“Yes, kind of like the one I got with my legendary class but if I recall correctly, legendary skills by themselves are not as powerful as when they come with a class. They don’t confer any stats either. “Legendary” in this game usually means unique. Legendary skills are like, powerful, unique skills.”
Bartholomew nodded. “Got it.”
“Anyway, Minerva was smart enough to work on several things simultaneously. Plus, our grouchy warrior here,” Vale said, pointing at Brutus, “obviously respects his sister.”
“She is better than all of us,” Brutus said.
Vale looked sideways at the big man for a moment before speaking again. “Anyway, I started thinking about how she’s been asking about ancient soldiers, legendary skills, and also how she was obviously looking for a specific entrance to the Great Maze. Then I began thinking of how she had been hopping from city to city, leaving an obvious trail.
“The answer for why she was doing all of this was simple. She already had a map.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Abigail.
Vale grinned. “She cheated. She got her hands on some kind of map and was hitting random entrances to the Great Maze, making herself visible, leaving a trail. She appeared lost on purpose to throw off pursuit. Think about it. She would visit the local entrance to the Great Maze before going to an information broker or merchant to ask about it.”
“But isn’t the Great Maze huge?” Bart asked. “Like, it’s basically the same size as the game world, right? Like a huge labyrinth that functions as this game’s dungeon system? Wouldn’t she have to be looking around and asking questions if she was going to find anything?”
“Not if she had a map,” said Vale.
“That seems like a stretch.” Abigail folded her arms and looked skeptical. “Like a huge leap in logic.”
Vale grinned. “Normally you’d be right…but you’re forgetting something.”
“What?”
“I have the [Map Reading/Cartography] skill!” Vale pointed at himself. “I can generate maps based on points of data, and I can map regular locations to the Great Maze. I was able to see a pattern with where Minerva was going.”
“But that still doesn’t make sense. If you knew what points she was hitting, that still doesn’t tell you where she was actually going to end up,” said Bart, his tone thoughtful.
“Yes, that’s true, and that’s where I was stuck before. However, remember how she was visiting a church or cathedral at each place she stopped? I was reminded of all the steps we all had to take in our group’s chain quest. I began to wonder if she was on a quest too. It seemed likely, since she’s looking for a legendary skill, and ‘legendary’ anything doesn’t come easy in this game.
“So a couple hours ago, I mapped all the points Minerva had visited both in the overworld and the corresponding locations in the Great Maze. The points made a circle on my mental map of the Great Maze. It just so happens that the entrance to the Great Maze in Ravenwood is right in the center of that circle.” Vale drew a circle on a handy piece of paper and marked an X in the center of it.
“That is actually…pretty clever,” Abigail said, nodding.
“Now, there’s still a chance she was just accidentally covering locations to the Great Maze that coincidentally made a circle. There’s a chance, but I don’t think so,” said Vale.
Abbey rested her cheek on her hand. “So you think she went to this location to get her legendary skill, then she’s just been hanging out in there ever since?”
Vale nodded and replied, “Yes. If she is trying to power level and stay hidden as a skilled player—and we know from Brutus that she is—that would be a good way to do it. She will be off anyone’s metaphorical radar, very difficult to find while training.”
Bart was slowly nodding, and Vale noticed Brutus was too. He grinned and said, “I would have been lost without the [Map Reading/Cartography] skill. You remember how few players are level ten or higher to begin with? Then, of them, how many are Occultists, and how many will choose the Explorer subclass? Minerva made a very smart choice in how to hide. I’m not sure where she got the information to begin with, though. Probably an NPC.”
“So what now?” asked Abigail.
Vale put his hands behind his head and leaned back. “Now we get to Ravenwood and find the entrance to the Great Maze.”
***
“This place is a dump,” complained Bart. Vale had to silently agree.
Ravenwood had been underwhelming. Half the businesses were empty, and the local NPCs were beaten down, fearful. The entrance to the Great Maze was in a large barn. The space within the doorway shimmered, but the frame itself was made of rotting wood with weeds up and down the sides.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” asked Abigail.
“I’m fairly sure, the clues—”
Suddenly, Brutus stepped forward and rubbed his thumb over a mark on the nearby wall. “She was here,” he said. “There are marks all over these walls, but she made this one for me in case I came by.”
The mark looked like random scratches to Vale. He asked, “Are you sure?”
Brutus just stared at him with no expression.
“Okay, I guess this is it!” said Vale. “Let’s go.” He walked into the open doorway and assumed the rest of the group followed. As soon as he hit the shimmer, the world fractured just like when he Dove into SOO or any other VR app.
***
When his vision came back, Vale was standing in a jungle clearing. He was near an old, crashed airplane covered by vines. The lush vegetation, organic smells, and jungle sounds were relaxing at first. Then Vale remembered that jungle biomes in SOO could be incredibly dangerous.
The rest of his group appeared over the next few seconds. He idly watched as they did so and tried to get his bearings.
The Great Maze was strange, kind of an instanced world within a world. To be a realistic game, SOO had to have real change, with the overworld being affected by player choices. For instance, if a player burned down a house in the overworld, the house would stay destroyed.
The Great Maze, on the other hand, was prone to reset. This was how Yggdrasil Entertainment had found a balance between a dynamic, changing world and a way for all players to enjoy some of the same content. If monsters never respawned anywhere, only a tiny portion of players would even be able to level.
“So, where do we go now?” asked Abigail.
“This way.” Brutus pointed and began walking.
“How do you even know that?” asked Vale.
“Tracker. I put one on my sister months ago.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” Vale nodded before his eyes flew open and he sputtered, “Is that how you’ve been finding me too?”
“Yes,” Brutus said. He barely smiled.
“Tell me where it is!”
“No.” Brutus smiled wider.
Vale knew there was no point in arguing further. He grumbled to himself and tried to ignore Bartholomew’s quiet chuckling.
Friendship. Hah.
Vale frowned, his mood growing worse as he realized their group was getting hopelessly disoriented. The only person who didn’t seem lost was Brutus, who took turns without hesitation. To Vale, the entire jungle began to look the same after a while.
He was fairly sure there was no way in hell he could backtrack to the gate.
After some time passed, the jungle sounds began to feel ominous. It grew darker the deeper the group went, and Vale started noticing some shady, dangerous-looking plants lining the trail. He swallowed.
Eventually, Brutus led them to a small camp that Vale recognized as a temporary player base. It was the sort of thing players brought with them into the Great Maze to store drops, craft, and leave their character to sleep while logged off.
Minerva was standing next to the tent with her hands on her hips. She wore a steel breastplate and bracers over a maroon, crushed velvet top. Her pants and gloves were supple black leather. Her ornate
weapon belt held a variety of weapons. On one hip, she wore a curved military saber. On the other hip, Vale could see a couple blunderbuss flintlock pistols.
Minerva was beautiful, like a polished blade. She had been part of the expedition with Brutus, the one where Vale had definitely not ninja looted any treasure. He remembered her being pretty, but his memory had apparently been lacking. Studying her again in person, he had to admit she was drop-dead gorgeous.
Minerva had dark blonde hair past her shoulders, piercing green eyes, high cheekbones, and full lips. Her lithe, athletic body still boasted rather impressive curves.
Vale though she looked about his age, maybe a little older. He hadn’t cared so he’d never checked her physicaldex in the past. He idly checked her ‘dex as he studied her. Holy shit, 10/10? That’s actually what she looks like? Vale was shocked.
“Brutus, why did you come? Who are zese people?” Minerva had a thick accent. Vale thought it was sexy.
He glanced over at Brutus and saw something he would have never expected to see. Brutus, the stoic, calm, ice-blooded killer, was actually blushing and stammering!
The big man even looked scared! What the hell is going on? Vale immediately recalibrated his assessment of Minerva. Her beauty was irrelevant now. Anyone who could reduce Brutus to a stuttering mess was someone to take seriously.
Not for the first time, Vale wished he could remember more details from the expedition he’d taken part in with the Ukrainian siblings.
Minerva’s ‘Tude
“Well, out wiz it, brother.” Minerva gestured impatiently. “I have been trying to hide, and you are smart enough to know zis. Why are you here?”
Brutus replied, “I came for the same reason we play in the English-speaking location. You know I know what you are looking for. I have brought protection.” Brutus still sounded nervous, but he crossed his arms. “I am not stupid, sister.”
“I never said you were.” Minerva narrowed her eyes as she studied the group. “Who are zese people?”
“The big, ridiculous-looking man in gothic clothes is Bartholomew. The woman with pistols is Abigail. The—”
“There is only one woman, yes? Why would you need to remind me of her pistols?”
Brutus took a breath. He responded, his voice strained, “Style choice, okay? Can I finish?” Minerva made a gesture with her hand and Brutus continued, “The shifty-looking man with the rapier is Vale dePardon, he is—”
“Yes, I recognize him now. He is ze one that stole from us before, then killed you recently, yes?” Minerva laughed for a second before she put her chin in her hand and studied Vale. The open inspection made the Occultist feel slightly uncomfortable.
Brutus shook his head. “Sister, we have come because—”
“Yes, I can figure it out. I’ve been hiding, not living under a rock. I know of these people.”
“Stop interrupting me,” growled Brutus.
“Oh, little brother, you have grown a spine? I would be impressed if he hadn’t killed you a few weeks ago.” Minerva pointed at Vale.
Abigail butted in. “Okay, I love watching fucked-up, dysfunctional families as much as the next girl, but can we please just get this over with and get the hell out of here?”
“Please come with us, sister,” pleaded Brutus. “They will take you in their streaming group. You are a Mercenary subclass, so you can help with SAN attacks. Their group needs this.”
“You intend to stay in zis group?”
“Yes, and I will move to the United States if you join this group and move there too. Then we can keep looking and not worry as much about hiding.”
“There is a lot of subtext in this conversation,” muttered Abigail. Bart mutely nodded in agreement. Vale just wished they could all stop standing around. He really didn’t care if Minerva came or not.
Suddenly, Vale’s [Paranoia] skill screamed at him. He saw motion out of the corner of his eye and drew his new percussion lock derringer pistol from the back of his belt.
The attacker was a monkey, but it glowed slightly green and looked…wrong. Vale quickly used two mana points to cast
He sighted down the barrel just like Abigail had taught him and gently squeezed the trigger, all while tracking the monkey’s movement. A split second later, his pistol belched a cloud of smoke and the monkey’s head exploded.
Everyone froze for a moment, their eyes on Vale. With a hint of embarrassment, he realized he still had his hand extended with the pistol. He awkwardly put the little derringer away at the back of his belt and tried to look nonchalant.
“Those zings are very annoying,” said Minerva. “Ze monkeys. Zey carry disease. It is why I have so many antidotes on hand.” She gave Vale another appraising look. “He has good reflexes.”
Vale rolled his eyes. “Whatever, I’m not performing tricks, chick. You’re not my sister, and I can give two fucks less about you. However, we did just go through a lot of trouble to find your shapely ass. You’re basically being offered a deal that will make you rich. It’s a yes-or-no question, and if you say no, you’re stupid.”
“More of that winning personality…” Bart said softly. Brutus was very still, his expression nervous.
However, Minerva laughed. Vale had to admit the throaty sound was kind of sexy. She was ridiculous. The woman exuded self-confidence and sex appeal at a primal level. He wasn’t sure how someone could pull that off in a game, but she managed.
The swordswoman chuckled, “Yes, yes. I know why you are here and what you wish me to do. It is protection. I understand. However, I wish to make this fun. You,” she said, pointing at Vale, “let’s have a duel. If you win, I will come with you.”
“What if I lose?” asked Vale.
“I am going to win. Zere is no suspense, so I ask for nothing. You can be on your way to entertain many average people, yes?”
You have got to be kidding me! thought Vale. And suddenly, he cared. Up to this point, finding Minerva, all of it was Brutus’s request, and the outcome hadn’t interested Vale. He knew their group could probably find a priest class player, someone to help with SAN attacks. With the kind of money his stream was generating, getting almost any non-streaming player on board would be a snap.
He had been tired of looking for Minerva, and now that they’d found her, he had really just wanted to get on with the legendary weapon quest. But now she was pushing his buttons. He wanted to wipe that smug look off her face. “Okay, fine!” he fumed. “You’re on, queen bee!”
“Sister, please just go with us,” Brutus pleaded. “It’s for your protection.” He turned to Vale. “You have no hope of winning. I cannot beat her, and you cannot beat me without an ambush.”
Minerva chuckled at Brutus. She drawled, “With or without an ambush, a win is a win. You lost to him, brother. If you were sure of yourself, you could have challenged him again before now, yes?”
“It was not important,” grated Brutus. “I know my strength. I am not a win addict like you.” He turned to the rest of the group and said, “She was going to be an Olympic fencer. Then she decided fencing was boring and began training in steel sabers. You have no hope of winning, Vale dePardon.”
“Just keep telling me more how I have no chance,” Vale growled. “I’m going to destroy Skanky Tight Pants over there.”
Minerva grinned and pointed at Vale. “This is why you do not lead a group, brother. This man is a shameless rogue. He is not handsome, nor speaks well. He is not impressive. But he has balls. He finds what he wants and chases.”
Vale didn’t know whether to be flattered or more pissed off. He decided on the latter. “Fine, let’s do this,” he snarled.
“No, please stop, Vale dePardon,” Brutus begged. “She has been here long enough; she likely got the legendary skill she was searching for. She is also very strong. On top of that, she has probably been
grinding in the Great Maze, too.”
“Yes, I have.” Minerva drew her saber. “I have been soloing elite monsters to test my abilities.”
Vale tuned them out. He was about fight his first duel in a long time. He tried to remember how the system worked. He also remembered that a duel was to the death or on yield, and afterwards, both players were reset to their condition before the duel started.
He also knew as soon as a duel started, any buffs or magic effects disappeared so players could not give themselves an advantage ahead of time. This presented a problem for Vale. His fighting style relied heavily on buffs. He was going to need some time to cast all his spells. As much as he disliked and distrusted Brutus, he believed that Minerva was a hell of a fighter.
The way she was standing all sexy and poised was irritating too. Vale was going to take her seriously as an opponent from the get-go. Losing was not an option
He quickly formulated a plan and narrowed his eyes. His party members moved to the edge of the clearing. There would be plenty of room to fight. Good.
As expected, a prompt appeared:
Minerva Vann has requested a Duel.
Do you accept?
Vale chose YES.
Minerva was incredibly fast. The second the duel started, she began to glow red and darted forward. Luckily, Vale had been prepared. He cast
He quickly focused and grew serious. He was going to win this. He pumped four mana each into
Next, Vale used his legendary [Elemental Magic: Air] skill to cast
Luck Stat Strategy (Secret of the Old Ones Book 1) Page 12
