by Paul Kite
Only two years ago, Livion had settled in the Free Lands. But this wasn’t enough. The revenge plan demanded that it be executed. So he got along with Anax–a bounty hunter– named Arthur in the real world. Or a player killer, as he and others like him proudly call themselves. You can't really kill anybody in the game, but you can turn a player's life into a kind of hell, only without pain, and the administration can't do anything about it, it’s part of the game, they have nothing to do with it. So, many couldn’t stand it and deleted their character, preferring to change their name, race and play again in another territory.
Yes, something else, besides a race, a mark and NPCs’ hatred distinguished prisoners from free players. Pain! One hundred percent sensation! Oh yeah. Moreover, the pain is always with them. This is the prisoners’ punishment. From time to time, someone is burnt from the inside, someone is frozen with a terrible cold, if a race’s representative deals with magic. Some, for example werewolves, feel all the changes of the body when they turn into another form, as if this were happening to them in reality.
As for the ravan–he was dying, but he couldn’t die, and he felt all the delights of this state. How would you feel if your heart periodically stopped and then beat again? Or other organs slowly refused to work? And the problem with breathing? Have you ever choked because your lungs had rotted completely and couldn’t work anymore? Oh, what pleasure Livion would feel if he could stick the man who’d invented this race into his body, at least for a week. And these attacks could be stopped only by completely healing, not only restoring all the character’s characteristics and reviving him, but also removing almost all the debuffs. Do I have to say that none of the NPC-warders in the prison bothered to help the prisoners? And the overseers, the only real people who appeared in ‘Collapse’ once a month, didn’t care at all.
Once he was free, it became a little easier–he collected money, bought the spell and waited for the pain attack, a kind of debuff–the divine curse, as the game system would describe it at that moment. If he managed to activate it, he was able to live peacefully until the next attack. But the price of such a spell, which was sold only in scrolls and was called ‘Reincarnation,’ was simply unfathomable. Therefore, prisoners needed money as much as a man who’d lost his way in the desert needed water.
Arthur was the only thread leading to reality and helping to implement the plan. Now there was also Kiera, the Duchess of Scanura's daughter, who could also be used for his purposes. But how? Livion hadn't decided yet, but he promised himself he’d think about it.
First of all, he should find Kraven, as per the agreement. He already knew where to start. He had many connections in the shadow guilds of the NPCs. Kiera had asked him not to involve the players. And the shadow Guild was good for this, since their members didn’t ask any questions, except for the question of payment.
Chapter 9
N o reference to the point of rebirth was detected. Searching of the nearest point of rebirth... Free Land, Alatkhdor, Central Square. The revival of the character will be done in five-four-three...
Error! It is possible to change the point of rebirth in connection with obtaining a class ‘Shadow.’
The class Shadow class is unavailable to players. The main race is Dark elves (drow), permissible races are Light elves and Dawn elves (sinrims).
The character has access to the area and buildings of the Drow Guild ‘Elghinn Dal Veldrin’, to the temple of Vegor, to the area and the buildings of "Han-Wial" (descendants of dawn elves and humans)and to the temple of Edenis.
Searching of the nearest point of rebirth... The Free Lands, Alatkhdor, Noar-Rahor, the temple of Vegor. The revival of the character will be done in five-four-three…
‘Why have you chosen the temple of Vegor? No! I want the first option!’ I grimaced at my poor choice and I howled mentally, but the system was relentless. Who are the dawn elves and Edenis? What was it all about?
At that point of course, I was relentlessly sucked into an endless void…
I finally felt the ground under my feet and before I opened my eyes, I touched my neck with some hope, but alas, the collar was still on me. Well, I had to look around and check my surroundings, might as well get on with it.
It was a dark, dimly lit room with tall columns, and a ceiling so high up that it was not visible. The system has chosen a good place for rebirth, well, as good as any for a slave. I found myself in front of the steps in the form of a low pyramid, a statue[D1] of a warrior was standing on top of it. The man was holding a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. Both weapons were aimed up and gave off a strange dim red light. However, as I could guess that it was the god Vegor. Was it a hint? Vegor's recently helped me with getting skills, having temporarily removed the influence of the collar. What should I do now? Should I make a sacrifice?
Suddenly, a heavy oppressive roar went echoing down the room and the weapon in Vegor's hands lit up even brighter.
I realized he didn't want any victims! Acting intuitively, I got down on one knee, slightly bowed my head and mentally said the simplest prayer that I was able to remember—in general, it was a usual human thanks expressed from the heart. A soft approving hum sounded like the consent of God and... I didn't know if it seemed to me or not, but his eyes blazed red for a moment.
However, since when have the gods of the game—in fact they were NPCs under the control of AI—learned to read thoughts? And most importantly, no system messages or something like that appeared in front of me either. It all looked as if it was not a game, but a real world. Yeah, it was too real. I had to go through many trials in the world of Noria, and happily accepted my death. But considering the fact that I was reborn on the territory of the training center, I knew that drows would find me very soon and would return me straight back to Hontar.
A rustle of footsteps resounded in the distance. Someone apparently decided to visit the temple, and I was standing in plain sight. Trying to make as few sounds as possible, I began to look for shelter. But there were no secluded places in the big round room except the columns and the statue. I found the entrance to the temple, but did not dare to explore it, as the sounds of footsteps were coming from there, and they were approaching and it sounded like they were getting closer. If the entrance was leading to a straight corridor, I would reveal myself at the same time. So, I decided that the best choice would be to stand behind one of the columns near the entrance. And if they didn't notice me, I could possibly slip out of the temple and then I would hide in the area. There was a network of underground tunnels under the whole territory of Noar-Rahor that I had read about in the wiki. I would try to play hide and seek, at least, I could take a chance. I had no other choice really, because if I stayed in the temple, sooner or later someone would find me; or at worst, the Shadow Master would guess to activate the collar, the functions of which were wide and unpredictable. Maybe there was some magical tracking beacon, I didn't know.
I heard the person coming near and one drow slowly walked past me, he was wearing one of the garments of Shadows.
Great, he didn't notice me! I was glad, but was not in a hurry to escape in the corridor, I was alarmed and curious about the reasons he came here.
The dark elf stopped at the statue of Vegor and spoke as if addressing the God. I couldn't understand his words, but I've noticed rather a strange reaction of Vegor, after the drow's short speech. The sword lit up brightly, the God's arm moved and he pointed the blade exactly in my direction. Thank you very much, the patron of dark elves! I couldn't resist the sarcasm.
The drow reacted instantaneously. He disappeared into shadows and, suddenly, I was torn from the floor. The elf was holding me tight, not letting to move. I didn't really have time to frighten, it all happened too fast.
“Kraven!” the drow hissed in astonishment with a very familiar voice. “I've been looking for you!”
Phew, it was Master Zorkhan! I could breathe out and calm down, Thank Vegor. But why did he need me and what waited for me
next? It would be nice to hear the whole damn story! No wonder Hontar had been trying so hard to find out who I was, suspecting Master Zorkhan in strange motives.
“Do not be afraid, I am not Hontar. I am not going to torture or kill you. Especially, the latter is useless, isn't it, immortal?’ The dark elf grinned. “And I think you would really like to hear what all this was about?” The drow asked, as if reading my thoughts.
“Yes Sir! Because I understand absolutely nothing,” I agreed. “Can I maybe get back to my place with you in the compound?” I promise not to try to escape,” I looked at the exit.
“Okay,” Zorkhan put me on the floor. “I have come to understand that the Gods endowed you with our skills and capabilities. Did you become the Shadow? Otherwise, you simply would not have been able to get into this temple.”
“Yes, master,” I nodded. “But you seem to want to tell me something?”
“Of course! Just let's sit down,” he gestured at the steps near the statue. “The conversation is long.”
Isn't this statue alive? The hand again began to hold the sword strictly upward, and on the warrior's face a contented joyful smirk appeared, although it hadn’t been there before, as far as I remembered. I kneeled fearfully and bowed respectfully at Vegor’s feet and Zorkhan sat beside me.
“Don't pay attention to him,” the drow said. “Our patron is quite an interesting creature. Alive statues in each temple is only one of his eccentricities. Sometimes I think that this is the most normal and sociable of all the Gods of our world.”
Well, what a statement! Does he know many Gods?
“However, let’s speak about the Gods some other day. Let's start with you. You are no less interesting than they are.” The drow took a deep breath and began to tell his tale. “Kraven. The first thing you need to know is that you are a descendant of the Han-Wial family, half-breeds from two races—humans and dawn elves—also called sinrims.
So, that's what was discussed in the system message before my revival, and Edenis is the God of sinrims then.
“However, this is not so important, though you are the only one of their distant descendants we managed to find over the past several centuries. I will try in brief, without long and tedious explanations and offshoots, to tell you how and why sinrims and their half-breeds disappeared. It all started with the war. The brutal bloody war of three elvish races. It does not matter who started it as it is a long and complicated story on its own merit. The main thing is that by the end of this war we united with the light elves and expelled the sinrims from our lands and then from their own, which everyone now calls The Free Lands. The remains of the dawn elves hid in the vast territory behind a narrow isthmus in the Ilian ridge, on one side of which there was the dwarven realm, on the other—the orcs’ wasteland. None of the races had ever set foot on that spit of land—the dreadful dead land, cursed many and many thousands of years ago by the war of unknown powers, ancient like the world’s creatures. Our leaders also did not want to take risks and pursue them further, realizing that the sinrims had already condemned themselves to death. They only ordered to build fences and put numerous guards there. Soon, a small settlement grew up in that place. Both we and the light elves together guarded the entrance to the cursed lands, but in a month or even a year not one of the sinrims tried to leave that place. Ten years passed. One of the light rulers even dared to send scouts there, but they never returned, their fate is still unknown. However, I suppose that they were killed by sinrims, but, maybe, I’ll tell you about it later. So! We built a stone wall, completely blocking the passage through the Ilian ridge, and left a small squad in the settlement. It was to be replaced after half a month. But when a new squad arrived at the settlement, they found no one there. The settlement was destroyed and burned to the ground, there were no corpses. And instead of the wall, closing the isthmus, there were high and steep mountains and rocks. Moreover, the Damned Land is closed by an unknown magical barrier that cannot be destroyed neither by our magicians, nor by simple weapons. No one could understand how they had been able to create it. The barrier looks like a sphere—it covers the whole ridge not only from above, but from below—we found it out thanks to the dwarves. The height and the depth of the barrier are thousands of steps up and down. We tried to get there by water, by the best orcs’ ships—we agreed with one of their clans—but failed yet again. The barrier seized a vast territory beyond the water continuation of the Iliana ridge. Near the barrir there was a variety of horrible monsters that could very quickly destroy any vessel that dared to swim in their waters, soon these beasts appeared on land too. It’s good that they don’t go far from the barrier, otherwise a dozen of such creatures would easily destroy any city, and even for the most powerful magicians to cope with them is still a problem. For going on six hundred years not only we, but also other Norian races have been studying the magic barrier, sending small reconnaissance groups to the Ilian ridge, to which the monsters hardly pay attention. After all, we all are afraid that the sinrims may return. And if they created such monsters just to protect the Damned Lands, then it’s even more scary to imagine what they could create during the centuries of their imprisonment. But finally, one of the Archmagicians, a devotee of our guild, solved the riddle of this barrier and made a spell to open a passage there for a short period of time. Within days of discovering the spell, you popped up—a descendant of the half-breeds of sinrims and our people—the main condition for opening the passage in the barrier was found to be a dawn elf’s blood.
“I hope not all,” I tried to joke, listening carefully and remembering all that Zorkhan told me.
I didn't remember such details from the History of Noria. Once I'd come across a fleeting mention of dawn elves as a long-extinct race that was completely exterminated during some war. But it was the game, the writers came up with a lot of legends and mystery, their job of course was to disturbe and entrance the players' minds. Those lands, that Zorkhan called cursed and protected by the barrier, were the usual closed areas prepared for future introduction in the global gaming scenario. There were no living beings, but buildings, artifacts of a certain race and other things were in abundance. Some creatures of the transcendent level existed on the border, they were created to prevent players from entering the areas before it was ready. It was done in case a player managed to crack the protection and penetrate into the closed area. However, it was very unlikely because the artificial intelligence watched the border carefully as part of its duty.
Well, now some NPC told such details about the game's script, which the writers have never planned to compose. Has one of the highest AIs decided to change the World of Noria? Has it acted without notifying the administration of the game and the ‘Life’ Company? The situation was becoming more and more complicated and surprising by the day, good times!
“Of course, not all,” the drow said in surprise, he seemed to take my joke seriously. “A small drop of blood is enough and we need your personal presence at the barrier.”
“Then let's solve this quickly! I don't mind,” I shrugged. “Where's your magician? Gather a group and we will get it done; and then I'm free, okay? I'm sick and tired of this damn collar.”
“Not so fast, Kraven,” Master of Shadows stopped me. “The problem is that our Archmage, Lsaeros, is locked in a monastery in Ardal, which is located in the mountains on Harith-Hodor island. If you do not know, Ardal is not just a monastery, there is a prison under it in the thickness of the mountains. I don't know how Lsaeros's revealed himself, but the fact remains. He's locked up in a monastery without his magic and it's unlikely he'll ever be released. No one but he knows the secret to opening a passage in the barrier.
“Then free Lsaeros!”
“That's impossible!” Zorkhan grimaced. “We can't get to the island! It happened that, after one of the wars between us and your people, Harith-Hodor was annexed to the territory belonging to the Kingdom of Nazhar. Soon after those events, a contract was concluded before the face of all the God
s of Noria. From then, it is forbidden to any race to violate the border of two specific locations without the permission of the Rulers themselves. The dark elves have unconditionally accepted the decision to close Liar-Rahor—the main monastery of the Guild of Shadows, its Sovereign was a secret ruler of Dark Forest, but the king of Nazhar surprised everyone, having secured an unnecessary, as we all thought, island, but not the capital. And only after that we've learned that a monastery was created there. Monks began to learn there how to fight with any warrior or magician, and a little bit later a prison was built there, from which it was impossible to escape.”
“Can't you negotiate?” I asked, having noted for myself that the new details were only partly spelled out in the history of the world of Noria.
“How do you imagine this, Immortal? Will our representative come to the king of Nazhar and ask permission to visit the Archmage Lsaeros to learn the spell to open a gap in the barrier of the Ilian ridge?” Zorkhan lost his patience. “Do you have any idea what knowledge is hidden in the Cursed lands? If we find out something, our race will become superior to the rest. What will happen if people find out the same thing? We are not going to attack anyone, our goal is to protect our own sovereignty. But the Kingdom of Nazhar? People are always eager to fight, capture new territory and to carry the contention to the masses. Where will they go after they take Gavrel with all its territory and inhabitants? To us? To light elves? Oh, no! No one will penetrate through the barrier except drows! And Immortals will not change anything!”
