《Thief Lord》 Chapter 1 – Laying the Dead to Rest Chapter 1 ¨C Laying the Dead to Rest ¡°Mehehehehe.¡± I chuckle as I gleefully observe my small skeleton army march through the forest. The ivory bones gently reflecting the moonlight as they silently advance towards our objective. It has taken me three whole months of grinding to get this far. Three whole months of carefully avoiding players as I slaughtered beasts deep inside the forest to milk them dry of all the experience points they had to offer. It has been a long and tedious process, and finally¡­ FINALLY, I¡¯m going to reap the benefits. It¡¯s been one hell of a long road. I¡¯m probably one of the highest level Necromancers in the whole of Ascendance Unlimited at the moment. Not that I have much competition anymore though. There aren¡¯t many people who bother going down the Necromancer route anymore. It¡¯s just too damn punishing. Playing a Villain class is brutal. Far too brutal. It¡¯s like playing the game on hard mode while blindfolded and missing both your arms. Don¡¯t get me wrong; the Villain classes are the strongest classes there are. Their strength and growth potential are just plain outright staggering. What makes it hard, however, is that the game puts such massive restrictions upon you that the odds are always stacked heavily against you. I may have a massive boost to my stats and amazing strength through my summoned minions, but I lack flexibility and security. All safe zones are off-limits to me. I¡¯m not allowed to party up with other people, there¡¯s a constant bounty on my head, and unlike other players, I lose all my accumulated loot and gold if I¡¯m killed. So what the hell is the point? The rewards, of course. Unlike the rest of the population, Villain classes have a nearly unlimited potential for accumulating wealth. I have the option of robbing the world blind while selling off stolen goods for gold. Since my class is already hated by default, I don¡¯t have to worry about such petty things as ingame laws and punishments. I don¡¯t have to care if the world¡¯s NPCs won¡¯t give me quests as I can¡¯t accept them anyway. I don¡¯t care if I can¡¯t enter safe zones, as my class grants me other options. I don¡¯t care if stolen goods can only be sold for a fraction of the value compared to regular goods. I have other means¡­ Being the Villain allows me to do so much more. Looting and pillaging is the best way to get rich. Sure, there are some moral issues to the path I have chosen to walk, but it¡¯s just a game, really. The possibility of trading in game gold for real-world currency makes it just a tad too tempting. Killing for money isn¡¯t frowned upon if it¡¯s just a simulation after all. Which coincidentally, is what tonight is all about. My target is a small village on the outskirts of the Emperia Empire. I estimate the population to be around eighty people. Farmers mostly. Not the richest of targets, but they should have enough wealth among them to pay my rent for a couple of months. I could have chosen a more lucrative target, but I¡¯m not willing to take the risk quite yet. I need to avoid other players at all costs as I¡¯m not confident I can defeat a well-organized group quite yet. I¡¯m only level thirty-eight, with a small army of fifty-nine Skeletons, Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Warriors. With these numbers, and with the cover of night, I¡¯m certain I¡¯ll be able to kill them all with acceptable losses. I can already feel the taste of all the money and experience I¡¯ll gain tonight. Just a few more moments to go. My small army finally reaches the edge of the forest. Walking ahead, I crouch near some bushes, taking a view of the open plains ahead. The dim moonlight reveals a small village built on an open plain between two large forests. The open ground is littered by tilled soil, and a thin dirt road runs right through the small cluster of hovels. Some smoke rises from the village blacksmith, signalling that at least someone is still awake down there. Not that it will do much for them. Grinning in anticipation, I send a mental command for my Skeletons to start marching towards the village. My minions respond instantly, starting their silent approach across the field. Walking safely at the back of my army, I start buffing my skeletons. Being a Necromancer, I¡¯m basically just a summoner with a large repertoire of support magic. The class only offered me a few offensive abilities, but they are far too weak compared to the rest of my arsenal. ¡°Death¡¯s Vitality.¡± I mutter, watching the bones of my skeletons glow with a soft dark shade. ¡°Fangs of Blight.¡± Their weapons emit a sickly green fog. ¡°Fear the Reaper.¡± The blue glow in their eye sockets turns crimson red. ¡°Cull the Living.¡± Their bones seem to float above the trodden dirt beneath them, increasing the speed of their march. My head starts throbbing as the last points of my already depleted mana pool ebbs out. It¡¯s the most annoying part of being a spellcaster in this game, as a headache builds up as I drain my mana. A natural symptom I personally would prefer they left out of the game. It doesn¡¯t matter too much though. It¡¯s uncomfortable, but not unbearable. A small price to pay for ensuring the success of my raid. We reach the edge of the village without being spotted. Unable to keep the grin off my face, I order half my skeletons to group up in squads of five, going house to house and kill as many of the villagers as they can. With no hesitation, the skeletons split into six large groups and head for the closest four hovels. It takes a few pinpoint mental gymnastics to do it, but I manage to make the skeletons kick the doors in simultaneously. Soon after, the skeletons rush into the homes. I hear a few shrieks of surprise before the sounds are abruptly cut short. No doubt due to my skeletons carrying out their grim orders. I feel a small stab of guilt in my chest which I quickly shrug off with a shake of my head. Damnit Ryan, focus. It¡¯s just a game. ¡°Who goes there!?¡± A voice cuts through the still evening air. Turning my head, I spot a farmer holding a torch who just appeared between two hovels roughly thirty meters to my side. It¡¯s a disheveled looking old man, wearing dirty linen clothes, most likely stained from tending to the fields all day. ¡°Reveal yourselves!¡± He shouts as he squints into the dark night, the light of the torch doing nothing to improve his sight. Cursing beneath my breath at this sudden interruption, I order my Skeleton Archers to quickly open fire on the man. My skeletons obey, as nearly a dozen arrows quickly loosen towards the poor farmer. Sadly, because of the low level of my archers, and the distance towards the man, most of the arrows fly wide. An arrow hits the man in the shoulder, while another in the thigh.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. His eyes widen in shock as he stumbles backwards. ¡°I-Intruders! Call the alarm!¡± He screams as he falls out of sight. ¡°God fucking damnit!¡± I curse. And things were going so well. Fuck. There goes the element of surprise. I order my nearby Skeleton Warriors to charge towards the village square. If I can¡¯t slaughter the farmers in their beds, then I need to take control of the natural gathering point. My main objective is now to make sure the farmers can¡¯t rally a force to oppose me. My skeletons quickly find their way deeper into the village as more and more panicked shouts echoes across the village. It doesn¡¯t take long until their confusion turns to fear until they eventually turn to painful shrieks cutting through the night. ¡°Skeletons! Run for your lives!¡± ¡°Where are the guards!?¡± ¡°Robert!? Where are you- GAH!¡± ¡°Help us!¡± ¡°NOOOOO! AAAAAAAAAAH!¡± The panic spreads further as more of the farmers become aware of the situation. The shouting is soon mixed in with the sound of metal striking metal as some of the farmers try to fight back. It doesn¡¯t take long until they are overwhelmed by the horde of undead. I finally make my way over to the village square, carefully peeking around the corner of the village tavern. A sight of carnage greets my eyes. My skeletons are systematically mowing down the farmers. The poor villagers were caught completely unaware, disorganized, and wielding nothing but farming tools to fight back the numerous skeletons. Things are going better than I expected. I grin as I open up my status page to watch the experience points pour in. ¡°There¡¯s too many of them! Flee!¡± A woman screams from the other side of town. ¡°Flee where!? They¡¯re everywhere!¡± A man shouts back. ¡°There is nowhere to go!¡± ¡°Everyone! Rally at the blacksmith! We can fight them off if we stay together!¡± A rough voice cuts through the panicked yells. My eyes flicker over to watch a burly man wearing a leather apron and wielding a massive two-handed hammer trying to draw the villagers towards him. He takes a massive swing with his hammer, completely shattering the ribcage of one of my skeletons. That must be the village blacksmith. Several of the nearby farmers regain a hopeful look in their eyes as they try to push themselves towards the large man. ¡°Not if I can help it.¡± I mutter as I order my archers to launch a volley of arrows towards the Blacksmith. Taking their time to aim properly, the arrows soar through the sky before they impact the man high in his chest. The large man falls to his knees as he coughs up a mouthful of blood. His hand grasps at the shaft of an arrow, too weak to get a proper grip. His arm falls limp as his body slouches together. His head drops while his body topples sideways to the ground. ¡°NOO! Robert! You bastards!¡± A woman shrieks, her voice breaking. ¡°Someone help us!¡± She pleads, the energy quickly draining from her body. ¡°Too late to save you now.¡± I shake my head as I order my Skeletons to slaughter the broken villagers. I take no pleasure in executing the apathetic peasants, but I do what I need to. It should be over in a few minutes¡­ ¡°Consecrate!¡± A pillar of light descends through the air, striking the center of the village square, right on top of my Skeleton Archers. The archers are sent flying backwards, two of them shattering against the stone well in the middle of the square. The surrounding skeletons are all staggered from the sudden blast of holy energy. ¡°What- Who the fuck!?¡± I stutter, my eyes going wide in surprise. ¡°Bring it you pansy toothpicks! Shield Slam!¡± A deep voice bellows as a skeleton at the far side of the square is sent flying backwards, its bones scattering across the ground. My eyes quickly find the owner of the voice, and I can feel my stomach twist. Why the hell are there players all the way out here!? There shouldn¡¯t be a reason for them- ¡°By the power of Lumina, Smite!¡± A female voice yells as one of my Skeleton Warriors disintegrates in front of me in a blinding golden light. Fuck! My mind races as I try to collect myself. I need to- ¡°Arcane Shot!¡± A massive blue arrow cuts through my forces, slamming into one of my remaining archers. ¡°Hoo, that¡¯s a whole lotta undead guys! What are they doing all the way out here?¡± ¡°Who cares!? They¡¯re free exp! Boar¡¯s charge!¡± A heavily armored dwarf charges shield first through my front rank of skeletons, knocking several off their feet. ¡°Focus on their ranged units! Smite!¡± Another golden light vaporizes an archer. These bastards! How dare they ruin my plan!? Not on my watch... ¡°Warriors! Ignore the dwarf, find and kill the cleric and the ranger!¡± My skeletons quickly disengage from the warrior and charges towards the location the two previous voices came from. ¡°Oy! What the fuck Marc! How the hell are you losing aggro on these low-level mobs?¡± The cleric shouts. ¡°What? How? Well, I¡¯ll be¡­ Taunt!¡± The dwarf bellows. ¡°That¡¯s right, come at me ye buggers!¡± My skeletons hesitate for a moment, some of them turning to face the warrior once more. Fuck. That. ¡°Stay on target!¡± I mentally order my skeletons to once more ignore the dwarf and attack his two party members. ¡°Marc!? What the fuck! They¡¯re still coming!¡± The cleric yells. ¡°What!? Why isn¡¯t it working?!¡± The dwarf shouts. ¡°Guys! Something¡¯s off about the skeletons. Their swords are blighted. Low-level skeletons aren¡¯t supposed to have blighted weapons.¡± The Ranger says, his solemn voice carrying across the battlefield. ¡°So what!?¡± The Cleric shouts. Her voice starting to show signs of panic. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ it makes no sense. It¡¯s almost as if they have magic support. But there shouldn¡¯t be any liches this close to the border.¡± ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, Paul! I don¡¯t give a shit! Help get these fuckers off me!¡± The woman yells. Listening to their arguing ignites the hope in my chest. I might be able to win this after all. Keeping an eye on my mana bar, I make a quick mental calculation of what spells I can pull off with what little I have left. Luckily, due to me dropping almost every single one of my stat points into wisdom to increase my number of skeletons, I have been able to regenerate a little over half my mana. That¡¯s enough to use the ace up my sleeve. ¡°Raise Dead!¡± I shout as a dark vortex of magic coalesces around my body. The death magic spins wildly around my arms until it shoots off into the square, gathering around the fallen villagers. Their dead bodies start twitching for a moment before the villagers come to life for the second time today. ¡°What the actual bloody fuck is going on!?¡± The dwarf yells as he plants his axe into the skull of the zombie blacksmith. ¡°It¡¯s a Necromancer!¡± The Ranger shouts. ¡°We need to kill him, quickly! I haven¡¯t seen such a high-level Necromancer before, he must be worth a damn fortune in renown points!¡± ¡°What!? A Necromancer, here? I thought they were all low-level scrubs that all quit the game already.¡± The dwarf laughs. ¡°Sounds like heading all the way out here wasn¡¯t a waste after all! Daniel, he is all yours!¡± Tssch. So they figured me out. Not that it¡¯s going to help them much. My undead will tear them apart piece by piece long before they find me over here. It¡¯s only a matter of ti-. I freeze. Wait a moment. Who the fuck is Daniel!? I turn my head around just in time to spot a leather-clad human running straight at me, wielding two long daggers in each hand. ¡°Oh you gotta be fucking kidding-¡± [You take 226 Piercing Damage (Critical Hit!) from Player ShadowStriker69(45).] [You are Stunned for 5 Seconds.] [You take 174 Piercing Damage from Player ShadowStriker69(45).] [You take 212 Piercing Damage (Critical Hit!) from Player ShadowStriker69(45).] [You take 163 Piercing Damage from Player ShadowStriker69(45).] [You have died.] [You will respawn in 00 Minutes, 59 Seconds.] Chapter 2 – Restart Chapter 2 ¨C Restart A dark vortex of death mana forms above a decrepit altar, deep inside the Morag¡¯L forest. The chaotic energy spins wildly for a few moments, until a pale, completely naked dark elf drops from it, landing flat on his ass on top of the cold stone altar. ¡°Son of a fucking bitch!¡± I scream as I jump to my feet and roughly massage my buttocks. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they kept a fucking rogue hidden for that fucking long.¡± I curse as I start pacing aimlessly around the altar. ¡°Fuck!¡± With a final yell, I drop to my knees and bury my face in my hands. ¡°After all that hard work¡­ three whole months of grinding; gone in an instant.¡± I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose as I clench my eyes shut. ¡°Fuuuuuck.¡± Fearing the worst, I open up my inventory, already dreading what I will find. ¡­ Nothing. Those bastards took everything. All my gold, items, and carefully collected materials needed to resurrect my minions. Even my fucking starter robes. Why the fuck would they do that!? They¡¯re only worth like five coppers¡­ ¡°FUUUUUCK!¡± I punch the air with all my might. ¡°This. Stupid. Fucking. Hard. Ass. Game.¡± I punctuate every word with a punch. ¡°It¡¯s fucking impossible.¡± I sigh, as I let my body fall backwards, the withered grass doing little to soften my fall. [You take 1 Falling Damage.] ¡°Yeah, fuck you too.¡± With a final disappointed sigh, I open up the menu and log out. I open my eyes to complete darkness. A low mechanical humming sound lessens in my ear as my gaming capsule shuts down. Taking the helmet and cuirass off, I open the plastic door and step out. My muscles are cramping from lack of use, which almost causes me to trip head over heels. ¡°Tssk. I suppose I spent too long logged in again.¡± I mutter to no one in particular as I perform a few light exercises to get the blood flow going. Staying connected to the game for twenty hours per day is starting to take a toll on my body, as the lack of exercise is slowly making my muscles degrade to only a shell of their former self. The game company only recommends a maximum of twelve hours of playtime per day, but as any self-respecting gamer out there, I blatantly ignore the health warnings in favor of more game time. I¡¯ve been waiting my whole life for full dive VRMMOs, and I sure as hell ain¡¯t going to let a few cautionary doctors tell me how to live my life. My eyes wander over towards the capsule stowed away in the corner of my one-room studio apartment. It¡¯s a marvelous piece of technology really, able to synergize the human mind with virtual reality, allowing for the mind to experience any physical or psychological stimuli possible, just like in real life. It¡¯s the technological marvel every gaming nerd has been waiting for for a century. We use it for pretty much anything these days. We can go to work, entertain ourselves, and even have physical contact with other human beings without ever needing to leave our apartments. With the development of high-grade artificial intelligence, creating content for this virtual reality became easy, and it didn¡¯t take long for the first VRMMO game to be released only three months ago. A day I had been anticipating since I was six years old. They didn¡¯t quite manage to create time dilation technology yet, but staying connected at least manages to artificially mimic sleeping, which completely eliminates the need for sleep in its entirety. I only need to log out for about four hours per day to take care of my bodily needs and go for a run so I don¡¯t end up in an early grave because of my new lifestyle. Aah, yes. My new lifestyle. My father would throw a fit if he knew what I am doing. Three months ago when the game first released, I quit my decently paid job as an office clerk, cancelled the lease on my downtown apartment, bought the best long term capsule on the market and rented a crappy one-room studio apartment in one of the shadier parts of town just so I could follow my long-time dream of gaming for a living. A dream that might as well have been shattered fifteen minutes ago¡­ I had one shot at being one of the top-earners in Ascendance Unlimited, and I blew it. Big time. I could have been one of the top-level rankers in the game, attempting to race to the top of the leaderboards and be among the first to sell high-level equipment and crafting materials for an absurd amount of money until the main gaming population caught up. That option is long gone by now. Even if I rerolled a new character, I would never be able to catch up to the current top-ranking players. They have a three month lead on me after all. No. In my hubris, I attempted to pursue a much riskier path. The fun and unique aspect of Ascendance Unlimited is that it caters to several different playstyles. You can take on life as an adventurer, a soldier, a craftsman, a merchant, or even an evil Villain. Anything is possible. The hardest path of them all is to play the role of a Villain. The path offers one of the most unique and rewarding styles of gaming I could ever have imagined, but also the most punishing of them all. Their characters are pretty much overpowered and should be able to easily defeat up to eight or ten other players of similar levels on their own. The difference from regular players, however, is that you are pretty much fair game to every other player out there. Unlike other players who only lose about twenty percent of their gold if they are killed, the Villains lose everything. Every single piece of gold and item in your inventory is lootable by your murderer. And it¡¯s not like you can store your valuables in a bank like ordinary players. No. You have to lug your crap around everywhere you go or store them in hiding places accessible by anyone who can find it. You can¡¯t even group up with other players; forever destined to be a loner. To add insult to injury, Villain classes have a constant bounty on their heads. Anyone who kills you, or contribute to killing you will gain a hefty amount of renown points, which unlocks more rare quests and connections with the NPCs of the world. The hunt for villainous players has become a sort of a sport for regular players, mercilessly hunting us down wherever we go. The game only allows us to have a single playable character at a time, so there¡¯s no way for us to store our valuables on alternative characters. We could technically try to conceal our identities, as there are skills and items out there that hide our classes, but there is one loophole. There is no way for us to change our gaming ID. So as soon as a player discovers that we play as a villainous character, our gaming ID is posted online on special websites to prevent us from ever being able to hide from a player again. It makes things way harder, as a single slip up will alert your existence to every bounty hunter in the game.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Which is probably what just happened to my Necromancer just now. There is no way this bastard Daniel didn¡¯t note down my gaming ID and are currently hanging it out to dry in some gaming forum somewhere. Fuck. I should have never rolled a Necromancer character. It¡¯s the most powerful of all the villainous classes, but it¡¯s also the harshest of them all. I may be able to deal with a huge amount of similar-leveled players at once, but it comes at a price. Resurrecting and training up my undead minions is a long and tedious process, and the class has no access to stealth abilities and hardly any defensive skills. One single stray arrow or sneaky rogue is all it takes to end my miserable existence; which is exactly what just happened. If only my raid had succeeded. I would only have needed to perform a couple of those raids to soar up in levels and items. I would have become a mighty existence within the game, but that dream is fading every passing day. It would take me close to a month to train up a new batch of skeletons. A month would take too long. By then, the general gaming population will have reached level forty, which would put me too far behind them all. There would just be no way for me to efficiently sack even the weakest of villages without risking total annihilation by some random player, which would set me back even further. Fuck. I gently pinch the bridge of my nose. I should never have allowed myself to play as a Necromancer. The temptation just grew too big. Necromancers are just so freaking awesome¡­ What do I have to show for it? For my hubris? I won¡¯t be able to make enough money to pay for rent anymore. Hell, I only have enough in my bank account to live on for one more month. Are you aware of how fucked I am? There is no way to bounce back from this. I will just end up being a weak forest magician forever, stuck in an eternal loop of grinding levels deep in some god awful forest. It¡¯s too late for me to become a regular top-ranker. It would take me years to catch up, assuming I ever could. I sigh. What other paths are there? I suppose I could always try my luck as a crafter; spending the remainder of my savings to purchase materials and grind skill levels day in and day out, hoping for some high-level guild to recruit me and sponsor my development, earning me a steady salary in exchange for exclusive access to my goods. That¡¯s probably my best option to make a living off this game, but it would also be the worst way for me to enjoy it. It would be boring as shit, really. What sort of fun and adventure would a crafter have? I would never really have a challenge other than trying to perfect my art, and that would quickly grow boring for someone like me. I like to have options and perform magnificent feats. More magnificent than laboring for twenty hours a day, trying to hammer together some legendary grade item three years down the road. Which really only narrows it down to either keep playing on my Necromancer or reroll a different Villain character with better earning potential and hope for the best. But could I do that though? I spent twenty hours a day for three months on my Necromancer. Could I really just give that up to create an equally fucked up character? What if it fails? It would just set me back even further than I already am. If that fails, I would have to give up on my dream and get a new job. It wouldn¡¯t be the end of the world, but a shattered dream can do more damage to one''s soul than swallowing one¡¯s pride. I want this. I want this more than anything. But in the meantime, am I willing to risk my dream to walk this path once again? Will my dream die if I have to give up and beg to get my job back? I don¡¯t know. It shouldn¡¯t, but it just feels like it will. As if I let myself down. I want to stand at the top; to be the best. I don¡¯t think I could ever be satisfied being just a regular player; unable and incapable of catching up to the top rankers. I don¡¯t want to be a player who tried and failed and then proceeds to just be a nobody like everyone else. Hell fucking no I can¡¯t. I will be the best. No matter the cost. But first of all, I need to take care of the essentials. I grab my phone and notice there¡¯s a text message from my father. I chuckle lightly. Who bothers sending text messages anymore? He may be old-school, but he does so with class. He¡¯s asking me if it went well at work last night. A sharp jolt of pain pushes against my chest as I grit my teeth. I hate lying to him, but it¡¯s for the best. He wouldn¡¯t approve of what I¡¯m doing. With a deep sigh, I text him a quick reply telling him it went like usual, and that I might be up for a raise soon because I have worked so hard. It¡¯s not a big lie, but it¡¯s big enough for him not to inquire too much into my life situation. I take a little moment to collect myself. I may need to tell him the truth soon, but first, I have a lot of work to do. Like most great things in life, it starts in the bathroom. Walking in, I open up a browser and start reading up on all the other Villain characters in the game while I shake hands with the president and deliver a statement to congress for about half an hour. If you know what I mean. There is a wide variety of villainous characters available to play, each and every one of them subject to the ingame purge. Reading up on the class statistics, it actually doesn¡¯t seem like a single villainous character has managed to pass level forty-one yet. Hell, it seems like I¡¯m actually among the top thirty villainous players in the entire game so far, which goes to show how brutal the game is. The top-rankers in the game have already started pushing into the late fifties, which means it¡¯s most likely impossible for us bad guys to ever hope to challenge the top guilds on our own. The level disparity is just too big. But what if there was a way¡­ My eyes scan a list of the available Villain characters. What I need is a class with adaptability and decent stealth abilities. Something to counter the obvious weakness of my previous failure highlighted. I also need to find a way to make money and level up while staying relatively incognito. Sacking villages as a power-tripping mage with an army of undead in tow isn¡¯t exactly what I would call subtle. I obviously rule out the Necromancer class, as well as the Warlock class. The Warlock class is basically the same as a Necromancer, except they use demons instead of the undead. I¡¯m not sure why they bothered to add such similar classes, and I only chose to play as a Necromancer because undead is way cooler than demons. Witch Doctor and Plague Bringer are also out of the question. They may be flashy characters with a lot of potentials to cause mayhem, but they also severely lack subtlety. I would stand out like a sore thumb if I was ever discovered by any players. These two classes are actually among the less popular Villain characters, as their rate of survivability is pitifully low. I also discard a few other hopeless classes until I¡¯m left with only one viable choice. The Thief Lord. While sharing some similarities with the Necromancer, it is also a vastly different class. The class is based upon recruiting and maintaining a criminal gang, performing petty crime and carve their way to the top among the dark back alleys of a city. The Thief Lord is actually the individually weakest of all the villainous characters when it comes to combat, unable to stand up to even a single party of players in a straight-up battle. What makes up for it though, is a great set of abilities for concealment and stealth, as well as powerful short time buffs. Played right, the Thief Lord can be incredibly strong, but it takes a lot of preparation and planning to fully utilize its strength. The Thief Lord is actually the second most popular of all the villainous characters, only slightly behind the Necromancer. It is also the most hunted of all the villains, as a Thief Lord is forced to set up shop much closer to home. It would be a disaster for the leading guilds if they had to take away valuable manpower away from the frontlines to hunt down Thief Lords who constantly raid and pillage their crafters and resource gatherers at the heart of their operations. Since they are the only villainous class that is limited to play within the confines of a city, the Thief Lord is considered public enemy number one. They are the sole reason players with a high Perception attribute periodically patrol every major city hub, trying to root out any concealed Thief Lords out there. If any Thief Lords are discovered, they are hunted down without remorse. You would be a fool to keep playing one if you were ever discovered. ... I guess I¡¯m that fool. Chapter 3 – Character ReCreation Chapter 3 ¨C Character ReCreation I ended up spending six hours researching the Thief Lord class. Six whole hours! It¡¯s the longest amount of time I¡¯ve spent outside of the game for three months! It¡¯s necessary though. I needed to thoroughly analyze and develop a basic strategy moving forward. This included looking into the unique mechanics of the Thief Lord class itself, as well as its stats, growth directions, abilities, and suitable combat tactics. That wasn¡¯t eating up too much of my time though. What really bit into my precious game time was comparing them to every single general skill available to all classes, be it physical, magical or crafter related. That¡¯s a really huge deal, considering there are several hundred potential skills and development paths out there. I also made a rough analysis of which race my character should be, and in what location I would have the most optimal chance of long term survival, while also providing decent ground for actually developing the character. Seriously. I even made graphs and spreadsheets! ¡­ Okay, maybe I copied a bunch of them off the internet, but that¡¯s beside the point. It took a whole lot of creative thinking, a couple of tough calls and a few surprising discoveries to finally land on a decent character build. It¡¯s actually kind of outrageous, if I may say so myself. The only thing left to do is actually putting this potentially disastrous class to use. There is only one obstacle left in my path though. The one thing I have dreaded since this whole venture began. Deleting my Necromancer. Which is why I¡¯ve spent the last ten minutes staring intently on my gaming capsule while clutching a cheap bottle of beer that slowly turns lukewarm in my grip. This is a big deal for me. I feel like a father trying to come to terms with letting his child move away to go to college. Except in my case, I won¡¯t ever see the kid again. I put my entire soul into that character, as I¡¯ve spent the better part of three months developing it from scratch. A part of me still tells me to just say ¡®fuck it¡¯ and try to keep playing on it, but I know this is the correct call. If I have to choose between the character and my foolish childhood dream, then I have to give my dream a shot. Steeling my resolve, I chug the remainder of my beer and access my gaming profile remotely on my tablet. I show no hesitation in pressing the character delete button, but my finger twitches when the game asks me to confirm my choice. My eyes close before I tap the confirm button with a little more force than necessary. A small shiver of regret passes through my chest as my character page goes blank, ready to accept the creation of a new character. ¡°Oh god, what am I doing¡­¡± I sigh as I gently shake my head. I¡¯m either the dumbest person alive or the most reckless one. I¡¯m not sure either choice is particularly flattering. ¡°There is no turning back now I guess.¡± I sigh. I have one month to do this. One month to make this work. I only hope I didn¡¯t just shoot myself in the foot. I discard my tablet and step into my capsule. With the helmet and cuirass safely attached to my body, I close the plastic lid and let my body sink into the soft fabrics. With the push of a button, my vision goes dark. ---------- The game¡¯s soundtrack blasts into my ears, as Ascendance Unlimited¡¯s theme intro movie starts running, showing me the grandeur of the game in all its might as it promises untold riches and adventure for anyone daring enough to grasp it. Well, I¡¯m not going to watch through it for the umpteenth time, so I quickly dismiss it and move on to the Character Creation page. There is no reason to burn any more precious game time than I already have after all. I¡¯m soon greeted by a menu I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever see again just half a day earlier. Welcome to Ascendance Unlimited, Traveller! Ascendance Unlimited has a lot to offer anyone bold enough to reach for the top. Will you choose the path of an Adventurer, one destined to challenge the mightiest of beasts and brave the darkest of Dungeons? Or maybe you will follow the path of a Craftsman, creating items of legendary power that will spread your name to the very edges of the world? Or perhaps you will choose the path of darkness and crime, forever an outcast? Beware, Traveller. The path of a Villain always leads to ruin. Do you have what it takes to reach Ascendancy? Choose your path, Traveller. [Path of the Adventurer] [Path of the Craftsman] [Path of the Villain] I snort at the dramatic sounding text. It¡¯s a bit over the top, but I suppose it¡¯s the standard for games these days. There are probably loads of people getting a kick out of it. I didn¡¯t think about it last time, but the text seems to push people in the direction of playing as an adventurer. And what¡¯s up with the grim message at the end? The path of a Villain always leads to ruin? Is that some way to say that there is no way for Villains to thrive, or does it mean that I will either ruin myself or my enemies? Regardless, I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s the latter if that¡¯s the case. Selecting the path of the Villain, I receive a prompt asking me to confirm my choice. Or perhaps it¡¯s a warning? You have chosen the path of the Villain. The path of the Villain is the hardest path to travel, and many will falter on their way to the top. Succeed, and you will have power and riches beyond your wildest imagination. Fail, and be forever hunted for your crimes. The path of the Villain offers the following traits: Life of Crime ¨C Villains lose five level upon death and all accumulated gold and items in their inventory can be looted by enemies. No Deposits ¨C Villains can not store valuables in Banks. Marked ¨C Players attacking a Villain suffer no penalties from the authorities, even in safe zones. Outcast ¨C Villains can not use the party function or join a guild. Entrepreneur ¨C Villains have access to special NPCs to sell their stolen goods. Unhelpful ¨C Villains can not take on ordinary quests. Deep Pockets ¨C Inventory size for Villains is doubled. Are you certain you want to follow this path, Traveller? Yep, that¡¯s a pretty clear warning if I ever saw one. Hell, just showing the path related traits should be enough to deter most players from even considering playing as a Villain. Almost every single one of them is terrible. Especially the first one: ¡®Life of Crime¡¯. Ordinary players only lose roughly twenty percent of their gold if they die, while the villains lose everything. They even lose five levels if they end up biting the apple. It¡¯s horrifying, really, and makes the game feel like I¡¯m playing on Iron Man mode. The only solace we have is that we have a slight edge when it comes to strength. The other traits are all equally horrible, except the ¡®Entrepreneur¡¯ trait, which can only be considered a mediocre boon, and the ¡®Deep Pockets¡¯ trait which is helpful, but not critically necessary. It almost makes me want to reconsider playing as a Villain already. The keyword being almost. Next up, a list of available Villain classes appears in front of me. My eyes linger for a moment on the Necromancer, a small knot tying in my stomach as I force my eyes to move past it. I make my way down the shortlist of about twenty different classes until I find what I¡¯m looking for at the very bottom. Thief Lord. Selecting it, a new list of class-specific traits appear. You have selected the Thief Lord class. The Thief lord thrives in the bellies of the underworld. This is a class that operates in the shadows, commanding the dredges of society to steal from and murder anyone who stands in their way. You will find no morals walking down this path... The Thief Lord class offers the following unique traits: Incognito ¨C You can conceal your class with a different chosen class. Recruit Underlings ¨C You can recruit Underlings. Gold for Blood ¨C You can resurrect Underlings for coin. Fence ¨C You can sell stolen items for 50% of the original item¡¯s value. Requires you to recruit a fence. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Information Broker ¨C You can use special NPCs to gather otherwise inaccessible information. Jobs ¨C Your Underlings can perform jobs like Heists, Muggings, Arson, Assassination, and Spying. Boss Sized ¨C Transfer 75% of your Charisma attribute into a chosen non-core attribute. Transfer 75% of your Luck attribute into a chosen non-core attribute. Choices are final. Hideout ¨C Can establish Hideouts for NPCs to gather, rest and be assigned jobs. Do you have what it takes to be a Thief Lord? Oh hell yes, this is what I¡¯m talking about. The general Villain traits may be horrible, but the class-specific ones are what really draws me in. These are all fantastic! Or at least they would be if they weren¡¯t coupled with the Villain traits. But, whatever. Challenges like this are what makes this path fun and what keeps my competition at bay. On paper, the Thief Lord looks really strong. The traits are actually overall more powerful than the other Villain classes, especially the ¡®Boss Sized¡¯ trait, which effectively increases my basic stats by a whole lot. All Villain classes gain some sort of bonus, and this is among the largest. The downsides, however, is that the two core attributes for the Thief Lord are Charisma and Luck. Effectively the two most useless combat-related attributes there are. The ¡®Boss Sized¡¯ perk is just there to give me at least some semblance of a chance for survival. The real strength of the Thief Lord class lies in its sense of subterfuge and strategy. The Thief Lord is, similar to the Necromancer, all about using minions to achieve their goals. The difference is that the Thief Lord and his underlings can blend into society, making them able to operate inside of a city. The Thief Lord¡¯s underlings are overall stronger than the undead, but it falls short when it comes to the sheer quantity of minions. It¡¯s a challenging class to play, but I think it¡¯s the best option I have to achieve my goals. Moving on, I have to choose which race I want to play. Ascendance Unlimited, like most other fantasy games, allows you to choose which race you want to play from a wide selection of fantasy creatures. They all have unique traits, which allows them to excel in different roles. For example, I played as a Dark Elf when I was a Necromancer because it gave me a nice boost to death and dark magic, as well as the racial skill [Darkvision]. It was perfect for my needs as a Necromancer. The benefits aren¡¯t too large, but neither are they negligible. I spent some time choosing my race, weighing several options up against one another. In the end, it all came down to three different races. Human: The most common race in all of Ascendance Unlimited. Humans are an all-around adaptable race with no apparent weaknesses. They have a thirst for knowledge that only Gnomes can match and a willingness to do anything to obtain it. 5% to two chosen attributes. -5% to two chosen attributes. +5% to any skill gain. Halfling: One of the youngest of all the races. Being a social and outgoing race, You often find Halflings at the center of attention despite their short stature. Halflings are skilled entertainers and shrewd merchants, often underestimated by the other races. 10% to Charisma and Luck. -10% to Strength and Agility. +5% profit from any transaction. Wood Elf: Wood elves are an isolationist race who preside deep inside the Tul¡¯Malar forest. While they tend to shy away from other races, they are in no way disliked. Wood elves are among the best assassins in Ascendance Unlimited, favored by the other races to solve internal disputes quickly and efficiently... if the price is right. 10% experience gain to any Agility-based skills. -10% experience gain to any Strength-based skills. 5% increase in quest rewards. This was a really tough choice for me. The easiest choice would be to play as a human, as I could tailor the race to suit my own playstyle. It doesn¡¯t hurt that the five percent bonus to skill gain would be most welcome. It¡¯s definitely a viable race to play in the long term, which is why the human race is still the most popular race to play for most players. The halfling is also really interesting. Most players who want to play as either a bard or a merchant choose to play as these short little buggers. What really caught my eye about this race was the large bonus to Charisma and Luck. That¡¯s huge for the Thief Lord, whose core abilities are reliant on those two attributes. The race would be perfect for the class, if not because of the penalties to Agility. Thief Lords are heavily dependant on staying out of sight of other players, and the Stealth skill requires a high level of Agility to function properly. It¡¯s almost as if the game developers created this class just to taunt us. The third race is the best race to stay hidden. Wood elves are naturally stealthy, and they come with a good boost to leveling Agility skills. It¡¯s a perfect race to play for survivability, and the only downside I can see is the useless bonus to increase quest rewards and the fact that it doesn¡¯t offer a bonus to my core attributes. Close to eighty percent of the Thief Lords out there chose to play as one of these three races, with the majority of them opting to choose to play either as a human or a wood elf. My strategy from the start is to focus on stealth and survivability, so one would assume I¡¯d choose to play as a wood elf. It may not be the most efficient class to choose to maximize my attribute points, but I can not deny the strength of the bonus to Agility skill gain. Well, going against everyone''s assumptions, I decided to play as a halfling. Why would I do that though? Not because I¡¯m an idiot, far from it. I chose to play as a halfling because the game offers a little known alternative to going down the agility stealth route. What is it, you may ask? Well¡­ Magic, baby. It may be difficult to start out as a Thief Lord initially, but I¡¯ve decided to pursue the path of an illusionist. Yep, a mage that specializes in illusion magic. Illusion magic is probably the least chosen school of magic in the game because it offers little practical utility for the traditional mage. It would just be an unnecessary drain on their precious skill points. It¡¯s neither a viable path that any rogue player would ever attempt doing, as they couldn¡¯t afford to waste valuable attribute points by putting them into Intelligence. But what about a person who just wants to hide and manipulate? It¡¯s perfect. In my opinion, Thief Lords were never meant to just be a common assassin with a bunch of minions following him. I¡¯m not supposed to be the one right in the thick of it, fighting off the enemies with my own two hands. My strength lies in buffing my minions and stay as far away from combat as humanly possible. The path of an illusionist offers me much more utility than an agility build ever could. I can¡¯t believe no one ever thought of it really. Wasting the majority of my attributes into agility just because of a single beneficial skill is ludicrous. Content with my choice of race, I grin and give myself a mental pat on the shoulder for what could potentially be the single smartest thing I¡¯ve ever done before. Next up is choosing the appearance for my halfling. The game forces me to play as a male character, denying the players the option to choose freely after a series of very gender demeaning videos were posted online by a bunch of prepubescent teenagers who did¡­ well, you can imagine. In front of me, a is a nearly naked Halfling character who shares several features similar to my real-life appearance. The character is about one meter thirty tall, with short dark blonde hair, pointy ears, and bright green eyes. I¡¯d say he looks quite handsome, but I suppose I¡¯m rather biased. The halflings look just like a regular super short human would, except with a bit more body girth, as is customary for the race. Well, I suppose there is no reason to not make a few adjustments. I open up a menu and makes a few alterations to my character. I shorten some of the fat off the stomach and increase my height to roughly one meter forty, the highest I can go. I also give the little guy some well-defined abs and a nice lean muscular build. There is no reason I shouldn¡¯t look as visually pleasing as possible given the option, no? Satisfied with my adjustments, I move on to the last stage of the character creation. Please choose a starting location, Thief Lord. A map of the game world takes up the majority of my vision. The world of Ascendance Unlimited is huge, spanning hundreds of kilometers in any direction. There are multiple viable starting locations spread across the world, and you can choose to play almost wherever you want. The game world is divided into three continents, each one offering a distinct variety of playable races and environments. The western continent, which I played on earlier, is a continent consisting of mostly forests, lush green fields, and mountains. It¡¯s sort of similar to northern Europe or Canada back in reality. The races inhabiting this continent are mostly the human-looking races, like humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes and the like. The southern continent offers vast deserts and jungles, and are inhabited by monstrous races, like orcs, goblins, cyclops, and ogres. The eastern continent is a bit more exotic, and offers vast plains, tundras and snowy mountains and is inhabited by a melting pot of different races, like beastmen, demons, the undead, and mermen. I quickly find the human-dominated Emperia Empire in the western continent where I initially started playing as a Necromancer, allowing my eyes to find the small village I tried to annihilate a few hours ago. Culmin Village sits isolated deep in the wilderness between the forests of Tal¡¯Shalg and Tal¡¯Creal. The village is connected between the city of Drenerys and the town of Karlrys, who hosts a population of five thousand and three thousand NPCs respectively. I thought about it for quite some time, but I decided to have my character start in the city of Drenerys. I mostly wanted to start in this area because I¡¯m already familiar with the layout of the surrounding forests, but also because I have a hidden stash of gold and crafting materials stashed deep inside the Tal¡¯Shalg forest. Since Villains are unable to store their valuables in banks, we have to hide our loot in special storage crates that we can move around wherever we want. These crates are lootable by just about anyone, so the trick is to hide them carefully, far away from any prying eyes. With all that taken care of, I¡¯m only left with deciding what to name my character. I really wanted to use my regular gaming tag, but since my cover was blown on my Necromancer, I don¡¯t want to risk anyone making some sort of odd connection if they see the same marked name reappear close to the same place my Necromancer was last spotted. So, I need to come up with a new name. Something incognito, but also something that is fitting a Thief Lord, but also vague enough to make sure no one instantly suspects me of playing as a Thief Lord. That would all be great, but I really suck at naming things. Therefore, my character shall from here on be known as Sir Rynorn Stabberton, first of his name! ¡­ Okay, maybe just Rynorn Stabberton. I¡¯m not sure I could take the grief if I actually someday do become famous. Finally wrapping up the character creation process, I confirm all of my choices. I can almost feel goosebumps form on my skin as I anticipate delving into Ascendance Unlimited for the second time. A bright flash of white light signals the confirmation of my choices, and a final notification appears in front of me. Congratulations on creating your character, Thief Lord. You will be transferred to your chosen starting location: Drenerys, shortly. Good luck on your journey, Thief Lord. Chapter 4 – The Plotting Begins Chapter 4 ¨C The Plotting Begins The bright light lessens as I find myself with solid ground beneath my feet once more. A cool ocean breeze rustles through my hair as I take a deep breath. Damn, I already missed this feeling, and it hasn¡¯t even been eight hours since I was last ingame. I think I might be developing some sort of addiction to virtual reality. Looking around, I notice that I spawned in an alley in what I can only guess is a residential area. I can¡¯t see much from here, but I notice I¡¯m fairly close to the city walls. ¡°So this is Drenerys, huh?¡± I mutter to no one in particular. This is actually the first time I¡¯ve stepped inside a city in Ascendance Unlimited since my Necromancer had certain occupational limitations when it came to sightseeing. ¡°It feels nice.¡± I didn¡¯t read too much up on Drenerys aside from getting a rough estimate of its population, but my first impression of the city is quite favorable. Being a small city on the southeastern shore of the Emperia Empire, Drenerys is an important trade hub connecting the empire to the kingdoms south of the great sea. I chose to start in the city because it¡¯s just large enough for me to be able to operate in while still keeping a low profile, while also being just small enough that there won¡¯t be too many hardcore players loitering around. ¡°This might actually work out.¡± I grin, as I find a clean patch of cobblestone to sit on hidden behind a few crates. I¡¯d really like to have a look around, but it would be pretty stupid to walk around without first hiding my class. I open up my status page for the very first time. Status: Name: Rynorn Stabberton - Class: Thief Lord Race: Halfling - Level: 1 Health: 50 - Mana: 50 Experience: 0/100 - Renown: N/A Attributes: Strength: 5(5-10%) - Endurance: 5 - Agility: 5(5-10%) Dexterity: 5 - Perception: 5 - Intelligence: 5 Wisdom: 5 - Charisma: 6(5+10%) - Luck: 6(5+10%) Unassigned attribute points: 15. Equipment: (+) Status Effects: (+) Thief Lord Basic Abilities: (+) Class Skills: (+) General Combat skills: (+) General Social skills: (+) Lesser Magic schools: (+) Profession: (+) Unassigned Skill Points: 3. Unassigned Profession: 1. Well, that¡¯s pretty much exactly what I expected my stats to be. I already know from experience that the status page can go on forever and ever, so I opted not to show most of the status list to avoid clutter. The good thing is that everything seems to be in order already. I have the customary fifteen free attribute points ready to be assigned, as well as three unassigned skill points and an unassigned profession. Every class has the same starting points, except for the profession slot. Regular adventurers are not allowed to have a profession, while Craftsmen can have up to four. Since us Villains already have enough problems as it is, the developers were kind enough to grant each of us the ability to select a single profession. Not that it does us much good since the actual tradecraft skills still use up our precious skill points, but that¡¯s grief for another day. Ah, there never seems to be enough skill points. It¡¯s been a long time since you could go into the world and discover skills on your own, or find some sort of trainer to teach you skills. Each and every skill in the game must be purchased with a Skill point, and every time you want to increase the skill cap at skill level twenty, forty and so forth, you have to spend another skill point to raise the cap. That¡¯s what makes the game challenging, and also rewarding as it forces you to plan ahead and build a unique skill set tailored to your playstyle. I¡¯m not a hundred percent sure yet on which skills to prioritize, but I have made some pretty decent speculations on the subject. Continuing through my status page, I open up the equipment tab to confirm the meager possessions I have. Equipment: Weapon: N/A Off-hand: N/A Helmet: N/A Neck: N/A Shoulder: N/A Chest: Rough Linen Tunic. Common. +3% Physical Resistance Hands: N/A Ring 1: N/A Ring 2: N/A Legs: Rough Linen Pants. Common. +2% Physical Resistance Feet: Sandals. Common. +2% Movement Speed Special: Villain¡¯s Mask. Class-Unique. Soulbound. While wearing: Conceals your name but reveals your true name upon death. The equipment tab is just what I expected, as I¡¯m outfitted with only minimal clothes and sandals. The real reason I wanted to have a look, however, is because of the unique class item: the Villain¡¯s Mask. Every Villain character has access to it, as it would otherwise be nigh impossible to perform combat versus other players without revealing your identity. It allows me to hide my GamerID as long as I don¡¯t die, but it also hides my true class, which would otherwise be an open invitation for any Adventurer to try and kill me on sight. Being a Necromancer, I had the item toggled on at all times, as I then couldn¡¯t hide among players like the Thief Lord does. Which reminds me, I should probably keep this thing off for the time being. Next up, I open up my Status Effects list. This list shows all the currently active effects on my character, as well as traits and abilities which grant me permanent attribute and skill boosts. Status Effects: Halfling: 10% increase to Charisma and Luck attribute. -10% to Strength and Agility attribute. 5% profit to any transaction. Incognito: Class concealed to: None. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!Boss Sized: Stat increase: 75% of Charisma to (Not Selected). 75% of Luck to (Not Selected). Deep Pockets: Inventory size doubled. ¡°Hmm.¡± I mumble as I scratch my head. I¡¯m about to make what is probably my two most difficult decisions going forward. I put a lot of thought into which class to masquerade as, and I believe I found the best choice. My main concern was finding a class that people wouldn¡¯t have a reason to suspect. Someone they would have no reason to try and party up with or invite into their guild, as well as someone who wouldn¡¯t raise any eyebrows if they never left the city. Naturally, I figured I needed to masquerade as a crafter class. The problem being, which one? I would prefer to not choose a profession at all, but it¡¯s the perfect cover for later. What sort of crafter wouldn¡¯t be able to create anything after all? Crafting professions are the perfect alias. Since I needed to find a profession to have anyway, why shouldn¡¯t I pick one that could complement my playstyle, while also benefiting from one or two of my heightened attributes? After a good while of reading, I found the perfect profession: Trap Maker. I know, right? Trap Maker is a profession where you can produce, place and dismantle traps. It requires high Dexterity and Luck to function, which suits me fine. Since my core attributes are Charisma and Luck, and I have the glorious ability to boost two of my non-core attributes by seventy-five percent of my two core attributes, I can freely decide on which direction to take my character. I have already decided to use one of the boosts on Intelligence, as high Intelligence is required to effectively use Illusion spells. This leaves me with one free attribute to boost. Most people would consider boosting Wisdom to increase mana regeneration, but I don¡¯t believe it would be necessary in my case. I don¡¯t plan on staying in fights for a prolonged amount of time, and neither am I planning on using that many spells per fight to begin with. Increased mana regeneration would just be a waste on me. I don¡¯t have access to any offensive magic schools, as those are all exclusive to the mage-type characters, and even if I could use spells, I never would. Nothing screams ¡®Hey, come kill me!¡¯ like a back row fireball dispenser. Which is what made me decide to throw my last boost into Dexterity. Not only is it a requirement for pretty much every crafting profession, but it is also the key attribute to increasing ranged damage. As a backline fighter, I could really use a way to attack my enemies. The best and most subtle way of doing just that would be with either a bow or a crossbow. Choosing Dexterity as one of my main attributes gives me both attacking power and a decent alias. It¡¯s a win-win situation for me really. Thinking through it all, I still can¡¯t come to terms with what a silly character I¡¯m building. I¡¯m a freaking Thief Lord slash Illusionist slash Trap Maker slash Archer, with my main attributes being Charisma, Luck, Intelligence, and Dexterity. I don¡¯t know if I should cry or laugh. The whole thing is just too absurd. I end up selecting Trap Maker as my fake class and assign the seventy-five percent boost from my Charisma to Intelligence while assigning the boost from Luck into Dexterity. Confirming my choices, I release a deep breath I didn¡¯t know I was holding in. I just made a really important decision, one that will determine everything that happens to me from here on out. I¡¯m moving in uncharted territory here, and I can only hope these decisions will pay off in the future. I decide to forgo opening the profession and skill tabs. Why bother, considering they are as empty as a school at night? The final page I do need to look through for now is the one I have been anticipating for the longest; The list of basic Thief Lord abilities. Thief Lord basic abilities: Incognito ¨C Conceal your class with a different chosen class. Effectiveness against Perception checks: 0,5 Charisma + 0,5 Luck. Current chosen class: Trap Maker. Gold for Blood ¨C Resurrect Underlings for coin. Tier 1 Underlings: 5 Copper. Tier 2 Underlings: 1 Gold. Tier 3 Underlings: 10 Gold. Tier 4 Underlings: 20 Gold. Tier 5 Underlings: 30 Gold. Tier 6 Underlings: 50 Gold. Tier 7 Underlings: 70 Gold. Underlings lose 5 levels upon resurrection. Can not go lower than level 10. Resurrection is only available inside Taverns. Recruit Underlings ¨C Able to recruit Underlings. Only possible inside Taverns. 1 Underling per 5 Charisma. Promote Lieutenant ¨C Upgrade an Underling to a Lieutenant. You may upgrade 1 Lieutenant per 50 Charisma. Establish Hideout - Establishes a Hideout where your Underlings gather, rest, and are assigned jobs. Boss Sized - Transfer 75% of your Charisma attribute into a chosen non-core attribute. Transfer 75% of your Luck attribute into a chosen non-core attribute. Choices are final. Current choices: Charisma > Intelligence, Luck > Dexterity. Ah yes, the inherent abilities unique to the Thief Lord. Only Villains have inherent abilities like this, and each class has a unique set of abilities. It¡¯s what defines the classes really, and the abilities are what makes the Thief Lord such a fearsome force to be reckoned with. The best thing about them is that they are abilities and not skills. That means I don¡¯t have to spend precious skill points to unlock them, and I don¡¯t need to grind skill levels. They are just there to be used at my leisure. Finally done looking through my status page, I make one final adjustment. I dump all fifteen of my free attribute points into Charisma. My single most important objective, for now, is to make certain nobody discovers that I¡¯m a Thief Lord, and the only way to do that is to make sure my disguise is nigh impregnable. My Incognito skill becomes more powerful the higher my Charisma and Luck stat get, which means that I need to keep my Incognito ability higher than my enemies¡¯ perception score. I¡¯m also highly reliant on minions, and if I am to make an impact at these early levels, I need as many underlings as I can get my hands on. Charisma is the way to go in that regard. After making the changes, I once again open my Attribute page. Attributes: Strength: 5(5-10%) - Endurance: 5 - Agility: 5(5-10%) Dexterity: 10(5+6/75%) - Perception: 5 - Intelligence: 22(5+22/75%) Wisdom: 5 - Charisma: 22(20+10%) - Luck: 6(5+10%) Unassigned attribute points: 0. Oh yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. My Charisma and Intelligence attributes have shot through the roof by only adding fifteen points into Charisma. Since the Incognito skill is as efficient as fifty percent of my Charisma and fifty percent of my Luck stat added together, that means my Incognito ability can block a perception skill up to level fourteen. Not quite the amount I was hoping for, but it should keep the prying eyes of most low-level players out of my business. It¡¯s an overall strong ability against players around my own level as it¡¯s doubtful anyone but those severely invested in a perception build will have a chance at discovering me, but since the Villain classes will always be underleveled compared to most Adventurers, the ability isn¡¯t quite as powerful as I¡¯d like. Well, enough is enough. There is no reason for me to waste time looking through my statistics any further. I have a lot of things I want to get done today, and I¡¯m burning daylight. Sparing a glance at my clock, I notice it¡¯s already 9 PM. Ever since they released the VR capsules, people have been flocking to the devices for one reason. You can both stay hooked up to it and work, entertain yourself, or play games, all the while your real body is fast asleep. This means that people can technically be fully awake for twenty-four hours per day as long as at least some of the hours are spent hooked up into the capsule. This means there is no need for such trivialities as a proper ingame day and night cycle, as many players only log in and play during nighttime. Since so many players wouldn¡¯t find it interesting to play Ascendance Unlimited if it was always dark outside when they were playing, the developers had to do something about the ingame clock. To find a decent balance between night and day players, the developers move nighttime to occur between 3 AM and 10 AM. That way, the night players can enjoy four hours of daylight, while the day players can enjoy a few hours of nighttime during the morning. It¡¯s a nice feature, but not really one that applies to someone like me who tries to spend as much time as possible online. I jump to my feet and brush some dirt off my pants. My buttocks feel a little sore after spending so much time sitting on the hard cobblestone, but it¡¯s a small price to pay to be able to prepare myself for the road ahead. I still have my three skill points unassigned, and I¡¯d rather hold off on using them until I figure out where to go from here. Regardless, my first priority is to get an overview of my surroundings and find a Tavern to start recruiting some underlings. It¡¯s time to get this crime-train rolling! Chuu! Chuu! Chapter 5 – No Escape Chapter 5 ¨C No Escape I take a careful stroll through the neighbourhood, making sure I peek around corners and stay away from the most populated streets. I try not to look suspicious, but it¡¯s not easy when I know a single failed encounter can spell the death of me. I try to walk near the city wall, trying to find an elevated position to get my bearings. I cross path with a few low-level players, but none of them really stop to have a chat with me. Since I probably spawned in some starter zone in the city, I assume most people are trying to grind some experience points and gold to purchase a weapon to go adventuring or something. At least I know that¡¯s what I would do if I just started playing this game for the first time. Hell, that¡¯s exactly what I did the first week after I started my Necromancer. The good thing about enthusiastic new players is that they don¡¯t really have a reason to look for Villains like myself. Some of these players might actually have a high Perception skill, but none of them are bothering to check if there is anyone suspicious among them. Because, why would they? They shouldn¡¯t care about this stuff until they either get involved with the larger guilds or they realise how much killing us is worth. In other words, the current situation suits me just fine. After a few minutes, I find myself at the edge of the residential area which borders a large open plot of land filled with players wielding wooden weapons, hammering away at straw targets while a drill sergeant yells profanities and instructions at them. I have most likely found the starting combat tutorial area. A small part of me wants to go join them, but I suppose there is no need to. They are most likely performing some basic quest that I won¡¯t be able to receive thanks to my status as a Villain. It doesn¡¯t matter much though, as I have other ways to level. There¡¯s a small church next to the sparring area where a lot of players that seem to be Priests and Paladins congregates. That¡¯s likely where their local class quests start out. Well, since none of those classes specialize in Perception, I make my way over to them, eager to try and get some information. Walking up behind what seems to be a couple of paladins arguing, I gently lean against the church wall and pretend to check my status. ¡°Jesus Christ, cous. What¡¯s up with these quests? ¡®Pray for four wounded citizens in the church infirmary.¡¯? I know I wanted to play a paladin, but holy crap. At least let me smite a few skeletons or something.¡± A tall and lanky human man wielding a large wooden club says. ¡°It¡¯s just the tutorial man. It will get better when we get out of the city. Every game starts out with a few easy social quests. Let¡¯s just rush through them and get to the good shit.¡± A gray-haired dwarf wielding a wooden buckler and a club shrugs. ¡°If we hurry, we can probably get out of town in a few hours.¡± The human shakes his head. ¡°Yeah, I suppose. It just sucks that the game forces me to do these things. We¡¯re already far enough behind the general gaming population as it is, and if we don¡¯t hurry up, we probably won¡¯t get a chance to join the Dark Pegasus guild.¡± ¡°The Dark Pegasus guild? Do you mean the guys who took control of this city? Huh, I didn¡¯t know you wanted to join them.¡± The dwarf says. ¡°Of course I want to join them!¡± The human raises his hands. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t you know that they actually pay their officers to play the game? If I manage to strike it big, I would be set for life! Really, Greg, you should try and join them too.¡± Greg chuckles. ¡°You think you have a shot at becoming an officer in a thousand man strong guild? Come on Kevin, get real. You won¡¯t have a chance to make the cut as a level three Paladin. The only shot you have is to reroll as a blacksmith and hope for the best.¡± He shakes his head while grinning wide. Kevin snorts. ¡°As if. There isn¡¯t enough money in the world to make me want to play as a freaking crafter¡­¡± He turns away and starts walking off. ¡°Let¡¯s just hurry up. The sooner I get out of this noob area and out into the wild, the better.¡± He waves for Greg to follow, which he does, all the while chuckling at his friend¡¯s antics. ¡°You¡¯re too serious Kevin.¡± Huh, interesting. So it seems this entire city is controlled by one large guild. I didn¡¯t know that. This might explain why there were a bunch of high-level players near Culmin Village when I decided to raid it. I wonder if they were part of the Dark Pegasus guild too? I make my way into the church and find the ladder to climb up into the church¡¯s spire. It doesn¡¯t take long, and I¡¯m soon sitting up top, looking out over the city. The sight that greets me is not what I expected. The noob area I find myself in is located on a tiny peninsula located high up on some steep cliffs to the south of the city. There¡¯s only a single path connecting the peninsula to the main city, and it seems like I have to depart through a gated checkpoint of some sort. I wonder if I need some sort of special permission to leave? Looking around, I believe the noob area is where the local garrison and their families live. There¡¯s a small keep at the edge of the peninsula, with a small residential area, a market and the sparring area completing this small part of the city. I can spot several dozen low-level players milling about, most of them sparring below, while some seem to be transporting crates or delivering letters between the different market stalls and houses. If I had to guess, I would say this is one of the wealthier parts of the city, since the houses are quite large and spacious. The streets are clean and the NPCs look well-fed and happy. It¡¯s a good way to introduce the city to new players, but the area is less than ideal for me. This place is way too cramped, as there are too many players walking around, and there is only a bare minimum of alleyways for me to hide my underlings in. If I want to start grinding out some levels, I need to get access to the main city as fast as possible. Descending the church spire, I enter the streets and make my way towards the gatehouse I spotted at the northeastern part of the peninsula. As I near, I notice a few yells erupting from the area around the gate. Slowing my approach, I decide to trail a couple of other players who seem to be drawn towards the commotion. A small crowd quickly gathers around the gatehouse. I don¡¯t dare to step too close, so I sneak around the corner of a nearby house and find a box to stand on. Peeking around the corner, I lay my eyes on an orc player wearing a full set of mail armor standing over a dead player on the ground. The orc seems to be really angry for some reason while brandishing his deadly-looking two-handed axe threateningly at the gathered crowd.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Further behind, I spot an Elf in fine leather armor, with an expensive-looking bow tightly held in his hands. The elf gives me the creeps as I watch his eyes scan the gathered crowd of gawkers, no doubt using his high Perception stat to look for any hidden Villains. Woah, I¡¯m really glad I decided to hang back here. ¡°Listen up newbies!¡± The orc shouts. ¡°This dead trash right here decided to try his luck playing as a Villain character. And let me tell you: that shit won¡¯t fly in this city! The Dark Pegasus guild has declared the city a Villain-free city, which means that we won¡¯t allow these vermin to walk around freely.¡± He stops to glare at the dead player for a moment. ¡°This gate, as well as every city gate will be manned by high-level players from our guild at all times. Any Villain discovered will be put down like the dogs they are.¡± He shouts, staring holes into any and all of the players gathered before him. ¡°If there are any more of you filth out there, know that your only option is to delete your character and try your luck in a different city, far away from here. If you are stupid enough to try your luck, feel free to step forward right now to save me some time. Alternatively, you could always check if your character can fly by throwing yourself off the cliffs. That¡¯s your choice. But know this, there is no escape from this noob district. We cover the only exit.¡± He ends his speech by crossing his arms, taking up an intimidating pose while glaring at the gathered crowd. Ah shit. I jump off my box and start heading in the opposite direction as quickly as I can. ¡°Damnit!¡± I curse as my short legs carry me towards the market segment of the noob district. Why didn¡¯t I do some proper research on this city? I can¡¯t believe such a silly thing like a weird starting position can ruin my chances to make it as a Thief Lord. What are the odds of me starting on a freaking peninsula with a fifty-meter drop into certain death in all directions, with only one way out that is constantly covered by high-level players!? This has to be some sort of sick joke. I can¡¯t even just reroll my character into a new city, as there isn¡¯t any city in the vicinity that is large enough for me to play as a Thief Lord in without me abandoning the stash of resources I hid in the forest. There¡¯s just no way I¡¯m this unlucky. I gently rub the bridge of my nose. There has to be a way; there always is. I just need to find it. I look around, suddenly realising I had just kept walking while being deep in my own thoughts. The familiar sound of metal striking metal draws my attention towards a nearby smithy. A few players run back and forth from the building, hauling boxes filled with raw iron ore and coal into the smithy from a nearby wagon. Hmm, perhaps I can somehow sneak onto one of these wagons when they depart through the gate? Now there¡¯s a thought. Inspecting the wagon closer, I quickly dismiss the idea. While the principle of trying to stow away on a departing wagon is a sound idea, I just can¡¯t consider it feasible when the wagon is basically just a flat piece of wood connected to four wheels. There is no way to hide a grown man on the wagon, at least not in a way that wouldn¡¯t draw attention. Not ideal for sneaking past a bunch of players with a vendetta against Villains. I sigh. Maybe there¡¯s a bigger wagon somewhere? Walking on, I soon come upon a three-storey wooden building with a large sign, depicting a mug of ale in the mouth of a gaping pig. The building looks withered by time, and a few of the glass windows show signs of cracking after years of weathering the salty ocean air. ¡°So this is the local Tavern, huh?¡± I mutter to myself, sparing a thought to consider that I¡¯ve developed a nasty habit of talking to myself during these past three months. I guess that was inevitable when I only play solo. Perhaps I should find some friends to talk to? I didn¡¯t have many chances of finding decent conversation partners when my only company for the last three months has been walking skeletons. Pushing open the door, I squint my eyes trying to adjust to the dark interior. The Tavern is almost void of people, with only a scruffy looking barkeep standing behind the counter, halfheartedly trying to wipe an empty mug clean. A couple of young merchants sit by themselves in a corner, quietly whispering among themselves. The barkeep throws me a sideways glance for a moment until he deems me unworthy of his attention and keeps trying to wipe the mug that I¡¯m not certain is getting any cleaner. ¡°If you don¡¯t have any coin, then go somewhere else to spend your time. This ain¡¯t no charity.¡± The barkeep grunts, his eyes still locked onto the dirty mug. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I start, unsure of what to say. The barkeep raises his eyes, staring daggers at my hesitant form. ¡°Get lost.¡± A chill runs down my back as his eyes radiate an unsettling feeling of imminent danger. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m waiting for someone. They¡¯ll be here any second now. They have money.¡± I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind. I¡¯m obviously lying, but he doesn¡¯t need to know that. I only need a few minutes of peace to recruit a few underlings. Grunting, the barkeep diverts his eyes again. ¡°If they ain¡¯t here in ten minutes, I¡¯m throwing you out. And believe me kid; you don¡¯t want me to throw you out. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± I say while quickly scampering towards a corner table at the back of the tavern. I throw a sideways glance at the barkeep, noticing a nasty scowl has formed on his face. I¡¯m fairly certain that barkeep is far more dangerous than I gave him credit for. That unsettling feeling from earlier could only have come from a skill, and a powerful one at that. I think it¡¯s a high-level warrior skill of some sort, but I¡¯m not sure which. The guy gives me the creeps, but if there is a high-level NPC here then¡­ My eyes go wide. Oh shit! If he is high-level, then he should at the very least have a Perception score higher than fourteen! Halfway out of my seat, the tavern door slams open. A couple of high-level players enter, a human man and an elven woman; both level forty-four. The woman is drop-dead gorgeous, with long blonde hair stretching halfway down her back. She wears a dark gray robe and a copper tiara, signaling that she is a mage or priest of some sort. Her bright green eyes light up the room as she throws a wide smile at the scruffy barkeep. ¡°Morning, Joe! How are you today?¡± The woman asks as she quickly makes her way towards the counter, only receiving a low grunt in reply. ¡°Aww, don¡¯t be like that Joe. Is that the proper way to greet paying customers? She beams at the old man. ¡°Hrmpf. If you don¡¯t like it, go somewhere else.¡± He grunts, returning to his futile mug cleaning. The woman starts pouting. ¡°Leave him alone, Anna. I don¡¯t think the old man has any secret quests for you, no matter how long you pester him.¡± The tall human man wearing a full set of leather and chainmail armor says. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give up already? We¡¯ve been coming here every day for two weeks.¡± He shakes his head. ¡°Tssk.¡± She pouts. ¡°I know he has something good stored in there. There is no way such a high-level NPC doesn¡¯t have any secret quest of some sort. I¡¯m not giving up.¡± She grins, clearly not ready to give in. The human male only shakes his head solemnly. ¡°Well, while we are already here, why don¡¯t we grab a drink?¡± Anna smiles. I can¡¯t help but wonder where she gets all that positive energy from. The man sighs. ¡°Fine, but you¡¯re paying.¡± ¡°That is exactly why you are still single, Brian.¡± She laughs, pointing her tongue at the man. Brian turns away from the chipper girl, trying to hide his reddening cheeks. Anna may not have noticed, but I sure do. ¡°Hey, Joe! Can I have three of your finest mugs of Ale, pretty please?¡± She turns back to the barkeep, exaggeratedly battering her eyelids. The old man only grunts in reply as he starts filling the mugs. ¡°Uhm, three mugs?¡± Brian asks, looking confused. ¡°Yeah, I figured that poor guy over there wanted some company. He looks lonely.¡± She turns in my direction, showing me a brilliant smile. My lungs deflate. Oh shit. Chapter 6 – Ale, Lies, and Secrets Chapter 6 ¨C Ale, Lies, and Secrets ¡°Hey little guy, mind if we sit here?¡± Anna smiles as she slides into the seat opposite me, not even bothering to wait for my reply. ¡°Uhm, sure. Go ahead, miss.¡± I nod, slightly flustered by being put on the spot so suddenly. ¡°Pardon the intrusion.¡± Brian says solemnly as he sits down next to Anna. ¡°I apologise on behalf of my friend here. She isn¡¯t really that good with social cues.¡± ¡°Shut up, Brian, I¡¯m doing just fine. Look, he doesn¡¯t look angry. Are you?¡± She directs the last question at me. ¡°Uhm, no¡­¡± ¡°You see, Brian? It¡¯s all good. You should relax a little. If you twist the stick too much, you are going to get hemorrhoids.¡± She smirks at Brian. ¡°Oh, pardon my french, little guy.¡± She smiles. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. I¡¯m Anna, and this party-pooper over here is Brian.¡± She extends her hand in greeting. ¡°Uh. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Ryan.¡± I shake their hands in turn. ¡°So, what¡¯s your story, Ryan? Brian asks, no doubt cutting in before Anna says anything else that could be interpreted weirdly. Right, shit. You¡¯ve practiced for this Ryan; just use one of dad¡¯s famous one-liners. Giving Anna a questioning gaze, I turn to face Brian. ¡°Ah, nothing much really. I just logged into the game for the first time a few hours ago and had a look around. I stepped in here to buy a drink, but the barkeep didn¡¯t accept my Visa.¡± I shrug. ¡°Your¡­ Visa?¡± Anna blinks twice before she starts roaring in laughter. ¡°You actually tried to pay with a credit card!? That¡­ That¡¯s hilarious!¡± She guffaws. ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re joking.¡± She wipes a tear from her eye. Dad-joke: Success! Trying to hide a grin of his own, Brian tries to collect himself. ¡°Excuse me, sir. Is this perhaps the first time you¡¯ve tried to play an online game?¡± He asks, struggling to keep his voice even. Anna, on the other hand, is flying off her hinges. That worked better than I thought it would. Can I go for a double here? Why not. What¡¯s the worst that could happen? I stare directly into Brian¡¯s eyes, steadying my breathing as I slowly raise an eyebrow. ¡°Whatever do you mean? A Visa should be a perfectly valid transaction method even across international¡­ Pfft. Nah, I¡¯m just doing this for shits and giggles.¡± I grin as I watch Brian¡¯s face go from utter confusion to a wide grin of his own. ¡°Oh snap, Brian! He got us good!¡± Anna chuckles, gently punching Brian in the arm. ¡°I love this guy!¡± Still grinning, Brian buries his face in his hands. ¡°Ah damnit, Ryan. You¡¯ve done it now. It will take hours for Anna to come down from this. Do you really want me to suffer this badly?¡± ¡°Lighten up Brian, you could learn a thing or two from our short friend here!¡± She laughs as her eyes meet mine. ¡°Now I definitely need to know your story.¡± Her eyes squint at me. ¡°... Trap Maker? You¡¯re a crafter? Nice! I don¡¯t see many of your types these days. The few people that even bother playing as a Craftsman always choose to play as one of the standardized production classes like a Blacksmith or an Enchanter. Not many bother spending their time on making Traps. What¡¯s up with that?¡± Wow, is her Perception score really this low? Not surprising for a mage-type character, but still. ¡°Eeh, well, I recently went through some stuff in real life, and I thought I¡¯d try out one of these games you kids are all talking about these days. Since I have to do something while I¡¯m sleeping in this coffin-, I mean capsule, I might as well try doing something with my hands. I have always had an interest in making traps¡­¡± ¡°Huh? How old are you?¡± Anna cuts in. ¡°Anna, you can¡¯t just-¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s quite fine, young man. She reminds me of my little sister. I¡¯m currently fifty-three years¡­ I mean, real-life level fifty-three.¡± I smile at the pair. Anna chuckles. ¡°Level fifty-three, I love it! I would never have guessed! Your character looks like he is in his mid-twenties.¡± Wow; impersonating dad really pays off. I give her a meaningful glance. ¡°I may have tweaked the settings just a little bit. Can you blame an old man for trying to regain his youthful looks?¡± ¡°No, sir, no I can¡¯t!¡± She grins, a tear of joy running down her chin. I sit still for a moment and smile while Brian admonishes Anna for her lack of manners. For the record, I¡¯m obviously lying about my age. I really am in my mid-twenties, but I figured masquerading as an older man would make it easier for me to sell the story of just playing the game to pass time. It feels kind of weird lying to these perfectly nice people, but it¡¯s not like it really matters when we¡¯re online though. I will eventually just turn into a distant memory as soon as they leave the tavern and head out to do adventure somewhere. That¡¯s the beauty of the anonymous internet. I¡¯m a little surprised I¡¯m this good at lying though. ¡°It¡¯s definitely a breath of fresh air to see someone from the older generation take an interest in VRMMOs.¡± Brian smiles as he takes a sip from his mug. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re good people!¡± Anna giggles. ¡°We should try to get him into our guild! The Dark Pegasus is always looking for good crafters. What do you say, old man? Interested?¡± I nearly choke on my ale as the question catches me off guard. I cough violently for a few moments until I manage to clear my airways enough to shake my head. ¡°Sorry about that. It went down the wrong pipe. I appreciate the offer, young lady, but I only play this game to relax and see things that I haven¡¯t seen before. I probably won¡¯t stay online much, and I don¡¯t think I will ever keep up with you young people.¡± I say, trying to turn her down in the nicest possible way. ¡°Ah, come on, old man! It would be fun! I¡¯ll vouch for you! You don¡¯t have to do much.¡± She says, leaning in closer while touching my arm. ¡°Lay off it, Anna. The guild doesn¡¯t take in anyone below level twenty. Level ten if they¡¯re a Craftsman. Ryan seems like a nice guy, but if what he says is true, then I don¡¯t think he can level up fast enough until the requirements rise. Even if the guild leader is your sister, I don¡¯t think we can justify picking up just about anyone.¡± Brian says evenly. ¡°Uhm, no offense, Ryan.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°None taken.¡± I smile, internally celebrating as this could have turned real weird, real fast. ¡°Tssk.¡± She pouts. ¡°We could team up and I could boost you to level ten if you want?¡± She asks me hopefully. ¡°Anna, that would take days. You would fall too far behind the rest of our party.¡± Brian shakes his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I can catch up!¡± ¡°Please, you two. Don¡¯t fight over me. I¡¯m happy the way I am.¡± I try to calm the situation. What the hell is wrong with these people? Who goes to such lengths for a level one player they met for the first time just ten minutes ago? Still pouting, Anna glares at me. ¡°Fine¡­ But I¡¯ll still add you to my friends list.¡± [High Elf Aeromancer - Anna¡¯el Windrider wants to add you to her friends list.] ¡°Uhm. Thanks.¡± I smile, accepting her invitation. Luckily, the Villain class doesn¡¯t block friend requests for some reason. I probably shouldn¡¯t accept it, but I think that would just bring more trouble than it¡¯s worth. I could always just delete her later, but that could be bad if I ever run into her again. I can always change my privacy settings to appear offline during the daytime. ¡°So what¡¯s your plan going forward, Ryan?¡± Brian asks. ¡°Hmm? Oh, I was planning on doing a few quests and make enough money to try my hands at making some of these traps. I¡¯m really looking forward to trying some of these designs.¡± I say, glad to finally have a change of topic. ¡°Ooh! I can help with that! Here, take some of this. I have plenty.¡± Anna perks up as she places a few coins on the table. My eyes widen as I realise she just put twenty gold coins and a small stack of silver and copper coins on the table. A small fortune for a player just starting out at level one. One gold coin is worth a euro, while ten silvers are worth a gold coin and ten copper coins are worth a silver. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly accept¡­¡± I start, too shocked at her gesture. ¡°It¡¯s fine, my sister has plenty. You¡¯re a good man, Ryan. I¡¯m only happy to help.¡± She beams at me. Normally, I¡¯d be happy to rob other players of their hard-earned money. When someone hands it over to me willingly, however, on top of me lying my ass off to them just makes me feel outright bad about it. ¡°I need to repay you somehow¡­¡± I mutter, my eyes still fixated on the small pile of gold. ¡°Then keep playing the game and make a great trap for me.¡± She grins, taking a large swig from her mug of ale. I just smile at her antics. I feel even worse for lying to her now, but I really appreciate how pure she is. I don¡¯t think I would ever just hand away money like that to anyone for such a trivial reason, but it certainly warms my heart when I get to meet people with such pure intentions. ¡°I will. Someday.¡± I say while downing the rest of my ale. ¡°So what are you two up to?¡± Brian sighs. ¡°We are heading out to meet the rest of our party. We should have been playing with them this morning, but someone¡­¡± He glares at Anna. ¡°Decided to rather try and fish some secret quest out of a barkeep in the middle of the noob district.¡± ¡°Tssk, I had to try, didn¡¯t I? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s putting us too far behind.¡± She shrugs. ¡°You are aware that this stupid trip cost us a large chunk of Renown, right?¡± His jaw clenches. ¡°What, you mean that Necromancer business? Don¡¯t sweat it. There will be more Necromancers for us to kill.¡± She shrugs while yawning exaggeratedly. I¡¯m pretty certain I can see that Brian is about to pop a virtual blood vessel. Wait a second. What¡¯s that about Necromancer business!? ¡°That was a freaking level thirty-eight Necromancer! Are you aware of how rare they are!? There¡¯s only like twenty of them who passed level thirty-five, and this game has millions of players! Where the hell would we even find one that¡¯s worth enough Renown to bother hunting down?¡± His voice strains as he is trying to keep his cool. Anna returns his glare with a scowl. Deciding to intervene before things get out of hand, or god forbid, we draw any more attention, I clear my throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but is this Necromancer thing important enough to argue over?¡± I say calmly. Little do they know I¡¯m trying to stay calm the situation for my own sake, and not theirs. Breaking eye contact with Anna, Brian is the first to meet my gaze. I notice a glint of anger in his eyes until he finally realises how silly they must look. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he finally seems to calm himself down. ¡°You¡¯re right, Ryan. I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± His cheeks turn crimson before he quickly turns his head away. ¡°Anyway, It was nice meeting you kids. I think I¡¯m going to check out the neighbourhood before morning and maybe try my hand at some quests.¡± I smile as I get up on my feet and do a few light stretches. ¡°Idle hands make an idle mind.¡± I¡¯m not going to admit that the real reason I want to get out of here is that I don¡¯t want them to notice me venting my frustrations in a very unfitting manner for an older gentleman. The Necromancer subject is still a bit too sore. ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯re right.¡± Brian says, following my example of getting up. ¡°Or we could grab another mug of ale?¡± Anna grins. ¡°Haha, maybe another time.¡± I smile at her. Anna starts pouting, but her frown quickly turns into a mischievous grin as she leans towards me. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re not really supposed to tell anyone outside of the guild, but what the hell. I like you, Ryan.¡± She whispers, her grin growing wider. I raise my eyebrow in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Anna, what are you-¡± Brian starts but is quickly waved off by Anna. ¡°Oh, shut up Brian. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡± She gives him an angry glare. Brian looks like he wants to protest, but his shoulders soon slump together in defeat against Anna¡¯s steely gaze. With a snort, Anna turns back towards me. ¡°Right. This has to stay between us, so please don¡¯t tell anyone. Promise?¡± My eyebrows rise in surprise at this sudden development. I have no idea what¡¯s going on, but color me intrigued. I give her a quick nod before I lean towards her. She smiles. ¡°Right. Behind the tavern here and a few other places scattered around town is an old entrance to the sewers. There¡¯s a bunch of level one to three rats down there that don¡¯t put up much of a fight. I think it¡¯s the only place in the entire noob district where you can do some actual combat. If you collect their tails, you can turn them in at the church for some easy coin and experience. It¡¯s the best way to level up quickly.¡± She winks. ¡°This needs to stay between us though.¡± My eyes brighten at her words. There¡¯s a secret area that no one knows about!? Could this be the way to escape the district? Holy shit! When did I become this lucky? ¡°That sounds very interesting. Thank you, Anna. I promise not to break your trust in me.¡± I nod sincerely. Well, sincere as in that I won¡¯t tell anyone since the entire trust aspect of our relationship went straight out of the window the first time I opened my mouth. She smiles. ¡°Thank you again, Ryan. I had a blast meeting you.¡± ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Brian mumbles, still red in embarrassment after Anna chastised him. [Human Templar - Bronn Silverguard wants to add you to his friends list.] Quickly accepting his request, the three of us head for the door. ¡°See you tomorrow, Joe!¡± Anna laughs as we exit the tavern. The sour old barkeep grunting menacingly in return. ¡°I think the old coot is warming up to me.¡± As we step outside, I wince as the sun threatens to momentarily blind me. Damn. I think we spent a bit too much time in that gloomy tavern. ¡°We should do this again.¡± Anna smiles. ¡°Send me a message whenever, alright?¡± ¡°I will, thanks for everything, you guys. Next time, the ale is on me!¡± I laugh. ¡°It¡¯s a date!¡± Anna waves as the pair start walking off. I stand back for a little while, just looking at their departing forms. They eventually turn around a corner and disappear from view. My hand immediately clenches, and I slam it into the tavern wall, eliciting a creaking noise from the old wood. ¡°So it was their party, huh¡­ Good to know.¡± I mutter as I turn around and walk back into the tavern. Chapter 7 – The Silver Saints Chapter 7 ¨C The Silver Saints I quickly enter the tavern and return to the secluded table at the far back. Joe gives me an angry scowl but says nothing. Giving the room a once-over look to determine that there are no players nearby, I finally activate the bread-and-butter ability of my class. ¡°Recruit Underling.¡± A bright menu quickly fills my vision. You have entered a tavern located in a naval city. You will be able to recruit Underlings to bolster your ranks. Please select one of the following underling types: [Recruit a Fighter type Underling] [Recruit a Rogue type Underling] [Recruit a Ranged type Underling] [Recruit an Agent type Underling] [Recruit a Specialist type Underling] Make your choice, Thief Lord. Ah, now we are getting somewhere. The Thief Lord is a very versatile class, with far more underling development paths than the other minion oriented classes offer. It¡¯s actually one of the game¡¯s gimmicks. Unlike a Necromancer who can spawn a wide variety of mindless Undead to do his bidding, the Thief Lord functions a little differently. Since the Thief Lord¡¯s underlings have the advantage of being autonomous sentient beings and are specialized in hiding, they are limited by certain realistic restrictions and believe it or not: benefits. Most criminals in a medieval setting live their life in one specific way, perfecting the only craft they know. This makes them especially good at their specializations, but there are certain paths not available to them. Due to criminals usually coming from the lower castes of society, they usually can not afford to go down the route of magic. For an NPC, being educated in magic is an expensive affair, not readily accessible by the dregs of society. It¡¯s not too bad though. No one is more deadly than a thief who has lived his entire life by the blade Since the Thief Lord excels at stealth and subterfuge, the game seems to add a certain kind of balance to the game to both enhance and restrict the utility of their underlings. A Thief Lord and his underlings are considered city-criminals, which means they excel within a densely packed city. It¡¯s technically the only life these types of criminals have ever known, according to the game¡¯s lore. This is all well and good, but we might find ourselves at a loss if we suddenly one day have to depart on a ship to raid merchant¡¯s vessels or are forced into a forest to live in the wild while raiding trade caravans and smaller villages. The game pretty much limits the Thief Lord to stay within the confines of their designated environment specializations, but they are not completely restricted. A Thief Lord¡¯s underling will gain a ten percent increase to their combat efficiency while inside a city or densely populated area, and likewise, lose ten percent efficiency if they are forced out of their preferred stomping grounds like at sea or out in the wilderness. I actually quite enjoy this sort of specialization as I plan on focusing entirely on staying in a city for the foreseeable future anyway. A ten percent boost to efficiency can be considered a godsend for someone in my situation. Regardless of the environmental restrictions, the underlings come in five different types of units, each with their own specialisation and evolution path. Yep, you heard me. My minions can evolve. Or maybe it¡¯s more apt to say that they can be promoted into a higher-ranked criminal? Whatever the case, my underlings have an exponential growth curve. The higher-tiered criminals are stronger than their predecessors, with better skill sets and abilities. A common street thug will never be able to stand up to an assassin after all, and you can¡¯t expect said thug to fight evenly with one of the emperor¡¯s palace guards. Criminals need hierarchies just like the rest of us. The specialists are a bit different though. Unlike the four other types, they are the only underlings that can¡¯t evolve. That¡¯s because they are really just the support staff. These units include special units like a Fence, a Poisoner, an Enchanter or a Tinkerer. They may not be the most helpful units to have in a fight, but they offer several benefits to my other units, as well as a way for me to more efficiently generate more wealth. Anyway, I¡¯m burning valuable time thinking about this stuff. Since I currently have twenty-two points in Charisma, and I¡¯m restricted to only recruit one underling per five Charisma points, that means I can currently recruit four minions. More will follow in time as I level up and get some better gear. I decide to recruit one Fighter, one Rogue, one Ranged, and an Agent. It¡¯s nice to start with some variation to test out which type works best for my setup, but each of the different types is important for my development path going forward. Confirming my choice, I sit patiently in my seat. I¡¯m not quite sure what happens now, but I¡¯m certain something will- My thoughts are interrupted as the tavern door swings open. Four scruffy looking men of mixed races enter. They are all rather poorly dressed, and three of them are armed. One wields a rusty dagger, one a spiked wooden club and the last wear a makeshift linen bandolier filled with several throwing knives. The bulkier of the men, a human, take a long look around the room and spots me sitting by myself in a corner. He gives me a brief nod before he leads the other three over and sits down at my table. None of them say anything, but the lead bandit gives me a respectful nod, while the other two armed men scan the room for what I can only assume are threats. I focus my eyes on each of their name tags. [Human Hoodlum(1) - Underling. T1 Fighter. HP: 100/100. Infamy Tier 1.] [Human Cutpurse(1) - Underling. T1 Rogue. HP: 70/70. Infamy Tier 1.] [Wood Elf Spotter(1) - Underling. T1 Ranged. HP: 50/50. Infamy Tier 1.] [Dwarf Beggar(1) - Underling. T1 Agent. HP: 50/50. Infamy Tier 0.] Excellent! I rub my hands as I inspect the four more closely. The Hoodlum is the bulkier of the four, wielding a spiked wooden club. His skills are related to close-ranged fighting, as his type is supposed to be my front line fighters. The Cutpurse has a leaner build, but he is in no way weak. Wielding a rusty dagger, he excels at sneaking around and striking at enemies from their blind spots. The Spotter sits straighter than the others, and he appears more vigilant. Being an elf, he is naturally taller than the two humans, and he has two long pointy ears sticking out on either side of a ponytail. Wielding a set of throwing knives, the Spotter excels at supporting his companions from afar. The final underling is the frailest of them all. With barely any meat on his body, he gives off a pitiful impression. Even for a dwarf. He is unarmed, but that doesn¡¯t matter as he isn¡¯t supposed to participate in combat. The Beggar is an Agent type, which means they excel at gathering information. Since Villains can¡¯t take on quests like normal players, each of the different Villain classes have a unique way of acquiring quest-like things to do. As a Necromancer, I gained quests by summoning restless spirits which guided me in the direction of locations like graveyards or tombs, where I could gather crafting reagents, rare items, or raise corpses. The Thief Lord, on the other hand, relies on building an information-based network. The more Agent type units I have, the more sources of information I get to find lucrative places to steal from or assassination contracts from less reputable sources. The Agents work autonomously and will seek me out whenever they find any juicy intelligence in the area they are working. The last piece of information on their character sheet is their Infamy tier. There are three different tiers of infamy, which means what sort of stance players and other NPCs will take against them. This is a mechanic every NPC has, which is what allows for players to figure out which NPCs are okay to kill, and which of them they¡¯d better leave alone. The Infamy tiers are a bit misleading when it comes to my underlings, but it only speaks about how my underlings are perceived by others. Like my Beggar, most NPCs have an Infamy tier at zero. That means that they are considered as a low threat individual with no nefarious purposes. Sure, the players could still kill my Beggar without suffering repercussions, but how would they differentiate my Beggar from the hundreds of non-underling Beggars in the city? They can¡¯t. Not even with a super high level of Perception. The only way to spot a Beggar working for a Thief Lord is to physically see them handoff information, which is unlikely to happen. That doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t possible though as many players make a habit out of trailing suspicious-looking Beggars. Infamy tier-one marks suspicious-looking characters. Regular NPCs won¡¯t attack them on sight, but most players will as they are fair game. Players suffer no repercussions killing units with Infamy tier one as they are technically still a mob. Luckily, every city has plenty of regular Hoodlum and Cutpurse NPCs, which means if someone spots one of my underlings, they won¡¯t immediately know that a Thief Lord is loose. If that was true, it would make things a tad too difficult for me to effectively play this game.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The last level, Infamy tier two, means that the mob should be killed on sight, be it by an NPC or a player. Almost every monster has this classification, and they more than live up to their rank. Creatures with this Infamy tier are either incredibly hostile, which means they will attack anything in sight, or they are deemed incredibly dangerous by society and must be put down. The Assassins I can evolve my Rogue type underlings into, for example, are one of the latter cases. After thoroughly inspecting my underlings for a while, I quickly remember how bad it would look if a player just walked in. To avoid this scenario, I quickly order the Beggar to head out into town and try to gather some information, while I order my three combat underlings to head out the back door and go hide in the sewer. I really want to follow them and start grinding some levels, but I need to make a few preparations first. First of all, it¡¯s time to assign my skill points! Reading through and comparing hundreds of different skill combinations were probably what ate up the majority of the time I spent researching my class. I have already made a rough decision on which skills to get and in which order, and I finally have enough information to commit to my choices. I have three skill points to assign, and I have already made a short list of what I should prioritize. First of all, I need to find a way to conceal myself while also finding a proper use for the twenty-two attributes points I have in Intelligence. I already decided to go down the Illusion route, but there is a slight problem with this path. It really eats into my skill points. Not only do I have to use a skill point just to unlock the Illusion school of magic, but I also have to spend a skill point for every spell I want to learn. It isn¡¯t really unreasonable, but when I only have three skill points and will gain one skill point per level from here on out, I need to sacrifice a lot of utility early. The Thief Lord has a lot of exciting and powerful class skills which I¡¯m really looking forward to biting into. It took a lot of time for me to swallow the sour apple, but I eventually managed to convince myself of a short detour. Concealing myself will have to take priority number one. I bite my lips together as I open up the skill menu and scroll down until I find what I¡¯m looking for. You have unlocked the lesser magic school: Illusion. It takes a special kind of mage to see past the flashier sides of magic and choose a more subtle path. It is not unwise, however. Altering someone¡¯s perception can sometimes be more formidable than striking them down with fire and ice. The Illusion school has two diverging branches: Mind and Vision. Spells available: Charm ¨C Illusion Mind spell. Tricks a target NPC into trusting you completely, momentarily turning him into your lackey. Chance of success: 0,5 Int + 2 * Skill level - Target¡¯s Perception. Duration: 0,5 Int + 0,2 * Skill level seconds. Cost: 100 Mana - 0,5 * Skill level. Frenzy ¨C Illusion Mind spell. Empower the natural anger of the target NPC. Increases the Infamy tier of all nearby creatures by 2. Chance of success: Int + 2 * Skill level - Target¡¯s Perception. Duration: 0,5 Int + 0,2 * Skill level seconds. Cost: 100 Mana - 0,5 * Skill level. Calm ¨C Illusion Mind spell. Soothes the target NPC¡¯s mind. Decreases the Infamy tier of all friendly targets by 1. Chance of success: Int + 2 * Skill level - Target¡¯ Perception. Duration: 0,5 Int + 0,2 * Skill level seconds. Cost: 100 Mana - 0,5 * Skill level. Chameleon ¨C Illusion Vision spell. Cloaks your body in a static illusion, greatly reducing your visibility when immobile. Effectiveness: 1,5 Int + 2 * Skill level - Enemy¡¯s Perception. Cost: 100 Mana - 0,5 * Skill level. I grin widely as I read through the spell list available to me. These spells are perfect for my class. I waste no time in acquiring the ¡®Chameleon¡¯ spell as it¡¯s an insanely powerful tool for hiding. It scales great with my Intelligence stat, and when I reach skill level one hundred in with it, I¡¯ll be practically invisible to even the players who heavily invest in a Perception-based build. The other three skills are a bit less flashy, as they all revolve around altering people¡¯s state of mind. This is the main reason most people don¡¯t bother investing in the illusion school as the majority of spells are only effective on NPCs. Sure, the skills are powerful, but the inability to alter player minds to act a different way just doesn¡¯t make it as appealing. While it would be awesome if it was possible to alter players¡¯ perception of things, it would also be really freaking illegal. Real-world illegal. So instead of walking into that hornet¡¯s nest of potential abuse, the developers amped up the power of the spells and turned most of them into NPC-only spells. That didn¡¯t really make it any more appealing to players though, as mages are already hard-pressed on spending their precious skill points on other, more vital spells. Luckily, I¡¯m not really a mage, but a support kind of player with a lot of underlings who could benefit from these kinds of spells on a whole different level than regular players. That¡¯s why in addition to the ¡®Chameleon¡¯ spell, I also pick up ¡®Calm¡¯, as the spell will be invaluable if my minions need to lose heat if something goes wrong while performing a heist. It¡¯s the perfect crime¡­ tool. The best part of my two choices in spells is that they are both from different branches of the Illusion school. This will open up more development options later on. Similar to most things in this game, the magic system is also tiered, meaning that to unlock higher tiered spells, I need to level up a spell from a lower-tiered spell from within the same branch of magic to at least level twenty. Since my entire character build hinges on Illusion spells, it¡¯s beneficial for me to keep as many of my options open as possible. Sooner or later, I will require higher-tiered spells from both branches of the Illusion school. It¡¯s better to start sooner rather than later. With all three of my skill points spent, I¡¯m starting to feel sufficiently ready to tear some shit up. I feel sort of naked with not a single offensive ability or any weapons at hand, but it should be fine as I have a trio of combat-capable underlings to do the heavy lifting for me. I briefly consider heading to the marketplace and outfit myself in some decent gear and maybe a weapon or two, but I figure it would just be a waste of my money. The first five levels are really easy to gain, so buying gear that fits a level one character is just a waste of money. As I get up and prepare to head out the back, I crack my knuckles. ¡°Time to tear shit up.¡± I grin as I take my first step. ¡°Where do you think you are going, Thief Lord?¡± Joe, the barkeep grunts. Freezing, I slowly turn around, finding myself only centimeters away from the grumpy old man. Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. ¡°Uhm, I just¡­¡± I stammer, feeling my stomach drop. My heart starts racing as I look into the ice-cold stare of the high-level NPC in front of me. ¡°You just what, exactly?¡± He growls. My eyes widen as I feel the panic build. What do I do here? Try to fight him? Ridiculous! He is a much higher level than me, and I neither have a weapon nor do I have any combat-related skills. I take a step back as my head darts to the side, trying desperately to find a path to escape. His arm reaches out and grabs my arm tightly, securing me in place. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I met a Thief Lord who seems to know what he¡¯s doing.¡± He mutters. His eyes appraising my body. ¡­ ¡°Uh, what?¡± I ask, my eyes wide in confusion. ¡°You heard what I said, boy. If you didn¡¯t, then that¡¯s your problem, not mine.¡± He growls. His eyes hardening as his glare intensifies. ¡°I liked how you handled those two annoying adventurers earlier. Not many Thief Lords could keep their cool like that. You even managed to convince them to actually give you money. Almost made me want to smack them across the head for their stupidity.¡± He snorts, clearly amused. What the hell is up with this guy? I scream in my mind. Is he fucking with me? Is he stalling for the garrison to arrive? ¡°Stop looking like a daft half-wit.¡± He snaps at me. I immediately close my mouth which I didn¡¯t even know was hanging open. He sighs. ¡°Figures. I may have overestimated you¡­¡± He shakes his head. ¡°But there might be hope for you yet.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I finally manage to splutter out some words. Joe bursts into a toothy grin. A really, really scary and creepy looking grin. I notice a shiny silver tooth reflecting the dim light in the room. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be your benefactor, of course.¡± He says while flipping a small piece of metal at me. Surprised by the sudden movement, I react slowly and fumble while trying to catch the object. I manage to grab it before it hits the ground, but it didn¡¯t look very graceful. Raising the object in front of my eyes, I notice it¡¯s a silver coin. Not just a regular silver coin though, as it¡¯s easily twice the size of a regular coin. Instead of the normal imprint of the emperor¡¯s face, the coin has a set of twin daggers crossed beneath a skull imprinted across the smooth surface. I try to inspect its properties. [Ominous Silver Token. Class-Unique. Soulbound.] ¡°What is this?¡± I mutter in disbelief. ¡°That, boy, is a Thief¡¯s token. If you show that to anyone connected to the criminal underworld, they will know they can trust you¡­ Well, at least enough to do business with you. Don¡¯t throw it away, as it¡¯s enchanted to disintegrate if it ever leaves your possession. Look for any merchant or tavern keeper with a silver tooth and you know they are one of us.¡± ¡°But what-¡± ¡°Figure it out yourself. I expect great things from you, boy. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± He growls while starting to shoo me out the backdoor. Befuddled, I start walking, throwing a glance backwards at the now scowling old barkeep. I soon find myself outside in a small dark alley. I turn around and look at Joe¡¯s departing back as he heads back into the tavern. He turns to shut the door, but not before he gives me one final glare. ¡°Tssk.¡± He spits on the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they fucking make me say this¡­¡± He clears his throat. ¡°The Silver Saints appreciates your continued support. Fail us, and suffer the consequences.¡± Then he slams the door in my face. ... ¡°Uhm¡­ Thanks?¡± Chapter 8 – Pug Chapter 8 ¨C Pug ¡°Well, I guess I found the secret quest Anna was looking for¡­¡± I mutter, still dazed from the unexpected encounter. ¡°What the fuck.¡± I¡¯m inclined to head back inside and try to haul a few answers out of the old man until I realize that I have very little to actually threaten him with. Not to mention this ¡®Silver Saints¡¯ thing he is part of might not be the best kind of people to piss off. It¡¯s weird though. I haven¡¯t read anything about any underground NPC networks on any forums yet. Is this a unique event? Probably not. If the game has secret NPC factions, then I doubt they only added a single faction in a single town in the middle of nowhere. For all I know, this might be nothing, or it could be something. If this is something though, then I can only assume there is a certain set of conditions you have to meet to be able to get a foot in the door. Hell, I might not be the first person to even discover these organizations, and the others may keep it a secret for as long as possible to try to get an edge over everyone else. Just like the Dark Pegasus guild did with these sewers. I know I would do that exact thing if the opportunity arose. Speaking of which, I should probably start doing something. I look around and quickly locate a rusty metal lid hidden neatly between some crates in the shadows of the tavern. Opening the hatch, I stare into a dark hole in the ground. A small breeze of moist air washes over my face as my nose wrinkles due to the abhorrent stench. ¡°Of course it has to smell¡­¡± I mutter as I start descending down a dirty ladder. Reaching the bottom, I find myself in a small sewer tunnel stretching beneath the streets above. My three underlings wait idly nearby, throwing me eager looks as they fiddle with their weapons. I don¡¯t know where it comes from, but there seems to be a subtle light radiating from some unknown place, illuminating the tunnel at strategic intervals. Not enough to see clearly, but enough for us to be able to navigate without using spells or torches. You gotta love gaming logic, am I right? ¡°Well, don¡¯t look at me guys. Let¡¯s get a move on.¡± I shrug as my mute henchmen turn around and start walking slowly down the tunnel. My underlings are all seeded with a special kind of artificial intelligence where they don¡¯t really have free will, or any sort of personality at all, to be honest. It makes them more efficient tools to use, but it also feels a little odd to order them around like a cat following a laser pen. There are some theories on the internet that the underlings all act as if they are lobotomized so that the Thief Lords who grow attached to their personalities won¡¯t suffer unnecessary traumas after sending them into certain death; which they will. A lot. It feels a bit unnecessary to me, but I can¡¯t argue with the results. They feel and act incredibly loyal. The tunnel we are moving down is wide enough for three people to walk side by side while still having room to spare. There¡¯s a small stream of raw sewage running in the middle of the corridor though, so I don¡¯t envy the guy who has to walk in the middle. My underlings take up a formation where the Hoodlum walks directly in front of me on the left side of the tunnel, while the Cutpurse is trailed by the Spotter on the other side. We walk at a slow pace as I am uncertain as to how dangerous these rats are. They¡¯re probably incredibly weak, but I¡¯d rather not have all my underlings afflicted by some nasty diseases that I will have to cure with expensive potions later. I may have some money now, but I¡¯ve never been a fan of frivolous spending. We only walk for about twenty seconds until some high-pitched chittering noises echo down the tunnel. Slowing our pace, I have my minions prepare a defensive stance. It only takes us a few more steps to come upon the creatures we have been looking for. [Sewer Rat(1). HP: ??/??.] [Sewer Rat(2). HP: ??/??.] The name tags are flashing bright red, signalling that the rats will attack us on sight. The name tags aren¡¯t as detailed as my underlings¡¯, but that¡¯s most likely because my Perception attribute sucks. The rats are much larger than ordinary rats, where the smaller one¡¯s body is roughly thirty centimeters long, excluding the tail. Their furs are matted gray with several dirty stains covering their bodies. Their beady red eyes lock onto us, showing the unbound hatred contained within. ¡°Kill the weaker rat first!¡± I order my underlings as they charge the two rats. My Hoodlum is the first to reach them, swinging his club wide and¡­ misses. The club goes right over the level one rat¡¯s head and smashes into the wall, causing a few splinters to fly off the club. The rat responds in kind, jumping at my Hoodlum and sink its jagged teeth into his thigh. My Spotter is throwing his knives with reckless abandon as he struggles to keep the larger of the rats at bay. He doesn¡¯t hit it, but his randomly flying knives keep the rat away as it struggles to dodge the flying projectiles. Meanwhile, my Cutpurse slides up behind the weaker rat and start slicing at its exposed backside. The weaker rat squeals in pain as the rusty dagger connects, taking several points off its health pool. While it¡¯s distracted, the Hoodlum grabs it violently and yanks it off his leg. Pinning the rat to the ground, my two melee underlings work together to quickly finish it off. In the meanwhile, the Spotter is quickly running out of knives. The larger rat took a glancing blow from one of the knives and is missing the tip of its tail. It doesn¡¯t matter though as my other two underlings quickly surround and start battering the large rat to a pulp. It only takes half a minute, but my first fight ends quickly and efficiently, albeit a bit messy. Much like the first night with my ex-girlfriend. [You have slain Sewer Rat(1). Gain 5 experience.] [You have slain Sewer Rat(2). Gain 8 experience.] The double notification signals the end of the fight. I¡¯m a little surprised at how efficiently my underlings worked together. It wasn¡¯t at all how my skeletons worked, as none of those brainless piles of bones would ever strategically position themselves to surround an enemy, or even physically restrain their movements while mercilessly murdering them. What my underlings just did felt much smarter, but also much more gruesome than I expected. Now I know why my underlings are so much more expensive to recruit than mindless undead though. I certainly get a good bang for my buck. More importantly, though, I gained thirteen experience points. That¡¯s more than one-tenth of what I need to level up! Anna was right; leveling down here is way more efficient than doing social quests outside. It would probably take me fifteen minutes of lifting crates to even gain ten experience points. That is if I could even pick up and social quests to begin with. These sewers hold great value for someone trying to speed up their leveling. I wonder if there are more of these secret areas in different parts of town? Maybe even higher-level ones? It certainly makes locating these places a much higher priority. Who knows what kind of treasures I might find? That¡¯s a problem for later though. I still have a sewer to explore. Our little group of lightly armed homeless people makes good headway exploring the vast sewer network located beneath the noob district. There are a bunch of twists and turns, but I¡¯m starting to get an understanding of the general layout of the area. The sewer system has a central room that functions as a hub for all the connecting tunnels. The tunnels expand like a web away from the central chamber, and it¡¯s fairly easy to navigate as the tunnels always tilt slightly downwards towards the central hub. Finding my way around is no longer an issue, but I find it increasingly difficult to find another exit. That¡¯s a problem for later though. During my explorations, we managed to slay a dozen more rats, earning me another seventy-two experience points. I¡¯m getting closer to level two by the minute, and I haven¡¯t even cleared out a fraction of the tunnels I¡¯ve found so far. Grinding rats will have to take a backseat for now though as I need to try and figure out if there¡¯s a way out of this place. Preferably outside of the noob zone. Sewers usually end up in the ocean, don¡¯t they? My best bet is to try and find a tunnel that slopes further downwards from the central chamber, and I think I know a location where such an exit may exist. My ragtag band of misfits has seen better days. The Hoodlum and Cutpurse are both littered by tiny bite marks, and the Spotter is drenched by sewage water after he tripped into the deep cesspool in the center chamber. They are all still kicking though, and their health points are steadily regenerating every minute. I even started practicing my ¡®Chameleon¡¯ and ¡®Calm¡¯ spells as I figured I had a lot of mana and nothing better to do with it. It¡¯s a bit disappointing that it will take a long time to gain skill levels with spells, and especially spells of a higher tier since I can¡¯t unlock them early. The magic system is rather unique in that regard since it¡¯s the only type of skill that requires unlocks. It¡¯s kind of obvious why though. Spells are flashy skills where the power is very objectively quantifiable. Normal skills are more subtle in their use and more naturally evolve from a low skill level into something more powerful later on. I¡¯m not sure why the game developers wanted it to be this way, but I can understand how they wouldn¡¯t want level one players to throw around a meteor shower right off the bat. I don¡¯t see it as too much of a problem that it takes more effort for mages to level their skills though.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It¡¯s sort of fair in some sense. In the grand scheme of things, since Mages rely completely on using spells in every single scenario, while physically oriented players often have to improvise, Mages have a natural advantage when it comes to steadily grind skill levels since they are more dependent on using their magic for every little thing they do. It may take some time, but luckily I don¡¯t have anything else to do but start my spell grind. After a few moments of looking into a few oddly placed tunnels and killing another level one rat, we finally find what we are looking for. There¡¯s a tunnel entrance that looks slightly out of place compared to the rest of the network, and there¡¯s a pair of particularly nasty level three rats loitering around the entrance. The level three rats are slightly different from their smaller cousins as they are the only ones of the critters that have skills. The little buggers have some sort of leaping ability, making them able to easily jump two meters from a still position. My Spotter had a bad time the first time I encountered them. The little bastards aren¡¯t the only ones with abilities though. I didn¡¯t really check my underlings¡¯ skills earlier, but they all have a couple of class-related skills. I noticed it in my first battle when my Hoodlum grabbed a rat and pinned it to the ground and had it stabbed to death. That was actually a skill called ¡®Grapple¡¯, which pretty much does what it says it does. It allows him to tackle and grab a weaker or smaller enemy, immobilizing it for a short moment. It¡¯s not the most graceful of skills, but it certainly is effective at killing rats. Another useful skill which both my Hoodlum and Cutpurse share, is the Evasion skill. It¡¯s the same one as players have, and it works brilliantly. Since the game has no feasible way to increase someone¡¯s physique or reaction time to make them better at evading swords and arrows, the game adds a cool little feature. Instead of doing fancy acrobatics, the game sort of tugs the enemy¡¯s weapon to veer off course. Sort of like the effect when two repelling magnets are being forcefully connected. They just don¡¯t want to connect without an appropriate amount of force being applied, and even then, they just don¡¯t want to stay together. My underlings also have a few other fancy abilities which are pretty standard, like the Cutpurse¡¯s ¡®Stealth¡¯ and ¡®Backstab¡¯ skill, the Hoodlum¡¯s ¡®Power Strike¡¯ or the Spotter¡¯s ¡®Crippling Shot¡¯ skill. There¡¯s one final intriguing skill though. The Spotter has a ¡®Mark Target¡¯ skill, which basically allows him to feed information to the rest of us. When he activates it, it allows the rest of us to see the enemies he sees, even if they are outside of our field of view. It¡¯s pretty neat. It highlights the enemies with a bright red outlining which only disappears if my Spotter loses sight of the target. My underlings have fallen into a common routine. My Hoodlum charges in and immediately grapples the first rat, pinning it to the ground. He then proceeds to mercilessly beat it to a pulp. Gloating over how efficient the ¡®Grapple¡¯ skill is, I almost miss how my Cutpurse fluently evades the other rat¡¯s leaping skill, causing it to smash headfirst into the wall. Momentarily stunned, the Spotter quickly places two throwing daggers into its body while the Cutpurse rushes in for the kill. When the last of the rats stop twitching, I¡¯m greeted by the long-awaited system¡¯s window. [Congratulations! You have reached level 2!] [You have gained 3 free Attribute Points and 1 Skill Point!] Finally! I grin as I quickly dump my three attribute points into Luck, watching my Dexterity attribute rise with it. I don¡¯t really have an immediate need for either Luck or Dexterity at this point, but I figure I might prepare for the future. Those points are going to come in handy rather soon. The same thing applies to my Skill Point. I already have a skill in mind, but I still open up the list of class-specific skills. Available Thief Lord Class Skills: Fight Dirty ¨C Gain attack damage equal to Luck + 0,5 * Skill level for 1 minute + 1 second per Skill level. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Fight Smart - Increases Evasion by 0,2 Luck + 0,2 * Skill level for 1 minute + 1 second per Skill level. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Cheap Shot - Gives Underlings a damage bonus to their first attack in a fight equal to Luck + Skill level for 5 minutes + 5 seconds per Skill level or until the first attack has been made. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Gang up - Gain increased damage when fighting 3 to 1 by 0,5 Luck + 0,5 * Skill level. Bail ¨C All troops escape and evade. Evasion increases by Skill level%, Movement speed moving away from enemies increases by 2 * Skill level %. Duration 30 seconds + 0,5 seconds per Skill level. Cooldown 60 min - 15 seconds per Skill level. Mentor ¨C Increases Underling experience gains by 5 * Skill level %. Doppelganger ¨C Instantaneously switch position with an Underling. Range: 1 meter + 0,2 * Skill level. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Rush ¨C Increases movement speed by 0,2 Luck + 0,2 * Skill level % for 30 seconds + 0,5 seconds per Skill level. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Disarm ¨C Makes Underlings disarm an opponent. Chance of success: 0,5 Luck + 0,2 * Skill level per Underling. Stackable per underling. Cooldown: 5 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Bountiful ¨C Increases yield of successful jobs by 0,5 Luck + 0,5 * Skill level %. Incite Crowd ¨C Causes nearby NPCs to actively distract and obstruct enemies for 0,1 Charisma seconds + 0,1 seconds per Skill level. Cooldown: 60 minutes - 15 seconds per Skill level. Cheat Death - Upon taking fatal damage, clear all status effects and turn invulnerable for 0,1 seconds per 0,5 luck and instantly heal for luck + 5n * Skill level. Cooldown: 24 hours - 5 minutes per Skill level. There are so many options. So many sweet, sweet options. This is what I love about the game. Every skill is available for purchase at the start, and I get to choose which skills to focus on, thus being able to tailor my skill set to my preferred play style. Granted, I eventually want to have every single one of these skills. I really need to prioritize a select few to focus on for a while. The skill I decide to go for this time around though is probably the least flashy, but also the one that gives me the most amount of long-term value. Therefore, I select and purchase the ¡®Mentor¡¯ skill. It almost feels like a sin, but I already know how reliant I am on my underlings. Having them level up as fast as possible is vital for my late-game success. The skill allows my underlings to gain five percent extra experience per skill level I have in it. At skill level one hundred, my underlings will gain experience five hundred percent faster. While the underlings can never have a higher level than me, it¡¯s still perfect for leveling up minions at the later stages of the game when they might die or I need to recruit fresh ones. It¡¯s a skill I can¡¯t ignore if I am to ever have a realistic goal of becoming the best at the game and make it stay that way. Closing my status, I look upon the tunnel entrance the rats were guarding. It¡¯s a slightly wider tunnel than the others, and it¡¯s sloping downwards while still connected to the central chamber. I¡¯m fairly certain four grown men could walk beside each other, but there¡¯s also a much wider stream of sewage water running down the middle which makes it more difficult for the people walking on either side of the stream to assist one another. My anticipation level rises as I can figuratively smell an exit at the end of this path. We keep heading down the path for a while. The path takes a few twists and turns, but it still heads deeper into the ground with no branching tunnels connected to it. There are no rats down here though, which makes me feel extremely suspicious that something weird is going on. No monster-infested tunnels have ever, in the history of video games become easier the deeper you go. It just doesn¡¯t happen, which makes me suspect I will eventually fight a giant mutated level ten rat or something that shoots bolts of acid from its tail. Which would suck. The tunnel keeps stretching on, and I guess I must be getting closer to the ocean. I can actually hear the sounds of waves crashing against rocks from where I am, but the exit still eludes me. After walking through another turn in the tunnel, we suddenly find ourselves outside a large room, nearly half the size of the huge center chamber upstairs. The room is filled with rotten barrels and other pieces of wooden equipment but I pay them no mind. At the opposite side of the room, I can spot a streak of light hitting the side of the tunnels. An exit! I hurry across the room, my eyes locked onto the small glint of light across the room. I can¡¯t believe it. It was this easy? I chuckle. The room is filled by broken crates, trash, and filthy pieces of fabric strewn about. In my hurry, I jump over a half-broken crate on the floor, elegantly landing on top of a moth-ridden sack of fabrics on the other side. ¡°Grumpff!¡± A coarse grunt echoes around the room, as a combat notification flashes in the corner of my eyes. [You have dealt 1 Blunt Damage to Unknown Enemy(?).] ¡°What the fuck?¡± I yelp in surprise while turning around, scanning the room for where that noise came for. My eyes find nothing, staring into the dimly lit room. It is only too late I sense movement from below. ¡°PUG!¡± Something screams as a force slams into my belly, causing me to stumble backwards, falling over and crushing a rotten barrel beneath my weight. Panicking slightly, I roll over and look towards the area I was occupying just seconds before. The moth-ridden sack I landed on earlier is somehow much larger, and it sprouted two arms and two legs, and what appears to be a head covered in nothing but dirty hair. I squint as a name tag appears. [Human Elite Brawler - Pug the Pugilist(3). HP ???/???.] Oh crap... Chapter 9 – Knucklejabbers Chapter 9 ¨C Knucklejabbers ¡°You hit, PUG! You die, little man!¡± The creature screams as it lounges itself towards me. I immediately raise my arms to protect my head, but a swinging club intercepts the incoming monstrosity. Sensing the club, the creature deftly sidesteps but isn¡¯t quick enough to completely evade the strike. A small spray of blood flies through the air as the creature quickly jump backwards, clutching its bleeding arm. With some distance between us, I finally get a good look at my opponent. From what I first thought was a horribly dirty and mutated monster, I now see a nearly naked human man with an unkempt full beard and long scruffy hair, wearing nothing but a dirty linen sack covering his torso and lower body. His feet and arms are bare and his skin is nearly completely covered by filth. His hands are covered by several strips of leather braided together, with small metal spikes protruding between each knuckle. He raises his mean-looking gloves threateningly in my direction. ¡°Who the fuck are you!?¡± I shout as I quickly get back up on my feet, stepping back and behind my Hoodlum. ¡°Me, Pug!¡± He bellows as he launches himself forward. ¡°You little man. You die!¡±. The Spotter throws one of his knives directly in Pug¡¯s path, but he swirls to the side. Seeing the hobo getting uncomfortably close, the Hoodlum steps forward and strikes in a wide arc, trying to keep the hobo away. Pug quickly backsteps, snarling viciously. ¡°You coward. Pug kill little coward!¡± He bellows, spittle flying everywhere. This guy is giving me the serious creeps. I take a few more steps back, making my way over towards the entrance where it should be safe. Pug is an elite mob, which means he is several times stronger than an average monster. He may be outnumbered, but I fear he still might be stronger than all my underlings put together. It doesn¡¯t help that he is also level three, while my underlings just reached level two alongside me. ¡°Damn.¡± I mutter. If only I decided to get a combat-related skill instead of the blasted mentor skill, I might be able to turn this battle around. Right now, I¡¯m pretty much useless. I find a good corner to sit in as I cast ¡®Chameleon¡¯, covering myself in a thick illusion. I look back at the fight just in time to watch my Cutpurse appear behind Pug, driving his rusty dagger into his back. Pug roars in pain as he swings around, catching the Cutpurse with a backhanded slap which sends the rogue flying into a stack of crates. Caught in a moment of respite, the Spotter manages to land a ¡®Crippling Shot¡¯ in the crazy hobo¡¯s leg, causing him to recoil in pain. The Hoodlum sees the opportunity and charges towards Pug, intent on taking him down with a tackle. The pugilist sees this, however, and takes advantage of his high ¡®Evasion¡¯ skill to lean away from the flailing arms of the Hoodlum. As the Hoodlum loses his footing, Pug strikes the falling underling in the side of his ribs, the spikes on his gloves sinking deep into the soft flesh. With both of my melee fighters on the ground, my Spotter starts to panic. He takes a few steps backwards, wildly throwing a knife with each step. Pug effortlessly dodges the first two knives, but his rapid maneuvers put too much strain on his crippled leg, causing him to stagger. Unable to move, Pug raises his arms just in time to stop a third knife from impaling his throat, the knife sinking deep into his forearm. ¡°Pug will enjoy punching you, pretty elf!¡± He roars as he starts stumbling towards my Spotter. Seeing the approaching lunatic, the wood elf quickly backsteps and throws another knife at Pug. With minimal effort, Pug deflects the knife with a flick of his wrist, listening to the knife bounce harmlessly off the floor behind him. ¡°Pug will catch you! You die!¡± With rage-filled eyes, Pug stomps towards the Spotter who has been driven into a corner. He raises his fists in a threatening manner, intent on striking down my knife throwing underling. ¡°Pug says bye, bye!¡± He laughs maniacally, as he takes a final step. His laughter is cut short as the Cutpurse appears behind him, stabbing his dagger into the side of his neck. He turns around, glaring at the rogue with hatred. He opens his mouth to scream, but only blood sputters out as his hand reaches for the large wound on his neck. He throws a wide swing towards the Cutpurse who quickly backpedals, unwilling to repeat their last encounter. Heavily injured, Pug is unable to keep up the pace with my nimble rogue. Realising he might go down, he decides to make one final push towards my Spotter, taking him down with him in a blaze of rage. Turning around, his eyes go wide as a throwing knife buries itself in his chest, right next to his heart. The sudden impact causes the scruffy pugilist to stagger, dropping to one knee. His breath turns heavier as he struggles to breathe. ¡°Pug¡­ kill¡­ die.¡± He coughs up some blood, wiping it away with his shoulder. He tries to regain his footing when my Hoodlum tackles him from the side, bringing them both to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Swinging his arms around wildly, Pug manages to shave off a few health points from the wrestling fighter, but my bulky henchman isn¡¯t taking it lying down. Activating his ¡®Grapple¡¯ skill, he locks Pug¡¯s torso in a vice-like grip, restraining both of their movements. He can¡¯t hold out for long, but it gives my Cutpurse ample time to throw himself over the pair, driving his dagger deep under Pug¡¯s chin, cutting into his brain stem. With a final gurgle, Pug¡¯s body goes limp. [You have slain Human Elite Brawler - Pug the Pugilist(3). Gain 50 experience.] [Chameleon has leveled up to Novice 2.] ¡°Oh my god!¡± I gasp, staring wide-eyed at the brutal scene. My heart slamming against my chest. ¡°That was fucking amazing!¡± I had heard some fights could be especially brutal and visually pleasing, but I had never thought I¡¯d see it for myself. This is nothing like the fights I had with my Necromancer, where my skeletons just swarmed over their enemies and struck with the weapons until either they or their enemy fell. What I just witnessed¡­ Holy crap! That was some real savage shit. I could almost feel the desperation in Pug¡¯s eyes when the Cutpurse stabbed him in the neck and the determination on my underlings¡¯ faces as they worked together to bring down the much stronger foe. The amount of coordination and trust between them would amaze anyone, and their teamwork is hard to believe considering these guys are supposed to be egoistic criminals. Is this how most fights go? I admit I haven¡¯t spent much time watching videos of other people¡¯s gameplay over these last three months as I¡¯ve dedicated all my time to leveling my Necromancer. If this is the norm though¡­ Could I sell the footage of this online? Are people already doing it? How much money could I earn if they knew the video came from a Thief Lord, the most hunted Villain class there is? I shudder at the thought. The potential for fame and money is immense. Could this be a shortcut to reach my goal of becoming rich? Or could posting videos online give away my strategy and location, and thus be a hindrance to me in the long run? I shake my head and try to clear my thoughts. This is not a decision I should take lightly, and certainly not on a whim. The footage isn¡¯t going anywhere, and I have more pressing concerns.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Walking over towards the corpse of Pug, a glint of greed flashes across my eyes. Having died more than five minutes ago, his corpse has already disappeared, leaving a small pile of items on the ground. Loot! Bending over, I snatch up the largest object and inspect it. [Pug¡¯s Spiked Knucklejabbers. Rare. +10 Piercing Damage to unarmed combat, +1% Physical Resistance, +1 Agility, +1 Dexterity. Requires: Level 2.] Woah! My eyes widen. An enchanted piece of gear with not one, but three different bonuses at level two!? That¡¯s unheard of! Usually, the only enchanted gear you can find under level five only has a single bonus to a single stat. The fact that these gloves have three bonuses is absolutely mindblowing, and I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to declare them as overpowered if it hadn¡¯t been because of the useless unarmed combat bonus. They aren¡¯t that useful to me, but I still won¡¯t hesitate to use them though, as I more than welcome the free attribute points. Pug also dropped two silver and six copper coins. It¡¯s not the highest of rewards, but it¡¯s plenty for a lone player. A mob like Pug would usually require at least two skilled level three players to take down. The fact that I did it with three ungeared level two NPCs just goes to show how powerful my class can be. Satisfied with my decent haul, I have a look at my ragged underlings. They are pretty beaten up, but they seem to be in high spirits after a battle well fought. Well, as motivated as a bunch of brainwashed puppets can be I suppose. They all sport a few cuts and bruises, and the Hoodlum is bleeding heavily from the rather nasty wound Pug inflicted when his spikes penetrated his ribcage. Even now, I can see the wounds starting to close up and the color is returning to the Hoodlum¡¯s face. I let them rest for a moment while I take a quick look around the room. I don¡¯t really expect to find any treasure around, but I can¡¯t help but abide by the gamer¡¯s code of conduct, which is to leave no stone unturned, and no corpse unpilfered. I spend a few minutes rummaging through the crates and barrels. I¡¯m not too thorough, as a lot of it is really nasty. I don¡¯t neglect to check them though, but I admit a few of the piles of filthy rags only get a quick glance and a short nudge by the tip of my toe to satisfy my curiosity. My efforts aren¡¯t completely wasted as I do find five more copper coins and a painting with the number fifteen etched in the corner, which is really just a vanity item for collectors. It¡¯s a pretty common item, but I still stash it in my inventory. Waste not, want not, and all that. Finally satisfied with thoroughly checking the place out and my underlings back at full health, I start heading towards the exit. I must admit, Pug was a tough enemy, and I¡¯m not sure if other Thief Lords could beat him unless they dumped all their points into Charisma at the start as I did. Still, leaving just Pug to guard the only exit seems a bit reckless of the Dark Pegasus guild¡­ I freeze. Oh crap. Of course they wouldn¡¯t do something that stupid, even if they might think they are the only ones who know about these sewers. Why wouldn¡¯t they have some sort of security measure here? Perhaps another Perception-based guard? An uncomfortable knot ties in my stomach as a trickle of sweat run down my forehead. Shaking my head to clear it, I immediately find a secluded corner in the room and recast ¡®Chameleon¡¯. I proceed to have both my Hoodlum and Cutpurse head back to the entrance of the room and prepare to escape if there is indeed a guard at the exit. I proceed to send my Spotter ahead to scout out the area. My plan here is to try and identify any potential opponents while using my other underlings as a diversion in case something goes bad. My ¡®Chameleon¡¯ skill isn¡¯t exactly top-notch, but it is incredibly powerful, even against Perception-based players at a higher level than me. I hope that any pursuing players will chase after my melee minions, neglecting to thoroughly check the room for anyone hiding. Who knows? Maybe I can slip past them in the confusion. Watching as my Spotter moves forward to execute my impromptu plan, a small wave of nervousness crawls down my spine. Fighting the rats and Pug was difficult, but nothing is more nerve-wracking than when there are other players involved. Not only do I have to make certain I win, but I also have to make certain I don¡¯t fuck up and reveal my identity. Speaking of revealing myself, I had completely forgotten about putting the Villain¡¯s Mask back on. It won¡¯t do much if there really is a high-level player here, but at the slight off chance they do see me and I manage to escape, they will at least not be able to register my gamer ID. I waste little time in putting the piece of fabric on. The Villain¡¯s mask is a cool looking item by the way. It¡¯s a special item that can alter its appearance by buying cosmetic upgrades with ingame gold. It isn¡¯t necessary to do so, as it doesn¡¯t alter the item¡¯s function in any way, but I won¡¯t mind changing it down the road when I have some spare gold. Currently, the mask is nothing but a simple black scarf, tied in a way so that it covers the lower half of my face. Sort of like the bandits in old western movies. I gotta say, it¡¯s not a bad look for me. Not at all. The Spotter reaches the other side of the room and turns around a corner, moving out of view. The seconds trail on as the room turns deathly quiet. At least I don¡¯t hear any sounds of combat, and I don¡¯t see the red outlining of any potential enemies. After what feels like an eternity, the wood elf reappears from around the corner. Sighing in relief, I undo my spell and head over towards the exit. Making my way over, I start heading down a short tunnel. I can clearly hear the sounds of the ocean, and the natural light is stretching alongside the wall. Turning around the final corner, I almost walk face-first into a thick steel grate barring my path. ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± I exasperate, letting my shoulders drop. ¡°Why the hell is this here?¡± The steel grate is several centimeters thick and covers the entire exit. The metal seems new as there is not a single speck of rust on it. I take a step back, scratching my head. Who put that here? ¡­ Okay, stupid question. Why did the Dark Pegasus guild put this here? Are they out of their minds? This thing must have cost a fortune to install. A custom project like this must go for a thousand gold at the minimum. All this to keep fresh Thief Lords from getting into the city? It seems so... excessive. Sighing in defeat, I slump to the ground and lean against the wall. I feel my energy quickly draining from my body as I massage the bridge of my nose. I should have known it wouldn¡¯t be this easy. Glancing at the clock, I notice that it¡¯s already 2 AM, with just an hour left until virtual night time. I shake my head in disappointment. ¡°Perhaps I should revisit the wagon idea again?¡± I mutter to no one in particular. I sit still for a few minutes, just letting random thoughts flow through my mind. If there was ever a time to get an epiphany, now would be it. I stare intently at the grate, hoping to stare my way through. I¡¯m just about to give up when a small chime rings in my ear. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Hey Ryan! How¡¯s it going? Did you go into the sewers yet?] My eyes widen in surprise as a direct message from Anna pops up in front of me. I had completely forgotten about this feature since I haven¡¯t really ever bothered to add friends while playing the game before. For obvious reasons. Slightly bewildered, I quickly write out a reply. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Hello, Anna. I am doing fine, thank you for asking. I am indeed down in the sewers. Is something wrong?] It only takes seconds for her to reply. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Oh, good¡­ I was afraid I was too late. We sort of forgot to tell you, but don¡¯t descend to the lower levels. There¡¯s a rare enemy there that is too tough for a level one player to handle on his own. So be careful!] I frown. She could have told me that earlier¡­ [Rynorn Stabberton writes: You mean Pug the Pugilist? I just fought the guy. It was a tough fight, but I managed to beat him. I¡¯m currently looting his body.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: What!? Really? Wow, that¡¯s amazing, Ryan! How did you do it? Weren¡¯t you a crafter!?] I hesitate for a moment, trying to come up with a plausible way for a low-level craftsman to defeat such a strong opponent. Crap. Did I just say too much? [Rynorn Stabberton writes: A gentleman needs to have a few secrets.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: That¡¯s mean *poutyface*. But, I get it. Just a heads up though, there¡¯s a metal grate further down the corridor from where you are. Whatever you do: Don¡¯t. Touch. The. Grate. Okay?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Oh, okay. May I ask why?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: My paranoid sister put a powerful self-charging trap on the grate. Anyone who touches it dies. And let me tell you, it¡¯s not a good way to go. So stay safe. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know. I gotta go! SeeYa! XoXo.] ¡­ I glance over at the large metal grate looming above me, just a few centimeters away from my hand. I quickly scoot away, trying my damndest not to touch anything. What the hell!? It¡¯s boobytrapped? Djeesus! I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t touch it! I always touch things! I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m the luckiest, or the comically unluckiest guy alive. Putting a couple more meters between the grate and me, I once again slump to the ground. I take a moment to calm down, collecting my thoughts. After sitting still for half a minute, I acknowledge the fact that I¡¯m achieving nothing here. I shake my head while sighing loudly. A small alert is blinking in the corner of my vision, signalling that it¡¯s been a while since I last ate. ¡°Might as well¡­¡± I mumble as I log out. Chapter 10 – A Widow’s Grief Chapter 10 ¨C A Widow¡¯s Grief I exit the capsule in a sour mood. I really don¡¯t like it when my plan falls together like that. I was sooo close. Entering the kitchen, I open my fridge and grab a box at random, opening it and chucking it into the microwave. While I wait for it to finish, I take a quick trip to the bathroom. As I unleash the waterfall, a calming sensation travels down my spine, allowing me to lower my shoulders and letting my tense muscles relax. Going to the bathroom does wonders for my psyche. It has always been like that, and some of my best epiphanies have come to me while sitting on this fantastic ceramic bowl. So what¡¯s my next step here? Currently, I have two different plans to escape the noob district. Hiding as a stow-away on a departing wagon might be my best bet, but I don¡¯t like my chances. If the Dark Pegasus guild is paranoid enough to invest a thousand euros into making a thick steel grate in a hidden sewer, they probably won¡¯t be stupid enough not to carefully inspect every wagon departing through the gate. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to get anywhere with that idea. The sewer escape seems impossible now, but a small voice at the back of my head isn¡¯t quite yet willing to let it go. The grate has to have some sort of weakness, right? I frown as I grab my tablet and pull up a screenshot I took off the grate earlier. It¡¯s a solid steel grate, which must have taken half a ton of steel bars just to have it cover the entire sewer exit. Not only is it heavy and requires a whole lot of manpower just to move, but you would also need to have a fortune of ingame gold and connections just to get anything done. I don¡¯t think player blacksmiths are a high enough level to make a custom project like that yet, which means the guild must have hired expensive NPC blacksmiths for the job. Which begs the question: why go through all this trouble? Is it really worth a thousand euros just to keep a few Thief Lords out of the city? Why would they care? The only explanation I can think of is that the Dark Pegasus guild is somehow going to annex the entire city under their rule. There have been some speculations on the forums that players can indeed capture cities, but such an endeavour would be ambitious at best. Only the most hardcore guilds would try to make a powerplay this early in the game. I didn¡¯t expect the Dark Pegasus guild to be one of them. Have I gotten myself tangled up into something I shouldn¡¯t? The amount of money they are investing in this game only confirms my speculations. I shake my head. Power play or not, it¡¯s none of my business. It could actually work in my favor. If they believe they have completely isolated the noob district, it would only mean I¡¯d have an easier time leveling up if I manage to escape into the city. The problem, however, is to actually pull it off. The main problem is the trap Anna spoke of. As with everything the Dark Pegasus guild does, it seems incredibly excessive. Maybe if I find a way to break the trap, could I then use my minions to tear it down? Can I be absolutely certain the trap is even real? I don¡¯t think Anna would lie, but it might all be a bluff. But then again, why bluff when no one knows about the trap anyway? Sigh. I need to learn more about it. I gobble down my food as quickly as I can while I peruse the skill lists for the umpteenth time, trying to find out if there is some sort of skill that can save the day. Perhaps a skill that negates fall damage? I wonder how long it would take to level it up enough to survive a fifty-meter drop onto rocky cliffs. ... Probably a lot. ---------- Reentering the game, I find my avatar sitting just where I left him. On his ass surrounded by three suspicious-looking homeless people. Not sketchy looking at all, nope. The fun thing about this game is that your character never disappears from the game world. It¡¯s an interesting feature that allows player characters to have a greater impact on the world. I really like the feature. In the earlier days of gaming, too many players could abuse the system and disappear and reappear at critical moments. It would be an incompatible system with this game though. If Villains could just log out and disappear every time something got dicey, then it wouldn¡¯t be so hard to hide from all the players hunting me. When my character is constantly present in the game, it makes it that much more important to have a series of hiding places. Regular players would just rent a room at a tavern or a guild house, but it¡¯s not that easy for Villains. Well, I could also technically hide in a tavern, and I most likely will, but it won¡¯t help me hide all my underlings. Someone would definitely notice if a small army of criminals enters and leave my room at all hours of the day. Playing as a Villain is definitely like playing the game on hard mode. Luckily for me, at least my underlings can defend me while my character stands idly around. It will always be a risk factor though. One that I will have to work hard to avoid. But enough about that. What am I supposed to do about this darn grate? A small part of me just wants to give it a solid kick, but that¡¯d be a stupid thing to do. I start by inspecting it thoroughly, seeing if there¡¯s any weakness I can try to exploit. Sadly, since game logic is a thing, those efforts are wasted. The only semi-successful thing I do is putting a strain on my neck, trying to get a peek beyond the grate. I only see the final stretch of the tunnel leading outwards, and a small puddle of seawater at the bend in the corridor. I suppose that means I¡¯m at the sea level. All the good that will do me. The next part of my expert plan is to head back up into the sewers to find a willing test subject for the super deadly trap that is supposed to be placed on the grate. Naturally, there are plenty of rats still left alive to fulfill that job. Wiping out another pack, my Hoodlum grapples a level one sewer rat which we bring back down to the grate. Unceremoniously chucking it at the big lump of metal, we get front row seats to watch the poor critter get electrocuted by what appears to be a miniature lightning bolt. ¡°So much for plan B¡­¡± I mutter, watching the still smoking corpse of the rat. The game¡¯s not giving me much to work with here¡­ I start pacing around the small tunnel, looking around while my mind wanders. I don¡¯t see anything that¡¯s useful. There are a bunch of rotten barrels and crates, which wouldn¡¯t even be useable as a makeshift battering ram. There¡¯s a bunch of filthy rags¡­ equally useless. The only other things around here are my underlings, and it¡¯s not like they can do anything to the grate. Or maybe¡­?This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡­ Nah, I give up. With a dejected sigh, I leave the grate and start heading towards the surface. It should be nighttime soon, so I figure I should try to get some shopping done before all the stores close for the night. Players may not need to sleep, but NPCs still do. This is why the developers had to skew the ingame nighttime so much since the player density is the highest when people are asleep in the real world, and they can¡¯t do any shopping if the shops are always closed. This also means that ingame nighttime is all about performing kill quests or go dungeon diving. Coincidentally, that¡¯s also the best time for a Thief Lord to operate since players don¡¯t skulk around the shops too much. Removing my Villain¡¯s Mask, I order my underlings to stay in the sewers and guard the entrance. It should be the safest place for them since hardly anyone is supposed to know about it. Exiting the sewers, my lungs inhale as if they never tasted fresh air before, replacing the musky sewer air with fresh salt air. ¡°Oh god, that smells nice¡­¡± I mutter while grinning like an idiot. I¡¯ve never been a fan of nasty smells, which is why I never bothered raising zombies when I was playing as a Necromancer. I stand still in the shadows of the tavern, smelling freshly cooked meat drift through the kitchen window. The sensual stimulation in this game is just so-. The sound of rapid footsteps approaching breaks me out of my trance and causes me to spin around, staring horrified at the nearby alley. As my heart is about to escape through my mouth, a familiar-looking dwarf appears around the tavern corner. ¡°Oh you little bastard.¡± I sigh while clutching my chest. ¡°You scared me half to death.¡± Staring at me with a serious expression, the mute Beggar nods once before a blue window appears before my eyes. Your Agent (Dwarf Beggar(2)) has uncovered a secret! A Widow¡¯s Grief. Job type: Heist. Difficulty: Medium (?). Deadline: 21 Days. Rewards: 150 Experience, Unknown. Two fortnights ago, Sergeant Joseph Davvins of the Town Guards was killed on duty. Stricken by grief, his wife has found solace at the bottom of a bottle. Rumours have it that Sergeant Davvins truly adored his wife, spending his meager paychecks on spoiling her with luxurious gifts and jewelry. Their two-storey house stands empty and should be ripe for a plucking. Do you wish to accept this job? A Thief Lord exclusive job! I grin like a maniac as I read through the job specifics. Oh¡­ My smile falters. I had similar sorts of quests when I was playing as a Necromancer, and I still find it slightly creepy what they ask of me. I didn¡¯t have much problem stomaching it when I had to plunder tombs or desecrating holy places, but robbing the widow of an honest man who died making the city a safer place? They may be virtual, but it¡¯s a tough moral pill to swallow for me when my dad is a retired police officer. It¡¯s not that I won¡¯t do it though. Morals or not, it¡¯s still just a game. No matter how you look at or rationalize it, it¡¯s not real. Some people may call it a morally gray area, but in reality, I don¡¯t see it as a question of morality at all. The NPCs are fake, designed to be targets for my entertainment. The players all know what they are getting into, be it as the victim or the perpetrator. If you don¡¯t like it, then don¡¯t play. Robbing this grieving widow blind isn¡¯t, in reality, a bad thing to do as it has no consequences and it doesn¡¯t hurt anyone. It would in real life, but here it doesn¡¯t. Making these choices while being aware of the consequences and repercussions doesn¡¯t make me a psychopath or even a bad person. I¡¯m exploring other avenues of morality in itself. I would say it¡¯s a good thing. Healthy, even. Losing myself in internal philosophical debates is a bad habit of mine I¡¯m afraid, causing me to miss the fact that I¡¯ve been standing face-to-face with a hobo in the middle of an alley for almost five minutes straight. I dismiss the Beggar to go out and keep doing his thing, but not before I tell him to report to me every three hours. Keeping a tight leash on my underlings is important to me during these early levels since I don¡¯t have that many of them, and I never know when I might need them. It would do me no good if the Beggar got lost for days on end looking for jobs that might not even be here. Departing in the opposite direction of my Beggar, I hurry towards the marketplace. I¡¯m quickly burning daylight, and I really need to get some upgrades to my underlings¡¯ or my own gear if I want to increase the success chance of my new job. You never know when things go sideways on a job, and that goes double when you have everything to lose. The noob district¡¯s marketplace is not far from the Tavern, as they are both located in the same quadrant of the district. It hardly qualifies to be called a marketplace though, as it¡¯s pretty much only four small stores placed around a small cul-de-sac at the northern part of the peninsula. Jingling my full sack of coins, I grin as I walk into the most popular store: Alf¡¯s Weapons¡¯n¡¯Armor. The store is managed by a burly dwarf named Alf. Big surprise there! The store is pretty much what one would expect from a medieval weapons shop, as rows upon rows of weapons and armor are mounted on racks lining the walls around us. The most expensive-looking wares are hung on a rack safely behind the counter, while the cheap stuff is closer to the exit. The store is starting to empty this late in the day, and there are only two other players in the store as I enter, both haggling ferociously with the stout dwarf behind the counter. Waiting for my turn, I start perusing some wares around the shop while I subtly eavesdrop on the haggling trio. The two players looking oddly familiar for some reason. ¡°These prices are way too steep, sir.¡± A human paladin wielding a two-handed mace says. ¡°It costs as much as two days work peddling crates. It just doesn¡¯t seem fair.¡± ¡°Fair!?¡± Alf snorts. ¡°It took me two days tha¡¯ craft tha¡¯ beauty. Don¡¯t come ere¡¯ sellin¡¯ me tha¡¯ load of horse crap, boy.¡± He glares at the human player. Huh. I¡¯m slightly surprised the little dwarf isn¡¯t speaking with a Scottish accent as the common fantasy trope dictates. I¡¯m not sure what the hell sort of dialect he is talking, but it¡¯s surprisingly fetching. ¡°But, you¡¯re just an NPC¡­¡± The human frowns. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Kevin. If you piss him off any further, he might just double the prices.¡± The other player chuckles. I notice he¡¯s a short dwarven paladin wielding a copper mace and a dented wooden buckler. ¡°Just pay the man so we can head out and do some combat quests.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s ripping me off!¡± Kevin sulks, glaring back at Alf. ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s life for you. If you want better prices, I suggest you spend one of your skill points on the haggling skill. You¡¯re not getting anywhere like this. Now hurry up, the store closes soon and you won¡¯t find another store to sell you anything until the morning.¡± The dwarven player says, gently nudging towards the door. ¡°But¡­¡± Kevin starts but is quickly cut off by the dwarf. ¡°If we don¡¯t hurry, we won¡¯t have a hope in hell of joining the Dark Pegasus guild.¡± The dwarf crosses his arms, tapping his foot impatiently. Sighing deeply, Kevin relents. ¡°Fine. Have it your way. Take my damn money you old bastard. I hope you choke on it.¡± Kevin grits his teeth while handing over two gold coins to the shopkeeper. ¡°Pleasure doin¡¯ business with ya, boy.¡± Alf grins while swiping the coins out of Kevin¡¯s hand. ¡°Now, piss off. I have work tha¡¯ do.¡± He scowls at the players. Glaring at the merchant, the two players exit the store while Kevin curses heavily under his breath. Right before the door closes, I hear Greg¡¯s chuckling voice. ¡°Calm down, Kevin. I¡¯ll buy you a pint of ale in the tavern before we head out.¡± As the two players exit, Alf turns his attention towards me. ¡°Now, little Halfling. Wha¡¯ can I help ya with?¡± He shows a toothy grin, revealing a set of yellowed teeth, with a lone silver tooth catching my eye. I smile back at the dwarf. ¡°I¡¯m glad you ask.¡± Chapter 11 – Thieves Come Prepared Chapter 11 ¨C Thieves Come Prepared Alf¡¯s eyebrows rise as he sees the silver token in my hand. Wasting no time, he jumps off the small box he is standing on and hurries past me. With efficient movements, he locks the front door, bolting it tight. Turning back towards me, he smiles. ¡°Now, how may tha¡¯ Silver Saints assist ya, little Halfling?¡± He smiles as he calmly walks back to his counter. ¡°I have all sortsa wares, what is ya profession?¡± Slightly taken back by the changing atmosphere, I hesitate for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m a fresh Thief Lord, and I need some equipment for both me and my underlings.¡± I say, slightly skeptical of the obviously criminal shopkeeper. ¡°Ah, a Thief Lord, ya say? I have just tha¡¯ thing for ya.¡± He says while crouching behind his counter, shuffling some unseen boxes around. I lean forward, trying to get a glimpse of what the dwarf is doing. Alf quickly stands back up though, holding a set of basic leather armor in his hands. [Shadowed Leather Armor Set. Common. +25% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Agility, +1 Perception, +1 Dexterity, +0,5 Constitution, +0,5 Strength. Requires: NPC, Rogue Classification.*] Wow, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about! I grin as I read the item description. What I¡¯m looking at is an item set, which is a little different than the gear normal players can wear. Villains aren¡¯t the only class types that can recruit minions. In fact, everyone can. Normal players and guilds can recruit NPCs to function as personal servants, guards, or even form an entire NPC army. All these NPCs need to be individually equipped though, and since it would be an incredibly tiresome ordeal to buy, craft, or steal individual gear pieces like helmets, chest pieces, and gloves, the developers added NPC set items. These set items grant bonuses to the character as a whole while taking up every inventory slot. They scale with every level the NPCs gain, which makes it unnecessary to change them often. The sets can be upgraded though, and their appearances can be changed to include guild symbols, colors, or even style. Customization options are always nice. To clarify: while any player can recruit NPCs to do their bidding, they will never be comparable to the minions of a Villain. Normal players, for example, do not have access to the same sort of powerful buffing abilities that Villains do, and they also have to pay regular upkeep to keep them employed. They are also required to feed their NPCs and give them a proper secure area to rest. This is why most players won¡¯t ever bother recruiting NPCs, but guilds can hire and utilize them to do menial tasks. I¡¯m certain that the Dark Pegasus guild, for example, will eventually replace their player guards at the city entrances with perception-based NPC minions at some point. That¡¯s what I¡¯m hoping for though, as it would make my Illusion spells a much more powerful asset. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± I grin. ¡°Do you have more? I¡¯ll buy as many as I can.¡± Alf returns my grin, rubbing his hands together. ¡°I do, little Halfling. Tha¡¯ right there is just a taste of wha¡¯ the Silver Saints can offer.¡± He walks into a backroom and starts rummaging around. I can hear the sounds of boxes bumping into one another and the crashing sound as a glass jar breaks against the floor. Cursing like a sailor, Alf quickly returns from the back carrying a heavy wooden crate. He lifts it onto the counter, giving me a glance of what is in there. [Heavy Leather Armor Set. Common. +30% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Strength, +1,5 Endurance, +1 Agility, +0,5 Dexterity. Requires: NPC, Fighter Classification.*] [Light Leather Armor Set. Common. +20% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Dexterity +1 Agility, +1 Perception, +0,5 Constitution, +0,5 Strength. Requires: NPC, Ranged Classification.*] My eyes go wide as I reveal a toothy grin. This is excellent! ¡°I¡¯ll take one of each. How much is it?¡± ¡°Seven gold each normally¡­¡± He takes a moment to scratch his chin. ¡°But with a special membership discount, I¡¯ll let ya have them fer five gold n¡¯ two silvers apiece.¡± The air deflates from my lungs when I hear about the steep price. Even with the discount, that¡¯s one hell of a price to pay to gear up a couple of level two underlings. For that price, I can actually only barely equip four underlings, not counting their weapons. Checking my Inventory, I count my meager possessions. Twenty gold, eight silver, nine copper coins, and a painting. It¡¯s not a bad haul, but it still stings to lose this much money this shortly after earning them. Oh well, easy come, easy go. I didn¡¯t really work for most of this gold anyway. ¡°Yeah, only one of each¡­¡± I confirm. ¡°I would also like a shortsword, a dagger, a set of throwing knives, and a crossbow. The best I can get for¡­¡± I do a few quick mental calculations. ¡°Five gold, two silvers, and nine coppers, please.¡± Smiling, Alf once more enters the backroom, rummaging around. The sounds of crates being knocked over and the occasional curse from Alf breaks through the silence once in a while. After a short moment, he returns to the counter and dumps the items in front of me. [Blunted Iron Shortsword. Uncommon. 5-8 Slashing Damage, +1 Strength, +1 Agility. Requires: Strength 10, Level 2.*] [Blunted Iron Dagger. Uncommon. 6-7 Piercing Damage, +2 Agility. Requires: Agility 10, Level 2.*] [Chipped Iron Throwing Knives. Uncommon. 5-6 Piercing Damage, +2 Dexterity. Requires: Dexterity 10, Level 2.*] [Aged Small Crossbow. Uncommon. 9-10 Piercing Damage, +2 Dexterity. Requires: Dexterity 10, Level 2.*] They may not be the most awe-inspiring weapons, but they are all of uncommon rarity, which means they are a step above most weapons available to players below level five. Actually, I¡¯m surprised he brought out these weapons, as I would have assumed they would be worth at least eight gold. Even with the discount, I doubt I¡¯ll have enough. ¡°Ya look troubled, little Halfling. Something tha¡¯ matter? These weapons ere¡¯ are tha¡¯ best ya can get. Don¡¯ try any of tha¡¯ hagglin¡¯ with me.¡± Alf scowls. I raise my eyebrows in surprise. Really? I get everything? ¡°How much?¡± I ask a tad too quickly. ¡°Five gold, two silvers, and nine coppers.¡± He shrugs. ¡­ Well, that¡¯s probably the most suspicious-sounding pricing I¡¯ve ever heard. Am I being scammed here? Something is definitely wrong. No self-respecting criminal would ever give discounts this large, no matter the client.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Why the low prices?¡± I ask, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Customer discount.¡± He repeats with a deadpan voice. ¡°Bullshit. Why are they really this cheap?¡± I frown. Eyeing me suspiciously, he leans in closer. I involuntarily flinch, not too eager to get an ugly dwarf this close to my face. ¡°Let¡¯s just say tha¡¯ items didn¡¯t come ere¡¯ through tha¡¯ regula¡¯ channels. Okay?¡± He says in hushed tones. ¡°Oh¡­¡± My cheeks redden. Now it makes sense. The bastard is a fence! These items are all contraband. No wonder he kept them hidden. What a scam! If anyone with a semi-decent Analyze skill inspects these items, they¡¯ll be notified that the items are stolen, which can be reported to the authorities and will lead to me being penalized. Luckily, it won¡¯t matter much to me since I¡¯m toast if I¡¯m found out anyway, but I have to make sure I don¡¯t flaunt this stuff when I¡¯m walking around as Rynorn Stabberton, crafter extraordinaire. Now that I look closer, I notice there¡¯s a small asterisk at the end of all of the items¡¯ names. Focusing on one of the symbols, the item¡¯s status gets a small addition. [Aged Small Crossbow. Uncommon. 9-10 Piercing Damage, +2 Dexterity. Requires: Dexterity 10, Level 2. *Contraband*] Son of a¡­ there it is. Damn. I should have seen it earlier. I never really ran into this problem as a Necromancer as I didn¡¯t really get any many chances to kill and loot lawful NPCs. Not that I wouldn¡¯t do it if given the chance, but there really just aren¡¯t that many of them around deep inside the Tal¡¯Shalg forest. ¡°I¡¯ll take them.¡± I mutter, handing over all my money. ¡°Pleasure doin¡¯ business with ya, little Halfling.¡± Alf chuckles as he shoos me out the door. ¡°Tha¡¯ Silver Saints appreciate ya patronage.¡± A door slams shut behind me for the second time today, the same amount of times I¡¯ve encountered the Silver Saints. Who the hell are these people? Merchants? Fences? Are they supposed to be a secret organization catering to Villains¡¯ needs? How hasn¡¯t this gone public yet? Questions race through my mind as I can¡¯t make heads or tails of them. What the hell though. This game is much deeper than I thought. When I played as a Necromancer, I never met anyone. And the ones I did meet, I murdered to gain crafting reagents for my undead. I wonder what else this game has in store for me as I progress. One of my main concerns when I started playing as a Villain was the lack of endgame content. Thinking more carefully about it now, I assume there has to be something. Could this be it? Doubtful, but it does seem like an interesting feature. I can¡¯t wait to explore them as I go. With a renewed sense of purpose, I hurry back towards the sewers where my underlings are waiting idly by. Night has truly fallen, and the streets are emptier than earlier. Since most of the NPCs have already gone to bed, there are no quests for the new players to partake in. Several people have already departed the noob district to go hunt outside of the city, while the remaining casual players have retreated inside the tavern and are currently busy spending their hard-earned money on whatever brew Joe is serving. There is a surprising amount of casual players hanging around in the noob district, probably because so many people only need a place to stay while their real-life bodies are sleeping. Reaching the sewers, I carefully slip in and soon find myself in the same musky tunnels from earlier. Noticing my approach, my three combat underlings step out of the shadows, giving me respectful nods while they await my command. Handing out the armor and weapons, my underlings waste no time equipping it. My underlings aren¡¯t supposed to be very talkative, but it still makes my eye twitch that they couldn¡¯t even bother to thank me or at least make some sort of appreciative gesture or whatever. Inwardly sulking, I still shrug it off. At least it technically wasn¡¯t my money that paid for their stuff. Grabbing the crossbow I bought for myself, I carefully inspect it. It¡¯s a solid piece of construction, where the wooden stock is slightly cracked but is still able to withstand the pressure from the two limbs and string. The small metal hook that holds the string back is slightly rusted, but its overall function hasn¡¯t deteriorated. It¡¯s solid craftsmanship, and the damage rating is high. During my exploration of the sewers earlier, I found out that there are actually three entrances to the place. One is located behind the tavern to the northwest of the district, one at the outskirts of the residential area to the east, and one behind the church at the training grounds at the center of the district. Since the Davvins¡¯ household is in the residential area, I see no reason not to use the closest exit. Making our way through the sewers, we come across a couple more packs of sewer rats, wasting no time murdering them for the experience. I have to say, the combat capabilities of my underlings skyrocketed after gaining the new gear. I¡¯m fairly certain they are at least at the same level as any regular player at the moment. Adding in our numerical superiority, I don¡¯t envy whichever poor bastard we run across. This actually annoys me a little. When I played as a Necromancer, I never really had the option of acquiring weapons and armor of this quality for my skeletons. Apart from a few sets of gear I got from doing some of the class-unique missions for Necromancers, the majority of my skeletons were practically naked. It makes me think: Did I overlook some sort of way to buy fenced goods as a Necromancer? Or maybe there was some other, hidden way to get some decent equipment. As it stands now, my Thief Lord underlings are vastly superior to any number of equivalently geared skeletons. Could I have prevailed against Anna¡¯s party if I had the same option of gearing my minions? I¡¯m not above using pay-to-win methods to get ahead, especially since winning makes me rich. Ah, damn it. I guess I shouldn¡¯t think about it too much. Going down that particular rabbit hole won¡¯t do me any favors. Reaching the sewer exit near the residential area, I decide to exit first. I¡¯m not too afraid of being discovered as I doubt any player would realise I¡¯m not who I say I am, but it wouldn¡¯t be much of a stretch for people to connect the dots if a player suddenly emerges from a hole in the ground with a bunch of NPC criminals in tow. As I once again taste the fresh evening air, I have a look around, finding nothing of interest. The residential area is all but deserted since the NPCs should already be fast asleep. I open the sewers and signal for my underlings to follow, and the four of us are soon cowering in the shadows of a two-storey house. I don¡¯t yet dare put the Villain¡¯s Mask on, as we still have a short way to go, so I order my underlings to keep a fair distance to me as to not raise any suspicions. It¡¯s not far, and the trek goes smoothly without encountering anyone. We soon find ourselves in a denser part of the residential area, with several houses almost built on top of one another, hugging the exterior stone wall of the keep. I click my tongue as the architect of this place should be jailed for completely ignoring any and all fire safety regulations. The Davvins¡¯ household is located in the middle of a row of the buildings, with the only accessible entrance being a door and two windows at the very front. I was hoping I could slip in unnoticed from a back alley, but I guess this is the reason the job difficulty rating was rated at medium. The street is deserted enough, so I guess it won¡¯t matter. I¡¯m not comfortable with it though, so I need to take certain precautions. Since the house should be empty, then I doubt I need to bring everyone in with me. Not only is there probably not that much room inside, but if a fight were to break out, then I doubt our superior numbers would give us a big advantage. Therefore, I need to select a minion to be a lookout. And who¡¯s better at such a task than my Spotter? Looking around, I spot a small one-storey house across the street that has a good vantage point of the Davvins¡¯ household. I have my Hoodlum help my Spotter climb on top of it, which should give him a decent view of both the house and the street up front. With his height, as well as using his ¡®Mark Target¡¯ skill, he should be able to give us a timely warning if anyone approaches, while still keeping him hidden on top of the dark roof. Content with the placement of my underlings, I take a deep breath. I don¡¯t think there is any reason to postpone this heist, and the longer we linger out here, the greater the risk of being discovered. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m completely comfortable with this, but this is something that I need to get used to. What sort of self-respecting Thief Lord is afraid of stealing things? This is what I signed up for, and I won¡¯t back out now. This is necessary if I am to ever accomplish my dream. Steeling my resolve, I order the Cutpurse to take point. The rogue is the only one with a lockpicking skill, making him essential if this plan is to stay covert. He soundlessly makes his way across the street and starts working on the lock. My skin starts to crawl as the anticipation is getting to me. My eyes dart from side to side, trying to spot any guards which I subconsciously know isn¡¯t there. It feels like forever until my Cutpurse finally gives the all-clear signal, gesturing for the Hoodlum and me to follow. Slipping the mask on, we quickly cross the street. The adrenaline is finally kicking in. ¡°Let¡¯s do this shit!¡± Chapter 12 – The Heist Chapter 12 ¨C The Heist My Hoodlum takes point as he enters the house. My Cutpurse and I follow suit as we fan out, flanking the Hoodlum who stands prepared for combat. As expected, the house seems to be deserted. We are currently located in what I assume to be the house¡¯s living room. There are two chairs and a table taking up the prominent position at the center of the room, with a small fireplace placed neatly in a corner. A small staircase leads to the second floor, while a single open door at the back leads into what I can glimpse is a kitchen. The room is quite dark, but there is enough ambient light coming from gods know where to make us able to not stumble around in complete darkness. You just gotta love game logic. The house isn¡¯t really that big, but it is bigger than what I can see. Houses like this usually have a larder and a basement, so I assume these must be accessible from the kitchen at the back. Since the Job description mentioned that the riches in this house are mainly Jewelry, then the most likely location for these are in the bedroom upstairs. It would be stupid to only check the bedroom though, so I order my Hoodlum to start checking around for any valuables downstairs, while the Cutpurse and I start clearing out the second floor. The most important part of stealing is to always secure the most valuable possessions first in case something goes wrong and we have to bail. Making our way up the stairs, my heart skips a beat as the wood creaks with every step. I doubt anyone can hear it, but it could have been catastrophic if the wife was still at home, sleeping upstairs. Perhaps I should invest some skill points into a fleet-footed skill or something, or maybe I just shouldn¡¯t personally participate in heists like this in the future... Ah, who am I kidding? Of course, I will participate. This is exhilarating! Reaching the top, we find ourselves in a small hallway with three closed doors spaced evenly alongside it. There¡¯s one large double door to the right of the hallway, which is most likely leading to the master bedroom overlooking the main street. To maximize our efficiency, I have my Cutpurse start looting the two rooms on the left side of the hallway while I open the door to the master bedroom and slip in. My assumptions were correct as I find myself in a lavishly decorated bedroom with a fancy king-sized bed taking up the majority of the room. The sheets seem to be made of silk, which is ridiculously expensive in this time era. I wonder if it¡¯s lootable? Glancing over the rest of the room, I quickly locate what I¡¯m looking for. There¡¯s a small jewelry box resting on top of one of the nightstands, beckoning at my eyes to take a closer look. It¡¯s a fancy looking box, hand-carved from polished oak, with a colored glass handle and several engraved wooden roses carved into the exterior of the box. Damn, I¡¯m definitely taking the box as well. It must be worth ten gold at the very least. I inspect the box. [Small Adorned Jewelry Box. Rare. Container. 10 Slots. Permanent Item.*Contraband*] It¡¯s a permanent item! And a rare one at that. Permanent Items will never disappear from the gameworld even if they are removed from your possession. Most items in the game that have been generated by the system for the players, like loot, will always disappear from the game if it¡¯s left lying around the game world for a few hours. It¡¯s a cleanup feature to remove unwanted items no one bothers to pick up to avoid cluttering areas and suck up an unnecessary amount of the game¡¯s processing power. There are of course exceptions to this, like if you put them up for auction at an auction house, in a bank, or place them in permanent storage containers like this jewelry box. These items are vital for Villainous players as we are unable to use banks to store our possessions. We need to store our items in a storage container and instead hide them away somewhere. These boxes can be looted by anyone, so it¡¯s important to take precautions and spread your loot around so other players won¡¯t stumble upon it too easily. But anyway, why am I standing around here thinking about boxes when there are treasures inside? Grinning like a fat kid in a candy store, I open the box, gazing at the treasures inside. I am not disappointed. [Engraved Silver Ring. Uncommon. +2 Charisma. Requires: Level 3. *Contraband*] [Amber Necklace. Rare. +4 Charisma. Requires: Level 3. *Contraband*] [Dealer¡¯s Signet. Rare. +2 Luck, +1 Dexterity. Requires: Level 3. *Contraband*] My eyes go wide with surprise. These items are all insane! What gives? It¡¯s just from a medium, low ranked job. These rewards are way better than what I got from the Necromancer missions. Is it because the Thief Lord is more reliant on funding? Perhaps¡­ When I think about it, I may not have gotten too many personal items playing as a Necromancer, but I did get a lot of free weapons and crafting materials for my undead. Those things should actually have been worth a fortune to a normal player too. Is this the difference between a Thief Lord and a Necromancer? It sort of feels like a scam; like this could easily be exploited by someone. Who says someone isn¡¯t already? Since these jobs are class-specific, I will most likely almost only get items that are useable by my class. There aren¡¯t too many classes out there that are reliant on Charisma and Luck, but there are some. It probably also doesn¡¯t speak well for me that all of these items have been automatically marked as contraband, meaning if any regular player would use it and it was discovered, they would receive a hefty punishment to their Renown, and their items would automatically get dropped at death, regardless if you are a Villain or a regular player. You can¡¯t even sell them or auction them off, as no auctioneer would accept stolen goods. The items are essentially almost worthless unless you actually use them and don¡¯t die. Maybe this is why the items are more powerful than whatever I gained as a Necromancer? It certainly is riskier to operate within the bounds of a city. Could it be that the higher risk gives me better rewards? Hmm. I need to do some research on this. Assuming my hypothesis is correct, then I guess it¡¯s not really that exploitable after all. I sigh. And here I am, getting riled up over nothing. The items are still good though, and the ring and necklace alone should be enough for me to recruit another underling. I just need to reach level three first. For now, though, let¡¯s see what else I can steal! Immediately moving over to the bed, I try to see if I can swipe the bedsheets. Placing my hand upon it, I receive a prompt. [This item cannot be looted.]If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Damn¡­ Shaking my head in disappointment, I start going through their dressers. There are a lot of clothes here, and not all of them are lootable. I come across two different item sets that show great promise. [Embroidered Formal Dress Set. Uncommon. Per level gain: +2 Charisma. Disguise: Hides class and reduces Infamy Level to 0. Requires: Female NPC. *Contraband*] [Embroidered Formal Suit Set. Uncommon. Per level gain: +2 Charisma. Disguise: Hides class and reduces Infamy Level to 0. Requires: Male NPC. *Contraband*] Woah, these are nice. I¡¯ve heard of these types of items, and they are perfect for my underlings. They don¡¯t offer much in a combat scenario, but the disguise function makes them perfect for moving my NPCs around. The disguises are far from foolproof, and they are quite susceptible to Perception checks, but they are making it easier for my underlings to move among other NPCs nonetheless. I still shouldn¡¯t have my underlings follow me while wearing it since that will look ultra-suspicious, but it might make it easier for them to hide around town. I spend a good ten minutes going over the room, and I find a small pouch of coins tucked away at the back of a sock drawer. Opening the bag, I count one gold coin, six silver, and eight copper. Not a bad haul at all, considering I already stashed the jewelry and the box in my inventory. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything left in the room, and I don¡¯t have enough Perception points to look for any hidden compartments. I should probably have my Cutpurse go through the room more thoroughly afterwards. I am just about to head back into the hallway when I notice something red at the corner of my eye. Turning around quickly, I realise it¡¯s the red outlining of three humanoid shapes approaching the house from the outside. My stomach drops as I hurry over towards the window, glueing my eyes to the translucent glass. My gaze quickly moves over towards the three shapes, and I can just barely make out their features. A stumbling woman is escorted by two armed and armored men. It looks like she is flat out drunk, and two guardsmen are escorting her home. Shit. Could that be the wife? My stomach twists itself as I hold my breath. The three shapes are nearing our building. As they get closer, I can catch glimpses of their conversation. ¡°You just had to get us involved in another social quest, didn¡¯t you Greg?¡± A man complains. ¡°And it had to be the slowest moving escort quest in the entirety of the noob district. Really¡­¡± The other, shorter man is supporting the unsteady woman. ¡°What can I say, Kevin? I¡¯m a sucker for easy experience. Sue me. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s that far. We probably make more exp in this short amount of time than we would be killing rabbits outside the city gates.¡± ¡°Easy experience? That tavern keeper was more stingy on the exp rewards than he was at tapping ale. I¡¯d rather tell that old bastard to shove the quest up his-¡± Kevin starts before Greg cuts him off. ¡°Stop trying to piss off all the NPCs, Kevin. One of these days, your Renown points will end up in the negatives if this keeps up.¡± The shorter man snaps at him. Kevin clicks his tongue but says nothing. The odd trio walks on in silence for a few more meters until they come to a stop. And, of course, it is right outside this place. ¡°Madam¡­ Mam¡¯? Mrs. Davvins? Is this your home?¡± Greg asks the shambling NPC woman. ¡°Huh? Who¡¯s there? Is that you, pumpkin? Are you back? How dare you¡­ It¡¯s not funny¡­¡± The woman says incomprehensibly. Losing her footing as she halfway falls over the shorter man. Kevin snorts. ¡°Of course¡­ This is the house marked on the map. Let¡¯s just ditch her here and go collect our reward already.¡± ¡°One second, I¡¯m just gonna make sure she gets in all right.¡± Greg steps forward and grabs the door. ¡°Oh hey, it¡¯s open! That¡¯s one hell of an easy quest. All right, Mrs. Davvins, are you sure you can get to bed on your own?¡± I freeze as I realise what kind of shit I¡¯m in. Those two are players! If they find out I¡¯m in here, then I¡¯m fucked! Ignoring the rest of the conversation, I hurry out into the hallway, quickly making my way downstairs to intercept the woman. By the time I reach the top of the stairs, a female shriek fills the evening air. ¡°Fuck!¡± I mutter as I leap halfway down the stairs. What greets me is Mrs. Davvins standing in the door, clutching the door frame as she screams her lungs out. The room has been thoroughly tossed, no doubt by my Hoodlum who just appeared in the kitchen door. ¡°What¡¯s the matter!?¡± I hear Greg¡¯s voice shout from the outside, all the while Mrs. Davvins is screaming as if her life depended on it. ¡°Crap!¡± I hastily cast ¡®Calm¡¯ upon her, just to try and shut her up before she attracts any more players or guards. ¡°What¡¯s going¡­ Oh shit!¡± Greg exclaims as a thin gray mist surrounds Mrs. Davvins¡¯ head. ¡°A Mage!¡± He yells as he grabs Mrs. Davvins, pulling her out the door. ¡°Fuck!¡± I hiss as I equip my crossbow and rush down the last steps of the staircase. I can hear my Cutpurse following behind me, and my Hoodlum is already charging headfirst at the door. ¡°Crap, shit, fuck!¡± This situation just spectacularly went to shit. The Hoodlum breaks through the door, eliciting yelps of surprise from the two players outside. ¡°Mobs!¡± one of them yells before I hear the sound of metal striking metal. ¡°Don¡¯t let them get through the door! Aegis!¡± He yells, stopping my Hoodlum dead in his tracks. ¡°Power str- Ouch, fuck! Someone threw a knife at me!¡± The other voice yells in a panicked voice. I finally reach the door, clutching the door frame as I look outside. I feel a brush as the Cutpurse pushes past me, joining the fray. ¡°There¡¯s more of them! We need to find cover!¡± Greg yells as he blocks an overhand strike from my Hoodlum. ¡°Why the fuck are there so many mobs here in the noob district!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know! Help me with this bastard!¡± Kevin shrieks as he struggles to avoid my lunging Cutpurse. ¡°There¡¯s too many of them!¡± Greg stands his ground as the Hoodlum tries to find an opening in the dwarven paladin¡¯s guard. ¡°Calm down, Kev! They¡¯re only level two. We can wear them down. Just keep an eye out for the mage!¡± He shouts as he takes a step back, expertly dodging a flying knife coming from behind. ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Kevin yells. His wide eyes locking onto me. ¡°That¡¯s a Thief Lord! Run, fucking run damnit!¡± The human paladin screams as he turns around and starts bolting down the street. ¡°What? Where the fuck are you¡­ Come back here!¡± Greg shouts at Kevin who is already long gone. He blocks another strike from the hoodlum and takes a step back to avoid my Cutpurse from flanking him. ¡°You fucking asshole!¡± He yells as he too turns around and starts running. No fucking way you are. I raise my crossbow and take a shot at the departing Dwarf¡¯s back. It¡¯s a clumsy shot, but with the short distance and the wide shoulders of the dwarf, it doesn¡¯t take much for the shot to connect. Greg stumbles forwards, momentarily dazed by the sudden impact from the bolt slamming into his back. Capitalizing on the situation, my Hoodlum tackles the dwarf. The two crash into the ground as my Cutpurse joins the fray. With Greg pinned to the ground, it doesn¡¯t take long until his long string of curses is cut short by the combined efforts of my underlings. [You have slain Dwarven Paladin - Gregorious Ironguard(3).] ¡°Crap!¡± I shout as I look around. Between the scream and the ensuing combat, several of the nearby houses are starting to come to life. I can hear several surprised shouts coming from somewhere down the street, and I can see candlelight appearing in nearby windows. ¡°Let¡¯s get the fuck out of here!¡± I shout as I start running back towards the sewers entrance, my underlings following suit. My heart is racing as the surge of adrenaline is moving me forward. An alarm bell is chiming in the distance as more and more of the residential area is starting to stir. Players should be starting to flock around en masse soon, and I need to reach the sewers before that happens. Luckily, since the noob district is so ridiculously small, we reach the sewers in only a little over a minute. Diving headfirst down the hatch, I soon find myself gasping for air as the remainder of my underlings climb down after me. ¡°Fuck!¡± I wheeze as I¡¯m trying to regain my breath. ¡°What the fuck do I do now!?¡± Chapter 13 – Guild Master Chapter 13 ¨C Guild Master The sounds of a quill scratching against parchment are the only thing that disturbs the still evening air. The guild master of the Dark Pegasus guild is making the final adjustments on their plans for turning Drenerys into the richest city in the Emperia Empire, and even the entire continent as a whole. It isn¡¯t the largest city, but its prime location is what makes it ripe for a long term investment. Aria prides herself on her strategic capabilities, and it¡¯s what made her able to climb the corporate ladder even though she has barely reached her mid-thirties. Being on the board of a large pharmaceutical company, her life has already been set for a century to come. It¡¯s not good enough for her though. What good are power and money if you can¡¯t enjoy what you¡¯re doing? Why settle for something good, when the best is within reach? That¡¯s why Aria decided to change her pastures, so to speak. When Ascendance Unlimited was first revealed, she didn¡¯t think much of it. Not until her younger sister Anna showed up unannounced in her office one day and started blabbering about them needing to spend some quality time together. While she has always had a soft spot for her little sister, she was about to throw her out when something Anna said caught her attention. When she heard Ascendance Unlimited was funded by several of the most influential technology companies in the world, she knew she had to investigate. Increased automatisation and digitalisation have rendered several professions obsolete during the last two decades, which has caused the unemployment rate to skyrocket. Society needed to adapt, and that called for a need to find alternative ways to keep the obsolete parts of the workforce occupied. No one knows who came up with the idea to create a self-sustaining economy in a virtual world, but it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. The virtual economy of Ascendance Unlimited may not target the poorer members of society, but if the rich and adventurous find something more fun to do, it opens up opportunities for the rest. Society always finds a way to adapt and balance itself after all. Like Aria, powerful companies around the world have flocked to the game, investing millions of euros to take control over this virtual economy. It¡¯s kind of amusing, really. The rich and powerful will always flock around any and all economic avenues that have the potential to make money. Even something as surrealistic as an economy based on a virtual game. Everything must be controlled. Some people wonder if things are going too far when politics and money can corrupt something as simple as a video game. No matter the reason, it will still happen. It¡¯s the natural order of human society. People will do anything to get an edge, and Aria isn¡¯t denying she¡¯s one of them. She just needs to do it better than everyone else. Which is why she has spent three months fortifying herself in Drenerys. She has over a thousand guild members at her command, and she has a large administrative supporting structure to manage and build the local economy and infrastructure. She has invested hundreds of thousands into this game, and everything needs to be perfect. She won¡¯t settle for anything less. So why then, is there an alarm bell going off in the middle of the night? She shifts in her seat as she gazes through her office window. Something doesn¡¯t feel right. ¡°Benjamin, get in here.¡± She calls for her aide. Her office door opens as a small human male with a potbelly enters. He has short black hair, brown eyes, and a plump face. He may look harmless, but he is a very attentive and intelligent man. Some may wonder why anyone would bother creating a character that looks so¡­ less than average, but that¡¯s Benjamin for you. Benjamin has been Aria¡¯s aide since she attained a middle-management position at the pharmaceutical company. There is no one she trusts more. Benjamin has never been much of a gamer, which is why his character is still stuck at level one. His character¡¯s appearance is near identical to his real-life appearance. Why he would even want that is because he feels comfortable with his own looks. Yeah, he¡¯s kinda weird that way. ¡°You called, madam?¡± He asks, his face showing no hints of emotion. That is something Aria has always respected about him. ¡°Why is there an alarm going off in the noob district? Are we under attack?¡± She asks sternly, trying to imitate Benjamin¡¯s emotionless tone. Benjamin¡¯s eyes go blank for a moment as his hands move around in the air in front of his face, no doubt checking the guild chat log. ¡°The night shift at the gate reports that a Thief Lord has been spotted. There are two witnesses, both of them are being escorted here as we speak, post-haste. They should be here within ten minutes.¡± Aria¡¯s fists clench. Thief Lord. She can¡¯t stand that annoying class. The general population may not have realised the power that accursed class holds, but she is painfully aware. The individual power, the high stealth capabilities, and the ability to cause major damage to a booming economy may be the greatest threat to her new trade empire. She cannot let those pests run loose in her city which is why she has ordered a quarantine of all the nearby spawn points. Both Drenerys, Karlrys, and three lesser towns are all being guarded by Perception-specced players under her employ. ¡°Have every guild member in the city with a Perception attribute of at least thirty gather at the gate of the noob district.¡± She says through gritted teeth. ¡°Everyone? I don¡¯t think our members will appreciate taking time off leveling their characters to look for a freshly spawned Thief Lord.¡± Benjamin says calmly. Aria frowns. She knows it¡¯s not the most efficient use of her resources, but she hates loose ends. ¡°Tell them we pay them twenty gold per hour. That should mollify them for a bit.¡± ¡°Twenty?¡± Benjamin raises his eyebrows. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit much?¡± She frowns. ¡°Just do it. We need to make an example of what happens to Villains in our territory. Now, go find those witnesses.¡± Benjamin nods once before he turns around and exits the room, closing the door carefully behind him. As the door slides shut, she releases a deep breath. Those damn Villains. The worst thing about this game. Just yesterday, a level thirty-eight Necromancer was killed right outside the city walls. It was a small miracle that Paul¡¯s team managed to kill him before he razed an entire village. She dreads to think about what would happen if the attack had succeeded. How many more of those vermins are scattered about? What if a level thirty-eight Thief Lord is scurrying around right under her nose? Cursed beings. She will root them all out. She starts pacing around the room. Pacing around aimlessly is a bad habit of hers when she receives bad news. It helps her think, but it also makes her appear weak to her peers. There is nothing she despises more than weakness. She comes to a stop next to the large office window, and she lets her gaze linger at the noob district peninsula in the distance. After a short few minutes, there¡¯s a knock on the door. ¡°Enter.¡± She says calmly, but loud enough to be heard. Still staring out the window.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Benjamin opens the door and enters. Two low-level players follow him, a human and a dwarf; both paladins. The two lowbies look nervous as they both shift their weight from one foot to another. ¡°These two gentlemen are nicknamed Gregorious Ironguard and Kenwin Smiteman; both level three paladins who just started playing Ascendance Unlimited.¡± Benjamin introduces the two players. Aria turns around, giving the two players an ice-cold glare. ¡°Uhm¡­ P-pleasure to meet you, guild master. You can call me Kevin.¡± The human male stutters while bowing. ¡°Oh¡­ Pleased to meet you, miss. Just call me Greg.¡± The dwarf follows suit. Aria sighs. She doesn¡¯t like it when people suck up to her. She doesn¡¯t want them to act informally though, but if they could just grow a spine and some balls, that¡¯d be great. ¡°Tell me about the Thief Lord. Leave no details out.¡± She says sharply. The two players hesitate for a moment until Greg speaks up. ¡°Uhm, I didn¡¯t see the Thief Lord. That was Kevin. All I can say is that he used some sort of spell, and he had at least three minions at level two. They were well geared in basic armor, and I believe their weapons were enchanted too.¡± The dwarf says. ¡°How do you know their gear was upgraded if you just started playing the game today?¡± Benjamin cuts in. Flustered, Greg¡¯s cheeks redden. ¡°Uhm¡­ I have watched a lot of videos online before I could afford to buy the game¡­¡± He mutters. Aria frowns. Basic armor and enchanted weapons for three level two minions? That¡¯s impossible for a Thief Lord at that level. Nothing in the noob district can generate that amount of money. At least not if the Thief Lord is only level two, possibly three. There is also no way they would have access to that amount of gold without visiting the exchange office in the market district in the main city. There is no feasible way for a Thief Lord to get out there, get that sort of money, and then come back again. Not without having a secure entrance and exit point or outside help. She already knows there are no exits she hasn¡¯t covered. She made damn sure to map out every single possibility of leaving the noob district. Is this an infiltration attempt from a rival guild? Is it sabotage? Treason? She can¡¯t know. What she does know though, is that rooting out this Thief Lord as fast as possible just became a top priority. She noted one thing though. ¡°Are you certain you saw a spell? What kind?¡± ¡°Yes. We were on an escort quest, and just as we dropped the NPC off at her home, she started screaming. When I followed her into her home, I noticed someone cast a spell on her. I¡¯m not sure what kind of spell it was, but the NPC immediately stopped screaming. It might have been a silence spell of some sort. I immediately pulled her out, and that was when the minions swarmed us.¡± Greg says. His back standing straighter. Good. At least this guy isn¡¯t completely incompetent. The Thief Lord must be a mage type then. It¡¯s not a common choice since it¡¯s not the stealthiest option for the class, but it¡¯s not unheard of. Since none of the Thief Lord underlings can use spells, then it must have been the Thief Lord himself who cast them. That¡¯s good though, as a focus on spells means they will not have the ability to specialize in stealth skills. This might not be a smart Thief Lord after all. Still, she refuses to underestimate her opponent. ¡°Kevin. Tell me about the Thief Lord.¡± She says through gritted teeth. ¡°Leave no details out.¡± With his body trembling, Kevin swallows once. ¡°Uhm. I-I didn¡¯t get a too good look at h-her¡­¡± He stammers, visibly uncomfortable with talking to her. Aria sighs. What a spineless wimp. ¡°Her? Are you certain it¡¯s a her?¡± She asks. ¡°Oh, uhm¡­ positive.¡± His cheeks redden. ¡°Her face was covered by a mask, but I know a female dwarf character when I see one. It¡¯s definitely a her.¡± He says a bit more confidently. A dwarf Thief Lord? Really? That makes no sense. The dwarves gain bonuses to Endurance skills, as well as earth and holy magic. None of those skills are applicable for a Thief Lord mage. Is this a ruse? ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t a Halfling or a Fey?¡± She asks the dimwit-... Kevin. ¡°Positive.¡± He nods eagerly. ¡°One hundred percent! I have always prided myself in my good eyesight.¡± He grins. ¡°Do you have a recording that can verify this?¡± She asks, not quite trusting the guy. Keeping the ingame recording feature of your gameplay on at all times is a necessity for all serious gamers, as you never know when you need to get some sort of proof of your claims, a video to analyze and learn from a mistake or tough fight, or a video of a great battle to post online to gain fame and money. ¡°Err¡­¡± He hesitates. ¡°No, sorry. I didn¡¯t think to turn it on yet.¡± His smile falters, looking slightly ashamed. Aria sighs. This incompetent fool. A dwarf Thief Lord with a mage speciality? Really? It¡¯s a terrible match. Horrible, in fact. No sane player would ever play it like this. Assuming it¡¯s a sane player. Who knows? It might be a terrible noob, or maybe it¡¯s a player that is too clever for her own good. Playing something stupid as a dwarf Thief Lord with a mage specialization is so ridiculous, no one would suspect you of being one. Could it be so stupid it¡¯s actually genius? ¡°What about you?¡± She directs her attention towards the dwarf. The dwarf perks up. ¡°I have the footage. I didn¡¯t get a look at the Thief Lord, but you can clearly see the minions I fought.¡± He says. Good. At least there is some small hope for these idiots. ¡°Thank you. Benjamin will give you an email address where you can send your recording. Is that all?¡± She asks the two players. ¡°That¡¯s all, we think.¡± The dwarf answers. ¡°Good.¡± She closes her eyes to collect herself. ¡°Now, what do you want as rewards? Gold? Gear?¡± This time, Kevin doesn¡¯t hesitate to answer. ¡°We would like to join your guild!¡± He blurts out, his face turning beet red. ¡°If you would be so kind, miss.¡± His gaze moves to the ground in front of her feet. ¡°Please¡­¡± He adds, weakly. Joining her guild? These two muppets? Granted, the dwarf looks semi-competent¡­ but Kevin? She already despises him. ¡°Our guild has a minimum level set at level twenty.¡± Benjamin says curtly, coming to her aid. She appreciates it, but she needs to look at the bigger picture here. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She says. ¡°I reward loyalty. You may join, but we have certain demands of you in return. Benjamin will inform you of the specifics afterwards. Please go down and wait in the lobby. I must speak to Benjamin in private.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The duo bows and hurries out the doors, not even bothering to close it behind them. Aria¡¯s lips curl into a sneer. ¡°Revolting.¡± She snorts as she steps back to her desk, leaning against it. Benjamin hurries to close the door shut before he turns back to Aria. ¡°What are your orders?¡± She frowns. ¡°Are the Perception players in position?¡± ¡°They will be shortly. One moment, please.¡± Benjamin says as his eyes once more go blank. ¡°We have gathered sixty players, all with a Perception attribute above thirty. Your sister and her team are also present.¡± ¡°Good. Have them start a purge of the noob district. Have them double check any female dwarven players, and knock on the door of every NPC residence to find out where they are hiding. Have some of our rogues break into some of them if they suspect them of hiding there.¡± She says. ¡°Oh, and also keep an eye out for any halfling or fey player.¡± She adds as an afterthought, not quite trusting Kevin¡¯s eyesight. ¡°It will be done.¡± He nods. ¡°What about the sewers?¡± The sewers, huh. They probably should be checked too, but only as a last resort. She doesn¡¯t want the sewers to become common knowledge just yet as it holds great strategic value. Only her upper leadership, as well as her sister and her group, know about it as of yet, and she trusts them all completely. She doubts the Thief Lord could have found her way into it, as the entrances are very inconspicuous and well hidden, but you never know. Her countermeasures aren¡¯t fully completed down there yet, but it should be enough on the off-chance the Thief Lord stumbled upon it. ¡°Hold off on checking the sewers until the sweep of the noob district is complete. If you don¡¯t find anything, have Anna¡¯s team head down there and clear it.¡± ¡°As you will, madam.¡± Benjamin says as he turns around to exit. He halts in his steps. ¡°What if we can¡¯t find the Thief Lord?¡± He asks. Aria frowns, letting her gaze move towards the window, looking towards the noob district in the distance. ¡°Then you look again.¡± Chapter 14 – Hail Mary Chapter 14 ¨C Hail Mary I slump down next to the tunnel wall, pinching the bridge of my nose as I try to collect my thoughts. I screwed that one up royally. I can¡¯t believe those players just happened to receive an escort quest that just happened to be about bringing the widow back to her home at that exact time. What are the odds? I was only in there for like ten minutes. Fifteen more, and I would have been long gone. Was this the reason the difficulty rating was higher than most tutorial quests? Did the quest have some sort of invisible timer? I sigh. Whining about things I can do nothing about won¡¯t help me. I need to analyze what good came of it, and how I can rectify it in the future. First of all, I need to be more wary about unforeseen consequences. If the target returns back home in the middle of the heist, then I need to take some precautions. Perhaps next time, I shouldn¡¯t toss the living room first, and instead, have a few rogues hidden in the shadows to quickly and efficiently eliminate anyone who stumbles upon us. What just happened was sloppy, and I should know better. When the players arrived, I was unprepared. I should have had a larger secondary force outside, ready to assault them in a surprise, two-pronged attack. My Spotter did an amazing job breaking up their blockade of the door, but I didn¡¯t manage to successfully intercept and kill them before they discovered I was a Thief Lord. Ah, yeah. I shouldn¡¯t have revealed myself. While I¡¯m certain my cover remains intact thanks to my Villain¡¯s Mask, that doesn¡¯t mean the players couldn¡¯t gain other information from seeing me. While the Villain¡¯s Mask does hide my identity, it doesn¡¯t change my general appearance or clothes. If I¡¯m going to be this reckless in the future, then I might as well just pack up my shit and give up now. I sigh as I get back onto my feet. The alarm bell is still ringing outside, so I figure I have to lay low for a while. I need to figure out what my next move is. The smartest option would probably be to hide my underlings down here while I head up into the Tavern and rent a room for the night. The problem with this plan, however, is that the other players should be on high alert. There is no way for me to know if any Perception-based players aren¡¯t already swarming the streets above. I could, of course, stay down here and kill rats for a few hours, but the Dark Pegasus guild knows about these sewers. If they are truly on high alert, then what is stopping them from coming down here and look for me? It would be impossible for me to hide, and I doubt I could put up much of a fight against a bunch of high-level players. I frown as I try to come up with a better option, but I get nothing. They are both risky choices, so I figure I should just do what gives me the best short term reward. Killing rats for a few hours and level up. Content with my choice, I get to my feet with a smile on my face. I¡¯m about to order my underlings to start hunting when a familiar chime rings in my head. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Hey Ryan, where are you at?] I furrow my brows. That¡¯s an odd coincidence. I need to tread carefully here. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Hello, Anna. I¡¯m currently sightseeing in the city. What¡¯s the matter?] I have learned from my previous mistake, and I have given a lot of thought into possible responses and lies I can tell that won¡¯t raise any suspicions of where I am, who I am, or what I¡¯m doing. Actually, I have created an entirely fictive persona about the enigma that is Rynorn Stabberton. Since I have already sort of stumbled into being portrayed as a fifty-three-year-old man, I decided to just roll with it. If anyone asks, I am Raymond Wells, an office clerk from Manchester, England. I have a deep fascination with contraptions and the art of engineering, and I am currently obsessed with developing ingame traps. I have a grown daughter studying medicine in London, and my late wife died of cancer last year. Due to my grief, I prefer not to talk about my real life. It¡¯s simple, relatable, and it hopefully won¡¯t raise any eyebrows. Nothing is as boring as a middle-aged man going through a late mid-life crisis after all. At least, that¡¯s what dad usually says. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Oh, so you haven¡¯t heard? A lot is going down in the noob district at the moment. The whole guild is riled up about it.] Oh no. That doesn¡¯t sound good. I can feel a knot starting to tie in my chest. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Yes, I can hear the bells. Is it something bad?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Yeah, it seems like someone spotted a Thief Lord, and I wondered if you had seen anything suspicious. My whole party is on our way to try and root them out.] Oh crap. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: They are sending a single party of high-level players to kill a player in the noob district? That sounds a little like overkill, doesn¡¯t it?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Oh it¡¯s not just us. My sister brought in over sixty people to do a full purge of the entire noob district.] ¡­ WHAT!? [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Oh, alright. It sounds like you kids have your hands full. Is there anything I can do to help?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Thanks, Ryan. The guild chatter says the Thief Lord is a female dwarven mage. You wouldn¡¯t happen to have seen anyone who matches that description, have you?] A female dwarf? What the-... I frown as I scratch my head. Are they really looking for me? Who the hell would play as a dwarven Thief Lord¡­ are they idiots? [Rynorn Stabberton writes: No, I can¡¯t say that I have¡­] I hesitate for a moment, until a quick idea springs in my mind. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Actually, I did see a female dwarf when I went sightseeing. I met her near a small stone balcony overlooking the ocean to the south, next to the keep. I had a lovely conversation with her about rock climbing. Lovely lady. Could she be the one you are looking for?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Oh! That might be it! Thanks a lot, Ryan! If I find her, I¡¯ll be sure to split the reward with you. I gotta go. Ttyl! <3] Oh shit. Was lying like that a mistake? What happens when they don¡¯t find a dwarven female? No matter. I have bigger fish to fry. No, actually, I have an entire whale, three sharks, and a dozen goldfish to fry. If over sixty players are looking for me, then I doubt they will give up easily. That sort of manpower means they are serious. I need to get out of the noob district as fast as I possibly can. But how will I do that? The wagon idea is a complete bust. There is no way they won¡¯t be triple checking anything that goes through that gate tonight. Finding some sort of jump or rock climbing skill is also far too unrealistic, as I neither have the time, nor the patience to grind such a boring skill, and the steel grate is as solid and impenetrable as ever. How else can I get past? By force? Ridiculous. I would be torn apart before even making it near the gate. Then what else is there? I start massaging my temples as I run a bunch of scenarios through my head, each one riskier than the other. Each and every one of them ending in my bloody death. ¡°If only there was some sort of skill¡­¡± I mutter as I feel a headache starting to build. ¡°Something that could hide my identity for just long enough for me to be able to walk past the guards. Something like what my Beggar has.¡± I frown, feeling the stress get to me. If I could just trade places with my Beggar for a few minutes, all my problems would be solved. But that idea is ridi-...You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ... Hold on. Hold on one moment. I squint as my mind races. Wasn¡¯t there a skill for this? I quickly open up my Thief Lord skill list, scrolling down until I find the skill I am looking for. Doppelganger ¨C Instantaneously switch position with an Underling. Range: 1 meter + 0,2 * Skill level. Cooldown: 10 Minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. That¡¯s it. That¡¯s the hail mary I¡¯ve been looking for! I grin as I quickly come up with a plan. My Beggar should easily be able to just walk straight past the guards at the entrance. If he could then make his way down to the shoreline and find the sewers exit, then walk up to the grate from the other side, then I can just use this skill and switch places with him! I already know the sewer exit is near the ocean because of the puddle of seawater I saw in the tunnel earlier. It should also be accessible from the outside since someone should have actually been able to construct the sewers in the first place. Also, the skill description says nothing about being unable to switch places through solid objects. It¡¯s perfect! This can actually work! Or maybe it¡¯s too simple? Damn. The Dark Pegasus guild has already invested considerable resources into all this. Could they have predicted this all along? Possibly. The Doppelganger skill has a severe distance limitation which makes it pretty much useless as a means to escape anywhere else than past the grate. I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it to manually make my way down the steep cliffs surrounding the peninsula, neither would I be able to sneak past the guards near the district¡¯s only exit. Surely, using Doppelganger to get past the grate must have crossed their minds, but what if it doesn¡¯t matter? I already know that they think the sewers are a secret to no one but a select few in their guild. I also know that it¡¯s hard to predict that a Thief Lord figured out how to get past it, even if they knew about the sewers to begin with. There are dozens of Villain classes to account for, and I don¡¯t recall any other class has the means for short-range teleportation. How can they know if I¡¯m even able to get someone on the other side of the grate to actually swap places with? There are too many variables for them to be able to account for everything. I think this could work. Worst case scenario: the Dark Pegasus guild installed a second grate further back, making it impossible for me to sneak an underling past to begin with. They could also have placed a guard on the other side, but that seems highly unlikely. Hiring players to guard a secret entrance must be ridiculously expensive. And that¡¯s not even considering it would make it harder to keep the sewers a secret for long. Setting up a second grate must also be expensive; at least until their player blacksmiths are of a high enough level to make grates of their own. The city is huge, with lots of entrances to the city from both land and sea. Freshly spawned Villains is the least of their concern. Their resources must be spread thin all across the city. I also bet that in the future, when the sewers do become common knowledge, the player population down in the sewers would be dense enough for it to be impossible for a Villain to fight through them all without getting spotted. There is no better alarm system than people after all. I snort. I think this might work! What do I have to lose by trying? Nothing. If this plan is to work, then I have a lot to do. First of all, I need to hurry up and reach level three, and I need to get hold of my Beggar. I could almost kiss myself for ordering my Beggar to report to me every three hours, which by now means that he should arrive in about an hour or so. Hopefully, I can stay hidden for long enough. Completing the heist also gave me a large chunk of experience going towards level 3, and it shouldn¡¯t take too many rat kills for me to reach it. Which reminds me, I should probably check the quest notification. The Job: A Widow¡¯s Grief is Successful! Subtle as a cat or violent as a thug. Thief Lords can do either. You managed to secure your objective without killing the wife. While combat was inevitable, you did not handle it with grace, and the streets of Drenerys run red with the blood of Travellers this night. Rewards: 150 Experience, (7) Pieces of equipment, (13) Crafting reagents, (2) Miscellaneous Items, 2 Gold, 8 Silver, 8 Copper. [Mentor has leveled up to Novice 3.] [Calm has leveled up to Novice 2.] That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s better than I expected, I frown. How did I gain so many rewards? I look over towards my underlings, sort of expecting the mute men to respond. Almost as if on cue, the three underlings pull several items out of their own inventories. With a befuddled expression, I inspect the items. [Officer Guardsman¡¯s Shortsword. Uncommon. 8-10 Slashing Damage, +2 Strength, +2 Agility. Requires: Level 4. *Contraband*] [Officer Guardsman¡¯s Chainmail Set. Uncommon. +45% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +2 Endurance, +1 Strength, +1 Perception, +0,5 Agility, +0,5 Dexterity, +0,5 Charisma. Requires: NPC, Fighter Class. *Contraband*] [Painting. Novelty Item. #21. *Contraband*] 6x [Flour. Common Cooking Ingredient.] 3x [Egg. Common Cooking Ingredient.] 4x [Pork. Common Cooking Ingredient.] [1 Gold coin, 2 Silver.] What the¡­ Loot! I forgot they could steal things on their own as well! I grin. This is fantastic. It seems like my Cutpurse found the late guardsman¡¯s weapon and armor in one of the side rooms, while the Hoodlum raided the kitchen for ingredients and swiped a painting from the living room. They both found a few coins as well. If I wasn¡¯t currently stuck in a serious situation, I would be thrilled. Who knew heists could be this lucrative? I stash the items in my inventory and order my underlings to get moving. I can sort all these items out later, but now I have things to do. As we move further down the tunnel, I decide to open up the basic information from my status page. Status: Name: Rynorn Stabberton - Class: Thief Lord (Trap Maker) Race: Halfling - Level: 2 Health: 50 - Mana: 220 Experience: 260/300 - Renown: N/A After completing the quest, I¡¯m not far from leveling up. I only have forty exp to go, which should only amount to killing six or seven rats. That should only take me about twenty to twenty-five minutes. That leaves me half an hour to wait for my Beggar to reappear. I¡¯m not sure how much time I have left until the Dark Pegasus guild finds me down here, but I know I have to make it snappy. We pick up the pace as the low-level sewer rats hardly put up a fight against my well-armed underlings. It¡¯s more like a massacre than a fight really, as the rats were never supposed to be strong monsters in the first place. It only takes us a little less than twenty minutes to jog through the majority of the sewers, slaughtering over half a dozen rats. [Congratulations! You have reached level 3!] [You have gained 3 free Attribute Points and 1 Skill Point!] The familiar blue window appears as expected, and I waste no time in putting my new skill point into acquiring Doppelganger, as well as placing two attribute points into Luck and one into Charisma. Since I am finally able to equip the jewelry from the heist, with another point into Charisma, I¡¯ll have thirty points in total. This both increases my attributes by leaps and bounds and will allow me to recruit two new underlings as soon as I can find another tavern in the city somewhere. I open up my attributes page, confirming my sudden spike in power. Attributes: Strength: 5(5-10%) - Endurance: 5 - Agility: 5(5+1-10%) Dexterity: 19(5+4+13/75%) - Perception: 5 - Intelligence: 28(5+30/75%) Wisdom: 5 - Charisma: 30(21+6+10%) - Luck: 13(10+2+10%) Unassigned attribute points: 0. My character is starting to shape up nicely. As much I would love to just stay down here and grind rats for the remainder of the night, I need to start making preparations for meeting my Beggar. I refuse to be caught with my pants around my ankles again, and I need to come up with a proper plan. I make my way over towards the exit behind the tavern. This is the place I ordered my Beggar to show up near, and it¡¯s also the exit I¡¯m most familiar with. If I am ever going to be able to pull off this act of desperation I¡¯m calling a plan, then I need this meeting to go smoothly. I can already taste victory. Only a little over half an hour to go. What could go wrong? Chapter 15 – Escape! Chapter 15 ¨C Escape! Sticking my head out of the hatch, I observe the surrounding area. There are quite a few hiding places around here, and- My thoughts are interrupted as I hear rapid footsteps approach from the short alleyway connecting the sewer entrance with the main street. It¡¯s far too early for it to be the Beggar. Quickly closing the lid, I put my ear as close as I can to a small crack between the hatch and the surrounding cobblestone, trying to figure out who just appeared. The footsteps come closer, and I can hear a couple of people talking. ¡°Oh, gee, no one here either¡­ What a surprise¡­¡± A female voice whines. ¡°Danny, can¡¯t we just head into the tavern and grab a few ales while the rest of these suckers look for this lowbie scum?¡± ¡°For the last time, quit your whining, Rachel. If the guild leader ever found out you were slacking, then you can kiss your paycheck goodbye. Let¡¯s just hurry and get this over with. We have five more alleys to check.¡± A muffled male voice responds. ¡°Gee, spoilsport¡­¡± The woman snorts as the two voices gradually disappear back down the alleyway. I wait for a few moments to make sure they are truly gone before I peek my head back up, once more looking around the alley. By my estimation, the Beggar could return anytime between ten and thirty minutes from now. Since this alley has already been checked recently, and I assume the Dark Pegasus guild is professional and organised enough to search in a grid pattern, then there isn¡¯t any reason to believe anyone will come by anytime soon. I climb up into the alley, quickly followed by my underlings. We decide to take up a defensive position, covering the only angle of approach. Finding the ideal location for my underlings, I move my Spotter behind a few crates where he gets a good view of the alleyway. My Hoodlum takes up position around the corner of the tavern, ready to intercept any would-be attackers as they appear. My Cutpurse hides in the shadows on the other side of the alley neatly tucked away in a dark spot between two neighboring houses. I briefly consider using the disguise items for a moment but decide against it. With all these high-level players moving around, it would serve no purpose. We sit and wait idly for what feels like the longest time. I constantly check my ingame clock, counting each and every minute. The longer we wait, the harder my heart beats. After twenty minutes, when I think I¡¯m about ready to get a heart attack, my Beggar comes strolling down the alleyway. Releasing a deep breath, I undo my ¡®Chameleon¡¯ spell and head up to greet him. The little dwarf doesn¡¯t have any new missions to report, but I couldn¡¯t care less at the moment. I quickly lay out my orders to have him walk past the gate and locate the sewer exit that should be somewhere on the eastern side of the peninsula. I tell him to find the grate and sit tight beside it. And for good measure, I tell him not to touch the grate by all means. I¡¯m not willing to see my plans go down the drain because of some tragic mistake like that. Nodding to confirm my orders, the Beggar turns around and heads down the alleyway. I wait until he makes the turn around the corner, vanishing from view. Good. Hopefully, he will reach the grate in ten to fifteen minutes or so. It seems like I¡¯ll be able to make a clean exit. No sooner have I thought those accursed words before the tavern¡¯s back door swings open, and two men steps through. My heart threatens to jump up and through my mouth as I instinctively cast ¡®Chameleon¡¯ on myself once more. [Chameleon has leveled up to Novice 3.] ¡°Jesus Christ, Chris. Why the hell are we sneaking out the back?¡± One of the men, an elf, says in hushed tones. The other man, a human male wearing brown linen clothes snorts. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want those bastards to see me leave before they realise I nicked their- Oy, Who goes there?¡± The human man shouts as he notices movement in the corner of his eye. His eyes soon widen in surprise as he catches my Hoodlum mid-swing, aiming for his companion¡¯s throat. The elf hardly has time to react as he realises the danger too late, the sword connecting with his exposed throat. He reaches for the large gash on his throat with a shocked expression, unable to utter a single word before the Hoodlum follows up by impaling him on his sword, ending his life in an instant. The human male takes a step back, dazed by the sudden death of his friend. He fumbles as he tries to grab his sword, his arms not really responding to his commands. When he finally manages to get a grip on the hilt, he yelps in pain as a throwing dagger embeds itself in his shoulder. ¡°HELP!¡± He screams as he stumbles backwards. That is all he manages to do though as my Cutpurse finally reaches him, slitting his throat in one efficient stroke. [You have slain Wood Elf Rogue - SneakyPetey(2).] [You have slain Human Fencer - Dullabullaby(2).] ¡°Fuck!¡± I curse as their bodies disappear. I don¡¯t know if anyone heard the man¡¯s scream, but it doesn¡¯t matter. It won¡¯t be long until they respawn and call me out. Then the high-level vultures will swarm this place. Shit. I need a diversion. Thinking quickly, I only manage to come up with one solution. I have my underlings unequip their weapons and armor and hand it over to me. I give them back their starter weapons and order them to take up their old positions covering the alleyway. It makes my stomach twist that I have to do this, but I don¡¯t think there is another way. I have to sacrifice their lives to stall for time. I climb back down into the sewers and start jogging down the dark tunnels. Time is not on my side, and I¡¯m a sitting duck without any underlings to assist me. I only make it about a hundred meters down the tunnel before three windows appear before my eyes. [Your underling (Human Hoodlum(3)) has been slain by UpYers(45).] [Your underling (Human Cutpurse(3)) has been slain by RollinsHood(45).] [Your underling (Wood Elf Spotter(3)) has been slain by RollinsHood(45).] Shit! That was fast. I curse as I pick up my pace. I jog as fast as the slippery sewer tunnels allow. I stumble upon a pack of level two sewer rats after half a minute, who immediately turn their blood-red eyes in my direction. ¡°Fuck! I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± I mutter as I equip my crossbow. Raising it to my chin, I loose a bolt at the nearest rat, but the small target nimbly dodges by jumping to the side. ¡°Shit!¡± I curse as the other rat charges at me. I deliver a kick in its direction which hits it square in the face, sending the little critter flying. Not one to idle on my success, I quickly turn back towards the first rat which is already charging at me. In a rushed motion, I try to punt it away using my crossbow as a makeshift golf club, watching as it connects and slams the poor rat into the tunnel wall on the other side. ¡°Holy crap, I didn¡¯t think that would work.¡± I gape at the stunned rat.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Distracted by the sudden turn of events, I fail to notice the second rat who has already recovered from the kick. Bursting forward, it climbs my foot and sinks its fangs deeply into my thigh. [Your right leg has been Crippled. Decreases movement speed by 30% for five minutes.] ¡°Ow, fuck that hurts!¡± I yell as I grab the rat, forcefully yanking it off my thigh and chucking it as far as I can down the tunnel behind me. Before the rats can re-engage, I hobble down the tunnel, clutching my injured leg. ¡°Spread out! He must be in here!¡± Their shouts echo down the tunnel behind me, signalling that the players have managed to find the sewer entrance. Cursing with every step I take, I increase the speed of my hobbling. Luckily, I don¡¯t run into any more rats, but I can hear the shouts of my pursuers grow ever closer. Reaching the central chamber, I quickly enter the tunnel leading further down to the lower level. It feels like I¡¯m only running on the fumes from the constant adrenaline rush I¡¯ve had for these last few hours, and my mind starts to blur from the exhaustion that threatens to knock me out cold. It takes longer than I am comfortable with to reach the bottom, and I slow my pace as I peek into the large room. I have no idea if Pug the Pugilist has respawned already, and now would be a really bad time for me to accidentally trip over him again. The room is still littered with broken boxes and random piles of rags everywhere. I don¡¯t see anything that stands out, but I hesitate in trying to decide what to do. Should I take my time, meticulously making my way around the edges of the room, or should I charge across, crossing my fingers and hope for the best? I¡¯m not comfortable with either choice, and my chaotic state of mind does nothing to help with my decision-making ability. The voices behind intensify in volume as they seem to make the decision for me. Gritting my teeth, I hobble forward, straight towards the exit corridor where the steel grate awaits me. My heart slams against my chest as I hold my breath, quietly expecting one of the piles of rags to rise to its feet and start attacking me at any moment. Eventually, after what feels like an eternity, I reach the other side of the chamber, finally allowing me to release my breath in joy as I¡¯m still in one piece. Praising my lucky stars, I hobble down the tunnel and around the final corner. ¡­ The Beggar isn¡¯t here. My body freezes as my mind struggles to comprehend the situation. I¡¯m too early. What do I do now? I lean against the wall, my knees finally giving in as I slide down the wall. Shit. Is this it? Do I really fail right in front of the finishing line? I sit still and stare down the tunnel behind me. The shouting is growing ever closer, and I can almost pick up short glimpses of what they are saying. In one final desperate push, I activate ¡®Chameleon¡¯ and close my eyes, waiting for my executioners to arrive. ¡°The Elite mob is dead, someone has been here recently. Search the corners!¡± A strangely familiar voice shouts. My pursuers have finally caught up with me. Dare I hope they won¡¯t bother looking too closely at this damp wall next to the steel grate? I snort. Honestly, I don¡¯t know what to make of my luck anymore. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean anything, Paul. Ryan was down here a few hours ago. The mob probably hasn¡¯t respawned yet.¡± A female voice responds. Wait a moment? Is that Anna? What are the odds? I smile as I release a defeated sigh. Really. How poetic it is for it to be her that kills me? I snort as I can¡¯t help but chuckle at the irony. ¡°Who¡¯s Ryan?¡± Another female voice asks. ¡°Is it your new boyfriend?¡± I can hear her snickering from all the way over here. Another familiar voice. Could this be those guys? ¡°N-no. He is just a fresh player Brian and I met up in the tavern a few hours ago. He¡¯s nobody.¡± Anna answers, her voice sounding strangely high pitched and stuttery. ¡°What? Isn¡¯t Brian good enough for you?¡± The other woman teases. ¡°What? No!¡± Anna yells. ¡°Uh, I mean...¡° ¡°Uuuh? Did you just get rejected, Brian?¡± The woman laughs. ¡°That¡¯s harsh, even for you Anna.¡± ¡°Knock it off, Rachel. Stay alert. The Thief Lord could be hiding here somewhere.¡± The voice which I assume is belonging to Paul admonishes Rachel. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Whatever. This kinda feels dull after killing that trash necromancer last night.¡± She chuckles. ¡°At least that guy was able to put up a slight fight. What is this level three Thief Lord supposed to do to us, huh? Throw bad intentions at us? I mean come on, really. Why are we wasting our time with this? It¡¯s not worth the price.¡± Rachel complains. Little does she know that the Thief Lord she is talking about is sitting fifteen meters away from her, channeling every single ounce of killing intent he can muster at her. That little bitch. I¡¯ll kill her someday. I swear. Paul sighs loudly. ¡°Marc, take the lead would ya?¡± ¡°Aye, lad. I¡¯ll be charging ahead for ye!¡± A voice responds. ¡°Knock it off, Marc. You¡¯re french, not Scottish!¡± Paul snaps. ¡°Just fucking go already!¡± ¡°It¡¯s called role-playing, ever heard of it, ye stumped twig?¡± Marc grumbles as he starts to move. His metal boots slamming against the hard stone floor of the sewers, causing the echoes to spread far in every direction. I sigh. I suppose this is it. It was a nice try, all things considered. Perhaps I¡¯ll try and reroll as a Thief Lord in another city? It¡¯s not like I lost more than a few hours here. I hear the orc dominions on the southern continent has a few cool options in the desert. That sounds like fun. I open my eyes, ready to face my pursuers face to face. As I¡¯m ready to accept my fate, a small sound of a pebble rolling over the stone floor catches my attention. Immediately snapping my head to the side, I see a frail dwarf dressed in dirty rags walking down the tunnel on the other side of the grate. His posture signalling that he doesn¡¯t have a care in the world. Holy shit! He made it! I quickly beckon for the Beggar to hurry the fuck up as the sound of Marc¡¯s steel boots approaches closer every second. The dwarf quickly closes the gap, and I waste no time activating ¡®Doppelganger¡¯. My vision goes dark for a split second as a vortex of shadowy magic completely envelops my body. When it finishes, I blink my eyes twice in confusion as I suddenly find myself a meter to my side, safely on the other side of the steel grate. I look at the grate, seeing my Beggar standing idle on the other side. It worked! I nearly yell in glee as I remember that I¡¯m out of time. Rapidly hobbling down the tunnel, I slip around a corner just in time before Marc appears around the final bend. ¡°Gotcha, ye little¡­ Huh? A Beggar? What are you doing here?¡± He says, befuddled. ¡°Did you find her?¡± Anna¡¯s voice appears shortly after. ¡°Huh, is that a Beggar? I didn¡¯t know they wandered into the sewers.¡± ¡°Aye, I don¡¯t know. It sorta makes sense though, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The dwarven warrior shrugs. ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Anna hesitates. Against my better judgement, I once more activate ¡®Chameleon¡¯ just as I slowly peek around the corner. I see the pair of high-level adventurers surrounding my Beggar. Marc is keeping him firmly in place with the tip of his weapon. Anna carefully stares at my underling, apparently deep in thought. Her eyes move up, settling on the grate for a few moments. Inspecting it carefully. ¡°The trap is still in effect. No one could have gotten past it.¡± She mutters, more to herself than anyone else. ¡°I wonder who¡¯s tracks Paul picked up though. I didn¡¯t think his tracking skill picked up NPCs¡­¡± She muses, stroking her chin. She stands completely still for a moment, apparently deep in thoughts. ¡°What are you guys waiting for? If she ain¡¯t there, then let¡¯s keep searching. We¡¯re burning daylight people!¡± Paul bellows from far behind. ¡°Ease up, Paul. We¡¯re not burning anything. It¡¯s night time, remember?¡± Rachel laughs. ¡°Arrg, and I was sure we¡¯d find her down here... ¡° Marc mutters as he turns around. ¡°I told you this was a waste of time.¡± Anna shrugs. ¡°I told you Ryan killed Pug on his own. It must have been his tracks we saw.¡± She says as they walk away, their banter soon fading away in the distance, allowing me to finally release my breath. ¡°I made it¡­¡± Chapter 16 – Dream Chapter 16 ¨C Dream ¡°That was one hell of a tough session.¡± I mutter as I push the lid on my capsule open. ¡°I could use a vacation.¡± I get up on my feet and start performing some light stretches. My body is incredibly sore but well rested after staying hooked up for so long. Even though my physical body shows no signs of fatigue, my mind sure as hell does. It feels a little like my brain has become the regular practice grounds for every heavy metal band within a three-kilometer radius. I couldn¡¯t come up with a semi-decent thought even if my life was hanging on the line. I suppose the technical definition of my current state is that I¡¯m a potato. Yup, it¡¯s that bad. Mental exhaustion is a common problem for most people who stay hooked up to the capsule for longer than the recommended amount of time. Your thoughts become erratic, and you are more prone to make mistakes. And that is something I can¡¯t afford to do. It¡¯s why I¡¯ve made a habit of taking several breaks during a day and spread them out over a sensible length of time. Since my character should be in a relatively safe location at the moment, I figure it¡¯s about time for me to take my daily one-hour run. It does wonders for clearing up my mental fatigue, and it helps keep my body from deteriorating too much while staying hooked up to the capsule. As I put on running shorts and an old, well-worn t-shirt, I find myself looking into a mirror. I¡¯ve been trying to keep track of the state of my body for these last three months, and I¡¯m really starting to notice the changes. While I used to be a man on the lower end of the heavy side, I¡¯m now closer to what one would describe as average. Maybe even slightly thinner. I¡¯ve been trying to put my body on a healthy diet when I am hooked up to the capsule since I don¡¯t really feel the same cravings for sweets and fats as I used to. It¡¯s amazing how my mind can completely shut out one desire while it¡¯s actively indulging in another. Who would ever have thought I would one day claim that videogames are the reason for me losing weight? Looking at myself like this, I gotta say I actually look pretty good. Handsome, even. Perhaps I should try and pick up girls now and not in a few months when I probably end up looking like a ghoul? Nah, the game has to come before all else. All ready to go, I grab my keys and some earbuds. Hopefully, the run will clear my mind once more. The morning sun peaks over the horizon as I step outside. It¡¯s kind of chilly, but not as bad as one might expect this late in the summer. It¡¯s far too early in the morning for even the early risers to go to work, but there is still a decent amount of traffic outside. A side effect of releasing technology that eliminates the need for sleep I suppose. Shaking my head, I start jogging down the street while I let my mind tune out as I submerge myself in my favourite music. I jog for about fifteen minutes or so when my phone rings, abruptly cutting off the music. Stopping in my tracks, I fish my phone out of my pocket and check who the crazy bastard who calls someone at five in the morning is. Well, of course, it¡¯s my father. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up dad? You¡¯re up early.¡± I say in a chipper tone. A gruff voice replies from the other side. ¡°Hey son, sorry about that. Did I wake you?¡± He asks. He sounds a little worried about something. ¡°Nah, I got up a little while ago. I¡¯m out for a run. Is something wrong?¡± I ask hesitantly. He clears his throat before he speaks. ¡°Mh, yeah. Something came up. Can we meet somewhere for breakfast? It¡¯s my treat.¡± Okay, this is weird. I get a bad feeling. The last time he acted like this was right before he told me mom¡­ No. I close my eyes. Not going there. I take a deep breath before I wipe the thought from my mind. I quickly gather myself while I try to regain my chipper tone. ¡°Sure dad, is it something serious?¡± ¡°Nothing that can¡¯t be fixed. I¡¯d rather discuss this face to face. Meet up at Jimmy¡¯s Diner in fifteen minutes?¡± He asks. ¡°Uh, yeah. See you there.¡± I reply before he cuts the connection. Okay, now I really got a bad feeling about this. Did he find out I quit my job? How could he? We don¡¯t know anyone in common who knows what I did. At least I don¡¯t think so? Did he stop by my job yesterday without telling me? Questions race through my mind as I start to worry. It¡¯s not that dad is such a scary character, but I would just hate for him to find out this way. I wanted to tell him myself. Ideally, sometime after I struck it big. Does he really know though? It might be something else entirely. But why did he then ask to see me at Jimmy¡¯s Diner? That place is too far away from both my old apartment, his house, and either one of our jobs. It¡¯s actually ideally located near where I currently live. ... Oh fuck, he knows. I wince as a cold shiver runs down my spine. This is bad. My muscles tenses as I start pacing up and down the street. What do I tell him? What can I tell him? I¡¯m not ready for this yet. I need more time. I keep pacing while I draw a few deep breaths. It¡¯s not too late to back out, but I think that would just make the situation that much worse. I sigh. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no way around it.¡± I mutter while shaking my head. ¡°Might as well just get it over with.¡± Turning around, I start jogging back the way I came. From where I am, it should only take me about ten minutes to reach Jimmy¡¯s Diner. It¡¯s a much tougher run than it should be, mostly because my body doesn¡¯t seem to want to cooperate with my head. Eventually, though, I spot the diner in the distance. Jimmy¡¯s Diner is a testament to times long forgotten. There aren¡¯t many places left that still serve customers on location since people most prefer to order food directly to their homes. Jimmy¡¯s Diner has withstood the test of time, mostly because of a stubborn clientele like my father who refuses to adapt to modern society. ¡®You can¡¯t make bacon this good at home, son.¡¯ My father used to say. He might be right, but mostly because normal households can¡¯t supply the amount of grease these diners have spent years collecting. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I prefer not to think about it. Entering the diner, I quickly look around. I spot my father already sitting in a booth by the window. He waves me over, but I notice he lacks the smile he usually shows whenever he sees me. I take a few slow steps towards him, trying to keep my nerves in check as much as I can. I slip into a seat opposite him, his narrow gray eyes locking onto me. ¡°Good morning, Ryan.¡± He says curtly, not breaking his stare. ¡°Morning, dad.¡± I say while smiling weakly. I take a deep breath. ¡°Listen¡­¡± ¡°I took the liberty of ordering you some pancakes.¡± He cuts me off, all the while maintaining eye contact. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ No, that¡¯s fine¡­¡± I mutter. ¡°I see you have lost some weight.¡± He keeps his voice even. It kind of freaks me out that he hasn¡¯t even blinked yet. ¡°Uhm, yeah. I¡¯ve been cutting down on-¡± ¡°And you starting exercising?¡± He interrupts me once more, gesturing at my sweat-stained t-shirt. ¡°Yeah, as I said-¡± ¡°And you quit your job?¡± His voice strains as a deep furrow are uncovered on his forehead. The blood vein on his temple is starting to throb. I sigh. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± He asks. I pinch the bridge of my nose. ¡°Because I wanted to follow-¡± ¡°Are you in some sort of trouble?¡± He cuts in once more, his eyes staring daggers at me. I slam my fist into the table. ¡°Will you just let me explain!?¡± I yell at him, causing the other customers in the diner to look our way. ¡°What is there to explain!?¡± He shouts back at me. ¡°You quit your job and moved into a bad neighbourhood. What possible kind of reason could there be other than something bad has happened to you? Are you using drugs?¡± ¡°What!?¡± I blurt, stunned. ¡°NO!¡± I yell. ¡°Then are you dealing!?¡± He screams at me, his face turning red. ¡°I didn¡¯t raise my son to become a criminal piece of shit!¡± ¡°Will you just fucking listen to me!?¡± I rise to my feet. ¡°I¡¯m not in any trouble! I¡¯m following my dream of becoming a professional gamer.¡± I shout before I get to filter my words. He slumps back in his seat, frowning. ¡°...What?¡± I breathe heavily, resting my arms on the table. My face is turning beet-red. ¡°I¡¯m following my dream of becoming a professional gamer full-time. I want to make enough money off of it to live on.¡± I say, struggling to keep my voice from breaking. ¡°That dream from when you were a kid?¡± He asks, raising his eyebrows. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Dead serious.¡± I say. Glaring at him. My heart is slamming against my chest and my tinnitus flares up, the constant ringing sound cancelling out the sounds from the traffic outside. Dad is just staring at me with an uncomprehending look on his face. We just sit there, staring at each other for a while. My dad with a look of confusion, me with a determination made of iron. We don¡¯t say anything, but I know we are currently fighting a battle of wills. If I flinch now, then he won¡¯t hesitate to break me. ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± He eventually says. ¡°All this for a stupid game?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a stupid game. It¡¯s a way to make ends meet while doing what I love to do.¡± I reply. It¡¯s my turn to keep my unwavering gaze at him. ¡°This is happening, dad. I won¡¯t quit until I¡¯ve exhausted all my possibilities.¡± He takes a deep breath. ¡°You are aware that you are not a kid anymore, correct?¡± He asks, sounding ten years older. ¡°I know. This isn¡¯t about that. It¡¯s what I want to do, dad.¡± I say, the energy draining from my body as I speak. ¡°Your mother wouldn¡¯t have approved.¡± ¡°No. No, she wouldn¡¯t. Not at first at least.¡± I sigh, shaking my head. A knot ties in my chest as I struggle for words. ¡°I don¡¯t do this for her¡­ She would have come around eventually.¡± My shoulders slump as my eyes drops, fixating on the saltshaker on the table in front of me of all things. Our conversation halts as a nervous-looking waitress walk over with our food. She gives us both an uncertain glance before she wordlessly drops the plates off before she scurries off to tend to the other customers. It¡¯s not until that moment I realise how deathly quiet the diner is. ¡°It seems like we made a scene.¡± Dad grunts with a smirk. ¡°It seems so.¡± I grin. ¡°At least it isn¡¯t worse than the time aunt Alice mistook the wasabi for being guacamole.¡± Dad bursts into laughter. ¡°That¡¯s right! How could I forget about it? I didn¡¯t know that prickly old hag even knew that many swear words.¡± He grins. ¡°I hear you. I learned a lot of new things that day that I never could have imagined was possible.¡± I snicker at the thought. The tension leaves my body as things seem to finally return to normal. My dad is actually a kind of cool guy, if not a stubborn quick-tempered cow from time to time. But who among us doesn¡¯t have a few flaws? The atmosphere cools down for a while as we consume our breakfast. We catch up on the latest happenings within the family and trade a few jabs back and forth. My dad has always been a rough kind of guy and hasn¡¯t really ever felt the need to hold back his opinion on anything. A trait some say was passed down on me. I personally don¡¯t see it, but that might just be my father¡¯s genetics talking. It isn¡¯t until we finish eating until my father grows tense once more. Crossing his arms, he gives me a worried look. ¡°Ryan. I need to know where you are heading with this. How long are you going to follow this dream of yours, and what are you going to do if it doesn¡¯t work out?¡± I sigh. ¡°I have enough savings to keep going until the end of the month without any income. If I don¡¯t make it by then, then I will go beg to get my job back.¡± I say. I can feel my throat getting dry just by the thought of abandoning my dream. ¡°And if that doesn¡¯t work?¡± He inquires, giving me a stern look. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take on any job I¡¯m qualified for. I¡¯m not picky. For now, though, I just want to see where this dream takes me.¡± He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. ¡°And there is nothing I can say or do to sway your mind?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± He sighs. ¡°Well, you are a grown man, and I suppose you have to make your own mistakes. Just promise me you¡¯ll quit before it goes too far.¡± He says, giving me a warm smile. ¡°Thanks, dad. That means a lot to me.¡± Chapter 17 – Shanty Town Chapter 17 ¨C Shanty Town We grab a cup of coffee and chat for a little while until I leave the diner. It¡¯s great catching up with dad, especially since we haven¡¯t had much time to talk lately. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my body as well. Not in my wildest imagination could I picture that talk go as well as it did. Perhaps I should have known though. Dad will always be dad after all. Smiling, I decide to walk back home while checking up on some things on my phone. First of all, since I¡¯ve finally managed to reach the city proper, I decide to find some maps and read up on some forums about what I can expect from Drenerys. It doesn¡¯t hurt to have a general map at hand as well as some data on where the best place to set up shop would be. The more interesting part is to find out more about the Dark Pegasus guild. They have really been a thorn in my side, and I need to know my enemy if I am ever going to pay them back. Pulling up their guild¡¯s webpage, I find it surprisingly well made. It¡¯s filled with links to player feeds, images, ads, and a large recruitment post. My eyes are drawn to it, and I can¡¯t help but read through it. The Dark Pegasus is a large guild who aims to become the most powerful faction in Ascendance Unlimited. We number over a thousand strong and we welcome any skilled player who seeks fame and fortune. In our guild, you will find either. If you think you are worthy of joining our ranks, know that we offer a salary if you prove yourself dedicated enough to the guild¡¯s cause. Send an email to one of our recruitment officers today, and have a chance to stand at the center stage when we shape the future of Ascendance Unlimited. Well, I won¡¯t say they aren¡¯t ambitious at the very least. Those are bold claims right there. It doesn¡¯t say much about them, but I have no doubt in my mind that they must have some serious financial backing to be able to offer a salary to a large number of people at this early stage of the game. Is it really that important to get ahead in this game? It seems like an awfully big risk to me, but that¡¯s their choice. I have my own plans for them. The risk factor may be high, but I won¡¯t ignore the fact that a really fat goose is roosting on a faberg¨¨ egg right under my nose. A smirk is spreading across my lips. I¡¯m going to look forward to this. ---------- Logging back in, I find my character sitting just where I left him. Looking around to get my bearings, I notice that my Beggar has caught up to me and is now idling by my side. It probably looks a little suspicious, especially since I¡¯ve already taken my Villain¡¯s Mask off, but I assume no one would bother showing up here anyway. Getting on my feet, I¡¯m finally ready to psyche myself up enough to venture into the city proper. It feels like ages since I started up this character, and it¡¯s weird to think that it hasn¡¯t even been a full day yet. How weird is that? Heading along the coastline, I review the information I gathered after I came back from my run. The main body of Drenerys makes up around ninety-five percent of the city. The rest of the city is the noob zone and the peddlers market right outside the city¡¯s gate. Drenerys is built in a crescent shape around a small bay, divided into seven different districts. The market district is the central most area of the city, and it functions as the major hub for player activity. It¡¯s where you find everything you could possibly need really. All the markets, the auction house, the arena, the bank, the real-life money exchange station, and tons of other buildings. In fact, you will hardly ever see a player outside of this district, the only exception being crafters, people with personal homes like a guild house, or people doing social quests. Well, and Villains of course. Which is what I¡¯m really looking forward to. It should be easier to move around here than it was in the noob district. The last five districts are the Noble¡¯s District to the far east, the general Residential area to the west and north, the Harbour to the south and southeast, the Crafters district to the northeast, and the Shanty Town in the southwest, connecting to the noob district. I did spend about an hour studying a map of the city, as well as watch a few recordings of players walking around the place. My goal is to find an area to settle down in and stay out of the way from other players as well as have a decent enough terrain to both hide and attack with my underlings. The Noble¡¯s District and the Marketplace are obviously ruled out of this, and so is the noob district. The Residential District is by far the largest district and the easiest to hide in, but the problem is that the buildings are packed so tightly together, there are hardly any alleys for me to utilise. The Crafter¡¯s District, the Harbour, and the Shanty Town are my best bets, and I¡¯ve decided to try and set up shop in the Shanty Town. I had to make some careful calculations to land on this choice. The downsides with this district are the lack of commerce, and thus quality grade jobs for me to perform. On the other side, the Shanty Town is created like a maze of shacks and oddly placed warehouses. There are so many places to hide and get lost in that I can be virtually invisible. The major selling point for me though is that it¡¯s the district with the most sewage drains in the entire city. If my guess is correct, the sewers should be pretty similar, if not more complex than the sewer system in the noob district. It could be a potential goldmine of experience points, hiding places, and logistics. It¡¯s exactly what I need to kickstart my Thief Lord career. Luckily, I don¡¯t have to travel far to reach the Shanty Town. I soon find myself treading away from the rocky shore of the noob district¡¯s peninsula over to the half-rotten planks that make up the dockside of the Shanty Town. While technically still part of the Harbour District, the Shanty Town docks are the remnant of the golden era of Drenerys. Once upon a time, Drenerys was a beacon for the Emperia Empire, being the central trade hub connecting the three different continents together. As the Emperia Empire fell on hard times, so did Drenerys. The area used to be a collection of old warehouses, factories, two drydocks, and a shipyard, but now it¡¯s a place where the poor and crippled gather. The city guards have all but given up on the place, and player activity is close to nil. Can you imagine a better starting area for me? It¡¯s infinitely better than the noob district. Honestly. This place should be called the tutorial area for Villains, not the other way around. Speaking of which, I wonder how the search concluded? I open up my friends list and write up a quick message for Anna.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Hello. Did you kids find what you were looking for?] I wait for a few minutes, eagerly waiting for her reply. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Oh hey, Ryan! Why do you ask?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: No reason. It just sounded like it was a big deal. I was worried something bad happened.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Aww, that¡¯s sweet *winkyface*. It¡¯s not much to tell though. We thought we tracked her into the sewers, but there wasn¡¯t anyone there. I was soooo sure about it too. It makes no sense. It¡¯s like she was there for one moment, and then POOF! Completely disappeared without a trace. Can you believe that?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Uhm. I guess? It sounds rough. So you came up with empty hands? Is there a Villain loose in our midst?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Nah. I don¡¯t think so. We did check out your tip around where you saw the female dwarf, but we found nothing. The going theory is that she tried to climb down the cliffs, fell down, and died. That might have been enough for her to delete her character in disappointment. Anyway, I¡¯ve had enough of that entire ordeal. What are you up to? Managed to make me that trap yet? LoL.] I grin. It sounds like everything worked out for the best. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: I have made some progress, but nothing that¡¯s worth your time yet. I think I¡¯ll need a few more weeks and levels first. I was thinking about walking around town for a bit and see if any of these nice people need my help.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: LOL. Are you just going to do social quests for all eternity? My offer to boost you to level ten still stands you know *winkyface* .] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Haha, thanks, but no thanks. An old man likes to take his time and do things his own way.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Awww, worth a shot though *poutyface*. Wanna meet up for a drink or two?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: No, sorry. I will have to take a raincheck. It¡¯s already morning, and I¡¯m late for work.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Aww, rejected *crying*. We¡¯ll definitely talk later. Have a nice day! XoXo.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Have a lovely day, dear.] Wow. Pretending to be an old guy is actually really tiresome. What¡¯s up with this girl though? Does she have a thing for old men, or is it just the way she is? Whatever the reason, she sure is a fountain of information. I am starting to feel a little bad for using her this way, but it¡¯s still a game, right? As a Villain, I am sort of expected to deceive her. It just feels like I¡¯m crossing some sort of line I shouldn¡¯t. Perhaps I should stop using her like this¡­ I shake my head. It may feel wrong, and I will probably try to limit my abuse of our friendship, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a way for me not to gain valuable information by just being near her. She isn¡¯t the most secretive type, and she seems to take and do everything with a light touch. Who knows? She might not even care that I know these things. She probably wouldn¡¯t be too happy about being lied to though, but it¡¯s too late for that now. I open up my friends list and put my online status to appear as offline to everyone. Now that I¡¯ve committed to the story that I¡¯m a fully-fledged adult who is new to the game, then I can¡¯t have Anna or Brian figure out that I¡¯m actually online all the time. It¡¯s not the easiest explanation to have, but I figure it¡¯s easier to explain my odd behaviour by being old and eccentric rather than young and stupid. With all that out of the way, it¡¯s time for me to take the first step on my road to conquering this city. And, to do that, I need to find a tavern somewhere. I make my way through a small cluster of shacks by the oceanside. There is only one street that can be considered proper, and it cuts from the noob district straight through the Shanty Town and into the Market square. That leaves the majority of the Shanty Town as a myriad of makeshift wooden sheds and shacks. The worst of which is closer to the ocean. It takes a good while for me to find my way around. I end up walking into three dead ends, two brothels, and a random mugging. Luckily, I wasn¡¯t the victim in that last one and managed to slither away before the thugs realised I was even there. I eventually come upon an area that seems to be more proper than the other places. It¡¯s probably the only area in the entire district that has several two-storey buildings. This place used to be the headquarters of a local trading guild while the city was still thriving. Now, the houses remain abandoned and the dregs and squatters of society have claimed it as their own. I am about to enter what I believe was the old administrative building of the guild which some entrepreneurs decided to rebuild into a tavern, but not before I send my Beggar off to scrounge up some jobs in the neighbourhood. I don¡¯t need him for this next part, and I don¡¯t like to keep my underlings idle. The tavern is the only three-storey building in the district, and it¡¯s located in front of a series of empty and abandoned warehouses. The tavern has only a handful of customers this early in the morning, but luckily, none of them are players. I give a curt nod to the tavern keeper before I find myself a secluded booth in a dark corner. Giving the room another once-over, I activate one of the Thief Lord class¡¯ core abilities. ¡°Gold for Blood.¡± The life of a Villain is filled with violence. Many will perish, be it your friend or your foe. Life is precious. But, like everything in life, it has a price. You may pay for the blood with gold. Tier 1 Underlings - Costs 5 copper per Underling. -Human Hoodlum(3), Fighter. -Human Cutpurse(3), Rogue. -Wood Elf Spotter(3), Ranged. The cost of resurrecting is negligible, which is why I waste no time resurrecting my three fallen underlings. I could have decided to instead train three fresh recruits, but for only five coppers per life, I¡¯d rather just pay the price than spend hours trying to grind the underlings up to an appropriate level. It may be cheaper now, but the price and penalties get steeper the higher level my underlings get. When my underlings reach tier six or seven, then I might have to consider if I will actually bother resurrecting them at all if they end up dead. That¡¯s how harsh it can be. Playing as a Villain is no joke. It takes a few moments until the front door of the tavern opens and my three freshly risen underlings step in. I get a deja vu moment when they all survey the room with great care until they spot me and head over, nodding respectfully to me as they sit down. I smirk at the absurdity of it all. Not one to waste time on tearful reunions, I open up my inventory and hand each and every one of them back their weapons and gear. The underlings have the same penalties as the Villain¡¯s do when they die, so I need to take special care not to waste both their lives and their gear if I end up having to sacrifice them. Equipping their gear, the trio immediately returns to scanning the room for threats. It still irks me that they never bother to thank me, but I suppose I can forgive them since I actually did get them killed to save my own ass just a few hours ago. Regardless, resurrecting my underlings isn¡¯t the only thing I came here for. It¡¯s about time I expanded my roster, and I have a few great candidates in mind. A budding Thief Lord can¡¯t do whatever he wants without a bunch of loyal henchmen, can he? Chapter 18 – Investing in Lethality Chapter 18 ¨C Investing in Lethality Grinning, I rub my hands together with great anticipation. This is the part I have truly been looking forward to. The most meaningful part of being a summoner type class. Since I have finally gotten around to getting my Charisma attribute to thirty, I am now able to recruit two more underlings. With a final manic smile, I utter my two favourite words. ¡°Recruit Underling.¡± You have entered a tavern located in a naval city. You will be able to recruit Underlings to bolster your ranks. Please select one of the following underling types: [Recruit a Fighter type Underling] [Recruit a Rogue type Underling] [Recruit a Ranged type Underling] [Recruit an Agent type Underling] [Recruit a Specialist type Underling] Make your choice, Thief Lord. Ah, the familiar recruitment window. I have put a lot of thought into what kind of underlings I need, and I believe I have decided on the most efficient option. I need a Specialist. They are the backbone of any criminal organisation, and it¡¯s what differentiates the Thief Lords from most of the other summoner classes. The utility it offers is just staggering, but they also require a lot of time and energy to reach their full potential. Not to mention a buttload of gold. I select the Specialist option. Available Specialists: Tinkerer - Every thief has problems keeping their fingers to themselves. The Tinkerer turns it into an art form. They can craft anything from simple lockpicks to hidden compartments. You need it, the Tinkerer provides. Enchanter - A thief requires a certain set of skills. Skills they may need to get augmented. An Enchanter can provide magical services most enchanters can¡¯t or won¡¯t do. Poisoner - The life of a criminal is filled with strife. Sometimes, you need a little extra to tip the scales in your favor. A Poisoner can brew that extra something. Fence - Are your pockets full of unwanted goods? Allow the fence to lighten your load. Only gold is a suitable replacement. I burst into a wide smile. These options are great. Basically, they are three different types of NPC crafters who can make and provide goods that I can¡¯t buy or steal, as well as someone to dump some of my workload off on. I really love the flexibility they offer, but they have certain downsides. A Specialist won¡¯t level up in the normal way my underlings do, and they don¡¯t learn new things on their own. I have to provide everything for them, be it recipes, crafting materials, or tools to perform their trade. The upsides are that once I have the required resources, they will be able to produce it, no matter what. The only limiting factor is that they cannot craft anything that is beyond my own current level. Yeah, it¡¯s weird, but that¡¯s game logic for you. I have to admit that it would be odd if the Poisoner could create a poison capable of killing a level one hundred player in one hit when I am below level five myself, just because I had deep enough pockets. Games don¡¯t work like that, sadly. Or should I say luckily? Regardless, the options are tough to choose from. I only think I should get one Specialist at a time since I can¡¯t really afford to supply two crafters this early in the game. I will have to prioritize the one that gives me the best short-term benefits. The Fence is out of the question since I don¡¯t really have anything to sell just yet. A fact I am planning on rectifying shortly. I¡¯ve thought a lot about it, and I think the only logical option is the Poisoner since it provides a raw boost to my underlings, unlike the Tinkerer and Enchanter who only provide utility. I need to increase the lethality of my troops, and the Poisoner seems like the most reasonable investment for the job. I select the Poisoner, which only leaves one slot open for a new underling. No matter how much I¡¯d like to get another Specialist, they won¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t have a sufficient combat force. Therefore, I decide to add another Hoodlum to the lineup. I noticed in my fights earlier how strong the ¡®Grapple¡¯ skill is. The ability to immobilize and pin down enemies is invaluable in a fight where the many fight the few. It¡¯s also a fact that I need more high-level meatshields on the front of my combat line. The Cutpurse and the Spotter are both valuable members of any outfit I have, but they are reliant on a frontliner who can give them room to act. After a short while, my two new underlings appear through the door. Much like my other men, these two survey the room carefully before they come to sit by my table. To my surprise, both of my new underlings are female. Not that it matters. This game doesn¡¯t differentiate between genders. Like it should be. Both of them are geared the same way my other four underlings were when they first spawned in. The female Hoodlum has the same spiked club my male Hoodlum had, and her dirty rags have seen better days. My Poisoner is slightly different though. Unlike the rest of my units, the Poisoner doesn¡¯t have the same physique. The woman looks quite frail, even for an elf. With a noticeable hunchback, a hawk nose, and eyes that threaten to pop out of her skull, she almost looks like some sort of caricature of a witch from Greek mythology. I suppose it¡¯s fitting, considering her profession. I inspect them for good measure. [Dwarf Hoodlum(1) - Underling. Fighter. HP: 100/100. Infamy Tier 1.] [Dark Elf Poisoner - Underling. Specialist. HP: 60/60. Infamy Tier 1.] With my little gang up to full numbers, I decide it should be time to get a move on. I won¡¯t be the best if I just sit around admiring my minions all day. I take charge and head out of the tavern, getting a good view of the surrounding area. Ordering my units to take up a defensive perimeter around my Poisoner and walk a fair distance behind me, I start moving closer to the southern edge of the shoreline. My goal for this little excursion is to see if I can find an entrance to the sewers that I assume is here somewhere as that seems to be a prime location for me to grind some experience in relative safety from any encroaching players. We spend the better part of an hour walking from alley to alley, lifting crates, and scouring the ground for any accessible hatch, but we come up empty. I¡¯m almost ready to throw a fit of rage when I suddenly find myself at the southern tip of the Shanty Town, finding a major sewage outlet that appears to lead beneath the harbour. I¡¯m slightly surprised the entrance was this huge, but when I think about it, it¡¯s in a really secluded area. The only people who would bother exploring this far into the Shanty Town most likely wouldn¡¯t look twice at a possible sewer entrance. Who the hell would want to willing enter a sewer anyway, even if it¡¯s virtual? Whatever. Their loss is my gain. I¡¯m eager to finally grind some much-needed exp, and it should be much more comfortable when I don¡¯t need to look over my shoulder every minute.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I have my two Hoodlums take point, supported by my Spotter. The Cutpurse is taking up the rear as the Poisoner and I walk in relative safety at the center of the formation. We pick up a slow pace as I¡¯m uncertain what level the creatures in here are if there even are any. It could be anything, and I¡¯d be really pissed if I end up getting butchered by a bunch of mutated level twenty ratmen or something. The sewers here are pretty similar to the sewers in the noob district, only slightly larger. My underlings can walk four men across with little room to spare, which is enough for us to be able to overwhelm any opponent if they show up. We walk on for about fifty meters until my frontline suddenly comes to a halt. Looking over my Spotter¡¯s shoulder, I keep my eyes peeled for any hostiles. I stare down the dark tunnels for a few moments, spotting absolutely nothing. ¡°What¡¯s the holdup?¡± I ask, not really expecting an answer. The Spotter grunts once as he points to the ground in front of my Hoodlums. Slightly confused, I squint towards the spot he is pointing at. It only takes me half a moment until a red outlining appears around a thin length of rope, stretching from one end of the tunnel to the other. ¡°Shit, is that a trap?¡± I ask, only receiving a mute nod in return. Man, I really need to get myself some real conversation partners. This mute stuff is getting old. I crouch near the length of rope, inspecting it closely. I follow the length of the rope to a small hook which seems to connect to a spiked wooden flail attached to the roof. It¡¯s a really crude and simple trap that couldn¡¯t possibly function in the real world, but it¡¯s a trap nonetheless. I¡¯m almost a little proud of my deduction until I realise I¡¯m masquerading as a trap maker, which means that I almost walked straight into the first trap I ever came across. I¡¯m not sure if I could live up to the shame if I got done in by a trap when I¡¯m supposed to be an expert on such things. I think the reason I couldn¡¯t spot it is because my Perception attribute is pathetically low. The trap looks like a really low leveled one, and I still couldn¡¯t spot it. Luckily for me, I don¡¯t really require any Perception. I¡¯m not a front line fighter, and I¡¯m constantly using my underlings for everything. Since both my Spotter and my Cutpurse have reasonably high Perception scores, they can do all the spotting for me. Even with a low perception attribute, it¡¯s not like my underlings can¡¯t point things out for me like this. It¡¯s actually sort of a godsend since I won¡¯t have to bother investing a single point into Perception going forwards. So¡­ What the hell do I do with this trap? Do I intentionally spring it? None of my underlings have learned a disarm trap skill yet, and I¡¯m not sure if I want to leave it up in case I stumble upon it on my way back. Then again, as long as I remember it¡¯s there, then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem avoiding it, but that might be hard considering the next time we walk through here, we might have a horde of high-level monsters chasing us. Ordering my underlings to take a step back, I crouch and position myself to avoid the reach of the wooden flail. Poking the rope with the tip of my crossbow, I watch how the flail falls from the roof, swinging wide in the direction of where my head should have been. I get back on my feet and order my underlings to keep moving. That trap could have been really effective given the right circumstances, and I need to put some serious considerations into actually investing in a few Trap Maker skills. Maybe I should do it sooner rather than later? I¡¯m abruptly drawn out of my thoughts as a few loud screeching noises echo down the tunnel. Immediately halting in our tracks, my underlings grasp their weapons tightly and start walking slowly towards the noises. We only take a few steps until we come upon a small group of monsters. [Sewer Rat(5). HP ???/???.] [Sewer Rat(4). HP ??/??.] [Sewer Rat(5). HP ???/???.] My jaw drops as the name tags appear. Level four and five monsters!? And it¡¯s three of them? This might be hard. The rats have already spotted us, and three sets of crimson eyes turn in our direction. ¡°Move up! Focus on the level four rat. Try to cripple one of the larger rats and tackle the other one.¡± I shout as I grab my crossbow. My two Hoodlums charge forwards to meet the incoming rats. My high-level Hoodlum grunts in pain as one of the level five rats lunges at his chest, toppling them both over. I loose my bolt towards the level four rat, barely missing as the bolt slams into the ground in front of it. This causes the rat to stagger, however, allowing my Spotter to cripple its leg with a well-aimed knife. Sensing an opening, the female Hoodlum lunges at the level four rat, activating ¡®Grapple¡¯ as she goes. That leaves the remaining level five rat squaring off against my Cutpurse. The rat recklessly charges at my Cutpurse who nimbly dodges at every opportunity. He doesn¡¯t get any openings to counter-attack, but at least he keeps the high-level rat occupied as we try to finish off the remaining rats. I quickly scurry and attempt to reload my crossbow as the sounds of combat intensifies around me. I already know my underlings are severely underleveled, but the enemies are still rats. If I can take out just one of them, my superior numbers should be able to sway the battle in my favor. I finish reloading and raise my eyes once more to survey the battlefield. It¡¯s absolute chaos. My dwarven Hoodlum failed at grappling the level four rat, and the two combatants are busy biting and hammering at one another. The dwarf might have already fallen if it hadn¡¯t been because the Spotter managed to embed two more throwing knives into the soft belly of the rat. The Cutpurse seems to struggle against his opponent as I see he has two fresh bitemarks bleeding profusely from his wrist and left foot. He is still standing though, drawing out his fight against the higher level rat. I frantically look around for my high-level Hoodlum, but I can¡¯t see him. Last I saw them, they were both rolling down the tunnel further ahead. ¡°Fuck. What do I do?¡± I wheeze as I grit my teeth. If I let this continue, all my underlings will die. I raise my crossbow, taking aim at the level four rat. My finger moves towards the trigger when I suddenly hesitate. Fuck. I suck with the crossbow. I¡¯ve hardly hit anything with it so far, and its purpose has only been to momentarily distract the opponent in every fight I¡¯ve had. I can¡¯t afford to miss another shot. My eyes flicker towards the Cutpurse who fails to dodge a lunge from the high-level rat, allowing the rat to ram into his chest, knocking them both over. ¡°Fuck!¡± I curse as I run towards my downed Cutpurse. The rat is crawling up his chest, aiming for his exposed throat. Its fangs are about to descend when my foot mercilessly connect with its head, sending it tumbling backwards. The rat shakes its head in confusion once, before its eyes lock onto me. I didn¡¯t spend my time idle though, as I charged towards its prone body, aiming my crossbow at its face from point-blank range. ¡°Eat this.¡± I sneer as I loose the bolt, watching it impale the rat¡¯s skull. [You have dealt 23 Piercing Damage (Critical Hit!) to Sewer Rat(5).] The rat slumps forwards, stunned by the critical hit. Before it can regain its senses, I slam the stock of my crossbow on top of its skull, shifting the bolt, causing massive damage. The rat rolls over on its back, reeling in pain from my onslaught. Movement appears at my side as my Cutpurse slips past me, sinking his dagger deep into the throat of the dazed rat. Trusting in the advantage my Cutpurse should now have, I turn around and charge back towards the place my dwarf and Spotter struggles against the level four rat. The rat has already taken massive damage, and its body looks like a pincushion from the five daggers sticking out of its body. My dwarven Hoodlum doesn¡¯t fare any better though, and I can¡¯t understand how the little woman is still standing. Wasting little time on worrying about such things, I charge ahead, swinging my crossbow wide as I once more punt the weakened rat over. It tumbles backwards, rolling twice before it comes to a halt. Raising its head to glare at its attacker, its eyes widen as a final throwing knife penetrates its left eye, ending the rat¡¯s life in an instant. Snapping my head back towards the tunnel ahead, I listen carefully for sounds of combat. I rush forward, keeping my eye out for my missing level three Hoodlum. I run for about ten meters when I find a bend in the tunnel. Looking around it, I bear witness to a mortal struggle between my Hoodlum and the final level five rat. My Hoodlum is littered with scratches and bite marks, and a part of his ear is missing. The rat has lost its tail, and there are two deep gashes along its brown hide. The Hoodlum is currently pinning the rat to the ground, while the rat has sunk its fangs deep into the fighter¡¯s forearm. Both of them look like they could keel over at any moment. I only give them a brief glance before I spring to action. Raising my crossbow above my head, I take careful aim before I slam it downwards, putting the full force of the nearly four kilo heavy weapon behind the swing. The crossbow impacts the rat on its belly, causing a large snapping sound to echo against the tunnel walls as the spine snaps in two. Gasping in pain, the rat loosens its hold on the Hoodlum, pulling its head back to screech loudly. My Hoodlum sees this, and quickly thrusts his sword at the rat, impaling its throat. With a wet squelching sound, the rat¡¯s body goes limp as the energy drains from its body. ¡°Holy fuck¡­¡± I mutter as I bend forwards, resting my arms on my knees. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we did it.¡± I say as I let my body slump to the ground. I take a deep breath as I calm myself. ¡°That was terrible.¡± Chapter 19 – Grind Chapter 19 ¨C Grind [You have slain Sewer Rat(4). Gain 25 experience.] [You have slain Sewer Rat(5). Gain 45 experience.] [You have slain Sewer Rat(5). Gain 45 experience.] I shake my head as I get back on my feet. Blood is dripping from my gauntlets, and I have blood splatter all over my linen pants. That fight was brutal. I can¡¯t believe I had to storm the frontlines swinging a crossbow around like a sledge. I look down towards the bloodied crossbow in my hands. ¡°Fuck. This thing is a pretty half-decent bat¡­¡± I mumble as I raise the weapon in front of my eyes, inspecting it carefully. The string has become soggy from absorbing the blood, and the old crack in the stock seems to have become slightly wider. I¡¯m unsure how long it will last until it¡¯s rendered unusable. One thing''s for certain though; it¡¯s not supposed to be used this way. I shrug as I turn my head around and take a look at my surroundings. My level three Hoodlum is resting on the ground beside me, tending to his many wounds. The sounds of combat from the tunnel behind me has ceased, and since I didn¡¯t receive a notification that one of my underlings died, then there is no need for me to rush back. One thing is perfectly clear though. I need to find a better way of fighting. My tactic has more holes in it than swiss cheese. I can¡¯t just run up and hammer away at my enemy as if I am a regular adventurer. I need to fight smarter, not harder. But what changes can I make? I sigh as I pinch the bridge of my nose. If I¡¯m careful, I should be able to fight these monsters up close like this, but I can¡¯t keep an efficient pace since I don¡¯t have access to any healing magic or a versatile group composition. I mainly just have a bunch of bloodthirsty NPCs, but that won¡¯t help me if I have to face a group of skilled players. I think I need to change my character development path, and I need to do it sooner rather than later. I frown as a ton of ideas and potential solutions filter through my mind. It¡¯s not a decision I should take lightly, and I can¡¯t rush into anything. At least I don¡¯t have to make a decision until I actually gain more skill points, so my main concern should be to try and level up as soon as possible. I hear the sounds of the rest of my underlings approach behind me. I turn around just in time to see my units stroll around the corner, their bodies littered with wounds. I wince as I see it, and a short stab of guilt presses against my chest. I¡¯m starting to understand why the game developers decided to make these bandits into puppets rather than seed them with a proper artificial intelligence unit. I¡¯m not sure I could handle being responsible for sending my loyal henchmen into the grinder every fifteen minutes if they showed more signs of sentience. I inspect my underlings, trying to get an overview of how badly the fight went. [Human Hoodlum(3) - Underling. Fighter. HP: 36/140. Infamy Tier 1. Status Conditions: Bleeding x3, Weak Crippling Disease.] [Human Cutpurse(3) - Underling. Rogue. HP: 42/90. Infamy Tier 1. Status Conditions: Bleeding x2, Weak Crippling Disease.] [Wood Elf Spotter(3) - Underling. Ranged. HP: 70/70. Infamy Tier 1.] [Dwarf Hoodlum(3) - Underling. Fighter. HP: 24/120. Infamy Tier 1. Status conditions: Bleeding x4.] Woah, my underlings took a much more severe beating than I thought. I know I had to fight rats once again, but the low-level ones I fought back in the noob district wasn¡¯t quite this lethal. First of all, the noob district rats couldn¡¯t inflict bleeding or diseases, and they weren¡¯t nearly this tough. The difficulty level skyrocketed, but I must admit that I am severely underleveled for this. The good thing that came from this though, is that I got a hefty bonus to my experience gains since I defeated much stronger foes. A few more fights like this, and it won¡¯t be long until I reach level four. It¡¯s amazing that my newest Hoodlum managed to level up in this fight as well, no doubt because of the timely experience boom we received. It¡¯s a good thing too since it looks like she was about to keel over before she leveled up as her health points are nearly depleted. She is just lucky that leveling up increased her health points by twenty. She might have been dead by now without it. As my underlings slump to the ground and start tending to their wounds, my eyes catch the attention of the Poisoner. Being a non-combatant underling, the Poisoner stood idle through that entire encounter. Perhaps it was a mistake to invest in a specialist this early? I don¡¯t really have a job for her. I could have made her carry some loot, but sadly, the rats don¡¯t drop anything. ¡°What am I supposed to do with you?¡± I ask her, not expecting a reply. ¡°Is there even anything you can do? Now would be a pretty good time for you to show off you know.¡± I chuckle as I shake my head. I¡¯m glad no one is around to see this. I¡¯m actually going so stir-crazy, I¡¯m attempting to talk to a- My thoughts are interrupted as the Poisoner starts moving towards the fallen level five rat beside me. She kneels down beside it and starts pushing it around. I move in closer, trying to see what she is up to. The Poisoner reaches for the cut-off rat tail, lifting it up in front of her eyes. Squinting at the limb, she conjures a tiny metal knife and cuts off the tip of the tail, handing it over to me. Dumbfounded by her sudden actions, I inspect the piece of rat tail in her hands. [Tip of a Sewer Rat¡¯s Tail. Common Alchemical Ingredient.] ¡°What the hell!?¡± I blurt out. ¡°You can harvest crafting ingredients?¡± I exclaim in a shocked manner. The research I did on the Poisoner said nothing of this. How is that possible? I frown as I try to comprehend what I just witnessed. This seems like such a simple thing as well. Could it be that no one has discovered this yet? Or perhaps someone has, but they have neglected to tell anyone? That could make sense. It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s an automated feature since the Poisoner didn¡¯t do anything until I asked. Could it be some sort of hidden feature? Any alchemist should be able to harvest ingredients, so why not? It should be one of the basic skills in any profession. It should be obvious. Perhaps it is too obvious? Who brings their Poisoner along on a grinding session anyway?Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I wonder how far this feature extends. Can she harvest any ingredient? Or just alchemical ingredients? Can she then harvest any alchemical ingredient or only those useable in poisons? That might be a feature as well since I doubt every monster I kill will have the potential for producing ingredients I need. Perhaps I stumbled upon it by just pure luck. Regardless, I can use this. This might be the tiny tip on the scales I need that will decide my future development path. Probably not, but one can always dream. First of all, though, I need to obtain those skill points. We sit around for a good fifteen minutes and wait for the status effects to run out and for my underlings to naturally regenerate their hitpoints. It¡¯s a slow process and takes far longer than it should, but that¡¯s the downside of playing as a summoner class with no access to healing. My underlings may be strong, but they would be next to useless in a drawn-out battle. When they are finally done regenerating, and my Poisoner is done collecting the remaining two tail tips, we resume our walk down the tunnel. We take extra care to avoid rushing into another close encounter, so I have my Cutpurse activate his stealth ability and walk on ahead. It shifts our formation, but with a forward scout, I no longer need both of my Hoodlums to stay upfront. We don¡¯t have to walk for more than fifty meters or so until my Cutpurse turns around and heads back. Halting our advance, I wait for my Cutpurse to catch up to us. ¡°How many enemies are there?¡± I ask him. While the underling doesn¡¯t really speak, I learned they can use basic sign language rather well. He holds up a single finger. One enemy, that¡¯s good. ¡°What level is it?¡± I ask. The Cutpurse raises both his hands, showing me six fingers. Damn¡­ That¡¯s a tough enemy. I frown. Luckily, it¡¯s only one of them, but the level difference might be too high for me to make a quick kill. The level difference actually matters quite much in this game as the mobs¡¯ skill levels don¡¯t work quite like the skill levels of players. I suppose adding individual status windows were either too taxing on the game system, or it was too difficult to balance, so the developers added a feature where the skills are exponentially more powerful on mobs compared to their opponents level. I don¡¯t have the exact numbers in my head, but what my level three underlings might consider a tough fight versus two level five enemies, might just be impossible versus the same mob that is just one level higher. A level six enemy has three levels on them after all, even if my underlings are well geared. Personally, I¡¯d rather avoid getting close to the enemy in this fight. Since I haven¡¯t invested a single point into Endurance, my character is super frail. I only have fifty health points after all. That could be enough for me to get one-hitted if the mob uses a powerful ability. Therefore, I decide to hand my crossbow over to my Spotter. I¡¯m a fairly useless shot since I don¡¯t have any skill points invested into it, and my Spotter has a compatibility with all ranged weapons. He should be able to make far better use of it than I. With our preparations completed, I order my underlings to advance at a cautious pace. I put my Spotter upfront, intending for him to initiate the combat with a surprise hit with the powerful crossbow. After a few steps, a small creature comes into view. ¡°That¡¯s not a rat...¡± I mutter, squinting my eyes. ¡°Is that a slime?¡± Up ahead in the tunnel is a small green gelatinous blob the size of a beach ball. There¡¯s a thin transparent film that protects a body consisting almost entirely of a green liquid. It looks like a cartoon warning-label of what toxins should look like. When it moves, the entire body jiggles the same way jelly does when you poke it with a spoon. The only noticeable anomaly is a solid black sphere moving around inside its body. The slime core. I inspect the creature. [Lesser Slime(6). HP: ???/???.] Ouch. That¡¯s a tough one¡­ I have fought slimes before. They are tough foes to fight, as their entire body is acidic, meaning just making contact with it will cause your health points to plummet. They are also prone to launching themselves short distances, attempting to pin their prey to the ground while slowly dissolving their bodies by drowning them in acid. This means that fighting one of these things is incredibly dangerous for any melee-oriented player. The slimes have three weaknesses though. While their bodies are immune to physical damage, their core is the real weakness. It functions as the only organ in their bodies, which is what allows the entire blob of acid to move as one. It¡¯s solid, so shattering it will cause the creature to die. It¡¯s also weak to magic, or any alchemical reagents that can alter the composition of the acidic fluid that makes up its body. Unless it¡¯s using a leap ability, the slime is also pathetically slow, which means that concentrated ranged fire is my only bet to safely take them down. That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to do, but it is going to take a long time, especially since I only have one unit capable of inflicting ranged damage and the slime has a veritable mountain of health points to sustain it for a long time. It¡¯s a battle of attrition. Either my Spotter manages to wear the slime down, or the slime forces us into a corner or catches a stray underling unprepared with a leap. Luckily, I learned how to effectively hunt slimes when I was grinding monsters deep inside the Tal¡¯Shalg forest when I was playing as a Necromancer. The best trick is to surround the slime, having my minions alternate between drawing the monster¡¯s aggro, allowing my ranged minions to safely shave off its health points from a relatively safe position. My Spotter takes aim and shoots a bolt at the slime. The bolt flies true, penetrating deep into the gelatinous body, impacting the core within. Jiggling in surprise, the slime starts gliding towards us. ¡°Go around it.¡± I order my veteran Hoodlum and Cutpurse. They immediately react, splitting up to either side of the tunnel. The Cutpurse takes the lead as he rushes off to the side, hugging the rightmost wall. Sensing his approach, the slime retracts its body, shaking for half a second before it bursts forward, launching itself towards the running Cutpurse. Expecting the attack, the rogue dives forward, using his ¡®Evasion¡¯ skill to narrowly dodge the slime¡¯s body. The slime crashes into the wall, splattering acid in every direction. The Cutpurse gets a few drops on his arm and thigh, and I can see him wince from the pain. The acid isn¡¯t enough to do any major damage, but it should still hurt. With the slime occupied on one side of the tunnel, the Hoodlum effortlessly slips past by the leftmost wall. With the slime successfully surrounded on both sides, the battle of attrition can truly begin. The Spotter loosens another bolt, once more shaking the slime¡¯s core. This process continues for a while. My Spotter fires bolts whenever he can, each and every time shaving off a few health points from the slow slime. He does miss a few times, but it only postpones the inevitable. The slime keeps trying to close the distance towards the Spotter, but every time it moves too far, either my Cutpurse or my Hoodlum steps closer, tricking the slime to try and leap backwards. There are a few close calls, but my underlings are capable of gauging the correct distance rather quickly and can safely backstep whenever the slime is about to leap. It takes about fifteen minutes or so, but the slime¡¯s core is eventually shattered, causing the slime to shudder once before it deflates into a puddle of smoking acid. This causes the familiar combat notification to appear, showing the massive experience gain I receive for killing such a high-level creature. [You have slain Lesser Slime(6). Gain 75 experience.] As soon as the slime dies, my Poisoner moves forward, quickly conjuring a glass vial from gods know where and starts scooping up the liquid acid. With the vial almost filled, she turns around and hands it over to me. [Vial of Weak Slime Acid. Common Alchemical Ingredient.] Nice, another ingredient. I grin as I rub my hands together. Who would have thought farming mobs in a sewer with an NPC Poisoner would produce this many ingredients? I¡¯m starting to think these next few hours are going to be quite lucrative. Chapter 20 – Paragon of Efficiency Chapter 20 ¨C Paragon of Efficiency I spend nearly thirteen hours grinding mobs until I finally receive the notification I have been waiting for. [Congratulations! You have reached level 5!] [You have gained 3 free Attribute Points and 1 Skill Point!] It wasn¡¯t easy, but the road going forward should be less strenuous. I killed seven more Lesser Slimes and twelve packs of Sewer Rats ranging from level four to five, netting me a whole bunch of extra crafting materials. The only reason it went this fast is because I don¡¯t have to share the experience with any other players, and the mobs are far higher level than me. I won¡¯t be able to keep this up forever as the level differences will matter more at the higher levels, but for these early levels, it¡¯s a godsend. All in all, I¡¯m pretty happy about it. The experience I gained lessened greatly after hitting level four, but I still managed to keep a good pace leveling up. I¡¯ve managed to find a good rhythm to my grinding. It was tough before I reached level four, but as soon as my dwarven Hoodlum reached level three, pinning down the rats became much easier. The mobs also turned gradually weaker the stronger I become, and I really picked up the pace near the end. Killing the monsters should be a breeze from here on out, and I think I can easily reach level six by tomorrow if I keep this up. That¡¯s not a bad haul at all considering it¡¯s only been two days. I also managed to finally settle down on a character development path. Earlier, I was far too ambitious when it came to my capabilities. Using my Charisma, Luck, Dexterity, and Intelligence attributes to their full potential seems great on paper, but it isn¡¯t practically viable. The limiting factor is skill points. I don¡¯t have the capacity to level skills in both my Thief Lord class, Illusion Magic, Archery, and Trap making at the same time. It¡¯s just not possible at this stage. I¡¯ll just end up with a couple of half-arsed skills from each discipline and the results would become suboptimal. What I need is to cut down on one of these paths. I thought long and hard on it, and I¡¯ve decided to scrap Archery. When I break it down, I realise I shouldn¡¯t under any circumstance be active in a combat scenario, especially against other players. I need to play to my strengths. It¡¯s the best option I have since I can still get some value out of my Dexterity attribute by making traps. Ah, yes. Traps. I wasn¡¯t really planning on investing much in crafting skills, but I can really start seeing the value. There¡¯s a long-known strategy to fighting monsters in role-playing games which is called ¡®kiting¡¯. To do this, one has to aggro a bunch of enemies and have them chase you. If I can somehow bait them to walk into a trap, then I will have a large advantage. I probably won¡¯t use it against regular mobs, but it should be perfect against players as they are known to bullrush against any possibility they have of gaining loot or exp. This is why I decided to start investing in crafting skills as soon as I reached level four. I pull up the Trap Maker skill tree. Trap Making One of the first practical engineering skills mankind learned was to create efficient ways to hunt animals. Trap Making is a dangerous path to tread and it requires a steady hand¡­ and a lot of luck. Available Skills: Trigger Mechanism - Reduces the effectiveness of perception checks to spot the trap by 0,5 Luck + Skill level. Release Mechanism - Increases the damage dealt by the trap¡¯s payload by Dexterity + 2% * Skill level. Framework - Creates the framework of the trap. Makes it more difficult to dismantle the trap by 0,5 Dexterity + Skill level. Disarm Trap - Ability to disarm traps. Chance of success: 0,7 Dexterity + 0,3 Luck + Skill level. Chance to recover parts: 0,2 Luck + 0,5 * Skill level. It¡¯s not a lot of skills, but crafters were never supposed to be one-trick ponies anyway. There are plenty of other skills for crafters to choose from, and crafters were never supposed to level too quickly. Trap Maker is also more of a lesser crafting profession, one that crafters usually pick up as a secondary or tertiary profession. A bit like wood-carving or scribing. The four skills in the list are the core skills of trap making. For my level four skill point, I decided to select ¡®Disarm Trap¡¯. It¡¯s not really a vital skill to have at all, but considering traps are littered all over these sewers, it¡¯s a great way to level up the profession while simultaneously scavenging for parts. So far, I¡¯ve found and dismantled six low-level traps, but I haven¡¯t managed to salvage any parts yet. I don¡¯t worry about it though. With my Luck stat, it will end up as a treasure trove in due time. Now though, I¡¯ve managed to reach level five and I have yet another skill point to spend. I¡¯m actually a little torn. While I did decide to commit to learning all the Trap Maker skills, I also shouldn¡¯t neglect my class skills. At the moment, I haven¡¯t selected a single buffing skill at all. None. I should probably get at least one of them, training it up as I go. As it stands, I¡¯m pretty useless in a fight, and if I keep putting all my skill points into Trap Maker until level seven, then I might not be able to efficiently grind monsters or perform jobs in the near future. Gritting my teeth, I try to make up my mind. It¡¯s not an easy call, but I need to get at least one offensive skill. I¡¯ve already narrowed my choices down to four different options, and I bring them up in front of me. Fight Dirty ¨C Gain attack damage equal to Luck + 0,5 * Skill level for 1 minute + 1 second per Skill level. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Fight Smart - Increases Evasion by 0,2 Luck + 0,2 * Skill level for 1 minute + 1 second per Skill level. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Cheap Shot - Gives Underlings a damage bonus to their first attack in a fight equal to Luck + Skill level for 5 minutes + 5 seconds per Skill level or until the first attack has been made. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Gang Up - Gain increased damage when fighting 3 to 1 by 0,5 Luck + 0,5 * Skill level. They are all great skills, each offering a different benefit. I have already decided which skill to get though, and it¡¯s the one with the most gain per skill level. Yep, it¡¯s ¡®Cheap Shot¡¯. I wasn¡¯t initially intending to start off with this skill since it¡¯s not overly helpful when grinding monsters. What it is useful for though, is allowing me to quickly assassinate players or NPCs if I¡¯m on a job. A quick and efficient kill before they know what hit them is instrumental if I want to succeed. It¡¯s a slight gamble, but it¡¯s not like I won¡¯t be able to get the other skills later. It¡¯s just more skill level efficient to choose it sooner rather than later.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. With my new skill selected, I¡¯ve come upon yet another crossroads. Choosing where to allocate my six newest attribute points. Initially, I¡¯ve been trying to even out my Charisma and Luck score to prepare for the future, but now I¡¯m not so sure anymore. Most of my class skills require a high Luck stat, but since I¡¯ve decided to focus on getting Trap Maker skills for the foreseeable future, dumping points into Luck seems like a waste. Therefore, using my attribute points to gain an extra underling to train should be the smartest option. It would make grinding monsters far more efficient. Without further ado, I put all six of my attribute points into Charisma, watching it rise to thirty-six. The only thing to do now is head back to the tavern and recruit one. During my grinding session down here, I actually managed to find two new exits to the sewers; one of them ended up inside an abandoned warehouse, while the other ended up deep inside the Shanty Town to the west. The warehouse should be close to the tavern I visited earlier, so that¡¯s where I¡¯m heading. Luckily it¡¯s not far, so I reach it without encountering any more mobs. I climb out of the hatch and soon find myself in a poorly lit room. Looking around, the warehouse has been mostly stripped of all its belongings. There are a few piles of torn rags in a corner which I assume belong to some squatters that have long since abandoned this place. Several of the windows are broken, and the door has been unhinged. It could be a nice place to rest, but not in this neighbourhood. The chance of waking up with your throat slit by some punk is a bit high. It¡¯s a pretty neat spot for an exit to the sewers though. I wouldn¡¯t have found it if I didn¡¯t come from down below. When I look around, it¡¯s actually superbly hidden. I only need to move a few boxes to completely hide it, and I¡¯m certain it¡¯s easy to place something heavy on top of it to bar entry from below. It¡¯s a nice chokepoint, and I need to remember this if I ever find myself in a pinch. I¡¯m about to have a better look around when there¡¯s movement at the warehouse¡¯s door. Spinning around, my heart almost threatens to burst from my chest as I lay my eyes upon a poorly dressed dwarf. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake. I told you to stop sneaking up on me like that¡­¡± I groan as my Beggar casually walks towards me. Reaching me, he grunts once before a blue window appears. Your Agent (Dwarf Beggar(5)) has uncovered 2 secrets. Running on Fumes Job type: Heist. Difficulty: Medium (?). Deadline: 14 Days. Rewards: 250 Experience, Unknown. A local novice Alchemist has recently set up his laboratory in the neighbourhood. Most think it¡¯s because the rent is cheap, but a local informant revealed that the Alchemist in question has been brewing concoctions that have been deemed unsafe by the authorities. The Alchemist never leaves his home, but due to the repugnant smells, his neighbours should have vacated the area. Do you wish to accept this job? Burglarizing Bard Job type: Heist. Difficulty: Hard (?). Deadline: 5 Days. Rewards: 400 Experience, Unknown. The local Bard¡¯s College has trained many well-known adventurers and performers. Their charismatic displays are only rivaled by the lords themselves. Rumours on the street claim that the Bard¡¯s College has commissioned several pieces of armor for their newly recruited apprentices. The guild is frequented by strong adventurers, but their College¡¯s doors are always open to visitors. Do you wish to accept this job? ¡°Not bad¡­¡± I mutter as I read through the two jobs. Something really strikes me though. Both of these jobs seem to be tailored to my general needs. I felt like my Necromancer missions were similar, but this confirms it. The first quest, ¡®Running on Fumes¡¯, seems to be a job directly tied to the acquisition of my Poisoner. Similar to the first job I received, I notice the job descriptions directly points to what the loot is going to be. ¡®A Widow¡¯s Grief¡¯ told me about the jewelry Sargeant Davvins bought for his wife, and I ended up with two high-quality rings and a necklace for my troubles. If that is any indication of what I can gain, then the ¡®Running on Fumes¡¯ job will allow me to steal the basic ingredients and equipment required for my Poisoner to perform her job. I¡¯m certain it¡¯s no coincidence how that job just happened to appear now. It¡¯s convenient. Game logic convenient. No matter though. I¡¯m not going to complain that the golden goose turns her eyes in my direction. The second job seems to also be related to what I need. For a level five character, I¡¯m actually still reasonably undergeared. I haven¡¯t been able to scrounge up a lot of money, and unlike regular players, I don¡¯t even have access to a fraction of the number of quests they can perform to quickly and efficiently strengthen their equipment. Since Bards and Thief Lords are both characters who heavily rely on equipment that boosts Charisma, it¡¯s reasonable to assume we compete for the same type of gear. If I want enchanted armor with boosts to Charisma and don¡¯t have the same options to group up and raid dungeons the traditional way, then what better way to acquire this gear than to steal the stuff from a Bard? Anyway. Good thing this is a game, so nothing is stopping me from accepting both of these jobs. A small part of me is also grateful that the two jobs don¡¯t appear to be as morally dubious as robbing the widow was. It may still be a game, but certain things still leave me with a sour taste in my throat. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t even bat an eyelid at these sorts of jobs, but I¡¯m still a little shaken after what I¡¯m doing to Anna. I still can¡¯t help but feel it¡¯s a little wrong, you know? I shake my head, trying to clear my mind. I really need to stop thinking about it. It¡¯s just a game, and I don¡¯t even know Anna. Why should it matter if I break her trust? It¡¯s actually Anna¡¯s own fault when you think about it. She shouldn¡¯t be this loose-lipped with her guild¡¯s secrets around a stranger she just met and didn¡¯t even bother to perform a proper Perception check against. This should really just be a valuable lesson for her. Who knows? Maybe this will prevent her from entering some stranger¡¯s van in the future or something. Gritting my teeth, I try to soothe my mind with a few more convenient lies before I get back to scanning through the job descriptions. If I have time to worry about my self-conscience, then I have time to worry about leveling up enough so that I won¡¯t need to trick Anna anymore. As I see it, both of the jobs should be viable options. I don¡¯t feel like the deadlines put much pressure on me, and I will most likely perform both jobs within a short timeframe anyway. So my real question is; which one of these do I choose? Both of them have great merits. ¡®Running on Fumes¡¯ would make sure my newest acquisition, the Poisoner, could start producing poisons and potions at once. The ¡®Burglarizing Bard¡¯ however, offers me better equipment that most likely will give me a significant boost to my Charisma attribute which will undoubtedly allow me to recruit more underlings to level up as quickly as possible. A part of me leans towards getting the equipment job first, mostly because the deadline is the shortest and it would give me the most significant short-term boost to my abilities. However, my brain tells me I should start leveling my Poisoner first. This is because the Bard mission has a higher difficulty rating, and I probably need every edge I can get to make sure the job is successful. To be safe, I should therefore definitely go for the easier job since I don¡¯t really have a second chance to rectify myself if I fuck up the Bard job. Gritting my teeth, I have to go with my mind on this one. I need to think long term, and taking unnecessary risks because I see a shortcut is what made me fail as a Necromancer in the first place. I need to play safer and smarter if I am to succeed as a Villain. With my mind made up, I decide to first take care of the essentials. No matter the job, I still need to recruit a new underling. Considering my battles down below, I realise I am in severe need of more combat personnel. Even with four capable underlings, I still struggle to end fights with minimal damage. The main reason grinding took so long down there was because I had to spend a large amount of time between each fight just to have my underlings regenerate their health points. Sometimes, not having a healer in the group sucks. Scratch that. Not having a healer always sucks. To keep the balance of my party intact, I need to consider which type of underling I need. Since I already have two Hoodlums, then I believe I should be good on that front for the time being. Having one additional Hoodlum would be great for subduing a pack of rats more efficiently, but it doesn¡¯t help me much when I lack the potential for dishing out some damage. Another Cutpurse would probably give me a great boost to surrounding and finishing off regular mobs and players quickly, but I can¡¯t help but worry about my lack of ranged utility. The slowest and most grueling of the mobs I grind are definitely the slimes, and trying to kill them off with only one capable underling is too slow of a process. Slimes aren¡¯t the only enemies I can only deal with at range, and the sheer utility they offer can not be ignored either. I also have to think about the fact that I now have access to two upgraded ranged weaponry, and my Spotter is currently wielding them both. Being the paragon of efficiency that I am, my sense of logic heavily favors recruiting another Spotter. Which is exactly what I do. Chapter 21 – Stench Chapter 21 ¨C Stench When I received my new Spotter, I was actually surprised that it was a male Halfling of all things. With the negative boost to agility and the obvious challenges with the short height, I didn¡¯t expect the race to be viable candidates to take up the role of Rogues or Archers. I actually feared I had a bad roll, and my underling would somehow have reduced stats. After pulling up his character sheets and comparing it to my Elven Spotter, I can¡¯t really notice any differences. I probably should have read up on this earlier, but it doesn¡¯t seem like NPC races have the same racial restrictions that players seem to have. It¡¯s an odd thing for the developers to add to the game, and I could see a ton of people complaining about how this affects their immersion or whatever, but I for one welcome the possibility. If the game was always trying to min-maxing even their NPCs, then I would probably quickly grow bored of seeing nothing but elven archers, dwarven warriors, or dark elf rogues wherever I go. Having a wide selection of races performing any task feels a bit more lively in my eyes. I sometimes wonder why they even bothered adding the racial differences for us normal players at all, but I suppose it¡¯s because that¡¯s what gamers prefer and are most familiar with. We are an odd bunch, us gamers. The Spotter arrives much like the others, dressed in filthy rags and with a suspicious glare at everyone around him. I sometimes wonder if the game developers even know what subtlety even means. If a single regular player ever witnessed the event, I¡¯d be officially screwed. There is no way I could ever pull off this stunt in a tavern visited by players, or god forbid, anywhere in the Market District. Regardless, here he is and I have a heist to prepare for. I would love to just head off to do the job at once, but I need to be pragmatic about this. Since the Halfling spawned in as a level one underling, I need to at least have him reach level two so I can equip him with a better weapon. Luckily, killing a pack of level five rats is enough to level up the much weaker underling in a spectacular fashion. Therefore, my underlings and I are already back in the abandoned warehouse and climbing back down into the sewers. Fifteen minutes later, my underlings are tending to their wounds while I have my elven Spotter hand the crossbow over to the Halfling. I spent some time considering which one of my underlings should have what weapon, but I decided that it just makes way more sense for the smaller guy to have the crossbow. Even though it doesn¡¯t make any real difference, it just feels more natural. The Alchemist¡¯s laboratory isn¡¯t too far away from the tavern, but that¡¯s not too surprising considering the majority of the actually intact buildings in the district reside in this general area. The district is rather big, and the majority of shops, establishments, and trainers are all in need of proper housing to serve their function, so, naturally, everything ended up clustered together in the northern part of the district. It¡¯s convenient, and every player loves convenience when it comes to performing tedious tasks like selling loot or gaining new recipes or quests. The Alchemist¡¯s shop is a bit off the wandered streets, so my underlings and I need to navigate between a small cluster of shacks to make our way towards his location. It doesn¡¯t take long for us to find the general location of where his shop is supposed to be, and, to my dismay, I soon realise I wouldn¡¯t even need specific descriptions of which house is his. The entire neighbourhood reeks of some repugnant smell that reminds me of rotten eggs and a dead cat. If this is what I am to expect from my Poisoner in the future, then I might actually want to consider replacing her in due time. I¡¯ve mentioned it before, but I can¡¯t stand bad smells. It¡¯s the main reason I dislike staying down in the sewers, as well as why I didn¡¯t recruit a single zombie minion when I played as a Necromancer. I do what I gotta do though, but this is definitely a valid reason for me to try and finish this job post-haste. We begin by scouting out the neighbourhood. The job description didn¡¯t lie, as there are very few passersby in the area. Actually, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve even seen a beggar or a street urchin for the past ten minutes. People avoid this place like the plague. I can¡¯t say I blame them, but really though. Is this just to lower the job difficulty? I hope so, but still. It¡¯s ranked medium difficulty, so there has to be some challenge. The Alchemist¡¯s laboratory is a two-storey building surrounded by a series of loosely spaced shacks that offer good maneuverability around it, with several nooks and crannies to hide in. It has a slanted roof and windows reinforced by thick wooden bars with shutters on them. There¡¯s no way I could even get a peek inside without breaking something. I could try and force my way through them, but it would make a hell of a lot of noise. There are two doors, one at the front and one at the back. I sneak up and have a better look at them, and they look quite sturdy. I suppose we could try and pick the lock, but I am loathe to try it. According to the job description, the Alchemist should be home. If we make any loud noises, the job could go to hell before we even know it. Analyzing the situation, I try to pin down what my main challenges are in this job. First of all, I already know the Alchemist should be home, therefore, he is a liability. I don¡¯t know if he is combat capable or in some way be able to call for reinforcements, but I shouldn¡¯t take a gamble on it either way. Hell, for all I know, he might actually have hired a few bodyguards in there. That possibility pretty much puts my plan of forcing our way in there using pure brawn into the garbage bin, which means I should try and do this sneaky-like. I went over his entire building, and it seems to be well fortified. No doubt to try and keep people like me the hell out of his home. There are only two ways in, which also means there are also only two ways out. I only have a single Cutpurse, so in a best-case scenario, I can only pick a single lock. Considering how fortified this structure is though, there is no guarantee the owner hasn¡¯t bolted the door shut from the other side. Well, I assume they do. Why wouldn¡¯t they? It¡¯s common knowledge that when you live in a really shady neighbourhood, you¡¯ll get all your shit stolen if you leave your door open. Considering where I now live in real life, I have pretty much adopted this way of life myself. So the question is: how do I get in without the Alchemist raising the alarm? I take another walk around the building, trying to see if I can spot something that will jog my mind. I¡¯m starting to see why this mission is ranked medium difficulty. This place is locked up tight. Perhaps I should stash the majority of my underlings by the back door, while I try to forcefully break in the front and hope the Alchemist panics and tries to escape out the back? It¡¯s not a clean tactic, but it¡¯s the only thing I got. I am about to divide up my underlings when a knocking sound cuts through the air. Confused, I turn my head and notice the knocking comes from the front of the building. Crouching, I do my best to try and sneak around a neighbouring shack, getting a good look at what the commotion is about. Peeking around the corner, I spot a shabby looking elf knocking at the front door forcefully. Is that a Beggar? What is he doing? I frown as I stare at the man. A short moment later, the door opens, and a human man wearing a leather apron and glasses appears in the doorway. Taking a moment to size up the homeless elf, he grunts. ¡°You¡¯re late. Do you have the sample?¡± The elf smiles weakly. ¡°Yes, sir. I do, sir. Right here, sir.¡± He extends a frail arm covered by scabs. I¡¯m too far away to spot what it is exactly, but I think it¡¯s a small object covered in a piece of cloth. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± He sneers at the elf, grabbing the item and carefully inspecting it. ¡°If you want to get paid in the future, then you¡¯d better be on time.¡± He glares at the elf, moving to close his door.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir.¡± The beggar reaches out and grabs the doorknob. ¡°Could I have the money?¡± He gazes at the alchemist, a look of hunger in his eyes. Snorting, the Alchemist reaches his hand into a pocket and pulls out a silver coin. ¡°Take it, you worm. Tell your friends not to delay on the next delivery. I¡¯m working on some sensitive samples, and I won¡¯t tolerate it if a bunch of rats like you ruins it.¡± He wrinkles his nose in disdain. ¡°Now, begone!¡± He says before he slams the door shut, followed by a loud thumping noise of a heavy object slamming into something. ¡°Shit¡­¡± I mutter. Did he just bar the door shut? I frown. That seriously messes up my plan to kick the door in. That encounter gave me an idea though. If he expects regular deliveries, then why can¡¯t I masquerade as one of his contacts? The door has no peephole, so I don¡¯t see how he¡¯d know it¡¯s not one of his delivery boys. Could there be some other sign though? Like a special knock or something? It should be if he has half a brain¡­ Or maybe I¡¯m just making this more complicated than it is? What happens if I knock on the door when he doesn¡¯t expect anyone to arrive? How will he react if I do something wrong? Questions race through my mind. A part of me just wants to say ¡®fuck it¡¯ and try knocking on the door. It¡¯s just a game, how complicated could it be? Then again. Wouldn¡¯t that be far too simple? When I think back on it, the jobs seem to have some hidden triggers to make the jobs more convoluted and difficult. I still shudder at the thought of Davvins¡¯ widow returning home early on my last job. Deciding to act on the side of caution, I decide to wait for a new beggar to arrive. In the meantime, I need to come up with the most ideal spread of my units. Even though I will try and force my way through the front door, I should still have the backdoor covered. Since the front door is where the action is going down, then that¡¯s where I need to focus my efforts. Therefore, I bring my original three underlings with me over to the front, while sending the low-level Hoodlum, Spotter and the Poisoner to the back. I have my Spotters take up scouting positions, while my Hoodlums find hidden locations as close to the doors as they can. For my own part, I slither into a small back alley across the street alongside my Cutpurse. We find a nearby wooden crate and move it in front of us so we won¡¯t be as easily spotted. I¡¯m not particularly happy about sitting still and wait for a long time with no guarantee of any gains, but I suppose I need to adapt to that mindset if I ever want to succeed. Don¡¯t get me wrong; I don¡¯t mind spending a long time grinding monsters for minimal gains, but I need to have that little gain. The carrot, if you will. As the minutes drag on, I get more and more antsy. I assume another homeless person will show up eventually, but I don¡¯t know if that will be five minutes from now or five hours. It¡¯s also starting to get late in the evening, so I should consider putting my status back to appear as online soon. Anna is a weird girl, but she¡¯s good fun to talk to. Even though I don¡¯t really have to, I find it refreshing to have someone to have a conversation with every now and then when I¡¯m ingame. God knows that I need it. Spending three months in the middle of a forest grinding monsters was really starting to affect my psyche. I¡¯m not designed to be anti-social for such long periods. I think it takes about twenty minutes until I notice some movement from down the street. Craning my neck around the crate, I spot another homeless person, a gnome this time, walking towards the Alchemist¡¯s shop. The gnome walks with a small limp, and I notice a small object in his hand covered by a handkerchief. Stepping up to the door, the gnome raises his fist and knocks on the door in a practiced pattern. *Knock, Knock¡­ Knock.* *Knock, Knock¡­ Knock.* ¡°So it was a pattern¡­¡± I mutter, mentally patting myself on the back for not acting rashly earlier. It takes a short moment, but there¡¯s a small shuffling noise from the other side of the door. When it eventually opens, the Alchemist once more appears. ¡°You¡¯re late. Did you bring the sample?¡± He grunts. ¡­ Deja vu moment¡­ Before the beggar can respond, I spring into action. From my hidden location, I immediately start casting ¡®Calm¡¯, targeting the Alchemist. It only takes half a second, but a small translucent mist shoots from my hand towards the Alchemist. The small mist surrounds his head, gathering around his eyes. ¡°Huh... Wha¡­?¡± The Alchemist mumbles, swaying on his feet. ¡°Move!¡± I hiss at my underlings, watching them run towards the enemy. ¡°Cheap Shot!¡± I shout, activating my newest skill. The gnome turns around in surprise and opens his mouth to start screaming. Before he can utter a single tone though, the Cutpurse pierces his throat with a quick stab. The skill-enhanced blade causes massive damage to the poor beggar, and I can literally watch how the beggar¡¯s health points are draining away. Wide-eyed, the beggar desperately tries to breathe, but a small trickle of blood is all that leaves his mouth. He tries to turn around and flee, but it¡¯s already too late. The Cutpurse has a firm grip on his dagger which is still embedded in his throat, restraining the gnome¡¯s movements. Behind them, the Alchemist is still swaying back and forth, seemingly drunk from my spell. He doesn¡¯t even react when my Hoodlum charges in from the side, tackling him through the door. I see the pair slam into the doorframe before they fall back into the building. It only takes a few seconds, but I¡¯m soon greeted by a couple of windows. [You have slain Gnome Beggar(1). No Experience gain.] [You have slain Human Alchemist - Theodor the Alchemist(5). Gain 25 experience.] [Calm has leveled up to Novice 4.] ¡°Yes!¡± I cheer at the success. That went much better than I¡¯d dare hope for. I was really worried I wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the Alchemist before he became alert and managed to slam the door shut, but my choice in specializing in Illusion magic paid off big time. From my earlier experience, I noticed that my ¡®Calm¡¯ spell has some sort of narcotic effect on NPCs if I cast it while they are unaware of me. Since the spell lowers his perception of the Infamy levels of anyone around him, he couldn¡¯t perceive my Hoodlum as a threat until it was far too late. My Illusion magic is perfect for this job, and it went off without a hitch. ¡°Grab the body and pull it inside!¡± I order my Cutpurse while I point at the dead Beggar. I run over and help by grabbing the arm of the beggar and together, we pull the body into the shop, closing the door behind us. Turning around, I¡¯m almost knocked off my feet by the intense smell slamming against my face. ¡°Holy shit!¡± I curse as I immediately pinch my nose. The smell is ten times worse inside. How the hell could he even work under these conditions? With a firm grip on my nose, I take a look around the room. It¡¯s a dimly lit living room that seems to have been turned into a storage room of some kind. There are boxes stashed everywhere. On top of the table, the chairs, and there¡¯s even a crate chucked into the fireplace. Some stairs are leading up to the second floor, and I can see the kitchen that seems to have been refurbished into a makeshift laboratory at the back. I can¡¯t hear any movements inside the house, so I don¡¯t think there is anyone else here. That is good. So far, the job has gone flawlessly, and I don¡¯t think the difficulty rating would account for there also being armed guards inside the house. To make sure though, I have my Cutpurse sneak upstairs with orders of scouting out the place while I bring the Hoodlum with me to the kitchen to open up the backdoor, allowing for the rest of my underlings to enter. As I enter the kitchen, I have to swallow a mouthful of bile that threatens to escape my stomach. The smell seems to intensify the closer I get to the lab. ¡°I hate this part¡­¡± I mutter as I stumble towards the back door. Opening it, I quickly step aside as my dwarven Hoodlum and Poisoner steps into the house. I let my Spotters stay outside and keep a watch for anyone approaching the building. It¡¯s a better use of their time as the small house can only accommodate a certain amount of people at a time. ¡°You two start looting the lab for anything you need.¡± I point at my Poisoner and dwarf. ¡°While you join me in the living room to look through all the crates.¡± I tell my other Hoodlum as I quickly exit the kitchen. Normally, I would stay in the kitchen myself since that¡¯s where the most valuable equipment and items should be, but I seriously can¡¯t stand the smell. It¡¯s like the game doesn¡¯t want me to grab anything. I haven¡¯t heard a single noise from upstairs yet, so I assume that means the entire house is clear. I¡¯m not certain if there are more unknown variables to this job, but I should assume I only have twenty minutes of looting until another beggar appears. While killing another one of them shouldn¡¯t be a problem for me, I¡¯d rather not murder half of the homeless population in the district during a single job. I don¡¯t know what, but I have no doubt there would be some sort of divine retribution for it if I did. Besides, twenty minutes should be plenty. What can go wrong? Chapter 22 – Motherload Chapter 22 ¨C Motherload As it turns out, nothing went wrong. We rummaged through the crates as fast as we could. It didn¡¯t go too quickly, considering I had to keep one of my hands on my nose at all times, but we still made good time. The crates mostly contained raw Alchemical ingredients and glass vials in large quantities, and I pocketed everything I could as quickly as I could. I also went over to the two corpses and pilfered through their belongings. The beggar didn¡¯t have anything, but Theodor¡¯s body had several items of note that I gleefully store away. There will always be time to check them out in detail later. We looted the building at a decent pace. By the time the twenty minutes were up and someone started knocking on the door, my underlings and I were already well on our way to disappear out the back. I¡¯m currently running on a high from the great success, and by the time we arrive back at the warehouse I¡¯ve been using as an impromptu base, the confirmation of the completion of my heist appears. The Job: Running on Fumes is Successful! A knife in the dark, a real Thief Lord doesn¡¯t mind collateral damage. You decided to murder the Alchemist and one of his errand boys. While you did find an efficient way to complete your task, it might not be without repercussions. Nevertheless, the job was a success and you may reap the full rewards. May you prosper, Thief lord. Rewards: 250 Experience, (4) Pieces of equipment, (374) Crafting Reagents, (5) Miscellaneous Items, 8 Gold, 5 Silver, 6 Copper. I grin. That¡¯s not a bad haul. If every job goes as well as this job, then my troubles would be over. I¡¯m really starting to get a hang of this Thief Lord business even if the game system gave me a subtle and ominous warning in my job completion notification. What¡¯s up with that, anyway? Meh. Whatever floats the game developers¡¯ boat I suppose. On another note, I really enjoy how I can combine both my Illusion magic and the destructive potential of the Thief Lord class in a single fight. Imagine what I can do when I reach level twenty? The potential for kicking ass is enormous. Life is good, and it¡¯s only getting better. How do I know? Well, because I still haven¡¯t looked through my loot! Gathering my underlings around me, I tell them to hand over everything they carry. My eyes widen when I read through the list of acquired items. [Novice Alchemy Kit. Uncommon. Requires: Alchemy. *Contraband*] [Scholar¡¯s Glasses. Uncommon. +3 Perception. Requires: Level 4. *Contraband*] [Crafter¡¯s Leather Apron. Uncommon. 10% Skill acquisition in crafting skills. 5% Physical Resistance, +3 Endurance. Requires: Level 3. *Contraband*] [Crafter¡¯s Leather Apron Set. Common. 10% Physical Resistance, 10% Boost to crafting speed and effect. Requires: NPC. *Contraband*] [Painting. Novelty Item. #41. *Contraband*] [Recipe: Weak Health Potion. Common Alchemy Recipe. *Contraband*] [Recipe: Weak Paralyzing Poison. Uncommon Alchemy Recipe. *Contraband*] [Recipe: Weak Blight Poison. Common Alchemy Recipe. *Contraband*] [Recipe: Weak Damage Poison. Common Alchemy Recipe. *Contraband*] 104x [Simple Glass Vial. Common Alchemical Ingredient.] 23x [Shadow¡¯s Bane. Uncommon Alchemical Ingredient.] 32x [Moon Lily Petal. Uncommon Alchemical Ingredient.] 85x [Rose Thorn. Common Alchemical Ingredient.] 76x [Gillyroot. Common Alchemical Ingredient.] 54x [Dried Imp¡¯s Blood. Common Alchemical Ingredient.] That¡¯s the motherload if I ever saw one. The sheer amount of items and crafting reagents I just received are staggering. The crafting ingredients aren¡¯t even marked as contraband, which in reality means I can sell it to other players for full price. It¡¯s a virtual gold mine for me to perform these types of jobs. I think these ingredients are worth close to thirty gold on their own. If the game can supply me with more heists like this, my monetary problems would be solved right here and now. ¡°Who said crime never pays?¡± I chuckle whilst grinning like a mad man. Everything here is useable. The best items I received were from the dead body of Theodor. Being a named monster, he dropped both the majority of the coin, as well as the glasses and the apron that is equippable by me. I didn¡¯t really expect there to be both a set for me and the Poisoner, but who am I to complain? Hell, it¡¯s about time I gained a few gear pieces that I can wear, even though I don¡¯t particularly need any Perception as of yet. The three points of Endurance from the apron is going to be a big help though since it nearly doubles my health pool on its own. I should really pay more attention to my health points. I¡¯m far too frail. Which is why I need some new and better equipment. It¡¯s not really because I need more protection, but I need to increase my attributes. In roleplaying games, equipment is everything. No matter how high level you are, the majority of your attributes will always come from your weapons and armor. Currently, I have less than half my item slots filled with useable gear. It¡¯s a disgrace, really. It¡¯s just a waste of both potential and attributes. I need to fill them fast, which is why my next big priority is to prepare for and complete the ¡®Burglarizing Bard¡¯ job. And to do that, I need to maximize my chances, which means that I need to put my Poisoner to work while simultaneously try and grind up the experience of my underlings. If I am to cover all my bases on this job, then I need to bring my A-game. That means I need an ample supply of poison and for my underlings to be in top shape. I also require to strike at the correct time. Since the job description clearly stated that the Bard¡¯s College is frequented by players, then I need to find a window of opportunity where there is the least amount of chance of running into any of them. The natural time for this should be during the night when there is nothing else to do but grind monsters or get drunk in a tavern since all the merchants and quest givers are asleep. Since that¡¯s still a few hours off, I figure I should spend the time wisely. First of all, I¡¯m handing over the crafter¡¯s item set, the recipes, and the alchemy kit to my Poisoner. She needs a safe place to work. I consider letting her work here in the warehouse, but I quickly dismiss the idea. She might be able to work uninterrupted, but I fear she would be at risk from criminal NPCs or a wandering player. Since I can¡¯t bring her with me down into the sewers, and I can¡¯t spare any underlings to protect her, I¡®m left with only one option. Renting a room for her in the tavern.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The trip over to the tavern is uneventful. I seriously underestimated how few players bother visiting this district. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve actually met any of them yet. No wonder no one discovered there are perfectly good monsters to battle right beneath our feet. They can¡¯t find them if they won¡¯t even bother looking. I¡¯m sure the Dark Pegasus guild knows about it, but none of their players should be beneath level twenty anyway, which means these monsters are far beneath them. I wonder if the monsters scale to a higher level in the other districts? I should ask Anna whenever I get the chance. Huh, I glance at the ingame watch. 11PM. That should be a good time for good old Ryan to go to bed, shouldn¡¯t it? Opening my friends list, I change my status to appear as online. After only five seconds, the all too familiar ringing tone appears in my mind. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Hey Ryan! How¡¯s it going? Already back on?] Woah, that was fast. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Hello, Anna. I¡¯m fine. Thank you for asking. I hope all is well with you?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Yeah, it¡¯s been a rough day. My sister has been throwing a fit over the fact that we couldn¡¯t find the Thief Lord last night. I kept telling her there is no escape for any Villains, but she is certain the Thief Lord managed to slip our grasp somehow.] I frown. They are still looking for me? Why? I don¡¯t get what the problem is. Sure, Thief Lords and Villains, in general, can be really annoying to deal with, but it¡¯s not like we are that big of a nuisance to a city this size. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: That sounds rough. Are the Thief Lords really that bad though? They are only players like the rest of us. From what I read, they can¡¯t even work in groups.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: That¡¯s what I tried to tell her! Man, I mean come on. It¡¯s just a lousy Villain. They are fairly easy to deal with anyway. Which reminds me! You need to check out the video of my party killing one of the highest level Villains in the game; a level thirty-eight Necromancer. You won¡¯t believe it! The guy was a total noob! I¡¯ll forward the link to the video. It¡¯s gone super viral over the last day. EVERYONE has seen it *giggles*.] My eye twitches. All right¡­ Now I feel slightly less bad about lying to her. Gritting my teeth, I make a damn good effort not to transfer any of my bitterness along with my next message. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: I¡¯ve already seen it. Great job! Tell your party that they have my congratulations. It puzzles me though. If Villains are this easy to deal with, why do your guild have such a grudge against them? If you don¡¯t mind me asking, that is.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Haha, I don¡¯t mind. I don¡¯t, really. They¡¯re just players. My sister keeps ranting over how bad they are all the time though. Especially Thief Lords. It¡¯s getting a bit stale in my opinion.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Especially Thief Lords? Why?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Oh, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s more like Villains in general, but she sort of has an extra hard-on for Thief Lords. I usually just tune her out when she starts blabbering. Something about them having some sort of top-notch concealment skill, yada yada. She¡¯s really mad at them and keeps calling them the greatest threat to her economic future or whatever. In my opinion, she needs to loosen up a bit. It¡¯s just a game.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Hmm, it sounds a bit drastic. I don¡¯t see how they are that much of a threat though.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Well, they¡¯re not, really. They will be if they get a high enough level though. Theoretically, if the Thief Lord gains a high enough level compared to the regular players, they will be next to impossible to discover without being caught in the act. Like all Villains, they can do some real damage to player property without needing to worry about the drop in renown that normal players do. There aren¡¯t a lot of players willing to risk months of grinding up to a high enough level and attempt a one-time suicide mission like that.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: So, the Thief Lords are basically James Bond type of Villains?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: James who? o.O] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Nevermind. Old guy stuff.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Haha, right. Whatever *winkyface*. Anyway, I¡¯ll be back in town in a few hours. Want to meet up? My entire party and I will be at the Prancing Leprechaun at 4am. Want to meet us? Drinks are on Brian! *grin*.] Oh, shit. I can¡¯t do that. From what I remember, that ranger guy, Paul, had a pretty high Perception attribute. If I meet them, I¡¯d be fucked.There is only one thing to do: Initiate evasion maneuvers. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: I¡¯ll see if I can make it. I managed to get a few quests for my Trap Maker class last night that might take me awhile. I¡¯d really like to try and finish them before morning.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: What? Boo¡­ *poutyface*. You can quest later. It¡¯s not like they are going anywhere. Aren¡¯t you like level two or something? Are you sure you can¡¯t come?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Sorry, Anna. Raincheck?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Yeah, sure¡­ We can hang later. I gotta go now. Paul is being a real stickler about this dungeon we¡¯re in. Talk to you later Ryan!] Well, I¡¯ll be damned. I had no idea Thief Lords could have that sort of impact late game. Why haven¡¯t I read anything about it? Do the large guilds really fear the Thief Lords to the extent where they think we are some sort of super spies? Sure, I get it. If I was a guild leader in charge of a potentially very lucrative organisation, I¡¯d be pretty wary of anyone who could effortlessly fuck things up for me or my income. It seems a little excessive though. Perhaps they fear the Thief Lords are actually agents from rival guilds? Corporate espionage and sabotaging might be illegal in the real world, but in this game? Everything is theoretically allowed here. The impact of Thief Lords or Villains in this game can be huge. Both as political pawns or just for downright griefing. I finally understand why the Dark Pegasus guild is so adamant about wiping out every single Villain that takes a step inside the city. Shit. This is actually really bad. Earlier, I had just considered Villains to be a nuisance to the Dark Pegasus guild. If this is correct, then it¡¯s even more important now than ever not to raise any suspicions about my existence. How the hell can I do that though? At one point or another, I will need to up my game. I can¡¯t keep grinding monsters in the sewers or perform these jobs forever. There isn¡¯t enough late-game content in this city for that, I think. No, at some point I will run out of monsters or jobs around my own level. I would need to branch out in some way. And as soon as I do, I¡¯ll gain the attention of so many pissed off players that they¡¯ll likely tear the city down brick by brick just to try and get to me. Can I really stand up to over a thousand players? No fucking way. Come to think of it, what is my end game here? Sure, I know what my personal goal is, but what is the end game for my class? There isn¡¯t any information about it online, and there isn¡¯t a single player who has reached a high enough level to find out yet. So what could it be? Hunting players? Toppling kingdoms? It could be anything. It just wouldn¡¯t make sense if there wasn¡¯t any end game content for Villains. I shake my head. I can think about this stuff later. Insinuating and guesswork aren¡¯t going to get me anywhere, at least not when I¡¯m just a measly low-level scrub. I need to focus on the here and now and figure out the other stuff later. Finally reaching the tavern, I briefly enter it to check if the coast is clear. Seeing that no players are present, I quickly usher my Poisoner in and have her wait for me by the stairs. I walk up to the tavern keeper who is busy refilling a keg. ¡°Good evening, my good sir. I would like to rent a room.¡± The tavern keeper looks surprisingly similar to that old bastard Joe back in the Noob Zone. Right down to the same angry scowl on his face. The angry old tavern keeper glares at me, before his gaze wanders over to the Poisoner to the side, taking her measure by sight. ¡°I¡¯m sure you could find a prettier woman to warm your bed tonight, Traveller.¡± He snorts while shaking his head. ¡°Anyway, who am I to judge. That will be one gold coin per night. Five silvers if it¡¯s just for the hour.¡± I frown. What in the¡­ I look over towards my dark elf craftswoman. My eyes meet with hers, her large bloodshot eyes smiling maniacally back at me. She flashes me a wide smile, showing a set of crooked yellow teeth. I shiver. Oh dear god. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Really. Just no¡­¡± I wince, trying to erase the image from my mind. ¡°I¡¯d like to rent it for the night. And please, don¡¯t ever mention anything like that to me again.¡± The tavern keeper snorts. ¡°It¡¯s your coin, traveller. Do you need anything else?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± I mutter, furrowing my brows. ¡°Actually, yes there is. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know if there are any weapons and armor shops nearby, do you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a few down by the docks, just a few blocks down. If you want any recommendations, then my cousin Sigurd offers the best prices on this side of the bay. Tell him Sigvard sent you. He¡¯ll sort you out.¡± He says, returning his attention to the half-empty keg. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°No, that will be all. Here, for your troubles.¡± I smile as I put a copper coin on the counter. The old man raises an eyebrow. ¡°Pleasure is all mine, kid. Come back any time.¡± I smile. ¡°I sure will.¡± I suppose there is no harm in doing a little shopping before the next job. I smile while rubbing my hands together. Things are really starting to come together. Chapter 23 – Improvisation Chapter 23 ¨C Improvisation Safely stashing the Poisoner in the room, I dump all the Ingredients in my possession in the room¡¯s built-in storage container. Combined with the items I picked up while grinding in the sewers, I¡¯m certain the Poisoner will have her hands full for the foreseeable future. Luckily, I have the ingredients to make most of the recipes we collected from the Alchemist job. Trying to decide which potion or poison I need, I open up my Poisoner¡¯s crafting recipes. [Recipe: Weak Health Potion. Common Alchemy Recipe. Restores 30 Health Points over 10 seconds after consumption. Requires: 1x Glass Vial, 1x Rose Thorn, 1x Gillyroot.] [Recipe: Weak Paralyzing Poison. Uncommon Alchemy Recipe. Paralyzes target for 1 second. Applied to weapons. Requires: 1x Glass Vial, 1x Tip of a Sewer Rat¡¯s Tail, 1x Moon Lily Petal. 1x Rose Thorn.] [Recipe: Weak Blight Poison. Common Alchemy Recipe. Deals 2 Poison Damage per second over 15 seconds. Applied to weapons. Requires: 1x Glass Vial, 1x Dried Imp¡¯s Blood, 1x Gillyroot.] [Recipe: Weak Damage Poison. Deals 20 Poison Damage on strike. Applied to weapons. Requires: 1x Glass Vial, 1x Shadow¡¯s Bane, 1x Death Bell.] These are all great options. My eye is instantly drawn towards the paralyzing poison. One second may not sound like a lot, but in the middle of a combat, that¡¯s a huge deal. One second is enough to completely overpower any enemy and swarm them with numbers, and superior numbers are sort of my thing. The downside to it though is that I don¡¯t have a lot of the required ingredients. The Weak Blight Poison also isn¡¯t a bad option. I have plenty of the ingredients required to make it, and it¡¯s the poison that deals the most amount of damage. The downside is that it is damage over time, which means it¡¯s not optimal to end fights quickly. At least the majority of my fights lasts for at least a minute anyway. I¡¯m sure the benefits will be great in the long run. What I really want to create though, is the weak damage poison. It¡¯s exactly the type of poison I need to quickly eliminate targets. It would be perfect for me if it hadn¡¯t been because I don¡¯t have any Death Bells. It¡¯s a pity, but I¡¯m sure I can get some at a store somewhere. How hard could it be? Even though my Poisoner is a supposed to be a specialist in poisons and nothing else, she is still able to create other types of potions like a health potion. Because let¡¯s be honest. Any person who even slightly dabbles with alchemy should know how to create the most basic of potions. She may not be able to create high-grade enhancement or buffing potions later down the road, but that¡¯s a sacrifice I¡¯m willing to make to be able to dish out more damage. The Thief Lord was never designed to fight extended fights against boss monsters anyway. Quick and easy kills are what we are all about. Anyway, as I can make use of most of these poisons, I decide to have my Poisoner make paralyzing poisons and blight poisons at a one to two ratio. Paralyzing poisons may be the most beneficial to me, but since I have a limited amount of ingredients for it, I should use them sparingly. The blight poison, however, seems like the perfect fit to use more callously. The ingredients are plentiful, and the boost to finishing off enemies is always welcome. With that done, I leave my Poisoner to do her thing while I head out. I make sure to securely lock the door before I make my way out of the tavern and out east towards the ocean side of the district. Since I don¡¯t need any underlings to protect me while I¡¯m out shopping, I decide to leave them hanging back at the warehouse. They should be reasonably safe there, and it should be easier for me to stay out of sight of other players if I¡¯m alone. Playing as a Villain has really made me paranoid as I am constantly trying to be aware of my surroundings. Constantly looking over my shoulder and worrying about every player I meet is starting to wear on me. I didn¡¯t have to be this cautious when I was a Necromancer, so I fear being this jumpy for an extended amount of time can have some nasty consequences for my mentality if it keeps up. I can¡¯t wait to gain a few more levels under my belt so that I can put more faith in my Incognito skill. Luckily, the ocean side of the district isn¡¯t far, and there¡¯s a wide street cutting straight through the district from east to west. Even though it¡¯s the main street, it doesn¡¯t see too much traffic. There are mainly NPCs inhabiting the district, with only the occasional player strolling past, most likely doing some sort of social quest or crafting related stuff. Among these people, I¡¯m just one among many, and I don¡¯t think I even receive a sideways glance from anyone I meet. This suits me perfectly fine, and it makes moving around easier. The ocean side of the district is much more densely populated by both NPCs and players. It¡¯s the wealthier part of the district, and this is where the majority of the quest givers and shops are located. The streets are marginally broader and much cleaner than the rest of the district. The selection of shops is much wider than what I could find in the noob district. After walking around for a little while, I manage to locate three different shops that sell weapons and armor. With only a little over ten gold to my name, I need to find the shop that offers the best deal. And for a Thief Lord, that means I need to figure out if any of the shopkeepers are part of the Silver Saints. Gear is really expensive, and since I¡¯m a criminal anyway, it¡¯s much more economically viable for me to purchase contraband. With the sort of discounts I received last time I shopped at one of their establishments, I ended up with quite a lot of powerful gear at very affordable prices. I haven¡¯t learned much about the Silver Saints yet. From what I can tell, they are some sort of network of fences for the city¡¯s underworld. I don¡¯t know how far their influence spreads, but they have been good to me so far. The only way I have of locating them is that the members all seem to have a silver tooth. One would believe that would make it ridiculously easy to find them, but I don¡¯t have a lot of luck in that regard. Who would have known that making people show their teeth is so ridiculously hard? Like, seriously? You can¡¯t just walk up to someone and ask if they can show you their teeth. The best sort of results you¡¯ll get by doing that is getting chased out of their establishments. Do you also know how unusual it is for some people to actually show their teeth while doing something as simple as just talking? It¡¯s tough, really. I went into one store and spent ten minutes trying to tell jokes just to make the store clerk smile. Even then, I made little progress. I don¡¯t know if the NPCs are coded this way or if I¡¯m just a really unfunny person, but this is turning out to be the hardest thing I¡¯ve done all week.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Eventually, after much trial and error, I found a fairly simple and efficient way of getting them to grin wide enough for me to get a good look at their teeth. Like most things in life, the solution is money. Offering the merchants a single silver coin to answer some random or bogus question I have about the neighbourhood is enough to make even the greediest of scumbags to showcase their yellowed teeth. I admit, it¡¯s not the smoothest way to handle the problem, but it¡¯s certainly efficient. I went through three different shops before I managed to find a salesman with a silver tooth. To my sorry dismay, the shopkeeper appeared to be another dwarf; this one named Ulf. While that certainly is not coincidental in any sort of way, the similarities with Alf, the dwarven fence slash highway robber back in the Noob District, doesn¡¯t end there. Nope. The two bastards are both just as grumpy as the other. Their store names are even almost exactly the same. Just exchange the name at the front, and no one would ever know if it¡¯s Ulf¡¯s or Alf¡¯s Weapons-n-Armor they stepped into. Hell, I even asked the sour little bugger, and he confirmed he has a few brothers in the same business around town. That¡¯s some pretty lazy story writing done on the developers¡¯ side right there. Really. That matter aside, I¡¯m starting to think a requirement to join the Silver Saints is to have the grumpiest sort of attitude possible, coupled with a greedy disposition towards fleecing me for all I¡¯m worth. How they manage to do any business like this is beyond me. Or for that matter, how do they avoid players griefing them just for the inconvenience of their attitudes? Gamers have done far worse for less reasons. I¡¯m sure there are some players out there who wouldn¡¯t mind taking a hit to their renown in exchange for beating some manners into an NPC. My meeting with Ulf progresses much like my meeting with Alf. As soon as I flashed the silver token, he closed down the shop and brought forth the goods. I don¡¯t have enough money to fully equip all my underlings, but I have enough to buy another heavy leather armor set for the dwarven Hoodlum and a better shortsword. [Iron Shortsword. Uncommon. 14-15 Slashing Damage, 2 Strength, 2 Agility. Requires: Level 5. *Contraband*] The weapon is too high level for my dwarven Hoodlum to use, but it¡¯s perfect for my high-level Hoodlum. That guy has been my most valuable underling so far and he is due for an upgrade. The dwarf can use his old shortsword in the meantime. The entire transaction sets me back seven gold and three silvers, but I reckon it is more than worth it. Playing as a Thief Lord doesn¡¯t come cheap, but at least the rewards I get from the jobs more than makes up for it. Leaving the store with the customary slammed door behind me, I am about to start my trek back towards the warehouse when I spot a couple of familiar figures down the road. ¡°What the hell are those two doing here?¡± I mutter as I pick up my pace to get closer. ¡°Seriously, Greg. I am THIS close to killing the merchants around here¡­¡± Kevin, the human Paladin whines. ¡°Why do you care? It¡¯s not even your money.¡± The dwarf sighs while shaking his head. I can¡¯t believe out of all the players in the city, I ran into these two again. What are the odds? ¡°It¡¯s not about the money. It¡¯s the principle of the matter!¡± Kevin grumbles, raising his arms in the air in a frustrated manner. ¡°There¡¯s no way all this stuff is worth eighty gold. It¡¯s just level four gear!¡± Greg sighs. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you care. The guild was happy to sponsor it for us. You are the only one who seems to think it matters. Can¡¯t you be happy that we are probably the best-geared level four players in the entire game at the moment? This stuff will allow us to reach level ten within the week.¡± Kevin just grunts. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand¡­ But I must admit though, we do look pretty sweet in this gear.¡± Well, even I have to say they look good. The pair are wearing matching chainmail armor, full plate helmets, dazzling jewelry, and wielding spiked steel maces. They also wear matching silk-spun capes with what I assume is the Dark Pegasus guild logo on the back. The defence value on those items must be through the roof. I actually feel a little envious. ¡°Damn straight we do!¡± The dwarf grins, pulling out a steel kite shield. ¡°So how about you stop moping around about someone else''s money and go grind in the secret zone?¡± Kevin guffaws. ¡°Hell yeah! With this gear, we¡¯ll kick the living shit out of anything in our path. We probably won¡¯t even need a healer.¡± The human man grins, taking a few practice swings with his two-handed mace. Greg snorts. ¡°Says the man who ran away screaming when things got rough with the Thief Lord.¡± ¡°Hey, that wasn¡¯t my fault. That fight was unwinnable. It was safer to retreat so we could fight another day.¡± ¡°Fight another day? What the hell man. We don¡¯t gain any death penalties from dying until level ten. If we had at least taken one of her minions down, we would have at least gained some exp.¡± Kevin frowns. ¡°Dying hurts man¡­¡± ¡°More than taking a hit to your pride? I swear, the look on Aria¡¯s face when she briefed us on the recording I sent her¡­ You¡¯re lucky you received the guild invite before she saw it.¡± Greg snorts, shaking his head. ¡°Yeah, well that¡¯s in the past now.¡± Kevin smiles. ¡°We¡¯re the heroes of the guild! Now let¡¯s go kill ourselves some rats!¡± He laughs jovially as he starts strutting down the street. Left behind, Greg sighs. ¡°More like the jokes of the guild¡­¡± He shakes his head once more before he follows Kevin. I stand a few meters away, waiting for the pair to disappear from sight. Sonofa¡­ They¡¯re heading into the sewers. That spells trouble for me. If we end up sharing a grind zone, then at one point or another, we will run into each other. I can¡¯t have that. If anyone discovers me, especially those two, my cover will be blown. So far, I¡¯ve been leveling up far faster than I ever did with my Necromancer. The main reason for this being the higher level monsters and the sheer density of them in the sewers alone. If I have to start looking over my shoulder every time I go down there, I¡¯m going to drive myself nuts. If they both spend their time grinding this area for a week, then that¡¯s a week I¡¯ll lose myself. I can¡¯t sustain my experience needs on jobs alone. With only one Beggar, I¡¯ll receive only one to two job offers per day. With the meager exp rewards, It will take me almost four days to gain a single level. That¡¯s not enough. I either need to invest in more Beggars, or I need to find a new grind zone. And grind zones don¡¯t exactly grow on trees in this city. I need to start exploring, fast. Either that, or I need to find a way to eliminate Greg and Kevin, and that¡¯s easier said than done. From what Anna told me, the Dark Pegasus guild is already on high alert. If any of their members suffer from assassinations by a bunch of low-level criminal NPCs in the sewers, where they aren¡¯t even supposed to be, they will surely know something is wrong. Shit. I don¡¯t have any choice. Before it¡¯s too late, I quickly run down the path the two paladins left earlier. My heart starts racing as I can¡¯t afford to let them out of my sight. I run down the main street, keeping my eyes peeled at any and all alleys I pass. They could be anywhere by now, but hopefully, they haven¡¯t gone far. The path they chose to go leads southwest into a densely populated area. The streets soon narrow, and I can spot more NPCs hanging around than usual. I haven¡¯t been to this part of the district yet, so I don¡¯t know if there are any entrances to the sewers. I press forward and try to quicken my pace. The neighbourhood is starting to look a lot shadier, and more than once, I spot NPCs with elevated Infamy Levels. I curse myself for leaving all my underlings behind, so I quickly try and sprint past them all before I can draw any sort of aggro. I¡¯m about to give up when I spot the two familiar players down the street. Setting my eyes on them, I shout. ¡°Hey, guys! Wait up!¡± Chapter 24 – Oath-Binding Chapter 24 ¨C Oath-Binding ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Kevin says, squinting his eyes. Winded from my run, I stop and gasp for breath. ¡°Sorry, the name¡¯s Ryan.¡± I smile, extending my hand. Frowning, Kevin eyes my hand but doesn¡¯t meet my greeting. ¡°Hey¡­ Do we know you?¡± He eyes me suspiciously. ¡°No, no. I just heard you guys talking earlier and I had a few questions.¡± I smile at the two. ¡°I was wondering where you were heading. I¡¯m fairly new to this game you see, and I was hoping for a few tips to gain some experience fast.¡± ¡°Sorry, we don¡¯t have any.¡± Kevin says. ¡°So just fu-¡± ¡°What my companion here is trying to say¡­¡± Greg cuts in, elbowing Kevin in his side. ¡°Is that we are rather busy. If you want to gain some experience, I recommend you head north out of town and grind wolves in the forest like everyone else, or head into the residential district and do a few social quests.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any mobs here..?¡± I ask them, raising an eyebrow. ¡°No, so beat it.¡± Kevin says. ¡°So what are you guys doing here?¡± I ask. ¡°Guild business, so fuck off.¡± He takes a step forward, raising his two-handed mace threateningly. ¡°Kevin, for fuck¡¯s sake. Shut up¡­¡± Greg winces. ¡°Listen, kid. We¡¯re members of the Dark Pegasus guild, and we¡¯ve been sent here to tend to some sensitive guild matters and don¡¯t have time for this. If you head back the way you came, there are a few good taverns that offer some easy social quests by the docks.¡± ¡°Guild business?¡± I feign ignorance. ¡°Listen, I know you probably don¡¯t want some random person partying up with you, but I overheard you guys talking earlier. You said you were going to grind in some secret zone. I just wondered where it was. I¡¯ve been looking all over the place for somewhere to gain levels that aren¡¯t infested by other players. I¡¯m sure the place is big enough for the three of us.¡± At my words, Greg¡¯s face reddens with embarrassment. Kevin, on the other hand, turns to his friend with a smug grin plastered on his face. ¡°Oh, you heard that, did you?¡± Kevin smiles, not taking his eyes off Greg who has the shame to keep his eyes on the ground. ¡°Tell me, Greg. Who among us is the one to repeatedly tell the other to keep his mouth shut, hmm? Who is it that keeps causing trouble for us?¡± ¡°Not now, Kev. Fuck... Uhm, Ryan, was it? I don¡¯t know what you heard, but-¡± ¡°I think you know exactly what I heard.¡± Greg clicks his tongue. ¡°Okay, shit. Can you keep this between us? I¡¯ll make it worth your while?¡± I cross my arms, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a secret grinding zone beneath us in the sewers. Mobs ranging in packs of one to three, ranging from level four to nine. Most people don¡¯t know about it, and the guild would like to keep it that way. If they found out that you heard about it from us, then we might lose our places in the guild. We are on thin enough ice as it is. How about this. We let you join our party and we help you reach level nine, and we¡¯ll call it even?¡± Greg asks hopefully. ¡°Listen. I neither want nor need to party up with you guys. Let¡¯s just say that you owe me a small favor and show me where the entrance is. I can find my own party to explore the place. Okay?¡± ¡°No!¡± Greg shouts. ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone, period. We¡¯ll pay you to keep quiet. How much?¡± ¡°Pay me?¡± I chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. A couple of gold coins won¡¯t help me reach level nine within the week.¡± ¡°Name your price.¡± The dwarf insists. I laugh. ¡°Oh sure, how about a thousand gold?¡± I chuckle. The dwarf winces. ¡°We can do three hundred. How does that sound?¡± ¡°Cous, what the hell! That¡¯s our entire stipend. If Aria finds out we spent it on this-¡± Kevin hisses. ¡°Shut the fuck up Kevin!¡± Greg shouts. ¡°If she finds out we let slip one of the closest guarded secrets of the guild, she¡¯ll shovel so much shit down our throats, your kid¡¯s kids will taste it.¡± Greg snaps back. ¡°Now, do we have a deal?¡± I just stand there gaping. Three hundred gold!? For keeping some low-level sewers a secret? Are they fucking serious? Who the hell is this Aria person, and why are the sewers this important to her? ¡°Well?¡± Greg asks impatiently. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I mutter. ¡°Uhm, sorry. I-... I really didn¡¯t expect¡­¡± I clear my throat. ¡°If you throw in that small favor, I¡¯ll say we have a deal.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Greg says, exhaling in relief. ¡°Woah, hold up here. How do we know he won¡¯t just take our money and go tell people anyway?¡± Kevin says, scowling at me. ¡°Naturally, he¡¯ll agree to do an Oath-Binding for it. Right?¡± Greg says. ¡°Naturally.¡± I smile. Oath-Binding is a neat feature that came with deep-dive technology. Since our body and mind are nearly fully connected to a machine, a lot of features become available to us. The machine monitors everything, from your heartbeat to your brain activity. Because of this, the game has an easy way of telling whenever a body is lying. Since the feature of practically being constantly hooked up to a lie detector could lead to severe breaches of personal privacy, the feature to perform an Oath-Binding is by law required for both parties to willingly accept to. Both parties must beforehand agree to the contract before they perform the binding, and both parties must first swear that the binding is under no circumstance coerced or influenced by any of them or a third party in a manner outside the law. If any of those rules are not upheld, the Oath-Binding effect won¡¯t activate. The Oath-Bindings are lawfully binding, and the system will notify you as soon as the oath is breached. If we perform an Oath-Binding, I will never be allowed to tell anyone, either inside or outside the game of the existence of the sewers. If I ever told anyone outside of the game, the capsule would rat me out as soon as I hooked into the machine again. The feature of Oath-Binding is a very severe type of contract, and it¡¯s commonly used by business owners in real life, as well as gamers ingame. It¡¯s so common, that you actually have to learn about it in school, as well as be at least eighteen years old to be allowed to make one. ¡°Excellent. I found a standard contract for secret-keeping online. If you would just add your electronic signature to it, then we can be on our separate ways.¡± Greg says, sending the contract to me through the ingame interface. Briefly skimming through the contract, I accept it. What I basically agree to is to never intentionally mention the existence of the sewers to anyone who doesn¡¯t already know about them. In exchange for this, I gain three hundred ingame gold as well as a small favor from the pair. The contract will be considered void if the existence of the sewers ever becomes common knowledge. ¡°Wonderful. Here¡¯s your gold. I¡¯m sorry to say, but I hope we actually never meet again¡­ I hope you understand.¡± Greg frowns. ¡°Hah. Nah, I understand. Thanks, but you won¡¯t get rid of me that easily. How am I ever going to get my favor if we never meet again? I grin. I¡¯ll add you to my friends list. Here¡­¡± [Dwarf Paladin - Gregorious Ironguard has accepted your invitation to your friends list.] [Human Paladin - Kenwin Smiteman has accepted your invitation to your friends list.] ¡°All right. Thanks, guys. So where¡¯s the entrance?¡± I smile. Greg sighs. ¡°Follow us.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The three of us walk down another block before we come upon an alley. Inside that alley, I see the customary metal hatch that leads down into the sewers below. Greg points at it. ¡°Okay, here you go. If that is all, then¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m off. You¡¯ll hear from me at some point.¡± I turn around to leave, waving at the pair. I don¡¯t bother listening to their replies as I start jogging down the alley and turn around the corner. I keep going for a few blocks until I come to a stop. ¡°Holy shit!¡± I mutter, grinning from ear to ear. I didn¡¯t really know what to expect from this encounter, but I just gained a shit ton of gold! Three hundred! That¡¯s a month worth of rent! I didn¡¯t really have a plan about what to do here. The only thing I really wanted was to have them add me to their friends list so I could monitor when they are offline or strike up some sort of friendship to have them tell me if they are ever out of town or off doing some dungeon somewhere. To come out of it with a month worth of rent and the fact that they owe me a favor¡­ wow. Just wow. I can work with this. Running on endorphins alone, I make my way back towards the warehouse and my underlings. I briefly considered heading back and buying some more gear for both myself and my newest Spotter, but I figure it¡¯s not necessary quite yet. My Spotter will mostly just act like a lookout, and I don¡¯t see the point in buying new gear for him and me just to risk everything to steal gear that hopefully will replace the stuff I bought. If that¡¯s the case, then there wouldn¡¯t be a point doing the job in the first place. Sure, it would be cheaper and less risky to just buy the gear and drop the job instead, but I could really use the experience. Both in progress towards my next level and towards mastering my class and future jobs. I probably need to give my Poisoner at least a few more hours to craft some more poisons for the job, so I decide to head into the sewers. I know it¡¯s a risk since both Greg and Kevin are down there, but at least I know their general location. Since they entered from the southeast area of the district, then it should be fairly safe for me to grind my way north and west for a few hours. This could also work out for me in the future. If they choose to enter through the sewer entrance closest to the district¡¯s shops, then it¡¯s reasonable to assume they will continue to grind in that general area. Why would they move further away from basecamp after all? Humans are creatures of habit. The problem is that my warehouse is also rather close to the east, so I guess I need to either relocate further west or find a way to block off the entrance. It¡¯s not too big of an issue for me, but I¡¯d rather the duo or the Dark Pegasus guild as a whole didn¡¯t know about this place. Reaching the warehouse, I command my underlings to start stacking boxes on top of the sewer entrance. I don¡¯t know if Greg or Kevin will come this way, or even manage to venture this far on their first day, but I¡¯d rather be safe. The two are only level four, and I doubt they¡¯d make it for long down there if it hadn¡¯t been because their gear is seriously overpowered. Smacking those critters around should be a breeze for them, even at their levels. Hell, I¡¯m not even sure if I could take them down easily anymore. Nevertheless, I¡¯m burning daylight and should probably start grinding. My goal is to try and gain enough experience to level up after I complete the bard¡¯s job. I¡¯m not sure I can do it in three hours, but I¡¯m willing to try. Killing the slimes should be far quicker with two Spotters at least. It takes about fifteen minutes to head to the western sewer entrance I found earlier. I brought my entire crew, and we proceed to wreak havoc on the poor critters in the sewers. Reaching level five and getting some new gear and armor for my underlings really help speed things along. I keep spamming my ¡®Calm¡¯ spell, as well as my ¡®Cheap Shot¡¯ skill as often as I can, leveling both of the skills up once each during the three-hour excursion. Our exp gains from the monsters down here may have diminished, but we can slaughter them far quicker, and we require far less time between each fight to rest and recuperate. Come to think about it, I haven¡¯t really kept track of the development of my skills. I bring up my status window and peruse my meager amount of combat-related skills. Class skills: Mentor ¨C Increases Underling experience gains by 5% * Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 4. Doppelganger ¨C Instantaneously switch position with an Underling. Range: 1 meter + 0,2 * Skill level. Cooldown: 10 minutes. Current skill level: Novice 6. Cheap Shot - Gives Underlings a damage bonus to their first attack in a fight equal to Luck + Skill level for 5 minutes + 5 seconds per Skill level or until the first attack has been made. Cooldown 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 2. Illusion Magic Calm ¨C Illusion Mind spell. Soothes the target NPC¡¯s mind. Decreases the Infamy tier of all friendly targets by 1. Chance of success: Int + 2 * Skill level - Target¡¯ Perception. Duration: 0,5 Int + 0,2 * Skill level seconds. Cost: 100 Mana - 0,5 * Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 5. Chameleon ¨C Cloaks your body in a static illusion, greatly reducing your visibility when immobile. Effectiveness: 1,5 Int + 2 * Skill level - Enemy¡¯s Perception. Cost: 100 Mana - 0,5 * Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 5. My skills have been growing nicely over these last few days. The skills do level quicker while I¡¯m at the novice level, similar to how my character grows quicker the lower level I am. It¡¯s going to be tedious on the higher levels when the leveling halts to a crawl, but so far, it¡¯s nice to see progress. Every skill level does count, and each and every one of them could help save my life at some point. After going at it for a while, I realise I should actually have gotten myself a new weapon. Even though I don¡¯t plan on using it, just having one equipped is enough to increase my attributes by leaps and bounds. I wonder if I made the correct decision to hold off on buying temporary gear before the job. If I had gotten the correct types of armor, I might have been able to spawn an extra underling before the job. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine, but it still makes me a little antsy. Also, it makes me slightly worried to carry all this cash around. If I die, then I lose everything. I should definitely consider stashing it all inside the tavern alongside my Poisoner. Just in case. We¡¯re about to leave the sewers when we suddenly come upon the second trap of the evening. Happy I¡¯ll get another chance at trying to level up my Trap Maker skills, I drop to my knees and examine the trap. To my surprise, this time the trigger mechanism of the trap is a pressure plate and not a tripwire like all the other traps I¡¯ve disabled. Concerned this trap is of a higher level than the previous ones, I inspect it carefully. Disarming traps in this game is like a minigame. The first part is to try and locate all the components involved in the trap and then dismantle them in a set pattern. The pattern varies, but there are subtle hints as to where one should start. All traps have three general components to them. The main part is always the trigger mechanism, which is what sets off the trap. This is usually a tripwire or a pressure plate at the lower levels, but like everything else in life, it turns more complex the more one dabbles in the subject. The second part of the trap is, of course, the release mechanism. Every trap serves a function, and that function is usually to deliver death and mayhem to whichever witless fool who triggers the trap. The release mechanism is what actually causes the trap¡¯s payload to be set off, be it the launch of a crossbow bolt or the drop of a glass jar filled with poison gas. The third and final part is the trap¡¯s framework. A trap can¡¯t function with only a trigger and release mechanism. It also needs a skeleton to keep the entire thing together. The framework is the part of the trap that makes it tough to dismantle it as it is designed to hinder tampering and make certain the traps are sturdy enough to weather use. This trap seems to have upped its challenge though. I first start by thoroughly examining the pressure plate. It¡¯s made up of a very thin layer of burnt wood, which makes it tough to spot in the ambient lighting. The pressure plate rests upon a small metal wire that connects to a small metal loop near the rightmost wall of the sewer. The loop is connected to a small wooden box containing a small metal contraption inside it. I can only imagine this is the framework that connects the trigger and release mechanism. There¡¯s a thin thread extending out from the metal box up along the wall, being connected to another, bigger wooden box near the corner of the roof. Examining this box closer, I notice that it contains a small glass vial filled with a green liquid, and there¡¯s a hole in the box angled towards the middle of the tunnel where the pressure plate is. My educated guess is that this is some sort of crude acid-based trap. A far stretch away from the simple flail or spear traps I¡¯ve encountered earlier. To correctly disable this trap and have a chance of recovering any components, I usually have to start by dismantling the framework first. The small metal box that functions as the connector between the trigger and release mechanism usually contains a safeguard against tampering with the trap. If I cut the wrong cord, it might result in the trap triggering itself without me even touching the pressure plate. My hunch is correct as I spot a small gear inside the box that is connected to a weight mechanism. If it loses pressure from either the metal stick or the thread connecting to the other parts, it would cause the trap to trigger. Another option would be to try and cut the thread connecting the framework and the release mechanism first, but without maintaining constant pressure on the thread, that also would result in failure. Luckily, these low-level traps aren¡¯t so hard to dismantle. Bringing forth a thin metal tool with a flattened end, I insert it into the framework, trying to jam the gear from accidentally shifting the weighting mechanism around. When I¡¯m confident that the trap¡¯s safeguard has been neutralized, I proceed to carefully dislodge the poison vial from the wooden release mechanism. Keeping my hands steady, I manage to carefully tilt the vial out of its socket without breaking the brittle glass. With the payload removed from the trap, I continue to carefully remove each and every part of the trap at a slow pace. After another minute, I¡¯m greeted by an unexpected prompt. [Congratulations! You have managed to successfully dismantle a [Weak Acid Pressure Trap]. You have managed to salvage the complete trap! [Weak Acid Pressure Trap. Uncommon. 8 Burn Damage per Second for 8 Seconds. Requires Level 5]. The trap has been added to your inventory.] [Disarm Trap has leveled up to Novice 2.] Success! Chapter 25 – The Merry Dwarf Chapter 25 ¨C The Merry Dwarf Darkness descends as I make my final preparations for the bard job. My anticipation is running high as I gather all my underlings around me in the warehouse. I¡¯m really nervous about this job; more so than the others. Don¡¯t get me wrong, the heist back in the noob zone was probably the most frightening thing I¡¯ve ever experienced, but this feels¡­ different somehow. One thing is when a job suddenly goes down the drain, but when I know well in advance the potential clusterfuck I¡¯m about to stick my dick into, it turns infinitely worse for my poor nerves. It¡¯s gotten so bad I¡¯ve actually gone over my preparations thrice over. I brought all hands on deck for this one; even my Beggar. I can¡¯t help but worry something will go wrong. One thing is messing up a job with a bunch of NPCs, but it¡¯s a whole different scenario when my objective might be chocked full of actual players. One single slip up is all it takes to crush my dream. Remind me again why I¡¯m doing this? Think about your blood pressure, Ryan. You can never be too young to have a heart attack. I throw a few punches at the air, trying to rid myself of the building adrenaline. Even though this job is a bad idea, I just know I¡¯m gonna do it anyway. If I can¡¯t even pull off this simple heist, then I shouldn¡¯t even bother aiming for the top. There are no rewards without risk in games. Worst comes to show, I just wasted another two days. Steeling my resolve, I go over my preparations one final time. My Poisoner has outdone herself. She managed to create twelve poisons for the job; four Weak Paralyzing Poisons and eight Weak Blight Poisons. Hopefully, I won¡¯t need them, but I¡¯d rather have them than not. During my last excursion in the sewers, I also managed to level my latest addition, the Spotter, to level three. My dwarven Hoodlum also reached level four, boosting my combat potential by leaps and bounds. I should be ready for just about anything by now. After stashing the majority of my loot back at the tavern along with my Poisoner, we decide to head out. The Bard¡¯s College is located to the northeast near the dock, bordering on the Harbour District. It¡¯s naturally the nicer part of the district, where all the NPCs who can rub two pieces of gold between their fingers usually hang around. I¡¯m not a fan of crowds, but luckily for me, it makes it easier to blend in. Hide a tree in a forest and all that. The Bard¡¯s College is a large wooden structure, towering above most nearby buildings. I think it¡¯s the only four-storey building in the vicinity, and its tiled roof can be seen from all the way north to the Craftsman¡¯s District. The College actually looks a bit more like a tavern than a school, but that¡¯s not really too weird considering the bottom two floors are just a giant bar surrounding a large stage at the center of the building. It¡¯s actually more accurate to say it¡¯s more like a theater than a bar. Or perhaps a saloon? You know, like in the old wild west. The bottom two floors are open to the public and it seems to be the local watering hole for both NPCs and players alike. There are four major entrances to the building, and there aren¡¯t even any guards near the doors. Getting in shouldn¡¯t be a problem for me, but with all these people around, my underlings might not fare so well. My objective should be on the top two floors of the building where the guild conducts the majority of their business. The evening should be prime time for Bards to hang around in the bar downstairs, so I don¡¯t expect there to be too much traffic on the upper floors. I should be ready for anything though, and most of all, not rush things and do something stupid. I¡¯m good at doing stupid shit. I stash my underlings in a nearby alley while I decide to do a little bit of scouting. I start by taking a long walk around the building, trying to locate any possible entrances or opportunities to infiltrate the College. Disappointingly enough, the College is such a large building, it takes up en entire city block. It¡¯s so large, it¡¯s surrounded by streets on all sides, which means there are no neighbouring houses I can use to scale the building. Also, due to all the traffic, I can¡¯t literally scale the building without being spotted. Not that I would have done that given the option; my Agility attribute being what it is. The building has four large double doors on either side of the building. There¡¯s a lot of activity around these doors, and they all lead into the bar area on the bottom floors. There are a few alternative entrances on the corners of the western and northern parts of the building that don¡¯t seem to be open to the public. I assume these entrances are for the use of guild personnel, but I can¡¯t be sure where they lead to. For all I know, they might lead directly to a guards¡¯ office or the kitchen. I don¡¯t think I should chance it. I spend a good hour trying to stake out the two entrances, hoping to see if anyone exits the doors. Unluckily enough, I don¡¯t see anyone and the doors remain shut. By the laws of gaming logic, the doors should see regular use to determine their purpose. Similar to how the hobos showed up at the alchemist¡¯s hut to deliver their packages like clockwork. So¡­ what are my options here? I¡¯m not particularly fond of the area. It¡¯s far too open, leaving no space for my underlings to make a stealthy entrance. The western back entrance is probably my best bet, considering there is far less traffic from this side of town, as well as the entrance being on the shadowy side of the building. It doesn¡¯t help much, but it might help a little. I also don¡¯t like the amount of people hanging around. If I manage to get upstairs, then a single mistake would be enough to alert the crowd below. There are next to no information available about what I can expect going forward, and it doesn¡¯t seem like there is any information to gain from loitering out here. I need to get eyes inside, and I don¡¯t think any of my underlings can do it. Well, maybe the Beggar could slip in easily. It wouldn¡¯t help much though, considering the guy is mute. No, the only one who can do it is me. It¡¯s risky with all these people in here, but as long as I don¡¯t draw any attention then I doubt anyone would bother looking too closely at me. People relaxing should ¨C in theory ¨C be too lazy to bother inspecting everyone they run across; neither should there be many people with a high enough perception score walking around. This is still an area primarily frequented by low-level players; none of them likely to pierce my disguise. It¡¯s a stupid risk, yes, and not one I can dare do again in the future. I¡¯ve only played for two days, and I don¡¯t necessarily risk everything if I have to reroll my character now. I¡¯m getting awfully close to the point of no return though, and for all I know, I might already have passed it. Now is the time to take a chance to get ahead of the curve. The rewards are just too good, and I like my odds of success better to risk a peek inside rather than blindly storm one of the side doors. Preparing myself mentally, I step up to the building. Night has truly descended by now, and I can hear the sound of about a hundred people raising a ruckus within. Laughter, cheers, and music fill the air, and the mood is infecting every passerby on the street. I¡¯m of half a mind to go in and just join them for a moment, but I need to stay true to my cause. I can try drinking when it¡¯s safer. There¡¯s a sign above the entrance. The Prancing Leprechaun. Why does that sound so familiar?The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I shrug. I pass a couple of drunk female gnomes as I make my way through a set of large double doors. One of them offers me a lap dance in exchange for a beer, but I kindly decline. Gnomes look a bit too much like human children in my eyes. Having one grind on my lap would just feel wrong on far too many levels. I push my way further inside, ignoring the gnome who snorts and calls me a faggot. I can¡¯t help but chuckle at her insult. It¡¯s hard to get insulted by tiny people after all. The insides of the bottom floors of the College are breathtaking. It¡¯s a huge bar that stretches over two floors, with a large stage taking up the center of the room. There are hundreds of round oaken tables located everywhere, and hundreds of players and NPCs of mixed races are spread among them. The sight is breathtaking, and just what one would expect from a medieval fantasy game. I stand there gaping until someone bumps into me from behind. ¡°Oy! Watch it shorty! What are ye doin¡¯ just standin¡¯ round ere¡¯ for?¡± A burly voice shouts. Slightly disoriented, I turn to face the voice. I come face to face with a bearded dwarf in full plate armor, with a large kite shield strapped to his back and an axe secured at his waist. He eyes me skeptically as I notice his full red beard twitches slightly. ¡°Sorry, my bad. It¡¯s my first time here. The scenery sort of blew me away a little bit.¡± I tell the dwarf. Who is this guy calling shorty, anyway? We¡¯re the same damn height. The dwarf guffaws. ¡°I hear ye, lad. It could happen to the best of us.¡± My brows furrow. What¡¯s wrong with this guy? That¡¯s the shittiest attempt at a Scottish accent I¡¯ve ever heard. The guy is clearly french. He sounds just like that guy Marc from Anna¡¯s party¡­ He actually also looks like that guy-. ¡°My name¡¯s Marc, lad. What¡¯s yours?¡± ¡­ Fuck. This is the bar Anna invited me to, isn¡¯t it? My body tenses. Shit! What are the odds? I can¡¯t let her see me. Not with that Paul guy hanging around. I need to get out of here, pronto. What do I even tell this guy? ¡°Uhm, just call me Rynorn.¡± Marc hesitates for a moment. ¡°Alright lad, I respect yer right fer privacy. Ye hardly know me after all! How about ye let me buy yer a drink so we can get to know one another, eh?¡± He grins. Geez, what a friendly guy. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m just passing through. I have this quest you see¡­¡± ¡°Quest? Nonsense! There¡¯s always time fer good ale, lad. The quest isn¡¯t going anywhere, ye know.¡± He chuckles while putting an arm around my shoulder. ¡°Relax and take a breather! I want to see if ye little halflings can hold yer liquor!¡± He guffaws while pulling me towards the bar. I struggle against his hold on me, my strength sorely lacking against his steel grip. ¡°I really don¡¯t have time¡­¡± I say. ¡°Wha¡¯? Ye lookin¡¯ for a girl or something? I can introduce ye to a friend of mine. The lass is a wee bit sulky because some lad stood her up.¡± He smirks. ¡°Yer gonna love me party. They¡¯re an all right bunch. Our cleric is a wee lil¡¯ bitch, but that¡¯s what one should look fer in a lass, innit?¡± He roars with laughter. What the hell? How do I get rid of this guy? ¡°I appreciate the offer, but I¡¯m not really looking for a woman. I just-,¡± ¡°How bout¡¯ a lad then? Daniel is our assassin. He¡¯s a nice fellow. Single to boot!¡± He winks at me. ¡°Wait, what? No! I didn¡¯t mean-¡± I blurt, my face reddening. ¡°There ain¡¯t anyone judging you here, lad.¡± He smiles. I facepalm, gently rubbing my temples. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for company, all right? I Just want to finish my quest. It¡¯s got a timer on it, and if I don¡¯t complete it within the hour, I might lose my apprenticeship with the Trap Maker¡¯s guild.¡± I snap at him with a bit more aggression than necessary. ¡°Timer? Why didn¡¯t ye say so! What are ye standing around ere¡¯ for? Get on with it then. Come back afterwards and we¡¯ll share a pint!¡± He shoos me off, laughing with not a care in the world. ¡°I might.¡± I lie, slithering out of his grip. I deftly maneuver my way through the crowd, leaving the merry dwarf behind. That was way too close. What the hell is up with this city anyway? Is it really this small? I keep running into the same people everywhere I go. Is someone fucking with me, or am I just really unlucky? Either option would certainly explain a lot. That¡¯s it. I promise to invest more points into my Luck attribute next chance I get. I don¡¯t care if it doesn¡¯t really affect the threads of fate. This is getting ridiculous. I push my way through to the opposite side of the building. Making sure no one of Anna¡¯s party is nearby, I finally start my reconnaissance in earnest. I¡¯ve already been here too long. Time is of the essence after all. The northern part of the building is a dining area with an attached kitchen. NPCs are streaming in and out of a room at the back, carrying dishes and trays filled with delicious food. If my sense of direction is up to date, then it¡¯s reasonable for me to assume the northern personnel entrance is attached to the kitchen storage room or the like. That means breaking through from that direction would be ludicrous, considering that the amount of NPCs that enter the kitchen is enormous. I¡¯d be spotted for sure if I attempted something. Unless¡­ I rub my chin. Unless there is potential here. With the amount of NPCs heading in and out, there is no guarantee they are all that familiar with one another. If I can somehow steal a disguise, I might be able to outfit some of my underlings and sneak in that way. NPCs don¡¯t react to the Infamy Levels as regular players do, and there should be a way to trick the system with the proper items. I sincerely doubt there are any players back there. That might actually work¡­ But how can I be certain? My first obstacle would be to acquire the disguises, and I don¡¯t have the foggiest idea of where to get them. I might be able to procure something from a tailor¡¯s shop, but those are all closed for the night. I could try and use the finer clothes I looted from the Davvins¡¯ household, but I don¡¯t think those would qualify as servant attire. I don¡¯t even think I can completely rule out the possibility of a few players trying to level their cooking skills in the kitchen. I like the idea, but I don¡¯t like the risk. Shaking my head, I move my attention to the western part of the building. Unlike the southern and eastern side of the building, the western side contains the necessary facilities for such an establishment, like toilets, a coat room, and a wide set of stairs going up to the floors above. I try to find the possible location of the personnel entrance, but I come up short. It should be somewhere behind the coatroom, but I don¡¯t see any doors from the inside attached to where the entrance should be. I guess that it leads to a backroom, hopefully with stairs leading upwards. If I am to attempt my heist, that should be my best bet for making my entry. I take a deep breath. This is going to be tough. Real tough. I¡¯m basically going in blind on this one. A voice at the back of my mind tells me to back away while I still can. Not every job is supposed to be doable; it¡¯s ranked hard difficulty after all. Who knows what might go wrong? For all I know, the leader of the Dark Pegasus guild could be up there listening to some gnome playing blues music on a flute. Maybe this job is supposed to be impossible to perform, just to teach the Thief Lord when to call it quits? I exhale slowly. I guess I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I come to it. There is no doubt in my mind I could sit here for hours coming up with reasons for why this is a bad idea, but when it all comes down to it, I¡¯m a gamer for the excitement and adventure. I might be stupid enough to attempt a suicide mission, but I¡¯m not stupid enough to put myself in a position where I will lose no matter what. No risk, no reward. I should probably try to come up with a plan B? Maybe¡­ I¡¯ll have to see what I¡¯m up against first. My preparations should be all done, except for one last thing. The most crucial part of this endeavour. With my mind made up, I walk up to counter. Climbing onto a stool, I hail the bartender. ¡°Give me a Dwarven Fire Whiskey, and make it double.¡± I mutter, rubbing my temples. Hopefully, it will be enough to get me through this job. It certainly won¡¯t make the experience any worse. Chapter 26 – Tough Choices Chapter 26 ¨C Tough Choices I exhale slowly as I gently rub my chin. The only thing I need now is a window of opportunity. My underlings and I are currently hiding in an alley to the west of the College. There¡¯s still a whole lot of traffic outside, so I need to find a way to get at least some of us up to and inside the building. A feat that is by no means simple. It¡¯s a good thing that the entrance is somewhat secluded in the shadows of the building, but there is still a bit too many pedestrians walking around for my liking. We could head up there in full force, but I dismiss that as a dumb idea. Even the dullest of players would notice a bunch of criminals casually straddling through the streets. Not only is it far away, but I can probably assume the door is locked. Therefore, my first order of business should be to find a way to get my Cutpurse over there without drawing any attention. That part shouldn¡¯t be too difficult, since his stealth levels are adequate, and even high-level players should have some difficulty piercing his veil over long distances. The problem with this is that he can¡¯t stay stealthed while picking the lock. He needs a distraction, and that¡¯s a tall order to provide without alerting anyone that there are criminals about. I believe my best option would be to use the time tested tactic of body blocking. To pull that off, I need to have a small crowd of people casually and strategically stand between any observers and the object of interest. The object of interest obviously being the Cutpurse who is up to no good. Naturally, body blocking with a bunch of criminals would serve against its purpose, so I need to adjust the tactic slightly. To do this to the best effect, I pull out the two items I picked up during the heist from the widow job. [Embroidered Formal Dress Set. Uncommon. Per level gain: +2 Charisma. Disguise: Hides class and reduces Infamy Level to 0. Requires: Female NPC. *Contraband*] [Embroidered Formal Suit Set. Uncommon. Per level gain: +2 Charisma. Disguise: Hides class and reduces Infamy Level to 0. Requires: Male NPC. *Contraband*] These items are perfect for my underlings to perform covert ops like this. While under the effect of the disguise, my underlings should be hidden from any prying eyes as long as they don¡¯t pry too hard. It¡¯s a pity I only have two of the items, so I need to carefully choose which of my underlings I want to bring along. The Cutpurse has a decent stealth ability, so I can rule him out of needing a disguise. My high-level Hoodlum should always be part of any scheme I perform, not only because he is the perfect bodyguard, but also because he brings a lot of utility to the table. That brings me to the last disguise. Since it¡¯s female-only, I can only use it on a female underling. Since the only female underling I have is the dwarven Hoodlum, aside from my Poisoner, of course, I pretty much have a full crew for this heist. I briefly considered bringing a Spotter, but from my experience down in the sewers, they don¡¯t really excel in close-quarter combat. They can be useful, sure, but they don¡¯t offer much flexibility in a straight-up brawl. Handing out the disguises, I receive their armor in return which I store in my inventory. I consider grabbing their weapons as well since NPCs in finer garments usually don¡¯t wield them, but it¡¯s not worth it. If something does happen, then I prefer they have at least some means of defending themselves; or better yet, me. Completing their changes of clothes, I halt to admire their new appearances. The human Hoodlum stands straight with a dignified posture. His dark red velvet garments are fit for a merchant of good standing. The female dwarf looks lavish in her dark blue dress that stretches to her knees. I might have actually called her a beauty if it hadn¡¯t been because she retains her angry scowl from earlier. It¡¯s a good thing the game¡¯s items automatically adjust their size to whoever is wearing them, as I doubt Mrs. Davvin¡¯s human figure can be compared to the short and compact dwarven Hoodlum. I know a few women back in the real world who would kill for this feature. All ready to go, we head over towards the mouth of the alley overlooking the street in front of the College. Even though I have a plan, I need to find the correct moment to start the heist. Looking over the street, I spot a few people who loiter around the personnel entrance. Attempting to inspect them from afar, I spot a few high-level players standing reasonably close. It goes without saying that I would be pretty stupid to try and sneak in with players who can look through our disguises standing nearby, so I wait for them to move on. A few minutes later, the group heads into the bar. The streets aren¡¯t completely deserted yet, but all the players I can see are level ten or below. It¡¯s showtime. I have the Cutpurse activate his stealth ability while I surround myself with my two Hoodlums and the Beggar. We depart the alley and move as a group over towards the personnel entrance. My nerves are running on high gear as my eyes dart back and forth, trying to get a complete overview of every person on the street. As we reach the door, I release a small breath as my Cutpurse starts picking the lock. The rest of us form a loose circle among us, attempting to block as much line of sight towards the Cutpurse as we can. I can¡¯t help but shift my eyes all around me, nervous as I am. After a short moment, a small party of low-level adventurers arrives from the southwest. The four of us move slightly in their direction, taking up position in their direct line of sight towards my Cutpurse. My heart is threatening to escape through my throat as I watch the adventures close in on us, completely lost in their own discussion. My muscles don¡¯t ease up until the adventurers safely pass us, entering the bar. ¡°How long!?¡± I hiss at the Cutpurse through clenched teeth. The Cutpurse gives me a deadpanned look for a fraction of a moment until he resumes his silent task. His lockpicking takes a long time. Far too long. After we stand out here for about three minutes, deftly moving from side to side to keep the line of sight impaired, I¡¯m about to call the heist off when a soft clicking sound echoes behind me. Turning around, I spot the Cutpurse opening the door before he slips through. ¡°About fucking time.¡± I mutter, ordering my Hoodlums to hurry inside. I leave my Beggar outside to keep more eyes on the door before I sneak in myself. I find myself in a short hallway with a single set of stairs leading upwards to my side. There¡¯s a single oil lamp on the wall, illuminating the small area. The hallway is pretty narrow, so all my underlings are already halfway up the stairs to leave room for me. It¡¯s not a great staircase for fighting, seeing as the staircase is only wide enough to accommodate roughly one and a half person. Two people could pass each other, but they would have to squeeze past. It¡¯s not an optimal place for my underlings to fight so I have my Cutpurse scout ahead while the Hoodlums trail him from a safe distance.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Left alone at the bottom of the stairs, I pull out the Acid Trap I looted earlier in the day. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just because I¡¯m paranoid, or if it¡¯s because I think traps are freaking awesome, but I¡¯ve been hoping for a chance to place one of these since I decided to pick up the profession. Traps are pretty efficient, but they are purely defensive by nature. It¡¯s virtually impossible to attack someone using traps, but they are good to slow down pursuers. I don¡¯t really have to, but I would feel much safer knowing I have a fallback plan before I go deeper inside this building. Looking around, I decide to place the trap above the door. It¡¯s a natural chokepoint, and the door will distract the pursuer from the threat of the trap. It¡¯s also easier for me to predict where the enemy will set foot, as their options are severely limited. I place the release mechanism above the door and gently insert the vial of acid. I place the pressure plate below the bottom step of the stairs and hide the framework alongside the wall. Observing my work, I¡¯m not quite satisfied. The trap is placed in an efficient location, but the simplicity of the trap makes it far too easy to spot. Scratching my head, I decide to snuff out the oil lamp on the wall, intending to cover the trap with darkness. I¡¯m only somewhat successful, but I¡¯ll take it. It certainly could be worse. Luckily, because of game logic, placing traps only takes a fraction of the time it would take in real life to deploy traps. If I really put my mind to it, I¡¯m certain I could set the trap in less than fifteen seconds. I¡¯m not saying I have a street magician¡¯s level of dexterity¡­ But, you know. Content with my work, I focus on the task at hand. I move up the stairs and find my two Hoodlums peeking around a corner. Joining them, I look down a dark corridor lightly illuminated by a few sparsely spread lanterns. My Cutpurse isn¡¯t back yet, so I assume he didn''t run into any trouble. If he did, then all hell would probably have broken loose by now. The concept of Burglary can be pretty simple sometimes. We make our way down the hallway, peeking into the rooms spaced out on either side of the corridor. It appears the majority of the rooms on this floor are made up of classrooms. The rooms are mostly barren, with only a few chairs and tables in each of them. I guess it¡¯s supposed to be like this in a medieval school for musicians, where the only things the students need are their own instruments and natural talent. I don¡¯t bother checking most of the rooms as it¡¯s pretty clear it would be a waste of time. I only notice something out of the ordinary when I peek into the seventh classroom. I almost overlook it, but there¡¯s an object in the back corner of the room, covered by a sheet. With my interest piqued, I sneak into the room and take a closer look. As I unravel the object, my eyes light up in joy. [Dented Spruce Lute. Uncommon. 2-4 Blunt Damage, +4 Charisma. +2 Dexterity. Requires level 6. *Contraband*] It¡¯s a guitar! A god damn medieval guitar! I grin as I let my hands caress the smooth wooden limb, gently tucking on the strings with my thumb and index finger. It¡¯s a real beauty. Man, I should have impersonated a bard. I would have looked so good walking down the street playing on the lute. Bards are tough to play. They are horrible in straight-up combat, but they are also highly valued party members due to their powerful buffs and supporting capabilities. It doesn¡¯t hurt that a skilled bard is also nice to have around when you need to pass time during long-distance travel. If it hadn¡¯t been because I try to keep a low profile, I might have done that actually. Well, if it hadn¡¯t been because nine out of ten Thief Lords masquerade as Bards, I might. I digress; It would paint a more sensible picture to see a Bard walking down the street with a Lute strapped to his back rather than a Trap Maker doing the same, wouldn¡¯t it? I have to say though. I love how much Bards and Thief Lords have in common gear-wise. We are both reliant on Charisma, as well as being two of the five purely support classes in the game. The weapon is actually perfect for me, and it¡¯s going to look nice and shiny in my hands as soon as I level up. We head further down the hallway and peek inside a few more classrooms. We don¡¯t come upon any more useable items, but it doesn¡¯t take long until we find the first signs of life. My Cutpurse has been scouting ahead diligently, and he located a small office on the other side of the floor, next to the stairs leading up to the fourth floor. I¡¯m actually surprised I haven¡¯t run into anyone yet, but I suppose the game is tweaking the job parameters a little bit. Sneaking ahead, I notice the light from an open door stretching out into the hallway from an office at the end of the hall. I can spot the staircase on the other side, and I don¡¯t think I can reach it without passing the open door. There are a couple of voices coming from inside the room. I can¡¯t make out what they are saying from all the way over here, but their voices sound calm. Perfect. That means they don¡¯t expect company. I lead my little thief squad forwards, tiptoeing carefully across the squeaky floorboards. We¡¯re not completely silent, but I believe we¡¯re quiet enough for the voices not to hear anything. Coming up on the room, I lean in closer, trying to get a quick peek inside the room. There are two men inside, one halfling and an elf. The halfling is sitting by a desk facing the door, but he seems occupied writing something on a parchment. The elf is standing to his right, organising a bookshelf. Good. It doesn¡¯t look like anyone is watching the door. I inspect the two. [Halfling Secretary(4). HP: 90/90.] [High Elf Secretary(4). HP: 90/90.] My mind is torn on what to do here. From how I see it, I have two options. I could try and sneak past the two, heading upstairs without looking back, or I could try and quietly murder the two. The former option should be the easier one, but it also carries a risk to leave loose ends along my only escape path. Who is to say the two won¡¯t eventually leave the room, either heading downstairs and triggering my trap, or go upstairs and run into my underlings and me while we are in the middle of delicate burglary stuff? The latter option should therefore be safer, but neither this one can be considered optimal. They are only level four after all. Killing them would make it easier to proceed, but I also run the risk of them calling the alarm, which would put a quick and efficient end to my heist before I even manage to properly start it. Sure, I managed to at least get a nice weapon out of it, but that¡¯s not why I came here. I frown as I consider my options. My brain tells me to sneak past and focus on the main objective which is the armor that should be located somewhere further ahead, while my gut tells me to attempt the assassination to make sure I don¡¯t leave any loose ends. Either option is tough, and there isn¡¯t any right answer. So far, both of my previous jobs ended up in me mindlessly murdering all my targets. Mrs. Davvins, Greg and Kevin, Theodor the Alchemist, and the nameless beggar. By this account alone, I can hardly call myself a master thief. I¡¯m more like a thug than a thief at this point. I know I¡¯m supposed to be the Villain here, but do I really have to choose the most villainous option I¡¯m presented with every time? Hell, it doesn¡¯t really matter what I do. This is still a game, and I have hundreds of thousands of digital lives on my conscience as it is. Two more is nothing to me. There¡¯s just something about this fucked up scenario though. I don¡¯t really mind killing NPCs as they are just a few lines of computer code, but I still want to enjoy playing the game. I¡¯ve never played a game that feels as realistic as this game does, and I usually look upon myself as a virtuous kind of guy, opting to play as the good guy rather than not. I¡¯m not averse to playing the bad guy, and I¡¯ll slaughter a whole town of innocent NPCs as long as I can benefit from it, but something just sits wrong with me murdering every innocent being I come across just for the coin in their pockets. I¡¯ll definitely benefit from it, but it¡¯s still a weird feeling. Personally, I¡¯d rather just slaughter heaps and droves of mindless monsters if I¡¯m given the option. Alas, this is the hand I¡¯ve been dealt, and I will see it through no matter what. My goal is not to be the digital Virgin Mary, but the strongest player. How I get there is of little relevance, but I¡¯m not narrow-minded enough to not enjoy my way to the top. Still, I should try to be rational here. The choice is tougher than I thought. Chapter 27 – Rince and Repeat Chapter 27 ¨C Rince and Repeat I¡¯ve decided to go with my mind on this one. Or maybe it¡¯s my fledgling conscience? It doesn¡¯t matter. Sneaking past the office isn¡¯t a bad option. I will probably come back on my way down and murder them if the loot upstairs isn¡¯t satisfactory. I doubt the two NPCs have anything of worth anyway. Getting past the office should be fairly easy. The two NPCs aren¡¯t looking at the door and the hallway is still dark for the most part. Still, there are four of us, and one of us has hardly any points invested in Agility. You know which one. Anyway, there is no reason to waste time. The sooner we get past, the better. My Cutpurse goes first, easily slipping past the doorway without making a sound. Obviously, I expect nothing less from my Rogue. He is the one with the highest level of stealth ability after all. Next up, is yours truly. Unlike my Cutpurse, my Agility is severely lacking, and my stealth skills are pretty much non-existent. Still, it should be possible. The NPCs are at least two meters inside the room and not looking this way. Anyone could sneak past. It still makes me nervous though. The hallway is still mostly dark, and it¡¯s only a short distance to cross. I move over towards the back wall where the light is dimmest. Hugging the back wall, I slowly inch myself forwards, trying my utmost to stay as quiet as possible. Having watched a whole lot of ninja-related movies in my past, I focus my eyes on the floorboards, trying to locate a support beam beneath to muffle my steps. I take a careful step forward, aiming my foot on top of the edge of a plank, right on top of where I can see the nails have been hammered in. I rest my foot on top of it, trying to get a feel for the pressure. Not hearing anything, I lean forwards, increasing the pressure on my front foot. And then, a loud wooden creaking noise echoes through the hallway. Fuck! An electric jolt travels down my spine. With only a slight moment of hesitation, I cast Chameleon on myself, watching how the shimmering illusion takes hold over my still body. ¡°Who¡¯s out there?¡± A voice asks from inside the room. Shifting my eyes, I watch from the corner of my eye as the high elf is making his way towards the door. Shit. My Cutpurse and I should be able to stay well hidden, but my two Hoodlums won¡¯t fare as well. There is just no time for them to hide, and they will be spotted for sure if they start running. Crap. My mind races as I try to come up with a plan. Do I have to fight? The high elf doesn¡¯t give me a lot of time to think as he soon sticks his head out of the door, staring straight at my two Hoodlums. ¡°Who are you? This area is closed off for visitors.¡± He says, his brows furrowing. My two Hoodlums, still dressed in their finest garbs, stare back at the high elf. They don¡¯t make any noise, and they rest their hands on the pommel of their weapons. ¡°I asked you a question. If you don¡¯t answer, I will fetch the guards and have you escorted the dungeons.¡± The elf says sternly, albeit his body seems tense. He seems far more hesitant, and he carefully takes a step backwards. ¡°This is your final warning¡­¡± I grit my teeth. Damn it. There is only one option left. I activate ¡®Cheap Shot¡¯ and signal for my Cutpurse to strike. My Cutpurse dashes forwards, blade in hand. He sinks his skill-enhanced blade into the back of the startled high elf, and I watch as his body goes rigid, the effect of the Paralyzing Potion taking effect. As soon as my Cutpurse started to move, my Hoodlums drew their short swords and lunge at the frozen Secretary. While this is all going on, I break my ¡®Chameleon¡¯ spell and dash towards the office door. The other Secretary has gotten up from his seat and has pulled out a small knife from somewhere. As the halfling spots me, his eyes go wide. He is about to open his mouth to scream, but I am prepared for this. ¡°Calm!¡± I hiss, pointing at the halfling. A glimmering mist shoots from my outstretched arm, enveloping the halfling¡¯s head. It only takes a fraction of a moment, but the translucent mist congregates around his eyes as the spell takes hold. The halfling¡¯s tense shoulders lower themselves, and his hand holding the knife rests against his side. The halfling looks at me, slightly confused. ¡°Uh¡­ Hello there¡­¡± He mutters, slightly slurring his words. ¡°Can I help you with something? Can I offer you some tea perhaps?¡± He smiles weakly at me. [You have slain High Elf Secretary(4). Gain 25 Experience.] [Chameleon has leveled up to Novice 5.] I stare back at the kindred halfling, my solemn eyes meeting his calm and relaxed gaze. The Illusion spell seems more like a drug than anything else. This feels really weird. Uncomfortably so. ¡°Yes, that would be nice.¡± I say, as my underlings slip into the room behind me. ¡°Splendid!¡± The halfling pipes up, a small grin spreading across his lips. ¡°Anything for your friends?¡± ¡°No thanks. They¡¯re fine.¡± I say with a grim look on my face. Already realising what will happen next. ¡°Okie dokie then. One moment.¡± He smiles as he turns around and steps up to a small table with a kettle on it, starting to pour steaming water into two prepared cups. I sigh, raising my hand to rub my temple. This feels wrong on so many levels. ¡°Do it.¡± I mutter. My underlings lightly brush against my arm as they pass me, moving towards the sedated halfling. I close my eyes before the first strike, but my ears catch the sound of metal piercing flesh. The halfling whimpers, but a knife to his throat quickly silences him. My underlings mercilessly stab the halfling until he stops twitching. [You have slain Halfling Secretary(4). Gain 25 Experience.] I stare at the body as it slumps to the ground. A small amount of bile threatens to escape my lips as I feel my stomach twist. I feel like shit. That felt way too real. Drugging the halfling, even if he was an NPC, and order my underlings to slit his throat like that... It¡¯s a little overwhelming. A small part of me struggles to separate the experience from real life, and it makes me nauseous. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of the adrenaline, the situation, my personality, or a mix between the three, but I know at some basic level that I don¡¯t want to do that again. The game is far too realistic for this shit, and it does too good of a job to trick my mind to react as if this were real. The way that NPC looked at me¡­ A shiver runs down my spine. Snap out of it Ryan. It¡¯s just the game messing with you. The game is designed to behave like this, and that halfling was created to be killed. It¡¯s a game. It will always be a game, and you know it. If you don¡¯t like it, then look away next time. Hell, write a support ticket to a game admin and complain about the game trying to turn you into a sociopath or some shit if it makes you feel better. So, suck it up and start looting. You don¡¯t have time to hang around here all night. I smile while shaking my head. I¡¯m being silly, aren¡¯t I? My morals haven¡¯t been bugging me while playing games before, so why does it start now? Sure, I¡¯ve never played a full immersion game before, and it feels infinitely more realistic than anything I¡¯ve ever tried, but still. I know it¡¯s fake. I didn¡¯t feel any regret when I played as my Necromancer. Why not? Is it because I was mostly slaying monsters in a forest, or is it because I wasn¡¯t so up-close and personal as I am now? Maybe this is all because I¡¯ve hardly talked to anyone for three months straight and I¡¯m just really stressed out?Stolen novel; please report. Whatever it is, I need to get my shit together. This feels real, but it¡¯s not that real. The graphics aren¡¯t completely lifelike, and the sensual stimulation from my body and surroundings are still limited. This is probably just mental exhaustion. I should take a day off and do something else. Perhaps go out in the real world and grab a beer with one of my old friends, or just spend the day reading a book or something. I¡¯ve been meaning to finish reading Fantasy Royale at some point. I¡¯ll think about it tomorrow. Right now, I have a few corpses to loot. I order my underlings to start searching the room. Since my plan to sneak past went to shit anyway, I might as well make the best of it. It¡¯s funny really, how the solution to my problems always ends up with me butchering everyone. History repeats itself. I should probably work on that. Looking around, I notice that this office, unlike the classrooms, is filled with furniture and other thingamajigs. It¡¯s a nice change of pace, and it fills me with anticipation. There just has to be something of value around here. I can feel it. While my underlings are busy rummaging through the room, I decide to do the easy job of pilfering through the pockets of the two secretaries. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m lazy or anything, but my life motto has always been: never do anything today if you can get someone else to do it tomorrow. [Silver Letter Opener. Uncommon. 13-15 Piercing Damage, 4 Agility. Requires: Level 5.] [4 Gold, 4 Silver, 6 Copper.] They didn¡¯t have the biggest haul I¡¯ve come across, but I¡¯m not complaining. The silver letter opener is an interesting item, as it¡¯s both a tool and a weapon. I¡¯m not really sure what the hell I¡¯m supposed to use it for, but it¡¯s actually an upgrade for my Cutpurse. It feels weird equipping him with a letter opener, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers I guess. Getting back on my feet, I take a glance around the room to see if my underlings can find anything. My Cutpurse is busy looting the office desk at the center of the room. It¡¯s not a lot of stuff on it, but he is currently picking the lock of a drawer. My female Hoodlum is busy pilfering through a bookcase, while my high-level Hoodlum is checking out a cabinet by the door. Letting them keep on with their tasks, I walk closer to the door, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. My Spotters have been busy tracking potential enemies outside while we have been inside. I have spotted a couple of red outlines of players walking by outside through the corner of my eye for the last fifteen minutes, and luckily, none of them have decided to investigate the entrance as of yet. Not that they have any reason to. One by one, my three underlings walk up to me, handing over the loot they found. My eye catches a thick leather-bound book the Cutpurse seems to have picked up from the locked drawer. [Basic Skill Book: Charisma. Rare. Increases a Charisma-based skill to Novice 10. Requires: Unlocked Charisma skill between Novice 1 and Novice 9, Level 5.] [Painting. Novelty Item. #3. *Contraband*] [6 Cold Coins, 2 Silver, 9 Copper.] I prevent myself from bursting out in laughter. A skill book! Those are ridiculously rare! I can¡¯t believe my luck. Don¡¯t let the title fool you. Even if it¡¯s a basic skill book, they are nothing to sneeze at. In this game, powerful skills can be even more valuable than higher levels. The amount of benefits a leveled-up skill can provide is staggering. The way the skill system functions in this game is different from its predecessors. Skills cannot be learned from a trainer, and you can¡¯t find items to unlock the skills for you. Everything you learn, you do it with Skill Points which you get from leveling up. Since every skill your class can learn is available either from the start, or until you have increased your proficiency within their field to the correct levels, it¡¯s all about leveling up what you¡¯ve got and prioritize the skills and abilities most useful to your playstyle. There are thousands of skills to learn out there, and you only have access to a very finite amount of Skill Points. The key to progress is thus to level up your core skills in tandem with your levels since your strength can only really be measured in your skills¡¯ power. That¡¯s where Skill Books come into play. Leveling your skills at higher levels is a slow and grueling grind. You can spend days using a skill to attack your enemies without seeing much return. Skill Books are kind of a cheat this way, as they give an instantaneous experience boost to any selected skill. The amount isn¡¯t negligible either, as even a basic Skill Book can boost a skill from level one to ten. That¡¯s over a week worth of grinding, possibly more, and is why Skill Books are highly coveted and worth a small fortune on the player market. Hell, I think I can sell this sucker for about fifty gold, easy. But, should I do it though? As a Thief Lord, the majority of my skills are based on the Luck attribute rather than Charisma. In fact, I only have a single level able skill that is boosted by Charisma and I haven¡¯t even unlocked it yet. It will no doubt come in handy for me at one point in the future, but it won¡¯t help me today, or in the next few weeks at least. Should I sell it? I probably should. I really need the money. I open up my class skill list, looking over the skill in question. Incite Crowd ¨C Causes NPCs to actively distract and obstruct enemies for 0,1 Charisma seconds + 0,1 seconds per Skill level. Cooldown 60 minutes - 15 seconds per Skill level. It¡¯s a nice skill, and it will no doubt help me immensely at some point. It¡¯s an escape-based skill, and god knows I need as many of those as I can muster. The problem is though, I didn¡¯t really plan on learning it for at least a dozen levels or so. As good as it is, I just have way too many better options available at the moment. Saving such a valuable item for the future just feels inefficient. I can use the gold it¡¯s worth now. ¡­ Ah, fuck it. I¡¯ll save it for now. I¡¯ll call it my rainy day fund and only sell it if I¡¯m really strapped for cash. I really need to stop rushing my decisions so much. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m that desperate for money at this very moment. I should let one-week-from-now-Ryan handle that problem. Let that sucker handle it. With the loot all gathered up, I prepare to continue the heist. First of all, I hand the armor back to my Hoodlums, exchanging them for the disguises. No matter how efficient the disguises are, they just don¡¯t provide the raw combat boost required for these quick encounters. I¡¯m already deep behind enemy lines. There is no need to put on disguises at this point. Storing the disguises safely within my bag, my underlings and I head back into the hallway. Like earlier, I send my Cutpurse ahead to scout, while my Hoodlums keep a safe distance behind. The fourth floor of the college is where the Bards conduct their guild business. We pass a few offices which contain only a couple of furniture and no loot. We also pass what I assume is a dormitory for students or the faculty members, but we don¡¯t explore it fully as it¡¯s occupied by quite a number of people. For once, it¡¯s not even a little tempting to kill them to see what sort of loot they can provide. I¡¯m greedy and opportunistic, not suicidal. We sneak further down the hallway, passing even more empty offices. We don¡¯t find anything of value at all, and I start to doubt I¡¯m even in the right place until we¡¯ve nearly made our way around the entire floor. Just when my thoughts started to tempt fate, I come upon a well-lit corridor up ahead. Slowing down, I order my Cutpurse to scout ahead. I watch as my Cutpurse fade into the darkness and almost glide alongside the shadows of the corridor. I¡¯m actually impressed. If it hadn¡¯t been because I knew he was there, I bet he could easily sneak up on me. And I¡¯m not just saying this because my Perception attribute is abysmal. I¡¯m sure he could give even a Perception specced player a run for their money. A few moments later, the Cutpurse returns. He holds up two fingers while slightly shaking his head. Damn. Since my underlings are all mute, I had to teach them a way to communicate with me. The solution I came up with is a very simplified system of signs and gestures. My underlings are sort of dumb, and there is a limit to the amount of information I can have them gather this way. Anyway, the two fingers he holds up means that there are two enemies while the shake of the head means that it¡¯s a bad idea to mess with them. Crap. Why are they there? Are they guards, players, or wandering NPCs? Are they guarding the loot I¡¯m here for? I¡¯m certainly running out of options, seeing as I have already scouted out the majority of the floor. Damn. Even though they are tough opponents, there must be a way to beat them. There always is. I just need more information. Information my mute underlings are unable to provide at the moment. ¡­ I sigh. I¡¯ll try not and do something reckless again. Chapter 28 – Out of Time Chapter 28 ¨C Out of Time Looking down the corridor is easier said than done. I already learned from my failed attempt at sneaking past the two secretaries that my stealth skill is embarrassing. It¡¯s so bad, it¡¯s ridiculous to even consider trying to sneak up on a couple of enemies that outlevel me. So, how am I doing this? Really carefully, really slowly, and from as far away as humanly possible. That¡¯s how. I just need a plan. The fourth-floor layout is pretty similar to the third floor. The entire floor plan is shaped like a square. Or maybe a bit more like a horseshoe that is connected at the ends, with only a wall separating the two staircases is a more apt description. The entire thing positively radiates the developers¡¯ intention of creating a layout that forces the player to follow a linear path towards their objective. I¡¯m not too impressed with the lack of imagination. Perhaps they had the B-team work on the Thief Lord class jobs? No matter. It¡¯s a little simpler and predictable this way. I don¡¯t think my fragile nerves can handle any more surprises today. The stairs I entered from is on one end of the building, and there¡¯s a main hallway stretching all around the building. The two high-level threats are in a well-lit side corridor almost at the very end of the floor, a corridor I should be able to bypass by cutting through a few offices. Like the classrooms below, the offices are connected with doors between them, as well as doors leading into the hallway. If I go through those, then I should be able to find a door opening up to the lit corridor to get a peek at what I¡¯m up against. It¡¯s a little reckless, but I believe it¡¯s worth the risk. I decide to head forwards along with my Cutpurse. We make our way into a nearby office and slowly inch our way through it and the connecting office. The going is slow, as I don¡¯t want to alert whoever is in the corridor. The third office we get to should be the one with a door adjacent to the corridor with the two enemies. I find a good position overlooking the door at the opposite side of the room, trying to get the angle just right and activate ¡®Chameleon¡¯. As the illusion takes hold, I direct my eyes at the door. As planned, my Cutpurse sneaks up to the door and very carefully puts his hand on the door handle. With practiced ease, he carefully puts pressure on the handle, and the door shifts slightly. He doesn¡¯t fully open the door, just enough to allow me to get a slight peek into the corridor beyond. Peeling my eyes, I only get to see a fraction of the corridor, but luckily enough, I get my eyes on one of the enemies. He¡¯s a human man, decked out in full chainmail armor draped over leather. He has a metal cap on his head and a mean-looking longsword strapped to his belt. I inspect the man. [Human Guard(20). HP: ???/???.] My jaw drops. What the¡­ Oh, No. Hell no. Hell fucking no! Are they serious about this? Level twenty!? Do they expect me to¡­ No. The princess is in a way different castle. Continent, even. There is no way I¡¯m going through that. Just no. My Cutpurse carefully shuts the door, and we both make our way back the way we came. Whatever you say, there is just no way that is the correct way to go. Not in a million years. If the job wanted me to fight a couple of level twenty guards, then the job rating would be way higher than just Hard. Why the hell are there level twenty guards here anyway? Are they supposed to be a trap for me in case I was foolish enough to walk ahead without scouting first? Ludicrous. It makes no sense. I doubt it even has anything to do with my job. This job should be within my level range, and even though it¡¯s marked as difficult, there is no way they would add in something that made this job unbeatable. Whatever it is I¡¯m after, it can¡¯t be behind what those two are guarding. Fighting the two of them off is impossible. I bet they have some killer loot though¡­ Nope. Not worth it. Perhaps they are there for some other, higher-level quest I have yet to unlock? One thing is for certain though; I¡¯m not fighting them. Even if I was promised a barrel full of gold at the other end, attempting something like that is stupidly reckless. Even for me. No matter. Even if there are two unbeatable enemies ahead, there has to be a way for me to complete this job. The loot I¡¯m looking for must be somewhere else. So far, I¡¯ve pretty much scouted out the majority of the floor. Besides the dormitory and the suspiciously well-guarded corridor up ahead, there is only one part of the building I have yet to fully explore. The very end of the hallway, a little past the corridor where the guards are. Thanks to the passage between the offices, I should be able to sneak past the two guards without alerting them. I just need to go slowly. Very slowly. The four of us once again make our way through the offices, taking extra care while walking through the office closest to the guards. My heart threatens to burst from my chest due to all the stress, but we manage to make our way through without a hitch. By the time we reach the fourth office, I¡¯m just about ready to order a new set of underwear. We should be safe now though. Unless, of course, there are more of those guards up ahead. If there is, then I swear I will quit playing this game out of protest. ¡­ Ok, I won¡¯t. But I would become really upset. I¡¯m not taking any chances, and my Cutpurse takes the lead to scout the remaining few rooms up ahead. Luckily, there isn¡¯t much left, and our little ragtag band of low-level scum soon find ourselves at the end of the hallway. There is only a single room we haven¡¯t checked yet, and I like my chances. Unlike the classroom and office doors, this door is the only one that is locked. Locked is good. Locked means they don¡¯t want anyone¡¯s grubby mitts on whatever is inside. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Grinning like a teenager who finally talked his sweetheart into giving up her virginity, I order my Cutpurse to start picking the lock. The door is old and there are several cracks in it, allowing me to catch a small glimpse of the dark room on the other side. Even though the door isn¡¯t as sturdy as the entrance door, I know from experience that lockpicking is still a disappointingly lengthy process. Of course, I could try breaking through it, but the two guards aren¡¯t that far away, and I really don¡¯t want them to know I¡¯m here. With nothing better to do, I start looking around, trying to find something to amuse me. There¡¯s a large window at the very end of the hallway, right next to the door. Looking through it, I find it conveniently located nearly directly above the entrance I used to enter the building. The streets are void of people, and I direct my eyes towards the alleyway on the opposite side of the street where my Spotters are keeping diligent watch. I start smiling again. It seems like this heist will really go without a hitch after all. A clicking sound behind me signals that my Cutpurse is successful, and I restrain myself from pushing past him to check up on the contents of the room. The room appears to be a dark storage room, with several wooden crates stacked to the ceiling. I squint to get a better overview of things, but the room is inconveniently located, and there isn¡¯t much moonlight hitting this side of the building. Looking harder, I spot an unlit oil lamp along one of the walls, as well as a particularly eye-catching wooden chest, with a metal frame and the Bard College¡¯s sigil painted on the lid resting at the center of the room. Jackpot! The four of us push into the room and I immediately make my way towards the alluring chest, wanting the honor of claiming the most valuable loot myself. ¡°Someone turn on the light and lock the door. I don¡¯t want to miss this.¡± I tell none of my underlings in particular while I rub my hands together in anticipation and grin like a madman. I¡¯m a sucker for good loot. It would be a shame to look through this stuff in complete darkness. As the lamp flickers on, I carefully open the lid, only restraining myself enough to make sure there aren¡¯t any traps attached to it. I¡¯m not sure if I could live down the shame if the heist got ruined because I triggered a trap prematurely out of greed. Just in front of the finishing line no less. After I¡¯m satisfied there are no traps attached to the chest, I fling the lid open, allowing my greedy eyes to take in the loot inside. [Feathered Cap. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +3 Charisma, +1 Wisdom. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*] [Embroided Leather Pauldrons. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +2 Endurance, +2 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*] [Embroided Leather Chest. Uncommon. 20% Physical Resistance, +4 Endurance, +3 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*] [Embroided Leather Greaves. Uncommon. 20% Physical Resistance, +4 Endurance, +2 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*] [Embroided Leather Gloves. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +3 Dexterity, +1 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*] [Embroided Leather Boots. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +5% Movement Speed, +2 Agility, +1 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*] Did I say that I found the motherload earlier? Oh, I was so very wrong¡­ The items in this chest? I probably would have given up my left nut for these items with hardly any hesitation at all just a few days ago. To get these items for free? Did I accidentally misread Halfling, and in reality, I selected to play as a Leprechaun? Who the fuck cares! I¡¯m rich, baby! Or whatever the equivalent is for a fashionista! Oh man, I¡¯m gonna look dashing as soon as I turn level six. The rewards for these heists are through the roof! These items are probably worth nearly a hundred gold on the auction house, easy. Well, they would be if they weren¡¯t marked as contraband, but I don¡¯t care! Thief Lords sure have it good. Other classes would need to farm for weeks for these kinds of digs, and probably outlevel the gear itself in the process. They may not be worth much if I sell them, but why would I do that? With these kinds of stats, I can literally recruit a small army of underlings to do my dirty work for me. This is way better than the missions I got on my Necromancer. If I start farming now, I¡¯ll probably hit level fifteen in a week and a half. It¡¯s insane! All hail the broken game mechanics! In my daze, I don¡¯t even notice my underlings methodically scouring through the rest of the crates in the room until the Cutpurse pokes me in the shoulder. ¡°Huh? What?¡± I grunt, disgruntled that he pulled me out of my reverie. The Cutpurse glares at me, raising a finger and putting it on his lips. Huh? That sign means¡­ Oh fuck. Alarmed, I swivel my head around, looking towards the closed door. The bright light from the oil lamp illuminates the room, giving me a good view of all the crates and the cracked door. What is he¡­ I squint, sitting deathly still. It¡¯s faint, but I can hear the sound of footsteps approaching from outside. Who the hell could that¡­ Oh shit! My eyes go wide. Don¡¯t tell me those high-level guards are patrols? Fuck! I need to turn off that light, NOW! I jump to my feet and take a few steps towards the lamp on the wall. I get halfway across the room until a gruff voice sounds from outside. ¡°Djeez. That limpdick forgot to turn off the lights again. I swear¡­ That idiot will burn us all to death one of these days¡­¡± Oh no¡­ What the hell do I do now!? Is this because I insisted on turning the lights on? Why the fuck did I do that!? Worst fucking thief ever. If only I- Shut up, Ryan! I give myself a mental slap. You don¡¯t have time for this. You need to get the fuck out of here, right this instant. Staying completely still, I put my brain into high gear as I listen to the approaching guard. His leather boots are causing the wooden floorboards to squeak, and his chainmail armor rustles with every step he takes. I¡¯m out of time. I quickly make a mental calculation of what resources I have at my disposal. It¡¯s not much, but luckily, ¡®Cheap Shot¡¯ is off cooldown as it has been a little over twenty minutes since my last scuffle. I also have three Paralyzing Poisons and a handful of Blight Poisons. Could I maybe kill the guard? Level twenty is high, but could it be doable? Three seconds of paralyzing probably aren¡¯t enough, but could that buy my Hoodlums the time they need to tackle the guard? Maybe spam-casting my ¡®Calm¡¯ spell would help to incapacitate him. Would that be enough though? Do I have another option? I could probably try to hide, but where? Even though there are a lot of crates in here, there is just no way and no room for me to hide four people. Could I block the door? Pretend he has the wrong key or something to make him go away, and then hide in a nearby office? How stupid can you get Ryan? You need to fight him, or at the very least push past him. Now shut up and act. You¡¯re out of time. Chapter 29 – When Hell Breaks Loose Chapter 29 ¨C When Hell Breaks Loose The guard is getting closer. Too close. With a hiss, I order underlings to apply their poisons. The Paralyzing Poison for the Cutpurse, and the Blight Poisons for the Hoodlums. With a short and pointless prayer, I steady my breath. Here goes nothing. By the time the guard touches the door handle, my underlings are already charging towards him. As the door swings open, the surprised guard is met by my Cutpurse lunging at his throat, his blade tipped in poison and boosted by my skill. The guard reacts quickly, but not quickly enough. He throws his head to the side, avoiding a direct hit by the blade. He isn¡¯t quick enough though, and the dagger slices deep into the side of his neck. The guard goes rigid as his body slams backwards into the wall. One second. My Hoodlums throw themselves at the guard, intent on tackling him to the ground. Just a moment too late, the guard regains control over his body and sweeps a gauntleted hand to the side, shoving the two Hoodlums back. With this slight reprieve, the guard reaches for the sword at his waist. With the sword halfway out of its scabbard, the Cutpurse lunges at the guard once more, the Paralyzing Poison already reapplied to his trusty Letter Opener. The guard sees him coming, but with no weapon in hand, he moves his free hand to deflect the strike from hitting anything vital. His hand hits the Cutpurse¡¯s wrist, redirecting the slash away from his torso. The Cutpurse compensates and manages to barely shift his strike downwards, slicing into the guard¡¯s exposed leg. The blade doesn¡¯t cut deep, but it¡¯s enough for the poison to take effect. One more second. During this short scuffle, I finally make my move. I raise my hand, allowing the thin magical mist to gather around my hands before I launch it towards the unsuspecting guard. The spell hits him square in the face, causing the guard to blink twice in confusion. My heart is about to leap in joy when the guard shakes his head, cutting short the sedated effects of my ¡®Calm¡¯ spell. Oh no¡­ My Hoodlums lunge at the guard, knocking him backwards. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of his high level or my terrible luck, but he doesn¡¯t fall over. Instead, he once more slams into the wall, his knees buckling slightly. The paralyzing effect disappears soon after, and the guard once more sweeps his gauntleted fist around, forcing my two Hoodlums back once more. My eyes move to the guard¡¯s health bar, and my stomach drops when I can hardly see the sliver of health he¡¯s lost so far. This isn¡¯t working. The guard steadies his balance by grabbing hold of the window sill. His eyes glaring murder at my three underlings. ¡°You filthy rats. I¡¯ll gut you like the whoresons you are.¡± He growls while reaching for his sword once more. Oh fuck. What do I do now? We stand no chance¡­ I¡¯m out of options. I need to run. How do I slow him down? If only I could trip him or some-. My thoughts are halted as I spot an opening. Could this work? Oh fuck it, there¡¯s no time. ¡°Grab him!¡± I yell as I start charging towards the guard. His eyes move over towards me, the sneer on his face intensifying. Before he manages to spit out a reply, all three of my underlings lunge at the guard simultaneously. He raises his hand to do another sweep, but he can¡¯t stop all of us. The two Hoodlums who charged straight at him takes the full force of the sweep and are knocked to the side. The Cutpurse dove low, slicing his blade in a wide arc, aiming for the guard¡¯s lightly armored feet. Perfect. The Cutpurse once more cuts a shallow gash across the exposed thigh of the guard, and he once more goes rigid. The Hoodlums aren¡¯t there to tackle him, but that job falls to me. Only half a second after the stun hits, my full force strikes the guard in his chest. My shoulder connects, and my abysmal Strength attribute is working overtime to compensate for his high level. Thankfully, the game is trying to imitate reality, so physics is on my side. No matter if my Strength is lower, it isn¡¯t easy to stop a kinetic force moving at a quick pace when you aren¡¯t ready to brace for it. The guard is knocked backwards, and his body slams into the window behind him. Unable to support his weight, the glass immediately shatters and the guard tumbles through the window. The glass scatters everywhere as the guard drops from sight. The few seconds he¡¯s out of sight feel like an eternity until the sound of the guard hitting the pavement below jolts my brain back into action in a revulsing way. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d expect. It sounds just like if someone dropped a sack of potato on the ground. There¡¯s no crunchy sound of bone snapping or brains being splattered across the ground. Just a muffled sort of thump. It¡¯s nauseating, and it causes my stomach to roil. [Human Guard(20) takes 5607 Falling Damage.] [Human Guard(20) dies. Gain 1600 Experience.] [Congratulations! You have reached level 6!] [Congratulations! You have reached level 7!] [You have gained 6 free Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points!] [Cheap Shot has leveled up to Novice 3.] The notifications roll in, and I have to shake my head to bring me out of my stupor. ¡°Holy shit, I can¡¯t believe that worked¡­¡± I mutter, making my way over towards the window and peer out. Down below, I see the dead guard lying in a small pool of blood, my Beggar standing idly near him, poking the corpse with his bare foot. ¡°What are you standing around for? Loot him!¡± I shout. The Beggar, startled by my shout, immediately complies and starts looting the body. I would love to berate him further, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a snowball''s chance in hell nobody heard that glass break. If they didn¡¯t, the corpse lying conspicuously in the middle of the street certainly would do the trick. This would be the time to do what thieves do best. Hightail it the fuck out of here. I round up my underlings and we start moving down the hallway at a quick pace. Just when we round the first corner, my eyes go wide as I immediately swerve right to dodge a sword threatening to decapitate me where I stand. ¡°Who the hell are you four? Where¡¯s Mercer!?¡± The second guard sneers as he raises his sword to strike again. I jump back, narrowly dodging the blade. Shit, I forgot about him. I raise my hands defensively. ¡°Oy! How about you calm down and we talk about it?¡± I say as I jump back further. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll talk all right.¡± The guard says while stepping forwards. ¡°But I only need one of ye little shits alive for talking.¡± He feigns another swing and instead lunges forward, striking towards me. Surprised by his quick move, I try to dodge to the side, but I fail to completely evade the blow. The tip of his sword cuts a deep gash into my shoulder. [You take 43 Piercing Damage from Human Guard(20).] I grit my teeth as the damage ticks in. Forty-three damage!? From that glancing blow? That¡¯s over half my health! There¡¯s just no way I¡¯ll survive a direct hit from that guy. ¡°Now what did you little shits do to Mercer!? There¡¯s no way weaklings like you could hurt him. Where is he!?¡± The guard shouts as he tries for another lunge. I¡¯m prepared this time, and deftly throw myself to my side. Overextended, the guard is unable to react to my high-level Hoodlum who throws himself at the guard from the side. Caught off balance, the Guard is unable to stay on his feet and the pair is knocked to the ground.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Now!¡± Without hesitation, I start sprinting down the hallway, not even bothering looking behind me. I can sense my Cutpurse and my remaining Hoodlum running beside me. There¡¯s just no way we can beat the guard. Our only chance is to run and pray he won¡¯t catch up. [Your underling (Human Hoodlum(7)) has been slain by a Guard(20).] We run as if hellhounds are on our trail. With the high level of this guard, he might as well be one for all we care. We¡¯re sprinting down the hallway, all caution is thrown out the window. We pass the second corner, rapidly approaching the dormitory. To my dismay, the room seems to have been aroused, and a young human Bard is poking her head through the nearby door. Without slowing down, I start casting ¡®Calm¡¯. It takes a bit longer than usual due to my running, but the magical mist soon leaves my hand and pacifies the young bard. Sedated, she hardly even registers the three sprinting bandits passing her with due haste. As we are about to pass the third and final corner, I finally dare to glance over my shoulder. I¡¯m struck by horror as I see the high-level guard hot on our trails, his much higher Agility attribute giving him a severe increase to his movement speed. Fuck. We¡¯re not going to make it at this pace¡­ My mind races as I try to come up with a solution. My options are limited, but I know from an instinctual level what I need to do. What I swore I wouldn¡¯t want to do again. I need to sacrifice my underlings. ¡°Slow him down at all cost!¡± I hiss at the Cutpurse, receiving a sharp nod in return. It pains me to do this, but it¡¯s the only way. The Cutpurse halts in his tracks and sidesteps into the shadows, activating his stealth. I watch from the corner of my eye how his presence fades from view, and I chant a small prayer for at least a modicum of success. We soon reach the stairs, and I leap down it, jumping down three steps at a time. My balance wavers, but through sheer force of will, and reliance on my desperation and fledgling luck, I manage to prevent myself from falling. As I reach the midway point, a short yelp of pain erupts from the hallway above, and I pray my Cutpurse was successful. I think he was because two seconds later, I¡¯m greeted by another system prompt. [Your underling (Human Cutpurse(7)) has been slain by Human Guard(20).] We reach the bottom of the stairs and I don¡¯t even offer a single glance at the dead Secretary in the hallway, effortlessly jumping past the small pool of blood and keep going. Killing them was probably the best choice in the end after all. We continue down the hallway and pass another corner. I can hear the sounds of the guard rapidly descending the stairway behind us. I don¡¯t think we bought enough time, but I still have another underling to sacrifice. When we¡¯re halfway down the hallway, some bells are ringing from high above. An alarm of some sort. Shit. I¡¯m running out of time. If the patrons from downstairs start to stir, I will have no chance in hell of making it out of here with my life and cover intact. Sure enough, a local system-wide alert further increases my pressure. [Alert! The Bard¡¯s College has put out a local event Quest! Apprehend or kill the thief before he or she leaves the area. Reward: 15 Gold coins, Major reputation increase with the Bard¡¯s College.] [Villains can not accept event Quests!] [Alert! You are the target of an event quest. Generating appropriate sub-quest compatible with the Thief Lord class.] Oh crap¡­ This can¡¯t be good. Escape from the Bards. Job type: None. Difficulty: (?). Deadline: None. Rewards: 100 Experience. You have been caught red-handed and an alarm has been sounded. Run, you fool! You cannot decline this quest. I don¡¯t think I have time to even gulp in fear before a massive roar erupts from the floors below. Oh, shit. So this is what it feels like when all hell breaks loose¡­ We keep sprinting, leaving no time to loiter over the complete and utter shitstorm that is about to descend upon me. I have no time to worry about the players downstairs when I have a much more immediate threat directly behind me. I keep sprinting, trying intently to increase my speed which is already pushed way past its limits. Passing the final corner, I can figuratively feel the guard breathing down my neck. I don¡¯t know what makes me do it, but I dive forwards, going into a roll. My hunch is correct, as I hear the sound of metal striking the wooden wall only centimeters behind me. As an act of desperation, my final Hoodlum throws herself at the guard, trying desperately to keep him away from me. It works, somewhat, as the guard is still committed to his wide swing and is now off balance. The Hoodlum charges into his chest, knocking the breath out of him. ¡°Oof! You damn rats are so fucking persistent! Die!¡± He shouts, spittle flying everywhere. He slashes downwards, burying his sword deep into the Hoodlum¡¯s shoulder. [Your underling (Dwarf Hoodlum(7)) has been slain by a Guard(20).] I don¡¯t have time to watch my final bodyguard slump to the ground as I¡¯m already up and running again. The dwarf bought me a little time with her last act of desperation, and I can only hope it¡¯s enough. I reach the stairs and jump down as fast as I can, one step more reckless than the next. Halfway down the stairs, something heavy impacts my back. I¡¯m thrown forwards, flying down the remainder of the stairs. I twist in the air, just in time to watch the Guard steadying his balance after delivering a hard kick before I slam into the ground, the air knocked out of my lungs. [You take 22 Falling Damage from Guard(20).] ¡°That¡¯s what you get for making me run, you little shitstain.¡± The guard growls as he descends the stairs. Now at a much slower pace after knocking me down. ¡°I haven¡¯t run this hard since basic training.¡± He glares at me. ¡°And I really fucking hate running.¡± Shit. I start crawling backwards towards the door. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m sorry about that. Maybe we can work something out?¡± I plead with the guard. My eyes darting from side to side to look for an opening to run. Fuck. And I was so close. ¡°A deal?¡± He snorts. ¡°Oh, hell no. I know what to do with you.¡± He gives me a savage grin. ¡°I¡¯ve decided that I was, unfortunately, unable to apprehend you after your theft, and due to your violent behaviour, I was forced to put you down like the dog you are. It¡¯s a shame, really. But there is only so much a guard can do to protect the innocent.¡± He snarls, glaring at me with malevolent eyes. I continue to scoot backwards, and my hand soon finds the edge of the poison trap I laid down earlier. It lies there in the darkness, unable to perform its function. What good is a trap that traps the trap layer in with the beast? Can I somehow leap across it and hope for the guard to step on it? ¡­ No. This weak trap would probably only be a nuisance to such a high-level guard. I¡¯m thoroughly fucked, aren¡¯t I? Unless... Hope rises in my chest as I remember my trump card. The exit is so close. Only half a meter away. I need to piss him off. I snort. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case. Then you would probably like to know that your friend Mercer is dead.¡± This causes the guard to pause. ¡°You lie.¡± He growls, his face turning into a mean scowl. ¡°Am I though? Then how do you explain how we got past him?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± He bellows. ¡°You probably tricked him somehow. Locked him in a room when he wasn¡¯t looking.¡± I laugh. ¡°Sure. If you think one of these flimsy doors could hold him.¡± His eye twitches. ¡°You can¡¯t have killed him. I don¡¯t believe you.¡± He sneers. ¡°Well, you will find out soon anyway. His brain is smeared all over the pavement outside. Probably dripping into the sewers below where the rats feast on it.¡± I smirk, further egging the guard on. I need him to be reckless. ¡°Shut your filthy mouth you piece of shit!¡± He roars as he lunges towards me, sword aimed for me throat. I sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this.¡± I mutter. ¡°Doppelganger!¡± The room blurs for a second until I find myself outside, breathing in the stale evening air. I move my head to the side, looking at the entrance door just in time for the notification to appear, followed by a painful shriek as the acid trap is no doubt triggered. [Your underling (Dwarf Beggar(5)) has been slain by a Guard(20).] I wince at the thought of how callously I sacrificed yet another one of my underlings. It¡¯s the best option I had, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it. I¡¯m soon broken out of my trance as I notice scores of players exiting the tavern from both sides of the street. That means it¡¯s time to get the hell out of here. I quickly scamper to my feet and dart towards the alleyway where my two Spotters wait for me. We quickly escape further into the city, leaving the sounds of rattled players and the screams of a really pissed off guard behind. Chapter 30 – Sisters Chapter 30 ¨C Sisters The candlelight flickers as Aria sits by the window, scowling at the city of Drenerys as the morning sun rises from the west. She is unaccustomed to the experience of watching the sunrise from this direction, but a lot of things feel different these days. She has spent so much time logged in that the game starts to feel as real as real life to her sometimes, which actually scares her a little. If one looks closely, the game is nothing like reality. So, why does she feel so at ease here? Her musings are interrupted as someone knocks on her office door. ¡°Enter.¡± She says, not taking her eyes away from the window. Benjamin sticks his head through the door. ¡°Excuse me, madam. Your sister is here to see you.¡± She sighs. ¡°Did she tell you why she is here?¡± ¡°Yes. She said, and I quote: Tell my sis I¡¯m here to brighten up her day.¡± Aria¡¯s brows furrow. ¡°Of course she is¡­¡± She mutters. ¡°I might as well get it over with.¡± Benjamin nods before he retreats out of her office. She purses her lips. It¡¯s not like Aria dislikes her younger sister. In reality, she is quite fond of her. It¡¯s just that she can sometimes be¡­ quite the handful. Completely oblivious to Aria¡¯s need to get important matters settled before she tries to talk her into something completely ridiculous or unnecessary. All in the name of ¡®having some fun¡¯. While her life might be infinitely easier and more effective without Anna pestering her on a daily basis, she couldn¡¯t imagine being without her. Their relationship may seem strained to some, but that¡¯s just how their dysfunctional relationship works. There is no other way to describe it than them just being family. It¡¯s not supposed to be easy. It¡¯s all good in some indescribable sort of way. ¡°Sister!¡± A voice shouts before the door slams open, revealing Anna on the other side. ¡°Long time no see! What have you been up to?¡± She grins while walking towards her desk, finding the most comfortable of her chairs before promptly dropping herself into it, raising her feet and placing them brazenly on Aria¡¯s fine oaken desk. Aria doesn¡¯t react, just waiting for Anna to get settled. ¡°It¡¯s only been two days. You know what I¡¯ve been up to.¡± ¡°Really? How could I know that? We settled that Thief Lord business yesterday morning. What else has happened?¡± Anna asks cheerfully. Aria frowns. ¡°I¡¯ve been dealing with the aftermath. We need to be certain the Thief Lord didn¡¯t escape into the city proper. I won¡¯t rest until we find signs of her.¡± ¡°Sister, please.¡± Anna sighs. ¡°Loosen up a little. There¡¯s just no way she could have gotten out.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± Aria snaps at her sister. Anna gives her older sister a stern look. Aria flinches, as Anna reminds her of their mother for a fraction of a moment. The only person in the world who could give Aria pause. ¡°Listen. You hired like, what was it? Five? Ten architects to comb the entire peninsula, completely analyzing and breaking down every single aspect of the district. You¡¯ve even had a whole team of analysts run countless simulations on how a Villain could escape, and the only reasonable way they found was to bribe one of your guards or if they somehow stumbled upon the sewers; and even then, a second grate will seal it off within the month. You¡¯re still making it I presume?¡± Aria sighs. ¡°Of course¡­¡± ¡°Then there you have it. If your team didn¡¯t find a way, why would anyone else? Besides, it¡¯s just a single low-level Thief Lord. She couldn¡¯t possibly be a major threat to the guild. There are thousands of us for christ¡¯s sake. Even if she did get past us, she is bound to get killed at one point or another. You have the respawn point covered, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then stop worrying about it. Low-level Villains are the least of your concerns. The city is huge, and enemy Villains can enter from anywhere; not just the Noob District.¡± Anna says while massaging her temples. ¡°If one figures out a way past, then more will follow. Trouble always multiplies itself.¡± Aria frowns, glaring back at her sister. Finally realising she is supposed to be the stern one. ¡°Now, enough about this. I won¡¯t have my baby sister scold me.¡± Anna snickers. ¡°That¡¯s better. That¡¯s the sister we all love to dread and fear.¡± ¡°Fear is good. It keeps people in line.¡± Anna snorts. ¡°What are you? A gangster? Please. How about being a little encouraging once in a while?¡± She chuckles. ¡°What? I¡¯m encouraging!¡± Aria gasps in mock outrage. ¡°Just two hours ago, I encouraged Steele¡¯s team to gain three levels by the end of the weekend if they wanted to stay in the guild.¡± ¡°Right¡­ Encouragement. I forgot who I was talking to.¡± Anna grins, sticking her tongue out. The two sisters burst into laughter. Aria needed this. A chance to lower her shoulders and blow off some steam. Only her baby sister can have this effect on her, and that¡¯s why she loves her. ¡°In all seriousness though.¡± Anna says after a short pause. ¡°If you really worry about this, then why don¡¯t you have Shadowbane deal with the problem?¡± Aria tenses for a moment. ¡°Anna! Don¡¯t talk so casually about them. That information is top secret.¡± She admonishes her sister. Anna raises her hands defensively. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know sis. I didn¡¯t tell anyone. Not even Brian.¡± ¡°Good. Now¡­¡± Aria leans over towards her desk, grabbing a small silver key from her inventory and unlocking the bottom drawer. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent word, and they are keeping an eye out. They¡¯re already busy leveling up as it is, and I¡¯m disinclined to take up too much of their valuable time with this matter. The most important thing is not to draw any attention yet.¡± ¡°Well, that solves the problem, doesn¡¯t it? There¡¯s no way a fledgling Thief Lord can hide from Shadowbane, is there?¡± Anna smiles, leaning further back in her chair. Aria grunts, still not quite satisfied. She has spent too much time on this matter as it is. She hates to admit it, but her sister does have a point. There is no way a Thief Lord can hide from Shadowbane for long, and even then, it¡¯s impossible to beat them. She sighs. Maybe it¡¯s time to lay the matter to rest. For now at least. She looks over at her sister. ¡°I suppose it does. Thanks, Anna. I really needed to hear that.¡± ¡°Ah, no worries sis! That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, isn¡¯t it? To occasionally pull that giant stick out of your-¡± ¡°Anna!¡± Anna raises her hands defensively once more. ¡°Sorry, sorry! Force of habit! I¡¯ve been partying up with Rachel and Marc for too long.¡± She grins, winking at her sister.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Aria frowns. ¡°Was there anything you needed?¡± ¡°What, who me?¡± Anna smiles sheepishly. ¡°Can¡¯t a girl just visit her favourite sister without having a hidden agenda?¡± ¡°She can, but you don¡¯t. What is it? Did you run out of gold again? I swear. I gave you fifty gold just three days ago. What did you do? Gamble it away at The Prancing Leprechaun again?¡± ¡°Well, some of it¡­¡± Anna¡¯s cheeks redden. ¡°But not all of it! I actually invested the rest in a promising young¡­ uhm, I mean old craftsman. I think he will become a promising ally in the near future.¡± ¡°A promising crafter?¡± Aria raises an eyebrow. Good crafters are always in high demand, as most skilled players will always be drawn towards the combat classes. ¡°Tell me about him. What level is he, and which profession did he choose?¡± Anna perks up. ¡°Well, his name¡¯s Ryan, he¡¯s fifty-two years old and a really good guy. He¡­ uhm... seems very intelligent and well-spoken. I¡¯m sure you would like him.¡± Aria tries to hold back a sigh. Of course her sister picked up another stray. What¡¯s that? The third one this month alone? ¡°I¡¯m sure I would.¡± ¡°I know, right? I know what you may be thinking, but Ryan isn¡¯t like the last guy I told you about. He seems to be a pretty genuine guy. Oh! You should have seen Brian¡¯s face when-¡± Aria clears her throat; loudly. Anna seems flustered, and her cheeks redden. ¡°Uhm, yeah¡­ Sorry, I went a little overboard there. So¡­ uhm... I think he¡¯s level three by now, but that will probably change shortly. He¡¯s a halfling Trap Maker, and he seems very focused on leveling up his craft whenever he is online. It¡¯s a pity he is only a night-player though¡­¡± She sighs. Aria deflates. A level three Trap Maker? Has she gone mad? ¡°Anna¡­¡± She sighs. ¡°How much did you give him?¡± ¡°Mmmh¡­¡± She purses her lips. ¡°Only a little over twenty gold to get him started. I was hoping to give him some more after he¡¯s leveled up a bit.¡± Aria winces. Twenty gold? What on earth would a level three Trap Maker do with twenty gold? She sighs once more. ¡°Anna¡­ How much do you know about this Ryan? How long have you known him?¡± ¡°Uhm, only a few days. I met him in the tavern in the noob zone, only a few hours before you started that whole purge business. We¡¯ve been talking a few times since then though. Just the other day, we chatted for around an hour about how Paul and the guys beat that Necromancer.¡± ¡°Anna¡­¡± Aria rubs her temples, trying her best not to sound condescending. ¡°That guy probably scammed you.¡± Anna¡¯s face turns into a frown. ¡°Seriously? This again? Would you please just stop it? Not everyone you meet is out to trick you.¡± ¡°Anna, listen. There are tons of guys like that out there, willing to do anything to get ahead. Just think about it for a moment. He¡¯s a halfling Trap Maker. Why would he do that? The main attribute for Trap Making is Dexterity, not Charisma or Luck. Also, you only met him once. In a tavern, no less. I bet he just walked right up to you and made up some sad sippy story of how he can¡¯t afford to enjoy the game on his meager paycheck, and then casually mention that he needs some funds. Does that sound about right?¡± ¡°What? No!¡± Anna snorts. ¡°First of all, I came over to him. He didn¡¯t have a sad story at all, he was just a regular nice guy. Also, I was the one who offered the gold to him. He actually refused to take it at first. He even promised to pay me back when he starts producing useable traps.¡± Aria just shakes her head. ¡°An empty promise. If he is only a night-player as you say, then he will never be able to catch up in levels to a full-time player like you. Anything he makes would be worthless. Not that Trap Makers are in high demand either. The profession is utterly useless in the grand scheme of things.¡± ¡°Oh, for crying out loud, Aria. Not everything in life is about efficiency. Everything has its use in some way. You are just too pigheaded to think outside of the box. Ryan is my friend, and I want to help him. Why, in your eyes, is that such a terrible thing?¡± Anna glares at her sister. Aria is taken aback at first, flabbergasted by the sudden aggressiveness of her usually timid younger sister. What has gotten into her? Grimacing, Aria pinches the bridge of her nose. She needs to tread carefully around this matter. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to offend you. I just don¡¯t want anyone to hurt my little sister. You know I only have your best interests at heart, don¡¯t you?¡± Anna, still red-faced, untenses her shoulders and sags back into her chair. She exhales slowly, smiling weakly at her sister. ¡°Yeah, I know sis. I¡¯m sorry too. I just wish you didn¡¯t always have such a negative view of other people all the time. Ryan is a good person. I¡¯m sure you will like him once you get to know him.¡± Aria smiles. ¡°Perhaps I should meet the guy. He must be quite the charmer if he managed to grab hold of your heart after only a single date.¡± She winks. Anna¡¯s face immediately reddens. ¡°No! It¡¯s not like that¡­ We¡¯re just friends. Besides, we didn¡¯t really have time to talk much¡­ And Brian was there¡­¡± ¡°Oh? I thought you said you¡¯ve talked for days?¡± She smirks. ¡°Well, yeah. I keep inviting him to join me and my team for a few drinks every evening, but he is always busy with this or that. I¡¯m sure he has time tonight though¡­¡± Aria¡¯s eye twitches, but she quickly straightens her face before Anna sees it. This guy sounds way too suspicious. She has to tread carefully here though unless she reignites Anna¡¯s temper. ¡°Then you should invite him for a drink when he logs on this evening.¡± Aria smiles at her sister. ¡°But promise me to be careful though, little sister. A lot of the conmen usually blow you off until you forget about them or until they need something from you.¡± She says, slowly. Trying not to sound accusatory. Anna eyes her skeptically and is about to retort before Aria quickly continues, trying desperately to avoid another argument. ¡°I don¡¯t mean it like that! It¡¯s probably nothing. Just don¡¯t give him any more money until you are sure he¡¯s legit.¡± Anna¡¯s jaw clenches. ¡°Lay off it, Aria.¡± She says coldly. Aria pinches the bridge of her nose. ¡°I will; I promise. I just don¡¯t want the incident with Chad to repeat itself.¡± ¡°Why would it? Ryan¡¯s a friend. You know dating much older men is your thing; not mine.¡± Anna gives her sister a stiff smile that never seems to reach her eyes. ¡°I appreciate what you¡¯re doing, sis, but I¡¯ve told you to stay out of middling in my personal life. I know it was you who had his arm broken.¡± ¡°He deserved every-¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Anna cuts her sister off. ¡°You had to right to spy on him without my knowledge. I told you what would happen if I ever caught you doing anything like that again, didn¡¯t I?¡± Anna says coldly. Aria sighs. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I promise. Just¡­ promise me to be careful around Ryan until you know him better?¡± Anna stares at her sister with a blank expression for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, Aria.¡± ¡°I know, baby sis, I know.¡± The two sister lapses into silence for a moment, the mood completely broken. This really wasn¡¯t how Aria hoped it would turn out. She knows she can be a bit over-protective about her baby sister, but she¡¯s just that: her baby sister. She¡¯d trash her business in a heartbeat if that was what it would take to protect her. Anna is all she has; the only thing making her smile these days. Aria is brought out of her stupor when Anna suddenly jumps to her feet. ¡°I need to get a drink.¡± She mutters as she walks toward the door. Halfway there, she glances across her shoulder. ¡°If you¡¯re wrong about Ryan, I want you to promise me to never question my friends again.¡± ¡°I promise.¡± Aria mutters, but it¡¯s too late. Anna has already left. Aria slumps into her seat. ¡°Sister¡­¡± She mutters, staring dumbfounded at the door. Why does it need to be like this? Over what? A guy who scammed her out of a measly twenty euro? She really shouldn¡¯t have made an issue over this, but she can¡¯t help herself. People get scammed all the time. If anything, this is a good lesson for her naive little sister. The problem, however, is what his end-goal is. If it¡¯s just twenty euro, that¡¯s fine. If he hurts her little sister though... A knock on her door breaks her out of her somber thoughts. When she doesn¡¯t answer, the door opens and Benjamin enters the room. ¡°Madam? Are you alright?¡± He asks, concern in his voice. ¡°Hmm? Ah, yes.Thank you. We just had a small argument. A really silly one, really.¡± Benjamin raises an eyebrow. ¡°Is there anything you need me to do?¡± Aria, still lost deep in thought shakes her head lightly. ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­¡± She mutters, trailing on into silence. No. She won¡¯t let some bastard hurt her sister. Not again. ¡°Wait, there is one thing.¡± She straightens; determination returning to her mind. ¡°I want you to contact Brian and figure out who this Ryan character is. I want you to find out who he is, where he lives, what he does for a living, and if he is currently romantically involved with anyone. Oh, and also check if he has a police record. I want you find out everything you can; and I want that report yesterday.¡± She says coldly. Benjamin feels a shiver crawl down his spine. He gives a short nod. ¡°Do you also want him followed ingame?¡± Aria thinks it over for a second. ¡°No, hold off on that. The risk of Anna finding out about it is too high. Just get me the information for now.¡± He gives another short nod. ¡°It will be done, madam.¡± Chapter 31 – Army of Thieves Chapter 31 ¨C Army of Thieves I really needed that break. That heist really took the oomph out of me. My nerves are completely shot and I just need to spend a few hours not looking over my shoulder. The best way to do that is to go for a run and grab something extra greasy to eat, coupled with an ice-cold beer and the fifty-eight season of the Simpsons. The best season they created in my honest opinion. In the end, though, I have to return to Ascendence Unlimited. It¡¯s probably not good for my psyche, but I¡¯ll survive. I always do. Logging back into the game, I find myself back at the room I rented in the Shanty Town. Looking around, I find my underlings just where I left them. My Poisoner is hard at work and I¡¯m pleased to see that she has managed to craft a decent batch of poisons for my underlings. They really came in handy during the heist, and I doubt I¡¯d have a flying chance in hell of killing the guard without it. My two Spotters are standing idly by in the corner, covering the door. I went against my better judgment and brought them up to my room, mainly because I needed a break more than I needed to be cautious earlier. I don¡¯t regret the decision, but it will probably not become a common occurrence. There is just too much riding on my discretion. A lot of things happened this morning, and I¡¯m finally ready to go over the results. First of all, I bring up the notifications I discarded earlier. The Job: Burglarizing Bard is Successful! For untold acts of heroism or accomplishments of significance, Bards have been there to record it. There are few songs about Thief Lords, but your ballad is one filled with violence and blood. You secured your objective but at great cost. Your notoriety will surely rise with the sun this day. Rewards: 400 Experience, (8) Pieces of Equipment, (1) Consumable, (1) Miscellaneous Items, 6 Gold, 2 Silver, 9 Copper. The event sub-quest: Escape from The Bards is Successful! There are many opinions on which quality is most suited for a Thief Lord. There is no absolute answer, but most agree you need a good pair of boots. There will be many trials ahead, Thief Lord. Prepare well. Rewards: 100 Experience. Okay; is it just me, or does the system messages get more ominous-sounding the more jobs I complete? If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say the system doesn¡¯t like my approach to things. I have to object though since the majority of the events were out of my control, but still. Shouldn¡¯t I get some points for at least attempting stealth? It¡¯s not my fault the system and my karmic luck throws me a curveball every time. The system is rigged, and the system should know better. One thing the system got right though, is the cost of the job. I managed to get out with some pretty sweet gear and an invaluable skill book, but I lost a lot of items. Everything my three underlings looted in the storage room was lost upon their deaths, and whatever the Beggar managed to lift off the dead guard is probably lining some lucky player¡¯s pocket right now. That¡¯s not the worst that could happen though. The worst part is that I lost all the gear my underlings were wearing. It¡¯s over twenty gold worth of equipment, and that stings. Deeply. In the end, though, I still came out ahead, so it¡¯s not like I will cry myself to sleep anytime soon. Anyway, I¡¯m back in the game now, and the job was a pyrrhic success. That means it¡¯s time for me to partake in the spoils. After killing the guard, the huge experience gain I received was staggering. It¡¯s unbelievably lucrative actually. The way the experience gain works in this game is based on two things. The level discrepancy between the two opposing sides and the sheer number of people involved in the takedown. The majority of the experience I gained can be written off as the guard being fifteen levels higher than me. That¡¯s four times the level I had. There¡¯s no wonder my gains were astronomical. The other factor is the number of people in the party. That¡¯s where being a Villain shines the most. This game is inherently a group-oriented game, which means for most fights you need the cooperation of other players to win. If you share a kill, you will then also have to share the rewards. So when I¡¯m playing as a Thief Lord, my underlings are considered to be an extension of myself. This means the game system recognises me as a solo player. That means I get the whole pool of experience and loot for myself, which is why I have the potential for leveling faster than other classes by grinding alone, as well as getting huge material gains for killing things. If it hadn¡¯t been because of the huge demerits of dying, and a severe lack of healing options, there would probably be Villains running all over the place. After killing the guard, I gained enough experience to reach level seven. Coupled with the rewards for finishing the job and the subquest, I¡¯m already over halfway on my way to reach level eight. That¡¯s not what excites me the most though. Nope. What I¡¯ve really been waiting for is equipping my new stuff! I open up my inventory and start equipping all of my newly acquired gear, taking a moment to appreciate each piece as I put them on. The pieces of armor look good. Almost a bit too good. The leather is light brown, and the exotic oils give it an extra shine to it. The stitchings are made with fine golden thread, and the patterns are embroidered to look like a piece of art rather than have practicality in mind. It doesn¡¯t help that my hat has a gigantic feather sticking out of it, reminiscent of an ostrich. Unlike the majority of the gear low-level players wear, these are all expertly crafted items. They are all made with style and showmanship in mind. These are definitely pieces made for a Bard, which makes it kind of awkward for a Thief Lord to wear, since, you know, I don¡¯t want any attention drawn towards me. The wooden lute I wield is the cherry on top, completing the image of me being a low-level bard. ¡­ Yeah, I look suspicious as hell, don¡¯t I? Who the hell would believe a Trap Maker would spend this kind of money on gear that doesn¡¯t really give any benefits to my profession. Sure, some people could think I¡¯m an eccentric rich kid who only cares about looks, but that would only draw the interest of even more parties. Stupid rich people are prime targets for scams, jealousy, and other means of exploitation after all. I bring up my status, checking the stat gains. Status: Name: Rynorn Stabberton - Class: Thief Lord (Trap Maker) Race: Halfling - Level: 7 Health: 150 - Mana: 460 Experience: 698/1300 - Renown: N/A Attributes: Strength: 5(5-10%) - Endurance: 15(5+10) - Agility: 6(5+2-10%) Dexterity: 21(5+6+13/75%) - Perception: 5 - Intelligence: 46(5+54/75%) Wisdom: 6(5+1) - Charisma: 54(27+22+10%) - Luck: 13(10+2+10%) Unassigned attribute points: 6. Equipment: Weapon: Dented Spruce Lute. Uncommon. 2-4 Blunt Damage, +4 Charisma. +2 Dexterity. Requires level 6. *Contraband* Off-hand: N/A Helmet: Feathered Cap. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +3 Charisma, +1 Wisdom. Requires Level 6. *Contraband* The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Neck: Amber Necklace. Rare. +4 Charisma. Requires: Level 3. *Contraband* Shoulder: Embroided Leather Pauldrons. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +2 Endurance, +2 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband* Chest: Embroided Leather Chest. Uncommon. 20% Physical Resistance, +4 Endurance, +3 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband* Hands: Embroided Leather Gloves. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +3 Dexterity, +1 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband* Ring 1: Engraved Silver Ring. Uncommon. +2 Charisma. Requires: Level 3. *Contraband* Ring 2: Dealer¡¯s Signet. Rare. +2 Luck, +1 Dexterity. Requires: Level 3. *Contraband* Legs: Embroided Leather Greaves. Uncommon. 20% Physical Resistance, +4 Endurance, +2 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband* Feet: Embroided Leather Boots. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +5% Movement Speed, +2 Agility, +1 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband* Special: Villain¡¯s Mask. Class-Unique. Soulbound. While wearing: Conceals your name but reveals your true class upon death. Traits: (+) Thief Lord basic abilities: (+) Class skills: (+) General Combat skills: (+) General Social skills: (+) Lesser Magic Schools: (+) Profession: (+) Unassigned Skill Points: 2. Wow¡­ Those numbers¡­ Just wow. I don¡¯t care how suspicious I look anymore. These stats are insane for my level! There is no way I can just discard this gear when I look upon these bonuses. I had a feeling this would happen at one point or another. Luckily, there is a solution. I just hoped I could postpone it for as long as possible, as doing it right now might become a death sentence. Before I chose to play as a fake Trap Maker, I looked up tons of ways to help conceal myself better. One idea sprang to mind by complete coincidence. This game, like countless games before it, offers the possibility of getting cosmetic upgrades to their gear. This upgrade means that people can change the look of the gear they are wearing into something that looks different, without actually changing the gear and losing all their valuable stats. This is a feature often used in the past since most gear, good as they may be, sometimes look horrendous. Truly and utterly disgusting in some cases. The solution to this problem is offering a way to pay for cosmetic changes to your gear. This doesn¡¯t really improve the efficiency of your gear, but you can change the look of it into something that¡¯s a little bit more aesthetically pleasing. Or in my case, something that doesn¡¯t look quite so¡­ Bardish. Sure, I could go around and tell everyone I used a cosmetic upgrade to my shitty gear, but since a complete overhaul costs thirty gold coins, most people would just consider it a waste of money this early in the game. For me though, this might truly boost my alias as a Trap Maker if I only change my gear to look like common crafter¡¯s gear. This way, I could look far more inconspicuous while still retaining all the gear value from the Bard¡¯s set. The downside to the cosmetic upgrades though, is that they really only work in safe zones, and I need to enter a specialized shop to get the changes made. The problem here is the Cosmetics shop is located in the Market District, which is commonly known as player central station. Heading in there without my Perception-defences up is incredibly risky, but it¡¯s not completely impossible. It¡¯s a big risk to take, but it will be worth it in the end. All of Drenerys is considered a safe zone, which means the disguise will always be active, and I have no intention of leaving the city in the foreseeable future. It¡¯s totally worth it. Before all that though, I should perform my favourite activity. Yup, you guessed it. It¡¯s time to recruit a whole army of underlings! With a Charisma attribute at fifty-four, I can recruit three new underlings! Even more, if I decide to allocate any of my six unassigned attribute points into Charisma. I was planning on assigning all my new points into Luck to prepare for the future, but it actually would be kind of silly not to allocate a single point into Charisma, as I only need one more point to recruit another underling. That¡¯s a given. It¡¯s really tempting to just throw the remaining five in there as well. I don¡¯t have a lot of skills that benefit from Luck yet, and I do plan on spending my latest skill points and the next one into getting all the Trap Maker subskills. It will therefore still be a while until I can pick up any more Luck-based skills. I don¡¯t need much Luck yet, but I suppose I need to keep my future development path in mind. The Luck stat is hard to increase outside of level-ups, as there isn¡¯t much gear out there that grants the Luck attribute. If I overinvest into Charisma now, I might suffer for it later. Therefore, I decide to put a single point into Charisma, raising it to fifty-five, and the remaining five into Luck. Grinning like the beautiful bastard I am, I head downstairs into the tavern proper. I take extra care to make sure the tavern is void of players, and I soon find myself sitting in my favourite corner booth. My first order of business is to revive my previous fallen comrades-at-arms. ¡°Gold for Blood.¡± The life of a Villain is strife with violence. Many will perish, be it your friend or foe. Life is precious. But, like everything in life, it has a price. You may pay for the blood with gold. Tier 1 Underlings - Costs 5 copper per Underling. -Human Hoodlum(7), Fighter. -Human Cutpurse(7), Rogue. -Dwarf Hoodlum(7), Ranged. -Dwarf Beggar(5), Agent. After a short moment, my four fallen underlings step into the tavern, good as new. They are decked out in the basic level one gear, but other than that, they look good as new. Or bad as new, however you wanna look at it. As much fun as it would be to catch up with my mute underlings, I¡¯m already perusing the recruitment tab before they even have time to sit down. ¡°Recruit Underling.¡± You have entered a tavern located in a naval city. You will be able to recruit Underlings to bolster your ranks. Please select one of the following underling types: [Recruit a Fighter type Underling] [Recruit a Rogue type Underling] [Recruit a Ranged type Underling] [Recruit an Agent type Underling] [Recruit a Specialist type Underling] Make your choice, Thief Lord. Excellent. I¡¯ve done a little thinking about what I need next, and there are several factors to consider. I get to recruit four new underlings, and now that I¡¯ve gotten to know the quirks of my class, I think I¡¯ve come up with the best development path going forward. First of all, I can never have enough troops. My class is based around swarming my enemies with high numbers, striking quickly and efficiently before they have time to react. More hands also increase the rate I can grind experience since more underlings don¡¯t mean that I personally get any less experience. Therefore, more fighters, rogues, and ranged units are an absolute priority. I also have to consider my supporting units though. The Beggar is a valuable addition to my repertoire, and he works both with gathering intel, as well as being an efficient pawn during heists, whether it is through distractions or emergency escapes. As we know, the Beggar can uncover a single heist per day, two under special circumstances like with the Alchemist job. Now that I have more underlings at my disposal, I¡¯m fairly certain I can manage to perform two heists per day. Not only is the loot great, but the experience makes it well worth it. I can¡¯t disregard the assistance of Specialists, but I already have a Poisoner, and the remaining Specialists just aren¡¯t that vital to my operations as of yet. This is why I¡¯ve decided to recruit another Cutpurse, a Beggar, and two more Hoodlums. Confirming my choice, I sit around idly, waiting for my underlings to start appearing. Shortly after, my four fresh underlings enter through the tavern door. My two Hoodlums walk at the front, and I¡¯m surprised to see they look almost identical. They are both half-breeds, where one part is human, and the other seems to be of orcish heritage. They are powerfully built men, with a sickly greenish tint to their skin and a small set of fangs protruding from their lower lips. Other than that, they look like a couple of regular humans, albeit a pair who suffers from a severe case of steroid abuse. Following the half-orc twins, my Cutpurse worms her way through the room. Being a gnome, I hardly notice her behind the two hulking brutes. The gnome looks like any other gnome really. Her skinny body is surprisingly reminiscent of a human child''s, and her head seems to be just a few sizes too large for the petite body. Her hair is of vibrant purple color, and her large orange eyes shine with ferocity, unlike the regular merry-go-lucky attitude of her kin. The final underling to arrive is the human Beggar at the back, trailing carefully after her three more intimidating colleagues. She has dirty blonde hair, cut short with a strip of cloth tying her hair into a miniature ponytail. She walks with her shoulders dropped, showing off a posture that tells of her being subdued and frail. I know her looks are most likely a lie though, as I know you can¡¯t be weak to survive in our line of work. With my newest underlings gathered around me, it¡¯s starting to feel a little crowded in here. Therefore, I send the majority of them back up into the room and have my Beggars head out to dig up a few new Heists. I only let my highest level Hoodlum and Cutpurse stay with me. I should head out and get to work myself, but I have one final thing to do before I proceed. Something I¡¯ve been looking forward to since I started playing as a Thief Lord. Oh, yeah. It¡¯s happening! It¡¯s time to get a Lieutenant. Chapter 32 – Cobra Chapter 32 ¨C Cobra I rub my hands together, having looked forward to this moment for a very long time. For the sake of my fleeting memory, I bring up the Thief Lord¡¯s basic ability pertinent to this upgrade. Promote Lieutenant ¨C Upgrade an Underling to a Lieutenant. You may upgrade 1 Lieutenant per 50 Charisma. There it is. It¡¯s finally time. It took a while, but I have finally passed the fifty Charisma requirement to activate it. The ability is powerful, and it¡¯s definitely a juicy power boost. I would actually say it¡¯s one of the most crucial abilities to have when playing as a Thief Lord. I waste no time in activating the skill. Upgrade an underling into a Lieutenant. Lieutenants are considered the elites of a Thief Lord¡¯s underlings. Lieutenants are capable underlings, able to lead a team of underlings on jobs in the name of their leader. Their position demands a certain level of power, and their stats gain a fifty percent boost. Choose your candidate carefully, Thief Lord. The benefits of having a Lieutenant is huge. Not only do they get a massive power boost by becoming an elite mob, but they also gain the highly coveted ability to lead the rest of my underlings, which means they can perform jobs without the need of me being nearby. Obviously, this isn¡¯t without faults, as the underlings can not benefit from my planning or skills. They may fail some jobs, and losses are sometimes inevitable, but the gains outweigh the risks. I will probably still have to come along on jobs that have hard difficulty, but performing easy jobs should be a breeze for them as long as their equipment and levels are up to date. The real question I have to ask myself here though, is which underling should I upgrade? It¡¯s a tough call, but I have narrowed my decision down to two potential candidates. The high-level Hoodlum and the Cutpurse. Both characters have great merits, and my choice should mostly depend on my game style. The most powerful choice would be to upgrade the Cutpurse, as a boost to his stealth, damage, and lockpicking could make any job easier. It seems like the most obvious choice, and it gives me the most versatility going forward. The only thing holding me back is the potential powerhouse my Hoodlum can be. There is no reason to deny it, but in my opinion, my Hoodlum has been the lynchpin of the majority of my conflicts. It¡¯s not just that he can fight toe-to-toe with most enemies when combat is inevitable, but his grapple skill has been a key instrument in taking down enemies quickly and efficiently. The massive boost to his physical abilities will only strengthen this skill, and that¡¯s what draws my interest in promoting the Hoodlum over the Cutpurse. As I said, both choices have merits, and it¡¯s tough to decide. I think I¡¯m going to go with my gut on this one though. As strong as the Cutpurse may be, I can¡¯t overlook the fact that the Hoodlum is good to have when everything goes to shit. In my experience, everything goes to shit at one point or another. Having a designated plan B not only soothes my mind, but it¡¯s also the most logical choice in the long run. I need to be protected at all costs. The Hoodlum is the best option for that. With my mind made up, I select my Hoodlum, watching as the system does its thing. You have promoted Human Hoodlum(7) into a Lieutenant. Would you like to name your Lieutenant? Warning! All choices are final. Smiling, I opt to select a name for my underling. I spent a fair time during my off-time thinking up a suitable name, and let me tell you this: Naming stuff is one of the hardest things you can ever do. I don¡¯t envy the parents of multiple children. Their struggle must have been real. Selecting a fitting name isn¡¯t easy, but I think I¡¯ve come up with something suitable. Since I¡¯m a Thief Lord, which means I¡¯m basically the master of thieves and assassins, it¡¯s only fitting that my underlings live up to our style of life. We¡¯re sneaky little bastards, but we¡¯re also dangerous. Especially with the addition of poison. There is also the fun and fitting saying I¡¯ve always liked, which I find pretty ironic in this setting. If you want to kill a snake, then you have to chop off its head. [Human Elite Hoodlum - Cobra(7). Lieutenant. Fighter. HP 360/360. Infamy Tier 1.] I whistle in satisfaction. That¡¯s one hell of a power boost. He will most surely come in handy in any future brawl. Nevertheless, even with all these boosts to his power, they pale in comparison to the one aspect of the promotion I have been looking forward to the most. Can you guess it? No? Well, it¡¯s the one thing that wasn¡¯t mentioned in the Lieutenant description. It has been three months since my last opportunity to scratch this itch, and the moment has finally come. With one hell of a wide grin, I set my eyes on my new Lieutenant. ¡°Welcome to the team, Cobra.¡± My Hoodlum- Or should I say Cobra, meets my gaze. He stares at me intently, his eyes shining with intelligence. With a toothy grin, he guffaws. ¡°Glad to be here, boss.¡± I snort. Grinning from ear to ear. Finally. Finally, after all this time, I have someone to talk to. If I had been a little bit more sentimental, I might actually wipe a tear from the corner of my eye. These past three months have been really lonely. It¡¯s tough having no one to talk to. The human psyche was never meant to be anti-social for this long. Sure, Cobra isn¡¯t a real person, but with the upgrade to his artificial intelligence, he might as well be. Artificial intelligence has come a long way these past decades, and some may argue they should be considered individual sentient beings. I don¡¯t really get too caught up in the ethical debates about the matter, and frankly, I don¡¯t care. As long as I have someone to listen to my bitching and respond to my mad ravings, then I¡¯m good. That¡¯s really all I can ask for, and it covers my basic needs. If I need to talk to someone made of flesh and blood, then I can always call my dad or write a short message to Anna. Or scratch that last one. That girl is crazy. The underling in front of me is slightly different from the level seven Hoodlum I knew from just moments ago. Earlier, he was just a regular plain-looking human. Strong, but otherwise nondescript. Now though, his character seems to have a lot more life in him. He has curly brown hair, green eyes, a week-old beard, and a small scar across his nose. His teeth are all there, but their once pristine color has faded into a yellow-brownish color. I wouldn¡¯t call him handsome, but he certainly looks more real. ¡°I know I¡¯m pretty boss, but you don¡¯t have to stare so much. All the ladies will get the wrong idea.¡± He grins, sipping from a mug of ale he conjured from god knows where. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Ah, right. My bad¡­¡± I mutter, shaking me out of my musings. It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve had a regular conversation partner, I almost forget I have to talk to them. Playing alone for three months must have made a number on my social skills. Cobra seems to be a cheerful kind of guy. He looks attentive, but he also has this easy-going attitude going for him that makes him appear like an overconfident prick. Don¡¯t get me wrong, those types of people can be incredibly interesting as long as they don¡¯t act the part. His voice is a little odd though. It¡¯s a very rough voice, sounding a little bit like a chain smoker. It doesn¡¯t seem to give him any issues though. Bad boys are supposed to be a little rough around the edges, aren¡¯t they? ¡°So what do you want me to do, boss? Mug an old woman? Stab someone? I¡¯m up for anything. Just give the word.¡± He smiles for a moment until he pauses. Raising an eyebrow, he gives me a sceptical look. ¡°Except¡­ you know. That.¡± ¡°That¡­?¡± I stare at him. What is he on about? What the hell is ¡®that¡¯? Does he mean- Cobra interrupts my rambling thoughts as he stretches into an exaggerated yawn, drawing my attention. When his arms drop, his right hand moves down his torso, coming to rest over his crotch. I blink twice in confusion until the realisation hits me. Oh¡­ I pinch the bridge of my nose. He¡¯s that sort¡­ ¡°Dude¡­ What the fuck? Even if I swung that way, which I don¡¯t I assure you, there isn¡¯t enough dwarven firewhisky in the world that would even make me consider that option.¡± He winks at me. ¡°Your loss, boss.¡± I snort. This guy has the worst humor. I think I need some time to get used to this guy. I should probably set some time aside later to talk some more to him. Some time I¡¯m not so busy. ¡°Just shut up. We¡¯ve got work to do.¡± ¡°Sure thing, boss! I would offer to lead the way, but you know. I don¡¯t want you staring at my ass.¡± He chuckles. ¡°Ha. Ha. Very funny. I bet you¡¯re just saying that so that you can get a good look at mine.¡± He bursts into laughter. ¡°If I ever wanted to look at a flat ass, I¡¯d just holler at your sister.¡± ¡°Oh, really, mister funny guy. Just for that comment, you¡¯re bunking with the Poisoner tonight.¡± The blood quickly drains from Cobra¡¯s face. ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­¡± I grin while giving him a wink of my own. His humor is terrible, but so is mine. Two can play this game, and the only difference between the two of us is that I¡¯m better at it. I think the two of us will get along splendidly. Anyway, I can¡¯t loiter around here all day. As funny as tearing Cobra a new one is, it won¡¯t bring me closer to my dream. We need to get to work, and I need to check a few things out. What I really want Cobra to do, is head down into the sewers to start training up my freshest recruits. It¡¯s a good idea, but it doesn¡¯t really work together with my plan to go visit the vanity store and get the cosmetic upgrade. The problem with this is twofold. First of all, I have to enter an area populated by the majority of the city¡¯s player population. That means I can¡¯t bring any backup, and I need to stay as under the radar as possible. The second part is that I can¡¯t under any circumstance draw any attention, which means I need to temporarily take off the armor I earned earlier. This isn¡¯t the worst thing in the world that could happen, but taking it off would reduce my Charisma attribute well below the required level to support all my underlings. This means I can¡¯t use at least four of my underlings for the duration of my trip, and that includes my Lieutenant. Luckily for me, the game doesn¡¯t automatically dismiss my underlings when I can¡¯t support their required Charisma levels, but it does cause the affected underlings to stop following my orders. They wouldn¡¯t take hostile action against me, but they wouldn¡¯t make any effort to support me either. If I can¡¯t sustain the required Charisma levels, then they would just sit around doing nothing. I experimented with this feature earlier when I was playing as my Necromancer, and it works suspiciously fluidly. I want to prepare as well as I can for this endeavor though. The first thing I do is to stash my extra underlings inside my room upstairs. Next, I take off all my useful armor, storing it into the jewelry box container I looted during my first heist. This way, I can at least save my ten most precious items safely if I end up dying and have to recreate my character. Otherwise, everything that I own will automatically disappear a short time after my character is deleted. It¡¯s a harsh feature, but it¡¯s necessary so that I can¡¯t just reroll a new character and easily regain all my lost items in a rented room if something goes wrong. The game insists on an element of risk after all. As soon as my most precious items are off, my underlings start losing their focus. Their obedient and attentive gazes sort of fade away and the underlings just slump down into a corner, lazing about. Cobra and the two half-orcs actually start up a game of dice, none of them bothering to acknowledge my presence. It feels kind of weird, but that¡¯s how the game works I guess. Besides; this is only temporary. I¡¯ll be back in an hour, hopefully, and everything will be back to normal by then. Before I leave, I decide to take back my Poisoner¡¯s apron. While I still have my own apron from earlier, hers is part of an item set. This means they cover several item slots, which actually makes it cheaper for me to use as a template for the cosmetic upgrade. I have to save money where I can after all. With my business taken care of, I put on my crappy starter equipment and head outside. I take a short moment to hide the jewelry box inside the nearby warehouse before I turn my nose north towards the Market District. I take my time making my way north. I stay off the main road, keeping to the alleyways wherever I can. I don¡¯t meet many players until I reach the Market District, and I actually had to utilize my ¡®Calm¡¯ spell a few times on my way when I accidentally ran into a pair of hostile Hoodlums. All in all, the trip was rather uneventful. The Market District is a perfectly circular district which slopes downwards from the edges towards the center. It¡¯s sort of looks like a giant funnel really. The game¡¯s inbuilt Wikipedia says it¡¯s because the town was built on an old open-pit quarry, but that hardly matters. The sight below me is truly mesmerizing. The district is artistically built, with six main roads leading from the edges of the district that converges at the center. The center of the district is where the most important buildings are located, which is mainly the guild bank, the auction house, and the money exchange office. My chances of reaching those buildings without getting spotted are less than zero, so I quickly discard the idea. The remainder of the Market District is made up of a set of sub-districts, or quarters if you may. The arms and armor quarter is to the northwest, the alchemical and enchanter quarter to the northeast, the general stores to the southwest while the southeast is where the majority of the taverns and miscellaneous shops that don¡¯t fit into any of the other quarters are located. There is also a bunch of other utility buildings scattered all over, including NPC housing and lodging, so there is plenty to see and do around here. This district may be the smallest of all the districts, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can see it all in under an hour. The vanity store I¡¯m looking for is situated in the southeastern corner, so I luckily don¡¯t have to travel far. The bad part is that this quarter is the most player dense area in the entire district. Since this is the quarter with all the taverns, this is naturally where all the players go to leave their characters overnight. Or is it overday? Meh, I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter. While most players usually don¡¯t log in or off around noon, it¡¯s still a steady stream of players walking everywhere. My best bet is to quickly locate the shop, enter it, then leave while crossing my fingers and hope that no one casually throws an inspect my way. I start my trip to the quarter. I take my time, walking from alleyway to alleyway, making certain to scan the streets for any high-level players as I go. It takes a long time, but I really can¡¯t be careful enough when it comes to this sort of task. It takes me a good twenty minutes to move three hundred meters, which is slower than it would take to inch my way forward by the strength of my pinky finger. It works though, and I soon find myself in the vicinity of the store I¡¯m looking for. Unfortunately, that¡¯s also the moment I run into trouble. A duo of high-level Rangers are walking my way, the guild logo of the Dark Pegasus guild attached to their name tags. The pair seems to be extra vigilant when it comes to checking all the nearby players, and I doubt they do it just for the heck of it. They must be a guild patrol. Alarmed, I slip further into a nearby alleyway, crouching behind a few conveniently located crates at the far end. Activating ¡®Chameleon¡¯, I decide to try and wait out the storm from safety. Lady luck shines upon me as the duo is skirting around their duties, not taking sufficient care to thoroughly investigate every nook and cranny they come across. I can relate to the sentiment, but their sloppy work ethic is what ultimately prevents them from catching me. If this is the quality I can expect from future patrols, then I don¡¯t think I will have too much to fear from walking around in public when I¡¯ve leveled up a bit. I deactivate my skill and prepare to leave when I catch something from the corner of my eye. There, in a shadowy corner of the street is a familiar-looking metal hatch in the middle of the cobbled street. Is that¡­ a sewer entrance? Chapter 33 – Gold Drain Chapter 33 ¨C Gold Drain Huh. It seems like lady luck is finally shining down on me. I already knew the sewer system would also stretch beneath the other city districts, but to so quickly come across an entrance? It¡¯s amazing. I wonder if I should sneak a peek into the sewers to see what types of enemies are down there. Obviously, I would do it just to gain some tactical information of course, and not just to satiate my curiosity. On the other side, I should probably just keep my head down and head over to the vanity store before more players log on after finishing school or work. The smart thing to do is get the cosmetic upgrades as soon as I can, but curiosity sometimes gets the better of me. It would be nice to see what I would be up against by the time I have to branch out and away from the Shanty Town, and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to know what is down there in case something bad happens later and I need a way to retreat. Yeah. That sounds like a plausible reason. Climbing down into the sewers, I¡¯m met by an intense stench, far worse than the sewers back in the Shanty Town. Instinctively pinching my nose shut, I¡¯m of half a mind to climb back up and never come back when the sound of a roaring waterfall reaches my ears. My interest once more piqued, I inch my way down the corridor, being extra careful to keep an eye out for any traps. I don¡¯t know what level this zone is, but I feel like I can¡¯t be too careful when it comes to this place. The corridor is rather short, and I don¡¯t walk for more than fifty meters until the corridor tilts and opens up into a large cavern. Peeking around the corner, my jaw drops as I look out over a gigantic cistern, located directly beneath the Market District. The Cavern is nearly three hundred meters across, and I can¡¯t even see the bottom from where I stand. The walls are made up of perfectly chiseled blocks of stone and there are large alcoves located high up and along the dark walls. Six evenly spaced rivers of raw sewage enter from the edges of the cavern, disposing their filth deep into the depths below. The sight is beautiful, in a disgusting and unsanitized sort of way. It¡¯s so mesmerizing, I even forget to hold my nose shut while I stare at the beauty of it all. The stench eventually grabs hold of my attention, and I turn to leave when I notice a few of the natives only a short distance away. It¡¯s a group of bipedal creatures, hunched over with thick brown fur. They are wielding an assortment of rusted weapons and armor, and they have small beady red eyes that scan their surroundings attentively. I inspect the closest creature. [Ratman Scout(21). HP ???/???.] ¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m out of here. Turning around, I sprint back down the corridor. This place is way above what I can handle at the moment, but I¡¯m glad that I at least know what¡¯s down here. Practically leaping out of the sewers, I take a moment to make sure the hatch is properly sealed behind me. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible, but I¡¯d rather not risk any of those ratmen following me up here. Those little buggers looked like they could actually climb a ladder. The remainder of the trip is rather uneventful. The sewer entrance was only two blocks away from the vanity store, and the store itself is in a rather secluded corner of the district. Since most people don¡¯t have the coin to spend on frivolous things like cosmetic upgrades as of yet, the store is completely void of people. Actually buying the cosmetic upgrades isn¡¯t that hard, but it certainly puts a dent in my wallet. Fully customizing your gear usually costs roughly thirty gold, but seeing as I use an item kit as a template, I manage to circumvent the majority of the costs. The kit¡¯s appearances aren¡¯t flashy, so I can¡¯t say I really get a bang for my buck, but it more than serves its purpose. The set is considered a single item, as it covers both my chest, leg, and feet slot all for the price of one. That leaves me with only needing to customize the head, shoulders, and gloves slot. Therefore, instead of spending thirty coins on the upgrade, I can get away with paying only fifteen gold coins. It¡¯s not the highest amount of money, but I¡¯d really prefer it if I didn¡¯t have to waste it on frivolous things like this. Finding items to replace the helmet and gloves slot are easy, considering I already have the spectacles and knuckle dusters from earlier. I didn¡¯t have a cosmetic template for the shoulder slot, but I could replace it with a general shop-owned template for a small extra fee. I ended up choosing the cheapest option, so the extra cost was negligible. Still, that¡¯s money I¡¯d rather spend on rent. A fun thing that comes to mind is that with this purchase, I have actually spent more money than I have earned so far. That is of course if I don¡¯t count the three hundred gold bribe I received from Greg and Kevin; bless their souls. I really lucked out on that one, and I¡¯ll be certain to spend another great slump of their donation on better gear for my underlings. ¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s going to cost me an arm and a leg. Finishing up my transactions, I look over my character. I actually look pretty decent, all considering. The only trouble I run into is that I can¡¯t get a cosmetic upgrade to a weapon that differs too much from the original. It would be weird if my lute suddenly looked like a dagger after all. It¡¯s not ideal, but I can always play it off by saying I need the Dexterity bonus for my craft and that the Charisma helps with buying and selling wares. It¡¯s not an unreasonable claim, and most crafters just equip whichever weapon gives them the greatest stats anyway. I¡¯d still prefer it if I found something else though, like a gilded dagger or a dueling sword, but I¡¯d hate to give up on the attribute points regardless. Finally looking like a regular crafter schmuck, I start the long trek back towards the Shanty Town. The return trip goes a little faster, mostly because I have already mapped out the best route to take. Returning to the Shanty Town, I decide to not immediately head back to the tavern. As much as I¡¯d love to get my underlings moving, it would be a waste to send them off without proper gear. I really hate this part of the plan, but as easy money comes, easy money goes. I head southeast until I come upon the Shanty Town¡¯s version of a market square. I quickly located Ulf¡¯s Weapons¡¯n¡¯Armor, heading inside to greet the grumpy silver-toothed fence. The sour dwarf quickly closes down shop upon seeing me, followed by digging up a few crates filled with stolen weapons and armor. Perusing through his wares, I momentarily consider spending one of my precious Skill Points on a haggling skill, but I dismiss the idea. I will definitely pick one up later when I don¡¯t have this many other priorities though. Losing the majority of my underlings earlier put me at a severe disadvantage. Not only did I lose gear that was worth over twenty gold, I now have to rebuy said items, as well as equipping four more underlings. My inner hoarding demon shoots curses my way, but it¡¯s a necessary expense.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I end up buying armor for every single one of my combat underlings, as well as new weapons for the two highest level Hoodlums. Luckily, the dagger I swapped out earlier when I found the letter opener is still in my possession, so I don¡¯t bother buying a new weapon for my highest level Cutpurse quite yet. Browsing through Ulf¡¯s wares, I pick out the following items. 4x [Heavy Leather Armor Set. Common. +30% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Strength, +1,5 Endurance, +1 Agility, +0,5 Dexterity. Requires: NPC, Fighter Classification. *Contraband*] 2x [Shadowed Leather Armor Set. Common. +25% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Agility, +1 Perception, +1 Dexterity, +0,5 Constitution, +0,5 Strength. Requires: NPC, Rogue Classification. *Contraband*] [Light Leather Armor Set. Common. +20% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Dexterity +1 Agility, +1 Perception, +0,5 Constitution, +0,5 Strength. Requires: NPC, Ranged Classification. *Contraband*] 2x [Thick Shortsword. Common. 19-22 Slashing Damage, +4 Strength, +2 Dexterity. Requires: Level 7. *Contraband*] The transaction costs me a staggering forty gold coins, eight silver, and five copper. It almost feels like throwing gold down a drain, but it is worth it. At least Ulf was a decent enough bloke to knock off a one gold discount for buying wares in bulk. My dad would probably slap me silly if he knew I just spent over forty euros on buying clothes for a couple of computer programs though. Any normal player would probably shake their heads at my frivolous spending, but the bonuses I get from the equipment is just too valuable. The amount of gold I just spent is huge, but it¡¯s not as bad as it looks. The problem with equipping gear in role-playing games is that the higher your level rises, so does your need for more powerful equipment. While this is true for me, it¡¯s not the case for my underlings. Being NPCs, they are bound by a different set of rules. Instead of equipping singular items as a player would, the NPCs use scalable item sets. This means they can use the same set of gear at level one as they can at level one hundred. This alleviates the need for me to spend endless amounts of money on equipping my underlings every few levels without going bankrupt. I¡¯m not quite as lucky when it comes to weapons though, but luckily for me, there are plenty of common grade weapons dropped my humanoid monsters and enemies throughout the world. They may be the worst weapons of the lot, but it sure beats buying new ones all the time. Storing the loot in my inventory, I bid the scowling dwarf goodbye and head out. It¡¯s been a fruitful day of shopping, and I think I¡¯ve done everything I can to prepare my underlings for the struggles ahead. I make good time heading back towards the tavern, only taking a slight detour to pick up all my stuff from the container I hid in the warehouse. With my Charisma attribute back at fifty-five, I head into the tavern and resume command over my loitering underlings. As I hand out the new gear to my underlings, Cobra walks up to me. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back, boss. Was getting a little crowded in here.¡± He grunts in his raspy voice. ¡°I like the new digs. Proper gear for a good stabbing I reckon.¡± He grins with pleasure, taking a few practice swings with his new short sword. ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so. You¡¯ll be using it soon. We¡¯re headin down into the sewers to grind some experience for the new recruits.¡± ¡°Ah? Excellent. Nothing beats a good old ass-kicking to train the fresh meat.¡± He grins maniacally. ¡°Almost as fun as taking a fresh young wench for a spin, that is.¡± He laughs, slapping his belly as he inhales sharply. Uhm. I scratch my head. This new guy is kind of... odd. I like that he is cheerful, but I didn¡¯t expect him to have this much personality. Sure, it¡¯s nice that I finally have someone to talk to and all, but I wasn¡¯t really expecting to talk to the poor man''s version of a frat boy. Do I like this? I¡¯m not sure. If he keeps this up though, I might start to think I was better off when he was a mute. ¡­ Maybe he¡¯ll grow on me... Maybe... Hopefully. Ah, who am I kidding? Of course, he will. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-- Our crusade through the sewers is actually kind of dull. There is a hell of a lot of us, and we hardly fit into the narrow corridors down here. These corridors were designed to support a party of five, maybe six players, and that would be stretching it. There are nine of us now, and it doesn¡¯t leave us much elbowroom to walk around. I¡¯ve pretty much given up on being of any help during this grind, and I¡¯ve reduced myself to walk solemnly at the back, spamming my skills and spells as often as the timers and my mana permits, only to occasionally walk to the front to disarm any traps if we come across any. My underlings certainly don¡¯t need any help fighting the monsters down here. With Cobra being an elite underling as well as being supported by several of my high-level underlings with top-notch gear, the fights are ridiculously easy. Not only are the monsters ranging from level four to six, but my underlings are so numerous and vastly overpowered, it isn¡¯t even a challenge. This is completely different from when I played as a Necromancer where I didn¡¯t have the option of equipping all my skeletons with this kind of gear. Thief Lords sure have it good, don¡¯t they? Normally, being this overpowered wouldn¡¯t bother me, but the going is too slow. We may slay heaps and bounds more monsters now than we have ever done before, but the gains are abysmal. Not only do they provide next to no experience points when they die, but they also have reduced item drop rates the lower levels they are. This is dreadfully inefficient, and I might have to go look for some better hunting grounds soon. The only positive gain from this little excursion though, is that it¡¯s a perfect leveling ground for my low-level underlings. After a good seven hours of grinding, my Spotters have reached level six and five, and my three freshest underlings just pushed into level four. The loot I¡¯ve gained is hardly worth mentioning, so I guess it¡¯s time for me to call it quits. It wasn¡¯t very fun, and with the reduced experience gains, there is hardly a point to keep grinding down here. The most important thing is that all my underlings can at least participate in combat without being a complete liability. No, if I am to get anywhere, I need to change my hunting ground. Due to a little scouting around the district, I figured out that the Shanty Town sewers spawn monsters ranging from level four to nine. Naturally, one would think that I still have plenty of level-appropriate monsters to slay, but there is a slight problem. The appropriately leveled monsters are all at the eastern parts of the sewers. Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be much of an issue for me, but it takes me dangerously close to the areas where Greg and Kevin are currently grinding. I could risk it and go down there to grind, but a single slip up could mean the end of my character. If the Dark Pegasus guild figures out that there is a Thief Lord loose in the city, one that has also discovered the secret leveling zone in the sewers, then I¡¯d be royally screwed to such an extent, I wouldn¡¯t have a snowball¡¯s chance in hell of ever recovering from the blow. That¡¯s why I need to figure out where the leveling zone from level ten to twenty is located. I already know the Market District houses level twenty plus monsters, so that should narrow down where I can find the appropriately leveled monsters. Luckily, the number of districts in the city are in the single digits. And since these games usually follow a linear pattern of progression, it¡¯s reasonable to predict where the next zone is supposed to be. While the Noob District to the southwest holds monsters ranging from level one to three, and the Shanty Town has monsters from level three to nine, the next leveling zone must be in one of the three nearby districts. Since I already know the Market District to the north has monsters in the level twenty range, that leaves the Harbour District to the northeast, or the Residential District to the northwest. Going by sheer gaming logic, it¡¯s reasonable to assume the appropriate leveling zone is by the Harbour. The Harbour shares a border with the majority of the Shanty Town and is thus much more easily accessible. Also, since the Residential District is so ludicrously huge, I can safely assume the sewers under that district should contain monsters spanning over a much wider range than level ten to twenty. This is just pure speculation, but gaming logic is almost always applied to these sorts of scenarios, and all the warning signs point towards the Harbour. So, what am I wasting time around here for? Let¡¯s see what the Harbour district has to offer! Chapter 34 – Dogpile Chapter 34 ¨C Dogpile Well, it seems like my speculations were on point. Our little group spent a short while scouring through the back alleys of the Harbour District until we finally came upon an entrance to the sewers. I could have tried to make my way over there below ground, but I¡¯d rather save time by going there directly. It¡¯s not like there are a lot of players walking around as of yet, and I do have a sizeable enough force to scout the area and help me look for an entrance. The combination of my Cutpurses and Spotters work especially well together in this endeavour. Slipping into the sewers, our little army spreads out in a defensive formation. My Hoodlums take point, supported by my Cutpurses on the flanks and the Spotters behind. I¡¯m walking safely between the Spotters, making sure to keep the wall of Hoodlums safely between me and whatever horror is down here. The highest level Cutpurse has already scouted out the place and confirmed that there are monsters within our level range ahead. I just don¡¯t know what yet, since our sign language isn¡¯t that sophisticated. The first thing we come across is actually not monsters, but a trap. My Trap Disarm skill has gained a few levels during my earlier grinding sessions, and I¡¯m highly anticipating the jump in proficiency and difficulty in this higher level zone. Approaching the trap my underlings pointed out to me, I crouch to get a better look. This trap has a tripwire trigger mechanism, similar to the trigger mechanisms of the lower level traps. The sophistication is a little higher on this one though. Unlike the basic traps from earlier, this tripwire is made up of two individual wires, entwined to look like a single thread. The end of the tripwire is safely attached to one side of the corridor and stretches across to the other side where a small wooden box is snugly hidden in the shadows. There is a third wire connected to the box that joins the two prior wires which leads further down into the corridor. That¡¯s probably the framework. Safely stepping past the trigger mechanism, I follow the triple thread back from the framework along the wall. The thread tilts slightly upwards, and after a few meters, I find the wires attached to a contraption fixed to the roof. The contraption holds an old wooden crossbow, armed and aimed further back down the corridor towards the tripwire. This is definitely the release mechanism. Having identified the three parts of the trap, it¡¯s time for me to properly analyze the contraption and figure out a way to dismantle it. This trap, in particular, would be simple to just trigger prematurely, but that would also mean I would have next to zero chance of salvaging any parts or gain any skill exp. I¡¯m particularly eyeing the crossbow, as it looks far more valuable than the rest of the materials used. After looking for a short while, I identify the major hurdle of the trap. The two wires entwined in the trigger mechanism actually serve different functions. One of them is strung tightly, while the other is hanging a little loose. Examining the release mechanism, I notice a two-way pressure lever that will trigger the trap if the wires are either cut or pulled. That means I have to be much more careful. The third wire connected to the framework seems to be a second failsafe in case I attempt to tamper with the wire. This wire is connected to yet another pressure lever, and I need to figure out which way to properly dismantle it. I, therefore, start by tracing the third wire back to the release mechanism. After taking a few seconds to closely examine the crossbow, I find the wire connected to a small pin lodged between the releasing point and the crossbow string. If it¡¯s somehow removed, the crossbow will automatically fire. My first order of business is, therefore, to secure the lynchpin in place, making sure it can¡¯t be moved by the change of pressure. I do this by pulling out a small string of my own and tie it around the base of the lynchpin while squeezing it tightly between my thumb and index finger. After tying the string tight, I¡¯m now confident the lynchpin won¡¯t move while I dismantle the safeguards in the trap¡¯s framework. Taking care not to rustle the framework¡¯s wire, I pull out a small scissor and cut it. I hold my breath while doing this, as just a slightly too powerful tug might accidentally trigger the main trigger mechanism as the framework wire is still attached to the two main wires. Exhaling in relief as nothing seems to happen, I work my way over towards securing the trigger mechanism. The best way to do this is to apply an anchor next to the two-way pressure lever, making the two wires superfluous. The pressure lever can only be moved in two different directions, so I need to jam it on one side. I decide to insert a small stick between the backside of the lever, anchoring it between the lever and the hard back panel of the mechanism. This makes certain the trigger mechanism won¡¯t snap out of alignment if I cut the two-way wire as there is an opposing force keeping the lever from pulling back when the tightly tied string isn¡¯t there to keep it in place. My success is final when the system prompt arrives. [Congratulations! You have managed to successfully dismantle a [Shoddy Bolt Wire Trap]. You have managed to salvage a part of the trap! [Old Crossbow. Uncommon. 28-32 Piercing Damage, +4 Dexterity, +2 Perception. Requires: Level 8.] has been added to your inventory.] [Disarm Trap has leveled up to Novice 4.] I grin with satisfaction. The whole procedure only lasts for five minutes, but that¡¯s enough to cause the sweat to pour from my body and my heart to race. This is probably one of the trickiest singular acts I¡¯ve done so far in the game, and it was well worth it. Nothing beats the rush of overcoming a challenging obstacle. That¡¯s why I¡¯m a gamer. The crossbow I gained is a huge upgrade for one of my Spotters. At least it will be, as soon as we manage to level up. It might be in a day or two, but I¡¯m not in that much of a hurry. Well, I am, but you know what I mean. Regardless, I¡¯ll take any benefit I can get. With the crossbow safely stored in my inventory, we fall back into formation. The Cutpurses return to scouting while I keep casting and recasting my ¡®Chameleon¡¯ spell as soon as my mana regenerates. It doesn¡¯t regenerate fast due to my low Wisdom attribute, but I have to make do with what I¡¯ve got. We head on for a short while until our group comes to a halt. Looking ahead, I notice my high-level Cutpurse sneaking back towards us. He holds up two fingers while nodding. Good. That means there are two enemies we should be able to handle. That¡¯s a good sign, which means my zone analysis from earlier was spot on. With a wave, I order my Hoodlums to take point while the rest of us spread out as much as we can, limited as space may be. It doesn¡¯t take long until the two enemies come within sight. [Human Zombie(10). HP: 240/240.] [Dwarf Zombie(11). HP: 260/260.] Undead! There are undead down here! I smile. Undead are my favourite type of opponent, mostly because they always have glaring weaknesses and few surprises. There is hardly anything more cliche than zombies in a game, and these guys don¡¯t disappoint in that regard. Speaking from experience (I used to be a Necromancer after all), these guys are ridiculously slow-moving while also dealing little damage. It doesn¡¯t matter if they wield low-level weapons. If they can¡¯t use the speed, that might just as well be bricks in their hands. Albeit some very sharp bricks in some cases. Zombies are pretty weak, even for undead standards. Their strengths lie with high resistance to Slashing Damage and moderate defence against the other physical types of damage, while being weak against magic and blows to the head. Since they are so slow, it¡¯s also easy to gang up on them and beat them to a pulp without them having much of a chance to fight back. They are really up against a bad opponent for this. This will be easy. Grinning, I address my underlings. ¡°Get them, boys. Cheap shot!¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Cobra guffaws, taking point while charging towards the two zombies and cackling menacingly. ¡°Come get me you little buggers!¡± My Lieutenant charges forwards, throwing his entire body weight against the zombie dwarf. Being the naturally strongest of the two zombies, the dwarf is still unable to stand up to the might of my powered-up Hoodlum. The pair slams into the ground, the rusty iron hammer flying from the zombie¡¯s grip as it tries to bite and claw at Cobra. It gets in a few good jabs and I spot a few small gashes appear on Cobra¡¯s chin and wrist. ¡°You biting little bastard!¡± Cobra roars, while simultaneously stabbing the zombie in the gut. ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret ever deciding to come back to life you snot-sucking little dirtbag!¡± Their shouts and mortal combat fades from view as the rest of my underlings charge forward to surround the remaining zombie. My dwarven Hoodlum takes point and is currently dodging the slow blows from the zombie¡¯s rusted shortsword. The level difference is noticeable, as my Hoodlum struggles, but she doesn¡¯t fight alone. The zombie already has a bolt and a throwing knife embedded in its torso, while its Achilles heel has been cut by my Cutpurse. The two Hoodlum half-orcs have taken up a flanking position, but they are hesitating to attack as they might not survive a single swipe from the much stronger zombie. No matter how I look at it, this isn¡¯t an easy fight. We may be slowly whittling down the enemy, but due to the level difference, my underlings still take a fair amount of damage. Cobra is faring worst, but luckily, he is also the underling with the largest health pool. Due to the nature of his fight, it¡¯s difficult for the rest of my underlings to pitch in as limbs are flying everywhere. You approach that battle only at your own risk. Cobra isn¡¯t entirely on his own though, as the low-level Cutpurse decided to help him out. She isn¡¯t making too much of a difference, but she at least managed to get a few shallow gashes into the dwarven zombie¡¯s face. If anything, she¡¯ll probably gain a whole lot of experience from this fight. Standing at the back, I can¡¯t help but feel a little useless. I wish I had a few more skills to help out, but the situation is what it is. If this large army of underlings can¡¯t even manage this much on their own, then I have bigger problems to worry about than a lack of skills. The battle rages on for a short while, and the progress is slowly but steadily turning in my favor. Despite being at a much lower level, Cobra is winning the fight against his opponent. He is technically still the weaker opponent, but his grapple skill keeps him in an advantageous position, and with its slower movements, the undead is just unable to dish out any real damage except for the occasional scratch and bite. It doesn¡¯t help that the low-level Cutpurse is dealing more and more damage after repeatedly striking the same places on its face, stacking up extra damage due to repeatedly striking an ever-growing weak spot. The other fight is going much better. The dwarven Hoodlum is battered and bruised but still kicking. She dances around the slow zombie¡¯s swings while dishing out a few small stabs of her own. The main difference in this fight though is that the majority of my underlings are involved and they are quickly bringing its health low. The goings are slow, but everything abruptly escalates when the Cutpurse completely severs the majority of tendons in the human zombie¡¯s left foot, causing the zombie to lose balance. Seeing this, the dwarven Hoodlum charges into its chest, bringing them both to the ground. To prevent the fight to turn into a copy of Cobra¡¯s fight, the two half-orcs each grapple an arm each, keeping them pinned. Lying on its back at the bottom of the dogpile, the human zombie can only smack its teeth together while waiting for the Cutpurse¡¯s dagger to hack into its brain. The human zombie dies shortly after, and the Hoodlums immediately move to help out Cobra, repeating their successful tactic of throwing themselves at the enemy. With four Hoodlums pinning the dwarven zombie to the ground, the second fight goes pretty much the exact same way as the first, with the zombie dying for the second, and hopefully last time of its existence. [You have slain Human Zombie(10). Gain 75 Experience.] [You have slain Dwarf Zombie(11). Gain 90 Experience.] Phew. That fight was tough, but unlike most of our much tougher fights earlier, this went far smoother. The biggest difference is obviously Cobra who managed to tank the strongest monster while my underlings dealt with the weak one. I¡¯m lucky to have him, and I don¡¯t regret upgrading the Hoodlum one second. I doubt an upgraded Cutpurse would be nearly as effective. The enemies were at a much higher level, and even if this was a clean win, we still took a lot of damage. I decide to bring up my combat underlings¡¯ stats. [Human Elite Hoodlum - Cobra(7). Lieutenant. Fighter. HP 140/360. Infamy Tier 1.] [Human Cutpurse(7) - Underling. Rogue. HP: 113/155. Infamy Tier 1.] [Wood Elf Spotter(6) - Underling. Ranged. HP: 120/120. Infamy Tier 1.] [Dwarf Hoodlum(7) - Underling. Fighter. HP: 102/240. Infamy Tier 1.] [Halfling Spotter(6) - Underling. Rogue. HP: 110/110. Infamy Tier 1.] [Half-Orc Hoodlum(5) - Underling. Fighter. HP: 147/200. Infamy Tier 1.] [Half-Orc Hoodlum(5) - Underling. Fighter. HP: 167/200. Infamy Tier 1.] [Gnome Cutpurse(5) - Underling. Rogue. HP: 92/125. Infamy Tier 1.] That fight went really well. Almost all my low-level underlings leveled up. Combined with their ridiculously low levels, as well as my experience enhancing skill, the underlings are practically shooting up in level. This is obviously how it should be, and I just wish it was just as easy for me. Even my latest additions have nearly caught up to the rest of us. It¡¯s slightly frightening really, but I don¡¯t mind. It would be weird if I were stuck with a long string of low-level underlings for the rest of the game. I can¡¯t really complain about progress though, can I? Besides, we are still weak. Very weak. Their levels don¡¯t count for much if I can¡¯t properly equip them. This is the real reason I am so happy to run into zombies down here. Since they are humanoid creatures wielding weapons, they are also able to drop said weapons, which is perfect for a Thief Lord like me. Don¡¯t get me wrong though. Farming weapons from humanoid creatures isn¡¯t as cracked up as it sounds. While they do indeed drop weapons, they are far from what you would call a good catch. The way the economy and looting works in this game is that you rarely get surprised, and you always get items relevant to your class and skill paths. Random mobs like these rarely drop weapons better than common quality, and those weapons will always have an equipment level of roughly five levels lower than the monster that dropped it. For example, if a level ten humanoid drops a weapon, then it will almost always be a common grade level five weapon. Weapons like this will always be considered to be trash items to a regular player, and you will very rarely see a player equip a weapon if it drops. Players will usually always have an uncommon grade weapon or better, usually at a level matching their own. Those weapons only drop from elite mobs, quest mobs, or dungeon bosses, but they can also be sold by vendors in cities or crafted by a blacksmith. Regular players usually just sell these trash weapons for spare coins. That¡¯s regular players though. For a player like me who has an ever-growing army of underlings? This option is perfect. Having the best equipment for my underlings at all times is unrealistic, and getting these types of weapons is nothing short of an economic miracle. After all, all my skeletons back when I played as a Necromancer wielded weapons I looted off of a tribe of Hobgoblins I found deep inside the forest. I gotta make do with what I¡¯ve got and all that. Looting the bodies, I¡¯m happy to notice we lucked out this time. [Rusty Iron Shortsword. Common. 12-14 Slashing Damage. +1 Strength, +1 Agility. Requires: Level 5.] [Zombie Brains. Common Alchemical Ingredient.] Not a bad haul. And perfect timing! My lowest level underlings just hit level five after that last fight, making them eligible to equip the sword. I hand it over to one of the half-orc twins. This is pretty great! If I keep this up, then I¡¯ll hit level eight in no time. I¡¯m getting pretty close. I estimate three or four more zombies should do it. We should be able to do that within an hour or so if all goes well. Too bad my underlings regenerate their health so darn slow though¡­ I shrug. Can¡¯t help it. I¡¯m still more effective than a full party of players by now anyways. Idling around, I start pacing. I¡¯m usually a very patient man, but I get really antsy when I get this close to a level up. Not only will I gain another level, but I will finally have enough skill points to start producing traps of my own. I can¡¯t wait to see what utility I can bring to the table. I¡¯m going to have one hell of a fun night ahead of me. ¡­ Oh right! It¡¯s evening. It¡¯s about time for good old Ryan to log back on, isn¡¯t it? I open up my menu and access my friends list. After I switch my status to appear online, it only takes a few seconds for a message to appear. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Ryan. We need to meet.] Uhm. That sounds ominous. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Oh hello, Anna. Is something the matter?] The reply ticks in almost immediately. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Now.] A shiver crawls down my spine. Oh, buggers¡­ That doesn¡¯t sound good. Chapter 35 – Trade Secret Chapter 35 ¨C Trade Secret Oh, this is bad. This is so very bad. I stand in front of a small player-run restaurant near the docks, trying to weigh my options. If I had half a brain, I would just delete Anna from my friends list and get the hell away from here. Why the hell should I risk my identity for absolutely no gain? What the hell is wrong with you, Ryan? Turns out, there¡¯s a lot wrong with me. More things than I could possibly list. There is absolutely no reason for me to walk in there, but I¡¯m still going to. Why? Because I¡¯m a sentimental moron, that¡¯s why. I sigh. Anna seemed really upset earlier, and she said she needed someone to talk to. I don¡¯t know why she wrote to me who hardly knows her, but some people are weird that way. It¡¯s really none of my business, but I¡¯d feel pretty rotten if I just turned her away. At least after everything she has done for me, unwittingly or not. I owe her, and I don¡¯t think I could live with my conscience if I refused to repay a favor. There¡¯s a difference between being an asshole in the game and outside of it. It¡¯s an invisible line I¡¯m not comfortable crossing. I just hope it¡¯s nothing serious¡­ Or something I did. Oh god. What if it was something I did? Breathe, Ryan. Breathe. It¡¯s probably got nothing to do with me. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything to her at all, you know, apart from the obvious. But how would she manage to figure out who I am when we¡¯ve had so little interaction? Impossible. I¡¯m certain she can¡¯t know. Even if she miraculously figured out I¡¯m a Thief Lord, it¡¯s better that I see the dagger coming towards my back now rather than in a week¡¯s time when I¡¯ve lost even more precious gametime. At least now I had the chance to stash my valuables in a container for me to pick back up if I have to reroll my character. No, I¡¯m pretty sure I didn¡¯t do anything at all, really. Although, that is sometimes exactly what I did wrong in the first place¡­ Argh! I¡¯m way out of my comfort zone here. I¡¯m not that good with other people¡¯s emotions. They are volatile and random, not following any logical train of thought. Apparently, there is a pattern and a social system to interpret these situations, but someone forgot to give me a manual. I¡¯ve ruined relationships in the past because of my ineptitude to interpret emotions, and I don¡¯t think I will do any better for a complete stranger. Hopefully, just sitting quietly and listen is enough. I start pacing around. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m getting so worked up over this. I don¡¯t know her. I could just run away if it gets too bad. She¡¯ll get over it. She probably just had a fight with Brian or something and needs to blow off some steam. And since they are both in the same party, she might not have anyone else to confide in than a stranger. I don¡¯t know how many friends she has, but being a full-time player who is among the high rankers, I doubt she has time to meet too many people. That¡¯s probably it. I should just head in there, sit in a quiet corner and listen for half an hour before I hurry out of there. Preferably before someone sees something they shouldn¡¯t. Who bothers to inspect someone trying to eat dinner after all? That would be rude. This will be fine¡­ It better be fine. With a final, heartfelt sigh, I step out of the alleyway I¡¯m hiding in and towards the restaurant. It¡¯s a pretty ordinary-looking building near a populated street in the Harbour District. The place is run by a couple of players, so I can imagine they didn¡¯t want to spend too much real-life money on starting a restaurant they weren¡¯t sure would work out. Starting a new business is a scary aspect for any person, especially if they aren¡¯t that rich to begin with. I step through the wooden door and soon find myself in a large open room, similar to most taverns. There are a couple of booths lining the walls, and there are several wooden tables covered by red and white checkered cloths and candles spread out around the floor. There isn¡¯t a bar counter within sight, and I can spot a waitress enter and leave through a door at the back. The tables themselves aren¡¯t overly impressive, but the atmosphere is surprisingly cozy considering the few decorations they have. The place feels like an Italian restaurant, perfect for young couples going on their first date. I can see why people like coming here. ¡­ This isn¡¯t a date, is it? ¡°Ryan, over here!¡± A voice breaks me out of my thoughts. Turning towards the direction of the sound, I spot Anna sitting in a booth at the far back corner of the restaurant, facing me. She waves me over. Waving back, I head over towards her while thanking whatever god is watching that she chose to sit in such a secluded spot. Arriving at the booth, I slide into a seat, making sure to use the walls of the booth to block my sight towards the majority of the restaurant. Well, perhaps it would be more apt to say I¡¯m blocking people¡¯s line of sight of me, as I don¡¯t really care who is in here as long as they don¡¯t have a high Perception score and a curious personality. ¡°Hey, Ryan. I¡¯m glad you could make it.¡± She smiles weakly at me, before muttering. ¡°I knew she was wrong¡­¡± ¡°Hello, Anna. I¡¯m sorry I took so long. I am still not used to navigating this city. May I ask who was wrong?¡± She blushes. ¡°Oh, nevermind that. It¡¯s no one. Just my stupid sister. We sort of¡­ Well, we had an argument. Nothing big, really.¡± Oh, thank god. It has nothing to do with me. I lower my shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. Is everything okay?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ No¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± She mutters, slumping back in her seat. She sighs. ¡°I may have gotten a little madder than I should have. She is just so¡­ stuck up. In her eyes, everything and everyone is a threat and can not be trusted. She is just so fucking stubborn. It¡¯s just too much sometimes. You know?¡± I shift uncomfortably in my seat. Crap. I really hoped I didn¡¯t need to do any of the talking. I try to think about something to say, but I just end up nodding solemnly. Waiting for an answer that never comes, Anna shakes her head. ¡°I suppose we don¡¯t know each other well enough to talk like this, do we?¡± She says, her eyes dropping.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Oh. Wrong answer. My face slackens as I try to come up with something better to say. What would be fitting here? Empathy? Understanding? Shit. I don¡¯t know. I know from experience that I should never give advice under these circumstances. I wonder¡­ What would my father say in this situation? What did he tell me when my sister and I fought? Taking a deep breath, I look Anna in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Anna. I may not know much about you or your relationship with your sister, but I know this. Siblings argue. That doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t love each other.¡± Anna looks sad but smiles weakly. ¡°I suppose you are right about that. We rarely argue, but it¡¯s not the first time. Perhaps I overreacted?¡± I shrug in response. She snorts. ¡°Maybe I did. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand why she is the way she is though. I know she means well, but sometimes she forgets to take other people¡¯s feelings into consideration. She tries to be so incredibly tough, you know? Like she has built this impenetrable shield all around her. But really, she is actually quite the softie on the inside.¡± She says, shaking her head. ¡°That¡¯s siblings for you.¡± I shrug, a smile crossing my lips. She chuckles. ¡°Hah. Look at me getting all emotional and stuff.¡± She chuckles as she wipes a tear. ¡°I¡¯m really killing the mood here, aren¡¯t I? Shit. Let¡¯s talk about something else.¡± She perks up. ¡°Let me go grab a few beers. My treat!¡± She smiles while slipping out of her seat. I release a deep breath. That went well. Surprisingly so. Perhaps I¡¯ll get out of here without a problem after all. I shouldn¡¯t keep doing this though. I feel awful just leading her on like this. Some things are just too shitty to do, even if we are in a roleplaying game. The anonymity of the net doesn¡¯t justify being an asshole. I should just figure out a way to break off contact with Anna. It¡¯s the right thing to do. She quickly returns with a couple of mugs of ale, her customary easygoing smile back on her lips. ¡°So tell me, Ryan, what have you been up to these last few days? Made any progress on that trap you owe me?¡± She grins. I smile. ¡°Not yet, I¡¯m afraid. It takes some time leveling up these skills, and it¡¯s very time consuming to talk a trainer into helping me improve my designs. I¡¯m making some progress though, so it¡¯s not all that bad. I¡¯m trying to up my Dexterity score mostly.¡± ¡°Haha, I hear you. I was wondering why you arrived with a lute strapped to your back. What is its stats like?¡± ¡°Just plus two to Dexterity. The Charisma is also pretty good to have when interacting with merchants. I picked up a pretty good trading skill.¡± ¡°Oh? It sounds like you aren¡¯t the fresh noob I met only a few days ago¡­ My little Trap Maker is growing up!¡± She wipes a fake tear. ¡°He has already reached level-¡± She frowns. ¡°How did you manage to reach level seven!?¡± I freeze. Oh fuck. I completely forgot about that. It¡¯s very uncommon for a new solo player to reach this high in just a matter of days. Especially if they are only night-players. At best, I should only be level three by now. Maybe four if I were stretching it. But, level seven? Shit. I¡¯m glad I headed directly here instead of leveling up again. Now, what do I tell her? Certainly not the truth. ... ¡°It¡¯s a trade secret.¡± I say, trying my very best to make my smile look as cheeky as possible. ¡°Oh, bullshit!¡± She says loudly, giving me an unamused smile. ¡°I let you get away with that line of crap when you told me you killed off Pug back in the noob district. You aren¡¯t getting away from this one as easily. Spill it!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I mutter. ¡°It just sort of happened by accident.¡± ¡°Accident? How do you gain four levels just by an ¡®accident¡¯?¡± My mind is racing, trying to come up with a solution. I can¡¯t tell her the truth though. I don¡¯t think me suddenly revealing I¡¯m a Thief Lord is going to make my situation any better. I certainly can¡¯t tell her that I gained two whole levels just by killing a level twenty guard by pushing him out a window. That would probably just raise more questions than it answers¡­ Wait a moment. Why couldn¡¯t that work? Maybe if I modify the story just a tiny bit. ¡°You might not believe me¡­ But I killed two level twenty monsters by just sheer luck.¡± I say, shrugging. ¡°Two level twenty¡­ How the hell did you do that? You were like, what, level two a few days ago!?¡± She gapes, looking at me as if I¡¯m crazy. I¡¯m slightly impressed that she seems to take me seriously though. ¡°Yeah, I was exploring down in the sewers below the Market District. Have you been there?¡± I ask, gauging her reaction. When she just stares at me sceptically, I continue. ¡°Well, there is this large and deep cistern down there, and a bunch of level twenty ratmen. I didn¡¯t see them at first, and when I went to take a better look at the large cistern, I noticed two of them charging at me. Needless to say, but I panicked pretty heavily. Since I carry trap-making items in my inventory at all times, I reached into my bag and threw a vial of some acid I bought from an alchemist at them. Turns out, I didn¡¯t reach for the vial of acid, but a vial of highly flammable oil. And since I¡¯m not adept with throwing objects at all, the vial flew short and shattered on the stone directly in front of the two ratmen.¡± ¡°No fucking way¡­¡± Anna mutters, staring at me. ¡°Yeah, way.¡± I nod my head sagely, pausing for dramatic effect. Her jaw is still hanging open. I take a moment to clear my throat. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the oil-¡± She starts, but I cut her off. ¡°Yup. Believe it or not, but that¡¯s really what happened. It may sound unbelievable, but it happened. The oil is very slippery, and it caused the lead ratman to lose his balance. As the other ratman crashed into him, the two of them slipped and fell into the cistern below. Since the oil was thrown by me, then it seems like I got the credit for the kills, as well as the huge experience gain that came with it.¡± I shrug helplessly. Anna¡¯s jaw drops to the floor. ¡°How is that possible¡­ Holy shit! That¡¯s amazing! You need to show me how you did that! That could be huge for my own grinding.¡± She nearly shouts. I shake my head. ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t think I can. I tried to reproduce the scenario a few times afterwards, but it turns out I just got really lucky somehow.¡± She visibly deflates. ¡°Really? That sucks¡­ It sounds like you found an exploitable glitch and the game¡¯s internal artificial intelligence patched it on the spot¡­ It sounds amazing though.¡± She sighs while resting her head on the table. ¡°Aww man, I wish I could have found a glitch like that¡­¡± She mutters. ¡°Yes, I was pretty fortunate.¡± Anna raises her head, grabbing her mug tightly. She is about to take a swig when her eyes drift to the side. Her easygoing smile immediately drops, and she frowns at whatever it is she sees. I lean around the corner, trying to figure out what drew her attention. A couple of players just entered the restaurant. I recognize Brian, the tall human templar. I don¡¯t know the woman he is with though. A level fifteen Arcanist of all things. She¡¯s a petite woman wearing a tight-fitting dark blue dress that enhances her beauty, but it¡¯s tailored with practicality in mind rather than procrastination. It looks like something a noblewoman or a female politician would wear in this world. I¡¯m momentarily mesmerized by her long blonde hair that is draped along her back, giving her an aura of beauty that can only be rivaled by Anna. Come to think of it, her character looks an awful lot like Anna¡­ The pair takes a look around the room, and their gazes soon fall upon Anna and me. I hear Anna groaning by my side. I turn around, looking at Anna questioningly. Before I can ask her who that is, the two people have already reached our table. ¡°Hello, Anna. I thought I¡¯d take you up on your offer earlier.¡± The well-dressed beauty says. Anna¡¯s frown intensifies. She stares at the beautiful woman in front of her, and they lock eyes for a moment. The tension is unnaturally high, and I try to get eye contact with Brian to find out what¡¯s going on, but the templar has taken a careful step backwards, directing his gaze away from mine. Eventually, the awkward stalemate is broken when Anna decides to speak. ¡°Sister.¡± ¡­ Oh, boy. Chapter 36 – Leverage Chapter 36 ¨C Leverage ¡°How did you find me?¡± Anna asks her sister pointedly, her eyes firmly locked on Brian. I can feel the chilly aura she is emitting from all the way over here. I kinda feel bad for the guy. Nobody likes to be at the receiving end of an annoyed woman. At least he has the shame to look away. Aria holds up her arms. ¡°I¡¯m not interfering, I promise. I know better than that. I just asked Brian where you were and I was hoping I could share an ale with you guys.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I start. ¡°Yes, you do know better.¡± Anna says slowly. Her moment of scepticism lingers for a moment before her strained face starts to ease up. ¡°Fine, take a seat.¡± She gestures for the empty seat next to me. I awkwardly clear my throat. ¡°Uhm, it seems like you girls have a lot to talk about¡­ So if you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± I say, trying to slither past Aria. ¡°No, Ryan. Please stay. This also concerns you.¡± Anna says. Excuse me, what? ¡°Yes. I would also like to have a word.¡± Aria says curtly, sitting down next to me. Oh, crap. Oh no. I feel my heart race. I slump back into my seat, the air leaving my lungs. I don¡¯t know what this is about, but it can¡¯t be good. I don¡¯t have to be an extrovert to know that staying here is a bad idea. Nothing good has ever come of me being part of someone else¡¯s argument. I throw a pleading look towards Brian, but the backstabbing bastard has already moved for the door. What the hell! Not cool. I take a deep breath. ¡°You girls have me at a loss. Why would you wish to talk to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ryan. My sister is a bit overprotective at times and have this nasty habit of embarrassing me in public whenever she gets a chance.¡± Anna crosses her arms, raising an eyebrow towards her sister. ¡°It¡¯s one of the perks of being an older sister.¡± Aria says while meeting Anna¡¯s raised eyebrow with her own. This staredown goes on for a couple of incredibly awkward seconds before the two sisters suddenly starts to giggle. Something is seriously wrong with these two people. ¡°Looks like you still have a sense of humor, sis.¡± Anna chuckles. ¡°I was afraid staying around gamers for this long would turn you into a nagging old crone. Oh, sorry. I meant more like a nagging old crone.¡± She winks. ¡°Cheeky brat.¡± Aria smiles, shaking her head lightly. ¡°My humor is reserved for those who deserve it.¡± ¡°Oh? How fancy and exclusive. I should bottle it up and sell it on Amazone for a million euro.¡± She snorts. ¡°You¡¯re selling it too cheaply, baby sister. You were always terrible with economy.¡± She shakes her head in mock disappointment. Anna shivers. ¡±Ugh, you¡¯re right! Those skills would be too much for me to handle. It would literally zap the life out of me. What if I ended up looking like an office clerk? Or god forbids, like my older sister!?¡± She gapes in shock. ¡°Cheeky brat. I obviously didn¡¯t punch you enough when we grew up.¡± Aria smiles. The pair bursts into another round of laughter. Aria eventually waves the waitress over, ordering another round of ale for all three of us as well as some light snacks. After another round of banter and laughter, a round I was once again left completely out of for the record, the two starts to relax more. ¡°I¡¯ve missed this.¡± Anna says. ¡°Hanging out with you. It¡¯s been far too long.¡± ¡°It has.¡± Aria says, nodding solemnly. I¡¯m almost sure they¡¯ve forgotten I¡¯m even here. Not that I¡¯m complaining. I would really like to get out of here soon though. ¡°So Ryan¡­¡± Aria suddenly says. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say, but I don¡¯t know that much about you. Anna has been pretty scant on the details.¡± ¡°Oh, here we go.¡± Anna mutters. ¡°How about I leave you two alone for a second so you can get to know each other, yeah?¡± Anna gets up with a smile on her face. Is she seriously leaving me alone with her sister? For reals? ¡°I would like that very much.¡± Aria says, giving me a piercing stare. Anna chuckles. ¡°Careful, Ryan. She¡¯s single and she bites!¡± Aria snorts. ¡°Oh, shush. I¡¯m not half as bad as she says.¡± She says with a smile that doesn¡¯t quite reach her eyes; a smile that Anna somehow manages to miss. A shiver crawls down my spine. Here we go. I steel my resolve as I brace for whatever Aria is going to throw at me. I know deep inside of me that she doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m a Villain. If she did, then I probably would have been waiting for the respawn-timer just about now. This reminds me of the time my ex¡¯s father made the customary ¡®you hurt her, I hurt you¡¯ threat when I took her out on our first date. I gotta say, I never thought I would hear one of those again in my lifetime. As Anna leaves, Aria moves over and takes her seat. She gives me a calculating glare before she makes a show out of opening a system window containing a set of notes which she promptly starts to read out loud. ¡°Ryan Daniels. Caucasian male, twenty-eight years old. Two relatives: A father and a sister. The family moved to the United Kingdom after they rejoined the European Union for the second time in 2103. Currently living in a suburban neighbourhood outside of Newcastle, England. Previously employed as a low level office clerk at a transport company. Current occupation: Full-time player of Ascendence Unlimited. Long-time gamer, but no noteworthy accomplishes as to this date.¡± Aria states coldly. ¡°Am I missing something?¡± What the¡­ ¡°How the hell do you know all that!?¡± ¡°Answer the question, mister Daniels.¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± Who the hell does she think she is? How does she know all this? Did she have me investigated!? Why the hell would she do that? Not to mention, how? I don¡¯t know her! Hell, I don¡¯t even know her damn sister! What¡¯s wrong with these two? Leave me the hell alone. ¡°You lied to my sister, mister Daniels.¡± Aria says menacingly. ¡°I have a right to know what your intentions are.¡± ¡°Intentions? I don¡¯t have any god damned intentions. This is all her. She came up and started talking to me. I just wanted to be left alone.¡± I blurt, my face reddening from anger. ¡°So, you are saying you just randomly managed to strike up a conversation with one of the most noteworthy individuals in all of Drenerys? And if you wanted to be left alone, then why did you come to meet her at this restaurant? This hardly appears to be the actions of someone who just wants to be left alone. So please, mister Daniels. We both know this is highly unlikely. Do not insult my intelligence.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about what you think. I¡¯m leaving.¡± I sneer, starting to get up. ¡°Sit down, mister Daniels. I¡¯m not done with you yet.¡± ¡°Do I look like I care?¡± Aria clenches her jaw. ¡°I can make your time in Drenerys very uncomfortable for you, mister Daniels.¡± I snort loudly. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this crap.¡± I turn on my heel and start stomping towards the door.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°I can make it worth your while.¡± Aria says coldly. I hesitate for a moment, glancing across my shoulder. This infuriating woman is really getting on my nerve. Does she think I¡¯m stupid? That¡¯s the most obvious-sounding trap I¡¯ve ever heard. ¡°Are you kidding me? What the hell is wrong with you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hundred gold to hear me out.¡± I gulp. Seriously? A hundred gold just to listen to her? Those could really come in han- No; I can¡¯t. I grit my teeth. My instincts are screaming at me to let this one go. Nothing good can come of me accepting her money. Not to mention the moral implications. Taking her money this way is no better than scamming someone in real life. I know I¡¯m in the wrong here, and I would feel really shitty if I did this to Anna. I¡¯ve been a terrible friend, and it wouldn¡¯t sit well with me to exploit someone''s real feelings for a couple of euros. No matter how much I need them¡­ Fuck it. ¡°You can take your gold and shove it.¡± I say through gritted teeth, my conscience winning out over my greed. Aria raises an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re not in it for the money? I gotta say¡­ I¡¯m impressed. I still want to talk to you though. It¡¯s about Anna.¡± ¡°What about her?¡± I snap back. ¡°I would prefer it if we could have this conversation a little more¡­ discreet.¡± I glare at the woman as my thoughts start to race. Aria really pisses me off, but if this could lead to me dropping my relationship with Anna and clear my conscience, I should probably take it. I won¡¯t just let her roll over me like that though. ¡°Fine.¡± I say, making my way over towards the table. ¡°But before we talk, I would like to know how you figured out my personal information. You do know hacking this stuff is illegal, right?¡± Aria snorts. ¡°I¡¯m very aware of what is legal or not, mister Daniels. I also know how to use the law to my advantage.¡± She gives me a condescending look. ¡°But, I¡¯ll humor you. May I ask, how familiar are you with the laws from 2063 regarding tax evasion?¡± ¡°I might have skimmed through them¡­¡± She snorts. ¡°Right¡­ Well, as you then know, the EU parliament voted to allow people to track their bank transfers. If you had truly known what this meant, then you probably wouldn¡¯t have allowed the bank account you have tied to your gaming account to accept all incoming transfers without authorization. What I did, was send a microtransaction to the account tied to your GamerID, which then allowed me to track my own transfer to an account tied to your name. I hardly need to explain how I managed to find the rest of the information from there, do I?¡± She smirks. What the actual¡­ what? I sigh. ¡°You really are insane¡­ why would you even- Okay, forget it. I¡¯m not going to argue. I¡¯ll delete Anna from my friends list and disappear. Neither of you will hear from me again. Happy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, mister Daniels.¡± I sigh. ¡°Seriously? Then what the hell do you want from me?¡± ¡°You have put me in a really awkward situation. You see, mister Daniels. My sister has grown quite fond of you for some reason that eludes me. Regardless, there is nothing I care more about than her well being. You are currently threatening our relationship, and I can¡¯t have that. She doesn¡¯t want me to protect her, so if you just abruptly cut your connection with her after talking to me, then she knows it¡¯s because of something I said or did. This would be a less than ideal situation for both of us, I assure you. So, If you are half the man she thinks you are, or at least twice the man I think you are, then you will stay as her friend for a month before you confess that you lied to her, then keep your distance. Do this, and I will compensate you for your troubles.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s incredibly petty of you.¡± I give her a deadpan stare. ¡°What sort of teenage drama bullshit is that? Really. You want me to pretend to be her friend? No way. This isn¡¯t worth it. I¡¯ll just confess to her right now and get it over with. This shit is just getting weird. You are both fucking weird.¡± ¡°Name your price.¡± Aria says, unflinching. ¡°As I said earlier: I have none.¡± ¡°How about a sponsored guild membership as a crafter?¡± ¡­ What, really? That offer is insane! If I had been a regular player, I would probably immediately accept it. Really. A sponsored guild membership in one of the most powerful and well-funded guilds in the game? Who wouldn¡¯t say yes to that? Sponsorship means they pay for the game upkeep as well as a regular salary for playing the game. My life would be set with that deal. Even if I would be forced to be a full-time crafter. This is the first time I think I¡¯m regretting playing as a Thief Lord. Although, if I wasn¡¯t, then I doubt I would have even met Anna in the first place, or have lied to her, thus drawing the attention of this she-shark in front of me. ¡°No thank you. I don¡¯t want anything to do with you or your damn guild. You¡¯re crazy, and I would just come to regret having any affiliation with you.¡± I say evenly, trying really hard to keep my composure. Her eye twitches. ¡°I don¡¯t think you know what you are turning down¡­¡± She starts. ¡°Being paid to be a slave? Forever in debt to a psychotic woman? I do. There are more important things in life than money.¡± I say, nearly biting my tongue in half as I keep my face from wincing. She sneers. ¡°Then you are forcing my hand. If you don¡¯t do as I say, then I¡¯ll put out a bounty on your head. You won¡¯t be able to play this game at all without the constant threat of a thousand players killing you on sight.¡± I snort. Really? She is resorting to petty threats now? I glare at the woman. ¡°Do you know what? Go ahead. I¡¯ve had it with your shit. If you want to threaten me, then you shouldn¡¯t do it from such a disadvantageous position. You have no leverage. Killing me? Why the hell should I care? In case you didn¡¯t know this, I¡¯m a crafter. I basically stay in the city all the time. Perhaps you forgot that all of Drenerys is a safe zone, which means other players can¡¯t kill me in here. The only chance you have of killing me is to hire NPCs. And let me tell you this. Even with your deep coffers, that particular avenue would be more expensive than it would be worth after a day or two. Besides, why would I even care if I die? It¡¯s just a minor inconvenience to me. If things get too rough, I can just delete and remake my character under a different name. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t stand to lose three days of progress.¡± I glare at Aria, my bluffing powers working overtime. Her face is crimson, and I can see a vein pulsing on her forehead. She takes a moment to collect herself, not dropping the murderous glint in her eyes. ¡°Then what do you want? Money?¡± ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t want anything from you. I¡¯m just going to tell Anna and get this shit over with.¡± ¡°Five thousand gold.¡± She states calmly. I wince. Holy crap! That¡¯s a lot of gold! Is she serious right now? That could cover my expenses for over half a year. Is she really this loaded? To be able to callously throw this kind of money around? I should definitely say yes. Fuck the consequences and my morality. Turning down that kind of money is idiotic. But what would the consequences be? I need to cut my connections with Aria now, and not later. If I accept this bribe, then I will be forever tied to her. Also, accepting this kind of money based on a lie would be a complete scumbag move. Who the hell does that shit? Accepting the money from Greg and Kevin was one thing. That money wasn¡¯t even theirs to begin with. Taking this woman¡¯s money though? For such an odd reason? It doesn¡¯t sit well with me. I may be a villain, but this is crossing a line. ¡°I don¡¯t want any money.¡± I say through gritted teeth. Aria seethes with rage. ¡°Everyone has a price, and so do you. I know that you can¡¯t afford to play this game and pay for your living expenses after the end of the month.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter-¡± I halt, frowning. What did she just say? ¡°How do you know that?¡± Her eyes go wide. ¡°I-.¡± ¡°You hacked my accounts, didn¡¯t you?¡± I ask, glaring at the woman. ¡°That¡¯s not publicly available information.¡± She hesitates, her face turning an even deeper shade of crimson. She fucked up. She actually fucked up! I got her now. ¡°Listen. I know you broke the law. Don¡¯t even try to tell me anything different. What you may not know, is that I have been recording this entire conversation. Sure, it probably wouldn¡¯t hold up in court or anything, and I probably won¡¯t even bother pursuing any legal action against you. Just know this. From here on out, I don¡¯t want to either see nor hear from you again. If you or your guild try to fuck with me again, I¡¯ll release the footage to the media and let them decide what to do with it. Just so you know, Aria. You aren¡¯t the only one who did some background research here. I know who you are, and how connected you are. Having this sort of information out there, true or not, would be devastating for your career and future business prospects. So let me tell you this one final time. Stay the hell out of my way.¡± I say, leaning back and crossing my arms. Aria sits completely still, fuming. She knows she got outplayed, and she is doing the smart thing and stays quiet. She doesn¡¯t know that I am bluffing. I would never actually make good on those threats. She doesn¡¯t need to know that though. She sits still for a moment, staring daggers at me. I just sit there, unflinching. I know I won. After a short time of exchanging sparkling hatred, Aria¡¯s shoulders drop. Closing her eyes and releasing a deep sigh, I notice a tear welling in the corner of her eye. Wait, what? ¡°Alright, Ryan. You win. I know when I¡¯m beat¡­¡± She mutters, refusing to meet my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll back off. Just, please¡­ Please don¡¯t come between me and my sister.¡± She pleads. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I will do without her.¡± I sit there paralyzed. What just happened? How did she¡­ why? My jaw drops as I stare at the suddenly vulnerable woman in front of me. I can feel my anger fading as the adrenaline is slowly draining from my system. My mind draws a complete blank as I watch the sobbing mess of a woman in front of me. Her tear-stricken eyes meet mine. ¡°Are¡­ are you alright?¡± I ask hesitantly after a few seconds of silence. ¡°Y-yeah.¡± She mutters, finally breaking eye contact. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just that¡­ my sister means so much to me. Can you please just do this for me?¡± Shit. I really don¡¯t know what to say here. Curse my social ineptitude. I take a deep breath. ¡°Listen, Aria. I really don¡¯t want to be the bad guy here. I have no intentions towards your sister, and the last thing I want to do is get rich off of a misunderstanding. Least of all, I don¡¯t want to come between you two. I¡¯ll figure out a way to tell Anna the truth without hurting her too badly. She¡¯s a big girl. She can handle it.¡± I say, shifting my gaze. A tear runs down Aria¡¯s cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± She mutters quietly. With another sigh, I make to stand up. Before I can turn to leave, Aria grabs my arm. ¡°If you ever need a favor, just ask. I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help.¡± [Human Arcanist - Aria Windrider wants to add you to her friends list.] That¡­ That was unexpected. Chapter 37 – Troublemagnet Chapter 37 ¨C Troublemagnet That¡¯s it. I¡¯m officially a magnet for trouble. A troublemagnet, if you will. How I manage to get myself mixed into these kinds of absurd situations is beyond me. My best bet is to just go along with the flow and pretend most of these things didn¡¯t happen. I wonder if my problems would be solved if I just deleted both of those crazy sisters from my friends list? I¡¯m seriously starting to doubt I have anything to gain from these relations, besides a headache. It¡¯s surreal. I¡¯m not sure if I gained or lost anything during this interaction, but I guess it¡¯s impossible for me to know. Only time will tell. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t worry my pretty little head about it though. I should just push forward and deal with the consequences if they come. That¡¯s why I went straight from the restaurant back to the sewers below the Harbour District. Night is about to truly descend and I want to start exploring the trap making avenue as soon as possible. It only takes a little less than an hour for my little group of cutthroats to slaughter two more groups of zombies, bringing my experience past the level eight mark. [Congratulations! You have reached level 8!] [You have gained 3 free Attribute Points and 1 Skill Point!] Excellent. I quickly chuck all three of my attribute points into Luck before I assign all three of my skill points into acquiring all the Trap Maker subskills. I¡¯ve been looking forward to this moment, and I decide to open up my status page and browse my Profession page. It¡¯s been a long while since last time. Profession: Trap Maker Disarm Trap - Ability to disarm traps. Chance of success: 0,7 Dex + 0,3 Luck + 1 * Skill level. Chance to recover parts: 0,2 Luck + 0,5 * Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 5. Trigger Mechanism - Reduces the effectiveness of perception checks to spot the trap by 0,5 Luck + Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 1. Release Mechanism - Increases the damage dealt by the trap¡¯s payload by Dexterity + 2% * Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 1. Framework - Creates the framework of the trap. Makes it more difficult to dismantle the trap by 0,5 Dexterity + Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 1. It hurts to know that all these skills cost me four valuable skill points, but I¡¯m sure it will be worth it in the end. For all the good my character can do, I need to have a variation of options that suit my class. Trap Making has a lot of synergies with my class¡¯ play style. With my high potential for dealing massive damage and a lack of healing, The Thief Lord class is highly recommended to be played using guerilla warfare. Making quick and deadly attacks before performing a tactical retreat. Traps bring a whole host of flexibility and safety to a tactic like this. And hey, sometimes I might have to go into hiding for a long time. It¡¯s nice to have something to do besides solving crossword puzzles. The next step of my great plan to advance in power quickly is to head back up and out of the sewers. My two Beggars have been gone for a while, and if my guesstimates are correct, then they should be back with the day¡¯s batch of available jobs right about now. Peeking my head out of the sewer entrance to confirm we are all clear, I climb up and into the dark alleyway at the southern tip of the Harbour District. I leave most of my band of underlings down in the sewers, as a large crowd might draw unwanted attention. Cobra and my two Cutpurses follow me up, and the two rogues quickly dart to either side down the alleyway to keep an eye out for any unwanted company. In the meantime, Cobra and I find a good box to get comfortable on. We don¡¯t know how long we will wait here after all. After sitting here for a good ten minutes, I start to regret not assigning my Beggars to appear on set intervals. Idling around here is a huge waste of potential efficiency, and this can quickly grow old after a few weeks. Customizing their schedules like this should be possible, and I¡¯ve already tried it before. I¡¯m not sure if the game¡¯s NPCs work on an internal clock, but they do seem to understand the concept of hours at least. Perhaps I should just tell them to appear at sunset. It¡¯s close to their regular schedule anyway, and it would save me some time when it comes to sorting out my logistics. ¡°What are you thinking about, boss?¡± ¡°What the-¡± I jump at the sudden voice. Alarmed, I turn towards Cobra. Holy hell! I completely forgot that guy can talk now. Shit. I¡¯ve been playing solo for far too long¡­ ¡°Dude. Not cool.¡± ¡°No need to be so tense, boss. There¡¯s no point in being a thief if you can¡¯t enjoy downtime like this. You need to find a way to unwind a little. Maybe spend a few of those cold coins you are hoarding like a dragon.¡± I snort. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to slack off. And neither do you.¡± He chuckles. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re the boss, boss. Always thinking about the next big score. It¡¯s my job to keep you alive though, and I suggest the best way to do that is to unjam that giant stick you have up-¡± I snort loudly, interrupting his crude remark. The guy might be right. I do need more time to relax. Those crazy sisters are wreaking havoc on my sanity, and I¡¯m not even married to either one. I need to find more time to relax, and soon. Alas, it will need to wait just a little longer. I have a few more things to take care of before I can lower my shoulders. ¡°As much as it pains me to say this, I agree with you.¡± Cobra grins. ¡°Of course you do, boss. And I have just the right thing for you.¡± He guffaws. ¡°I¡¯m afraid to ask.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not, boss.¡± He grins. ¡°I know just the thing to unwind after trudging through the sewers all day. It¡¯s all about balance you see. If you have to go through a lot of shit, then you need to go through an equal amount of pleasant things soon after, if you get what I mean.¡± He winks, wiggling his eyebrows. I gently pinch the bridge of my nose. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°Oh but I will, boss.¡± His grin turns even wider. ¡°I know the perfect place. Just three blocks away. Cleanest beds and women on this side of town I reckon.¡± I sigh. I can¡¯t believe the game¡¯s A.I is trying to talk me into trying out cyber prostitution. ¡°I think I need to respectfully decline your offer. As tempting as it may be¡­¡± He chuckles. ¡°Don¡¯t worry boss. They have boys too.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Our conversation is interrupted by the timely return of my two beggars. Shooting Cobra an angry glare, I decide to drop the conversation before it escalates into something I¡¯ll regret. Without a word, the two Beggars line up and the familiar notifications appear. Your Agents (Dwarf Beggar(7)) and (Human Beggar(3)) have uncovered 2 secrets. Protecting The Neighbourhood Job type: Shakedown. Difficulty: Easy (?). Deadline: 14 Days. Rewards: 200 Experience, Unknown. The local Neighbourhood is under constant threat from nearby gangs. The weak and frail will always need protection, and as the upstanding citizen you are, you should offer your services to keep them safe. For a fee of course. One they just can not simply refuse to pay. Do you wish to accept this job? Charity¡¯s Sticky Fingers Job type: Mugging. Difficulty: Medium (?). Deadline: 7 Days. Rewards: 300 Experience, Unknown. Ulyssa, goddess of light and life cherishes the well-being of both the rich and poor. Her priests accept donations every day to better the lives of the most unfortunate. Some may say the criminals are the most unfortunate of them all. Accepting their charity graciously, or violently, is the only polite thing to do. Do you wish to accept this job? Ah, lucky! These two jobs are perfect for what I have planned. Since I have a healthy amount of underlings by now, and not enough time to do everything I want to be doing myself, I plan on delegating some of the more tedious tasks to Cobra. Don¡¯t get me wrong, jobs are fun to do and I won¡¯t stop doing them, but in reality, I don¡¯t really gain much from participating in them. Running jobs take a long time, and the only really gainful experience is the one I get from actually completing the job. Sure, I sometimes get to kill a few enemies, but the experience rewards from those can be considered meager in the grand scheme of things. If I delegate these tedious tasks to Cobra, I may lose out on the kill experience, but I¡¯ll still gain the full experience gain from completing the job, and my underlings can still pick up the loot without me. This leaves me time to do other things, like log off to eat or practice my craft. I probably should log off soon, but I really want to see a profession trainer. First of all, though, I need to put my underlings to work. ¡°So Cobra, if you¡¯re done being an ass, I have a job for you.¡± ¡°Of course, boss. Just point me in the right direction.¡± He grins. ---------- The profession trainers are located in the Crafter¡¯s District to the northeast of the city. Maneuvering there isn¡¯t too hard as I can just walk straight through The Harbour District, thus circumventing the largest player populations. The trip isn¡¯t too far, and luckily, the Harbour District offers plenty of cover for me to move unseen. I wonder if Cobra¡¯s gang is going to be all right though. I had them go for the easiest of the two jobs, but it¡¯s still their first independent run. Cobra should be able to handle it and the rest of my underlings are no pushovers, but still. They don¡¯t have my skills to back them up or my experience as a gamer. They have pretty powerful equipment as well, but some of their levels could be higher in my opinion. It should go well though. If it¡¯s rated easy difficulty, then they should outlevel the job by a fair margin. I¡¯m also pretty sure I threw in more muscle than I needed as well. Only time will tell. I should just focus on the task at hand. The Crafter¡¯s District is a small district, but still half again as large as the Market District. Unlike the Market District, the Crafter¡¯s District isn¡¯t built quite as orderly. The entire area is littered by different kinds of buildings, and it looks more like there are buildings from three dozen different kinds of fantasy races all compressed into a small area. Personally, I love the look of it all, but it does seem kind of strange when you see a steampunk metal structure with gears and other gizmos sticking out of it being built right next door to a gigantic tree with a bunch of straw huts tied between its thick branches. If I were a betting man, then I¡¯d say the developers have gone out of their way to put as many fantasy-related tropes and stereotypes into the different professions as they can. I¡¯ll be absolutely shocked if the steampunk building doesn¡¯t house a gnome engineer, and the treehouse an elven herbalist. Not that I¡¯m complaining though. It helps with the immersion. The district is divided up into segments dedicated to each profession. The largest part of the district is dedicated to blacksmiths, as stone buildings and chimneys litter the entire western side of the district. On the opposite end to the east, I can see a lot of gardens and greenhouses stacked neatly together, signalling the home of the herbalist and alchemist quarter. There are loads of different buildings devoted to different professions, and I spend a few minutes to marvel at the mage towers to the north where the enchanters reside. I can¡¯t waste too much time here though, and I need to find my own trainer. The district is home to many different professions, and the popularity of the professions is reflected in the number of available trainers. Since nearly half of the district is dedicated to blacksmithing, it isn¡¯t hard to find a trainer to teach you. If you choose an unpopular profession like Trap Maker, however, the trainers are a little more scarce. There are actually only four trainers for my profession, which is a little odd. Trap Makers can¡¯t be that unpopular, can they? I suppose it doesn''t matter. Even if I do understand it. If people bother to dedicate their ingame life to being a crafter, then they should at least pick a profession that is more immediately useful to the larger guilds. I suppose traps aren¡¯t as sexy as powerful potions or shiny armor when it comes to raiding epic dungeons and slaying dragons. If more people don¡¯t want to take up the profession, then all the better for me. I always liked being different. Walking around the Crafter¡¯s District is much more relaxing than other parts of town. There are no quests for regular players here, or anything else worth noticing really. The only people in this district are Crafters. A whole bunch of crafters actually, but that isn¡¯t a problem. Crafters in this game are usually far lower level than regular players, and there aren¡¯t many professions that require a high perception level. It¡¯s actually the easiest district to hide in. There aren¡¯t even any Dark Pegasus guards around here, because why would there be? There aren¡¯t any important buildings around here, and Thief Lords usually don¡¯t care about getting a profession. It¡¯s perfect. Hide a tree in a forest and all that. It doesn¡¯t take me long to locate the area where the Trap Makers make their home. Well, all four of them. The profession is so ridiculously unpopular, there is only a single building dedicated to the craft. Entering the building, I find myself in a large hall stacked to the roof with dangerous-looking contraptions of doom. The place looks completely deserted, and the only signs of life I can hear is a low knocking sound coming from a back room somewhere. I consider heading over, but the room doesn¡¯t really look that inviting to visitors. There¡¯s hardly any room to maneuver, and there are knives, spears, and arrows sticking out from so many places, you would cut yourself a dozen times over before you could move as many meters. ¡°Hello? Is anyone home?¡± I ask out loud. I¡¯m not sure if anyone hears me, but the weird knocking sound from the back room stops. ¡°Oy! Who¡¯s there?¡± A gruff voice yells from somewhere across the room. ¡°Uhm. I¡¯m looking for a trainer in trap making.¡± I shout back. ¡°What did you say? You wanted to cook for map makers?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m looking for a trainer for making traps!¡± ¡°You¡¯re cooking for baking chaps? Are you daft? You better get lost before I come out there and kick your ass, son. I don¡¯t have time to deal with shitty pranksters today.¡± Oh for the love of¡­ ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m coming to you!¡± I shout a little bit too loud. Djeezes. I take a few steps forward, trying to map the best path to cross the hall. It ain¡¯t easy, but a man gotta do what a man gotta do. I¡¯m just about to pass a large metal egg with two dozen spears sticking out of it when the voice from earlier reappears. ¡°Oy! Watch your step. That thing right there could take out an ogre five times your size.¡± I turn around, trying to figure out where the voice came from. My eyes land on a fellow Halfling wearing a leather apron with around two dozen small pockets, all stuffed with varying tools and materials. The Halfling in question is an old man, with silver-gray hair and a pair of thick spectacles strapped to his face. I throw a quick inspect on the guy. [Halfling Grandmaster Trap Maker - Odin(???). HP ?????/?????. MP: ???/???.] Woah. That guy doesn¡¯t look like someone I should piss off. His stats must be off the freaking charts. Triple-digit level? Dude. ¡°Excuse me, sir. Are you a trainer?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± The old man says, narrowing his eyes. He stares at me for a few seconds before his eyes widen slightly. With an amused smile, he says. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a Thief Lord around these parts.¡± He grins wide, revealing a set of white teeth with a single silver tooth catching my eye. Huh. This is going to be interesting. Chapter 38 – O-Rah! Chapter 38 ¨C O-Rah! ¡°Trash! Complete and utter garbage!¡± Odin says, waving his arms around. ¡°How do you dare call this a trap? It wouldn¡¯t even kill a sewer rat. Try again!¡± I clench my fists. ¡°Of course it¡¯s trash. What did you expect? An elephant-sized mithril dragon shooting fire out of its ass? Cut me some slack.¡± ¡°Slack? My two-year-old granddaughter could do better, and she isn¡¯t even allowed to play with needles yet. Try again, but this time: Better.¡± I mutter a few select curses as I attempt to assemble another trap. Odin may be an incredibly skilled artisan, but his teaching methods could use some work. Preferably in the shape of my fist. Regardless, I don¡¯t know how, but his tutelage has shown results. After six hours of continuous crafting, all three of my trap making skills have gained two levels each. That¡¯s an impressive amount, considering half the time has been spent by him verbally degrading me. Luckily for me, tutelage from a trainer isn¡¯t a very expensive endeavor. At least not for the Novice ranks. The trainer charges a single gold per hour which grants me the opportunity of getting some basic crafting schematics for free as well as a percentage increase to my skill gain for the duration of the lessons. I¡¯m not sure how much experience being taught by a Grandmaster nets me, but it must be a considerate amount. Novices like me can usually only be trained by either novice or apprentice ranked craftsmen unless I have either a really high renown rank or reputation with certain factions. The only reason I¡¯m gaining tutelage from a Grandmaster is because he is a member of the Silver Saints, and apparently because I am, and I quote: ¡®Interesting¡¯. Creating the traps isn¡¯t the most complicated task in the world, at least not these basic versions that I¡¯m producing. It¡¯s actually really hard not to be able to make a trap, but the quality of the trap can vary a lot. So far, for six hours straight, I¡¯ve actually been unable to create anything other than Common grade traps, or trash, as Odin likes to call them. I¡¯m not particularly worried as my skill level is still low, but Odin seems to take my failure to heart. The entire process of creating a trap is pretty straight forward, but there are also a lot of customizing options that are available to add to your design. The easiest thing to do is just add the correct materials and follow the very simple schematic to the letter. This doesn¡¯t take a long time to do, but it will also result in the trap always being of common grade quality. If I want to create better traps, then I need to do a lot of work with every single component and spend a lot of time to optimize my design and approach. That sounds all well and good in theory, but it¡¯s much harder to actually do. I¡¯m determined to make at least one uncommon grade trap before the night is over though. Storing my latest failure in my inventory, I pull out the ingredients I need for another attempt. I decide to go with the cheapest schematics I have. [Schematic: Basic Trigger Mechanism - Linen Tripwire. Common Trap Maker Schematic. Requires: 4x Spool of Linen Thread, 1x Small Wooden Stick. (Product must be attached to a Release Mechanism to function).] [Schematic: Basic Framework - Wooden Structure. Common Trap Maker Schematic. Requires: 1x Spool of Linen Thread, 1x Small Wooden Plank, 1x Basic Magic Oil. (Product must be attached to a Trigger Mechanism and a Release Mechanism to function).] [Schematic: Basic Release Mechanism - Wood Flail. Common Trap Maker Schematic. Requires: 2x Large Wooden Plank, 2x Small Wooden Plank, 1x Iron Spring, 1x Basic Magic Oil. (Product must be attached to a Trigger Mechanism to function).] The ingredients are fairly cheap and Odin can sell them to me for only a few coppers each. He is also willing to buy any trap I make for a small profit, but it¡¯s so marginal, it doesn¡¯t pay well compared to the time I spend crafting. It¡¯s a good way to grind some experience without having to worry too much about ruining your bank account though. As I pull out all the needed ingredients and lay them out in front of me, Odin retakes his stance directly behind me, looking intently over my shoulder. Not only is this incredibly distracting and creepy, but it puts a lot of pressure on my performance. It¡¯s very important that I pay extra attention as to not mess anything up. This is mostly because Odin has developed a habit of smacking me at the back of my head if I do something wrong, which then leads to me messing up the process further. Alright, Ryan. This is the time you finally do it. Be really careful now. Odin grunts behind me. ¡°Remember, son. To create a real trap, you need to get a feel for her parts. Start by carefully breaking down each and every one of the schematics to the basic elements.¡± I do as he says and separate the pieces of wood into one pile and the spools of thread into another. I¡¯ve been listening to these instructions for hours already, and I already know them by heart. It doesn¡¯t help that Odin insists that I create a complete trap every time I attempt to craft instead of making one schematic at a time. Not only does that force me to create three higher grade trap parts in a row to create an uncommon grade trap, but it requires that I need to keep my concentration at maximum for three times as long as it would to create an individual schematic. ¡°Good. You need to visualize the trap. Every part serves a purpose, and it¡¯s important that each piece is tailored to complement the others. The trap is one.¡± I sigh. ¡°You¡¯ve been saying that a lot. It¡¯s obvious that I need everything for the trap to function, but why do you insist I make all three parts of the trap at the same time? Why not just make one piece at a time to optimize their strength to their full potential and then combine the three parts into a stronger final product? Your approach leaves too much room for error.¡± ¡°Foolish apprentice.¡± He grunts, smacking the back of my head. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? A trap isn¡¯t a collection of individual parts. A trap is one entity. Do you think two strangers could form a bond stronger than those who are twins? The parts complement each other. They must be birthed as one.¡± I gently rub my temples. Odin loves to speak in vague riddles. Most of the things he says sound like complete rubbish half of the time. I do think I start to understand the message though. I just have to read between the lines. ¡°So, basically, what you are saying is that the trap parts grow more powerful if they are created at the same time? How?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yes, foolish apprentice. To create the parts with the most synergy, they need to be made with the same vision. Everything must be the same. The same ingredients, the same idea, and the same motions. This will affect the flow of the trap and how it performs. You would be more comfortable fighting a monster using your own arms rather than someone else¡¯s, no?¡± I sigh once more. ¡°I suppose.¡± What he says doesn¡¯t really make sense, but I guess I¡¯ll just have to go with the flow on this one. He didn¡¯t become Grandmaster for no reason, and who am I to argue with game logic? I¡¯ll take all the help I can get. I pull out a knife and start working the timber. This simple trap has several different mechanisms, and Odin keeps stressing that I need to keep their balance even. The most difficult part of the trap is shaping the flail itself. It¡¯s a spiked wooden ball attached to a thin shaft. Sort of like a spiked mace really. ¡°Remember to balance the weight, apprentice. Keep the lines even. If the weight is even slightly off, then the trap will lose a lot of its power. To exert the most amount of force, you need a strong base.¡± I grunt in acknowledgement, not daring to allow my concentration to waver. I carefully cut the mace into shape, taking extra care to measure the length of the wooden spikes. It takes me a good ten minutes of gametime, but I eventually manage to craft a spiked mace I¡¯m satisfied with. Next, I have to carefully create the base it¡¯s attached to. In order to properly launch the flail at the victim, the structure needs to be balanced in order to channel the force evenly, making sure to waste as little of it as possible. The physics is beyond me, but Odin assures me it works. ¡°Good. Now, remember to cut the edges to size. Mind the weight. It helps with the speed and overall efficiency.¡± Odin says evenly. ¡°Make sure there are no lumps. It draws attention, and it causes the light to be reflected oddly.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I mutter, not taking my eyes off the contraption. I work the edges slowly, smoothing over the sharp corners. I lift the base a few times, trying to gauge the weight distribution. It takes a little fine-tuning, but I¡¯m eventually satisfied with the result. The next parts I finish are the small wooden connectors that make up both the Trigger Mechanism and the Framework. Due to the simplicity of their nature, this doesn¡¯t take long as their structures are small and less convoluted than the woodwork in the Release Mechanism. With all the wooden parts assembled, I take some time to paint them with a thin layer of black oil. It¡¯s a specially made oil that not only helps with making the trap look more ominous, but it also has a sliver of magic dust mixed into it, giving the trap a weak concealment enchantment. The tough part is when I move over to work the linen threads in the tripwire and the framework. ¡°Good, stupid apprentice. Make sure the thread is spun correctly, and the density is even along the length of the wire. If one part of the wire is weaker, it may snap prematurely, rendering your entire trap useless. Also, make sure to mind the thickness. The thicker the wire, the lesser the value. What point is there to have a trap that even the densest troll can spot?¡± I mutter my acknowledgement while focusing intently. Spinning the thread is hard and my Dexterity points are working overtime. The game system is helping me out a little though, but it still takes me two tries to get a wire density I¡¯m comfortable with. With all the major parts assembled, the final thing to do is to connect everything to one another. The Trigger Mechanism and the Framework is simple as I only need to attach the wire to their respective connectors, but finishing the Release Mechanism is the tricky part. I connect the wooden flail to its base and gently screw the metal spring into place. I carefully test if the trap can be properly armed without going off prematurely before I attach the wire to the base of the spring. Locking it in place with a lynchpin, I can finally drop my shoulders and lean back in my chair. It took me around twenty minutes, but I finally made a trap I can be proud of. [Enhanced Wooden Flail Tripwire Trap. Uncommon. 48-54 Cutting and Blunt Damage. Requires Level 4.] Odin grunts. ¡°Passable.¡± ¡°Hah.¡± I snort. ¡°This thing is a beauty, and you know it you old dog.¡± I grin, lifting up my trap to inspect it. ¡°That thing wouldn¡¯t even tickle me.¡± He crosses his arms, looking serious. ¡°But it¡¯s not bad for killing really tall newborns I suppose.¡± He says, scratching his chin. I chuckle. ¡°Your terrible humor is even worse than your teaching abilities.¡± ¡°Cheeky brat!¡± Odin grunts, smacking me at the back of my head. He may look angry, but I catch a glimpse of a smirk on the old badger¡¯s face. We spend another hour and a half repeatedly trying to make more traps. I manage to make three more uncommon grade traps and another common one of the same type. Things are way easier now that I start to get the hang of things, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m far away from leveling up my skills again. Nevertheless, I¡¯ve been at this for eight hours now, and it¡¯s time to take a good long break. Making these traps and befriending Odin has been fun and all, but I still have thievy things to do. Before I leave, I purchase another schematic from Odin. The Wooden flail one is good and all, but it doesn¡¯t quite meet the prerequisites I need for the types of traps I have in mind. [Schematic: Basic Release Mechanism - Liquid Canister. Common Trap Maker Schematic. Requires: 1x Large Wooden Plank, 1x Small Wooden Plank, 1x Metal Pin, 1x Potion (Optional), 1x Basic Magic Oil. (Product must be attached to a Trigger Mechanism to function).] Stocking up on materials to make a few dozen traps, I head out and start the long trek back towards the Shanty Town. I don¡¯t bother selling any of my common grade traps as of yet as I kind of want to test them out a bit. They¡¯re not the most valuable items I have, and I need to get used to actually using the traps at one point or another anyway. Might as well start early. I stop by a small alchemist shop on my way back to purchase a select few concoctions to experiment with. Stopping the second guard back at the Bard¡¯s College gave me a few ideas that I want to try out, and I can¡¯t wait to see if any of them work. It doesn¡¯t take too long, but I soon find myself back in the warehouse I have started to use as an impromptu headquarters for the last few days. As soon as I peek my head through the door, Cobra walks up to me. The Job: Protecting the Neighbourhood is Successful! A community is built on mutual safety and cooperation. Those who are unable to protect themselves often require the help of those who do in exchange for favors. Thanks to your help, the local Neighbourhood is as safe as it can be. Safe from you, that is. Rewards: 200 Experience, (42) Crafting Ingredients, (4) Consumables, 8 Gold, 4 Silver, 2 Copper. [Mentor has leveled up to Novice 6.] ¡°Excellent.¡± I grin as the notification fills my view. ¡°I trust that you had no problems?¡± My Lieutenant chuckles. ¡°No, boss. It was all good fun. We had to bash in a few skulls and stab a few wives before they took the hint, but they all ended up paying for protection. A couple of the local muscle heads from the local brewery figured they could try and chase us off with a bunch of pitchforks and shovels.¡± He guffaws. ¡°Trust me on this; they ain¡¯t laughing no more!¡± He roars with laughter. ¡°Ehe¡­ Right.¡± I mutter. The casual violence against civilians still rubs me the wrong way, but the feeling lessens over time. I¡¯m not sure if that should worry me or not. It probably should. ¡°How did the fresh recruits hold up?¡± ¡°Oh, they? Not bad at all. One of them half-orcs took a pitchfork to the belly while that little Cutpurse runt got knocked out cold by a shovel, but they all held up fine. A little rough love is all the motivation they need to get better.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it. So I guess you are all rested and ready to start another grinding session then?¡± I grin. Cobra chuckles. ¡°Of course we are, boss. Isn¡¯t that right, men?¡± He shouts. My underlings shout out as one. ¡°O-Rah!¡± Well, that¡¯s new... Chapter 39 – The End Chapter 39 ¨C The End Echoes of sprinting feet reach me as my underlings and I wait for the incoming trio of undead bearing down on us. My Cutpurse scouted ahead and found a cluster of two zombies and a ghoul, and I¡¯m feeling confident that we can bring them down. The Cutpurse finally turns around the bend in the tunnel, sprinting towards us as fast as he can. Before he reaches my line of Hoodlums however, he dives forward, aiming for the gap between the two half-orcs. ¡°Here they come!¡± Cobra says with glee, raising his shortsword threateningly. As if on cue, the first monster turns around the corner. The feral ghoul is sprinting on all four, its razor-sharp teeth dripping saliva. ¡°Woah, you¡¯re one ugly motherfucker!¡± Cobra shouts, taking a step forward. The ghoul bellows a high-pitched shriek as it succumbs to his taunt. It throws itself forward with reckless abandon, closing the distance between us rapidly. In its blood-crazed fury, the ghoul misses a single wire at ankle height, stretching from one side of the tunnel to the other. As the wire is cut, a wooden flail launches from the roof, impacting the ghoul head-on. The ghoul shrieks in pain as the flail smashes into its face, the pale grey skin shearing off while a single spike pierces its eye. Ouch. That looks painful. Between the quick pace of the ghoul and the hard impact of the flail, it must have been a critical hit because the ghoul is knocked off balance, slamming into the ground in front of us. Not one to lose out on such an opportunity, Cobra throws himself at the ghoul, sword first. ¡°Cheap Shot! Fight Dirty!¡± I shout as I activate my two offensive abilities. My underlings¡¯ weapons glow with power as they charge forwards, meeting the two zombies who just turned the corner head-on. My dwarven Hoodlum takes on the first zombie with the help of my two Cutpurses, while the half-orc twins keep the second zombie occupied. My two Spotters attack all three enemies as soon as they find an opening. I stand back, carefully eyeing the battle, trying to keep an eye on my underlings¡¯ health bars. The most important contribution I can do is making sure none of their health points fall into critical levels. It¡¯s rough for a moment when one of the half-orcs takes a nasty stab to the neck, but I quickly move forwards and force a health potion down his throat. The battle is a stalemate for close to half a minute, neither of the sides giving up any ground. Both sides get a few good hits in on the other, but it soon becomes clear that we have the strength in numbers. The zombie fighting my dwarven Hoodlum and the two Cutpurses falls first, the high amount of damage too much for the walking corpse to take. The second zombie dies soon after, the combined attack from nearly all of my underlings overwhelming it. When only the ghoul is left alive, Cobra shouts a warning. ¡°Stand back! This little fucker is mine!¡± He grins while dodging a sideways swipe from the ghoul¡¯s single remaining claw. I nod for my underlings to heed his word and signal for them to circle the ghoul. Normally, I would order them to just pile onto the ghoul to save time and energy by killing it quickly, but I¡¯ve come to know my Lieutenant these past few days, and single combat seems to lift his morale, making it far easier for me to deal with him. I can respect his sentiment, but I¡¯ll make damn sure he won¡¯t die though. Resurrecting him takes a lot of time and money. I inspect the fighting pair. [Human Elite Hoodlum - Cobra(9). HP 210/420.] [Feral Ghoul(13). HP: 130/480.] Cobra is winning the battle, but his advantage may have faded now that my two active skills have run their course. It doesn¡¯t stop him from grinning from ear to ear though. The ghoul, panicking from being surrounded, shrieks once more before he lunges at Cobra, desperately trying to take my Lieutenant with him in death. Grinning, Cobra side steps, causing the ghoul to stumble past. He swings his sword from the side and nicks the ghoul¡¯s shoulder. Crying in pain, the ghoul swings on its heel and throws itself once more at Cobra. The sound of metal striking claw echoes through the tunnel as Cobra parries its blow. The ghoul keeps up its frenzy, reckless swinging at its opponent. Cobra jumps deftly from side to side, dodging a few blows while parrying the rest. He takes another gash to his forearm, but he manages to strike the ghoul three times in return. The pair continues their dance for a little longer until Cobra starts to grow tired. Being up against an undead ghoul who has an endless amount of Stamina, the elite Hoodlum grows slower as his muscles can¡¯t keep up with his actions. Seeing this, the ghoul lunges once more at Cobra, hitting him straight in the chest. Being too tired to react, Cobra takes the blow head-on and the pair slams into the ground. Cobra rolls over, pinning the claw to the ground beneath him, but he can¡¯t do anything to block the ghoul¡¯s teeth which sinks deep into his shoulder. ¡°Gah! You little bugger!¡± He shouts in pain, lifting his sword. He points the tip at the ghoul¡¯s head, forcing it forwards until the tip pierces gray flesh. With a wet squelching sound, the blade slides deeper as the ghoul goes stiff. The ghoul¡¯s life fades from its eyes as it finally dies. Groaning in pain, Cobra pushes the corpse off him, breathing raggedly. ¡°Hnng¡­ That little fucker was tougher than he looked.¡± He chuckles with a pained grimace. ¡°Not tough enough though!¡± He guffaws, coughing twice as he groans in pain. Shaking my head, I chuckle at his antics. It got close for a moment there, but he still has more than fifty health points left. If he had gone any lower, then I might have intervened. It was a good fight, and the result is even better. I grin. [Congratulations! You have reached level 10!] [You have gained 3 free Attribute Points and 1 Skill Point!] [Cheap Shot has leveled up to Novice 7.] [Fight Dirty has leveled up to Novice 4.] Finally! I smile. It¡¯s been three intense days of grinding, but I finally managed to reach this milestone. I¡¯ve hardly had time to rest, but it was all worth it. My schedule these last three days have been pretty intense. I already know I¡¯m far too underpowered to do anything at the moment, and I need to do whatever I can to catch up to the main player base. Luckily for me, the process is much quicker this time around. Unlike when I played as a Necromancer, I don¡¯t have to carefully select my hunting grounds anymore as these sewers are still a secret to anyone but the Dark Pegasus guild. The best thing is probably that I don¡¯t need to worry too much about running into stray players. The only real threat comes from those two doofus¡¯ Greg and Kevin, but at the speed I¡¯m going, they will hardly catch up. I know I¡¯ve been fooling around a bit too much. I¡¯ve been constantly blowing off several requests to socialize with Anna just so that I could dedicate all my time to grinding without any interruptions. I¡¯ve been grinding for sixteen hours per day, followed by six hours of crafting while my underlings ran a few easy jobs. I¡¯ve also added in two hours to my schedule to take care of all the necessities like eating, exercise and going to the bathroom. My body is aching all over, but no good results have ever come without pain. The gains have been pretty good so far. Not only have I gained several skill levels in all of my skills, but I¡¯ve also gained a fair stockpile of gold, common weapons, and alchemy ingredients. I picked up the offensive Fight Dirty skill at level nine, and my experimenting with the use of traps has come a long way. And now, it¡¯s time to get another one. I quickly open up the available thief lord skills I¡¯m able to get. Available Class Skills Fight Smart ¨C Increases Evasion by 0,2 Luck + 0,2 * Skill level for 1 minute + 1 second per Skill level. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Gang Up - Gain increased damage when fighting 3 to 1 by 0,5 Luck + 0,5 * Skill level. Bail ¨C All troops escape and evade. Evasion increases by 1% * Skill level, Movement speed moving away from enemies increases by 2% * Skill level. Duration 30 seconds + 0,5 seconds per Skill level. Cooldown: 60 min - 15 seconds per Skill level. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.Rush ¨C Increases movement speed by 0,2 Luck + 0,2 * Skill level percent for 30 seconds + 0,5 seconds per Skill level. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Disarm ¨C Makes Underlings disarm an opponent. Chance of success: 0,5 Luck + 0,2 * Skill level per Underling. Stackable. Bountiful ¨C Increases yield of successful jobs by 0,5 Luck + 0,5 * Skill level percent. Incite Crowd ¨C Causes NPC¡¯s to actively distract and obstruct enemies for 0,1 Charisma seconds + 0,1 seconds per Skill level. Cooldown: 60 minutes - 15 seconds per Skill level. Cheat Death ¨C Upon taking fatal damage, clear all status effects and turn invulnerable for 0,1 seconds per 0,5 Luck and instantly heal for Luck + 5 * Skill level. Cooldown: 24 hours - 5 minutes per Skill level. I¡¯ve already managed to pick up a fair amount of the class skills so far, and the remaining options all look like great additions to my repertoire. I¡¯m particularly eyeing ¡®Fight Smart¡¯, ¡®Gang Up¡¯, ¡®Disarm¡¯, and ¡®Cheat Death¡¯ at the moment. The three first ones because they will improve my combat ability by leaps and bounds, and the last because it will be an invaluable ace up my sleeve for the day I bite off more than I can chew. Regardless, I¡¯ve been playing along on my dumb luck so far, and I definitely need to up my participation rating during combat. I¡¯ve been putting off selecting Cheat Death for too long already, but I have to keep postponing it a little longer. It¡¯s a vital skill for survival, but at level one, it just isn¡¯t that powerful. So far, I¡¯ve hardly faced any enemies in combat that has been in a position to instantly kill me. While surviving a fatal blow is invaluable, it won¡¯t help if the level one skill will leave me too weak to survive a second blow. A blow that would be inevitable if someone managed to attack me to begin with. A second and a half of invisibility won¡¯t save me. I need the skill to level up before I can make full use of it. Grinding it by myself is both pointless and risky, so I need to get hold of a Luck skill book before the skill starts to pay dividends. I really want the skill, but first of all, I need to be able to end a fight before I¡¯m put in danger. Therefore, the smartest thing I can do is to choose the ability that will scale the best in the long run. I select Fight Smart. Satisfied with my choice, I decide to bring up my acquired class skill list, checking up on the fruits of my hard labour. Class Skills: Mentor ¨C Increases Underling experience gains by 5% * Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 8. Doppelganger ¨C Instantaneously switch position with an Underling. Range: 1 meter + 0,2 * Skill level. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 7. Cheap Shot ¨C Gives Underlings a damage bonus to their first attack in a fight equal to Luck + Skill level for 5 minutes + 5 seconds per Skill level or until the first attack has been made. Cooldown 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 7. Fight Dirty ¨C Gain attack damage equal to Luck + 0,5 * Skill level for 1 minute + 1 second per Skill level. Cooldown: 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 4. Fight Smart ¨C Increases Evasion by 0,2 Luck + 0,2 * Skill level for 1 minute + 1 second per Skill level. Cooldown 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Current skill level: Novice 1. It¡¯s not a bad collection, and I¡¯m turning into quite the powerhouse. The majority of my skills are great for scaling into the late game, but training skills take a long time. That¡¯s the downside of farming monsters far above my level for three days straight. My personal level may shoot up, but it hardly matters if my skill levels can¡¯t catch up. A character is only as good as its skills after all, and if I neglect training my skills, then sooner or later I will hit a wall when doing combat. Being what is basically a one-man army, I need every advantage I can get. This is also why I¡¯ve been chucking every available attribute point into Luck. Since most of these skills scale off Luck, this is the best way for me to compensate for my lack of levels. Hunting in the sewers has been fruitful, and I should keep striking while the iron is hot. I need to take a break though. Grinding for three days straight has exhausted me, both mentally and in terms of resources. I¡¯ve pretty much spent every single crafting reagent I bought from Odin, and I¡¯ve already out leveled my own gear. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m quite ready to go on another spending spree quite yet, but I at least have to restock on some materials. Maybe run a job or two. It would be nice to have a change of pace from these blasted tunnels. Before all that though, I need to look over the latest development among my underlings. Level ten is a milestone for any character, more so for a Thief Lord. This is where the most dramatic changes occur. First and foremost, this is when my underlings graduate from being measly tier-one scrubs into becoming their much more powerful tier two brethren. Yup, it¡¯s underling promotion time! I open up my full underling tab. [Human Elite Thug - Cobra(10). Underling. Lieutenant. Fighter. HP 450/450. Infamy Tier 1.] [Human Cutthroat(10) - T2 Underling. Rogue. HP: 200/200. Infamy Tier 1.] [Wood Elf Prowler(10) - T2 Underling. Ranged. HP: 160/160. Infamy Tier 1.] [Dwarf Swindler(10) - T2 Underling. Agent. HP: 160/160. Infamy Tier 0.] [Dwarf Thug(10) - T2 Underling. Fighter. HP: 300/300. Infamy Tier 1.] [Dark Elf Poisoner - Underling. Specialist. HP: 160/160. Infamy Tier 1.] [Halfling Prowler(10) - T2 Underling. Ranged. HP: 160/160. Infamy Tier 1.] [Half Orc Hoodlum(9) - T1 Underling. Fighter. HP: 280/280. Infamy Tier 1.] [Half Orc Hoodlum(9) - T1 Underling. Fighter. HP: 280/280. Infamy Tier 1.] [Gnome Cutpurse(9) - T1 Underling. Rogue. HP: 185/185. Infamy Tier 1.] [Human Beggar(9) - T1 Underling. Agent. HP: 150/150. Infamy Tier 0.] Excellent. Almost all of my underlings who reached level ten alongside me have already been promoted. I thank whatever game deity is watching over me that the developers decided to add in the ¡®Mentor¡¯ skill because training all these underlings would have been a pain otherwise. It won¡¯t be long until my four remaining underlings will catch up either. All my underlings will follow a set path of evolution as soon as I reach new milestones. At level ten, my Hoodlums will be promoted into Thugs, the Cutpurses will turn into Cutthroats, my Spotters into Prowlers, and my Beggars into Swindlers. The next milestone I reach will be at level thirty, so I guess I¡¯ll have to get used to their new titles for a while. Anyway, with the promotion to level two comes a lot of benefits. Not only have they gained fancy new classes, but they have also gained a bunch of new abilities. All my combat-related underlings get a couple of new combat abilities, but the Thugs and Prowlers gain the biggest bonus. They both gain a lesser stealth version, making sneaking around and ambushing our prey a little easier. The ability may not be powerful, and most characters can see through the stealth if they are close enough, but it makes a huge impact nonetheless. I can¡¯t stress enough how much I¡¯ve craved this ability for a while, and now I finally have it. It adds a lot of flexibility to my tactics. The changes to my Beggars are a little more comprehensive though. On the outside, not much has changed. Even though the new title is a Swindler, the underling gets an ability similar to my Incognito skill. While this weakens their ability to stay completely hidden from prying eyes, it doesn¡¯t come without certain advantages. While they may have a new title and more powerful abilities, most players with a low Perception score will still not see through their ruse. The Swindler will no longer have to be locked into the role as a Beggar, but can now also masquerade as a wandering merchant, a bard, or a craftsman. This will not only make it harder for the Swindlers to be targeted particularly, but their information gathering skills are more powerful, granting me more information on uncovered jobs. The bonus from my underlings are all powerful, but I can¡¯t help but worry about the road going forward. Level ten is not only a positive milestone for a Thief Lord. While my strength just grew, so does the consequences. Earlier, losing my underlings didn¡¯t cost me anything but losing all the items in their inventory. It¡¯s painful, yes, but as long as the death was to monsters and not players, the loss wouldn¡¯t be too hard to swallow. The items could always be recovered somehow. Going forward, they will lose far more if they die. After reaching level ten, my underlings will also lose the same amount of levels I do when they die. I can see how me losing five levels would suck, but when my underlings who fight on the frontline also lose five levels if they die? The consequences could be huge! The only upside is that they are unable to drop past level ten, but the loss of levels can easily set me weeks behind. Months at higher levels. This demerit is so severe, it can easily make me cower away from making any rash decisions. Every death will sting, every loss of an underling a setback. This is the milestone that broke most other Villains. It would have broken more if it wasn¡¯t because the Mentor skill helps save some time if your underlings die. Regardless, this is where the game for a Villain truly begins. It marks the end of the tutorial. Chapter 40 – Greed is Good Chapter 40 ¨C Greed is Good We trudge along through the sewers. I¡¯m really looking forward to relax for a bit. Grinding is hard work, and it would be pointless to become the best if I can¡¯t enjoy the trip to the top. I can¡¯t burn out, especially not now when I can¡¯t afford to play as fast and loose anymore. Well, not that I had it much better off before. We make good time heading south and out of the Harbour District¡¯s sewers. I didn¡¯t really notice earlier, but we managed to push pretty deeply into the sewers. The monsters become increasingly tougher the deeper we go, and today was the first day I started fighting ghouls. They¡¯re tough little buggers, and the two we came across were both over level thirteen. I¡¯m still pretty impressed at how Cobra managed to fight them so well considering the huge level gap. We round a corner and immediately come to a halt. Two dead ghouls are laying on the ground, and they weren¡¯t here earlier. Shit. Who did this? Was it another player? I immediately cast ¡®Chameleon¡¯ on myself and order my underlings to spread out. The gray mist envelops me, obscuring my features from view. The corpses are lying in the middle of a T-junction in the sewers, and my underlings form groups of three and move down each corridor. I have one of my low-level Hoodlums backtrack down the tunnel we came from, making sure I didn¡¯t just walk into an ambush. Who could this be? There¡¯s no way Greg and Kevin could have caught up to me yet, could they? No. Not unless they recruited a few more party members and decided to go through an equally rough grinding session as I did. Considering the Dark Pegasus guild doesn¡¯t have any other members below level twenty, I doubt they were allowed to reveal the existence of the sewers. Could this be the work of some other players? The sewers are well hidden, and it¡¯s not impossible to believe that some other player managed to stumble upon an entrance. It¡¯s actually very likely that someone did by now; but why haven¡¯t they made that public information yet? ¡­ My mind is working overtime as I wait for my underlings to return. The two nearby corpses catch my eye, and something looks off. The way they died¡­ Huh? I break my spell and move over towards the dead ghouls. This is odd. The corpses look all wrong. Their gray skin has gained a sickly green tinge to it and their bodies are covered by bleeding boils that are dripping a thick black puss. I can also spot a few oddly shaped bumps all over their bodies, and don¡¯t get me started on the stench¡­ Oh, my. Nasty. It¡¯s clear that they weren¡¯t killed by any type of physical weapon, and I don¡¯t see any signs of regular offensive magic being used. It also sort of looks like they just dropped dead where they stood. No, what killed these two ghouls appears to be some sort of nasty disease. Is this a naturally occurring phenomenon? Could a player even have done this? My musings are cut short by the return of my patrols. Cobra walks up to me, a grim look on his face. ¡°Boss, we walked a distance up the northwestern passage and we came upon a few more corpses. They seem to be a little fresher than these things, and they were definitely killed the same way.¡± He says, looking nervously over his shoulder. ¡°I have a really bad feeling about this, boss. Whatever killed them is very powerful. I recommend we get the hell out of here as fast as we can.¡± I¡¯m inclined to agree. Whatever is ahead is definitely beyond my capability to handle. These dead ghouls didn¡¯t look like they were able to put up much of a fight, which means the creature ahead is either a player at least ten levels above or a roaming boss of some kind. Neither of those options is particularly good for my well-being. Why would such a high-level player be down here though? It makes no sense. Killing these monsters should give him next to no experience, and the loot is pretty much useless to him. Could this actually be a roaming boss? If so, then it might drop some sick loot. This is still a level ten to nineteen zone. Perhaps the boss is something I can handle? I need more information. ¡°We should follow it. Slowly, and from as far away as possible.¡± I say, looking down the corridor Cobra came from. ¡°Are you sure, boss?¡± Cobra says, throwing me a nervous glance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t fight whatever it is. I just want to find out who or what that is. The information gained could be crucial.¡± Cobra nods but still looks pretty uncomfortable. I totally get it, and I¡¯m not planning on taking any chances on this one. Before I send my Cutthroat ahead, I pull out one of my few remaining traps. I¡¯ve been saving the good ones for a special occasion, and this right here certainly qualifies. Thanks to game logic, it only takes me a couple dozen seconds to fully set the trap in place. The game mechanics assist in sliding the correct pieces into place with little effort from my side. I do enjoy these system assists, and using traps without it would soon become a tiresome venture if I had to spend half an hour for every trap I placed. Games are really convenient in certain regards. With the trap fully in place, I order my Cutthroat to scout ahead. I make sure to stay far behind with Cobra by my side, and we move forward at a snail''s pace. We follow the trail of dead monsters further northwest and deeper into the sewers. At every intersection of the tunnel we arrive in, I place another trap. We¡¯re starting to head deeper into the sewers than I have ever been before, and the only reason I haven¡¯t given up and left already is that the creature ahead has done a thorough job of murdering every monster in the vicinity. Still, there is a limit to how long I will pursue this venture. We walk on eggshells for a while, slowly making our way forward. I¡¯m getting a really bad feeling about this. After we move along for a few hundred meters, we are hit by a repugnant smell that reeks of death that only grows stronger the further on we move, which is kind of impressive, considering we¡¯re down in the fucking sewers. This can really only mean we¡¯re close to reaching whatever this creature calls home, and the ominous atmosphere is creeping me out. After passing the third junction, I¡¯m about to call the pursuit off when my Cutthroat quickly scurries down the tunnel ahead. Stopping in front of me, he gives the sign that he found something. Finally. I have Cobra and a Prowler follow the Cutthroat back down the corridor while I retreat a bit further back the other way. I can¡¯t be too careful under these circumstances. After a couple of minutes, and without seeing a notification that my underlings died, the trio returns.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Report.¡± ¡°We found a door.¡± Cobra says. ¡°A door?¡± I furrow my brows. What the hell is a door doing down here? I haven¡¯t seen any doors here before. ¡°Yes, there is a wooden door blocking off the tunnel forty meters down. It was unlocked, so we decided to have a little peek at what was on the other side. You won¡¯t believe this, boss, but there is an entire laboratory set up down here. It looks really valuable as well!¡± He grins. His greed completely evaporating his earlier fears. A laboratory? Why would¡­ Could this be a boss lair? ¡°Did you see anyone?¡± I inquire. ¡°Mmh. No, sorry, boss. There was some sort of fog or mist of some kind obscuring the view. No one jumped out to kill us though, so it might be safe. At the very least, I bet we would be just as hard to spot for them as they are for us.¡± He shrugs. Interesting. I¡¯m not sure if I should call it quits while I¡¯m ahead or check this out further. If this is indeed a roaming boss, then the longer I stay, the higher the risk of my demise. On the other hand, if he is indeed roaming, then his laboratory should be ripe for a little plundering. If I move fast, that is¡­ Hmm. I¡¯ve never shied away from a little risk before, and if this is indeed a roaming boss as I suspect, then my underlings'' gear should be recoverable if we retreat back down the corridor. The potential gains should rival the risk. However, I need to practice being cautious at one point or another¡­ Maybe this would be a great time to¡­ Ah, fuck it. Greed is good. I take point and lead my underlings down the tunnel. Even though I¡¯m doing this shit, I will play it as safe as I can. We soon come upon the wooden door. It¡¯s a shoddy-looking door, and there is no doubt in my mind that it isn¡¯t part of the original structure, as the wooden boards don¡¯t match the chiseled stone walls of the sewer tunnels. A single piece of rope is used as a handle, and the door is resting on a couple of rusted iron hinges. Whoever made this certainly didn¡¯t build it to keep enemies out. Another point in favor of this being a boss¡¯ lair. I gently place the last of my special traps directly in front of the door, connecting the tripwire to the handle. The way I set it up makes sure the trap will only trigger if the door is fully opened, and not if it only opens slightly, enough for a humanoid body to slip in. With the trap set, I slowly open the door, trying to take a good peek inside. The smell threatens to knock me out cold. Holy shit, that reeks! I think it¡¯s safe to say I found the source of whatever it is I¡¯m pursuing. The room beyond is not particularly large. It¡¯s round, with what I estimate is roughly forty meters across. There¡¯s a dense cloud hovering over the room that makes it difficult to look around. The room appears to be a small cistern, where four corridors excluding the one I¡¯m in connects to it. I¡¯ve come across a few of these rooms earlier, but never one that appears to be occupied. If this is indeed a boss lair, then it should make it difficult to maneuver this area of the sewers without eventually ending up here. Very peculiar. It¡¯s an odd place to create a lair, as they are usually located in the most remote area possible. At the center of the room, next to the cistern, I spot a few wooden tables with a bunch of glass vials and various canisters containing unknown substances. There¡¯s also a large cauldron at the center which is currently boiling. It seems like this is what is currently creating the smelly mist in the room. I don¡¯t see anyone in here though. Whoever calls this place home is either not here, or they are hiding in the mist at the other side of the room. It could be a hidden boss that only triggers when its prey is already inside the room though, trapping us inside when we walk in deep enough. Not one to take any chances, I order my two half-orc Hoodlums to take point. Not only are they some of my lowest level underlings, but they also have the worst gear. If this is indeed a trap, my losses would be minimal. The two Hoodlums soundlessly comply and push themselves past me and into the room. I watch with anticipation as they inch their way deeper into the room, spreading out to cover as much ground as possible. When the two half-orcs reach the laboratory without being attacked, I release a deep breath. Whatever monster calls this place home, it¡¯s not here. Excellent. We should probably grab whatever we can and run as quickly as possible. I quickly step into the room, pausing at the door to make sure I didn¡¯t accidentally trigger something. When nothing happens, I order Cobra to follow me in while the rest of my underlings wait outside. Time is of the essence, and if we have to hightail it out of here, then I¡¯d rather not all my underlings get stuck in a bottleneck at the door. Reaching the laboratory, we take a peek around. Now that I¡¯m closer, I can see a wide variety of alchemical ingredients stacked on the table. Damn. These things must be worth a fortune! It would take months of grinding to get some of these. What¡¯s going on? Why are all these expensive materials just lying around, and what are they used for? I recognise a few of them, and most can be used in some rather nasty next-level blight poisons. And this cauldron... What is this boss creating here? I take a step towards the ominous looking cauldron which spews a steady stream of vapor into the air. Peeking into the boiling contents within, I accidentally breathe in a direct dose of some of the mist. [You have been afflicted by Poison. You take 10 damage per second for 30 seconds.] Oh shit! I throw myself backwards as quickly as I can. That shit is poison!? Oh hell no. That thing can fucking kill me!? ¡°Everyone, grab as many ingredients as you can and let¡¯s get the hell out of here! Cobra, with me. Now.¡± I shout as I quickly backtrack while pulling out a health potion from my inventory. What the hell is such a strong poison doing in a level ten to nineteen zone anyway? Roaming boss or not, this thing is way out of my league. We make it two-thirds of the way back towards the tunnel when a voice booms across the room. ¡°Who goes there!?¡± Oh, shit. My eyes go wide as I search the room for the source of the voice. A lone figure appears to the right side of the room, entering from a different tunnel adjacent to the one I¡¯m in. Quickly walking into the room, the person glares at my two Hoodlums who are busy pilfering his stash of ingredients. ¡°Hoodlums, here?¡± He mutters, just loud enough for me to hear. ¡°No. I know what you are.¡± His head snaps to the side, his eyes staring right at me. Shit. I momentarily freeze as the man squints at me. ¡°Who the hell are you? And how did you get down here?¡± He shouts at me, surprise evident on his face. His head turns back towards the two half-orcs who step away from the laboratory. ¡°Oy! What do you think you are doing? Those ingredients are mine!¡± He bellows, glaring at me. His sudden shout breaks me out of my trance, and I immediately inspect him. [Human Plaguebringer - Unknown(23). Villain. HP: ???/???. MP: ????/????.] Oh, shit! Another Villain! ¡°Hey, sorry about that! I didn¡¯t know this stuff was yours.¡± I quickly say, raising my hands in front of me. ¡°And you expect me to believe that? A level ten Thief Lord wouldn¡¯t survive this deep inside the zone. Were you following me? Since when!?¡± He shouts at me. ¡°Dude, chill. I haven¡¯t followed you for long. I spotted a trail of odd corpses that led this way. I thought this was the lair of a roaming boss or something. How about we just laugh this off as a mistake and walk our separate ways, yeah? I didn¡¯t see you, you didn¡¯t see me. Ok?¡± ¡°Bullcrap! You triggered my alarm twice. You knew exactly who and what was in here. How much do you know!?¡± He screams, his face turning red. This is bad. ¡°That was just one of my underlings scouting ahead. Dude. I don¡¯t know anything. I¡¯ll give back all the ingredients we took, ok?¡± I try to calm the angry man. The Plaguebringer glares at me, not saying a word. ¡°You¡¯re damn right you are giving it back.¡± He eventually says. ¡°And everything you have on you.¡± He adds, his eyes starting to glow green. ¡°You won¡¯t stop me from wiping out this city¡­¡± Oh, crap. Crap, crap, crap! Chapter 41 – A Taste of Endgame Chapter 41 ¨C A Taste of Endgame We face off as the Plaguebringer stares me down, his eyes pulsing green with magic. A thick green smoke emerges from his hands, quickly forming a vortex above his open palms. ¡°Toxic wave!¡± He shouts, the two vortexes expanding into a single large cloud before he pushes it forwards, stretching the poison cloud into a long wave of miasma that extends away from his body. Oh, shit! I scramble as I turn and start sprinting. I throw a glance over my shoulder at the rapidly approaching wave of death. I watch as the wave washes over my two half-orc Hoodlums who run for their lives, only to see them fall over as if someone cut their strings. They grasp for their throats as their skin turns an even deeper shade of green while dark bubbles start appearing everywhere on their bodies. It only takes three seconds for the notifications to appear. [Your underling (Half-Orc Hoodlum(9)) has been slain by Unknown(23).] [Your underling (Half-Orc Hoodlum(9)) has been slain by Unknown(23).] By then I have already shoved my way through the wooden door, closely followed by Cobra and the wave of poison. My underlings have already started sprinting down the tunnel ahead, knowing there is no point in delaying. I nearly lose my balance as I press forward, glancing over my shoulder as often as I dare. My heart leaps with joy when I notice the wave dissipating behind me. Luckily for me, the spell has a limited range, granting me a moment of respite. I keep running as fast as I can. Knowing the enemy Villain is a higher level than me, he probably has the stats required to easily catch up. Trying to match his attributes is a fool¡¯s errand. I need to delay him as much as possible. The Plaguebringer curses loudly as I hear the sound of the wooden door being slammed open. I grin as I realise he must have sprung the trap. As I run, I quickly fish out one of the potions I armed the trap with. [Minor Glue Potion. Uncommon. Restricts the target with a strong adhesive, limiting their movements for a short time.] The glue was expensive, but right now I think it¡¯s worth its weight in gold. The quality of the potion should be potent enough to keep a high leveled opponent locked down for a short time, and it should be more effective against a mage class character who probably has a low Strength stat. Not one to take any chances, I refrain from trying to find out how powerful the glue really is. I keep running, following the same tunnels we used getting here. The only time I slow down is when I reach the junctions where I sat up more glue traps, making sure not to trigger them myself. The Plaguebringer¡¯s shouting has already died down, but I¡¯m not willing to stop and find out if he really gave up or not. We don¡¯t stop until we¡¯ve exited the sewers and moved three blocks away. Gasping for breath, I find a nice alley to sit down and hide in. That shit was intense. How come there is another Villain down there? And such a high-level one to boot. I can¡¯t believe I survived that encounter. By all means, I should have been dead; five times over. It¡¯s only dumb luck that I ran into a Plaguebringer, and not a Witch Doctor, Blood Mage, or a Vampire Lord. God. That would have been catastrophic. I release a deep breath. This is a real mess I have gotten myself into. The Plaguebringer is one of the least played Villain classes out there, and that is only because of its lacking combat potential. The class is still strong, don¡¯t get me wrong, but its spell repertoire is easily countered by a group of strong assassins. It¡¯s a mage type class that relies on using mostly damage over time type of abilities and area of effect spells. They can dish out a lot of damage over time, but they severely lack skills that can kill enemies instantaneously. The class is perfect for killing lots of low-level enemies and they have access to some unique alchemy skills, making them able to brew extremely deadly concoctions to use against their enemies. Some of the things they can create could potentially wipe out an army, given they have enough time to set it up and an effective means of spreading the plague. The class is basically the fantasy equivalent of bio-terrorists. This is bad. Whatever the guy is doing down there, it can¡¯t be good. I start massaging my temples. I should probably stay as far away from that guy as humanly possible. He is far too strong for me to be able to deal with, and I wouldn¡¯t last more than a few seconds in a straight-up fight. How did he even get down there? Being level twenty-three means he¡¯s been playing for a really long time, and playing in this city specifically is harder than most. There is no way he should have been able to escape the Noob Zone either, which means he has probably been lurking around down here since launch day or somehow managed to sneak into the city from somewhere else. I can easily see how a Villainous character who spends most of their time sneaking around in alleys and hiding could stumble upon these sewers, but it¡¯s still an impressive feat for him to do so. I doubt I would have been able to find the sewers on my own, at least not before I would have spent a considerable amount of time skulking around in the alleys. Considering the guy only managed to reach level twenty-three after three months means he probably didn¡¯t find this place quickly either. I sigh. Sooner or later, more people will find and utilize these sewers. It¡¯s kind of odd how the place has stayed a secret for so long, especially since I doubt Drenerys is the only city in the game with a sewer system. At one point or another, the information will leak on the internet and the place will get flooded by people. It¡¯s only a matter of time. This is why I need to exploit this place as quickly as I can. I¡¯m racing against the clock here, and this damned Plaguebringer is messing things up. He put his lair in the middle of the Harbour District¡¯s sewers. It¡¯s really hard for me to play around him, and I need to kill the level appropriate monsters in this area if I am to make any sort of headway. Him guarding the place will only slow me down. What was he even doing down there though? Why would he create his lair in such a conspicuous area? If I were him, I would probably find a derelict building deep in the Shanty Town or something to set up, far from the prying eyes of players. He must have a reason for it. From what I can remember about the Plaguebringer class after I read up on them a week ago, I already know that they can concoct some really nasty plagues. That¡¯s probably what he¡¯s doing with that ominous-looking cauldron he had down there. Shit. That probably explains the strong smell of death I felt from so far away. It¡¯s basically a beacon that says something bad is about to happen. Plaguebringers can brew some really nasty shit. The plagues he can create are dependent on a various amount of factors, like the types of ingredients he uses, the time he spends brewing it and the means of spreading the plague. I already saw he had a bunch of high-level and valuable ingredients stashed away, so whatever it is he is making, it¡¯s definitely potent. I don¡¯t know how much time he has spent making the plague, but from what I read, the process can take anywhere from three to ten days, dependent on the potency of the plague. It¡¯s a lengthy process for sure, and it gives plenty of opportunities for other players to sabotage the process, but the potential results could be devastating. A plague brewed on high-level ingredients for ten days could wreak havoc on the population above. The highest level players, guards, and NPCs might survive whatever it is he¡¯s making, but the majority of players and NPCs could just outright die. That could be devastating for the city¡¯s population, as the economy will take a huge hit. The NPCs may respawn after a few days, but that could be enough time for serious harm to be done to the progress of all the players in the city. For a top guild like the Dark Pegasus guild, having the economy practically shut down for two days would be a huge setback in the competition against the other top guilds.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Attempting something like this against a city with a population as big as Drenerys is extremely ambitious, and the experience gained alone would probably be enough to launch this guy¡¯s level into the triple digits. Easily. Pulling off a thing like this should be impossible with so many players walking around, and this might not have been possible at all if it hadn¡¯t been because the Dark Pegasus guild insists on keeping the sewers hidden. If he stays hidden down there, the chances of players stumbling across his lair are low, and the sewers¡¯ stench masks the repugnant smell of death. Spreading the plague from such a central area as the Harbour District as well¡­ Damn. That¡¯s probably why he set up shop where he did. It¡¯s a central location, right on top of the main Cistern of the district. Whatever he puts into the cistern will easily spread to everywhere in the city, covering the entire population simultaneously. The city would need to mobilize an army of priests and paladins to clean out the plague before it kills off the entire population. Even if they managed to do that, many would still die. Really. The mayhem he can cause. It wouldn¡¯t be good. It really wouldn¡¯t. Especially for me. With my low level and abysmal health pool, it would be extremely difficult for me to survive this plague if I become afflicted by it. And if I die, then it¡¯s all over. I¡¯d get corpse-camped at the respawn area with no mercy. I don¡¯t know what kind of shit he is brewing, but whatever it is, it must be very hazardous to both me and the majority of the player and NPC population. I sigh. I really don¡¯t have time for this. I need to get rid of him somehow. The question is how. Well, getting rid of him would be really easy actually, if it hadn¡¯t been because it would affect me as well. Since he has already started creating the plague, he won¡¯t be able to leave the project unsupervised until it''s done. An immobile Villain is an easy target. The only thing I would need to do is to tip off Anna that a Villain strutting around in that general area, and I¡¯m sure she would clear the guy out before I even have time to heat up a cup of tea. The problem with this though is that it would tip off the Dark Pegasus guild that the sewers are no longer a secret, and they would know Villains have managed to infiltrate it. This would probably cause either Aria to start another purge of the city, or force her to start patrolling the sewers or all the sewer entrances. I¡¯m not sure how long I would be able to dodge those patrols, but sooner or later, my luck would run out. I need to think of something. Anything. My first priority should be to stay alive. The plague will probably affect the entirety of the city, except perhaps the Noob Zone. I could probably hide there, but I don¡¯t have any idea of when his plague is done brewing. It could be anywhere from right now until nine days from now. I don¡¯t have that kind of time to waste. Sitting still in the noob zone would just result in me wasting time, followed by two days of complete chaos. Besides, my main concern about keeping the sewers a secret would no doubt be compromised anyway. Ratting him out would be a better option. Not optimal, but better. I sigh. This would have been so much easier if I could just tell the Silver Saints and have them deal with the problem. That would have been too easy though. You can say alot about this game, but it certainly follows the trend of all its predecessors. No matter the threat looming above their heads, NPCs refuse to lift a finger unless the wrongdoing happens in front of their noses. This is especially true for things pertaining to other players. If I told them a plague was about to descend upon them, they would probably just shrug it off and tell me they ¡®don¡¯t get involved in travellers business, and they are sure I¡¯ll figure things out on my own¡¯. I suppose I can understand where it comes from. This is still a game, and as a player, I need to play it myself. I¡¯m sure this is the reason why Aria had to use the notoriously unreliable players to purge the noob district instead of the city guard. The only way I could actually have the NPCs murder the Plaguebringer would be if I hired a team of NPC mercenaries out of my own pocket. While that certainly is a possibility, I really don¡¯t see the value in it. To kill a player thirteen levels above me, I would have to pay a premium to hire several mercenaries close to level thirty. That would cost me several hundred pieces of gold! I don¡¯t have that kind of money. Think, Ryan, think. If you can¡¯t kill him yourself, and you can¡¯t tell the Dark Pegasus guild, then what options are left? ¡­ I get up on my feet and start pacing around. This is quite the conundrum. No matter how I look at it, there¡¯s no winning. The better option would be to have him eliminated as soon as possible. Could I perhaps talk Anna into killing him without telling Aria about it? How would I do that without sounding suspicious as hell? No. Perhaps if I managed to draw him out of the sewers somehow. That could work. I just need to figure out the closest exit and set some bait. Hell, the guy probably has to leave the sewers to get some ingredients at one point or another anyway. No. There is no guarantee he doesn¡¯t have everything he needs already. I should try to bait him out. It¡¯s risky as hell, and there are no guarantees I¡¯ll succeed, but it¡¯s my best chance to get rid of the Plaguebringer while keeping the sewers a secret and Aria out of my hair for a while longer. I wouldn¡¯t even consider this plan if it wasn¡¯t because I¡¯m still fairly low level and having to reroll my character isn¡¯t a complete disaster yet. I just wish I had a safe way of doing it though¡­ I need some time to think. I do some light stretches before I round up my underlings and send them off to gather at the warehouse. No matter what I decide to do, I need to pick up some more supplies and get my two half-orcs up and running with some new gear. I set a slow pace northeast while mulling over my disposition. No matter how I think about it, I just don¡¯t have a good solution to drawing the Plaguebringer out into the open. I need an ace up the sleeve, an ace I just can¡¯t seem to find. My first stop is an alchemy store that sells all kinds of potions and ingredients. The store is a dime a dozen around the city, and since I¡¯m a fair distance away from the Market District, there are no players nearby to interrupt my scheming. I pick up half a dozen more glue potions as well as an assortment of oils and vials of acid. I¡¯ve really come to like creating traps that utilize liquid substances and it has brought a certain amount of flexibility to the way I can approach most fights. I don¡¯t think I will ever not create more glue traps. Those things are freaking amazing! The next stop I make is at Odin¡¯s place. The grumpy little halfling is nowhere to be seen, and one of his NPC apprentices man the store while he is off god knows where doing whatever Grandmasters do at this hour. I decide to stock up on materials to last me a week as I¡¯ve noticed that my profession skills still advance steadily despite only using the most basic recipes. I should probably upgrade these sometime down the line, but it¡¯s an expensive endeavor, and the basic traps have worked just fine for me so far. My main focus should be to grind some more skill levels first. The final stop of my round of shopping is all the way back in the Shanty Town. I need some new gear for my dead Hoodlums, and the best place for this is at Ulf¡¯s Weapons¡¯n¡¯Armor. ¡°Oy! Where tha¡¯ hell have ya been, boy? We have been lookin¡¯ for ya all over town.¡± The silver toothed fence grunts as I walk into the store. ¡°Uhm, hello to you too.¡± I say, furrowing my brows. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ve been looking for me? Who¡¯s we?¡± ¡°Tha¡¯ organisation. Who ya think it was? Tha¡¯ fairy queen¡¯s aunt?¡± He grunts while shaking his head. ¡°Useless little¡­¡± He mutters, the last part of his sentence disappearing under his beard. I rub the bridge of my nose. Let it go, Ryan. You¡¯re too young to get a brain aneurysm. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I get it. What do the Silver Saints want with little old me?¡± ¡°Shh! Keep it down ya dimwit! Ya want the entire city tha¡¯ hear?¡± He hisses at me, throwing a cautionary glance at the door. The dwarf jumps off the crate he¡¯s standing on and hurries over towards the door, cursing with every step he takes. After shutting the door and closing the shutters on the windows, he hurries back over towards the counter. ¡°Listen, boy. Tha¡¯ organisation requires ya skills for a little¡­ excursion of ours.¡± He says with a hushed voice. Wait a moment. Is this what I think it is? It sounds an awful lot like I¡¯m about to receive a- Syndicate Slaughter Class Quest. Difficulty: Hard (?). Deadline: 5 Days. Rewards: 1000 Experience, 1 Class-Unique Soulbound item. A local crime syndicate has been trespassing on the Silver Saints¡¯ territory as of late. The syndicate has raided several of the Saints¡¯ warehouses and murdered a few of their members. The group is led by the fourth son of a disgraced Dark Elf noble named Alzahr Farq¡¯Mel. The Saints demand you take his head. Do you wish to accept this quest? Holy fudge nuggets on a stick! Is this an NPC generated class quest? Do they even exist for Villains? Wow. I have been scouring the internet for three months about anything related to quests or end-game content for Villains, and I¡¯ve come up with nothing. This is huge! Not only have I accidentally stumbled upon an NPC faction that deals with Villains, but I¡¯ve also managed to get a chance at a class quest. Am I the first to stumble upon this secret? If no, then how many know about this and keeps it secret? This is huge. I think I just got a small taste about what the end-game content for the Villains is in this game. ¡°So wha¡¯ do ya say, boy. Ya up for it?¡± Ulf says. I take a deep breath. ¡°Oh, hell yes.¡± Chapter 42 – Flipping a Coin Chapter 42 ¨C Flipping a Coin I can¡¯t believe my luck. Who would have thought that I, some random ass player in a random ass city ended up finding endgame content that not even thousands of higher-level Villains before me have managed to do? The rewards for this job is quite figuratively insane! A thousand experience and a class-unique item? That¡¯s like adding the reward of three or four quests together into one. I know that there is a very finite number of class quests in the game, but this really takes the cake. For most regular players, they are able to unlock class-specific quests every ten levels, and the rewards are usually far better than most other quests. They are nowhere near as powerful as these rewards though. Class-unique items are usually reserved for players who cross the level fifty mark. To get one at level ten? Wow. Why hasn¡¯t any other Villain stumbled upon this yet? Is finding a friendly NPC faction really this hard? True, I never found any when I was playing as a Necromancer, but I kind of decided to avoid people at all costs back then. Did I really miss some grand opportunity? Could a class-unique item have changed the tide of my failed assault at Culmin Village? ¡­ I don¡¯t want to think about it. It¡¯s probably better if I don¡¯t go down that particular rabbit hole. Changing my class to Thief Lord was probably for the best. No, that¡¯s wrong. It is for the best. I¡¯ve already managed to achieve more this last week than I ever did playing as a Necromancer. This is my future, and I need to stick to the path I have chosen. These rewards though. The class-unique item in particular. I wonder what it is? The few class-unique items that have been picked up by high-level regular players in this game so far are all amazingly powerful, granting an ability related to their class. The item you get is always randomized, meaning most players won¡¯t get the same item for the same quest. This makes it far more difficult to predict what sort of item you get, and it¡¯s harder to tailor your playstyle to revolve around the class-unique item. The effect of these items can vary a lot, and sometimes you want to keep the effect hidden. It¡¯s nice to have an ace up your sleeve after all. Who wouldn¡¯t want to hide their ability to turn invisible for ten seconds, or reflect all damage for the next five seconds for example? The possibilities of these items are huge, and it can definitely lead to some unique developments for my character going forward. The question is though: Could the item be the exact thing I need to get me out of my current predicament? Maybe. Probably not. No, definitely not. I¡¯ve been so lucky lately, I¡¯m bound to run out of steam at some point. But, perhaps I should trust in my luck one final time? One last reckless rump in the sack with old lady luck? Ah, who am I kidding? I will probably never stop being reckless. I won¡¯t be stupid about it though. I¡¯ll do it like this. Chances are really low that the Plaguebringer will finish his concoction during these next few hours. The night is soon approaching, which means the city is crawling with players. If I were him ¡ª assuming he¡¯s not (more of) an idiot than I am ¡ª, I¡¯d avoid spreading the plague while there is an abundance of players who are capable of combating the plague before it even gets a chance to properly spread. He doesn¡¯t get any experience points from killing players after all. This means I probably have seven, maybe eight hours of safety. I have absolutely no guarantees my assumptions are correct, but the statistical probability of his plague being done brewing isn¡¯t terribly high. Seven hours aren¡¯t much when the most powerful type of plague takes ten days to brew. It¡¯s a sixteen point eight percent chance of it being done during the next seven hours in fact, give or take. Probably higher. It¡¯s still a risk, but it¡¯s a risk that might be worth taking. My survival is actually guaranteed if I buy some powerful cure disease and healing potions. The city¡¯s population dying out for a few days would still hit me like a brick, but managing to keep the sewers a secret for a while longer might just make the risk worth it. Do you know what? I think risking it is the lesser evil. Barely. I should spend this time trying to get the class-unique item. If I get the item and it turns out to be useless, I¡¯ll message Anna and have her wipe the guy from existence. If the item turns out to be exactly what I need though, then I¡¯ll try to bait the guy into a trap. It¡¯s like flipping a coin. Or maybe spinning a wheel? Anyway. The next few hours will decide which path I¡¯ll tread. ---------- I spend the next two hours preparing. I resurrect my two fallen Hoodlums and buy some new armor for them. It¡¯s getting kind of annoying buying all this stuff every time they die, but it¡¯s a necessary expenditure. Trying to have them fight without any gear would turn disastrous real quick. At least I have a decent stockpile of weapons from hunting the zombies on hand though. I send Cobra and the rest of my underlings back down into the sewers to help my last few underlings reach level ten. With the boost from my ¡®Mentor¡¯ skill, it shouldn¡¯t take too long. In the meantime, I start creating some more traps. I bought a fair share of interesting new potions I want to try out, and I have a particularly interesting idea I want to experiment with after I noticed the success my glue trap had on the Plaguebringer. The going is slow, but I manage to build a decent stockpile of traps by the time Cobra and the rest of my underlings return. Seeing that they¡¯ve all reached level ten, I nod in satisfaction before we head out. The Syndicate I¡¯m hunting has taken up residence in an abandoned tavern at the southern edge of the Harbour District. It¡¯s in a remote and rundown area of the city, and I can¡¯t see much activity nearby from either players or NPCs. The building I¡¯m looking for actually looks so indistinct, I have a feeling the system populated the building the exact moment I decided to accept the quest. The game has been known to do this before, where previously abandoned areas suddenly spring to life as quest locations as soon as they¡¯re needed. I suppose it¡¯s the game¡¯s way to create dynamic content for the game without unnecessarily overtaxing the game systems by having too many unused monsters strutting about for long periods of time. It makes it harder to find online guides on completing quests too, seeing as no two quests are necessarily the same. The tavern is a two-storey building located deep inside a cul-de-sac near the oceanside. The neighbouring houses all seem to be abandoned, seeming to fall apart where they stand due to a lack of maintenance. The doors and windows are all nailed shut and I can¡¯t see any light from inside. It looks kind of spooky, but I suppose this makes it easier to perform the quest. Nothing would be more annoying than have the locals call for the city guards while I¡¯m in the middle of combat. The abandoned tavern is the only building that shows signs of life. The door and windows are all shut but light escapes through the cracks in the window on the first floor. I¡¯m not sure how many are in there, but the building is large enough to support a significant amount of enemies. I shouldn¡¯t go in blind, so I take Cobra and my two Cutthroats with me to sneak around and look for an alternate way in. We start by circling the area, getting a feel for the layout of the land. There¡¯s not a lot to see, but I spot a few good escape routes to take if things go south. Finding a way in turns out to not be too difficult of a task. Apart from the front door, there are two other points of entry. There¡¯s a kitchen entrance at the far back of the building as well as an open window on the second floor. Entering through the second storey window could be the most optimal path to take, but I also don¡¯t want to split up my troops too much. Most of my underlings have some sort of climbing ability, but I do not. That means if I want to come along on the mission, then I have to enter through either the front or the back which means I would need to split my forces. I¡¯m not overly keen on splitting my troops over multiple floors since I don¡¯t know how many enemies are inside. If either of my groups get swarmed by the enemy, we could end up in some serious jeopardy.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. We inch our way closer to the building, trying to get a look inside. All the doors and windows are firmly locked, but there are a few cracks in the wooden shutters that should allow me to get a peek inside. I find a window at the front of the building that has a crack in it that is just large enough for me to get a decent look at the interior. As predicted, the main door enters into an open bar area. I spot several enemies, at least four, all level ten. I only spot two different types of enemies, and I waste no time inspecting them. [Human Thug(10). HP: ???/???.] [Gnome Thug(10). HP: ???/???.] [Wood Elf Prowler(10). HP: ???/???.] [Human Prowler(10). HP: ???/???.] Ouch. That¡¯s a tough fight. Tough, but not impossible. The problem is that I don¡¯t know if fighting them will attract additional enemies. There¡¯s a door leading to some back room and a set of stairs leading upwards. It¡¯s also a bit worrying that I can¡¯t see the enemy leader. One thing is definitely for certain though. Unlike my previous jobs, this is definitely a combat-oriented quest. Luckily for me, that¡¯s not all bad. Combat quests are usually a tad tougher than other quests, but they are also fairly straight-forward. Unlike the stealthy bard¡¯s college job where I had to evade some high-level guards, this job should only have enemies within my level range. It¡¯s still a hard rated quest though, so I still need to take extra care in proceeding forwards. So, how am I doing this? The main problem with this fight is the possibility of enemy reinforcements. If this turns into an extended fight, then I should try and kill the enemies in here as quickly as possible. I have a few powerful abilities as a Thief Lord, but they also have fairly long cooldowns. If I burn off all my heavy-hitting skills early, I run the risk of having no skills available for the inevitable boss fight. Hmm. I need to play this one safe. I¡¯ll hold off on using my abilities until I figure out if there are any enemy reinforcements. Four enemies shouldn¡¯t be too difficult with my current lineup, but the lack of healing is always a worrying aspect if there are multiple battles in a row. If we lose too many health points, it might put us in a tough spot later. I¡¯m trying to go for a speedy run here after all. To compensate for the lack of early combat prowess though, I should take the risk and participate directly in the battle. I may not have any offensive capabilities, but I still have a decent mana pool. While my ¡®Calm¡¯ spell is far less effective in the middle of a combat scenario, it is still able to momentarily disrupt enemy NPCs for a short time. I reckon I can buy my underlings up to four or five seconds per cast, which is actually a fair amount in the middle of combat. It¡¯s a bit annoying that my health pool is so low though. I should consider placing a few of my next points into Constitution. I can¡¯t really afford the risk of random death. Since I don¡¯t know if the enemies will call for reinforcements, I think my best tactic should be to go for speed rather than caution on this first encounter. There are several enemies, and I need to kill them as quickly as possible in case their numbers get bolstered. Four enemies I can handle. Six or seven? Not so much. I¡¯m not overly fond of rushing in like this, but recklessness is often the safest tactic there is. It¡¯s a pity I don¡¯t get to use any of my traps here though. They¡¯re not as viable in a blitz attack where I¡¯m the aggressor. I should probably hit them from two sides. I¡¯m not sure if there are any enemies by the back entrance, but the layout of the room suggests there is little room for more than an enemy or two in the kitchen. There probably isn¡¯t anyone there at all. The real problem is upstairs, but I should be able to block any reinforcement from coming down with little effort. I decide to send a small team of heavy hitters to the back door. This sets them up for a great flanking position while also making sure they can kill any stragglers quickly on their own. I decide to send Cobra and my two Cutthroats, leaving me with the remaining three Thugs and two Prowlers for the attack at the front of the building. If all goes well, we will kill the four enemies downstairs before they even know what hit them. Content with my plan, I order my underlings to apply Blight Poison to their weapons. Sadly, I don¡¯t have more than four paralyzing poisons left as I used a whole bunch of them hunting undead in the sewers earlier. I probably should have been a bit more stingy with their use, but I couldn¡¯t really predict I would end up with this quest, now could I? I take a deep breath while I watch Cobra¡¯s team disappear around the corner of the building. Right. This is it. Pure combat. You can do it, Ryan. There are only four of them. Easy. The plan is pretty straight forward. My team is supposed to enter first, drawing the attention of the enemies within. My goal is to separate their Thugs from the Prowlers, making it easier for Cobra¡¯s team to take them out, thus eliminating their main damage output. Simple in theory, not always as easy in reality. I roll my shoulders while my hand unconsciously pats a small leather pouch on my side containing a high-level cure disease potion and five high-grade healing potions that I¡¯ve prepared for a personal emergency. They cost me an arm and a leg, but they¡¯re worth it. If the plague hits us during this mission, I¡¯m certain I¡¯ll make it. It would suck to have my underlings die, but at least I¡¯ll be able to recover their gear. Right; enough dilly-dallying. Here goes nothing! I tense my shoulders as I order my two half-orc Thugs to kick the door in. They are only happy to oblige, and soon after, the wooden door slams open as my underlings and I barge into the Tavern. I look around as we enter, seeing the surprised faces of the four enemies who occupies the room. Our two opposing sides just stare at one another for a quarter of a second, no one quite comprehending the situation. I quickly locate my first target and start channeling my ¡®Calm¡¯ spell. The translucent mist gathers around my hand and shoots off towards the closest Prowler. The Prowler is hit straight in the face and I watch as the spell takes hold around his head. He blinks twice, and I can see his shoulders sag as he loosens his grip on the crossbow. Then all hell breaks loose. The two enemy Thugs shout in outrage as they charge at my own men, raising their short swords for an overhead strike. My own Thugs are quick to comply, spreading out to try and flank the enemies as they approach. My attention is drawn elsewhere, however, as I need to keep control of the two ranged units. The first Prowler is already showing signs of coming to his senses, and the second is nowhere to be seen. Where the hell did he- Pain shoots through me as a crossbow bolt slams into my shoulder. Recoiling from the shock, I take a step backwards. Looking around, I locate the second Prowler just as his head disappears behind the bar counter, probably to reload his crossbow. Shit. He¡¯s using cover! My eyes instantly jump back over towards the first Prowler who is about to wake up. Before he comes fully aware though, my two Prowlers launch their own projectiles at the incapacitated enemy. He takes two crossbow bolts to the chest, completely nullifying the effect of my spell. As he comes around, he raises his crossbow and takes aim, but not before my second ¡®Calm¡¯ spell is finished casting, once more bringing the Prowler into a daze. His shoulders slump, and he accidentally triggers his crossbow. The bolt is loosened and flies harmlessly above the heads of the fighting Thugs at the center of the room. ¡°Where the hell is Cobra!?¡± I shout as I crouch behind my line of Thugs and drink a health potion. The crossbow bolt that hit me earlier took half my health points, and I can¡¯t risk getting hit again. Almost as if on cue, the door to the kitchen slams open as Cobra tackles an unknown enemy into the room. The two combatants fall to the ground, and weapons flail around as the two start a mortal struggle. Moments after, my two Cutthroats charges into the room, each one of them dashing towards a Prowler each. ¡°About fucking time.¡± I mutter as I once again look around the room. It seems like we are winning. The two Thugs at the front is steadily being overpowered by the might of my own three Thugs, and their two Prowlers are too busy dodging the deadly daggers of my Cutthroats to do anything. The third Thug from the kitchen is mercilessly being hammered into the ground by Cobra while my two Prowlers are taking potshots at every opportune moment. Perhaps I¡¯m actually way too overgeared for this mission? If this is all the mission has to throw at us, I¡¯ll probably be done before- Shouts appear from the top of the stairs, and I turn around just in time to watch two Thugs and another Prowler leap down the steps. Oh, come on! Chapter 43 – Go Big or Go Home Chapter 43 ¨C Go Big or Go Home ¡°Fuck!¡± I shout as the three new enemies leap down the stairs. Three more!? That¡¯s way too many! I don¡¯t have any underlings left to stop them! The enemy Prowler takes up position at the top of the stairs and I can see him taking aim at me. I throw myself to the side, just narrowly dodging the bolt that flies past where my head just was. That was close. Not one to lose any time, I target the Prowler and start casting another spell. The spell hits and the Prowler¡¯s body slumps together, his face contorting into a relaxed grimace. Meanwhile, my dwarven Thug disengages from the closest brawl and moves to block the stairs, stopping the newest arrivals dead in their tracks. Crap, I¡¯m running out of options here. If I don¡¯t do anything, some of my underlings might die. Fuck! There is no other choice. ¡°Fight Dirty!¡± My underlings¡¯ weapons glow softly as my skill enhances their damage. ¡°Kill them all!¡± I shout as I jump back to my feet. I keep my eyes glued to the still dazed Prowler up the stairs, preparing to cast another spell as soon as his daze ends. I¡¯m starting to run out of mana and I can only cast it one more time before I run out. Calm is a costly spell and I don¡¯t have enough Wisdom to keep my regeneration at a sustainable level for long term combat. This is why I decided to use one of my most powerful abilities. I just don¡¯t think I can keep us alive long enough to end this fight without any casualties otherwise. As soon as I throw my spell for the fourth and final time this fight, the first notifications are starting to roll in. [You have slain Human Prowler(10). Gain 30 Experience.] [You have slain Gnome Thug(10). Gain 30 Experience.] Excellent! My skill accelerated the battle, freeing up more of my underlings to help keep their reinforcements at bay. One of my half-orcs immediately moves over to assist my Dwarf while the Cutthroat moves up to support him. As I¡¯ve already run out of mana, I¡¯m effectively useless for the remainder of the fight. I will be able to cast the spell one more time in about a minute, but I¡¯m afraid the fight won¡¯t last that long. I need to find an alternate way to stop the Prowler or else he will wreak havoc on the rest of my underlings. ¡°Hey, you!¡± I point at my free Cutthroat. ¡°Climb up the side of the stairs and stop the Prowler! We can¡¯t allow him to get off another shot!¡± I order him before I take cover between my two Prowlers. ¡°And you two.¡± I address my Prowlers. ¡°Focus fire on that bastard! Cover the Cutthroat!¡± My Prowlers launch their projectiles towards the Prowler, hitting their mark square in the chest. The impact is enough to break the Prowler out of his stupor though and he quickly takes a step back up the stairs to reload in cover. [You have slain Wood Elf Prowler(10). Gain 30 Experience.] [You have slain Human Thug(10). Gain 30 Experience.] [You have slain High Elf Thug(10). Gain 30 Experience.] The battle goes well as the enemies on the ground floor are being killed off one by one. The battle is turning heavily in my favor, but the remaining three enemies are tough to beat. Keeping the stairs covered, they have the advantage of higher ground, and it helps their Prowler to have free reign on my underlings. I need to find a way to immobilize him, quickly. The rest of my underlings charge towards the stairs, intent on brute-forcing their way past the defending Thugs. Before they arrive at the stairs though, the enemy Prowler emerges from the top of the stairs. Before my own Prowlers can stop him, he takes aim and launches a bolt towards my dwarven Thug. Being too occupied keeping the enemy Thugs in check, she fails to dodge the bolt that connects with her neck. Blood splatters across the room as she loses her footing, falling backwards. Fuck! That must have been a critical hit. My eyes are drawn toward her rapidly dropping health bar, and my chest constricts as I realise she has less than ten percent health left. Shit! I can¡¯t let her die. The enemy Thug she was fighting takes a step forwards, grinning at the Dwarf as he raises his shortsword for a final strike. ¡°No!¡± I shout as I sprint forwards towards my fallen Thug. The enemy¡¯s gaze wanders toward me, and confusion flickers across his eyes as he hesitates. That¡¯s enough time for me to launch myself towards him, shoulder tackling him to the ground. The enemy Thug is thrown backwards and his head impacts the bottom of the stairs behind him. A bone-chilling crunch erupts from his neck. I don¡¯t pay much attention to him, however, as I immediately roll myself backwards and out of harm''s way. I sense Cobra shoving himself forwards to take my spot at the frontline as my hand rummages through my inventory. I fish out a healing potion and quickly remove the stopper and force the vial into my dwarven Thug¡¯s mouth. Her health points are blinking red, but I soon release a breath of relief as her health bar starts to slowly fill. The fight is still raging around me though, and by the time I can reorient myself, the battle is almost over. My Cutthroat finished climbing the stairs and is laying waste to the enemy Prowler that already looks like a pincushion after the focused fire from my Prowlers. At the bottom of the stairs, the arrival of Cobra quickly turned the tide as the two enemy Thugs are being overwhelmed by the sheer onslaught of my Lieutenant. It only takes ten seconds after that for the battle to come to an end. [You have slain Human Prowler(10). Gain 30 Experience.] [You have slain Dark Elf Thug(10). Gain 30 Experience.] [You have slain Half-Elf Thug(10). Gain 30 Experience.] [Calm has leveled up to Novice 9.] I release a deep breath. Damn, that was close. I really can¡¯t explain why I ended up charging at the enemy Thug. I know it was idiotic, but my body reacted on instinct. It was as if there was some insistent voice at the back of my mind, telling me that I can¡¯t afford to lose an underling this early in the quest. Sure, losing the Thug might actually have turned out to be fatal for the quest as a whole, but me dying would have been even worse so. I should really refrain from doing that in the future, but fighting against one''s instincts is no easy task. The battle turned out well though. We managed to kill eight enemies without taking any losses, but it was a hard-fought victory. The Thief Lord is clearly not meant to fight in a fair battle, and this fight really highlighted the class¡¯ weakness. I guess I didn¡¯t choose the most optimal way to deal with the situation and I don¡¯t think I was meant to fight all eight enemies at the same time to begin with. It¡¯s only dumb luck and the result of my deep pockets that my underlings are overgeared. I don¡¯t think the battle would have gone half as good if some of my underlings had sub-par equipment.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I need to learn from this. So far, I¡¯ve been building my squad to imitate the classic group composition that is common in roleplaying games, with an equal focus on defence and offence. This is my mistake. So far, I have four ¡®tanks¡¯, two ¡®melee DPS¡¯ and two ¡®ranged DPS¡¯ in my group. It¡¯s a balanced squad, able to hold their ground against an equally strong foe in a straight-up fight. It¡¯s a flexible group, able to deal with most issues except an extended fight. This is where I fail. This battle really showed that head-to-head fights are not my thing. I shouldn¡¯t build my squad to survive in a straight-up fight, because I shouldn¡¯t fight fair to begin with. Looking through my skills, it should have been obvious that my abilities provide strong boosts for a short amount of time. Instead of thinking about winning all fights, I should think about trying to end the fight before it really begins, or retreat and try again later. There shouldn¡¯t be anything in-between. Go big, or go home. I really need to sit down and come up with a plan on how to develop my underlings from here on out. This right here won¡¯t do. I sigh. It¡¯s a task for later though. Right now, I have too many other things on my mind. Looking around, I get a good look at the room. The enemy corpses are strewn across the room, and the rough combat has caused havoc on the furniture. This fight must have made a hell of a lot of noise. The question is: how much? I quickly order my two Prowlers to keep an eye on the front door. If any passing players or NPCs heard the sounds of combat, I sure as hell want to avoid anyone coming over to investigate, and my Prowlers are perfect for the task of being lookouts. As for the NPCs already inside the building though¡­ Where are they? This fight lasted for a good while, and it drew in a lot of nearby enemies; but where is the boss? Why didn¡¯t he come rushing into the battle as soon as the first shouts of battle erupted? This tavern is big, but it¡¯s not that big. There is no way the boss didn¡¯t hear the sounds of combat. That is, unless he¡¯s not even here. Is that even possible? It shouldn¡¯t be. I need more information. I order my Cutthroats to spread out and check the remainder of the rooms. One of them heads back into the kitchen while the other one slips up the stairs. I have the rest of my underlings secure the room and start looting our fallen enemies. I want to proceed with this quest as soon as possible, but I need to give my underlings some time to restore their health points. Completely restoring our health and mana pools would take between ten and fifteen minutes, and I¡¯m not sure if we have time for it. We need more than we have now though, and I¡¯m not going to waste a moment of rest when we get it. It doesn¡¯t take long for my underlings to pilfer through the pockets of the dead enemies, and I¡¯m soon presented with a delightful pile of equipment that brings a wide smile to my lips. 2x [Heavy Leather Armor Set. Common. +30% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Strength, +1,5 Endurance, +1 Agility, +0,5 Dexterity. Requires: NPC, Fighter Classification.] [Light Leather Armor Set. Common. +20% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Dexterity +1 Agility, +1 Perception, +0,5 Constitution, +0,5 Strength. Requires: NPC, Ranged Classification.] [Simple Crossbow. Common. 17-19 Piercing Damage, +2 Dexterity, +1 Perception. Requires: Level 5.] 2x [Worn Iron Shortsword. Common. 13-15 Slashing Damage. +1 Strength, +1 Agility. Requires: Level 5.] [6 Gold, 7 Silver, 8 Copper.] This is absolutely perfect! Three sets of armor? That¡¯s exactly what I need! They don¡¯t even have the contraband status on them, meaning I can actually sell them for a decent amount of gold. I even got a fair lump of gold from the encounter. This is why I enjoy killing humanoid enemies. Their loot is always way better than mindless beasts. A pity the humanoid mobs around town is either too low level to effectively grind, or too sparsely populated, or else gaining money and items would have been far easier. This quest is perfect, and I¡¯m sure to massacre any humanoid enemy I come across during this quest if this is the kind of gear they drop. My evil grin is interrupted by the return of my two Cutthroats. By using our crude hand signal system, the Cutthroat that went upstairs reports of no enemies or loot. A pity. I was hoping for more loot. The Cutthroat that went into the kitchen, however, reports that he found a path forward. Intrigued, I gather my underlings and we move en-masse towards the kitchen. The kitchen is rather small and I find it hard to believe that more than one, maybe two cooks could work simultaneously back here. There are a lot of pans and a nice stove near the western wall, and the smell from whatever stew is brewing is rather pleasant. I don¡¯t see a way forward though. I glance at the Cutthroat, raising an eyebrow. Meeting my gaze, the Cutthroat takes the lead and walks over to a corner at the back of the room and drops to his knees. There¡¯s a cleverly concealed hatch on the floor. Weird. I probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if he hadn¡¯t pointed it out. Opening the hatch, I peer into the darkness below. The hatch connects to a small cellar and I can spot the edge of a dark stone corridor leading deeper underground. Great! So this is why we didn¡¯t attract more enemies. It¡¯s a secret underground lair! I have to admit, that¡¯s pretty darn awesome. I¡¯ve loved this kind of secret lair stuff since I was a child and built pillow forts in the basement with my sister. To see an actual secret underground lair though? Utterly fantastic. I stop myself from gleefully skipping down the dark corridor for just long enough to send my Cutthroats ahead to scout. I drop into the cellar and start setting up a glue trap at the mouth of the corridor. It doesn¡¯t hurt to put up some safety precautions after all. The tunnel seems to go on for some distance and it severely lacks proper lighting. My biggest grief about the whole situation is that the corridor is not wide enough to accommodate more than two underlings walking side by side at the same time. That¡¯s not ideal considering the type of underlings I have. I can only hope there are some spacious rooms at the other end. It takes about two minutes for one of my Cutthroats to reappear. His hand signals indicate that they spotted a few traps along the corridor but no hostiles. They also found a room at the end where my other Cutthroat is keeping watch. Not bad. This is actually an ideal situation for me. If there are traps ahead, then that means the people at the other end are less vigilant towards a sudden attack, and I also get an opportunity to salvage some exotic trap parts if I¡¯m lucky. I love it when a plan starts to go my way. I push ahead down the corridor alongside Cobra and the Cutthroat. Cobra for protection and the Cutthroat to point out all the traps. The first trap we come across is a tripwire trap connected to some sort of gizmo that launches a javelin down the hallway. The contraption looks pretty awesome, and I¡¯m devastated when I don¡¯t gain any components after I dismantling it. I really need to look into traps that launch javelins at people later. It must be amazingly powerful. The second trap we come across is a bit more sophisticated, albeit less flashy than the javelin thrower. It¡¯s a pressure plate trap connected to a series of poison dart launchers hidden behind a gap in the wall. It looks pretty sweet, and I can already imagine all sorts of poisons I could add to a similar trap of my own. I have to check with Odin later to see what types of schematics he has available. Sadly, neither this trap yields any components for trap making. I can¡¯t wait for my disarming skill to level up some more to increase the drop chance, but it¡¯s not all bad. These are all low-level traps anyway, and I don¡¯t think it will be too hard for me to make some of my own after I get hold of some of the schematics. We soon find ourselves at the end of the corridor that opens up into a large storage room stacked with wooden shelves, crates, and barrels of unknown origin. I can spot a sturdy wooden door at the opposite end of the room with a fancy-looking metal handle. My gamer instincts are screaming that there is trouble beyond that door, and I find myself inclined to agree. I guess it¡¯s time for me to test out my latest invention. I just need to attract some volunteers. Chapter 44 – Gizmo of Doom Chapter 44 ¨C Gizmo of Doom ¡°Need a hand with that, boss?¡± Cobra asks as I¡¯m currently balancing on top of one of my half-orc Thugs, trying to attach the last of the release mechanisms above the door. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t look good for the boys if our fearsome leader broke his neck doing manual labour you know.¡± He chuckles. I snort. ¡°If I let your clumsy fingers anywhere near this thing, we would all end up with severe acid burns, and you know it.¡± ¡°Oy, these clumsy fingers are well known in every brothel from the Shanty Town all the way north to the Crafter¡¯s District. Don¡¯t underestimate my fine-tuned accessories like that.¡± He muffles his laugh. I smirk. ¡°Whatever you say, Cobra. I should have named you Ten-Thumbed Thompson when I had the chance.¡± He gasps in mock outrage. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± ¡°Hah. It¡¯s never too late you know¡­¡± He snickers. ¡°Allow me to apologize and offer you some assistance getting down from there. Wouldn¡¯t want my dearest boss to sprain an ankle or break a nail. What sort of bodyguard would that make me?¡± He grins as he extends a hand. ¡°Cheeky minion¡­¡± I mutter, grabbing his offered hand and lower myself back down to the ground. Looking up, I admire my recent work. ¡°So¡­ What is it?¡± Cobra asks, inspecting the odd contraption I placed above the wooden door. Hehe. The result of my idea looks rather magnificent if I have to say so myself. ¡°I like to call it my super-special-enhanced-penta-trap. Everything you need to take down any foe.¡± ¡°A super-special-what-now?¡± He scratches his dirty beard. ¡°Kind of a mouthful, isn¡¯t it? Couldn¡¯t you make it into an acronym or something?¡± I sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. Do you know how hard it is to come up with an acronym that ends with the pee-tee sound that sounds both amazing and terrifying at the same time?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ how about Inventive-Enhanced-Penta-Trap, or INEPT for short?¡± ... ¡°Shut up Cobra. Nobody asked for your opinion.¡± Scoffing at my underling¡¯s sudden rudeness, I take some extra time to make sure I didn¡¯t make any mistakes when I set up my newest INEPT-class trap. Yeah, I¡¯m stealing his idea. What is he gonna do about it? Sue me? He¡¯s a computer program. He has no rights. I really feel the need to pat myself on the back for this contraption though. I got the idea back from when I connected the glue trap to the wooden door at the Plaguebringer¡¯s lair. The fact that I can attach traps to other objects was an eye-opener for me. So I thought¡­ Hey? Why can¡¯t I attach a trap to another trap? And then another trap to that trap? Could something so ludicrous actually work? I don¡¯t see why not. I definitely want to try it though. I did a little research to see if the idea isn¡¯t quite as far fetched as I fear. I haven¡¯t seen anyone actually trying this yet, at least not of what I found on the forums. Not that there are many other Trap Makers out there to begin with. While the idea seems simple in theory, when it comes to games, even simple ideas can easily be discarded as impossible because of gaming logic. Luckily enough, it often works both ways. That¡¯s why trying dumb shit can sometimes open up a whole world of opportunities in games like this. This INEPT invention of mine is my newest mind baby, and there are a lot of different aspects I need to take into consideration when combining the different elements of the trap. First of all, the amount of materials I have to use in the trap is the exact same as an equal amount of singular traps. This means that if I want the trap to release for example five different payloads, then I need to invest the same amount of trap mechanisms as I would have needed to place five individual traps. This is because I¡¯m basically circumventing the built-in system for how traps are supposed to function, and the trick I¡¯m trying to do shouldn¡¯t technically be allowed. This means I need to add at the very least five release mechanisms, as well as five different trigger mechanisms. The second challenge is that there usually isn¡¯t enough room to place five different traps in the same place to deal physical damage, like launching flails, javelins, or darts at the enemy, so I need to utilize gravity with liquid substances from above. The difficult technicalities here are that there needs to be enough room above the unsuspecting enemy for five different release mechanisms to trigger at once. The disappointing thing here is that it really limits the potential locations I can use this type of trap, but when it does work out, the potential is almost endless. It may be exciting and expensive, but the potential for trying out a lot of different ideas is very alluring to me. What I could try to do is load all the traps with my most damaging liquid, like for example acid, and see the enemy melt in front of my eyes. With the trap being the overkill that it is, I see no reason not to experiment a little though. I want to test a few different combinations and see how they affect the enemy. It may not deal the maximum amount of damage, but I¡¯m sure the different elements can cause a certain level of chaos among the ranks of the enemies. I have decided to load the five different release mechanisms with different types of damage. The first mechanism, the one closest to the ground, I load with a standard wooden flail. It¡¯s not my most deadly type of trap, but I decided to add a little blight poison to the sharp tips of the flail to check how much the damage increases. The other four mechanisms I load with glue, oil, liquid fire, and acid respectively. The glue for immobilizing the enemy, the acid for dealing raw damage, and the final two for a little experiment. Technically, the oil by itself doesn¡¯t do any damage to the enemy, but it has the rather nasty side effect of enhancing the damage dealt by all fire-type damage. Combined with the liquid fire, I¡¯m sure the enhanced burning damage might potentially trump the damage from the acid. If it doesn¡¯t, the constant damage will certainly throw a whole lot of chaos into the mix. I don¡¯t think any enemy can keep calm if their entire body is on fire. The final challenge with using five traps in the space of one is the difficulty of keeping the trigger mechanisms hidden from the enemy. A trap is a contraption based around surprise and stealth after all, and while it may be difficult to spot a single tripwire, it should be much easier to spot five. Therefore, my main challenge is to come up with a way to limit the possibility of enemies spotting my trap before it¡¯s too late. This is where my success with the Plaguebringer comes into play. The traps I make are only effective against low-level enemies around my own level. Even though the Plaguebringer probably had an abysmally low Perception score, he is still a far higher level than I am. He is bound to have a skill or some equipment to make up for the lacking attribute. Therefore, he shouldn¡¯t have much trouble spotting my traps ahead of time. This is of course, if he has time to spot my traps before it is too late. Attaching my tripwires directly to an object they have to pass, like for example a door, eliminates the risk of the trap being spotted before it¡¯s too late. You would have to have an insanely high Perception score to even have a chance of spotting it, and even then, it might be too late if you were in a rush. Like for example, chasing down a dangerous and vulnerable enemy like myself.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. So here I am, admiring my newest INEPT trap that consists of five traps stacked on top of one another, with five tripwires attached to the handle of the ominous-looking door at the other side of the storage room. The result isn¡¯t pretty, and I wouldn¡¯t stand a snowball''s chance in hell of surprising an enemy who approached from this side of the door, but that¡¯s beside the point. What I need to do now is to find a test subject for this deadly gizmo of doom. Huh. Gizmo of Doom. Should I call it a GoD trap instead? That¡¯s much cooler¡­ I digress. It¡¯s about time for me to figure out what¡¯s on the other side of this door. There better be an enemy back there, or else I would feel pretty damn stupid after spending all this time setting up this GoD trap. Mmh, yes. I like this name better. Making my way over towards the door, I gently place my hand on the handle, slowly opening the door just enough to get a peek inside while simultaneously trying very carefully not to trigger the trap. My heart threatens to leap from my chest as my eyes are glued to the wires that vibrate ominously as the pressure on them increases. I eventually manage to open the door just the right amount though. Holy crap. I probably shouldn¡¯t be the one to try this¡­ Anyway, my poorly thought through recklessness aside, I finally get a glimpse of the room beyond. The room is a massive domed hall, with cobbled stone making up the entirety of the interior. The walls and floors all seem to blend into one another and there are several large stone columns at the center of the room, circling a wooden long table. Along the walls, I spot several flimsy wooden beds and shelves, and a series of lit torches illuminate the glum hall. I spot three other doors connected to this room, all looking similar to the door I¡¯m peeking through. At first glance, the room looks deserted until I spot four figures near the far door at the opposite side of the room. [Human Elite Thug(10). HP: ???/???.] [Half Elf Elite Prowler(10). HP: ???/???.] [Dwarf Elite Thug(10). HP: ???/???.] [Gnome Elite Cutthroat(10). HP: ???/???.] Oh, shit. Four elite ranked enemies? At the same time? Djeezes christ. This quest isn¡¯t going easy on me. I still can¡¯t spot the final boss, and considering it¡¯s a staple of video games to have an increasing difficulty rating as I progress, I can only imagine the number of enemies we will face further on. I¡¯m really glad I decided to test out my new trap now. If this is what I can expect from future fights, then I can¡¯t be stingy on my preparations. So, how am I doing this? Naturally, I need to find a way to draw them towards me. Not only do I need them to trigger my trap, but when I¡¯m fighting against several more powerful enemies, I need to exploit every advantage I can get. The most natural thing to do in this situation is to try to limit the amount of enemies I¡¯m fighting. Using this solid doorway as a bottleneck should make this fight easier, but I¡¯m wary of the enemy Elite Prowler. The amount of damage he can dish out from the back row is concerning, and I don¡¯t want their Cutthroat to get free reign either. I need to take out at least one enemy as quickly as I can, and then just use sheer numbers to pin down the rest. I scratch my chin. Looking around me, I see my entire squad of ruthless killers looking back, a glint of bloodlust in their eyes. Cobra looks particularly savage. I guess I don¡¯t have to worry about my underlings slacking off. It¡¯s comforting to know, really. Since I can¡¯t do much during the actual combat, it¡¯s good to have reliable fighters doing the fighting for me. I need to do my part though, which is to lead them. What I really need to do is find a way to increase their chances. The storage room is pretty cramped with all nine of us in here, and I don¡¯t think it will get any better as soon as combat starts. We should clear a space around the door. Maybe use the wooden crates and barrels to our advantage? An idea strikes me as I order my underlings to start moving around the boxes. My biggest goal in this fight is trying to utilize the space. This means I need to have as many of my own underlings striking the enemy as possible, while simultaneously restricting the enemy¡¯s capabilities to hit back. Having the bottleneck around the door helps, but why should I stop there? There are more things I can do to improve my advantage. I have my underlings start stacking the crates a little way behind my front line. These will serve as platforms for my Prowlers and me, giving us a clear line of sight of the enemy while minimizing the risk of friendly fire. I also have the possibility of creating a small wall we can hide and reload behind between shots. I also decide to place a few crates along the side of the door, creating a barricade and further narrowing the space the enemy can move around in, funneling them into a killing zone. It takes us a couple of minutes to create some defences I¡¯m satisfied with, and we soon prepare ourselves to pull the enemies in. This is all after having them apply some Blight Poison to their weapons, of course. I send my two Prowlers forward to peek through the door, their jobs being to put a few crossbow bolts through one of the unsuspecting enemies. Their bolts are soon loosened, and the two Prowlers quickly scurry backwards and climb onto their platforms. I can hear angered shouts from the other side of the door, and I grit my teeth as I realise I haven¡¯t considered the possibility of enemy reinforcements. Whatever happens, this only makes it more crucial to deal as much damage as quickly as we possibly can. Oh, god. I hope the trap works¡­ The door slams open as the human Thug barrels through. A brief flash of shock crosses his face for the split second it takes for the wooden flail to launch itself downwards, impacting his face with a sickening crunch. A soft gurgle escapes his lips before all hell lands upon him. The glue hits first, immediately locking up his flailing arms. The oil follows soon after, drenching his body with the thick liquid. The oil hardly gets time to soak him, however, before the liquid fire falls upon him, causing his entire body to combust into a violent inferno. The flames are so wild and powerful, I can¡¯t even see the acid that follows after as I struggle to keep my eyes from blinking due to powerful heat that washes over my troops. ¡°Oh, fuck off!¡± Cobra bellows as he takes a step forward, planting a solid kick towards the burning Thug¡¯s torso. The Thug, unable to defend himself, is launched backwards, crashing into the elite Cutthroat that followed him. ¡°Get em¡¯ boys!¡± He shouts with glee, immediately crossing swords with the second elite Thug who managed to squeeze himself past his torched companion. It takes a few seconds for my attention to snap back into place, and I try to locate the enemy Prowler at the back of their line. My heart leaps in joy when I notice the burning Thug managed to knock his crossbow aside, and I don¡¯t waste any time throwing a ¡®Calm¡¯ spell in his direction. The spell takes hold, and it buys me a split second to get an oversight of the battle below. Cobra has taken center stage and is currently fighting the non-burning elite Thug mano-el-mano. The enemy Cutthroat is trying to press himself past the crates we stacked at the side of the door. I frown. This isn¡¯t going as I planned. I have them cornered, but the majority of my troops aren¡¯t doing anything. I¡¯m about to shout an order when my Lieutenant starts laughing. ¡°Tough little bugger, aren¡¯t ya? Let me introduce you to my boys!¡± He grins as he quickly parries the Thug¡¯s blade. He follows up with a solid punch that connects with the enemy¡¯s jaw. The Thug stumbles backwards, and Cobra wastes no time. He grabs the Thug¡¯s sword arm and yanks him towards himself. Losing all sense of balance due to the unexpected pull, the Thug falls forwards, past Cobra. Before the Thug even hits the ground, the rest of my underlings pile onto him, stabbing at the prone Thug with vicious abandon. Yikes. That ought to hurt. ¡°Your turn!¡± Cobra bellows as he sets his eye on the Cutthroat who is trying to climb past the side barricade. The Cutthroat¡¯s eyes go wide in surprise at the sudden shift in the battle before Cobra¡¯s blade stabs him through the neck. Cobra yanks his sword back with a spray of blood from the Cutthroat¡¯s open wound. ¡°All yours, boys!¡± He shouts as he grabs the Cutthroat and throws him back where my two half-orc twins are waiting for him. Cobra¡¯s bloodthirsty eyes soon find the only enemy who is still left standing. The elite Prowler is gaping at my blood-drenched Lieutenant. His muscles twitch as soon as Cobra takes a step forwards, and he raises his crossbow in panic. He manages to loose a bolt that connects with Cobra¡¯s shoulder. My Lieutenant¡¯s health bar drops slightly, but not nearly enough to make any difference. Casting a glance at the bolt embedded in his shoulder, Cobra raises an eyebrow in mock surprise. Grabbing hold of the bolt, he forcefully yanks it out and carelessly throws it over his shoulder. Glaring back at the now shaking Prowler, he sneers. ¡°You better run, boy.¡± Chapter 45 – Wasted Initiative Chapter 45 ¨C Wasted Initiative The battle from here on out goes smoothly. The first Elite Thug who got put on fire was the first to die after the combined effects of the trap wreaked havoc on his body. His life ended shortly after when my two Prowlers managed to snipe the last few percentages off his health bar. The remaining Thug and Cutthroat were soon to follow, standing no chance against the sheer numbers of my other underlings piling upon them. The enemy Prowler lasted the longest, but having an angered Cobra at his heels, the Prowler could do nothing but feebly run in circles, unable to stop and reload his crossbow until Cobra managed to catch up to him. His life ended shortly thereafter in a brutal wrestling match. I¡¯m a little amazed at how smoothly this battle went. The battle was far more controlled, with far fewer enemies and no reinforcements, but the enemies were still powerful and should have been able to at least make a dent in my own lines. To merciless slaughter them like this? Not bad. Not bad at all. I¡¯ve gotta hand it to the trap though. That thing worked like a charm! It completely took one of the Thugs out of the fight, immediately lowering their combat potential as well as interrupting their damage dealers. I already have tons of other ideas I want to try out. Who says the trap only needs to deal damage? What If I combine some sort of basic hallucinogenic substance together with an enragement potion¡­ Oh, the devastation it would cause if a group of people stumbled upon the trap. I can really see the appeal and potential of using traps during fights later, and I can imagine my future battleplans revolving completely around the use of traps. Nevertheless, the real star during this fight was Cobra. While his core attributes are basically the same as any other elite mob, he still managed to outsmart the enemy elite units by sheer intelligence alone. I¡¯m not completely sure how, but I imagine it¡¯s because he¡¯s seeded with a higher grade artificial intelligence unit which not only has given him the ability to converse, but also the mental capacity to perform more efficiently during combat. I gotta say, I have really high hopes for his future. Stroking my gigantic mind-balls aside, I think I¡¯m onto something here. I didn¡¯t go into this fight fighting fairly. I used the environment to my advantage and I didn¡¯t give the enemy any chance of fighting back. I can work with this, and I have several good ideas that spring to mind. First of all, though, I have to secure the spoils. Elite enemies usually drop more and better graded items than regular mobs, and I¡¯m certain these enemies won¡¯t disappoint. My underlings already know the drill, and the fallen enemies¡¯ pockets are already being pilfered. Grinning, I wait for my underlings to bring the goods back to me. [Heavy Leather Armor Set. Common. +30% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Strength, +1,5 Endurance, +1 Agility, +0,5 Dexterity. Requires: NPC, Fighter Classification.] [Light Leather Armor Set. Common. +20% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Dexterity +1 Agility, +1 Perception, +0,5 Constitution, +0,5 Strength. Requires: NPC, Ranged Classification.] [Shadowed Leather Armor Set. Common. +25% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +1,5 Agility, +1 Perception, +1 Dexterity, +0,5 Constitution, +0,5 Strength. Requires: NPC, Rogue Classification.] [Dark Iron Stiletto. Uncommon. 20-22 Piercing Damage, +5 Agility. Requires: Level 8.] [Dark Iron Shortsword. Uncommon. 22-24 Slashing Damage, +3 Strength, +2 Agility. Requires: Level 8.] [8 Gold, 2 Silver, 7 Copper.] Woah! I stand gaping. I knew I would get better gear when killing elite mobs, but I wasn¡¯t prepared for this. Three different types of armor and two uncommon graded weapons? That¡¯s insane! It¡¯s way above a fifty percent drop rate. Granted, I haven¡¯t killed many elite monsters during my time, but this takes the cake as well as the frosting. Is this a common occurrence? Or am I simply this lucky? ¡­ It¡¯s definitely a common occurrence. We all know I¡¯m not this lucky. But hey, I¡¯ll take it. God knows I need it. I just wish this quest was repeatable as I sincerely doubt I¡¯ll come across another treasure trove like this anytime soon. Do you know what? To hell with the Plaguebringer. I¡¯m completely dedicated to completing this quest, no matter how long it takes. The loot is just too good and I can¡¯t afford to have to abort the mission due to making a mistake. My underlings and I retreat back into the storage room to rest and restore our health pools. We didn¡¯t take much damage during this fight, so luckily, we don¡¯t have to wait long. I also only have a few minutes left on the cooldown on ¡®Fight Dirty¡¯, so I might as well wait that one out also. I don¡¯t see a reason not to be patient here, except, you know, the impending plague that is about to descend upon the city. But that¡¯s a problem for future-Ryan to solve. God, that guy must really hate me at this point. While we sit around and wait, I try to plan our next step. The big dining and living hall beyond is quite large, and there isn¡¯t much natural cover to take advantage of. Apart from the door we are hiding behind, three different doors are leading out of the room spread evenly around, forming a natural cross-pattern. I can only guess which door leads where, but the most obvious option would be that the furthest door leads to the boss. Should I save that one for last? Maybe head through both the side doors first to clear out any potential lurkers beyond? The options are many, but I should definitely play it safe. I still haven¡¯t forgotten my mistake up above, and my first order of business should be to cover my bases. The first order I give when my underlings are all done and rested is to have them all grab a crate each and start stacking them in front of the leftmost door. This is to make sure no reinforcements can come through and ambush me when I head through a different door. After blocking off the leftmost door, I have my underlings start stacking crates in front of the rightmost door. I will probably try to scout through one of these doors later, but I¡¯d rather no enemies appear behind me while my troops are off blocking the furthermost door. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. As my underlings finish blocking the rightmost door, I take a better look around the room. This really looks like a very professionally made secret lair. I wonder if I can make something similar of my own later? That definitely would be pretty awesome. I still haven¡¯t forgotten about one of the Thief Lord¡¯s basic class abilities that allows me to establish a hideout, and I definitely have to look into it at some point. My little army is growing, and my loot is starting to pile up. Getting some sort of safe zone set up would be optimal. My musings are interrupted as my underlings head back to the storage room to pick up a third stack of crates to block off the far most door in the room. Looking closer, I notice that the door differs slightly from the two side doors. Whereas the rest of the doors in the room are all sturdy wooden doors with metal handles and hinges, the furthest door has its frame reinforced with steel. Whatever is behind there, it¡¯s either someone powerful or something valuable. Preferably the latter. I should probably start setting up another GoD trap above it before anything really bad- Just as my underlings get around fifteen meters away from the door, it starts opening with a loud metal screech. Oh, shit. ¡°Retreat to the center of the room!¡± I shout. My underlings immediately comply and drop their crates. Shit. Did we trigger some kind of event, or did we wait for too long? ¡°Well, what do we have here?¡± A raspy voice says boorishly as a figure steps through the door at the far end. ¡°I heard a commotion earlier, and I figured it was just my men getting a little rowdy. I didn¡¯t know we got ourselves a little rat infestation though.¡± The man sneers. [Syndicate Leader - Alzahr Farq¡¯Mel(13). HP: ????/????.] A tall and lanky Dark Elf emerges from the door. He¡¯s wearing a full set of darkened leather armor with a layer of chainmail stitched in to cover the vital parts on his torso. He¡¯s also wearing a thin leather and steel helmet with what appears to be steel wings extending outwards, covering his ears. A steel rapier rests at his side, and I can spot the reflection of a blood-red gem encrusted into the hilt. Whatever he is wearing, the gear seems to outclass anything my own troops or I can muster. I¡¯m so focused on Alzahr that I fail to notice the two enemies that appear behind him before they step in front of him, blocking my view. [Human Elite Thug(11). HP: ???/???.] [High Elf Elite Thug(11). HP: ???/???.] Oh, buggers. This can¡¯t be good. I look around and find Cobra standing right next to me, carefully eyeing the three powerful enemies ahead of us. ¡°Order the men to apply poison to their weapons. I want you to have the Cutthroats use a Paralyzing Poison each. Go all out.¡± I whisper to my Lieutenant who nods in return. ¡°I am not without reason, however¡­¡± Alzahr says while casually lifting his hand in front of his face, examining his fingernails with a bored expression. ¡°If you and your little vermin surrender quietly, I may be persuaded to-¡± ¡°Cheap shot!¡± I shout, and my two Prowlers immediately fire at the Human Elite Thug to the left. Their skill enhanced bolts fly true, striking the surprised Thug in his chest. With a look of rage, Alzahr glares at me. ¡°You dare-¡± ¡°Take out the wounded enemy first. Cobra, keep that talkative cunt busy.¡± I shout my orders, completely ignoring the enraged boss. If that stupid bastard wants to waste his initiative by gloating, then so be it. I¡¯ll take a freebie when I get it. I immediately start channeling ¡®Calm¡¯, targeting the high elf elite. With a roar, Cobra charges forward towards Alzahr. Furious, the boss reacts by drawing his rapier, leveling it towards my charging Lieutenant. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you insolent little whelps how a true son of the noble Farq¡¯Mel family fights. Shadow Pierce!¡± In the blink of an eye, Alzahr¡¯s body jolts forward, covering the ten-meter gap in less than a second. Cobra coughs up a mouthful of blood before he even realises Alzahr¡¯s rapier pierced his chest. My heart skips a beat as I notice that singular attack took nearly thirty percent of Cobra¡¯s health. Shit! Clutching his chest in pain, Cobra drops to his knees, his shortsword dropping harmlessly onto the cobbled stone floor. Alzahr yanks his rapier out, a small spray of blood trailing his sword as he swings it back for another strike. ¡°Stop him!" I shout, my body moving on instinct. I rush towards my fallen Lieutenant as I fish for a health potion. My dwarven Thug throws herself at Alzahr before he can finish his swing, forcing the nimble boss to jump back a step. The dwarf takes up a defensive stance in front of Cobra who is trying awkwardly to get back onto his feet. I reach Cobra and immediately force a health potion into his mouth. He struggles for a moment, too enraged at his enemy to even notice that I¡¯m trying to help. He chugs the potion down, and I¡¯m relieved to see his health bar starting to rise. ¡°You won¡¯t get away with that again¡­¡± Cobra mutters through clenched teeth. Trying to capitalize on our immobility, Alzahr dashes forwards, swinging his rapier at my Dwarven Thug¡¯s throat. She barely manages to parry the swift rapier, immediately trying to counter with a lunge of her own. Alzahr effortlessly sidesteps, bringing his blade around to strike again at my overextended Thug. A pair of crossbow bolts race through the air and Alzahr immediately dodges backwards. He is too late, however, as one of the bolts strikes his left arm. He sneers, casting a quick glance at his bloodied arm. ¡°How dare you!¡± He shouts while jumping back a few more steps. Looking around, a serious expression forms on his face. I get a bad feeling about this. Before I can order my underlings to re-engage the boss, he sucks in a whole lot of air before he unleashes what can only be a skill. ¡°In the name of your lord, assist your master!¡± He shouts loudly, his voice bouncing between the stone walls. Faint roars echo his shout, and I swivel around to find out where the shouts are coming from. What the¡­ Are those reinforcements!? The roars quickly grow closer, the stone tunnels making it nearly impossible to narrow down the direction the sounds are coming from. The shouts are growing louder, rising in volume in tandem with my own panic. Should I call for a retreat? I don¡¯t think we can handle any reinforcements right now. I¡¯m a split second away from calling the fight off when something forcefully impacts both the side doors of the hall simultaneously, followed by loud cursing. Soon after, someone starts hammering at the two doors, trying to force their way through. I thank whatever god is watching that I had the foresight to block those doors, but my happiness is short-lived as I notice several cracks starting to appear on the shut doors. I need to finish this quickly. I glance around the room while backpedaling away from the boss, trying to regain control over the situation. One of the enemy Thugs is nearly dead, but the other one is currently making life miserable for one of my half-orc twins. Not good. I need to accelerate this fight, and fast. ¡°Fight Dirty!¡± I shout as my underlings¡¯ weapons start to glow. ¡°Take down the weaklings as quickly as possible!¡± ¡°O-Rah!¡± My underlings shout as one, throwing themselves into the fight with renewed vigor. I start preparing to cast my ¡®Calm¡¯ spell when I catch a glimpse of Alzahr from the corner of my eye. The boss dances around the swings of Cobra and the dwarven Thug as if in slow motion, stabbing towards my underlings at every opportune moment. He is about to deliver a rather vicious slash at my Dwarf when another set of Crossbow bolts cross the room, one of them embedding itself in his shoulder, while the other nicks the side of his thigh. ¡°Insolent pests!¡± He snarls, directing his eyes at my two Prowlers and me in the distance. ¡°Shadow Pierce!¡± He shouts, and his body once more jolts forwards. We have no time to react before he is upon us, his rapier effortlessly piercing my Halfling Prowler¡¯s throat. My Prowler emits a weak choking noise as his body goes limp, his much lower health pool not enough to survive the powerful thrust. [Your underling (Halfling Prowler(10)) has been slain by Syndicate Leader - Alzahr Farq¡¯Mel(13).] With wide eyes, I stumble backwards. Oh, shit. This is bad. Chapter 46 – Honor Among Thieves Chapter 46 ¨C Honor Among Thieves I gulp in fear as I watch the Prowler slump together on the ground, his lifeless eyes glazing over. Shit. This is bad. What the hell is up with that skill? It¡¯s way too powerful. How the hell am I supposed to fight that? If he targets me with it, I¡¯m dead. I take a careful step backwards, trying to create some distance between us. Alzahr forcefully yanks his rapier back, locking his rage-filled eyes on me. ¡°Cut off the head of the snake and the body will wither.¡± He says coldly through clenched teeth as he takes a step towards me. Shit! I grab hold of my lute and swing it towards him. He takes a casual step backwards, dodging the wooden makeshift club with ease. Panicked, I jump another three steps backwards, lifting the lute to use as an impromptu shield with one hand while the other is blindly rummaging through my inventory. My hand finds a random vial, and I quickly throw it towards the approaching boss. Alzahr deflects the vial with his rapier, shattering the glass so that the liquid scatters everywhere. A few drops land on his body, and I can see his wounds starting to knit themselves together. ¡°A health potion?¡± Alzahr chuckles as he eyes the red liquid that is dripping from his arm. ¡°If this is your way of apologizing, then I¡¯m afraid you are far too late.¡± He smirks. Before he can advance any further, another vial flies towards his face. ¡°Enough of this!¡± He shouts, forcefully shattering the vial with his rapier. The white substance within sticks to his sword and torso, causing the Dark Elf to grimace in disgust. ¡°What is this!?¡± He sneers as he tries to brush the substance off his arm which only causes it to further grab a hold of his limbs. I¡¯m a little surprised myself, and it takes me a few seconds to realise I just threw a bottle of glue at him. I have to say, I didn¡¯t expect it to be this efficient. ¡°Come back here you little twat!¡± Cobra roars as he rejoins the fight, charging towards Alzahr. Spotting him, Alzahr tries to spin to his side, but some of the glue landed on his legs, slowing him down. Alzahr¡¯s eyes widen in fear as he is unable to escape my charging Lieutenant, and Cobra soon tackles the pair to the ground. I quickly react to the situation, wasting no time in creating some distance between us. As the two start a deadly wrestling match on the ground, I quickly locate the second enemy elite Thug. He is currently pressuring my regular Thugs, forcing one of my half-orc twins into a desperate defence. I try to intervene by starting to channel another ¡®Calm¡¯ spell. The spell is ludicrously inefficient against elite mobs, only able to slow them down for maybe a second or two. Amidst the combat though, those seconds can be the difference between life or death for my underlings or me. Just as my spell takes effect, a long-awaited notification appears. [You have slain Human Elite Thug(11). Gain 65 experience.] ¡°Quickly, bring the second one down!¡± I shout, switching my attention back over towards the struggling pair on the ground near me. The dwarven Thug joins the fray, cutting her sword deeply into Alzahr¡¯s back. Fighting close-ranged is apparently not Alzahr¡¯s forte, and his health bar is dropping like a rock. His rapier is a light sword meant to perform quick piercing attacks against an enemy which means the weapon is essentially useless when fighting an enemy who is less than an arm-length away. This means he can hardly even scratch Cobra in this situation, where my Lieutenant is really laying on the hurt. For a second, hope swells in my chest until gaming reality comes crashing down around me. Just when his health bar is nearing the sixty percent mark, the boss screams in outrage. ¡°Enough!¡± He bellows, his voice carrying around the stone hall. What happens next is almost unbelievable. Alzahr¡¯s body starts to glow ominously red and his muscles are contorting and twisting in unnatural directions, growing larger by the second. What the hell? Is he mutating? The whole process only takes a couple of seconds, and the result is terrifying. Alzahr seems to have grown a head taller and his muscles must have at least doubled in density. A thick vein is pulsing on his neck, and his eyes glint with savage ferocity. With a brute show of force, he manages to lift Cobra off him, throwing the Lieutenant across the room. Cobra impacts one of the stone pillars near the center of the room, and his health bar is dipping uncomfortably low. ¡°Oh, fuck! He is enraging! Everyone! Pin him down! Fight Smart!¡± I shout, activating my last skill and scampering backwards and out of harm''s way. My underlings all react immediately, abandoning the fight with the second Thug and run over to surround the boss. Enrage is a common feature among boss fights, where at certain stages of the fight, the boss gets a short power boost for a limited amount of time. During the enragement phase, the only thing we can do is go on the defensive and try to buy ourselves as much time as possible. Hopefully, my underlings can manage to keep him occupied long enough for me to get Cobra back into the fight. I can only pray my ¡®Fight Smart¡¯ skill is enough to save their lives. Alzahr appears to have increased his speed even further, racing around the room and putting the hurt on my scurrying underlings. By the time I¡¯ve reached Cobra¡¯s prone body, Alzahr claims his second victim of the fight. [Your underling (Half-Orc Thug(10)) has been slain by Syndicate Leader - Alzahr Farq¡¯Mel(13).] Gritting my teeth, I can only keep running towards Cobra while simultaneously fishing out one of my few remaining health potions. Reaching Cobra, I force the health potion down his throat while cursing softly. Shit. I can¡¯t believe I ended up being a combat medic. I¡¯m freaking useless. Cobra coughs twice as the potion starts to take effect, and my heart leaps in joy as I watch his health bar rise. Blinking, Cobra looks towards me with a confused expression. Before I can order him to get back in the fight, his eyes widen in fear as he pushes me to the side. Rolling over, I can hear the sound of metal striking stone from somewhere around the area I was just sitting. Coming to a stop, I catch a glimpse of the remaining elite Thug as he withdraws his blade for another strike. ¡°Not on my watch, asshole!¡± Cobra shouts as he kicks the feet from under him, bringing the High Elf Thug to the ground. Cobra rolls on top of him, pinning the high elf between his legs. Sitting on top of the Thug, Cobra Cuts his sword deeply into the throat of the high elf¡¯s prone form. The blade cuts deep, and Cobra starts sawing his blade back and forth. ¡°You. Worthless. Piece. Of. Shit.¡± Cobra curses through gritted teeth as he keeps ruthlessly sawing at the Thug¡¯s throat. The Thug¡¯s arms are flailing helplessly around, futilely trying to stop the blade from sawing deeper into his flesh. With a final brutal cut, a spray of blood marks the final moment of the dying elf. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Panting, Cobra shakily gets back onto his feet. Glaring, he switches his gaze over towards Alzahr who is wreaking havoc on the rest of my underlings. The dwarven Thug seems to have also fallen, and the rest are hanging on by a thin thread. ¡°This ends now.¡± With a roar, Cobra charges towards the rampaging boss. Almost as if on cue, the boss¡¯ enragement phase seems to end as the soft red glow recedes and his body returns to normal. The transformation seems to have done a number on his body, as Alzahr is gasping for breath and his body is soaked in sweat. He stumbles, and that is all the opportunity my underlings need as they all lunge as one. Blades pierce his body from several angles, and his health bar is dropping fast. Cobra soon joins the fight as he violently tackles the boss to the ground, bringing both my Cutthroats with him in his overwhelming display of power. My remaining half-orc Thug is quick to react, and he wastes no time piling onto the ball of death on the ground. I release a deep breath of relief as we seem to have regained control of the fight. I throw a quick glance at both the side doors, happy to notice the still shouting enemy reinforcements have not yet managed to break through our barricades. Are we winning? I sure as hell hope so. I just hope the boss doesn¡¯t have any more enragement phases in him¡­ From my mouth to whatever game entity that masquerades as a god¡¯s ears, as soon as Alzahr¡¯s health bar is dropping into the single digits, the Dark Elf boss roars in anger. ¡°I. Will. Not. Succumb!¡± With another, more violent show of force, my underlings are thrown off Alzahr¡¯s prone form. Enraged, Alzahr jumps to his feet, his eyes locking onto me. Shit. With all my underlings still struggling to get back onto their feet, there is little standing between me and the very pissed off noble. He starts walking towards me, his body glowing red. With my mind racing, I try to come up with a way out. With a quick glance at my mana bar, I notice I have enough mana for another spell. I quickly raise my hands, gathering the all too familiar translucent mist around me and launch it towards Alzahr. The spell impacts him straight in the face, and my heart almost leaps in joy until I see his still scowling face staring daggers at me. Oh, crap. I turn around and try to run. I make it all but two feet when two of the scariest words I¡¯ve ever heard is uttered behind me. ¡°Shadow Pierce.¡± I let my body drop low into a roll, my sheer desperation hoping it¡¯s enough to save me from his deadly skill. Pain runs up my arm as it slams into the ground, pulling my body with it. My body completes the roll in a very ungraceful manner, but I¡¯m still alive. How? I should be dead. Throwing my head backwards, my eyes widen in terror as I see Alzahr¡¯s rapier embedded deeply into the chest of my last Prowler, his limp body already falling to the ground. Did¡­ did the Prowler just sacrifice himself for me? ¡°Filth.¡± Alzahr spits, kicking the corpse of my Prowler out of the way. ¡°You fucker!¡± I shout, feeling the rage build within me. I want this guy dead, and I want it to hurt. I can see my underlings rushing towards him, but they are still too far away. If I don¡¯t do anything, I¡¯ll die. There is only one thing left I can do. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you myself.¡± I sneer, taking a threatening step towards the Syndicate Leader. ¡°Oh? Will the little halfling finally dirty his own hands?¡± The Dark Elf smirks, raising his rapier threateningly. ¡°Ludicrous. Your little rats can¡¯t help you now, you know.¡± ¡°Wanna bet!?¡± I shout, throwing myself towards him. A flicker of surprise crosses his eyes, but not for long. With a snort, Alzahr raises his rapier to meet my assault. He stabs forwards, his rapier aiming for my heart. Finally, it¡¯s my turn to smirk. ¡°Doppelganger!¡± The world goes dark for a split second as my body is teleported two and a half meters to the side, which happens to be the exact place Cobra occupied just moments before. The sound of the rapier piercing flesh reaches my ears, and I turn around just in time to watch Cobra being impaled through the stomach. Wincing in pain, Cobra immediately reaches down and grabs hold of Alzahr¡¯s extended hand. ¡°Fancy meeting you here.¡± He grins before slamming his fist into the gaping boss¡¯ jaw. Alzahr¡¯s head is flung to the side as he loses his grip on his rapier. With a sickening crunch, his body impacts the ground hard. Before he has time to reorient himself, my Cutthroats are upon him, piercing his back with their daggers. He cries in pain, and I smile as I see his health bar disappearing before my eyes. Before it can fully disappear though, I order my underlings to stop. Walking over, I glare at Alzahr¡¯s damaged body as he is pinned to the ground by all my remaining underlings. The former dark elf noble is wheezing in pain, and he directs a bloodied eye in my direction. With a pained grunt, he coughs up a mouthful of blood. ¡°Looks like the little rat king decided to run after all¡­¡± Meeting his eye, I glare at him with contempt. Without a word, I grab my lute and slam it mercilessly into his head. A sickening crunch and an A-flat is all I hear as my lute caves his skull in. Releasing a tired sigh, I let the lute fall out of my exhausted hands. [You have slain Syndicate Leader - Alzahr Farq¡¯Mel(13). Gain 520 experience.] [Fight Smart has leveled up to Novice 2.] [Doppelganger has leveled up to Novice 8.] ¡°You talk too much.¡± I turn around and start to walk away. This fight was really intense and I could really use a break. My eyes wander around the now almost empty hall and I take in the results of the battle. There are bodies littered everywhere, and it pains me to see that several of them belong to my own underlings. This battle was costly, and I only pulled through by the skin of my teeth. I have no idea how I could have been able to beat this quest without the gear advantage that I have, and I find it hard to believe that many other Thief Lords would survive that encounter. Perhaps I should have gone for a combat build myself? Maybe the game developers expected me to? It might have made things easier, especially in these early levels. I sigh. My game style may be unorthodox, but on paper, it¡¯s viable. I know I will grow in power as I keep leveling, and my true power will only prosper when I finalize my skill development path. In the meantime though, I probably need to get used to struggling and losing underlings. I hate to see them die, but I know it will pay off in the end. My eyes stop upon the Prowler who sacrificed his life to save me at the end, and a short pain of guilt shoots through my chest as I recall his final act. Shit. This game feels too real sometimes. It¡¯s hard not to get attached to my underlings. We have been through a lot, and I know that I am ultimately responsible for anything that happens to them. A small part of me is actually glad my underlings can¡¯t talk, or I¡¯m afraid it would tear at my soul every time I had to see them die. They are good underlings, loyal to the bitter end. It appears there is honor among thieves after all. Chapter 47 – Home is Where the Gold’s at Chapter 47 ¨C Home is Where the Gold¡¯s at A lot can be said about that fight, but at least we won. My remaining underlings gather around me, and I wince when I realise how low their health points are. I lost half my underlings, and the rest of them look like they are a weak fart away from keeling over. The only solace I find in this outcome is that since I managed to win the fight, I get to loot all my dead underlings¡¯ gear. It¡¯s a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless. Before all that though, I need to take care of the reinforcements. They didn¡¯t despawn when Alzahr died, and his death seemed to only have further pissed them off as the loud banging noises only seem to have intensified. I split my underlings into two groups of two, ordering them to further reinforce the barricades to try and buy us some time to restore some health. I would have offered to help, but I¡¯m just too damn tired. I just plop down on my ass and take a deep breath. It¡¯s a bit worrisome that I haven¡¯t received a quest completed notification yet, but I can only guess it¡¯s because I need to return to Ulf to claim my rewards. This is technically the first quest I have completed in this game so far, so I¡¯m not too certain how things work. The jobs I¡¯ve performed are slightly different, and they are more like personal challenges than a mission given to me by others. After taking a minute or five to rest, I force myself to start being productive. I¡¯m still on the clock, and I have a lot of work to do. I¡¯m still in enemy territory, and there are enemies only a few meters away that are aware of my position after all. I throw a quick glance towards my underlings who keep stacking more crates behind the doors before I head straight over towards Alzahr¡¯s body. Rifling through his pockets, I can finally release a wide grin as I see a few select pieces of gear that will definitely come in handy. [Noble¡¯s Rapier. Rare. 32-35 Piercing Damage, +6 Charisma, +4 Agility, +2 Dexterity. Requires: Level 10.] [Padded Heavy Leather Armor of Nimbleness Set. Rare. +35% Physical Resistance, Per level gain: +2,5 Strength, +2,5 Endurance, +2,5 Agility, +0,5 Dexterity. Requires: NPC, Fighter Classification. Level 10.] [Tavern Master Key. Soulbound.] [16 Gold, 5 Silver, 9 Copper.] My exhaustion is quite figuratively washed away as I see the two items. Holy crap. Two rare class items? Yes, please. It seems like Christmas came early for both Cobra and me this year, and not a moment too soon. I could use an upgrade, and I¡¯ve been relying a lot on my Lieutenant as of late. It¡¯s only fitting that he gets an upgrade. This loot is great though. There aren¡¯t many bosses around the world, and they are difficult to come by. Killing a boss usually requires at least a full party of adventurers, and the gear the boss drops isn¡¯t even guaranteed to be anything useful for the ones who actually killed it. The exception in my case is that this boss is part of a special class quest, which means the loot will always be relevant to my class. It¡¯s a pity there is a finite amount of these types of quests, and I¡¯m really happy that I managed to pull through to the end. Hell, I haven¡¯t even received my class-unique item yet! I can¡¯t wait to see what it is. I equip my new sword and set aside the armor for Cobra. Pocketing the gold coins, I make note of the total amount of coins in my inventory. Three hundred and twenty-two gold coins, four silver, and five copper coins. It¡¯s by no means a low number, but if I consider the huge cash influx I got from Anna, Greg, and Kevin, then the numbers paint a completely different picture. If I had only relied on my own ability to gather gold, then I should have struggled way more than I already am. Subtracting the gold given to me, I¡¯m left with little over two gold to my name. Two gold coins. That¡¯s two euros. Not a very good payoff after over a week with constant gaming, is it? This puts me in a really awkward predicament. My dream is to try and live off of this game, but it¡¯s not a very cheap thing to do. Everything I do ingame costs gold, and there are limited ways to earn gold without needing to add money from the real world. Being a Thief Lord, I naturally gain gold easier than regular players, but my underlings have a really steep upkeep associated with them. Granted, I have managed to accumulate a lot of ingame wealth through items, but ingame items won¡¯t put food on the table. Back in the real world, I live a pretty spartan lifestyle. The game subscription alone costs about three hundred euros per month. Adding that to my monthly rent and appliances of around three hundred euros, as well as another hundred euros set aside for food and other necessities, my monthly budget is around seven hundred euros per month. That means I need to gather at least seven hundred gold ingame per month plus taxes to afford to live off this game. When I¡¯ve only managed to scrounge together two euro after an entire week, I¡¯m really starting to worry. I only have enough savings in my bank account to pay for this month¡¯s upkeep until I run out, and I¡¯m starting to fear I won¡¯t reach my own deadline if I don¡¯t make any drastic changes to my gaming style. The good thing is that my underlings are all fully geared, and I have a decent stockpile of spare weapons and armor now. This should limit my expenses in the near future, but it¡¯s not enough. I also haven¡¯t forgotten about the large stash of crafting materials my Necromancer hid deep inside the forest, but I¡¯m in no condition to venture out and retrieve it yet. Those items alone should be enough to keep me going for at least a month. I also have my rainy day fund, which is the skill book I found, but I¡¯d rather not sell it. Skill books are valuable, and I look upon it more like an investment into the future rather than an immediate source of income. I sigh. I have a lot of problems hanging above me, but there isn¡¯t much I can do about it right now. My main priority should be to grow stronger, and I won¡¯t do that if I spend all my time worrying. I should just wrap things up here and go see Ulf. But first of all, I need to finish killing the reinforcements and check the area for any more hidden loot. I¡¯m strapped for cash, so I should pillage anything that isn¡¯t nailed to the ground. I get back on my feet and head over to loot the two dead elite Thugs. I¡¯m pleased to see they both dropped a set of armor each as well as a single shortsword, but the four gold coins they dropped probably brings me the most amount of joy for some odd reason. I chuckle a little at the thought that I¡¯m a very economically responsible thief. I¡¯m about to head over to the room the boss appeared from when a thought of caution strikes me. This is a thieves den after all. I should probably be cautious about traps. Also, I¡¯m a bit unwilling to head deeper into the compound without first clearing out the enemies behind us.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Therefore, I get to work preparing to root out the remaining enemies. I decide to place a triple charged GoD trap above the rightmost door. I estimate there are about three enemies on the other side of the door based on the amount of yelling and cursing I hear. The problem is that I have no idea if the enemies are of the regular kind, the elite kind, or a mixture between the two. I only have four of my underlings left alive, so I can¡¯t afford to take any chances. These traps aren¡¯t that expensive, but they still take a fair amount of time to create. After securing the trap above the door, I have my underlings start removing the crates. After the final crate is moved away, the door bursts open and three enemies run into an inferno of pain. The lead Thug takes a full blast of oil enhanced fire to the face, quickly reducing him to a screaming mess on the floor. The two Cutthroats that follow fare little better as my underlings descend upon them. The enemies were all of the normal types, so they aren¡¯t able to put up much of a fight against my underlings. I take particular note of Cobra. After donning his new gear, I notice a remarkable boost to his performance during combat. His movements are noticeably faster, and his blows shave off a decent chunk of the enemy¡¯s health pool with every hit. The whole encounter ends in an overwhelming victory after only half a minute. The battle at the leftmost door goes about in a very similar way as the first. This door holds a regular Thug and two Prowlers behind it, and the three falls even quicker than the three former. This is not only because of my cautious use of GoD traps, but also because Prowlers are ludicrously weak when you engage them in close quarters. The two battles are a resounding success, and I grin with satisfaction as I gain another two gold coins, as well as a set of Light and Shadowed armor on top of another crossbow and dagger. Not a bad haul at all. I have to say though. Even though the reinforcements weren¡¯t exactly powerful, they would still have slaughtered us if they had shown up during the main battle with the boss. No matter how you look at it, the sheer number of enemies would have made that fight unbeatable, no matter how good my gear would have been. There is little to suggest that anyone else would have had the foresight to block off the side passages, and it was only dumb luck that I decided to play it extra cautiously this time around. I suppose this quest set me up to fail, possibly to teach me some sort of lesson or something. I could always have respawned my underlings and tried again, but that would definitely cost me a whole lot of gold I don¡¯t have. I may have gotten lucky this time, but I¡¯ll make sure to take the lesson to heart. It is what it is though, and I won¡¯t turn down the spoils of war even if I technically weren¡¯t supposed to survive. I¡¯ve already gained an incredible amount of powerful and valuable loot, and I don¡¯t consider myself done quite yet either. Scouting deeper into both of the side passages, I don¡¯t come upon any more enemies. The entire complex appears to be a fully equipped thieves den which should be capable of supporting an entire organisation of evildoers. The passage to the left contains a rather large hall with a bunch of dummies, bales of hay with a red target painted on them, as well as what looks like an obstacle course. It doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that this is a training hall, and I find a small room at the back with a sturdy door which I can only assume is an armory. I have my underlings go over the two rooms, but sadly, there isn¡¯t any loot to procure. Heading back to the first hall, I quickly make my way over to the door on the right. It opens up into a small hallway with half a dozen mid-sized rooms attached to it. One is a kitchen, while another is an empty storage room. The remaining four rooms appear to be different types of crafting stations, the types of equipment and furniture giving their functions away. I ponder for a moment on why they would need this many crafting stations, but doing some quick mental calculations informs me that it really makes sense. I¡¯ve been wondering about the purpose of this exact quest for a while and how it seems to coincide with the whole subject of being a Villain. This place is a perfectly created secret base, which is something any self-respecting Villain ought to have. Hell, every Villain has an ability that addresses this issue. One of the things that make Villains unique is the possibility of establishing a [Hideout] or a [Lair], depending on their class. Reading online, I already know that each Villain can create a single Hideout or Lair every fifty levels. Hideouts are areas that are considered safe zones for my underlings which grants a few local buffs and offers a few customizable options. When I played as a Necromancer, I made a Lair inside a cave I found deep inside a forest. This offered me the possibility of customizing the cave, like creating a sturdy door as well as furniture, but nothing truly massive. The cave also offered a few basic buffs for my summoned minions, like a small boost to restoration and their combat abilities. The ability was nice to have, but I never really considered it too powerful as the gains were really small compared to my needs. That was before I came upon this quest though. I always suspected I was missing something, and since no Villain to my knowledge ever stumbled upon any class-quests, then I think I just managed to break the mystery wide open. This quest is pretty much handing me a fully-equipped location for me to use as a Hideout. It fits like a hand in a glove. This place is supposed to be my new base of operations. The fact that Alzahr dropped a soulbound master key only further cements my suspicions. Looking around the different rooms, I notice a few pieces of equipment that only confirms my thoughts. There¡¯s an alchemy lab in one of the rooms, a workshop fit for an engineer in another, the third has a whole bunch of magical contraptions I understand nothing about, while the fourth is completely empty. Remembering the different types of Specialists I can recruit, I can only imagine three of the crafting stations are for the Poisoner, the Enchanter, and the Tinkerer, while the storage room is probably for my Fence. The final crafting station puzzles me for a moment, until I facepalm. That one is obviously for me. This is awesome though. The place is perfect for me to settle down. The building itself is very inconspicuous, and the hidden entrance to this hideout was masterfully concealed. It would take a miracle for any players to find me down here unless I really fuck up, and I can finally have a place where I can store my ill-begotten gains without risking losing everything due to some overly curious player randomly stumbling upon my hidden cache. With this place, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about my character every time I log out of the game for a few hours, and I will save a small fortune when it comes to renting rooms at various inns. Oh, god. The grief I could have saved myself if I managed to find the equivalent class quest for my Necromancer. Hell, I would probably still be playing on him if I knew about this back then. Finding out about these quests and this place alone justifies my decision to reroll into a new character. Walking back to the main hall, or should I say prancing, I set my eyes upon the final door. I consciously saved the best room for last, and I can only imagine the final room is just for me. A place for me to rest, and hopefully, some sort of secret vault stashed with all kinds of goodies. I¡¯m starting to drool at just the thought alone. As with both the side passages, I first send my two Cutthroats ahead to scout and locate any potential traps. They quickly return, giving me the thumbs up that it¡¯s safe to enter. I quickly make my way through the door and I soon find myself inside a rather spacious living quarters. The room is perfectly square, with more furniture than I think I have ever seen in a randomly generated building. There¡¯s a large and luxurious bed propped up against the back wall with a nightstand decorated with a golden candlelight holder beside it. At the center of the room, a large oak desk is placed facing the door. An equally luxurious padded oak chair is resting behind it, and the walls are covered with either tall closets or expensive-looking paintings. The floor is covered by a thick rug, and there are two rather large golden oil lamps hanging on either side of the room. One could say that this room is fit for a king. A rather poor king. Or maybe a merchant? A merchant of mediocre standing perhaps... Anyway, that¡¯s beside the point. I can really picture myself at home here. Grinning, I open up my status page and locate the one ability I never thought I¡¯d be so happy to use. ¡°Establish Hideout!¡± Chapter 48 – Curiosity Killed the Thief Chapter 48 ¨C Curiosity Killed the Thief A sort of magical pressure permeates the room for a few seconds, causing a slight tingle to crawl up my spine. The feeling disappears as quickly as it arrived and it signals that the compound has successfully been transformed into my very own Hideout. A grin spreads across my face as I take in the feeling of owning my very own secret lair. Just like what I¡¯ve dreamt about since I was a kid. This will be really helpful in the following months, and I can¡¯t wait to see how I can develop the Hideout with the help of the Silver Saints. I just have a feeling the Saints and my class is connected somehow, you know? That¡¯s video game logic for you in a nutshell. I¡¯m so excited, I nearly forget to do the one thing I came here for, which obviously is to tear the room apart, looking for any hidden loot. Anyone can tell you that a secret lair always needs to have a secret vault or compartment filled with epic loot. It¡¯s common knowledge after all. I have my underlings scour the room from top to bottom, carefully scrutinizing everything from the simple furniture to the smallest of cracks in the cobbled stone wall. Everything gets looked over at least twice; sort of like Santa¡¯s list. The first thing of interest I come across is a fun little surprise attached to the bottom of the oak desk at the center of the room. Really, it¡¯s super badass! There¡¯s literally a crossbow concealed beneath the desk, aimed at the door. How gangster is that? I love it! If it hadn¡¯t been because the crossbow is better than most of the gear my underlings use, I would have left it where it is. [Customized Crossbow. Uncommon. 34-38 Piercing Damage, +5 Dexterity, +3 Perception. Requires: Level 10.] While my underlings keep searching, I spend a few minutes trying to attach one of the low-level crossbows I picked up earlier to the desk, but I¡¯m unable to attach it to the premade fittings. Apparently, the crossbow itself must be customized to be attached to it, and I lack the necessary skills for the job. I have to admit, I am more than a little disappointed about that fact. We¡¯ve already pilfered through the room for ten minutes, and I¡¯m getting a little worried the room lacks any sort of safe or hidden compartment. Apart from the crossbow, the only other thing we¡¯ve come across is another one of the numbered paintings that seem to appear in most of my jobs. I frown. I refuse to believe the game developers would add a secret underground lair without adding a single hidden compartment. That¡¯s just completely irresponsible of them. I¡¯m of half a mind to write an angry letter to customers support when a small wooden click resounds from next to the bed. Swiftly turning towards the sudden noise, my eyes go wide in anticipation as I watch a secret panel behind the nightstand swing outwards, revealing a sturdy iron safe behind. Jackpot! I quickly make my way over to the safe, carefully eyeing the contraption that hid it. The safe was hidden behind a thin panel, perfectly camouflaged to look like the cobbled stone wall around it. I spot a few hinges attached to one side of the panel, while the other side has a small indenture, which is probably what keeps the panel locked and in place. There¡¯s no visible handle or crack in the wall for anyone to easily open the panel, and I have to send my Cutthroat a questioning glance until he points to a small button hidden at the roof of the bottom drawer in the nightstand. Wow. That¡¯s both incredibly cool and insanely cliche at the same time. It¡¯s definitely effective though. It¡¯s impossible to spot with your eyes, and the button is small enough to easily be overlooked by someone who doesn¡¯t know what to look for. It almost makes me wonder how the Cutthroat found it in the first place, but I guess that doesn¡¯t matter. He found it, and whatever this safe may contain, I¡¯m certain it¡¯s valuable! Rubbing my hands with a greedy grin on my face, I order my Cutthroat to start picking the lock. The safe looks incredibly sturdy, and I would hate for it to be of such a high level that my Cutthroat will be unable to pick the lock. I¡¯m an optimist, however, and I settle in on the bed, carefully eyeing his progression as he works. He sits still working for what feels like an eternity but is probably more like fifteen minutes. My excitement is starting to slightly wane when a loud and final click resounds from the safe, signalling that my Cutthroat was successful. ¡°Finally¡± I grin, jumping out of the bed. I kneel down next to the safe, putting my hand on the cold iron handle. Oh, the sweet ecstasy of getting the loot. My underlings pile around me, trying to get a glimpse of whatever treasure is concealed behind. It¡¯s almost a little funny, really. Even computer programs are capable of showing this level of curiosity. Well, they have certainly earned it. They are the ones who bled for this after all. Cobra most of all. ¡­ Huh. Perhaps it would be a nice gesture of me to let him get the honor of opening the safe? He certainly earned it, and I really want to show my appreciation in some way. Do you know what? What the hell. I¡¯ll let him do it. ¡°You fought well today, Cobra. Would you like to have the honor of getting the first look at the loot?¡± I say, grinning at my Lieutenant. Cobra¡¯s eyes go slightly wide, seemingly lost for words. Smiling, I slide over to the side, gesturing for him to open it. Seeing this, Cobra guffaws. ¡°Thanks, boss! Don¡¯t mind if I do!¡± He laughs, dropping down in front of the safe, putting his hand on the iron handle. Looking over both shoulders, he grins. ¡°Gather around, boys! Allow this humble ruffian to show you boys the fruits of our hard-won-¡± Cobra opens the door in the middle of his sentence, pulling the door open. His voice is cut abruptly short when the door swings fully open, and a powerful magical blast shoots outwards, hitting Cobra in the middle of his chest. The powerful force flings him and two of my underlings backwards, and they all slam into the wall at the other side of the room. Being at the side of the safe, I avoid the majority of the blast, but I¡¯m still knocked backwards, slamming my head into the frame of the bed. [You take 113 Blunt Damage.] [You are Stunned. Speed reduced by 80% for two minutes. Vision reduced by 90% for two minutes.] [You have a Cracked Skull. Intelligence reduced by 50% for ten minutes.] [Your underling (Human Elite Thug - Cobra(10)) has died to Enhanced Force Trap.] [Your underling (Half-Orc Thug(10)) has died to Enhanced Force Trap.] [Your underling (Gnome Cutthroat(10)) has died to Enhanced Force Trap.] I cough up a mouthful of blood as my head starts spinning. What the hell just happened? I blink, looking at the blurry room ahead of me. It takes a few seconds for me to read and comprehend the messages in front of me, and when it finally sinks in, I allow my body to slump together. What the hell was up with that trap!? It killed three of my underlings, one of them an elite Lieutenant with five hundred and fifty health points!? Who the hell adds that kind of trap into a quest for level ten players!? I can feel my blood pulsing through my head as I try to suppress my budding anger. That was totally fucking uncalled for. We had no fucking way of spotting that kind of trap. What are the developers thinking, adding that kind of shit in there? If I had died, then that could have been game over for my character. That¡¯s foul play right there. Not cool. I sit still and mutter a select few curses for a while, waiting for my crippling debuffs to pass. My vision is completely blurry, but I can spot movement from the other side of the safe. Right. It seems like my second Cutthroat managed to pull through, all the good that does me right now.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The minutes pass by excruciatingly slow, and I¡¯m finally able to move around without feeling like a drunk toddler. I throw a quick glance over towards my fallen underlings, cursing thrice more due to their unfair demise. I¡¯m glad that I can secure all their gear, but their deaths were still a complete waste, and resurrecting them will only burden my already strained coin purse. My Cutthroat managed to pull through the blast, being on the opposite side of the safe. It seems like he received a larger portion of the blast than me as his health points are almost down in the single digits. With a grunt, I order him to loot the bodies of his comrades while I check the safe. My good mood is already broken, and I¡¯ll be really pissed off if there is anything less than a twenty-kilo gold nugget inside the safe. I shove my way over towards the open safe, peering into the dark interior. Furrowing my brows, I notice two dusty tomes as well as a couple of linen pouches. ¡°Seriously?¡± I spit. ¡°What the hell kind of crap is this?¡± I curse as I pull out the four objects with a little more force than necessary. When I finally get them out and into the light, I take a closer look at my ¡®so-called¡¯ price. 2x [Basic Skill Book: Luck. Rare. Increases a Luck-based skill to Novice 10. Requires: Unlocked Luck skill between Novice 1 and Novice 9, Level 5.] [Small Gem Pouch.] [59 Gold, 8 Silver, 2 Copper.] ¡­ .. . *Drip* A single drop of blood drips from my nose as my brain tries to process the information in front of me. ¡­ *Drip* HOLY MOTHER OF SANTA¡¯S FORGOTTEN OLD GRANDMA! Is this for real!? These items¡­ Oh my god. They are worth a fortune! A god-blessed fortune! How the hell is this possible!? I sit still for an unknown amount of seconds, my mouth gaping at the immense wealth before me. This doesn¡¯t make sense. How can there be so many valuable items in this low-level quest? Are the developers for real? The sheer value of the items in this vault alone is almost enough to pay for the game subscription for an entire month. Does every Thief Lord get access to this kind of treasure, or am I just special? Did I find a secret compartment I wasn¡¯t supposed to find? Granted, it took me a hell of a lot of time to find it, but still. If every Villain who performs this job gets these kinds of rewards, then that could completely break the system. People could just infinitely level their characters to level ten, finish the class quest and sell the loot they found in the secret compartment, all in order to delete their character, roll a new one and do the whole thing over again. A professional money grinder could probably manage to level to ten two, possibly three times during a month if he played for roughly fifteen hours per day. More if he got help. That should net him around eight to twelve hundred gold. Huh. Maybe that¡¯s not a very lucrative job after all. Still, though. For someone living in a poor country, this would be an infinite gold loop. Maybe less if the price of skill books drop in the future? The developers have got to see this flaw, won¡¯t they? Perhaps. It doesn¡¯t sound very tempting to try though. It sounds like the shittiest kind of job ever. I wouldn¡¯t last a month doing that. No, there has got to be a catch somewhere. There is no way the developers would allow this kind of economic imbalance. Or do they? These are all sellable items, which means the majority of the gold the player makes comes from other people who are willing to buy them. If anyone would try to do this kind of grind, then the gold they earn would primarily come from other players who probably invest real money into the game. And since the game company takes a small cut out of every transaction on the auction house and from people who convert real-life money to ingame gold, then they are looking at a steady increase in the revenue from all sales. Cheeky bastards! First, they kill my underlings, and then they want to profit from it? Those brilliant assholes! Shaking my head, I take a better look at the safe in front of me. [Customized Iron Safe. Uncommon. Container. Lock quality: Poor. Trap: None. 50 Slots. Permanent Item.] Hmm. It seems like ownership of the container transferred to me the moment we opened it, which is a good thing. I could really use a proper storage container, and this little beauty will do just fine. The safe differs a bit from the jewelry box I obtained earlier, where the safe is not only bigger, but it also has an attached lock as well as the possibility of attaching a trap to it. It¡¯s a pity the trap seems to be single-use, or else I could probably be guaranteed to kill whoever had the balls to steal from me, but at least it¡¯s something. Well, since the safe is now mine, I suppose I should just put the majority of my valuables inside. They¡¯re safer in there than in my pocket I guess. The safe is large, but it¡¯s not too large. I should therefore put all the spare armor and weapons into the armory I found earlier. Rooms like armories and storage rooms can serve the same function as regular storage containers, but only if they are part of an owned building like a personal home or guildhall, or in my case, a Hideout. It¡¯s a neat little feature, and only stresses the importance of having a place to call my own. Taking a few minutes to fill up both the safe and my armory with all the contents of my inventory, I feel ready to head back out and see Ulf. I only bring about twenty gold to do a little shopping for new ingredients and schematics. I really ran my reserves dry during this quest, but I¡¯m not really in any position to complain. The benefits sure as hell dwarfed my expenditures. My only remaining underling and I depart my recently acquired Hideout, taking extra care to conceal the entrance to the underground passage as well as locking the tavern up above. Unfortunately, it seems like Cobra completely broke the back door, and we need to figure out a way to lock it up. Since neither of us has any skill in carpentry, we use the time tested strategy of stacking a bunch of crates in front of it. Luckily, Alzahr dropped a key to the front door, so we won¡¯t have to worry about burying the entire building behind a stack of crates quite yet. The trek back towards Ulf¡¯s store doesn¡¯t take too long, and I only take a moment to swing by a tavern to resurrect all my underlings. From experience, I know that my underlings who participated in the job or quest share in the experience reward. The seven dead underlings may have lost half a level worth of experience when they died, but the one thousand reward from this quest should put them well on their way to catch up to me, and that¡¯s not even counting the bonus they get from my Mentor skill. After sending my underlings back toward our new Hideout, I enter Ulf¡¯s store by myself. I¡¯ve already realised there is no point for me to walk around with an escort as I most likely won¡¯t be able to hide my identity for long if I¡¯m discovered by any players anyway. I¡¯ve already out leveled the majority of the randomly spawned criminals who roam the back alleys. As I enter the empty store, Ulf gives me a quick glance before his head disappears below the tall counter. The dwarf immediately darts out from behind it, running towards the entrance to lock it tight. I¡¯m starting to get used to the secrecy and eccentricity of the Silver Saints, so I stand quietly and watch until he¡¯s done. When Ulf is finally satisfied that no one was following me, he turns towards me. ¡°Well?¡± He says, frowning. ¡°Well, what?¡± ¡°How did it go ya dimwit!¡± He muffles his shout, glaring at me. ¡°Ah.¡± I let out a grin. ¡°Alzahr and his entire organisation are dead, as per your order.¡± Squinting at me, Ulf soon lets his shoulders drop. ¡°Good work, boy. I hafta¡¯ admit. I didn¡¯ like ya chances.¡± I raise my eyebrows. ¡°Uhm, I have to ask. How do you know I¡¯m not lying? Don¡¯t you need any proof?¡± I ask. Really; NPCs can¡¯t be this naive, can they? ¡°Tssk.¡± He snorts. ¡°Of course I know ya ain¡¯ lying, boy. Ya think I¡¯m stupid? Every merchant that¡¯s worth a dime has the skill ¡®Detect Lies¡¯.¡± Huh. I didn¡¯t know that. I guess that¡¯s what happens when I play a class that hardly ever interacts with NPCs. I miss blatantly obvious information. ¡°So, I guess ya want ya reward now, huh?¡± He grunts, rummaging through his pockets. ¡°Ah, here it is. Catch!¡± He picks up a small item from his pocket and throws it towards me. I catch it without fumbling, which is a huge step up for me. I guess the bonuses I¡¯ve gained to Dexterity is finally starting to pay off. Before I can inspect the item, a notification lights up my view. The Class-Quest: Syndicate Slaughter is Successful! A Thief Lord has enemies at every corner, constantly challenging your authority. Since you seem to have a knack for overwhelming violence, your methods have grown to a level where you can suppress your enemies rather than having a need to outwit them. Keep going, Thief Lord, your path has only begun! Rewards: 1000 Experience, (1) Class-Unique Item, (17) Pieces of Equipment, (5) Miscellaneous Items, 95 Gold, 5 Silver, 8 Copper. [Congratulations! You have reached level 11!] [You have gained 3 free Attribute Points and 1 Skill Point!] My grin threatens to split my face in two as I read the notification. Wow. I didn¡¯t even realise how many items I managed to loot during this quest. These numbers are huge! Hell, I even reached level eleven. This day just keeps getting better, and I haven¡¯t even checked to see what my class-unique item is. With great anticipation, I inspect the small object in my hand. Thief Lord¡¯s Signet Ring. Class-Unique. Per (5) level gain: +3 Charisma, +3 Luck. Soulbound. Special: Once every 10 hours, completely block any attempt to uncover the Thief Lord¡¯s identity for 10 minutes. This feature is automatically triggered upon the first attempt. ¡­ What the hell! I can¡¯t use this! Chapter 49 – A New Path Chapter 49 ¨C A New Path My lungs deflate as I stare emptily at the ring in my hand. Really, it¡¯s an insanely powerful item. One that I will most likely keep for as long as I play the game, but I just can¡¯t help but feel disappointed. The whole reason I went through this quest was because I needed a special ability to help me defeat the Plaguebringer. It may have been naive of me to think the game would offer me such a convenient way to overcome my troubles, but the timing of the quest just felt too perfect. I suppose it¡¯s my own fault for treating this too much like a single player game where there is always a readily accessible solution within reach. The reality, however, is always a lot harsher. ¡­ I just really thought this would be the answer. I sigh. So, what is my play from here? I sort of put all my eggs into the hail-mary basket on this one. There are several things I could attempt, of course, but none of them have any high chance of succeeding. Fighting the Plaguebringer is a certain death sentence and I don¡¯t really have high hopes of baiting him into a trap. Not even a ten-times overcharged GoD trap would be able to create a noticeable dent in such a high-level character¡¯s health bar. My only realistic options to solve this problem is to either stick my head in the sand and allow this guy to murder half the NPCs in the city, or tell Anna that the sewers are no longer a secret, effectively surrendering my personal hunting grounds. I don¡¯t want to choose either option, but when it comes down to it, I suppose the latter is the preferable one. Turning the city on its head will introduce an element of chaos, and I¡¯m not sure what the repercussions will be. I also don¡¯t want a pissed off high-level Plaguebringer on the loose. Nah, fuck that guy. I¡¯d rather take him down out of sheer spite than allow him to succeed. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I release a deep breath. Damnit. How did it come to this? I¡¯ve become so reliant on the sewers, I really can¡¯t imagine proceeding without it. I need to come up with a way to grind levels without going down there. Sure, I could still use them, but then I would need to expect to run across the occasional player every now and then. Sooner or later, that would result in my death. I sigh once more before I shake my head. There¡¯s no need to worry about that right now. I¡¯ll come up with something. I always do. Right now though, I could really use a break. Maybe go for a run. It¡¯s been some really hectic days lately and I¡¯m mentally exhausted. First of all, though, I need to finish what I started. I need to notify Anna. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Hey, Anna. How are you doing?] The response comes almost immediately. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Hey Ryan! *grin* I¡¯m doing great! Just wrapping up a quest and then I¡¯ll head back to town with the gang. How¡¯s it going with you? *winkyface* I was afraid my sister scared you off the other night (lol).] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Haha. I¡¯m good. Your sister looks like a handful, but I can tell she cares a lot about you. You are lucky to have her.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Tssk. Yeah, I know. But she can be a little bit too much sometimes... Anyways, you want to meet up later? We¡¯ll be back in town in around two hours. The gang really wants to meet you, you know (Since Brian can¡¯t seem to keep his big fat mouth shut for a single second). Wanna join us? Drinks are on Brian!] I smile while shaking my head. That girl is just way too optimistic and carefree. She¡¯s a lunatic, but at least she¡¯s a nice lunatic. She deserves to be treated better though. I still feel kind of rotten for just stringing her along with a lie. She¡¯s been nothing but nice to me, even giving me a few gold coins when I just started. Hmm. Yeah, I should probably pay her back. It just sucks that gold is so damn sparse around here though, and I have that damn Plaguebringer to blame. He¡¯s really messing with my livelihood here. What¡¯s even more annoying, is that I won¡¯t even get a chance to loot all his valuable ingredients after Anna and her crew kills him. I¡¯m pretty sure they won¡¯t leave behind anything of value. ¡­ Hold on a minute. Why do I have to surrender both my hunting grounds and all his stuff? I may not be able to end the guy by myself, but I sure as hell can rob him blind first. There¡¯s only one of him and nearly a dozen of me. Robbing him shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Hell, if everything works out all right, I might even be able to disrupt his entire plan! I¡¯ve watched enough cartoons in my life to know that sensitive magical concoctions tend to blow up once you add the wrong ingredients. Shouldn¡¯t that be possible here as well? I don¡¯t see why not. I only need to separate the Plaguebringer from his Cauldron for a few minutes. Should be easy enough, right? [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Yeah, I can probably meet you guys. I came upon a lovely little restaurant around the southeastern corner of the Market District. Do you know it?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Uhm, no. But we¡¯ll find it, no problem. We meet up at 5 AM then?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Sounds lovely. I¡¯ll see you there.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: It¡¯s a date! *grin*] Hehe. My plan is coming together. I don¡¯t really know if there is a restaurant around that area, but there probably is one. The Market District is crawling with them, and I¡¯ll be really surprised if there isn¡¯t one nearby. The main reason I want them at this particular location is because the sewers¡¯ entrance that¡¯s closest to the Plaguebringer¡¯s lair is in that general area. If things go to hell during my little heist, then I¡¯d rather have the punishing-squad close enough to bail me out on a moment¡¯s notice. But damn, I only have two hours. I really need to make this count. I have a lot of preparations and planning to do. First of all, I have to- My thoughts are interrupted by Ulf who clears his throat with exaggerated vigor. Oh, shit. I completely forgot I was still in his shop. ¡°If ya are done zoning out, boy, then I¡¯d like ya ta leave my store. Ya are interrupting ma business.¡± He grunts, scowling at me. ¡°Ah, shit. Sorry about that. I¡¯ll leave.¡± I say, nodding curtly and start making my way towards the door. Before I can reach for the handle, Ulf grunts once more. ¡°Tha organisation really appreciates ya assistance with this matter, boy. I was told to inform ya tha we will contact ya in a few days ta have a little talk with ya.¡± ¡°Huh, what? Meet me?¡± I ask, raising my eyebrows.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Yes. Now get ya arse out of here. I have customers waiting.¡± With that, Ulf shoos me out the door and slams the door shut behind me. Blinking with a dumbfounded expression on my face, I move my head slowly from right to left, looking up and down the street. ¡°What customers?¡± ---------- The next hour goes by in a flash. I spent a few minutes pondering what Ulf meant about ¡®a meeting¡¯, but I ended up just postponing that particular headache to a later date. If it¡¯s about the Silver Saints, then it¡¯s probably nothing too dangerous. Hopefully. To prepare for my daring heist, I start by heading north to the Crafter¡¯s District to pick up a couple new schematics. I can probably make due for another while with the basic schematics I already have, but more powerful schematics will lead to more powerful traps, which is exactly what I will need in the near future. I also swing by an alchemist shop on the way back, purchasing an assortment of oils and potions that I already know will be effective for what I¡¯m about to attempt. Utilizing traps have become the lynchpin of the majority of my battles so far and I would be wise to keep practicing my craft. I have a million things to organise, so it almost feels like a godsend that I managed to acquire myself a fully functioning secret lair. Gathering my resources in a secure place is never a bad idea, and I can shave valuable minutes off my preparations this way. On my way back from my shopping spree, I decide to visit the inn to cancel my rent agreement as well as picking up my Poisoner and all the valuable resources I left behind. I have to say, I¡¯m rather happy that I will no longer have to rely on using inns as a safe zone. They are definitely not secure areas, and I risk losing everything I¡¯ve stored in there if I delete my character or forget to pay rent. Securing everything in a hidden location that I own is going to relieve me of most of my fears. Safely tucked away in my Hideout, I start producing as many glue traps as I can. They are the most effective traps I can use during the mission and I will certainly need a lot of them. I¡¯m not going to try out any of my new schematics as of yet since I don¡¯t really have time to experiment with something new, but it will definitely come in handy sooner rather than later. I also throw out a few quick orders to Cobra while I work. Since this is a mission where speed and deception is priority number one, I decide to have my underlings only equip basic equipment. The chance of my underlings dying is high, and I don¡¯t plan on doing any actual combat. I¡¯d rather get the mission over with as quickly as possible without risking my most expensive stuff. While I work, I spend a lot of time considering what to do with my recent level up. With my recent epiphany about the glaring faults in my combat strategy, I¡¯ve been spending a considerable amount of time trying to think of the best way to develop my character going forward. I threw my strategy of creating a powerful and balanced fighting force right out the window, and I now need to figure out how to fight as unfairly as possible. Focusing on using traps is a good start, but the majority of my fights always come down to my underlings in the end. I regret recruiting this many Thugs, but that¡¯s a minor worry. Sooner or later I would have needed more of them anyway. It¡¯s never too late to change tactics. Gaining the new sword and ring has positively affected my stats, and I have gained a considerable amount of Charisma and Luck. I already have enough points to recruit another underling, and I¡¯m only three points shy of getting a second. I know I had decided to invest most of my future points into Luck, but it¡¯s hard for me to prioritize buffing my skills when I can gain two more underlings in one go. I should also consider putting a few points into Endurance since I¡¯ve had a few close calls lately. In the end, though, pragmatism triumphs and I dump all three of my new attribute points into Charisma, raising the stat to sixty-five. Making these kinds of decisions are not easy, and my next one isn¡¯t getting any easier. Allocating my attribute points is child''s play compared to allocating my newest skill point. There are still so many skills I would like to get, and my recent change in tactics only further stirs the pot. Initially, I was planning on capping out all my essential class skills as they are remarkably more powerful than anything else available. Now though, the picture has become a bit more unclear. Considering my recent change in tactics, development paths I had previously discarded as unnecessary now look much more appealing. While I am perfectly content on taking a back seat during all our engagements, I still wish I could do more. Throwing out a few Illusion spells only gets me so far, and I should really think about expanding my spell repertoire. There are several different lesser schools of magic that are available to me, and I do have a few interesting ideas. Sadly, none of them are achievable for me with only a single skill point. I do, however, know where I will focus my future efforts. Right now though, I should probably pick up a few more essential class abilities. I bring up a list of all the Thief Lord basic abilities I have yet to acquire. Gang Up - Gain increased damage when fighting 3 to 1 by 0,5 Luck + 0,5 * Skill level. Bail ¨C All troops escape and evade. Evasion increases by 1% * Skill level, Movement speed moving away from enemies increases by 2% * Skill level. Duration 30 seconds + 0,5 seconds per Skill level. Cooldown 60 min - 15 seconds per Skill level. Rush ¨C Increases movement speed by 0,2 Luck + 0,2 * Skill level percent for 30 seconds + 0,5 seconds per Skill level. Cooldown 20 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Disarm ¨C Makes Underlings disarm an opponent. Chance of success: 0,5 Luck + 0,2 * Skill level per Underling. Stackable. Cooldown: 5 minutes - 5 seconds per Skill level. Bountiful ¨C Increases yield of successful jobs by 0,5 Luck + 0,5% * Skill level. Incite Crowd ¨C Causes NPC¡¯s to actively distract and obstruct enemies for 0,1 Charisma seconds + 0,1 seconds per Skill level. Cooldown 60 minutes - 15 seconds per Skill level. Cheat Death - Upon taking fatal damage, clear all status effects and turn invulnerable for 0,1 seconds per 0,5 Luck and instantly heal for Luck + 5 * Skill level. Cooldown: 24 hours - 5 minutes per Skill level. I once again take in the raw power of a Villain¡¯s arsenal. These abilities only appear more powerful every time I see them. They are all-powerful in their own way, and selecting just one of them is incredibly tough. If this had been the me of yesterday choosing, I would probably select ¡®Cheat Death¡¯ in a heartbeat. I¡¯ve been putting it off for far too long already. The problem is, there are so many other appealing options. Both ¡®Bountiful¡¯, ¡®Cheat Death¡¯, and ¡®Incite Crowd¡¯ are all good options, but they are either not immediately helpful, or too situational dependent to be of much use. Especially in the short term. No, I have to stay true to my choice. I want to fight like a coward and to do that, I need mobility. Both ¡®Rush¡¯ and ¡®Bail¡¯ have great potential, whereas ¡®Bail¡¯ is more overly powerful, while ¡®Rush¡¯ is more flexible. The decision is tough, but I ultimately decide to pick up ¡®Rush¡¯. The ability to run away is highly valuable, but running after someone can sometimes be just as important. Yeah, I know. My arguments for not choosing ¡®Cheat Death¡¯ for the umptenth time are growing thinner by the second. I have a skill book now, so the skill finally has some good merits. The problem is that I always end up having a more immediate need for something else. Surviving a deadly strike means little if I can¡¯t escape afterwards. I have a lot of skills geared towards defending myself, almost all of them more versatile than ¡®Cheat Death¡¯. My philosophy is that only a really powerful enemy are capable of one-shotting me, and ¡®Cheat Death¡¯ wouldn¡¯t be enough to survive against a high-level player if I were to meet one without a way to get away afterwards. High-level players are faster than me. I know I will get more value out of choosing ¡®Rush¡¯. I promise myself that no matter what, my next skill chosen will be ¡®Cheat Death¡¯. Cross my heart and hope to die. I rub my temples as exhaustion is starting to set in. Really, I shouldn¡¯t be making these kinds of decisions right now. It¡¯s amazing I can even manage to finish assembling these traps. My exhaustion is so severe, I even had to start making all the individual parts of the trap separately which I¡¯m sure would have caused Odin to pop a blood vessel if he ever found out. Just one more hour and all this will hopefully be over. Chapter 50 – Stuck! Chapter 50 ¨C Stuck! ¡°Hey, cous! This grind is boring as shit. How about we take a break for a couple of hours?¡± Kevin yawns, stretching his arms above his head. Squinting his eyes at Kevin, Greg frowns. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that shit. We just reached level ten, and Aria demands we reach level thirteen by the end of the week.¡± ¡°Djeez, we¡¯ll make it even with a short break. Don¡¯t be such a nag.¡± The human paladin sighs. Greg¡¯s jaw clenches as he bites his reply back. It takes every single ounce of willpower he¡¯s got, but he¡¯s managed to keep himself from bitch-slapping that brat for two weeks now. ¡°We don¡¯t have any time. The mobs will only grow stronger from here on out, so our leveling speed will slow down remarkably as soon as we reach level eleven.¡± Kevin groans as he keeps prodding along. ¡°This wouldn¡¯t have happened if you hadn¡¯t given all our gold to that little asshole earlier.¡± He mutters just loud enough for Greg to hear. Greg¡¯s eye twitches as he spins around, glaring at Kevin. ¡°You¡¯re blaming this shit on me!? We wouldn¡¯t have been in this mess in the first place if you hadn¡¯t pissed off the guild leader with your idiocy. Need I remind you that joining the guild was your dream, not mine?¡± ¡°Chill, cous. We¡¯ll get there. We¡¯re the heroes of the guild at the moment. Aria won¡¯t kick us out for taking a little break.¡± ¡°You seriously think we¡¯re the heroes? What the fuck? We¡¯re the god damned jokes of the guild is what we are. If we don¡¯t prove our worth now, we will be marked as the two most incompetent players in the game. We wouldn¡¯t even be invited into casual social guilds. So quit your bitching. We can rest when we reach level thirty.¡± Without waiting for a reply, Greg spins on his heel and stomps onwards. Kevin¡¯s constant whining is starting to get on his nerves, and he¡¯s one stupid comment away from logging off, walking over to his cousin¡¯s house and give this little brat the ass-whooping of his lifetime. ¡°Take care of your cousin, Gregory. It will be fun, Gregory. We¡¯ll pay for your subscription if you¡¯ll play with him, Gregory. Family is important, Gregory.¡± He mutters to himself. His fist clenches as he repeats the words, further souring his own mood. Why does he have to take this crap? He swears. As soon as he makes enough money to pay for his own subscription, he¡¯ll ditch this little dipshit the first chance he gets. Fuck the consequences. The pair travels in silence for a few minutes until they head into an alleyway up ahead. ¡°There should be an entrance to the Harbour District¡¯s sewers around here somewhere. Look for it.¡± Greg grumbles as he heads deeper into the alley. This place is a maze of alleys, and the map they received from the guild is inaccurate at best. One would have thought the guild would bother to properly scout out the entrances to a hidden grinding zone beneath their very own city, but Greg isn¡¯t going to question it. They¡¯re on thin enough ice as it is. He sighs. This grind is boring as hell. The grinding is slow work, and it¡¯s only marginally faster to level this way rather than taking on a fuckload of quests or grinding in a low-level dungeon. This place doesn¡¯t even make any sense. Why would the developers create a leveling zone that doesn¡¯t have any quests associated with it, drops shit equipment, and no named monsters to gain any renown from? There¡¯s nothing to gain down here except experience. Hell, the only reason they are even down here is because all the other leveling zones are stacked full of other players, and this place at least offers a decent amount of monsters to grind for easy experience. If they had to share this place with other players, it wouldn¡¯t even be worth it. The only reason to bother going down here is to level. You certainly won¡¯t get rich or have a great time doing it. ¡°Hey, I found it!¡± Kevin shouts from an adjacent alley. Greg grunts as he heads over towards his voice. It doesn¡¯t take long until he finds his younger cousin crouched over a metal hatch hidden in an alley behind a bakery. ¡°Last chance to take that break!¡± Kevin says lightly while grinning. Greg resists the urge to step on his hand as he wordlessly moves over and starts descending into the sewers. ¡°Tssk, I know you¡¯re a dwarf, cous, and I get that you like roleplaying, but being this grumpy isn¡¯t going to work out for you when we¡¯re picking up ladies later.¡± He chuckles at his own joke. As soon as they¡¯re both at the bottom of the ladder, Greg equips his shield and mace. ¡°Right. According to the guild, there should be zombies and ghouls down here. They have a lot of health points, but our holy magic should give us a decent damage boost while fighting them. We should move carefully, as I doubt our Perception his high enough to spot the traps down here.¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re both paladins, which is basically two kickass undead killing machines. We¡¯ll hardly break a sweat.¡± Kevin laughs as he strolls ahead, pulling out his two-handed hammer as he goes. ¡°Right¡­¡± Greg mumbles while rolling his eyes. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm his already ruined mood before he follows Kevin down the dark tunnel. The pair moves slowly down the corridor, carefully hugging the walls and peeking around every bend in the tunnel. It only takes a couple of minutes, but they soon come upon the first signs of life. Or is it unlife? Whatever. They just passed a t-intersection and are carefully skulking up the tunnel ahead. They can hear some loud moaning sounds from around the bend in the tunnel up ahead, and it sounds exactly like what zombies in this game should sound like according to all the gameplay footage Greg looked up online. It¡¯s annoying that they don¡¯t know how many mobs or what levels they are though. ¡°Okay, listen up. Let¡¯s sneak as quietly as we can up ahead and try to kill one of the zombies in a surprise attack. Zombies move slowly after all, and we should be able to almost kill one of them before the rest can react.¡± Kevin sighs. ¡°They¡¯re only undead, cous. Let¡¯s just charge in and do some smiting, paladin style.¡± He smiles, caressing his large hammer. Greg clenches his jaw, taking a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s just find out how strong they are first. If they¡¯re easy kills, then we¡¯ll do it your way during the next pack. Deal?¡± ¡°Whatever you say, cous. Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± Greg takes point and slowly makes his way down the dark tunnel. He takes extra care not to rustle his chainmail armor too much, not that it matters. This is still a game, and some things just don¡¯t follow real-life physics as we know them. Players wearing heavy armor were never meant to be the quiet types. Hugging the wall, he slowly inches his way forward. He soon finds himself peeking around the corner. There are three shapes ahead of him, and he quickly inspects them. [Dark Elf Zombie(10). HP: ???/???.] [Human Zombie(11). HP: ???/???.] [Feral Ghoul(12). HP: ???/???.] ¡°Buggers¡­¡± He mutters before he can stop himself. The three monsters turn their heads, locking their black eyes upon the dwarven Paladin. ¡°We¡¯ve got incoming!¡± He shouts while taking a step backwards, raising his shield. That is all he manages to do before the Ghoul is upon him. The sickly gray undead is unnaturally fast, making it difficult for the Strength-based Paladin to keep up. The Ghoul lashes out with its long claws, scratching shallow cuts into the shield with every strike. The forceful blows cause Greg to stagger a little, but not enough to make him fall. Ghouls are tough opponents to beat, and it¡¯s nearly impossible for a regular level ten player to face it one-on-one while being two levels behind. Luckily though, Greg¡¯s not alone.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Light¡¯s Hammer!¡± Kevin shouts while swinging his hammer in a horizontal arc. The skill-enhanced weapon briefly illuminates the dark tunnel before it impacts the Ghoul in the shoulder. The powerful blow enhanced by holy energy rips the sickly gray flesh apart, causing the Ghoul to shriek in pain. The ghoul is forced backwards, reeling from the blow. Greg releases his breath as he finally catches a break. The two Zombies stumble forwards, raising their rusty iron weapons threateningly as their dead gazes fall on the two Paladins. ¡°Take down the weakest Zombie quickly. I¡¯ll hold the Ghoul at bay!¡± Greg shouts as he channels his holy energy into his shield. ¡°Light¡¯s Guard!¡± He bellows, slamming his shield into the Human Zombie. The Zombie is knocked backwards, its flesh ignited by holy fire where the shield hit. The strike was only meant to buy the pair some time as the Ghoul is already back on its feet and launching itself towards Greg once more. This time, however, Greg is better prepared. ¡°Aegis!¡± His whole body is illuminated by a golden glow, forcing the nearby undead to take a step back. The Ghoul shrieks in pain as it tries to shield its eyes from its anathema. Greg charges forwards, taking advantage of the Ghoul¡¯s hesitation by slamming his mace at its head. The strike connects, and the Ghoul is knocked to the side, dazed by the powerful blow. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡± Greg shouts, lifting his mace for another strike. Sensing the incoming attack, the Ghoul takes a wild leap backwards, determined to escape the dangerous light. ¡°Hahaha! Take this! Light¡¯s Hammer!¡± Kevin shouts in glee. Greg takes a second to glance over his shoulder just in time to see Kevin¡¯s hammer connect with the dark elf Zombie¡¯s head with an overhead strike, crushing it into a pulp. [Kenwin Smiteman(10) has slain Dark Elf Zombie(10). Gain 20 Experience.] That¡¯s one down. Greg smiles. Fighting undead as a Paladin is much easier than he would have thought. For a second, he thought they bit off more than they could chew. If it¡¯s this easy to kill high-level undead though, they should be able to reach their goal by the end of the week with a lot of time to spare. Greg¡¯s smile falters as his Aegis skill runs out. The retreating Ghoul turns back towards him, releasing a menacing snarl. ¡°Ah, fuck.¡± Greg assumes a defensive stance, raising his shield to cover his upper torso while bending his knees slightly to absorb the force that will undoubtedly come as the Ghoul resumes its onslaught. He¡¯s not wrong when the eighty-kilo undead throws itself at him, swinging its claws with reckless abandon, each strike more powerful than the next. ¡°Holy shit, I think I pissed it off!¡± He shouts, putting his full attention on blocking the strikes. ¡°Hold on! I need a minute!¡± Kevin shouts from somewhere behind. Greg doesn¡¯t dare to look back, not unless he wants to risk having his throat ripped out. Greg grits his teeth as he absorbs blow after blow. He is slowly being pushed backwards, getting ever closer towards the t-intersection. Every second that goes by feels like an eternity as he struggles against the Ghoul. His Aegis skill only has a minute cooldown, but during combat, a minute might as well be an hour. ¡°Damnit, this isn¡¯t working.¡± Greg mutters, trying to come up with a way out of this. His mace is completely useless when he is being pushed back like this, and even though he manages to absorb most of the blows, some damage is still ticking in from the pure blunt force from the Ghoul¡¯s strikes. Deciding to sheathe his mace, he braces his shield with an elbow while placing his now free hand on his chest. ¡°Quick Heal.¡± He says, golden light gathering around his hand. He releases a breath of relief as his health bar is slowly trickling upwards. Having access to holy energy offers some much-needed utility for a heavy fighter like a Paladin, and no one is more resilient when it comes to drawn-out fights. ¡°Are you done yet!? I could really use some help with this thing!¡± Greg shouts, putting all his effort into trying to push the Ghoul back. ¡°I said hold on!¡± ¡°Damnit¡­¡± He curses beneath his breath. How can he deal with this thing? It¡¯s just so damn fast, not giving him any room to counterattack without leaving himself exposed. Perhaps that¡¯s what he needs to do? ¡­ ¡°I hate this part¡­¡± Greg reequips his mace and quickly starts to channel his holy energy. With effort boosted by his willpower alone, he pushes forward with his shield, pitting his Strength attribute against the Ghoul¡¯s. With pure brute force, he shoves one of the Ghoul¡¯s claws to the side. This leaves his torso open for an attack from the other claw, but Greg doesn¡¯t give a damn. The Ghoul¡¯s claw slashes across his chest, cutting past his chainmail and into the soft flesh beneath. A spike of pain shoots through his body, but he is ready for this. He swings his mace wide, aiming for the overextended Ghoul¡¯s body. ¡°Light¡¯s Hammer!¡± He bellows from the bottom of his lungs as his mace emits a golden glow. The Ghoul is unable to react to the reckless attack of its opponent and takes the blow head on. The holy energy burning its skin as its jaw is ripped off its face. The Ghoul is reeling in pain while scrambling backwards. Clutching his wound, Greg decides not to push his attack, choosing to rather turn and try to help Kevin finish the second Zombie. Greg quickly backtracks, throwing himself at the Zombie¡¯s exposed back. He hits the zombie in the back with the full force of his dwarven bulk, knocking the Zombie to the ground. Capitalizing on the assistance, Kevin lifts his hammer for a powerful overhead strike and quickly aims to finish the Zombie¡¯s life. The powerful strike connects, and the Zombie¡¯s head explodes in a shower of gore. [Kenwin Smiteman(10) has slain Human Zombie(11). Gain 30 Experience.] ¡°Nice timing, cous.¡± Kevin grins, hefting his hammer to prepare to fight the remaining enemy. ¡°You took too long.¡± Greg grunts, getting back on his feet and face the Ghoul. ¡°I need to heal. Can you tank him for a sec?¡± Without waiting for a reply, Greg quickly backs away towards the t-intersection. This Ghoul is seriously tough. Too damn tough. Perhaps they should grind out another level back in the Shanty Town before attempting this? His foot tugs on something as he reaches the center of the t-intersection. He doesn¡¯t get time to even look down before he hears a faint clicking sound above him. He looks up just as a thick white liquid is pouring on top of him, trickling down his upper torso. ¡°What the fuck!?¡± He raises his arms to protect his face but it¡¯s already too late. The liquid is fully covering his torso, and he can feel the sticky liquid restricting his limbs. ¡°What the¡­ is this glue!?¡± He shouts, trying to frantically get the liquid off himself. ¡°Hey cous! I could really use your help over here!¡± Kevin shouts desperately from down the corridor. ¡°I¡¯m stuck!¡± ¡°What do you mean, stuck? Get over here already!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fucking trying, aren¡¯t I?¡± Greg grunts, trying to forcefully pull the glue off his armor. The glue just sort of gets in everywhere, locking the metal plates of his shoulder pads with his gauntlets. ¡°FUUUCK!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hold him! You need to tank him!¡± Kevin shouts, swinging his hammer wide to force the Ghoul back before he turns around and starts sprinting towards Greg. ¡°What are you doing you idiot!? Hold him!¡± Greg shouts as he still struggles to get his arms free. With a grunt of effort, Greg manages to free his left arm, freeing up his shield, and it¡¯s not a moment too soon. The Ghoul is already upon him, slamming its clawed arms into his shield, battering the short dwarf to the ground. ¡°Good job, cous! Just keep him still for a moment.¡± Kevin says while stepping forwards with his hammer raised. Suddenly, something slams into Kevin¡¯s back, causing him to stumble forwards. Spinning around, Kevin finds himself face to face with a muscular half-orc covered in leather armor and wielding an iron shortsword. ¡°What-¡± ¡°What are you stopping for!? Fucking keep moving you dimwit!¡± An unknown voice shouts from down the tunnel. The half-orc immediately complies and brushes past Kevin. Four similarly dressed enemies approach behind the half-orc, each and every one of them sprinting as if their lives depended on it. Seeing the approaching enemies, Kevin¡¯s eyes go wide as panic sets in. ¡°Oh, shit! Greg! It¡¯s another Thief Lord! We have to run!¡± He screams while turning on his heel, sprinting down the tunnel past the Ghoul and in the opposite direction of the incoming enemies. ¡°Wait, what!? Don¡¯t you fucking dare-¡± Greg screams at him, but it¡¯s already too late. Kevin is already halfway down the corridor. Still on his back, Greg struggles to keep the Ghoul away, but to no avail. He tries to roll to his feet, but the glue keeps his body stuck to the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he fucking did that again!¡± His eyes are drawn towards the approaching footsteps, and he tries to inspect as many of the enemies as he can before he dies. [Half-Orc Thug(10) HP: ???/???.] [Halfling Prowler(10) HP: ???/???.] [Halfling Thief Lord - Villain(11) HP: ???/???.] ¡°Oh my god!¡± Greg¡¯s eyes go wide as he inspects that last one. His shock is short-lived though, as the Ghoul is still battering him from above. The Thief Lord is coming towards him at a rapid pace, and his jaw drops as the Thief Lord sprints past him, following the half-orc down the hallway behind him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he finish me off!?¡± He mutters to himself while simultaneously trying to keep the Ghoul from tearing out his throat. ¡°Why were they running like that?¡± His sight is turning foggy as he feels his health points starting to redline. For some reason, it looks like he suddenly finds himself inside a green mist. What the hell? [You have been afflicted by Blight. You take 30 damage per second for 20 seconds.] [You have died.] Chapter 51 – Raincheck Chapter 51 ¨C Raincheck ¡°Shit, shit, shit! Was that Greg and Kevin!? What the hell are they even doing- No, fuck. Focus! That fucker is catching up!¡± I keep sprinting down the tunnel as fast as I can. Seriously. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever run this fast, either inside or outside a game. It wasn¡¯t supposed to go down this way! The plan wasn¡¯t that bad. Really, it wasn¡¯t. There is no reason to expect that me, a low-level Villain, would do something so incredibly stupid as going back to where a high-level Villain has made his lair. Hell, I even knew he would stick closely around now that he knew his secret is out. How could I have predicted he would put up extra countermeasures against me? Damn it. I just hope Cobra manages to pull off his part, or else I¡¯ll willingly enter the Hall of Fame for stupid people. I skirt around my final line of glue traps, the only preparation I managed to get in place before the Plaguebringer noticed me. They saved my butt the last time I encountered the guy and I pray they will still help out. I can¡¯t believe those two muppets had to choose this moment, of all the moments in the world to show up where I am and screw with my plans. My hands are shaking as I recall my reaction to when my two recently summoned Spotters who were assigned to keep an eye on the sewer entrance to make sure no one entered. When they suddenly tagged two people entering by using their ¡®Mark Target¡¯ skill, I panicked. With my attention split like that, I failed to stop my half-orc Thugs from advancing and triggering some sort of alarm. We didn¡¯t have time to even turn around to run before the Plaguebringer was upon us. What should have been a simple and safe diversion to draw the Plaguebringer out so that Cobra and my Cutthroats could sneak in the backdoor and rob the guy blind instantly turned into a nightmare. I didn¡¯t get time to place a GoD trap loaded with a quadruple dose of glue above the wooden door as I planned, and I didn¡¯t get to carefully bait him from a distance. It all happened so fast. Curse those two fools. This is all on them. They even managed to trigger my second line of traps. I swear. If that trap they triggered is the only reason the Plaguebringer catches up to me, I¡¯ll make it my life goal to grief those two until the day they quit playing the game. Oh, god. There is just no way they didn¡¯t see me. Shit! Now the Dark Pegasus guild knows that there are not only one, but two Villains aware of the sewers. Fuck! This thing just went from bad to worse! I throw a quick glance across my shoulder, and my stomach drops as I notice the poison cloud moving ever closer to my position. Fuck. I can¡¯t outrun this guy, can I? I need to go for plan B. I quickly open my up my friends list, writing out a message as quickly as I can without losing speed. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Help!!!] It takes a few seconds for the response to tick in. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Hey, what¡¯s the matter? Are you okay?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Villain sewers running!!1!] Writing messages while running for your life isn¡¯t easy, okay? Give me a break. I have other things on my mind. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: What, really!? Where are you?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Close you almost exit 1 min!] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Got it. Keep running! We¡¯ll be there shortly.] I grimace with disappointment that I had to resort to this tactic. I really didn¡¯t want to notify the Dark Pegasus guild that there are Villains in the sewers, but this is the only chance I have of surviving. In the grand scheme of things, it¡¯s a small price to pay. I really didn¡¯t want to have to pay it though. The only thing I can do now is to pray Anna and her team can get here in time. That Plaguebringer is getting scarily close. I don¡¯t have a lot of time. The sewer entrance is rapidly approaching, and I know I can¡¯t bring my underlings with me if I am to head outside. The Plaguebringer is figuratively breathing down my neck which means my options are severely limited. I could order my underlings to sacrifice themselves on my behalf again, but that would be completely pointless as the Plaguebringer¡¯s poison cloud would finish them off without him even needing to break his stride. I could always try, but that would also mean I have to sacrifice all their equipment. That¡¯s also a no-go. I¡¯ve wasted enough gold on stupidity as it is. Since bringing them with me and sacrificing them is both pointless endeavors, my only option is to have them run past the exit and look for another way out. I might lose one or all of them this way, but at least they have a chance of surviving. Granted, their odds are not great since the corridor ahead leads to the sewers beneath the Market District. I reach the ladder before I can make up my mind. With my hand clutching the cold iron bar, I throw some quick instructions at my underlings. ¡°Keep running down the corridor as far as you can. Your only priority is to survive. Hide if you have to. We¡¯ll rendezvous at the hideout.¡± I throw a glance over my shoulder and I instinctively close my mouth as the poison cloud is only a few meters away. I desperately scramble up the remaining steps of the ladder, knocking open the hatch as I go. My muscles are burning from the strain as I pull myself out of the sewers and I immediately roll to the side just in time to dodge a pillar of poison venting from the open hatch. I shakily get on my feet and stumble over towards a stack of crates before throwing myself behind them. Without missing a beat, I open up my character screen and immediately remove my Villain¡¯s Mask. I can¡¯t risk running into Anna¡¯s party with the mask still on. ¡°Where the hell are they!?¡± I wheeze, desperately looking up and down the alleyway. The gigantic cloud of death is increasing at a rapid pace, gathering above the sewer entrance. My hiding place won¡¯t be safe for long. I sit still, carefully eyeing the cloud as it draws closer. The Plaguebringer is only seconds away, and I fear that I will have to make a run for it. I can¡¯t risk it though. If the Plaguebringer even catches a small glimpse of my unhidden identity, he might release my information on the internet out of spite. Hell, people do it all the time. I¡¯m not above admitting I would have done the same if our roles were reversed. We¡¯re gamers after all. Half of our confrontations with other players are purely out of spite. Soon after, the Plaguebringer¡¯s head appears from the hatch. Looking around, he wastes little time pulling himself up and out. If I was supposed to run, then I¡¯m already too late. ¡°Where did you go you little shit!?¡± The Plaguebringer screams, a thick wave of poison fog spreading from his position. I sharply inhale as I watch the poison cloud closing in only a few centimeters from my face. Fuck. I¡¯m about to die, aren¡¯t I? I close my eyes, waiting for the poison status effect to appear. ¡°Snipe Shot!¡± A voice cuts through the air, quickly followed by a snapping sound. A small shriek of pain erupts from someone nearby, and I open my eyes just in time to see the Plaguebringer reel backwards from pain. Oh, shit! I instinctively throw myself backwards, narrowly escaping the reach of the poison closing in. ¡°Ryan!? Is that you!? Hold on! Gust!¡± A strong wave of wind hits me from behind, knocking me to the ground, my head slamming into a wooden crate. [You take 112 Elemental Damage from Anna¡¯el Windrider(48).] [You are Dazed. Speed reduced by 40% for one minute. Vision reduced by 30% for thirty seconds.] ¡°Ow, fuck! That hurts!¡± I hiss, grabbing my throbbing head.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Sorry!¡± Anna shouts. Blinking twice while rubbing my temples, I quickly remember what I¡¯m trying to escape. I throw myself backwards, desperately trying to evade the poison cloud that¡­ isn¡¯t there anymore? Oh, shit. So that¡¯s why she targeted me with a wind spell. That¡¯s pretty smart. Dangerous as hell, but smart. Realising I¡¯m safe, I throw a quick glance towards the fight with the Plaguebringer. I raise my eyes in surprise as I realise the guy is already dead. I guess that¡¯s what happens when a level twenty-three Villain goes up against a party of six players who are just short of level fifty. ¡°Bwaha! Aye can¡¯ believe it, lass. There really was a Villain ere¡¯!¡± A thunderous laugh breaks through my splitting headache. Oh, right¡­ I forgot how loud Marc can be. ¡°Keep it down you oaf!¡± A strangely familiar female voice shouts from somewhere behind me. ¡°Is anyone hurt?¡± ¡°Aye, that Blight cloud took a few of me hitpoints. Ye mind?¡± Marc replies. ¡°Tssk. You¡¯ll be fine. Anyone of importance? Daniel?¡± The female says. ¡°Oy!¡± ¡°Rachel, just heal the guy so we can have some peace¡­¡± A male voice says. I turn my head and look at the owner of the voice. A Wood Elf Ranger. That must be Paul. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Anna says, running towards me. ¡°Hey, Rachel! Can you heal Ryan? He¡¯s almost dead.¡± ¡°You sure you want me to enchant your boyfriend like that, Anna?¡± Rachel smirks, giving me an exaggerated wink. ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend!¡± Anna says, her face turning beet red. ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Rachel grins smugly. ¡°And Marc is definitely Scottish as well¡­¡± ¡°Not this again¡­¡± Paul sighs, stepping up next to Anna. Our eyes meet for a second, then Paul¡¯s eyes gloss over. [Thief Lord¡¯s Signet Ring special effect activated. You are immune to having your identity revealed for the next 10 minutes.] ¡°Huh. A Halfling Trap Maker? What an odd choice.¡± He muses. ¡°Extremely inefficient. Are you a casual player?¡± ¡°Lay off him, Paul. Ryan is just playing this game for fun.¡± Anna cuts in before I get a chance to reply. Paul raises his hands defensibly. ¡°Sorry, sorry. Force of habit. It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Paul.¡± He smiles, extending his hand. ¡°Ryan. Pleasure to meet you.¡± I say, shaking his hand. ¡°Pleasure is all mine. I guess I should introduce the party. You already know Anna and Brian. The cleric with an attitude over there is Rachel.¡± He points over to a gorgeous human cleric. ¡°Hey! What are you impl-¡± ¡°And that roleplaying little bucket of shamelessness over there is Marc.¡± Paul continues, completely ignoring Rachel. ¡°Aye! Pleasure ta meet ye, lad.¡± The stout dwarf chuckles. ¡°Say, haven¡¯t we met bef-¡± ¡°And lastly, The shy assassin who stands right behind you is Daniel.¡± Paul says, ignoring the dwarf. Surprised, I turn my head, finding myself face to face with a human Assassin wearing a black bandana covering the majority of his face. ¡°Uhm, hi?¡± I say carefully, edging myself back away from the odd guy. Unblinking, Daniel gives a sharp nod in reply. Creepy¡­ ¡°Great, now that we all are friends, perhaps you could tell me how you managed to stumble across a high-level Villain and survive? With your meager health pool, the Plaguebringer should have easily killed you.¡± Paul says more seriously, gesturing for Anna not to intervene. Looking over, I notice Anna¡¯s reddened face glaring at Paul, and surprisingly enough, she doesn¡¯t say anything. That¡¯s surprisingly uncharacteristic of her. Who the hell is this guy? ¡°Uhm...¡± I scratch my chin. ¡°I sort of just ran into him by accident I guess.¡± ¡°Details, please.¡± I sigh. ¡°Well, I was exploring down in the sewers, intending to test some of my newest trap designs and grind some experience when I stumbled upon a wooden door blocking off the corridor ahead. Inside, I saw this huge bubbling cauldron and that guy over there doing¡­ well, something. Inspecting him, I noticed he was a Villain, so I decided not to mess with him. The guy noticed me, but luckily enough, I had a head start. Five minutes later, here we are.¡± I smile weakly. ¡°You mean to say you were grinding, alone, in a leveling zone intended for a party of three people at level twelve? As a crafter?¡± He raises his eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± I smile. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate him, Paul. Ryan¡¯s pretty smart with those traps of his. Remember how I told you he killed Pug beneath the Noob District by himself? Anna chimes in from the side. ¡°Yeah, so you said. But still. He¡¯s a level eleven crafter. He shouldn¡¯t be able to make powerful enough traps to kill all of them without filling a fifty-meter corridor with traps. He won¡¯t have room to both set traps up and then aggroing them. It makes no sense.¡± ¡°It does if you use my GoD trap.¡± I say. ¡°A god trap? What¡¯s that?¡± I go into a short explanation of how I combine several traps into one, connecting them to one another. I also explain the possibilities of combining different potions to cause extra damaging effects. Paul is hanging on to my every word, not interrupting me even once. ¡°Wait, you mean to say combining traps like that is possible? That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s pretty impressive. Your horrible acronym aside, I have to forward this information to Benjamin. One sec.¡± Paul zones out for a moment, presumably opening up a chat window and writing to whoever this Benjamin person is. Horrible acronym¡­ how rude. I¡¯m not sure if I like this guy anymore. Regardless, I have other fish to fry at the moment. My ring will only protect my identity for about four more minutes, and I don¡¯t want to be anywhere near them when the timer finally runs out. Hell, my identity is hanging by a thin enough thread as it is. As soon as Greg and Kevin tell their sides of the story, it wouldn¡¯t take a genius to put two and two together. Fuck. I need to get away from them and into hiding as soon as possible. ¡°So, what will you guys do now?¡± I direct my question to Anna. She sighs. ¡°I guess we have to investigate the location you encountered the Plaguebringer. That particular type of Villain can do some really nasty things, and if that cauldron you saw is what we think it is, we need to dismantle it as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that bad, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Damnit. This is going to take all night. I guess we¡¯ll have to take another rain check on that dinner.¡± ¡°Hmm. I understand. Your obligations to your guild and sister should come first. Send me a message whenever you guys are back in town.¡± I say sadly while celebrating like a madman on the inside. A way out! Anna smiles. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how often these kinds of things happen around you. First the Thief Lord in the Noob District, and now this. It¡¯s like you¡¯re a magnet for trouble.¡± I chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve been described like that.¡± She guffaws. ¡°Ah, man. I bet.¡± She grins. ¡°We definitely need to have a normal evening just chilling out sometimes soon.¡± ¡°Definitely¡± ¡°So, mind telling us where exactly you found the Plaguebringer?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah sure. It¡¯s directly east of here, probably an eight or nine minute walk or so. It¡¯s centered around the cistern of the area, so just keep following the tunnels that slope downwards. Can¡¯t miss it.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ryan. I¡¯ll be sure to tell Aria what great help you¡¯ve been. Handing us a high-level Villain on a plate is going to buy you a whole lot of points with her you know. Probably even a reward. Are you absolutely certain you don¡¯t want to join the guild?¡± She winks. ¡°Haha. Nah, I¡¯m good. I wouldn¡¯t mind collecting that reward though.¡± I smile mischievously. I did do them a huge favor after all, so I don¡¯t feel particularly bad about it. It doesn¡¯t matter what reason I did it for, and it sure as hell shouldn¡¯t matter that I¡¯m technically their enemy and deceiving them. A reward is a reward, no matter the claimant. She guffaws. ¡°I¡¯ll tell sis to mail you an appropriate sum.¡± We both chuckle. ¡°Oy! Who goes there!?¡± Marc suddenly shouts. Turning my head, I try to look at whatever the dwarven warrior is looking at. His eyes are firmly locked onto something further down the alley. Peeling my eyes, my eyes go wide as my stomach drops. Oh, crap. I forgot about those two. I clench my teeth as Anna¡¯s party quickly converges on the two figures down the alley, and I wince as they make contact. [Your underling (Human Spotter(1)) has been slain by UpYers(49).] [Your underling (Dwarf Spotter(1)) has been slain by Shadowstriker69(49).] Damnit. I completely forgot that I had stationed those two lookouts up here. Thank whatever ingame god is watching that there is no way for them to know that the Spotters belong to a Thief Lord, or even better, me. That could have turned out awkward. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t bother giving them any gear yet. Still, resurrecting them isn¡¯t exactly free. ¡°Bwaha! Easy pickings!¡± Marc laughs out loud. ¡°Gee, you¡¯re so amazingly strong, slaughtering those powerful criminals like that¡­¡± Rachel says flatly. ¡°Thank you, lass. I do me best.¡± He winks back. ¡°Alright, you two. Knock it off. We have work to do. Ryan, it¡¯s been a pleasure. I hope to see you later sometime. It¡¯s nice to work with someone serious for a change...¡± Paul says glumly, shooting venomous glares at his bickering teammates. ¡°I think you¡¯ll also have a bonus coming your way after the tip about your trap-combining idea. Our analysts are already working on a plan to maximize their efficiencies.¡± Nice. ¡°Happy to help. You kids enjoy yourselves. Do tell me if you manage to improve on my designs somehow.¡± I smile, turning to leave. I only have about a minute left before my protection runs out, and I prefer to put as much distance between us as I can until then. ¡°Take care, Ryan! We¡¯ll talk later!¡± Anna shouts after me. I smile warmly, giving her a wave as I go. Chapter 52 – Phantom Threat Chapter 52 ¨C Phantom Threat ¡°Son of a¡­ I knew you could do it!¡± I laugh as I¡¯m presented with the haul of tonight¡¯s heist. A whole stack of valuable reagents, equipment, and a various assortment of gear and other valuables are laid out in front of me, and I can not even begin to measure the worth of it all. It must be worth at least seven hundred gold, easy. Probably more. This amount of money pretty much solves all my financial problems for another month. Can life get any better? ¡°Thank you, boss. It wasn¡¯t hard.¡± Cobra grins, putting his feet on the table. ¡°Or am I wrong, boys!?¡± ¡°O-Rah!¡± I chuckle at my underlings¡¯ antics. Cobra most of all. I¡¯m not sure what I would have done if this mission failed. Perhaps cry a little? I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just glad I won¡¯t have to find out. ¡°How about the Cauldron? Did you stop whatever thing he was brewing?¡± ¡°Eh, yeah. It hurt like a bitch, but I ran over and threw half a box of Holy Roots into the mix. The result nearly took my eyebrows off, but it got the job done. You won¡¯t see any plagues spreading from that guy anytime soon.¡± He grins while wiggling his eyebrows. When I look closer, I can see the edges are slightly singed. Damn. The realism of this game is unreal. Whatever A.I. is governing this game is doing one heck of a job. ¡°You performed well above my expectations, Cobra. Hell, all of you did! Tonight, drinks are on me!¡± I shout, my voice being echoed by a room full of cheers. I¡¯m not sure how a group of digitally mute underlings manage to do it, but my Hideout is soon filled with music and cheers as my underlings conjure mugs of ale from gods know where. I chuck it up to the game being the game as I take it all in. Tonight, nothing can break my good mood. I sit quietly watching my partying underlings for a while. It¡¯s about time I get to take a much-earned break. These past few weeks have been hectic, and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Smiling to myself, I get onto my feet and retire to my personal quarters. I should probably log off soon. If I take the events of the last twenty-four hours into consideration, then I think I¡¯ve earned a day off. Maybe take some time to finally finish reading that book of mine. I enter the dimly lit room and take a moment to let the silence sink in. I walk over towards my desk, trailing my fingers across the rough oaken table. This Hideout is a godsend. It¡¯s exactly what I need. There are lots of challenges ahead, and this safe haven will probably play a vital role for me going forward. I still have to deal with the fallout after my run-in with Greg and Kevin, as well as come up with a strategy to work around the fact that the Dark Pegasus guild now knows that the sewers are no longer a secret. I still have to deal with Anna and Aria, as well as the weird-ass NPCs in the Silver Saints organisation. There are a lot of loose ends, and I need to put some serious thought into what my strategy is going forward. One thing is for certain though. That¡¯s a problem for tomorrow. Releasing a deep breath, I let my body slump into the chair. I casually lean back into my seat and lazily place my feet on the table. Yeah, this feels great. I grin. It¡¯s been a long journey this past week. A lot has happened, and I feel like I¡¯ve only just barely started my journey. The road so far has really only been about hiding. I¡¯ve been running for two weeks straight and it¡¯s about time I changed that. A week ago I had nothing. I was just some low-level Thief Lord way over my head; stuck in the Noob Zone with no hope of escape. Who would have thought I would find a way out of that death trap? I hardly believe it myself. And how about all the crap that followed? The Bard¡¯s college, the Plaguebringer, and Farq¡¯mel. I have faced each of these challenges one at a time, and I prevailed. By fighting harder. Fighting harder when I should have been fighting smarter. I may not have any money, power, or fame yet, but I have a place to hide; ways to defend myself from prying eyes. I have reached a new stage of the game. Everything is about to change. It¡¯s funny to think about, really. I¡¯ve been playing as a Thief Lord, no, as a Villain for three months, and I have yet to realise the simple truth of what being a Villain truly is. My mindset has been exactly like how my mindset has been in any other roleplaying game I¡¯ve ever played. I¡¯ve been playing as if I¡¯m the protagonist of the story. It¡¯s not my job to slaughter the demon king and rescue the fair princess; neither is it my job to rally the people behind me; to bring justice and honor to the world. Being a Villain is nothing like that. I¡¯ve been playing this class completely wrong from the start. I¡¯m not a regular player trying to progress through this world by defeating bigger and stronger monsters. Far from it. I¡¯m a Villain. I¡¯m supposed to be the man behind the curtain. The puppeteer. My actions shouldn¡¯t be to overcome everyone else by brawn alone. I¡¯m here for the money, not the glory. I don¡¯t need quests, recognition, or even a castle. What I need is something else. Something darker; more sinister. I want the power unattainable by other players. I want to control what they can not. Seize the opportunities discarded by others. I want raw power. My path has never been clearer. It¡¯s time to up my game. ---------- Loud footsteps echo through the deserted hallways of the Dark Pegasus¡¯ guild estate in the Noble¡¯s District. The morning sun is starting to peek over the horizon, it¡¯s light gently reflecting off the colored glass that covers the large windows of the corridor. Benjamin pays it no mind, however, as there are sensitive matters to deal with. As he reaches the end of the corridor, he finds himself in front of a thick oaken door. Lifting his arm, he knocks thrice on the hard wooden surface. ¡°Enter.¡± A tired voice sounds from the other side. Not one to delay any further, Benjamin pushes the door open, revealing his tired guild leader sitting hunched over her desk on the other side. ¡°There has been a development, madam.¡± Benjamin says.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Aria sighs, not bothering to raise her head. ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°We have located and eliminated a high-level Plaguebringer in the city.¡± Aria¡¯s head snaps to attention, her spine straightening as she gives Benjamin her full attention. ¡°Start from the beginning.¡± Benjamin takes a deep breath. ¡°This morning at exactly four twenty-three, the player Rynorn Stabberton, also known as Ryan, sent a message to your sister, telling her that he encountered a Plaguebringer in the sewers beneath the Harbour District.¡± ¡°Hold on. Ryan encountered a Villain in the sewers?¡± She raises her eyebrows. ¡°How did he know about them? ¡­ No, wait. Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± She frowns. ¡°Indeed, madam.¡± Benjamin nods solemnly. ¡°The party leader, Paul, reports that Ryan entered the sewers with the intent of testing some of his new trap designs. I must say, from what Paul tells me, it seems Ryan discovered an aspect of the profession that completely changes our earlier presumptions. Some of them actually show greater promise than what our analysts predicted. I recommend we talk about investing in that branch of crafting at a later date.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Continue with the topic at hand.¡± Aria snaps. Why does he bother her with this nonsense? ¡°As you wish.¡± He takes a moment to clear his throat. ¡°After being pursued through the sewers for roughly five minutes, Ryan managed to escape the sewers. Anna and her party were scheduled to meet up with Ryan in the area later in the evening, so they were luckily close enough to intercept the Plaguebringer before he could kill Ryan and escape. Following their trail, Anna¡¯s team came upon a lair set up in quadrant thirty-six of the Harbour District¡¯s sewer system. The lair contained a cauldron in critical state, as well as an assortment of various alchemical equipment. No ingredients. The team is currently searching the area for a secret stash of reagents, but they are not optimistic. They suspect someone cleaned out his lair just moments before they arrived. Assailants are unknown.¡± ¡°Wait. How is that possible!?¡± Aria raises her voice, staring at her assistant. ¡°We do not know. Currently, the most feasible theory is that some third party came across the lair while the Plaguebringer was chasing down Ryan. The timing is too conspicuous for Ryan not to be involved somehow, although he hasn¡¯t admitted to it. Do you wish for me to have him followed?¡± Aria frowns, considering her options. Her instincts are screaming at her that something is not right here. This Ryan character is a mystery to her, and she really hates mysteries. Normally, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to destroy the man, but something holds her back. Her promise to her sister. She sighs. It goes against every fiber in her body, but she should probably lay off this time. Her relationship with Anna is strained enough as it is, and she doesn¡¯t think she can salvage the situation if Anna ever found out she broke her word again. ¡°No. Don¡¯t do it. Whatever his reasons are to keep it hidden from us, it¡¯s inconsequential. The most important thing is that the Plaguebringer was stopped. Tell me about the Villain.¡± ¡°As you wish, madam. The now dead Plaguebringer, PlayerID: ¡®Doctor Gaseous Proctor¡¯, a level twenty-three Villain, has been reported respawning at the city¡¯s main respawn point. Our guards on standby have successfully killed the Plaguebringer another time, reducing his level to thirteen in the process. Shortly afterwards, the character stopped respawning and is now presumed to either be deleted by the player or logged off. The guards on duty report the Plaguebringer was cursing a Thief Lord, identity unknown.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes immediately widen. ¡°A Thief Lord!? Can you verify this information?¡± She snaps at Benjamin, her eyes turning ice cold. ¡°No. Sadly, the guards stationed at the respawn point didn¡¯t give the Plaguebringer enough time to elaborate. There is little evidence to back up his claim, however, but Anna¡¯s party did spot a couple of level one Spotters near the sewer exit. We deem it unlikely that the two cases are related, however.¡± Aria frowns. Her instincts are screaming at her. Why would he say something like that for no reason? If the Plaguebringer was cursing a Thief Lord, then where did the Thief Lord disappear to? The only people present were the Plaguebringer, Anna¡¯s party and¡­ Ryan. ¡°How likely is it that Ryan is masquerading as a Thief Lord?¡± Benjamin hesitates for a moment, scrunching his forehead. ¡°I would say that it¡¯s highly unlikely. Ryan is currently a level eleven player. Even with all of his attributes invested into Charisma and Luck, as well as gaining the maximum possible gains from level-appropriate gear, the sum simply cannot match Paul¡¯s perception attribute. He confirms Ryan is who he says he is.¡± ¡°Unlikely, but not impossible?¡± ¡°True. This is still a game, and it is not impossible that Ryan somehow gained an ability or item to negate the effect of Paul¡¯s Perception. At this early stage of the game, however, I would say it is highly unlikely Ryan could stumble across such a powerful item.¡± Aria frowns. The game. That¡¯s the only thing she really hates about this new world. Games have too many unpredictable elements. She loves the order and crystal-clear rules, but there are too many unpredictable factors. Too many abnormal variables. The status quo can change on a whim, and the only thing she can do is adapt. She needs control. Craves it. She won¡¯t take any chances here. Not when she has invested this much resources into this world. Taking a deep breath, she addresses her assistant. ¡°Try to track the player behind the Plaguebringer down in real life. Find out everything he knows. This matter is a top priority. You are dismissed.¡± ¡°As you wish, madam.¡± Benjamin says. He bows curtly before he turns around and exits the office. The door soon closes behind him, leaving Aria in the empty office with a scowl on her face. Her fist clenches as she rises to her feet and starts pacing around the room. ¡°Damn it. Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!¡± She curses, finally losing her temper. A Thief Lord. Why did it have to be a Thief Lord? She hates those things. There are no doubts in her mind that this Thief Lord is real. How did he escape Anna¡¯s party though? How about Ryan? Why didn¡¯t Ryan see the Thief Lord? Could the mysterious third party that collaborated with Ryan to rob the Plaguebringer be the Thief Lord? But how come the Plaguebringer then opted to chase Ryan instead of the Thief Lord? Damn it. This makes no sense. There is something she is missing. But what could it be? Why would the Plaguebringer be angry at the Thief Lord specifically while chasing Ryan? Can he really be a Thief Lord? Should she have him followed after all? ¡­ Aria keeps pacing while an inner conflict flares up in her chest. Her gut is telling her to tear Ryan¡¯s life apart on the off chance that he is, or is collaborating with a Thief Lord. But on the other side, she can¡¯t risk souring her relationship with Anna. Her sister is too precious. She can¡¯t lose her. Not again¡­ She needs to take precautions. She refuses to be caught unprepared against this phantom threat. The only thing she can do is assume her city is infested with this vermin, and she won¡¯t let the pest spread before it¡¯s too late. She needs to take the fight to them. She needs to be smart about it though. The city is big. Too big to do a proper purge. There is just no feasible way for her to round up enough players to do a proper search of the city. It would take a nearly countless amount of resources and time to do a proper sweep of the city, with no guarantee that it will even amount to anything. It may work in the Noob District because of its natural barriers, but the main city is a completely different arena. No. To overcome this obstacle, she needs to fight fire with fire. She needs to contact Shadowbane. Chapter 53 – Reunion Chapter 53 ¨C Reunion ¡°Oh, god this feels great!¡± I groan as I stretch my body. Wow. I¡¯ve been sitting still for so long, I think my skin may have merged with the machine if I stayed on for another hour or so. God, if it doesn¡¯t feel great to walk around with my real body for a change. Three months. It has been over three months since I started my adventure. That¡¯s three months since I was a regular human being like everyone else. I have got to say though, I don¡¯t regret my new lifestyle one bit. Hell, I don¡¯t even remember what it feels like to be sleeping anymore. Is it weird that I miss it? I lightly shake my head while a smile creeps onto my face. Maybe I miss it a little bit. Going to sleep used to be one of the best feelings in the world, but I¡¯m not sure if I want to dedicate one third of my life to keep doing it. Staying hooked up to a gaming capsule and play games instead of sleeping is a way better feeling in the long run and it feels like my life expectancy just increased by thirty percent. Thirty percent. That¡¯s like living thirty to forty years longer! Whoever said gaming wouldn¡¯t amount to anything? I chuckle at the thought. When they first announced the full immersion technology, I was saddened to hear they never managed to create artificial time dilation. Now though, I don¡¯t really mind. The fact that the machine manages to artificially mimic sleeping while the person hooked up to it is still conscious is probably the most incredible technological discovery since the invention of hot showers. I feel like I get so much more out of life these days, and I wouldn¡¯t trade it for the world. It allows me to follow my dream after all. It¡¯s been three months since I completely flipped my life around. I quit my job, sold my apartment, and even broke up with my girlfriend just to be able to dedicate every single hour of my life to become a professional gamer. I gambled everything I have; everything I have ever amounted to for this dream, and I¡¯m loving every second of it. Some would call me crazy for even considering doing what I have done, and they are probably not wrong. If they knew I decided to gamble my entire life on playing as a Villainous character where I could lose everything I have worked for in the blink of an eye though, they would probably recommend I seek out professional help. Hell, even I struggle to believe what an idiot I have been. Still, I don¡¯t regret my choices. Not even for one second. I feel more alive now than I have ever done before. Every choice I make matters, and there is nothing but hard work and dedication standing in my way of gaining everything I have ever hoped and dreamed for. I chose to follow the path of a Villain, and I swear; I¡¯ll be the best damn Villain the world has ever seen! My mind wanders into a state of unicorns and rainbows as I head to the bathroom to take care of my bodily needs. Grabbing a good long shower and relieving myself are two of the most delightful experiences I have left in life after I quit sleeping, only beaten by the ecstasy of shoving a greasy bacon and cheese hamburger into my mouth. Which reminds me, maybe I can actually afford to eat a hamburger now that I finally ran into a bit of cash? Do you know what? I think I might just do that. I quickly get dressed and swipe my keys off the kitchen counter before I head outside. The bright morning sun washes over my face and I let the cold humid air sink into my skin. It must have been raining last night, but it¡¯s not as if I would have noticed. Things like this still weird me out after living in a completely different world for such a long time. I start my walk over towards the diner I met my dad at only a few days ago. Djeezes. It feels like it was months ago. I definitely need to spend some more time offline. I¡¯m turning into some sort of closet-goblin. Speaking of, it¡¯s been a few days since I last heard from dad. Perhaps I should give the old man a call? I fish my phone out of my pocket and hit two on the speed dial. The phone only rings twice before my dad picks up. ¡°Ryan? Is that you? Damn, kid. I can¡¯t remember the last time you called. Are you dying?¡± My dad grunts on the other side. ¡°Ha. Ha. Very funny dad. It¡¯s not been that long since I last called.¡± ¡°That long? I¡¯m pretty sure Trump the third was still president last time I heard from you. You know why I¡¯m worried, right?¡± He says mockingly. ¡°Ease up on the dad jokes, gramps. Can¡¯t a loving son call and invite his old jailor out for a cheese and bacon burger on a Thursday morning?¡± ¡°A burger? At eight in the morning?¡± ¡°Yeah, is that a problem?¡± ¡°No, I guess it isn¡¯t. Jimmy¡¯s diner in twenty?¡± ¡°Yeah. Bring lots of cash! I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Cheeky kid. Buy your own damn breakfast.¡± He huffs in annoyance before he hangs up, leaving me grinning. We have a lot in common, my dad and I. I¡¯m just better looking. Jimmy¡¯s diner is only a ten minutes walk from my apartment, so I decide to take the scenic route along the local canal. Well, more like the local garbage dump, but there are at least some trees and a small park to look at. This is the kind of view you get when you can only afford to rent an apartment for under three hundred euros per month. It might not be flashy, but I hope I¡¯ll be able to rent something better in a few months if my luck holds. I eventually reach the diner, and I can already see dad¡¯s car parked out front. That old man sure can move fast, especially when it¡¯s anything related to Jimmy¡¯s diner. I¡¯m not sure what he loves more; bacon or my sister and I. Something tells me I don¡¯t want to know the answer. A small bell rings as I push the door open and enter the timeworn little diner. It seems like I arrived in the middle of the morning rush, so it takes a little bit of time to maneuver myself across the sea of middle-aged men with thinning hair and monstrous beer-bellies. I eventually push my way over to my dad¡¯s regular booth, and I¡¯m surprised to see he¡¯s not alone. ¡°Heya chubs! Fancy meeting you here.¡± A cheerful voice calls as soon as she spots me. Ah, shit. What have I done to deserve this? ¡°Hey, sis¡­¡± I sigh. ¡°How are you?¡± She jumps to her feet and walks over towards me. ¡°¡®How are you?¡¯ Is that how you greet your favourite sister? Come here and greet me properly chubs!¡± She chuckles while embracing me tightly. I reluctantly return the hug, counting the seconds until it¡¯s appropriate to push her off me. My sister can be a little clingy at times. That, and I don¡¯t really like hugging people; even if it¡¯s family. ¡°Woah, what¡¯s this?¡± She says while measuring my midsection with her arms. ¡°You lost some weight chubs? Shit. Now I¡¯ve seen everything¡­ Dad? Are you sure he isn¡¯t doing any drugs?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± My dad says while shaking his head solemnly. I can spot traces of a smirk on his face though. I snort. ¡°Ah, fuck off. Losing weight is a bi-effect of being hooked up to the machine all day. It¡¯s kind of hard not to lose weight when I don¡¯t have food to distract me.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, that old Virtual Reality coffin you worship more than dad worships bacon. I still can¡¯t believe it when dad told me you quit your job to live inside of that thing. Like, I thought: What¡¯s the worst thing that could happen? Terminally ill patients and infants pretty much live like vegetables already, so what¡¯s adding one more healthy twenty-eight-year-old man into that demographic?¡± She snorts, giving me a dry look. ¡°It seems like the consequences were far bigger than I could ever have imagined. If you continue to lose more weight, then I¡¯ll have to stop calling you chubs! This affects me too you know. It¡¯s completely irresponsible for you to make this decision without consulting me first.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Yeah, you have it rough, sis.¡± I shake my head. ¡°You could always go back to using my real name, you know?¡± ¡°Pfft! Hardly. I¡¯ll just come up with something new, don¡¯t you worry. There are tons of potential nicknames for a kid like you out there. I¡¯ll just have to go through a careful selection process. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t even charge you for the work! What would you do without your generous older sister, eh?¡± ¡°Gee, I don¡¯t know. Probably live a perfectly normal life for a change?¡± ¡°Hah! Funny as always, little man. You¡¯d be bored to death before you even hit puberty. Now come sit your skinny ass down so we can eat!¡± She chuckles jovially before finally releasing me from her grip. A smile crawls onto lips as I sit down in the booth opposite my dad. My sister scoots in beside me, resting her eyes on this side of my face. I ignore her to the best of my ability. A waitress soon comes along and takes our orders, my sister choosing a salad while going on a long rant about eating healthy when my dad and I select the bacon and cheese burger. We nod along seriously for a moment and promise to choose a salad next time, which is a promise neither of us is planning to keep. Same as always. ¡°So, why are you here, sis? I mean, not that isn¡¯t nice to have you here¡­¡± She raises an eyebrow. ¡°I came because dad called. We¡¯re worried about you, Ryan.¡± I slump back in my seat. Of course, that¡¯s why she came. I should have known. ¡°Dad, I thought we talked about this.¡± My dad who has been quiet so far, grunts. ¡°We did, son. But I called her a few days before our talk and she had already ordered a ticket. I still don¡¯t agree with your choice, but it¡¯s your choice to make. Your sister-¡± She cuts in. ¡°Your sister thinks you¡¯re being an idiot and is too brain-damaged to know what¡¯s best for you. Therefore, I got on the first plane I could to come up here and beat some sense into you.¡± I sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t want to explain myself again, Allison¡­¡± ¡°Well, you ain¡¯t getting out of this booth until you do, so talk before I make you talk.¡± I massage the bridge of my nose, taking a good long sip from my milkshake in the process. ¡°I¡¯m following my dream, Allison. Same as you did when you decided to move to London to become a doctor.¡± She gives me a deadpanned look. ¡°Do you seriously want to compare getting a medical degree and a well-paying job to rotting away in a metal coffin all day and play a video game? Seriously?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not rotting away. I¡¯m in better shape now than I have ever been. Happier too.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t live off a game, Ryan. You need a proper job. Like the one you had.¡± ¡°I can live off this game, and I will. My last job sucked every single ounce of life out of me. I don¡¯t want to spend the rest of my life locked inside a cubicle.¡± ¡°There are other jobs¡­¡± ¡°None that could bring me even a fraction of the happiness I feel when playing this game. I¡¯ve made up my mind and you can¡¯t change it, Allison. She starts to gently massage her temples. ¡°You still can¡¯t live off the game, Ryan. What are you going to do when your money runs out? Rob a bank?¡± I release another sigh. Why does everyone have to be so damn condescending about dedicating my life to become a professional gamer? If I had told them I wanted to dedicate my life to become a professional tennis player, they would have praised me to the seven hells and back. Why is becoming a professional gamer that much worse? Hell, I¡¯d say it¡¯s easier to become rich off gaming than regular sports. Less strenuous too. ¡°I do well enough. I¡¯ve already earned nearly fifteen hundred euros in only a week. After taxes, I¡¯ll have enough to pay rent for another month and a half. I¡¯m doing just fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve made that much already?¡± My dad says, raising his eyebrows. ¡°Yeah. Technically.¡± ¡°What you mean, technically?¡± Allison says. ¡°Well, almost all of it is in ingame items and materials. I would have to sell it first, but I estimate their value to be at around that level.¡± ¡°So, technically, you have nothing?¡± I close my eyes and slowly count to ten. I only get to six when my sister speaks again. ¡°I have to say, little brother. I don¡¯t like this one bit. It¡¯s not like you to be this stupid. Are you sure you are not in some sort of trouble? If you owe someone any money, I¡¯m sure I could give you a loan¡­¡± ¡°I keep telling you, my finances are just fine.¡± ¡°How could they be? I have heard about that game. It costs three hundred euros per month just to play it, and that¡¯s not considering the mountains of money you have to invest in the game to pay for the equipment and materials for your character. I read an article that a hardcore player can only make six or seven hundred euro profit per month this way and that demands you spend at least sixteen hours per day ingame. How long can you keep that up? That¡¯s not enough to live a decent life. I swear, I would have lent you money already if it hadn¡¯t been because you would probably just spend it to prolong this foolish venture of yours.¡± I slam my fist into the table, startling my sister and several of the nearby guests who throw curious glances in our direction. ¡°For the last time, Allison. I neither want nor need your pity-money. What sort of man would accept it? What I decide to do with my life is none of your concern and I will struggle through it by my own efforts, or fail trying.¡± My dad sits quietly through our entire argument, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. My sister doesn¡¯t see it, but I notice a single nod of approval after hearing my words. My anger abates slightly after seeing his nod. At least I have someone supporting me; even if he is a spineless wimp when it comes to my sister. My sister, however, is fuming. ¡°You cheeky little bastard. I only want what¡¯s best for you.¡± She moves her glare over at our dad. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say something here?¡± My dad grunts once before he opens his eyes. ¡°I told you earlier, Allison. Your brother has already made up his mind. I will support his decision for as long as he needs me to, and I will be there to pick him up if he falls. Just like I would for you if you were in a similar situation. Why don¡¯t we just give him some time to prove himself first?¡± Cheeks reddened, Allison glares at our dad for a moment before she leans back into her chair, crossing her arms. ¡°You two are the most pig-headed people I have ever known.¡± She huffs. ¡°I have no idea how mom ever managed to keep you two from killing yourselves from your own stupidity.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t bring mom into this¡­¡± I say, shaking my head. My dad sits still like a statue, his eyes once more closed. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I? I¡¯m getting sick of seeing you two rot away in denial. She is dead, and she ain¡¯t coming back. Pretending like she doesn¡¯t exist won¡¯t make your memories go away. She had her faults, but damn if we don¡¯t all love her. It¡¯s time you two could at least hold a single conversation about her without shutting yourselves off. You owe her that much. Hell, you owe ME that much.¡± She says, her face reddening further. I release a deep breath. ¡°We know, Allison. It¡¯s just hard. We will get there eventually. We just need a little more time.¡± I say. Dad grunts in agreement. Allison snorts. ¡°See that you do. And don¡¯t you think for one second that I¡¯ve let you off the hook on this gaming thing of yours.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think you ever will.¡± I mutter, shaking my head. We sit in silence for a few minutes until the waitress arrives with our food. I almost forgot where we were. It¡¯s starting to become a bad habit that my family and I seem to solve all our conflicts in public like this. I don¡¯t believe for one second that half the diner isn¡¯t listening in on every word we say. If this keeps going on, we might have to stop coming here. Not that dad would ever agree to that. The bacon they serve is just too damn tasty. We start devouring our food with great fervor which is a family trait we are well known for. I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen an entire group of people who can finish eating a large meal in under thirty seconds. We¡¯re just that amazing. Eating food also helps to lower the tension around the table, and even Allison ends up smiling after a few bites. ¡°So, Ryan¡­¡± She eventually says. ¡°Tell me a little about the game. What is it that makes it so great?¡± ¡°Uhm.¡± I take a moment to drink another sip off my milkshake. What do I tell her? That I make money by murdering and robbing innocent computer programs for a living? Sure, that would work out great with my dad. Which retired police officer wouldn¡¯t love hearing that their only son is a digital mobster? ¡°It¡¯s the excitement and great scenery I suppose.¡± I say with an indifferent shrug. ¡°Great scenery? What kind of crap is that?¡± She snorts. ¡°I bet it¡¯s something else, isn¡¯t it? A woman perhaps?¡± I choke on my milkshake, my cheeks blushing red. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh-hoh?¡± A glint shines in the corner of her eye. ¡°I hit the mark right on, didn¡¯t I? Who is she? Is she pretty?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no girl!¡± I say a little bit too high-pitched. What the hell? Why am I even reacting like this? ¡°If she is half as pretty as your face seems to think she is, then I might have to steal her away from you.¡± She says, giving me her best shit-eating grin. ¡°For the last time; there is no girl! And if there was, it¡¯s not like you would ever set foot in the game to find her.¡± ¡°So there is a girl?¡± She muses. ¡°I was just messing with you, but now I just have to see this.¡± ¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t dad tell you? We both bought one of these capsules each. It¡¯s not like we have anything better to do when we are supposed to be sleeping, so, we thought we might as well have a little family reunion at your newest place of work every day.¡± She grins. My jaw drops. ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Oh, but we will! Please take good care of us, little brother!¡± ¡­ Fuck my life. This can¡¯t end well. Chapter 54 – Stirring the Anthill Chapter 54 ¨C Stirring the Anthill ¡°This is seriously not what I needed right now.¡± I sigh as I walk back home. I don¡¯t really want to be ¡®that guy¡¯ who starts whining about things, but when it comes to my family, I reserve the right to bitch a little bit. Sure, I love them and all, but having them trespassing on my online sanctuary is just as exhaustive on my psyche as it was to help my late grandmother with computer problems. One can only explain oh-so-many-ways about where she can find the ¡®send¡¯ button on her email before you consider going postal. I rub the bridge of my nose while I try to come up with some sort of solution to this. There is always a workaround to things and it shouldn¡¯t put too much of a strain on me. In fact, I bet there is some way for me to use them to my advantage. They can probably obtain information that I can not, and I see no reason not to use them as a distraction if I ever find myself in a sticky situation. Do I even know how they might react to finding out my online profession? I¡¯m sure Allison wouldn¡¯t care, but my dad might. And if I can¡¯t tell dad about it, then I¡¯m certain Allison would tell him just to spite me, and that could turn out real awkward, real fast. I¡¯d rather postpone that particular conversation indefinitely. Anyway, that¡¯s a challenge for another day. It will probably take the pair a couple of days to get their things together and log in, and then it probably takes them a few nights just to get their bearings and figure out how the game works. They will probably pester me like crazy, but luckily for me, I can always fake being offline and say I have things to take care of in real life. They might buy that lie for a few days. Should I feel bad about blowing them off? ¡­ Nah. I considered lying when my sister asked which city I started out in. It would have been super easy to tell them I play in the city of Demorys on the northern side of the continent, but the lie wouldn¡¯t hold up for long. Sure, I would gain a couple more days of freedom until they figured out I¡¯m somewhere else, but the two would probably just reroll their characters and follow me to the correct city. And let me tell you this: It seriously isn¡¯t worth it to piss off Allison like that. That girl can be mean. Physically so. Siblings, am I right? I shake the thoughts of casually deceiving my family aside. I¡¯m not sure if I should be worried about how easy it is for me to lie to everyone around me these days. Even my family. Is this a new thing or have I always been like this? I don¡¯t think I used to be like this. Thinking about it is starting to give me a headache though, so I quickly fish the phone out of my pocket and hit up a few web pages to distract myself with. After a few seconds of scrolling, I huff in surprise when I notice they just launched a major update to Ascendence Unlimited. Patch Notes - Version 1.68 Dear Players. Due to a massive decline in players opting to play as a Villain, as well as the path not living up to our vision of what it should be, we are introducing some major changes to the game¡¯s core mechanics. The changes are aimed towards increasing the benefits for Villains and Adventurers alike to actively engage in combat with one another. Change #1 - Villains will now gain twice the amount of experience for killing an Adventurer equivalent to the same amount of experience they would gain from killing an NPC of similar levels. Maximum experience gained is capped at one level per kill. Change #2 - Players killing a Villain will gain all the experience the Villain loses upon death divided among all the Players involved in the kill. The total amount of experience gained is reduced by 10% per level of difference between the Villain and the highest participating Player¡¯s level if the Villain is of a lower level. Change #3 - Adventurers and Craftsmen will now lose one level every time they die after reaching level ten. Change #4 - Adventurers may instead of losing a level opt to drop the most valuable item in their inventory. If there is no level appropriate items of at least Rare quality, they will lose a level instead. Change #5 - The experience may only be gained once per kill on an Adventurer every sixteen hours to prevent abuse. Adventurers and Craftsmen will not lose an extra level during this time period if they are killed by the same Villain. Villains are exempt from this change. We hope these changes will not inconvenience you, and we further urge you to stay strong, adventurers! Kind Regards Kyle R. Bennett Lead developer of Ascendence Unlimited My eyes gloss over as I quickly read through the patch notes, followed by a closer, and much more scrutinizing readthrough. When I read through it for the third time, my jaw finally drops. It¡¯s a PvP patch! Oh, HELL YES! My smile threatens to split my face in two as I make fist-pumps in the air. This patch is going to make things a whole lot more interesting for me! PvP patches, or also known as Player versus Player patches, are designed to incentivize combat between players. In reality, this makes it very lucrative for me to start killing other players instead of the mindless monsters beneath the city. Sure, this will alert other players to my presence, but it was always only a matter of time until my existence would become known anyway. This only slightly moves the schedule ahead. I don¡¯t mind the tradeoff for these benefits though. This could also be helpful in other ways. Currently, only one in a thousand players have an active Villain account, which means there are virtually none of us around. It¡¯s become so bad, most regular players will probably walk around without ever encountering one of us. With this patch though, heaps and mounds of new players will flock to the path of a Villain, and it will only make it that much easier for me to hide a select few assassinations in the massive bloodbath that will take place in the streets in the coming months. Hide a murder during a genocide and all that. Should I be worried? Probably. In the end though, I think this will totally be worth it. At least now that I have sufficient power to escape the majority of the player mass and stay hidden if it comes down to it. It¡¯s not like I will do nothing but hunt players all day long though. I still need to farm the sewers for weapons as well as perform all my jobs to gain new items and crafting reagents. It¡¯s only a drop in the pond, but it¡¯s a much-cherished drop nonetheless. Chuckling lowly to myself in anticipation, my eyes are drawn to the comment section of the patch note. My grin spreads even wider when I read the complete outrage of the gaming population. People are furious that they can now lose levels if they die. In my opinion, they were already getting off pretty lightly, and risking to lose only one level isn¡¯t really the end of the world for regular players. The change is huge, and it will definitely change most people¡¯s approach to the game for a long time going forward. This change probably won¡¯t even matter too much to higher level players as they can opt to drop a valuable item which their party can just pick up for them afterwards anyway. It does, however, make things infinitely more interesting for us Villains. If I could kill some inattentive high-level player who has a legendary grade item, I¡¯d be set for a long time. Oh, man. That would really stir up the anthill.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. This could potentially be my main source of gaining experience going forwards. I already know the sewers won¡¯t last me forever, and now that Greg and Kevin probably ratted me out, I needed to find some new hunting grounds anyway. This patch is beyond convenient, even though it isn¡¯t nearly as safe as grinding along underground. With my recent skill acquisitions and the enormous size of this city, however, I¡¯m more confident in my ability to hide and move around unseen. It doesn¡¯t hurt that I have a perfectly safe hideout to chill in if things get too rough. I¡¯m starting to really look forward to this bloodbath. ---------- The dim lightings of my private quarters cause me to blink twice as my conscience is transferred back into my avatar. I take a deep breath, allowing the musky air to filter through my digital nose. I think these past few hours I spent with my family is the longest period I¡¯ve stayed outside of the game since I started playing. For the first time in a long time though, I can finally release some of the tension I¡¯ve built up in my system for a while and truly relax. Things are going really well for me so far and I¡¯m eager to get back to business. I jump to my feet and perform a few light stretches. It still feels a little odd playing as a character that¡¯s a head shorter than my real self, but it was surprisingly easy to get accustomed to my new anatomy. Life as a halfling is rough, but at least I¡¯m not as visually displeasing like half the standard fantasy races out there. I wish I could exchange some of this fat for a few well-toned abs and another dozen centimeters though, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers I suppose. I may not look like a stereotypical Villain as one would expect me to, but that isn¡¯t much of an issue. I¡¯d rather not draw any unwanted attention, and who knows? Maybe it¡¯s more embarrassing to be killed by someone who looks like a chubby twelve-year-old kid rather than a two-meter tall orc on steroids. Well, it works for me, and that¡¯s all that matters in the end. I chose to play as a halfling for the same reason I decided to play as a Thief Lord. To maximize my efficiency and performance. The devil is in the detail, and I can¡¯t hope to become the best player out there if I don¡¯t play the game by the numbers. Halflings give a decent boost to my class¡¯s core stats, and I like to believe I¡¯m smart enough to build the strongest possible character in this game. My future depends on it after all. Speaking of my dreams, it¡¯s been a while since I checked up on my progress over this last week. I bring up my status page, opting to leave out several of the less interesting options on the list. Status: Name: Rynorn Stabberton - Class: Thief Lord (Trap Maker) Race: Halfling - Level: 11 Health: 170 - Mana: 540 Experience: 200/2100 - Renown: N/A Attributes: Strength: 5(5-10%) - Endurance: 17(5+12) - Agility: 10(5+6-10%) Dexterity: 37(5+6+35/75%) - Perception: 5 - Intelligence: 54(5+62/75%) Wisdom: 6(5+1) - Charisma: 65(28+31+10%) - Luck: 35(24+8+10%) Unassigned attribute points: 0. Equipment: (+) Traits: (+) Thief Lord basic abilities: (+) Class Skills: (+) General Combat skills: (+) General Social skills: (+) Lesser Magic schools: (+) Profession: (+) Unassigned Skill Points: 0. My character has come along nicely, if I may say so myself. It¡¯s virtually unheard of to be able to reach level eleven in this game after only a week, but it¡¯s not impossible. I may have had a good portion of luck on my way to where I am, but I¡¯d like to give most of the credit to my own hard work. My stats are coming along splendidly, and it can only go upwards from here. My first order of business should therefore be to try and get myself some new equipment. While the gear I¡¯m currently wearing is by no means weak, I have to admit that I have already outgrown them by quite a wide margin. While I still wouldn¡¯t go as far as calling my equipment bad, I have to admit I could do leagues better at my level. Getting an upgrade is paramount to my success as the power of my skills will only weaken without proper equipment. A Thief Lord is essentially a minion-based support class, and all my skills and abilities are tailored towards buffing and supporting my own underlings. I can buff them in pretty much every conceivable way, and I¡¯ve done my utmost to further enhance their chances of success by discarding my personal offensive capabilities in favor of more utility. Besides being a supporting class, I¡¯m also a magician specialized in Illusion magic as well as a Trap Maker. These two utility-focused skill paths are the gems of my grand strategy, and I¡¯m mighty proud of what I have accomplished so far with these sets of skills. I can¡¯t even start to count how many times these skills have saved my life, more so than any amount of martial arts ever could. I¡¯m a commander, not a warrior. My skills should reflect that. I lightly shake my head to gather my thoughts. I may just have gained a small respite in my quest for the top, but I¡¯m not quite out of the woods yet. There are still loads of things I have to do, and I can¡¯t do them while sitting couped up in my hideout all day. Today¡¯s Saturday, so I¡¯m expecting there to be a lot more players online than usual. This shouldn¡¯t cause too much of a problem, as this means most players will team up with their friends and go on long adventures deep into the wild. Who would want to stick around in this boring little city on a Saturday morning? I sure as hell wouldn¡¯t. My main goals for the immediate future is to further solidify my position and keep gaining experience. I¡¯m not sure how dangerous the sewers are at the moment, but I should probably lay low for a while until the heat dies down. Perhaps this is a good time for me to head out and into the forest to pick up my leftover stash of items from the days I played as a Necromancer? No. As tempting that would be, I don¡¯t think I can waste the time or manpower to take on that task yet. Hopefully, the stash isn¡¯t getting pillaged any time soon, and there aren¡¯t really any items in the stash that I¡¯m in desperate need of. I would love to have the additional funds and skill books, but so far, I can manage without. My immediate concern should, therefore, probably be to perform a few jobs to hopefully collect some gear or ingredients. My Poisoner is starting to run low on reagents, and I¡¯ve already out leveled most of the poisons she can make now anyway. With my mind made up, I head out of my office to see if any of my Agents have returned. The main hall of my hideout is looking quite lively, with my underlings partying as only an NPC could. Mugs of ale and roasted chicken legs flow abundant, and only their raucous cheers can trump the deliciousness of their food. I spot Cobra sitting at the main table, playing a round of cards with my two Cutthroats. I¡¯m about to make my way over when an unexpected message pops into my inbox. [Gregorious Ironguard writes: Hey, Rynorn. I have a proposition for you. Can we meet?] Ah, fuck. They know... Chapter 55 – Damage Control Chapter 55 ¨C Damage Control Fuck! I had hope; a slim one, but I still held out and hoped those two dimwit paladins were unable to add two and two together. There may not have been much hope to begin with, but it wasn¡¯t completely unreasonable to think the pair didn¡¯t make the connection. If they know, then I have to assume the Dark Pegasus guild already knows who I am as well. This is going to make things a shit-ton more difficult for me, but the situation is not necessarily unsalvageable. I really need to do some damage control here. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: What do you two want? I told you, I¡¯m not interested in teaming up with you.] I do my best to feign ignorance, making damn sure those two stay away from me. The reply ticks in only a few seconds later. [Gregorious Ironguard writes: That¡¯s not what I was going to ask¡­ We have a problem and we need all hands on deck. There¡¯s fifty gold in it for you. So how about it?] Oooh? At least they know what type of bait to use. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: What do you need me to do?] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: I¡¯d prefer to talk about this face to face. Can we meet somewhere?] Well, that¡¯s a poorly concealed trap. Who do they take me for? An idiot? [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Really? What are we, twelve years old? Quit wasting my time. I¡¯m busy here.] I huff in resignation. I bet the next thing they do is make up some fairly mundane and easy problem that miraculously only I can solve; something not any of the thousand other members of their guild can. Dumb problem coming in five¡­ four¡­ three¡­ [Gregorious Ironguard writes: Fine. We need your help to find a level eleven Thief Lord hiding in the sewers somewhere beneath the Harbour District.] Uhm¡­ Okay, I didn¡¯t really expect that one. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Why do you need my help with that? Aren¡¯t you members of the Dark Pegasus guild? One word from you and the entire city can be purged in only a few hours.] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: Trust me, we would have already done that hours ago if we could. We are kind of caught between a rock and a hard place. We¡¯re on thin ice with the guild, and if we tell them now, we might get kicked out of the clan for our efforts.] ¡­ Okay, I lost it. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: What do you mean? How the hell could revealing that information be a bad thing?] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: The information isn¡¯t the bad thing. The problem lies with our proof. Let¡¯s just say that the recording of our encounter with the Thief Lord is¡­ Less than flattering on our side.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Pfft. What did you do? Try to hump a zombie or something?] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: No, wise ass. What happened is not important. What IS important though, is locating the Thief Lord as quickly as possible so that we can get some better footage to send to our guild leader. We don¡¯t need to actually kill the guy, just find him.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: ¡­ You do realise how ridiculous this sounds, right?] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: Yeah, yeah. We know. So what do you say? Are you in or not?] I snort. This is interesting. Are these two fucking with me? That story sounds so ridiculous it might actually be plausible. You can¡¯t really make up this kind of shit, can you? You¡¯d have to be a pretty amazing author to come up with this crap. Thinking back, I can actually remember how that entire scenario played out. I recall how that human Paladin, was it Kevin?, screamed like a little girl and ran as soon as he saw me. I can buy it that the entire encounter wasn¡¯t very flattering, but is it enough for them to fear their places in the guild? I also remember my first encounter with them as a Thief Lord back in the Noob District, and I distinctly recall the encounter transpired in a very similar fashion. Knowing Aria, I find it hard to believe she finds that sort of behaviour acceptable for anyone under her employ. If what they¡¯re saying is true, then I might just have found a way to prolong my secret identity for another while. I need to get on top of it though. My main challenge is to make sure Greg and Kevin don¡¯t tell their guild about the Thief Lord¡¯s existence for a while longer, preferably not at all. If they need my help to locate¡­ myself, then it would be a smart thing for me to be part of the search group. The easiest way to hide is to team up with your own pursuers, isn¡¯t it? Wow. I can¡¯t even believe I¡¯m actually considering this, but I think this opportunity is too good to pass on. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: I¡¯m in. Tell me when and where.] ---------- Greg told me to meet them at a small tavern in the southern part of the Harbour District. The place isn¡¯t actually that far from my hideout so it doesn¡¯t take long for me to find it. Greg told me to meet them in half an hour, but I easily make it in less than five minutes. This gives me ample opportunity to scout out the nearby area and set up as many precautions as humanly possible within my time frame. I¡¯m still not entirely convinced this isn¡¯t a trap after all. This is why I¡¯ve placed all four of my ranged units on rooftops surrounding the inn, with both my Prowlers keeping an eye on the main entrance. They will immediately notify me if any high-level players approach from any direction while also being in a position to rain down hell on any pursuers if it becomes necessary. I¡¯ve deigned to let them use the two last paralyzing poisons I have at their own discretion as my survival is paramount to my success. Having lookouts prepared this well in advance should also give me a good warning if any enemy players are lying in ambush, as they are bound to spot anyone coming from a mile away; unless they are really high-level assassins. I need to be prepared for that possibility as well though. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve placed both my Cutthroats near either of the adjacent alleyways, which should be the likely spot for the enemy assassins to approach from. I sincerely doubt their stealth capabilities are powerful enough to slip past my own underlings even at their low levels. The alleyways are far too narrow for that. I still don¡¯t know what¡¯s waiting for me on the inside of the building, but I¡¯ve decided to bring my Swindler alongside me to function as a human shield while my Beggar awaits on the outside, ready to swap places with me using Doppelganger at a moment¡¯s notice. If by some miracle the assassins are still able to pursue me, my Thugs are standing at the ready to sacrifice their lives to buy me more time. I don¡¯t think there is anything more I can do to prepare. I¡¯ve got most of my bases covered, and the only thing I can do now is to wait for the two Paladins to arrive.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. I spend another ten minutes waiting to see if any ambushers approach. None arrive, or at least none that I can see, so I decide to take the initiative and head inside. Being the first to arrive, I have the advantage of choosing where we all sit. That¡¯s why I head inside and find the most secluded corner booth inside the tavern, hugged up against a back wall where I can easily be within range of my Beggar in case I need to make a quick getaway. The last fifteen minutes goes by excruciatingly slowly, but the two Paladins eventually make their appearance without anyone trying to kill me. I suppose that¡¯s a good sign. The two scan the nearly empty tavern before their eyes land upon me. Greg gives me a short nod of acknowledgement before he gestures for Kevin to follow him. ¡°Thank you for coming.¡± Greg says while taking a seat. I don¡¯t sense any anger in his voice and he seems tense, but still somewhat relaxed. That¡¯s a good sign for me at least. I don¡¯t get a malicious vibe from the guy. He doesn¡¯t look like the antsy type who is about to spring an ambush. I give him a silent nod in response. Kevin gives me a half-interested, half-annoyed glance before he looks away, crossing his arms and drops into a seat next to Greg. Geez, I wonder who crapped in his cereal. ¡°Do you want a beer or anything?¡± Greg offers, clearly trying a bit hard to get into my good graces. I know I¡¯m sort of acting like an asshole to the guy, and the Rynorn they know must certainly look the part. They don¡¯t appear to know I have good reason to be a little pissed off at them though and I don¡¯t feel like putting in much effort to hide the fact. The shit they stirred last night is still making my blood boil. ¡°No, I¡¯m good. Let¡¯s just cut to the chase. What exactly do you need my help with?¡± Kevin shoots a mean glare at the shorter dwarf. ¡°Seriously, cous. We don¡¯t need this shitbag. We should just tell Aria and get it over with. Dealing with this asshole isn¡¯t worth it.¡± ¡°Shut your fucking mouth Kevin, or I¡¯ll swear to god...¡± Greg snaps back, causing Kevin to flinch. He takes a few seconds to glare at his younger cousin, daring him to say another word. Kevin eventually snorts and looks away. ¡°Right, sorry about that.¡± Greg eventually says, returning his gaze towards me. ¡°As I said earlier, we need some help locating a level eleven Thief Lord that should be hanging around in the sewers around this area. Luckily, there aren¡¯t many alternative leveling opportunities in this city, so he will eventually need to make an appearance if he intends to ever level up.¡± ¡°And what do I do if I find him? Fighting that guy would be suicide for a lone crafter like me, and I don¡¯t intend on losing a level after the latest patch.¡± I say. Greg raises his hands defensively. ¡°No, no. You don¡¯t need to fight him. If you see him, then just shoot me a message and we¡¯ll hurry over. We only need to get a glimpse of him ourselves as proof of his existence to show our guild master.¡± ¡°So, you want me to sit on my ass for hours on end and wait for some random Villain to appear and most likely kill me? I gotta say, this sounds like a waste of time.¡± Greg sighs. ¡°We don¡¯t expect you to search for him actively. Just keep an eye out if you run into anyone suspicious.¡± ¡°Hmm... ¡° I rub my chin. ¡°Sounds easy enough. I need to get a description of who I¡¯m looking for though. Can you forward me the video you took earlier?¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Kevin nearly shouts, shooting me a venomous glare. I just raise an eyebrow in return. ¡°Kevin! I thought I told you to-¡± ¡°No, fuck that!¡± Kevin interrupts. ¡°If you send him the video, who is to say he won¡¯t just blackmail us for more money by threatening to forward it to that ice-cold bitch of a guild master?¡± ¡°Because, you fucking moron, that would force him to break his Oath-Binding. He¡¯ll be in more shit than we will.¡± Greg snaps back. ¡°He won¡¯t if he saves it until after the sewers become common knowledge. We all know it¡¯s only a matter of time until the secret is out anyway.¡± What sort of asshole does he think I am? Blackmail? I may be a Villain, but I would never perform an actual real-life crime. Hell, I never even considered blackmailing them. But now that he mentions it, forwarding Aria the video would be a pretty spiteful revenge¡­ I like it. ¡°Oh, for the love of God.¡± I sigh loudly, interrupting the bickering pair. ¡°First of all: Fuck you for assuming I¡¯m an asshole, Kevin. Second: I don¡¯t give a crap about your petty ass problems. Tell me or not, I don¡¯t give a fuck as long as I get paid. Third, and last: If I wanted to blackmail you, I would just use a recording of this conversation where you just called your guild master an ice-cold bitch. I¡¯m sure that would piss her off way more than you pissing your pants during combat.¡± I can figuratively see the color draining from Kevin¡¯s face. He looks so comical, I have to restrain myself from breaking out into laughter. Serves him right. Kevin¡¯s lips seem glued together, and I assume he won¡¯t have anything to say for the rest of the conversation. Now all I need to do is wrap this thing up so I can- ¡°Uhm, how did you know what happened?¡± Greg asks me curiously. My heart threatens to leap up my throat, and I do my utmost to keep my face even. Oh, shit! He never told me what was in that video, did he? Crap, crap, crap! Think fast, Ryan! I snort, trying to buy myself some time to think. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± I say, raising my eyebrow. Greg frowns but doesn¡¯t say anything. ¡°There really aren¡¯t that many possible ways for you to fuck up. You know, besides doing something sexual to the mobs down there, but even Kevin isn¡¯t that sick of a fuck, is he?¡± I snort. Taking a moment to wait for an answer that probably won¡¯t come. ¡°That means you probably fucked up in some manner, and seeing how you seem to hold a grudge against Kevin, then it¡¯s safe to assume he made a fool of himself while looking the part. Considering how you find yourself sitting across from some random guy trying to make a shady deal, it would have to have looked really freaking bad. Shitting your pants bad.¡± Greg¡¯s frown deepens, and he appears to attempt to stare a hole in me for several moments. Eventually, he shakes his head with a sigh. ¡°That makes sense I suppose.¡± ¡°Oy! Way to stick up for me there, cous!¡± Kevin snaps at his cousin. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong though.¡± Greg says, glaring back. Kevin clenches his jaw but says nothing. His face is lighting up like Santa¡¯s sleigh though. ¡°Right. Before you two start bickering again like an old married couple, I would like to suggest a few improvements to your plan.¡± I say. This immediately catches both of the paladins¡¯ attention. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Greg asks, tugging his beard. ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but apart from the Thief Lord, only the three of us should have any knowledge about the sewers, yes?¡± I ask. The two nods in unison. ¡°Perfect. That makes this a whole lot easier. As you may know, my profession is a Trap Maker. This means I have access to several convenient contraptions that can be fully utilized for an endeavor like this. My skill level is just high enough to start making alarm traps. I can make a couple for you, for a fee of course, that you can attach to every sewer exit in the vicinity. This will alert you whenever someone triggers it, making it easier for you to cover more ground. I can show you how to place the traps, and if one of the traps is triggered, then that means the Thief Lord should be nearby. You can then just camp around that general area and wait for him to reappear.¡± ¡°I see¡­ How long would it take you to make a dozen of those traps?¡± Greg asks. ¡°Oh, probably a couple of hours. I¡¯ll sell you a batch for fifteen gold. Sounds good?¡± Greg grimaces for a second but quickly agrees. Their personal economy should be strained enough as it is already. I almost feel bad about charging them for this. Almost. ¡°Great. Now, to maximize our efficiency, I would like for you to show me the map of all the sewer entrances in the city. It should increase our odds of running into the guy sooner rather than later.¡± I hold my breath, waiting for their answer. I can figuratively see them biting onto my fishing hook here. Greg looks like he is about to pop a blood vein on his forehead and Kevin is gaping in outrage. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can do that¡­ If the guild found out we showed anyone else¡­¡± Greg says weakly. ¡°Oh, please. I¡¯m still under the Oath-Binding, remember? Who am I gonna tell? My cat? Just spit it out already so we can get this over with.¡± I lean back in my seat, crossing my arms. Did I just push them too far? Greg looks like he is about to shit bricks. ¡°Okay, fine¡­¡± He eventually says, forwarding me a screenshot of a roughly drawn map of the city. ¡°But don¡¯t tell anyone you have this, ok?¡± My heart is slamming against my chest. Holy shit! I can¡¯t believe that worked! Damn good job mister silver tongue! I¡¯m so excited about getting access to this map, I have to fake a cough just to keep my face from splitting in half with a winning grin. This map is amazing! It shows all the sewer entrances in the entire city! There are almost a hundred of them! There are even several entrances I didn¡¯t even know existed back in the Shanty Town. This map is insanely valuable to me! Oh, god. If Aria knew a Thief Lord got his hands on this map¡­ ¡°Excellent. This will make things much easier for all of us.¡± I say in an even tone. ¡°The only thing left should be for you two to tell me when and where you farm in the sewers to help coordinate our efforts. It¡¯s easier to cover more ground this way.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just keep that map to yourself, okay?¡± Greg says. I give him a blank stare, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Of course.¡± Chapter 56 – Job Assignments Chapter 56 ¨C Job Assignments I laugh all the way back to my hideout. I should probably feel a little bad about deceiving those two, but in my opinion, they deserve what¡¯s coming for them. If they fuck with my game, I¡¯ll fuck with theirs. I¡¯m fully aware that what I¡¯m doing is morally worse, but deciding to use such an underhanded method to catch me instead of just biting the sour lemon and admit to Aria about their fuck up is completely their own decision. I didn¡¯t force them to make a bad decision, I¡¯m only letting it happen while capitalizing on it. Being the Villain can be so satisfying sometimes. My underlings and I make good time making our way back to the hideout. I considered just heading into an alley and start dishing out some orders, but with the increased player traffic today, I should play it as safely as possible. Besides, the Hideout is less than five minutes away, and I can afford to be a little extra cautious. We finally make it back and head inside the rundown building. I don¡¯t see a particular reason for us to go all the way down under the ground, so we gather ourselves inside the common room of the building. The chairs and tables are still laying haphazardly around on the floor after our fight here yesterday so we take a moment to tidy up the place and discard the furniture that¡¯s too broken to use. I¡¯ve been meaning to repair all the broken stuff around here, but I still haven¡¯t gotten around to it yet. Perhaps later when I recruit a new specialist. I¡¯m certain the Tinkerer has the requisite skills for this task. I¡¯m sure he does, just as the rest of us have other skills we can put to use. Skills that I should put to use as soon as possible actually. I didn¡¯t really have time to check this earlier, but I bring up the freshly acquired jobs my Agents gathered earlier for perusal. Drug Smuggler Struggle Job type: Heist. Difficulty: Medium (?). Deadline: 10 Days. Rewards: 500 Experience, Alchemical Ingredients. A minor smuggling ring is rumoured to have received a large shipment of rare and highly illegal herbs. If these herbs were to go missing, Drenerys¡¯ underworld would lose an important source of income. This presents a golden opportunity for a new entrepreneur to make his mark on the city. That is, if one is bold enough to take it. Do you wish to accept this job? The Funeral of Fabian ¡®FunBags¡¯ Shirebaggin Job type: Heist. Difficulty: Hard. Deadline: 5 Days. Rewards: 800 Experience, A set of Armor. The world-renowned Bard and Gambler, Fabian ¡®Funbags¡¯ Shirebaggin, recently passed away surrounded by his family and loved ones. Fabian was truly loved by the people, and his funeral will be a public spectacle of epic proportions. Fabian will be wearing his custom-made set of armor which is told to bring him luck both on the stage and at the poker table. A common saying among Thief Lords is that the dead has no need for luck. Perhaps the armor needs a new owner? *Hint* Fabian¡¯s Corpse is guarded by three of his relatives in the crypts below the cathedral. Do you wish to accept this job? These jobs are not bad at all. Sometimes I do love that this is indeed a game; and since it¡¯s a game, the game offers a lot of convenient solutions. It¡¯s almost as if the game read my mind earlier when I said I needed some new gear as well as more ingredients for my Poisoner. Those two are currently my main shortcomings, and the game responds as ordered. I love it. If only real life was like this... I¡¯m a little disappointed none of them are of the easy difficulty as I¡¯m still a little reluctant about sending my underlings off to tackle a medium difficulty job on their own. I¡¯m pretty sure they wouldn¡¯t have too much problem doing it, but I fear they would sustain a couple of casualties during the process. I could come with, of course, but joining my underlings on jobs isn¡¯t always an effective use of my time. Training and developing my skills is vital for my success down the road or else I suffer, but I need to keep in mind that I have other obligations as well. I only really gain experience for completing the job and I get that even if I¡¯m not present. I have faith in Cobra. With his new gear, he should be like a combat machine. I do notice something slightly different though. On the funeral job, the game seems to have both removed the question mark behind the job difficulty rating as well as adding a hint at the end. The hint gives me some pretty interesting information. It¡¯s helpful, but not overly so to make the job much easier. I believe this is the result of my Beggar ranking up to a tier two Swindler. I frown, allowing myself to slip into deep thoughts. These are tough decisions to make. I do have a lot of powerful underlings now, but all of them are at least a level below me, and my latest two Spotters are still only level one. There are a lot of them though, and their gear is a notch above average. I like to consider myself a cautious person, but someday I¡¯ll just have to face the fact than I¡¯m really not. It feels like I do nothing but take chances these days, and I¡¯m not really following the careful game style I had when I was playing as a necromancer. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m just being impatient because I just started over, or if the intensity of the big city is starting to get to me, but I have to admit that I feel a lot more alive when taking risks. It¡¯s stupid, but fun. When I look at it this way, I don¡¯t see a reason why I shouldn¡¯t take a couple of chances. I¡¯m playing this game to enjoy myself after all. Why shouldn¡¯t I live a little? Within reason, of course. I still won¡¯t play a hand with impossible odds, and I certainly won¡¯t risk a game-over scenario. Shaking my head with a grin, I take a look around the room. My underlings are all sitting at attention, anticipating my orders. I let my gaze wander over the gathered crowd as I subconsciously take a mental inventory of their gear and assets. This should be doable. My eyes fall on my Lieutenant last. The burly and nondescript-looking human fighter sits with his feet on the table, casually cleaning his fingernails with a rusty dagger. Cobra is the pride of my outfit which should come as no surprise since he is the only one of my underlings who has a semblance of a personality. I¡¯ve come to learn his personality is pretty superficial, usually limited to talk about his immediate desires like prostitution or violence, but at least he is loyal and fairly autonomous. I haven¡¯t talked much to the guy during these past few days, and sometimes I wonder if there is more to his personality than I think. Hell, now is as good a time as any to figure it out, isn¡¯t it?The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hey Cobra, how are you holding up?¡± I ask my Lieutenant. The elite fighter raises both his eyebrows, sheathing his dagger. ¡°I¡¯m doing just fine, boss. No reason to complain. Why are you asking?¡± ¡°Ah, nothing much really. Just wanted to know if you are up for a bit of a challenge.¡± I smile. ¡°Challenge, eh? Count me in, boss.¡± He grins, giving me his full attention. His grin quickly drops though. ¡°Unless it¡¯s-¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing sexual. Stop asking about it.¡± I frown. Perhaps I¡¯m mistaken. I should have seen that joke coming from a mile away. ¡°Then tell me who to stab, boss!¡± He grins as if nothing¡¯s wrong. Shaking my head lightly, I do my best to conceal a grin of my own. While Cobra may be annoying, his positive and can-do attitude is rather infectious. You just can¡¯t help but smile at his antics. ¡°I want you to lead the assault on the Drug Smugglers. Think you can handle it?¡± I ask. Thankfully, my Lieutenant seems to be fully aware of the job description for some reason. Game logic reigns supreme! ¡°Sure thing, boss! The boys and I can handle anything. How do you want it done?.¡± He guffaws, leaning further back in his chair. I smile. ¡°Preferably as stealthy as possible, but don¡¯t be afraid to use violence. I recommend you-¡± ¡°Got it, boss! Same procedure as always then?¡± He chuckles. I frown. What the hell? Is even NPCs interrupting me now? That¡¯s incredibly rude. ¡°Same procedure? What do you mean by that?¡± Cobra raises an eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, boss. Just do the same thing we always do.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± He sighs. Can he sigh? ¡°Come on, boss. I¡¯ve only known you for a little less than a week, but I¡¯ve been by your side for almost every hour, every day. I¡¯d have to be an idiot not to learn from a great tactician like you, boss.¡± He says evenly. Huh. That¡¯s odd. I don¡¯t even think that was sarcasm. Is he fucking with me? Can NPCs really learn from player behaviour? I¡¯m not sure what is going on, but I¡¯m not leaving anything to chance here. ¡°So you¡¯re basically copying my tactics?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. Sort of. No plan or scenario is ever the same, but your preparations usually follow the same pattern.¡± ¡°All right¡­¡± I say slowly. ¡°If you are so confident that you have cracked the mystery box of my tactics wide open, please explain what you¡¯ve learned.¡± I huff, not quite sure I believe that the NPC has already analyzed and copied my behavioural patterns. ¡°Of course, boss. First things first: you have us scout the surrounding area of the target location, trying to gather as much information about the building¡¯s layout, potential entrances, the number of enemies, and escape routes. After that, you place several sentries around the perimeter to keep an eye out for enemy reinforcements or movements. Lastly: you find the thickest cluster of enemies and overwhelm them in a surprise attack, utilizing as much excessive violence as you possibly can. Isn¡¯t that about it?¡± He grins confidently. ¡­ Son of a¡­ That is roughly the idea of what my basic preparations are for breaching a compound. How did he figure me out this quickly? Am I really that easy to see through? Worst of all, did this fucker just make my role during heists obsolete? I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m comfortable with this. ¡°I don¡¯t use excessive violence¡­¡± I mutter. ¡°Sure you don¡¯t, boss. And I¡¯m actually not that fond of prostitutes either.¡± He winks at me. How rude. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t? What a pity. I guess I¡¯ll have to cancel the party I had planned for you boys after the successful completion of the heist. What a shame too. I had really sprung on the classy girls as well.¡± I say with mock sadness. The color on Cobra¡¯s face quickly drains. ¡°No, no! Don¡¯t do that boss! Did I forget to mention how magnificent your tactic is? Only a true criminal mastermind could-¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m just fucking with you Cobra. You can remove that tongue from my ass and put it to good use elsewhere.¡± I guffaw. It¡¯s almost too easy to get back at the guy. This got me thinking though. If I can train Cobra to be more efficient during heists, then what else can he do? I have to say, this is my first time really interacting with an NPC companion, and my knowledge about them is scarce. Can I teach him other things, perhaps? Maybe some magic? ¡°Hey, Cobra. Have you ever tried to learn using spells?¡± I ask carefully, eyeing his every movement. ¡°Magic? Nah. My pa had me tested for magic affinity when I was a little kid. No such luck, I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m a magical dud, and so are most of us who choose the life of thievery when I think about it. The rule on the street is: If you know magic, you probably wouldn¡¯t live on the street.¡± Well, damn. It was worth a shot. Should have known the game lore wouldn¡¯t allow for this loophole. If I could teach any of my underlings any of the major schools of magic, my underlings would become a terrifying force to be reckoned with. The doors to magic underlings may be forever closed, but that doesn¡¯t mean there could be other loopholes to take advantage of. ¡°Then how about crafting? Resource gathering?¡± I ask hopefully. ¡°Nah, sorry boss. Same thing really. My pa always said I was clumsy with anything other than a blade. I tried picking flowers for a young maiden once, prettiest girl on this side of town, I tell you. The results weren¡¯t pretty. Might as well have handed her a handful of manure. So my pa said: ¡®Son, you¡¯re as daft as you are ugly. No craftsman will ever take you on as an apprentice¡¯.¡± He shakes his head. ¡°Now that I think about it, I never really liked the old bastard. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t completely wrong, as is the story for most of the boys here. If you are talented enough to use a hammer, you probably wouldn¡¯t be in this profession.¡± He sighs. Hmm. I rub my chin. I guess I should have seen that coming. The game really doesn¡¯t like loopholes, does it? Nevertheless, I had to try. There is only one thing left to try though. ¡°Then how about traps? Think you can at least place a few of them?¡± Cobra¡¯s eyes light up. ¡°Sure thing, boss! I may not be talented enough to make them, but these fingers can do more than pleasure a woman.¡± He winks. Aww, hell yeah! Jackpot! I quickly fish out a few basic glue and acid traps out of my inventory and put them on the table between us. ¡°Do you know how to place them?¡± Cobra scratches his chin. ¡°Yeah, I think so, boss. I¡¯ve seen you dabble with the blasted things plenty over these past few days. I might not be able to do it as fast as you, but I think I¡¯ll manage.¡± ¡°Splendid. Use these traps as you see fit, but I recommend you set up one of the glue traps near your most likely escape route. And for the love of god, make sure none of these other idiots accidentally set them off.¡± He guffaws. ¡°I¡¯ll keep them in check. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I say, leaning back in my chair. ¡°Now, what the hell are you waiting for? Those smugglers sure as hell won¡¯t rob themselves. Get to it!¡± ¡°Sure thing, boss.¡± He chuckles. He gets to his feet and turns towards the rest of my underlings who sit idle nearby. ¡°All right you lazy sacks of shit! The boss gave us a job, and if I see any of you saggy shit-for-brains slack off for even one second, I¡¯ll personally kick all your teeth in. Am I making myself clear!?¡± He shouts. My underlings seem a little taken back, but they quickly gather themselves and grab their weapons. ¡°O-rah!¡± They shout in unison before they all get to their feet. Not one to waste time, Cobra takes the lead and heads outside. I sit still for a minute, waiting for the room to fully empty. I have to say, I didn¡¯t really expect this neat little feature. If Cobra can be this autonomous, it should open up a whole series of potential development paths. I really can¡¯t wait to unlock a second Lieutenant. If I keep going at this pace, I should definitely unlock another one before I hit level twenty. The question is: How far can they go? No matter. I¡¯ll discover these things as I go along. I¡¯ve been slacking for long enough as it is already and I have a ton of things to do. While Cobra is off completing the job, I should head north to the Craftsmen¡¯s District and see if Odin has any new trap schematics for me. I should probably start working on those alarm traps that I tricked Greg and Kevin to order as well. I chuckle. Playing as a Thief Lord, I can¡¯t say that I really ever thought I would end up having customers. Chapter 57 – Hunted Chapter 57 ¨C Hunted The trip north was pretty uneventful. I noticed that there are definitely more players around, but most of them are around my level and thus not a threat. The sea of low-level players actually benefits me as it makes it harder for any high-level patrolmen to single me out with this many people around. I have become surprisingly skilled at spotting the wandering patrolmen and find alternate routes to bypass them. Well, I would have been proud if it hadn¡¯t been because all the patrols seem to do a half-assed job. I suppose you can¡¯t expect much professionalism from players doing menial tasks like this when stuck in an amazing digital fantasy world. At least, I know I wouldn¡¯t if I were in their shoes. I¡¯m not quite sure why, but Odin, my trap mentor, wasn¡¯t at his workshop this time either. I know he is a grandmaster and thus is probably too busy to deal with teaching mere mortals like myself, but why would he even bother being a teacher if he¡¯s never doing his job? Well, at least he isn¡¯t berating me for not progressing further and faster within my profession like he is prone to do, so it isn¡¯t that bad. It would be nice if he could stop by and say hello every now and then though. As much as I miss my grumpy old teacher, I¡¯m getting a bit tired of talking to people. An introverted guy like me can only have a finite amount of conversations over a short timespan before I start going crazy. Seriously. I feel like I have done nothing but talk all morning and I¡¯m starting to crave the solitude. Anyways, I did manage to get out of the workshop in a reasonable amount of time and I can¡¯t really complain when I see what I gained. [Schematic: Novice Trigger Mechanism - Woolen Tripwire. Common Trap Maker Schematic. Requires: 4x Rough-spun Woolen Thread, 1x Small Wooden Stick. (Product must be attached to a Release Mechanism to function).] [Schematic: Novice Framework - Wood and Copper Structure. Common Trap Maker Schematic. Requires: 1x Rough-spun Woolen Thread, 1x Small Wooden Plank, 1x Copper Bar, 1x Basic Magic Oil. (Product must be attached to a Trigger Mechanism and a Release Mechanism to function).] [Schematic: Novice Release Mechanism - Alarm. Common Trap Maker Schematic. Requires: 1x Minor Mana Stone, 1x Large Wooden Plank, 1x Iron Spring, 1x Basic Magic Oil. (Product must be attached to a Trigger Mechanism to function).] I decided to pick up the next set of schematics to add to my trap making repertoire. It¡¯s nothing flashy, but the schematics offer slightly increased gains when part of a trap. The development path for crafters is usually pretty linear, and I don¡¯t see a reason to mess with the system. If it works, it works. The trick with using traps lies in how you utilize the trap anyway. Being fancy and shiny takes second place. Hell, I probably wouldn¡¯t even have bothered upgrading my current set of schematics if it hadn¡¯t been because I gain a slight experience boost to creating these parts rather than their basic counterparts. Every little bonus helps, I suppose. Currently, I¡¯m on my way back south towards my hideout to start grinding out some skill levels. Things are going pretty good for me at the moment so I take a second to really lower my shoulders and relax for a change. Nothing can go wrong today, I can just feel it. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Hey, Ryan! You¡¯re on later than usual. What¡¯s up?] Oh, right. I almost forgot that I didn¡¯t put my friends list status back to appear as offline during the day. It was intentional though. I¡¯ve been leveling up like crazy lately, and it¡¯s becoming harder and harder to explain to people how I¡¯m leveling up this fast when I¡¯m supposedly only playing during the night. I figure staying online during weekends should help alleviate some of those suspicions. And by people that are prone to suspect me of anything, I obviously mean Anna. The crazy girl that keeps writing to me. Anna is a pretty weird girl. I accidentally ran into her just an hour after I started up this character. I still don¡¯t understand what happened, but the girl started clinging to me like a wet napkin. We are friends, I guess, even though our entire relationship is based on a lie. She sort of thinks I¡¯m an old man, playing this game just to pass time. I told that particular lie just to get away from her, but she somehow found me fascinating and decided to become my friend. This entire situation is kind of absurd, but she has provided me with a lot of valuable information which has undoubtedly been paramount to my successes so far. I kind of feel bad for stringing her along, but I don¡¯t really know how to break it off with her without making things worse. I just hope karma won¡¯t come around and bite me in the ass at some point. God knows I would deserve it. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Hello Anna! Good to hear from you. I have been having a lot of fun playing these last few days so I decided to extend my playing time a little longer over the weekend. I am absolutely fascinated by the complexity of this game, and I¡¯d like to spend another few hours to see how far I can progress.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Haha, I know right? This game is just too damn awesome for its own good! I¡¯m pretty much playing for nearly eighteen hours per day myself. I¡¯m hooked.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Eighteen hours? That sounds like an awful lot. The user manual only recommends twelve hours of use per day. Is it safe?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Safe? Hasn¡¯t been a problem for me yet. They only put on that warning to prevent lawsuits, really. No matter how idiot-proof you make things these days, there will always be that one person who overdoes it and ruins it for everyone. As long as you take decent breaks every now and then, eat healthily and exercise, you should be all good.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: I suppose you know best. So what¡¯s new with you? Did that entire debacle with the Plaguebringer work out okay?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Oh my god, don¡¯t get me started on that shit. We followed your directions for a few minutes, and we did indeed find his lair. Or, what was left of it, I suppose. The place was cleaned out. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything about that, do you? *winkyface*] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: No, sorry. I was a bit busy running for my life.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: I¡¯m just messing with you Ryan. *lol*. The important thing is that it has all been taken care of now. Well, mostly. Big sis somehow got a big stick up her arse about another Thief Lord, but that happens at least once a week anyway. Nothing new there.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Sounds worrisome. Is it perchance the same Thief Lord you ran into last week?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Nah, probably not. This one was a much higher level and we¡¯re not even certain this one even exists. It doesn¡¯t matter though. If there is another Thief Lord out there, then big sis already has it covered.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Covered?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Yeah. I can¡¯t say any more about it though. Guild secret. Sis is already kinda pissed Brian and I told you about the sewers in the first place. *poutyface*.] Oh crap. This doesn¡¯t sound good. Guild secret? What does she mean by ¡®having it covered¡¯? That sounds ominous as hell. I need to know more. Please, Lady Karma, don¡¯t smite me for deceiving this kind soul another time¡­ [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Oh, that sounds bad. Should I be worried? Is it still safe for me to enter the sewers?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Hmm. Yeah, you should probably still be safe down there, but I can¡¯t guarantee anything. Just be careful and stay away from dark alleyways. They are a bit jumpy. Sorry, but I can¡¯t say anymore.] They are a bit jumpy? Who the hell are ¡®they¡¯? Did Aria send someone to hunt me down? If so, then who? High-level Perception players? Assassins? ¡­ I don¡¯t like this. If Anna is this confident about their success, then I need to tread carefully here. If this is some sort of specialized tracking team, then I¡¯m not sure how long I can dodge them. Something doesn¡¯t quite add up though. If Aria has some sort of special unit for tracking down players, then why are they classified as a guild secret? A high-level guild having a tracking squad should be a given considering the scale the Dark Pegasus guild is operating on. Could this be something else? Why do I have to avoid dark alleyways? Is it because they know that¡¯s where they¡¯re most likely to run into Villains and thus is a prime location to set up an ambush?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Doubtful. The city is huge, and I doubt anyone would spend hours, possibly days waiting in the same spot for a Villain to walk past. Hell, it would probably be easier to sit and wait in the sewers all day. It would still take a long time, with little guarantee of running across any Villains, but their odds should still be better than hanging out in a random alleyway. What¡¯s even odder is that Anna already hinted to the sewers being reasonably safe. Wait. For all she knows, I¡¯m still a Trap Maker. I should be safe from other players wherever I go to begin with. Why would it be any riskier for me to walk around in alleyways than anyone else? Regular players can¡¯t fight other players in safe zones. This is a puzzle. For what reason should I stay out of alleyways? Are they going to use traps to catch me? No, probably not. If they fill the city¡¯s alleyways with traps, then they are more likely to kill random NPCs rather than Villains, and that would cause them to take huge hits to their renown with possibly no gain. Why would I¡­ Wait. What if it isn¡¯t about me after all? What if it¡¯s they who need to move in the alleyways? Could that be it? ¡­ I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t make sense. The only way that would make sense would be if they were Villains like me, and that would be preposterous. Aria would have to be one hell of a gutsy woman to try and pull off a special squad of- ... Oh. My. God. It makes perfect sense. A group of people whose job is to hunt down Villains, who also need to operate from secluded alleyways and are threats to regular players, on top of being a heavily guarded guild secret? I can¡¯t believe she would actually do that. To create a squad of Villains to hunt for other Villains. Who is better suited for the job of hunting an overpowered character than using several overpowered characters? It¡¯s brilliant. Gutsy, risky, and utterly brilliant. I have really underestimated Aria. This changes everything. I need to prepare for this, and fast. I need to gain a whole lot more power. If I am truly being hunted by a group of Villains who most likely are much higher levels than I am, then I need to stick my head in the sand and hope they won¡¯t find me. The only thing I really have working for me is that they don¡¯t seem to be a hundred percent sure I even exist. That could change if Greg and Kevin suddenly decide to grow some balls and tell Aria, so I need to make my damndest sure they keep their mouths shut. Other than that, I need to lay low for a few days. If they can¡¯t find any trace of my existence, then they will probably give up after a few days. They still need to level themselves, after all. I can outlast them. I need to stick to the shadows and only pull off safe heists. The sewers are therefore off-limits for a few days. I can¡¯t risk running into any scouts near any entrances. While the alleyways may see a lot of Villain traffic during the next few days, the odds are still fairly low of our paths actually crossing. Especially if I focus on performing jobs that are located far away from any sewer entrances or places of interest. If I stick to doing jobs for a few days, they will eventually give up. [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Are you still there, Ryan? You haven¡¯t said anything for ten minutes.] Oh, shit. I forgot about Anna. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Oh, sorry. I was in the middle of a really tricky segment of making this trap, so I sort of lost focus. I need to wrap this one up. Can we talk more later?] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: Aww, all right. Too bad my party and I are out of town for the day or I would swing by your trainer for a little chat. We still have that raincheck on the dinner, and I¡¯m planning on cashing it in soon!] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Haha, don¡¯t worry. Just tell me when.] [Anna¡¯el Windrider writes: I will! Ttyl! *winkyface*] I make my way back to my hideout in silence. Ideas are bouncing back and forth inside of my mind, but all I¡¯m getting is static. Aria and the Dark Pegasus guild seems to have a stick the size of a skyscraper stuck up their asses when it comes to Villains. Any regular person wouldn¡¯t go to these lengths just to root out a single player in a city housing thousands. Perhaps I should pack up my shit and move north towards Karlrys? That city may be a lot smaller, but there probably won¡¯t even be a fraction of the number of crazy guildies running around down here. At least not for a couple of months more when Aria decides to expand her operation. It could probably buy me a month or two of relative peace and quiet. I probably shouldn¡¯t though. The game world changes pretty much every week and I should stick with the devil I already know. Besides, running out into the wild this close to cities during these earlier stages of the game is next to impossible without running into at least half a dozen players every hour. Nah, I need just buckle up and brace myself until the ride slows down. I got this. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard as long as I keep my head down. With a sigh, I enter the hideout and head deep underground. The place is pretty deserted since Cobra brought everyone out to play, so it¡¯s pretty much only me and the Poisoner down here. Since there is no reason to bother the mute crafter, I head into my own little workshop to try and get started on those alarm traps I promised to make. I¡¯ve gotta say, I¡¯ve become quite proficient at making traps this last week. There are a few tips and tricks one can do to speed things along, and most of the tough parts require a special technique to get working correctly. Like most things in a man¡¯s life, it¡¯s all in the wrist. It might be because of my ever-growing Dexterity attribute, but I like to think I¡¯ve become better on my own. I do my best to follow Odin¡¯s counsel of making all the individual parts of the completed trap simultaneously. It may increase the risk of ruining the whole thing, but I¡¯ve noticed I gain more experience by doing it this way, as well as there being a bigger chance of the completed trap jumping up a level in quality. The traps aren¡¯t overly convoluted, and the only ¡®new¡¯ part of the trap is the release mechanism. Unlike the liquid canister or the wooden flail I usually make, the alarm mechanism is actually surprisingly simple. While several individual parts are making up the schematic, they are all rather bulky and doesn¡¯t require a lot of fine-tuning for the whole thing to come together. I just need to reshape the copper bar into a funnel and use the mana stone to power a simple enchantment. From there, I only need to attach the contraption to a wooden base and hook the outgoing wire to the metal string and I¡¯m all set. Thank god for gaming logic, am I right? I don¡¯t think anyone could really make a functioning trap with these random materials, but the game is the way it is I suppose. There are probably a ton of people complaining about their immersion being broken though. I don¡¯t particularly care, as the entire process still requires a decent level of skill to complete. It¡¯s not like I would ever want to learn how to create a real trap anyway. By the time I manage to make about a dozen completed alarm traps, Cobra returns with the rest of my underlings. I don¡¯t even need to check the job notification to know if the job was successful or not since I doubt the gang would be cheering this much if they failed. ¡°So, how did it go?¡± I ask my Cobra as I step into the common room. Cobra guffaws. ¡°Glad you ask, boss! The boys can probably give you a better answer than I can, or what do you say!?¡± ¡°O-rah!¡± ¡°Damn straight!¡± He chuckles, slumping down onto a wooden bench. ¡°Did anything go wrong?¡± I ask. ¡°Nah, it went as smooth as a maiden¡¯s breast. We placed some of those traps of yours by the back entrance while the rest of us made a ruckus at the front. I swear, those smugglers must have pissed their pants twice over as they scrambled over one another trying to flee. It was almost too easy, actually.¡± He roars with laughter, bringing the level of celebration up a notch across the entire room. Smiling, I open up the notification as my underlings conjure mugs of ale from whatever depths of cyber hell they come from. The Job: Drug Smugglers Struggle is Successful! We live in a goblin-eats-dog world where the weak will always be prey for the strong. Tonight, there is one less prey, and your coffers are filled to the brim. Be careful though, Thief Lord. There are always larger predators. Rewards: 500 Experience, (412) Crafting Reagents, (3) Miscellaneous Items, 6 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Copper. Not bad. There are even more crafting reagents this time around, and all the ingredients are a step up. There¡¯s even a couple of new upgraded poison recipes for my Poisoner to start working on. [Recipe: Novice Paralyzing Poison. Uncommon Alchemy Recipe. *Contraband*] [Recipe: Novice Blight Poison. Common Alchemy Recipe. *Contraband*] [Recipe: Novice Damage Poison. Common Alchemy Recipe. *Contraband*] I can work with this. My stock of poisons is due for an upgrade. I might have to buy a couple of ingredients from storekeepers though, as the new ingredients are all over the place. With what I have, I can¡¯t even start producing the novice paralyzing poisons, and those are the poisons I crave the most. There¡¯s not much I can do about it now though. I need to act as quickly as possible before my pursuers start flooding the area. ¡°So, Cobra. Are you boys up for another job?¡± Chapter 58 – The Russian Solution Chapter 58 ¨C The Russian Solution The grand cathedral of Saint Uzengras looms over the Residential District to the northwest. The white marble building is a sight to behold, and it reaches further into the sky than any other building in Drenerys. The cathedral is surrounded by a massive graveyard that is integrated into the city¡¯s park, and the cathedral grounds include several smaller chapels dedicated to various deities and lesser saints. The Residential District has the densest population of NPCs, so it takes me quite a while to maneuver around the area. Luckily, NPC patrols aren¡¯t as inquisitive when it comes to rooting out Villains, so it isn¡¯t too hard to blend into the crowd. I¡¯m pretty lucky my job took me all the way out here since the Residential District is far from any major player hubs and it¡¯s nowhere near any appropriate leveling grounds for a level eleven Villain. It would take a miracle of epic proportions if my pursuers somehow manage to find me here. Even I¡¯m not that unlucky. I¡¯m glad I get this chance to lower my shoulders and relax for a change since I won¡¯t have to constantly look over my shoulder while performing this job. The job is supposed to be hard, but I¡¯m confident I can handle whatever the game throws at me. It¡¯s hard to argue with my overall strength after all. I¡¯m a beast! I brought all hands on deck for this job. I have learned from my prior experiences that there is no such thing as having too many underlings when trying to pull off a successful heist. More hands and eyes equal more control, and if need be, more firepower. We are currently stacked up in an alleyway to the south of the massive graveyard, and I take a moment to look over my gathered underlings. Four Thugs, two Cutthroats, two Prowlers, and two Spotters, as well as the pair of Swindlers. It¡¯s starting to get a little crowded in my posse, but it also fills me with a sense of pride. I trained each and every one of my underlings, and their power and equipment make them a force to be reckoned with. I have no doubt in my mind that we could easily steamroll a party of six adventurers of a similar level to ours without hardly breaking a sweat; even more if we managed to ambush them. I have got to find an opportunity to try that out later. First things first, though; I need to finish this job and hopefully gain access to some better gear that will in return reward me with even more underlings to command. This city will tremble before our might someday and I¡¯ve already started to lay the foundations for our conquest. To start with, we need to scout out the area and locate any potential paths to our objective as well as secure an escape route if things go sour. Our goal is the entrance to the crypt which is located behind the cathedral. I can¡¯t see the area clearly from here as my view is blocked by several large stone mausoleums. Getting to them means that we have to cross a lot of open ground though. Luckily for us, the graveyard offers several decent hiding places and flexibility in our movements. The graveyard is fenced in, but the fence is only chest-high, so we can basically enter and flee in any direction. The real problem is maneuvering between the several dozen NPCs and players walking across the graveyard at any given time. It¡¯s really hard to move this many bodies without being spotted, but as long as we keep our basic stealth skills active, it shouldn¡¯t present too hard of a challenge. The only real problem we have of moving around is that I lack a concealment ability I can use while moving around, as well as my two low-level Spotters who haven¡¯t unlocked their stealth skills yet. It makes it more difficult, but not impossible. The graveyard is large and the NPCs are far between and it doesn¡¯t take too long until we find ourselves crouched behind a large stone mausoleum close to the crypts. I order my underlings to stay put while I slowly make my way over toward a corner of the mausoleum. Peeking around the corner, I try to get a good look at our surroundings. The entrance to the crypts is attached to the stone foundation of the cathedral and I can spot the stairway going deep below ground. A few people are walking past every now and then and I see a couple of players mixed into the lot. Damn. I really hoped there wouldn¡¯t be any players around. I take a few minutes to slowly make my way around the perimeter. About two dozen stone mausoleums are circling the entrance to the crypt as well as what I can only assume is the grave keeper¡¯s residence a short way to the west. I don¡¯t see any people nearby, but there is a cart resting next to the building with a couple of coffins stacked on top of it. If my memory serves me correct, then this area should contain several trainers and quest givers related to the holy magic classes, like priests and paladins. That¡¯s probably why this area is seeing this much traffic. Getting into the crypts without getting spotted would be impossible considering all the people, but I have prepared for this. If there are one thing games and religion have in common, it¡¯s a good attitude towards being punctual. We¡¯re getting close to 12 AM, and everyone who has ever gone to church knows what that means. The afternoon sermon will start any minute now. A loud chime echoes across the city as the bell tower starts ringing. The bell rings twelve times and all the nearby NPCs are flocking towards the cathedral¡¯s entrance. By the time the twelfth ring has stopped, the area is all but emptied of any and all NPCs. I can¡¯t help but grin. Finally, I get some use out of reading up on the city¡¯s lore and customs. I¡¯m about to order my underlings forward when a voice cuts through the air. ¡°Dmitry, my friend. Why you accept quest? This take too long.¡± A powerfully built half-orc says with a thick Russian accent. ¡°Potomu chto nam nuzhno stroit¡¯ svoyu reputatsiyu v tserkvi, Oleg.¡± The other guy says. Djeezes, that¡¯s one hell of a pale-looking elf. I have no idea what he is saying though. ¡°Yes, but why earn reputation with church by cleansing mausoleums? We should go kill undead. Much better.¡± Dmitry says with a sigh. ¡°This take hours. Very boring.¡± ¡°Eto budet bystreye, kogda nas dvoye.¡± The elf says. ¡°Moya mama zvonit mne po telefonu. Zhdi zdes¡¯. YA skoro vernus¡¯.¡± ¡°What you mean, your mother is calling you? You going to log off and make me do all this myself?¡± The half-orc says while glaring at the pale elf. ¡°Do not dare-¡± His sentence is cut off as the pale elf¡¯s eyes gloss over, staring into the sky with a vacant look on his face. Huh. So that¡¯s what it looks like when a player logs off. ¡°Svoloch¡¯¡± He curses. ¡°If he not back in fifteen minutes, I lock him inside coffin¡­¡± He mutters. Shit. They are standing directly in front of the crypt¡¯s entrance, and by the sounds of it, they aren¡¯t planning to move very far in the near future. Why the hell did they have to choose now, out of all times to perform some sort of consecration quest? The sermon will only last for an hour, so my time is already severely limited as it is. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. I need to find a way to get past them without them noticing. How do I do that though? Distract them while I slip past? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s feasible. They are standing far too close to the entrance. They are only level eight Clerics though, so killing them wouldn¡¯t be a challenge. The problem is that the half-orc will call the guards on me before I have time to finish the job. Damn it. I could try and kill them while being stealthed, but one look at the combat log would rat me out just as easily as if I had spat them in the face. I need to find another way. I once more start to make my way around the small cluster of mausoleums. The half-orc Cleric is busy standing in front of the centermost mausoleum, channeling his holy magic onto the stone gargoyle that rests on top of the roof. The stone gargoyle looks pretty heavy. Perhaps I could somehow push it on top of his head? Pfft, no. I shake my head. There¡¯s no way killing someone in such a cartoonish way would ever work. It would be fun though, but I can see from here that the gargoyle is chiseled out of the same slab of rock that makes up the entire roof of the mausoleum. Even if I could somehow break it off, the half-orc would have to be one hell of a dense moron if he didn¡¯t notice it happen. The idea isn¡¯t half bad though. If I can somehow kill him using the environment without him seeing me, I could kill him scot-free without either him or the kill log ratting me out. It¡¯s kind of similar to how I pushed that guard out the window the other day. He died by falling, but I still managed to gain experience for the kill. If I could only replicate that somehow¡­ I look around, trying to figure out a way to have him accidentally murdered. I don¡¯t have the time or the willpower to dig a deep hole in the ground, neither can I think up of some way to trick him up onto a high place to push him off. The gargoyle trick is also a bust. Damnit. There really isn¡¯t much to work with here. It¡¯s just mausoleums, gravestones, and grass for a hundred meters in any direction. None of them are useable. Oh, wait a moment! There is one thing I can use¡­ ¡°Oh, yeah. That will work.¡± I mutter to myself as a wide smile dances across my lips. I quickly sneak back to where my underlings are gathered. Grabbing my two Cutthroats, we make our way over towards the grave keeper¡¯s residence. As soon as we reach it, I lay my eyes upon the heavy-laden cart I spotted earlier. It¡¯s a two-wheeled cart loaded with four coffins. My best guess is that it¡¯s probably what the graveyard keeper uses to move coffins around. The cart looks like it¡¯s supposed to be attached to a horse or a mule, but I can¡¯t see any nearby. It doesn¡¯t matter though. I won¡¯t need a horse for what I¡¯m intending to do with it. The cart appears to be in good condition, so I have my two Cutthroats pull it away from the shed it¡¯s resting against. Yeah. The wheels and axle look sturdy, and I estimate the entire thing easily weighs four to five hundred kilos. This will do. I have my Cutthroats angle the cart towards the mausoleums in the distance. I can see the half-orc standing out in the open, too occupied with his consecration to notice our movements. Perfect. I have my two Cutthroats activate their stealth and start pushing the cart towards the man, picking up speed as they go. The road is slightly sloped downwards, so the two Cutthroats easily manage to increase their speed to a running pace. The pair are soon sprinting with the cart tumbling ahead, the coffins shaking from the rough motions. They are only five meters away before the sounds alert the half-orc and I can only hear his muffled curses before the cart rams into his side. He quickly falls out of view as the cart pulls him under, crushing his body under its weight with a crunchy squelch. [Half-Orc Cleric - RuskieOlegie(8) takes 676 Crushing Damage.] [Half-Orc Cleric - RuskieOlegie(8) dies. Gain 30 Experience.] The cart keeps rolling for another fifteen meters before it comes to a stop. I wince at the bloody trail it left behind, and I need to take a second to gather myself after seeing that rather graphic display of damage. Shit, that looked like it hurt¡­ I have no time to waste though. Time is not on my side as I have already spent way too long killing this guy and I still need to head down into the crypt and actually perform the heist. I gather up the rest of my underlings and have them hurry down into the crypts, save for my two low-level Spotters who I order to take up position roughly fifty meters away from the entrance in opposite directions. I briefly consider killing the offline elf for a moment, but I decide not to. If he logs back on and checks his kill log before I have time to finish the job, I would find myself in a rather precarious position. Also, when the probably very pissed off half-orc returns and finds his friend with his throat slit, it might not bode well for me. It doesn¡¯t matter though. I¡¯ll just kill them both if they are still out there on my way out. Our little group of thieves quickly make our way down and into the large crypts below. The stairs open up into a large stone hall illuminated by a series of evenly spaced torches along the walls. The stone walls are covered in dusty murals and stone statues, and I can spot several copper plaques with what I can only assume is family names printed upon them. My Necromancer would have felt like home here. Two different corridors are leading away from the hall, but my world-famous thiefy-sense is tingling when I look at the leftmost corridor. I just know that that¡¯s where my price is. It has nothing to do with that corridor being the only one with lit torches in it though. Nope, not at all. Before we head on, I place a glue slash alarm trap combo near the bottom of the stairs. I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t think about this earlier as the alarm trap can be extremely beneficial to my precautionary tactics. One can never have enough security measures in place in my opinion. I send my two Cutthroats to scout ahead while I form the rest of my underlings into a defensive formation. The hint in the job description said there would be at least three guards around the target, and considering the job difficulty rating, they are probably tough as nails. It only takes a couple of minutes before one of the Cutthroats reappear and waves us onwards. The corridor goes onwards for a while. Quite a few large rooms are going off to the side in either direction, and most of them are closed off by a metal grate. All of the grates have plaques attached to them, but most of the writing has faded to time. A few of the rooms are open though, but those rooms don¡¯t seem to have anything in them but a few empty coffins and several utensils used for mummifying a body. Yeah, it¡¯s creepy. I know. There¡¯s a closed wooden door at the end of the corridor, and my second Cutthroat is waiting idly by it. The door seems pretty timeworn, but unlike the rest of the crypt, I can hardly see a speck of dust on it. That must mean it has seen a lot of use recently. I knew I was on the right path. I grin to myself. There¡¯s no need to get reckless now though. I get closer to the door and put my ear up against the aged wood. It¡¯s faint, but I can hear voices from the other side. It seems like they are¡­ bickering? Who would bicker at a place like this? It¡¯s a crypt for crying out loud. I push my ear even closer to the door, trying to make out what they are saying. No luck. It all sounds like a bunch of faint gibberish to me. I¡¯m fairly certain there are three people inside though, two men and a female. Perhaps this is the three relatives the job description spoke of? If it is, then this job might just be short enough for me to finish it before the sermon ends. Still, the job description did say this is a hard mission, so I have to assume that the three relatives are at least powerful enough to put up a decent fight. I don¡¯t like that the door is closed though. That means I can¡¯t do much to prepare. Well, I do know at least something I plan to do. Set up one hell of a GoD trap to rain hell upon them. If the tactic ain¡¯t broke, then I won¡¯t try to fix it. I do, however, want to try out something new. An idea that half-orc gave me. My very own Russian solution. Chapter 59 – Legacy Undone Chapter 59 ¨C Legacy Undone ¡°... and that¡¯s why I think his legacy should belong to me.¡± The obese little halfling says as he crosses his arms and turns his nose slightly upwards. This little show of arrogance is quite common for the youngest of the three siblings, and for no good reason. The little boy has done nothing to earn any recognition in his life aside from being able to out-eat an orc. For him to try and claim himself as the sole inheritor of uncle Fabian¡¯s legacy is an affront to his older siblings. ¡°A coward like you have no right to make such claims, Pote. If you don¡¯t stop spouting this nonsense, I might have to show you why uncle respected strength above all else.¡± The eldest brother sneers. He takes a threatening step forward, cusping his fist with enough force to crack a few knuckles. ¡°Pfft. Really, Gens?¡± Pote says with a smirk. ¡°Is using violence your answer for everything? Oh, how I long for the ages long gone, when a knight was supposed to be chivalrous and a protector of their betters, and not the common thugs they seem to have become now.¡± ¡°Why not let my fist introduce some chivalry to your face?¡± ¡°For the love of God, will you two shut up!? You¡¯ve been going at it for hours. Give me a fucking break, will ya?¡± The final sibling says. ¡°Pote, being the only one to follow in uncle¡¯s footsteps and become a bard has absolutely nothing to say about which one us will succeed him. Stop being such a pompous prick and lose some god damned weight for a change. You look more like a potato every time I see you, and I¡¯ve seen you far too often for my own liking these last few days.¡± She sneers. The young halfling¡¯s face turns beet red as he turns towards his older sister. A snarl is creeping onto his face and he is about to respond when Gens starts snickering. The sister isn¡¯t quite yet done though. ¡°What the hell are you smirking at, Gens? Your head is as dense as Pote¡¯s ass is fat. Would you mind putting on some fucking pants for a change? What sort of self-respecting knight is wearing no armor but a steel fucking chestplate coupled with a god damn freaking loincloth!? Are you fucking kidding me!? You¡¯re a fucking disgrace to the family¡¯s honor.¡± She shouts. Gens¡¯ smirk immediately drops and he scowls at his younger sister. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare question my honor, Sylt. Apart from uncle Fabian, no one has brought more honor to our family than I have. Noone. Just because you were smart enough to enroll in the magic academy doesn¡¯t give you the right to speak down to me. I am still your older brother and I demand your respect.¡± He glares at his sister. She meets his gaze and the two butts head as they try to stare the other down. ¡°Tssk, you two couths are cut from the same cloth.¡± Pote says after a short while. ¡°Sister, your mouth is as foul as Gens¡¯ temper. If the two of you had even half of the etiquette and decency that is required from someone of our position, we might have elevated our family to a higher standing. You two are weighing me down, and I think it¡¯s time for me to ask for you two to step aside and let me claim the mantle as the sole inheritor of uncle¡¯s legacy.¡± ¡°Shut your fat little dickhole!¡± Sylt shrieks. ¡°Over my dead corpse.¡± Gens says through gritted teeth. The three starts glaring at one another, each and every one moving their arms towards their chosen weapons. Pote is tugging at the strings of his lute, sneering at his two siblings while Sylt grabs her staff, channeling her mana through the earth-crystal embedded at the top. Gens grasps the hilt of his steel claymore, the metal scraping against the side of his steel chestplate. This standoff is a common sight for those who know the three siblings, and it is not uncommon for the three to battle one another in public. That¡¯s why they are banned from half the taverns in town after all. The standoff is soon broken, however, as the wooden door is opened with a creak. Their heads snap towards the unexpected movement, and their muscles untense as they spot a couple of gravekeeper assistants enter with a cart loaded with two coffins. Remembering where they are, the three quickly abandon their thoughts of combat and straighten out into the noble postures expected from someone of their position. The two assistants aren¡¯t saying anything though, and they push the cart as quietly as possible past the three bickering siblings before they unload it near the back wall. Their movements are quick and somewhat mechanical, and the pair doesn¡¯t seem to care about the awkward atmosphere that is permeating the room. Their grim task doesn¡¯t take long, and as silently as they appeared, the two gravekeepers hurryingly walks out the door they came from, not even bothering to shut it more than halfway. The three siblings stand still for a moment, waiting for the sounds of their footsteps to disappear down the hallway. ¡°Look at what you two savages made us do.¡± Pote sneers. ¡°The only way we could have looked more unbecoming would be if we were drenched in goblinshit.¡± He spits. ¡°If one more word comes out of your mouth, little brother¡­¡± Gens says coldly. ¡°Will the both of you shut the fuck up!? I¡¯ve had it up to here with your-¡± Sylt stops herself as she catches an odd glint coming from the half-open door. She narrows her eyes as she tries to spot whatever could have made that glint. It almost looked like the torchlight reflecting off a smooth metal surface. Her eyes go wide with realisation. ¡°Mudwall!¡± She screams as she unleashes her magic, a thick wall made of mud erupting from the ground between the three siblings and the open door, just in time to intercept the two crossbow bolts that came soaring towards Pote¡¯s exposed back. The two brothers spin around, bewildered at the sudden movements. The mudwall starts to sag, and they soon spot the two bolts sticking out of it. ¡°Archers!¡± Gens shouts as he draws his claymore. ¡°Pote, strengthen me. I¡¯ll deal with them.¡± He shouts while starting to run towards the door. ¡°Wait!¡± Sylt snaps. ¡°Don¡¯t run off like a fucking idiot. You don¡¯t know how many of them there are.¡± Gens stops in his tracks and gives his sister a quick glare over his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do.¡± He says cooly. His moment of hesitation is enough time for another two bolts to shoot from behind the door, one of them bouncing harmlessly off his steel breastplate, while the second one embeds itself in his thigh. ¡°Ow! FUCK!¡± He shouts in pain as he reaches down to grab the arrow. With a vicious curse, he pulls the arrow from his thigh, a spray of blood trailing it through the air. ¡°I told you to put on some fucking pants¡­ Now shut the hell up and get behind cover. I got this.¡± Sylt snaps while conjuring a pair of mud spikes that hovers above her outstretched hand. With a flick of her wrist, she launches the spikes towards the doorway. As soon as the spikes cross the door¡¯s threshold, she sends forth a surge of mana, causing the spikes to explode, sending sharp pieces of stone to tear apart anything on the other side. Still, she can¡¯t hear any shouts of pain even though she is certain she must have hit whoever is hiding behind that door. ¡°I can do this all day, assholes.¡± She shouts with confidence. Several moments go by while waiting for a response that doesn¡¯t seem to be coming. She is about to launch another pair of spikes when the door slams open and half a dozen men and women clad in leather armor burst into the room. ¡°Fucking brigands!¡± She sneers. ¡°Kill them all!¡± Gens charges from cover with his claymore raised above his head. Pote starts chanting a hymn, and Gens¡¯ sword gains a soft red glow. He slams his sword downwards, completely shattering the guard of his half-orc opponent, but a second half-orc swings his short sword wide, forcing him backwards. Meanwhile, Sylt spots a human and a gnome wielding daggers trying to flank her older brother. ¡°Quicksand!¡± She shouts, magic flowing from her body. It shoots towards the ground beneath the two rogues, causing the floor to soften into a thick sludge which causes their legs to sink down to almost their knees. She gets no time to celebrate her successful spell, however, before another pair of bolts are flying towards her. ¡°Shit!¡± She mutters, trying in vain to raise another mudwall to intercept the bolts. She twists her body sideways which allows her to prevent the bolts from striking anything vital. The bolts still hit, however, and they pierce her shoulder and upper forearm. She dives for cover behind her newly raised mudwall, trying to get an overview of the battlefield. Gens is fighting the pair of sword-wielding half-orcs at the center of the room. He is clearly the stronger fighter, and the half-orcs are only keeping up with him because of their ranged support. Pote, however, is hiding behind the first mudwall she raised, shaking in fear. ¡°Pote, you fat piece of shit! If you don¡¯t start helping, I¡¯ll chop your dick off and make you swallow it!¡± Pote flinches at his sister¡¯s words, somehow managing to find enough courage to peek out from cover. The moment he does though, a translucent mist strikes him in his face, causing his body to slump together.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Goblin¡¯s balls! They have a Mage!¡± She curses, starting to form another pair of mud spikes. Without looking, she launches the spikes towards the spot she remembers locking down the two rogues. Soon after, the sounds of spikes splitting flesh reach her ears as she grins in satisfaction. ¡°We can win this! Keep hitting them! Pote! Get your fat ass off the ground and help Gens!¡± The sounds of battle are spreading across the room as both sides fully commit to fighting one another. The two crossbowmen seem to have retreated behind the door again. Wrong move. Sylt pulls a large amount of mana from her body to create a thick mudwall which covers the entire doorway. Without the ranged support, the three siblings are starting to force the remaining enemies backwards, one step at a time. With the cries of battle raging, however, Sylt fails to hear the faint sounds of wood hitting stone coming from somewhere behind her. ---------- Fuck! She can do that!? I mentally slap myself as the mudwall erupts from the ground behind me, cutting off both our escape path and my two Prowlers. Shit. This is bad. I was counting on controlling the battlefield using my two ranged units, but that particular plan just went down the crapper. The battle is already starting to shift in favor of the three elite halflings. At least I managed to slip into the room during all the chaos to conceal myself behind this sarcophagus. All the good that does me right now. My Calm spell just proved to be utterly useless against even the weakest of the enemies. It isn¡¯t going the way I planned, but it hardly matters anymore. We already bought them enough time. I grin. The enemy mud Mage is rallying her two siblings and the wicked grin on her face signals that she is certain of their victory. I restrain myself from gleefully mocking her as I watch the one hundred kilos of pure muscle that is Cobra charge forwards, tackling the unsuspecting Mage from behind. I can see the look of shock flash across her face as she is thrown forwards, slamming face-first into the cobbled stone floor. Ouch. That ought to hurt. I chuckle at the sight. I¡¯ve gotta say, I didn¡¯t expect the trojan casket trick to work, but I¡¯m sure glad it did. Getting past that knight would have been a pain otherwise and the Mage has already proven herself to be a deadly damage dealer. With her wrestling Cobra on the ground, I have enough time to further incapacitate their support. Cobra was not the only underling I snuck behind enemy lines, and my dwarven Thug is already madly dashing towards the obese bard. She raises her short sword, pointing it at his exposed backside. She is about to plunge it deep into the bard¡¯s back when he suddenly yanks on the strings of his lute. A sharp C3 pierces my eardrums, and my tinnitus sets in as my underlings and I desperately grab hold of our ears. I fight the urge to drop to my knees as my vision starts to get cloudy. What kind of skill is this!? My disoriented state ends after what feels an hour later, but in reality is more like five seconds, and I desperately try to get an overview of the situation. My eyes are drawn towards the epicenter of the skill and my stomach drops as I see the Bard hovering above my crouching Thug, readying up what I can only assume is one hell of a nasty follow-up skill. I don¡¯t have time to shout a warning before his fingers start tugging on the strings, and a wave of sound resonates throughout the room as he starts playing a violent tune. A weak golden glow emits around the three siblings, and the Knight roars in anger as he resumes his onslaught on my two half-orc thugs with vicious abandon. His strikes appear to grow faster and stronger as my two half-orcs are visibly struggling to keep the claymore-wielding halfling at bay. Geezes! What kind of music is that guy infusing into his steroids!? My eyes quickly wander over the room, dreading to see what the powerful buff did to the greater danger in the room: the mud Mage. A breath of relief escapes my lips as I watch Cobra keep the squirming Mage pinned to the ground. Lucky. It seems like even a massive buff to her power isn¡¯t enough to allow for her to compete with my Lieutenant in a hand-to-hand brawl. I grin. This won¡¯t last much longer. My two Prowlers are working hard to tear down the mudwall separating them from the fight, and they have already knocked down a large chunk of it. One of them has already resumed firing at the enemy halflings, and the Bard is cowering behind my still incapacitated dwarven Thug. A furious roar echoes through the room as the Knight¡¯s claymore starts to glow ominously red. Sensing the danger, my two half-orc Thugs throw themselves backwards just in time to dodge the large sword cleaving through the air at the same spot their heads rested a few seconds earlier. The Knight sneers at his missed opportunity to level the playing field, but he quickly makes use of the breathing room he created to turn on his heel and dash towards the back of the room. ¡°GET OFF MY SISTER YOU FILTHY SAVAGE!¡± He shrieks as he raises his Claymore. Cobra looks upwards just in time to see the large Claymore descending towards his head. With no options left, he raises his arm to block the incoming blow, but it¡¯s not enough as the Claymore cleaves his arm in two, burrowing deeply into his shoulder. A knot ties in my chest as I watch his health bar descending into dangerously low levels. The Knight sneers as he stares down the still living Lieutenant. A pair of bolts fly through the air, bouncing harmlessly off his steel chestplate. The halfling glances at the two Prowlers over his shoulder, and that is all the distraction my Cutthroat needs as he slides in from the side, cutting into the Knight¡¯s Achilles heel. The halfling cries out in pain as he takes a step backwards, his leg failing him and he tumbles to the ground. My two half-orc Thugs aren¡¯t far behind, and they quickly throw themselves over the now disarmed Knight, piling on top of him. The Bard is attempting to pull off another skill, but his eyes soon go wide in horror as my second Cutthroat appears behind him, stabbing her dagger deep into the side of his chest. The dagger penetrates through a thick layer of armor and fat, but it¡¯s not enough to put any mentionable dent in his health pool. Luckily for me though, with his siblings incapacitated and him having no offensive capabilities, we have all the time in the world to slowly whittle his life down. I grin. This is my win. From my lips to whatever ingame deity this game has¡¯ ears, an angry shriek comes from the fallen mud Mage. ¡°You goddamned maggots! I refuse to- Hnnng! Argh!¡± With a final grunt, I watch in shock as a ripple of magic moves across her body, followed by her skin gaining a sickly brown tinge. What the fu-. The thought only manages to flash across my mind before her entire body dissolves into a thick puddle. Cobra collapses on top of her, drenching his clothes in the gravy-like substance. The puddle does not stay still for long though, as it starts to drift towards the exit at a rapid speed. ¡°How the¡­ Stop her!¡± I shout, and my underlings quickly respond. Two crossbow bolts slam into the puddle with little effect, and my dwarf who just recently regained her wits throws herself at the puddle, sword first. The blade sinks into the mud, but nothing appears to happen. The mud just slithers past the blade as if it wasn¡¯t even there to begin with, getting ever closer to the exit. Holy shit! Is she immune to physical damage or something!? How the hell do I fight that with my skill set? The only thing I have is¡­ Oh, fuck it. I don¡¯t have time for this. I conjure my mana as the translucent mist gathers around my arms. I jump out from behind cover and launch my Calm spell at the fleeing puddle. This better work¡­ The spell slams into the puddle, and to my great surprise, a ripple of magic surges through the puddle, halting its advance. The puddle starts shaking violently for a second before the female¡¯s body is flung into the air, her magic apparently broken by whatever my spell did. Her body soon hits the ground with a thump, her lifeless eyes rolling into her skull. Shit. Is that spell backlash after failing to cast a high-level spell? Fuck. That happened to my Necromancer once. Hurts like a bitch. ¡°Kill her before she wakes up!¡± I order my nearby underlings, not envying the unconscious Mage. The dwarven Thug and the gnome Cutthroat responds, and the two quickly descend upon the already battered body of the mud Mage. It only takes two quick strokes to end her life. [You have slain Halfling Elite Mage - Sylt(13). Gain 80 experience.] That¡¯s one down. Two more. I turn to look across the room at the remaining battles still taking place. My eyes are drawn towards the Bard, and for a split second, our eyes meet. Fear is spread across the tiny Bard¡¯s face, but it¡¯s soon washed away as his eyes drift towards the cold body of his older sister. ¡°Sylt!¡± The Bard bellows, his voice breaking. ¡°You animals!¡± He roars in pain as his arm reaches for his lute. I get a sinking feeling in my chest as I watch his fat fingers pull on the strings. ¡°Stop him!¡± I bellow, but it¡¯s already too late. The sharp C3 note is once more cutting through the room as I grab for my ears. A jolt of pain shoots through my head as my tinnitus makes its reappearance. My vision starts to swim, but I soon regain my bearings; much quicker than before. There must be a penalty for the Bard to use the skill in quick succession. I look back towards the Bard, and my eyes widen as I watch him sprinting directly towards me, fiddling on the strings of his lute. ¡°Doppelganger!¡± I instinctively shout, and the room blurs as I swap spots with my dwarven Thug. I swivel around just in time to see my Thug lash out with her sword, cutting deeply into the chest of the running Bard. ¡°Gah!¡± He yelps in pain. The sword cut him deep, and I can see his health bar dropping. It¡¯s not enough to stop him, however, and he rushes past the dwarf, making a beeline straight towards the exit. My two Prowlers unleash another round of bolts, but they are unable to stop the morbidly obese Bard as he charges past them, obliterating the remainder of the mudwall as he goes. My dwarf starts running after him, but I quickly order her to stand down. He won¡¯t get far. Only seconds after he disappears from view, a loud shriek of pain echoes from down the corridor before it is quickly cut off. [You have slain Halfling Elite Bard - Pote(12). Gain 70 experience.] I solemnly shake my head. It¡¯s a pity I had to waste five of my traps to end him, but I guess it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. [You have slain Halfling Elite Knight - Gens(13). Gain 80 experience.] [Cheap Shot has leveled up to Novice 9.] [Doppelganger has leveled up to Novice 9.] And that makes three. It wasn¡¯t a pretty fight, but it paid off. I have to say though, the developers did a pretty decent job designing these NPCs. Their interactions and reactions during the fighting felt all too real. A bit too real. I¡¯m not sure if I could have stomached killing them just a few days past. It¡¯s funny, really, how I got this used to murder innocent computer programs. This game really feels too realistic sometimes. No matter. I know it¡¯s still a game. I can easily see how weaker minds could be affected by these moral dilemmas, but that¡¯s really not any of my concern. There are worse things I could do to become powerful. Real things with real consequences. Killing pleading virtual characters and stealing their stuff is just normal behaviour for a video game character. All video game heroes are in reality thieving, murdering sociopaths after all. It¡¯s just a matter of perspective. We all know it¡¯s true. Now. Let¡¯s see what this halfling¡¯s legacy is worth... Chapter 60 – Rise Again Chapter 60 ¨C Rise Again ¡°It wasn¡¯t pretty, but I can¡¯t argue with the result. Great job everyone!¡± I say cheerfully as I step out into the room. The place is completely wrecked after the battle, but it doesn¡¯t really matter as this place will be cleaned up in no time by the game system. If only my real-life apartment was this convenient. ¡°Hah! These weaklings? We hardly broke a sweat.¡± Cobra guffaws as he waves his severed arm around. I wince at the sight. Ouch. ¡°Need a health potion for that?¡± Cobra takes one look at the bloody stump on his forearm before he nonchalantly shrugs. ¡°Yeah, couldn¡¯t hurt I suppose.¡± I fish a potion out of my inventory and immediately hand it over to the nearly dead Lieutenant. He chugs it down like a cheap shot of tequila, and I¡¯m soon witnessing the fascinating animation of a new arm miraculously growing out from his severed stump. That is so trippy! I love how the game just magically heals back your severed limb like that. It doesn¡¯t take more than a minute until Cobra sports a completely new and healthy arm, and he¡¯s already busy cracking his newly formed knuckles. All jokes aside, I¡¯ve gotta say we had a few close calls during this fight. Only Cobra really came close to dying, but the main problem would be if any of the siblings managed to escape. We¡¯re pretty deep within enemy territory here, and the church up above isn¡¯t exactly lacking when it comes to high-level players either. Setting up that GoD trap paid off, and it only goes to show that preparation is key to success. It did get kind of chaotic during the end there, and I should probably reprimand myself for panicking and blowing my figurative load by wasting the Doppelganger skill. I didn¡¯t need to use it, and it¡¯s sort of my ace-in-the-hole ability when it comes to escaping tough situations. Who knows when I need it next, and the nineteen minutes cooldown isn¡¯t exactly short. Especially not in the middle of a job. It¡¯s not optimal, but I can¡¯t really fault myself too bad. Being able to act on instinct in a potentially dangerous situation is obviously good, and if that Bard had any heavy-hitting damage abilities I might not have been alive right now if I had hesitated just a little bit. My reaction is top-notched, but I obviously lack experience fighting this way. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll do better next time. What I need to do now though, is gather up all the sweet ass loot! My underlings are already busy pilfering through the pockets of the three dead halflings. Since time is of the essence, I decide to hurry up and grab whatever loot is inside the coffin. Looking through the booty while still on the job is a recipe for disaster after all. I¡¯ve already learned my lesson from the hidden compartment in my hideout so I have one of my Cutthroats inspect the lid of the coffin while the rest of us stand at a safe distance. I can¡¯t really imagine why anyone would trap a coffin, but game logic is most often beyond reason when it comes to situations like this. Anything the game developers can do to screw a Villain over, I suppose. My Cutthroat doesn¡¯t appear to find any hidden traps, however, so I silently gesture for him to lift the lid off. I unconsciously hold my breath as the rogue grabs hold of the wooden lid and gently lifts it off its frame. Seeing that no explosions go off, my Cutthroat callously flips the lid over and it soon hits the ground with a loud thump that echoes between the cobbled stone walls. Sweet; no traps! I grin as I push my way forward towards the coffin. I make it about halfway across the room when my Cutthroat tries to jump backwards in alarm. I immediately freeze, trying to figure out what sort of fresh hell is about to descend upon us. When nothing immediately explodes, I take a closer look at my Cutthroat who seems to have his arm stuck in the coffin. Now how the hell did he manage to do that? My question is soon answered when a guttural shriek echoes around the chamber. I swivel my head around, trying to locate the source of the shriek but the echoes make the task difficult. It¡¯s only when Cobra brushes past me I realise the sound came from the coffin. My eyes widen in shock as I watch a sickly gray arm reach out from the coffin, grabbing onto the upper arm of my Cutthroat. What the hell is going on!? ¡°KILL IT!¡± I shout, jumping backwards as quickly as I can. My underlings rush forwards, and Cobra has already reached my entrapped Cutthroat, trying to yank him out of the grasp of whatever the hell that creature is. Seeing it not work, Cobra swings his short sword in a downwards arc, intending to cut his companion free. The creature immediately releases my Cutthroat, and another, more powerful shriek, emits from the coffin, and the sheer force from the shriek is enough to push everyone a few steps back. The creature slowly gets out of the coffin, and I waste no time inspecting it. [Cursed Ghoul - Fabian Shirebaggin(13). HP: ????/????.] What in the seven depths of hell is a Ghoul doing here!? ¡°Kill it! Kill it now!¡± I shout while I retreat back towards the door. I¡¯m not sure why there¡¯s an undead creature beneath a church of all places, but when a game inserts random elements into a scenario like this, it usually comes with a fairly high level of danger. My Prowlers immediately loosen their bolts towards the Ghoul who recoils from the damage. Its health bar is dropping slightly, but not enough to make any noticeable difference. Cobra takes charge as he throws himself at the Ghoul, swinging his sword in wide arcs to garner its attention. The rest of my Thugs and Cutthroats circle around it, looking for openings to deal damage. The Ghoul releases another guttural shriek as dark mana emits from its body, spreading across the room in a wave. I brace for impact as I expect some sort of damage or debuff to kick in, but nothing appears to happen. Blinking my eyes in confusion, I swivel my head around, trying to figure out what the hell that ability did. There is no such thing as a boss monster using magic just for show. Nothing immediately pops out to me, and my underlings seem to be unaffected from whatever that wave of magic did. Even odder, the Ghoul doesn¡¯t appear to have gained any sudden boost to his power. I don¡¯t trust it, however, and I keep scanning the room like a hawk. My suspicions are soon confirmed as I watch the corpses of the Knight and mud Mage starting to twitch. ¡°Shit! He¡¯s a Necromancer!¡± I shout, trying to distance myself from the corpse of the Mage which is uncomfortably close. ¡°Thugs! Grab one Zombie each. Prowlers and Cutthroats: work together to bring down one zombie at a time in this order: Mage, Bard, Knight.¡± My underlings immediately spring to action and I use my Rush skill to speed up their rotation. The first rule of fighting groups is always to clear the weakest enemies first. Luckily for us, it seems like neither of the Zombies retained their elite status upon resurrection, making the job of eliminating them without getting wiped out immediately feasible.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The zombie Bard soon appears from the doorway, and I¡¯m pleased to see that the acid from my traps has melted off one of his arms and half his face. While the majority of my underlings are busy systematically wiping out the three Zombies, I refocus my attention on the savage battle between Cobra and the Ghoul. Being left on his own, Cobra is slowly losing ground, but I¡¯m pleased to see he is keeping up better than I expected. He doesn¡¯t get many hits in, but his only job is to buy the rest of my underlings some time. The battle is progressing slowly, but steadily as everyone¡¯s health bars are slowly diminishing. My underlings are still hurt from the previous engagement, but that doesn¡¯t stop the combined efforts of my damage-dealing underlings to bring down the first Zombie. [You have slain Zombie - Sylt(13). Gain 20 experience.] Djeezes, that experience gain is abysmal. I suppose it makes sense though, considering I technically already killed her once today. My underlings quickly rotate towards the zombie Bard before Sylt has properly hit the ground, but I have other things on my mind. The dwarven Thug fighting the Zombie Knight on her lonesome just took a nasty bite to her neck and her health bar is dropping precariously low. I grit my teeth in annoyance as I¡¯m once again reduced to act as a wandering potion dispenser, but there¡¯s really nothing else I can do. The only semi-offensive ability I have is the Calm spell, and that has proven to be quite useless against enemies who are already aware of our presence. I have one of the freed-up half-orcs grab the attention of the Zombie knight while I force the dwarf to chug her potion. This goes on for a while, and my underlings slowly whittle down the zombies. The zombie Bard dies only a few minutes later, and my underlings are quickly working on bringing down the Knight. Things are actually going pretty smoothly. Too damn smoothly. Something tells me the boss has another ace up his sleeve. His health bar is still lingering at around ninety-two percent, so I guess I just haven¡¯t progressed far enough in the battle for him to reveal anything more. His high health pool is worrying me though. I¡¯m not sure I have enough health potions in my inventory to be able to sustain a prolonged battle. Another minute goes by and the last zombie finally dies. I hold my breath expecting whatever nasty surprise is waiting for us, and I sigh in relief as nothing immediately happens. My underlings run towards the boss and just when they reach him, the boss releases another guttural shriek, forcing us to take a step backwards. The skin of the Ghoul starts glowing ominously red. Fuck. He is enraging! ¡°Fight Smart! Endure it!¡± I command my underlings, keeping an eye on everyone¡¯s health pool. The Ghoul lashes out with savage swipes, throwing my underlings around like ragdolls. One of the half-orcs fails to dodge in time and I grit my teeth as I watch his health bar drop by nearly a third. Shit, that¡¯s bad. I don¡¯t dare to step too close to the Ghoul as long as it¡¯s enraged, and I have the half-orc step out of the fight in order for me to heal him. I¡¯m counting the seconds while this is all going on, and I release a breath of relief as the enragement phase ends after only thirty seconds. ¡°Hit it hard, now!¡± I shout. My underlings throw themselves into the fray, and the Ghoul takes several wounds across its sickly gray skin. The underlings make good use of their still-active dodge buff and it shows as the Ghoul¡¯s health bar is quickly nearing the eighty percent mark. As soon as it does, it shrieks again and another dark wave of mana washes across the room. Oh, fuck. I catch some movement in the corner of my eye and a knot ties in my chest as I notice the zombie Mage starting to stir. Shit! He can re-resurrect them? Fuck! We don¡¯t have the health points to turn this into a battle of attrition. ¡°Cobra! Grab the three Zombies and take them for a stroll. The rest of you, kill that Ghoul as quickly as you can!¡± With a growl, Cobra disengages from the Ghoul and jumps away, narrowly avoiding a swipe from the enraged Ghoul¡¯s claw. ¡°Fuck! You heard the boss. Oy! You dead bastards! Over here!¡± He shouts while picking up a nearby urn which he chucks at the head of the rising Bard. The urn impacts the zombie¡¯s head, breaking into several pieces. With a sneer, all three of the zombies lock their black eyes on Cobra and start shambling towards him. ¡°That¡¯s right, you ugly fuckers. Come get some!¡± With all three zombies¡¯ attention locked onto him, Cobra starts jogging in a circle around the room, occasionally throwing urns and whatever else is nearby at the zombies while singing a long string of expletive curses. The zombies angrily shamble towards him, but due to their stubby dead legs, they just can¡¯t seem to catch up with the Lieutenant. I grin. Thank god that worked. A well-known tactic in roleplaying games during difficult encounters is to have a fast-moving member of the squad grab the attention of either the boss or all the lesser minions and have them chase after you for a long run. This tactic is called kiting and is a good way to dedicate minimal resources to remove a lot of the enemy firepower from a fight during an extended period of time. The tactic requires a baiter who is fast and technically gifted enough to pull it off, which means Cobra or I am the only ones capable of doing it. And I sure as hell aren¡¯t put myself in such a risky position. It¡¯s a shame this means I won¡¯t be able to utilize Cobra¡¯s high damage output for the rest of the fight, but it allows for the remaining seven of my underlings to fight the Ghoul unencumbered. The Ghoul may be much stronger than us individually, but quantity usually beats quality as long as the numbers are skewed enough. I have no time to relax though as this battle is far from over. I still have my Fight Dirty skill up my sleeve, and I want to save using it until I know for certain that this fight is manageable. Cobra appears to have successfully gained control of the three zombies, and my underlings relentlessly attack the Ghoul for all they¡¯re worth. They are trying to bring the Ghoul to the ground to pile on top of it, but the elusive creature seems to have some sort of unholy dodge-god on its side, keeping it just out of our grasp. The point that will make or break this fight is when the boss reaches the sixty percent mark. I¡¯m kind of making a gamble that the boss will act differently if the zombies are kept alive since monsters as well as humans still have certain limitations to their skills. If it pulls off another enragement phase while the zombies are still alive, I might as well just pack up my shit and hightail it out of here. I steel myself as its health bar is slowly diminishing. Sixty-two percent. Sixty-one. Sixty. I hold my breath as I wait to see what happens. As its health bar ticks down to fifty-nine without anything happening, I release my breath with a sigh. It worked. ¡°Everyone! Finish it! Fight Dirty!¡± I shout while fishing out a few health potions. This fight will be close, and I¡¯m already organising my Thug¡¯s rotations to maximize their chances of survival. The Ghoul is quickly dying under the onslaught of my seven underlings, and it eventually dies without activating another ability. Luckily for Cobra, the three Zombies lifelessly fall apart at the same time the Ghoul dies, almost as if their strings suddenly got cut. I breathe out a breath of relief as the notification signals the end of the fight. [You have slain Cursed Ghoul - Fabian Shirebaggin(13). Gain 250 experience.] [Rush has leveled up to Novice 2.] Nice. That experience gain is better than I expected. A couple more of those, and I¡¯ll be level twenty in no time. ¡°Ach! What a pile of shit!¡± Cobra curses as he spits on the ground, breaking me out of my thoughts. ¡°Huh?¡± Cobra grunts once before he once more spits on the ground. ¡°I wanted to fight that pale bastard, and then he goes off and sends his pets at me. What a fucking cunt. Bigger tease than a maiden wench, that one.¡± I sigh. Right. I nearly forgot about his obsession with fighting things one-on-one. I sort of respect it, even though it¡¯s terribly counterproductive to my goals. I guess that sort of attitude matches his brutish profession I suppose. It makes for a good show as well. Maybe I should produce some clips and stream them on the internet. It could earn me a couple of euros if I advertise it to the right crowds. Meh. Too much effort. I¡¯d rather focus on my own escapades. Being an entertainer is thankless work unless you¡¯re hitting it big, and getting there requires a lot of work for almost guaranteed no gain. It¡¯s a nice thought though. Wait, why am I wasting time thinking about this? I have a fresh corpse to rob! Chapter 61 – Change of Pace Chapter 61 ¨C Change of Pace Cobra scowls at the dead Ghoul while lightly nudging it with his toe. The big guy is clearly dissatisfied about not being able to kill it alone, but that¡¯s life for you sometimes. It¡¯s dead now though, and I can¡¯t waste even more time than we already have. I drop to my knee and start looking through its belongings. [Cursed Necklace. Legendary. ???.] ¡­ Is that all? What the hell! The job description promised me some powerful gear, and all I get is a stupid unidentifiable necklace!? What gives? Cursed necklace¡­ I¡¯ve never even heard of that. Is that a thing? I grind my teeth. Cursed items. In other games, these items usually hold tremendous power, but they also almost always come with some nasty side effects. Hell, sometimes they only have a nasty side effect. It¡¯s also common that the effects are not apparent until you actually put it on, and it¡¯s also common for the item to be impossible to remove afterwards. A highly risky endeavour, so to say. In my opinion, you would have to be mighty stupid to equip one of these items without knowing the effect. I wonder if there is some way for me to figure out what it does? It¡¯s got the legendary tag, so worst comes to show, I might be able to sell it for quite a handful of gold. But how much could it be worth with the Cursed tag? To be honest, I¡¯m insanely lucky to get a Legendary item drop. I already know they only have a fractal of a percentage chance to drop during hard-rated quests, and finding one should actually make me roll around on the ground in an ecstasy-fueled craze. Cursed items though. That might just turn this entire find into the digital version of a joke. I just can¡¯t find it in myself to be happy until I figure out what it does. With a grunt, I pocket the necklace and start looking around. I¡¯d be damned if that is all the loot I¡¯m getting after this shitstorm, and I¡¯ll rather spend half an hour tearing this place brick-by-brick to find something of value rather than leave nearly empty-handed. There really aren¡¯t that many places to check though. There¡¯s a couple of sarcophaguses near the walls and the room is already strangely devoid of urns after Cobra¡¯s little runaround. The only thing left to check is the still-open coffin. Heading over, I peer inside. [Black Silver Gambler¡¯s Cap. Uncommon. 17% Physical Resistance, +5 Charisma, +3 Luck. Requires Level 11. *Contraband*] [Black Silver Gambler¡¯s Pauldrons. Uncommon. 17% Physical Resistance, +3 Endurance, +3 Charisma, +2 Luck. Requires Level 11. *Contraband*] [Black Silver Gambler¡¯s Vest. Uncommon. 22% Physical Resistance, +6 Endurance, +5 Charisma, +2 Luck. Requires Level 11. *Contraband*] [Black Silver Gambler¡¯s Gloves. Uncommon. 17% Physical Resistance, +4 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, +2 Luck. Requires Level 11. *Contraband*] [Black Silver Gambler¡¯s Pants. Uncommon. 22% Physical Resistance, +6 Endurance, +3 Charisma, +2 Luck. Requires Level 11. *Contraband*] [Black Silver Gambler¡¯s Boots. Uncommon. 17% Physical Resistance, +5% Movement Speed, +2 Agility, +3 Charisma, +2 Luck. Requires Level 11. *Contraband*] [7 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Copper.] Oh, yeah. That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. I grin. The job didn¡¯t fuck me over after all! Nice! I was getting worried there for a moment. This stuff. Oh, yeah. This is quite an insane power boost for me. Not only am I gaining a couple of extra percent of resistance to physical damage, but I¡¯m also gaining a whole bunch of attributes in both Charisma, Luck, and Endurance. With these items, I¡¯m not in such a bad spot after allocating most of my attribute points towards Charisma anymore. I quickly put on my new gear and check the increased attributes. Nice. Fifteen points to Luck, ten to Charisma, Five more to Endurance, and a single point to Dexterity. Hell, I¡¯m not even worried I lost the one point in Wisdom at all. With these bonuses, my skill power will increase tremendously, AND I can recruit two more underlings. This is exactly what I need! I quickly go into my inventory settings and deactivate the cosmetic upgrade I purchased for my gear. I usually forget about it, but I should really start deactivating it whenever I have my Villain¡¯s Mask on. My armor blurs around me for a few seconds while the enchantment disappears. I¡¯m left standing in a full set of darkened leather armor covered by a thin sheet of black silver. The metal is light and covers most of my vital spots, but it leaves my joints exposed to not hinder any movements. My favourite piece is the helmet which reminds me of a lighter version of the helmet of a greek hoplite from ancient times. You know, without the feathers on top. The whole armor gives off a dark and ominous vibe, and I¡¯m surprised this getup is what a Bard would choose to wear. In my experience, Bards usually like to dress to draw attention and not like some Assassin whose out on a mission. I¡¯m not complaining though as I look pretty damn badass if I gotta say so myself. A pity I can¡¯t wear this stuff out in public. It would draw the eye of every greedy rogue from here to the capital, and that¡¯s not the type of attention I would want. After grabbing everything of value, it¡¯s about time we get out of here. We spent far more time on this heist than I planned to, and we only have a couple of minutes left until the sermon is over. My Cutthroats take point as our entire posse moves out. The crypts weren¡¯t as large as I expected, so it only takes a minute to arrive near the entrance where we link up with my two agents. Reaching it, one of my Cutthroats immediately enters stealth and moves upstairs. Half a minute later, he returns, giving me a V sign and a thumbs up. Hmm. That means there are two enemies within sight, but they are both easily manageable. I suppose this is a great opportunity to try out the new blitz maneuver I came up with. Both my Cutthroats immediately enters stealth and heads upstairs. My Prowlers activate their lesser stealth abilities and follow after, and the rest of us trails behind. My Cheap Shot ability still has a couple of minutes left on its cooldown, but as soon as I see who the two enemies are, I sincerely doubt I¡¯ll need it. It¡¯s the two Russians from earlier. At least it seems like the elf has come back online though. Not that a couple of level eight Clerics will be able to do much against us. Not surprisingly, the half-orc from earlier seems to be pretty pissed off. ¡°Suka! Because of you, I die to rolling cart. Why you not here!?¡± The powerfully built Cleric shouts to his pale companion.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Izvini, Oleg. Natasha khotela, chtoby ya poshel po magazinam.¡± The elf says, shrugging. ¡°What? Natasha? I thought you say mother called. You¡­ svoloch! Liar!¡± The half-orc screams. ¡°¡­¡± The elf gasps in pain as a pair of bolts slams into his back. His body is flung forward, impacting the ground. Before the half-orc has time to react, a pair of rogues appear above the elf¡¯s prone body, sinking their daggers in between his shoulder blades. [You have killed Elf Cleric - VladTheNotVampire(8). Gain 30 Experience.] ¡°W-w-what¡­ W-who..?¡± The half-orc stammers, taking a step back. That¡¯s all he gets to say though before Cobra tackles him from the side, bringing him to the ground. He doesn¡¯t even have time to gasp in shock before a sword finds itself embedded in his throat. [You have slain Half-Orc Cleric - RuskieOlegie(8). Gain 0 Experience.] By the time the two confused Russians are ready to respawn, my crew and I are long gone. ---------- ¡°That really got my blood pumping.¡± I say as I slump into my office chair back at our hideout. Cobra snorts. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad. I remember one time at the Tipsy Hare, I met this fine wench from the eastern continent. Best hips I¡¯ve ever seen, I reckon. So when her husband-¡± I chuckle. ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to hear the rest of that story, I¡¯d like to grab a few minutes to eat something. Mind gathering up whatever loot you guys picked up from the three guards while I¡¯m busy?¡± ¡°Sure thing, boss.¡± He smiles as he heads for the door. ¡°Oh, and if you want to hear a great story, then I should tell you about the time Cripple Bill and I went to shank-.¡± His sentence is cut off as my mind disconnects from the game. Stepping out of my capsule, I do a series of light stretches before I put on my bathrobe. I¡¯ve started to make a habit out of only entering the capsule in nothing but the skin I was made in. Sure, wearing a pajamas or the thin polyester suit that came with the device would probably be more optimal for someone who¡¯s ashamed of their body, but I can¡¯t deny the fact that sleeping in that thing without any clothes on is the most comfortable I can ever be. It also doesn¡¯t hurt that I get far less sweaty this way. Djeezes. Who even bothered to invent the pajamas anyway? Most unnecessary piece of clothing ever. Must have been some prude. Utterly pointless. It¡¯s only been almost half a day since I last logged off so I¡¯m not hungry enough to eat as much as I usually do. A single packet of noodles is enough to sustain me for the duration of my break. I head over to a bean bag that stands in the corner. Being the minimalist that I am, the bean bag is pretty much the only sittable furniture I have except for my bed. I¡¯ve had it for as long as I can remember, but I¡¯m proud to say that it has never sprung a leak. Not even once. Do you realise how impressive that is? I¡¯m not sure that you do. Long-time bean bag owners understand though. I sigh. That last battle felt a bit too draining on my psyche. It¡¯s like the pent-up stress from these last couple of months is catching up to me, and I¡¯m really starting to feel it. I haven¡¯t fucked up too hard yet, but I¡¯ve come uncomfortably close a couple of times this last week. Playing as a Thief Lord is much more entertaining than playing as a Necromancer, but there are so many unknown factors in my life right now that makes it difficult to really unwind after a hard day of grinding. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I wouldn¡¯t trade this for the world, but I could use a vacation. Something different and stressless. I stifle a yawn as I sink deeper into my bean bag. Nothing really springs to mind when I think about it, at least nothing that I can combine with leveling up my character, and I¡¯m not sure if I want to make that sacrifice. It has to be something though. Perhaps now is a great time to take a three-day break? I still have to stay under the radar for a couple of days to lose whoever pursues me, and my dad and sister probably won¡¯t be able to log in for a few more days. I also have that weird meet-up with the silver saints planned. What if I just log on a couple of hours per day to send my underlings out on missions while I relax in real life? That sure as hell would feel great right now. I still have that book I want to finish reading. I sigh once more. That would be terribly inefficient though. A couple of days offline means a couple of days without skill progression. Skill progression that might mean the difference between life and death for my dream. Ah, my dream... My childish, glorious dream. What sort of twenty-eight-year-old man follows his dream these days? It¡¯s a bit early for a mid-life crisis, isn¡¯t it? Do you know what? Fuck that. Crisis or not, this is my life right now. I can¡¯t afford no damn break. Did Adolf Hitler stop conquering Europe just because Poland started whining? No. Did Jack the Ripper stop gutting hookers just because people started chasing him? Hell no. Did Joseph Stalin admit he made a mistake when he slaughtered the very same people he was supposed to represent? Hell fucking no! Fuck everyone else. I can¡¯t stop. Not until I win or everyone else is dead. Just like every other Villain in history. If I need a break, then I¡¯m going to sit safely on my ass making traps for three days straight. It¡¯s safe, mind-numbing, and efficient. Perhaps listen to a couple of Cobra¡¯s weird-ass stories. Hell, maybe I should talk to Anna some more. Oh, wait. Scratch that last one. That¡¯s the opposite of relaxation. I devour the lukewarm bowl of noodles before I curl my bathrobe into a ball and chuck it in a corner. Time to get my naked ass back to the game. ---------- Logging back in, I soon find myself sitting alone in the same chair as earlier; the only difference being the absence of Cobra and the addition of a small pile of items neatly stacked onto my desk. [Cracked Earth Elemental Staff. Uncommon. 14-16 Blunt Damage, -10% to Spell Cost for Earth Spells. +6 Intelligence, +4 Wisdom. Requires: Level 10. *Contraband*] [Enhanced Steel Cuirass. Uncommon. 50% Physical Resistance, 30% Magical Resistance. +6 Endurance, 4 Strength, 2 Agility. Requires: Level 10. *Contraband*] [Noble¡¯s Ring. Uncommon. +6 Charisma, +2 Endurance. Requires: Level 10. *Contraband*] [2 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Copper.] Hmm, not bad. It seems like each of the three siblings dropped an uncommon item each. Just as expected from elite mobs, I suppose. Two of the items are sort of useless, but the Noble¡¯s Ring brings a smile to my face. Sweet! That¡¯s a huge boon to me. With that ring, my Charisma is up to eighty-one. That means I get to recruit three new underlings! Djeezes. Right now, my gear is absolutely insane. Apart from my necklace, each and every equipped item is above level ten, and each and every item is of at least uncommon rarity. Hell, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if someone told me I¡¯m the best-geared level eleven player in the game at the moment. It almost makes me want to equip the cursed necklace just to see what happens. Almost. Okay, not at all. But I like the thought. Anyway, it¡¯s time to get the good old cogs moving. With the job completed, I¡¯m actually only a hundred and fifty experience away from hitting level twelve. That¡¯s an hour¡¯s worth of hard work, max. Another job completion is all we need for that to happen since the sewers are off-limits for a few days. It¡¯s a bit annoying I¡¯ve run out of daily jobs though, so I suppose two of my new underlings need to be Beggars. With my current underlings, I think we can probably complete four, maybe five jobs per day if we are really going for it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth recruiting any more Beggars though as I doubt I¡¯ll have the time or interest in finishing five jobs per day for the foreseeable future. At least not until I get to recruit another Lieutenant. Two Beggars will do, and I suppose I¡¯ll recruit another Spotter for the increased firepower. I shortly consider recruiting another Specialist, but I don¡¯t really see it as viable yet. Maintaining Specialists is a costly affair and I¡¯m still not quite out of my economical crisis yet. Increasing my fighting capability should go beyond all else. Hmm. I suppose I¡¯ll also have to buy some weapons and armor for the Spotter as well. That will probably cost me around seven gold. Another setback, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll pay off in due time. It¡¯s better to build a strong base now to prepare for the future. Okay, I guess this means I have a plan. Recruitment and obtaining all the items we need for fighting and crafting should probably only take an hour or two, and afterwards I can take a three-day break to focus on my crafting. I smile. It¡¯s going to be nice not having to look over my shoulder for a few days. I yawn, stretching my body. I wonder if we can manage to hit level fourteen? Chapter 62 – Growth Spurt Chapter 62 ¨C Growth Spurt [Trigger Mechanism has leveled up to Novice 13.] [Release Mechanism has leveled up to Novice 13.] [Framework has leveled up to Novice 13.] [Mentor has leveled up to Novice 12.] [Congratulations! You have reached level 14!] [You have gained 9 free Attribute Points and 3 Skill Points!] Oh, god. That feels great. I grin as I look over my gains over these past three days. I would have loved to say it was hard, but I really can¡¯t. This was incredibly relaxing and I loved almost every single moment of it. Really. Do you know how great it feels to just sit down and relax without having to worry about murderers lurking in the shadows? ¡­ Okay, bad example. I mean murderers that¡¯s there to actually kill you. Thanks to the possibility of just turning off my brain for a few days, my skill in trap making sore through the roof! I bet even Odin would be proud. This progress is phenomenal, and I bet my traps can take out just about anything within my level range right about now. This is going to be an amazing benefit going forwards; I just know it. Oh! And the best part: Cobra and the boys managed to bring me to level fourteen with a little experience to spare. I didn¡¯t actually think they would make it, but damn if Cobra didn¡¯t deliver. I had some doubts when he decided to take upon himself a hard rated heist, but that little rascal actually pulled it off. All three of my low-level Spotters died during the job, but since neither had crossed the level ten mark yet, they didn¡¯t lose anything but their pride. The jobs were successful though and I¡¯m glad Cobra had the common decency to bring their gear back with him. If I had lost nearly nineteen gold worth of items I might actually have had a small emotional breakdown. Everything went well though, and Cobra managed to earn me nearly fifty gold, several common grade weapons, as well as a bunch of crafting reagents for both Alchemy, Cooking, and Blacksmithing. I don¡¯t particularly need all this crap, but he did manage to acquire one pretty awesome item for me. [Gilded Ruby Necklace. Rare. +13 Charisma. Requires: Level 13. *Contraband*] I grin with glee. If it hadn¡¯t been because I¡¯m already in danger of out leveling my gear again, I might actually have cackled in glee upon maxing out my gear value like this. Well, I did cackle a little bit yesterday, but that¡¯s beside the point. That necklace by itself skyrocketed my Charisma to hit ninety-one. That means I get to recruit two new underlings. Not only that, but if I add all the nine attribute points I gained from leveling up, I can breach the one hundred mark, effectively buying me the possibility of recruiting a second Lieutenant. Can you believe that? A second Lieutenant at only level fourteen? Aria would freaking flip out if she knew! My Luck stat would suffer greatly if I did this, but by god if it isn¡¯t worth it. Cobra is hands down the greatest thing that has ever happened to my crew, and I¡¯ll be damned if I won¡¯t grab the opportunity to double down on that. I slowly start adding points into Charisma, and it¡¯s a welcome surprise when I see that with the ten percent bonus to Charisma I gain from my race, I only need to add eight of the points to break one hundred. Chuckling, I add the last point into Luck, trying to even out the massive difference I have accumulated. A voice at the back of my head tells me I might have shot my future development prospects in the foot by skewing my attributes like this, but I¡¯m not too worried. The strength of my skills will obviously suffer, potentially more than I can handle, but my high Charisma attribute also gives massive bonuses to my Intellect, which in turn increases my potential for spell casting. Which brings me to my plan for allocating my three new skill points. I have to say, I spent a long time trying to weigh the benefits of this one, and with my massive growth spurt, I¡¯m more sure than ever of my choice. Since I have already resigned myself to be the much-needed support player my crew desperately needs, I decide to further enhance our chances of winning by giving myself a better ability to affect the battlefield. And since my class is unable to take upon itself any of the major magic schools, as well as my Illusion magic being useless for this at its low level, I have found the perfect addition to my spell repertoire: Alteration Magic. You have unlocked the lesser magic school: Alteration. Mages across time have always pursued the pinnacle of magic. Who wouldn¡¯t want to create matter out of nothing, uncover secrets long forgotten, or shape the reality as we know it? Alteration offers a path towards manipulating both you and your surroundings. The Alteration school has two diverging branches: Body and Environment. Spells available: Stone Skin ¨C Alteration Body spell. Hardens the target¡¯s skin, increasing their defence against Physical Damage by 15% + 0,2 * Skill level for 30 seconds + 5 seconds per Skill level. Cost: 100 Mana. Water Breathing ¨C Alteration Body spell. Allows the target to breathe underwater. Cost: 50 Mana - 0,2 * Skill level + (20 Mana per second - 0,1 Mana per second per Skill level). Magic Light ¨C Alteration Environment spell. Creates a magical light that can be attached to objects or hover above target for 5 minutes + 10 seconds per Skill level. Cost: 50 Mana - 0,2 * Skill level. Conjure Oil ¨C Alteration Environment spell. Conjures a slippery oil on any surface in a 1 meter radius + 0,1 meter per Skill level for 30 seconds + 1 second per Skill level. Cost: 300 Mana. Oh, yes. Alteration magic. The school is pretty interesting and it¡¯s often picked up by priests or other healing classes as a secondary school of magic. This is because Stone Skin is an amazing buffing ability for tanks, but there are also several very practical spells on the higher tiers that are just perfect for a sneaky little thief like me. The skills available are all amazing in their own right, and since I need to plan for the future, I want to pick up a spell from each of the two branches to open up more possibilities for the future. I have already made up my mind on which skills I want, so I waste little time in using my remaining two skill points on picking up both Stone Skin and Conjure Oil. I grin. These spells are just what I need to increase my presence on the battlefield, and I believe our overall combat efficiency just increased by nearly twenty percent. These skills will definitely come in handy when we fight both bosses and players alike in the future, as well as add some flexibility to escape or create chaos on the battlefield. And this is before I even take my second Lieutenant into consideration! Or even the four new underlings I can recruit! I swear, I almost have more power at the moment than I know what to do with. Just gearing these underlings is going to cost me a small fortune, and I even have to start organising my combatants into two separate strike teams to increase efficiency. I know that I promised myself to finally pick up the Cheat Death skill, but the more I progress, the more I realise I haven¡¯t had much need for it lately. There are so many underlings at my disposal now that I don¡¯t even need to reveal myself during combat anymore. Not that it does me any good yet either, considering my abysmal Luck attribute. At the moment, the only thing I can really do is sit invisible in the background and buff my underlings while they overwhelm my enemies. The skill is still a high priority for me, but with my current passivity, it slowly creeps lower on my list of priorities. I will get it soon though, or else I risk some divine being to strike me down for the sacrilege. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Before all that though, I need to decide which underling I want to promote. Thinking about it, I have three options. Choosing another Thug is already out of the question, so that leaves me with upgrading a Cutthroat, a Prowler, or one of the Agents. Yeah, I know what you think. Promoting one of the combat underlings gives great benefits to my overall combat potential, but I don¡¯t want to always have to rely on brute force during my encounters. Upgrading an Agent could give me a lot of flexibility and possibilities for infiltration or deception, which is something I desperately need. Hell, even the game¡¯s system prompts are calling me a violent brute at this point. Do I really need to add more fuel to that particular fire? But then again, why not focus on something I¡¯m good at? I need to consider all the angles here. My new and improved combat tactic is based on guerilla warfare, focusing on quick and brutal ambushes followed by a speedy retreat. This is why I have increased my ranged roster. Upgrading a Prowler would not only increase their damage output, but it would also give my ranged units a commander, freeing me up to do other tasks. On the other hand, upgrading a Cutthroat also comes with great benefits. No longer would I have to rely on scouting based on crude hand signals from my rogues. An underling capable of giving me a full report would be a potential goldmine when it comes to operational intelligence. I could gain that and even more by promoting an Agent, but a deadly assassin would be more helpful in a sticky situation. Hmm. The choice is tough, but I think I¡¯m gonna go with the Cutthroat on this one. Mostly because I want a scout who can talk, but also because I¡¯m a sucker for powerful assassins. The Prowler would give me a powerful edge when it comes to my surprise attacks, but let¡¯s be honest here. I¡¯m not really that busy during combat, and I have plenty of time to perform managerial tasks from the backline. I hate to say it, but it¡¯s true. I exit the crafting station that has been my home for the past few days and head towards the main hall of our hideout. My underlings just recently returned from their latest heist and they¡¯re currently all hanging around, drinking themselves into a digital stupor. ¡°Hey Cobra, how¡¯s it hanging?¡± I smile as I spot the loudest drunkard of them all. ¡°Oh, hey there boss! It¡¯s hanging just fine; a little to the left maybe?¡± He guffaws. I wince. Of course he took that literally. Never wastes a chance that one. ¡°We¡¯ve reached another milestone.¡± I say, smiling. ¡°It¡¯s time for us to get another Lieutenant to share your burden.¡± ¡°What, already boss? Who are you promoting? It better not be anyone better-looking than me. I¡¯ll stab them.¡± He says with mock outrage. ¡°Oh, please. Is there anyone more beautiful than you?¡± I wink. ¡°You know, besides everyone?¡± ¡°Ouch. That hurts, boss. After all we¡¯ve been through¡­ It feels like you just stabbed a dagger through my heart.¡± He says with a saddened face. The corner of his mouth betrays his smirk though. ¡°It¡¯s what we do, isn¡¯t it?¡± I chuckle. ¡°Funny you should mention stabbing though. I was thinking of promoting one of the Cutthroats. Any suggestions?¡± He grimaces. ¡°One of the rogues? Are you sure, boss? I mean, yeah. Stabbing things is a good skill to have, but those little rats aren¡¯t really good in a fistfight, you know? I¡¯d recommend you have a look at one of the Thugs.¡± Wait, he has an opinion on this? Why? Is this the game trying to tell me something, or is it just another quirk of his personality? ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious, boss? The dwarf¡¯s pretty cute, and I like a woman who can punch back while in the sack.¡± He grins. Oookay¡­ A quirk it is then. Remind me never to ask him again. ¡°No, I think I¡¯m going to go with a Cutthroat on this one. We have two candidates, and given your previous suggestion, I¡¯m withdrawing your right to vote on the matter.¡± ¡°What? Not fair!¡± He says, his jaw dropping. I snort, ignoring the odd guy. It seems like the game refuses to do any of the thinking for me. Not that I¡¯m complaining, but it would be nice with some helpful information every now and then. So, I have two candidates: the human or the purple-haired gnome. It doesn¡¯t really matter which one I choose, but there are some small things to take into consideration. The first and obvious thing is that the human has been with me the longest, and it¡¯s only fair to promote him based on seniority alone. He also looks the most nondescript of the two characters, with not really a single feature that stands out in a crowd. While that might be a good thing for a thief to have in real life, it doesn¡¯t really matter much when in a game. The gnome, however, stands out like a sore thumb. I feel like the game did a better job of sculpting her character, and it doesn¡¯t hurt to have a woman to talk to every now and then. Cobra is good fun and all, but I¡¯m starting to feel like this entire crew is turning into a giant sausage fest. I may be a sexist prick, but who the hell is around to point that out, eh? You have promoted Gnome Cutthroat(14) into a Lieutenant. Would you like to name your Lieutenant? Warning! All choices are final. Oh, god. I cannot describe the satisfaction I get when reading that message. It feels just as great as it did the first time. I obviously opt to choose a name for my fresh Lieutenant and there shouldn¡¯t be any doubt that I have the perfect name lined up for her. ¡°Welcome to the team, Viper.¡± I say with a wide grin. The gnome stiffens, almost as if a bolt of lightning just struck her. Looking carefully around, her eyes eventually meets mine. She immediately looks away, her face blushing. ¡°T-thank you, my lord.¡± I blink in surprise. What the hell? What sort of A.I. plants a shy personality into the form of a tiny ruthless killer? Are they fucking with me? Am I stuck in some sort of Japanese anime? I sigh. What a letdown. ¡°Oy! You chose the girl!? Nice job, boss!¡± Cobra shouts from somewhere to the side. Wielding a pair of mugs, he stumbles forward, grinning at my new Lieutenant. He raises his arm, laying it over her shoulders. ¡°Hey toots, how about you and me get to know one another a little better, eh?¡± He winks while grinning like a creep. A glint of steel flashes across my peripherals, soon followed by a painful shriek. Cobra clutches the fresh wound on his thigh, dangerously close to his nether regions. ¡°Don¡¯t call me toots.¡± She sneers, cooly. ¡°Do that again, and my dagger won¡¯t miss next time.¡± Cobra guffaws. ¡°You little bitch. Oy, boss! We got a fiery one here.¡± His gaze meets Viper¡¯s before his smile drops. ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay for that.¡± Staring daggers at his tiny colleague, Cobra grabs the hilt of his short sword, slowly dragging it out of its sheath. Before I can even blink, he swings his sword wide, but Viper deftly dodges backwards. She clutches the hilt of her dagger, bending her knees and enters a nimble stance. Cobra¡¯s eyes harden, staring her down as he takes a threatening step forward. I sigh. I should probably deal with this, but I really can¡¯t be arsed. Whatever happens, they are perfectly grown-up computer programs and can figure things out on their own. I¡¯m a criminal mastermind, not a preschool teacher. ¡°Don¡¯t kill each other.¡± I say before I turn around, heading towards the exit. I have new underlings to recruit after all, and I can¡¯t waste time parenting this budding office romance. I head straight for the nearest tavern, almost forgetting I need to take off my mask and reactivate the cosmetic disguise. It¡¯s been a few days since I last did it, but that¡¯s no excuse for being tardy. I would feel pretty stupid if that was the reason for my untimely end. Especially after getting this large boost to my power. Hmm. I can¡¯t really say I planned on recruiting this many underlings at once, at least not this soon. It¡¯s only been a few days since I only had a little over half the capacity I now have. I have a vague idea of what I need, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve spent enough time to properly weigh my options. I will definitely get a couple more Spotters, bringing my numbers up to eight, but I still have two left. My ranged units should have enough people by now so I guess it¡¯s time I started focusing on increasing my close-ranged fighters. I only have two Cutthroats, so I should definitely recruit one of those. I need to spend some of that excess gear I collected earlier after all. But what about the last one? I don¡¯t really need another Agent, and I¡¯m not in any particular need for another combatant for now. Well, I could always use more, many more actually, but I think now might be a good time to consider another Specialist. But which one? I¡¯m still not sure I can afford another crafter, even though I want one, so the Enchanter or the Tinkerer is out. That only leaves the Fence. It might be a bit early for me to get one, but I suppose it doesn¡¯t hurt. I need gold right now, and a Fence is the right underling to help me towards that goal. But is it worth it? ¡­ I shrug. Meh, I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter. I have twenty underlings now, and one premature decision isn¡¯t going to topple my reign. Besides, I would love to see what he can actually do. This is going to be interesting. Chapter 63 – Shady Business Chapter 63 ¨C Shady Business Turns out the Fence was a better addition to my crew than I thought. Sure, interacting with him isn¡¯t very fruitful considering the guy is as mute as the rest of my underlings, but he is also fairly autonomous. The little dwarven Fence wasted little time in annexing the small storage room in my hideout and started cataloguing all the various items within. Fences are pretty straight forward when it all comes down to it. It¡¯s one of the only units in the game that can handle and safely sell items marked as contraband. The process is lengthy and he can only sell them for roughly a fifth of the item¡¯s original market value, but it¡¯s a steady income for me nonetheless. After the past week, I¡¯ve accumulated quite a hefty amount of items, most of which I have no use for. I have a couple sets of heavy armor and weapons my underlings can¡¯t use as well as a small mountain of crafting reagents for professions I either have no need for or are unable to learn. Selling these items should net me a decent profit and I have enough items to keep him occupied for at least a week or two. I also consider selling my collection of random paintings, but I guess I can hold on to them for a while. It¡¯s not like my Fence is lacking work at the moment and it would be nice to see if gathering all of them would grant me some sort of hidden reward. I pick up a painting on roughly half my jobs so I¡¯m starting to get quite the collection. I probably won¡¯t complete it anytime soon, but I guess it¡¯s a nice little side project to have. Anyways, it¡¯s time for me to take a more proactive role in my development going forward. I have gained a tremendous amount of power over the last few days and it¡¯s about time I use it for what it¡¯s worth. I¡¯m not sure if whoever pursues me has given up yet, so I should probably see if I can get Anna to spill some information. I¡¯m being an asshole for exploiting her friendship like this, and I¡¯m getting slightly worried that I don¡¯t seem to care about it as much as I used to. The information is worth its weight in gold, however, and I would be foolish not to grab the opportunity as it presents itself. Today is also the day my family finally has their capsules up and running. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m exactly thrilled about it, but I have spent these last few days trying to come up with ways to keep them out of my business while also performing tasks that are beneficial to my cause. That¡¯s for later tonight though, and first of all, I want to head out and find out what the Silver Saints want with me. I can smell the start of a burgeoning quest looming, but I should also come prepared in case it¡¯s a trap of some kind. It probably isn¡¯t, but weirder things have happened before. Like anything that has Anna¡¯s name on it. A new problem that has revealed itself when I recruited a whole bunch of new underlings is that it¡¯s much harder to hide fourteen underlings moving around in the city¡¯s back alleys than it is to move eight. There just isn¡¯t much room for stealth or subtlety. Bringing all of them is sadly out of the question, but it¡¯s not much of a problem yet anyway. Three of my underlings are still level one, and three of my Spotters are still a little ways off reaching max level. I could always bring them, but I¡¯m probably better off keeping them back for now. It won¡¯t be long until they catch up anyway as my Mentor skill has also risen quite well over these last few days. I end up bringing both my Lieutenants along with the two half-orcs, the Cutthroat, and both the veteran Prowlers. I don¡¯t really expect any trouble, but I have faith they will be enough to delay anyone trying to pull something. I¡¯m also still a little worried about whoever pursues me, so I¡¯ll head over towards Ulf¡¯s shop on my own, putting all my trust in the Thief Lord¡¯s Signet Ring. The trip is uneventful, and I soon find myself across the street from Ulf¡¯s store. The windows seem to be boarded up and I can see the candlelight flickering from within. Someone¡¯s definitely home. I surround the building and have my Thugs take up position as close to the outer wall as possible to make certain I have a way out with my Doppelganger ability if the need should arise. I decide to bring my two Lieutenants along inside, because why not? A gang leader is supposed to bring some muscle to secret meetings with criminal organisations after all. I think it¡¯s in the manual. Yup. The Thief Lord¡¯s Guide to Theft and Butchery?. I don¡¯t see much reason to delay any further, so I have Cobra take point and knock on the door. He slams his fist into the door three times, and the loud thumps echo down the deserted streets. Geez, how very subtle for a thief. I hear someone rummage around on the other side, pressing against the door. ¡°Who¡¯s out there?¡± A familiar gruff voice asks. ¡°Ulf, it¡¯s me. Open up.¡± ¡°Tha you, boy? Blasted dimwit! Ya want ta entire city ta hear ya? Get ya arse in here!¡± He wheezes as he unlocks the door. Quickly shooing us inside, we soon find ourselves in the dimly lit store. Ulf bolts the door shut, cursing a long series of expletives as he goes. Expecting something to happen eventually, I stand still and wait for the storekeeper to finish doing whatever spiel he has going on. Old people seldom enjoy it when you try to rush them. When Ulf finally seems satisfied that no one is following us or whatever else he is looking for, he turns around with a scowl on his face. ¡°Come along then, boy.¡± He grunts as he stomps towards his counter. Come along where? I decide not to ask as the grumpy dwarf dives behind his counter and appear to fiddle with some boxes. A soft click sounds and I jump back in surprise as a segment of the floor towards the back corner of the building seems to sink into the ground. Looking towards it, I can spot the top part of a ladder attached to the opening. Oh, yeah. Now we¡¯re talking. Super secret spy stuff! Love it! ¡°Now get ya arse in there, boy. We don¡¯t have all night.¡± He grunts as he makes shooing motions towards me. Hmm. I can¡¯t say I particularly enjoy heading into an unknown basement that probably leads to god knows where. I especially don¡¯t like that it most likely will bring me out of range from my emergency escape-Thugs outside, but something tells me I¡¯ll be just fine. For some odd, inexplicable reason, having access to a hidden NPC network just seems natural to the game when you think about it. I would estimate the chance of this being an ambush to be less than ten percent according to game logic. Even then, I don¡¯t expect it to be too insurmountable. I still have my two Lieutenants with me and I sincerely doubt Ulf would have liked me bringing nearly two dozen men with me to the meeting. With a shrug, I order Cobra to once more take the lead. The ladder leads into a surprisingly spacious basement stacked to the roof with crates and barrels of various sizes. Considering how well hidden this place is, I assume this is where Ulf stores the majority of his contraband. I wonder if it¡¯s possible for me to steal any of this? Perhaps I¡¯ll scout it out at some point. As soon as Viper drops into the room behind me, the hatch closes shut above us. I frown. ¡°This better not be a trap.¡± I mutter. No sooner have I started thinking about ways to rob him blind and bust out of here before I hear another clicking sound near the back wall. Turning towards it, I see another hidden panel swing outward. Woah. A hidden path within a hidden room? That¡¯s pretty hardcore. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The panel reveals a well-lit corridor that leads roughly ten meters deeper in before it turns sharply to the right. Wherever it leads, it¡¯s definitely outside of Ulf¡¯s shop. There¡¯s no need to stop now, I suppose, so Cobra once more takes point down the corridor. I follow at a safe distance and as soon as we cross the bend in the tunnel, I start hearing voices coming from somewhere close. Since I assume whoever is down here knows we¡¯re coming, I abandon all thoughts of stealth and set a determined pace forwards. The tunnel leads to another basement of an adjacent building. We didn¡¯t walk far enough for me not to make a rough estimate of where we are, but I doubt this short tunnel is anything but a very small part of their operation. It¡¯s most likely meant as a quick escape route for Ulf. This basement seems to be equally stacked with various crates, albeit far less than the previous room. A couple of lightly armed Thugs waits by the ladder, most likely the source of the voices I heard earlier. At least I know they don¡¯t belong to another Villain considering these guys are nothing but mute. With a grunt, one of the Thugs climbs a few steps up the ladder before he knocks on the hatch three times, followed by a short pause, then twice more. Some shuffling of heavy objects can be heard from up above before the hatch swings open, revealing a familiar face. ¡°Odin!? What the hell are you doing here?¡± I ask, surprised. He snorts. ¡°What do you think? My job.¡± ¡°No shit, Sherlock. I mean if you wanted to talk to me, couldn¡¯t we just have done so at your shop?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t fancy anyone listening in on what we are about to discuss. Now get your lazy ass out of there. We don¡¯t have all night.¡± He says, adding an intelligible curse at the end. Who the hell are ¡®we¡¯ though? I climb up first this time as I¡¯m now certain this isn¡¯t a trap. If Odin really wanted me dead, he wouldn¡¯t have had to lure me all the way out here to do me in. His level is at least triple digits after all. Even if he is a crafter by trade, I have no doubt he could kill me by the strength of his pinky if he so wished. I poke my head through the hatch and I¡¯m surprised to see that I find myself in a very ordinary living room. The place is cleared of dust, but the furniture is by no means luxurious. If I would have to guess, then I¡¯d say this house belongs to a retired elderly couple living on minimum savings. Very inconspicuous, which means it¡¯s probably perfect for conducting shady business. Looking around, I notice Odin has taken a seat at a large oaken table with matching padded armchairs. The table houses two other people, one of whom I¡¯ve seen before. ¡°Joe? You too?¡± ¡°Tssk.¡± He snorts, spitting on the floor. ¡°We meet again, brat.¡± ¡°We do. Glad to see you again, Joe. I appreciate you introducing me to the Saints. The fence¡¯s have been a great boon to me.¡± I smile while he just grunts in return. Joe was the first member of the Silver Saints I met all the way back when I started playing. He was, is, the innkeeper of the noob zone and the person who gave me the Silver Saints¡¯ token after he saw me trick Anna and Brian for the first time. I can¡¯t say I was expecting to see him again, and I¡¯m not really expecting a hearty reunion. If anything, the guy acted like a grumpy dick when I first met him and I doubt anything has changed since. The last member at the table is a gorgeous woman dressed in a dark purple dress and an excessive amount of pearls. The woman won¡¯t exactly win any stealth awards with the amount of noise the pearls make as she moves around, but she seems to be a woman who has enough henchmen to do the sneaking for her. Her brown hair is tied in a strict bun, giving her the gypsy librarian look that I¡¯m not sure anyone else could pull off. She sits in the middle of the trio, so she appears to hold more status than the other two. Impressive, considering Odin¡¯s grandmaster title. [Human Grandmaster Enchantress - Lucille(???). HP ????/????. MP: ?????/?????.] Okay, maybe not so surprising after all. ¡°So you¡¯re the new troublemaker I¡¯ve heard so much about.¡± She says with a sweet smile, leaning back into her padded chair. A satisfied smile crosses her lips as she gives me an appraising look. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have caused too much trouble yet.¡± I say, returning her smile. ¡°Oh, more than you know.¡± She says sagely, gesturing for me to take a seat opposite them. I comply and try to sit down as gracefully as possible. I¡¯m meeting powerful people after all. I wouldn¡¯t want to annoy the people who might end up paying me later. Cobra and Viper move behind me, taking up flanking positions. All the good that will do me if this meeting turns violent. Seeing that I¡¯m seated comfortably, the woman continues. ¡°I¡¯m Lucille, by the way. Current chairman of the Saints¡¯ inner council. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Thief Lord.¡± ¡°Pleasure is all mine.¡± I say, bowing my head curtly. ¡°Since you have already met Odin and Joe here, I guess we can jump straight to the point. You may wonder why we called for this meeting?¡± She leans forward, burrowing her eyes into mine. Most likely gauging my reaction. A test of some sort? ¡°I have my suspicions, but it¡¯s probably best you say it out loud to avoid any misunderstandings.¡± I say, lying through my teeth. I don¡¯t have the foggiest idea of why I might be here. Getting some sort of reward I hope. ¡°You¡¯re a good liar, little Thief Lord.¡± She chuckles, giving me a small wink. Crap. She called me out on it. Is this the NPC anti-lying skill Ulf told me about earlier? God. I want one. ¡°While I find it absolutely adorable, I must insist on you being honest for the remainder of the meeting. Our time is too valuable to waste on such a¡­ cute distraction.¡± She winks at me. ¡°Apologies, my lady.¡± I say a bit sweeter than intended. ¡°Lying appears to have become a bit too natural to me after I took up this profession. I completely forgot about the native¡¯s ability to sense my lies.¡± She chuckles. ¡°It¡¯s a good skill to have. Especially for someone in our line of work. But, I digress. Talking about the fine art of deception, as intriguing as it is, is not why we called you here tonight.¡± She intensifies her stare. I maintain my easygoing smile, gesturing for her to continue. ¡°As you may know, times are changing around the city with a lot of new forces coming into play. Troublesome forces, considering our line of profession. Troubles such as you and others of your kind. As a result of this, our organisation has suffered quite a few setbacks as of late; setbacks that are not economically sustainable for us. You see, our organisation is all about maximizing profits while providing our clientele with goods that some others may¡­ frown upon. It¡¯s a necessary service to provide, and I see no reason why people¡¯s personal liberties should be restricted because of moralists¡¯ insistence on forcing their values and beliefs upon everyone else.¡± Her eyes start to wander, seemingly lost in thoughts. It¡¯s only until Odin jabs her with his elbow she wakes. ¡°Ah, pardon my digression. The reason why we exist is probably of no interest to a man such as yourself. The reason we have called you here is simple. To survive and thrive in this new society that has been forced upon us, we need to adapt and evolve. When conventional means fail, we have to get creative. Luckily for us, not all Travellers follow the moral code forced upon us by those pesky laws. Travellers like you. My fellow colleagues tell me of your ruthless actions across the city to gain money and power at an absurd rate. An ideal we can certainly sympathize with. You have also shown a willingness to cooperate with us for mutual gain when you disposed of that pesky disgraced noble. Good job on that one by the way. He may not have been the greatest threat to our operation, but it¡¯s more important to remove an infection early or else it festers.¡± ¡°So, you want to form an alliance?¡± I ask, raising my eyebrow. She smiles. ¡°In short: Yes. We want to form a mutually beneficial partnership with you and others of your kind. We believe that with our resources, and your large potential for growing your power and influence, we can both prosper. So what do you say, little Thief Lord. Do you think we can work together?¡± Now it¡¯s my turn to smile. ¡°If the terms are acceptable.¡± Chapter 64 – Infamy Chapter 64 ¨C Infamy Odin bursts out laughing. ¡°Cheeky kid! You¡¯re finally acting like you have a sack. I knew you had to have something down there somewhere.¡± Lucille lets out a small smile of her own, and I can swear even Joe¡¯s lips twitches slightly. I could be wrong though. I can figuratively smell the opportunity here, and I want to get as many benefits from them as I can possibly get. ¡°So, little Thief Lord. What are your terms?¡± Lucille eventually asks, still smiling. ¡°It depends on what you can offer, really. I¡¯m fairly new to the city, so I can¡¯t say that I know much about your organisation. How about you tell me what you can offer and we¡¯ll negotiate on what I need?¡± ¡°Hah! Give this one the finger and he¡¯ll take your whole hand.¡± Odin chuckles. ¡°Better be careful with this one, Lucille. He might be greedier than even you.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± She says, leaning forward in her chair. ¡°Let¡¯s do it your way, little Thief Lord. As I mentioned earlier, our influence stretches pretty far within the bounds of the city. With our blessing, we can assist in building up your Infamy and grant legitimacy to you if you decide to establish your crew into a full-blown gang.¡± ¡°A gang? What do you mean?¡± What the hell? ¡°You don¡¯t know? How odd.¡± She scratches her chin. ¡°A gang is a formal recognition of you and your crew¡¯s accomplishments. What good is being the leader of a gang if no one knows who you are, and thus won¡¯t show you the proper amount of respect you deserve? If you wish to have our assistance in forming a gang, we will help with increasing your Infamy. A greater level of Infamy opens doors that would otherwise be shut and you will gain access to a much larger market that is not open to the general public.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Ah, ah, ah!¡± She says coyly, wagging her finger back and forth. ¡°That¡¯s information only available for our most esteemed clientele.¡± Huh. Now this sounds interesting. It¡¯s all pretty vague, but it seems like if they help me formalize my gang, or whatever, they will open up the possibility of purchasing rare items. Since she didn¡¯t specify exactly what I can buy, then I wonder if I can get access to things like skill books, hidden skills, or class-unique items? If I can get access to something that has only half the utility of what my Thief Lord¡¯s Signet Ring offers, I¡¯ll buy it in a heartbeat. ¡°That does sound interesting. What else can you offer?¡± ¡°Oh? Oh, my. You are greedy. Careful, little Thief Lord. The last person who stuck his fingers too deeply into my coffers were never heard from again.¡± Her eyes harden. I meet her gaze, trying my best not to flinch under her scrutiny. What is my play here? Something tells me it isn¡¯t a good idea to press her too far. One wrong move and I¡¯m certain she won¡¯t hesitate to kill me. I don¡¯t like my chances of making a clean escape here either; even if I had access to all my underlings and an opening to use Doppelganger. I¡¯m about to accept her proposition when she speaks again. ¡°I like your determination, little Thief Lord. Reminds me of my youth. We won¡¯t offer anything else other than the standard ten percent discount for all of our members on our regular services. This includes the purchase of contraband, crafting reagents, and rent at one of our inns.¡± She says, crossing her arms. ¡°Throw in a discount on Odin¡¯s services as a teacher, and you have yourself a deal.¡± I say, letting out a grin of my own. Odin snorts. ¡°Go choke on an apple.¡± ¡­ I guess that¡¯s a no. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll accept. Pleasure doing business with you.¡± I say, extending my hand. ¡°Splendid!¡± She smiles, grasping my hand. ¡°I knew we could come to an arrangement.¡± I sit back into my chair, trying my best not to burst out laughing at my success. Because this is a success. A big one. I can feel it. Whatever this gang thing they offer to help me with, I just know this is the late-game content I have been looking for. The cherry on top of the proverbial thiefcake. The Bonnie to my Clyde. Locking eyes with Lucille, I ask. ¡°So, now that we have that out of the way, how about we get started on starting my gang. What do you need me to do?¡± ¡°Quite the impatient one, aren¡¯t you, young Thief Lord? All I need from you is a name and a symbol. We¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± As soon as she stops talking, a window appears in my vision. Form a Gang. Since the dawn of civilization, the outcasts have flocked together; unwilling to bow to the conformity of society. It is never easy to go against the majority, and many have fallen on this lonesome path. As one who has risen above the others, you will gather your fellow miscreants on your less than righteous path. As one, you will all reap the benefits. What is the name of your gang, Thief Lord? Warning! All choices are final. Ooh! That sounds just as ominous as I would expect. Still not very informative, but I really can¡¯t picture this being a bad thing. It¡¯s a good thing I spent so much time thinking up a theme to name my Lieutenants, or else I¡¯d probably be stuck here for hours trying to come up with a name that doesn¡¯t sound too retarded. Luckily for me, my imagination also came up with several names to call our little group of snakes. ¡°Shadow Serpents.¡± I say with confidence. Odin snorts loudly. ¡°Are you kidding me!? Shadow Serpents!? What are you, five years old?¡± He roars in laughter. ¡°Oh no! Here comes the big scawwy shaduw serpeeents! Mommy! I¡¯m so scaaared!¡± ¡°Hey, fuck you too gramps. I got your serpent riiight here.¡± I snap while grabbing my crotch. This happens faster than my brain manages to process what the hell I just said, and my eyes widen as Odin¡¯s smirk is wiped off his face. ¡°What did you just say to me?¡± He says through clenched teeth. My words are caught in my throat as I do my utmost not to flinch. Curse my big fat mouth. I¡¯ve spent way too long with only Cobra as a conversation partner. The crude Thug has really rubbed off on me the wrong way. We end up staring at one another, the only change in our demeanor is the throbbing vein in Odin¡¯s forehead that seems to intensify for every second that passes. Our standoff is broken when a chuckle erupts from the most unlikely person around the table. Odin¡¯s jaw drops as he watches the smile that has crept onto Joe¡¯s face. ¡°What the hell is that on your face!?¡± The old trapmaker shouts in surprise. ¡°I believe that is what you would call a smile.¡± Lucille chimes in from the side. ¡°No shit. But what the hell is it doing in his face?!¡± ¡°Cheeky little bastard. What do you mean on my face? I¡¯m perfectly capable of smiling.¡± Joe grunts, his customary scowl returned with a vengeance. ¡°I¡¯ve known you for forty-three years. Forty-fucking-three years. Not once have I seen you smile.¡± Joe growls at the trap maker. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve had to look at your ugly mug all this time.¡± Odin seems lost for words as he just stares at the grumpy old innkeeper. I must admit, I¡¯m pretty surprised myself, but mostly because I somehow find myself in these absurd situations that I¡¯m not equipped to handle. What the fuck is wrong with these people? The silence reverberates through the room until Lucille finally coughs. ¡°Shadow Serpents it is then, young Thief Lord. Do you have any preferences for a gang symbol?¡± Choose a Gang Symbol. Every group of people shares a unique bond with one another. Kings and Nobles have their banners, Merchants have their signs, and Mages have their sigils. A symbol can mean many things, but it usually tells a story of their past and future, their goals and their desires. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. What represents your gang, Thief Lord? Warning! All choices are final. This message is followed by a second window, a blank canvas with several toolbars along the edges. It appears the game lets me design a symbol by hand from scratch if I so wish. Being the artistically impotent person that I am, I quickly opt to discard creating one myself. I know my weaknesses, and designing things is definitely one of them. I instead look through the options, finding a feature that allows for the A.I. to generate a symbol for me if I add a few keywords of what I want the symbol to include. Typing in the words ¡®snake¡¯, ¡®gold¡¯ and ¡®shroud¡¯, I wait a few seconds for a long list of potential symbols to appear. I quickly scroll through the list, discarding almost every suggestion the A.I. makes. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m picky, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t really want to rush this one. Who knows what the game decides to do with the symbol? What if it adds the symbol to every piece of gear they reward me with for all eternity? I certainly don¡¯t want to be the idiot who¡¯s stuck being branded with a pink unicorn farting rainbows for the rest of my ingame career. I eventually find a symbol I¡¯m quite fond of; a snake coiled around a gold coin. I like it. It¡¯s simple, stylish, speaks to my dream, and it¡¯s ominous-looking enough for me to be satisfied to have it as my official symbol. Confirming my choice, the window disappears. ¡°Wonderful. That symbol will do nicely. Allow me to be the first to congratulate you, Rynorn Stabberton; gang leader of the Shadow Serpents. May your future be fortunate for the both of us.¡± Lucille smiles. Congratulations! You have formed a gang: Shadow Serpents. As the leader of a Gang, several new features have become available: -Your underlings will now have the appropriate gang name as part of their status. -Your underlings will now wear pendants with the Gang Symbol embedded on it. -Your Gang Symbol will form on any class-unique items you acquire. -Infamy has now been unlocked on your status page. May fortune favor you, Thief Lord. I blink in surprise. Infamy? Does it mean¡­ Oh hell yeah! Status: Name: Rynorn Stabberton - Class: Thief Lord (Trap Maker) Race: Halfling - Level: 14 Health: 240 - Mana: 800 Experience: 450/2900 - Infamy: 0/140 Woah! Am I seeing this right? Infamy? There is an alternative to Renown that nobody knows about? How has this bombshell stayed hidden for so long!? Renown is one of the most coveted attributes to increase. It can only be increased through your actions, and only the most valorous actions like defeating powerful bosses or Villains grant points in it while performing heinous acts like theft or murder lowers it. Renown is a stat that gives access to powerful gear and abilities on special markets, and it is required to unlock the best quests and other ingame features like the possibility to purchase land and hire NPCs. Renown is the sole reason players don¡¯t go on a murder spree in any NPC settlement they visit, as losing Renown could set you back months. Possibly even destroy your potential to get any decent quests or join a guild. I¡¯ve never heard of Infamy, but may God smite me if I¡¯m wrong if this isn¡¯t the Villain equivalent to Renown. Can regular players also get this? Fuck. I don¡¯t care. This is amazing! ¡°You seem pleased, young Thief Lord.¡± Lucille muses. ¡°Yeah, wipe that stupid smirk off your face. It¡¯s creepy as hell.¡± Odin grunts, still scowling from earlier. ¡°Yeah, this is freaking amazing! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m the first one to unlock infamy. It¡¯s insane!¡± I chuckle, refusing to stop smiling. ¡°First one?¡± Lucille looks at me questioningly. ¡°Do you mean the first Traveller? If so, then I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you. You are currently the sixth Thief Lord we have offered this Alliance to in Drenerys alone.¡± Wait, what? ¡°Sixth!? There are more who knows about you? Who are they? What are their names? Their levels!?¡± I blurt out, my stomach dropping. ¡°Ah, ah, ah.¡± She waggles her finger back and forth. ¡°That information is confidential. You may only know in which order you formed your gang. You may also want to know that you are currently the one hundred and thirty-sixth Thief Lord to form a gang worldwide. You should be proud of this accomplishment.¡± My jaw drops. One hundred and thirty-six¡­ How the hell can so many people have unlocked the gang system without anything leaking online!? What dark sorcery is this? So much for my hopes of finding a hidden game-breaking feature months ahead of anyone else¡­ I guess those sort of lucky events only happens in crappy books or anime. Worst of all, there are five Thief Lords in Drenerys alone who have unlocked the Gang System, all five of them most likely way more powerful than I am. Could they be my pursuers? It would make sense. A Villain hit squad to hunt other Villains. This is troubling news. If this many people know about the gang system, god knows how many people know about the sewers. How have I not run into more people down there yet? Shit. Another problem for me to overcome. I need to take this into my calculations going forward. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my mind. This isn¡¯t too bad. Better than when I started actually. It¡¯s scary as shit that I¡¯m not the first person to unlock the Gang System, but I¡¯m lucky enough to be one of the first; before it becomes common knowledge. When I started playing as a Thief Lord, I didn¡¯t even expect there to be any Silver Saints organisation. I was content with grinding along in the city, only dependent on killing random NPCs in back alleys and perform jobs all day long. Not the most glamorous of ways to play the game, but I was determined to stick with it. Other people knowing about this really changes nothing. Hell, everyone would have figured it out eventually, and as soon as people do, I¡¯m certain the game will be flooded by Villains. It¡¯s only a matter of time. The most important thing I need to do is to grow my levels and become too powerful to stop. Wait a moment. After the latest PvP patch... If more Villains know about the gang system, wouldn¡¯t that mean there would be a ton of fresh Villains playing the game, meaning the amount of potential experience I can farm increases exponentially? Killing low-level Villains would be easy! It almost makes me want to spread the information myself. Almost. The noob zone in Drenerys is still locked down, meaning fresh Villains have nowhere to go. Damn. There goes that opportunity. But maybe I should do it anyway? A flood of new Villains could serve as one hell of a big distraction. So many opportunities¡­ I need to think this through. But first of all, I need to focus on the here and now. Turning back towards the trio of Saints, I put my game face back on. ¡°Could you tell me a bit more about how I gain Infamy and what I can use it for?¡± ¡°Certainly. As you may have surmised, Infamy is the polar opposite of Renown. It is different, however, as the criminal underworld reacts differently to one of their kind, unlike how a citizen would react to a hero. Nobody respects you if you are weak, and your Infamy is limited by your personal power. Therefore, if you wish to increase your infamy, you must also grow in levels. A problem I¡¯m certain you won¡¯t have any trouble doing.¡± She smiles coyly, giving me a wink. ¡°Unlike Renown, which is gained by performing heroic acts, Infamy is gained by successfully completing jobs and killing powerful named enemies, as well as Travellers more powerful than yourself. Since weakness is unacceptable, you will lose half your Infamy points if you are to meet an unfortunate end. So I would advise you to stay very much alive. As to your second question, Infamy is required to gain access to our inner market reserved for our most esteemed clientele. To sell you our most powerful artifacts and secrets, we require you to reach a certain level of Infamy, so I would advise you to increase it as quickly as you can.¡± Hmm. I listen intently to her explanation. So if I understand this right, then Infamy is vastly different from Renown. Whereas Renown can be increased almost infinitely, Infamy seems to have a hard level cap related to my own level. Since I¡¯m currently level fourteen, I can only gain a maximum of a hundred and forty Infamy points before I need to level up. That is incredibly interesting. It slightly worries me that with everything else related to being a Villain in this game, the demerits of dying suddenly increased by yet another margin. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem for me though since I don¡¯t plan to ever die. I wonder what it will get me though? ¡°Could I perhaps get a glimpse of what I can buy later?¡± I say, putting on my brightest smile. ¡°What part of ¡®it¡¯s confidential¡¯ didn¡¯t you understand?¡± Odin says, crossing his arms. ¡°Bugger off!¡± ¡°Now, now, dear Odin. We can afford to give him a peek at some of the less powerful artifacts we have in store. An act of goodwill, we may say.¡± She winks at me. A window immediately appears before my eyes. Silver Saint¡¯s Inner Market. Hire Servants - Hire an NPC servant to perform menial tasks like general maintenance, message delivery, or operate player-owned establishments. Requires: 100 Infamy per servant hired. Cost: 50 Gold. Upkeep: 5 Gold per week. Black Market Auction Voucher - Gain access to the Black Market Auction System for one month. Requires: 100 Infamy. Cost: 10 Gold. Hire Mercenary Team - Hire a team of mercenaries to assist you on a single Job or quest. Requires: 200 Infamy. Cost: 30 Gold. Magic Academy Scholarship - Train an Agent to gain a Mage class. (Lesser School of Magic only.) Requires: 200 Infamy. Cost: 300 Gold. Holy mother of Mexico¡¯s finest chili cheese balls! Are these items for real? Holy crap! And these prices¡­ Just wow. Several of these items look amazing, and I really want them. All of them. And these items are only supposed to be the bottom of the barrel? I want all of this. All of this and more. Especially the Scholarship. I wonder if I can gain access to teaching one of my underlings one of the major schools of magic at some later point? If I can get access to a healer, I¡¯ll be unstoppable. The cost though. Three hundred gold. That¡¯s no joke. I¡¯ve heard people complain about DLC before, but this right here takes the cake. That¡¯s an entire month worth of rent. Who the hell can afford that? I¡¯d have to sell almost half of everything I have in my possession to be able to afford it. The potential benefits though. Oh, my. I need to start grinding. ASAP. ¡°These all look amazing.¡± I grin. ¡°And you say there are more?¡± Lucille just nods, a satisfied smile dancing across her lips. Oh, hell yes! I can feel the excitement bubbling beneath my skin. ¡°Then I would like to thank you for your hospitality. This partnership has already paid dividends tenfold of what I expected.¡± I give a deep bow. ¡°Now if you would excuse me, I have some grinding to do.¡± ¡°About damn time.¡± Odin grunts. ¡°Now, bugger off. And if I find you slacking off with training your profession, I¡¯ll find you and slap that stupid smirk off your face.¡± ¡°Yes, teacher.¡± I give him a respectful nod. I¡¯m glad he seems to have partly forgotten about our little altercation earlier. As soon as I stand from my seat, so does the three Saints. Joe is the first to turn and leave through the main door, quickly followed by Odin. Lucille is about to leave after them when I remember something. ¡°Oh, Lucille! One last thing. Do you know what this is?¡± Chapter 65 – Setback Chapter 65 ¨C Setback ¡°What do you have there? Show it to me.¡± Lucille says as she extends her hand. A curious look on her face. I hand over the necklace I looted off the dead body of Fabian Shirebaggin. The inconspicuous-looking metal chain pulsing with dark magic. Lucille eagerly yanks it out of my hand, inspecting it closely as her hand slowly caresses it. ¡°This is very intriguing¡­ Where did you get this? I sense some foul magic at play. Nasty stuff.¡± She mutters that last part, not once taking her eyes off it. Shrugging, I don¡¯t really see a problem to lie about it. ¡°I looted it off the remains of a dead Bard.¡± ¡°A dead Bard? Who?¡± She asks pointedly. ¡°His name was Fabian Shirebaggin. A wealthy Bard and Gambler. He was supposed to be buried a few days ago, and I heard a rumour he was to be buried with his most prized possessions on his person. So, naturally, I snuck into the crypts below the city¡¯s cathedral, killed his niece and nephews who were guarding the coffin, and voila; here we are. Oh, I should probably mention he turned into a Ghoul. A dangerous creature that used Necromancy.¡± ¡°A Ghoul using magic? That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s absolutely unheard of.¡± Lucille mutters, her thoughts starting to wander. ¡°I wonder¡­¡± A bright blue magic light envelops her hands and the necklace, blinding me for a moment. ¡°Fuck! Warn me when you do that!¡± I shout, rubbing my eyes. My vision turns spotty and it takes me several seconds of intense blinking before I¡¯m able to make out her shape. The grandmaster Enchantress is still cradling the necklace, apparently deep in thought. Well, that¡¯s incredibly rude. I¡¯m getting a bit tired of feeling like a backseat driver in everything that goes on around here. Am I ever supposed to feel like the protagonist of my own adventure? ¡°Oy! I¡¯m talking to you!¡± I raise my voice, snapping my fingers in front of her face. Jolting in surprise, Lucille¡¯s hazy eyes wander towards me, blinking once before she realises I¡¯m still here. Yep, definitely rude. ¡°Oh, sorry about that. This is a very interesting item you have gotten your hands on. If you are willing, I would like to offer you a hefty sum of gold for it.¡± I narrow my eyes. ¡°I think I would like you to tell me what it is before I sell it.¡± ¡°Oh? Oh. Of course.¡± She says, waving her hand. Cursed Necklace of withering Decay and Vitality. Legendary. +20% Maximum Health. Per level gain: +2 Endurance. Soulbound. Can not be unequipped. Special: Wearer must consume the flesh of sentients once every twenty-four hours. Failure to do so will reduce your maximum health by twenty percent for every twenty-four hours until death. Your corpse will turn into a powerful Ghoul upon your death which must be killed before you can respawn. Woah. I guess I was right about how cursed items work. I didn¡¯t expect them to pack this kind of punch though. That boost to Endurance is insane! Any tank in the game would kill to have this item, even with the demerits. It¡¯s an interesting item, and the requirement to devour the flesh of a sentient every day is definitely almost unforgiving. I reckon only full-time players like myself are the only ones capable of fully exploiting its uses. It¡¯s even more difficult for regular players as killing most sentients come with a penalty to Renown. The respawn thingie is the scariest part of the item though. What if your guild goes deep inside a raid dungeon and then they die? It could take days for someone to kill the Ghoul. The item is ridiculously overpowered if handled correctly, but I¡¯m not sure most people would dare equip it. There are always those crazy few who would risk it though. Question is: am I one of them? It¡¯s tempting. Very much so, but I don¡¯t really need that much Endurance. It¡¯s helpful, sure, but do I need it? Since I play twenty hours per day and almost all the enemies I kill are sentients, the demerits don¡¯t really affect me much. Sure, dying would suck, but I don¡¯t really plan to ever die. The only real downside I see here is that it takes up an item slot. An item slot I would love to fill with a Charisma or Luck boosting item like my current necklace. I¡¯d say equipping it is probably worth it though. There is only one thing that gives me pause. ¡°How much are you willing to pay?¡± She gives me a sly smile. ¡°For you, little Thief Lord? I¡¯ll be generous. Two hundred gold.¡± My jaw drops. Two hundred from an NPC!? Holy shit! Those penny-pinching cheapskates never pay more than a fraction of what an item is worth. For an NPC to offer me two hundred gold? Selling this to a player could net me a small fortune! I knew Legendary items were valuable, but for a Cursed item? This goes beyond my wildest expectations. I¡¯m selling this. Question is: how? As a Villain, I don¡¯t have access to the auction house or any of the regular channels to sell items. Perhaps the Black Market Auction is an option, but with only one hundred and thirty-six eligible customers, maybe more if I factor in any of the other Villain classes, the potential buyers for this item is minimal at best. At least at these early stages of the game. Maybe Allison or my dad can sell it for me? That should be possible. The potential questions that would raise though is a little concerning. I¡¯m not sure if I want to put myself in that situation, so maybe I¡¯ll save that option as a last resort. Hmm. Perhaps I can sell it directly to Anna? The Dark Pegasus Guild is incredibly wealthy, and this item could give them an edge against their competition in future raids. With my odd relationship with Anna, I might even be able to score a better price than average. Maybe auction it off anonymously on an off-game website? I need to think about this. ¡°Sorry, Lucille. I think I¡¯m not gonna rush into this one. It¡¯s a powerful item after all.¡± ¡°Oh? This offer won¡¯t stand forever you know.¡± She smiles, batting her eyelashes. I chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m sure it doesn¡¯t. Still don¡¯t want to rush anything though.¡± ¡°I could kill you for it.¡± She says a bit more coldly. Oh. So she wants to play it like this, does she? Two can play that game. ¡°And risk ruining your reputation like that? The item is valuable, but not valuable enough for you to lose a large chunk of your customer base over it, I¡¯m sure.¡± I say evenly, meeting her steel hard gaze. She raises an eyebrow, seemingly amused. ¡°Oh, and he bites. A nice quality to have.¡± She smiles. ¡°You¡¯re a sly little rascal, Thief Lord. I like your guts. Reminds me of my youth.¡± She chuckles and hands me back the necklace. ¡°Do contact me first if you ever come across any more items like these. I am definitely interested in buying. Now, take care, little Thief Lord. We shall meet again.¡± And with a wave, she disappears through the door, leaving me alone with my Lieutenants. ¡°I¡¯m sure we will.¡± I mutter, smiling at the closed door in front of me. I learned a lot from this meeting, and it helps forge the path ahead of me. There are so many things I want to do, and I feel invigorated to think about the possibilities I have going forward. One thing''s for certain though; I need to grow in strength. Fast. The other Thief Lords have a massive head start and I need to do my best to catch up. Heading towards the door, I throw a glance across my shoulder.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°We have a lot of work to do.¡± ---------- We make good time heading back to the hideout. It should only be a couple of hours until Allison and dad log on for the first time, so I see little reason to waste precious time waiting for them. I still have a few jobs I can perform today. Since I now have two Lieutenants, then that means I can now use every single underling during jobs at once since the eight underlings per Lieutenant limitation won¡¯t kick in. I can also have them split up and perform two jobs at once which is a great boon from an efficiency standpoint. Since I still have a lot of underleveled underlings, and Viper is still fresh at being a commander, I decide to split my veteran underlings evenly and have her tackle an easy rated job while Cobra handles the medium rated one. With all my underlings safely out the door, I find myself with surprisingly little to do. I probably should have tagged along with Viper to see how it goes, but she¡¯s probably gonna be fine. Just like Cobra, Viper has been there on pretty much every job I¡¯ve performed so far and should know what to do. I guess I¡¯ll just spend a couple more hours leveling my trap maker skills. I¡¯m getting closer to leveling them up again, and I would love to see the look on Odin¡¯s face when- [Kenwin Smiteman writes: You piece of shit! You scamming piece of shit! Your traps are fucking useless!] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: ?] [Kenwin Smiteman writes: Don¡¯t give me that shit! Give us back our gold or I¡¯ll find you in real life and smack the living shit out of you!] [You have ignored Human Paladin - Kenwin Smiteman(12).] [You have removed Human Paladin - Kenwin Smiteman(12) from your friends list.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: May I ask why your wife is getting his panties in a twist?] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: What? Who?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Your friend, Kenwin. He¡¯s writing me a series of obnoxious messages and threats.] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: Oh for the love of god! That piece of shit is NOT my friend. Please just ignore him. Sorry about that. It¡¯s just that we¡¯ve run into a bit of trouble with our hunt for the Thief Lord. Think you can help?] Uh, oh. This sounds bad. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: What¡¯s the problem? The traps should work perfectly fine against any enemy with a perception attribute below twenty-five, and even then, it would take quite some skill not to trip it.] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: It¡¯s not that. Some random guy found the sewers and leaked it online. There are tons of players swarming around the place, tripping all the traps we set. Do you have any ideas about what we can do?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: What? It¡¯s leaked!?] Ah, crap. I knew the day had to come, but it¡¯s sort of a tough pill to swallow nonetheless. Especially on the same day I figured out my super-secret fence syndicate wasn¡¯t quite as big a secret as I thought it was. It¡¯s a good thing I recruited all those Beggars when I did after all. Goodbye, easy experience. [Gregorious Ironguard writes: Yeah, I know right. There goes our grinding zone. Still. Do you have any ideas on how we can find that Thief Lord?] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Several, but I suppose none of them are applicable now. If the sewers are swarmed with players, it would be mighty stupid for the Thief Lord to be anywhere near that place.] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: Shit. Thought so. I guess we just have to come clean to the guild.] Oh. Oh, no, no. Initiative evasive maneuvers. [Rynorn Stabberton writes: I don¡¯t really know why you didn¡¯t tell them in the first place, but are you sure you want to tell them now? Almost a week after your fuck up? I¡¯m not sure they would take that so well. I¡¯m just saying. Perhaps you should just forget about the whole thing?] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: That sounds like one hell of a loose thread. If they figure this out later, they might punish us even more.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: How are they going to find out? As far as I know, it¡¯s only you, me, and that dimwit Kenwin that knows about it.] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: You forget about the Thief Lord. He knows.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Yeah, but who is he gonna tell? I sincerely doubt he¡¯ll have a conversation with your guild about how he killed you. He¡¯s probably forgotten about the entire thing for all we know.] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: Probably¡­ But there¡¯s always you.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Dude. Really. I don¡¯t care. You paid me, and from where I¡¯m standing, we¡¯re cool. Don¡¯t worry about it.] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: Thanks, I guess. I suppose that means our business is done here.] [Rynorn Stabberton writes: Seems like it. Do give me a heads up about the Thief Lord though. Consider my interest piqued; and who knows? I might be able to help. You seem like a pretty cool dude and I don¡¯t mind being friends. You know, as long as you keep that other dipshit away.] [Gregorious Ironguard writes: Haha, will do! Talk to you later.] I guess that worked out alright. A pity I didn¡¯t get to milk this opportunity a bit longer, but it shouldn¡¯t matter much. It¡¯s a shame I lost the hunting grounds; but to be honest, I don¡¯t really need them much. My new goal is to farm Infamy points, and I get more of them doing jobs than hunt critters below the city. I¡¯m gonna miss the easy opportunity to quickly level my underlings, but for the most part, I¡¯ve outgrown the need for the sewers. I¡¯ll still use it if necessary though. Maybe one day when I¡¯m powerful enough. Besides, I have a couple of ideas on other sources for gaining experience. The introduction of the latest PvP patch still hasn¡¯t left the back of my mind, and I think it¡¯s time to finally do something about it. I would have preferred it if my pursuers eventually gave up on their chase, but I can¡¯t hide from them forever. I¡¯m not sure how the other five Thief Lords do it, but I have no doubt in my mind Aria and the Dark Pegasus guild have put measures in place to hide them from the general public. Since I don¡¯t have a thousand-player strong support system, I¡¯m basically just floating around on my luck alone, and we all know that won¡¯t last forever. Since revealing my existence is only a matter of time, then I prefer coming out of hiding on my own terms rather than someone else''s. Sooner or later, someone will spot me moving through the back alleys. It¡¯s a goddamn miracle it hasn¡¯t happened already actually. If I decide the time and place to make my existence known, I can at least steer my pursuers in the wrong direction for a time. Aria won¡¯t have enough manpower to search the entire city, and the only way she¡¯ll find my hideout is if she physically follows my underlings, which is an extremely- Oh. Shit. That actually isn¡¯t unlikely at all! There¡¯s absolutely nothing preventing a high-level Rogue from following a squad of my underlings returning from a job. Shit. Another problem. I groan, rubbing my temples. This hiding business is seriously hard. I wonder how the hell the five other Thief Lords haven¡¯t been caught yet? Djeezes. Now I¡¯m absolutely certain they have outside help. There are so many variables to take into consideration. Fuck. Okay, Ryan. This isn¡¯t an insurmountable problem. If they can do it, then there¡¯s nothing preventing you from doing the same. You¡¯ve overcome more difficult hurdles in the past, and there is no reason this is the thing that finally puts the last nail in your dream¡¯s coffin. If you know about the problem, you also have room to fix it. I only need to come up with some fool-proof countermeasures. Something that will make things too difficult for the enemy to follow. But what? I need to think about this. Do some research. Also, I should read up on the details surrounding the sewer exposition. Maybe also take a leak. It¡¯s been a while. ---------- Lifting the helmet off my head, I¡¯m immediately hit by a sudden urge to pee. Woah, good timing, Ryan. Exiting the capsule, I quickly jump across the living room on the tip of my toes, reaching the bathroom with only moments to spare. Releasing a breath of relief, a pinging noise draws my attention from the living room. Shaking thrice, I thoroughly wash my hands before I head back towards the capsule, grabbing the cellphone lying beside it. Oh. A text from Allison. [16:34: Best sistah evah XoXo! (If I catch you changing this you die, little brother): Hey squirt! Our capsules are hooked up and we¡¯re just about to log in. Shoot us a message as soon as you see this. My gamertag is ¡®SupaSisSixtyNiner¡¯. SeeYa there!] [16:36: Best sistah evah XoXo! (If I catch you changing this you die, little brother): Oh, and I forgot to tell you. If I don¡¯t see a message from you within three hours, I¡¯ll personally drive over to your house and beat the snot out of you. Love you, little brother! *Kisses*!] Oh, fuck me sideways. Chapter 66 – Carefully Constructed Lies Chapter 66 ¨C Carefully Constructed Lies ¡°I¡¯m not ready for this; not even a little bit.¡± I mutter as I start pacing back and forth. It¡¯s an odd thing to say considering all the stress I¡¯ve been under during these last three months, but I¡¯d much rather fight off the entire Dark Pegasus Guild in nothing but my undergarments than have my family hanging around me ingame. Especially my sister. It didn¡¯t even take more than a few seconds from me messaging her until she demanded I meet them. In the middle of the noob zone, no less. Because where else would she want to meet? It¡¯s where they are stuck for the next night or two anyway. Luckily for me: I know a way inside. Unluckily for me: I can¡¯t bring any of my fighters with me as they would get slaughtered attempting to cross into the zone through the only gate connecting the peninsula to the rest of the city. I¡¯m really uncomfortable with running around without any muscle, but it¡¯s not too bad. Apart from the one Perception specced player at the gate, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone with a Perception level high enough to threaten my identity within these walls. I could get unlucky of course, but my ring would at least give me a ten minutes warning to run off and hide. One of the more disappointing parts about coming here means that I can¡¯t stay back at the hideout and direct my underlings. Seeing as I now have two Lieutenants, the four Agents just don¡¯t provide enough jobs for them to share during a day. They have to work together performing the last heist, but at least this one is ranked hard difficulty and could really benefit from having two Lieutenants there anyway. Geez. I didn¡¯t really expect I would already need to recruit more Beggars. To think I was worried I recruited too many of them just a couple of days ago. How silly life can turn out sometimes. At least I managed to pull off a lot of information from the internet. I held out a slim hope, but I¡¯m sad to say that the news about hidden grinding zones beneath every major city with a population above two thousand NPCs have spread far and wide. It¡¯s all over on the news sites, forums, and the Wikipedias already, which is impressive since it all originated from a seemingly anonymous forum post only five hours ago. One should never underestimate the power of information flow on the greatest social experiment on anarchy ever to be created; also known as the internet. It¡¯s a pity, but not unexpected. At least my search for ideas to lose pursuers in the city paid off. I just need to make a few preparations, but that shouldn¡¯t take more than a couple of hours. The game is amazingly realistic and flexible in potential solutions to problems, and one can get really far with imagination alone. Just like the heavily enchanted steel grate I¡¯m currently sneaking past far beneath the noob district. With the help of my two Swindlers, getting into the noob zone is as simple as it was getting out. As soon as I teleport past the grate, the rest of my journey is uneventful. I did have a slight worry that Pug, the sleeping elite murderhobo who lives down here would be a nuisance, but even that turned out fine. Apparently, even the players who just started the game read forums, and the biggest obstacle I face is trying not to step in the filthy pile of rags that appears to be Pug¡¯s sleeping quarters, its owner already long dead from roaming players. They¡¯re everywhere it seems. I think I pass six players on the short five minute trip from the steel grate all the way up to the alley behind Joe¡¯s tavern. The player density down here is insane, really. There is no way there is enough experience to go around for more than three squads of players down here, maybe four if you¡¯re pushing it. It¡¯s terribly inefficient otherwise. I digress, it¡¯s probably still better than doing social quests for two days straight I suppose. Joe¡¯s tavern, a weathered old building with a charming sign depicting a mug of ale in the mouth of a gaping pig looks exactly as it did nearly two weeks ago. Not that I expected anything different. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll look exactly the same two hundred years from now as well, assuming the game is still running that is. I enter through the back door for old time¡¯s sake and soon find myself in the sparsely populated building. Joe is standing at his customary spot behind the bar, wiping a mug with a dirty rag. ¡°You won¡¯t get any customers if you ignore all the health code violations you are racking up, Joe.¡± I chuckle as I pass him, heading for my customary corner booth. ¡°Fuck off, kid.¡± Joe grunts without stopping his futile cleaning project. ¡°Buy something or get the hell out of here. This ain¡¯t no charity.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯ll take a pint of ale in the cleanest mug you have.¡± I say with a mock salute, throwing a couple of copper coins his way. Deftly snatching the coins out of the air, he grunts. ¡°You will drink whatever the fuck I serve you.¡± He reaches for a mug beneath the bar before he fills it from a keg that¡¯s resting on the countertop. The dense white foam leaks over the edge as he slams the mug onto the counter. ¡°You can come over here and pick it up yourself because of that pissy attitude.¡± He growls. ¡°No problem, Joe. Don¡¯t expect any tips though.¡± I chuckle as I get up to retrieve it. Perhaps it¡¯s because of our little meeting earlier, but Joe just doesn¡¯t really scare me that much anymore. Sure, he is powerful enough to kill me with the tip of his pinky, but after the week I¡¯ve had, I feel pretty damn confident the man won¡¯t hurt me unless I physically attack him first. We¡¯re allies now after all; fickle as our bond may be. I keep my eyes glued to the door while I gently sip from my ale. To be safe, I¡¯ve placed a Swindler near the back of the building, ready for me to trade places with in case something bad were to happen. I may be paranoid, but being paranoid is a virtue when everyone is out to get you. It doesn¡¯t take long until the front door opens and a beautiful elven woman enters followed by a scruffy-looking human man. I only need to give them both a single glance before I wave them over. Really. Can those two be more predictable? Who else but those two would choose to play as a Scandinavian Disney princess and the most ordinary-looking human to ever walk upon the face of the earth? Hell, even Cobra¡¯s character has more distinct features. How did dad even manage to do that? Is it some super-secret special skill only available to middle-aged men with grumpy attitudes? Geezes. He should ask for his money back. ¡°Oh, come on Ryan. Seriously?¡± Allison smirks as she slides into the booth opposite me. ¡°You¡¯re a damn midget? Wow. As if picking on you wasn¡¯t easy enough to begin with¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a halfling.¡± I say. ¡°And for your information: I chose it because its racial traits are perfect for my class.¡± She snorts loudly. ¡°Looking like that, it can¡¯t hardly be worth it.¡± Ignoring the digital ignoramus, I take a deep swig from my mug of ale. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you dad.¡± My dad nods in return, his eyes firmly locked on the mug in my hand. ¡°Got any more of those? I don¡¯t seem to have any money.¡± I chuckle. ¡°Of course! Oy, Joe! Can I get another mug of ale for my friend over here?¡± ¡°Hey, what gives! Buy one for me too!¡± Allison shouts as she reaches across the table and punches me in the shoulder. ¡°You should treat your favourite sister with respect.¡± She huffs, giving me a fake pout. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± I smirk. If Allison has one redeeming quality, it is the fact that she can turn any awkward situation into an annoying situation. Which is good. Awkward is a hundred times worse than annoying. Annoyance breeds sarcasm; sarcasm breeds interaction; interaction breeds enthusiasm; and enthusiasm breeds enjoyment, which in turn goes back to annoyance again at some point. It¡¯s the circle of family interaction. It¡¯s a real thing you know. Look it up in any textbook on sociology, I dare you! Perhaps having them around won¡¯t be as bad as I feared. I feel like just these last thirty seconds of interaction alone has helped me lower my shoulders and lessen my mental strain. Humans are social creatures by nature, and it feels good to bring some normalcy back to my solitary new lifestyle. The two may not be experienced gamers with a lot to offer, but their presence alone helps tremendously. I can¡¯t help but wonder what they will accomplish in this game? [High Elf Apothecary - SupaSisSixtyNiner(1)] [Human Warrior - Aaron Daniels(1)] I resist the urge to facepalm, hard. Of course my dad decided to use his real name. Because why wouldn¡¯t he? Old people, am I right? At least Allison¡¯s choice of a class is a tad more interesting though.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Apothecary? That¡¯s certainly an unconventional class. What brought that one on?¡± Allison¡¯s lips strain at my question. ¡°Don¡¯t get me started. It¡¯s utter bullshit I tell you! I was of half a mind to call customer support and give them an earful about their idiotic class system. Can you believe it? They have almost a hundred and fifty different classes, and an Apothecary is the only healing class that isn¡¯t based on religion, tree-hugging, or satan worshipping? Like, are you fucking serious? One would think this backwater medieval game could have at least a handful of classes based on science, but no. They had to go the village bumpkin route. I mean, really. An Apothecary isn¡¯t even a real doctor!¡± She slams her hand on the table, her eyes narrowing as they try to stare a hole through me as if this is somehow my fault. ¡°Ehm, it¡¯s not that bad though, is it? The class offers a lot of versatility and powerful abilities¡­¡± I say, trying my best to break eye contact with my crazy sister. ¡°No, I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± She says through gritted teeth. ¡°But the most powerful skills cost crafting reagents to use! It¡¯s a scam!¡± ¡°Well, yeah. They do cost a bit, but that¡¯s only a few of the abilities though. They should more than make up for their cost in sheer power. You still have plenty of other skills you can use for free.¡± I say, trying to calm her down before she turns this into my problem. ¡°That¡¯s not good enough.¡± She says bluntly, her eyes narrowing. ¡°But say, little brother. You have been playing this game for a while now¡­¡± Ah, shit. Here we go. ¡°... which means you should have plenty of gold to help your poor sister out with a few purchases.¡± She starts grinning. ¡°I don¡¯t think-¡± ¡°Ba, pa, pa!¡± She interrupts me. ¡°You may be too proud to accept my money to pay for rent, but I don¡¯t have such limitations when it comes to family, little brother.¡± Her grin intensifies. ¡°So I appreciate your patronage in advance. Please take care of me!¡± I give her a deadpanned stare. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Dad?¡± Allison says with a sweet voice. The very same voice that mom used to have whenever hell was about to break loose. Low blow, Allison. ¡°Ryan! Be nice to your sister.¡± Dad chimes in from the side. Wait. Where did he get that second ale from? And who paid for it? ¡°Seriously! I¡¯m not paying for all your damn expenses- DAD! Stop that! You¡¯ve already had two!¡± I shout while grabbing his raised arm. He waves me off. ¡°What? I paid for your breakfast the other day. You can spare a couple of fake coins for your old man. Hey! Waiter! One more, please! Oh, and do you have any food?¡± I groan as I bury my face in my arms. I regret everything I said earlier. Having them here is a mistake. A catastrophe, even. ¡°Oh, come on Ryan. Stop sulking.¡± Allison pats me on the head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you came into a lot of money recently?¡± ¡°Not enough to feed you two gluttons.¡± She guffaws. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the small stuff, little brother. Why so serious? I thought you were following your dream here. If so, then why are you moping around so much?¡± I sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I do have fun, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m under a lot of pressure right now.¡± She shrugs. ¡°Then tell us about it. Maybe we can help! You¡¯re up for that, right pops?¡± Dad grunts in affirmation, working his way deeper into his third mug of ale as well as a plate of boiled clams. I didn¡¯t even know Joe served food here. I let out a weak smile. ¡°Thanks for the offer, but this is something I have to deal with myself. I appreciate the sentiment, but my demons are outleveling all three of us combined.¡± ¡°Oh? I was meaning to ask about that. How come you¡¯re only level fourteen after playing for what? Three months? I admit, I don¡¯t know much about this game, but that seems to be awfully low¡­ even for someone as incompetent as you.¡± She smirks. ¡°That¡¯s a long story I¡¯d rather not tell.¡± I shake my head while reaching for one of the boiled clams I¡¯m apparently paying for. ¡°Bottom line is that I had to start from scratch a week and a half ago. I¡¯ve run into a series of lucrative possibilities, but also twice the amount of problems. I¡¯ll handle it though. I always do.¡± She gives me a flat stare. ¡°Really, Ryan? You¡¯re dropping the biggest tease to end all teases and then you won¡¯t elaborate? Seriously. Not cool bro.¡± I snort. ¡°Let¡¯s just say it involved a Villain.¡± ¡°Villains? I heard about those.¡± Dad chips in from the side. ¡°They¡¯re the bad guys in this game, right?¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah. Sort of. Amongst many other things.¡± He gives me his rapt attention, which I find unusual. The only time dad ever looks this serious is when the topic of conversation is either work or bacon. ¡°Then that will be my goal in this game.¡± He says while nodding. ¡°Someone needs to arrest them.¡± I groan, pinching my nose. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really work that way here, dad. You don¡¯t arrest anyone. You kill them for rewards and they try to do the same to you in turn. There is no such thing as true crime in this game, just opposite perspectives to add excitement and variety.¡± ¡°They break the laws, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Well, yeah¡­¡± ¡°Then that settles it. It¡¯s my sworn duty to uphold the law within her majesty¡¯s kingdom.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re not even in England!¡± I groan, letting my shoulders drop. ¡°Do you know what? Go do that. They have plenty of law-abiding quests over at the barracks.¡± He grunts once before he nods, a rare smile on his face. I feel like he¡¯s being an idiot, but at least he seems happy. He did always love being a police officer, and if this game lets him relive his old memories, then I say let him have fun with it. I just hope he won¡¯t get too disappointed if he ever finds out that I¡¯m playing as one of the Villains he seems so hell-bent on arresting. Another reason for me to keep my cover intact. ¡°So, little brother.¡± Allison smiles. ¡°Now that we are all together, how about we team up? Defeat a dragon or something and save ourselves a sexy princess?¡± ¡°You know you are not allowed to have sex with NPCs in this game, right?¡± I ask, raising an eyebrow. Her jaw drops. ¡°What the fuck, really? Why not!? Then why the hell do they charge me three hundred euros to play this stupid game? What a rip off!¡± I sigh. ¡°It¡¯s to keep the game¡¯s economy alive and prevent inflation. Since the game basically generates gold through killing monsters and completing quests which can be traded in for real money, the developers need a way to inject fresh capital into the game without crashing the economy. While paying three hundred euros to play the game per month sounds like a lot, it really isn¡¯t when you realise an average nighttime player earns the equivalent of two to two hundred and fifty gold per month from just playing the game. If you¡¯re efficient, then you can basically play for free. Only full-time hardcore players like myself can expect to earn any money by playing, and even then it¡¯s not a lot. I estimate an average full-time player staying ingame for approximately sixteen hours per day can make around eight or nine hundred euro per month, several times more if you risk playing as a Villain or are one of the top levelers. If you add in the ten percent cut the developers take for every time you convert your gold to real money or sell something on the auction house, you¡¯ll find that the developers have plenty of wiggle room to keep the economy alive and well. It¡¯s actually pretty fascinating how-¡± I¡¯m interrupted by a loud snoring noise coming from Allison. ¡°Seriously, Ryan. The question was rhetorical. Do I need to spell it out for you?¡± I snort. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault for assuming you¡¯re an idiot after dad dropped you on your head all those times when you were a kid.¡± ¡°Come here and I¡¯ll show you what it looks like when someone bumps their head on the floor repeatedly!¡± I burst out laughing as Allison lunges across the table, her hands reaching for my throat. My dad grunts in annoyance, but says nothing as he just moves the plate of clams away from Allison¡¯s flailing limbs. Our small bout of affection is suddenly interrupted when the tavern door slams open. ¡°I tell you, Brian! Today¡¯s the day, I just know it!¡± A familiar chipper voice spreads across the room. I turn my head and watch the beautifully blonde Aeromancer enter with a bright smile on her face. My stomach drops as a series of horrifying thoughts spread across my mind. Oh, god. Why today of all days? What are the odds!? ¡°Please just give up already¡­ It¡¯s been a month.¡± Brian groans as he enters behind her. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to come, you know.¡± Anna chuckles, giving him a mocking smile over her shoulder. ¡°And miss out on it if you actually succeed? You would never let me hear the end of it. I¡¯m in too deep to quit now.¡± He says, shaking his head. Fuck, fuck, FUCK! I do my best to sink down into my seat, praying to whatever ingame deity is listening that they won¡¯t look too closely in our direction. I really don¡¯t want to deal with this clusterfuck of my own creation if Anna and my sister meet. All my carefully constructed lies, blown away. Fuck. Allison and my dad are the only two people in the world that could topple my house of cards, and I somehow managed to bring them all together under the same roof. Fucking brilliant work, Ryan. I hold my breath as I watch Anna start accosting Joe with her usual chipper tirade of compliments and smiles while the grumpy old NPC spits insults her way. I watch the interaction go on for several more minutes before Anna seems to sigh in defeat. ¡°Perhaps next time¡­¡± She mutters to no one in particular as she turns to leave. I release a breath of relief as I watch Anna head towards the exit, a smirking Brian at her heels. Holy shit. I can¡¯t believe my luck finally- ¡°Ooh¡­ She¡¯s pretty.¡± My sister says just loud enough for her voice to carry across the room. I throw her a horrified glance as my mind goes blank. Hearing Allison¡¯s voice, Anna turns her head, looking curiously in our direction. Her eyes widen as she sees me, quickly followed by her rising eyebrows when she spots Allison¡¯s hands tightly wrapped around my throat. ¡°Ryan? What are you doing here!?¡± Chapter 67 – Breakdown Chapter 67 ¨C Breakdown ¡°Hey, it is you! I didn¡¯t see you come online! When did you get here?¡± Anna asks cheerfully as she approaches our table. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re level fourteen!? How is that possible?¡± She stops, looking at me skeptically. ¡°You know this girl?¡± Allison asks with a tilted head. ¡°Oh! Is this the girlfriend you talked about? Ryan, you dawg. She¡¯s hot!¡± Dad grunts from the side. ¡°Nice one, son.¡± ¡°I never said anything like that!¡± I glare at her, my mind scrambled. Oh for the love of. ¡°Anna, can we talk about this later? I¡¯m sort of occupied at the moment.¡± I ask through gritted teeth, trying to stare my family into silence with little effect. ¡°Nah, come on! I want to meet her! Hello! I¡¯m Allison, Ryan¡¯s sister. Pleased to meet you!¡± Allison says with a grin, extending her hand. ¡°Uhm, I¡¯m Anna¡­ Wait. You never answered my question!¡± She says, staring at me. ¡°How did you manage to reach level fourteen so quickly?¡± ¡°Please. Not now-¡± I start, but my opinion on things doesn¡¯t seem to matter to anyone around here anymore. ¡°Is reaching level fourteen really that impressive? I know he¡¯s only played for a week and a half, but level fourteen actually sounds pretty low for someone who spends every waking moment in this game.¡± Allison says with a shrug. ¡°Please stop talking!¡± I hiss at my sister, but it¡¯s already too late. ¡°Ryan? What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s she talking about? You even appear as offline on my friends list. Are you hiding from me?¡± Anna asks with a confused stare. I groan as I pinch the bridge of my nose. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to talk about this.¡± ¡°Well, too bad for you. I want some answers. If you don¡¯t start talking, then I¡¯m going to get them from somewhere else.¡± She crosses her arms. ¡°Allison, was it? Would you mind elaborating on what you said?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Allison narrows her eyes, looking from Anna, to my defeated slumping body, then back to Anna again. She looks confused, unsure of what to say. ¡°Whatever my son has done is his problem. If you want answers, then you should hear it from him, not us.¡± Dad says from the side, his help coming a few minutes too late. ¡°Your son? Older sister?¡± Allison asks. ¡°Wait, how old are you people really?¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of a rude thing to ask a woman.¡± Allison chuckles. ¡°But for your information, I¡¯m thirty-two years old.¡± Anna glares at me. ¡°So you¡¯re not fifty-three years old then?¡± Allison bursts out laughing. ¡°Fifty-three? This little squirt? Holy shit! Ryan! Seriously? You¡¯re roleplaying dad now?¡± ¡°So I guess you¡¯re not an office clerk, have a daughter studying medicine in London and a wife that died from cancer either then. Are you even from Manchester?¡± Allison bursts into laughter. ¡°I¡¯m your daughter now too? Ryan, seriously! This is too much!¡± She gasps for air. I sigh, rubbing my temples. This is bad. Real bad. The cat¡¯s out of the bag and there¡¯s no way I can salvage this situation. The best thing I can do here is damage control. ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t care anymore. Yes, Anna. I lied. My name is Ryan, and I¡¯m a twenty-eight-year-old former office clerk from Newcastle. My current employment is trying to earn enough money ingame to play full-time.¡± ¡°Why would you lie? I thought we were friends.¡± Anna glares at me, visibly growing more agitated by the second. ¡°To be honest? I don¡¯t really know why. When I first met you guys, I really just wanted to be left alone without being impolite. I figured you didn¡¯t want to talk to an old man who just plays this game casually, so I just tried to seem as uninteresting as possible so you would stop bothering me. Apparently, that didn¡¯t work, and then everything took a weird turn.¡± I say, rubbing my temples. Taking a deep breath, I continue. ¡°You kept writing to me and I felt bad about rejecting you after you gave me all those gold coins. How can I admit I lied after that gesture? I didn¡¯t really know what to do, so I figured I¡¯d just be boring for a while and you would eventually forget about me. Well, since that didn¡¯t happen, I ended up in this awkward situation where I¡¯m making a fool out of myself in front of everyone I know.¡± ¡°Seriously? Why didn¡¯t you just say anything earlier? I thought we were friends. Friends don¡¯t lie to each other like that. That was a really shitty thing to do, Ryan. If that is even your real name.¡± I sigh once more. ¡°I know. Sorry about that. I perfectly understand it if you want to delete me from your friends list. I¡¯ll even reimburse you the gold you lent me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck about the gold!¡± Anna shouts, making everyone flinch. ¡°I thought you were my fucking friend. How the hell could you do this to me?¡± A tear forms in the corner of her eye. ¡°Look, I said I was sorry¡­¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± My cheeks redden. ¡°Do you know what? I said I was sorry and I mean it. Here. Take your damn gold. I don¡¯t even want it anymore.¡± I shout back at her, opening my inventory and dumping twenty-one gold coins on the table. The coins slam into the wooden surface, several of them rolling down onto the floor. ¡°Now, please get out of here. I don¡¯t deserve being treated this way. Least of all from you two.¡± I sneer. ¡°And what is that supposed to mean!?¡± She shrieks at me. ¡°I offered you everything. Gold, friendship; a place in our guild. And this is the thanks I get!? Seriously, Fuck you!¡± ¡°Ryan.¡± A voice from behind Anna says. Everyone¡¯s heads turn in its direction, and Brian visibly gulps as he suddenly garners the attention of everyone in the room. Even Joe. If it hadn¡¯t been because his avatar is digital, I¡¯m certain we would see the sweat pouring down his face. ¡°S-sorry for interrupting. But I have a question as well.¡± He awkwardly stammers. ¡°What!?¡± Both Anna and I snap at him in sync. ¡°R-right. You said earlier that you wanted to earn enough money to live off playing this game. Since you¡¯re playing as a crafter, the best way to make money is by joining a powerful guild like ours. When Anna offered you to join, you were pretty insistent on turning her offer down. Why is that?¡± Anna¡¯s glare immediately snaps back at me, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Yeah, why is that, Ryan?¡± She says cooly. My mind blanks. Oh, shit. Say something, Ryan! Anything! ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ Uhm¡­¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re a lying piece of shit!¡± Anna shouts. ¡°No! Because I felt bad about lying to you, okay? At least at first.¡± ¡°Bullshit! You obviously hold a grudge for some dumb reason. Just fucking man up and be honest for a change.¡± ¡°Fine. You want to hear the truth? Do you!? Then yeah, I¡¯m mad. Fucking pissed off, actually. Because of what your team did to me!¡± I shout. ¡°What the hell does our team have to do about this!?¡± Anna screams back. ¡°Everything! Three months. They took three months away from me!¡± Anna¡¯s strained face slackens, her eyebrows rising. ¡°What?¡± My hands are shaking as I glare at her. ¡°They killed me. One and a half weeks ago. I¡¯m the level thirty-eight Necromancer that¡¯s been all over the internet.¡± I spit, my anger boiling. Anna¡¯s eyes widen in surprise and Brian¡¯s jaw threatens to knock a hole through the floor. I¡¯m not ready to stop though. The gates have been opened. ¡°Do you know what it feels like to have your dream shattered like that? After working so hard for it? Because of your team¡¯s actions, I lost everything. That¡¯s why I¡¯m stuck playing as a goddamn Trap Maker. It¡¯s already far too late for me to become a top leveler, and there is no way I can successfully build up another Villain. I¡¯m stuck playing as a damn crafter as my only way to stick out from the endless ocean of other players. Do you know how degrading it is to be invited into the guild by the very same team that ruined everything for me!? Yes, I¡¯m pissed off. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to accept your invite.¡± ¡°Ryan¡­ I-¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Save it! I don¡¯t want to hear it. I don¡¯t even want to look at you anymore.¡± I get up on my feet and push past her. [You have removed High Elf Aeromancer - Anna¡¯el Windrider(49) from your friends list.] [You have removed Human Templar - Bronn Silverguard(49) from your friends list.] ¡°Ryan!¡± Anna shouts from behind me, but I¡¯m already out the back door. Slamming the door shut behind me, I take a deep breath as my face slackens. ¡°Fuck.¡± I mutter, shaking my head. That was intense. I got caught with my pants down with no real way out. I didn¡¯t intend to get angry, but it just felt right. To scream at her. Shit. I¡¯m probably the biggest asshole in history to cover up my lies with an even bigger lie. To play with people''s¡¯ feelings like this. What is wrong with me? Anna doesn¡¯t deserve this; my family least of all. I sigh. It had to happen. When it all comes down to it, cutting off all contact with Anna was my only real option. I¡¯ve gained all I can, and she¡¯s nothing but a liability for my plans going forward. I need to succeed. To become the top Villain in the game. I dread to think about what my actions would mean if I fail. For all of this to be in vain. I owe it to myself. There is no going back from this. Fuck. I need to kill something. ---------- I let my sour mood stew for a while as I head back to the hideout to round up my underlings. They¡¯re still not back from the latest heist so I decide to do some planning while I let my temper cool. My inbox is pinging like crazy as I receive several private messages, but I ignore them all. I¡¯m not in a mood to deal with this. My only option is going forwards and try my best to forget about this shitstorm. I really need a change of pace right now. I¡¯ve thought about this for several days already, and it¡¯s about time I utilize the PvP patch fully. Killing players is now a major source of experience, and this city is filled to the brim with low-level noobs. I know I¡¯m being hunted by a bunch of powerful Villains, but there should only be five of them, and the city is huge. Striking at smaller pockets of players should sow chaos in their ranks and I can easily disappear before anyone even knows what happened. During the last week and a half, I¡¯ve discovered that the population of high-level players is much lower than I previously expected. It makes sense, after all, since the area around any large city only contains low-level monsters, while the higher level monsters are further into the wild near the center of the continent. Apart from Anna and her team, I think I¡¯ve only spotted around three dozen players high enough level to cause me serious harm, and the majority of those are on guard duty near the city¡¯s gates. With my current strength, I think I can even handle a small group of level twenty players as long as I get the drop on them. Tonight is the night. Someone needs to die. As soon as Cobra and Viper return, I only give them enough time to dump the loot in my office before I order them to turn and head back out. The only good thing with the news of the sewer system being leaked online is that it only took a few hours for the massive player population to create a complete map of every single sewer entrance in the city with the corresponding level differences of the monsters contained below. This makes it easy to predict what the strength of the players near each of the entrances will be at. My goal for this little excursion is an entrance located to the far northeast of the Harbour District. The entrance is located in a dead-end alley, and the monsters beneath are roughly level eighteen to twenty. That means the players heading for that area should be around level sixteen to eighteen. It¡¯s always more efficient to hunt slightly stronger monsters after all, or else the experience gain would be abysmal. Especially when fighting in a group. I gather my underlings in an adjacent alley that doesn¡¯t appear to have a lot of foot traffic. As long as I have a map at hand, it¡¯s easy to predict where players will be at all times. Players are lazy by nature, and they would never bother to move into a narrow back alley without having a need to. The main streets are quicker, and there are far fewer obstacles and much better lighting there. Therefore, as long as I know there is nothing of interest back here, then I should be fairly safe for a good while. I take a deep breath. Killing players is the ultimate test of my capabilities, and failure is not an option. If I let even a single player live, I set myself up for getting gobsmacked in the nutsack. I need to kill them quickly and leave before they respawn and sound the alarm on me. I need to hold nothing back and strike quickly and efficiently, leaving them no chance to fight back. The alley containing the sewer entrance has several key features I can take advantage of. Seeing as it¡¯s located in a dead-end alley, I already know there is only one way for the players to arrive and leave from. The back alleys are also a maze of nooks and crannies that makes it incredibly easy to hide a great number of people as long as you have a stealth-based skill, and the rooftops are only one to two stories tall, giving plenty of opportunities for my ranged units to gain a height advantage. As soon as Viper returns from a scouting run and gives the all-clear signal, I order my underlings to rush into the alley and take up their pre-scouted positions. My Prowlers and I brought a rotten old ladder we found in an alley three blocks south and we use it to climb onto all the adjacent roofs to be certain to cover as many angles as possible. Cobra takes charge of the Thugs and hides behind a stack of crates near the far end of the alley. His job is to cut off the players¡¯ escape in case they try to make a run for it. In contrast to this, Viper takes the rogues and hide near the actual sewer entrance. This is to make sure the enemies won¡¯t flee into the sewers while also setting them up for a great flanking position if the ambush turns into a brawl. My underlings move to their positions with practiced ease, and I head over towards a chimney that offers the best view of both sides of the alley. Activating Camouflage, I keep my eyes peeled for any players approaching, trying my best to steel my nerves. It doesn¡¯t go too well. No matter how hard I try, I just can¡¯t seem to shake the thoughts about Anna from my mind. Every time I close my eyelids I picture her teary eyes looking back at me. I don¡¯t get time to brood for long, however, as my view soon lights up with red markers as my Prowlers spot someone approaching. Shaking my head, I try to clear my mind to focus on the task at hand. Four people enter the alley from the far end. The group seems to be in good spirits as they straddle down the alley without a care in the world. I smirk as I watch them pass Cobra¡¯s hiding spot, not even giving the suspiciously located pile of crates a second glance before they walk past it. Inspecting them, I make a note of their party composition. A Cleric, two mages, and a Fencer, all between level sixteen and eighteen. Good. All lightly armored targets with low health pools. Since an ambush needs to happen quickly, and preferably without making any noise before we¡¯ve already committed to an attack, I needed to drill all my underlings in target priority before we set the ambush up. To gain the most out of an ambush, you need to do as much damage as possible in your initial salvo. While just letting all my underlings fire blindly towards the enemy would deal a lot of damage, it would also give the enemy a chance to rally if I don¡¯t manage to kill anyone. The first rule of player versus player combat is to always kill the healer first. No matter what. A healer is the most important part of any group composition just because the healer is what makes the group able to fight for an extended period and boost the entire party¡¯s capabilities for as long as possible. I let the four players walk half the distance towards the sewers before I order my underlings to strike. Instantly activating Cheap Shot and Fight Dirty, I have all seven of my ranged units target the healer. All seven crossbow bolts strike true as the enemy Cleric slumps together. [You have slain Gnome Cleric - HealBot4Hire(16). Gain 160 Experience, 3 Infamy.] My eyes widen in surprise as I watch how quickly he died. Wow. He must have had even fewer points invested into Endurance than I have. The three remaining enemies turn around at the sudden sound coming from behind them, and one of the mages yelp in surprise when he sees the corpse behind him. ¡°We¡¯re under attack! Archers!¡± He shouts before magic erupts from his hands, a large cocoon made of fire surrounding his body. ¡°Above us!¡± The other mage yells, summoning his own mana into a similar cocoon as the fire mage, but this one crackling with electricity. This is all they get to say before a wall of muscles slam into the fire mage from behind, toppling their fragile formation. ¡°Behind!¡± The Fencer yells, drawing his rapier. Before he gets to charge backwards, however, Viper materializes behind him, sinking her dagger deep into his throat. The Fencer coughs up a mouthful of blood as he falls forward, desperately clutching at the large wound. In the meantime, Cobra is pummeling the unfortunate fire mage as the lightning mage is starting to panic. He launches a spear of lightning towards one of my Prowlers, the spear impacting with a loud boom. The shock stuns my Prowler as he topples over, impacting the roof with a thump. It isn¡¯t enough to kill him, however. I start channeling my new Stone Skin spell, brown mana swelling around my hands as I launch it towards the wounded Prowler. The magic seeps into his skin, and I watch how his skin hardens and gains a light brownish tint. My ranged units unleash another volley of bolts, all of them targeting the lightning mage at the center of their formation. The first four bolts are deflected by the shield, but the fifth shatters it in an explosion of mana. The mage is knocked back a step by the impact, and he shouts in pain as the remaining two bolts slam into his stomach. My dwarven Thug sees the opening and lunges forward, tackling the recoiling lightning mage from the side, bringing them both to the ground. Suddenly, an inferno of flames erupts from where Cobra slammed into the fire mage earlier. My two half-orc Thugs are thrown backward, but I can spot Cobra clinging to the mage through the wall of flame. I quickly throw a Stone Skin in his direction, but I¡¯m unsure if the spell holds. I grit my teeth. Cobra can handle that. Probably. My eyes are drawn towards the fight between Viper and the Fencer. Even with Viper¡¯s devastating opening attack, the Fencer seems to have recovered by using a Health Potion. The two are currently locked in a flurry of blades, but Viper is gaining the upper hand as she is supported by both my rogues as well as myself. I throw a Stone Skin spell in her direction for good measure, but it seems unnecessary as the Fencer turns on his heel and bolts down the alley. ¡°Stop him!¡± I shout as all my ranged units aim their crossbows in his direction. They loosen their bolts, but only three of them impacts his back. The Fencer¡¯s health pool visibly drops, but not enough to make him stagger. I¡¯m not going to let him get away though. I start channeling Conjure Oil, targeting a small patch of the alley directly in the Fencer¡¯s path. Due to the horrible lighting, the Fencer is unable to spot the dark liquid erupting beneath him before it¡¯s too late. His feet are swept from under him as he comes crashing to the ground. He moans in pain as he rolls over on his side, desperately trying to claw his way back onto his feet. One of the half-orcs tackles him from the side, however, quickly followed by a pissed off Viper; her dagger repeatedly stabbing into his torso. It only takes a few seconds for my vision to be filled with notifications. [You have slain High Elf Pyromancer - Magickarp(17). Gain 250 Experience, 4 Infamy.] [You have slain Half-Orc Stormcaller - HammerThor(18). Gain 300 Experience, 5 Infamy.] [You have slain Human Fencer - Sir Reginald(17). Gain 250 Experience, 4 Infamy.] [Fight Dirty has leveled up to Novice 7.] [Stone Skin has leveled up to Novice 2.] [Conjure Oil has leveled up to Novice 2.] ¡°I should have started killing players three days ago.¡± I mutter as I slump together, resting my back against the chimney. I release a deep sigh as I bury my face into my hands. I sit still for a while, trying my best to tune out the noises around me. My muscles are aching in a way I didn¡¯t think was possible, and I feel a pain in my chest that I can¡¯t find the words to describe. I know I have to move. To get out of here, but my body just doesn¡¯t want to listen. I feel tired. So very tired. Tired of everything. Of existing. Why must it be like this? ¡°What the hell am I doing?¡±