by Sam Ferguson
The next evening after work, Brian opened his eyes and saw the outer chamber of the Morr’Tai lair. A second player ribbon hung from the save point pedestal. That ridiculous name, Xylxxian, was scrawled across it in gold letters, confirming it was Barry’s. He decided to ignore the fact that it did look somewhat more artistic as a decorative motif than the three gold letters of his own player name, instead walking to a wooden wardrobe a few yards away from the job board and opening it. His avatar, thanks to Barry, was wearing the same plain clothes he had been wearing at the beginning of the game and, to make matters worse, he didn’t have his dagger either. His Morr’Tai tally ribbon had auto-populated back into his inventory, but that was it. Everything else was gone.
Fortunately, the Morr’Tai initiate attire was stocked in plentiful supply in the wardrobe. Either the game anticipated noobs dying a lot, or else wanted it to look like the Morr’Tai expected a lot of new recruits. Either way, free armor was free. Checking a small drawer inside the bottom of the wardrobe, he even lucked out and found another feathersteel dagger.
“I thought he said they wouldn’t replace it,” Brian commented as he took the dagger. He moved to the job board, determined to make himself a full-fledged member of the guild to keep Barry from attacking him again.
Several jobs populated. “Hermit Crab” wasn’t one of them. There was likely a two or three day reset period on low-level quests. Maybe after that he could give it another shot and claim the prize that had been his.
Stupid Barry.
Scanning the list of jobs, he accepted one.
[QUEST ADDED: WOLF AMONG SCHOLARS]
Brian opened the quest log and read the details.
A traitor has been discovered among the Greencaps. While the Morr’Tai typically don’t meddle in the affairs of local governments unless there is a large reward or the target is somehow antagonizing guild interests, The Master has decided to make an exception in this case. The traitor is Myron Spellweather. A mage of ill-repute among the mage’s guild, and worse among the nobility. It is said that he has stolen several wives throughout the years and used his influence to coerce information that benefits his true employer. Many have called for his head, and now is the time to deliver it up on a silver platter. Reward is 150 GP. A bonus of 100 GP will be awarded if you manage to uncover his employer’s identity.
Recommended for level 1-5. 1 player quest.
Brian liked that one. Sounded fun. He could even pretend he was hunting Barry. Sounded like something the braggart would do if they all actually lived in a VR world. Brian activated the quest and saw a marker appear on his map.
He rushed from the lair, stopping briefly halfway up the stairs to change into his Morr’Tai equipment, and then moved swiftly out into the streets. Curious thing about wearing the Morr’Tai uniform was the guards wouldn’t react any differently. They still called out the same greetings. “Don’t get into trouble.” “Mind your weapons.” “I used to be an adventurer too.” That sort of thing. Brian didn’t let his mind linger on it too long though. After all, one had to suspend some amount of disbelief for any game, and if he was willing to accept a world with dinosaurs and monsters, then he could make allowances for guards as dumb as fence posts.
He ran through the streets, following the marker and trying to guess which house he would ultimately come to. As he got within a block, he decided to climb the building next to him. Up the copper drainpipe he went, then up over a third-floor balcony and up to the eaves to grip the overhang of the clay tiled roof. His stamina bar took a hefty hit, but he made it.
Once atop the roof, the city of Fezhik took on a whole new appearance. He could see a lot of activity below, including Mike’s gamer tag as he went through the market sneaking up behind people. Presumably he was pickpocketing, but he was too far away to talk to over the smart comms. Besides, Mike was doing what Mike did best—making a bit of coin. Brian needed to contribute to the team’s exploration of the world as well, and he’d do that best by finding and killing his target.
He turned westward and saw the map marker hovering over a particularly narrow and tall building. Beyond that was another row of buildings and then the western gate. Past the wall he could just make out some sort of massive herbivorous creature that looked like a scaled giraffe had mated with an oversized rhino. They made short work of trees but didn’t appear to bother the NPCs walking some fifty yards away from them.
Brian picked his way along the rooftops until he reached the target house. Lowering himself to a third-floor balcony, he then pressed the door. It didn’t move. Since he didn’t have any lockpicks, he peered through the glass pane of the door and then unlocked it the old-fashioned way—he punched through the glass, taking a negligible HP hit, and then reached in and slid the bolt out of the way. He opened the door, crunching and scraping the glass shards along the wooden floor, finding himself in a study of sorts. A desk sat off to one side with charts and maps strewn about. A round table to his right had been placed in front of a small fireplace. A single chair was next to the table. There were some bookshelves as well.
Brian made a mental note of all the places to check and then moved to the open door that led to the hallway. Peering around the door jam, he saw an empty hallway with three doors on the right and one set of stairs on the left leading down. Faint voices could be heard coming from downstairs. Brian snuck to the first door and gently tried the knob. It opened and revealed a small, sparsely appointed bedroom. After ensuring no one was inside, he closed the door and moved to the next room. The door opened and revealed a man sitting in a chair facing the window, reading a book. Brian could really only see the side of the man’s legs, his right shoulder and arm, and part of the open book. The rest of him was shielded by the wingbacked chair.
Brian couldn’t be sure who the man was, so he slipped inside and crept up to him. Just as he reached the man, the man grunted and started to get up. Not wanting to get caught, Brian reacted quickly, drawing his dagger and attacking from his stealthy position, slitting the man’s throat the way his own had been slit by Barry the night before. The man hardly made a sound, and then Brian gently brought the body to the ground.
[QUEST COMPLETED: BLOOD ON THE KNIFE]
[+100 XP]
He looted the man, finding a pair of keys, a book titled Two Frogs and a Fox, five gold pieces, and a letter. He also took the man’s doublet, trousers, and pants. Gotta make some extra coin any way I can. Brian went to his inventory and read the letter, which appeared to be a simple love letter from the man’s wife. The unfortunate part was that it was addressed to Corbis Dregdon, not the Greencap traitor.
Oh well. At least I bloodied my silk ribbon. That should keep Barry at bay.
Brian then opened the book.
[Intelligence +1]
Nice, a stat book. Brian smiled and closed the book. No need to read the story. He wanted to finish his quest and find the Anorit scholar before today’s nightly meeting with the others. He quickly searched the room, finding a small lockbox on a nightstand that opened with one of the keys he had looted from Corbis. Inside were another twenty gold pieces and a small emerald.
Leaving the room, he peeked down the stairs. The voices were louder.
“I think they’re on to you, my love,” a woman said.
“Nonsense, “a male voice replied. “I am too smart for the dimwitted fools.”
“My husband is no fool. He knows something!” the woman insisted.
“Captain Falx is a pretentious fraud,” the male said with a laugh. “If it were not so, you wouldn’t be here right now with me.”
Found him. Brian thought. He waited until the conversation ended with the woman pleading with him to hire a bodyguard and then walking out of the room and closing the door. He then carefully crept down the stairs, peering through the rails as soon as he was low enough to do so.
Myron was standing at the far end of the room pouring wine into a goblet and drinking his fill. Brian moved silently down the rest of the stairs, ke
eping a watch on the small eye on his HUD. If he moved too quickly the eye started to brighten, but he slowed down before it began to open.
He knew there was no bonus for killing Myron without detection, but there was no point in risking Myron calling out for help and summoning guards into the room from the first floor either.
Brian reached the second story without Myron turning around. There was a sofa he could move to and stay behind. Beyond that there was a large chair with a footstool in front of it.
As Brian considered his options, Myron yawned and stretched his arms. Brian hurried as quietly as possible to hide behind the sofa. He then heard Myron’s footsteps approach, followed by a sigh a moment later as Myron sat down. The back of his head was directly above Brian’s hiding spot. Slowly rising, Brian jammed his dagger into Myron’s neck.
The man gasped, then slumped forward in the sofa.
[QUEST COMPLETE: WOLF AMONG SCHOLARS]
[+500 XP]
[You are now level 4]
Brian’s skill points went up by one and flashed brightly in the corner of his HUD. He was going to need to decide how to use those now. Next to them flashed a rune with the number 1. It was Khefir’s symbol and the correlating devotion point. Brian had gained a level while devoted to Khefir and now was able to spend a devotion point as well as his skill points. But he’d do that after he saved his progress. No point sticking around here to get ambushed.
He quickly looted Myron, gaining another fifty gold pieces as well as another full set of nobleman’s clothing to sell. The man didn’t have a weapon on him, but Brian found a short bow and a quiver of twenty arrows in the first drawer of the counter where the wine was kept.
Back up the stairs he went. Curiosity getting the better of him, he opened the third door upstairs to find a bedroom with a large canopy bed near the window. A painting of Myron dressed in a strange leopard-print toga adorned one wall, and a painting of two fairies circling a glowing apple tree hung on the other. Brian went to the thick lockbox located near the bed and used the other key from Corbis to open it.
Jackpot. Inside was a ledger, a set of lockpicking tools, and several stacks of gold coins.
[ACQUIRED MYRON’S LEDGER]
[+200 GP]
[+1 lockpick set]
Going to his inventory, Brian opened the ledger. He didn’t need to read the actual text for the game to recognize that he had discovered the employer’s name.
[BONUS QUEST COMPLETED: UNCOVER MYRON’S EMPLOYER]
Brian closed his inventory and exited the building, eager to make haste for the Morr’Tai lair. After two cycles of depleting his stamina, he reached the hidden door and entered.
“Friend,” said the first guard with the spear as he and his companion stepped aside to let him through. Brian rushed down the stairs, stopping halfway to change back into his normal attire, and then continued onward to find the Krattii guard sitting on a stool reading a book. The skeleton warrior looked at Brian and clicked its jaws at him.
Brian wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign, but since the skeleton didn’t attack, he just kept walking. He made his way through the big chamber and was again stopped by the tall elf he had first met.
“You have returned, and I see your ribbon is bloodied,” he said. “You are now a full initiate. You may enter the inner sanctum, but before you do, I have something to discuss with you.” The tall elf turned and walked to the right side of the chamber, sitting at a small table and grabbing a cup as he began eating.
[NEW RANK ATTAINED: ASSASSIN GUILD: FULL INITIATE]
[+5% to sneak]
[+25% to critical damage with daggers]
Brian first went to the save point and updated his file. He was not about to lose this much progress. Then he went to the table and sat down.
“You uncovered something very dangerous,” the elf said. “Myron’s employer is a powerful weapons dealer. He works for the highest bidder and has no allegiance to any one of the factions here in Prirodha. However, if he was actively working to undermine the Greencaps, it can only be for one reason.” The elf paused for effect as he took a drink from his wine. “One of the other factions must be planning a takeover of Fezhik.” The elf gestured to the large underground chamber. “Normally we could raze our sanctuary and relocate somewhere else, but not this time. The Master resides here, and we can’t afford to allow someone else the chance to come in and conquer Fezhik.”
Brian smiled. He was quite fond of political-intrigue sidequests.
“The time will come when we will call upon you to help us deter these would-be supplanters. Can the Morr’Tai count on you?”
Brian nodded. “I accept,” he said.
The elf smiled. “Not that you really had a choice, mind you, but it’s always better to have willing soldiers instead of reluctant fighters.” The elf took another drink. “Continue on as normal for a while yet. When the time is right, I will summon you.”
[QUEST ADDED: FOR MASTER AND GUILD]
Brian opened the quest log.
The Master is threatened in his own home. A cowardly traitor is planning to overthrow Fezhik and install himself as governor, thus tipping the balance of power. This cannot be allowed to transpire. You will be contacted once more information is ready. Reward is unknown.
Recommended for level 20. 1-12 player quest.
Brian’s smile faded. He wasn’t sure he’d actually have enough game time to get to level twenty. Mentally, he resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn’t see this particular quest. Going to the job board, he snatched up another low-level quest to have something to do after meeting the scholar of Anorit.
[QUEST ADDED: MISGUIDED BLADE]
It had something to do with a mid-level warrior running amok and terrorizing some of the outposts to shake them down instead of hiring on to protect caravans and outposts like he should as a warrior guild member. It offered a significant reward but no additional bonus.
Brian didn’t make it the active quest though. Assuming Meredith would make the main quest line the top priority for bug testing, he wanted to find the scholar that had been talked about when they’d first arrived in Fezhik before meeting up with the group. He checked the in-game clock and saw he had about an hour before he needed to meet with the others for the nightly check-in.
As he exited the job board, he turned and saw a strange NPC staring at him. It appeared to be a Vishi’Tai, a high elf. He stood about six foot two, about three inches taller than Brian’s avatar. The shoulders were narrow, but the NPC was certainly athletic and appeared strong. From the waist hung two curved blades, and the hood was different. Instead of the gray or gold hoods that Brian had seen so far, this one was red. And instead of red crossed daggers embroidered into the center of the hood, there was a single golden dagger with a wavy blade.
“Have you been a part of this group for long?” the NPC asked, his voice cold and somewhat unnerving.
Brian frowned. “No, I’m new,” he said.
The NPC nodded. “And you come from there?” The NPC pointed to the save point pedestal.
Brian’s frown deepened. What kind of question is that? Instead of answering, Brian tried to shift the subject. “Are you a high level Morr’Tai?”
The NPC arched a golden brow over his gray-blue eyes and stared hard at Brian. “Your name is strange...”
Brian paused. My name? Then it dawned on him. He wasn’t wearing the Morr’Tai armor. That was probably what this NPC was getting at. Brian’s gamer tag was visible, and while “Bob” was certainly an anomalous name to see in an RPG, it was more probable that this particular NPC was calling attention to the fact that Brian’s gamer tag was visible at all.
Figuring that no harm would come from changing in front of other Morr’Tai assassins, Brian donned the uniform and then spoke with the NPC. “There, how’s that? I look better, right? More appropriate?”
The NPC tilted his head to the side. “Yes, now you look more... suitable.” He then narrowed his eyes on Brian and
gave a single nod. “I will remember your name.”
Creepy. Brian thought. He disengaged from the NPC and left the chamber.
After passing the skeleton and Krattii guards, he stopped and changed back to his normal clothes. He knew it likely didn’t matter, but for some reason he didn’t like the idea of Rhonda seeing him dressed as an assassin for their second nightly meeting. Instead, he put on Myron’s fancy clothes.
As soon as he exited the Morr’Tai lair, he went out to one of the main streets and sat at a bench near a shop. With his character seated, he decided it was time to spend his skill points. Normally it was much safer to do this at a save point, but since this was a closed version of the game only open to his peers, and he hadn’t yet created any in-game enemies, he figured he could risk it. Besides, that golden-haired elf in the Morr’Tai lair creeped him out.
Opening up his stat sheet, he looked at his unspent points. The easiest to spend would be his devotion point. He only had one, and there was really only one thing he wanted to focus on right now. On his tapestry he looked at the rune that symbolized Khefir. The rune began to glow and enlarged so he could see several empty holes spaced throughout the rune. Three holes had come pre-filled with onyx stones that glowed slightly. The first was the sneak bonus, the second was pickpocketing, and the third was for lockpicking. A number appeared next to each gemstone, one out of ten. Brian spent his devotion point on the sneak bonus.