"Ziabash, that ritual makes me very, very worried also. And the problem isn't only predators. Order the number of lookouts doubled. Or better yet tripled. Pay particular attention to the north-east, where we came from. I'll even give my spyglass to a sailor in the crow's nest. If the lookouts see any sail, even that of a rickety fishing boat, tell me at once! Also, order the sailors to bring the barrels of wax, saltpeter and tar to my cabin. And command them to also bring the empty pots. Pray to the gods of Boundless Realm that my suspicions are unfounded. But if they aren't, at least we'll have something to use against them!"
The captain's cabin immediately filled up with barrels and boxes. I even had to pick up the petrified Taisha and place her in the corner so she wouldn't get in the way of the orc haulers. But I had to be patient with the traffic — there was a nice little table made by Leon here, and no curious crew members would get under my feet while working, distracting Amra from the laborious and dangerous task.
Alchemy Skill increased to level 16!
After making fifteen of the bombs for the ship's catapult, the chat window suddenly started flickering hysterically. Someone was desperate to talk with me, despite the late hour, the setting restricting anonymous contact and the distance of the pirate bireme from any settled areas. Of course, before reading the name of the sender, I'd already guessed that it could only be a corporate support employee. And in fact, it was: support_82. Some tech support guy.
"Greetings, Amra! Explain to me how you were able to do that?"
A somewhat strange question — nothing concrete. Not even a topic. What had I been "able to do?" Supposing this was related to the latest incident of my NPC companion freezing up, I began writing out my answer that Taisha had earlier started taking up massive amounts of processor resources and freezing up, which had caused complaints in the past.
"Yes, I know. We've already talked about that. But that's not what I'm referring to now. How did you manage to decrypt the library files from NPC number $FF0076-ВВ0733? Where'd you get the password to remove the external protection layer?"
I batted my eyelids, dumbfounded. He clarified that he was referring to my NPC companion by the name of Taisha Spark. Many programmers had long wanted to dig around in her files, but no one had managed to gain access, as everything was coded very intricately. But now, changes had been made to her password-protected archive — the protection had disappeared from the library and database portions, which had made many files available to see, but not edit.
I had to admit honestly that I had no idea about the files of the goblin thief girl, as I had never seen them.
"Very strange, Amra. It's just that, from what we managed to read in the now exposed libraries, you're a 'second administrator with read rights.' Actually, not you, but your character. The code is specific. You don't know? Well, alright. My apologies then, for distracting you from your work."
The man signed off. I, though, didn't stop filling pots with Greek fire, thinking hard as I did. This all meant that, after thinking for a long time, Taisha had agreed to give me access to her statistics after all. Now, I just had to wait patiently for my NPC companion to stop lagging, and she would tell me that herself.
Tracked Down
OOH, THE FIRST hundred catapult rounds down! My big-eared goblin wiped the sweat from his forehead and straightened up, stretching his stiff back with effort. What hard work! Chop off a piece of the yellowish-gray stinking wax, mash it up in a big mortar, mix it with ground saltpeter and pour warmed tar over the resulting mixture, intensively mixing while risking catching fire at any moment. And I had to do it all on my own, because none of the orc pirates on board White Shark had the Alchemy skill. The most I could entrust to my assistants was heating the pitch in the kitchen, pouring it into pots and bringing it to me in the cabin to finish the process.
Three and a half hours of exacting, laborious work allowed me to level up several skills. I opened the logs and read the most recent events, causing me to melt into a satisfied smile:
Alchemy Skill increased to level 17!
Foreman Skill increased to level 18!
Alchemy Skill increased to level 18!
Athletics Skill increased to level 15!
Alchemy Skill increased to level 19!
Not bad at all. Another level of Alchemy and I'd be able to choose a specialization. What was more, the experience for making the incendiary rounds was also quite significant — eighty for each of the one hundred bombs. All in all, a good way of leveling my character, but it was very tiresome.
I walked up to the frozen Taisha and placed the tricorn pirate captain's hat with magnificent feathers on the living statue. Would you look at that! It looks good! Slightly adjusting the headwear, I took a few steps back and snapped a number of excellent screenshots. Then I took a few more, placing the spyglass into Taisha's hand. The pirate girl looked spectacular and even erotic in her form-fitting clothing. Ugh, when will you stop lagging and return to normal life, Taisha?
Looking at the guide on my companion, I shot up in surprise. How had I not seen this earlier? The NPC thief's stats were now available to see! Is this what the technical support guy had been talking about?
Taisha Spark
Goblin
Level-27 Thief
Hitpoints: 380 of 380
Endurance points: 302 of 302
Primary skills:
Lockpicking (A I) level 17
Trap Disarming (A I) level 7
Dagger (S A) level 10
Stealth (A C) level 18
Dodging (A P) level 21 * Perk taken: Arrow Dodging
Crossbow (S A) level 1
Secondary skills:
Pickpocket (A P) level 6
Athletics (C S) level 11
Culinarian (P A) level 10
Light leather armor (C P) level 6
Riding (A C) level 9
Lothario (Ch P) level 1
Next missions to trigger: Taisha's Envy (normal, personal), Taisha's Insult (normal, personal), Taisha's Silence (unusual, race-based)
There were three quests I could get from Taisha now? But under what conditions? How could I get them to trigger? I looked the settings over in various ways, flipping through. But more detailed information about the potential missions was unavailable. What a pity. I'd have to experiment in conversation with the girl to get the missions.
Now, onto my companion's skills... So, this all meant that, at level twenty-five, the thief girl had chosen Crossbow as her sixth main skill. All in all, it was logical, but Taisha hadn't yet had the chance to level it, so there was just a modest one next to it. As for a secondary skill, Taisha had chosen Lothario. Quite the strange choice... Just the right one to generate the rare quest Amra's Envy.
So then, what about the character parameters? First of all, of course, I was interested in Taisha's Agility, as the mission to overcome the thief in that parameter was still active. Woah! Taisha's effective Agility, considering all her skills, came to 151. Not bad, not bad at all. My big-eared Goblin Herbalist was currently at an agility of 128. Over the last few days, I'd noticeably reduced my lag in this statistic, but finishing the quest soon didn't seem likely.
Someone started knocking stubbornly on the door. In the doorway, there stood a thickset level-40 Dwarf Mechanic wider than he was tall by the name of Gnum Spiteful. His red beard looked singed and uneven, as if it had been nibbled at. Gnum, as I'd already figured out, was a nickname attached to the diminutive subterranean being, as the dwarf didn't reveal his true name. Spiteful was also unlikely to be the name of a subterranean clan, and was more likely a characterization of the hot-tempered and difficult nature of the mechanic.
"Captain Amra, the bow catapult tests were a rousing success! The bombs fly sixty or seventy steps, quickly catching fire in flight. When they splash down into the water, they're already a huge flaming ball, and the water where they fall stays on fire for some time. I need to keep practicing my aim, but all in all, the bombs fly fairly true. Also, we found out
experimentally that its best to light the fuse after placing the bomb in the bucket of the catapult." At this, the dwarf gave an involuntary tug at his tormented beard with his thick, stubby fingers.
"Wasn't that obvious?" I asked, surprised at the strange urge to light the fuse before loading the catapult. "Did the deck suffer badly?"
Gnum Spiteful grew embarrassed, lowered his gaze to the floor and answered that a couple of the floorboards needed to be redone. It seemed the dwarf was expecting the captain to fill with rage, but a sigh of relief tore itself from me: a couple boards was nothing. I was worried there might have been a much worse outcome like a fire on deck. After allowing the dwarf to pick up another ten of the finished bombs, I closed the door after him and continued my work.
A flashing red icon suddenly appeared before my eyes: Thirst for Blood was in a critical condition! If I didn't solve the problem within an hour, my goblin would turn into a mad beast, throwing himself at anything alive. Somehow, I'd missed that. It had been far too easy for me to get blood in the last few days, and I hadn't taken measures in good time. Where could I get fresh blood in the depths of the night? My gaze involuntarily caught on the petrified Taisha, but I dismissed this apparently attractive idea out of hand — who knew about this complex next-gen NPC? Maybe the girl could have determined somehow what had happened while she was frozen?
I was forced to find another route. I left my cabin, found the first mate, and ordered him to bring the troll to me, along with the strongest of the orcs, and the dwarf mechanic. Soon after, the trio of pirates were standing at the entrance to my bunk, shifting from leg to leg in uncertainty.
"Here's the thing, young bucks. I'll be direct — I need a vial of blood from each of you! I want to try and create an antidote against poisoned arrows that I can use on each of you, if need be."
The huge troll just smiled gladly, revealing his yellow tusks. With his race’s excellent regeneration, restoring the loss of two hundred milliliters of blood was just one minute's work. But then the orc, and especially the dwarf were on edge. I had to immediately add to my proposal:
"I have a barrel of good beer here," I said, plopping the barrel of King of the Depths onto the floor from my inventory. "So, my offer is this — a whole mug of foamy beverage in exchange for a dose of your blood for alchemical experiments."
Trading Skill increased to level 17!
"Captain, this is a different matter entirely!" said Gnum Spiteful, immediately starting to smile as he rolled back his left sleeve and took a sharp knife from his pocket. "Why not give a bit of my blood for a good cause?! Give me the vial, captain!"
The barrel half emptied, the trio of sailors left my cabin in an excellent mood. I then locked the door tight and started drinking.
Achievement unlocked: Taste tester (34/1000)
Achievement unlocked: Taste tester (35/1000)
I got nothing for the orc blood — I already had such a specimen in my vampiric collection, but all the same, the three vessels increased my Thirst for Blood scale to 10 of 24. Much better — now I had a whole ten hours of sated peace.
-50 to Taisha's opinion of you
"Amra, what were you doing?!" came the voice of my NPC companion, having awoken at a very bad time. I could clearly hear notes of disgust and fear. "I trusted you!!!"
The law of unintended consequences. Murphy's law. The law of the fallen sandwich... If something nasty could theoretically happen, its sure to happen at the absolute worst moment. Why couldn't Taisha have unfrozen a minute earlier or later...? But no, she chose this very moment, and saw my big-eared goblin vampire drinking his fill of blood! Now, the girl walked back from me and pressed herself to the wall in fear — she knew everything. Well that was it. The secret of my vampirism, and with it my peaceful life unhampered by vampire hunters had come to an end! That was the last thing I needed given the Goons and wyvern hunters already after me!
Mission received: Taisha's Silence
Mission class: Unusual, race-based
Description: Convince Taisha Spark to keep your secret, no matter what
Reward: 3200 Exp., +6 to maximum number of Thirst for Blood points
Optional condition: Taisha agrees to remain your companion
Reward: +10 to Taisha's opinion of you, Stealth skill +1
Naturally, I immediately recognized that the name of the quest: Taisha's Silence. It was one of the missions listed as "next to trigger." That must have meant that the quick-thinking computer system of Boundless Realm had already figured out that Taisha might uncover the secret of my vampirism. Perhaps, the fact that she'd awoken at such a horribly uncomfortable moment was no coincidence at all.
But what should I do with her now? Kill her to stop her gabbing? She'd respawn in an hour anyway. Bite her and make Taisha a vampire? For that, I'd have to take the girl down somehow, or at least manage to get within Vampire Bite distance... No, not that!
After adopting an utterly calm, even careless demeanor, I said:
"I simply thought that, since you agreed to reveal your information to me, you deserved openness in return. I decided I could trust you with my biggest secret. Yes, Taisha, I am a vampire, and there's nothing that can change that. That's why I prefer to be in Boundless Realm at night, unlike other undying. And that is also the reason I need to periodically drink blood from little bottles or hunt for wild animals."
"Does Valerianna Quickfoot know?" the thief girl clarified with a frightened shivering voice.
"Of course," I said, demonstrating composure and calm. "I trust my sister completely. I keep no secrets from her. For my bride, this is the very moment of truth — are you prepared to accept me the way I am? I no longer desire to hide my secret essence from you. I will not hold you here if you’d like to leave, though."
Successful Charisma check
Experience received: 80 Exp.
Successful check for Taisha's opinion
Experience received: 800 Exp.
+10 to Taisha's opinion of you
The girl relaxed somewhat and moved her hand off the daggers on her belt. But the quest wasn't yet finished. It seemed I had to continue the speech of reconciliation to fully reassure my NPC companion.
"I didn't say anything to the others. Neither Leon nor Max Sochnier are aware. I only trust the very closest to me — you and my sister. I was infected with vampirism very long ago from a bat attack. That was four years in the past. I couldn't get help right away, and now, it's too late. The bad part is that I cannot go into the sunlight and, as you've just seen, I have to drink blood sometimes. I know that it's a nasty spectacle to watch. My sister told me. And also, blood tastes fouler than foul. Especially fish blood. But, to me, blood is a necessary medicine I have to take to avoid losing my mind. The good sides — absolutely all undead from skeletons to bone dragons will ignore me and not attack. It isn't of much use, but it did save me from a ghastly Midnight Wraith once upon a time. And that's about all I can tell you about my disease."
"So, have you ever bitten me?" Taisha then started patting her neck to check for vampire tooth marks.
"I have not bitten you, nor the wood nymph, and I never would. The world around is full of potential prey, and, if need be, I can ask those near me for a bit of blood in exchange for drink or gold."
Successful Charisma check
Experience received: 80 Exp.
Successful check for Taisha's opinion
Experience received: 1600 Exp
The girl sighed noisily, then laughed and said with a happy smile:
"Now I see why you always looked so cute! They say vampires are very attractive, and you're no exception. Alright, Amra. I'm prepared to accept you as you are with all your flaws. And I won't tell anyone about your secret, I swear! But if you do decide to bite me and make me your nocturnal companion, at least warn me in advance so I can wash my neck off first."
Somewhere beyond the porthole, I saw a flash and a blast — lightning had struck the sea very near the White Shark. Taisha and I exch
anged glances and both smiled at once. Such a thing had happened once before. And at that time, my NPC companion had said that such lightning was confirmation that the gods of Boundless Realm had heard our oath.
Mission completed: Taisha's Silence
Experience received: 3200 Exp.
+6 to maximum number of Thirst for Blood points (current value: 30), +10 to Taisha's opinion of you
Stealth Skill increased to level 22!
Level thirty-two!
Racial ability improved: 70% resistance to poison
And here, I didn't even have time to enjoy the new level and successful end to the crisis with Taisha before I heard someone drumming frantically on the door to the captain's bunk. I immediately recognized the alarmed voice of Johnny, the lookout boy:
"Captain Amra! Sails on the horizon! And they're coming from the north-east, just as you warned! A big ship, following right after us!"
* * *
The horizon was glowing in the east, allowing me to see the large dark ship rowing against the wind in our direction through my spyglass. It had quite a lot of oars. Three rows to be exact. A trireme? How many people were in their crew?!
Next to me, noisily flapping her wings, VIXEN landed on deck. The level-21 Royal Forest Wyvern, her wings folded, crawled over to me and touched her forehead to mine. I was already mentally prepared so, this time, I didn't grow surprised at the visions appearing before my eyes.
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