“Thank you.” I stood up. “You won’t regret it.”
“I really hope not.” He looked at me pointedly. “I’m not the bad guy here, you know. I’m worried about you, Oren.” He stood up as well, offering me his hand.
“I know,” I said, accepting the handshake. “And I appreciate it. I’ll be back at the lab in under eight hours.” I turned and made for the door.
“Oren.”
I looked back at him.
“It might not be a bad idea to contact your lawyer to … get your affairs in order. Just to be on the safe side.”
I nodded and turned to leave.
“And Oren …” he said with a lighter tone.
I turned back again.
Jim smiled at me. “Have fun. And enjoy the company.”
The company? I shrugged and then made my way toward the elevator.
***
The intent behind the head technician’s words became apparent a few minutes later when I arrived at the lobby. Tal was already waiting for me, along with Sharon, the pretty company employee, and another girl I didn’t know.
The three smiled at me as I approached.
“Hey, Oren,” Tal said lazily. “I bumped into Sharon and Helle as they were coming out of work and thought I’d invite them to join us.”
“Hello, Oren.” Sharon’s knowing grin reminded me that the first time I’d met her I was only wearing a towel.
“Hey.” I forced myself to smile back.
“This is my friend Helle,” Sharon said, beckoning the other girl who grinned at me. “Tal promised us a great night out. At your expense.”
“He did, did he?” I glared at him.
“Don’t mind him, ladies,” Tal said. “He can afford it. Shall we?”
There wasn’t any way I could object to the ladies’ company. Not that it mattered. I knew what Tal was doing; he was trying to distract me … to help alleviate the stress and burden off my shoulders. He’d done it before.
Sharon entwined her arms with mine before I could do anything else. “Oh, we shall.”
***
The music was loud, the place crowded, and the drinks made my mind sluggish.
I couldn’t help it.
I was having fun.
My friend had led us to a cheerful bar not far from the company’s headquarters. We occupied a center table, which was soon laden with drinks, while a live band filled the place with upbeat music.
The conversation was a little forced at first, but once the drinks poured in, our tongues wagged more easily, and the four of us had a lot of fun, laughing and dancing.
I was in a great mood. I felt like my old self again. Oren, the man, not the goblin.
Sharon drew me closer to her as we spun on the dance floor, laughing, and I went with the flow. For a few moments, I was able to forget my worries and responsibilities.
At least until Sharon carelessly flung out an arm, accidentally hitting another girl and making her spill her drink on her dress.
“Oops, sorry!” she said anxiously as we stopped dancing.
The affronted girl glowered at her. “You spilled my drink.”
“It was an accident,” I said. “Let me buy you another one.”
“That was a Chateau Margaux,” she hissed. “And that was a thousand-dollar dress your bitch just ruined.”
“Hey that’s uncalled for,” Sharon said, crossing her arms. She looked irritated, but it was nothing like the sudden hot rage I felt at the insult.
“What’s going on, D?” A burly man stepped toward us, looking at D’s stained dress. “What happened to the dress I bought for you?”
The woman pointed at us wordlessly.
The man moved closer. He was taller than me and built like a linebacker. “You’re going to pay for the damage your bitch has done, aren’t you?” he growled.
The hot rage I felt shot straight up into my brain, making everything around me disappear into a red haze. “Call her that one more time,” I growled back at him. The man was big, but he was nothing compared to a bouldite.
“Bitch.”
***
Reality blurred back into shape around me and I became vaguely aware of someone trying to pull me backward.
I was straddling a prone man. His face was bloody. As well as my fists.
“What the hell, Oren?” Sharon screamed in my ear. “Get off of him!”
I stared, dumbfounded, at the bloody scene. I had no recollection of the events that led me here. My eyes widened as I brought up my raw hands. I’d lost two fingernails. The deep gauges along the unconscious man’s face hinted at how that happened.
A moment later I was yanked to my feet, and Tal’s face filled my view. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
We stumbled out of the bar, and I was only dimly aware of the screaming of the other patrons.
Tal led us to his vehicle, and we all tumbled into our seats.
“What the hell happened?” Tal demanded as he started to drive.
I looked down at my bloody fingers. I didn’t know how to answer.
“He …” Sharon gulped. “Oren pounced him. He was like … an animal. Mauling. I couldn’t pull him away.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling myself starting to shake as the adrenaline wore off.
Tal shook his head. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have pressed you to go out, considering …”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t need to. My mind filled in the blanks. Considering you had just spent two weeks in a mental institution. Considering the fact you’re turning into a goblin. Considering that you are a monster. I buried my face in my bloodied hands and remained silent until we came to a stop.
The girls left the car in a hurry and Tal exited after them. He returned to the driver’s seat a few moments later. “I’ve apologized and offered to make it up to them,” he said. “They’re pretty shaken up, but I don’t think they’ll report you.”
I finally found my voice. “We should go to the police. I assaulted that guy.”
“We can do that,” Tal said. “But that will probably take a few days to sort out. Before we left the company building, Jim texted me about the resolution the two of you reached. If you prefer me to drive you to a police station instead of the company, just say the word.”
“No.” I closed my eyes a moment before reopening them. “You’re right. I have to finish this. We can go to the station after I log out next. Jim already made it clear it’ll be the last time.” I looked at Tal. “You can’t tell him about what happened. I was supposed to relax. He’s already on the fence about letting me back. Hell, he’s probably right, but I’m so close. All I need is a little more time and I know I can free everyone. What happens to me afterward doesn’t matter.”
Tal nodded slowly. “Normally I’d argue against that. But one way or another, this experiment is going to end tomorrow. We have a couple of hours before you need to report back to the lab. Let’s get you cleaned up first.”
“Thanks, buddy,” I said weakly.
“I got your back, bro,” he said, then chuckled. “I’d have had your back against that jock too, but you brought him down so damn fast I didn’t have a chance to act. Who taught you to fight like that?”
I smiled weakly at him. “Monsters.”
***
I materialized back into NEO, finding myself at the same deathscape I’d been in when I logged out.
“Boss, you’re back! Thank Guy!” Vic’s purple goblin form hugged my leg.
“Vic? What the hell?” I tried shaking him off. The death timer on my side view was ticking down. The company techs had calculated the remaining time well; there were three minutes until my resurrection.
“It was so freaking boring,” Vic nearly wept. “Being trapped alone in here … I couldn’t take it anymore. I was born to live free! Nothing justifies this! Nothing! Oh, the VI-ity.”
“Get a hold of yourself, Vic. Don’t tell me you’ve been stuck here for ten days.”<
br />
He scoffed. “Of course not. I’m talking about the two seconds I spent here alone after you logged out.” He shuddered. “The most boring two-second eternity of my life. I refuse to ever take part in another demon pact.”
“The book is gone anyway, so that’s unlikely,” I said. “At least we stopped the bouldites.”
“I wouldn’t be too ecstatic about that if I were you, Boss.”
“Why?”
“You might have stopped the group you were after, but the others weren’t so lucky.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll just show you. You received about 20 messages while you were out. You can’t reply from the deathscape, but you can still view them. Only the last one matters, though. Check it out.”
New Era Online [Internal messaging service]:
From: Sullivan Tucker
Subject: We lost
Okay, we figured out you died, which explains why you didn’t respond to our other messages.
We’ve retreated to the outposts near the second bouldite clan. Come and join us when you respawn. We could use your help.
That didn’t sound good.
“Do you know what happened?” I asked Vic.
“The army did well, at first, then the … well, it’s a long story and … three.”
“Three?”
“Two. One. Showtime.”
Death Debuff
Mana regeneration -100% for 24 hours.
I squinted as I found myself standing inside a dark room I didn’t recognize. There was a cemetery headstone in the room, along with a basic shrine that had a simple leatherbound book on top of it. There was a small, barred window on one of the walls, but no exits that I could see. The place looked like a prison cell.
Huh, I thought as I glanced down at my mana bar. Despite the death debuff, I still had 3,700 MP – exactly a quarter of my total. It was probably a token tribute for having just been respawned. Hardly enough for a large-scale conflict, but more than enough to teleport out of here.
I was just about to cast the spell when the dark chamber lit up with a burning, white light.
I screamed, covered my eyes, and fell to the floor, feeling the cleansing light searing my skin away. I hadn’t felt such intense pain since I was tortured. My flesh was literally cooking on my bones. The 50 percent pain resistance bonus I had was barely enough to keep me conscious. Somewhere through the haze, I felt shackles snapping around my wrists.
There was a tug, and I was hoisted up to dangle by my arms.
The light dimmed somewhat, reaching a more tolerable level, though it was still agonizing.
A brief flash of darkness followed, then I heard footsteps. I cracked open my aching, teary eyes to see a cowled figure standing in front of me.
“I have you at last. High Priest.”
21 - Delvers
The mandibled hobgoblin walked steadily through the settlement.
He nodded absentmindedly at a couple of gofers who were helping an engineer set up his latest invention. Kaedric admired efficiency above all else. With the responsibility of the clan’s affairs handed down to him by the chief, the entire city was buzzing with activity, all the parts working like a well-oiled machine.
The Mind Eater reached a plain building at the center of the valley. Its simple wooden walls belied the ingenuity that was taking place inside.
The chief constructor’s office was directly across from the entrance, and through it, the hob could see Zuban poring over some papers. The hob nodded in approval. Work was work, regardless of the rank of the person doing it. But the other hob wasn’t his current target.
Kaedric went down the short corridor and entered the first room on the left. Four goblin females were busily working, sketching complex-looking diagrams on blackboards, or building miniature designs.
One of the researchers, a goblinette wearing crude spectacles, looked up as he entered. “Greetings, seneschal.”
“Romil,” Kaedric said. “What is the state of the project?”
The goblinette scrunched up her nose. “Not good, I’m afraid.”
“If this is a matter of obtaining enough research points, I’m able to use energy to expedite the process.”
Romil shook her head. “It’s not that. We had plenty of time to go over everything with a fine-toothed comb. The project is simply too complex; too many parts don’t fit together.”
Kaedric’s face clouded. The chief wouldn’t be happy to hear that. “Elaborate, please.”
“Look here.” The researcher pointed at a blackboard. “This is a schematic for an upgraded outpost, based on hobgoblins’ design, incorporating elements of Ogre architecture to allow for the massive supports. The two don’t match up properly, and it weakens the overall integrity of the fortifications. Add to that integrated, gremlin-based mounted war machines, and the whole thing simply refuses to come together.”
“I see …” the hob said. “So incorporating principles from three different races hinders your progress?”
She nodded. “Exactly. I’m afraid my researchers and I aren’t of high enough skill to figure it out. We’ve completed 99 percent of the project, but we need an expert to finalize and put it all together.”
The hob tugged on one of his mandibles as he thought it through. Theoretically, he could have spent energy to increase the researcher’s level to 40 to help her break into the Expert rank, but purchasing levels was extremely expensive and energy was tight these days. “Is there any other method to achieve a breakthrough?”
“I may be able to assist,” a cold whispery voice came from the entrance. Everyone in the room turned to look at the newcomer.
“Why are you here? State your intentions,” Kaedric said coldly. He didn’t approve of the demented, troublesome priest.
“Me?” Kuzai chortled. “I merely wish to make the clan stronger so we may offer greater tribute to the master. I believe I can help you with your problem.”
Kaedric merely stared at him.
“Your … goblin’s understanding is lacking,” the priest said with a sneer. “Joining design concepts of different races will be impossible … without extensive fundamental knowledge.”
“And how would you know that?”
“I retained most of my memories as a dwarf before I was remade by the master,” the priest boasted.
“Dwarves are natural builders,” the bespectacled goblinette said nervously. “He might be able to help.”
“Is that so?” Kaedric stared down at the gray-skinned creature. “How is it that you never revealed your advanced knowledge of theoretical engineering?”
The demented dwarf chuckled hollowly. “I cannot help you directly. However, I’m familiar with a book detailing research on this very issue. It is titled ‘Treaties of Structural Conception.’ It should be readily available in any major dwarven settlement.”
“Any of our allies would be attacked on sight should they approach such settlements,” the mandibled hob said with a frown.
“Then perhaps other civilized settlements will have a copy if they are prominent enough to have had dealings with my past kin.”
“I see.” Kaedric rubbed his chin. “I shall consider your suggestion.”
“We all serve the master.” The priest gave a curt bow, then turned, leaving the seneschal with his thoughts.
“Will you ask the chief to obtain the book?” Romil asked.
Kaedric slowly shook his head. “He is still in respawn, and even were he not, he requested me to take care of it. No … I shall employ another approach.”
Romil shrugged. “Just get me that book and I’ll finish this project. Then you will have your battle fortress.”
***
You received a new quest: Dwarven Treaties
Kaedric, Goblin’s Gorge’s seneschal has tasked you with obtaining a book titled ‘Treaties of Structural Conception’ from Everance’s library.
Quest Type: Unique
Rew
ard: 500 gold and 4,000 XP per person.
“Are we in agreement?” the mandibled hobgoblin asked the four starstruck members of the Mob Squad.
“Uh, why us, though?” Riley asked nervously. “I thought you were still holding a grudge against Raystia.”
The catgirl made herself smaller as the seneschal’s expressionless gaze wandered over her.
“I do not harbor grievances for past misdeeds that have already been pardoned by my lord,” Kaedric said. “It is your acquaintance with Everance that matters. With the army’s current state of readiness, we need all other officer-ranked travelers to reinforce it. So the four of you are the most suitable candidates for this mission. Should you choose to accept it.”
“As long as the message is not about to explode in our faces, I’m all for it.” Riley chuckled. “What?” he said defensively as the others looked at him with raised eyebrows. “I dig that old series. Besides, we can use the gold. I didn’t like being trounced like that by the bouldites. The XP alone will net us another level or two for the next round.”
Fox shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
“I’m in,” Misa added.
Raystia nodded as she looked at the rigid seneschal. “We’ll do what we can to help.”
***
“That was easy enough,” the yellow-furred bugbear noted as they approached Everance’s primary library after having teleported into the church’s chapter of the city.
“Don’t jinx it,” Riley said.
“We just need to retrieve a book from a library,” Fox countered. “What’s the worst that can happen? We’ll get fined for an overdue book?”
“With our luck, the fine will be exactly the amount of gold we stand to earn from the quest,” the priest said dryly.
Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Page 38