Soulcatcher

by Sergey Zaytsev

  "Go to Mr. Esco, hand over the yesterday's daily," the girl advised professionally and got up from the bed. "When you're done with your chores, get out of the village. I'll be waiting for you near the 'Stables'. In case you didn't know, they are some two hundred yards away from the village, along the main road and a hundred yards to the right. Can't miss it. Do make haste."

  Although I knew that I'd regret it immediately, I still couldn't hold it.

  "Tell me, did Grant ever die before?"

  "So, you don't know," the vice clan master of the "Children" turned away from the door and her lips stretched her into a mocking, mysterious smile. "That does sound like Grant, doesn't it? He doesn't like to share too much."

  Closing the door behind her, she left the question unanswered.

  What a schemer. I found myself grinning after her. It was strange that Stinger dumped her, she was not much different from Grant. No, that wasn't right. Grant was more benevolent, and also a healer which gave him some serious advantage. Well, I still needed to get to the "Temple" as soon as possible and find my stuff. I didn't know what was worse: losing a future pet or the "Duplicator". If I was a gonner without "the Destroyer's" dagger, without the "Duplicator" I would probably have to leave the location with no weapon in hand. And that, of course, was not something I planned to do. The "Seed", too, was given only once. A developed pet will be of great help, it would be a pity to lose this advantage.

  So, without further thought, I put on the new clothes and walked over to the mirror. Weird. I expected that my attire would immediately change, as it did at the "Training Grounds" back when I got my class. But nothing like that happened – I stayed in my "default" outfit. Maybe the catalyst for change was a combat situation?

  The more reason to get down to business.

  With this thought I left the room.

  ***

  Near the porch of the "Town Hall" another "surprise" was waiting for me, clad in black chain mail, with a hammer and a pipe in his mouth.

  Noticing him from afar, I shuddered and slowed my pace. There were thirty people in this location, and I kept bumping into the same person! I hoped that he was not waiting for me just to ask me to join his clan again. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to hide. I desperately needed to visit the "Town Hall".

  Hearing the steps, the vice clan master of the "Reed Cats" turned his short-haired head and nodded in understanding. The "default" clothes made it obvious where I had came from. Not that I had done anything wrong, it could have happened to anybody, but I still felt ashamed of my newbie looks. But my negative attitude was not justified. Pulling the pipe from his mouth and releasing a puff of gray smoke (smoking was, apparently, a local craze), Cavalier spoke quite neutrally, one might even say, humanely, without arrogance or hatred, as he did yesterday at the "Seat".

  "I see that sorrow and suffering have not spared you. How do you feel?"

  "If I don't drop dead anytime soon, I'll live," I tried to laugh it off and slip past him, but the cleric's strong hand immediately fell onto my shoulder, forcing me to stop dead in my tracks.

  "Don't rush. Mr. Esco is busy with Syba. Then it's my turn, and you'll follow."

  Hiding my disappointment, I obeyed and stood beside him. Good thing that he didn't count me among his enemies, as it seemed he did yesterday. The first impression was not always true. Still, I really was in a hurry, and had a girl waiting for me.

  Cavalier again sucked the pipe, looking at me silently and with slight curiosity. I, in turn, stared at him.

  Chainmail gauntlets tied to the belt, helmet in left hand, and heavy hammer leaning against the wall of the building. One could say that he felt relaxed and at home. But still, in his blackened chainmail the "Cats" vice cm looked rather impressive. Physical power just flowed from him, and he held himself with confidence. This guy seemed to be rather pleased with himself. Well, to each their own. To me personal freedom was dearer, and power did not appeal to me at all. Any power was, first of all, a responsibility before others, and I, alas, got used to being responsible only for myself. However, I treated such people with a certain respect, because someone had to take care of others.

  Any clan was a very motley company, and to force players to get along with each other, to work together for the benefit of the clan, was not an easy task. It required patience, time and nerves. One could not do it without some leadership qualities. Should you loosen the reins, all hell breaks loose, and everyone suddenly has their own opinions and solutions.

  I wondered how I knew all of this.

  "Where did you get killed?" Cavalier asked with interest and without any gloating.

  "Where I had to be killed," I grumbled, not wanting to get into details. I had already told Alice. My head was better and I could think faster. I needed no extra scavenger on my property, as I was just getting it back myself.

  "What about Grant?"

  Anyone doubted he would ask?

  "I have no idea," I said in all honesty.

  The door swung open, and a duo came out.

  First out was a tall, thin, pale-faced man, dressed in all green. Long snow-white hair, tied in a luxurious tail, reached to the middle of the shoulder blades. A dagger in a silvery sheath hung from his belt. Seeing his narrow, elongated face and the sharp tips of his ears, I was slightly dumbfounded. An elf, damn it. Does this happen here too?!

  Esco, "Curator" of the "Wondergarden"

  Behind the elf, lost in thought, trudged gloomily a player dressed in simple leather clothes.

  Player: Sybarite

  Level 5

  Class: rogue, spec - saboteur

  Sybarite? I hardly remembered what it was. A proper nickname. The pampered and effeminate face was soaked with habitual boredom, and his gestures, soft and deliberately slow, were akin to those of a lazy lord. One could find just about anything in the vast "Universe ICS".

  I stepped closer, intending to finally take the damn quest and leave.

  "Mr. 'Curator', I…"

  "Wait."

  The hard stare of the elf's icy-blue eyes lingered on me for just a second, which was enough to make me choke on my words. Without slowing his pace, the curator took Sybarite in the direction of the "Seat", leaving feeling as if someone had just poured a bucket of ice cold water on me. All was said so suddenly and bluntly that I had no desire to insist. What a voice… It seemed soft-spoken and not particularly expressive, but something in it chilled me to the bone. How did he do it?! Was that an ability? Or did it come with the curator's position? Here it was, in all its glory – an "Attribute of Real Power", unlike the raw power of the vice cm of the lousy clan.

  And then I noticed that Cavalier was observing my face with an unhealthy interest.

  "It is especially impressive when you it hear for the first time," said the cleric with such pride, as if the elf's voice was his personal achievement. "Then you get used to it. But the desire to challenge his orders disappears once and for all. Something to strive for, right?"

  "What's that?" I didn't understand the cleric.

  "Well, the 'Caretakers' do not appear by themselves," Cavalier shrugged his broad shoulders.

  "You mean they're players too?" I asked, eyes big as plates.

  "Have you ever seen a NPC here?"

  Again with the questions. This wasn't a conversation, but a ping-pong game. Was that, like smoking, another local craze? His remark, however, was true. There were no non-players in the village. But other problems worried me. With a chill in my heart, I guessed why the curator had taken the player to the "Seat". He wasn't fit for any other normal location, but the "Inferno" didn't discriminate.

  "Why?" I asked Cavalier. "What could one mess up at level five?

  "The problem isn't what he did, but what he didn't do," Cavalier anxiously looked into the pipe and then gently tapped it on the wall of the "Council", knocking ash out of the tobacco chamber. From his waist pouch he produced a fresh batch and re-filled it. "A strange guy, to be honest. When he first appeared, he leveled
like everyone. Around level five, however, he suddenly lost interest and remained like that until the eighth day. He even ignored the 'Outpost' defense dailies, and there is a penalty for that - twenty five save points. You twiddle your thumbs for four days and you lose a save..." Cavalier shook head disapprovingly. "I warned him. Now he's leaving for 'Inferno' on his last save."

  "Is he from your clan or what?" I frowned.

  "Yes. I was the one who brought him here. You can't hide from the 'Curator', you can't hole up in a quiet place. I banished him from the clan, as he's a dead man with such mindset anyway. I hope that the next newcomer will be smarter," he glanced at me, but I pretended not to understand his hint.

  "Grant said that the clan gains XP for every newcomer," I remembered. "And what do you get as a vice cm?"

  "One thousand XP," Cavalier paused, and I looked, with some envy, as a small fire blazed on the tip of his finger. He brought it closer to the freshly-loaded pipe, singeing the tobacco. "For each newcomer. A compensation. I have to spend more time in 'Daisy', track reinforcements, assign mentors. So I lose time that I could use for my leveling."

  Nice job. Now I understood why he was talking to me like I was an old friend, like that little quarrel never happened. He was still counting on me for the XP. Quite a lot of it was needed to go from level nine to ten. I used my head. If I wasn't mistaken, it was no less than twenty-five thousand.

  The curator and the player, meanwhile, had ascended to the top of the hill and reached the center. The hapless rogue turned to face us and waved his hand sluggishly as a farewell. We heard his voice, muffled by the distance.

  "You all think I'm a loser. But the losers here are all of you."

  A bright yellow-blue flash of the portal completely enveloped the man. I blinked, and the player on the hill was gone. The curator quickly returned to the "Town Hall". Sybarite had been dealt with. The poor guy was thrown out so casually, in passing, like garbage into a dumpster. Such treatment made me feel uncomfortable.

  "What did he mean?" I asked Cavalier.

  "You can go ask him."

  His face was dead serious. The cleric didn't seem to smile at all, even when joking.

  With some caution, I awaited the conversation with the curator and not because he had just sent a man to the "Inferno". I hadn't made any mischief yet, but, as Grant had told me, I had to introduce myself to him on the first day. I hoped that my unfortunate death wasn't a serious offense and that it would be a valid excuse for me being late.

  When Mr. Esco halted and faced us, looking at us like hawk its prey , the two of us unwillingly straightened out.

  "Cavalier, today you will appoint the leader for the dungeon party from your clan," said the curator, his tone making me itch from the inside. "Dismissed. It's your turn," I felt as if his gaze penetrated right through me, clouding my mind. I realized that Esco was studying me on his interface, like I was a dissected frog; checking everything I've done in my short gaming life. Weighing and evaluating all my feats and sins. I felt less naked in front of Alice.

  "You're late," indifferently informed Mr. curator. My heart rose to my throat. "Daily quest will be counted for today, and you'll be punished for yesterday's failure."

  "Guardian of the Source" quest failed.

  Penalty: -25 save points

  Quest "Guardian of the Source" complete.

  Reward: 10 save points

  XP for additional condition: 1000

  And then:

  Congratulations, you reached level 5!

  Current XP: 945/5062

  You receive 2 skill points. Use the skill tree to distribute them.

  Well, at least now I knew why Grant called him an asshole. The bloody elf must've personally added the penalty to make life feel less like a bed of roses. No XP from today's daily, just great. Holding back the urge to grit my teeth, I found the strength to speak in a very even tone. God knows what he would do if offended.

  "Mr. Esco, I need the quest for the second stage of 'A Loyal Friend'…"

  Esco looked at me without blinking, making me feel uneasy, and a new message popped up before my eyes.

  Second phase of the story quest "A Loyal Friend" available – "A Battle Trophy".

  Conditions: Get an "Altar of Pet Summoning" in the "Gybberkin" domain.

  Reward: 2000 XP

  Time limit: none

  Accept quest: yes / no?

  "Dismissed," briefly informed the "Curator". Pushing open the door of the "Town Hall", he disappeared into the room.

  After the "royal reception" I was in the mood to kill someone. But while the door was closing, I managed to notice something interesting, which distracted me from the boiling anger. I had time to notice that the walls of the "Town Hall" were an overview screen, divided into dozens of sectors, demonstrating the events taking place throughout the location. The surveillance was conducted in real time! Hell, I thought I had even seen Sarge in the dungeon with two other players, brawling in some dark place with creepy-looking giant spiders.

  I also managed to recognize the interiors of the inn, the "Replicator" and the "Training Grounds". That's why Mr. Esco had such omniscience! I was tempted to go have a look, but I had a strong suspicion that Esco would immediately, and unceremoniously throw me out. With a kick and through a window. So I didn't risk entering to test it. I talked to Esco. The quota had been fulfilled. I wouldn't last another minute. I had no time to waste; I needed to run to the "Stables".

  "Congratulations," Cavalier patted me on the shoulder with the same serious look. "You got to level five fast. I hope you won't give up like Sybarite did. Now you yourself have the right to be a mentor, but don't particularly expect a novice. The likes of you, orphans, can barely expect anything, as you should understand. Alice has already taken too many, now it's my turn. By the way, have you maybe changed your mind about the clan? I'll accept you anytime."

  Persistent. I can respect that.

  "So how did Grant get me?" I squinted. After contacting Esco the cleric became annoying, too. It was probably contagious. "After all, he's clanless too. How did he deal with both you and Alice?"

  "Don't you understand yet?" Cavalier took tossed the hammer onto his shoulder. "Grant is a healer, and healers are rare here. He can afford a lot... To a certain extent. A lot of people would hope to be included in his party when he goes to the dungeon to mess up 'the Destroyer'."

  "Yeah, except he's not going to take anyone," I said, annoyed.

  "One day, Wise," Cavalier shook his head calmly. "We'll see. Well, good luck. And think about the clan."

  "Wait," I reluctantly called the cleric, feeling that after all the penalties I had nothing to lose. There was no need to be shy. I thought Cavalier would look down at me the first chance he got, but he almost ended up befriending me because of extra XP. Not that I ever liked pleading, but going to the woods while the "Aura of the Debtor" was active .Especially when I could get rid of it immediately.

  "Decided already?" he turned around, surprised.

  "Could you spare me five 'socs'?" I asked gloomily. ''I'll pay you back by tonight,'' I said, just to clarify and make sure that the system doesn't get any bright ideas about quest conditions

  Cavalier chewed the pipe's mouthpiece. With a nod, he lowered his hand into his waist pouch (I needed to get me one of those), into the compartment neighboring tobacco, and counted the 'socs'.

  "What, indebted to Ears?"

  "That I am…"

  The quest was generated instantly and exactly as I had intended.

  Quest received: "Debtor 2"

  Conditions: Return five soul crystals to the player "Cavalier".

  Time limit: 8h

  Reward: 100 XP

  Penalty for non-completion: XP reduced by 100 for each overdue hour.

  Quests here taught obligation and decency, so one couldn't help but learn.

  "It's hard to make friends in just a few days, isn't, Wise?" Cavalier suddenly winked, then turned around and stomped down the path toward
s the inn. I didn't even have the time to thank him

  "They are always difficult to make, even if you have more than a few days," I mumbled into my chin, already on my way leading to the "Replicator" through the "Seat".

  I had wasted too much time, so I was in a hurry. Perhaps Ears' stupid quest, "Valuable Hardwood", proves to be useful. Esco shot me down with the daily, so this XP would be very much welcomed. I had better hurry or else Alice, having lost her patience, could wave her hand and go to the "Temple" alone, leaving me behind.

  Chapter 13

  "The Lair"

  The shaggy horse, called a furster, leaned to the right without any prodding. Splashing through a small stream, it galloped briefly up the slope, catching up with our guide. Sitting on a similar mount, Alice waited patiently on the other side of the ravine. As soon as I turned around, the rogue slammed her heels into the shaggy sides of her furster and rode deeper into the forest.

  I never got a chance to see the "Stables".

  At the village exit Alice was already waiting for me near the road accompanied by a pair of saddled and harnessed furry creatures. The things were covered in thick and wavy brownish-gray fur, making the "horses" look more like overgrown donkeys. The rogue had paid for the mounts, but as it happened without me, and as she didn't say a word about another debt, the system didn't react. The fastest way to pay off debts was to return my lost property; there were at least two dozen of those damn "socs" in the backpack, just enough for everything.

  I had no idea if I knew how to ride, but the fear that I would fall out off the saddle as soon as the horse moved wasn't justified. After about half a mile, I got a new skill.

  "Rider"

  Rank 1 (1/100)

  Riding ability and movement speed increased by 5%.

  Those 5% might have sounded trivial, but I immediately felt more confident in the saddle; suddenly "realizing" how to sit correctly, without fidgeting constantly. The horse sped up, too.

  The furster's hooves stepped softly over the ground strewn with last year's pine needles; the air smelled of humus and fresh gum, and amber drops were appearing on the pine trunks. Beautiful forest landscapes spread around, delivering aesthetic pleasure. I turned my head, examining the local beauty from horseback; everything looked different when you did not have to move for yourself.