CD Chapter Twenty-nine (Patreon)

He looked from Tess to Ava, clearly uncomfortable. Finally, he sighed. “Call your mounts. This will take a while.”

Tess’s brows disappeared beneath the rim of her horned helmet, but she nodded, and within a few minutes, they were all mounted again. There was no chatter about what loot they’d recovered from their various fallen enemies, and no discussion about skills and levels as they silently cantered around the tree. Once Myles urged Sleipnir into his eight-legged form, Beta and Argent settled in behind the horse and Alpha triggered [Vampiric Stealth] and sent, ::Well?::

There was a hesitation, and Tess quickly put in, ::And do either of you know how long Toggle will sleep? This is weird, and I’m starting to get worried.::

Myles was unwontedly serious as he said, ::It’s one of the effects of [Turn Ally]. He’ll wake up when night falls.::

::Is he a vampire now, too?:: Tess gasped.

Alpha had been re-reading the skill description. She’d barely skimmed it before, since she had no intention of ever using it, but now she said, ::No. He’s my ‘servant’ now. That means I can communicate with him mentally, a little bit, and when I drink his blood, he’ll recover more quickly and gain a slight boost to his Dexterity.::

::Right,:: Myles said, sounding relieved that she was being so calm. ::It’s not a big deal, and doing it would have saved his life, even if Tess hadn’t had any healing potions.::

::I told you,:: Alpha said, enunciating carefully, ::that I never wanted to bite anyone again.::

She could see him flinch at the chill in her voice, even from ten feet behind him. ::I know, but at least he offered freely. It’s just… I’m afraid you’re going to need the [Turn Ally] skill at at least level twenty. If you don’t start leveling it now, you won’t be able to do what you need to do.:: The heavy weight of meaning behind his words made Alpha’s heart sink. Somehow, this skill was tied into the reason Amythyst had turned Alpha into a vampire in the first place.

All three of them were silent as their horses carried them ever closer to Vargo, and it was Tess who finally broke the tension. ::Okay, I don’t know what you guys are into, but I know Alpha well enough to know it’s not anything bad. So would someone please let me in on it? I swear I can help. You know, within reason.::

Myles started to say something, but Alpha overrode him. If she was in Tess’ shoes, the weirdness would have made her bail already, and her friend deserved better. ::Myles is on a quest to rescue someone. He thinks they’re trapped somewhere, and I’m going to try to help him get her out. He’s the one who made me into a vampire, apparently because he’s going to need vamp skills for something. And that’s about as much as I know.::

Well, if you ignored the fact that Amythyst was an artificial intelligence created as a replacement for a woman who was supposed to be dead, but probably wasn’t. Still, down that road lay illegal activities, and as long as Tess’ involvement stayed inside the game, she shouldn’t get in trouble if Alpha got caught.

::Ye-es,:: Myles confirmed, with audible reluctance. ::The person we need to save may not be able to come with us of her own volition. But if Alpha bites her twice, turning her into a minion, then she has to obey her master’s orders. That means she’ll follow, even if she otherwise couldn’t or wouldn’t. It’s… more complicated than that, but that’s the gist.::

Understanding flooded Alpha, crowding out her residual anger. Veritas Online had built-in protections against player-on-player abuse. PvP was one thing, but if one player could just pick up and carry away another avatar, they could potentially make the person do something they didn’t want to in order to regain access to the character. Obviously, the victim would report anything like that to the GMs, but it could take up to a week to get a response from a real person, and a week was too long when it came to abduction and blackmail.

In order to prevent such incidents, VO didn’t allow anyone to move anyone else’s avatar without their permission. During battle, they could be kicked around or knocked back, but never more than ten feet at a time, and simply being picked up and carried away was impossible. The avatar would feel like they weighed so much they couldn’t be raised into the air, unless they gave the other person permission. Obviously, if someone was injured and needed to be carried from the battlefield, or they needed someone to lift them so they could reach something up high, then they didn’t want to be stuck to the earth by the gravity of a thousand suns.

So, Amythyst was worried that if Amy was unresponsive, she wouldn’t be able to give permission. Though what the point was of removing the woman’s avatar from wherever she was, Alpha didn’t know. They needed to get her physical body out, didn’t they?

Obviously, Tess’ thoughts had been following the same path, though without the knowledge that there was a physical body to worry about. ::You mean [Turn Ally] circumvents the movement permissions? Isn’t that, y’know, bad? I mean, all the players I knew who were vamps - before Alpha - were grade A jerks. Like, exactly the kind of people who would make someone’s character do something bad for fun.::

Sounding slightly amused, Myles said, ::You’re absolutely right. That was a problem when they were testing the skill. That’s why it’s called [Turn Ally]. If Alpha attempts to use it on a player who isn’t either in her party or on her Friends list, it’ll fail, killing the other player, and saving them from ‘a fate worse than death’.::

::It really all comes down to trust. When Toggle told Alpha he trusted her, he gave her as much permission as she needs from an NPC. Obviously, in spite of what some people wanted, a vampire can’t have an endless army of minions, so there’s also a lower chance of success depending on how many the vampire already has. After about ten, the chance of success is so small that no one will volunteer any more, especially after they’ve died trying a few times.::

::Okay,:: Tess said, decisively, ::that’s it. Myles, who are you? You talk like you were around when they were creating vampires, but I happen to know one of the people involved, and she’s never mentioned you.::

Myles sighed. ::Bridget is a friend and co-worker of mine. When I’m not hanging out playing, I’m a moderator, among other things. You could think of me like Bridget’s general dogsbody. She comes up with yet another brilliant idea, and I take care of business while she’s off doing genius stuff.::

::But she’s-::

The AI interrupted Tess, ::On her honeymoon. I know. Probably the smartest thing she ever did, actually, and here I am, taking care of business.::

Tess tried again. ::But how is this quest part of-:: She stopped as they crested a hill and found themselves looking down over a medium-sized fortified town, bustling with wagons and guards.

Myles reined Sleipnir in, and the mount’s extra legs vanished as he settled into a normal trot. ::I present to you; Vargo! Though it’s slightly after noon, thanks to our uninvited playmates.::

Tess shook her head, blonde braids glinting in the sunlight. ::I never would have believed we could get here this quickly. Though if you’re a Mod, well, that explains a lot.::

Myles turned, casting the dwarf a glance of overly dramatic dismay. ::Are you implying that I would cheat, fair lady? Because I assure you I totally would.:: He grinned, winked, and clucked at Sleipnir, urging the steed onward. Leaving the road, he circled the people waiting to pass through the checkpoint, ignoring their mutters of discontent. Alpha and Tess followed behind him, though Beta’s saddle would appear empty to anyone not in their party.

Myles leaned down over Sleipnir’s withers and spoke quietly to one of the NPC guards. The man instantly straightened, saluted, and called out to another guard who was walking up and down the line, maintaining order.

“Oi, Saul! Get the commander! Tell him his guest is here!”

Saul snapped a salute and ran off back into the town. His metal sabatons clattered on the bluestones of the road as he vanished. The first guard looked back up at Myles. “Just wait here, if you please, sir. The commander said you’d be here at noon, and he’s already come down here twice to check on you.”

Myles nodded, tugging gently on his horse’s reins. Sleipnir whickered and sidled back a few steps. Alpa edged Beta into the narrow shadow cast by the high city wall.

::I only have five minutes before I have to reset [Vampiric Stealth],:: Alpha sent. ::Will these guys freak out if I appear and then disappear?::

::No doubt,:: Myles said, cheerfully. ::So we’d better hope Commander Cavendish hurries.::

No sooner had he finished speaking than a short, middle-aged man appeared behind the guard. At first glance, he was an unprepossessing figure, but when he spoke, it was in a sharp snap that clearly expected to be obeyed.

“Corporal, report!”

The soldier jumped slightly, but snapped a salute. “Sir, yes sir! This man claims to be-” Myles coughed loudly, covering the man’s words, and he stumbled to a halt before trying again, “Ah, I mean, the person you’ve been waiting for is here, sir!”

Blue eyes assessed Myles and Tess, and the commander nodded. “As you were, Corporal.” His voice shifted, suddenly sounding respectful instead of forceful. “Sir, if you’ll follow me?” He stepped back, motioning for Myles to enter the town.

A few players in the front of the line whispered angrily, and a half-elf demanded, “Why does he get to go right in, while we have to wait? I’m supposed to meet my girlfriend in ten minutes, and I don’t have time for this crap!”

Myles tipped a non-existent cap, grinned roguishly, and said, “I suggest you grind some reputation quests. Now, we also have better things to do.” He touched his heels to Sleipnir’s sides, and all three horses obediently followed the commander.

As Alpha followed at the end of the impromptu procession, she watched the timer on her stealth skill tick down. When she had just under a minute left, the commander motioned to the door of a stable and said, “You may use the barrack stables, Lord Myles2Go. Please, let the grooms know if you need anything. I’ll wait here while you drop off your mounts.” He cast a curious glance at Alpha’s ‘empty’ saddle, but didn’t say anything as Myles and Tess dismounted, leading their horses inside, with Beta trailing them.

Grooms stepped up to take each animal’s reins, leading them into a stall. Myles waved off the boy reaching for Beta’s lead and grasped the mare’s halter instead, gently urging her into a nearby stall. As soon as they were inside, Alpha let [Vampiric Stealth] drop, and her shoulders sagged in relief.

[Vampiric Stealth] is now level 10.

::Now what?:: she asked, swiping away the notification. ::If I go back out there with you, they’re going to ask questions, and I can barely move at a slow walk while I’m hidden. Plus,:: she pointed at the fangs pressing against her upper lip meaningfully.

Myles shrugged. ::The fangs are a problem, but your sudden appearance isn’t. Believe me, the commander has seen Travelers do stranger things than turn up out of thin air.:: He raised an eyebrow meaningfully and went on, ::It’s time for [Glamour].::

She heaved a frustrated sigh. ::Why does it have to make me attractive? Boring and nondescript would have been much more useful. Being everyone’s ‘ideal’ sounds like it’s going to be seriously annoying.::

::Let’s just say Apofis was indulging in a little wish fulfillment when he created it,:: Myles said, shaking his head. ::Plus, it makes more sense to have a skill that makes people want to let you bite them, rather than one that makes them ignore you. After all, you already have a stealth skill, and it’s leveling really quickly since you’re using it constantly. Once it hits twenty, you’ll be able to move normally, so you don’t need anything else to make people ignore you.::

Tess popped her head around the corner, looking fascinated. Alpha started, having briefly forgotten that her friend would be able to hear them when they used party chat. ::Wait, you have a skill that makes you look gorgeous? I mean, more than you already are? And you’re not using it? Girl, snap to it!:: She snapped the fingers of the hand that wasn’t cradling Toggle like a baby, and Alpha shook her head, laughing softly.

::I’m not, but fine.:: she pointed at Myles accusingly. ::If anything weird happens, I’m holding you accountable.::

He grinned and flipped her a salute. ::As always, my lady.::

Alpha rolled her eyes and triggered [Glamour].