by Tony Corden
“Give them to me.”
Leah handed the four spells over and placed them in Olme’s outstretched hand.
Olme looked at each scroll in turn and it dissolved into dust. She said, “Thank you Atherleah, such spells thwart my purpose. If you discover more, then I would be pleased to dispose of them. Now, what gift?”
Leah opened her bag and withdrew the spear with which she killed Lady A’lev Sevgilisi. She said, “This was a gift from the Fire Dragon Lady A’lev Sevgilisi. With it, I allowed her to embrace death and so live with her mate who had gone before. Every time I see it or use it I am reminded of her courage and sacrifice. Her willingness to embrace death on her own terms and yet to live for her family. I trust it is a fitting gift to express honour to you Lady Olme.”
The Goddess carefully took the spear and holding it in both hands. She said, “Truly a priceless gift. You could sell this at auction for at least 10 Diamonds. Are you sure you want to give it to me?”
“Yes Lady Olme, while I need the money, I held Lady A’lev Sevgilisi in the greatest of respect. I think the spear in your hands honours her more than Diamonds in mine.”
Olme called out, and the High Priestess of Göskel-Orman drew near. Olme said, “Take this spear and give it a place of honour among my treasures. Make known to all my servants in all lands that Atherleah has found favour in my sight. Let them know of the honour she has shown to me.”
She turned to Atherleah and said, “My Priestess will give you the 900 Gold. You have pleased me with your gift, and I will search for a suitable reward. Go with my blessing Atherleah.”
Leah turned and found the high priestess standing behind her with a bag of coins. They were standing just inside the door of the Temple. Leah thanked her for the coins and then she headed to the market to stock up on potions. She transferred twelve Diamond, thirty-six Platinum and seventy Gold to the King’s Account. Finally, she messaged Eli and received the response that he and his wife would love to accompany Leah and he had a Ranger friend who would also join them. Leah agreed to meet them on the main road heading west from the city. Eli said they would be waiting near the checkpoint.
Fifteen minutes later Leah approached the checkpoint and saw Eli waiting with two others. When she arrived he introduced his wife as Elsa; she was a Level 234 Mage. Eli also introduced his friend; a Level 197 Ranger called Matt who was carrying a longbow and wore a cape with a deep cowl. After introductions, Leah said, “I have two questions before we head off. First, are you three members of a clan?”
Eli responded, “No, we were for a while but have been independent for some time. Why do you ask?”
“I’m a little wary of people if they are associated with Clan Y’Haul. They have been chasing a friend of mine. Secondly, how do you want to share experience and loot? I will need to lead the group otherwise we won’t be able to enter the forest. We can go proportional shares by level, proportional shares by damage, or equal shares. With loot, I usually arrange for 'as needed' and then either by turn or lottery.”
Matt said, “I would prefer equal shares as the other two usually leave me at a disadvantage. Loot as you said.”
Eli said, “That suits me unless after a while it is clear that someone isn’t pulling their weight. I would, of course, prefer proportional by level.”
Elsa punched Eli on the arm as shared, “He always says that but we usually arrange equal shares. He is so far ahead because he plays more than I do. I work more than he does.”
Leah invited them to join a group and then said, “Alright, we have to reach these coordinates. Matt, Are you a part of the Ranger’s Guild?”
“Yes although I have been a little slack lately in exploring.”
“Well, I would like you to run point. There are no current maps of the area, and the Rangers Guild have nothing on the area. I am sure this trip will advance your standing within the guild. Rather than go straight there, I suggest we travel the West road to its end point and then head slightly North of West, say fifteen degrees. I have an ancient map that indicates there once was an old road that started out that way. About five leagues from the end of the road we should find a valley between two small hills. The trail starts in that valley.”
“May I look at the map?”
Leah said, “Not to be too secretive but I’m a careful person. We are still getting to know each other. After a while, I might show you some of it but for now, can you take my word on it.”
“Sure thing, and to be honest, I think that makes me happier about the trip. I can work with someone who is careful; trusting, but not foolish. Now the West road is fairly safe so I think we can travel fast, is everyone ok to jog?”
Everyone nodded, so Matt started off at a jog and slowly built up speed until they were moving at a fast trot. They travelled like this for an hour when an arrow from the trees slammed into Leah’s new protection dome. Leah teleported as far as she could see in the direction that the arrow came and appeared just a few steps from the archer. She threw a knife which thudded into his chest near the heart. As he looked down Leah took a final step and removed his head with Baris. She turned to find the Eli, Elsa and Matt being attacked by a group of five bandits. Leah watched as Eli cut one down with his sword and Elsa trapped two with thorns which grew from the road. Matt was being harassed by the other two so she cast Chain Lightening at them, stunning them. Eli stepped in and dispatched the ones Elsa caught, and Matt killed the last two. The battle was over in moments.
After dividing the loot, they settled back into the run. After a second hour, Matt slowed and said, “We should all have something to eat. We’ve travelled almost four leagues and will reach the end of the road in another hour and a half. I suggest we stop there for the night and start again tomorrow. I can be here by nine.”
Everyone agreed, and they kept going until they reached the end of the road. No travellers had ever gone past this point. Leah was last to log-out. After looking around, she stepped into the forest and logged out.
Leah had five real-hours before she was due back in Dunyanin. She sent some time just talking with Gèng and playing with Mĕi. She tried to organise a schedule for the next few days as she was feeling overwhelmed. As it was night in real-time, she decided to enter Cosmos Online and then have one lesson with Master Ning.
She checked on her parents, and they were not in the communal area, so she just had a supper snack and went straight to the Berne portal. She left her apartment at the flying school and headed for the Flight Simulator. Everything seemed very quiet, and she became uneasy. She turned to retrace her steps and almost ran into Brett.
“Hey Atherleah, are you back for some more lessons?”
“Yes, I was just heading for the Simulator, but I couldn’t see anyone else around. I was thinking of going back to the room to check if maybe I there was a schedule I missed.”
“No schedule, the simulators are open all the time. I suspect that you’ve just hit a slow patch. Why don’t you get in the simulator and I will load up the next module. This one starts with you chasing another fighter. It helps you to develop your reflexes and spatial awareness.”
Leah noticed that Brett’s speech was more hesitant than before and he was having trouble looking her in the eyes. She nodded and headed for her assigned simulator. As she walked, she surreptitiously grabbed a camera from her belt pockets. She was surprised to make it to the Simulator unmolested. As she opened the door, she pretended to have difficulty and placed the camera in the centre of the door. When nothing happened for several minutes, Leah assumed she had everything wrong and started up the Simulator. After correctly managing to exit the space station she was instructed to stay within 200 metres of the fighter in front of her. She was on her second attempt when she saw several people approaching the simulator; she had positioned the camera screen at the edge of her view.
She dove out of the pilot's chair and stepped to the side of the entryway ready to defend against anyone trying to get in. She was surprised when she saw the
m place a metal bar across the hatch and weld it shut. She tried to open it and found it wouldn’t budge. Brett arrived and helped load the Simulator onto a trolley.
Brett’s voice came over the speaker, “I’m sorry Atherleah. They offered me a lot of cash. Thad will understand. After all, it’s just a game. One day we’ll have a drink and laugh about this. There are snacks in the cupboard. They are taking you to Chann, it is a four-day trip, and one of Mahigan’s Battlecruisers is waiting for you. Just give her what she wants.”
Leah tried to cut the door with the Nano Sabre but found it was resistant to the micro thin filament. She knew she was running out of time. She used the Nano Sabre to separate the Pilot’s chair from the floor and then wedged the chair into a small gap at the very front of the simulator. She was just able to squeeze into the space between the chair and the wall. On the screen, she could see that the simulator being placed in the hold of a spaceship. She used the Nano Sabre to make small indentations around the edge of the airlock and then removing several small shaped charges from her belt she placed these in the gaps and facing toward the outside. She closed her faceplate and huddled into the protective area she'd made. She took several deep breaths and detonated the charges.
The blast almost squashed Leah flat as the chair was forced against the wall. It took some careful use of the Nano Sabre to cut herself free. The simulator's airlock had been blown free. She exited the simulator and almost ran into two men in spacesuits who had come to see what happened. They weren’t expecting her and even though one of them managed to get off a shot from his blaster, her reflexes were faster. Leah’s Sabres flashed, and both men died. She quickly went through their pockets and removed their weapons. She talked to Gèng asking, “Is there an easier way to get their loot?”
“There is a function called ‘reap’ that you can use. The forum’s suggest that it is designed to identify and collect between 50 and 70% of items. You lay your hand on the item and say ‘reap’, as you take your hand from the body a pile of items will appear, and the body will disappear. I suggest you check everything and then reap.”
Leah tried this and after checking the pockets and belt and removing everything she could easily find she put her hand on the body and said, “Reap!”. As she removed her hand the body disappeared, and the space suit was left as well as a small pile of coins that must have been inside the suit, There was also some gadgets that she couldn’t identify. She left the suit and put the coins and gadgets in her bag for later. She did the same for the second body and then realised how foolish she was not to have checked the hold before being distracted.
A quick look around the hold revealed a third casualty. A Gorgian must have been standing in front of the door when it had been blown loose. She had been flattened as the door exploded from the simulator. Leah quickly checked her for items and looked around for anything she might need. Besides the simulator, numerous crates were filling much of the space. She didn’t have time now, but she hoped to return and see what they held.
She checked the exit airlock, but it showed vacuum on the other side, so the ship presumably had left the station. The only thing which helped immediately was a map of the ship. She was on an Apogee Class Frigate 12000DT. The map showed quarters for up to thirty crew. She asked Gèng to check the handbooks and to see how many were needed to crew the frigate.
“This frigate has room for thirty but is designed for a minimum crew of three and an optimal crew of seven. The other berths are usually used to house boarders for ship-to-ship engagements. Minimally they need a pilot, a gunner and an engineer. To optimise the ship's capabilities, they suggest an additional pilot and three weapons experts.”
As Gèng was saying this, an alarm started to sound. Leah assumed they had noticed the missing crew. She hurried to the exit and looked both ways. She quickly rigged two shaped charges called micro APMs. These were small directional command-detonated anti-personnel mines. There was a small camera in the housing that she linked to her faceplate. She placed each one several metres either side of the doorway. She closed the door and waited. She was just in time, as twenty seconds later she could see two figures in armour coming down the corridor, one from either direction. One was certainly a Gorgian. The other looked like it had a tail, so it was probably one of the lizard races. She watched as the Gorgian came close to her mine. Unfortunately, the lizard was further back. She decided to wait for the lizard to be level with the mine and then she would deal with the Gorgian up close and personal. She hoped the blast would disorientate him or her.
When the lizard was in the green zone on the APM camera, she detonated the charge and was thrilled to see the Gorgian stumble backwards into the green zone of the second mine. She detonated that, and stepped through the door to double-check they were both dead. She checked pockets and reaped them. She checked the map and headed towards the Bridge. She expected to meet more crew but surmised that the two she had killed in the challenge on the space station might have been from the Frigate. If so then she had already killed seven. She was still careful as she passed doorways and turned corners.
She passed a door which was shown as crew quarters, but she couldn’t open it. Gèng said, “Leah, I think this is the equivalent of a hotel room in Dunyanin. A player has logged out, and therefore they and their equipment are safe.”
“How do I ensure they don’t log in and get behind me?”
“The handbook says that this ship is in internal conflict and players cannot log out or in until that conflict is resolved. If the conflict was outside the ship, the players could leave or return.”
Leah found two other rooms which were locked similarly. She was almost at the Bridge when she heard a door open ahead of her. She ducked into an alcove and watched as a human male walked toward her. As he went past, she stepped out placed a knife against his neck. She said, “One move and I will kill you. Talk, and I will tie you up and let you go later.”
He said, “Atherleah, I’m already dead, Mahigan is going to kill me over and over. You seem to have escaped her trap and I was supposed to bring you in. You might as well kill me as I won’t tell you anything.”
He then tried to turn and grab her but she activated the Sabre which was in her other hand pressed against his back, it pierced his heart. When she got to the bridge, she opened the door and dove through the opening. She was surprised to find it empty.
She said to Gèng, “So where is the keycard on this ship and how do I take control?”
“Sit in the Captain’s chair and put your hand on the palm reader. Declare yourself captain by right of conquest and a game AI will check this and issue you a new card.”
Leah placed her hand on the palm reader and said, “My name is Atherleah, and I am the new Captain of this ship, I claim it by right of conquest.”
After a moment a voice said, "Welcome Atherleah. You have conquered the frigate ‘Plague’ and are the new owner of this Apogee Class Frigate 12000DT. The previous owner, Mahigan, the Black, has been informed of its capture. What do you want to do with the current crew? You may offer them employment or return them to their resurrection Point.”
“Have all crew been killed?”
“You would not have been able to claim the ship if even one logged in crew member was alive. There are four crew who were logged out when the conflict began.”
“Thank you. Please return them to their resurrection Point.”
“Do you wish to change the name of this vessel?”
“Yes, please, how long do I have to decide on a new name?”
“You can change the name now for no charge or at a later date for a fee of 10 platinum.”
“Please change the name the vessel to ‘Betrayal’.”
“That name is unique. Your registration is complete. Your AI has been given control of the Betrayal. The Old Owners Card has been destroyed, and the New Owner’s Card has been placed in the chip reader of this chair. As no qualified pilot is on board the frigate will be remotely piloted to the nearest
space station which is ‘Berne’. You must find a pilot before the Betrayal can leave the station. Enjoy your new acquisition.”
Gèng said, “I have full control, and we are returning to Berne. I have arranged a berth at the station. Do you want to pay the docking fees? This is the only way to ensure the safety of the vessel.”
“How much is the fee?”
“For a ship the size of this frigate they are wanting 20 gold a day.”
“Pay for two weeks. When we get back, I need to have a talk with Brett. Can you tell me what is in the crates in the hold?”
“The manifest shows four crates of heavy duty personal armour, six crates of assorted weapons, mostly blasters, and eight crates of mechanised armour. The frigate is fully supplied with armaments and has been recently serviced. It is advisable to have the damage in the hold and corridor fixed.”
“Thanks, Gèng, can you research the safest way to do that. I’ll also ask the team and see if they have any suggestions.”
“Do you trust them after Brett’s betrayal?”
“Absolutely, I imagine Thad is going to be even more annoyed with Brett than I am. It wouldn’t surprise me if they returned just to have a word with him. Unfortunately, I will get to him first, and there might be nothing left for Thad and the others.”
As soon as the Betrayal docked, Leah headed for the flight school. As the door to the school’s reception area opened, she saw Brett sitting at the desk typing on a screen. He spoke without looking up and said, “I won’t be a moment, I’ll just finish this purchase.”
He typed a few more keys and then said while beginning to look up, “There. All done. How may I help …”
He didn’t get the last word out as Leah had a blaster pointed at his head in one hand, and the other held her Sabre, this time with the filament emitting a bright red light.
“Hello Brett, please finish your question. Say, ‘Hello Atherleah, how can I help you?’”
