by Andrew Novak
You receive +1 XP.
You have 42 XP. Earn 8 XP to unlock new skills.
"The book is finished. You didn't see anything?" he said to Sartorius and Eloise, just in case.
"You gained a level!" the girl announced with enthusiasm.
Jack noticed how her eyes shone and thought that, after the fight with the defenders, he could do anything and it would delight Lisa. Now, for example. After all, he'd done nothing special, just read the book. On the one hand, it was nice, of course, when people admired you. But now he would have to watch himself. He didn't want Lisa to be disappointed.
Sartorius just shook his head. No messages popped up for him.
"Okay," Jack nodded, "then listen." And he read what had come up for him. "I know where the demon capital is. Except the portal that leads there, I mean the typical game portal, belongs to the Brotherhood of Gravediggers. They don't permit strangers. And, I have a bit of a war going on with them, in which everyone does what they are able. I kill the Gravediggers, and they get aggravated. Both sides are not that bad at what they do."
"So what can we do?" the mage worried. "I have some idea where Azeroth's capital is. But I've never been to those parts. And there's these Gravediggers..."
"We'll get there without portals, on our own," Jack offered. "Along the way, our Master needs to gain two more XP points to be eligible for the sea vessel. If we can't level you on the road, then you'll get the missing experience from kicking out competitors out of the black city. Basically, prepare your combat spells, Sartorius."
Jack tried to speak confidently to inspire enthusiasm in the Master but was apparently not very successful. Sartorius was obviously afraid of the upcoming battle.
"Where is this city?" Eloise asked.
"At the southern edge of the Fasheer marshes. Listen, Sartorius, if you don't like my idea of raising your XP by killing Gravediggers, then the marshes themselves will be at your disposal. There's plenty of vermin there. Take out a dozen monsters and the remaining points are in the bag. The Great Mysteries of Alterra won't be given up without a struggle, so we won't be able to avoid a good, bloody, large-scale fight."
"But experience can also be taken because of death," the alpha noted.
"We'll protect you," Eloise assured him. "And if you die, I'll raise you. I'm a necromancer, after all. Except we have another problem. You only play in the evenings and it's not enough. A large, multi-day quest requires constant presence. The road from Maxitown to the Fasheer marshes will take several days."
"Yes, that's right," Sartorius rubbed his forehead thoughtfully. "Well, I'll settle matters in New Atrium so that, after tomorrow, I can stay in the game for at least an entire day. That's some time, at least. Oh, and something else occurred to me. I just looked at the map. We can get there by river. The northern fork of the Chand runs right to Fasheer. I'll hire or buy a river boat, and we'll head out by water. My level is already high enough for a flat-bottomed river barge."
"If you're hoping that you'll be given the missing experience points for mastery of maritime skills and it will end at that, then it's a waste!" Eloise commented tartly. "We will still have to fight our way through the demon city."
"I have nothing to fear from a fight if you, my Officer, are such a great warrior," snapped Sartorius. "I just want to learn how to manage the ship. It will probably be easier on the river."
Jack lifted a brow. Lisa talked back so easily to the alpha... Granted, it was just a game, but who was she, and who was Sartorius? He was an alpha, a person from New Atrium! On the other hand, she was used to dealing with Ruger, and the necromancer had a higher position than Sartorius.
"It's decided, then," he hurried to make a decision. There wasn't enough here for the guild to begin quarreling. "Tomorrow we pull anchor?"
"Not so fast," the alpha corrected. "Tomorrow I'll try to start logging into the game for a longer period. Then we'll need to think everything through in detail. Stock up on everything that we'll need. And only then, when we're ready... Although, to be honest, I'm more interested in the ship Bacchus built. If only we could go there right away."
"You can reach the ship directly from the demon capital, through that strange Necroportal mentioned in the Corrupted Book. Does one of you know how to deal with it?"
"Necromantic magic is based on demonic magic, or rather, originates from it," Sartorius commented. "Maybe Eloise knows what it is?"
"I need to see what it looks like first. I doubt that it's much different than what Ruger set up. I'll figure it out!"
"And you still need 50 experience points," Jack looked at the Alpha, "otherwise, you won't be able to go out into the open sea. Come on, Sartorius, look happier! You're on the right track and the goal is finally looming on the horizon."
When Jack logged out of Alterra and removed the virt-headset, it turned out that while playing, he and Lisa had managed to move to the bed, their bodies intertwined, and the girl had settled her shaggy head right under Jack's nose. Lisa lifted her head, and Jack felt her breath on his lips.
"You won't leave me?" she asked quietly. "Please, don't ever leave me."
Tangled in the hands and feet of the other, they took off the sensor gloves and hastily kicked aside the tangle of cords coming from the consoles. Jack pulled his shirt over his head, heard Lisa's boots hit the floor... and in the end, it turned out that his bed was too narrow for two bodies, but only if they were lying side by side. That aside, it was wholly possible to arrange it. The important thing was to choose the right position.
The first thing Jack felt when he woke up was another's breath tickling his ear. His usual impulse was to grab a knife, but he immediately remembered himself. This wasn't the Blighted Wasteland. He had probably twitched, though, because Lisa opened her eyes, sat up, turned away and quickly pulled on his shirt.
Then smiled shakily and said:
"Honestly, I've had the thought a couple of times, that something was wrong with me. Since Ruger never sent me the "bang-claim"... but it was because he's crazy, right? It's because of him and not me?"
"Crazy or not, he chose you for a reason," Jack pulled the girl toward himself and smoothed her disheveled hair. "You are definitely not like others. You're too good for this world. Let's go to Alterra?"
Lisa, thoroughly embarrassed, asked if he had anything to eat. Jack, as befitting a veteran vagrant, kept a small supply around the house, just in case. The finished their breakfast fast, and both reached for the console.
Sartorius wasn't in the Stargazer's Tower, and the doorman Malvey led them to the exit. It appeared that he had received new instructions because, in parting, he gave a ceremonious bow.
The housekeeper was again a frozen, motionless statue in the corridor. It was immediately evident that Sartorius had decided to focus on the upcoming quest and had removed all unnecessary things from his life.
It was noon in Maxitown. The huge clock on the Tower of the Royal Palace had just chimed twelve times. The clock, adorned with mechanical figures, was one of the landmarks of the kingdom's capital. The figures moved into action at noon. Jack and Eloise went to watch them turn on their pedestals.
A decent crowd had gathered in the palace square. The royal herald read out a new decree by His Majesty written on parchment decorated with a dozen multicolored seals.
"...so as to repel the evil necromancers encroaching on our kingdom, we are sending our army to the border! All good knights and courageous warriors, just preparing to take their dedication, should join the army. Men of courage, those who attain glory on the battlefield will receive a reward!"
"Oh, someone's writing me in private chat," Lisa said. "It's Egghead."
"You know him?"
"He sent me to Sartorius. I came to him for advice because he sells information, and I..."
"Yeah, I know," Jack interrupted her. "I also found Sartorius with his help. A useful guy, but he cares too much about his bottom line. What's he writing?"
"Uhhhh..." Lisa just groaned instead
of answering. "I'd better copy you in chat. Here it is."
Heard the news? Ruger Eckerhart is at the head of an army invading the western region of Maxitor and ravaging everything in his path. He's declared that the war would end once he was given the traitor by the name of Eloise. He's also promising a reward of one thousand gold to whoever brings her to him. Several people have already come to me looking for you.
"Ask what he needs," Jack seized Eloise below the elbow and pulled her away from the crowd, where anyone could read her name in her stats. "Copy the answer to me again."
I, of course, won't give you up to the necromancer myself, wrote Egghead, but my reputation demands that I should know what no one else does. Where to find the traitor Eloise, for example. So, silence is costing me too much. I'm losing not only the one thousand Ruger promised, but the respect of my clients, which is much more valuable. I'm obligated to know things, but I’ve been answering that I don't. In other words, my silence can be bought. Information in exchange for information. What did you sell to Sartorius and what purpose does it serve? And, for three days, I will not tell anyone that you're hiding in the Stargazer's Tower.
"What should I answer him?" Lisa asked anxiously.
"The truth, of course. It's best not to fall out with Egghead. You never know when you'll need to buy information from him."
"He's slimy," the girl said. "I came to him as a person, and he..."
She pulled her peasant hat tighter on her head as if it could hide the name in her stats.
"He's not slimy, just practical," Jack corrected. "A slimeball would have simply turned you in to the necromancer for a thousand gold. Write him that you sold the Corrupted Book of Bacchus, which is needed in the quest from... Who gave that quest to Ruger? Dark Necta?"
"I don't know. I usually stayed in the castle while he was playing. So I don't know where he found the quest."
"And write that you don't know exactly, but the book acts as an intermediary goal in a special, limited dark quest. Do you know what a ‘special, limited’ quest is? Though Egghead will surely know."
"I'm not a fool," Eloise snapped defiantly. "For the record, when Ruger was flapping his yap with his buddies, I understood almost everything!"
"So write as I say. If that's not enough for him, it could shorten his silence from three days to two. Or even just twenty-four hours. That'll be enough of a head start if we get out of Maxitown right now. Let's go! Oh, and tell Egghead that you're willing to pay a thousand gold to anyone who captures the necromancer Ruger and locks him away in the royal prison. Yep, get used to it. Now you won't be just a willing victim in everybody's eyes."
"Sounds nice, but..."
"No 'buts'! We have a large objective before us – the trip to Gaerthon. And we'll follow this road, blazing through all obstacles. So right now, blazing through everything in our way, we are bravely and boldly running away from Maxitown. And we're doing it very quickly."
Chapter Eleven. The Necromancer's War
THE STREETS leading to the city gates were swarming with people. Who wasn't here! Knights in full armor, riding on war mounts, Hunters in green jackets, Rogues in fine doublets, and mages of various specializations. Anyone who could take part in the fighting was hurrying to join the royal army.
When the King of Maxitor sent his army against the raiders, there was no doubt that they would be victorious. So the players were rushing to participate in the quest, get loot, and, perhaps, experience points.
Jack and Eloise didn't dare to mingle with the crowd. The girl's exotic appearance invariably aroused interest and someone might read her stats out of curiosity. Popularity was very dangerous for Eloise right now.
So they waited a long time in the dark backstreets and made their way through the side alleys. Then they had to spend about half an hour hanging around in a shack not too far from the gates while they waited for an opportune moment. Several knights, high-level players, were staging a row on who would give way first. One thing led to another, the bickering turned into a serious free-for-all with players trying to challenge each other to a duel, which could only take place outside the gates in the PvP zone. But, once again, to get there, someone would have to allow their opponent to pass. A crowd of onlookers had gathered and were exchanging jokes at the expense of the excessively proud knights, a few of which had already placed bets on the future winner. These kinds of scenes routinely accompanied multi-player quests, like the war with the necromancers. It served as additional entertainment for the campaign participants.
While everyone was watching the argument, Jack and Eloise elbowed their way through the crowd and made their way out through the gates. Looking around, the girl whispered,
"Look, over there. That character in red is staring at me."
Jack snuck a glance. Yes, a player in a red vest and armed with a pair of daggers was following Eloise with an attentive gaze.
Outside the gate was more open, but there was nowhere to hide on the road. They had to climb into the brush. They hid in the bushes for a couple of minutes, waiting for the suspicious character with daggers to appear. But once outside the gate, he went along the road with the rest of the crowd. However, Jack didn't like how he looked around, gazing too closely at passers-by. Soon the player shuffled off, quickly picked up a decent pace and soon disappeared.
Jack tried to call Sartorius up in chat, since he needed to inform him that the Stargazer guild had already begun the campaign. After all, the Master should know about such things. But the mage didn't respond. He wasn't in the game.
"It would be wiser to get outside the kingdom. It'll reduce the danger that someone will try to make a thousand gold off of you," Jack reasoned. "But then we won't be able to communicate with Sartorius in chat. We can create a chat only if the player were nearby, within 10 in-game miles. And it's not too nice, running away without warning him. No, we can't leave Maxitown. Not before we finalize the next steps with our Master, at any rate. So, we're going to need a 'wipe'."
A "wipe" was what people called the spell that temporarily hid a player's stats. Neither Jack nor Eloise had one with them, as they were expensive, and neither of them had had a reason to hide their names until now. They could buy scrolls at a magic shop, but those kinds of institutions were located in fairly large settlements. Jack consulted his map and took Eloise to the nearest town.
They made their way through the forest and didn't go out onto the road. Along the way, Jack explained his plan to Eloise: she would hide somewhere nearby or leave the game entirely for a time. In the meantime, he would go into the town and buy the scrolls they needed. This way, they would stay close enough to the capital city to connect with Sartorius through chat this evening, when he finally entered Alterra.
The nearest town was called Feanot and, judging by the symbols on the map, it was large enough to hold a shop that sold magical scrolls. Lisa refused to exit the game and stayed in a grove, the edges of which could be seen from the gates. Jack went into the town. He went onto the road that the troops had just traveled, hurrying to join the army. Looking at their stats, the men were all from the same guild, Glory Seekers, about three dozen players. Jack entered Feanot together with them. Warriors were a dime a dozen there, even without the Seekers. Passing through the square, Jack heard snatches of conversations:
"... a very large squad. No, this isn't a simple raid."
"That's right! Eckerhart is worked up about something today. And he has several other necromancers with him, level fifty or higher."
“That's good, means we'll have some fun. The royal army is still stronger. They'll beat the necromancers down and all we'll have to do is collect the drops."
Jack thought that, after the battle with the necromancers, another little war would flare up between the players fighting for the spoils dropped from the dead. Then he noticed the weaponsmith's shop and remembered that, after the encounter in Dargoth, he was still carrying a bunch of junk around. He needed to get rid of the extra gear and refill his wallet.
He stopped into the shop of a live player. It was an animated, cheery Achaean, very talkative, fitting for a merchant.
Quinn Lyon, Achaean
Expertise: 26
Health: 35
Jack dumped his loot out on the counter in front of him. The pile turned out to be quite large. In real life, Jack would barely be able to move with a hoard of junk like this in his backpack, but the game allowed him to fill all the slots in his bag.
The merchant perked up and proceeded to root through the offered items. For a small town, they were good products, since the Gravediggers were a large, wealthy guild and provided their people with decent weapons.
"This isn't from the necromancers, by chance?" the Achaean inquired.
"No," Jack replied shortly. He wanted to finish his business quickly and get back to Eloise. "Just picked it up after different tasks."
"Aw, I was hoping for some news from the war."
"No, not from me. I don't do large battles. All this was just gathered piece by piece at different times. Got tired of carrying it around, and now I want to get rid of it. Will you buy everything wholesale?"
"Wholesale..." the merchant restrained his greed and made an incredulous face. Jack saw that he liked the product, and armor on the shelves in the shop was overall worse than the gear he was offering... but professional greed demanded that Quinn Lyon try to bring the price down. "After a day or two, there'll be a battle. My shop will be full of goods and the price will fall. I can't give much."
Jack was about to give up and settle for the low price, but he noticed that the merchant was stubbornly avoiding looking at the corner of the counter. His gaze searched all over the goods in front of him, but not the corner. As if he were afraid to draw Jack's attention to something specific. What did we have? A most ordinary set of throwing knives, a poleaxe, and a horseshoe.
Jack hadn't acquired any mounts and so he wasn't particularly interested in anything connected with them. So, he didn't thoroughly examine the horseshoe, though he should have. A question mark was flashing dimly above it. An item with undefined characteristics, that was it! A mage could evaluate this thing or reveal its properties using a "descrier", an artifact that helped determine the magical properties of enchanted items.