The next day I took Frank back to the smithy’s…
Seventeen bronze ingots later… and the new item shimmered in the air before clattering to the ground.
Frank has created [Bronze Longsword]
“Hahaha! Take that you stupid system!”
Now, let’s see those stats.
[Ornamental Bronze Longsword]
DMG: 6, Hardiness: 10, Durability: 10
Level: 1, [Sword]
Once an ornamental sword, with a new purpose.
“Awesome!”
Looking closely at the details it was strange that ornamental was in the title. Interesting… okay I really should try completing that quest.
The gravelled path went all the way to the hardstone steps to the Barrack’s entrance. Two tortoise men Kappas stood guard but cared not for my existence, so I let myself in through the hard-wooden doors. It took a few wrong turns before I found the door down into the jail common room beneath the Barracks, two guards sat at a table next to it, playing a strange card game on a board, the cards were pinched to a base standing vertically, neither player could see the other’s cards, kinda like chess mixed with go but with a cloud of war.
I wonder if he is still watching? Like can he see me now? There was no one else here but the unsuspicious guards.
There was a door that looked like it went further down, but when I tried it the handle wouldn’t budge.
“Umm, hi, I’m looking for some cat-children.”
They stopped their game and glared, the one with several keys on his belt spoke up. “You’ll need to purchase a visitor’s pass.” A green see-through list appeared before my eyes.
Reicat
5,000a
Armara and Mello
100a
Srut
250a
Bonnie Doon
50,000a
Theirastra Pieriale
250,000a
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Raam
1,000a
Jondular Berevan
100,000a
Skuurg
5,000a
Orrz
500a
Oh, there they are I think, thank… wait a second. Most of the names seemed like typical fantasy names, but Reicat, Ray, Cat? Cat? Catherine maybe? Couldn’t be…
*Ching*
You have received ‘Visitor Pass for Armara and Mello’
The guard jangled his ring of keys before the door clicked and opened. “Don’t let us catch you doing anything suspicious, ya hear?!”
“No-no, of course not,” my voice stumbled betraying my intentions, but neither of the guards seemed to pick up on it. The stairs down were dark and damp. It was so quiet I could hear scuttling and the drip of water. The door closed behind me and the hairs on my neck stood on their ends, before a final definitive click. My breath caught in my throat. Had I fallen into some insidious trap? But IFO wasn’t like that, it didn’t have jails or prisons, there wasn’t prisoners, it wasn’t that kind of game.
“Armara and Mello are in cell 7. Knock on the door when you’re finished,” the guard said from the other side, and my lungs purchased the air once more.
Shadows flickered along the walls of the cells, and the dying sconces provided just enough light to see. The first door on the left had a copper plate hammered into the shape of a ‘1’ on it. There was a terrible smell coming from the cells, like toilets in a pub.
“Hello?” I whispered hoarsely. “Anybody there?” There was a little window to peak through, inside there was a crude bed, a bucket, but nothing else.
And what’s behind door number two? It was same as before, nothing out of the… A dark furry head popped up, “G’day Mate?!” came a gruff deep voice, knocking me on my arse.
“Oh shiiit!” Oh god, maybe he’s a murderer or worse… and this door don’t look very strong.
“Mate, you still there?”
Maybe if I stay quiet, he’ll forget I’m here…
“Mate, it’s a mistake I’m here, listen, help a wombie out and you’ll be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams!”
His voice still carried to the next row of cells. “Mate! My name is Bonnie Doon, I’m a filthy rich trader, I own businesses, land, and more! Come on?!” he bellowed. “Okay! Maybe, I did desert the militia, but you shoulda seen the size of those rats! They were wielding swords and bows too! Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same!”
Strange… Desertion is a serious offence back home, yet I bet he would offer me a quest to free him if I engaged him, which would be immoral. There’re no immoral quests in IFO.
His voice grew distant as I quickly scurried past cells 3, 4, 5 and 6. Cells 7 and 8 were old school open cells, lined with metal bars, and they housed several prisoners each, separated by male and female.
A young cat-girl got up from the bench and staggered over to the bars. She was wearing naught but a simple overall rag. “Thank you, Sir, for visiting us, I don’t know why my brother and I are here, all we did was—”
“Mark? Is that you?” another ragged girl called out, cutting the little kitten off.
On closer inspection, the girl’s auburn hair, though frizzled, flowed down in beautiful waves—
“Catherine?!”
“Thank you, Sir, for visiting us—” the cat girl repeated
Catherine slowly reached out, and I moved my face in to meet her gentle embrace. I’m so lucky! This is like the ultimate dream come true, Catherine the poor damsel, locked away for who knows how many days, and me, her prince, here to save the—
My collar was snatched, and I was pulled off my feet, there was a bang and suddenly my head was splitting. “Owww!” I fell back on my arse, and my shirt disintegrated to ash.
“I—have—been—here—for—three—days!!! No shower—No toilet—No new clothes—” She looked me down and stopped on my Leaping Boots. “—and no shoes!” her tone low and menacing.
The wound on my head healed up but that didn’t remove the line of blood down my cheek. How is she so strong?
“Now help me logout, and don’t you even dare say that this isn’t a game.” But it isn’t…
“Um-um-well-um…” what could I say, “How’d you end up here?”
“Are you seriously trying to change to subject?” she thrust her finger at me, flicking her wrist several times. “You are going to be in so much trouble!”
Ok shit, I’ve got to come up with something, something believable, but I never lie. “There’s something wrong with the game… it’s a… a known issue, yes. It’s a System Ah—ah—ah…”
What the hell? Why can’t I say that phrase? Is speech censorship active? Weird…
“We just can’t logout automatically, but…”
Her lips pursed, and her eyes glared.
“But-we-can-logout-manually-in-Celestia!” I blurted out.
Her brows shook, “Why this Cell-estia?”
Ah crap, why, I don’t know why, well there was a theory that… “The Arch Angel of Celestia is actually controlled by an administrator. If we can… get an audience with her, we should be able to logout.”
“Sir, we were so hungry, all we did was harvest some mushrooms in the nearby forest—” the cat-girl said in the background.
“Okay,” Catherine sighed.
“Okay?”
“Yes okay, I believe you, I don’t know why you tried to lie in the first place. Now get me out of here!”
I’m lying now, but sure okay. “There should be a way…”
“You mean, there is a way, and you are going to do it right now.” I don’t remember her being this bossy in school.
“Ah yah, I’ll speak to guards and have you out in no time.”
She crossed her arms and pouted so hard I thought she might give her lips a hernia, but it made my heart flutter all the same.