“Bastards!”
“You don’t say!” Alex nodded. “And there was lots of great loot—I mean, just look at Snow’s sword! Even if Cat did break it...”
“I copied Fokial’s Spellbook,” he continued. “Pored over it for a few hours — appreciate my devotion! I’ve made five copies of each page, ninety scrolls in total. A set for each of us, to cut a long story short.”
“We can’t use them anyway,” Valkyrie remarked. “They’re necromantic scrolls. I’ll give mine to Cat. He can sell them at auction.”
“If you want. I put mine in the clan warehouse,” the Watcher nodded. “And the lich’s crown too, forgive me. It’s epic and part of a set. There are a few necromancers in our clan, who might find it useful.”
“Soon, you’ll become Watchers.” Alex added harshly, seeing our disappointed faces. “In our clan, all epic loot is deposited at the clan warehouse. Time for you to get used to that. The flip side of the coin, is that if you need equipment, you’ll get it.”
“Our weaponsmith repaired Fokial’s wand. I put it in for auction together with the collar and other loot. Cat is the contract holder. Oleg, after you sell it, share it with us. It should be worth a thousand gold at the very least.” According to my own calculations, our trophies were worth quite a bit more, but I nodded quietly.
“And now I’d like to hand the floor over to our friendly neighborhood Cat,” Alex said, winking. “Let him tell us how he got to this point, in detail. Show us your sword again, please.” I pulled out the blue blade in response, demonstrating it to my friends, and slowly put it back.
“I don’t really know how to start,” I sighed. “I found it in a cave not far from the Watchers’ castle...”
“There’s no cave there,” a familiar screeching voice interrupted. Out of nowhere, a short fellow in a green cloak and a red feathered hat appeared in the empty spot next to Flame. Without a moment's hesitation, he reached out and took a mug of dark beer from the table, paying no attention to our shared astonishment.
“Abel! What are you doing here?” AlexOrder gasped. “You’ve promised not to spy on me anymore!”
“I’m not spying on you,” Abel answered calmly, sipping the beer. “And after your adventures yesterday, you definitely need an escort. Almost a dozen clan representatives have written to me about him,” he said, nodding in my direction. “I guess we dragged him in to Liberty in the knick of time...”
“Have various other people contacted you with tantalizing offers?” he asked, turning to face me. “No? They will. Refer them to me. By the way, why did you meet with Snow today at Yahweh’s Temple?” I was clearly under surveillance. I marveled at how quickly they had arranged it in Sphere. The clans meant business. With a few embellishments, I quickly told them how I had received a tidy sum from Snow in exchange for linking an unidentified sword and a few empty answers. Everyone cracked up, laughing so loudly that even Karn came out from the kitchen, bothered by the noise.
“You’re a real trickster, Cat!” AlexOrder said, wiping tears from his eyes. “Five thousand from that bitch! We have to tell Dimonicus. He’s a real ‘fan’ of hers!”
“Yes, stylish!” Abel agreed. “Beautifully done, Cat. You’re the man! By the way, we’ve added all of the Brotherhood of the Whip into the alliance’s KOS list. They were out of line, flying into our territory and PKing our players. Nutjobs.”
“Cat, you were telling us about the sword. Please continue,” Valkyrie asked.
“And so, I found it in a cave,” I said, resuming my story. “The one that doesn’t exist, according to Abel.”
“We’ve turned over every rock out there. There’s no cave,” the advisor affirmed. “Most likely, it was a dynamic event...”
“At first, I thought the blade was a normal unidentified item. The NPCs couldn’t identify it, and Ciage the mage said that identification required a Great Scroll worth fifty grand. He gave me quest for it, which led me to the Tombs of the Necromancers.”
“Unidentified items can’t deal damage like this. They’re inactive until identified,” Abel objected. “I’ve seen the video. Your sword definitely had some kind of active aura. True fire damage!”
“That’s the point!” I said, vexed and hitting my fist on the table. “The sword started revealing its stats all by itself! And I’m the only one who can see them. For anyone else, it just throws up question marks! And in the Tombs, I think it equipped itself without my input!”
“The sword? Equipped itself!” Avel and AlexOrder quickly exchanged glances.
“Yes! It just jumped into my hand. I swear, before the battle, it was in my inventory. I wasn’t going to fight with it! Why would I, if it wasn’t identified?”
“Actually, I heard about something like that,” Alex said carefully. “There are very rare items called sentients, sorta like NPCs in the form of an object. They’re controlled by a special AI, like ‘pawns’. But they’re super rare, and they’re all legendary!”
“A legendary sentient sword,” Avel nodded, skeptical. “Found in a cave by a two-week-old character. Can you even begin to imagine what kind of quest chain would be needed to obtain a legendary item, or the reputation it would take?”
“I think it’s a bug. The admins will figure it out and take the sword away from you,” he said, turning back to me. “So don’t rely on this imba sword too much. You’d be better off training and preparing for the exam. And if I’m wrong, well, a player with that kind of weapon will be a huge credit to the clan.”
“I’ll turn over the quest today after training,” I said. “The mage promised that the sword would be fully identified. Then we’ll know, whether it’s a bug or not.”
* * *
During training at Liberty, my clanmates would not settle until every last one of them had examined my sword. I was suddenly the local star. Even Balian patted me on the back in approval, muttering something like, “See who we are!” In all fairness, in less than a month, they really whipped us into shape. I would never have reached that level by myself, even if I spent all of my time in the arena. On top of the ability that, to put it mildly, owned, we were taught lots of skills that I had no idea even existed: Acrobatics, Mobility, Iron Skin, Unarmed Combat, Trap Making… When the bulk of training was over, we finally got lectures from the Watchers’ experts. I was introduced to Olaf and Abbott, who developed an individual build for each trainee, based on their capabilities. My starting profile and meager four thousand skills points evoked a sigh, but even in these circumstances, they managed to draw up a Novice Warrior archetype with must-have abilities for any fighter, such as Counter-Parry, Power Attack, and Rage. The other recruits, who had significantly more skill points, got more advanced and even rare archetypes—Cut-throat, Warlord, Sword Dancer...
Some of them required specific attributes, not just basic skills like One-Handed Weapons or Throwing Weapons. For instance, to get the unusual Swordman archetype, you had to have at least level five Swords, level seven One-Handed Weapons, and at least thirty in Strength and Agility. The complicated skill system was starting to grow on me. Maybe I was simply getting used to it.
During the evening training session, we practiced Mounted Combat and Mounted Archery. I wasn’t as good at these as the others, as I had a low score in Riding, which was the basis for these skills. Other recruits swiftly raced about on their mounts, hitting five to seven of twenty targets, and Valkyrie and Svenn, even ten to twenty, while I managed not to miss one — three at most, and that’s despite that fact that I’m pretty good with a bow. It was one thing to shoot at a stationary target while standing on firm ground, and quite another, to do it in the saddle, shaking mercilessly! By the end of the lesson, I had earned a reproachful look not just from our trainer, elf Lorindale, but from my horse Snowflake, too, who seemed quite peeved.
“No big deal, bro, you’ll pick it up later! Creep before you leap!” Flame said, trying to comfort me. Even the short dwarf could ride and shoot better than I could! After training, Lori
ndale called me over.
“HotCat, I don’t get it! Your Agility is good, your aim is true. Yeah, your mount skills are low, but that shouldn’t make you miss so often! Focus! You’re distracted, you’ve got something else on your mind! If I were you,” he said, pointing at the silver grip of my sword, “I’d leave that thing in a chest at home, at least during training, or it will never stop haunting your thoughts!”
Well, all very well for him to say, one of the top archers in the Watchers! Still, I realized that the elf was right. After the previous night’s battles in the Tombs, the sword was constantly in my thoughts. It was time to visit the mage. I hoped that at least by evening, he would have returned to his tower to eat and rest.
The mage was, indeed, there. His fair-haired bodyguard was on duty next to the entrance and he winked at me as he opened the door. Yeah, the NPCs in Sphere really were something; this guy was nothing like a common Eyre guard. It was like he came from some other land: strong as a bull with a smug tanned face crossed by a few white scars, his bare muscular arms covered in elaborate tattoos. He had two swords crossed behind his back. He seemed to like messing with me, too, either blinking or pushing me a bit. A funny guy.
Ciage Nialit received me in his study.
“Have you defeated him?” he asked greedily, his eyes fixed on my face. “Have you found what I asked for?” Instead of answering him, I slowly pulled out a scratched black jewelry box, a dull See Unseen ring, and—ta-dam!—a black tome: the lick’s spellbook. Ciage’s expression barely changed, but the fire in his eyes betrayed his feelings. He took the box into his hands, examining it carefully.
“I hope you haven’t opened it?” he remarked. “That would have been very careless of you.” I shrugged—the box was clearly sealed with strong magic. I had no idea how to open it, and why would I meddle with a quest item, anyway?
Quest completed: Tombs of the Necromancers!
You brought Ciage Nialit the box of Fokial the Necromancer!
Your reward: Receive 30,000 XP. Current XP: 35,494/100,000
You brought Ciage Nialit the ring of Fokial the Necromancer!
Your reward: Receive 5,000 XP. Current XP: 40,494/100,000
You brought Ciage Nialit the grimoire of Fokial the Necromancer!
Your reward: Receive 3 free attribute points! Receive 20,000 XP. Current XP: 60494/10000
Your reputation with Ciage Nialit, court mage of Eyre, increased by 300! Current value: 306/500 (respect)
Your reputation with the nation of Eyre increased by 50! Current value: 103/500 (friendly)
You unlocked new quests, items, and rewards in the domains of Eyre!
“That’s much more than I expected,” the mage admitted. “How can I reward you? All right, take it! It’s the best thing I could craft in my laboratory.” He placed a transparent vial in an ornate gold casing in front of me. It splashed inside with a thick golden liquid.
You receive Dragon Scale Potion!
Instantly restores 100% HP. For one minute, increases all types of defense by 50-70%.
“You’re young and weak, HotCat,” Ciage continued. “Far too weak! You still have so much to experience. But there’s a secret art, one that mages and stargazers get taught at the very beginning: learn, even while you sleep!”
You receive ability: Secret Learning
Even while resting, you will level up the selected skill as if you were using it. Training speed depends on skill level and learning difficulty.
That was a bomb! From now on, when I exited the game and left my character in sleep mode inside a tavern room or a camp, one of my skills would level up by itself! I had heard about this ability before. Lots of players had it, and mages and clerics even learned it during training, but the conditions for getting it were random. Secret Learning was a highly-sought after perk.
A wooden scroll case lay on the table wrapped in grey silk and sealed with a wax print of the mage’s ring. Inside was the Great Identification Scroll. Ciage pushed the case toward me with the tips of his fingers.
“You can identify it right here,” he nodded, answering my unspoken question. “Yes, I also want to know the truth, by Eless!”
Finally, the moment of truth! I dragged the scroll icon over the sword in my inventory. Do you really wish to identify this item?
Yes, dammit, I do! The system bells chimed softly, and I opened the sword’s stats once again.
Aelmaris the Blue
Flaming Sword of the Seven Brothers
Quality: key. Material: star metal, mithril, true fire.
Sentient item. Scalable. Personal. Undetectable. Soul Eater.
XP: 37,456/50,000 Souls eaten: 1
Damage: 30-50 (piercing, slashing)
One of the Seven: +10 to all owner’s attributes
True Flame: +3,500 true fire damage (rank 1)
Soul Eater: consumes and holds the soul of a defeated creature.
Destroyer: destroys durability of enemy items.
Star Metal Wrath: restores true form of all creatures in 10 m radius.
Fiery Lightning: bestows Fiery Lightning ability to owner, 12 charges per day.
HIDDEN LEGACY (requires more experience)
HIDDEN LEGACY (requires more experience)
HIDDEN LEGACY (requires more experience)
Slots: 2 (empty) (empty)
True owner: HotCat, ID G58620789
“Translated from First Speech, Aelmaris is ‘blue’....” Ciage Nialit whispered reverently. “The blue blade of the Seven Brothers... The key... Cat! When you set out for the Tombs, I sent a falcon with a letter for the Order of the Lily on the Sword! As soon as they got it, the paladins marched out from the south. They will be here in a few days time.”
“What is that Order?”
“Of everyone alive, they know the most about the Seven Brothers and their weapon. And now, about your—” The sharp deep tolling of a bell interrupted our conversation, and the letters of a global announcement appeared on the screen.
ATTENTION, ALL PLAYERS OF DORSA!
BALANCE MUST BE RESTORED!
CONTINENTAL EVENT “WAR OF THE KINGDOMS” HAS BEGUN!
THE LANDS OF THE NATION OF EYRE ARE NOW IN DISPUTE!
THE HOUSE OF DARKNESS DECLARES WAR UPON THE NATION OF EYRE!
DAN-NA-HAYVIN DECLARES WAR UPON THE NATION OF EYRE!
IRCHI OF THE SNAKE PEAKS DECLARE WAR UPON THE NATION OF EYRE!
THE SEA BROTHERHOOD OF ERGIAL DECLARES WAR UPON THE NATION OF EYRE!
FREE CITY OF DYRE DECLARES WAR UPON THE NATION OF EYRE!
THE PRINCIPALITY OF DAIGOR DECLARES WAR UPON THE NATION OF EYRE!
I looked at the wizard, my eyes large and round, but he was gone, disappeared, vanished, teleported away, with only the barest traces of the portal left above his chair. A few seconds later, signal horns roared on the towers all across Eyre.
INTERLUDE THE GODDESS
He followed the poorly-lit passages, climbing the long stairwells for a long time. As he passed by, the irchi made the sign of the Lady, kneeling. The kharks, in their hoarse voices, whispered to the new sentries, telling them about him and his deeds. Even Hishrog himself, the Ghort-Khagra of the First Horde, bowed when meeting him in the corridor, his hands pressed against his chest. A guard stopped him before the final door, its folds huge and bound in silver and black bronze.
“Tao.”
“Tiamant.” Their eyes met in a brief battle.
“She’s waiting for you.” Ananizarte’s guardian, a dragon shapeshifter in human form, flung open one of the door folds before him. He stepped inside, engulfed by the darkness. It didn’t bother Tao. He could see in the dark like a cat or an elf.
The goddess stood in the center of a large hall, the walls and ceiling of which disappeared in the gloom of the room. Her hands rested against the edges of a small stone basin, as she gazed at something on its bottom. She turned around, hearing his steps, then smiled and offered him her hand to kiss, as he knelt down on one knee.
�
��Tao, my chosen one...” she purred.
Ananizarte, the Goddess of Darkness, appeared as a young pretty dark-haired girl. Her perfect curves in a form-fitting black garment tempted and enticed everyone who laid their eyes on her. A silver bracer on her right forearm glowed softly in the dark. Tao knew what it was, and when the goddess reached out to him with her right hand, it sent chills up his spine. But she simply beckoned him to follow her and led him toward the stone basin. The small waist-deep pool was full of dark water with dim starlight shining at the bottom.
“Do you know what this is?”
“I’ve heard about it, my goddess. It’s the Herald. They call it the Seaworm’s Eye.”
“That’s right. And what is its purpose?”
“Remote seeing.”
“True, my Tao. Look!” Ananizarte ran her hand above the surface of the water, and a colorful image appeared on top of it. There were grey mossy walls with square towers, tiled roofs, and double-tailed yellow-green pennants on sharp castle spires...
“Do you recognize it?”
“Yes. It is Dan-na-Eyre.”
“Tao, Balance has been broken. A terrible enemy has emerged that could change the world forever. To avoid losing everything that we have spent so many years creating, we must strike first! Tao, loyal warrior, best of my people! Lead my army and conquer Eyre in my name!”
You are offered a quest: The Crown and the Key.
Attention! This quest is classified as Cross-faction Epic Continental! Refusing it will result in losing all reputation with the faction!
Ananizarte, the Goddess of Darkness, tasked you with winning the war with the nation of Eyre. Bring her the Key of Dan-na-Eyre and the Crown of the Err of Eyre. You are appointed as head of the House of Darkness in this war. From now on, your word is law for all the Lady’s subjects.
Number of participants: unlimited.
Tao curled his lips in to a smile. One didn’t refuse an epic continental quest given by a god.
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