by Galen Wolf
But that didn't make any sense. If they had figured out the riddle why wouldn't they just go to Kanchenjunga? If they found me there, they would kill me but the fact that I was there made only minor difference to their plans. Their focus would be on getting the next Easter Egg.
I hurried on the road. It only led to Kanchenjunga and so if the thief wanted some more action, he would know where to find me. Except it was a long way to come and slow going if you didn't have an eagle or some other method of flying or teleportation to get there.
As I walked further on, I convinced myself that Loki had not sent this thief to kill me. If I was right about the character of Loki – a man who would steal from newborns and helpless characters, then Loki was going to be too selfish to share the riddle of the Easter Egg with his Guild. Loki would want to have that Easter Egg only for himself. And if that were true, Loki was going to be at the ceremony, I knew it.
#
Level 7
95hp, 40 mana
Saves:
Dodge 14, Toughness 10, Willpower 0
Skills:
Poisons - Reka (breaks arms),
Quirro (allows you to order victim, one order per dose)
Xarak (causes an enemy's tongue to rot preventing speech and verbal casting.)
Stealth:
Disguise (take on appearance of any NPC),
Tree form (appear as a tree for as long as you don't move. Impossible to unmask this disguise)
Ranger Skills:
Returning Dagger (throw a poisoned dagger that always returns)
Sustenance (take sustenance from the forest. Impossible to starve or experience hunger in a forest environment.)
Survival:
Fish Riding (ride the great fish of the ocean like horses)
Underwater Breathing (permanent skill)
Herbs:
Catnip (hastes movement and attack speed by 20% )
Chamomile: (cures various phobias and insanities.)
#
I took longer than I'd anticipated to reach the mountain village of Kanchenjunga. When I finally arrived there, it was 6 p.m., and getting dark. I had taken another sip of invisibility potion and walked along the mountain road through the stands of trees past the forestry works and the ore mines. I avoided contact with anyone by ducking into recesses in the rocks beside the roads when any carts were going by.
The village of Kanchenjunga was bigger than the fishing village of Ontario, but nowhere near as large as the cities of Vinab or Keld. Most of the activity here was related to raw materials such as forestry, the quarrying of stone or the production of ore and smelting of metal. There were armor works and weapon works as well as factories that made stone for house-building that would be sent further south.
Mountain herbs grew here in the mountains that I hadn't seen elsewhere and I picked Liquorice Root and Harlequin and put them in my pouch. There was also some Comfrey. I rubbed my chin, but left it growing.
Just before entering Kanchenjunga, I sat and worked through my skill choices, trying to familiarize myself with my new abilities at Level 7. I'd taken the stealth skill of Disguise. This looked to be quite a useful skill though I hadn't come across it before. It allowed me to take on the appearance of any NPC.
Once I'd looked through the skills, I made my way up into the village proper and stepped into a tavern by the name of the Rusty Hammer. I saw there were NPCs with golden goblets above their heads to signify quests I'd never done before, but I didn't have time to take on any new quests now. Once I'd got what I came for and the war with the Thieves Guild was settled, then perhaps I would come back again to Kanchenjunga to pick up these new quests.
I looked around and saw there was a bard playing in the corner of the bar room. That might be a useful disguise to have, as at the fire ceremony, I could imagine there would be musicians of various sorts and looking like a bard wouldn't attract any attention. I couldn't trust my own stealth skills and the invisibility potion alone because Loki, my archenemy was a Level 20, and the gods alone knew what his spot skill was at.
So I went over to the NPC bard. Stood by him, and, by thought command to my HUD, applied the Disguise skill. Immediately, I saw my own appearance took on that of the Bard. I was wearing the red and gold jerkin, his blue and yellow trousers along with the slippers that curled up at the toe. On my head was a jaunty hat with a peacock feather in it in shimmering blue and green. When I went to the bathroom and checked my appearance in the mirror, I saw I was no longer a high-cheeked green-eyed, brown-haired elf, but in fact a blonde, ruddy-jawed human.
Rather pleased with my disguise, but aware of the awkwardness of having two identical bards in the same room, I made my way out of the Rusty Hammer and up to Kanchenjunga Square. The difficulty with the disguise was that people who knew the bard kept stopping me and asking me to play them songs. As I looked round the square, I saw there were quite a few player characters here – more than I had expected. However, it looked like they were mainly here for normal trade rather than especially for the fire festival. I asked a local NPC woman selling food by the town fountain where the fire festival was.
She looked at me astonished, "Don't you know, after living here so long? I can't believe that, Hector. You are trying some of your bard trickery me, I think."
I smiled awkwardly. This disguise thing clearly had unintended side-effects. "Sure, sure. Just bard trickery." I paused. "But where is it?"
She shook her head. "Charlatan. I won't fall for your tricks. Get ye gone!"
This was going nowhere, and I guessed I'd get a similar response from the rest of the locals - they'd expect long time resident singer Hector to know his way around. I waved at her and walked off. I would have to find my way to the fire festival on my own.
It was now completely dark and lights were on in the stone houses of Kanchenjunga. The sky was cloudy but between the clouds, I saw stars twinkling. I guessed that at some point the preparations for the fire festival would be evident. I also guessed that as with most of these festivals related to fire, it would be somewhere high up. I wandered around the village for a while - the only illumination coming from flaming torches set around the streets, and then I saw a set of stone steps ascending the mountain to the north of the village.
Already young boys in white robes were taking their positions at the foot of the stairs. I guessed the preparations would go on for some time yet, but it must be later than I thought. I checked the local time on my HUD. Yes, it was just after 11. I ascended the stone steps, passed the waiting boys and went to see what was up. The steps went up for many feet then came to a wider processional way that led further up the mountain. The path was laid in smooth stone and, disguised as talented musician Hector, I followed the path up.
At the top, there was nobody there yet, but I saw I was in a stone amphitheatre, and in the middle of the amphitheatre was a plinth and on the plinth, it looked like there was an altar where things had been burned before.
The rows of seats went around the circle of the amphitheatre on three sides, but to the north where the mountain face soared up steeply, there was just a blank wall.
I sat down and waited for about thirty minutes until the first visitors assembled. They brought lights with them, which was helpful because I had been sitting in the gloom. I saw they were all NPCs from the village and I guessed they came up here every week without fail, programmed to take part in the ceremony. After another ten minutes, the seating was nearly full, and it looked like the whole NPC population of the village of Kanchenjunga was attending – women and children, old men, young men and other nonhuman races such as orcs and gnomes, although non-humans were definitely in the minority.
I waited a bit longer and my heart raced when I saw a tall figure in black sit on the front row down to the right of me. He was a player character stealthed as a shadowy figure, but even with his mask, my now higher Spot skill allowed me to recognize him as the thief Loki. So it seemed that Loki had deciphered the riddle and actually done it f
ar quicker than I had. I was going to have to be very quick or very clever because if it came to combat for the egg, Loki would win.
The only advantage I had, as far as I could see, was that I was disguised as an NPC, and he didn't know I was here.
And then priests entered at the head of the procession of the boys in white robes. They were chanting and singing and the lead priests held between them a large brass dish. I watched as they put the dish on the middle of the altar.
When I researched the Kanchenjunga fire festival, I saw that the quest required players to collect items from across the land and bring them and hand them to the priest. When these were handed to the priest everyone in the audience got XP. That didn't matter to the NPCs but any player characters would benefit. But there were no players here now except Loki and me. I supposed the effort of getting the items from across the land and bringing them to Kanchenjunga had proved not worth the XP for most players.
Even so, the fire festival would go on as programmed every week in Kanchenjunga. If players brought the quest items, there would be a much grander finale but even without the quest items the festival would still go on in some fashion.
I watched the ceremony intently, shifting my attention from Loki who sat shrouded in his dark cloak, to the priests. I glanced up and my HUD clock. It was now 11:50 p.m.
I felt tension rising. My mouth was dry and my palms sweaty. I shuffled forwards and squeezed between a fat woman and her son to take a place on the front seats of the amphitheatre. From here, I could run across to the altar and the dish and snatch whatever was in there. I guessed the clue itself would materialize in the dish. If there were no player characters there, then this would just be a mysterious happening. At some point I needed to speak out the keyword from the riddle. If that wasn't done, I guessed nothing much would happen.
I glanced between my HUD, where time slowly wound up to midnight, and across to Loki. Loki didn't appear to be doing anything. I looked down at the priests and they were gesturing and chanting. I couldn't quite hear the words but they kept looking up to the sky. I peered at the HUD and saw it was one minute to midnight. My heart beat fast. I swallowed hard. This could be such a mess. I'd pinned all my hopes and all my future on obtaining this next step towards the Easter Egg challenge and getting the weapon that would allow revenge on Loki. Now, sitting across to my right was Loki himself, and if Loki got the next Easter Egg before I did, then my future life in the Greenwood was doomed.
Midnight.
A beam of piercing white light shot up from the dish like a laser beam pointing somewhere up the mountain out of sight. I couldn't see where it pointed. At the climax of the ceremony, with the chanting, all the torches surrounding the amphitheatre burst into a rainbow cascade of glittering lights. It was like a firework display. The inhabitants of Kanchenjunga clapped, applauded, and cheered. It was truly beautiful, but I didn't have time to take in the beauty.
I looked across at Loki who had not moved and I guessed he was also trying to figure out how this was going to lead him to the next part of the Easter Egg challenge. There was nothing in the brass dish, so the Easter Egg must be up the mountain where the beam pointed.
I walked quickly forward still in my bard disguise and took the left exit from the amphitheatre. I hurried through the archway while all the rest of the audience was still clapping and cheering at the light show. When I was outside the amphitheatre, I looked round to see whether I'd been followed. There was no sign of anyone so I hurried up the mountain path. Like I said, I figured that wherever that light beam landed would be the next clue in the Easter Egg challenge, but I also figured that the light would not persist forever so I had to get my ass in gear and haul up the path. I went as fast as I could up and not for the last time or the first wished that I had some Boots of Striding. I kept looking behind me and, so far, there was still no one.
I peered forward and could see that the beam of light from the brass dish was still playing against stone wall of the mountain. It was only a few yards away now. I ran as fast as I could, running up the steep path. I got to the mountain face and saw that the light was hitting a wall of slate some 10 feet above my head. I wondered whether there was some small recess there that the beam was going into and that maybe I was supposed to climb up. I studied the smooth rock but could see no handholds. My heart flipped over – to get so close and not be able to climb up before the light went, that would be an epic fail. It would mean I would have to wait another week for the replay of the Kanchenjunga fire festival. And maybe bring a ladder.
And then I looked at the stones below where the beam was lighting the rock. Right underneath it, was the outline of a golden Easter egg. I snatched at the image but my fingers went through it because it was only a hologram. I cursed – how the hell was I going to get hold of this egg? It wasn't even tangible. And then I remembered I had to say the power word from the riddle. I shook my head for being a fool. Speak Friend and All Will Be Revealed. I've read Lord of the Rings. This riddle was no challenge. I cleared my throat preparing to say "friend" - the word that would allow me to take the egg and move to the next stage in Easter Egg challenge.
Boots crunched on the stone path behind me.
I spun round and saw a tall black figure had dropped from the sky.
"Oh it's you," Loki said. "But of course I expected you to be here. Never mind – you'll soon be dead, and then I'll take the egg and you'll be out of the competition. Once I've won, I will torture you forever." He smiled and wagged his finger. "And you were disguised as a bard. I must admit it worked; I didn't even think to look through it."
My disguise melted as Loki used his Unmask skill. Now I stood in my true form as a Level 7 ranger.
I stared at him, frozen in fear like a tiny bunny. What could I do against a level 20 thief? It looked like I was out of the competition and I could never support my guild mates in the revenge for the attack on our Guildhouse. Any future life I had in the Greenwood would be a misery being continually bullied by Loki and his Thieves Guild.
Loki said quickly "Friend." I saw the egg shimmer into full existence. It was no longer a hologram but now solid. Loki, in his arrogance went to shoulder me out of the way. Suddenly I remembered him killing Elfhair. Raged electrified me and I darted forward in front of him and snatched the egg. In jubilation I cursed, "Fuck you, big ears." I didn't know if his ears were big but the insult certainly stung him.
Loki howled with rage that immediately turned to laughter. "Much good that will do you." He sneered. He even talked like a villain from a bad fantasy novel.
As my fingers touched the Easter egg, a huge surge of XP ran through me. The pleasure from the leveling up was only tempered by the danger of Loki right behind me. I heard a slide of steel as Loki pulled out his dagger. He wasn't smiling now I'd stolen his XP. I spun to look at the dagger crackling with magical energy. One stab from that with or without poisons would finish me.
But I had leveled. I saw the options come up on my HUD for new skills and one more Stat point from reaching Level 8. I had no time to absorb them now and was about to close it down and try to make my escape but then in the scroll I half-saw the skill Vanish. I stopped the scroll and focused on it. This was a level 8 stealth skill which allowed player full invisibility – imperceptible to any spot skill, but only for a second per level.
Loki lunged at me and I flipped away in a puff of black smoke. I knew this wouldn't give me much advantage against such an experienced player as Loki but it gave me a few seconds and in those few seconds I allocated the Vanish skill and hit it. I now had eight seconds of complete invisibility to escape from Loki. I looked down the stone wall that Loki had just flown up. It was going to hurt if I jumped down there, but it was going to hurt if I stayed where Loki was, and so closing my eyes, I leapt off the path. Still invisible, I plunged down through the air and landed heavily on the floor of the amphitheatre. The complete invisibility also provided complete soundlessness for as long as it lasted.
As I hit
the ground, I saw that my hit points were halved from the fall. If I didn't have the Light on Your Feet skill, I'd be dead. I glanced up. I couldn't take time to sip a healing potion - I had about two seconds left to get clear of that place. I raced across the amphitheatre floor knowing it wouldn't take Loki long to figure what I'd done and which way I'd gone.
I closed with one of the white robed priests and hit the Disguise skill. As I came out of invisibility, I saw I looked like a bald greybeard in a long white robe. Again, because Loki now knew of my Disguise skill, he would look round all the NPCs, trying to use Unmask to reveal me in my true form. I couldn't afford to wait, but neither could I draw attention to myself by running, so I joined the queue of celebrants leaving the amphitheatre and made my way through the narrow tunnel that opened up onto the path leading down into the village.
I risked a look over my shoulder into the centre of the amphitheatre, knowing even that was risky because why would an NPC look back? I saw the dark-figured Loki standing there, knife drawn, magic crackling on the blade, staring all around at each NPC as he tried to Unmask them. Unmask used mana and even with a mana item. which Loki probably had, he couldn't use Unmask a hundred times and there were about a hundred NPCs in the amphitheatre.
I had to use my time well. I pushed my way through the crowd and when I was out of sight of the amphitheatre itself, I ran. I heard Loki's howl of rage behind me and then turned and saw him jump into the sky like Spring-Heeled Jack. There were still many NPCs in the square milling around making their way to their homes or to the Rusty Hammer tavern. He hadn't spotted me yet.
