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The sewers were a dirty affair. They had nothing to do with modern water waste disposal. A narrow stone medieval tunnel system had appeared under the new City Center, with a dirty liquid flowing through it, and it was infested with rats. Big and ferocious, but low level, the main challenge was to corner them. They ran like hell.
“One more… around the corner, in a cul-de-sac,” Grace grinned, extracting two ninja stars from her belt, one in each hand.
“Yey! Go, spoil yourself,” Rowan made an inviting gesture.
During the last two weeks, Rowan has been relegated from a bulwark, defending a permanently screaming Grace, to a second-row spectator. She had gained confidence, that was sure. Stepping briskly, she threw first the star in her left hand and missed. The rat dashed forward, trying to escape between her legs. From a close distance, the second ninja star embedded itself in the monster's forehead. A second later, it dissolved into specs of light and a notification appeared.
Quest: Clear the County: Elkins Sewers, tier 2, has been finished. +1 free Lvl. +1 free AP
“I’ll put one in Strength and save one for later,” Grace said.
“What about your Con?”
“I invested points in Con and Strength already. I’m Threshold one in Con.”
“Good thinking. I’ll increase my Dex and Con,” Rowan replied. A second notification followed his words.
Elkins’s Sewers can be upgraded. Select one of the choices:
Mushroom Farm
Comestible Toads Farm
Amusement park with scary thematic
[Cory to Rowan and Grace]: Go for the third, makes big money.
“No, thank you,” Rowan said, after looking at Grace, who raised her index in the air. “Mushroom Farm.”
[Cory to Rowan and Grace]: Suit yourselves. Please exit the Sewers so I can start the upgrading. You’re expected home for a meeting with The Mayor, he will give you a quest.
“I hope it’s better than this… Fifteen days for a level and a point,” Grace sighed.
[Cory to Rowan and Grace]: This unlocks more quests with APs. Do I need to remind you how important APs are?
Taking the northernmost exit, the two jogged at a relaxed pace toward the house. Five minutes and a mile later, they entered the garden.
“Stop!” Grace yelled at Lizzie, who was preparing to dash and hug them. “We’re filthy. Go inside and entertain our guests while we change and shower.”
The little girl growled but obeyed. Taking the back door, they went to the master bedroom, undressed, had a shower together—and had sex while at that—dressed in fresh clothes, putting the dirty ones in the laundry room’s bin, and finally joined the ones waiting downstairs.
“What took you so long?” Isla frowned, crossing her arms.
“Isla, Mayor,” Rowan nodded.
“Your Lordship,” the Mayor nodded back, rising from the couch for a second, to follow the protocol.
“Daddy, Mommy!” Lizzie ran to hug them, finally.
“Hi,” Dmitri waved, bringing in coffee and putting a small cup in front of everyone. “Greek coffee,” he proudly announced. There were also some cakes on the table. The coffee was too strong and bitter, and the cakes too sweet, but the combination was good.
“We’re grateful that you saved us from the Government, last month,” the Mayor started, “but we have to address a few concerns. The rest of our Classed people are complaining that since the Incursion, you take only easy tasks.”
“But it’s the best for our builds,” Rowan said.
“It might be, but at some point you have to do your part of hard work.”
“You mean all the advice I’m giving you every week about keeping up the good work is not enough?” Rowan joked.
“Your Lordship’s guidance is admirable, yet—”
“Geez, cut the crap. And just call me Rowan.”
“Let’s compromise… Count Rowan. If you look back in history, Lords delegated the boring stuff, like the economy, finances, and so on, and took care of the fun part. Fighting.”
“For the record, I do know how to put together a business plan and stuff. My goal was to become a Bourbon Production Manager, in a few years.”
“Then you understand that for our economy to thrive, we need to trade with the other Core Towns. And trade also means politics. Vladivostok is in limbo, without a leader, and Rome has an ongoing civil war. You promised Vladivostok to help them maintain peace until they hold elections, in the Zoom meeting last week, and delegated Rome to my care,” the mayor paused, looking with intent at Rowan, who shifted his position on the couch because he had all but forgotten about that. “We don’t have enough good fighters to cover both. Choose one of two quests: Stabilize the situation in Vladivostok, or help the rebels in Rome. The Town’s Militia will cover the one left.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Let’s do Vladivostok,” Isla said. “I can take Thomas for peacekeeping.”
[Cory to Rowan, Grace, and Isla]: Go to Rome. Vladivostok is risky. We still don’t have a System-enforced treaty with them and they could try duel Rowan again. The Militia is better for that task.
“Cory says to go to Rome,” Rowan said.
“I know, she SMSed me,” the mayor waved his phone. “OK, then I’ll email Rome to open a portal for us… They replied. Portal in one hour, sharp, Town’s Square.”
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When the time came, there was no portal. They walked back and forth, nervous.
“When they said one hour sharp, we should have expected it was Italian sharp,” Grace sneered.
Incoming town-to-town portal from Rome. Accept: Y/N.
A blue circle appeared after Rowan selected the yes. A woman passed on, shouting:
“Sorry for the delay, we were attacked. Mind if we give you the wounded? We can’t reach the hospitals.”
“Sure,” Rowan nodded. “I can give them first aid.”
About a score of people hurried to pass, a few on stretchers.
“Just stabilize the ones in critical,” the woman asked. “We have to go back, there will be a second wave soon.”
“On it,” Rowan blurted, extracting Band-Aids and slapping them here and there, after infusing them with magic.
“The hospital is half a mile away, I called all available ambulances,” the Mayor shouted. “You can go.”
“Portals could be a useful Town Perk,” Grace said, before passing through.
[Cory to Team]: What a genius suggestion. Stupid me, for going for an Earth-wide Rezz. Do you have any other brilliant—
They lost contact with Cory as soon as they arrived on the other side, in a sort of grove.
“What the heck! Where are we?” Isla yelled, turning her head around.
“Hi. I’m Carla. We’re North of Villa de Medici,” the woman who brought them shouted, taking cover behind an improvised earth fortification. They followed by instinct, albeit there was no danger in sight.
“Where’s the bloody town?” Isla continued.
“We’re in the bloody town,” Rowan said. “That’s how Rome is.”
“Incoming,” their host warned, producing a pistol and a grenade and throwing the latter forward. “Where the fuck are our guys?” she asked herself.
The explosions were followed by a couple of wails, and then bullets started to arrive, hitting the earth mound.
“We’re fucked,” Carla screamed, checking her phone. “The police ran and our team retreated to Villa Borghese.”
“Give me your gun,” Grace erupted, snatching the pistol and discharging it wildly behind them. Two men dropped dead, almost falling on their heads, and a third retreated, cursing.
“I’m wounded!” they heard him shout. “Help!”
Team member Grace Garcia Larmontel had slain Rebel x2, levels 16 and 18. No XP gained.
“I had a premonition they’ll sneak on us,” Grace said.
“They speak English in Rome?” Isla inquired, visibly more and more befuddled. “Is this Rome, Italy, or Rome, Georgia? What? Hey, don’t look at me like that. It’s a perfectly legit question.”
“Our core has a Universal translator Perk,” Carla explained. “Hey, where’s he going?”
Rowan had jumped over the rampart and ran forward. His Synergy enhanced at the same time his Dexterity and Toughness, making him faster, and, in theory, impervious to small caliber guns. The caliber of the incoming fire wasn’t so small, though, but in the end, he reached the enemy with no more than a few grazes on his arms.
A spear swipe decapitated two foes, a thrust to the throat killed another, then, he dazed two women with a fist to the head—because he was a gentleman and dead set of not killing the fair sex—a headbutt caved the skull of a fourth man, a fist did the same for a sixth, a kick collapsed the thoracic cage of the seventh, while the eight, the one wounded by Grace, ran away, screaming his lungs out.
You have slain Rebel x8, Levels 16-19. No XP gained.
Hm… something’s off.
“Please, don’t kill me,” one of the two women, pleaded. “I’ll do anything!”
“I have a fiancée, and I’m not the rapist type, so no thanks,” he replied blankly. “Leave any weapon behind and scram. If I see you again, I’ll kill you. Sorry, I meant if you attack us. If we accidentally meet in some bar we’re OK.”
“Thank you, sir!” Interrupting his rant, the woman pulled her comrade after her, the latter still confused, and they ran away.
“I’m coming back, don’t shoot me.” Five seconds after signaling his return, he arrived behind the earthwork. “These rebels are very low-level. I feel bad about them.”
“It might not be nice, but that’s what we’re sworn to do,” Isla said.
“No!” Carla screamed. “They’re assaulting Villa Borghese. They’ll kill the boss."
“Where?” Isla asked.
“Four hundred meters due northeast.”
“What the fuck’s a meter?” Isla yelled.
“Yards, it’s like yards!” Rowan screamed and dashed in the said direction.
With their awakened powers, they should have run four hundred yards in fifteen seconds, at most, yet the terrain was filled with obstacles. Trees, fences, fountains. A minute later, they stopped and looked around.
“Where’s the fucking villa? There’s nothing here."
“Fuck, she meant the Galleria!” Rowan screamed. For whatever reason, they had resorted to yelling, screaming, and shouting, instead of using the chat.
“Where the fuck is that?”
“Same direction, five hundred yards or so.”
“Where’s the villa?” Grace asked, panting and arriving. Her speed was much slower. “There’s nothing here.”
“Another five hundred meters… yards. Follow us as fast as you can.”
They ran again, and the terrain wasn’t any better. A lot of trees to wave in between.
“Where’s the fucking town?” Isla bellowed. “I’m telling you, this is Rome, Georgia.”
“Shut up! Here’s the villa,” Rowan gestured.
They had arrived, but maybe too late. In front of the large, white building, a group of five Classed, armed with swords, were assaulting a sixth one, who was defending against them using an umbrella. At each hit, a bluish energy covered the panel, a forcefield. It was clear that the surrounded man would not be able to resist much longer, but also that the attackers were not intending to kill, but to capture him.
Rowan threw his spear. It had aimed high, but hit low, biting into the calf of an attacker. From more than a hundred yards behind, came a shot, killing another man on the spot.
Team member Grace Garcia Larmontel had slain Rebel, level 30. Minor XP gained.
“Bloody cheater,” Isla groaned. Meanwhile, Rowan killed the wounded, took back his spear, and faced the remaining enemies. Isla discharged her gun in the lot, without aiming too carefully. She got one foe in the head, by sheer luck, after winging Rowan’s right hand.
“Hey!” he protested.
She didn’t pay attention, charging at the remaining attackers instead, throwing one to the ground and bashing his face with her fist.
Your team has slain Rebel x3, level 30, 35. Minor XP gained.
The last foe, thin and tall, completely covered in armor, hissed and turned toward Rowan, plunging a thin blade into his shoulder. It would have hit his chest, but he had twisted his body at the last moment. Rowan countered with a spear thrust, but his blade met only air, the enemy slid over the ground, backward, like on ice, escaping at the same time Isla’s kick, and grazing her on the ankle as well.
Party members Rowan Allinder and Isla Culloden have been infected with The Blood’s Bite by ???, Vampire Scout, Level 100. Corruption DOT of 1.5% HP/second. If the total reaches 100%, you will be Turned into a Thrall (Vampire slave). If the enemy is defeated before the deadline, or you exit combat, the Blood’s Bite is stopped and its overall DOT damage is converted to healing.
“Fuck!” Isla exclaimed, panicked, trashing her arms like it would have helped her escape the DOT. Rowan thrust his weapon again, but the opponent did the same sliding backward movement twice, putting more distance between them.
It counts on the DOT to finish us on its own!
“I have hostiles, the same ones. What should I do?” the Vampire raised its sword hilt at ear’s height, like a telephone. The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Rowan.
A shot, now from a closer distance, and the front of the Vampire’s helmet broke and fell away. Behind it was the same woman that had accompanied the Knyaz, the week prior. That was a brief observation, as the Vampire disappeared, leaving behind a whiff of cigarette smoke.