A Slave in the Locked Lands

by Arthur Stone

  One of the scavengers surprised him—apart from the talons and fangs, it dropped a bag of low-quality ametrines. The gem was rare enough, and one needed Mining & Quarrying to be at 41 at least to mine it with guaranteed success. Given the level of the gems, he could use them to level Enchanting pretty nicely, albeit with a higher risk of losing the valuable materials.

  Deciding that encounters of this sort might make it unsafe to try for the carcass of the third and last pack leader, Ros headed back toward the entrance.

  He didn’t have to wait long for Danger Babe, as she would log on every now and then. Once Tangh told her Ros was coming back, she’d decided to stay on.

  “I have eight paws here, so we have exceeded the quota.”

  “Give them to Agythric yourself.”

  “What about you?”

  “It’s a group quest, so it’s enough for just one member of the group to hand them in.”

  “I see. In that case, why did you have to log on in the first place?”

  “Well, I’m curious, aren’t I?”

  “Curious, eh? All right, let’s head back up.”

  * * *

  “Quest completed: Scrum Lord. Quest success: 800%. Reward: 275,000 XP, +25 to reputation among Locked Lands slaveowners, Gloves of Forbidden Wisdom, 10 mana potions, 5 Weakness Antidotes. You have exceeded the quest quota and receive a bonus: +50 to reputation among Locked Lands mixed factions.”

  Agythric scratched his chin again in a familiar gesture, grumbling.

  “You are good meat. You bring gold, you bring scrums, and you have brought me some yummy paws. Now you can help yourselves to as much food as you want.” Ros winced at the memory of the revolting sludge that passed for food among those creatures, and was about to demand a better reward, but the mob wouldn’t let him get a word in edgeways. “We have a good mine. We do. There’s gold, copper, iron, and a bunch of other stuff. But we have no workers. Meat of your ilk does not want to mine for ore. Our own miners don’t want to work, either. They are lazy and cowardly meat. A stupid fear prevents them from entering the mine. I could go down there myself and kill everyone they’re scared of, but I won’t. The Great Scourge of the Rock Fiends has no business underground. I am a warrior, not a worm. But my assistants are stupid, lazy, and cowardly, so I cannot send them down there. If you make the mines safe, my people will reward you handsomely. We need this mine to produce metal, and not just remain a useless cave.”

  “Attention! Agythric offers you to accept the next quest in the chain: Miners’ Terror. Quest type: extremely hard. Reward: unknown. Attention! The Miners’ Terror quest starts a chain of hidden quests. Completing the Miners’ Terror quest will unlock the next quest in the chain.”

  “All right, Agythric, we’re ready to help.”

  “You receive a quest: Miners’ Terror. Quest type: extremely hard. Destroy the miners’ terror: Scrum Queen (regular boss), Shadow Demon (regular boss), and Salt Mine Worm (regular boss). Quest duration: 1 week. Reward: varies. Attention! You cannot have any other players join your party for the duration of the quest. Attention! The current party members’ level is insufficient for the successful completion of the quest. The quest type is changed to Impossible.”

  “Ros! Three bosses! We won’t make it!” The girl sounded scared.

  “It’s true,” Tangh nodded. “If it says our levels are insufficient, the bosses will be some twenty or thirty levels above mine, since I’m the highest. We have no equipment and weak weapons. There’s no point in trying.”

  Ros addressed Agythric:

  “Did you hear what my friends said? We are in for a fight, and we’re ill-prepared. We have no weapons and no armor.”

  “I have given you a reward.”

  “That’s not enough. We need to equip this one here, at least.” Ros pointed at Danger Babe.

  “Equip her any way you like. I’ve had enough silly talk. I expect you to bring more gold. And to free the mines of the terror.”

  “Where would we find this ‘terror,’ anyway? We’ve never seen anything like it down there. You may not believe it, but everyone we’ve met was jolly and bubbling with life and good spirits—no one seemed to be scared of anything.”

  “Har har! The meat jests! This is funny-funny!” Agythric handed him a filthy piece of paper. “It’s all drawn here. You are stupid meat, but even you should be able to get it. And now, get going.”

  They stepped away, and Tangh said:

  “The reward for the quest must be considerable, but we’ll never make it.”

  “We can at least try,” said Ros.

  “Danger Babe got killed by a shadowcrawler, which was a regular mob.”

  “Enhanced.”

  “All of them are pretty strong down there. The bosses will take Danger Babe out in a single hit, and we won’t survive without her.”

  “I’m stocking up on metal wire—the plan is to try for some chainmail.”

  The girl shook her head.

  “Impossible. It’s too heavy, and the spells will take too long to cast.”

  “A single light chainmail vest won’t slow you down that much, but your Defense will go up considerably. I’ll also try to forge better staves for you and for myself.”

  “Make some rings,” Tangh said. “If they will have bonuses to spellcasting speed, they might make up for the penalties from the chainmail.”

  “So, you don’t mind this quest?”

  “I think our chances are almost nil, but it will be an interesting run, no doubt.”

  “I really must go now.”

  “Leave your body. I’ll carry you.”

  “And I’ll distribute the meat. We should also find the little bastard, Ros. I can’t see him anywhere.”

  “I’ll wait until late night and then locate him. It’s not like there are many hiding places here. Then we kill him while his body is sound asleep and roll him all the way back to level 10. I’m sick of his asinine antics already.”

  * * *

  Ros was in the middle of ring production—a rather tedious activity—when Tangh returned, sat down next to him, and asked:

  “Will you find me too intrusive if I ask you a couple of questions?”

  “Something’s telling me it will be more than a couple…”

  “Well, you’re right, Ros. I’ve noticed that you never leave the game, just like me. Is that also due to your real-life circumstances?”

  “I have nowhere to go…”

  “Hm… Look, I won’t beat around the bush. I have a certain goal—or, rather, goals—in this game, and I wouldn’t want to talk too much about them. It would be great to have you as a friend—your bonuses alone are worth a lot. You’re a hero, after all. What about your plans? Is there a place for me there? As far as I can see, Danger Babe will also be devastated if you disappear someday without saying goodbye. Though you don’t look like the kind of person who would abandon his friends and companions. At least, that’s the impression I got.”

  “Tangh, I also have a goal. A very straightforward one, too. I need money.”

  “Everybody needs money.”

  “I need a lot. Tens of millions in gold. Everything I do here, I’m trying to do for a profit.”

  “Mining for ore and killing mobs is not going to bring you into that kind of money anytime soon. It will take an eternity…”

  “I get that much. So far, my best bet is Enchanting. This mine has lots of gems, even though they’re cheap, for the most part, and the chance of a successful enchantment is increased significantly if you procure the gem yourself.”

  “Oh, really? I had no idea.”

  “This has never been confirmed, but I heard as much from at least two sources.”

  “In that case, you’re satisfied with everything so far, and in no hurry to leave?”

  “That’s right. There’s plenty of gems and ore, and you don’t have to turn any of it in. Thus, I’m leveling Jewelry, Enchanting, and Transmogrification pretty quickly. As well as Metallurgy and Mining
& Quarrying.”

  “In that case, why bother with this quest? And today’s raid? A waste of time.”

  “I don’t think so. I need to grind some XP, too, as low as I am. And you never know what opportunity you’ll run into next doing these quests. We’re in Locked Lands, after all. Anywhere you go, there’s a quest no one’s completed yet, a new discovery, or something else unusual that no one has ever seen. And the game rewards you well for that stuff.”

  “Not in money, though.”

  “My character is my best investment. The stronger the character, the easier it is for me to make money. I’m investing all I can into him.”

  “That makes sense. But I’m not sure we’ll get anywhere with this quest.”

  “What if we give the gold to Agythric and get our equipment back?”

  “I thought about it. We had a talk once I had finished distributing the meat. He says that we’ll be sent away as soon as we hand in all the gold—not just out of Locked Lands, but Rallia as well. A teleport to the capital of sorts. He won’t let us stay, since we’re total strangers here. I assume that he refers to our reputation being insufficiently high. Although they might make an exception in your case—heroes have a high reputation in general.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. It’s only high in the human lands—the local mobs couldn’t care less about it.”

  “Is that so? As I am beginning to understand, Rallia and the Locked Lands are now part of mob-controlled territory. And those mobs are pretty formidable, having kicked the humans’ butts on numerous occasions.”

  “My point exactly. And, so far, I have no wish of leaving this territory.”

  “You’re wary of the clans hunting you?”

  “I sure am. The Jeeps got hold of me right before the invasion, locked me in a tricky sort of cage, and off I went to their castle against my will. It was fortunate the mobs attacked—the wall came down that very night, and I managed to sneak away while everyone had their hands full. And then I got caught by these guys. I do have stuff to do in the human lands, but they’ll wait. I’ll stay here for a while, level up my character, and make some stuff to sell. Then I might risk getting out.”

  “The Jeeps are morons. If they tried to deal with you honestly, they’d get a lot more out of it.”

  “I don’t intend to work for anyone, so I’m not joining any clans.”

  “A decent clan would pay you a pretty penny just for being a member. Your unique bonuses alone would be worth it.”

  “So far everyone’s just been trying to snatch me up and put me in a cage without bothering with conversation.”

  “They’re cocky, and used to getting what they want with impunity. If you lock up a hero who isn’t a clan member in a special dungeon in the clan’s citadel, the entire guild gets full bonuses from their captive’s achievements, as well as a prize for capturing a free hero. But it only works for fifteen or twenty days, depending on the hero’s stats, if memory serves. Then he’s transported to one of the Temples of Light.”

  “So why would they want to keep me?”

  “They could try and make some arrangement with you. If not, they get full perks from all your achievements for the whole clan for almost three weeks, which is also nice. Thousands, even tens of thousands of players would get to rent you for free.”

  “What if they capture you again? Then they could keep you captive forever. Sounds like a pile of horseshit!”

  “It doesn’t work like that. The hero receives immunity for a hundred days or more upon release. Not a single clan will be able to detain you during this period. The game will not permit this rule to be broken. You won’t be able to so much as draw near a prison cell—something will keep getting in the way. I’m not sure about the details.”

  “You’re quite the expert, aren’t you?”

  “Once I met you, I started to make inquiries. I’ve read the forum and chatted with a couple of well-informed guys. I’ve known them a long time, and they don’t lie. If you’ve already been captured and locked up, count twenty days from that moment, and you can be as careless as you want for eighty days, which is long enough. No one will be able to do anything to you. This much is guaranteed. They could kill you, of course, but what would they gain from it?”

  “I’ll think about your words once those twenty days are over.”

  “Am I distracting you?”

  “A little, but one needs some distraction, every now and then. It takes ages to make enough wire for chainmail. Really tedious, although there’s nothing complex about it. But I hate to waste so much time on it, and it puts me to sleep.”

  “I could try to make wire myself. I have some Blacksmithing—just like everybody else, I guess. But I have no tools.”

  “Even with tools, it would take you longer than me. Agythric gave me a pair of gloves. Excellent quality, level 45. Not much protection, but they give good bonuses to Intellect and Mental Power, and provide additional protection against Bleeding. Remember how quickly it knocked Danger Babe out?”

  “I sure do. That’s what got her in the end. So, you’ve been given excellent gloves?”

  “That’s right.”

  “All I got was an enhanced ring, and it’s worse than the kind you make.”

  “I have high Luck, which must be why I got a better reward. I enchanted the gloves, adding 90 HP. I’ll give them to Danger Babe for some extra protection.”

  “It’s not much…”

  “I have enchanted the boots, too—now they give seven extra Stamina. Every bit helps, and it all adds up in the end.”

  “True enough. Now, how about that chainmail?”

  “I only have enough wire for a single attempt. A new batch will take seven whole hours at this rate. Wire seems to be the hardest to make.”

  “I’m praying for your success. Give it a try.”

  The chainmail took around four minutes to craft. Rings were near-instant, normally taking around ten seconds. The time also varied depending on the level of ingredients used, and Ros didn’t skimp on those—the wire was made of silver-coated iron/tungsten alloy. Even with the worst of luck, any item made from such materials was bound to be of enhanced class, at least.

  “Imperial Crossbowman’s Blessed Steel Mail. Item class: Excellent. Protective equipment. Protects from melee and ranged weapons. Stats: 122 Armor, +4 to Agility, +4 to Stamina, +4 to Accuracy, +4% to Rate of Fire with bows and crossbows, +25 HP. Special bonus: +20% to resistance from negative effects imposed by the undead. Requirements: level 50. Weight: 6.84 kg. Durability: 850/850.”

  Ros took one of his best crystals and added an extra bonus of +9 to Stamina. Once he was done, he handed the new item to Tangh.

  “There, what do you think of that?”

  “Not bad.”

  “Not bad?! It’s excellent! Thirteen points to Stamina and an extra 25 HP. Not to mention armor and resistances. Danger Babe should be pleased.”

  “Ros, most of the bonuses from this chainmail are useless. What does a flighting need Accuracy, Agility, and an archer’s bonus for?”

  “Agility increases dodge rate.”

  “Sure. But you need a few hundred points for a decent chance to dodge. Besides, a flighting has no business dodging attacks—they support others and remain in the back.”

  “Well, I’m sorry—I did my best. I’m a noob, after all, and my crafting skills are low—preliminary stat choice doesn’t work all that well.”

  “It’s a bit weak. Perfect for level 50s, sure, but a level 90 player should use something better. And that’s the armor you plan to use on three boss raids, albeit against regular bosses?”

  “I’ve hardly got any equipment myself, and I’m not particularly worried.”

  “You have better protection than Danger Babe—not much worse than mine, as a matter of fact.”

  “My Stamina isn’t that high, but there are lots of HP benefits from achievements, so it all adds up to quite a bit. Now, let me try the rings. I should do something about the staves, t
oo. It’s a pity the wood is low-grade—no matter what you do, the items won’t be excellent.”

  “How about bone?”

  “I try to follow forum recipes. They say one type of wood can be replaced by another, but bones are usually more specific. And there are no known mobs here, so we won’t find any proper bones.”

  “Why don’t you experiment? Give it a try.”

  “No time for that. I have no bones, anyway. And I’m not going down into the mine for them.”