Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Leveling the Field

{Are you going to tell me what you just did?} Gracie asked once Jace and Esther were back in the village streets.

“I created a new parry feat that fits my play style.  I can explain it when we get out of here, and I level up.  But I have some questions for you?”

{You mean there are things about this game you don’t know?}

“Will they buy my extra equipment here?” he asked, ignoring the sarcasm for now.

{Yes, you can sell things here.  And since this is your own private MIM, you can return and buy them back in the future.  Because this is a fake economy, you won’t get market price on them, but you will still get something.}

Jace nodded.  “I just don’t want to go meet Drescher with a bunch of legendary weapons.  I will have a big enough target on my back as it is.”

{About that,} Gracie said, and Jace knew he wouldn’t like what she was going to say.  {That doofus you talked to earlier, what was his name, Slick #$%@?}

“Slicksword,” Jace clarified, not finding it difficult to imagine what Gracie had actually said.

{Yes, him.  He’s already been on the boards telling everyone that a player named Jace is walking around Olympus with Esther Xerxes.  He posted a portion of the conversation the three of you had, carefully edited to make himself look far more confident than he was.  He stresses that you were only level 9 and, therefore, must have been involved with the transformation in Portsmith before it went PVP.  There is quite a debate going around about who you really are.  Drescher’s people will see it.}

“Great,” Jace complained.

{I’ve already intercepted over a dozen requests from people asking to follow you.  Jace is a common enough name in this game, and I imagine all those players are getting requests.}

“What does it mean that they want to follow me?”

{You can have Public, Private, or Semi-Private settings.  If you set yourself to Public, anyone who finds your user account can watch you play, just like we have you on the big screen down here.  Semi-Private means only people you approve can watch.  That is what you are now, and I am the only one able to see you.  Private means no one can see you, which is how it was when you did the Level 50 puzzle.  If you get a stronghold, you can set up portions of it to be all of those.  Some players have a subscriber model, where some of their activity is semi-private, and you have to pay to watch them pass certain quests.}

“I need a stronghold,” Jace agreed.  “How does one get something like that?”

{Any MIM can be your stronghold,} Gracie advised.  {This village could be your stronghold.  Buy a house in the town, complete all the quests, write letters to the king that you should be made duke, and soon you will live in that castle and have all the city's wealth at your disposal.  Running a village is a lot of work, though, and most players who do it employ real people to run it for them, as they can be quite profitable if done correctly.  Drescher runs the town of Ironfel.  That is not a fake economy; he makes millions each month.}

“I think I want something a little lower maintenance.  Preferably a cave furnished nicely with a view so that Esther won’t hate it.  But if I ever need to defend myself, I will need stone everywhere.  Something built by dwarves or gnomes but with the headroom for an orc.  Preferably close to a city so I can easily get supplies.”

{Am I your real estate agent now?}  She was only half kidding.  {I’ll see what I can find.  There are many MIMs where you liberate a castle, estate, or fortress, and then you can live there.  Not many people want to live in a cave, but I will conduct some searches.}

Jace made his way to a shop and opened his inventory.  He still had everything from when his character was one of the final bosses of the level 50 module.  He sold the chainmail, explosive axe, shield, and bow and received over 25,000 gold.  Jace saw that he could repurchase any of the items at a 20% markup and wondered what the market value for those items was.  It was hard to believe he could trade his current gold for $25,000.

He had played through three modules and hadn’t found much valuable loot in them.  His best items he got from either hacking the game or killing PCs.  If he were a standard player, he’d be holding on to his ring of Strength +2 like it was worth a million dollars.  Gold came easily to him, but probably not to everyone.

Esther wanted to know where they were going to go next, and Jace tried to think of a way he could leave her behind.  He didn’t want to take her into Drescher’s lion’s den.  She was too valuable and vulnerable.  If she had been a target of scrutiny in Olympus, how much more in a city with level 15-20 characters walking around?  They were on their way to the nearest travel node with ideas still rolling around in Jace’s head about how to protect her when Gracie spoke up.

{Frans is on the phone with someone important.  They are talking in German, but it sounds like our kidnappers are letting them know you are at level ten now, and they aren’t willing to accept any further delay.  You must go to Ironfel now.  They also know about Portsmith, and they are insisting you take Esther and the crystal with you.}

“And if I refuse?”

{Then they shoot Conor in the other leg.}

Jace swore.  “I’m sorry.  How is he doing?"

{He has a fever.  I'm not a doctor, so I can't be sure, but I think he is getting an infection.  We need to get him to a hospital.}

Jace shook his head in despair.  "I'll try to work this out with them, but I have a bad feeling they aren't going to let us go.  Either way, can I at least level up first?  I have to, or I can’t get into their city.  And Esther doesn’t have to be part of it.  I’ll go and take the crystal, but she stays behind.”

Esther always knew when Jace was talking to Gracie, but she paid attention now that her name had come up.  “Where don’t you want me to go?”

Jace ignored her, listening for Gracie as he heard her talking with the men holding her captive.  Her voice cracked when she came back on.  {Sorry, Jace.  They insist that Esther comes with you.  They think you have access to cheat codes and don’t trust you.  They need to see it for themselves.  They said . . . they said I’m not off limits.  The ones in charge feel you are good enough to play without an operator, and I am expendable.}

Jace had grown to care for Esther greatly, but he understood she was an NPC and would not risk Gracie’s life for her sake.  “I will bring her.  But we need ten minutes.”

{You have 15.  They will be waiting for you.  There will be an escort at the entrance to Ironfel to make sure you two are not molested before you get to your meeting.}

Jace started to run for the nearest travel node, and Esther was close behind.  “Jace,” she cried.  “I heard most of that.  What is going on?  Are Gracie and Conor okay?”

Jace stopped before the exit to this module and turned to look at her.  This might be the last place they could talk privately for a while.  “You have a large crystal that you took from me, don’t you?”

Esther looked a bit sheepish and reached into the folds of her skirt to pull out the gem.  Jace hadn’t looked at it in a while, and it sparkled brilliantly in the early morning sun.  “I thought it was pretty,” she said.

“It is,” Jace replied.  “I’m told it is the most valuable item in all the realms, though I’m not sure why.  I don’t think people like us can use it very well, but others can, and they can rule the realms with it.”

“Is this why they kidnapped Gracie and Conor?” she asked.  “They know you have this, and they want it?”

Jace smiled at the intelligent deduction.  “Yes, but I don’t trust them.  We need to find a way to protect the crystal and save my friends.”  Jace didn’t care if the two Germans in the basement heard him.  Gracie had said they didn’t know the game very well.  Drescher obviously did.  Jace assumed he wasn’t an idiot, and if Drescher knew what Jace had done in the game so far, the feeling was probably mutual.  Jace could say he would abide by all the rules and play fair and hand over the gem, but the German wouldn’t believe him, so there was no point in pretending.

Esther was in the process of putting the crystal back in her inventory, but Jace stopped her.  “I need to hold for now,” he held out his hand.  Esther didn’t want to part with it, but she trusted him.  Jace took the item, put it in his inventory, and activated the travel node.  He didn’t see Ironfel on his map, but he was still level 9.  He chose Olympus instead and was instantly transported to the neutral zone just outside the city.

“It took you long enough.”

Unfortunately, Jace recognized that voice.  He turned around and saw the female half-orc barbarian that had accosted them in the street earlier.  Jace wasn’t sure, but he felt it had been close to six hours since they had last spoken.  They were back in global time, and the sun was setting in the west.

The barbarian and her crew were all level ten now and had obviously been waiting for Jace and Esther to arrive.  The rest of her team didn’t look happy about it, but perhaps they thought Esther would be part of the loot if they killed him, so they tolerated the delay.

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“I don’t have time to kill you right now,” Jace replied.  “I’m very busy.”

“I’m sure you are, Jace Thorne.”

Jace had not told this woman his first name, and he hadn’t told Slicksword his full name.  The Germans must be spreading it around.  Didn’t they realize the more famous they made him, the more likely someone else would kill him before he made it to Ironfel?  Maybe Drescher wasn’t that smart.  Or perhaps he was forcing Jace would see Ironfel as a haven.  Go there, get rid of the crystal and Esther, and then everyone would leave him alone.  If that’s what they thought of him, they were in for a surprise.

Esther and Snowy were chomping at the bit to attack the woman, but they were still in a safe zone, and they wouldn’t be able to do much other than stare daggers at her.  Jace tried to hold them back.  “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.  You seem to have me at a disadvantage.”

She laughed, obviously thinking Jace had no idea what kind of disadvantage.  “My name is Illya Tykarentoscue.  Remember it well, for soon it will be my name everyone will be talking about.”

Jace rolled his eyes.  “Well, Karen,” he said, picking two syllables from her name that he thought he could pronounce. “Why would I have to remember your name if everyone is going to be talking about it?  And how can I remember it if I am dead?”

She looked confused and cursed in a language the game’s universal translator didn’t feel comfortable dealing with.  Jace was willing to bet it was Russian.

<Bear.> Snowy alerted Jace.  <Big dire bear.  In the woods.>

Jace glanced down at his wolf and saw she was looking beyond the scantily clad barbarian and into the Hostile PVP zone.  The land looked normal as the trail snaked down the hill and into a meadow.  A few clumps of trees bordered the road, but it didn’t look hostile.  Then Jace linked senses with the wolf, and he could see a large shadowy creature lurking in the first copse of trees only fifty feet away, the long shadows of the setting sun hiding it nicely.  A bear like that would probably have a sneak attack ability.

“I actually can’t fight you right now,” Jace said.  “I’m not technically level 10 yet.”

“I can wait.  I’ve been waiting for two hours.  I can wait a few more minutes for you to add a few +1s to your character sheet.”

“I think you’re scared,” Jace said.

The barbarian raged at him, and the game had to physically stop her from running into him.  “I am scared of no one!”

“Have you even been into the hostile zone yet?  Or have you been safely waiting here with all the other plucky adventurers?”

She wasn’t thinking straight and marched through the curtain into the PVP zone.  She took ten steps along the path and then turned to stare at Jace.  “Be quick.  The sun is almost down, and I have many plans for tonight.”

Jace stepped off to the side, where a few other players were also leveling up.  In fact, a small crowd had gathered to watch the confrontation, most knowing who Jace was.  Before he rolled his eyes into his inventory, he sent a chat message to Esther.  (Keep staring at her.  Insult her outfit a bit more.  Tell her she looks like a pregnant goblin caught in a fishing net.  Keep her distracted.)

“Okay, Gracie, let’s make this quick.”

{Sure.  And congrats on getting to level ten in less than 24 hours.  Most people take a few weeks.  For all your skills, we will stick with what’s been working for you.  You get another ability bump at level 10, and we will put it in Spirit.  The only new things are that you get a Strength Feat and two bonus spells: one divine and one shaman.  You can also change up your spells if you want.}

“Well, the feat will be the one I just invented.  It should be called Dynamic Parry or Athletic Parry.”

{Yes, I found it.  It is called Dynamic Parry.  Mind telling me what it does?}

“It lets me roll dice in defense, and I can get up to my Athletic skill as a Parry bonus.  So, if I have an Athletic skill of 10, and I roll a 20, I get a bonus of 10.  If I roll a 10, I get a bonus of 0, and if I roll a 1, I get a bonus of -10.”

{Seems balanced,} Gracie said.  {Most good fighters have an Athletic score of 15, so 25% of the time, they will be getting a negative bonus to their AC, and they will average only a five bonus, which is the normal boost for the Parry feat.}

“Except I know from the dial I used to see that every time I roll the dice, I can put myself on manual and affect the outcome.  So, I can always manufacture high numbers if I can control my sword during the Parry action.”

Gracie nodded, seeing how Jace could cheat the system again.

“For my divine spell, I suppose I should get one for healing so we don’t end up in that death spiral situation again.  Esther might not be my only chaotic party member, and I can’t get everyone a slashing protection ring.”

{Actually, I think Snowy can help with that.  She gets bonus spells too.  Right now, she has Fear and Cone of Frost, but she can also learn Nature’s Blessing, which lets her heal a party member by fifty points three times per day.  That should be enough to keep Esther alive for a while.}

“Great, then I can pick something else.  Is there a boon that increases my Athletic ability?”

{Thought you might ask for that.  Yes, I will give you that.  For your Shaman spell, I was thinking of Summon Stone.  It is a bit limited since you don’t know any spells, so you will only be able to memorize one version of it at a time, but depending on how much mana you spend, you can summon a small rock or a wall 10 feet high.  With your ingenuity, you can do some pretty cool things with that.}

“Sounds good,” Jace agreed.

While on his inventory screen, the sounds around him were muffled, but he thought he could hear people screaming and the sound of battle.  He guessed the bear must have just attacked.  He didn’t bother checking on the action, knowing he was in a safe zone and stayed with Gracie.  “At Level ten, I can change my secondary key ability, right?”

{Yes.}

“Good, I think I want to move it to Constitution.”

{Good choice.}

“Okay, what about Esther?”

{We can put all her bonuses in her usual spots.  She also gets a new Strength feat and wants Weapon Expertise for light-bladed weapons.  This increases her bonus in Melee from +5 to +10 and her off-hand from +2 to +5.  She doesn’t seem to want to change any of her spells, and I think she uses them all really well.  She wants to move her secondary key ability to Constitution also.  The girl needs more Hit Points.}

“Good,” Jace agreed.  “Then I think we are done.”  He exited his inventory screen, and all the sights and sounds assaulted him.  He was right, and the bear had attacked.  Esther and Snowy were laughing as the barbarian’s members crossed into the PVP zone to try and help their friend, who lay bleeding out on the ground.  They had a healer in their party but had their hands full with the bear.

Esther saw that Jace was back with them, and while she didn’t consciously understand the level-up process, she knew that he had been talking with Gracie.  “Did they really think they could take us on?” she asked.  “It’s only one bear.”  She had switched to her armor and weapons but was content to be a spectator.

“I wouldn’t worry about them,” Jace agreed.  Instead, he walked over to the travel node and opened the map.  Ironfel was now available along with a host of other public PVP zones.  His eyes lingered on Portsmith for a few moments, but he was a good kidnap victim and chose Drescher’s stronghold instead.

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