by Andrew Novak
Jack didn't dare take these creatures on with his bare hands. Using the tip of the spear, he dragged the bodies away from the camp. Returning, he explained,
"Poisonous snake. They let the dogs catch them, bite them, and just wait for the poison to act. That's how things live in the Wastes. No game here, only hunters. Well, at best, omnivorous. Killer and victim can always switch places. Vince, you finished your work?"
"Yeah, you could say that. I could, of course, pick around some more in the wreckage. But I probably didn't miss anything of value."
"Then go to sleep. And you, too, Carl. I'll keep watch, and when the sun comes up, we'll head back. I have urgent business in Alterra, and I'm not going to hang around here for nothing."
Then he sat down, looking into the night. Animals were gnawing on the dog carcasses, discharges of electricity slowly rolled off the roof of the building marked with the ALCO symbol... And Jack couldn't for the life of him remember where he had seen that emblem. But he had certainly seen it somewhere! It made him uneasy.
The console lay nearby, but Jack knew he couldn't give in to the temptation. Alterra was calling. He needed to hurry back, resume the conversation, question the alpha, and read the Corrupted Book. This was the latest step in his quest. After that, of course, the next would open up. Maybe he would even get XP. He would surely get XP, and it was one more step toward that coveted fiftieth level. Heh, he would be glad to find out what was in that book... His hands stretched out for the console without any instruction from his brain.
However, Jack knew very well that he couldn't afford this luxury. Without Carl nearby, who could watch and listen, leaving reality right now would be almost certain death. So, he would have to wait an entire day. And then Jack realized what he would take for himself from the wreckage – this very console. He didn't need it in the ghetto, there was always an excellent connection there. Alphas ensured that the residents of the ghettos had access to the game. The Blighted Wasteland was another matter! It was so cool, always having this ability with you. Even if you knew that you would hardly be able to use it.
Jack looked around. A glow was rising over New Atrium. He couldn't see the high wall of the Barrier from here, nor the many-storied, shining buildings behind it. Too far. But the light rising over the city was visible. And the signal sent from the portable console could reach from here to the network with Alterra. He put a cola nut into his mouth and began to chew. He had a sleepless night ahead.
When the rising sun flooded the dreary landscape with red light, he roused his companions:
"Get ready, pack your knapsacks. We're leaving. I've got an unfinished quest and two hundred panbucks waiting."
Vince began shoving his grimy and broken finds into the duffel bag, and Carl sighed at the sight of how his burden was growing. When the Wastes had changed color from red to their usual gray, Jack started them on their way back. He threw a final glance over his shoulder. In the light of day, the lighting rolling through the antennas on the roof of the building was invisible. But Jack knew that, behind the gray walls, inexplicable things were happening. Was it even worth it to worry about these things? Tonight, he would climb into his trailer, log into Alterra inside the Stargazer's Tower, and read the Corrupted Book. Now that was really interesting! However, just what was ALCO, and where had he seen that abbreviation before?
No matter how much of a rush he was in to get back to the game, there was still a full day of walking in store. In addition, the load Vince had prepared was not light, and even a big guy like Carl could not carry the backpack without resting. They had to stop twice so Carl and Vince could take a breather and drink what was left of the water from the canisters.
When the slums became visible, with its ever-hanging yellowish cloud of fumes, their legs carried them a bit faster of their own accord. But Carl's wheezing made them slow their pace. It was unbearable for Jack. He'd rather be taking care of business! However, pushing Carl also wasn't a good idea.
Here were the outskirts, the unruly heaps of rubbish, where the outcasts huddled, so pathetic, that they couldn't even settle in one of the Clusters. The stench, grime, and hunched figures rummaging in the garbage, thousands of flies buzzing overhead. Flies here lived better than the people, rich and happy. The reek here was so strong, that even the exhausted Carl picked up the speed to clear the smelly outskirts more quickly.
The trio arrived in Middle Village when the sun had already sunk into the yellow haze above the ghetto. Peter ran to meet them with unusual haste. After his first words, Jack understood the reason for his excitement. Yesterday, Shifty saw the defender airship go into the Wasteland, so he had been worried about the expedition. Vince whispered something in his ear and patted at his pocket. There lay the emitter.
"Not bad," Peter nodded. "But the important thing this is you're all safe. Jack..."
"I'm in a hurry," Jack immediately announced. "Let's settle up, and I'll leave you to it. Discuss your secrets without me, I've got something waiting for me anyway."
"Yeah, here's the thing..." Peter hesitated. "I had counted on you being in the Wasteland a day longer. So the cartridges won't be here until tomorrow. Jack, I wouldn't cheat you. There'll be twenty, as promised. Come by tomorrow, alright?"
"Alright," Jack would have agreed to anything. He was just eager to read the Corrupted Book. "So, I can leave?"
"Wait."
Shifty glanced at Vince and Carl, who caught the hint and stepped aside.
"Jack, why do you think I wrote specifically to you?" Peter asked quietly, barely audible.
"Because I bought the cartridges from you. Which means that I wouldn't give away that you're sending people out into the Wasteland. I'm also the owner of forbidden weapons."
"Yeah, that, too. But more importantly, I believe that you're a decent person and you think like me. Do you remember the Insurrection-22? You ever wondered what we lost?"
Jack had been a teenager during the insurrection, hadn't been involved in the fighting. But he remembered perfectly the defender airships, circling over the Slums, blinding strands of fire lashing out of the emitters, instantaneously intensifying billows of smoke and the screams of the people beneath them. He remembered the defenders in heavy black armor marching in the ghetto, bursting into trailers, and the screams subsiding as they passed through. Of course he remembered!
He looked closely at Peter, who was stared off to the side and adjusted the eyepatch covering his eye.
"Peter, this is useless. This isn't about weapons. I mean, it's clear that defenders have the advantage with this equipment, but that isn't the main thing. They acted in an organized manner, that's the thing. And here, it's every man for himself. So, even a hundred emitters wouldn't change the outcome. That's your point, right? We're more likely to start another war between the Clusters than unite against New Atrium.”
"We'll see, we'll see... if we do nothing, then that's what we'll get. But if..."
"Peter, I'm not getting involved in this. A crowd of individuals can't beat a united guild."
"But you still kicked the Gravediggers' asses?"
"Took out about ten," Jack agreed. "But, I still won't win against them. No, Peter, I'm not interested. You're wasting your time with this conversation."
"Okay, just think about it. I know you and hope that, when the time comes, you'll be with us. Come tomorrow, your cartridges will be here."
"I'll come. Oh, yeah, another thing!" Jack recalled another question that had been bothering him. "Do the letters ALCO in an oval frame mean anything to you? Vince can tell you more about how they're connected with our expedition today."
“No, I don't know it," thinking a bit, Peter shook his head, "If I hear anything, I'll let you know."
Walking home, Jack first turned Shifty's words over in his head. Of all people, he wouldn't have expected this from Peter. Peter always insisted that he was at peace with everyone... turned out it just an act and he secretly had bigger plans. But then this thought retreated, pushed asid
e by thoughts of the Corrupted Book. And ALCO. Because he had seen that damn symbol before! As Jack approached his dwelling, he had an unexpected thought. He broke into a run, unlocked the door, and flew into the trailer.
He knew just the person who could answer all sorts of questions. Maybe he could tell Jack about the strange going-ons they had found in the Wasteland? Jack flung his knapsack on the floor, shed his cloak, hurriedly switched on the console, and entered the Shell. Ha, yep, Egghead had sent him a message:
Hey, why aren't you writing? What, are you offended?
According to Jack's code of conduct, a respectable player wouldn't have tried to bully him, like Egghead had when he'd almost thrown Jack from the hovering coach. But then, he'd warned him about the Gravediggers appearance and given him sound advice about the Necklace of Veneration. Was it worth it to hold a grudge? Of course not.
I was a little busy. By the way, do you know what the letters ALCO in an oval frame mean?
Egghead replied after a few minutes:
It's the firm that developed Alterra, called Alterra Conqueror. Shortened to ALCO. Their emblem was those letters in an oval frame. Although, to be sure, I'd better take a look. Where did you find it?
Alterra Conqueror, that's right. Now Jack remembered. So that was where the technicians from New Atrium were heading. Interesting. He needed to supply Egghead with a bit more information, let him look into it further. He'd probably be able to dig up something faster than Jack could.
Saw it in the Wasteland. Some buildings out there are still intact. They had a huge symbol on one. That symbol. And people from New Atrium were trying to reach them. Did you hear that a ship went down in the Wasteland? The wreckage is lying a short way off from the building with the ALCO emblem. If you have questions about the lost ship, contact me. I'm always willing to help. And if you find something out, let me know.
Soon he received a reply:
Got it. Yes, it's curious. I'll dig around. We'll keep in touch, Jack.
And we certainly would, now, thought Jack. Now we were even more intrigued by one another.
Chapter Nine. New Guild
THE BUILDINGS with the Alterra Conqueror logo were a new mystery. Jack was beginning to suspect that the technicians' attempt to reach the abandoned facility was somehow connected with the Service to the Dark quest. It all very much coincided in terms of time – the priestess of Necta changed her script, and without delay, the team from technical maintenance went out into the Wasteland toward the old buildings. It would be nice to find out what was going on out there. Maybe Sartorius had heard something? He was an alpha, after all.
But right now, it was more important to continue his questline, read the Corrupted Book, and finish this step. Jack hadn't slept for almost twenty-four hours and he needed a rest... but Sartorius came into the game only in the evenings, and Jack did not want to postpone the meeting with him to another day. He put another cola nut into his mouth and chewed. It still hadn't registered in his brain, but he still needed to get a good night's sleep, all the same. Whatever, he could sleep when Sartorius wasn't in the game. Jack put on his headset and turned on the console. His consciousness slipped along the rainbow tunnel slower than usual, but that was likely just due to fatigue. Jack's "I", his thoughts and feelings passed into a data point that flew between the smoothly curving walls of the multicolored conduit and fell out into a tiny room with vaulted walls – into the private chapel of the Stargazer's Tower.
Jack took a deep breath and released it to shake extraneous thoughts out of his head and to set his mind on the game. He looked around. Well, what was there to look at? It was a cramped closet, the flame of an oil lamp trembled in front of a small statue of Chronos. Alright, he was ready. Jack opened the door, stepped over the doorstep... and was met with the gaze of the housekeeper Adelia, the NPC that belonged to the owner of the tower. She stepped forward and stopped when her high chest, tightly wrapped in shiny silk, touched Jack. The touch was soft and warm. Jack even felt a rush of heat, though he knew that it wasn't a player standing before him, but an NPC – essentially, just a set of numbers.
"Sir, the master told me to wait here, and when you finished your prayer, to direct you to the drawing room," Adelia sang in a soft, breathy voice. She looked as though she had revealed some secret to Jack, and now they were linked by the shared knowledge. Such an unabashed expression, seeking... waiting...
Jack thought that now he understood why Sartorius had placed that spell on her – she really was distracting. Not a bad addition to the tower, it should be said. Egghead probably didn't have such a servant in his home.
"Have you been waiting long for me?" he pressed out, trying not to watch the smooth rising of Adelia's chest.
With each inhalation, the silk bodice brushed his rough leather jacket. The jacket gave a bonus to defense but was useless against the too-inviting feminine gaze. Jack was somewhat taken aback, which happened very rarely. Good thing was that the little function window for mutual consent to sexual contact, which players commonly called the "bang-claim", wasn't blinking in front of him.
In the Alterra, there is absolute freedom of mores. Players, regardless of gender, could act out whatever their fancy the bodies of others. They just had to put a check mark in the appropriate menu. But Adelia wasn't a player. Her role was probably passive. Jack would have to submit the "bang-claim".
"Very long, sir," Adelia breathed. "Your grace is very pious!"
"Let's go," Jack almost begged, "show me to the drawing room. If you've been waiting a long time, then your master is probably gnawing at the bit and stamping his hooves in impatience."
Adelia rewarded him with a smile, turning and gliding down the corridor, swinging her hips in such a way that Jack would have broken out into a sweat, had the game had such a function.
Sartorius and Eloise were sitting in the drawing room, the book lying on a table in front of the girl, and both looked incredibly unhappy. When he entered, both fixed their gazes on him.
But he couldn't help being struck again by the strange appearance of the little necromancer. Her matte white skin, reminding him of porcelain, and her thinness was particularly noticeable in contrast with the beautiful housekeeper.
"Ah! Jack the Tramp!” exclaimed the mage. "Adelia, go... go into the kitchen! Find something to do there. Jack, well, shall we read?"
"The book is mine!" reminded Eloise. "Buy it first. You gave your word!"
She looked intently at Jack. Yeah, yeah, she had been insisting for days that she had to talk with him. There was a mystery here, too, but he couldn't escape the conversation. First, he needed to clarify his relationship with the mage. There was some uncertainty about who had rights to the book. It was necessary for Jack to continue the Service to the Dark line, but at the moment, it belonged to the necromancer. And she, in turn, wasn't interested in the Corrupted Book but wanted to sell it for two thousand gold.
Adelia gently flicked her lashes, turned slowly, deliberately, and walked out of the drawing room.
"And the Tear of Azeroth is mine," Jack put in, his gaze on the beautiful housekeeper. "I'm also eager to read it because it's a part of my quest. Well, let's clear up the situation. With me, everything's simple – I’ve got the quest. But what's your interest in the Corrupted Book? Sartorius, Eloise?"
"I just needed money," the porcelain girl muttered gruffly. "For you, incidentally. I was looking for a Walker. Experienced, honest, someone I could trust. I asked everyone I could. They all gave me your name. They all said: Jack is the most reliable. I want to hire you for two thousand. Or five hundred panbucks, whichever you want. I came to an agreement with this mage about selling the Corrupted Book. And he owes me two thousand gold. You hear me, Sartorius? Give me my money."
"Two thousand? For me?" Jack asked, surprised. "What's it for?"
"For the job of a Walker," Eloise shrugged her lean shoulders. "I'll tell you as soon as he pays me what he promised."
"Sartorius?" Jack turned to the mage.
"Now it's your turn. What's your interest in this story?"
"This will take some time," the alpha replied nervously, glancing at the book.
"No matter, I'm ready. Although I haven't slept in almost a day, but I want some clarity. Let's figure this out. The book isn't going anywhere."
"Yes, but its owner might organize something nasty for us," the mage retorted. "It would be best to read it as soon as possible, while we still have it."
"And what might happen to it?"
"What, do you not get it? Eloise stole it! Ruger is now hunting for the Corrupted Book! He is absolutely furious! He will turn the whole of Alterra upside down to get it back. Of course, I hope that we're safe in Maxitor, but Ruger has many resources."
"Ruger, he's the other necromancer," Jack realized. "So what? You're an alpha – what can he do to you? Buy the book, and let's move on. We'll go slowly, gradually, step by step."
"Ruger Eckerhart is also an alpha-citizen," sighed Sartorius, "and believe me, he's much stronger than me. Stronger in all respects. In reality, too. It's dangerous to go up against people like him."
"A necromancer is an alpha?" Jack asked, surprised. "I figured the community was made up of all rejects, outcasts, and, generally, the burnt-out freaks. Those who just can't live normally or raise XP in a normal way."
"There are those kinds. But Ruger is a big wig in New Atrium. So big, that he doesn't give a damn about decency. He plays what he wants."
"That's right," Eloise uttered a sigh. "He doesn't care about decency, that much is true. It’s more important for him to get pleasure."
Jack only shook his head. This news changed his understanding of the game, and about the alpha-citizens, too. He'd need time to digest this.
"All right," he decided, "we're wasting time discussing Ruger. Sartorius, just tell us what your interest is in demon artifacts and we'll decide how to proceed."
"And why should I confide in you? Spill my secrets?"