Will and I met by the gate leading to wolves' territory. The plan was to go before anybody else, so we could actually get some crystals on our way to find the lair. It was the first step of making him stronger. A source of a steady income in class points.
- You brought my breakfast?
- Yes. I have everything. Just grab it from the cart - he said back to me and grabbed himself a bottle of water.
- Thanks.
- No problem.
- So... What class did you pick?
- Some warrior. I guess it helps to fight with a sword, but so far didn't notice any difference.
- When you go against the enemy, you will see. But why the hell sword?
- Come on. Every hero in any movie uses a two-handed sword. That's canon man. You cant break the canon. This sword is like a message - he patted his blade, still lying on the cart. - Message to every princess that their hero arrived.
I just burst into a laugh.
- Good luck with defeating the dragons.
- Wouldnt it be awesome if one day I did? By the way, do you think there are dragons here? So far we had a few classic fantasy monsters around.
- Who knows? We have no idea how that flying orb or whatever it is, works.
- I have a theory. It's based on the whole statistic thing. It's kinda personalized to everybody. For me, it looked natural. I bet the same was with you.
- Yeah. I could understand it right away when I saw it.
- I think it's the same with enemies around us. They are real, but not really. You know what I'm talking about.
- Bleeding, but turning to smoke? Pretending to live, but doing pointless things? Respawning around midnight?
- Yes. I think they are just puppets but shaped in a way our brains can identify them easily. You know right away what you are dealing with when you look at a goblin, and the same is with a wolf and an orc. It's like the thing it's making this on purpose.
- Yeah. I have the same feeling. And more monsters lair appear when we upgrade the device.
- Hm... Maybe it really is virtual reality or something?
- At this point Will, I have no idea. Everything seems real except a few that doesn't. We bleed, get hungry, have to sleep, piss and eat. We die when killed and nobody disappeared so far.
- You know what, Peter? Fuck that. Let's hunt some wolves.
- Sure.
I grabbed something to munch on, as Will started to pull the cart again. This way we headed to wolves' territory.
We made it to our destination, and the travel speed decreased by a lot, since they noticed us, and just kept coming. There was a brief window when they stopped, we managed to collect some crystals then, but the howling was still present around us. They simply gathered in larger groups to deal with us but were unable to do so. We collected the spoils of battle and made our way even deeper, searching for the lair.
- Damn. You were right Peter. There is a difference. It's hard to explain, but I know better how to fight now. Like I've been training for some time.
- I know. You see stuff before it happens. It's from muscle movements and weight distribution.
- Didn't analyze it that deeply yet. It's awesome. Now I get how you could defeat Mark so easily.
- Yeah. He was incredible, but I could see thru him. Every move was telegraphed, so I could dodge them without effort. I also used a trick. To be honest, never expected it to work as well as it did. I got his knee, and the fight was over.
- I heard.
- Ok, enough chit chat Will. Let's go. We have lair to find.
After those words, we went deeper and deeper into the territory. Searching, and occasionally crossing paths with some more wolves. For few next hours, nothing much happened, and we started talking about minor things. Movies, and music. We shared our favorite tracks, and finally stumbled upon another massive cave. The opening resembled a bit wolf head, and there were bones lying around the entrance.
- So this is it - said Will.
- Yeah. This is the first time of many when we are visiting this place.
- Now it's impressive, but I bet I'm gonna hate this view soon.
I chuckled a bit.
- Just like the goblin cave.
- Just like it - he confirmed.
We made a bit of fire to light up our torches and went inside pulling the cart behind us. I've gotta admit, William got pretty good with flint and a ball of cotton.
The cave was filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Sharp like wolf's fangs. Echo of occasional barking and groaning and growling of those damn dogs could be heard everywhere. There was also the sound of water, slowly dripping from some of the rocks. The tunnel split into many, and even from the point I was standing in, I could see it kept splitting into more. Like tree root. Going deeper, and deeper into underground.
The first silver-haired one showed up pretty quickly. I could see it on the edge of light radiating from the torch flame. Observing in silence. Watching carefully. It gave me shivers.
- That one is clearly watching us - said Will, when he noticed what I'm looking at.
- Mhm.
- Those damn dogs are pretty smart. Do you think it will run if we approach?
- Probably. It's a scout of some sort.
- Should we engage?
- There is a lot of them around us.
- I've noticed, but we can deal with them. It's not like they are that big of a threat to us.
- Yes, but...
- But what, Peter?
- I don't know. It's the first time a creature here is looking at me like this. It's like possessed by something.
I did a single step forward, and the wolf jumped into shadows, just to emerge a moment later, on the edge of the light.
- Ok. Now it's giving me the creeps - said Will. - Let's kill it.
- No. Let's live it, and see if it will attack with the other wolves, or keep looking - I responded still observing the creature.
I couldn't get my eyes off it. Will on the other hand started moving.
- You coming, or not?- he asked because I kept standing and watching the animal.
- Yeah, yeah...
And we went deeper. Soon complete chaos started. Wolves probably sniffed us out, or maybe heard the noises, and rushed at us. For several minutes we kept cutting them down one by one. Dozens of them kept coming from different directions, attacking in groups, trying to surround us, and aiming for different points in our bodies. They tried everything a wolf could try. Nothing worked against us. We were just too strong, too skilled.
Eventually, hundreds of stones were lying under our feet, waiting to be picked up. The observer remained in his position, on the edge of the light. Still waiting. Still watching.
I looked at that animal and again couldn't take my eyes off it. It was somehow hypnotizing. Like a puzzle, my brain couldn't solve and kept returning to, with growing frustration. I knew that something was off with that wolf, and just couldn't let it go.
- What the fuck is with that one? - Will clearly couldn't endure the mental pressure this single dog was putting on him with its strange behavior.
- It might sound stupid, but I think it's controlled by something or someone.
- What?
- I didn't know. It's just a thought.
- You think somebody from the city is spying on us?
- Maybe... Or maybe it's the boss of this place. Or, maybe something completely different.
- You know what? I think we should return for today. Let's come back here tomorrow.
- Why?
- I don't know. This fucking wolf... It's making me uneasy. I'm not gonna lie. I'm freaking out a bit. Especially after what you just said. You not?
- I'm... I'm curious.
- Let's just go back. Ok, Peter?
- Fine. But we are coming back here tomorrow, ok? And we will go all the way to the bottom.
- Ok. Just let's go now.
I threw the last few shards on the cart, and we started heading to the exit. Still peaking at the wolf, while he remained on the edge of the dancing light radiating from our torches, following us to the very edge of the cave, but never leaving it.
- It's not following us. I think it's the boss... Which is freaking me out even more - said will a bit later.
- Yeah...
I felt strange. After Will's words, my interest in that wolf decreased. The high probability of the underground boss controlling the animal made it less exciting. Subconsciously I was treating it more like another secret of this world. Another piece of the puzzle. But now that feeling died, and also I realized what that strange feeling was.
We returned to the city and shared our score. I took 160 crystals, and will one more than that. Aisha had no news. Hatta kept focusing on looking for Blue. Everything seemed pretty much unchanging, except that we both gathered a bit more attention. Attention combined with whispers.
The news had to spread. I had no idea if it was just rumored, or people really started to believe I know about a way to obtain additional powers. One thing was certain. They knew something.
I sold the score, and after grabbing some food, decided to stay the night at Will's place.
The day ended with 2 257 337 points remaining on my account.