Pieter directed Lexi around the middle level of the arena as the crowd slowly filtered out. NPCs made up most of them, with a few players thrown in. Lexi had been expecting a bunch of clones, figuring this location probably spawned three or four different types of characters, but almost everyone she saw was unique.
“Where did all these NPCs come from?” Lexi asked, maneuvering skillfully through the crowd at a perpendicular angle.
“With five captains and 25 lieutenants, there is room for 150 NPCs.” Pieter wove through the gaps created by his nimbler partner. “Grunts aren’t allowed to keep NPC companions, but they earn them from generic quests and then pass them on to their lieutenants. When you work for the Admiral, you must make this location your stronghold and keep all your companions here. Attendance to the Rites of Passage fights is mandatory for all captains, lieutenants, and NPCs.
“Players like you and I might prefer unique NPC companions acquired from SIMs, but low-level grunts will never earn one of those. Besides, the Admiral has additional motivation for having a full house like this. He’s a gladiator. I think he is up to level 25 or something. In order for a fight to advance your level, it needs to be before an audience of at least 100 characters. NPCs count. Plus, fighting PCs is worth double, and fighting more than one at a time increases their value exponentially.”
Clever, Lexi thought. She knew most players rarely advanced past level six of an occupation, which was enough to get three free feats. At level 25, the Admiral would have earned nine feats, and as a gladiator, they would all be combat-based.
The pair made their way around and through the exiting crowd until the bay was visible before them. The cliff's shadow extended far out onto the water, but the distant horizon was still bright. Lexi checked and saw that the local time was just past 7 p.m. The rest of the crowd headed back into the city for whatever nightlife activities it offered. Lexi was curious but stayed focused on their mission.
At the head of the stadium, directly behind where the Admiral and his small entourage had sat, stood a massive mansion. It was the only waterfront property in Overton, with the rest of the dwellings built into the cliff wall behind and above them. Lexi imagined the Admiral could access the arena directly from his home, but she and Pieter needed to exit the stadium, walk through a manicured garden with exquisitely sculpted yew and boxwood trees, and approach through the home’s main entrance along the waterfront.
Two silver golems stood at attention on either side of the brick archway, and Lexi wasn’t confident she wanted to test them. She hesitated momentarily, but Pieter pushed her forward. “I have a ring,” he replied. “They’ll let us through.”
Lexi took a deep breath and walked between the seven-foot-tall statues. She swore they flinched but didn’t attack, and the pair walked into the central courtyard. More flowers, shrubs, and trees decorated the landscape, illuminated by magical lights hanging like Japanese lanterns. Pieter shoved her toward the large, marble-inlaid double doors, which stood beneath a short awning supported by two Roman pillars. The style of the house was all over the place, with Greek, Italian, Asian, and South Pacific influences.
They stepped up the few stairs leading to the main doors, the bay now behind them as they had walked around the massive home. Lexi hadn’t even reached for the brass knocker when the door opened, revealing a stout hobgoblin butler. Lexi barely needed to break stride and stepped into the house. It was odd to see the monstrous creature wearing a tuxedo, his unruly tuft of hair combed as neatly as possible, but she tried not to stare.
“Captain Pieter,” the butler said, his diction perfect. “So good to see you again. It has been some time. We got your message. The Admiral is just upstairs completing some business. He will speak with you in a moment. Do make yourself comfortable in the sitting room. I believe you know the way.”
“Thank you, Fester,” the mage said, again pushing his companion in the appropriate direction.
Lexi thought the caution this man showed by never letting her out of his sight was far beyond what was necessary. Yes, she was several levels above him, and any physical combat they might have would be one-sided, but it made no sense to double-cross him until they got the PCs they needed. And even then, he knew far more about the Cave of Wonders than she did. She had chosen him to join her on purpose.
They walked toward a massive, curved staircase that led up to the second floor. A female tiefling with impossible proportions in a tiny French maid outfit appeared as if from nowhere at the foot of the stairs. She held a tray of drinks and appetizers, offering it up to them as they approached. Lexi had been told to make herself comfortable, so she took a glass of wine and popped two truffles in her mouth.
Her bare feet sunk into the plush carpeting as she climbed the stairs, careful not to leave greasy fingerprints on the railing. She didn’t think the game accounted for that, but she had been in equivalent estates in Paris, and not touching things was a force of habit. Once at the top, balconies to the right and left led to a series of bedrooms, but Pieter guided Lexi straight ahead.
At the end of a short hall, tall wooden doors stood to their left while a large sitting area with couches and chairs opened to their right. Lexi reclined on one of the daybeds, nursing her wine glass while Pieter stood beside her.
They didn’t have to wait long.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
The doors opened as the Admiral pulled with both arms and stepped out of the room, revealing the chamber behind him. Lexi rose from the couch on instinct, careful not to spill her drink, and stood at attention beside her companion. The colossal fighter only wore a knee-length kilt, boots, and bracers. He didn’t even support any jewelry. She initially thought it foolish but guessed one of his gladiator feats must allow him to equip what he needed when necessary.
Lexi’s eyes drifted past him to the room he had just left. At first, it looked like an office, a massive desk dominating her view, sitting beneath an open skylight. Behind it, a breeze fluttered curtains, closing off access to a balcony that looked out over the water. The druid gasped when her eyes moved to the left, and she saw a bed twice the size of a king, the sheets slightly ruffled. Lying on top was the form of a naked woman, her back to the open door.
Lexi smiled. Of course, Julia would try to negotiate that way. At first, the druid thought she must have been successful and was now only basking in the afterglow. But her level and HP were missing from above her body. The captain was dead.
“Ah, Pieter,” the Admiral said once he stepped clear of the doorway. He left the portal open, fully aware of Lexi’s prying eyes. “You always make life interesting. What brings you back to my home? And with such a unique associate.” His eyes made contact with Lexi, and she was forced to pull hers from the dead to PC to return his intense gaze.
Lexi could feel the power in this man and didn’t know what to say.
“Don’t worry about her,” he said, his voice low. His head barely moved a millimeter toward the open door and the former captain beyond. “Only fools end up like that. Though, she was right about one thing. Singing was the second-best thing she could do with her mouth.” He paused for effect. “And she was an excellent singer.”
{He is forcing you to make continual dice rolls to avoid being Intimidated,} James reported. Lexi often forgot he was there. {You have failed them all. Badly. Don’t try anything. He has so many critical advantages on you that he could Stand his Ground against one of your best attacks and knock you unconscious without lifting a finger.}
Lexi smiled. An NPC would be quaking in fear, but PCs were allowed to retain their motor skills despite the banes. “Too bad,” she said, sipping her wine. “I would have loved to hear her.”
The Admiral smiled in return and reached his right hand back slightly, his fingers poised to pick up a drink that wasn’t there. But then it was. The tiefling maid stepped out of a dimensional door in the precise location she needed to be, and the big man’s hand closed on a red wine goblet. As he lifted it from the tray, the maid disappeared.
“I’ve come to call in a favor,” Pieter said, breaking up the one-sided staring contest.
The Admiral laughed. “Really.” He stepped back so he could see both players at once.
“Yes,” Pieter said, refusing to be intimidated, at least appearing so. Lexi guessed he would also fail any saving throws the fighter forced him to make. “After I gave you the axe, you insisted that if there was anything I needed, I shouldn’t hesitate to ask. I am here to ask.”
The Admiral stopped laughing and grew stern. “Do we need to have a seat?” he asked, motioning to the open door behind him as he took a drink of wine. Two chairs sat before his desk. Any negotiation in a room with a dead level 22 player would tilt the scales toward the fighter. As if he needed the help.
“No,” Pieter said. “This shouldn’t take long. I assume you will scrap Julia’s division.”
The Admiral nodded, his face unreadable.
“That will be how many grunts? Twenty-one? And a few lieutenants? You wouldn’t take them all on, would you?”
“The most I do at a time is six,” the man nodded. “But I won’t scrub them all. Her fifth lieutenant is a competent level 16 player from the States, and he can keep his squad. I like what I’ve seen from the tracker you just saw, and I will promote her, but the rest can go.”
“So,” Pieter paused as either he or his operator did the math. “You will kill 19 of them. You get six and the rest . . .”
“Just ask your question.”
“We would like two of them, preferably a priest and a rogue, and they must be level 10 or above.”
The Admiral nodded. “I was going to have a grand melee. I haven’t done that in a while.”
“You still can,” Pieter said. “Eleven is a good number.”
“When ten of them are at level 2?” the big man countered gruffly.
Pieter shrank back involuntarily, and the Admiral cooled quickly. “Will they survive?” he asked, referring to the players the mage wanted.
“No,” Pieter said.
“Will they feel pain?”
“A little,” Pieter replied cryptically.
The Admiral frowned. “Where are you taking them?”
“To the Cave of Wonders.”
As the Admiral laughed, Lexi turned to her partner in shock, amazed that he would reveal their plan to him. {I don’t think you can lie to this man,} James piped in. {At least not successfully.}
“A little pain,” the big man repeated mockingly. “Perhaps you don’t remember what the third stage is?”
“We have a plan for that,” Pieter replied.
The Admiral looked suddenly sober. “Yes, but you would have to, wouldn’t you? After all, you are only asking for two players.” He turned to Lexi. “Do you know what he is getting you into?”
The druid smiled. “This is all my idea,” she responded.
He laughed. “Then, does he know what he is getting into,” he asked, nodding toward Pieter.
“Enough,” the mage said, raising his voice as high as he dared. “We know what we are doing. Will you help us, or will you go back on your word?”
The look the Admiral gave the mage at the potential accusation could have melted steel, and Lexi was worried she would need to find another partner, but the fighter calmed just as quickly and slumped his shoulders in defeat. “Fine, but now you owe me a favor.”
“Shouldn’t this make us even? The axe I gave you is the best in the game.”
The Admiral shook his head. “Yes, it is, but is it worth two million? That is what I am giving you. Two players at level 12. I don’t have any at 10.” Pieter started arguing, but the bigger man silenced him with an upraised hand. “What I want from you,” he turned to look at Lexi, “from either of you, assuming only one of you makes it out, is something from within the cave.”
“If we touch anything but the lamp . . .” Pieter started, but the Admiral silenced him again.
“I know how the module works. But once you get the lamp, surely you can swipe something else on your way out. Anything, I don’t care. A sapphire, a sword, a golden fork. Anything.”
Pieter took a few deep breaths and nodded. “Very well. If we can.”
“Good.” The admiral turned as if to speak with someone else, and Lexi saw the hobgoblin butler appear from nowhere. “Fester,” he said, “escort them to the barracks and tell Vincent I am allowing these two to take Ezra and Caylee on a little adventure. Hopefully, you won’t need more authorization than that. If you do, let me know.”
The butler nodded, made eye contact with the two guests, and led them back down the stairs.