Resurgence: The Rise of Resurgence Book 1 (51 page)

“Joining the King’s Army are ya?” The guard who stopped us asked.

“Fighting on the same side, though we aren’t much for Army life. No offense,” I responded.

“None taken. As long as we know there are people out there that are answering the King’s call, that is good enough for us. Stay to the road ahead and you shouldn’t have any problems between here and the Capitol. There are no bandits on this part of the King’s road. So long as you stick to the main road, you will be safe the entire way. You can’t miss it. It will always be larger than the other roads you come across.”

As we passed through the gate, the soldiers gave us one final salute. We kicked at our horses and started making our way to our destination. While the summoned horses we rode could theoretically be banished by a spell caster, we hadn’t seen any that could. And the fact that they did not need to be fed or given water, and could run full out for as long as you needed, made them worth the risk of a caster coming along. Although I didn’t want to think what would happen if we were traveling at full speed and suddenly our mounts were no longer under us. The damage from that alone could likely kill us.

The guard was right, and we had no problem following the main road. It took us almost two hours to arrive at our destination, but we knew we were on the right path long before our actual arrival.

The Capitol began to come into view, sitting upon a hill top, thirty minutes before we set food within its walls. The palace, because that is all I could imagine it was, looked grand and decadent from a far distance, but even more impressive as we got closer. I started to spy battlements and defensive structures as well. And given the location of the city, high upon the hill, it made for a good defensive position. Additionally, there was a river that bordered one portion of the Capitol, forcing any land assault along one route. The wall surrounding the Capitol stood ten meters high, and archers could be seen patrolling the top of the parapets.

Our writ of passage also got us into the Capitol and led us to the town square. I was certain we would find another quest NPC there, just like Sir Kenyon. But neither myself, nor my friends wanted to jump right into another quest. We first wanted to explore. And when that exploration was done, I would go and find Stan.

We stayed as a group so we could all learn where the best places were to get spells, armor, weapons, and the like. Jason was eager to not only get his spells, but also find the quest mob that would give him his title. Wayne and I wanted to find where we could get our new skills. Dan wanted to find the Tavern.

As we moved around the Capitol, one thing stood out more than any other. There were only NPCs. We knew we were the first of the Light Races to make it to the Capitol, but we weren’t seeing any other players from the Dark Races. Although we were seeing plenty of NPCs who represented those Races, to include Dark Elfs, Trolls, and Ogres. We asked the merchants who we came across for directions, but none were terribly helpful, and it appeared we would need to look for ourselves.

It was Wayne who came up with the first idea to help us. And it didn’t have anything to do with asking for directions. Wayne suspected that since we hadn’t met with the NPC quest giver yet, the NPCs were indifferent to helping us. I figured it was worth a shot, since we didn’t have to accept the quest he gave us right away.

So back we went to the town square and found Sir Arthur Chadwick standing next to the fountain. As we approached him, I removed the map from my inventory and showed it to him. Sir Arthur took the map and examined it, finally letting a smile show on his face.

“You are the adventurers Sir Kenyon has spoken so highly of! I have been waiting for you. Welcome to the Capitol,” Sir Arthur said while waving his arm as if to encompass the whole city. “Times have been tough in our land since the Children of Loust rose against us, but the men and women of this town have bound together and will continue to fight against the foes. You are welcome here and together we can fight this foe. The news from the battle field is dire, as I am sure you have heard. We need more men and women to answer the call.”

That part about news from the battlefield was new, so I took a shot and asked, “What news from the battlefield?”

“Ah, you have not heard? We have faced foes like we have never seen in the past. Beasts of unspeakable cruelty and strength. The King has waged a valiant fight against them, and finally we thought our time was at hand to land a mighty blow. We had the forces, the power, and the position. All went according to plan from the outset. Our forces were almost ready to cheer as we believed we were about to land our first crippling blow against our enemy.”

Sir Arthur paused for a moment as he seemed to collect his thoughts. “All of that ended though when he stepped out on the field. I’ve never seen a creature of such might. I don’t even know what to call it. But I can tell you its name. Riff. Such a simple name. Riff. That is until you hear its title, Supreme Overlord of Loust’s Army. Riff Lifestealer. Without fanfare or pomp, the Supreme Overlord walked out onto the field, easily standing 9 feet tall, and began to butcher our forces. By the end of the day, all that was left around Supreme Overlord Riff was a puddle of blood extending meters out from his location. And it did not look like any of it was his.

“You can see; we need support more than ever. Will you answer the call?”

As we had discussed, I did not take the quest, but instead went to see how the NPCs interacted with us after meeting with Sir Arthur. And Wayne had been right. The NPCs now interacted with us much more freely and we soon found directions to all of the locations we needed.

* * *

Before we ran off again, I realized that I hadn’t taken advantage of every resource we had at hand, “Dan, what did the manual say about the Capitol?”

Dan thought about it for a moment and said, “You know Alex, that section was not accessible before. I bet it is now. One moment.”

Dan got quite for a few moments and then said, “Yup, there it is. Reading now.”

After several minutes Dan spoke up, “Well that is awesome. Guys, at Level 20, we can choose a family name.”

“You mean like a last name?” Wayne asked.

“Exactly!”

“Awesome! What do we need to do?”

Dan gave us the name of the NPC who would be responsible for registering our last name. Other than that, it was just a history of the Capitol and the various functions one could find. One thing that was of interest to me, was the Bank application. Up until now, we had to carry all of our items and money on us. It looked like, much like with other games, there was a Bank in the Capitol that would allow you to store items and gear without fear of losing them. This led me to another question.

“What about PvP Dan?” I asked. PvP stood for Player vs. Player. One of the reasons for the Banking system in other games was that at a certain point players would be allowed to attack other players. If they were successful, the winner could loot the body of any money they had and usually a random item in their inventory. Sometimes they could loot items you were wearing, but never anything that was bound to your body.

“Yeah Alex, starting at level 20.” Dan responded. “But it looks like PvP is bad news here. Anyone who attacks another player is looked down upon by the inhabitants of the Capitol and they would find it hard to get quests and even be able to talk to the merchants. I wouldn’t suggest we go this route.”

I had no intention of becoming a PK or Player Killer. That had never been my type of play. But it was better to know it could happen, so we could defend against it. It also made sense now why we had a Bank.

“Well guys, now that we know what we need to do, I suggest we go out and get our Skills and Spells. And whatever else we need to do,” I said while winking at Jason.

And with that, we were all off in different directions.

* * *

At level 20 I got two awesome Skills. Dual Wield, meaning I could now use two daggers instead of just one, and Double Attack, meaning I could attack twice as much. And now that meant four attacks! I now understood why the mysterious stranger I had met those months ago was carrying two daggers.

I met up with the rest of the guys at the Town Center and saw Wayne first. He had apparently chosen his last name.

“I like it brother. Naugha Hyde! That is a perfect name for a Barbarian Warrior!”

“Thanks! So I got Dual Wield and Double Attack for my new Skills. What about you?”

“Exactly the same. Did yours cost you 10 Gold each as well?”

“Sure did man.”

“Well look at Alex with the last name!” Dan said as he came around a corner and approached us. “But why the plural bro?”

“Because, as I just explained to Wayne, I can now fight with two daggers!” I said as I whipped out my trusty Rock dagger and a cheap blade I purchased just for this purpose.

“Dudesky! That’s awesome. Alex Daggers. Totally badass.”

“Thanks man, but where is your last name?”

“I’m like Prince bro. Or Madonna. Just without the cones. I only got one name. I am…. TheClaw.”

“That actually makes total sense Dan,” Jason said as he also entered the Town Center.

“Well as I live and breathe. What’s the proper etiquette here Allitosis? Am I supposed to kneel or genuflect?”

“Oh, now you want to start thinking about etiquette?” Jason said as he joined the group. Not only had Jason got his last name, but also his title.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Wayne began, trying to sound regal, “I give you, Baron Allister Cromwell. Is Baron good?”

“Nah, not really. Kind of as low as you can go. But I didn’t expect much with such a low level ring and crown. Still, it sounds kick ass.”

“Totally Alliaceous. And I’m just going to tell everyone your name is Baron Allister Cromwell III. Because all names sound better when you add like the third or fourth on there.”

“Hate to say it, but I actually agree with you there Dan.” Jason said while Wayne and I joined him in laughing.

“How did we do on spells?” I asked.

“I got a spell that allows me to see through Broham’s eyes. I think I might also be able to see through your sight as well. Still need to test it. I also got a kind of weak direct damage spell. But what do you expect, I’m a Ranger. I’m not doing much damage through spells. But that’s ok, because I finally got Double Shot for my archery!”

“I got a new self-buff that adds more armor and hit points to me, and also a spell that will mitigate damage on whoever I cast it on. So that will be for Naugha obviously. But the daddy of them all I hope I never have to use. I got a spell that allows me to restore 50 percent of the experience someone loses when they die, but also will return them to their body immediately.”

“Damn, that is nice to have, but I’m with you. I hope we never have to use it. Although at some point I am sure we will. And the cost?” I said to Jason.

“25 Gold each.”

“Damn that stings! Wayne, tell the guys what you got skills wise.”

“Alex and I both got the same skills, Dual Wield and Double Attack. I’m going to stay with the war hammer though, so I can still only carry the one. But Double Attack will be awesome for the weapon.”

After we finished going over all of our new Skills and Spells, everyone wanted to explore the new city. I was anxious to be off as well, but didn’t want to appear too anxious. I needn’t have worried though. As soon as I brought up the topic Dan was ready to run off to find the Tavern and start making it another one of his homes. I waved bye to everyone as I headed toward the Stinky Pit, down in the seedier part of town.

* * *

I arrived at the Stinky Pit a half hour later. I probably walked past it two or three times. The streets in the merchant area of the Capitol were in a recognizable layout. Down in the more depressed area though, it was a maze. Likely done on purpose to evade anyone chasing you.

When I walked in I didn’t see Stan. There was an older woman tending the bar and a few people eating and drinking in the common room. I decided to just follow Stan’s instructions and approached the bar.

“Morning. I’m looking for Dhalean.”

The bartender started wiping down a ceramic mug, taking a few moments before asking, “Is he expecting you?”

“He is.”

“Aye lads, he’s with me. Put your blades away.”

As I turned around I saw not only Stan, but two of the men who had been eating and drinking when I first arrived. And they were now perilously close to my back. I realized the delay by the bartender was a ruse to keep my focus on her and my back to the rogues who almost impaled me.

“Nice,” I said to the bartender.

She shrugged her large shoulders and said, “don’t know you. Know them.”

“I had this one come find me here Milly, he’s welcome here,” Stan said to the bartender, who was apparently named Milly.

“As you say Dhalean. It’s your place.”

I raised an eyebrow at Stan, but he shook his head at me. “For another time. We have places to be.”

I nodded once at Stan, looked back and gave an eye to the two men who almost pin cushioned me, and then thanked Milly for her help.

Stan led the way from the common room into a back storage space. I thought it cliché that the entrance would be in the back store room of some seedy Inn, but that just showed how much I knew. The storeroom was just another exit to get out of the Inn and into the back alleys. From there Stan took us on a very circuitous route, which I was only able to follow because of my map, before we arrived in front of a nondescript wall.

“You get lost boss?” I asked.

“Funny guy all of a sudden huh?” Stan replied as he pushed in a serious of stones on the wall. After completing the pattern, a section of the wall popped free and I saw stairs leading down into darkness.

“Welcome to the Underground.”

* * *

After leading me down a hallway for some time, Stan turned to me and said, “The man you are about to meet, I don’t know what I can say about him. He’s different. Knows more than the rest of us. Smarter than anyone I know. Listen to him.”

I nodded my head to Stan.