‘Master Roan is coming,’ Val said. ‘He has others with him. There are no other Players left in this building except Djadja, but I do not know what to expect from this interaction. Be careful.’

  “Everyone out of this room,” I said. “Now.”

  Ersabet moved for the exit immediately, but she gave me a side eye as she left. Harl’s steps were lethargic, so I placed my hand on his back and ushered him out of the room.

  I could hear their steps echoing down the hall as I shut the door behind me.

  This wasn’t part of the plan. We were supposed to kill the Kurskins in silence and then muster everyone awake for the big reveal with the assist from Djadja. I had intended to let Roan sleep through it all. I would have to improvise.

  “Let me handle this,” I said, not feeling nearly as confident as I sounded.

  ‘Any idea how I can explain this to Master Roan?’ I asked Val.

  ‘Roan is a Special NPC designed to facilitate perpetual quest options for the Players. He is programmed to accommodate them, and by them, I mean both my people and the Kurskins. I wouldn’t be surprised if he demands your death.’

  ‘That’s not going to happen,’ I thought to Val. Master Roan may be a lost cause, but the normal NPCs still had free will. Their memories might not be their own, but the choices they made every day since the creation event were.

  Eight Hunters rounded the corner, led by Master Roan. Their weapons weren’t drawn, but they had clearly been in a rush to get here. No doubt they had heard the commotion.

  “What’s in all the Heavens is going on here?” Roan yelled as he approached.

  I held up my hands. “There is no danger, Master Roan.”

  He slowed and stopped short as he looked our group over. I could see a sense of worry wash over him as he noticed the blood covering each of us. “What has happened? Why are you in this wing?”

  “The Kurskins attacked us,” I said. “Gather all the Hunters, and I’ll explain.”

  “You will explain now!”

  “They were going to kill us,” I said. “We had no choice.”

  Roan darted forward, eyes on the door of the Kurskin’s room. He passed me and yanked it open. The macabre scene inside made him gasp, and he stumbled back.

  “What have you done?” he asked. His breath quickened, and he leveled a finger at me. “I’ll have you put to the sword for this.”

  Before I could speak, Ersabet’s hand landed on my shoulder, and she stepped up to my side. “The Kurskins attempted to kill me. They betrayed your laws, and I defended myself. You must allow us to speak to our defense among the entirety of our peers before rendering judgment.”

  All the anger and anxious bile left his expression at Ersabet’s words. His face slackened, and he looked to the ground as if considering.

  What had I been thinking? I should have let Ersabet handle this from the beginning. Of course Roan would listen to her. It was his purpose.

  He nodded slowly as if coming to a profound decision. “Very well,” Roan said. “To kill a Hunter is a betrayal that can never be forgiven. We will let all bear witness to the truth.” His eyes flicked back to me, and I saw the anger return.

  ***

  While Roan hadn’t subdued us, he refused to let us out of his sight. He and a few Hunters stood guard over us in the meeting hall while the others woke up their peers. The rest of the Hunters started to trickle in, and none looked pleased to have their beauty sleep interrupted.

  I wondered what was going through Master Roan’s mind right now. From the look on his face, he wouldn’t let this slide, no matter what I had to say. He would probably find a way to rationalize Ersabet’s involvement, but he wanted to make Harl and I answer for what we had done. I could feel it.

  The chatter from the growing audience increased as more entered the room. Harl, Ersabet, and I were all seated at the front of the room, armed guards looming nearby. It was clear their weapons were to keep the three of us in line, and I could hear speculation rising among my fellow Hunters.

  Roan stood from his seat at the front and blew a sharp whistle. The murmuring crowd fell silent instantly, all eyes fixed on their leader.

  “I apologize for waking you, but your presence here is necessary. This fellowship has been wounded, and it will take all of us to mend it. Our sanctuary has been tainted by death, and our sacred code has been broken.”

  He sounded to me like a preacher laying the groundwork to whip his flock into a frenzy.

  “Seven of our Kurskin brothers lie dead inside our walls, killed not by monsters but by our own.” He pointed at us. “By them.”

  The crowd began to grumble, feeding off Roan’s words. This wasn’t a good start.

  “Do something, Ersabet,” I whispered. “Shut him up before he taints their opinions about us.”

  Ersabet stood abruptly, “And we are grateful that you have given us an opportunity to explain. With your permission, we will do so now.”

  Roan looked like he wanted to say more, but his compulsion to side with Ersabet won out. “As you say, Hunter Ersabet. You may speak before judgment is passed.”

  “Yesterday, Surach and Djadja attempted to kill me and, in doing so, nearly killed John, Harl, and Minna. When their attempt failed, we were forced to abandon our quest and return here, only to discover their devious plot did not end with them. The other Kurskins tried to finish what their kin started. They, too, failed.”

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  Ersabet glanced at me, and I gave her a nod. She was saying all the right things.

  “It is not us who broke our laws,” she continued. “It was them. We are not here to ask for forgiveness, Master Roan, but to accept your thanks for removing these traitors from your midst.”

  Roan sputtered, and I was amazed by how easily he was cowed by her.

  Before his warring thoughts could coalesce, I stood next to Ersabet. “She speaks the truth,” I said. “But not all of it.” I let the words hang, drawing the crowd in. “All Hunters are equals, are they not, Master Roan?”

  He seemed to snap back to reality now that he had a question his scripted mind could answer. “The Hunters have no rank, and all who choose to dedicate their life to our cause are welcome.”

  “No rank, huh? If that is true, then why have you allowed the Kurskins to treat us as inferior?” To the room, I said, “When has a Kurskin ever treated you like an equal?”

  “The Kurskins are a hard people,” Master Roan said. “There’s no denying that, but they fight for us. Ridding the world of dangerous monsters is a benefit to all mankind. They pledged themselves to our order, and I saw the truth in their hearts.”

  “The truth?” I questioned before he could continue. I shook my head. “You know nothing of the truth, Master Roan. None of you do. But I am here to enlighten you all. Ersabet, bring me Djadja.”

  There was a murmur of excitement in the crowd at the name. Djadja, like all the Kurskins among the Hunters, was well known for his exploits. He wasn’t liked, of course, but he was respected.

  “Djadja lives?” Roan gasped. “If this is true, he must be allowed to speak. Bring him forth at once.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” I said and nodded to Ersabet.

  She bolted out of the room, and I regained the crowd's attention. “Djadja has been spared,” I said. “He attempted to kill us, yet we showed mercy.” I looked at Roan. “You have no reason to believe me. But perhaps you will after you hear what Djadja has to say.”

  The crowd grew restless as we waited, and Harl finally rose from his seat and paced nearby. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to be with Minna. I wasn’t clear on their relationship, but they’d obviously known each other for a long time and cared about each other in a deeply familial way.

  Roan was speaking in hushed tones to his most loyal Hunters. He was weaker and less decisive than I had expected him to be in this situation. Ersabet’s involvement had really done a number on him. It seemed to me that the Master Control AI stripped his identity so thoroughly that he was incapable of thinking outside of his preconditioning.

  A commotion went through the gathered Hunters like a wave, and I followed the source. Ersabet had reentered the room. She was walking briskly, holding onto the bindings on Djadja's feet as the rest of his body dragged along the floor behind her.

  There were a few gasps from those shocked by the disrespect, but there were an equal number of muffled laughs.

  Master Roan was among the gaspers.

  She pulled him to the front of the room, and I helped her heap him into my chair, where he faced the crowd.

  His hands were tied tightly behind his back, and his legs were thoroughly bound, but I still considered looking for more rope to tie him to the chair with. But I decided against it. It would be a bad look. He was here to speak the truth, after all.

  I bent forward to untie his gag. While I was close to him, I made sure we were on the same page. “There is only one way you leave this room alive,” I said in a whisper. “Play ball, and you live. If you try to undermine me in any way, Ersabet will snap your neck right here in front of everyone.”

  I didn’t wait for any acknowledgment that he understood and removed the gag. He was either going to help me, or he was going to die. It was his choice.

  He didn’t start screaming at me the moment he could speak, so I took that as a good sign.

  “Master Roan,” I said. “Ask him anything you’d like. In exchange for sparing his life, Djadja has sworn to us that he will speak true. He swore this on his honor.”

  Djadja had no honor, but Master Roan believed otherwise.

  The leader of the Hunters took a tentative step forward and cleared his throat. “Brother Djadja, you have been accused of attempting to kill a member of our order. What say you to these accusations?”

  A heavy silence settled over the room as we all waited for Djadja to speak.

  Djadja coughed and took a deep breath. “It was Surach’s idea.”

  Master Roan stepped back as if punched, and chatter rose from the audience.

  “You and Surach were loyal Hunters,” Roan said. “Why would you do such a thing?” The question came out more like a plea, as if Master Roan was begging for an acceptable excuse.

  “My people are at war with the Dalari,” Djadja said. “You know this.”

  “A war may rage in the west,” Roan said. “But the only war being fought in these parts is the war against the unnatural horrors that roam our lands, and we are all on the same side.”

  Djadja laughed. “In the west, many of your people believe the Dalari are birthed from the underworld. They believe the Dalari are demons, and my people are their saviors. They would tell you that killing Ersabet is a fulfillment of my Hunter’s oath, not a violation.”

  Where was Djadja going with this? I grew increasingly anxious as he spoke and wondered if I should just signal for Ersabet to kill him now.

  Ersabet stepped forward, and my heart skipped a beat, thinking she was going to do just that.

  “The world goes further west than the border of Vedra,” she said. “And beyond your nation, humans believe the opposite. It is propaganda. Nothing more.”

  “I do not care what those on the other side of the world believe,” Roan said. “I care only about our order.”

  “You are right not to care, Master Roan,” I said, taking a step closer to my audience. “Because it is a lie. But the lie doesn’t end there.” I looked over my shoulder at Djadja. “Does it, Djadja?”

  All eyes were on him. He seemed to enjoy the attention. “It does not,” he said slowly.

  “I don’t know what you may believe about the nature of the Kurskins and the Dalari,” I said. “But I can assure you, whatever you think you know is wrong. I came here to enlighten you. To free your minds from the fog of lies you have been told.”

  I looked into the eager eyes of my audience. They wanted this. Deep down, they’ve always known something was wrong, and they now looked to me for the answers.

  “The Kurskins and the Dalari are allies, and they are here for only one purpose, and it is not to protect mankind. They are here to destroy us and claim Erda as their own.”

  “Nonsense,” Roan said. “You are lying.”

  “He is not,” Ersabet said. “And I would know.”

  “Djadja, do I speak the truth?” I asked.

  He groaned and rolled his eyes. “You have the basics of it.”

  Questions erupted from the crowd. They wanted to know more. They needed answers.

  “If they are allies, why are they at war with themselves?” Roan yelled, cutting through the clamor.

  I nudged Djadja in the leg. “Answer his question.”

  He shook his head and chuckled to himself. “Because it's fun. Because beyond your world, we are too powerful to engage in frivolities such as war. And so we come here to play.”

  Before more questions could be shouted, I said, “And what are your plans for the human race?”

  He shrugged. “Extinction, eventually. Until then, whatever we want.”

  The crowd erupted in anger. Roan fell to his seat. There was nothing he could say now to stop this.

  I held up my hands, and it took a long while to get everyone to calm back down. Their reaction was more than I had expected. They had only the barest morsel of the truth, but it was enough to open their minds.

  “I joined the Hunters for this purpose. I chose you out of all the people in Vedra because you fight for a greater good. You all have dedicated your lives to eliminating the monsters that plague humanity. And now you know who the real monsters are.”

  I took a deep breath and tried to calm my beating heart. “Ersabet has forsaken her people…” She had never said anything like that, but after helping me do this, I couldn’t imagine she would be viewed as anything but a traitor. “…She has refused to participate in genocide and has pledged herself to my cause.”

  I glanced at her. Her expression was unreadable.

  “She is strong, but we cannot fight back against them alone. So I ask you this – will you join our cause? Will you help me free our people from the monsters who seek to end us? Will you fight back?”

  My fellow Hunters roared in unison. The stone walls around me vibrated as they chanted their support.

  The spark of revolution was growing into a flame.