Chris nodded. "Then an early start tomorrow, and if we're lucky, we'll be making our fortune before the day is over."
Val smiled at that. "We can only hope." And soon enough they were heading out on the silver chrome velimobile, all but floating over the road, so smooth was their ride. Val luxuriated in the evening breeze wafting through his hair, delighting in the scents of wildflowers and citrus blossoms that made up so much of the forest's bouquet, the woodlands eventually receding into vast grasslands stretching out in the distance, the fields alive with flowers glowing brilliant blue and gold to his Magesight, and he found himself wondering what sorts of potions he could make with them. Somehow he was certain he had a knack for it, even if his memory was still in tatters. He frowned, suddenly wondering if the terrible dream he had the night before could possibly have been more than just a dream.
Val grinned as a warm hand snaked into his, turning to gaze at Julia, smiling so serenely, the light of brilliant Phoebe now emerging from thick clouds, basking them all in silvery light.
"She is so beautiful," Yin whispered.
Val smiled into Julia's green-gold eyes. "I quite agree."
Julia flushed and grinned, before gazing up at the moon as well. "Do you think maybe we'll be able to explore it, one day?"
Val looked up in wonder. "I still think it's incredible. A planet covered in water and life where all we have is a dead, lifeless moon back on Earth."
Julia nodded, her head resting against his shoulder as they continued to ride on, Dirk quietly reminding them all to stay focused as plains turned to snow peaked mountains brooding on the horizon. Val closed his eyes, savoring Julia's presence, content to drift into a doze as the miles streamed by. Lightning flashed as rain began to patter down, and Dirk pushed a button by the steering controls, a soft static hum filling the veli as raindrops slid down an invisible force field.
"That's a neat trick," Yin commented as Val found his eyes inexorably drawn to the massive snow capped mountain rising above its smaller brethren and the village at its base that they were fast approaching, somehow sensing the obelisk at its heart. "And get a load of those buildings! I feel like I'm suddenly playing steampunk!"
And it was true. For all that the several score houses they approached and passed looked almost picturesque with their tiled roofs, rose beds, and vegetable gardens, beyond the town square and closer to the mine entrance the scenery changed dramatically. Gigantic structures that looked like nothing so much as the shells of grand factories could be seen, many with gigantic gears and cogs made of a shimmering bronze alloy, others of rust splotched iron or steel, hundreds of gas lamps giving it all an eerie glow. It felt like Val had stepped from a faerie tale village to a brooding industrial complex reminiscent of the 19th century, yet it lacked the stink of soot, ash, or sulfur one might expect. The air was fresh and the nearby cottages boasted whitewashed picketed fences free of any stain or smudge.
But what was oddly disturbing to Val was the utter silence of the place. Save for the lit gas lamps, the odd industrial town seemed almost lifeless. Chillingly so.
Val could tell he wasn't the only one who felt that way. "Something feels off here, doesn't it?" He asked, Julia and Yin both nodding as the vehicle crested to a stop before an ancient building of quarried stone.
Dirk frowned and nodded, the first to get out of the vehicle, and Val didn't find it surprising at all that everyone had their hands on weapon hilts, shields drawn or in Julia's case, arcane ward summoned. Val quickly summoned his own, the gentle rush he got from manipulating the wonder of magic in this world quickly dampening in the tension of the moment.
10 mana spent! Rank 2 Synergized Ward active! 20 HP absorbed from all kinetic/arcane/electromagnetic sources. Severe class wounds will blow through, 2 tiers reduced. Damage beyond 20 HP will be absorbed at a cost of 1 mana per 2 HP damage. 0.5/sec mana drain. Mana regen now at 2.93 mana/sec.
Val frowned, mentally pushing away all but the most vital prompts to pop up, and only when absolutely necessary. He had always been one for total immersion, once he understood the core strategies of any game.
Dirk flashed his hands, Val immediately falling to his right, shield raised, Ice Spear ready for instant release in his right hand. A couple quick words for those without their shared background, and Julia was protected by a half semicircle of shieldmen as she readied arcane magics of her own, a nervous Yin holding shield and dwarven blaster at the ready as well.
"Relax, Yin, we'll be fine," Val quietly soothed.
"Damn, but I wish this thing had more than four shots before needing to charge back up from the local mana!"
Val frowned, having the oddest feeling that dwarven blasters didn't work like that. Their blasters resisted magical surges, but they still worked based on principles of Jordian physics. They were not modified mana wands. At least, not those used by northern dwarves... and how the hell would he know a thing like that?
"Val, focus!" Dirk hissed, Val immediately snapping to attention, shamed by his drifting thoughts. "Better. Alright, guys, I see no trace of anyone, friend or foe. No sign of anyone drawing a bead on us either. Val?"
Val blinked, suddenly wondering how much the man knew.
"What does your gut tell you?"
Val grimaced. The man really had checked up on him. "Place is eerie as hell, but nothing's looking our way. But that hunch and a fiver won't get you much more than a cup of coffee."
Chris grinned. "I'd take that coffee in a heartbeat."
Val frowned. "Alright, since we're obviously heading to the town hall, I'll take point." And without waiting for a reply, Val immediately loped ahead, trying to slip into the gloom, frustrated beyond words that he just couldn't seem to make that connection that had once come so naturally to him. He was always at his best when he felt like he was one with his environment, somehow sensing its story and all the players within.
But here and now he was just a guy who had loped ahead, and how could he possibly think to blend into anything wearing glossy white and black Dominion trooper armor great for deflecting laser fire, and not that much else? Val shook his head, frustrated, but didn't fail to do his job, a quick eye scan showing things were clear, then he quickly made his way to the grand town hall, the building's roof arching as high and pretty as any church he had ever been in, and for a moment he wondered what functions it really served, save being a beautiful display of stained glass and varnished wood.
Then his eyes caught sight of the sparkling obelisk, gently floating and spinning in the air, just feet away.
He had to fight to resist the urge to touch it immediately, instead loping back out to his friends, letting them know the coast was clear.
"So what do we know about this town?" Val asked as they all got ready to save and log out.
"Elementium mining town," Dirk explained. "It's a co-op, and the locals are quite wealthy compared to most peasants and freemen in the south, having come to an understanding with the Dominion even when their neighbors were effectively at war with them. In return for steady Elementium yields, the Dominion convoys will personally pick up the processed ore and pay market price for it, saving the townsfolk a potentially perilous trip to Newford or further, where bandits might attempt to rob them. As one would expect, multiple merchants conveniently accompany each convoy run, happy to sell the finest goods to a prosperous town flush in credits and gold, townsfolk happy to buy whatever baubles catch their eye. I understand their children also get special standing when it comes to academy applications."
Chris nodded. "Those Dominion types are smart, treating key employees right like that. Not everyone can mine the ore, and Elementium is a vital component in just about every single gadget the Empire makes, kind of like we wouldn't even have cell phones without rare earths being available back home."
"That's right," Dirk said. "The Dominion learned its lesson when earlier pushes down here in the South cost them platoons of lives and men, years ago, with nothing but Pyrrhic victories when the firepow
er needed to overcome wizards completely also completely wiped out a settlement and the resources you wanted to capture. Now they try to make friends with any group of locals with any kind of magical knack, and it's obviously been paying off."
He sighed, gazing at the heavens. "Then the Dominion just had to blow up their own dreadnought, and suddenly all of Jordia is in an uproar, the south trying to form their own sovereign nation once more, complete with a rebel chief declaring himself the new wizard king."
Chris whistled. "That's politics for ya."
"Alright, but where are all the people?" Yin asked. Val nodded, very much wanting to know himself.
Dirk frowned. "That's the million dollar question. No doubt we'll find out, once we come back tomorrow."
After everyone coordinated times, Dirk put his hand on the obelisk and vanished, Chris and Yin following soon after, Julia and Val last to leave.
Julia squeezed Val's hand, smiling into his eyes. "Thank you, Val."
"For what?"
She lowered her head. "For adventuring with me these last few days. It's been fun."
"Except for the almost dying part," he teased.
She had the grace to blush. "I'm sorry about that spell..."
"It's okay, Julia. What matters is that we are safe. All of us."
Julia looked around, noting all the care and detail that had gone into the vast room they found themselves within, as if in the heart of a church. "This game seems so real sometimes."
Val grinned. "The more I play it, the more I think it all just might be. I know Dirk's taking it seriously. And the government as well."
Julia nodded. "Playing this game can inspire us to grow in ways we hadn't dreamed possible. Or kill us outright. Game or no, it hardly matters. Treating it seriously is the only sensible way to play it." A soft hand touched his cheek. "I'll see you later tonight. Dinner starts at seven. Don't be late."
Val blinked to feel Julia's warm lips against his own before she touched the obelisk with a wave, Val following seconds later.
15
Hard eyes touched by a hint of fondness locked upon his own as Colonel Petrovsky shook Val's hand, looking every inch the commander.
"You are looking excellent, Val, I hope you enjoyed the dinner."
Val nodded. It had been a scrumptious affair of steak, lobster tails and tossed salad, all prepared with exquisite attention to detail. "Your wife and Julia are both excellent cooks, sir. Thank you for having us over."
Andrey nodded. "Happy to, Val. Julia insisted, after all."
He handed Val a snifter of brandy, Val taking a polite sip, enjoying the mellow burn. The colonel gazed at Val for some moments and Val patiently waited, having a decent hunch as to why the man had wanted to speak to him alone.
"So what do you think of Julia's new hobby?" He said instead, feeling Val out.
Val put down his snifter. "I think Exultius is a hell of a lot more than it seems at first glance." He gazed thoughtfully at the man before him. "I think it's a magnitude beyond any game that's ever hit the market before."
Andrey chuckled softly, taking a sip of his own drink. "Indeed it is, Valor. Indeed it is. And Julia thinks you have a knack for the game like she does. I can tell she enjoys being able to adventure alongside you, and I'm grateful as well."
Val smiled. "It's an incredible game, and I think it's great that it's helping Julia to recover whatever it is she lost while... we were both missing." He held the man's gaze. "My only concern is with a game that intense, stimulating so much of the brain with play, that perishing in that realm might have consequences for the player in real life as well."
Andrey nodded. "That is my greatest concern. It is my hope, Val, that you will continue to accompany her. As much as I am grateful beyond words that it's stimulating fresh neuronal growth in once damaged areas of her brain, the thought of her suffering any kind of backlash because she met folly in the game... that is perhaps my greatest fear."
"I'll do my best to keep her safe, sir, you can count on that."
The colonel flashed a relieved smile. "Thank you, Val. You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that."
They spoke of other things then, about Val's future plans for college, Julia's continuing remarkable recovery, and hopes Val would come back and visit soon, but the heart of it all was that Andrey was counting on Val to keep his child safe, and Val would do his utmost to honor that wish.
"Val! You made it!"
Val blinked, taking a quick second to orient himself as he came fully online at the latest save point, having sensed that he could have chosen the Dominion outpost or back at the manor as well. He smiled at a startled looking Yin.
"Everything okay?"
Yin blinked. "Yes. Peachy! I just felt creeped out, being the first to arrive here. You know, alone. Oh, look, Dirk and Chris!"
Val turned and smiled as the two active duty members made an appearance, Julia following seconds later, her arcane shield popping up with masterful ease. Val quickly put up his own as Dirk looked over their formation, seeming to come to a decision.
"Alright everyone, slight change of plans. The dwarven ruins are supposed to be accessible from near the mountain ridge some distance away. But a little scouting made it clear we'll be hoofing it on foot if we go that route, and then we're vulnerable if anyone tries to ambush us from the rear. Something's obviously not right here, so let's get to the bottom of it before we overextend ourselves. First, the cottages. We'll see if anyone's there. Then, the town center and the factories. If we see no trace of anyone, we all know where we're going next."
Julia nodded. "The sight of their mining operations. We can search for clues there."
Yin rolled her eyes. "This is so obviously storyline. Of course we have to check out the mine! Why even bother with the houses or factories? We'll just encounter a wandering monster at most."
Dirk frowned. "Yin?"
"Yes, sir?"
"This isn't a game. Don't treat it as one."
Yin's delicate features paled. She lowered her head. "Sorry, sir. I forgot."
"It's okay, Yin. Just remember, people can get seriously hurt playing Exultius. So best to treat it as if it was all real. At all times."
Yin jerked a nod, and by the time they were finished inspecting the pristine little houses with their carefully manicured yards and white picket fences, they were all trembling with emotions very different from excitement, sickened by the horrors festering within.
"Oh my god, those poor children!" Yin broke down and sobbed, Julia holding her hand, silent tears streaking down her cheeks as well, Val himself simmering with barely concealed fury.
"Val."
"Yeah, Dirk."
Concerned brown eyes held his own. "You going to be okay?"
Val flashed a killer's smile. "I think you know what comes next, Dirk."
Dirk nodded. "We take em out. Whoever did this, whatever side they claim to be on, it doesn't matter. We end them."
"Damn right," Chris said, "With extreme prejudice."
Val gave a curt nod, doing his best to keep the hot tides of fury within held tight and cold, keep at bay the scenes of crimson horror splashed within those perfect houses, to block out the hideous screams torn from silent lips; pristine, untouched faces all that remained of victims forced to undergo such horror that not a single bone was left unbroken, not a single organ unruptured.
Val was not a young man trembling at unthinkable horrors witnessed. He was a steel blade, forged in the fire of his own horror and fury, extended with one single purpose.
To find the bastards that had tortured and killed dozens of innocent men, women, and children, and send them screaming back to hell where they belonged.
16
Val rode a tightwire of tension, bristling with fury and icy alertness in equal measure, feeling as if a target were on his back as they entered the massive steamwork section of the factory town.
"Damn, I feel as if I'm in someone's crosshairs," Chris muttered, ev
eryone save Val and Julia now holding dwarven blasters in one hand, shield in the other as they made their way past yet another monstrosity of bronze and titanium cogs, like the insides of a massive 19th century clock, shining even now in the morning light, so finely polished that not a trace of smoke or grit could be seen anywhere.
"What is this place?" Yin whispered.
"Elementium refinery," Dirk explained. "They'd extract the ore from the mine and use these massive machines and a fair amount of mana to refine the ore into pure bars of Elementium."
Her eyes widened. "This looks like a massive operation, bigger than many factories. I thought smelting was, well, not as complex as this... and where's the soot?"
"They were refining magic ore, not steel," Julia explained. "No hydrocarbon byproducts. Just a lot of magic and steam."
Yin whistled. "It must have cost a fortune to extract."
Dirk grinned. "You don't know how much a kilogram of the stuff is worth, I see."
"As much as gold?"
A soft chuckle. "We think a credit might be worth around ten US dollars. Maybe a hell of a lot more, hard to tell. Each kilogram will gross you two million credits."
Yin shivered. "Holy fuck. And the Dominion didn't have this place patrolled at all times?"
"They did," Chris said. "Who do you think most of those bodies belonged to, back there?"
"Christ," Yin whispered.
"Not on this world," Dirk muttered before abruptly raising his hand, all of them stopping still as Dirk peered around the final massive factory between the town and the mine further upslope. Dirk caught Val's eye, nodded, and Val scouted ahead. Slowly, cautiously, his senses hyper-alert to threats as always, even if his ability to become one with his environment had faded.
Val was about to turn back when he froze for half a second, just to make sure. Seeing what he needed to see, he quickly turned around and headed back.
Endless Online: Oblivion's Price: A LitRPG Adventure - Book 3 Page 26