by Prax Venter
Jack caught Lex staring at him as they moved along the pristine new road leading him home, and he reached out to take her hand in his.
“The Corruption is completely gone,” Haylee said from her position in front of the pair.
“A Kingdom conjoins both Towers’ influence,” Alt said in his mind. “I’m doing some more detailed scans of the data, and it seems to be another benefit. It’s more of a drain on both, but it’s not unmanageable with the items you’re bringing in.”
“Alt has an answer for you, and it appears that linking the two Towers has given them a boost to range. We’re still figuring it out.”
The Dark Prism shook her head. “I wonder if there is a book anywhere that details this incredibly important synergy.”
“If not, I know someone who will write it.”
Lex nodded. “There is so much of our world we arrogantly took for granted, or as tales for children. I knew System Sana was much bigger than Blackmoor Cove.” She turned to look at a small lake resting among the green slopes and hills around them. “But this is the first time I’m seeing its sprawling majesty. The land seems to go on forever.”
Jack squeezed her hand. “We have a lot of work ahead of us with many Towers to take. Along the way, and as we scrub every speck of Corruption from System Sana, you and I will explore it all.”
She squeezed back, took in a deep content sigh and then turned to face him.
“Tell us more of your old world, Jack.”
They had about a two-hour walk to Blackmoor if they didn’t jog. The new road laid before them was a symbol of their progress- their trophy.
“Sure,” he said, feeling satisfaction a few levels above what he’d ever felt possible. “What do you want to know about?”
“Did your world have roads?” Haylee asked.
Jack nodded. “Oh yeah, except we had millions of Townsfolk, and they all traveled on roads much wider than this- about six times as wide. There were huge vehicles the size of that behemoth that drove thousands of miles on them. Our roads covered the land.”
Lex cocked her head slightly. “Wouldn’t that huge vehicle crush the millions of Townsfolk, or shove them off the road?”
“No,” Jack said, trying to come at this in a way they would understand. “Everyone was in their own metal vehicle. And everyone obeyed pre-agreed upon rules about how fast to go and how to behave so no one did run into each other. Besides they were- um, these things cost about a year’s worth of Tower runs in value, depending on how much coin your job paid.”
They asked more questions as their feet ate up the road, and Jack did his best to give them accurate answers. The conversation turned to airplanes and the hassle of airports. Lex and Haylee were both trying to absorb everything he said.
“Flying…” Lex said. “Imagine if you and Haylee were way up in one of these tubes with windows cut out. Between your Omni Strikes and Haylee’s Light Ray, the two of you could deal some heavy damage across the land.”
“Could you craft an airplane?” Haylee asked, turning her gray eyes on his with interest. Before he could even answer, Lex asked another question.
“Would such a vessel be immune to the spread of Corruption if it weren’t touching the ground!”
Jack held up his hands. “Hold on there, ladies. These are all awesome questions, but I highly doubt that I could reinvent the airplane… for a few reasons, but that doesn’t mean someone else can’t. Alt?” He said that last part up to the sky.
“Uh, well, I certainly can’t just spawn technological devices into the game world, but you’re right about someone figuring it out on the inside. The major problem would be all the requisite knowledge and technology, as in, what sort of engine… I suppose the universe’s magic field is a viable principle they could use. Maybe if you plant some ideas, someone like Thymus could figure it out.
“And based on my modeled data on how the Corruption behaves, it would begin to spread on anything above or below the surface. This world is really a cube with layers, not a globe. Think of it as a cube of physical reality. Oh, and the sooner you know this the better- I believe the Endless Sea is truly that, so don’t try and sail around to the other side.”
Jack blinked, trying to comprehend both a cube-shaped world and a never-ending sea.
“What did he say,” Lex asked, tugging his arm.
“He can’t directly do anything, but it’s doable if someone from within System Sana figures it out and builds one. And anything within corrupted territory could be infected, even in the sky.”
They were quiet for the last twenty minutes of their peaceful walk back, each lost in their own thoughts. They didn’t see one spot of the writhing purple mess on their way, and Jack gave some serious thought to what Haylee had said about Emberstone being the new front line.
Eventually, they began to feel the chilly ocean winds on their faces and the gates of home weren’t far behind. And even in the late afternoon, the words “Our World” stood out in front of the bejeweled silver Tower connecting the land to outer space.
Three short horn blasts reached them from Blackmoor, and they assumed it was going to be used for “Heroes Returning.”
The three returning Heroes followed the white brick road all the way to the gates, and Harrak jogged out to meet them, his stocky body bouncing as he ran.
“Kron?” the Combat Master asked, his eyes wide.
“He’s fine,” Jack reassured him quickly. “Kron, Farah, and the four new Heroes stayed back at Emberstone.”
Lex’s father emptied his lungs as if he’d been holding his breath. He then immediately turned to his daughter and encircled her with his arms for a short, fierce hug.
“When we saw the light and the road, we had a feeling you succeeded in your task, but no one has ever seen events such as this.” He pulled away and turned to face Jack. “Did you truly do it? Did you defeat the Demon Heart and retake a Dark Tower?”
“Yes,” Jack said. “And more.”
“The disgusting monster is called Mother of Demons,” Lex said crossing her arms. “Also, you should Inspect him.”
Harrak’s lips started moving then eventually said, “Kingdom of Blackmoor?”
Jack shrugged. “I was hoping everyone in Town would have received an alert interface or something.”
“Every day it’s another…” the Combat Master trailed off in a sigh, shaking his head. “It seems we have much to discuss.”
“Yes, but let’s do that during our meeting tonight so we can tell everyone at once. However, I want to discuss reassigning the Captain of the Guard role to a Blackmoor Townsfolk. Of all who dwell within our mighty Kingdom, whom would you suggest, Combat Master?”
Harrak rubbed his temples. “Damn it, Jack. Slow down. You’re reassigned Kron? He’s stood at this gate for years. I still find it difficult to believe he didn’t come back with you.”
“Hey,” Jack said as he tossed up his hands. “If Kron wants to come back and stand at these gates as the protector of Blackmoor, I won’t stop him. Not many could stop him. Tell me, Combat Master, is Emberstone now the new front line against the Demons as Haylee says?”
Lex’s father looked out across the sloping grassy hills outside their walls as he considered a larger world than he was accustomed to including in his plans. As he did, Sol and Thymus approached the group from the Wizard’s Athenaeum. Jack slapped the burly man on his shoulder. “You think about that, but not for too long. Kron’s not here, and someone should be filling the role.”
With that said, Jack turned to face the unlikely-robed duo. Haylee went to hug her father, but she saw what he was holding and stopped short.
It was a homemade book.
Sol smiled and handed it out to her. “I had help, of course. But this is for our returning Hero.”
The Dark Prism gingerly took the object. It appeared to be crafted from wood, woven seaweed, and folded paper. Four holes were drilled through the left side and the whole thing was held together by four loops. She op
ened the cover and placed her hand over the blank white page.
Sol then produced an ink pot and quill from his inventory.
“These you can hold like normal,” Sol said as he offered the rest of her gift. “But that book is… odd. No one can move it to their Inventory. It’s as if it’s not real.” Sol’s eyes shot from the homemade object to Haylee’s large eyes spilling over with tears. “…or is it more apt to say that this book is somehow more part of this world because of it?”
“Fascinating,” Alt whispered in Jack’s mind.
Haylee let out a weeping giggle of joy- a sound Jack never thought he would hear from her and then she threw her arms around her father.
“I love it! I love you! There is so much I wish to record.”
“Jack,” Alt said in a tone that demanded his attention. “I don’t think there is a skill in all of System Sana that allows an NPC to create a blank book. From what I can see, there are complicated jobs that allow them to create them fully complete using video-game logic and magic, but… This truly is the beginning of something unexpected spreading through System Sana.”
“Can you make more?” Jack asked the owlish man. “We are going to need a library to house the amount of knowledge we intend to record.”
“Not to mention duplicates,” Haylee added. “Our Heroes’ guide should be spread far and wide.”
“I believe I could. I might even be able to refine the process, if I have time. Time is an important commodity.”
“20 coins per blank book?” Jack said with a grin.
“50,” Sol retorted with a disappointed sigh. “I need to pay our Carpenter for the covers, and paper isn’t inexpensive. Also, we’ll need to set aside a portion of the sheets for these flyers.”
“Do you think you can handle managing a blank book business and the Arcade?”
“I’ll let you know,” the owlish man said down his nose.
Thymus lifted a finger into the air. “I wager we could cut costs and time by refining the components in bulk, such as that seaweed binding.”
“How’s the Hero scanning going? Jack asked the old Sage.
“Beyond my understanding, for now. Puzzling out a physical construction technique for a blank book was a wonderful break. And Sol would do well assisting me in my studies.”
The owlish Game Master waved his hand as if to shoo away the idea. “I’m no wizard.”
“No, but a Sage sees past the surface for that kernel of truth. You and Haylee both seem to have a natural talent for cutting right to it and would be more than welcome to help me unravel mind-twisting mysteries any hour of the day!”
Jack and Lex left the three to discuss unraveling mysteries and continued walking into Town. They passed the Arcade for now and went straight to the General Store. He was glad to see the short angry man Natch still behind the counter.
“Greetings, Mayor, Bastion. Please let me know if you are after anything in particular.”
“A good greeting to you, Natch,” Lex said with a bounce in her step as she approached the counter. “I do not believe we have met. Welcome to Blackmoor Cove.”
The shorter man took her hand and smiled. “However,” she added as she moved to browse the shelves. “You might want to Inspect Jack again.”
Jack sighed. “I suppose I should make an announcement at dinner. Yeah, I’m definitely going to do that. Oh, did Sol buy all the paper? I want to write down the benefits of being in a Kingdom.”
“King Jack!” Natch said, his hand shooting to his mouth. “What kind of trickery? How…?”
Jack shrugged. “You must have known we were going to take back Emberstone. We did, and here we are. So, I’ll need like all your paper, ink- oh and please tell me you have shirts.”
“There are cloaks over here,” Lex called out from the back of the store.
“Finally!” Jack called out as he joined her by rows of pegs filled with different decorative garments and one in particular stood out from the others.
Offered by Blackmoor Supply
Gray Rokka Cotton Tunic - [Chest | Value: 190 | Def: 0]
| Stock: 1/1 |
| Next Replenish: 00:00:00 |
‘Accept’ ‘Decline’
“That’s an expensive shirt!” Jack said.
“Rokka cotton is considered to be particularly soft,” Natch said, now standing right behind Jack. “A man called Sol came in here earlier and made some suggestions for stock. He was… intuitive.”
Jack turned to him and saw contrition in his stance.
“That’s good to hear. Sol is my trusted advisor, and if he advised you to stock the good stuff like this, he was absolutely right.” With a flick of his intention, Jack selected ‘Accept’.
After what felt like months, he’d finally found a replacement for the rough, 1-value Common Cloth Shirt in his secondary chest slot. He also picked up 6 sheets of paper that replenished one every 10 minutes, an ink bottle, a writing quill, a fur-lined cloak, and 2 new pillows for their bed at the Inn.
When they were done shopping, they bid the new Merchant farewell, and Jack felt good about the new humble vibe he was getting from the man. They still had an hour left before Exit, but they popped next door to the Inn and filled Demi and Reno in on what happened at Emberstone. Blevins was there eating soup, and he stood to shake Jack’s hand when they entered. Apparently, the sleepy miller was beyond thrilled to have a pinball game with his name on it. While they were there, Jack asked Demi for a cooking demonstration. It was time to peek behind the curtain.
“As the king commands,” Demi said with a slight bow.
There were simple woodburning stoves in the back that the tall Innkeeper accessed with an interface menu. She held her hand out to the oven for a few moments and then a slice of strawberry pie appeared in her hand, plate and all.
“Give it a shot,” she said, crossing her arms and leaning against a wooden support pillar.
When he held out his arm with the intention of cooking something, a new interface panel faded into existence before his eyes. There were a series of empty ingredient boxes numbered one through eight and the standard ‘Accept’ and ‘Decline’ gemstone buttons.
“You do not possess any compatible ingredients,” Alt said in his mind.
“See these crates and barrels?” Demi said, pulling his attention to the back wall of the kitchen. “They are containers for ingredients. Go ahead, pick what you want. Try not to take anything very expensive or low in quantity.”
There were at least twenty of each, and Jack randomly chose one of the barrels. An inventory window appeared with carrots, potatoes, onions and a few other vegetables, and all of them had a white number hovering over the bottom corner of their icon.
The idea struck him to make a type of chicken soup so he grabbed what he needed.
“Where’s the pheasant meat?” he asked, turning to Demi.
She pointed to a barrel on the other end of the wall. “Meat’s on that side.”
“Video-game logic…” Jack murmured under his breath as he moved one breast of raw pheasant meat into his Inventory. While he was in this barrel’s Inventory, he noticed several stacks of fish, each with the number 99 in their corner. There were over 400 fish stuffed in this barrel. “Why do we have so much fish? Can’t we trade them?”
Demi shrugged. “The trade vessels that visit can only dock on the ocean, and the ocean happens to be laden with fish. No one needs more of it.”
“Emberstone might trade for it. Can you work with bat meat?”
Her silver brows lowered. “And why would you think I couldn’t?”
“Never mind. You know what? I think this Town needs dumplings. Blackmoor can be a cold wet place, and a hearty bowl of chicken and dumplings steaming up into your nose- mmm. You know what I mean?”
“No,” she said. “but I’m intrigued to see what you come up with. And there are no pre-made dumplings taking up space. Use flour, water, eggs, and salt in the stove.”
Then it hit Jack that new
ingredients could be created by combining others, and he felt daunted by the sudden complexity.
The stove interface also ended up being more like magic than he expected because what came out after depended on the chef’s intention when selecting Accept. He did the best he could going off instinct, but Jack had never spent the time to learn the art of cooking. At least not making chicken and dumplings from scratch.
Either way, he deposited the items, thought of a comforting bowl of chicken and dumplings… then tapped ‘Accept’.
An instant later, Jack had a new icon in the first slot of his Inventory.
Homemade Pheasant and Dumplings - [Food | Value: 5]
And apparently, he’d made enough to create four bowls. There was something uniquely satisfying about crafting a new item using the system interface. With a grin, Jack moved it to his hand, and held his first cooked dish out to Demi.
She took it, the interest clear on her face as she bent down to smell it. Jack sent another bowl to his hand and held it up to sniff for himself. It wasn’t bad, but the liquid did look more watery than it should.
“It’s supposed to be creamy, thicker. It might need milk.”
Demi only nodded as she walked over to a cabinet. She reached out her free hand and then walked back over to hand Jack a spoon.
They both took a bite, and although the pheasant was good, the meal as a whole was too bland. The dough wasn’t right either. Too much like bread. He shared his observations while Demi listened, tasting a few more times as Jack described what should be different.
“It’s a good start,” she said. “And I can see where you were going. I like the over-sized carrot slices- I thought they were too much at first, but it lends to the heartiness. Let me work with this, and I may have something, ah… with more aromatics in the next few days.”
“Great. But, before I go,” he added with a hushed voice and a glance toward the curtain. “I have a huge favor to ask you.”
He told the Innkeeper his plans for after dinner, and the older woman agreed with an uncharacteristically wide smile on her face. He was worried at first that she wouldn’t be able to keep the secret for a few hours, but Demi got herself under control and appeared to be her natural stoic self again as they left the kitchen.