Tremor of the Law (1)
Shirone mulled over Curtis's words.
"A kind of system sabotage."
"Yeah. Some criminals hate Melkidu. Crime only has value when it's actually a crime. If you could do anything and get away with it, psychopaths would get bored real fast."
Curtis stubbed out his cigarette.
"So how would someone make themselves known here? By attacking the system. They figured out ways to break out of prison. Melkidu brags about its long history, so every possible countermeasure would've been implemented. And then they found this—missions hidden inside the system."
"Buying off the guards."
"Right. It's surprisingly simple. In some sections of the inner track there are back doors—shops run by the forces of darkness. They're not visible on the surface. Pay through that route and you can bribe the guards."
Shirone and the others fell silent, thinking.
"I don't know why such a method exists. Could be a system bug, or maybe the original designer intended it. I think the latter. If you put up a sign saying 'sanctuary for murderers,' you'd know a murderer's tendencies inside out. You'd know some people would do this kind of thing."
Fena spoke up.
"Sorry to butt in... but if you bribe the guards, you can get to the core?"
"That I can't say. Even if you buy a key for ten billion points, it might not get you into the core. If anyone knew for sure, it wouldn't be an unsolved case."
'Erasing the records, then.'
While Shirone mulled that over, Curtis continued.
"If you tie up with a dark organization, you can ignore most of the system. Then you don't have to follow Melkidu's rules to reach the core. So—don't you think we've got a shot?"
It wasn't something they could deny.
"Do we have to go bankrupt for that?"
"This is what I dug up. For the buy-off program to activate, you absolutely have to get someone out of prison. Minimum required points: fifty million. Also, on the inner track there's a dark organization doing business in league with the guards. And don't worry about my points—I'm already—" Curtis sighed.
"Practically bankrupt."
Fena blinked at him.
"For real? You used to be ballin'."
"How do you think I got this intel? I put in two years of their time to sift through it. Still, ten billion points is suspicious. Then I overheard a small detail—my detective instincts kicked in—and I dug deeper."
"It's a difficult plan to try." Iruki said.
"This place is full of criminals. To bribe someone you need two people, or two teams, moving together—you can't build trust easily. And one side has to go bankrupt."
Nade added, "The mission difficulty changes too. You're not fighting a system-created NPC—you're up against the system itself. And if you can't even reach the inner track entrance, you'll have to run at least half a lap around the outer track. That wastes a ton of time."
Curtis nodded.
"That's why I came to you. I gathered intel and heard about you—your mission-clear speed was insane. If it's you guys, you can handle an inner mission."
"What do I do?" Fena asked.
"You had your reasons for calling me, right?" Shirone thought she'd been scatterbrained when she shoved food orders through, but that wasn't it.
"Well, if I go bankrupt I'll be sent to prison. I'll be tried and then transferred somewhere else. The scale of the prison depends on how big my crimes are. After you chase me, hand me over to those guys."
"So you're the contact."
"Yeah. In the meantime you handle missions on the inner track. Oh, and if you have leftover points, upgrade your dice. When you deal with the dark organization, dice matter more than points."
"So we might have to fight?"
"You've never been to the inner track, have you? On the outer track, points are king. On the inner track, dice are king. And the dark organization is on the inner track. Better to be prepared."
"Got it. Where do we go now? User-on-user attacks are banned here."
"Melkidu is a refuge for runaways. No item can track a target. You have to rely on the dice's probabilities. The only exception: spaces without missions—you can reach those with designated items."
Curtis pulled a card from his pocket.
"Movement item: Entry to the Royal Capital. It takes you to Parme, Melkidu's capital. It's the largest, most bustling city. There's a market where users trade the things and items they no longer need."
"That'll be crowded, then."
"Yeah. Honestly, people who gave up on the core sell things there. With crime points you can commit almost any crime you want."
Iruki asked, "Are there items that bring you to Vital?"
"Of course. You don't think you'd meet people like you by miracle, do you? Movement item: Primal Murderous Intent. I used it up so I don't have one now, but it's as expensive as Entry to the Royal Capital. The only problem is how you meet people like you..."
"One in four."
Shirone revealed a crucial detail.
"When I roll the dice, I can control the numbers. I can land on the space I want."
Curtis and Fena were stunned.
"…What are you talking about?"
No long explanation was necessary.
"It's an ability. It's free at gambling tables or when you receive rewards, but using it for movement costs crime points."
"Hmm—magic, then. How many points per use?"
"Three hundred thousand."
"What?"
Fena's eyes went wide.
"That's insane! You could wipe out a whole village with that. The biggest amount I'd heard of was a hundred thousand."
"Well, it's a difficult spell. But that's not the main point."
She smoothed her expression after showing emotion for the first time.
"Hmm. Still. I suppose I've seen that kind of magic before."
Her voice trembled.
Curtis was surprised too, but more because of the ability's efficiency.
'Melkidu is all about the dice. No item can manipulate dice numbers.'
That made it system-destructive.
"Decided," Curtis said.
"This will dramatically shorten the time. You don't need to follow us. First, strengthen your dice on the inner track. With you guys, doing a whole 468-space lap of the outer track in one go should be possible if you use an item."
You could set the dice to the maximum numbers—and doubles would apply.
Curtis looked at Fena.
"In the meantime, you and I will go to Parme. When I'm escorted, I'll be traced by the dice. You investigate the buyers at the prison. After that, meet up with these people."
"But where should we meet? I only have one Entry to the Royal Capital card. It's one-way."
"Anywhere we can rendezvous will do. Better to set Vital as the meeting place."
"Hmph! I've never bought any Primal Murderous Intent or whatever. I got here by dice. I figured I was lucky and tried gambling—I didn't bother preparing an escape route."
"You must have other movement cards, though. You, of all people, wouldn't leave without an escape plan."
"I have some, but…" She produced a card and wore a miserable expression.
"This one. Loss of Will." Even without reading it, the picture of people screaming in a sewer made the meaning clear.
"Brilliant," Curtis muttered.
"Loss of Will sends you to the garbage dump. The most rundown place in Melkidu—no, literally a garbage dump."
"I see."
"It's only useful because you can escape in an emergency. That's a huge plus, but the problem is you can't leave at will. You have to stay and roll the dice once a day until you get doubles."
Fena added, "You know why it's a garbage dump? Because the people who live there are trash. You'd go crazy after a day. If you go, you might even see me at the restaurant table."
Iruki asked, "Then why buy such an item?"
"Because it was cheap." "Crime points aren't nothing. You can buy three Loss of Will cards for the price of one Primal Murderous Intent!"
Curtis cut her off.
"Putting unsolvable problems aside, let's check our routes. First—the capital's location is..."
New information was marked on Shirone and the others' map. Their route planning finished.
Fena sulked.
"Sigh."
"Don't be like that. I have to go to prison. The garbage dump might as well be paradise compared to where I'll end up."
"All right, all right—I'll make sure they lock you up good," Shirone said.
"Fena, if you need anything, say it. I'll get it from a shop. We're working together now."
"Heh. Why are all the people Curtis knows like this? Do you know what I hate most? Sincere pity. I can get my own gear."
Her tone was unexpectedly sincere.
"But Fena, how did you get into Melkidu? It should respond only to the strongest murderous intent—what kind of scam history did you have...?"
"A scam? No way. If I have one sin, it's probably God-given beauty?"
Seeing their dumbfounded faces, she changed expression and propped her chin on the table.
"I just loved. I started conversations, they talked back, I bought them nice things, they accepted. It felt good. Even someone like me could be loved. Then I found out..." She smiled bitterly. "All those men who treated me so well were married or already taken."
Shirone filled in the rest.
"The wife would come, tear out your hair, threaten you, and then file a complaint. For some reason they always accuse you of fraud. They act like if I'm a scammer then everything we shared was a lie."
Fena shrugged and said, "I didn't appeal. I didn't have the money, and sentences aren't long in cases like that. Honestly, what scared me more than prison was how suddenly those men turned cold. Were they always that cold?"
Curtis said nothing.
"So I got caught big time. Seems like someone very high up was involved. They didn't bother suing—they tried to kill me. I ran from knife-wielders and ended up here."
Fena picked up her food.
"But I like Melkidu. Nobody trusts anyone, so you don't have to feel betrayed. Everyone's a bad guy anyway, so here I feel normal. Heehee!"
All Shirone could say was, "We'll get there as fast as we can."
"Right. We'll get out of Melkidu. Don't worry. I'm good at dealing with people."
They left the eatery and met at the deserted Vital entrance.
Curtis produced a card.
"You must keep at least fifty million points. I'll send the detailed schedule through Fena."
After the two of them left, Shirone spoke.
"Let's go too. First we enter the inner track and strengthen our dice."
"Good. We earned like dogs; let's spend like dogs. Is it my turn this time?" Nade rolled the Crime Dice across his palm and flung it into the air.
Four and four—doubles.
"Yes! See? I'm being carried—woo!" Their bodies moved at the speed of light.