Cat's Quest

by Roman Prokofiev

  “I come here sometimes to watch the sunrise or set,” she said. “I don’t know, it sounds silly, but I like it.”

  “Nothing silly about it. Where I come from,” I stopped for a second trying to find the right words, “people really like watching the sunset!”

  “Is that true? I’ve heard your players’ world is strange. I’ve heard some very odd things…”

  I was confused. Not for a second did I forget that I was talking to a computer program. Yes, a program that passed Turing’s test and was capable of imitating anyone. Yet, she sounded so real, it drove me crazy. It felt like I was talking to an actual human being from another world.

  “It’s very different from the world here,” I said.

  “You players are so strange…” She sighed. “I’ve heard all kinds of things from you!”

  “Like what?”

  “Like… For some reason, you all consider yourselves unique,” she said, sounding a bit displeased. “As if other people aren’t as good as you… It’s quite annoying, actually. By the way, what’s an NPC?”

  “NPC? It’s a non-player character…”

  “I see. So, just not a player then,” she glared. “Oh, I’ll get her for that next time, I promise!” I laughed scaring a curious lizard that had crawled out onto the warm rocks to stare at us. I wanted details.

  “… well, I said, no that’s not possible, and she goes: you’re just a stupid NPC! Can you imagine? Back then, I didn’t know what an NPC was, but I knew what stupid meant. Unlike some others, I have been taught etiquette though.” Weldy straightened her back, looking proud. “So, I just showed her the door. Next time she comes around, instead of the healing potion, she’ll get a decoction of bearded toads!”

  The fair-haired girl giggled, no doubt imagining what effect such a decoction would have on the offending girl. I had read that NPCs were capable of taking revenge when their reputation took a drop. In fact, they were programmed to be quite vicious. I had not ever imagined what that would look like in practice, but now I knew. The SPHERE featured quite interesting NPCs. Each had a global life objective they would make efforts to achieve. An NPC born in a village might have the goal of becoming a general. He would come to the city, level up and join the army, climbing the career ladder. Other NPCs went off traveling or started building a house. There were plenty of different options. NPCs developed their skills on a par with the players; they traded, hunted, and sailed… The “pseudo-personality” mechanism enabled each to have a unique character, features, and traits. The game developers called this “full life emulation”, and I was experiencing it now.

  “You’re not like them, though, lord HotCat…” she said, and pressed her warm shoulder against mine. “You’re polite, and kind.”

  “It’s cuz I’m a noob,” I joked.

  “Don’t say that. I know you have a kind soul!” She looked at me, her face very close, beautiful in the rays of sunset. She was looking right into my eyes, smiling — a very romantic moment. When I tried to put my arm around her waist, Weldy pushed my hand away. Her small hands emitted a certain confidence.

  “Lord HotCat, I should say, I’m a very conservative lady. I’m not the kind of girl you find at the market… I won’t have it, especially on a first date!” She told me off, and my reputation dropped by five points. “Despite the fact that I like you very much!” I got it. I wasn’t a fool. I’d keep my hands in check from now on.

  “Shall we head down?” Weldy put on her coat and shook her shoulders as if she was getting cold. “It’s getting chilly… And someone promised to treat me to some warm mulled wine.” She took my hand and smiled once again as if apologizing for her cold attitude a few moments earlier.

  The establishment she took me to was much fancier than Karn’s tavern. It extended over two floors, and had a beautiful interior with spacious terraces, and large vintage windows. White table cloths and shining silverware, candelabras, and plates — everything created the impression of a luxurious restaurant. I was even concerned that I might not be able to afford to dine at a place like that. I had about 40 gold in my wallet. Two-thirds of the money I made, I transferred to Valkyrie and Flame, just as I had promised. There were very few guests, and once again, I couldn’t quite tell NPCs from other players, although, the guy with the two axes was probably a player, and so was the girl in the robe sitting next to him. Or, perhaps not? Who cared anyway? Waiters bustled around. One brought our order a minute later: a flagon of red wine with spices, two silver long-stemmed glasses, a fruit platter, and a dessert resembling tiramisu. Five and a half gold, I counted in my mind. Wow, what prices! As we enjoyed the hot wine, the controversy flared up again. Having drunk a little, Weldy flushed slightly, her green eyes sparkling brightly. The wine tasted like a cross between mulled wine and mead. It granted a pretty good buff, too.

  You drank red wine made to the ‘Smoldering Fire’ recipe by Master Haintz.

  HP, stamina, and mana are increased by 10%!

  Intellect and charisma are increased by 3.

  Effect DURATION: 5 minutes.

  Note: coordination and vision are affected with each dose of alcohol!

  Warning: maximum levels of intoxication can lead to a significant drop in reputation!

  “My uncle says…” Weldy said, “that you players are confident that it was you who created the worlds, and all of us. Is that true?”

  “I can’t tell exactly,” I said, trying to avoid answering. “But many do think that’s the case.” Weldy looked sad and shook her head.

  “Not a single player has ever demonstrated that they are capable of such creative powers. Not ever!” She said, with a note of accusation in her voice. “It’s all just words! For example, you HotCat, can you create something right here? Just a small cricket, for example. Come on, show me.”

  “I can’t but…”

  “See!” She clapped her hands, victoriously.

  “How about being immortal? How about us being able to come and go from one world to another?” The hot wine was now taking effect.

  “Players aren’t the only creatures who can do that…” She said dismissively. “We can do that too, just differently. Even creatures from the abyss can!” She looked around her suddenly, terrified, and made the holy sign.

  “As for being immortal,” she went on, “we can be resurrected, too! Only we take longer to do so.”

  That was true. NPCs did possess immortality within their own kingdom. If they were killed, either by accident or intentionally, they had a 44 hour cool-down, only to then resurrect again. They never forgot who wronged them. The only exceptions were high-ranking fractional NPCs, such as nobles, lords, and higher lords, but those were almost impossible to kill. An NPC could die completely only in factional wars, and then, only if the ‘home’ respawn spot was destroyed together with the settlement.

  “Not everyone resurrects,” I said carefully. “As far as I know…”

  “True. But that’s the price you pay for might and power. Pour me some more, HotCat.” I poured us both some more wine and Weldy invited me to clink cheers. She then smiled victoriously:

  “See! Turns out you guys are nothing special, just a bunch of strange aliens from another world. And your words are just as strange…”

  “Turns out that’s the case…” I agreed.

  “Whether we are humans, elves, demons, or gods, we all came from the Eastern Flame.” Weldy said. “Every creature in every world! Come on, let’s go, lord HotCat. It’s time to get home.”

  I walked Weldy home. She lived on the second floor of the shop building. As a reward, I received a gentle kiss on the cheek. Her hair smelled of lavender, and the scent lingered for a while, reminding me of the beautiful evening we had shared.

  CHAPTER 9 OPERATION ARROWS

  LOCATION: Dorsa world, continent Dorsa, city of Golden Fairs

  Thirty-five golden coins was the total sum of my capital. Since buying a ring, +2 to Charisma, and two Skills Books, I had almost nothing left. I had n
o regrets, though, as I was about to obtain my first archetype. Excited, I put on my ring and waited. I was listening now. I was certain I had fulfilled all the conditions… Suddenly I heard the pleasant sound of jingling bells. A new system message was blinking, and I hurried to open it.

  A new archetype is available to you!

  You have been assigned an unusual archetype: Novice Trader! Congratulations!

  You are the 547,276th player to have obtained this archetype in the SPHERE. Gained: 500 XP!

  Novice Trader

  Rank 1: Merchant

  Assortment expansion (0/1)–You now have 5 extra lots at auctions.

  Drawing up Contracts (0/1)–You can draw up as many as five new contracts.

  Buddy discount (0/2)–Merchants consider you their buddy. Your reputation among trading guilds increases by one level. You obtain an additional discount from NPCs.

  Active skills:

  Price expert (0/2)–You can immediately spot if goods prices are too high or too low.

  Four new abilities… my very first. And if assortment expansion and drawing up contracts aren’t cool enough, then discount was a must-have, and price expert was an essential merchant tool! It could be substituted by using various plugins, but numerous guides stated that price expert was a much better approach because it marked infallibly every strange lot, red or green.

  I finally realized why the system liked assigning free attributes to noobs. Turns out, they could be used not only to invest in stats but also to activate archetype abilities. Novice Trader required six points in order to be fully leveled up, so I didn’t hesitate to use my unassigned week’s-worth of points, leaving one unused, just in case. The archetype and the skills were important to me now. It was Friday, and that meant big business.

  I decided to check out Dorsa market. The Portal Token that Alex had kindly given me earlier transported me to the main trading hub in Dorsa—Golden Fairs, the spot where my avatar had originally materialized, and where I had first met Alex and SuperChick. After exchanging what little money I had, 1500 terro, I had about thirteen thousand in gold — gaming currency. It was time to start Operation Arrows. I decided to check out the NPC shops around Fairs first and bought all the arrows I could find. Surprisingly, there were not a great many of them, about 5,000 sets. All in all, they cost less than 50 gold, which was really next to nothing. Then, I sent letters to eleven of the craftsmen, whose names I found on almost half the arrows sold at Fairs’ auction.

  Dear craftsman! A group of individuals, in whose name I write, requires 10,000 arrows to be produced by Sunday (10,000 items) of ash-wood arrows with steel tips. We are willing to purchase at a price 10% lower than auction price, i.e. at 90 copper each. Should you find this offer acceptable, please find the contract attached.

  Two craftsmen returned the contract signed almost immediately; four contacted me with personal messages, and having confirmed my identity, also agreed. Three more agreed after an intense round of haggling. Another two never got back to me, but I didn’t care. Nine out of eleven had agreed. That was much better than I had anticipated. All in all, I spent about 800 gold. Then, after receiving the signed contracts, I bought out all the owl, hawk, and duck feathers available — an essential component in arrow production. There were lots to buy, but they were cheap. Buying up all the feather lots cost me almost one and a half thousand gold. I returned a small portion of them back to auction at the regular price, to avoid drawing too much attention. The rest I used to create a lot at ten times the amount they would usually cost.

  I had completed my preparation. It was time to start Operation Arrows. On Friday, by about midnight, I had purchased all the arrows being sold at the Fairs’ auction. That cost me about ten thousand, but now I could be called the King of Arrows. I had made more than 10 million items available for purchase at auction. The next hour was spent creating different lots with various sets—from 10 to 10,000 items. The price for a larger lot was lower, and the small amounts sold at a higher price. I managed to increase the average price of an arrow by about four times over. That was it. I controlled the entire listing. All I had to do was hold it for the duration of the weekend. At first it looked like nobody in the market noticed the change. The arrows sold at a pace of 200 sets per hour at the price I had set earlier. The first lot from someone else popped up about an hour later, when I was bored out of my mind, and by 6 a.m. Saturday, local dealers had figured out what was going on. That’s when something resembling PvP really kicked in. The adrenaline rush was pretty intense. I was in my element. Despite the fact that I had not been in the game for as much as a week, trading schemes and techniques didn’t change much from game to game.

  First—there were the major craftsmen, who produce and sell their goods independently. I had eliminated these (as I had hoped) by first having bought up all available supplies previously and bonded them by contract. Also, I made sure a required ingredient was no longer available (feathers), so that the two craftsmen who never got back to me had no way of producing a large quantity of arrows, unless they bought feathers from me at a price that was now ten times the usual (which wasn’t a bad outcome either).

  Second, there were the small merchants and regular players who were in shock when they saw the prices and then decided to make some money. They didn’t threaten me in the slightest. Their lots I ‘plugged’, lowered the price and then bought myself after reaching an acceptable price. If they weren’t inclined to haggle, my lots became cheaper by a single copper coin and sold faster.

  Then there were three large-scale scheme-traders, just like me. I wasn’t foolish enough expect that there were none of my kind out there. I had the 6th sense that a game like that would have plenty of people just whining to make money. These were the ones who were dangerous to me. Saturday came and went. I barely had a chance to eat or take a shower. I still had plenty of stuff and could not afford to relax. Towards the evening, my first competitors revealed themselves. New, large volume lots began to pop up. Sets of 10-5,000 items were replaced by ones of 20,000, and there was even one lot for a million. I’d been noticed; the market had come alive. I changed my approach trying to decrease all hype. I suddenly dropped my prices, by 5 and 50 copper coins… then 1 silver… the price was getting close to 1.4 per set. Then, suddenly I received a message:

  Zampotil: Hi, HotCat…

  Cat: Hi Zampotil…

  Zampotil: HotCot, who are you?

  Cat: I’m me. Why do you ask?

  Zampotil: You’re not the only one with a business here. Respect other people and let’s not bother each other. We all want to make some money.

  Cat: I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.

  Zampotil: Yeah, you do. Good luck, HotCat.

  No guys! Sticks and stones. After three hours of intense trade, I bought all their lots at about 1.2 silver and boosted the price again as high as 3 coins. I received a dozen more messages.

  “Cat, please sell me 1,000 feathers at a decent price!” one of the craftsmen, who had signed the contact, wrote. Looks like he didn’t have enough to deliver the required volume.

  “Stop knocking down prices!”

  “Come on man, sell me 1,000 arrows at 1 silver each!!!” And so on. I got tired of receiving private messages, so I disabled the chat. By Sunday evening, I was completely exhausted. I finally left the capsule and looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. I was pale, crooked, with puffy red eyes and dark black bags. In the past two days, I had only gotten about three hours of sleep. It was time to do an evaluation.

  I had sold almost seven and a half million arrows and had raised 16,000 gold. More than 6 million arrows were still available for purchase at auction. Before I left, I lowered the price to 1 silver again, just to get the 6,000 gold I originally invested. I had about 1,500 more in feathers still, only a quarter of which, I managed to sell. So, for two days work at auction, I made 23,000 gold, having initially invested 13,000. Yes, some of it was still stuck, but I was confident the rest would sell out just fin
e. Ten thousand in gold was about 1,000 terro. Not bad at all. Besides, my trading skill increased by almost 100 points. In the course of two days, I received one rare and two unusual achievements, which gave me yet another free attribute point. I crashed onto my bed and fell asleep almost instantly. In front of my eyes, I could still see the auction lines, the calculator, a browser window with a sales graph, and a blinking private messages notification.

  Zampotil to HotCat:

  Too bad you didn’t listen to me. Well, good luck!

  * * *

  Next morning, I cashed out the game currency, leaving myself about 100 gold for minor expenses. Should be enough for now, and in a day or two, my auction reps would sell the rest, and I would end up with another 10,000, which I would put towards my next auction endeavor. I exited the building and found myself in the city square. I headed to the portal. The city center was lively as usual. The city was very different from Eyre. It had ancient architecture, columns, and ports…

  I used the portal to travel back home using up the last token charge. I got off and stepped towards Eyre’s city gate looming up ahead in the distance.

  “Not so fast, Cat!”

  Four PCs had followed me from the portal. Their nicknames were glimmering red. Two of them didn’t seem to belong to any clan, while the other two were from some Knut brotherhood, inexpensive leather armor and daggers in their hands. Realizing what was happening, I took off and ran towards the city gate where I spotted a few bored-looking guards. I heard laughter coming from behind me. Next thing I knew, I was caught in a net with lots of little weights.

  Trapping Net has been used against you! You’re caught!

  Speed decreased by 60%.

  I couldn’t get out. While I was desperately trying to free myself, my pursuers had caught up with me, and knocked me to the ground.