by A. M. Sohma
A short female fae was going from player to player, panhandling for cash. “Can you give me money? I’m so poor and broke.”
A dwarf player waved her off, but the fae was not dissuaded. “Someone give me money!”
She paused near a couple—a male human and a female dryad whose skin had a faint blue sheen to it. “Hi, would you give me money, plz?”
The couple ignored her and blew kisses to each other from across the table.
The fae moved in closer to them. “Hey. Hey!”
The dryad giggled at her boyfriend, then winked at him. He smiled at her like a sap. Obviously, they were too wrapped up in each other to acknowledge the demanding fae player.
Kit heard a warrior by the fire sigh and the smack of the dryad’s lips as she blew her beau another kiss. Though she wanted to roll her eyes, she kept her expression bland. I need to practice using my elf traits more. It seems like whenever I could really use the positive physical attributes an elf possesses, my mind gets in the way and keeps me from optimizing them.
The fae gave up on the amorous couple and wandered in their party’s direction, stopping next to Riko. “Hi. Could you plz give me money? I’m poor, and I can’t use the teleportation gate.”
Riko glanced at the fae’s nameplate above her head. “You’re a level twenty-two hunter. Go kill something in the tunnels and make some money if you’re that strapped for funds.”
“But I need to get back to Luminos now,” the fae said.
“Then you better hurry,” Riko said.
The fae frowned at her, then shifted her attention to Prowl and Axel. “Hi. Give me money, plz.”
Axel eyed the pushy player and inched down the bench. Prowl draped himself over the table like a cat. “Nobody here is going to fall for your tricks. Get lost.”
“But I just started. I need help,” the fae said.
Prowl planted his chin on his fist. “You’re barking up the wrong tree: I’m playing with a bunch of players at a lower level than you.”
The fae stared at the party for several long moments—probably trying to sniff out the weakest of them. Her eyes skipped over Kit and Vic, then landed on Cookie. The night stalker bit her lip as she studied the fae—perilously close to breaking and giving in to her demand.
The fae smiled, then moved in for the kill…. Until Prowl picked her up by the back of her cloak. “That’s it. Beat it pipsqueak, or I’ll kill you right here.” He deposited her away from their table.
She screwed her face up. “I’ll report you as a player killer!”
Prowl smiled darkly and squatted down so he could lean into her face. “Do you really think a little thing like that would scare me?” He started to slide a dagger out of his belt.
The fae yipped and scurried away.
Prowl snorted and plopped back down on the bench.
“Thanks, Prowl,” Kit said.
He shrugged.
Axel scratched his head. “She was annoying, but was it really necessary to scare her like that?”
“It seemed a little brusque,” Gil added.
“It’s fine,” Kit said. “There’s a lot of players like her who go around asking for money. You have to be rude to get them to leave you alone, or they’ll add your name to their friends list and start pestering you for cash whenever you log on.”
Axel squinted but said nothing more.
Vic tapped her spoon on the rim of her plate. “Interesting. I never pegged you as a softy, Man-Bun.”
Axel scowled at the nickname but leaned back on the bench. “I just don’t like pushing around anyone smaller than me. It feels dishonorable or something.”
“Just pretend it’s like PVP,” Kit said.
“I don’t like PVP,” Axel said.
Vic snorted. “You, Mister-I’m-the-strongest-stand-behind-me-girls, you don’t like PVP?”
Axel glared at her. “Yeah, what of it?”
“PVP isn’t for everyone,” Riko acknowledged. “Many players are more interested in raids and killing difficult monsters than PVP.”
Axel pointed to Riko. “Yeah! What she said!”
Prowl shrugged and popped a mint leaf in his mouth. “You’re missing out, man. It’s pretty satisfying to sink a blade into an enemy’s back and win the game for your team.”
Axel sucked his neck into his shoulders. “I don’t like killing kids and women—even if it is just a game.”
“Are you sure you shouldn’t have signed up for the knight class?” Vic joked.
“I think it’s neat. It just shows he sticks by his values,” Cookie said.
Kit studied Axel with narrowed eyes. I think I’m starting to understand him: he values strength but doesn’t want to misuse it. He would never do well with a thief class. He seems overly honest and honorable, which an enemy could use to their advantage, though.
Axel caught her stare. “What?” he barked.
“Just thinking.” Kit smiled sweetly at him, though her thoughts were still clinical. It brings up an interesting thought…how can I use his quirks to the team’s advantage?
Kit, Riko, Prowl, and Axel cornered King Brasil in Brunascar’s library—a huge building that had shelves stacked with scrolls nearly as big as the dwarves themselves.
The king was squinting over a scroll spread out on a great wooden desk when they approached him.
“Why if it isn’t Mistress Riko, Master Prowl, and some of their friends. Please, sit with me.” King Brasil motioned for them to sit on the stools that lined the desk. “Take some refreshments if you like.”
Prowl eyed the square tea set that was set out. “You drink tea?”
King Brasil snorted. “My wife loves it—it’s a citrus blend from the east. I prefer ale and mead, but last time I tried to bring that here, the head librarian threw me out.”
“We thank you for your hospitality,” Riko said as she took a seat.
Axel sat as well, his legs bunched up ridiculously on the small stool as he took a square tea cup that sat comfortably in one hand. “Why am I here?” he whispered.
“Because we need to present a strong image,” Kit whispered back. “Dwarves respect strength.”
Axel looked from his flowery-scented tea to the small stools. “Then I think we chose the wrong place to make our move.”
Prowl half-grinned, then pulled his goggles down so they covered his eyes.
Kit caught Riko’s eye and nodded.
The druid took a breath and placed a professional smile on her lips. “King Brasil,” she said, drawing his attention from his tea. “We would like to discuss the legendary seals with you.”
“Ah, yes. I had forgotten the lot of you were after the legendary seals.” King Brasil wiped his mouth off on his arm.
“Yes. Would you grant us the great honor of giving us the dwarven seal?” Riko asked.
The dwarf king tapped his thick fingers on the scratched table surface. “I will…”
Kit’s heart leapt. She didn’t think it would be this easy! Dwarves have become my new favorite race in this entire game!
Unfortunately, King Brasil wasn’t finished. “But you will have to earn it.”
“Of course.” Riko kept her expression serene. “It would only be fair.”
Kit was not nearly so understanding. “What would you want us to do?”
“It is not so much that you will do something for me, as much as it is that you must display your courage,” he said.
Riko glanced at Prowl, cuing the Saboteur to make his move. He leaned forward and smiled wolfishly. “Cut to the chase, King. What do you want us to do?”
King Brasil laughed heartily. “I admire a lad who knows his mind! Very well. You can have the seal, but your test of courage will be retrieving it.”
A sneaking suspicion started to poke the back of Kit’s mind. “And where is the seal?” she asked.
“It is in a cavern that has long been abandoned by my people,” King Brasil said.
Prowl frowned. “You mean you lost it?”
/>
“Not precisely. It is more that we were…unexpectedly forced to abandon that location.”
“Why?” Kit asked, hoping it was only in some far-off area that had experienced a cave-in. That was better than the alternative.
“We were having some trouble,” King Brasil said, “with dragons.”
Kit forced her expression to stay bland. “Oh? Dragons, you say?”
“The seal is located in one of our smaller treasure chambers,” King Brasil said. “Unfortunately, some years ago, there was a dragon infestation in the White Needles mountains. While most of the dragons remain on the exterior of the mountains, a nest of dragons took over that particular treasure room.”
“Let me guess,” Prowl said. “The seal is located at the very back of that treasure room, behind all the dragons?”
“Yes, presuming none of the dragons ate it.” King Brasil said. “How did you know?”
Axel kept his mouth shut as he looked from his companions to King Brasil and sipped his tea with obvious discomfort.
Kit’s thoughts raced as she struggled to comprehend the immensity of the task they faced. Normally, fighting dragons would’ve been a blast. But fighting dragons with four severely under-leveled characters and no healer? We may as well strip off our armor and do the salsa through the chamber; we’ll get killed just as quickly if we don’t.
“That is not all,” the dwarvish king added.
“Ahaha—of course it’s not,” Kit said in her dead voice.
“We always have some guards posted to keep an eye on the dragons—for both safety reasons and in the hopes that one day we might be able to reclaim the treasure room. Recently, there have been some disturbing reports.”
“Disturbing in what way?” Riko asked respectfully.
“The guards claim to see shadows—not the regular ones caused by light, but thick tarry masses that move unnaturally.” King Brasil thoughtfully planted his chin on his fist. “It would seem you are not the only ones after the seals. Truth be told, it is why I am so willing to give it to you, for I would rather that heroes take possession of it instead of some force of darkness.”
“Do you think it is some mindless monster?” Axel asked almost hopefully as his hand strayed to the hilt of his sword.
He shook his head. “No. I believe it is one of Malignus’s minions.”
Kit stood and smiled at the King. “Thank you for your transparency in the situation. We will do our best to retrieve the seal, for we would also hate to see it fall into the hands of darkness. Before we leave for the chamber, can we take inventory of our stocks and purchase any necessary goods?”
“Of course!” King Brasil stood as well. “In fact, I shall outfit you as I would outfit my best warriors!”
Riko perked up and clasped her hands together. “Really? Free of charge?” She asked hopefully.
“Yes. Drust! Forget about that last scroll I asked you to find. Send for the armorsmiths instead!”
“What about the weaponsmiths?” Drust asked.
“Them, too!”
As Drust trundled down the library aisle, King Brasil walked after him. “Tell them it’s for our honored guests!” He bellowed.
Riko stood when the king did, then leaned against the desk with a happy sigh after he left. “There’s nothing better than free upgrades!”
“How are we going to break this to the rest of the party?” Kit asked.
“We? There is no we—that’s your responsibility, party leader,” Prowl snorted.
Axel had managed to maneuver himself so he looked fractionally more comfortable as he sat on the too-small stool and sipped tea from his square cup. “They’ll accept it. It’s not like we’ve got much of a choice. We’ll have to do it,” he said grimly.
Kit sighed. “Axel is right. There’s no other way to get out of the game without collecting the seals.”
The warrior blinked. “I wasn’t talking about that.”
“Then what did you mean?” Riko asked.
“The dragons. Taking them down will be hard, but there’s no better way to gauge our strength,” Axel said.
Prowl turned to Kit. “This is why you’ll have to be the one to tell everyone. Come on. They’re still eating, I think.”
Kit flicked her fans open—just to hear the reassuring sound. “Coming.”
10
Gearing Up
Kit cleared her throat as she once again sat down with her fellow party members in the feasting hall. “So…we have to fight dragons.”
Vic stood. “I’m out. There’s no way we can fight dragons.”
Cookie grabbed her friend by the shoulder and yanked her back into the chair. Vic glared at her, but she stilled when Gil gave her a reassuring smile.
“The seal is located in a treasure chamber that is guarded by dragons—and possibly haunted by one of Malignus’s minions.” Kit tapped her finger on the table—which looked like someone had once taken a pickaxe to it.
Vic gave Prowl an accusing look. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”
“Knew what?” the saboteur lazily asked.
“You knew we were going to face dragons!”
Prowl shrugged. “Not really, actually. While I completed this quest on my main, I worked on it at the same time as four other epic quests that also involved a lot of globe-trotting. I vaguely remember the different feats I had to accomplish, but I can’t clearly recall which events belonged with each quest.”
Vic pursed her lips.
“Fighting dragons isn’t the worst thing I did in Brunascar.” Prowl’s smile turned sly. “At one point, I also had to take a tumble over Tremblebach Falls. Would you rather do that?”
“Prowl, be an adult please and don’t bait the cuties,” Riko said.
Vic looked like she still wanted to rip into him, but Cookie—ever the peacemaker—intervened. “It’s not surprising that we’re facing a difficult task. Usually quest objectives are hidden behind difficult dungeons.”
“I don’t think the dragons are inherently the problem,” Gil said. “It seems our level is more what holds us back.”
Prowl nodded. “Exactly. Which brings up the idea—are we sure we want to do this without trying to grind out a few more levels?”
Riko frowned. “What do you mean?”
“We’re about to go face dragons,” Prowl said. “Unless you have a huge party, you’re not really supposed to attack them until you are at least level twenty-five. Riko and I might be above their level, but we can’t take the whole cave on with just the two of us.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Kit said. “Besides, if we die, it’s not that big of an issue. We just respawn, regroup, and try again.”
“We’ll lose experience,” Prowl said. “Every time we die, it eats one percent of our experience bar.”
“Yeah,” Axel echoed.
Kit waited until they were both looking at her. “I would rather sacrifice a little experience if it means we’re one step closer to getting out of this game. Retha is wild and fun, but we can’t play by the rules right now. This isn’t just about our characters but about our lives. Because if we don’t log off, and if EC can’t figure out a way to get the corrupted server fixed…” She trailed off.
“I will follow you, Miss Kit,” Gil said.
“Me, too,” Riko added.
Cookie opened her mouth, then hesitated and turned to Vic.
The wizard rolled her eyes. “Oh, all right. I’ve almost been killed by rabid wolves; I may as well become dragon fodder.”
“Prowl, Axel?” Riko asked.
Prowl sighed. “Of course, I’m in,” he said. “It’s just…I don’t want it to be like this. Chronicles of Retha is a game. It’s supposed to be an escape. Not a danger.”
“It can still be that,” Axel said. “If we think about the danger too much, it’ll drive us crazy.” He gave the party a wolfish grin. “So instead, think about how awesome it’s going to be to take on dragons!”
Vic groaned. “You are not
doing a great job at selling this.”
“I’m excited,” Cookie said. She stood and clapped her hands. “Come on guys! Let’s go fight some dragons!”
Riko laughed at Cookie’s exhilaration, Gil smiled, and Vic continued to berate her as the tension that had been cast over the party evaporated.
Kit allowed herself to relax and tried to banish the worry that clawed at her throat.
How much time do we have left? When will this gameplay become less a thing of preventative care, and more of our last chance?
“Kit, are you coming?” Cookie asked from the feasting hall doorway.
Kit shook herself from her thoughts. “Where are we going?”
“Riko said King Brasil called for the armorsmiths, and they want to take our measurements for new gear.”
Kit was at the door in an instant. “Then absolutely! With luck, the dwarves will have a much more suitable armor set for me!”
Kit was peering over her newly acquired “crystal candy” recipe and was almost run over when Cookie marched out of the makeshift dressing room they had created.
“Ta-da!” The night stalker posed with her hands on her hips and her chest puffed up. Her new armor set was even more sleek and dark, accented with patches of black fur and elaborately forged pieces of metal.
“It looks very warm,” Kit said.
“I like it! It’s soft, and the stats are much better than my starter outfit.” Cookie jerked her thumb to point over her shoulder. “The outfit the tailor picked out for you is on the bench.”
Kit eagerly flicked her screens away and slipped past the cloth curtain that marked off the dressing area from the rest of the weapon shop.
A small package wrapped with gunmetal gray fabric waited for her on the little wooden bench set in front of the full-length mirror. Kit hurriedly opened it and slipped into her new armor with high hopes.
Dwarves are a logical sort of people. I bet they won’t leave a huge patch bare on my belly…
Her hopes were dashed when she put on the last piece and turned to look in the mirror, flashing her bare mid-drift that still lacked any sort of armor.
