“Of course,” I reply, deciding not to commit to anything. This isn’t going to be good either way, but let’s see how this plays out.
“Well, let’s start with your report on Haines Junction. I understand you informed one of the Raven Circle members that it has been destroyed entirely?”
“Yes. A group of Ogres had entered the town and killed all the residents,” I pause then continue, trying to tread lightly here. “They were killed off after that and I managed to bury what bodies I could find.”
“And you somehow gained access to the Shop in Haines Junction and purchased a working motorcycle at that time,” short and florid next to the Mayor whines.
“Yes,” my eyes narrow at the unsubtle accusation.
“How… convenient,” shorty continues to whine. I ignore his name for now though I wonder why anyone would take the class ‘Minion’. If they don’t want to introduce themselves, that’s fine. I’ll give them a name myself.
“It was, wasn’t it?” within me, I can feel a little bit of anger pulsing through me, attempting to escape the restrictions I’ve placed on it and my other emotions. Anger – the one emotion I always had trouble handling. Love, compassion, sadness, I could always contain those. Anger somehow had a way of bubbling up, escaping, drowning me in it. Perhaps as another ex had pointed out, I just had too much anger to contain.
“Elder Badger says you’re quite knowledgeable about the System that’s imposed itself on us. That you have a short fairy friend that aids you?” the Mayor continues and I nod slightly, grumbling mentally at Ali for making himself known. Not that he’d be hidden forever, but I really hadn’t wanted him to show himself immediately. “Could you elaborate on that?”
I pause, considering my options for a moment and then shrug, “I managed to acquire a Level 1 System Spirit Companion very soon after all this started. He’s sort of like a giant help desk with a personality. Of course, most of what he’s told me is covered in Thrasher’s Guide in the Shop.”
At my side Ali snorts, flicking his hand.
Skill Acquired
Dissembling (Level 1)
The truth is such a bendable thing in your hands.
The Mayor nods at my words and there’s some quick discussion about the revelation of the guide with a single pointed question letting them know how much it costs. I’d send them the Guide myself but I’m restricted. On the other hand, 50 Credits isn’t that hard to get especially if the Hunters pooled their resources. Christ on a pogo stick, what have they been up to?
Minion looks like he’s eaten a lemon, his face all screwed up as he speaks, “Show us this fairy.”
“Mmmm… unfortunately, my spirit companion is an independent entity. I can’t make him do what he doesn’t want,” I shrug and glance to where Ali laughs at my description of him.
“So you have little control over your companion,” Minion sneers.
“More or less,” I can feel my lips pulling into a smile, one that holds no humor in it. To my side, I can Luthien begin whispering to Nic. She knows what that smile means.
“Mr. Lee, would you tell us about your interactions with Lord Roxley?” Fred takes control of the discussion again, dismissing the other thread of enquiry.
“I’ve seen him twice. He gave me a quest to find other survivors the first time and the second, I went to complete part of a quest by informing him of Carcross,” I reply, watching their reactions.
“You let that invader know about Carcross?” this time, a grey-haired, flower wearing old woman hisses at me. “Why would you do that?”
“Quest.”
“You betrayed us for a quest!?!” she leans forward, glaring at me and I decide to call her Battleaxe. Minion is nodding in agreement, joining the glares while the rest of the group stay silent. Interestingly enough, Ms. Badger doesn’t seem as concerned.
“Betrayed? I didn’t realise there were sides,” I snap back, then draw a breath trying to push the anger down.
“He invaded us, stole our town and declared that he owns it!” she smacks her hand down on the table, half-standing now as she snarls. “He’s an invader. He took our lands! How can there not be sides!”
“He’s also the one who bought the schools and has been sending his guards to deal with the nastier monsters. Seems he’s doing as much good as he has done bad,” I point out.
Battleaxe is about to start shouting when Fred cuts her off. “Miranda, not now. This is a discussion for later. Mr. Lee, we’d like it if you perhaps worked with us, perhaps reporting in on your activities? We didn’t know about Carcross until Elder Badger herself walked in.”
Struck by a thought, I look up to my companion, “Ali, why aren’t I getting a quest like you did with the Elder?”
“It’s a matter of importance, hierarchy and levels. If you don’t have a high enough level or status, the System only recognises quests that are important. Getting the Elder here and back? Important. Making reports on a daily basis? So not important to the System,” Ali replies.
While I listen to him, I pretty much ignore the group who are just glaring at me as I stare into space. I hear Fred clear his throat but I ignore him as I think about it. Importance… Okay, let’s see if we can actually get something out of this then, “Why should I?”
“We are the Council of Whitehorse, your government!” Minion barks, glaring at me.
“Yeah, and you guys do civic planning and ummm... whatever it is you did,” Alright, so I’m not actually all that knowledgeable about local government responsibilities. “I’m still asking why.”
“Young man, certainly you can see the advantages of working together in such a time. We humans need to stick together,” this time, it’s the other old lady speaking in an English accent. She’s very average, other than being in her 60s I’m not even sure I’d remember her if I saw her again so I mentally name her DA for Downtown Abbey.
“That still doesn’t say why you need me to report back,” I say.
“You are being very confrontational. It’s such a small thing…” DA continues to speak, taking the lead for the moment.
“He started it,” I point to Minion and he bristles.
“This is a waste of time,” snaps Minion and I widen my smile. Well, if I’m not getting a quest, we’re both in agreement there.
“Are you refusing to help us, Mr. Lee?” Fred speaks now, his voice growing stern.
“I’m refusing to dance without knowing the song,” I say.
“We cannot make plans without knowing the status of the world around us. You seem to have acquired transportation, are actively exploring the lands around us and have a knowledgeable companion. We just ask that you provide us information that might benefit the community when you come across it,” the Mayor snaps back.
Quest Received
Report the Council of Whitehorse any information of importance.
Rewards: XP Reward Varies
Accept: Y/N
I watch everyone around me jerk as I mentally accept the quest and they get their own notifications. A quick confirmation with Ali leads me to talk, drawing everyone’s attention; “Okay, lesson 1 then. Simply put, you guys can’t create quests unless it’s important. However, if you do designate an activity that is important enough, the System will generate the quest for you. This holds true until you guys level up. A lot.”
I leave out the part of hierarchy, no need to rub it in their face that they actually aren’t officially part of anything. At least, not as far as the System is concerned.
“Second thing, you want information? There’s a fort out at the Carcross Cutoff. Found a bunch of Space Orcs there wielding energy rifles. I’ve got control of the fort now, but it looks like forts can be created or designated all around the city as buildings of strategic importance. It’s also in a zone that’s significantly tougher than the surroundings, so I’d recommend not going there yet for the majority of you guys.” In the corner of my eye, I see Ali create ultra tiny pop-ups of XP rewards pop-up before making them disappear as I speak.