《The Goblin's Shadow》


 Chapter One

    Chapter One


    I¡¯ll never forget the first time I saw a talking goblin. I mean, it¡¯s not the sort of thing that slips your mind. For me, it was a day that changed everything.


    Until then, I thought I knew everything about Infarna Omega. I had a formula. I¡¯d log in, swing my sword, kill some imps, get EXP. That was my mantra. Cleave, rinse, and repeat. I didn¡¯t realize it then, of course, but things were about to change for me.


    That evening, I walked through the woods near the newbie village. The trees transformed in color around me. They went from red to green to yellow, before finally settling on a cold blue. It was rumored that the trees had changed color depending what emotion the game sensed in the player who passed them. I wondered what that said about me.


    I saw a pack of forest imps ahead. Four of them, no taller than my knee, backs hunched over as if they were in a constant state of sneaking. Green faces, craggy like a cliff face shrunk onto a goblin¡¯s body. I lifted my sword and held it in attack position.


    The imps sized me up. They were an aggressive species. Their jaws hid teeth sharp enough to cause considerable damage to a level 1 player. I knew how to handle them, though.


    I¡¯d dispatch these in a few minutes, then go on the hunt for more. I needed at least 4 levels tonight if I was going to hit my deadline.


    Infarna Omega was my second job. The grind that waited for me when I left the office. I¡¯d level up new characters and then sell them on to people who were too impatient to level up themselves. Why? Well, why does anyone work their fingers to the bone? I needed the money. Badly.


    As much as it was a grind, there was something meditative about it. I could plug in my mind and then switch off, swinging my sword on auto-pilot. It was one of the rare times that I could stop thinking about Sarah and Baxter. And that¡­well, that was priceless.


    My latest order had been a strange one. A guy called me and told me he needed a level 10 Shadow Walker ready in just a fortnight¡¯s time. His son was turning 16, and he wanted to gift him a character that was quest-ready.


    The characters didn¡¯t vary much. It was usually warriors. Or mages. Someone might order the occasional thief, which at least gave me a little bit of variety. If a fantasy film became popular and there was a particular character people liked, that class might rise in favor. Generally, people stuck to the classics. The Conan the Barbarian or Gandalf the Grey special, as I liked to call them.


    This one was different.


    ¡°Why does he need a shadow walker?¡± I had asked the man.


    He sighed down the phone. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But what the kid wants, he gets.¡±


    Shadow Walker was a new one on me, and I¡¯d played the game for years. After accepting the order I¡¯d done my research. Shadow walkers dressed like a mixture between a thief and a mage. They used stealth, and they could blend into the shadows to get places unseen. That was useful, but it didn¡¯t end there. A shadow walker started with 3 wizard cantrips. This was the part that really piqued my interest.


    ¡°Which cantrips does your son want?¡± I asked the man, wishing I could pick them myself.


    ¡°What the hell is a cantrip?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a low-level trick used by mages,¡± I answered.


    Cantrips were like spells, except at first, they were basic enough to be used by a non-magic class. The shadow walker picked 3 cantrips at character creation, as did the barbarian, thief and scout.


    ¡°Mages? Tricks? I don¡¯t really give a damn,¡± was his answer. ¡°Just pick something.¡±


    Well, the customer¡¯s always right. I decided that if he didn¡¯t care which cantrips I picked, I¡¯d choose the three that appealed most to me. After some research, I ended up with:


    Blade Turn, which gave a limited-time resistance against piercing, stabbing and bludgeoning.


    Glowing lights, which did exactly what it said on the tin ¨C it let me cast glowing orbs of light.


    Finally, I chose Minor Illusion. Now, this was something I could work with. Minor Illusion let me create real-looking holograms of any object I chose. The effect would last until someone, or something, tried to touch it. I imagined that the man¡¯s son would have a lot of fun with that.


    ¡°Are you sure this is all legit?¡± asked the man.


    ¡°They make you sign terms and conditions thicker than the Oxford dictionary,¡± I told him. ¡°But one thing¡¯s certain. If you pay a subscription, you own your character and any items in your inventory. If I want to sell my own property to you, that¡¯s my business.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Knowing I would never keep a character took most of the fun out of it. Fun wasn¡¯t really something I cared about, though. It was money I needed, and lots of it.


    I needed cash so that I never had to look at my apartment again. What I really needed was my own island, but no amount of office work or character auctioning would pay for that. Failing that, I¡¯d settle for a brain wipe. Get a scientist with a laser and then slice away at my memories. I¡¯d get him to target the ten years I spent with Sarah.


    Before I could do that, I had a few year¡¯s salaries-worth of debt that I had to clear, and that meant long hours. As well as an unhealthy distrust in other people, Sarah had also left me with a mountain of unpaid bills and bad credit.


    Six swings of my sword later, four imps lay dead on the grass. I heard a jingle that told me I¡¯d earned exp. It wasn¡¯t enough for level 2, but I¡¯d get there. Only another fifty imps lay between me and level 4 tonight. After that, I¡¯d get a few hours of sleep. A brief spell of nothingness where I could close my eyes and forget everything. And forget her, especially.


    Yeah, right. I hadn¡¯t been able to get her out of my head in the months she¡¯d been gone. Why should tonight be any different?


    I looted the dead imps and found 6GD and a pair of greaves. GD stood for Geld Domonium, the world-wide currency adopted a few years earlier that was good almost everywhere ¨C in shops, online, in-game. In Infarna Omega it was represented by gold coins, but people rarely carried money anymore. Most purchases were done via a scanner imbedded in your wrist.


    Ahead of me, standing against the trunk of a yellow tree, was a woman. Even so far away, I could tell she was almost as tall as me. She had red hair that flowed to her waist. When the sunlight hit it, every single strand glowed.


    Four dire wolves advanced on her, ready to tear her apart. I couldn¡¯t see her level. From the way she was backed up against the trunk of the tree, I guessed her chances weren¡¯t great.


    Dire wolves were an unappetizing combo of low-EXP and high damage. On top of that, they liked to surround you and attack from all sides. I¡¯d learned from bitter experience that a class with high agility ¨C like thief or scout ¨C lost their speed advantage when they were hemmed in. If you picked a fight with a dire wolf, you needed a tank class, or you had to stay the hell out of range.


    This meant that the girl was in trouble. I could have turned around and walked away. That¡¯s what I wanted to do, there¡¯s no point lying about it. She looked like she was struggling, so my nature fought against me. I had to help her.


    I gripped my sword and walked toward her, my boots barely making a sound as I stepped over the crumbling leaves. As I got closer, the wolves snarled. One of them turned to face me. It snorted, and I saw spit fly out from its mouth. I knew what to do with dire wolves; cleave them at the leg to slow them down, then wait for a chance to get a critical stab.


    Three of them advanced. They were taking their time, I knew. Assessing the threat before them. NPC creatures weren¡¯t stupid, and they learned from their mistakes. They even seemed to speak to each other in their own primitive languages. Somewhere east, there was said to be a dragon that spoke English.


    As one of the braver wolves took a step closer to the woman, she swung with her staff and cracked it across the face. The wolf stepped back and snarled. They would attack soon. I looked at the woman. Her name and health bar were above her head.


    [Loria Snapstaff ¨C Level 2 Illusionist.]


    Well, that explained it. Although we weren¡¯t far from Ikiele, the starter village, these woods were too tough for an illusionist. I¡¯d levelled up a few of them in my time, and I knew that you were better off going somewhere remote. Somewhere away from hostile creatures. You certainly didn¡¯t level up an illusionist by taking on a pack of dire wolves.


    ¡°You going to swing that sword of yours, or what?¡± she said.


    I ran forward. As I reached the first wolf, I slid into a crouch and swiped at its front leg, crippling it. The others turned on me now, changing their target to the most powerful threat facing them. Me. As much as it made sense, it was the wrong move.


    Loria hit one on the head with her staff, scoring a ¡®While Your Back¡¯s Turned¡¯ critical, as we veterans called rear attacks.


    With only two wolves in fighting condition, I waited for them to come for me. As one of them leapt at me I sidestepped, swung my sword, and sliced open its throat. The other one, seeing two of its pack dead and another crippled, whimpered and then ran into the woods.


    After it had gone, Loria turned to face me. I didn¡¯t need her to say thanks, though.


    ¡°I could have taken them,¡± she said, instead of thanking me. ¡°I had them where I wanted them. Just a few more seconds, and they¡¯d have been done. Bang! A swipe with my staff, and one¡¯s down. Swoosh! I cast Circles of Fear, they run their asses off.¡±


    ¡°Be more careful next time,¡± I told the illusionist.


    ¡°You were pretty good,¡± said Loria. ¡°But you should have waited just a few more seconds to see what I did.¡±


    There was something I immediately liked about Loria. A wholesome air to her. It was as though the sunlight shining on her hair drained inside of her. Her face ruined the image though. She wore an expression halfway between a smile and a scowl. It was as though she was never quite sure how to feel about the world around her.


    ¡°That was nice of you,¡± she said. A ray of sunshine cut through the gaps in the leaves above us and lit on her hair, making it look like it was on fire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I said. ¡°Just find a better place to grind. There¡¯s a valley two miles east that has rats roaming. If you¡¯re set on fighting, that¡¯ll be safer.¡±


    I reached into my inventory and pulled out two health potions. It¡¯d cost me 100 GD to replace them, I knew. I resented the expense, but Loria¡¯s health bar looked empty. I handed them to her.


    Loria took a potion, unscrewed it and drank it back. After finishing it all, she burped. As the red in her health bar began to fill, I closed my inventory bag.


    ¡°It¡¯s my second night here,¡± said Loria. ¡°With this character, I mean. I had an archer, but I got sick of it. Fighting long-range is just so boring, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°So, you picked illusionist? Hardly a hand-to-hand warrior class.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°It just sounded cool. Listen, do you want to party up for a while?¡±


    I thought about it. Partying up was a safe way to level up, and for anyone else, I¡¯d have recommended it. But my partying days were over. Not just in the game, either. Aside from going to the office, I¡¯d hardly even set foot outside my apartment in weeks. Sarah had seen to that.


    As Loria waited for an answer, I felt myself go down the rabbit hole of memory.

 Chapter Two

    <h1>Chapter Two</h1>


    I remembered being stood outside my apartment and feeling like there was something sour in the air. Something that had come between us. I knew that if we worked hard enough, we¡¯d sort things out.


    I took a deep breath, put my keys in the door, and then pushed it open.


    I expected my dog Baxter to come scampering down toward me. His nails scratching on the floor, his tail wagging in the display of excitement that only my best friend could give me.


    ¡°Baxter?¡± I said.


    Still no answer. No pattering feet, no excited barking. Just silence.


    ¡°Sarah?¡±


    Maybe she had taken him for a walk. It would have been unusual, since Sarah had never wanted to take him out before. She liked the idea of a dog, but wasn¡¯t so keen on the nitty gritty.


    I walked into the living room to find it empty. Same with the kitchen and bathroom. Baxter¡¯s lead hung from a hook on the coat stand.


    ¡°Guys?¡± I said.


    I didn¡¯t understand. I put the flowers down on the coffee table and then went toward the bedroom. I started to get an uneasy feeling.


    Pushing the thought away, I walked over to our bedroom door and gripped the handle of the door. I turned it and stepped inside.


    All Sarah¡¯s things were gone. At first, I thought we had been robbed. I reached for my phone to call the police. I stopped when I saw a note folded on the nightstand next to my side of the bed.


    She¡¯d written ¡®Tom¡¯ on the front of it. Bold, plain letters, no kiss underneath. It smelled of her perfume, and I saw her perfectly-straight handwriting all over it. As I read line after line, I felt the blood drain from my face.


    She¡¯d left me. She¡¯d taken all her things, packed her car, and she¡¯d left me.


    Not only that, but she¡¯d taken Baxter too.


    ~


    Back in the newbie forest again, I shook away the memory and found Loria looking at me, waiting for an answer.


    ¡°Is your blank look a ¡®no¡¯, or do I need to repeat the question?¡±


    Loria leaned on her staff. She was just two inches shorter than me. Her illusionist robe was grey and tattered, and it looked like she¡¯d looted it from someone on the street.


    ¡°That¡¯s a ¡®no¡¯,¡± I told her.


    Then, I thought about it, and I felt bad for the way I¡¯d spoken to Loria. None of it was her fault. ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal,¡± I said. ¡°I just prefer going by myself.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s better we travel together,¡± Loria said. I could tell she wasn¡¯t the kind of woman to be deterred easily. ¡°There are quests out there that you need to do with another person. It¡¯s not good to be on your own all the time.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to offend her, but I didn¡¯t want to travel with her either. I just needed to do my time, level up, then log out. The quicker I finished the character, the quicker I could sell it.


    ¡°I seem a bit forward, don¡¯t I?¡± she said. From her accent, I guessed she was from the south. She leaned in toward me. ¡°It¡¯s all new to me, you know?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get the hang of it. Just don¡¯t stray too far until you reach level 5 and you unlock Illusion Shield.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Not that. This, I mean,¡± she said, and stepped back. ¡°Walking. I just can¡¯t get over it. Out there, I¡¯m on four wheels all day. I wheel myself around, of course. But in here ¨C wow. It actually feels like I¡¯m walking.¡±


    ¡°I can see how that¡¯d be amazing for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just nice feeling like an equal,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve got friends in the real world, but they see me as a pity case. They try not to show it, but I can tell. I¡¯m a badge they can pin on their chest. ¡®Look at me, I¡¯m friends with someone in a wheelchair!¡¯ It just makes me feel so small.¡±


    Things like this made Infarna amazing. It took it beyond the confines of being just entertainment, and it made it something life changing. I mean, how else would someone like Loria get the chance to forget about their real-life problems?


    I still remembered the best character I¡¯d ever sold. It was a necromancer that a woman had ordered for her son, who was in the cancer ward. She just wanted to give him a little escapism. After I got the necromancer to level 10 and completed the order, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to charge her. Instead I gave it to her for free, and bundled in a few elite items for good measure.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I love Infarna,¡± said Loria. ¡°Here, I can do whatever I want. I want to get to the highest level possible. I want to do every quest and get a 100% completion. Not many people have done that, you know. Only problem is, some quests can¡¯t be done without a party, and not many people want to join an illusionist.¡±


    I looked Loria up and down. At 6 foot 2, she was the tallest female character I¡¯d ever seen. Discounting an Amazonian NPC who¡¯d once sent me to respawn with a swing of her hammer, of course.


    ¡°So, the wheelchair thing. Is that why you made your character tall?¡± I asked.


    She nodded. ¡°Yup, standing up is a novelty. But listen, I can¡¯t hang around. Have you heard of Ulrip Cavern?¡±


    I¡¯d played the game for so many hours and with so many characters that I¡¯d lost count, but I¡¯d seen so little of it. Since my job was to get characters beyond the beginner levels and sell them on, I had never bothered travelling or completing quests.


    ¡°Nope,¡± I said. ¡°Never heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Hand me your map.¡±


    I took my map out and displayed it in front of us. Loria pointed her finger miles north. A message popped up asking me if I wanted to add a map marker. I shrugged. I was never going to Ulrip Caverns, but I wanted to end this conversation any way I could and be on my way. After accepting, a red dot appeared on my map, and Ulrip was logged into my known locations.


    ¡°There¡¯s meant to be some legendary loot in it,¡± said Loria. ¡°But it¡¯s a slog. They reckon it takes a day just to walk through the cavern. And you have to drop twenty meters to get in. Once you go, the only way out is either by getting to the other end, or respawning.¡±


    ¡°You see, this is why I don¡¯t do quests. What¡¯s the point in a day-long mission?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Guess the devs asked that question, too. Ulrip was meant to be an expansion pack, but playtesters said it was a snooze fest. The devs moved on to something else, but they didn¡¯t want the resources they¡¯d used in Ulrip to go to waste. So, they left it open as an explorable area. Apparently, there¡¯s a boss creature in there somewhere. A real big mother.¡±


    I could see why an expansion like that would fail a beta test. In a world where VR role playing games were ten-a-penny, each one needed a unique selling point. Infara¡¯s was its respawn system. When you died, you lost some exp and some of your inventory, randomly selected. In the spot where you died a Death Shard was left. If you managed to get to it, you got your items and exp back. If you died on the way, it was gone for good. This wasn¡¯t unique in a single player sense, but it was fairly unheard of in multiplayer games.


    That meant that a quest like Ulrip Caverns was never going to be a good prospect. There was one way in, one way out, and the journey lasted a day. Imagine if you got half way through and then died. It¡¯d take you 12 hours just to get your stuff back.


    ¡°What do you say?¡± asked Loria. ¡°Party up? Climb down Ulrip¡¯s anus together?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Anything I do other than levelling up lowers the resale value of the character. And I¡¯ve got four levels to get tonight, so I better get going.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a reseller?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°But you seem so¡­decent,¡± she said.


    I dug the tip of my sword into the ground and leaned on it. ¡°Are you saying that not all resellers are upstanding members of society?¡±


    ¡°My brother says resellers are con artists. They take your money then sell you some half-assed character. Like an archer with no agility, or a mage who can¡¯t use magic.¡±


    ¡°There are some dodgy guys out there,¡± I said. ¡°But I don¡¯t care. I level characters up to spec and ship them out. I¡¯ve got no interest in conning someone.¡±


    I heard a beeping noise in my ear, which carried on until I stopped it. It was my in-game alarming telling me I¡¯d spent an hour playing. That left four more hours of levelling up tonight. Five, at a push, but the rings around my eyes would be especially dark in the morning. It would have been fitting that levelling up a Shadow Walker put shadows on my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to add you as a buddy,¡± said Loria. ¡°That way, we can chat wherever we are. And it¡¯ll let you see me on the map. If you happen to glance at your map and I look like I¡¯m surrounded by wolves again, you can come help me.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± I said. ¡°And you can whip your staff out.¡±


    My map screen updated, and my social menu tinkled, informing me that I had been added as a friend. I grimaced at the sound. And then I grimaced at myself. I knew I needed to lighten up a little.


    ¡°So,¡± said Loria, smiling and picking up her staff. ¡°Are you going to add me back or what?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I might,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s about as non-committal as possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just busy. And I¡¯m not going to be around as this character much longer. Who knows what I¡¯ll be next. A warrior? Paladin?¡±


    ¡°It must be cool to sample so many classes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°The first dozen times. But play as a monk twenty times and you¡¯ll start to hate the sound of chanting.¡±


    ¡°You must know what you¡¯re doing with classes, Mr. Reseller,¡± she said.


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve levelled most of them.¡±


    ¡°The 3 skills I picked at the beginning are Bait Illusion, Circles of Fear, and Multiply. I don¡¯t get to choose again for a while, right?¡±


    ¡°Until you hit level 10, any skills you get are set by your class skill path. At level 10 you can pick a new skill, though. And there¡¯s always trainers in some of the larger cities who can teach you stuff.¡±


    Loria nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll see how it goes. Right now, I¡¯m just enjoying running. Fancy a race? I¡¯ll beat your ass.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Maybe some other time.¡±


    Loria crossed her arms. ¡°My friend list still hasn¡¯t changed.¡±


    I needed to avoid the subject. ¡°Better go,¡± I said. ¡°Good luck with the cavern. And remember what I said about levelling here. Just be careful. I know you can always respawn, but it¡¯s never nice. And here ¨C take another potion for the road. So long, Loria.¡±


    As I turned my back, Loria shouted. ¡°I better get a friend notification soon!¡±


    I walked away, knowing she wasn¡¯t likely to get it. There was nothing wrong with her, I just didn¡¯t want a friend.


    Sarah had given me that attitude when she moved out of the flat, took my dog, and left me with credit cards that she¡¯d maxed out. When I spoke to the police about it, they told me I was shit out of luck. Both our names were on Baxter¡¯s purchase certificate, and the credit cards were in both our names. She¡¯d done nothing illegal.


    As I thought about my attitude to people, an apt image came into view. Just across the forest, and walking my way, was a hunter. He walked with a strut, as though he was the most confident person in Infarna.


    He had grey hair that flowed to his waist at the sides, but was tied up in a bun in the center. It made him look like a Christmas tree with tinsel draped down it. Around his chest and belt were the stuffed heads of various dead NPC creatures. They ranged from fang voles to fire golems.


    As I watched him walk toward me, I knew I had to leave. At this minute, hell, at any time of day, there wasn¡¯t a person in the whole of the game I wanted to see less.

 Chapter Three

    It was Crawford. Just seeing him made me want to log out. With him, it was the worst of both worlds. Not only was I treated to his sparkling personality in Infarna, but he also worked in my office.


    Crawford didn¡¯t really know me, and he certainly didn¡¯t know I worked in his office. Added to that was the fact that I changed character every week or so, after selling them. Despite that, he always stopped to talk to me. He was a lonely guy.


    ¡°Having fun levelling with the imps?¡± he said.


    ¡°And I suppose you came straight into the game at level 30?¡± I answered.


    He folded his arms. The stuffed heads across his belt shook, and I heard the bones rattle. ¡°Actually, I did. I paid some chump to grind for me.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t considered that before, but it made sense. Of course Crawford would buy his character from a reseller! I just hoped it wasn¡¯t me. I¡¯d hate to have done his work for him. I thought about it. I¡¯d levelled a hunter a couple of years back, but that was for a woman who wanted to stalk her husband in-game and make sure he wasn¡¯t flirting. No, I hadn¡¯t sold a hunter since then.


    Crawford stood with his hands on his hips. With the bun on the center of his head and the flowing hair at the sides, he looked so ridiculous that it made me angry. He puffed his chest out.


    ¡°Shadow walker, eh? Never seen one of those before,¡± he said. ¡°And I¡¯ve seen a lot. Killed the Dostoon Basilisk last week. Took five NPC mercs with me, and two guys I found on a message board. I was the only one who made it through without a respawn. Took 6 hours, but I got through.¡±


    I had no idea what he was talking about. Dostoon was a city I¡¯d heard of, but I had no idea about a basilisk there. Why was he telling me this?


    The thing about Crawford was as much as he annoyed me, I felt sorry for him. It was obvious to everyone who knew him that he was desperate for his dad¡¯s approval. Being ignored all his life had turned him into an ass.


    In lots of ways, it wasn¡¯t even his fault. His dad had divorced his mum when Crawford was only 3, and then he¡¯d beaten her in court to get custody of their son. Only, once he had custody, he¡¯d let a nanny raise Crawford. He had barely spoken to him.


    How did I know this? On a staff evening event, Crawford had gotten drunk and spent thirty minutes spilling everything to me. The day after, he¡¯d walked by me in the corridor as though we¡¯d never talked.


    The thing was, he had a kind side to him. Whenever we were collecting for birthday or wedding presents in the office, Crawford would drop in a few coins. Then, when everyone had left work, he¡¯d go over to the collection, open his wallet, and put even more money in. I don¡¯t know why he needed to hide it. It was like he thought that being kind was something to be ashamed of.


    Crawford carried on. ¡°So, I whipped its head off and got the trophy. That makes it 296. You know what that means?¡±


    ¡°That you can count?¡±


    ¡°It means I only have 4 more to go. Impressive, isn¡¯t it? Four more creatures to kill until I get the achievement. I know where three of them are, so soon that¡¯ll leave one.¡±


    The smug edge to his voice was back. Even knowing what he was like, I couldn¡¯t help but get annoyed. For his own good, someone had to teach him a lesson one day.


    ¡°It must be great having money do the work for you,¡± I said.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Crawford glared at me. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know about the game? How about this, then. Just east of us there are 4 imps. Combined HP of 478, an attack power of roughly 8 DMG. With their size and speed, they can probably hit me 2 times per 5 seconds, meaning I¡¯d lose 64 HP before I can attack. If I move back into parry mode, that gets halved. But if I step out of reach and use my bow, I can take down all 4 in one shot, if I score a critical.


    ¡°But at that range, and with my luck stats taken into account, I¡¯d get a critical roughly every 1 in 38 shots. My reload speed is around a second with the bonus I¡¯ve gained from using my crossbow. It¡¯s a four bolt, meaning I can shoot 4 arrows at once. So, while they can probably score 64 DMG per 5 seconds with perfect hits, I can score 400DMG. In 5 seconds, staying out of range, all four imps will meet their maker.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± I said. ¡°But you haven¡¯t seen the spider snakes in the tree next to the imps. They have a 1 in 20 chance of scoring a poison effect. Plus, their sneak attacks would make you move back further, slowing your reload speed. Maybe you don¡¯t see everything, after all.¡±


    He stared at me. He put his hands out in front of him, as if the words were appearing in mid-air in a big font.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± he said. ¡°Picture this. Crawford the Hunter ¨C the 3rd person to get the Every Creature achievement.¡±


    ¡°Great. If you¡¯re into that sort of thing.¡±


    He scoffed. ¡°Well, you clearly aren¡¯t. Listen, if you need to get help killing imps, you can always ask your daddy to hold your hand.¡±


    I was going to answer him (and trust me, it would have been an amazing comeback) when I heard yelling from the distance. Far away, near a tree that stretched out of the ground so that it looked like a hand, Loria was fighting three rats. One of them tried to bite her boots, but she crushed its head with one strike of her staff.


    I walked away. I headed toward a pack of forest imps, who turned and sneered when they saw me. I pulled my sword from its sheath and held it in an attack stance. With the right hit, I could cleave two imps at once.


    It was time to use one of my cantrips. I activated Minor Illusion, creating a hologram copy of myself. I sidestepped, leaving the hologram in the place where I¡¯d stood. One of the snakes turned its attention to my replica. With its attention diverted, I cleaved the remaining snake with my sword. It took two hits before I was rewarded with EXP.


    The other snake coiled up, then sprung on my copy. As soon as it touched it, the hologram disappeared. It gave me enough time to strike the snake, slicing through its scaly body with a critical hit.


    I felt a stinging pain on my calf. I turned to see that three more snakes had dropped. One of them had hit me for 5 HP, but thankfully I wasn¡¯t given a poison debuff. With my Minor Illusion cantrip on cooldown, I would have to fight them the old-fashioned way. Blade Turn wouldn¡¯t be good here, since the creatures weren¡¯t using weapons. There was no point casting Glowing Lights.


    Instead, I waited for one of them to strike. As it leapt toward me I took a step back and let it fall in front of me, then sliced it. The snake jerked back, and my blade missed.


    Another snake went to my left, the other to my right. It was yet another example of how advanced the AI was in Infarna. It was amazing that low-level beasts like these could use a pincer tactic to fight me.


    I sliced to my left, striking one snake on the mouth and killing it instantly. I felt a sting of pain as the one on my right hit me. I waited for a poison debuff to appear, but it seemed I had gotten lucky again.


    Four swings later, and all the snakes lay dead. I kneeled and looted their bodies, earning three snake skins and 4 GD coins for my trouble. I would sell the skins to a pelt trader in the village later. After that, I¡¯d bank the GD in my account, ready to be transferred to my real-life bank.


    That was the beauty of Infarna. Money earned in the game could be sent into the real world. Of course, it lost a lot of value in the process. 1 GD in Infarna was worth around 0.20GD in the real world but hey, it all added up.


    As I stood up, there was a flash of light. I felt a surge of energy run through me, soaking into my arms and legs and then settling into my chest.


    The forest began to fade around me. The air shimmered, and my body felt light. I heard a noise. It sounded like a dire wolf was growling, but the sound was stretched out, as though someone had taken both ends of it and was pulling it apart.


    I wondered if I was experiencing a computer error. Infarna servers went down from time to time, but that was rare. These days, you were more likely to have problems with your water supply than your internet connection.


    For a few second I was lost in nothingness. I felt as though I was standing on something solid, but there was nothing but darkness around me. I heard a clap, and then white lights flickered above me.


    I was in a room. Bare white walls and flooring, with not a mark on them. There was a metal table in the center of the room, and two chairs around it. Sat in one of them, there was a man.

 Chapter Four

    ¡°You¡¯re looking good, Tom,¡± he said, smiling. ¡°Not as good as me, of course. But still, it¡¯s an improvement. Last time I saw you, you were a monk, if I recall. The robes didn¡¯t really suit you.¡±


    This had never happened to me before. Out of instinct I looked around for enemies, and for an escape. There was none of either, just featureless walls with no clue of how someone could get in the room, or out. I had to be careful. Whoever this man was, he probably couldn¡¯t be trusted.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Come, take a seat,¡± he said.


    He looked like a more sinister version of Clive. Where my next-door neighbor had a pleasant smile, this man¡¯s grin was sarcastic. He wore red silk trousers and a shirt, which made him look as if he¡¯d just gotten out of bed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem happy about the clothes,¡± said the man. ¡°Your stress levels rose by 1.3% when you saw me. I¡¯ll change.¡±


    He clicked his fingers, and then he was wearing a brown shirt, ankle boots and normal-looking trousers.


    ¡°Better?¡± he said.


    I nodded. He was either an NPC, or a game dev, then. That was the only explanation for the change of clothes. I couldn¡¯t imagine why I¡¯d be summoned into a room with an NPC, unless it was some kind of error. But how would he know my name?


    That meant that he could have been a dev. Why was I here, then? Was it to talk about my character-selling business? I knew the devs weren¡¯t over the moon about resellers, but it was 100% legal.


    I¡¯d heard whispers of players being summoned to meet with mod teams before. A while back, scammers worked out that there was a bug in the game that allowed you, in the right circumstances, to access another player¡¯s inventory and steal his things. I¡¯d never done anything like that, but I needed to watch what I said while I was here.


    I looked around. There was nothing in the room except us and the table. Where was I? Was this some kind of loading screen? Or was there a problem with my subscription?


    ¡°I¡¯m Bolzar,¡± he said. He beckoned me over. ¡°Come, come, park your bum.¡±


    There was something about his grin that I didn¡¯t like. It was as though he knew secrets, but he wanted to hoard them to himself because it made him feel better. Even so, there was something about him that I liked. He had an easy manner, completely comfortable with himself.


    I walked forward toward the table. I had to be careful. For a second, I thought about reaching for my sword. You know, just in case.


    ¡°Weapons don¡¯t work in here,¡± said Bolzar. ¡°Neither do spells, cantrips or abilities. Now stop messing around and have a seat.¡±


    With no obvious exit, I walked over to the table. Truth be told, I was feeling tired, and it would be good to rest my legs. I took hold of the chair, pulled it out and lowered myself into it. As I did, a surge of pleasure ran through me, flowing through my body and then out to my limbs, running through my veins until it flushed to my fingertips. I brought up my character screen and saw that my HP and stamina stats had refreshed.


    Bolzar leaned back in his chair. ¡°Can I trust you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Trust me with what?¡±


    ¡°Yes or no.¡± He stared at me intently.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    What was this? It was a strange way to open a conversation with a stranger. I shrugged. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth.¡±


    ¡°Right answer,¡± said Bolzar. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pipe. He then sprinkled tobacco into it, tapped it against the table, and put the end in his mouth. He clicked his fingers, and a flame burnt from his thumb. He lit the pipe and took a deep breath of tobacco.


    ¡°What am I doing here?¡± I asked. ¡°And why do you need to know if you can trust me?¡±


    ¡°Because they wouldn¡¯t like me smoking in here,¡± said Bolzar. ¡°So, it would be great if we could be buddies and not mention it to anyone. Besides, part of the shadow walker class is an element of integrity. I needed to know you¡¯re on the right path. Here, have this for your trouble.¡±


    [Sneak bonus gained ¨C 0.25%]


    ¡°What is this place?¡± I said. ¡°And who are you?¡±


    Bolzar leaned forward and breathed a plume of smoke. He twisted his lips this way and that, to make shapes with the smoke. I could have sworn that one of his smoke-shapes looked like a goblin.


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember me, do you?¡± he said.


    I looked at him. Apart from looking like Clive¡¯s evil twin, I couldn¡¯t place him. Even with my limited travels in Infarna, I¡¯d seen countless NPCs and players over the last year. I¡¯d forgotten most of them. The more I looked at him, the more familiar he seemed.


    ¡°I was a merchant in Ikiele for a couple of years,¡± said Bolzar. ¡°Then they reused my face and texture design for this.¡±


    Ah, that was it. I¡¯d probably sold loot to him in the past.


    ¡°You¡¯re an NPC?¡± I asked.


    He nodded, the stood up. He opened his arms wide, as if he was speaking to an audience.


    ¡°Top marks for Tom Amos,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s show him what he¡¯s won!


    [Perception increased by 0.01%]


    As increases went, this wasn¡¯t high on the scale. Still, it was strange. That was the second stat increase I¡¯d had since I had been in here. Your stats increased as you played the game, but usually you weren¡¯t shown such small changes. Most of the time, they worked in the background.


    I¡¯d never heard of an NPC who was aware of game mechanics before. Usually, they were programmed to live in ignorance, since it broke the immersion of the game otherwise. It was weird that someone had made sure Bolzar was aware of how the game worked. There had to be a reason for that; he couldn¡¯t possibly have been that way by accident.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cut to the chase,¡± said Bolzar. ¡°Infarna Corp wants to make the game better for its customers. And to do that, they need to listen to them. If you¡¯ll come here when you level up and answer a few psychological questions, there will be something in it for you down the line.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± I said.


    ¡°A skill bonus. Something good.¡±


    I thought about it. There was something a little off about Bolzar, almost as though he was trying too hard to be sarcastic. Sometimes, when he wasn¡¯t looking at me, he had a look on his face that seemed sad. Then it disappeared in an instant.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re wondering why you got stuck with me. The devs requisitioned a few NPCs for the task, and they gave us all a sprinkling of self-awareness. There are a few different personalities being used, but you drew the short straw. In fact, you drew the shortest straw possible. You got me.¡±


    There was something strange about the whole thing. Bolzar and his pipe were part of the act, I knew. He was pretending he shouldn¡¯t be smoking, and then trying to forge a bond between us by having me help him and keep quiet about it. It was some kind of script the devs had made so that I¡¯d like him.


    I was basically talking to a customer survey. As long as I treated it that way, there was no problem. If the devs wanted me to answer a few survey questions in exchange for items or skills, maybe it was worth it.


    ¡°How often will I come back?¡± I said.


    ¡°Every few levels,¡± was his answer. ¡°But not all the time. I don¡¯t want to see your mug any more than you do mine.¡± He leaned in his chair and put his feet on the table.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll answer your questions, give you feedback on the game and stuff. But you better reward me for it.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll get some skills that otherwise might not have been available to your class. And later down the line, assuming you cooperate, there will be something good.¡±


    This could be worth it. If I got a rare skill for the shadow walker, I could ask for more GD when I sold it.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°But I need to get back now.¡±


    Bolzar leaned forward. ¡°Are you going back to Ikiele?¡± he said.


    ¡°Maybe later if I find any loot to sell.¡±


    ¡°If you go there, will you¡­¡± he looked at me for second, not saying anything. It was as though he knew what he wanted to say, but the words wouldn¡¯t come out. ¡°There¡¯s a woman. Lynna. She works in the apothecary. Could you go in there and tell her¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell her what?¡±


    He pounded the table with his fist, then stood up. ¡°Forget it. See you in a couple of levels, Mr. Charisma.¡±


    With that, the white walls disappeared, and I found myself in the forest again.