The Crown and the Key

by Andrey Vasilyev

  “Nope,” I replied darkly.

  “That’s a shame. You could have gotten a pretty penny for it or traded it for something nice. A few of Glen’s guys have recordings, though their angle is terrible. They were sitting in the underbrush the whole time.”

  “Milly, let’s stop beating around the bush,” I said, having realized what I’d kicked off. In fact, I’d given it some thought back when Glen told me that the Gray Witch had signed a pact with them. “What’s happening out there in the world?”

  “War is happening,” Milly replied as she opened a portal. “Almost all the old alliances have collapsed since this morning, and a few new ones have formed to feel out zones of influence. It’s so exciting! Nobody’s declared anything, so far, but that’s just a matter of time.”

  “What’s so exciting about it?” I asked ruefully. “What do you want a war for?”

  “Warriors always love their wars,” Milly said, licking her lips. “It’s boring without them.”

  Ridiculous. And she’s a girl…

  “Well, I need all that like crumbs in my bed—they don’t seem like much, but they keep you from getting to sleep.” I pulled Tren-Bren, who was thinking about something, through the portal. “I already have one war going on, and now there’s another one covering the whole of Rattermark. One plus one is two, and that may be too much for me.”

  “You think you have a choice?” Milly asked in surprise.

  I stepped behind her onto the square of the Hounds’ fortress. It was bustling, with people running around, yelling, and crashing weapons together. In a word, it was a serious clan with war looming.

  “There’s always a choice,” I told the warrior.

  Milly patted my shoulder. “Not in your case. Don’t forget—it’s your fault the world is coming apart at the seams so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a price on your head soon. You broke the peace, so now you’re a commodity and a prize.”

  “That’s just what I need,” I groaned. “Oh, God, what did I do to deserve this?”

  “I hear you there,” Milly replied sympathetically. “But hey, you have friends, right? And they have swords and axes, so chin up.”

  Without much enthusiasm whatsoever, I stepped into the citadel of the Hounds of Death.

  Chapter Fifteen

  In which we hear both yes and no.

  “Friends are great, of course,” I mused as we walked through the corridors in the Hounds of Death citadel. The problem is that they have the nasty habit of sending you the receipt for the help they provide. It’s all on a quid pro duo basis, after all. And if my suspicions were correct, everything was upside down and inside out—they were going to protect me from the consequences of something I had nothing to do with. They turned a molehill into a mountain and then blamed me for it…

  “Is that the room with the flags?” the fairy asked Milly, who was going faster and faster in an attempt to get away from the barrage of questions. “What’s in there? Is that your clan storehouse?”

  “Could you just be quiet?” the warrior finally burst out. “My head hurts already!”

  “Oh, you think I get to visit the castle of Rattermark’s strongest clan every day?” Tren-Bren asked. She was a bit hurt, though she decided to throw a little flattery Milly’s way. “And we’re guests, too—you could show us the respect of giving us a tour.”

  “I’m no guide,” Milly Re barked before asking me a question over her shoulder. “Why did you bring her with you?”

  “She’s a good-luck charm,” I replied calmly. “Don’t worry, this will pass, soon, and you’ll learn how to tune her out.”

  “Oh, yes?” Milly glanced dubiously at Tren-Bren, who had flown over to an overgrown crocodile-like head decorating one of the walls. She started wiggling one of its teeth, glancing around furtively as she presumably tried to snatch a souvenir of her trip to see the Hounds of Death.

  “You—” I was about to get on her case about taking what wasn’t hers, though Milly grabbed my sleeve and yanked me down the corridor.

  “Forget the tooth. Run—we might get away before she sees us.”

  “Oh, please,” I replied, shaking my head before going over to the fairy and tugging on her leg. “Leave their trophy in peace. It’s not supposed to be taken apart like that.”

  “That’s a shame,” Tren-Bren said. “Really. I would have poked a hole in it and hung it around my neck for some bling.”

  “That would certainly be some bling,” I responded. “But if you try that one more time, I’ll take a portal scroll—”

  “You don’t have any scrolls left,” the fairy said with a wave. “I heard about the trouble you got yourself into because you forgot to stock up. Seriously, how could you be so careless? Here you are getting on my case for little things…”

  “Shush.” I had to admit that she wasn’t far off, though she hadn’t picked the best time for that particular discussion. There was a tough conversation coming up, too, and the last thing I needed to get me ready were sermons from an underage fairy. “You just fly along behind me, don’t say anything, and remember that I get angry, too, sometimes. And, let me tell you, I’m an awfully unpleasant person when I’m angry. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Tren-Bren clearly understood that I wasn’t joking. There’s a limit to everything, my patience included.

  To be fair, she behaved herself for the rest of the trip. She didn’t make any noise, she didn’t get distracted by anything on the walls, and she didn’t even go over to the three warriors dragging something along under the watchful eye of two mages. It grabbed my attention because it looked awfully like what that drunk old mage Furro had given to Captain Daisy Englend. Practically an exact copy. There was always something to see when you visited the Hounds. Anyway, I was fine with that—anything that benefited them benefited me, too.

  Flavius was right where he always was—the Gray Witch’s servant must have been a permanent fixture there. Could this be his job? I wondered if the guy was just paid by the clan. On the other hand, anyone who paid good money to play the game only to spend that time serving someone, albeit the leader of a very important clan, needed to get their head checked.

  “Good afternoon,” he nodded to me. “They’re expecting you.”

  “Flavius, keep an eye on this girl, please,” I replied, pointing at the fairy. “Don’t let her get you riled up, ignore her if she asks for anything, and don’t believe her if she promises something. If you have to, you have my permission to tear her wings off.”

  “I want to come with you.” Tren-Bren pouted. “It’s not fair!”

  “I didn’t promise you anything,” I said. “You’ll sit here, and that’s good enough. You can even talk with Flavius.”

  The fairy fluttered down onto a chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared at the floor. Fine, be that way.

  Milly knocked, pushed open the door, and gestured for me to step inside.

  “What about you?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I have other things to do—my job was just to get you here.”

  What about taking me back? I was definitely tired if nonsense like that was starting to pop up in my brain. And I really was feeling tired, too. The system was apparently starting to push me in that direction. That was bad—the tired sensation was only going to get worse, and I needed all my wits about me if I was going to be talking with someone like the Witch.

  “Well, the great leader of the hill clan came for a visit,” the Gray Witch said happily. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you—sounds like you’re making waves over in the Borderlands. To be honest, I’m pretty surprised that the pseudo-Scottish flavor in there grabbed you the way it did.”

  “It’s fine,” I said carefully, looking around.

  There was a pair of familiar faces in the room with the Witch and me.

  The halfling Radius was sitting in a chair, legs dangling, his position as a replacement for Fredegar secure. Cedric Sekira was leaning up against a wall next to him. The
latter’s face was just as dark and focused as ever.

  “So, who’s been telling you all that?” I asked by the by.

  “Just people,” Radius replied for the Witch.

  “Oh, well, thank you for that,” I said with a half-bow. “These days, the fact that the informant is a person says a lot.”

  “Still the same old Hagen,” the Gray Witch laughed, clearly in a good mood. “Always with a comeback.”

  “What are you talking about?” I said, feigning throwing my hands in the air. “I wouldn’t hurt a fly if I didn’t have to.”

  To my surprise, Cedric Sekira grunted.

  “Okay, let’s get down to business.” The Gray Witch sat down at her desk, motioning me toward an open chair. “I doubt you’ll be surprised to hear that the Hounds of Death sent an official notice to the Double Shields today.”

  “I don’t know about that,” I replied. Of course, I hadn’t heard about the notice, though I could’ve guessed. “About the events of this morning, I assume?”

  “Correct. We demanded an apology for our allies, the Sons of Taranis, compensation for the losses suffered during the treacherous attack, and a list of bonuses for Glen.”

  “Nice work. Have they told you to go screw yourselves, yet?”

  “A while ago,” Cedric snorted. “And much more rudely than one might have expected.”

  “So, it’s war,” I yawned. It wasn’t deliberate; my eyelids were feeling heavier and heavier. “Are you sure you need that?”

  “We do,” the Witch said seriously. “It’s going to happen, sooner or later, and we’d rather it happen now while we’re still on equal footing. In three or four months, the Shields will push past us. I’m not sure who’s behind them, but they’re growing like gangbusters. We can hold them off for a little while longer, but that’s it.”

  “What do you mean?” I stifled a yawn.

  The Witch looked closer at me. “Are you losing it?”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

  “Is the system starting to push you?” the Witch asked, and then frowned when I nodded. “Great timing. Okay, we should have enough time before it turns you off.”

  “Enough time for what?”

  “Let’s forget about all that stuff, the questions with obvious answers,” the Witch said, pushing back in her chair. “I know very well that you’re no fool, so stop it.”

  “I’m being serious—do you want me to swear it?” I really had no idea what she was talking about or needed from me. “Just tell me what you want from me.”

  “I wouldn’t understand either if I were in his shoes,” Cedric said suddenly. “It could be anything.”

  “Oh, please,” Radius squirmed. “Not exactly anything.”

  I decided to push things along a little. “Okay, I have a big request: if you don’t mind, explain what exactly is going on in Rattermark right now, and then tell me exactly what the Hounds of Death want from me. Remember, I’m about to log out of the game, and I don’t get much choice in the matter.”

  “People go wild so quickly,” the Gray Witch said in surprise. “The funny part is that he wouldn’t have known anything if we hadn’t dragged him here.”

  “He could have read the forums,” Radius said.

  “Better get down to it—he’s going to turn off soon,” Cedric said. “Hagen may not be the most important person to our plans, but wasting time catching him again…”

  That’s an odd word to use for a friend.

  “Absolutely right,” the Witch said, perking up. “Okay, let me just give you a rundown of the international situation.”

  Everything was about what I’d figured it must be on the way there. The Hounds of Death had been looking for a reason to pick a fight with the Double Shields, and they’d found one. Glen, alight with righteous indignation, had told the Gray Witch what had happened, she’d quickly called a meeting of the large council, and they’d sent a long, threatening notice to the aggressors. The Double Shields had replied that they had a burial plot for the Hounds right next to the one ready for the Sons of Taranis, saying that they hoped they’d be the ones to dump the two clans in them. There’s a casus belli[3] for you.

  The Gray Witch then summoned the leaders of the clans friendly to hers to let them know about the impending war to end all wars—it was time to decide whose side they were on. The pacts they’d signed assumed their support, but these were unusual times.

  Nobody pulled out. Everyone realized that the time had come to restructure the balance of power in Rattermark, and I could only assume that they’d decided who they were going to follow long before that moment.

  Elina and her clan, incidentally, had long since dissolved their alliance with the Hounds. She’d apparently had a hard time getting over the Witch sticking up for me.

  The whole thing had sucked in more than just everyone who was going to be part of the stand-off; all the bigger clans were involved. They knew emissaries from one or both of the sides would soon be showing up with a gentle reminder that they needed to pick between them. And there was no putting the question off. Well, they could have, but that was a move the winners might remember later on… Because of that, the leaders of the clans not yet allied with the Hounds had come running, papers in hands, as soon as they sniffed out what was going on.

  For that reason, several clan alliances, the ones the players in our square had been talking about, collapsed quickly. Some pushed toward the Shields; others lined up behind the Gray Witch. The alliances apparently weren’t that strong if they were that easily broken up.

  The balance of power right then was just about even, leaving both sides with a solid chance of coming out on top. The spoilers in that scenario were being played by a good forty clans, all of whom were pretty high up there, who were sitting the war out. They weren’t even accepting envoys from either side. That surprised everyone, though they got over it quickly.

  “We didn’t get over it; we just put the question off for later,” Radius said. “It’s odd.”

  “You always have your neutral powers,” Cedric chimed in.

  “It’s one thing to have neutral clans made up of a hundred players, but it’s something altogether different when they’re in the top hundred.” The halfling scratched his hairy foot. “We need to figure out what’s going on there.”

  “Well, that’s all fine and dandy,” I said to the Witch. “But what does it have to do with me?”

  “Wow, really?” The Gray Witch threw up her hands. “You got all this going, and now you want to sit it out?”

  “I didn’t get anything going,” I replied, realizing perfectly well that they were provoking me. “You figured me into your calculations and leveraged the moment you found that could trigger the war. Don’t blame it on me. Don’t try to pull me into the war, either. I already have plenty of virtual blood that needs spilling—I’m in the middle of my own war.”

  “I’m sorry, did you just tell us to go screw ourselves?” Cedric asked. “Wow.”

  “Oh, it’s going to be like that?” I asked wearily. “Why don’t you go ahead and ask me if I really think I’m such a big guy. That’s the tone you’re going for, no?”

  “We’ve pushed ourselves pretty hard today, too,” the Gray Witch said apologetically. “But, yes, you need to make the right choice. I’ll be perfectly honest—we definitely need your clan, together with your NPCs.”

  “Oh, dear God, what could you possibly want from us?” I muttered, trying to get my thoughts to straighten out. They scattered like cockroaches, and there was a dull pounding in my temples. “All I have is a few low-level players, a crazy fairy, and a bunch of NPCs that are either too young or too old.”

  The Gray Witch clasped her hands. “You had your game progress interfered with, not to mention the quest you were working on. If you join us under my banners, I can appeal to the game admin as the head of our alliance. Victory isn’t won in the big battles; it’s the bloody little skirmishes on the side that you hav
e to engineer and exploit. Well, there are other ideas I have for you and your clan, too.”

  “Didn’t the appeal have to be submitted right away?” I asked uncertainly.

  “Not at all,” she smiled. “We have two weeks for that. And, believe me, if we do it right, we can squeeze out some serious sanctions for the Double Shields.”

  “Yeah, it really is strange that they did it themselves.” It doesn’t sound like that’s the first time Radius is expressing that thought. “Why didn’t they use somebody else to do their dirty work?”

  “We’ll think about that later,” the Witch said, her gaze fixed on me. “Do you have any other questions?”

  “Me?” I jabbed a finger at my chest. “I always have tons of questions. For example, who framed Roger Rabbit?”

  “Very funny,” the Witch said very seriously. “Well, if you don’t have any more questions…”

  The Hounds of Death offered you an alliance.

  You can read about the general rules for allied clans in the Collective Gameplay manual, which is in the Hints and Tips section.

  By signing an agreement with the Hounds of Death, your clan will receive:

  A 12% discount from traders and blacksmiths in the locations under the patronage of the Hounds of Death.

  +5% experience for killing player opponents in the locations under the patronage of the Hounds of Death.

  +3% gold for killing player opponents in the locations under the patronage of the Hounds of Death.

  Note! The leader of the Hounds of Death may offer you additional bonuses in order to entice you to accept the agreement.

  Note! The leader of the Hounds of Death informs you that accepting her offer means vassalage to her clan.

  You can read about the general rules for vassals in the Collective Gameplay manual, which is in the Hints and Tips section.

  Note! You earn experience for killing opponents of allied clans, so long as they are at war.

  Warning! Your clan can be allied with a maximum of ten player and NPC clans (you can currently form alliances with nine more clans).