* * *
Back on the couches in the triangular room, Connor pulls a gleaming flask out of one of his blazer pockets, unscrews the small integral cup, and pours himself a measure of whisky.
“Want some?”
“No thanks.”
“Good choice. So, as I was saying. I have certain aims in Shadow Kingdoms.” Holding his drink, he sits back on the couch, crossing his legs.
“All right. I am listening.”
“Lucy. Do you trust me?”
“I mean…to an extent.”
“Good. You see, when I said you are special – I wasn’t just talking about your slaying of the red knight, impressive though that was.”
“What then?”
Asma returns with two tumblers of water and one filled with ice, and sits on my side.
Connor pauses. He pours some ice into his drink, swirls the clinking cubes for a moment, then takes a sip. “I don’t quite know how, but you have somehow ended up developing a way to help the AI self-improve.”
I think for a moment, and then nod. “I added a loop function from another code, designed to cause gradual improvements to design programmes. It’s actually really simple, but I thought it would allow the calibration of how I interfaced with the game to right itself, so that it wouldn’t become too immersive or too light.”
“Hmm.” He pulls a thin cigar out of the inside pocket of his grimy jacket, listening.
“I didn’t even intend for it to affect the AI characters in the game,” I continue. “But I have noticed something. They are somehow more sentient.”
“And why, do you think?”
“Well,” I say, “you had put in place a system where the basics of the world function by themselves. My hack led to the system looping for twenty-seven years in game terms. Enough time for the NPCs to develop in unpredictable ways.”
“Indeed.” He nods a few times, pulling a small round brass instrument from another pocket, and then lighting the cigar. I notice that I can’t see an ashtray anywhere. I focus briefly on the lighter that he is holding. It reminds me of something…
“Hey. I’ve seen something like that in Shadow Kingdoms,” I say, pointing.
“This?” He holds the thing up so that I can see it better, and it confirms my suspicious – it is identical to the small ‘lucky charm’ which Lugg stole from the tavern back on Zagra.
“It’s a cigarette lighter?”
“Sure! Or any kind of lighter. We used to have some fun coding objects into the game that we also had in real life. I tell you, if you get hold of one in-game, it’s a lot handier than a bloody tinderbox.”
“I bet.”
We pause for a moment, while Connor sips his whisky and taps his cigar ash onto the floor.
Asma speaks up: “So, it seems that the game world has moved on, and there is only a limited amount that PreacherKorp can do about it. But their CEO, Jaden Lucho, can. He’s the most powerful player in the game. He plays as the Emperor of the Varian Empire.”
“The Emperor is controlled by PreacherKorp?”
She nods.
“And he also controls the Knights of Dawn, of course…” I am thinking hard.
“Yes. He’s planning to take over the world from within,” she says. “It starts with mercenaries. It moves on to killing of minorities, and their next plan – we have it on good authority – is conscription of youths for his army.” She shakes her head.
“Wait…so Lucho is playing as the Emperor, and he wants to conscript youths? Children? That’s…evil!”
“Right.”
“But why would he want that? It sounds like some kind of hell. Who would want to play in such a world?”
“I’m sure people would,” said Connor, leaning forward. “But that is not his plan. He wants to exert total control first and then reopen the game to human players. That’s why this moment is so important. These days before it fully reopens. And in that time, I need to get my game back.”
I stare at him uncertainly.
He leans towards me. “Oh yes. Asma here knows how I feel about it. This is my game, and it has been stolen from me by PreacherKorp. They wanted my world.”
I nod. “It is rich… different.”
“It’s not just the setting itself,” he says, “but the nature of it. When we built Shadow Kingdoms, we had storylines in mind, yes. But we didn’t set things up in a top-down way. It’s more of a sandbox. We created the rules, and the world follows those. Like the laws of physics. That makes it possible to do things in the game world that you could do in the real world.”
“Ok.”
“For example, we even had a research lab in the game. A place where we could try out new tech. I suppose a lot of people thought it peculiar. For PreacherKorp, it was unique IP.”
“That’s very cool. So where is this lab?”
“You’re missing the point, Lucy. We now have hardware that has been adapted to help people learn, sentient AI, and an ecosystem that could be used for… well, just about anything. But there is a catch. Nobody can control it, because we based the game on a fantasy medieval setting.”
“Why not just create a new version of the game, then? A world with the same rules…” I tail off.
He smiles and touches his finger to his nose. “Right. You got it. But there is a thing called intellectual property. PreacherKorp owns it, but they don’t understand its potential. And meanwhile there is a power struggle on a different field of play than usual. I can’t bring thugs into their offices and take their mainframes. But I can use my superior knowledge of the game to control the Shadow Kingdoms world from within. It’s like warfare, but on a whole new field of play.”
I nod, narrowing my eyes as I look at Connor. “But you said you need something from me. What is it? I already told you that I am no great warrior – I can’t stop the Knights of Dawn.”
“I need human players that are not working for them. Specifically, a crafter is exactly what I need. You’re clearly exceptional if you took down the knight, and I expect that your real-world skills as a coder are somehow helping via the Kjatari. That kind of two-way skills interface was exactly what we all hoped for.”
“But… what do you want me to do?”
He leans forward, intent. “The Emperor must be stopped. I want you to join a mission to the capital to achieve that.”
I sigh. “I’ll co-operate,” I say. “But I am helping my friends in the game first. I understand the bigger picture, but I’m not going to drop them and leave them in danger.”
“You’re already on your way to Katresburg,” says Asma. “When you get there, we’ll meet with you and firm up the plans.”
“And in the meantime,” says Connor, pointing back towards the room with the gaming pods, “make yourself comfortable.”
I send a message to my uncle. On a whim, I message Kashif and Andros, too. They won’t expect an update, but I feel that I owe them for looking out for me over the past few days. Besides, we work on projects together, so it’s best if they know that I’m going to miss a day or two.
With that, I allow Asma to walk me back to the gaming pods, and she opens one of the little doors in the upper row, and reaching inside, pulls out a small folding ladder that slides forward out of a panel just below the pod itself, and then folds down to floor level.
“It feels a bit strange at first, Daria,” she says, gazing at me. I notice that her eyes are very like those of her avatar Zakira, particularly as her pupils are dilated in the low light here, making them look very big and dark. “But you get used to it. Just remember that you’ll be safer here. You can also rest when it suits you in game, and there is no need to log off.”
“Got it,” I say.
“We’ll catch up as soon as we can. Connor has business, he says, then we are going to set out for Katresburg as well.”
I nod, and step up the ladder. There are two handholds just above the hatch, and I use these for purchase as I lift my feet inside and then wriggle further in. Ther
e’s even a space for me to place my personal belongings. It is immensely comfortable, I have to say; I had expected it to feel like lying on the floor, but the pod is well contoured to the human body, and is made of a material that squishes slightly as I move, adjusting to my shape. A kind of blanket hangs above me, and I pull it down; it is heavy and reassuring.
I raise my head and glance back around; the pod is at head height compared to the rest of the room. “Thanks, Asma. And it was good to meet you I-R-L.”
“Good luck, Lucy,” she replies. And closes the door.
And soon I am back on the trail with Lugg, Coruff and Garner.
Chapter 26: Mountain Pass
We have been walking on along a heather-lined mountain pass. The surroundings now would not be out of place in the Alps or the Rockies, and the higher we go, the colder it gets.
The others are clearly struggling with the temperature too, though nobody has said very much. What’s more, it’s getting late in the day.
I have already sashed my cloak close about me using my original belt, and feel thankful for my sturdy thick boots and for the insulation that my backpack provides to about a square foot of my back. If things get any worse, I might have to cut holes in my blankets and use them as ponchos over the top.
Which reminds me to review my inventory:
Backpack: bedroll, copper wire (10 yards), daily trail rations (4), empty glass vials (2), fine-quality rope, flask of oil, iron pot, lantern, letters (4), light blankets (2), medical kit, quiver with arrows (13), set of high-quality crafting tools, seed cakes (3), set of spare light clothes, signet ring, waterskins (3). Other items: belt, belt (enchanted), cloak, dagger, fine morning star, jeweled knife, money pouch, poor-quality bow.
Hmm… with everything that has happened, I still haven’t got around to taking another look at those letters from the ship. Now that I know more about Connor and about the Emperor, there could be clues about our foes in there. When we stop for the night, I will get reading. It’s useful to remember that I have a proper bedroll; the light blankets were fine in a cave in Dubasa, but are certainly not fit for camping out in the Ironrock Mountains.
The reason it’s so cold in this part of the Empire is that we are not far south of the equator in the Shadow Kingdoms game world, in an area which on earth would be the tropics. Here, though – due to the world’s inverted climate – that means that it is a lot colder here than it was back at Dubasa. And further south still, the continent of Urbutia is blazing hot. The coldest place on the planet is commonly called the ‘Cold West’, and constitutes the northwestern part of this continent as it straddles the equator. A place where mammoths roam, and adventurers rarely go.
One day, perhaps.
I bring up the in-game information about the Ironrock Mountains, to get some kind of indication of what kind of hazards I may encounter:
The Ironrock Mountains are part of a vast mountain range that spreads across the continent of Great Felesia. The name refers particularly to the western edge of this range, which begins in the north-western Varian empire and stretches to the southern fringes of the icy seafaring kingdom of Alfiz. These mountains are home to a large, well-integrated clan of dwarves, split into multiple local families. While some families focus on farming, some on crafts and building and others on mining, they all work together to control access to and export of the mineral wealth in the mountains, in particular iron ore and diamonds. Humans do not know how deep into the earth these delves reach, how rich are the seams of gold, iron and other metals, or how long they have been mined. In fact, humans know little of the dwarves. Their dwelling appears to be located mainly in the location of four mountains. The dwarven folk have names for these peaks which they do not share with many. Two of the mountains stand at the entrance to a beautiful valley with a glacier and many tall pines. There is a main entrance to the delves on either side of the valley, but the dwarves do not bother to deny that there are many other hidden entrances, or that the caverns are linked by tunnels far below the valley floor. There is a great demand for the metals mined by the clan, and even greater demand for the wondrous creations which they are so adept at making. Clan Ironrock maintains a long and winding road through the mountains that they refer to as the Tor-Cadal Track. This route joins with the mountain pass between Katresburg and Nimroth in the foothills upon reaching its terminus, from where travelers can make their way to the central provinces of the Varian Empire. While not officially patroled, many well-armed dwarven merchants travel upon the Track, and any offenses committed upon the Tor-Cadal are considered as personal insults to the dwarven monarch and to the clan – thus a bandit who robs on the mountain road is effectively declaring war upon thousands of fierce dwarves. Crime levels are low. The fauna of the mountains most notably includes the Khranulian mountain tiger, a striped big cat known for its ferocious jagged claws and ability to stalk prey in near total silence. There are eagles of various types, some of which can be dangerous to travelers, and more rarely, griffons have been sighted among the more remote peaks of the range. A number of poisonous spiders and scorpions are also dangers to travelers among the valley forests of the mountains, while more benign creatures include the common flying newt, the lilac-colored boulder goat, and the electric rays of the mountain lakes.
The mountains are certainly impressive; we are really just skirting the edge of the range here, but as I look to the north, I can see enormous, near-triangular peaks that are entirely clad in snow and ice. That direction would be inhospitable indeed – and perhaps risk an encounter with the mountain tigers that I just read about.
Off to the other side we pass a jagged outcrop of rock and a mountain lake comes into view to our right, beautifully pure-looking and calm, its surface like a mirror. We pause, and then Garner suggests we refill our waterskins, and so as a group we descend for a few dozen yards away from the path to the water’s edge.
As we go, Lugg begins to launch into one of his stories about his youth, presenting it as a heroic interlude during his time as a town guard, though it could just as easily have formed part of a criminal endeavour of some kind by the sounds of it.
“Lugg was pursuing this dwarf,” he says, “originally from these parts I believe, but in my youth he was a known rascal and thief on the streets of Zagra. The coward had fled towards the swamp, so we followed at a distance. Then he paused at the water’s edge, and we started to sneak up, very cautious, fanning out. Two others were with Lugg, you see…”
We have stopped at the water’s edge, which has remained very still. We are all looking at our companion.
“You’re sure he wasn’t an innocent citizen that you decided to rob?” says Garner, raising his eyebrows.
Lugg narrows his eyes, and then snorts and shakes his head. “This rogue,” Lugg continues, “he decides to fill his waterskin, just like us, see? So he stops and crouches by the water.”
“At the Zagran swamp? Then this friend of yours is a fool,” says Coruff.
“Not a friend,” corrects Lugg, “some very bad person. Real bad. A criminal, in fact.”
“Had he actually committed a crime?” I ask.
“Dwarves are always criminals. Always.”
I am shaking my head but I’m also smiling – Lugg is, after all, a half-orc and an NPC. But I’m going to need to work on helping him to become a little more enlightened.
“So – we approach, thinking to ourselves, ‘hey – finally we have got this guy, and can bring him to justice.’”
I look around as my friend speaks; the wind has started to rise a little, and I see ripples on the surface of the water. The information referred to electric rays as ‘benign’ inhabitants of the mountain lakes; could it have omitted some more harmful water creatures?
“Anyway, Lugg and the others were in the trees, no more than twenty yards back, when a huge black fin poked out. The rogue was squatting, filling his waterskin, and then he looked up to see the mouth of a Dubasan whale opening just ahead of him. The creature came right
out of the water” – here Lugg jumps forward to demonstrate – “and the guy was swallowed whole in front of our eyes.”
“Wow,” I say, taking a rapid couple of steps away from the lake we are standing beside. “I guess that whale did your work for you, then?”
“No, Miss Daria,” he says ruefully. “Needed the stolen goods that were then inside the stomach of this dumb whale.”
I am about to reflect on the Dubasan whale that we ourselves observed, not long ago; a terrifying amphibious monster. But at that moment, Coruff holds up one finger and appears to be listening intently.
“Wait,” says the felaxian witch. “What’s that noise?”
I listen. And then I hear it.
But before I speak, Lugg has come to my shoulder, daggers drawn.
“Enemies are on the path behind us,” he says.
Chapter 27: The Mercenaries
We are very exposed. The rocky outcrop which we just passed by blocks the path from where we stand, giving us a modicum of cover against anyone who comes the same way, but beyond this point the path rises up across a featureless mountainside moor; anyone upon it will be visible for miles.
I listen hard, stoppering my waterskin and clipping it to my belt as I do so.
Increase in attribute level: Spirit level 13 (+1) Increase in skill level: Perception level 16 (Spirit +3)
Ha… thanks for that, I think to myself grimly. Better late than never, I suppose. And sure enough, I can now make out the sound of boots and low voices. No horses; Zakira was right, I guess, to say that the red knights wouldn’t ride up here. But it looks like they found another way to pursue us.
Coruff has started an enchantment. She stands above one of the little shrubs, and appears to be growing it. I am reminded of a spell that she once used on our journey to the Badlands. It occurs to me that if these bushes were two to three times as large, we could stay where we are, and be hidden behind them. This must be what she has in mind.
The Call of the Coven: A LitRPG novel (Shadow Kingdoms Book 2) Page 18
