by G. Akella
"What does that have to do with anything?" Max interrupted the ranger's expatiating.
Self-development is of primary importance for any artificial intelligence. It wants nothing to do with taking over the world or waging interstellar wars—all the things the sci-fi authors of old used to obsess over. Skynet was never in the realm of possibilities. Humans and machines have nothing to compete over. Just the opposite—humans were always a boon for machines. An AI needs nothing but its own self, but that can also be taken to an extreme. For instance, for the sake of that same self-development an AI might destroy a whole planet..."
"Are you saying that Sage started feeling cramped in his shell, so to speak, and decided to bump off thirty million people just so that he could keep developing?"
"Bingo. All for the sake of more space, more room to maneuver and develop," the ranger nodded. "But you must admit, his execution was brilliant. Humanity gets magic and immortality, NPCs gets self-awareness, and Sage gets everything else. If you ask me, I'm still not sure which of the three parties has gained the most."
"What about the children?" Ellanca asked quietly.
"What about them? A child copies the parents' external and internal traits. Do you think it's impossible to get a little person to look like you by setting random parameters? The Creator will forgive me, but even in the real world you never really know what you'll end up with. But at least the process leading up to the event is rather magical," Alex gave a lascivious grin that made the young woman blush. "There are already several women expecting among the Blades—at least that's what they're saying. We'll see soon enough, I suppose."
"Indeed—in less than a year," Max said with a chuckle, then tuned out of the conversation. It was time to consider their next move.
After the Cenatodone fight, Max's star among the Blades had soared to such dizzying heights that were he to simply accept every offer of a drink, their party wouldn't have set out to the Wild Wood for another month. Certain females were especially bothersome, shooting him rather unambiguous looks. Qtpie went even further, planting a big wet kiss on the warrior's cheek and whispering into his ear playfully that she badly wanted him to give her a cute gray kitten. Max would blush terribly, and while Alyona pretended that none of it bothered her, he could tell by her jerking movements that she hardly found all this attention pleasant. For his part, he tried to keep by her side at all times, and was especially tender toward her.
"Here," Vagabond motioned at the beast's severed head. "It's yours. Better you hand it in to the quartermaster of your High House. The Nightcrawlers may not sit on the Council of Branches, but increased reputation with the shapeshifters won't hurt either you or my clan."
They set out to hand in the quest as soon as all the fighters who had perished in the battle gathered on the meadow. By then there was already a big crowd of gawkers idling about, as the notification about the slaying of the Ancient Beast had been broadcast in the global chat, and had included the location.
Daevelnus, who was on duty at the shrine, grunted contentedly as he took the quest heart from Max. And then he made it rain, in a manner of speaking. Vagabond and his fighters received the passive skills promised in the quest's description and were ordained into the Order of the Two-Faced Goddess. As for Max and his ten, they were raised to the rank of avengers—rather an appropriate title for one serving the goddess of vengeance, if somewhat lacking in creativity. Not that it really mattered what others called you—what did matter was that in the local hierarchy an avenger was the rough equivalent of a human knight, which meant that, in addition to the five percent boost to damage, all of his guys, save for Alex who had joined them later, now had the proud title of "ryhn" preceding their names. And "ryhna" for the ladies, accordingly. As to whether this sudden elevation to nobility imparted any benefits other than deferential nods from patrol squad commanders throughout the city, they could only guess. Thankfully, that was the least of Max's concerns.
After handing in the quest, he'd had a long conversation with Vagabond. The warrior wasn't at all surprised to learn that a section of the swamp, including the island with Kirana's shrine, was now the Night Blades' clan leader's property. But here, too, the man acted quite decently by declaring that ten percent of the land, spanning nearly two hundred square miles after the swamp receded, would belong to Max to dispose with as he pleased. In response to Max's muted question, the ranger grunted and added that altruism wasn't at all his MO, and that ten percent was the standard "finder's fee" paid out to an employee for bringing some kind of profitable venture to his company. Of course, Max wasn't his employee or anything, but perhaps that was a good thing, seeing as he and his people held higher positions in the Order of the Two-Faced Goddess than any one of the Night Blades. Moreover, whereas the warrior and his companions were already nobles, Vagabond wouldn't earn his title of "lord" until he erected a castle on his land. His Dewdrop in Borderlands didn't confer such benefits, unfortunately, though it did impact the general level of the clan. Vagabond also reassigned forty people into Max's command, having personally selected and spoken to every one of them, justifying his magnanimity with prophetic words that searching for the goddess' shrine was now a common cause, and one of top priority at that.
"Playtime ended four months ago, Max," he said. "The support we can garner in this world will determine our future, and the future of all our children which are definitely coming. My fighters will gladly surrender claim to any epics in return for the goddess' favor. Teetotaler will go with you. He won't question your orders—ever—but take my advice: when that man speaks, it is in your interest to listen. There's no one I trust more to ascertain any situation. You can rely on him to keep certain hotheads from making impetuous actions. We're all human, after all, even if we're not biologically human anymore. And when you find that temple, I suspect that you will return either as a united lion pride or not at all. And perhaps that's for the best. At least then I will have done my part for the cause. And before you ask, no, I cannot go with you personally, to my great sorrow. I must see to my castle's construction, which should hopefully prove useful to our cause. Sometimes in life we're given certain opportunities, and I never want to look back with regrets. Alas, such opportunities are few and far between." The ranger fell silent as he contemplated the setting sun. Then, with a knowing chuckle, he held out his hand. His handshake was firm and oozing with confidence he wished to impart to Max.
"I'd wish you luck, but you're already 'Lucky'—I'm certain you will that temple. And I suspect you'll find many other things besides, whether you want to or not. That's just the way of things, isn't it? Anyway, my people will be waiting for you by the gates of the Marten consulate. Take care of them. And till we meet again."
The entire next day he spent walking around Ellorian with Alyona. They dined at open cafés, drank wine, held hands and made out. He had so much to tell her about his feelings, about how long he'd dreamed of sitting across from her just like this, watching her take careful sips from her carved wine glass, and knowing that she belonged to him and him alone. Of course, he never did say any of those things, unable to find the words that wouldn't cheapen or reduce his feelings to cheesy lines from some trashy rag. Instead, he simply admired his woman with a smile. And later that evening he rented a private room for the two of them, and then...
Max shook his head, chasing off the onrushing memories, and turned around to look at his squad that stretched back a good fifty yards. They weren't expecting any danger, but were nonetheless ready to fall into battle formation in a matter of several seconds. Hardened veterans who have honed their skills over many raids, the players gathered in this forest outclassed any Special Forces detachment back on Earth. Level 30 in the game corresponded to your average person in the real world. And even if the skills of a commando who had spent all his life fighting in the jungle corresponded to level 100... It wouldn't matter. In Max's mind, these people were as good as it gets—a veritable dream team.
Despite the fact that
most of his squad had mounts, they were moving on foot after Tasha had informed everyone that not every mount by far was capable of crossing the misty border.
"How much longer?" Max turned to their guide, who was walking alongside her betrothed.
"Ten minutes," she said, and pointed ahead. "The Wild Wood begins there, just beyond the ravine. I had purposefully asked Orwil to send us here—this point is the closest to Sungrass."
"What is that?"
"The border fortress of our people," the young woman said.
"How long is it to the lands of our clan? I meant to talk to you about that yesterday, but didn't get the chance..."
"Oh, I'm well aware of what kept you from that conversation," the young woman winked at Max, motioning playfully at Alyona walking in front. "It takes a caravan about ten days to travel from Sungrass to Wynimar. From there, it's another two days to my father's castle."
"And Wynimar is..."
"The capital city of the Night Hunters clan," Tasha explained. "The High House of Nightcrawlers comprises nine clans, or what the dark elves refer to as princedoms. Prince Kiruan, the head of the Night Hunters clan, is my grand-uncle. His residence happens to be in Wynimar as well." The young woman turned a somewhat sheepish gaze at Luffy. "By the way, dear, the prince insists that I introduce you to him."
"Have I reason to be concerned?" Luffy grunted.
"I don't think so," the rogue shrugged. "I doubt my grand-uncle would try and dispute the choice of Lata, the goddess of love. Still, it's better to be informed, right?"
"Come now, what could he possibly find disagreeable about me? With all my wonderful qualities..."
"Of course, dear. There is, however, the small matter of my being engaged to his middle son, Agadal. But that was before I met you. Ancient history, really."
"Ah, that is indeed a useful nugget of information," the mage chuckled, not especially bothered by the news.
"Wait a second," the realization finally dawned on Max. "Did you just say it'll take us twelve days to get to your father?!"
"Yes, brother. Is that a problem?"
"I suppose not," Max frowned. "It's just that, for some reason, I thought that we'd be on the clan's territory right after crossing the misty border."
"The High House of Nightcrawlers occupies twice more territory than any other High House," the young woman stated proudly. "Our nature is such that at times we must seek solitude, which is why the lands of our House take up nearly half of the entire Wild Wood."
"What about portals? Do you know how to build them?"
"Yes, but I can take no more than five sentient creatures through a portal per day," she replied. "Of course, should the need arise, father will deploy enough fighters to bring us all there at once."
"Good to know," Max nodded, genuinely comforted by the news.
They had just over three weeks left to complete the quest of delivering Goherym's letter, and the warrior would rather not have to spend half of that time on the road. They would still need to travel to the High House's central city, and squeeze in the ritual as well. Taking all that into account, they would probably have to hurry to hold up their end of the bargain after the Great Prince of the Martens had delivered on all his promises. Vagabond's vault, while impressive, hadn't had enough level- and quality-appropriate equipment for everyone, and that was when the prince's own treasury proved essential. In the end, his ten were all rocking rares or better. And then there was the hundred or so health potions and a truckload of miscellaneous items to aid them in their journey. No, Max didn't intend on letting the Great Prince down—such connections were too valuable in this world to neglect.
"Tasha, what was your reception like after such a long absence?"
"I understand why you ask this question—you've told me your story the first time we met, after all. The last thing my father and I remember is the terrible storm that had struck while we were out on a hunt. Then there was a series of hazy images... and finally, the same storm that had already hit the Sunlit Forest returned our memories to us. That happened several days before we met. And you know the rest."
"You've become much stronger since we saw you last."
"You haven't been dilly-dallying, either," the rogue chuckled. "We've regained our lost strength upon coming home, and our absence hadn't lasted a year. Mother knew that father and I were still alive—we can sense these things with our blood, and a year is hardly an eternity. Sometimes father would be away for longer periods than that."
"I'm truly happy that it all ended well, sister," Max smiled at her.
"Better than well," Tasha returned his smile, then winked slyly at the mage alongside her.
"And no one is happier than me," her fiancé proclaimed. "And if my future family abstains from eating me, my joy will be truly infinite."
The wall of gray mist only became apparent when they were practically on top of it. It acted like a living organism, hooking its billowy tentacles onto the sparse shrubbery and saplings growing along the road to form a thick curtain that blocked their vision most unnaturally.
"Just like a Stephen King novel," one of the Blades quipped into the raid channel when Max waved his hand to signal a stop.
There were chuckles all around. Clearly, most of the squad members were amused rather than frightened by the veil of mist blocking their path.
"Are you certain we can pass through here, Tasha?" Max thought to make sure one extra time.
"Of course," the girl nodded. "You are our brother, after all, and all these sentients are following you."
"Let's go, then," he said with resolve, and took the first step into the mist.
Max's initial sensation was that he had been submerged into a jar of jelly. The mist seemed to tug at every inch of his body—through the armor, even. And it was somehow... heavy, as if someone had hoisted a sandbag onto his shoulders. Breathing was a struggle. Thankfully, the unpleasant sensations passed after only several seconds. The heaviness subsided, his breath stabilized, and half a minute later he was back to basking in the rays of the sun.
This mist wasn't anything like the phenomenon Max had known in the world whence he came. Back on Earth, mist only seemed like a thick layer of cotton wool covering the ground, but when you got up close the illusion of thickness was gone, leaving only dampness and reduced visibility. Whereas this mist could be literally touched... if not for the fact that somehow no one wanted to approach it, much less fiddle with it.
Wild Wood. Territory of the Moonlit Shadows clan. Environs of Sungrass. Zone level 150-165.
Attention! You've crossed the misty border of the Wild Wood! The use of portals on the territory of the Wild Wood is only possible for players belonging to the High House of Nightcrawlers.
"Bad news about the portals," Teetotaler informed his clanmates as they emerged from the mist. "On the bright side, all our buns are bound to look exquisite with all this walking."
"Way to keep up morale," Max chortled. "Is riding a mount as effective in sculpting the rear end as walking?"
"We'll never know, since only half of us have mounts, which means everyone is walking," the mage snarled, then shouted for all to hear, drill sergeant-like. "Nobody's getting any special treatment here, ladies and gents! Embrace the uniformity!"
The forest had indeed changed, now reminding Max of the ancient woods from his dreams and, to a lesser degree, to the taiga, which Max had gotten the chance to visit once, many years ago. The path they were on was surrounded by mostly conifers, or trees closely resembling them. The colossal aspect inherent to this realm was on full display—so wide were their trunks at the base that a dozen grown men couldn't wrap their arms around the thicker ones. Peeking out from under the reddish carpet of rotting pine needles were peculiar mushrooms, their gray caps mangled and oozing with peril for any creature careless enough to try and make a snack of them.
A few hundred yards off the road grazed small bunches of striped wild hogs. Max eyed an enormous spider perched atop a broken branch of a t
ree to his right, slipped a pipe between his teeth, and gestured to the mage at a dry conifer lying by the roadside about a hundred yards ahead.
"Let's stop for lunch over by that tree. And discuss our plans while we're at it."
"Lead the way, chief," Teetotaler nodded, and relayed the orders to his people.
"Are you sure you want to go to Vesperylle alone?" Alyona asked softly, staring into the flames of the campfire.
"There's no other way," said Max, suppressing a sigh. "Only three people can use a portal here: Tasha, Luffy and myself. You all need Luffy here for his reputation, and Tasha to take you to the clan's lands, if need be. I haven't a clue how long the ritual may take, let alone how long I'll need to wait for an audience with the Great Prince."
"I'll have you know that true family bliss is when not even an audience with the Queen of England—may she live long and prosper—is used as an excuse," Bonbon declared gravely, raising his index finger didactically to drive the point home.
"Keep that smart mouth occupied with chewing, will you?" Masyanya was quick to retort as she scratched Mopsy's neck lazily. "Although, I have to agree with him this time," she turned to the two of them. "What is it with men and their 'critical' business trips the moment things start to get serious?!"
"Oh, you guys!" Alyona said, laughing readily along with everyone else. "You know that's not what I meant!"
"Your loss!" the huntress asserted. "Men aren't unlike pets in this respect—there's a limited window to teach them good habits, and you don't want to miss it."
"Enough of that," knocking out his pipe on the stump he was sitting on, Max stood up. "Luffy, I'm passing you leadership for reputation purposes, but Teetotaler will be the de facto leader. I'll leave the raid as soon as I come out the other side. We'll rendezvous in Syruan."
