Soulcatcher

by Sergey Zaytsev

  Without waiting for their consent, Alice took both fursters by the bridles and led them up the hill. Picking up the sword, I staggered after her. Some twenty yards later, we stepped into a small glade. Three of its sides were surrounded by thick elm trees, entwined with ubiquitous ivy, like a Christmas tree with garlands. The fourth was blocked by a huge boulder, three times my height, covered with green moss.

  I stopped, grimly glanced around. The place would have been decent had it not been for the pile of bones near the wide opening of the dark hole, which led under the boulder. A lot of bones; ribs, vertebrae, pelvic and femoral bones. And skulls. Both animal and human. What a nice place. It gave me the shivers. It smelled just like it looked, although, oddly enough, the stench was not as strong as it was from the beast itself.

  "Damn... So this is the 'Bonechewer's' lair?"

  "Yeah," the rogue nodded, as if nothing had happened. "Just showing you that there's nothing to be afraid of. Don't worry about the respawn. We'll leave before that happens. Come on, clean yourself up."

  She had nerves of steel, alright. I'd rather get somewhere far away from here before setting camp. But I kept my opinion to myself. Alice released our horses to graze, sat down and began to wipe the blood from her arrows using a bundle of torn grass. Economic.

  I snorted.

  Noticing a suitable place near one of the elms, I plopped down and took a swig from the flask to accelerate the healing. I tried to relax. Closing my eyes, I tried not to think of anything. If you have a chance to "gain a foothold", it's worth taking it. But I couldn't keep still for more than a minute. Alice's recent comments made me curious.

  "Listen, how does one become a vice cm? The position is temporary, so there must be some criteria for a regular power change."

  "Rapid leveling - that's one," the girl cast me a glance and put the last purified arrow into the quiver. "You see, I'm level nine, and the dungeon is already done. Never lost a save - that's two. So, my instinct and survivability are top-notch. And also, personal charisma - three. The previous vice-cm was a guy, and there are always fewer girls than boys. With this advantage, it is easy to draw attention to yourself."

  "Quite frankly," I grunted involuntarily.

  "We are no children, Wise," the rogue smiled in response. "There's no shame in calling a spade a spade."

  "Yeah. The things people do for a rank, am I right?"

  "True. Don't try to tease me, it won't work. After the transition to the main staff I will, of course, lose the rank of vice cm, as there are enough leaders there. But the more newbies I accept while in the ‘sandbox', the higher my starting rank in the clan will be, and the closer I am to a position in the ‘Clan Council'. Not immediately, of course. Maybe in a year. But I know how to get my way. The most important thing for me to do is to get a good start."

  "Thanks for not shooting me in the back, by the way."

  I watched closely how she would react. I wanted to see if my suspicions were correct. Or, at least, dispel some of my doubts. This was a slippery slope and I didn't want to hurt someone else it turnes out that I had imagined it all... Imagined that I had heard the quiet sound of hooves in the forest. And steps. Animals didn't walk like that.

  "Should I have?" the rogue looked at me with a strange, examining eye.

  "Just a feeling I had," I feigned an embarrassed smile. "This place has a weird atmosphere. Your imagination runs wild... Especially after the ‘Replicator'."

  "You thought I had you trapped?" Alice laughed, briefly. She had quite a nice, velvety laugh. Very sweet. But the wariness in her eyes only increased. I noticed the girl squinting, peering into the woods behind me. "And you still didn't run away?"

  "I had no choice. I'm not used to running away from danger. And by the way, call off your henchmen."

  "What?" she flinched, preparing to jump, but forced herself to remain seated "How did you know?" she asked calmly.

  "You're constantly looking for something behind my back." I shrugged, deciding to remain seated as well. It was better for my leg. One doesn't fight well with a limp. "Call them. There's no point in lying. Tell me what you need from me, and we just might make a deal."

  "What makes you think we're gonna make a deal?" the rogue smiled intensely.

  "You would have left me for the ‘Bonechewer', otherwise. All you had to do was stand aside."

  "You're right. First, let's talk. The ‘Bonechewer' can wait."

  She didn't have to call. The girl just waved towards the forest, and Owl and Pops came out onto the clearing, leading fursters similar to ours. I made a mental note never to trust Alice again. Even if she promises to give me entire mountains of gold.

  Chapter 14

  "The covenant"

  While the newcomers were tying their fursters to the nearest trees, I checked out at their levels. It was sad but true; while I spent twelve hours twiddling my thumbs in the "Replicator", they kept themselves busy.

  "Congrats on level five, Pops. And you on the sixth, Owl."

  The cleric looked around the clearing, approached the entrance to the cave, and pulled a larger skull out of the pile of bones, seemingly from some huge animal. Placing it closer to the rock base, he sat on the improvised "stool" and looked at me thoughtfully.

  "You're not bad yourself, my young friend. Although you made a trip to the ‘Replicator', you also reached level five."

  "I wish you a similar hang-out with Ears," I sneered, "returning the favor".

  "Thank you, but I'm not in a hurry to visit the ‘Replicator'," Pops smiled discreetly.

  His newfound confidence was hard to miss. Just a day before, back at the lake's shore, his eyes were glowing with the confusion of a man who had no idea what was happening to him. He seemed to have gotten used to it, developed an attitude and accepted the game's terms. Or, perhaps, he just came to terms with his fate?

  He also seemed much livelier…and noticeably younger. Back in the "Replicator" I gave him no less than fifty, but now he looked as if he was not a day over forty, maybe even less. The skin on the face got tighter and smoother, leveling the wrinkles on his forehead and near the eyes. The graying hair was gone, his mane being all black now.

  How curious. It turned that the avatar was capable of adjusting its appearance in accordance with one's expectations. For example, I do remember how he looked at Foxy then, expecting a younger companion. So, I wasn't the only one who thought that Foxy began to look better - slimmer, more feminine, and more attractive. No wonder Gramps got a serious crush on her. Well, love knows no age. But where is the thief that stole Pops' heart?

  "I see that the company is incomplete," I noticed. "Or have you suffered your first loss, Owl?"

  "The redhead did not want to be a part of this," the mage answered in a low, grumbling tone. Glancing at the bone pile, he grimaced, not daring to follow his ward's example.

  "Be a part of what?" I asked, raising my eyebrows even though I perfectly understood the topic of the conversation. I suddenly felt strangely calm, it didn't matter to me what could happen next. It was as if some kind of a fuse had blown inside of my head. Maybe I was just sick of being careful and waiting for trouble.

  "We have to talk to you, Wise." Alice remained squatting; swaying on her toes, she watched me with a mockingly wistful smile.

  The bow was still in her hand.

  I knew it would take her a lot less time than me to jump up and use her weapon. Not to mention that she had the cleric and the mage on her side. And yet, somehow, I wasn't worried. I could feel the power flow from the earth and into my body, securing new avatar settings and healing my wounds. Just in case, I made a mental map of the most vulnerable points.

  The mage, dressed in his ridiculous robe, didn't look like a serious opponent. The cleric was a whole different thing, however. Tall, stocky, and physically fit, dressed in chain mail and wielding a hammer. It would be best to aim for the bare throat. The first successful attack could decide the outcome of the fight. And, of course, there was Alice. Th
e archer. After having been killed by an arrow, I had a severe form of allergy to missile weapons. The hardest thing to do would be to hit her. But if left without a choice…

  In the end, if one was ready to use a weapon, one should be ready to die from it, too. We were all, after all, equal in the eyes of Death.

  Still sitting and feeling deceptively relaxed, I kept each of my opponents in view, watching their every move. If it comes to fighting, the first few seconds will decide everything. It was more logical to start with Gramps, as he was the farthest away and the same level as me. "Windspear" had to hit for sure. A two seconds stun would be enough to deal with Owl, as he was the closest one. If I slashed him and used his body as a shield I could reduce the distance between me and Alice...

  "Do not reach for your sword, it will not help you, there are three of us," Owl muttered, as if reading my thoughts.

  "Why would I want that?" I gave him a carefree smile. "You better keep an eye on your staff, or you might drop it onto your toes and I'll be the one to blame. By the way, I'll remind you that the person who kills me will lose a save."

  "You think we don't know that?" Pops shook his head, noticeably frowning. "There are other ways."

  "I know about your ways. Grant told me. A clan's vendetta? 'Torpedoes'?"

  "Watch it, Wiso," Owl lifted his chin, offended as if I had just accused him of committing all of the mortal sins. What a nervous kid.

  "Or what, you'll test your magic on me? You think your level six will protect you from my sword? Or are you asking for it because you secretly miss the ‘Replicator'?"

  As expected, Owl chickened out, nervously grabbed his belt with both hands and looked away. As I thought, he was not a threat. It was one thing to thrash mobs, which he did well, but quite another to kill a player. He was not psychologically ready for this, and neither was Pops. Then why did he agree? Because of clan duty? So, Alice planned out this whole thing, and they were only executing her will. I could work with that.

  "You do understand that I will put up a fight, yes?" I raised my eyebrow questioningly. "Maybe I won't kill anyone, but I'll at least try to hurt you. Leveling will not be so fun without an arm or a leg, don't you think?"

  Owl's face changed, even turned a little green, or so it seemed. The cleric chuckled, nervously smoothing his short, cropped hair with his palm. Alice sprung to her feet with the grace of a panther and straightened up.

  "Don't be so quick to draw your sword," advised the rogue coldly. "You don't have a reason to. I see that you're aware of the offer that Sarge gave Grant, so I'll get to the point. Grant was wrong to refuse. Sarge will be out of the dungeon by evening."

  "Or he might end up in the ‘Replicator'," I corrected her with a smile. "'The Destroyer' may not agree to let Sarge take his life."

  Alice nodded briefly.

  "Yeah. But let's assume that Sarge will win. Victory will not make him kinder. He is very vindictive."

  I almost spat out a "look who's talking", but managed to hold it.

  "I will not be able to restrain Sarge," Alice continued. "He doesn't listen to anyone. But I can help Grant. If he goes to the dungeon tonight, Sarge won't reach him. I don't think he'll take interest in you. Sarge's has a score to settle with Grant."

  "Listening to you makes me think you care about Grant," I grinned.

  "Exactly," the rogue nodded. "About him and my clanmates. At the moment, the clan needs a healer. They are rare birds here, although I don't know why. Probably because one needs to feel a calling for this. Rare are those who are willing to save others, the place is full of killers these days."

  Well said about the killers; it suited the moment.

  "Several times I offered Grant to go with my boys," Alice admitted, unknowingly confirming my guess that it was her idea to lure Grant to the dungeon, and not Sarge's. "But he's stubborn. But as long as he cares for you like the hen for the baby chicken, he won't back down from his delusional endeavor. Simply put - you're an obstacle. My advice to you is to give up on Grant. Everything will be better. And if you decide to join our clan, or even the 'Cats', I will not object. So, do we have a deal?"

  Well, it was pretty clear why she took our side near the "Source", she was trying to win Grant's favor and to divide us. Could one reason with her?

  "And if not?" I asked. "I am just exploring my options here."

  "We'll tie you to a tree," Alice announced pragmatically. "The rest will be up to this hole's dweller."

  I involuntarily looked at the dark fissure in the rock that still reeked of carrion. Stat saving had likely ended and I felt great. If this was an ordinary game, with an infinite number of revivals, I would not hesitate to attack. But here, every life mattered, and I had already felt the consequences of dying on my own skin. There was still a tiny chance that they wouldn't dare act upon their words. I did warn them that something like that wouldn't go unpunished. Could we really part ways if I gave up on Grant?

  I couldn't. And not because of Grant. Pride, stubbornness, anger - however you call it, I couldn't agree with someone who was outright forcing me. You give in once and you'll never be able to forgive yourself. It's humiliating, to grit one's teeth. Grant also couldn't let himself retreat when Sarge was forcing him to join him on the dungeon raid. We were very much alike - in some ways.

  "Don't despair," the rogue chuckled knowingly, observing my face give away my feelings. "The second death is not the end, just normal gameplay."

  "Care to enlighten us on one thing?" I forced a smile. "Do you really believe that you can talk shit here, and then pose as an innocent angel in a new location? Your clanmates are witnesses. One doesn't forget such things."

  "The innocents are less likely to survive, it always has been and always will be that way," the rogue said without a shadow of a doubt. "To achieve your goal by any means... That's admirable..."

  "You said that we'd simply talk," intervened the, until recently silent, weathermage. "I don't like this at all."

  "Don't you fear, owlet," Alice snorted. "Nothing bad will happen to Wiso, he won't lose his life, only a save."

  "I don't like it," stubbornly replied the mage, scowling.

  "Owl, you're free to leave the clan if you don't like it," the rogue said sharply. "And your chances to pass the dungeon, or even to get out of this location, will become vanishingly small. I'll arrange a better life for myself in a couple of days, and stay here longer."

  The mage grew pale and timidly looked at the cleric who remained silent as he observed the rogue and me with a sort of thoughtful look. Owl turned to me, as if asking for support. There was a breakup among the enemy ranks.

  "You've lost your sense of reality, if you are threatening your allies," I tried to speak smoothly, with no aggression. "Even Owl understands that this is not an ordinary game in which you can backstab someone and hide in the real world, without risking anything. Every action will have consequences. There's no need to make enemies unless absolutely necessary. I suggest you rethink this."

  Come on, Owl, come on, say something else!

  But the mage was silent, gloomily looking at the ground at his feet. No guts for another round. The rebellion was nipped in the bud.

  "Okay, enough talk," the rogue shook her head impatiently and raised her bow; the sharp arrowhead clearly pointed in my direction. "Don't touch the sword. You move - arrows fly. You won't die, but you'll regret it. Gramps, you got the rope, as agreed?"

  "I got it, but I won't use it," the cleric didn't try to rise from the skull of the unknown beast, only gripped the warhammer's hilt.

  His tone stopped me from rushing at the "Children" vice cm with the plan to dodge slightly to the side to get away from the line of fire.

  "Why?" Alice asked, blankly.

  "Because I heard everything I wanted," Pops replied. "You see, girl, Owl and I, we don't like this idea."

  "What? How dare you!?" Rage flashed in the rogue's eyes. She flinched, but restrained herself from looking back at Gramps, afraid to lose me fro
m her sight. "You should…"

  "I should what?" interrupted the cleric, narrowing his eyes. Something predatory, almost wolf like, appeared in his features. I had obviously underestimated him. "Who do you think you are? Queen of an unrecognized kingdom? You're just a player, just like everyone else. Get off your high horse. I hate to admit it, but Wise is right, you lost it. That's not how things work."

  The cleric disciplined the rogue in the way an experienced father does a naughty daughter. In fact, he was significantly older than her. It was nice to hear the voice of reason. It was like music to my ears.

  "Traitor!" Alice hissed. "How dare you…? I'm removing you from the clan! Owl, we're leaving!" She returned the arrow into the quiver, threw the bow over her shoulder and mounted the furster. "Owl? What…?"

  "Sorry," the mage said guiltily, sinking his head between the thin shoulders. "I'll stay with Gramps. I'm his mentor. We need to level up, we lost too much time already…"

  "Pathetic bastard! I shouldn't have gotten involved with you! Well, you all asked for it," the rogue snatched a dagger from her belt and cut off a piece of cloth from the bottom of her jacket. She then slashed the edge of her left palm and, twitching in pain, pressed the cloth against the wound.

  I didn't understand what it all meant, and could only watch.

  The clatter of hooves came from the side of the trail and attracted our attention. I turned my head and chuckled in amazement. Cavalier himself, armor jingling, charged onto the clearing, riding on a shaggy horse, and halted sharply. The furster, panting heavily, its hairy sides matted with sweat and swelling up like bellows, narrowed its large, violet eyes at the rider, as if reproaching him for the wild ride.

  Hell, this was not a forest, it was a highway…