by Arthur Stone
The blonde-haired man replied loudly and crisply. “I think that these are only the best of the mods from the area they were found, not all of them. They are a selection.”
“Yes!” Bugle lifted a finger. “So I am not alone in my conclusion. It is obvious. Here, in this backpack, you have collected most of the loot upon which you were lucky enough to stumble. This must have been somewhere in the borderlands, whence we expected you to appear. There are many gray territories there. Nodium and mod hunters find such places quite promising. Sadly, the area is much too dangerous for serious production. Perhaps that can be changed in the future. Anyway, I digress. So these are only the most valuable mods. At most, they are worth half of the total stock you found. Yes, lesser mods are an order of magnitude less valuable than superior mods, but they come in much greater quantities. As do average mods. You simply were unable to cart them all off. Therefore, the bulk of the loot is either hidden somewhere, or still remains in the place where you found it. My people were unable to trace your tracks beyond your cache. You had been at Glass Factory for too long, it seems, and your trail faded. After all, we were hesitant to alert you to our plans ahead of time, and so we decided not to control the perimeter tightly. Therefore, we do not know the exact time when you arrived. In any case, the larger part of the loot cannot be found by the skills of our trackers. Only one option remains. We ask the one who found them. We ask you. Do you understand my meaning now, or shall I repeat it?”
Cheater nodded silently, not knowing what to say.
Bugle continued. “But the mods are not all we wish to know about. You have some very expensive weapons and items. These are too powerful for one man to use on his own. You will help us unbind them. Naturally, you will receive fair compensation.”
“Five percent?” Cheater said, skeptically.
“Yes,” Bugle nodded. “We never cheat our own. Every business dealing here is fair. Our code is honor. And we respect those who show their honor, in turn. Once we complete the unbinding, you will write a full report on what your group received from the Unnamed One. You will also hand over all of the trophies in your inventory. These items are too valuable for one person. You may be tempted to hide some of the treasure, but I advise against that. I expect you appreciate the effectiveness of the group that apprehended you. Our interrogation teams are no less effective, I can assure you.
“You will be unable to lie. There are ways to catch people in lies, as I’m sure you’re aware. If you try to lie, we will have to resort to unpleasant interrogation methods. I wish to avoid extreme measures. It is in your best interest to cooperate with us. I understand that it is not easy for you to part with so many valuable things. But the alternative is much worse. The one who asked us to find you said nothing about this wealth. He has made no claim on it.
“During your apprehension, you and your accomplice killed and wounded several of our people. That was the best group of its kind, in this region and in the next. I spent months assembling it. My talent is in finding unique chosen ones and assembling them into perfectly coherent groups. You have disabled many valuable specialists, though temporarily, and so you owe us compensation. And besides, as I said, no one person can carry so many valuable items.
“One way or another, you will give us everything. It is unavoidable. But if we must take the less pleasant route, then when we are done, we will hand you over to the chosen one who has asked for you. You will lose everything and you will then find yourself in an unpleasant situation. But consider what happens if you make the right decision. Yes, you contribute everything, but you also receive fair compensation. In addition, you earn status as a supporter of our organization. Perhaps you even become a Servant. At that point, no one is allowed to give you up.
“Romeo is a worthy chosen one, and is therefore a friend of our organization. That is for services rendered long ago. Back then, he helped us, and we have not forgotten that aid. Since then, however, he has made many mistakes. He owes us, and our friends. We do not know when he will be able to repay us. But he will pay, or else he and his people will have great difficulty, should they visit the Phantom Forest. He has no significant leverage. As long as you are under our protection, he will not be able to do anything to you.”
Cheater feigned a serious expression as this nonsense flooded by his ears. “Before I came here, I had never heard of your organization. And even when I did, it did not strike me as so powerful. Forgive me for saying this, but ‘the Devils’? Yet I have heard of Romeo. Many times. Are you sure you can protect me from such a powerful player?”
Bugle clicked his tongue. “We do not like the word ‘player’ here. ‘Chosen ones’ is a phrase that more accurately expresses our nature. We have been chosen. We have shown our worth. By saying ‘players,’ you put us nearly on the level of the damned. And the damned must be destroyed, by all possible means. Your words alleging Romeo’s fame and our obscurity sadden me. They prove that you are a narrow-minded person. The world is much more complicated than you think. Word of a half-brained girl with a dozen vulgar songs in her repertoire and buttocks of silicone can become known to billions. Yet at the same time, those who provide the same billions with food, water, safety, and medicine remain unknown. For the most part. This is one of the many examples of the futility of modern society. I could go on, but I will save us some time with a simple example. You likely noticed the military equipment in the courtyard. Did you see the artillery?”
“Of course.”
“I will spare you the details, but we have several special shells for these guns. Nuclear warheads. The System does not like to give out serious weapons, but for me, as the founder of the organization chosen to search for the answers to all questions, it made an exception. A powerful bonus. At first, not everyone was in a hurry to cooperate with us. Some even wanted us to leave this region. They even gathered significant forces to oppose us. Then, we used one of the warheads on them. One explosion, and boom, everything was suddenly much simpler. Fear was born among them.
“Now, we are nearly as unassailable as the Unnamed, and the commoners fear to discuss our capabilities. We sit here, quietly, in the Cauldron, building up our strength. We grow stronger by the day. Now, if the situation becomes complicated once more, we can handle it without using our trump card. We have enough might that we need not fear Romeo and the others. Yet there is a war ahead of us. A great war.
“First, step by step, we will cleanse the whole region from its filth, and then we will deal with the neighboring ones. It will be a long and difficult struggle. Alas, war requires money. We will remember your contribution to the common cause. And we will always be ready to protect you with all the resources and power of our organization. So once again, consider your answer carefully. You will not be able to go back. Either you are our friend, or you are no one, and Romeo will have you. In both cases, you will in no wise keep that which should not belong to you. Once you have your answer, give it to Colt. I must leave. There are many things to attend to.”
Bugle headed for the door.
Is that really the note he’s going to end on? What had happened to Colt’s ominous allusions to the fact that the captives would not like their communication with Bugle very much? That conversation had been nothing to complain about.
Perhaps he had meant the consequences of the conversation. He should learn to be more precise.
A message appeared. Cheater’s eyes froze as his attention focused on its words.
Note: Hint: Destroy the player Trumpeter and his environment.
What a fascinating quest, complete with tantalizing hints. Hanging on the wall, he suddenly learned that he had to somehow kill the local Führer, hundreds of his assistants, and a fortress.
Well, why not? He had dealt with greater threats before. The Continent was an homage to the absurd.
But it was, he had to admit, absurdity that was well thought out. As the cards had been dealt, Cheater might very well have been the only one who could accomplish such a quest.
Even pinned to the wall.
Chapter 31
Life Nine. Number Go Down, Number Go Up
The mysterious man with the crooked face remained in the room, looking more like a piece of furniture than a living being. Colt stayed too, of course. All the others followed Bugle out.
The captain approached, but made no logical appeal. Instead, he hit Cheater square in the stomach and hissed with onion breath into his face. “So did you get that, or should I go over it again, in excruciating detail?”
The captive was unable to reply for a moment, as the wind was knocked out of him. At that instant, the door opened, and new characters appeared on stage: a huge quasi, and Clown. His companion’s face was bruised and bloody.
Seeing Cheater, he perked up. “If they ask you things, tell them whatever they want, but make sure you don’t say anything about their mothers. Forget that whole night we spent with them. It’s a sore subject. Drives them up the wall.”
The quasi jabbed Clown into silence with a blow right to the kidney. Colt issued a command. “Hang this one up to dry for now. Get Honesty in here.”
The monster grabbed the chains holding up one of the gibbets of rotting heads. Opening its door, he broke the stick holding Clown’s arms and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck like a naughty kitten, tossing him in, onto the pile of rotten meat.
“Hey! The maid hasn’t been through here yet!” the man shouted.
“That’s from room service for you,” Colt replied, chuckling.
After closing the door, the quasi hoisted the gibbet back up. Now Clown dangled out the window, several yards above the ground, shielded from the hot sun only by the skinny and sparse iron rods. The decaying heads under his feet were no better shielded than he.
“Hang him out to dry” had a whole new meaning.
Colt returned to his position uncomfortably close to Cheater and mocked him. “Well? What was it you wanted to tell me again? Or will I have to coax it out of you?”
“What should I tell you?”
Colt repeated the blow and his oniony hiss. “You will tell us everything, and now. You know what I’m hoping for? I’m hoping you’ll resist. You’ll give us everything you have, and you’ll show us your inventory. You will hide nothing, down to the last cell.”
Cheater was all for it. As long as he could reach his arm to his chest, he’d be happy to show them something from his inventory. He was a generous man. However, he knew perfectly well that he was not the first client of this respectable information extraction institution. In addition, he was confident that his executioners were not the most gullible people on the Continent. If their prisoner agreed to the terms too quickly, they would suspect he had a plot, and they would keep their guard up.
Agreeing immediately was not the right course. He had to feign breaking down, and then act according to the situation. Cheater could withstand a few blows to his gut without difficulty. The bastard wasn’t even hitting hard, apparently.
Colt turned towards the silent man. “Blockade, how are you doing over there?”
“Holding,” the man said in a hoarse voice. “His abilities are locked, his inventory is locked, and I’m holding his chat, too. But if I continue blocking everything, I’ll only have a half hour of mana left. Maybe I should let go of the chat? That will spend less mana.”
“Keep holding,” Colt answered. “We can deal with the mana.”
Cheater went cold as he realized the substance of the conversation.
He tried to activate Flash of Omniscience.
Note: Option unavailable! Check your current Spirit of Styx meter. If you have sufficient Spirit of Styx for this ability, make sure that no player, character, or other creature is blocking your use of this ability. If you are unable to find a blocker, try moving to a new location.
“He’s trying something right now,” Blockade warned.
Colt turned towards Cheater and jabbed him in the same point, filling his voice with malice. “Don’t even try it. It won’t work. See Blockade over there? You know why we call him that? He can blockade your access to the interface. It’s hard work. Look at the poor fellow, sweating over there. So, what’s up with your inventory? I’m guessing you have lots of space, don’t you? You’re such a mighty hero, I hear. But you cannot use a thing until Blockade allows it. So if you had any wonderful ideas regarding combat abilities or tricks of any kinds, you can shove them you know where.”
That was bad news. Now Cheater knew what March’s chat had been messed up, and why his chat connection to Clown had died towards the end of their trip.
Bugle really did have top players on his team. Blockade’s ability was not so useful for a solo player, but in the context of a large organization, it was overpowered. Kidnapping people and blocking their interface entirely? Now that was something. Cheater had never heard of anything like it.
Colt was right. He had planned to use his abilities. Now, his plans needed urgent revision, as his abilities were blocked.
It seemed the aces up his sleeve were being removed, one by one. Only his heightened stats might help.
The door swung open. The quasi who had hung Clown “out to dry” entered. He was not alone, but dragged in a remarkable character.
The newcomer had the appearance of a madman. Hunched figure, unhealthily white skin, and a shuffling gait. His head swung chaotically from one side to the other, sometimes plunging beneath his shoulders or reaching up above. Not the slightest hint of reason could be seen in his eyes, and a thread of saliva hung from the corner of his limp open mouth. He was dressed in white.
Was it a straitjacket? No, it didn’t seem like it, but there was something unusual about the apparel.
Colt’s tone became almost friendly. “You know why we call Blockade by his name. Now guess this guy’s nickname.”
His finger pointed to the man in white rags. At that moment, the insane man decided to empty his bladder, without a single warning.
Cheater watched the wet spot spread throughout the fabric. “His nickname, huh. I don’t know. Brainiac? The Smartest Devil?”
The quasi, staring at the prisoner, was unable to stand it and burst out laughing, like a great polar bear who had suddenly discovered it had a sense of humor.
Colt laughed, too. He like the joke.
But, he shook his head. “No, Cheater, not quite. We call him Honesty. Not everyone has the luckiest start in this world. The System hits our brains hard. Remember how much of an idiot you were, at the beginning? We’re all like that when we first start out. Some quickly come to their senses. Others do not. Sometimes, the pressure breaks a person’s personality or emotional state. Honesty’s very mind was broken. The System was unable to remedy this. So, as it sometimes does, it tried to provide compensation. He may not have his own mind, but he knows how to use the minds of others. A very unique person.
“We aren’t evil. We tried to cure him, and even helped him pump his levels a little. But at level 10, nothing changed. That’s okay. Bugle likes him like this. His skill is very useful when you need to influence a person. If he orders you to scratch your nose, you’ll scratch it. He could even get you to curse your own mother. That’s not why he’s here, of course. Honesty can make people honest and obedient.
“First, we torture them a little, yes. An appetizer, if you will. Once the pain really sets in, Honesty gets to work. When a man’s mind is beset by pain, it is vulnerable. Honesty seizes on this vulnerability and turns it into a great breach. Sometimes, this breaks the mind, and the subject becomes like him. That is quite a miserable sight. But usually it doesn’t end so badly. The person becomes honest and obedient. Straight and true. Willing to do and reveal anything. In fact, that man becomes happy to fulfill whatever request he’s given. Such as revealing his inventory, unbinding his items, and spilling the details about everything he knows. As long as the right questions are asked. We don’t always know the right questions.
“So, consider the options before you: either you submit to
our control and do what we say, or you become controlled by Honesty. As I said, I’m hoping for the latter. I love when tough guys like you eat their own shit and swear they’ve never tasted anything better in their lives. And you will eat shit, Cheater. In the end, you will beg for me and Honesty to take turns with that girl you’re so drawn to. You’ll be ready to pay us to do so. Pay us handsomely. And don’t you worry. Honesty may not look so good, but he’s still got it where it counts. It’s about the only thing he has left that works, besides his ability. So, we can have some real fun with you, if you wish.
“Bugle has given you the right to choose, and I have filled in the gaps. Now, consider. Is thirty seconds enough, do you think? I think so. Let’s set a timer. Once the time runs out, we’ll cut your eyelids out. That way, you can’t close your eyes. It’s easier for Honesty to work when the client’s eyes are nice and wide.”
“Thirty seconds?” Cheater asked. “Alright, alright, I’ll think about it. By the way, since you brought up your desires to put on an orgy, you and Honesty here could spend the time productively. I’m sure you’ll be done before the thirty seconds are up.”
Colt chuckled. “Ah, why aren’t you the one who goes by Clown?”
“Funny. Just this morning a woman was asking me the same thing,” Cheater prodded.
“Who’s that? What woman?”
“Sorry, but I can’t say. My friend in the cage advised me to keep silent on that one.”
Colt grinned and knocked the wind out of Cheater yet again.
Clown had been right. Even a hint about Mommy was a bad move here.