by Tao Wong
“Do you think I’m wrong?”
“In what you said? No. In how you said it? Definitely,” Katherine says.
“It was the truth. A necessary truth.”
“But you could have been kinder.”
A feeling of déjà vu, a memory of a previous conversation. One between myself and my father, Katherine taking my place as I find myself echoing my father as he explained my lack of talent while I decried his tone.
“If I was kinder, he might refuse the truth of my words, holding himself to the tone rather than the intent. He can hate me, but at least he’ll have heard me.”
There’s something in her eyes when I say that, something I can’t understand. For a moment, I wonder if she knows why I said what I did, but then I dismiss the thought. Women can’t read minds—that’s just a fallacy.
“I’ll have Lana speak with him later then,” Katherine says instead.
I open my mouth to protest but decide against it. Having Lana soften the blow a little while reminding him of the truth is probably the best of both worlds. Good cop, bad cop at its best. “Who’s next?”
“We have the delvers.”
I groan, knowing what they want. I’m surprised they’re coming together, but at least their topic of conversation is known. They’ll want to discuss the Guild spot, their concerns about being pushed out, and of course, push for some benefits for themselves. It’s annoying, because the Guild could do us a ton of good, with quests and a ready market for our goods, but they’ll complain and bitch as if they don’t know all that just to get a little leeway. And even if I can push most of this to Lana and Kim as the negotiating parties, they still want to make sure I get my share of it too.
And sadly, I can’t tell them to bugger off. Because as much as it is politics, they might actually have a point somewhere in there that I haven’t thought of. Thankfully, today’s the last of my meeting days. After today, I’ll be mostly ready for my trip.
“Then let’s get this over with.”
***
“John,” Lana says softly after pulling away from the kiss the next morning.
“Mmmm…?” I say as I try to re-engage my brain. That was one heck of a goodbye kiss…
“Port me to Vancouver?” Lana says.
“Oh. Right.” I blink, waving to open the Portal.
The moment it does, Roland slips in, the only one to accompany us to Kamloops last night.
“And, John, stay safe,” Lana says, giving me one last hug before stepping away.
I watch her departing figure, sighing before shutting the inky blackness. “Now then, what next?”
“Mr. Lee!” a voice calls so loudly that it pierces the walls of the house we’re in.
When I turn, I blink and stare at KC through the living room windows, the Gunsmith struggling down the walkway with a pair of large metal boxes.
“KC.” I nod to the lady, glancing at the boxes as I open the front door.
“Ammo! I finally… ummm… worked through the… well, blueprints. Mostly have them in solid casings, but I, uh… well. I finished these two last night. Hollow points,” KC says, flushing under scrutiny and holding up the cases.
“Oh. Thank you!” I blink, taking them from her and storing them in my Altered Space. Before I can say anything further, KC’s pulling out even more cases from her inventory, dumping case after case on the ground. “How many did you make?”
“I, uhhh… lost track,” KC says ashamedly. “I was, ummm… Leveling so much that well…”
“You got carried away,” I finish for her, and she nods. “Well, no matter. I’m sure I can use it. Did you get the rest… ah, I see they’re here.” I nod, staring at the various other boxes, each carefully labeled. Boxes of explosives, marked and stored, make their appearance. “Just send me the bill. I’ll get it paid now.”
KC bobs her head quickly, and a moment later, a small notification pops up. I don’t even bother looking at the details, just glancing at the final amount and sending the Credits over, letting Kim handle the inventory issues. While he (it? her?) won’t be useful once we leave the settlement, for small tasks like these, he’s even faster than Ali.
“INVENTORY IS MISSING TWO HIGH-EXPLOSIVE MINES AND CURRENTLY HAS ONE EXTRA WHITE PHOSPHOROUS INCIDINERARY GRENADE. ALSO, THERE IS A PACKAGE THAT IS LABELED TO YOU DIRECTLY. I HAVE ASSESSED THAT THERE IS A LOW THREAT RISK AND HAVE NOT INVESTIGATED ITS CONTENTS.”
“Let her know by notification. No biggies.”
“Thanks again. You and your people,” I say. “Anything I should know?”
“Ummm… no… We’ve had a few visits from Artisans from other cities—villages? Towns?—uhh…”
“Cities is fine. I understand what you mean,”
“Right. Ummm… so, yes. They’ve been interested in… well, us… it’s been fun. One of the, umm… visitors was an… interior designer. Upped our efficiency by 1.6%!”
“That’s good.” I nod. “Nice speaking with you, KC.”
With one last nod, I pop open another Portal and step through. Time to get to work.
***
Since I can only open Portals to places I’ve visited—and only within a range of a 1,000 KM of me—I have a bit of a journey to make. While we debated having some of the team accompany me, between Sabre and my ability to Blink Step and open Portals, I should be relatively safe. Of course, I promised to drag my friends to me if things look dangerous and I was still in range, but none of us expect that. At least till Edmonton.
British Columbia during the height of summer is alternately beautiful sunshine and occasional days of rain. Up north where we’re going, the rainforest gives way to more desert-like terrain before changing again. Lucky for me, it’s mostly sunshine right now, which means traveling along the weather-beaten roads is satisfactory. It does make me wonder what we should do about upkeep—now that I own a bunch of settlements in the province, trade between settlements is slowly picking up. Outside of the main towns, I’ve avoided taking control of settlements unless it’s been requested, just because I don’t want the additional responsibility. Surprisingly, that’s happened more than once, especially since we have started regular patrols. As much as I might not want to be the local government, we seem to be falling into that role more and more.
Right now, between the lack of on-going transportation and the monster problems, trade caravans are done in an unscheduled, slipshod matter. And while the nitpicky part of me wants to get involved, the lazy part of me points out that this is what the capitalist economy is meant for. Let someone else who wants to earn the Credits organize things.
However, the roads are my problem. That’s what the government is for, after all—dealing with resources and projects that make no sense for an individual to undertake. That’s why we had governments in the first place—from the mayor of a village, who decided who and when people got to use the common grounds for breeding, to the United Nations, which had helped reduce world hunger and diseases. Still, like any government, I’ll admit, that last part is a bit shaky since the UN isn’t really a government technically, but whatever. The point is, we organise because we need to.
Unfortunately, I have to contend with that most limiting of factors—scarce resources. Putting Credits and manpower into building the roads and warding them meant I couldn’t buy land in the Villages. Focus on upgrading individual Villages and I’d miss the opportunity of upgrading Vancouver from Town to Large Town. Not purchasing specialized buildings means we aren’t taking advantage or encouraging specific economies. In Whitehorse, the introduction of the Arborator had provided employment and Credits for a ton of people, increasing our efficiency further. Could I afford to shift our focus from things like that to work on something like roads? Then again, could I neglect trade?
Thoughts like this carry me from Grand Prairie to Edmonton. I could have gone north and east from Kamloops, but that would have put me through a provincial park. And those, from experience, are a tough row to hoe. Not that I shouldn�
�t visit one, but right now, speed is more important than Levels.
Still, for all my desire for speed, I make the time to pop open Portals for those who need it. Small towns. Individuals unlucky enough to be caught in the middle of nowhere and yet lucky enough to still be alive. Groups of survivors swept up and thrown back into civilization. I have to admit, there’s a certain satisfaction in helping them all, even if it slows me down.
In time, forests and rolling hills—and a few mountains—give way to flat prairies. The sky opens up, making me both relax from the ease of picking out dangers and tense from being so exposed. No more mountains, no more shade, just the eye in the sky and the rolling plains that were once part of some farmer’s land. By the time I hit the prairies proper, the number of individuals I find diminishes to nothing, the survivors most likely having made their way to Edmonton.
Like most prairie cities, Edmonton doesn’t really “start” with a fixed boundary; you just find yourself rolling in where more and more buildings make themselves known. Abandoned, discarded, broken down, and bloody, residences and strip malls merge into office buildings. And then there’s a wall made of grey concrete and cinder blocks, built by Skill and Credits. And towers that host beam turrets and, perhaps most startling of all, a single man waiting for me.
“Howdy, stranger,” the man calls, cowboy hat, plaid shirt, and cowboy boots set against a pair of guns slung low on his hips and a shotgun cradled in his arms. “That’s about far enough.”
“Howdy? Goblin’s arse. I didn’t get any tobacco!” Ali chimes in, shifting his clothing to mock the stranger.
I’m too busy to answer the Spirit though, as I study the man before me.
Blair Kendall, the Rock of Edmonton (Level 28 Battle Seer)
HP: 3680/3680
MP: 2110/2110
Conditions: None
Holy shit. That’s an Advanced Level. He literally has the highest Level I’ve seen on a human. While he isn’t the highest Level human on Earth—I checked, and there’s some cheat Level character at Advanced 38—he’s the highest in Canada as far as I know. And probably explains why Edmonton has managed to stay independent.
“Afternoon,” I say while getting off Sabre slowly. I keep my hands well in sight, not wanting him to get any ideas.
“Nice ride there. Mind telling us why you’re visiting this little town of ours? Don’t get many strangers these days,” Blair says, a hand coming up to absently rub at a close-cut, curly beard.
“Passing through. Maybe a little scouting. Maybe a little chat with the people in charge.”
“Really. You’re pretty well stocked and armed for someone just passing through. Redeemer of the Dead,” Blair says.
I sigh. I really, really, hate that title sometimes. “Well, colour me surprised to have the Rock of Edmonton greet me. Now, if we’re done measuring each other, perhaps you can show me where an inn or empty residence is? Preferably one with a working hot shower? Cleanse spells work, but well, I’ve been on the road for a bit now.”
“We aren’t done,” Blair says. “I’m not letting a potential threat into my city.”
“Your city?” I raise an eyebrow, mentally prodding Ali.
“Can’t tell, boy-o. You can infer ownership, but you can’t actually tell. It’s one of the rules instituted by the Council in… blah blah blah year after owners kept getting assassinated. You can buy the events around a transfer, but they don’t show up on Status screens anymore.”
Ah. That’s useful. For me. Somewhat. Maybe.
“Fine. What do you want from me?”
Quest Received—Clear the Plains
A new plains dungeon has appeared near the city of Edmonton. You have been tasked with clearing the dungeon and destroying the Boss. Doing so will gain the favor of the Rock of Edmonton.
Reward: Entry to the town of Edmonton
Accept (Y/N)
“Really?” I grumble, staring at the quest information and the resulting marker.
“Yes.” Without another word, Blair walks back through the open gates, which shut behind him. Someone has the flair for the dramatic.
“Scout ahead, will you? Let’s get this garbage done.”
Nice thing about having access to an entire armory’s worth of explosives is that when you’re feeling particularly lazy, it’s a simple enough matter to overuse them. Since all the explosives were made by individual crafters, all of them are System-registered. With the help of my drones and a liberal application of explosives, clearing the dungeon doesn’t even require me to crawl through the tunnels.
I do wonder how he would have expected me to handle this if I hadn’t had my drones. After all, the tunnels themselves were barely larger than a man’s torso in most points. At times, they were significantly smaller. The only regret I have—and it’s a mild regret—is that I won’t get any Loot from all this. Even with the sheer volume of explosives, I could have looted the scattered remains if I had been willing to crawl in.
As it stands, the only loot I received were the hides of the dungeon Boss and his minions when they swarmed up and out of the earth at my continued provocations. Sitting at just above Level 30, the dungeon Boss didn’t take much to deal with, though his trick of sinking me halfway into the earth was interesting. Having an evolved gopher with shark teeth trying to eat my face from inches away was a new and unpleasant experience. It said something about my life that that didn’t even make it into the top hundred nightmares.
When I get the quest update notification, I make my way to the town as fast as I can. Maybe I should research a lava flow or napalm spell, something I could use to flood passageways next time.
The Rock of Edmonton is waiting for me again when I roll up to the wall as twilight falls.
“All done then, are we?” Blair drawls.
“Yes. Now can I go in for a bath?”
“Follow me,” Blair says, leading the way into the city. Within the city, a horse waits for him, which he straddles with practiced ease.
“Really?” I say, shaking my head. “A bit on the nose, isn’t it?”
“How did you get around, right after the change?” Blair says caustically.
I think back to my mad scramble down the mountain and shut up. Horses are practical and fast and this one at least looks as though its achieved some form of symbiosis with the System. Or else it’s just naturally a really pretty horse. I’ll admit, I’ve become inured to big animals after hanging out with Lana.
You have entered the Town of Edmonton
This is a safe zone. Contains:
A Shop
City Center
Armory
Adventurer’s Guild
More…
“You have a Guild already?” I say, an eyebrow rising. That was fast. I mean, sure, Carcross had one before Whitehorse, but I’m still surprised they’ve achieved so much so fast.
All around us, the buildings slowly transform, growing higher as we make our way downtown on PAV and horse.
“Yup. They’ve been real helpful, they have,” Blair drawls. “I hear you just struck a deal with a crafter group for one of your settlements.”
“My…” My eyes tighten before I snort. “You were using the time the quest bought you to look me up.”
“I thought that necklace made things harder for people to buy information on me?” I ask Ali.
“For previous actions. And it doesn’t count if the Guild puts out a press release.”
“They did what!?!”
“Recruiting material, boy-o.” I can hear the exasperation in Ali’s mental voice.
“Seemed fair. There’s quite a bit of information out there on you, for cheap, Redeemer. At least until a few months ago. Then, the information gets a lot more expensive. Be curious to hear how you did that.”
“Har.” I shake my head, somewhat embarrassed at being called out on it directly. It’s not a time that I like to think about directly. Still, of all my titles, that one I earned fair and square, doing something few woul
d have done. Not during the aftermath of an apocalypse at least. It’s a strange title, I’ll admit, and I’m still uncertain why the System gave it to me. Not the why of the action, but the greater why of how it chose. “Looks like you owe me a story then. Rock.”
“Not much to tell, not to someone like you. It came to me probably the same way you earned your other titles,” Blair says. “In blood and tears, in front of a smoking gun, over the corpses of friends and foes alike.”
“Where we going? And are you going to let anyone else speak to me?” I say, having yet to see a single person since the gate guards.
“Not yet,” Blair says with a matter-of-fact honesty. “You’ll be staying with me until I decide you’re safe enough. Hard to trust people like you.”
I would say something about his confidence in dealing with me alone, but I knew that ever since the gate, we’d been shadowed by four individuals, all of them with Advanced Classes. Not as high as Blair, but considering Edmonton must have a finite number of Advanced Classers, I was rather flattered. Hell, even Vancouver didn’t have that many—though that was as much the Sect’s fault as anything.
A few more gambits at drawing a conversation out of Blair gets me nowhere, so I give up and content myself to being led to his house. When we arrive, I’m somehow not surprised to find that it’s a modest duplex. I am surprised by how slovenly the place is—while it’s clean, clothing and other bric-a-brac are strewn about everywhere.
“Bathroom’s upstairs, around the corner at the end of the hallway.”
I grunt in acknowledgement before heading up, sending Ali to keep an eye on Sabre. Soon enough, I’m downstairs again, greeted by a carnivore’s dream of a meal. Conversation at dinner is nearly non-existent, consisting of a lot of gurgled beer, moans of pleasure, and chewing. Without the ladies around, I find myself returning to my more slovenly eating habits, including licking my fingers with gusto. When we’re done, feet up and beers in hand, we get around to the real talk.