Chapter 14: Castle Rathlock

GidSeres snapped his eyes open.

The raid was starting, he was late, and he had a critical dilemma: he couldn’t move without waking Irazu.

Long silver hair lay splayed across his chest. Gently caressing her head, he traced the outline of one slender, pointed ear.

“Mmm,” Irazu moaned, catching his hand and holding it tight against her cheek.

“It’s time to get up,” he murmured near her ear.

She pressed deeper into his chest, trying to bury herself away from the morning.

He chuckled, stroking her hair. “We fell asleep in the instanced quarters again, it seems.”

Irazu looked up, her emerald eyes sparkling. “Is that a first for us?”

“A first for me,” he replied.

She smiled contentedly. “Same.”

A sudden, aggressive banging rattled the grand hall’s heavy door, followed by a cascade of system chimes and muffled shouting.

“Who could that be?” Irazu asked, her voice still thick with sleep.

With a flick of his wrist, GidSeres summoned his UI. He swiped past his status screen, dove into the Guild sub-menus, and toggled off the “Do Not Disturb” protocol.

A flood of flashing holographic pings and system notifications immediately filled his vision.

“I think our guild’s looking for us,” he said with a wry smile.

“They can wait,” Irazu murmured, leaning in to steal a quick kiss.

Before he could react, she darted off the bed with a sultry smile, escaping into her adjoining chamber and pulling the door half-closed behind her.

Sitting up, GidSeres caught a glimpse of her lithe frame through the opening. The faint blue of her skin glowed softly through her sheer nightgown before she slipped it over her head, preparing to change.

Glancing at the flashing system clock, he forced himself to get ready too.

Groaning, he stood and walked up to a blank stone wall. Whispering a secret password, he watched the solid stone melt away to reveal a hidden closet filled with magically floating armaments. Swiping his hand to the right, he cycled through his gear. Selecting a matching black shirt and trousers, he moved on to armor. Bypassing the heavy chain mail to preserve his high agility stat, he opted for a lightweight set of dark brown and green studded leather.

Lastly, he removed his legendary God-Sword and high-tier secondary dagger from their energy stasis fields, confirming their glowing green status bonuses. Checking his character sheet, he verified the special effects and status bonuses were fully active. Dressed and armed, he stepped up to Irazu’s door and reached out to knock.

The door swung open, revealing the Lunar Elf in all her glory.

Her long, silver hair was pulled taut into a high ponytail, secured in place by a silver dolphin brooch. The amethyst necklace resting on her throat caught the light of the magically glowing wall torches, reflecting deep violet hues across his eyes. Sharp streaks of ruby-red pigment were painted around her eyes, complemented by striking lavender eyeshadow and dark violet lipstick which gave her an ethereal, menacing elegance.

But it was her attire that truly drew the eye. Her silk robes were a walking celestial tapestry—a mesmerizing abyss of dark velvet wherein distant stars twinkled and colorful planets spun in silent, orbital harmony. Shooting stars raced across her shoulder blades to streak down her chest, followed by a cluster of meteorites lazily drifting through her abdomen before disappearing into the folds of the fabric.

“Ready,” she said, slamming her staff into the ground. The bright blue crystal crowning its top flared, setting her eyes alight with magical power.

“You look exceptionally menacing today,” he commented.

“Awww,” she crooned, looking down bashfully and drawing lazy circles on the stone floor with her toe. “You’re such a tease.”

“Are we ready to greet the guild?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head as she tapped the air to scan her inventory overlay. “I still have to—”

GidSeres grabbed her gently by the shoulders. Ushering her across the room, he opened the main door. “You’re ready,” he said, shoving her out into the grand hall.

Stepping out after her, they entered the vast, open atrium of their private guild hall. The space was sparsely furnished, designed primarily as a gallery for the dozens of server-first trophies proudly displayed atop ivory pedestals. Most notable among the prizes were Ogre Lord Viktosh’s severed head, the Black Knight’s massive two-handed darksword, and the spellbook of the Great Lich, Lord Iksiom Tenebrek. At the far end of the hall stood two massive steel doors attached to heavy chains and a mechanical winch.

Halfway through the gallery, Irazu held out her staff and wove a sharp, whispered incantation. The air crackled with raw energy before bursting into a cloud of crimson smoke. From the vapor emerged a beast of pure muscle—a rare, four-armed Primal Behemoth Ape.

“Open,” she commanded.

The hulking summon loped over to the winch. Its four muscular arms bulged as it steadily turned the heavy iron handle, grinding the steel doors open at a speed that would normally require a team of Finhorn Barbarians to match.

Standing outside at the door’s threshold were prominent members of their core raid team: Brem Longshot, Evelyn Darkseer, Wraist-lin Major, and Duke Sixty-Nine—who used to be Duke69 until a wave of player reports forced the drastic name change.

Brem, a Golden Elf from the lands of Faedom, was the guild’s best scout. Clad in premium yellow and black leather armor, his skin and hair gleamed a distinct, metallic gold. He carried a rare Dark World Longbow that actively absorbed the ambient light around it, granting him immunity to positive energy attacks. Stepping forward, he dropped to one knee.

“Commander Longshot of House DeadEye reporting, sir,” he greeted GidSeres, then nodded to his left. “Lady Irazu.”

“Brem,” Irazu acknowledged.

“A grave disturbance stirs at Castle Rathlock,” Wraist-lin said in somber tones, stepping forward to join Brem. His voice was little more than a dry, raspy whisper. Clad in robes the color of spilled wine, his white hair flowed down his thin face in ragged waves. The mage’s most striking features were his eyes: golden pupils shaped like irregular, concave hexagons that swirled with magical energy. “Perhaps we’ll find my brother there,” he rasped.

“Doubt it.” Evelyn, the team’s main buffer and debuffer, stood with her hands on her hips while aggressively chewing on a large blob of green blowgooze—Asteria’s version of bubblegum. “You definitely made this brother up for your backstory.”

“How dare you, witch!” Wraist-lin hissed. He brandished a long stick crowned with a yellow drake’s claw. “If my staff doesn’t silence that slanderous tongue of yours, my magic will!”

Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Are we doing this or not?”

“Yeah, I’ve got something to do in a couple of hours,” Duke chimed in. “Let’s get moving. News of your brother is bound to turn up at Rathlock, Wraist.”

Evelyn snorted. “Just like the last ten times you told him that?”

“Thou dost smear the encouraging words of the Duke of Sixty-Nine brazenly, wench! Would that Luna Atari, the Covered Virgin and Goddess of Magic, smite you down with beams of moonlight for the heresy that dribbles from your ill-begotten lips!”

Evelyn held her hands out, bobbing her head from side to side. “Still waiting. No smiting? Okay, cool. Well, I’ve got a hair appointment later, right after we kick some Rathlock a—”

A chaotic chorus of screeches and roars erupted behind them. Everyone turned, looking past the vast grassy expanse surrounding the guild hall toward a circular, gold-plated landing pad where their mounts were tethered. Two garnet-red drakes and a pair of white gryphons stood in sharp contrast next to a ridiculous, giant pink frog bearing angel wings, and a slimy white creature floating aimlessly in the air.

“The mounts are raring to go too,” Evelyn muttered. “I’m coming, Snookums!” she shouted toward the platform, waving frantically before turning back to the group. “She gets separation anxiety.”

“You really brought that?” GidSeres asked, staring at the floating white creature. “Out of all the epic mounts you’ve collected, Duke. That?”

“What?” Duke held his hands out defensively. “The minnow?”

“It looks suspiciously like something else,” Irazu commented.

“Get your minds out of the gutter,” Duke said with a grin. “Besides, what took you two so long while we pounded on the doors for five straight minutes? Why were your guild alerts silenced?”

“Preparing,” GidSeres said quickly, noticing the faint blue blush deepening on Irazu’s cheeks.

“Is that what you call it nowadays?” Evelyn asked.

“We weren’t the only ones pounding on something,” Duke leered, tapping his fist against the air in a mimicking motion. “Knock-knock. Open up!”

Evelyn smacked his arm hard. “Stop it. I don’t want a server ban on this account, too.” She turned to Irazu. “Just ignore him. It’s the only way I’ve survived being friends with this idiot for years.”

“If only the mute button worked on party members,” Irazu murmured.

“Did everyone bring their supplies?” GidSeres asked, forcefully changing the subject.

“I’ve got the high-tier potions,” Evelyn replied, patting the bulky satchel at her hip. “Wraist, did you grab the enchantment wands from the guild bank?”

“Of course, witch!” Wraist-lin hissed.

“Quit calling me a witch. My class was renamed Nature Seer over a year ago. How does everyone know this but you?”

“No, I—I mean, my character is calling you a witch,” Wraist-lin replied, completely dropping his raspy-voiced whisper to speak in a totally normal, mundane voice.

“Oh. Fine, then,” she said. “Did you bring them?”

“Yesss,” he hissed.

GidSeres looked at Duke next. “Duke?”

“Brought the single-use resurrects and scrolls of protection.”

“Good. I’ve got the God-Sword and the Dagger of Final Resting.” GidSeres tapped the hilt of his pearl-white longsword and the curved, bejeweled dagger emanating a dark red aura hanging on his belt. “Irazu’s already memorized the correct summons for this encounter and has a stack of Minor Heal wands as well. Sounds like we’re set. Did everyone already eat and drink for maximum buffs?”

“One sec.” Wraist-lin reached into his robes and pulled out a vial of cyan liquid, downing it in two gulps. “Okay, mana regeneration buff is active. I’m good.”

“This is the raid that’s never been conquered before,” GidSeres addressed the group, his tone turning serious. “We’ve been there several times and retreated just as many, but we’ve never been defeated by the castle. Floor thirty-seven this time—everyone got it?”

“Got it!” the group shouted in unison, except for Duke.

“Wait, what floor did we actually clear last time?” Duke asked, scratching his head. “I might have been a little high during that raid.”

“Thirty-three,” Irazu sighed.

“Oh, right. Got it.”

“Move out,” GidSeres commanded. “There’s a Queen to kill and a kingdom to free!”

“For the glory of House DeadEye!” Brem shouted, sprinting toward his drake.

“And for a hairstylist who needs to make me look spectacular tomorrow night,” Evelyn added, strutting toward her winged pink frog.

“My brother is in there. He must be,” Wraist-lin muttered, laboring toward his mount and using his staff like a cane.

As GidSeres and Irazu mounted their gryphons, Duke leaped atop his floating white minnow.

GidSeres stared at the wiggling beast. “Are you absolutely sure that’s not a sper—”

“Giddyup, Phallus!” Duke shouted. The minnow took off, undulating wildly through the sky.

Irazu and GidSeres exchanged weary looks, shook their heads, then pulled back on their reins. The gryphons beat the air with their massive white-feathered wings, launching them into the sky as the guild flew out toward Castle Rathlock.