Chapter 122
Preparing for the Hunt
Seeing as how they didn’t have any better options, Erin and her friends decided to fulfill Rayleen’s request and go slay the Reaper Maggot. Seeing as how the warlord was not only very strong herself, but had obviously made more than enough preparations to make sure they wouldn’t be able to cross her over, fighting a legendary monster seemed like the better option. They just needed to make as thorough preparations as possible, before facing the monster.
Lexton had protested and tried to change the group’s minds, but had eventually relented and accepted that the Reaper Maggot was still the best way for them to go. While the kobold was more than aware of the danger they would be facing, even he realized that the warlord was the bigger threat to them. After all, legendary or not, the Reaper Maggot was still an animal and wouldn’t have an entire army backing it up.
The next day, the group split up in order to look for equipment that could help them in their task. Arkay and Durge headed to the local library in order to read about the Reaper Maggot and hopefully find more information. Lexton went to the local market to buy ingredients for different types of potions as well as other items that would aid them in their battle. Erin and Zeldana went to inspect the cliffs that led to the monster’s lair, hoping to find the best place to enter the area. Lastly, Ryle was once again left behind to look after their equipment and to train by herself. The blonde had wanted to go along with Arkay as a “bodyguard,” but had to give up on it. Not only would the cat boy have Durge with him, but the thought of going through numerous books was something Ryle wanted to avoid as much as possible.
Now that everybody in the group had their work set up for them, they all went on to accomplish their tasks. Soon both Erin and Zeldana were walking close to the edge of the cliff that led to their target’s home.
“Wow. That’s quite the drop,” Erin said as she looked down towards the bottom of the cliff. It was so deep that she couldn’t even see the bottom. Only darkness was visible to her. “I seriously hope that there’s an elevator or something we can use. I’d hate to actually climb down from here and slip up, as I doubt it would be a soft landing down there.”
“I’m willing to bet that there is at least some company or individual, who can help us with that. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are several people who travel there every year in the hopes of finding treasure from the ruins below,” Zeldana said, before spitting into the dark abyss. “The bigger concern is how much they cost. After all, we are talking about some pretty dangerous work here. I’d be surprised if they don’t demand hazard pay.”
“Well, as long as it isn’t an outrageous price that they’re asking for, we should be able to cover it. Lex’s business has been doing pretty well here, so we have a nice amount of cash on hand,” the redhead said. “Now the problem is finding the place that would take us down there. I doubt they can just advertise their services openly.”
“How come?” the elf asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Seriously? You actually need me to explain that?” Erin asked in return. “We are talking about an area that is essentially a natural disaster! I’m sure that there’s a ban on people traveling down there!”
Zeldana raised an eyebrow in response, before pointing at a nearby wall. Much to the redhead’s surprise, there was a poster stuck on it, advertising trips down to the bottom of the cliff.
“Well… I guess that solves our problem,” Erin said while staring at the poster in disbelief. “First Gotzmeyer’s base and now this? Is the universe purposefully messing with me or something?”
“I’m more surprised that you thought that there would be a ban on this type of travel. If you think about it logically, there’s no reason for the authorities to prevent you from going down there,” the elf said. “Why would anyone in power try to prohibit people from going there? After all, they might come back up with interesting stuff they find down there that they can then sell up here. The way I see it, it’s more surprising that businesses like this aren’t advertised a lot more.”
“Why would you think something like that would not only be allowed, but also encouraged!?” the redhead asked in return in a shocked tone. “We’re talking about taking trips down to a place where a deadly monster lives! Considering the amount of people who die down there, shouldn’t the authorities try their best to prevent people from throwing away their lives!?”
“Why would those in charge care about a few random civilians getting killed? You’ve seen the type of people who run things in this world. Do you think they give a rat’s ass about anybody dying there? This might be a surprise, but they honestly don’t care,” Zeldana said. “The way they see it, people traveling down there are the same as the people who travel the wastelands between cities and towns in hopes of going somewhere else. Many get attacked by wild beasts and bandits during those trips, so it’s not really all that different. If you think something is worth the risk, you can go for it, but you don’t have the right to whine if things go sideways.”
“I suppose that’s true… I still find it somewhat messed up, though,” Erin said with a sigh. “Back in my world, not only would this place be prohibited for entry, but nearby areas would also be evacuated just in case! I guess I need to stop thinking in a manner from where I’m from…”
“Now that you mention it, I did have a question for you,” the elf said. “How did you know about the Reaper Maggot? I get that the Five Overlords are your old friends and everything, but how is that creature familiar to you? Was it a pet to one of those five or something?”
“Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous!” the redhead replied a bit angrily, before feeling very awkward over Zeldana’s question. “As for how I know about the Reaper Maggot, it’s… It’s a bit of a complicated thing. I’m not sure I know how to explain it properly or if you would even believe me. How about we just leave it at that, okay?”
“Oh, that’s NOT happening today! I demand to get an explanation!” the elf said with a bit of excitement in her voice. “Besides, you think I can’t handle whatever it is that you know? I’ve lived far longer than you and I’ve seen some of the darkest things the world has to offer. Not just on the battlefield, but in normal life as well. Also, I learned that you used to be a friend to the Five Overlords themselves! Do you really think that you could say anything more insane than that?”
“Yes. In fact, I know something that would sound no better than the ramblings of a lunatic, but are the honest truth,” Erin said. “My biggest fear is how you or anybody else in our group could ever handle it…”
The redhead had good reason to being afraid of telling Zeldana or anybody else about how she knew about things in this world, like the Reaper Maggot. She couldn’t help but fear their reaction upon finding out that their world was nothing more than a game in her own. Anybody would be obviously disturbed, if they found out that their whole existence was based on nothing more than an entertainment product of others.
While she didn’t know the full extent of how connected these two things were, Erin still couldn’t help but fear the what discovering it would lead to with anybody. As far as she herself was concerned, the people and the world around her were real enough that she couldn’t simply consider it all just a game any longer. The question was would any of her friends see it that way? And if they discovered these secrets of hers, would they take their anger on her?
It was these fears that kept her from talking, but the person she was dealing with wasn’t about to let it go.
“Stop being a little bitch about it and just spill it already!” Zeldana said, growing impatient. “I’m the one who gets to decide whether something is too hard for me to handle or not, so get to talking already! I’m getting sick of your stalling and want some answers!”
“...You know, you could use some tact and manners, okay?” Erin said unhappily. “No one likes a person who just goes around making unreasonable demands just like that!”
“And no one likes a whiny little shit that isn’t willing to be cooperative, so I guess we both have things we need to work on!” the elf said. “Now out with it already! Spill the beans! Spill it! Spill it! Spill it!”
“Okay! I get it! Fine!” the redhead said, relenting under the demands. She took a deep breath in order to steel her resolve for what she was about to tell. “Like with the Reaper Maggot, you’ve probably noticed that I know quite a bit about this world, despite the fact that I’m not from here, right? The things is that this world was known in my world, although not in a way I think you’d expect. Or like…”
“How come?” Zeldana asked with her ears perked up, listening intently. “Come on! Give me some details and more info! This is nowhere enough for me!”
“I’m getting to that, you impatient ass! Wait a moment!” Erin said as she was starting to get angry at the elf. She momentarily wondered if this is what it was like to have a bratty child. “The thing is that this world, YOUR world, is known in my world. Not as a story or a legend, but as a video game. All of the places, all of the creatures and many other thins about this were part of it. Back in the day, I used to play it a lot with my friends. The ones you know as the Fiver Overlords.”
“...Huh. That’s quite something,” Zeldana said, mulling over the response she had gotten. “I gotta say, I had imagined all sorts of possibilities, but that wasn’t one of them.”
“You see why I didn’t want to tell anyone?” the redhead asked. “I’m not sure how anyone could take it, if they found out that their whole world was nothing more than a game people played in another world.”
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“While that is a bit of a mind screwing idea, I think you’re thinking about this in a far too simple manner,” the elf said. “I mean, were your friends part of that game?”
“Well… I guess technically they were since they played the game with the characters they created. Those same characters are the ones whose names they are using here,” Erin answered. “What are you getting at, though?”
“You’ll see. Just let me ask a couple more things first,” Zeldana quickly said. “Now, you said that your friends have adopted the names of characters they used to play the game as, right? I’m going to assume that you also had a character like theirs when you played. Did it perhaps look exactly like you?”
“Of course not. The specific characters they are using are when we played as these comically evil villains,” the redhead replied. “In case you’re wondering, my character back then was a succubus named Erzaal. Not only did she have wings on her back, but she also had horns on her head, clawed finger and toes, and a very long tail. Also, her hair was silver, unlike mine.”
“And since she was a succubus, I’m going to guess that her front bumpers were probably of higher quality as well?” the elf asked, causing Erin’s face to turn red. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“You just say whatever come to your mind without hesitation, don’t you!?” the redhead asked angrily. “Are we getting to a point here or something!?”
“Just about. I only want to confirm one more thing,” Zeldana said. “The last thing I want to ask is if you remember meeting anyone in our world that you saw in the game as well? I’m obviously not talking about your old friends, but the actual people of this world. Do you remember any of them from the game?”
“Not really… I mean, it has been quite some time since I actually played the game, so-”
It was at that moment it hit Erin. The game known as Five Realms obviously had it’s own named characters within it, but none of the people she had met were any of those. In the game, there were named characters ranging from heroes and villains to simple shopkeepers and smaller background characters, who all had their own stories. There were even celebrities within it to make the world feel like it was alive.
However, there had not been a single recognizable character that she had seen even on the posters on the walls. They were all completely foreign to her.
“I see you’re finally starting to get it,” Zeldana said with a smirk. “I don’t know how our world is ultimately connected to yours, but does it even matter? As far as I can tell, I’ve made all of my decisions in life, just like everybody else. You talk like some people in another world made everything here, yet it sure doesn’t seem like that. So the way I see it, you ignore all of that and keep pushing forward. No point in stressing over useless crap like that.”
“I… I guess you’re right,” Erin said. “Hey… Zeldana? Thanks.”
“For what?” the elf asked.
“For helping me see things properly,” the redhead said. “All this time the idea of my world’s connection to this one has been gnawing at the back of my mind. Thanks to you, I now see that there is no point in worrying about it. Such things are far too complicated for me to worry about, especially when I have things that I actually need to focus on.”
“Well, I just felt like you’re already sulking about stuff enough as it is, so might as well help you drop some of that stuff,” Zeldana said with a shrug. “You’re welcome, though.”
“...You just couldn’t let a good thing stay the way it was, could you?”
The elf simply smirked in response, as the two of them went on to find the business that was advertised on the poster they had seen. From what they had learned, it was called “Downhill Ventures” and offered to take upwards to twenty people down to the bottom of the cliff. Price would be determined on the amount of people and equipment that would be transported, so there wasn’t a set cost for their service. There was also an address written on the poster, allowing one to find the place easily.
It didn’t take long for the duo to find the place they were looking for, but upon doing so Erin began to have second thoughts. They had arrived at the front of a rundown house located in the bad part of the city. The windows were all boarded up and there were old graffiti on the walls. The only thing that signified that it was the business they were looking for was the sign loosely hanging above the front door that read “Downhill Ventures.”
“Zel, I’m no sure this place is in business any longer,” Erin said awkwardly while looking over the building before them. “Do you think anybody even lives here? This place looks worse than the house you were living in!”
“Hey, I’m not the one who is in charge of this place, so don’t complain at me!” Zeldana said. “It’s the people inside who need to hear your whining, so take it to them!”
The redhead let out a sigh and knocked on the door. However, instead of any occupants coming over to open and let them in, the only thing her knocking managed to do was cause the sign above to finally drop down and land on her head. This caused Zeldana to burst out in laughter, finding the whole thing hilarious. While rubbing her sore head, Erin picked up the fallen sign and threw it at the elf, knocking her down on the ground, before banging her fist on the door.
“Goddammit! I’m coming! I’m coming!” a groggy voice shouted from the other side of the door as footsteps could be heard approaching it. “Seriously, how many times do you assholes need to be told that I don’t have your damn money!? Did you think I could just suddenly pull it all out of my ass or something!?”
The door finally opened to reveal a rather weak-looking orc. Unlike Durge or any of the other orcs Erin had seen, this one looked like he was the runt of his species. The orcs were commonly rather large and buff, as these were their common characteristics, but this one was barely her height and seemed to lack muscles completely. He had a messy mop of hair on his head, making it look like he had just woken up, and bags underneath his eyes, like he hadn’t slept for days. He wasn’t even dressed properly, despite supposedly running a business, as he was wearing only a loose T-shirt and boxers. Not only that, but his clothes were covered in stains and had tears all over them.
The orc stared at Erin and Zeldana in silence, who did the same thing with him. The awkward lack of noise from either side lasted for a few seconds.
image [https://i.ibb.co/JKJxT6Y/Ch-122-Pic-1.jpg]
“...You guys are not from the bank, are you?” the orc finally asked, breaking the silence.
“What was your first clue?” Erin asked back sarcastically, before letting out a sigh to calm herself. “We came here, because we saw one of your posters and wanted to use your services to get to the bottom of the cliff. Do you think you can help us with that?”
“So you guys… You actually… But doesn’t that mean-? JUST A MOMENT!” the orc said before suddenly panicking and going back inside, closing the door behind him. The sound of him running around and haphazardly moving things around could be heard for some time, until he called out to his new customers outside. “Please come in!”
Erin and Zeldana glanced at each other awkwardly, feeling unsure about what they were about to get themselves into. Despite their worries, they had already come this far, so it would have felt stupid to turn away now. Deciding to hope for the best, the two of them opened the door and walked inside.
Once inside, Erin and Zeldana could tell that the building didn’t look all that better when compared to the outside. Despite his best efforts to make the place look more professional, you could tell at a glance that all of the cleaning had been done quickly at the last minute and mostly consisted of hiding trash and dirty clothes. There was still a thick layer of dust covering most surfaces and you could spot grime and dirt here and there. The few lights that worked were flickering from time to time and everything showed signs of neglect. With the way things looked, Erin wondered if she could get out of this building alive, let alone trust the services sold there.
The only thing that seemed to be clean at all was the orc they had seen earlier, as he was now wearing a suit and his hair was no longer an unkempt mess, but had been swept back neatly. Still despite his efforts, the orc couldn’t hide the effects of his less than clean lifestyle, as there were a few stains on his suit and he himself reeked of alcohol, which caused Erin to wrinkle her nose in disgust. She hadn’t noticed it earlier as they had been outside, but now that they were indoors the stench was obvious.
“Welcome to Downhill Ventures, ladies!” the orc said happily with a wide smile. “I am Brega, the owner of this humble establishment! How may I be of service!?”
“...Yes, like I said earlier, my companion and I saw one of your posters and require your services. We need to get to the bottom of the cliff, which is why we came here,” Erin said, a bit put off by the complete change in the orc’s behavior and appearance. “Do you think you can help us with that?”
“Why of course! Trips to the unknown lands that lay next to our fine city is what I do best!” Brega said in an overly excited voice. “Now, will it just be the two of you or are there going to be more joining us?”
“Our whole group consists of six people in total. We will also be taking our equipment with us, but it won’t be anything massive. Just things we can carry ourselves,” the redhead explained. “The poster we saw stated that you could accommodate up to twenty people traveling down the cliff, so this should still work out fine, right?”
“Certainly! A group of that size won’t be an issue at all!” the shopkeeper said, before mumbling to himself a bit. “But I’d prefer a larger group… More people means more money. Guess I can try getting as much as I can.”
“What was that?” Erin asked, as she had noticed Brega mumble something low enough that even Zeldana hadn’t picked it up. “Did you say something?”
“OH, NOTHING! NOTHING AT ALL! NOTHING YOU NEED CONCERN YOURSELF WITH IN THE LEAST!” the shopkeeper quickly said, not really easing up the redhead’s growing distrust towards him. “Anyways! Back to business! You said that you were going as a group of six, correct? Like I said earlier, that won’t be an issue at all!”
“That’s… good to hear, I suppose,” the redhead said, still put off by the way the orc was acting. “So how much will this cost us?”
“I’m glad you asked! I can assure you that our prices are the best in the entire city!” Brega said happily as he pulled out a very old calculator and began pressing buttons on it. “Now, when it comes to traveling down to the bottom of the cliff, we need to take into account all sorts of things, such as maintenance of the lift, hazard pay, my own fee and many other things. In total, a one way trip is going to cost 3 000 credits for a person! So that will be 18 000 for the whole group!”
“18 000 CREDITS!?” Erin yelled out in shock at the high price. “Is it really that expensive to simply take a lift downwards!?”
“Umm… Erin? I think you’re missing something,” Zeldana called out to the redhead, who turned her attention to the elf. “Didn’t you hear him say “one way trip?” My guess is that if you want to get back up, you’re going to need to pay him the same amount again.”
“… So 36 000 credits in total? Seriously?” Erin asked as she turned her attention back to Brega. “That’s how much this is going to cost us in total?”
“Why yes! That is correct!” the orc said happily, already dreaming about the money he was going to receive. “Of course, if you want some added benefits, like food and drinks, it can cost over 40-”
“We’re done here! We’re leaving!” the redhead said as she turned around to walk out of the store. “I’m sure we can find a way better place than this!”
Erin was just about to open the door and walk outside, when she felt something grab her leg. She looked down to see Brega clinging to her while giving her a look that could only be described as “sad puppy eyes.”
“PLEASE RECONSIDER!” the orc pleaded. “I assure you that my price might seem high, but they are quite cheap when comparing to the average! Even if you go to all the other businesses that offer similar services, you won’t see the price go down!”
“Well, I need to see that for myself, don’t I!?” Erin argued as she tried to pull her leg away. “Let go of me! What kind of a man are you!?”
“A desperate one! Please have mercy on me! Or at least do so with my children!” Brega kept pleading with tears in his eyes, as he pulled out a picture of three orc children. “Just look at them! Do you have any idea how hard it is to feed them!? If my business doesn’t make money, I’ll fail as a parent and they’ll be taken away from me! I just want to at least fulfill my duties as a father! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK!?”
image [https://i.ibb.co/vjxv10p/Ch-122-Pic-2.jpg]
The redhead was torn between wanting to rage at the shopkeeper clinging to her leg and feeling pity towards the children in the picture. After all, while their father was a sketchy and irritating excuse of a man, she couldn’t bring herself to get upset at innocent kids. Besides, seeing as the business wasn’t the most high-class, Brega was most likely telling the truth about the pricing in the industry. Not to mention, their group was on a time limit, so they needed to get things done as quickly as possible.
“...Fine. We’ll use your service,” Erin said after taking a deep breath to calm herself. “Can you let go of me already?”
“You will!? THANK YOU SO MUCH!” Brega said happily as he got back on his feet. “Let’s just sign the contract with all the details on it and we can proceed with the trip itself! Believe me when I say that you made the right call and won’t regret it!”
“I’m afraid I already do…”
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With the help of Brega, Erin and Zeldana went over the details of their agreement, which included the price, the terms of the service they’d receive, as well as the time and place of their descent down the cliff. They agreed to pay half of the money upfront and rest after they were done. Once the contract had been signed, Erin and Zeldana left the store, leaving behind a very happy orc.
“...Zel, can I ask you for a favor?” Erin said, looking over to the elf.
“What is it?” Zeldana asked.
“Please don’t tell Lex about any of this,” the redhead said. “I fear how he might react.”