by Rick Scar
Chapter 215. A Tiny Piece of the Pie
“D oes everyone agree?” Hearing no objections, Mollie heaved a sigh. “Decided.”
For the past half an hour, the leaders had been discussing the questions they would ask the Ifrit. They had eventually voted for the questions that might provide crucial information.
“I’ve had to wait here for long a time, but I think it’s time to discuss another important issue,” Sarah said as she crossed her arms. “As I’ve told you before, this will be the first – and so far, the only – live broadcast from this game. My channel has put in a lot of hard work, time and money to get the rights to it. So, it’s only fair that we get the greatest share of the revenue. Thirty percent.”
“Thirty?!” This figure brought a storm of emotions to each of the leaders’ faces. Only Raven remained calm.
“Lady,” the half-giant started unceremoniously, “to claim that much, you’re gonna need to provide at least some proof that your channel has spent so much on this. Bills. Bank statements. Any other papers that’ll back up your words. We need to see them.”
“My boss thought you might say that. I’m well ahead of you. I have already emailed a copy of our agreement with the devs to you all.”
The tent lapsed into silence as each leader, and Raven, studied the documents showing a two month history of negotiations, which had culminated in a seven-million-dollar deal. He must be fucking Nostradamus to put that much money into such a risky project. Although, we are talking about Ascension, after all. They’re bound to make a profit.
Lots of documents and meeting minutes hadn’t been included in the package, however, as they contained some information the channel preferred not to share with outsiders. Nevertheless, those that had been included confirmed Sarah’s words.
The Faceless Army’s leader finished reading first. He tapped his chin as he stared at the battle map on the table.
“It looks like your claims are justified,” Mollie turned to the reporter after reading through the documents. “If I were you,” she ran her gaze over the other leaders, “I would want that too. As we know from experience, live broadcasts of VR games are sure to attract lots of viewers and the price of a ticket tends to correspond to the importance of the event being broadcast. So, people will be able to connect to the broadcast at any time, and you’ll be the anchor? Have I got that right?”
“That’s right,” Sarah smiled. “Ascension will be using the same broadcast format as any past VRMMO. Those who buy tickets will be able to take spectator places not far from the battlefield. Even if the fighting reaches them, they won’t take any damage as it’s not their actual characters that will be in the area, just their digital copies. Something like they did in that other game…er…” Sarah struggled to remember the name of the game she wanted to give as an example.
“The Sage of Seven Dragons?” Crimson Berserker hinted.
“Yes. Thank you. Does everyone remember the broadcast from there?”
“I don’t,” Will said. “But I get the gist. What really matters for me is my personal share. Since we’ve agreed on the channel’s, let’s discuss mine.”
Will knew he would cross a line by claiming an outrageously high share. He was alone, whereas the clans had spent a lot preparing for the battle. So, it was completely logical that both the clan leaders and their top contributing members had to be adequately compensated. “I know my current standing. So, I’ll be happy with… three percent of the revenue.”
“Oh. I see you’re not getting it, Raven.” Clicking his tongue, Son of Hercules started reeling off his arguments against this, all of which Will had expected. He stressed the clans’ expenses, and the need to compensate those who are killed by the Ifrit. But Raven wasn’t prepared to go any lower. He had already put his greed to one side by claiming much less than he originally wanted to, but not everyone seemed to appreciate his meeting them halfway.
“Three percent.” His voice was steely now, but the Messengers’ leader, joined by Gloomy Hangman, pressed on. Mollie and Crimson Berserker were silent; they probably agreed with this figure.
“Do you even know how much revenue this broadcast is likely to bring in?”
“Yes, I do. One ticket will cost around ten dollars. And we’re expecting five to six million viewers.”
“Why the fuck should I pay out that much money to a single player? Have you lost your freaking mind?”
“Raven.” The Faceless Army’s leader joined in. “You might well have been the one who triggered the quest and allowed this talk to happen in the first place. But we’ve put a lot more effort into the preparations than you. And I’m not just talking about us leaders, but all our players. Accept that. The most we can let you have is one… okay, one and a half percent.”
“Oh.” Will stared at the two men, trying to figure out the true reason behind their bitter resistance. Was it really just about the money? He could see why Hangman opposed him, but the Messengers’ leader? Will had never crossed paths with his clan; there was no conflict of interest that he could see.
“What would you say?” He turned to Kingmaker and Crimson Berserker.
“I’d say it’s pretty clear.” Having pulled a small stool out of his inventory to sit on, Ronald was polishing his axe. “Honestly, I can’t see why we’re even arguing over this at all. I guess you both know just how much effort it takes to trigger a global event.”
“What’s your problem, guys?” Mollie stared at Will’s opponents. Knowing what playing at a 100% sensitivity level felt like, she couldn’t agree more that Raven’s contribution was being depicted as minor.
“As I’ve already said, I cannot stand the idea of that much money going into a single person’s pocket,” Son of Hercules insisted.
“What about the money going into yours?” Will glared unblinkingly at this sly character. “Let me guess. You’re going to be giving each of your clan members an equal share?”
“Absolutely,” the leader replied instantly.
“Stop it,” Mollie had had enough of this farce. “Even I can’t deny that I’ll be getting five percent as a leader. Let’s just have a vote. Me and… and it are for it.” Mollie preferred not to say the nickname of Crimson Berserker, who was her enemy. Instead, she referred to him as it, pointing a finger to make it perfectly clear who exactly she meant. “You are against. It’s a tie, so the reporter gets to decide. What do you think?”
“Who are you calling it, you ironing board?” For some reason, Berserker would often refer to the fact that Mollie had small breasts in an offensive way.
“You bastard!”
“Shut up, you cave painting.”
“Hey, stop that!” Will intervened, bringing the discussion back to his piece of the pie. “So? What do you say?” He looked at Sarah.
“Um… I wasn’t actually expecting to have to negotiate anyone’s share but my channel’s but, if I have to… I vote in favor of Raven getting three percent. I’ve spoken to each of you, and I remember what you, Son of Hercules, said about triggering a global event. Shall I remind you?”
The clan leader glared at her and gave a “tsk”, meaning “no”.
“Is this some sort of fucking conspiracy, or what? Giving a shit load of money to this milksop? It’s total bullshit.”
“I’m glad we’ve reached an agreement.” After completing this important part of to the day, Will saluted with two fingers, expressed his gratitude to Mollie, Ronnie, and Sarah for their support with a short glance, and left the tent. He then took a look at the red timer:
3 days: 17 hours: 32 minutes
Just enough time for Hades to grow another head.
Chapter 216. Fight or Die. The Bloody Ifrit Is Coming
Sunday, March 12, 2045.
Location: Abode of Silence
Two hours before the Evil-In’s arrival
W ill and the clan leaders were standing on the cliff edge, watching the placid waters of Laa-Garah. The cold morning breeze brushing over the players�
� faces was unnerving and was heating up everyone’s temper.
For Will, the sea had always been a thing of great mystery and power. It doesn’t take advice from anybody. A silent god going its own way, watching the mortals.
His military squad had had a couple of missions by the seaside. While waiting for commands, he and his comrades would watch the night sky, and have heart-to-heart conversations, feeling almost like a family in these moments of peace.
The past three days had been intense. Will had managed to get two more pairs of handcuffs out, but when he went back for the third time, his treasure was no longer there. The system has probably decided I’ve had enough. He was happy to have three pairs, anyway. Three was better than one.
An even more important result was that Hades had levelled up and grown another head after Raven had restored the past pet XP settings.
The transformation was spectacular. Hades’s body became even broader and taller; he was the size of a bull rather than a dog. The pet’s hair was now venomous-red, and the fourth head looked quite normal, except for the dense, ash-colored smoke that seeped out of its nostrils with each breath: a visual effect of the skill yet to be activated, Breath of Kala’Kha.
BREATH OF KALA’KHA
Active skill: Apprentice
Description: The dog’s ability to exhale smoke is connected to his bloodline. As the offspring of the demonic world Kala’Kha, your pet can produce the mist that surrounds this world in his blood. This misty breath confuses affected enemies, debuffing them with a random effect: Confusion, Mental Breakdown, Hallucinations, False Reality, or Shattered.
Range: 15 ft.
Duration: 6 s
Spending: 40 family strength points
Cooldown: 5 min
It was a good skill to use against a mob; its short cooldown time combined with the small cost was a pure blessing.
The only thing Will was still unable to do for his pet was increase its rank. This process required him to complete special pet missions, which were extremely time-consuming and only given out by petters: the NPCs who traded in pets.
When will had got the puppy, the message had said that he would be able to develop up to the Duke level. Back then, the rogue hadn’t really thought about the rank, but he had learned a lot from his conversations with Zarnitsa, who was an animal lover. The thing about the ranks was that they entailed a difficult training process due to the resulting increase in the pet’s strength, especially if you were dealing with a legendary or unique type. As she had said on the forums about this topic, many players had been trying to level up their pets, but to increase their rank by just one level took an entire month. And that would only make them Baron rank pets. Several people still hadn’t managed to help their animals reach that yet.
Will had asked why this was. He had received a very detailed answer. It was all a matter of patience. As soon as a player accepts the task of increasing the pet’s rank, they automatically become unable to accept and fulfill any side quests. On top of that, they aren’t allowed to kill any mobs. That means, it’s like you become the pet’s chaperone, leading him through the task by its leash. Any mobs you encounter during the task, from the first blow to the last, must be killed by the pet alone. The only thing you can do to help the pet in this situation is to give it good gear and buffs. If you break any of these rules, the quest will be reset. It’s not surprising that the majority of players usually give up pretty quickly. It’s an incredibly tedious quest.
Besides all this, Raven had also been continuing his search for a Grandmaster-level alchemist who could create a pet potion according to the Element Soul Mixing Recipe he had, but none of those the RD had located for him met the requirement.
“We’ve done all we can.” Mollie was standing by his side with her arms crossed looking at the ships that lined both sides of the bay, creating a corridor about ten miles wide.
“How’s Ulfmar?” Will asked.
“He’s really on edge. That mark we’re using to lure Evil-In into our trap is affecting him badly.”
“Oh, I see.” Raven glanced down at the wooden tower that had been specially constructed to keep the vampire alive. It was about fifty feet tall and stood two miles away from the coastline.
“I don’t know why, but I keep thinking of radio towers every time I look at that thing. As if we’re trying to catch the Ifrit’s signal.”
The female warrior laughed, “Yeah. Sort of.”
For a few minutes they were silent. Then Mollie turned to the rogue. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Do you know your floor number?”
“Wow. You don’t mince your words, do you. Why do you care?”
“Just curious. And… and to find out if I’ve won the bet.”
“The bet?”
“Yeah. One guy started an intra-clan sweepstake to bet on your location.”
“A sweepstake? And how did that go?”
“The whole clan joined it.” Her resounding laugh attracted the attention of the other leaders.
“Are you going to use that venomous laugh to poison our enemy?” asked Crimson Berserker, who was standing away from the group.
“Shut up, or I’ll make you choke on your golden spoon.”
“Typical.” Raven was already getting used to this hostile duo. “I’ve just found out the members of her clan are betting on my location.”
“Ah, that. They’re just copying us.”
Kingmaker immediately objected and asked when exactly the = Berserker’s clan had started their sweepstake.
Leaving them to it, Will took a walk aside, watching the sea horizon and guessing how the ifrit would arrive: on a ship or…?
“Raven, have you got a minute?”
Hearing Gloomy Hangman’s voice from the right, Will turned his head briefly and replied, “So many questions today. I’m listening.”
“What happened to the book?”
“Which book?”
“The one that one of my lynchers asked you to get.”
“Ah, the folio?”
“Exactly. I hated him for doing that without letting me know, but I forgave him because he was thinking of the greater good of the clan.”
“I’m not at all interested in your relationship. You can skip that part. What do you want to know about the book?”
“Honestly, I’d like to buy it.”
“Sorry, but it’s already been sold.”
“Sold? To who?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“RD, then. Too bad. You could’ve got so much more from my clan.”
The leader shook his head as he left Will alone to ponder over the price he could have got for the book. But he could only do so for a couple of seconds; it was time to go down.
***
Everything happened all of a sudden.
The timer had counted down the last seconds, but the horizon remained clear. No one, nothing, was approaching the lone tower or the players, who had started to think the devs had made a mistake.
0 days: 0 hours: 0 minutes
Everyone was ready. Well, almost everyone. But, once the timer had reached zero, it vanished with a bright-red flash, and a young girl was already standing next to the tower. Nobody had seen how she had arrived. She just came out of the blue, exactly one second before a brief message had appeared before everyone on Floor 3:
Fight or die, the continent will be destroyed.
The message was pretty clear. As he stood beside the vampire, Will struggled to believe his eyes. It was the speediest arrival he had ever seen. It looked like she had teleported right onto the location, but that was impossible; you could only travel instantly between portals.
She looked about fifteen years old. A beautiful crimson dress clung tightly to her slender, youthful body, the long, wide sleeves hiding her arms. Her face, framed by thick, red hair, was void of emotion, except for her eyes, which were blazing with a desire to kill.
After a sp
lit second, she was hanging in the air in front of Ulfmar, her lips curved up into a predatory grin. Her index finger, which was topped with a small claw, was pointing at Ulfmar as her rumbling voice disrupted the silence that gave the Abode its name: “Today is the day you will die, you piece of shit!”
Ready to activate his skill, out of the corner of his eye Will noticed Ulfmar was covered in large beads of sweat and his body was trembling all over. Identification confirmed his worst fear. Staring at the lines over her head, the rogue realized this battle might be his last.
Name: Evil-In the Bloody Ifrit (Duke)
Level: 80
Health: 1,000,000
Will broke out in a cold sweat, realizing the creature in front of him could be a clone and not the real Ifrit. He preferred not to waste Voice of Truth. Of course, they had expected the enemy to use clones at some point… but not as its first move, and not dozens of clones, which were already attacking the players.
Raven activated the expensive mechanism that had been constructed by the local NPCs, ushered Ulfmar into the secret room beneath the tower and raised the elaborate barrier around it.
Now the players’ goal was to find the real Ifrit. They lured the clones to the sides to detect the skill range. This information was never available from the skill description. Will had only figured out the range of his Clone skill, which was about 150 feet, from experience; it was somewhat reduced by any buildings or walls separating the clone from the original.
The rogue’s top priority was his own survival. Luckily for him, the clan players fighting the Ifrit were well-coordinated and were following the plan to the letter, unlike the loners who were already dying in droves
As he leapt back and over parapet of the tower, Raven activated Double Jump and then Leap, changing his direction abruptly and zigzagging away from the Ifrit, who had already been attacked by the RD players.
How are you? Don’t die too fast. We need you, Mollie messaged him. She hadn’t joined the battle yet. She had an indisputable talent for strategy, but her level was lower the other leaders’, so she watched the action from that the cliff her and Raven had been standing on a short time ago.
