by Mason Roth
"Well, if this Great Rookstorm Rainforest, truly is a rainforest, the trees will be too dense for Cornelius to fly us directly to the hideout. And we don't even know where that is." Piper's eyes widened; she hadn't thought that far ahead. "So we'll have to navigate the forest, and then face whatever dungeon his daughter is in when we find it. What do ya'll think?"
Piper pondered for a moment. "I think it's worth taking. We've been striking out on other options, so I think, unless you guys want to rescue cats, we should take on this quest."
"Do you guys think we're leveled enough to take that on?" Ethan asked, worried.
"We did gain another level after defeating the drow," Jeremy reasoned.
Oh yeah, Piper had forgotten about that and still needed to allocate her new points and choose a special skill. But now wasn't the time for that. She doubted she was going to be attacked on the bright, bustling streets of Jordana. Figuring out this quest was the priority right now.
"I think we should take it." Jeremy said. "Time is of the essence." We need to get Ethan out of here and to a doctor."
Ethan looked down sadly. "With what, money?" He asked as he kicked at the ground not meeting his eyes.
Jeremy smiled. "All the money you're going to get from suing the Elysium institute and Key Media when we get out of here. You're going to be rich AND healthy." Jeremy assured him.
Ethan looked up and flashed his signature toothy smile. "Okay, let’s take it. Let's all escape together!" They turned back to Errol and grasped his hand in turn as they accepted his quest.
After agreeing to take the quest, the party split up to do some shopping and gather later. They agreed to meet up at the inn next to the aerodrome once they had concluded their business. The plan was to fly out at first light.
Piper's first goal was to trade in her pistols for a stronger upgrade. She roamed the street looking for a weapons shop. Despite passing many franchises of Smekton's Potions, she was having trouble finding what she was actually looking for. She passed shops with daggers and maces on display, but no pistols. Piper wondered if Janelle had seen these daggers; they were black with an amethyst inlay and gold trim. They were gorgeous and deadly. She pulled up the UI and saw that they dealt poison damage in addition to piercing damage. Piper made a mental note to tell her about those later before moving on to the next shop.
When she rounded the next corner, the shop caught her eye immediately. 'Flintlock and Friends', it was called, and had pistols of all types on display. Piper pushed open the door eagerly and went straight to the counter.
Behind the counter was a little old woman. She looked like she could have been at least 80 years old and age had shrunk her to about a child's size. Piper learnt that her name was Eleanor and greeted her warmly. She laid her starter weapons on the table and Eleanor looked them over, clucking her tongue.
"No, no." She said sagely. "These won't do for an adventurer like yourself. Barely worth two hundred GP and that's generous!" Piper was pretty sure that that wasn't the truth, but remembered their haul of riches and that money wasn't much of an object.
"Please ma'am," Piper began, batting her long eyelashes. "Show me what I need?"
“I have just the thing" Eleanor said before shuffling off to the back room. Piper waited patiently, eager to see what she would bring back.
"Here you go, deary." Piper startled, not seeing Eleanor return. She moved like a ghost. She had brought out an ornate wooden case with scrolling gold work at the corner and a metal latch.
"Open it, open it" Eleanor beckoned excitedly.
Piper followed her instructions and opened the box carefully. The pistols inside were stunning. The gold barrel seemed to shimmer even in the darkness of the shop and the handles were made of a warm red leather that almost matched the fabric of her pants. The gromits in the leather were the same gilded scrollwork from the box. She felt the weight of them in her hands. They were heavier than the ones she had at the star of the game but she liked that. With more weight came more power.
She pulled up the UI to analyze what they could do.
Leatherbound Pistols: Damage = 5 + Your Dexterity Score.
Five plus my highest stat? Piper thought excitedly.
"Yes please." She said aloud. "How much for the set, ma'am?" She asked.
"Three thousand gold pieces." Eleanor announced confidently. She seemed sure that Piper couldn't afford them so she generously offered her a deal. "Leave your pistols with me and I’ll make it twenty-five hundred."
Piper had to suppress a laugh. She had more than enough to pay for the pistols at full price, even without the trade in. Yet, she let Eleanor feel like she had won and pulled the wool over her eyes.
"Sold." Piper said shaking her hand excitedly. She took one last wistful look at her original pistols before slipping the leather-bound pistols into her holsters.
"Thanks guys," She whispered. "You got me out of some tough spots." I hope you serve your next owner well.
***
Piper was the first one back at the inn. She had a seat at the bar and pulled up her UI, it was time to allocate those trait points.
Level 4
EXP to next level: 2500
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 22
Intelligence: 16
Vitality: 16
Points not yet allocated: 10
The first thing that came to mind when she thought of where to put her points was Jeremy. She had seen him die twice now and both times it was either to protect her or as a consequence of a decision she had made. He only had one extra life left and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let him waste it on her. He had to save it for the Alpha. She decided most of her points needed to go into vitality. She needed to be able to take a hit for herself and possibly her friends if need be.
Level 4
EXP to next level: 2500
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 24
Intelligence: 16
Vitality: 22
Satisfied with that, she moved over to the Special Traits screen. Finally she could select a special trait. There were quite a few to choose from, but two caught her eye immediately.
True Sight: The ability to see the outlines of enemies through solid objects.
That one would be particularly good for sneaking up on others.
Healing Bullet: Shoot non-hostile player characters to restore 5 VP.
This one could be a game changer. With this, no one else would have to suffer any more in game deaths. Piper hesitated to choose it, however. She did have a healing potion in her bag and she wasn't the only one. Also, she knew Ethan had a healing spell as well. Maybe she should just take the ‘True Sight’ and move on. She could make herself useful and lead the party if she could see enemies behind walls.
But then again, she waffled. None of the healing abilities the party had worked at close range. Even Ethan had to lay hands on his sister to heal her.
That settled it for her. It was a difficult choice, but in the end she chose Healing Bullet and closed the UI.
Just as she was going to get up and head to the lounge where they were supposed to be meeting, Piper saw a familiar face at the other end of the bar, but she wasn't in her party.
It was the woman from the study with the heavy bangs and smoky eyes. Piper recognized her instantly even though now her hair was pulled back and she wore the clothes of some sort of acolyte. Piper watched her nervously for a moment before deciding to approach her. She was extremely beautiful and that intimidated Piper.
She slowly made her way to the barstool, one away from her.
"Excuse me..." Piper began shakily. "I don't know if you remember me, but I remember seeing you. At the study." The woman didn't look up from her drink.
"I'm Piper," She said softly. "It looks like you've been through a lot. How are you holding up?"
"Look, Piper." The woman said looking her in the eye. Her hazel eyes were shifting and piercing and Piper was mesmerized. "You're cute. But you're too naive." P
iper wondered why her heart fluttered when she called her cute. "It's a dog eat dog world out here in Rookstorm." She flicked a couple of gold coins on the table before getting up from her seat. "Be careful who you trust. There's others from the study that have been attacking people. And they just won't leave me alone. It's best you don't get involved with me." She finished with a wistful smile. Piper had so many questions but she needed to get the first one out of the way first.
"Wait," She called as the woman walked away. "What's your name?"
The woman chuckled and looked over her shoulder.
"I'm Violet. See you around, kid." And with that, she disappeared onto the streets of Jordana.
Chapter 12
Piper relayed her strange encounter to her team as soon as they met up together in the lounge.
"I was wondering about that." Jeremy said pensively.
"About what?" Piper asked.
"About when the player characters would start to turn on each other. It's human nature. Ever read Lord of the Flies?" He asked.
"Sure" she said, "In middle school. Is that some of your assigned reading?" She teased.
"Maybe." He answered with a chuckle. "But that doesn't change my point. People will turn and betray each other if they have an incentive. We just have to figure out what that incentive would be."
"Maybe they’re attacking for loot?" Piper guessed. She was having trouble wrapping her mind around this. She had a hard enough time attacking humanoid NPCs let alone player characters.
"No," Ethan said. "There'd be no need. Loot is pretty easy to acquire in this game. We cleaned up between Cornelius and the Castle of Druin. Plus, you saw all the side quests we passed over that were loot-based. It has to be something else." Piper couldn’t help but agree with the little prodigy’s logic. It had to be something else. Something that could actually help them escape the game.
“It’s EXP.” Janelle said quietly. “It has to be. Their study was never about finding each other in this open world. It’s always been about our interactions with one another. Who will we betray to get out of here?” They all looked at each other with renewed suspicion. While they all bonded in the Castle of Druin, they still barely knew each other. Would any of them act so desperately to escape? Maybe, if they were given the right push.
“The level of EXP gained from PVP battles would have to be insanely high. High enough, where these people would be willing to throw away their morality for the chance of a quicker escape.”
“Hey…” Piper realized something and horror was beginning to show on her face. “Candace never said outright, but there’s only one Verdante, right?” Looks of dread spread throughout the party. “Only the people who collect it first will be able to escape. This isn’t just about getting stronger. It’s a race between us and the other players.”
“The others, though.” Ethan said hopefully. “If they escape first, they’ll definitely send someone to rescue us, won’t they?” No one could meet his eye. Finally his sister tackled his difficult question.
“If someone is willing to kill someone else to get out of here, we can’t trust them to do the right thing once they’re out. It has to be us.”
“It has to be us.” They each repeated somberly. And with that sentiment, they left the inn and boarded the Gilded Animus.
When Piper told Cornelius to head to the Great Rookstorm Rainforest, he seemed worried.
"Are you sure you would not rather go back to the workshop and rest? I have work benches for you to upgrade your weapons and supplies to make potions."
"I believe we're all set for now," Replied Jeremy. "Time is, unfortunately, of the essence." Everyone nodded somberly. Cornelius nodded too, not quite sure he understood, but started the Gilded Animus with the same swirl of gnomish magic and the party was off.
During this shorter journey, they saw a different side of Rookstorm. Marshes and swamps proliferated in the land here and were punctuated with small trading posts rather than large glittering cities.
Piper took a seat next to Janelle along the journey as she watched out the window, mesmerized.
"I forgot to tell you while we were still in town, but I found some daggers that would have been perfect for you."
"You got them!" Piper squealed excitedly.
"You know my taste pretty well already," Janelle said with a smile. "Now let's see what you got." Piper handed her one of her leather-bound pistols.
"Now, this is nice." Janelle said, feeling the weight of it in her hand. "Not quite my style, but you go play cowboy with those bad guys." The two women shared a laugh in this bleak moment, admiring each other's doomsday hardware.
In the distance, they could see what Piper assumed was the Great Rookstorm Rainforest. It was a huge, dense canopy of trees with vines hanging down. They were flying pretty high, but it almost seemed like the tree tops were level with the airship. The forest was massive, probably the size of some smaller video game worlds. Piper didn't have much time to ponder that thought, because suddenly, the Gilded Animus shook violently. She and Janelle were flung from their seats. Piper looked around wildly, trying to figure out what was wrong. Suddenly, she was lifted and put upright by a strong arm. She looked up to see Jeremy nodding at her reassuringly. Piper reached down to pull Janelle up as well, and they sprinted to the helm.
"Cornelius! Talk to me. What's happening?" Jeremy said as calmly as he could manage.
"It would appear that we are under attack." Just as he said that, the ship shook again. Thankfully, that time wasn't as bad as the first and the party remained upright.
Ethan asked the questions on everyone's mind: "Who would be attacking us, and where are they?"
"I don't know who..." Cornelius replied, but I have a pretty good idea of where." He squinted through the windshield trying to discern the enemy through the clouds. "I think I have them." He announced, pulling a long lever on the control panel. "I see them." He said. "Crafty little bastards. You can barely see it there." He pointed into the clouds. "Their balloon is blue and white. It camouflages perfectly."
"Why didn't you do that?" Janelle asked with an eyebrow raised. "This black balloon couldn't be any more conspicuous."
"My family isn't known for subtlety." He replied flippantly. "You lot might want to hold on to something."
He shifted the lever and Piper felt something drop out from under where they were standing. He pulled another lever to his right and a large cannon ball shot from under them. It swirled with the same green as the gnomish magic that powered the Gilded Animus. It changed trajectories in the air and swerved to hit its target.
Piper heard a large crash as the cannonball collided with the opposing airship. Exposed, it no longer tried to conceal itself and flew closer to the Gilded Animus. The enemy airship was much larger than the Gilded Animus and of a more militaristic style. While the Gilded Animus was more of a cargo and passenger vessel, the opposing airship was definitely built for war. An actual naval warship was suspended from the balloon and had a bustling crew of human ruffians.
A pirate ship, Piper assumed. But perhaps one that didn't use to be. A military ship that was overtaken by pirates.
"Cornelius!" Janelle demanded. "Why aren't you firing?"
"Look at us and look at them." He said exasperatedly. "We only have self defense weapons. They have an arsenal." Piper examined the side of the warship. It was lined with rows and rows of canons.
"Well then, what can we do?" Piper asked. "We obviously can't battle them."
"We should land." Cornelius answered. "Lest we lose the Gilded Animus forever." Piper was about to agree with him when something on the ship caught her eye.
It was the woman from before. She was tied to the mast of the ship. And a man a held a blade to her neck. She couldn't tell what was being said, but she could tell the man was interrogating her. She took a closer look at the man. She had seen him before as well. It was one of the neckbeards from the study - the large one that brought his poor wife along. He held the knife to Viole
t's neck and drew blood.
"Hail them." Piper demanded.
"Are you crazy?" Jeremy snapped. "They obviously don't want to just talk."
"There's player characters on that ship." Piper explained. "See that woman tied to the mast?" She asked. "That's Violet, the girl I was telling you about." She pointed so that everyone could see. "And that man there, holding her hostage. She's from the study too. He's attacking player characters."
"What should we do?" Janelle asked with wide eyes that resembled her little brother.
"We have to try." Ethan answered. "If we abandon her, we're basically as bad as the PVP raiders. We have to do something."
"That's what I'm saying." Piper agreed. "Hail them so we can establish terms. We're bringing this fight to the ground.” Jeremy stayed silent. His eyes were cloudy and Piper could tell that he didn't approve. Her resolve was strong, however, and silence from Jeremy wasn't going to change her plans.
