by Rick Scar
“Something like why I live in the center of a lake, guarded by dogs? Something like how do they walk on water? Something like what am I doing here alone? Something like that?”
“Not at all, that’s your business. I have no intention to pry.”
“Oh, yeah? Some serious change is coming because of you, and I don’t have time for every nosy stranger.”
“Why did you ask me inside then?” asked Will, trying to follow the man’s train of thought.
“I saw your ring.”
“I see,” replied Will, wondering how the man could see it from forty five yards away, “I want to offer you a trade—I help you to prepare for the things to come, and you give me answers.”
The hunter looked at the guest with doubt and distrust. Then, he sighed, and asked,
“What do they call you, messenger?”
“White RAVen. And what should I call you, sir?”
“You don’t need to know my name.”
Will shrugged.
Inspect.
Chapter 14. Trial
“???: level ???
Health: ???”
RAVen lost his cool and looked confused. He barely had time to ask himself, what kind of monster sat before him.
“Hey!” growled the man. His eyes turned black, and the aura that was coming from him crushed Will down and brought him to his knees. The dog, that was sitting quietly just a second ago, was snarling in Will’s face, oozing green smoke from its snout.
“You don’t want to abuse my hospitality, kid!” The man’s aura and his aggravated voice held his guest in a steel grip.
Will got gravely serious. Everything felt so real, he forgot he was in the game. Kneeling? Never! He was fighting the weight that pressed him down, as hard as he could. Drops of blood from his nose splattered on the floor. Then he started bleeding from his eyes.
“Goddamn! It hurts!”
The last thing he saw, before everything went dark, was a name that flashed before his eyes. Then the system notification popped up.
“Warning! You lost sight under pressure. The effect will last for 12 hours. Further resistance will increase damage. Death is imminent.”
“Aaa!”
Will felt his eyes explode, but, little by little, he kept pushing, because he was too stubborn. Never did he kneel before anyone. His pride did not allow him to do that, even in the game. Mopping floors, taking out trash, serving the wealthy—he was not afraid of dirty work, but the principles, his father instilled into him, sat so deep, that if he had been unconscious, his body would have resisted on its own.
“It’s an illusion! It’s not real!” he kept repeating that, like a mantra, suffering tremendous mental pressure.
-300
“You’re in mental shock.”
-300
“You’re in mental shock.”
-300
“You’re in mental shock.”
“Argh!!!”
The pain was agonizing. It felt like someone was sticking burning hot needles into his brain. In a semi-delirious state, he knew, he was supposed to die, and respawn in the village a long time ago. Negative numbers that were flashing before his eyes exceeded his health limit ten times over, but, for some reason, the torture continued. He kept struggling, while reading notifications, each one worse than the last.
“Warning! You went completely deaf under pressure. The effect will last for 16 hours. Further resistance will increase damage. Death is imminent.”
“Holy mother of…”
He didn’t know why he was doing it—why he kept trying, instead of just giving in. Pain was unbearable, and it was ripping his mind apart. It was all in the game; no living person saw him standing on his knees, but, deep inside, Will was mad, that a bunch of ones and zeroes tried to pull off what others couldn’t.
“It’s all in my head, I’m going to be OK, I’m not in any paaaa–”
Will didn’t know how long it lasted. A minute? A day? Time was collapsing and springing, flowing forward and backward. He was thinking about surrender. Why couldn’t he just drop? Some instinctive desire to stay up and fight kept him going.
Will heard a smooth lulling voice. It was fading in. A voice he wanted to follow. It sounded very familiar, like… like that of his father!
“Stop fighting, son. Just let go. Why torment yourself? Just let go, and it will be all over with. Think about your sister. Do you really want to die and leave her alone? Just fall on your knees and all will be back to the way it was before.”
“What the hell kind of game is this?!”
No! His father would have never asked him of something like this. RAVen would have rather believed Hell was going to freeze. He would have believed his dream of being able to provide for his family was not to come true. What he couldn’t believe was his own father telling him to give up.
Finally, he could stand up straight, which was impossible, because his legs were broken, and tendons were lacerated. The game kept him posted on every mutilation he was suffering. RAVen’s body was lying shattered in a pool of blood, with broken bones sticking out. It was difficult to remember, that all of this was happening in his head. The capsule was retrieving only the information, which Will believed to be true. And when he managed to get up, this entire delusion was gone. Just like that.
RAVen found himself lying on the floor. Health bar was at 5%; his eyes were almost completely dead; he couldn’t hear, and he could barely move.
“Unique quest complete! You’ve made the impossible!
You are the only person who completed it on max sensitivity settings. For showing exceptional persistence, you get the reward:
+500 Influence points
+100 Will points
+30 all stats
+20% Physical resistance
+20% Magic resistance.”
“Awarded the title: Adamantine.
Your Spirit is strong and undefeatable.
+60% Mental resistance
+10 Main attack against ethereal type targets.
“Soul Cry. Unique skill. Active (Apprentice).
Produces a wave to attack enemies in your vicinity. Causes piercing damage and ignores all armor.
Damage: 350-400
Attack range: 33 feet
Sets the effect Dismay. Affected target can’t move.
Duration: 30 seconds
Energy required: 250
Cooldown: 2 days.”
Chapter 15. Radermin
“In the Face of Death. The spell is cast on you. Your wounds are healing.
Regeneration: +35%
Duration: 1 hour.”
Will read the message, but he was completely exhausted. Maximum sensitivity was no joke. The machine was right about the reward—it was too generous. Nonetheless, he wasn’t sure he would ever do it again. The pain felt too real. Shivers were running down his spine, every now and then, paralyzing his entire body, for a short period of time.
Two hours later, when his vital signs went back to normal—the spell was, apparently, no less than legendary level—the executioner spoke.
“How are you holding up?” asked the man, as if he knew Will could hear.
“Do you really want me to answer, Radermin?” asked he disrespectfully, “That’s right, I saw your name, before my eyes exploded, you bastard.”
Radermin was as mad as he was impressed to hear this. Not showing the latter, he said,
“RAVens are bringers of either change or bad news. Which one are you?”
“I’m the one that can help. I’m no clairvoyant, but I know you need me.” Will staggered toward the other chair and sat in it.
The hunter gave a groan of disapproval at Will’s actions, but he already knew that his own fate depended on Will.
“You didn’t answer.” Radermin paused, and then continued, “You’re not as tough as I thought you’d be. Your body is weak, but your spirit is like that of a dragon—gets tempered in battle. I have a mission to offer. It’s not going to be a walk in t
he park, but we’re running out of time. A sorcerer from Taargada Forest has a box, that belongs to me. I can’t trust you the details, but all you have to know is that I need it back. You’ll know what I’m talking about, when you see it.”
“Do you want me to kill the sorcerer?”
“Hahaha! You? Kill him? He will end you in a blink of an eye! Even I with all my powers couldn’t kill him. He tricked me, and took my last chance… I mean, he took my box. You’re a rogue, aren’t you? So, I want you to steal it. If you bring back what’s mine, I’ll thank you.”
“You’ve earned Radermin’s approval by demonstrating your will power.
Pandora’s Box (Epic quest chain part I).
Find the sorcerer and locate the box. The sorcerer must not know anything about your mission, otherwise you will never get to the box. You have three months.
Reward: +11000 XP
+100 gold
+15 Approval points
Also, you get to ask Radermin one question to get one answer.”
“No pain, no game.” said Will, and gave the hunter a crooked smile.
Generally, Epic quests were not single player quests, unless stated otherwise, of course. But three months? That didn’t sound like a lot of time to Will. He tried to imagine what level the sorcerer might have been.
“Accept? Yes/No.”
Chapter 16. Sis
With a bitter smile on his face, Will accepted.
“You’ve accepted the quest. The countdown starts now. Good luck!”
Seated in the chair, he leaned on his elbow and addressed the hunter,
“Radermin, you said, I was weak, and that we were running out of time. Does that mean getting this box is a pressing matter to you?”
The hunter narrowed his eyes. His voice was quiet, but threatening.
“Don’t you forget who you’re talking to, boy. You may be a messenger, but you’re mortal. Where are you going with this? And don’t lie to me! The time is short, but I can wait for someone, who would do it three times faster.”
“I wasn’t going to lie. I was going to ask you to give me some of your friends there, to hunt.”
“My friends?” Radermin asked and looked at the dog.
“Yes”
“You’re too impudent. I’m not going to help you. You’re on your own. Think of it as another test. But I’ll tell you what, if you can get me what I need within six months, I’ll give you one pup.”
“A task is added to Pandora’s Box.
Retrieve the box within six months to get a Smoke Hound puppy from Radermin.”
Well, it was worth a try.
“How long are you going to sit around?” The aura around Radermin was getting thicker, and it looked like he was ready for round two.
“I’m going, I’m going. One more question, though.”
“What?”
“Where do I find you, when I get the box?”
“I’m not going anywhere. But… you never know, right? Here. Bring it back with my box.” Radermin fished a small dog shaped figurine out of his bag, and tossed it to Will.
Inspect.
“Item: Forerunner (Unique).
When activated, the item emits a howl to locate Radermin on the map.”
Outside, Will felt very tired. A lot of things had happened. He looked the dogs, then at the clock, and felt like taking a break.
The reality welcomed him with the sound of running water. Either dad was back, or sister came to visit. Will got out of the capsule, stretched his back, and went to the kitchen. It was Leah.
“Hey, little brother,” she said, without turning around, and continued to wash vegetables. “You hungry?”
Will’s stomach started growling. He rubbed the back of his neck, and smiled.
“I’m sorry, how long will you be staying?”
“Couple days. They’re staging a play at school, and everyone who’s not in it, gets a couple days off.”
“I see. How is school, by the way, you hanging tough in there?” He stood next to her, and started peeling onion and carrots.
“As always, don’t worry,” she said smiling. “So what’s your plan? When are you going to tell me?”
“Not today, sorry. You spoke with dad recently?”
“Like, yesterday. Told him I was going to see you.”
“How is he?”
“Fine.”
Darius Thompson was practically living out of a suitcase, working for a small refrigerator selling business. He had a reputation of a good, reliable, hard-working man.
“Are you done with your game for today?”
“Yes, I think, I am.”
“Good, because I missed you, just so you know. It’d be great if we could spend some quality time together.”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I was really busy lately.”
Over the dinner, they were sharing latest news, laughing; Leah was telling funny stories from school, and Will listened. He just kicked back and listened, recharging for what lied ahead of him.
Chapter 17. Planning a kill
The following morning, when Leah was still asleep, Will got up, washed his face, had ramen noodles for breakfast, and turned on the computer.
The online auction was linked to the game—purchased goods as well as money went straight to a player’s personal storage. Anyone could get a storage, if they were renting a piece of real estate, like a room in the tavern. Renting a safety deposit box was pricier, but safer. Those were the so called provisional storages. To get a permanent one, a player was supposed to actually own realty.
Will wasn’t sure if he wanted to auction off a level 40+ helmet. He was concerned it might draw unwanted attention. Hoping nothing bad would come out of it, he set the starting price at fifty gold as anonymous seller.
“Rat Grin (Gold).
A helmet in the shape of a giant rat’s chaps. Its damage-proof fangs are perfect for protection against slashing attacks. But beware thrust damage, daggers, and crossbow bolts.
+110 Physical resistance
+48% Protection against slashing attacks
+15% Protection when Stone Pillar is activated
-20% Protection against thrust attacks
Skill: Cursed Hit (Active).
When activated, grants 33% chance to cast either Weakness or Fear spell on the target upon successful attack.
Cooldown: 3 minutes
Level requirement: level 45
Class Requirement: Warrior.”
Meantime, the sun came up in Ascension. RAVen reappeared right where he had left off. The hounds were on alert, and, when they saw him, they bared their teeth. RAVen didn’t want to tempt them, so he started walking, thinking how he wanted to hunt those dogs. He took a long way back to the village, avoiding every possible danger, in a hope to find a monster he could kill. Three hours later, he did spot a suitable candidate, near small rocky hills. An anthropomorphic monster holding a huge pick hammer was standing at the entrance to a cave in the hill, from which measured rumble was coming.
Apprentice level Inspection skill worked only within 40 yard radius. The monster was, at least, 60 yards away. Will picked a bunch of rocks, and started throwing them at the monster. The first rock landed thirty feet away from the target. The monster looked around searching for the source of noise, and muttered something, but didn’t move. Will threw another rock, closer to the monster. This time the monster bought it—he grabbed the pick hammer with both hands and went to see what it was.
Will went stealth, but wasn’t going to risk. Knowing the distances, he retreated to a better position to study the area. The ledge over the entrance didn’t look very promising. Plotting against the monster, RAVen couldn’t help but feel, there was something wrong about this. The one on the lookout seemed ugly enough for a monster, but monsters don’t do mining.
RAVen didn’t want to blow the 40% XP, in case he was wrong, neither was he going to waste precious time. He took off his gear, which, in case of death, he didn’t want to lose, and, having
plucked up the courage, went straight to the monster.
“Rargh! Stop, human!”
Will was already close enough to inspect, and to have a good look at the guy.
“Lekhor: level ???
Health: ???”
An eight foot tall Lekhor had pale skin, slightly bulged out eyes and strong body. His tongue was showing when he spoke, and it was forked, lake that of a snake.
“Me say stop, stranger!”
“I’m sorry, I heard the rumble, and came to see. I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“No step forward more, or you dead!”
“I gotcha,” RAVen nodded. “Can I ask a question before I leave?”
“Hrr…” Lekhor looked around and gave Will a funny stare. “Me see you alone here walk. No danger. Ask question.”
“What race are you?”
“We Horghs! We best miners!”
Chapter 18. In the right place at the right time
Will decided to put the killing part of his plan on the back burner, and asked,
“What about Dwarves?”
“Ghrr… You not mention measly rats in Lekhor presence, or you suffer!”
“Fine, you win. You’re the best… But why are you alone out here, and who are you on the lookout for?”
Will wasn’t going to keep his word—he was asking question after question, thinking the monster wasn’t too bright an interlocutor.
“You ask many question. You not tell truth.”
“Huh! This world is full of surprises,” murmured Will, “No, no, I’m just glad to know, that such strong warriors are in charge of mining works around here, not those pathetic dwarves. I just wanted to know more about your noble race, that’s all.”
RAVen shrugged and was going to leave. He wasn’t sure if flattery was going to work, so getting prepared for fleeing, was a smart move.