by Jakob Tanner
Lining the market were patches of Lirana. Many of them wore the red bandanas like the pirate guards from earlier. They must be the official city guard then. Beyond them was a noticeable abundance of Lirana: from the guards to the merchants to the beggars sitting on the floor with an open buckets and bottles of whisky beside them. They whispered to each other and glanced suspiciously towards us.
“I feel like we’re being watched,” I said.
“That’s because we are,” said Jackson. “La-Archanum is a pirate city, a neutral zone from Illyrian politics, and so, a spy capital.”
“There’s a saying,” said Shade. “In La-Archanum whispers are as common as the wind.”
Serena crossed her arms and monitored the different passersby and guards around us. “Who’s the boss around here? Who employs the red bandanas?”
“Oh, the Grand Captain Bella, of course,” said Shade.
“For someone who’s never been here,” said Kari. “You know a lot about it.”
“Well the Grand Captain Bella and I share a past.”
“What kind of past?” asked Kari, pointedly. “Is she a former girlfriend?”
Shade looked off in the distance. “Not quite.”
“Can we use your former relationship to help forge a partnership with them?” I asked.
Shade shrugged.
“Okay, we can deal with that later,” I said. “We don’t have much time to spend. Kaige hasn’t docked here yet, so we want to be out of here before he does. Jackson do you wanna go take care of restocking fuel and food on the ship. The rest of you—feel free to sell off your loot and upgrade your gear. I’m going to go sell those discoveries at the skyfarer’s guild and then see if there’s been any news about the Arethkarian fleet. Let’s meet up after that to form our next plan.”
“Sounds good,” said Jackson, raising his fingers in a peace sign and walking off.
I left the others and went back to the floor map at the entrance to the floor-0 market. The skyfarer’s guild was down the hall from where I was standing. I found it tucked away in a narrow alley. The entrance had spinning propellers and a billowing flag with an airship hanging from above. I stepped into a dimly lit building full of maps and scrolls. Glass bottles with miniature frigates and galleons lined the walls. A Haeran man sat at a front desk, slumped over, his bored head slouching into his raised hand as if it were a pillow.
“I’d like to hand in some discoveries,” I said. “I hear you purchase them for gold?”
The bored-looking man’s eyes perked up at this. “Did you say a discovery?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Yippee,” he said, jumping for joy. “We haven’t had a discovery here in weeks!”
I was glad to hear. This meant our discoveries would net us more gold. At the same time, it was an odd thing for the man to say. They were a pirate city in the middle of the cloud ocean—surely there were people coming in here with discoveries all the time.
“You’re not serious—there must be other skyfarers coming through here?”
The man shook his head. “Nope. Not since the—”
He stopped talking and I glanced at him funny.
“Not since the—? Are you going to finish that sentence?”
The guy smiled and blinked at me. “What sentence? You mentioned a discovery?” He pulled out a large ledger notebook and placed it front of me. When I focused down on the open book, a message popped up in my screen.
Skyfarer’s Guild (La-Archanum Chapter)
Discoveries
Which discoveries would you like to share with the guild today?
Zeratha’s Isle – 1,000,000 Gold Coins
Blue Apple – 25,000 Gold Coins
Red Joogu Berries – 25,000 Gold Coins
Crystalladon (species) – 50,000 Gold Coins
I stared dumbfounded at the screen. I was an Illyrian millionaire at the mere press of a button. I wasn’t surprised the isle discovery was worth so much. The amount of crystallized mana on the isle was a total gold mine, a cash cow; especially if those crystal golems respawned at a regular rate as well. As I’d thought at the time, the whereabouts of the isle was too good to share with others. Perhaps I’d share it with King Fergus but I definitely didn’t want it to be open information on the worldwide stage. Still, handing in the three other discoveries would net us a chunk of change. We’d be able to add new features to the ship as well as raise the morale back to positive. Perfect.
I handed in all the discoveries except for Zeratha’s Isle and watched the money rake in onto the ship’s status.
I opened up the ship status screen, eager for new upgrades, but nothing appeared. A prompt told me I’d have to be in an aerodrome at a designated upgrade area to alter the ship’s equipment. I said goodbye to the guild assistant and returned to the landing bay.
The La-Archanum aerodrome offered a wide array of interesting ship upgrades. Beyond the default ones listed in Laergard there were unique extras.
Advanced Laser Cartridge: Improve the ATKP of ship laser turrets (15,000 Gold Coins)
MagiCannon Balls (Poison-Gas): Cannons with Aeri-engravings that create an additional effect upon impact (30,000 Gold Coins)
Ghost-Plating: Allows ship to go invisible for two minutes while in the air (150,000 Gold Coins)
The new upgrades had me so excited, especially the Ghost-Plating, but it was out of our price range. Unless I went back and sold the Zeratha’s Isle discovery, which I didn’t want to do. I also liked the sound of the MagiCannon Balls but wish they came with a different debuff from poison; I was fine fighting the soldiers on board these ships but wanted to minimize the damage done to the crew. In the end, I spent 10,000 gold coins buying two new laser turrets for the quarter deck, meaning we now had a full shooting radius for our turrets. I also bought the advanced laser cartridges to improve the strength of our shots. With the upgrade shopping done, I divided the plunder and everyone got a massive payday. The crew morale jumped back to overjoyed, though I was sure it would be back in the negative by the next time we docked.
The errands were done. I hurried back through the market of floor-0 and down a spiraling staircase to floor-1. The hallways became dirtier and the beggar population expanded.
Our meeting point was The Old Engine Pub. The team sat at the back. Shade had a full pint in front of him alongside two empty pints sitting like trophies at the table. Serena had a glass of red wine and Kari was drinking water. Jackson was still off doing his own errands.
“What’s up guys,” I said. “You get the big payday message.”
“Hell yeah we did,” said Shade, slamming his pint on the table, like he was cheering for a sports team. “That’s why we’re celebrating.”
“Excellent,” I said. “Glad spirits are high. Have you guys managed to find anything out about Arethkar?”
“Not much,” said Serena. “Everyone we asked either ignored us or changed the subject.”
Changed the subject. Like the assistant at the skyfarer’s guild.
“There’s something going on here,” said Kari, holding her glass of water with both hands. “Something the citizens of this place aren’t telling us.”
“Because there’s nothing to tell,” spat a drunk man, next to our booth.
“What do you mean?”
“La-Archanum is an independent state. Neutral to all the bullshit of you groundlings.”
“It must be nice to not be involved in such politics,” I said.
The drunk man looked away and said melancholically, “Bah! There’ll come a time in this great war when everyone will be forced to pick a side.”
The man’s eyes rolled back and his jaw slacked, drool falling out as he snored away into sudden unconsciousness.
“What the heck does that mean?” said Serena.
“Beats me,” I said. “I’m getting a drink.”
I stepped towards the bar and the pub’s door swung open. A trio of red bandana guards stepped into the bar, scabbards and pistols
pointed at us. One of them growled at Shade. “Did you really believe someone as infamous as yourself could waltz into La-Archanum and go unnoticed?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Shade.
“Save it,” spat the guard and then turned to me. “Captain Clay Hopewell of the Horizon’s Dream—you and your party are under arrest. The Grand Captain Bella would like to see you.”
21
The red bandana pirates led us through the ringed streets of La-Archanum towards a grand elevator. It was tall and made of gold and went up through the ceiling towards the other floors. Another set of guards walked behind us, swords unsheathed.
The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. We all stepped in. Us and our armed escorts. We were silent. At least, ostensibly.
Serena: Shade—you said you were on good terms with these people?
Shade: When I said good terms, I actually meant bad terms.
Kari: Pretty big mistake Shade.
Shade: Don’t hate the player, hate the game!
Serena: How do I do the eye roll emoji?
Clay: Guys, we need to think this through. Shade—how bad terms are you with this Grand Captain Bella? Is there any chance we can salvage an alliance with her and her city?
Shade: Let’s just say, she’s a bit intense.
Serena: What does that even mean? “Intense”?
Shade: She actually reminds me of you S.
A light flashed at the top as we passed through each floor: Floor-0, Floor+1, Floor+2, and finally stopping at the top, Floor+3. The door slid open and we stepped out into an airy penthouse suite. Starlight fell through the clear glass of the atrium overhead. Three pirate Lirana stood in the middle of the room. One wore a red bandana like the other pirates we’d seen, another wore a more conventional pirate jacket, and the third had a gold tooth smile. They kept guard around a chaise longue with a Lirana woman lounging comfortably on it, legs stretched out with glossy black-heeled boots at the end of them. Her tanned legs were bare. The only clothing she wore was a lacy one-piece corset, squishing her breasts together and concealing very little. She wore a pirate hat with poked out holes for her cat ears. She had one big green eye and another covered with a black eye patch. She had a long sword sheathed on either side of her with accompanying muskets. She had a white tail that twirled right above her tight ass.
This must be the pirate queen, Grand Captain Bella.
Kari: Serena—is it just me or has half our party gone brain dead?
Serena: The blood has clearly rushed to somewhere else ;)
Any attraction I had for the white-haired Lirana ended as she jumped to her feet and unsheathed her flintlock pistol and pointed it at Shade. The guards behind her all lifted up their guns to each of us.
“You got quite the balls showing up here,” said Bella.
Shade lifted his hands to the side, signaling he came in peace. “I don’t understand the hostility Bella.”
The pirate queen laughed and shook her head. “Have you forgotten Shade? I haven’t.”
“Does anyone want to explain what’s going on?” asked Serena. “Catch us up on whatever you’re talking about.”
“Many moons ago, your pal Shade here talked us into flying away from Laergard and forming a new home, a New Ariellum. Remember: that’s what you called it? Then at the last minute, before we all departed into the unknown, together in spirit and ambition, he turned away. He lost hope and gave up the cause. So why are you here Shade? Don’t you have another bottle to stare down?”
“Bella,” said the Lirana thief. “There will never be a New Ariellum because Ariellum is gone, lost long ago. There is no nation of Lirana to form it. Our world has changed. So have our people.”
Bella looked Shade directly in the eye. She only had one but she sure made it count. She then assessed me with a long stare. “You always had a soft spot for the groundlings. I’m not surprised you’ve become friends with a group of Chosen, no less.”
“We didn’t come to open old wounds,” I said. “We are passing through on a quest for the King of Laergard. I was actually hoping to make you a proposition. An alliance between us and La-Archanum.”
“Sorry love,” said the pirate queen. “But allies aren’t really our thing.”
Barter (Level 2) Failed
You increased your bartering skills by 0.1
One of the guards behind Bella spoke up. “Sorry man, but we’re not really into alliances. Governments in general.”
Sorry man? The three guards behind Bella were members of The Chosen.
“Wait—you guys are players?”
Bella smirked and kept her eyes on Shade. “You’re not the only one who befriended The Chosen, Shade. They are quite practical and useful I’ve found.”
I ignored Bella and looked at the guards. “Guys—I hate to interrupt whatever reverse harem pirate roleplay sesh you guys got going on here but we need your help. It’s in your interest to help us. Arethkar is enslaving its players.”
The first guard replied to my plea. “Every single government on Earth said those very lines: it’s in your interest to buy into our system. Yet what did the government do for us out there, huh? What did they do as the ZERO virus ravaged through it all? Nothing. Now you want us to make peace with these groundlings, forget it.”
Barter (Level 2) Failed
You increased your bartering skills by 0.1
Damn. Their guns remained raised. They weren’t interested in an alliance. What else did we have to bargain with?
I had an idea.
“Okay, I get it,” I said. “You’re not interested in an alliance with us. How about a compromise?”
“You want an alliance, we don’t,” said Bella. “I don’t see what else there is to say?”
“You don’t want an alliance,” I said. “But there’s something else you want. Untold riches, perhaps. What if I told you we knew the location of Zeratha’s Isle?”
The pirate queen’s eyes widened. She gestured with her hands to the others to lower their weapons. The queen sat down on the couch. “Sit,” she said, gesturing to nearby sofa chairs. “Talk to me.”
Barter (Level 2) Success
You increased your bartering skills by 0.3
You’ve leveled up Bartering (Passive Skill) to Level 3!
We all looked to each other and sat down.
“Tell me more about the alliance you seek,” said the pirate queen. “You see, La-Archanum has survived many moons due to its neutral status in Illyrian affairs and so long as we service everyone here with our gambling, drinking, and other wares, it’s fine. La-Archanum is more trouble than its worth. To keep it afloat. To stop near daily uprisings. Pirates are a tough bunch to rule over and the skies get more dangerous and difficult to navigate when there are warships passing across the clouds.”
As Bella spoke, one guard walked around the room and pressed a button at the elevator. I messaged the others in party chat.
Clay: Guys, I think we’re being trapped in here. Something’s not right.
“All of which is to say,” said Bella. “We’re not against an alliance so long as it benefits us. However, when we gamble, we wanna bet on the winners.”
“What are you saying?” said Shade.
An alarm went off and bars fell down on the windows.
Bella stood back up again, her pistol raised in one hand and her sword gripped in another. There would be no talking her down this time.
“Sorry Shade,” said the pirate Lirana queen, unsheathing her sword yet again. “But you guys are a sinking ship and I’m in the business of staying afloat.”
In a quick flash, the three pirates were in front of their queen, cutlasses raised. A gust of wind blew my hair back as Serena back flipped over us and landed at the front of our group. “Protect Thy Allies!” she bellowed, sending a shockwave across the floor. The pirates all turned to her. They lunged forward, swords pointed at her heart. A sharp ring of steel against steel echoed through the room. Ser
ena held up her blade in sword shield, blocking their incoming attacks.
Kari wasted no time, raising her staff, summoning a ball of golden white light into her small fox hands. She shot the beam out to Serena, the protective magic creating a bright aura around the warrior as it seeped into her skin.
The pirates pulled their cutlasses back and changed formation. The two at the sides moved to Serena’s rear, overtaking her block radius. I stretched my arm and let out a torrential gust of wind from my palm. The air blast walloped the gold-toothed pirate, knocking him over.
The two other fighters slashed again at Serena. The blade soldier blocked their blows with her sword. Damn, these guys were quick. This was the first time we’d fought against other players. I’d always been more of a PvE guy over PvP. We needed to stay focused. These guys would think like gamers and the first thing they’d want to do is disorient us and use crowd control abilities. Status effects were king in PvP. A well-executed ability-cancel had the power to end a match in seconds.
I waved my hand through the air, directing my energy at the floor behind the pirates, coating it over with a freezing—and most important, slippery—plate of ice. I then arched my elbows back, preparing to put all my strength into my next spell. I launched my arms forward, unleashing air blast, sending a propulsive gust of wind at the incoming pirates. Their bodies tumbled, tripped, and flew onto the hard floor of ice. Their health bars diminished while chilled and crippled debuffs flickered underneath.