by Tony Corden
You have opened Lord Kötü’s gift:
1 Diamond Coin minted with an image of Lord Kötü.
1 Platinum Coin minted with an image of Lord Kötü.
1 Gold Coin minted with an image of Lord Kötü.
1 Silver Coin minted with an image of Lord Kötü.
1 Copper Coin minted with an image of Lord Kötü.
10 Darkness Diamonds—one from each level of his mine.
1 Spell of Darkness Dragonfire
1 Spell of Darkness Dragonscales
Leah took the chest from Lady S’Yah and opened it.
You have opened Lady S’Yah’s gift:
1 Diamond Coin minted with an image of Lord Kötü’s Darkness Diamond Mine.
1 Platinum Coin minted with an image of Lord Kötü’s Darkness Diamond Mine.
1 Gold Coin minted with an image of Lord Kötü’s Darkness Diamond Mine.
1 Silver Coin minted with an image of Lord Kötü’s Darkness Diamond Mine.
1 Copper Coin minted with an image of Lord Kötü’s Darkness Diamond Mine.
10 Darkness Diamonds—one from each level of his mine.
1 Spell of Summoning—Lord Kötü Niyetli’s minions Levels 1-10
1 Cloak of Shadows—made from Lady S’Yah’s scales.
After closing the chests and putting them in her backpack, Leah was ready to head back to Batislar when a message appeared:
Atherleah (Level 315)
You have fed from a magical creature (Darkness Dragon) whose magical ability is far beyond your own. Their blood and magic have affected you permanently.
Effect 1—Your affinity for Darkness Magic has been reset to double the maximum allowed for an unchanged half-human half-elf.
Effect 2—Your essential racial characteristics have had those of a half-dragon added to them (+50 Strength, +50 Constitution, +100 Wisdom, +100 Ki)
Effect 3—Dragon blood seeped from your pores and renewed your hair. You have conscious control over the movement of your hair. Your skin is more durable than a standard half-human half-elf and will repair at an accelerated rate.
Effect 4—Your blood has been transformed, and your basic BSP is 160 BSP [1/4 Barbarian Human 8.5, 1/4 Forest Elf 11.5, 1/2 Dragon 30, Volume 8 Vials] and your BSL at Level 316 is currently 50560/50560.
Level 5 Dungeon Achievement - First 1 (3, Painite)
Atherleah (Level 315) you have exited a Level 5 area alive: The Darkness Diamond Mine of Lord Kötü Niyetli
Atherleah you have survived an expedition to mine the Darkness Diamond Mine of Lord Kötü Niyetli. You have successfully mined Darkness Diamonds from the first five levels.
You are in the group of first players to successfully mine this area. This is your third, ‘First 1 (Painite)’ achievement.
Reward 1: 5000 x 315 = 6118875 (+288.5%) Experience Points (5150000/5150000) (3214961/5250000)
Reward 2: + 4% to all future Experience
Reward 3: 3 x 1 Diamond = 3 Diamond
Reward 4: 5000 Fame 264565
Note: This achievement will be published on the Dunyanin achievement forum.
Leah teleported to her chosen spot outside the city and made her way to the Bristled Boar. When she walked in, she looked around, but Granite had seen her first and let out a wild yell. They made space and Leah joined them and sat down.
Jack said, “What happened? How are you still alive?”
Leah said, “I made it down to the tenth level and had a bit of a punch-up with Lady S’yah, but we eventually sat down had a chat, girl to girl, to sort things out. Lord Kötü turned up and got in my face, but his daughter settled him down, and we were able to discuss our differences amicably, well sort of. He agreed not to try and kill me, and I agreed I’ll go where I want and when I want. Then I headed back here, although I can’t stay long as my armour was destroyed in our punch-up.”
Leah stayed for a drink, and after taking her share of the loot, they exchanged contact details. Then Leah headed to the armoury to commission another suit. T’sar Rimci was amazed that she’d been in a battle that would destroy the armour but agreed to have another set constructed by the following morning. After Leah returned to the tavern where she was staying she logged out.
12
December 15, 2073 - Part 4
REAL WORLD
Almost as soon as Leah arrived in the Tower, she logged out of her Pod and took a quick shower. She was pleased to see that John had finally relented and no one was keeping watch inside her room. Leah was able to dress herself although her shoulder still gave her trouble. Because she was so sore, she wore very casual and baggy clothes that were easier to put on. She left her room and almost turned to head to her family’s kitchen, but just in time she turned in the opposite direction and went instead to the communal area used by all the staff as well as the young people she was sponsoring.
Being early, the room was almost empty of customers. The cook Leah had hired was behind the counter and offered to make Leah whatever she wanted. Leah decided on an omelette and then took a bowl of cut fruit and some orange juice. After she got her food, she joined the two other people having an early breakfast. One of them was River, one of the first people to live in the complex. She was sitting with one of the newer occupants, a woman in her late teens whose name was Alicia. Leah checked how they were doing and enjoyed the relaxed conversation.
She had almost finished her meal when her mother walked through the room. Lin smiled at the girls and wandered over and sat down.
Lin said, “Good morning River, good morning Alicia, it’s a beautiful morning. I’ve just been for a walk.” She then turned to Leah and said, “And a good morning to you, Leah. I remember meeting you just after I was rescued. I asked John when would be a good time to get to know you and he promised to try and arrange something. Are you free now, or do you have something planned?”
Leah wanted desperately to talk and have some time with her mother, but she didn’t know whether it would help or harm her mum, so she said, “I have a few minutes, but I do have an appointment I can’t miss in about ten. I’m going to have a cup of coffee. Would you like a drink of anything?”
“I’d love a cup of tea.”
Leah moved to the drink section and quickly made herself a coffee and then fixed Lin a cup of tea. When she put the cup in front of Lin, Lin said, “I usually have half a spoon of sugar in it.”
Leah said, “I already added it, I remember Michael mentioning how you liked your tea.”
“I want to thank you for rescuing me. How did John rope you into such a daring plan?”
“It wasn’t hard. I’ve known John for a long time, and he needed someone with my particular skill set. To be fair to John, he didn’t really want me along, but I insisted.”
“What skill set would a beautiful young girl like yourself have that they couldn’t find some older, more experienced person with?”
“I’m good at sneaking, and I’m fast and agile. They needed my speed and sneak to get past the guards.”
“I can still see some bruises on your face. How did you get hurt?”
“Believe it or not but I actually ran into a door. I heal quickly and I’m sure the bruises will fade soon. How has your recovery been?”
“I don’t like this thing in my head, nothing good can come from it. It is an evil thing from evil people.”
Leah knew her mum had always hated the idea of people living in the virtual worlds and losing touch with reality and morality, so she understood her fears. She said, “Don’t forget, Mrs Carroll, ‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.’ So take heart, remember that if you set your hope on Him, then He will deliver you.”
“Leah, are you a Christian?”
“My mother is and I’m convinced that God is real. I love the teaching of the Bible, and I try and follow the example of Jesus. I often say that I am, and I even work to act like I am but how does one know for sure? I mean, there are some people in the world I just can’t find it i
n my heart to forgive, or to love. I think the best answer is that I want to be, but I really like doing things my own way.”
Lin chuckled and her deep feelings about what she was saying shone through as her English became more broken. “We are all like that I think. I don’t believe you can say if you are a Christian or not because of what you do. It is who you trust. When I listen to your advice to me, you say to trust God. I think you talk like you a Christian. I will pray for you.”
Leah thanked Lin and gave her a soft hug before hurrying out of the room before her mum could see her tears. In the past, her mum had always looked at Leah’s relationship with Jimmy and her fascination with weapons and education as a sign that she wasn’t quite there yet. For the first time Leah’s faith hadn’t been judged as less than acceptable. She was almost sobbing by the time she reached her room. She didn’t know if she was sad or happy, she only knew that she’d connected with her mum in a way she never had before and it happened when they talked as strangers.
THE STORK TOWER
Leah was still teary when she got in the Pod but had everything under control by the time she appeared in the Tower. Gèng sat down and said, “Sharon Thang contacted me while you were having breakfast. She wanted you to know that you’re likely to be contacted later today with numerous requests for interviews and she wanted to know how you want her to handle it. It is the fifteenth of the month, which means that the Multiverse Monthly Rankings come out today. Several people have already contacted her because they have the preliminary lists and you are on them.”
“I suppose she didn’t think it was a good idea to ignore them?”
“No. She suggested that you either hold a press conference or you let her organise an exclusive interview. The interview can either be with one of the major networks or with an independent reporter. She thinks you will have a better result if you do an interview.”
“When, where and with whom?”
“Results are released at midnight GMT which is in a couple of hours. Sharon suggests you plan to do an interview somewhere between midday and two o’clock. If the interview is exclusive, she suggests you host them here, but you could go to a studio. There are two or three independent commentators who are well respected who she thinks it might be good to get on side. You used the networks last time, and she thinks it would be wise to diversify.”
“Does she have any idea what the results are?”
“She has nothing specific but knows you’ve ranked overall in the top 1000, which surprised her because it uses a whole range of measures including influence, net worth, visibility, genres, etc. and she was surprised you would be that high when you’ve only focused on three games. There are a lot of other categories. She has heard that you’ve appeared in more than five categories and in more than one you’ve appeared in the top ten. She is certain you will be ranked number one as the most influential new player, which only considers players in their first six months online.”
Leah didn’t want to do it but when she considered the possible benefits for talking things over with Dunyanin, and more importantly what could happen if she let someone else set the narrative, so she finally agreed.
“Let Sharon know I’ll make some time after lunch. The best time will be after I get back from Dunyanin and before I go to Pneumatica. I love the Tower and don’t want to let my private space be broadcast around the world. If she can think of some way to protect my privacy, then she can offer to have it here. Otherwise, I’m OK to go to a studio.”
Gèng said, “I also had a message from Spectator, and they wanted to know why you missed a day. They decided to run a ‘best of’ program but asked if you could give them more warning in future. They already have the feed from the Self-Reflection Quest and wanted to reassure me that the numbers were likely to continue to grow.
“Finally, Sarfaraz called, and the Emerald Trustees have agreed to a meeting and are willing to schedule it to fit in with us. May I suggest after your NREM3 sleep this afternoon?”
“That should be good. I’ve an hour there where I don’t have something already planned. Can I have some time then to talk about the portal transitions? Each time I enter one of the worlds I have that sense of passing thousands of open windows through which I catch a glimpse of something but can’t quite recognise. I really want to get to the bottom of it because I’m finding it disconcerting.”
“I have some detailed recordings of your neural activity during the transitions, and I also saved the interactions I had with the different worlds as I connected with them. I’d like a few more samples before I show you an analysis.”
PNEUMATICA
Leah agreed, and with the business out of the way, Leah headed to the SPIDER and entered Pneumatica arriving back in her suite at the Herrington. She found the clothes she’d purchased the previous day were hanging in the walk-in wardrobe. After sorting through her options, she decided that she was becoming far too concerned with what she wore. Even so, she took another five minutes to finalise her decision and get dressed.
In the end, she’d opted for a white cotton fitted shirt with a sea captain style flare at the wrists and a ruffle at the front. She added a black and olive green striped leather underbust body-shaper corset with hip panels, as well as a pair of black calf-leather pants with full calf-length olive green boots which had a series of buckles on the outer edge and two-inch copper heels. To complete her outfit she added a short black leather top hat with her symbol riveted on both sides in copper. The hat band was in the same olive leather as her boots and corset. Finally ready, she headed into the suite and found Howard ready and waiting.
He said, “Excuse me Captain, but both Mr Bartle and Mr Ayers are waiting in the foyer. Shall I show them in or would you rather I offer them another time when they might visit?”
“I was about to head toward the duelling common, but please show them in as I had hoped to see them there.”
“As you wish Captain. If I may be so bold, I do wish you the most successful morning.”
“Thank you, Howard, I do appreciate your kind sentiment and your encouragement.”
Billy and Henry were quickly ushered into the suite. Leah had taken a seat but stood to greet them, and Billy said, “Greetings Captain and a good morning to you. I trust you are well rested.”
“Thank you, Mr Bartle. I believe I am ready to face the day. Have you gentlemen come to escort me to the duelling fields?”
Henry said, “I have indeed, and it a shameful thing for such a beautiful day to be marred by this event.”
“Oh, nonsense Henry. A brief period of exercise is good for the constitution and prepares one for an active day. I do hope to achieve much with what little time I have. Will you consider me intemperate if I suggest we leave before offering you some refreshment?”
Billy said, “Not at all Captain. I have taken the liberty of already acquiring the use of a carriage for the morning. Might I be permitted to escort you wherever you need to go?”
“Your attention and presence are always welcome Mr Bartle, though I fear you make yourself vulnerable to misadventure by your close association with me.”
“Have no such concern, dear Captain. I believe that I am better served by your association than by its absence.”
They continued to have polite conversation until they arrived in the Lobby where Albert was waiting. He said, “Captain Charlotte, may I on behalf of the staff here at the Herrington wish you every success this morning. In addition, I wished to inform you that I was successful in the task you set for me. Indeed I am quite pleased to say that I was able to find what you asked for at odds of fifteen to one.”
“I do appreciate your well wishes, Mr Lincoln. Let the staff know that I am deeply touched by their kind regard and encouragement. I hope to return in the early afternoon.”
“Until then, Captain.”
The steam carriage Billy had arranged was waiting outside. After helping Leah into the cabin and arranging both Henry and himself in the facing seat, h
e said, “If you will forgive my impertinence and my intrusion into your affairs, would I be able to know the value of the wager you placed?”
“To be quite clear Mr Bartle, I am generally not one to wager frivolously when it involves a man’s life, but I found myself somewhat put out yesterday evening when I returned to my suite. I did ask Mr Lincoln to arrange a small wager on my behalf. I believe I passed him exactly two thousand pounds.”
Both Henry and Billy found they had no easy response and the silence continued until Leah decided to rescue them, and said, “I do hope that neither of you is offended that I have dabbled in a game of chance?”
Billy said, “Some would suggest that the word dabble is somewhat inaccurate when it refers to the sum of two thousand pounds, Captain.”
Leah smiled and said, “Indeed Captain, but I must confess that was not the largest inaccuracy of my previous words. I fear I was being the most dishonest when I used the word ‘chance’.”
Henry said, “Are you so confident, Captain? Hugh Westmorten is a vicious and well-skilled brawler. He outweighs you by a factor of two and has a greater reach.”
“Shall we place a wager on an outcome, Henry?”
“I shall not. Even though I fear for you, I am not without hope that you will persevere.”
Billy had been watching and listening to Leah closely and said, “Henry, I am continually finding new delights as I have dealings with Captain Charlotte. She did not say she would wager on ‘the’ outcome but on ‘an’ outcome. Which outcome do you suggest we make the basis of our wager, Captain?”
“I was thinking that I was willing to place some money on the length of the duel.”
Billy said, “Have you some figure in mind?”
“I am entirely flexible. For example, I would wager another two thousand pounds that the duel will take less than one minute. On the other hand, if you believed it would be over the sooner, then I am also amenable to a wager of two thousand pounds that we shall duel for greater than five minutes. If either you or Henry had some firm idea and set some firm odds, then I would find myself somewhat energised to take your money. But let us not allow such things to come between us.”