Dreamland

The bank was conveniently located just a stone's throw away from the market. As I walked in, the friendly banker recognized me and greeted me with a broad smile that conveyed his eagerness to assist me.

"Good day, Lady Lara. It's been a while since your last visit! How may I be of service?" he asked cheerfully, clasping his hands over his round belly.

I knew that, despite his warm demeanor, he was just an advanced AI with the ability to remember every customer who had ever walked through those doors. It was easy to forget sometimes, with their lifelike appearance and human-like behavior.

Ignoring his attempts at small talk, I got straight to the point. "I need to withdraw 200 gold coins from my account."

The banker's expression faltered for a moment, clearly surprised by the amount. "200 gold coins? Are you sure, my lady?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his question. Of course, I was sure. I didn't come here for a couple of silver coins. "Yes, 200 gold coins. Is that a problem?"

He recovered instantly - “But sure, lady, sure, just a moment.”

He clapped his hands, and a young boy appeared:

“Prepare 200 gold for lady Lara, but hurry.”

He clapped his hands again.

I saw the boy excited at the news of handling so much gold. As a high-level char, I had lots and lots of money. Well, compared to the poor bastards who dwelt around here; however, if I had to fix my armor, that would cost me a fortune. That is, in the happy event that I find a competent blacksmith.

"Planning to buy some property, my lady? There are some..."

Shall I now explain to him how expensive my armor is? I shook my head, cutting him short:

"No, just to have some pocket money for eventual repairs."

"Oh!"

As the boy disappeared, the banker came closer to me and continued his programmed small talk:

“You know, Lady Lara, some properties are cheap now, as a giant lynx is making the woods unsure. All those farms around the woods are available for a bargain. That could be a good investment opportunity, and besides, maybe you could help us address the issue?"

Hm, should I tell him that I'm going to kill the lynx? He could make a killing in the market with that information! As I did not answer, he sighed and came closer to me, talking in a more conspirational tone. Now comes the talk about potential war and other such stories:

"But this is not our biggest problem, lady Lara; word goes that the Silver Town has been destroyed!”

OK? That was unexpected. I watched him, surprised, but he did not seem to have made a mistake.

"Destroyed? Silver Town destroyed?"

He nodded. I wondered:

“You mean Mephisto’s hordes have taken over Silver Town and destroyed it? That's a catastrophe!”

As Mephisto's lands are relatively far away, I was puzzled how he could have taken over Silver Town. It was a key magical and strategic power node with several magical barriers that couldn't be easily overcome. The town was built by elves and dragons, according to the legend, and something as catastrophic as its destruction would be a significant event. I wondered if they changed the story completely or whether they let it go so random.

"No one knows for certain who caused the destruction," - the banker said as his face fell - "All I know are rumors and hearsay."

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, his shock palpable. "It must have happened several weeks ago," - he said - "At first, no one knew. Magic storms had closed off the passage to the town, and people assumed that only the surrounding areas had been affected. However, the town itself was struck. Rumors have it that a dark sorcerer had done it, commanding hellfire over the town. The few who claim to have seen him entering the town said he wasn't wearing Mephisto's coat of arms. Every living creature inside the town had been turned to ash. Can you imagine that? Although most houses and shops still stand, with their goods on display, there's no one to sell or buy. Not even stray dogs, cats, rats, or crows. No bodies, bones, or blood were found—just dust and ashes. Everyone is now afraid to visit the Silver Town."

As I listened, my mind raced. They had changed the story completely. I wondered who could have taken on the role of the dark sorcerer and what their motives could be.

He looked obviously shocked. Damn, the AI is playing its role so well that I start to... empathize with him?

I haven’t said a word, surprised by the news. I took a deep breath. OK, so they changed the story. Radically. Who could be the dark sorcerer? What character got this new role?

He continued; obviously, his text was longer:

“He is no spawn like us. Maybe he is a God of the Abyss. Manchua, the priest, says so. He says the gates of the Abyss have been opened, and the Abyss' Horde is now with us. I do not know if that can be true, but word goes there are more alike between us, looking like us, but they are no spawns, lady, they are no spawns! Demons! They come to this world from their cursed dimension and bring destruction just for their amusement! Be careful, lady, be very careful.”

They come to this world from their dimension and bring destruction just for their amusement. Uh, oh, this one hit too close to home.

I raised my eyes and looked into his innocent-looking brown eyes. He seemed to be scared... as far as I can judge his AI eyes. I breathed out. He cannot mean us players, isn't he?

As the young boy returned, the banker retreated a few steps and switched back to talking about business. After collecting my money, I winked at the banker and mentioned that I might investigate the lynx situation. As I left, I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension about the game's increasingly strange direction.

It was a good idea to come and play again here in Mephi's World; a lot of intriguing points and new action here; hopefully, after raising these high expectations, the story will not disappoint.

The idea of Gods directly involved in the game seemed intriguing but also complicated. It would completely change the storyline. Why would they need a God to fight humans? Wasn't Mephi enough? And what was the saga behind the Abyss' Horde and the demons? So many questions lingered in my mind.

A chuckle escaped my lips as I recalled stumbling upon a popular player guild with the name Abyss' Horde when I was searching for a guild to join. It was probably just a coincidence, but the thought was amusing. Markus had purposefully kept Cala out of any player guilds except for the NPC-controlled assassin's guild to level up quickly. As I pondered the implications of the news, I returned to the market to meet Alice, but she was nowhere to be seen.

I attempted to access my user interface but encountered difficulties activating it. I couldn't help but curse under my breath as I wondered if there was a new way to access it that I was not aware of. The interface was supposed to be compatible with previous versions, but it wasn't working for me. Perhaps it was just a bug or some sort of compatibility issue due to my extended absence from the game.

I'll check this out with Spartacius when he comes back...