To my surprise, the thin man nodded. “Of course. This is no way to treat a princess, after all.” He gestured at the knights and, somewhat reluctantly, they withdrew their swords and stepped away from Lirian and Riley.
Some of my rage abated at the gesture. I narrowed my eyes at the thin man. “What’s your game?”
“Good, then you’re willing to talk,” he said pleasantly. “Tell me, do you know who I am?”
“Sleeve, Lord Everance’s spymaster, according to what I heard,” I said suspiciously. The man obviously wanted something from me. It didn’t look like this was going to escalate into a fight, and with my daughter no longer hostage and the Dark Temple’s rejuvenating energy coursing through my veins, I felt confident if a fight did break out.
“Spymaster might be stretching it, but your information is correct. My public title is Master Sleeve, Lord Everance’s caretaker and general logistics manager.”
Sleeve smiled at me. “I think there is room to discuss our … let’s say … contradictory views? I know why you’re here, Oren.”
This was starting to sound like a negotiation. Sleeve’s information was hidden from me by some sort of magic, but he seemed to think that knowing my name gave him the advantage. I had to put him in his place.
I stared at the spymaster coldly. “The fact you know my name doesn’t give you any leverage over me. You may address me as ‘my lord.’”
He bowed his head slightly. “Begging your forgiveness, but I only have one lord. The rules of this city, you understand.”
“You’re very polite. Are you this polite to all of your enemies?”
“When the need arises, I can be quite … impolite.” He stared at me meaningfully. “I’m aware your kind are … prone to violence, but I believe we can have a civilized discussion. As a traveler, you can master your monster impulses, can you not?”
Sleeve knew a lot. Other than my name, and the fact that Lirian was a princess, he also knew me to be a traveler despite being a pure monster – a combination that was virtually unheard of in NEO. “Let’s cut the crap,” I said. “It’s obvious you know a lot about me, which means you know what I intend to do. Everance will be mine one way or the other. You can’t defeat us. We’ll keep coming back until we’ve won.”
Sleeve inclined his head. “Oh, I’m quite aware of your clan’s power. That is exactly the reason I wanted to talk to you. Back at the pub, my men were instructed to capture rather than kill you, though I admit you’ve proven to be a hard target to contain. That spell you cast destroyed several buildings and killed some good men.” He said the last sentence with an accusatory tone as if he could shame me into submission.
I shrugged. “You attacked me. But you wanted to talk, so here I am. Talk.”
Sleeve nodded. “I was given power and authority to handle the threat your clan represents. I have the city’s elite battalions at my command, archmages ready to scorch the earth you stand on, and alliances I could call upon if needed. I have the authority to do virtually anything to thwart you from conquering us.”
I was prepared for the man to utter some sort of ultimatum; a warning to leave them alone or be destroyed. I was even partially prepared for the option of him betraying his city – he was a spymaster, after all. It wasn’t too far-fetched for him to try to seize power. What I didn’t expect, however, was what he offered next.
“I suggest a parley,” he said with a knowing smile.
“A what?”
“Parley, truce,” he clarified. “I believe we can make an arrangement. One in which you don’t attack the city, and we repay you a token of gratitude.”
I stared at the man, hardly believing what he was offering. “You just told me they gave you the power to do everything necessary to stop me and the best idea you came up with is to … bribe me off?”
“I carefully considered the advantages and disadvantages of resolving this matter on the field of battle,” he said calmly. “And though I have little doubt of our victory, a battle would be costly, both in lives and resources. So I came up with another solution. I know you don’t destroy the settlements you conquer. You turn them into vassals instead, and they provide you with gold and resources. Well, I’m offering to do the same, sparing you the need to go through a war you have little chance of winning.”
“According to you,” I countered.
He offered me a thin smile. “Your colleague, Mr. Crowley, along with his associates, are under arrest. I am well aware of your ability to bring in forces through the Dark Temple – which I will hand to you was a brilliant maneuvering through the city’s bureaucracy – but it will not help you. The portal will be sealed. You won’t make it through again, and even if you do, I’m familiar with your tendency to assassinate prominent leaders. I’ve taken steps to counter that. Our entire leadership is under powerful protection, and I’ve set contingencies in place in case anything happens to them. Despite being a monster, I believe you are a reasonable person; one who understands the futility of a full-frontal assault on Everance’s walls – which are warded from magic, by the way, and thus impervious to the spell you used earlier.”
“Looks like you know everything about me,” I said. “There’s really nothing else for me to do but listen to your offer. It’s the reasonable thing to do.”
Sleeve nodded at me, his expression becoming smug. “I’m glad you see it—”
“But,” I interrupted him and raised my hand. Two direballs flickered into existence over it, instantly swelling in size as I empowered them. “As you said, I’m a monster; my kind are hardly reasonable.”
The smugness was wiped off the spymaster’s face, and he took a step back. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I haven’t decided yet,” I said pleasantly. “I’m a monster, so I sometimes just want to kill stuff. I’m not sure how I feel about your idea, so tell me, how much exactly were you planning to offer?”
Vic chuckled in my mind.
Sleeve hesitated. “I can offer a daily stipend of 500—”
I raised my palm higher.
“I mean 1,000 gold,” he corrected himself. “I can’t go any higher than that, but we can discuss other forms of compensation.”
The offer was incredible. It was higher than the contribution of any of my other settlements, but I wanted more.
“I’ll need you to agree to open trade relations with my clan,” I said.
Sleeve frowned. “Trade with monsters? Our races are hereditary enemies. Your caravans will be attacked on sight.”
“Well then, change that,” I said and channeled a bit of mana into the direballs to make them swell. “Unless you want us to continue being unfriendly toward one another.”
He didn’t seem to buy the threat, but his eyes went distant as he considered my offer. “I do have the power to reduce the level of hostility the city holds toward your clan. I can guarantee your people won’t be seen as enemies and will be allowed to roam the nearby land, but I’m afraid I can’t allow monsters into the city.” He raised a hand as he saw my scowl. “But I do have a counterproposal: You, along with your traveler allies, will be allowed in. Will that do?”
I paused to consider the offer. My clan supported nearly 30 players. Most joined the army to gain XP with relative safety, but I felt confident I could convince the others to help lead caravans into Everance. “Alright,” I said. “We can do that. But I have two more conditions.” I lowered my hand and absorbed the direballs.
“Which are?”
“First, you will grant all travelers in Everance or its vassals the freedom to come and go as they please. If any of them choose to join me, you will not stop them.”
The spymaster winced at that. “Some of them are performing research vital
to the city. I can’t just let them loose.”
“I’ll be frank with you,” I said. “My deity gave me a task to convert as many people as I can. Everance would be a huge step toward that goal which will likely grant me a godly reward. On top of that, my clan is on the verge of becoming even more powerful; taking the city will virtually guarantee our ascension. So you’d better give me a good enough reason to ignore those benefits.”
“I see your point,” Sleeve said. “The council won’t like it, but very well. What is your second condition?”
I put on my cougar necklace and leaned forward, letting loose my boss’s Cowering Presence, causing the darkness to flicker menacingly around me.
Sleeve and the knights took an involuntary step back as I growled, “Bring me David Tenenbaum.”
***
“Father?” Lirian asked. “What are we going to do now? This Sleeve knows about our plans.”
I shrugged. “I meant what I told him. The whole reason we’re here – freeing the players and securing a safe place for our clan – can be achieved without bloodshed. If Sleeve fulfills his end, then our quarrel is over, and we can move on to more important things.”
“You mean finding that conduit mentioned in the stone tablet?” my daughter asked.
Vic didn’t react to her question, confirming my suspicion that he had somehow been kept oblivious about the information the tablet held.
I nodded at Lirian. Then, for Vic’s benefit, I added, “There are more players trapped out there. I will not stop until they’re all free.”
Riley kept glancing nervously at the temple exit after Sleeve had departed. “That guy was intense,” he said. “I heard about him. Lord Everance appointed him about a year ago, and he has a reputation for getting things done. At all costs.”
“Looks like ‘all costs’ might work in our favor now,” I said.
“But what about everything you said about the task from Nihilator and developing the clan to the next level? Isn’t a truce interfering with those plans?”
“It is, but there’s more on the line than one city, even if it’s the local capital.” I didn’t add that given the time limitation I was working under, sparing me the need to conquer Everance was a huge bonus. All I needed was to find David and have him direct me toward the VIs’ conduit. Then, with luck, I might be able to free up all the trapped players.
Riley shook his head. “Well, I’ve got to hand it to you, Oren. What you did back there took guts. I have enough on my plate with being a priest of a primal ancient evil. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes. Being chief isn’t easy.”
“It has its perks,” I said with a smile.
“The human returns,” Lirian said with a note of warning.
We turned to the temple’s entrance as Sleeve entered.
“It’s done,” he said, and a notification popped open on the edge of my view. “Your clan can roam outside the city walls and travelers are allowed inside. Everance will trade with you, and all the 200 travelers in our jurisdiction are free to go if they wish.”
My eyes widened. The number was four times the player population we expected to find in Everance. That alone almost made the deal worth it. But the most important item was still missing.
I narrowed my eyes at the spymaster. “What about David?”
“Ah, yes …” Sleeve said, “… about him.”
I tightened my hold on my staff, ready for betrayal.
“He’s right here.”
A plain-looking player came into the temple, looking around the room with mild curiosity.
His eyes found mine, and a smile touched his lips. “Hello, Oren.”
***
“You know me?” I stared at the famed player, a little taken aback.
David chuckled. “I find it troublesome too.”
I blinked at him. It almost sounded like David was replying to Vic’s mental comments, but it should have been impossible for anyone but me to hear him.
David’s smile didn’t waver, but mine did. Excuse me?
You’re kidding me, right? I wasn’t about to kill David, but I also couldn’t afford to break my contract with Vic. Without him, the game’s finer controls would become inaccessible to me.
Vic’s rolling laughter was all the reply I needed.
Ha-ah, I said dryly. You know what that means, right?
No, I just owe you back big time, and you’ll have to suck it up.
You’re on, I said and turned back to David. “Sorry about that. We should talk.”
“Yes,” he replied. “We should.”
“I trust our deal is concluded?” Sleeve asked, offering me his hand.
I grasped his palm with my green one and nodded. “Truce.”
“Wonderful. In that case, I’d like to be the first to greet you into our fine city, Oren.”
Everance was mine.
Sort of.
***
“Welcome to the valley,” I said as we came out of the portal in Goblin’s Gorge’s cathedral.
“You’ve built a beautiful settlement,” David said with a smile. “It was exciting to see how much you’ve accomplished in so little time, especially as a goblin.”
“Wait, you know about everything I’ve done? How?” I asked.
The young man chuckled. “Same way you do. The information is all around us; you only need to open your mind to it.”
My eyes widened. “So you can access the game metadata, too?” On second thought, it was obvious he could. I already knew David had an even deeper integration with the game than I did.
“Of course,” he said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I kept tabs on you. I’m eager to visit your inn and try Gandork’s meat pies for myself.”
“You’ve seen that much while being in prison hundreds of kilometers away?” It was hard to believe. Outside my clan, I could barely sense information more than a few dozen meters away, and to my knowledge, at 99 percent, I was only a single CCP point behind the other player.
“Yes,” he said. “I’ve always seen everything in here.”
“‘Beware the enlightened traveler, whose eyes see all,’” I recited. “That means you.”
“Ah, you’re talking about the Outrider tablet you found. But maybe we could discuss it over some food? Maybe even over a certain fabled goblin’s meat pies?”
“After being kept in prison with no food and water for so long, it’s the least I can do. Though I’ve got to say, you don’t look all that famished.”
“Oh, my avatar is severely dehydrated and will die in about 20 minutes,” David said co
nversationally.
I gaped at him. That sort of debuff must have been excruciating.
David, seeing my expression, waved it off. “It’s just data. I can ignore it if I want.”
“That’s good to hear, but let’s get you fed.” I led him through the clan toward the inn.
Everywhere we walked, workers and soldiers stopped what they were doing to stare at the plain-looking human who followed me around. As the only non-monster around, he stuck out like a sore thumb, but if that bothered him, he didn’t show it.
“Daimmen,” I called to the innkeeper as we entered, “please prepare a meal for my guest. And I think … a glass of water first?” I looked at David with a raised eyebrow.
He chuckled. “Better make it a pitcher.”
I nodded. “A pitcher of water, please.”
“Coming right up,” the hob innkeeper replied.
We sat at my usual table while Lolo, Daimmen’s daughter, quickly brought us a cold water pitcher and a couple of glasses.
David drank deeply, and I could detect the thick information tendrils around him shifting slightly. The amount of data that swirled around the player was mesmerizing, and I knew I was only seeing that much thanks to him being inside the valley, the center of my power.
“Thank you,” David said after he finished the entire pitcher. “It gets a little annoying dying from thirst all the time.”
“How is it possible, though?” I asked. “We’re not supposed to be able to die from lack of food, even if we suffer from hunger and thirst.”
“I’m not exactly what you might call … an average player,” David answered with a smile. “Anyway, I wouldn’t mind the experience, except for the delay. Ages go by until I respawn back in jail, and that is so boring.”
“Dying is boring?”
“Sure. The game’s information feed is cut off while you respawn, so it’s lonely. Still, it beats simply existing out there in the real world, where I’m trapped in my own mind and can’t communicate with anyone.”
Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Page 14
