Frank cycled through his items some more to locate his flint dagger sheath. After equipping it, he laid out the kindling and wood on the ground. He held one of his daggers in both hands; one hand firmly clutched the sheath while the other hand held the dagger’s handle. Frank stooped to the fuel, counted to five, and then drew the dagger as fast as he could. There was a flash followed by a spark, but no fire followed. He went closer to the kindling and tried again. The cave glowed orange as flames sprouted. Frank then summoned an unlit torch from his storage and tipped it into the flames. With the burning torch in hand, he set off.
Knowing the whereabouts of these caves was a basic quest prerequisite for Frank. He did it to make sure that he could get out of a tense situation at any moment. The only thing that limited him was that he only surveyed the underground tunnel systems closest to the peak. That’s where any possible squabbles with other players would likely happen first.
He familiarized himself with every turn of those tunnels. But for this one, and others nearer to the base, he only memorized their locations without inspecting them. Tunnels like these often have monsters of their own. Some of them guarded treasure while others got trapped down here. Luckily, this tunnel didn’t have any monsters, and he was able to get to the exit safely.
Before he stepped out, he peeped to see if anyone was around. No one was there, not even Ed who promised he would come. The only thing in the mountains beside Frank were ravens far up in the sky. Frank couldn’t stay in the cave for much longer. If he did, his character would die, and all his items would drop. He didn’t want to lose any more than he already had. Sneak and Slipstream were both available now so could use them if anything happened. He had used both to escape the plague doctor and get to the nearest entrance to use the tunnel system.
Frank activated Sneak and sprinted off into the mountainside. He made sure to watch his step and avoid anything that would alert someone to his presence. And even though he didn’t see anybody earlier, there was no way for him to be sure that no one was there. After all, Sneak wasn’t the only ability of its kind.
Frank hasn’t done this much running in a long time. As the terrain went from steep climbs to steep drops, his breath came hard and heavy. He tried his best to normalize it so that Sneak would cancel it out but that was proving a hard task. If the horse were still around, getting through the mountain would be a breeze. Sneak wore off, and Frank assumed it was fine since he was far from the cave. He slowed down and chose his steps carefully as he walked, this time not to maintain stealth but to secure footing.
A raven cawed overhead. He wondered what carcass could have drawn the ravens out this far. He ignored it as he continued walking and cursing Ed for not fulfilling his promise. Fear must’ve stopped the man from showing up. The raven cawed again, and Frank looked up to see where it was headed. It dived at him.
Frank ducked as the raven swooped in. The bird recovered from the miss and came at him again. He swiped at it with his dagger, but the bird was quick to dodge. It kept pestering him to no end; flying in, flapping its wings, and trying to peck him. Between the bird’s caws and its rapid, fluttering movement Frank was becoming disoriented. His strikes were way off target, and his movements were becoming sluggish.
Soon, the raven’s caw came in a chorus. The sound of flapping wings filled the air. Between the raven’s pestering, Frank could make out a swarm of other ravens in the sky. Ravens rarely traveled in swarms. Frank ran off, but between the raven’s harassment and his tired limbs, he didn’t get far. His foot caught on a rock and he fell. Even then, the raven didn’t let up.
The swarm in the sky coalesced and blended as it descended to the ground. It went from a flock of feathers to a shroud of blackness. Then it took humanoid form once it touched the earth. Even from this distance, Frank made out the beak and big eyes on the mask. It was the Plague Doctor.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Sneak came back, but the raven kept pecking at his mouth; preventing him from activating the skill. The man ran towards him. Frank panicked and leaped to his feet. Another raven joined the current one, and Frank could barely make sense of anything around him. The man’s footsteps were now audible since he was getting closer. Frank swiped at the ravens in desperation. He didn’t want to lose any more items. He had to escape this man.
Thumping hooves drowned out the Plague Doctor’s footsteps. Frank turned and glimpsed a horse coming his way. The man must have somehow summoned a horse. How powerful was this guy? Frank knew he couldn’t outrun a horse, so when it came up on his left, and a hand grabbed him up, he knew what would happen next.
“Get on fool!” someone said trying to haul him with one hand.
The raven had left Frank alone long enough for him to glimpse that it was a different man on the horse. Frank checked the map and saw the friend icon next to his own. He grabbed the man’s hand and swung onto the horse. He looked back to see the Plague Doctor erupting into a flock of ravens. Frank knew the man would chase them to the ends of the earth.
“Slipstream,” he whispered. The scene changed from its firm peaks to streams and banks. The man was nowhere to be found.
“That’s a useful skill,” Ed said not breaking pace.
“I need it in my line of work.” Frank studied the horse's fur. His eyes then strayed to the pouch and the wristlet sticking out. It found its way into his pocket.
New Item Added to Inventory
Fancy Bracelet [Common] – Level 5
Description: A fashionable bracelet that may increase your charisma. Very common with rebellious high ladies.
Use Mode: Equip
Active Abilities: Attract Small Talk (25% chance)
They never stopped riding until they came to a village on the plains. Ed rented them a stay since rooms were private in the game. When the door closed and he sat down, he was more serious than Frank thought he needed to be.
“I wish you had told me it was Ravenclaw who got to you,” Ed said.
“Ravenclaw? You’ve seen him before?” Frank asked.
Ed went through his control panel and threw some photos at Frank. He pointed at each as he spoke. “Ravenclaw, Juggernaut, and Necro.”
“I thought it was only one. You said so yourself.”
“These are the ones we know so far. I don’t let on too much in the forums in the event they find me there.”
“But you changed your name and everything. They can’t find you.”
“These guys have skills I’ve never seen before,” Ed said. “They can steal items from your inventory, stop you from logging out, and even take your skill. If they can hack a game like Fate Maker to that level, then they can find me. I don’t want a DDoS for the rest of my life.”
Swipe could also steal items, but not from someone’s inventory. Usually, it allowed you to take claimed or unclaimed drops without being noticed. At higher levels, the farthest you could go is immediate personal storage like a backpack or purse.
“Well, how haven’t they found you already?”
“Because they got what they wanted,” Ed said. “You’re not the first, man. Neither was I. They’ve been doing this for a long time. I heard the rumors before I even started playing, but the moment the news blew up, all traces of it were erased.”
“Well, why the hell are they doing this?”
“Don’t have a clue. They seem to be after players with rare items and top skills. Once they get that, they move on. They never stop.”
“I don’t see how that’s fun for them.”
“Of course it is,” Ed said. “An average player spends about a hundred hours a week in Fate Maker, thousands of dollars a month on equipment and items. People have devoted a lot of time and money to this. Some gamers make a living by streaming gameplay. Imagine having the power to take all that away. Imagine being able to destroy someone’s digital life so much that it bleeds into their real life. Imagine kids smashing their heads into walls, grown men jumping off buildings, and young girls cutting themselves when they lose everything they’ve invested. That power is their drug; it makes them do what they do. That’s the thrill they get out of this game. For them, that’s the fun part.”