Finding a Body (The Dark Herbalist Book #4) LitRPG series

by Michael Atamanov

  Also, today clearly wasn’t doing me any favors. When Kira met me, I was athletic, pleasant and happy-looking. That’s who she remembered. But the man who recently crawled out of the virtual reality capsule could barely stand, was horribly dirty and so sickly thin he was nearly dead. And I was in so much pain I needed immediate attention from a doctor. My stitches were inflamed, so I suspected I would need a massive dose of antibiotics, pain killers and stimulants. I couldn’t see Kira’s face yet, but I suspected my girlfriend wasn’t even trying to hide her grimace of disgust. As soon as she got the chance, Kira handed me off to her underlings, then hurried to retreat. And it was hard for me to judge her for that. I truly was quite the indecent spectacle.

  After seeing the doctor, armed people wearing badges from the Boundless Realm Corporation Security Service brought me straight here on a flier with tinted windows. I wasn’t even close to appreciating what this place was. I only understood that I was not in Kira’s normal home. The room was just too small, and the decor didn’t match the palace of the richest young beauty on Earth. And this was not one of the modest apartments that belonged to Kira on floor-333 of the residential skyscraper the Castle, either. We were in a totally different neighborhood of the metropolis. And this also didn’t have an elevated flier landing pad like the Castle. But no matter how I strained my memory, I couldn’t remember any other residential skyscrapers in the metropolis that were this tall.

  Then I asked for a telephone so I could get in touch with my sister. I was still not sure my troubles were all behind us. I was constantly expecting a hitch of some kind and didn’t think she would let me have the phone. I was afraid that instead of the phone, she would just try to talk me out of it with empty promises. But no, one of Kira’s bodyguards almost instantly gave me his cell phone, so I could finally talk with Val. My little sister was delighted to hear my voice and couldn’t hide her tears of joy. I explained why I had suddenly disappeared from the game, told her about my misadventures in the real world and promised I would come see her tomorrow morning in the clinic. I also gave her my instructions for the Astral Explosion dome and the upcoming meeting with Taisha. The traps should work just as well without the Dark Sovereign having to actually be there.

  “Timothy, I feel so guilty!”

  I shuddered and turned in surprise. Kira broke the long, almost half-hour silence and not with the words I was afraid to hear. The redheaded lady looked me right in the eyes, and her face was damp with tears.

  “You’ve always told me the truth, even though it sounded totally crazy. But I couldn’t believe my own boyfriend! Instead I started imagining grievances, not answering phone calls and not noticing the obvious. Who could say what might have happened, if I believed what you said last time we were together? Maybe none of these horrible things would have happened!”

  I didn’t respond, allowing her to say her fill. It seemed like a rhetorical question anyway.

  “But Timothy, I hope you understand it was very hard for me as well! My grandmother passed away, and the world as I knew it fell apart right before my eyes! When Inessa Tyle died, everything just went topsy-turvy! The corporation’s highly-ranked directors, who used to smile at me obsequiously every time we met, showed their true animal nature. Problems piled up all at once from every direction. I got the impression these seemingly unconnected events were being orchestrated by someone. At first most of my shares in the Boundless Realm Corporation were frozen because of some trumped-up lawsuit. Just a week ago no court would even have agreed to consider such a pathetic case! But everything changed, my stocks were frozen, and now the case won’t be heard for a month. At the same time, my bank accounts were frozen for a totally different reason. After that, someone tried to murder me... you probably know that my Black Crystal was totaled, right?”

  No, I didn’t, which I told her. Kira gave a bitter chuckle:

  “Lots of news channels talked about it without identifying the owner of the Black Crystal of course. There was a bomb planted under the engine right inside our building’s guarded parking lot. A technician died when servicing my flier. I hadn’t used the flying car for two days before that because I started hearing weird noises when it got up high, so I called an air-tech. Only that saved me!”

  “So, what did the security cameras show?” I asked. And Kira just gave a good-natured smile:

  “What do you think? Obviously nothing. No one even came near my car! But by then I had already seen a lot of issues with security camera footage. For example, there was no activity at all near your work cabin on your last day there. It was as if you didn’t even come to work the day that guy tried to kill you. And of course, there was no footage of them moving your unconscious body through the building, either. Why did you think it took me so long to find you? If I hadn’t gotten this video clip to my phone, which clearly shows a group of people pulling you from your cabin and carrying your bloodied body to the service elevator with the technician’s corpse, we definitely would have stopped looking by now.”

  Well, well... I suggested aloud that the message must have come from Taisha.

  “I don’t know, it only said unknown number,” Kira answered quietly. “I assigned a group of specialists to trace it, but that only revealed that it came from inside Boundless Realm . They were not able to determine an identity. But in one way or another, this guardian angel of yours had unedited footage from our security systems. After watching them we managed to determine that you were transported via the service elevator, which is usually disabled. It exits onto the tester floor, underground parking garages and a few floors that are isolated from the rest of the building. We found nothing in the garages, so I went to the president of the corporation for permission to open and look through the server floors. If you only knew how hard that was, Timothy! I had to get so many people to agree to unlock these toxic-gas-filled rooms! If not for Thomas Heywood personally taking part in the search, I’m afraid I never would have managed to force my way through the whole bureaucratic labyrinth.”

  “So, that tall man you were arguing with next to the virtual reality capsule was the President of the Boundless Realm Corporation?” I asked, just wanting to test a theory.

  “Yes, it was him. You see, Timothy, in your last video you seriously wounded his ego with your biting expressions. And you aimed them not only at the corporation he leads but the man himself. So Thomas Heywood was looking for you and was eager to join my search party.”

  Any other day, that would have put me on guard or even scared me, but not today. What could the president do to me now? Officially reprimand me? Fine me? Fire me? I had just escaped a death trap alive, despite my kidnappers’ clever tricks. In comparison with that, my work problems seemed laughably minor. If my highest superior was upset, that didn’t bother me in the slightest. Especially because I had a way to respond to any hostility. I could put the corporation to shame before my millions of viewers by talking about my imprisonment and the mortal danger it put me in. And that would kick up so much shit, everything that came before would seem like roses!

  “Don’t worry, there’s no reason for you to fear Thomas Heywood,” Kira said, anxiously construing my thinking and trying to perk me up. “He of all people wants your story getting out the least. Especially in light of the upcoming board of directors meeting, where they will hear reports about the corporation’s affairs and have the traditional presidential re-elections. The re-elections used to be a mere formality, but not this time...”

  “Why?” I asked, because Kira fell silent before revealing the particularities of the upcoming vote.

  “It’s all very simple, Timothy. It’s just math. Inessa Tyle’s share of company stocks, plus mine and those of Thomas Heywood are enough to pass anything, in other words more than fifty percent plus one share. Everyone knows that perfectly well, both the other directors, and the very influential and somewhat mysterious co-owners behind them. They usually stay out of sticky situations and just go along with whatever we want. The Boundless
Realm Corporation has always been basically a Tyle family business. Thomas Heywood respected my grandmother greatly and actively sought my hand in marriage. He was basically a member of the family.”

  Then my redheaded girlfriend fell silent, as if she wasn’t sure she should share this information with me. But she still decided to continue:

  “My grandmother held more than a few very old-fashioned viewpoints. She thought that for a strong marriage, both partners must be on the same rung of the social ladder. And so Inessa Tyle helped the ambitious and talented Thomas Heywood pile up a huge fortune with stock buybacks. And although Thomas and I dated very briefly, never even officially becoming a couple, the current president was very grateful and loyal to Inessa Tyle until the very last day of her life. But now all that has changed... My shares are frozen, so I’m temporarily locked out of the fight. Thomas Heywood is playing his own game, trying to get help from the other co-owners and thus retain his high position. Thomas is having a very hard time and can sense a huge resistance, so he needs some wins to show them right here and now. And that is exactly why the president is trying so hard to avoid getting the corporation into any scandals!”

  I see... But Kira wasn’t saying anything about what happened to the shares belonging to Vice-President Inessa Tyle. Also frozen? I asked that.

  “Her will is in a sealed envelope, which is to be opened at the big yearly board of directors meeting. Officially no one knows anything. But a few days before dying, my grandmother told me what it says. And yes, Timothy, I can tell you now. Inessa Tyle really liked you, and she added you to her will! But your share can change significantly depending on a few factors. In any case we’re talking about a colossal amount of money! Hundreds of millions or even billions, Timothy!”

  Woah! Fantastic news! However, based on the alarm in Kira’s voice, it was still too early to celebrate. My girlfriend took a long evaluating glance at me, studying my reaction to the important piece of news. She was clearly not satisfied with it, because from there she limited herself to just excuses and half-hints:

  “Until recently I figured that I was the only one who knew what was in that will, as Inessa Tyle’s only granddaughter who she loved so dearly. But the more I think about what happened to you, the more I feel certain that this could not have been random chance. You see, Timothy...” the redheaded beauty hesitated, choosing her words. “Inessa Tyle did not think she would die this soon and was planning for her machinations to be revealed at a much later board meeting. In a year, or maybe even two, but not just two short weeks. And because of that condensed time-frame, a few of the possibilities in her will are now totally implausible.”

  I didn’t understand one bit of her vague explanation, but when I asked her to tell me more, she refused categorically. I had to come at it from a different angle:

  “But then why kidnap me, and especially why set up this complicated virtual office system?”

  Kira started smiling, set an empty coffee mug on the table and walked a step closer:

  “That may not have been just for you. Perhaps you know this, but the game is nowhere near the only thing our corporation does. Boundless Realm is a huge testing ground for new technologies. I recently read some reports about how far we’ve come in the field of virtualization. And you just got to test out our new technology. Impressed?”

  I decided not to deny the obvious. In all the days of my imprisonment, despite my periodic suspicions that my reality was false or digitized, I couldn’t detect any evidence that I was in a virtual world. That was exactly what I told her. Kira smiled happily, as if that was her department and took another few steps in my direction.

  “So then, Timothy, I can answer the question of ‘how,’ although I don’t know the finer points. And the only thing I know about who is behind this is that it must be someone very high up and well-informed. But who exactly? I do not know. However, I do know why. You see, Inessa Tyle’s will is clear about the fact that if you are alive and well when the envelope is opened, and you have allowed your real life to suffer in favor of burying your head in the game, your inheritance will go to the board of directors. My grandma wanted to see you active, alive and joyful in the real world and not... excuse the vulgar expression... some jackoff gamer.”

  The red-headed beauty walked another step closer. I then gathered my courage and, trying not to wince at the dull pain from my stitches, stood up from the sofa and walked toward her. I was not at all sure that Kira would take this positively. But all this lack of clarity in our relationship was getting to me, so let come what may! I decisively embraced my girlfriend and squeezed her tight. And Kira didn’t object one bit! In fact, she squeezed herself up to me and our lips came together in a hot passionate kiss. When we finally unstuck our lips after a whole eternity, the most beautiful and desired woman on the planet whispered:

  “Timothy, you can’t even imagine how much I’ve missed you!”

  Day Four. Talking with the President

  “TIMOTHY, GET UP, you have to see this!” I was awoken by jabs to the shoulder that grew more insistent with every second. My groans of dismay did nothing to stop Kira and the beautiful redhead kept going until I got up.

  I peeled my eyes open with huge effort, raised my sleepy head and tried to look around. It was three AM based on the glowing wall clock. Why the hell had Kira woken me up now?! I fell asleep just forty minutes ago. A semigloom reigned in the sleeping room, so at first I didn’t even understand what my girlfriend wanted to show me. Her flawless body, barely covered with a semitransparent pair of underwear? An enticing offer, no argument there. I would be delighted to continue last night’s playful romp... But it turned out to be something else.

  “Not now,” Kira said, slapping away my bold, outstretched hand. “Come into the living room. On the big wall screen, I put on a broadcast from a popular gaming channel about Boundless Realm . And they just so happen to be talking about the Dark Sovereign!”

  Me? I was interested to see what they were saying. I just wanted to find my underwear... But my clothing had been flung God-knows-where while Kira and I were passionately kissing and undressing one another, and I hadn’t found it yet in the darkness of the bedroom. So I wrapped myself in a bedsheet and walked into the living room, yawning and trying to wake myself up. There was an image frozen on the screen: some guy in huge earphones with a microphone, his eyes rolling and his mouth slightly open in a way that looked silly. With the remote, my girlfriend restarted the paused broadcast.

  Based on his first words, I immediately guessed what the reporter was talking about with such glee and enthusiasm, all the more so because I assumed it would go something like this. As soon as the Astral Explosion spell dome went away, the players tried to attack the castle of the Dark Sovereign! They got ready, gathered a huge army and, a mere couple of hours after the battle in Lars, managed to multiply the “ill-begotten” portal scroll hundreds or even thousands of times. And that huge group of players, in their greed for a speedy victory — the hundreds of clans that came to the war, tens of thousands of fighters — ran through the open portals all at the same time, counting on the element of surprise, the late hour and the mass scale of the attack. Tsk, tsk... When exiting the portals, they were awaited by a ninety-foot drop into a raging ocean teeming with bloodthirsty creatures who seemed to be anticipating a feast. And reaching the nearest shore would have been a bit of an issue. It was over eighteen hundred miles away...

  Most of the unfortunate players were badly hurt by the big fall or drowned immediately in their heavy armor. And those who knew how to swim were eaten up in a matter of minutes by ruthless sea monsters. None of the players survived, even members of underwater races like Naiads and Mermaids. What was more, some of the players had seen the Dark Sovereign walking atop the raging waves, and the sea monsters didn’t touch him. The most resilient players even tried to attack their main enemy, but the superboss couldn’t be damaged by any means. Not magic, not prayers, not weapons. And he just laughed offensively a
t their pitiful vain attempts to do him harm. Overall, the scheme to attack the Dark Sovereign’s castle sunk in a matter of minutes in the literal and figurative senses.

  On the forum, tens of thousands of players were mutually outraged. They had already begun believing they could win a speedy victory over the Dark Sovereign, but he played a dirty trick on them. And that wasn’t even the worst part! That came an hour later, when all the players who died discovered that they were respawning basically naked! No weapons, no armor, no jewelry like magic rings, bracelets or amulets. All that remained on the undying were indestructible loincloths or chastity belts, depending on their initial race and gender settings.

  The Boundless Realm forums hadn’t seen such a deafening cry of dismay even during the Great Hunt for my Royal Forest Wyvern! However, the difference in how the players treated these global events was colossal. Here for every player who was outraged there came at least a dozen who were happy and left variously mocking comments about the “idiots who tricked the Dark Sovereign.” Some who were “in the know” were even saying how much the dupes paid for the “invaluable portal scroll to the Dark Sovereign’s castle” which had been multiplied so many times: two hundred forty-five thousand credits. That was a huge figure by any standards. It didn’t seem possible to check, and more likely it was just invented out of whole cloth, but the outraged players demanded Titanium Joker be banned for fraud.

  However, tech support reacted dispassionately to all the outrage and threats, saying it was all within the game mechanics. Yes, Titanium Joker never actually betrayed the Dark Sovereign. Yes, it was a trap all along. Yes, the only thing around the portal exit was an endless sea, and they had no chance of escaping without a ship. Yes, there was a very high drop chance for worn items in that location. Yes, the aquatic monsters were lured to that location on purpose. And all that was done in strict accordance with the game rules. What was more no one had forced the players to go to such an unwelcoming place, so any appeals about lost items and levels would not be considered. Adding to that, the army that died in full was not even the first to be tricked. One hour earlier, another group of guests had been caught in the clever trap. There was even a separate topic about it on the forums.