by Tony Corden
You have possession of the only key to this upper entrance of the mine. With this, you have access to plunder the mine of Lord Kötü Niyetli. In order to do so, it is highly recommended that you enter the mine with sufficient force to protect yourself during mining. Your reward for finding the mine will be given upon entrance.
Each level has an endless supply of Lord Kötü Niyetli’s minions who will attack any person or group who is mining the Darkness Diamond’s which belong to their Lord. They will attack whenever mining begins and will continue until you leave the mine. This mine has ten levels. The deeper you go, the larger the Darkness Diamonds which can be mined. As you go deeper, you will also find stronger resistance. The lowest level in the mine is 250 or the mean of your group, whichever is higher.
Leah stepped off the disc and checked the time. Altogether she had been in Dunyanin for almost eight hours. She considered her options and then teleported to where she had left Batislar that morning. After changing her appearance, she headed back into the city.
7
December 14, 2073 - Part 7
DUNYANIN
She returned to the armoury and after a few minutes was shown into the office area behind the showroom. After greeting T’sar Rimci, she said, “T’sar, thank you for seeing me. I do not need more armour but was looking for some advice.”
“How may I help you, your Majesty?”
“In the mountains, I have discovered an area to explore, but I need some companions. Are there trustworthy travellers in the city whom you might recommend?”
“Batislar is not well known among travellers, but those we do see are ones with higher levels. At any one time, there are maybe ten to twenty travellers in the whole of the city. I imagine your presence will bring an increase. You are the only traveller from the races of Light who has ever been here. All the others have been Dark Elves, with the occasional Orcs and one Gargoyle I know of who uses Batislar as a base.”
“A Gargoyle?”
“They are rare, but they are created from dwarves in a process somewhat like that which forms vampires. I have only met one traveller who is a gargoyle so I imagine they would never be mentioned among the races of Light.”
“Are there any you would trust enough for me to consider inviting to join me on a quest?”
“I imagine it is similar to those in the races of Light, some are trustworthy, and some are not. In Batislar we do have the headquarters of a traveller’s clan, the Dark Clan of the Broken Falx. It is named after the weapon of choice used by their leader. I have found those in this clan to be true to their word. They are not gentle but they are almost always honourable.”
“How might I find them?”
“Their headquarters is in the same quarter as the tavern I suggested yesterday. Any clan members who are in the city will congregate at the Bristled Boar. It is on the same street as where you stayed last night. Ask for Captain Jack or approach whichever group has the gargoyle as he’s a member of the clan.”
After thanking T’sar for the information, Leah made her way to the tavern she’d stayed in the previous evening, and after booking a room for another night, she headed to the Bristled Boar. Stepping inside Leah looked around the room before heading to the bar. In one corner she spied what had to be the gargoyle. The player was probably three metres tall with massive arms and legs, and a thick, broad chest. Two horns, thick like those of a buffalo, swept backwards from his brow and protected his head. Folded wings could be seen behind his back, and a huge sword rested against the wall beside him.
He was sitting with an orc and five Dark Elves. Two of the Dark Elves looked like specialised mages, but Leah couldn’t pick what the others might be most skilled in. A large curved sword jutted out above the back of one of the Dark Elves. He was of the Siyah Clan like herself but was broader than most elves. He also looked older than many of the other players she’d seen. Their player levels were all greater than 220, and the one she had pegged as Captain Jack was at Level 321.
Leah sat watching them for a few minutes, taking note of what they were drinking and observing their camaraderie. Her examination didn’t go unnoticed. When she was confident that several of them had seen her interest she turned to the barkeep and said, “A drink for each person at Captain Jack’s table. Make them the same as they’ve already ordered and a dark ale for me.”
When the drinks arrived, she grabbed her drink and then followed the waitress to the table. Leah was dressed in her town clothes and had no armour or weapons in sight. She did have several knives equipped, but they were concealed. She stood near the table and looking at the elf she’d pegged as the head of the Broken Falx she said, “Captain Jack I presume. My name is Atherleah and I have a proposition for you and your friends.”
Nobody touched their drinks, and they all tensed fractionally. Captain Jack looked at her for a few moments before he said, “Reports have you further south than this. Aren’t you supposed to be on a quest for one of the gods?”
“My feed is always at least a day behind, and something’s come up just today that I need help with.”
“Why us?”
“I don’t know anyone in the area, and I’m certain I won’t survive where I want to go on my own. Your clan has a reputation for being honourable.”
“What do need us for?”
“I’d like to agree on some conditions first.”
Jack said, “That’s easy. We split everything equally, and I lead.”
“Close, but no cigar. We split everything equally, and I lead. I’ll let you set your people how you want, but I set the agenda.”
“That’s not going to happen sweetheart. I don’t care how good you are, I lead.”
Leah palmed the Darkness Diamond she’d found that day and placed it on the table. “Fair enough I suppose. I’m sorry for the interruption. Have a nice day.” She looked at the gem on the table and said, “That’s for any inconvenience I’ve caused you.” Then she turned to make her way from the tavern.
Captain Jack said, “At least stay and finish your drink. There’s no need to rush off.”
Leah turned back to the table and said, “I’d love to but I if I can’t do this quest tomorrow then I’ll be moving on.”
“When you say I set my people, what does that mean?”
“At the moment, you know their skills better than I do Captain Jack. It’d be stupid not to use that experience. It’s my quest though and so I direct the big picture. You place your team to meet my objectives.”
Captain Jack reached over and picked up the Darkness Diamond, then said, “Call me ‘Jack’. I’m assuming this has something to do with the quest and it isn’t just a prop.”
“It’s not just a prop. Do we have a deal?”
“Any other conditions?”
“Yeah, keep faith!”
Jack looked around the table, catching the eyes of everyone there and then stared at Leah for a minute before saying, “Deal! Have a seat. What do you need?”
Leah pulled a chair over to the table and said, “I have the key to Lord Kötü Niyetli’s Darkness Diamond Mine. I can mine but I need protection while doing so. If you have a Grand Master Miner then they can help with mining. As soon as mining starts we’ll be attacked continuously until we leave the mine. There are unlimited MOBs. The minimum level of attackers is 250 all the way up to one of Lord Kötü Niyetli’s offspring.”
Those at the table sat immobile for a minute, and then the gargoyle smiled and said, “My name’s Granite. I can level up to Grand Master if it helps as I have enough un-allocated points. How many in the group?”
“The only reference I have are some carvings. They show between four and six in a group with one being a miner. If we both mine then I would think ten to twelve including me. MOBs in the pictures attack singly, or as groups, they are all at least as big as me, and some look like they use magic. I’ve no idea what size diamonds are on each level, only that the deeper you go, the bigger the diamond.”
Jack said, “
Where is the mine?”
“It’s at the top of one of the mountains near here. I can show you on a map. I imagine it’ll take you a couple hours to travel to the base of the cliff. I can lower a rope to you.”
“How will you get up?”
“I’ll fly or teleport.”
There was silence for a moment, then Jack said, “Can you give us a minute to talk this through?”
“Sure. I’ll wait at the bar.”
Leah had been at the bar considering her options for about fifteen minutes when Jack sat down next to her and said, “We are in. We’ve six in the clan in town at the moment, and I know of three others I’d trust enough to bring along. When and where do you want to meet?”
“Do you have a map?”
Jack pulled out a map of the area. It was clear he had limited the information it showed, but there was still enough detail for Leah to pinpoint the base of the cliff near where she had fought the Eeline. She said, “I’ll drop a rope from the top of the cliff to the base at nine tomorrow morning. Will that give you enough time?”
“Yep. We’ll be there at eight and then log out to get a full nine hours.”
“Then why don’t I have the rope there by eight, and we can take a break at the entrance to the mine. That’ll mean more time to mine.”
They finalised a few more details, then Leah made her way to the tavern and logged out.
THE STORK TOWER
Leah arrived back in the Tower and made her way to the small garden which she used for meditating. Before she reached the garden Gèng joined her, and said, “I’m sorry to interrupt Leah, but John would like a word with you about your mother before you head to Pneumatica.”
Leah changed direction and headed for the sofa. She said, “To be honest I’ll probably feel better knowing more about what is going on with Mum than I would have by resting for a bit. Where’s John?”
“He said he’s open to meet in the Tower or in the lounge near your room.”
“Let him know I’m going to exit the Pod and ask if he could arrange a late meal for me.”
REAL WORLD
Once Leah was out of the Pod she found she had enough strength and range of movement to get herself to the bathroom and to get dressed. She was still in pain but didn’t think she needed to strap the arm for a short talk with John. She found him sitting in the lounge with Michael. Leah sat opposite them and didn’t say anything but grabbed the plate of food and began to eat while waiting to hear what they had to say.
Michael said, “Leah, Mum spent three hours in the Pod. John and I have just spent an hour talking with her discussing her experience. We both read up on Survival, and from what Mum said we are fairly certain she is in their newest and their most advanced survival scenario. It’s called ‘Alien Survival’. In the scenario, she is the sole occupant of an escape pod which has crash-landed on a habitable alien planet. In the scenario setup the player is provided with a range of starting options. These options change what is available in the pod and where it lands on the planet. Lin is stranded in a jungle setting with an empty pod. No food, no water and no weapons. The jungle is hostile and the nearest possible neighbour is at least one hundred kilometres from where she landed. Every time she opened the pod today she was killed within ten minutes by hostile animals and vegetation. In the game, players are resurrected back in the pod immediately. Any implements they have forged or foraged are dropped where they died and remain there. Anything removed from the pod stays removed and can only be found in the place it was left when you died. Your mum spent the last three virtual hours sitting in the pod and staring out the window.”
John said, “She cannot see the sky for the canopy, and we have no way of telling in which part of the jungle she’s been dropped. I’ve been able to find out that her particular scenario currently has just over four hundred players spread throughout the tropical region of the planet over four continents. I’ve asked Reed to see if he can get a general location and asked Stephen to look into what options we have to legally to find out her location. He is fairly sure that we could have her gameplay cancelled, but that doesn’t do us any good. I’m almost certain if we tried to explain why we need her location they’d pull her from the game immediately and that won’t help her at all. We’re going to need to find a way to help your mum survive. We also have to determine a way to get to her location or somehow hack the game server.”
Leah sat for a few minutes and considered the problems. Finally, she said, “Do you have any suggestions before I propose a few things?”
John said, “We’ve been discussing it and think we should get someone in the game with survival skills to see what they can come up with. We need to research all the things she could do and suggest strategies to her. I’m hoping Reed can do something, and if not, then see if the newly famous ‘Vernyx’ can get anywhere.”
“OK! Dad, I know you’re busy in Runes of Destiny, but I think Mum would appreciate you understanding what she’s going through. I suggest you attempt the same scenario as Mum. That way you’ll have something to talk about, and you can help work out how to survive.”
Michael smiled, “I already signed up Leah. As soon as we’ve finished talking I’ll be logging in.”
“Before you do, I think you should attend an online course or do some reading to get some idea of what you should do. Don’t forget you need to make sure the scenario is exactly the same. Do they have more than one planet? Are there differences in continents and can you choose which one, etc.”
Michael nodded slowly and John said, “Any other suggestions?”
“Yeah. John, I’d like you to consider all the people who are using the pods here and see if there is anyone who might be able to do the same thing Dad is doing. The more people we have helping, the better. Offer incentives if you think they’re needed. I’m talking with Leon in the morning, and I’ll put a rush on the centres in the other cities. We’ll ask for help there as well. See if you, or someone, can get a good description of the pod and work out how to scavenge it for weapons, water storage, shelter and the like. Set up an internal forum and have people learn from one another. I want to accelerate the process. If possible, have some people do the scenario with additional food, water and weapons and build up a database amongst players here of fauna and flora, what kills, what can be eaten, etc.
“I’ll ask Gèng to research the company running Survival and see if we can identify someone who may be amenable to helping without pulling Mum from the game. I’m going to wait until we have a location before I enter the game but I will read everything on the forum you set up. As soon as Reed finds a way in, I’ll look into ways that Vernyx might help.”
Michael said, “Who is this ‘Vernyx’?”
John said, “They are a super-hacker that Leah knows. Anything else?”
“Not yet John but if I think of anything I’ll let you know. I’m going to head back to the Pod. I’m hoping to get a step closer to finding Thad in one of the games I play.”
“How’s the shoulder?”
“It’s sore but improving. The nanites have almost finished reattaching all the pieces of bone, but there’s some ongoing internal bleeding and a lot of damaged tissue to remove. Gèng’s working on some new nanite designs by adapting some of the templates in her database, but until we have a protocol for testing them, it’s hard to know if they’ll work or not.”
Michael said, “I don’t want you doing anything too radical, Leah.”
“It’s a bit late for that Dad. Even the small amount you know should tell you we’ve moved way past radical. I’m not as worried about radical as I am about safe. I’d love to discuss it, but I’m going to agree with John and say it is best kept a secret.”
“Does he know everything?”
“No, he doesn’t. I’m still trying to decide if I should tell him or not.”
“I’d like you to tell him. I’m OK not knowing but I’d like someone I trust to know what’s happening just in case. John seems to be that perso
n. Please tell him.”
At that, Michael got up and left the room. Leah said, “John, what do you think?”
“I don’t know what is best, Leah. I’m here for you and I think I already know too much. On the other hand, I do agree that you need someone to know.”
Leah sat for a few minutes considering her situation and then asked, “Is this room soundproof and secure?”
“Not as much as I’d like. The security room down the corridor is though.”
Leah and John moved down to the security room, and after John had kicked everyone out, he double-checked the room for any bugs. When he was satisfied, Leah told John all the things that were happening in her brain and the various storage areas that had been constructed and what was in them. She explained what she’d found in the World Bank and what she’d done. When she’d finished, John sat quietly for a few minutes then said, “I am glad someone knows Leah, just in case something happens to you. To be honest, I wish it wasn’t me. How are you staying focused?”
“I’m struggling. For the last few days it was the task of finding Mum that kept me sane. Today it’s been harder but what you and Dad shared has given me another target to aim for. You know, all I really want is to study and enjoy my family. I like playing the games, but they’ve become more than games. The intensity of them has me wound up so tight at times. I’ve not even had time to stop and rest yet. And add to all of that that I’m sixteen with a new boyfriend whose brain has been hijacked by his evil family. If it weren’t for Gèng helping with my hormonal levels, I’d be a wreck.”
Leah didn’t wait for a reply but stood, smiled at John and headed back to her Pod.
8
December 14, 2073 - Part 8