A Slave in the Locked Lands

by Arthur Stone

  “Will you hold out? I need to land another five or six more hits.”

  “Let me cast a few regens on myself. Start right after the third.”

  Ros waited for the moment to come, and then hit the mob with an Arrow. Its shield grew yellow and it hurled another jellyfish at Babe, painting her shield red. There came another Arrow, followed by another that shattered the shield at last. The desperate monster switched to Ros, and the two began trading hits at a high sped. He was taking plenty of damage, but the healing was good—his HP bar never went below two thirds.

  Too bad for the mob—it didn’t have a healer.

  “You kill the Grey Moss Dweller. XP received: 3527. Points left until the next level: 3814. Attention! You have found a creature that has not yet been added to the world bestiary! You receive a reward: +1 to Intellect. You can receive the reward for discovering a new creature at the Academy of Magic. Your Stamina grows by 1. Your Summoning grows by 1. You steal the following ability: Ghost Water Shield. The Ghost Water Shield ability has been recorded in the pet’s spellbook. Congratulations! Your party has destroyed a monster 50 or more levels above the party’s strongest player! Achievement earned: Brave Companions, Part One. Achievement bonus: +10 to Fury. Bonus effect: permanent. Achievement unlocked: Brave Companions, Part Two. Kill 50 monsters whose level exceeds that of the party’s strongest player by 50 or more using your party’s resources to complete the achievement. Achievement bonus: random. Condition: the party cannot contain more than six players. The party’s median level must be at least twice less than that of the monsters. Attention! You’ve received your first party achievement. The lucky hero deserves a bonus, and you get an undistributed primary stat point.”

  They stood silent for a few moments, trying to catch their breath. Then Babe screamed in delight:

  “I’ll be damned! We got it!”

  “That we did. That was some great healing. We pulled through.”

  “Well, it wasn’t that hard—just a single mob, and not one of the nastier ones. Lots of HP, of course, and it kicks like a mule. Did you get an achievement?”

  “I got two: one for a mob unknown to science, and another as a bonus for the first group feat.”

  “They say you need to get to the Academy of Magic.”

  “Uh-huh. It’s in the capital. Visit it whenever you get there—their rewards are supposed to be pretty good.”

  “Ros, what kind of character have you got? How did you level it?”

  “Say what?”

  “I’ve spent more than half of my mana, and you’re barely a third down despite hitting the beast with spells non-stop.”

  “I have high Intellect. And I still have an item that boosts mana regeneration.”

  “They didn’t take it away from you?!”

  “They didn’t.”

  “But… How is that even possible?”

  “Not sure. It might be the Merging,” Ros fibbed once again.

  “I had rings with Merging, but they disappeared.”

  “That might depend on the level of the items. What quality were your rings?”

  “I had all sorts. Enhanced, Good, and Excellent.”

  “Mine were a bit higher, so it might be that,” said Ros with as sincere a face as he could muster, approaching the mob’s body.

  “Will you tell me what’s inside?” asked the girl.

  “Can’t you see it for yourself? We’re in the same party, after all.”

  “You’ve got Master Looter set in the party settings, so you’re the only one who can see.”

  “Sorry. Why don’t you leave the party, and then join again? Or, better yet, configure it yourself. I don’t know much about this stuff—I don’t usually run with parties.”

  “No need. I trust you.”

  “You shouldn’t. You cannot trust anyone here.”

  “Your level is 44, yet I just witnessed you tank and put down a level 147 mob. I’d never have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. I’m still baffled. It should be impossible, yet you managed it somehow. And virtually on your own, so the loot is rightfully yours—I just helped a little. It’s only fair.”

  “But that’s how your character works—by helping others. I’m just the punching bag.”

  “Not when the difference in levels is that great. What are your stats like, anyway? A hit or two should have finished you off.”

  “They’re pretty high, but I still wouldn’t have stood a chance without you. I’ve tried it a few times already, and they kill me real quick. So, let’s dispense with the false modesty.”

  “This isn’t false modesty. It’s just that I realize you’re a lot tougher than me, regardless of the level.”

  “Well, you’ve pulled your weight, and you aren’t level zero, either.”

  “Anyway, there’s no point in changing the party. I’ve already told you that I trust you.”

  Ros shrugged and crouched in front of the mob’s carcass.

  “Moss Dweller’s Teeth, Moss Dweller’s Talons, Moss Dweller’s Saliva, Moss Dweller’s Cartilage, and, oh, look, he was an alcoholic: Dented Wine Chalice. That’s all she wrote.”

  “Six items?! That’s pretty cool. I wonder how much this kind of loot is worth.”

  “Nobody knows—it’s the first time anyone has killed this mob. The price of its innards hadn’t yet been set. The chalice isn’t worth much, though.”

  “Take it all.”

  “I already am. I’m gonna leave the saliva, though—you need a vial for that, and I haven’t got one. Nowhere to get one, either.”

  “That’s a pity, it might be valuable. Do you think there might be a glassblower among the players?”

  “Is there any way of making vials without any equipment?”

  “Probably not. Unless you have Magical Transmogrification unlocked, but it’s a real rare ability.”

  “Oh, really? Well, I happen to have it unlocked.”

  “How did you ever manage it? It’s rare as hell!”

  “Well, I was really driven.”

  “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” the girl frowned.

  “I just got lucky. There was this unique quest, and I managed to unlock a couple of auxiliary stats.” The lie came easy.

  “That’s some luck.”

  “No argument there. So, shall we keep going?”

  An hour and four lumps of ore later, they were attacked by the same six-limbed spider that had sent Ros to his bind point the first time, which proved much easier to kill than the Grey Moss Dweller. The duo found out that the creature was called Cave Igamus, and its level was just a little lower than that of the “gorilla.” They got a bestiary achievement for it, and Ros earned another Resilience point.

  The trophies were a little bit more interesting this time: a set of claws, a hide, a soft bone of an Igamus (the developers had quite the vivid imagination), a Ghostly Arrow recipe, and an enhanced enchanted bracelet with a minimum level of 120.

  Babe ignored the bracelet, but the recipe made her go wild.

  “Hey, Ros, hold on for a minute or two, I’m gonna check the forum.”

  All he could do was give a sad sigh. If another mob showed up, it would mean certain death—he wouldn’t last half a minute without heals.

  It took a lot longer than two minutes for the girl to come to. Once she did, she started jabbering.

  “There are no Ghostly Arrow recipes mentioned anywhere on the forum. No one’s ever encountered this recipe.”

  “OK, and?”

  “It should be pretty expensive. Although it’s hard to tell—the really expensive ones are usually dropped by bosses. But this one may turn out to be yet. I’m not sure…”

  “What do people do with recipes, anyway?”

  Babe looked at him in a completely bewildered way.

  “Are you kidding me?! Everybody knows that!”

  “I’m not everybody.”

  “You’re pretty weird. Very weird, in fact.”

  “You wou
ldn’t believe it, but I’ve been told the same thing quite a few times.”

  “Recipes provide a means of creating new objects that no one’s ever made with any consistency. If the object is useful, you can become a monopolist and sell it for quite a bit. Not for long, though.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Players with high Essence of Things and Reason stats can study an object while they deconstruct it, destroying it in the process. There’s no guarantee, and they’re likely to break many items first, but once it takes, they’re be able to create recipes themselves—especially if they have Calligraphy unlocked. That’s the reason why low-level culinary recipes are worth next to nothing. You can study them as you eat the meal. It gets destroyed, too, in a way.”

  “I see.”

  “Would you mind if I took a look?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “The arrows are pretty cool, according to the description. But they need a bow around level 100, and I cannot wield it yet.”

  “Why would you need a bow? Aren’t you a buffer?”

  “I’m a hybrid, actually. A quarter yeoman-human, and chose to specialize as a Ranger at level 60. Basically, I have all the bonuses of a flighting and a small bonus to Archery that doesn’t conflict with my main race due to the human blood. Certain special skills of an Archer may end up conflicting, but they don’t matter as much at the lower levels.”

  “Still, why do you need a bow?”

  “Oh, I’ve been using it since day one. I’ve chosen it for a reason. It’s hard to level on your own if you’re a flighting. A bow helps, although the arrows cost quite a bit. I’ve learnt a recipe for the most basic variety. Unlocked everything I needed: Blacksmithing, Woodworking, Fletching, and Gluemaking. They aren’t at that high a level, but you don’t need much for cheap arrows.”

  “You can have this recipe if you need it.”

  “No, it’s way too expensive.”

  “How much do you reckon it costs?”

  “I have no idea. Could be three hundred, could be five. Or maybe less…”

  “In gold?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s not that expensive. You can have it.”

  “We’ll be better off selling it. I won’t be able to learn it, anyway. You need to have Blacksmithing and Woodworking leveled up, and the glue requires some unknown ingredient. The local mobs must drop it. But, as you have seen, all of them are first kills. There’s no information about them, either in the bestiary or on the forum.”

  “OK, you get the recipe. But there’s something that I want.”

  “What is it that you want?”

  “See this bracelet?”

  “I do…”

  “I’m trying to unlock Enchanting. That’s why I destroy whatever bonuses my trophies have—it seems like the only method.”

  “You want to destroy this bracelet’s enchantment?”

  “I do.”

  “Do whatever you like. It doesn’t cost much, anyway, enchanted or not. You didn’t even need to ask.”

  “New auxiliary stat unlocked: Enchanting.”

  Ros couldn’t help but smile.

  “Danger Babe!” he cried out.

  “What is it?”

  “I could kiss you right now, but I’m scared of your boyfriend.”

  “Why are you so happy?” asked the girl suspiciously.

  “I’ve managed to unlock Enchanting. You’re my lucky charm.”

  “Me? Why’s that?”

  “You have no idea how many items I’ve already destroyed with nothing to show for it. I was close to giving up altogether.”

  “Well, congratulations and all that. Only you won’t need it much down here.”

  “You never know… Shall we get on with it? We need to deliver ten pieces each unless we want to go hungry.”

  Chapter 13

  Agythric snorted in disbelief, studying every piece of ore. He even tried biting one of them. Finally, he spoke rather begrudgingly:

  “The stupid meat managed to bring back some real gold. The meat deserves a yummy meal. Hey! You good-for-nothing layabouts! Feed this meat! Give them the best we have!”

  Agythric gave a nasty grin as he said that, giving Ros cause to suspect there might be something wrong with their due reward.

  One of the mobs emerged from a tent with two wooden bowls that had seen better days and were as filthy as the boots of a farmer who’d worked two shifts at a cowshed that was last cleaned in the days of William the Conqueror. The very notion of touching those bowls was revolting.

  But what Ros saw inside the bowls was worse—the sludge looked so unappetizing that not even poop flies would dare consume it. The main ingredient must have been the stale vomit of a boar who had died of gangrene, and spiced with the very excrement that seemed to so mysteriously disappear from this world. And the smell… The smell was so horrible and so repellent that the substance in question could rightly be considered a chemical weapon on par with sarin.

  Danger Babe threw her bowl away, and yelled with indignation:

  “Are you serious? You’re mocking us! This isn’t food! Not even a dog would eat it!”

  Agythric started to laugh, and all the mobs around him followed suit.

  “The meat rejects the yum-yums! The meat wishes to stay hungry! Tomorrow the hungry meat will eat it all up, or stay hungry again! This is funny-funny!”

  “Make sure you don’t burst as you laugh!”

  “Oh, so funny!” Agythric started to slap his knees.

  “Now I understand why you’re so ugly! They must have fed this crap to you growing up!”

  Agythric didn’t appreciate Danger Babe’s last remark.

  “You, leave here now! The meat will not linger!”

  The girl went back to the edge of the crater, and started bawling like a baby. Ros sighed, chose a nearby stone, and sat down next to her.

  “Oh, come on, again?”

  “Haven’t you seen their food?” babbled the girl through her tears.

  “I have. So what?”

  “What do you mean? It’s inedible.”

  “Sure, there’s that.”

  “Then why are you asking me? We have wasted so much time, and all they have is that disgusting sludge.”

  “We didn’t exactly waste it. We’ve leveled a bit and gotten a feel for the area. I had my Mining & Quarrying raised by one.”

  “Aren’t you a funny one… We won’t be able to eat the food, so it’s all in vain. We’ll go famished and lose XP. I’ll probably lose another level—maybe more than one.”

  “You won’t.”

  “No, I have made my calculations—I’ll lose at least one before the month is up.”

  “You won’t.”

  “I will.”

  “Believe me, you won’t.”

  Danger Babe stopped crying and looked at him with hope.

  “Ros, you’ve been surprising me all day. Have you come up with a plan? What is it?”

  “We’ll have food tomorrow.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “You have my word. It won’t be haute cuisine, but it won’t be the slop you get here, either.”

  “Don’t insult slop with such comparisons. The stuff in the bowls was just horrible. They do it on purpose to mock us. Why did I wind up here? What have I done? As if I didn’t have enough problems already…”

  “Danger Babe, could you distract them for a moment?”

  “The mobs?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What for?”

  “Do you see the pile of wood over there?”

  “Sure.”

  “It looks like leftover materials from the construction of a large awning. I need to expropriate some of them. I suspect the mobs might object. Could you make them look at nothing but you?”

  “Sure. I’ll do it.”

  Danger Babe rose and headed toward Agythric, raising Cain on her way.

  “What was the crap in those bowls, anyway? Is that what you eat every day?! N
o wonder you stink so much! Stupid apes!”

  While the girl carried on in the same vein, Ros approached the pile of wood and snuck a few logs and branches into his bag, overjoyed that the laws of this world did not forbid placing logs inside of it. Then he returned and waved a hand, signaling for her to stop.