by Thad Ward
Ada laughed nervously. “Okay,” she said, sitting down and removing the boots. “This better not be a weird foot thing.”
Ike picked the boots up and added the Minor Hiking enchantment just as he’d done for his own. While he was at it, he used Harvest Enchantment to remove Safety from his ring, since it was recharged by now and he doubted they’d be returning to this camp.
“That should do it,” Ike said, handing the boots back to Ada. “I gave them an overland speed boost. It kicks in gradually and only works getting around in open areas like this, but it should get us to town a bit faster.
Ada smiled. “That’s handy,” she said brightly as she put them back on. “What do I owe you?”
“Nothing at all,” Ike smiled back. “Let me reclaim the mana when we get to town. Unless you want to keep it. In which case, I’ve got that new spell that lets me pass off the mana drain. This one’s only one point.”
Ada put a finger to her chin. “I’ll have to get back to you on that. Let’s head to town. I’ll decide if it’s worth permanently losing one point of mana by the time we get there.”
The two started walking. It took a few minutes, but the speed increase from Minor Hiking became noticeable before long as they strode through the hills.
“Okay, what’s your secret?” Ada said at last. Ike tensed up, assuming she meant the previous conversations about sleeping in-game or the letter from the GM, but she continued. “Do artificers start with a bunch of handy enchantments? It can’t be that you only learn them by exposure, the same way I learn my traps. Otherwise, you would’ve used this yesterday.”
“Maybe I was just forgetful,” Ike hedged.
Ada gave Ike an incredulous look. “I’ve only known you for a day, Ike, and even that’s enough to tell how much you overthink everything. So don’t go telling me you just forgot you could do this.”
Ike opened his mouth and promptly shut it again. She had him pegged. “Fine,” he said finally. “There’s a part of the enchanting interface I found. It lets you develop new enchantments from scratch. It’s hard to use and takes a while, but it helps to have similar enchantments to work off. Minor Hiking is a variation on Minor Biding, the speed boost I used against the Wailer. I figured Minor Biding out from a Preservation enchantment I found on some jars in the dungeon.”
“Damn. Custom enchantments to suit any need.” Ada whistled. “That’s useful. And broken. What are the developers thinking?”
“Who’s to say?” Ike said. “It’s not as if they care much about conventional game balance if you go by the primary attribute disparity we talked about yesterday.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s meant as an Easter egg. I only found it by chance. Or maybe they’re crowd-sourcing the game development to players. Imagine how many new enchantments they’d get letting players build their own. Hell, maybe it’s just something all crafters can do one way or another.”
“I doubt it’s that last one,” Ada said. “I’ve never seen it mentioned in the forums. Either way, you should keep it a secret. If it’s something anyone can use, knowing about it gives you a competitive edge. If it’s not… well, gamers are often the jealous sort.”
“I got my World First when I figured it out and it said something similar: ‘Others desiring power may seek you out for the unique gifts you can bestow.’” He looked at Ada and chuckled. “On that note, what’s your silence going to cost me?”
Ada gave Ike a look of feigned indignity. “Why, Ike, do you think I’d resort to extortion? What sort of girl do you take me for?” She tried to maintain the facade but couldn’t, giggling involuntarily. “Tell you what. Treat me to lunch and my lips are sealed.”
Ike felt his cheeks flush and his heartbeat quicken. “Okay. Sure thing,” he said, trying his best not to sound awkward. If Ada noticed, she didn’t let on.
They passed the magically brisk walk speculating about enchantments. Ada was full of ideas that Ike mostly had to shoot down. Some of her suggestions were solid but probably too expensive. Others were things Ike had no idea how to pull off.
After two hours of walking, the pair caught sight of a dirt road running north to south. Recent wagon tracks, horse tracks, and footprints suggested regular use. “We must have strayed too far east,” Ada said. “Let’s follow the road south. We’re pretty close, so it probably leads to Weir.”
As they crested a hill and spotted the city in the distance, Ada suddenly tensed. “Do you hear that?” she whispered, immediately crouching into stealth. She strained to hear, focusing her attention off to the side of the road.
Ike gave her a worried look and followed her gaze, listening. “I hear it,” he said. “A whimpering animal?” He walked cautiously in the direction of the noise as Ada followed behind.
“Watch your step,” Ada said quietly. “I see traps up ahead. Let me go first.”
Ike nodded, stopping but keeping his attention sharp. He kept an eye on Ada as she moved from spot to spot, pausing and stooping to retrieve something each time. When he verified that she was safe, he glanced around for other threats but saw nothing.
“All clear,” Ada said, sneaking back up to him. She held up a pair of jagged metal jaws on a chain. “Someone put these things all over. They’re pretty nasty. Nice damage plus it prevents movement. Even targets that escape are still hobbled.”
Ike looked at the bear trap and felt a little ill. “Well, at least it’s a nice new trick for you. Did you see where the sound was coming from?”
“Yeah, come on,” Ada said. She moved slowly and remained low. Ike took it as a nonverbal cue to keep his guard up.
The whimpering noise grew louder as they approached. When they crested a hill, Ike saw why Ada was still on guard: A wolf was caught in another bear trap, licking and chewing at the trapped forelimb. It was big, almost two meters from its nose to the tip of its tail, with fur that faded from off white on the wolf’s underbelly to dusty brown along its flanks to gray with black undertones on top. As it saw Ike, it froze and its jaws parted into a threatening growl.
“What do you want to do?” Ada asked, standing up without taking her eyes off the wolf.
Something felt off. The wolf drew Ike’s focus in a way that seemed like the opposite of Ada’s Stealth skill. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The colors of the wolf’s fur and the blood on its paw seemed brighter than they ought to be. Its growl seemed louder. Something about the animal felt… important.
“We need to set it free,” Ike said.
“Are you nuts?” Ada looked at Ike with her eyes wide. “The moment we get close, that thing’s going to attack.”
“I know,” Ike said. “It doesn’t matter. You remember that ‘weight of destiny’ thing we were wondering about? I think that’s what I’m seeing right now. This wolf’s important somehow.”
“That’s not a lot to go on,” Ada said, shaking her head. “What if it’s important because it’s going to do something bad?”
“It’s just a gut feeling,” Ike said. “Help me get closer at least? Maybe I can learn more.”
The pair walked forward slowly. Ike set down his bat and shield a few meters away, holding up his hands and speaking in soothing tones. Ada approached separately, keeping a little more distance and training her bow on the animal. The wolf continued to growl and snarl at them.
“It’s okay, girl,” Ike said. He was almost within striking distance. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He looked into the wolf’s dark yellow eyes and felt something stir between them.
Before Ike realized what was happening, his senses were overtaken. He smelled smoke and felt waves of heat. He heard screams and clanging metal. And he saw the wolf, its fangs dripping blood, standing against shadowy attackers. Defending its pup.
You have gained experience.
Ike came to his senses with a gasp. He was still standing in front of the wolf, which had abruptly stopped growling. “Ada,” he called out, catching his breath. “It’s okay. Come help me with this trap.”
“Wh
at just happened?” Ada said. She approached slowly, setting her bow on the ground and touching the trap. “You zonked out there for a few seconds.”
While Ada disarmed the trap, Ike removed what was left of the bandages he’d made with Idalia. When the teeth of the trap pulled free, he wrapped the wound as quickly as he could. The wolf was calm but pulled away just as he finished. Its gaze lingered on him for a moment.
Ike nodded to the wolf. “It’s okay. Go.”
The wolf disappeared behind a hill a moment later, seemingly ignoring its wounded paw in favor of speed. Ike couldn’t tell if it had understood him or not.
“What did you see?” Ada said, a hint of awe in her voice. Ike suspected the wolf’s sudden change in demeanor had shaken her.
“Fire. Some sort of battle. It’s all a vague blur, but there’s one thing I’m sure of,” Ike said. He turned toward where the wolf had disappeared. “Something bad is coming, and that mother needs to be there to protect her pup.”
Chapter 13
Meeting new people
“H
alt!” came an elderly man's voice. Ike had been thinking about the vision with the wolf and shook his head to bring his attention back to his surroundings. He and Ada had continued south along the road and spotted the coarse stone wall surrounding Weir shortly thereafter. A character window appeared in Ike’s sight as he looked in the direction of the voice.
"It's okay, Adger," Ada said in a friendly tone. "He's with me."
"Ah, Miss Rose. Welcome back," the man stepped between them and the open gate leading into town. He gave a quick smile to Ada
followed by a look of stern suspicion to Ike. From the old man’s chain hauberk, the spear in his hand, and the official-looking clasp on his cloak – a badge in the shape of a heater shield – Ike guessed he was a town guard. From the man’s slow, slightly stooped gait and steel gray mutton chops, Ike’s second impression was that the man was overdue for retirement. Just the same, Adger had a keen air about him.
“Hi there. Adger, right?” Ike extended a hand. “My name’s Ike.”
Adger looked Ike up and down without reaching out to shake hands, prompting Ike to pull back after an awkward moment. “And what is your business in the village of Weir, Ike?” The way Adger inflected Ike’s name made it sound like even that was suspect.
“Well, let’s see,” Ike said. He looked up in concentration as he ticked items off his mental list on his fingers. “I was hoping to sell some gems, find a place to stay, buy some better equipment, get some information on astrals, maybe sell some enchanting services, recruit a new party member or two...” Then the smell hit him: Freshly-baked bread. Ike’s eyes opened wide. “And food! I’ve been eating nothing but rats and fish for the past two days.”
Adger wrinkled his nose disapprovingly, then huffed out a laugh. “Well, that’s an honest answer, at least. Fine, you can enter. Hold out your hand, boy.”
Ike raised an eyebrow in confusion. Ada turned to him and nodded reassuringly. “It’s okay. It’s just a peace bond,” she said.
Ike lifted his hand toward Adger with the palm down. “Okay. What’s a peace bond?”
Adger tapped his finger on the back of Ike’s hand. An interwoven design much like a Celtic tattoo appeared, encircling Ike’s hand between his thumb and fingers. There was a slight tingling sensation but no pain. “That is a peace bond,” Adger said, the weariness in his voice suggesting it was a question he had to answer a lot. “If you attack anyone with a peace bond, steal anything, damage property, or the like while you’re in town, the bond will glow and become red hot. Then a guard will round you up and throw you in prison so you can scream in pain without disturbing anyone.”
“Well,” Ike said with a pause, unsure how to respond, “that seems… fair, I guess. Does that happen often here?”
“Once in a while,” Adger said, a sinister grin curling up one side of his mouth, “but never the same person twice. Keep your nose clean and you won’t have to find out why.”
Ike blinked at the thinly veiled threat. “Okay. Thank you for that explanation, sir. Ada and I will just be about our very lawful business, then.”
Adger stepped aside and allowed them through the gate, eyeing Ike the whole time. As they moved out of earshot, Ada burst into laughter. “Our very lawful business,” she quoted, chortling. “Hoo boy, I’ve never seen anyone take Adger that seriously.”
“I couldn’t see his stats,” Ike said defensively, “which probably means he’s higher than level two. If this is anything like other games, probably a lot higher. I’m not interested in finding out how many ways from Sunday he can probably kick my ass.”
Ada wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s just there to stamp the back of your hand at the door and explain the rules.” She held up her hand where an identical pattern had appeared. “Behave yourself and you won’t have anything to worry about.”
Ike admired the linear knotwork of his peace bond. “Do a lot of players break the law?”
“I’ve seen it happen once or twice,” Ada said. “Mostly just the first day. Broke players testing boundaries by swiping something from a shopkeeper. One idiot even tried to put a bucket on the merchant’s head first. It went down pretty much like Adger said. They didn’t get away with it and ended up spending the rest of the day in jail. I overheard one comparing it to being pepper-sprayed or tazed in real life.”
“Couldn’t you just sneak in and not get peace bonded at all?” Ike asked.
“Sure, if you want to get arrested anyway,” Ada said. “Most of the NPCs will call the guards on you if they see you in town without one.”
Ike nodded. He hadn’t planned on breaking any laws, so this just made him all the more committed. If anything, he found it reassuring that there was a system in place to prevent players from running amuck.
As they walked, Ike admired the town. The buildings all used a similar architecture: Stout walls of coarse, mostly flat stones topped with gabled thatch roofs and crowned with a chimney. The well-trafficked dirt road had been trodden bare and flat. Everywhere he looked, he saw signs of everyday life: A woman hanging sheets on a clothesline, a man hauling sacks of grain from a cart, an elderly couple lounging in the shade. One particularly large man seemed to be losing a wrestling match with a sow in a pigpen.
“Give it!” came a girl’s voice.
Ike had to balance on his toes to avoid running into a pair of boys as they rushed past laughing. One of them was clutching a ragged doll. They stopped at the side of the road and turned back. “Nya nya,” one said mockingly while the other stuck out his tongue, crossed his eyes, and held his hands up like antlers.
A girl appeared from the alleyway where the boys had emerged, her face almost as red as her long, scarlet hair. The frizzy mane engulfed the girl’s skinny frame, giving Ike the impression of an angry dandelion tuft. The girl stomped her foot and said, “That’s my dolly! Give her back!”
Ada scowled at the boys. “You two had better do as she says. It’s not nice to take someone else’s things,” she said. The tone of her voice began to flare.
The first boy looked at Ada and pulled his eyelid down with a finger. “What’re you gonna do about it?” he said in the same mocking tone. “Yeah, we was just playing,” the other one said, crossing his arms defiantly.
Ada was about to step toward them when Ike put up a hand to stop her. “You boys like toys?” he said, trying to strike a neutral tone. He drew his rat figurine out of his satchel.
The boys looked up from their bullying, cautious but interested. Then Ike tossed the rat at their feet and activated its ability. It grew midair until it resembled the giant rats he’d fought in the fortress. Its claws raked the dirt as it landed, arching its back and hissing at them.
The first boy yelped in fright and ran up the street, throwing the doll on the ground behind him. The second boy backed up, yammering, “You can’t attack us! That’s against the law!”
“Who’s atta
cking anyone?” Ike smiled wickedly. “We’re just playing, right?” The second boy looked from the rat to Ike and scampered after his friend.
Ike turned back toward Myra to see a mix of glee and uncertainty on her face. She rushed over to retrieve her doll, but her eyes were fixed on the rat.
“It’s okay,” Ike said. He knelt and reached a hand out. The rat skittered over and rested its head under his hand. “See? He’s a well-behaved rat. He wouldn’t hurt anyone. Do you want to pet him?”
Myra approached the rat slowly, one timid step at a time. When she got close enough, she clutched her doll below her chin with one arm and gently stroked the rat’s fur with the other, giggling nervously as she did so.
“Do those boys do that a lot? Pick on you, I mean?” Ike asked gently.
The girl continued to pet the rat but looked down, her face disappearing within her mass of hair. “Yeah. They’re so mean,” she said with a sob.
Ike had an idea. He waved his hand over the rat. Its fur took on the texture of wood as it shrunk back into its figurine form. He cast Harvest Enchantment as he picked it up.
Rat Figurine has lost the enchantment: Summon Giant Rat
Rat Figurine’s remaining enchantment capacity: 1 / 1
You have recovered 1 mana drain.
Mana: 11 / 13
“Aww,” Myra said, disappointed.
“Yeah, it doesn’t work for long, and it only works once,” Ike lied. He offered the figurine to the girl. “But they don’t know that, do they?”
Myra looked up at Ike from within her nest of hair, teary-eyed. “I can have it?”
Ike nodded and was suddenly assaulted with a tiny hug. Myra took the figurine and hopped away giggling with delight. As she passed down another side alley, Ike caught sight of her holding the figurine up to the doll and mimicking a hissing noise, then making the doll shiver in fright.
Ike smiled to himself, then turned back to Ada. She’d become quiet when he’d pulled the rat on the two boys. She regarded him with a slight frown but didn’t say a word.