The Quest (Dark Paladin Book #2) LitRPG Series Read online

  “Tell me, what happened at the mages’?” Koni stopped right in the middle of the hallway and nailed me with his stare. He was shorter than I, yet had perfected the skill of “looking down” at people. I started answering, choosing my words carefully:

  “We were kidnapped immediately after our return from the Academy, and then those kidnapped were sacrificed, one after another. Then Archibald appeared and pulled me out of that hell. Monstrichello had the worst luck of all… What did they do to him?”

  “They destroyed him without the possibility of respawn. The soul of the being, immune to magic, was supposed to activate the artifact, but for some reason it did not happen. What do you know about it?”

  “About the activation? I don’t know anything,” I was surprised at that question, and from Koni’s pursed lips figured out the Game told him I was telling the truth. I really knew nothing, either about the activation, or about the mysterious artifact… Had anyone even mentioned anything about Madonna’s Diary? “I was sitting in the cage and thinking how great it was that I had reached level 11 in the Academy. That’s the reason I survived and am standing here now.”

  “Which of the high-born mages ordered the beginning of the sacrifice?”

  “Emm…” I even opened the Book of Knowledge to review that episode. “They did not mention names. It was some elf. Ask Devir – he would certainly know. Or Levard. I think he does know what actually happened there.”

  “I already spoke with the beings you mention. I am interested in your opinion.”

  “What opinion could I have? Devir commented on everything he did. Two Paladins were killed to get two mage slots. Monstrichello was killed to activate the artifact and then to receive a slot for another mage. By the way, what artifact are we talking about here? Levard interrupted Devir and demanded that the sacrifice be started immediately, as if he were in a hurry to get somewhere.”

  “How did Zangar die?” Koni changed the topic abruptly, ignoring my question.

  “I killed him.” I was not going to deny the obvious, but noted to myself how quickly the Judge showed who was who here. He did not last long with all that flirting like “as one Judge to another”, “professional advancement”, and all that. So be it, colleague, and I will respond in kind. “The Chancellor ordered us to have a duel, and I won.”

  “How did you manage to beat a being that was much stronger, wiser and more experienced than you?” The Supreme Judge would not relent, but by now I was ready to fight back:

  “Does this have anything to do with the mages and the case you took away from me?” I raised an eyebrow quizzically. Inside I was bursting with desire to tell it all, about the duel, the initiation and Monstrichello’s soul. But I had to resist. I had already guessed that by repeating my manipulation of Madonna’s Diary after Zangar’s teacher I had somehow managed to activate my artifact, while the necromancer got nothing. Perhaps it had happened because I was closer to the sacrifice. What I could not understand was Koni’s interest in this matter. I seemed a little paranoid, but after the Academy I was planning to check even myself from time to time. Nothing and no one could be trusted in the Game.

  “No, that’s a personal request from the Viceroy – to find out what happened to the student of his closest advisor. After all, an experienced fighter was killed."

  “I killed Zangar in honest battle. The Chancellor can confirm that.” I was not going to back down.

  “Did you kill Marinar as well?” Koni demonstrated that he was rather well informed about what had happened in the Academy.

  “Yes. They wanted to kill me.”

  “How?” The broad-shouldered Judge was puzzled. “Two against one. One was an excellent fighter, the other a pretty good mage. I would like to see the video of that battle. You are an explorer and have the Book of Knowledge for an artifact, right?”

  “True, but, unfortunately, I can’t help with this.” I decided to pull a trick of my own. “I cannot download the video‒ the artifact is not leveled up enough for that. As soon as the “Context Search” levels up, we can get back to this. Unless you provide to me an express course now so that it could upgrade,” I suggested, knowing very well what the answer would be. Koni grimaced in displeasure, and my bout of euphoria passed. I had no more desire to tell him everything I knew. At that moment the Game informed me that “witness examination was complete”, and I felt very silly. How could I have not guessed that it was not Koni pressing me, but the Game itself. Being an official witness turned out to be unpleasant. I must have looked really dumb talking back to the Supreme one, when I was a Judge myself.

  “Find Judge Redel in the Sanctuary,” Koni said curtly a couple of moments after the examination was over, not even looking in my direction. “He is the Head of the Judges’ Panel. As for the video: it was just a request, nothing more. If you can’t download it, I’ll ask the Chancellor.”

  Without saying goodbye, the Judge rapidly walked back down the hallway, leaving me alone in the middle of it. The moment he disappeared behind a corner, Archibald appeared out of nowhere.

  “Go straight‒second door on the right.” He looked me over, and shook his head in displeasure. “You held well, but made one mistake. Declare the information on the battle with Zangar to be confidential. You have the right to refuse to disclose information if it directly affects your safety. Go to the Sanctuary. Dolgunata is already waiting for you there. Do the Dungeons with her, both yours and hers. It will be useful for both of you. Take this‒ it will help you feel you are a player in your own right.

  Archibald handed me a small glimmering rectangular card. The moment I took it, it disappeared with a blinding flash. Archibald commented on the system message that appeared before me:

  “This is the mentor’s permission to obtain a game communication device. Without it they won’t sell you one in the Sanctuary. My number and Dolgunata’s will be automatically programmed into it. Get in touch with her and arrange to meet.”

  “When did she receive hers?” I was suddenly struck by a horrifying thought. “Before the Academy, or after it?”

  “Before,” Archibald took a long time answering. His permanent smile left his cat face while he was silent. “What does that give you?”

  “She got in touch with you immediately after we were attacked,” I started speaking bluntly. “Surely you are able to teleport to a place if you know the coordinates. But you did not appear when the mages took us. It’s unlikely that Levard held you back‒he was too busy to deal with you. Then all of a sudden you appeared right the middle of the cage without having any idea as to where it would be. There was no marker from Dolgunata on me‒ Devir stated that right away. So that means you were with us from the start under invisibility, just as you were just now.”

  “That’s a funny conclusion, but let’s suppose it’s true. So then what?”

  “Then?” I frowned. “You allowed the mages to kill the Paladins who had just came out of the Academy. Logir, Sartal and Monstrichello were killed right in front of you, and you did not make the slightest attempt to save them. But as soon as Levard started cursing about…”

  Case initiated: Improper Behavior of the Paladin (Slots available for: 9 more cases)

  Description: You consider that player Archibald behaved in a manner unworthy of the name of Paladin by allowing the mages to kill your brothers in class

  Task: Investigate this case and deliver a verdict

  Case investigation: Not applicable; the case was initiated by the Judge himself

  Period of limitation of action: None

  I stopped, seeing the system message. I had a strong urge to send the catorian to respawn forever right away, but talking to the Supreme Judge had been useful to me; I decided to postpone further investigation till a more suitable occasion. I will use this ace in my sleeve later. No matter how good Archibald’s intentions were, it is still unworthy of a Paladin to watch in cold blood as his brothers are being sacrificed. A cold shiver ran through me with my subsequent understan
ding: Archibald had actually been in that cage! He could see full well my manipulations with Madonna’s Diary, and as soon as I activated it, he revealed his presence to everyone! He knows about restart!”

  “Right, I decided that there was no point in hiding any longer. I got what I wanted,” the catorian completed my thought. “Do you seriously consider that I should have sacrificed my interest for the sake of some half-baked not-quite- Paladins? They were already condemned as unworthy. Whether it was me or someone else, it didn't matter: I believe you get the point. Let’s consider that you observed natural selection in action. As for Levard and his cursing – we’ll talk about that later. I repeat‒ you answered Koni’s questions well. Levard climbed too high using his artifact, and those who fly high fall long and hard. On his own or with some help. Right? The Viceroy does not forgive failures. I hope it’s clear to you at what level the interested parties sit. Now you will go to the Sanctuary. Dolgunata will keep an eye over you. Do disappear for a couple of months so that even if they don’t forget about you, they will at least stop mentioning you at every turn. You do understand how important this is for our COMMON effort? You got it right: I see very well in the dark; also I know a lot, and can surmise the rest. For example, who and where SHE could be. I’ll be waiting for you after you are done with the Dungeons. Now go straight down the hall, second door to the right; I will sort things out with Garlion myself. Go!”

  Archibald vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. His monologue provided plenty of food for thought, but first I needed to figure out what to do right away. Should I listen to the cat and go with the flow? Or listen to the cat and do the opposite? I liked the second option better, for I really hated following the demands of this flea-ridden beast. Catorian knew about restart a lot more than I did, but was in no hurry to share the information. Therefore, he was planning to use me while keeping me in the dark, forcing me to do whatever he needed for his own ends. I saw no difference between him and Koni. The latter at least told me openly that he was doing the Viceroy’s bidding. I liked more and more the scenario where I ignored the catorian’s direction: if he suggested that I go ahead, I needed to go back and catch Sharda. The way I saw it the gnome had owed me training ever since our first encounter before the Academy, so it should be possible to make him answer at least a couple of questions.

  I found the Paladin I needed in the anchoring hall. He was sitting in the lotus pose in front of the darkened “sun”, and presumably was contemplating things lofty and eternal. At least the expression on his face suggested precisely that. I felt awkward to distract the teacher, yet I cleared my throat a couple of times to attract his attention. The gnome startled and roused himself. The moment he opened his eyes I realized: the valiant Paladin was simply sleeping soundly.

  Sharda blinked calmly a few times, then nodded:

  “Have a seat, brother, we have just a few minutes before they notice you went missing and start looking for you. I need to tell you something.”

  I had the impression that no matter what I did, this Paladin would react as if he had known it in advance. Copying Sharda’s pose, I settled next to him and became all ears.

  “Archibald has reported to the Head of class that you have activated Madonna’s Diary. The rules of the Game forced him to do that. Gerhard will hold the information back from the Viceroy to the extent possible to avoid unnecessary hullabaloo. Restart of the entire Game is looming close. You will be hunted. There are a lot more those who want to get the activated notes than we initially thought.”

  “We?” I could not help asking.

  “It was foretold that I would find the Keymaster when the Immune one appeared,” ubiquitous Archibald stepped out of the shadows, not surprised in the least by my disobedience. “The mages were the first to find Monstrichello; they followed him for a couple of years until they made sure that he was precisely the one they needed. Then Devir started the hunt. The plan was to make the Immune one a mage; that way it would have been easier to kill him later. Devir decided that the quickest way to do it would be to impress the stupid ape with special effects. Actually, it could have worked if he had not become carried away. So, now we have what we have. Devir went to respawn and the Immune one decided to become a Paladin. It would be a shame not to use that situation to find the Keymaster. I sent just three Paladins in during this enrollment: Sartal, Nartalim and you. You were just an accident, a random pawn. Sartal and Nartalim both failed, but the pawn turned out capable of the knight’s move. So we had to change all our plans quickly and bring new variables into the equation. You were so lucky and quick, that with Zangar’s help you were able to grab the needed object. After the Immune one’s death some scapegoats were needed, because the Game is very particular about its creations. Four extra mages were not too high a price, particularly since we were promised compensation for them. We would not be able to avoid killing them anyway: Paladins cannot betray their brothers-in-arms.

  “Why are you telling me this now? What has changed in the last fifteen minutes? I could already be in the Sanctuary.”

  “Because you are closely watched by our wonderful Judge,” Sharda grimaced. “You are wearing more bugs than a gypsy wears baubles. That’s not even counting three headhunters who are following you. This is the only place in the Citadel protected from eavesdropping and unwanted ears. But you had to come here on your own accord and not because you were ordered. If you had gone to the Sanctuary, we would wait for the next Keymaster. We were not going to put our necks on the line without a good reason. After a year, ten, a hundred or a thousand, sooner or later Archibald would find him. Prophesies always come true. By the way, Archie, where are my granises? I told you he’d run to me rather than the Sanctuary, just to spite you.”

  “We’ll settle it, you old trickster!" grinned the catorian.

  It was so disgusting – feeling like a puppet in the paws of those two puppeteers.

  “I was already running a risk, letting everyone know that I have some information,” Archibald continued to enlighten me. “They already got in touch with me and demanded that I immediately present myself for interrogation. Now to the most important part: information on where to find Merlin’s Diary and who could be Madonna is kept in the library in the restricted section. You need to get in there. Neither Sharda nor I will be able to help you with this. The guards will not let us in. Garlion, the Librarian, has access. And you killed his only son, just by sheer luck. So far it’s the only way we know. Your task, as you might have already figure out, is to convince the elf to help you. Don’t count on Sharda and me‒ that would be pointless. If we try to hustle too much, it will attract attention and bring up questions about you. Now all Garlion can think about is revenge, so it’s better not to approach him directly. Find some method to pressure him. Of his own volition he will not help you, and it’s not only because of his son. If he’s caught disclosing information from the restricted section, he’ll be stripped of his Librarian title and exiled from the Citadel in disgrace. So you have something to think about. Right? Just don’t take too much time thinking. Gerhard will tell the Viceroy about you in six months — that’s the time the Head of class has to prepare his report. So during this time you’ll have to find Madonna and Merlin’s Diary.

  “Who was the third player?” Information was flowing like a river, unsettling me, but I was still able to ask the most important question. Without the answer to that it made no sense trying anything else.

  “Pardon?” The catorian’s face looked puzzled. “Two players restarted the…”

  “Three. Madonna’s Diary states it directly, but there is no mention of a name in it. The third player survived, that’s why the world came out defective. Two players cannot accomplish full restart – it takes three.”

  “Sharda?” Archibald stared at the short Paladin.

  “I will find out,” the gnome grumbled, moving his lips as if recalling a text he had memorized. “If I could take a look at the notes…”

  “No!” Archib
ald cut him off. “You will be forced to inform Gerhard about what you saw. Yaropolk has little time as it is, and there is no need to reduce it further. Find the information regarding the third player!”

  “Here you are!!” The door to the hall opened with a deafening squeak as one of the Paladins appeared in the doorframe. “Brother Yari, everyone’s been looking for you! New Paladins need to be sent to the Sanctuary right away. This is a directive from Gerhard van Brast! Brother Sharda, don’t delay him – I don’t want to suffer just because you are slowpokes.”

  “He’s all yours, brother Langirs,” the gnome nodded, and resumed his meditation. Archibald was long gone – the head hunter had disappeared again.

  Langirs was practically dragging me, trying to make it in time. The corridor and a few rooms flashed by so fast that I never had a chance to take a good look at them. All that I had time to do was to cast a quick glance around, letting my camera record the video and place it in the Book of Knowledge. I would review it in detail later. The Paladin dragged me into a small room with a flaming portal and pointed at it without too much ceremony or words of farewell. He shuffled his feet impatiently, hoping to be able to quickly report to his superiors that his task was accomplished. Funny‒ in the Academy I had thought that once one became a player, one ought to be regal, full of dignity and look at everyone with the eyes of a being who had attained true wisdom. Because, in essence, you would have gained immortality. But in fact, as it turned out, nothing changed. Some did not wish to stay at the bottom of the food chain, and desperately climbed back over the heads of their colleagues, meanwhile brown-nosing to the higher-ups or doing something nasty to them from envy; some simply used others to advance… The world cannot change or become different if we stay the same. Wherever we come, we bring our vices with us and then reap the results of our deeds.