazy people having kids would probably end the world. There'd be Aidan babies making lasers and Amelia babies urging them to blow stuff up so they could see what happened." Raven lifted her arm up and made an explosive motion with her fist, complete with sound effect. "Blllggghh."

"Oh, I see. Aidan babies make lasers and Amelia babies tempt them to go all villain." Amelia nodded. "Thanks a lot."

"Don't feel bad Amelia, the Aidan babies would have come to it themselves in time but girls m.a.t.u.r.e faster and are, of course, smarter and just plain better than boys." Raven pointed out, a ghost of a smile on her face to indicate she was kidding.

"Sometimes I feel like I get suckered into your crazy and go along with it like it's completely normal because it feels like a sane conversation," Amelia said, looking wonderingly in the air. "I think sometimes you're all figments of my imagination. That you're really me, convincing all the fake figments that they're, we're, the real people."

"Wow, Amelia. You need to get drunk or something, you're totally losing it." Raven said, looking shocked. She patted Amelia on the hand looking concerned.

"Thanks Raven, being told I'm crazy means absolutely nothing coming from you." Amelia chuckled.

"Coming from WE." Raven taunted. "Hey, if you make out with me and I'm you it's not cheating on Aidan." Raven tilted her head and put her hand under her chin thoughtfully.

Amelia reached down and tried to tickle her in response, but Raven just stared stoically back. "Immune to sane, immune to crazy, immune to fear, and immune to tickles? Are you even human Raven?"

"Absolutely. No non-human could be this talented, amazing, and adorable." Raven replied confidently. "But also, am I not s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e, clever, well-mannered, considerate, passionate, as kick-ass as I am beautiful and also heir to a pirate fleet?" She sat back up. "Get something to eat. I'm going to sing soon. I just wanted to clear my thoughts in this world."

"You are everything maidens could wish for." She said dryly before asking, "This world?" Amelia stopped herself from getting up.

"Both worlds are important to me. I decided they're both my reality. Made doubly awesome because you're in both." Raven sniffed after a moment disdainfully. "...and the boys I suppose, but don't tell them I said that."

"Not a word." Amelia agreed. She went to the kitchen and heated up leftover asparagus and cauliflower, and when she came back into the room Raven was gone.

Not long after her meal Amelia slipped back into AA, and found that by game standards it was already night-time. Forsythe and Aidan sat by the edge of the ship, talking in low voices companionably. Most of the rest of Shadow Fall was playing games together with cards or small carved chess sets on a different part of the deck. It made her feel good just a bit because even though she didn't know the vast majority of them there was a long-standing feeling of comradery blanketed over the boat that made everyone feel at ease and welcome. More than that, there was no expectation.

There was an air of excitement though. They were still so far off, but everyone was ready for this to be done. They were ready to win and have the shadow of the end of the game swept from their world.

"Soon then?" Hunter slipped into the space near Amelia.

"Soon?" Amelia asked, drawn from her thoughts and trying not to make an association with Hunter's question and her own thoughts.

"Elisha said Raven was going to go to your place for a bit and think. She's really worried about this song, is what she thinks." Hunter smiled. "I told her that's ridiculous. Worry isn't an emotion Raven possesses."

"There are just two things Raven worries about, and they're sitting over there." Amelia nodded to Forsythe and Aidan. "Well maybe three if you count Elisha."

"I get the reference for the song title," Hunter admitted. "Made Fours jumpy though. Should I be worried?" Hunter turned to her slightly, an odd look on her face.

"Nah." Amelia was quietly amused that Hunter was calling him Fours now. "He told you everything?"

Hunter was about to reply but a ship was slowly cruising through the middle of the fleet, one of the only sh.i.p.s to be weaving in between the others. One of the pirate sh.i.p.s. It slipped gently and expertly moving into new formation with the fleet. There were no lights on the deck, making it look like no one was on board. If it hadn't been for the fact there was no system warning it might have even looked like the visage ship that had floated into the harbor.

As it neared Amelia began to make out a low bass humming noise. At first, she didn't recognize it because it was all one key, and then all of a sudden it rose in decibel level. The pirates were humming together in a low and melancholy key.

"Guess we're starting then," Amelia commented. Hunter shushed her, fascinated already. The humming really carried over the water and seemed to make the wood of the ship under their feet come alive as if it resonated with the pitch. They didn't have to wait long though, as all at once and together the humming stopped. There was no chatter, everyone had stopped what they were doing and were peering out over the ocean trying to figure out what was going on.

A clear female voice began singing then, and it carried and stood out against the silence almost too loud at first. Amelia's ears adjusted quickly and the haunting lyrics began to take form. Small lights began to crawl from the dark ship at water level, moving gently as if carried by the waves. Some sort of Bard spell, Amelia guessed. It made it look like lanterns being sent out for lost loved one's at sea.

"Why must, we die?" Sweet and melodic. "

Why must we die?" A louder challenge filled with indignation.

"There came, the cry, of those with lives stolen.

Evil God of the world, to him they were beholden.

For in this world there was just one purpose!"

A mournful end:

"To sit alone, to live alone, to hasten toward deathly purchase."

Silence again. For a moment people thought it might be over and Amelia heard an intake of breath from behind her as people started to gather their thoughts and turn to question one another. They were soon quiet again as many realized the song shouldn't be over. It was too short. Amelia started to frown but realized that the sound of waves lapping rhythmically against the boat made the silence serene and solemn, that the pause in the song must be purposeful.

Abrupt, and loud, it continued.

"You must not die!

You must not die!

There came the answering cry.

There were worlds before,

and there are worlds that come after.

You will live, you will love,

and you will face what comes at last chapter."

"Come, with me…"

"'Be brave!"

"Be brave!"

"Brave for me..."

This time when the silence came no one spoke. The mood was getting bleak, such was the despair and tension in the notes. Amelia looked to see the reaction of Forsythe and Aidan and found that both men were simply grinning down at the deck. She saw Aidan whisper something to Forsythe, two words. She imagined him standing next to her and then imagined those lips moving and she could only hear those two words, sprung from her imagination. "Raven Victory."

"Leave us be, you Devil, and get thee behind us.

Leave us be, and find trouble with someone who doesn't recognize hidden malice.

Fate cannot be changed, get thee behind me, sell it to another.

To sell us hope, to rent us faith, you are the shame of your mother.

Unto their cry, he took their hate and disillusion.

He took the name, and escaped amidst some confusion.

Hurt heavy with hurt, eyes hardened with steel

A dancer, a swordsman, he would find those who knew not how to kneel."

Raven's voice shook Amelia's bones as she began to really put her incredible voice behind it. It shocked Amelia, the sheer emotion behind those words. Her hands trembled as she moved to the railing, and she stilled them by grabbing it. Others began to drift toward the railing, staring out into the darkness.

"Into the dark, the Devil strode without caution!

Evil God, we come to kill, save your words!

Allies at his side, and foes as vast as the ocean

Evil God, today we find, you or us, the future is yet blurred.

See him! See him!

Evil God of that world, whose food was despair and misfortune.

Sees us! Oh, he sees us!"

"I'll fight you! We'll fight for you!

Let us free from this misery."

"I'll fight for you! I'll fight you!

Kneel down before me."

"Look now! Listen! The time hath come.

Watch now!

He's close now!

Evil God was before them.

Listen! Listen!

He cried then! Don't fear him!

We'll thwart him! Don't die now!

Be brave now! Be brave for me!"

"Live to die, can only - be - the greatest crime!"

"Live now! Live now!

Don't kneel down before him!

I fight him, we fight him!

This Devil cried and would not falter."

"No chance! No chance!

Cries came from the cities.

I fight him, we fight him!

Screamed the Devil and his allies."

"Fight him! We fight him! I fight him!

Be brave! Be with me! Be brave!

Don't be, his slave! Be brave!

Die now! Die now!

Enraged Evil God was heard.

Reluctant they rose to fight beside him.

Valor rose finally understood were the words."

"To live to die, would no longer be their only cry!"

"I fight! We fight!

You fight! We'll all fight!"

"He stumbles, he staggers, his eyes full of thunder.

Moves quick, even as his power's torn asunder.

Do not falter, press onward, do not only stare in wonder."

"Live now! Live now!

Evil God falls before you.

Live now! Live now!

We cry now! Live now!

We win now!"

"Tears blur, our gaze.

At the cost, the Evil God, lies broken and defeated.

Steel in our veins, invincible, but our loss left unspoken.

The Devil, at our feet his corpse lies seated.

What have we lost we should never have retreated.

Live as you love, and don't seek just one choice.

With passion and grace,

with humility and laughter.

An eye on the ground to those who fell,

makes you humble and keeps you out of hell.

Let all who fight, know that death is not an answer.

Like flame without heat, like a tune with no dancer.

Honor examples that have come before you,

inspire those that come after with your love."

"Thank you."

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Local Announcement - "15 hours and 17 kilometers" a tale of a Sojourn.

The heart is stirred. A tale of indomitable will told from a master bard of a land where despair ruled. To break free, the heroes banded together but failed to rouse the enslaved populace. It was only at the end during the final battle when the heroes fell that the people rose.

Quality: Masterpiece

Bonus Duration: Week

Morale standard set to: Immortal

Defense: 10% increase.

Main Class Statistic: 5% increase.

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Spontaneous and reverberating cheers rose from the fleet even as lanterns were once again lit on the Scarlet Raven. Amelia didn't know if they were touched for the same reasons she was, but was glad that they approved. For all Amelia knew, they were just happy to receive the bonuses that would last a week.

"Pretty good," Aidan said, at last, doing his best to look unaffected.

"Wait." Forsythe cautioned with a mournful shake of his head.

"What for exactly?" Aidan asked him.

Forsythe held up a finger. "Wait." He repeated. There was a certain amount of dreaded expectation in his voice.

"HAHAHAHAH. I'M A GRANDMASTER BARD NOW. THANK YOU GENTLE AUDIENCE!" Raven was laughing evilly across the water, sorta killing the mood really.

"There you go." Forsythe sighed. "I feel relieved now. She really is the worst"

Aidan started laughing and couldn't seem to stop.

"Hey, did you really fight for 15 hours?" Hunter moved to Forsythe as she asked.

"No." He replied nonchalantly as if she were asking about his entire time. "It was for months."

"In the death game?" She asked again, uncertainty in her eyes. She seemed to be willing to let his quip go.

"Yes." He was staring at her like he didn't know what she wanted anymore.

"Without stopping, just the three of you, against the final world boss?" Hunter persisted.

"Yes?" Forsythe was still waiting.

"What was it like?" Hunter asked, whispering. "I mean, I know, I mean you told me, but you. Crying out loud Forsythe. What was it like to die and know that was it?"

Forsythe considered the question. "I was getting really tired. Then we watched the sunset as the world clock counted down. The company was poor, would not do again."

Hunter sighed and at last, sat down beside him. She very carefully put an arm around his waist and set her chin on his shoulder. "I know you think way too many thoughts to express them, so you pick and choose carefully. I'm less careful, so I want you to know I'm really glad you are alive."

"Thank you." Forsythe looked pleased, though a bit baffled. "I'm glad we don't have to have the argument where you tell me I'm not old enough to have been there."

Hunter rolled her eyes. "You're welcome."

Aidan dragged Amelia away, who squeaked in mild protest. It looked like things were really getting cozy over there and she was dying to see what romantic Forsythe was like. Aidan informed her a few minutes later that was exactly why he had pulled her away.

"Hey Aidan, Raven made it sound like there were a lot of people at that last battle. It was just you guys wasn't it?" Amelia asked, tilting her head.

"We make it sound like no one helped us, and it was us against the world. There were others. They helped us with armor, weapons, dungeons, food, shelter, and many other things. Places to quietly hold ourselves while we steeled our resolve or to mourn. We carried everyone with us, even the ones who died helping us." Aidan smiled at her. "Look, Amelia. If you ever find yourself somewhere, by yourself, you're not alone. Imagine that we're with you and it won't be a lie. Just remember how handsome I am, but don't fall in love with my specter."

Amelia slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close. She looked up at him and quirked an eyebrow. "You can say some pretty good things for a devil. Then you screw it all up."

"Get a room!" Some of the Shadow Fall members were hooting. They were mixing their jeers toward her and Aidan and at Hunter and Forsythe.

Before she finally logged off for the night she took one last sneak peek at Aidan's morale. Invincible. That meant that it was still higher than Immortal.