Winds of Fate Page 12

  Long story short, breaking through the marshaled defenses with just the remnants of a brigade—no matter how skilled they were as fighters—was suicide. They’d get buried under the bodies, and I’d be buried right along with them.

  Once that information sank in, a gloom set in with it, as I concluded that there was no way to do the quest fairly and without resorting to cheats. Sure, I knew there weren’t any quests in the game that were actually unbeatable unless the admin specifically wanted that to be the case. But here, that couldn’t be because the quest was made to be beaten—there had to be some way to beat it. That, however, didn’t mean that the way to beat it was absurd, something like getting to some super-level and killing them all. Unfortunately, that option didn’t work for me, if only because I didn’t have the time.

  Then it hit me that the whole rigmarole with the reputations had to be there for a reason. Come on, I thought to myself. There are three huge locations where you can live a happy, meaningful life without ever touching your reputation. Just to make sure, I checked the South; it was the same as the East and the West. And way over there beyond the seas and the oceans, was an entire continent where that was also true. But in the North, you couldn't take your next step without a reputation. You were nobody without one. What’s that all about?

  I also wondered if someone with a max reputation could manipulate the locals, making them do things for them. In my case, I wondered if it was possible to collect enough warriors to storm the Ice Wall and pin the Great Fomor to it. That’s when I started reading about reputations and the North, both about how to get them and what they give you.

  Miurat, to be fair, had been right on the money with everything he told me, though he’d missed one small, insignificant detail. If you maxed out your reputation with the könig, it was significantly easier to boost your reputation in each of the burgs. You got a pretty good bonus right off the bat, meaning that helping people out gave you even more goodies and more of a reputation bump.

  The könig could also take care of any problems players with maxed reputations had in a given burg. In my case, he could mobilize the militia and march against the icy foes to the north. I would still need a max reputation in the burgs, as that would decide how determined the militias would be to answer his call and defeat the enemy.

  It was just a shame that building a reputation with the könig was awfully hard. Some players, again, had done it, but the amount of time they’d spent…mamma mia. Even getting an audience with the könig (so you could get one of the starter quests before you had some sort of reputation) was difficult, if not impossible. And you only got a reputation with the könig beyond the table scraps I already had once you finished a starter quest. Some posts did mention an alternative way to build a reputation using some nonstandard quests, though the messages were old and oddly written. They did plant the seed of an idea, however, as they mentioned something about the Tearful Goddess Order—one I already knew well from my time in the West. I’ll have to visit the mission in the capital. Maybe they’ll have something for me.

  Anyway, that was the dreary—if only—road that lay ahead of me. I didn’t see any other options, but I didn’t rule anything out. At the same, time, all the different things that had to go right for me to do the quest didn’t really bother me; there had been many more with the Mandiblefighter affair, after all. At least, I had some kind of goal and the Wild Hunt as an ace up my sleeve. Maybe I wasn’t sure how I was going to get the könig to turn on the Great Fomor to the point that he’d be ready to go to war, but that was a bridge I could cross later. Perhaps, a good reason would pop up down the line. One thing that would help when it came to that was… It’s too early to be thinking about that. First, I have a reputation to build.

  So, I was all set to talk with the blacksmith the next day about the quest I’d completed and set off for Holmstag. It was just a shame that the Wild Hunt could only be active for ten minutes in the daylight; their steeds would have gotten me to the capital in an hour tops. Unfortunately, at night, I was too busy sleeping, especially after the craziness of the previous few days.

  With a plan in my head, my mood lightened, and I decided to check in with my staff.

  “How’s everything going?”

  “We’re just about done,” responded Vika. “If you could sign off on the issue, please, we’ll send it to print.”

  She was always very respectful to me at work, which I attributed to the excellent principles she had. So far. I didn’t imagine they’d last for long.

  I signed the issue and waved everyone out of the office.

  “Okay, guardsmen, time to go. Nothing else to do here, and I’ll be walking to the metro soon, as well.”

  “Walking?” asked Yushkov. “What happened to your car?”

  “Oh, of course,” I said, rolling my eyes at myself. “I still haven’t gotten used to having one again.”

  “They shouldn’t have given you a car like that,” Stroynikov noted philosophically. “It’s just going to get stolen.”

  “Hey now, don’t jinx me,” I replied sharply.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Stroynikov wasn’t letting it go. “My old man had this one friend—well, still does—that paid big money to import a car from the US. It was some kind of classic Buick, a collector’s edition. You know, like in the old gangster movies: guys in hats waving Thompson submachine guns around and smoking unfiltered cigarettes.”

  “What happened?” asked Samoshnikov, who had been eavesdropping on our conversation.

  “It didn’t end well; the car was stolen a couple weeks later. They had alarms rigged up in the garage and a tracker on the car, the works, but it was still stolen.”

  “You’re kidding!” I sympathized fully with Gennady, although inside I couldn’t help but admit that he was right. I’d seen the looks my car got from of the long-nosed people hanging around with fresh morning stubble. Sooner or later, I figured, someone would put out an order on it. I had no idea what I could do about that, instead relying on Raidion’s reputation. Maybe the thief would realize who the car belonged to and wouldn’t risk getting involved with them. There was no getting around the fact that the Impala stood out like a sore thumb in the parking garage…

  ***

  Vika was quiet in the car on the way home, and I realized she’d been that way since the previous evening. I had to break through somehow. The best way to do that was with a direct question, and so I decided not to overthink it.

  “What’s wrong, my young companion? Is something up?”

  “No, everything’s fine,” she answered darkly. “I’m just tired.”

  “Oh, lovely,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “You, too! If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that phrase over the twenty years since I started having sex… You have no idea.”

  “Wow, twenty years? You got a late start.” Vika shook her head.

  “It was just a different time,” I told her. “But that’s not important. What’s on your mind, sweetie?”

  “Really, nothing. Well, almost nothing.” She was obviously hiding something from me.

  “Vika, I’m not a fan of all that, so let’s say this: if there’s something between us, it’s better to just go ahead and air it out. If it’s physical, it’s better to get that out in the open, too, so I don’t spend too much time wrinkling my brain. But if it’s really personal, you can just tell me that it doesn’t have anything to do with me. Believe me, keeping things to yourself only makes the problem worse—I know that for a fact. If we don’t tell each other things today, tomorrow we’ll hear them from someone else, and that’ll be worse. There are lots of lovely people out there.”

  Vika laughed.

  “It’s a bunch of nonsense; my sister just got me worked up. We chatted for a while yesterday. She didn’t go play her game, and we talked like we haven’t talked in quite a while—I was surprised. She asked about work and then about you, what you like and how you look.”

  “And?”

  �
��Well, I described you, all the details. For some reason, she got really nervous and said you look just like someone she knows. And so, here I am wondering if you’ve ever been involved with my sister. Your ages are similar, at least.”

  “How long has she been working as a teacher?” I asked.

  “For a while, ever since she graduated. Maybe eight years.”

  “Then nope, definitely not. I’ve never been with any teachers, even just for a one-night stand.”

  “But still, take a look at her picture.” Vika pulled out her phone, fiddled with it for a few seconds, and showed me a picture of a very attractive middle-aged woman. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and there was a strong-willed expression on her face. I did, it so happens, have the feeling that I’d seen her before, but it was just the shadow of a feeling. It wasn’t worth pointing that out, especially since they were sisters—I could have just been recognizing Vika’s features.

  “Nope, never seen her before,” I declared confidently.

  I could feel Vika watching me closely that whole time. She believed me, and I could feel the nervous energy drain from her.

  “And next time just forget about crap like that. Don’t bother me with it either, especially when I’m driving,” I continued in a lecturing tone.

  She nodded and joked, “So my sister is crap? I see how it is!”

  The problem was taken care of, but something didn’t sit right with me. Why did her sister get so nervous when Vika described me? I had definitely never met her before, and there was nothing wrong with my memory. So, could we be friends over in the other world? Wouldn’t that be a funny coincidence?

  “Did you tell her my username?” I asked Vika.

  “No,” she answered firmly. “She asked me a few times, but I told her I didn’t know.”

  “But you do know.” I grunted.

  “Yes, but she doesn’t need to.” Vika pressed her lips together.

  Women…inscrutable and unpredictable…

  The next morning, I looked over the fourth release of the Fayroll Times, happy with our work. We’d decided against publishing a map of Rivenholm, saving that for later, but it still turned out fantastic.

  My phone rang, pulling me out of my reverie. It was Zimin.

  “Morning, Kif. How’re you feeling?”

  “Good morning! Perfectly fine,” I responded, surprised by the question. What was that about?

  “Excellent, I’m glad that incident is gone without a trace,” Zimin continued, lending clarity to the conversation.

  When I realized what he was talking about, I decided to shift the conversation to a more neutral topic. “What did you think of today’s paper?” I asked proudly.

  “Yes, that’s why I’m calling. You picked an unusual topic for it, and you didn’t okay it with me first,” Zimin answered, annoyance creeping into his voice.

  Uh oh, too much initiative for the boss. Well done, Harriton, you screwed yourself. You’re about to be taken out back and whipped unless you can wiggle your way out of it. As a colleague who worked in radio once said…

  “Maxim, it’s just a classic media trick. You publish an issue on a completely unexpected topic, and the surprise factor attracts new readers, subscribers, and, most importantly, players.”

  “Well, you’re the media guy, so you would know… I mean, yes, I’ve heard of that.” His voice softened appreciably. “Kit said the same thing, too. Still, next time, just give me a call—these types of issues are really important. But well done for thinking outside the box. You found a way out again…”

  “I don’t know what you mean…” I replied sheepishly. Was he talking about the paper or the game? I’m certainly not going to ask.

  “How’s the car?” Zimin asked out of the blue.

  “Still running.”

  “Great. You should stop by the office to see Nikita and me. We can have a chat, maybe a drink, have a good time.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I answered boisterously. “Next week—for sure.”

  “Great,” Zimin laughed. “We’ll be expecting you.”

  What a guy. Called, scared me like that, and then… Dealing with management is never easy. Having come to that conclusion, I decided to make life a little easier for my own staff.

  ***

  We got home, and I jumped right into the capsule.

  My first reason for my hurry was that I was starting to feel pressed for time. I had no idea how long I’d be wandering around the North, and I still had the South to go—and I didn’t even know how to get there, not to mention what I’d have to do once I did. I also had my marriage to the vila looming, with one month out of the six I’d been allotted already gone. More than a month, in fact.

  My second reason was that my curiosity was eating away at me. What kind of goodies did I get?

  I stuck my hand into my bag and pulled out the first thing. It was Ulfrida’s bracelet, the one I’d gotten from the Lord of the Burial Mounds. I read the description and whistled.

  “You’re kidding me!”

  ***

  From the fourth edition of the Fayroll Times:

  From the editor.

  ...new lands, new quests, new problems, and new discoveries. It doesn’t matter how you get to the Promised Land, be it by registering there or overcoming all the many difficulties, seas, oceans, storms, and calms in your path. Just remember: new lands await!

  From an interview with Harry the Eye, leader of Terra Incognita.

  “All those Rattermark veterans need to realize that they won’t have it easy here. They think they can just show up and we’ll all go hide in the woods…but no. This is our land, we were here first, and we’ll always be here first. If they want to play here, let them learn to bend the knee. And if they don’t want to learn, we’ll teach them.”

  Advanced Magic.

  The first test of Starfall, a new ability that was found in a Rattermark dungeon, took place to great fanfare. The ability is for fire mages Level 130 and higher and features a fire strike that rains down on a kilometer-wide zone from the sky. It costs more than 5000 mana to cast, a significant amount. The small forest targeted for the demonstration was completely demolished.

  Excerpts from the Fayroll Chronicle.

  The Strength of the Brave clan was restructured due to a conflict between its founders. Their disagreement was so strong that it tore apart the long and storied history of one of Rattermark’s oldest clans, leading us to believe that the game will soon feature two or even three new clans.

  The Eyes of the Beast clan once again set off for Ouk Cave to take on Klatornakh, still just as epic a monster as before. The entire clan entered and, just like the last time, none emerged. Their persistence, at least, is admirable.

  The Hounds of Death announced a major celebration they’ll be throwing next week in honor of several different events to be announced as part of the festivities. Invitations have already been sent to the heads of all clans friendly to theirs. The evening is set to include a fire show by the clan’s mages, a pet review, arm wrestling, competitions, and more.

  The Wild Hearts are accepting new recruits. All players Level 20 and higher are welcome, regardless of their class and abilities. Just remember: fortune favors the brave.

  Coming up in the next issue.

  A new column entitled Legends of Fayroll: The Players You Know, Revere, and Emulate.

  Chapter Ten

  In which the hero pulls off a trade to get where he’s going.

  Ulfrida’s Bracelet

  A piece of jewelry belonging to the beloved daughter of König Harald the Curly.

  Quest item

  If you don’t have the quest this item is for, you can accept it right now.

  Would you like to accept it?

  Huh, a quest-starter. So I guess Ragnar took out a quest undead? I was just worried that the quest would say I had to get the bracelet from the skeleton and also kill him myself. In that case, I’d have to start the whole thing over… Anyway, I obviously
accepted the free quest and thanked my lucky stars. I really had been getting lucky, incidentally. But would I end up paying for that when the pendulum swung the other way?

  You have a new quest offer: Favorite Piece of Jewelry

  This is the fifth in the Missing Daughter series of quests.

  Task: Get the könig’s daughter’s favorite piece of jewelry from the Lord of the Burial Mounds and deliver it to König Harald the Curly.

  Reward:

  1000 experience

  1500 gold

  A rare item from the könig’s treasury matching your class

  +5 respect among the peoples of the North

  Warning: This quest is impossible to complete alone, so create a raid and take 18 to 24 friends with you.

  Warning: Your level is too low to comfortably beat this quest.

  Warning: You cannot currently inform the quest-giver that you completed the quest given that you have not yet completed the preceding quests in the series.

  Additional

  The main target of this quest is a rare, named monster with unique abilities. He has caused major problems for Northerners, and so you should check with other NPCs to look for quests related to him.

  Additional

  This quest is part of the Missing Daughter series. You can accept the starter quest, though your level and reputation are not high enough to beat the series comfortably. For more information about the Missing Daughter quest series, talk to the quest-starter (König Harald the Curly).

  Accept the starter quest?

  Well, that was a good bit of text. It was enough to have me wondering what I’d gotten myself into, in fact. I’ll accept it. Why not? And the second one, too. I’ll have something to talk about with the könig, at least…