n

n

nThere were three deities whose temples offered the kind of spirit-binding Krow needed. Luckily, most towns had at least one.

nNyurajke had all three.

nKrow hadn't expected Nyurajke to be a large town, but there were at least a dozen towers in the upper reach, and another dozen in the lower reach. Then there were seven windmills that marked workshop towers in the windiest area of the community.

nLike Gremut, it was a high place, a plateau surrounded by steep cliffs and soaring peaks.

nIt was a cacophony of a hundred different sounds, the creak of carriages, the calls of caged animals and draft animals, the shouts of street hawkers, and the conversations between people. The ground was hard stone, and the clop-clop-clop of hoofed animals in the streets was a constant underlying white noise.

nThis was the town closest to the draculkar capital city of Velkenbragg. It probably took most of the players just out of the starting villages before quests or travels took them to the capital.

nThe streets bustled.

nTraders and travelers and shoppers, all mixing together with vehicles and beasts.

nThe players were more conspicuous here, running around in mismatched armor, toting the particular weapons of the fifteen battleclasses.

nSome towns banned duels in public streets, so there were challenge battles in taverns, on roofs, on large balconies, any place that could allow a decent amount of footwork.

nThe crowd he'd glimpsed in the park beside in the secondary plaza below was probably an impromptu dueling ground.

nThe purposely built dueling arenas hadn't reached the towns yet.

nKrow kept to the main street.

nHe'd left Sein to follow with Einel. Temples didn't require quests to enter, but you never knew.

nThanks to the condorowl quest, he had necessary ingredients for the spirit-binding ritual in Telanweth Temple.

nThe Temple of Telanweth was built between the town plaza and the towers of the merchants' quarter, a spiral ziggurat three levels high – miniscule compared to the hundred-meter domination of the town's main administrative spire.

nTelanweth was the deity of material things, mediation, and magic.

nIt looked empty.

nThe contrast of its quietness to the lively Temple of Grenod built right across the street was startling.

nTelanweth was a Temple for scholars, diplomats, and merchants, often negatively associated with greed and power and mystery. Grenod was a deity of pledges and contracts, so the common people trusted Grenod more, despite many who used the Temple services being merchants and noblemen too.

nThe hall of Telanweth Temple had an odd echoing sadness.

nIn the middle of the Hall, a golden statue of Telanweth glared, regally sitting on a cloud-covered throne, the sweeping black crown on their head looking like it absorbed the light of the surroundings. The black crown cast a shadowy veil over Telanweth's face. In their hands, they carried a lute like it was a weapon, and from their belt hung a wine jar and a wreath of flowers.

nOn a pedestal beside the altar, a lute plucked a lonely melody, playing itself.

nKrow frowned, looking around.

n

"Welcome to the Temple,

" a siren entered the hall from behind the altar, clad in cream and red-orange.

"I am the priest. May I…assist?

"

nKrow carefully didn't react.

"I need the use of a ritual room.

"

n

"Yes, welcome. This way.

"

nKrow looked back, to where he could see the crowds of the Grenod Temple.

nMaybe he should just wait for the others there? He did tell Sein to check Telanweth first, then the other two temples.

nHe sighed.

nNo.

nGrenod Temple spirit-binding Chants were long complicated things. Even he wasn't quite sure he remembered correctly. And he never learned the Chants for the Kamathor Temple.

nHe wanted to come early to bind a few things he didn't want Einel to see. Finding two starweave cloth packs was semi-believable, he could have gained the data from the craftmaster forums. But all his starting gear, plus the Starseeker Coat and the Boots?

nThat was data that hadn't been discovered yet.

nThe Temples weren't as complicated as the artificial intelligences governing the NPCs. A ritual was formulaic, a simple if-then proposition. If the correct items were gathered, the result would always be a success.

nHis spirit-bindings would be lost as a speck of dust in the mountain of data that Redlands generated every minute.

nBut now this?

nThe siren seemed the only inhabitant of the Temple. Resigned, Krow hooked his arm around the robed siren's throat and squeezed.

nThere was, in fact, a system assist for martial arts. Krow needed five bullets to down a Lvl 3 monster; the same amount of stunrounds for a Lvl 4.

nFor a player that was at least Lvl 5?

nNo dice.

nThis way, he was putting to use his college self-defense classes.

nThe choking siren went limp.

nYou've defeated a Lvl 6 player and gained three (3) silver serpens!

nUnconscious: 0:00:04:59:32

nFive minutes.

nBetter than expected.

nHe dragged the siren into a ritual room, tied his hands and feet together, then locked the door as he left.

nThe Temple of Telanweth is being robbed! Defeat the burglars, let justice prevail over those who would commit atrocious crimes!

nA bit over the top but, more importantly, the fact that it didn't specify how many enemies there were said he was going against players.

nThe hall was clear, he'd already looked.

nIn fact, the situation had been clear the moment he'd been greeted.

nTelanweth didn't have priests.

nOn Earth, it is common to rob banks. In Redlands, there was more money in temples.

nIt looked like some players decided to gather Infamy by theft.

nA bit of Infamy was actually useful in Redlands; it broadened the amount of quests that was offered to a player.

nBut it was still a little iffy stealing from a temple.

nEspecially Telanweth.

nTelanweth was a patron in the underground, a deity representing greed. Being greedy was good, very motivating, but there was such a thing as too greedy.

nRobbing what might become your patron deity?

nWas that seven years of bad luck? Hah, more like seven hundred.

nSay goodbye to your dreams of becoming crimelords.

nIt's not like there weren't a lot of rich merchants around town. Or hidden nobles. There were probably a lot of hidden nobles in town who would gladly pillory a player's reputation into the mud.

nHe unholstered his revolver, ghosted along the edges of the Temple nave, cautiously peeking into ritual rooms.

nNothing.

nA curtain hung behind the altar. The siren had come from there. Krow lifted the curtain.

nThere was a room behind the altar. Some kind of office.

nThe wardrobe door was crooked, and creaked as it opened.

nKrow stilled.

nNothing happened.

nBut behind the cream and sunset-red robes, there was an entrance.

nHe put away the gun and slowly eased into the hole at the back of the wardrobe.

nIt led to a small alcove, with a stairwell going down. The walls were stone, old and smooth. The reliefs of monkeys on the walls and the pillars that were carved with stories of Telanweth told Krow this was a deliberate part of the Temple, but not meant to be seen by outsiders.

nReally, someone put a vault behind the altar, under the church floors, behind a secret wall?

nIf there were catacombs with bones and candle-holding skulls inside wall-holes somewhere, his respect for Telanweth's taste in architects would plummet.

nHe stopped when he heard the first sounds apart from the occasional scratching from behind the walls and the faint chittering of insects. Or was it rats?

nMoving downward, the air grew cooler, the shadows flickering a bit more.

nHe re-armed himself.

nThe cold was an air vent somewhere, likely.

nDefinitely not ghosts.

nHe breathed in relief at the brush of air across his cheeks. He hadn't been lying when he said he didn't like confined spaces.

nCreeping lower, the voices grew more distinct.

n

"…only be opened by an officer of the capital Temple!

"

n

"You're lying.

" The voice was male, calm and indifferent, certain of his words.

nKrow slid behind a pillar and peered past. There were two draculkar before a stone pedestal. One was an older male, likely the head of the Temple, the Docent. The other was a swordsbearer.

n

"Why would I lie?

" the first man asked, a tone of pleading exasperation in his mellifluous voice.

"We are mediators, not monks or priests. We speak no vows, not even as warriors do. Telanweth does not ask loyalty of us, only that we do our work well in service. You have threatened my life; have proved that it is not idle boast. I ask, why would I lie?

"

nThe swordsbearer considered the docent's words. He glanced toward the stairwell.

nKrow stilled.

nBut the man hadn't seen him.

n

"Tique, what was the quest again?

"

nA woman answered.

"Find the vault, find the key.

"

nKrow's heart jumped – the second player was too close to the stairwell. Then the same heart dropped to his stomach.

nOh no.

nThere were two of them.

nHe closed his eyes, thinking.

n

"Nothing about a scavenger hunt around the capital, hm?

"

n

"No.

"

nThe swordsbearer smiled at the docent. It was a cold, empty smile.

"Still saying the key's not here?

"

n

"The docent of the capital Temple would have one.

" The older draculkar was still calm.

n

"Well, I guess you're useless then.

"

nShkav!

nKrow burst out of the stairwell, tossing a Mist Vial into the shocked face of the woman, revolver already barking at the swordbearer.

nA choking thud sounded behind him, but the swordbearer jumped away.

nKrow took advantage of his Acrobat subclass and leaped up a pillar. He crouched on a ledge, dislodging the lamp there.

nThe opponent was nowhere to be seen.

n

"Drop your weapons! This is the Guard!

" he roared.

nThere was a small silence as he swapped cylinders.

nWhat, they didn't even have the guts to react?!

nThen the face of the robber draculkar was right in front of him, sword already swinging.

nWeeping graves, he already had a movement Spell?!

nKrow tipped forward, falling into the space between the sword and the man's body. He flipped, hanging off the ledge with one arm. The opponents boot ground into Krow's hand as he reversed momentum.

nBatard!

nFive stunrounds emptied as he fell, all hit.

nThey dropped.

nThe sword came at him again, relentless.

nHe landed on his haunches and leaped backward, loading his last cylinder.

nThe other followed. Fast! Krow jerked his head back, the sword point nicking his brow instead of slicing through his neck.

nAnother attack.

nDodge. Three bullets gone.

nKrow noticed something.

nHuh, the other draculkar was using the system assist. A swordbearer, under Lvl 10.

nHow well he knew those moves.

nA small grin split Krow's face.

nThe other's brow ticked, but he charged again.

nThere were twelve basic starting movements for a swordsbearer. Most learn to add variations or lower the system assist by Lvl 15, but this guy wasn't there yet.

nThat meant, for Krow, his opponent's moves were somewhat predictable. How many hours had Krow spent practicing those starting movements… if he didn't know them, he'd better give up all this, sell his equipment, and buy a ticket to Mars.

nThe movement spell wasn't mastered too. Maybe Sidewinder Leap?

nSince he was just as slow as Krow now, he'd spent all his MP on the first attack.

nHehe.

nA corner of the man's mouth tipped up.

nOh no.

nKrow viciously kicked the opponent's knee in. In this instance, do unto others before they do unto you. That smile probably was the guy's MP recovering.

nThe other's starting movement faltered and the last two the bullets crashed into him.

nThen Krow slammed the butt of his gun into the other's head. Once. Twice. Thr-

nThe would-be robber dropped.

nYou've defeated a Lvl 7 player and gained four (4) silver serpens!

nKrow panted, his heart pumping hard.

nThat was too close.

nHe nearly got sliced into little pieces. Even with Acrobat, he couldn't win against a movement Spell.

nHe nearly died again, not 24 hours after the last time.

nHe glared at the unconscious player. Unconscious: 0:00:02:59:13

nWho was this? The Sidewinder Leap was a rank-two movement Spell. One hundred MP shouldn't have been recovered that fast. It meant, he had MP recovery items too?!

nA rich player?

nThe armor he had on didn't look like rags.

nKrow sighed. Too bad only a dead player could be looted.

nBut if you knock them unconscious, you only get coins.

nAlso killing a player would give them the killer's name in notifications.

nWars in Redlands could be started by simple revenge PK.

nAs Krow was not going to be part of a guild, or even a pure battler, he would always be at disadvantage. Also, the would-be robber had a petty look to him. Who wanted that drama?

nA sound had him whirling.

nThe docent stood beside the female draculkar. There was a suspicious bump on the woman's head, and the lamp that had fallen from the ledge close by.

nKrow chose not to comment.

nThe docent lifted his hands.

"Guardsman, are you well?

"

nKrow coughed, lowering his gun. The again, now useless gun. He needed more cylinders for his revolver, as soon as possible. And better bullets.

"Sorry, docent, not really a guard.

"

n

"Ah, I thought so.

"

n

"Are you hurt?

" Krow took out a couple of Low Heals, giving one to the docent. He swiped blood away from the cut on his brow, feeling it tingle as the Low Heal worked.

n

"I am fine. Fine, I…

"

nHeavy boots clattered down the stairwell, echoing.

"Great-uncle! Great-uncle, are you there?

"

n

"Guardsman!

" came a yell muffled by stone.

"What do you think you're doing?! Come back here!

"

nA draculkar burst into the vault room.

nHe took in the scene, gaped.

nThen his expression firmed.

"Put down your weapons! This is the Guard!

"

nKrow holstered his gun and laughed.

n