by Jackson Gray
I knew how to get off of this island already from trying to close the glitch, once a player reached level 10 and had 50 gold, there was a boat manned by an NPC on the outskirts of the island who was manned by a captain who charged 50 gold a piece. Once you left though you could never come back no matter how hard we had tried to instantly teleport the criminals back to where they belonged. PATRICK made getting rid of the boat impossible, I had tried everything to erase that file but looking back I am glad I didn’t. 50 gold however was no easy task, the game had four types of currency, platinum, gold, silver and copper. 100 coppers made a silver, 100 silver made a gold, 100 gold made a platinum. When I died I lost money and currently only had 25 silver and I would have lost my weapons and armor along with it if the items were not soul bound meaning they could not be taken from me even in death. My robe managed to stay on me, but at any level over 5 it would drop along with the rest of my money. I looked at the four around me and decided I would rent myself out to the highest bidder.
“I will only go along with you Gage for 100% of all loot and we have to do this dungeon again” I said and could see the color drain from the small warriors face. “As for you three” I said facing the other party. I will join you and help you pass this dungeon for healing and 50% off all loot including all mage specific items”.
“I’m not giving you 100% of my loot” Gage said as the brothers looked like they were talking it over.
“Well then good luck, if these guys take me up on my offer I will be here after we finish this dungeon if you change your mind” I said just as I felt a spell wash over me. My health started to climb a little as the mage poured a little more life into me. In all the mage had to perform his spell 10 times to get me back at 100% health, and had to drain his mana to do so. I accepted the party request and went back inside the dungeon.
“So what can we expect?” the mage said as a bat came into view, the same one me and Gage had defeated earlier. As a foursome we made short work of the flying rodent, which leveled me up again, unfortunately it was not an attribute point level up but it wasn’t like I was going to use the points anyway.
“This cave is crawling with bats but none are as hard as the one we just beat” I said remembering when me and Gage completed this dungeon. “The only real big difficulty would be the two zombies at the end, both are level 10 but me and the small warrior outside beat it. I don’t think he was able to salvage the armor the last one wore since my magic had destroyed it, so if any of you want to keep it let me know after the battle starts”.
Going through the dungeon this time was far easier, after I had leveled up I noticed each character in my party had their name glowing dimly above their heads. The mage was Dylan Bolly, the twins were Jared and Jerrod. By the time we beat the final boss again I was a level 6 as the others in my party were a level 5. I once again did not use any of the attribute points which were given to me as I had not seen a need. I did however notice with shock that my stupid ability leveled up even more.
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I shook my head at the ability but the Bolly brothers were true to their word, and I now had 40 silver in my pocket along with some junk warrior gear one of the brothers were wearing before he equipped himself with the gear the final boss had on. I teleported back to the entrance of the cave and figured I could make some dough just helping people through this so called dungeon. When I got there I could see Gage was already waiting for me. He was only in the simple clothes given to every player, his weapons and armor were nowhere to be seen.
“Finally Fool I got nervous that you wouldn’t show” Gage said nervously. “I am ready to accept your deal”.
“I don’t think I want to deal with you anymore Gage” I said as I held my staff menacingly. “You have no weapons or armor, what could I possibly get out of the deal?”
“You can have whatever you want, 100% of all loot we find while we are a party together” Gage said quickly.
“What happened to you?” I asked as his eyes suddenly went downcast.
“I was attacked by two warriors who are waiting just a little ways outside the path leading deeper into the island” Gage said as he refused to make eye contact. “There are not many quest to be had here, the first quest given to those who completed this dungeon is to go pick elderberry roots for the apothecary. The path where they grow at is guarded by two level 8 warriors who pick on single travelers to steal their gear. They killed me twice while you were in that dungeon, I had to run away from even puppies to get here without dying”.
I looked him over and threw down the junk warrior gear Jerrod had given me. Although they were vastly different sizes, the game made it so all warrior gear would fit anyone who chose the warrior class. Gage looked grateful as I requested he join my party. I went back through the dungeon with Gage, although he was a higher level than the Bolly’s had been, the dungeon was more difficult with just one other player, especially the boss battle at the end. Gage had died in that battle just as he dealt the killing blow and had respawned back in Mandalo. I quickly gathered his gear along with what the zombie had on and the treasure inside the chest.
I couldn’t believe it. The gear I would give to Gage when I teleported back to Mandalo, but we had to keep doing this dungeon. The blue stone was part of a hidden easter egg that we abandoned early. If a player could find 10 blue stones, then they would get the duplicate ability and could duplicate any item in their inventory. The ability could only be used once a day but during testing everyone had deemed it over powered since a player could duplicate pearlescent items. In the game there are different levels of items, weapons, armor and mounts to be found. Each level has a different color, white is poor gear, green is average, blue is rare, purple is ultra-rare, orange is legendary and pearlescent is at the top of the food chain. The armored Zombie carried green items, meaning they were okay if used at level. If a level 20 player equipped those items he would find them wanting. It is possible to buy blue items from a vendor for outrageous prices, sometimes they even have purple. Purple though is usually dropped by defeated end bosses or crafted by skilled players. Orange items can only be obtained by participating in a raid, where two or more parties of four link up to clear out a dungeon. There was only one pearlescent item in the game so far, a set of armor that gave the wearer the 50 extra attribute points as well as +300 to defense. Since the most leveled a player could be is 100, that meant even if playing with a human character the most attribute points in the game to be gained by leveling up was 50. Of course there were expensive potions out there that could give a player a single attribute point but the ingredients were made to be costly to prevent overuse. With the duplicate ability a player could duplicate that potion or even that armor which would break the game. As is the armor can only be gotten by premium players who don’t mind spending 300 dollars a month to play the game instead of the regular twenty bucks or free in most cases, but that is a different story entirely.
I teleported back to Mandalo and could see I was right in front of the respawn point. Gage was still in my party so I pulled up the messenger and let him know where I was. After a few seconds I saw him running up to me. The dungeon had been good to me, I was at one gold and three silver after I finished it with Gage the second time.
“Here you go” I said as I handed over the bag containing his gear. “And here is what the zombie was wearing”. I watched Gage light up as he looked at the armor, the first time we had not been able to salvage it. Gage was at a level 7 now and looked the part although I could tell he was broke. I gave him the three silver I had on me.
“I want to do that dungeon at least 9 more times” I said thinking about the stones. We had kept the quest in the game to get the ability; we were on a time crunch and figured getting rid of the stones entirely would solve our problem, somehow though PATRICK had reintroduced them. “This time I will give you 10% of the loot, each other time you come with me I will give you 10% more, the only thing I want is the blue rock in the chest”.
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��Why in the hell would you want something useless like that for?” Gage asked as he admired himself in his new armor.
“It doesn’t matter” I said as I noticed the Bollys walking up to me with a mean looking woman.
“That’s the guy right there who likes to team up” the mage Dylan said pointing at me. “He can get you through that dungeon easy and level you up in the process, now out with my reward”.
I watched the woman take off her necklace and hand it to the mage. I couldn’t scan it at this level without a special ability but it looked like a common mana necklace that gave the wearer 5% more mana when worn. The woman though looked nothing like a wizard, she looked like a rogue judging from her appearance.
“I need your help and heard you will give it for half the loot” the angry looking woman stated getting straight to the point. She was tall, about my height but had the sides of her black hair shaved and had full sleeve tattoos. This was her real life appearance, the game scanned in what was laying in the virtual pods. I looked above her and could see her name glowing faintly, Tabitha Skinner. All inmates had their real names and could not change their moniker like regular players.
“If it is the dungeon I can do that if I get to keep the blue stone found at the end” I replied.
“You mean these things?” Tabitha said as she opened her sack and had 4 of the stones. “I steal these things to level up my thief ability since even if I get caught no one really cares about a worthless blue stone”.
“I’ll give you a gold for all four” I said as I eyed the stones. I could tell they were at least good for another ten hours since they had not started to lose their color. The woman smiled and tossed them to me as I handed over the rest of my money. Gage shook his head at my deal but stayed silent, probably because he knew without me he could never defeat the bullies that were guarding the path. I scanned Tabitha and could see in fact she was a rogue, one who was only at level 2. She must have gotten tired of trying to fight alone as most people here I noticed did not take those who they thought were weak into their party. We quickly made our way back to the dungeon where Tabitha received her 50% share and I gave Gage his ten percent. It was harder to level up at this point for us as only the two zombies provided any real experience points since they were still at a higher level. Tabitha wanted to run through the whole thing again and ended up at a level 6, I was a level 8 along with Gage. She departed at the end although I was sure to watch my inventory sack. If she had tried anything it would have been tough for her to get through Gage once I kicked her out of the party. I had 7 of the stones so far the least of which had 4 hours remaining. When me and Gage teleported to the beginning this time we were shocked to see a small crowd waiting for us, led by the Bolly brothers who looked as naked as Gage was when I re connected with him.
“Let me guess, two warriors killed you” I said eyeing the warrior Jerrod.
“Fuck yeah those bastards did” Dylan spoke up. “We almost killed them since we were expecting them but they have a lot of potions, probably from all the killing they have been doing. I told these people here about your deal, they are all low leveled and want to complete this dungeon. I want you take up your time first with my own offer”.
“How about this offer” I butted in thinking about what type of loot they might have, namely the blue stones. “If I help you kill these guys, then I get all of their money and any five items they may have that I want”.
“Deal” Jared said as he stuck out his hand.
“Gage I am going to leave our party” I announced.
“I don’t like your party anyway” Gage replied. “You make stupid deals for worthless items, all I want are those two gone. They are at a higher level than what could be achieved here without some serious grinding”.
“I shook my head and kicked him from my group and joined the Bollys. When I handed over the two sets of gear I received from killing the zombie twice they smiled then set off towards the path. Dylan however still had no staff, not that he really needed it at this low of level anyway, especially since all he did was heal.
I followed along the path they set when the brothers slowed up a bit. We walked farther as a figure dressed in the same rusted gear I had gotten off the zombie blocked our path. Behind us I could hear another sound which meant we were surrounded.
“Hey didn’t we just kill you an hour ago?” one of the men said as he eyed the party.
“Looks like you brought some back up this time, a level 7” I heard a voice from behind me say.
“You gave a tough fight the last time, but even with your little mage I still deal out more damage than you can take” the first man said. I looked at their names and then again at their faces and paled. I knew both of these men, everyone knew these two. Salvatore “Big Sally” Provolone and Francis “Frankie Kneecaps” Stallone, both infamous mobsters. They were finally convicted of killing no less than fifty witnesses including four district attorneys. I twins for their part split up and rushed the pair as I let corroding rain fill the area followed by a decaying mist. The mobsters didn’t seem to care as they side stepped both warriors then charged at me and Dylan. I somehow managed to roll out of the way of Big Sally but I could hear Dylan grunt which meant he had to be hit hard. Big Sally went for a follow up blow as Jerrod buried his blade deep into his back for a critical hit dropping the mobster to 85% life. I didn’t turn to face the other mobster as I could hear him in fierce battle with Jared. When Big Sally turned around I stuck him hard with my weapon dropping him to less than half of his life. I turned quickly and could see Jared was already at 50% life but so was Frankie Kneecaps as the last of the mobsters armor fell to the ground in ruins.
“It’s that fucking mage with the skull staff, get him” I heard Big sally say from behind me as I struck Frankie Kneecaps as he was turning around. In the end they both fell, but my party was not without damage. Dylan was at less than 5% life and Jared was under 20%. Jerrod was still at fifty percent as I searched through their belongings. I claimed 60 gold from their bodies, more than enough to finally get off of this island. More importantly I had found 3 blue stones. I left everything else for the Bollys who all outfitted themselves as I smiled at not only gaining a level but at the pop up to my new ability although it was much different than I remembered.
I clicked yes and was thankful that I did not use any of the points I had received then took a look at my character.
I smiled as I looked at the skill and felt safe that not many players would have the attribute points to unlock this skill. If by some reason they collected all of the blue stones then they would have at least been a level eight. It would take them to long to level up then gather back 10 blue stones before they disappeared. By that time they would at least have to be at a level 16 which should be impossible on Mandalo since the toughest enemy on the island is not over a level 14. Even if they somehow managed it I thought they would be more interested in joining the main game than some silly quest.
“There is way too much stuff here to carry” Jerrod said as I snapped back to reality and saw multiple sets of the same armor. “My sack is full and all of this is beginner crap anyway”.
“I’ll take some of it off your hands” Gage said as he pushed his way past me. I ignored the small man and left the Bollys party as to my surprise they linked up with Gage to continue their quest. I would have to be on the lookout for the mobsters I thought to myself, there wasn’t any doubt in my mind they would be gunning for me. I returned to the beginning dungeon and ran each group through although my price had changed. I wanted all the money found and they could keep all of the items. I got 6 people through pretty quickly, by making each of them join my party until I had a total of four then running through the dungeon. All of them were warrior class except one so I ran them through it multiple times until everyone of them was outfitted in the Zombie’s armor. I had 64 gold now and figured I should leave since I was one easy fight away from level 9. I got back on the path and continued following it, I was a littl
e nervous at the area I had fought the mobsters but luckily they were not there yet. I continued on the path, careful to go around any wolf pups that I saw lurking about. I knew there was one other town on this island, this one far smaller than Mandalo although the name escapes me. This town had all female NPC Guards and any female who died in battle had the chance to respawn back there. Males could of course come to the town, the developers thought they could empower women by giving them their own town in a male dominated game. I could see the town over the hill I just climbed up as the sun started setting.
I walked through the gates and up to the inn, I was not hungry but it was a habit to eat and although I hated to admit it, in game food tasted better than real food. I walked up to the barkeep, a woman who was as wide as she was tall.
“What you want?” the lady said gruffly. I remembered everyone inside of Mandalo were programmed to be nice, the fact she was gruff meant PATRICK must have changed some things.
“Food and a room” I said as a smiled back at her.
“That’ll be 30 silver” the woman said as her stare bored into me.
“Then I’ll be staying for three days” I said as I flipped her a gold coin. “Keep the change”.
Her demeanor did not change as she reached behind the bar and came out with a bowl of some type of stew, a jug of what looked like orange soda and a room key. I grabbed the items and walked over to an empty table and began to eat as I heard a familiar voice.
“Yeah, we killed those mobsters” Dylan Bolly said to a group of ladies who were listening intently. “We asked them to clear the road but then changed our mind and killed them”. I could see Gage had gotten along with the brothers fine and was even trying to make a move on one of the women present. The women for their part were nothing special, there were two that looked decent but most of these were hard looking women that had committed serious crimes. I listened to the group boast and embellish the story, before they finished they would have the crowd believe they each took turns defeating both mobsters in one on one combat. I finished my food and made my way up to my room, it was small but clean and was well lit despite the fact I could see no light source. I had never stayed in an inn in game before, so this was a first. There was a small bowl of water in which I used to wash up as I heard a knock on the door. The best thing about staying in an inn though was that each of the rooms were sealed to anyone who didn’t have a key, no amount of force would open the door.