Deleted Chapter: Home Alone

Marcus hopped out of the taxi, bringing out the crutches. He looked up, toward the second floor and his apartment. The perspective of climbing the stairs, with his lame leg… tears were welling in his eyes. At least, the right eye worked again.

The apartment was bare. A minimum of furniture, a fridge that had already been empty back then. Marcus dropped the small bag with his hospital possessions on the table and flopped on the chair.

The paramedic and cops had looked intrigued at the near-empty apartment when he called 911 three months ago, torn and bleeding out – internally as well, as the doctors told him later. He hadn’t lost consciousness until they lifted him on a stretcher to move him and the pain spike caused him to blank.

Three months of hell. A leg that had tendons torn at every joint, multiple internal trauma, burn marks. A kidney needing removal. Facial scars with an eye damaged and an ear missing. The hospital staff thought that this was the kind of injuries you’d see from a highway crash and fire, not in an apartment. Being discharged after three months was a minor miracle.

The police had swallowed the bullshit, without really understanding why he was so convincing.

The worst part was that healing all of it, really healing, would normally take a couple days. All he had to do was to pick the carefully hidden Silvergate, activate it… and instead probably get slaughtered by the metal horrors he still saw in his nightmares three times a week.

Exiled. As a cripple.

What had the Russian said? Raid. His guild would certainly raid that deathtrap, and he could end exile.

Marcus powered the small computer and waited.

“Account suspended”

Marcus nearly slammed the keyboard in frustration. Then, exhaling slowly to bring back calm, he carefully typed again his login and clicked on the “Have a problem logging in? Interactive chat help” button.

“I can see the status of that account. But it says ‘user presumed dead’. The Cartographer Guild is very wary of any attempt to hack into its resources. You do need to contact in person a representative on site – we have a presence on most major towns in Nor…”

“I’m exiled. I’m in a total deathtrap! I can’t spawn!” screamed back Marcus.

“Keep your calm, M… Wisuqkz. I can escalate the issue to officer level, but…”

“Did no one make it out? There were nine of us! Nine. No one made it? I’m the only one?”

“We know sometimes things can be dangerous in some high rank areas, but we do have to protect our assets. I’m escalating your request to the officers, and they’ll contact you on your email. It’s still valid?”

“Yes. Yes it is.”

Exactly 4min later, a chime told him an email had landed. Marcus wasn’t surprised to see a livechat invite. Someone had taken him seriously. Thanks any gods on Northworld.

“Hello.”

“Hello. I got the notice on your account lock out, and then I saw who that was. You are Wisuqkz?”

“I am.”

“I need to confirm that. Can you list me the people who were with you?”

“The… expedition started with your guys, Vasilikulik and Maelia. We had… Zaccali, Warander, Mastabasta and me. And we picked three newbs in that town on the way. Vantegaard, Quandocor and Birkathane, if I remember right.”

Marcus added “No one made it? Just me?”

“We are trying to figure out what happened.”

“What happened is that we got into a trap. A complete, total, fucked-up death trap.”

“Where?”

“We found this Pyramid. Like an Aztec deathgod sacrifice pyramid. Should have been more careful. It had hallways and some trapped big room at the bottom with a globe.”

“Globe?”

“Vasili thought it was a full representation of Northworld. I’m not that good with maps. Can’t say whether it was or not. All I know is that he said it was the biggest find ever.”

“Then what?”

“The other Aetherist, Vantegaard, he found a kind of switch. He fed Aether in it and turned on the room. There were holograms. Five kind of representations. Vasili said he recognized one. That it was the First Gater. Someone called Fontegra or something.”

The person at the end of the link stayed silent.

“Then, everything went to shit. There was an alarm, and those… things started to pour out. We tried to get out, but it was waves upon waves of elite 100s. Worse than a raid dungeon. Then…”

Marcus’ voice started to break from the memories…

“Then Masta got killed. Warander got torched. Vasili told us to Recess, those of us who could. One of the noobs was trying to make a hole or something in the walls to open an escape, but he was such a noob…”

“No one got any news from you guys.”

“I respawned with less than 5% health. I was bleeding out, I was mauled… I’ve spent the last three months in intensive care and rehab. And I can’t even risk getting back. If that fucking Pyramid is still active, I’ll die 5 secs after spawning. I’m a cripple now.”

The anonymous officer stayed silent.

“Vasili said that the map was important. The map and the alien Gaters. He hoped you could raid and clear the place, and then we could end exile. So, I’m the only one?”

“Not exactly. Apparently, the three lowbies did escape.”

“Great. So you know where it is. Did you do that raid? Is it safe?”

Marcus could see the end of the suffering coming. A week in Northworld, and all his wounds would be gone. Even the kidney would regrow. As long as he didn’t get in trouble again and people didn’t notice his unnatural healing…

Then he noticed that the Cartographer hadn’t said anything.

“Not safe?”

“We didn’t believe them.”

“What? Why?”

“Can you blame us? I mean, I don’t even believe you now. Even if you have your account details, what you’re saying is…”

“Fuck. Fuck you. Fuck you and your guild. I shouldn’t have listened to the Russki. Become famous he said. Your names will live forever, he said.”

Marcus slammed the laptop closed and cried.