Chapter 6: Chapter 6
Chapter 6
"Try this for a vantage point"
Will enjoyed a good night's sleep. A healthy breakfast and a quick morning workout, a habit that he picked up in the army, were his way of starting a new day. For a while he stood in front of the capsule before going out for a walk to mull over the warehouse problem. Clear skies and fresh air did not make him feel any better about it.
"Kill the rat, kill the rat. How do I kill the damn rat?"
Fallen leaves danced on the wind and the rising sun shone bright, bathing the world in its light. He passed by the neatly mowed lawns and the kids playing in the street in front of a two-story house with quirky roofing and a sedan parked outside. Will took two more steps and stopped dead in his tracks. Something clicked in his mind, and he looked over his shoulder at the house.
"That's it! Why didn't I think of that sooner? I've got to get back!"
He rushed back home and jumped straight into the capsule. Moments later he fought to catch his breath, as he paced back and forth outside the warehouse.
"Come on, where are you?" he shouted over and over. He was looking for an attic window of some sort, much like the one he saw under the roof of that house. It could be closed, which is why he didn't notice it the first time.
RAVen search every inch of the back wall of the warehouse, but couldn't see anything. Then, he grabbed the ladder and climbed up for a closer look. Just as he suspected, it was right there! No wonder he couldn't see it from the ground - it was sealed tight as a drum.
"Your keen eye for details let you find the way.
+5% Luck."
Luck was one of those things that could not be upgraded with points. Finding stashes, discovering secret places and such was needed to improve it. The more Luck one had, the more chances there were to find unique or epic items. Will read about this on the game's website. The developers commented on this by simply saying, : "…keep your eyes out."
RAVen stuck the blade of his sword into a small gap between a pair of shutters. He paused for a moment, as if remembering something. A little effort… and voilá , it gave in.
He crawled in through the window and found himself in a small dark room.
"Congratulations! You discovered a hideout!
+5 Influence Points
+0.5% Luck."
"Finally! My persistence had paid off."
His eyes gradually adapted to the dimness. He was in an empty, thirty-square-foot room with a lonely chest in its corner.
" This better have been worth it." Will edged closer to it, his nose wrinkling at the whiff of decay that blew in his face. "What the…?"
The smell turned out to be the stench of rotten clothes covering an emaciated corpse. Will didn't freak out as he reminded himself this was just a game. The poor guy's empty eye sockets stared straight up at Will.
"Dead men tell no tales, I guess," he said grimly.
RAVen examined the body thoroughly. There was a simple ring hanging loosely on the skeleton's left hand. The other hand clutched a piece of paper. A quick search revealed nothing else. He removed the ring with extra caution. .
"Twilight Ring (Diamond).
Only the true light dispels the darkness.
Worn by the adepts of the Shadow Order.
+14 Physical resistance
+9 Strength
+23 Agility
Skills: Twilight Walker (Active).
Allows a player to stay invisible and undetected when in the shadows. When the skill is activated the player is invulnerable to physical attacks.
Duration: 2 minutes
Cooldown: 90 seconds
Class requirements: none
Other requirements: none."
This ring was a unique item, and could easily be sold at an auction for at least fifty gold. But Will was no fool to sell such a rarity.
Every character was allowed three rings on each hand in addition to the inventory ring, along with various necklaces and amulets. He also had seven inventory slots for accessories.
RAVen tried the ring on, and felt he made the right choice staying on this Floor. Then, he pried open the skeleton's fist and, trying care not to tear it, extricated the note. The text was written in blood and partly smudged. RAVen moved closer to the window to see if he could read it, but it was written in a language he couldn't comprehend.
"Last Will.
You've located the remains of a shadow adept. His last wishes remained unheard. Find someone who can help you read the note, and return his remains to the head of the Shadow Order.
Reward: ???
Accept? Yes/No."
"Sure, why not. Perhaps not today, but I will get out of this village one day. Now, the chest." Will picked up the remains, and turned to the chest.
"Chest (Silver).
Unlocked."
"Two for two. I'm on a roll. It's a little scary." Inside, RAVen found only two items: a compass, and a piece of a map. The map was old, but readable - a bunch of arrows and a circle drawn around a small town in the middle of the Alvian Mountains.
"You've found a map leading to the Shadow Order. Be careful not to lose your way, they don't call it Shadow Order for nothing. Only the chosen few can get there."
"Compass (Silver): Enchanted.
There is a secret shadow path.
It's there, alright, but not in sight.
A simple thing holds simple math,
Just look at it through the light."
There was something off about the compass, but he couldn't pin down what it was.
"Not exactly what I was hoping for, but it's still great. All of these are pieces of one quest! Ooh, it could be a quest chain. Plus, those Shadow Order folks might have skills to share; I'm practically one of their kind. Shadow is my middle name! Ha-ha!"
There was nothing else in the room, except for a small door with a padlock, opposite the window. While picking the lock, RAVen kept thinking how this room was out of place. The door squeaked, and he saw the rat directly beneath him.
"Seriously, what would this room be for?"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone