I wanted to go see Stan, but I was with Jason. We definitely needed to celebrate. So as a group we walked over to the Tavern for the first time.
“Congratulations!”
We looked around the Tavern and saw all of our teammates were already there! Jason had a smirk on his face when I looked at him, while Wayne ran over to give Jenny a mighty hug that took her off her feet.
“What are you guys doing here?” Wayne asked while holding Jenny close.
“Allister contacted us as soon as you guys started for Town. The first to reach Level 20, that definitely calls for a party!” Kaitlin yelled out. All the heads in the Tavern turned toward our group as she yelled this and then a mighty cheer went up throughout the establishment. People started coming over and congratulating Dan and Wayne, who were well known at the Tavern. There were a few thrown in there for Jason and I as well, but no one really knew who we were.
“You guys are the best,” I said to Kaitlin. “How’s it going?”
“Oh, we almost caught you guys! So close! We should hit level 19 tomorrow. So I expect to be right up there with you and your cohorts soon.”
“Good! And Wayne is going to show you guys a spot we found that is going to make that a whole lot easier. Jenny will love it too. After we have a couple of drinks, I expect those two to go riding off to see it. And for whatever,” I said with a wink at the end.
Kaitlin laughed along and then quickly turned her head toward the table. Dan was about to sit down in a chair to say something to Gary and Tim when Kaitlin said, “Sorry Dan, I already called dibs on that chair. You know what calling dibs is, don’t you Dan?”
Dan stood up suddenly and his face started going red. Kaitlin slowly approached him, with that little sway in her hips, and said, “I mean, sure, everyone knows what dibs is. It’s what you call when you want something. Like that chair, or a spell, or an item. All inanimate objects.”
Dan’s Adam’s Apple physically moved as he took a large swallow, backing up slightly as Kaitlin kept moving closer to him. “Can I call dibs on not getting my ass beat right now?”
Kaitlin and the rest of us laughed loudly. She got all the way up to Dan and then leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Congratulations assclown, well done.”
Dan’s face might have been red, but his smile was from ear to ear.
* * *
After the revelries had died down and we all went our separate ways, I headed for Stan’s house.
It was as if Stan knew I was coming and was already waiting for me at the outskirts of the clearing surrounding his home. He was dressed in his regular black garments and had a backpack over his shoulder.
“Heading out on a trip Stan?”
“Yup. Apparently some young lads from Port Town are all the talk right now. Heading to the Capitol I hear,” Stan said while winking at me.
“How could you know that?” I asked him.
“Are ya kidding me lad? That party at the Tavern has spilled out to most of Port Town. Everyone knows it!”
“Well that makes this easier. So I will find you in the Capitol when I arrive?”
“Aye son, just come to the Stinky Pit when you get there.”
“Is that a dungeon or something?”
“Aye, been many a lad that ended up calling that place a dungeon!” Stan exclaimed while laughing. “But no me boy, it ain’t like that. It’s an inn down in the seedier quarters of the Capitol. When you get there, just ask for Dhalean. Don’t many out past this grove know me true name. So I would thank ya to stop calling me Stan till we gets down to the Underground.”
“You got it! Thank you again for everything. I certainly wouldn’t be standing here today, ready to make my way to the Capitol, if it weren’t for your tutelage. You have been a great mentor and teacher.”
“Ah shut up with that nonsense, before you make this old Halfling tear up. Just get your butt to the Stinky Pit, and I’ll meet ya there. Safe travels!”
With nothing more to do on my part, I headed back to Port Town to log off. Then next day would see us saying goodbye to all we had known, at least for now.
CHAPTER 25
October 8th, 2043
Our first order of business was to get to the Capitol. We had the writ of passage from Sir Kenyon that would get us through the gates, and an icon of its location on my map illuminated when I highlighted the writ in my inventory by focusing on it. I had been tempted to acquire upgrades to our gear before we got on the road, but Jason suggested we waited until we got to the Capitol to see what kind of deals we might find there. Dan and Wayne were in agreement, so we held off on making any new purchases.
Since there was nothing left for us to do in Port Town, we summoned our horses and began the journey to the wall. Our trip only lasted an hour at most, and we recounted the numerous experiences we had been a part of over the last two months. Another great thing about Dan’s photographic memory was that he recalled all of the things we had said during our adventures. Although we knew for certain Dan was embellishing his role in many of our battles as we recounted them. He would just point at his head and tell us he was sure he was remembering it all clearly. We laughed quite a bit as we rode toward our next challenge.
The gate that blocked our passage, and the wall spreading to either side, were both massive. And there were numerous guards, all Red to us, manning the gate. One walked out as we approached, holding his hand out for us to halt. We did not want any trouble with these guards and quickly stopped our horses. Once I showed the guard our writ of passage though, he was more than happy to let us pass. He commented to the other guards that the writ was signed by Sir Kenyon himself, and the guards all saluted us.
“Joining the King’s Army are ya?” The guard who stopped us asked.
“Fighting on the same side, though we aren’t much for Army life. No offense,” I responded.
“None taken. As long as we know there are people out there that are answering the King’s call, that is good enough for us. Stay to the road ahead and you shouldn’t have any problems between here and the Capitol. There are no bandits on this part of the King’s road. So long as you stick to the main road, you will be safe the entire way. You can’t miss it. It will always be larger than the other roads you come across.”
As we passed through the gate, the soldiers gave us one final salute. We kicked at our horses and started making our way to our destination. While the summoned horses we rode could theoretically be banished by a spell caster, we hadn’t seen any that could. And the fact that they did not need to be fed or given water, and could run full out for as long as you needed, made them worth the risk of a caster coming along. Although I didn’t want to think what would happen if we were traveling at full speed and suddenly our mounts were no longer under us. The damage from that alone could likely kill us.
The guard was right, and we had no problem following the main road. It took us almost two hours to arrive at our destination, but we knew we were on the right path long before our actual arrival.
The Capitol began to come into view, sitting upon a hill top, thirty minutes before we set food within its walls. The palace, because that is all I could imagine it was, looked grand and decadent from a far distance, but even more impressive as we got closer. I started to spy battlements and defensive structures as well. And given the location of the city, high upon the hill, it made for a good defensive position. Additionally, there was a river that bordered one portion of the Capitol, forcing any land assault along one route. The wall surrounding the Capitol stood ten meters high, and archers could be seen patrolling the top of the parapets.
Our writ of passage also got us into the Capitol and led us to the town square. I was certain we would find another quest NPC there, just like Sir Kenyon. But neither myself, nor my friends wanted to jump right into another quest. We first wanted to explore. And when that exploration was done, I would go and find Stan.
We stayed as a group so we could all learn where the best places were to get spells, armor, weapon
s, and the like. Jason was eager to not only get his spells, but also find the quest mob that would give him his title. Wayne and I wanted to find where we could get our new skills. Dan wanted to find the Tavern.
As we moved around the Capitol, one thing stood out more than any other. There were only NPCs. We knew we were the first of the Light Races to make it to the Capitol, but we weren’t seeing any other players from the Dark Races. Although we were seeing plenty of NPCs who represented those Races, to include Dark Elfs, Trolls, and Ogres. We asked the merchants who we came across for directions, but none were terribly helpful, and it appeared we would need to look for ourselves.
It was Wayne who came up with the first idea to help us. And it didn’t have anything to do with asking for directions. Wayne suspected that since we hadn’t met with the NPC quest giver yet, the NPCs were indifferent to helping us. I figured it was worth a shot, since we didn’t have to accept the quest he gave us right away.
So back we went to the town square and found Sir Arthur Chadwick standing next to the fountain. As we approached him, I removed the map from my inventory and showed it to him. Sir Arthur took the map and examined it, finally letting a smile show on his face.
“You are the adventurers Sir Kenyon has spoken so highly of! I have been waiting for you. Welcome to the Capitol,” Sir Arthur said while waving his arm as if to encompass the whole city. “Times have been tough in our land since the Children of Loust rose against us, but the men and women of this town have bound together and will continue to fight against the foes. You are welcome here and together we can fight this foe. The news from the battle field is dire, as I am sure you have heard. We need more men and women to answer the call.”
That part about news from the battlefield was new, so I took a shot and asked, “What news from the battlefield?”
“Ah, you have not heard? We have faced foes like we have never seen in the past. Beasts of unspeakable cruelty and strength. The King has waged a valiant fight against them, and finally we thought our time was at hand to land a mighty blow. We had the forces, the power, and the position. All went according to plan from the outset. Our forces were almost ready to cheer as we believed we were about to land our first crippling blow against our enemy.”
Sir Arthur paused for a moment as he seemed to collect his thoughts. “All of that ended though when he stepped out on the field. I’ve never seen a creature of such might. I don’t even know what to call it. But I can tell you its name. Riff. Such a simple name. Riff. That is until you hear its title, Supreme Overlord of Loust’s Army. Riff Lifestealer. Without fanfare or pomp, the Supreme Overlord walked out onto the field, easily standing 9 feet tall, and began to butcher our forces. By the end of the day, all that was left around Supreme Overlord Riff was a puddle of blood extending meters out from his location. And it did not look like any of it was his.
“You can see; we need support more than ever. Will you answer the call?”
As we had discussed, I did not take the quest, but instead went to see how the NPCs interacted with us after meeting with Sir Arthur. And Wayne had been right. The NPCs now interacted with us much more freely and we soon found directions to all of the locations we needed.
* * *
Before we ran off again, I realized that I hadn’t taken advantage of every resource we had at hand, “Dan, what did the manual say about the Capitol?”
Dan thought about it for a moment and said, “You know Alex, that section was not accessible before. I bet it is now. One moment.”
Dan got quite for a few moments and then said, “Yup, there it is. Reading now.”
After several minutes Dan spoke up, “Well that is awesome. Guys, at Level 20, we can choose a family name.”
“You mean like a last name?” Wayne asked.
“Exactly!”
“Awesome! What do we need to do?”
Dan gave us the name of the NPC who would be responsible for registering our last name. Other than that, it was just a history of the Capitol and the various functions one could find. One thing that was of interest to me, was the Bank application. Up until now, we had to carry all of our items and money on us. It looked like, much like with other games, there was a Bank in the Capitol that would allow you to store items and gear without fear of losing them. This led me to another question.
“What about PvP Dan?” I asked. PvP stood for Player vs. Player. One of the reasons for the Banking system in other games was that at a certain point players would be allowed to attack other players. If they were successful, the winner could loot the body of any money they had and usually a random item in their inventory. Sometimes they could loot items you were wearing, but never anything that was bound to your body.
“Yeah Alex, starting at level 20.” Dan responded. “But it looks like PvP is bad news here. Anyone who attacks another player is looked down upon by the inhabitants of the Capitol and they would find it hard to get quests and even be able to talk to the merchants. I wouldn’t suggest we go this route.”
I had no intention of becoming a PK or Player Killer. That had never been my type of play. But it was better to know it could happen, so we could defend against it. It also made sense now why we had a Bank.
“Well guys, now that we know what we need to do, I suggest we go out and get our Skills and Spells. And whatever else we need to do,” I said while winking at Jason.
And with that, we were all off in different directions.
* * *
At level 20 I got two awesome Skills. Dual Wield, meaning I could now use two daggers instead of just one, and Double Attack, meaning I could attack twice as much. And now that meant four attacks! I now understood why the mysterious stranger I had met those months ago was carrying two daggers.
I met up with the rest of the guys at the Town Center and saw Wayne first. He had apparently chosen his last name.
“I like it brother. Naugha Hyde! That is a perfect name for a Barbarian Warrior!”
“Thanks! So I got Dual Wield and Double Attack for my new Skills. What about you?”
“Exactly the same. Did yours cost you 10 Gold each as well?”
“Sure did man.”
“Well look at Alex with the last name!” Dan said as he came around a corner and approached us. “But why the plural bro?”
“Because, as I just explained to Wayne, I can now fight with two daggers!” I said as I whipped out my trusty Rock dagger and a cheap blade I purchased just for this purpose.
“Dudesky! That’s awesome. Alex Daggers. Totally badass.”
“Thanks man, but where is your last name?”
“I’m like Prince bro. Or Madonna. Just without the cones. I only got one name. I am…. TheClaw.”
“That actually makes total sense Dan,” Jason said as he also entered the Town Center.
“Well as I live and breathe. What’s the proper etiquette here Allitosis? Am I supposed to kneel or genuflect?”
“Oh, now you want to start thinking about etiquette?” Jason said as he joined the group. Not only had Jason got his last name, but also his title.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Wayne began, trying to sound regal, “I give you, Baron Allister Cromwell. Is Baron good?”
“Nah, not really. Kind of as low as you can go. But I didn’t expect much with such a low level ring and crown. Still, it sounds kick ass.”
“Totally Alliaceous. And I’m just going to tell everyone your name is Baron Allister Cromwell III. Because all names sound better when you add like the third or fourth on there.”
“Hate to say it, but I actually agree with you there Dan.” Jason said while Wayne and I joined him in laughing.
“How did we do on spells?” I asked.
“I got a spell that allows me to see through Broham’s eyes. I think I might also be able to see through your sight as well. Still need to test it. I also got a kind of weak direct damage spell. But what do you expect, I’m a Ranger. I’m not doing much damage through spells. But that’s ok, because I finally
got Double Shot for my archery!”
“I got a new self-buff that adds more armor and hit points to me, and also a spell that will mitigate damage on whoever I cast it on. So that will be for Naugha obviously. But the daddy of them all I hope I never have to use. I got a spell that allows me to restore 50 percent of the experience someone loses when they die, but also will return them to their body immediately.”
“Damn, that is nice to have, but I’m with you. I hope we never have to use it. Although at some point I am sure we will. And the cost?” I said to Jason.
“25 Gold each.”
“Damn that stings! Wayne, tell the guys what you got skills wise.”
“Alex and I both got the same skills, Dual Wield and Double Attack. I’m going to stay with the war hammer though, so I can still only carry the one. But Double Attack will be awesome for the weapon.”
After we finished going over all of our new Skills and Spells, everyone wanted to explore the new city. I was anxious to be off as well, but didn’t want to appear too anxious. I needn’t have worried though. As soon as I brought up the topic Dan was ready to run off to find the Tavern and start making it another one of his homes. I waved bye to everyone as I headed toward the Stinky Pit, down in the seedier part of town.
* * *
I arrived at the Stinky Pit a half hour later. I probably walked past it two or three times. The streets in the merchant area of the Capitol were in a recognizable layout. Down in the more depressed area though, it was a maze. Likely done on purpose to evade anyone chasing you.
When I walked in I didn’t see Stan. There was an older woman tending the bar and a few people eating and drinking in the common room. I decided to just follow Stan’s instructions and approached the bar.
“Morning. I’m looking for Dhalean.”
The bartender started wiping down a ceramic mug, taking a few moments before asking, “Is he expecting you?”
“He is.”
“Aye lads, he’s with me. Put your blades away.”
As I turned around I saw not only Stan, but two of the men who had been eating and drinking when I first arrived. And they were now perilously close to my back. I realized the delay by the bartender was a ruse to keep my focus on her and my back to the rogues who almost impaled me.
Resurgence: The Rise of Resurgence Book 1 Page 38
