Bastard, thought Vale. It figured that Bart couldn’t share refresher potions. It was also a pain that his friend wouldn’t be able to make mana potions for like ten more levels. “Let’s see what’s down this tunnel.”
The group moved forward after Abbey was finished reloading her pistols. The whole group wanted to be ready in case the fight wasn’t actually finished. As they walked through the tunnel, Vale saw the large holes near the floor where the rats had all come out of. Luckily, nothing else was jumping out at them.
The tunnel curved around to the left and the group followed until they came to a huge, iron-bound door. Vale tried the handle. “It’s locked. Abbey, some help?”
“I think I’d better keep guarding our rear,” said Abigail, shaking her head.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Okay, Bart, you’re up.”
Bartholomew looked strangely happy as he stepped forward, unwrapping his lock picks. After a couple minutes, the lock clicked and Vale opened the door, revealing an old office.
“Why the hell would someone need to keep an office underground like this?”
“That’s why,” said Bart, pointing towards an old altar, similar in appearance to the one above. “I’m guessing this was where that old kook used to sacrifice people, but then the rats got too dangerous, so he moved his operation upwards.”
Vale shrugged. He didn’t care. He held a hand out and said, “Wait! If you see any boxes or anything you can open that might have loot, don’t mess with it.”
“Why not?” asked Abbey.
Vale paused for a moment, thinking. Finally he said, “Do you guys still have some time left today for private play? Like, can you turn your streaming feeds off?”
“Yeah,” said Bart slowly.
“Okay, please do that. It will only take a minute.” When both Bart and Abbey nodded at him, Vale verified their feeds were off and said, “I have a really high Luck stat. I think it makes good drops much more likely.”
“I kind of figured,” said Bart.
“How high are we talking here?” Abbey looked skeptical. “I thought that stat was only for critical hits and stuff.”
“I’m running sixteen Luck right now.”
“Holy shit!” hissed Abbey. “I only have four! Does the Luck really make a difference?”
Vale nodded. “Yeah, it does. I have one permanent stat item that gives a +3. I’ve been learning that this number is high. Plus, whenever I group, drops get even better. I hadn’t really figured this out until recently when I found the Monarch Stone.”
“Wow, that actually kind of makes sense.” Abigail looked thoughtful.
“Anyway, let’s turn our streams back on and check this place out.” The other two nodded and spread out. Within a few minutes, Vale had found a journal, and the group identified two places in the room that could be hiding treasure. One was a drawer. The other was an old trunk. Both were still closed.
Vale flipped through the journal. “It looks like we’re almost done with this quest. The bad news is, we definitely have a boss battle next.”
“Seriously?” asked Bart.
“Yeah, and it’s a nasty mofo. We will definitely need a new group member to help us with SAN checks. The weird thing is, reading this, it kind of looks like taking the legendary weapon will trigger the boss fight. Then we will need to actually beat the boss to keep what we took.”
“That’s strange. I haven’t seen that sort of thing yet in the last year. What exactly does it say?” asked Abigail.
“Basically, it looks like we’re stealing something from a shrine to Hygon, a child of the Abyssal Ones’ gods. He will not be pleased when we do so.”
“Yeah, that definitely sounds weird. Okay, fine, we can look at the particulars later. Can you open these loot spots, Vale? I’m dying of curiosity here.”
“Fine, fine, I’m going.” Vale moved over to the chest and saw the lock had a key in it, which he turned. He opened the lid and whistled. The chest was full of gizmos and parts. It had some reagents, too. He grabbed a couple reagents that were good for Occultists. However, the real prize was hanging inside the chest itself.
“We got a permanent bonus item, guys!”
“Let me see, let me see!” squealed Abbey. Vale continued to
Watch of the Mad Canadian
+1Intelligence +1 Agility +1 Willpower (permanent, bind on equip)
-Also tells time
It looked like a nice, antique watch, and otherwise didn’t really look special in any way. Abbey stared at it and bit her lip.
“What do you think we should do with it?” asked Bart.
The item would probably be good for any of them, but Vale thought back to Abigail’s stats. She really had been a big help, too. “Abbey, go ahead and grab it.”
“Are you serious?” she asked.
“Yeah, hurry up before I change my mind,” sighed Vale.
Abigail giggled and snatched up the watch. She wasted no time in putting it on, and then she and Bart cleared out all the remaining items in the trunk.
Vale headed over to the drawer and opened it up. Inside were two items. One was a long glass tube of green liquid. The other was an item of power. Vale used
Ring of the Unknown Saint
+2 Willpower (permanent, bind on equip)
Made of bone, confers a
“I have another couple things over here, too, an item of power and some tube I can’t identify.”
The other two gathered around and Bart crowed, “Yes!” He snatched the glass tube. “I’ve been looking for one of these! Nobody minds?” Vale and Abbey shook their heads. Bart smiled and pulled his sword cane free enough to dump the contents of the vial inside the body of the cane, then rammed the blade home again.
Vale had no idea what his friend was doing, but he mentally shrugged. He was eying the ring. “All of us use Willpower,” he said.
“True, but I don’t like that ‘mystic’ thing. That might not work for me or Bart, or might cause problems. I think you should take it. What do you think, Bart?” Abigail called over her shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” said Bart. He was busy smiling at his sword cane.
Vale shrugged and put on the ring. He got a few new status windows but none looked very important so he closed them. He was feeling nervous for some reason. “Let’s get out of here, guys.”
The other two nodded and they began retracing their steps. Vale was watching for more rats or anything else that could jump out at them. He kept looking into the small tunnels near the floor and behind them. He whipped his head around when he heard Abigail gasp.
Standing in front of them, blocking the way to the ladder out of the tunnel, stood Brutus. He didn’t look happy. Vale groaned and thought, I knew this had been too easy.
Ninja Looter
Brutus stood in the entryway to the tunnel in front of the ladder, a massive two-handed sword in his hands. He was wearing full armor and had a trench coat over it. His gaze was unwavering and fixed on Vale. He had on a helmet; an old, full-faced medieval-style one.
Vale’s entire group had stopped and were all standing very still. Bartholomew said from the side of his mouth, “I thought you had radar or [Paranoia] skill or something.”
“I do. Nothing went off.”
“Yes, I know about your [Paranoia] skill now, Vale dePardon,” said Brutus. “It wasn’t triggered because I mean you no harm. I probably should cut you down on general principle, for multiple reasons, really. However, I am here just to talk.”
“Then why do you have a big-assed sword out?” asked Abigail. “That is not exactly friendly.”
Brutus smiled. “I’m making an effort right now not to get angry. See, last time I found Vale to talk, I wasn’t even in a threatening posture. That cowardly Occultist bastard didn’t even wait to hear what I had to say. He ran forward while using magic and stuck his sword through my head.”
Bart turned to look at Vale. “Wait, I though
t you guys fought.”
Brutus snorted. “Hardly.”
“You killed Brutus in cold blood?” asked Abbey.
“I thought you were defending yourself.” Bart crossed his arms.
“Look, my [Paranoia] skill was going off like crazy! It was him or me!” Vale scowled.
“I learned about the [Paranoia] skill while I was dead for a week. I’m betting you have it specifically targeting me,” said Brutus.
“Is that true?” asked Abigail.
“Well, yes, but the skill was still telling me I was in danger!”
“That’s because specifically adding a player to your target list makes the skill more sensitive. I was extremely irritated at the time, but I still just wanted to talk when I caught up with you. I mean, who wouldn’t be angry? You had been running from me every time I tried to talk to you, and you stole that map months ago when we were grouped up.”
“What?” asked Bart, his voice flat.
“Vale joined me, my sister, and a couple other players on a group quest. The chain was long and hard. We needed an Occultist, and Vale is one of the best English-speaking players at translating in-game glyphs. When we got to the end of the quest chain, he stole a map. The thing was, nobody else could read it, so we probably would have given it to him anyway. For a while after that, I looked around for him, but I eventually gave up. I’ll admit if I’d caught him, I would have killed him.”
Abigail turned to Vale and gasped. “You were a ninja looter!”
Bart nodded sagely. “Ninja looter. I always knew he had it in him.”
Vale clenched his teeth and growled, “If you gave up, then why were you still chasing me?”
“Because now my sister is missing. I haven’t seen her in real life for a couple months, and I haven’t been able to find her in-game, either. I wanted your help just finding her. There is a clue I need an Occultist to help with. Most players with your class just sit around cities all day. They don’t really go out in the field. Plus, you’ve met my sister and worked with her before, too.”
“But now what changed?” Vale quirked an eyebrow.
“Now you’re a streamer. My sister has had her private messages and mail turned off. She’s made herself hard to find, and I think she’s in trouble. I have an idea of what she’s trying to do. I’ll tell you after we find her.”
“Okay, this isn’t adding up,” grumbled Abigail.
“Yeah, what exactly are you proposing?” asked Vale. “Why me?”
Brutus dropped the tip of his sword and leaned on the crossguard. “My proposal is you help me find my sister. You invite me into your group, then you invite her after we find her. This will make us famous streamers. Then—”
“Famous streamers? But you already are famous!” exclaimed Vale. “You could just start your own stream!”
“Yes, I am well known, but it’s not the same kind of fame. I’m infamous, not loved. And my sister is not known at all. I want her to be famous, for protection. I’m also assuming you’re protected somewhere by your contract company? If that is the case, I want my sister to move to your location with you. I want us both to be on your team.”
“You know I’m streaming right now. This is being recorded.”
“Yes, I know,” replied Brutus. “That’s why I speaking so generally. I will tell you more if and when we can talk in person.”
“Okay, how do we know you’re on the level?” Vale was skeptical. There is no way this guy is for real, he thought.
“Yeah,” chuckled Bartholomew. “Plus, you’re at a disadvantage. It’s three on one and—”
Suddenly, Brutus moved. He was so fast, Vale could barely track his movement. He covered the entire distance before anyone else could react and had his big sword to Bart’s throat. “You were saying?” Brutus growled.
Everyone stood still for a moment, and Abbey squeaked, “Vale, how did you beat this guy again?”
“He didn’t,” said Brutus. “I was caught off guard, same as every other time I’ve been killed. Want to hear a secret? Everyone thinks I have a second set of gear. I don’t. I just don’t get caught off guard when I come back. I’m usually very angry, too.”
Vale narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like Brutus, and he didn’t like the fact this asshole had a sword to his best friend’s throat. He gripped his rapier tighter.
“Don’t move, Vale dePardon,” laughed Brutus. “I will admit you have some skill, and you showed balls the last time we met. Now we both have legendary classes, too. I’m sure if we fought again, it would be wonderful footage for your stream, but that is truly not what I’m here for.” He paused in consideration.
“I really should kill you out of hand for selling all my gear, though.”
Vale thought about it a moment. “Drop your sword right now, or we’re going to throw down whether you like it or not.”
Brutus shrugged, slowly removing his sword from Bart’s neck. He casually put the huge blade on his shoulder and looked expectantly at Vale.
“What do I—no, what does the group get out of this deal?” asked Vale.
“Simple. I am one of the best fighters in the entire game. Globally. I have a legendary class, and I’m technically the leader of all the new Berserker subclass. This gives me an in-game stipend and some bonuses. Lastly, my sister has abilities to shield a group from SAN attacks, and I think you could probably use it. She’s also as good of a fighter as I am.”
Vale opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. “You’re not seriously thinking about this, are you?” asked Abigail. Vale waved at her and looked down, deep in thought.
His first reaction was to immediately reject Brutus’s proposal. However, he mentally took a step back and tried to stop thinking of SOO like just a game. The reality was, streaming was his job now.
Brutus really was very well known. A lot of people knew he and Vale had been at odds for months and even fought. Furthermore, the group really did need a tank and someone to help with SAN checks. The fact was, Vale wasn’t even sure where to start looking. The level of player he needed for their group wasn’t exactly common. There was the element of trust, too. So far he’d actually been incredibly lucky in finding quality group members.
Everyone would want to be in Vale’s group now with so much money at stake, but most of the best players already had groups and streams.
Brutus had a legendary class now, too. That would probably interest a lot of people into watching Vale’s stream.
Vale’s stream ratings depended on his group being interesting and doing interesting things. Allowing Brutus, and eventually his sister, to join might not be such a bad idea. Plus, Vale did vaguely remember Brutus’s sister. If he was remembering her correctly, her character had been really pretty. Eye candy wouldn’t hurt their stream at all.
Thinking about Brutus’s motivation just made the decision more obvious. There was the obvious matter of all the money involved. Plus, it sounded like Brutus wanted protection of some sort. Vale had recently learned firsthand how dangerous the world of gaming entertainment could be. Now he knew that streamers were well protected by their company out of necessity.
Last but not least, the maximum group size was five players. Brutus would make four, and if they found his sister and she joined, that would make five. They’d have a full group, and everyone would have a contract. There were a lot of “ifs” in that plan, but the more Vale thought about it, the more he liked it.
Vale nodded slowly. “Okay, I think I accept.”
“Are you sure about this?” asked Bart.
“Yeah, I think so.” Vale sent Brutus a party request and Brutus accepted. “Okay, it’s done.” Now he’d just have to see if he had chosen wisely. “So now you need to get a contract, eh?”
Brutus glanced around, his eyes tracking something only he could see. “I just checked my email,” he said. “I have an appointment with a Vermillion Entertainment representative soon. Thank you.”
“Yeah, whatever. So you really lost all your gear
when I sold it?”
“Yes,” Brutus growled. He pulled his trench coat back and they could all see his basic gear.
Abigail shook her head. “So you murdered him and then sold all his gear, Vale? Shameful.”
“I can’t believe this guy is my best friend,” sighed Bart.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Vale pulled eight hundred gold from his inventory and traded it to Brutus. “Here, this is most of what I got for selling your gear. That should help.”
“I’m sure that’s all you got from selling my gear,” grunted Brutus sarcastically. “I appreciate the gesture, but I still have about twenty thousand gold. I just haven’t had the time or the opportunity to get decent gear again.”
“Twenty thousand?” exclaimed Abigail. “That’s a fortune!”
“I quest a lot,” Brutus said, shrugging.
“So…can I have that eight hundred back, then?” asked Vale.
“No, I’m going to keep this as an apology for stabbing me in the eye, blyat ninja looter.” Brutus smiled evilly.
Vale glared at Brutus. Well, he kind of has a point, I guess, but eight hundred gold is eight hundred gold!
“Whatever,” said Abbey, briefly throwing her head back in irritation. “You guys can measure your dicks later. I want to get out of this tunnel.”
“Hear, hear!” agreed Bart.
Vale grumbled, “Fine.” He frowned at Brutus. “You first then, money thief.”
Brutus grinned and growled, “Takes one to know one.” He saluted before starting up the ladder.
After the whole group had reached the top, Bartholomew and Abigail both made noises of surprise. Vale got another prompt too, but he absentmindedly closed it. The portion of the quest they were on must have been completed. His assumption was confirmed when Abigail said, “I just leveled up!”
“Me too!” said Bart.
“Congratulations, guys. So what level are you, Brutus?” asked Vale. He tried not to snarl. Every time he saw Brutus, he wanted to stab the big man again. Calling Vale a ninja looter…He obviously wasn’t a ninja looter! He just hadn’t been sure that Brutus’s group was going to do the right thing. He had no regrets, dammit!
Luck Stat Strategy (Secret of the Old Ones Book 1) Page 10
