My comm beeped, and I heard a pleasant chiming from the kitchen. My latte was ready. I jumped up, poured myself a large cup, and, savoring the aroma, set about my morning routine: reading the news on the official Sphere forum. Everyone should already know about the epic battle at Atrocity.
True, the local residents couldn’t miss out on a chance to discuss it; such large-scale tangles were pretty rare. Several topics, hundreds of pages, thousands of posts, videos, battle reports... Taken together, more than three thousand players had taken part in the fight. Pandorum had the numerical advantage, but they lost in combat efficiency—for the first time in recent history. The numbers were impressive, of course: almost thirteen hundred dead from Pandorum versus eight hundred from NAVY & Co. The Pandas, however, destroyed twenty-four astral ships, seven more than their opponents. Still, everything was ruined by the loss of two juggernauts, Ragnarok and Leviathan. That put down their battle stats by twenty million. The total loss—the destroyed ships, the dropped loot, the consumed items—approached forty million gold, thirty of that Pandorum’s.
I had really outdone myself. The forums were in chaos; I quickly scrolled through several topics, searched by several keywords, and finally breathed out, relieved. I hadn’t been mentioned once. The precise reason for the engagement, as well as the details of the loss of two juggernauts in Dorsa, remained undisclosed. The trolls from the Eagles credited themselves with that achievement, while the Pandas acted evasive, retorting with, “We didn’t need them anyway.” Both sides were liberal with mutual insults. The forum war raged on.
I laughed at the interview with NAVY’s raid leader, where he described the battle in glorious detail. Still, they had actually done a pretty good job, dealing Pandorum a lot of damage—almost irreparable. NAVY’s morale was at an all-time high, even despite losing their Jihad fleet. I could understand them; nobody had ever humiliated the seemingly all-powerful Pandorum like that. It was also nice that public opinion didn’t notice the humble Cat. I didn’t need any attention, even if I realized that after becoming a point of concern for the biggest alliances of Sphere, I wouldn’t be left alone for long.
Fine; I would solve problems as they arose. Alena started tossing and turning in bed and yawned, and I mercilessly tore the blanket away from her.
“Wake up, darling! Listen, what’s your dream?”
“Oleg, go away...” she mumbled petulantly, trying to find the blanket and win it back.
“Come on, what’s your dream? Confess!”
“What dream, silly? I want to sleep...”
But I wasn’t about to give up. I had to fight for the dreams, both mine and my family’s, or why else would I need money? I had long since realized that it should be spent to enjoy life; otherwise, I would lose any motivation to earn it.
Yep, that was my creed.
* * *
A new day in Sphere meant new errands and new problems. I had a lot planned for that day, starting with organizing the Northerners’ logistics—my barques had perished together with the juggernauts—and ending with returning to the Temple of Shadows in Helt Akor.
At the doorway of Karn’s tavern, I accidentally bumped into my old friend, Captain Panther. I hadn’t seen him all that much after the caravan blockade; judging by the alliance chat, he became one of the leaders of the newly created Unity. He wasn’t the head, though, more like the “grey cardinal.” Actually, Captain was a pretty shifty guy. I had a feeling he had been waiting for me.
“Hey, Cat! Nice meeting you. How about wetting your whistle with me?” He nodded at the empty tavern hall.
“Sorry, mate, I’m in a bit of a hurry. How about a rain check?”
“Let’s do it now. I need a word.”
Well, so be it. Suddenly, it occurred to me that Captain was a former member of Euthanasia, one of the elite clans of Pandorum, and I had met him at the resp point inside Atrocity. It wasn’t that long ago, but it felt like a thousand years.
We sat down, and a smiling Kirana brought each of us a mug of their signature porter with a thick head of foam.
“I’ve heard about the slaughter at Atrocity,” he said, watching the girl go away. “Everyone has, actually. You rock, man. The forum’s seething.”
Where had he heard about me? I wasn’t mentioned in any of the forum posts. Maybe the Octopus? I would have to find out.
“I know, I’ve read it,” I said with a nod. “Lies, mostly.”
“Be careful, Cat.” Captain’s stare was piercing like an X-ray. “The Pandas won’t forgive and forget. Watch out and watch your back.”
“Listen, why did you leave them yourself?” I asked. “I remember you promising to tell me.”
Panther let out a short, nasty chuckle.
“Have you ever seen their alliance chat rooms? It’s a real pisshole. Fuck this, fuck that—enough to make you want to plug your ears. They also don’t like Russians. Like, a lot. Lots of slurs, conversations about that.”
“How did you get there, anyway?”
“By accident, kinda. I live...or rather used to live in Australia. Second-generation immigrant. All of my friends are from there, and then the time zones... The British all went there after their island drowned, you know? That’s how I ended up there.”
“I see. Why not the Steel Guard, then?”
“The time zone, as I’ve said. The Steels also have their own gang, their own chat. They don’t mingle with the other Pandas much, other than at events,” Captain continued. “It’s a different crowd; it’s a long story. And afterward...well, as luck would have it, I ended up moving to New Tokyo. I decided to leave Euthanasia, and that’s where you came in.”
He smiled, banged his mug against mine, and went on, “It’s way more fun here, too, after I got up with Don. Honestly, I’m thrilled. I wouldn’t trade even one day for a year in Pandorum!”
“I see,” I said, coughing.
“So anyway, why did you call PROJECT against the Pandas? You could’ve asked us! Unity is just as good. Get it? Everything could be done on the sly; no questions asked,” Captain Panther said, winking at me. “Cheap, too. Just ask.”
“All right, thanks. I thought you were busy with the Black River!” I said. “How is it going, by the way?”
“Fifty-fifty,” the Unity sergeant said with a shrug. “PROJECT tries pressing us, but we don’t give in. Push and pull. I don’t think they’ll last long.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at Unity’s kill rating. True, it was red and green in equal parts, with their efficiency no more than 60%, but their bites were painful. Lots of kills of well-geared players with several real achievements worthy of top PVP players. The guys were stepping up their game.
“I hear you,” I told Panther. “Thanks for reminding me. I’ll definitely give you a call. Something’s actually about to come up.”
“Really? Great! What’s this thing? Maybe I could give pointers!”
“I don’t like to whistle before I’m out of the woods. It might scare luck away,” I said with a smile. “All right, mate. Let’s finish this, and I need to run.”
We clinked our almost-empty mugs. Captain looked at me, strangely pensive.
I didn’t like that conversation. Everything appeared fine, and Panther seemed to be a nice guy. We were in the same alliance, too, as Unity had formally joined the Northerners as the sixth PVP clan. Still, Captain was clearly trying to make himself my close friend, and it made me wary. Maybe he just liked me; after all, I had invited him there myself. Or did he? What if he was trying to ingratiate himself with me because he wanted something? I considered this.
A private message chimed. I raised an eyebrow in surprise—it was Olaf, the Watcher’s analyst.
Olaf: Waiting for you in the castle, we need to talk. It’s urgent.
Interlude: The House of Darkness
THE LARGE GATES bound with silver and black bronze budged, and a wave of flashing yellow light poured out of the gap beneath. Blood-curdling screams of pain came out, not hu
man in the least. It sounded as if the screamer was flayed alive.
Tao sighed, giving a disapproving glance to the silent guardian standing still at the entrance. Their eyes crossed once again like two blades.
“Wait or leave,” Diamant said. The Lady’s guard looked like an ordinary warrior, but behind him, the black metal of the gate reflected a blurred dragon-like shadow that revealed his true form. Tao knew that Diamant was a True Dragon, a level five entity that had nothing to do with the pastiches ridden by players. He wondered about the veracity of the rumor that named him as the Lady’s secret consort.
The gates shuddered again as if someone was trying to ram them from the inside. The screams died down and then resumed with renewed vigor. The clan leader of HELL would have given a lot to get a peek inside and see the Lady deal with the top officers of the House of Darkness.
* * *
An enormous yellow eye that illuminated the entire hall faded away, replaced with a dark-haired woman hovering above the floor. Ananizarte’s beautiful lips curved in a sneer, her arms folded behind her back. With disdain, she glanced at the figures crawling about, rising from their knees and coming around. Just a second before, they had been screaming in pain, exposed to the merciless eye. At last, she had learned everything. It was time to pass the sentence. Everyone would get their due.
“Ardehetel! Come closer.”
A tall blonde—Highland Moon, the wife of Milv, the ardring of Ergial—stepped forward. She could be called pretty, but even her loose blue robes didn’t make her face soft. Ahelg, the Son of Sea, her firstborn, a large man in the armor of the sea brethren, tried to come with her, shielding his mother, but Ardehetel stopped him with a wave of her hand.
“You’re too ambitious, daughter of mine. You’re dreaming of independence, and your offspring value freedom and the sea more than our house. I will keep an eye on you. But you didn’t betray me, and I forgive you.”
Highland Moon hesitated and finally nodded, stepping back for her son to catch her up. The eyes of the goddess fell on the man standing apart from the others—a seven-foot-tall, well-built giant of proud stature, a mane of raven-black hair on his head.
“Ahelmar! Black Wind, you’re my pride, son of mine! Your thoughts are pure. You were the only one who truly wished to help, even turning your hordes west. You did right. Soon, we’ll need them here. I thank you, and I’m proud of you. You shall be rewarded!”
Ahelmar lowered his head. The goddess didn’t use words lightly, and her praise meant a lot, even for him, the commander of the Eastern Army that conquered the wildlands of Ketel.
“But I saw something else inside of you. That elven girl, Princess Protea—she’s become more than your plaything. Get rid of her. Our Blood is too valuable. Another wife is assigned to you.”
Ananizarte shifted her gaze to her next target, a black-haired beauty who looked like her carbon copy, only younger and prettier. The goddess’ look was burning with so much hatred that the girl recoiled, as if from a slap. She was afraid.
“Taeghal! You little bitch, you really wanted to outsmart me? You were the only one of my brood to receive the Eye, and you thought yourself my equal? Your thoughts are filled with a thirst for power, lust, and blood. You’re scheming behind my back, gathering followers, trying to seduce those loyal to me. You shall be punished!”
A blob of crimson fire shot out of the Lady’s hand and hit Taeghal’s face point-blank. The girl fell down, trying to quench it with her hands, and started rolling across the floor, howling wildly. Neither magic nor her blood could help her in Ananizarte’s abode. Watching her writhe, the Lady said coldly, “Wounds bestowed by gods cannot be healed. Stop squealing like a pig! Your beauty will remain with me, and you will get it back only after atoning for your misdeed!’
The goddess let out a vicious smile, focusing on a tall, lithe man in a black mantle with an intelligent and perceptive face and well-groomed silver hair. He attempted to withstand her look, his hand on an ornate book box hanging on his belt.
“You have pledged me an oath of loyalty, Lique, even if you’re not of my blood. You think yourself smarter than most, demon, and even now, you’re sure that you’ve outsmarted my Eye, purifying your thoughts and placing your hopes on the talking Book of the Abyss. But I’ve long since learned of your betrayal. You are sentenced to die!”
Lique ran to the doors, transforming into an unthinkable shape, but a silvery spark burst out of the Lady’s hand, making the rest of the audience part their ranks. Under its own momentum, his huge body rammed the gates, almost smashing them, but Ananizarte’s invisible blade had already done its job. The demon’s body dissolved in a puddle of black slime at the entrance to the room. It lit up with crimson fire, leaving several trophies inside the fiery circle: a bandoleer with a book box, a mantle, and something else. The items shot upward and landed next to the Lady’s feet.
The goddess picked up one of them, a thin platinum headband with the faction crown, and casually threw it back.
“One of his shapeshifting sons will be happy to take his place.”
“Angel and Anna! Your thoughts are as one. Your brood will join the strongest. Taeghal confused you, reading your mind with the Eye. This is the only reason that I forgive you. But remember: you need to atone!”
The twins, a boy and a girl, nodded in unison. Their weredragon faces betrayed no hint of emotion. They stepped back and didn’t attempt to help Taeghal, who was still crawling around and howling in pain.
“It’s your turn, Ankh! Fire of the Abyss, what can you say for yourself?”
The last one remaining, a large, bloated irchi emblazoned with the insignia of the Flaming Horde, boomed with laughter. Sparkles glimmered in his hair and armor.
“You’ve seen everything yourself, Ananizarte! No need for words—crush!”
“You are obsessed with revenge, and the fate of your people didn’t become a lesson to you. I regret not destroying each and every one of you! The Eye cannot enslave you. Even now, you’ve chosen to rebel. Die!”
A fiery tornado swept over the laughing Ankh, momentarily transforming him into a blazing winged silhouette. As it changed shape, the stream of fire was pulled into the Lady’s stretched hand, shrinking into a tiny blinding dot hovering above the goddess’ palm. Suddenly, Ananizarte clenched her fist, and when she opened it a second later, it was already empty. The spark of the Fiery Spirit was gone.
“The position of the Commander of the Flaming Horde is now vacant,” she said slowly.
“Mother, I can feel the Balance shifting. Your actions might trigger an avalanche,” Ardehetel remarked.
“Let them. I do not fear it, and neither should you. Gather your legions.”
“The Balance will affect the players. There are many of them, some of them dangerous,” Ahelmar added. “And they’re getting stronger.”
“There are many players, but they are divided. They’re constantly fighting each other. Some of them are willing to serve us, and we can use that. With their help, we’ll crush the other players and then deal with them too. We are the masters here, and soon, everyone will realize it! Gather your legions. A war that this world hasn’t seen yet is about to come!”
* * *
The doors were still closed, but three messages anxiously flashed in the quest log. Tao carefully opened them and read the text.
Updated legendary quest: Conquest of Dorsa!
Continental quest on hold: Colonize Ketel!
You are offered a quest: Either With Us...
Chapter 5
OLAF, OH THAT OLAF... What did he want from me, really? Still, I had an idea what he might say, which is why I wasn’t exactly eager for a conversation.
I found the Watchers analyst in the famous clan laboratory that took up three floors of one of the Condor’s towers. To my surprise, Weldy was there as well, and she waved her hand at me in greeting. She was busy working her magic over several boiling flasks as drops of multicolored liquid kept dripping from distillatio
n devices—elixirs, potions, extracts, distillates—a veritable paradise for an alchemist.
“She’s talented,” Olaf said instead of a greeting. “I gave her several recipes to study. I can’t say for sure about epics, but she’ll definitely brew rare elixirs one day.”
I raised my eyebrow in surprise. Rare potions of blue color were a good result for an NPC; they went for several gold coins a bottle and were a step above the mass-produced stuff.
“You called for me?”
“Yes.” Olaf nodded. “Let’s step outside.”
Shadow Seer (Rogue Merchant Book #3): LitRPG Series Page 6