by G. Akella
"I will end you..." Vaessa hissed through clenched teeth.
"...and confer the titles of hereditary Erantian counts unto:
"Jin Ho, commander of the Light Half-Legion, Baroness Ksenjhuan an Leao'an, and Baron Fenrir an Ferat, all of whom shall also receive land in the Borderlands, and monetary sums to erect..."
Light Half-Legion... I'd missed the most interesting part, of course. Now, granting three counties instead of two was a grand gesture befitting true royalty. Two of the three newly minted counts were husband and life, which would make their combined estate quite substantial indeed.
"...and submit their new banners and sigils to the Heraldic Collegium within a month!
"All the fighters serving in the Light Half-Legion may collect the gold due to them at any time at the Ministry of Finances."
Prince Karten rolled up the scroll and took two steps back, as the king's magic-amplified voice rang out over the square.
"I wish to address all my subjects in this uneasy time. The Twice Cursed God and his minions have returned to Karn, and are threatening our borders! The Ancient Gods have awakened in the south of the continent! For the sake of all we hold dear, we must come together, accept this challenge, and stop the Evil! Starting tomorrow, nine additional legions shall begin to form—here in Vaedarr, and in the other Great Princedoms. I implore my people to exercise poise and grit in the hard days ahead! Both the Ancients and the Twice Cursed One have already felt the strength of our legions firsthand, so let us trust in the Gods of Light, and drive the blight back whence it came!"
With a nod, the king turned around, and headed toward his mount in deathly silence.
"Long live the King!"
The guards stepped in place, and threw up their weapons overhead in unison. Drums began a frenetic beat on either side of the gate.
A scent of impending war permeated the air.
And I just stood there, contemplating the back of the monarch dubbed 'the Wise' by his people... Let's hope the descriptor fits.
"We shall wait for you at The Unicorn, dar," Vaessa touched me on the shoulder, then gave a lingering Reece a light push, and started toward Kan and Raena who were waiting nearby.
"Sure," I nodded absently, watching them leave. That was it for the ceremony, evidently.
As the legionnaires dispersed, they were replaced almost instantly by the crowd. Cries of joy and congratulations fell like a bucket of cold water as fighters of the Azure Dragons, the Night Blades, and the Ferat clans got lost amid the onrushing crowd. As I suspected, at least a third of the crowd were clanmates of the fighters who had raided the dungeon with me, and they wasted no time once the official part of the ceremony had ended, surrounding their mates like a bunch of sports fans after their team delivered a victory in the championship game. Try as I might, there wasn't a chance in hell I would find anyone in this churning sea of people.
"Three survivors out of a party of five hundred," a voice sounded behind my back. "That's less than the three percent I had mentioned. You shouldn't be crawling dungeons, prince, but gambling houses instead..."
I turned to shake the hand of a grinning Teetotaler. "Pass. As soon as I'm done shoveling this shit, I'm going to start drinking like nobody's business. And then, once I'm done..." I chuckled, gesturing at the crowd. "Have you seen any of my guys?"
"Don't even bother," the elf waved his hand dismissively. "Folks may be giving you a wide berth now, but those guys have no shot at leaving the square sober."
"Let them drink, then," I smiled. "And how are y'all doing?"
"Can't complain," producing a rollie, Teetotaler nodded behind him and clarified. "Kirana has put a temple of hers on the island. On the land Vagabond had bought out. The swamp has retreated, and we're currently building a castle in the same spot where Max and his crew had demolished that camp of the disavowed. I trust I don't need to tell you that having a goddess' temple there is a big deal. We had already been swimming in trophies and accolades, and now..." The mage lit up, took a deep drag, and continued, shouting over the ruckus. "A week ago the king himself summoned Vagabond, and it looks like our valiant clan leader is going to be a prince soon. And then you turn up with your three percent... You heard Rayan granting Vagabond a royal commendation, right?"
"I slept through half the speech..."
"The commendation talks about gratitude to the Dark Elf race. Humans and us had maintained a kind of armed neutrality, but things are moving now. You catch my drift?"
"Meaning, you're on track to becoming an elven lord, eh?" I smiled, patting Teetotaler on the shoulder.
"Well, yes..." he said, somewhat bashfully. "And if it weren't for you and Max..."
"Enough with that. Neither I nor Max forced you to come with us. Everyone decides their own path for themselves," I added, suddenly realizing that the din around me had died down considerably.
The crowd behind Teetotaler parted, and Jin Ho stepped through. Behind him were Fenrir, Ksenjhuan and Vagabond.
"Krian..." stopping a few yards away, Jin Ho looked around the now-quiet players, and spoke—slowly, accentuating every word. "Prince Krian, the clan alliance of Ferat, Azure Dragons and Night Blades are grateful. Grateful for the opportunity you have given us, for the honor you have shown us. Alas, we cannot officially offer an alliance to a clan located on the territory of a race with whom we have no diplomatic relations. But know this: any member of the Steel Wolves or the demons they call friends shall always find shelter and protection in our land."
"A clan alliance? Congratulations!"
"The siege has been lifted, and we must all work together if we are to survive," the elf nodded at the clan leaders standing alongside him, then craned his neck and looked up over the city walls. "Darkaan controls nearly a third of the continent. It's no man's land, and one faction alone cannot oppose them. But together we can capture a whole princedom, and the locals surely won't mind." Jin Ho turned his gaze to me, his head slightly cocked, and asked. "What about you? What are your plans, prince? We're planning to gather and celebrate a week from today. And we sincerely hope to see you and your fighters there."
"I haven't decided yet," I shrugged. "But I promise to let you know as soon as I do. And even if I don't manage to make it to your celebration, I will still come and visit as soon as all this is over."
"Deal," Jin Ho nodded and gave my offered hand a firm shake. I said my goodbyes to Fenrir, Vagabond and Teetotaler, nodded to Ksenjhuan, and was about to turn and walk away when the girl spoke up in an offended tone.
"You promised to show us your razorback!"
"Oh, right, here you go..."
Gloom materialized in all of his armored glory, then cast a menacing look around at the gathered elves and humans. Realizing that his master wasn't in any danger, he cocked his head and gave me a quizzical look. I knew that the boar was not about to get all cute with strangers around—he had a reputation to uphold.
"Would you look at that!" Vagabond exhaled in awe. "I'd take him over a tank from my army days..."
Waving everybody goodbye, I climbed on top of the razorback and was off, accompanied by cries of shock and amazement. My spirits were high. Though I wasn't a child anymore, and braggadocio was not a quality I held in esteem, deep in my heart I couldn't help but feel a strong sense of pride. Nobody else in the realm had a boar like this!
After passing four intersections, I dismounted and, aiming to keep both of us happy, slipped Gloom a couple of dozen large yellow pears purchased a few days back. As the animal gorged on the fruit, I scratched him behind the ear, to which he responded with satisfied grunts. Twenty minutes later, we we riding out of the city through the Northern Gates.
I rode for about half a mile, carefully rounding the carts returning to the city, then took a right at the first fork toward the river. Erantian suburbs weren't exactly Jarus Province, meaning finding a secluded spot was no easy task. My wife had been quite stern in forbidding me from using her soul fragment in the presence of others, and I wasn't g
oing to defy her wishes for obvious reasons. At last, I found a spot that seemed to fit the bill roughly half a mile from Aqasana.
Sitting about a hundred yards off the road, amid an unkempt apple orchard, were a pair of dilapidated barns and an abandoned well. I hopped off the boar, spooking the crows perched atop a ragged scarecrow, and took a seat on a felled log as I took in the surroundings. Gloom sniffed around the well for a bit, puffed loudly and with bitter disappointment, then stretched out along a barn wall.
There was no one around, so there was no point procrastinating. I took out the soul fragment and pressed it to the ruby glittering in the ring. The stones fused together, just like last time. A tiny sparkle flared up on my finger, and a timer began a ten-minute countdown. Strange... Last time this procedure took three times longer. Not that I minded getting it done sooner, considering my past experiences communicating with my darling wife had been less than pleasant. Thankfully, I was a big boy, so I could take it.
Lita... I called her softly. I don't know how long it takes to build a static portal, but—
No need, Jaelitte cut me off. This time you stand to suffer real damage from my embodiment. So, I will do something else.
But I—
I know that you're willing to risk it, she said coolly. But I'm not. You do what you have to do, and let me do the same.
Fine, but can you at least explain when exactly you're supposed to reacquire your essence?
I don't want to talk about that now, she shot me down. Find the last fragment, then we'll revisit the matter. Now quit bothering me, I need to concentrate.
Hart! I'd been really hoping to see her. Well, to be perfectly frank, I'd been hoping get back to Nittal, pick up Dara, and head to Iskhart...
I slipped a pipe between my teeth, lit up, and began counting down the seconds along with the timer. Nine times out of ten bravery was little more than bravado, not wanting to be exposed as craven. And I couldn't begin to fathom the kind of fortitude one needed to have to be stuck in some ditch on the Ancient Paths for that long and not lose one's sanity. I probably would've gone mad from the claustrophobia alone in a matter of weeks... By growing familiar with those around you, you tend to stop noticing their distinctive qualities, but recognizing and appreciating those qualities is precisely what makes you worthy of being next to them, whether it's your parents, your friends, or your woman. No, I wasn't at fault for what had happened to Jaelitte, but I would always remember the kind of woman she was. Deep in thought, my eyes focused randomly on the ring from the god of thieves. I stared in bewilderment for a good ten seconds before it finally dawned on me...
Ring of Distorted Reality.
Accessory; ring.
Durability: 3987/4520.
Bound item.
?????????????????
Minimum level: 100.
Infinite invisibility (invisibility potions are not limited by time).
Camouflage (when activated, no other player can see your character's level, class, specialization, skills and stats).
Know Your Path (the potency of all elixirs, potions and scrolls is magnified by a random value between 1.1-10x).
?????????????????
Weight: .01 lbs.
A gold ring of unknown craftsmanship.
Now this explained why the lich from Ahn Kulad had lost three hundred seventy million HP instead of fifty million, and why using the venom against Teiran had taken off over ninety percent of his HP. Man, that was some kind of oversight on my part! Then again, I didn't need to inspect the ring's stats to throw up camouflage. And besides, I could've easily lived another hundred years in total ignorance without it changing anything—the ring's new effect would simply work as intended, and I would be none the wiser. I raised a mental prayer of gratitude to Hart as the timer went into counting down the final seconds, shifted into combat form, and turned around with my arm outstretched. At least this way I shouldn't go blind or deaf. The countdown finished, but the familiar flash didn't follow. Nor was my arm torn off... Hart, this always happened! Whether a firecracker or a can of mom's hairspray tossed into a bonfire that just wouldn't pop for some reason, but the moment you came up to investigate... BOOM!
I turned my head slowly... and let out a sigh of relief. The procedure was indeed all over—the ruby in the ring had turned to sapphire, and the spark of Primordial Chaos had increased in size threefold.
You've completed the quest: Splendor of Primordial Chaos II.
You have gained a level! Current level: 271.
You have 1 talent point to allocate.
Class bonus: +1 to intellect; +1 to spirit.
You have 3 stat points to allocate.
The ring, Splendor of Primordial Chaos, has been changed.
You have gained a level!
…
You have gained a level! Current level: 275.
You have 5 talent points to allocate.
Class bonus: +1 to intellect; +1 to spirit.
You have 15 stat points to allocate.
You've accessed the quest: Splendor of Primordial Chaos III.
Quest type: hidden, unique.
Kill Gurkass an Gunlaag the soul catcher, loot from his corpse the third shell fragment of Jaelitte dar Rakata's soul, and activate it on the ring, Splendor of Primordial Chaos.
Reward: experience, Jaelitte dar Rakata's soulstone.
As far as I knew, extracting a creature confined to a soulstone shouldn't be difficult, and Nerghall's summoning had proven that to be true. Just one more soul fragment, and Jaelitte would be free!
I sighed, focused my eyes on the ring, and felt my spirit dive right into the dumps.
Splendor of Primordial Chaos.
Accessory; ring.
Bound item.
Durability: 24,798/25,000.
Artifact, scalable.
No minimum level.
+275 to intellect.
+275 to strength.
+275 to spirit.
+550 to constitution.
+1650 to damage (Chaos).
+5.50% to critical hit chance with a physical or magic attack.
+5.50% to critical heal chance.
Weight: .06 lbs.
Half of the intellect had been replaced with strength, and the Chaos damage multiplier had doubled. She had sacrificed a bit of her freedom for the sake of those blasted stats...
I truncated some your intellect, dear, my wife's sardonic voice sounded in my head. But you must be strong. I'll be the smart one in the family. Deal?
Why did you do that?! We could have—
Oh, don't start with that again! The sarcasm in her voice turned to ice. One day wouldn't have changed anything, but your strength is critical for us both. If I am to help you, I must put something on my side of the scale... You must trust me that this is for the best. To regain my body for one day and then return to this is but a drop of water for someone dying of thirst. I've waited this long, I can wait a bit longer. No more arguing, Roman, I'm tired. We'll talk later.
Later, sure. I sighed, knocked out my pipe, and put it away. As much as I loathed to admit it, she was right! I opened the map, found the location of the quest, and grunted. Kargalar, the land of orcs... Well, the adventure continues. I folded and stashed away the map, rose from the log, changed forms, and started toward the razorback lolling by the barn.
Chapter 2
"And what made you decide that you simply must follow me?" I stirred the cognac in my glass, fixing Donut with a quizzical gaze. "At level 200... Why take the risk?"
"At our level 200, we can dismantle any level 250 mob and not break a sweat," the rogue explained calmly. "And we won't encounter anyone higher in those lands. You're headed into orc territory, aren't you?"
"How did you know?"
I nearly chocked on the smoke from the surprise. Nobody knew about my wife's quest, not even Vaessa, and I had not once mentioned the quest to return the clan chieftain's badge. Now, sure, the orc lands were closer to here than any other, but there hadn't
been a trace of doubt in Donut's voice...
The assassin smiled. "It's elementary, Roman. Your mysterious Prophecy is nothing more than a global game quest. You start off killing rats or some such, and eventually move on to dragons. Speaking figuratively, of course." Donut took a sip, put his glass on the table, fell back in his chair, and folded his arms on his knees. "This realm was a game once, and this prophecy operates by the rules set in that bygone era. I have a pretty good idea of how it might work, too. It won't let you renounce or so much as stray from the path—that would mean instant failure, almost certainly resulting in death."
"OK, sure, but how do you go from there to the orcs?"
"Max has been recruited to protect the Great Forest," the rogue shrugged. "And your main nemesis is Vill. We didn't allow him to enter here, which means his next target must be the Orcish Steppe. It's no accident that a huge undead host is afoot in Arkaetania, right?"
I reflected on his words for a few moments as I smoked. Finally, I looked up at him.
"You mentioned Vill. Do you really think that you'll have any effect against him at level 200?"
"No more than you will at level 275," the rogue replied calmly, without averting his eyes. "Teiran croaked from the ringing of a bell, Rgharg was put down by dragons, and the credit for Nerghall's demise definitely doesn't go to a crew of level 200 players..."
"He's right," Kan interjected in support of Donut, having been quiet all this time. "The prophecy chose you, and the rest of us ought to stick with you till the end."
"But we won't all be going with you," the assassin continued his thought. "My sisters and Anna will stay behind in the Wild Wood." He nodded toward the staircase where Bonbon's wife had disappeared half an hour ago, and picked up his glass again from the table. "Just the three of us—the ones who have been there since the beginning."