The Code is Mightier than the Sword

Chapter 33: Captured

Jace had a feeling of deja vu as he began the climb into the rocky hills west of Crestfall. How many times had he done this in the past few days? Of course, he had barely been in the game for 24 hours of real-time, but he had seen several sunsets, so days and hours had little meaning. He had climbed into the mountains to rescue the pregnant girl, Caitlin before she could sacrifice her child to a demon. Then he had climbed into the mountains to kill some giants. Even climbing down from the level 50 cavern felt eerily similar to this. But what did he expect? He was a stone shaman and an orc to boot. The mountains were his home. The whole purpose of this mission was to give him a physical home in the mountains.

The only unique quest he had experienced so far was rescuing Esther from the brothel in Portsmith. Jace looked at the woman, stoically climbing up the winding trail, her features highlighted by the setting sun over the looming mountains. Surely, she knew what had happened the last time they had done this. She had almost died. Yet, here she was, walking beside Jace into danger with no hint of hesitation. He had been worried that he might have to roll her out of the diner after how much she had eaten, but the game didn't seem to account for the lethargy one usually felt after a big meal. Instead, she was as spry as ever, leaping up boulders and dancing around the loose stones, her dress and cloak flying about her legs in the breeze. She was certainly unique.

"So, boss," she said, pausing to catch her breath. In addition to struggling with the chill in the air and hunger in her belly, getting winded was also something the formerly undead woman needed to get used to. "What's the plan?"

"I don't know," Jace said. "I'm still working on it."

"Well, talk to Gracie and figure it out."

{Yeah, boss,} Gracie chimed in, mimicking Esther's unique accent. {Let's figure this out.}

"Fine, how are we supposed to beat this orc mage?"

{You can't,} Gracie replied. {At least, not directly. Most people don't. You have a few ways to approach this. One is that you can go to the spot where Brett's son was killed. If you had any skill at tracking, you would find orc prints. If you stay there long enough, orcs will attack you. It is a tough fight, but several players reported they were able to win. If you win, then more come until, eventually, Carrak arrives and defeats you. You are taken captive and put in their dungeon.

{You can also try sneaking in. There are a few openings into the cavern complex, and if you wait until night, you can hide in the shadows and enter undetected. If you try this, you will eventually be caught and put in the dungeon.

{If you walk up to the front door and say you want to speak to Garrison Deng, Carrak will come out in disguise. If you threaten him, he will drop the illusion, attack you, and put you in the dungeon. If you play along, he leads you inside to show you a few things, casting illusions the whole time, trying to trick you. Eventually, you see through it, call him out on it, and . . .}

"Let me guess," Jace interrupted. "He puts us in the dungeon."

{Right. No player in this module's history has ever been able to pass it without ending up in the dungeon at some point. While you are locked up, you will meet a troublesome gnome. He is part-scout and part-thief. He is a member of a search party trying to find their homeland. The gnomes used to live here until they woke the demon and fled, promising never to return. They had sealed the demon underground and taken the demon stone. Many generations later, the threat of the demon wasn't as pressing, especially since the stone was lost. The stone allowed the evil monster to extend his influence outside his prison.

{Gnome search parties were sent all over the realms looking for their homeland, and one small band arrived here. They saw all the signs and started to repair the collapsed tunnels. In doing so, they woke the demon again. It is still sealed inside but was able to reach out to its stone, which was now in the hands of Carrak. The demon's power was limited to giving the orc dreams, but it was enough to bring him and his orcs to the mine, and they easily conquered the gnomes.