“Alex, as soon as you finish and before you hear out your friends, please let me tell the story from my perspective,” Overweight requested. “Not only do I never want to talk to these people again, I don’t even want to be in the same room as them. I’m only doing it for your sake.”
Tissa shot her a look as nasty as a Molded from Resident Evil.
“Of course, Rita,” I promised. “It’s all because Axiom is our enemy, Big Po specifically. It all started after we snatched that First Kill out from under them in the Olton Quarries. Not many people know, because neither of us will say so directly but, as you can see, I’m not gonna hide it from you. I want you to understand what I’m getting you into.”
“And what exactly are you getting me into, Alex?” Rita smiled just barely.
Tissa, watching Rita through partially closed eyelashes, noticed Overweight’s languid vibrating intonations and reacted instantly:
“Don’t get your hopes up, Wood! No one is getting you into anything. Alex just doesn’t know who you really are!”
“Tissa!” I had to raise my voice. “We don’t have much time!”
“Okay, boss,” came from the chair.
She put her feet up and mimicked throwing a hood over her head. However, she was not IRL, and wasn’t wearing a hoodie or her favorite pants, just a dress of a priestess of Nergal and, thinking better of it, went to quickly cross her legs.
Hiding a smirk, I kept talking with Rita:
“Nothing criminal. We’re going to the field for a long-term farm and, as you can see, we won’t be able to use the auction to sell loot. Beyond that, we’ll have to restock on potions, elixirs, alchemy and cooking ingredients...”
“And all other trade ingredients and resources,” Overweight finished my thought. “I understand, Alex. No question. You know you can count on me. You know my condition, and the fact that it will be more profitable to the Awoken than handling the trading on your own. I by the way, already put your gear up on auc, but what should I do with...” She faltered, not knowing whether to mention the epics in front of Tissa and Crawler.
“The epics? Hold onto them for me until I say to send them back to me.”
I could feel Tissa and Ed boring into me with their eyes, but I wasn’t going to ask why in front of Rita. That was clan business and I was not going to risk it no matter how much I trusted Overweight. There was no reason.
“Good, I’ll do just that,” she nodded. “Anything else?”
“No, Rita. That’s all I need from you.”
“Then here is my version of Undy and I’s dispute with the Dementors.”
“Dispute?” Ed chuckled. “You scammed us!”
“Not at all,” she disagreed. “We didn’t scam or deceive anyone...”
“Like hell you didn’t!” Tissa shouted.
Talking over one another, they told me about the beginning of their conflict. And here’s what I found out.
About a year ago, when the Dementors had just started taking down their first raid bosses, they happened upon a rare blue item. The Sword of either a Hundred or a Thousand Truths, opinions differed. Bomber already had a scalable epic for eliminating the threat, Infect had the daggers, and the mages Tissa and Crawler had no need for a weapon. And so they decided to sell it.
God only knew why they decided to do it through the Woods. Either the auction was too far away and Underweight was nearby, or Chris had himself made an offer but, either way, it happened. When Rita was finally allowed to get a word in, she explained that Undy used to wander distant locations buying up loot from players. In fact, that was how they got their starting capital. With a fair warning, they would buy low and sell high.
Low-level players were generally not opposed. What was more, they were usually actually happy not to have to run back to town to sell their junk. For the most part, they had standard bags that couldn’t fit much, so few could say no to unloading some trash and freeing up slots without having to leave their farming spot. Underweight then could hold a lot both due to his expensive and large bag and his high strength. Overweight, meanwhile, was responsible for charisma, which was important for making deals with NPC vendors.
And from there, everything was extremely fair in Rita’s option and a complete fraud and scam to Tissa and Ed. They sold Undy a rare sword for seventy gold, and he resold it for almost seven hundred, a fact he was not ashamed to boast about in the tavern. That trickled down to the Dementors and they rushed off to figure it out. Underweight dismissed all their complaints and, in my opinion, was totally right to do so. He made them an offer, they agreed and no one was holding a blaster to anyone’s head.
What was more, Rita explained that, when Chris estimated the value of the sword, he figured it was worth no more than a hundred in the best case. Considering auction commission, he was planning to make no more than ten or fifteen gold off it. And the blue item was actually worth no more than that based only on its stats. The price went up so high because some collectors started a bidding war over it. That sword only dropped in the Tristad sandbox, so it was extremely rare.
Once I got to the root of the problem, contrary to my clanmates’ expectations, I took the Woods’ side:
“Ed, Tissa, you definitely can’t call that a scam. So just forget about it. Let’s start over and give Overweight and her brother a clean slate. If you still have any doubts about the Woods’ honesty, I’m willing to take responsibility. I promise to compensate all potential consequences of this decision. Agreed?”
“Scyth, I don’t think you understand!” Ed cried foul. “I wouldn’t have said anything if he sold the sword for double the price, but ten times? Half a thou in profit! It took me and the clan half a year to save up that much? Don’t you think that’s unfair?”
“Alex, you might not know, but we weren’t even eating lunch at school back then. We were putting everything into Dis,” Tissa added. “And the way the Woods scammed us just doesn’t add up! Even now... So what, you really believe her brother didn’t know what the gear was really worth?”
“I trust her. And that’s my final word. If you want to keep discussing it, go ahead. But I’m out.”
Despite themselves and through gritted teeth, they agreed not to bring it up again. And that was the end of it.
Meanwhile Rita got distracted looking at her interface.
“Chris wants to know where I’ve gone,” she said, concerned. “If we’re done here, I think I’ll be going.”
“No one is making you stay,” Tissa noted.
“And send your brother a big hello,” Crawler said.
“Good luck farming and I hope you level quick, Alex!” Rita said, pointedly ignoring Ed and Tissa. “I’ve heard whispers you and Big Po made a bet about who comes higher in the sandbox clan Arena. If so, good luck to you and your friends!”
“Thanks Rita...”
She didn’t let me finish. She gave me a hug and whispered in my ear:
“Do you wanna fly out to Glastonbury for the rock festival next weekend? IRL, for real. Chris is gonna take his girlfriend and Goosebumps wanted you to come.”
“Goosebumps? What about you?”
“I want you to come too,” she agreed easily.
After brief consideration, I decided against it. It would be too flippant.
“Thanks, but I shouldn’t. We have to get ready for the Arena and every day counts.”
“Too bad,” her voice almost shuddered. She was upset. “Alright, I’ll keep my hopes up anyway. Call me if anything comes up. I’ll send my comm number to your mailbox.”
With a kiss on the cheek, she let go of my hand and left the room.
“That’s new, Sheppard,” Tissa noted coldly. “You never told me you had a girlfriend.”
“She isn’t my girlfriend. We’re just friends.”
“And who’s Goosebumps?” asked Crawler, who had excellent hearing.
“Ed, don’t fan the flames,” I begged.
Looking at Schafer, who was just seething, he laughe
d.
“Good for you Alex, what a Lothario!”
“Not funny, Edward!” she barked. “Damn, let’s get to business already! Hour two in Dis and I haven’t killed anything yet!”
“Yeah, that pointless conversation took too much time, Scyth,” Crawler said, getting up. “The guys have already bought everything and are on their way here.”
“Then have them come up,” I said.
“Why?”
“I’ve got an idea we need to discuss.” Rita’s suggestion to fly across the ocean to Glastonbury had given me an idea. I felt like there was a solution at hand, but I just couldn’t grab hold of it. Perhaps talking with the guys would help. “It’s about the Sleeping Gods...”
“Are we gonna pray?” Crawler interrupted with a chuckle.
“The great and terrible Behemoth is not some ramshackle Radiant god. He doesn’t need our prayers...”
They didn’t let me finish. Ed fell down, throwing up his hands. Tissa vengefully kicked him under the ribs:
“That’s for making fun of me, you heartless animal!”
Chapter 20. Departure
HAD I ALREADY mentioned the fact that being around pretty girls made me unmercifully, even ferociously stupid? That’s what was happening then. It was either Rita’s offer or Schafer’s totally bizarre reaction, but I was frozen and barely knew what was going on around me.
“Do you think this is funny?” Tissa wouldn’t settle down and closed Crawler in once again, but he just kept laughing. “Edward Rodriguez!”
“Okay, okay, I give up!”
Ed stood up, strained to keep a serious expression on his face but failed. He jumped up and filled with laughter again.
“What the crap is happening?” I couldn’t hold back.
“Scyth, have you ever seen the way priests of Nergal pray?” he asked through laughter.
Now Tissa was frozen. She looked at Ed with mistrust and calmed down.
“Does that mean you think it was because of your stupid mimicry?” she asked.
Crawler didn’t have a chance to answer. There came a tentative knock on the door, I undid the lock and Infect and Bomber ran in, both in quite the fervor.
“Guys!” Hung turned to us. “Why’d we give up so easy, huh? Scyth, didn’t you make that bet with Big Po before the Arbitrator? He isn’t allowed to put any sticks in our spokes!”
“Hey, yeah! That’s right!” I shouted, pissed at myself for not thinking of that on my own. “Now...”
They crowded around me and I recited the standard formulation to summon the dispute resolution AI. For the record, summoning the Arbitrator without good reason could potentially lower your reputation. Judges in Dis were all part of a separate faction called Heavenly Arbitration, and it was said that bad relations with them could impact the resolution of future cases. And as nobody knew how to improve the figure, no one risked summoning a member of the faction over a minor issue.
The fabric of space in the middle of the room warped for a moment, a hole formed and a small sphere the size of an apple tumbled out. A weak measured drone emanated from the eye, which shimmered with a blue flame. It addressed me:
“Please state the nature of your request, player Scyth.”
I did and Tissa, butting in with her own remarks, added color. They eye faded for a moment, going over the details, then gave a verdict:
“The mission was assigned within the bounds of the gaming process,” it stated imperturbably. “The quest was assigned by an elected councilman, player Polynucleotide, based on his own preferences, which do not contradict the rules.”
“But the quest is impossible to complete!” Tissa tried not to scream, but still a shout of outrage burst out. “Because the players from Axiom who also have the quest are simply not going to do it!”
They eye turned toward her, analyzed what she’d said and delivered a verdict, its ringing crystal voice giving a fading echo off the walls:
“That is also allowed by the game process. Failing the mission will lead to penalties from the city council. Issue settled.”
The eye disappeared, leaving us in dismal silence. It was just as unjust as it was unchallengeable. All we could do to get our reputations back up was spend an inordinate amount of time tediously farming enemies of the city and completing quests of minor importance in other locations, tangentially improving our relationship with Tristad. With the Arena coming up, that would be a senseless waste of time. What was more, while Big Po was a councilman, we could always be issued another impossible quest.
“So what’s your idea, Scyth?” Crawler asked. “You said you had something to discuss about the Sleeping ones.”
The feeling of inspiration had passed by then. While we were talking to the Arbitrator, I reached my own decision and it no longer seemed good to me. We didn’t have enough time, and it would take too much effort just to test my theory. So I decided to say nothing and not discuss it.
“We can discuss it later,” I suggested, feeling rumbles in my stomach. My throat was dry too. My real body was reminding me that it was time to get some nourishment. “It isn’t urgent. It might not even be worth talking about now.”
“So, should we go?” Ed asked, and everyone looked at me.
I was not a fan of suddenly being made leader: I wasn’t used to taking responsibility for other people yet. But still I figured I’d have to learn, otherwise my chances of increasing my potential would be nil.
“I’ve been here since eight AM,” I said. “I’m gonna dip to the real world and get a bite to eat, then we move out. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”
Out of my pod, I ate, drank, took care of my other needs and went back into Dis. And the guys, waiting for me, were still sitting in the same places discussing our plan of action for the day.
“Scyth,” Crawler nodded when I came in. “We don’t have much time, so I suggest we move out on foot to the Gnoll Quarries...”
“Why not teleport?” I asked in surprise.
“Too much jumping,” he explained. “Plus we know a couple juicy rare mobs on our way. They’re not much for level, but based on the known drop list, there is a very small chance for them to drop epics. And it isn’t very far to go.”
We left the city long before the time limit of Big Po’s mission. We went around the walls from the west to the foothills of the Nameless Mountains. From their peaks, we had a good view of Tristad. Tissa stopped and stared at the city where she’d spent almost her whole life in Disgardium
“The whole last year I’ve been dreaming of leaving this small town as quick as possible,” she sighed. “But now I’m sad.”
“Don’t be sad, sis,” Bomber said touchingly. “We’ll go back to Tristad one day. But now I’d rather get out of this damned sandbox than go back to town.”
“By the way, about big Dis. I have three and a half more months here,” I said. “My birthday is March twenty-seventh.”
“February nineteenth here,” Crawler called back gloomily. “I’m first to leave.”
“I’m a March baby too,” Bomber said, “the fifteenth.”
“April ninth,” Infect chuckled.
Tissa kept silent but we’d already discussed this. She was going to hit sixteen last, just June second. And she was very worried about spending a few months here without us.
A restless stream poured down the mountain. We filled our flasks under a waterfall coming down from a blue stone at head height. The water (+5% to energy regain) was ice cold and we also washed up, huffing and puffing for joy. Big Bomber, as usual, couldn’t resist and splashed us all head to toe.
“You know what, Melissa?” Hung said in satisfaction, wiping his wet hands on his clothes. “If we can really pull off this plan, you have the chance to get a Grand achievement!”
“Which one?” she shot out.
“You could hit the highest level ever achieved in a sandbox! Right now some kid from Seoul has it. He dinged thirty just one day before he went into big Dis!”
“T
hirty!” Tissa exclaimed. “That kid must have stayed in the game day and night!”
“Yeah, he wasn’t going to school,” Bomber confirmed. “His parents are from a top Asian clan and had been planning all along for their son to make his career in Dis...”
Hung was all too happy to start imagining what it was like to have parents like that. I took a look at all the Awoken, including myself and fixed all our attributes in my memory as something of a starting point for the clan:
Scyth, level-13 human
Clan: The Awoken.
Apostle of the Sleeping Gods Page 27