Chapter 32 More About The Key
It was early evening, and chilly but clear. I sat on the porch, staring out at the woodland beyond Onna’s kitchen garden and fence. Thornhold leaned against one of the columns holding up the overhang. The sound of birdsong filled the air, echoing in the dusk.
After a moment, Thornhold said, “I think they’re right.”
“Right? About what?” I knew what he meant, but I wanted to hold on to hope for a little longer.
“Let’s face it. We’re stuck here,” he said. “Given what Casper said, this is our reality.”
“You really think they told everyone we’re dead?” That made me incredibly sad. Though Liesel’s outreach out to our families could circumvent that.
“I’m not sure, but I think they will, the longer this goes on.
But we’re a massive fail for them, and the sooner they move on from it, the quicker the news will die down.
They aren’t going to want this as a legacy.
They can blame it on the hackers, not their own lack of adequate security measures.
” Thornhold joined me, sitting beside me.
“I have to admit, I miss my usual body. It’s not that I don’t like dwarves, but I liked my looks. ”
“Yeah, it’s fun to roleplay, but in actuality…
though I have to say, I like some of my abilities now.
” I played with the key, tugging at it once again.
“If I only hadn’t draped this over my head.
I’d be a lot happier without the thought that a 15th Level necromancer is going to be after me—if he isn’t already. ”
“The sooner we deal with the key, the better. It’s nice to rest here, but we should push on tomorrow.
We have a little over a week until we reach the Marshes, then if they’re as rough as they sound, we’re going to take between three to five days to cross those.
Then the mountains and by then, the snows will be in.
” Thornhold glanced at the sky. “Onna mentioned a village named Tyrnis. She said we should stop there for our winter supplies. It’s located right after we come out of the Cryptic Marshes.
She also gave us the names of the employees who work there, so we should have a contact.
And Casper knows where the Waypoint in the marshes is located, and he drew out a map for us. ”
That perked me up a little. “I wonder that the employees all aren’t planning to come together in one place. It would make the best sense to create a village, given all the knowledge they have.”
“Chances are, a lot of them still believe that the game will be fixed,” Thornhold said.
“Come on, let’s go inside. Casper said he’d look up all the info he can find about the key.
” He stood and then held out his hand. I took it, and he helped me to my feet.
“I wonder…if there are any gay Syms here. If not, and if we’re stuck, and if none of the employees are gay, I’m going to live a long life as a lonely dwarf,” he added wistfully.
“It will be okay,” I said, leaning down to give him a peck on the forehead. “Let’s not worry about things like that yet, okay?”
“Aye, you’re probably right,” he said, and we turned and left the darkness behind for the warmth of the cabin.
Casper motioned us over. Brynn had been helping Onna with the dishes, while Ray and Reggie had been mending a broken chair for Casper. We all joined them and settled around the big wooden table. Casper brought out a page of notes.
“All right, I did what research I could, given we’re trying to save as much of our power supplies as we can. I’m trying to imagine a way to create a charge for them before they run out. I’m thinking water power or wind power? Anyway, let’s get down to business.”
“So, what did you find out?” I asked. “Liesel was able to discover a few facts about the quest, but…”
“I know more about it because Onna and I actually played through it. Before we were employed, every NPC employee in the game was expected to play through several scenarios. Ours included the key incident. Now, we can’t guarantee it will be the same, given things have gone off the rails, but this should give you some forewarning as to what you’ll be up against.”
“First,” I asked, “can you explain who the queen of darkness is? Her name is Devastey. And Zaran is her lover?”
“In a nutshell, Devastey, according to canon game lore, was the older of two half-sisters. Rheyna is her younger sister. She’s half-Elfin, and the current queen of the Summer Kingdom.
Originally, Devastey was the queen, but she was seduced by Zaran, and drawn into his schemes.
He sought to gain the throne because the Summer Kingdom is rich in resources.
Together, the pair set up a chokehold on their people.
Rheyna was set to be executed, but a group of heroes managed to save her. The leader—Sinsara—”
“Isn’t Sinsara an Elven goddess?” I interrupted.
“Now, yes. But at the very beginning of the game, she was the leader of a band of adventurers known as the Seven Stars. They rescued Rheyna, but in the process Sinsara was killed. She was deified by the Elven gods due to her heroism and her loyalty to Rheyna. In the battle against Devastey and Zaran, the priestess of the Summer Kingdom managed to lock Devastey into a bubble realm, and the key—the one you wear around your neck—was entrusted to her. But Zaran stole it, killing the priestess, and that’s how it came to be in the burial chamber you found. ”
“So Devastey and Zaran were tyrants?” Brynn asked.
“Worse than tyrants. Again, canon lore states that they destroyed several villages, down to the youngest child, who refused to pay them a tithe and who resisted their rule. They’re mass murderers.
If he manages to free Devastey again, they’ll stop at nothing to regain their former power.
Rheyna is an incredible queen, but she’s blind when it comes to her sister.
She can’t bring herself to kill Devastey.
But if Devastey finds her way out, there’s no doubt she’ll go after Rheyna. ”
“What do I do with the key?” I asked.
“The quest was set up for the new keeper of the key to destroy the Queen of Dark Magic. Until she’s destroyed, the world of Abarria is vulnerable to the magic of the dark queen. And if Zaran is by her side, they’re doubly dangerous.” Casper shrugged. “You have to find a way to eliminate Devastey.”
My stomach churned. I knew that part, thanks to Liesel, but the whole story made the entire mission so much worse. I looked at the others. “You don’t have to come with me—this is going to be dangerous.”
“We came here for an adventure,” Ray said.
“We’re not letting you go in on your own.
For one thing, you’re not strong enough to take her on alone.
For another…if we’re doomed to live in the game forever, nobody ain’t gonna want to let that bitch break free.
We’re coming with you, right?” He looked at the others.
They nodded, their expressions set.
“Then, I guess the sooner we get going the better. And we need to level up on the way. I dread the thought, but we’re going to have to seek out danger on the way in order to strengthen our powers,” I said.
“Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Onna said. “I predict adventure will come to you—after all, that’s the way the game was designed.”
We decided to head out the next morning, and so spent one last evening in Casper and Onna’s hospitality. I tried to sleep, but all night I was plagued with vague dreams about a dark and terrible queen, and the dangers that waited between us and her prison in the Summer Kingdom.