War Games Read online

  Table of Contents

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 01

  CHAPTER 02

  CHAPTER 03

  CHAPTER 04

  CHAPTER 05

  CHAPTER 06

  CHAPTER 07

  CHAPTER 08

  CHAPTER 09

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  Bushido Online

  BOOK III: War Games

  A Work by Nikita Thorn, for LitRPG Freaks

  Bushido Online: War Games

  Copyright © 2019 by LitRPG Freaks

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.

  PROLOGUE

  The small room, lit with special sun-imitating bulbs, was bright and comfortable as the air-conditioning unit radiated a gentle warmth to offset the late autumn weather. Apart from the control pad by the door, the room was essentially a studio, with a bed, a small pantry, a coffee table and two chairs—now slightly crammed to one side to make room for several processing units in large chrome-colored cases. The equipment occupied one whole corner of the space, each piece of it tightly stacked on top of the other like a miniature futuristic space station, and the rare visitor often found it difficult to look away from the bright blue VC logos and other blinking notification lights.

  Two men were sitting at the table by the window, with two now-empty coffee cups between them. The electric blinds had been drawn up all the way to give the older man the advantage of the view outside, which was starting to turn from the glorious gold of autumn to barren brown. The room overlooked a square grass patch with two benches under a few shedding trees, which was one of the many little gardens scattered around the assisted living complex.

  “You sure about this?” asked Tom, turning his attention from the scenery back to his host, the sole occupant of the room. “Like you told me last time, if something has nostalgic value, I—”

  The young man opposite him heaved a sigh. “I’ve already made up my mind. You were completely right, Tom. I’m sorry I was an ass when we talked about it last time. There’s really no point in hanging onto something I don’t use anymore.” He paused for a moment. “Plus, I need to build up some extra funds in case they decide to kick me out of the research program.” Seth chuckled as he gestured toward the equipment in the corner. “Turned out these things are worth a huge deal of money.”

  Tom took a deep breath as if unsure how to proceed with the next bit. “Seth,” he began. “I’m slightly concerned-”

  “I know,” said the young man, a bit too quickly. “You’re worried about the amount of time I’m spending in the game.”

  “Yes. I know things are difficult, but, really, this can’t be your life.”

  “I know, Tom. Trust me. But it’s the only life I’ve got at the moment. You see, this isn’t exactly…” Seth trailed off as he nodded toward the room, a very brief pained expression passed through his face. “Okay, maybe you’re right that I don’t know what I’m doing, but this is something I have to do. It’s difficult to explain. Just… I don’t know. Just give me time.” He finished uncertainly, as if he was fully aware his argument was not at all convincing.

  Tom went silent for a moment, studying the young man opposite him. He could not deny that he seemed to be coping better. Over the past month or so, he noticed that Seth had even started laughing again, like how he used to, before everything, perhaps even before he turned professional. And they told him that the game was a major part of it. Still, he could not shake the feeling that the virtual reality was nothing more than a crutch the young man would need to depend on for the rest of his life, and the former coach let out a soft sigh as he felt once again the familiar pang of guilt that had haunted him since the incident.

  Seth, not privy to his old mentor’s thoughts, shifted uncomfortably at the long silence. “Okay, I’m not going to do anything stupid, all right? And I’m sure Dr. Emerson has talked to you. We’ve agreed on a weekly limit and I can manage my own hours.”

  Tom had not expected that comment. “So… you actually plan to stay in the program.” It was more a question than a statement really.

  Seth seemed genuinely surprised. “Yeah, of course. What do you mean? I already signed on for eighteen months, and since I’m getting this for free why would I even— Oh!” Seth started to laugh as it dawned on him what had been the real cause for Tom’s concern. “I see. When I told you I changed my mind about selling the car, you thought I wanted the money to move to the commercial deal so I could play as much as I like. No, Tom, this has absolutely nothing to do with that.”

  Tom was both relieved and perplexed. “Well, I thought this whole thing was about trying to get me to talk to them again about dropping therapy or support group, or your so-called curfew.”

  Seth shook his head. “No, it’s not that, although I wouldn’t mind not spending my whole afternoon with a bunch of, well, uh, very old folks.” He chuckled. “Sorry. They’re really nice people and all, but, you see, we have slight difficulties finding common topics of interest.”

  “I know, and they told me they’re working on finding another group for you.”

  “Yeah, they told me that, too. But that’s not really the issue. The group’s fine. And to be honest, I think some structure is good for me right now.” Seth shook his head again, before adding softly, “No, I guess it’s really about… moving on.”

  “So, you’re really sure about selling the car? Because last time you were adamant that—”

  “Yeah.” Seth interrupted him, perhaps not wishing to be reminded of their rather unpleasant conversation last time the subject came up. “And, yeah, I know I told you I bought it with the payout from my first tournament win so it meant a lot to me in a very special way, but you were right. What am I going to do with it? It’s not like I’m ever going to hire a chauffeur or subscribe to CCTT and have the system installed. I don’t even actually enjoy being in a car anymore, so now it’s just sitting there losing value. I’ve already thought this through. Getting rid of it also means I can stop paying for parking space. You see, I was thinking the other day that even if I die at the decent average age, I still have more than fifty years to think about. That’s five-zero, Tom, and that’s longer than I’ve lived, so I’d better start being real smart about my finances.” His tone was perhaps meant to be light-hearted, but he could not help ending his sentence with a suppressed sigh.

  “I see,” said Tom quietly after a moment. “I’ll get the paperwork ready then.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Something crossed Seth’s mind. “Speaking of paperwork. You have the full research contract somewhere in your office, right? Would be great if you could bring it over the next time you’re in town.”

  “I’ve had a lawyer check it already, but if you think there’s something—”

  “No, I just thought I should really read it and understand what I’ve gotten myself into. Right now, I don’t even know if I own my character after the end of the program. I need to know these things, so I can…” He left out the rest of the thought, most likely because he was not entirely sure how to finish it.

  From the bed, the phone, lying face-down, gave a clear gong-like ring, and the young man brightened.

  “That’s probably your way of telling me I should leave,” said Tom
, concern still heavy in his voice.

  Seth smiled and rubbed his hands. “Sorry, Tom. I’m a busy man these days.”

  CHAPTER 01

  As always, the new moon hung low like a carved slit in the sky above the temple gate. The gray-tiled roof gleamed gently in the moonlight, making it distinctively visible amidst the surrounding darkness. Above the entrance, the wooden sign read ‘Nezumi Temple’, written in dark paint and oddly spelled with the character for ‘juniper’—perhaps to mislead first-timers—but its real meaning would be made pretty obvious by the final stage of the instance.

  Seiki pulled his trusty snowstepper to an easy trot as he spotted four familiar figures sitting around a small fire in front of the temple.

  “The quest couldn’t have taken that long,” he said aloud to Fubuki, wondering again why he had never bothered to get his hands on one of those European-Style Pocket Watches. “Even Kentaro is here.” The houshi was usually the last to arrive; so the fact that the man was already here, had lit a fire, and was apparently leveling his Cooking skill, meant that they had been waiting for a long, long time.

  The air was filled with smoke and smelled in equal parts like freshly-grilled fish in sweet miso and burnt sauce.

  “Yes!” The delighted cry from Kentaro of the Crafters’ Guild [Level 13] carried over the distance, in a way that suggested that he had just cooked a Perfect Red Miso Aji five times in a row. Doing so meant he had mastered the recipe, and subsequent attempts would come out perfect and give additional health regeneration boosts.

  Mairin [Level 12], sitting beside the houshi, suddenly perked up from the piece of paper she was reading.

  “No, no, no,” cried the houshi, snatching the dish from Mairin’s hand before the kitsune girl could sink her teeth into it. He shook his head. “You already tried one yesterday. And this thing is now worth at least 8 gold.”

  Seiki chuckled as he approached his friends.

  Mairin was arguing the difference between a miso-grilled fish and a perfectly cooked miso-grilled fish, when her heightened fox senses detected Seiki coming up toward the group. The kitsune brightened when she saw him. “Oh, there you are.” She then pursed her lips. “You’re late. We were starting to wonder if the Shadow Manor was trying to assassinate you again. And no answer on pigeons?”

  “Sorry.” Seiki leapt off Fubuki and dismissed the horse with a gentle pat. He did get her pigeons, but it was impossible to ride and write a reply at the same time. “Well, I’ve got the quest.”

  The kitsune blinked. This was the first time Seiki had seen her in a week. If he remembered correctly, she had been away on a business trip of some sort, so it was not surprising she had no idea what he was talking about. “Okay,” she said, seemingly amused. “Someone’s happy.”

  Seiki’s report was admittedly meant for Ippei [Level 14], who was sitting on the ground beside the kitsune girl. The samurai’s gear now boasted five pieces in the Shinshioka Army set, considered fast for his level. Judging from the pile of Simple Carved Trays lying beside him, the man had been grudgingly leveling his Woodcrafting during the wait.

  Ippei had already abandoned his unfinished handiwork and leapt to his feet. “About time,” said the samurai in relief, his mood immediately improving.

  Mairin looked at them. “Uh, what quest is this?”

  “His troops’ quest,” said Ippei, tucking away his carving knife.

  The kitsune shrugged. “As if I’m supposed to know what that means.”

  “The quest that will unlock War Games for them,” said Kentaro, his hands busy mixing the ingredients for his next perfectly-grilled fish. “The only thing they’ve been talking about all week.” The houshi shook his head in slight disapproval. “They started asking every customer whether they had gotten the Shogun summon immediately after reaching Level 14. Half the people didn’t even know what they were talking about.”

  “Oh, I see. Congrats,” said Mairin, finally noticing Seiki’s level. “Finally 14.”

  Seiki had just reached Level 14 about a week ago, and while it did not give him a new ability slot, this achievement—at least according to Ippei—was the singular most important milestone in the game.

  Kentaro, naturally, did not agree. “Well, even if you are officially in the service of the Shogun, if you want free repairs from me you’re still going to have to watch the charms shop every weekend.” He gave a casual shrug. “I know you don’t want to waste your War Coins getting your armor patched by the Shogun’s blacksmith.”

  Ippei grinned. “Ah, so you do know a thing or two about War Games. You know we fight the Demonic Clan for the survival of Shinshioka, right? Entirely honorable, morally squiggly clean, so you, of all people, should approve.” He then turned to Seiki. “So you talked to Kato?”

  Seiki nodded. “Yeah. The Lieutenant sent me to Nakatani.”

  The samurai sounded pleased. “Okay, same thing as when I did mine. I thought they had changed it. Once you talk to Nakatani, he’ll give you your first men.”

  “War Games aren’t that great, to be honest,” Yamura of the Honor Warriors [Level 16] joined in the conversation with a shrug. “I was pretty hyped, too, but soon you realize you get far better XP just going out to contested zones and killing stuff. And I gotta tell you, the gear drop in War Games is downright horrible.”

  “Oh, that’s probably because you play with your three zillion clan mates,” said Mairin. The Honor Warriors had now surpassed the Shinshioka Nobles in terms of overall level and standing, most likely due to their policy of accepting virtually everybody.

  “We make a spectacular army, though,” said Yamura.

  Mairin giggled. “True. But the loot share is, what, five gold per event?”

  “Run with us and I’ll show you the right way to do it,” said Ippei. “Next Tuesday? Now we’re all ready.” He turned to Kentaro and Mairin. “Not too late to start.”

  “If you can find a way to get me three hundred and, let’s see… eighty six Honor Points by Tuesday, I’ll come,” said Mairin. “It would be funny to start my own kitsune army. What’s the max number of troops again? Imagine fifty kitsune rushing at you.”

  Ippei gave a mock grimace. “On the second thought…” He left it at that, before turning his attention back to Seiki. “Let me know when you’re going to Nakatani.”

  “Maybe after this?” Seiki said hopefully, earning an approving nod from his friend.

  Players who wished to venture into War Games needed to achieve two things: reaching Level 14, and obtaining the rank of Favored Member of the Court through collecting 500 Honor Points with the Shogun. After these requirements were met, the Shogun would send a summon pigeon that would start players on a short series of preparation quests before the first War Event unlocked for them.

  In the past month, partly because of his newfound enthusiasm for the game and partly out of necessity, Seiki had been completing every quest and mission he could get his hands on. There was a real incentive to leveling now, and he tried his best to make efficient use of his limited playing hours. For the first time, his quest log was full, and even now he had seven random quests sitting in it, most of which he did not even remember who the quest giver was.

  The XP rush had been a rather dizzying ride, and Seiki had spent his every minute in-game running around Shinshioka and its vicinity, fighting things and delivering packages to NPCs, often without really understanding what storyline had led him there in the first place. Sometimes, he could not help but feel that it was a little overwhelming, or that it was not how he was supposed to play the game. But for the most part, it made him feel like he was actually heading somewhere, and that promise of an unknown destination was a welcome feeling.

  Apart from steady chunks of experience, his endeavors came with several interesting side effects. Once you completed a quest, the NPCs involved started to recognize you and often greeted you by name; so after the first week, Seiki started finding strangers smiling and nodding at hi
m from across the street. Some of them, he realized after a while, were actually players, and that made it a little disconcerting as it now gave him the feeling of always being watched. He blamed it on the Shinshioka Scientific Society and their weekly performances, which had played a big part in embellishing the battle at the White Crane Hall to unrealistic proportions.

  Another unexpected result was that Seiki now found himself equipped with a myriad of low-level Trade Skills. He had started picking them up for low-level crafting quests and missions just for the XP gain, so his Trade Skills menu, besides his main Woodcutting skill—which now sat at Level 22—was now littered with things like: Level 2 Leathersmithing and Level 4 Calligraphy. Oddly enough, Level 1 Pottery was on there as well, and Seiki for the life of him could not remember how he had obtained it in the first place.

  The most surprising thing about the past month turned out to be the fact that becoming a Favored Member of the Court had been the easiest part of it all, thanks to a few donations from anonymous fans—which arrived in the form of items marked [treasure] that could be traded in at the Palace for Honor Points. Who these mysterious donors were, Seiki had no clue, but considering the fact that one Imported Jade Vase [treasure] had given him 150 Honor Points in one go, he did not quite dare speculate either.

  Mairin had laughed when she learned about it. “Well, it’s your friends in high places. Apparently, you’ve finally got those as well, on top of enemies.” Ippei’s guess was that the White Crane people had something to do with the gifts, but Seiki doubted they would need the anonymity, considering they were still actively trying to recruit him. About a week earlier, he had received an invitation from Kiku to their clan RP event, which he remembered only a few days afterward that he had forgotten to decline.

  After finally reaching Level 14, however, an unexpected problem arose. There was supposed to be a summon pigeon from the Shogun straightaway, and Ippei had sworn he had gotten his as soon as he had attained the required level and rank. After two days without a trace of any official message, they were starting to wonder if they were missing something, and by the third Ippei was claiming it was a glitch and was urging Seiki to report it to the Bureau.