Chapter 6: Of Tooth and Claw

Soon, Ricky and Channia found themselves making their way through a stony ravine. Every few dozen yards, Channia would stop and check a disturbed area of ground or a damaged plant, nod or murmur to herself, and then proceed at a light run.

Ricky was feeling tired, but keeping up with her. He was sweating in his armor, though, and the light was dimming as the sun set over the hills to the west.

“We’re definitely still on their tracks,” said Channia, breaking a period of silence. “And close. Look at this – the stem, in particular.”

He leaned over her shoulder, and saw the stem of a dock plant that was bending towards the ground.

“It’s not broken,” he said, looking at the base of the stem.

“Right. And it will right itself and start to stand up again.”

“So...” He thought for a moment. “Can that give us an idea of how recently they passed, perhaps?”

“Sort of, yes. Or at least that something passed by this way recently. But I’m confident that we are not far behind the goblins, With luck, we can catch them before they reach their base, if that is indeed where they are going.”

*Quest 007 complete: Improve your tracking skills. +10XP

“Lucky we had that stew ‘to go’,” he murmured, patting his satchel in which he had now stashed the empty tankard.

“What?”

“Never mind.”

The pair continued along the stony ravine. Ricky peered at the shadows on both sides, as well as to the higher areas of rocky ground. It looked to him like the perfect place for an ambush, and he tried to keep his shield close to his body as he walked.

But as they continued along, they reached the halfway point with still no sign of an attack. And soon, the rocks on either side were descending, with the ravine flattening out.

Hills now rose up to the right-hand side, and Ricky could see a small waterfall in the distance. The same one that the smiths had spoken of?

Just then, he noticed a pair of travelers sitting on a fallen log near the end of the ravine. The strangers appeared relaxed, but there was no doubt that they had seen Ricky and Channia, and their eyes were following the pair as they approached.

Something about their manner put Ricky in mind of a predator watching its prey.

As he got closer, Ricky saw that they were a man and a woman. The man was one of the demonkind species; he had a short black beard and a wide-face with reddish skin and several short horns protruding from his bald head. His rich velvet robes and staff suggested to Ricky that he might be a spellcaster. The woman was extremely tall, and wore heavy chainmail armor that covered her body down the knees, though her forearms were bare. She had paler skin and short curly light hair. There was an axe in her hands, its large and brutal-looking head resting on the ground between her feet.

“Ah, here are the goblin hunters!” called the demonkind, standing and beginning to approach them. “Good times. I remember it well from when I first joined the Dark Framework myself.”

The woman likewise stood up.

Ricky frowned. “So you’re human players?”

*Achievement: Deeper connections! You have met with a human player character (PC). +10XP

“Indeed,” said the woman. “Sadly, like you, I am a slave in the murderous labor camp outside of New Baravia.”

"You mean the benevolent refugee camp," said the man. He chuckled darkly to himself.

"Sorry – my bad," replied the woman coolly. She then looked around at Ricky and Channia again “I am Gabriella,” she said, raising her axe to her chest and patting its shaft menacingly. “A warrior, as you can see. And this is my guild companion, Xarok. I see you’ve got yourself a hireling.”

“Right... well, I’m Ricky, and this is Channia. It’s good to meet you, I guess. But we can’t really stop to talk.”

“Off to wipe out the goblins?” said Xarok, grinning. “To be frank, I don’t think you’re up to it, and in any case, they will just re-spawn.”

Ricky frowned. “I don’t know about that,” he said, “but we have a mission to accomplish.”

Xarok looked at Gabriella. “What do you say, Gab? Shall we let them pass?”

She shrugged, looking at the pair with curiosity, but still unsmiling.

“Let us?” Ricky put one hand on the hilt of his morning star.

At this point Xarok put his hand to a chain of blue gems that he was wearing around his neck, and made a mysterious hand gesture. As he did so, Ricky found himself unable to move or speak.

*Combat event! You have been magically frozen.

“My dear man,” said the demonkind spellcaster, walking closer and pulling out a vicious-looking curved dagger. “Please don’t think that this is an equal negotiation. As an advanced spellcaster, I hold all the cards. We’re the ones who are in the position to try a bit of intimidation – not you.” As he spoke, he began to circle Ricky, holding the dagger high.

Channia had taken a step back and put an arrow to her bow, but so far she seemed unwilling to attack the pair or otherwise intervene.

“Don’t try it, elf,” said Gabriella. “You are outmatched, and in any case, we mean you no harm.”

“Indeed,” said Xarok, still circling. “The hireling is nothing to us. You, however – you are potentially a rival. For we can’t all enter the city of New Baravia and become citizens. Only a few will win that prize.”

Ricky stood, rage filling him, but entirely unable to move. He could move his eyes from side to side, and no more.

Were this pair really going to kill him? If so, at least he would return to the starting room. And he would have to be much more careful to avoid fellow humans next time.

But how had they known he was a real player, anyway?

Then he realized that even when frozen, he might be able to converse with the Guide.

Guide! How can I tell who is a human player and who is not?

“You simply need to call up the map, Ricky,” came the Guide’s voice in his head, sounding entirely calm and normal despite his predicament. “Just say, ’map’. You can only see maps for areas where you have already studied a physical in-game map, however. On those areas, human players show up as blue circles, NPCs as red dots, and any larger creature that you have previously detected will show as a green star.”

Got it... Map!

Sure enough, a version of the map which he held in his pocket now appeared as an overlay across his vision, centered on his own current location. Three blue circles could be seen, as well as a red dot which presumably indicated Channia.

Meanwhile, Xarok was still striding around and monologuing. “Really,” he was saying, “it would make perfect sense for us to just kill the likes of you off as soon as you crawl out of your starter villages, wouldn’t it? You and others refugee players. Why should we put up with the competition? There is such a thing as an alpha predator. And that means taking out other predators before they can become threats.”

As the demonkind man continued, Channia made a throat-slitting gesture, and Ricky really wondered whether this would be the end. Xarok paused and made a further gesture with his left hand. But instead of being harmed, Ricky found himself released. He stepped closer to Channia, pulling out his morning star, and turned to face the belligerent pair again.

“But actually,” said Gabriella, still clutching her axe close to her chest, “we are not that kind of people.”

“No?” said Ricky, taking a step towards her and staring her in the face, eyes narrowed. “You sure seem like it.”

She smiled, and looked sideways at her comrade.

“We needed you to take us seriously,” said Xarok. “We are a strong and experienced team. You need us.”

“I don’t need you,” said Ricky. “Not one bit. I’m going to take down these goblins with my ally here, and you are going to leave me alone.”

*Achievement: Bold response! You have stood up to a more powerful player. +10XP

“We are not without honor, by any means,” said Gabriella. “But what we are telling you is important. Other groups will think the same way that Xarok has explained, except that they will act upon it without mercy or honor. I know that his words sounded harsh, but we needed to make you clear about what you are facing. The Guide can’t tell you that.”

“So you wanted to scare me.”

“No,” said Xarok, sliding his dagger back into its sheath at his waist and tucking his hands inside the folds of his maroon robes. “We want to make you an offer.”

Gabriella stepped forward. “He’s right. We are members of a guild of players called the Tooth and Claw Guild, and we are based in the city of Imperialis, a half day’s march south of here. You should consider joining us.”

“And why should I?”

“We can offer some protection,” grunted Xarok, “and insight into new skills to grow your power much more quickly. Survival, in short.”

“I am sorry if it all sounds like a threat,” added Gabriella, “but this is reality. There are many guilds, and if you are not with a particular guild then you are against them. That is how it works. Also, this area of the world is, to some extent at least, our hunting ground.”

Ricky looked around. The sun was going down, and the waterfall was still sparkling away off to their right. He resented the few minutes of a delay, as well as the pair’s threatening approach. If they really wanted him in their guild, they could just have bought him a beer and invited him round.

“Like I say, I’m going to pass, at least for now,” he replied. “I might need allies, but I don’t want ones that act the way you do. I am going to rescue the smiths’ daughter, and then, just maybe, I’ll see you in this Imperialis place you speak of. But I’m going to hear what the other guilds have to offer, first.”

As he spoke, he thought of the many other refugees that he had passed by in the camp. Some were newbies like him, but others wore other colors of clothing that perhaps indicated that they had spent longer in the camp. Did that mean that they were experienced Dark Framework players too? And guild members? Surely at least some of them would be. Somehow, he would have to find out.

“Be careful you don’t wind up with a knife in your back if you speak to the other scum,” murmured Xarok. “Or jaws around your neck. I am thinking particularly about the Fire Heart Guild.”

But Gabriella strode forward and offered Ricky her hand to shake. “Very well,” she said. “But take this as a gesture to show that we meant what we said. If you change your mind, show this token at a tavern near the northern gate of Imperialis. It’s a place called the Obsidian Bear. Ask for it. Someone there can show you to our safe house.”

With this, she reached into a pouch at her belt, and pulled out a silver ornament of some kind. It looked very like a wolf’s paw – or perhaps a dog’s, and was attached to a leather cord.

*Buff: you have a standing invite to join a guild within the Dark Framework. Members of that guild will react positively to you for the duration.

***

New item

Item: wolf token

Class: ritualistic

Type: jewelry

Resilience: 17

Prerequisites: humanoid

Description: This piece of jewelry was commissioned by the first inner circle of the Tooth and Claw Guild, and crafted by the Imperialis jeweler Amber Shellworth.

***

At the pair of strangers turned and marched away from them, Ricky and Channia looked at one another. “Those are powerful people,” said Channia. “If they wish to be allies, perhaps you should consider it.”

“Have you met them before?”

She shook her head. “But that demonkind has magical abilities. And he has a necklace of mana – it’s a rare and powerful item. Only rings of illusion are rarer.”

“I see. Well, I’ll think on it. But not today.”

With that, the pair pressed on, breaking into a run once again as they headed for the hills and the waterfall.

Accumulated XP: 185