“It sounds like this library might be a good place to start then,” Riley said. As soon as she finished speaking, a blue notification appeared in front of her.
Quest Update: Violent Vindication
You have traveled to Vaerwald and discovered that there is some evidence of a magical plague afflicting the children of the lower levels. There may be some connection between the plague and the Great Library. You will need to continue to follow the trail.
Difficulty: A
Success: Kill the cultists responsible for the death of Lily’s family.
Failure: Unknown
Reward: Unlock Vendetta’s special ability. Other rewards unknown.
“Perhaps,” Marie replied, as Riley swiped the notification away. The older woman looked at her closely as though considering something. Then she handed Lily’s bow over to Riley. “You will need this. Lily would have wanted you to have it. You have a similar fire in you.”
The woman hesitated for a moment, before continuing. “I also can’t help but think that this plague has some connection to the reemergence of dark mana. The way this sickness spreads…” she trailed off, her eyes on the children.
Marie glanced back up at Riley. “But this is merely the guess of an old woman so take it for what you will. If you need any assistance, you need only call on me. I may be the matron of an orphanage, but I have lived in the low streets most of my life. I know others here that are not afraid of the shadows or to take a stand against these cultists if they are responsible – especially if their own children are at risk.”
Riley returned her gaze. “Thank you,” she said. Her obsidian eyes turned to the unmoving children and watched their chests feebly rise and fall. “I promise you that I’ll find whoever is responsible for this, and, when I do, their time in this world will be short lived.”
Chapter 10 - Fated
After Riley left the orphanage, she received a short message from her group explaining that they were gathering at the fountain on level six. She immediately pulled up her group menu, intending to drop the party and continue the quest on her own. Yet, she hesitated. She might need these people. She had no idea what she would be looking for in the library and, if the city had been infiltrated, she might be up against an unknown number of cultists.
The bottom line was that she needed help.
With a sigh, Riley closed the menu and began the long march back to the fountain. This time she only had to stop three or four times to ask for directions. After her first attempt at navigating her way through the city earlier that day, it was nearly a record. In between marching from one bronze tube to another and flying through an erratic maze of metal tunnels, Riley received a chat invitation from Frank:
Frank: Hey, Riley. It’s been a day or two, and I still haven’t heard anything from Jason. Has he messaged you?
Riley: Nothing. This is strange for him. Have you tried calling his number or his aunt?
Frank: I tried both and no answer. I’m thinking about going over to his aunt’s house this weekend to see if he’s okay.
Riley frowned. She could feel an odd sensation settle in her stomach. For some reason, she couldn’t shake the thought that something was wrong. Hopefully, she was just leaping to the worst possible conclusion.
Riley: I think that’s a good idea. Let me know what you find, okay? Feel free to call me when you do get in touch with him.
Frank: Will do! Talk to you later.
Riley terminated the chat session and swiped away the screen in front of her. She might just be overreacting. Maybe Jason was dealing with an issue with his new school or his parents had come back into town. She hoped that was all it was.
Her morose thoughts followed her as she arrived at the fountain. Mages in multicolored robes walked through the square as enchanted animals raced through the air above the jets of water streaming from the fountain. Riley stood for a moment and stared at the water as it evolved into various creatures. It was mesmerizing to watch, and it made her feel slightly less anxious.
I can’t do anything about Jason right now. For all I know, he’s perfectly fine. I just need to focus on this quest and on how to convince the group to help me.
Riley approached a bench near the fountain. She wasn’t certain that this last goal was going to be easy. Emma seemed to hate her for whatever reason. Riley guessed that it had something to do with her own insecurities over Lucas. Ethan would probably go along with it since he seemed okay with doing anything that involved an “epic fight.” Lucas was hard to read. He seemed sympathetic, but she also felt like he was easily swayed by the other two.
“Hey there,” Ethan said, striding up to her. His large two-handed sword still swung from his back and his mail clinked gently as he walked.
“Hi, Ethan,” Riley replied. “How did the training go?”
The burly warrior grimaced. “I basically got physically beaten for a few hours. On the other hand, I gained a new ability, a few skill levels, and some stats. So, it was worth it?”
“The other two here yet?” he asked, his eyes closed as he rubbed at his temples.
“We’re here now,” Emma said in a haughty tone from behind them. She walked with a purposeful tread, Lucas in tow. Riley noticed that the air mage had a sullen expression plastered on his normally even-tempered face and he sulked behind Emma.
“Did you manage to get some new spells?” Ethan asked, not noticing the tension in the air between the two.
“One of us did,” Emma said, glancing at Lucas. “I learned a spell that increases a person’s damage for a time, a group healing spell, and an aura that weakens evil alignment creatures.” At this last part, Emma glared at Riley.
I get it. You don’t like me.
“Those all sound useful,” Riley replied diplomatically, trying to take the high road. This just earned a slight huff from Emma in response.
“What about you Lucas?” Ethan added. The mage had slumped down on a bench across from them and was staring dejectedly at something in his hand.
He snorted softly. “Nothing new. I didn’t have a high enough affinity for air magic, even after raising my character level. One of the Prefects told me to search for my inner happiness.”
“What does that even mean?” Ethan asked with a rumbling chuckle.
As Lucas stared at his hands, his brow furrowed in irritation. “Who knows? Of course, I tried to get him to explain, but he said I need to learn to live in the moment. Everyone in that stupid guild just sits around all day gambling and drinking. Is that supposed to be happiness?”
Riley was a bit puzzled as well. She knew that the magics were keyed to certain types of emotions or personality traits. For example, dark magic fed off desire. If she embraced the things she wanted to do, her affinity increased slowly. This was the first she had heard about air magic being based on happiness. “So, what exactly did they tell you to do?” Riley asked. “How do you improve your affinity?”
“Apparently, I need to act more spontaneously. ‘The key to happiness is living in the moment.’ The old man just kept repeating that line,” Lucas said, trying to imitate a haughty old man. “I just wanted to shoot lightning bolts – not attend a self-help seminar.”
Riley put a hand to her mouth to muffle a laugh. It did sound like some of the stuff in her dad’s books and seminars. He was always telling people to seize the moment and to be present in their lives. She had even attended one seminar where a speaker had told everyone to say “yes” to every offer made to them for the next week. It seemed like a good way to ruin your week in her opinion, but she couldn’t ignore the droves of people who claimed they had found happiness that way.
Ethan watched Lucas’ slumped form, laughter dancing in his eyes. “You probably could afford to lighten up a bit. You’re all somber and serious most of the time anyway. A bit of spontaneity might be good for you.”
“Lucas is just fine the way he is,” Emma said, sitting beside the mage and patting his arm. He just glanced at her with an irrita
ted expression.
“Well, the other mages disagree,” Lucas retorted. “They gave me this.” He held out his hand, revealing a silver coin in his palm. “I’m supposed to use it to make all my decisions for a few days.”
Ethan slapped his thigh and laughed. “Now that’s more like it! I just need to think of some good questions for you. Do you want to go fly a kite? No, how about… Do you want to slay a dragon? Hmm, maybe go slap that girl’s ass!”
Emma glared daggers at Ethan. “You’re not helping.”
“That’s a matter of opinion,” the warrior replied with a grin.
Riley glanced at the coin in Lucas’ hand. She certainly had a proposal for them. “I might have a better suggestion than dragon slaying or sexual assault,” she interjected with a dry tone.
“What do you mean?” Lucas asked, raising his head to look at her.
“You know how I mentioned that I was here hunting cultists? Well, I think I might have a lead. I found some of the victims of that magical plague I mentioned. Right now, it’s limited primarily to the people on the lower levels.”
“You mean that the sick people are all on the slum levels?” Emma asked. “I’m not so sure if I would call that a problem. Have you seen that place?”
Ethan nodded, his expression conflicted. “Those aren’t the nicest parts of town. Even travelers sometimes get murdered and robbed down there.”
“It’s not limited to the low levels,” Riley replied evenly. “The sickness is spreading.” Her expression darkened as she recalled the orphan children she had seen, their colorful eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. “Besides, there are sick children too. They aren’t all thieves and murderers down there.”
“Okay, so there are some sick people,” Emma replied while rolling her eyes. “What sort of lead is that?”
Riley forced herself to take a deep breath. Emma was probably just defensive after the discussion about Lucas. “I think the connection between the original children who caught the disease is that they were all running errands for the library. Maybe we should start by investigating there.”
Ethan clapped his hands together, an excited grin on his face. “Sounds like a plan to me. Riley always stirs up trouble, so at least it’s guaranteed to be fun. Hell, we’ve already been attacked twice!”
“Have you forgotten the part where there’s a bounty on her head? She’s also clearly pursuing a high-level quest. Come on, a city-wide plague?” Emma asked rhetorically.
“So what?” Ethan retorted. “Jason conquered a city within the first week of the game launch. I’ve also been playing long enough to realize that levels aren’t everything.”
“Stop it,” Lucas said, his voice a little too loud. When he saw he had their attention, he suddenly looked uncertain. “I’m seizing the damn moment, okay? We should just let the stupid coin decide.” He held out his hand for the group to see.
“Lucas, I don’t see why…” Emma began.
“I am going to flip this coin,” Lucas interrupted her. “If it lands heads, I’m going to help Riley. You can stay here if you want, Emma. If it lands tails, we’ll go do something else.”
Emma looked at Lucas in shock but held her tongue. “Good,” Lucas said, seeing that no one was going to challenge his plan. He lifted his hand, staring at it for a long moment. Then he flicked his thumb, and the coin flew up into the air. The group watched with bated breath as it flipped end-over-end.
Riley watched the coin carefully as it spun through the air. Right before it slapped against the palm of Lucas’ hand, she caught a glimmer of blue along the edge of his robe as her Perception skill triggered. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“Don’t leave us in suspense,” Ethan exclaimed. “Is it heads or tails?”
“Heads,” Lucas said, pocketing the coin. “We help Riley.”
Emma glared at her as though she was somehow responsible for this decision, but Riley had the wisdom to keep her mouth shut. She certainly didn’t want to rock the boat. She anticipated she would need all the help she could get.
“Fine then,” Emma groused. “I guess we’re going to the library.” She stood and began walking to the bronze tubes along the side of the square without turning to see whether they were following her.
A grin was plastered on Ethan’s face as he glanced between Riley and Emma’s back. “Don’t know what her problem is. This is going to be awesome.” He stood and strode after the light mage.
Riley rose slowly from the bench and grabbed her bow. Lucas still sat across from her, staring at his closed fist. Riley paused as she passed the air mage. “You cheated on that throw, didn’t you?” she asked. “I saw your free hand moving beneath your robes.”
Lucas didn’t react immediately. Then he glanced up at her with a small smile. “I’m supposed to learn to seize the moment, right? If that’s the case, then I’m going to do it on my own terms. Screw those mages.”
Riley didn’t respond. She returned the mage’s grin. “Fair enough. Let’s get started.” She offered the mage a hand up, and he accepted gladly. This exchange didn’t go unnoticed by Emma, who stood near the metallic tubes leading to the city’s upper levels.
Chapter 11- Studious
Riley and her group stood on level ten. The number of mages in this area had increased dramatically. She noticed far fewer plain-clothed NPCs and players walking among the tides of colorful robes. This was the highest level of the city that she had visited. It felt like the clouds drifting through the sky had grown considerably in size, and a stiff breeze now swept through the streets.
The group weaved their way among large stone buildings, Emma leading the way with a steady step. This level had a strangely collegiate air, reminding Riley of the Ivy League schools she had visited while scouting universities with her parents. The structures were ornate brick and stone affairs. Many buildings sported large stone columns and scrollwork had been carved into the surface of the pillars. While some of the structures appeared to be the homes of the city’s upper-class magic users, others seemed too large to be personal residences.
The street they were following eventually opened into a large square courtyard. On the other end, a massive building had been erected. “So, this is the library?” Riley asked as they approached the enormous building. It towered over the group – six massive stone colonnades lining the front of the structure. Each column represented an affinity, a glowing symbol carved into its surface. Riley noticed that the pillar representing the dark affinity had been burnt, its symbol obscured under scorch marks.
“Technically, most of this level is the library,” Emma said. “But some of the city’s elite also live nearby of course.”
“Most of this level,” Riley echoed in shock, looking at the buildings behind them from a new perspective. “So what’s so important about this building ahead of us?”
“It’s the central library. Most people refer to it as the Great Library,” Lucas elaborated. “Many of the other buildings we passed are satellite libraries that house specific categories of books and scrolls. Apparently, it was too much to condense into one place.”
Riley was struggling to visualize that many books, but she decided she would have to take Emma and Lucas at their word. The group trudged up the marble steps to the library and entered a set of open double doors. As Riley stepped inside, she found herself in a large hall; a vaulted ceiling hung over her. The surface was painted to resemble the night sky and faintly glowing lines traced foreign constellations among the stars.
This game’s attention to detail is amazing, Riley thought – not for the first time.
“Miss?” Riley turned quickly and caught sight of a young man dressed in a plain brown robe. “You have to pay the toll,” he said gesturing to an obelisk near the door. Riley had blithely walked past and into the large hall without noticing him. The others looked at her in surprise.
“The toll?” Riley asked in confusion. She was beginning to feel like a country bumpkin in this city. It had so many
rules, which everyone else seemed to know off the top of their heads.
“Yes, miss,” the man replied politely. He had light brown hair, and freckles dotted his cheeks. He had one of those faces that made it hard to place his age. He could have been anywhere from eighteen to thirty-five.
“Here, let me show you,” Emma said, rolling her eyes at Riley’s ignorance. She placed her hand on the pedestal and channeled her light mana. Her eyes quickly shifted to a glowing white and ribbons of ivory energy cascaded from her hand and into the stone.
Noticing Riley’s confused expression, Lucas spoke up, “The library and guild halls within the city all charge tolls to enter. This is what powers the city’s utilities – things like the tubes and the fountain for example. Think of it like a tax. Your mana regens, so it isn’t a huge burden.”
Riley eyed the stone skeptically. She wasn’t keen on giving her mana to the library, especially with a magic plague on the loose. However, she didn’t see much choice. Riley approached the stone, pushing back her hood slightly and channeling her dark mana. She could soon feel the familiar frigid cold seep into her bones.
The brown-robed young man’s eyes widened when he saw Riley approach, and he quickly raised his hands to ward her off. “I’m sorry miss, but you can’t pay the toll with dark mana.”
Riley sighed. Of course she couldn’t. She could only imagine what the young man was going to tell her next.
“Our city doesn’t have any facilities that require dark mana, and, due to their rather chaotic actions, the dark guild is no longer offered a place within Vaerwald. I’m afraid one of the others will need to cover your toll.” It was Lucas’ and Emma’s turn to grimace.
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