by Andrew Novak
"Come to me. I'll arrange everything. As payment, tell me who is following you. And why."
"That's too expensive. I'll toss you hints."
"No, that won't do.
“Okay, I'm coming. We'll come to an agreement."
Jack understood Egghead. The dandy made his money trading secrets. And now he could smell first-class goods. Jack made his way to Egghead's townhouse, trying to stay to the shadows and avoiding the wider streets He saw almost no one and, what was particularly nice, didn't see anybody from the Brotherhood of Gravediggers. He knocked on the gate and when he walked into the yard... he was only able to give a whistle in surprise. No, he was starting to think that a wealthy lifestyle had its pluses. And why hadn't it ever occurred to him? His own home, obedient mobs, and the ability to leave the city without using the gates or teleports.
A coach was already standing before the gates. Harnessed. Hitched to a pair of snow-white pegasi. Egghead was pacing next to it. Seeing Jack, he smiled widely, as if he'd found a new reason to live. With a nod:
"Sit. You may even choose a destination. If it isn't very far, I'll take you there. And you can talk along the way."
"No one's on the coachbox," Jack looked back, already stepping up on the open-work foot rung.
"It's no matter. Gog and Magog are very well trained. They don't need a driver."
Jack settled gently into the sofa, which gave slightly under his weight. Egghead stretched out effortlessly directly across from Jack and crossed one leg over the other.
"Well, then..." Jack began slowly, gathering his thoughts.
"Wait until we start to climb," Egghead stopped him.
The coach shuddered as it broke away from the ground. Jack fell a bit deeper into the soft, downy sofa.
"You can speak now," nodded Egghead after a minute.
"Why only now?"
"Look out the window."
Jack pulled back the lace curtains, snow-white with ruffles all along the trim, and appreciated the view. The coach was rising above the rooftops, the urban landscape falling away below them. In the distance, the already-familiar Stargazer's Tower gleamed.
"Beautiful."
"And, most importantly, without me, you can't get back down," Egghead said with his former amicable smile. "The PvE zone ends at the city wall, so I wouldn't like for you to get any funny ideas. Gog and Magog only listen to me."
The dandy was controlling the pegasi with his mind from inside the coach. Jack realized it when Gog and Magog began to maneuver, changing direction. Without breaking his concentration, Egghead asked:
"So, where are we flying?"
"To Dargoth. Where else? That's not too far away, is it? It's still in within the bounds of your kingdom, after all."
Egghead compelled the pegasi to change their course again and gave him a nod:
"Go on, tell me."
For a moment, Jack just watched as the city wall sailed past, appearing toy-like from this height, and checked the map to be sure they were actually flying towards Dargoth. Then spoke:
"Thing is, I received a quest tied to the demon artifacts."
"I already knew this. Who gives these quests?"
"Necta. I was down in the basement, you know how to find the Night Mother's temple, right?"
"Of course."
Jack decided to omit the beginning of his story. Some things were better kept to himself.
"Well... I passed a couple of the earlier stages and get rewards in the form of quest updates. Not exactly a money-maker, I'll tell you."
"And how is this related to the reason you're avoiding the city gates?"
"Some people found out that I was on this quest – the Gravediggers. It's a guild, the Brotherhood of Gravediggers. For some reason, their officer, a player by the name of Weaver Lund, got it into his head that this isn't a quest for individuals, but for a large guild. They started trailing me. I already sent several of them to respawn... but there are a quite a few of them. Moreover, what's particularly annoying is that they somehow always know where to find me.
"Did you also kill Lund?"
"Had to."
Egghead nodded.
"Then it's understandable. So, Dargoth is the next step in the quest?"
"Right. But I'm letting you know right now – I won't tell you about the quest. If you don't like it, take me back."
Egghead was no longer smiling. He was stroking his narrow chin in thought, calculating something. Jack briefly wondered, was this dandy calculating how profitable it would be to give his passenger to the Gravediggers? Nah, probably not. He'd make some money once with the betrayal, but would gain an enemy and forfeit the opportunity to follow an interesting story. That would be stupid, and Egghead – he was an egghead, not a blockhead. Surely they didn't call him that for no reason?
"So, that's what this is about!" Egghead finally announced. "Does this mean that they're giving the old quests again in Alterra? That is amazing! But why?"
"When I went down into the lower shrine, a thunderstorm had just started. Remember yesterday's bad weather? There was so much interference that I was even afraid that I would disconnect, and then bam – the priestess threw me an entirely different narrative. As if it changed the script."
In reality, Jack knew exactly what had changed Necta's speech, but he was in no hurry to inform Egghead about it.
"Thunder and interference? No, that's not enough to make an NPC switch to a different script," Egghead said with a frown. "Something else happened... something took place... ah, by the way, the necromancers in Nightmare have begun to stir."
"What do you mean, 'stir'?'"
"I don't know. I certainly don't deal with them. They've simply become more active or something. Maybe their Priestess of Necta has also changed her script?"
Surprised, Jack asked:
"They have temples of Necta, too?"
"Of course!" muttered Egghead, absently. He was contemplating something. "Except, there, Necta is typically in the upper temple, while her lighter half is in the basement. I wonder what happened…"
Now that Egghead was wondering where to look for the answer, it seemed he didn't have any more questions for his passenger. Jack sat in relieved silence and stared out the window. The toy landscape stretched out below the coach. He could see the leafy treetops, small specks creeping along the web of roads – riders, carts and pedestrians. Groups of miniature houses. They were villages. Wow, Alterra was huge! The forests, towns, and castles rolled by, one after the other. Gog and Magog flapped their wings in even stokes, their white feathers falling into his vision over and over.
A dark slash appeared in the sky that grew as they approached until the details emerged: walls and towers on a wide, flat foundation. The Skyfort was a flying fortress, which sometimes appeared in the sky above Alterra, and everyone just gazed at it from below. It rarely appeared above Svetlograd, and when it did, players stopped and lifted their heads to marvel.
Even with the strongest flying pet, it likely wasn't possible to reach the Skyfort. It was too high and flew fast. Residents of Alterra racked their brains trying to figure out who lived on the heavenly stronghold and concocted the most outrageous theories.
"What do you think, who sails on the Skyfort?" Jack asked.
Egghead, wrapped up in his thoughts, only shrugged.
"Alphas, naturally. Not just any alphas, either, but the most important people."
The Skyfort sailed over the horizon and diminished, again becoming a small spot in the middle of the blue sky.
Jack realized that he liked this. The sensation of flying, the coach rocking to the beat of wings, the vast space under his feet... He was so engrossed, that he didn't notice the time. Egghead's voice brought him out of his reverie.
"We're almost there. Where should I let you out?”
Jack shook himself and pressed close to the glass. That broken, black shadow on the horizon – was that Dargoth? From a distance, it resembled a pile of coals spilled from a shovel. It looked
ominous enough. Well, what he needed wasn't there. The "forgotten temple" was tucked away in the forests around Dargoth.
"Circle over this place, will you? It’s my first time here, so it wouldn't hurt to take a look around."
Egghead gave the pegasi a new mental command and the coach rocked, descending in a wide circle. The black ruins drew nearer. He could almost make out the towers, half-demolished walls and the caved-in rooftops. Stone buildings were drowned in a chaotic green jumble – trees and bushes had overwhelmed the ruins. They were partially concealed, entangled in the mesh of shoots. The ancient ramparts were almost indistinguishable among the forest underbrush, and gaping holes in the walls were barely discernable against the background of black masonry.
The coach changed course and flew toward the ruins. Jack noticed movement among the trees, but the tree canopies blocked his view of what was creeping around down there. He squinted at the surrounding copse – did he spot the gleam of rock? Black rock?
When the coach had almost completed its circle, Jack finally saw a spire poking out above the forest to the side, covered in pitting, as if giant teeth had gnawed it. Then, even further from Dargoth, he saw a couple of stone islands and some other kinds of structures. Surely one of these was the temple that the goddess had talked about. That one with the spire fit the description best.
"Well, time to say goodbye?" Egghead broke the silence. "Step out onto the foot rung, shut the door firmly, and hold tight. There is something out there to hold onto. When we get lower, jump."
Jack carefully cracked the door open. His face was immediately struck by a strong gust of wind.
"Hey, were you just going to fling me off?"
"Of course not!" Egghead's smile finally returned. "There won't be any wind down below. But when we reach a safe height, you'll be outside the coach and I'll be inside. It'll go more smoothly for both of us."
He didn't feel like arguing. Besides, he'd seen from the inside that there indeed were some decorative elements that he could hang onto. Jack froze, using all of his strength to lock onto the damned gilded... whatever it was and pressed himself against the side. The coach slowly descended, Gog and Magog steadily flapping their wide, white-feathered wings, and the grass and bushes below shook from the wind blown up by the pegasi. Jack once again marveled at the stunning level of detail created by the developers of Alterra. Even the wind displaced by their wings was depicted.
A young birch tree bent with the next flap of the two pairs of wings, its canopy swept to the side, and Jack saw a goblin crouched, hugging its trunk, and staring angrily up at him. Realizing that he had been noticed, the mob released the birch and jumped into the field – right under Jack's feet. Stretching its clawed forepaws out toward the carriage, the goblin bared its teeth.
Jack felt a slight push in his side.
"Or perhaps you've reconsidered and you'll tell me about the quest?" the sound came from over his head.
Egghead had opened the door a crack and looked at Jack in all seriousness. If he were to push the door just a little harder, Jack probably wouldn't be able to keep himself from falling. It was five meters to the ground.
Jack didn't bother with an answer and released his hold on the coach. The hovering carriage wobbled as it was stripped of his weight and Jack, pushing off with his legs, aimed his fall directly at the crown of the goblin's head.
Chapter Six. Magic is Black and White
THE LANDING came hard. There was crunching and squealing under his boots, but Jack barely heard the noises issuing from the goblin as it left the world of Alterra. Jack himself tumbled heavily to one side and rolled along the ground. The game softened pain received from impacts, but instead occasionally it obscured his vision because a message would flit before his eyes, like right now:
You receive damage!
You lose 5 hit points!
Five wasn't much. The goblin turned out to be soft enough to cushion the impact with the ground.
Jack shook his head and rose with difficulty, the black sword already in his hand. Jack hadn't even noticed that he had drawn it. There were some skills that worked independently from the brain. And those skills did not disappoint. No less than ten goblins were already rushing toward Jack from all directions, hurling stones as they ran.
A sweep of the sword blocked a couple of stones and a few goblins missed, but one cobblestone clocked him square in the shoulder.
You receive damage!
You lose 2 hit points!
Ignoring the messages flashing in front of him, Jack hurled himself at the beasts. One at a time, the goblins weren’t much to be afraid of, but if they gathered together into a horde and attacked from all sides at once, then you were bound to let a few blows slip through. So Jack was in a hurry to divide the group before the little gargoyles came together. The Shadow of the King cut them down, one by one, and the goblins yowled, leaped... and fell. Those who came at him in one piece, left in many.
With the first wave out of the way, Jack retreated. There were too many of them. The green, shrieking monsters were everywhere... but not all of them were rushing to attack. Only a few crouched low to the ground were closing in on Jack, but most of them were just making faces – baring their teeth and hopping, but staying put. Jack probably hadn't entered their aggro zone.
He began to back up even more quickly and then, once he was sure the nearest mob was at least fifteen paces away, he simply turned and ran. His pursuers dropped back and the goblins returned to their own affairs, which meant making faces as before and screeching, but they were no longer paying attention to the stranger.
Jack skirted the area where the critters were clustered, noted where the black spire, looking like a gnawed bone, stood above the trees and headed off in that direction. Nearby, a shadow slid across the grass. Jack stopped and craned his head. Egghead's carriage was drawing circles over Dargoth. To hell with it, Jack thought, it was my own fault. He should have seen it coming! Now Egghead was going to tail him. Or maybe not. The temple stood in thickets so dense that nothing could be seen from above.
He cast another glance over his shoulder – where were the goblins? No, he hadn't left the horde's aggro zone. The goblins were gathering into a mass, jumping off trees and worming through the thorn bushes. Three dozen, maybe even more, had already swarmed together. Clawed fingers pointed at Jack, the goblins squealed and chirped as if a fierce argument had broken out in their community. They had never behaved this way before. But it seemed that they weren't going to attack, so that was alright.
Jack hurried to get away from the pack of mobs. When he ducked into the shade of the thick canopy, he sighed in relief. Now he couldn't be seen from the coach. On the other hand, he was still perfectly visible to the goblins! The little monsters were gathering again and slowly advancing behind Jack. Every ten paces, he looked behind and saw the goblins plodding after him. If he stopped, they froze. This had never happened before. Goblins could only attack, but right now they weren’t interested in Jack in terms of prey. And at his level, to raise his XP by at least one point, he would need to kill at least a hundred of them.
So what happened to them? Did their scripts change, too? Jack made his way slowly through the trees toward the looming spire. Looking back, he saw the creeping goblins immediately stop and freeze. Finally, Jack decided to just forget about their odd behavior and get back to his own business. He turned resolutely and strode off through the woods to ruins. But after walking a hundred feet or so, he heard the sounds of the green imps skulking after him: the snap of twigs under their feet, leaves rustling as goblins kicked them aside. This was how they would interfere with the quest in the temple!
Jack came to a halt in a clearing, drew his sword, and waited. A minute later, hunched figures appeared at the edges of the clearing. At last, one finally made up its mind and stepped out of the shadows. Slowly, hesitantly, it approached sideways and stretched its paw out to Jack. There was nothing threatening in this gesture, so Jack stepped closer and bent ov
er the goblin. It cowered even more, drew its head into its shoulders, but still held its paw out to the man. Now Jack saw something sparkling in the goblin's bony, green paw. Hey, it was a ring! He cautiously collected the thing from the goblin's palm. It was a strange little ring with a bizarre stone – yellow and round, with red veins and an elongated, black oval at its center, somewhat like a bloodshot eye with a pupil.
Eye of the Demon Ring
Level: Legendary
Bonus: You understand goblin speech.
Bonus: 5% boost to experience while completing Service to the Dark quests.
Attention! You are the first player to receive Eye of the Demon.
You receive +1 XP.
You have 40 XP.
You receive a new skill: Berserk
Earn 10 XP to unlock new skills.
I'm the first player, Jack thought. First again! The first to go through this age-old questline. Would this message really follow after each completed stage? If so, then he had snagged a massive potential bonus. Extra experience for every step of the Service to the Dark path.
And what was Berserk, anyway? Jack tapped the word "Berserk" and scrolled through the Help section. The theoretical explanation read:
Berserkers, ancestors of the Scands, were named the most fearless and reckless of warriors, to whom Ged granted the ability to not perceive received blows. Their enemies believed the Berserkers to be immortal and feared encountering them in battle.
Alright, yeah, in theory, but... ah, here it was:
For 30 seconds you will not feel damage... resistance to all types of magical and physical debuffs.
A valuable buff for a damage dealer. If he charged into a group of enemies, then for thirty seconds he could stack 'em up!
The goblin started to chitter and a status bar that hadn't been there before appeared in front of Jack, at the very bottom of his field of vision.