by Edward Brody
“I’ll take the scroll.”
Sephora raised an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t have wind magic. Did I read you wrong?”
“It’s for a guild mate.”
“Ahh, okay,” she said as she passed me the scroll. “You’re an honorable guild mate then.”
“Guild leader, actually,” I said confidently and winked as I handed her 500 gold. After seeing the prices of the spells in the cases, I made no attempt at haggling.
Sephora smirked and chuckled. “Good luck then, guild leader. You’re welcome back anytime you need any more magic items.”
“Thanks,” I said and headed out the door.
With a deciphered treasure map, a compass, and new magic scroll in my bag, I was feeling pretty good about my visit to Highcastle. There was only one thing left that I had on my agenda—find someone or somewhere to sell to the kroka that was burning a hole in my bag.
Chapter Nine
1/19/0001
I walked down path after path in Inner Highcastle, looking for a lead to somewhere that I might sell kroka—a beggar, someone who looked like a smuggler, anyone who I thought wouldn’t draw their sword on me or immediately report me to authorities when bringing up the topic of illicit goods.
While I knew that kroka was illegal, I wasn’t sure how illegal really. Jax had said I would go to jail before standing trial before the King, but how long did it take to get a trial and what were the consequences after sentencing? And what were the jails like anyway? I imagined some musty, medieval style room with stone walls, cold steel bars, and a hard stone bed to rot away on—not the way I wanted to spend my time in Eden’s Gate.
I didn’t see any beggars in Inner Highcastle, and after several minutes of walking down pristine paths and all-too-clean alleys, I was ready to give up my search and head back to Outer Highcastle to ask around.
I turned around and started back the way I came.
“Excuse me, young man,” a woman said from behind me.
I turned to see a thin, frightened looking lady peeking her head outside the door of an unassuming building. I looked around me to double check that she wasn’t addressing someone else, but there was no one else in close proximity. “Me?” I asked, pointing to my chest.
“Yes. Can you help me please?”
I bit the inside of my bottom lip, a little surprised at the sudden request. “You need my help?”
“Yes, I do! I just stepped down to my cellar, and there’s a horde of rats tearing through everything I have stored! It’s terrible. They’re only level 10 or so, so I’m sure a strong fighter like you can handle them for me.”
“Rats?” I asked.
“If you have the time,” the lady said. “I’ll be happy to reward you. How does 500 gold sound?”
You have been offered a quest: Cellar Infestation!
The distressed woman would you like to kill the rats that are in her cellar.
Reward: 2500XP, 500 Gold
Do you accept this quest? Accept/Decline
I grinned and instinctively reached for the hilt of my sword. More gold? Massive XP? And all I had to do was kill a few rats? Hell yes! I thought. In fact, it would be a great break from the monotony of exploring the city. I was ready for some action and hadn’t had a quest for a while. And how could I let down a distressed lady who just called me a “strong fighter”? I had been growing stronger, after all.
“I’ll take care of the rats for you,” I said with a grin.
You have accepted the quest: Cellar Infestation!
The woman waved her hand towards her door. “Come. Come inside.”
As I approached, the woman fell back inside her home, and without hesitation, I followed her through the door. The room was plain and fairly small inside, just big enough to fit a bed and a desk. The floor, furniture and walls were a dark brown wood, and there was a small stairway that led up to a second floor.
It wasn’t clear right away where the cellar was.
I turned my head from side to side. “Where are the rats?”
The lady’s face reddened, and I noticed her flinch slightly—right before I felt a strong arm wrap around my neck and the tip of a dagger poking against my spine.
“Don’t move,” my attacker said.
“What the hell?!” I spat and held my hands up. I pushed my knees forward and was leaning back into a partial backbend, trying to alleviate the pressure of the sharp object that was threatening to break my skin. “What is this?!”
“Quiet!” the man hissed.
Alert: Deception
In Eden’s Gate, things aren’t always as they seem. Receiving a quest offer from a NPC does not guarantee the quest giver’s honesty. Each time you receive a quest, you must not only consider the risks versus the rewards but also the trustworthiness of the quest giver.
Upon discovering that you’ve received a deceptive quest, you will receive any experience rewards you were offered, but any additional rewards that were offered are not guaranteed. If you die within 24 hours of receiving a deceptive quest, any XP that was granted for the quest will be lost.
This is a one-time alert. You will not see this message again.
“I’m sorry,” the woman said and lowered her eyes.
You have completed the quest: Cellar Infestation!
You have gained 2500 XP!
My heart was thumping as I read the alert that had appeared in front of me. The quick XP was nice, but I was probably going to lose it no sooner than I had gained it. What motivation had there been to lure me into the home? To rob and kill me? It was something I would expect from people in Knuckle Bay, not Inner Highcastle.
“What do you want from me?” I asked.
I felt the man behind me tense up. “The Fellblade,” he barked.
“What?”
“The Fellblade you stole from the Dark Hand.”
I swallowed and immediately made the assumption that the man behind me was likely a Sparrow who had tracked me down, furthering my belief that I was about to die. “I don’t have the Fellblade. The orcs have it.”
“So I’ve heard,” the man said pointedly. “But how did you steal it?” He pushed the tip of the dagger harder into me as he spoke, and I felt the tip puncture my skin from the pressure. It caused only a small sliver of my health bar to disappear, but it was enough that I winced out at the pain.
“Hey, stop! Please!” I gasped.
“How?” the man probed again.
“Steal the Fellblade?” I asked, pushing my luck that he had no proof that I was a thief. I was about to lie badly, considering I didn’t lie from the beginning, but with cold steel threatening my life, any sort of critical thinking was difficult. “Why do you think I—“
“Don’t play dumb,” the man interrupted. “I saw you running out of the Sparrow’s hideout and scurrying away on your panther.”
“I...”
“Quickly!” he hissed and yanked at my body, causing the tip of the blade to slip out of my skin and right back in.
I hissed between tightly clenched teeth.
“You managed to get into the Sparrows’ hideout, steal the Fellblade, kill several Sparrows, and light the whole place on fire. How is that possible for someone of your level?”
Not alone, I wanted to say, but I didn’t want to sell out Jax or Adeelee. I said nothing as I paused to think of another lie I could try to spin.
The man pressed harder on the dagger at my back, causing me to choke on air and involuntarily jerk in an attempt to get away.
“No more of this…” the lady whined. “Just let him go.”
“Shut up!” the man snapped. He leaned in close to my ear. “Tell me how you stole the Fellblade, and I’ll make this as quick as possible. The longer you draw it out, the more you’ll suffer, ya know?”
The dagger pressed into my back harder, and the man twisted it just a little, causing an excruciating amount of pain. I tried to scream, but he squeezed his arm tighter around my neck, cutting off the air to my lungs.
After few seconds of jerking and struggling to breathe, the man released some pressure and pulled the dagger out slightly, leaving it in just enough that I could still tell that it was still there.
Warm liquid started pouring down my back.
You are bleeding and require medical attention. Bleeding is a damage-over-time effect.
“Ready to talk?” the man asked.
I had only lost about 20 percent of my health, but I didn’t want to sit through whatever torture the man had planned before he killed me. I assumed he was planning on killing me no matter what I told him, so I figured I might as well get it over with. “I used an invisibility potion,” I muttered.
“Invisibility potion?” The man asked.
“Yes…”
“Hmmm…” The man paused for a moment, and I braced myself for a death blow before he all of a sudden yanked my head back. “Invisibility potions are rare.” He paused again, and I heard what sounded like metal scratching against hair on his chin. “But regardless, you’re telling me you single-handedly torched the Sparrow’s hideout, killed multiple guards, and stole the Fellblade with just an invisibility potion?”
“Yes,” I said through his light choke.
“I don’t believe that!” he barked and squeeze his hold tighter. “Even if you managed to get an invisibility potion, the effect would have ended as soon as you entered combat. You couldn’t have killed so many men and slipped through the doors alive with a single invisibility potion.”
I still wasn’t going to sell out Jax or Adeelee as being accomplices. He obviously knew that there were others involved if he saw me leave on Sora, but perhaps he just thought my friends were lookouts or something. It was better to keep him thinking that it was only me who did everything, lest the Sparrows go after either of them too.
“I just wanted the Fellblade. I had no intentions of lighting the place on fire or killing anyone. It just happened while I was trying to get in and get out.”
The man didn’t say anything for a moment before making an audible gulp. “And why did you want the Fellblade if you were just going to hand it over to the orcs. To take such a valuable weapon and…” His voice softened as he trailed, and I got the impression he was starting to believe me—if only slightly.
To help Jax—which was the real reason why I stole the Fellblade—wasn’t an option I was willing to disclose. So, I went with one of the underlying motives. “To save the King of Highcastle.”
“To save the King?” the man questioned.
“Yes.”
“From what?”
“I’m sure you already know…”
The man squeezed my neck tighter. “Actually, I don’t… Why don’t you enlighten me?”
You are bleeding and require medical attention. Bleeding is a damage-over-time effect.
I cleared my voice and bent my knees further, trying to alleviate the pressure on my back and find more space to breathe. “The Dark Hand stole the Fellblade to start a war with the orcs,” I grunted. “I know you already know. If the orcs and humans are fighting, the Sparrows can more easily slip into Highcastle and kill the King, so the Dark Hand can claim the throne for himself.”
“Kill the King of Highcastle?” the man asked.
“Yes!” I spat. “Now you’re the one playing dumb!”
The man shifted his weight back and started laughing hysterically, each throb of his laughter causing more pressure to squeeze and release around my body.
“Now let me go!” I begged. “I’ll give you any of my belongings that you want, and—“
“Let him go!” the lady cried. “He’s told you what you want to know! I don’t want blood in my house!”
The man’s laughter subsided, and for a few seconds there was an awkward silence in the room. He pulled the dagger away from my back and released his grip around my neck. “It seems you’ve put me in an unusual predicament, Mr… What’s your name?”
I stumbled as I speedily pulled away from his grasp and turned around to get a look at my attacker for the first time. He was shorter than I expected—several inches shorter than me. He had a dark mustache, goatee, and matching shiny dark hair that was combed to the side of his head. Judging by the shroud he was wearing, he was the guy who had been following me around Highcastle. His facial features and caramel dark skin would have pinned him as someone of Middle-Eastern descent had I seen him back on Earth.
I reached for my sword, and as I was pulling it from its hilt, the man held out his palm and slipped his dagger into a pocket on his shroud with his other hand. “I’m several levels higher than you, so think wisely before you go for your sword.”
I made a quick attempt to assess him.
You have failed to inspect your target!
You have failed to inspect your target!
I paused. “You tried to kill me, and now you just casually want me to give you my name?!”
The man pressed his lips together and nodded. “I suppose I should introduce myself first then.” He held his hand out to me. “Satorin of The Sands.”
I looked down at his hand and gripped the hilt of my sword tighter.
“I could have killed you already if I wanted,” he assured me. “I spared your life... for now.”
I took a deep breath and allowed my sword to fully slide back into its hilt. I was still tripping out about receiving a deceptive quest and almost dying. I wasn’t about to trust the guy with my name. “Raymond.”
“Nice to meet you, Raymond.” He smiled and looked down at his hand and then back up to me.
I leaned forward and reluctantly shook his hand.
You are bleeding and require medical attention. Bleeding is a damage-over-time effect.
I winced and tilted my head to the side before reaching for my bag. “I need a bandage,” I muttered.
“It’s not a bad wound,” Satorin said. “It’ll stop bleeding soon on its own. I wouldn’t waste a bandage.”
“I’ll take care of you,” the lady said and ran to a cabinet to fetch one of her own bandages. It wasn’t long before she was standing behind me applying the bandage to the dagger wound on my back.
“So, what do you want from me then?” I asked as the lady tended to my wound.
Satorin strode across the room and leaned his back against one of the walls. He tilted his head down and crossed his arms. “You, Mr. Raymond, have caused me quite a bit of trouble.”
“I told you that I’m sorry about your hideout. I was just trying to protect The King.”
Satorin chuckled. “If you think the Dark Hand is after the throne, then I suppose you already know he’s a Prince of Highcastle.”
I shook my head and raised my shoulders. “Yeah, obviously.”
Satorin nodded his head. “Common knowledge to some, I suppose.” He looked up to the ceiling and smiled. “But the Dark Hand didn’t steal the Fellblade to kill the King.”
“What?” I asked.
“You’re good now,” the lady mumbled and patted me on the back. The blood drop icon below my status bars disappeared.
“Thanks,” I said with a smile.
The Sparrow pooched his lips together and smiled. “I’m sure the Dark Hand is looking forward to sitting on the throne someday, but from what I know, he’s actually quite fond of King Rutherford. He’s been just as distraught as anyone that his father has fallen ill.”
“Even after…” I thought back to the story I was been told about how the Dark Hand had been expelled from Highcastle, but thought better than to finish the words. I had no idea how much he knew, and didn’t want to stir up any unnecessary drama.
“Even after what?” he asked.
“Nothing...”
“What if I told you that there’s another prince?”
“Jax…” I mumbled under my breath.
The man leaned in forward. “What’d you say?”
I was more confused than ever as to why the man knew about Jax, but I don’t want to volunteer any information. It was better for me to sta
y quiet and learn how much he knew. “Nothing… You said there’s another prince?”
“Yes. And the Dark Hand stole the Fellblade so that he could kill that other prince—his brother,” he said pointedly.
“Kill his brother?” A chill creeped over my spine. From what I understood, The Dark Hand didn’t know that Jax was his brother, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have needed the Fellblade to strike him down. There would have been plenty of opportunities to murder him while he was in the hideout surrounded by Sparrows.
Satorin looked over to the lady who was sitting on a bed, listening and observing fearfully as we talked. “You’ll speak nothing of the things you hear today. Understand?”
The lady nodded. “I won’t say anything.”
Satorin tilted his head to the side and sighed. “I suppose it wouldn’t matter anyway. It’ll all be coming to a head soon.” He turned to me and raised his eyebrows. “Indeed, the Dark Hand has a brother—Dryden Bloodletter of The Sands.”
The woman inhaled sharply at what Satorin said, and I almost made an audible exhale when I heard that he wasn’t talking about Jax. But still, with everything he said, I was getting more confused by the minute and had no idea how it had anything to do with me.
“Dryden Bloodletter?” I asked. “Who is that?”
Satorin scrunched his eyebrows together. “You’ve not heard the name?”
I shook my head.
“One of the most vicious mercenaries in Eden’s Gate—the leader of the Bloodletter group.”
My lips parted, but I struggled with what to say. I had questions, but I wasn’t sure where to start. There was another prince? The Bloodletter group? It was an information overload.
Satorin took a deep breath. “This will be news, and if you knew who Dryden is, maybe it would be even more shocking. So, let me tie it all together for you.” Satorin straightened his back and looked to the ceiling as he began to tell his tale:
