The Quest (Dark Paladin Book #2) LitRPG Series

by Vasily Mahanenko

  I had no idea how my assistant was able to discern the microscopic differences in the thickness of dust layer from one location to the other, but I agreed with his conclusions. The two rays in fact did stop over the “squat points”, deflecting by barely a dozen centimeters. I had to prepare the new map and inform my partners of the updated information.

  “Now this room looks more like Marcus’ creation.” Amazingly, the catorian was actually more pleased with the new data. From an excess of positive emotions my teacher became more talkative: “The gnome loves triple tests. Revol, floor and two rays is a plausible trio that can grant us passage through the first room. Devir, you are responsible for Yari. Yaropolk, don’t do anything stupid, I warn you! I need a minute to work on this.

  Archibald settled on the floor in the lotus position, and stilled. The catorian’s eyes remained open, which was misleading. In fact, while the Paladin’s body stayed here, his mind had departed, and was now trying, again and again, to complete the first room in some kind of timeless training range. The seeming defenselessness of Archibald’s body was an illusion as well. If one were to approach closer than a meter, a wall of protective field activated around him, going way up above. Only an imbecile with a death wish would try to test its strength.

  “I want to give you some very useful advice, Yaropolk.” Suddenly Devir addressed me in quite a friendly tone. “Tone down your airs. Archibald is not a creature to pay attention to formalities, so he dismissed that incident. At worst, he’ll make a joke of it later. But not everyone in the Game is like that. Had you been careless enough to have a go at me like that in a different situation in front of others, I would have no choice other than to declare war on you, until I totally wiped you out. Forget about Bernard and his protection. Only those who can stand up to their word at any time can afford to openly deride another player. Insolence indicates implied strength. I do not want to be your enemy. I like you, and I was even impressed by how you completed the Academy. If you decide to become a hunter, I would be glad to recommend you to a good teacher, or even take you on as my own student. You have signs indicating you would be a good hunter. A talented man is talented in everything, right? But that’s only if you keep yourself on an even footing. I am not going to lose my reputation over a high-handed moron. If you want to be a dead man, you have every right.”

  It was said in such a way that I admitted the validity of the comment without hesitation, and nodded, indicating my understanding.

  “Why did not a friend of the family return the earrings to one of the Lecleurs?” I wanted to clarify the issue that had been bothering me for a while.

  “What a good question,” Devir grinned. I will answer it after we complete the Reverse. Archibald will return from his testing range at any moment now; I would rather not talk about Paladins in the presence of the interested party. Secrets should remain secret.”

  So that’s where the mind of the meditating Paladin was at the moment. There were so many things in the Game that I did not know; moreover, I had not the slightest inkling of their existence! Steve provided a brief clarification on that wonder. A virtual training range was intended to model conditions close to real ones; it enabled the owner to train on real battle tactics and working on obstacles, honing every move to perfection for years. The time you could spend in a virtual training range was extended compared to the general game time, even though it was not infinite as with normal timeless pockets. Archibald and Devir were the best, definitely, but now it became clear how they had become the best. Improvisation and sixth sense? Three ha-ha's! Exhaustive training sessions in the virtual range!

  “Is it possible to buy a range like that somewhere, or is it a reward for some special feat?”

  “You can buy it; it only costs two granises,” Archibald answered as he returned and got to his feet. “They are made by Leonardo from Vinci world. Yes, that very Leonardo: a copy of his Gioconda is hanging in the Louvre. Actually, that’s when we all bought our ranges – while he was here on Earth. It’s a pity it’s impossible to get a thing like that now.”

  “Why is it not possible to pay a visit to Leonardo at Vinci and buy a couple more?”I felt confused.

  “Vinci is located in the center of the Game, thirteen sectors away from Earth. A sector is a cluster of game worlds governed by one Coordinator. Coordinators are the ones who control and concur with players’ travel between sectors, and charge fees for that. For example, the passage from our sector to the neighboring one costs twenty basic granises and fifty Grandeur – it will be debited from your account as if it never existed. With each sector nearer to the center of the Game, the fees for transition become steeper. As I mentioned, there are thirteen sectors between us. That’s number one. Now to number two: Vinci is not a normal world. It’s a planet of masters who have dedicated themselves and their game to creating artifacts. There is no need to mention how tightly all the Viceroys and their advisors control the planet. Vinci even has its own auction that is separate from the main one. In effect, it’s a local prison; once you are in it, it is practically impossible to leave. And I am too poor to visit good old Leonardo. But by itself, yes, the range costs two granises.”

  “Enough of that pap. As though poverty favors the young,” I said, upset, as I had already developed a hope to obtain a personal training range, but then my hopes were cruelly dashed. “I was informed of the prices you and Devir charge for your services, so let’s just pretend that I believed you. Since there is no honor for a teacher in misleading an inexperienced student!”

  “I don’t really like your tone, but I’ll let you live for now. But we’ll get back to that conversation, we definitely will. Here I go!”

  The catorian dove into the hall, moving like a dancer trying to portray a raging flame. He flowed smoothly from one point to another without stopping for an instant. I held my breath without noticing it, looking at the movements of my teacher. A jump, leaning back at the verge of what is physically possible, jump, return and squat, and jump again. Not a single wasted movement. I watched with an overlay of the picture constructed by Steve, and noted with pleasure that his steps were absolutely precisely in line with the trajectory he had planned. It was art worthy of admiration.

  “The first room is ours!” I heard the catorian’s voice, and I started breathing again. Archibald shone with pure joy, without hiding behind his habitual mask of spite and sarcasm. The catorian was doing what he liked most, and now enjoyed every moment.

  “How much?” Devir asked practically, carelessly striding towards Archibald directly across the room. I waited to make sure that the mage was not blasted to smithereens, and only then followed him.

  “One hundred and twenty two granises,” the Paladin responded, rubbing his paws with pleasure, his tail twitching in anticipation of further adventures. “The first one is the easiest, that’s why it’s so few. Here, there’s your share.”

  You completed Hall One of the Reverse of Lecleur Estate. Grandeur +3

  Subsequent movement resembled a snail race. Archibald and Devir literally crawled on all fours examining every crack of the blasted corridor, worried about stumbling into surprises from the maker of the Reverse. I checked the time and sighed heavily: in three hours the necromancers would show up and start their rampage, and I am stuck here. With each passing second the hope of collecting the entire set of the pendant, ring and earrings faded; the limitation on the loot did not make things look brighter either. I was hoping that at least Mizardine would do things as he was supposed to.

  “Second hall,” Archibald commented excitedly. Only having made sure that the corridors were relatively safe did the hunters move forward; after a few turns we reached the second goal. Neither my tracker nor the more advanced artifact of my companions found traces of any rays. Surprisingly, there was no dust either. The hall looked sterile like a freshly washed surgical room. Or clean as a cat’s balls after he had licked them all day, since we had a catorian on our team.

  “Any ideas?”
>
  “The classic. Floor, gas, motion sensors.” Devir hazarded a guess. “Instruments show nothing suspicious.”

  “Yari?”

  “Nothing on mine either.”I had to agree with the mage. “It feels like the hall was washed and preserved that way. No dust, no footprints. Is that actually possible?”

  “Actually no‒ that’s the thing.” Archibald thought a little, then grinned and extended one fist towards Devir. “Rock-paper-scissors?”

  “With you?!” The mage was clearly amused. “Not in this Game. You have a hundred aces up… each sleeve. Even when we play backgammon, you still manage to pull off something or other. So I’ll just go straight in.”

  “I had to create an illusion of it being your own choice.” Archibald shrugged. “Move, that way you have a chance to hang in there longer. Or maybe not. Go on!”

  Before we figured it out, Archibald pushed Devir out into the room and activated his tracker. The mage activated his defenses, stopped a step away from the entrance, and even bent his head down, not knowing what to expect of Marcus’ creation. Nothing happened.

  “Move!” Archibald ordered again, causally pointing his paw at the far side of the room. “Devir, you are disappointing me. Go, go on! We are losing time! I still can’t see anything!”

  “Strangely, neither do I!” Devir responded, nonplussed, and started moving in the direction specified. At first the mage was tense and very alert, but with every step confidence straightened his well-trained body, and by the time he reached the other side his steps were light and springy. Devir safely reached the exit from the hall, turned around and spread his hands, puzzled. Either the traps, for some reason, had not activated, or the mage’s defense absorbed all the impact.

  “This is impossible.” Archibald was scratching behind his ear in a way totally incongruous to a player as experienced as he. But he could not understand what was going on. Tired of guessing, he crossed the room in a few giant leaps. But the hall remained indifferent to the catorian’s appearance as well, making us all suppose that there were no traps altogether.

  You completed Hall Two of the Reverse of Lecleur Estate. Grandeur +5

  The headhunters greeted my approach with sullen silence. There was no other loot besides Grandeur.

  “Had it not been for the first hall, I would have supposed that someone had already passed through the Reverse.” Devir pointed out the obvious conclusion. “But this is impossible. One could not have jumped straight to the second hall. Or else I am missing something.”

  “There is some ‘Keeper’ within the Reverse.” I offered a reminder to Archibald. “What if it’s he? Or Iven. You said yourself that he has a direct teleport to the Keeper.”

  “The second version seems more likely to me,” Archibald said thoughtfully. “Could that golden ass have jumped ahead of us? And left the first hall intact as bait to drive away unwanted visitors?”

  “I can’t agree with you,” Devir immediately started arguing. “I am in favor of the first theory. Suppose that the guard is not a player, but just an NPC; one could explain the absence of loot and the availability of Grandeur. He went through the Reverse first, but we are the first players who have entered this hall. Had it been Iven, he would have received the Grandeur.”

  “It’s absurd!” In that case Reverses would be knee-deep in NPCs, while clever players would be skimming the cream.” Archibald cut him off. “What difference does it make whether an NPC or a player passed through the hall? He would have collected the Grandeur, not we! Let’s keep going!”

  We rushed through the next corridor without bothering with such silliness as looking for traps. Devir, without much ado, entered the next hall. Nothing. No explosions, no rays, no enormous rock dropping on his head to punish him for insolence. The traps were deactivated, if they had ever existed at all.

  You completed Hall Three of the Reverse of Lecleur Estate. Grandeur +10

  “That was rash.” Archibald commented as soon as the next message flashed before my eyes. “I would rather not lose you so early on.”

  “Do you agree now that someone has gone through the Reverse? Besides, they were starting from there!” Devir pointed to the continuing corridor. “Who could go through the traps starting from the impossible and ending with a common one?”

  “And this superhero was stopped by revol rays.” I made a comment and instructed Steve to analyze the footprints in the dust one more time. “Look, these are the prints I found at the exit from the first room. And these are the prints Archibald followed to complete the first room. These are two different beings, even though both sets of prints are small.”

  “The prints inside the hall are really tiny,” Devir said slowly, analyzing the new data. “It’s, like, barely size 5. Could it be a child?”

  “Or a gnome. Or a leprechaun. Or a lesser demon from the Underworld.” Archibald was aggravated by the now inarguable fact that someone was more successful, so he vented all his irritation on those around him.

  “Demons don’t wear boots,” I objected.

  Devir pointed at the catorian with his eyes and whispered:

  “Why not? Cats apparently have no problems at all with that.” I glanced appraisingly at the catorian’s steel boots, thinking that Earth folklore had not exaggerated much, after all.

  “I think Marcus left his own footprints within the hall, and did it on purpose. Like a little hint. And the footprints at the exit belong to our mysterious Keeper. We’ll see it at the next hall. If it’s also empty, I’ll eat my own tail, but I will make the acquaintance of this unique creature.” Archibald did not as much as twitch his furry ear at the mage’s barb.

  A few minutes later, completely unharmed, Devir stood in the middle of the fourth room, looking sarcastically at the glum Archibald and the mad flicking of his equally glum tail. I started towards the mage, but the catorian stopped me with a gesture:

  “Yaropolk, do you like presents? I have one for you. Here.” An oblong object with a big red button in the middle appeared in the Paladin’s hands. “Push it as soon as the message appears and imagine that you are in an anger room. Just make sure you don’t go overboard. You will tell me about your impression later.”

  “What is this?” I was in no hurry to accept unexpected gifts.

  “Absolute space blocker.” Devir came back and nodded to the Paladin gratefully. “It blocks everything alive within a hundred yards for an hour. Except for the one who pushed the button. It cannot be used twice. Thank you. I missed that completely. And I will need help too.”

  “I will be holding this red rag in my hands.” Archibald pulled out a piece of cloth. “Don’t get confused.”

  “Could you share it?” The mage asked in all seriousness and, amazingly, the catorian obliged him. Both immediately stuffed their pieces into their pockets.

  “How many of you will there be?” I asked, stunned, having figured out the nature of the request. After the next hall both Archibald and Devir will have received enough Grandeur to exceed another hundred, and the Game will happily generate their echoes. One for each hundred Grandeur.

  “Enough to make it in an hour.” Archibald cut me off. “One has to say everything aloud to you, so I will explain: if anyone were to find out how many echoes I have generated, we will quarrel bitterly, and the consequences for you will be quite unpleasant.”

  “I would say the same.” The mage was not about to stand aside, and joined the threatening. “Our relationship is far from perfect anyway, so don’t make it worse. Not a soul, Yaropolk!”

  “Pfft! Like that’s a great secret!” the catorian snorted. “Your Grandeur level is a secret everyone knows. There are forty-two fake Devirs, my lucky student. Forty-two times you get to kill this nincompoop in every way possible. And as for the forty-third you are welcome even to violate him in some violent way before killing. I will not be offended if only the two of us continue after that. The Moor has done his duty.”

  “For those especially talented, Yaropolk, this was a p
oor and dumb joke in the spirit of catorians.” Devir flashed me a smile full of open menace. “I must see the Keeper who has passed practically through the entire Reverse and put Archibald himself into his proper place. This is going to be an interesting meeting.”

  “You are talking as if you have already decided everything for me and are just presenting the facts to me.” I waited for the headhunters to finish talking and decided to fight for my rights. “I have a question: what am I going to get in return? Killing forty-two echoes who are as strong as Devir is no joke at all; I would have to work hard at it. As for Archibald, I just tremble, imagining the number of furries I’ll have to drown in some bucket. PETA would eat me alive, if they found out about this. Moral satisfaction from the process is not really a sufficient reward. So I would like to receive some hefty bonus, since it did not work out with the granises. I know what happens when the echo touches its initiator, even through a sword. Are you really so sure of me that you entrust me with your lives? I am flattered, sure, but what if it will be more fun for me to do nothing at all, just stand there for an hour? And don’t ask me what I want: surprise me!”

  “Good relations is not enough for you?” the mage said testily, to which I parried:

  “Good relations don’t pay the rent, and that will not prevent you from killing me at the exit of the Reverse, so that I would not spread around your great secret.”

  “That’s the feeling when your student justifies all the effort you poured into him, at least to some extent.” The catorian’s furry face suddenly beamed. “I promise you a reward for destroying the echoes, both mine and Devir’s, but only after we leave the Reverse. And believe me, if you consider this not to be a great reward, I will give you my training range. Agreed?”

  Not only did I stare at Archibald in amazement, but Devir did as well. The mage obviously did not expect that kind of “present” from the catorian, so he did not know how to react. However, the experience is something that stays with you for life, and a moment later the mage said, extracting a small box from his inventory: