Chapter 10 – A Widow’s Grief

I exit the capsule in a sour mood. I really don’t like it when my plan falls together like that. I was sooo close.

Entering the kitchen, I open my fridge and grab a box at random, opening it and chucking it into the microwave. While I wait for it to finish, I take a quick trip to the bathroom. As I unleash the waterfall, a calming sensation travels down my spine, allowing me to lower my shoulders and letting my tense muscles relax. Going to the bathroom does wonders for my psyche. It has always been like that, and some of my best epiphanies have come to me while sitting on this fantastic ceramic bowl.

So what’s my next step here?

Currently, I have two different plans to escape the noob district. Hiding as a stow-away on a departing wagon might be my best bet, but I don’t like my chances. If the Dark Pegasus guild is paranoid enough to invest a thousand euros into making a thick steel grate in a hidden sewer, they probably won’t be stupid enough not to carefully inspect every wagon departing through the gate. I don’t think I’m going to get anywhere with that idea.

The sewer escape seems impossible now, but a small voice at the back of my head isn’t quite yet willing to let it go. The grate has to have some sort of weakness, right?

I frown as I grab my tablet and pull up a screenshot I took off the grate earlier. It’s a solid steel grate, which must have taken half a ton of steel bars just to have it cover the entire sewer exit. Not only is it heavy and requires a whole lot of manpower just to move, but you would also need to have a fortune of ingame gold and connections just to get anything done. I don’t think player blacksmiths are a high enough level to make a custom project like that yet, which means the guild must have hired expensive NPC blacksmiths for the job.

Which begs the question: why go through all this trouble? Is it really worth a thousand euros just to keep a few Thief Lords out of the city? Why would they care?

The only explanation I can think of is that the Dark Pegasus guild is somehow going to annex the entire city under their rule. There have been some speculations on the forums that players can indeed capture cities, but such an endeavour would be ambitious at best. Only the most hardcore guilds would try to make a powerplay this early in the game. I didn’t expect the Dark Pegasus guild to be one of them. Have I gotten myself tangled up into something I shouldn’t? The amount of money they are investing in this game only confirms my speculations.

I shake my head. Power play or not, it’s none of my business. It could actually work in my favor. If they believe they have completely isolated the noob district, it would only mean I’d have an easier time leveling up if I manage to escape into the city. The problem, however, is to actually pull it off.

The main problem is the trap Anna spoke of. As with everything the Dark Pegasus guild does, it seems incredibly excessive. Maybe if I find a way to break the trap, could I then use my minions to tear it down? Can I be absolutely certain the trap is even real? I don’t think Anna would lie, but it might all be a bluff. But then again, why bluff when no one knows about the trap anyway?

Sigh. I need to learn more about it.

I gobble down my food as quickly as I can while I peruse the skill lists for the umpteenth time, trying to find out if there is some sort of skill that can save the day. Perhaps a skill that negates fall damage? I wonder how long it would take to level it up enough to survive a fifty-meter drop onto rocky cliffs.

...

Probably a lot.

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Reentering the game, I find my avatar sitting just where I left him. On his ass surrounded by three suspicious-looking homeless people. Not sketchy looking at all, nope.

The fun thing about this game is that your character never disappears from the game world. It’s an interesting feature that allows player characters to have a greater impact on the world. I really like the feature. In the earlier days of gaming, too many players could abuse the system and disappear and reappear at critical moments. It would be an incompatible system with this game though. If Villains could just log out and disappear every time something got dicey, then it wouldn’t be so hard to hide from all the players hunting me. When my character is constantly present in the game, it makes it that much more important to have a series of hiding places.

Regular players would just rent a room at a tavern or a guild house, but it’s not that easy for Villains. Well, I could also technically hide in a tavern, and I most likely will, but it won’t help me hide all my underlings. Someone would definitely notice if a small army of criminals enters and leave my room at all hours of the day.

Playing as a Villain is definitely like playing the game on hard mode. Luckily for me, at least my underlings can defend me while my character stands idly around. It will always be a risk factor though. One that I will have to work hard to avoid.

But enough about that. What am I supposed to do about this darn grate?

A small part of me just wants to give it a solid kick, but that’d be a stupid thing to do. I start by inspecting it thoroughly, seeing if there’s any weakness I can try to exploit. Sadly, since game logic is a thing, those efforts are wasted. The only semi-successful thing I do is putting a strain on my neck, trying to get a peek beyond the grate. I only see the final stretch of the tunnel leading outwards, and a small puddle of seawater at the bend in the corridor. I suppose that means I’m at the sea level. All the good that will do me.

The next part of my expert plan is to head back up into the sewers to find a willing test subject for the super deadly trap that is supposed to be placed on the grate. Naturally, there are plenty of rats still left alive to fulfill that job. Wiping out another pack, my Hoodlum grapples a level one sewer rat which we bring back down to the grate. Unceremoniously chucking it at the big lump of metal, we get front row seats to watch the poor critter get electrocuted by what appears to be a miniature lightning bolt.

“So much for plan B…” I mutter, watching the still smoking corpse of the rat. The game’s not giving me much to work with here…

I start pacing around the small tunnel, looking around while my mind wanders. I don’t see anything that’s useful. There are a bunch of rotten barrels and crates, which wouldn’t even be useable as a makeshift battering ram. There’s a bunch of filthy rags… equally useless. The only other things around here are my underlings, and it’s not like they can do anything to the grate. Or maybe…?

…

Nah, I give up.

With a dejected sigh, I leave the grate and start heading towards the surface. It should be nighttime soon, so I figure I should try to get some shopping done before all the stores close for the night. Players may not need to sleep, but NPCs still do. This is why the developers had to skew the ingame nighttime so much since the player density is the highest when people are asleep in the real world, and they can’t do any shopping if the shops are always closed. This also means that ingame nighttime is all about performing kill quests or go dungeon diving. Coincidentally, that’s also the best time for a Thief Lord to operate since players don’t skulk around the shops too much.

Removing my Villain’s Mask, I order my underlings to stay in the sewers and guard the entrance. It should be the safest place for them since hardly anyone is supposed to know about it. Exiting the sewers, my lungs inhale as if they never tasted fresh air before, replacing the musky sewer air with fresh salt air.

“Oh god, that smells nice…” I mutter while grinning like an idiot. I’ve never been a fan of nasty smells, which is why I never bothered raising zombies when I was playing as a Necromancer. I stand still in the shadows of the tavern, smelling freshly cooked meat drift through the kitchen window. The sensual stimulation in this game is just so-.

The sound of rapid footsteps approaching breaks me out of my trance and causes me to spin around, staring horrified at the nearby alley. As my heart is about to escape through my mouth, a familiar-looking dwarf appears around the tavern corner.

“Oh you little bastard.” I sigh while clutching my chest. “You scared me half to death.”

Staring at me with a serious expression, the mute Beggar nods once before a blue window appears before my eyes.

Your Agent (Dwarf Beggar(2)) has uncovered a secret!

A Widow’s Grief.

Job type: Heist. Difficulty: Medium (?). Deadline: 21 Days. Rewards: 150 Experience, Unknown.

Two fortnights ago, Sergeant Joseph Davvins of the Town Guards was killed on duty. Stricken by grief, his wife has found solace at the bottom of a bottle. Rumours have it that Sergeant Davvins truly adored his wife, spending his meager paychecks on spoiling her with luxurious gifts and jewelry. Their two-storey house stands empty and should be ripe for a plucking.

Do you wish to accept this job?

A Thief Lord exclusive job! I grin like a maniac as I read through the job specifics. Oh… My smile falters. I had similar sorts of quests when I was playing as a Necromancer, and I still find it slightly creepy what they ask of me. I didn’t have much problem stomaching it when I had to plunder tombs or desecrating holy places, but robbing the widow of an honest man who died making the city a safer place? They may be virtual, but it’s a tough moral pill to swallow for me when my dad is a retired police officer.

It’s not that I won’t do it though. Morals or not, it’s still just a game. No matter how you look at or rationalize it, it’s not real. Some people may call it a morally gray area, but in reality, I don’t see it as a question of morality at all. The NPCs are fake, designed to be targets for my entertainment. The players all know what they are getting into, be it as the victim or the perpetrator. If you don’t like it, then don’t play.

Robbing this grieving widow blind isn’t, in reality, a bad thing to do as it has no consequences and it doesn’t hurt anyone. It would in real life, but here it doesn’t. Making these choices while being aware of the consequences and repercussions doesn’t make me a psychopath or even a bad person. I’m exploring other avenues of morality in itself. I would say it’s a good thing. Healthy, even.

Losing myself in internal philosophical debates is a bad habit of mine I’m afraid, causing me to miss the fact that I’ve been standing face-to-face with a hobo in the middle of an alley for almost five minutes straight.

I dismiss the Beggar to go out and keep doing his thing, but not before I tell him to report to me every three hours. Keeping a tight leash on my underlings is important to me during these early levels since I don’t have that many of them, and I never know when I might need them. It would do me no good if the Beggar got lost for days on end looking for jobs that might not even be here.

Departing in the opposite direction of my Beggar, I hurry towards the marketplace. I’m quickly burning daylight, and I really need to get some upgrades to my underlings’ or my own gear if I want to increase the success chance of my new job. You never know when things go sideways on a job, and that goes double when you have everything to lose.

The noob district’s marketplace is not far from the Tavern, as they are both located in the same quadrant of the district. It hardly qualifies to be called a marketplace though, as it’s pretty much only four small stores placed around a small cul-de-sac at the northern part of the peninsula. Jingling my full sack of coins, I grin as I walk into the most popular store: Alf’s Weapons’n’Armor.

The store is managed by a burly dwarf named Alf. Big surprise there! The store is pretty much what one would expect from a medieval weapons shop, as rows upon rows of weapons and armor are mounted on racks lining the walls around us. The most expensive-looking wares are hung on a rack safely behind the counter, while the cheap stuff is closer to the exit.

The store is starting to empty this late in the day, and there are only two other players in the store as I enter, both haggling ferociously with the stout dwarf behind the counter. Waiting for my turn, I start perusing some wares around the shop while I subtly eavesdrop on the haggling trio. The two players looking oddly familiar for some reason.

“These prices are way too steep, sir.” A human paladin wielding a two-handed mace says. “It costs as much as two days work peddling crates. It just doesn’t seem fair.”

“Fair!?” Alf snorts. “It took me two days tha’ craft tha’ beauty. Don’t come ere’ sellin’ me tha’ load of horse crap, boy.” He glares at the human player.

Huh. I’m slightly surprised the little dwarf isn’t speaking with a Scottish accent as the common fantasy trope dictates. I’m not sure what the hell sort of dialect he is talking, but it’s surprisingly fetching.

“But, you’re just an NPC…” The human frowns.

“Don’t bother, Kevin. If you piss him off any further, he might just double the prices.” The other player chuckles. I notice he’s a short dwarven paladin wielding a copper mace and a dented wooden buckler. “Just pay the man so we can head out and do some combat quests.”

“But he’s ripping me off!” Kevin sulks, glaring back at Alf.

“Yeah, but that’s life for you. If you want better prices, I suggest you spend one of your skill points on the haggling skill. You’re not getting anywhere like this. Now hurry up, the store closes soon and you won’t find another store to sell you anything until the morning.” The dwarven player says, gently nudging towards the door.

“But…” Kevin starts but is quickly cut off by the dwarf.

“If we don’t hurry, we won’t have a hope in hell of joining the Dark Pegasus guild.” The dwarf crosses his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.

Sighing deeply, Kevin relents. “Fine. Have it your way. Take my damn money you old bastard. I hope you choke on it.” Kevin grits his teeth while handing over two gold coins to the shopkeeper.

“Pleasure doin’ business with ya, boy.” Alf grins while swiping the coins out of Kevin’s hand. “Now, piss off. I have work tha’ do.” He scowls at the players.

Glaring at the merchant, the two players exit the store while Kevin curses heavily under his breath. Right before the door closes, I hear Greg’s chuckling voice. “Calm down, Kevin. I’ll buy you a pint of ale in the tavern before we head out.”

As the two players exit, Alf turns his attention towards me. “Now, little Halfling. Wha’ can I help ya with?” He shows a toothy grin, revealing a set of yellowed teeth, with a lone silver tooth catching my eye.

I smile back at the dwarf. “I’m glad you ask.”