Another Day, Another Plot (Eternal Night #2)

The eastern wind blows in from the bay, bringing with it the chill of the Atlantic Ocean. The couple of human goons standing around their charges pull their heavy longcoats closer, head hunching down a bit. They’re all the same type – big, burly men who could have been taken off the defense of any football field. Mook version 4.0, the most common goon choice. Even hunched over, they kept their hands hovering near the opening of their jackets and their eyes on their opponents.

In-between the guards, standing before one another were a pair of talking men, their charges and targets. Depending on who you asked. One was dressed in an expensive, charcoal grey suit and wing tipped shoes with a hawkish nose and haughty expression; the other a scruffy, bearded man in biker leathers.

Watching them, I can’t help but note the differences in their body languages, the way they moved, talked. The man in biker leathers exudes confidence, his body language open, the weight of his feet spread evenly and centering him. He leans forward a little – just a bit – to convey his aggressive posture, one hand gesturing wide.

On the other hand, the suit’s body language is a little more withdrawn, mixed between the player’s natural inclinations and the software attempting to compensate. I know, if he allows it, the software will shift his body posture to match his opponent, letting it grow more aggressive, more confident. High Social stats always help with that, but the player is new, unable to trust the software. At least, not yet.

I let my gaze shift from the pair, leaving them to their clandestine negotiations, already knowing the result. I’ve seen dozens of these in my time, played go-between for newbies and old hands. The most dangerous moments occur at the start of a meet, where the potential for violence escalates. Where human needs to conduct the monkey dance and the software’s alpha-beta challenge protocols mix, escalating tensions between competing player-vampires.

Once that was over though – and the threat of betrayal was over – the major concerns in such a meet dropped off significantly. A breakdown in negotiations were possible, of course, but it often did not lead to violence. Betrayal or a third party attack was a concern at the end of the negotiation, but that was why I had picked this spot. There were only a few ways to get to the dock, and both landbound methods were under watch by my men. Not that I trusted the software to do everything, which was why I was here.

Soon enough, the pair broke off with one final handshake. There is a slight ripple in the air around them, as the sound wards they’d erected around their bodies go down, allowing me to hear their conversation in full. Not that there is much left to hear, beyond traditional well wishes and goodbyes.

After that, there’s a little more posturing, a little more careful negotiation as they leave by their respective modes of transportation – armored limousine and fat bikes respectively. Once they part ways and are on the ground, automated driving software taking over, my job is done. A series of beeps and notifications appear on the minimalistic interface I run, informing me that the user generated quest is complete along with the deposit into my account.

I then detach myself from the wall that I’ve positioned myself on, ankle-length black leather trench coat flowing around my feet, crisscrossed tactical gun holsters pulling tight against my avatar’s broad chest. In one of the mirrors I carefully positioned around the meet, I catch a glimpse of my avatar’s face – brown hair, coal black eyes and an angular nose – and I chuckle darkly. As per government regulations, avatars can only be altered by up to 20% in full immersion dives. More than that and issues with body dysphoria, body dysmorphia, depersonalization-derealization and other psychological issues start cropping up at significant levels.

Once I’ve swept the area once again, checking for bugs and any additional complications, I stroll up the road, heading for a small clearing just off the main drag where my guards – mook version 11, 14 and 18 – stand guard over the pair of party crashers I’d found waiting for us beforehand.

They’re trussed up tight, heavy steel chains wrapped around their bodies, all attached to heavy weights to keep them held down. Blindfolds cover their eyes, sound-dampening headphones over their ears with old school polka playing non-stop.

Torture, but in a nice way.

I grin, crouching down before the pair and yank off their blindfolds, long, sharp canine teeth dropping low.

Intimidation factor cranked up to ten, I drop my voice lower.

Most gamers are into the active skills that Eternal Night offers – Celeritas for speed, Vires for might, Saluber for health and healing – but personally, I prefer the passives. Terreo works on a passive level, giving NPCs and even player-controlled avatars a debuff against keeping information from.

I stare deep into their eyes and drop my voice low, my avatar’s deep south, Devonshire British accent harsher than ever.

“Let’s have a chat now, shall we, gents?”

Release Date: 3. Mai 2021

Pages: 31

Genre: LitRPG Fantasy

eBook ISBN: 9781989994672

Language: English

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