IJ-02. Irrelevant Jack II by Venter Prax

Author:Venter, Prax [Venter, Prax]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LitRPG, Unread
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

- 15 -

Jack didn’t really know what to expect as he approached the shadows of the forest within his beloved Town. Pan had left the Eye o’ the Storm with the new Lumberjack, Meri, and her son last night, and it appeared that the two quiet people were going to be fine together- despite the whole Marked for Violence thing. He didn’t expect Meri to be some type of serial killer, but if he did find Pan stabbed to death, he’d… he didn’t really know what he’d do.

Jack’s brisk jog along the smooth stone blocks slowed as he wondered what people of Subroutine Sana were supposed to do when they were attacked by others. He angled his train of thought toward the AI linked to his mind.

Alt answered immediately. “According to the way the code appears to be constructed, if an NPC is attacked, they have a window of time to defend themselves with no adverse consequences- up to and including ending the attacker’s life. The length of that window is based on numerous complicated factors that I won’t get into now, but if someone strikes first, or retaliates too late, they will acquire one of those Marks you saw. Every infraction adds a permanent 10% handicap to the existing stack.”

“So, this Meri person must have either stabbed her husband in the heart with no provocation, or she was attacked first and waited too long to get her revenge?”

He felt Alt shrug in his mind. “It’s a complicated virtual world out there. We may never know what really happened, but the only way to even approach the truth is to ask her about it.”

By now, Jack was deep under the canopy of thick leaves, and he picked up the solid thunk of an axe echoing through the trees. He paused, listening for the origin of the metal-on-wood concussion, and as Jack quietly moved toward it, he wondered why there was only the sound of one person chopping if there were now supposed to be two Lumberjacks.

He quickened his strides and called on what little stealth he had at his disposal before eventually seeing the woman with the Mark of Violence hacking away at a tree, her child playing in the roots nearby. She had removed the bulky cloak and now wore a thin white tank top and form-fitting pants made of some stretchy brown cloth. Jack also found that he was right about her build. Meri was one solid woman with biceps and thighs as big as Pan’s.

Jack scanned the woods for any sign of the quiet fella but didn’t see him anywhere nearby. It was doubtful that she’d murdered him with an axe in front of her kid and then went right to chopping wood.

But if she did kill him…

He was Mayor now and this hypothetical situation was something he’d potentially have to deal with at some point. He supposed he could instruct everyone in Blackmoor to decline every trade window she opened, and eventually, starvation would-

Jack’s thoughts broke clean off when he saw something huge moving through the trees.

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