(City of Bell – Occupation: Lit) (Zero)

  Next Day

  Zero opens his eyes to the beautiful view of nothingness, the smell of feet, the pressure on his face, and the throbbing headache from being kicked all night. Pushing the petite foot off his face, he uncovers his head. The first thing he notices is the light peeking just behind the curtain. “Damn…” It’s morning, and he barely got any sleep between the snoring, kicking, and shoving from Sara, John, and Marisa. He wonders why he couldn’t just get his own room. Well, at least it’s better than being chased by those damn skinwalkers. Opening the curtains, Zero fills the pot with water and brews himself some coffee he bought at the market yesterday.

  Minutes later, Sara walks into the small kitchen, rubbing her eyes with a long yawn. “Morning…” Her blond hair falls past her shoulders, and her green eyes shine, though her muscular frame is evident even in her sleeping gown. “Could you make me some?” From her palm, a black rod appears. She molds the rod into a small cup as if it were clay. Nope, it’s just her curse, black zeppelin.

  It’s a special curse, unique to her, as no one among the millions of players picked it up before the ban. Those who had it removed it soon after. So, among the few with Amos’s and Christ’s curses, she can proudly claim she is one of a kind.

  Zero glances back at the woman who had been kicking him in the face all night. “One bed…”

  “Huh?” Sara tilts her head, confused.

  Zero snaps a smile. “I said, sure! How would you like that?”

  An hour later, the four of them eat soft garlic bread and hard bread. After leaving a tip at the front desk, they head off to the market again.

  Marisa picks up her speed in front of the group and turns around to run backward. “Didn’t you get any sleep last night, Zero? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Sara gives a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, it turns out I’ve been kicking him all night. Sorry again… Though you know how restless I get.”

  John wraps his arms around Zero, who is nearly jumping on him. “Come on, mate, it wasn’t that bad.”

  Their Cockney accent makes Zero miss his American friends. “Besides the kicking, it sounded like collapsing caves.”

  John tilts his head. “We snore?”

  “God as my witness,” Zero replies.

  Marisa and John lock eyes, their cheeks turning beet red.

  Hypno comes into view, taking a moment to notice the group, waving his hand with a bright smile. “Morning!”

  “Morning!” the four respond in unison.

  Zero leans in closer to Hypno. “Where the hell did you go last night?”

  Rubbing the back of his head, Hypno holds out his other hand as if it were a small bag with a light robe wrapped inside. “I made a hammock rather than getting kicked in the face again…”

  Zero jabs a finger at Hypno. “Say no more, I understand.”

  “Well, I still need to eat something, so let’s hit up a pub before exploring the market,” Hypno suggests, pointing at a well-kept place with torches lit around the building.

  Sara jumps over Zero, nearly putting him in

  a chokehold. “I can do a second breakfast!”

  Sipping his third cup of coffee since that morning while his friends dine on his dime, he asks, “So, Hypno, what did you get from your talks with them? I’m sure it was something good.”

  Hypno rubs his chin, letting out a low grunt. “We are allowed access to Mount Ziggy and most dungeons in the Valley of Bell area. However, Merak needs to know beforehand to ensure that a squad isn’t going in. General Kang also requested that we not be allowed in the west front trenches. The easiest agreement was that we have no interest in taking control of the Frauw Obelisk, but we did secure administrative access as long as we inform them of any changes.”

  “Wait. Why don’t you guys want to control the obelisk?” John asks.

  Zero sets his cup down. “Because if we did, that would classify us as a large clan and put us on the leaderboard. The top two hundred—we’d be kicking out some important people.”

  Hypno joins in. “As you know, we’re trying not to be on any of their bad sides more than we already are. Controlling an obelisk means we occupy the surrounding land. Though it means nothing to most people, it’s everything to large clans.” He clears his smoker's lungs. “What else… Oh, they tried to argue that the items we grind couldn’t be sold outside of their clan, but I told them if they want them, they need to pay more than the others. They didn’t like that, but whatever. Our bounty with their small clan was cut, so basically, we’re treated like other small clans all around.”

  Zero grins from ear to ear. “That’s great. You did a good job, brother.”

  “Yup. All that’s left is for us to get home. Everyone should be there except us and Vodka."

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Is Ship there?” Marisa asks.

  Zero mumbles as he turns away, resting his chin on his palm.

  “And there we go…” John mutters.

  Marisa sighs. “Ah, come on, we’re stuck in this world together, Zero. It’s about time you two got along.”

  “It’s not Ship, just Zero,” Sara says, her mouth full of pancakes.

  “I get it. But that doesn’t mean I’ll get along with him,” Zero mumbles.

  Marisa sighs again. “Hypno…”

  “What? What do you expect me to do about it? Zero has hated him since he joined,” Hypno responds.

  Zero turns to the four of them. “I don’t hate him…” He sighs. “Just drop it, okay?”

  The others nod and exchange glances.

  The waitress approaches, placing a leather envelope in front of Zero. “How was your breakfast?”

  Sara looks up at the waitress. “Good! It was good. May I ask if you are an NPC, though?”

  The voices around Zero fade as he opens the envelope. Two thousand gold… As he pulls out the paper, another slips down behind it. ‘After breakfast, grab Hypno and meet me behind the paper mill. - General Kang.’ Zero’s eyes widen as he glances at Hypno. But before he can message him, Hypno has already caught on, asking if everything is okay. After filling Hypno in through personal messages, they excuse themselves and ask the other three to remain seated until they return.

  Outside, after paying, Zero and Hypno head straight for the paper mill.

  “What do you think it is?” Zero whispers.

  Hypno moves closer to Zero. “I don’t know, just keep your eyes open. I have a message ready for Sara if things go south.”

  After a few more turns into an alleyway, a man pokes his head out from behind a doorway. General Kang waves them into the building.

  Though hesitant, the two step inside.

  “Sorry for asking you to come here alone without your friends. I know it’s strange, but I have some important information you might want to see.” Kang holds out his hand, and a folder appears out of thin air. “I'll make this quick.”

  “What is this?” Hypno asks.

  “Last night's briefing with some key individuals. It happened right after you left,” Kang explains. “Take it; you’ll see everything we discussed behind your backs and more.” He gestures toward Zero with the folder.

  “Why are you giving this to us?” Zero asks cautiously as he takes the folder from Kang.

  “Do I need a reason?” Kang replies.

  “Well, it’s pretty sketchy that you, a general of the largest clan, are handing this to us. I want a solid reason,” Zero demands.

  “I understand, but realize that by doing this, I’m risking my own life,” Kang argues.

  “Yeah, but you’re missing the bigger picture. How can we trust you?” Zero asks, dropping the file on the ground.

  Kang sighs as he scans the area behind him. “I’m putting myself in deep trouble, I guess…”

  Hypno tilts his head. “Huh?”

  “Doing this has nothing to do with morals. Honestly, I hate you guys for killing off the Dulman clan, but I despise this clan even more for their response afterward. Declaring war on the Trapline Army—that’s why I’m doing this.”

  Hypno and Zero remain silent.

  Kang lowers his gaze. “Three years ago, I had an affair with one of the Trapline Army generals. I was forced out of the clan, lost my rank, and in a fit of rage, I sold strategic plans and pinpointed locations of our weaponry and ammunition. I nearly destroyed the Trapline Army in just a few days.”

  “That was you?” Hypno asks, his demeanor shifting. “I remember that; we at WAL took advantage of it and doubled our wealth that day. More like a few hours of killing.”

  Kang nods. “I never lived that down. I ruined so many friendships, thinking I could move on. But it just ate me up inside more when I joined Lit.”

  “So, you were in the Trapline… Huh, I didn’t even know that,” Hypno says.

  “Not many people do; Zul took me in after everything settled.”

  “So now you’re burning your bridges with Lit?” Zero asks.

  “I still care for those in the Trapline Army… even though they want me dead,” Kang admits. “Trust me, Lit has done so much good for me, but the chemistry was never there. My true allegiance is with the Trapline Army.” Kang leans back against the wall. “I could stage a coup, but that would fail quickly. Lit is filled with the most insane, dedicated members. They are all so cold to one another, like this clan just attracts psychos who enjoy a battle of killing.”

  “Yet you think trusting an infamous clan like WAL with this info is a good idea?” Zero steps on the files.

  Kang raises his gaze. “No. Not unless I have information that will benefit you guys.”

  Hypno raises an eyebrow. “Explain…”

  Kang points at the file under Zero’s foot. “In there, it talks about how to eliminate the WAL clan after winning the war against Fools and the Trapline Army. The main strategy is to get RoT involved and maybe buy their support. Then, after you guys are dead, it discusses backstabbing RoT to control sixty percent of the map.”

  Zero chuckles. “Lit is going to bite off more than they can chew.”

  Kang’s eyes widen. “That’s what you’re worried about? Not being killed?”

  Hypno shakes his head. “It’s a bit of a shock, but expected for the most part. Every clan wants us dead.”

  “So you believe me?” Kang asks.

  “I didn’t say that. What do you expect us to do with this information?” Hypno questions.

  Kang nervously glances away, then looks back. A ‘W’ forms on his lips. “I-I don’t know. I guess I’m just desperate.”

  Hypno shakes his head with a sigh as he bends over to lift the file from under Zero’s foot. “I’ll bring this to our leader, but don’t expect anything.”

  “Right…” Kang says.

  “Are we good here?” Hypno asks.

  “Yeah…”

  Hypno turns, only to be stopped by Zero.

  “Hold on,” Zero says, redirecting his attention to Kang. “Did Merak have anything to do with this meeting?”

  Kang shakes his head. “No. He was somewhere else. Zul and Mamer were the main ones who voiced your guys’ fall. Merak is just an innocent kid; please don’t blame him.”

  A sigh of relief escapes Zero. “Good. I couldn’t imagine how Amos would feel if one of his students betrayed him like that.”

  Kang smiles slightly. “Ah, Master Amos. I’ve heard a lot about him.”

  Zero nods, returning the smile before he and Hypno head back to their friends. “You don’t seem that worried,” Zero remarks as they exit the mill.

  “Oh, I am,” Hypno replies. “Because now we really have to watch our backs.” Suddenly, a pack of cigarettes materializes out of thin air, which he packs into his forearm. “If Kang isn’t lying to us, we’re in deep trouble.” A single cigarette pops from the box as Hypno pulls it out with his mouth.