Текст книги "AlterWorld"

Автор книги: Dmitri Rus

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So! There I was, a gift-wrapped enigma, formally level 30, looking like a level-zero noob in his start-up garb. Specialization not chosen, characteristics and Talent points same as they were at level 5. A blank canvas. Never mind. Teddy's potential would last me another five or six levels. Soon it was time to end this hectic marathon. Then we could take a break, maybe even have a whole day off. We'd see the city, have a quality meal in the Three Little Pigs, and then we'd start pondering over choosing skills and distributing the points.

As I was thinking, another message popped up.

Congratulations! You've received Achievement: Slow on the Draw!

You've made Top 100 of the players who haven't chosen Specialization by level 30.

Reward: +1500 to Fame

Very nice. Slow on the draw! Talking about lame fame. The fact that we were at least a hundred had to be good news, I suppose. A hundred slowmoes, so to say.

Finally I'd freed all the surviving Elves and got to the end of the line, approaching the Dark Princess. Her face was as passionless as ever. I showed her the key and nodded at the massive lock. The Princess lowered her eyelids slightly. You were welcome to understand it whichever way. I shrugged and turned the key in the rusty lock, then forced the screeching door open.

Quest completion alert: Free the Drow Princess I. Quest completed!

Reward: access to unique quest Free the Drow Princess II.

The Elven Princess stepped out gracefully. She pressed one hand to her heart and lowered her head in gratitude.

"I thank you, my High brother. My warriors are now free; the shame of captivity won't befall the House of Night. I didn't ask you to help me, but you freed me nevertheless. So please accept the Drow Princess' gratitude."

Looking me in the eye, the Princess lay her hands on my shoulders and, rising on tiptoes, gave me an indifferent kiss. Her lips were warm, soft and supple. She had a heady smell of wild strawberries.

Buff alert! You've received a lifetime buff: the Mark of the House of Night.

Effect: Drow's Friend. Your relationship with Dark Elves has improved to amicable.

For a brief moment, I lost myself in her black eyes. Then I pulled myself together and bowed low. "I appreciate the honor, Madam."

A sniff came from behind my back. I turned around. Taali was trying to look the other way but her nostrils flared. Binary codes no more, heh?

The Princess pressed my hand with her slim fingers, reminding me of her presence. "I will need your help, friend. Are you prepared?"

"Always prepared," I muttered, pulling my hand free. All women were the same. You offered them a hand and they took an arm. That's the power of love for you.

The Princess pointed at the carved collar still hugging her neck. "No idea how these hyenas managed to lay their hands on a rare artifact like this. There're not many Magic Negators of this level around, and we do know where most of them are. I have a funny feeling the Gnoll King was only instrumental in a bigger game by the Houses of Fire and the Moon. But it's of no consequence to you. Just help me remove it. Get the crystal key from the King."

New unique quest available! Free the Drow Princess II.

The Princess' powerful abilities are neutralized by the Magic Negator. Go down the sinister Gnoll Dungeon, reach the palace and find the key!

Reward: Unknown

Oh well. Who was I to say no to unique quests?

"I will help you, Princess. But can you give me a clue what it looks like? The King and I, we're bosom buddies. Seen him five times or so today. I'm sure he won't say no," I attempted a Clint Eastwood grin.

Her eyes smiled. "It's a red crystal with the same carving as the collar."

The Princess leaned closer, showing it to me. She smelled so good that my head went round. She pushed a lock of hair to the other shoulder and bent her head, exposing a chiseled neck burdened by the unwanted accessory. My heart missed a couple beats. I shook my head to concentrate on the business at hand and forced my eyes away from her velvet skin, her tantalizing cleavage and a pulse beating over her collarbone.

I peered at the pattern snaking along the collar. I could have sworn I'd seen it somewhere before. I frowned, trying to remember. My loot. I'd been in a hurry to go and help Taali so I'd stuffed the last batch into my bag without having a good look. I vaguely remembered seeing something similar in there.

I dropped the bag on the ground and dug into it. There. Could it be the crystal? By then, ordinary keys had stopped dropping and I'd already collected a full set. Then after a chain of nearly-empty respawns, the King had dropped that squiggly thing. Apparently, that didn't happen every day.

I picked up the crystal and handed it to the Princess. "Is that it?"

For a moment, she lost her natural cool. She grabbed the key and touched the Negator with it. The collar clicked and opened.

She beamed. A smooth gesture, a few singsong words—and her clothes fluttered, the fabric regaining its pristine whiteness and order. After that, she broke into a dozen hasty spells casting group buffs, healing the wounded and sending astral messengers. Her appearance had changed—now she looked like the Royal she was.

Finally, the Princess turned to me. "I do appreciate what you have done for me and my warriors. You can count on our gratitude when you too need help. Please accept this artifact as a reward for your courage and chivalry. I ask you but one thing: do not ever leave it in greedy hands. This collar can bring about a lot of misery with an ill will and a bit of imagination."

Quest completion alert: Free the Drow Princess II. Quest completed!

Reward I: The one-time right to summon the warriors of the House of Night. To receive help, ask any Drow to put you in contact with a House representative.

Reward II: Magic Negator and Crystal Key.

The Princess nodded me goodbye and activated the portal. One by one, her men entered the radiant archway. She left last, leaving me with a heady forest scent and a strange yearning.

"Impressive," Taali remarked. Was she jealous or something?

"Yeah," I mumbled and packed the new gizmo with the rest of them. About time I started thinking of raising my Strength parameter. I could also use a new bag for two or three hundred slots. "Come on, then. Look up. I have a funny feeling the Pratz cavalry will be here any minute. And I owe them for six graves. My Inbox is chock full of their filth.

"So is mine," the girl nodded. "Judging by how fast they come, the little jerks sit it out somewhere waiting for help to arrive."

"That's possible. Come on, Hummungus. Left-right, left-right!"

Chapter Twelve

We walked out of the gnoll dungeon and headed toward the city. The gnoll workers that had only yesterday seemed so tough and dangerous kept lunging at us from everywhere, only to face Teddy the Bodyguard. The enormous level gap didn't leave the suckers half a chance. Groups of low-level players watched us walk past, although admittedly Hummungus was the center of their attention. I didn't mind. On the contrary, I made sure to showcase him at his best, making him bellow and lunge as I played with "Attack!" and "Off!" We even did our good deed for the day by tearing apart an impressive train that some over-eager ranger had dragged to his group. Taali gave everyone a quick heal, handed out some buffs and off we went.

As we walked, she demanded to know every detail of the Drow quest. She'd probably decided to do it herself. She looked really funny when she asked, stern-eyed, if a Drow leader absolutely had to be a woman or whether a male prince or knight could also be accepted? I had to put on a serious face and tell her that indeed a knight was okay, why not. On a white charger, yeah right. She was still a child. Shame I couldn't give her the keys which turned out to be non-transferrable.

When we were a few hundred feet away from the city, I slowed down. The forest ended there. "That's it, Taali. I'm afraid I can't go any further. The guards will start aggroing Teddy. I'm too close already. I've seen a couple of patrols here before."

"Never mind. Thanks for your help. For everything…" she paused.

"Stop it, will ya? You think I'd leave a girl in trouble? I'd kick any amount of ass for a friend."

She raised her head and looked me in the eye. "A friend?"

I took her slim hands in mine. "Whassup? Sure we're friends. Why would you doubt that? Is it because of that Drow chick?"

"It's the way you looked at her."

"Oh. How can I explain," I hesitated. "Body chemistry, you know? Game designer magic plus pheromones in combination with abstinence, a new fitter me and tons of naked bods walking around."

I didn't think she understood all of it but her face lit up. Much better. I hated to see her sad as a panda without bamboo. "Could I ask a favor of you? I'm like a walking Fort Knox at the moment, lugging around over a hundred gold. You think you could pop it into the bank for me? I can't go to town myself, you see."

Taali gave me a serious look as if searching for an answer to some unasked question. Then she nodded. "Thanks."

"What for?"

"For trusting me. Come on, where's your money? I really need some cash to get that Versace robe."

She could still joke, which was a good sign. At least I hoped she joked. I handed her the money and nodded at the looming tower tops. "Off you go, then."

She wasn't in a hurry to leave, though. Devils danced in her eyes. "Did you say abstinence?"

She stepped toward me and gave me a firm kiss—artless but passionate and uncompromising as youth itself. Then she swung round, her mane of hair lashing the air, and strode toward the city.

I shook my head, flabbergasted. What kind of day was this? The amount of adventures, conflicts, emotions and beautiful women had exceeded the yearly real-world quota. I liked it.

Finally I pulled myself together and took the familiar trail back into the woods toward Grym's cave. I had barely fifty paces left to cover when I heard Hummungus' fierce roar behind my back, followed by a scream.

"Die, you spawn of the Dark!"

I turned around just in time to see my pet being attacked by two of the city guards. A bit further, a mage was whispering something into a radiant crystal. A patrol. Talking of the devil.

Probably, the best thing would be to smoke the pet myself and make an inconspicuous exit. But either my affection for Teddy or the mob-respawning, bear-bellowing instinct that I'd acquired in the last twenty-four hours got the better of me. Both, most likely. The guards weren't much to write home about, both level twenty-five. The mage was level thirty. The further away from the city one went, the weaker patrols became: not so much combat force as a rapid report system. But I had a bad feeling about the mage, apparently on a hotline to somewhere.

You've received experience!

Warning! You've killed a guard of the City of Light! The Sun King doesn't approve of those who kill his subjects!

Your relationship with the Dark Alliance has improved!

Your relationship with the Alliance of Light has deteriorated!

Bad, too bad. I remembered reading that it was never a good idea to attack allied NPCs. Reputation could plummet and it could take you a lot of time and drudgery to restore it. Actually, I could understand the Admins. I'd had some experience with certain servers where the players butchered quest characters and bankers, even slaughtering entire trading towns. I'd once watched the server's top clan raze a biggish city. This, of course, tended to ruin the gaming experience and could potentially alienate the average player. This I knew but I couldn't do much about it now. The second guard died, too. The remaining mage wisely chose an escape route. He cast a slowing spell over my pet and, while Teddy tried to kick away some roots entangling his legs, he popped a portal open and disappeared in a blue haze.

Not good. You didn't have to be a mind reader to know that the place would soon be crawling with guards.

I frisked the corpses. Nothing special, just some silver and a few gamers' badges. Now I had to get to the cave double quick. The passage was too narrow for Teddy: he was bound to get stuck halfway through, but as long as no one could see him from the outside, it had to do. A couple steps down was good enough.

This time the cave was brightly lit, just for a change. A dozen makeshift candles oozed wax. Grym the Hermit in rolled-up sleeves was busy pounding some pungent ingredient in a mortar. When I stumbled down the steps into the cave, he glanced over at me but continued with his work. Then his eyebrows rose. He set aside his bowl filled with some shimmering powder and walked over to me.

"You're surely full of surprises, young warlock. You've gained strength fast. Probably a bit too fast. In the Dark Lands you'd still be a green newb, but here, right under the High Ones' nose…" Grym shook his head in disbelief.

I had too little time for subtleties so I grabbed the bull by the horns. "Thank you, Sir Hermit. Would you be willing to teach me something new?"

Grym nodded and made a magician-like gesture. "Absolutely. You're long overdue your reward."

Congratulations! You've received 3 Talent points!

You have 23 Talent points available!

Excellent. We'd sorted out all the old odds and sods. Time to look forward to new heights.

Grym put an end to my reverie. "Have you managed to demonstrate your loyalty to the Fallen One?"

Jeez, what did he want from me? It's not as if he'd given me any tips, was it? What was I supposed to do, spit on the altar in an Elven temple? Maybe hand out some anti-Elf leaflets printed by the Darks' underground? Or even fly the Fallen One's colors in the dark of the night from the watchtower's spire? Having said that…

I started rummaging through my bag, found what I was looking for and brought a jingling bundle of the players' badges to Grym's eyes. "Will these do?"

The old goblin studied the offering. Then he grinned and nodded. "Excellent. You'll get a gold piece for each High scumbag you've offed. I'd rather you brought me their ears but the badges will do nicely. If ever you come across more of such loot, remember old Grym."

Quest completion alert: Demonstrate your loyalty to the Fallen One II. Quest completed!

Reward: Gold

Grym rummaged through the folds of his robe and produced seven coins. I liked this job. Wonder what he'd give me for the guards' badges? I slapped my pockets and produced my remaining booty. The hermit started and leaned forward. His face sharpened, vulture-like. He examined every badge, stroking and bringing them close to his nose. Then he nodded, satisfied, and emitted a hoarse laugh.

"You've made my day, young warlock. Old Grym hasn't seen this kind of loot for a long, long time. What can I give you in return?"

I paused for a moment, thinking. Another handful of gold wouldn't help me much. Asking for some unique gear was rather stupid. Having said that…

"I'd like you to answer a question."

Grym looked interested. "Oh, really? Spit it out, then."

"I'd like to know how I could find the Dark Guild of the City of Light. I've been meaning to have a talk with their master. He might have some secret quests for me. Or he could share some ancient lore to help me on my chosen path…"

The goblin saddened, shaking his head. "The Dark Guild's secrets are too much for a newb to bear. Go and find yourself some easier quests first, and one day we might come back to this conversation."

New Quest alert! Knowledge Breeds Sadness!

Keep Grym and his cave a secret for a minimum of ten days.

Reward: Access to quest: Knowledge Breeds Sadness II!

I nodded, accepting the quest. What a pain. They seemed to arrange quests in stages. You'd be old by the time you got to the bottom of it all.

"I'll be back in ten days," I said by way of goodbye and headed for the exit. I didn't want to wait till he blew me out like the first time. Teddy was still stuck in the corridor and I didn't want to be smashed in mid-air against his fangs.

"Go," the hermit heaved a sigh. Was it my imagination or had I gleaned some compassion in his voice?

Teddy was waiting for me, doglike. I patted his neck and walked up the gnarled steps out into the fresh night air. Where to now? Back to the caves? Level 1 and 2 mobs were all highlighted in gray now—they wouldn't bring any loot or experience. Level 3 gnolls were mainly green: I got the loot but virtually no XP. The Throne Room mobs' names were highlighted in blue, which meant that they were slightly below me. And still, in another hour or two I'd have nothing left to farm there, with the exception of the King. It would take too long. I needed to find a new hunting ground. But not now, in the middle of the night. Should I maybe curl up under some tree or other and have a nap until sunrise?

I walked along, musing, when the flapping of wings added to the night forest sounds. A large gryphon crashed onto the trail in full flight and hissed at Hummungus. I stopped dead in my tracks. A Lieutenant of the Royal Guard jumped off the gryphon's back. I tried to leg it. Too late. The Lieutenant uttered a short spell, pinning my feet to the ground. Teddy lunged to my defense. The Lieutenant waved his hatchet in the air, and the bear cartwheeled back, his life halved. Another assault sent Teddy flying like a lapdog, his life blinking in the red zone. And still he wobbled back toward the Elf. I hurried to open the pet control panel and pressed 'Off.'. Immediately I noticed a rabbit nearby, selected it as target and ordered Teddy to attack it. The chase could take him away from the guard while I would try to talk my way out of it somehow.

But what was that? Had Teddy just ignored my commands? Head shaking, one wet eye glancing at me, the bear kept advancing toward the guard who was watching the beast with a lazy curiosity. Then the Lieutenant whispered a spell and flung a drop of fire from his hand. The flames consumed Teddy. The pet's status icon closed and disappeared.

No! Something got into my eye so I could barely see the Elf raise his staff sending a wide beam of light up into the sky. Like a beacon, it attracted another dozen gryphons which descended onto the narrow trail like a murder of crows. Strong gauntleted hands grabbed me. A voice thundered over my ear,

"Laith the Warlock, you're under arrest for worshipping the Fallen One, for summoning the beings of the Dark, for Elves-targeted assaults and for the murder of City of Light guards."

Chapter Thirteen

The courtroom was imposing. Massive columns supported the gloomy relief ceiling. A small platform in the middle was supposed to hold the accused and his guards. Above it loomed a monumental podium for the judge who doubled as a prosecutor.

There I was now, shuffling my feet, boxed in by several burly warriors. From time to time I glanced up at the judge or peered at the pictures covering the walls and ceiling. The prosecutor pontificated, reciting my crimes. He couldn't go on forever though because time was money, and games no exception. He couldn't risk losing the audience's interest in the magnificent setting and the case itself. The judge paused and reached for a new scroll of parchment, about to summon up.

"On the strength of the evidence and considering these are first-time offences, we condemn Laith the Warlock on multiple counts to ten days' imprisonment. The accused will be denied any magic skills or contacts with the outside for the duration of the sentence. On the expiry of the imprisonment, all charges will be waived and reputation partially restored."

The judge stopped and gave me a meaningful look from above his parchment. Couldn't they just execute me or something? Chop my head off, then next thing I knew I'd be back at my spawn point, fresh as a daisy. But now they'd lock me up in some dungeon or other and I'd be stuck there for ten days like a giraffe in a zoo.

The judge studied my sour expression and raised a finger to the ceiling.

"But under the edict of the Highest Sun King, a first time offender accused of abusing his magic skills may be pardoned."

I pricked up my ears. This had to be their version of good cop and bad cop. Now they were going to recruit me as a canary.

I wasn't too far wrong.

"For this, the accused has to report to the authorities the names of those who trained him in the art of dark magic, as well as those who knew about his activities but failed to report them."

I'd had a funny feeling he'd say that. So that was the good cop speaking. And what did the bad one have to offer? I just hoped it wouldn't come to torture. Whoever heard of a gamer being tortured in full immersion for his own money? Having said that, Grym the Hermit had expected something of the kind, judging by the anguish in his voice. He'd probably been imagining himself tied to a stake. Don't you worry, old man, I'm not going to sell you down the river. It's not my sort of thing. Also, judging by the way their useless law was worded, I was supposed to rat on everyone: Taali, Bug, Cryl, whoever. And that was a totally different kettle of fish.

The judge gave me an expectant look. I shook my head. Not terribly upset, he went on.

"The accused can also be eligible for parole if he agrees to pay a fine of twenty gold pieces for every day of unexpired term. Do you wish to pay two hundred gold to the City treasury? In that case, you'll be provided bank access. You have five minutes to make a decision."

Bank access wouldn't help. In actual fact, my combined capital had already reached a hundred and ten gold. Plus tons of salable stuff, like the bracelets and the King's loot. But I'd given the money to Taali, and no one would allow me to go around flogging my stuff. I checked my friend list. Taali was asleep, but Bug was still up and about. I PM'd him.

"Hi. Where are you?"

"Admiring the cemetery. Waiting for my grave to appear."

"I see. You wouldn't happen to have a couple hundred gold for a day or two? I'm in a bit of a jam."

"I'm afraid I don't, chief. Got a fiver in the bank. And about twenty on my corpse. Plus the loot—I dunno how much but I could always arrange a quick sale. Not two hundred, but it'll be something. My corpse will be here in an hour and a half, plus I'll need some time to flog the stuff. Will that do?"

"It's all right, bro. Time is a bit of an issue. Never mind. Thanks anyway. I might be AFK for a while. Just put my cut aside. I'll find you."

"Got it. Is it serious?"

"Not really. Just one of those things. NPC problems. Leave it. Over and out."

"Take care, dude."

That was it. Looked like I'd have to do time. I shook my head to the judge's quizzical stare. He shrugged: as you wish. Then he set the scroll of parchment aside, rose and banged his gavel on the desk.

"The sentence is effective immediately."

The platform where I stood turned out to be a teleport pad. For a brief moment, a blue light enveloped us, followed by a boom. Suddenly we were standing on an identical platform inside a building made of thick slabs of stone.

The mage on duty took my paperwork from the guards, glanced over them and nodded.

"Welcome to Gray Bastion. This will be your home for the next ten days. In accordance with the sentence, you'll be denied magic skills for the duration of your incarceration."

He gave a wink to someone behind my back. A steel collar snapped shut around my neck.

"This is a basic Magic Negator. You'll be able to remove it when you're ready to leave the building. Please make sure you don't do anything stupid. Then you won't regret the time of your stay in the Bastion. Now will you please surrender any weapons, scrolls, battle artifacts and any potions you might have. You will be returned them once your sentence is completed. Do not try to cheat. If any illegal objects are found on you once you've cleared the security gate, they will be confiscated in favor of the City."

"What a bunch of jerks," I mumbled rummaging through my bag. My neck hurt as my new piece of jewelry kept shrinking. A normal player would either log out for the duration of his imprisonment or simply find the wretched twenty bucks to pay the fine. Only I had nowhere to turn…

After checking in whatever blade weapons they'd found on me, they pushed me toward a shimmery arch. I cleared it without a hitch, apparently putting the anxious guards at ease. I was an Elf killer, what do you want. Then they walked me along many corridors until finally we came to a massive steel door. The guard fiddled with the lock, swung the door open and pushed me down a long passage lined with bars. I didn't have a chance to see it in much detail before a monster charged at me.

Hell Hound, level 150, the helpful interface prompted. I shrunk. My back hit the door so hard I very nearly forced it open. A taut chain clanged, stopping the monster just a few feet away from me. It was spitting drool, glaring at me, its powerful front legs clawing the air.

The door behind me squeaked open. A grinning guard inspected me, then added, disappointed, "Dry as a bone. Was it so hard to shit yourself? Now I've lost a gold piece."

"Dumbass," I managed.

The guard guffawed and waved to someone at the far end of the corridor, "Pull your doggie back, will ya?"

A winch screeched. The chain pulled taut again, dragging the hound back into the depths of the dungeon. The creature struggled, hissing, sending sparks and bits of stone fly from where its claws struck the floor tiles.

One touch of those claws, and you were back to square one, a.k.a. your spawn point. Now that's a thought. I stepped forward, but a gauntleted hand jerked me back.

"Don't even think about it… the Immortal One. You're not the first smartass here. The doggie has been trained to pace its eating habits. It'll start by chopping off an arm or a leg, then leave you as is to wait for the cleric's morning rounds. No one's gonna let you die on us. Don't even try."

He led me down the now hound-free corridor toward one of the cells and pushed the bars open.

"In with you! And make sure you stay away from the door. The doggie can reach in quite far."

Good advice. I drew a mental line a few feet away from the door. Then I looked around. Not bad at all. The cell was dry, with a decent bunk bed, a mattress and a quite thick blanket. A pitcher of water and a piss pot with a lid. In an Egyptian hotel this would pass for a star and a half. Never mind. Good enough.

"When's meal time?" I asked the guard busy with the bars.

"Twice a day. Gruel and water. You won't gain much weight, that's for sure. But if you ask nicely, we might get something sorted out for you from the inn next door. You need to order big portions though. Three quarters won't go past the guards room, if you know what I mean."

"I'll remember that. Right, chief. Time to lock up. I need to get some sleep."

Finally, the endlessly frantic day was over. I was all tuckered out. I dropped the bag onto the floor, pulled off my sandals, bracelets and shirt, splashed some water onto myself and fell asleep the moment my head touched the mattress. It felt like a king's featherbed.