Chapter 37: Aftermath

Ricky moved into the lead as they fled the zephyr cat, and he vaulted the chest-high concrete wall to his left, finding himself in a weed-strewn yard beside a building that looked not unlike the ones that he had grown up in.

“There’s another doorway!” he called, pointing, and dashing as fast as he could.

Behind, however, there came a scream, and Ricky stopped and turned. Xarok had stopped upon the top of the wall and was looking down; Gabriella, weighed down by carrying Shattara, had stumbled just before reaching the wall and been caught. She was now screaming in pain. “It got hold of me!”

“Shit. We need to kill the beast!” called out Ricky.

*Quest 061 update: Kill the Zephyr cat.

Ricky raced back towards the wall, which was lower on the near side, and leapt up onto it. There, he dropped his shield and pulled out his crossbow. The limp form of Shattara had fallen to one side, and the monstrous cat was now repeatedly clawing at Gabriella – if it wasn’t for her armor, her legs would already have been torn to shreds, Ricky was sure.

He pulled back one hand, set a bolt into the weapon, took aim at the beast’s face, and fired. He missed, but the bolt rebounded off the cobbled ground and embedded into its chest.

*Achievement: Use of weapons! You have broadened your skills, using a missile weapon for the first time. +10XP

Was it, really? To think that he had carried this all the way from the tower in Doomstar, and only fired it for the first time now.

Ricky pulled out another bolt and then another. The crossbow was easy to load. He was now firing into the animal’s flank; on some level, he had realised that aiming for its head was far too close to Gabriella’s body, and there was a great risk of hitting his friend.

Along the wall, Xarok had now magically generated a glowing yellow missile and he flung this at the cat, too, hitting the beast directly in the eye.

So – magic worked here, too. In that respect, this level was no different than anywhere else in the Framework.

As a second magical arrow slammed into it, the beast let go of Gabriella, howling. The wounded warrior slumped to the ground beside Shattara, while the creature retreated a few steps, snarling up at the companions on the wall. It was poised to leap, and Ricky was in no doubt that it could hit him.

And presumably, his health was still just above zero.

He flung the crossbow down behind the wall and pulled his gladius sword at the exact moment that the animal leapt. As it flew towards him, he jumped down, slashing at its underside as he did so, and then rolled as he hit the ground.

And his aim was true: he had slit the beast’s underside open. It landed upon the top of the wall and then fell back; white and slimy guts began to gush out onto the street, twitching and writhing. Gabriella and Shattara were lying still on the ground beside it, inches away.

Ricky took a couple of steps closer and thrust the sword into the monstrous animal’s neck, leading to an outpouring of rich purple blood.

*Quest 061 complete: Kill the zephyr cat. +20 XP

Still panting, Ricky crouched down to check on Gabriella, trying to ignore the delicious mingling smells of different types of blood.

“I’m fine,” she grunted, clutching at her wounded leg, “but you’ll need to help me over the wall. Shattara too.”

As Ricky helped Gabriella to her feet, Xarok clambered down to check on the demonkind woman. “She lives still. There’s a pulse.”

Ricky nodded. “But badly wounded, as are both Gabriella and I now.”

Xarok nodded tensely. “Then let’s go find somewhere safe for us all to rest up.”

Ricky’s eyes rested on the carcass of the Zephyr cat. “Yes. And we should fix ourselves something to eat.”

Soon the companions had made it into the nearby building, finding the new doorway open and the interior deserted. In a damp-looking but inoffensive concrete room with an abandoned mattress they had lain Shattara down to sleep.

*Quest 059 complete: Find a place to rest Heal the player known as _Shattara_. +20 XP

Ricky had done his best to minister to her wounds using strips of cloth torn from his shirt, and had coincidentally seen the first sign that he was also beginning to heal:

*Achievement: Healing hands! You have stabilized the health of an ally and prevented her from dying. +20XP

*Healing report: You have gained 1 hit point (5 remain).

Gabriella, meanwhile, was sitting back against the wall of the room. She had been removing her own leg armor, and patching up her own wounds as best she could. The magenta orb lay beside her on the floor where she had left it upon their arrival. Xarok sat on her other side, deep in thought.

With a deep sigh, Ricky came to sit beside his companions. He leaned back, resting one hand on his sword and looking around the grim and desolate room. “Things look pretty bad.”

Xarok nodded in silence.

It was an understatement. Gabriella and Ricky were badly wounded, their new recruit at death’s door, Greenbow and other guild members dead, and they had been betrayed by one of their own. The actions of Big Mindar also meant that the devious Fire Heart Guild – their sworn enemies – now held their own guild’s safe house, and had a golden chance to take over the city of Imperialis as a whole, assuming that the Rokerian army had been stopped.

The half-dragons also had all of three of the guild’s hard-earned orbs, with the potential to control the magic gate between the two levels of the Framework.

Or at least, the two levels that they knew about...

With a grunt, Xarok rose and walked over to where they had left a chopped off hind limb taken from the zephyr cat carcass. It smelled rich and gamey, and while it was clearly unlike any animal that any of them had eaten, they had all agreed that it would be worth trying it as food. Xarok now began to strip off some of the meat with his knife, and had soon cut a trio of steaks clear. He passed one to Ricky, another to Gabriella, then began to eat a third himself. The demonkind spellcaster then wandered over towards the only window in the room as he chewed. The glass within was small, barred and almost opaque.

*Healing report: You have gained 4 hit points (9 remain).

Well, healing was always positive...

Amid the urgency and shock of what had happened, Ricky hadn’t really thought through the implications of his dangerously low level of health. The food had helped at least, but now that he had eaten and stopped bleeding, a period of rest was urgently required, and there would be no sense in further exploration for a while yet.

Ricky decided that it was time for answers.

Guide! Are you there?

“Yes Ricky, of course. Here I am! How are you doing?”

Never mind about that. I need you to explain how I can get out of the Dark Framework. If I am in the gaming chamber back at the camp, and nobody takes off my mask...

“Then you will remain here indefinitely.”

But the mask is timed to come off after a period of time, isn’t it? The ones that I used at the start were timed for half a day, which was a day in Framework terms.

“You got it. That’s exactly right!”

So tell me, how long have I got? In the mask I am currently wearing, I mean.

“Six months and four days remain, Ricky.”

He stopped, reeling at this information.

At last, he was ready to gather his thoughts enough to respond clearly.

Six months? You can’t be serious.

“I hope one day to develop a sense of humor, Ricky, but I don’t think I am there yet.” This statement was followed by a tinny-sounding and unconvincing chortle.

So... then I am depending on Julie or one of the others letting me out?

It had not escaped Ricky that nearly all of those people were now, unquestionably, his enemies, and his eyes again fell on Shattara. She – or at least her human player, Vik – was on his side. But his musing was quickly interrupted:

“None of those individuals can let you out, Ricky.”

Why not?

“Because they can’t reach you.”

But... what do you mean? Wait – are you going to tell me that the refugee camp outside the city isn’t real? That this is the real New Bavaria? Or that there is a third one, and I will at some point wake up there, wondering what is going on?

“Is that humor, Ricky? I am still very new to it.“

Ricky sighed, shaking his head slightly.

Guide – can you just tell me if the refugee camp is real or not.

“I can’t comment on other levels, Ricky.”

Oh, for goodness sake...

But then Ricky realised the importance of what they guide had repeatedly told him. She couldn’t comment on another level, but she had told him several things about their current surroundings...

His heart thumping, he stood, the steak still only half-eaten in his hands.

“Hey... I realized something important!”

*Quest 056 complete: Understand what lies beyond the gate. +70XP

“What is it?” said Xarok, turning at the window. The demonkind spellcaster looked downbeat despite his meal; purple blood from the zephyr cat was running down both of his cheeks as he ate.

“This is not where we need to be.”

“You can say that again,” muttered Xarok.

“No – listen,” Ricky continued, stepping towards his friend. “This is not actually a level at all. We enter levels just the same way as we have before.”

Gabriella was looking over at them, and she stopped eating. “I... I thought this was the goal,” she said. “Getting to the deeper level, uncovering the secrets, finding the key.”

“Right. I thought so, too – but after speaking to the Guide, I think it’s a lot deeper still. This isn’t really a level, as such.”

“Then what is it?” she asked.

Ricky had begun to pace from side to side, and he looked over at the tall warrior. “A kind of in-between place, I think. Listen – think about what happened when you first entered the Dark Framework. Entered Portalis. Do you remember?”

Gabriella shrugged. “Sure. I created a character. Chose a species.”

“Exactly. And what else?”

“There was... some kind of welcome screen, if I remember correctly.”

“Right!” said Ricky excitedly. “And my Guide keeps saying that she can’t comment on other levels. So putting it all together, what does that mean?”

Xarok stepped closer, peering at Ricky curiously. “It means that that this place doesn’t function the same way as other levels?”

Ricky nodded again. “And I am sure that it’s significant. If it doesn’t behave like a level, that means that it is not a level. Not really. I think it’s more of a... junction. I am not even sure how far we can explore the city out there. But that’s not the point. The point is to go deeper – to find the next level, the one that is deeper than Portalis.”

“Okay...” said Gabriella, frowning. “But how do we do that? Go through one of the doors that we saw, perhaps?”

Ricky shook his head. “I don’t think so, my friends,” he said, looking from one of his companions to the other. “Think about it – how did we get into Portalis in the first place?”

“Through a gaming pod,” replied Gabriella. “Back in the damned camp.”

“Right.” Ricky’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the pair. “And now we find ourselves in a version of New Bavaria. So tell me – what lies outside the city?”

“Uh... another refugee camp, perhaps?” said Xarok. And then he broke into a grin.

“You are suggesting,” said Gabriella slowly, “that we find gaming pods near here, and use those to go to... what? Deeper levels?”

“Exactly. I mean, as to what we will get to, who knows. Perhaps another version of Portalis. And then another. And so on. But with our new knowledge, we can win this time.”

Xarok stepped forward and placed one hand on Ricky’s shoulder. “So, what exactly do you think is on those other levels? The key? Does it really exist?”

“Perhaps we’ll find it, if we get deep enough. Who can say? Does Charon’s journal give us any clues about that?”

Xarok pulled the journal out from the pocket of his clothes, and Ricky now saw that it was very thin, and the pages were singed and charred. “It’s a text – not really a journal. It’s formed of the remnants of some scrolls that Ramon wrote during his time through here, but they were badly damaged by the gate, and he was half-crazy by the time he returned, too. There is also a note written by the guild member who spoke to him before he died. Here – you can take a look.”

“Well, it’s a start,” said Ricky, eagerly taking the text. “And in the meantime, we need to reestablish the Tooth and Claw Guild.

Gabriella shook her head, gesturing at the damn and filthy room around them. “It’s done, Ricky. We are all that remains.”

Ricky nodded. “I know, I know. It’s not easy, because we will have to rebuild the guild almost from nothing. The four of us.” He looked over at Shattara as he spoke, and the demonkind rogue moved slightly on the mattress, turning over and moaning. Some color had returned to her face.

He moved closer, as did Gabriella, who was limping but now, after bandaging her wounds, able to put some weight on her injured leg. “Can you hear us, Shattara?” she asked.

“Is she all right?” said Xarok.

The demonkind woman, moved again, turning her head a fraction from side to side, and then frowning and clutching at her bandaged neck. “What happened?” He eyes opened, and she looked up at the ring of faces around her, alarm crossing her pretty features.

“Yeah, back off... I’m okay.” Her eyes were flicking from side to side as she took in the surroundings. “The room, the gate, what happened? I think... I think somebody shot me.”

“It was Big Mindar,” said Gabriella, crouching down. “He stabbed you in the back, quite literally.”

“You nearly didn’t get out of there alive,” added Ricky, pointing down. There were scorch marks on the leather breeches that Shattara wore. “Luckily Xarok acted quickly, and pulled you from the gate before it was closed.”

“So... we are on the other side?”

Ricky nodded. “We are here, yes, but the traitor Big Mindar took most of the orbs. We are stuck, but we now have a plan of sorts, which revolves around rebuilding the Tooth and Claw Guild.” He looked back at Xarok. “You still have the blood?”

Xarok nodded, and then reached into his robes and pulled out a clay container, taking a moment to remove its stopper. “The transformation comes from drinking from every living guild member’s blood, though the blood of those who have passed like Greenbow will add to its potency. I got some from Ricky back at the safe house. As a new member, yours is not here, Shattara. So, if you are willing?” He held the container out.

She looked down at her bloodstained clothes and armor. “Looks like there is plenty of it to share.”

Xarok smiled. “Well, for sure – that patch of blood on your cloak would probably suffice...”

“Wait – there is no need.” Shattara now pulled herself up onto her elbows, wincing in pain, and then rolled over, loosing one of her curved knives from her hip. “Let’s do this properly.” As the others watched on, Xarok held the small clay container out to her, and Shattara slit the tip of her finger. They all watched and waited as several drops of blood fell into the container.

Xarok re-stoppered the fragile vessel. “That is almost as valuable as our lives now, my companions. We must protect it at all costs. It is the only way of rebuilding the Tooth and Claw Guild, finding our way home, and getting revenge on the half-dragons of the Fire Heart Guild.”

Ricky stepped away into the center of the room, and then turned. “Yes. Then we will do it. We will rebuild. We can start here, using this abandoned building as our headquarters for the time being until we find something better. We need to figure out what people there are in this city, or nearby – if any – and ask them to join. And find a way of keeping ourselves safe from the zephyr cats and flying reptiles.”

*Achievement: Inspiring words! Your speech has helped to galvanize your fellow guild members towards a plan of action. +10XP

“And then what?” asked Shattara, who was now sitting up.

“Then we find the gateway out,” said Xarok.

“Exactly,” said Ricky. “Or failing that...”

“What?” Shattara gazed at him, one eyebrow raised.

“A gateway that takes us even deeper. To the heart of the Dark Framework.”

Shattara began to stand up and then winced again, and Ricky crouched down to check the bandages on her upper back. “How are your hit points?”

“A lot more than I was expecting, actually,” she replied, sitting back.

“That is the benefit of the transformation,” said Xarok proudly. “You are part of the pack now, and some of this meat will help you.” He pointed to the carcass near the door.

Shattara nodded, looking fierce. “So we search this place for a key. And we get revenge on our enemies. Build this guild up so that everyone in the Dark Framework fears us.”

Ricky nodded emphatically.

*Quest 062 (level 8): Rebuild the Tooth and Claw Guild.

Gabriella looked at Shattara, and smiled. “Revenge, yes, my sister,” she said. “But more than that – freedom. Finally obtaining the key, and the chance to live out our lives the way we want to. And that means getting out of the Dark Framework for good.”

Ricky nodded. “But I have a feeling that in order to get back out – and to really get answers – we will first need to go deeper. What level lies below Portalis ... and perhaps even below that. We need to find out what is at the heart of the Dark Framework.”

Gabriella stepped forward, putting one armored arm on Ricky’s shoulder and one on Xarok’s. “Well,” she said, “what are we waiting for?”

Final stats

Hit points: 9

XP: 2825

Unspent XP: 325

Unfinished quests:

*Quest 050 (level 7): Escort Sami safely back to Barrowdale.

*Quest 055 (level 12): Become a citizen of New Baravia.

*Quest 057 (level 5): Explore your new surroundings.

*Quest 060 (level 20): Free yourself from the Dark Framework.

*Quest 062 (level 8): Rebuild the Tooth and Claw Guild.

Inventory:

bronze neckchain

canvas satchel, containing:

broken small metal component (2)

ceremonial knife & metal sheath

book of lore (Creatures of New Baravia)

bronze eye

dragonrider’s ratchet

half-dragon claw

map of Barrowdale

silver tankard

standard crossbow bolt x 8

yagga root tea (1 serving)

crossbow (small)

gladius sword

hoplon shield

leather dagger sheath

peasant clothing

platinum neckchain of the Tooth and Claw Guild

ring of illusion