38

Name: Vindictus

Race: Human

Class: Ranger

Sub-class: Archer

Level: 10 EXP: 4500/4500

EXP Pot: 19000

Health: 279/279

Mana: 210/210

Strength 35 [Earring +10]

Vitality 34 [Earring +10]

Agility 36 [Earring +10, Bracers +1]

Dexterity 18 [Bracers +1]

Intelligence 32 [Headband +5]

Speed 29 [Boots +5]

Luck 30 [Ring +5]

Charisma 20 [Headband +5]

Points available: 0

Skill Points: 1

[Lifestyle Skills - Harvester Skill – 6; Alchemy (I) – 11; Smithing – 3; Leatherworking – 6]

[Class Skills - Eagle Eye – 1; Power Shot – Level 3; Boost Summon – 2; Ambidextrous – Max; Two weapon fighting – Max; Cross Cut – Level 5; Off Hand Block – Level 4; Off Hand Parry – Level 4]

[New Skills]

Izak dressed is a nice pair of slacks with a white shirt and a sports coat. It was not fancy but it was the best that he had. Honestly he was a little surprised that he was getting to meet the head of the Callahan family. He figured that someone like Arnold would show up and pay him. But he would not turn this down. He had completed his basic hygiene and now he was ready to go.

"I apologize for the wait Mr. Wright I am ready to go now."

"Very good. I poured you a cup of coffee but I did not know how you took it so I only poured."

"Thank you, sir." Izak added a little sugar and a shot of the vanilla flavoring that he liked and headed for the door. The two men left and Izak locked up behind him. He only did the door lock and not the deadbolt and Arnold realized he knew that they had planned to send people in and he was making it easier for them. What a strange young man.

"Please ride with me and we will also provide you with a ride home after the meeting."

"Of course." Izak assumed that they would go through his car and he was a little worried about them finding the money in the false seat back that he used to hide things, like the sawed off shotgun and money he just stole but he was hoping that they would not look to hard since he appeared to be so transparent with them.

The drive was shorter than he expected but it was not because of the distance but because the driver did not seem to care about the traffic laws. Money really could do just about everything if you had enough of it. The car pulled up in front of a house that while huge was still modest and understated in a way. He automatically assumed this was the first house the head of the family had and they simply took the original and expanded it. It was beautiful.

Arnold opened the door and held it open for Izak as well. "Mr. Smith if you would be so kind as to follow me."

Izak could tell that Arnold had already shifted back into his full work mode and quickly followed behind him. The inside of the house was as modest as the outside but everything that he saw was of the highest quality imaginable. Almost any piece of furniture was more that his rent for an entire year. As they walked along Izak started taking in all of the details of the place. It did not take them long to reach their destination. He assumed it would be a meeting room of some sort but in fact it was a large dining room and only two people were in the room.

"Sir, Ma'am. I have brought Izak Smith the young man that quickly brought resolution to young master Tim's situation."

The older woman smiled at him and pointed towards an empty chair. "Come and join us for breakfast young man."

"I would be honored ma'am. By the way I love the landscape painting you did. It is beautiful work."

The old man's back stiffened. "How did you know that she painted it?" You could hear a slight threat in his voice. He was concerned he had been stalking them and was part of what happened to Tim.

"Sir, all of the other paintings in the room are old masters that have been meticulously restored. This painting is modern, in order for a modern painting like that to be in a room like this it means that it is important to you. Its emotional value is higher than any of the other masters throughout the rest of the house to you. I assumed that meant it was painted by a family member. Given the location of the painting, close to you and where it can always be seen, also right behind your beautiful wife. The painting strokes are also left-handed and given the place sitting at the table the only one that indicates a left-handed person is the one where the lady of the house is sitting. Sir, I deeply apologize if you thought anything other than that. I am a private detective and little details are important to not only my clients but also my life."

"I will have to remember you when it is time to do some digging on anyone. You have an amazing eye for detail."

"And thank you young man. I really did enjoy painting that."

"If I may be sold bold, might I recommend that you join Earth: Reboot. You can go and see some amazing landscapes and even a place where the sky is a different color. I know that it is just a game but it honestly feels like you are there. And with a guide and little wealth you can see sights that defy the imagination."

"My great-grandson has been telling me the same thing. So I assume that you are a player then."

"Yes ma'am. Actually I am only out because the game is going through and update. I had a lot of gold coins in the game and went out for a drink to celebrate. I do not keep a lot in the house and only go out on occasion. That is how I happened to spot what was happening to your grandson."

"How did you know that he was my grandson?" The old man's paranoia seemed to know no bounds.

"Three weeks ago he was on the cover of every internet paper in the country. He opened the new energy efficient factory that hired over two hundred thousand people and took a large majority of the work away from machines and gave it back to people. I have no idea about the automotive industry and I know that it is a huge deal. Also we are close to the same age so a lot of the young ladies I went to school with liked to gossip about him."

Some of the paranoia seemed to creep out of the man's face. "You seem very well rounded for a man your age. Why waste it on video games?"

"Please do not take this the wrong way sir but I can earn way more money in the game than in the real world. Even now I have made enough coin that if I sold it person to person I would make more money than my last few years combined. They are opening the real world trading house today, that is the reason for the update, and a gold coin in game in expected to go for a few thousand dollars apiece."

"You know Reggie was talking about that and wanted his allowance raised so that he could by some gold coins this evening when it went back on line."

"I would recommend you stall him a few days if you can. The numbers are going to shoot through the roof and then level off. Honestly if you would like I can loan him some coins for now and then when the market levels out in a week or so he can send me the real money. If I am not mistaken he is probably a young player and he needs to be careful of people. There are a lot of veteran players that will offer him help and guidance for the right amount of money and then run off. And that is actually one of the places that I am going to try to use to make money."

Making money now caught the old man's interest. "How so?"

"Well as you may or may not know this game is being backed by several huge banks and corporations as well as most of the world governments. Because of this fact a lot of politicians are already starting to push for regulation and laws in the game. All the way up to infidelity. Cheating on your spouse in the game is the same as cheating in real life. I am hoping to use my abilities as a PI to take advantage of this."

"Well that does sound like something that I need to start watching a little closer. Arnold."

"Yes sir?"

"Inform Steven that I want him to assign a crew to start doing research on Earth: Reboot as well as any and all government regulations that are currently in the works. Also we need to get Reggie a bodyguard in the game as well."

"Right away sir."

"Sir, please don't take this the wrong way but a body guard is only a short term fix. The best way for him to be protected is for him to join a guild that fits him. And if he contracts make sure that the contract is reviewed."

"And why is that?"

"Well, the Wolf Moon guild is backed by several medium sized corporations and have over a thousand players. Even if he is the best body guard in the world there is practically no chance for him to stop that many players if they decide that they want to kill him. And how much are you willing to pay for his happiness? Because they will keep annoying him and killing his character until you pay for them to protect him. I did not mean Wolf Moon would do that I just know that they have several medium companies funding them. They are actually a pretty good group of guys."

The lady spoke up. "What guild do you belong to Mr. Smith?"

"Please call me Izak in your home ma'am. And I do not belong to one as I plan to start one after the update. I have a bit of reward money from something I helped the FBI with and with the gold I have made in game I am hoping it will be enough to keep my above water until we are established."

She gave him a smile. "Arnold please go and get Reggie for us."