CHAPTER 15 - MAKING FRIENDS

There was no need for help when the party arrived. The rednecks were capable of handling the challenge on their own. Anissa thought it would be unethical to interfere. That would mean to gain undeserved contribution points.

"Victory!" someone shouted after the last enemy was slain.

"Glory to the Redneck gamin'!" echoed from the members.

Billy grinned widely, an important quest was completed thanks to his risky call. The guild members received a village in the Sarn area. Brave New World’s land acquisition was still a mystery to most players.

To administrate a territorial unit was extremely rare. However, the most vulnerable, abandoned outskirts of Dresan were desperate for heroes. This lucky coincidence rewarded the rednecks with the village of Pan.

Billy took a moment to normalize his breathing before heading to the newcomers. "My thanks, strangers, this battle would not have been won without you!" He said sincerely.

A hooded girl approached him. "The same can be said of you," she had an indifferent expression. The attitude of her comrades suggested she’s the leader.

Another girl stood beside her. She had long black hair, emerald green eyes. Her high forehead and pointy nose contributed to her beauty. The skeleton battle had left multiple scars on her body, still visible through the bloody armor plates. This made her look like a vicious amazon.

Right behind the girls, a little boy could be seen peeking with curiosity.

“I’m Billy, the Guildmaster of Redneck gamin’,” he extended his arm.

“We originally came for the Death Knight,” Anissa shook his hand, “but why running from the extra experience?” Her lips nearly formed a smile.

The rest followed their example. Everyone was interested to meet the other side. Pavel, Josh, and even Kajo greeted the rednecks. Shir’tana remained shy, sticking to Artemis.

Billy was overjoyed by the success, he didn’t spare compliments either. “You helped my party and this wanderer while completing your own quest as well, that's an incredible achievement!”

Anissa’s eyebrow raised, then she peeked at Gambit. “He’s not one of yours?”

“I had no time explain myself properly,” Jonathan had his answer prepared long ago.

Jonathan told them he had come to Dresan to experience fighting the undead. Unfortunately, he met difficulties on the way. Then ended in the middle of a chaotic battle. He excused himself with the intensity of the battle. His story sounded made-up. He left the impression of an unskilled player who blatantly lied for whatever reason.

Anissa observed him shortly, then she continued the chat with Billy.

“We are looking for a magician known as Shen,” Anissa brought the subject, "I believe he's connected to Dresan."

“Uff...” Billy was looking for answers, “Daisy is our data collector for Brave New World, perhaps she knows a thing...” He pointed at the guild’s main informant.

“Maybe he’s some big shot who’s inhabiting the inner circles?” Daisy shrugged, making it clear she’s only guessing. The inner circles were still unexplored, so it was a logical assumption.

“I think, I’ve heard the name on my way…” Jonathan said from the back.

“Hmm…” Pavel and Josh glanced at their recent acquaintance.

Anissa thought for a second, then she walked towards him. Once she got next to Jon she leaned to his side and whispered in his ear, “Whoever you are, you’d better not be pulling my leg...” Her eyes were no longer trustful, nor warm.

Anissa’s hot breath caressed Jon's face. Brave New World was a strange virtual world; sweating could occur as a result of intense physical activity. However, Jonathan could swear he smelled the aroma of jasmine mixed in. Many wondrous facts about the game were widely discussed on the Internet, in fact, some content creators were focussed entirely on such technological miracles, borderline magical.

They were all in the middle of stinking piles of old bones. Was it possible to transfer this jasmine fragrance from the real world? Jonathan's thoughts formed a clumsy train of ideas and sensations. Anissa's sudden “humph” made the train of thoughts derails right away. So Jonathan was once again facing her dominating existence.

“O-On my way to Dresan I’ve encountered two NPC merchants,” Jon’s forehead was sweaty as he whispered back. “One of them said to the other that the magician Shen had visited the Basel republic, near the city of Kraken. There he bought valuable ingredients and a map for the Haunted mines.”

‘The Haunted mines?’ Anissa recognized the name, a cursed land in the Basel faction. She read about it in her recent news feed.

A pair of brown eyes pierced through Jonathan. Then a gentle finger slid from his neck up to his ear where it circled around the auricle. Red lips glowed dangerously close to him, soft laugh float out of them.

“Listen, Jon… how about you accompany us to that place.”

Jonathan’s thoughts were a mess, he wasn’t used to a close female contact. The virtual sensation made him dizzy.

“I-I was hoping to fight the undead for a while…” He managed to say with his head tilted away from Anissa. He immediately regretted the answer.

Anissa stared at him for a bit, then turned to her party members and raised a chin. “The undead will keep torturing the outers. It’s obvious that the powerful ones from Dresan will not come to the rescue; they are living only to satisfy their own greed for power and wealth. We, on the other hand, will lend our strength against the undead plague...” She paused for a second, then glanced at her prey again. “And then, our friend will take us to the Basel republic. Isn’t that right… Jon?”

“Err...” Jon muttered.

Pavel and Josh looked at each other, then chuckled. Artemis nodded in approval as if the agreement was settled. Next to her Shir’tana gasped at his sister Anissa, who was mentally crushing the stranger.

“Hah…” Billy got chills watching.

“She has a strong presence...” Eloise whispered to Daisy.

“I think I’ve seen her somewhere...” Daisy’s wrinkled forehead hinted she’s digging for clues.

Meanwhile, Jon was still having a rough time.

“D-Deal…” Jonathan stuttered. He threw his condition spontaneously, it worked well though, he could continue collecting traces of the living that way.

Anissa grinned at him as her right arm wrapped around his left. “If you betray me, I will hunt you to the end of this virtual world and beyond.” She threatened.

Gambit gulped, still shocked by the change of attitude. Once Anissa spotted something fishy, she turned ice-cold towards him. The rednecks also noticed the good and the evil side of Anissa. Only her closest friends knew this is how she deals with people.

The parties shared enough information between themselves. Everyone agreed that the undead hunting is growing in popularity. In that sense, more players were about to visit Dresan’s outer regions to gain benefits.

Billy omitted the ownership of a local village, while Anissa kept quiet about her actual identity as Empress. Goodbyes and wishes for good luck broke the improvised alliance.

Shortly after, Kajo expressed his intention to leave the group. He couldn’t stray for long from his home, it was risky for the villagers without him. Kajo’s voice left the usual impression of duty, yet Anissa recognized a new ring of relief as well. Before leaving, Kajo left something for her.

Zaha’s Courage (Amulet)

Durability (13/20)

5% increased damage against Dresan’s Awakening NPCs 5% increased critical strike chance against Dresan’s Awakening NPCs 5% of the damage dealt against Dresan’s Awakening NPCs is leeched as life Bound item. Worthy ally (Active): The bonuses of this item can be shared with another person for 60 seconds. 15 minutes cooldown.

‘Dresan’s Awakening’ bonuses cannot activate outside of Dresan’s territory, even if the NPCs belong to the Awakening.

‘Bound items’ belong to a single owner. They will be destroyed if traded, shared, or dropped upon death.

She stood there, thinking of Kajo’s weird behavior in Zaha’s fight. “You had an item which belonged to him all along...” Anissa mumbled, clenching the amulet of the dead hero. The wide back of Kajo was still visible in the distance.

The amulet had no negative stats, nor it had any connection to Zaha’s unfortunate fate.

“An item from before he was turned into a slave...”

The old hero Zaha and the modern one - Kajo were indeed no strangers to each other. Her guess was accurate.

LIENZ, AUSTRIA

A slim, young man was eating a toasted sandwich. Juicy pink ham and melted cheese were filling his mouth. Any other gamer would’ve been drolling all over the treat. However, that man was taking his bites with a gloomy expression.

“Literally a virtual prisoner…” He moaned with his mouth full. He kept chewing with dissatisfaction. Then he grabbed a cold beer from the table, a suitable drink for the hot afternoon. A couple of thirsty gulps improved his mood.

He glanced at the paperwork he had finished earlier. “Working from home is a bless, It also allows me to pursue my gaming passion.” He almost smiled at that last sentence, almost.

“Why am I constantly sacrificing my health and stamina in Brave New World? And the number of curses...” He kept blabbering, alone in the apartment. “I thought summoners were overpowered, they lead armies and all that...” He sighed.

“That Empress girl is so intimidating.” He shook his head. “Brave New World is something different. Sometimes it gives me chills, it’s that real.”

Jonathan lifted the bottle up to squeeze out the final drops. He burped once and got up from the couch, heading for the bedroom.

“At least the corpse consumption is progressing steadily. Nobody has noticed me collecting the undead parts as well. Hopefully, I can experience a power spike soon...” Were his last words before wearing a headset. Seconds later his mind transferred somewhere else. The apartment was left locked with his boring real-life memories in it. Nothing good had happened to him outside, it was a daily struggle to get at home sane.

Jonathan materialized in Brave New World.

“Hey there.” Artemis waved.

Anissa nodded at him briefly.

“The more we travel towards the north the colder it gets.” Pavel rubbed his palms together, then smiled at Jon.

Jon noticed that Shir'tana was meditating again. Trying to grow stronger for the sake of his family and friends as he mentioned once. A hard worker indeed, Jonathan thought.

“It’s more like the seasons are changing. The weather cannot shift so rapidly.” Artemis assumed.

“Could it be some sort of event? The frozen throne has got its Lich King or something?” Pavel peeked at Anissa.

She gave him the cold shoulder.

“At least my Ice Queen is nearby to warm my lonely heart.” He sang that part, which made Jonathan chuckle with his palm over the mouth.

Jon thought that Russian guy was rather brave to tease the girl known as Empress. Of course, they knew each other from before, maybe that was the reason? Apparently, she was streaming video games for a living, or at least she used to. Something prevented her from streaming these days.

“We should keep moving north. The amount of players there is low, nobody’s contesting the hunting grounds.” She glanced at Jonathan before continuing. “And we are closing the border of Basel republic. We had an agreement...”

“I will keep my word,” Jonathan intended to cooperate. He was a man of his word. Also, Artemis, Pavel, and even that little boy Shir’tana were all to his liking. Only Empress remained out of reach. She was incredible in fights, her calls were spot on, she even protected him if needed. Still, she avoided sharing information with him. Jonathan felt awkward around her.

“Sister,” the boy had opened eyes, “I’m working on my form, but it’s difficult to make progress.”

“Don’t worry, little brother. You’ll eventually reach your goals, maybe you still lack knowledge, just like me.” She was always kind to Shir’tana and Artemis.

This fact convinced Jon she can’t be a bad person. She didn’t trust him? That's fine.

Jon thought of the child’s body transformation ability. He had seen it a few times while traveling with the group. It was an astonishing sight to behold. He thought about the countless unimaginable things that could look so real in this virtual world, making one feel like a character of a fairy tale. Shir’tana sensed his stare and nodded at him.

“It’s time to go,” Anissa got up first. “Regardless of the number undead we confront, the destination will not change. We had our fun with them, we also gained experience and battle proficiency. So I don’t consider it lost time or anything.” She added.

The deal between them was well-known.

On that day, they kept traveling towards the Basel border. More undead were annihilated by them. Anissa was the main damage dealer as usual. Artemis, on the other hand, had a slight transition to a more defensive, almost tank role. Anissa was casting the Worthy ally on Artemis. The life leech was particularly useful for extra sustain.

Jonathan understood that Shir’tana’s trump card couldn’t be used lightly. It was his way to survive if things got rough. Anissa dictated when the child should collect some extra experience and when he should chill in his original form.

It was a well-organized group, loyal to its leader. Jonathan admired the level of unity and friendship. He was still consuming parts of the undead, which weakened him greatly. To his surprise, nobody was raging, calling him useless or anything like that.

It was not your regular online gaming experience, it was refreshing in a way. At the age of 29, he was still trying his best in games, he always aimed to improve, it was important to him.

Jonathan’s fighting position was often in the center, between the 2 girls and Pavel. Shir’tana was gravitating from his ‘sister’ to the backline archer.

It was a safe place to be, Jon was thankful for that, especially in his state.

When there were no enemies though, the party was walking like a group, discussing games and life.

“Can you imagine Josh as a drug addict?” Pavel seemed upset.

Anissa inhaled and exhaled heavily before answering. “He’s such a sweet lad, I couldn’t believe it too.”

The rest were listening to their conversation. Jon got worried, as every ordinary, uptight Austrian would. Drugs were not to his liking. He fought his own depression with games, fake promises for a better future, calculations of how many years he has left to reach 80.

“I’ve known Josh for a short time now, but I believe he has a strong heart,” Artemis said sincerely. “He recovered after losing the girl he loves.”

“Yeah, and she’s in the same town for years, banging her husband till she got 2 kids from him, maybe third is coming soon!? Ughh....” Pavel’s tasteless joke led to Anissa shoving an elbow down his stomach.

“He’s got back on track, that’s all that matters.” She glared at Pavel. “If you miss his Scottish accent, you can visit him, but don’t badmouth him like that.”

Pavel was still bending after the surprise attack. “I’d p-pass...” he managed to reply with effort.

“Brother Pavel...” Shir’tana shook his head. His sister disciplined Pavel on a daily basis, however, he was always back for more.

“Josh is our friend, period. He’s also one of the most loyal members of our gaming community. Hanging with him has always been enjoyable.” Anissa intended to drop the subject for good.

Josh had his responsibilities IRL, just like Brian and Carlos, he was likely to play less in the future. As cynical as Pavel could be, he was grumpy for losing his comedy partner.

“By ‘gaming community’, you mean your stream viewers?” Jonathan was listening the entire time, he finally found a window to sneak in.

“Yeah, thanks to them I’m doing what I love. Some come and go, but others stick around. When they have good personalities too, well, there’s nothing more to ask. Outside I’m more likely to meet people I don’t like, not the other way around.”

Jonathan could relate to that. His real-life was all about earning a salary so he can afford to live on the Internet. He had no friends left, he had a boring job, he was avoiding relationships. Actually, he had crossed the line in the seclusion department long ago, he knew that much. He was closing 30, not the best period to lack contacts. His peers were out there making careers, families. Some were traveling, posting their annoying selfies from every part of the world on their social network accounts.

Jonathan was no fool, he knew that he was being weird in a way that was socially unacceptable. Not like a flat earther, vegan or alien enthusiast. Those groups fitted into society much better than him.

‘Because they are out there, upholding their crazy beliefs,’ he thought.

Indeed, the luck was with the brave ones. Being right or wrong, good or evil meant nothing, if the will to act was missing. That was Jon’s greatest sin, living so isolated that even his dreams had disappeared. They blurred into the sea of fear and doubt.

At some point, the conversation switched to relationships. Pavel shared that he’s often targeted for his money. Shortly after, he confessed to Anissa, promised to secure her a luxury life if she accepts.

“Fuck off,” she responded.

That quick and ruthless answer made the party members laugh. The loudest one belonged to Pavel himself, he really had a thing about getting dominated by Anissa. He didn’t mind playing the clown role around friends, he was already playing the clown role in his family every day of the week. Not like he had a choice about the second part, the outcast role was designed for him from birth.

“Poor Pavel… ”Artemis was recovering well from her trauma, she smiled often around the group. The obscure optimism of discovering something important in Brave New World was still stuck in her mind.

However, Jonathan’s smile was kind of forced. He thought about his ‘forever alone policy’.

Throughout his life, Jon's brain calculations have been his worst enemy. He wouldn’t commit without a contract and favorable terms in it.

He was proud of keeping his promises, and that was indisputably true. Nonetheless, it was a miracle promising more than going shopping. Understandably, such man was in no way prepared to say the words “until the death do us apart” without wishing for his end to come rather soon.

Surely you no longer tolerate Jon? What's he thinking? Crazy misanthrope! Egomaniac! And so on. Remember, Jonathan was a child in the body of an adult. He was a victim of biological changes that didn’t forgive any of us either.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden message.

You have collected the required amount of Traces of the living!

Deadman’s understanding passive has been completed!

The ability Summon undead lvl 1 has been unlocked!

Summon undead lvl 1: You can have 2 regular undead creatures summoned without penalties; their level cannot be higher than your own. Each additional undead will gradually drain life and stamina from you. The maximum number of undead you can have summoned at the same time is 5.