36 Vol 1. pt. 36 Patch 7.0: Pirates and Scholars (2/2)
”Alright, good job, Olly. Let's split up now,” Fenrir says.
With that, the group splits into two. Oleander and Bonekraka head off to find a bar to have some fun in. Fenrir, Cassiel, and Serra look for some new clothes. As much as Serra doesn't mind wearing only bark armor around the group, being in a city full of players everywhere she looks is incredibly embarrassing. It's only made worse by the fact that there are plenty of men and women alike checking her out as they walk.
She wonders just how many of the girls they pass by are actually girls.
”Man, this city is huge,” Fenrir says. There are buildings going as far inland as they can see, climbing up along the cliffs, huge taverns full of life, ships constantly going to and from the docks, and more. ”I wonder how many people are here right now.”
”Probably at least a few hundred thousand. It's one of the biggest cities in the game, so it's going to be full of players. That's not even counting the NPCs,” Cassiel says.
”You'd never see this many people living near the ocean in real life. By the way, how do NPCs work in this?”
Serra listens in while holding Rock. They don't trust Rock to not run off alone somewhere in a city that is full of distractions. Serra also occasionally looks up at Fenrir with concerned eyes. She can tell that he's hiding something, but she doesn't know what. Something just feels... off, from the way that he's talking. It's like he's forcing himself to put on a smile and happy voice.
”You know the saying 'if you build it, they will come?' Well, it basically works like that. If a bunch of players settle down anywhere, NPCs will come and want to move in as long as there are houses available. Sometimes they'll even build their own,” Cassiel explains.
”Where do they come from, though?” Fenrir asks.
”Nobody is really sure. Some have been tracked moving between cities, but most just… appear. The theory is that they appear the same way monsters and animals do. The overseer decides when and where some NPCs should pop up and brings them to life. It's something the virtual assistants won't ever say anything about, so it's either secret or would be immersion-breaking to officially explain it.”
”I see, thanks.”
”Got any more questions to harass me with?”
”What is the meaning of life? What does the number forty-two really mean? What—”
Cassiel points her sword at him.
”Oi! No fightin' within city limits!” a nearby guard shouts, rushing over.
”Don't worry, we're just friends messing around,” Fenrir covers for her as she sheaths her sword. ”Oh, and we're new here. Are there any rules we should know?”
The guard looks them over. ”Yeah, some. No fightin', no cheatin' or scammin', and be respectful,” the guard explains.
The group blinks their eyes. Even Rock looks confused.
”This… that sounds like some weird rules for a pirate city,” Fenrir says.
”Stereotypin' is the opposite of bein' respectful.”
”Just – just to be absolutely sure, you're not screwing around with us or anything, right?”
”You think I take my job lightly? Of course I'm not screwin' around with you. You asked me a question, and I answered it honestly! That's how we do things around these parts!”
Fenrir whispers to Cassiel, ”I thought these guys were pirates?”
”I – I've never met them myself and only know stories about them,” Cassiel whispers back.
Looking the guard over, Fenrir sees a patch on his shoulder with a skull that has a black mustache and a striped flag with stars on it behind the skull. He's wearing an open leather vest, loose pants, and has a scimitar strapped to his side. He undoubtedly looks like a pirate.
”So the pirates here are like… lawful pirates?” Fenrir asks, trying to make sense of this.
”We're Blackstache's pirates, and that's all that matters,” the guard says.
”Alright, and Blackstache – he's a lawful pirate?”
”Aye.”
This Blackstache figure must be a pretty damn great leader to have all of these wannabe pirates whipped into behaving.
”Alright, thanks. We'll behave our best,” Fenrir says. The guard nods and heads back to his post.
”What if we get in trouble for Olly scamming that merchant?” Serra asks.
”I don't think we need to worry about that. It sounds like he wouldn't be allowed to try and track us down to attack us, and if he reports us, he'll have to explain that he was buying something which would basically let him date-rape girls. I doubt the guards would be kind to him if they're the lawful types,” Fenrir explains.
”These pirates are boring.”
”Yeah, I really wasn't expecting them to be so… good. I wish I could see how disappointed Olly is when he realizes they're not a bunch of pillagers and rapists.”
”I – I don't understand,” Cassiel cuts in. ”That's what everybody always says about them and why everybody is at war with them.”
”Does the Augus Empire do a lot of work with that Indra person?” Fenrir asks.
”Yeah, they do. They're allies right now.”
”There you have it. You were always a part of the Augus Empire, and they're friends with Indra, so I doubt Indra wants anybody thinking that her most hated enemy is full of a bunch of goody-two-shoes.”
Cassiel looks as if she's just learned that everything she knows is a lie. ”You aren't that good with political stuff, are you?” Fenrir teases.
She goes to draw her sword but remembers what the guard said. Instead, she crosses her arms over her breastplate and huffs.