Most people stood around in small groups, and more were trickling in by the minute. There were even people at the edge of the back parking lot who looked like they were there just to watch. Their phones in their hands kind of gave that away. I prayed this wouldn’t turn into another mess like we had with Madame Boudoir. This was way beyond what I could handle solo. Time to delegate.

  First thing, I opened up the guild roster. Only seven of the original members were still with us. The other three had split off into other, newly created guilds. Our party of five plus Chief Brown and Blackheart.

  [William of Brinsford:] [Irregulars] [We can’t control combat using Game Chat with just this many people. I’ve opened The Irregulars so all of you can invite. We have a 25-member max. Recruit the best people you can find. They can form parties with the others to relay instructions.]

  [William of Brinsford:] [Irregulars] [Bhaarrt, you and Sir Andrew are in charge of Warriors and melee DPS. Find others you trust to tank. We’re gonna need more Tanks, and figuring out how many and where they go is your job.]

  [William of Brinsford:] [Irregulars] [Blaze, organize the casters and ranged DPS. Mage-shield types up front, ranged only behind them.]

  [William of Brinsford:] [Irregulars] [Ingrid, you do the same for anyone who can heal. I think I saw a doctor I know. If he can heal, he reports to you. Tanks will need a minimum of two healers each. Assign anyone with HOTs…Heal Over Time spells…to the tanks, only one per tank until we know how many we have.]

  [William of Brinsford:] [Irregulars] [Shadow, anyone with STEALTH is yours. You run the Sneak and Peek Squad. Your primary targets are enemy healers and anyone flagged as a boss. You know the drill.]

  [William of Brinsford:] [Irregulars] [Chief Brown, get as many riot trained officers and officers with shields and gear that you can. They’ll be most of our front line to help defend us.]

  [William of Brinsford:] [Irregulars] [Questions or problems, bring them to the person in charge of the group first, then to me. This is too big for one person to run. Like Bhaarrt said…no plan survives contact with the enemy. Goal one: protect Eddington. That means we win. Goal two: survive. That also means we win. Goal three: make sure we don’t have to do this again. If we can get them to work with us after…everyone wins.]

  [Blaze:] [Irregulars] [Does that mean I get to tell you what to do in battle?]

  [William of Brinsford:] [Irregulars] [When I’m not telling you what to do? Maybe.]

  [Blaze:] [Irregulars] [Yes, big boss man. ;)]

  Throwing my hands up in the air, I begged, “Why me, Lord? Why me?”

  Feeling a tap on my right shoulder, I turned and found Shadow standing behind me.

  “Cause you’re the biggest damn fool around here,” she said. “And we likes ya anyways.”

  That got laughs, even from people close to us who were not on guild chat.

  That’s when the city hall doors swung open.

  That's when Sheriff Harper stepped out of the building, followed by a woman in a tan pantsuit and rose-colored blouse, microphone in hand. A man in jeans and a Fox News 3 t-shirt trailed her with a camera on his shoulder.

  “Shit. Why now?”

  Not bothering asking what they wanted, I cast REVEAL STATS on both of them.

  They told me Vaneski and Airmann. Vaneski was a Level 2 Scribe. That’s a rare, scroll-making and casting Mage sub-class. Spells stored on paper, cast by reading them. Once she ran out of scrolls, she was dry.

  Kevin was an Air Mage. I didn’t want to know why.

  Sheriff Harper introduced her. “Will, this is Vanessa Tarcheski, Fox News 3 out of the capital. And her cameraman, Kevin Anderson. She came here to cover how we’re handling all the…changes due to the game. When I said you got us started and led the first help calls, she insisted on talking to you. Help her any way you can. Answer all her questions honestly.”

  He wore an odd smile and he was speaking oddly. They stopped in front of us. Kevin stepped to the side to set up for a wide frame shot.

  Vanessa flipped through her notepad…just as she stopped, a message flash appeared in front of my eyes. MIND CONTROL RESISTED.

  She took a step back, shocked, as the page disintegrated into dust.

  Using the little bit of acting I learned decades ago; I made sure I looked and sounded angry. It was easy, because I was.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “Ms. Tarcheski,” I said coldly, “Don’t cast any more spells on me. I don’t like it. If you try again, I’ll treat it as an attack…and you might not survive it.”

  “You can’t do that! We’re live on Fox News 3, and I didn’t do anything to you!”

  “Oh yes, you did. You’re a Scribe. Level Two. You just tried to use a Mentalist MIND CONTROL scroll on me. I resisted. Now I’m pissed.”

  “That’s not…I didn’t….”

  “Your notepad’s missing a page now. Unless you’ve already mind-controlled your cameraman, the footage will show you looking down at something right before I reacted. You weren’t expecting resistance, were you?”

  “No one’s ever…how did you...?”

  “Resist? I’m Level Six. My EGO, CHARISMA, and INTELLIGENCE are all higher than yours. You never had a chance.”

  “I only wanted the real story! People always hide things from reporters. We deserve the full truth!” she argued.

  “No. You want to know. You feel you need to know, maybe. You don’t deserve it. Right now, you’re costing us time. Give me the notebook, and I’ll give you some quick answers. We’ve got a fight coming. You can film it…if you stay out of the way.”

  Holding out my right hand to her, I hoped my carrot would get her to bite, so I could reel her in.

  She hesitated. Kevin didn’t.

  “Can we show it live?” He asked.

  “Do you understand people are going to die?” I emphasized.

  “Yes…no…we can delay it. Blur it,” he replied.

  “Vanessa,” Kevin said. “Call it in. Please.” He turned to me. “We need to film it. If she doesn’t agree, I’ll do it myself. People need to see this.”

  “I agree. You can stay. Call it in.”

  Turning to Chief Brown, I said, “Chief, I want to press charges. Mental assault, attempted magical coercion; whatever we can throw at her. And keep anything she can write with away from her.”

  “Wait, wait! I’ll cooperate! Don’t arrest me. Please!” She handed the notebook to the Chief.

  “I won’t do it again, I promise.”

  He took it and looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

  Blaze stepped forward, holding up her badge and ID. “Mz. Tarcheski. I’m Hanna Pozarkova. FBI. I think you mind-controlled a friend of mine and tried it on another. One I’ve worked with for a year. One I met today. Drop the spell on the Sheriff. Now. Or I’ll burn you.”

  Blaze summoned a Fireball and lobbed it straight up into the sky. It blazed bright, trailing red sparks as it flew, then vanished in the distance.

  Vanessa’s eyes and Kevin’s camera followed it until it disappeared. Everyone around us watched it go. A couple of people had their phones out and captured it as well.

  Vanessa turned pale. “Alright.” She glanced over her shoulder and made a pulling gesture. Sheriff Harper blinked and looked around, dazed.

  “What other spells do you have prepared? Give or I’ll search you right here and now.”

  “In…in my purse. In Kevin’s backpack. Side pocket. And, um…my bra.”

  Blaze held out her hand. “That’s where I’d put my backups. Give.”

  Vanessa reached under her blouse and retrieved four more scrolls. Blaze passed them to Chief Brown.

  “Ingrid, help me check her. Kevin. Put the camera down and stop filming.”

  “Seriously?” Vanessa whimpered.

  “Gotta be sure.”

  We turned away and made a ring around her, blocking the view, while Blaze gave her a quick search. “She’s clean. Now fix your clothes.”

  A minute later, Blaze gave us the all clear and we turned back. Vanessa was crying. Ingrid dug into her bag and handed her some tissues.

  Blaze hugged her. Ingrid joined in the hug.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t have time to handle this properly,” Blaze said. “But we didn’t. Will’s a good man. You made all five of us mad. We already killed someone today to save lives. We’ll probably do it again.”

  “If you use your powers to harm people, we’ll come for you,” Blaze warned. “You won’t like what happens. If you think I’m threatening you, I am.”

  “You’ve broken a lot of laws to get where you are,” she added. “We could lock you up with no pen, no paper, no hands. I don’t want to keep you in a coma like some others. Do you understand?”

  Vanessa just stared, shocked.

  “You can’t!” she blurted….

  And froze as a hand yanked her head back by her hair and a blade kissed her throat.

  “We can,” Shadow whispered. “And I will. Sheriff’s a nice man. You fuckin’ ain’t.”

  “Don’t piss off a ninja,” Blaze said flatly. “They’re real. And she will find you. You won’t see her coming…or going.”

  “You’re right,” Blaze added. “I have to keep within the rule of law. Shadow doesn’t. Will gave you a chance. We gave you a chance and a warning. People are likely to die today. One of them could be you, or me.”

  Vanessa trembled. “I…I didn’t think…I just…it’s like a dream. Being able to get the truth, not media spin. I worked hard to get here…but the Game…it’s the biggest story ever. The station sent us to towns in the area to see what you’re doing about it.”

  “And now you get to cover it,” I said. “If we talk it out, great. If not…there’ll be blood. Either way, the story's yours. But if you go to jail, Kevin tells the story instead. You want to watch it or report it?” If you’re in jail, Kevin will get to film and tell it.”

  She hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. I want it.”

  “More than the next big scoop?” Ingrid asked.

  “I…I don’t know. Maybe.” Vanessa tried to drop her head, but Shadow’s fist in her hair wouldn’t let it go down.

  “Shadow,” Ingrid said, “let her go. If she bolts, I’ll knock her out myself.”

  Shadow sheathed her blade. Vanessa’s chin dropped to her chest.

  “I promise,” she said, looking around at us. “I’ll do the best damned job I can.”

  “Chief?” I asked. “Can we put them on the roof with where snipers will go? Good vantage for filming, and out of the way.”

  “I don’t like how you handled her, Will. I know things have changed, but….”

  “But things have changed,” I interrupted. “And we either ride those changes or get buried by them. Chief, you’re in charge. I’ll handle the how. You decide the what and when. If they come in guns hot, we defend. But you call the return shots.”

  He nodded reluctantly. “I trusted you to set it up. Thought you’d take command.”

  “Nope. Not my show. This is yours. Just…don’t be in the way when it starts.”

  He thought, then gave a sharp nod. “Roof it is. I’ll call it in. Let me know if you’ve got more snipers coming. That’s the best place for them.”

  That’s when something heavy slammed into wood behind me…and a roar rang out.

  “Lok’tar ogar!”