by Rick Scar
After leaving the office, he headed for the young queen’s chambers but Nanel was not there. A maid, who was hurrying down the hall with a pile of books in her hands, almost fell over in surprise after running into her king. Hearing that Will was looking for his wife, she said she was on her way to see Nanel, who was waiting in the library.
“In the library? What is she doing there?”
“I don’t know, Your Majesty. Please forgive me for being rude, but may I follow Your Majesty to the royal lady?”
“Yes, please.”
***
“Nanel?”
“You still remember my name. Wow.”
“Listen. There’s just a bit of work left to do. But I have to do it.”
“Oh yeah. Like always.” She didn’t even raise her head from the book to look at Will, continuing to turn page after page.
“What are you looking for?”
“Unlike you, I’m trying to learn at least something about the place we’re going to visit. Did you forget? Just like you forgot your promise?”
“I never forget my promises, dear.” After raising his voice slightly, Will quickly calmed down and waved at the disordered heaps of books all around. “Are there any on the Monarch’s Door?”
“Phew.” Slamming her book shut, and giving him no reply, Nanel beckoned the maid standing aside. “Got something?”
“That’s all I found.”
“Good. Will you bother hearing what I have found, Raven?”
“Anything useful?”
“Something is,” she mimicked him, smiled and opened another book. With her other hand, she pointed at the three books she had put to one side.
Raven wondered if she had really been reading through all these books in his absence. What do NPCs do with no players around? That was one of the questions many users kept asking.
Squatting down next to the books, Will pulled them toward him and applied Identification.
One of the books was about a man who had been trying to complete the door’s challenge for three weeks, but who had eventually given up. Another looked like a collection of rumors. But the third one, authored by a citizen of the Holy Empire, told the story of how their ruler had completed the challenge and activated the ring, and was really worth looking at.
Book: Possessed by the Ring
Taking this book, Will glanced at Nanel’s gloomy face and, sighing, retrieved the cup fragment. I hope this will distract her.
“Hey. Look at this. See? I’m not just strolling about that floor for pleasure.”
Snatching the clay piece from him, she peered at it, then lifted her bewildered, unblinking eyes to look at Will. “Amazing find.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“But do you know what I hate about it?”
“Oh. I think I do,” the rogue said through gritted teeth, taking the fragment.
“I! Was! Not! There!” Nanel’s eyes filled with tears as she screamed these words. “You promised me!”
“Bringing it up again in less than a minute. Please be patient. You’re a grown woman, but you behave like a child.”
“If you run away again, you will have no one but yourself to blame.”
“Okay,” Will sighed with relief. This conversation was already becoming a family tradition. A bad, ugly, terrible tradition. “Do you know where Daltaro is?”
“He recently came back with some woman. The two of them hardly ever leave your…er…I mean, his house.”
“Wow.” The rogue smirked. “I’d better pay them a visit.”
But first, he had another business to attend to: an appointed meeting with a king on the third floor.
***
Stopping right outside the portal which would transport him to Floor 3, Raven considered whether he should distract Mollie by bringing her to his meeting with the king, or go alone. We’re both interested in the outcome of this talk, after all. And I need a retinue to look truly regal.
Chapter 203. Raven Playing Dirty
“M ay I ask a few questions?” Mollie walked on Will’s right, dressed in an elegant gown with a plunging neckline and so many jewels they refracted the sunlight all around like a disco ball.
“Shoot.”
“For a start, how did you manage to arrange this audience? Can they tell you’re a king?”
“I wish they could. After I announced myself as the king of an unknown realm, I had to talk to their secret police for an hour. So, it was anything but easy. However, they didn’t drive me away, and they treated me with courtesy. I don’t know whether they had decided to play it safe or something, but in the end, they summoned the palace wizard, who brought a very interesting artefact with him.”
“Oh. What artefact was that?”
“They call it Chains of Truth. It’s some sort of lie detector, but it’s really strong. Considering that we’re connected to this game through our conscience, an item like this is particularly significant. However, as I understand it, they only use it on extremely rare occasions.”
“Oh, I see. And after that check – did they comply with your request? Is it the same on your floor?”
“Sort of.”
“I don’t think anyone else will be able to get to see a king any time soon.”
The two of them, dressed to kill, moved unhurriedly towards the palace, drawing lots of attention.
“By the way,” Will said, “how does this process look to you?”
“Huh. It won’t even start.” Stopping in front of an expensive establishment with a façade made of mirrors, Mollie smiled at her reflection and strutted on. “We don’t even have enough influence points to make it through the main gate.”
The closer the pair came to the palace, the more beautiful the houses flanking the sidewalk, which was paved with splendid mosaic tiles, became. This was where city’s most expensive shops, restaurants, and beauty parlours were located. Will had been here before, but still he kept glancing around, capturing the small details.
“And your second question?”
“What are you going to discuss?”
“Oh, that’s a good one. Two or three days ago, I wouldn’t have been able to answer that. But now I can.”
“Tell me more. I’m starting to feel like nothing more than your female escort.”
“What, really?!” He made an astonished face. “How could you even think that? You’re the linchpin of our whole plan, don’t forget.” Waving a finger as he said this, Raven mended his pace a little, but Mollie was not going to let him get away with it just like that.
“Answer my question, you greedy brute!”
“Okay, okay. I will. Do you think the news about the whole continent being on the verge of destruction by a terrible monster is worthy of being discussed by two kings?”
***
“Phew,” Will said as he and Mollie were drinking fragrant tea in a cozy café called The Shining. “I think it went well.”
“W-well?!” Mollie, still stunned by what had been dumped on her during the rulers’ meeting, apparently disagreed. “Offering me as a wife to his son? What dirty game are you playing?!”
“Don’t worry so much. It’s just a marriage. I’ve done it myself.”
Raven took a gulp of his tea and stared at the menu, avoiding the eyes of his counterpart, who suddenly froze. After sitting still for a few heartbeats, she opened her lips slightly to ask a question: “You’re married?”
“I am.”
“Your wife…is she playing too?”
It took Will a while to realize what she was talking about. “Ah. No. You’ve got it a bit wrong. I’m married here, in the game. My wife is an NPC. A queen.”
“What?!”
“Hey, quiet. Why scream like that?”
“So, you are married to…Ah. That’s it. You’re a gigolo! A perfect choice of career for a greedy, unscrupulous person like yourself. I can’t believe it!”
Mollie stabbed her finger accusingly into Raven’s chest. Glancing around, he saw the other patrons
all looking at their table, and waved a hand at his companion, begging her to calm down. “Hey, stop this nonsense. Can’t you see the true meaning of your marriage?”
“I can, but…but it’s like sleeping your way to the top. I hate the very concept. And I hate you making such decisions for me without even asking.”
“Sleeping your way to the top? Really? Do you think anyone still does that nowadays?” Will smirked. “I couldn’t exactly discuss it with you in front of the king.”
“Whatever. I still haven’t agreed to it.”
“You’re getting it wrong again. It’s not about you being wooed by the crown prince. It’s about you wooing him.” Seeing Mollie flare up again, Will clicked his fingers in front of her face. “That’s the shortest way I can possibly offer you. Or rather us.”
“What makes you think that?” Kingmaker could see the reasoning behind his plan, but she hated being used as his pawn. Raven could read that in her eyes and body language now, and during the audience. But he couldn’t possibly have negotiated with her in advance: this idea had spontaneously dawned upon him when King Grinis Dolwan the Crusher mentioned that his son had been cursed.
The story was simple, like a fairy tale. A vile and scary fairy tale, that is. Unfortunately, the prince was not a frog whose curse could be removed by a kiss. He was a man who, like a werewolf, turned into a horrible goblin at night and vanished into a dark portal. As the portal opened, blurry shadows would flight out, draining everyone who encountered them of vital strength and transforming them into a monster. And that was only a small part of what would happen whenever Prince Scart transformed.
Once the king had brought it up, Will received a quest for ridding the prince of the curse. That was really sudden, but Will remembered his ultimate goal and all the jigsaw pieces came together before his eyes to form a masterpiece. He decided that he would marry Kingmaker off to the crown prince as their reward for destroying the curse.
“Don’t be an idiot.” Seeing that Mollie started to calm down, Raven nodded at her cup. “This tea is great. Have some.”
A minute or two passed in silence. Each of them was considering the next step until Will eventually spoke. “Our business in the east will not be over quickly, even after we’ve completed all the quests. It will take a lot of running about before we secure a standing in that realm. Don’t pass on this chance I’m giving you. If you’re so against marrying a man, you can find another woman to play this part. But what if she turns out to be a spy? For the Faceless Army or your dear Fortuna? Are you ready to take that risk?”
“Over my dead body,” Mollie hissed, emanating a menacing aura. “Okay. We have other things on our plate right now. Thanks to your meeting, we’ve managed to secure some unexpected support from the The Eternal Winter Way squad. I don’t know how strong they are yet. One of my guys will have to meet them.”
“Then let’s call it a day. Who knew we wouldn’t even need a ship to reach that ifrit.” Will smirked as he got up from the table.
“I hate you,” Mollie whispered, dropping her head to the tabletop, preparing herself for the crazy days ahead. Every meeting with Raven meant more and more stuff being dumped on her to sort out. Save me from him. Anyone. Please.
***
Sitting on his bed in a rented room, Will examined a mysterious item that he had obtained a long time ago.
Balta’Chkharrah’s Self-Portrait
Rank: Unique
Time to try and open it. At least it’s not half as intimidating as the Box of Wishes. I hope its challenge is not some kind of hellish torture, although I’m not really into logical puzzles either.
Activate.
Make sure your character’s body is safe before you activate this item.
Activate?
Yes.
ATTENTION. The testing system is being activated:
1%...5%....47%....71%....100%
Activation complete.
Estimating the probability of knowledge loss after test:
1%...12%....54%....88%....100%
Estimation complete.
Level and Intelligence acceptable.
Expected knowledge retention = 100%
Initiating the test.
Um. That’s pretty weird.
As Will read these lines, his mind faded and his body collapsed to the side, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
“Greetings, member of the new generation. If you can hear this voice, my work has probably not been in vain. I can pass my great knowledge down instead of letting it perish in the abyss of time. All you have to do is complete my challenge.”
The voice saying these words disappeared, leaving a dying echo in its wake. The darkness parted, and Raven saw that he was standing in an empty, square room, about 30x30 feet, which was filled with a dispersed, white glow.
“Hmmm. What exactly do I need to do?”
Chapter 204. The Feeling of Freedom
N o answer came. The shiny void of the empty white room was oozing serenity and silence, or rather SILENCE, reminiscent of that which Will and Mollie had experienced during the vampire’s rite. Now it made Will feel really uncomfortable.
As Raven was listening to his feelings, a large table appeared in front of him and a bird, a dragonfly, and a bat were sitting there, staring at him.
“Interesting.”
Approaching the table, Will reached for the small bird that looked like a hummingbird with six eyes and slightly larger wings. The tiny thing was as still as a dummy but, once Raven touched it, his body was violently thrown upward and he saw himself in the air, before plummeting to the ground.
No!
The first thing Will thought was that his experience in the Shadow Order was somehow repeating itself. But, after a few moments he overcame the shock and realized that this was actually very different.
His body. It was now miniature and no longer human; it had wings. His sight was amazingly sharp, as if he were looking through high-power binoculars.
He didn’t know how to fly and so was instantly left dangling about in the air. His human mind and vestibular system weren’t designed for this.
The sensations of nausea and dizziness could not have been any more realistic. Will was that uncomfortable that he completely forgot how he had even got here. His only goal right now was slowing down his fall, but each time he tried to open his wings, his determination was punished by the gusts of wind pushing him down, faster and faster, like a shot-down aircraft leaving a trail of smoke.
Cursing mentally, Raven didn’t give up. After about thirty seconds, his fall finally started to slow down. He realized that fast movements only made things worse, and so he spread his wings very slowly – and there he was, flying horizontally over the ground, wary of making any kind of movements.
Just then, he remembered the reason why he was in the bird’s body, but the purpose of this test still escaped him. Why is it so complicated?
Some time passed. Will spent almost two hours flying over forests and mountains, crossing rivers and lakes, and gradually learning to manage this tiny body and its wings. He worked out how much power he needed to apply for a flap, how to turn around and, eventually, how to land.
As soon as he had sat down on a dry branch, he was pulled back into the white room, where the bird on the table had been replaced with a book. However, the system would not let Will touch it.
“Looks like I have to do these two first.”
There was no point in delaying the inevitable. Will touched the dragonfly-like insect – and was transported into this tiny creature’s body. It was different to flying as a bird. No harm could come to him from falling, but there was another danger: the birds trying to eat him. To avoid them, he kept a low profile at low heights, close to the forest where he could find lots of hiding places. His compound eyes and weird vision were also a thing to get used to.
Losing track of time, Raven finally reached the end of this experience.
Back in the familiar room, he saw anoth
er book in place of the dragonfly, just as he had expected.
The third experiment was to live as a bat. After penetrating its body, Will found himself in a barely discernible world. The bat’s sight was far worse than that of birds or insects.
While he was figuring out how to use the echolocation, he kept flying into hard obstacles that seemed to have been purposefully placed all around him. Each time, he would pull his body upward only to crash into something else shortly after.
Things became easier once he could finally produce and interpret ultrasound. He figured out that he was located in a big cave full of stalactites and stalagmites, large rocks, and deep tunnels. Another thing Will discovered was that bats were far more agile than birds or insects. While piloting his body along the lime deposits, Raven even learned how to use his small claws to grip onto them and turn abruptly.
He gradually came to enjoy the flight. This feeling of freedom, of breaking the chains which tied humans to the ground. His wings. They were a blessing from the gods. But eventually – and regretfully – he was back to his wingless body.
He stood with his eyes closed for a second, remembering the enjoyment of flight. Letting these memories go with a sigh, he came back to reality. These three tests had made it pretty clear what the subject of Balta’Chkharrah’s research was, and what knowledge he wanted to pass down.
The concept of human flight. Something like what Leonardo da Vinci had worked on, but he hadn’t possessed the magic to complete it.
Was Balta’Chkharrah trying to create a spell for flying? But doesn’t this game already have one?
The answer was in the three books. Touching one, Raven saw a system message:
Do you want to keep the XP?
