“Leo,” I said, but as soon as my name left my mouth, I realized that I might have made a mistake. The guards could have put out an alert through the city. If this man connected the dots, he might call the guards. “What is your name?” I asked quickly.
“Geern,” he said with a nod. “Geern Fiet.” His smile hadn’t disappeared when I said my name, and I guessed that man didn’t know about me.
The text above his life bar shifted and the letters re-arranged themselves from Cutno Citizen to Geern Fiet. The switch was really well done, and the letters kind of danced around each other before they morphed with this really cool fade effect. This mechanic was a really great idea, and it totally changed my impression about the setup of Ohlavar Quests’ default citizen title. I could see players going out of their way to talk to every NPC in the game to learn their name, especially if Zarra’s team tied some sort of achievement to the action. There were a ton of players who were really into the role playing aspect of these games, and a lot of them would get deeply involved with the lore.
“Something wrong?” the man asked as he looked behind him at the roofs of the buildings on the street.
“Oh no, sorry. Please, lead the way,” I said as I lifted the cart. I almost felt as if I could pick the thing up off the ground and carry it on my shoulder, and I wondered what the exact stats behind my strength rating meant.
“Are you a farmer?” I asked after I pushed the cart for a few minutes up the street.
“Used to be. I would head into town every week and then sell my stock to families, restaurants, and such. Was way easier than just opening a stand. Then I landed a deal with Lord Halafast’s kitchen, and I decided to work more as a broker. Now I buy my inventory from the various farmers around the city and sell them to my clients. Works out for the farmers because they don’t have to waste time selling. Works good for me because I’ve got the contacts.”
“You seem like a smart business man,” I said.
“Ha! I’m no fenia, that’s for sure, but I do alright for a human.”
I was about to ask him exactly what he meant, but I stopped myself. Any questions about fenia, or Cutno’s treatment of them, could lead Geern toward the news of Artus’ death.
But maybe that was a good idea. If this man didn’t know about me, maybe he didn’t know about Artus?
“I heard they executed a fenia a week ago?” I kept my eyes on the cobblestone road when I asked.
“Ehh? They did that already? I thought it was in a few days or so. Poor Artus,” the man said.
“You knew him?” I ask carefully.
“Sure. We ran in some of the same trade circles. Sent me some business a few times, and I did the same for him. He had a trial six days ago, I think. Lord Halafast said he was guilty, of course, but I didn’t think the execution was happening for another week. I kind of pushed it out of my mind. Don’t want to think about it.”
“I understand,” I said as my heart raced. Artus was still alive? Had Ky’s info been incorrect? The VRIU tech had said that one of the patients had traveled here to get info. Maybe he or she confused the trial with the execution? The dates made sense.
“Do they often execute fenias? In the city?”
“They used to, but they haven’t since my grandfather’s time. I really don’t think Artus could or would do something like that, but Kimmel was a bully, and I’ve had to pay him some ‘protection’ money a few times. Part of doing business in the town.”
“Ahhh,” I said as I pulled.
“You want to take a break? We just climbed a decent hill,” Geern asked.
“I’m fine. Thank you for asking,” I said with a smile.
“You are a strong one. That’s for sure. That cart has a few hundred pounds of merchandise.”
“Thanks. Grew up on a farm.” I winked at him.
“Ahhh. That explains it. Let’s make a left here. The climb gets a bit steeper. If you want to break, let me know. I’m breathing heavy just walking next to you.”
The hill wasn’t actually that steep, but I could understand how it might be difficult if one was pushing a cart weighing a few hundred pounds. The load almost felt as if it wasn’t there, and if Geern wasn’t standing next to me, I could have been able to push the wagon while I jogged.
We walked up the long hill toward the gates of the castle, and I took some time to study the fortress. I couldn’t see all of it because of the homes on the side of the road, but I saw enough to take in the size of its walls and the height of its four towers. The place was larger than I had first thought, and while I hadn’t studied that many ‘real’ castles, the fortress was a bit larger than what I would have expected for the beginning parts of the game. It had a western European feel to the design, but the eaves and roof tile parts looked like they had a touch of Asian style. The castle seemed to be slightly out of place with such a small city around it. I guessed that the entire population of Cutno could have fit inside of the walls of the fortresses’ inner courtyard.
“How old is this city? How about the castle?” I asked Geern.
“The castle is old. Historians say it is at least as old as the Time of Heliotrope. Maybe a few thousand years before that, but no one knows for sure. I’ve heard there are many such places spread throughout Ohlavar. We don’t get much tales of them out here in Cutno. Where do you come from? Are there any ancient landmarks near your farm?” He was breathing heavily, so I slowed my walking pace a bit.
“Nope. Don’t have any ancient stuff where I come from. I’ve heard people say Cutno is kind of far removed from the rest of Ohlavar. Why is that?”
“Just the location, Leo. I’m assuming you came all the way out here to farm? The land here is good, and the city is always looking for more farmhands. That’s all we’ve got really. The Laven Mountains might have some great ore or gems in them, but there are too many trolls, orcs, goblins, and who knows what else dwelling in their nooks.” The man gestured to the purple-hued mountains that were in three directions around us. “Most people just stop at Arnicoal. Are you from a village around there? How is it? I’ve never been, but have heard great things about it. I might have to go one day, so I can finally say I’ve seen the ocean.”
“Aren’t you all worried about the trolls, orcs, and goblins? The mountains don’t seem that far away,” I said as I studied the peaks.
“Part of the reason I got out of the farming business. Goblins raided my home once while I was away. I ahh--” the man’s words cut off, and he took a deep breath. “The city has walls, so does the castle. Lord Halafast’s patrols have gotten much better in the last few years. There is still a risk to being outside of the walls, but he does the best he can to protect our food.”
“I see,” I said.
Geern’s mouth had formed a hard line, and I guessed that his family had been killed by goblins. I felt sympathy for the man and thought about what I could say to bring back his smile. Then the green bar above his head reminded me that he was an NPC, and I felt a new level of respect for Zarra’s AI. Not even fifteen minutes ago the game had identified Geern Fiet as Cutno Citzen. Now I was working for him, he’d told me about Artus, I knew about his business, and about his terrible loss that probably drove him to change his career.
The realism in Ohlavar Quest was absolutely amazing.
“We’ve made much quicker time than I thought,” my new friend said as we approached the gates to the castle. There was a bored looking group of soldiers at the main entrance, and my shoulders tensed. I didn’t recognize any of the men, but I hadn’t really memorized the faces of the city guards that chased me. These soldiers seemed to have slightly different uniforms than the guards I had seen last time I was logged in. The soldiers wore full tunics instead of single sashes, and they leaned on polearms instead of carrying swords.
“Got the food de--” Geern said, but the guard he addressed just waved his hand and returned to the conversation he was having with the group. Townsfolk and merchants seemed to be passing in and out of the
gate without the guards even looking in their direction, and I guessed that Lord Halafast didn’t expect anyone to bother infiltrating the fortress.
The lax security seemed like a heavy handed way for the quest to indicate what I had to do. Artus wasn’t dead, but I thought he would be. Now I’ve found out he has a week left, and the guards at the castle where he was probably being held prisoner were sleeping on the job. I could just be lucky, or it could be that the Ohlavar AI was trying to push me toward my first epic quest. As soon as Geern had told me that Artus was still alive, I’d started to think about a way I could spring the fenia from prison. It appeared that the AI was going to give me some help with the mission.
It was some damn fine programming, and I felt the smile grow large on my face when I pushed the cart through the castle gates. Maybe the AI had planned the meeting with Geern from the get go? I didn’t know how it could have, since I’d just picked him randomly out of a crowd, but maybe the NPC selection didn’t matter. Perhaps if I had picked a woman NPC, she would have given me the same information about Artus, and then asked if I could help her pick up something from inside the castle. Maybe this hypothetical woman NPC would have had the exact same back story as Geern. I was more than a little interested in talking to Zarra about how it worked.
“You’ve been here before, you said?” I asked as we walked through the courtyard.
“Yep. Every few days I make a fresh delivery,” the vegetable merchant said proudly.
“You said you deliver to the kitchen? Do you know what these other towers or buildings are? I’ve never been in the castle before.” I gestured to the main fortress and the side structures. The place was really big, and I had no idea where the dungeons would be located.
“I only really go to the kitchen. It’s the back part of the castle; we have to walk around the whole thing.”
“Ahh, okay,” I said. I should have guessed that Geern wasn’t going to be able to just tell me where Artus was being kept. The AI had already thrown me a bone. I was probably going to have to develop a network of NPC contacts, retrieve the plans of the castle, bribe a bunch of guards, and plan an elaborate escape strategy.
It was going to be a lot of work since I didn’t have any money, and the clock was ticking toward the execution.
“I’m sure one of the kitchen staff would love to give you a tour. I can’t really stick around, have to grab lunch and then make my next appointment, but I can give you the directions back to Jerjay’s shop. I imagine you are all turned around now.”
“Yeah,” I laughed. “I’m a little lost. I do appreciate your help. With the work and the directions.”
“And I’ll ask if you can get a tour.” He winked at me, and I returned his smile.
It took another ten minutes of walking to reach the back part of the castle. There were a few other carts back there unloading foodstuffs. Geern’s was the smallest of them, but the elf woman that seemed to be receiving the shipments gave my new friend a warm greeting.
“Geern! Feels like forever since I’ve seen you!” she laughed.
“Two days does seem like forever Lady Tunni. I’ve brought you all sorts of vegetables to feed your castle with. These are the best of my lot, but none are as beautiful as you.” Geern bowed low as he spoke, and the woman laughed.
I set down my cart where Geern gestured, and I saw the progress bar fade from the top of my UI.
“Comparing me to vegetables? I am quite a lucky woman,” she giggled. It was impossible to tell the elf woman’s age from her pretty face, but her brown hair had a bit of gray coloring at the roots. “Who is your helper?”
“This is Leo. He is helping me with the load today.”
“Nice to meet you, Leo. I am Tunni Veeta,” she said as she nodded to me. Her eyes were a pretty green color that reminded me of jade.
“Pleasure to meet you as well.” I noticed that the text above her head had changed from Cutno citizen to Lady Tunni and then Tunni Vetta.
“My friend calls you Lady. I’m not from Cutno, is that because you are an elf?” I asked
“Oh, by the Mind, no,” she laughed, “He just likes to flatter me.”
“I told Leo that someone could give him a tour of the castle after he helped me with this delivery. Is that possible?” Geern asked with another exaggerated bow.
“Hmmm,” the elf woman said as she looked at me. “Where are you from?” she asked.
“Farmer from outside of Arnicoal. I heard there might be work here,” I said quickly.
“He was nice enough to help me pull the cart up to the castle,” Geern said.
“How are you in a kitchen?” Tunni raised an eyebrow.
“Ha. I am a terrible cook, but I’m strong. I can carry things or clean stuff,” I said.
“Have you eaten yet today?”
“I did have lunch already,” I admitted, but as I said the words, I wondered what would happen if I tried to eat in the game. Would the air tube back in the VRIU send some sort of food substance into my stomach? If I bit into a piece of food, would I actually taste it in the game?
“Well, Leo, if you are looking for some work; I have three big cauldrons that need cleaning. None of my girls are strong enough to tip them over. I was going to ask the guards to help me out tomorrow, but most of them are light on the work ethic, and heavy on the harassing of my staff. They also like to eat their body weight in food. They aren’t worth the time honestly. If you can help me clean the cauldrons, and help us around the kitchen, I’ll feed you dinner and then give you a tour. If it works out okay I can let you sleep in the grain loft, and you can help me clean tomorrow. What do you think?”
“That sounds great,” I said with maybe too big of a smile. I didn’t know if I could bust Artus out tonight, but sleeping inside of the castle walls was a good first step in that direction.
“You look handsome. I need you to leave my girls alone when they work. We are about an hour away from the busy time, and they tend to fawn over new meat. Don’t get any ideas. Understand?”
“Yes, Lady Tunni,” I said with a nod.
“Ha! He’s a good guy,” Geern said. “Leo, let’s get this cart unloaded, then I’ll give you your payment, and you can start cleaning out some pots.”
“You got it,” I said as I helped my new friend pull the burlap cloth off of the cart. There were crates of strange looking vegetables under the tarp, and I lifted the largest out before I followed Geern into the castle’s kitchen.
Chapter 15
I didn’t think that my first set of video game quests would involve kitchen duties, but the progress bar sprang up on my UI when I began to clean the large cauldrons, when I helped the kitchen staff cut the vegetables for the upcoming meal, and when I mopped up the floors. So I just went with the game and enjoyed the endless chatter of the NPC kitchen girls as they worked around me.
The kitchen was the size of half of a football field, and there were over fifty girls running around while I worked. Most of the girls were beautiful slender elves, and they would flirt with me while they performed their duties. Tunni was a vigilant taskmaster, though, and as soon as one of the pointy-eared young women approached me, the older elf barked a name angrily, and the girl would scurry away with a sad expression.
I lost track of the time I spent in the kitchen working, but the dinner hustle came and went while I continued on my series of quests. I thought about opening up my status tab again to check on the time, but there were dozens of young women giving me sideways glances every minute, and I didn’t want to be making weird motions with my hands when I was supposed to be working. Eventually, the kitchen tasks seemed to come to an end, and Tunni called me over to a massive desk at the corner of the room.
“Are you sure you aren’t hungry?” she asked as she glanced through a stack of papers. Each piece of parchment was cut unevenly and had a dash of unique writing on it. I was again struck by the level of detail the AI brought to the game world.
“I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”<
br />
“Ha, thanks for your help today. You were only a mild distraction to my girls. I think most men would have found it difficult to work, but you kept your head down, and did as I asked.”
“I’ve been around pretty women all my life. I can focus on my work when I need to.”
“Good! I’ve got a bunch of my own work to do,” she said as she gestured to the stack of papers, “Before I close the kitchen for the night. I asked my girls if any of them wanted to show you around the castle. All of them wanted the job, but I picked Allurie to take you around.” Tunni nodded across the kitchen to a silver-haired elf woman that was washing the last of the pans with a pump faucet. “When she is done, she’ll take you through the castle, and then show you where to sleep.”
“Thank you. I’m kind of excited to see an actual castle up close,” I said.
“Aren’t there two in Arnicoal?” the woman asked.
“Oh, yeah, but I’ve never seen either one up close.”
“Ahh,” she nodded. “Oh, Leo, one more thing.” The elf woman’s voice had taken on a hard edge.
“Yes?”
“You did a good job today keeping your hands to yourself. Allurie doesn’t know a thing about men, or mating, which is why I want her to show you around. She won’t even know what to do with you. So if anything happens, you are going to feel my wrath. Understand?” Her jade-green eyes narrowed at me.
“Sure. I got it. Like I said, I’m used to being around pretty girls. I just want to get a tour of the castle and get some rest. I’m very thankful that you gave me some work.” I raised my hands in surrender and smiled at the elven woman.
“Good. Looks like she is finishing up. Go say hi, but remember my warning.”
“Thanks,” I nodded to the woman and then walked across the kitchen to the silver haired elf girl. She was drying the last pot on the rack, and she turned to see me as I stepped within a few feet of her.
“Oh! Hi, Leo!” She kind of giggled and her face turned red. “Heeee. Lady Tunni said you wanted to see the castle?”
Lion's Quest: Undefeated: A LitRPG Saga Page 22