by Adam Elliott
The woman in front looked more stern. She was not the one who'd spoken, not with the way her eyes were narrowed beneath a pair of stylish AR glasses. She looked no more combative than her friend, but her attention was keenly focused on the weapon held so tightly in his grip. Cayden didn't know her, but she seemed terribly familiar, like bumping into a distant cousin. Her long black hair straight down to the middle of her back, some attention paid to her looks from the hint of rouge that adorned her lips.
“Y-yeah. I think I am.” Cayden said, at last relaxing the grip on his blade. “You aren't after me, are you?”
“Why? Who are you?” The woman in front asked. She didn't seem to care much for the answer as she strode forward. A set of potions appeared from her menu as she walked, and she casually tossed one at each of the downed PKers.
It was good to laugh. “You... don't watch the news much, do you?”
Chapter Twelve
"You really are popular with the ladies, aren't you Cayden?" Sarah's voice was positively dripping with scorn as she set a glass of iced tea down on a coaster in front of him. "And lucky too."
“Yeah. That's me. Luckiest guy in the world.”
"Oh, I assure you. He is in no way popular with me." Silver said dryly, reaching up with a gloved hand to accept the offered glass of wine. "Her on the other hand."
All eyes at the table turned to face Celia, the mousy blonde teenager positively withering under their attention. She suddenly found something of keen interest in the tablecloth, fidgeting with it in dainty hands to avoid looking at any of them, least of all Silver.
To be fair, it was all her fault for admitting she knew who he was.
“I'm not sure I... follow.” Sarah said skeptically, lingering around their table. She had work to do, but this seemed like a juicy story.
"Yes Celia, go ahead. Enlighten the lady." Like everyone in the inn, Silver had ditched the confining suit-like garment and cloak when they'd arrived and sat leaning back in her chair dressed in a shoulder-less, long sleeved tunic and loose-fitting brown shorts that ran to mid-thigh. Out of armor, she looked more her age. Late teens, early twenties and decidedly normal. Nothing like the severe, uptight caster he had run into in the dungeon, save for the sour look perpetually plastered to her features.
Celia, by contrast, had adopted an ankle length, tie dye blue summer dress trapped around her slender waist by a two-inch black belt. It made her look beautiful but girly. It also showed off the color creeping across her chest and shoulders as she no doubts pondered attempting to retreat entirely into the garment where no one would ever find her.
"Oh don't be so cruel." Cayden interjected. It was clear from Sarah's lingering that simply shutting down silver wouldn't be enough, however. She wanted the story. "They found me in one of the dungeons and saved my ass. Pretty much the story in a nutshell."
“Mhmm.” Sarah replied, clearly unconvinced.
“And why were we there?” Silver asked.
"To try and get me leveled up?"
“And why that specific dungeon?” She pushed.
There was a moment of silence, Sarah looking between the two girls as Celia became more and more crimson with each passing moment. “Because I saw Cayden on his stream and I wanted to get his autograph. There! Fine. Happy!?”
Silence greeted her words, and not just of their table. Every table within about thirty feet had turned to gawk at the noise, a rumble of laughter permeating the crowd.
"And I'm glad you did because if you hadn't shown up, I'd be dead." Cayden interjected. He reached out to touch her reassuringly, then thought better of it after a sharp glance from both of the other two. "I owe you."
“No, you owe Silver. I wouldn't have been able to do a thing.”
“And if you weren't there she wouldn't have been. I owe you both.” He looked to Silver. “How's the wine, by the way.”
“D'Lish.” Sliver replied with a crooked grin.
“Not every day a progression guild member saves your life and only demands you buy them a drink for their trouble.”
"Ah, so you did figure it out." That smile became a touch more genuine as she cocked her head to the side. Long black hair cascade over one shoulder as she met Cayden's eyes, steadily holding them until he, at last, looked away. "I was wondering."
"I'm more annoyed that I didn't recognize you on the spot. Obscenely high-level magic caster, long hair, red cloak." Cayden paused, choosing his next words carefully. "...particular attitude."
“Mhmm.”
“Wait, so she is?” Sarah said, blue eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
“Yeah, one of the top five thousand.”
Silver snorted. “I think I rate higher than that.”
“It is still technically correct.” Celia chimed in softly.
“The best kind of correct.” The four of them said in unison. Even Silver laughed at that, a few drops of wine spilling out onto her gloved hand as her body quaked with mirth.
“It has been a long time since we've had a guilder down here.” Sarah remarked. “At least one any of us recognized. You mostly keep to the forties these days, don't you?”
“Typically. Yes.” Sarah replied, tugging off one glove and dipping her thumb into a nearby glass of water in an attempt to rub the wine stain out before it could get any worse.
“She is here for me.” Celia explained. “My sister is Luxuria.”
Cayden's eyes widened. "Ah. Well, that explains that."
“For you maybe. Who is Luxuria?”
"Now who isn't keeping up with her news." He snarked. "Luxuria is the head of the CFC."
Sarah stared at him blankly.
“Okay, you never get to make fun of me ever again. CFC, Coalition for Completion?”
"Oh! Damn." Sarah exclaimed, her mind suddenly making the connection.
"Yeah. Oh damn."
CFC was the largest conglomeration of progression raiders ever assembled in Babel's admittedly short history. Comprised of the members of twelve separate guilds, CFC had been formed three months earlier as a way for some of the world's best players to join together, to share their knowledge, skills, and experience to find some method to defeat or circumvent the floor fifty boss.
Sobol's Demon. Cayden shuddered just thinking of the name. No monster in all of Babel had as high a body count, nor as long an unbroken string of victories.
Before they'd reached level fifty, progression in the game had been somewhat consistent. Players reached a new floor. They quested, leveled up, found a new item here or there then inevitably within a week, or two someone had located the required items to unlock the boss room. They challenged it, sometimes winning, sometimes retreating, sometimes losing their lives. But eventually a guild would break through, slay the boss and the process would continue to the next floor.
Until they got to floor fifty.
The warning signs had been there for those who'd been looking. The quests spoke reverently of the floor boss. They warned players to be prepared. The boss room itself made it clear in no uncertain terms that players would leave victorious, or dead. Even still, it took the loss of five well-known, major parties before players began to take the risk seriously.
It was Luxuria herself who was the first player ever to exit the boss room alive, having unintentionally tricked the boss into despawning after it 'killed' her by use of an expensive accessory known as the green dream that resurrects its user shortly after death.
The rest of her party were not so lucky.
The specifics of the Demon were a closely held secret of the various progression guilds. The tower prohibited any video or photography inside the boss room until it was defeated at least once, meaning that the only descriptions the public had were second hand leaked reports indicating an enormous Grim Reaper figure that burst from the body of a defeated mage.
The progression guilds had been stuck on that floor for four months, beating their heads against the same boss over and over, unable to circumvent whatever tactic or ab
ility it was that had led to so many deaths.
Cayden had so many questions about it.
“So that makes you her...?” Sarah asked.
“Babysitter, yes.” Silver snorted.
“I'd prefer something a little less demeaning.” Celia frowned.
“Funny.” Silver replied. “I was thinking the same thing when your sister sent me down here to fetch you.”
“You know, I've already said you don't have to be here. I can find a party and level up on my own just fine.”
"Yeah, because that would be easy to explain to your sister." Silver adopted a high-pitched mockery of Celia's voice as she continued. "I found this guy about to be murdered by four high-level PKers, but he's cute, so I'm going to party with him."
“I don't... he doesn't...” Celia stammered.
“You think he's cute, hmm?” Sarah chimed in, snickering at Silver.
“No, but I think she thinks that he is.”
“Okay, so... do I get any say in any of this?” Cayden asked.
“No.” All three women replied in unison.
“But, why you?” Sarah hugged her empty drink tray to her chest as she asked the question.
“She's hit level cap for her floor.” Cayden interjected.
Silver looked at him, surprise poorly hidden on her features as she studied his. “You're not wrong.”
“I seldom am.”
“Humble too.” Silver frowned. “You seem to know a lot about me.”
“Everything that is public. Not sure on your entire spec, but I know you're a specialized Warmage. Scary as hell in any large scale PvE with your AoE spells, but not a slouch in one on one either. I know you hit floor fifty about half a week after the first group, and that you're a progression raider without anywhere to progress until someone figures out the demon.”
"So you stalk me, and she stalks you."
“I don't stalk him.” Celia pouted.
"And I don't stalk you. I could recite basic details for probably a hundred top-tier raiders." He cocked his head to the side. "Only thing I've never been able to guess is why Silver. You're one of the only high-level players who only goes by her game handle.”
“You're so sure Silver isn't just my name?” She replied, eyeing him steadily.
“Could be.” He admitted. “You just don't feel like a Silver to me.”
“Not sure if I should be insulted, or flattered. Good head on your shoulders though, maybe I could leave her with you after all.”
“I never said I wanted to-”
“Yeah, that isn't happening.” Cayden shook his head.
“Not into girls?” Silver grinned as Cayden blanched and Celia fumed.
“You know I am sitting right here, right?”
“Not exactly going to be much of a party when I can't leave town for the foreseeable future.”
“You are both just ignoring me aren't y-”
“What? That bounty thing?” Silver scoffed. “It's a cash bounty. It violates the T&C. He'll keep it up for another week or two until he's tired of melting away at both ends while blind and deaf, then he'll go on TV and call the whole thing off.”
“Wait. You have a bounty on you?” Sarah asked incredulously, reaching for a pair of bulky Gen 1 glasses stashed in the pocket of her apron.
"Yeah. Those guys I saved my first day in? It turns out one of them is a lunatic. A rich lunatic."
“Wow. No good deed goes unpunished.” She murmured softly, scanning the news feeds even as she tried to keep tabs on the people before her. “Huh, so you are worth five million dollars?”
“I don't think so.” Silver smirked.
“Apparently.” Cayden added, casting a sidelong glance at Silver.
“I uh... don't suppose you would consider following me just outside of town. I know this lovely ditch where you and I...”
Cayden spat her with an unimpressed stare.
“Hey, it was worth a shot. The hell else am I going to see that kind of money.”
“You could try waiting some tables!” Came a shout from a nearby thirsty patron, though a rude gesture was all he received.
“Hmm...” Celia chimed in. “If it's against the T&C, what happens if they'd actually succeeded in killing you?”
Silence reigned in response to the question as all four looked at one another uncertain. Then, seemingly as one mind, they did what people of their generation always did when faced with a question they didn't know the answer to. They googled.
"Neat. It looks like we're not the only people to ask what happens if we kill you today." Silver laughed, scrolling through page after page of search results. "Looks like the killer would probably be okay, but who knows what happens to this David guy."
“I don't get it.” Cayden said with a sigh.
“How so?” Celia asked.
“Well... it'll take a little bit of explaining.”
"Oh, no. I watched your stream. I've heard." She continued, blushing as she saw the surprise on Cayden's face. "I mean, I watched that one. I don't look at them all. Just..."
“You know you don't get anything if you kill her from embarrassment, right?” Silver chimed in.
A dirty glance from Cayden was enough to silence the peanut gallery for the moment, allowing him to turn his attention to Celia. "It's cool. It makes this easier." he reassured her. "As I said, I intervened and saved who I could. I didn't help his dad, but this Liam guy was alive and kicking when I left. And I sure as hell didn't kill anyone."
“So why is he saying you did?”
“I have no idea.” Cayden frowned.
“You are a scapegoat.” Silver said flatly. “The other guy didn't trip and fall on his own sheers, which means either junior screwed up so bad that he got yet another person killed, or he did it himself.”
“Why involve me at all then?”
“He didn't. You did.” She said in a tone that might as well have added you dumbass to the end of her sentence. "You put out a statement saying you intervened and saved two people; then he walks back out of the tower by himself. People might not put two and two together at first, but he has to figure that someone might eventually."
Cayden winced. “So he puts this bounty on me in the hopes that someone shuts me up.”
“Plus he looks like the grieving son by offering up the bounty. Literally sacrificing his body to see you dead. Might deal with some suspicions.” Silver snorted. “Guy probably did it for the money.”
“Not a great plan then.” Sarah remarked.
Silver cocked a brow. “Oh? How so?”
"Taken a look at Vitalita stocks recently?" Sarah swiped at the air a few times, and each of the other three was presented with a prompt asking them if they wished to accept the layer she was offering.
A press of a button and Silver got Sarah's point. "Ouch."
“Yeah, turns out that publicly traded companies are not super big on having their majority shareholder fund an assassination, even if it takes place in Babel.”
"So, not the money then." Silver frowned. "Long shot, but perhaps he did just love daddy that much? Then again, maybe he realized he was gonna get caught having murdered a guy, and he just panicked."
“He'll get arrested for it though, won't he?” Celia asked.
"Ehhh..." Came Silver's reply, her outstretched hand wobbling back and forth. "Maybe? Bounties are allowed in the T&C, so if he were paying in Zeni, it'd be legal. Without, I'm not sure. I'm sure there is a room full of lawyers arguing that point back and forth as we speak."
“So no passing her off on me.” Cayden said.
“Still right here.” Came Celia's reply, her eyes narrowed in Cayden's direction.
“Give it a week. I think the world record for T&C violation is something like sixteen days. Mark my words.” Silver smiled, then reached out with her ungloved hand. She manipulated something within her AR vision, cycling through a few menus until she reached a destination. “Cayden, hold still.”
“Umm... why?”
The words had barely left his mouth when Silver began chanting. The arcane words swam around him, a certain electricity lingering in the air as the woman before him worked her fingers through complex somatic gestures. The tempo of her words began to build, her gestures becoming more fluid until a circle of light filled with intricate symbols of magical power glowed into existence in the air before her outstretched fingers.
“Palm open. Touch it.” Silver commanded.
"I'd rather not. I try not to consume any energy field larger than my head."
"Oh don't be a baby. If it hurts you, the watchers will pound me into a warm paste and heal you up good as new."
She raised a good point. Dealing any significant damage to another player inside a town was next to impossible, and there had never been a recorded player death inside a safe zone. Silver wasn't likely to have saved his life back in the caves just to earn herself a beating for making an attempt in the dumbest way possible.
He reached out a hand, palm open towards the floating symbol. It shimmered for a moment at his touch, then flared to life. Light radiated out from it, momentarily blinding him and leading to a shout of annoyance from nearby patrons.
Then just as quickly as it had come, the light dimmed and faded. Only the slightest hint of its glow remained tattooed onto his skin, the same intricate symbol filing the center of his palm with a warm light that vanished as the black lines seemed to float to the surface from within his skin.
“I mean, I always wanted a 'Mom' tat on my back, but this works too I guess.”
“It is a non-detection ward.” Silver replied with a roll of her eyes.
He knew what it was. The moment he touched it the spell had filled his mind with information, like a memory he'd forgotten until just that very moment. He knew how the spell functioned, its duration, its strengths, and weaknesses. He was aware that it would cost Silver 0.05% of her total manapool to keep the spell active on him from day to day, which was a not entirely insignificant sacrifice for a progression raider who spent every waking moment trying to squeeze a tiny bit of extra performance out of her build.
