Chapter 20: The First Portal

The next level – the second top, he was fairly sure – was much like the one Ricky had just left, but even more of a mess. The floor was thick with debris, again – so much so that there was more debris than clear flooring. Again, there was nothing to suggest that he could safely sleep here, and no subdivisions, just a single large round room.

The debris coating the floor was mostly made of metal. A number of things caught Ricky's eye, but in most cases it was very difficult to say what they were, even with his mechanical knowledge. Whatever had been here had long since been broken apart into tiny components and fragments. There was a slight oily smell, but a surprising lack of dust on any of the objects.

The broken metal pieces were of a multitude of shapes and sizes, and many different kinds of metal. He was sure, though, that all were relatively worthless. If there had ever been any silver or gold components, he reflected, they were long gone.

He could see bent screws, broken springs, random metal plates and bashed panels. Bits of machinery, certainly; it could easily have been the case that there had once been a large machine here, and that it had long since been smashed up. If so, it was no longer possible to discern anything about its former shape and function.

He stepped carefully forward, looking around. Near his foot was a set of cogs which put him in mind of a picture he had once seen of a bicycle. That could be useful for Julie, he began to think, and then stopped himself with a wry chuckle. Outside the Dark Framework, perhaps. Not much point in taking it here, when she wanted a bicycle in the real world.

Shaking his head, he continued to look around, wary of the unfamiliar surroundings and mindful of his own fatigue. There could be traps in here, and as he proceeded, he aimed to step only on the few clear areas of floor.

At last, he stooped and picked up the three most useful-looking things that he could see. One was a palm-sized ring with several holes drilled into it – if nothing else, this could be used to connect other things together. The next was a block of metal with two prongs. Perhaps this could be used to make a trap, or as a makeshift weapon. Finally, there was something that looked a bit like a hinge, but which could be set to different angles using a small twisting nut on the end. The two moving metal parts could take various shapes, and could perhaps be rigged up as part of some kind of trap, Ricky considered.

All of these would be improvised uses, of course, and this was reflected in what appeared when he picked the items up:

***

New item

Item: broken small metal component (3)

Material: iron

Resilience: 22

Prerequisites: none

Description: it is hard at first for anyone to know exactly what to make of these trinkets, but the most likely guess – at least to anyone with relevant knowledge – is that each once formed part of a larger device.

***

Now, Ricky realised, it was time to check the final level – the top of the tower. As he walked up the last set of steps, he tried to recall how the tower had looked from the outside. Had there been a balcony or anything of the sort? Windows? Was it possible to reach the roof? In his mind’s eye, it was all relatively featureless – undamaged, but not at all elaborate.

When he mounted the top step, Ricky immediately saw another notification, and smiled. He had reached the top:

*Quest 030 complete: Investigate the upper levels of Wabakantis Tower. +10XP

He entered the topmost chamber and glanced around, and his eye was immediately drawn to a large rectangular shape in the center of the room. It looked very like the shimmering, colorless pattern on the entrance to the tower, he quickly realized; the force field that had blocked him from accessing the main tower door when he had been in his lizard form.

He stepped forward, wondering if someone had built a way of stopping korapta lizards from going any further. But that was crazy, surely. The lizards couldn’t get into the tower in the first place, and besides, this one didn't actually block anything. It was stood alone in the middle of the circular area.

Ricky moved carefully about the top level of the tower. Again it was round, but it was smaller this time, and tiny doors were built into the outer walls, forming what looked like little cupboards. The floor was relatively clear this time, with no debris or machinery.

But it was the doorway-barrier that kept catching his eye. It was, he realized as he looked closer, in a frame, too, but a very narrow one, difficult to see from the stairwell. The sides of this frame appeared to be made of smooth iron, and were only a fraction of an inch thick, but around five inches wide when viewed from the side.

Although quite different from the stone gate deep in the safe house – not least because Ricky could see the same pattern from both sides – he couldn’t help but wondering if this, too, was a form of magical gateway. Or was it just another trap?

He circled it some more. It hummed very softly in the otherwise silent room. Tentatively, Ricky pulled out his dagger and touched it against the frame. There was a slight clank, exactly as he might expect to hear if he touched two metal objects together. Then, sheathing the dagger, he reached out and touched the metal frame with his finger. Nothing happened. It was cold to the touch, and solid. It could easily have been an unremarkable iron pole which just happened to be standing upright on the top level of this mysterious tower.

Ricky moved around again, looking at the shimmering rectangle from the side of the room opposite the stairs. It did look very like what he had seen at the main entrance – but that had just been a trap of sorts to keep the monsters out. So why was there a similar doorway-shaped barrier here, standing alone and in the center of the room?

Perhaps it wasn't a barrier – that would explain it. But then what was it? The more Ricky looked at, peering closely and walking right around once more, he started to think that it might actually be a portal, something of a magical nature.

Ricky felt his heart beating faster as he considered this, and he pulled out his dagger again. This time, holding it very lightly between thumb and forefinger, he pushed it into the shimmering surface of the material, recalling Xarok’s words back at the safehouse, and the sight of dead bodies on the other side of the orb-powered gate.

But now, as soon as the tip of the blade had gone a couple of inches into the surface, it vanished.

Ricky pulled his hand back and stepped away, breathing fast, his heart racing now. He looked down at his hand, as if to confirm that it was empty. It was also uninjured; whatever had spirited away his dagger had done so without causing any harm to him.

He gazed again at what was now – he was sure – a portal. The implications of this were huge. For wasn’t it the case that they had been striving to open a magical portal of sorts – a gate, through which they could find what they needed to win the game and entering New Baravia?

All the same, there were a few things that didn’t seem quite right, he thought to himself. This couldn’t be the same sort of gate. For starters, it didn’t look the same, and there was no way it could be activated by orbs – there was simply nowhere for the orbs to go. The metal doorframe was a plain strip of iron.

Secondly, Gabriella had told him about Doomstar. How could she have known about both the orb and the tower without also knowing that it was the location of a magical portal? If that was the case, why wouldn't the guild focus on coming here?

Besides, if what Xarok had said had been true, they would need to use several orbs to gain a key to the gate.

All the same, his dagger had just disappeared through this barrier-portal. What would happen if he stepped through himself? A part of him was very tempted to try. But it felt just a little too reckless, not least in the absence of any information about what might lie on the other side. He was in need of rest, and had used up his shapeshifting ability for the day.

The portal wasn’t going anywhere, he reflected. And perhaps Blastor would know something about it. As Ricky considered, he realized what he had to do. For now, the only clear choice was to return to where the little strugan was sleeping off the blow to the head. If the creature couldn’t be woken, then Ricky would have to settle down there for the night himself.

Ricky then spent a few minutes looking through the little cupboards at the side of the room, but these were disappointingly empty of anything interesting looking, and he didn’t want to waste any more time than necessary – he had already seen one further health update, but also another notification indicating his increasing level of tiredness:

*Healing report: You have gained 1 hit point (47 remain).

*Health update: You are fatigued. All of your attributes are reduced by 2 until you rest (minimum 1).

The cupboards mainly seemed to contain minor valuables – bowls, vases and cups of many different kinds of material. Had the orb once been hidden among them? It was hard to say. Now, there didn’t appear to be anything of interest, and none of the objects looked precious enough to be worth giving up any of the space in his small satchel.

He turned. It was time to be moving on.

*Quest 031 (level 3): Find a safe way out of Doomstar.

As Ricky descended the stairs again, he was at least partially relieved to see that Blastor was still out cold.

He stooped to check on the little strugan. The creature was breathing, and beside a blackish bruise on his face and temple, he looked like he was sleeping peacefully. There was no sign of bleeding, either.

Ricky stood up. Despite having been put in a position of rivalry, he hoped that Blastor would make it out of here alive. Hopefully he could manage this without his crossbow, because the weapon just looked too damn useful to overlook – particularly with the number of korapta lizards on the loose. Stooping, Ricky picked it up, and took possession of a small supply of bolts that he found in Blastor’s pack, too.

***

New item

Item: crossbow (small)

Class: weapon

Type: two-handed

Damage range: 0–20

Resilience: 12

Prerequisites: nimbleness 5 or higher

Description: a basic, poorly-made weapon that is stiff to wind, this crossbow could be almost as dangerous to its user as to their foes. It was first created by an apprentice of the weaponsmith Patch Ironbeard on the great Island of Jura, to the southwest of the continental mainland.

***

***

New item

Item: standard crossbow bolt x 12

Class: ammunition

Damage range: 4–8

Resilience: 20

Prerequisites: none

Description: these bolts are produced in large quantities in several workshops in Imperialis. They fit most kinds of small or standard crossbows, and are widely used by city guards and throughout the imperial domain.

***

He was sorely tempted to take Blastor’s backpack as well, but that felt like it was going too far. He was not a thief – just a player who was trying to win the game. Gaining a strategic advantage by grabbing the orb and taking one of his rival’s several weapons was one thing. The little adventurer would still have his multiple knives when he awoke.

*Achievement: Discerning looter! You have taken what you need and left the rest. +10XP

*Achievement: Ready to load! You have gained a missile weapon. +10XP

Guide - what time is it?

“It’s 6:31, Ricky.”

Damn.

Ricky hurried downstairs, heading for the main door to the tower. He knew he didn’t have long before he would be waking, back in the refugee camp. He had to find a safe place to rest before that.

Looking outside, he swore.

Little had changed. If anything, there were more korapta lizards lurking outside now than there had been earlier. Several were looking in his direction, though apparently none were willing to fling themselves pointlessly at the trapped door.

The lizards had learned. And they were willing to wait.

One thing was for sure – there was no way he was walking out of Doomstar. Even with his weapons, he’d be torn apart within fifty yards.

It was a damn pity he hadn't arrived before midnight, he realized. If he had, he would now be able to use his shapeshifter ability again. On reflection, that was surely what Gabriella had intended. And he had messed it up.

Wearily, Ricky turned and made his way up the steps, thinking hard. He really didn’t want to have to sleep in the tower with Blastor-Paco, either. What if the little strugan woke, and decided to stick a knife through him? Even if he slept with the crossbow in his hands, he’d be out of it – literally disconnected and defenseless – during the period of daytime in the real world. Even when they logged back on (assuming that Paco had not spoken to Julie, or otherwise found a way to play during the working day), it would be a fifty-fifty bet as to which of the two players would log on first, and potentially kill the other.

Those were not the kind of odds he liked.

Granted, he realized, he could kill Strugan now, and be done with it. As this thought passed through Ricky’s head, the hunger gripped him again, and he found himself salivating profusely. He didn’t like it, but he was certain that there was no way he could stick a knife through Paco’s in-game character without devouring the body afterwards.

And that really would be beyond the pale. Wouldn't it?

He took a step closer to Blastor, sniffing. Perhaps fortunately, the creature didn’t smell very appetizing. Whether because of his species or his personal hygiene, there was something funky and sour about the little strugan, combined with the prevalent oily smell of the room...

With a shake of his head, Ricky pulled himself away, glancing instead towards the stair that led to the top of the tower.

*Achievement: Sharing the meal! You have exerted willpower and moderated your appetites for food. +10XP

All of this, he reflected, only left him with one option.

A crazy option, yes – but surely better than being ripped apart by lizards, or killing an unconscious fellow player in cold blood.

The dagger had to have gone somewhere...

Moments later, Ricky was back in the top of the tower, staring through the portal and steeling himself. Surely, he told himself, it must lead to somewhere settled – somewhere safe. Another city. Perhaps even to Imperialis itself.

After all, it seemed very likely that this portal was conjured here in the first place because the wizard or noble who had once lived in this tower had needed to escape the fall of Doomstar.

Yes. That made sense.

It would surely lead to somewhere pleasant, then, from where he could travel back to the Guild. Who knows; if Ricky was lucky, perhaps he would find himself in the tower owner’s new property, with all the comforts of home available to him.

“This is it,” he murmured.

And then he stepped through.

Accumulated XP: 1310 (unspent: 310)