by Taj McCoy El
“We feel that these items will be able to help you defend Majesta from the onslaught of Ba'alquion. We ask that you be a shield for us to protect our families and a sword to strike fear into the hearts of the enemies.”
He held the sword and shield aloft with a roar. The crowd quickly followed suit, and the stadium was swallowed by the sound. He moved over to where the other paladins stood and took his place next to them.
The mayor finally turned to the Royal Death Claws when the noise had mostly diminished. “Royal Death Claws, please come to the stage.” They walked up the stairs to the platform and turned to face the audience.
“You have proven yourself to be a force to be reckoned with. As such, we offer you a chance to gain unknown riches and skills in a dungeon suitable for your level. This dungeon will be open to you, until completed or you respawn outside of it. We wish you all the best of luck. May you fight the good fight!!!”
The audience applauded once more, pouring out whatever celebratory noise they had left. Then a portal flared into existence. A sheet of what looked to be fluorescent purple water rippled inside the archway.
“Step through and claim your prize.” The mayor waved them towards the portal with a large smile.
The audience stood, and the applause increased. Mayah, Grax, and Margaret waved and bowed to the crowd with proud smiles on their faces and turned to the portal.
“You guys ready to do this?” Mayah asked.
“Not much of a choice now, is there?” Grax smiled and turned to the crowd, raising his paws in triumph.
“And we don’t want to come back tomorrow,” Margaret laughed, waving at the crowd.
“Okay, gang, make sure your shoes are tied, and let’s do this.” Mayah waved to the crowd once more, and they entered the portal.
✽✽✽
Mayah was forcefully ejected from the portal and landed on her knees. Her head spun, and she thought she was going to throw up.
Well, that wasn’t fun.
“Everybody okay?”
“Yeah…kinda,” Grax moaned.
“I’m mostly okay. You?” Margaret asked.
Mayah brushed herself off. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Where are we?” Grax asked.
Mayah looked around at her surroundings. It looked like an old 2D game environment that wanted to give the impression of being 3D. The ground was gray, with intersecting white lines that formed a grid, and the sky was black with the same white lines. It seemed to stretch on forever every direction she looked.
"I have to say, this doesn’t look like any dungeon I’ve ever seen before.” Mayah peered into the distances all around her. “Looks more like an empty construct.”
Three lights descended from the sky and coalesced into human forms. Mayah’s heart began to race, and she equipped Happiness. It took a few moments before the lights solidified into three humanoid shapes. Happiness dropped from her hands as she recognized the forms.
8.2 Parents Day In
“You two ready?” Josh Bannon asked Brenda and Gyasi Butler. They nodded, their appreciation for this visit showing. Josh knew he was abusing his administrative privileges but didn’t give a whit. Desperate times call for desperate measures, he thought.
“We’ll have a bit of time before we see Mayah. So, I’ll give you a tour of Majesta and you’ll be able to adjust to your VR bodies. We have to intercept her going through a portal so we’re not quite sure where she’s gonna land. But when she’s through the portal, we’ll be able to get to her within two minutes tops.”
Because of government regulations, AIs controlled all movements in the game. There was no way for anyone, not even for him, to be placed in certain areas in Majesta. It was part of the scrutiny he had to suffer due to the financial nature of the game. Any ability to tweak the system in anyones favor would be considered insider trading and was heavily discouraged.
That meant the training villages, as heavily monitored as they were, were definitely a no-fly zone. The best he could do was to interrupt a portal and redirect the occupants. Unless her parents wanted to play the game, this might be the only chance they got to see their daughter for a while, and Josh was going to make sure that happened. The fact that it was a surprise for Mayah was just a bonus.
The three of them climbed into their pods. These were not the normal consumer models. These were top-of-the-line laboratory pods with gel beds and medical diagnostic equipment. They were so state-of-the-art that they were being commissioned for long-term space missions. Scientists would be able to run experiments up to six times as fast on a trip to Mars. Their ever-moving scientific minds would have little chance to atrophy on the long journey. Like some other high-end models, there were embedded muscle stimulation pads that could acclimate their physique to their new environment. There was also, ahem…waste management.
Josh saw Brenda look across the room over to her daughter’s pod one last time before she laid back and closed the door. He quickly followed suit. Seconds here were minutes in the game, and he didn’t want to make the Butlers wait any longer.
He lay back in his pod as the drives spun up. The opaque helm lowered over his face, and the world went black. His admin menu popped up. It had none of the bells and whistles of the game release. The text only screen displayed their spawn location as Shareholders Cabin and his pod showed he had clearances for three including himself. He keyed in a few commands to make sure he had all the accesses he would need for this jaunt and pressed the sync command.
His in-game preferences were already set, so he went directly to the spawn point. Forming in Majesta, his world burst into the shaded colors of early morning. He blinked, getting his eyes used to being in-game as he breathed in the cool morning air. He sat down on the dew-covered grass luxuriating in the warmth of the early morning sun filtering through the trees and waited.
The Butler’s were going to watch the intro and make their characters. A few moments later, Gyasi popped into view. He was wearing his company branded coveralls and work boots. He had obviously just selected his most recent VR avatar, clicked everything real-life and gotten into the game as quick as he could.
“Where’s Brenda?” Gyasi spun around looking for his wife.
“She should be here soon.” Josh motioned for Gyasi to sit down. “I’m assuming she wants to make sure she doesn’t look like she’s been crying.”
Gyasi pulled at his mouth and chin. “Maybe I should have done the same thing?” He took a look down at his unflattering attire.
“You look fine. Besides, I’m sure that Mayah will just be happy enough to see you that it won’t matter.”
“And knowing her, I’d guess the same.” Gyasi walked towards the tree line and slowly spun around.
“Wow, this is really amazing!”
“Why, thank you.” Josh took a bow from his seated position. “This is my baby. Took more money than the first moon mission if you adjust for inflation.”
“That is a lot of money.”
“It was spread out over ten years, but when you see all the happy faces it makes it worth it.”
“You know, I have to admit, when you first popped up on the scene, I thought you were hiding some sinister ulterior motive. I thought, no one can be this philanthropic and not have some serious skeletons in his closet, but you actually love doing this, don’t you?”
“How could I not?” Josh thought about the mounds of skeletons collecting dust in his closet. The major difference between him and most others was that he hoped to resurrect some of them to receive a happy ending at some point. “How could I make something like this without sharing it? What’s the fun in that? Not only that, but I’ve still got more to share.”
“Well, I know a few community programs that could use some help.”
“Well, I know a guy who constantly feels the need to help others.”
“You’re not trying to buy me off, are you?”
“My offer still stands.” Josh held up his hands to placate Gyasi. "I will
do everything in my power to keep your family whole.” He sighed wistfully. “With the scholarship, I was just giving Mayah a chance, now I’m interested in the whole family. But make no mistake,” A shadow abruptly darkened Josh’s face and produced a scowl, “I’m gonna find the bastards who did this to Mayah and make them pay.”
Gyasi studied the intent look on Josh’s face. "I believe you.” He offered him his hand. Josh took it without hesitation and their eyes met in the manner of teammates in a death tournament right before the final fight.
“We’ve still got a ways to go, but I know we can get this figured out.” Josh patted Gyasi on his shoulder.
Brenda popped into view. She was wearing black jeans and a maroon V-neck long-sleeve top. Her hair and makeup were done to a tee. She looked around and found the two sitting on the grass. Her eyes rolled over Gyasi, and she gave him a critical glare.
“Yup, I should’ve dressed up,” Gyasi said shaking his head.
Josh could only laugh. He wanted something like that. A love that let a couple communicate without words. He stood up and brushed the moisture off his pants with a smile. “Now that everyone is here, are you ready?”
He walked them around a private section of Majesta, showing them different plants and animals. They headed towards a cabin in the distance. The Butlers were amazed at the realism. There were oohs and aahs, as they fawned over the intricate details. The dew rolling down the blades of grass, the sunlight dappling their path, and the feel of the early morning breeze caressing their cheeks. They stopped and watched some ants for a few minutes. Brenda poked at them with a stick, sending them into a frenzy.
When they reached the cabin, the door was opened by a man with a towel over his arm.
“Breakfast is ready, sir.”
“Thank you, Abernathy. I would like you to meet the Butlers.” Josh motioned to Brenda and Gyasi.
“Are they new employs, sir?” Abernathy questioned confusedly.
“No, no, no. That’s just their surname.” Josh cleared up the misunderstanding and everyone smiled at the faux pas. “Finish your preparations and meet us in the dining room, please. Set a place for yourself, and we’ll be there in a few minutes.” Abernathy nodded and walked out one of the backdoors.
The inside of the cabin was only a twenty by twenty room set up to look like a hunting lodge. There were doors around the outside wall, but there was no building outside of those walls. Other than that, the details were perfect. The seats by the fireplace, a bear skin rug, and various Majestan hunting trophies were hung on the walls around the room. Brenda’s eyes locked onto the snarling beast over the fireplace mantle.
“Mayah’s not going to be hunting these things, is she?” Brenda inquired as she pointed at the head of a creature with more teeth than a shark and more eyes than a spider.
“At her current level, I hope not. As far as I know, those haven’t even been encountered in the game—yet. There haven’t been any players with a high enough level to reach them yet.”
“Well, that’s good.” She sighed in relief.
“But if she did face one, I’m sure that she would dispatch it with some crazy plan.”
“You’re right about that,” Gyasi commented.
Brenda wagged a finger at him. “Don’t you encourage that type of behavior, mister.”
“I’m sorry, Bren, won’t happen again,” Gyasi apologized with a chuckle.
“Well, let’s go to the dining room,” Josh suggested.
“What dining room.” Brenda looked at all the space in the cabin looking for a place setting. “Isn’t this all the space in the cabin? Speaking of which, where did Abernathy go?”
“Right this way.” Josh ushered them towards a door on the far side of the room. “Ladies first.”
Brenda opened the door, her eyes going wide with wonder. Gyasi moved to look over her shoulder. There he saw a beautiful baroque ballroom with high vaulted marble ceilings. It was so large that it could swallow the entire cabin they were in, if not fit a thousand people seated at round tables, wedding reception style. The arches were made of a marble so white it seemed to glow.
The Butlers stepped in, heads swiveling at the luxury and opulence. Set back in alcoves, murals of knights and mages fighting in epic battles. Differing panels contained more of the continuous stories. Pillars lined each mural. They were veined with gold that looked as if it was quarried to perfect this room. The shiny floor and glowing arches gave the effect that all the light came from the large windows that lay at the other end of the room.
The Butler’s walked further in. Brenda spun around taking a look in every direction. Then decided to leave the ballroom and go out of the front door and stare at the dimensions of the cabin.
Gyasi followed her back to the lodge room and almost followed her outside until Josh placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “Just watch this.” His eyes followed Brenda, while his smile promised a pleasant surprise. They watched Brenda through the windows.
She ran around the outside of the cabin checking the dimensions against what her mind had just seen. Gyasi watched her, his smile growing. She stood back staring at the cabin with her hands on her hips. Then, slightly out of breath, she walked back in. “Now, I know how the people who get into the Tardis feel.”
Josh and Gyasi laughed.
“The only difference being, this is not a dimensional pocket. It’s VR. So, the mechanics of Dr. Who are only a small amount of what we can do.”
“Did you enjoy your run?” Gyasi asked.
"I did,” she slapped his arm. “But, man, am I tired.”
“That’s actually a game mechanic. It’s just that your character’s Stamina is so low. I thought you’d want to know how it felt when Mayah first got here. She’s levels above that now.
“As a matter of fact, I’m going to show you her fights in the tournament as we eat breakfast. If you wouldn’t mind following me, please.” They walked back into the ballroom, Brenda shaking her head at the unbelievability of the architecture. Gyasi just stared at all the expensive… everythings. Josh saw him looking and walked them over to what looked like an expensive Ming vase.
“What do you think about this vase?” he asked the Butlers.
“A bit gaudy for my tastes. It seems extremely expensive.”
Josh picked up the vase like it was a newborn baby, stared at it, and said, “It is a little gaudy. Catch!” The vase flew up in the air in a high arc. Gyasi’s attention focused on catching it at all cost. He may not have liked it, but he was no wastrel either. He waved Brenda off as she tried to catch it as well. He caught the vase with the ease of a practiced wide receiver. He looked at Josh and just shook his head.
“You, my friend, are a good catch. Toss it back.” Gyasi, instead of tossing the vase, took the three steps towards Josh and handed him the vase. As soon as Gyasi let go, it crashed to the floor. Gyasi hurried to gather the pieces while Josh just laughed at him.
“What’s so funny?” Brenda asked.
“Just that your husband is cleaning up bits of code that create a game item. This…” he gestured to the whole of the ballroom, “is just a digital representation of real-world items. They only cost as much as the electric bill it takes to keep them here.”
Gyasi straightened leaving the pile of debris where it was. "I keep forgetting that we’re in the game and all this isn’t real.”
“Actually, we’re not in the game. I had us shunted over to the shareholder's cabin. This is where I bring the investors when they complain about how much money I’m spending on development. A single weekend here changed all their minds. It also helps that in forty-eight hours you get a twelve-day vacation. This was just the prototype of the finished game.
"I rarely bring people here anymore, but I do let some of my employees use it to get a vacation. As you’ve seen, there are mountains to the north for hiking and climbing. There’s a lake and river system in the east, a beach in the south, and a game reserve in the west. No real animals are hurt here
, and they respawn almost instantly. I’m hoping to set something up with the trophy hunting tourism industry to help the impoverished areas around game reserves. They need money for schools, hospitals, and to hire guards to stop poachers from destroying endangered species. I think it’s all a worthwhile investment.”
“You really do care, don’t you?” Brenda asked.
Josh laughed. “Your husband and I were having a very similar conversation before you finished your makeup.” He nudged Gyasi, who nudged him back. Both of them, smiling at having had to wait for her to get dressed.
“Boys.” She scowled at them.
“Well, enough games, let’s eat.”
They walked the length of the hall and sat at the table made up for four. It was laid out with a white table cloth, exquisite crystal flutes, and gold filigree china. Abernathy walked in just as they sat and served everyone. He announced the menu as he placed the plates.
“For today’s breakfast, we have a spinach quiche covered in cheese, then drizzled with avocado hollandaise and tomato puree. Next to it, we have a fried cornbread tostada with spicy chicken stew garnished with cilantro.” He placed plates at all four seats and sat down at the table with them.
“Oooh, smells delicious. Thank you, Abernathy.” Abernathy bowed at Brenda and sat with his hands on his lap.
Brenda eyed Gyasi, “Would you like to say grace, Hon?”
“Better than that, let’s do what we normally do at home,” Gyasi replied.
Gyasi looked to Brenda, and Josh could see the love in their eyes.
“What do you normally do at home?” Josh inquired.
“Well, we all tell each other one thing that happened during the day and makes us grateful to still be alive.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Who’s going to start?” Josh said with a smile. Brenda and Gyasi stared at him.
Abernathy raised his and said, “If I may be so bold, I would like to start.”