Merchant of Death

by Jared Mandani

  Kate giggled at the thought. “That’s amazing. I wish I could have seen it.”

  “Well, it probably would have been more fun to watch than it was to live through.” John chewed the inside of his cheek. First, he had the desire to tell her about the gang he had been initiated to. Then he had spilled about his glitch. Being so open was not in his nature. Something was off about her. “Do you have something on you like an amulet that makes people tell you the truth or something?”

  “Huh?” Kate paused for a moment. “Oh! You’re such a low level, I bet my charisma has an extra pull on you. I didn’t even think about it. Most players think that charisma is just about fooling people into doing what you want. They don’t realize that it can sometimes make others want to confide in you, too. People just assume that everyone wants to be my friend because of my in-game perks. The truth is charisma plays a big part of it.”

  “So, it’s like a built-in truth serum?”

  “Eh, I guess you could call it that. It’s not quite that powerful, though.”

  John’s interest was piqued. He hadn’t really considered leveling up his charisma. It wasn’t on the top of his to-do list. Thinking back, though, he had noticed that it went up after his deal with Rattlesnake Jim. “How do you level up your charisma anyway?”

  She shrugged. “I just talk to people a lot. I help people out who need it. I guess it’s more about knowing how to read people, and knowing what to say to either make them feel better or get them to do what you want. I’ve always had a natural affinity for it, so it just happened without me noticing it at first.”

  The wasteland shifted to marshy grasslands. The horse’s hooves sent mud spraying upwards. Willows lined one side of the road. Their drooping limbs danced in the slight breeze. The air smelled sweeter in the Empire of the Seven Path’s territory. Lilly pads dotted the wetlands. The horse seemed to be slowing down.

  John glanced around them. An anxious knot formed in his stomach. “What’s wrong? Why is it slowing down?”

  Kate patted the horse’s neck as it stopped completely. “This is the location I typed in. We can’t just ride up to the gate. You may not have a set faction, but I do. They see me, and all they see is a big bull’s-eye.”

  “What, your charisma can’t get us through the gate?” He teased her slyly.

  “It’s hard to charm someone who can’t understand you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Kate carefully lowered herself down off the horse. “You really are new, aren’t you? Players of one faction can’t understand players of another faction. We can’t even understand their NPC’s.”

  John furrowed his brow in confusion. “I can.”

  “Huh?”

  He dismounted and stretched his sore muscles. Riding hadn’t sat well with him. “When I was on the Eternal Battlefield, I could understand whatever that was said, no matter the player or the NPC.”

  “Fascinating.” Kate stared at him with renewed interest. “Maybe your glitch was more fortunate than you think. I’ve never heard of anyone being able to talk to a faction other than their own. There’s a rumor that some of the NPC’s went rogue once and worked out how to communicate with each other. Just very basic stuff, nothing too in-depth. The AI must have patched it though. If it was really going on, it would be all over the player forums.”

  John thought back to what Rattlesnake Jim had said about having a wizard enchant the brand he used. Maybe there was more to the rumor than Kate thought. “What is your plan for the rest of the way to the city?”

  “I got us here. When are you going to start pulling your own weight?” She stuck her tongue out at him playfully. “Let’s go scout it out. I’m sure we can find a way in.”

  Kate patted the horse’s head twice, and it turned and disappeared into the distance until it was out of sight. John didn’t trust his boots to be waterproof. He tried to stick as close to dry land as he could. The sun had moved further towards the horizon. The golden rays and burnt-orange sky painted the water with vibrant reflections. In the distance, he could see buildings modeled after Ming Dynasty constructions. A stone wall skirted the perimeter of the Bastion of Noble Absolution city. Torches flared to life at measured distances. The city was already quieter than Steamgrad. No foul odors wafted towards them. Compared to the parts of EWO that John had already visited, the city before them seemed like a paradise.

  John motioned towards a nearby willow tree where they could assess the situation better and make their move. He glanced at his new companion. “Does this make you wish you would have chosen another faction?”

  Kate smiled sadly. “I’m not the kind of girl who could belong somewhere as peaceful as this. The dust and dirt suit me better.”

  Guards paced back and forth in front of the gate. There were very few players coming or going. They weren’t going to be lucky enough to have a stagecoach to hide under this time. John would have to think of something else. He wished there was a way to get a better map or at least an aerial view. “Any chance you have blueprints in that pouch of yours?”

  “Not of this place.”

  He looked at her curiously. “What place do you have blueprints of?”

  “Stick around long enough, and maybe you’ll find out.”

  John chuckled. She was cocky. He liked cocky. Too bad he was doing all of this to change everything about himself. Once he had a new face, a new identity, a new life, there wouldn’t be any room for cocky Kate Briggs. “Fair enough. Guess we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way.”

  “Refresh my memory. What is ‘the old fashioned way?’”

  He knew that to her all of this was just an exciting twist on a game that she had already invested a lot of time in. It was more serious for him. His life was the one on the line. Still, she was as close to an ally as he had. Her trust was almost childlike. It had been a long time since he considered anyone his ally. In his line of work, it was better to assume that everyone was out to get you. That kept you on your toes and ensured that you had backup plans in case things really did go south. That every-man-for-himself attitude was the only reason he was still alive.

  “The old fashioned way is we get closer, we try to remain unseen, and hopefully we are clever enough to find a flaw in either the construction of the city or in the pacing of the guards.” John scanned the layout of what he could see. “If we’re lucky, we’ll find a way in.”

  “And if we aren’t?”

  “Then let’s just say, you’ll be glad that this is a game and not real life.”

  Kate followed John through the marshy land towards the side of the walled city. John tried to quiet his footsteps, but his boots squelched in the mud. The two of them crept along just outside of the torchlight. The sun would blind anyone looking in their direction. They needed to reach the wall and breach the city before they were spotted. It was only a matter of time before the sun set completely. Then they would be on their own.

  Laughter echoed not far from them. John held up his hand to stop Kate from moving. They slowed their breathing to try to be as silent as possible, but it was too late. The laughter was cut short. “Hey, did you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” The owners of the two voices were moving closer. John could see a red lantern with large fireflies flying around inside. It swayed in the wind as the two men moved towards where John and Kate were hunkered down.

  Kate looked at him with confusion. It dawned on him that she had no idea what the men were saying. She whispered as quietly as she could. “They know we’re here, don’t they?”

  John nodded. He wondered if the men were low enough level for her to take out on her own. As a level 03, he didn’t have much of a chance of fighting anyone off. As they came closer, John saw that they were both level 80. Not even Kate with her pouch of tricks could save them from players that high up. Kate slipped something into his palm. John looked at her, confused.

  She flashed him a smile and whispered. “See you in t
he next lifetime.” Before he could stop her, she stood up and ran away from him as fast as she could. Her voice echoed out across the marsh. “Come and get me, boys! This way! Good boys! Keep it coming!”

  John watched as she led them away from him. Not only were the players chasing her, but she had caught the attention of some of the guards, too. He saw her lose her footing in the muck and the mud. She struggled back to her feet, but it was too late. John turned away from the scene before the members of the Empire of the Seven Paths butchered her.

  Even though he knew that it was just a game and that she would respawn somewhere, he was still impressed that she was bold enough to draw the enemies away long enough to give him time to infiltrate the walled city.

  John clenched his fist around whatever she had given him. He raised up from where he was crouched and bolted for the gate. He managed to slip inside unnoticed. The sounds of footsteps made his heart race. Were they coming back already? His imagination painted an image in his mind of Kate face down in the mud. He shook his head. It was no time for regret or absentmindedness. He had to survive in order to find the Empire’s equivalent of the Black Powder Boys. A large clay pot was positioned beside a wall. It was the only place John could think of to hide himself. He lifted the lid, and a foul odor punched him in the face. It sucked the air out of him. He wasn’t sure what was in the pot, but he didn’t have time to change his mind. One final gulp of fresh air filled his lungs. Hoisting himself up, John plopped down into the pot and gently placed the lid back down on top of it. The fumes made his eyes water.

  John strained to hear if the footsteps were gone. Just when he was about to remove the pot’s lid, voices whispered in hushed tones just outside of his hiding spot. “Why does he want all of this stuff? It’s disgusting.”

  “Shut up!” A second voice reprimanded the first one. “We get paid to fetch, not to question.”

  “Just don’t spill any of this stuff on me. Ricky got some on him once. The stench lasted even after he died.”

  John felt the pot he was in being picked up, and kept himself as still as possible. The disgusting jelly-like substance oozed around him, moving like it had a life of its own.

  “Oh man, this stuff stinks so bad, and it’s so heavy! How much is in here? It’s a lot more than last time, don’t you think?” the whiny player moaned again.

  “Just keep your mouth shut,” his companion snapped. “Think of the money.”

  The other player huffed and the two men fell into a sullen silence as they trudged along.

  The rancid contents of the pot continued jostling around John. The smell was so bad that he had to forcibly swallow his own vomit. Part of him considered killing himself just to spawn somewhere else, anywhere else. Unfortunately, he knew that if he did that, he would have to go through the trouble of infiltrating the Empire of the Seven Paths city again. Tears streamed down his eyes from the fumes. It was so bad that he could almost taste it. John swallowed his pride and his dignity. He needed to see his plan through. It was hard to keep the big picture in mind when the stench kept him painfully present in the moment.

  They carried him for what felt like an eternity, and then there came the queasy sensation of being tipped downwards and he heard the two players grunt with exertion. John guessed they were taking the pot down a flight of stairs. They came to the bottom, and much to his relief, they set the pot down on solid ground again.

  “Okay,” said the player who seemed to be the leader of the two. “Stay here. I’ll go talk to Xan.”

  “No way!” the whinier player exclaimed. “I ain’t staying down here smelling that. I’m coming with you.”

  “Don’t argue!” snapped the other man. “It’s best you stay out of the way.”

  “I ain’t staying down here with that pot. Besides, this place gives me the creeps. I feel like those things are watching us.”

  There was a pause and then the other man said, “Don’t be a pussy. They’re not alive.”

  “Okay well you stay down here and I’ll go talk to Xan if you ain’t spooked by them,” the other player retorted.

  John heard a heavy sigh. “Okay,” the leader of the two relented. “Come on then, but keep your dumb mouth shut. I’ll do all the talking.”

  John tensed up as he listened to their feet moving across a stone floor away from him. A door creaked opened and then shut again with a slam. Silence dropped onto the room like a heavy weight.

  Relieved, he gently lifted up the lid of the pot and peeped out. He could see a wooden door in front of him and parts of a stone wall. The smell from inside the pot hit him in a fresh wave of rancidness, and throwing caution to the wind he pushed off the lid and clambered out of the pot.

  Grateful to be free of the stinking container, he sucked in deep breaths of the musty air, savoring it like it was the food of the gods.

  When he was sufficiently recovered, he remembered he still had his hand clenched around the item Kate had given him before she’d split to draw off the guards. He opened his fingers to stare down at a bronze ring, set with a black opal stone, lying in his palm.

  Item: LVL 01 Ring of Mild Charm

  Currently Equipped: NONE

  Minimum LVL: 01

  Durability: 98%

  Faction Specific: No

  Soul-Bound Item: No

  ↑ Charisma + 10

  Current LVL: 03

  Speed: 70/70

  Attack: 50/50

  Defense: 55/55

  Charisma: 40/40

  A common enchanted item usually found on the Alchemist Black Market. When equipped, Ring of Mild Charm provides a 10 point passive boost to charisma stat.

  You meet all necessary requirements to equip this item.

  A ring that increased his charisma level, he chuckled to himself, turning the ring around in his fingers. That would certainly come in useful. He mentally thanked Kate, and slipped the ring on the index finger of his left hand. He felt a mild tingling sensation that lasted for about half a second and touched the back of his neck to check his character stats. His charisma now read 50/40. Conscious that the two players would be back soon, he swiftly got rid of the menu, reached into the pot to retrieve his knapsack full of gear and then replaced the lid to try and blot out the awful smell.

  Next, he turned his attention to his surroundings. He looked to be in some kind of cellar with thick stone walls and a grimy stone floor. A single lantern hung from a peg on one of the wooden support beams, casting a feeble light that tried to pierce the heavy gloom. He used its glow to examine the cluster of crates and boxes that lined the walls, and he ran his hands over the various dried herbs that hung down from the low ceiling. Finding nothing of value or interest, he looked over at the door, the only way out of the room, and decided to go exploring.

  Keeping his movements as quiet as possible, he headed towards it. He had only gotten partway when a shudder ran down his spine and an icy chill crept over his skin. He got the overwhelming sense that someone was watching him and spun round quickly. Over in an extended section of the cellar that he had not noticed before—and that was not touched by the light of the lantern—he could make out the vague outline of a figure. His first instinct was to bolt for the door, but whoever was watching him remained motionless.

  John remembered what the whiny player had said about the ‘things’ he felt were watching him, and how his companion had assured him they were dead. ‘Not alive’ was how he put it, which might not necessary mean the same thing in this game world.

  Leaving the door alone, John stepped cautiously towards the figure. It didn’t move the closer he got and he realized there were two more shapes standing side by side next to it, indistinct in the shadows. Though they did not appear to be living beings, he could somehow feel their gaze on him, hard and malevolent.

  Voices came from outside the door and he froze. There was a brief moment of panic before his instincts kicked in and he darted over to a stack of
crates near the wall. He ducked behind them as the door opened.

  Light filled the cellar as the two players returned, each bearing a lantern. They were accompanied by a tall male NPC dressed in a quilted powder blue tunic belted at the waist. He had sharp patrician features beneath a neatly trimmed beard that matched his closely cropped jet black hair. He moved with a natural air of authority and the two players, both level 50s and clad in leather lamellar body armor, regarded him with deference.

  John took this to be Xan, and he watched him like a hawk as he stalked towards the three immobile silhouettes—the lantern clasped in his hand raised above his head. He placed the lantern down on a nearby barrel and its light now allowed John to get a good look at them. He wished they had stayed kept in the dark.

  Xan studied each of the figures in turn, looking at them with something almost close to affection. They were clad in medieval Chinese armor of resplendent polished iron worked through with gold filigree and domed helmets that fitted snugly to their heads. In contrast to the beauty of their armor, their faces were hideously deformed like melted wax and a vivid pink color. Each of them tightly clutched a jewel encrusted Dao pointed to the floor, and curiously, there was a five inch hole neatly punctured into the center of the three cadavers’ breastplates.

  The NPC took a step back and clicked his fingers. “Bring the pot.”

  The thinner of the two players, with the mop of brown curly hair, opened his mouth to say something, but his stockier companion made a warning gesture and pointed at the pot. Curly Hair—who John assumed was the player who’d done all the complaining while he was being carried here—relented, and the two of them heaved the pot over to where Xan was standing.

  Undisturbed by the hideous smell, Xan flipped off the lid of the pot and stuck his hand inside it. John watched in repulsed fascination as Xan pulled out a large glob of what looked like thick greenish mud. It rippled and pulsated in the lantern light like a living being and its vile smell hit John again with both barrels. He put his hand up to cover his mouth and nose, and watched as Xan shoved the lump of mud into the hole of the middle figure. It began to glow with a spectral green light as it bubbled and swirled inside the hole. Suddenly, the armored creature jerked to life and lurched forward.