Hidden Services

The next clan in line had a more familiar name that was also from monochrome. Like I was a late player, this was a late clan that was conglomerated from the remains of several ruined guilds during the early 'fall'. Once those powerhouses were cannibalized and forced into changing colors or changing games, the scraps banded together to continue the fight.

Go and Lil and I never joined a clan but were usually a part of different groups' parties as insurance because of our skills. Therefore, when a hardcore Player Versus Player war started up only a couple months after the last one that originally attracted me to the game, I got involved.

Already knowing the story of the first war that was fought to stop the cannibalizing of the game by the player base, I immediately sided with the resistance as a craftsman and carried out special 'gathering and collection' missions. We stole bosses and hit supply trains as a profession. Duality Resistance, the leader of the 'rebel' factions, recognized us quickly and brought us in to work at a higher level early on.

Just by monopolizing guerrilla tactics and troops Duality Resistance as a whole ended up rising to the top of the PVP leaderboards halfway through the six-month war. The benefits from such rewards nearly secured the resistance a path to victory in the long-run. Until several of the smaller factions turned into been-a-dick Arnolds and stabbed everyone in the back.

Now, a clan name Duality Resistance was sitting in the third place seat of both my side of the territory and the current clan rankings. Did Go know something that I did not? Was there actually something on the forums or in the game that I did not notice?

With the recent size of the caravan confrontations, I usually kept my notifications turned off.

Deciding to check in with the camp that only had around forty people. I quickly turn and fly off even though a small group of nicely armored and armed people were heading toward me from both the monochrome and the PVP camps. Yeah, forget both' 'those guys. I want to see if anyone I know is over here.

The smallest camp was made up of one large command tent and a few outlying pavilions. Every other canvas wall of the command tent was currently rolled up and all of the pavilions were empty, allowing me an easy estimate of the present numbers all residing in the main tent. Everybody in the command tent was already looking in my direction when I flew up to the edge of their camp.

Three people came out to greet me when I stopped at the back of their camp only a few dozen yards from their command tent and got off of the bee. Instead of walking into their camp, though, I decided to chill out with my bee and let them come to me.

Two of the three were large heavily armored characters with most of their features hidden by their full coverage shiny steel plate armor. Their armor bore the vague glow of multiple magical energies and when they came within ten yards of me I received a passive healing buff. The only distinction between them was the fact one set of armor was male and the other female. Their faces were completely hidden inside of winged full-helms.

If not for their magical energies, I would have estimated that their defensive values as tanks bearing large tower shields, combined, were probably equal to or greater than our half-giant mobile fortress.

The man in the lead was wearing a primitive styled heavy leather armor not unlike my own. However, his face was fully exposed under an open faced helmet and golden chainmail coif. The rest of his armor was made up of mixed hardened and furred wolf hides but it was augmented with a combination of natural and transmuted troll parts

For weapons they all carried sword, the two tanks wielded large single-edged bastard swords while the man in lead carried a pair of pristine and almost holy glowing shortswords at his hips. Accompanying these unique swords were three pairs of different primitive daggers that looked more like a collection than actual weapons. Though, I was still somewhat impressed and wondered if this leader crafted his own goods.

The only thing visible about their information was their clan name and titles. Both tanks wore matching blue titles that read 'Twin Team' while the leader wore a very impressive 'Sword King Succession Candidate' that was gold in color.

"Tragedy's Traveler?" The lead guy asks in a strange sword of way when his group stops half the distance of their armor's buff away from me. He had an oddly unhappy look on his face that seemed to tell me to fuck off. I could not blame him, though, so I just wordlessly nodded to see where things went.

"That makes you the new guys, what are you doing here?"

"Just following a quest and decided to see what the old guys were doing," I reply nonchalantly, flashing an innocent smile until I remember that I am wearing a masked helm and take my helmet off. "You guys look a little outnumbered, what's the third rank clan doing on its third leg right now?"

"Recovering from a knife in the back," the leadership guy replies after looking away to hide the smirk from my earlier comment. "We're getting on in years and it gets harder and harder to bounce back every time. This is the first territory raid and if we miss it we might not have any bounce left. What's Tragedy's Travelers going to do?"

Looking around the camp to see that there were only people present and no animals or familiars of any kind, I show a more genuine smile and say, "Luckily for you folks, I've got some services I could sell. If you don't mind doing business with the NPC Party, that is."

At first, the other guy just looked at me funny like he had heard something completely random but then his eyes started to narrow before widening slightly with recognition. Nodding his head slowly as his eyes narrow again, somewhat suspiciously, the man asks, "What are you offering?"

Opening my clan interface and going through the store, I drag out the three highest leveled ice birds in the store while infecting them during the transition. Because of the distortions caused by entering and exiting the clan store by the window, nobody could get a proper look at the colors and characteristics of the large birds ensnared in proteinaceous silk.

Tossing the newly dubbed Frozen Carrion Carriers who grew half a time larger than before, almost large enough to ride if you were Lil's size, I say, "I can offer every person here at least one of these birds at various levels for the steady rate of one thousand apiece. If any of you know and use the Blood Binding ritual, I advise against it because of their names. They will fuck you up."

I did not tell them why and how they would be fucked up by mixing blood with these creatures for the exchange of stats and potential granting of abilities, but I warned them nonetheless. If they fuck up anyway then all that awaits them is conscription. Once I finally meet the 'mortal emperor', anyway.

"Do you do payments? Or loans?" The man asks after looking to the female tank who waited a few moments before nodding briefly. "Part of how we got screwed over involved money."

Apparently, she had skills appropriate for appraising animals. Or diseases.

"I'll accept ten-percent down payments," I allow with an exaggerated sigh. Honestly, I was cutting them a huge deal even if they did not know it yet. It would not take a genius to look as these rust stained birds and recognize the similarities to the ice birds they had fought all through the Winter Wood.

A few mumbles later the leadership guy says, "We'll have exactly thirty of them and three thousand gold will be here shortly. I would give you five right now as a show of good will but we don't have much more than that to begin with right now. Would you happen to have any stock of supplies on you?"

Going through my player inventory to check on my material stocks as well as the many things I had made from them, I retrieve an entire stack of potions made after receiving the Divine Designer benefits. The stack of small potion jars quickly appeared in my character inventory and I started drawing them out three at a time from my belt. I soon made several person-height stacks of sweetened healing potions that healed over five hundred health, cured poisons under the 'advanced' grade, and caused one hour of regenerating one percent of health per second.

Once the healing potions were brought out, I once again repeated the dramatic process with mana potions of the same affects while saying, "These potions are homemade concoctions that pose the risk of turning into a shitty wine. However, a little bit of magic and they become a high quality medicinal wine- or liquor. Drinking more than one does not stack the affects but resets the duration. One full potion is required for the poison treatment but you only need to sip it for the regen. I will accept a written agreement for one hundred gold per bottle. That will be twenty thousand gold, all present included."

Looking at me skeptically after examining a potion jar in either of his hands, the young adult says, "This potion says you're a what the fuck? Do you have any ultimate weapons or armor lying around?"

"We have not made any weapons in bulk since leaving the city of Sierra, so everything in our stock is noob level," I inform the man sadly, knowing that avoiding excessive smithing recently had just kicked my own ass in the wallet pocket. "However, I can offer you a high number of light armor suits of the epic and… divine epic grades as well as some armored harnesses for your new pets. With time, though, I may be able to craft an appropriate number of alchemy w… but of course!"

Diving once more into my inventory, I dig out and simply pile up a bunch of ancient alchemy swords as well as the quasi-legendary silk captain standards. Their magical defense and set bonuses were all quite valuable, as well as the enchantments that I could place on the armor.

"These are advanced grade double-swords made from Hardened Hickory, a material prized for its rebound and knockback effects," I inform the leader of the camp proudly. "The original design was created by yours truly while my party's alchemist improved them with the addition of materials. Each sword, like the birds, is one thousand apiece and the divine epic armor suits are three thousand apiece. For you guys. Everything would be at least twice that for everybody else here."

"You're going to sell to the others as well?!" My once happy customer asks while instantly souring.

"But of course, I would be a fool not to and, no, I am not trying to extort you for more money because I would be a fool to do so," I assure him quickly and bluntly. "However, I can assure you that they will be receiving different deals. Even an offer that they cannot refuse. However, how many of your camp have room for mount familiars?"

Looking at the silk standard in one hand and alchemy sword in the other, the man seems terribly torn between telling me to fuck off and asking me for credit. Instead, he simply says, "We'll take fifty of both if you have them. As four mounts, I'll need to see what you're talking about."

"Oh? I'm not used to people watching," I say distractedly while retrieving a normal ice scorpion from my inventory and turning the tip of my finger into a Spore Shoal right in front of them "We were allies once," I explain as I let them watch a ranged infecting, "so I don't mind showing off a bit. However, don't for a second think to ever double cross me or I'll make you eat your own character. These guys are currently acceptable on loan for three thousand apiece instead of the usual ten thousand for mounts."

"What the hell even are you?" The young man asks, now, suddenly speaking a little, just a little, more politely after witnessing the enforced race change of the ice scorpion.

"Just a passing plague," I state simply while taking out as many infected scorpions as people in the camp. "Ah, there's your man with the pen and… parchment. Here's the numbers, thirty times one thousand minus ten percent, twenty thousand, fifty times one thousand, fifty times three thousand, and thirty-eight times three thousand. That's a grand total three hundred and forty-three thousand gold for my services. Mark an asterisk and then hidden services included at the bottom. I'll be back after fulfilling those services."

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