The walk back from Garlic Garters was a cold, wet, slog. On the bright side, if there were any reporters hanging around the place before, they’d packed up and gone home.
Going through my own front door had never felt like such a privilege.
My sleep schedule had been ruined by my short tenure in the B&B world, so I was already dead tired, despite it being only 7:30pm. I went to sleep quicker than a Labrador devouring a burrito.
When I awoke, I was eager for the new day. It was Friday, which meant another session with Esko. In our two short meetings, he’d grown on me immensely. He was undoubtedly bonkers, and his personal hygiene had room for improvement, but he was as friendly as anyone, and his shortcomings were more than made up for by his valuable teachings.
If things went as planned, I’d have time to practice some of his moves before our session in the afternoon.
I loaded up, nodding to the gardener in the opening screen. He was yet to give me any meaningful response, but I’d crack his mysteries one day.
Otto’s Pub rushed into focus around me. I stood in the main parlour, slightly to the left of where I’d disconnected. A patron occupied my place instead, pouring themselves a drink.
“Excuse me, are you going to pay for that?” I asked. I couldn’t very well watch my friend have his product stolen right before my eyes.
A middle-aged man turned around, his cheeks flushed and eyes sunken. His greying beard was a tangled mess, like a platoon of spiders had nested there, weaving it to their liking.
“Otto’s giving it away! Told us to drink all we like, no charge. Want one?”
He sloshed a tankard at me, spilling half of it onto the sticky floor.
“All good, thanks.”
“More for meeee!”
He stumbled back to a table, and I escaped down to The Safe House.
Otto was busying himself with hauling out the valuable kegs from the second basement. His formerly spotless shoes fought for purchase on the tiles as he dragged one out backwards.
“Ahoy, Otto! Let me help you there.”
He slumped to the side, exhausted. After a rest, he got back inside and helped me haul out the keg, delivering it upstairs.
“I think I shoulda given you a job when you asked,” he huffed. “I normally only have to do that once a week, but I’ve done it four times today! Those fellas are drinkin’ like fish out there!”
“And for good reason, I hear. Some generous bartender told them it was all free.”
He puffed some more, then pointed all six tentacles at the second, secret basement.
“That’s cos I gotta clear out The Safe House. It’s too risky having stuff up in the first basement. I’ve widened the passage so we can fit through a bit easier, noticed you broke the mechanism anyway.”
I grinned sheepishly. It was inevitable. “What’s your plan for the space? Starting a weapons factory or something?”
“Nope. Potions. Any Asterians come by, I can just tell ‘em it’s for brewin’ fancy beer flavours. Stupid dolts won’t be able to prove otherwise.”
“Beauty. Any concerns about the enclosed space? Might need a vent or something up to the surface.”
“Nah mate. It’s good for ya.”
I didn’t want to know what ‘it’ was. If Otto wanted to send himself loopy with noxious fumes, that was his prerogative.
“Great. Well, I’m gunna head into town, see if I can’t find Bill. Had no luck yesterday.”
Otto saluted, and I left. The town looked even worse than yesterday, the unfortunate aspect of wooden housing shining through.
It was all flammable.
On my left, a sinking porch blew hot breaths of embers as it collapsed under the weight of a decayed roof. To the right, the skeleton of a house being rebuilt was also charred.
Lily’s house. After Claire and I had lifted out the fallen roof beams, she’d started rebuilding. Not anymore.
Ahead, a team of soldiers approached. Their armour billowed around their shoulders and sagged at their waist like it was a couple sizes too big. Definitely players.
My face was recognizable now, and I was starting to think I should’ve left my weapons and chestplate at The Safe House. I could’ve smudged some charcoal and ash across my face and passed as a defeated NPC. Unfortunately. with {The Glass Cannon} reflecting and refracting light all over the place, I had to take to the alleys.
I whirled through the twists and turns, backtracking when I heard the shouts of bored soldiers trying to entertain themselves with sparring or quoits.
Without a straight path to take me all the way to Bill’s, the town felt a whole lot bigger. There were tiny houses I’d never seen before, empty stalls built into the walls of someone’s home, some of them untouched purely because it was so difficult to get to.
The street ahead of me looked familiar, but as my foot stepped out into the freedom of the wide road, a snarling soldier barked an order.
“Oi! You there! Put that down and get on your knees!”
I balked, stepping back into the shadows and preparing to run. I was confident I could outrun most of the soldiers, especially with my [Dash] available.
“Good! Now come here! On your knees!”
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Wait a second. He’s not talking to me.
I poked my head around the corner. A lone soldier stood with his sword drawn, the tip pointing at a huddled man who was holding the hands of two young girls.
Pilaf.
One of the girls held a quoit, clearly just wanting to play with it. Pilaf took it from her grasp, patting her on the head before placing the quoit at the soldier’s feet. He kneeled, holding his daughters to each side behind him.
“Tell them to kneel too!” the soldier demanded.
“My Lord, they are children,” Pilaf murmured.
“I ain’t no Lord, you scum!” He delivered a boot to Pilaf’s midsection. He crumpled, and the girls wailed.
I couldn’t take any more of it. Without thinking, I charged into the street, casting my javelin.
[Arc Strike]
It flew towards the Asterian, thankfully holding its course. Pilaf was lying in the dirt with his daughters huddled next to him, so I didn’t have to worry as much about hitting them.
Besides, I’d been practicing.
The soldier leapt sideways, dodging the javelin by less than a meter. He yanked a horn from his belt and blew a short blast that echoed along the street.
Reinforcements.
I readied my spear, unsure what to do next.
“Pilaf, get up and take your girls. Go to Otto and tell him what happened.”
He climbed to his feet, grabbed a child in each arm, and fled. The soldier started an order, but I drew his attention by advancing.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I started. “But I will if I have to. Once that man and his kids are gone, I’m going to walk away, back in the direction I came from, okay?”
The soldier chuckled. “I don’t think so. Look around.”
Asterian soldiers had answered the horn almost instantly, encircling me. Pilaf hadn’t made it out, restrained by a soldier with another holding his daughters while they kicked and screamed.
“Now, I think it’s time for you to drop your spear, and that shield. Kick them over to me.”
I couldn’t. If I were to liberate the Yard, I couldn’t accept a setback. Fighting was my only option, no matter how uncomfortable it made me. Like Annette said, the soldiers had burnt down the town, harmed its residents, and now they held Pilaf and two little girls hostage, tormenting them.
“I don’t think so. I think it’s time for you to go fuck yourself.”
“Ha! Wrong choice. All teams, ADVANCE!”
The crunch of soldiers’ boots closed in on me, at least forty enemies selecting me for death.
Just a bit closer and…
[Tsunami Strike]
I lunged to the nearest soldier, planting my spear directly into his chest. His armour disintegrated, chunks of metal and military garb exploding onto those nearest him. The wave of energy seeped out around us, swallowing at least fifteen soldiers before they could climb over themselves fast enough to escape.
{You have defeated a Level 32 Asterian Swordsman.}{+154 EXP}
{You have defeated a Level 34 Asterian Swordsman.}{+168 EXP}
{You have defeated a Level 32 Asterian Swordsman.}{+154 EXP}
“Scoundrel!”
The first soldier rushed forward, planting his sword in the ground and chanting words in a language I didn’t know. Flames spewed forth from his palm, flicking past my chest and scolding a soldier behind me.
Crap. My first [Mage].
In my haste, a sword clanged into my back, and I heard a cry of repulsion. At first I thought I was dead, and the cry was my own, but turning around revealed my attacker convulsing on the ground, purple foam frothing from his mouth.
The Acidic Breastplate.
{Level 80 : Acidic Breastplate}
+320 Armour
Upon receiving physical damage to this armour piece, the attacker may receive ‘Poisoned’ effect for 2-15 seconds.
Not only did the 320 Armour completely negate the strike, but the Poisoned status took him out no problem. The other soldiers were hesitant to attack again, but I knew they’d now target my more vulnerable areas.
Having absolutely no other armour, everywhere was a vulnerable area.
[Dash]
I moved into close range with the [Mage]. He was clearly more skilled than his underlings, having no issues deflecting or dodging my initial flurry of attacks. I needed an ability that would slow him down…
[Shield Wall]
I stepped in close, within range for the ability to blast him back. Two meters wasn’t much, but it was enough to take him off kilter, and I drove the spear into his gut, cringing at the sound he made before the fire in his palm died out as he fell silent.
{You have defeated a Level 45 Asterian Captain.}{+340 EXP}
LEVEL UP! Your new Level is: Level 13!
Attributable Stat Points: (2)
Attributable Skill Tokens: (1)
Access the ‘Stats’ screen to boost your potential!
I wasn’t receiving Skill Tokens with each level anymore. I could only hope I hadn’t screwed myself by being nonchalant with some of my selections thus far.
There was no time to worry. With both my Area-of-Effect abilities used, the crowd of soldiers surrounding me became a significant issue. Pilaf and his daughters had been let go in the tussle, their captors choosing to join the fight.
“[Dash!]”
Nothing happened. It was still on cooldown.
My javelin glinted in the dirt. I ran over to it, switching the spear to my shield arm and hefting the javelin over my shoulder. I growled at the Asterians, though it was more of a haggard cough.
Out of options, I tried one last gamble. There was a younger group of soldiers standing shakily on one side of the circle, hesitant to close in on me after watching me demolish their captain.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
I opened my eyes wide, staring them down and smiling with what I hoped looked like madness.
Then I raised the javelin into throwing position and sprinted at them.
With my boosted Agility, I was quick.
Factor in their inexperience, and I was a monster.
The soldiers parted before me like elevator doors, and I squeezed through the gap with a wild yell. Once I escaped, I darted through alleys and scaled walls, using my spear to vault gaps. From the rooftops, I could see the soldiers dispersing as they tried to enclose me yet again.
[Dash]
It wouldn’t work for them. I was going to find Bill, find out whatever it was he needed to tell me, then take down the rest of them.
Once the adrenaline wore off, I found that the lives I’d left behind whilst defending Pilaf did not haunt me. Killing the captain was gory, but necessary, as were the others. I could only hope none of the fallen were Marge’s kid.
A horn sounded in the distance, similar to the one the captain had blown. I wasn’t aware of any other insurgents running around, but somewhere in the thousands of players, it was possible someone was trying.
I sent Claire a message.
[You good? Heard a horn, thought you might be in trouble.]
She responded instantly.
[I’m safe! How’d you go after the article? I had reporters camped outside my house.]
[Might’ve been at mine, too. Took the back exit whenever I went outside.]
[Smort. What you up to?]
[Trying to find Bill. An NPC called Pilaf told me he had important info.]
[Try the house across the road from the barn!]
It was weird that she didn’t have the Liberate the Yard quest. She seemed to know so much about the NPCs, and we’d only met because she was helping out Lily, being kind.
Even if she wasn’t ‘The First’, she had to be at least ‘The Second’, or ‘The Top Ten’.
However, the system decided to load all its EXP onto one lucky [Hoplite], and that was fine by me.
I’d take good care of it.