We Hunt Monsters 14, page 20
Difficulty: SS
Current Objective: Track down Starsorn and Giani
Rewards: 175,000 XP, 10 large gold bars, 10 Legendary+ Potions, Next quest in the chain
Bonus Objective: Track down Chum and bring him in alive
Bonus Rewards: 2,000,000 XP, New Skill
Keith dismissed the quest notification, this being the third in a very short period of time. He didn’t really have much of a choice. Plus, he was stuck there for the next day anyway, so he may as well see if he could get to the bottom of this. However, Keith did find it interesting that the Glutton quest hadn’t updated. He was sure it had to be Guzzlarian behind this, but it seemed that without proof or answers, his quest wouldn’t update.
“Thank you,” Astrid said, letting out a long breath and looking relieved.
Clearly, she’d been concerned he’d turn her down.
“Can you tell me where they live?” Keith asked. “Or where their favorite spots are to spend time. If either of them has half a brain, I doubt they’ll be there, but it might give me some clue of where they’ve gone.”
Astrid laid out a couple of places where she thought they might be, though where they might have run to if they were guilty, she didn’t know.
“I’ll keep you posted on what I find,” Keith said, heading toward the open shaft. “Just open the portal back to Alchemist Capital and I’ll get right on it.”
The trail would be nearly a day old by now, so Keith wasn’t confident he’d be finding anything. But, even if he couldn’t find the men themselves, he might be able to glean something by looking around their houses and speaking with the people they associated with.
“You know that this isn’t something you’ll be able to punch your way through, right, bro?” Tac said. “Some of these things require finesse. Especially that last spot Giani seems to like.”
“Can’t you teleport back?” Astrid asked, making Keith pause in his tracks.
“Technically, sure. I’ll just have to wait a day, in which case I’ll be heading back to Monstros. I have a very important deadline that’s fast approaching.”
Astrid sighed, then motioned for Sigurd to go ahead and guide him back.
“Is it expensive to operate?” Keith asked as they headed up the shaft and into the metal tunnel that would lead out.
“It can be, depending on who’s running it,” Sigurd replied. “This thing basically eats gold, and by that, I mean condensed liquid mana. It takes a lot of it, and mages charge through the nose for the stuff. It takes time, effort, and leaves them feeling drained.”
“Do you happen to know how to make a portal system like this?” Keith asked. “Is it complicated?”
“Extremely complicated,” Sigurd replied. “There are also limitations. You can’t use something like this for intercontinental travel, for instance, and there’s a distance limit of around a thousand miles. On top of that, you can’t connect multiple to a single point. It’s basically a tunnel in and out of a fixed location, but as you can see, it is very useful when the occasion demands.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Keith replied, thinking of the possibilities.
If he could find a way to make his own, they’d have an easy way in and out of the subterranean sections of the continent, assuming they’d be able to find any more of the hidden pockets.
“We try and keep this technology secret,” Sigurd said with a shrug. “While it is expensive to operate, it’s significantly cheaper to produce than portal scrolls.”
“Would you be willing to give me a blueprint?” Keith asked.
“How did I know you were going to ask me that?” Sigurd sighed as they approached the gate. “Normally, I’d say no. No matter how strong we’re allied, this is a factional treasure. Not something we can simply hand out. The technology alone is worth millions of large bricks. It could change travel and the entire infrastructure of the planet, and we’re not quite ready for that to happen. However, considering what just occurred here, we’re dealing with a threat on a much larger scale. So, I’ll make you a deal. If you can bring in those sleazeballs and prove without a shadow of a doubt that they’re responsible for this jailbreak, I’ll convince Astrid to give you – and only you – a blueprint to construct a tunnel.”
“By sleazeballs, I take it you mean Starsorn and Giani,” Keith said.
“Those two have far too much power for their own good, and their connections have been slowly causing a divide from within our own faction. Peace was hard fought, and I don’t feel like losing it all because of a couple of greedy and jealous fossils who don’t know their place.”
Keith nodded as Sigurd placed his hand on the side of the blank wall, where a small access panel was now visible. If he studied it for long enough, he was sure Tac could get the basics of the design down, though it would be impossible to pull together without a blueprint.
“You were gonna look for them regardless, so this seems like a pretty sweet deal, bro,” Tac said. “Let’s go hunt us some sleazeballs.”
28
The first locations to visit were obviously going to be their homes. Though Keith highly doubted they’d be there, he was confident he’d find at least a few clues to point him in the right direction. While the two of them seemed to be lumped together quite often, they lived in completely different parts of the city. Starsorn lived in the northern quadrant, a five-mile walk from Astrid’s manor.
Keith had to approach this carefully. He was sure that the pair had many allies still in the city, more than one of whom was likely still in contact. One strategy he could use would involve using a contact to track them down, but finding the correct contact was going to be tricky. They had to be close enough to know where they’d gone, but not so close that they would have alternate means of communication.
What he needed was someone to lead him to the source, which meant that once he visited their homes, he would need to remove his telltale armor and don a disguise when he went to their favorite haunts.
“Wow, talk about a fancy neighborhood,” Bob said as they turned a corner and entered a much nicer part of the city.
Admittedly, Keith had never taken much time to explore the Alchemist Capital. All he ever saw of the place was the guildhall, Astrid’s manor, and his factories. He tended to skip over everything else, as it was unimportant. When approaching the fenced-in section of the city, he wasn’t sure how he was going to get in. There was a security outpost set up on the only road in and out, and while the fence wasn’t very tall, it would be easy for anyone to see if he decided to hop it instead of passing through the normal way.
Keith paused on the side of the road, crouching down near a storefront under the pretense of relacing his boots. He could see single houses, along with green lawns and several families out and about. It was strange seeing people going about their normal, day-to-day lives. It was sometimes hard to forget that for the majority of the inhabitants on this planet, life-threatening battles, political intrigue, and constant injury were not a part of normal life.
Now he had to figure out how to get in without causing a stir. It seemed he’d be needing to change out of his armor before approaching the gate. It appeared to be quite a wealthy community as well, judging by the difference in housing from the rest of the city. He stood and headed in the opposite direction, slipping between a couple of buildings and changing in a flash into something nicer. It was a set of clothes Arya had retrofitted for him, taken from the previous owner of his bunker’s massive wardrobe.
It was nice enough that he hoped the guards at the gates might let him in to look around, ostensibly under the pretense of perhaps buying some real estate in the area – if one could even do such a thing.
“Why don’t we try Giani’s place first?” Tac asked as Keith approached the gates. “It can’t be more complicated than this.”
“Do you anticipate us being turned away?”
“Bro, you might be dressed fancy, but rich people don’t do things for themselves. At the very least, you’d have an entourage. I give the guards an eighty percent chance of turning you away, and a thirty percent chance of becoming violent if you try and press the issue.”
“Well, let’s see if we can subvert expectations.”
He couldn’t.
Neither of the guards was a woman – which definitely would have helped him – and both were unimpressed by his showing up and claiming to want to perhaps buy some property. Even flashing a bit of gold didn’t help, and when one of the guards threatened to have him ‘escorted’ away, Keith decided to give up and leave. He could always come back later, like Tac had said, and he didn’t want to cause a scene.
“You know,” Tac said as Keith headed in the direction of Giani’s house, “you could save yourself a massive headache and activate The Sunlit Tome. Boom! All your enemies are now your bestest buddies, and you’d barely even have to lift a finger.”
“I would, if there was a guarantee The Glutton was on the continent,” Keith replied.
He had many enemies, and while the Fourliance did seem the best place to activate the Sunlit Tome, he’d already used one World Item on this continent before, converting the entirety of the human population to his side.
“Most of the human population,” Tac corrected. “Also, they’re predisposed to liking you. Doesn’t mean they’ll do whatever you want. Case in point, those guards. So is Sigurd refusing to give you the blueprint outright without you first performing a service.”
“Sigurd would never have given him the blueprint had he not activated that item,” Bob interjected. “Even with the attached condition. I don’t think you realize how valuable and lucrative it could be to set up a content-wide portal system. Besides, while it might have some limitations now, I’m certain that with enough time and effort, they can be overcome for intercontinental travel to become as easy as taking a single step. This technology didn’t even exist when you first came to this world, and now look what they have.”
“Fair enough,” Tac allowed. “But it’s still beside the point. Burn ’em all to ash and make them your loyal subjects. Boom. New army and expedition crew for Monstros. That would solve a whole bunch of your problems.”
“The fact that you’re so blasé about the activation of a world-altering item just goes to show why you shouldn’t be put in charge of them,” Bob said, sounding annoyed. “Do you realize how much power Keith has at his fingertips? It is without exaggeration that I say that he holds more World Items than any continent’s ruling class. Astrid might have one tucked away. The same goes for the other faction heads, but two? That would be highly unlikely. Even some of the other World Items out there that we know about were and are still his. Barren Wasteland still belongs to him, even if it’s on loan to Chuck. Then there’s the one he sold to Fendor Eerie. My point is that the activation of a World Item should be carefully considered and weighed.”
Keith paused in the middle of the street, then let out a long sigh. It was nearly dark, and the moon had risen into the sky. He looked up, thinking it over, then he shrugged.
Why not activate a World Item? He had so many, and they had limited use on Monstros anyway. He knew he had enemies, and of all the continents, the Fourliance was the one that likely held his most powerful enemies in the greatest numbers.
“Wait. Keith, what are you doing?” Bob asked, his eyes going wide as Keith removed the ancient tome from his inventory.
The item immediately began glowing, brilliant orange light spilling from its pages as it floated to hover before him, flipping open to the center page. The brilliance of the tome illuminated the street all around him, attracting looks from those who happened to be walking by. Which, thankfully, wasn’t all that many people.
“Taking Tac’s suggestion,” Keith said, letting out a heavy sigh.
He could spend his precious time running from place to place, trying to track Starsorn and Giani down, or he could just use this item and suddenly have loads of new subordinates, all of whom would have absolute loyalty to only him. There was a chance that The Glutton was on the continent, and the emperor might still be as well. Keith didn’t think either of them was, but he’d gotten lucky before.
“You think Sigurd will count this as done?” Tac asked as the book’s pages began growing brighter.
“I don’t see why not,” Keith replied as he pulled the item’s description up. “It’s not like this is going to be a pleasant transition for anyone involved.”
The Sunlit Tome
While there are many myths and legends in the history of Raiah, none are more well-established than the tale of the Sunlit Mage, Herald of the Dawn. He was known the world over as a mage of incredible power and insight, all due to the tome of ancient wisdom he inherited from his Spirit.
What most don’t know is that the Spirit of the Sun didn’t hand him his power fully formed, but rather, the tome was given with only sparse knowledge that he was then forced to discover through a series of grueling quests.
With each completed task, a new spell was added to the tome, increasing its reach and power until he emerged as the legend the world knows. Unfortunately, Spirits are often fickle with their praise, and none more so than the Spirit of the Sun. The Sunlit Mage made the mistake of displeasing his Spirit and was burned to ash while seeking the Thirteenth Page.
Time is often the deciding factor with many of these items, and while the Sunlit Tome was lost, its final page was completed by the passage of ten thousand sunrises and sunsets. Now, it stands at the pinnacle of power, as it always should have been.
Quality: World
Effects: Upon activation, it activates the spell on the 13th page of The Sunlit Tome. Ten-Thousand Sunrises will annihilate all of your sentient enemies on whichever continent this item is activated. Ten-Thousand Sunsets will follow, rebuilding them from the ashes as your loyal subjects.
Note: This change is permanent and cannot be undone. A World Item’s authority is absolute. This item will break upon use.
“Keith, remember what I said about not activating World Items all willy-nilly?” Bob said as a gust of warm air blasted out of the book, sending his fancy duds flapping in the projected breeze. “Maybe we can reconsider this. Just do it the old-fashioned way?”
“Nah,” Keith said. “Tac is right. I’ve got too much to do. I don’t have time to waste on this. Besides, knowing everyone involved and all the moving pieces, having an entire continent where I’m seen favorably or outright obeyed sounds kind of nice. It’ll also snuff out any hidden enemies. People who’ve been pretending to like me, while plotting my downfall.”
Keith mentally selected the item for activation as someone began shouting for the guards.
“Better make this quick, bro,” Tac warned. “Your light show is starting to attract a lot of unwanted attention.”
The notification popped up as soon as Keith brought up the activation sequence.
Would you like to activate The Sunlit Tome? Yes/No
Warning! A World Item’s authority is absolute. This change will be permanent and cannot be undone.
Keith ignored the warning and mentally selected yes. It was about time things went his way. And who knew? Maybe he’d get lucky and catch someone powerful or someone who’d been secretly plotting.
Someone he considered to be an ally, but who did not consider themselves to be his.
29
Keith began to hear the distant shouting of the city guard as the Sunlit Tome glowed ever brighter in his hands, first illuminating the street and then expanding. Somehow moving up and outward, instead of blinding him with its brilliance. It felt warm, though in an oddly comforting way, as the pages slowly began to turn.
“Come on, come on,” Bob said, staring at the glowing tome that now hovered several inches over Keith’s splayed palm.
He knew why Bob was so nervous. World Items – depending on type – could have a longer activation sequence. If he’d been trying to be covert, it probably would have been better to activate this in the middle of the day or in the middle of the woods, where no one could see him. Then again, as the tome’s brilliance kept building and its comforting warmth flooded through his body, he had to wonder if even that would have been enough.
By the time the tome had flipped to the twelfth page, the entire city was illuminated in a brilliant red-gold, the tome having risen into the air. This gave Keith the opportunity to duck into a nearby alley to watch as dozens of guards came pouring down the street. They obviously had no idea what to do about the glowing book. A couple of them tried attacking it – not that it did them any good. Arrows and crossbow bolts merely bounced off an invisible shield three feet from the book’s surface. Spells didn’t fare much better.
The book rose higher, as did the panicked voices of the local guards. One of them was shouting to fetch Astrid, while another berated him, telling him not to waste her time with something so trivial.
“Oh, this is going to be good,” Tac said. “Any second now…”
The final page turned, revealing blank, weathered parchment, free of the indecipherable black scrawl that had filled all the others. Soon enough, small letters began tracing themselves across the page. He wasn’t the only one to notice, causing several guards to shout in alarm and move back as the tome hovered in place for another second before blasting up into the sky, its shining brilliance now illuminating the city as though it were smack in the middle of the day.
The guards started shouting louder, and several ran – likely to fetch Astrid – while several new guards showed up. These were serious-looking men and beast-monsters, with levels in the mid-60s. Some of them immediately targeted the tome, but even if their attacks would have gotten through, it was already too late. The brilliant sunlight lasted for only an instant longer before all of it was seemingly sucked back into the book.
Their surroundings went from bright sun to pure blackness in an instant, and while Keith’s eyes adjusted in under a second, the remaining guards were left to stumble around blindly. Then the Sunlit Tome activated in earnest, thousands of brilliant lines of light blasting off into the sky from its open pages and arcing off into the distance. It almost reminded him of those videos they’d play back on Earth, showing the trajectory of hundreds of missiles firing from all over the world, only this looked much cooler.
