Survival Quest (The Way of the Shaman: Book #1) (31 page)

Experience gained: +800 Experience, points remaining until next level: 1170

Level gained!

Free stat points: 5.

Achievement earned!

The First Kill of Queen Aiden of the Mushu Dungeon.

Achievement reward: the reputation with all encountered factions will increase daily by 5 units.

Message for the player: in five months' time you will be teleported to an audience with the Emperor. You may take two companions with you; for this you will have to give them the invitation letter in the course of five months. You may obtain the invitations in any branch office of Barliona Bank.

A small number 1 wrapped in some flowers appeared next to my name. So that's the general part of the achievement seen by all. I was free to jump for joy and shout 'Hurrah!', but to be honest I didn't feel any particular pride in earning this achievement. I had nothing to do with this; it was earned at a great price - the respawn of the whole group. Keeping in mind that our sensory filters were turned off, everyone must have felt some unforgettably unpleasant sensations before returning to their mines. Not a lot to be happy about, really. All I had to do now was find the loot, pick up the dropped gold and jump in the portal. The Dungeon was completed.

I headed for the cave that contained the Queen, remembering Clutzer's idea. Translated into human language, it sounded like this:

"This is what I'm thinking," said Clutzer, "We can't let Mahan die, since it'll be very unprofitable. But if we leave the Rat behind we'll be making a big mistake. Here's my proposal - we have to lead the Rat through all the three traps that we found in the Dungeon: the cave with the slime, the corridor with the web and the hole with the spikes. I'll have a chat with the Queen and invite her for a walk in the cave with the slime, stripping myself beforehand. I've already been there, so I can guess what will happen - most probably I'll end up going back to my mine through a respawn. But then the Queen should feel quite bad from the slime and the level of its Hit Points should fall quite significantly. Then Leite takes the Rat and travels with it to the hanging webs. He'd run along the spider-free space as far as he can and when the passage comes to a turn, he'd jump straight into the web, to guarantee the Rat getting stuck. Yes, Leite would immediately repeat my feat and will end up back in his beloved mine, but the Rat won't be doing so great either. It will get stuck and the spiders will get busy mobbing it for a piece of its Hit Points. If the Queen manages to get out, Eric's task is to take it to the hole with the spikes, stand on the edge and wait for the royal Rat to ram into him at full speed. If he manages to dodge - good for him. If not - not a worry, as long as the Rat lands on the spikes. That'll be the end. As for Mahan, there is a very good niche between the hole with the spikes and the hanging webs, so he can hide there the entire fight. His task is to survive, pick up the gold that would be left behind us, and make us guaranteed profit when we form the clan."

This was a rough translation of Clutzer's speech, because reproducing it word for word is beyond my slang skill. We really have to teach him to speak like a normal person, without all this 'for real' and 'money where your mouth is'.

The money left after Eric lay right on the edge of the hole. So he didn't manage to dodge the enraged Queen. There was nothing left at all of the web labyrinth - the Queen cleaned out the little spiders to the last leg. But for Clutzer's money I had to jump after taking off all my gear: it fell right on the opposite edge of the slime corridor. In all honestly I was amazed by Clutzer. If the first time he didn't know that it would be painful, agreeing to go into this puddle again would require considerable willpower. I opened the chest with the loot and, having taken the money, I even chuckled: I currently had a little under six thousand gold. Enough to start a clan for sure. I examined the loot and immediately set aside three chainmail items - they were for the others and there was no point in looking at their properties. But this leather item was mine, so what bonuses did it hold?

Terrisa's Leather Gloves. Durability: 300. Physical damage resistance: 90. Stamina: +15. Intellect: + 25. +1 to a random stat (must be chosen when equipped). Magic, fire, cold and poison resistance: 30. Item class: Epic. Minimum level: 14.

I stared at the description in disbelief. Even if these gloves were meant just for a level 14 player, I'll never be parted from them, at least not until I found some better ones. I put them on and saw the message:

Attention player! Please choose a stat that you wish to increase from the following list: Charisma, Crafting, Endurance.

Of course it'd be Crafting, what else could it be?

Accepted. Current item description: Terrisa's Leather Gloves. Durability: 300. Physical damage resistance: 90. Stamina: +15. Intellect: + 25. Crafting: +1. Magic, fire, cold and poison resistance: 30. Item class: Epic. Minimum level: 14.

I put the remaining items in the bag and headed for the transport portal. Now I'll come back to Dolma and then to Pryke and tomorrow I'll be in the main gameworld. With gloves like these the idea of making money on an industrial scale seemed a lot more realistic. I involuntarily closed my eyes as I stepped through the portal. Hello Dolma mine. I was looking forward to the expression on the ogre's face when he saw the achievement I just earned. I wondered whether I'd have to put on decent clothes in five month's time or if they would hand them out before the reception. And do I even have time to think about any of this? Why am I still surrounded by a strange glowing cloud through which I can't see anything? And what happened to the frames of my group? The surrounding cloud dissolved and I was faced with a wall of black and a loading bar slowly coming up to 100. I had a feeling that I was back in the world of 2D games: no 3D graphics, just the location loading bar taking its time, since the servers are old and are groaning under the traffic, slowing everything down. I turned my head this way and that, but the bar stayed in front of my eyes. Damn, where the heck am I?

Chapter 12

The Return

T
he progress bar reached a hundred percent and the black veil dissolved. So, where on earth was I? The status frames of my group and the Queen vanished - it felt like they'd been completely wiped out. Fine, I'll figure it out later. I looked around. Neither Dolma nor Pryke nor the glimmering Dungeon exit/entrance veil was anywhere in sight. The even surface on which I stood was made of a uniform grey material and was smooth to the touch, as if it was grey polished marble. There were no joints. Strange - who would work on such a huge piece of stone? I couldn't see much else, as the light was really poor. If I was asked to describe the lighting, I'd have said that it was something between a moonless night and a foggy evening, a very distinct type of twilight. The visibility was bad, but I noticed a shadow of a building of some kind. I clearly had nothing to lose, so I cautiously headed towards the dim outline, half expecting some sort of a trap. It was eerie, walking around like that. Silence, not even a breeze. Alone in the twilight. All that was missing was a vampire to complete the picture.

The sharp sound of a siren stunned me for a few seconds. It was then replaced by a metallic female voice:

Intruder in the technical section detected. The player capsule is being identified. Player capsule identified. Player capsule is being disconnected. Capsule disconn.....

A flash of light illumined everything around me, I automatically closed my eyes and then, after some blinking, saw the door of my capsule opening. 'E-ehh... What on earth...? They're letting me out already?'

It took me a few seconds to realize that the capsule lid really had slid sideways, but had then became stuck in a half-opened position. I could have squeezed into the gap if not for one 'but' - the ceiling was just ten centimeters from the capsule. The process of my disconnection from the capsule had began: wires, tubes and various devices started to come away. Long-term immersion capsules do have their drawbacks: it takes a good while for you get in or out of one of them. The majority of the other players use medium immersion capsules in which you can stay up to 24 hours. The capsule analyzes the player's state and comes with a safety measure that warns the player when it is time to have a break, giving him fifteen minutes to reach a safe place before being disconnected. There were also the normal virtual reality helmets, but I don't know who used them, since they don't provide full immersion.

When the mask covering my face slid off, I could lift my head and stick it outside the gap between the lid and the capsule. I felt like a high-tech Dracula impersonator. The place where I was had a strong resemblance to a crypt: it measured a meter by a meter and was three meters in length. The wall at my feet was completely solid, so with some difficulty I turned my head in the opposite direction. This made things much clearer. So that's where all the prisoners were kept... A great wall of shelves, separated into cells, spanned from floor to ceiling. Fifty levels, and I counted up to sixty-seven cells on each, beyond which I could not see. Mind-boggling! Real economizing on space, time and money for keeping prisoners. Another image popped into my head: Neo from the 'Matrix' film also wakes up in reality like this after eating that pill. He was also covered in wires, and I only lacked a plug in my head to complete the resemblance. Also, unlike him, I had normal control of my body. So, if this was like in the film, I'd be flushed down a drain, where Morpheus and Trinity would pick me up. That was a pretty ridiculous train of thought right there.

There was nothing left to do but lie back in the capsule and wait. I could have tried screaming in an empty storage room for prisoners, but there was little point in that, since everything was probably automated around here. It was much more likely that the opening of one of the capsules came up somewhere on the system and a bunch of people have already started running around like ants and thinking what to do next. That's right, they've got to earn their lunch money somehow. I didn't notice when I fell asleep, so I missed the moment when the capsule began to shake. 'Sleeping in an opened capsule isn't all that comfortable', I thought to myself, as I moved around in the cramped space, trying to loosen the stiff muscles. The life support systems were turned off, there was no muscle massage and the bed was uncomfortable. Put me back in Barliona already! I don't think I like this reality! I rubbed my sleep-clogged eyes and felt that something was missing. Eyebrows! I had no eyebrows! I felt the back of my head and discovered that I had no hair on my head either. I didn't look anywhere else, supposing that my whole body was now totally hairless. Damn. Is this change permanent or just while I'm in prison? I didn't relish the prospect of spending the rest of my life in a wig. Finally the shaking stopped and I noticed that I was no longer in the crypt, but was being transported somewhere along the moving ceiling. 'They could have at least closed the lid - what if I dropped out?' I thought. In a couple of minutes the transportation was complete, there was some more shaking and all went quiet. The capsule was probably put on the ground.

"Prisoner!" there came a shout. "We're opening the lid. Don't make any sudden moves. Once out of the capsule - hands behind your head, face on the floor. If you fail to comply we will use deadly force! Is that clear? I don't hear an answer!"

Welcome back to the real world, baby.

"Yes, I get it! As soon as I leave the capsule, I lie on the floor, hands behind my head! I'll not give you any problems, so no shooting," who knows, what if I accidentally slipped and they shot me full of something unhealthy and incompatible with life.

"Attention! We're opening the lid" - which was followed by the screeching of the screwdriver, swearing, then the screwdriver again, and a minute later the lid fell to the floor with a sharp bang.

"I'm coming out!" I shouted and carefully got up. There were three technicians in white coats, one guard with a gun aimed at me, and a small mountain of various technical equipment. At least there weren't any women around.

"Come out, hands behind your head, face on the floor! Move it!" shouted the guard, wiping the sweat off his face with his hand. The guy's scared! Really scared, which means he could shoot just out of fear. I carefully stepped out of the capsule and leant on the lid, steadying myself as my head began to spin. Well I'll be! Was that just from changing my position? I nearly fainted, as my vision went dark. So much for them saying that the capsules provide all you need and are completely safe. But here I've spent three months in one and my head was swimming in circles. I dreaded to think what it would be like after eight years. When my head cleared somewhat, I carefully got down on my knees and lay on the floor, face-down. Damn, it was cold!

"Pablo, take the handcuffs and cuff him. I'll cover you," sounded the guard's muffled whisper. "Damned automation, couldn't wait for the police to get here. They promised to be here in thirty minutes. Until then we're on our own. What if he's violent? Why did this crap have to happen on my watch?"

"Hey, you" that one was for me now, "hands behind your back!"

Behind the back means behind the back, I wasn't going to argue. There was a click of closing handcuffs and an immediate sigh of relief from the other four. They've done it. They caught the malicious criminal, cuffed him and could now go and have their coffee.

"You can sit down, but you better not try anything." Ah, so there are some decent people still around. I rolled on my side and sat down, propping my back against the capsule. By the looks of it I was in the laboratory where the prisoners were taken once they served their term.

That's how we spent the next two minutes: I sat and watched the technicians and the guard, who never took his gun off me. The whole crowd stared at me in silence, too scared to move. Although no - one of the technicians was vigorously reading something in the hand-held communicator.

"Your floor is so cold here. I'll catch a cold and die and you won't be getting any medals for that," I decided to break the long silence. "Can you please at least bring a blanket I can cover myself with?"

"Yeah, right, you don't want a coffee to go with that too?" asked the guard roughly, but was elbowed by one of the technicians.

"Peterson, the guy's got a point - sitting with your bare ass on the floor is a pain", the reading technician looked up from his device.

"Get up," he said, addressing me now. "I've scanned through your file, waste collector killer. You seem normal enough, even handed yourself in. How are you feeling, by the way?"

"I'm frozen, my hands are uncomfortable and though I may be clean I'd give a lot for a hot shower. You have no idea what it's like to live in a dusty mine for three months," was my honest response.

"Ah, so he's the one?" said the guard, surprised, and lowered his gun. "That's why I thought his face looked familiar. He was on all the channels a couple of months ago. Some mess you got yourself in, man. I know someone who works at the building management service and he said they had to do so many repairs that the officials had a panic about how to pay for it all."

"Yes, I know. They hung all that debt on me. In total I have to pay off a hundred million game gold or serve out my entire eight-year term."

The guard and the technicians even whistled on hearing this figure. I had to admit - that was some debt that I was landed with. They stayed silent for a while.

"What should we do, Roberts?" the guard asked the senior technician.

"Not much for it. You're not going to try anything funny if we take the cuffs off? They'd be a bother in the shower."

"Like I'd even think about it. Do I look like I need more trouble? I still have over seven years of time to do and have no intention of adding to that," I assured him.

"Turn around," said Roberts and unlocked the handcuffs. Peterson automatically aimed the gun at me, but a few moments later relaxed and put it back in the holster.

"The shower is straight ahead, the soap and the rest is provided. Everything's disposable. Hurry up. In and out."

I never thought that a shower could provide that much pleasure. I stood under the water and relished every moment and every drop, until they started banging on the cabin and telling me to get out. I changed into the underwear offered me by the machine, returned to the common room and sat on the sofa, wrapping myself in the blanket that was on it. Now you can send me anywhere, I'm ready.

"Why did you leave the game?" asked Roberts, perching himself on a chair nearby.

"How should I know? The mine where I was working had a Dungeon with a portal. I jumped in the portal and ended up in some technical location. Then there was a flash of light and I was here. That's it."

"So you're the one behind it all? You sure got all our admins in a panic. There was a lot of swearing going back and forth on the intranet - they were trying to find out who left around an entrance into the technical location." For a while Roberts was silent and then went on: "But you did well. Not everyone can earn Respect in three months; just a couple of people did that, in my memory. And completing that Dungeon without any hints ensured that all five of you gained a place in Barliona's history. All the top guilds are incensed that some prisoners have made it into the pioneers' hall of fame. On the forums they are saying that several clans swore to hunt you down - meaning that you'll all end up in a clan one way or another: either as members or on their blacklist."

"What do you mean, 'all five of us'? There were only four," I asked in surprise.

"Well, yes, just four went through the Dungeon, but the achievement was earned by five. That's what it said in the achievement. You figure out how that's happened yourself."

Karachun! I never removed him from the group! He remained there in the frames. This meant that Karachun also earned this achievement along with the heightened interest of all the leading players of this world. Some 'favor' we did him, and ourselves too, for that matter. Players like Hellfire from Phoenix don't like taking no for an answer. He'd offer you to join his clan so that he could add this Dungeon to his collection in the race between first pioneers, and if you refused, he'd be very upset. Being on the black list of the top guilds is a pretty unpleasant business - they kill you at every opportunity and you won't be able to buy anything from them, even at an auction. There were probably some other downsides I didn't know about, but which could be found in the manuals. Stop! How does Roberts know that I and Mahan are one and the same? It's a prosecutable offence to dig up this information!

"Roberts, where did you get the information that I went through a Dungeon or that I've earned Respect in three months?"

"You're a bit slow not to figure this out yourself. You said that you were in a Dungeon. Out of all the mines only Dolma has a Dungeon. That's one thing. The other is that only people with Respect get sent to Dolma, as a test to see if you're ready to work in a team. Moreover, prisoners from all the parallel mines get sent there."

"By the way, what are these parallel mines?" I asked Roberts. "I met a couple of guys on Dolma who were from a parallel Pryke mine. But why?"

"Because it's unprofitable to keep more than 250 prisoners in one mine. That would mean weakened control. And multiplying mines isn't an answer either. Why take up the extra space? That's why they introduced parallel ones - we have to put you lot somewhere, in the end. They have the same governor and the same quota collector, but the rest is separate. It's simpler that way."