Rahaas says, "You're right. I do need you to back me up"
He removes his goggles first and then his scarf and makes his identity public in the room as all of his bodyguards vanish into darkness.
His face is very white due to him having been in the dark for the last three years in this game. He has dark black eyes that just seem to bore into you whenever you look at him. His window popped up next to him.
"Name : Rahaas
Level: 340
Attack Power: 23052
Hit points: 46104
Strength : 250
Agility : 3200
Elemental Affinity : 3600"
Oh my God! He has it big. I am about to ask him how he has such high affinity but such low strength but once again I am cut off by him, "You want to ask about why my starts are different from those of the average man? Why my strength is so low in comparison? It's because my class, Shadow Assassin has inherently low strength. It's useless trying to increase it. We need to work twice as hard as the average player to increase our agility and our strength by the same number of points. But we can increase or elemental affinity very easily. So if I were a regular guy, I would have had 1000 strength and 900 affinity. I guess my agility would remain the same.
It's easy to raise affinity because one with Darkness takes out only 40% of your health whole giving you the same extra damage as the other forms of one with your element do. You can also use one with Darkness as many times as you want on any given day. Even travelling by the shadows increases ones affinity to darkness. I might become the first player to achieve 5000 affinity. There aren't that many NPCs with such high affinities either. Also, my bodyguards: they are just projections I created from the shadows. I can do those kind of things." He looks at my face in a calculating manner. He says, "You want to know about why my in-game name is the same as the name I've been giving everyone, don't you?" His lip raised to the right side in a smile, "Misdirection. I tell everyone that my name is not Rahaas. They don't expect it to be Rahaas. Those who did were taken care of."
"Taken care of? The hell man?" ask I.
He chuckles, "They were dosed and had a talking given to them in this same place.... Then they were given a concoction that makes you forget your ideas and basically allows someone to insert new ideas into you." He's taking about mead and/or beer. Adi gives a knowing smile. Dharmendra on the other hand is buying all of Rahaas' bull crap. Must be hard being him.
Rahaas continues, "Adi, your skills at deducing have increased considerably since the last time we met. Good for you! Yes, I chose the path against both Gods and Demons. That beam may have come from anywhere. But it didn't happen spontaneously. Someone did it. The demons will claim that it's the gods. They gods shall claim that it's the demons. I just don't feel like following either faction. And besides, if I join either faction, there'll always be someone ordering me around, because I know that I am not very powerful; and I don't do orders. I prefer going solo. If someone's on the top ordering me, I just can't take it, man! That's why I chose my current path. Also, my soul doesn't get destroyed here. In the case that I am killed twice, my soul is still going to be here, do in the case that we are able to log back out one day, I'll be able to do it. I won't be stuck here. So I'm all actuality, the most dangerous path may be the safest. Do you trust me now?"
Adi says, "We do."
"Good" comes the voice of Rahaas. He puts back his scarf and goggles. He says, "Much more comfortable in this way "
I ask him, "Would you-"
"Like to join you on whatever quest you have to stop whatever demon out God? Hmm .... Let me think. It's as you said. Either have you guys back me up or stay cooped up in here for the rest of my life. Which is better? Hmm.... I would like you guys to back me up, but for that I need to join do I not? Can you follow me around instead?"
"No!"
"Fine!! I'll come with you! No need to be so fiery!! Haha" says Rahaas, "Let's go whenever you wish to go. But first we have some lunch folks. I am really hungry. What do you want?"
Rahaas creates his shadow bodyguards again and sends them to get the for that we order. He just walks it of the door and goes out. Dharmendra was probably expecting to see water considering how audible gulp. Rahaas tells him, "What's wrong? You think submarines don't have kitchens?" I can't bear it anymore. I burst it laughing, "For God's sake, stop teasing him! I can't control my laughter"
Dharmendra sends a questioning gaze towards me. Rahaas also bursts it laughing and says, "We are in the first floor of the brewery and bar. The first floor and above is a regular restaurant with brilliant flavor. I had you dosed because, I didn't know who you were when you there first came in. Got all I knew, you could have just been someone drinking their problems away. I wouldn't have dosed you if I knew who you were."
Rahaas' bodyguard came with all the food we had ordered.
We finish eating it and I tell Dharmendra, "Make your choice. We won't go against you if you choose the Gods. But I ask you this? Can you work under someone else who will most likely order you around? It are you going to be your own master? I am not sure if you believe me. I am not sure if you trust us. But take this leap of faith and we shall not disappoint you!"
Dharmendra looks at all three of us and says, "Fine. I guess this path has its own advantage of never losing your soul. You all make good points for your path. I'll take this leap of faith along with you! I Dharmendra, warrior of Bharatha, renounced my allegiance to the Gods and reconfirm my non allegiance and hostility to the demons and declare that I shall follow a strict code of non alignment!"
His armor shimmers in the dark, losing all the buffs he recieved from being on the side of Heaven. The other three of us get up and I say, "There are loads of prison inmates we need to free. Let's go"
Rahaas says, "I'll be in your shadow"
He disappears into the darkness. These are desperate times. At this point, if you don't trust your friends and allies, how will you stay alive?
I walk down into the bar and then outside into the dark night. The clouds overcast the sky. The Moon is invisible. There is a chance of cyclonic rainfall. These are gloomy times. These are desperate times.
[Mythological Titbits: The Pandavas, let by Arjuna conquered Drupada's kingdom and have it to Drona as their Gurudakahina or free for their studies. Drupada was enraged that he lost. But he could do nothing about it. He was brought to Drona in ropes by the Pandavas. Drona freed Drupada but held back the half kingdom that he was promised.
Drupada was enraged at this. He had a daughter named Shikandi who was the reincarnation of the Kashi princess Amba who had vowed revenge on Bhishma. Drupada had been grooming her to kill Bhishma but since the Pandavas defeated him nevertheless, he wanted another son who could behead Drona. He performed the Putrakameshti Yagna- A Vedic ritual of sacrifice to get a son and and a daughter. He did so to get a son who could slay Drona. From the fire of the yagna, the twins Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna were born. Dhristhadyumna would go on to kill Drona in the Mahabharata war and Draupadi would go on to marry Arjuna and later all the other Pandavas.
Well, see you later folks!]