"My department always stays neutral and doesn't interfere directly in game events! So, there's no use in trying to spook me. There won't be any thunder and lightning!" Despite the loud words, I caught distinct notes of uncertainty in the Keeper's voice. "Here, Amra, let's not argue. Everything will be in accordance with the rules and regulations of the corporation. I'll need an official statement from your department saying that this NPC must be respawned and on what basis. The statement will be considered in due time, and as our leadership decides, so it will be."
My big-eared goblin chuckled, displaying a row of sharp little teeth:
"Now you're talking business, Keeper. I accept your conditions. But at the moment, the Special Projects Department is temporarily lacking a head. The former director, Mark Tobius, has been transferred to a different position by decision of Vice President Inessa Tyle. She then gave me temporary authority to make big decisions on my own. The head of the in-game security service, Andrei Soloviev, can confirm my words. So, consider the official statement requesting Yunna’s respawn already sent!"
I managed to back the Keeper into a corner. The glowing figure flew higher and asked me to give him time "for consultation." I waited patiently for four minutes before the transparent angel started moving again and gave an answer:
"Alright, request approved. Your NPC goblin girl will be respawned in the next few minutes, but she will lose all the skills she earned and will be reset at level one. Unfortunately, that’s the best I can do — divine intervention is a very rare treat. It needs to be repaid in kind. I was also asked to tell you unofficially that such an indulgence wouldn't be given a second time, and the next person you decide to sacrifice to the gods for the sake of group bonuses will die once and for all."
"Even a living player?" I asked, holding a fully real candidate in mind.
The glimmering angel shuddered, and rushed to clarify that he was talking only about NPC's, not about real Boundless Realm players.
"Alright then, on that note, my thanks to you, colleague! I wish you a happy shift without any more emergency calls!"
* * *
As the Keeper disappeared, the golden dome he brought with him also went, so I was no longer isolated from the rest of Boundless Realm. A wave of sounds and scents suddenly rushed over me. Message lines ran before my eyes:
Trading Skill increased to level 18!
Foreman Skill increased to level 21!
+15 to relationship with members of Brotherhood of the Coast
+10 to Taisha's opinion of you
+ 20 to Ziabash Hardy's opinion of you
=25 to Ghuu Ghel All-Knowing's opinion of you
+25 to Gnum Spiteful's opinion of you
In the eyes of my crew, I saw admiration, adoration and even reverence. Just think! They'd just seen their captain speak on even footing with the Keeper himself! The fierce orcs bowed their heads in respect and made way, allowing me to walk over to Irek, who was nervously shifting from one foot to the other.
"Your sister will respawn soon," I reassured the boy, "but she will be much weaker and she'll lose many abilities and skills. In fact, Yunna will have to learn everything all over again..."
In confirmation of my words, the goblin girl appeared on the sacrificial altar, having miraculously avoided all the twists and turns of the battle. Yunna shouted out in fear, jumped to the floor and started looking all around. But then she saw her brother, pressed herself to him and started sobbing. Irek gave his sister his clothing, and the level-1 Wolf Rider immediately got dressed.
"That might not even be bad," the wood nymph commented as her, Taisha, and I walked down into the captain's bunk. "The goblin girl was leveled with a rare ambivalence — she even had Culinary kicking around in her skills, along with Agriculture and, for some reason, Foot Race. Yunna now has the chance to be reborn and make herself into an adequate wolf rider from a blank slate. I'll give the girl tips on better skills, and also help her level fast."
"That's right. Yunna really does need help. Oh, Taisha is yawning bad... By the way, Valerianna, shouldn't you also be just about collapsing?" I asked, sharply changing the topic.
The green-haired girl shrugged her shoulders in uncertainty, then shot me a crafty smile and asked, barely audibly:
"Amra, are we gonna leave the ship now?"
"How'd you guess?!" tore itself from me.
Taisha sharply perked up her ears and jumped from the bed. There wasn't even a trace remaining of her sleepiness.
"I know you too well, Tim," the mavka laughed happily, impossibly satisfied with my surprise and the reaction of my NPC companion. "You'd never have mentioned New Tortuga in front of our pursuers unless you were trying to create a false narrative. But New Tortuga really is the nearest port of the Brotherhood of the Coast. Any pirate ship can come there for repair, no questions asked. The other ports are too far away, and we have practically no way of getting to them. From there, I came to the conclusion that you were planning to send the hunters to New Tortuga after the ships on their way there, while you yourself left the White Shark."
Bingo! I mean, I'd long known that my sister was a genius, but her abilities in making complex conclusions still continued to delight me. Valeria had explained everything just right. All that was left for me was to fill in the details:
"All in all, you got the idea. Both of our ships need repair and will go to New Tortuga. They'll get there by this evening. Perhaps there will be ships of undying waiting for them when they get there. But even if that is so, our pursuers won't attack: trying to board a pirate bireme in a harbor with fifty Brotherhood of the Coast military ships is an utterly mad idea. But that isn't even the most important thing. Our pursuers will not see player markers on board the White Shark, so there will be no reason to attack — that will only startle their intended victim, or even worse, risk sinking the bireme with me on board. With such a valuable prize riding on it, they won't want to take risks and will wait patiently for me to enter Boundless Realm. But when our pursuers realize their error, we'll already be far away! An hour or so from now, we'll go ashore with our companions and Gnum Spiteful — we'll need the dwarf to lead us through the underground tunnels of Rovaan-Dum."
On hearing the name of the subterranean land of the dwarves, Val clapped her hands in elation and exclaimed:
"Excellent move! From what I've read in the guides, they have a true multi-level labyrinth that goes down into the very heart of the mountain. There are abandoned dangerous tunnels, as well as very lively shafts. The coolest thing is their high-speed trains with rails and mine carts for fast transportation."
"That's exactly right, Valerianna. I already asked Gnum Spiteful and marked on the map a small freight dock which leads to one of the rail lines. White Shark will soon be passing not far from it and, there, we'll get out on shore. We can make use of dwarven transport there, buy tickets to somewhere deep inside Rovaan-Dum and, in one day, be at least a few hundred kilometers from the coast. I don't even know exactly where we'll be by evening. So, our pursuers can’t possibly know a thing! White Shark and Princess Amelia will be going toward New Tortuga that whole time, attracting the attention of all interested eyes!"
Valerianna Quickfoot thought for a bit and agreed with my conclusion. Although she did mention that there were two undying on the White Shark other than us, and they could upset all our plans.
"Don’t you worry about that," I assured my sister, smiling predatorily. "I've got an hour and a half or so before coming ashore, and I'm planning to spend that time preparing. I'd like to protect the ship and crew against the bad influence of that damned dryad. When everything is ready, before we leave, I'll give secret instructions to the first mate, and the most loyal orcs of my 'guard.' I'll tell them how to deal with the ships and the two undying, as well as what to do when they arrive in New Tortuga. It's just that a crew of three hundred loyal NPC pirates is a valuable resource, and I want to hold onto it. I'm sure it'll come in handy at some point."
"So, we stil
l have time? Then I'm gonna get an hour's nap, without my character leaving Boundless Realm. If you need, give a sign of some kind, and Kira will wake me up."
"Kira isn't asleep?" I asked in surprise, somewhat embarrassed at having completely forgotten the presence of the outside observer.
"Come on, Tim, how could she be sleeping?! Kira's sitting next to me on a chair, watching the monitor with rapt attention. She's even making comments. See? She just said 'hi' to you. And she's saying she'll turn off the microphone when I'm asleep so you don't get embarrassed."
* * *
Valerianna sat Indian-style on the floor and closed her eyes. I waited for thirty seconds, but her character wasn't about to exit Boundless Realm — my sister had simply removed her virtual reality helmet and sensor gloves, leaving the game switched on.
"Amra, you were planning to tell me about the land of the undying, remember?" Taisha asked wearily, struggling with all her might not to doze off. "First tell me, who is Kira?"
I heard notes of jealousy in the voice of the NPC thief. I got an urge to initiate the Taisha's Envy quest, but held back. It wasn't a good time for that now, as I was already struggling desperately against sleep and might have made a real mess of things if I just answered wrong. So, I answered neutrally:
"Kira is the owner of the room my sister and I rent. She owns many rooms. Kira is quite a rich woman. She even has her own security team..."
Taisha took the information totally ambivalently, not reacting in any way. Quickly changing the topic away from my landlady, I continued telling my NPC girlfriend about the real world. Taisha was sitting on the bed alternating between dozing off and listening. Not stopping talking, I was working with alchemical reagents and thinking at the same time.
What was the strength of the Dryad Dancer? Her attractive appearance, very high Charisma and, based on that stat, her irresistible charms and submission spells. The player's easy behavior was secondary — without the Charisma and appearance, the pirate crew would not be following her like dogs, and certainly would not have obeyed the girl's orders. Accordingly, if the dryad's Charisma went down, the strength of all her charms would significantly wain. If I could mar the beautiful girl's appearance even slightly, all her control abilities would disappear.
I came up onto the upper deck and approached VIXEN, who was wound up into a ball asleep. Fearlessly unlatching the ghastly jaws of the flying snake, I filled an alchemical vial with wyvern poison. I desperately wanted to comment on these scenes: "Do not try this at home! Dangerous!!!" as the wyvern was very upset with my manipulations and, even groggy, bit into my arm with her jaws.
Damage taken: 55 (Bite)
Damage taken: 32 (Poison)
Successful check for Poison Resistance
After recognizing her master, VIXEN immediately unclenched her jaws and again lowered her head onto the ring of her emerald body, going back to sleep. I though, took a closer look at the liquid:
Forest Wyvern Poison (alchemy ingredient)
To look at it, I had a cloudy yellow viscous liquid that smelled acridly of hydrochloric acid. It had very irritating properties, even corroding the skin. It was gross all on its own, but mixed with another poison that instantly lowers Charisma, I'd have exactly what I wanted! The recipe for this poison, which was given the name Poison of Detestability, was something I had discovered long ago, but I never thought it would ever be of use to me, as reducing an enemy's Charisma in battle was one of the most useless actions imaginable. However, though I'd never have guessed it, the recipe was now coming in handy.
I went down into the captain's bunk and, clearing unneeded vials and reagents off the table, started producing some Poison of Detestability. Done! Minus twelve Charisma points — pretty weak, but I didn't yet have the ability to make a stronger poison. So now, all that remained was mixing it with the wyvern poison...
The action you're trying to perform is impossible
Your character lacks the specialization to prepare complex elixirs with multiple active properties
God damn it! I needed a special perk to my Alchemy skill. I looked at my stats. My Alchemy skill was at level 19, and its progress bar was half full. Just the right time to get up to potion cooking!
I restored my reserves of healing elixir and strength restoration potion, then cobbled together some Intelligence and mana elixirs for Valeria. I even made a burn medicine for the disfigured boatswain Staur Strong. The time then came to start on the coils of ruddy brown seaweed taking up half my bag. There had to be some use for them. So, let's see what they could make.
Experience received: 16 Exp.
You have created a Minor Elixir of Underwater Breathing (may spend 38 seconds underwater without need for air)
New recipe added to Journal
Would you look at that! What perfect timing! Ever since I'd made the decision, I had been thinking over whether Angelica or Leon would get suspicious about the last dinghy from White Shark disappearing, or whether they'd connect its disappearance with the missing captain. But now, voila! I wouldn't need a dinghy — Taisha, Irek, Yunna and Gnum Spiteful could all jump overboard with me and Valerianna, and we'd reach the shore by walking on the sea floor. Valerianna Quickfoot could make an air bubble, like she'd done before with her magic. The wolves of the Gray Pack could swim in. They were great swimmers! An excellent option. I just had to prepare enough underwater breathing potions!
Alchemy Skill increased to level 20!
You may now choose your first specialization in this skill
Finally! And although there were a great many perks to the Alchemy skill, including concentrating and strengthening the effect of potions, less use of ingredients, and lots of other stuff — I chose the ability to prepare complex multi-component elixirs with multiple active properties. Now it was time! I took the forest wyvern poison already on the alchemy table and the Poison of Detestability, and poured both mixtures into a container filled with the ground up petals of tropical flowers.
The pale-yellow mixture gave a gurgle, bubbled, and released a violet pink steam. I continued mixing the strange concoction with a long wooden spoon, watching it transform. It gradually cooled, quickly thickening and acquiring the consistency of a cream or lotion, as well as a glamorous pink shade. And then...
Experience received: 1600 Exp.
Alchemy Skill increased to level 21!
Congratulations!!! You are the first player to create this potion! It has the following effects:
–60 Charisma, — 60 Intelligence , skin irritation (effect of level-20 Itching spell)
The effects will appear five minutes after application
Effect duration: 20 minutes
New recipe added to Journal
As the discoverer of this potion, you have the right to give it a name
Would you like to use the suggested name: "Gift to the First Lady in Waiting," or would you like to give it a name?
Mission received: Recognition of the Alchemists' Guild (1/10)
Mission class: normal, personal
Description: Visit any branch of the Alchemists' Guild and share the new recipe with your colleagues
Reward: 80 Exp., Alchemy skill +1
Optional condition: try the potion you just created out on yourself or any other player, record the results and share it with your colleagues
Reward: variable
I'll admit, I was slightly taken aback by the abundance of text, but I read the messages and smiled. "Gift to the First Lady in Waiting?" Considering the properties of the synthesized cream, such a gift could only come from an envious and guileful second lady in waiting. Alright, I'd leave the name. The effect lasted twenty minutes. Not much, but it should be enough. The fact that the effects weren't instantaneous and only took hold after five minutes was the perfect finishing touch. What was more, the smell of the "gift" was nice — something like a complex mixture of peaches, vanilla, almonds and something indistinct.
Now, how would I get Angelica Wayward to take it? It
seemed obvious — add it to her perfume collection. But on the shelves, there were thirty different containers, and the Dryad Dancer wasn't likely to be using all of them. Add a drop to each? In that case, the effect wouldn't be sufficient. What was more, the system wouldn't let me rifle through another player's things unpunished. If I did that, it would give me a criminal marker and penalize my ability to exit Boundless Realm. Even if I neglected all the negative effects and manipulated the dancer's things regardless, the biggest shame would be that the ownership of the items would be changed, so Angelica would be warned that she was trying to use someone else's perfume collection. She'd be sure to realize someone had messed with her stuff. What could I do? Maybe I should purposefully place a conspicuous container belonging to someone else among Angelica's cosmetics. She'd be sure to pay attention to any object belonging to another woman.
Stay on the Wing Page 25