by Nikita Thorn
“Ah, yes,” said Kazuki with a chuckle. “I was going to send you a message, but got distracted by the ‘Doing is a mistake’ objective.”
“I know. Mairin already told me.” Ikumi stepped to the side to make way for her guest.
Shorter than Ikumi by nearly a head, the visitor appeared to be in his early middle years, his round face cleanly shaven except for a small mustache. His hair was held up in a top knot decorated with a golden clasp, and his luxurious embroidered robe was purple and gold.
Kajidoro [Level 4]
Seiki gave a start as the name rang a bell. It took him a while to recall where he had seen the man before. It had been on Trade Street during a failed assassination attempt by the Shadow Manor.
The man made no attempt to hide their acquaintance. “Hello, Seiki-san.”
Mairin blinked. “You know him?”
Seiki took a deep breath as he eyed the man. “He’s a—”
“Professional looter, at your service.” The man gave a slight nod. “As to the question of whether we are acquainted… Let’s say Seiki-san does not know me as well as I do the usual contents of his inventory.” He chuckled at his own joke.
“The Shadow Manor employs him to… uh, loot people,” said Seiki.
“Oh, no, no, no,” said Kajidoro. “I thought I made it clear last time we met, Seiki-san. My employer employs both myself and the Shadow Manor.”
The man’s statement made Seiki’s skin prickle. Mairin narrowed her eyes.
“It’s all business… Mairin-san,” said the looter, after squinting elaborately to read her name. “I’m a neutral party. Even Kazuki has used my services before.”
“For?” Marin sounded unconvinced.
“Trading with the Nobles,” said Kazuki. “They won’t come to us so we have to go them, and, since we have a limited number of members who are all extremely busy, instead of having to go ourselves, we sometimes ask Kojidoro to do it on our behalf.”
Level 4 players could not be engaged in PVP and were completely safe from street brawls. Very low level players were also protected from Pickpocketing. Seiki heard damage from environmental hazard still applied, but as long as they were not inattentive enough to stand in a fire, Level Fours were practically untouchable.
“What? The Nobles won’t come to you?” cried Mairin.
“RP,” muttered Ippei. “Paying visits is below them.”
“Still!” The kitsune frowned. “This whole business is very suspicious.”
“All is fair in business.” Kajidoro looked amused. “Right, Seiki-san?”
The mention of the Shinshioka Nobles did not help, and Seiki eyed the man warily, despite his brain finding no reason to disagree.
“Are you an alt?” Mairin flatly asked. “You must be. Or why would you want to be stuck at Level 4 forever?”
The man laughed. “Well, my condition can be extremely entertaining. I can walk into the strongest clan and have no fear.”
“You can’t even leave the City,” said Mairin. “The guards will stop you and say the Wilderness is too dangerous.”
Seiki had never really thought of it, and he now realized that it was true.
“You can always get invited to a clan carriage,” said the man with a shrug. “My profession of choice allows me to see many interesting things. Not everyone keeps their treasure poem in a blood-locked box, you see. And I’m nowhere honorable enough not to read what I loot.” He turned to meet Seiki’s eyes.
Seiki stared at the man, his sense of dread growing. The comment was vague enough to have been a general remark, but also almost specific enough to suggest he knew more than he should.
“And I happened to loot something very interesting recently.” Kajidoro produced a folded piece of paper from his pocket.
“So you just looted that from an assassinated victim?” said Mairin.
“Of course,” said the man. “Nothing in my agreement said I couldn’t show it to someone else, and since it has come to my attention that the Society is putting up a very unique exhibition…” He paused again to laugh at his own joke. “I thought I should do my part in contributing what I can.”
Mairin’s eyes widened. “Wait, you think you looted a treasure poem for a unique?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I’m hoping to get it verified with the book,” said the man casually.
While Seiki had no clue what book they were talking about, Kazuki was obviously familiar with the topic. The ninja rose to his feet. “Let’s get some privacy, then. We can use the next room.”
“See you around, Seiki-san,” Kajidoro said as he followed the ninja down the corridor. “Very soon. I hope.”
Seiki hated to admit he breathed a little easier with the Level 4 looter out of sight. He could hear the door of the next room slide open, and Kazuki’s voice shouting to a clan attendant to bring tea, and the looter saying it was unnecessary since he was only staying for a few minutes.
Ikumi lingered at the door, looking rather amused at the number of books they had taken from the library. “So, any luck on what you’re looking for?”
“Something’s wrong with that guy,” said Mairin.
Ikumi let out a tiny sigh but gave a casual shrug. “To be honest I’m not sure why this couldn’t have been done by post.”
“Couldn’t you have used the lobby?” Seiki asked.
“He seemed to have convinced Kazuki that it’s very important,” said Ikumi. “I still don’t see why this can’t wait.”
“Isn’t there something unethical about how he’s showing you something he looted for his… customer?” said Mairin. “Not that the whole thing is ethical in the first place.”
“The game’s designed against ethical play,” said Ippei.
Ikumi chuckled. “Well, he offered to show it to us for free and won’t collect the 50 gold reward. So our hands are almost clean in this.”
“That’s even… more worrying,” said Seiki. He was not sure why he felt that way. A man who decked himself in as much gold as he could afford often did not do things out of charity. The presence of the man disturbed him, and he felt he should understand why.
Then he did. Seiki froze before glancing up at Ikumi. “The first time I saw him… was the first time I saw that mask.”
Perhaps it was the recent mention of the Shadow Manor that reminded him of the assassination attempt. He now recalled vividly seeing the masked figure looking at him from an alley opposite Mani Shrine, its white face amid the surrounding darkness.
“What mask?” Ikumi raised her eyebrow. “Oh, right, the one you’re looking for but can’t find? Let me help.” The houshi glanced at the pile of books on the floor. “What does it look—”
Ikumi never finished her question. Her eyes unfocused, her expression turned blank and she dropped lifelessly to the floor.
Ikumi of the Shinshioka Scientific Society [Level 25]. HP 0/8805. Lootable.
Behind where the houshi had been, occupying the doorway, was a figure. Its face was a mask of white-painted wood, with carved slanting eye slits and a snarling mouth frozen in a malicious smile, framed by thick black hair on both sides that seemed made of black thread. Its blood-red kimono hung from its pale neck, large sleeves almost reaching the ground. This was the closest it had been, yet it still bore no label. Its empty eyes turned to Seiki, and it tilted its head in acknowledgement.
Seiki did not remember himself speaking, but he must have, as he heard his own voice, in no more than a whisper, say, “Like… that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Whatever could kill a Level 25 houshi in less than a second, Seiki and his friends had no chance against. They stared in horror at the masked figure in the doorway. It was once again lifting its arm.
Seiki slammed energy through the Crimsonfire Tekko, even as he knew it was too late. The air in the room turned frigid, as if he had been dropped into an icy river. The cold paralyzed him, freezing his energy flow before it could activate
the shield. Seiki gritted his teeth as he collapsed onto the floor.
From somewhere outside the room came Kazuki’s panicked shout. A notification, which Seiki could only vaguely comprehend, flashed through his mind.
Kazuki has invited you to fight for the Shinshioka Scientific Society as a mercenary. You will be bound by the same rules as clan members as long as you are within the service. Would you like to accept?
Seiki thought ‘yes’ just before everything went black.
Territory Invasion! PVP has been automatically enabled. You are now fighting for the Shinshioka Scientific Society as a mercenary.
Seiki woke to the usual death nausea. He was lying on the floor of a tiny room made of simple wood planks. Lifting his head, he could see a narrow door that opened into a small garden filled with herb bushes. Beyond it was the side of the adjacent shophouse.
It was the Society’s spirit shrine, he realized. Seiki only now had time to wonder what use he would be to the clan dead, except to be confined in the spirit shrine until the invasion was over, but he somehow trusted Kazuki to know what he was doing.
His friends seemed to have the same idea to accept the invitation. Next to him, Ippei and Mairin had also materialized, looking slightly dazed.
Fighting down death nausea, Seiki opened his mouth to ask what his friends thought, when someone suddenly flipped the world on its side.
Kazuki has activated Mass Revival. All clan members and mercenaries have been revived.
Seiki felt as if he was falling sideways into a vacuum. His sight went dark again for a brief moment. The next thing he knew, there was pressure against his body, which he soon understood was his own weight on the soft tatami mat.
Seiki opened his eyes and found himself looking at a large stack of books, the top one being the familiar Collected Beta Arts Volume III. He was back on the top floor of the Society clan hall.
Being revived seemed to have cleared the effect of death nausea. Seiki looked up to find his friends sprawled on the floor, right where they had been earlier, already stirring. Ippei let out a soft curse. Mairin groaned, but then suddenly bolted up, eyes wide. They all turned to look at the doorway.
It was empty.
Seiki felt a flood of relief, as more notifications rapidly raced through his mind.
Kazuki has activated Emergency Return. All clan members have been recalled to the clan hall.
Kazuki has activated Life Shield. All clan members and mercenaries gain an absorption shield equal to 50% their maximum health, which lasts for 10 minutes.
Ikumi has activated Arm Attendants. All clan attendants have assumed combat roles.
Seiki vaguely remembered something about clans having a resource bar that allowed them to use special abilities during an invasion, and he guessed this must be what was happening.
There was movement from behind the shoji wall. Footsteps thudded in the corridor. Something metallic rang out as a sword left its sheath.
A figure flashed past the doorway: a swordsman in a pale gray yukata with a high bushy ponytail, his long sword held in front of him with both his hands, in a pose that looked like a samurai’s deadly Front Slash. His label marked him as Akuma of the Shinshioka Scientific Society [Level 27].
More yells and curses followed further toward the direction of the staircase, and someone shouted, “Where did it go?”
Ippei let out a long breath. “They’re still inside…”
Mairin stared at the empty doorway. “At least, we now know for sure the ghost wasn’t a hallucination.”
She meant it as a joke, and Seiki would have laughed if his mind had not been so busy struggling to comprehend the fact that they were suddenly in the middle of a full-blown invasion.
“It turned into mass hallucination,” said Ippei, with an expression Seiki could not quite read. “Check the player list.”
Seiki activated the mental ‘List’ command.
Tsuresa Alley [Property of the Shinshioka Scientific Society] Territory Player List
(Host) Kazuki of the Shinshioka Scientific Society [Level 27]
(Host) Akuma of the Shinshioka Scientific Society [Level 27]
(Host) Ikumi of the Shinshioka Scientific Society [Level 25]
(Guest) Ippei [Level 16]
(Guest) Mairin [Level 16]
(Guest) Kajidoro [Level 4]
The list should include all the players within the territory except himself. Seiki blinked as he realized that the ghost, or whatever it was, was not there. Now that he thought back, the masked figure had no visible tag, even when it was only a few feet away and well within range for such a thing to appear.
“Maybe they already killed it?” said Mairin hopefully.
“Probably not,” said Seiki.
Frantic shouts were still coming from outside the room.
In the corridor, Akuma of the Shinshioka Scientific Society staggered back, a bewildered expression on his face as he looked down at his chest. Whatever clan ability had teleported him from whatever he had been doing straight into the action had left him unsuitably geared for combat, and now a cut had appeared in the middle of his yukata, with blood pouring profusely out of the tiny stab wound.
The man looked utterly confused, when all of a sudden he was yanked forward, even without anything touching him. Fresh blood sprayed out of his chest and he collapsed with a grunt.
Akuma of the Shinshioka Scientific Society [Level 27]. HP 0/14322. Lootable.
“Oh my God,” cried Mairin.
They stared in disbelief at the body in the doorway. A second later, what Seiki was secretly fearing came true. The masked figure, still label-less, reappeared from the edge of the opening and slowly turned its head to look in.
Whether it was surprised to see its victims alive again, nothing showed from behind the snarling wooden face. It raised its arm toward them, and Seiki was determined he would get his shield to work this time. He scrambled to place himself in front of his friends, but right then several silver flashes shot from the right side of the doorway. Shurikens buried themselves into the figure’s blood-red kimono, drawing its attention toward the source of the projectiles.
Then it all happened at once. The figure turned its head toward its attacker and swept up its arm. Kazuki’s voice cried out from down the corridor, followed by a loud thud that shook the shoji wall as the man collapsed against it.
Seiki’s eyes shot back toward the doorway. Kazuki had managed to get a hit in. The masked figure now had a dagger lodged where its throat would be. For a moment, it looked as if it had taken damage, but then it straightened itself and turned back toward the room.
“Get behind me,” Seiki yelled as he raised his hand and pushed energy through his Tekko. The fire shield burst in front of him as the air turned into an ice block.
Seiki had no idea if the ability had worked, but after a second he and his friends were still alive. Silently, the figure took another step into the room, its hand moved again, and Seiki had time to recognize the same motion that had instantly killed Kazuki.
Seiki winced. It was going to be a repeat of what happened in the first few seconds of the invasion, but this time with all the Society members also dead. He could not quite yet grasp the full severity of the situation, but he could see no way this could end well.
Ikumi has activated Amplify Scroll. A utility scroll now has a territory-wide effect.
Scroll activated: Expel Enemies – all players not originally invited by a clan member have been removed from the territory.
There was no discernable effect: no sound, no flash of light. The masked figure simply vanished. Seiki found himself staring at the empty space, breathing heavily and not yet daring to move.
Whatever Ikumi had done, the territory was now silent.
“It’s… over?” Mairin whispered.
Seiki turned to look at Ippei, who simply shook his head.
“I’ve never done invasions,” said the samurai. “E
specially not with… things that don’t show up on the player list.”
The notification, however, offered a bit of a clue. If it had worked as it promised, all invaders had already been expelled.
They waited for a few more seconds. The territory remained quiet, except for the soft thudding of footsteps from lower floors.
“Shouldn’t we get an ‘invasion over’ notification?” said Seiki.
“We should,” said Ippei.
Not quite sure what was happening, they crept toward the doorway and peered out. The corridor to their left was littered with dead clan attendants in gray and red uniforms, all the way to the staircase. To their right were a few more bodies, among them the Society swordsman, Akuma, the front of his gray kimono drenched with blood. Further away was Kazuki, whose body was limp against the shoji wall.
“One of my Charms has a tiny chance to let any of my friendly abilities revive the target. I’ll… uh… I’ll spam something.” Mairin ran toward the fallen Society ninja and started casting Spirit Mend. White smoke burst up in her wake as she dispersed the fallen NPCs.
“I think Ikumi managed to remove the… ghost,” said Ippei uncertainly. “So technically, invasion rules should work… and as long as no one invites it back…”
Ippei froze mid-sentence. Seiki followed his friend’s gaze to the staircase. Slowly ascending the steps toward the top floor was a figure with a white mask and a blood-red kimono.
Seiki let out a curse. “It’s still here.”
Mairin whipped her head around to look, her eyes widening in horror. The figure had reached the landing and was turning towards them, its head tilting.
“What is this thing?” Ippei grunted. Drawing a decisive breath, the samurai dropped low and unleashed a Focused Strike on the wooden railing of the shoji door. He wrung the panel free and slammed it in the middle of the corridor between them and the advancing masked figure.
The air had turned chilly, but, whether breaking line of sight worked or not, a second later, none of them were dead yet. Mairin threw open the door to the room on the opposite side. “This way!”