18 Chapter 16: The Plotting Plots of Plotters

After I exited the temple I took a deep breath. I was pissed, my entire team was dead. They had fought and died for me. It wasn't like losing family, more like losing a beloved dog. A well trained dog that I had invested blood sweat and tears into. When I was younger I had always wanted a dog, a loyal companion to obey and love me. The thing everyone seems to forget is how much training an animal requires.

Ulther was my loyal dog, a one in a million. Now his corpse lay in an empty vault, stabbed while he was unconscious. I knew life was unfair, I knew this VR was unfair, but damn it all, I didn't care until just this moment. An older man was running by me. I cut out with my blade opening up his side. Blood and entrails poured out onto the street as he collapsed screaming. I just kept up my steady pace through this miserable city.

"Hey! That was our grandfather you asshole!" I heard people charging up behind me. I turned around to see three young men advancing on me with swords. More people began to exit the nearby houses and shops to watch the commotion. I turned and ran away, cutting anyone down who came too close. Most of the people retreated screaming while others rushed to kill me. I raced down the streets, not really pushing myself, allowing the mob to just keep me in sight. I was trying to think of a trap, when one presented itself.

I turned a corner and there were twenty people standing in rows across the street. There were six sword men and women with interlocking square shields, kneeling down. Behind them there were twelve archers in two rows of six. Behind them I noticed two priests.

A man stepped out of the alley way nearby. "This way Rain of Blood, you are among friends." I followed the mousey looking man with my swords drawn. I heard the twang of bows and the screams of the mob behind me. "It was lucky that we were able to track you and assist in a timely manner."

"Who are you?"

"I am Traveler Michael Grunning. I work on behalf of the benefactor of our little outfit. The Solid Steel, best group to hire for all your adventuring needs." I held in my sigh at his blatant attempt at advertising, but it would probably go up anyways as thanks for the save. We made our way through a door that could barely open in the narrow alley that slowly disappeared into an acute angle. "This way, we have a bit of a journey." We made our way to the roof and then began a journey across the tops of the city. I could see fires had started in a couple of locations.

"This whole place went to the dogs after you killed off the people in charge." We stepped across a narrow wood plank between two buildings. "I have to ask as a fan, do you plan any of this?" The fans were just as bad as my enemies, only in different ways. When you advocate chaos and blood shed, you don't tend to attract the most stable of supporters.

"I let the muse of violence rush through me and go from there. Preparation also helps quite a bit." We passed by a family huddled on a roof giving us fearful looks. A minute later we stopped.

"Well, we are here. I must take my leave, so much to do and so little time. Remember to hire the Solid Steel, guaranteed completion of any job or your money back." He opened the door and then left back across the roof tops. I looked inside at a narrow staircase. This was the point of trust, did I trust whoever was at the bottom of these stairs or did I run for it? I made my way down. I opened the door at the bottom and stepped into a well-lit room. An older gentleman was sitting at a small table reading a book. I glanced at the cover, Darkness, Illumination.

"A good read on the rise and fall of the god Wasdoh. One has to learn to enjoy the simple things. Sit please." He gestured at the chair across from me and it swung out on its own. He gave me a smile. "The secrets of magic are very deep."

"Indeed." I took a sit and set my swords on the table between us within easy reach. "You seem to have quite the reach."

"Ah yes, my band of mercenaries. Quite useful, but I am a generous and gracious benefactor." I noticed he had ignored my obvious reference to his display of silent telekinesis.

"So, what do you want?" He reached over to a small cabinet and opened it. He pulled out a bottle and two glasses. Setting them in between us, he uncorked the bottle and poured a red liquid into the two glasses. He made a point to look me in the eyes and sip from both of them before setting them in front of me. I picked up one and took a sip. A rich fruity flavor that was so strong it was almost over powering.

"I have an impossible quest, which I require the services of someone with your talents to complete." I gave a small nod and he continued. "My quest is to-" The door burst open before he could finish. There was a bunch of women charging into the room with weapons drawn. If I had to describe them in one word it would be Brunhilda. They looked more like genetically enhanced humans on way to a steroid party.

"In the name of the Sparkly Rainbow Unicorn Princesses, surrender." There were four of them. One had a long sword, and if she was a man I would say she was compensating for something. Another one had a massive war hammer at least twice the size of Gillow's, and hers had spikes on the sides as well. The third carried a short sword and shield, being the smallest of the she-hulks. The last had wicked looking spiked gauntlets. I was definitely not getting taken down by these Sparkly Rainbow Unicorn She-Hulks.

My host spoke and I realized I had never gotten his name. "How uncivilized, barging into a conversation uninvited. Rain of Blood, we are cut short it appears. Meet me at the following location if you wish to continue our business." A piece of paper zipped out of one of his pockets and into my hand. A business card, this guy sure had style.

I pocketed it and turned back to the immediate threat. "I don't know who you are but you better-" The long sword she-hulk was cut off as my host gestured. I almost missed the attack. Two wires had dropped down from somewhere unseen and spun around her neck. With a yank, they cut into her flesh and I could see the massive pressure being exerted, but the wires didn't break through her neck completely as she tensed her muscles to resist.

I had taken the opportunity to grab my swords and make my way to the door I had entered from. As I raced across the room to escape the Sparkly Rainbow Unicorn She-Hulks, flames erupted between us. I ran through the doorway and made up the stairs. Small puffs of flames rippled occasionally in the wake of my footsteps.

I made my way onto the roof and began to escape from the scene as quickly as possible. There were too many plots going on from too many people. My mind raced, searching for the reason. NPC plots, player plots, and who knows what else. Then it hit me, with my videos, people could work out where I was going if they were halfway intelligent. I had pulled all this chaos into Balkor as people attempted to take advantage of the situation in one way or the other. I wouldn't be surprised if groups of players weren't attempting to take control of the city in the power vacuum or pillage the city in the chaos. I truly was a walking calamity.

I figured that some players had managed some tracking or sensing skills and were using those to trace me. It could also be my high Fate which could be making the situation worse than it already was. I found an out of the way corner where I could see anyone approaching and sat down to catch my breath. I pulled out the business card.

THE MYSTERY MAN

Sixty days from now on top of Str mountain, mid-day.

That wasn't that helpful, but I had to appreciate the style this Mystery Man had. The top part was elegantly written in gold ink. The bottom message looked like it was burned on. The Mystery Man had telekinesis, and I wasn't sure if he was a player or not. The Sparkly Rainbow Unicorn Princesses appeared to be of the paladin variety, using heavy weapons and magic to protect themselves.

First I needed proper gear. Second money and supplies. Finally I needed to escape this hell hole that the city was quickly descending into. After that, it was more a question of goals. I needed a team, or wire slicing telekinesis. Honestly the thought of fighting against the Mystery Man gave me chills and I was almost certain Observe would not work on him. Mental attacks were a dangerous possibility. Could he shift a portion of my brain, squeeze my heart? That was a scary thought.

I had thought I was top dog in this bulb eat bulb world, but apparently not. My mind drifted over to the Sparkly Rainbow Unicorn Princesses and what they would do with me if they had gotten their hands on me. They had been making waves as bounty hunters and there were rumors about them raping various men. I didn't know if being killed, returned to Breckley, or sexed to death was the worst possible outcome. With their muscles they could probably squeeze their thighs and rip…enough of that line of thought.

I then pulled down my pants and squeezed out a shit. There were two clear diamonds about the size of a large marble that glittered. I was glad my time in the vault hadn't been wasted and enough time had passed for them to move through my system. I ripped a piece of my shirt off and wiped them off. I then dropped both of them into my pocket. I had to rip up half of my pants to use as toilet paper. This game was too realistic sometimes.

Sighing, I pulled up my pants and looked around, trying to figure out which way to head. I got my bearings, since the taller buildings of the central plaza were easy enough to spot and began to make my way to the edge of the city. The buildings dropped to single story and I hopped down. Once I was close enough to my destination I hopped down to the street.

I made my way over to the blacksmith I had talked to before. Around his shop stood a number of soldiers glaring at anyone passing my. I kept back a bit and spoke up. "I have business here. I do not want any trouble." They didn't look convinced. I dragged my foot along the ground and a small puff of flames appeared. Whispers of demon broke out and the hammering stopped.

"What is going on here, oh you, you are back. Well then, city has gone to shit, but my good friends here are keeping me safe." The soldiers stared at the blacksmith with a combination of awe and reverence.

"I need two good swords, armor, throwing daggers. The needles and enchantments if they can be done quick enough as well."

"A rush job then and the way things are."

"I can pay." I pulled out my two diamonds and held them out on my palm.

"I can value them at three gold each. I know they are probably worth twice or three times that, but I will have to resell them or mount them in a weapon. Not much market for gems at the moment. In terms of cost, that would pay for two of my standard weapons and armor. Don't have any throwing daggers in stock. The rest of it, well enchantments are running a hundred gold per and that was before the crisis. I should be able to get the same price though. The rest if you want to be at the top of my list, fifteen gold and a week."

This guy was screwing me over, but there weren't many good options. "How long to do enchantments take?"

"I can get them to my guy once you have the money. Should only take an hour or so."

"Start everything, consider those a down payment. I will return in one or two days with the rest, unless you need something done?" I asked.

"I might suggest the south side of the city. I heard that was where most of the merchant's wealth got carted off to. I also don't want any trouble coming back here."

"Understood. See you in a bit." The blacksmith nodded and I turned and left. I saw one of the soldiers speaking to him and caught the words, 'Kenji' and 'Breckley' but the blacksmith waved the man off. Nothing I could do except run away, and that would make my position even worse. I had to take a risk to get some real equipment before leaving. Better to try and die, then starve for weeks out in the wild.

I set off through the twisting streets as it slowly grew dark. I stopped at a closed up shop, and there were no lights inside from what I could tell. I also picked the place since the door wasn't set into the frame like a number of other doorways. I kicked the door in and waited for ten minutes in the shadows next to the door frame. No one came out to investigate so I snuck in, pushing the door closed behind me.

I went up to a deserted bedroom and quickly changed out of my dirty and ripped up clothing. With that taken care of I raided the kitchen looking for anything to eat. I turned up a stale role and some jam. There was a bunch of flour, but I wasn't inclined to cook anything. I had the bread and jam and found a bed to sleep for a bit.

I woke up before dawn and relieved myself in the room. Yes, the family who lived here would be coming home to piss and shit. That was the issue with having chamber pots one needed to empty. I was no one's maid. I then made my way out of the building and kept going in the direction of some of the larger estates. The fifteen gold wasn't that hard, but the two hundred would be crippling to carry around.

There was still opportunity to be had as the city continued to panic and the chaos from my actions. I walked around a seven foot high stone wall and came to a gate. I could see mercenaries and soldiers standing around as servants loaded up two wagons in the torchlight. I counted ten. "Fear aura, ten minutes." That would be the last of my MP for a while.

"The Waking Demon comes for you all! Flee this cursed place and you will be spared." I was hiding off to the side of the gate. After twenty seconds a servant, three soldiers, and a mercenary ran by. I entered through the open gate and everyone turned to stare at me. I dragged my feet as I moved forward to get the most out of my flame generation.

Two of the mercenaries and three soldiers ran away, giving me a wide berth. After that it quickly became a stampede as everyone dropped what they were doing and left. I noticed one servant had run back inside. I looked over the wagons, but it was all furniture.

I stepped up to the front door and tried to push it open. It was locked shut. I walked over to a nearby window and smashed it open with my sword. The glass clinked onto the cobbled ground. I wiped away the jagged edges along the bottom of the window sill and glanced inside. I managed to pull my head back just in time as a sword swiped the space just inside of the window.

I jabbed out and pierced the overextended arm through the window. There was a cry and the clatter of the sword hitting the floor. I drew my sword back and quickly hoisted myself into the room. A well-dressed man was cradling his wounded arm on the floor and looked up at me in fear. "I want two hundred and fifty gold. That is the cost of your life and everyone else in this mansion."

"I-"

"You are going to argue and say you don't have it. I will then have to torture you and your loved ones and then kill or maim you painfully at the end of it all since you wasted my time. I am Kenji Shadowen. I killed Lord Breckley. I killed your Merchant's Council. Do you want to be added onto that list?"

"No, everything is locked in the vault downstairs."

"Good man, lead the way." I followed the man through the house. The servants were probably staying away due to my fear aura and my presence. I noted that the flames that sometimes rippled in my footsteps didn't catch on anything. We came to a book shelf that the rich man pushed to the side, revealing a door lodged into mortared stone. He then pulled out a key and unlocked it.

"You first." I said when he tried to usher me through. I swear these people were so predictable. In my future fortress there would be traps to kill the second or even third person behind me and booby traps for the first person to disarm discretely. He picked up a nearby candelabrum and lit the remaining candles on it. I then followed him as he went down a short flight of stairs.

It was basically a smaller version of the merchant's vault, much smaller. Still he had quite a bit of gold. "That chest has three hundred in it. Take it and leave." I looked at the chest in question and it was a solid metal box filled with gold. It would be way too heavy to carry out of here. Curse this stupid game for not giving me an unlimited inventory or least money capacity.

"Take out fifty gold pieces, I am not greedy." He began to pull out gold pieces and place them in a money pouch off to the side. Once he was done I tested the weight of the chest. Heavy, I wouldn't be able to do anything or dodge while carrying it. "Key." I held out my hand and he nervously handed the key over. "Lay on the ground, hands behind your head and cross your legs. I will be locking the door and leaving the key on the other side. I should be gone in a couple of minutes, then you can shout for someone to free you."

He mumbled something but obeyed. I noted he had tied a handkerchief around his wound to help stop the bleeding. Clever, and I was annoyed at myself for having missed it. I set my swords on top of the chest and picked it up. It was freaking heavy. I then trudged up the stairs and out the doorway. I locked the vault up and then pushed the bookcase back in front of it. I then left the key on the floor in front of the bookcase.

I once again picked up the chest and trudged my way out of the mansion. I noticed a couple of servants giving me a look but no one stopped me. I put the chest down and checked the front courtyard, deserted thankfully. I dropped the chest on the rear of a wagon that had the least amount of stuff in it. I heard the springs groan under the weight. I put up the tail bed and went to the nearby stables.

I grabbed two of the best horses there and quickly attached them to the cart. Work smarter, not harder. I also wanted a cart to carry things for me once I left the city. Carrying everything got old really quickly. I set off through the city as the sun was just coming up. It was harrowing each time I saw someone pass by. I held the swords along with the reigns so people got the message, 'Don't mess with me.' I reached the blacksmith without incident.

He came out and let out a chuckle. "You really took everything didn't you?"

"You can keep the furniture, in exchange I want to leave the cart and horses here for a week."

"Very well, and the gold?"

"In the back, two hundred and fifty. I will be taking thirty and leaving the rest for my order. If your men are up for it, I have a number of things I require. Bows, bow string, arrows, butchering knives, jerky, bread, frying pan, fire striker, a bowl, cup, plate, a large waterproof tarp, multiple canteens, two barrels of beer, dark clothes, straw hat, and a large fur cloak."

"Very well, Tory, Zel, you heard all that. Ten gold pieces and they will pack it all up for you." I handed ten gold pieces to the two soldiers. Easy come, easy go. All that stuff would only have been one or two gold pieces before this chaos, damn inflation.

"Got it boss, we will try, but the way things are…"

"If you can't get it, don't risk yourselves. Anyways you have a week." They nodded.

"I was wondering, why you are willing to work with me."

The blacksmith looked at me for a good half a minute in silence. It began to feel really uncomfortable before he spoke. "The merchant's council was a joke. You killed off their pet demon. So you get this one favor from me and we are square. You come back after our business is done then I will send you off to Breckley before you know what hit you."

"Ah, thanks…" The blacksmith went back into his forge. I hid in an abandoned house for a week. I basically slept, meditated, and rested. Twice people tried to get in, but I had shouted out from behind the barricaded door and they had left me alone. The looters didn't want to fight just to raid a small bakery when there was so much else to go after.

Players had been coming to the city in droves and I followed things in the forums. Apparently, everything was my fault. Didn't matter that I had no control over the waves of looters and rapists that ran through the city taking what they could. The Order of the Phoenix had dispatched a subjugation expedition to bring the city back under their control and restore order, since Breckley had its own problems and the neighboring cities had to deal with refugees. This place was becoming a hell hole that no one wanted, very quickly.

The Lady Breckley was apparently getting ready for a massive wedding in the city that was scheduled for the spring of next year. The moment I found out about that I made the decision to crash it. It would be perfect, I would get a bunch of blood and pour it out over the entire wedding party. Then I would blow the whole party up with ten barrels of Ent sap and get millions of experience and complete that stupid quest.

Balkor though had already descended into hell. There were pockets of civilians and soldiers in the city holding off the looters and rapists, but things weren't looking good as supplies dwindled. The Order was at least two weeks out based on the latest reports and the few 'good' players who had come were holed up with the NPCs. I was somewhere in no man's land at the moment. I had taken the opportunity to scout a bit during the pre-dawn hours when almost everyone was asleep, figuring out an escape route and what areas were really dangerous.

When six days had passed since I had last seen the blacksmith I made my way back about an hour before dawn. The sky was turning slightly red. I saw a couple of thugs sleeping off to the side in one of the alleys. You snooze you lose. I smiled to myself and continued on my way. I looked over my bars and was pleased with how much I had recovered.

HP: 10281.25 / 10281.25

MP: 22.61 / 108

SP: 1653.21 / 1712.56

I had lost about 4000 off my max HP from the demonic blood corruption, but the trade off had been worth it in my opinion. It would take about four to five more weeks to refill my MP. I made a mental note that The Mystery Man had probably asked for sixty days to make sure he was recharged. I also looked over my skills and status.

SKILLS

Blunt Weapons-1

Piercing Weapons-1

Cutting Weapons-5 MAX

Power Slash-4

Throwing-3

Light Archery-3

Riding-1

Trap Making-4

Ambidexterious-4

Tactics-3

Wood Carving-2

Running-4

Swimming-3

Light Conditioning-5 MAX

Medium Conditioning-5 MAX

Hard Conditioning-1

Climbing-2

Stealth-5 MAX

Conceal Presence-1

Basic Biology-4

Torture-5 MAX

Fear Aura-3

Deception-5 MAX

Misdirection-1

Poison Immunity-3

Types: Spore-2, Bug-2, Plant-3

Meditate-5 MAX

Mental Defense-1

Identification-2

Observe-3

Leadership-2

Murderer-500 MAX

Depraved-16

Army of One-5

Enemy of the People-5 MAX

Massacre of Willhelm-1 MAX

Battle of Gloommore Forest-1 MAX

Burning of Breckley Bay-1 MAX

Raid of North Salrin Mine-1 MAX

Murder of Merchants-1 MAX

Player Killer-10 MAX

Cannibal-3

Holy War-1

Demon Slayer-1

Demonic Blood Corruption-3

Constitution Focus-1

Strength Focus-1

Dexterity Focus-1

Endurance Focus-1

STATUS

Name Kenji Shadowen

Level 70

Constitution 37.5

Strength 52

Dexterity 102.46

Endurance 53

Wisdom 5.3

Intelligence 5.5

Charisma 0

Luck 0

Fate 582.98

Fire Resistence 90%

I had been practicing my power slash to use up my SP while I waited since it would regenerate after about eight hours. All the other skills used MP, which was just frustrating. I had mastered stealth and gotten conceal presence. For 1 MP per second while unmoving I would be undetectable. Stupid MP again, limiting what skills I could use. Fear aura made everyone fifty levels or lower flee from me. They already fled from me so it wasn't that great.

I reached the blacksmith's forge and was pleased to note it was still standing. The soldiers standing around the area gave me weary looks but didn't say anything. The blacksmith came out, burly looking as ever.

"Welcome back. Everything you asked for has been prepared." I followed him to a courtyard behind his shop. The horses were already being attached to the wagon. "The wagon springs were going, and the axil was cracked. We repaired them." He looked at me. I handed over a gold piece and he wiggled his fingers again. I put two more pieces in his palm and he continued.

"All your supplies are tucked away under the tarp. You want to take a look?"

"No, I trust you." If he had betrayed me there wasn't much I could do surrounded by his men. Well I could kill a few and maybe escape, but that would put me back at square one.

"I had the boys lay out a clean set of clothes in the side room there along with your armor. There is a bucket of water to wash yourself off with." I nodded and went inside, staying alert for any kind of trap. I checked over the clothing and armor but nothing seemed out of place. The armor was plain but well made. There were two arm guards and leg guards with leather padding underneath and three straps each to hold them in place.

I carefully wiped myself down with the rag and bucket provided before putting everything on. It fit well enough, but I only become comfortable over time. I left the room and there were all the weapons I had requested lined up on the table. "Your needles were a pain to make, but some Travelers have taken in interest so probably worth it. You have fifty, wrapped up in two groups of twenty five." He undid one bundle and handed me the giant needle, otherwise called a senbon.

The points were sharp and the balance was fairly good. I tossed it up in the air and caught it. "Perfect, thanks."

"Ten throwing knives with a leather chest holster." I put the crisscrossing leather straps on and tightened them down. Five daggers were arrayed on each strap from the shoulder to the hip. I pulled one free and it was much better quality than the senbon. He probably more experience making them and it also was easier to craft. The blades were about eight inches long and the handles weighted. "Perfect."

"Now these beauties are a work of art. This one is Nus' Awakening, flames will appear on the blade when you command them to." The blade burst into flames and then they disappeared just as quickly. It was a straight sword with a number of finely carved runes into the length. "I also had an enchantment of durability on it. Only way the sword wouldn't deform with all the heat." Made sense, but that meant my other blade would just be normal.

"This one is one of my better blades." I took the second blade and could tell it was on par with a knight's weapon with the balance and sharpness. It was annoying I had lost both it and the Fey Blade. "Well my end is done. You should get going."

"Thanks, I never got your name by the way."

"Idiot, I am Gilrin Hammerton. But don't you go giving people the wrong impression. We are even."

"Thanks, and if you ever require my help, well try and reach me and I will come."

"Bah, go, you are trouble and don't come back." I nodded and strapped on the sword sheaths. I couldn't resist, "Identification."

Nus's Awakening

LvL 124

Requirements: 30 Strength, 20 Dexterity, 10 Intelligence

What. The. Hell. Why did a weapon require Intelligence? Stupid magic sword, making me spend my stat points where I didn't want to. I would need two levels to push my Intelligence high enough to unlock the true potential of this blade. At least I learned now rather than later.

I hopped onto the cart and set off. I settled the straw hat on my head as I set off.

***

BurningBaby1: Party in Balkor

Ramponator: Sparkly Rainbow Unicorn Princess are scary

HatMan: They are more demon than the demons

UltimataSecret: Who was he talking to, I want a face or name

ClosetCreeper: The webs we weave

FuriousGhost: COME OUT AND LET ME SLAY YOU

6996: Yeah….

Ijnek: I want my monies

Ramponator: You know if you do kill him, he will tell everyone and you will be swarmed

GODHAXLOL: HORSEYS, FIVE AND SIX!