The Gene of the Ancients (Rogue Merchant Book #2): LitRPG Series Read online

  “Oleg, please, stop! It’s enough! That thing has taken you from me. You used to be different!”

  “If you want to talk, let’s talk,” I offered Alena, who was following me around. “Just no screaming. It gets on my nerves.”

  “On your nerves? Have you thought about me?”

  “Sweetie, do you realize that’s how I make our living?”

  “Oleg, it’s not about money. I don’t mind if I get less, as long as I get to see my husband, have him spend his nights with me instead of God knows where! You’re a smart guy. Find a normal job, without all of that...”

  “What do you mean, God knows where? I’m right here, in the capsule!”

  “I’ll break this coffin apart, I swear!” Alena hissed, her face twisted in a grimace of undisguised hate. “You don’t believe me? I will, I’ll take a hammer and smash it into little pieces!”

  “Please don’t. It’s expensive, and the loan’s still unpaid. Mechanical damage isn’t a warranty case.”

  “I don’t give a damn! Oleg, don’t you feel us growing apart? When did we have a normal conversation? Two days ago? Three? You’ve always there, inside your Sphere, as if I’m some idiot, a maid, a neighbor!”

  “Please don’t exaggerate. Yes, today I’ve — “

  “You don’t notice anything, and I’ve read a bit about this Sphere! Yes!” She snorted. “Do you know how many families it has ruined? Thousands! People get absorbed, as if they’re addicted. They don’t need anything other than that game! They leave their wives, get divorced. Oleg, I can see that it draws you in, too. Please stop, I beg you!”

  Everything that my dear wife was saying was unfortunately true, exaggerated and disjointed, but still true. The enhanced immersion effect that I had experienced first-hand really was more addictive than any drug. Many people left real life for good, escaping into the worlds of Sphere and spending their lives in new bodies, making their secret wishes come true. The supposed damage to society was constantly discussed, and there were rumors that time spent online would be regulated, like in China. So far, the developers seemed to have enough money to keep the matter from reaching the boiling point.

  “Is it true that everything is real there, just like here?” she asked, suddenly sniffling. I hadn’t even noticed she was crying! I embraced her, and Alena, as if expecting that, pressed her face into my chest and sobbed soundlessly. I kept consoling her: everything will be all right, we’ll make it... Abruptly, she raised her reddened eyes at me.

  “When you didn’t leave for such a long time, I grew worried, started to read things... Sometimes, people had their hearts stopped, something in their brain burst open... And I went to check up on you. And your face, it was so...strange.”

  She faltered, looking for a word.

  “You have the same expression as when we’re...well... Oleg, what were you doing there?”

  The hand comm beeped at just the wrong time. I glanced at the screen. It was a message from Sphere, the alliance chat.

  * * *

  TO ALL MEMBERS OF NORTHERN ALLIANCE! TO ARMS!

  5:30, NEW TOKYO TIME: EVERYONE ONLINE. RENDEZVOUS IN DAN-NA-ARD. EXPECT A BIG BATTLE.

  VARANGIANS, BRETHREN: COMPULSATORY ATTENDANCE. THE REST: OPTIONAL. EQUIPMENT AND CONSUMABLES: SEE ATTACHMENT.

  “So it’s Dan-na-Ard,” Tao said, musing as he tapped the table with his hand. “They’re going to attack the Bear Pass. That’s to be expected.”

  “You bet. We’re building three nestled forts, two Agatosh’s, one ours. Construction will finish at 9:00, 9:15, and 9:30. If they don’t take them by the morning, they’ll never drive us out of the pass.”

  “I agree, Mirgus. Have you warned Agatosh?”

  “It’s done. He doesn’t need a warning, anyway. We also have two teams on duty there and lots of pawns, ours and the Lady’s. The Servants of Lycus, the Vulgars, the Stone-fingered from Hayvin. They should hold.”

  “And they will only have the Brethren and the Varangians?” Tao purred.

  “Yes, plus some rabble from the faction. The Varangians have moved their flying frigate to Ardat,” Mirgus added.

  “That’s no problem. They pose no danger unless it’s not the entire alliance led by Goodfellow. By the way, what do our spies report? Have they started buying flying ships?”

  “The Watchers are trying, but they don’t have a crew for them.”

  “The Watchers don’t take part in the war. They’ve even applied for Helt Akor for tomorrow!” Tao snorted. “Let them farm for as long as they want. I’ve talked to Madman and Goodfellow, I know them from the old times. They don’t care about the faction war.”

  “So should we do a dispatch in the morning?”

  “Yes, tell everyone to assemble. It’s Red Light, attendance mandatory. We need maximum online.”

  * * *

  The battle started unexpectedly, at dawn. Weapons thundered as a huge ten-cannon Varangian frigate soared in the sky beyond everyone’s reach, raining fire with its largest guns. A pentagram flashed into existence uncomfortably close to the orc bands stationed inside the pass. A host of players — foot soldiers, mounted, and airborne — swooped in on the enemy lines.

  Gorth Hagra Agatosh, whose warriors had spent the entire night fortifying their positions, was waiting for this attack. Giant unfinished outposts swarming with scurrying orcs loomed above the burnt soil of Bear Pass. In three hours, the fortresses would be complete, gaining territorial influence, bestowing bonuses on their defenders, and sanctioning the creation of infrastructure: the outer walls, watchtowers with gun emplacements, and the magic shield that activated the Dome. All they had to do was to hold out those three hours.

  Drax riders — Agatosh’s own air troops — rushed to meet the birdies. Heavily armored troops put up walls of shields with wolf riders filling up spaces between the squadrons. Arrows kept swooshing just above their heads as ballistae and arbalests fired one volley after another. Wizards, shamans, and black healers of the Lady got covered by elite fighters, preparing to dispel the players’ magic and retaliate with their own.

  Tao: Party leaders, what’s your status?

  Svoy: Here.

  Illeth: In position.

  Peacemaker: We’re ready.

  Tentacle: !

  Snake: We’re ready.

  Nestor: Here.

  ……

  Tao: Great. Twelve parties, one hundred and forty-seven people in the raid. Great attendance, thank you all. Mirgus, broadcast scout reports. And activate Bird’s Eyes: I need to see what’s going on there.

  Mirgus: There’s six hundred of them, more than we expected. It’s a lot, Tao!

  Tao: Do they have Eyrian NPCs with them?

  Mirgus: No. Only players and pawns.

  Tao: Then it should be a cakewalk. Scouts, you need to sneak up on them so we’d be as close to the support group as possible to get them down at once. I know it’s hard, but it’s important.

  Mirgus: I think we should start. They mean business. The first line is already down. There’s at least a hundred mages, wicked DPS.

  Tao: Roger that. Ready the pentagram. Enter only on my command. Scouts, locate and mark Crow and Bara Norkins. Those are RLs, we need to take them down ASAP.

  Tentacle: Boss, killing RLs first isn’t good form...

  Tao: Whatever. We aren’t at a joust. It’s war! Let’s cut their head off, and they’re bound to drop like flies. What’s happening, Mirgus?

  Mirgus: They’ve engaged the second line. Melee, magic, everything’s mixed up, hard to make out. I don’t think Agatosh’s looking good. Draxes and shamans are taken out on assist. Healers can’t deal with the damage.

  Tao: Got it. Fine, let’s not take risks. Just get a bit closer.

  Tao: Stop. That’s good enough. Light up the pentagram! Get in! Target callers, mark the targets, fast! Priority: RL, then support, then birdies. Let’s go!

  Tao: What the hell? Are they retreating? After losing just twenty people?

  Tentacle: The
y’re fleeing like cowards!

  Mirgus: Doesn’t look like that. It’s an organized maneuver.

  Tao: Yep, I recognize Crow’s style. They’re retreating to regroup. He’s trying to draw them out, separate them from Agatosh, kite them, and launch a counterattack. Screw that. Raid, stop! Don’t chase after them! Let’s just wait for them to come to us. They’re the ones who need to take down the outposts. We’re going to fight on our terms.

  Fifteen minutes later...

  Mirgus: Tao, do you see the clan logs?

  Tao: I do. Someone’s attacking our rear outpost in the neighboring region. Some nonames. Maybe it’s not serious?

  Mirgus: I doubt that. More than a hundred players in the log. It’s not a hit-and-run. An hour ago everything was clear. They must have come through a pentagram. They’re systematically destroying the fort. The Dome won’t last more than half an hour without support. The garrison’s just fifty NPCs.

  Tao: Why so few? It’s a caravan meeting point, the fort’s full of construction and upgrade materials for all Black River outposts!

  Mirgus: It’s the backyard. You ordered us to move all capable troops to the pass yourself.

  Tao: Can they use Invincibility?

  Mirgus: No. Magic Shield’s just level three, there was no time to get it to level four. No Invincibility.

  Tao: Too bad. Eighty-seven leagues. Alcaron, can we open a penta there?

  Alcaron: Forty more minutes until the cooldown.

  Tao: Dammit! It’s a classic diversion. They’re pulling us apart. If we rush to the fort, the Northerners will push us away from here. If we don’t, we lose the outpost there. But who are those guys? How did our spies miss them?

  Mirgus: I don’t know, Tao. The clan was created the day before yesterday. One hundred and four people, no names I could recognize. Kill rating’s clear. Here, see for yourself.

  Tao: No names you could recognize, you say? I do remember at least a couple.

  * * *

  The next day, I got into Sphere pretty late. After the fight with Alena, a tempestuous reconciliation, and an attempt to get some sleep, I could only log in almost at night. I was up to my neck with urgent business. Komtur immediately pulled me into the castle and demanded a report on his special mission.

  The clan needed flying ships, also known as astral, as they were the only way to travel across the Astral Plane, the mysterious interdimensional space of Sphere.

  Finally, Komtur had realized their value. Times were changing, and we had to master new weapons. Ships gave us control of the air and were an efficient means of transport and fire support. They were a pretty fresh invention, the first of them rolling off Forgeworlds shipyards only a year ago. Before that, the players had been unable to collect all components listed in the blueprints, and the blueprints themselves were often unavailable as well. The dromonts, dwellers of the Forgeworlds, issued only their copies that allowed one to build a limited number of vessels.

  During my latest two visits to the Bazaar, I had bought a rig and special equipment for an air fleet. The Watchers had purchased three skiffs and a light corvette and were seriously discussing acquiring a battle frigate. Komtur tasked me with buying a hull and mods, which wasn’t easy, seeing as they were usually custom-ordered and the few of them that made it to the market sold like hot cakes. It was a whole lot of money even for a clan: a fully-fitted frigate cost at least thirty thousand gold. At least, that was the upper limit set by Komtur. In truth, I hoped to spend no more than two hundred and fifty. Still, I was in no hurry. The Watchers didn’t have a player able to steer a ship of that class. They were busy buying skillbooks and growth manuals.

  Upon hearing out my account and receiving a cost sheet for a fitted frigate, the leader of the Watchers dropped casually, “Your request’s been granted, by the way. We’re raiding Helt Akor tomorrow, and you’re in. Visit Ebb to get gear.”

  I breathed out in relief. At last, I could start searching for Svechkin. I couldn’t miss that opportunity. But there was one other thing. I was worried what would happen to the guys who had done my dirty work — the Randoms, the Little Green Men, and the Patrol. They had completed their side of the agreement, and I told Panther and Don that I couldn’t cover for them anymore. I hoped to persuade Komtur to remove them from the KOS list and stop hunting them on alliance territory.

  But as soon as I mentioned them, the clan leader interrupted me.

  “Ah, so you don’t know anything yet? Everything’s been decided already. The issue’s closed, Cat.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Let’s go down into the clan hall,” Komtur offered. “You’ll see for yourself.”

  Confused, I followed him, and we entered the Condor clan hall. Holy mother of God! It was chock full of people, as if a raid was being assembled. Players, mounts, and birdies were swarming around us. On top of Watchers, I noticed lots of players tagged as members of some clan called Unity. Most of them had red and yellow karma. Blue faction cloaks, generic armor — I recognized their gear as belonging to the sets I had purchased for the Watchers at the Bazaar. I opened the profile of the new clan and saw that it had been created only a day ago and had around a hundred members. The clan list contained familiar nicknames: Captain Panther, Svenn, Helga, Diareus, Black Don, Thirteenth...

  “I decided that losing a hundred veteran fighters would be stupid,” Komtur continued. “Especially since some of them are really nice guys. But you must understand that they can’t join the Watchers. My clan’s all about order and discipline, and they value freedom too much. That’s why we offered to let them band together into one clan and join the alliance as the sixth PvP clan. The other clan leaders don’t mind. A hundred swords could never hurt.”

  “You’ll even give them lands?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  “We will,” Komtur said, serious as ever. “They’ll have to fight for them, though, but those guys love PvP, right?”

  We walked up. Black Don — dashing, rugged, reminding me of a romantic outlaw — saluted us, and the ranks of Unity froze.

  “Maybe it will work out,” Komtur grumbled. “Have you seen their kill rating yet? Take a look. They’ve already risen to the occasion this morning.”

  Upon seeing me, my friends from the former Randoms and Little Green Men surrounded us, breaking formation.

  “Honestly, I can’t believe it,” I told Don. “How will you do without banditry?”

  “Well, we misbehaved because we had no lands of our own,” Blackie said, winking at me. “And now, we’re no gang. We’re an army!”

  The players around him gave their leader a cheer of approval.

  “They’ve given us a province,” Diareus said. “Around the Black River!”

  “Maybe we’ll build our own castle!” Svenn said dreamily.

  The Black River... I opened the map. It was a small conglomerate of border and wild regions situated between the trackless forest of Im Enoi and the Northern Belt, behind which lay the Nation of Eyre. Caught between two kingdoms, it was a zone of constant PvP activity. It was there where the faction troops of the House of Darkness launched their offensive. Some of the provinces were already taken, and some were marked as disputed. That territory belonged to the Northern Alliance in name only. In truth, nobody lived there.

  Komtur, crafty as he was, killed three birds with one stone. He solved the PK issue, reinforced his alliance with a hundred warriors, and gave them land to settle right on the edge of the invading armies. Unity had no choice but to join the faction war and square off against PROJECT. I’d be damned if Komtur hadn’t just gained a pocket clan to battle Tao in spite of the peace agreement.

  That was smart — and benefitted everyone. I gave the Watcher leader a silent cheer. Fine, let them fight. I had a plan to follow through on.

  * * *

  “To tell the truth, HotCat, I don’t know what to do with you. Forward me your profile once again.”

  Abbot, the PvE chief of the Watchers and the perennial leader of
the “carebear” raid wasn’t exactly friendly.

  “The Council commanded me to include you in the next Helt Akor raid. I see you’re settling in fast. Pushed the right buttons, have you?”

  “Yeah, bought a train ticket,” I joked, nodding. “Hey Ebb, please stop with the reprimands. I don’t need the loot, the influence points, or glory. All I need is to get to the Seventh Layer of the Endless Paths, that’s it.”