by Rick Scar
“Raven! Great timing!” Without turning to look at him (she was too busy fighting three enemies at once), she briefly described the situation. It was just what Will had expected.
Twenty minutes later, they had cleared most of the city. Shimiraz’s HP was rather low, but it was low for a count-rank boss. Against regular mobs, this thing remained as strong as a nuclear missile. A real cheat code.
“Phew. I was just going to say goodbye and send you home.”
“Honestly, I’d rather stay.”
“Stay? Here? You know they’ll be back soon, don’t you?”
“Yeah. That’s a good way to gain XP. If you leave your assistants with me, I’ll be safe. What do you think?”
Will could see her reasoning. After considering it for a while, he decided to let her do it. If things turned ugly, he could send her home anytime.
“Thanks. You told me I needed to become stronger.”
“Sure. See you tomorrow. And please, be careful.”
“I will.” Smiling, she suddenly stepped ahead to plant a kiss on his cheek. “That was a great date.”
Looking at her happy face, he smirked back. “Glad you liked it, my dear. By the way, I almost forgot… I need to walk to the observer’s body.”
Soon after the rogue’s inventory had been supplemented with many interesting items. The two most valuable ones were:
Observer’s Eye
Rank: Rare Item
Type: Accessory
Description: This eye belonged to a member of the long-forgotten observer race. It has the power to enhance your night vision.
+50% to night vision when placed in slot
Astral Chain Link
Rank: Rare Item
Type: Part
Description: This is a link of the spirit chain that can be used to chain a living creature’s soul to an item. Collect all the parts to assemble and use this chain.
Parts collected: 1/100
***
Dad called the next morning. His voice was full of emotion. Sure, he was happy with this sudden wealth, but he was also concerned it could get the family into trouble. After he had comforted him, Will exercised and had breakfast before going back to his queen.
***
Nanel was worn out. Will rejoiced after seeing the Khalapheer and the Ogre were still alive; it would have been a great shame to lose them. He took the queen back to the palace to rest and came back with the archer.
It took Will a while to fly up to the foundation of one of the chains, but the other chain was even more problematic. Instead of the ring that should have been fixing it to the stone ceiling, there was a strange hole that was glowing yellow where the chain’s end disappeared, looking like a small portal to an unknown destination.
After reaching Zakhel and describing the problem, Will learned that this portal was a crack between worlds. Even before the world was separated, the observer race had been filling these cracks to keep it in balance. But the separation of worlds had sent all their effort down the drain. Shortly after that, the race had split into two tribes: the observers of the heavens and the observers of the depths, who watched not the fabric of the worlds, but the creatures that inhabited them, punishing those who played gods. But the time spent in the shade had taken its toll on the observers of the depths, continuously transforming their bodies until they became what they now were.
“So, what can I do?”
“I can teach you the magic of sealing, but this knowledge comes with a particular responsibility.”
“Responsibility?”
“You will have to seal all the cracks, wherever you see them. Even at the risk of ending your friends’ lives if you have to.”
“Ending their lives? Are these tiny cracks that dangerous?”
“Do you think… do you think we just did it for fun? Spending our whole lives sealing them?” The observer’s voice gained strength and significance, as if he had been transported back in time to when he was proudly sealing those cracks and protecting the worlds.
“How dangerous is it?”
“You will see in due course. Unless you just leave me here and walk away.”
After making himself comfortable on the chain and resting his head on his hand, Will stared at the ceiling, which was flooded with the glow emanating from the creature. Granted, he had too many things on his plate already, but according to the observer, he wouldn’t have to roam the worlds looking for the cracks. He would only have to seal them whenever he came across one. But still, this was a weird skill. It was the first skill he had encountered that came with an obligation to complete a particular task.
“What if I just pass by the hole without sealing it?”
“By the crack,” the observer corrected. “If you don’t seal it, you will pay. This world is watching everyone. It remembers every face. And one day it will give everyone their due.”
“Sounds… sad.” Will squinted at the other speaker. “What’s in it for me? What can I gain from this skill?”
“Oh, you can gain so much with it that in the olden days, you could get killed over it. Why do you think I was hanged up here?”
“Um… As a punishment?”
“No. As torture.”
“I’m afraid to ask, but… how did they even manage it? I had no idea the Dolfs could fly.”
“What if you give it a bit more thought?” The observer’s voice was dripping with sarcasm; it was a bit too much to ask of someone who had supposedly spent ages dangling between life and death.
“Oh, I see. But why couldn’t that… that emperor have another member of your race teach him?”
“I am the only one who can teach this skill. And even the emperor’s power was not enough to force me to do that.”
“Oh, I see. But why would you teach me then?”
“Because you have my eternal gratitude, messenger.”
“Oh, yes. I totally forgot,” Raven whispered under his breath and asked his next question: “What is so special about this knowledge?”
“You will see when you seal your first crack.”
Attention! You have been offered to the chance to learn an observer’s skill:
SEAL OF THE HEAVENLY KING
Rank: Unique
Active skill: Apprentice
Description: Seal the cracks between worlds and accumulate the acquired substance into skill or attribute points.
Substance to gain 1 attribute point: 0/1,000
Substance to gain 1 skill point: 0/5,000
Energy required: 500
Accept: Yes/No?
Oh. Now I see what that old man was talking about. Free skill points. Every player’s dream.
Will got another message at the same time. This one was from Mollie.
***
One hour earlier
Mollie was sitting in front of the small mirror in her apartment combing her hair. She had been doing this for the past ten minutes, aimlessly peering into her reflection, her mind fixed on what she had to do later that day. To get married. She had long accepted this fact, and besides, this wasn’t a real marriage, anyway, just an in-game one. But it was still affecting her deeply.
I can’t give my whole life. I’m not like that greedy brute.
Hoping that her thoughts would somehow give the person who had brought this misfortune upon her terrible hiccups, she stopped running the comb through her hair, which was already perfect, and turned to the game capsule in the corner.
Let’s just get it over with. This damn marriage.
Mollie’s shoulders drooped as she remembered the long days of investigating the prince’s mystery and wooing him.
He’s a nice guy, yes, but I’ve never been someone to make the first move. And… should I invite Will? I’ve even invited my enemies, but that’s only to show them where they stand.
After turning in front of the mirror again and smiling at her reflection, she got into the capsule. Her character was already in the palace chambers with the wedding dress on.
Many players from many clans were expected to come and see the first ever (or at least, so they thought) player to become a member of royalty. The web had been buzzing with rumors for the past three days. However, no one except for Kingmaker’s closest friends knew that this wedding was actually nothing but a tiny step in a much larger plan, and that she wouldn’t be gaining any real power. Mollie’s relationship with the prince was only at Trust, and the prince’s father, the ruling king, was still alive and not planning on stepping down from the throne any time soon. This meant there was a great deal of scheming to be done in order to work her way up to a higher position.
Nevertheless, it was only because of the upcoming wedding that her clan had become No. 1, overtaking Fortuna. That was already enough to compensate for all her efforts. Mollie wasn’t sure they would be able to hold this spot, but it was still a landmark event. For the first time ever, Fortuna had been replaced as the leading clan.
It was almost time. Followed by Katharine and two other girls, Mollie made her last full turn before the mirror and, after putting a brave smile on, headed for the door to become the prince’s wife and enjoy the celebration.
Chapter 227. The Laughing Queen
S he’s inviting me to her wedding? Wow. That’s really fast considering the quest she had.
After he had read the brief message and considered his options, Will decided to attend the event once he was done with the prisoner. Accepting the quest and learning the skill, he climbed the chain again and activated Seal of the Heavenly King. A flash of bright light escaped his hands, hitting the rupture. A ring appeared where it had just been and fixed itself to the end of the chain, allowing the rogue to see and draw the second seal.
“So? What do you think?” Will shuffled back down to Daltaro, who was flipping his dagger in his hand, and passed the drawings to him, expecting an answer from his friend.,
“I recognize the characters. I’ve saw them when I visited Shalvar. He’s been studying the Dolfs.”
“Can you translate it?”
“Sure. But I’ll need Shalvar’s records.”
“Okay. Let’s go back to the city, then.”
Using the pendant, the duo teleported to Adamarona. The adventurer headed for the house of Horsus, the location of Will’s first clash with the Latians, while Raven went to the third-floor portal. He was still mulling over what had been bothering him since he had obtained Seal of the Heavenly King. He felt like he was missing something important, but what could it be? He had asked all the questions he had wanted to. Why couldn’t he help feeling like he had made a huge mistake?
Hoping that he actually hadn’t, Will approached the venue of Mollie’s wedding. At the entrance he saw the guards checking their lists and a long queue of guests.
What’s going on? As he looked at the crowd, Raven spotted the familiar symbols of all four TOP clans. The players from Pak’s clan were also here, although he couldn’t see Pak himself.
He bypassed the queue and attracted lots of curious glances in doing so. Many players took photos of him or recorded him, planning to post the footage on the game forums later.
Ten minutes later and Will had entered a vast hall that looked a lot like the one in which his own wedding had been hosted. Mollie was nowhere to be seen, but he spotted the members of her clan. It was quite easy, as each clan’s members kept to themselves, unwilling to mingle with those who had once again become their enemies after the Ifrit had been defeated. The Faceless Army had got what they wanted, but not the Messengers, who were apparently unhappy with the outcome but didn’t dare challenge Fortuna and Rollin’ Dice.
“Hey, Raven! You got invited, yeah?” Waving a hand at the rogue, Perdition made her way through the crowd to greet him. At first, she seemed to be completely nude but, as she approached, he finally saw her dress. Made of the finest, silvery spider silk, it clung to her body like a second skin, leaving no room for imagination. She looked as splendid as a member of the Arachnofite race ever could.
“Hi. That’s a very… very special dress. You look great. I had no idea this game let you do anything like that.”
“Always the charmer.” She waved her fan and smiled. Painted on the fabric of the dress was an image of a giant spider devouring a man: Perdition was really serious about her ‘spider woman’ look. “It’s not just a dress. You might not believe me, but it has a Diamond rank. I crafted it using a drawing I obtained in a quest.”
“Wow.” Will was genuinely surprised. “That’s interesting. And it was very expensive, I suppose?”
“You bet.” Nodding, she slid her gaze to the side and froze, her eyes signaling to the rogue to look back.
Mollie was floating down the stairs like a Hollywood actress in a floaty wedding dress. It’s amazing how much a girl can change just by dressing up for their big day.
“I think it’s starting,” Will said, turning back to Perdition. “Can you tell me how she managed to finish her prince quest that fast?”
“Oh, it was really complicated. She only managed to do it because she had the help of the entire clan.”
“Oh, that’s handy.”
“You bet. So, how are you? Will you be sitting with us?”
“No. I’m just dropping by.”
“As you like. They’ll have a stunning firework display at the end. Have you ever seen in-game fireworks?”
“No. Never. But I can tell you think it’s something worth seeing.”
“Ahahaha. Dude, it’s totally worth it. In-game fireworks aren’t limited by physics like the ones in the real world. You can craft so much more with magic!”
Will considered it for a while as he glanced at the time. Remembering yesterday’s money transfer, he realized he had no real reason to hurry. Sure, this wasn’t a real wedding but Mollie had spared no effort in preparing it. He could stay to see the spectacle.
He glanced up at Perdition and said, “Waiting for this show will be better in company, I reckon.”
“Happy to have you with us, Will.”
“Thank…” He stopped abruptly before taking another step. “How do you know my real name?”
“Mollie mentioned it. Is that a problem?”
“The fewer people know it, the better I can sleep.”
“Why so secretive? Are you a spy? Relax, man. Mine name is Lily.”
Will couldn’t remember when exactly he had got into this habit of hiding his real name. But he had done so out of a fear of it bringing some unfortunate consequences.
“Okay.”
Without continuing to argue with Perdition, he moved toward the Rollin’ Dice group.
***
The fireworks were truly spectacular: hundreds and hundreds of lights soaring into the night sky of Saviria’s capital city, painting pictures of legendary creatures or beautiful landscapes. As these lights reflected in Will’s eyes, he regretted that his family couldn’t see them.
Fortunately, none of the other players tried to sabotage the wedding, probably out of fear of the formidable royal guard, the Shields of the North. Just like any other empire or country, Saviria had an extremely strong army, and it would take a long time before any player would be able to wage a war on the local rulers. For any player except Raven, that is, but he preferred not to tell anyone that.
The prince’s wedding, just like the engagement ball before, was attended by many nobles, providing the players with a unique opportunity to talk to them… or at least to try. It’s as if the system itself is giving the smartest and most cunning players an opportunity here, Will thought as he made his way to the balcony where Mollie had just come out.
“How do you like it?” she asked, gazing at the night city. The spacious balcony, which was decorated with fragrant flowers, had a panoramic view of the surrounding area.
“It was a splendid celebration, I must say. You did even better than my wife.”
“Your wife? Pff. Do you really call her that?”
“Sure, I don’t see a problem with it.”
Will shrugged and took a sip of his amber drink, before inhaling the cool night air and curving the corners of his lips up into a weak smile. “You’d better get used to calling the prince your husband.”
Mollie chuckled and turned to the rogue. Her face looked relaxed and fresh. Her skin was smooth. Her close stare was giving Will a strange sensation. “Hey, what’s wrong? You look like you’re shivering. Are you cold?”
“Never mind.” Glancing around, Will put his glass down on a small table. That’s enough alcohol for tonight. “By the way, you look gorgeous. Is your clan hosting a beauty pageant tonight?”
Mollie scowled at him. “Ha-ha. Very funny. Our girls just wanted the attention. That’s what we always want at weddings. Forget it. Thanks for the compliment, anyway. Are you leaving soon?”
“Yeah. I just thought I’d grace you with my presence. The Moor has done has duty, the Moor can now go.”
He was just about to turn toward the door when Mollie’s voice stopped him. “Wait a sec. Shall we dance?”
Will hesitated. He was anything but a good dancer but, for some reason he couldn’t understand, he didn’t want to turn her down. “I’m really, really bad at dancing. But if that doesn’t bother you then we can give it a try.”
“Ha-ha. I was right!” Clapping her hands triumphantly, she explained, “I made a bet with Katharine that that you can’t dance.”
“Hm. It’s something I’ve lived with my entire life with, but now it hurts.” Making an offended face, Will extended a hand to her but as she picked up her skirts and took a step towards him, a message popped into her inbox. Running her gaze along the lines, Kingmaker gaped in astonishment.
“Have you changed your mind?” Will asked in confusion. Mollie’s sweet smile was gone; her face became focused.
“Um, no. I…” She shook her head. “Sorry. Just… just look at the players’ rating.”
Taking her advice, Will frowned. Five TOP players seemed to have just appeared out of the blue and displaced everyone who had been holding the five top spots.