by Matt Ryan
I could barely walk straight as I approached KILLian, who was saying goodbye to our last customer.
“How’d we do?” she asked.
Even as I moved my mouth, the words wouldn’t come out.
“He’s choking,” Gor said and ran behind me. He grabbed me around the waist and started humping me.
“Stop it,” I yelped, pushing him off.
“Oh, so sorry for trying to save your life,” Gor said.
“How much did we make? I bet it’s over ten thousand.” She pressed her hands together like a prayer.
“We cleared $24,000.”
+5 Merchant
“No way,” KILLian said and jumped in front of me, wrapping me in a hug. Gor jumped in as well, smashing her between us.
“We can get to the island,” she muttered into my chest.
“Hell, I can buy my gear,” Gor said, continuing on about some old woman.
We gathered the trainers and distributed the money. I decided to give the trainers double the agreed upon salary. If we did this again, I’d want them jumping at the opportunity. They seemed thrilled by the bonus and said many thanks upon exiting.
Then I gave Tommy his twenty percent from the top, which was roughly $4,800.
“Thanks, Magoton,” he said, shaking my hand. “Looks like next time, we’ll need a bigger building and more trainers.” He stuffed the money in his pocket and told us to lock up when we left.
“That leaves us with roughly $17,400,” I said, and we jumped up and down in excitement. Not only could we afford our boat tickets, but we could buy some armor and various potions as well. Gor was drooling as he talked about the armor and weapons he’d been looking at.
“There is a robe with spell caster stats for sale next to Trinity hall. It’s twenty thousand, but if we keep this going, we’ll have enough money to buy our way through this game.”
Gor frowned at the comment and looked at the door. “Let’s not get too carried away here. The real purpose of this game is to get so powerful, money doesn’t matter.”
“I’m afraid money is going to matter a lot in this game,” I said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” KILLian asked.
“It’s in the name, Avarice . . . greed,” I said.
“Greed for greenbacks sucks, trust me,” Gor said.
I brought out a ten-thousand-dollar stack from my inventory and put it in my hand. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to holding this much money.”
“Come on,” KILLian said. “We better get out of here before some grandma robs us.”
I opened the door to leave and a man in a black suit stood just outside the entrance, along with five huge men and two women. I did a quick inspect and their levels ranged from 24 to 70.
“Hello,” I said, but they kept blocking our path.
“It is my understanding you conducted business here today,” the man said.
I did a quick inspect and realized he was Kenneth Mechan. It didn’t take me more than a second to recall that name. Gloria’s husband. She obviously hadn’t found a person to do the deed yet. Did he have any clue his wife was searching for a bounty hunter?
“We offered a service, a temporary service,” KILLian explained.
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I see you are not a member of my clan. I am Kenneth, master of the Merchant clan.”
“I’m not a member of the Merchant clan,” I spoke up, “but I am of the Service clan.”
“Yes, I see that, which is why I am going to be lenient and not press charges here today.”
“Press charges?” Gor said. “For what?”
“Do you think you could just set up shop wherever and whenever you want in this city?”
“We actually didn’t know there were rules against it,” I said.
“Of course not. But the fact of the matter is, you made money being a merchant, and since you did it without our permission, we will require double our normal take. Remind you, this generosity is only because you are in the noble Service clan.”
“Thank you for your generosity, but no,” I said. “We earned the money and we’re keeping it.”
He sighed and rubbed his head again. “So stupid. I’m going to give you one more chance, young travelers.”
“What is your take?” KILLian said.
“Double is 40%, but since you’re being rude, it’s now 50%.”
“Listen, we can give him the money and still have enough to get to the island.”
“Screw that,” I said. “We earned the money.”
“Lady, if your boyfriend pipes up one more time, deal’s off. We’ll just take it all and give you to the guards for some jail time.”
“Fine, you can have your money, but at the 40% rate. That will come to seven grand,” KILLian said.
“Agreed, hand it over.”
“Wait,” I held up a hand, “how can we know that you are the master of the Merchant clan, and not just some guy trying to hustle us?”
“Just ask around, kid. It won’t be hard to figure out who I am.”
From the game menu, I separated out $9,600 and a thick stack of hundreds appeared in my hand. It made me want to throw up handing this guy our money, but what else could we really do?
He took the stack and stuffed it in his pocket. “You know, you just made more than almost all my merchants do in a week, in what, three hours? You should consider joining our clan.”
“Thanks for the offer,” Gor said. “But we aren’t playing this game to make bank. We’re here to kick gum and chew ass.”
“What?” a woman named Bareli asked.
“Never mind,” Gor said. “My point is—”
“Is that we are grateful for your leniency, but we really must be going,” KILLian said.
“Of course, and just so you know, this is a one-time showing of that generosity. You try and pull this stunt again, in my city, and there won’t be any discussions. Understand?”
“We understand,” I said and resisted the urge to tell him about his wife’s plans. Maybe if the guy wasn’t such a jerk, I would have warned him.
The big, bouncer-type men took steps back and gave us a path out. We took it with haste. Even with them stealing a portion of our money, we still had plenty for boat tickets to the island. Before too long, we were skipping down the road and laughing about how we’d just pulled off something so legendary.
“Hey, we need to buy some anti-poison potions,” KILLian said.
“Why?” Gor asked.
“Dude, we’re going to fight someone named the Spider Queen. Do you think there is an off chance she might poison us?”
“Yeah, didn’t think about it really.”
Fortunately for us, there was a potion shop on the way. We spent a little over a grand on a stack of potions that we evenly distributed, leaving me with just enough money to get a ticket for the three of us. We made a dash for the docks.
“You three look like a triangle of fools,” the captain said. “I take it you have enough money?”
“Yes, we have it,” I said, handing him a large stack of bills that he proceeded to count.
“An even three grand. Welcome aboard the Fluffy Ferry.” He motioned for us to board.
“Wait,” Gor said. “You named your boat the—”
“Shut up, Gor,” both KILLian and I said at the same time.
Chapter Thirty-Two
I’d never been on a boat in real life, and knew that I wasn’t really on one, but the few I had been on before were only in games with my generic, used gear. The immersive capabilities of those were like trying to see a movie through a sheet of wax paper.
Now, with BallzD wrapped around my head, sending all the information to my senses, this felt as real as my mind could create. The creak of the boat, the gentle rocking from side to side, the wind hitting my face as the birds flew overhead.
I had the urge to kill the captain and take the boat from him right then. He appeared to be the only man on the boat. A Level 27 Mast
er Seamen. Gor, KILLian, and I could keep sailing, just leave the waters near Bryer and explore. I sighed at the foolish thought. Games had limits. Somewhere out there would be a wall we couldn’t get past.
“Hey, Captain,” I said. “What’s beyond the island?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, what’s out there?”
“Well, north of here is the battle grounds for the Trinity army, and beyond that, I really don’t know.”
Figured. The man probably had a simple program, telling him his role in life was to ferry travelers across the sea. He did mention the Trinity army though . . . I’d thought it was just a hall, not a whole army. I didn’t want to think about that. It made the whole idea of breaking the building all the more impossible. I’d take on this Spider Queen first, then figure out how to get into Trinity Hall.
KILLian stood on the edge of the boat, leaned on the wooden railing and gazed out into the blue waters. Her dark hair blew in the wind and I thought I even saw bits of blue right at the tips of a few strands. “Haven’t you ever wanted to just sail past that island and see what’s out there?” she asked.
Yes.
“Nope,” the captain said. “That’s the way a child thinks. I’m content knowing my place in this world, and filling the need I serve.”
“And getting paid for it,” Gor added.
“Yes, and getting paid for it.”
The ship cut through the light breeze and made good time. As we approached the island, the lush green trees and undergrowth became clear. A jungle of sorts, but less thick looking. A tropical forest with palm trees, and other leafy trees mixed in as well. They looked like cottonwoods and oaks, only bigger.
Gentle waves splashed against the rocks along the shoreline, until a small section of sand established a domain all its own. Not more than a few hundred feet long, it looked as if it were carved out by some unnatural force. To reinforce the notions, on the sandy beach stood several shacks, raised up on sticks with thatch roofs.
The captain deftly steered the boat along the dock and threw a line, roping a wooden stump, and coming to a halt against the dock.
He then lifted a plank onto the edge of the boat and set the other side down on the dock.
Being the first to the plank, the captain put a hand on my chest and said, “Don’t forget, the moment you step onto the grass, you’re in an unprotected zone. No guards, no help, and no consequences.”
“A PvP zone,” Gor said with glee.
A player versus player zone. That meant we could even be rewarded for killing other players, and they us.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said, and hopped onto the plank.
“Hey, Captain,” KILLian said. “How do we get back to the mainland?”
“Have Fisher send a flare. I’ll head right over to fetch ya.”
Once we were all off the ship, the Captain pulled the plank and steered away from the dock.
The wood slats on the pier creaked under our weight, and I had a genuine concern of falling into the water where the sharks undoubtedly waited.
“You think Trevor is out there?” KILLian asked looking into the woods beyond the sand.
“I am certain of it.”
We left the dock without issue, and walked along the sandy beach toward the huts. A man stood near the shoreline, fishing pole in hand. I inspected him from afar.
Fisher McFischer:
Level 41
High skill in handling pole.
I almost snickered at this strange phrasing, but had started getting used to the game’s snarky attitude.
“Hello,” I called out, with a hand raised in friendship.
The old man sat the pole in a holder and waved back. “Hello there, travelers. Good to see you, and just in time too. I have need for some bait. The Jacker fish are biting on beetles. Could you be of help and get some in the forest for me?”
QUEST: Fetch McFischer ten beetles.
We accepted the quest as a group.
“McFischer,” Gor said. “May I query thee for some nectar of knowledge? A fair man hath cometh to these parts, bearing the name of Trevor. Have you laid eyes upon him?”
I couldn’t help it, but I was starting to like Gor’s strange questions to the NPC’s.
McFischer seemed entertained by this as well. Smiling, he cocked his head to the side. “Did your mom feed you rock fish as a child?”
“He’s just special,” KILLian said.
“We’re his keepers,” I added.
“Goddammit, guys. You are the worst RP players ever,” Gor said. “It’s the queen’s ancient language. Mayhap you heard of it?”
McFischer laughed. “Did you get a day pass to take him to the island?”
KILLian and I both laughed along with him.
“Sure, go ahead and yuck it up. While we’re sitting around here, dickless nacho supreme is out there, waiting to shove our faces in his Spider Queen kill.”
Somehow, this was much funnier than his medieval talk, bringing the rest of us to tears.
Gor stormed off to the edge of the sand.
“Thanks for the quest.” I waved to Fisher as I ran off with KILLian to catch up to Gor.
We followed his footsteps until we saw him standing with the front of his Nike’s nearly touching the grass. It might as well have been the edge of a cliff. Once we stepped upon the grassy blades, we were as open game as a squirrel on the freeway.
“Let me go first. If any one of us can take an attack, it’s me,” Gor said with no protest from either of us.
He stepped up to the edge, with the tips of his sneakers grazing the blades of grass. He took a deep breath and I imagined he had his eyes closed as he took one giant step forward.
With arms out, he looked around and even brought out his ax, but not one bush rustled or one battle cry could be heard. The silence felt heavier than any attack. Much like when Trevor would just tell me it’s coming, and he and I both knew what that meant—a punch to the gut, or a slap to the nuts. He’d make sure to tell me early in the day, usually on a Saturday, so I’d be on edge until it happened. It was never as bad as the buildup, no matter how much I told myself to stop caring. But that was the point. He wanted me on edge. It was as if he fed on my fear.
“Guess we’re okay?” Gor said.
We urged him to move ahead and we joined him by stepping onto the grass as well. That anxiety of getting a punch hung in the air. I could taste it in my mouth like a bad French fry. Not letting the others know how nervous I was, we walked into the forest and checked our map for the beetle locations.
“Hey, there’s one,” Gor said and put away his ax. He collected three beetles in quick order and my screen displayed our progress.
3 of 10 bait beetles found.
Five beetles later, I heard a snap sound of a branch breaking. There, standing between us and the safety of McFischer, were Trevor and his two lackeys.
He looked about as bad as he did in real life. I slowly got up and brought out my two blood daggers. The look on his face as he gazed upon them was worth more than the cost of holding such weapons. Jealousy.
“Took you guys long enough,” Trevor said with a weak voice. It didn’t hold the usual sarcasm and arrogance he reserved for speaking to me.
“KILLian,” I called.
“Got it,” she answered.
“Yep, same here,” Gor said.
Upon a quick inspect, I saw Trevor was Level 13, and his two lackeys were not too far behind him, but they were all Shadow clan members. If he knew anything about gaming, it was foolish to stack a class in a party. A mixture played off each other better.
“Listen, we don’t want to fight you.” Trevor seemed nervous about admitting this. The hint of blood in the water made me get my dash ready. “We’re here to help you, help us.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“The Spider Queen. We can’t beat her. Believe me, we’ve tried, again and again.” This admission made the other two slump and
look away.
“You think we’re going to help you?” I questioned, confused by whatever point he was trying to make.
“If we wanted to fight, we would have snuck up on you and killed you,” Trevor explained. “There is a long quest chain to complete before you’re even able to get to the Spider Queen. We’ve done it, and we can help you blow right through it. Then, we can face the queen together.”
“Why us?” KILLian said. “Why not the other players who’ve come here before us?”
Trevor looked confused. “You’re the first players to get here besides us. We could get a realm first and kill this bitch together. Plus, we know her strategies and what she does. You three should be thanking me.” A realm first was usually a pointless honor, announcing to the realm that you were the first to kill a mighty foe. Some players lived for a realm first.
We huddled together, but kept an eye on Trevor.
“What do you think?” KILLian asked.
“I don’t trust him, but what he’s offering could help us get to our goal faster,” I said. I wanted to say a whole lot more, but didn’t want to dump my baggage on my friends.
“Guy looks like he’ll stab us in the back the second he gets a chance,” Gor said. “I say we go on our own. We’re kick-ass without him. Looks like you’re the tie breaker, KILLian.”
She sighed and glanced back at Trevor. “We keep them in front of us, and don’t give them a chance to screw us. If one of them does their shadow trick, a quick AoE will expose them and we’ll kill them all.”
We left our huddle and told Trevor our decision.
“Good, glad to hear it. Now, you’ve almost completed the beetle quest. Find the rest, and we’ll go turn them in so we can move to the next one.”
Picking up the last two beetles, we headed back to McFischer and turned them in.
Beetles led to getting a wooden stick for setting Fisher’s pole in the sand, which led to us using the pole to catch one fish each. The fish opened another quest for collecting mushrooms, leading to cooking the fish, and feral jungle cats stealing the fish. Next, we were charged with catching the cats and putting them in cages—they were too feral to keep as pets. Along with the cats, we also found a stone tablet that couldn’t be read, during which we got fish smell on the tablet, which led to the cats licking it. The saliva revealed some words, opened a quest, and sent us directly to the map of the Spider Queen’s lair.
