They reached the main throne room where a twenty-foot-tall dragon was quietly resting. It was green and wore a huge golden crown atop its head. Hovering above the creature were the words King Bikorn Level 85. Unlike many of the other dragons that Van had seen, this one’s snout was exceptionally long. It was almost flute-like, jutting several feet away from the rest of the dragon’s body.
As they approached, King Bikorn opened one eye.
“Well, this got more interesting,” Bikhorn said as he stood to attention, stretching his wings. Despite the fact that they were indoors, there was plenty of room for Bikhorn to fully expand his wingspan. His razor-sharp jaws opened up as he yawned. “I didn’t expect to see you,” he said as he looked down at Van. Bikorn’s yellow eyes were almost piercing right through Van, and it felt odd to be scrutinized so heavily by the dragon.
“No matter,” Bikhorn boomed as he lowered his head to ground level with the rest of the players. “I suppose, in these trying times, one might need the assistance of mercenaries. As you can see, adventurers, my castle is laid bare. What was once a place full of humble peasants working merrily, and guards protecting my land and their own homes, is now barren. This is not how a king should, live, don’t you agree?”
“Of course,” Van said. The rest of the group chittered in agreement.
“But, alas, it would seem that my own people have grown ungrateful toward me. This land was nothing more than a worthless thorn patch before I came a thousand years ago. I reshaped this land, fertilized it, gave it plants and crops so that the starving peasants here would be able to thrive on this land, and this is the thanks I get? They have all turned against me! My home is empty, for all those whom I once served so loyally have decided that my reign should come to an end. And so, they are gathering a powerful artifact that they believe will bring an end to my castle. If you are interested in providing me with aid, I can be a powerful ally.”
“Of course, we can help,” Van said.
“Excellent!” the king said, flapping his wings with excitement. “Then you must head north of this kingdom to the Forlorn Valley, where the peasantry has assembled to depose me. Find the Gem of Rending and return it to me. Then you will have my undying gratitude and support.”
“We shall go at once!” Van replied as he bowed down. The rest of the party all bowed in unison as a map marker appeared on Van’s mini-map. The valley wasn’t too far—it would take less than twenty minutes to get there.
“What’s the plan?” Kylian asked as they departed from the dragon, who had already gone back to sleep.
“We go steal a gem from like a thousand peasants, of course!”
Chapter Six
Sang crouched and watched her target. The strange man had been following Van’s team from a distance for quite some time, and as soon as they left the castle, he picked up his pace to keep up with them. Thanks to Sang’s Tracking skills, she had been able to identify his path and follow him while hiding in the woods. Van and the rest of the party were heading toward the Forlorn Valley, and thankfully, the forest that she was hiding in surrounded the entire region, meaning that she could follow the stranger continuously without risking exposure.
Sang had tried to pull up the stranger’s character sheet, but she’d only received a message that read: This player has the Discrete Skill, making them impossible for you to identify! He was definitely up to something sketchy, though, and she was determined to figure out what it was. If she could somehow get the drop on him, she might be able to interrogate him and get some kind of a lead. With her bosses breathing down her neck, she knew she had to do something soon.
The stalker was also moving through the trees carefully, keeping to the edge of the forest where he could see Van’s team at all times. Despite the fact that it was getting close to midnight, there was plenty of illumination from the moon. Sang didn’t know what kind of lunar cycles the game had, but the moon seemed so close that it was almost like a lantern, lighting up the entire area.
Sang crept through the woods and ducked behind a tree for a moment. She checked her inventory.
The Weakness Poison that Dolly had given her would be the perfect item to use against the man. It would strip him of his strength and eliminate his ability to run, leaving him completely unable to fight back. Without knowing his level or class, she had no idea of whether a poison would work on him, but she knew she had to try something.
She gently smeared the poison on her short sword’s tip. All she had to do was creep up on him and hit him once, and then the poison would do its job. There were only a few abilities in the game that gave a player poison resistance, and if this stranger didn’t have them, he’d be in real trouble.
With a deep breath, Sang walked out from behind the tree and followed after the stalker. He was moving slowly, trying to keep his eyes on Van from his vantage point in the woods. He stopped for a moment to write something down in a notepad, giving Sang the perfect opportunity to lunge forward and stab her blade into his back.
Sneak Attack 250 damage appeared over his head as he gasped and fell to his knees. The word Poisoned also floated above him.
“Gah!” he wheezed as he began to writhe on the ground.
“Well, well, well,” Sang said, standing over him. “Looks like you’re in a bit of trouble.”
The man’s hand reached down to grab his sword, but as he tried to pull the blade out of its hilt, he gasped and wheezed.
“That poison should be sucking all of your strength away,” Sang said, pressing her foot against his chest. “You’re in trouble, but fortunately, I’m not here to player-kill.”
“What do you want?” he asked. “Gold?”
“No, I’m looking for information. What’s your name?”
“They call me Kenwar. Manhunter Kenwar,” he said.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Kenwar,” Sang said as she dug her heel into his chest a little harder. “But we need to talk. Why are you following my friends?”
Kenwar scowled at her. “I’ve been hired to follow Van,” he said. “And you, as well, Sang.”
The words caused Sang’s blood to run cold. This wasn’t a good sign at all.
“How do you know who I am?” she asked.
“Draco employs me,” Kenwar replied. “They’ve asked that I keep an eye on you two.”
“Why are you being so straightforward now? Shouldn’t you be trying to lie to me?” Sang asked.
“I have no interest in lying to a potential ally,” he said.
“What are you talking about?” Sang asked as she glanced around. His confidence indicated that he might have some kind of upper hand, but there was no one else around.
“Here’s the situation, Sang,” Kenwar said as he shifted a little, moving his hands away from his sword and holding them up non-threateningly. “I happen to work for some very powerful people. People who I don’t particularly care for... but they like me. And they want me to work for them. I’m sure, as you know by this point, Draco isn’t a company that most people can say no to. So, I’m in a tough position. I can either say yes and be rewarded, or say no… and be punished.”
“What kind of punishment are we talking about?” she asked as she lessened the pressure on his chest. If he really wasn’t a fan of Draco, he could be a very valuable ally.
“I’d prefer not to get into it,” Kenwar said as he shifted underneath her boot again. “But I can be persuaded to talk.”