I was thankful that none of my teammates had taken the Rogue class, otherwise I would have had a really hard time explaining how to get the “Camouflage Quest” that I sold to Dan, Jason, and Wayne. As it was, Gary and Jenny were both heading into the city to see if they could find a similar quest for their classes. If they found anything, that would be great. If they didn’t, I could always blame it on being a beta and possibly not having all the quests available yet.
The experiment had worked to everyone’s satisfaction, and I filled up on dyes. Each dye worked on one piece of equipment and each application only lasted one day. We all wore eight pieces of gear that would need to be dyed. So for one day, that would be 32 individual dyes and I planned for us to be out for two weeks, totaling 448 dye packets for just one color for all four of us.
My theory was that we would be in some kind of forest. On the other hand, it could be that soon after we left, the area turned into a tundra or a winter landscape. I didn’t suspect that was the case, but I wanted to be prepared. I also knew that the dyes could come in handy down the road even if we didn’t use the specific colors on this particular quest.
I ended up getting multiple colors, and it cost us over 10 Platinum. It didn’t bleed us dry, but I was glad that I controlled our finances and didn’t have to tell the group how much we just spent. It also helped that our second round of “dividends” from the East Range Mountain Clan had arrived on December 1st. The production of Fermium and Ertunium was going well, and our little supply of Mithral was kicking in. Where we first got 37 Gold, we all ended up with 1 Platinum and 50 Gold this second time around.
The only saving grace was that each packet was ridiculously tiny, and the packets only took up three slots in our bags, as they stacked 200 each per similar color. For that reason, we all carried the full amount of a specific color. I had the 400 plus packets for green, Jason had white, and so forth. This saved us one inventory slot per person, but seeing as we would be out for an unknown amount of time, every inventory slot was really going to count.
Like I said before, since we knew we would be gone for a while, I planned on talking to the Wanderer before we left. I could always call him out to me, like I did at the Monastery of Might, but that came with risk.
Even though I was happy that we were proceeding with the story arc quest first, I was still concerned about the third Lady Tessa quest. I didn’t like using the Wanderer, but I’d done it in the past when we needed money for our new gear. I was going to ask for his help on this task, too, because “go to the desert” was a completely shit way to prepare for the quest.
“Alright, gentlemen, I suggest we take the next day or two to make sure we are as fully stocked up as we can be. Dan, I imagine you would like to take some time to hit the Elven Elder tree and grab some supplies for arrow shafts?”
“Yeah, Alex. I’m also overdue for my first batch of Mithral and Ertunium arrowheads. Any chance one of you guys can make a run to the dwarves and pick them up?”
“I got your back,” Wayne said. “I want to see how the defenses are coming along at the mine as well.”
“And Allister, I suspect you will go off and do something sneaky like you did with the baron title?”
“Says the guy who just got himself a new ring.”
“Touché. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help anyone out. Otherwise, I’m going to try and see what is going on in the market and if there are any good deals we can come across before we leave. How much time do we think we need to get all set up and ready to go?”
“I’ve got the farthest to go,” Dan said. “And since I can’t just Gate back to the Keep, I’d say let’s make it one full day and then play it from there.”
“I’d go for you, Dan, but without the Fletching Skill, I can’t even collect the wood at the tree.”
“It’s much appreciated, Allitruistic. Alex, could you pick up the supplies I will need for Broham?”
“Done and done. Let’s say the rest of today and one more full day to get everything finished. Be back at Sir Arthur on Tuesday morning at 1000?”
With no argument to be had, we all went our separate ways, and I headed toward the Underground.
*
“Welcome, Alex. Have you any new information about the code? I fear that with each day that passes, the chances of us finding the source diminish exponentially.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works, and I’m pretty sure you can’t feel fear.”
“True on both counts, but Robert programmed me to emulate many human emotions and use colloquial sayings to strengthen those responses.”
“Man, my buddy Dan would love to meet you then,” I told the Wanderer. “He would give you a lesson or two on just why those sayings are ridiculous.”
“I’ve monitored your interactions since you entered Resurgence, Alex. I am aware of your comrade TheClaw and his unique way of looking at things; however, I am sure you didn’t come here to banter about with me in the Underground. My original question still stands; have you learned anything new about the code?”
“I am afraid not.”
“Pity, indeed. Then what can I help you with?” the Wanderer asked.
“I’m going to be outside Kich’s Keep for a while. My team is undertaking the House Frost quest and we’ll be deep inside the enemy’s lines. I know that I can call on you at any time, but I don’t like doing so. I figured I could swing through here and see if there was anything we needed to talk about before I left. Also, I have a question for you about the Lady Tessa quest that is due up for us when we return.”
“As far as having anything to discuss, there is nothing at this time. I am thankful you came to see me before you left though, as I too would prefer to avoid the summoning option for our meetings.”
“I have to admit, Wanderer, that if I didn’t know any better I would think you really were ‘thankful’ about the whole thing. You do a good job of mimicking those emotions.
“Now, on to my other question. As you know, we are starting the next quest for Lady Tessa soon, but all of the information that we have is terribly vague. We are supposed to go to the desert and contact the Jalusi Tribe. They, in turn, should be able to help us find this monastery.”
“That is how I’ve seen it, yes.”
“Well, we don’t have any desire to search through the desert with no clues as to where we should go. I figured since time is an issue, I would ask you for a bit of help on this one.”
“And yet, I can’t offer you any.”
“Wait. What?” I asked.
“I would, if I had any. However, the Jalusi Tribe, also known as the ‘Nomads of the Globi,’ won’t spawn into existence until you set foot in the desert. It was a mechanism Robert liked to use to ensure players couldn’t map out the routes of quest NPCs. Each time an individual arrived at this portion of the quest, a game inside the game would begin. No other players would be able to interact with your specific Jalusi Tribe NPCs, as no other players would be able to see them. It would be the same for you, if anyone could have started this quest.”
“That’s… that’s genius!”
The Wanderer simply nodded his head.
“So then, we are on our own for figuring out the whole thing?”
“Not quite. You still have an advantage with Della of the Glade. She owes you a favor.”
The Wanderer said it as a statement, not a question. That was yet another reminder that he was following our progress through the game and keeping track of everything.
I nodded my head, and the Wanderer continued.
“Speak with Della about your desire to travel into the desert. Tell her you are requesting her aid to locate one of the old monasteries and she will guide you to a settlement just inside the Globi Desert.”
“They will be able to tell us where the Jalusi Tribe is?”
“No. The Jalusi are nomads, after all. They could be anywhere in the desert. That being said, the settlers will ensure you are protected in the deser
t from the elements in addition to providing opportunities to learn more through conversations, based upon what previous quests you’ve been given. It’s unclear, even to me, what their dialogue may be. Much of the game is based on your actions, and your good will from Della is likely to open up dialogue chains that others would not receive.”
“This settlement isn’t a part of Lady Tessa’s quest?”
“No. They are similar to the NPCs you encountered at the Mill. They can assist you in your journeys and perhaps provide information. You see, anyone can visit that Mill and get the special cloaks and map. Only your group, however, could have possibly received the information regarding Lady Tessa’s quest.”
“Got it. That all makes sense. Although it isn’t the answer I wanted, it’s at least a start for when we return.”
“With Della’s aid, it should make the undertaking easier, although there is certainly no reason to think it will be easy, seeing as it is the third in a very difficult quest chain.”
“Oh, I don’t think it will be easy at all. So far, we have been really lucky with the monasteries. I would be a fool to believe that will hold out. The first and second bosses almost killed us despite how easily we cleared the monasteries. If we encounter a set of mobs that prove to be truly challenging, I could easily see us having to return to leveling before finishing the quest.”
“Indeed. That would be a waste of time for you, your teammates, and for our own mission.”
“Exactly. Which is why I hoped you wouldn’t be upset that I was continuing on the story arc and not immediately starting the next part of Lady Tessa’s quest.”
“No, Alex. I think the quest you have chosen is more beneficial to our goal, as it were. In the desert, you could search for quite some time, even with the aid of Della and the settlers, in order to find the nomads. As it is a desert, you would be less likely to encounter mobs and certainly less players and NPCs. The part you play now in the storyline will provide far more opportunities for discovery on the nature of the code.”
“Those were my thoughts as well. Thank you, Wanderer.”
“Think nothing of it, Alex.”
I walked around the inside of the Wanderer’s cave for a bit and looked at the tapestries hanging on the wall. They depicted ancient battles between knights and dragons. I knew it was all code and that the Wanderer could change it with a thought, but it felt like a part of the game. As far as that went, I felt like a part of the game as well.
I had spent far more time inside Resurgence than my teammates, and I had interacted with NPCs that I believed were driven by a far more powerful AI than the normal NPCs.
Stan, Waseem, and Sally were nothing like the normal NPCs we encountered. You could still have full blown conversations with the regular NPCs and they wouldn’t repeat sayings or statements, but it felt a bit contrived. With my Rogue teachers, they seemed more… I don’t know, alive.
“I know the ramifications of what we are doing are bigger than just a game, but I can’t help but think about what’s happening inside this world. I freely admit that I’ve grown attached to some of the NPCs.”
“Naturally. The whole concept behind building a virtual world like this, with the addition of the RACs, was to get the players to feel a sense of ownership for the land. Robert always wanted the men and women who took part in the game to care about what happened to the people of Tholtos.”
“Yeah. That’s what I mean. I definitely feel that. So while I’m collecting information, trying to find the code, and getting better gear, I keep thinking about the game and the story line. I know these MMORPGs don’t have true ‘endings.’ They can go on forever with the promise of never ending expansions and new gear.”
The Wanderer nodded. “You will not see any of those things during the beta, but I am sure you are correct. AltCon will have an entire timeline set for introducing new content to expand their player base.
“As far as the beta is concerned, the one-year timeline provided for playing the game does provide enough time to the most advanced players to reach the final storyline quests.”
“I’m sure it does. And I have no doubt it will be a multi-group event, because it is going to take one hell of a raid to finish off the Children of Loust. There is no way any single group could possibly beat Riff, not with everything Arthur and Kenyon were saying about him.”
“I’m sorry, Alex. Of whom do you speak?”
I had been continuing my walk around the cave while I was exchanging dialogue with the Wanderer. I turned to look at him now.
“Riff. Supreme Overlord of the Children of Loust Army. Nine-foot-tall walking death. Riff Lifestealer.”
The Wanderer continued to stare at me for several seconds before saying, “I’m sorry, Alex, but I have absolutely no data about anyone by that name in the game.”
My memory is nothing like Dan’s, but I have pretty good recall most of the time. And at that moment, several things were flitting across my mind.
“The unstoppable force that is Supreme Overlord Riff Lifestealer has been the cause of much heartache for His Majesty…”
“… fighting the horde of Loust and their fiendish commander, Riff.”
“Overlord Riff has already brought the mood to an all-time low as our forces are repelled single-handedly by this brute…”
“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.”
And just like that, I realized how screwed we were if destroying the code meant destroying the person or item it inhabited.
“Fuck me.”
“Alex?”
“Well, I’ve got good news and bad news. I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out the code.”
“And is that the good or the bad?”
“Both.”
The End of Restoration
The Rise of Resurgence (Book Two)
The story will continue in:
Redemption
The Rise of Resurgence (Book Three)
Thanks for reading!
I truly hope you had as much fun reading this book as I had writing it. While this book took longer to write than I had planned, I really felt that I found my voice and I wrote a better book for you, the reader. The byproduct of my enjoyment ended up being even more material to work with and a book longer than the first. I want to keep the story as a classic trilogy, so look forward to a short story or novella in the future as I put all this new material into the Resurgence universe.
Please leave a review!
I echo every other author out there, I know, but the reviews are so important to getting our stories noticed by Amazon. There has been a push to have LitRPG as its own genre, and the more stories with large numbers of reviews, the more likely Amazon will recognize our request. And I can tell you it was the feedback from the first book that made this second one a better story, both the positive and negative.
Finally, if you have enjoyed this book and want to interact with the authors of this genre and find more stories like this one, please check out these LitRPG groups, A LitRPG site and the LitRPG Society site.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank the great people who helped me along the way to making this second book. I wouldn’t have been able to come out with a final product like this without all of their help. Thank you for all that you did!
Dustin Frost (Editor)
Rachael Johnston (Artist)
Maureen Cutajar (Formatter)
Terisa Rupp
Stanley Justin
Daniel Hamman
Brenda B. Davis
Cecilia Foust
JD Williams
Jason Wayne Wong
Wayne Whitlock
Jason David Geer
Treb Padula
I hope you enjoyed my story! I would like to introduce you to Aleron Kong, one of the founders of American LitRPG. He has written six best selling books in his best-selling series Th
e Land. In his own words it’s like “Warcraft, DnD and Sword Art Online had a sexy baby!” With over TEN THOUSAND positive reviews you can’t go wrong! Just click here or on the picture!
Restoration: The Rise of Resurgence: Book II Page 45
