“What other choice have we got…” Goodwin grumbled.

  The old man looked clearly dismayed and unhappy by this prospect but, really, they had no other options. Nothing but to sit against the wall and stretch their legs. After getting as comfortable as he could, Jack thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders and switched on the console.

  “No point in wasting time. I’m logging into Alterra to cash in on this eternal life. You keep your eye on the Genotech entrance. When they all leave, let me know. Just don’t yank me out of the game, though. They fine you for that, you know.”

  He pulled on the virt-helm and leaned against the wall. What else was there to do? He couldn’t see any other options. Besides, Necta had ordered him to hurry in the game. Plus, it would be good to find out who and how the late general had been conducting his search in Alterra. Now Jack would have to look into the eyes of everyone as he killed them. Yep, a lot to do! Tons of work! So many people to dispatch.

  Now then, where did his last adventure leave off? Ah, right, with Goodwin dragging him out of Alterra. Not to mention from the most entertaining point in the quest, precisely when he was supposed to speed up in his Service to the Dark and keep Necta in the loop.

  Well, his divine quest was waiting.

  * * *

  Attention! Your last game session ended outside of an authorized exit point. You have been fined 5 gold.

  You have 6951 in your account.

  Well, hello to you, too, Alterra. Jack looked around. Where did he wind up? In a chapel, obviously, but where was it? He pushed the door open and looked out to see an old road lined with overgrown thorn bushes. He was in a sparse forest. A grim one, too. Thin, bowed tree trunks branched out into twisting limbs with tufts of hanging lichen. In the distance, he could see a ravine. This was a neglected place.

  He brought up his map. Well, he’d managed to travel a good distance from the river and the bear-men’s forest during the night. In fact, he was now right near the border of where the Face of the Earth was marked.

  Jack summoned his mount and climbed up into the saddle. The road next to the chapel led in the right direction. In other words, where the insistent little finger of Theokrist’s Compass was pointing. A good sign, he reckoned. Surely the road went somewhere, like a city, temple or fortress. Maybe even directly to his objective?

  Pickup trotted down the road. The sickly forest stretched along both sides as they walked, gradually giving way to bushes. To the right, a leaning obelisk speckled with runes and pictograms loomed over an unused tract. The tip had crumbled away and was coated in soot. Traces of lightning.

  The stone pillar looked incredibly ancient and had an air of importance about it. Surely it hadn’t been placed here for no reason, right?

  Jack halted the horse. The inscriptions, half-covered in moss, were impossible to read. Weird, definitely weird. Such a magnificent stone and no secret characters? All his experience in Alterra told him that this hunk of rock ought to mean something. He set the horse to circle the stone and, what do you know, one of the pictograms blinked dimly. A window popped up above it, which read:

  Be wary, Traveler! The Gods have left this land and evil has settled in their place. It is everywhere.

  Jack pulled the Face of the Earth from his inventory and waited patiently for the location to unfold in full detail. That was the road there, and here was the carved pillar, bent under the weight of centuries. In the ghostly silhouette forming above it, the pointed tip was still standing upright, untouched by storms. Everything immediately beyond the obelisk was dark. This was the point where the ancient map ended. Ahh, now it made sense! Jack had crossed into the fourth part of the continent. Beyond this spot was the start of another region, drawn on a different fragment of the Face of the Earth. The pillar marked the border.

  He walked a few more minutes along the old road and, after a turn, saw ruins. Wall fragments still stood amidst all the stone rubble. All the stones were shaped, meaning it was crumbled masonry. It had been a large structure, probably a fortress. As Pickup came up alongside one of the rock piles, it sprang to life, sending stones clattering to the ground. A snakelike head with glistening scales on a thin neck rose over man and horse. It wasn’t particularly large but revealed long, sharp fangs when it spread its jaws. Very long fangs.

  The creature issued a staccato hissing sound. Pickup recoiled and Jack nearly fell from the saddle. He swore, pulling the reins. When he looked back, the beast was already perched on some loose rocks, extending its long neck. It was something like a thin lizard with a red crest, roughly about the size of a man.

  Wyvern

  Health: 120

  Agro Zone: 100

  The wyvern crouched unfurling the crest on its back to form two broad, membranous wings. The ruddy skin stretched taut across the bones, making it seem translucent. Pushing off with its feet, the beast leapt forward, wings flapping. Pickup backed away again and neighed in agitation, rearing his head and eyeballing the wyvern circling overhead.

  “Okay,” Jack muttered, talking to himself as was his habit. “So, that thing’s supposed to mean that the interior regions hold more dangers, and they’re going to be tougher. Shame there’s no time to get a closer look at the wildlife on Gaerthron.”

  Since fighting a flying creature from the back of a spooked stallion would be a terrible tactic, Jack hopped to the ground and called the goblins out of their box.

  “Hercules, it’s time to fight.”

  “We are ready, Master! Command! Command us!” they chattered.

  “Hey, eyes up!” Jack ordered. “The enemy is above us!”

  At precisely that moment, the wyvern decided to dive at Pickup. Left without his rider, he probably looked like the most convenient target from above. Definitely the largest. With that hissing whistle, it stretched its clawed feet out and streaked towards the earth.

  Sensing the danger coming for him, the horse whinnied and pranced out of the way, preventing the wyvern from sinking its claws in. The sight of the attacking creature created an unexpected fit of enthusiasm in the goblins. They exploded in exuberant shrieks and twirled their Chu-ko-nu crossbows like they had already won the battle. Something had them particularly fired up, but what?

  A swarm of short arrows struck the diving wyvern and sent it off its course for Pickup’s rump. The predatory whistle became a screech and the wyvern spun out of control, striking the rocks. It rose with some difficulty and began hobbling towards Jack, its tattered wings dragging behind it. Jack stood ready with his sword in hand. The beast tried to attack, darting its head on the serpentine neck, and he met it with an attack of his own. A few more arrows plunked into the wyvern’s side, causing it to recoil, then retreat. The goblins rushed their adversary, chattering gleefully and cranking their crossbow as they ran.

  Jack, grumbling about having no time for fun, rushed the retreating beast and dispatched it with a few swings of the Shadow of the King.

  Hercules rasped in disappointment that he was ready to deal with a dozen such creatures, just let them show their faces.

  “Like a dragon, like a dragon!” the goblins wailed. “Want to kill!”

  Well, that made sense. Jack remembered the goblins had fought with Azeroth against the Dragon God. They were supposed to hate dragons. It was an interesting concept, but this wasn’t the time to ponder it. He quickly praised their marksmanship, then herded Hercules and his brigade back into the box. Surely it would be worthwhile to explore the rock deposit from which the beast had emerged, but Jack, mustering considerable restraint, walked away. The loot from the wyvern amounted to a handful of teeth and a dozen scales. Trifles, of course. No, loot like this would never ensure him a decent life as an Alpha in New Atrium. He needed to reach the next Dark Service quest. That’s where the real money would be... Not to mention the fact that Necta did order him to hurry.

  Jack checked Theokrist’s Compass and steered the horse down the road, now carefully scrutinizing every stone pile along the wayside. Ahead, a wagon harnessed to two morose nags appeared. A man in a colorful, patchwork robe was bustling around it. Upon seeing Jack, he rushed to meet him, wringing his hands.

  “Wait, traveler! You look like a hero. Please help a poor merchant. I was attacked by bandits! They are stealing my caravan at this very minute!”

  Trader Lumas, Achaean

  Expertise: 30

  Health: 30

  “Save my precious cargo!” the NPC cried, looking pleadingly into Jack’s eyes.

  “No way,” the brave hero replied, tugging the reins and turning Pickup from the road. “I’m on to you. It’ll be a battle with bandits with a level close to yours. So, around 30-35. You’ll give me a reward and all that, I know, but I don’t have time for it right now. I’ll be back in a week or two. Don’t lose heart, good sir! The bandits will still be stealing your caravan.”

  The horse broke through the bushes, trotted past the copse, and brought Jack to a plain. A tall tower loomed several miles away, its flag fluttering above it. Jack couldn’t see the color of the cloth and didn’t even bother to study it more closely. There just wasn’t any time. That tower, which was most likely also associated with some kind of quest, would have to wait, too. It wasn’t going anywhere. A few more miles over hills and through groves, and Jack returned to the road. As he did so, he heard a monstrous roar from the ruins of an old temple and spotted a giant snake slithering into a gully. When Jack crested another hill, he saw a procession of horsemen in the distance, the wind ruffling the horsetails tied to their spears.

  All this was probably filled with some decent adventures, fights, chases and riddles... but he simply didn’t have the time for it right now. The concentration of quests had increased dramatically in the central region of the continent, along with the level of the NPCs he was encountering on the way. Oh, how he could dig in here... but no time, damn it.

  He continued down the road and crossed a narrow river with a rapid current. Under the bridge, something was fiddling around and smacking its lips. As Jack drove his horse on without stopping, a frustrated roar arose behind him. No big deal. He would come back here to finish off the thing living under the bridge. Just not today.

  Finally, he left the hills and coppices behind, and a steppe spread out like a table before Jack. Directly ahead, where the white thread of the road melted in the gray of the steppe, something huge towered. Jack couldn’t make out the shape of the structure for some reason.

  As he drew nearer, Jack realized what it was. Before him was a huge pyramid, tiled with plates of blue stone. The color melted into the sky, making it impossible to distinguish any details from afar.

  He brought up the map of the continent. Most of it was still black but the discovered area, a long tongue invading the black, already reached the middle of Gaerthron. Theokrist’s Compass was pointing directly toward the pyramid. It looked like Jack was almost there, but this couldn’t be the Secret City, could it? The location of Faceless’ temple? The Secret City was a Taunite capital, but Lahittes generally inhabited the steppes. On the other hand, blue was the color of Faceless and there was only the blue stone left on the Rosary. Theokrist did say that it wasn’t easy to reach the Secret City. So… what? Was it just hanging out here in the middle of the steppe, visible from far and wide? Something wasn’t right here, no?

  Attention! Your horse has run out of stamina. He needs to rest. His speed has been reduced by 50%. Rest is required to restore his attributes. Minimum duration: 2 hours.

  Pickup slowed to a walk and Jack peered at the gray plain. Scattered clusters of smaller buildings jutted out in the middle of the heath around the pyramid. Against the backdrop of the colossus, they seemed so tiny that he didn’t even notice them at first. Plus, they were gray and simply blended into the background. The road ended, as if hinting that no one ever went to the ominous hulk. Even without the road, the pyramid itself served as an excellent landmark. At a slow walk, much too slow, Pickup took Jack across the gray plain. The nearer they came, the sharper the edges of this incredibly large structure became against the cloudless blue sky. What was it, though? A gleaming spot flashed gold in the sky near the very top of the pyramid. Looking closer, Jack spotted another. Twinkling rhythmically, they drew loops around the peak of the colossal building.

  Mmm, not good. Jack had a hunch about what those shiny, flying things were. Two Harbingers on golden gryphons were guarding that pyramid. Their wings sparkled in the sunlight with each stroke. What was he supposed to do about these guys? Jack didn’t have enough donkeys for this... He’d have to come up with some kind of trick to deal with the pair. Pickup trotted slowly toward the pyramid. He had already reached the first group of buildings surrounding the pyramid and still nothing sensible had occurred to Jack. The Harbingers were clearly guarding it. They kept close to the protected object, so Jack had not yet fallen within their agro zone. Although, he would have to if he wanted to get closer to the pyramid.

  Maybe he didn’t need to go in? Jack diverted his horse but, as soon as their direction changed, Theokrist’s Compass shifted. The figure inside it was pointing at the pyramid.

  “Some bullshit,” Jack muttered. “We’re going to the Land of Taunites, right, Pickup? It’s supposed to be far from here. Why did the direction change? No, looks like I’ll have to drop into the pyramid and find out what’s hidden there. Maybe the next fragment of the Face of the Earth? I’ve heard about those kinds of quests, where you have to collect all the pieces of some artifact to get access to a place.”

  They had to turn back to the giant blue pyramid.

  The area he was traveling through now had once been a city but was now abandoned, almost completely destroyed. Pickup passed the empty arch of the gate and entered the street. He plodded along, picking his way over the cobblestones and deposits of carved debris, toward the center. When they reached the main square, Jack drew the reins and looked around. He saw temple ruins, which moved into the rubble of stalls on the merchant’s row. A chapel still stood, the entrance illuminated from the inside... Well, the exit point from the game still worked. At least, he wouldn’t need to revive the fire inside.

  “Let’s go, Pickup,” Jack murmured, sending his mount along the street. “Nothing for us here. Listen, maybe you could try take on at least one Harbinger? You can use Hoof Strike... it might be fun for you to try. What do you think?”

  However, the horse, naturally, gave no reply and continued wending its way wearily between the piles of debris.

  “Jack, come back!” It sounded dully from somewhere under the backdrop of existence.

  He felt a slight nudge against his shoulder and reflexively glanced around. No one and nothing.

  “Come back! We can leave!”

  Damn it, it was Goodwin.

  “I’ll be right there,” Jack said, separating his words clearly so he could be understood from under the virt-helm. “Give me a minute.”

  Regardless of what was happening out there, there was a chapel nearby. No need to lose another five gold. Reality could wait one more minute.

  * * *

  “Well, what happened?” Jack asked, pulling the virt-helmet off. “Did the police clear out?”

  “Yes, they sealed the building, so it’s off limits to unauthorized personnel. There’s no one around now.”

  They left their hiding place. Cleaning robots bustled about in the street, probably glad to have some work – there was a great deal of debris here. The twisted door of the Genotech building was wrapped with a bright yellow film and devices were hanging on the wall. Jack guessed it was there to block the little cleaners from entering.

  A small airship sat about two dozen meters from the Genotech entrance and a pair of young alphas were standing next to it. One of them looked almost normal, in Jack’s opinion. The other, though, had bright gold hair. At first, it looked like a hat but, no, it was hair. Definitely colored. Hair like that didn’t just happen. It glittered and shimmered, the sunlight casting orange sparks off it.

  The alphas were pointing at the film-wrapped entrance, overrun with cleaning robots, and laughing unnaturally loud. The normal-looking guy took a sip from a flat bottle and his laughter grew even louder. Goldie again pointed at the door, overrun with cleaning robots, and said something to his friend. He threw his head back, drank the remainder of the bottle, swung his arm back and prepared to hurl the empty container into the police film barricade. His companion held his arm and kept him from throwing it.

  “Do you think that’ll work?” Jack nodded at the entrance. “Seems to me just anyone can walk right in there. Even those two freaks.”

  “Maybe, but the alarm will trigger. We don’t need to go in, though. We did all we came to do in Genotech. I did some thinking while you were playing. We have a long, happy life ahead of us. Just have to play our cards right. Let’s go eat first. I haven’t felt so hungry in such a long time that I already forgot what it felt like to have a young, healthy appetite!”

  The old man grinned. He was perfectly happy. Well, it wasn’t too surprising. Today, he’d completed a quest he had been pursuing for roughly twenty years... Jack understood it but didn’t share his excitement. It was depressing and unsettling. Moreover, this lieutenant defender was an Eckerhart. Who was she and what did she want?

  In any case, Goodwin instructed him to stay away from the Genotech entrance so as not to trip the sensors that hung around the destroyed door. The sound of glass breaking rang loudly behind them. Goodwin flinched, hunched his shoulders and froze. Jack glanced back cautiously. The alphas found something to smash the empty bottle on after all. They had launched it at the carapace of a cleaning robot, which proceeded to calmly scoop up the shattered shards.

  Goodwin took a breath and said, “We’ll need money. A lot. Especially at first, to get you a normal chip, find decent housing, get settled and all that.” He prattled on as they slinked along the wall.

 

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