End Online: Volume 5

by D Wolfin

  Sir Laurence also appears confused and astonished. I can imagine him recalling the first time he met her in human form and tried to flirt, only to be squashed into the ground. Such an incident could have gone much worse.

  “Sir Laurence, Lost, we need to get rid of her. Lost, I know she is classified as your companion in the game, so you should be able to do something. I want to keep playing with you two. You are the only friends I have, despite one of you being clueless and the other having a horrible personality.”

  “Verde, I’m afraid it isn’t that simple. The only way to get rid of her is for her to die.” I am pained to think it, but knowing how dangerous she is I try push my feelings for her aside.

  “We can’t beat her,” Sir Laurence speaks the truth and Verde agrees with him. “There are a lot of other games we can play together. I will pay for everyone if it means we can play together.”

  I am conflicted as to how to respond, and decide to reveal my biggest secret about Fen. “As I said, it isn’t that simple. After Fen became my companion, something strange happened. She is technically no longer a part of the game and resides within my V-Link. She can log into any game I play.”

  Sir Laurence and Verde are taken aback, not believing what I’m saying about Fen. It takes me assuring them multiple times of the situation and even recounting how I met her for them to finally believe.

  The prince offers to purchase a new V-Link for me and to destroy my current one, but I turn him down. I explain to him that I currently use the sale of equipment in this game as my only source of income and that I need to continue playing this game.

  “I am going to log off and speak with Fen. She is difficult, but she isn’t completely unreasonable. I want us to play this game together so I will take responsibility for her and keep her beside me, ensuring she doesn’t do anything she shouldn’t. I-I also somewhat… care for her.”

  My face turns completely red from admitting my feelings out loud and the other two look at me strangely. They agree that we should keep playing together as long as I keep Fen’s behavior in check. However, we also make a pact to meet outside the game and talk further about what to do.

  I am nervous about revealing my incapacitation to them and decide to wait until we meet before letting them know. Finding out about Fen’s dark side is enough of a shock so I will leave the information about me being in a wheelchair for later. I do manage to have them agree to meet me at a cafe near my house with the reasoning that I can’t travel very far.

  Walking back to the others, I whisper to Fen to log off and return to my locker ahead of her. When I leave End Online and return to my locker, Fen somehow manages to be there before me as usual.

  Staring at the shamelessly dressed wolf girl, I speak in a serious voice that I didn’t know I had, “Fen, I know what you did.”

  “What… I did?” She tilts her head sideways and gives me a confused look.

  “With Verde, you caused her memory loss, didn’t you?”

  “I don’t… understand.”

  “Back in the city of Grenton, you grabbed her head and did something to her.”

  “I told… her to… stay away,” Fen says in a neutral voice as if she didn’t do anything wrong.

  ‘Can this girl not even understand what she did?’ I ask myself with both astonishment and concern. ‘If she doesn’t even know what she did, that only makes her more dangerous!’

  “You did something else to her at the same time.”

  “No… I only… forced my words… in her head. That way… she wouldn’t… forget… to stay away.”

  I stop to think for a while before I feel like lightning strikes me, fully understanding the situation. Fen tried to force a single thought into Verde’s mind, and presumably caused damage to her memory. This girl clearly has no clue about the human mind, yet tried to touch it.

  This is extremely bad. Being able to do something like this, she is clearly capable of much more. If she truly has malicious intentions… I can’t think about it, the thought is too frightening.

  For the first time, I am torn between reporting the AI known as Fen, likely causing her destruction, and keeping her close to me. I am aware I have already developed feelings towards her. Otherwise, I would not hesitate to remove this dangerous entity.

  “Are… you going to… leave me?” Fen asks, crouching down into a ball with a small crystalline tear forming.

  The sight of Fen with her knees to her chest tears me up inside. I realize that there is no way I can bring myself to get rid of her. I must protect her and keep her from making any further mistakes.

  “Fen, listen to me. What you did was wrong. If you do anything like that again, I will immediately leave you. From now on, you will stay directly next to me at all times.”

  “Y-yes,” The wolf girl’s voice trembles, her usually crystal clear voice making a sound like glass breaking.

  I walk up to the girl and hug her. For the next half hour we sit together as I attempt to explain right and wrong. Like a young child, she has no concept of the difference and doesn’t seem to be able to understand.

  “Well, you will eventually learn,” I say with resignation. “Let us log back in. Everyone will be waiting for us. Remember, do not leave my side.”

  Fen gives me a genuine smile as I turn away and I only catch a glimpse before it vanishes as if it was never there. With a light sigh, I access the terminal and log back into End Online.

  ***************************************************

  Back in the sand-strewn landscape, I am greeted by a scene which is quite satisfying. Mason and Matrix have logged back in, but are currently on their hands and knees, bowing with their heads nearly buried in the sand. In front of them, Sir Laurence has drawn his sword and is pointing at the back of their heads in a menacing way. Verde stands next to him, looking down on them equally angry.

  “..Waz wrong, I’m zorry!” Mason’s apology comes out completely muffled due to his face in the sand.

  “How dare you! You have tarnished my honor!” Sir Laurence shouts, pulling off one of his gloves and throwing it in the sand in front of Mason. Of course, Mason cannot see this.

  It is strange to see Sir Laurence taking on his role as a knight so seriously every time. I begin to realize that Sir Laurence and CaptainGordon aren’t so different from one another.

  Fen wraps her arms around me as I watch the spectacle between the shining knight and the brothers. The pressure of her chest on my arm is much more intimate thanks to the bikini top.

  Sir Laurence and Verde look over at Fen and I. I nod toward them to let them know everything is under control, which they return and go back to tormenting Mason and Matrix.

  Ten minutes later, after Mason also apologizes to me, we head off to the south. Fen’s new clothes definitely have a strong effect on both her speed and attacks. Her speed is definitely above mine, and she can easily climb sand dunes that we can’t despite being in human form. Her bolts are now made from ice even clearer than usual and give off a light blue luster in addition to doing greater damage.

  We travel for seven days. I am relieved that there are areas other than pure sand in this land, else I would have lost my mind a long time ago. There are areas which are more of a sandy dirt, with small creeks and a few palm trees around. They offer a respite from the sun and a cool place to rest.

  In the latter part of the week of travel, we get further south and to our surprise we start to run into a few players. They keep their distance and don’t bother us, so naturally we don’t attack them either.

  Climbing atop one particularly large dune, I see a large city in the distance. It is too far to make out any distinguishable features, but it’s size is truly impressive. Behind that city, a sky-shattering mountain range blocks our view of the horizon.

  Walking or running to the city in real life would normally take a full day or two. If it was just Fen and I, we could possibly get there in less than an hour, but with everyone else travelling together, the journe
y takes three hours.

  The city is mostly made from sandstone with brown sheets hanging down several walls for immediate purchase. Pole torches stick up from the ground at odd angles along the main streets to provide light at night. I see a rolled up sheet on one building that reveals a hole in the wall.

  ‘Ah, so the sheets are to cover the windows! For a place so abundant with sand, I would have thought they could manufacture glass, though.’

  The players are more condensed inside the city and I notice several strange traits about each of them. First, the insignia on the back of their right hands is different than any of the three kingdoms. The symbol here is a scorpion inside of a circle.

  Second, they have tattoos. Many NPCs and players reveal a lot of skin to combat the heat here. On that skin, nearly every player and NPC has at least one tattoo. Tribal patterns in black and dark blue ink, skulls, dragons, daggers, a few partially naked women, and other, more plain, tribal insignia.

  I wonder whether this city is the capital for some unknown kingdom and how these players acquired their insignia. I know for a fact it is impossible to select this place as a starting city when creating your character. Could it be possible that ‘Compact Soul Gems’ can be acquired here?

  We traverse a full ten miles within the city and still don’t even reach the center. The size of this place is comparable to any of the major cities of the three kingdoms, albeit a little smaller and there is no towering castle in the center.

  Asking a nearby player where an inn is, we get directions to a double story inn called the Desert Plume. Once we reach the inn, we find that everything is dusty. Cleaning has been attempted on most of the major surfaces, but traces of dust are still everywhere.

  Considering this is a game, cleanliness isn’t a major concern and there are several players already sitting at another table. Looking up at a board over the bar with what drinks are available, they have all the usual ones and a new kind that I haven’t seen before. It is called a Yatta.

  Unsure about this new drink yet curious, we all decide to order one. Yatta looks very similar to beer, only it has a slightly yellowish tinge to it. I am curious how it is made.

  After taking a sip from the cup, my face twists in disgust. The taste of the drink is thick, warm, and it stings the tongue and throat. Everyone else adopts the same look when they taste the drink. Everyone except for CaptainGordon, at least. He appears to be truly enjoying the drink, taking large gulps before woozily slouching in his seat.

  Whether he liked the drink or not, he drank the whole thing. Sitting back in his chair, his eyes close and he falls unconscious.

  ‘So he couldn’t handle the taste after all.’

  When a bar maid comes around our table again, we hastily hand back the drinks and order five large cups of the strongest rum to wash the taste of the Yatta away. Glancing over at Mikhail’s party around another table, they are secretly conversing about something that arouses my suspicions.

  The entire party, apart from the slumbering CaptainGordon, downs half of the cup of rum immediately upon receiving it. At about the time I begin to feel tipsy, someone comes and sits down at our table.

  I glance at a completely bald player roughly the size of a bear standing up on two legs. His physique is covered with rippling muscle and sturdy-looking leather armor which covers most of his torso. Picking a fight with him is the last thing I want to do.

  The person is one of the local players with the insignia of this city on his right hand. Several pitch black tribal tattoos around his shoulders and neck only enhance his aggressive demeanor. He looks at us with a smile that doesn’t reflect in his eyes.

  “You players mus’ be new to the city of Sphinx,” the player says in a gruff voice that makes me wonder if he actually was a bear in a previous life.

  Despite our surprise, we introduce ourselves. It turns out his name is MasterLon, a player who specializes in hand-to-hand combat. He enthusiastically pulls out a pair of blood-stained gauntlets to show us. After I hastily turn down his request for a duel, he begins to introduce the city.

  “This city was firs’ discovered abou’ six months ago. Since then, not a whisper abou’ the place has lef’. How did you end up finding it?”

  “One of the players from our other party over there heard rumors about something being to the south. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was though.” I look over at Mikhail’s party while speaking, and notice that one of the local players has approached them as well.

  “Tha’ no’ be a problem,” MasterLon unexpectedly lets out an enormous laugher with no warning, causing me to edge away in my seat. “There is another concern with you players here. We accep’ all new players to this city, bu’ there be rules.”

  “This whole area is an excellen’ hunting ground. The monsters give a lo’ of experience and there is also a local auction house so we can sell all the good loot to others. There are only several thousand players here so there be plen’y of space for everyone. Wha’ we don’ wan’ is for every eager player from Dalbe and the o’her two kingdoms coming down here. If you get wha’ I mean?”

  I seem to have gotten confused about what he was saying halfway through and now feel completely detached from the conversation, “Sorry, I’m a little confused. What do you mean?”

  “He means that he doesn’t want us telling anyone about this city and land,” Mason says to me with a frown.

  I understand why he is displeased and unwilling to keep a lid on the information. Such a great story about a new city would be a massively popular video. I look at Sir Laurence, who nods as if reading my mind and I turn back to Mason.

  “Mason, I’m sure you want to make a video on this city which we normally would have no problem with. Then again, you made an extremely popular video recently that we do have a major problem with. How about we forget about the video which is already posted, and you forget about making a video of this place?”

  “Urgh, fine,” Mason reluctantly agrees after some thought.

  “MasterLon,” Verde speaks up sternly, “I have no interest in keeping your secret. However, I am not someone to spite several thousand people for no reason. We will not expose your secret, but at the same time, we will not help you keep it.”

  “Tha’ is fine. No’ spreading it is all we ask. Also, to avoid more of us coming up to you to repea’ this conversation, you should get at least one tattoo. People who have one are recognized as keepers of the secret.”

  Shortly after, he gives us directions and a description of what the shops of many local tattoo artists look like. I ask him about the different kingdom insignia on his right hand as well, which has an interesting explanation.

  In the center of Sphinx, there is a governor’s mansion where you can follow a series of chain quests and acquire the right to become a part of the city. This way, if a player dies, they aren’t transported all the way back to the three kingdoms. Although Sphinx is a large city, it doesn’t classify as its own kingdom and is more of a duchy ruled by the city’s governor.

  There is also the news of an auction house within the city. I eagerly get directions to it and head off immediately with Fen, leaving the rest of the party to continue drinking. Under the evening sun, I notice that Fen’s attire actually fits in with the local community. Many people are scantily dressed due to the heat, many of the males completely topless, revealing hardened muscle and suntanned skin.

  The auction house looks extremely familiar, with a similar design to the ones in the three kingdoms. It is a little more sparse and with less staff than I am used to, but that is because there are only a fraction of the players here compared to everywhere else.

  Entering one of the rooms, Fen curiously inspects everything before sitting down and staring at me as I put my items up for auction. Seven days, minimum bid starting price. I place all of my currently available items up for sale and a small list is created in front of me.

  Violet Flame Shamshir

  Inflammation Axe of Carnage

&n
bsp; Venomous Scorpion Tail Whip

  Emperor Rahad's Sceptre

  My inventory is full of equipment and nearly over the limit of what my strength will permit, so I add a lot of low- to mid-tier weapons to the list of items as well. None of these are noteworthy items, but since I’m entering university in four months, I need every penny I can get.

  This being my first time selling so many items at once, I worry that perhaps it will oversaturate the market and they won’t sell very well. I try to stagger the beginnings and ends of the auctions for the more common items so as to sell them in separate batches.

  By the time I return to the Desert Plume, the sun has set and everyone is completely drunk. A few more local players have entered, but the inn is still mostly empty. There are clearly enough people to shout and create a rowdy atmosphere in the room though.

  We end up renting three rooms between us and splitting up for the night. Mason and Matrix to one room, Fen and I to a second, and, most surprisingly, Verde and Sir Laurence to the third. I am shocked sober when I see the two staggering up a set of stairs toward their room on the second floor.

  I lead Fen up to our room and am pleasantly welcomed by a bed that doesn’t have an ounce of dust or sand in it. Without hesitation, I climb in and close my eyes to sleep. In a semiconscious state, I am vaguely aware of Fen sliding into bed and curling up against my chest. I place an arm over her, feeling the tender skin on her back before pulling her closer as sleep completely takes over.

  ***************************************************

  Down in the common room, the morning sun shines in through an opening in the wall I can only refer to as a window. Fen sits on a chair unnaturally close to me, but all of our collective attention is on Verde and Sir Laurence.

  Verde is avoiding looking at Sir Laurence, while the knight himself has bags under his eyes that show he didn’t get a wink of sleep. I would have suspected illicit activity to have taken place all night if it wasn’t for the fact that Verde appears to have slept well. They only got a room with a single bed, same as Fen and I, so my interest is piqued.