The Devil In White: An AA Online Novel

King Elairdrin met them at the entrance of the throne room, a short journey through a maze of a castle keep that Amelia had discovered was surprisingly small. The place had always looked bigger from the outside. Since it was so small she didn't understand why it had to be so winding and difficult to get through. It seemed like every few meters they would turn left or right through a doorway. They must have only gone 30 meters before they were in the throne room but turned more than a dozen times.

"Heroes," King Elairdrin paused for a moment and glanced at Amelia as if uncertain how to address her before continuing, "I welcome you. We have had Diviners trying to see what troubles await but they have been met with high-class anti-scrying spells. Several are recovering in the Temple of Ixiol. Can you tell us what is happening?"

"Ixiol?" Aidan asked, his hazel eyes questioned Amelia quietly.

"This is an Equestrian faith in the region. Ixiol is the deity of the land and is known for his swiftness in action and his loyalty to those who serve." Amelia dutifully answered. She would have liked to tell him to figure it out on his own but the king was right there.

"Horse god." Raven acknowledged, brushing her dark black hair from her eyes. She was met with a silent glare from Amelia but if the king had noticed the affront to his faith he didn't react.

"If it's information that you can't get yourself, I suppose we could at least listen. We're new to this land and we'd like to be compensated equally." Aidan smiled and opened his hands. He paused as if he were having a thought and it was interrupted by another one. "Have we met before?"

"That is King Filiel," Forsythe deadpanned behind him. When Aidan and Raven turned to look at him he even raised his hand and pointed with a finger at the king, as if their glances back at him indicated they weren't sure who he was talking about.

King Elairdrin paused and turned to show his bearded face to Aidan, ignoring Forsythe. He was a tall Resident, one of the tallest height parameters in fact, and his good looks had netted him a place in the top 50 most handsome looking Resident polls on an official CHoldings survey. "I'm afraid that is impossible. I would know you three I am certain." Amelia could apparently be forgotten, and the thought almost made the unhappy in her stomach she felt show on her face.

"Oh. I must be mistaken. You remind me of a friend of mine. I'm sure we'll be great allies." Aidan smiled charmingly. That smile again. Somehow Amelia sincerely doubted that King Filiel was a friend of Aidan's.

Uncertainty played on the king's face, but he forced a smile. "What they did see from scrying was that the force is comprised of several monsters that all seem to be under the direction of ashen hued humans. They spring from shadows, climb walls, and have some sort of darkness attribute. Small reptiles or perhaps wingless dragons? The refugees report that they are self-healing and that the humans that accompany them seem to be frighteningly skilled magicians of the same attribute."

"Numbers?" Aidan asked, giving no indication he really knew anything. That same self-serving smile was on his face.

"Ah," Raven said thoughtfully. Forsythe also looked like he knew exactly what was going on. Neither of them said anything, and after their looks of recognition both fell silent and began looking around the throne room instead. Forsythe stood with Aidan while his eyes wandered, but Raven actually got bored and started toward the walls that held a bunch of different paintings and tapestries.

"Hordes," the king replied. His eyes followed Raven as she walked away from the group, and his face stretched slightly with irritation like he was getting a little worried about whether she would try to steal something, or more likely, accidentally break something. Amelia sympathized. She hadn't even been with them long and she felt like her patience had fled long ago. She was mostly hoping that Raven didn't break anything herself. There was a brief moment when Amelia could actually imagine Raven setting fire to things.

"Yes, I can tell you with some small certainty that we have encountered the like before," Aidan said smoothly after hearing the rest of the description. At his behest, King Elairdrin had also gone into detail on what the large reptilian creatures looked like. "The world was different though, and there is no guarantee that the similarities remain. Still, I hope for a good relationship with this kingdom. We have been looking around and we really like it here. It would grieve all of us if the land became desecrated and the Residents turned into those monsters…"

King Elairdrin paled slightly as Aidan talked, and Amelia wondered what he was doing. For some reason the King absolutely ignored the talk of another world and instead focused on the other things he had said.

"Turned into monsters?" The King blurted out, interrupting whatever Aidan had been going to say.

"Yes, in our world they were called the Visage. They are created from the remains of Residents with a necromantic ritual and reformed as monsters. They are approximately 3 meters long and resemble… hmm, do you have Draconids?" Amelia shook her head when he looked at her, and he shrugged before he continued, "then they are reptilian with no wings and powerful jaws. They are as a species magic resistant and somewhat projectile-proof."

Amelia shuddered, imagining a swarm of the described creatures crawling over the walls. They couldn't really be thinned from range either. "What's their weakness?" She was finally forced into the conversation through curiosity.

"The pointy end," Forsythe said simply.

King Elairdrin frowned. "If they are simply to be fought man to beast, why have they overwhelmed those who lived there so suddenly?"

"They use illusion and teleportation magic to travel between areas where there is no light. You set up defenses on your wall, and when night falls they just crawl out from every space that doesn't have torchlight available." Aidan shrugged. "Your dead are used to refill ranks. If I recall, they retain certain experience levels from their base host, though not spells or skills. That's good for you right?"

Amelia was impressed with the explanation. It was only the most generic description, but what he didn't say left room for everything that was unknown. It was also implying that if a powerful ally fell at least they wouldn't have to worry about that allies abilities. Just because spells and projectiles weren't hugely effective on the creatures didn't mean the reverse wouldn't be true. Creatures with spells and acquired ranged abilities would be a nightmare.

"Then the mages with them?" A voice from behind Amelia near the entrance of the room.

It was a tall woman wearing leather survival gear. She was flanked by a few people as she entered the room, and her presence was immediately imposing. In Aspiration you could only deviate from your original appearance only slightly(other than racial differences), it was a way to keep things interesting and stopped people from going completely crazy with the appearance parameters. She must have already been a striking woman in real life. Her leather doublet was sleeveless but she wore a long-sleeve white shirt under it, giving her a rather cutting presence in the hall.

"This is Hunter, the leader of Shadow Fall," King Elairdrin said, extending a hand. "She is the leader of a powerful Transient force in the area."

Amelia froze. To say that Hunter was a powerful member of the Transients in the area was understating it. Hunter was currently in the AA Hall of Fame top 200 players, and her modest guild of 50 were no slouches. She was a Silf. A humanoid elfish hybrid characterized by their nature affinity and pointy ears. Amelia wasn't certain if Hunter played the game and was paid for it, but she probably could be playing it and making a living at the same time. In a game with over 4 million users, being in the top 200 was a proclamation of strength and many of the Ethernet networks that broadcasted streamers would have paid her handsomely to air her footage along with several sponsored ads.

Aidan didn't look impressed, merely annoyed at the interruption. "Ah. Greetings then I guess." He turned his back on her and returned his attention to the King. The shining white hood he had pulled up over his head at that moment completely cut her out of his line of sight. A line of slighting.

"..." Shock rode through Hunter's face and that of her companions. They all came up short abruptly, unsure for the moment how to react. Aidan's bar made him look like a Resident, and he had reacted neither to the fact that the King introduced her nor her probably fantastically high levels of reputation and fame.

"So… the magicians with them then?" The King prompted gently. Amelia was impressed with the way he redirected the flow of conversation, acknowledging the importance of Hunter's question and also sliding by the man who was slighting her.

"Somewhat powerful Wizard Class Necromancers. The ritual took… what... " Aidan's gaze lost focus for a moment. "Forsythe?"

"Average level was 195, [Drain Magic], [Consume Soul], [Desecrate Land - Greater]." Forscythe recited obediently. "Somewhat powerful." He repeated with the smallest of smiles.

"Those." Aidan grinned.

Amelia frowned. "Desecrate Land? You mean they can change the landscape?"

"Conquered cities and surrounding lands are life-leeched. Nature is in opposition to the darkness attribute and weakens Necromancy." Forsythe once again explained. He was studying Hunter's group even as he easily recited these facts. His gaze lingered on her for a moment. "Nice boots."

"195?" Hunter asked, staring blankly at Forsythe. She shifted from foot to foot for a moment, ignoring his comment about boots. "The higher level bosses are that powerful?"

"Bosses?" Aidan asked, perplexed.

"250." Forsythe answered. "The special ones will be higher."

It was like a fog had descended on the room.

Amelia's Quest Completed but she put it aside to review the results later and returned her attention to the meeting in front of her. To her surprise, Forsythe, Aidan, and Raven were all glancing up as well.

"Good! Seems like we're done here. We were glad to help… but we're going to go out and explore a little bit. Grind out some levels and discover some new skills and jobs." Aidan began to turn away, and it might have been her imagination, but Amelia saw him going slower than he might have.

"What? Wait!" Hunter held up her hand as he turned, and King Elairdrin almost leaped out and grabbed his shoulders before stopping himself.

Aidan turned around, looking quizzical. What could they possibly want from him was written in innocence all over his face. Forsythe hadn't bothered to pretend they were leaving. He just stared and stood still as if waiting.

This is the Devil then, Amelia thought quietly to herself.