Chapter 25: A Strange Offer

Name Thomas Class Thief, lvl 1 Marks 1 Guild Seven Banes SD 984

The ship cast off soon after all the players were boarded. Thomas saw the other players situate themselves around the ship. They looked a bit nervous and Thomas was very thankful that he already had a group of new players to be around. Overhead the sky was a cloudless blue and the sea stretched off into the horizon. NPC sailors ran about the deck shouting commands and following orders. Thomas had no memories of ever being on a ship before and for a moment considered asking Chase about his time being a sailor during his old life.

“Raise the anchor!” Shouted what Thomas assumed to be the captain. He had long greasy hair and a jutting jaw which needed a shave. “Destination: Moon Town!”

The sails dropped from the mast and were caught in the wind like distended bellies. Thomas felt the ship begin to move forward and soon the pier of training island began to slip away.

“So,” said Chase, catching everyone’s attention with a flash of a smile. “The ‘Man in Blue’, as they call him. Since the beginning of Esem, when players left their little islands to explore the mainland, there has been this mysterious figure who comes to new players. He sometimes has a beard, other times an eye patch, but without fail his clothing is entirely blue.”

“Sounds like he sticks out like a sore thumb,” said Thomas.

“Right,” said Chase. “He should be easy to spot. If any of you see him-likely when you are alone-please do not accept anything from him. He will try to offer you food, medicine, maybe some weapons. Just tell him ‘no.’”

“What happens if we accept his help?” Asked Amelie. She was writing down what Chase was saying in her journal.

“I don’t know exactly,” said Chase. He looked out over the waters back at the island which was growing smaller by the minute. “I have heard of players going missing for months on end only to show up at the top of mountains. Some players have never returned.”

“Have you ever seen him?” Amelie had stopped writing and was looking nervous. She seemed to scare easily and Thomas decided to file this away.

“No, but I have met a couple players who claimed to see him. So long as you tell him ‘no’ a bunch of times then he will disappear.” Chase leaned back against the wall and folded his hands over his chest.

Brent looked around the group and shrugged.

“Sounds simple enough,” he said. “I’ll just brain anyone who is dressed like the sea.”

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” said Chase slowly, seeming to be choosing his words with care. “There are many NPCs in Esem who are many magnitudes more powerful than a player freshly signed to his first contract. I think a rule we should all follow for now is to ‘leap before you look’ when a new situation presents itself. Also, most of the NPCs of Esem are not like the ones you all got to know on the island.”

“How so?” Said Alex. He had finally taken a seat on one of the barrels and had crossed his arms. Yet again looking like some large sponge soaking up information.

“The island NPCs were designed with acclimating newly spawned players,” explained Chase. “Their speech patterns are much more varied and their vocal ticks resemble actual humans. The Esem NPCs-especially the Avalon variety we are about to meet-are much more simple. A shop owner is not going to be able to reminisce about past players he met, a barkeep won’t be able to give you much advice other than any dialogue he was designed to have. It can be a bit unnerving.”

“Avalon,” said Marlon, squinting up at the sky. “Why does that name sound so familiar?”

“Most assume it is a real name from the Old World,” said Chase. “Perhaps it was the name of a country or something. I’ve never met a player who had a memory of living there, however.”

“Chase,” said Amelie, looking up from her journal. “What do you mean by ‘the Avalon variety’? Are NPCs in Avalon looked down upon or something?”

“You could say that,” chuckled Chase. “The NPCs in Avalon are, well, very simple. Whatever land Avalon was based upon from the Old World it must have been a desperately poor one. The common NPCs you will see walking the streets and farming the fields can barely string a sentence together in my experience. Most players who spawn in other places really look down upon and mock Avalon for this reason.”

“All the NPCs in Avalon are like this?” Said Claire. She seemed to be having trouble believing what Chase was saying.

“No, only the peasant NPCs. There are higher level NPCs who run the country like the nobles and the knights and the king,” explained Chase. “But we probably won’t be running into any of them. Well, I assume, at least. The King does like his outings and meeting players.”

Just then the Captain walked up to their group. Thomas noticed that he was chewing something and a dribble of black spit had leaked out the corner of his mouth and stained his chin.

“We got about three hours before we arrive at Moon Town. I suggest you all get some rest. Once we dock at port we shan’t be staying long.”

“Where are you heading after Moon Town?” Asked Brent. He was eying the captain suspiciously after Chase’s talk of NPCs.

The Captain looked at Brent with a dumb look as though he were trying to process what he had said.

“Erm,” said the Captain scratching his face. “We got a full cargo right now. Gonna take it up the coast to another port…can’t remember the name.”

The guild watched the Captain shuffle off to inform the other players of the news.

“Wow,” said Thomas. “You’re right, Chase. That guy seemed slower than Chef Thaddeus.”

“Chef Thaddeus is going to seem like a genius compared to some of these schlubs. Oh yeah,” he added, looking around the deck. “Don’t call NPCs ‘schlubs’ to their faces.”

“Why?” Asked Amelie.

“It’s a bad word for them,” said Chase. “Even a beggar will know what it means.”

After that the guild decided to take the captain’s advice and lay back. The sun was magically warm and suddenly a weariness fell over them and everyone began to doze off. Despite himself Thomas felt his eyelids begin to droop. A part of him wanted to search the ship and see what kind of cargo the Caption was holding.

Maybe I’ll just rest for a minute, thought Thomas. He saw Chase and Marlon already soundly snoozing. Amelie had vanished her journal and was now pouring over her thick tome of spells. Brent was cradling his new blade as he rested his head against the wall and Claire was stretched out across the deck with her head propped on her hand.

The last thing Thomas saw before sleep took him was Alex who was the only one who didn’t look tired. He was leaning against the railing as he watched the crew members go about their business. A watchful look of suspicion on his face as he looked over the sleeping guild.

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Hours later, long after their rest. Moon Town was on the horizon. The lookout in the crows nest had announced the distant town as soon as he spotted it and called to the ship that they would be in port shortly.

“Everyone get your stuff together,” said Chase, who was now perched on a barrel with his arm over the rail of the ship. “Once we dock we are making a bee line to a specific inn.”

“What stuff?” Said Thomas. He had woken up before the rest and tried to explore the ship which the captain had put a stop to as fast as lightening. Because of this his mood was heavily dampened. “We don’t have any stuff, and what we do are in our bags.”

Chase sighed and rubbed his face in his hands.

“Tommy, are you telling me you didn’t take anything to sell from the island?”

“What? You mean did I steal anything?”

“Of course, you’re our thief, after all,” said Chase patiently.

“Oh,” Thomas felt a sheepish grin come over his face. “I didn’t even think about that.”

“Don’t worry,” said Chase. “I should have told you. If the rest of us tried to steal anything then we probably would have been caught. Mrs Everday has a sharp nose for theft from her domain. I tried to take a set of silver candlesticks when I first left and she caught me immediately even though I was a thief. Thieves usually get a pass as it is their job after all.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Thomas, rubbing his hands as Moon Town began to grow. They were perhaps less than a mile from the town which was sprawling around the simple port. It appeared to be a bunch of cheaply made wooden houses. “I am sure I’ll have plenty of opportunity coming up.”

“Be careful, Thomas,” said Amelie sternly. Her eyes narrowed and she shook her finger at him. “Don’t steal anything unless Chase tells you too.”

“There would be no fun in that,” said Chase with a short laugh. “But do be careful around Moon Town, Thomas. Everyone, actually. There are a few events which occur, some of which we do not want to activate. We have a couple things to do and then we can leave.”

“Which are?” Asked Alex. He seemed weary having not slept on the ship but seemed just as alert as ever.

“First we need to make some money,” said Chase, marking off the tasks on his fingers. “Then, we can sell some of our weapons and upgrade. Secondly, there is some training gear we are going to pick up on the outskirts of town. Lastly, and ideally before we leave, we need a horse and wagon in order to lug everything to our final destination.”

“What destination is that?” Said Brent. He was stretching and seemed to be becoming more energized the closer they came to the port.

“We are going to a secret training area I know about,” said Chase, lowering his voice and smiling. “It’s the same one we used in the Old Guard. It’s going to jumpstart all of our training.”

“Excellent!” Said Brent, pumping the air with his fist. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

As the ship pulled into port the Captain told all the players to ready themselves to disembark. The buildings looked very unimpressive the closer they got and by the time the crew members were docking the ship with large ropes Thomas could make out grimy windows and ancient looking wooden doors. Moon Town did not look like a very friendly place.

“I don’t see anyone,” said Thomas to Chase.

“The citizens here are typically a private lot,” said Chase. “You’ll see more of them at night.”

They crew members lowered the gangplank and soon the guild was walking down to the pier. The other players on the ship walked ahead of them and soon were lost between the buildings. They didn’t wave or say a word to anyone as they just slipped away.

“I hope they know where they are going,” murmured Amelie.

“I am sure their advisors gave them all the same advice to leave Moon Town as soon as they could,” said Chase. “Follow me, I know exactly were we need to go.”

Following Chase they wound their way through the close built houses and buildings. Occasionally Thomas would spy a face peering at them through a darkly lit window or hear a door suddenly close with a bang. If it weren’t for the sun overhead Thomas imagined the streets would be as dark as pitch.

“Here we are,” said Chase. He had stopped outside a modestly sized two story building that had a sign of a pair of boots and a mug swinging in the wind. “Our first stop.”

“Our first stop is to have a drink?” Said Claire exasperatedly. “I thought we needed to make some money.”

“Can’t we do both?” Grinned Chase. “Actually I just need some information here. We won’t be long. C’mon, my Seven Banes.”

Inside the inn was sparsely lit and looked like a much smaller and much grimier version of the eating hall back on the island. There was a single long table pushed against the side and a couple smaller ones near the entrance before a long bar where a man was wiping a mug. At one of the tables was a man with dark hair who smiled toothily at them.

“Welcome, adventures, to the Weary Rest Inn. Please sit at my table and enjoy a stoutpint of the house special. Barkeep! A round for my friends here.” The NPC raised his hand and waved at the man behind the counter who promptly readied several glasses.

“Go ahead,” said Chase. “We need to talk to him for a while and he’s the only NPC who will buy us a drink for some time.”

Thomas eyed the NPC cautiously as he took a seat beside Chase. The NPC looked no different than one of them and if Spade had not told him that most of the people walking by were not human he would never have realized. What was so different about the NPCs in town and those on the island? This one had long dark hair bound behind his head in a pony tail. Around his face was the beginnings of a beard but Chase or Marlon when they hadn’t shaved yet. Thomas nearly jumped out of his seat when the NPC turned his head and winked right at him.

“So what bring you to Moon Town?” Asked the NPC as several glasses of dark liquid were set upon the table. He smiled and Thomas half believed he imagined the wink.

“We are looking for a man who can sell us a horse and a wagon,” said Chase. “Thanks for the drink, Arlo.”

“Of course,” said the man. He did not present surprise that Chase knew his name already but Thomas thought he saw his eyebrow twitch slightly. “To new friends and new adventures. May AION’s light guide each and every one of you.”

All around the table the guild members raised their glasses and drank.

“Not you, Thomas,” said Amelie placing a hand over his glass.

“Don’t worry, madam,” said Arlo. “The boy’s drink does not have any alcohol. I believe it’s a mixture of juice and some ginger.”

Amelie reluctantly gave the glass over to Thomas but not before smelling the drink with a curious look.

“You say you want a horse and a wagon, is it?” Asked Arlo. “Curious. People usually come to me to point them on the way of Belek the Brute. Are you sure you won’t be ridding the town of his presence before you leave?”

“No,” began Chase. “We just want—“

“Who is Belek the Brute?” Interrupted Brent.

“I’m glad you asked, young man.” Arlo’s eyes grew wide with shock but Thomas had the impression the man was playing it up as Chase would say. “Belek the Brute is a terrible bully who was born in this town. He spends his days harassing shopkeepers, assaulting passerbys, mugging tourists and any other manner of ne’er-do-well activities. I dare say if one or all of you were to put a stop to his evil ways Moon Town would be grateful and its inhabitants would be more willing to treat with you.”

“Why hasn’t anyone put him down yet?” Asked Brent.

“Because,” said Chase, cutting Arlo off before he could respond. “They are NPCs and they do what they are programmed. This is a scenario which most players stumble into. Look, just let me do the talking, we don’t need to accept any quests right now.

“So you will not be helping us with Belek the Brute?” Said Arlo. He suddenly sounded bored. Thomas wondered if seeing Belek the Brute smashed was his only entertainment.

“Just a horse and wagon, please.”

Arlo took a thoughtful sip of his drink. When he spoke again his voice sounded less formal.

“Look…What’s your name?”

“Chase.”

“Alright, Chase. You all seem like good enough people. New players, trying to get your start. You don’t have to do this quest, sure. But if you skip it, events may be put into action which may not be reversed.”

“I seriously doubt that, Arlo.”

“You say my name with such familiarity. Did some other player tell you about me? Did they say you can get free drinks and some advice? Well, nothing is free in this world, you’ll learn that soon enough.”

Chase sighed. “Alright, Arlo. Tell us. What are these events you are speaking of?”

“First of all, a very close friend of mine has been waiting for new players to step inside this bar and be given my quest for months. And secondly,” he dropped his voice and glanced at the barkeeper who was washing glasses, “there is a pool with not a small amount of money drawn up which none other than yours truly maybe become apart of. If you can handle this little quest I could see myself giving five, no, ten percent of the winnings to you.”

“You really want us to do this.”

“Who is this friend of yours?” Asked Amelie.

“Trust me when I say you shall meet him if you accept this quest. He is a good man in need of some entertainment. He has been in the dumps ever since players learned they can outright skip this quest and simply enjoy the free drinks.”

Chase leaned back and crossed his arms. “I’ve never haggled with an NPC before. Are you supposed to talk like this?”

Anger crossed Arlo’s face for the first time but vanished suddenly.

“Please. My name is Arlo. And yes I have a programming but AION in his infinite wisdom saw fit to allow us a…semblance…of self awareness.”

“I see.” Chase seemed to be thinking as he took a long sip of his drink. “What is the pool at?”

Arlo blinked in surprise. “Oh, uh, around 500 gold I think.”

“We want 50%.”

“I can do 15% at most.”

“Let’s call it 40%. That’s 200 gold coins. We will need it for the horse and wagon which is why we came here in the first place.”

Arlo glanced at the barkeep who was no longer cleaning a glass but glaring at their table, arms crossed.

“Dear man, there is no way I can part with 40%. How about I give you an even 100 gold? That would be 20% and far more than what a wagon and horse will cost.”

Chase laughed. “What does an NPC need with all that gold? Aren’t you just gonna walk in here tomo and sit for eight hours?”

Again Thomas saw the anger.

“That’s none of your business, player.” Said Arlo.

Amelie placed her hand of Chase’s arm. “I think 100 gold would be a fair amount, Chase. This doesn’t sound like a very challenging quest after all.”

“It’s not the challenge, Amelie, but the absurdity. Why does an NPC care about this quest so much?”

Arlo rose to his feet but a strong arm was ready to clasp his shoulder.

“Steady there, Arlo,” said the barkeeper. He smiled sadly at Spade. “There is no need to antagonize Arlo like this. I’ll give you 200 gold if you just accept this quest.”

“Incredible,” said Chase. “Now the barkeep is in on it. And what’s your reason, then?”

The barkeep sighed and gently pushed a fuming Arlo back into his seat.

“It so happens that Arlo and I share a mutual friend who desperately needs someone to accept this quest. As he mentioned no player has done this in several months. It’s not just our friend but this whole part of town is a little stale without some action. What do you say? I guarantee you’ll never find such a deal,” the barkeep smiled yet the skin around his eyes tightened, “from an NPC ever again.”