Lazarus stood up and marvelled at himself. Virtual sensors were on. He could feel the difference in power of a level five body. He flexed his muscles and felt the energy coursing through him. Suddenly he grinned. This has got to stop. I must stop admiring myself every time I go Virtual or I won't get anything done.
Then just for the sheer fun of it, he started running, feeling the speed and agility of the Ranger's body. He moved quickly towards a site he saw on the map earlier where a village was located. Soon he arrived and slowed down. He checked his Energy level. Not even 3 per cent used. He nodded in satisfaction.
Okay. Lazarus pulled up his hood. Here we go.
The minute he entered the village, he knew something was wrong. His hair stood on end and his skin was tingling, instinct telling him to get out immediately. He was being watched. There! And there! He saw movement at a dirty window. Human shadows fading behind trees and broken buildings. The village was eerily silent. There were no stray dogs or cats to be seen. The stockades he had passed by were strangely empty, the broken gates left open and hanging on it's hinges, swinging, creaking as the wind played with it. The buildings he passed were all dark, the farms left abandoned. There were no living things except the shadows. He stopped. This place was creepy.
Then a lone figure limped out a doorway from a ram shackled house. The others hung back, waiting. It was a gaunt man with pale papery skin. He was so skinny, Lazarus could see his bones jutting out sharply from his skin. The old man was dirty and unkempt. As he came nearer, he saw that the poor soul was covered with festering sores and bruises. His sunken eyes gleamed with crazed enthusiasm.
"Hello", Lazarus greeted the man nervously. "I was just passing by and was wondering if I could get some supplies."
This was not the place for him, he decided. Better let him know, get some supplies if possible and go.
"I can pay," he added uncertainly.
Forget the supplies, just get out of here. His whole body was screaming at him to run. It took all his self-control to appear calm.
"We don't get many visitors," the man rasped and gave him a toothy grin. He licked his lips. His mouth was covered with open sores. He held out his hand.
Lazarus paused. "Umm, nevermind. I'll find my supplies elsewhere. Thank you. I'll be on my way."
As he started to back away, the man suddenly extended his bony right hand, his movements jerky and mechanical.
"It's rude not to shake hands, stranger."
The man's grin widened and he blew out his breath. A stench like rotting corpses reach Lazarus's nose. His upbringing overruled good sense and he automatically reached out to shake the man's offered hand.
The only warning he got was a gleeful glint in the man's eyes before he lounged at Lazarus grabbing his out stretched hand and pulling him close. The Ranger felt the old man's razor sharp teeth sinking painfully into his neck before he could push the gaunt man off. Lazarus staggered back in shock. He touched his stinging neck and his hand came away sticky with blood. The old man fell to the ground grinning madly, his mouth full of blood. He licked his bloody mouth making smacking sounds.
Oh my God! All he could think of was the man's open sores oozing yellow pus and blood. But the attack was the signal the others were waiting for. This stranger was edible! They had been so hungry for so long. They attacked as one, hunger driving them from the shadows.
Lazarus got out his sharp hunting knife, the Ranger's body knew what to do. He went to work, slashing and hacking at anything that moved. The bleeding wound on his neck slowing him down only slightly. The starved men and women attacked him with bare hands and teeth, biting and scratching, trying to get a hold of him. He was fresh meat! Literally!
As he cut down the attacking mob, they burst into bright little pixels, fading into the background. Lazarus fought with accurate precision hitting a target with every move he made. His agile body turning and twisting, finding targets easily. Their numbers dwindled as he hacked and slashed. The air around him was thick with bright floating pixels. New ones exploding before the others could fade.
Finally, they were all gone, every one of them who had attacked him. He stopped, breathing hard and looked around. He caught movement behind a dried up tree and tensed. There were more watching, waiting to attack. How many of them were there? He wondered.
Oww, now he felt the few bites they managed to land on him. He shuddered as he recalled the sharp teeth and oozing sores on some of them. Slowly, he backed out the way he had come in. The shadows stalked him at a safe distance, wary of his fighting skills. Almost there, he thought as he saw the main gates.
A howl went up as the starving crowd realised their prey was getting away. They rushed him desperately, hoping to bring him down before he could escape. Lazarus ran towards the gates, slashing the few bodies that came in between him and freedom. Body parts fell as blood squirted at him before disappearing as bright dots. He jumped out the gates and rolled into a half crouch, facing the village, knife in hand, ready for them. But the zombies stopped at the gates, a boundary they could not pass. They were programmed only for the village.
Lazarus let out a sigh and relaxed. They were crowded at the gate, jostling each other, eyeing him, salivating at him. He shuddered as they continued clawing in the air in his direction grinning and making mewling sounds. They had probably eaten every living thing in the place. No wonder the village had been deathly quiet.
His Health bar was blinking orange.
Warning : Health thirty three per cent
Enough to go on a while more he thought confidently. He opened his pouch and teleported to another potential location.
He spawned in mid-air and this time fell onto his side in a heap. There was nothing graceful about this landing.
"Ughh" he grunted.
Lazarus felt terrible. His neck was throbbing painfully. He touched the wound and more blood came away with his hand. Why hadn't it started healing? The blood should have dried by now. He tried to stand but fell as his legs gave way. His legs and arms were throbbing too. There were blistering red bite marks all over his body.
He sat up and opened his pouch. There was a vial of Healing potion in there somewhere, he was sure of it. Where was it? The items on the menu swam as his eyes watered. His Health bar was blinking red urgently.
Warning, Health nine per cent.
I know, I know. His hand trembled as he searched through the Items. Finally, he found it. He touched the icon in relief. Select and apply.
"C'mon, c'mon," he felt nauseas. His head was pounding. The world was spinning.
Health is restored.
"Whoa, this is crazy," he breathed shakily as he felt health and energy being restored in his body.
The bite marks disappearing as the healing potion worked its magic. He felt much better now. Those people must have had some sort of poison in their saliva or he wouldn't have deteriorated so fast.
Simtrixx is not making this easy. They were probably getting footage galore as the Players struggled with the first quest, he thought grimly. The Beta testing was a walk in the park compared to this. He knew the Players would feel everything their Heroes was supposed to feel during their adventures and quests, but actually experiencing it was beyond crazy. It was insane. He wondered what else they had in store for them. Alright, back to work.
-----
Third time lucky he hoped. Lazarus squared his shoulders and entered a new village. So far, so good. The people here looked normal. They looked a little thin and hungry but not crazy. There were stray animals running around. Lazarus took it as a good sign. There were even some scrawny chickens scratching in the dry hard dirt.
It was obvious that the people here were barely getting by. A small boy waved at him smiling, he waved back as his mother watched alertly. The Ranger walked on warily, ready for action. Like the other two places he had been, the buildings were run down. The war and constant raiding had taken its toll on the population. There were a few people about, going through their daily chores. They looked tired, worn-out, their future grey and bleak but still they had not given up hope. Lazarus felt drawn to them.
This one, this village was the one. "I can help them," he thought. He could make them prosper.
A strong mature female voice called out to him, "Welcome stranger, if you mean us no harm." A woman strode forward; some men followed her from behind. He was not fooled. They were back-up.
"Thank you," Lazarus smiled warmly. "I mean you no harm, I am just looking for a place to stop for a while. It's dangerous out there."
She was a handsome woman, weariness lined her face and made her seem older than she really was. The others did not say anything but their body language made it clear she was in charge.
"If I could have a place to stay, I can pay you."
She gave him a sad smile. "We don't need coin my friend, but if you have food or can work, you are more than welcome to stay."
"I have some food," Lazarus said as he dug into his pouch and offered the strange bird he had caught in the earlier session. He hoped it was edible. "Here, is this enough? I can hunt for more."
She reached out for the food eagerly handing it over to a man behind her.
"Feed the children and elderly first," she instructed him firmly before turning back to Lazarus.
"Thank you, kind sir. You can stay in the barn over there. I'm afraid it is all we have to offer. The other buildings ..." she trailed off and she gestured helplessly at the disrepair he saw around him.
"Thank you, it will be fine."
"Mother!" a young girl's voice called out, "We don't have any place for strays! We barely have enough for ourselves as it is."
Lazarus whirled around to see a pretty woman coming towards them.
"Illia! This young man means us no harm. He has even brought us some food. The bird will help feed the little ones tonight."
Illia glared at him in distain. Lazarus was astounded, she was absolutely stunning. Her sky blue eyes were flashing in anger, cheeks flushing a bright pink as she rebelled against her mother. Wow!
"Hush now child, he said he can hunt. It will help while the crop grows ... if we have enough rain this time and if we can avoid raids."
The girl eyed him haughtily, giving him a sniff and pushed rudely past him.
"I'm sorry if I caused trouble. I can leave ..." the Ranger said awkwardly still looking at her retreating back, her long lush hair swinging with her motion.
"Ahem," the older woman coughed bringing his attention back to her.
Lazarus blushed embarrassed, she had caught him looking.
"Come, let us go in." She guided him to the largest residence. "The Village's Keep," she informed him apologetically.
The inside was sparse with only a few pieces of furniture. The hangings were tread bare and the carpets moth eaten. It was clean though and he sat down on a chair gratefully.
"We do what we can to survive but times are hard."
"Please excuse my daughter. She is young and a little rash but she means well. We are all worried; there is not enough of everything. We do not know how much longer we can make ends meet."
She sighed.
"She will take my place when I am gone. The burden of a Keeper is heavy these dark days. Even the simple task of keeping everyone fed is hard."
She eyed him speculatively assessing him. Lazarus held her gaze, he kept himself still under her scrutiny. Then her eyes widened as realisation dawned upon her.
"I will do what I can to help ... if you will have me, Keeper," he bowed to her willing her to accept him.
If she did, he could adopt this place with a clear conscience. He did not want to take a place by force like that Barbarian, Lord Krusher. He heard a sharp intake of breath and looked up into eyes filled with dread. She knew! She knew what he was.
"You have the right to take what you want, Ranger," she said trembling, her head held high. Her stiff posture told him she had prepared for the worst.
He took her hands in his. "Only if you want me here Keeper, I do not take anything by force Milady." He let her hands go. "I will leave and find another place if you will not have me."
She kept quiet, eyeing him. The dread and fear still clear on her face. The Keeper knew he had the power to take the village by force if he wanted to. He was a Ghost Lord!
These pixels were so emotional, so real. Damn their programming and damn you Simtrixx. He couldn't do it. It didn't feel right if he claimed the place forcefully. Lazarus sighed and got up to go.
"Thank you, I will take my leave. I am sorry to have troubled you."
This quest was harder than he thought. Stupid! He scolded himself. It's only hard to complete because you won't go with the flow. This is a war game for Heaven's sake. Just claim the village and be done with the quest already. It would have been so much easier playing 2D.
No! He could not. Even if it was just a game, he could not takeover this place by force. No hostile takeovers, it was not in him. He had seen how his father had extracted the best efforts and loyalty from his staff. Grayson Carter's business empire grew largely because his employees wanted to work for him, with him, not because he paid them to. He managed people along with his business. Jace was the same in principal. He had been trained since young.
"Yes," the Keeper said suddenly as she raised her head to look him in the eye.
"What?" he jerked out of his reverie.
"I said yes, My Lord. We will have you as our Lord and Master," and she knelt before him. There was a shimmer in the air as the Keeper pledged herself and the village to him.
"Seriously? Umm, I mean ... thank you, Milady," he couldn't believe his ears.
Lazarus felt jubilant. Yes! She had accepted him. He had completed the first quest. Now he would have a home.
"Umm ... please get up," Lazarus said awkwardly.
He touched her shoulder bidding her to get up. The Keeper got up and stood.
"Please, milady. Everything will continue as it was. I will leave the running of this Keep to you as before. You have done an excellent job so far. I am only here to help."
There were tears in her eyes.
"Thank you."
"Do not reveal my identity to anyone, I must remain hidden. My job is to fight the Orcs. Yours is to run the Keep. I cannot do both," he said.
She smiled knowingly "You are ever so generous my Lord for we both know you can do both. But I will do as you wish."
He smiled in relief. He didn't want to alienate these people.
"Please, call me Lazarus. Now I will make myself comfortable in the barn and take a stroll through the village."
"No! You must stay here at the Keep My Lord," she protested.
"I beg your pardon, milady. I will go to the barn now. It will be as it should. Besides I wouldn't want the Lady Illia to find me here and throw me out," he winked at her.
"She wouldn't dare!" the Keeper exclaimed horrified.
"It's okay. I am only teasing you." He laughed "I will have better knowledge of what is needed if I am with the people." He got up. "I will hunt later, it's fun," he promised her as he bowed and went out.
"As you wish, My Lord ... Lazarus."
The Keeper sat quietly with clasped hands. Her prayers had been answered. At last, a Ghost Lord had come and in her time too! Now her people will have real hope. This Lazarus seems reasonable; she hoped she had not made a mistake in accepting him. If she had, everyone in the village would suffer. She sat thinking, making real plans for the future.
-----
Lazarus went to the barn. He sat down in the straw for a while thinking before opening the menu. The quest button was glowing. He touched it and a prompt appeared.
Adopt Village #36281? Yes / No.
As he touched the Yes button, a message appeared on the wall.
Quest 1 : Find a home and start building. ½ Complete.
Whew, at last. Now to start building, he chose a farm and started Researching it. Those poor people needed food desperately.
Quest 1 : Find a home and start building. Complete.
Standby for new quest.
Whoa! How about that, he had earned quite a bit of XP and coins for completing the first quest. Hell Yeah!! He grinned in satisfaction. It was enough to level up some more.
Now he needed to take a break. He will come back later. Lazarus reached behind his neck touching the tattoo hidden under his hair and vanished.
Illia was on the loft above the barn sulking when he came in. She had climbed up and settled in the sweet straw to be alone. She was angry at him, the handsome stranger. Who did he think he was? Okay, to be honest, she was jealous of him.
He could come and go as he pleased. He could go out to hunt or gather some food while she was stuck in here with the rest of the villages, unable to cross the village boundaries. He could help them but she was daughter of the Keeper, she thought indignantly. It was her job to help provide for her people, not his. She also knew how to hunt and gather but she couldn't step outside the village. Why could he? Was it because he had not become part of the villagers yet? It's not fair!
Illia watched him through a crack in the flooring as he came in, looked around and sat down gracefully on the floor in some loose hay. She held her breath. He really was quite good looking. His long dark hair was half tied carelessly with string, loose strands falling into his eyes, the rest falling over his broad shoulders. She remembered his startled expression, silver grey eyes widening in shock earlier at her outburst and she surpassed a giggle.
The stranger's face had softened as he saw her clearly. Illia knew that look, she had seen it countless times. Wasn't she the most beautiful girl here? Wasn't she the most desirable? He liked her. Men! They were so easy. She smiled to herself, another one had fallen for her.
Oh, what was he doing now? The stranger was moving his hands in the air as if reaching for something staring intently at nothing. She frowned, was he mad after all? Suddenly he looked at the far wall and smiled. She caught her breath. Wow, killer smile. What was he so happy about? Automatically, her gaze followed his to the far wall. There was nothing there. She turned back to look at him and blinked in confusion.
He was gone.