Chapter 13: An Impossible Gateway

“You're ready?”

The friendly guard from before was back, but while he greeted Ricky with a smile, he appeared much more tense than before, stepping closer as he handed Ricky back the mask which had remained with the pod while he was working.

“I think I am,” Ricky replied. “I’ve eaten, and, well... I kinda know what to expect in here, now. I think I’m getting the hang of the Dark Framework.”

“I know you are, Ricky. You got acclimatized quickly, and that’s good. Not least because we need to act much faster than I previously realized.”

“What... what do you mean by ‘we’?”

How had the guard even known his name? And then, Ricky realized what was so familiar about the man’s approach. He leaned towards the guard. “Wait – are you Xarok?”

The man nodded, and glanced around, noticing that another guard was now approaching. “But we can’t speak here. Come on – time to get back to the safe house.”

“I was gonna ask someth...” began Ricky, but the man was already stepping away, indicating with his hand towards the robotic ladder which had now slid into place.

Ricky sighed. He supposed that he could tell Xarok about his conversation with Julie soon enough. With no other option, he began to climb up.

Before long, the sleeping pod platform was sliding into position once again. As the small round door closed behind him, he pulled the tight, constraining mask back over his face, closed his eyes, and pressed the button.

“Welcome back to the Dark Framework, Ricky,” said the Guide, as he sat up.

The room he had slept in was rectangular, with a single bed. There was a desk on the other side, on which he had dumped his possessions before going to bed, and a metal door in the narrow end of the room. A gently-glowing lantern was positioned above it. And there was no window, meaning that there was no natural light.

Of course not – he was still underground.

*Achievement: Rest up! You have found a safe place to recuperate overnight for the first time. +10XP

*Daily event: You have slept for twenty-three hours and forty minutes. The time in the Dark Framework is now 08:09.

*Healing report: You have gained 13 hit points (23 remain). You are now fully healed.

*Health update: You have regained 2 point of lost fatigue. You are no longer fatigued.

Twenty-three hours...? Of course, Ricky thought – time must pass faster here, even while he was working in the camp and sleeping in the Dark Framework. For only around twelve hours could have passed during his time working in the camp.

It was good to see that he had now healed, he supposed – but he still felt mentally tired, and thirsty too. Back in northern Europe, where Ricky grew up, many people would drink coffee in the morning. It didn’t seem like anything of that kind was offered in the refugee camp – the evening meal had consisted of bowls of thin stew, with metal mugs of water alongside. He had seen guards sipping at mugs of what people on the ships used to call ‘green coffee’ – a kind of mush of fermented leaves that Ricky had never developed a liking for.

He then remembered the restorative brew that he had shared with Xarok and Gabriella the night before. Was there coffee here, in the Framework? If so, he would certainly like some. Perhaps he should ask the barman... or maybe there was a quicker way.

Guide, he called out, again speaking inside his head. Does coffee exist in this simulation?

“Yes, Ricky,” she replied. “Coffee, as well as most types of tea and maté, alcoholic drinks, and other common beverages do all exist in the Dark Framework, but they are not necessarily available in all towns and villages.”

Right, he muttered. So an actual quest to get cup of coffee, then?

*Quest 020 (level 2): Obtain the beverage known as coffee.

Oh, damn.

Guide – is there some way we can cancel that last quest? I was only asking... I already have more than enough to do.

“Very well.”

*Quest 020 update: Obtain the beverage known as coffee. Quest cancelled.

Thank you.

Ricky smiled wryly, rising from the bed. He stepped over to his belongings and started to strap on his armor again, then strapped on his belt together with the recently-acquired katana.

Finally he shouldered his leather satchel. Taking one last scan of the bare room, he hesitated, spying a curved object in the far corner. It was around the size of his finger, and it looked... familiar.

*Achievement: Sharp eyes! Avid perception begets future advantages. +10XP

And then he realized – it was very like the claws of the korapta lizard that he had seen back in the forest. But why was there a claw from one of those foul beasts in here?

As he thought about it, it became clear to Ricky that this Big Mindar character – the warrior whose room he had slept in – must be a great hunter as well as a warrior. Someone who took out korapta lizards, and kept the guild and the city safe.

A mighty hero.

When Ricky walked over and stooped to pick up the small object, turning it over in his hand, he saw a notification that caused him to adjust this assumption:

***

New item

Item: Half-dragon claw

Class: Trinket

Resilience: 5

Description: to a half dragon, a claw that has been broken or shed is a common sight; damaged claws regrow within a fortnight.

***

Half dragon? That was a new one, though if anything they sounded harder to hunt than korapta lizards. Perhaps Xarok could fill him in about those, too. And he still needed to ask his companion about the rival guilds.

*Quest 021 (level 3): Find out more about half-dragons.

At that moment, there came a knock at the door. Dropping the claw into his shoulder bag, Ricky turned to the door, but before answering, he decided to ask one more question:

Guide – can you tell me people’s identities in the real world? I mean, Xarok is a camp guard, right? Are any other players actually guards rather than refugees?

“I can’t provide that information, Ricky, though if you view the map, you will be able to see who is a player and who is an NPC.”

Okay. Then, what about Julie. Can you tell me who her identity is, here in the game?

“I can’t provide that information, Ricky.”

What about her guild? Is she a member of the Tooth and Claw Guild?

“I can’t provide that information either, Ricky.”

Right. Well – never mind.

Ricky stepped over and opened the door. Outside in the dark corridor, Xarok was there, alone.

“Good news,” said the demonkind spellcaster, turning to one side and hurrying off immediately towards the bar area, gesturing for Ricky to follow. “A quorum of the guild council have already met, and your membership has been approved.”

Ricky began to hurry after his companion. “Thank you, Xarok! That’s excellent news.”

Xarok glanced back over his shoulder. “You can say that again,” he called out. “Normally guild members have to show loyalty for many weeks. Earn our trust before becoming part of the inner circle. But the fact is, we are pushed. Pushed for time, and pinned back by enemies on all sides. And I have a good feeling about you.”

Ricky nodded a fraction, unsure where this was leading. “So?”

Xarok again glanced over his shoulder, with a smile this time. “So you're being fast-tracked. We like you, and you have the skills we need. But first, come quickly – it's time to show you what we are fighting for.”

Together, they passed right through the bar room in a straight line, rather than climbing the stairs that had led Ricky there in the first place. Ahead lay an unfamiliar and wide corridor, and this in turn led to a dingy set of stone stairs that descended quite far in a straight line, emerging at last at a large rectangular dungeon room with four arched doorways, one on each wall.

“Is this it?” said Ricky, looking around and feeling bemused.

“Come, come. You will soon see,” said Xarok.

Despite the spellcaster’s obvious hurry, Ricky stepped in warily, looking around at the dungeon room. It was bare, with dark stonework on all sides, and there were shackles and manacles attached to iron hoops upon the far wall. Each doorway was an open arch, and little could be seen beyond the three that could be seen from the stairway – just stone corridors disappearing into the distance.

“This way, Ricky. By the howl of the wolf.”

Xarok had turned, and now led the way through the archway on the same side of the chamber as the stairs. Together they proceeded through a narrow, downward-sloping tunnel that appeared to have been mined directly into the bedrock beneath the city.

Soon the tunnel straightened out, twisted to the right, and then ran in a straight line for a further thirty yards or so. At the end of this stretch stood a door, and in front of it, a single archer. The man was very tall and slim, with medium-brown skin, a stubbly beard, and a bald head. He wore an eyepatch, and stood beside a barrel of arrows.

“One of my little additions to the complex,” said Xarok, gesturing ahead as they walked towards the man. “A kill corridor; too narrow for more than one to walk along, or for monsters or enemy steeds to enter. Our foes – if they ever got this far – would have to approach in single file. And thieves would not get far either, because Garbon there is our finest archer.”

The defensive thinking was clear, but Ricky wondered how much of what he was hearing was about boasting, how much was informing, and how much was to tell him that he was here under a degree of threat. Turn on them – flee with whatever prize he was about to be shown – and he'd fall with an arrow in his back. They would show no mercy to traitors.

And rightly so.

Xarok continued to lead the way. As they reached Garbon, the tall man looked down at the newcomers, his eyes circled with dark lines indicating fatigue, and then resumed staring at the long tunnel as Xarok and Ricky shuffled past him.

“Does that man ever get a break?” Ricky asked quietly, as they moved into the next room.

But the question drifted off unanswered. Both companions were now looking ahead, staring at a stone gateway set in one wall, with what appeared to be a shimmering translucent purple film covering the entranceway itself.

The outside of the gate was rectangular and made of thick granite that stood proud from the surrounding wall. All around this frame, on both sides, runes had been etched, though these were entirely mysterious to Ricky, if they had any meaning at all.

There were also four obvious circular gaps that appeared to go deep into the stonework and the wall beyond. Two of these gaps had orbs sitting within them, both of which were glowing slightly, as if lit from within. One orb was golden yellow in color, and the other a bright, cyan blue. The other two were empty.

But the gate itself was what really caught the eye. It was covered with a glowing film of golden energy, as well as a lattice of what looked like dark blue rods, but might also have been made of light. Beyond, it was possible to make out the shimmering image of a street, cobbled and bounded by high-sided stone walls, one of which had two bronze-colored doorways set into it, each decorated in a peculiar pattern of interlocking triangles.

Ricky stepped closer to the mysterious gate. “Is that where you are trying to get to?” he asked, peering ahead.

“Yes,” said Xarok, sounding uncharacteristically wistful. “A magical gate. When we found it, the area within the frame was made of plain stone. Putting in the orbs has created the magical door that you now see. And one of our guild members, Vespucci, made it through, though at huge cost.”

“And?”

“Before he died, Vespucci told us that the key, or at least one of the remaining keys, lies beyond. He left a text – a journal of sorts.”

“So this is the goal?”

Xarok nodded. “We believe this gate to be a sort of portal. In times past, the legend goes, a great empire rose up in this area, and they mastered portal technology. Used them for travel. But I think this may be older still, for it was deep beneath the city as you can see. Perhaps they learned the magic from this example. In any case, this one is more of a container. It’s only way to get to the key, and the only way to open the gate is via the orbs.

“Are you sure you can’t just push your way through? It looks so peaceful...” Ricky took another step forward, reaching out, but Xarok grabbed his wrist, nodding towards the ground.

“That's far enough, hero,” growled Xarok. “Look down.”

Ricky looked down. There, on the dusty ground just beyond the glowing gate, lay multiple bones – apparently human in the main – and a couple of complete and partially-clothed skeletons.

“As you can see, one cannot simply walk in, though many have tried.” Xarok took a step to the side, pulling Ricky closer.

“But what about Vespucci?”

Xarok nodded. “At one point, an additional orb was in place, but it was stolen – hence the greater security that you see nowadays, as well as Gabriella’s current mission. But even with three orbs in place, nobody could pass through without grievous injury. With just two, it is instant death.”

Ricky nodded. “And with all four orbs?”

Xarok frowned. “That remains to be seen. But it is, we hope, the path to victory.”

Having returned to a higher level of the complex, Ricky once again found himself hurrying along behind Xarok. Soon, his companion had passed by bar area where they had sat prior to taking a few hours of sleep, with Ricky following closely behind. They walked past Big Mindar’s room, as well as several further metal doors which were evenly spaced out along the corridor – more bedrooms, Ricky speculated.

Before long the passageway curved, and a metal double door appeared up ahead. One of the doors was already propped open using a triangular wedge that looked like some kind of bone. Still striding ahead, Xarok stepped through, gesturing for Ricky to follow.

They found themselves in a large, round room, highly decorative with murals and frescoes. Within there were a circle of a dozen large and ornate wooden chairs, each one exactly the same size, and each spaced out by around a yard or two from the next, all facing inwards towards the center of the room. There was a lantern at the side of each chair, filling the area with an uneven but bright light. In the center of the area was a single bench, and the floor beneath was covered in square black tiles. The ceiling of the area was high and domed.

“This is the council chamber,” said Xarok, turning and spreading his hands. “Where the inner circle of the Tooth and Claw Guild meet. As you can see, the core members are not great in number, even before one or two recent losses.”

Xarok now paused for a few seconds, looking around. “I had hoped that you could meet most of them today,” he continued, “but, well...” He trailed off, rubbing at his neck; Ricky got a sense of tension, of a man under pressure. “Things have been moving on rapidly, like I said outside. The game is afoot, and our missions cannot wait. Perhaps we will all be together here soon, or at the gate, at least. I hope so. Anyhow – please sit yourself down.”

Ricky had started to peer at one of the designs on the wall as Xarok was speaking. It was a map of some kind, and he could see Imperialis marked on it, sitting on the northeastern coast of a land mass. He could also see the abandoned settlement of Doomstar that Xarok had mentioned, immediately to the south, and the edge of Triptych Forest to the west. Further on still was a mighty river and a large swathe of hills towards the edge of the image.

Tearing himself away, he moved to the center of the area and sat on the bench.

“As I said, I’m sorry we can’t all be here to witness this, as is traditional,” said Xarok. He had moved over towards the center of the circle of chairs, and now lifted one of a pair of small clay urns that Ricky had not previously noticed. The vessel was around the size of a tankard of ale.

“As I told you once before,” Xarok continued, walking back over to Ricky as he spoke, “there are three conditions of membership. One is that you partake in a mission with one or more existing members, and you have done that already. The second is the leadership vote, and the fee. As the vote has already been passed, we now need only the fee to fulfil that condition. Do you have ten silvers, Ricky? That’s the cost of guild membership for a year, and it would be cheap at twice the price if you ask me.”

“Sure. I mean, I looted a few goblins,” murmured Ricky, pulling a handful of coins out of his belt pouch and holding them out. Xarok peered at the palm of his hand, and began to take a few silver coins from among the mixture of predominantly silver and copper, and then dropped them into the urn, one at a time.

***

Wealth update

Gold: 5

Silver: 12

Copper: 23

***

“Wait – this isn’t a scam, is it?” said Ricky, looking around and narrowing his eyes. “I mean, here I am, paying ten silvers for membership of a guild that aren’t anywhere to be seen.”

Xarok grunted. “I apologize again for that,” he said. “It would certainly have been preferable to induct you with the usual ceremony, and all of our most trusted members in attendance.”

“So what happened?”

“I told you that there are risks. Guilds are often in conflict. It appears that we have incited the wrath of other guilds – our most powerful rivals, no doubt.

“Because of killing the goblins in the north?”

“I doubt it. There are bigger stakes in play than a few slave soldiers, Ricky. And so our most powerful members, the real players, have been called to action.”

“To fight?”

“Possibly. We will see. Negotiation with rival guilds may be best, but the most critical thing is to protect this sanctum, and after that, to protect the city. The gate and the orbs are here, as you have now seen.”

Xarok now placed the urn with the coins inside onto the bench beside Ricky, and returned for its partner vessel. This time he walked back over more cautiously, and Ricky could tell that this container was full of liquid.

“As you know, your membership of the guild gives you more than just the protection of your fellows,” said Xarok as he approached. “You saw Gabriella and I transform. This is a power that you, too, will have. And in truth, you haven’t even seen half of it yet.”

“I’ll be able to turn into a wolf?”

Xarok shrugged fractionally. “Well, as to the specifics, the wolf is the most common form. But the exact nature of the enchantment depends on the individual.”

“Wait... what? Is there something else that I might change into?” Ricky suddenly got a mental image of himself magically transforming into a fly or a worm while mid-combat.

“We do have a member of the guild who can transform into a bear.”

Ricky nodded thoughtfully. “Well... okay. That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“And we’ve had a couple who are what you might call wererats,” added Xarok.

“No, no, wait – I don’t want to turn into a rat!” said Ricky, standing.

“Calm yourself,” said Xarok, placing the urn down onto the bench and putting one hand on Ricky’s shoulder. “It is a process that draws on what is both inside and outside. It takes into account all of your existing features, skills, strengths, characteristics. Now, it does not strike me that you are very rat-like at all. You’re not at all stealthy or quick, for one thing, and you’re pretty tall, too.”

Ricky nodded, peering at the demonkind spellcaster suspiciously, then nodded and sat back down. “I suppose you are right, though it feels like quite a gamble.”

“And please don’t forget why you are here,” Xarok added. “Why we are all here in the first place. We all want to get into the city of New Baravia, correct? And there is no way you’ll cut enough of that rotten swamp wood before you reach old age. So you need to win a key. And to be in with a chance of doing that, you need strength, power, and many other advantages. You don’t want to be a victim of the next lizard that crosses your path – or of a rival guild.”

“You’re right,” said Ricky, nodding. “If this gives me an advantage, then count me in. I didn’t come all this way for nothing.”

Xarok nodded sagely. “You should also know that it is something of a trade off,” said the demonkind. “And you must be careful. Power, yes, strength – we all want these things. But you must strive to maintain a certain balance. You can lose... a bit of your humanity if you maintain beastform for too long. Be careful, always.”

Ricky frowned, thinking hard. “In the real world I am a refugee, as you know. I have already had to make some hateful compromises and lost more of my humanity than I care to admit, but I am still me. There is something of a decent person inside, I think, and I know how to cling on to that, even when things are hard.”

“Very well,” said Xarok. “Good. Good. Take this urn, then. Drink.”

Ricky took the urn in his hands, and sipped from the dark liquid within. It was thick, acrid, and had a metallic taste.

“Wait – is this blood?”

“Drink,” repeated the spellcaster.

“It’s not... human blood is it?”

Xarok’s amber eyes stared back, but he did not reply.

Ricky glanced down again. “Well, as long as it wasn’t taken from a child, I am good.”

“The liquid has a mysterious nature, my friend. But in time, all will be revealed to you.”

“Hmm.” He looked at the substance again, running his finger in a circle at the edge of the bowl. “Very well. I suppose this is just a simulation. I just hope you didn’t do anything too sick or cruel...”

With that, Ricky raised the bowl to his mouth again, trying not to spill any of the liquid as he gulped it down.

And strangely, after the first few mouthfuls it didn’t taste too bad after all.

Accumulated XP: 625 (unspent – 125)