by Edward Brody
“I believe these are yours,” he said, handing me several items I recognized. “I found them in their stash of loot… Sorry, but I didn’t see your weapons or gear.”
You’ve received: Weathered Treasure Map. Durability: 30/50. Quality: Average. Rarity: Rare. Weight: 0.1 kg. A map to hidden treasure.
You’ve received: Basic Compass. Durability: 99/100. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.2 kg. A useful tool for determining your location.
You’ve received: Keychain. Durability: 100/100. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.1 kg. A basic keychain used to hold keys. [Keys: 3/50]
You’ve Received: A Marked Runestone. Location: Unknown. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Great. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.1 kg
I groaned, thinking of all the stat bonuses I was losing by not having my rings, choker and other magic items. “Thanks anyway. Now how the hell do we get out of here?”
“We?” Satorin asked with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll be leaving before you make your move. I can’t afford to be caught here. But you…” He reached out and handed me the small bag in his hand.
You’ve received: Kroka. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.1 kg. An illicit substance used for incredible enhancements. Be wary of addiction and side-effects!
“I’m not a fan of drugs myself, but you could use your kroka to give you temporary stat boost. I know you have some magic skills, so you may be able to cause quite a bit of carnage with the magical benefits it provides.” Satorin turned his head to the guard that was sitting closest to a horse that was tied off. “Or you could quietly kill the guard and steal the horse. The other guards will surely wake up when they hear you trotting off on horseback, but you’ll probably have enough of a headstart that you can lose them.”
I turned to the sleeping slaves that I had been working with the past two days. “What about these guys?”
“What about them?” Satorin asked.
“Can we free them too?”
“Free them? Why?”
“Just…” I shook my head, not wanting to explain that I had befriended a couple Reborns or that I felt sorry for the other NPCs that had been captured and put to work. “Nothing.”
“No, actually, that may be a good idea.” Satorin reached up and stroked the hair hanging down from his chin. “If you release the shackles of the slaves, they may cause enough chaos in the camp that you can get away more easily.” He leaned forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll leave that up to you. It’s too risky for me to spend any more time here.”
“Wait…” I said. “I don’t even know how to get to the keep or how to infiltrate the Bloodletters.”
“Head straight north,” Satorin said. “How you infiltrate them is up to you, but just remember that the Bloodletters are brutal. Join them if you can, sneak inside, kill Dryden… I don’t care. Maybe you’ll even see why it’s not in your best interest to let Dryden take the throne of Highcastle. All I care about is getting back my wife, Maleena.”
“And if I can get her out of there, then what?”
“Head north to a town called Quintelle. Find me at the inn any night after sundown. I’ll wait for you as long as needed or until I hear of your death.”
My death? Something about Satorin’s desperation to rescue his wife made him charming, and I almost forgot how much I disliked the guy until those words snapped me back into reality. I pressed my lips together hard before saying, “I don’t like this, and I don’t like you.”
Satorin’s eyes lowered. “I’m sorry, Raymond. I’ve done many bad things in my past, but I didn’t want to do this to you… like this. I just didn’t see any other way after you stole the Fellblade and returned it to the orcs. If only you had let things be…”
“Whatever,” I groaned.
“Do your best, Raymond.” Satorin nodded, and without saying anything else crouched down, unlocked each of the shackles at the feet of the slaves, and snuck quietly out of the camp.
We had been whispering in close proximity to the other slaves, so I was surprised none of them woke up during our conversation, but I was sure they were all exhausted after the long day of labor. I know I was—but my adrenaline was rushing at the thought that I was about to escape the camp.
I took a deep breath and crouched down into sneak mode, quietly tip-toeing my way over to the guard that was nearest the horse. I didn’t have much of a plan other than to kill the guard—and not follow Satorin’s other suggestion of using kroka to cause havoc in the camp. I had never used kroka, so I wasn’t sure what that would be like.
Name: desert slaver
Race: human
Level: 17
Health/Mana/Stamina: 130/50/180
Status: aggressive
I knew that each of the guards sheathed a dagger at the front of their chest, so as soon as I was behind him, I quickly grabbed his mouth and reached around with my other hand, pulled his dagger out of its sheath, and slammed it as hard as I could into the center of his chest.
There was a slight groan from the guard, but my hand seemed to muffle his mouth enough that the other guard didn’t hear. He struggled for a moment to fight back at the foreign object jutting out of his chest, but I applied even more pressure, then pulled the dagger out and slammed it back in his chest again, causing his eyes to roll up and his body to go limp.
You have gained 850 XP!
I dropped the bloody dagger for a moment and slowly started to remove all of the dead slaver’s gear. Like all wearable items in the game, as I slipped them on, they immediately shrunk down to size.
You’ve received: Slaver's Scarf. +4 Armor. Durability: 8/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.2 kg. +2 Dexterity
You’ve received: Padded Leather Duster. +27 Armor. Durability: 8/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 2.4 kg
You’ve received: Black Cloth Gloves. +2 Armor. Durability: 4/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.2 kg
You’ve received: Padded Leather Bracers. +7 Armor. Durability: 7/10. Quality: Below Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.6 kg
You’ve received: Studded Belt. +4 Armor. Durability: 8/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.3kg
You’ve received: Breathable Desert Pants. +3 Armor. Durability: 2/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.4 kg. +2 Dexterity. +2 Vitality
You’ve received: Slaver's Boots. +8 Armor. Durability: 7/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.5 kg.
I wasn’t a fan of my new look. The slightly curved shoes and the red duster/scarf combo didn’t seem to match me at all, but I needed to make do with what I had. The stat bonuses that a few items offered were nice as well, considering all the stats I’d lost when the slavers stole my gear.
He had a few things in his purse as well.
You’ve received: 100 Gold Pieces
You’ve received: Gypsy's Ring. Durability: 7/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Rare. Weight: 0.1 kg. +1 Wisdom
You’ve received: Infused Silver Necklace. Durability: 6/10. Quality: Exceptional. Rarity: Rare. Weight: 0.2 kg. +1 Intelligence. +1 Wisdom
The slaver guard on the other side of the camp was still standing watch, but he was looking outward, seeming completely unconcerned about what was going on inside the camp. He didn’t seem to hear or notice anything that had been done.
I walked over to the horse and did a quick check. It was still saddled and would be ready to ride as soon as I loosened the rope that it was attached to. I could have summoned Sora, but given the situation, I didn’t want to put her at risk, and riding one of their horses would also take away a unit of transport that they could use to catch up to me.
I turned back and snuck over to the slaves. I knew that the moment that I cut their cord and the log fell, the guard would be alerted, and all the sleeping slavers would begin to wake up. It might have been a little safer for me to just exit the camp and count on the guard hearing my horse trotting off, but Dent and Loco seemed to be good guys, and I
wanted to give them the chance to not spend another week in the slaver camp.
I pulled my newly stolen dagger out of its sheath and focused on the main rope at the top of the log. It was thick and knotted, but after several seconds of cutting, the rope sprang free and fell backwards in the sand with a slight thump, waking up all the slaves that were attached to it.
“Huh?” Dent mouthed as his arms flopped down and he began to flutter open his eyes.
“Mom? Dad?” Loco stuttered.
“Hey!” the guard shouted.
I wished that I had chance to say goodbye to Dent and Loco, but I knew I had only a few seconds to get out of there. I bolted for the horse and athletically swung myself onto the saddle.
All the captors were waking up from the motion and the noise.
“What?” one slave asked as he realized his hands were free.
“Am I…?” another said as he kicked his leg out and saw that his shackles were undone.
“You guys are free now!” I yelled before slamming the dagger into the rope that was holding the horse. I focused on casting a Fire Curtain, a spell that created a wall of fire, over a row of waking slavers.
They all started screaming and tossing from side to side at the flames.
I kicked the horse with the sides of my feet. I didn’t have much experience riding horses, but I had a lot of experience riding Sora. I didn’t have to kick Sora to let her know I wanted to go faster, so on the horse, I just mimicked what I saw others do when they rode.
The horse galloped through the sand, and I kicked my feet out again urging it to move faster. I looked behind me as we ran and I saw several of the slaves who could use magic shooting magic spells at the slavers, and the whole place was lighting up with energy from both sides.
A few other slavers were pouring out of the cave that was built into the canyon wall, and then the most recognizable slaver—the one with the bent staff who had killed the humongous scorpion—stepped outside. He looked at the scene unfolding in front of me and then looked at me.
He was too far away for me to get a good read on his facial expression, but I knew that he was burning with anger.
Chapter Twenty
1/22/0001
The horse was starting to tire just ten minutes into our trek north. I slowed it to more reasonable pace and continued forward for another thirty minutes before it started limping and showing more signs of fatigue. Not being familiar with the horse or what it had done before I stole it, it was entirely possible that it had a long day of work already, causing it to tire out quickly.
On the left side of me was a canyon plateau, and on the right side were large boulders and rolling dunes that stretched for as far as the eye could see.
The sun was rising ahead, and just as the horse was on its last legs, we scaled a hill of sand, revealing a tall stone keep on the horizon. I wagered that it would only take about 15 minutes more of steady riding to get there, and I had no specific plan of what I would do or say when I arrived. I decided to stop to give the horse time to rest and figure out my next move.
I jumped off the horse and sat in the warm sand, holding it by the piece of robe that was still wrapped around its neck.
Satorin had thought I was some sort of subterfuge/assassin god, having snuck in the Sparrows hideout, killed several men, stole the Fellblade and lit the whole place on fire without getting noticed or caught, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
I had help killing all of the Sparrows but one, and I didn’t even mean to light the place on fire. Sure, I did manage to steal the Fellblade, but it was all because of the invisibility potion that I had. My penny trick had worked wonders to distract the guards, but I chalked the rest of my success up to luck and a little bit of incompetence from the Sparrows. Even lighting the place on fire was an accident.
This time, I had no invisibility potion, and my Sneak skill wasn’t high enough to search the place unnoticed. I also wasn’t sneaking into a small hideout hidden away in a ground cellar but figuring my way into a large keep that was much more well-guarded. I had no idea what I was getting into, and no clue where I would find Satorin’s wife.
The only information I really had was that the Bloodletters in the keep were supposedly bad people… people who did vile things to scare away their enemies… “Brutal” as Satorin referred to them.
The only thing I could think to do was roll up to the keep and ask to join. It was a bit of a lame plan, but if they accepted me, I might have access to the keep and could explore to find Maleena. How the hell was I going to get them to accept me? I wasn’t sure, and I had to consider the possibility that I might die trying.
There was the Reborn card that I could play as I had played a couple times before. If they killed me, I could return from the dead and shock them with the fact that I wasn’t an average human. If it played out anything like the other times I revealed my Reborn status, there was a good chance that they might accept me in their awe, but I also was hoping that it didn’t get to that point. If I wanted to have experienced death, I would’ve let my suicide play out while in the prison. I’d be back in in Edgewood already if I had done that, and I probably would’ve even had time to clear things up with Adeelee and shared an elven pie with her by now.
My stomach grumbled. I was hungry for some real food after the three days of eating like a farm pig.
There was a sudden loud squeal, and when I turned my head to see what it was, a knot formed in my throat. The staff-wielding slaver was sitting on top of his scorpion mount and was so close that even if I had made a move to hop on the exhausted, stolen horse, I knew there was no chance I would get away.
Shit, shit, shit!
I thought I made it far enough that the slavers wouldn’t pursue me any further, but giving the horse a break had turned out to be a mistake.
I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the dagger that was sheathed at my chest. I felt weak and awkward holding it rather than a sword—I really hadn’t put much effort into my dagger skills at all—but it was all I had in terms of weaponry. I squared off, ready for an attack.
The slaver had easily impaled the mammoth scorpion with his magic, so I knew he was powerful, and when I tried to inspect him, I wasn’t reassured that I had any chance of defeating him.
You have failed to inspect your target!
You have failed to inspect your target!
You have failed to inspect your target!
My mind raced as he trotted forward on his mount, holding a staff in one hand. Should I summon Sora? I wondered. Could she help me beat him? Or could I use her speed to try to make a run for it? I turned back towards the keep and knew it was too far, and with the odds stacked so much against me, I didn’t want to risk losing my pet who I so dearly loved. Should I raise my hands and surrender?
Maybe if I had a sword, I wouldn’t have felt so panicky, but I knew that any damage I did with a dagger wasn’t going to be significant without a backstab or sneak attack. My skill was just too low. That left me pretty much with my magic, and I had lost some intelligence boosts and my channeling ring that allowed me to regenerate my mana faster when I was captured.
What do I do? What do I do? What do I...
Kroka?
Jax had explained that the drug provided some random stat boosting effects, and Satorin suggested that it was powerful enough that I’d be able to cause a lot of carnage at the slaver camp. Maybe, just maybe, it would give me enough edge to survive and get away.
I had no idea if it would be a waste, but it was the only thing in my bag that I had left to try.
I quickly reached into my inventory and pulled out the sack of white powder. I had no idea how I was supposed to consume it, so in my frantic state, I opened the baggy, held one nostril, and sucked half of its contents up the other. I had never done drugs back on Earth, but I knew people liked to put white, powdery things up their nose. Since Eden’s Gate mimicked Earth in a lot of ways it seemed like a good guess.
My eyes water
ed, and my face immediately felt numb.
I pulled the baggy open further and dumped the rest of the kroka in my mouth. It was dry and hard to swallow without liquid. In fact, it made my tongue feel like the very sand I was standing on, and I coughed a couple times as I felt like I was choking from the substance.
My tongue and throat both went numb, and in just a few seconds, the discomfort from the choking had suddenly went away.
An icon appeared below my status bars.
You are significantly drug enhanced. Intelligence +25, Dexterity +25, Strength +25, Willpower +50, Wisdom +100, Charisma -10. Duration: 1 hour. Beware of negative side effects!
You’ve got to be kidding me? I thought. My body felt light as a feather, and I had the strange sensation that I was invincible. I no longer felt any worry or fear as the slaver approached, and in some strange way, I was looking forward to whatever it was that he had planned for me.
My eyes felt like beads, and the dagger in my hand felt like the deadliest blade in the world. All stressful thoughts about Adeelee, Rachel, the guild, and the situation that I was in had just flushed away. I was just there, caught up solely in the moment. No worry about reaching the keep or getting back home, no fear, nothing. Just there, ready to respond to whatever was happening around me.
Kroka is great! I thought. At least that’s what I thought while it was coursing through my system.
I smiled wide as the slaver stopped his scorpion and hopped off. He seemed unconcerned about his encounter with me. His face was set in a straight line and he showed no emotion at all as he raised his staff and slammed it on the ground. He reached into the pouch strung to his side, pulled out a set of shackles and held them to his side.