Chapter 012: Silence before the storm

We finally returned to the Hold, only to eat a quick dinner, leave Leria to recuperate safely and immediately depart for Ambryxis. We had a plan for nearest future. I reached the sufficient level of Arcane Magic to learn the Summon Familiar ritual. It was something really important for every sorcerer and should - if I had luck - increase my strength by leaps and bounds.

...It could also backfire terribly. Fucking DFI. Summon Familiar was open summoning. Everything from the Dark could answer to the call. You had to prepare yourself in case something unexpected emerged from the gateway to the Dark you opened. Thankfully, in 95% of cases everything went ok, but sometimes some higher powers were playing above your head and things could go downhill.

The journey to Ambryxis was uneventful. We found a pawnshop that dealt with buying adventurer loot. Its contract with the adventurer guild prevented it from ripping us off. We sold aether for 487 ambries, blackwood for 250, and alchemical ingredients (a lot of them) for almost 190. Then I took out the bottle filled with the Shrike's blood.

"Oh! Is it... corrupted nymph's blood?" The seller in the local version of the pawn shop, elderly looking dwarf, seemed positively surprised. "That will sell well. How much of the stuff do you have?"

"Three bottles."

He calculated something on a paper on his desk. "That will be... 450 ambries."

Wow. For real?! "Seriously? Who buys this?" I got curious.

"Elderly magicians. Especially females." He chuckled. "It makes their skin look younger, while also making dark magic stronger for a while." Oh. Makes sense. Nymphs are an epitome of female beauty in this world even if they get corrupted by black magic into sadistic omnicidal maniacs. They are also forever young, so bathing in their blood makes sense. It's weird, not really hygienic and seems morally dubious, but... "Which is why its value is so over the top. You could sell them donkey's shit for gold if you persuaded them it made them look prettier." He laughed, showing me his teeth. Yellow ones. Many of them were missing. Uh...

The Shrike's leaves turned out to produce hallucinogenic smoke when burned. Another 150 ambries. Lastly, 50 more for wooden parts of her, that had a use in the magical industry.

We got 1577 ambries, 650 of which were from the Shrike alone. No wonder many players in World's Requiem focused on only killing Uniques. It was dangerous, though. Uniques respawned, often stronger than they used to be, and besides the game loved making sudden twists, like spawning different Unique/army of normal mobs where they should be, just to make grinds harder.

We moved over to the armor shop. Lena got metal bracers, leggings, shoulder pads, a nasal helmet, gloves and boots. Sure, all of it was low tier, but even low tier could stop attacks especially when you used aura to strengthen it. She looked like a genuine... well, maybe not a knight, but at least like a heavy warrior. We also bought her chainmail to wear beneath the breastplate, which limited her movement but should give her an edge against slashing weaponry.

It cost us 520 ambries. The prices of weapons and armors grew. It was no doubt somehow connected to the players. We had a thousand ambries left, and...

I thought about this for a while.

"You know what, let's do it differently. I'll give each of you 150 ambries. Buy whatever you want for your rooms and put it in the Equipment. If you have some money left, it's free for you to use however you wish. We'll meet in the evening on this plaza." They jumped at the chance. 150 ambries was a lot of money.

I, in the same time, had several other things to focus on. First, I found a shop dealing with utility enchantments.

"Hmm..." The shopkeeper was a young female cat-morph beastman clad in sorcerer robes. In short - catgirl. Human body, some added features of a cat, such as ears. Her family story must have been interesting for her to end up a sorcerer and a shopkeeper in Ambryxis. "That's a weird mana crystal you have there."

She was looking over the mana crystal I plucked out of our new toilet with what looked like a magitek magnifier.

"In what way weird?"

"For starters, it's ancient. It must have run out of power long ago, yet it didn't decay. Normally mana crystals decay and crumble after a hundred years at best as long as there isn't enough magic power inside them to sustain them. This one is older, and was empty for most of this time, and yet it still exists." Interesting. Might be important when searching for the truth about Tyrant's Hold. "Also, the cut is unusual. Different than those today. In fact, I can't pinpoint its exact origin, since I never heard about any old civilization using such cuts for their mana crystals. But I guess it's a question for an archeologist rather than me." She put it back on the desk and looked at me. "If I can ask, where did you find it?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that. Can you make three such mana crystals and enchant it like that?" I pulled a note detailing the way the crystals were placed in the toilet and how they were used according to my knowledge and handed it to her.

She skimmed over it and nodded.

"Yes, this won't be a problem. However, the mana crystals will have to be custom cut to fit and it won't be cheap. It would sum up to... 250 ambries, but that's my guess here." Painful, but it was something we had to do. I was tired of having to carry my chamber pot outside and clean it every damn time.

"Let it be then. I'll order it. I'll pay 250 ambries now, and if it will cost more I'll pay when I come to collect it. How many days will it take to finish it?"

"Shouldn't be over three days. Don't worry, if you are an adventurer you don't have to retrieve it then, it can wait for you for up to two weeks."

I thanked her and left the shop. One thing less to worry about.

***

I went through the magic shops and bought all the miscellaneous stuff the Summon Familiar ritual required. I also learned the details of the ritual in Adventurer Guild - I remembered it from World's Requiem, but I preferred to check if there weren't any changes in the meantime. 50 ambries.

Now I had only 250 ambries left. Sigh. I visited a bookstore and bought several books about general lore and history, to have something to read in the free time. 100 ambries, so 150 left.

Evening was getting closer and closer, so I returned to the plaza and bought myself a strawberry ice cream from the stall.

Thank God DFI disliked the idea of medieval stasis in their fantasy world. There were many modern technologies mixed in. Their fantasy worlds advanced more or less normally until the early middle ages before getting off the normal route of progress via magic.

I sat on a bench beside the statue in the middle and began reading a book to kill time. The ice cream was tasty, in fact better than those I remember eating in the real world. Probably less preservatives and more strawberries.

I was interrupted after maybe an hour.

"Hello!" I raised my head from the description of the battle between the Kynevian Empire and the Ashkar Tyranny during the Imperium's last attempt to subjugate the Dragonspine Mountains. Oh. It was that shadow celestial we met when we were leaving The Descent. Vasyr Something, I don't remember the surname.

I appraised him. Vasyr Mirenir. Level 8 Black Knight. Player. I see.

"Oh, hello." I closed my book. "What brings you here?"

"Shopping." He sat beside me. Hmph. "That’s yours."

He handed me 50 ambries. What?

"Em, I don't remember lending you money."

He chuckled. "We got 100 ambries from the guild for reporting the daemon rampaging in the upper layers of Descent after they confirmed it really was there. It slaughtered several teams, but they slew it. Since without your warning we would be just as dead as the rest..."

"That's... quite nice of you." I took the money. Not something I expected, but I guess that being nice sometimes pays off even in a Doomplace. "You seem to be in Ambryxis more often than I. How are people reacting to the shit Robinson pulled this time?"

"Reactions vary." He shrugged. "Most people are just pissed off or in denial. Some haven’t left the city since it happened, expecting to be saved any moment now."

"... That's just stupid."

He shrugged again. "Tell me more about it. I keep working to level up, just in case Robinson was serious about us being stuck here forever. I'm still not sure if I think it's all real." He shook his head. "I mean, being stuck in a videogame? It's just... too damn cliche to be real." Suddenly he opened his status. I could see him clicking few times.

Friend Invite

Player Vasyr Mirenir sent you a friend invite on Nexus!

Do you accept?

Yes.

No.

Hmph. I accepted. Contacts among other players might be useful.

"So, what's your story?" I asked after accepting. "There are three types of players to go for Doomplaces willingly. First, genuine psychopaths and other psychos that disregard all social order and social limitations on themselves. Second, perverts that came here to indulge in their fetishes, especially those forbidden in the real world. Third, those perverts that eventually decide that it's too much for them."

He pondered for a while before answering. "Second type, I guess." He didn't even looked ashamed about it, uh. "I feel good in here. Though there are things here that make me a little bit... disturbed. A lot of them to be honest. And you?"

"Similar." Let's not share the secret I'm here accidentally. He doesn’t need to know. Let's hope he won't have an idea to exchange our fetishes. That would be disturbing.

"So, what are you into?" Damn it. I guess this isn't a taboo around here. It's a part of getting to know each other.

"Eh, I'm quite vanilla in that matter." I shrugged. Let's play it safe. "You probably know the story, no luck with ladies in real life so dreams about having one who can't say no, so sex slavery looks favourable. Especially after watching too many hentais on the internet."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I know the story all too well." He laughed loudly. "I can't wait to earn enough money to buy myself a slave. Honestly, I would prefer this to be consensual, but as long as she is an NPC, it's like watching ultra-realistic porno, isn't it?"

Ugh. I decided to not share the theory about this world being real with him. Didn't want to pierce the balloon of his happiness. Let's hope this approach won't become the normal one among the players. They were bound to become influential people, and the entire world filled with powerful people that considered most of the world's population as computer programs existing for them to use however they pleased did not look good.

"You should have a talk about that with Vhera." He laughed. "Her list of fetishes is long. Can you believe she wants to be..."

"Makes me wonder how long will it take for players in the Imperium to mobilize against everyone living in Dragonspine Mountains." I interrupted him since I wasn't interested in finding out about his companion's fetishes. "This time the Fallen won't be able to log out of the game and go play something else if this happens."

He nodded with a solemn look on his face. "Well, we'll find out eventually. No need to bother ourselves with such thoughts for now. We should focus on getting stronger. By the way..." He looked at me strangely. "I wanted to ask you about something. That blood elf girl, she is your slave, so, do you..."

"What? No, absolutely no." I answered quickly. "She got screwed by DFI and she has to remain someone's slave to use her skills. I wouldn't take advantage of this."

He nodded, pacified by my answer.

"That's good. Using a real human as a slave is just wrong." So even evil has standards, huh.

"I don't think many players around us will care for such trivialities." I shook my head. "In fact I saved her from a person who really enjoyed her servitude."

"I know." He flinched. "And there are more people like that, even in Ambryxis." Who? Where? Do I even want to know? "Which is one thing that doesn't sit well with me. Though I could also point at least several words ending with 'philia' that I wish wouldn't take place here."

Yeah, tell me more about it. In a Doomplace, everything was allowed. And when DFI said everything they really meant it. No perversion was outlawed, there were just some that were enjoyed only by a minority and considered weird by most of the people. It was the most important difference between the Dragonspine Mountains and Glorastia Empire.

In World's Requiem DFI still limited itself and censored the most disgusting stuff. Here? They must have planned the Imprisoned-In-Videogame scenario from the start, so they didn't care for the obvious shitstorm they would cause. I could see it starting during my last break from the game. Now the fact you could do EVERYTHING in their game was the smallest of their problems.

As long as you do it with a slave or consenting free citizen, everything goes. Which is why I dreamed about fleeing to the Imperium. It was a long walk, however. One filled with dangers, from daemons to slavers. To be honest, I think I would prefer daemons...

"Agree." I shook my head. "If you devise a plan to take over the city and ban it, count me in."

He chuckled. "Gladly. It works both ways." I nodded. Remaining around until mainstream players go on an anti-doomplace rampage had its advantages. For example - what if I help them take over Ambryxis? Seeing this place burn seemed like a good thing.

"Well, I guess I'll be going." He rose from the bench. "My companions will kill me if I stay here too long. It was nice to meet you." We bid farewell to each other and soon he disappeared.

I returned to reading my book, but was once again interrupted when Simea returned from her shopping run, with an ice cream in her hand.

She waved towards me when she saw me.

"I might consider this place abominable..." She said while sitting beside me on the bench, "...But I must say there are great confectioneries around."

I raised an eyebrow. "You didn't spend all the money on sweets, right?"

She shook her head. "Well, I also bought furniture for my room. But, uhm, I spend most of the money left after this on sweets." ...Oh. That's something new. I didn't picture her as a glutton. On the other hand, that was another pleasure she didn't get to indulge in the real world, right?

"... You have quite a sweet tooth, don't you?" She grinned happily. Then our talk died for a while since she was too busy eating her ice cream to talk. I had... traumatic memories reawaken when I saw her tongue at work. Uh.

"What is it?" She spoke after she finished eating. "You have a strange look on your face." Let's not say the truth, I don't want to ruin her mood and this isn't important.

"Eh, I'm recalling a meeting I just had. With the Black Knight we ran into when leaving Descent. Likable fellow, if you exclude him being a pervert. At least he has some standards. But... he would not believe us if we told him how much troubles we have with something as basic for him as sex." I shook my head. "Perverts like him have it easier sometimes."

"Easier doesn't mean better." She flinched. "Let's not talk about this, ok?" I nodded. "There is something I wanted to ask you about. What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you feel that what we do is boring and pointless?" Come again? "We go to Descent or Black Woods, kill something, return to resupply in the Hold, and go shopping in Ambryxis from time to time. Then we repeat the routine. We should have some... I don't know... some deeper reason? Something we all strive for? Some common cause?"

"A guild." I answered. "What you mean is a guild. Most of the good ones in World's Requiem had some reason to exist other than exploring the world together. " I sighed. "If this was all a storyline of some novel then it would be a rather bad one, isn't it? We are just reacting to what's happening around us, aren't we?" She nodded. "Well, I'll think of something. For now it's 'get stronger and run to some more enlightened lands'."

"Yeah, well, it would have to be something more tangible. How does burning this city to the ground and slaughtering everyone here sound?"

"... Do us all a favour and don't speak about it too loud. Especially not here. Ambryxis is watching." She looked at me strangely. "Ambryxis, the protective deity of this city, exists. And knows of most things happening in the city. He won't manifest in front of us to decapitate us unless we somehow become a real threat to the city, but he can make our lives much harder by scheming against us. Bad luck and so on. Besides, there is probably an underground conspiracy of his worshippers with their own killteams ready to sacrifice us to their bloodthirsty deity, so..."

She shook her head.

"So, there is a Big Brother watching us, ready to eliminate us if we become a threat, while also capable of making us disappear whenever he sees fit. Huh. Feels like home." After seeing the look on my face she shook her head. "I'm from the United States."

That... explained a lot about her. I guess people growing in authoritarian regimes have an advantage of adapting faster to things like that.

"Now I can scarcely believe myself, but I began to understand my parents." She shrugged. "After we get rescued I'm going celibate." ... Ok, it seems I'm not the only person here to keep gathering things in their personal trauma compilations.

"I think you are overdoing it. Having sex isn't wrong as long as you do it as a part of being in a relationship. Marriage, preferably."

"Then I'm at the very least not going to do anything besides kissing until marriage." She laughed. "So, let's change the subject. You have any short-term plans?"

"For now, returning to the Hold, apologizing to Leria about her not having a break in the city, and finishing a Summon Familiar ritual." I answered. "It's something important for every magic user. Makes us much stronger. Using magic and not getting a familiar is like being mentally impaired. Don't worry, everyone's gonna get one. Aside from Leria, since she isn't a magic user." I decided to avoid telling her that the best familiars were daemons aligned with the magic type you were especially proficient in. In her case? Lust Magic. Uh. It would get nasty.

Does hiding such knowledge to prevent others from having their mood ruined makes me a liar? I hope not. I don't want to become a liar.

"Sounds nice." Simea said, smiling faintly. But it didn’t last long. "I think I will visit you tonight. I have problems resisting it." She looked down, almost ashamed.

Uh.

"Whenever and whatever you want to." Damn. Too bad I don't know how to lighten up her mood. "So... how about we go buy one more ice cream?" Ok, seems like that worked.

***

We spent the night in a cheap inn. It wasn't nice (I think there were bedbugs in my mattress), but it worked. Next morning we returned to Tyrant's Hold, to discover that Kytar had unearthed another collapsed corridor. This time the one between my quarters and the prison. Damn, he is fast.

On the other side of it was a long, straight corridor. At its end, there was an intersection. One corridor led to a square room behind my library. There was a square platform in the middle, not higher than 10 centimetres and five meters wide. Besides the walls ancient shelves - or what remained of them - lay. We had to clean them out.

There was magic in the air. Ancient. Smelled... weird. This scared me. I was an Amalthian, and when an offspring of eldritch abominations smells weird magic, you know it's damn weird.

"Ritual room." I said after I saw the discovered room. What a perfect, if slightly unsettling, coincidence. "Probably made to summon stuff. We can use it for summoning familiars. At least after we clean the place." A thick layer of dust covered everything.

The other tunnel ended in another collapse. Sigh.

"So, my next job?" Kytar asked me.

"Yep. But wait until the end of familiar summoning." We should focus on one thing. "And after that... Can you dig a passageway to the library? And brick up this one? I don't know who designed this place, but it's pretty stupid to keep the ritual room away from the magical library and the laboratory."

He nodded.

"No problem boss."

***

Kytar swept the ritual room floor while Vaera and Leria - her ankle now in much better condition - carried the remains of the shelves to the fireplace. Normally I would have it carried out, but we didn't want to announce to everyone in the area that this cave was inhabited.

In the same time I, together with Simea and Lena, rehearsed the whole ritual repeatedly. It required three magic users, one of which had to be the leading one (namely me, since I was the best with Arcane Magic), while the other two played supportive roles.

When we were all done, we prepared the ritual itself. First, I painted the summoning circle on the ritual platform. It looked like a big pentagon, with smaller pentagons covering its corners. The paint I used was magical, produced from various mana-enhancing alchemical ingredients and imbued with aether.

The symbol was a typical one used for unspecified daemon summoning. Everything could theoretically answer it. Various daemonic hierarchies have their own symbols, for example Pentagram had... well, that was actually obvious. The large pentagon held the summoned daemon inside while the outside pentagons prevented the daemon from tampering with candles placed in each corner of the prime pentagon.

The candles were magical as well, made from beasts' fat. Each was a potent anchor for protective spells that prevented various 'things' from walking over the painted lines. Of course, the spells were a part of the package. I was a simple inexperienced combat sorcerer, not a theoretical sorcerer or properly trained magician.

After we finished our preparations we ate dinner, rested for a while, and rehearsed the whole ritual once again. I also inspected everything in the ritual room just in case something was wrong. Well, everything seemed ok.

Vaera, Leria and Kytar knew nothing about magic. The last one, since he was a non-combatant, was to spend the whole time near the entrance to the Hold. I was overly cautious, perhaps, but seeing the DFI had consistently tried to screw us over, I decided that it's better safe than sorry. The other two were to remain on standby near the ritual room entrance, to intervene in case something unexpected happened.

Then the three people to take part in the ritual - me, Lena and Simea - took positions around the pentagon.

"Alright, it's time to start. Everybody ready?" They nodded. "Good. Well, let's start. SUMMON FAMILIAR!"

Mana swirled around us, focusing in the middle of the symbol. All of us had to direct their own mana there, using most in the process of making a small hole into the Dark. In the same time I - the one with the best ability to manipulate mana and the biggest manapool - poured concentrated magic into said hole, hoping to attract something.

Since I wanted to get my own familiar as the first one I tainted this magical spike with Doom Magic. The idea was to attract some weak eldritch daemon not aligned with Pentagram with the promise of spending time rampaging in the Light. Easy peasy.

I knew something went horribly wrong maybe three seconds later, when my Sense Eldritch and Sense Magic went haywire, and the surrounding mana got denser and denser ... coming not from us but from the other side.

I tried to pull our mana off, to make the breach starve without magic to sustain it... but it was already self-sufficient. Something from the other side hijacked it, powered it up with its own power, and worked to expand it into a full-fledged portal.

Ah shit. Alright, let's go all out.

I concentrated all our mana and pushed it into the portal. Destabilizing it before it gets opened was our last chance.

Unfortunately, whatever was on the other side expected it. The breach trembled. For a second I thought it would collapse... but then a sudden discharge of magic threw me back. The last thing I remembered was hitting the wall. Then I fell unconscious.