The Citadel (Mirror World Book #2) (26 page)

He shook his head. "Not exactly, dude. Not quite."

Goosebumps broke out all down my spine. "What do you mean?"

"You're much more than just the last of a dead race. Both Dmitry and I think your char might be some sort of key."

I shook my head, uncomprehending. "A key. To what?"

He rubbed his chin. "How can I tell you... It probably hasn't manifested itself yet..."

"Don't drag it out, please."

"Well, basically, we have every reason to believe that you may be the key element in some major quests. It can be anything. A hidden instance, an old mine, a dungeon... I understand it sounds crazy to you. But if you add up all the data and give it a good thought, it looks like Pierrot has set you up big time. I can see it in your eyes you don't understand. Let me explain. The Darkies' scrap I told you about, what do you think had caused it?"

"Please don't tell me it was about a Grinder like myself."

"Oh no, no Grinders there. That guy was a Warrior. But he was a unique race too. All of a sudden he began to advance real fast. Relic gear, pets, some cool quests... the works. Problem was, clan leaders kept tabs on him. They didn't waste time appropriating him. They're just like vampires: they won't stop until they suck every drop of blood out of you. That guy was a well-known forum rat, he never stopped bragging about his successes. And then he just disappeared. As if he'd been moved and made incommunicado. Just like that. So Dmitry and I, we basically think you're heading in the same direction... Hey, whassup, dude? Don't go all pale on me like that! Olgerd! Olgerd, are you all right? Talk to me!"

I may look like a bespectacled wuss but I used to be quite tough when I was a child. I got in fights almost every week: either for being called four-eyes or beanpole, or otherwise to defend my pocket money. There was always something. The problem was, our local bullies were right: I really used to be the four-eyed beanpole that they'd called me. I hadn't taken after Dad. I was pretty sure that Dmitry, who'd inherited Dad's giant mitts, hadn't had such childhood worries.

But I had never suffered in silence. Which had resulted in even more beatings. Sometimes they'd call me names simply to have an excuse to beat me up. Now, too, I was flooded by this desperate feeling of getting into a fight I could never win.

Someone might say it's not possible. There's always a way out. Well, they're either overly optimistic... or they've never been beaten to near death in dark alleys.

One thing I could say: this opponent definitely wasn't in my weight category. I could forget winning. Apparently, clan leaders had some idea — or even knew for sure — that my skill stats weren't my only fortes. And I used to think that they were only interested in my profession! Apparently, they needed some information on the Ennan race.

Rrhorgus' cautious touch of my hand made me jump.

"Olgerd? Are you all right? You're all pale."

I nodded.

"You don't need to worry," he insisted. "It might all come to nothing. Could be a false alarm, you never know. Why are you looking at me like that?"

With a sigh I slumped back in my chair. "I don't think so."

"You mean-"

"Exactly," I said. "They got the ball rolling. And you'll never believe what started it. It's that ring of yours."

Chapter Twenty-Three

W
e talked till midnight. I had to tell him a few things. Not all of them but still. When the inn closed we went into the forest away from the town walls where I presented my little menagerie to him. To say that Rrhorgus was in shock is an understatement. He couldn't believe his eyes as he was admiring Boris. This Mirror World old-timer just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that a noob like myself and a Grinder to boot could have laid his hands on the game's top flying mount.

He didn't like my story about the Darkies' raid at all. Now they knew about me too. As it turned out, Dmitry and Rrhorgus had been working on a plan for me to defect to the Dark side. And now it was off limits too.

Rrhorgus suggested I scrapped my current char and started playing from scratch. But that wasn't even an option. Too much at stake.

We spent a lot of time talking, debating, offering all sorts of arguments. Pretty pointless, really. It's not easy to plan anything when a powerful clan has got tabs on you.

I didn't hold my breath that they might treat me as I'd like them to. I wouldn't be their slave but I wouldn't be a free man anymore, either. They would pay for Christina's surgery, thus tying me even stronger. They would decide when I could log out — and I was pretty sure they might keep an eye on me in the real world too.

So basically, I was caught between a rock and a hard place. I doubted very much that my humble character could trigger a clan war. The Light side had long been carved up, its priorities established. I was pretty sure that whoever located the guy who was the key to Legendary-class quests would receive a nice bonus on my head. That, yes, but a war? — no way. The colonization of No-Man's Lands was about to begin, anyway.

Still, right as it may be, there was still a catch. Nobody seemed to know yet that all my "secrets" had something to do with No-Man's Lands. This was something I'd kept from Rrhorgus, too.

I might have to tell him, though — and pretty soon, as well. I had the inklings of a plan. Had anyone found out that I owned a detailed map of an abandoned Ennan castle in the very heart of No-Man's Lands... I dreaded to even think what might start then. Fur would fly.

Finally, we decided to stick to my initial scenario. I would apply for a loan in the in-game bank, seeing as the looting of the abandoned mine had given me enough crystals to raise my Rep with Mellenville to the required limit. The only condition I didn't answer was their requirement to have spent at least a month in extended immersion. But a few days couldn't make such a difference, really. In any case, I needed to go to the bank and find out. Pointless delaying my trip to Mellenville. On the contrary: the sooner I got there the better.

Tomorrow – or rather, already today – everything might come to a head. I couldn't avoid joining the Steel Shirts, anyway. I might have tried to provoke a conflict and join the Dead Clan but a clan war with me at its epicenter was the last thing I needed. I'd watched a nature program on TV once, about a school of sharks ripping apart some poor seal. I didn't want it to happen to me, thank you very much.

Or should I really defect to the Dark side? Heh! If Sveta could hear me now! Me taking the Dark side! Unfortunately, that wasn't an option, either. I'd have to start from scratch. According to Rrhorgus, I could save my char's stats, but lose all of my Rep with Mellenville. This was one of the defection requirements. Only one of them, eh? There were others, including making an offering to the Dark Obelisk which had to consist of a mind-boggling amount of resources that probably cost an arm and a leg. Even if everything worked out well, I simply wouldn't be able to promptly raise the required sum. And, as an unsavory bonus, at least three of their top players must have already blacklisted me. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

Rrhorgus and I parted ways just before dawn. He promised to send a word to my family saying I was all right. Dmitry was the only person supposed to know about my problems. I had to spare my wife. Sveta had enough on her plate as it was.

I used portals to get to Mellenville. The stations were crowded as usual: some gamers played night shifts, others lived in other time zones: for them it must have been late morning or even early evening. Some were in a hurry to get to work while others had already called it a day and were unhurriedly discussing the latest game news. Strangely enough, I found the bustle soothing.

Mirror World's capital city met me with the mixed aroma of freshly-baked buns and springtime blossoms. Flocks of little birds crowded its trees and statues, twittering in their own language. NPCs rushed past, each on their own business.

I needed to check if my achievements were still hidden. Getting on the local guards' wrong side was the last thing I needed. I glanced over my interface. Good. No problem there.

It didn't take me long to get to the city center even though I kept checking the street behind me for a potential tail.

As usual, the views of Mellenville pleased the eye. A lot had changed in less than the month of my absence. There were some new statues... and those two fountains didn't seem to have been there before, did they? And those flowerbeds over there had grown even bigger. Here, life carried on. The players who'd chosen Sculpture, Floral Design, Architecture and Landscaping as their respective skills must have leveled up nicely. Why not?

In a way, I couldn't help feeling a bit jealous. Life wasn't about toiling in mines or smoking mobs in God-forsaken locations. These were big city dudes, whichever way you looked at them.

Finally, I arrived at the town hall. Before going to the bank, I first needed to exchange my Tyllill crystals to Rep points.

In the morning, the place wasn't at all crowded. And there it was, my old friend — terminal can't-remember-its-number...

Greetings, Olgerd!

This is Mellenville administration Terminal #312.

Would you like to check the Reputation Quests available?

No, I wouldn't. I clicked on the Menu. What did we have here? Aha...
Resource exchange.
So! The list was impressive. They had all sorts of things: Red Coal... Turquoise Manyl... Imitra Stone... and there they were, my Tyllill crystals. The exchange rate hadn't changed: still 1:10. I clicked on it.

You currently have
57,700 Tyllill crystals on your account.

Would you like to exchange them for Reputation points?

I heaved a weary sigh.
Yes
, please.

Congratulations! You've just added a valuable resource to the city treasury!

Reward: +5770 to your Reputation with Mellenville.

Phew. That seemed to be it. The things I'd suffered to lay my hands on those crystals! In total, I now had 8,550 Rep points: more than enough to view the desired page. Time to get going. I was finished here.

A surprise awaited me as I exited the building. Tanor, as large as life and twice as ugly, was standing there cross-armed, grinning.

"Morning, Sir Olgerd!"

I looked around me in surprise. Doubtful he was there alone.

"Don't worry. No one's going to bother us."

I sighed. "Your name should really be Tanor the Ubiquitous."

He laughed and made a mocking bow. "I'll have to think about that. Thank you."

"You're welcome. If you'll excuse me, I have things to do."

"You don't seem to have taken our offer seriously, do you?" he shouted at my back.

He was too much. I swung round. "You can't even imagine how seriously I've taken it. You've been the only person on my mind for the last few hours."

"Then what are you doing here?" he nodded at the building behind my back.

"I can't remember selling myself into your slavery yet to be hold accountable for my every move."

He smirked. "Please don't be like that with me."

I shrugged. "That's the way I am. You think I don't know what you need?"

"Well, if you do, what's the point of complicating things?" he raised his hands in mock incomprehension. "What did you expect to exchange here? A miserable handful of crystals that the Citadel NPCs mete out to players like yourself? You're about to run to the bank to apply for a loan. This is all children's games. You'd better think of all the prospects of your joining our clan."

"I thought you gave me a week to make up my mind. Is that correct?" I'd have loved to see his face if he found out the exact number of crystals I had just declared.

He nodded. "I remember. I'm just trying to save you from any hasty decisions."

So much for freedom of movement. I hadn't even signed up with them yet and already they were applying pressure.

I walked over and got in his face. "Tell your bosses they shouldn't worry about me. I will inform them of my decision before the deadline expires. And please stop following me! Do you really think I don't understand I have no choice?"

He tilted his head to one side. "That's exactly what we thought. Well, what did you expect? Last night, you and I had a really nice talk, and now we receive a report that my Ennan friend has just been sighted in Mellenville. You've no idea how important you are for us."

Yeah right. Pull the other one. "Talk about important," I said seriously. "Has it even occurred to you that I might make a deal with some other clan?"

What an interesting reaction. He didn't flinch a single facial muscle.

"Sir Olgerd," he sounded bored. "This was the first thing we took care of. Have you ever wondered why not a single head hunter tried to approach you in these last few hours?"

He was right. Rrhorgus had indeed told me about a few clans wondering where they could find me.

"That got you thinking, eh?"

"I'm pretty sure you have an explanation."

He smiled. "Of course. We came to an agreement about you a long time ago. We had to make a few arrangements and pay off a few people, but that's irrelevant."

"I see," I added a note of sarcasm to my voice. "Really, why ask me if you can do it behind my back?"

Tanor stepped towards me and pinned me down with his glare. "Listen, Sir Olgerd," he said through clenched teeth, "if someone has already put you in the picture regarding your char, we'd better be brutally honest. Surely you didn't think anyone would allow you to control it yourself?"

Oh well, at least I'd managed to throw him. "I can't see why not. I read the Terms and Conditions before registering. They're very clear that no one has the right to interfere with my gaming experience."

"Who says anything about interfering? The game offers plenty of ways to influence a player's decision without interfering with his or her gaming experience. You've just been lucky enough not to come across it yet. Having said that... oh yes, you have. If I remember rightly, some time ago you had quite a close shave with some instance mobs... arachnids, if I'm not mistaken. I can see that you remember! And this is peanuts compared to some other things one can do to you. The funny thing is, the admins won't lift a finger. They're the ones who made such scenarios possible to begin with. I suggest you give it some good thought."

"I'll do my best," I tried to keep my voice firm and level. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to do."

I turned my back to him and headed for the bank. So much for their promises. A nine-to-five job! A quiet location! A friendly atmosphere! Yeah, right, dream on. The most unpleasant thing in this situation was that I really saw no other way. I was like the proverbial fly caught under a glass. The freedom was just out there, I could see it but I couldn't break free. For the first time in all my time in the game I regretted not having deleted my Ennan. Dmitry had suggested I did it, too!

I should have chosen a dwarf. Joined the Stonefoot guild. Too late to think about it now.

The bank's doors loomed in front of me. I was dying to turn around for a look. But no, I wasn't going to give him the pleasure. He was probably standing there grinning.

The Central Office of the Reflex Bank was deadly quiet. I looked around me. Not a single person; nothing at all apart from row after row of the already-familiar "parking meters".

I delved deep into the thick of them, trying to get as far from the front door and any prying eyes as possible. Stop. This one might do.

Greetings, Olgerd!

This is Reflex Bank Terminal # 567

Hello to you too, tin can. Now! Let's click on the Menu. The Loans page.

I was still shaking with anger. Calm down, Olgerd man. Calm down. This Tanor was only a pawn in a much bigger game. Even though he admittedly annoyed the hell out of me.

Would you like to apply for a loan?

Accept/Decline

Accept
, definitely.

Available services by Reflex Bank:

Express Loan: