D rinking a Health Potion, Raven stood up and looked around. The place was normal again; he had completed the quest. But as he was preparing to log off, a strange gleam in the grass caught his attention.
“What’s that?”
Parting the grass, he saw a small gold coin, much different from those used as currency in Ascension.
As he applied Identification, he furrowed his brows.
A TRADER’S TOKEN
Description: This token can be used to access an inter-space store.
Activation: 100 space energy
Pondering what to do for about a minute (and remembering that he still had some time before his dinner out with Leah), he took out the Energy Storage and, unsure of how to set aside the required quantity, just combined the two items.
Do you want to enter the inter-space store?
Cost: 100 space energy
Yes/No
After Raven confirmed his choice, he felt the Token in his hand gradually warm up. Two minutes later, it flashed brightly and a door appeared in front of him. Written in gold letters on the dark wood was the name of the store: Old Jack’s.
Staring at it in bewilderment for a moment, he shrugged and grabbed the handle.
Pulling the door open, he heard two voices speaking in a strange language.
***
The Gilliam Server
One of the ten servers forming the Class III Royal System
“Are you sure it’s ready?” Brakvar’s deep, thundering voice sounded agitated.
“Calm down, my drooling friend.” Rikaral pushed away his friend’s face away from himself and wiped his cheek. “I mean it. You’re dripping saliva all over the Token.”
“Khm, sorry. You know I can’t control myself when I’m really excited.” Brakvar smiled awkwardly, but his barbaric appearance made it look more like a mad grin.
“I do. But that doesn’t mean that I’ll tolerate it,” Rikaral replied and moved away as he continued to pour space energy into the item. “Keep it in your pants. We’re almost there.”
Had Raven seen their Token, he would’ve been astounded to find out that it was identical to his recent find. But, unlike the rogue, the duo had been collecting their space energy for years so that they could do what they were doing now.
The old artifact they had discovered in the den of the monster they had killed was gradually absorbing energy from special storage, becoming hotter and hotter to the touch until it flashed with bright light, summoning a wooden door.
“That’s it!” Rikaral jumped up, his eyes narrowing. “Let’s go!”
“After you.”
The duo walked into the light. The door closed silently behind them and disappeared.
***
Raven looked around with interest. The store was a large and expensive-looking one, displaying various goods with their realistic 3D projections rotating over the glass cases.
Next to the one that contained an elegant three-foot-long sword and a small diamond-shaped shield, stood two members of an unknown race. They looked like anthropomorphic dogs walking on their hind legs.
Werewolves, maybe?
Ascension had a built-in translator enabling all players to understand each other whatever language they spoke, so the duo couldn’t have been players. Besides, Raven couldn’t see a messenger ring on either of the two.
The stranger closest to him, who looked like a giant bulldog, carried a big double-bladed ax. The other, a gaunt-faced hound, had a sheathed sword on his belt. Judging by how shabby and cracked the sheath and the hilt were, the two were probably here to get themselves new weapons.
They talked between themselves, with an occasional growl for emphasis. As Raven’s footsteps came closer, they stopped talking and turned around, staring at the new visitor with genuine surprise.
“I’ve never met a member of this race before. He looks like a demon, but there’s something odd about him. Who are you?” The bulldog turned to Raven who stared at him, dumbfounded, unable to understand a word of what he was saying.
Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Brakvar frowned and repeated his question — with the same result.
“I don’t think he understands our language,” Rikaral said, putting his right hand to his chin and reaching the other into the air to take out a necklace.
They must be NPCs. Have I come across a race that hasn’t yet been introduced into the system? How the hell am I to understand them?
As Raven pondered over that, keeping his eyes on the duo, Rikaral put the necklace on and spoke again. This time, Raven was able to understand most of what he was saying. It sounded much like Khorgian.
“Can you understand me now?”
“Yes.”
“Good. My friend and I were wondering what race you belong to. We’ve never met anyone like you.”
What? Raven stared at him, blinking in confusion. How come? I know that I’m not the most ordinary-looking human but I’m still a human.
Utterly baffled, he eventually concluded that he had come across a rare opportunity to make contact with a new in-game race and, hopefully, get a good quest. Smiling, he began his usual game.
“That’s odd. I’m a human. I’m surprised that you can’t tell.”
“Human?” Rikaral stared at his friend and, removing the necklace, translated Raven’s words to him.
Brakvar was just as stumped as he was.
“A human? I’ve never heard of them. What do you think?”
“I’m not sure it’s a correct translation, but it must be close. Whatever the case, we’ve come across something weird.”
“I agree. But what do you think of him entering the store that casually? Not every player can do that! We’ve spent five years collecting energy to activate this Ancient Token, and he looks like he just dropped in for a mug of teel[1].”
“What a pair of nutjobs,” Raven muttered at the duo’s talking between themselves. By the anxious glances they were darting in his direction, he guessed that they were talking about him.
Ignoring the weird NPCs, he focused on the merchandise. Turning to the nearest showcase, he slid his gaze over the goods until one item caught his attention.
“Please... Please don’t tell me it’s just a useless skin.”
The item in question was a humanoid but still monster-like mask in the shape of a skull, covered in small spikes, with two four-inch tusks flanking the jaw. Its surface had a metallic crimson sheen: a perfect match for the fluorescent red fire raging in the empty sockets.
Cursing the greedy devs who had already sold hundreds of thousands of useless smiley masks, Raven prepared for the worst.
“No matter how cool it is, I’m not buying it,” he promised himself before touching the hologram to view the item’s description.
THE BEAST OF THE VOID MASK
Тype: Accessory
Rank: Legendary
Part of the Beast of the Void Set.
Description: This mask is made of the skull of the once awe-inspiring Beast that lived on an abandoned server. No one knows if the Beast died of natural causes or if it was killed. Its body was discovered by a past Administrator who dared to visit the Ancient Server where they came across the legendary creature’s remains.
At a later point, a legendary set was crafted from the dead Beast’s skull and bones. The parts of this set were passed down from one Player to another for many thousand years before they were lost.
Characteristics:
+ 1,200 Agility
+ 500% Speed
Additional Bonus: You can study in the Timeless and Spaceless Void.
Special Skill:
A NATIVE OF THE VOID
Description: The Great Nothing awaits you. Accept it. Dissolve into it. Become part of it.
You can conceal your presence from anyone’s eyes. They will not be able to detect you by your vital energy, your aura, your shadow, or a random thought flashing through your mind.
Usage Requirements: Mind Level 4+
Cost: 250,000 Influence Points
Raven couldn’t believe what he was reading. His mind was blank. Was it because the very first item he had decided to check in this store had a Legendary rank, or was it because this was the first time that an item’s description ever mentioned Administrators and Players? Or was it because of the staggering price? He couldn’t tell for sure.
What kind of store is this?
His hand trembled as he reached for the nearby 3D model of a cloak. Touching it, he forgot how to breathe. It was also Legendary.
As he struggled to overcome his shock, the two other customers addressed him again.
“Could you tell us your name, stranger?”
“I’m White Raven. And you are?”
“What a weird name,” Rikaral muttered. “I’m Rikaral. And this is Brakvar.”
“And my name is weird?” Raven retorted with a smirk.
“Tell me,” Rikaral said, ignoring the joke. “What server are you from?”