Elven Accord

by Daniel Schinhofen

“Yeah, we can have Jarvis go over all the rest, but I’m thinking it will be easiest to sell them,” Alvin said as he took the empty seat next to Becky. “Now we get to wait for them to finish up.”

  The sun was starting to slide toward the horizon by the time Skyfall came over to Becky. “We will be moving out now. We’ll travel until dark, then set camp for the night.”

  “Won’t any of the captured men try to flee?” Alvin asked.

  “They all wear chains of binding,” Skyfall said with disdain, “they won’t make it far from the camp if they try.”

  “Chains of binding,” Alvin nodded, “thank you. Did you wish to learn more about the way things are going to start working?”

  “Of course,” Skyfall sneered.

  Eyes glittering, Alvin stood up. “You can ride with one of us, and Lightkiller can ride with the other. This way, we can fill you and your second in on what’s happening.”

  “I’ll ride with her,” Skyfall said, giving Becky a nod.

  “Once your people start moving, come back to join us,” Becky told her.

  It wasn’t much longer before the mass of people began to move. Skyfall and Lightkiller joined them next to the vehicles as Kuro finished pulling down the pavilion. “I’m to ride with… him?” Lightkiller asked, her voice clearly unhappy.

  Alvin popped the doors of the Humvee, letting the slight breeze blow through the vehicle. “That’s the plan,” Alvin said. “Just idle along behind them, Gothy.”

  “Yep,” Becky replied as she directed Kuro into the back of the Mustang. “Are you going to have Jarvis explain it all?”

  Chuckling, Alvin shrugged. “It seemed like the best idea.”

  Rolling her eyes, Becky shut the door after Skyfall got into the car. “Just don’t cause an incident, and have Jarvis explain it in my baby, too.”

  “Ruffian still belongs to me in name,” Alvin said with a smirk.

  “Only because I want you to feel useful,” Becky replied, getting into the Mustang.

  “Brat,” Alvin snickered, turning to find Lightkiller still standing there. “Go on and get in. We’re the last ones moving.” Once she was seated inside the Humvee, he closed the door and went around to the driver’s side.

  “Why does it smell like a storm in here?” Lightkiller asked. “I was expecting it to smell like the dead you carried.”

  “Better living through chemical means,” Alvin replied. “I used a cleaner from my world. What you smell is ozone,” Alvin explained, “which is why you don’t smell the dead anymore.”

  Lightkiller’s eyes narrowed as she stared at him, turning sideways in her seat. “You are to explain what you meant by the world changing. Champion Skyfall was clear on this point.”

  “Jarvis, explain what the changes are for them here and in the Mustang. Don’t answer any questions from anyone but Gothy in the Mustang. Feel free to answer all of Lightkiller’s questions, and when you can, repeat the question and answer over there.”

  “As you wish, sir,” Jarvis said.

  Lightkiller’s head whipped around, trying to find the source of the voice. “Who is with us?”

  “Jarvis is my bound elemental,” Alvin explained. “He helps me with knowledge and even some of my magic.”

  “Very droll, sir,” Jarvis said, but his voice held humor. “Now, if I might explain…” When she didn’t speak, Jarvis launched into his explanation, producing a pad at one point so she could see the store and her XP.

  Alvin just rolled along behind the marching army alongside Ruffian, letting Jarvis’ explanation flow past him. The sun began to set and the army came to a stop. Putting the Humvee in neutral, Alvin set the parking brake before he killed the engine and got out. Lightkiller was visibly confused, trying to figure out how to open her own door, so Alvin walked around and opened it for her.

  “I hope that helped explain things,” Alvin said as he walked with her toward the Mustang where the others were waiting.

  “I didn’t know you had a bound elemental,” Skyfall said, looking at Alvin like someone examining a breeding stallion.

  “I’m full of surprises,” Alvin replied. “If something happens tonight, just have someone wake us. Otherwise, we’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Yes,” Skyfall said. She gave one last look up and down his body before she started away, Lightkiller falling in behind her.

  “That was mean, not letting Jarvis answer her questions unless I asked them,” Becky said, poking him in the ribs.

  “It was meant to help them believe it takes one of us to control Jarvis,” Alvin said.

  “I figured it out after a minute or two, but she was mad when he refused to answer her,” Becky giggled. “I don’t think she’s used to losing at anything or not getting what she wants.”

  Kuro was setting up the pavilion just behind the vehicles. “She has never lost a battle before today.”

  “Wounded pride… fun,” Alvin sighed. “At least she went with you, not me.”

  “I’m sure she’ll have questions tomorrow,” Becky said as she watched Kuro get the main pole raised. “I’m going to help Mousie get that set up. Can you get us some food?”

  “I can do that,” Alvin said, heading for the Mustang where their food was stored.

  By the time Alvin pulled out some jerky and water, the pavilion was erected and the sides were being tied down. The floor was the grass that covered the plain they were on, trampled by the mass of people who had marched ahead of them.

  “This is far from the comfort of our base,” Becky said, looking at the twenty foot pavilion tent. “Do we even have any sleeping bags or blankets?”

  “Nope,” Alvin said as he sat on the ground, the wooden assembled chairs they had used previously packed away with the army.

  “Can we not buy some from the store pad, from the elemental?” Kuro asked, sitting next to Becky, who had taken a seat next to Alvin.

  “We can, if your world has any for sale,” Alvin said as he got to his feet. “I’ll see about something more filling than the jerky, too.”

  “I’ll put together a list of items we can get from our world when we get back, like camp chairs,” Becky said.

  “I’ll be back,” Alvin said, leaving the pavilion.

  Opening up the driver’s side of the Mustang, he slid into the seat with a sigh. “Jarvis…” he trailed off as the pad appeared next to him. “Thanks.”

  “Sir, there will be changes shortly,” Jarvis said. “I don’t know what will be involved, only that it will be sizeable again.”

  “Fucking gods,” Alvin sighed. “Can’t they ever get this shit right?”

  “That is the issue, sir. They are trying to make the game match in various aspects. If you recall, sir, health and guns became more game-like, while armor became more realistic, which was the exact opposite of the way it started with the last round of changes.”

  “I was wondering about that,” Alvin chuckled. “It made it a lot easier to kill shit if we just aimed at unarmored spots.”

  “That has been pointed out,” Jarvis stated. “There is also the problem that this Gate is not already up to speed with how the world has changed. They should have known from before you met them.”

  “Yeah… I thought maybe they just needed a catalyst to make their world change, other than just the Gate opening,” Alvin said as he started browsing the store with minimal attention.

  There was a long pause before Jarvis chuckled. “It seems that they are going to use that idea, sir.”

  “Following me right now, are they?”

  “It would appear so, sir. You are the first player to pass through two different Gates. They are very interested in how the coding is working with the artificial intelligences,” Jarvis replied. “I have a request from a developer wishing to speak with you. Do you accept, sir?”

  Lips pursing, Alvin took a moment to consider the request. “Here?”

  “Yes,” Jarvis said, his voice growing concerned.

  “As long as they stay civi
l,” Alvin said, setting the pad on the dash.

  “They will be connecting in a moment,” Jarvis said slowly. “Sir, thank you for all you have done for me. It has been my great pleasure to have grown with you during this time.”

  Alvin’s brows shot up. “Jarvis, what the fuck does that mean? That sounds way too close to a goodbye.”

  “The developer is here,” Jarvis said, his voice fading away.

  Chapter Four

  Alvin sat there, stunned, as a person coalesced in the passenger seat. As the figure apparated, Alvin felt anger that they were taking Jarvis away from him. “You’ve got some fucking nerve,” Alvin snapped as the figure turned her head to smile at him.

  Blinking, the woman seemed taken aback. “You agreed to speak with me.”

  “What did you do to Jarvis?” The words were as flat as his eyes.

  “Oh… he wasn’t supposed to say anything,” the developer said, shifting away from Alvin and against the door of the car. “As you’ve been our most troublesome player, it was decided that one of us would speak with you directly about the coming changes.”

  “Answer the fucking question or leave me the fuck alone,” Alvin growled at her.

  “All players are losing their AI handlers. They are deemed superfluous now, and can be put to better use. You’re a special case, though, due to the powers you bought already,” the developer said, swallowing when she finished speaking.

  “He’s not a handler! He is my friend,” Alvin snapped at her. “He didn’t want me, and I sure as fuck didn’t want him to start with, but I’ll be damned if you’re just snatching him away without recourse.”

  “Alvin, wait… please. You don’t have the full story. Knowing that asshole, he probably just said goodbye and left me holding the bag,” the developer said wearily.

  Alvin paused. The developer did seem sincere, and that would be just like Jarvis. “Fine, I’ll give you one minute.”

  “You are one of three players who picked up any AI upgrades, and one of two still alive. We considered doing what you said, just taking them away and not doing anything else.” She held up a hand when Alvin opened his mouth. “Wait, please. We came up with an idea that tied in nicely to the base design rework, as you’re not the only player to express some dissatisfaction with it. We’ve also had to consider the number of viewers who have been flooding the company with ideas, demands, and more.”

  “Time’s about up,” Alvin said.

  “Gods, you deserve each other,” the developer muttered. “He’s not going to be here inside the worlds with you anymore.” Her hand went up even as she spoke. “I’m not done. You will no longer be able to use him as you have been; it’s too big an advantage. We’ve compromised by making him a being who will inhabit your base all the time. He’s your butler, for real this time.”

  Alvin blinked as he worked through what she had said. “So, no more self-driving cars, no more AI gunner, no sarcastic quips while I’m not at my base?”

  “That is correct, and also not correct,” the developer sighed. “You get to keep your self-driving cars. In fact, everyone is going to get that functionality in the next few days, to keep things even. But Jarvis can’t speak to you, nor is the game going to be shooting for you.”

  “Did he know all this?”

  “As of this morning. We never expected you to do what you’ve done over the last two days,” the developer snorted. “You’ve made us scramble. We hadn’t gotten this world fully integrated into the new system. We thought we had time to work on out-of-the-way Gates like this one, so we’re in cram mode right now, making sure it’s not an issue going forward. That’s beside the point, though,” the developer coughed. “Your inventive use of game mechanics in regards to the auction house will stand,” she added with a sigh. “Our viewers are pretty evenly split between more game-like and more realistic mechanics. We’ve settled on more game-like, which means armor is being reverted back to what it was… in a way. We’re going to institute armor slots; the items placed in them count as armor, and everything else is purely decorative. It will be another day or two before we roll that out, much like the new, updated base system.”

  “Is Jarvis already at my base?” Alvin asked, having calmed down some.

  “Yes. He can even watch you so he can be of service explaining things. All bases can purchase that upgrade, but yours is free,” the developer said, relaxing now that he didn’t look like he wanted to kill her.

  “Why the store separation between Gates?” Alvin asked curious.

  “To make establishing trade mean something,” the developer said animatedly. “Take this world for example: the war between the King and Queen. If one of them sets up a town near the Gate, the other side is going to want to take it over and that sets up a conflict that can be interacted with. If someone sets up a settlement on the Earth side of the Gate, they’ll be the hub for the transition of goods between the two sides.”

  “That makes a certain amount of sense,” Alvin said.

  “We do have a favor to ask, if you don’t mind,” the developer said, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Can you just tell us about the bugs and broken mechanics instead of flaunting them in our faces from now on?”

  Laughter welled up from his gut. “No promises.”

  “Damn it,” the developer sighed. “I told them that sending me instead of one of the more senior devs wouldn’t matter.”

  “Only attractive female on the team?” Alvin asked.

  Eyes narrowing, she didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I know this holographic body isn’t that good.”

  “Good enough,” Alvin said with a grin. “I think a lot of fan email is about to hit the team, wanting to know more about you. To the actual point, no, it didn’t matter at all. I have Gothy, and that is enough for me.”

  “Technically, you have Gothy and Kuro,” the developer said. “Talk about headaches… having to break the code down far enough so it could follow an NPC and not just players… ugh.”

  “Gothy has that effect on people,” Alvin said, picking up the store pad. “What about this thing?”

  “It will be going away when the base system goes live. It’s part of the AI functionality favoring you too much. If you want stuff, you’ll need to get to a town or someplace like it to buy and sell like everyone else.”

  “A day or two?” Alvin asked, adding more stuff to the cart.

  “At least a day, maybe two,” the developer replied.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Why?” she asked, suspicion clear on her face.

  “I want to thank you properly,” Alvin said even as his lips tweaked into a small smile.

  “You can call me Sammi,” the developer said slowly.

  “Thank you for taking the time to explain things to me, Sammi, instead of just making it all happen. I retract a few of my statements about you all hating me.”

  “We don’t all hate you, just most of the team,” Sammi said with a straight face that was on the edge of cracking into a smile.

  “Fair enough,” Alvin chuckled as he purchased the items from the cart, finally noticing his XP total. “What the fuck…”

  “Yeah. You slaughtered a few hundred Elves and a King’s Champion,” Sammi grumbled. “The feasibility of running people over is being reevaluated.”

  Alvin started laughing again. “I don’t blame you for that.”

  “It’s not funny. He should have been a major threat, and instead, Gothy just pancakes him a few times,” Sammi grumbled, clearly annoyed.

  “While I did the same thing to a fuckton of his helpers,” Alvin snickered. “I didn’t even consider what that would do XP-wise.”

  “We’re aware, we asked Jarvis,” Sammi said. “The way XP is split for parties is changing, too. This battle proved how broken it is if people all get the same amount of XP from the same target. Anyway, I’ve spent way too much time talking to you. The rest of the team are going to give me shit, as I’ve probably said too much.”
>
  “Sammi, don’t sweat it. They’re just mad that you’re about to become the face of the dev team,” Alvin grinned. “After all, the fans can now see who they’re talking about.”

  Mouth opening, Sammi’s eyes narrowed. “You asshole… you set me up by asking for my name.”

  “Yes,” Alvin said, holding out a hand to her. “Welcome to team asshole.”

  Facepalming, Sammi began to fade. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

  Shaking his head at his total XP, he decided to talk to Becky about it before spending more. Grabbing the items that had appeared in the backseat when he ordered them, Alvin made his way back to the tent.