Hell to Pay (Ascend Online Book 2)

by Luke Chmilenko

  “And possibly kill him if he did nothing,” I finished for Isabella, not envying the situation that Fairfax must have been in.

  “Correct.” The woman leaned back in her chair, exhaustion visible throughout her body. “How Edith, your heist, or the sigil that you’ve acquired relate to any of this…I don’t know. But based on what you’ve told me…the Geas didn’t kill him.”

  “You think Fairfax stumbled onto something he shouldn’t have?” I asked, remembering what Edith had told me before things became violent on the pier. “Edith alluded that something big was happening in Eberia.”

  “Something big is always happening in Eberia,” Isabella answered wearily. “The question is what.”

  The two of us sat in silence as we each tried to puzzle out what could have happened to Fairfax, the exhaustion of the night having taken a toll on our bodies.

  “Thank you for telling me about Fairfax,” Isabella said after a while, looking down at the strange coin that I had found on Fairfax’s body. “And for bringing me his coin. It’s…more important than you know.”

  “What are we going to do?” I asked while nodding in appreciation. “As a guild, I mean…”

  “I don’t know,” Isabella replied, standing up. “I’m the senior lieutenant, so I’ll likely take over. It’s not the first time a Thief Lord has died; the guild will survive.”

  “And what about Fairfax?” I asked, following Isabella’s lead and standing up.

  “Tonight, we’ll mourn him,” Isabella stated as she began walking towards the door. “Tomorrow, we’ll avenge him.”

  Chapter 9

  Sunday, February 24th, 2047 – 11:23am

  The Grim Shadows Guild Hideout

  I awoke slowly, feeling myself lying on my side with something warm pressed against me. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw the familiar black curls and the pale white skin of Molly’s back as she lay beside me with my arm draped over her. Lying still, I slowly began to piece together the events of the night before as my brain gradually woke itself up.

  After leaving Isabella’s office yesterday, we had both returned to the common room to break the news of Fairfax’s death to the rest of the guild. Giving them a condensed version of events, one that omitted King Cyril’s involvement in the guild’s history, we explained that Fairfax had been killed while investigating a rumor and named Edith as the likely suspect.

  Taking up the mantle of leadership, Isabella then declared herself as the interim Thief Lord and seamlessly began Fairfax’s wake, asking everyone to put their anger on hold for the night while we remembered our fallen leader.

  Being one of the newest members of the organization, I had yet to fully realize how closely knit the guild was and how much everyone would mourn Fairfax’s passing. So far, I had seen the Underworld as a cruel place, where people only looked out for themselves, uncaring to what happened to those left behind. Watching dozens of people come together in grief for a fallen comrade was more than I had ever expected to find, leaving me feeling emotionally raw and uncomfortable.

  I kept trying to remind myself that it was all a game, feeling that I wasn’t the first player that had difficulty coming to terms with the realism that Ascend Online portrayed. It seemed like there was something new every day that made me question the new reality I found myself in.

  The wake lasted for several hours, giving Molly more than enough time to cross the city and find her way into the hideout. Feeling out of place as everyone began sharing memories of Fairfax, Molly and I did our best to stay out of everyone’s way, only to find ourselves actively drawn in and included. Despite only being initiates and members for a short time, everyone made sure to count us as one of the family, an experience the two of us found extremely touching. Up until that point, we had felt like outsiders, not yet having earned a place within the inner heart of the guild.

  Molly’s stirring beside me had me snap back into the present as I felt her body shift. Slowly turning herself, she rolled around to face me, her blue eyes widening in surprise as they met mine.

  “Morning,” she whispered, drawing the blanket close over her naked shoulders. “Sleep okay?”

  “Mostly,” I replied. “Still processing everything that happened last night.”

  “I know what you mean,” Molly replied with a sigh. “I thought this game would be an escape from life, something fun to take our worries away, even with the path we’ve taken…”

  “But yesterday wasn’t fun,” I said, understanding all too well how Molly was feeling.

  “Well…” A devilish smile spread across Molly’s face as she touched my chest. “Some of it was a lot of fun.”

  “I’m happy the game didn’t seal those memories away.” I smiled back, still feeling the large mental gap in my brain.

  “Still don’t remember anything from the day before?” Molly asked, her expression shifting to one of concern.

  “Nothing,” I answered with a sigh. “Just completely…blank.”

  “I still find it terrifying that the game is able to do that to us.” Molly shuddered, pulling herself close to me. “How did something like that even end up passing the design stage?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged as best as I could while lying on my side. “But is it any different than any of the other tricks the game plays on us? Soothing our minds after a battle or coming to terms with dying?

  “I got crushed by a statue yesterday, and somehow…I’m okay with it,” I continued while tapping my head with a finger. “No mental trauma or anything in here.”

  “It just doesn’t feel ethical,” Molly replied. “Soothing bad memories, I understand…but taking other memories away…that seems too much for a game to be able to do. We’re just playing this game for entertainment, not to have our personalities altered.”

  “I’m not happy about it either, but isn’t this just the next step past the televisions and video games that society has been playing for the last ten years?” I asked, clasping Molly’s hand that was still resting on my chest. “Instead of sitting and watching a show or playing a game, we’re living it now. Exactly how it would be in a fantasy world.”

  “I guess it really is…” Molly closed her eyes with another sigh, before reopening them and staring back up at me. “What’s our plan for the day now? Any tips from your two quests?”

  “Not sure,” I said, remembering the pair of quest updates that I’d finally gotten around to reading late last night. Double checking to see if I had missed anything, I brought the two descriptions up again to skim over.

  Quest Updated! The Heist!

  Going to the meeting in Cayden’s stead with Molly, you discovered that the mysterious woman was in fact Edith, your one-time companion. After accusing you of ruining her plans in the Arcaneum and stealing the Sigil of Rage from her, you and Edith fought, eventually resulting in your death. Unfortunately, Edith has since escaped to places unknown.

  Meet the mysterious woman: 1/1 (Complete)

  Find Edith: 1/1 (Complete)

  Find Ransom: 0/1

  (Optional) Recover Memory: 0/1

  Quest Updated! No Honor Among Thieves!

  Returning back to the Grim Shadows headquarters, you informed Isabella of Fairfax’s demise and learned the true history of the Thieves Guilds. Taking the mantle of leadership, Isabella has assumed the role of Thief Lord and has promised vengeance for Fairfax’s death.

  Inform the Grim Shadows that Thief Lord Fairfax has been killed: 1/1

  Wait for instruction from Isabella: 0/1

  “Just the same thing as yesterday,” I confirmed after dismissing the quest updates. “Wait for Isabella to tell us our next steps.”

  “It’s going to be near impossible to find Edith or Ransom in a city this large,” Molly said while giving my chest one last squeeze and turning away as she began to extricate herself from the blankets. “We should probably get ourselves up and see if there is anything we can do to help.”

  “Yeah…” My reply trailed off as I wa
tched Molly sit on the edge of the bed, admiring her form. “Molly…”

  “I know what you’re going to ask, Gavin,” Molly whispered, using my real name. “My reply hasn’t changed—not yet. I still need a bit more time. But for what it’s worth, I’m almost there.”

  “It’s okay,” I answered, feeling the familiar frustration bubble under the surface. Despite the way our relationship had progressed within the game, I still knew nothing about Molly when it came to the real world. Every time I had asked, she had refused to share even the barest details about her life or even accept a simple email address from me so we could keep in touch offline.

  I could understand the precaution of not wanting to give out information to strangers, but given that we had spent nearly every day of the last three weeks together and had some sort of relationship going, it felt strange to not even know her real name. It almost felt to me like Molly was working her way through a previous breakup or some other personal loss. Not that she would tell me what was causing her hesitation, either.

  Sensing my frustration, Molly leaned over from the edge of the bed and kissed me. “Your patience means a lot to me. I promise it’ll make sense later.”

  “I can’t wait,” I replied as she pulled away and began getting dressed. Throwing the blanket to the side, I followed her lead and began looking for my pants. Regardless of what Molly was or wasn’t willing to tell me about real life, we were still together in game.

  And right now, that was good enough for me.

  W

  Contrary to the stagnant stillness that I had walked into yesterday, the common room was a flurry of activity this morning as Molly and I walked into the room. Guild members moved with purpose as the day crew paused for an early lunch, inhaling quick meals as they caught one another up on what was happening on the streets. There was a sense of palpable excitement in the air, but judging from the tone of the voices I was hearing, there was worry as well.

  “What’s going on, Bart?” I heard Molly ask an older, grey-haired thief that was nursing a hot drink by himself at a nearby table. “Did something else happen overnight?”

  “Ah, Molly, Lazarus.” The older man nodded at us in acknowledgement as he set down his cup. “Yeah, whole city is up in arms. Marshal Tarius pulled out this morning with two thirds of the military on the king’s orders.”

  “W-what?!” I practically shouted, glancing over at Molly’s stunned face.

  “Why would he do that?!” Molly hissed in disbelief.

  “Find the answer to that, and Bella will shower you in coin. She’s got everyone combing the streets for news about Fairfax or what the military is up to,” Bart told us with a shrug. “Ask me, I think the politicking between us and the Ascendancy is finally breaking down and they sent our troops out to shore up Coldscar.”

  “Have you heard anything about that?” I looked to Molly as I asked the question, having filled her in about what Isabella told me last night. Despite the military trying to interfere in the king’s courtship, I didn’t think he would send them away just out of spite.

  “No,” Molly answered, shaking her head. “But if they’re moving the military into position, it’s because of a clear and tangible threat. Deploying them outside the city would be just too expensive otherwise.”

  “Rest of the Underworld doesn’t know what to make of it either,” Bart continued, his gaze landing solely on me. “Also, seems that everyone’s a mite grumpy, with Cain rubbing out the Undertakers last night.”

  “They had it coming,” I replied, gritting my teeth as I spoke.

  “Don’t disagree,” Bart grunted. “I figure a dead chap should be able to rest in peace once the life has left his body. Not be all concerned that some skeevy necromancer is going to source their corpse for parts. Problem is, they had a good thing going making unwanted bodies disappear, and you may catch some hate for that.”

  “They can hate all they want,” I told the older thief as I made a mental note to be on my guard while out in the city. “But if they try to do something about it, then I’ll be the one with a problem of making bodies disappear.”

  “Heh, don’t I know it!” Bart laughed with a knowing smile before fixing us with an appraising look. “If I had to go into a thrash, I’d make sure that you and Miss Molly would be standing behind me, that’s for sure.”

  “Why thank you, Bart.” Molly couldn’t help but laugh. “Hopefully you’ll never have to.”

  “That’s the two of us!” the man agreed. “I’m a mite too old to be getting into scraps nowadays and I’m happy to leave that to you young folk.”

  “Anytime you need us, just call,” I told the man seriously, appreciating his sentiment.

  The old rogue nodded as he looked at the two of us silently for a moment. “I may not be a scrapper anymore, but if the two of you are interested in learning a few tricks from an old cat that’s survived thirty years on the street, I’m certain there’s something I could teach you.”

  “Th-that would actually be great, Bart.” Molly glanced at me in surprise, before looking back at the man. “We would really appreciate it.”

  “Glad to hear it!” Bart exclaimed while picking up his drink and standing up. “Now if you don’t mind excusing me, I need to go find Goner. He’s due to be helping me run the drops for the day.”

  “Not a problem,” I replied, holding up a hand. “But before you go, any idea where Isabella is right now?”

  “Bella? She’s down the hall in the spare room.” Bart pointed towards the other side of the common room with his cup. “She said she didn’t want people walking across all the tunnels just to find her, so she set up shop close by.”

  “Thanks, Bart!” Molly gave the man an affectionate pat on the shoulder as he moved off.

  “It’s not enough to have everything happen with Fairfax and Edith, but now the military is leaving?” I grumbled out loud to Molly as we crossed the room. “What the hell is going on in the city?”

  “I think the game’s moving to a World Event,” Molly said with some resignation. “There are tens of thousands of Adventurers out in Coldscar that came from Eberia alone, plus however many that came into the area from the Ascendancy.”

  “What do you think is going on out there?” I asked while waving to a few familiar faces as Molly and I continued to walk. “Do you think we’re at war already?”

  “There’s a whole lot of player-versus-player conflict going on,” Molly told me. “I’ve taken the time to look up some of the feeds over the last couple weeks and I saw several new Eberian guilds fighting amongst themselves, but I also saw quite a few skirmishes with guilds coming out from the Ascendancy as well.”

  “What were they fighting over?” I shook my head, not quite believing what Molly was telling me. “They have the whole wild to choose from and access to the rest of the continent. Why are they still wasting their time around here?”

  “Resources, mostly,” Molly replied as we walked out of the common room and into the hallway. “Pretty much everything here in the city that we take for granted, they need to painstakingly craft and hope no one destroys it. The major guilds are spending all their time to create a stable powerbase before branching out.”

  “Sounds chaotic and more than a little frustrating,” I said with a scowl. “I’m not much for running around in the wild, fighting and dying in the mud. I spent ten years traveling the world after the global economy fell apart during the nanotech boom. I’ve had enough of sleeping on the ground and eating bugs to last a lifetime. I’m a city boy through and through now.”

  “I didn’t know you traveled, especially during the Collapse,” Molly said softly as she looked up at me with an unreadable expression on her face. “You’ll have to tell me about it one day.”

  “I’d be happy to,” I replied with a smile as Molly’s hand reached out to grab mine.

  Finding the spare room that Bart had mentioned, we found Isabella, along with a handful of other guild members steadily streaming into and out of t
he room. Using the room as a temporary command post, Isabella was directing everyone who had any news about what was happening in the city to drop in and ensure that she or one of her scribes knew about it.

  “Lazarus, Molly, to me.” Isabella spotted us out of the corner of her eye the moment that we walked into the room and wasted no time in waving the two of us over.

  As Molly and I approached, I noticed a familiar person standing by Isabella’s side, looking more than a little out of place as he glanced around the room. Tall and lanky, the black-haired man didn’t appear to be dressed like a thief, choosing to wear a thick green gambeson with a pair of dark brown leather pants. He fixed both Molly and I with a wide smile as the two of us approached, his green eyes watching us carefully.

  “Quinn!” I greeted the Adventurer with a handshake. “What brings you down here?”

  “Hey, Lazarus,” Quinn replied, motioning his head towards Isabella. “Isabella got in touch with me, mentioned that you two had a rough night last night and may need a hand.”

  “You could say that again,” Molly agreed with a sigh.

  “Good morning.” Isabella nodded to us in greeting, wasting no time in getting the conversation moving. “I called Quinn because I believe he may be useful in making sense of what happened to the two of you yesterday and because he’s among the few Adventurers that we can trust, given recent events.”

  “I’m sorry to hear about Fairfax,” Quinn said softly, looking between the three of us. “I’m happy to help however I can.”

  “What’s the plan for the day?” I asked, looking towards Isabella after giving the dark-haired man a nod, curious to see just how much she had really told him.

  Technically, Quinn wasn’t a member of the Grim Shadows, despite having worked with us a handful of times before, which made it all the more interesting that Isabella had invited him into the hideout. It meant that she trusted him quite a bit, and likely that he had finally expressed interest in joining the guild, something that he had been reluctant to do when I had last spoken with him.