SpeedRunner (Tower of Babel Book 1)

by Adam Elliott

  “It won't keep people from finding you with their eyes. But it does mean that any player who wants to locate you by way of magic, either arcane or divine, will have to overcome my spell. Considering how strong I am, their attempt will need to be expensive, dangerous, or both.” Silver smiled. “Consider it my present for when you and this darling kid run off together.”

  Celia swatted away Silver's hand as the latter reached out to pinch her cheeks. "You're barely two years older than me." She said with annoyance. "And I'm not running off with anyone!"

  Silver only smiled. “Well, not for a couple of weeks anyways.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “A week or so my ass.” Cayden grumbled, hunched over a pair of steel pauldrons with an inking quill in his left hand.

  One week had turned into two. Then two turned into three without any change to the price on Cayden's head. If David's resolve was supposed to have cracked beneath the weight of the Terms and Conditions, he wasn't showing any sign of it. In truth, he wasn't showing any signs at all. Despite dozens of major news organizations attempting to locate him or a representative for comment, no one had heard a peep from David since the press conference three weeks earlier.

  Which left Cayden in limbo, and his plan in shambles.

  He'd made one attempt to leave the safety of Islo after the first week of effective captivity. He'd dressed in a hooded cloak, and taken to the streets, visiting each of the city's half-dozen gates in the hope that at least one of them might have gone unguarded. He wasn't nearly so lucky.

  Some of his would be hunters were blatant about it. They were camped just outside the city limits, far enough outside that he wouldn't be able to duck back in the moment a combat began, but close enough that there was no sneaking past or outrunning them. Other would-be assassins were more clever, lingering at merchant stalls by the gates, conversing with the guards or otherwise having some plausible excuse to be there.

  They'd almost fooled him. If he'd been more audacious, they might have caught him, but hours upon hours of video games had taught him that discretion was sometimes the better part of valor. A second trip to the same gates later in the day found the same people still shopping, talking and otherwise loitering in different positions.

  Leaving Islo wouldn't be an option, and the bounty hunters were bright enough to correctly surmise that the only other city he had teleport access to was the Crown City on the first floor. He had no better luck escaping from there than he'd had sneaking out of Islo. They might not be able to easily track him with Silver's ward still on his palm, but with rotating shifts they kept him penned in quite nicely.

  Escaping was fully off the table. Which meant his four-month plan was now firmly in the dumpster.

  Cayden wasn't one to sulk, however. He couldn't leave the city, but he'd amassed enough Zeni in the days leading up to his impromptu house arrest that leveling up his crafting skills was still very much on the table. So level them up he had, along with a new skill added to the mix after a rather expensive bout of training with Iwamatsu as his tutor.

  Outline

  Type: Active Crafting Skill [Language]

  Skill Level: Novice Level 6. 67.4% to Next Level.

  Effect: Increases progress and Improves Grade. Improves progress for skills other than Outline that provide progress. Lowers Durability slightly. The amount depends on tools used and skill level.

  Cost: 44 LP

  Detail Work

  Type: Active Crafting Skill [Language]

  Skill Level: Novice Level 5. 72.9% to Next Level.

  Effect: Increases progress. Lowers Durability. The amount depends on tools used and skill level.

  Cost: 95 LP

  Finishing Touches

  Type: Active Crafting Skill [Language]

  Skill Level: Novice Level 5. 72.9% to Next Level.

  Effect: Increases progress and Improves Grade. Lowers Durability. Single Use Amount depends on tools used and skill level.

  Cost: 190 LP

  Steady Hand

  Type: Active Crafting Skill [Language]

  Skill Level: Novice Level 6. 12.4% to Next Level.

  Effect: Reduces Durability Loss for next skill by 55%.

  Cost: 45 LP

  Touch Up

  Type: Active Crafting Skill [Language]

  Skill Level: Novice Level 2. 1.7% to Next Level

  Effect: Restore 16% item durability. Single use only.

  Cost: 49 LP

  The skills weren't the only thing he'd managed to level up either. He hadn't paid any attention to the XP he'd earned from the inscription of his first Rune Phrase, but he was pleasantly surprised at the completion of his second to see that was not insignificant. It was no replacement for questing and monster farming but over the course of three weeks of crafting he'd managed to increase his class level from four to seven. The open character info screen had been pinned to the side of his AR display for a week now, a constant reminder of just how far behind he was:

  Name: Cayden

  Gender: Male

  Bloodline: Agares-Tabbris

  Class: Guardian 7

  Experience: 23,522

  Next Level: 28,000

  Strength: 18

  Dexterity: 27

  Vitality: 28

  Energy: 1

  Stat Points Remaining: 0

  Max HP: 1860

  HP Recovery: 5.6/Second

  Max MP: 10

  MP Recovery: 0.2/Second

  Max TP: 1210

  TP Recovery: 7.3/Second

  Still, as his mother would say, three levels was still better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

  "Iwamatsu, I need more Silverleaf."

  “And?” The old man asked rhetorically.

  “And I'm your best... kind of your only customer.” Cayden replied without turning his head, all of his attention focused on the delicate and time sensitive work in front of him.

  “I feel you are taking advantage of that fact.”

  “Funny, I have a similar feeling every time I have to open my purse for new components.”

  Iwamatsu laughed at that. The sound of the old elan's slippered feet were little more than a whisper as he rounded the corner, rummaged in a bin and started towards Cayden. Their bickering was nothing new, three weeks spent in the tight confines of the shop had forged a special sort of friendship between the two, one where neither was entirely willing to admit they liked the company of the other despite the fact that it would have been blatantly obvious to any outside observer.

  “And how goes your newest project?” Iwamatsu inquired as he drew near.

  "We'll see once I get the finishing touches on it. Hopefully, it won't be just another piece for the bin."

  One of the few positives of his situation was that it had given him ample time to test the boundaries of Runic Knowledge. Or at least the limits as they applied to Inscription.

  Among the first things he'd learned was that a proper Runic Phrase was not simply a series of Runes strung together. Even if the phrase made sense, and even hinted at what sort of bonus it might provide, it seemed that only a select few phrases qualified. The scrap box in the rear of the shop was littered with failed attempts. Cheap armor inscribed with phrases like Terror of the Dark, God of Fire, Flame and Demons sat in a pile waiting to be reused for further attempts once their timers had expired.

  Which was another thing he'd figured out. Unlike a typical inscription, or really like any other form of crafting Cayden was aware of, the quality of the inscription did not affect the bonus it provided. Instead, each inscription only provided its bonus for a limited time. Seven days for low-quality inscriptions, fourteen for normal quality. Presumably, each step further in quality would add seven more days, but until he managed it, that was more of an assumption than a rule.

  The realization had been a bit of a letdown. The skill still produced ridiculously powerful inscriptions, but it limited some of its usefulness in the short term.

  His original plan
had been to inscribe a small number of items with the bonuses. Leaving off his maker's mark would halve the bonus, but even still he could have made a decent income putting the items up for sale via the game's auction system, all without anyone being able to track them back to him.

  Unfortunately, the automated auction systems would not list any item with a temporary bonus. He could still sell the items face to face or contract out his skills, but eventually, word would get around, and that would just add to the bounty on his head. The best he could do for now was inscribe cheap items and sell them to Elan merchants at a markup.

  The money wasn't great, but it was enough to keep him above water despite the sums he was spending on crafting materials, lodging, training and the like. It wasn't without risk, but by visiting different merchants day to day, he figured he would be able to conceal the origin of the items.

  His crafting had caused a slight hubbub online. Items with an untyped 1.5% bonus to two different elemental resistances were unheard of, and it didn't take long for players to put together the fact that the runes carved into the items looked a lot like a typical inscription. Fortunately for him, the vast majority seemed to be drawing the wrong conclusions. The consensus appeared to be that the items were a new addition to merchant wares as a result or in anticipation of some unknown event.

  The confusion served him well enough. It kept him anonymous and rolling in crafting supplies to ply his trade, and that was what mattered.

  To date, he had only discovered one other Rune Phrase. Ter Fi Se Natha. Lure of the Flames.

  He'd discovered it on his seventh attempt at finding a new Phrase. Creating it was what made him certain that the other failed attempts weren't just a result of some mistake in his design.

  Rune Phrases were pop culture references. Because of course, they were.

  Cayden couldn't be sure, but he suspected that the length of the phrase also had an impact on its power. I Have Defied Gods and Demons produced a total bonus of 6% resistance between its two elements, while Lure of the Flames only added a single 4% resistance to fire. No doubt A Song of Ice and Fire would have given a similar 6% split between fire and ice resistances.

  Not that resistances were the only bonuses provided by runes.

  His first attempt on a weapon, a cheap steel dagger purchased off the auction house, had ended in abject failure. The surface was smaller than he was used to working with, and he quickly learned that he needed to take much greater care to avoid disturbing the function of the item in his attempt to improve it. His second attempt... was also a failure. As was his third. But his fourth, his fourth was perfection. As far as a photo finish near miss could be considered perfection in any case.

  The effort was well worth it. I Have Defied Gods and Demons added 6% to the base damage of his weapon, 3% Holy and 3% Dark. It was a small boost, but it came at a low cost and compounded with every other possible advantage. Skill usage would turn the bonus three or four damage into six or eight. A solid crit could triple it or more. It could be the difference between having to swing ten times or having to swing eleven, which could ultimately be the difference between life or death.

  Applied to other weapons it had similar effects. With spell power items such as staves and wands it increased the overall damage of spells cast, or in some cases added dark and holy elements for additional effects. Healing was among the few skills that could not benefit from the longer rune word, the Dark element instilling a damage component to a spell intended to do the opposite. Lure of the Flames worked well enough there, however, adding a 4% heal over time to the spell being cast.

  Light began to pulse from the runes in front of him as Cayden leaned away from the nearly finished product

  “Rigatha Fi Se Obten.” Cayden whispered.

  The lights swelled, glowing in intensity with the rising hope in Cayden's heart, only to sputter out just as quickly as the Phrase refused to take hold. Cayden sighed in disappointment. He hadn't expected it to work, but it would have been nice. At least he could cross Terror of the Night off his list.

  At least until I find the words 'flaps' and 'in'. Cayden thought with a rueful smile.

  “I'm guessing the lack of glowing is a bad thing?”

  Cayden shot up from his chair in an instant, spilling the contents onto the floor much to Iwamatsu's shouted dismay. His hand reached for a weapon on instinct to protect himself, even though he was currently unarmed and the owner of the voice couldn't hurt him.

  Shifty seemed bemused by the whole display. The older man was leaning against the counter, not five feet from where Iwamatsu was cursing up a storm. He too was unarmed. Studded leather armor had been exchanged for comfortable-looking gray riding leathers and a loose fitting tunic that did wonders to hide his less than athletic physique. Save for a V cut that left some of his hairy chests bare. He looked like a discount, middle-aged Fabio.

  “I do have a habit of sneaking up on you, don't I?”

  Cayden cast an accusatory glance towards Iwamatsu, but the old man was already rounding the table and headed for the back room in a tizzy about ink all over his floor. No doubt Cayden would pay, perhaps quite literally for his jumpiness.

  “Just a little.”

  "I didn't mean to startle you." Shifty said after a moment's hesitation. "The old man told me you were in the middle of an important creation and that I shouldn't bother you. Had me drink some positively delicious tea while I waited. Frankly, I was shocked you didn't turn around during the whole conversation.

  Cayden wasn't. Crafting in general, and inscribing Rune Phrases could be incredibly intensive. He'd forgotten to eat for hours on end on more than one occasion in the last few weeks. Short of an argument, a fire or physically shaking him Cayden wasn't sure what it would take to draw him out of his reverie when he was focused on a piece. He wasn't even sure the fire would do it.

  “Well, mission failed.” Cayden replied.

  “Look, I deserve the hostility. I know. But I'm not here to make you angry or pick a fight.”

  “You tried to kill me.”

  “Ehh...” Shifty said skeptically, wincing as he saw a look of anger flash across Cayden's features. “I mean, kind of. Look, there was more to it than that.”

  "You threw a dagger in my back, leg, and arm. Felt a lot more than kind of.”

  Shifty walked forward, digging into a pocket of his pants for something. It was only then that Cayden realized the other man wasn't even wearing AR glasses. Had he even been wearing them in the caves?

  “This is the reason I was after you.” He tossed something on the ground, a glint of laminated plastic catching the light provided by the lantern crystals that hung from various walls.

  Cayden picked up the card, studying it for a moment before speaking. “Vitalita ID?”

  "There were twenty-five of us in the caves who all received the same order. You and your party had supposedly PKed an entire gathering group earlier in the day. They'd dropped the others, and managed to isolate you in the caves." Shifty frowned. "We were told to hunt you down. That there would be a sizable reward in it for us if we could bring you down."

  “And you didn't think to check the news before hunting down and murdering a complete stranger? Just following orders?”

  "It was a company AR system. I can't even google on that shit." Came the sharp reply. Shifty's hands clenched and unclenched, the man doing his best to keep his temper under control. "And no, I wasn't going to kill you. I wanted you to surrender if you recall. If that hadn't worked, I'd have bandaged you up and let the security goons pluck you up the next time you left Islo." He turned, pacing a few steps one way and then a few more the other. "The whole thing didn't sit right with me."

  “And now?”

  "You were right. If you were some psycho on the run, you wouldn't have bothered to patch me up." He scratched awkwardly at the balding parts of his scalp as he spoke. "And besides, the story was bullshit. Corporate realized what was going on and pulled the plug on it less than an hour after yo
u kicked my ass. Then they reminded us all of our Non-Disclosure Agreements before they canned us for good measure." His eyes met Cayden's. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

  It was a statement of fact more than a question, but Cayden answered anyways. “No.”

  “That's what I thought.”

  "Not that I don't appreciate someone believing I'm innocent, but why are you here Shifty?"

  "

  I feel like I owe you." He shrugged. "I was going to jump in to stop you if you'd been stupid enough to fall for the stake out at Southgate. Since then I've just been tailing you and trying to work up the nerve to have this conversation."

  Cayden studied the other man. He seemed genuine enough but considering their history thus far that didn't count for much. "And you are going to help me how exactly?"

  “How about a way out of town.”

  He snorted. "Hey guys, look over there! Oops, Jay-Kay, it was a trap. Five million dollars for us."

  “It's no-”

  “Just exactly how gullible do you think I am exactly? Even if you were telling the truth, every gate is being watched by people twice or more your level.”

  “We wouldn't be using the gates!” Shifty said with an annoyed slap of his hand to the wooden tabletop.

  "Oh?" Cayden asked sarcastically. "So what, we climb on the walls, and I leap attack down? Considered that already. I'd be going through open fields where they'd see me plain as day."

  “You don't go over. You go under.”

  Cayden narrowed his eyes.

  “I'm really not crazy.” Shifty insisted, sliding a mirror from his back pocket and laying it on the table. It was alight with some sort of map, but it wasn't until Cayden rotated it that things began to make any sort of sense.

  "The Waterway of Enrai?" He asked.

  "It is a dungeon here in the city," Tyson explained. "Very poorly known. It was found and cleared within the first few weeks of the game, but after that, it didn't draw much attention. Vitalita used it for a little bit to farm a type of fungus for Treat Minor Disease potions, but those haven't been popular since we've been able to consistently make cure potions for over a year at this point."