The Heart is a Void: Ashes to Ashes

Crucis flicked through his inventory, as his group hid in a cave along the hills East of Mokra.

"A bunch of trinkets and clothing from the children, but the clothes wouldn't fit," DicingDevil said, as he did the same.

"Good. Since the children died, their late belongings probably have sentimental value. Their parents or associates might pay good gold for it. We'd just need to find the right seller," Crucis said.

"Yeah, true, we can wait until a funeral or something and have someone set up a stall outside. Say the items were scavenged or donated. But who would be trustworthy? It would need to be someone with no Guild affiliation, or a Spy who can hide their Guild. But an adult from elsewhere having the kids' belongings would be strange."

"Tell you what, I have a good idea for who the seller could be. You'll see. If that doesn't work out, best bet is to see if any Guild issues a strong statement on this event, then use a spy alt from that Guild. "

"Very possible, but I'll see what you have in mind. Anyway, did you get much from the teachers?"

"I heard that GMs and streamers were ocasionally donating tech to school efforts, stuff that's not regularly available in game," Grisier said. "But I'm not sure how much, since it hasn't been long and people are more concerned about escaping the game. Anything interesting?"

"Some instructional videos and a video editing interface, Mounts for loan, a few furniture parts and lax maps of the area, a projector, and some streamer stuff that's useless if you don't have a blue checkmark for verified streamers. Also a few things for features which weren't implemented yet, like integration with some sort of virtual private study room program. That was probably donated by a GM, but it's not functional just yet so I can't test it."

"How is bluecheck-exclusive stuff supposed to help out this school?"

"It wouldn't. It's the usual, the people donating probably thought that if it works for them, it would work for everyone."

Grisier laughed. "There was a politician last year, they literally published a guide to political success which began with 'Always work for the people' and then 'Make sure to thank your biggest donors often and consult with them.' Then another politician ripped it off and turned it into 'Love the people, love your donors, uplift people and be a good person, then you'll make it big if you love enough' or some self-help twaddle. The alacrity of these people."

"Yes, 'tis common. The second article sounds especially bad. It's the usual issue, modern society tells its aristocrat that he 'earned' it, and suddenly he's full of useless advice for everyone else."

"Is there a difference between those articles?" Akshel asked. "Both are a bit quizzical."

"I mean, admittedly with difficulty, the original advice could at least be converted into something pseudo-practical, such as 'be somewhat populist and build rapport with the masses, so that potential donors will donate in order to control the people' - after all, if the elites control populism then it neuters potential opposition. It lets donors or establishment figures pass off their agenda as organic, as something which the masses themselves want in their hearts," Crucis said. "Populism can be commodified. Likewise, 'cozying up to big donors but being more demanding of smaller donors,' if there's high demand for a politician's services then they should tacitly let it be known that they have a price but it's not cheap.

"But all of this scheming comes with a price. The more entrenched an elite becomes, the less that success in politics is up to the individual in any way. And the more that it becomes a sort of aristocracy anyway. So at that point any advice becomes mostly worthless, without ordination or in-group membership you probably won't be in any position to use it. And by that point, the hoi polloi themselves become mostly worthless and obsequious, if they weren't already."

"That reminds me, Darys said he got an anonymous tip that one or two of the popular favourites in Kruxol was hiding ties with the Hashin," DicingDevil said, "And most of them were being used as a front for some GMs and big Guilds. But we can discuss that later, the rest of the group have arrived."

Five DeathGang members dismounted in a clump of trees South of Mokra, and one of them zig-zagged secretively until he had reached the Eastwards cave at co-ordinates which DicingDevil had shared.

"Hi, [Gastlem] here," said the arriving DeathGang member softly with a slight French accent, after making sure that nobody was nearby. Crucis saw that Gastlem had no Guild tag visible, suggesting that they were a [Spy] sub-class member who could hide their Guild.

"Take a quick look inside the Mokra safezone," DicingDevil whispered.

Gastlem agreed, and made his way carefully back to Mokra. Ducking quickly into the residential area, he had a cursory look around, then turned to an adult by a stall and asked where to find weaponry here. Laughing at the prompt answer, he left the residential area and sauntered into the village Blacksmith's, before using [Stealth Cloak] to sneak out through an empty garden and return to the East, where the rest of the group had cautiously made their way back towards Mokra and hid among the rocky hillside terrain.

"Hi. From what I've seen, not much furore yet among the kids?" DicingDevil asked.

"A bit of panic from some, but I think they're trying to break the news slowly. Not alarming the kids before they've prepared a statement. I heard some people up North saying that a dangerous animal was seen in the woods, but the deaths aren't known to everyone yet," Gastlem replied.

"So it's still a bit calm?" Crucis asked, squinting to look at the residential area from around a boulder. "The delay makes sense, they don't want to scare all of the children back to Kaxil."

"Yes. In fact, some of the kids are still waiting at the safezone entrance, when I showed up they said I looked strong and they were begging me to help."

"Yeah, I can hear them," said Crucis, focusing on the loud pleading noise coming intermittently from the residential area.

"They must be jealous of Crucis and Starfighter helping the other kids," DicingDevil said jovially.

"By the way, since you're a Spy, could you enter the safezone and ask to see someone by the name of - wait, nevermind, I heard someone say 'Lutye' loudly nearby. Sounds like a kid speaking, was it?"

Gastlem cautiously peered at the residential area, then replied. "There's four kids waiting there, I guess they want someone to take them to a dungeon. All of them around level 20, one of them is a large boy named DannyBoiii who's calling the others 'Lutye' and seems to be mocking them, saying that if they all get killed it won't be his fault. Still, they're all hanging together, I guess they're in a party and hoping that some bigger player will help them?"

"Alright," Crucis whispered. "Say you'll help them. They're clearly upset that the students we helped might outstrip them, so ask casually about whether they're keeping up with the other students. That should make them stubborn, so they'll probably agree. Tell us where they want to go, then we'll set off early on Mounts and join you there."

"Sure thing. I'll post in Guild chat."

Gastlem set off.

"So you were thinking, have a kid from here sell the belongings?" DicingDevil said.

"Yes," Crucis answered.

Soon, they were informed that the students wanted to go, somewhat ambitiously, to a level 30 dungeon down South. DicingDevil agreed on some co-ordinates to meet near, then his group of six players rode off on their Mounts to hide by the agreed co-ordinates.

After fifteen minutes, Gastlem appeared on a forest path, followed by four children walking closely together. Two were black-haired, silent early teen Russian kids, the 'Lutye brothers,' and the others were a large boy named [DannyBoiii] and a bespectacled brunette girl named [Mraiah] who DannyBoiii seemed infatuated with.

As this group walked past a low-hanging, brilliant green tree's leaves, Crucis and DicingDevil leapt out and used [Agile Step] to approach Mraiah and DannyBoiii respectively, then stabbed savagely at and near the children's necks while shoving them to the ground. Once done, they pushed these corpses behind the green leaves of the tree to hide them.

The two Lutyes prepared to run away, but one was caught by Akshel and held in place, while Grisier casually used [Breath of Ice] on the other whom DicingDevil's outstretched sword forced threateningly to the ground.

"Hello. Are you the Lutye brothers?" Crucis said from behind the shinobi shozoku.

"Yes and no," said one of the 'brothers,' with surprising confidence. "We made up the names, I am called 'Yaroslav' here. Actually? Konstantin. We are Russian friends. What do you want with us?"

Konstantin was fairly tall, and had messy black hair with hints of brown. His face wore a blank expression, that seemed eerily like a smile.

"So the other one is known here as Sergey?"

"Yes, name is Vladimir," responded the other Lutye. He was younger, darker-haired, and had a small, red scar above his left eye. His stare was aggressive, from beneath thick, jet-black eyebrows.

"Alright. I had an assignment from Sergey, I killed the person who marked it." He handed Vladimir an envelope. "Tell me if he marked it well."

Vladimir stifled a laugh as he opened it, looking briefly over Grandos' comments which, in a manner typical of contemporary politics, often used hystrionic and capitalised criticisms. "Ah, this, um, 'harpie'? Зануда (zanoodha)? I always tried to skip his class, then he said he'd throw me out of the school. So I turned in this assignment, I hoped it would be okay."

"You cannot hope for that, друг (dhroog), you are Russian and also named Vladimir. You will not get top marks on Western civics!" Konstantin chirped.

Akshel and DicingDevil laughed lightly.

"So did... ehm, you heard, what happened in the woods, North?" Crucis asked. He was trying to gauge how much English these children understood.

"What happened? Oh, you mean the bear? I heard some gossip, the bear had appeared! Oh no, there is big DEMON BEAR! So shocking news, like when they see us, 'oh no, there are Russians!'" Konstantin said.

"I never believed in the bear. I still don't!" Vladimir laughed. "Children are fools."

"You aren't?"

"No, I have gone to this Western school for too long, now I am crodget - crotchety? old man, always grumpy."

"Maybe, you are old Russian bear. But we are still foolish children. Well, adults said, don't go with strangers. But here we are now, in the diar - 'dire straits'!"

"Yes, the lard boy Danny died. That is a tragedy? Besides, if we have no names, we will just revive. But we need to level up!"

"You figured that out?" DicingDevil asked curiously.

"Yes, yes," Vladimir responded. "We are forgotten people, even death now not caring." He laughed, and Crucis joined in.

"If you want, we will take you hunting with us," Crucis said. "You get good Experience. Then I will show you how to get more gold and equipment, and soon you will become stronger than your classmates."

"Take hunting?" Konstantin asked, unclear about the terminology.

"You can join, we will go to 'hunt' animals nearby. You have heard of this place?"

"Ah, yes," Vladimir answered. "I have visited actually, there is hole in the village. But everyone is scared, says it's crowded and we will be attacked. Besides, it is difficult, we cannot afford to stay there long and we have no equipment to hunt."

"Vladimir did climb some trees! But he said we should leave, or will be 'broke,'" Konstantin said.

"Excellent. So then you'd be interested?" Crucis said with a smile.

"OK. I mean, we have a 'gun to our head,' we must go," Konstantin said, lightening up slightly as he sensed that these men didn't wish to attack him.

"Alright. By the way, tell me," Crucis said. "The children there, they are scared of the world now, um, жить в страхе (zhit(ye) v strrah-eh), but you find them boring?"

"They are scared of Vladimir, he is like lion!" Konstantin laughed. "Yes, they all become studious when very scared. We want to adventure, they say like, no you will tear our textbook page! Enter the wild? No, we are drawing a 'mind map'! So we have to turn to strangers for help. You have helped us a lot, by killing these two 'friends,' it is good start."

"The kids there are 'nerds,'" laughed Vladimir, recalling an English term. "Sorry, we laugh a lot now, it is not normal. We are nervous!"

DicingDevil laughed. "How did you know that these guys would be good company?" he asked Crucis.

"Oh, you know us?" Konstantin interjected, turning to Crucis.

Crucis briefly wore the [Grass-Patterned Helmet] from the village. A look of recognition shone over the 'Lutye brothers.'

"Ah, it is this guy! The others were so excited about him! Why help us?" Vladimir said.

"I am from Belarus," Crucis said. "Little Russia, no? I saw that Konstantin had made also some nice paintings, and Vladimir is good writer. You are clever, so help us and we all benefit."

"Yes, sir!" Vladimir said. "But we will need better weapons. You can help? I am Assassin, Konstantin is a warrior. Both use sword for now. Some kids have 'sub' class, I don't know how can get."

"There is a forge at the Hunting Lodge, you can make something there?" DicingDevil said.

"Nah, this is faster," Crucis said, holding out a [Haunted Longsword] which he had received from a [Defender of the Faith] in the minor dungeon. The scratched, grey sword, thin but nimble, had its frayed edges lit until it seemed to almost disappear into the afternoon's dim light.

It was useless for Crucis, but he considered it to be a strong level 20 sword, and was curious about how it would perform.

Its description read:

[Haunted Longsword | +50 DEX. Has a 10% chance of causing the [Haunting] status effect for 5 seconds, reducing the enemy's accuracy by 5% and reducing your visibility. This effect has a CD of 25 seconds.]

Vladimir took the sword in one hand, and glanced over its description. He smiled, with his face twisting slightly into a sinister grin.

Crucis saw a message appear:

[Congratulations! You have given 1/3 gifts! You may give two more gifts, but neither may be to the same person. These gift chances will refresh every 2 months.]

Crucis saw that Starfighter had handed Konstantin a sword from the minor dungeon as well. The DeathGang members held back, since they saved their gift chances for Guild members. Crucis searched through his inventory, then tossed a couple of [Small Mount Loan Keys] to the boys. The teachers had been holding some, perhaps donated to the school in case the students needed Mounts at any point.

As Konstantin and Vladimir dusted themselves off, Crucis summoned his own Coelophysis mount. Turning towards the boys, he said, "You can find or make other equipment at the Hunting Lodge. If things go well, there will be plenty of rewards. But swords are rare."

"Thank you! Do these guys only share with their Guild?" Vladimir said light-heartedly about the DeathGang members. "But sharing is caring, did no-one say to you?"

"Maybe we don't care!" DicingDevil laughed, and Vladimir smiled in response with his left eyebrow raised.

Crucis had decided that it was important to gain non-Guild allies at this stage, since if he chose not to join DeathGang, then he could have these allies follow him into a new Guild and possibly out of it as well. Having allies not tied to Guilds meant that he could interact with Guilds while still retaining some independence. While he couldn't predict how long these allies would remain so, at the moment they had little to gain from turning elsewhere. Since they were outcasts or misfits, they would also likely be less positive towards the more conventional Guilds.

Further, he felt that Vladimir and Konstantin could help to disorganise the school project and spy on any Guilds who came to protect it, furthering the work already done, and also sell some belongings from the dead back to the village while sharing the proceeds. After all, children from the village selling the belongings would seem more ordinary than an outsider.