The Gray Tower (Being Rewritten as The Erstwhile Druid)

Chapter 24: Crap Always Hits the Fan

Luke perched on a parapet, legs dangling as his cape billowed, the intensifying breeze a puppet master. A wooden scent wafted past his nose, the forest's blessing riding on the coattails of a gust of wind. Below, Vana was quiet, save for a few adventurers patrolling the streets. He was too far above to hear them. Small flames floated in the distance, twinkling weakly. Each flame a life, each life so easy to snuff. He shook his head. When had he started thinking like this?

He picked up a broken piece of the wall, kneading it between his fingers.  Wolfbond sagged against his back, stabilized by a flexsteel shoulder strap. His free hand reached out, brushing Silver's luxurious fur. He smiled, strands of wolf hair tickling his fingers. Petting is always a good stress reliever.

Silver's head perked, eyes sharpening into white slits. Master, the wolf warned. Visitors at the gate.

"Visitors?" Luke peered downward and groaned.

"Hey, who's the dipshit sitting on the tower?" A voice called out from below.

Three figures stood in front of the gate, torches in hand. That's Jan's voice. If he's here, that means the other two must be Borus and Horus. Great. Borus and Horus were Jan's personal bodyguards. A foot plus taller than Luke, the pair were known as the Twin Towers — the strongest knights in Vana, though Kaguya gave them a run for their money. They were imposing but had one quirk: the two never spoke a word. They offered a few grunts here and there, fragments of sentences, random words. But never a complete sentence.

Nevertheless, Jan understood them. How? Empathy? Random hand gestures?

Luke narrowed his eyes, stood and said, "Jan, nice to see you haven't changed one bit." He chucked a rock at the mercenary general. The stone skipped harmlessly, Jan sidestepping the missile.

"Gotta maintain the cool-guy facade for my fans. Why are you being emo up there?" Jan hurled a rock back, clapping in disappointment as his volley fell short of Luke.

"Don't make me go down there."

"Yeah, yeah."

"It's a bit late to be heading out. Sent on another fool's errand?"

"Tired of wiping the council's ass. Figured your girl would do a better job. Hell, if I pissed Noelle off I'd be shitting bricks in my pants," Jan said.

Luke chuckled, rubbing his stomach. "Oh, if only you knew. Bricks would be just the beginning..."

"You want to come? A brisk walk can clear the mind, just like how sex is a great stress reliever."

"You do know you're shouting?"

"No shit, Luke. Who cares? We're stuck in a stupid game, you're being stupidly emo, and I'm being stupidly loud," Jan said. "Everything is stupid."

Luke coughed. "Good luck, Jan. Not that you'll need it with Horus and Borus around."

"I'll bring you back a few orc heads as souvenirs." Jan saluted, passing through the gates. The trio melted into the forest, engulfed by Mother Nature. The trees spoke, wind whistling through branches and leaves.

Luke uttered a quick prayer to no one in particular. There wouldn't be any monsters in the emerald copse. The previous invasion had come by sea. Either way, Vana was finished. Realistically, the seaside town wouldn't be able to withstand another sizeable invasion force. The first assault had been miraculously repelled, but the town's defenses were nonexistent, reduced to firewood and ash.

Even if there were defenses, a shortage of capable players guaranteed a chink in their armor. Those who had fought and stood their ground were slain. The brave always die first. Luke didn't know the dead by name, but he knew their faces.