Chapter 22: Cover Story

  Lily dragged the big man behind her with ease. The fire inside her had already calmed down again. Somehow this day was like a typical Monday. It would have been better if she had stayed in her mansion, maybe just been happy to see her mansion in real life, to be her game avatar and grill with the cultists some meat they had hunted. Yes, some nice outdoor activities in a fantasy world. Wasn’t this supposed to be the dream when you wandered through a digital landscape?

  But no. No, she wanted more. She wanted to see a city, and of course she thought it would be a good idea to bring two of the idiots with her, so they could handle their things alone. Why shouldn’t they? They had lived whole lives in this world without her, so why should she suspect, she couldn’t trust them for a few hours on their own? Was that absurd? No, of course not. It was totally normal to assume that people who had lived their whole lives inside a defined region were perfectly capable of going on a simple shopping tour.

  But yeah, clearly nothing ever goes wrong when you trust idiots with basic tasks. It’s definitely my own fault here, to being greedy and wanting to explore the world.

  Push the whole bank account matter with her guild to the side. Somehow, she would have to handle that anyway. But who could have predicted that in a city like Tiara, with at least tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, she could build a high-profile merchant persona with connections to serious, greedy nobles, only to run into the two idiots she had brought with her and have them ruin it in the same moment she created it, and all of that in just one morning?

  What were the odds of this? Lily really should start some serious gambling with her luck. Odds of being killed and summoned to another world. Odds of being summoned in her own game avatar that she had nurtured for years. Odds of running on her first encounter in Tiara into Gideon and creating a totally believable fake persona, even when she couldn’t transform into a human. And then the odds that the cultists she had brought with her, the very same who had summoned her, had ruined this persona in the same moment she created it.

  Is this fate, or am I just royally fucked by some god of bad luck?

  There was also the problem with her emotions. It was the second time today that she had almost lost complete control, first in the office of the director and now with this damn auctioneer. It didn’t even feel wrong to her, and that was what bothered her the most. Lily had always thought of herself as someone with at least some sense of morality. Sure, she was edgy, nerdy, and had lived most of her life online, where people said you could show your true self to the world. And many did exactly that, living the life they wanted behind an avatar. But she had never considered herself a bad person, and it honestly scared her when she felt that anger rise inside her. That was something she really needed to tackle later.

  The man she dragged behind her, holding him by one foot, groaned slightly as she wandered through the corridors. She didn’t even care if someone saw them. She would deal with it if it happened. But by coincidence, no one crossed their path, and she reached the room he had described.

  She had taken the key earlier from Veyth’s desk, right after he had told her what she wanted to know. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, and scanned the room with her emerald eyes. It was dark, without real light or any window. In the middle stood a table, and there were signs of a fight here and there. On the floor sat Marie beside Sevrin, who was clearly unconscious.

  She spat out a dry, “Here you idiots are,” and walked further into the chamber, pulling Veyth by his leg behind her and closing the door after them.

  Marie didn’t move. She just stared at Lily as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her eyes were wide, and for a moment Lily could almost hear her thoughts spinning.

  “Princess…?” Marie whispered. Her voice was trembling, almost too quiet to hear.

  Lily sighed. “Yes, the very same. You can stop looking like you’ve seen a ghost.” She let go of Veyth’s leg and wiped her hands on her skirt. The man hit the floor with a dull thud and didn’t move again.

  For a moment there was only silence. The air in the room felt heavy. Lily’s eyes went over both of them again, from Sevrin’s pale face and bruised arms to the bloodstains on the floor, and finally back to Marie.

  “So,” Lily said finally, “care to explain how you idiots got trapped here?”

  Marie swallowed hard, her lips parting, but no sound came out at first. On the second try, she managed to whisper, “I’m sorry, Princess. We weren’t able to just spend the mithril crown, so we needed to exchange it to buy the necessities we need to live… at your side, by the lake. I… I just wanted to go to the bank and exchange it for a fee. But we need an account, or at least some proof that we didn’t steal the crown, something with our names on it. And because of… various reasons, I swore never to use my family name again. But I still would have tried anyway this time.”

  She paused, her voice trembling. “But Sevrin said it would be easier to come here, to the auction hall, because he knew the one in Burma. I think he… took me into consideration.”

  Then Marie looked up at the transformed elf in front of her, guilt heavy in her eyes. “I didn’t know he intended to sell the potion. But when we were with the auctioneer”—she glanced behind Lily where Veyth lay on the ground—“I knew it was a bad idea to come here. When Sevrin showed him the potion, everything went wrong. He wanted to know where it came from, and of course we wouldn’t tell. Then he knocked Sevrin out and threw me to the ground. After that, he locked us in here.”

  Marie looked again into Lily’s eyes, her voice breaking. “I’m so sorry, Princess. This is our fault, not the others’. Please punish only us...”

  Lily watched Marie squirming on the ground beside Sevrin, her words tumbling out between shaky breaths. The guilt on her face was so thick it was almost painful to look at.

  Inwardly, Lily facepalmed. Oh yes, of course, in the end it all falls back on me. I gave them a crown they couldn’t even use, and they didn’t tell me. Instead, they tried to find some other way to get money so they could fulfill my brilliant idea to go shopping. Great communication again. Really impressive.

  She sighed quietly. What should I even do with them? We definitely need to work on our communication. Lily leaned back slightly, crossing her arms. Well. What’s done is done, and we’re here anyway. Might as well make something out of it. Gosh… what a mess.

  She let her gaze wander over the two of them again. Sevrin was still out cold, and Marie looked like a kicked puppy that expected to be executed any second. Lily let out a slow breath through her nose, then said flatly, “You both look punished enough already.”

  Marie blinked up at her, unsure if she had heard right.

  “Don’t make me repeat it,” Lily added, her tone dry. “Just don’t do something this stupid again, and we’ll call it even. I really don’t have the patience for more of this shit today.”

  For a moment, the tension in the room thinned. Lily rubbed her forehead, feeling exhaustion creep in. Maybe later she’d laugh about this. Maybe. Right now, though, she just wanted to drag everyone home and pretend this day had never happened.

  But of course, she couldn’t. She first needed to solve the problems at hand. And… what is that? Lily frowned and tilted her head slightly. “Marie, are you sitting inside a summoning circle?”

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  Marie froze, clearly caught off guard. “Ah… yes, Princess.”

  Lily stared at her for a long second. “Care to explain why?”

  Marie’s hands fidgeted in her lap. “I thought… if he came back—the auctioneer, I mean—and killed us, maybe I could… activate it. I used my blood to carve it, and I was sitting inside with Sevrin. I thought maybe it could reach you, or… something.”

  Lily raised an eyebrow. “So, your plan was to summon me again while you were dying?”

  Marie hesitated. “It wasn’t a good plan,” she admitted softly. “But it was all I had left. At least this way he wouldn’t have control over us. I thought maybe the circle would bring you or something from your realm to finish him off.”

  Lily blinked once, then sighed. “Wonderful. My cultists are suicidal and creative. Just what I needed.”

  Marie opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again, her cheeks turning red.

  “You know what, Marie? Next time, just scream really loud instead. That would probably summon me faster.” Lily rubbed at her temples. And for the first time since she entered the room, a tiny, uncertain smile flickered across Marie’s face.

  Lily looked at the circle more closely. What is wrong with them anyway? Did she actually plan to kill herself to randomly summon… something? Even when they summoned me, they had something like a proper incantation. What exactly would just dying inside a circle even do? Roll the dice and hope for a raid boss to appear?

  She crouched down a little to get a better look. All right. Let’s see what she actually carved. What did she…

  Lily leaned closer, her eyes narrowing at the blood-filled grooves of the runes on the floor.

  Marie stood up when Lily came closer to look at the runes. The circle was, again, a mess—just like the one in the cave under the merchant’s house where they had summoned her. But still, it was kind of impressive in its own way. Marie had carved this alone in the dark, with nothing but a knife.

  Lily traced one of the runes with her eyes. The structure was crude, but the flow wasn’t completely wrong. This circle could probably work if fueled with enough life force and blood. And because her original summoning circle had only required Tier-1 runes, this one had been made with the same. It was far less complex, but in theory it could still perform a Tier-1 summoning.

  She stared at it for a moment, her mind running through the possibilities. Somehow, it might actually work. I mean… the whole situation is fucked up anyway, so why not. Should I just activate it?

  But then she shook her head. No time for playing around. They needed to solve the problems at hand first. Lily pushed the thought aside and resisted the temptation. She had a better idea.

  Since Xantia was an open sandbox world where players could influence the fate and politics around them—at least as long as no other players interfered—there were countless ways for Lily to handle NPCs. A common tactic, for example, was to alter the memories of high-ranking figures such as kings, dukes, or influential merchants. By doing so, players could easily secure a foothold within smaller kingdoms or trade empires. Because of that, it wasn’t unusual for territories outside the major player hubs to be indirectly ruled by just a handful of players.

  Unfortunately, as a Spellblade, Lily didn’t have access to the kind of spells required for that sort of manipulation. However, there was always a solution to be found—and that was where her highest profession came in handy: Alchemist. Lily made sure to carry a sample of every potion she could craft herself—after all, you never knew when one might prove useful. Besides, anything she created on her own was expendable, so it didn’t hurt too much if she lost it during a gank from other players or a failed raid.

  She opened her inventory and pulled out another [Greater Healing Potion]. Without much ceremony, she tossed it into Marie’s hands. “Here. Heal yourself and Sevrin with that. I don’t have any healing spells for others.”

  Marie caught the bottle clumsily, nodding quickly.

  Lily didn’t wait for a reply. She turned around and walked back to where Veyth still lay on the floor, his body half in shadow.

  She needed to handle the situation with Veyth before anything else. Leaving him like this wasn’t an option. He was an auctioneer, someone known in the hall, and if anyone found him half-dead—or worse, dead—in his own office right after her visit, questions would spread fast. And those questions would lead straight to “Lady Greenwood.” That would destroy everything she had managed to build in just one morning.

  So yes, she needed to fix this.

  “Marie,” Lily said without turning around, “does anyone know that you and Sevrin were here?”

  Behind her, Marie was crouched over Sevrin, tilting his head carefully to make him drink the potion. He groaned weakly as the liquid ran down his throat, his skin slowly regaining color.

  Marie thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. At the entry there was one guard who let us in, and a receptionist who led us into this room. I’m sure she works for the auctioneer.”

  Lily nodded to herself. “Good. That could work.”

  She looked at Sevrin, who was still lying inside the circle beside Marie. She sighed. “Fine, stay there then.” She didn’t even bother to ask Marie to drag him out. Instead, she lifted her hand and cast [Telekinesis].

  Both Marie and Sevrin rose a few inches from the floor, weightless for a moment. Marie gasped in surprise, clutching at Sevrin’s shoulder, while he remained limp and silent. His face had color again, and he looked better, but still far from conscious.

  Lily moved her hand slightly, and the two floated over the edge of the circle. She let them down just outside its lines, then turned her attention back to Veyth.

  He was still barely breathing. “All right, your turn,” Lily muttered.

  Then she opened her inventory and scrolled through the items, navigating to the potion section until she found what she needed. She tapped the icon, and a faint shimmer appeared in her hand, a small vial filled with a silvery liquid that glowed softly even in the dark. The description was still fresh in her mind.

  [Oblivion Draught]

  A thick, silvery potion that glows faintly in the dark. It removes the memory of the last 12 hours completely, but leaves an emotional scar—the feeling that something important is missing.

  She smirked faintly. Exactly what I needed. And I hope it has the same effect on humans as it does on NPCs...

  Her plan was simple. Luckily no one had seen them walk from the office to this room, so she would place Veyth inside the circle, unconscious but alive. Let him forget everything that had happened here with the [Oblivion Draught]. Then make Marie and Sevrin vanish before anyone saw them leave. To everyone else she would still be “Lady Greenwood,” sitting in the auctioneer’s office like a proper merchant.

  Her story was clear: Nathanel Veyth had gone to fetch the item he mentioned to her and Gideon—something he had supposedly acquired from cultists. He didn’t return, so she eventually went to look for him. When people came searching, they’d find him here, half-dead inside a summoning circle, branded with [Hellfire Shield] burns. They’d assume the cultists had overpowered him and fled. It was plausible and believable.

  And since her anger had passed and she felt more like herself again, she didn't want to kill him. So, this was a good solution. Lily knew it was hypocritical of her, but something inside her was still afraid of what it would mean in this world to actually kill. Would she really lose her old self?

  Lily crouched next to the auctioneer’s body. He was breathing, though shallowly, his skin a patchwork of red and black. Without hesitation, she pried his jaw open and poured the [Oblivion Draught] down his throat.

  He coughed once, a hoarse rattle, then swallowed on reflex. The effect was immediate. His eyes rolled slightly, and that raw, hateful glare he had worn earlier faded into something dull, confused. The tension in his face slackened. His gaze lost focus entirely.

  Lily watched in silence until she was sure that the memory was gone. He wouldn’t remember her, the fight, or even his own rage—just the hollow feeling that something had been taken from him. That would do nicely.

  “Good,” she muttered. “Now, let’s make it look convincing.”

  She used [Telekinesis] again, the faint shimmer of crimson mana wrapping around his form, and lifted him from the ground. His body drifted weightlessly toward the summoning circle. She set him down inside its bloody lines and adjusted his posture until it looked natural enough, as if he had collapsed there.

  Eyeing it, Lily thought; Yeah, it’d totally look like a ritual or some other cultist shit...

  Then she turned back to Marie and Sevrin.

  Sevrin was still unconscious, and Marie was carrying him now. The potion had brought some strength back into her.

  “All right,” Lily said quietly, “now for you two.” She looked at them for a moment, thinking. “How do we handle this best… maybe like this.”

  She lifted her hand and cast [Invisible]. Both of them vanished instantly, the faint shimmer of mana dissolving into thin air.

  “Fine,” Lily said, raising an eyebrow toward the empty space where she knew Marie was standing. “Can I trust you to find our meeting point outside the city? Just walk there. You have one hour before the spell fades. And don’t let go of Sevrin—you might lose him otherwise.”

  A quiet, shaky voice answered from the air. “Yes, Princess. I understand.”

  Lily nodded once. “Good.”

  She turned and opened the door, stepping out casually. She waited a few seconds until she heard the soft footsteps of Marie leaving the room as well, then closed the door behind them and locked it with Veyth’s key.

  As she walked back toward the office, she allowed herself a small sigh. Somehow, when she had seen Marie carrying Sevrin like that, she had decided to trust her. Invisible or not, Marie would manage. Of all the cultists, she seemed the most competent.

  Exactly what I needed. And I hope it has the same effect on humans as it does on NPCs...