by Rick Scott
“Hey, we still need scrolls, right?” Maxis says. “And besides, that’s a real person in charge in there, not some AI. So he has some beef with the NPC kingdoms around him. So what? That doesn’t have anything to do with us.”
“What about our races?” Gilly says. “Val and me?”
Maxis shrugs. “Same rules apply. Once we talk to the dude, we won’t have any problems. Probably just some geek, anyway. Let’s go. It’s getting dark. We can probably make it there in half an hour. It’d be better to arrive before they close the gate or something.”
I can’t really argue with his logic. Neither can anyone else.
We make the trek across the plains toward the city. The remnants of makeshift war camps litter the open plain, broken arrows and rusted weapons sunk into the hard-packed earth and low grass. Seems to be signs of a battle fought not too long ago—which only makes me more nervous.
As we near the wall, I get a full appreciation of its height, as well as that of the mountain behind it. The blocks that make it up are the size of cars, and I ponder how it was actually built. Did they construct it by hand, as I saw the villagers doing in Brookrun, or was it forced into existence using nano? Given the timeframe Val Helena just mentioned, nano-formation could certainly be a possibility. By normal means, a wall like that would probably take years to build. Two enormous iron gates lay open at the center of the wall, and just in front of them is a small shanty town made of tents, resembling a flea market.
“Better cover your ears, Gilly,” I say as we approach the tent city.
She does so, adjusting her witch’s hat in the process. “What about Val?”
“Don’t worry about me.” Val Helena grins and removes her double-headed axe from her back, carrying it casually over her well-defined shoulder. “If anyone wants to start trouble, this will hopefully give them second thoughts.”
Maxis lets out a chuckle at that. “Warrior Queen. I love it.”
As we enter the tent city, Val Helena’s plan seems to have the desired effect, but I’m not certain if it’s the one we wanted. The townspeople, dressed mostly in combinations of animal skins and worn leather, give us a wide berth with fearful eyes as we make our way toward the main gates. A few, however, approach us with samples of food, begging us to buy.
The encounter sends my HUD alight. Popup menus hover over the heads of the impromptu vendors. I see everything from turnips and potatoes to armor and potions being sold. But the prices for everything seem to be in gold.
“Think we can find good stuff here?” I ask.
“If we had a few days to sort through all the garbage,” Val Helena says. “Used to be one of my favorite pastimes to go shopping for bargains in places like this. But we’d probably have better luck for what Gilly needs in the main markets in the city.”
I wave the people away as they show me their wares. I wonder if this could be a way to bring trade to Brookrun. When I pull up the village on my HUD, I do see an option to add a trade route, but it’s grayed out. Wonder what I need to do to activate it?
As we near the main gates, Gilly suddenly stops. “What the heck?”
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I just had a weird quest pop up.”
“Me, too,” Val Helena says.
I check my own HUD, but I don’t see anything.
“I didn’t get a quest,” I say. “What’s it for?”
Gilly links the quest objective to the party chat.
New Quest Objective Available: Restore Treaty with Stormwall
The Mad King Braxus has broken the peace treaty with the Wood Elves. Set things right, by slight or by might.
Objective (1)
Defeat the Stormwall Army
or
Defeat the Royal Praetorian Guard [2/5]
Objective (2)
Negotiate a new treaty with King Braxus
or
Assassinate King Braxus
Rewards: +300,000 XP, Access to Stormwall Town Administration +500 Favor with Elf-kin, +300 Favor with Stormwall
Holy crap! Assassinate? “What kind of quest is this?”
“I got pretty much the same thing,” Val Helena says. “Except it’s for giant-kin only.”
“But Braxus is a player, right?” I say. “This quest is giving you an option to kill a player?”
Maxis lets out a harrumph. “And who controls the quests?”
It’s a rhetorical question. We all heard the answer from Blacktop the other night. If there’s a quest, then the AI Karlis sanctioned it. “Does this mean the Builder actually wants him dead?”
“Like I told you, mate,” Rembrandt says, “never forget who the true enemy is out here. The Builders are not our friends.”
I can hardly fathom it.
“Let’s not get carried away,” Val Helena says. “There are other options besides assassinate. And whoever he is, he must be one heck of a dick to have warranted something like this. If you notice, you get Favor from the people of Stormwall if you complete it. The guy must be some kind of tyrant.”
Gilly looks up at my big brother, using air-quotes. “You still think it’s going to be ‘cool’ talking to this ‘dude’?”
I’ve begun to wonder that, as well. “Yeah, maybe we should try another route.”
“Are you guys kidding me? We don’t have time for that.” Maxis mutters another cuss under his breath. “You guys worry about these stupid quests too much. This isn’t a game. This is the real world. And there’s a ‘real’ person in there. He’s from the Shards, just like us. Let’s just go talk to the guy and let him know we’re passing through. Plus, once we tell him why we’re here, and that his own butt is on the line, maybe he’ll even be able to help us.”
“Help us how?” Gilly says.
Maxis shrugs. “He does have control over a whole dang city. And an army, apparently.”
Once again, my brother’s logic makes sense. If he could help us, it could make our journey much easier. I laugh to myself. Who’d have thought that after traveling to the surface, I’d be more wary of another player than I am of a monster? Perhaps I am being too paranoid. Maxis has been here before, knows how people think out here. If it truly is “us against the world” on the surface—or “us against the AIs,” anyway—then why wouldn’t this Braxus guy help? “I guess, if our only other options are taking the long way around or a shortcut through the wild, then jerk or not, this is still the best way forward, right?”
I look around and get mostly resigned shrugs of agreement from everyone. Maxis, however, is grinning.
“Absolutely right,” Maxis says, taking the lead. “Come on. Let’s go meet the king.”
Chapter 20: Enemies at the Gates
As we pass through the city gates, I see that they are made of iron, and are an impressive foot-and-a-half thick. I vacantly wonder what kind of closing mechanism they use to move so much weight. The afternoon sun grows weaker as we transition from the hard tundra of the plains to the granite cobblestone of the city. A swarm of people surge in and out through the gate, which is as wide as a two tennis courts side by side. At the edges, I notice guards wearing chainmail, armed with longswords. They stand atop an elevated platform attached to the inner sides of the doors. I focus on one of them to see how tough they are.
Name: Alphonse
Level: 75
Class: City Guard
Whoa . . . Level 75. Pretty tough.
Checking them makes me check my own character stats.
Name: Reece
Class: Ninja
Level: 82
Strength: 6+25
Dexterity: 80+5
Agility: 80+5
Intelligence: 4
Mind: 6
Vitality: 26 +20
HP: 1142/1142
Stamina: 287/287
TP: 172/172
I have 3 attribute points to spend and quickly place them into Vitality, bringing my HP to 1202/1202. If we’re in for a fight, I really hope I’m ready.
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I sense them looking at us as they survey the crowd from above. Their target becomes obvious when I see their eyes immediately train on Val Helena. She towers above everyone else like a scarecrow in a cornfield. We get stares from the townspeople as they again clear a path for us, their eyes shifting with uncertainty and fear. Some, however, regard us with disdain, especially Val Helena.
Gilly takes my hand and squeezes it as the guards begin to move with us, walking along the platform.
“You there! Stop!” one of them yells out.
Oh crap . . .
Val Helena steps to the forefront, making a show of her big axe as a trio of guards rushes in from each door. Six of them in total now. My heartbeat quickens as I prepare for a fight. I’m used to fighting monsters, but AIs that look and act like real people? That’s a different story. I wonder if I can even do it!
The crowd disperses at the threat of conflict, which leaves us standing out in the open. The six guards approach en masse, but Val Helena stands her ground.
“You got a problem with us entering this city?” the giantess challenges with her big, booming goddess voice. The six men slide to a halt and cower, raising their arms defensively. Their reaction is so extreme that I wonder if Val Helena didn’t just use some kind of Intimidate ability on them.
“Leave them be,” says a woman’s voice from behind the guards.
As the men in chainmail part, I see a redheaded woman dressed in knight’s armor stepping authoritatively toward us. At her sides are two more knights: a young blond guy with a crew cut, and a more grisly looking veteran with a bald head and a dark beard. Trailing behind them is a fat dude in robes with a soup-bowl haircut.
As they get closer, I focus on each of them to bring up their stats in turn. I start with the redhead.
Name: Lady Diana
Level: 85
Class: Praetorian Guard
Then the blond-haired dude.
Name: Sir Thomas
Level: 85
Class: Praetorian Guard
The Vet.
Name: Sir Ziegfried
Level: 85
Class: Praetorian Guard
And finally, the fat guy.
Name: Lord Xavier
Level: 85
Class: Executive Officer
“You need not brandish your weapons here, Shard Warrior,” the woman, Diana, says. She has her red hair pulled back in a tight bun, giving her a militaristic demeanor that somehow reminds me of a police officer. Not that we have them back in Citadel, but I’ve seen enough pre-war action flicks to know a cop when I see one. Just like in the movies, she’s attractive and all, but her blue eyes and dour face spell no-nonsense.
Val Helena seems to gain an air of respect for her, as well, because the giantess actually stows her weapon and folds her massive arms across her chest instead. Still imposing, but perhaps a bit less threatening.
“Greetings, travelers,” the fat guy says, coming to the front of the pack. “I am Lord Xavier, Chief Executive Officer of this city. His royal majesty King Braxus has a standing order to welcome any who are from the Shards. But please, do tell me your business in Stormwall, so that we may know how to best accommodate you.”
“We’re on a journey to the Vale of Sorrows,” Val Helena says. “We’re just looking for some supplies, and then we’ll be out of your hair.”
“I see.” He goes quiet for a moment and leans his head to the side, as though listening to a voice we can’t hear. I suspect he might be PMing with someone when he nods. He looks back up at us. “King Braxus has just granted you entrance to the city and free rein within. He also requests the pleasure of your company for a banquet in your honor at the royal palace this evening. It is not often he has visitors from home, you see. He has also given you access to the royal baths and guest quarters to rest and refresh yourselves from your journey beforehand.”
Whoa. I wasn’t expecting all this. The idea of an actual bath and a royal banquet is sounding like heaven right now.
“I will have our royal guard escort you through the city, so that you are not bothered by the commoners,” Xavier says. “We are having a bit of conflict with the mountain tribes to the north at the moment, and your large friend here might draw some unwanted attention.”
“So we heard,” Maxis says.
“Lady Diana . . .” Xavier says, turning to the redhead. “I’ll leave it to you.”
Diana responds by performing a crisp salute, slamming her fist against her silver breastplate while clicking her heels together. “Yes, my lord.”
Xavier smiles at us again, puffing his already full cheeks. “Please just let your escorts know when you are done with your supplies, and they will lead you to the baths. The banquet will commence just after sunset. I bid you farewell.”
The chief executive gives us a head nod that resembles a bow, and then sends the six guards back to their posts before leaving us with just the three knights.
“See?” Maxis says with a smug grin. “What did I tell you guys? Nothing to worry about. We’re special guests here.”
I do feel a bit relieved that I didn’t have to tussle with those guards. Maybe he’s right. Maybe this King Braxus will be willing to help us, like he said. I look up at Val Helena and give her a questioning look to see how she feels.
She gives me back a shrug, but smiles. “Seems legit. Guess your brother called it right.”
“Darn right, I did.” Maxis grins like an idiot, and then gives Val Helena a wink.
The giantess lets out a laugh. “Don’t let it go to your head, hot stuff.”
But then the two just end up smiling at one another for what seems like half a minute.
I get a PM from Gilly.
Gilly: Ack! They’re flirting! D: I think I’m gonna hurl! =P
Me: lol!
“If you’ll follow me,” Lady Diana says with a wave of her arm, ushering us into the city like VIPs. “The markets are this way.”
* * *
We enter the bazaar, and I feel like I’m back in Swifttide again—minus the scent of salt air, of course. It’s an open-air market that easily takes up the size of a football field. Around the edges are stores built right into the stones walls, with proper signs and doors. Between them, in the large open space, are row upon row of stalls covered with tent-like roofs. A few thousand people mill in and out between the stalls and the stores, and the faint murmur of barter carries with the wind, along with the scent of wood smoke from braziers set along the perimeter, providing both light and warmth.
We decide to split up to make better use of the time, and one of the praetorian guards joins each of us. Rembrandt heads off with the old dude—Ziegfried—Val Helena and Maxis leave with Sir Thomas, and Gilly and I are joined by Lady Diana.
“It’s getting late, so if you need to purchase something, I suggest you hurry,” Diana says once the others depart. “The markets will be closing soon.”
“Do you know where we can find scrolls of Celestial Magic?” Gilly asks.
Diana bunches her dark brows together in thought. “There is a vendor, yes. But I hope you have coin. They are not cheap. This way.”
Lady Diana leads the way as we wade through the people and the various stalls. The aroma of open-air kitchens makes my mouth water and my stomach growl. I can’t tell what exactly they’re cooking, but a lot of it seems to be roasted meat on a stick. Even though that’s pretty much all we’ve been eating for the last few days, I can’t seem to get my fill. A lifetime of eating cheap mush from a nano-processor has turned me into a super carnivore out here, I guess.
I notice various armor and weapons shops, as well, but I don’t see anything that looks fit for a Ninja. I wonder if there’s an equivalent of Bangōr somewhere out here on the surface. I do see an outfit that catches my eye for Gilly, though. It’s a form-fitting white robe with high leggings and a hat that matches her current one. The gear is all Level 60 when I give it a quick scan.
White Witch’s Hat: +15 INT +15 MND
+20TP
White Witch’s Coat: -10% Casting Speed +150TP
White Witch’s Leggings: +15 INT +15 MND +50TP
I’d love to get it for her, but we’re in a rush now, and the scrolls are probably more important. I make a mental note of where the stall is, though. We continue through the markets, following Diana. She doesn’t say much, but I wonder if she might be able to shed some light on the current situation here in the city. Especially when it comes to those weird quests.
“So, this war that’s going on with the north,” I say, feeling her out. “How bad is it, Lady Diana?”
She slows a bit and looks back at me, her eyes narrow, as though she’s trying to determine my motives for asking. I swear, if this wasn’t a fantasy world, she would definitely be a cop. Diana finally responds with a stiff upper lip. “It’s not a war. Not yet, anyway.”
“What happened?” Gilly asks.
“A small matter,” she says. “You need not concern yourself with it.”
Cagey, but maybe I can pry the information out. “We only ask because we’re headed that way. If we can avoid trouble, we’d appreciate it.”
This causes her to pause. We come to a complete halt in the middle of the market. “The king heard rumor of the giants gaining strength. When he sent us to investigate, a small skirmish ensued. Again, a small matter, but the king saw fit to break the peace treaty and now our borders are closed to one another. That is all.”
“And what happened with the elves?” Gilly asks.
Her cop eyes narrow again. “I made no mention of elves.”
Uh oh . . . Did Gilly just say too much?
I rush to cover for her. “A friend of ours back in Brookrun mentioned the elves to the east were in some kind of conflict with the city, as well.”
Lady Diana shrugs and sets off again. “The borders were closed to all. So it caused a bit of hostility on that front, as well.”