by E. M. Hardy
Alben looked at his subordinates. They exchanged glances and it seemed like they understood each other without a single word being spoken. It was a little unsettling, but I knew they had plans already in the works long before we ever arrived. Maybe this was a good time to put one of those plans in action.
The Lord Commander opened a drawer within the desk he sat behind and pulled out a few sheets of paper. He flipped through them until he found the one he was looking for and then handed it out to me.
It was an order to rescue someone by the name of Ohren who was going to be publicly executed in the next few days.
“Wait, what?” Elia was shocked to read it. “Why stop a public execution? This is an NPC, right? Who cares about the life of an NPC?”
“You see, unlike player characters, NPCs don’t re-spawn when they die. They’re gone permanently and the game just replaces them with someone new. This particular NPC we want saved possesses information regarding the whereabouts of an Ascendants’ headquarters and their ambush sites. We suspect that someone in the city authorities, maybe the captain of the guards, is a member of the Ascendants infiltrating the system. He is the one responsible for apprehending this Ohren and now wants him dead to silence him permanently.”
I was finding all of this a little too much and way over my head. “Hold on, you mean to say a member of the Ascendants is a spy working in the Cael’vron government, like a sheriff or something?”
The Lord Commander nodded.
“I thought players just went on quests and stuff like that,” I said. “Now it’s getting harder and harder to tell who’s an NPC and who’s a player. You guys are all running around working as government spies, skyship captains and mercenary lord commanders.”
“That’s the beauty of Vatenkeist Online,” Null told us. “In here, in this game, you can become anyone you want, and those with power can influence how the economy and world of this game function. You can be just another player taking quests from NPCs or you can be in charge, working behind the curtains, manipulating how the world history flows.”
I had to step back from there. I didn’t want to get too involved with this. None of this was real to begin with. This wasn’t the real world! There was a chance I could get too drawn into this and forget about the real life I had out there.
Jason may have felt this strong tug to the game. Maybe he got too invested in this universe and its intricacies. Perhaps it was because of his fondness for the things happening in here that he allowed these Ascendants to bully him that way.
“This works in our favor,” I said. “We have something personal against the Ascendants too, so if this mission will help in the fight against them then I’m all for it.”
“So am I,” Elia confirmed. “When is this execution scheduled?”
“Three days from now, in-game time,” Alben answered. “That’s roughly about four hours in the real world. If you guys need to rest, level up or whatever, do it now because the clock is ticking. Sign this as well.”
He pulled out a big book filled with log sheets. He turned to the most recent page and scribbled down the job he had tasked us with and then handed the quill to me. “Sign here, the both of you.”
I made up a signature for my alias of Fhauste right there. Elia then took the quill, dipped it into some ink first, and signed as well. As soon as we were finished, a glyph of a silver coin and sword etched onto our palms.
“That’s the sign of the Silver Blades,” Alben explained. “It means you’re under contract for a job. The glyph will only disappear once you’ve accomplished the job or when the mission has failed.”
Elia turned to me. “Let’s get a divination first and scout the area of the execution. If we’re going to do this, we better do it right and do some research first.”
“Totally,” I said. “We’ll need to learn how it’ll be done, where and when it will take place, and what our options are in regards to our escape route and course of action.”
Null applauded. “Very good. You two look like promising recruits already. You’re a little mundane, though, judging from your gear. We’ll hook you up if you guys finish this task.”
I nodded back and waved farewell. I didn’t want to waste my breath and time with little chit-chat. When we walked out of the building, the smog was even thicker and it was hard to read the signs of buildings just across the street.
After roaming around – and trying, but barely succeeding in memorizing the layout of town –, we eventually located the temple of the Dawn Lord. However, upon paying the priestess there for a divination, we were shocked to find we were still a long ways from leveling up.
“You currently have 1,872 EXP out of the required 2,700 EXP to level up,” the priestess told Elia. She turned to me next. “You currently have 2,370 EXP out of the required 2,700 EXP to level up.”
“Wow, that’s still a lot of points to make,” Elia noted. “You got a nice little boost with that quest you took back in Strovport.”
Speaking of quests, I wondered what it would take to complete the one given to us by Lord Commander Vahn Alben. Curious, I flipped open my menu and checked my journal entries.
“Damn it, I was hoping for more information. Well, I guess we’ve got nothing else to do but prepare and do our homework. I’m going to the tavern to see what gossip I can pick up there.”
“I’ll go and grill some of the guards,” Elia replied. “I’m sure one of them will spill the beans regarding some details about the execution.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said. “I’ll see you tonight then. Let’s meet up in front of the Silver Blades office.”
Elia gave me a wink and walked away. Within mere seconds, her figure had vanished into the smog. I heard her cough from the thickness of dirt in the air, but soon she was completely gone.
I turned the other way and walked down the street, carefully observing the door signs until I eventually found a tavern called The Drunken Stallion.
Chapter Eighteen
This was far from the prestigious establishment that the Muddy Princess was. The Drunken Stallion sounded like a piece of trash name and it looked like one too. The building was heavily leaning to one side, like the tower of Pisa. The floor consisted in a field of mud, and the tables and chairs all looked like they were going to crack due to the cold or flare up in flames from the charcoal in the air. Oddly enough, there were at least two dozen patrons.
When I headed to the main bar counter, I discovered the barkeep was a slender, female Venaris with dark maroon horns and silver hair. She had this really kinky grin on her face when she saw me approaching.
“Hello there, handsome,” she greeted with a purr. I watched as her tail slowly moved around behind her. “My name’s Sweetness, what’s yours?”
I took a seat on one of the counter stools. “Fhauste. How much for a drink?”
“You want some ale for four copper coins or you want something better?” she asked. “I have some rum here and red wine, but they each cost a pretty twelve silver coins.”
“I’ll take the wine,” I said, as I reached into my pouch and paid her a gold coin and two silver coins. She pocketed the money with a smile and reached down for a nice purple bottle. It looked as expensive as it should be, so I presumed she wasn’t scamming me too much. As she poured me a glass, I said, “Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did,” she said, sarcastically, “but I’ll let you ask another.”
I grabbed the drink and sipped on it. It was freaking delicious, but the punch was so sudden and heavy on the chest. “I just got here and heard about an execution taking place soon. Have you heard of it?”
“That’s right,” she answered, and she leaned her elbows down on the counter and stared back at me. “Some accountant was caught aiding bandits bring in banned alchemy supplies into the city. I heard they’re going to hang him in the plaza.”
“When?” I asked. “And where’s this plaza? It’s so hard to go arou
nd this city. The fog is so thick, and it’s heavy with charcoal and other crap.”
She laughed. “This whole city smells like crap, no? Why are you so interested in this accountant? You know him?”
It was a little irritating how she was already catching on. Maybe I was a little too forward with my questions? In the real world, I had the luxury of being upfront. If I didn’t get straight answers, I could still use my fists to beat them out of people. Here, in the game, that logic might not work out so well for me.
“No, not personally,” I said. “It’s just that one of the people he conducted business with was a trading partner of mine and it looked like we both got duped. I want to visit this Ohren and settle my transactions before they squeeze the life out of him.”
Sweetness sneered. “It seems a lot of people want to settle their transactions with him, so you’ll have to fall in line. You better hurry too – the execution is in three days, early morning. The plaza is at the southwestern tip of town. I know, not the center, but that’s how messed up this town is.”
“If the plaza is down south, where’s the castle of the Grand Duke?” I asked. This time, it was an innocent question. I really did just want to know where it stood.
“You got business with the Grand Duke or with his son? I see you’ve got the Grahm royal pin there, so you must be somewhat trustworthy, right? It’s to the far north. Go as north as you can until you can go no further. The castle’s there. You want another drink?”
“I’m a little out of money,” I told her. I reached into my coin pouch and noticed I only had 1 gold piece left and some silver. Easy come, easy go. “But I guess I can spare enough for one more. Sure, hit me with another glass of wine.”
She filled my glass and accepted my payment. “You’re that kid who helped the Obelisk Gallant, aren’t you? You seem to fit the description flying about with the gossip.”
“I am,” I answered, unabashed about the truth. “I didn’t fight alone, just so you know. I had allies working with me.”
“That still doesn’t diminish the story, sweetheart,” she told me with a naughty little wink. “I think you’re a real hero. Next time you come by, I’ll give you another drink on the house… unless you want it now.”
I shook my head. “I have to go, actually. I’ll take you up on that drink when I come back.”
She waved goodbye. “I’ll be waiting, handsome.”
Hearing her soft, sultry voice was invigorating yet meaningless. She wasn’t real. I just smiled to myself and walked back out of the tavern. I made my way back to the Silver Blades office and waited for Elia to return.
Fortunately enough, I didn’t have to wait long. She arrived within an hour while I was busy watching a few guys at a street table playing something akin to chess. Some of the other folks loitering around were placing bets, but I didn’t have the money or proper understanding of the game to join them.
“Hey, you got a minute?” Elia asked, as she tugged me by the arm. She pointed to an empty bench close-by, right in front of a bakery just besides the Silver Blades building.
I bought us some bread and we munched down as we sat down.
“I found out he’s going to be executed early in the morning and at the central plaza,” I told her. “The plaza isn’t really in the center of town though – it’s down southwest.”
Elia liked what she heard and she too had something to report, “I got to speak with a couple of guards. Apparently the rumor’s true: the captain of the Cael’vron guards, a dwarf named Dalton, is in league with the Ascendants. They say he doesn’t even hide it and he just made up some BS reason to apprehend Ohren when the truth is he just wants Ohren dead so he can’t rat out information.”
“Did they say anything about their rotations or plans for the execution?”
“Yeah, they did actually. Apparently, the place is going to be heavily guarded because the Grand Duke is going to attend the execution, along with his wife and son.”
“Ritorio,” I said, thinking about the peculiar young fellow. “Let’s go check the plaza out and plan a strategy there. Maybe I can find a nice place to perch and snipe away.”
“Good idea, and I would focus on rushing in to pick up Ohren and run the heck out of there,” Elia said. “We’ll need to devise a good escape route. I bought us a map, so this could work in our favor now that I have a vague idea of where the guards will be posted.”
I was hoping the smog would do the job for us, but she was right. We got on our way, carefully weaving through the crowd and smog, until we found ourselves going down the main street that led us back to the Griffin Fountain. From there, it was a long downhill walk.
The plaza was a lot bigger than I had pictured in my mind; it was in fact huge enough to fit the entire Cirque du Soleil. The center was a big circular grass park and the buildings around it were small but recognizable with their wavy roofs. There was a temple of a deity wielding a sword and whip, a tower with a sign that said it was a library of sorts, a three-story inn and tavern called the Seven Maidens, and finally a bank called the Golden Dragon Trading Bazaar and Bank.
“This is not going to be easy,” Elia immediately remarked when she saw how open and large the area was. “With so many bystanders and guards, I might not even get ten feet from our target before someone stops me. Then they’ll execute Ohren and me.”
“You’re right.” I pointed to the tower. “I was thinking I could get a good spot up there to snipe away, but that wouldn’t be of much help. I should be down here with you.”
“I believe we’re approaching this whole thing the wrong way,” Elia said, and it looked like she had a good idea in mind. “We’re assuming that we have to kidnap him while the execution ceremony is going on. Maybe we should try something else.”
“Like what? Breaking him out of prison? That’ll never happen. We aren’t equipped well enough to pull that off.”
She pouted. “It depends. Could you steal a few barrels of rum?”
“What?”
“Could you steal a few barrels of rum?” she repeated the question.
I thought of Sweetness. Damn it, this might mean getting on the Venaris’ bad side. “I know a place I can get a few. I’ll see if I can borrow before I have to steal though. Why? What do you have in mind?”
“I’m going to bash one of those guards tonight, steal his armor and pretend to be him tomorrow,” she explained. “For the rest, I think you can put two and two together.”
“We still need an escape route,” I told her. “Almost all of the roads will probably be blocked. And we can’t take Ohren up to the roofs safely.”
Elia thought about it for a bit and we studied her map. There were a few alleyways here and there, but most of them eventually led back to the river or a dead-end. Well, all of them except for the main road, and that one was reserved solely for—
“We’ll steal the Grand Duke’s carriage,” I suddenly figured out. “The guards will keep the main road open to make sure the Grand Duke and his family can leave at any time. We’ll take that chance and steal the carriage. The main road leads all the way north to the castle. We can ditch it on the way once the fog is thick enough to provide some cover.”
She loved the idea. “Sounds like a dastardly good plan, I like it. Let’s head over to the inn by the Griffin Fountain and rest up. I’m going to go out tonight to rob me some armor. What will you do?”
“I’m going to secure us our rum,” I answered. “For now though, let’s get some rest.”
***
Sweetness was not happy about my request.
“You want to take four barrels of my rum and blow them up?” she asked with a controlled fury in her tone. “Not only that but you want to take those barrels from me for free?”
Her tail was whipping back and forth. Some of the other patrons in her bar were beginning to glance our way and I feared I might start a tavern brawl if I didn’t manage my way through this conversation properly.
“Look, how about you write up a tab? I promise it’ll be paid,” I said, trying to reassure her.
“How will I get paid when you don’t have the money, handsome? You’re bargaining without chips,” she replied.
I then pointed at the pin. “Look, I swear that I will have the money. I’ll get it from either Ritorio Grahm or the Silver Blades. You can bill them too if you want, just as a guarantee.”
“And if I don’t get paid by the end of the week?” she was starting to sound really scary.
“If I don’t get any cash, I’ll literally give you everything I have. All my armor, gold, this magical Elven Longbow, and even my under clothes if you want them.”
She laughed and that’s when she finally conceded. She took out a log book, flipped through the pages, and she handed me a quill and a bottle of ink. “Four barrels of rum and a wagon to pull them in. You can pick them up tomorrow. Sign here first.”
I signed and, right away, a glyph formed on the back of my hand. I knew what this meant now. I was bound to fulfill my end of the deal. That was already a big risk – if we failed the mission to get Ohren, then that meant neither Ritorio nor the Silver Blades were going to pay me. I’d have to give up everything I owned.
Once my signature was in and the glyph complete, Sweetness gave me a smile and a wink. I ordered a mug of ale and spent the rest of my night drinking while waiting for Elia to return.
Chapter Nineteen
The next couple of days were the most hectic I’d ever been through. We spent our nights at the inn but, during the day, Elia and I were constantly working on perfecting our strategy. Everything had to go according to plan – everything had to work just right for us to succeed. Even the simplest mistake could send us back with our tails between our legs and a failed mission.
By the dawn of the third day, we were already up and in our places. Neither Elia nor I told Lord Vahn anything about our tactics. When he asked us for an update, I merely told him we had everything covered. The less anyone knew about our approach, the better.