Day 7: Shadows in The Radiance
Ulster thought he was not getting paid enough for this, it was one of a hectic morning today.
"Two mugs of beer!"
"Can I have two roasted chickens for me and my mates!?"
"Where's the lamb sauce?!"
"We don't have lamb sauce." he thought irritably.
Ulsterator, or Ulster for short, was recently hired as hotel manager for the captain-general's hotel. A new program introduced by the admin shortly after Brick left, opening up an employment office in Verod. Usually asking for their skills back in the real world, it was crowded but they worked it out in the end.
Kind of.
Still they had to get the city's economy going, the NPC question was already answered, they will not be cheap labour, they have to be citizens, real people. For the long-term cause ahead. Many still feared the shortages in manpower, especially in their still unorganized military. Good thing though, was that they were willing to fight, albeit in a creepy way.
Speaking of politics, shortly after the defection of the rogues, the government of Verod based upon its constitution written before in the server, it was of course a fluff piece for better immersion and aesthetic. It now served as a real basis of the law, with new amendments written everyday, as the rumours say. Which made some people antsy about this whole arrangement, that perhaps the rogues had some sense after all.
Still, the chief propagandist at Tower Verod had things to say otherwise.
"Excuse me, keeper." Ulster turned to the feminine voice to see a figure cloaked in black. He raised a palm in front of her. "Wait a moment, miss.", he hurriedly delivered some of the missing tomato sauce to table twelve, before he returned back to the reception.
"Sorry about that, how may I help you?" Ulster immediately knew that she was a native. More people like her were swarming the city recently, though they bumbled about at the sights and speed of how their eccentric settlement went about their ways. It was quite amusing to the player residents to say the least. But a part of them won't lie, that they too felt the strange energy as well, moreso as they're experiencing it first hand.
"How much are the cheapest rooms?"
"Oh, uh…" another trouble with them was the exchange of currency. The bank was already constructed in the city, after the siege. But the big obstacle in this was trying to find out how much something was worth, as the TradeCo boys and gals found out, there was no fixed price for anything, everything was haggled, even down to the rustiest sewing pin. Most merchants cheated on them or left in outrage, as they found out the reasonable amount of money they had gained was actually considered a steal!
Business truly is merciless.
"I guess… how much do you people usually pay at inns?" he asked.
The tall hooded figure tilted her head.
St. Phillips Cathedral, Verod
Standing atop one of the many balconies of the cathedral, a man with a television screen for a face looked down upon the busy streets, seeing them working so tirelessly, almost frantically, he wouldn't blame them much. After his episode in the employment office, he was assigned as maintenance, he was currently doing some work on the cathedral.
He raised his head up to view the violet and reddish sky that dominated the city's skyline. A malignant force, that for now, they were powerless to stop.
"Dark magic huh…" he said to himself.
He grabbed the broom again and continued sweeping up the dust away. Then he stopped himself to look down at his gloved hands, then he stopped.
…
"What am I doing…" A great battle began to take place in his mind.
Should he stay down? He knew he failed in college, but he always wanted to be an inventor. But, as real life came in to weigh him down, he settled for retail work. Maybe… he should aim higher again like in his younger days…
But it might be overwhelming and perhaps mighty embarrassing if he did go for it, and he might also fail.
But the other?
Why should he stay down? Why stay silent, the world truly is an oyster ready to be harvested, a birthplace ready to bear great men, women, and toaster to contribute to the world.
The one thing that he loved the most… to gaze at the stars, to one day fly to other planets as an astronaut. Why couldn't he do it here?
He's a minecrafter now! His character! The great Doctor X! His old life is gone, he is what he is!
"Science… I shall found a society of Science!" he pointed his index finger above and began to laugh madly. The light of the morning sun glinted off the screen of his head. Imagination upon imagination began to spew forth, nuclear engines, mech suits, jet packs, computers-!
"Dude… you alright?" a random Steve asked, concerned.
"I am not alright!" Dr. X grabbed the poor janitor by his shoulders.
"Things need to be done, experiments to test! I need to speak to the administrator now!"
…
…
…
"Uhh…"
Thus began the epic tale of The Scientific Society.
Guest Rooms, Grand Hall of Ken
Brick sat looking by the window, admiring the city view, he somewhat underestimated the scale of everything, though it did look generic in its aesthetic, still, he closed his eyes to hear the bells of the city.
*DING…*
*DING…*
*DING…*
Maybe he should add some to his.
"See anything?" he said.
Above him, a reply sounded.
"Saw a cart leave, had nasty undertones to it." Zeron replied, finally foregoing the naval skirt for some proper pants. Quite tight though.
"How so?"
"Last I heard from the comms was they were smuggling some 'certain peoples' into the carts." The bodyguard crossed their arms.
"Well… make sure they go in the right direction." his tone of voice sounded, heavy, unrelenting…
"Already on it Joe, always." it seems the church bells have stopped.
…
…
…
"Ya' miss having a dick in ya'?"
"Fuck off, armpit licker." the white-haired delinquent spat.
"Heh."
Road to Rad, Ken
"You bastards-!" the moustached man was unable to finish his sentence though.
*BANG!*
*SPLAT!*
"That's the last of them." a man stated, appearing to be wearing the ranger combat armour from New Vegas, he wiped off some of the blood from his duster.
Nice taste.
"Hunt, go check the carts. I'll be on the lookout." he then proceeded to loot the dead.
A hooded woman, appearing to be wearing the hunter's set from Destiny 2, nodded and went on inside the cart. When she moved the canvas away, she was greeted with a grim sight. It was enough to trigger a long forgotten memory that flashed within her neurons.
Those eyes, lifeless, meaningless…
Empty.
"W-Who are you?" she was interrupted from memory lane however, as out of the darkness, a small dark elf revealed herself in the light, overshadowing this sorry lot. She saw her golden eyes, still held, something that was still alight. For a moment, she didn't know what to say… but she reached out her hand.
The snow-haired elf looked at the offered hand in caution, but she reluctantly also reached out…
"Merda! We've got company!" The ranger, Krieg, warned.
Remembering why she didn't like mornings, she quickly turned around, and instantly saw men on horseback, catching up to them. She wasted no time in drawing out her recurve bow, and firing some shots at them. Without looking back she gestured the elves to go back inside.
Krieg meanwhile, charged and leapt repeatedly, trying to get closer. "Get over here, bitch!" he reloaded his pistol and fired again.
*BANG!BABABANG!BANG!*
Five shots.
"AGH-!"
"GYAAAAGH!"
Two got their marks.
The lead horseman went down, as well as the man behind him. This prompted a younger street thug that survived the shots to rush forward.
"You won't get away from this you whor-!" the words of this unfortunate lad, soon became his last, as his throat got pierced by a couple of arrows, courtesy of Hunt.
The battlefield was now silent…
…
…
…
Following Rome's trial, the city of Ken went under high alert, as the proverbial rocks overturned revealed large amounts of creepy crawlies that were growing under the city. With the help of the mafia's underground networks, surprise raids and crackdowns on illegal activities.
Brick, not wanting to be left out, decided to send some of his toughest bodyguards to join in on the hunt. Krieg, though was a recent hire, but found common ground in their obsession with history, as well as his skills and reputation in combat, he agreed to work with him, as Brick found out he was a well meaning man, despite what the rumours say about him being a wildcard.
"I've realized something…" Krieg said as he walked back to the wagon. Hunt perked her head sideways, curious on what her fellow comrade had to say.
"We should probably clean this up." he got rid of his mask to reveal the face of a young man, but it looked nauseous. Hunt nodded in agreement and looked at the cart behind her, some heads with long knife-like ears were poking out.
"Just grab some of the horses, I'll burn them to bits." the hooded woman nodded in approval at that action. She went to retrieve the horses left behind, and also quietly ignored… the sounds of Krieg's lunch spilling on the ground.
Such were the jobs of the bodyguards of the captain-general.
The (newly built) Deeptown Archives, Verod
About three days after the white ceiling incident, there were fears of history and knowledge being forgotten and lost after the transport. Thus, the archive project came into being, starting out as some rewritten history in the public library, but quickly evolving into a large-scale project, trying to remember things from memory.
Of course the details are incomplete and lacking, or unfortunately, factually wrong. But it was better than knowing nothing. When the siege occurred, the project was almost killed in its infancy, so the collaborators relocated to the Deeptown Districts of the city.
"Ughh… this is such a pain." a fox-girl groaned.
"You are like, our only metallurgy expert." a Steve said, wearing glasses.
"I was a student!"
"Better than nothing Mika." He continued to stack the books.
"Should've not visited the server." she mumbled.
"A beastwoman? Server? What on earth is she talking about?" Monty muttered, peering her eyes over another empty book. It had been days since she had infiltrated the city with her other sisters of the shadows. But she still couldn't understand, a lot of what these new inhabitants were talking about.
But one thing was sure enough.
They were not the enemy, well… they could be. Still, they were terrifying in their own right, besides their architectural prowess, was their ability to 'respawn' and if they can do this multiple times without end, they could overwhelm those they considered their enemies, as they will come back.
The messages she got from Helena were the same as hers, they must report to the queen that the statements of their former captive had truth in them. A thought formed in her head, if these people chose a side…
The war would be…
She got up from her seat, as quick as she could, escaping through the small window of the archives and disappeared into the crowds once again.
The White Palace, Geofum
Alicia sneezed an explosion, surprising many of the lady knights in her employ.
"Alicia!" Prim worriedly went to her side, grabbing her handkerchiefs from… somewhere. "Are you sick? We should go to the healers!" she said attempting to wipe some of her snot.
Embarrassed, she quickly wiped it from her hand and ejected it to the floor, leaving almost nothing away.
"I'm fine, it will go away soon." she said, trying to save some of her dignity.
"We need to speak to her holiness of our progress on the western front." she regained some of her class and confidence.
"As well as meeting our new allies, the Verodians." the company of knights and retinues entered on the steps of the enormous white palace.
"We must show them our strength and unwavering will against the dark witch queen." she said with passion, her eyes shining.
"Mmm, I'm sure." Prim smiled, closing her eyes in gentle tranquility.
Tower Verod, Verod
After turning some dials and arranging some wires, the man in the top hat showed a grin.
"Perfect!"
After tapping the mic a bit, he began his magic.
"Good evening everyone!
Tis I!
The one and only!
The sole chief propagandist!
The Storyteller!
And! As of today, Vox Verod is now on air! Bringing you news, weather reports and other affairs into the airwaves at every start of the day!
We will also be releasing weekly newspapers as well! With a working partnership with the archivist program. It'll be free until we can work out the prices. Speaking of prices, The Bank of Verod is still struggling to mint a new currency, and there has been talks of trying to hire a professional from the outside world.
Then we have the question of our new visitors, perhaps new neighbours if all goes well with the formation of the city assembly.
There will also be discussions whether the lonely fortress city won't be so lonely anymore, and if it should join the alliance to the south or remain as a free city. A really big can of worms to open that one!
In other news ways to convert the wasteland into farmland, as you may know, our dirt supplies have been running dry, and there have been fears of the plateau collapsing.
As demonstrated during the siege, blocks can fall into the air or become structurally realistic if someone not of our nature hits them hard enough! There have been many proposals but, there are some…"
AN:
11/30/21: Here's a new chapter in celebration of our comrades who have passed NNN! o7. Also, thanks for lending me your characters for this chapter (Lunahaile from Q Q . n e t for Mika), (Arcuer from Q Q . n e t for Hunt) and (FriendlyShadows from F F . n e t for Krieg). As always, thanks for reading up to the end of the chapter. Take care, and best of luck to ya' in the next November event.