“What’s this nonsense you’re sending me?” Blackie stared at me, an innocent look on his face.
“It’s a contract. An agreement. We agree to lure the PROJECT’s party into a trap, and you promise not to harm us afterwards, and not to interfere with us...and our NPC companion. It’s all written down, read it.”
“What NPC companion? You didn’t mentioned anything about—”
“We’re doing a quest, an epic quest. Escorting an NPC.” I told him. It was not a lie either — I just chose to withhold the information about the NPC being the Err of the Eyre Nation. “That’s why they’re hunting us. It’s a faction war.”
“Huh,” Blackie replied. He did not look stupid, but seemed to buy into my explanation, nonetheless. “You’re smart, HotCat. So, that’s your insurance. Do you want to join our clan?”
“No, thank you.”
“Fine, here’s your contract. The plan’s a bit half-assed, though. They’ll likely check your kill rating, these are dangerous lands.” Black Don demonstrated a predatory smile and slid his finger over the blade of his dagger. “So to enhance your facade…”
* * *
“I can’t believe it!” I said, laughing. “I can’t believe you fell for such a simple trick!” A login trap was a classic snare. A group logs out in the agreed location, remaining in voice chat. Only the bait remains online, or a number of them. When the enemy attacks the bait, on command, the main group logs in and the killing spree starts. Usually, places were chosen that were hard to escape.
In our case, it was an old Temple of Shadows, an enclosed structure with only one entrance that was easy to block. As a bonus, inside the temple of a different god, Svoy would not be able to use his black priest abilities, or summon his patron deity. We had counted on that, but I had not expected the important message that spring up in my personal system tray while I was laughing, and the Nonames were logging in.
God Tormis takes a liking to you! Your reputation with Tormis increased by 350. Current value: 550/1,000
Once again, Tormis, god of the Shadow pantheon, increased my rep! I had googled him a bit after that thing with Snow, but everything had unfolded so quickly afterward, that I had too much on my plate to think about dealing with divine patronage as well.
In the meantime, the temple was caught up in a bloody slaughter. Alex and I were covering the Err, having instructed him to avoid engaging in battle at all costs. While I had been discussing the ambush with the Nonames, AlexOrder had gone to the temple, talked to Endved, and disguised him, hiding his name and even his NPC status. Now, he was just a cloaked figure with a steel visor shining under his hood.
If the Nonames found out that the Err of the Eyre Nation was with us, they might have started to get all sorts of ideas about the Crown—and that would necessitate offering a very different price to the one I had just promised. I could not allow that to happen.
The fight lasted for ten minutes, but what a ten minutes they were! Even chained to the floor by a Greater Rune, the PROJECT’s war party were magnificent. They summoned a tornado, a powerful whirlwind, that scattered all the Nonames away: I barely managed to hold on, gripping onto the stone altar. Svoy defended himself without moving, surrounded by an impenetrable cocoon of flashing steel, and the attacking PKers were unable to break through. One by one, the Nonames’ icons in the raid interface went out, while the PROJECT fighters’ Hit Point bars were getting replenished by their healers.
“Cat, they’re erasing the rune with a Tornado!” AlexOrder shouted, trying to thunder down the clash of steel and the howling of wind. “Help me, I’ll cover the Err!”
I saw it myself. The hurricane was thinning out the broad lines of the Greater Rune of Chains that Alex had carefully drawn on the floor. Still, it was easier said then done. Have you ever found yourself at the center of a tornado? If so, then you know, that moving against the wind is impossible, as the pressure of it knocks you down flat. Those in the eye of the storm, a relatively safe area around the caster, could still stand and kept fighting, but the others got swept away.
Two PROJECT members with swords and shields, Ravenling and Seeker, were defending two female casters, Eyrin, an air mage, and Tasmith, a black healer. Thanks to their correct positioning upon entering the shrine, they could efficiently protect themselves even when bound by the Rune.
I looked at the bright blue blade of my sword. It had saved me time and time again, but how could I get close, when the howling gale struck me down each time I tried to approach? Fiery Lightning would have helped, but I was out for the time being. Still, there was one other option. I switched my grip of the weapon and threw it with all the force I could muster, aiming it at the blue patch, Eyrin’s mantle.
Yes, you could throw any weapon in Sphere. It required a special skill and then, such weapons took on the Throwing property. There was the chance of wounding yourself, if the item was not designed to be thrown in the first place. I got lucky. Aelmaris penetrated the roaring storm and hit the PROJECT’s mage.
Eyrin was clearly a trained warrior. On top of magic, she also had good weapon skills. Bound by the rune, she could not dodge a thrown blade, so she reflexively defended herself, parrying the flying item with her battle wand. With a mournful clink, the magic staff broke into several pieces, and Eyrin threw away its scalded fragments, her fingers charred.
The wind stopped abruptly, having almost erased AlexOrder’s rune from the floor. For a moment, everything was silent and still, and both sides froze, but only for a moment.
The remaining Nonames resumed their charge and rushed to attack. The dark elf assassin, Thirteenth, quietly dropped out of stealth behind the back of black-haired Tasmith and grinned viciously, raising his scimitars. He beheaded the black healer with a critical hit. A few seconds later, the Nonames focused their fire on Eyrin, sending her to the respawn point. Seeker and Ravenling desperately resisted, but without a healer, they were done for.
And then, there was Svoy. The guy had already killed four or five of the enemy. Alex’s rune could no longer hold him, and the snakeman was stubbornly approaching us. The best warriors of the Nonames, Arrow and Black Don himself, were attacking him, but they could not force him back.
Or could they? AlexOrder was helping them, throwing one rune after another. At last, he faltered and missed a blow, then another, and eventually collapsed, right on the altar at the center. His Hit Point bar reluctantly slipped into the red zone.
“Help us!” Black Done shouted, turning around for a moment. In the meantime, Arrow kept attacking and pressed the PROJECT fighter to the altar, his sword above him—but even slowed and dazed by my friend’s debuffs, Svoy was still a fearsome opponent. He dodged, pushed back the Noname with a powerful kick to the chest, and reached out for a potion in his belt. I was already on him, though. The blue sword inexplicably found its way back into my hands, singing a song of fire and steel. Pinned to the altar, the snakeman noticed it far too late, or maybe, simply did not have sufficient time to react. I ran him through, impaling him, as Aelmaris’ tip ran into stone.
You dealt 2,714 damage to player Svoy (PROJECT HELL)! Svoy is dead! You receive 412 XP. Current XP: 65,972/1,000,000
Aelmaris received 154 XP! Current XP: 120/50000
Note: You unlocked a new hidden ability of Aelmaris!
There was also another message, an unexpected one.
Svoy is dying on the altar of Tormis! Do you wish to sacrifice Svoy to Tormis? Yes/No 49...48...47…
“What are you waiting for? Finish him!” Blackie yelled, standing next to me, and thrust his blades into the snakeman’s body. I managed to click “No” in time. Everything I had read about gods of Shadow and their worship implied that they did not like blood sacrifice. As far as I understood, only gods of Darkness had a love for such things, and even then, not all of them. Killing somebody on Tormis’ altar could have had surprisingly unpleasant consequences.
Svoy’s body disappeared, leaving a few items that clattered as they fell to the
floor. One of them, a pretty leather pauldron with metallic fragments and a round buckle on the fastening belt, remained lying on the altar. For a second, a silvery mist enshrouded it, and I heard the chiming of the system bell.
Tormis accepted your offering! Your reputation with Tormis increased by 500! Current reputation: 1,050/5,000 (friendly)
A gem inlaid in the buckle twinkled a farewell as the pauldron disappeared, and the god’s statue above the altar became shrouded in the same silvery mist and...moved?
Suddenly, a new item appeared on the dented altar. It was an ancient scroll, yellow with age, and cracked at the edges. It was bound by a fine rough string that reminded me of a beggar’s belt, yet was tied in an elaborate knot. Intuitively, I reached out to it, and the scroll moved into my inventory.
You obtained a new item: Grey Scroll of Shadows. Contents: Greater Shield of Shadows.
Quality: legendary. Crafted by Tormis. Personal.
Note: This item can only be used once!
What was that, the trickster god’s return gift, or the procedural generator at work, giving bonuses to the weaker side? Or both at the same time?
Nobody noticed my fiddling with the pauldron and the scroll, or that the stone statue had shifted, as the Nonames were busy finishing off the remaining enemies, and it had all taken place in about ten seconds. The last PROJECT icon blinked and faded away: our allies finally killed Seeker and burst into a cheer. Only five were left; twelve died in the battle.
“Quickly, loot everything and go to resp point!” Blackie commanded. “Those are serious guys, our people might not hold them off! Give all loot to Thirteenth!”
“They won’t get anywhere, Blackie,” Arrow argued, quickly picking up the items. “We stripped them real good, killed all of their pawns, too.”
* * *
“Eight!” Thirteenth declared triumphantly, when we returned to the respawn point. “Eight epics! And five rare items, worth thirty-thousand!”
“I think that’s the best loot I’ve ever gotten,” said Black Don. “So how are they doing?”
As Arrow had told us, PROJECT’s party, having lost lots of items and all henchmen, did not want to risk leaving the resp point. In addition to other stuff, they had dropped Eyrin’s magic wand, Ravenling’s bow and harp, and Svoy’s cloak... They were stripped of some of their equipment and partially disarmed. Such generous loot was accounted for by Tao’s warriors’ horrible karma. Even with green karma, I always lost one item at death.
We approached the stone revival circle and saw a few ghostly figures at the top.
“That’s it, you’re in our KOS list, all HELL will kill you on sight! You’re dead, scum!” An angry voice shouted. Without saying a word, the Nonames all laughed.
“Half of Dorsa has us in their KOS lists,” yelled Blackie, when they were done laughing.
“Half of Sphere for some of us,” added Thirteenth. “For instance, I have one hundred and thirteen bounties on my head. Oops, one hundred and eighteen now...”
“All right, then!” Black Don came up to the resp circle, hands on hips. “Guys, each of you can buy off your hide for five thousand gold! Then we’ll let you go. If not, we’ll camp here a bit, maybe get more loot off your hands…” Grinning, he pulled on his blue cloak, the one that had belonged to Svoy, and fastened the gem-encrusted clasps.
“Screw you! You’ll return everything, bitch!”
“Moar pain!” Don cheered. “I’m recording this, guys, say something else! You’ll be stars of the official forum!”
The Nonames leader returned to the fire. He was evidently giving out commands in clan chat, as several Randoms stood up and disappeared into the air, circling around the graveyard.
“What are you thinking, Blackie?” Arrow asked quietly, when the leader sat down by the fire.
“What is there to think? They won’t go anywhere. They ain’t got the guts. Soul stones are blocked, they can only go offline.”
“Their stones are probably bound to their castle on the other side of the world.” Alex remarked. “But it’s the PROJECT. They won’t give up that easy.”
“Then we’ll hold them here for a while,” Blackie smirked. “These guys are armed to the teeth. There’s a chance they’ll try to break through, even without their pawns. Maybe we’ll get something else out of them.”
“Another epic,” Thirteenth intoned dreamily.
“Or a Golden Spark!” Somebody said, and all Nonames roared again.
“He said something about help?” I asked.
“He’s lying! PROJECT HELL lives in Dorsa’s asshole, far away from here. Even if their clanmates jump to Eyre, it’s at least a day’s journey.”
“So if it’s all right, we’ll head out,” I said, standing up. “It’s been a pleasure working with you, guys, but it’s time for us to go!”
Meanwhile, Thirteenth was circling the Err, who had silently followed us. Endved Elyon had not breathed a word since the battle, still draped in a hooded robe.
“That’s a weird one,” Thirteenth mumbled, examining the Err. “Either a player or an NPC, I dunno... I don’t like it.”
The Nonames exchanged looks. I summoned Snowflake, but suddenly, Blackie laid his hand on my shoulder.
“Not so fast, HotCat. We haven’t finished.”
“I think we’ve got problems.” AlexOrder interrupted.
“Huh? What? Why do you think that?” Black Don said, looking worried.
“My friend forwarded me a notice sent to the Watchers’ clan chat just a minute ago. It’s an alarm! They’re gathering. I’ll try and find out what’s going on.”
Five minutes later, Alex sent his communication log to the general chat.
AlexOrder: What happened?
Dimonicus: A HELL’s raid! 100+ people. They appeared not far from Eyre, archers, melee fighters, mages. Almost all on birdies. Lots of priests. Everyone’s equipped for battle. Our guys have noticed two portal masters. Komtur’s online but not answering. The Keepers are assembling a raid!
AlexOrder: But you’re neutral with HELL.
Dimonicus: Then what are they doing here in PvP equipment? Anyway, everyone online is to go to Condor. Those who are offline are being informed. Where are you? Will you come?
AlexOrder: I’m far away, I can’t get there that fast.
Dimonicus: That’s too bad. We don’t have another rune master.
Dimonicus: Wait, I think it’s clear! I hear they’ve marched south, in the opposite direction to Condor. Our guys followed them, but they lit up a pentagram, and have used their portal to go somewhere.
“Wow!” Thirteenth’s eyes widened. “A hundred plus raid is a steamroller! We’ll get curb stormed.”
“Shoot,” Black Don said. “Thanks... Arrow, what’s your opinion?”
“Lemme think...” The former Watcher said, wincing. “I have the site with portal master info bookmarked. I just need to consider something.”
“All right, so here’s the deal,” he said, after waking up from a minute-long meditation. “I don’t have much info. Everything depends on their skills and ingredients.”
“Consider them perfect!”
“That’s what I did. A portal master with perfect skills has a one-hour cooldown for their ability.”
“The range of the most expensive teleportation is one hundred leagues. If your info checks out, they’ll get here in four jumps, which is two hours. And that’s if they really do have two portal guys. If the Watchers are wrong and they have more, then even faster.”
“That’s bad,” Blackie whispered. “Really bad...”
“Yep. But it’s just a theory. Also, they’ll burn ingredients worth a thousand gold for jumps like that. Portals don’t come cheap.”
“All right,” Black Don said. He stood up, stretched like a giant cat, and then turned around sharply to face me.
“So tell me, Cat,” he whispered softly, his dagger pressed against my neck, “what kind of quest makes PROJECT HELL send a hundred-people raid
after you?”
CHAPTER 28 PROJECT HELL
“The contract, Blackie!” I reminded him, trying not to move. “We have a contract!”
So what exactly is a contract between players? It is a constructor that enables players to shape a standard form into practically any agreement with relevant terms, dates, and penalties. The official Sphere forum is full of templates.
By default, all important contracts have a penalty of up to a million gold written into them. I had set it as one hundred gold in our agreement with the Nonames. On top of that, violating an agreement inflicts on the transgressor a month-long Oathbreaker debuff (-50% to all atrributes). Also, the misdeed remains in their biography forever. From here on in, everybody would know that this player did not play fair. That was a pretty serious deterrent, so even out-and-out PKers tried to honor contracts. There was one “but”, however. Just like in real life, it was impossible to account for everything, and some paragraphs of an agreement could be side-stepped, in which case, unless you broke the letter of contract, the system would disregard it.
“Nonames keep their word!” Blackie grinned. “But what can I do about the guys who’ll just get up and leave the clan, out for your blood?”
We were standing behind a hillcrest near the respawn point. It was an improvised Nonames camping spot, consisting of a campfire, a stonejammer, and a few camouflaged pup tents. Following Black Don’s short nod, Thirteenth suddenly appeared out of thin air next to our roc, and beheaded it with a single swift strike. The huge bird collapsed, writhing in agony, clenching its claws and flapping its wings. Thirteenth jumped back, dodging the blows of the ten-foot wings, and smirked. I noticed, he did not have the Nonames tag above him, anymore. To side-step the agreement, the dark elf had left the clan.
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