Dreamland MMORPG Book 2: A Hard-working Thief of Justice Rising.

Chapter 11: Alice, the partner of Devil

Ace went to find Harlequin how to find Alice and help her, because going after Zarark now was the most stupid idea that he could have. Without no reason from Zarark’s point of view to trust Ace, would end in a sure shot in the head. But if he helped Devil and Alice, that would be a good way to win a reason from Zarark’s point of view to not shoot him in the head.

So he went to the shop where he talked with Harlequin and saw her talking with Wanderer.
-Ace:Hi Harlequin.
-Harlequin: Hello Ace. Why are you here?
-Ace: I am going to help Alice.
-Harlequin: And for that you need my information of her situation. Yes?
-Ace: Good guess.
-Harlequin: Okay. You will have to pay me with information.
-Ace: Okay. What do you desire?
-Harlequin: To know which is your relationship with the developers and Angels Paradise?
-Ace: Do you really desire to know?
-Harlequin: Yeah.
-Ace: My father is the creator of Dreamland.
-Harlequin: Are you joking?
-Ace: Am I? (grins)
-Harlequin: You bastard. So that's why you know this much.
-Ace: Correct.
Harlequin grabbed a folder and gave it to Ace.
-Harlequin: This is the data of her skills, status, history, etc.
-Ace: (Checking the folder) And really ready to be used and posted. So she is that girl after all.
-Harlequin: Who you think I am? I am the best info trader after all. And you seem to know her.
-Ace: Alice is a friend of mine. Her father always said that we could be a good couple. As a joke obviously, my father always laughed when her father said that. Unluckily her father, as your folder says, is sick. Many people think of her as the next heir. But some people are not going to agree in that statement.
Ace sighed.

Harlequin smiled
-Harlequin: Surprised? Because the best comes next.
-Ace: Who is after her?
-Harlequin: Rayax, subcaptain of a branch guild of True Gold. Also an executive of the True Gold guild.
-Ace: Things get nasty.
-Harlequin: Yes. Since Rayax had been always a grunt with no chance to be a subcaptain until Alice left her guild in which after being bought by True Gold. And you know how toxic is envy.
-Ace: I won't allow Rayax to catch Alice.
-Harlequin: Then you don't have a choice. You will have to make Ariamor rethink his decision of taking care of Devil and Alice.
-Ace: What did they do to him?
-Harlequin: What did they not, better said. Officially, nothing. But you know how a trader gets angry when they lose cargo.
-Ace: What did they take?
-Harlequin: They broke around a thousand of his contracts while they were finishing a quest. Later, they grabbed a pair of barrels of GrandRoyal, a exquisite wine that gives a 40% boost in luck and a 600% boost in ATK for an hour. Which Ariamor usually drinks to lower the cost of his art.
-Ace: That is like angering my teacher. An extremely bad idea.
-Harlequin: And this is not the worst at all. They sold one barrel at 100 milions gold. And the other is still in their hands. If not in their bellies.
Ace looked at Harlequin, surprised by what he had heard. 100 millions were like a 600% of all the money a veteran could get by going on solo in a month. And doing quests 24/7.

Harlequin got up.
-Harlequin: How in all hell you will repay 200 millions lost and around 6000 millions more from the contracts?
Ace got pale and started shaking.
-Ace: I can't.
-Harlequin: Exactly. But the bad mouths say that Ariamor is interested in Alice. She has good economic knowledge, so even myself have my sights on her.
-Ace: What can I do to help Alice?
-Harlequin: You have one way. Defeat Rayax, find a reason for a non-profit situation for Ariamor and make him rethink his strategy. Maybe the knowledge of a Demon Lord being an adventurer is enough or knowing that Alice is close to a student of Zero.
-Ace: So I have to make an appearance and protect Alice.
-Harlequin: You can do it. Rayax is the weakest executive by far! There are way worse executives to fight!
Ace sighed and left.

Ace started looking for Alice, asking people if they knew were she was, checking any clue to find Rayax too and meanwhile he helped some people and gained some small potions by doing so.
Ace found a lead thanks to one old woman that was a crafter that loved to go fishing and told him where to find Alice. She had been captured by Rayax and Rayax seemed ready to interrogate Alice. But Ace knew that they could not be far from Bradtiel since moving with a target that was protected by a merc was like asking to be ambushed.
Rayax had a camp at 500 meters far from Bradtiel, so Ace guessed that there could be the place where Rayax kept Alice trapped.

Ace went to that camp. It was a small camp of 100 meters of area, with a stone wall, with a pair of iron doors. There were like 10 guards, all using golden armors and golden swords, they seemed low level compared to Ace. Ace thought that he could sneak in easily and save Alice without being found but still he went safe and killed one by one all the guards attacking from the back. Ace found Alice, she was a short girl who was wearing a long golden robe with blue decorations in the shape of a moon placed here and there on it. Though she was wearing this robe, it was easy to tell she was wearing different attire under it. Leather armor with some golden plates to protect vital spots. On her back she had a long staff with a blue crystal on top of it. Her blue eyes looked forward and her long, golden hair was tied into two drills and was tied to a post and had a piece of cloth in her mouth.
Ace liberated Alice in a moment and took out the piece of cloth.
-Alice: This is a trap!
-Ace: Ah. I should have guessed that.
Ace looked back and saw a hammer that was about to hit him and avoided it and saw the one that was attacking him.

It was a small dwarf girl with long green hair with a golden armor and a golden hammer with a red ring in her left hand. Ace recognized that ring and smiled because he knew that it was a red striker ring.
-Ace: You must be Rayax.
-Rayax: Indeed. And you are...?
-Ace: You may call me Ace. And I shall be the one to end you.
Ace pointed his blade at Rayax and got ready to fight.

Hi people! I hope that you like this chapter! Have a nice week!