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Quest completion alert: Demonstrate your loyalty to the Fallen One II. Quest completed!

Reward: Gold

Grym rummaged through the folds of his robe and produced seven coins. I liked this job. Wonder what he'd give me for the guards' badges? I slapped my pockets and produced my remaining booty. The hermit started and leaned forward. His face sharpened, vulture-like. He examined every badge, stroking and bringing them close to his nose. Then he nodded, satisfied, and emitted a hoarse laugh.

"You've made my day, young warlock. Old Grym hasn't seen this kind of loot for a long, long time. What can I give you in return?"

I paused for a moment, thinking. Another handful of gold wouldn't help me much. Asking for some unique gear was rather stupid. Having said that...

"I'd like you to answer a question."

Grym looked interested. "Oh, really? Spit it out, then."

"I'd like to know how I could find the Dark Guild of the City of Light. I've been meaning to have a talk with their master. He might have some secret quests for me. Or he could share some ancient lore to help me on my chosen path..."

The goblin saddened, shaking his head. "The Dark Guild's secrets are too much for a newb to bear. Go and find yourself some easier quests first, and one day we might come back to this conversation."

New Quest alert! Knowledge Breeds Sadness!

Keep Grym and his cave a secret for a minimum of ten days.

Reward: Access to quest: Knowledge Breeds Sadness II!

I nodded, accepting the quest. What a pain. They seemed to arrange quests in stages. You'd
 
be old by the time you got to the bottom of it all.

"I'll be back in ten days," I said by way of goodbye and headed for the exit. I didn't want to wait till he blew me out like the first time. Teddy was still stuck in the corridor and I didn't want to be smashed in mid-air against his fangs.

"Go," the hermit heaved a sigh. Was it my imagination or had I gleaned some compassion in his voice?

Teddy was waiting for me, doglike. I patted his neck and walked up the gnarled steps out into the fresh night air. Where to now? Back to the caves? Level 1 and 2 mobs were all highlighted in gray now—they wouldn't bring any loot or experience. Level 3 gnolls were mainly green: I got the loot but virtually no XP. The Throne Room mobs' names were highlighted in blue, which meant that they were slightly below me. And still, in another hour or two I'd have nothing left to farm there, with the exception of the King. It would take too long. I needed to find a new hunting ground. But not now, in the middle of the night. Should I maybe curl up under some tree or other and have a nap until sunrise?

I walked along, musing, when the flapping of wings added to the night forest sounds. A large gryphon crashed onto the trail in full flight and hissed at Hummungus. I stopped dead in my tracks. A Lieutenant of the Royal Guard jumped off the gryphon's back. I tried to leg it. Too late. The Lieutenant uttered a short spell, pinning my feet to the ground. Teddy lunged to my defense. The Lieutenant waved his hatchet in the air, and the bear cartwheeled back, his life halved. Another assault sent Teddy flying like a lapdog, his life blinking in the red zone. And still he wobbled back toward the Elf. I hurried to open the pet control panel and pressed 'Off.'. Immediately I noticed a rabbit nearby, selected it as target and ordered Teddy to attack it. The chase could take him away from the guard while I would try to talk my way out of it somehow.

But what was that? Had Teddy just ignored my commands? Head shaking, one wet eye glancing at me, the bear kept advancing toward the guard who was watching the beast with a lazy curiosity. Then the Lieutenant whispered a spell and flung a drop of fire from his hand. The flames consumed Teddy. The pet's status icon closed and disappeared.

No! Something got into my eye so I could barely see the Elf raise his staff sending a wide beam of light up into the sky. Like a beacon, it attracted another dozen gryphons which descended onto the narrow trail like a murder of crows. Strong gauntleted hands grabbed me. A voice thundered over my ear,

"Laith the Warlock, you're under arrest for worshipping the Fallen One, for summoning the beings of the Dark, for Elves-targeted assaults and for the murder of City of Light guards."

The courtroom was imposing. Massive columns supported the gloomy relief ceiling. A small platform in the middle was supposed to hold the accused and his guards. Above it loomed a monumental podium for the judge who doubled as a prosecutor.

There I was now, shuffling my feet, boxed in by several burly warriors. From time to time I glanced up at the judge or peered at the pictures covering the walls and ceiling. The prosecutor pontificated, reciting my crimes. He couldn't go on forever though because time was money, and games no exception. He couldn't risk losing the audience's interest in the magnificent setting and the case itself. The judge paused and reached for a new scroll of parchment, about to summon up.

"On the strength of the evidence and considering these are first-time offences, we condemn Laith the Warlock on multiple counts to ten days' imprisonment. The accused will be denied any magic skills or contacts with the outside for the duration of the sentence. On the expiry of the imprisonment, all charges will be waived and reputation partially restored."

The judge stopped and gave me a meaningful look from above his parchment. Couldn't they just execute me or something? Chop my head off, then next thing I knew I'd be back at my spawn point, fresh as a daisy. But now they'd lock me up in some dungeon or other and I'd be stuck there for ten days like a giraffe in a zoo.

The judge studied my sour expression and raised a finger to the ceiling.

"But under the edict of the Highest Sun King, a first time offender accused of abusing his magic skills may be pardoned."

I pricked up my ears. This had to be their version of good cop and bad cop. Now they were going to recruit me as a canary.

I wasn't too far wrong.

"For this, the accused has to report to the authorities the names of those who trained him in the art of dark magic, as well as those who knew about his activities but failed to report them."

I'd had a funny feeling he'd say that. So that was the good cop speaking. And what did the bad one have to offer? I just hoped it wouldn't come to torture. Whoever heard of a gamer being tortured in full immersion for his own money? Having said that, Grym the Hermit had expected something of the kind, judging by the anguish in his voice. He'd probably been imagining himself tied to a stake. Don't you worry, old man, I'm not going to sell you down the river. It's not my sort of thing. Also, judging by the way their useless law was worded, I was supposed to rat on everyone: Taali, Bug, Cryl, whoever. And that was a totally different kettle of fish.

The judge gave me an expectant look. I shook my head. Not terribly upset, he went on.

"The accused can also be eligible for parole if he agrees to pay a fine of twenty gold pieces for every day of unexpired term. Do you wish to pay two hundred gold to the City treasury? In that case, you'll be provided bank access. You have five minutes to make a decision."

Bank access wouldn't help. In actual fact, my combined capital had already reached a hundred and ten gold. Plus tons of salable stuff, like the bracelets and the King's loot. But I'd given the money to Taali, and no one would allow me to go around flogging my stuff. I checked my friend list. Taali was asleep, but Bug was still up and about. I PM'd him.

"Hi. Where are you?"

"Admiring the cemetery. Waiting for my grave to appear."

"I see. You wouldn't happen to have a couple hundred gold for a day or two? I'm in a bit of a jam."

"I'm afraid I don't, chief. Got a fiver in the bank. And about twenty on my corpse. Plus the loot—I dunno how much but I could always arrange a quick sale. Not two hundred, but it'll be something. My corpse will be here in an hour and a half, plus I'll need some time to flog the stuff. Will that do?"

"It's all right, bro. Time is a bit of an issue. Never mind. Thanks anyway. I might be AFK for a while. Just put my cut aside. I'll find you."

"Got it. Is it serious?"

"Not really. Just one of those things. NPC problems. Leave it. Over and out."

"Take care, dude."

That was it. Looked like I'd have to do time. I shook my head to the judge's quizzical stare. He shrugged:
 
as you wish
. Then he set the scroll of parchment aside, rose and banged his gavel on the desk.

"The sentence is effective immediately."

The platform where I stood turned out to be a teleport pad. For a brief moment, a blue light enveloped us, followed by a boom. Suddenly we were standing on an identical platform inside a building made of thick slabs of stone.

The mage on duty took my paperwork from the guards, glanced over them and nodded.

"Welcome to Gray Bastion. This will be your home for the next ten days. In accordance with the sentence, you'll be denied magic skills for the duration of your incarceration."

He gave a wink to someone behind my back. A steel collar snapped shut around my neck.

"This is a basic Magic Negator. You'll be able to remove it when you're ready to leave the building. Please make sure you don't do anything stupid. Then you won't regret the time of your stay in the Bastion. Now will you please surrender any weapons, scrolls, battle artifacts and any potions you might have. You will be returned them once your sentence is completed. Do not try to cheat. If any illegal objects are found on you once you've cleared the security gate, they will be confiscated in favor of the City."

"What a bunch of jerks," I mumbled rummaging through my bag. My neck hurt as my new piece of jewelry kept shrinking. A normal player would either log out for the duration of his imprisonment or simply find the wretched twenty bucks to pay the fine. Only I had nowhere to turn...

After checking in whatever blade weapons they'd found on me, they pushed me toward a shimmery arch. I cleared it without a hitch, apparently putting the anxious guards at ease. I was an Elf killer, what do you want. Then they walked me along many corridors until finally we came to a massive steel door. The guard fiddled with the lock, swung the door open and pushed me down a long passage lined with bars. I didn't have a chance to see it in much detail before a monster charged at me.

Hell Hound, level 150
, the helpful interface prompted. I shrunk. My back hit the door so hard I very nearly forced it open. A taut chain clanged, stopping the monster just a few feet away from me. It was spitting drool, glaring at me, its powerful front legs clawing the air.

The door behind me squeaked open. A grinning guard inspected me, then added, disappointed, "Dry as a bone. Was it so hard to shit yourself? Now I've lost a gold piece."

"Dumbass," I managed.

The guard guffawed and waved to someone at the far end of the corridor, "Pull your doggie back, will ya?"

A winch screeched. The chain pulled taut again, dragging the hound back into the depths of the dungeon. The creature struggled, hissing, sending sparks and bits of stone fly from where its claws struck the floor tiles.

One touch of those claws, and you were back to square one, a.k.a. your spawn point. Now that's a thought. I stepped forward, but a gauntleted hand jerked me back.

"Don't even think about it... the Immortal One. You're not the first smartass here. The doggie has been trained to pace its eating habits. It'll start by chopping off an arm or a leg, then leave you as is to wait for the cleric's morning rounds. No one's gonna let you die on us. Don't even try."

He led me down the now hound-free corridor toward one of the cells and pushed the bars open.

"In with you! And make sure you stay away from the door. The doggie can reach in quite far."

Good advice. I drew a mental line
 
a few feet away from the door. Then I looked around. Not bad at all. The cell was dry, with a decent bunk bed, a mattress and a quite thick blanket. A pitcher of water and a piss pot with a lid. In an Egyptian hotel this would pass for a star and a half. Never mind. Good enough.

"When's meal time?" I asked the guard busy with the bars.

"Twice a day. Gruel and water. You won't gain much weight, that's for sure. But if you ask nicely, we might get something sorted out for you from the inn next door. You need to order big portions though. Three quarters won't go past the guards room, if you know what I mean."

"I'll remember that. Right, chief. Time to lock up. I need to get some sleep."

Finally, the endlessly frantic day was over. I was all tuckered out. I dropped the bag onto the floor, pulled off my sandals, bracelets and shirt, splashed some water onto myself and fell asleep the moment my head touched the mattress. It felt like a king's featherbed.

My second morning in my new world. Gorgeous turquoise skies, fat fluffy clouds and rusty bars blocking them out from poor old me. Crickets chirping, birds singing, the hound clanging its chain in the corridor. A world of contrasts.

Wonder if I had already
 
gone perma? Or was I still just a visitor? According to Eric, there was a way to check your status somehow. Stupid of me not to have done it when I still could.

Should I get up or should I maybe have a sleep in? Apparently, I had nowhere to hurry to, but a bite to eat wouldn't go amiss. I still had some of Bug's crackers in my bag. I guessed I could always finish those.

My parents had firmly instilled in me their no-eating-in-bed philosophy so if I wanted breakfast, I had to get up. I washed my face with whatever water I had left, donned my shirt and gave a pensive look at the chamber pot, whatever it was supposed to signify. Players had no calls of nature, that little I knew. But how about NPCs? Or digitized permas? I really should have done some research on the place I wished to emigrate to.