by Rick Scar
“Nope, forums are empty. No videos, no comments, no nothing. It hasn’t come up yet, but our people are on it.”
“I see. We have to lay our hands on it before anyone else does. Dismissed, see you at the next one.”
Everyone left, except Catalia—a good old friend, and a rogue.
“Mollie, are you alright?” asked the girl, and patted Mollie on the shoulder.
“Mhm.” When they were alone, Mollie would always turn into a simple girl, without a clan, her parents’ wealth, and connections. It seemed like it was Catherene, who was nourishing the good in her.
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, you’re kinda hung up on that guy. You think you can recruit him?”
“Absolutely,” said Mollie in a voice full of determination, “I want him to play for us. You know how badly we need talented players. He’s our ticket up.”
“What if he just got lucky?”
“We can’t know, until we find out who he is.”
“Assuming, we do, what good are we to him? What do you have to offer to a guy, whose rating is above all of ours put together?”
“That I don’t know… yet.”
Chapter 12. Ready to leave
When RAVen was done fiddling with the items, he looked at the money, and gave a long whistle of surprise. Thirty seven gold, twelve silver, and some copper change seemed a generous bounty. Most of this, if not all, came from the rat boss. RAVen dropped Pak a message to remind about the skill books he was asking for, and to let him know that he’s willing to double the money for the right skills. After that, he opened up the stats.
Ever since he had learned that last skill, he didn’t have a chance to upgrade or learn new ones. When such a chance presented itself—rat slaying spree brought him five Skill points—he upgraded Stealth, raising it to the next level, spent one on Dodge, and two on Parry. The last one he saved, till better days.
“Dodge. Passive skill (Apprentice).
Heightened sense of awareness allows to evade incoming attacks.
Requirements: none.”
“Parry. Active skill (Journeyman).
Use your weapon to deflect incoming attacks.
Energy required: 25
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Requirements: none.”
“Invisibility. Active skill (Journeyman).
Makes you invisible as long as you’re not under attack.
Energy required: 20
Duration: 45 seconds
Cooldown: 6 seconds
Class requirements: Rogue, Thief, Ghost Demon.”
When this part was done, Will headed to the tavern, where he was hoping to find Oldak. And he did find him there, drunk, of course. When RAVen showed him the skulls, ol’ Oldak got so excited, he almost tore RAVen’s hand off, shaking it. He was immensely grateful.
“Thank you so much, oh, mighty warrior! If it wasn’t for you… I, I don’t know how to thank you. Because… That’s a whole lot of skulls, I tell ya.”
“Fourteen.” emphasized Will, to make sure, he gets paid for all of them, and continued, “I also found out what they were looking for. Do you know what this is?” Will produced the purple stone, that, for some reason, stopped emanating and looked like a regular stone.
“Ah, yes, I recognize it. My old man brought this from a journey, about two years ago. He’s an adventurer, my old man is, much like yourself, oh, mighty warrior.” Oldak felt, obviously, proud of his father.
“Did he tell you what it is, or where he found it?”
“Hmm… No, he didn’t say what it was, but I remember he told me the place where he picked it up. The Vaald Canyon.”
“The Vaald Canyon? Do you know where it is?”
“Somewhere up north, that’s all I know. Here’s your reward, by the way. The sword I gave you. Keep it. And the stone too. It’s a gift from my old man, but if it causes trouble, take it.”
“Congratulations! Rat Slayer completed.
+10000 XP + 200XP (bonus Pathfinder)
+28 gold
Additional task completed: find out what the rats were looking for.
+5500 XP 200XP (bonus Pathfinder)
+Cursed Shard.”
“Glad I could help. So long!”
“Farewell, messenger of Gods!”
Will slowed down on his way out, and addressed the man,
“You knew who I was?”
“Everyone knows the prophecy, young man. Why do you think I wasn’t surprised to see you back from the warehouse? But, you know what?”
“What?”
“The gates may be closed for a reason, you know. The Gods, in their eternal wisdom, wouldn’t sacrifice their bodies for no reason…”
When Will walked outside, he had already forgotten Oldak’s words. What he needed was a map, big enough, to match the drawing of Alvian mountains with it.
Local library was not far from the central square. It was a two-story stone building, covered with fresco paintings. Inside, he found a young man, hovering over a book on a lectern.
“Hello, good sir.”
“Eh? Oh, a customer!” For a moment, the young man looked as if he had never seen other people. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to see you. How may I help you?”
“I need a detailed map of the lands.”
“Looking for something specific?”
“Alvian Mountains and the Vaald Canyon”
“I see. Here, take a seat. What is your name, sir?”
“White RAVen.” replied Will honestly.
“That’s an interesting name, messenger. How long have you been around?” His voice was coming from upstairs, where he was looking for the map.
“A week or so. Why?”
“So, the clock is ticking…”
“What clock?”
“On the gates, of course. Now you didn’t come alone, did you?”
“No, you’re right, there are a lot of us.”
“Right, I got the map.” The young man brought a roll of parchment, and handed it to Will. “Have you started looking for the key?”
“Do you know where it is?”
“I wish!” said he with a smile, and continued, “My name is Drak. So, you can stop calling me sir.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” said Will, looking at the map of the East Continent. “A little hand, Drak? It’ll take me forever to make sense of this map.”
“What’s there to make sense of? There’s your mountains, and there’s your canyon.” The young man pointed at the mountains near a small lake, and the canyon, almost without looking.
“Hmm. Mountains or canyon… If only there was a way to know what level the inhabitants are.” murmured Will, and then addressed Drak, “What do you know about the town in the mountains?”
“Town? There are no towns up there.”
“Shadow Order then… Hiding, are we?” murmured Will again, “OK, I think I got all I needed. Thank you, and goodbye.”
“Anytime. Always happy to help.” Drak waved his hand, and resumed reading.
RAVen went outside and straight to the bulletin board. He felt he was ready to leave the town, and see what’s out there. Apparently, the rat thing was a onetime quest, and, judging by the commotion around the warehouse, and how everyone looked busy, the rats were gone for good. He took few assignments that didn’t look too hard: one kill quest and two gather quests. Kill ten wild Ligers—Will had no idea that they were, but their tusks cost three gold a piece. He also had to find some diaphanous web, that local spiders were spinning, and collect some herbs. All three led to Taargada Forest.
Chapter 13. A mysterious hunter
Before leaving, RAVen thought he’d take the Twilight Walker for a spin. There was no use trying it, when he was battling the rats, so he found a quiet alleyway, and activated the skill. His body became blurred, and dissolved in the nearest shadow. The world around him turned grey, like he was seeing it through some sort of filter. Will looked like a faint copy of himself, slowly moving from sh
adow to shadow.
“Hmm, I wonder…” said he, and put his foot against a shadowed wall. It didn’t say in the description, that the shadow on the ground is different from the shadow on the wall. And it worked! Then, he put both feet on the wall, and simply walked up its surface. The next moment, when the effect timed out, the grey world spat Will out, onto the real world’s ground. His brain wasn’t used to such kind of transitions, so the realization of colors came seconds delayed.
“Now we’re cooking with gas, ha-ha!”
Right after the experiment, Will left Skiavra, and headed to the forest, that was a mile away from the village. But Will felt hesitant to go there—he thought he wasn’t ready, and he certainly wasn’t going to rely on luck again. There were various monsters around, mostly in small groups of three to four individuals. A bunch of black fur goat-like creatures was grazing fairly close to him. Their twirled protruding horns looked like lethal pikes, and their cloven hoofs made the ground shake, every time they stepped on it. Will gulped, thinking of how hard one would have to stomp, to make the ground vibrate.
Inspect.
“Hammerhead: level 48.
Health: 7400.”
That last number was bad news—Will knew they weren’t going to go down that easy. If he had tried to hunt them like rats, they’d have razed the warehouse to the ground. This thought made him walk around them, and keep looking for easier targets.
“Slimy Worm: level 49.
Health: 8300.”
…
“Scintillant Viper: level 52.
Health: 9000. ”
…
“Smoke Hound: level 63.
Health: 10200”
The search didn’t go so well. Part avoiding, part hiding using Stealth and Twilight Walk, he eventually stumbled on relatively calm dogs. Their level was frightening, but, at least, they looked like dogs. Well, kind of. These dogs were six feet five tall, with eyes gleaming green, and bodies made of thick yellow smoke. Two of them were patrolling the territory around a small lake, with a stubby hut in the middle of it, approximately, a hundred and thirty feet from Will. Thinking about what kind of person would reside in a place like this with guard dogs, and whether he should beware of the monsters, Will started surveilling the house. He was cautious and patient.
Frequent deaths in Ascension had taught other players to take death matters seriously. Seven hour debuff and loss of 40% of last level’s XP seemed harsh and unattractive.
The sky was clear, and the sun cut off any chance to get around the hounds. Will was thinking if it was worth trying to approach the hut, and who the monsters were actually guarding. He knew he was too weak to confront local fauna, and, just when he was going to take off, the door opened.
A robust man showed at the doorstep, wearing well crafted hunter clothing. In his hands, he was holding a big bowl. The man finger whistled, and put the bowl by his feet. The hounds left their post, following the command, and ran to their master, right across the lake.
“Sure, why not?” whispered Will.
Another dog emerged from a lean-to, and took their place. It started pacing back and forth, indicating that the perimeter was secure. Will felt it was enough just standing there, doing nothing—he made a deep breath, and yelled,
“Hey, there! Hello!”
The man looked at Will for a while, and then made a gesture with his hand, as he was going back in. RAVen started moving slowly toward the hut, hoping it wasn’t a trap, and that this weirdo wasn’t luring him in. The dog, that was orbiting the lake, stopped, and starred at the guest. RAVen stepped on the narrow wooden bridge, stretching across the lake. Unlike his dogs, the master was, apparently, incapable of walking on the water.
“At least, something is normal here.” said Will to the dogs that were munching on the meat from the bowl.
It was warm and cozy inside. The fire was burning in the fireplace, but there was no smoke. Will thought it was some sort of magic that kept him from being seen from afar. Trophy monster skulls were hanging on the walls. The man himself was sitting in the chair, petting another dog, or, rather, his hand was resting in the dog. Compared to the ones Will saw outside, this dog was much tougher. It sat by the chair, and looked relaxed, but it was clear, that the dog wouldn’t hesitate to bite anyone’s head off, if they were to act inappropriately.
“Well? Are you just going to stand there like a spare prick at a wedding? What do you want?” asked the man emotionlessly. He, so it seemed, was not a big guest lover.
“To ask you something.”
“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.