CHAPTER 118: ANN’S ORDER

The call connected with a soft chime, and Ann’s voice came through as soft a cuddly as ever, so familiar of the Giantess.

"Cory dear," She spoke, tone smooth like silk over a dagger, "it’s been a while."

I leaned back against the rock, trying to match her tone.

"So what do I owe the pleasure, Ann Murphray?" I said as casual as I could, even though I was already praying she wouldn’t bring up the IOU from the Null Shepherd incident.

"Cory..." Ann chuckled, seeing through my schemes. "You always do that, don’t pretend like you don’t remember."

"Haha..." I forced a laugh, sharp and hollow. "Of course I remember, uh- I just thought maybe this was a social call, you know? Hi Cory, how are you, oh you got a new weapon? Congrats on level fifty, let me send a gift basket over at your grandma’s or something along those lines."

"Mm."

Ann’s voice came in smooth and teasing, like she always knew more than she let on.

"So, Cory, how’s the cutie? What-her-name... Hailie? I haven’t seen the two of you around together lately, I heard she just got back to the Priest class with the help of this team of 5 she’s been hanging around with."

Shit... This bitch knows way too much, as per usual.

I shifted on the rock, the cliffside wind biting at my ears. I wanted to sound casual, but it came out rougher than I meant.

"Yeah... me and Hailie, we’re... on a bit of a rocky stretch right now. Nothing dramatic, just different rhythms, you know? I’ve been keeping to myself more, letting her... do her thing. Ahem... Like Eminem and Mariah Carey."

"That’s a horrible anology." Ann said.

"Yeah that warrants an apology." I replied.

Ann then started humming casually like she was filing that away, she didn’t press for more details, in fact, she might know tenfolds what I knew. So instead, her tone brightened.

"Have you ever been to Klakku during the VR stay?"

I froze at her question.

Darkmoon Adventure’s world was carved into four massive continents, each one sliced apart by a giant river system that crossed diagonally, splitting the whole map into neat quadrants.

Every single player started here, on the Western continent, where most of the publicly available contents from level 1 to 300 are laid out.

And this Western continent was carved into two main kingdoms.

The first was Danielle Kingdom, literally where we’ve been for the last few months. The place I’d been rotting in since day one. Every stone tower, every cobblestone street, every noble’s banner on a castle wall, it was the medieval fantasy wet dream come true, probably Germany-inspired architecture, stable, pretty and predictable

The second was Klakku. A desert kingdom sprawling across miles of cracked sand, littered with rare cities like oases, each one a den of thieves, mercenaries, and worse.

"Lawless" didn’t even begin to cover it, If Danielle was all about monarchy, Klakku was survival of the nastiest, its hierarchy shaped by trade, coin, and the lizardmen that dominated the dunes.

And apparently... Ann wanted to talk about it?

"I’ve been to a local market near the border to buy a pair of Bracelets of Eternal Friendship, yeah... Still have it here." I answered.

But, before she could add anything in, I shook my head immediately to continue speaking.

"You want me to go over there?" I crossed my arms. "Just... What’s this about? I know I owed you but if you want money, I’ll find a way to scrape it together. If it’s... surveillance, keeping tabs on someone, I can do that too, since I’m technically a member of New Destiny. Or maybe you want me to slap my name on that shady little business you’re running now? Infamous CJS69 as a marketing tool to draw in the crowds?"

"Cory." She let me finish rambling before she spoke, voice steady, like she was talking to a child throwing a tantrum. "I don’t want any of that, I want you to come to me."

"...Come to you?" I frowned, straightening. "Where exactly are you?"

"The Capital City of Klakku."

"The capital city?" I blinked.

"Mhm." Ann said, and I swore I could hear her smile, "you’ve got an invitation. I’m running something real nice in Klakku, ever heard of a little place called Bastet?"

"Can’t say I have." I shook my head, despite no one around to see.

"That’s because I only opened it a couple months back. It’s a restaurant, and already the most popular spot in the capital." She chuckled, sounding all-too-friendly. "Picture this: pale sandstone walls shaped like a temple, with obsidian lion statues guarding the doors. Big silk awnings to block out the desert sun. And a golden sign that glows at night so you can’t miss it, even from halfway across the market square. That’s where you’ll find us."

"Uh... Okay..." I narrowed my eyes at the horizon, trying to imagine it. "Sounds... flashy."

"You’ll like it." She said.

Then, without another word, the call ended.

Quite abrupt, if I might say so myself, I sat with my legs spread and knees straighten, looking towards the front with not a single thought in mind.

I let my head fall back against the rock, staring up at the digital sky.

"Klakku," I muttered, rolling the name around in my mouth like something sour. "Sounds like a slur."

I had no idea why, but Ann never asked for things lightly. And the fact that she didn’t give me an option meant I had no choice but to take this seriously.

I exhaled through my nose, pressing my palm against my forehead. "Fantastic, out of all the places in this entire world, she drags me to the lizard sandpit."

The war scythe leaned against my shoulder as I stood up and began making my way down the cliff, I jumped down and slid with my heels on the 70 degree angle.

"Welp... Better find a camel." I told myself.

Also... On a random note that no one should care about.

The police called me earlier this week, they found my wallet with all my IDs in it after the bus robber ditched it on a rooftop somewhere, so... Yay?