Chapter 83: He Who is Doing it Best?

Guilds like strongholds. It is self evident in the way they like to nest. Once a guild becomes big enough, once they have enough stuff, and things, and gold, then most times they want to way to protect these items along with themselves.

Purchasing one is a decent method. There are thousands of homes and castles and lairs and dungeons around Esem which can be bought from the Real Estate Class players at fair markets rates. These homes often come furnished and are always decent ways of achieving a base of operations. Of course, the down side is any stronghold large enough to comfortably fit an entire guild will be expensive. Even a modestly sized one in the Hub can go for a million gold coins. The further one gets from civilization the lower the prices go, but still, it can take years for players to be able to afford even the meanest of property.

Another method, and one which will earn you the enmity of all who know you, is taking a stronghold by force. There are no laws outside the Hub and the main cities of Esem which prevent this from happening. This does not prevent retaliation, but common law states that if a guild can hold a stronghold for a year and a day, then that property is legally transferred and the attacking guild are officially the new owners of said property. There are many famous examples of this, but I will not bore you with those, as you are reading this for options, not a story.

The third way is to make a home yourself, or, rather, have it built for you. Mason and Architect Class players are in high demand, and their costs will be high, but there is no better way to make a home truly your own instead of moving into a prebuilt one of which you have no say. The best builders are in Great Nexia and Nabonoban.

Finally, allow me to leave you with a word of caution. A guilds stronghold is a sacred place, and not one which should be entered without express permission. Many a murder has been dismissed as it was proven that a player entered the premises of a guild without being allowed to do so. Never enter a stronghold without the guild inviting you first, other wise the common law called Threshold Killing, may come into effect.

You have been warned.

-Happy Homes of Esem V.5, by Higs Boring, circa SD900

“Christie?” Said Marlon stupidly.

“Yes,” said the woman.

“Welcome to Fort Lazerpail,” he said with a bow. As he did so he noticed the grass of the courtyard appeared to be undulating like an ocean, and he had to close his eyes to keep from spewing up his meal of preserved venison. “My home is yours.”

“Quite literally, I should think,” said Christie sarcastically. “Please, rise, Mr Marlon. There is no need for such formalities.”

As Marlon did he realized that the bottle was gone from his hands. He flexed his fingers and then looked about for broken shards of glass, but then realized that Christie was holding his concoction, hesitantly sniffing its contents with a frown.

“Terbithian root and…what’s that? An infusion of Nightwart bulbs? I thought people stopped making this stuff years ago.”

“You are gifted in the subtle art of potion making?”

“Quite,” said Christie with a small smile. She handed the bottle back to him. “This stuff was all the rage when I was young. They called it “Moon Stuff,” but the Dark Lord outlawed it and I thought the last of it was destroyed. You made this yourself?”

“Yes,” said Marlon. He tried to focus on her eyes but every time he did they appeared at one moment like twin stars, and then the next eclipsed moons. It was very off putting. “I am the resident potion maker here. You said you knew Chase?”

“I ran into him and your guild on the way over here.”

“And they told you to pop in for a visit, eh? How are those rascals doing?”

“No,” said Christie, shaking her head. She frowned. “They did not know I was heading this way, and they did not tell me they were living here.”

“Ah,” said Marlon. His thoughts were stretching into a void. Each idea he had felt like the sound his footsteps made as they echoed off the tunnel into Fort Lazerpail. “Well, that is odd.”

Christie sighed.

“Come on, you need to sit down. Are you seeing anything off? Creatures running around?”

“Just some little red men,” giggle Marlon. He allowed her to take him by the hand and direct him to the tree. Together they sat there and she told him to focus on his breathing.

“Ten counts in, ten counts out, Marlon,” said said. “Deep, deep, breaths.”

“You have some experience with this,” muttered Marlon. The breathing was definitely helping, so long as he focused on the front door and not the ground.

“A bit, yes,” said Christie. “My guild has a few members who enjoy such experiences. I cannot tell you the number of times I have had to keep one of them calm, or prevent them from trying to fly like a bird from a tower top.”

“Fly? Why…I’ve never tried,” said Marlon.

“Focus, Marlon,” she said, suddenly sounding serious. “I need you to tell me some things. I met with Chase and Amelie and all the others a couple days ago. They seemed like a nice enough bunch, though Chase was a bit strange—.”

“More than you know,” interrupted Marlon.

“-but now I am getting the idea they were not totally honest with me.”

“In what way, fair lady?” Said Marlon. He was beginning to sense a trap, and a voice, buried in the deep places of his mind, seemed to be trying to tell him something.

“How did you guys get here?”

“I’ve been wondering that myself,” said Marlon with relief. What had he thought she was going to ask? “We spawn with no memory of what came before, but for a memory of the Old World. What was the Old World? What is AION? Why are we here?”

“No,” said Christie, patiently shaking her head. “None of that crap. I meant Lazerpail. This is the first Stronghold of the Old Guard. How did you get in here? Did one of them let you in?”

“Oh…well,” Marlons mind raced, and now that little voice was at full volume yelling: ‘DON’T TELL HER ABOUT CHASE.’ “You don’t have to yell, I get it.”

“I’m not yelling,” sighed Christie. “Do you need some water or something?”

“Oh, sorry, I was talking to the voices.”

Christie buried her face in her hands.

“Why did I take the detour around the forest? I could have arrived here before you drank that filth.”

Christie was quiet for a while, as she looked around the courtyard.

“You guys really cleaned up the place. Is that a squat rack?”

“Yes it is, but I’ve been using it as a place to dry some herbs.”

“Not a bad idea. And I noticed you found the chest with the goblin encampment map. That explains how the Banes leveled so quickly.”

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“Er…yes, we found that. Quite useful, actually.”

“So?” Said Christie finally. “How did you get in here? Who told you the password?”

DON’T TELL HER ABOUT CHASE, screamed the voice in his head again.

“Um, well, you see…uh,” spluttered Marlon.

“Well?”

“Spade!” Said Marlon, snapping his fingers as though he had found a particularly rare plant. “Spade told us!”

Christie got to her feet. A look of shock was on her face and her mouth was partly open. It was a couple moments before she spoke.

“Spade? You knew him?”

“Yes,” said Marlon, nodding his head. “That is how we got the password.”

Somewhere, deep in his mind, the source of the voice which has been yelling seemed to be banging its imaginary head against an imaginary wall in frustration.

“But…wait,” said Christie. She seemed deep in thought. “That’s not possible. “Spade died before any of you left the Training Island.”

Suddenly Marlon felt as though a bucket of freezing cold water had been poured over his body.

“No no no no!” Said Marlon hurriedly. “We didn’t get it directly from him. Someone who knew him told us, you see? Meaning that Spade told someone, and then that someone told us, and now here we are!”

“Someone told you,” said Christie slowly. “And who was that? I can’t see Spade ever telling a soul how to get into here.”

Perhaps the drink was wearing off, but Marlon felt as though the scales were falling from his eyes. His mind was not sharp, but sharpening as he moved out of the fog and into the barest glimpse of the light which was sobriety.

“I wasn’t there,” began Marlon, carefully. “We were in Moontown, fresh off the boat, as it were. Our leader, Chase, met some players who worked around the ships. He got to talking to them, he said, and I guess they liked him because when he returned he had a location for us to go to and train.”

Christie mulled that over for a time. She sat back down and stared across the courtyard. What she saw, Marlon could not say, but he imagined she was seeing her old friend again.

“So before he died he told people about this place,” she murmured. “Why would he do that?”

“Spade? Oh…I imagine he wanted something to live on after he was gone.”

“Live on after he was gone?” Said Christie in confusion. “You clearly didn’t know him, then. Spade never thought about the future. He wasn’t one to give a hoot about legacy or what will outlive him.”

Marlon had to, literally, bite his tongue in order to not speak.

“Did you know this was the stronghold of the Old Guard?”

“Um…well, we figured, yes,” said Marlon, trying to sound thoughtful. “We knew it was risky coming here as we thought it possible one of you might show up and give us what for. I suppose we were right.”

“Don’t worry, I am no Threshold Murderer,” said Christie. “I do not care if you are here, but my boss may.”

“Ah, Solomon, is it?”

“He sent me here. He said someone was at Lazerpail.” She shook her head. “I thought he was crazy. I thought that maybe…well…”

“You thought you would find someone else? And not some old fart puttering about with illicit potions?”

Christie was quiet a moment. When she spoke she sounded no longer like someone taking charge of a strange situation but instead just a women who was tired and disappointed.

“They killed him, you know.”

“Pardon?”

“Spade,” said Christie. “My own guild—the most famous in the land—killed Spade. I know what the papers say, but they will print whatever we tell them. The Old Guard murdered the closest friend I will ever have.”

Christie wrapped her arms about her as though a chill breeze had blown across them. She looked worried, but resolute in what she was saying. She clearly needed to speak these words.

“It doesn’t matter if I tell you, because no one will ever believe you, but Spade was murdered by them.”

“Why would they do that?” Said Marlon, trying to sound surprised.

Christie glanced at him and shrugged. She hesitated a moment, and appeared like she didn’t want to say another word, but then a dark look crossed her face.

“Because he was tired of living a lie. Because he dared to be brave.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to, I guess,” sighed Christie. “Just know that Esem is not as it seems. The Old Guard changed the world years ago. We freed all the players from the Dark Lord, and that’s what we are known for. But really control of the world only passed hands, we have have all been living in a dream ever since. Spade just saw it for what it was and wanted to wake people up.”

He sounds quite brave when she puts it like that, thought Marlon. He stroked his beard meditatively.

“What?” Said Christie.

“Nothing.”

“I can tell when men have something on their mind.”

“Can you?”

“It’s my specialty.”

“I was just thinking about what you said. Spade sounds like a good guy. I am sorry for what happened, but you have to push on, I suppose. Have you considered finishing what he started?”

“Rather presumptuous of you,” muttered Christie, but she didn’t sound upset. “If I did that I would just be the next target. Instead of the AION post reporting me dying at sea I would accidentally fall off a tower or be crushed in a rockslide.”

The little red men were back, and Marlon felt a cloud descend upon his mind once again. The little red men were dancing about his legs, tumbling and doing flips. He squinted at one and the little guy stuck his tongue out at him.

“I wonder where Spade was going,” said Marlon absentmindedly.

“Going? What do you mean?”

The little red man who was mocking him was now shaking his little bottom in Marlon’s direction whilst his friends slapped their knees and guffawed.

“His ship went down near the training island, after all,” said Marlon. He slowly began to raise his hand. “Why there of all places?”

“I don’t know—.”

SMACK!

Marlon brought his hand down onto the little cretin, and the visions disappeared like smoke in the wind.

“Sorry,” said Marlon sheepishly, suddenly realizing how strange he looked. “I keep forgetting what is real.”

“You think the little men aren’t real?” Said Christie with a smirk.

For some reason her statement left Marlon speechless, and after a moment Christie had to reach over and gently close his hanging mouth. She laughed for the first time since Marlon had met her.

“You’re a funny one,” she said. “You remind me of Thomas quite a bit.”

Marlon harrumphed dramatically.

“That little rapscallion is nothing like me, I’m afraid. I for one know when to turn off the antics and read a book. That boy is only interested in pranks.”

“And stealing,” said Christie, patting her shirt. “He tried to take my inventory before I left for here.”

“My case in point,” said Marlon. “So, how are they all doing?”

“I think they are just fine. They didn’t win the tournament, unfortunately, but there were extenuating circumstances against them. Wait…you haven’t had any news since they left, have you?”

“I am on the outskirts of civilization in here. So, no, what happened?”

“They had a run in with a very powerful NPC and saved a lot of players. It happened when they were going to Birchtown, and then that same NPC tracked them down and tried to finish the job. Don’t worry,” she added, seeing his face. “I saved them the second time. No one was hurt.”

“Good AION,” said Marlon, shaking his head. “That is good to hear. They always manage to find themselves some trouble. Just as soon as we got to Moontown Thomas got abducted, and then shortly after we were nearly killed by a pack of bandits.”

“Now your guild is the talk of Esem,” continued Christie. “The AION Post picked up the story. You and you’re guild may be as famous as the Old Guard some day.”

“Incredible,” said Marlon. “Well, I am glad they are well.”

“They won’t be in high spirits when they return, but at least they are safe. And I think Lazerpail will continue to serve you all well. It certainly did for us.”

“You mean, you’ll let us stay here?”

Christie shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t really care that you guys are using it. At least someone is.”

“And what about…what’s his name? Solomon? He knew that someone was around here.”

“I’ll just tell him it was some goblins at the gate or something,” she said, waving her hand. “He’s got bigger problems, anyway.”

“Well, on behalf of the Seven Banes I thank you. I have become rather fond of this old place.”

Christie stood up and brushed off her traveling pants.

“Leaving?” Said Marlon.

“I am afraid I must. I want to make the Gate before sunset, as it’s a bit tricky to get in after that.”

“Why don’t you stay?” Said Marlon. “I have food and drink and I am sure the others would love to see you again.”

At the mention of ’food and drink’ Christie glanced at the empty bottle laying beside Marlon and arched an eyebrow.

“Thank you, sir, but I think it’s best I am going back. I think the Banes have seen enough of my face to last them a life time.”

“Heaven forbid!” Said Marlon. “You’re face could brighten a haunted forest in the dark of night.”

“You’re one of those, hm?” Said Christie, but she giggled all the same. “Thank you, Marlon, genuinely. But I need to go. Tell Chase and the others that they need to be careful going in and out of this place. I will make sure Solomon forgets about Lazerpail, but I can’t protect you from the other players that may do you harm. That NPC I mentioned is quite the mean one, and she has some problem with your guild now.”

“I’ll be sure to tell them,” sighed Marlon. He cautiously got to his feet and Christie had to steady him as he swayed slightly. “So that’s it, eh? A beautiful woman comes into my life and leaves just as fast. Is something wrong with my face?”

Christie laughed again, and, though Marlon was sure the effects of the drink had something to do with it, her joy sounded like an angel’s song.

“Not in the least,” said Christie at last. “Oh, let me give you something.”

She opened up her bag and withdrew a long wooden case.

“Here,” she said, handing it to him. “I can’t remember what I left behind here but I am sure you need some better instruments. These are from my own personal collection.”

Marlon gently opened the box to behold the finest glass tubes, vials, and instruments of potion making that he had ever seen.

“This is marvelous!” He said, nearly gasping. “I will treasure them! This will make my progress so much faster.”

“And also help you protect the guild,” said Christie. “The guilds potion master is an often overlooked position. Sometimes a battle can be decided just by the potions we carry. I am sure you will use them well. Besides, I have grown rather fond of your guild. Even your leader, as strange as he seems. I got the impression he didn’t like me,” she added.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” muttered Marlon.

“Say what?”

“Nothing!” Said Marlon, shutting the case sheepishly.

She lightly frowned at him, and then smiled.

“Farewell, Marlon.”

“Farewell, Christie. I would bow again but right now the world is already upside down and I worry I may send us both tumbling into the sun.”

She rolled her eyes, and then Marlon watched her leave.