Use the transport guild’s haulers! Instant, safe, reliable!
Sale price: cannot be sold.
Chance of loss after death lowered by 100%.
Durability: indestructible.
There were various options for species of hauler, but today I chose giants, each of which had three thousand slots. Their health points were far higher than the other options too. The guild guaranteed the security of its clients’ property and paid out compensation if it was lost.
“Yes, we compensated the Alliance for the cost of one altar,” Gruzelix said, anticipating my question. “The fake one. As for the second, that is another story…”
On top of that, I’d managed to negotiate another deal: after the Awoken fort got a stationary portal, it would be connected to the guild’s portal network. That meant we’d get independent movement throughout Disgardium! An unbelievably expensive pleasure, of course, but worth it.
“Who else has these perks?” I asked.
“Very few. And more precisely, they had them,” Gruzelix frowned. “The Commonwealth clans Modus, Children of Kratos, Excommunicado and Azure Dragons. The Empire clans Travelers…” he listed all the Alliance clans. “But after their leader dropped a meteorite on our employees, we ended our contract with them.”
Uh-huh. So that was the ’other story.’
“As did we,” Grokuszuid added. “By the will of divine, greedy and heartless Maglubiyet, we practice the rule of collective responsibility. All the clans involved in hiring the giant haulers are at fault.”
“What does that mean? Will you fight them?”
“Ahem. We do not fight,” the goblin answered, chuckling. Smiling, the goblins exchanged glances. “We are ending our relationship with those clans. Access to Kinema is closed to them. And that means our sendees too: the banks, the Auction for Special Sales, the stationary portal networks, the airship travel service…”
Before we parted, Grokus gave me an unusual coin.
“This will allow you to contact me. If it is worth it to you, then wherever you are, I will open a portal to you.”
Faded Coin: Grokuszuid
Mechanism.
Within this artifact is hidden a triumph of the Goblin League’s mages and engineers. It allows you to contact its true owner from any point in Disgardium and serves as a portal beacon.
Durability: indestructible.
Sale price: cannot be sold.
Chance of loss after death lowered by 100%.
“How do I use it?”
“Just toss it…”
I thanked the old goblin and returned to the desert. Five giant haulers accompanied me, each boasting not only a huge carrying capacity, but a simply superhum… no, a supernatural amount of health.
I got back just in time. While the boys were finishing up with the loot, the preventers appeared on the horizon, hurrying back to reclaim their lost riches. We quickly escaped to Kharinza with Depths Teleportation…
Leaving my friends in the fort to sort out the loot, I logged out of Dis. The last few days had been tense. I didn’t have another sleepless night in me. I didn’t have the strength to tell the boys about my adventures.
My tiredness was so deep that I just didn’t care anymore. I knew in my head that I had to protect the temple, and strengthen the fort, and hurry to level up over four hundred, to be the first to reach that level—there’d be some kind of achievement for that too, right? But I was wiped out. I needed a break.
I climbed out of my capsule and staggered to the kitchen. My parents’ faces froze in concerned anticipation.
“The Alliance is broken, dad, but just read about it online. Is there anything to eat, mom?”
I don’t remember what I ate, what we talked about. I just shoveled food into my mouth, chewed, went to my bedroom, fell down on the bed and slept until morning.
I would have slept longer, but my parents woke me up to say goodbye. Still half-awake, I didn’t know what they were talking about at first, but then I got it: they were going to the Moon!
“Silver Harbor?” I asked.
“It turned out kind of expensive,” dad frowned. “Thirty thousand phoenixes for two weeks! But mom and I will get it all back to you, Alex!”
“Forget it,” I shrugged and sat up in the bed. “Want me to come to the spaceport with you?”
“You should get some more sleep, son…” dad started, but mom interrupted him.
“No way. You’re a growing boy, Alex! You need to get a good sleep! Forget about everything and rest! You don’t have to go to school all week, so take advantage!”
“What were you going to say, dad?”
“Your preventer friends are giving interviews everywhere. The leaders told everyone not to upload videos of the battle with the undead army, but someone did it anyway. Now Hinterleaf, Horvac and the others are forced to answer the journalists’ questions. Take a look, I think it’ll be interesting. In any case, you can get some rest. Judging by the leaks on the forums, the Alliance is taking a break to level up. Some of them are trying to be the first to level four hundred…”
“Mark!” mom shouted. “Enough. Alex just woke up, and we’re late for our shuttle!”
We hugged, mom made me promise to call whenever I got out of my capsule, to eat well and not to throw any parties at home. I hadn’t even thought of that last one, but when mom left the room first, dad stayed behind and said quietly: “Take advantage of this, kiddo! Invite your friends over, bring some girls round, have fun! Life isn’t all about Dis, Alex…” He left with a smile.
There was no point in trying to sleep; it wouldn’t have worked anyway. My brain was already firing up and generating plans for the day: figure out what the preventers planned to do; get intel on how the mass of independent players was moving; meet with Hairo in Cali Bottom; talk to Behemoth and decide our next steps; figure out what to do with Morena’s cultists; level up the fort… And that was only the urgent.
I stood for ten minutes under the high-pressure sprays of water coming not only from above, but from the side of the shower cabin,
