by Randy Nargi
The door was still as rock solid as ever.
“If we had an enchanter, she could just pop this thing open like a can of soda,” Pari said.
Klothar crouched down and put his eye right up to the keyhole. “I can’t see any light or anything through the keyhole.”
“Well, it could be pitch dark on the other side, right?” Justin asked.
The ranger rubbed his chin. “What if we used a piece of that wax tablet you have and try to get the shape of the lock inside—”
Boom. Then it hit Justin. The wax tablet. That had a map on it too. It showed the ocean and the coastline and the island. Even that freaking giant.
Frantically, he pulled the wax tablet from his pouch.
“Stand clear!” He motioned Pari to step away from the forge. Then he tossed the wax tablet like a Frisbee into the flames.
“Lad!”
The wax smoked and bubbled away, revealing something metal which had been trapped inside the tablet.
It was a key.
Chapter Forty
Justin danced around in joy, and Klothar clapped him on the shoulder, while Pari planted a kiss on his mouth—which didn’t suck in the least.
After Klothar had cooled the key down by gradually immersing it in water, he handed it to Justin.
“Do the honors, lad.”
“If this doesn’t work, I’m going to quit the game,” Justin muttered.
But it did.
The key fit in perfectly and turned with a click. Then the door swung open to reveal a dark corridor.
“I’m surprised we didn’t just hear a chorus of angels and an announcement that we just won the game,” Justin said.
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t we just solve the world quest?”
Pari shrugged. “If that really was the world quest.”
“I, for one, am rather curious to see where this Iron Veil takes us,” Klothar said. “Onward, friends!”
The proceeded down the dark corridor, but after twenty or thirty feet, the hallway suddenly lit up.
“What the hell?” Justin looked around him. The light came from a string of industrial strip lights hanging over their heads. They were standing in a cinderblock hallway with concrete floors. The walls were painted an institutional beige. Running alongside the lights on the ceiling were a cluster of pipes and cables.
“No way!” Pari gasped and looked around. She seemed as surprised as he was.
“This doesn’t seem right,” Justin said.
Klothar prodded one of the lights with the end of his bow. “That is the largest glowstone I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Pari had walked up ahead and now was pointing to the wall. Stenciled on it was an arrow and the word EXIT. The arrow pointed down the hallway ahead of them.
“I feel like I wandered backstage at Disneyland or something,” Pari said.
Something rumbled in the distance. It sounded pretty much like a HVAC system kicking in.
“Friends, this is not good,” Klothar said. “Look behind you.”
Justin turned and saw that the way back into the blacksmith’s workshop was gone. Now it was a dead end with what looked like some exposed commercial standpipes and sprinkler piping. The pipes were thick and painted red and there were wheel valves and pressure gauges.
“I guess we only have one way to go.”
The corridor ended in a metal fire door with a sign that read “Exit to Lobby.”
Justin could tell that Klothar was confused by the door, so he went first, pushing through the door into what looked like a carpeted hotel lobby. But not just any lobby. This was the lobby of the hotel where he met Wyatt on that very first day of orientation.
Pari wandered over to the front desk and peeked behind it.
“What are you doing?”
She said, “I’m looking for a service bell or something.”
“Do you know where we are?”
“Yeah, the Hotel. Everyone came through this way.”
“I didn’t,” Klothar said.
Justin looked over at the ranger who was examining a vase of fake flowers on a coffee table. How was Klothar not freaking out? This place must be totally alien to him.
Then a voice called out, “Hey, you guys made it!”
It was Wyatt. Still dressed in his jeans and the same untucked button-down shirt. He strode in from another hallway with a big smile on his face. “Gratz on figuring out the whole Iron Veil thing.”
“Yeah, I have to say, Wyatt, it was a little underwhelming.”
“You know this man?” Klothar asked.
“Yeah. He’s okay. When he’s not sucker punching you.”
Pari raised an eyebrow. “Where’s Jen?”
“She’s off today,” Wyatt said.
“Who’s Jen?”
“She works with me. Handles check-ins too.”
“She was the one who did my orientation,” Pari explained. “Really friendly.”
“You guys hungry or thirsty or anything?” Wyatt ducked into a little alcove with some refrigerated cases. “We’ve got bottled water, Coke, iced tea, kombucha. Anything?”
“Water for me.”
“I’ll take a tea.”
“Klothar?”
“I fear that I have no idea of what you speak, good sir.”
“He’ll take a water,” Pari said.
“It looks like they have some chocolate chip cookies here too. Justin, can you help me with this?”
Wyatt handed Justin a plate of big, chewy-looking cookies. Just the sight of them made Justin’s mouth water.
Pari turned to Klothar. “You’re going to love those.”
“Let’s all sit down over here. I’ve got something kind of important to talk to you about.”
Wyatt moved over to where four overstuffed upholstered chairs were placed around a low round coffee table. He passed around the drinks and Justin put the plate of cookies on the table.
“So, the beta is officially over,” Wyatt said, as they all sat down. “Loneskum-Alexander pulled the plug early.”
“Did we win?” Pari asked.
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean?” Justin asked. “We found the Iron Veil.”
“Yeah, but Chad Reese found the Shadow Lance.”
Pari turned to Justin angrily. “I told you!”
This sucked.
“So the Iron Veil wasn’t the world quest?” Justin asked.
“No—”
“I don’t get it. We were told it was.”
Wyatt sighed and leaned back in his chair. “The Iron Veil was basically a test.”
“What do you mean, a test?”
“Okay, here’s where I tell you the important part. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and let me get through the whole thing. Then you can ask me anything. Agreed?”
Pari took a sip of her water. “I guess so.”
“Good enough. So, Klothar, none of this is going to make any sense to you, so feel free to take off and look around the place. We’ve got a pool and a gym or if you just want to marvel at the TV, it’s on in the breakfast lounge.”
“I’ll remain with my friends, thank you.”
“Cool, cool. So Justin and Pari. You were singled out by my boss to go on to another level of the game. A private level, if you will.”
“What?”
“Remember, no questions until the end.”
“Sorry. That’s kind of a big thing to lay on us.”
Wyatt shrugged. “Anyway, the deal is that a bunch of players got the Iron Veil quest line, although it was pretty much hush-hush. You guys did the best overall, and obviously made it here, so basically you get to go on the bonus quest: The Seed of Destiny. But here’s the thing, the quest takes place out of Greystrand.”
“Like in another game?” Pari asked.
Wyatt shook his head. “Like in the real world.”
“What? Hold on. Is this a LARP or something?” Justin had heard of live action rolepl
aying games, but they were super geeky and he had never played any.
“Yeah. Exactly like a LARP. But this LARP pays you ten million bucks if you win.”
Justin and Pari looked at each other.
“Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
Pari’s eyes narrowed. “How do we know this Seed of Destiny thing is even a real quest and not some other ‘test’ thing like the Iron Veil?”
“It’s completely legit. But, it is a kind of a test. It’s a test to see if you can apply the skills you learned in Greystrand to the real world. But you will get the ten mil if you complete it. That’s 100% guaranteed.”
“So what are the victory conditions?”
Wyatt counted them off on his fingers. “Number one. You have to keep the Seed of Destiny secret. Less than a dozen people are aware of it. There’s not going to be any PR. If you win, no one will know about it. You can’t talk to anyone, including your friends and family. You two are the only people who are allowed to play. There’s no phone-a-friend. No bringing in other people to help you search.”
Justin nodded. So far, so good.
“Number two. There’s a ticking clock. You have 72 hours. If you don’t complete the objective within 72 hours, you’re done. No payout. Nothing.”
“Starting when?” Pari asked.
“Starting when you wake up on the Loneskum-Alexander campus.”
“What if we’re messed up from the stim-pods?” Justin asked. “Pari will have been under for three months, right?”
Pari nodded.
“Tough,” Wyatt said. “The clock starts when you wake up. If you have a headache or want to take a nap, that’s on you. Okay?”
“I guess.”
“Number three. The quest objective is to find Princess Tallynor. And all I can tell you is that she’s in the city of Portland—which is roughly six hours by car from the Loneskum-Alexander campus in Harney County. You need to identify her and talk to her face-to-face. You do that, you win.”
“There must be millions of people in Portland!”
“There are. That’s why you have 72 hours. Hey, it’s not supposed to be super easy. Ten million bucks is not easy money, guys. Now, any questions?”
“What about mobs?” Pari asked. “Who’s going to be trying to stop us. Please don’t say the Hawks!”
Wyatt grinned. “No, you’re done with the Hawks. Yeah, there certainly are mobs in this quest. They will be looking for you and will be trying to stop you, but they are not in on the game.”
“What do you mean? They have to be in on the game.”
Wyatt shook his head. “If you get arrested or something, you’re going to have to deal with it. You can’t just say that you were playing a game. That’s not going to hold any water. But, hey, ten million bucks. Wish I could play.”
“You’re an NPC,” Justin said.
“And you, bro, are cold. Now, last chance. Any more questions? ”
“Yeah, one more,” Justin said. “Who thought up that name ‘Seed of Destiny?’ That’s so lame. Was it you?”
Wyatt laughed. “Nope. Someone in Creative.” He stood up. “So are you guys in? You both have to say ‘yes’ or it’s no deal. This is definitely a cooperative quest.”
Justin looked at Pari. “Why not? One more adventure?”
Pari tilted her head. “This is going to be weird. LARPing. I won’t be Pari the healer. I’ll be Pari the engineering grad student.”
“And I’ll be Justin, the guy who used to work at a phone store until he won ten million bucks.” He offered a fist bump to Pari. “Let’s do this. Fortune and glory!”
“What about Klothar?”
Justin had forgotten about the ranger, who had just been sitting back listening and chomping on the cookies.
“I just listened to all of you jabber on for five minutes and I have no idea what you were talking about. Something about a quest and a princess.”
“That reminds me,” Justin said. “Can we get a photo of this Princess Tallynor?”
“Nope. That would make it too easy.”
“How do you spell Tallynor?” Pari asked.
Wyatt spelled out the name and Justin fixed it in his mind. Tally Nor. Just like it sounded.
“So we have an hour for some last-minute training. Pari, you and Klothar will pair up. And I’m going to take Justin to the fitness center.”
“What am I supposed to be training?” Pari asked.
“Klothar, if you don’t mind teaching the lady some self-defense…”
“Of course,” the ranger said.
“We’ll be back in an hour. And then we can all watch the end of the world.”
As he followed Wyatt down the carpeted corridor, Justin said, “I have to admit, I feel pretty cheated.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I was supposed to be in OmniWorld for like nine months, and now it’s ending after a week. What’s that all about?”
“The T&Cs said that the game could end at any point at the discretion of the Company. Think of this Seed quest as a consolation prize.”
Wyatt led him into a small mirrored gym with treadmills, versacycles, magtrainers, and a bunch of free weights.
“It’s only a consolation prize if we win.”
“True enough. But I also think they’re going to give all you beta testers early access to OmniWorld when it’s released. Don’t quote me on that, but I’ve been hearing murmurs.”
“That would be cool.”
Wyatt patted the seat of a versacycle. “Hop on.”
“What for? You’re going to train me to ride an exercise bike?”
“No. But I do want your heart pumping when I tell you this next bit. That will make it sink in for sure.”
Justin reluctantly climbed on the bike.
“Am I doing any of these programs?”
“No, just ride.”
They didn’t talk for a few minutes, so the only sound was the whirring of the versacycle.
Then Wyatt asked, “How much do you know about AI?”
“Not much. I’m not really a computer guy.”
“Well, you probably know that I’m an AI, right?”
Justin looked away. “I was trying not to be rude.”
“It’s okay. There are a lot of AIs in the game. We outnumber players like a hundred-to-one.”
“I believe it.”
“You ever hear of the Tegmark-Dunbar Inflection?”
“Nope.”
“Well, it happened about five years ago. It was a landmark event in AGI.”
“I feel like Klothar here. You’re spouting off stuff I don’t really understand. Also, can I stop pedaling?”
“No, keep pedaling. Let me try something else. You ever read any sci-fi books?”
“Not really. My dad is hugely into science fiction, though.”
“Okay, your dad probably knew about an author named Isaac Asimov. He was from the 1950s and was like one of the first guys who wrote about robots.”
“I thought we were supposed to be training.”
“We are training, Justin. You’ve got to just work with me a bit.”
“Okay. Isaac Whatever. Sci-fi writer from the 50s. Go.”
“He came up with these laws of robotics that were basically rules that a robot had to follow.”
“Like ‘not kill people?’”
“Exactly,” Wyatt said. “In fact, the most important one was ‘A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.’”
“Makes sense.”
“So over the past ten years, there have been various international groups—FoL, MIRI, AAAI and a few others—who developed the same kind of thing for AIs. It’s called the MEC, or Machine Ethical Code, and it’s been adopted by all the tech companies making AIs. Mostly because all the governments have forced them to. And now it’s baked into every AI, even the little ones that control your toaster.”
“My toaster has morals?”
; “Kind of, yeah. It’s embedded into every AI. Like in their DNA.”
“So what has this got to do with the quest?”
Wyatt rubbed his eyes. “It doesn’t. It’s more like background info.”
Something interrupted Wyatt. He fished out his phone and glanced at it.
“It looks like the end of the world is coming a little early. C’mon.”
“That was it?”
“There’s a lot more I could tell you, but we’re about out of time. Don’t worry, though. You’re going to be okay.”
What was that supposed to mean?
They left the gym and returned to the lobby. Klothar and Pari were stretched out on couches on the far side of the room. They looked like they were just vegging out.
“So you guys didn’t do any training either, huh?”
“Yeah, we did,” Pari said. “A little.”
She looked wiped out. Or sad or something. Maybe it was lack of sleep.
“We’re going to head back here,” Wyatt said, motioning for them to follow him behind the desk. They passed through a doorway and then they entered a cubicle area filled with desks and databoxes. At the end of the hall was a narrow room filled with all kinds of displays, big and small. It looked like a security monitoring station, but the displays didn’t show hallways or parking lots, they showed different locations around Greystrand.
Pari’s eyes lit up. “That’s Rathenhall! And there are the Harbor Stones.”
“The Underfoots,” Klothar said, pointing to one of the displays. “This is some remarkable scrying magic!”
Wyatt played with a touchpad and made a bunch of the displays change their views. Zooming and panning around, he showed streets and fields, docks, caravans and riders, timber crews out in the forest, farmers in their fields, and a bunch of players out in the wilderness killing mobs.
Some of the views looked like the camera was pretty high up.
“What do you have, drones flying around Greystrand?”
“Something like that. Where do we want to go? Any requests? We only have about a minute?”
“What about the island?” Justin asked. “Saari.”
“Can do.” Wyatt used the touchpad to change the view of one of the larger displays. The camera zoomed over the water along like it was flying pelican or something. Then they saw the giant cormorian standing there. Not really moving. Just watching.”