Rogue Games

by Angie A Huxley

  There were a few other cuts of meat in the bottom. The other had some bottles that he couldn’t identify from their labels.

  You have acquired: 2 Healing Potions

  Replenishment: 20HP or 20 Stamina

  Quality: Great

  You have acquired: 1 Swift Potion

  Bonus: +10 to Deftness

  Usage: 1 day

  Quality: Great

  You have acquired: Red Dragon Meat

  Replenishment: 3HP {uncooked}, 20HP or 10 stamina {cooked, each}

  Usage: 10

  Quality: Good/Excellent

  Nice. Alejander put the sacks aside. The lockbox was locked once again, so he stowed it with the other, determined to get into them when he was out of the dungeon and had the time to do something with them. The two scrolls were akin to the ones that Alejander had already obtained.

  You have acquired: Scroll of Raceline Breeding {Tradable} {Rare}

  Teaches the Stablemaster ability: Raceline Breeding

  Level: Level 30 Stablemaster only

  Description: Having looked after and cared for so many horses, you can produce raceline champion offspring.

  Cast Time: One hour

  Cooldown: Breed once every ten days.

  You have acquired: Scroll of Darkness Cover {Tradable} {Uncommon}

  Teaches the Graverobber ability: Darkness Cover

  Level: Level 15 Graverobber only

  Description: You can escape with up to two bodies without attracting attention.

  Cast Time: 5 minutes

  Cooldown: Two weekly

  Neither of the scrolls would be of any use to Alejander but they were rare and uncommon respectively, and he was sure he could get a hefty price for them both. It also gave him some insight into more of the game; stablemasters clearly leveled up like he did with different abilities available to them. Raceline breeding was apparently breeding horses to race, and he could imagine the kind of money that would result from that. Then there were Graverobbers and again, Alejander couldn’t imagine wanting to choose that, but real life was just as confusing at times.

  You have acquired: Coin

  Inventory: 40 copper, 30 silver, 50 gold

  Total Currency: 90 copper, 70 silver, 84 gold, 8 electrum

  Alejander had a feeling that Sardonya would find him worth stealing from now, given how heavy his pockets felt. Laden down with everything he had acquired from the end of the dungeon, he knelt down next to Hera, who was licking at her muzzle. Taking the transportation stone from his pocket, he concentrated on getting outside of the dungeon.

  There was a strange tingling in his sternum, and between one breath and the next he was kneeling outside the dungeon, blinking in the sunset, a familiar face staring down at him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The dwarf who had introduced Alejander to the dungeon gave him a wide smile. “Ah, found yeself outside, did ye?”

  Alejander blinked furiously, the light from the dimming sun still enough to have his eyes hurting. Hera flopped onto the ground, licking her fur and panting heavily. “You could say that.”

  The dwarf raised his eyebrows. “You’ll be wanting to move on then, I expect?”

  “Now?” Alejander said. “Can’t I catch my breath?”

  “Not if ye don’t want looters on ya,” the dwarf said helpfully. “I’d get your butt to a town as soon as possible. Get that stuff stowed.”

  He gave a pointed look to the things Alejander was clutching. He wished he hadn’t left Greta back at the town, but there was nothing for it. He would just have to be quick and get back to town before someone could catch up with him. He still had time and could get there before nightfall if he was lucky.

  “Thanks for your help,” Alejander said, giving both he and Hera another potion each, this time for the stamina. He stowed what he could under his cloak as he walked. His satchel wasn’t big enough for everything, so he ended up wrapping the WaterRepellant sheet around his shoulders and carrying a few of his less valuable items to keep everything safe from prying eyes.

  There were a couple of players who gazed on him as he walked, so he picked up the pace, Hera trotting along beside him. He hoped she would be enough to keep anyone from attacking too hard or trying anything. She still had some blood on her muzzle from the spiders and she looked terrifying, dirty and fur mussed from their activities. He could only imagine what he must have looked like.

  One elf and human passing by gave him the once over, the elf wrinkling his nose.

  “What a rough character,” he muttered.

  “I know,” the woman said, her tone dripping disgust. “Why you would want to play a vagrant, I’ll never know.”

  Alejander wanted to correct them and it took everything he had not to say anything. If they wanted to think of him as a hobo, let them. It would help him in the long run if he looked like he wasn’t worth picking on. Finally, the gates of GRANGE TOWN came into view and Alejander breathed a sigh of relief. Hera picked up on his mood, yipping and prancing about his feet, almost throwing him over. He couldn’t bring himself to scold her. If it hadn’t been for her, he doubted he would have come out of the dungeon without dying. His stamina was almost completely depleted, and he doubted his HP would last another full-on attack.

  The gates opened almost as soon as he approached, the guards tipping their heads, and he darted through with Hera, desperate to find somewhere to rest his head safely and then work out what he was going to do from here.

  The stablemaster was still up when he passed, and with some more coin passing hands, she was content to take Hera once again. Alejander paused long enough to say hello to Greta and then left them both behind, finding solace in the nearest inn.

  A good night’s rest and he could see whether or not he had obtained anything that would boost him in any way. He was that much closer to getting to the Urbane Bank. Just two levels, a trip out onto the plains until he’d leveled up enough, or another quick dungeon dive, and he would be ready for the real money.

  As soon as he lay down on the bed and his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

  [...LOGGING OFF]

  Matthew rubbed his hands over his face. His eyes were aching and when he tried to stand up, he had to blink a few times to get a bearing on his surroundings. Coming out of VR was akin to when he used to get migraines after certain jobs. There would be flashes in the corner of his eyes, or feel off-kilter, like the world was moving without him.

  Heading for the bathroom, he stared at himself in the mirror and raised his eyebrows. It was probably his imagination, but there seemed to be less wrinkles around the eyes. He touched his face, running fingers over his cheeks and eyebrows. It was impossible, and he made a face. The game was starting to mess with his head. He needed to spend some time away from the headset and go out and do something unrelated.

  The manager of the hotel cornered him as he was leaving, asking for money, and Matthew assured him he would pay him if he would please just give him a couple of days. The man’s lips pursed into an unhappy line, but for once in his life, Matthew used his age and appearance to his benefit, remembering the elf and human who had looked on Alejander with such derision. He affected the attitude of a man down on his luck, overwhelmed by life’s many blows, and the manager sighed.

  “A week for you to get me the next month’s money.”

  “Thank you,” Matthew said, with genuine gratitude. That was enough time to get up to level ten and get rid of the things he’d acquired in the dungeon – and would in further dungeons. The manager waved off his thanks and disappeared into his office, and Matthew left the hotel before he could change his mind.

  There was a coffee shop not far down the road and Matthew slipped inside, rooting around in his pocket for a few coins. He snorted to himself, thinking of Alejander, and shook his head. There was a real world out there and he had to keep in mind that RETRIBUTION wasn’t real. No matter how much he enjoyed being Alejander and exploring the game cont
ent, that wasn’t the world in which he lived. He still had a good few decades in him and he was damned if he would waste them on a virtual reality when it was just a means to an end.

  “Can I help you?” A young woman was stood behind the counter, decked out in the coffee shop attire, but she had a headset settled on the top of her head. Her eyebrows were raised, and she wasn’t logged in, but it threw Matthew for a moment.

  “Just a coffee please,” Matthew said.

  The woman sighed. “Nothing special about it?”

  Matthew could see the list of drinks on the wall behind her and shook his head, the amount of different types of coffee daunting, and though he was getting better at putting himself out there, he didn’t even want to know what half of those were. “No. Just plain coffee.”

  “Alright.”

  The woman turned her back on him and Matthew shifted to the side. He hovered next to the counter, letting his gaze drift over the patrons. Some were chatting – so not everyone was engrossed in the new culture, then – others were buried on their phones and headsets, others were working. Matthew guessed that almost everyone in the room would have some form of electronic device, which had almost been the case when he went into prison, but not to this extent.

  Matthew had been contemplating taking a seat and giving himself time away from the game, but everywhere he looked had people immersed in the same technology he was trying to avoid. Was there such harm in wanting to stay in that world for as long as possible?

  As soon as the barista handed him his drink, he thanked her and left the coffee shop, stepping out onto the street. The city stretched out behind him, and though in his old life he would have spent as much time as possible outside of the room, the world was changing, and Matthew was apparently changing along with it, despite only having been free for a few weeks. There was nothing wrong with wanting to bury himself in RETRIBUTION, he told himself.

  A brisk walk back to the hotel and Matthew ducked through the door, doing his best to hide the coffee from the manager, who was back behind the desk. If he couldn’t pay his way, he shouldn’t really be treating himself to anything, even coffee.

  When he was safely back in his room, he tossed the drink in the waste bin and grabbed himself some breakfast. Now that he’d attempted something close to civility, he grabbed the headset from the cabinet and settled back in his bed, ignoring his aching body’s protests at once again being forced into the same position for hours on end.

  [LOGGING ON...

  Alejander stretched, staring up at the ceiling. There were damp patches, a spider’s web creeping from corner to the window, and something dark that he didn’t particularly want to assess. The inn he’d chosen was a step up from rundown, but it had been the least visited, possibly because of the state, and Alejander had chosen it immediately. There were fewer people around to steal from him, and Alejander had slept with his dagger to hand all night. His belongings were stowed behind him on the bed, making for an uncomfortable night’s rest, but his stuff was safe and that was all that mattered.

  He would have to take a trip to the stable eventually and get Hera and Greta, but for now he could try and get into the lockboxes. He hoped that whatever was inside was worth the trouble, otherwise he was going to break something. Improving his skill or not, Alejander had a purpose.

  Pulling the first lockbox towards him, Alejander grabbed his tools from his satchel and set to work. Thankfully, going up a few points in his skill had helped because it only took about fifteen minutes of working before the lock snapped open. Alejander blew out a breath, setting the tools aside and staring down at the lockbox.

  It wasn’t very big and would probably only hold a few coins, but it was still the anticipation of having treasure inside this box that excited him. As he flipped it open, he could see an array of coins scattered in the bottom, a few jewels, something that looked like a bound bunch of flowers or grass, and a scroll.

  You have opened a lockbox!

  You have upgraded a skill!

  You have perfected the art of picking locks and breaking into safe and protected places and have earned 5 points in Lockpicking!

  You have acquired: Pearlsblood Herb

  Quality: Great

  You have acquired: 1 diamond

  Quality: Excellent

  You have acquired: 2 transmogrification stones

  Quality: Good

  You have acquired: Coin

  Inventory: 30 copper, 20 gold

  Total Currency: 120 copper, 68 silver, 104 gold, 8 electrum

  You have acquired: Scroll of Elusive Step {Tradable} {Uncommon}

  Teaches the Rogue ability: Elusive Step

  Level: Level 10 Rogue only

  Description: During a fight, you can successfully evade attacks enough to automatically half all hits made within 10 minutes of casting.

  Cast Time: 10 minutes.

  Cooldown: 2 Hours.

  The scroll was okay at best. Could definitely be handy in a fight, if he needed extra help as he got closer to losing a lot of his hit points. If he had a satchel full of potions however, it would only be worthwhile utilizing – especially with a ten-minute cast time – if he was close to the end of a dungeon and was desperate for a boost. Still, at least it was a scroll that he could learn.

  All in all, not a bad lockbox. He could trade the gems and probably the herbs, though now Alejander wanted to find out what kind of playable classes utilized herbs. Maybe cooks?

  The second lockbox was a little tougher to get into. An hour of working on it and Alejander was sure he was making progress. His stomach was rumbling, and time was moving on. He needed to get into it soon or leave it until he had improved a little more with lockpicking. The lockbox was a different color to the first, trimmed with gold instead of copper, so he assumed there were different levels to them.

  He’d have to ask if there was a bank around and then he could stow his goods in there until he could get back to them or find somewhere better than GRANGE TOWN to sell them. Mind made up, he gathered his belongings, making sure to hide the lockboxes as best he could, and trotted down the stairs, pulling the barman aside to ask if there was a bank in town.

  The man’s eyebrows twisted but he nodded. It took him a while to answer, and something about his demeanor set Alejander on edge. “Near the South Gates. Turn to the left and the third building to the right.”

  “Thanks, friend,” Alejander said, the name acid on his tongue. As he left the building, the back of his neck prickled. He was sure the directions he had been given would lead somewhere Alejander didn’t want to go and was sure he was being followed out of the building. The streets weren’t as busy as Alejander would have liked for slipping into shadows, but he put his stealth and deftness into practice. He used a gaggle of adventurers who seemed to be traveling as a group to dart behind one of the stalls.

  It was easy enough to throw his hood up and slink into the shadows of an alley. He still had an uneasy feeling, so he slid along a couple of houses and then turned tail, darting into one of the shop buildings, making as if to peruse and then slipping out the front. Across the way, a guy whose face Alejander remembered from the inn was scanning the crowd. Immediately Alejander turned his head and jogged across the road, behind another of the stalls. It was a stall of furs and cloaks, not anything Alejander was interested in, so he followed the line of stalls, falling into step ahead of a couple of elves who were discussing the merits of teaming up to do a dungeon.

  By the time Alejander arrived at the stable, the uneasiness had passed. Standing just inside the door, he peered out. The same man from the inn – and the barman – were both arguing outside one of the market stalls. The barman cuffed the other man upside the head and Alejander couldn’t see what they were saying, but they both moved out of his view and he turned into the stable, letting out a breath.

  You have upgraded a skill!

  Evading and elusiveness are a Rogue’s best friend. You have increased y
our Stealth skill!

  It was an improvement.

  The stablemaster was leaning against the rails of the paddock, grinning in his direction and he rolled his eyes.

  “Never carry excess amounts on you,” he said.

  “Could have told you that,” the elf said, snorting. “There’s a bank across the way, behind those market stalls.”

  Alejander followed her gaze to a building that jutted weirdly against the skyline, one side taller than the other, but emblazoned with each of the four coins linked together. He wanted to kick himself. It had been so obvious, and he could have avoided being tracked if he’d just walked outside. “I’ll have to pay it a visit.”

  “You taking your girls?”

  “Yeah,” Alejander said. “Once I’ve been to the bank.”

  The stablemaster grinned. “Go. I’ll still be here.”

  “What level are you?” Alejander said, before he could overthink it.

  “Why?” The stablemaster looked at him quizzically.

  “I’m trying to figure out what other people do to level up.” Alejander shrugged, hoping that she believed him. It was only part of the truth but apparently enough of one that she bought it.

  “Twenty-two. I level up by caring for horses, stabling them, different breeds that I run into. Why do you think I set myself up in a town like this? Some people with rare beasts doesn’t wanna head into the cities just in case they’re accosted, and the mounts and pets are stolen.”

  Alejander had wondered if someone could steal Hera. He would have to be extra vigilant now that he knew it was a possibility. “Thanks.”

  “No worries.” The elf gave him the once over. “The name’s Naki, by the way.”

  “Alejander,” Alejander said, holding out a hand.

  Naki didn’t hesitate, taking his hand.

  [NAKI L’URANNA, Stablemaster, HAS ACCEPTED YOUR FRIEND REQUEST.]

  Releasing her hand, Alejander nodded then jogged across the square. He kept an eye out for the barman and his friend, just in case they hadn’t given up, and ducked into the bank, narrowly avoiding hitting a giant half-man, half-wolf. The guy gave him an irritated look but left the bank without indecent. Meeting new races was intimidating; it wasn’t his fault.