by Mars Dorian
“Are you asking me or testing my ignorance?”
“Both.”
I looked at the surrounding spires. They came in different shapes and sizes but featured the same ancient decorative pattern edged into their clayish surface. No other building in the valley looked like the chieftain’s tent. It was by far the widest and flattest structure.
“It’s unique. No other building looks even remotely like it.”
The ideas kept flowing. “It’s also wide compared to the spires. In a valley with little space, real estate size must be precious. Having a broad foundation with only one ground floor is pure luxury.”
Yumi-D fawned. “Don’t tell me you just Sherlocked that information out of your butt.”
“I actually read some of it online.”
“At least you did your research.”
We arrived in front of the fortified tent. One of the guards allowed us to step inside. Chieftain Kharra sat in a lotus position, probably meditating on how many dwarfs to eat for lunch. Or maybe she was channeling the scriptures of the Aeonlight. Even with eyes closed, Kharra noticed our presence. Some sort of psi-ability that only the Preshaar possessed.
“dwarfs. I assume you still want us to join your little rebellion?”
Her odd pronunciation of ‘rebellion’ sounded like we were running a sandbox revolt. But I had no time to get triggered by little snarky remarks—I had to focus on the bigger picture. “That’s what we are here for.”
“Rrrright.”
She unfolded her long, furry legs and erected her spine before her yellow eyes looked down on us. “Your friends came over from the human land.”
Two young adults wearing religious attire greeted us. The one and only Caspian and Celeste, all the way from the mainland.
“Greetings, Dash. It’s an honor to witness your presence again,” Celeste said.
Her brother Caspian shared her smile. For some reason, I had blocked the followers of the Aeonlight from my mind. I somehow believed that NPCs were restricted to their geographical zone, but apparently my actions influenced their agency. It was fascinating and scary to see them follow my chain of events.
“The past decades have erupted our relationship with the Preshaar. Thanks to your help, we’re able to rebuild the link between our races. After all, in the image of the Aeonlight, we’re all projections of the same source energy.”
Rokkit rolled his eyes, and I knew why. Some NPCs, especially the followers, used a religious language that sounded stilted. For me, it was all part of the greater experience. “What do you plan to do now?”
Celeste flicked a glance at Caspian which looked as if she granted him permission to speak. “We want to unite Fourlando, not just the humans. We’re all part of the same expression and thus ought to rejoice.”
“And that means?”
“We want to bring the teachings of the Aeons to the Western Crescent. We want to help the Preshaar rebuild their great society.”
Kharra snarled. “What do you want in return?”
Acid spiked the Preshaar leader’s words, but Celeste’s voice remained calm and collected. She seemed more mature since last time. “We don’t want to take. We want to give.”
The tips of her index finger and thumb touched each other while the other fingers straightened. The silent way of talking credits, which even the beast men understood. “Consider it a restoration fee for the sins our ancestors committed on your tribe.”
Kharra pressed her feline lips, but given the Preshaar’s inclination for trade and money—even filthy naked human money, she must have pondered Celeste’s offer. “Humans always want something in return. They deal, deal, deal all the time.”
“You’re right; there’s one condition.”
The leader perked her pointy ears.
Celeste said, “We would like to setup a small embassy to act as a bridge between the Preshaar and the humans.”
Even the guards around Kharra shuffled with their gear. “Humans living forever in our village?”
Caspian stepped back with his palms up, as if to excuse himself. Celeste held her ground. “If that’s a step too far, how about we establish a place at the fisher village? Those Preshaar are used to visitors, and the location is easy to reach with ships from the mainland.”
“And you give us money for that. How much?”
“One hundred and fifty credits for every moon passing.”
“Two hundred,” Kharra said with the speed of a needle dart.
I did the quick math. Moon passings in Fourlando equaled real world days, plus a few hours, so about 26-27 days. Which meant we were talking at least 6000 credits per month, which wasn’t much. But then again, the trade between the Western Crescent and the mainland had suffered. Maybe the chieftain was glad to see any money flowing in.
“It’s settled,” Celeste said.
The pilgrims bowed in unison. “We thank you for your trust, Great Chieftain Kharra.”
“Thank me by being useful.”
“We will contact our sanctuary which will send a ship with the essential goods. It should arrive at the fisher port within a couple of hours.”
A couple of hours? That was fast. How would they get all the required material and goods for the embassy so fast? Unless the two pilgrims had planned it before they asked for Kharra’s permission. That however contradicted their nature—they didn’t act like schemers. Celeste winked at me and expressed one of her earlier childlike smiles. She and her brother left the tent to deal with their shipment. The chieftain turned her feline head back to me. “Now to you, dwarf. Your mentioning of the Sunblood presence troubles us. We have to find out how far these vile creatures have infested our lands.”
The mantra echoed in my ears. Quest time.
“I’ve dispatched a couple of scouts to the far edges of the Killa Kanyons. They found a Sunblood presence near one of the Reepo corals.”
She licked her sharp teeth and probably thought about eating Sunbleeder troops alive. Yum yum. “These thieves built a big outpost. They want to mine Reepo on our grounds.”
“The Syndicate hunts down every crystal they can get their slimy hands on,” I said. “Their presence here will only grow with time.”
She purred. Her fur hairs swayed. “No, they will not. We will wipe out any Sunbleeder. No metal, dwarf will hurt our lands with their dirty, naked feet.”
I’ve learned by now that ‘naked skin’ was the worst possible insult. Kharra turned her yellow eyes to me. They glowed with ferocity. “We will attack the outpost and send a signal to the Syndicate: if you invade our lands, you will kiss death.”
“A poetic phrase.”
“I’m serious, dwarf.”
She eyed our party. “If you’re serious about your fight against the Sunblood Syndicate, you will attack the outpost. You will wipe out the enemy’s presence. If you succeed, we Preshaar will join your cause.” She paused. “For now.”
The best news I had heard all day.
“You are strong for naked dwarves, but you need more firepower. Luckily for you, our brethren are ready to face any challenge.”
The Preshaar guards in the tent roared in unison. Something was going on and I did not get the memo.
“Step forward, warrior,” Kharra said.
A Preshaar with slender build stepped forward. The creature wore decorated multi-layered plate armor and had colored strings in her mane, not to forget the many rings and piercings in her pointy ears. An advanced claw brazer graced her long hands. I remembered her. She was the beast woman whom I had fought at the duel mission.
“Grezz will aid your attack. She is a deadly attacker who slices her prey like the winds. Watch her roar along the landscape, and you might learn from her.”
“Well, I did fight her, Chieftain. And we all know the result.”
Yumi-D slightly shook her hand, but it was the truth. Rokkit seemed unimpressed, but at least he kept his mouth shut.
“Thank you, Kharra. Every help is appreciated,” Yu
mi-D said.
Quest: “Oust the Outpost”
Type: Base Assault
Description: Preshaar scouts have detected a Sunblood Syndicate mining outpost in the Valley Of Wormz (South-Western Crescent). Chieftain Kharra wants you to attack the outpost and wipe out the enemy presence. In return, she will join the Blue Flame rebellion.
Rewards: Preshaar alliance, 10% off in Preshaar shops
Do you accept? (Yes/No)
Again, no monetary reward. Just more experience, an alliance with the beast men, and 10% off at Preshaar shops? Granted, I longed for high-value mechanical items, but maybe I could snatch them on the battlefields. Sunbleeders dropped precious toys, not just their bosses. Our party accepted the mission without second thought. And as always, the chieftain combined the political with the practical. “Buy your equipment and ponder your tactics with Grezz. Come back when all Sunbleeders are dead. If you fail, don’t bother coming back… ever.”
And here I was thinking that my previous quests had changed her attitude towards humans. It looked like Preshaar shared a distrust that was buried into the hairiest strains of her being. Maybe our mutual fight against the Syndicate would warm up our relationship.
I reached my hand to Grezz who observed it like rotting roadkill. “I don’t want to touch your hand. You smell like bulkor piss.”
“Fair enough.”
Rokkit stepped forward to face the new Preshaar member. “Let’s hope you fight better than during the duel. My armor’s heavy enough, I don’t want to have useless furry with me.”
Grezz gnarled. “Don’t worry. I’ll outlast all three of you dwarfs. Worms will eat your foul bodies while I kill hundreds of Sunbleeders with my bone blade.”
“Big words.”
“I’m a big creature.”
“The biggest.”
She expanded her mechanical claw and snapped the air in front of Rokkit’s nose. One more inch, and she’d have delivered a new scar on his chiseled face. “Don’t try me, pinky.”
The tension cooked. Before I could de-escalate, L’ocean stepped in. “Please save your energies for the fight. We’ll need you all at maximum capacity.”
Finally a voice of reason. I looked at my e-scroll and picked up the marked spot. It was time to head for the Syndicate outpost.
15
The target destination lay in a valley in the southern part of the Killa Kanyons, dozens of kilometers away. The territory belonged to the center of the Western Crescent. Since the Sunblood Syndicate dominated the southern tail of the main continent, they had probably sailed across the southern-west sea and colonized the Crescent from the bottom up. It was only a matter of time before they dominated the entire island.
Unless we stopped them.
Climbing across the rugged formations would take us countless minutes, maybe even half an hour. That’s why I approached Grezz outside the tent and chose the softest approach. “I know Preshaar are excellent climbers—”
“We’re the best,” Grezz said. “No one understands climbing as much as we do, believe me.”
“We do believe you, but don’t you have some kind of craft or something that will get us closer to the target spot?”
“You mean an airship?”
Excitement sizzled within. Should those rather primitive tribes access modern airships? My heart was about to sing.
“No, of course not,” Grezz said.
Goodbye hope.
“You don’t have any long-range transportation?” Rokkit said. “How do you get to far-away places of the Western Crescent? We’re talking hundreds of kilometers into the inner lands.”
“We can climb those distances or we use our fowls to ride along the coastlines. There are few paths slicing through the canyon which our animals can pass through.”
Still a cumbersome way of reaching our destination. Maybe when the Preshaar joined our rebellion and our influence grew, we’d build a sky bridge or at least a train connection. Because traversing those long-ranged distances wasted my precious gaming time.
We mounted our fowls at the local stable and jumpstarted the big journey. With the help of my smart e-scroll, I marked the path between the village and the apparent location of the Sunblood outpost in the central mountains. We blitzed along the coastline paths and targeted the narrow paths crisscrossing through the canyons. Our ride remained free of tension, but as always, my curiosity sizzled when silence reigned.
“Why do Preshaar hate the humans so much?”
L’ocean shot me a Don’t-Go-There glance, but I was really interested. To my surprise, Grezz answered. “We once lived on the main continent before the humans took over. For a while, our races lived side by side. But when the humans became obsessed with the sky crystals, the wars started. Beltar Empire against the Syndicate, it doesn’t matter. When humans are in charge, blood flows. Always.”
I listened to her words. “But isn’t the Syndicate more dangerous than the Beltar Empire ever was?”
Grezz moaned on her fowl. “Killers in different colors. They only care about those damn crystals.”
“The Blue Flame is different,” L’ocean said. “They swore to fight any form of oppression. They want to help you.”
Grezz threw an annoyed glance at her. “I’ve heard these lies, dwarf. So did my guardians and their guardians. Never judge a human by their words. Watch their actions and see their lies.”
Judging by her words, the Preshaar had lived on the main continent before the humans came. Which made me wonder—where did the humans in this world originate from? I had read hundreds of pages filled with the game’s history, but nothing was ever said about the origin of the humans or the crystals. It was as if the game creators wanted to keep the background a mystery.
We reached the canyon path that would lead us to the valley. Out of nowhere, Grezz continued her line of thought from before. “You seem like good humans with pure hearts, but the crystals will corrupt you. They will bring you nothing but misery.”
Rokkit chimed in for the first time since the journey. “When we’re kicking Sunblood ass, they won’t be able to mine Reepo crystals.”
“For now,” Grezz said. “As long as humans and crystals exist, there will never be peace. You will bring doom to all of us.”
What a depressive way to prepare for our first mutual quest. I guess hanging around like-minded beast men while living between canyon walls brought tunnel vision. Maybe today’s actions proved to the Preshaar that we humans were capable of excellence.
A few hundred meters before our target zone, we dismounted our fowls and crawled along the canyon ground. The orange-colored boulders provided excellent cover spots for us in case the Sunbleeders used scouts or watch towers.
Yumi-D went full Ranger-mode. “I’ve heavily invested in my Insight ability, which means my vision range is extended by almost thirty percent.”
We crept toward the cliff. A giant valley awaited us below, stretching into the canyon like a massive meteor crater. Crystal corals spammed the rugged surface and glowed under the perfect daylight. A beautiful sight of violet crystalline rose gardens. The Sunblood outpost was located in the center of the crater, shielded by massive walls and watch towers. Earth-colored guards with armored wraggs patrolled the perimeter and watched out for intruders. Some soldiers rode those heavy reptile Bulkors that I had seen at the Holiplaze convoy quest. Enemy enablers, quasi support units like our TechMages, joined the little fire teams to provide buffers. I had to admit, this outpost featured more defenses than the city we had liberated on the main continent. The bigger the Reepo mining site, the more military resources the Syndicate provided to their outposts. Fear sparked within me. I turned to my co-players and whispered. “This is a massive installation. There’s no way we five stand a chance.”
“Quit whining, Boltzy. You took down a Skyscratcher in the freaking cloud.”
“I’d rather fight an infected bird creature than an army of tactical soldiers.”
“The quest description shows
no warning,” Yumi-D said. “Which means we stand a real chance of winning the mission. The game algorithm knows very well if certain players are unable to fulfil a quest. It’s super smart.”
That rang true. Every quest in the game was adapted to the player amount and their levels. It was almost impossible to accept a quest that wasn’t doable, but then again, the smart game algorithm changed. The developers created a system that not even the experienced pro players figured out.
“Maybe it’s a glitch.”
Yumi-D furrowed her eyebrows. “There are no game-breaking glitches. We’re talking about the most played game in the history of mankind.”
Grezz stomped toward us. “What are you humans mumbling about?”
I had totally forgotten that NPCs failed to understand our real world lingo. They often treated our words like a foreign tongue and grimaced. I translated our game approach to the narrative. “We’re thinking about the best way to attack the outpost.”
I turned back and observed the workers setting up a conveyor belt that transported the Reepo crystals toward one of the refinery facilities within the compound. But the mechanism was still under construction, which meant the Sunbleeder workers had to manually carry canisters filled with Reepo crystals for now.
That was our chance.
I pointed toward one of the workers carrying the loads. “The only reason the Syndicate’s here is because of the Reepo.”
Rokkit showed me his finest duh face. “Your point?”
“If we attack those workers and cause havoc, we’ll lure the main forces outside and thus avoid their dart throwers on the walls.”
“Then how do you get inside the outpost?”
“I can climb over it,” Grezz said and expanded her mech-enhanced claws for demonstration. “These nails have torn through the hardest rocks of the Killa Kanyons. A puny wall won’t stop me.” Her fierce eye contact returned to us. “Once I’m inside, I can open the gate and let you in.”
Yumi-D and L’ocean nodded. “So we basically create a decoy maneuver.”