by Adam Drake
Thanks to my Cloak of Shadows, I had the level one ability of pure Invisibility. Unlike my Shadow form, which could under the right circumstances be detected, Invisibility was absolute. But I was limited to a single duration of 30 seconds at a time.
Now was that time.
I activated my Invisibility and bolted forward. Running down the length of Xorrox's corpse, and crossing the view of all the oblivious players, I charged to the chest.
To my chagrin, the leader reached in and plucked out an item. The coiled snake statue!
He held it up for all to see. “This will give one of our special teams access to the Emerald Caldera, and its incredible loot!”
A changed my tactic and ran at the leader. As he continued speaking, I skidded to a stop next to him, and using both hands, grabbed the statue.
Instantly, my Invisibility canceled out. To the watching players, I suddenly blinked into existence beside their leader, both of us holding the statue.
Before anyone could even react, I wrenched the statue from the dark knight's grasp. “Thanks!” I said.
You have acquired an item: Statue of Sisorian (1 of 2) This statue is required to gain access to the Emerald Caldera instance. Can only be used once.
Value: Unknown.
The leader's head snapped around to look at me in surprise, but I was already sprinting away in the other direction.
Shouts of alarm and the sounds of spells being cast filled the air. But I had my back to it all as I race around the other end of Xorrox's corpse. As I ducked behind a cloven hoof, an arc of lightening blistered the ground beneath my feet. I jumped away, taking damage. One of the spellcasters had been on their toes. I cursed my bad luck.
Knowing I had only seconds, I fished through my pockets.
From around a massive hoof came the turtle-tank. Its expression could almost be described as one of affirmation, finally finding the intruder it had sensed all along. It motored at me with alarming speed, its stumpy feet thumping at the ground.
I finally pulled out the item I was looking for. A Teleport Token.
Then, a moment before the turtle could charge into me with its spikes, I pressed the token.
My last image was of the turtle's beaked mouth lunging for me, and huge spikes thrusting at my face.
Then the world dissolved away.
CHAPTER THREE
In an instant, the hot vaulted chamber of Xorrox's demise was replaced by the interior of an empty tavern.
Rows of wooden tables and stools filled the room, and a large hearth sat in one corner with a roaring fire. There weren't any patrons present, and in this place, there never was.
“Well, isn't it a surprise to see you again,” a cheery voice said.
I turned around to look at the bar, its surface highly polished. Standing behind it was a plumb man with a bald head, with a long beard which extended down past his round belly.
“Good to see you, too, Fenwick,” I said with a smile. My pulse still raced from nearly getting killed. I looked at the snake statue in my hand, its ringed coils twinkling like black diamonds. “In fact, I'm more than happy, I'm ecstatic.”
Fenwick's ever-present smile grew. “Well, in that case, how about an ale? Got a new cask in of that butterscotch brand you like.”
I slipped the statue into by pack. “Maybe some other time, Fenwick. I'm meeting someone at the Trading Post.”
“It's on the house.”
“In that case, pour me a mug,” I said walking over to sit.
As Fenwick tipped a large mug under the spout of a fat cask, I sent Shwenn a quick text message.
Got it. Let's meet now.
Fenwick placed the frothing mug in front of me and went back to wiping down the bar-top with a cloth. Without any other customers, it was his default action.
Shwenn responded immediately.
You got it???
Yup.
Be there in five.
I smiled at Fenwick and downed the ale. It was exceptional. My simulation suit allowed for taste, but not the effects of any alcohol. Still, it didn't detract from how good the ale was. Also, sitting in the tavern and drinking helped my hit points regenerate faster. That lightning attack had hurt.
I pondered my day so far. I'd done it. After all that work, and all that risk, I managed to steal the statue without getting killed. And now I could look forward to possibly dying again, but this time in the Emerald Caldera.
“I take it things are well with you, Miss Valesh,” Fenwick said, noticing my grin, his great beard shaking as he spoke.
“Could not be better, Fenwick. I am one happy lady, right now.”
The barkeep nodded and turned to rub his cloth against some very clean mugs. The Teleport Token had been given to me by Shwenn, as part of our deal. They're horrifically expensive because they're horrifically useful. I'd keyed the teleport point on Fenwick and his empty bar, Fenwick's Folly. Its location was in the huge underground city of Crow's Fall in the Kingdom of Trendon.
Whenever I needed a safe place to teleport to, I always picked this place. Not just because the ale was wonderful, but because I almost always the only person to be there. Crow's Fall is packed with taverns, so much so that few, if any, people wandered through Fenwick's doors. Which suited me just fine. If I'm teleporting from somewhere, it's because I'm in a big hurry, or escaping certain death. Dealing with a crowd immediately after is jarring.
I downed the last of the delicious ale and stood. “Thanks, Fenwick, that was great.” I slapped a gold piece on the bar.
Fenwick's eyes widened. “It's free, miss. And besides, this is too much.”
“I had a very good day, today. Keep it.”
The barkeep's smile widened as he slipped the gleaming coin into a shirt pocket. It would be the most he'd made in weeks.
I pushed my way through the front doors to stand outside in the street.
The nearby buildings were all desolate, or abandoned and boarded up. No one was about, not even a pickpocket. The street was barren of any people or potential customers. Another reason why Fenwick's Folly never got any business. It was in a crummy location.
I could see the city's massive domed ceiling high above, like a stone sky. Compared to the lava chamber this was a dream.
I headed down the street in the direction of the Trading Post which was close to the middle of the city. Curious as to what might be happening with Try And Catch Us at that moment, I set my avatar to auto-path and brought up a translucent net screen.
The guild was raging on the forums and various chat feeds. They'd been robbed and were seeking retribution. Despite the fact they still had everything else in Xorrox's loot chest, it was the statue that really ticked them off the most.
Soon, they posted a reward for the identity of the Shadow that pilfered their hard earn gains. I idly scrolled through the different names people offered as potential suspects. UFW is huge, with billions of players. Of which a sizable chunk of that population are Thieves and Shadows. So the list of candidates grew long. My name hadn't come up, yet, but I didn't doubt it wouldn't take long for them to figure it out.
Then things would get interesting. Hopefully that would only become a problem after I'd gone to the Emerald Caldera.
I was so engrossed with the guild drama sprayed over my screen, I didn't notice my avatar stopping outside the Trading Post.
Switching back to full control I looked around at the people milling outside the building, a large warehouse-like structure. I didn't see Shwenn, so I went inside.
The Trading Post was a large empty room which, at first glance, didn't appear to serve any real purpose. In fact, it was one of the most secure places to conduct business in the entire game. Once you passed through the doors of a Trading Post, no one could steal from you, or harm you, or pull any tricks.
Its large interior was lined with rows of small tables. Each designed to secure a trade or transaction without any chance of someone being ripped off. To add to this security, once you activated a
table for a trade, a large tent sprouted around it, masking your activities from prying eyes.
Several tents dotted the floor, but the vast majority of the tables were empty. Again, I looked for Shwenn but didn't see her, so I walked to a nearby table and sat down in one of its plush chairs. The cost to use the transaction table was only a silver piece and many traders, and nervous players, swear by their usefulness. Before the Trading Post's existence, everyone had to trade by hand and hope for the best. Now, this facility could be found in every major city across the entire gaming universe.
After a few minutes, I began to worry about Shwenn. She was late. But as I was about to send her a chat request I saw here burst through the doors. I waved, and she hurried over.
“Sorry I'm late,” she said, dropping into the opposite chair. “I was caught up in all the drama online.”
Shwenn was an Elven Fire Mage and looked the part to a tee. She had long pointed ears that stretched past the back of her head, dark coffee-colored skin common for her Southern Islands race, and huge silver eyes. Her snow-white hair was cropped to her scalp and her chin narrowed to a point.
She wore a long blood-red robe which went to the floor and covered her hands. Its high collar was actually a row of flames that flickered around her neck.
Now I see why she keeps her hair short, I thought.
I said, “Yeah, Try And Catch Us has really got a bee in their bonnet now. They've been blasting the feeds the second it was over.”
“What? No, I mean with my Caldera group. They're so excited that were going now it's taking all my energy to get them organized. Kind of like trying to herd kittens.”
She folded her hands on the table and leaned over. “So, the statue.”
I glanced around. “I think we should use a privacy tent for this, don't you?”
It took to the count of five before she realized I was suggesting she paid the one silver piece to get things started. There was no way I was going to pay, no matter how cheap it was. I had the statue after all.
Shwenn blinked as if she'd just had her flaming collar doused with water. “Oh, right! I forgot. Silly me.” She fished out a silver coin from a fold in her cloak and placed it on the table.
The coin vanished and a tent suddenly materialized around us. Fire sconces hung by chains from overhead beams, and its walls of fabric undulated pleasantly as if caressed by a breeze.
Satisfied, I brought out the statue. The carved snake twinkled in the fire light and I noticed its eyes were little gray diamonds.
Shwenn's eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh. Oh, wow. It's identical to the other one, only this is red in color.”
“What's the other one?”
“Kind of a sandy shade.” She held out her hands as if ready to take an infant.
“Uh, first things, first,” I said, a little perplexed. “We need to get this in writing.”
Shwenn's face collapsed into one of confusion, “Writing? As in a contract?” The words came out of her mouth like shards of broken glass.
“Yes, as in a contract. Iron clad. Unbreakable. That kind of contract.”
I watched her reaction carefully. For her part, she kept her expression frozen in a mask of surprise. I couldn't be entirely sure she'd keep me in the Caldera group, high honor score or not. Once she had the statue, she could simply not send me an invitation. But I wasn't going to let that happen. The potential end reward for me was too great.
Shwenn quickly regained her composure. “Well, okay, then. Not a problem for me. I intended to keep to our agreement, but if you need it locked, then lets do it.”
We both nodded, and I placed the statue in a small square on the table before me.
Shwenn said, “Group contract.” A parchment appeared in the square in front of her.
“Let's make it item specific. As in this statue.”
“Very well,” she said, her face neutral. “Item Specific contract, please.”
A different parchment appeared, replacing the old on. She read it over and scribbled on it with a quill which appeared in her hand.
Finished, she slid the contract over to me. It basically stated that whatever quests or instances which are produced by using the snake statue, I, Vivian Valesh, would have a reserved slot in whatever groups participated in them.
Now, if she tried to use the statue to gain access to the Caldera, she couldn't without my being present. This was the security I needed. Words can only go so far in this game.
“Perfect,” I said. “Thank you.”
With a tight smile, she placed the parchment back in her square. A prompt appeared before me.
Accept Item Specific Contract Agreement? Y/N?
I selected yes. The same prompt appeared before Shwenn and she agreed, not that I expected any surprises at this point.
Suddenly, the parchment and statue changed position, switching sides. Shwenn scooped up the statue with both hands and cradled it to her chest. “Oh, it's been too long in coming. This is going to be great.”
“If we don't end up dead, sure,” I said putting the contract into my pack. The agreement was locked into the game itself, the copy I had was simply a reminder. But one I now coveted.
Shwenn smiled. “Oh, don't worry too much. I've got a great crew put together and we should sail right through it.”
Uh huh, I thought, a little taken aback. Sail through the Emerald Caldera? Was she touched in the head or something? “So, when do we go?”
“Oh, tomorrow morning,” she said, tucking the statue into her robes. “Here's the location and time.” She sent me the info, and I looked it over.
“Helto Port? That's not too far from here. Like a twenty minute airship ride.” I looked at the time set for the meetup. “Fourteen hours from now. Cool.” It would give me time to get to Helto and then log off for a good night's rest. I'd certainly earned it.
“I'll see you there,” she said, the tight smile returning. “Don't be late.” Then she nodded and rushed off through the tent flap and was gone.
It was then I realized that she may have had the intention of backing out of the deal, all along. But now she couldn't. I felt a little disappointed. Finding honest players in the game was next to impossible. Since everyone wasn't technically themselves, they felt they could act like jerks if it served their purpose.
Still, I had my spot and nothing could stop that.
I pulled up my quest log and checked the one at the top of my priority list.
Locate the Shadow Blade
Somewhere on the mist-shrouded island of the Emerald Caldera is the rumored hiding place for the Legendary weapon, the Shadow Blade. Secreted away there by the Mage Lords of Darkness centuries ago, it is considered impossible to find. Gain access to the Emerald Caldera and retrieve the Shadow Blade.
Reward: Shadow Blade (Legendary Set Item).
This was why I went through everything in the first place. Getting the statue got me a spot going into the instance. Once there, I'd have a chance to find the greatest Shadow Class sword that has ever existed.
I smiled to myself. This went better than I hoped. Now all I needed to do was not get killed on the Caldera and things would be great. Of course, given the savage reputation of the island, I knew that would be a tall order.
Leaving the Trading Post, I entered the street and pushed into its growing crowds. The difference between this area of the city and where Fenwick's Folly was located was stark. I made my way through its clogged avenues to one of the exit tunnels and eventually made it outside.
Crow's Fall was effectively under a large dome of rock, which resembled an overturned soup bowl. It had withstood wars and cataclysms, and had even being fully submerged in the ocean, once. Despite its trials over the centuries, it showed little sign of damage or weathering.
I followed the road through the strip of buildings that clung to the side of the dome. Past them was an airship station which had a regular route running to Helto Port every twenty minutes.
A quick stop at an ite
m vendor to offload the items I picked up, netted me 178 gold pieces. I kept the health shot potions since I'd be needing them. Not wanting to miss the next airship, I hurried on.
As I climbed the stairs up to the platform, I could see the airship approaching. My plan when arriving in Helto was to stock up with much needed supplies then log off. My gold was meager, but I had enough to get the bare essentials; specialized arrows, potions and maybe rent a temporary defensive pet, like a turtle-tank. Anything that might help keep me alive long enough to find the Shadow Blade.
The airship pulled up to the platform, and its passengers disembarked.