PA-01. Den Of Thieves, page 6
part #1 of Pantheon Online Series
Gunnar sighed. “Yeah, I’ve figured that much out.”
“Which god do you serve?”
“Er, Nymoria,” Gunnar said.
Sykes grimaced. The elf returned with the ales and handed one to Gunnar. Sykes downed half of his mug in the first gulp.
Gunnar braced himself, anticipating the awful sort of beer that might exist in a sailor’s tavern like this. But to his surprise, it was actually pretty good. Like one of those damn craft beers he’d been too cheap to buy.
Back when he could buy real beer.
Back when he’d been starting grad school, and he’d had a future.
He took another long pull from the mug.
Sykes smiled proudly, gesturing to the dawn elf. “En’t just the mermaids drawing folks in here. Got me a fine brewmaster. Used to do it back in his old… well, you know what I mean.”
“You mean you’re a pris—”
“No, no… we don’t talk about any of that.”
Gunnar had so many questions, but he shoved them down and took another drink. “So, Nymoria… Is she that bad?”
Sykes shrugged. “I’m not about to bad-mouth any gods. But seems like most of you Maldans serve lesser gods like that. She’s decent enough. Not very powerful or rich. Or terribly wise, either. Least not in the ways of a city like Thailen. Nature deity and all that. She’ll reward you how she can when you earn her enough Glory. Like most places in the empire, the people of Thailen serve the gods of the Elysian Court. Though Luka is the true king.”
It was interesting to learn more about the gods of this world, though he was a little disappointed to hear that he did not serve one of these Elysian gods.
“Do you serve Luka?”
Sykes shook his head. “Taris, god of liquor, parties, and general debauchery. Uncannily fitting, am I right?” He gestured around the room and grinned.
Gunnar just nodded.
“So is Glory based on the god you serve?”
“Nah, it’s all class-based,” Sykes said. “You can earn Glory doing all kinds of things. You just gotta find the right fit and pass the trials for whatever path you choose.”
“Trials?”
“They’re a big deal in Pantheon. If you prove yourself, you can be set for a hell of a ride, but if you fail, things will be a lot more difficult.”
“Sounds high stakes,” Gunnar said.
“Only if you dick around and don’t come prepared.”
“That’s where you come in?”
“That’s where I come in,” Sykes said with a grin. “You’ll be needing to develop some skills before your trial. But first, we gotta figure out the right class. Let me see your character sheet.”
Gunnar looked up quizzically.
“You got stuck with Azmar, didn’t you?”
“How’d you guess?”
“Let’s just say you’re not the first servant of Nymoria to come in here not knowing shit about this game.”
Sykes held his finger up to his temple for a couple seconds. With a flash, a holographic display hovered above the bar top.
“Your HUD, you know, the heads-up display, it shows your Health, Stamina, Mana, and all of that.”
“I know what a HUD is,” Gunnar said.
“Right, well, there’s a lot more you can access like this–Character Stats, Quest Logs, Inventory, the whole nine yards. Give it a try.”
Gunnar mimicked the gesture, pressing the tip of his pointer finger to his temple.
Gunnar Ashwood
Glory: Level 1
Servant of Nymoria
Character Traits
Race: Dusk Elf
Clan: Maldan
Class: Undecided… just a naive dumbass for now
Faction: No band of brothers yet
Renown: Complete and Utter Nobody
Character Stats
Health - 55/55
Stamina - 45/45
Mana - 60/60
Physical Attributes
Strength - 6
Dexterity - 8
Agility - 6
Constitution - 6
Mental Attributes
Intelligence - 7
Wisdom - 4
Charisma - 5
Creativity - 2
Physical Skills
Endurance - Level 5 (+15 Stamina Buff)
Throwing Blade - Level 9
Slashing Blow - Level 5
Parry Blow - Level 9
Sheer Strength - Level 5
Mental Skills
Perception - Level 4
Active Items
Basic Dark Cloak (+10% Stealth)
Open Quests
N/A
Sykes perused his stat sheet for a few moments, selecting specific windows where even more detailed information was available, including tables showing the linked attributes for each skill and exhaustive Quest Logs.
Sykes smirked. “Looks like you got into a bit of a scuffle when you entered the game, ey?”
Gunnar nodded. “Red Cloaks.”
“Well, you made that a hell of a lot more difficult than it needed to be, but you completed the quest and discovered some combat skills at least. Hmmm, but it doesn’t look like you gained any experience at all. That doesn’t make much sense.”
“Some spell called Vampire’s Glory. I don’t really want to rehash it.”
Sykes nodded with a sly grin as he scrolled to the end of the Quest Log. “Fair enough. Rare spell. Can only learn it from a dark mage, and there’s not many in Thailen. Only light magic is technically allowed in Imperial cities.”
“Looks like they police it well.”
“Don’t get too butt-hurt about it. Best leave it in the past and move on.”
“You mentioned my Inventory. Can I store anything there?”
Sykes chuckled. “You know how it goes in this game, by now. They like realism, or the illusion of it, anyway. You’d need a Bag of Holding to store anything you can’t equip on your person, and there’s weight limitations. Wouldn’t want anyone getting too OP.”
“Yeah, getting powerful sounds awful,” Gunnar said dryly. “So, can you help me grind some skills then?”
Sykes nodded. “First, you gotta decide which class you’re aiming to pursue.”
“Do I have to decide now?”
“No, but unlike in some games, leveling up is a big deal here. It’s one of the main ways you’ll build up your character. It’s a bit easier early on and gets harder as you advance. If you don’t know the path you’re heading down, you could waste hard-earned attribute points on skills that won’t help you later on. Like most things in Pantheon, it’s best you stick to your strengths. That’s the best shot you’ve got at getting the right connections.”
“With who?”
“Depends on your path. But in this city, the most influential powers are the thieves guilds, the servants of Luka himself, the Imperial nobles, and the city watch.”
“Like the Red Cloaks?” Gunnar asked. “No way. They can go to hell.”
“Wouldn’t matter anyway. They en’t too keen on you Maldans, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Right,” Gunnar muttered.
Sykes pulled Gunnar’s stat sheet closer, waving his hand across the holographic display. “You’ve got an interesting set of attributes. Decently strong, but you can’t sustain it. Probably won’t make a great melee warrior. Dexterous, but not creative, so no crafting. Smart, but not wise. You could probably learn some spells, but I doubt you’d make a top-tier mage… Out of curiosity, what did you do—you know—before you arrived in Thailen?”
Gunnar shrugged. “I was hoping to be a surgeon.”
“Bummer,” Sykes said. “That would have made for some nice cash flow IRL. Hey, you might make a decent healer. Factions are always looking to recruit them.”
Gunnar shook his head. “I was thinking something with a bit more action.”
Sykes grinned. “I hoped you’d say that. Besides, you need to earn me some coin.”
Gunnar raised a brow skeptically. “Earn you?”
“You owe me for the ale, and the mermaid show. And your identification papers. Oh, and training en’t gonna be free either. Let’s go. I know just the way to use those nimble surgeon’s hands of yours.”
Quest Update - Mermaid’s Debt
Quest Type: Common
Description: There aren’t a lot of honorable professions for your kind in this city, and you can’t learn much without money. Follow Sykes and learn a handy new skill. No, not that one!
Objective: Obtain enough coins to pay your debt to Sykes.
Reward: Didn’t anyone ever tell you the importance of being debt free?
Do you wish to accept? Yes/No
10
PICKPOCKET
The streets of Thailen were alive with the comings and goings of the day. Sykes led the way along the crowded waterfront, where dozens of ships were being loaded with crates. Gunnar followed along with a thief-in-training from the tavern named Kohli.
Sykes walked ahead of them, greeted by sailors and even a couple Red Cloaks as they made their way from the Mermaid into the city.
Kohli kept his dark green hood up, and Gunnar followed suit. The Red Cloaks were mostly found near the docks, but the last thing he wanted was another race for his life. And another good shock back in the real world. He was determined to be smarter this time around.
He probably needed to increase his Wisdom.
He definitely needed to get those identification papers soon.
But first, he needed to make some coin.
Sykes paused for a moment, near the edge of the waterfront, and Gunnar stopped behind him. The man crossed his arms, as though glancing around, not making eye contact with Gunnar or Kohli. “We’re heading to a market just past the trading docks. Practice casting Scan while we go the rest of the way.”
Sykes continued walking, and Kohli showed Gunnar how to cast Scan through a concentrated mental command.
As Gunnar triggered it, a slight tingle ran down his fingertips.
Unlocked Spell: Scan
Spell Type: Basic, Celestial
Alignment: Light
Linked Attribute: Wisdom (+65% Development)
Affinity Level: 4
Requirements: N/A
Cost: 2 Mana per second
Description: Use Scan to acquire information about the world around you, just don’t get caught creeping.
Both of them hurried to keep up with Sykes, and Gunnar kept casting as he went.
The tingle seemed to be an effect of his Mana at work. Does that mean it comes from inside me somehow?
Scan didn’t alter Gunnar’s vision, but enhanced the information he could see. Little holographic windows hovered over people’s heads as he approached them, much like he’d experienced when the Red Cloaks had come close, but this time, he didn’t have to be in the middle of combat mode.
[Sailor - Level 4]
[Carpenter - Level 3]
[Bard - Level 14]
And so on. If he let his vision hover over certain buildings, he could determine what shops lay ahead before he could read the signs from the storefront. He Scanned the towering spires of the temple of Luka, located at the edge of the trading docks, and noticed a small blurb around the back that read Crypt - Level 8.
That is very interesting.
As they passed the temple and the crowd thickened with traders, the notifications became a little overwhelming to differentiate, and his Mana pool was already down to 60%.
So he quit casting the spell. Thankfully his Mana regenerated more like his Stamina than his Health, and it slowly replenished as they walked.
“What did you notice?” Kohli asked.
“There’s a lot of people I can’t see information for,” Gunnar said. “Why?”
Kohli nodded. “What level’s your Wisdom at?”
Gunnar grimaced. “Level 4.”
“Well, your Scanning is based on Perception, which is associated with your Wisdom attribute. So your Perception starts at Level 4 too.”
“So I can only increase my Perception skill by increasing Wisdom?”
“Yes and no,” Kohli said. “Each time you level up, you’ll get one attribute point to distribute. Each attribute has several associated skills. Wisdom is tied to Perception. If you level up a Level 4 attribute, you’ll get two skill points to distribute. If you were a Level 6, you’d get three.”
“So, half.”
“Hey, you learned first grade math. Nice work.”
Gunnar rolled his eyes. It was a complicated system out of the gate. He was beginning to understand what Sykes had said earlier—he would definitely need to be picky about how he used his points when he leveled up, making his decision about class really important.
Today would make a good trial run for how well he was cut out to be a Rogue.
“So, to get more Scanning info, I’d need to level up my Wisdom.”
Kohli nodded. “And distribute to Perception. You can also increase skill points by using the skill. There’s training grounds scattered around the city, but what really matters is what you can do in the real world—heh, well, you know what I mean. If you’re smart, you might gain some Perception today. But you also want to think about what other people can see about you. Most everyone can use Scan.”
“So the people I can see right now are…”
“Probably people with low levels of Stealth or low Resistance to Magic, or just low levels in general.”
“I saw a Level 14 - Bard,” Gunnar said.
“Bards want you to know who they are. They wear hippie hats and bright-ass colors because they want to draw people’s attention. You want to go unnoticed. Your hood increases your Stealth. Enchanted elven cloaks can increase it further, and some mages can render themselves entirely invisible. Seeing as you’re already in debt with the big man, you’ll need to make do with what you’ve got today.”
They reached the edge of a sprawling market square. Vendors pushed carts of a vast array of wares, and customers haggled enthusiastically. Sykes paused at a cart nearby, beside a large carved image of a mermaid, just like the one outside his tavern. A large keg was set up, and a pair of very attractive women were serving up mugs to eager customers.
The tavern keeper seemed to be a regular entrepreneur in this game. It wasn’t the sort of gaming experience Gunnar would personally like, but with the sort of life that the labor camp offered, he could see how someone might want to enjoy more simple pleasures here.
“Should go without saying,” Kohli said, “but don’t rip off any of the Mermaid’s customers. Be careful who you choose, in general. If you can’t get any info with Scan, then assume they’re too advanced for you to deal with. Watch what I do, and hope for the best. If you get caught, run like hell.”
Gunnar’s heart raced. He had never so much as shoplifted a candy bar. His parents had been strict, and would have killed him if he’d done something like that. He couldn’t imagine their disappointment at what he’d done to that girl back in the real world.
But that wasn’t a helpful thought at the moment.
“Don’t look too quickly,” Kohli said, “but do you see the chick over at the leatherworker’s stand? Blue dress.”
Gunnar slowly shifted, and after a few moments, he spotted her. She was tall and attractive, though she was clearly not well-off. Her dress was plain and worn, and her dark hair was pulled back in a simple braid that kept it out of her face and let it hang long in the back. Her back was turned, but when she glanced to the side, Gunnar glimpsed her tan skin and pointed ears. A brief Scan confirmed his suspicions.
“She’s Maldan,” Gunnar said.
Kohli nodded. “Level 5. Maldans tend to be too trusting, in general, and she’s new to this city, just like you.”
It was silly. This was a game. She was either an NPC or a condemned prisoner. Neither of them had actually been displaced by that volcanic eruption, but Gunnar couldn’t help but feel a small sense of kinship with her. She’d probably come on a ship like him in the middle of the night.
Then again, that was probably true of Sheira as well.
And for all he knew, on the other side of reality, both Maldan women were just huge greasy-ass dudes, which helped settle his mind a little.
“She’s my mark,” Kohli said. “Watch and learn.”
With that, the slender man shouldered his way through the crowd. He stopped by the leatherworker’s stand and began inquiring about various pieces of work. He flashed smiles at the Maldan girl, and she started messing with her hair in a nervous but flirtatious way. Kohli pointed to a satchel across the table, then reached for it, brushing up against her briefly. Kohli must have had much higher Charisma than Gunnar did. There was no way he could pull that off.
The two flirted a few moments longer, chatting and admiring the leatherwares, and then Kohli moved on to another vendor before returning.
As Kohli strode over to him, Gunnar hit him with Scan, and as he hoped, there was more information to be had than it offered about complete strangers.
Samir Kohli - Level 6
HP: 80/80
MP: 60/60
Race: Human
Clan: Shuri
Disposition: Amiable
Relationship: Just Doing a Damn Job
Description: There’s no friends amongst thieves, but Kohli is an ally you want in your corner. Play your cards right, and you might make yourself a comrade. Or keep being utterly feckless, and see how that goes for you.
“So?” Kohli asked.
“You did it when you reached for that satchel,” Gunnar said.
“I checked her pockets, then,” Kohli said, nodding lackadaisically. “She had a few coins, but I think she might’ve been hit before in the markets. Bet she brought only what she needed to get whatever she was here for. Level 5s ought to have more coin than that.”
“So, you didn’t take anything?”
Kohli grinned. “Got her number instead.”
“Her number? Hold on—what?”
“I invited her to a bloody pub, dumbass,” Kohli said, rolling his eyes. “You did see her flirting, right? Sometimes you take the coin in front of you. Sometimes you play a longer game. Reckon she’s probably got more back at her place. And when the universe offers you an opportunity for booty and loot, you take both, mate.”
