The Lag (The Game Master: Book #1) by Alex Bobl

of three and beat a hasty retreat, leaving whiffs of smoke in their wake.
    Only now did Attila remember the bag he'd taken off the dead legionnaire. Should he look and see what was in it?
    He checked the bag's four slots one by one but all were filled with some caked goo of unknown origin.
    "What's that?" he showed it to Beast. "I thought legionnaires keep some special-purpose cheats in there?"
    "We do. Only they are made into spells. You can't get them anywhere, they're not for sale. They do it because they don't want to disrupt, what's it called, the autistic experience."
    " Authentic experience, you moron," Yanna butted in.
    "That's what I said. But the Storm had baked the spells solid. Newbs like me don't have them. Why do you think I joined the legionnaires? It wasn't for the money. I wanted to get access to their cheats. As if! They don't issue them to you straight away. All they did, they helped me to max out the Minor Dome of Goodness in my helmet."
    Suddenly Yanna ducked down and put her finger to her lips. Attila and Beast froze. Crouching, she stole toward a growth of brushwood in front of them and peeked out, then nodded to them.
    A group of black figures was stealing through the forest before them.
    "Jeez," Beast's voice was hoarse. "They're clerics."
    Or rather, Silent Brothers, Attila corrected him mentally. What were they doing here so far from the Citadel?
    Clad in wide pants and chainmail shirts over short black cassocks, the Silent Brothers walked in unison, their faces hidden by hood masks. All carried light staffs; one of them had a longbow in a loose cover on his back. The longbow glowed purple. They were headed by a tall figure clad in a dark cloak.
    "A Nazgul," Beast mouthed.
    Or rather, a Dark Paladin, Attila corrected him again. The leader's cloak hung open, revealing an occasional glint of armor. His head and face were concealed by a pointed hood. His long ebony staff resembled a thin strip of darkness crowned with a skull handle.
    Attila, Beast and Yanna lay low, holding their breath. The clerics moved noiselessly, an occasional crackling of a broken twig underfoot barely betraying their passage.
    "What are they doing here?" Beast whispered. "They never ventured so far away from the Citadel before."
    Yanna hushed him up. The Paladin stopped and looked in their direction. Immediately all the other clerics stopped and turned round. Now Attila could see that they wore black eye-slit masks. The leader's was painted with silver stripes that made it look like prison bars.
    The Silent Brothers seemed to look directly at them. Attila froze even though the clerics couldn't possibly see them through the shrubs. His fingers closed around his sword handle.
    The Paladin turned around and walked on. The clerics followed.
    When their dark outlines had finally disappeared behind the trees, Beast open his mouth to speak — but couldn't.
    A red-hot rod seemed to have pierced Attila's head. The sudden agony felt like someone was pouring molten metal down the hole. Beast rolled his eyes and collapsed. Yanna gasped and dropped to her knees. Attila knelt too, grinding his teeth and clutching his head which was about to explode. Colored spots flickered before his eyes. Beast was gasping for air like a beached fish, wheezing and clawing the grass. Yanna whimpered, nestling her face in her hands.
    A few seconds later she managed to sit up. Beast was snapping his fangs, rubbing the scar on his temple. Attila was massaging his stomach trying to overcome a sudden bout of nausea.
    "What was that?" he finally managed.
    Yanna scrambled back up and stood with her feet wide apart, staggering. She ran her hand through her hair. "Dunno."
    "Someone tried to look inside me," Beast said weakly. "It could be one of those very rare semi-sentient mobs. But normally you need to go all the way to the Citadel to find them."
    He pulled out his Book and began spinning the knobs. "I've got to warn Legate," he mumbled. "I need to tell him about