by David Petrie
“Okay, everybody get ready to make a contract.” Max stood and holstered his weapons before looking back at the rest of the team. “Keep your minds clear, this one needs to count. We don’t want a repeat of that last one.” He shot Farn an accusatory glance.
She looked away, feeling guilty but suppressing a smile at the same time. They had already taken down the first Nightmare of the recent expansion, gaining a useless contract in the process thanks to her when she had been chosen. Though, uselessness aside, the contract was a great item and Kira was going to love it when they got her back.
“I mean it.” Max jabbed. “No one has found the last Nightmare of this expansion yet and Checkpoint can’t figure out why, so this might be our last chance. We can’t afford any more ridiculous items.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” Farn took a step away clutching her item bag where the offending contract was held.
“It’s okay, just think about Nix.” Max took a deep breath. “Let your anger do the rest. We need a contract that can trap her or give us a way to find her in the real world. Focus on that, and the system should use that to create something to help.”
The last few tentacles of the Deep sunk back into the waves as a familiar voice boomed across the cove. The voice of mankind’s first fear, the Darkness. Echo jumped and dashed to hide behind Farn as the age-old terror dragged out a name.
“MaxDamage24!”
“Here we go.” Max clenched his fist.
“Make your offer!”
Max reached into his pocket for the item he’d crafted just for this moment. A bullet with a name carved into it. Nix, the one who had stolen their friend. He had shown the carving to Farn on more than one occasion, as if trying to remind her who they were up against.
“I offer one bullet bearing my enemy’s name.” Max tossed it into the water. It vanished into the depths as the Darkness answered back.
“Accepted!”
An object materialized on Max’s belt, silver glinting in the moonlight as the clouds above cleared. He reached for it without hesitation and snatched his player journal from his pouch, flipping to his item descriptions. That was when he froze, staring at the text in his journal and gripping the contract item in his other hand. It was just a small crafting knife with a blade a few inches long, too small to deliver much damage.
“Will that help us against Nix?” Farn leaned closer to see the description.
“Yeah. This could help us find her.” Max snapped the book shut and tucked the knife into his belt next to his ammunition pouch. He let out a heavy sigh. Farn couldn’t help but notice a quiver in his voice as he spoke again.
“We’re a step closer. Now we need to trap her.”
Chapter Two
Damn, damn, damn.
Karen Write rushed up the stairs of the Grand Archway that stretched over the city of Lucem.
Great way to make an impression, Karen, late on your first day.
Well, actually, Karen wasn’t her name anymore, now was it? No, that name was a world away. In Noctem, she was known simply as Royal Assistant Seven. A part of her was thrilled to have a new name. Especially after the internet had made a joke of her old one with hundreds of memes declaring Karens the enemy of retail employees everywhere.
Her new name, however, wasn’t much of an improvement. It wasn’t even a name, just a title that came along with her new job. What would she even call herself for short?
Royal? No, that sounded egotistical.
Seven? Well that’s just a number.
Whatever…
It was too late now. She was running late, and being late on her first day was unacceptable.
She cursed herself for taking so long to create her character. Never having been a gamer, she didn’t really understand what went into the process. There had been far more options than she’d been prepared for. In the end, she had rushed through the process, leaving her in the body of a human woman with dark blue hair.
The hair color had been an accident.
She’d meant to keep it a familiar black but, in her haste, she had messed up a slider.
Blue hair aside, the only real difference was that she had made herself a little younger. She hadn’t intended on it, but when faced with the choice, she’d tapped that option down a few years’ worth. It was nice to be under forty again. Her birthday had just passed, and after being laid off last month from the accounting firm where she’d worked, it hadn’t been a happy one.
For her class, she had just picked whichever had the most professional-looking attire. A simple green robe seemed best in the end. As far as what a Venom mage was, she didn’t know. She didn’t expect to be fighting anyway. Even if Carpe Noctem was a game, playing it wasn’t her reason for being there.
She just needed a job.
With bills to pay and her husband, Todd, incapacitated with a broken hip after a frisbee golf mishap, time and money were running out.
Stupid Todd.
Of course, she loved him fiercely but his timing was terrible, and with a career in roofing, it would be some time before he could return to work. After struggling to find employment herself, she’d turned to Noctem’s message boards in desperation.
The job description of the Royal Assistant position post hadn’t sounded too complex. Just take care of tasks for the Lady of the House of Silver Tongues, a player named Leftwitch. How hard could that be? Apparently not very, because she had received a job offer a few minutes after sending in her resume to apply. Things must’ve worked differently in Noctem, faster and less formal.
Unfortunately, with her extensive experience in the accounting field, becoming someone’s gofer was a little beneath her. eDsperation was a strong motivator, though, and there wasn’t much opportunity in the real world these days.
She panted as she finally reached the top of the Archway’s stairs, coming to an elaborate set of double doors manned by a huge player in silver armor holding a spear. The pointy bit at the top of his weapon was strange, like two spearheads bisecting each other to create four bladed edges. She gulped at the sight, unsure if he was a person like her or one of those Non-Player Characters.
“Um, excuse me. I’m running late and I’m supposed to meet Lady Leftwitch for my first assignment.” She felt stupid using the title of ‘Lady’ in a sentence, as if she was a child playing make-believe.
“You must be Seven.” The man leaned on his spear.
Ah, I guess I’ll be known as Seven then. It’s good to have an answer to that question, Seven acknowledged to herself before answering.
“Yes. Would you be able to tell me where to go from here? I’m new and I’m not sure how this all works yet.”
“No shame in being a noob.” He held out his hand for her to shake. “I’m Cassius, First Knight of the Silver Tongues.”
Seven’s jaw tensed at the word ‘noob.’ She had been called it twice on the way to the palace already and it was starting to irritate her. Why these people thought the word was funny or endearing, she had no idea. It was rude, plain and simple. She suppressed any complaint, though.
“Glad to meet you, sir?” She shook his hand, unsure what a First Knight was, or if the title was important.
Cassius eyed her for a moment before letting her hand go. “You’re not much of a gamer, are you?”
“Sorry, not really.” Seven let her chin fall. “Was it the ‘sir’ that gave me away?”
“Yeah, not sure if I’ve ever been called that before.” He laughed, seeming friendly enough as he opened the door for her. “Now, let’s get you to work.”
Seven froze as the room beyond came into view. A gilded throne stood tall at the far end, with beautiful tapestries flowing from behind it to the ceiling. It was impressive, but what really pinned her to the floor was the floor itself. Where stone or tile should have been, nothing but glass lay between the room and the view of the city below.
Lights danced through the streets and buildings beneath her feet. Above, another pane of glass, though smal
ler, gave her a view of the night sky, its blanket of stars sparkling overhead. Seven gripped the side of the door frame for support as a sense of vertigo swept over her.
“You get used to it.” Cassius walked out over the fantastical sight below as if it wasn’t there.
“He’s right,” said a woman standing at the center.
Seven recognized her from the recordings that she’d watched in preparation for her first day.
Leftwitch, the Lady of the Silver Tongues.
As Seven understood it, the woman had carved out a place for her house back when Noctem had first launched and had ruled over the city of Lucem ever since. Her income and need for assistants came from Late Knight, a talk show that she’d been running using the game’s recording system.
Over the years, Leftwitch had become so well connected with the current events of the game that her name had become synonymous with the pulse of Noctem. In the last few years, she had carried out interviews with the biggest names, including lords and ladies from all the major houses. Even Alastair Coldblood himself, the head Checkpoint Systems, had appeared on the show. Through a mixture of comedy and news, Leftwitch had covered events from wars to insane heists, all while staying neutral. Even Seven, who had little interest in Noctem, had known her name before applying for the job.
“You must be my new assistant.” Leftwitch gave her a half smile and walked toward the door to greet her. A long coat of gray velvet lined with silver buttons billowed as she moved. Her blonde hair was tied off to one shoulder, giving her a casual appearance that seemed welcoming.
“Yes.” Seven tore her hand off the doorframe and marched out onto the glass to meet her new employer. She did her best not to look down and held her hand out to shake. “I’m excited to get to work and see what I can do to help your operation run smoothly.”
“Great to hear.” Leftwitch gave her hand a solid two pump handshake and let go.
Seven couldn’t help but notice a class emblem of a hooked claw surrounded by decorative embellishments on the back of her hand. That was when a large bird dove at her head from where it perched on the back of the throne. A wingspan of black feathers, at least three feet wide, filled her view as talons came at her throat. She flailed and fell backward on her rear.
“Halt!” Leftwitch held up a closed fist and the bird ceased its attack, dropping to the floor at Seven’s feet. “Sorry. Ruby here is set to attack anyone that approaches me that isn’t part of my house. A security measure, considering I do rule over a city. I’m a Whip class, by the way.”
“I’m so sorry to have upset your pet.” Seven stared at the bird as it paced around by her feet. Its feathers were jet black, save for a ring of red that ran down its chest into a silver breastplate. The piece of armor looked strange on an animal.
Cassius held out a hand to help her up as Leftwitch pulled a small box from her pocket. She opened it and removed a ring from inside.
“Welcome to the Silver Tongues.” Leftwitch slipped it onto Seven’s finger without giving her a chance to refuse.
“Thank you.” The ring tightened around her finger. “I’ll do my best.”
“Great, because I have a job to start you off with.” Leftwitch spun and walked back to her throne, retrieving an envelope and placing it in Seven’s hands. “Have a look inside.”
“Good, I can’t wait to get started.” Seven tried to sound enthusiastic as she opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of blank paper. She stared at it in confusion for a moment. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”
Leftwitch clapped her hands at the bird pecking at the floor then pointed to Seven. “Ruby, guard.” The raven-like avian flew up to land on Seven’s shoulder, its talons digging in just enough to be uncomfortable but not enough to hurt.
“Okay, this is… a little…” Seven trailed off as she adjusted her shoulders to offset the sudden weight.
“Sorry, that letter is addressed to me so it can only be read if I’ve touched it in the last minute or so. However, Ruby counts as part of my character, so he can activate it as well. Just hold it up to his beak.”
Seven did as she was told and the bird pecked at the page, causing a design of red ink to spread out across the paper.
You are cordially invited to attend the first annual
Auction of Souls
“What is the Auction of Souls?” Seven looked up from the paper.
“How much do you know about contract items?” Leftwitch answered her question with a question.
“Not much. I watched your interview with Lord Dartmouth of the House of Serpents, where you talked about the Death Grip. Contracts are supposed to be powerful items, right?”
“Yes, but that’s putting it a little too simply. Contracts are items that can sway the outcome of entire battles, even bend the rules of the game. The Death Grip is a good example, since it gives its owner the ability to rip the life from a player with a thought.” Leftwich walked back to her throne.
“But contract items are hard to get, right? So most players don’t have them.”
“Yes, and most of them are locked to the player who forms the contract. Though, in rare cases, one is listed as unbound and can be sold. And, until now, it has been impossible to straight up buy in-game items with real money. But it seems that the organizers of this auction event have found a loop-hole and gotten their hands on a number of unbound contract items. Contract items that they intend to sell off to the highest bidder.”
“And this is a problem?”
“Yes, it’s a problem!” Leftwitch stopped in her tracks and gave an exasperated sigh. “We saw what just a few contract items could do six months ago when Lord Berwyn nearly conquered all of Noctem. If it hadn’t been for House Lockheart robbing him blind, he would have succeeded. And that would have been a problem for Lucem.”
“That’s understandable.” Seven nodded, a little unsure what the topic might have to do with her duties as a royal assistant.
“Plus, it’s wrong.” Cassius stepped in.
“How so?” Seven cocked her head to the side, crowding Ruby who perched on her shoulder. The bird flapped its wings, making Seven flinch.
“Contracts belong with the players who got them. They shouldn’t be sold off.” Cassius slammed the base of his spear down on the glass floor, sending a jolt of tension through Seven’s body as she braced for it to shatter.
It didn’t.
“What Cassius is trying to say is that contract items are a part of the person who fought to get them. Or at least, that’s what many believe.” Leftwitch stepped forward to pat Ruby on the head. “Think about it, players fight through Nightmares, some of the most difficult bosses in gaming history. Bosses that represent concepts that we all fear. In the end, we offer something from ourselves in exchange for power.”
“And the items created from that exchange often reflect the user in some way.” Cassius shifted his spear sideways to hold it reverently in both hands. “I fought for this one and it has served me well ever since.”
“It was the same for me and Ruby.” Leftwitch scratched at the bird’s chin. “He was my first contract and he’s a part of me. I would never sell him.”
“I can understand that.” Seven tried to hold her shoulder still to keep the bird steady. “What do you need me to do to help? Should I accompany you to the auction to manage your accounts?”
Leftwitch let out a sharp laugh. “No, I want you to go in my place.”
“I’m sorry, what now?” Seven tried to keep the skepticism out of her voice.
“An auction like this will attract every major house in Noctem. Having that many strong players in one place will be a powder keg waiting to go boom.” Leftwitch gestured an explosion with her hands. “I’m not crazy. There’s no way I would walk into a situation like that. I haven’t kept my throne for almost four years by taking that kind of risk. Which is why I need you to go there and bid on contracts that are too dangerous to let fall into the wrong hands, as well as items that seem part
icularly useful for our house. My account information has already been sent to the auction, and I authorize you to spend up to three hundred thousand.”
Seven nearly choked at the amount of money as her forehead began to sweat. “But am I the best choice, being so new to the game? I believe I made it clear in my cover letter that I lack experience.”
“That’s actually why you’re perfect for this sort of assignment.” Leftwitch waved away the concern and turned back toward her throne. “I don’t need a gamer, I need someone I can trust. My other assistants are highly capable players, but unfortunately, I’m not sure any of them could resist the temptation that a contract offers. There would be nothing stopping any of them from running off with whatever items we bid on, rather than returning them to me. With one or two contracts, any player could become a legend. So, I need someone that has no interest in power. I need a professional.”
“I see.” Seven began to understand the woman’s thinking, then she shook her head. It was still crazy. “But what about the powder keg situation? I would be unable to defend myself if something were to happen. Full disclosure, I came straight here after logging in. I have no idea what sort of place Noctem is or what my class designation does.”
“You’ll be fine. There won’t be a point in harming you. You’re not a top member of our house or anything. Maybe one day you will be but, as harsh as it sounds, being a nobody is your best protection. And just in case, I’ll be sending Ruby with you under a guard command. He has no range limitations like most pets do, and he’ll make the other attendees think twice about making a move on you.” Leftwitch snatched an object off the seat of her throne and sauntered back to the center of the room.
“And just to prove to you that I trust you as an employee, I want you to take this with you as well.” She placed a small silver box in Seven’s hands. “This is a contract item, one that I obtained recently. It’s nothing too powerful. Just a box capable of holding more than its size.
