"How am I still alive? Simple. There was one place on earth no nuke was pointed at. Northern Siberia. A little hole in the wall place even North of Oymyakon. How did I know this?" He smiled and leaned forward. "Because I'm a hacker and that's what I was looking for. I recognized what was happening and before it grew too late, I painstakingly made my way there."
Then he dropped the bombshell on me.
"I'm the reason you're here."
As preposterous as it all sounded, I had a funny feeling he was right. My dreams could not be so easily dismissed.
"I know it's an awful lot to take in. Listen, Ivan, I'd be just as skeptical as you if I were in your shoes. But you have to believe me. You and I are humanity's only hope." He got up from his chair and paced back and forth. Finally, he stopped and turned to me.
"But you're of no use to me as weak and helpless as a small child. I need you to grow in levels. Gear up. Rank your spells, get stronger. We have much more to talk about, but for now get some rest. Ponder what I've told you. When you awake, we'll set off and help you level."
"We?" I arched my eyebrows.
He nodded. "You'll need all the help you can get. As I'm not a part of the game, I'll not share in any of the experience you get. But at all times, we need to be cautious, vigilant. The more I hack, the more the AI is drawn to our location. I'll help where I can, but it'll be with cold steel." He flashed a pair of daggers.
I nodded. I could use a bit of help. I had a million questions, but he was right, I was dog tired. A good, long rest would do me good.
He showed me into another room that housed a very luxurious bed. The instant my head hit the pillow, I was out. The dreams were back, but they weren't as frantic. I awoke hours later, a bit disoriented, but healed and refreshed.
I met up with Orge and together we traversed back up the sewers to the inn.
"What's on the agenda for today?" He asked, nimbly skipping around, his boyish grin belying his age.
I showed him my nearly empty quiver. "I've got a quest to bring some feathers, wood and stone to the local fletcher so he can teach me how to make my own."
Orge nodded and skipped ahead. He met one of the rat-men who were starting to respawn, whispered something in his ear and set them at ease.
"Those yours?" I asked, cocking my head.
"Yep." He nodded. "I snuck in here by pretending to be an NPC. But that grew boring. I want to see the rest of the game." Orge was no taller than 3 feet and barely looked old enough to drink a mug of ale. There was something mysterious about him that I couldn't quite put my finger on. But I found myself liking him more and more. Something about his demeanor set me at ease.
As we walked past, the rat-men bowed and chanted his name. It was actually quite amusing.
I climbed up through the opening I had entered through, into the inn. I was greeted by the big man himself, smiling and grinning broadly.
"I see you've been successful!" He clapped me on the back and thrust two silver in my hands. "Those bloody rats won't be bothering me anymore!"
Quest complete: Kill 10 rats
Experience gained: 100
New quest objective: none
"Thank you." I smiled. "I couldn't have done it without the help of my friend..." I turned to introduce Orge, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Your... friend?" Patch shook his head, concern on his face.
"Yeah, Orge. The half-elf...where did he go?" I looked all around for him, but he was nowhere to be found. I even peered back down in the sewers, but he wasn't there, either.
"You...uh...sure you're okay, buddy? Didn't take any nasty knocks to the noggin, did you?"
"No." I shook my head. "I guess he ran off." I wondered where he'd gotten off to. I could have sworn… "Oh, that reminds me. I need some kind of cart to haul lumber and stone in. Got a quest for it. Do you know anyone who has one for rent?"
Patch's eyes lit up. "Actually..." He scratched his beard. "I have one out back you can use for a silver. It's a bit rough around the edges, but as long as you don't overload it, she should be fine."
"Great! I'll take it." I handed him back one of the silver. "Oh and can I get some food and a canteen full of ale?"
"Sure, that one's on me. I just can't believe you took care of those rats!" He said, practically skipping to the kitchen.
I chuckled, but turned my thoughts back to what Orge had said. He mentioned something about us being humanity's only hope? If a nuclear holocaust had killed everyone, how could there possibly be any hope?
Before I could ponder the thought any longer, Patch came back with a sandwich and a canteen full of ale. "How much do I owe you for the canteen? Or is it a loaner?" I asked.
"No, no, my boy! It's all yours. You've done more for me and this great town than anyone I know. If I wasn't on such hard times, I'd let you stay here for free whenever you wanted."
I smiled and took swig of the tasty liquid. I scarfed down half the ham and cheese sandwich and saved the rest for later, then headed out to the cart in back.
I'd never pulled a cart before and suddenly wished I'd asked about a horse or oxen. But, this would have to do. Patch was right, something was wrong with one of the wheels, but nothing a good, swift kick couldn't solve.
Grabbing the cart and my tools, I set out to the edge of my explored map. I didn't want to go too far as it was going to be hard enough to bring it all back.
I started thinking back to what Orge was trying to tell me, when I heard a movement in the cart behind me.
"What the hell?" I turned and saw a large rodent scurrying around in the cart.
The rodent stood on its hind legs and squeaked at me. Then changed into the form of Orge.
"Oh, I didn't tell you, did I? I'm also a were-rat."
I was so stunned by this revelation that I nearly fell over. "A were-rat?"
"Yeah!" He hopped down. "A man's got to have a little fun now and then." He patted the cart. "Let's go."
As we walked to the edge of the forest, he explained a little more to me about what was happening and my role in it. According to him, hundreds and possibly thousands of souls got stuck between worlds. Their bodies were destroyed, their souls trapped in a digital, virtual...hell as he put it.
And apparently, I was in that limbo with all the others.
"I don't understand. What changed? Why am I here and no one else?"
He stopped and took a deep breath. "Because I saw that you were the best hope we had." He kicked a pebble. "Ivan, you were the first. But you're not going to be the last. This is why I need your help."
We continued walking, but this time in silence. I didn't know how I could help him.
When we got to the edge of the forest, I turned to him. "You're telling me that the reason there's no one else here is because they're all...trapped? Like in the ether between real world and digital world?" I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around it.
He nodded and handed me my axe. "Yes, but it's worse than that. This AI...it's literally devouring these digital souls and...how shall I say it...becoming stronger. That's why we must save them."
I grabbed the axe and took a large swing at the tree. I really had no idea what I was doing. The strike jarred my body. I felt like I was cutting into steel.
"Here, let me show you how to do it properly." Orge took the axe from my hand and began chopping down the mighty tree like it was nothing. I studied him and watched how he held the axe, how he swung it and how he cut into the tree at an angle.
"Now you try."
In awe at his prowess, I took the blade from him and began chopping exactly as he showed me. A few adjustments later, I was doing much better. My teeth weren't chattering with every hit, anyway.
We talked a bit here and there as I slowly worked the tree down to the point it could be tipped over.
"Timber!" Orge yelled to the empty forest. He looked at me sheepishly. "Sorry, I've always wanted to say that."
The tree crashed loudly to the ground, sending bits of debris and leaves e
verywhere. We took turns cutting it up into small enough logs that it could be transported in the cart.
"How much did he want, anyway?" Orge eyed all the wood we'd chopped.
"A cord. I honestly don't know how much that is. I figure I'd just bring him an entire tree. Maybe he'll leave me the rest."
Orge shrugged.
When we were finished chopping up the tree, I sat on the stump and polished off the rest of the sandwich, chasing it down with the ale Patch gave me.
"One thing I don't understand," I furrowed my brows. "You're the hacker, right? How am I supposed to help you release these trapped people?"
Orge smiled. "You remember picking up a black stone?"
I nodded and fished it out of my pack. "This one?"
"Yes. It's a portal stone." He lowered his voice. "I'll flag a soul to be ported and you'll use the stone to bring them to you."
I nodded, turning the stone around in my hand, examining it intensely.
"I see. Why can't we just release them all at once?"
Orge frowned. "Too risky. Even the slightest disturbance will alert the AI to our presence. We must let the heat dissipate before bringing more."
We loaded up the cart as much as we could. The sun was nearing its zenith and we still had to gather the stone. Pulling the loaded cart was a much tougher task and I had to take frequent rest breaks.
The journey took about three hours and by the time I had dropped everything off, I was beat. But I needed the arrows. 6 arrows wouldn't kill very many things. I still needed to gather the feathers, too.
We rested at the inn for an hour. I had a free night from the quest, so I wasn't worried about that. But then I'd need to start paying. Or find a plot of land and start building my own place.
Inside the city limits, Orge shifted into a large rat and hid in my pack. He explained that if he was seen by too many NPCs it could cause heat to build.
I ate a good meal and chased it down with some cold ale. I threw Orge some meat which he ate gratefully.
Before fatigue could settle in, we grabbed the cart and set back out to find some stone. After a bit of searching, we found a decent-sized pile of rocks. Orge loaded them in while I used the pick-axe to break them off.
It was good having a helper. Now I didn't have to constantly guard my back all the time. We talked, he told me tales of his past. I asked him why I could scarcely remember mine and he explained that since my body was gone, so too were my memories.
That thought made me quite sad. But I was making new memories here in this new digital world. But to know that I'd never see my parents or friends again? I won't say that didn't hurt.
The rock-breaking was a bit easier - though not easier on my back or shoulders, I was going to be a sore mess in the morning. Soon enough we were finished.
Now I just needed to hunt some gulls and we'd be all set.
Stalking up and down the coast, I plunked arrow after arrow into the large birds, making sure to not lose them. I managed to take down 50 or so while only losing 1 arrow. At this point, arrows were a rare resource. Soon enough I had everything I needed and we hauled the heavy load back to the fletcher's.
Our trip was briefly interrupted when a cart wheel began wobbling and threatened to fall off. It was a bit tough to fix, but we got it going.
Clouds began to roll in just as the sun was setting and if I had learned anything in my brief time here, clouds = rain. I was right. Within fifteen minutes of the first, wispy cloud appearing, the sky had darkened and pelting rain was slashing down upon our bodies.
I pulled my cloak close, but the rest of my skin was exposed. After the arrows, I vowed I was going to upgrade my clothes. I was getting sick of running around in tatters.
We finally made it to the city gates by nightfall. The rain had long since let up and it was just a light, pleasant sprinkle. I was soaked to the bone and chilled. Hopefully, Patch had a roaring fire going.
He did. Him and I sat around it eating and drinking and telling tales. Once I'd dried off, I headed up to bed for an early retirement. I wanted to get a head start on tomorrow's activities. I was going to turn in all these quest materials and learn how to make my own arrows. A bit of a pain now, but it would likely save me hundreds of silver in the long run.
Morning came without much fanfare. I ate a quick meal and showed up on the fletcher's doorstep the moment he opened. I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible as I had some more quests and dungeon crawling I wanted to do. I also needed to pick up my salted fish from the Dwarf. He might even have another quest or 3 for me.
"Welcome, Ivanhoe! Ready to learn how to craft your own arrows?"
I nodded. "Here's the 5 silver." That left me with 2 gp, 15 sp and 37 cp. I wasn't rich by any stretch of the imagination, but I also wasn't broke, either. I never wanted to get that low on funds again.
"Thank you!" He pushed his glasses up on his nose.
Quest complete: Crafting arrows I
Experience gained: 500
New quest objective: none
Reward: 100 arrows
Ding! You are now level 4.
Nice, I'd gained a level. I now had 3355/6400 xp. It was going to start getting more difficult to level, but hopefully the quests and mobs would provide more to make up for it.
It took the better part of the afternoon, but John taught me everything I needed to know about making my own arrows. How each wood type was better or worse. How to attach the feathers for optimal flight and stability. How to whittle and fasten the stone into deadly points.
The whole thing was both exhausting and exhilarating. But by the time we were finished, I could make an arrow in less than 5 min. It was actually enjoyable.
"Something I've been meaning to ask you about." I said once we were all through with the lesson.
"Hmm?"
"I've quickly discovered that bows are terrible for close-range fighting."
He laughed and nodded his head. "That they are. That they are."
"What would you recommend? I don't fancy myself strapping a sword on."
He thought about that for a minute. "Wait right here."
I studied some of the bows on the wall. Maybe soon I could learn how to make my own bows, too. Some of them, especially the higher-end ones, looked terrifyingly sinister.
In short order, he popped back out, carrying a wicked-looking dagger. He held it up with a gleam in his eye.
"Whoa!" I said, backing up. "That looks like something a rogue would carry around."
He nodded. "And it's exactly what you should be using. It's used. But in excellent shape."
I took the dagger from the fletcher's hands and studied it. I turned it this way and that, it was so shiny that I could see my own reflection in it. I needed a shave. I lightly ran my fingers along the curve of the blade and saw that it was, indeed, extremely sharp. Hell, I could probably use this to shave with.
But what really excited me about it was how it felt in my hands. It seemed well-balanced, yet light. Like a kitchen knife that I could use to cut up vegetables. The edges were serrated and I knew at once that I would enjoy using this dagger.
"I'll take it! How much are you asking for it?" I reached into my pack and grabbed the two gold pieces as I knew it would likely be at least that much, if not more.
John rubbed his chin thoughtfully, went behind the counter and did some calculations, then came back to me.
"Normally, I charge a hefty price for this. But for you...since you did kill that rabbit and all...how about two gold pieces?"
I smiled and pulled them out of my pocket. "Thank you! I really needed something like this. Does it have any magical properties?"
"Sadly, no." He shook his head. "When you've leveled up a bit, come back to me and I can tell you where a dungeon lies that likely has what you're looking for. Give it a few levels though." He handed me the sheath that went with it. "Here, I'll even throw this in for free."
He helped me strapped the sheath on my waist and I practice
d a bit pulling it out. By the time I left, I felt like a king.
Just before I walked out, I turned back and asked, "Oh, by the way. I've got a few gems I need to pawn off. Do you know where I can sell them?"
John's eyes lit up. "Oh, you want to talk to Ben. He's over on the other side of town."
"Okay, thanks!" The entire way across the small-town, I couldn't help but finger the dagger. According to the stats, it was a level five dagger that did 5-8 points of damage. What I liked about it though, was that on a crit, not only did it do double damage, but also because it was serrated it applied a bleeding dot on the mob.
God damn if I wasn't itching to try it out.
The walk to the other side of the town was quick and easy. It was a bit spooky that no one was out. With all the NPC's inside, it was almost like a ghost town. I didn't think this was what the devs had in mind when creating this place.
That got me to thinking about the other players that we were going to be pulling down into the world. I was eager to meet them and get them started on their own paths of leveling. Who were they? What classes would they choose? Maybe we could go dungeon diving sometime.
Before I knew it, I found myself standing in front of a nondescript door with a sign hanging down that read:
Ben's Gems and Trinkets
It was already dusk and I figured that a place like this would be open at this hour of the night. I turn the knob and stepped inside the gem dealer. It was a small, cozy place that looked more like someone's house than an actual shop.
I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but there were gems and trinkets of all kinds from the ornate to the gaudy. Shelves and shelves of gems – some cut, others not – filled the entire room. Pretty much every space was taken.
A bell above the door alerted the proprietor that I had entered and a moment later, a smallish, elderly man stepped out of the back room. He was wearing a nice business suit and had some type of weird necklace hanging from his neck.
"Ah! A customer. How may I help you?" He held out his hand in a friendly greeting. "The name's Ben."
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