First, Previous

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Chapter Three

Bitz: 450

Days in Game: Fourteen

Level: Twelve

Upgrade Available - Level Thirteen!

Cale was the one who answered first. “I joined a team for the realm-wide quest, we’re still looking for another teammate, if anyone is interested…” He glanced around the table. “It's with two players from the Azura Tribe.”

Kora piped up, “I might be interested. Maybe tomorrow I can meet them and we can see.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he answered. “We plan on hitting the quest boards to get some leveling in before it starts.”

“Let me know as well,” said Brock.

I triggered my Insight as the conversations started up around me. Shift started chatting with Dawn, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Art grabbed a meat stick and joined the conversation. “I’m skipping the realm-wide quest. My goal is to get some more Bitz, and then exit the game.” At the second part, there was a quick flash of gray with some pink, and then it vanished. It was quick enough that I almost doubted I saw it.

“I was wondering why you were still in-game,” I said.

Brock turned his attention to the two of us, watching Art closely.

“Well,” Art scratched the back of his neck before continuing. “I wasn’t great in the arena, and I still need to pay for the passage out here and home.” He took a bite of his spicy meat stick. This time there wasn’t any gray, but there was more pink, so that much was true.

I chuckled. “Yeah, everything in-game is a little more expensive than I thought it’d be, especially leveling.”

“It’s how they get you,” said Brock. “But as long as you’re smart about how you apply your skill points, leveling matters less. Not to mention, you can earn levels by practicing skills and that doesn’t cost anything but time and patience. Picking and choosing what quests you accept based on the reward is also important.”

“That’s what I’ve found,” agreed Cale.

“Are you aiming to be a professional player, Brock?” I asked. I needed more information about everyone at the table and what they were doing in-game. So far, Art was suspect and Brock had been working with him earlier. Hopefully, he wasn’t tangled up in whatever Art was.

Brock gave me a bright smile. “Yeah, I want to stay in three seasons, then retire somewhere warm. Give my parents the type of life they deserve, maybe find someone who wants to marry me.”

“Better you than me,” joked Cale. “Women either think I’m dashing because of the scar, or step away carefully.”

I glanced over Cale carefully to figure out what he was talking about, and he caught my stare. He turned to fully face me, and I saw it. The line ran from under his right ear to his nostril. It wasn’t deep, just slightly less colored than the rest of his face and super thin. He could probably get it removed for cheap or even wear a light powder to cover it up. “Over that?” I didn’t get it.

“Yep. I could get it fixed, but I was in a wreck when I was in school and my parents wanted me to learn from my mistakes.” He shrugged. “So I’ve kept it.”

That could be a harsh lesson to learn. Even as poor as I was growing up I knew looks were everything. The better looking you were the easier it was to get ahead. Or be a target. On most worlds, if you had money you could change just about anything about yourself with surgery. Not that I’d change anything. Though, Brock had something wrong with his vocal cords, which was a lot harder to fix. With an implant anyone could understand him. Just a few weeks ago, I’d have been cut off from the visual addition for his voice, and understanding him would have been much harder.

“But yeah, being in a guild will make my life substantially easier,” said Brock. He gave me a nod. “I’ve checked out most that are looking for professional players, but they all are focused on the arena. I get that the money is good and they get a cut, but it’s brutal in there. Violence for the sake of violence isn’t worth it.”

Again, no red from Brock, which at this point was expected. My gut said he was a good guy, focusing on earning money in-game and then taking care of his family, who had taken care of him all of his life. This was his way to give back to them, and he was going to succeed no matter what. I understood that drive; it was close to my own, though mine had changed after I’d entered the game. Unlike Brock, I didn’t have anyone waiting for me when I left, and that made it harder to want to leave when there were plenty of reasons to stay in Revivium.

New message: Brock’s Note’s on the Guilds

Inside was a list of the major guilds with halls and his personal notes on what he’d found out when he spoke to them about recruiting and what they were looking for.

“The Azura Tribe was on my top list, then the qualification for the realm-wide quest came out. So, here I am. Someone named Adam said I should check you guys out, and that you were good people.”

Shift spit out her drink from the other side of the table. “Adam said that?”

Brock nodded.

“He’s on our team, good to know he thinks we’re good people,” said Shift. “We saved his ass during the boss battle.”

From there everyone started asking questions about the boss battle. None of them had braved the woods. My focus was on the notes Brock had sent me and eating some of the spicy meat sticks. The bread was nice and soft. Adding the spicy chicken to it made it into a tasty dinner.

Azura Tribe: Good people, try to stay away from the arena as much as possible. Looking for good people.

Sun Eagles: Closed, magic users only. Small guild. Ten or so active members.

Howling Hammers: Arena-focused, warriors only. Doesn’t like the Ivory Dragons, or The Titans.

Froststars: Couldn’t get a meeting with anyone. Unknown.

Oaken Men: Invitation Only. Doesn’t deal with the arena. Unclear on what they look for. Someone met me for coffee and it felt like a date.

The Titans: Arena Focused. Offers free healing for any arena damage arena for members.

Tears of Skulls: A bunch of rocks. Brute strength. Arena fights. Membership turns over quickly.

Tremberbreaker: Arena Focused. Requires weekly fights. Lots of Corp Brats. Try to stay away from the Ivory Dragons in fights. Not clear if actually connected.

Ivory Dragons: Asshats, lots of Corp brats. They blackmail other players, and tend to get their way. If people disagree with them, they vanish never to be seen from again.

Warhog Paladins: Unknown. Active but no activity. Weird. Couldn’t get in the door.

“This is a good list,” said Hex. “I can add some notes to it as well. Most of these guilds didn’t exist before, except for the Sun Eagles and the Oaken Men. Interesting that all have moved to an invitation-only situation. We were friendly with them.”

“Fear can change things,” I replied.

Mia: How about I invite Adam and Dan along on our adventure tomorrow?

Hex: It’s a Guild Quest, one that should be in a lower-level area.

Shift: I pinged them about it and they have a few things for the next two days. Plus I think their Guild Master might want to talk to you. Be prepared for lots of questions.

Mia: Questions?

Shift: About the guild.

Mia: They haven’t said anything to me.

Shift: You were just made a Guildmaster. Everyone is trying to size you up and figure you out.

That was true. The revival of the Paladins has already started to shake up Guild row, and I was smack dab in the middle of it. More rested on my shoulders than before. I pushed those thoughts away and grabbed my mug of lemonade. For the moment, I could enjoy dinner, then I needed to get some sleep. Tomorrow should be an interesting day. Each of them had been so far, and nothing looked like it was going to be simpler any time soon.

The conversation went on for another hour before I excused myself and headed up to the second floor. This area was even dustier than the first, and I made a note on my to do list. Masi followed me up the stairs and down the hall. I found my room easily enough, and it opened as I approached. It was simple enough with no decoration, but the walls were a light yellow color. The room contained a large bed with white blankets, a dresser, and space to set up my armor, along with a rack for my weapons. A doorway showed a bathroom with a good setup, including a soaking tub. It didn’t take long before I was clean and in bed under the covers. The bed was comfortable, and I struggled to keep my eyes open. Masi curled up taking up a good chunk of the rest of the bed, but I didn’t care.

“Now, this is the life,” I said as I checked my notifications.

New Skill Level: Insight

The next morning came quickly enough.

“Mia, if you want to get a head start you need to get up,” said Hex.

It took me longer than I would have liked to realize that, yes, I did not fall asleep with my helm on and Hex was talking to me from a speaker somewhere. “I’m up,” I mumbled.

From there, I pulled myself out of bed, dressed, and was ready to go in only a few minutes. Masi had stayed on the bed until my bedroom door snapped open. The upstairs hallway was a little cleaner, like a bot had run up and down it a few times. The basket of muffins sat on the table in the common room, and there wasn’t any sign of the plates from dinner.

“What happened to everything?” I asked.

Shift appeared at the doorway from the hallway. “I pulled rank and had everyone do the dishes together. They didn’t think I was serious, but we got it done and cleaned up.”

I chucked. “That was smart. We might want to hire some staff.”

Shift grabbed a muffin. “I don’t know, most guilds don’t have staff. They make the new recruits do stuff until they earn their stripes, so to speak.”

That didn’t sit right with me. I’d rather we had folks out there helping the NPCs with quests and getting things done versus doing chores. Still, it was something to think about.

“Got any thoughts on it, Hex?” asked Shift.

“Usually our recruits came from the beginner areas. Other than Haven, we’d have someone meet the shuttles after they landed. By the time they got here, they’d be full members, or ready to be sworn in after a Tusk reviewed their game history.”

“Where do we catch a shuttle to get wherever we need to go?” I asked, thinking about the day and the situation with the recruits.

“I added it to your map,” said Hex.

My map only showed the guild, but we were inside a building so that made sense. “You ready?”

“Yeah, let's get moving,” replied Shift.

We both headed out the front door with Masi following. The common room was still dusty, but at least it no longer felt empty.

Hex: Don’t worry, I’ll watch the new recruits.

Mia: Especially Art.

Shift: Art?

Mia: He lied yesterday about his goals and why he was still in-game. Something fishy is going on there.

Shift: Good to know. Though, he’s lower level than us. If he tried anything, we could probably take him.

Mia: He could pass information off for Bitz at any level.

Once outside I couldn’t help but take a deep breath of the fresh air and shove thoughts of spies out of my mind. The area was empty of people, but it was early and soft blue lights glowed from the edges of the street. Masi took the lead, pouncing down the street, jumping like a kitten. Once we left Guild Row the city was still quiet. Some NPCs were out setting up stalls or were heading to work, but not many. Hex had gotten us up earlier than I thought. The sun was barely lighting the sky up. Still, we only had three days, and even with a shuttle that was a tight deadline that I didn’t want to miss.

The dot on my map was near the edge of the city toward an area that I hadn’t been to before. Masi padded down the center of the street and we followed.

Shift: It looks like we’re headed to an area I passed through before I got to Haven. The Granite Mountains are that way, and we’re headed to Boulder. From there, we’ll travel on foot to Haven since Haven doesn’t have a shuttle service.

Mia: I haven’t even glanced at the map.

Shift: I got you, don’t worry. On the bright side, no one should be out there. Everyone’s racing to Crescent to sign up for the quest.

Mia: Hex? Can people track where we go in the shuttles?

Hex: No. Not unless they are on it as well, and I booked a private one.

Now that helped settle my nerves. I didn’t want anyone to know where we were headed, especially since it was remote. The goal was to get there, find Abraham, and bring his ass back for verification. Then this injunction could go away. Until it was gone, I wasn’t sure we could even register our team for the quest.

The street opened up to a square that was covered in pavement. It was a sudden transition from the cobblestone of the city, so much that it seemed out of place. Inside the paved area, four white boxes were painted, three of which contained shuttles. The fourth stood empty. One shuttle looked worse for wear, with a huge dent in the side and the door partially torn open. Thankfully, that one wasn’t the dot on our map. Another had a light blinking, and it was the same kind of shuttle as had brought us down to Revivium from orbit. The door looked like any other door, but rounded at the top. A blue light glowed above the door.

Hex: We’re on the blue shuttle.

I hesitated at the edge of the square, which caused Masi to stop.

Shift: Do we literally just get on?

Hex: Yes. It’s unmanned. You can’t get info out of a computer.

Shrugging my shoulders I stepped into the square, taking the lead. Masi kept sniffing at various things shaking his head. I headed to the shuttle and approached the open door. The blue light blinked but I kept going as the door opened. Inside on each side was a row of 4 seats, making 8 total.

“Welcome to the Blue shuttle. Please take a seat,” said a soft female voice.

I sat down on the left side, and Masi followed me. He jumped up on the seats next to me, filling all three remaining seats. Automatically, I gave him scratches as Shift took a seat across from us. The door closed automatically behind her.

“We will lift off in 3, 2, 1…”

The shuttle barely moved, but Masi jumped up into the center of the space. He spread out all of his paws, bracing himself. His eyes grew wide.

“We’re on a shuttle,” I said calmly, trying not to laugh. “It’s going to take us to the mountains.” I wondered if we would be able to take a shuttle when Masi got bigger. The bigger dino cat had been larger than the space inside this area.

“Don’t worry Masi, it's safe,” chimed in Shift.

The cat glanced between the two of us like we were crazy. He didn’t move as we traveled, other than his head which kept shifting and looking in all directions. His tail was stuck straight up in the air.

“We will land in 3, 2, 1.”

The shuttle landed softer than I would have imagined. I also didn’t know how it had only taken that long. The distance had to be at least 5 or 6 days if we’d been walking. Yet, we’d landed within an hour. I smiled at shift as the door snapped open and Masi shot out before either of us could say anything. The smell of pine trees greeted me as I followed the cat, stepping out onto the flat stone surface. We had landed outside the city, or rather town, given how small it was on our map. The landing area was a dark flat stone inside a white-painted box like the other shuttle landing areas.

Masi stood in the grass near a sign, but I couldn’t see farther away than that.

Welcome to Boulder, home of the Granite Mountains and the Deep Below.

A thick mist covered the entire area and I could only see several feet in front of me. I caught up to Masi with Shift right behind me. “So, do we head into town or…?”

My sentence cut off as the shuttle lifted off and quietly vanished into the sky. The mist swirled around from the movement.

“Well, or go directly to his dot,” I added.

“His dot,” said Shift and Hex at the same time.

We were all on the same page. I zoomed out from my map, and it looked like Abraham was somewhere about halfway to Haven, which was north of the town of Boulder where we had landed. Thankfully, we had been dropped off on the north side of the mountains. “Wait, how long do we think it will take? Should we grab horses in town to speed it up?”

Shift opened her mouth and then closed it. She had to be staring at the map. “When I came through here before it only took two days to get to Haven.”

“If it takes all day to find him, then we only have one day to get back, plus the shuttle.” That was tight, too tight. “How much will horses cost?” I asked.

Hex: The guild will cover it, since it's a guild quest. I didn’t think about that.

“Alright, let's head into town and get some horses. It’ll make this trip much faster,” I said. The pathway next to the sign was short. It led to a thick stone wall with an archway in it. The metal porculus was open and no guards were in sight. I stepped under the archway and into the clearing on the other side. Mist covered everything, but on my map, I could see a stable right near the wall, along with a tavern, and shop. The map also showed what looked to be another wall before a large road and more houses and shops.

“Most of the town is in the mountain,” said Shift. “They only have a few things outside of it for travelers.”

Shift: It's one of the reasons I didn’t want to stop. I wouldn’t say the people were mean, but they were untrusting. I passed through as quickly as I could.

A figure stood on the other side of the archway and I recognized it as one of the robotic guards. The same type that had been in the temple in Crestport, but it didn’t move or turn to look at us. Ignoring it I headed toward the stable, where an NPC was moving around.

Jessica, Stablehand

She noticed us as we approached. “Can I help you?” Her eyes landed on Masi and widened before moving across the courtyard. I assumed she was glancing at the guard, who hadn’t moved.

“Masi is with me, don’t worry about him,” I said, triggering Insight. “We’re part of the Warhog Paladins.”

Her eyes flickered to me, then hit the helm on the top of my head. “The Paladin’s are a bedtime story. They don’t exist.” A light blue color flickered around her, but I didn’t know what that meant.

“They do now.”

Jessica didn’t know how to respond to that.

“You can scan me,” I added.

“You’re for real? You’re the Guildmaster!” The blue color deepened.

I gave her a soft smile. “I am. We’re working on rebuilding the guild.”

“How can I help you?” she asked, and the aura around her switched to a greenish color. This time her eyes sparkled.

“We want to rent two horses for two days. We should be able to return them back here, or potentially leave them in Haven.”

She blinked and nodded. “If you return them to Haven there will be an extra charge. It's 250 Bitz if you return the horse here and 300 if you return them to Haven.”

“That’s good to know, I appreciate it,” I said. “Is that per horse or for both?”

Jessica hesitated. “For both. Just don’t let anything happen to them. It won’t take long to get them ready. You get charged now for the 300 and if you return them here, I can refund the difference.”

I nodded. “Sounds good.”

She vanished into the stable, and Shift approached my side. “See, you have a way with people.”

“I pulled the guild card out,” I said. “They should know we’re trustworthy. Even if the guild’s been gone a long time.”

It didn’t take long before she came back, leading two horses out of the stable.

Bee, Horse; Honey, Horse.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Does everyone name their horses after natural things?”

Jessica gave me a look as I took the reins from her hands.

“We rented an Apple and Blossom from a rest stop.”

“Oh, Kevin’s a good guy. He loves those two.” She hesitated, then leaned forward. “Just a heads up, I wouldn’t bring the rock cat into town. Their kind hide in the rocks and attack people. We don’t currently have a problem with them, but something is messing with travelers between here and Haven.”

“Thank you for the info, hopefully we can get that cleared up. If not now, I can send some folks to dig into what’s going on,” I said. My notifications icon bounced in the corner of my screen.

Jessica gave me a bright smile for the first time since we started talking.

I mounted Honey as Shift mounted Bee, and Masi kept his distance. The horse turned toward the archway without any direction from me. Shift’s horse followed. The horses paused next to the sign.

Shift waited until we were back on the pathway headed toward the trees before chuckling. “You totally sound like a Guild Master. ‘I’ll send someone to look into it.’” The second part of her sentence was in a mocking tone.

My eyes landed on the sign.

Available Quests:

Trouble on the Road: Travelers are reporting being attacked by a large creature on the road to Haven. Restore peaceful travel to the road.

I accepted the quest and I checked my notifications.

New Renown Point Earned: You have earned a point of Renown for your Guild.

New Skill Level: Insight

“Woah, what’s renown?” I asked.

Hex: Think of renown points as skill points for the Guild, but they can be taken away. We lost most of our renown points. You get them for spreading the word about the Guild and completing quests.

“But what do they do?” asked Shift.

Hex: They can be ‘spent’ on boosts or bonuses for the Guild.

“Did you really grab that quest?” asked Shift.

“Yep, we can look into it on our way. Plus, maybe we’ll get more experience.” While this was super interesting, my focus switched back to the area around us and us just sitting there on the horses. “Let’s get moving. Masi, we’re headed for that dot on the map. He’s a friend that’s missing.”

Masi blinked then gave me a nod.

Shift: How much does he understand?

Mia: I treat him like one of us. He’s got the intelligence for it, anyway.

The air was a little chilly, and I grabbed out my cloak from my inventory and tossed it over my shoulders. That helped.

Masi took the lead down a path that led through the trees away from the sign. Tall pine trees covered the area, along with dense ferns beneath the canopy, limiting how far we could see. I triggered Visual Sounds, but nothing showed up besides the three of us. The mist damped the sounds that I could see. The sound of the horse's hooves echoed through the trees, and we moved away from Boulder, heading for the dot that was Abraham.