Niko and Kristius found good cover deep in the underbrush, one on either side of the road, not far from the spot where they’d been ambushed when they’d arrived. They’d pushed themselves hard to get here quickly, so as to beat the PK ambushers — or griefers, as Kristius called them — to the site. On the way, Niko had wondered how the ambushers knew when to show up to catch people coming in through the portal. Kristius suspected that they probably had a mole back in the starter zone keeping watch for players who were about to move on, and then relayed the info on to the bushwhackers. Turns out that there was an actual black market where in-game gold could be converted to real-world credits, so it was actually a profitable setup for them. Kill low levels, take their best items, sell them — repeat until you’ve piled up enough gold to be worthwhile to transfer into credits. Most new PKs, being much lower levels than the griefers, would simply write it off as a learning experience and move on. The more Niko thought about it, the madder he got.

There was no sign of player activity in the vicinity, so while he waited he pulled out the book Chuck had given him and began to read. Despite the ostensibly dreary title, he was surprised to find that he was able to scan through the pages and absorb the information more quickly than he’d expected. By time he heard voices coming down the road from the direction of Wellsport, he’d read through a good third of the book. He put the book quietly back in his satchel.

On impulse, he activated his player POV log, figuring he might as well have something to show in case he ever got a follower on the forums. A little old-timey video camera flashed at him a couple of times before zooming away to a tiny icon on the edge of his vision.

“Yeah, that big newb from yesterday caught me by surprise this morning. Split me from the top of my head to my chin in one hit. Fuckin’ hurt! Dumbass is probably still in jail! Man, I sure wanna get my hands on that axe of his, ‘cause I bet it would sell for a shit-ton of gold. I still don’t get why it didn't drop when we killed them, though.”

“Eh, who knows,” replied a voice that Niko immediately recognized as Icarus, the guy that had backstabbed him, ”I thought only soulbound items don't drop, and I can't picture some tenth level dweeb having a soulbound item. He’s probably one of those rich little pricks whose mommy and daddy buys them whatever they want.” His voice took on a high, whiny tone, “Mommy, I need a big bad axe! I promise not to pee my bed if you buy it for me!”

Several voices laughed, and the first guy continued, ”Yeah maybe, or maybe he just sells his hairy ass on the street corner," triggering a fresh outburst of laughter.

A private message popped into view, “That dude is soooooo dead!” Kristius sent, “I count six dirtbags. Two look like probably casters, a couple of fighter types, the fucking archer, and one that I’m thinking is a rogue. I'm gonna guess you want the rogue?”

Niko saw them stroll into sight as he peered cautiously through the brush. ”Hell yeah, he's mine," he sent in reply. He watched as the six men moved toward the sides of the road with an air of familiarity.

“Ok, Waric says there are three coming — a couple of elven casters and a dwarf fighter type. Eric, Samual,” Icarus said, pointing at the two casters, ”Take the girl out first, we think she’s a healer.” He pointed in turn at the fighters, “Lowlife, Damageman, you two take the fighter. Keep him busy until Deadeye and I have taken out the other caster, and then we’ll all team up on the dwarf.” The men disappeared into the underbrush along both sides of the road.

Niko’s lip curled, “Lowlife and Damageman? Really?" he thought.

“Jeez Icky,” groused the archer, ”Give it a break! It ain't like we haven't done this a shit-ton of times already!” He took his bow off his back and nocked an arrow, fading silently into the brush on the other side of the road where Kristius was hiding. Icarus was left standing alone in the roadway, and even as Niko watched, he faded slowly from view.

“Dammit! He’s gone into some kind of stealth mode!" he messaged Kristius, ”Now what do we do?”

“One of the fighters is over there on your side — try to move up near him and take him out instead. Easy, oh mighty bald one, we got this!" came the reply, ”Let me start the party, then go for it. We go as soon as the others come into view.”

Niko eased himself quietly through the brush until he spotted the broad back of a fighter wearing a chain shirt, tarnished to avoid reflecting light, and bearing a shield and a wicked-looking shortsword. Niko calmed his breathing and relaxed himself into a ready stance. He heard the sound of voices coming down the road from the direction of the portal. He recognized Arabella’s high voice, laughing and chattering, while an answering low, gruff voice must certainly be Aengus, her brother. The fighter in front of him tensed up, looking almost like a cat preparing to pounce.

Before he could spring his trap, however, the cutthroat jumped in startlement when a strident scream of pain suddenly erupted from the opposite side of the road. It was quickly cut short. Then came a loud roar, which could only have come from Kristius, that was followed by the ringing sound of clashing arms.

Niko activated Focus Energy and Stone Fist as the fighter jumped up from concealment, and leaped up to slam a rock-hard fist into the back of the ambusher’s unarmored neck. The fighter dropped to his hands and knees, stunned, and Niko drew his dagger and drove it savagely into the side of the man's neck in four rapid-fire strikes. Bright crimson arterial blood fountained, and Niko stood up straight as the warrior fell over and dissolved into a skeletal heap.

He burst out of the brush onto the road, where he saw Kristius across from him trading blows with the other warrior, while Arabella and Lucius were struggling to match spells with the two enemy casters. Aengus was down, rolling around on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames that were engulfing him.

Niko swiveled his head frantically, “Where the hell is Icarus?" he muttered. In answer, there was a sudden burning pain in his right kidney, and his life bar dropped immediately into the red zone. He screamed, and his dagger dropped through nerveless fingers from the intensity of the pain.

“Why, I’m right here,” Icarus’ voice crooned smugly in his ear, “Time to die… again!" The backstabber yanked the blade out viciously, and, gasping for breath, Niko immediately activated Chaloe’s Regeneration. His health bar jumped back to full, only to instantly drop back by twenty percent as his assailant drove the dagger home again. Not waiting for a third strike, Niko threw himself into a forward roll, coming up to his feet facing Icarus. His side was a blinding nexus of pain, his shirt was soaked through with his blood, and he noted that his health bar ticked back down another notch.

Icarus sneered, “Bleeding out, tough guy? Don’t worry, I'll finish you off long before that happens." With a flourish, he produced a second dagger and launched a pair of lightning-swift attacks. Niko twisted back out of the way of a sweeping slash at his eyes, but couldn’t avoid the second blade as it cut a bloody line across his stomach. Clapping a hand to his abdomen and hissing in pain, Niko backpedaled hastily .

The rogue jeered, “Yeah, monks kinda suck, don't they?" He crab-walked towards Niko, daggers ceaselessly moving in a sinuous, almost hypnotic pattern. Niko triggered his Unassailable ability, and his foe’s blades bounced harmlessly off of his skin. It disrupted the flow of the assassin’s attacks long enough for Niko to ground himself and regain some small measure of balance. Icarus narrowed his eyes in irritation, and pressed his attacks harder, but Niko began to develop a fluid motion of his own, matching the serpentine movements of his opponent — if only just barely.

Niko dodged and parried furiously, and the rogue’s whirling blades nicked and sliced, until the monk’s hands, arms, and torso soon grew slick with blood oozing from dozens of tiny cuts. The killer couldn’t manage to land a decisive blow past Niko’s struggling defenses, but the beleaguered monk knew that blood loss and fatigue would eventually spell his defeat. Icarus snarled his frustration as Niko blocked his attacks again and again, and his strikes grew ever more rash, until finally Niko spotted his opening — and struck.

A particularly wild, sweeping scissor attack left the assassin’s center unguarded, and Niko jabbed his stiffened fingertips hard into Icarus’ unprotected throat. The thief choked, trying hard to draw a breath that just would not come. He staggered back, dropping his weapons, and clasped his hands to his throat. Niko stepped forward and balanced on his left foot, pivoting his right leg around to deliver a powerful back-kick to his adversary’s knee, buckling it backwards with an unnerving crunch of breaking bone and cartilage. The assassin dropped to his hands and knees, a hoarse exhalation rasping from his mouth as he tried desperately to scream with no breath in his lungs. Planting his feet solidly to one side of the gasping man, Niko hopped up and came down on his knees, using his weight and the momentum of the drop to drive his bent elbow into the back of his foe’s neck with deadly force. Vertebrae cracked and sheared under the onslaught, and Icarus fell lifelessly to ground, his body fading away into a pile of bones.

Niko suddenly howled, writhing in agony as he was hit with a bolt of electricity from behind. He fell helplessly to the ground as his muscles jittered uncontrollably, and his life gauge once again dropped down into the red zone. Still twitching, he barely managed to roll over, to find the griefer mage glaring at him and snarling.

“Oh, well done, you bald-headed little shit! You may have got us this time, but I’m taking your punk ass out with me!" He raised his hands, fingers crooked, and began to chant in a sing-song tone. Fighting against the terrible pain, Niko tried frantically to force his body under control, to still the tremors in time to dodge the attack — but to no avail. With a sinking feeling, Niko knew he was about to die.

The mage lifted his arms higher, his chant reaching a crescendo, when suddenly a small form flashed swiftly across the roadway, from one side to the other right in front of the caster in a blur that was nearly too fast for the eye to follow. The chant cut off abruptly, and the mage stood staring uncomprehendingly down at the spurting bloody stump where his right hand had once been. Realization hit him, and he clasped his good hand to his severed wrist as he started screaming in a high-pitched voice. Dazed, Niko looked in the direction that the unexpected movement had gone, where he spotted Timm crouched at the side of the road, chewing contentedly. The boy noticed Niko looking at him, and gave Niko a cheery, pointy-toothed smile as blood dribbled down his chin.

“Holy shit… ” Niko muttered, horrified. By the time he tore his eyes away from the grisly sight and looked back, the mage was rolling around on the ground, on fire, his screams growing hoarse and faint. A distinctly scorched-looking Aengus stomped up and drove his sword through the mage’s chest, silencing him. Niko was finally able to pull himself up to a sitting position, and he looked around to see Kristius leaning heavily on his axe handle, mangled left arm hanging limply at his side. Kristius looked over at him and grinned weakly.

“Welcome to the exciting world of PvP, oh mighty bald one!”

Niko felt a wave of soothing warmth pass over him, ending his pain and stopping the continuous drain on his health bar. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned around to find Arabella standing, glaring at him with her hands on her hips, Lucius to her right wearing a grim expression and his arms folded across his chest, and Aengus leaning atop his shield on her other side, glowering fiercely.

“Aww crap… ” he muttered guiltily.

Arabella’s eyes blazed. “Fancy meeting you here! I guess we should be thankative for the solid, but it sure is nutty how you just ‘happened’ to grok we would need it herenow," she snapped at him.

Niko winced, “Well, I wanted to warn you, but I was afraid that if you knew what was coming you might tip off the griefers. These guys have been preying on low level newcomers for a while now, so I knew you’d want to help us knock ‘em down a peg, and, uh, I had complete confidence that you guys could hold your own… " Niko trailed off as he felt himself wilting under Arabella's unrelenting stare, and he shot Kristius a pleading look.

The big man heaved a huge reflective sigh, shaking his head, “Sometimes the mantle of leadership is indeed a heavy one, and hard decisions have to be made. He leads, we must follow," he intoned sagaciously.

“He leads?" Arabella and Aengus exclaimed simultaneously.

“I lead?" Niko echoed a short beat after.

Kristius cocked his head at Niko, “Well yah, who else? Dude, you’ve already gotten us quests and rewards that no one else has ever gotten before. It may not seem like much to you right now, but we’ve barely even started in on this little jamboree. Come on, dude, you’ve got us into some heavy stuff already,” he turned his head to include the whole party, “and we’ve all pulled together to get us out. That's how it should work, y’know? He leads, we follow." He paused contemplatively, ”Echh, and I think I snorted up a bug during that fight," he added, jamming a thick finger up his nose.

Niko crooked an eyebrow at the others, waiting. They exchanged glances amongst themselves, and finally Arabella heaved an exasperated sigh.

“Ok, fine — you lead, we follow," she conceded.

“Now, wait just a sec!" Aengus started.

“Jam your hype, Mark! Mom’s got you on probo right now, you throw a seven now and you’ll be in groundation for the next six months.”

Aengus glared at Arabella for a moment, grinding his teeth, before he humphed, ”Fine, but he better not be gettin’ us killed all the time!”

“Oh, you mean like you did?" Arabella replied airily, walking toward Niko.

“Hey!" Aengus exclaimed indignantly, as Lucius burst out laughing.

When Arabella drew closer, she looked Niko in the eyes, ”Some warning next time, okay?”

He nodded, ”If I can’t, it’ll be for a damned good reason.” It was then that he noticed a subtle difference in the elf girl's appearance. Her hair and features were still the same as he remembered, but her skin was noticeably paler now, with a delicate tracery of pale blue veins all throughout. Most notable, however, was that her pupils — the violet color now much deeper-hued than before — were dilated to the point that her eyes seemed almost all pupil.

She watched him check her over with a secret little smile on her face, “Spiff changes, nah? You are looking at the first-ever, one-and-only Priestess of Eshu." She let out a light chuckle as she spread her arms to present herself to him.

Niko’s jaw dropped and his eyes went wide, “You chose Eshu as your game deity?" he asked in surprise.

She nodded happily, “Yep. Not long after we were there in his digs, he popped up in, like, a vision I guess, and asked me if I’d like to be a follower.” Now that she was calmer, her speech grew considerably less slang-heavy. “He told me he’d never had a cleric before, and he thought it might be interesting to see what it was like to take care of a living being for a change of pace. I figured being the very first cleric of anything would be insane cool, and since I’m the only one, that makes me the High Priestess of the Temple of Eshu," she beamed.

He pursed his lips, considering, “And, umm... the changes?”

“Yeah well, it does have a few side effects, but there’s some pretty good bennies too.”

“Such as?”

“I guess you’ll learn soon enough,” she replied archly, ”Just know you’ll be happy to have me around whenever we hit that graveyard! Speaking of which, when are we heading there? Kind of a vested interest for me now, y’know.”

He grinned at her, “Just as soon as all of you get your specialities, and we get geared up. I'll check into transport while you guys pick up what you need.”

He turned his attention back to the aftermath of the recent battle, and began to bring up the multiple icons blinking at him in his HUD.

End of combat log:

You have gained 1700 experience (1400 points, + 300 point bonus for killing characters of a higher level)

Congratulations! You have gained the Stealth skill at Rank 1

Congratulations! You have advanced your Basic Martial Arts skill to Rank 3

Congratulations! You have advanced your Focus Energy ability to Rank 3

Congratulations! You have advanced your Stone Fist ability to Rank 3

Niko

Monk, 10th level, PvP

Kills: 3

Deaths: 1

Video Feeds: 1

Watchers: 0

Followers: 0

Niko returned to the spot where he’d fought Icarus and reached a hand down into the bone pile remaining there. A list of items available for plunder floated up before him in glowing letters, each line accompanied by a small rotating 3D model of the item. Niko smiled delightedly and quickly grabbed the item that he’d dared not hope he might still find in the assassin’s possession — the fine white diamond that Icarus had taken from him. He was relieved to see that it hadn't yet been sold.

He went back into the brush where he’d killed the griefer warrior and again thrust a hand into the remains. Seeing nothing he really wanted in the resulting list, Niko queued up a party chat line and read off the warrior’s equipment to his companions. There was a set of iron greaves that caught Aengus’ interest, so he collected that article and came back out to the road. He tossed the greaves over to the dwarf, who immediately donned them in place of his leather ones he currently wore.

The dwarf shot Niko a joyful grin, “This PK stuff is already paying off!" he crowed, doing a quick little dance step with his new armor on. ”Here, I pulled this off that mage… some kind of periapt of mana," he continued, offering up a sparkling blue gemstone.

“Ooh! Gimme, gimme!" Arabella shouted, yanking it out of Aengus’ hand before Niko could even touch it.

Niko laughed at the look on the dwarf’s face as Arabella dropped the gemstone in her satchel and danced back out of reach.

Kristius held up a potion bottle that he had claimed from one of his opponents. “Huh, Rockhide. Plus ten to armor for ten minutes. That’ll come in handy," he grunted, as he dropped it in his pouch.

Lucius was looking appraisingly at a silver pendant that he’d claimed. He grinned widely as he clipped it to his breast. “Plus one intelligence,” he said cheerfully.

Aengus slapped Niko heartily on the back with a broad grin, ”Well, that worked out ace-tastic for us!” he rumbled, “I could get used to this.”

Kristius shot the dwarf a dour look, ”Don't get too used to it, dude, the shoe can jump to the other hand in the blink of an eye.”

Aengus stared nonplussed at Kristius for a moment, ”Uh, you mean other foot, right?”

Kristius rolled his eyes at the dwarf, “No, the other hand. You use your hands to put your shoes on, and sometimes you have to switch a shoe to the other hand to get it on.” He scoffed, “Pfft! Why would you put your shoe on the other foot? It would be on the wrong foot, and that would be really uncomfortable." He shook his head wonderingly and turned to head back toward town.

Arabella laughed merrily at the look on her brother’s face, ”Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

On the way back to town, Niko’s message icon flashed a priority alert at him. He brought it to the front, where he found a message from Icarus.

“You better leave our gear intact, you little turd, or return whatever you took right the hell now. You do not want to mess with the Imperials!”

He lifted his brows in surprise. “You're with the Imperials?" he sent back.

“Hell yeah, and you’ll regret it if you screw with us. I’ll get you blacklisted and flagged KOS!”

Niko curled his lip, “Sorry, bud, you've already been looted — and thanks for my diamond back, by the way. Welcome to the PK world, newb!" Niko smiled in satisfaction as he flicked a finger to send the message bouncing on its way.

Arabella walked up beside him. “What’s funny?" she asked.

“Yeah, one of the griefers we just killed is sending me threats. His mommy was probably late with his breakfast in the basement or something." He shook his head as another message from Icarus popped up in blazing orange-red letters.

“YOU’RE FINISHED IN THIS GAME ASSHOLE!!!! THE IMPERIALS ARE GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO!!!! YOU’RE GOING TO DIE SO MUCH YOU’LL HAVE TO ROLL UP A NEW CHARACTER JUST TO MAKE IT STOP!!!! AND THEN WHEN I FIND OUT YOUR NEW TOON, I’LL GO AFTER THAT ONE TOO!!!! AS SOON AS I SPAWN BACK I’M SENDING YOUR NAME OUT TO EVERY IMPERIAL OUT THERE, AND YOU ARE DEAD MEAT!!!! ASSHOLE!!!!”

Niko started to block all incoming messages from Icarus, when a thought occurred to him. He quickly composed a new message, attached his video log to it, and swiped his hand across the missive to send it flying away. His smile grew even wider.

Arabella watched him inquisitively, “Now what? He’s still threatening you?”

“Yep. So I sent a message to Sheriam, along with some proof, so now we’ll see what happens," he replied. Then he nearly slammed into Kristius’ chest as the man stopped abruptly and turned to face him.

“You sent a message to who?”

Niko grinned up at his large friend, “Sheriam, queen bee of the Imperials. Those griefers are claiming to be Imperials, so I sent her a message to let her know what they’re up to.”

Kristius eyed him in disbelief, “You sent a complaint to the head of the Imperials about her own people — the very woman we're supposed to eventually fight?”

Niko sidestepped around the big man, “Yep."

“Wait, what? You plan on fighting Sheriam?" Arabella said, her eyes wide, ”You know who that is, right?”

“Yep, and yep," Niko answered, still walking.

Aengus drew up from behind, “Oh yeah! That is balls, man!" he said, ignoring Arabella's glare, ”That is so balls!”

Kristius turned and caught up to Niko in two long strides, “Maybe so, but you think riling her up with a complaint about her people is a good way to start off, oh mighty bald one? If she even bothers to read it,” he added.

Niko shrugged, “I guess we’ll see. She supposedly dislikes griefers, so I fig — " he broke off as his HUD pinged a priority message. He laughed when he’d read it, and he shared it with his group. They all read it with expressions of amazement on their faces.

Niko,

I apologize for the actions of my guild mates — I assure you that is not what the Imperials stand for. We are all about the challenge of the fight, and definitely not about preying on newer and weaker players. I have taken actions against the players involved, and they will no longer be a problem. You should know that I often receive complaints about my associates which are unfounded, but your video proves their guilt. Again, please accept my apologies, along with the attached gift as a compensation for the misbehavior of my former guild members. Oh, and by the way — great job fighting!

Sheriam

Clan of the Imperials

Niko spread his hands out in front of him, “I saw her in an interview on the vids, and she said she hated griefers. So I figured, what the hell, it was worth a shot," he ran a hand over the top of his head, smiling, ”Guess she wasn’t kidding!” There was a little cloth bag floating at the end of Sheriam’s message, and when he reached up and grabbed it he heard the musical sound of coins falling. Checking the coin bag in his satchel, he was stunned to find that he’d gained two hundred gold crowns. With a huge smile on his face, he started walking again — only to have yet another priority message flare up at him, another one from Icarus this time.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO US YOU SHIT HEAD?!?! WE’VE BEEN KICKED OUT OF THE GUILD AND BLACKLISTED AND WE’RE MARKED KOS!! WE’VE BEEN GIVEN ONE HOUR GAME TIME TO LEAVE THE AREA AFTER WE RESPAWN!! YOU FUCKER, I’LL GET YOU BACK FOR THIS!! I’M GOING TO RIP YOUR — “

Niko didn't bother to read the rest, he simply deleted the message and blocked the sender. He smiled contentedly to himself, thinking that the day was looking up, when he felt a small hand slip into his. He looked down to find Timm’s big brown eyes looking adoringly up at him. He shivered involuntarily when he noticed a little rivulet of blood dried up on the boy’s chin.

“I'm supposed to come with you, Mr Niko," Timm said in a small quavering voice,” Meemaw said you’d protect me!”

“Timm! By Eshu, what are you doing here?" Arabella knelt down in front of the boy, concerned, ”And what happened to you? Are you hurt?" she asked, dabbing gently at his chin with the hem of her robes.

“I came to find Mr Niko, Miss. Meemaw said I should stay with him. She saw it in a dream. She said Mr Niko was a s'posed to help her, and I gots to go along. I followed you, ‘cause I knew you was gonna find him, and then when those bad men attacked you, I got really scared and hid back in the bushes. I fell down and bip ny ton’ weally hawd!" he stuck his tongue out to show her as he spoke.

“Um, I, ah, don’t think it’s such a good idea for you to go with us, Timm," Niko stammered, trying to pull his hand away from the creature’s unnaturally strong grip, ”We’ll be going to some pretty bad places.”

Timm looked up at Niko, moisture welling up in his eyes, ”But Meemaw said I have to! She said you'd keep me safe, no matter what! She really, really wanted me to go with you!" Niko thought he’d seen a slight gleam of red in Timm’s eyes at that last, but maybe he’d imagined it. The pressure on his hand increased to an uncomfortable level, ”She said I gotta, Mr Niko. I can't disobey Meemaw!”

Kristius had stopped to see what was going on, “Dude, let’s at least get him to town, then we can sort out what to do after that." So saying, he grabbed Timm and hoisted him effortlessly up onto a broad shoulder, the boy squealing in delight. ”All aboard the Kristius express! Woo-woo!” The brawny man took off jogging down the road with Timm laughing joyously.

Niko looked at the cleric pleadingly, “Arabella, that kid isn't a kid. I think it’s a bad idea to keep him around.”

Her lips flattened into a tight line. “Just because his gran tried to scroop us doesn't mean we should skategoat the kid, like the rest of their town back there did!" she scolded, waving a hand back toward the portal, ”Until we get his gran back, we’re all he has. I’m disappointed in you, Niko!" With a huff, she turned and started jogging after Kristius. Lucius came up next to Niko and looked at him, shaking his head with eyes narrowed in disapproval, before starting off after the others.

“Niko, I know it's just a game, but dumping on a kid? That's just sad,” Aengus added as he trotted past.

“Well, fuck me,” Niko muttered sourly, hurrying to catch up.

When they got back to town, the three newcomers gaped and rubbernecked at the immensity and intensity of the city every bit as much as Niko had when he’d first arrived. They picked up snacks from some of the vendors in the Square — Niko had a savory, spicy meat pie in a flaky crust that was absolutely scrumptious — and nibbled on them while they made a circuit around the area, laughing and chattering while they shopped. All of them had to buy new clothing, and they agreed that trying to keep up appearances in this game was bound to wind up costing a small fortune. Eventually, they decided to split up, to get their specializations and to get training, and to attend to any personal errands or additional shopping they each might need.

Niko headed out, with Timm in tow, to go visit Chuck for some more training. As they entered the Colosseum and approached the Hall of Enlightenment, he looked uneasily down at the boy. “You — um, you want to wait out here while I go work out?”

Timm looked up at him with big, innocent-looking eyes, “You won’t try to leave me, will you Mr Niko? That would make me very sad!" he said, as he sat down on the steps. His mouth split into a wide grin that seemed to show too many teeth, ”Meemaw said I have to stay with you, even help you if I can.”

Niko stared expressionlessly down at Timm for a moment, “Okay, look — I don't know what you really are, but as long as you do what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it, you can stick around. And stay out of trouble! Deal?”

“I'm just a little boy, Mr Niko, what could I do?" Timm said guilelessly, even as his eyes began to glow faintly, ”I always do as I'm told!”

Niko turned and started up the steps, hearing a low, burbling chuckle follow him as he pushed through the door.

Unsurprisingly, he found master Chuck sitting cross-legged in the corner of the room, nose buried in a book. Looking up at Niko’s entrance, Chuck smiled and flowed smoothly to his feet.

”My best — and only — student!" he exclaimed, snapping the heavy tome shut, ”I was afraid the reading might have put you off.”

“No sir, to be honest, I actually found the book quite interesting!”’ Niko replied, handing his book to Chuck, ”It’s amazing how the body's functions all tie together in so many subtle ways! I’m really looking forward to trying out the new skills you’ll be teaching me!”

Chuck fixed Niko with a level gaze, ”Now, you must understand that it’s going to be quite a while yet before you’re ready to test new skills, Niko. Your mind, body, and spirit first have to achieve harmony — all of those aspects have to learn how to work together without conflict. You’ll come to know what you need to know when you need to know it.“

“Umm, just how long are we talking about here?”

The master gave a slight shrug, “Depends on the student — months, years, a lifetime… some never do master the Augury way.”

Niko stood nonplussed for several moments, then shook his head, ”I don’t think I have that kind of time before it’s too late. I have to learn this, there’s just no other option." He blew out a frustrated breath, ”There’s no way to speed things up?”

Chuck shook his head sympathetically, “I’m afraid not, Niko, in this there are no shortcuts. I will guide you at your best pace, but you will set that pace as you learn and grow on your own.”

Niko gave a resigned shake of his head, “Fine, then. I just wish I could learn faster — earlier today, I really could have used some of those sensory skills I was just reading about.”

The teacher looked at him with interest, “Oh? How’s that?" He perched himself on a nearby stack of books, ”What happened?”

Niko recounted the encounter with the griefers as Chuck listened attentively.

“So you had no sense that your opponent had moved up close to you?”

“How could I?” Niko spread his hands in a shrug, “He was stealthed so completely that he actually faded out from my view! I couldn’t see him at all, so I couldn’t keep track of him.”

Chuck cocked one eyebrow at him, “Why not?”

“Why not?” Niko sputtered, “I couldn’t see him or hear him! I was looking right at him, and he just faded away like no one was there!”

The master eyed his student thoughtfully for a moment, “Hmm… “ He pointed across the room, “Okay, I want you to go over to the far end of the room and try to sneak up on me. Every ten seconds or so, I’ll point to where you are.”

“I suck at stealth right now, so that won’t be much of a challenge," Niko grumbled, as he moved to the indicated spot.

Chuck sighed, shaking his head, and rummaged through some shelves, “Aha!” He pulled out a strip of cloth and wound it around his head, covering his eyes, ”Better?”

“I suppose, but you’ll still be able to hear me.”

Chuck ripped a couple of small pieces off the end of the cloth, wadded them up, and stuffed them in his ears, ”Now?” he asked, a bit too loudly.

In answer, Niko began to move as carefully as he could toward Chuck, winding his way silently around the various stacks of books. After a few moments, Chuck raised an arm and pointed precisely at Niko’s position. Niko crabbed sideways for a bit and started creeping toward the master again from a different direction. Once again, after a short pause Chuck pointed directly at him. Try as he might, no matter how carefully and quietly Niko moved, the teacher would point right at him without fail. Once he’d demonstrated his point, Chuck pulled the blindfold from his eyes and unstoppered his ears. He sat down on the book pile again, smiling gently, waiting for the inevitable question.

Niko sat down on another stack of books near his teacher, “Ok, how do you do that?" he asked.

Chuck pointed down at Niko’s bare feet. “Have you tried wearing shoes or boots?”

“Yeah, I have, and they just felt really uncomfortable and sorta wrong.”

Chuck nodded, ”Exactly! There are several different elements and spheres of influence in this universe, but the one thing the monk is most attuned to is earth. Not like the elemental earth, but more of the actual planet itself. The School of Resilience uses this bond with the earth to root themselves to its surface, becoming immovable and as hard as stone. The School of Motion repels against the earth, becoming lithe and quick, even seeming to float at times. The School of Augury uses the earth as an extra sense, enhancing and adding to our normal senses. As long as we’re touching the earth, we can use this sense to perceive things around us that your other senses couldn’t ordinarily detect.

“That assassin you encountered, for instance — while he might have been able to fool your sight by fading from view, and fool your hearing by moving without noise, he still had to walk upon the earth. People who’ve mastered this earth sense can’t be taken unawares, unless the being doing so can fly or otherwise avoid touching the ground in some way — or unless the monk himself isn’t in contact with the earth," Chuck explained.

Niko mulled that over for a moment, ”How far away can you sense like that?”

Chuck shrugged, ”If I remain still and concentrate on it, I can sense out to several hundred yards, but even if I’m not actively focusing I still perceive the area a few yards around me. That might not seem like much, but it’s certainly far enough to avoid getting stabbed in the back.” He waved vaguely at the rows of bookshelves lining the walls, “I've read rumors about one legendary master, Grandmaster Otesso, who it is said could tell the whereabouts of anyone, anywhere in the world, as long as that person was in contact with the earth.”

Niko’s eyebrows rose, and he glanced around the room, ”Wow! Which book do I read to start learning that?”

Chuck grinned at him, leaned forward, and grasped Niko’s head between his palms. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath, and bright white light exploded behind Niko’s eyes as a sudden spike of blinding pain flashed through his head.

Congratulations!

You have learned Earth Sense Rank 1: By actively concentrating, you can sense the presence of any being within your range

Cost: Active, 2 energy points per rank; passive, 0 energy points per rank

Duration: 10 seconds, plus 1 second per rank, 30 second cooldown

Range: Active, 2 yard radius per rank; passive, 0 yard radius per rank

Niko lost his balance, and he fell to the mat in a jumble of displaced books. “Cripes! Why does that have to hurt so much?" he groaned, clasping his hands to his temples.

“Knowledge always has a price," Chuck replied soberly, offering a hand to help his student to his feet.

“And why can’t I learn that kick-your-ass-with-a-touch thing that way?”

Laughing, Chuck clapped Niko on the shoulder, ”Why, because some things are better learned the old-fashioned way, impatient one!”

Over the course of the next hour, Chuck drilled his student on the use of his Earth Sense, until Niko began to feel more confident with the ability. Niko was delighted that if he stood still and concentrated on the earth around him, he could tell exactly where Chuck was whenever he approached within a few feet. One time, however, Niko was startled by a light tap on his shoulder when he hadn’t sensed Chuck anywhere near him. To show him that the sense wasn’t infallible, the master had stepped from book to book to get close enough to touch him.

When Chuck felt that Niko had a good grasp of the lessons, he handed his student several books detailing the physiology of a variety of different creature types. He laughed when Niko looked at them as if they might be an armload of snakes. Sighing heavily, Niko packed the tomes in his bag and bid his teacher farewell.

As he emerged from the Hall of Enlightenment, Timm gave Niko a huge, happy smile and scampered up beside him. Niko sent messages to the others, finding that Aengus, Arabella, and Lucius were still busy with training. Kristius just responded with a little animated graphic that looked like two circles, side-by-side, with a dot in the center of each one. The dots seemed to be bouncing up and down. Niko wasn’t sure what that meant, but he shrugged and figured he’d ask later when they met up.

He decided this was a good time to head for the docks at the mouth of the Magnus Serpens river, where it emptied out into the Delta of Tranquility, to see if he could secure passage upriver to the Allied Baronies in the northeast. Timm trotted along beside him, chattering animatedly about the things they saw as they moved through the town toward the docks, and Niko even smiled at his commentary a few times before he caught himself, and had to remind himself that Timm was no ordinary child.

Wellsport was Centralia’s primary port for water-borne trade, both from seaward through the Sea of Serenity, as well as inland up and down along the Magnus Serpens river. The docks district was a sprawling, bustling area — almost a city of its own accord — comprised of a bewildering and seemingly haphazard collection of piers, wharves, quays, and warehouses scattered across the wide river delta and far down the coastlines along both sides. Niko was once again amazed at the realism of Otherverse as his senses were assailed by the sights, sounds, and smells of the busy waterfront. The calling of the fishmongers and the shouts of dockhands as they towed and stowed ships of every conceivable size and shape mingled with the deep-throated chanting of the longshoremen as they hauled cargoes to and from those ships. Boats rocked and creaked in their moorings, and ships were coming and going purposefully in the harbor as far out as he could see. The strong odors of rotten fish and briny water mixed in with the scents of spices, oils, and a profusion of other aromas that he couldn’t easily identify.

There didn’t seem to be much design that he could discern regarding the berthing of the vessels at the docks, although he quickly learned the difference between the deep-hulled seagoing ships and the more shallow-drafted river boats — while also learning some new and quite inventive obscenities in the process. Working his way from one ship to the next along the docks, he approached several of the captains about passage upriver, but every one of them turned him away. The baronies, he was told, were suffering a heavier-than-usual spate of attacks from the creatures out of Terra Monstra. Apparently things were heating up, and none of them was willing to risk their boat to make the trip.

Niko was about ready to give up and start looking into caravans traveling overland, when Timm tugged at his hand to get his attention, and pointed at a low-slung, grime-encrusted tub that looked to be in an advanced state of disrepair.

“What about that one, Uncle Niko?”

“Cripes, it looks like it's on the verge of sinking! And I'm not your uncle!" he said, yanking his hand away — which earned him some hostile looks from a few ladies who were buying fish nearby. He nearly turned to walk away, but then he sighed in resignation as he ran an hand over his head, ”Aw, hell…” he muttered, moving closer to the ramshackle riverboat.

“Hello?" he called out, ”Anyone there… or aboard, or whatever?”

A dark-bearded, weathered face popped up over the rail. The face was attached to a deeply tanned, rail-thin body. Although thin, the man had a lean, whipcord musculature that spoke of hidden strength. He had a high forehead, a small round nose, and his thin lips were pressed tightly together. One of his cheeks bulged slightly, like a hamster hoarding his lunch. He regarded Niko suspiciously with one eye, the other being covered by a patch.

He sent a stream of brownish spittle over the railing into the water, “What?" he asked sourly.

“Hi, I'm Niko and — ”

“I'm Timm! Your boat is really ugly! Do you catch fish when you're sailing? But you can't sail, ‘cause you don't have any sails! How do you make it go?" Timm interrupted. Before he could go on, Niko grabbed his collar and gave it a short yank, causing Timm to throw him a sullen look.

“Timm, hush it. Sorry about that, he gets excited easily. As I was saying, I'm Niko, and my friends and I are needing to head upriver to the Allied Baronies.”

“Uh huh…” was the response, followed by another spurt into the river.

“Um, so, I was wondering if you might be heading that way?”

“Nope.”

“Well, okay, would you be willing to go that way?”

“Mebbe.”

“O-o-okay then — what would it take to persuade you to go that way?”

“Money.” Spit, splash.

Niko palmed his forehead, ”Whatever happened to talkative, overly helpful NPCs?” he muttered under his breath, ”Alright, fine, how much money?”

One eyebrow rose slightly, “How much ya offering?"

“Uncle Niko has a re-e-eally big diamond rock!" Timm proclaimed helpfully, holding his hands wide apart, ”I betcha it could probably buy your whole boat!”

Niko glared down at Timm, who looked up at him with a wide, innocent smile.

“Hmm… if that’s true, that'd prolly cover the cost o’ the trip. The name’s Martin Redbeard, and this here fine vessel is the Aeon Osprey," the man said, sweeping an arm around at the ship.

Niko stared briefly at the man's dark black beard, ”Uh, oh, okay. Nice to meet you, Captain Redbeard. When would you be ready to leave?”

“When would you be ready to pay? Oh, and you'll be supplyin’ your own meals and such.”

“Of course we will," Niko muttered dourly to himself, then said louder, ”We'd probably be ready to go here in just a few hours.”

“Alright, see ya then," Martin replied, spitting into the river.

Niko made his way back towards the central square, Timm babbling happily alongside, to meet up with his companions. He told them about the boat and the price he’d had to pay for it.

“Whoo-ee! The whole diamond, huh? That sucks, dude! Still, I'm impressed you could even find anyone willing to go at all. I heard things are nuts up by the Monstra border right now. That silver tongue of yours is doing wonders!" Kristius exclaimed. ”Just too bad about your diamond. Hey, if you need a temporary loan just let me know," he said, clapping Niko on the shoulder.

Niko shot him a sharp look, “It was neither silver nor my tongue that did the trick. How about the money I paid to get you out of jail?”

“Dude! That's like, old news! Besides, I wouldn't insult you by trying to return your charitable donation. Ooh! Fried pies!" Kristius said, veering off toward a nearby street vendor.

Niko stared irritably at his friend’s back, shaking his head, before turning to the other three, ”Okay, let’s meet up at the Aeon Osprey in a couple of hours.” He flagged the mooring on the HUD map so they could find it. “Grab enough provisions for a couple of weeks — ‘cause we’re on our own for food for the trip — and get in any other training you might want before we go. I'm gonna go see if I can pick up the cooking skill. I figure we'll have a little time to practice some of the mundane stuff as we head upriver.”

Lucius nodded decisively. ”Sewing,” he announced, before he turned and moved off through the crowd.

“He just doesn't talk much, does he?" Niko asked, watching the mage disappear in the throng.

Aengus rumbled, “Naw, he’s like that in real life too. He has some issues.”

“Oh, you know him in real life?”

“Yeah, he's actually pretty cool, and he’s really smart, but something happened to him that really screwed — Ow! Hey!" Aengus yelped when Arabella grabbed an ear and yanked hard.

She glared down at the dwarf, “He doesn't like for people to know, toe rag. He hates pity," she scolded. Looking at Niko, she said, ”Don’t say anything, please?”

“Sure, no problem. Awkwardly changing the subject, what are you guys going to do?”

Aengus, rubbing his ear, threw Arabella a baleful scowl, “Not sure. I was kinda thinking about mining, since it's what dwarves are supposed to be into, but I really want to learn herbalism and alchemy," he said. His face turned red when Niko looked questioningly at him, ”What? I like plants!” he huffed, then stomped off muttering in his beard. Niko looked over at Arabella, who was smiling fondly.

“He's kind of sensy about it, but he really is good with plants, though. He thinks there isn’t enough nature in the world anymore — that was part of the dopity of Otherverse for him. He wants to be a botanist some day," she said.

“Seriously? Hey, that's cool! I think it's pretty sad that my grandkids have to go to a national park just to see a real tree — that they aren't even allowed to touch.”

Arabella squinted at him, “Grandkids? Wow! You are a swizzletimer!" Niko glowered at her, and she giggled, ”Just kidding, oldie locks. I'm gonna go learn some blacksmithing and mining. One of us ought to know how to repair armor!” Still giggling, she also departed through the crowds.

“I wanna go with her," Timm declared cheerfully, skipping off behind her.

“Well, lucky her,” Niko muttered quietly to himself. Timm turned around and stuck out his tongue just before melting into the throng.

Niko wandered circuitously back towards the docks until he came across a well-kept establishment that sported a brightly painted sign depicting a bowl and spoon on it. Thinking that it looked promising, he went inside. He found himself in a large open room full of rough-hewn tables, many of which were occupied by customers who were eating a variety of delectable-looking dishes. Mouth-watering aromas of foods and herbs and spices wafted across the room, causing his stomach to rumble shamefully.

A lovely young elven woman approached him and dipped a graceful curtsey. “A restful table and a refreshing meal, good sir?" she asked.

“Sure, that would be great. Can you recommend something?" Niko asked her as they wove between tables and she pointed him to an empty chair.

“Everything here at the Crock and Dipper is excellent fare, sir, but one of our most popular dishes is the blood sausage with rye bread. Would you care to try it?”

“Um, blood sausage?” Aw, what the hell, why not? “Ah, sure, I guess.”

She flashed him a smile and disappeared back into the kitchen, only to quickly return with a platter filled with several coarse-looking, red-brown sausages, a small pot of a dark yellow sauce, and a round loaf of dark brown bread, along with a tall mug of amber-colored liquid. She placed the plate and mug on the table in front of Niko, "That’s one silver, sir. I brought you a mug of our signature beer to wash it down with.” She tipped Niko another dainty curtsey when he dropped a silver and a few copper pieces in her hand, and moved lithely off to attend to other patrons.

He eyed the sausages dubiously, and then dipped the tip of a finger in the little pot to taste its contents — which he discovered was a tangy, spicy mustard that was quite tasty. He speared one of the sausages with his belt knife, and took up the mug of beer in his other hand, preparing to wash it down quickly if it turned out to be… well, not to his liking. Screwing up his courage and taking a deep breath, Niko dipped the sausage in the pot and took a healthy bite. His eyes flew open wide as a burst of indescribable flavor exploded in his mouth. It was delicious! He took another, more enthusiastic bite of sausage, accompanied by a healthy mouthful of the still-warm rye bread — which, unsurprisingly, was also incredible. He made short work of every bit of food on the plate, and was contentedly nursing the mug of lager when the server reappeared.

She smiled down at the empty plate, “Did you enjoy it, sir?”

Niko gave her an exuberant grin, “Are you kidding? Words can't do it justice! That was absolutely fantastic!" he gushed, “Is there any chance I could meet the cook?”

She shrugged, “I'll step back and see if he can spare a moment," she replied, and slipped out the door at the back of the dining area. A few moments later, she came back out — followed by a huge green-skinned creature. She said something to the green giant and pointed at Niko, before she hurried back to the kitchen, presumably to keep watch over whatever might be in the works back there.

Niko felt a flash of panic as the cook approached his table, “An orc? Oh crap… what did I just eat?" The orc loomed over him, and the table creaked loudly as the creature put his palms down and leaned his bulk on it. He cocked a frizzly eyebrow down at the monk, and Niko thought distractedly that it looked sort of like a dead rat glued to his forehead.

“Umm…. hi… I just wanted to tell you that this meal was fantastic. Ah, I mean the spices you mixed together in those sausages were a unique and very tasty blend — ” Niko winced as the orc learned forward and slapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him out of his chair.

“By my mother's tusks, it is wonderful to hear my work complimented!” he roared in a too-loud voice. “These ignoramuses”, he said, waving a meaty hand to encompass the rest of the room, ”don't seem to appreciate the culinary arts!” His declaration was met with a nearly unanimous rolling of eyes. “I myself have strived to use only ingredients that truly complement each other, so that the resulting flavor is sublime! Few connoisseurs can fully appreciate the flavorful underpinnings that tie the entire dish together. If I may introduce myself? I am Julius Childe, master chef. Welcome to my dining hall!”

“Julius Childe? Seriously?" Niko thought silently. He proffered a hand, ”Niko. Nice to meet you.” His hand was engulfed in Julius’ massive fist, but the orc’s grip was surprisingly gentle as he pumped Niko’s hand eagerly. Julius released him and settled down into a chair across from Niko — which groaned alarmingly in protest — and then leaned forward with elbows on the table, his head propped on his hands.

“Now tell me, was it the touch of rosemary or the faint hint of cilantro that seemed to set the dish apart, in your opinion?" he asked, beady little eyes fixed intently on Niko’s face.

“Well, I'd have to say that it was actually the combination of the two — ”

“I knew it!" Julius blurted, slapping a hand on the tabletop with a resounding crack. The empty plates jumped up in the air, as did several of the customers. ”Chefs are so afraid to take a chance any more! Cilantro and rosemary will never blend, they claim! Ha! I knew it would be a perfect combination for the wood rat blood sausage!”

“Wood rat? Hoo boy,” Niko murmured quietly. ”Master Julius, I was wondering,” he said to the orc, ”Would you be willing to teach me to cook?”

Julius leaned back, his chair protesting noisily, and tapped one thick tusk thoughtfully with a horny fingernail, ”Normally, I'd’a said no before you even finished asking. Bu-u-ut, considering your remarkable ability to discern true culinary genius when it is placed before you, I believe I will make this one exception! But you have to promise that you'll share any recipes you find or invent with me. Deal?" Niko agreed, and the orc reached out to grip Niko’s head between his two massive hands, much as Chuck had done earlier. He felt the same sudden spike of pain behind his eyes, and his head whirled giddily as new knowledge flooded his brain. He leaned back, barely managing to keep his seat, and wiped at his watering eyes. It took several moments for the dizziness to subside, but when it did he found his memory full of basic recipes, along with the two that he had already learned earlier.

Julius grinned broadly — which, between the close-set eyes, the sharp pointed teeth, and the upthrust tusks was actually more alarming than reassuring — “Let me go grab you some basic herbs and spices to start out with!" he said, climbing to his feet. He stopped at an upraised hand from Niko.

“Do you happen to have some Afrons root and Mercurial Vine leaf?" Niko could see the recipes clearly in his mind, and he now knew that those ingredients were needed to create the mutton recipe at its full potential, ”Oh, and a little juice of the Bat’s Blood Apricot? It makes an excellent tea!”

The orc bared his teeth again, ”Already experimenting! I knew I was right about you. Those are pretty rare ingredients, though, quite costly… " Niko produced a gold coin and laid it on the table, ” ...bu-u-ut I think I can probably scrape something up.”

Not long after that, Niko was strolling back toward the docks. He stopped long enough to pick up several pounds of mutton from a butcher’s shop along the way.