Boy Meets Ai

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

A few weeks had passed since Seiko and Oaklee had leveled up. They found their hands full during that time with higher rank quests. Seiko was able to sell more exotic crafting materials as a result. In addition, he was able to make a little more cash from some of the boss drops. He had just recently sold a poison dagger online that funded a much needed meat lover's pizza. Upon Oaklee's request, they started to take more breaks from the Ether as well. Sometimes for a small walk around the block, and other times it was to catch up on shows or movies that Oaklee made him watch with her. Currently, they found themselves trekking through the expansive and desolate Red Desert. They were on their way to complete another quest on the Eastern coast of the Continent.

"What's the backstory for this one?" Oaklee asked. She enjoyed the intertwining narrative of the Ether quite a bit actually. Tales of bravery, passion, love, treachery and danger filled the game. More than the game though, she enjoyed getting to go on these adventures with Seiko. Against his best efforts, they had warmed up to each other, even bonded over their success. To put it simply, they just clicked after a while. It was strange for her, but Seiko made her feel like a person, not some tool. She was free to do what she wanted since he wasn't a control freak like her other users.

"The town we're headed to is governed by an evil man. A duke. He gave up his humanity for a chance at eternal life. Basically, he sold his soul to a demon and now he kidnaps travelers to use as sacrifices." Seiko explained.

"So, it's just one dude? Sounds easy enough." Oaklee was confident in their abilities. They had all but mastered the grid system they came up with and Seiko's skill was improving even without it.

"Normally yes, but the duke has the support of the entire town. Everyone there works for him as spies, killers and to cover up his crimes." Seiko explained.

"Why? Are they afraid of him?"

"They believe in him. They think that if they help him succeed, He'll share his power with them."

"Why would he bother rewarding them? Once he gets what he wants, he has no incentive to split his power like that." Oaklee pondered.

"You're right. I think he just ends up killing them all then uses them to boost his power during the boss fight."

"Spoilers!" Oaklee scoffed. "Still... Looks like they backed the wrong horse then."

"It's the only one they got." Seiko replied.

He was correct of course. The villager npc's under the duke's rule lived a hard life. Each day they woke to hunger and each night they fell asleep with more regrets. They were written by the creators to be miserable, poor and powerless. When thinking about what the alternative was, maybe betting on a madman didn't seem that crazy.

Seiko peered ahead, scouting for potential threats. He felt more confident at his current level, the cloak allowed him to take more risks. He had room to breathe for what felt like the first time in a long time. Still, things weren't easy.

The introduction of Ai to the Ether was quickly changing the money making landscape of the game. Players could now switch to assist mode while afk. This meant they could have their Ai farm for materials around the clock. The flood of rare crafting materials brought in by the Ai depreciated their overall value. Now, if Seiko wanted to turn a profit, he needed to go after legendary items. These weapons, potions and armor were limited items, making them extremely valuable. The best ones sold for as much as $10,000 on a good day. What's more, most of them were yet to be claimed.

The gryphon cloak shimmered on Seiko's back, reflecting the shining sun. With a half day more of travel, they would reach the duke's domain and hopefully retrieve the philosopher's stone. This particular legendary item was selling well now, putting it high on the priority list. He was counting the coins in his mind, daydreaming about getting to sleep in for once when a distant sound caught his attention. It sounded like an explosion. Oaklee noticed it too, but they couldn't see past the red sand dunes. Seiko crouched down, motioning for her to do the same. They stealthily climbed the dune, looking for the source of the noise. The distant puffs of dust didn't look like much, but Seiko's eyes were sharper than most thanks to his new subclass. He could see some moving figures in the dust that were engaged in a violent struggle. Something very large was attacking 3 smaller things. Seiko could make out that it was a party of adventurers taking on one of this region's monsters. It didn't look good for them at all.