"The question is what gift did you get?" asked dad. "A few weeks back you, as usual, asked us to put fifteen phoenixes in your account. And you said it was for a gift for Eve... Did you forget?"
I really wanted to say I did forget and that I forgot because of their stupid divorce! But I got myself together. They had just about stopped fighting and I didn't want to remind them of that incendiary decision.
"No dad, I didn't forget. Alright, give me a few minutes."
They exchanged glances and left. Mom looked at father accusingly, and he gave me a nod of pity. What was happening to me was very familiar to him.
Getting ready didn't take much time. My feverish search for a gift took longer than I was expecting. Last year I gave Eve a ticket to a virtual concert of her favorite group. That is, both the group and concert were completely real, but it all happened in U-City, a huge virtual entertainment city. It was a great gift... for a little girl.
But today she was turning fifteen! What could I possibly give to a growing young woman? I glanced at her online wish list, but everything she wanted had already been bought. Her parents probably just got everything on it.
So in desperation, I found a page called "The most popular gifts for teen girls" from an online gift store and ordered the first braided silver bracelet I came upon. I had just enough money, and the delivery time was just one hour. I could go out on their balcony and get my gift, feeding my location data to the delivery drone.
Buttoning up my shirt as I went, I flew out of my bedroom. We left home and, three minutes later, were standing at the O'Sullivans' door. The face recognition software worked its magic, something clicked and the door obediently climbed up. The smell of food and sound of fun came pouring out. There was loud music playing and the party was buzzing.
"Eve!" Mrs. O'Sullivan shouted when she saw us. "Go say hi to your guests!"
She hugged mom and kissed dad and me on the cheek. She smelled of wine and chocolate.
"Come in, everyone else is already here," she said. "Helene, can you help me?"
Mom nodded and together they ducked into the kitchen. I heard women's voices and laughter there. Help, as usual meant nothing more than chewing over the fresh gossip.
"Alright, Alex. I'm gonna go talk with the guys. Don't get too bored!" dad patted me on the shoulder and walked into the office.
"Mark!" Eve's father's voice rang out. "How long has it been?!"
The door slammed and I was left alone with the light cloud of tobacco smoke.
I had come over here so many times and it was always the same. The women drink wine in one room, the men lock themselves in Mr. O'Sullivan's office, smoke cigars, drink whisky and play poker, discussing recent news, women, sports and politics. And as always we were left to our own devices: Eve's room, a table full of food and children’s games. Last year we played Monopoly almost all evening. We had so much fun we almost died! I'm lying, that's sarcasm.
"I'll be right back," came Eve's voice from the far room.
She went into the entryway and stopped, not having made up her mind to come closer. I also didn't know what to do. Eve was dressed up today, but not the same as normal. This time it was not a child's pink dress and a cardboard crown. I might have even said she looked adult. She had on a light lady's make-up, fashionably coiffed hair, an evening dress, high-heel shoes and a barely detectable air of perfume.
"Happy birthday, Eve!" I said. "Your gift is on its way."
"Thanks Alex," she nodded and bit her lip. "Let's go, I'll introduce you to the guys. You don't know any of them. They're dad's new friends' kids."
"Wait..." I hesitated, rushing to say my fill while we were still alone. "Sorry I didn't say anything this morning. And that I flew off with Tissa..."
That was a mistake. I shouldn't have reminded her. A shadow ran across her face.
"You see... I just haven’t been myself lately... My parents are getting divorced, I'm spending whole nights in Disgardium... It's my fault that..." the more I said the more she bit her lip and looked struck. I could read in her eyes "stop!"
"Do you like her?" Eve looked me in the eyes. "Be honest!"
"I do. But..." I hesitated, thinking of how best to explain to her that she was much closer to me, just not romantically. "Uh..."
"Sure," she answered simply. "Let's go."
Lots of changes had happened to her room. The many video panels in the walls were no longer showing sweet cartoon cats and famous actors from preteen series. Every wall now depicted a landscape from adult Disgardium. A pink glow emanated from the ceiling. That was also new but, without it, it would all have looked somewhat gloomy. What was more, the cozy white rug that used to be on her floor was gone.
There were three people sitting around the small birthday table. The two eighteen-year old boys were somehow similar looking even though one was a bleach-blond Asian and the other was a strong white brunette with the neck of a bull. An instant later I realized what made them look alike: they both looked well-groomed, polished and arrogant. They didn't pay me any mind.
The only girl's head was half shaved. She was also older than Eve and I, and was plainly bored, digging around in her communicator.
"Guys, meet Alex," Eve began with exaggerated cheer. "We've known each other since we were kids. Alex, this is Maria, Bill and Xan."
"Hi, Alex!" they said, their apathetic gazes sliding over me.
The boys returned to their conversation. As far as I could tell, they were talking about Dis. Only the girl even seemed to know we existed:
"So, you've known each other since you were kids?" she raised an eyebrow ironically. "You're still kids! Talk to me after you’ve passed your citizenship tests."
Eve didn't answer. Instead she sat at the table and started eating cake with a neutral expression. I took the only free seat and went after the hot food. Eve's mom was a great cook, but I wasn't sure she was still doing the baking. By the looks of things, they now had a chef.
"You shouldn't eat so much," Maria snorted and slapped her thigh expressively. "It's all gonna end up here."
"Ah, who cares," the birthday girl waved it off. "Dad's taking me to the clinic tomorrow."
"Plastic surgery? I see. Then yeah, this is a great opportunity. Use it to the fullest! After today you won't be able to indulge like this..." Maria buried her nose back in her comm.
She didn't try to talk anymore after that. I was not exactly burning with desire to chat either, though I did want to know what the boys were discussing.
"... and that cretin challenged me to a duel!" Bill guffawed. "He bet his flying car he could take me!"
"That clumsy idiot?" Xan asked in surprise. "And you agreed?"
"Of course! He figured as he's five levels above me so he can win easily. Aha, sure. Fat chance! One of my shields is worth more than his flying car! A legendary from the Svyatogor set!"
"So you've got the shield?" Xan’s eyes crawled into his forehead.
"Between us two, yes. But it’s transmogrified. For these exact circumstances, I made it look like regular epic."
"You got anything else from that set?" the boy's eyes began glowing greedily.
Bill waved his shovel-like hand with false carelessness:
"I may have something..."
"What?" he started pushing.
"Sorry Xan, you understand..." Bill said with a grin. "I can't say."
"So..." Xan wrinkled his brow. "One of the Russian clans has the helm, that's for sure. And I’ve seen the sword. Some sheikh has it..."
"Alright, no more guesses," Bill said pitifully. "It isn't exactly a secret. I have the horse. It’s a combat mount. But it's almost no good, because I prefer to fly." I looked at him with respect and understanding, but he quickly disappointed me. "Those stupid poors never look into the sky! Easy kills!"
"That's right," Xan agreed and held up his hand for a high five.
I would have kept listening, but then my comm buzzed, notifying me the drone with Eve's gift had arrived. I apologi
zed, ran out onto the balcony, accepted the fancily packaged box wrapped in ribbon and went back. I handed the gift to the birthday girl, and everyone spent a few minutes watching curiously.
"That’s a fun little trinket," Maria observed.
"I like it," said Eve. She clasped the bracelet on her wrist and admired it, tilting her arm. "Thanks, Alex."
She kissed me on the cheek and blushed. The boys then, their brief curiosity satisfied, got right back to what they were talking about.
"You aren't gonna try to get the whole set?" asked Xan.
"Of course I am!" Bill slammed his hand on the table so hard the dishes gave a jump. "Do you know what it gives?"
"Uh... like a jillion billion strength?" Xan asked with a lazy chuckle.
"That's all on its own," he said, waving it off. "It also has a bunch of plusses to every stat, and most importantly it gives a unique ability! It makes you ten times bigger for one minute! You can just crush everyone around you! Isn’t that awesome?"
"Wait really?" Xan couldn't believe it. His eyes turned into dinner plates. "And how is damage calculated for that?"
"No one knows, buddy. And that’s because the set has never been assembled before. The last element is the Svyatogor chainmail, which is worn under plate armor, and it hasn't been found."
"All the previous parts of the set came from reward chests for eliminating threats with potential M or higher. That means the chainmail will be for the same," Xan declared authoritatively, raising a finger.
"That's right," Bill nodded and tore into his roast chicken thigh. He chewed it, came up close to his friend and whispered barely audibly: "Did you hear about the new threat around the Nameless Mountains?"
"The potential L?" Xan asked, finishing a rainbow-colored drink. "Yeah, we're trying to find it."
"So are we," Bill whispered feverishly, and I perked my ears. "And you know what?"
"The sandbox," the Korean answered with his lips alone.
"Exactly. We've got guys standing watch and checking all the noobs that come out with True Flame."
"We don't have that many people, but it's a good idea. I'll tell our guys..."
"Hey, that's our spot!" Bill objected. "And that was supposed to stay between us!"
"Oh come on! All the preventers already know! There's nowhere else for the threat to come from, unless they just quit the game for good. We checked everything in the mountains and nearby!" Xan looked at me sidelong. "Hey, what's your name... you wouldn't happen to live in Tristad, would you?"
I just about gagged. I was spellbound, chewing mechanically but no longer distinguishing flavors or able to even tell schnitzel from cake. But when they turned their attention to me, I shuddered in surprise and froze.
"His name is Alex, Xan! And yes, he's with me," Eve confirmed. "But I don't really understand what you're talking about. I just started playing, and now I'm getting power-levelled in Gloomwood. I'm level three already!"
"Woah, three! Not bad!" they admired, exchanging smiles. "And who you got power levelling you?"
"Some guys from Axiom, the number one clan in my sandbox! By the way, they're champions of the Arena this year!"
"The noob arena, with players from sandboxes only," Xan said mockingly. "A bit more and you can start fighting! By the way, I recommend it. Everyone there is poor. If you’ve got good gear, you can easily become champion. And it’s actually worth doing. In my day I won and got an elixir giving plus ten to all attributes."
"You got lucky," Bill noted. "I got plus ten to one stat, though I did get a choice." He turned to me. "And you, Alex, what level you at?"
"Almost five."
"I see. A bit weak... Anyway, about Tristad, listen. Have you noticed anything strange, like some player levelling way too fast?"
"Nah, I haven't seen anything. No one will even let me in a group. I'm levelling slowly and I don't want to go into dungeons."
"Alex, why so modest?" Eve exclaimed. "He soloed a level-five dungeon at level one. I was in a group with him, but I got killed right away."
"What are you talking about!" Bill admired, not looking away. "And how'd you do that, champion?"
"Solo at level one?" I laughed, but it came across nervous. "It wasn't exactly 'solo!' Eve left the game, I joined a group with some classmates and they dragged me through the dungeon."
"I see," Bill was disappointed and lost interest.
"By the way, Alex. Wanna level with me?" Eve offered. "I paid Axiom to get me up to level ten! And I get all the loot! Want me to negotiate to get you in too? That way we can sit and chat while they clear mobs. The experience just pours in!"
"Sure, why not? Let's talk tomorrow," I suggested. Was I really going to refuse her yet again on her birthday and upset her? No thanks. "After school?"
Eve lit up, but was immediately disappointed:
"I'm going to the clinic tomorrow, then I'll have to spend a few days in recovery..."
"Not an issue. Then after that?"
"Alright!" she said, blossoming.
And I nodded, already back to listening to the boys talking about something else. Now they were on to the Destroying Plague.
Chapter Twenty-Six. New Figure
WE WERE BACK home by midnight. My parents were pretty tipsy and even opened a bottle of wine in the kitchen so they could trade impressions of the O'Sullivans and their upcoming promotion. I said goodnight, but actually locked myself in my room and climbed into my capsule so I would miss it if or when they fought. I didn't go right into the game, having decided to wade through the forums and compare what I found there with what those rich kids were saying.
Fortunately, when Bill and Xan were talking about the Destroying Plague, Eve did not remember me getting its Mark in the temple crypt. When I got it, that jumped by in the group chat, and she even asked what it was. But hopefully she forgot.
I closed the forums in two minds. I didn't find out much news about that global cataclysm. Throughout Disgardium, including in cities, there were now small dungeons and locations filled with skeletons, zombies and other kinds of undead. In that world, such mobs were nothing new. But the main bosses of those dungeons all shouted that they had been sent by the Destroying Plague, and that made me think.
In places I had found reanimated animal corpses. Just like the zombie rats I had come across or the strange unkillable cockroaches. But that also leaked onto the forums only as mentions of quirks or new features added by the corporation. One player complained that he had been attacked in a peaceful location by a usually unaggressive deer and, only after dying, saw in the logs that this was no common deer, but an infected one. The only answer under his post was predictable: "You got killed by a zombie deer? Lol! You're such a dumbass!"
Nevertheless, the words Destroying Plague were trending in various contexts and the overall opinion was that it was none other than the next bane of all Disgardium. Whether it was a deity, some especially strong mob or a natural disaster like an epidemic remained unclear. But there was no question that it would be coming for everyone. And both the Commonwealth and the dark races were afflicted.
Meanwhile, I tried looking up information on threats, but I already knew everything that was publicly available. Sometimes, players did something extraordinary that made them more than a common player, and after that they were recognized as a threat to the world.
Some even drew an analogy to the real world, and assumed this all came from there. With varying frequency, there were babies born who presented a threat to humanity in a way that no one could have predicted: Genghis Khan, Osama Bin Laden, Adolf Hitler...
Or what about Jefferey Gacy? He was from an F-class family, successful, popular with the ladies. He had a loving wife, a child, a career in the space fleet. He was living the dream! How could he possibly have been a threat? But something snapped in his mind and he rammed a tourist space shuttle into an orbital shopping center. A few tens of thousands of people died, and most of them were high-status citizens of high social value.
I didn't find anything about the preventer clans other than scant information that they existed, tracked down all threats, found them and eliminated them. Every such clan had something like a hotline, which could be used to share suspicions, whispers and rumors. And they paid well for information, if it led to a real threat: one hundred thousand phoenixes and up for information about any threat with a potential higher than G.
And that just so happened to be exactly how much I needed for my first two years of university. That made me think. What if I fed them my own identity? To be honest, I would get approximately half that for my current potential, but nevertheless that was guaranteed entry into my first year! Or I could talk with the Dementors and share the reward...
Class-A Threat (Disgardium Book #1) LitRPG Series Page 23