Keymaster

by Sergey Zaytsev

  Strength: 70 (41 + 29)

  Dexterity: 50 (37 +13)

  Intelligence: 40 (33 + 7)

  Wisdom: 70 (49 + 21)

  Endurance: 90 (70 + 20)

  HP: 900

  Energy: 700

  Attention! Significant stat adjustment in progress!

  Countdown: 5, 4, 3...

  Sweet mother of...

  I managed to fall onto the spread cloak. The already familiar range of sensations overwhelmed me: numbness, burning in the muscles, aching joints, dots before my eyes... When I came back to my senses, I realized that I had fallen out of reality for almost ten minutes. With a trembling hand, I wiped away the large drops of sweat that were clouding my sight. It wasn’t as bad as the first time, but it was still unpleasant.

  Tinnie twirled beside me, not so joyful anymore; she, too, felt what I did, and she looked worried. Hair on Fury’s nape stood on its end, and her tail quivered nervously although she remained where she were. I didn’t like these feelings myself, so I understood how she felt.

  “Everything’s fine,” I squeezed through clenched teeth, calming my pets.

  I automatically shrugged, clenched, and opened my fists. Although I felt mild nausea and dizziness, I knew from experience that it would pass in a few minutes. This avatar of mine was nothing but lines of code; its flesh, logically, shouldn’t feel real, but it did. As did the pain that followed whenever I altered it. I would have to be more careful with experiments as there was no chance that I would avoid whenever I try to change something. I had to remember to avoid accumulating stat points and to distribute them immediately upon leveling. With that in mind, choosing a place in advance where I would go through this torture in relative safety was wise.

  And since code was, in its essence, information, collecting it was the wisest thing to do. Increasing my stats made the system rebuild my body, adjusting me to the world. Perhaps I was wrong, but it felt to me that every time I leveled up, I wasn’t just “evolving,” but getting rid of another one of my avatar’s limitations. With that in mind, all that stood in my way were levels and conventions of game mechanics. Was there a way to overcome all of those limitations at once? Probably. Something like that would immediately put the player on par with a deity... Or would kill them instantly. Gradual adaptation was not there just for show. For example, if a weightlifter tries to lift a hundred times greater than their usual result, they’ll, at best, wound themselves. At worst, they’ll bite the dust. Therefore, these restrictions were simply stages of a balanced development, imposed so that the player doesn’t do anything that they are neither morally nor physically prepared for ahead of time.

  But I digress. What else was new?

  Cunning: 5

  Charisma: 5

  I somehow missed when my Charisma leveled... Did it happen when I was bargaining with Chzher? If it did, then I needed to chat with him more often. It was hard, but the end result was worth it. Persuasion was a powerful tool, after all.

  I scrolled through all of my skills and abilities, focusing on those close to reaching rank 3.

  Searing Flash

  Rank 2 (148/200)

  Conditioned

  Rank 2 (167/200)

  Cold resistance: +11% (race bonus: + 5%)

  Runner

  Rank 2 (155/200)

  I had used Searing Flash a lot in the air. Cold resistance, too, which was now at 54% thanks to my new clothes, arose no questions. But Running?! However, there were many moments where I really had to run. Maybe this skill grew much faster in the lair? I made a mental note to move my ass at the slightest opportunity. I now had only five free skill points, which I didn’t intend to waste, deciding to stick to my previous plan to save them up for Soulcatcher rank 4. There were enough Demons in Lunar Rainbow so leveling it won’t be a problem. The rest of the abilities would have to evolve independently. However, I would put more effort in abilities close to reaching rank 3.

  As for the achievements…

  Chaos Beast Hunter

  Rank 2 (142/200)

  Damage done to members of the Chaos Faction is increased by 6%.

  Well, nothing new there... Although it, too, was near rank 3. And since I would probably end up in another lair in the near future, meeting with the “creatures of Chaos” was guaranteed.

  Achievement unlocked: Alone in the Dark

  Courage and perseverance lead to victory.

  Awarded for single-handedly cleansing a lair.

  Rewards: 50% of current level XP (39,860)

  Skill unlocked: Shadow Sight

  Darkness will show the way where a path previously seemed impassable.

  The lines blinked as soon as I glanced over them, and a third paragraph suddenly appeared.

  Rare quest available: Total Population Control: Chaos Lair

  Progress: 1/10

  Reward: +50% of current level XP; +10 skill points; +0.1 saves

  Conditions: The player’s death will fail the quest, losing 50% of current level XP.

  Accept: yes / no?

  Countdown: 30... 29... 28...

  The system was clearly waiting for me to get acquainted with the information about the reward; the countdown had no meaning otherwise. The quest was like a Population Control one on steroids. However, its condition worried me. Hell, I’ll take it. If something goes wrong, I could try to drop the quest before resurrecting. This new skill explained why I had seen the road without any light when I was making my way to the Fortress. For some reason, it wasn’t indicated if the skill was improvable. Was it just a passive then? Well, as the saying goes, don’t look a gift horse in the ass... The mouth. You don’t look at its mouth.

  Achievement unlocked: Sly Dog

  An inquiring mind and intuition in a desperate situation sometimes bear significant fruit. The Heart of the Den was destroyed before the Keeper was defeated.

  Reward: A chance to find a non-standard solution won’t be overlooked by the one who believes in themselves and uses their mind.

  Choose one of two additional rewards:

  1. Cunning +2

  2. +40% of current level XP (31,888)

  I spent a few minutes in deep thought, feeling somewhat confused. Frankly, after all the torment and loss, I expected more. Feeling deceived was unpleasant. When our group eliminated the Destroyer in the sandbox, we managed to get the achievement that was included in the Great Genesis Book, the records of which were known all over the Universe ICS. I believed that such a glory would come in handy in future locations, but there was not a word about the Book here. That is, achievements related to it were completely ordinary, insignificant. The description was somewhat vague, too: “...who believes in themselves and uses their mind.” What should I make of it? Was I to purposefully develop strength and intelligence or did I just need to think more? In any case, I could grind more XP anyway, so I chose the rare stat increase.

  Cunning: +2 (7)

  Bonus: +20% of current level XP (15,944); Intelligence + 4 (44)

  Judging by the result, this was not a hint, but an open and officially formulated statement — one shouldn’t forget about intelligence. This meant that I had been right all along not forgetting this stat when I put on the Earnings.

  Chapter 33

  I almost missed another achievement.

  Achievement unlocked: Time Trouble

  The right choice led to loss of all valuable property, but allowed you to save your life and learn a new Link skill. From now on, there’s a 5% chance to soulbind a valuable trophy gained in battle.

  I couldn’t restrain a wry smile. The description was formulated so graciously, sparing my self-esteem while still calling me out for losing my things. I would have put it more simply and frankly — “you, sir, are an idiot.” However, the bonus it gave was nice, even though it wouldn’t bring back either Flame or the pipe. Thinking about it spoiled my mood even further. Common sense revolted against the idea of resurrecting, even voluntarily. However, I couldn’t die until I had completed a ne
w lair quest. As I had plenty of other concerns, I paid no more attention to the achievement. After everything was said and done, my current position was as followed.

  Current Level: 14 (65,351/79,720)

  Damn it, I was starting to like how XP gained from quests was now tied to a percentage of my current level! I felt a pang regret, though; had I chosen XP instead of Cunning +2, I would’ve been level 15 now.

  Population Control: Horned Demons

  Progress: 7/50

  Population Control: Imp Bullies

  Progress: 12/50

  The numbers were not particularly inspiring, which wasn’t surprising as the mere memory of those creatures made me tremble. The Succubus proved to be a blunder, too. Her death didn’t count, although there was no doubt in my mind that she had died. Was it possible to survive the hell that had been unleashed after the Heart was destroyed? Well, at least the quest itself was active and progressing. I had no doubt that I would meet quite a few such Keepers in other lairs...

  Oddly enough, I caught myself feeling almost sorry for her — for that creepy, but in its own way perfect, albeit demonic, being. Her appearance touched my soul somehow. Or was that the residual effect of her charisma and attractiveness? Honestly, I was never a fan of mindlessly killing sentient creatures, and here, in Universe ICS, mobs seemed sentient and very much real, and not like lines of code and pixels. If I could find a way to make do without killing, I would definitely use it. For now, however, personal development and survival required total “population control” of several mob types in Lunar Rainbow. I should have a go at each mob type and see what sort of goodies they have to offer. That sounds promising.

  All right, enough about me! I should quickly deal with the pets and get a move on! Time is of the essence!

  It was very annoying that their abilities didn’t go past rank 3. And since their stats were distributed automatically, I went straight to the description of Tinnie’s abilities, and immediately found what interested me the most. The first thing to do was to invest three out of four free skill points.

  Spiritual Link

  Rank 3 (0/300; 0/25 SP)

  Supporting the lives of its host and its allies, the pet increases the energy exchange of united souls by 50%.

  Additional effect: Synergy (main mode)

  Automatic selection of the current aura...

  Synergy has been activated.

  Automatic selection of the current aura...

  To maintain this aura pet [Tinnie] requires an Essence Crystal of the corresponding rank every 12 hours. In case of death of the player or any of the pets, as well if there’s a lack of energy, the process will be interrupted until the conditions have been met or until missing links have been restored or new ones have been added.

  You have chosen the Fighting Spirit Aura.

  Energy regeneration: +10%

  List of available auras:

  · Acceleration

  Growth rate of animals and plants is increased by 30%.

  · Hot Blood

  Health Regeneration: +10%

  · Fighting Spirit

  Energy Regeneration: +10% (active)

  · Kindred Souls

  Pets and their owner exchange auras.

  Auras available for exchange:

  · Astral Purity

  Grants immunity to curses.

  · Astral Recharge

  Accelerates health regeneration.

  · Shellplate Defense

  Grants enhanced physical protection.

  · Berserker Rage

  Grants enhanced physical attack.

  Wow, increased energy exchange and new, powerful auras?! There was something that I didn’t get however; if the first two auras were Tinnie’s were the other two Fury’s? I had to check.

  Metamorph

  Rank 3 (1/300; 0/25)

  Transforming its body, the pet increases its defense and damage by 150%.

  Cost: 75% of energy

  Cooldown: 1 hour

  List of available auras:

  · Shellplate Defense

  · Berserker Rage

  My guess was correct. These auras would appear only once Metamorph was activated. All right, let’s not get too excited about it. Things could easily go awry; there had to be some restrictions. In any case...

  Mount

  Rank 3 (2/300; 0/25)

  The pet can now serve as a mount. It can develop speed up to 28 m/h.

  Cost: 1-10% of energy per second, depending on the running intensity, terrain, weight of the rider and stamina.

  Sincerely admiring Fury’s new ability, I returned to Tinnie and, skipping Enchantress, which I had already studied in great detail, stopped at the last line of text.

  Mystic Lore

  Rank 1 (0/100; 0/1)

  Active

  Cultivation of unique plants.

  Development is variable.

  So what do I do with it?

  “Tinnie, would you like to tell me anything about Mystic Lore? Show me some images, perhaps? Clear things up a bit, yeah? I know you can. It can be anything you want. Yeah?”

  Hearing the question, Tinnie looked up at me and nodded. I was ready to watch the tutorial video, when I noticed something that had escaped my attention earlier...

  While I was dealing with the stats, Tinnie landed on the flask that I had given to Mashta before fighting the Crocbeasts. Sitting on it as if on a pillow, she played with a green gem, tossing it from hand to hand. I felt alerted. As it turned out, Chzher wasn’t the only one who had visited me while I was sleeping like a log. Mashta had also visited and returned my property. Most likely, she was the one who gave Tinnie a Crystal... Was she seeking redemption, or showing kindness?

  Mashta, Mashta...

  There were so many omissions and inconsistencies with her. I tried to ignore them as I liked the girl. But after the hints that the Okhtans had given me, and after the conversation with Chzher, some unpleasant questions arose in my mind. I firmly believed that Chula was a Prospector. Tinnie exposed her when she stole an Emerald from her. But Mashta denied it. Why? And why was Mashta only level 18, whereas her companions had levels above 20, the highest one being 28? Why was she the squad commander? I was missing some crucial information about the resurrection mechanism. I needed to ask someone about it. Why did Mashta paint the Okhtans like some notorious, ruthless thugs? What was the point of that? Was it to intimidate me? Like: “Don’t you mess with the Okhtans; they are just waiting to finish you off.” Why did she want me to stay away from them and be friends with the Lowlings only? Was this out of sympathy for me, or was there something else behind it?

  But what should I make out of Chzher’s questions then? “The stone. Did you choose it yourself, or was it the Lowlings’ suggestion?” Could it be that they knew about the lair and had purposefully made me get on the stone next to it for some reason? But if so, what would they have gained from it? Was it a test to see if I could survive, or another moronic joke? Even if they needed me dead for some reason, they could’ve killed me in many other ways. Colin, for instance, could’ve killed me on his own. He was level 28. All he had to do was hit me with his dagger and I would’ve been dead as a doornail.

  Something fishy was going on with the clans as well. I was hoping that Fortune Hunters would be my trump card, and that I could, if circumstances called for it, begin to gather outcasts under my banner. If all the outcasts were in one clan, then even the smallest of improvements would be beneficial for everyone, and the clan itself would start progressing rapidly, giving players additional bonuses. Despite that, clans were banned in the Fortress for some reason. Why? Was it because of the differences in racial mentality?

  It seemed to me that the shady story behind the extermination of the human population was somehow connected to that issue. My intuition screamed that something fishy was going on here. But who could I ask about it? The Dalrokts? The Okhtans? The Lowlings? I had only a handful of options and I doubted that I would learn anything new from those w
ho didn’t want to communicate with me, and those who hid bits of Fortress’s dark past from me.

  I was still missing vital information; guessing blindly was useless at this point. Not to mention that I didn’t want to think bad about the Lowlings until I have collected irrefutable facts. The main thing was not to rush it. Critical thinking turned even omissions and occasional reservations into sources of information. Sooner or later, I would definitely unravel this tangled knot...

  Remembering Tinnie, I shook my head, and returned to the last of her abilities in another attempt to figure out what to do with them. Finding that the description had changed, I almost jumped with joy.

  Mystic Lore

  Rank 1 (0/100; 0/1 SP)

  The pet can now craft unique consumables.

  Specialization (1/3) is available: Artificer (items)

  The pet can create unique consumables for equipment.

  “Tinnie?! And you kept silent about this?! Let me kiss you...!”

  I stretched out my hand to grab her like a cat would a mouse. With a playful squeak, she hid in the flask case. I simply picked up her “shelter” by its cord and hung it around my neck.

  Then I started thinking about the practical side of things.

  At first glance, this Mystic Lore seemed extremely interesting and promising... However, to grow something, you first needed to plant something. Makes sense, yeah? And what could I start with? That is, where would I get seeds? And what kind of seeds did I even need? Surely, it had to be something special, and some no less special ingredients for growing would be required. Not to mention that I had nowhere to plant things. In fact, the only place with suitable conditions for experimenting was near the underground reservoir as the temperature there was higher and there was some semblance of soil thanks to the mycelium activity. It was also worth considering that, despite being in a game, I would hardly be able to grow anything in a couple of minutes. It would probably take some time...