Chapter 11: Book 1: Chapter 6 (Part 2 of 3)

I put my hand on the door handle with what I thought would be one last look at Victor when Quixbix piped up.

<Hold your horses there my favourite buccaneer. I have something to dispense as your leaving this place for good> Quixbix interrupted.

“Is it another quest?” I asked

<Not a quest. I need to recharge before I can give you another quest, unless it’s linked to your class or from the Flint podium. And there is nothing you can do on the Flint podium. However, it’s almost as much fun. I call them Dilemmas> he stated gleefully.

“You call them dilemmas, or the Framework named them dilemmas?” I ribbed him.

<Quit spoiling my fun, will you> he sulked.

“Sorry, Quixbix. Can you make it so Shana can see it as well?” I asked.

<Of course, I’ve also set Shana to always be partied with you unless you dictate otherwise> he informed me.

“Thanks, dude. I should have thought of that,” I said.

<Happy to be of service, ravager of the unwary. And now the Dilemma> he pronounced.

You have slain Victor Guberschmidt. A deed considered unlawful in the town of Flint. Whether you acted in self-defence or malice is unknowable by the authorities. This action has gone unnoticed for now, but what will you do?

Display Victor’s body so all can see him and know of your deeds.

+10 Notoriety. A quest will be generated on the Flint podium for your apprehension. Dead or Alive.

Do nothing.

+2 Notoriety. When (or if) Victor’s body is discovered a quest will be generated on the Flint podium for your apprehension for interrogation.

Hide the evidence of his demise.

If successful you will be granted immunity from Capture or Kill quests in Flint for 24 hours unless you are spotted in an unlawful act by a recognised officer of the law and they manually issue the quest from the Flint podium.

 

“What is this?” Shana inquired as she read the prompt.

“Quixbix calls them dilemmas. They seem similar to quests, but no experience is on offer. What do you think we should do?” I asked.

“Hmm, I don’t think bragging about killing this asshole is a good idea. What does notoriety give us?” she asked in return.

“Ten notoriety will increase the XP we get by 10%,” I told her.

“Is that really worth it for the extra hassle of being wanted individuals?” she queried.

“It’s a permanent bump, so possibly, but there are a lot of unknowns here. Quixbix these apprehension quests. Do they count outside of Flint?” I asked my imp.

<Yes. Although sentients would need to get the quest from the Flint podium and return here to collect on it. Unless they had an imp or fairy of their own> he added.

“Okay. What about the third one, what happens if we aren’t successful?” I asked.

<Then either of the other two options will apply depending on the circumstances of failure. The most likely result would be the first option> he said.

“I’m guessing with this whole automatic quest business, that lawbreaking of any kind carries with it the risk of one of these quests being generated,” I said.

<That is correct. There is always a chance, the odds will depend on a series of checks performed by the Framework, assessing factors such as your relevant skills and the security in place. As this was your apartment, there being a lack of witnesses and because Victor tried to kill you first, the chances of a quest being automatically created when you killed him were very low> he explained.

“That could be a real ball-ache for the likes of me,” I said in response.

<Yes, almost every qualifying hamlet, village, town and city in the United States default setting is Law Abiding> he added.

“Really?” Shana said, “Even Detroit?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, but I don’t think Quixbix got the joke.

<The settings are based on the existence of laws and the preponderance of law enforcement organisations to apply them. The rulers of these towns and regions may change that setting if they so choose> Quixbix continued.

“We get it Quixbix. Considering that we’re planning on breaking and entering and then thieving a few thousand dollars’ worth of bikes and it’s too late to leave Flint tonight the immunity buff is the most appealing in the short term,” I mused aloud.

“Yes,” Shana agreed, “but how are we going to do it?”

I rubbed my smooth chin for a moment as I contemplated our options. I opened the door and had a quick gander outside. Everything seemed largely unchanged. I saw a few dogs running loose on the street but no other signs of life. The few apartments in the opposite block where I had seen movement in earlier had pulled their curtains and at least one of them looked like they had boarded up their windows.

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“Let’s keep it simple. You walk ahead of me and I’ll put his arm over my shoulder and carry him. We can slap a pair of shades on him ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ style and if anyone sees us, we claim he got blind drunk after the Framework messages. Then you open the boot…”

“Trunk,” Shana interrupted.

“…trunk, and I’ll shove him in,” I continued with an eye roll. “I don’t think he’s been dead long enough for rigour mortis to set in, so it should work. Then we swing by Reg’s apartment before we scram. Sound good?”

Shana nodded her agreement. I picked Victor up and was struck again that it was easier than it ought to be. Unfortunately, his muscles relaxing post-death meant he had pissed himself.

His trousers had soaked most of it up and it had already started evaporating in the heat. Thankfully, we were spared the ignominy of him shitting himself. Victor must have taken a dump shortly before coming to harass me which was considerate of him.

 Shana walked out ahead of me and checked that the coast was clear once more and beckoned for me to follow her. I carried Victor’s body with me and had to turn sideways to get us through the door. We were out in the late summer evening air and I’d never felt more exposed in all my life.

I felt oddly calm, though. We didn’t hang about and headed towards the stairwell, it was a shame that it wasn’t at my end of the gantry, it would have made this a lot easier.

Everything went according to plan for a grand total of three seconds. We were passing Mrs Pearson’s door when we heard her yelling.

“God damn kids, banging past ma’ door every five seconds. Make your damn minds up,” came her muffled shouting.

I had forgotten the senile old bat complained incessantly about the noise I made on the steel gantry whenever I walked past. No amount of explaining that there was no other way to my apartment made a blind bit of difference.

I’d learned the hard way the only solution was to endure her occasional chewing out. This was the third time we had gone by in the last ten minutes, and I should have remembered that would set her off. Any hopes I had she might leave it as a quick moan from inside her apartment proved false as I heard the tell-tale tapping of her walking stick on the floor. The door flew open and exposed us mid corpse move.

Mrs Pearson stood there staring at us quivering with anger. I recognised this creature before us as Mrs Pearson, but she was much changed. She was tall, but stooped over, if she straightened up, she would be at least six and a half, maybe even seven feet tall. Her short curly hair was gone, replaced by a mop of long dark greasy locks. She was impossibly thin with long arms. Her fingers had dirty yellow talons and her eyes were a blazing scarlet red. She grimaced upon seeing me and Victor, revealing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

Nope, I wouldn’t let her chew me out this time, not with those chompers. I analysed her on impulse.

Grizelda Pearson (Nocturne Hag)
Hex Witch (S) 1
Potential: Moderate	Value: Very Low
Threat: Low	1,210 XP

 

 “Boy! I’ve warned ye…” the hag, Mrs Pearson had become grouched.

She stopped mid-sentence and began sniffing the air. I let go of Victor’s arm which I had been holding around my neck and moved it to the hilt of one of my ice scimitars. I had looped them through my belt, it wasn’t very convenient, but I didn’t have a proper scabbard. In the corner of my eye, I could see Shana reach over her shoulder to retrieve an arrow from her quiver.

“I smell carrion,” the hag proclaimed.

She licked her cracked lips with a long blotchy tongue. I’m not ashamed to admit to being physically repulsed. Her eyes darted about and then focused on good ol’ dead Victor. She smacked her lips and made a revolting slapping sound.

“Gimme’,” she barked, her long taloned arms stretched out, grasping for the dead body.

I looked over at Shana and she shrugged her shoulders. I agreed with her assessment and let go of the hilt of my scimitar. Taking hold of Victor’s midriff firmly I shoved his corpse towards the hag. As she caught the body deftly, I backed up to the railings. Mrs Pearson dragged the carcass inside her home and slammed the door on us after one last glower.

“Don’t come back,” came a muted yell.

Then I surmised from the horrific and fortunately muffled sounds emerging from the other side of the door, the hag mustn’t have bothered waiting before beginning her meal.

Then Quixbix piped up.

<That was an unexpected method of disposal, but it will do. Dilemma complete. You and Shana now have a shroud of legal immunity for twenty-four hours in Flint.>

Acting as one we didn’t remain to see if Mrs Pearson would recall that she wanted to chastise us further. We were halfway down the steel steps when Shana spoke.

“Why would anybody pick to become that?” she shuddered.

“Can’t say I know the precise reason, but the old woman she was hadn’t been all there since I moved in. Maybe that’s how she saw herself and the Framework offered it to her as an option,” I reasoned.

“Should we…I don’t know, warn people somehow,” Shana suggested as we got to the bottom.

I thought about her suggestion but couldn’t think of anything feasible we could do in the short term and I didn’t want to delay any further.

“People will figure it out for themselves and nobody will be walking past her door as there is only my place on the other side. Let’s check out the super’s bolthole and then head out.” I instructed.

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