Hell to Pay (Ascend Online Book 2)

by Luke Chmilenko

  Surprised by the woman’s choice, I remembered hesitating for a moment before I managed to push my reservations aside and follow the mystery woman inside.

  Fortunately for me, my delay didn’t cost me anything, as the tavern was completely empty and I was able to spot the woman, just as she was handing over the blacksmith’s key to a red-haired man. Unfortunately, my entry was obvious enough for her and the man to instantly spot me. I remembered the woman’s face reddening in embarrassment, contrasting with the man’s sudden smile.

  Before I could figure out exactly what I had just walked into, the man wordlessly kicked out a chair and beckoned me over. I remembered crossing the room and nervously taking the proffered seat, chancing a glance at the dark-haired woman, who refused to meet my eye, then back towards the smiling red-haired man. He said nothing for the longest time, staring intently at me before he posed a single question.

  “Are you interested in a challenge?”

  I still recalled my confused nod, and how the man’s smile had grown even wider. The man introduced himself as Fairfax Grimm, and the woman that I had followed as Molly. Then without another word, he returned the stolen key to the woman while he nodded his head towards me, then promptly got up and left.

  What followed after that proved to be some of the most trying and exciting days of my life.

  Fairfax put one challenge after another before Molly and me, the dark-haired woman eventually warming to my presence. Looking back at it now, it was clear that every challenge that Fairfax sent Molly and me on was designed to build off of the one before it and push us both to our limits.

  It took a special kind of player to want to experience the game as a criminal, and it was a path not easily recovered from should there be any second thoughts or doubts. For obvious reasons, the criminal life was much more difficult than the regular path that the majority of Adventurers chose, filled with even higher levels of violence, risk, and stress. The game wanted to be absolutely sure that we were cut out for a life of crime, and weed us out early if we weren’t.

  In short, playing as a criminal in Ascend Online was like playing the game on Hard Mode. You had little margin for error, and God forbid, if you somehow managed to screw up, you were punished, brutally.

  With that being said, Fairfax’s approach wasn’t to simply throw us into deep water and hope we learned how to swim, but instead he started us off with minor challenges, tasks such as petty theft, bribery, or gathering reasonably easy-to-get information. Then as Molly’s and my own skills improved, the challenges grew in difficulty, eventually becoming burglaries, muggings, and blackmail.

  There was next to no rest during our brutal initiation into the criminal underworld under Fairfax’s tutelage. He had us working for nearly sixteen hours a day, for nine consecutive days, filling us with every single shred of information and ability that we would need in order to survive. Then, on our last day, when we would be forced to log off and rest in the Real World to reset our play cycle, Fairfax extended an offer.

  To fully commit to the Eberian Underworld, and join his guild, the Grim Shadows, as initiates.

  Needless to say, Molly and I didn’t even hesitate at the offer.

  Which is how I ended up here, I thought to myself morbidly as I slowly eased open the heavy wooden door that led out of the torture chambers and began creeping up the stairs behind it with my greatsword in hand, still lost in thought as I moved.

  It was only after we’d joined the guild that the veil had finally been lifted from our eyes and we were shown how the Underworld was run. There were five guilds that controlled the Underworld in Eberia, each one based within a different district of the city and responsible for maintaining order among the street gangs. Of those guilds, each Guild Leader was referred to by a special title, Thief Lord. Together, all five Thief Lords made up the Council of Thieves, a formal group that directed and controlled all criminal activity in Eberia.

  I knew that the moment that Fairfax’s death leaked out, a massive power struggle would erupt within the Underworld. Fearing treachery, the Thief Lords and their guilds would retreat from sight, burying themselves deep inside their hideouts. Which would then be noticed by disgruntled or ambitious street gangs, who would then begin acting without restraint, settling old scores or preying on the populace in ways that were normally forbidden or held in check.

  The streets would be filled with chaos in no time. Bodies would begin to pile up. It would be only a matter of time before the city guard intervened.

  Who would profit from Fairfax’s death? I asked myself, pausing halfway up the stairs to listen for any sound of movement. There were only half a dozen criminal players within Eberia that I knew of, three of them being Molly, Edith, and Ransom. Though to be fair, even out of those three, Molly was the only one I was sure hadn’t killed Fairfax. No, this seems too big for a single Adventurer to do. A rival faction or gang has to be involved. But which one? Can we really afford a witch hunt once this all comes to light?

  I shook my head to banish that train of thought, focusing on my current task. The best thing I could do right now was to collect whatever clues I could get my hands on. If I could get enough evidence to find out who had killed Fairfax, then it might just be possible to keep the Underworld from breaking out into open war.

  Given that I had awoken inside an Undertaker torture chamber, that meant paying a visit to the leader of the gang, Cayden Onyxbone, who I was almost certain would be somewhere inside this building.

  Having earned a legendary reputation within the Underworld as a neurotic control freak, Cayden actively suppressed ambition and initiative in his subordinates, preferring dull, disposable minions that would do exactly what he told them to. Which had me fairly confident that since both Fairfax and I had ended up in one of his torture chambers, that he not only damned well knew about it, but was likely involved right up to his eyes.

  Gripping the hilt of my sword tightly, I continued prowling up the stone stairs, gradually ascending out of what I now knew to be the basement of the building. At the top of the stairs, I was met by a second heavy door, more than thick enough to block out even the most desperate cries from those trapped below. Trying the handle, I found the door to be unlocked and opened it ever so slightly to peer through the crack.

  The overpowering scent of lavender wafted through the door, as I found myself peering into a richly appointed hallway. From my vantage point, I could see several paintings of flowers and nature hanging on cream colored walls, with a soft red carpet covering the floors, creating a quiet, soothing environment. A stark contrast from what I had seen in the basement below.

  Pushing open the door more, it swung silently on its well-oiled hinges as I risked a quick glance past it.

  It’s a funeral home, I realized after spotting three caskets standing propped against the nearby wall. Of course the Undertakers would find themselves in the business of running one.

  Listening carefully, I strained my ears for any sign of anyone else being in the building, counting on my Perception skill to alert me to any noises. Hearing nothing, I crept carefully out from behind the door and closed it behind me. Three long strides allowed me to cross the hallway, as I continued my exploration of the area.

  This place is completely deserted. I couldn’t help but frown as I stealthily skulked through the building, bypassing three empty visitation rooms, and stopping just shy of the main hall. Carefully peering into the room, I saw an ornate staircase leading to an upper level with a seating area adjacent to it, likely intended for visitors and the bereaved to sit at. Set directly opposite of the room, I spotted a door to the outside, the absence of light telling me that the sun had already gone down. How long have I been he—

  A smashing sound echoed through the air, causing me to flinch in panic. A red directional prompt appeared in my vision pointing straight above me, informing me of the sound’s direction. A heartbeat later, a second, more vicious crunch followed the first, the sound of a man’s cursing ringing
out.

  “—you two are fucking useless!” the man’s voice screamed. “Get the fuck out of my office and back on the streets! Don’t come back until you have something useful to tell me!”

  The sound of rushing feet echoed from the floor above, followed by a heavy door being slammed shut. I heard multiple footsteps stomp across the hallway above me, moving towards the stairs.

  Gotta move. I darted forward into the main hall, making the split-second decision to move further into the room and take cover beside the stairs. Had I chosen to stay where I was, whoever was coming down the stairs would have clearly seen me standing in the hallway. At least here beside the stairs, the railing and elevation would give me chance to remain hidden if they chose to go directly outside.

  “Dat bastard Cayden, actin’ all fucking high ‘n’ mighty,” a voice grumbled from above me. “We spent da last day scouring da streets, wit’ nothin’ to show fer it. Least he could do is let us catch a wink.”

  “Boy, your momma musta dropped you on your head one too many times when you were a li’l gremlin,” a second, older voice replied. “Cayden ain’t bein’ an ass, he just hella terrified, is all.”

  “That corpselighter?” the first voice answered with surprise as feet started descending down the stairs. “The way he acts about it, I never thought he knew what fear even was.”

  “Take it from an old fart,” the second voice replied sagely. “He’s putting us on to show he ain’t ‘fraid.”

  I heard the two men reach the bottom of the stairs, barely more than ten feet away from me as I pressed myself up the staircase, hoping that they would go straight outside. If they turned around, I would have no choice but to attack.

  “Huh, I guess I missed dat,” I heard the first voice grunt thoughtfully. “Anyway, you wanna grab a bite ‘fore we start questionin’ again?”

  I eagerly leaned forward, hoping that the second man would take the first up on his offer and walk straight out of the building.

  “Yeah, we can,” the second voice answered, followed by the sound of shifting feet towards me. “Gonna check on the boys in the basement first, though; they’ve musta had a twitchy night babysittin’ that demon.”

  Awww, damn it! I charged out from beside the staircase, spotting a silver haired human slowly turning away from his half-orc companion.

  Bracing my greatsword against my hip, I took a powerful lunge forward as I thrust the large blade through the aging human’s back. A trio of flashing messages instantly appearing in my vision as the sword burst through his chest.

  You critically [Ambush I] a [Human Thug] for 594 points of damage!

  You have slain a [Human Thug!]

  You have gained Experience!

  Driving my blade right up into the hilt, I slammed into the thug’s body and lifted it straight off the ground as my momentum carried me right into the half-orc. The protruding blade caught the second thug high in the shoulder as he twisted to meet my attack. The sharp point of the sword easily bit through the half-orc’s thin leather armor as I thrust the blade deeper into his body, sending the surprised thug backpedaling wildly as he tried to free himself from my blade.

  With a crunch, the half-orc ran out of space to retreat, slamming into the wall behind him with a grunt of pain. That gave me the chance to fully drive my blade through his shoulder and into the wall behind him, pinning him and his now dead companion in place.

  Panic filling his face, the half-orc sucked in a deep breath as he readied himself to call for help, but found one of my hands wrapped around his throat, stifling his cry before it could even start. Wasting no time, I let go of my sword, letting it hang in the air as I flicked my hand down sharply. The motion sent a hidden dagger to fall into my palm, the very same dagger the Torturer had stabbed me with a few minutes earlier.

  Shifting my grip on the tiny blade, I viciously thrust the dagger into the trapped half-orc’s eye, completely burying it up to the hilt, and twisted sharply. I felt the thug’s body stiffen in shock before falling limp as two prompts appeared in my vision.

  You have slain a [Half-orc Thug!]

  You have gained Experience!

  I hope that wasn’t too loud. I held my breath as I let go of the half-orc’s neck and took a step backwards, watching the two bodies hang from the wall grotesquely, still pinned in place by my sword. Pausing for moment, I listened carefully for any sounds from the upstairs. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, I let out a deep sigh of relief and grabbed the hilt of my blade.

  That could have been messy, I told myself as I carefully pulled my blade free and guided the two bodies to the floor with a minimal amount of noise. Moving with purpose, I carried the two thugs away from the stairway and out of easy view from anyone who entered the building, unceremoniously dumping their bodies behind a couch in the waiting area beside the stairway.

  That should buy me some time in case anyone comes inside and doesn’t look around too closely. I scanned the area, silently thanking whoever had designed this place for the red carpeting and how easily it hid spilled blood. Time to go pay a visit to Cayden.

  Gliding up the stairs, I retraced the steps I had heard the two thugs take, passing a pair of empty sitting rooms filled with comfortable-looking seats and couches, likely additional spaces for the bereaved to sit and process their grief if they didn’t want to sit downstairs. Not seeing anything else of interest in the two rooms, I continued down the hall, eventually finding a sign labeled ‘Only Staff Beyond This Point.’

  Bingo. I carefully crept down the hallway until I arrived at a thick oak door, hearing the soft patter of feet behind the door. This has to be Cayden’s office.

  Reaching out carefully, I gently grabbed the doorknob and twisted, feeling the handle shift ever so slightly before stopping.

  Damn it, it’s locked! I cursed silently, wishing that my lockpicks hadn’t gone missing with the rest of my gear. Looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way.

  Chapter 4

  The door practically exploded off of its hinges as my kick shattered the lock and sent it slamming into the wall behind it. Half a second behind the door, I burst into the swelteringly hot room, my eyes drinking in every detail as they searched for Cayden. Designed in a completely different style from the rest of the building, the office was dark and bare, save for countless books lining the walls, the smell of rot finally overpowering the lavender that filled every other room. A large fireplace blazed on the far side of the office, its orange flames the only source of light.

  Caught standing in the center of the room with a wine bottle in hand, a jaundiced dwarf wearing a dark black robe gaped at my explosive entrance, his expression a cross between surprise and anger. Angling my charge across the office, I quickly crossed the distance, bringing my greatsword down in a vicious chop intending to split the man in two.

  Reacting instinctively, the dwarf dropped the wine bottle, letting it smash on the floor as he raised a single hand upwards, conjuring a small wall of force. My sword slammed into the invisible shield and was deflected straight towards the ground with a loud crash.

  “Cain!” the dwarf shouted in surprise, his voice carrying a note of fear. “How did you get loose?!”

  “What the fuck were you thinking, Cayden?!” I shouted back at the gang leader, ignoring his question as I shifted my weight and landed a weak kick in his stomach. “You killed a Thief Lord!”

  “You think I’m that stup—oof!” Cayden wheezed as he staggered backward from my blow, losing control of his force shield and causing it to wink out of existence.

  “Yea—” My reply was cut off as a pair massive hands grabbed me from behind and lifted me up off the ground as if I weighed nothing. Before I could even make sense of what was happening, I found myself sailing through the air and crashing into a bookshelf.

  Books fell all around me as my weight completely shattered the shelving, leaving me dizzy and disoriented as several large tomes fell directly on my head. Looking up, I gradually began to reg
ain my senses and spotted a massive figure slowly striding towards me.

  “You don’t understand!” I heard Cayden shout as my head stopped spinning. “I had no choice!”

  Oh, fucking hell, I swore as I struggled to stand up, happy that I had managed to maintain a strong grip on my sword. Of course, a control freak like Cayden would be a pet-based necromancer.

  The smell of rotting flesh intensified as the figure drew closer, the flickering flames of the fire casting the massive, seven-and-a-half-foot-tall zombie in an eerie light. Catching sight of the creature’s face as it lumbered across the room, a distant part of my brain identified the zombie as once being an ogre, death having done little to improve its appearance.

  Its rotted and dissected hands reached out for me as it came into range, forcing me to step backwards, and I felt my back bump into the remains of the bookshelf. I can’t get trapped fighting this thing; Cayden is the real threat.

  “What the hell don’t I understand, Cayden?” I called back, while watching the zombie approach. “That you’re trying to start a war?”

  “War is coming no matter what we do!” Cayden barked. “I’m just making sure I’m one of the survivors!”

  Waiting for the zombie to commit itself, I ducked under its outstretched hands and rolled between the creature’s legs, springing up behind it, then rushing towards Cayden. Unfortunately for me, the dwarf hadn’t been wasting his time while his zombie had trapped me in the corner. A purple ball of energy slammed into my chest, sending a wave of freezing cold pain through my body.

  Cayden Onyxbone’s [Spirit Bolt] hits you for 45 points of damage!

  Forcing myself through the pain, I dodged a second Spirit Bolt as I closed with the necromancer, the purple missile of energy exploding harmlessly on the wall behind me. Lunging forward, I used my blade’s longer reach and swung it in a wide arc in front of me, slicing a line open on Cayden’s chest as he leaped backwards and crashed into the desk behind him. With a yelp of pain, he flailed his arm wildly to catch his balance, grabbing on to a large box on the desk to steady himself. Having likely fought his way up the ranks to gain control of his gang, he had more than enough combat experience to know that if he fell to the ground, his chances of survival were as good as none.