Viridian Gate Online

by J D Astra

  <<<>>>

  Quest Update: The Path of a Sorceress

  Return to Naitee tomorrow morning to decide on your class kit.

  Quest Class: Uncommon, Class-Based

  Quest Difficulty: Easy

  Success: Return to Naitee tomorrow morning and tell her which class kit you will pursue.

  Failure: Fail to return to Naitee tomorrow morning with a decision.

  Reward: Class Change: Sorceress, Varying Kits; Unique, Scalable Item.

  <<<>>>

  I accepted the new leg of the quest, saying, “I’ll be back,” in my best Terminator voice. Naitee quirked an eyebrow, and I shook my head. “Never mind.”

  The outside air was a blessing, and I took a moment upon leaving to take several deep breaths. Otto was leaned against the side of the building, his eyes locked on me.

  “Well, you’re not dead,” he remarked as he came to stand next to me.

  I nodded. “Thankfully not. I need to come back in the morning, after a bath, and tell her which class I’d like to pursue, forever.”

  “Let’s get going, then. The Boar’s Head will probably let us back in, once we show them the coin.”

  I checked my character sheet once more. On top of the level 4 Unwashed, I was also level 2 Hungry and Thirsty. A relaxing bath would do good to get some clarity and give me time to hunt down more information on the forums. And maybe search for Jack. Food was also welcome, if everything tasted as good as the two meals we’d already had.

  Otto walked toward the street, and I followed behind wordlessly. So much still to do, and so little time, but at least now we had a lead, and the scroll would be in hand soon. It was all coming together. Osmark wouldn’t get away with this, whatever it was.

  The Drunken Donkey

  IT FELT so good to be clean. I spent a good portion of the bath scrubbing out my hair, but once I got it clean, and moved to a new tub, I opened up the forums. I prodded around in the sorcerer section but there was very little information to be had aside from unlocking magic, a whole subforum about how awesome that was, and running errands for the trainer. It was still really early, and I was keeping up.

  Next, I looked for Jack. I tried a few of the common names he went by, but gave up after the tenth error message. I checked a couple of names from our old raiding guild, The Crimson Alliance, and found a few of them, but they weren’t the buck up and take responsibility type. These guys were grinders and raiders. Loot was all they had on their minds, and they couldn’t be bothered with clan chores or battle support. No, I’d have to wait for Jack.

  I left the bathing area, which was awkwardly at the back end of the kitchen instead of, I don’t know, in my room? I supposed it made sense that the bathtubs would be near where the water could be boiled, instead of forcing maids to climb countless stairs with heavy buckets of hot water, all for the water to be cold by the time the bather got in. It was still weird to wash myself next to the turnip shelf.

  I met Otto at his favorite seat, and we slammed back a quick meal of roasted boar and turnips, which was the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and gamey. I left the barmaid a decent tip, though not enough to make up for the lack of tip last time, and we took to the street for the Drunken Donkey.

  The sun was already on its way down the horizon, and I checked my character screen for the time: 2:25. I noticed the scroll of Sorceric Knowledge had also expired while I’d been bathing or eating, and I sighed as I looked over my completely barren spell list.

  “We’re here,” Otto remarked as I bumped into his backside from blindly following him with my character screen open.

  I closed the sheet and looked around the alley. At midday it was deserted, but I could hear the roars from inside. The sounds of an instrument like a piano carried on the hoots of catcalls and growls of “Cheat!” I knew this wasn’t a place I wanted to be, but it was a place we had to go.

  My hand pushed against the thin wooden door, very unlike the Boar’s Head, and we were accosted by sound. The piano was amplified by some metal contraption, and the screams of drunken patrons were infinitely louder. Those sitting closest to the door screamed at me to shut it, as the light was blinding them, but the darkness blinded me.

  Otto held me close by the arm and pulled me through the masses of sweaty, stinking lushes. Some directed their catcalling my way, at which Otto raised a fist with a grunt that promised much pain, and the patrons returned their attention to the woman on the stage. Not just a woman, but an Accipiter. Her scantily clad form drew the eyes of many, but some maintained attention on the newcomers: us.

  Otto pulled me through the roaring crowd to a seat near the bar at the back, where there was at least some candlelight and a bit better acoustics.

  “What now?” he asked, and in an instant a quest update appeared in my vision.

  <<<>>>

  Quest Update: On the Edge of a Blade Hangs Balance

  Forces of the Viridian Empire are working to restore their control over all the lands. With few able to oppose these new would-be masters, it’s important to have champions of balance and order who will fight for the freedom of Eldgard. Go to Harrowick and investigate the Drunken Donkey to find clues about who may be plotting to rule the world.

  Some mercenaries have looser tongues than others, and drinks aid the flow of all things, including information. Look for a man who is young in years with a blade that has taken more lives than he could ever live.

  Quest Class: Unique, Personal

  Quest Difficulty: Moderate

  Success: Go to the Drunken Donkey and discover any details about who is behind the takeover of Eldgard. Look for a young man with a well-used blade for more information.

  Failure: Fail to learn any information, or do not go to the Drunken Donkey.

  Reward: Teleportation Scroll, CaCoCa_Scroll; 10,000 XP.

  <<<>>>

  “We need to find a younger man with...” I struggled to decipher the hidden meaning in the second part of the addition. A blade that has taken more lives than he could ever live. He’s done a lot of killing, but how will that be obvious?

  “Yes, with what?” Otto asked, and I hadn’t realized I’d trailed off.

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand it. With a blade that has taken more lives than he could ever live. That’s all it says.”

  Otto’s eyes narrowed to slits as he looked off in the distance. “It could be the Undying Blade.”

  “The what?” I asked.

  “Not what,” Otto said, his stare snapping to me, “who. They’re a gang of mercs, deadlier than most. Some say their gifts are the grace of the gods. I wouldn’t know which gods would give those abilities... only demons.”

  I nodded thoughtfully. Otto knew a lot, and it seemed like he knew a lot of the stuff I needed to progress on not only my personal endeavors, but my gameplay ones too. Perhaps the Overminds did this sort of tweaking for all players? I had to put it out of mind, for now—I needed to be looking for a young man of the Undying Blade.

  We both cast our gazes across the room. Drunks, gamblers, and shady characters abounded, but no one who looked young and like they were a lethal assassin. We would just have to wait for them to arrive or reveal themselves.

  “Can I get you two sumpthin?” A busty barmaid bustled up to our high top with a wood platter, and I was reminded again of Hooters.

  “Mead, two pints.” I held up my fingers in case she missed it, and she gave a nod, then hurried away.

  Otto leaned over the table, though he was so tall it was not much of an effort for him. “So what now?”

  “We wait for the man of the Undying Blade to arrive. We listen. We pretend we’re here to drink and enjoy the show.” I gestured to the stage where the Accipiter woman was now nearly nude, and the patrons hooted, roared, and some even fainted.

  The woman returned with our drinks and I passed her three silver coins. She accepted them, so I assumed a silver a pint was acceptable payment... or maybe over. In fact, I didn’t really know what any
thing cost in Eldgard. Otto had done so much paying and negotiating for me, I didn’t know what I was doing.

  Hollers brought my attention from my mug to the stage. Otto had already put back the entire cup, and his gaze was affixed to the raised dais next to the makeshift piano. I took a sip and promptly belched. Otto’s green skin tone became a deeper, emerald color, and I realized he was blushing.

  “Have you never been in a strip cl—a dance joint, before?” I asked, correcting my language to be comprehensible to the NPC as I chugged down another few gulps of the sweet, alcoholic elixir.

  He looked back at me, the blush deepening. “Yes, of course. I just... just...” He fumbled with the thought. “I’ve never been to one with a woman in my company.” He looked down. I cackled, unable to contain my sheer joy at his embarrassment.

  “You’re worried about me?” I jeered and tossed back the rest of my pint, then raised my cup to the barmaid for another. She gave a jerk of her head and hurried to get our order. Apparently, three silver was a nice payment.

  Otto sat up straight. “Men here get drunk and look at women. A woman in their presence is inviting calamity.”

  “Oh.” I sat up as well, though I was still two feet shorter than Otto. “So it’s my fault if something goes poorly here?”

  Otto waved his hands over the table, his expression mortified. “No, that’s not what I said.”

  I cackled again, raising my glass as the barmaid returned with a full flagon to fill them up. I cast a glance around the room to see the peering eyes that once followed us were now back on the stage. We’d successfully blended in.

  Without my saying so, Otto turned his face toward the stage, but I could see every few moments his eyes would jerk this way and that, getting a good look at the room before us. I did the same, keeping my gaze primarily on my cup or the twin Hvitalfar, Dawn Elf, women who now danced on the dais. Their soft flowing robes moved on an impossible wind, and their voices rose in unison to a slow beating drum.

  The women didn’t disrobe, but they entranced the room nonetheless. Their sheer shawls of lavender and sapphire whipped around their bodies in a double helix, and then I realized those weren’t shawls at all. It was water. They were Hydromancers.

  I watched more intently as the two women flicked their wrists, bumped their hips, and swirled about the stage in a mirrored duet. It was miraculous and unfathomable.

  It was at that moment I realized the entire tavern had fallen silent. Like me, everyone had become enthralled with the two on the stage; even two new arrivals had stopped short with the door ajar. Only the barmaids and the bartender seemed impervious to their snare.

  The Dawn Elf women’s performance concluded, and they came to rest in a “child’s pose” type position. The crowd was stunned, unable to move forward or any way at all. Freed from the Hydromancers’ charm, the bartender started to clap. The crowd joined in, including me, and the sounds of heavy coin dropping onto wood roared at the front of the stage.

  One loud, male voice rose above the rest as the commotion in the tavern returned. “All right, so what was I saying? Oh yeah, the secret dungeon!”

  I found the speaker over the brim of my cup, watched his lips, and did my best to understand what he was saying.

  “Dungeon was the best. Never had better haul in me life. Company wasn’t great.” That was all I captured, despite my best attempts.

  Otto nudged my knee under the table and nodded to the same man I’d been scrutinizing.

  “I know. Can you get him to come over here?” I asked, and Otto frowned in my direction, then stood.

  Otto finished off his second pint of ale, an easy feat for someone his size I was sure, and walked closer to the man at the bar. He leaned against it on the other side of the blond-haired gentleman, and I realized he was a bit younger, maybe in his mid-twenties. I felt like a detective following a lead, watching my partner grab the informant with a bit of bait.

  And then he did! Otto grabbed a flagon and cheersed with the younger man in question, then walked back to our table. But the young man didn’t follow.

  “Just wait,” Otto said when his back was to the target.

  “Anyway,” the young man started back in with the other at the bar, but then cast a furtive look our way. Whether he was checking out me or the flagon of mead, I would never know, but within moments, he was walking our way.

  “This seat open?” He pointed to the low-backed stool next to mine.

  I gave a welcoming smile. Or tried to. My face was feeling a bit numb. How much mead had I had?

  The blond-haired man took the chair next to me and scooted it closer, then sat down.

  “What’re two like you doin’ in a place like this?”

  Otto didn’t miss a beat. “We’re looking for someone to help us with a dungeon crawl. Know anyone like that?”

  The man beamed and leaned toward Otto over the table. “I know just the bloke.”

  He got up from his seat, whipped out a dagger, and twirled it between his fingers. His hand bounced back and forth, but the dagger stayed perfectly in time with his movements. Then his other hand went to work on a small globe of light, rolling it and bouncing it into the air.

  He was some kind of caster hybrid. I had no idea what his class kit could be, perhaps some deep dark secret in the realm of the Overminds, or perhaps he went the [Battle Mage] route in the Sorcerer General tree.

  The Overminds were generating new class kits all the time, especially at the onset of Global Launch. The dev team just hadn’t had time to crank out enough content to keep everyone happy. We all hoped the few we had created could be digested by the Overminds and generated into additional, well-balanced kits. If not, there could be super-players running around out there.

  I clapped my hands as he stopped his performance and sat back down. “You’re just what we’re looking for! Tell me, do you have a lot of experience with difficult dungeons?” I prodded, my words slurred. Oh no, was I getting drunk? I set my third glass of mead aside, assuming a businesslike position.

  The young man nodded. “Indeed I am. I just finished a crazy crawl for some high roller. Most of the way was pretty easy, lowbies with decent coinage but not much in the way of other loot. But then”—his eyes widened—“there was the boss.”

  His offered his cup to Otto as he halted his story. Otto filled the glass and passed it back to him. The man grinned, returning to his story. “The boss! It was a terrible creature of thick hide and all manner of offenses. Acid spit, fire breath, claws as long as short swords! It was at least twelve meters tall to boot.”

  He took a huge drink, then hiccuped. “So, this beast finally goes down, and there’s a chest in the back, but the woman, she doesn’t let me see what’s inside. Says it’s for her eyes only, whatever that means. She let me have some loot off the boss, then paid me, and here I am, richer than a king and drunk as a skunk.”

  Otto and I exchanged a glance of who goes next? and I relieved him of the burden. “Who didn’t let you see what was in the chest?”

  He gulped back the rest of his mead. “Her name was Sandra. Some man named Osbark had us take three of these lowbies through a dungeon. She’s actually upstairs now grabbin’ a bit of shut-eye.” He gave me an exaggerated wink. “My performance exhausted her.”

  Osmark. Sandra. My mind’s eye came alive with the image of the two standing side by side in our concert hall, the place the entire company gathered for “State of the Union” meetings. She followed him almost everywhere, but when she wasn’t following Osmark, she was doing his dirty work. If Sandra had already gone through one of these dungeons, there was no telling what she had access to now.

  “How did you get there?” Otto broke my train of thought.

  The mercenary furrowed his brow. “Didn’t ask how she came by the scrolls, not my job knowin’ that! Though I would like another one for meself to get a peek in that special chest!”

  “So, what changed about her after she opened the chest? Was it gear? A quest,
maybe?” I probed further, and the man looked a bit put off.

  “A merc doesn’t kill and tell. You wanna know for yourself, you gotta buy the package.” He grinned and leaned in much too close for comfort.

  I angled toward Otto, holding onto my coin purse as I did. To my surprise, the quest updated from that little information.

  <<<>>>

  Quest Update: On the Edge of a Blade Hangs Balance

  You have discovered a man named Osbark, though you’re pretty certain he meant Osmark, and his accomplice Sandra are traversing epic dungeons for some special reward chest at the end. Use your scroll of Teleportation, CaCoCa_Scroll, to enter the realm the Imperials forged for themselves, and uproot their plans.

  Tarry not, haste is required. The owner of the secret area could be laying claim to the dungeon at any moment!

  Quest Class: Unique, Personal

  Quest Difficulty: Infernal

  Success: Use the scroll of Teleportation, CaCoCa_Scroll, to discover what’s in the chest at the end of the dungeon. Only then will you understand the Imperials’ plan.

  Failure: Fail to successfully traverse the dungeon, fail to open the reward chest at the end, lose your scroll of Teleportation, CaCoCa_Scroll, or do not begin the dungeon by 3 PM in-game time the day after tomorrow.

  Reward: Unknown.

  <<<>>>

  x1 Level Up!

  You have (5) undistributed stat points

  You have (11) unassigned proficiency points

  <<<>>>

  Otto broke my trance with a nudge, and I swiped away the quest alert. A countdown timer appeared in the corner of my vision: 44 hours.

  “If we come across any requiring your level of skill, we’ll be sure to return for your services, mister...”

  “You can call me Verin.” He smiled and reached to shake Otto’s hand.

  I popped open my inventory and saw the scroll, my copycat scroll, right there. I wanted to fist pump and shout a victory obscenity to the sky. But we were still in dangerous territory. I cast a glance at the soldier looking types at a table near the door, and Verin’s gaze followed mine for a fleeting second, and he dropped his outstretched hand.