by A. M. Sohma
“I had forgotten some of this backstory,” Riko said.
“I don’t see how,” Prowl said. “They shove it down your throat from the moment you first step foot on Retha.”
“There was a pretty lengthy cut-scene when we first logged in that covered a bit of this,” Cookie added.
The old man droned on, oblivious to their conversation. “Unfortunately, even during the peaceful times after the war that nearly tore Retha apart, we were unable to return to the strength and power we once had. Many feared Malignus would succeed in his mission with no one to stop him. That was when the first hero appeared,” the old man huffed the last line so reverently, Kit wouldn’t have been surprised if a halo suddenly ringed his head.
“Hero?” Vic asked.
“That’s what NPCs call us players in-game,” Cookie said.
“That’s not narcissistic or anything,” Vic said dryly.
“The heroes have pushed back Malignus’s forces, but the people of Retha still fear that Lord Valdis may return...” The old man trailed off and hummed in the back of his throat.
“Yeah, yeah,” Prowl said. “That’s why we’re here. We want to defeat Malignus, but we can’t get past the sealed wall our...er...ancestors placed to keep Valdis Moarte locked up.”
“Of course,” the old man coughed so deeply it rattled his chest. “Only with the four seals may one remove the wall and cross into the lands of the dead—into the lands of Moarte.”
Gil stroked his chin, scratching at his five o’clock shadow. “So the quest to defeat Malignus is really the quest to open up his lands.”
“Exactly,” Prowl said. “It is most widely believed they did this to keep idiot newbies from wandering into endgame material—which is really what we’re about to do.”
“It’s also been acknowledged that the quest exists only to teach players about Retha’s lore, and to forcibly introduce them to other races,” Riko added.
“How so?” Cookie asked.
“Let me guess.” Kit leaned back on her crate and her head rested against the alleyway wall. “We’re sent to each of the races to retrieve those seals the old guy was talking about, which all happen to be scattered in four opposite directions.”
Prowl nodded as the old man gasped. “How did you know?” He asked in his quivering voice. “But then again, you are an elf. It can only be your great wisdom and vast years of life. Were you perhaps alive in the ancient days when Lord Valdis roamed Retha?”
Kit frowned. “He just called me ancient, didn’t he?”
“Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us, Sir,” Riko said with a smile. (Kit had no idea how she was able to keep it in place as the old guy puffed his stale beer breath in her face when he cackled.) “Can you tell us exactly where the four seals are?”
“One lies with the elves, who hide away in their secret forests,” the old man said.
Cookie counted off the four seals on long and slender fingers. “The dwarves probably have another; I’m guessing the descendants of the Solis Empire have the one for the humans; and the fae have the last one.”
The old man banged his mug on the dirt ground. “If you already know everything, what use is there in coming to me?”
“But we don’t know everything,” Riko said soothingly. “We need more than a general idea of where the seals are. We need specific locations. Like cities.”
The old man smiled slyly, revealing black holes where he had lost many of his teeth. “Oh, I can give you cities. For a price.”
“You want us to pay you after we were forced to listen to you ramble on for so long?” Axel demanded.
The NPC folded his bony arms across his equally bony chest. “Where else are you going to go for such prime information?”
Kit scratched her forehead. “Is this really part of the quest, or is he just being a pain?”
Prowl yawned. “Yep, this is the quest alright. He is the only way to officially receive the quest and allow you to move past this.”
Riko scowled. “I’m with the kid on this one. I’m not forking over cash to this lush.”
Vic frowned at the old man. “Are we really sure we should give him the money, though? He looks like he may die before he finishes telling us everything.”
“It does not seem like we have a choice,” Gil said.
“Hey, Mister,” Cookie said. “What’s your price?”
The old man held up five fingers.
“Five gold pieces?” Kit asked hopefully.
“Five thousand,” he said with an evil smile.
Kit wanted to shriek. Five thousand gold pieces would’ve been a drop in the bucket for her main character, but as Kitten, she had limited funds and had less than a thousand remaining after her epic shopping spree.
“Five thousand?” Riko looked murderous as she clutched her staff and eyed the old man.
“I don’t even have a hundred gold pieces,” Vic said.
The NPC rubbed his red nose. “That’s five thousand total, for all of you to find out.”
“Five thousand?” Riko repeated in shock.
“Riko and I can cover most of that. Just toss in a bit each, and we’ll call it even.” Prowl initiated a group trade session. “Riko, cough it up.”
“But five thousand!” Riko said. “That’s far too pricy. Why, back when I first started playing—”
“We’re not interested in learning about the economy’s inflation. I know you have to have at least a million on this character, so pass it over,” Prowl said.
Riko stared at him with narrowed eyes. “You’re getting cocky, you juvenile delinquent.”
Prowl and Riko passed over the majority of the funds to Kit, with the game system automatically moving the funds and making the transfer.
Vic and Cookie each threw in twenty gold pieces; Gil added fifty; and Axel surprisingly topped all the newbies with one hundred pieces.
“My money,” Riko moaned.
“Is that enough?” Prowl asked.
“Yeah. But why am I the one giving it to him?” Kit asked.
“You’re the party leader,” Prowl reminded her.
“We should change that.” Kit reluctantly drew closer to the old man. When she gracefully crouched at his side, he smiled widely at her.
“Pleasure doing business with you,” he said as she passed the funds over. Kit had to cough into her elbow to keep from gagging at his foul-smelling breath.
“Yes, it has been charming. But you have your money now, so where are the seals?” she asked.
“The human seal last resided in Elba, the last remaining city of the vestigial Empire. No one knows for certain where it is now, but if you wish to track it, you will have to begin there. Your path to the fae seal will begin with the gnomes. The fae are a secretive bunch and never openly shared where they kept their seal, but as the gnomes are the scholars of the fae, they will know where it is. As for the elf seal, it resides in Lèas, the central city of the forest elves.” The old man’s head rolled to the side, as if keeping it upright on his neck was too much work.
“What about the dwarves?” Vic asked. “You didn’t mention them.”
“Yes, them dwarves. Their seal is enshrined in their oldest city, Brunascar, in the White Needles mountain range.” The man groaned, then all the muscles in his body went slack as he fell to the side.
Immediately, a new transparent screen popped up in front of Kit.
You have received the quest: The Lost Seals of Retha.
For quest information and goals, view your quest log in your character panel.
Kit flicked the screen away as Axel prodded the old man with the scabbard of his sword.
“Vic called it,” Axel said. “He just kicked the bucket.”
Kit peered down at the old man and watched his chest rise and fall. “No, he just passed out. I suspect he’s drunk out of his mind. Well, at least we got what we needed.” She stood and brushed off her skirt. “I vote we start with the dwarves.”
“They’re the
farthest away,” Prowl said.
Kit almost smacked herself in the face with one of her fans when she brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “Yes, but the White Needles mountain range is also the lowest-leveled area of the four options. I prefer to work our way up the levels as we go—especially given that this is pretty much a suicide run.”
“I’m game,” Riko said. “Prowl and I will be above the level of most the monsters in that area. We’ll just have to watch out for the few bosses who spawn there—and the dragons of course.”
Vic made a strangled noise. “Dragons? The dwarves live near dragons?”
“Dwarves almost always end up near dragons—or at least large lizards. It must be a mountain thing,” Axel said.
Gil adjusted his chest piece. “I recall seeing dragons in the promotional material for the Chronicles of Retha. While I hope we do not face a dragon, I do hope we get to see one.”
“I don’t,” Kit said. “They’re a bugger to kill, and if you’re close enough to see one, it can most assuredly see you. Is everyone ready? Since we’ve received the quest, we may as well set out.”
Cookie caressed the hilt of one of her daggers. “We have our crafting classes, and all the new gear you gave us, so I think we’re good.”
“We have to travel to Brunascar by foot, yeah? We can’t use the teleportation gates?” Riko asked.
“Since none of us have been there yet, yes,” Kit said.
When players first started out in Retha, there were a handful of places available to travel to via teleportation gates. All other areas—like the dwarven city of Brunascar or Solis Empire’s Elba—had to be reached by foot. Once players arrived in previously unvisited cities and checked in with a Fibbit Services Stall, they were officially registered and available for use the next time they chose to use a teleportation gate. (This unusual method forced players to explore and stick to places that matched their level as opposed to zipping around without a care.)
Prowl brought up his city map. “We’re near the southern exit, which is technically the wrong direction, but we may as well take it, or we’ll have to waste time trying to avoid Imperials and members of the Court of the Rogue for Kit.”
“It will also be faster because we can’t use our mount medallions for the first time inside the city limits,” Kit said. “We have to be outside to call our mounts to us so we can bind them to our characters.”
“So the southern gate it shall be,” Gil said as the party started down the alleyway.
“Beware!” The old man called after them. “Beware the power of the seals, and the darkness that will seek to destroy you. The ancient evil stirs again!” He trailed off, and for a moment Kit thought he really might be dead. Then his snores filled the alleyway.
“I do have to commend EC,” Cookie glanced back down the alleyway even as the rest the party darted out into the main street, eager to return to fresh air. “They’re very good about including atmospheric details within their games.”
Kit paused at the alleyway entrance and waited for the night stalker. She also glanced back at the old man—who was still passed out on the ground. For a moment, Kit thought she saw black shadows ripple behind the NPC, and a flash of white bone. She blinked, and whatever it was had left.
“Is something wrong, Kit?” Riko called back to her.
Kit studied the alleyway for a moment more, but even though the hair on her neck stood on end, there was nothing there. “No. Sorry. Anyway, I agree with you, Cookie. But sometimes I wish they weren’t quite so good at it.” She grimaced, as she stepped around a pile of oxen droppings.
“That reminds me, Kit. If you want to exit the city via the garbage chute, I’d be glad to go with you again!” Cookie made her offer with a brilliant smile.
Kit waited until Prowl turned a corner and had signaled that it was clear of Imperial guards. “No, I’m afraid I don’t think my gag reflex could take another trip there. But thank you for your extremely generous offer.”
“How will you get out then, if not through the garbage chute?” Gil asked.
“Guts and courage,” Kit said.
Vic adjusted the collar of her wizard robes. “You’re going to make a break for it?”
“Yep.”
“You’re nuts,” Prowl said.
“Maybe a little, but I need to test my abilities against the NPCs anyway, or I’ll never know what my limits are,” Kit said.
Axel gave her a thumbs up. “Spoken like a true warrior. You’re wasted as a dancer. And an elf.”
Kit’s smile turned brittle as they joined the main road and the city gates—a set of giant double doors that were taller than her apartment—loomed above them. She did her best to stand behind Gil as they drew closer.
“Maybe we could crowd around you and screen you from view,” Gil suggested.
“That method works for some players, but Kitten Lovemuch is a bit…” Riko paused and searched for the right word.
Kit flicked her champagne pink ponytail over her shoulder. “Obnoxious?”
“I was going to say eye-catching.”
“Close enough. Alright, I’m going to wait for an opening here and then book it. I’ll see you all on the other side,” Kit said.
“Are you sure you don’t want to do the garbage chute again?” Cookie asked.
Kit shivered. “Positive. Don’t worry about me.”
“She’s right,” Prowl said. “If she’s killed, we’ll hear her screams and know what happened. Let’s go. URK—” He choked when Riko nailed him in the windpipe with the flat of her hand.
Kit laughed and waved to Gil, who kept looking over his shoulder at her while the party trooped down the cobblestone road and out the giant doors.
She adjusted her skirt and shirt to make certain they wouldn’t slip when she ran, fussed over her sandal straps, and then clutched her fans.
There were only four guards standing watch at the entrance, but Kit still gulped nervously. She waited longer than necessary until she knew she couldn’t stall much more, or Riko or Prowl would PM her.
“Here I go!” She shouted and then barreled her way through the crowd.
She passed the first guards, who snapped to attention as she sprinted past them.
“Stop her!” the guards shouted to their companions on the other side of the doors.
One of the guards poked his head around the wall. “Stop who?”
Kit zipped past him before the other guard could answer, but she heard him fall into pursuit after her as she cleared the gate.
“Halt, you!” the guard shouted as he chased her into the flower-spattered field that surrounded Luminos.
She risked a glance over her shoulder and yelped when she realized he was closing in on her fast. “Roll the dice—he’s quick!” She tried to run faster and barely evaded the soldier when he leaped at her.
He landed off balance and had to adjust, giving Kit a few moments to add to her lead. “Why won’t you give up?” She shouted when he doggedly followed her.
“You’re an enemy of Luminos,” the guard grunted.
“The only thing I am is a twit of an elf with no self-respect! You people have poor priorities!”
“Surrender yourself, and you’ll only be arrested.”
“Never!”
The soldier pursued her all the way to a tiny stream before he finally stopped and turned back to Luminos.
Kit paused to catch her breath, but noticed she wasn’t as winded as she had been during her previous games of cat-and-mouse. Hmm. I wonder why…
“Kit!” Cookie shouted as she trotted in her direction.
Kit and the guard must have passed everyone even though she had dragged her feet about it, for the rest of the party lagged behind Cookie and were closer to Luminos than Kit.
“That was impressive,” Cookie said. “I don’t think I’ve seen any player sprint for so long!”
Kit winced. “It’s an achievement I’d like to avoid committing again.”
“I understand, but
maybe you’ll get a good life skill out of it,” Cookie suggested.
Kit sighed. “I don’t think my luck is good enough to pull that off. But never mind that. Are you ready to summon your first mount?”
“Yeah!”
“Great. Just fling the medallion I gave you into the air and whistle on the count of three. One, two, three!”
Solus Miles checked the community tab of his character panel. It was still dimmed and unavailable.
They haven’t fixed whatever the issue is yet? That is…troubling.
He rested his hand on the hilt of one of his swords and pulled his cloak over his shoulder, hiding the glint of his armor in the twilight that settled over Luminos.
I don’t know why I bothered to come. No one knows a thing here, and it’s been nothing but obnoxious.
As the top player on the American Retha servers, Solus Miles was constantly dogged and followed. Even now, inconspicuously wrapped in his cloak, he felt the eyes of two girls—an illusionist and a priestess—bore into his back as they whispered to each other. How they had spotted him when he was skulking in the shadows of an alleyway was beyond his comprehension.
He was tired of the whispers. He was tired of the flattery. It was time to move on—even if it meant continuing to play in ignorance.
It was a foolish hope. How could anyone figure out what is the cause for our inability to log off without being in contact with EC management?
Miles crouched, then—tapping one of his character’s passive skills—made an impressive leap and landed on the roof of a small outbuilding. Another jump, and he reached the second floor of an inn. He sauntered across the rooftop, enjoying the breeze and the quiet.
Luminos was a city that crawled with players and NPCs, but few ventured across the rooftops as Solus Miles did, making it something of a haven even though he could still hear the swirl of voices below.
He made his way across town, intending to exit Luminos via the east gate. He was gliding across the rooftop of a residential area when he heard several players chorus, “Guildmistress!”
“Yes, you said you wished to speak to me?” A woman with a melodic voice asked.