Raven- The Beginning

by David Wadsworth

  Since I was still in shock, I couldn’t make out the figure that was sitting in a chair that was beside the bed which I was currently laying down in.

  “I can see that your awake Raven. Do you want to talk,” Conall asked softly, his voice stirring up several emotions in me.

  “How did you know?” I asked, my voice still trembling from the shock of the news that I heard. I pulled the woolen blanket up further, balling it in my hands under my chin, not wanting to hear his answer.

  “That…, will be be hard to explain. The gods from the other side of the Veil, the ones you call developers, created this world. They blessed everyone that truly interacted with the veil-walkers with true intelligence, or as you know it, artificial intelligence.

  Noctis, the deity that both you and I worship, visited all of her worshipers and told us the truth about the world. She also told us about you as well. However, she also asked that we do not tell you what she learned. Instead, she asked us to help you, especially if you found out the truth.”

  “But how did she know, and why didn’t she just tell me herself?”

  “I don’t know Raven. I’m not a deity,” Conall said with a hint of amusement in his relaxing voice.

  Sitting up with the blanket still covering me, I turned so that I could face Conall, rapidly getting used to the darkness.

  “So what happens now,” I asked, more for myself than to hear an answer from the barkeeper.

  “I would presume you should continue to live on, however you must. You might be stuck on this side of the Veil, and while this might not be your world, it is ours. You can always make a life of your choosing here, Raven. However, I will add, and this just conjecture, but I don’t think that you should make your circumstance known to everyone. The gods that reside in your world have not typically been known to be very kind to things that would interfere with this world. It might sound weird, but we know that they make things change on a whim, while making other things vanish.”

  The realization hit me hard when he said that. If XGS, or anyone else, knew that I was apart of some secret experiment and that my consciousness survived my physical death inside of the World of the Veil, it would be a catastrophe.

  It was, in fact, one of the solutions to the infamous Fermi Paradox, that a civilization would chose to live inside of a virtual world, for the rest of time, rather than spread to other worlds to ensure their species survival. While it seemed like science fiction, there was a possibility that this could happen soon, if not far into the future.

  This form of technological research was strictly forbidden, just as anything dealing with warfare had been in the mid 2000’s when the Federation was founded after World War III. XGS had to know was could happen, how could they not? Since they were cooperating with the Federation’s HEoDS project, could the Federation be secretly researching this? What would happen if other people found out, or found out about me?

  No, no one could find out about this, since it would not only be the end of the Veil, but of myself as well. Or at least, my consciousness.

  “Is that why Noctis not-so-gently requested that I play normally, so that the developers wouldn’t realize that something happened,” I asked, not expecting an answer. Conall only shrugged.

  “Well, if you’re okay, you’re more than welcome to take your time and lay here for a bit. However, I do have a tavern to run and I need to get back to it,” he said, smiling, as he got up from his chair. “Perhaps I’ll see you downstairs?”

  I watched Conall leave the room as I still pondered what the future would hold for me and what would happen from here. I still wanted to become the most powerful player in the game, however, that in itself would draw attention to me. However, I could not do anything, as that would draw suspicion as well. No one played the game to do nothing. Be it a trader, adventurer, crafter, or any number of the professions that players created themselves. Someone always played the game to do something that they couldn’t do otherwise outside of it.

  I needed to do something that would allow me to blend in with the hundreds of millions of others, however, I was still an assassin at heart, that is what I enjoyed from the game. Attacking silently, swiftly, and hearing people damn my name as I PK’d them is something that actually made me feel alive, although I would need to figure something about how painful it was to be attacked.

  “Conall, you schemer, thank you for the hint,” I thought to myself as I started smiling, my previous depression starting to vanish.

  I knew exactly what my path would be. It would require to become higher level, but not too high to be unbeatable though. I would also need to find a region whose king or queen worshiped Noctis and gave out all of the different types of repeatable quests.

  Feeling more like myself, now that I had a set of goals in front of me, I was ready to continue my journey, even though I would still need to have a, shall we say, talk with Noctis. Preferably sooner than later.

  Getting out of Conall’s bed, I briefly wondered what the barkeep would say if he found me in his bed naked before I walked out of his room and made my way downstairs, towards the noise of the crowd that was currently in the tavern. I hopelessly wondered if my booth was still available.

  As I made my way through the crowded tavern, I saw Conall and two of the other barkeepers laughing as they talked with some other customers. About what, I couldn’t hear over the other people in the tavern.

  Nearing one of the barkeepers whose name I didn’t know, I ordered another Rennor Jhinrae and paying for it before turning around, leaning back on the counter while I waited for it, determined not to let this one go to waste as my other had. A young dark elf with short, curly black hair and a scar over his left cheek walked up to me on my left as I waited for my wine, looking me over as he waited for one of the bartenders.

  “Evening,” he said with a smile.

  I knew that look and it was one that I saw much too often when I was waitressing, so I ignored him. I could see from out of the corner of my eye that he started to sneer at me and I waited for him to give his retort for not answering him.

  “So you’re playing hard to get, huh,” he said as he slightly turned, forcibly grabbing my arm.

  “I would suggest you remove your hand, unless you want to cosplay as a pirate for the time you’re in the game,” I said in a monotone voice, the same voice I used for the customers that used to complain to my former boss about.

  “What the hell are you going on about?” he asked, his hand still gripping my arm.

  Without making much of a movement, I unsheathed my dagger while keeping it out of his line of sight. “You know, I’ve had a really shitty day and found out some things that I didn’t necessarily want to know. But now, I think I just found something that will brighten my night.”

  As I finished the words, I spun as fast as I could while pivoting on my left foot so that I was face to face with him. At the same time, I stabbed my dagger to his eye, trying to put it through his head. His hand that he grabbed me with being torn away from my arm. Before I could though, a hand caught my wrist, someone who I didn’t sense was now standing behind me. The man that grabbed my arm was now looking at me, terrified at what happened.

  I turned my head and looked at the ground to my right so that I could see the person who was now behind me but could only see a swirling mass of shadows. I knew that ability. It was a level 45 Shadow Dancer ability called Shadow Armor.

  I kept my dagger still, hoping that the player that grabbed me would make a move. If he did, the dagger would cut into his eye, making him blind until he was healed.

  “Raven, put the dagger away. He’s had one too many and will be leaving for the night. I would hate for you to be noticed by the village’s guardians,” a voice that could only be Conall’s said from behind me.

  I turned back towards the player and smiled while removing the dagger from his eye while sliding the tip down his face, careful not to draw blood which would be considered an attack.

  “You he
ard the barkeeper, asshole. Leave before I stop caring about the guardians and send you back to your respawn point,” I told the player in a grave voice that was dripping with malevolence.

  The player rapidly nodding at me while sliding away, finally running out of the tavern, Conall releasing his death grip from my wrist. I hadn’t noticed, but the tavern was silent with all eyes on Conall and me. This was probably something that wasn’t often seen in the small village. A loud roar erupted and people started cheering.

  I put away my dagger and grabbed my glass of wine that was now on the counter, turning towards Conall. He looked at me with a hint of both disappointment and amusement which made my heart flutter heavily.

  “Raven, you know you shouldn’t be causing too much trouble, you don’t need to have any more eyes on you as it is,” he said with barely a whisper so that only I could hear him.

  “I know Conall, it’s just that guys like that, well, I’m sick of it. Why do they always seem to just think they can do whatever they want when they’re in the… Veil,” I replied, almost referring to the Veil as the game.

  “Veil-walkers have never been known to use common sense, as far as the ladies go,” he replied, now grinning at me as if we were sharing a secret between us. “Are you okay now though? Not going to spill any blood in my bar, are you,” he said in a sarcastic tone with a hint of humor.

  “No, I’m good now. I’m going to finish this, and then I need to go pick up some things at Moire’s. She should have my new daggers ready.”

  He shook his head and walked back behind the bar which allowed my eyes to see how muscular his back seemed. As I felt my eyes travel further down, I could start to feel a blush, my face becoming warm as I gulped down my drink, not bothering with slowly sipping on it as I usually liked to do.

  Sitting my glass back onto the counter, I left the tavern to make my way to the blacksmith’s shop, now anxious to get my new daggers. The village was covered in darkness since night had fallen, a few torches that aligned the dirt streets allowing travelers to see where they were going.

  “Anyone alive in here,” I shouted as I entered Moire’s shop. Moire came out of the back room, this time she looked as if she had been working and not sleeping.

  “Look at what the cat brought in, that heathen of a rodent. Someone should make it disappear,” she replied with a smile. It seemed like she was finally warming up to me now that I gave her some decent materials to work with.

  “Yea, well, next time I see it I’ll give it a good kick for you. How are the daggers and cloak coming along,” I asked.

  “Ah, those are already done. I heard you caused some trouble over at Conall’s, something about sticking some Veil-walker with the pointy end of a rusty dagger,” she replied, asking me about what happened at the tavern.

  “Yea, just some guy thinking that all women were his playthings,” I told her. I also told her of how it ended and she giggled. Actually giggled, like some schoolgirl.

  “Conall is so amazing, right? I wish he would come in here more often. He brings me such nice things once in awhile,” she said, her eyes focusing on the door as if she was trying to conjure the barkeeper.

  “Anyways, here’s your daggers, two iron daggers. Also, your cloak, ready for inspection, even though I know my crafts are of the highest quality, as long as I have quality components to work with,” she said with a smirk, bringing the daggers and cloak up on the counter from beneath it.

  I looked at the daggers and they were fairly basic with no enchantments or anything as I expected, however, they were far superior than the rusted dagger that I was using. They each had an increased damage output of 10-15 damage, which was much better than the rusted dagger with it’s 1-5.

  My eyes then went towards the cloak which was dark green. I was glad for that since it would be good for camouflage if I was in a forest area, if I wasn’t already stealthed. Grabbing the cloak and holding it up, I looked at the stats and was pleasantly surprised how decent it was for being a level 5 cloak. It gave me +15 strength and +10 vitality.

  I equipped the both the daggers and the cloak, although I was a bit sad that the cloak itself was not hooded, but at least it was something. I gave my thanks to Moire who only nodded and went back to her room, or forge, or wherever she went to when she wasn’t behind the counter. At some point, I might try to find out, or not. I wasn’t for sure if I really cared enough to. I walked out of Moire’s and decided to call it a night. I figured that I shouldn’t be in too much of a rush to get out of the village, and getting to level 10 could wait until tomorrow.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The Cemetery of Timberdenn

  I awoke to the sound of children playing, light coming through the single window of the inn’s room. I could smell the morning dew, calling to my inner elf. Or it could be that it hinted of something that reminded me of Conall. I wasn’t entirely sure, nor did I want to dwell on it too much. Could this be a side effect of not being able to log out? I really hoped that I wasn’t starting to turn out to be like those gaming nerds that always lusted after NPCs rather than an actual girl.

  Putting my thoughts to the back of my mind, I sat up in the bed and wiped the sleep away from my eyes. I was on a mission to get to level 10 today, and while I wanted nothing but to go back to sleep, I had to get up and get the day started. If only the Veil had coffee.

  Rising off of the bed, I almost debated on going back into the mines today, but I remembered the last time I tried that and shuddered, throwing that idea out of the window immediately. Since dungeons scaled to the players level, to a maximum of whatever level the dungeon was, it would be just as hard as it was when I originally went in there, and I did not want to have a rusted sword slash into me, or get eaten by rats again, or beheaded. Seriously, why in the hell was I dying so much?

  Walking out of the room, I went downstairs to see if Isbeil and anything for me, or any rumors that I might investigate. As I walked down the steps, Isbeil looked over at me and waved me over. It looked as if I wouldn’t even need to ask.

  “Raven dear, I have a message for you from Mayor Eacharn. He told me to tell you that he heard about what happened in the tavern last night and would like to speak with you about something,” she informed me with a hint of disapproval in her expression.

  Shaking her head, she decided to add that he was a good man, and I shouldn’t try to make him “stray from the path,” whatever that meant. Feeling that I should go meet the mayor as soon as possible, I made a snide comment about how I would most definitely use my feminine wiles on him and left as something hit the wall next to me.

  Laughing to myself, I walked to the square and instead of making a left to go down the market street, I went to the path that laid in front of me that lead to the larger house that looked just as big as the inn. Unless it belonged to a trader that was richer than the entire town combined, I assumed it was the house that the mayor resided in.

  I saw more and more guards the closer I came to the mansion, and they weren’t just standing around. No, it looked as if they were on a mission as they hurried to wherever they were going. I had a hope that was rapidly diminishing that this wasn’t going to be a long day.

  I arrived at the mansion and saw a tall dark elf with fiery red hair and ashen eyes, his brown clothing much more regal than the others that surrounded him. He looked as if he was trying to calm them down, concern covering his face. Whatever he needed from me couldn’t be good, and I had a sneaking suspicion that he didn’t request me so that I could gather some herbs from outside of the village. He looked up from talking with one of the people talking to him and he saw me standing at the entrance, in the foyer of the mansion, my arms crossed over my chest as I waited for him to finish.

  “Ah, Raven,” he shouted after excusing himself from the other dark elves around him. “Thank you for coming to meet with me. Please, follow me into the library and we can talk about why I wanted to meet with you.”

  I followed him deeper into the mansion and saw a
few servants walking around. It didn’t look like they were here involuntarily or anything, so I decided that he might not be someone that I would be killing any time soon. In fact, it looked like that mansion itself was well maintained and the servants looked like they took pride in what they did for him.

  We arrived at the library which was fairly large, considering that this was just a village in the middle of the mountains. When he mentioned a library, I just assumed it would be about the size of my room at the inn, but it was much larger than that, books filling the shelves.

  “Please, sit. Would you like anything to drink? Water perhaps,” he asked while smiling at me.

  “Water would be fine, although, I have to ask, why did you call me here Mayor,” I asked, wanting to get down to business.

  Eacharn looked at me and nodded, as if he was impressed with me. He called out to one of the servants to get us both some water as he sat down on a chair behind a large desk.