by Terry Schott
“Every experience is real in there, that’s for sure,” Fen said.
“Is there any way to turn that part down a notch or two?” Kara asked.
“Likely,” Isaac waved a hand, “but I’m not messing with anything until we get the major issues solved. Tinkering with the programming at this point could make things even worse.”
“Well, we can confirm that he’s still alive inside Blades VR now. And where he is.” She reached forward and patted his hand. “That should make it easier to get back to him.”
“He’ll be long gone from there by the time we log in.” Fen paused. “We are logging in again right, Isaac?”
“Oh yeah.”
Fen’s grin widened. “He’s not gonna be any happier to see you the next time.”
“I don’t care.”
“I see another death in your future.”
“Maybe, but I’m not making it that easy. I’ll be expecting him to take a stab at me this time.”
“He will plan for that, too.”
“I won’t bother with small talk till he’s tied up.”
Fen laughed. “He is never alone, Isaac. We separated him from the crowd, but before I bled out there were three others in the alley by his side.”
“Really?”
Fen nodded. “One was a healer. Almost pulled me back from death.”
“That wouldn’t have been good.”
“I know. I think he wanted to keep me living so you couldn’t use me to track him again. I’d likely have been kept as a prisoner.”
Isaac snorted. “Doubt it. He likes you.”
“More than he hates you, though?”
Isaac frowned.
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I hope you are. I mean, I know he’s mad at me but…” Isaac shook his head. “If I can talk to the old fart for a few minutes I’m sure I can calm him down.”
“Why is he so ticked?” Kara asked.
Isaac closed his eyes. “We had a disagreement.”
Kara laughed. “That’s obvious.”
“I threatened him.”
Fen groaned. “Ouch.”
Kara’s smile faded. “What kind of threat?”
“I shut him out. Bank accounts, access to the game, company. Everything.”
“Oh god.”
“It wasn’t meant to be a permanent thing. I needed to get his attention.”
“Which you did,” Fen muttered.
Isaac shot Fen a glance. “He put everything in jeopardy.”
“How?”
Isaac paused and then sighed. “He didn’t like the pay structure I wanted to set up.”
“Nothing new there,” Kara said.
“I know. If it were up to him, everything we create would be free and we’d be out of business. You know how little he cares about money.”
“Because he has enough to keep him comfortable for a dozen lifetimes or so,” Fen said.
“His attitude isn’t new.” Isaac shook his head. “Even when we had nothing, he didn’t care.” He sighed. “It’s dumb. The whole argument was a waste of time.”
“Sounds like it’s not a new topic to quarrel about,” Fen said.
“It isn’t.”
“Then why did you go overboard and freeze him out?”
“Because there was no other way to get through to him. He’d shut himself into his office. Locked the doors and wouldn’t open them even for me. This project is the biggest we’ve ever run. If it succeeds, everything will change.”
“In what way?” Kara asked.
“In every way,” Fen answered. “Blades VR will transform more than video games. It could affect our very reality.”
Kara frowned. “That’s going a bit far, isn’t it?”
Isaac shook his head. “It’s not going far enough. Fen’s right. If Blades VR takes off, millions of people won’t want to live in the real world anymore. They will happily abandon their lives out here for an opportunity to live inside the game world.”
Kara shook her head and Fen shrugged. “It’s hard to believe until you play, Kara. Blades is real, and it’s superior to this life in every way. Magic works; there are amazing creatures. You can inhabit a fit body with cool skills. Even sickness is rare, thanks to healing magic. I think most would want to stay inside Preu Treya over this world any day.”
“I think Sebastian realized exactly that,” Isaac said. “And it freaked him out.”
“It’s kind of freaking me out,” Kara said.
“Don’t worry. None of these factors matter at the moment, because people won’t be going into the game at this rate. The beta test is already beginning to degrade. If Sebastian refuses to help, then everything will fail before it’s released. Maybe that’s why he went in. To help it fail.” Isaac’s lips pursed and he frowned. “I don’t know. It’s too much to think about right now. The simple truth is that, at the moment, only two courses of action are available to us. Shut it down now and face the consequences, or get Sebastian to help fix the problems from the inside. I’m inclined to think he will help us.”
“Based on that warm fuzzy reunion you just had?” Fen asked.
Isaac scowled and then laughed. “He’s mad at me. I guess I should be glad we aren’t meeting in the real world.”
“Why’s that?” Kara asked.
“’Cause I’m pretty sure he’d stab me here, too.”
Fen laughed. “What’s the plan, then? Go back in and hope we can stop him from killing you on sight?”
“Unless either of you can think of something better.”
“The basic strategy is sound, but I think we can minimize your risk of getting killed. At least right off the bat.”
“I’m listening.”
Chapter 14
The journey to Darwin’s Vale took three days. At mid-morning, Sebastian, Ezref, and Shale crested a hill and saw the small town nestled in the valley below. Sebastian called for a halt, reaching into his bag to withdraw a pipe.
“It doesn’t look like much,” Shale said.
“Looks like a regular town to me,” Ezref stated.
“Boring.”
“You always say that.”
Shale snorted. “They are all so drab and blah.”
“Cities are more impressive.”
“Are they, though?”
“I suppose you have better dwellings in your homeland?”
“As a matter of fact—”
“Shale,” Sebastian said. “Leave it.”
“Fine.” She kicked a rock from the dirt road and watched it sail into the ditch.
“Ready to go home, then?” He pulled out his tobacco pouch.
“No. It’s just,” she blew a lock of hair from her eyes, “I guess I am a bit homesick.”
“Clean air. Delicious water.” He tamped a pinch of tobacco into the pipe bowl. “That’s what we get here.”
“Yeah.”
“Less noise.”
“Less noise?” Ezref asked. “Our villages and towns are noisy.”
“It’s different,” Shale said.
“Better or worse?”
“Here? Better. Totally better.”
Sebastian struck a match with his fingertip. “I don’t miss the insanity of our homeland, that’s for sure.” He held the fire to the tobacco and puffed on the pipe stem.
“Me, neither. I suppose.”
“You can return if you’ve had enough.” He waved his hand to extinguish the match and smiled at her.
“No way.”
“Then I guess you have to put up with a bit of drab.”
***
The village was busy, filled with people of all ages and classes. Shale’s head was constantly turning left and right as they walked, taking in the sights with wide eyes. She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, exhaling with a sigh and a smile.
“Not so drab after all?” Sebastian asked.
“Colour-wise, it is.” Her eyes glinted. “But the smells. And food tastes better here, hands down.”
“That it does.”
“Can we go to the market?”
“Sure.”
***
They made their way to the centre of town, where tents and stalls were clustered together. Vendors called out to passersby, offering samples and deals in an attempt to gain the attention of interested customers and their coins.
Shale stopped at a stall selling drumsticks and ordered three. Sebastian paid the vendor, and they moved to an area with seating to enjoy their lunch. They sat at a wooden picnic table and had only begun to eat when two human warriors waded through the crowd and came to a stop in front of them.
“Hello,” Sebastian said.
“Folks.” The larger of the two spoke. He had dark black hair and beard. A sword rested in a scabbard on his hip and he was covered in chainmail. “I’m Gralin.”
Sebastian smiled. “Hi Gralin. I’m Sebastian.”
The warrior considered them for a moment and then nodded. “You three are new to town?”
“We are.”
Gralin rested a hand on his sword hilt. “Are you all players?”
Sebastian set his drumstick on the plate and wiped his hands with a napkin. “We are. This town is safe for us, right?”
“Yep.” Gralin smiled. “Maybe the only safe place in all of Preu Treya at the moment.”
“And the entire population is made up of players?” Sebastian asked.
“Ninety percent or so,” Gralin said. “There are a few NPCs that don’t hate our kind, so they are allowed to stay.”
“That’s good to hear.” Sebastian nodded toward Ezref. “Our friend is a native resident of this land.”
“You’re an NPC?” Gralin nodded at Ezref.
“We don’t call him that.”
“You can here.”
“Yeah, still. We won’t.”
Gralin frowned at Sebastian, then he shrugged. “Whatever. As long as they behave, friends of players are welcome.”
Sebastian tilted his head and stared at Gralin for a long moment.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Anyway, I wanted to come over and welcome you.”
“Thanks, Gralin, we appreciate it.”
“No problem.” The warrior turned and then stopped, looking at them over his shoulder. “Oh, one other thing. First-time visitors are all required to stop in and meet the boss.”
“Okay.”
“Head to the main store in the centre of the market and ask for Bramell.”
“Bramell. Got it.” Sebastian watched the pair until they were out of sight. He noticed Shale looking at him. “What?”
“You didn’t like that guy.”
Sebastian shrugged. “He came off as a bit rude. Not a huge deal.”
“He didn’t appear to care much for me,” Ezref said. “Although I guess it’s easy to see why. Most NPCs want to kill him.”
“Don’t call yourself that,” Sebastian said.
“An NPC?”
Sebastian nodded.
“It doesn’t bother me.”
“Not the way you say it.” Sebastian jutted his chin in the direction of the departed warriors. “But they made it sound derogatory.”
“Isn’t it?”
Sebastian opened his mouth to speak, then paused. “I suppose so. Which is why I don’t like it being used at the moment, and neither should you.”
Ezref shrugged. “Bigotry is nothing new in this world. Every race speaks poorly of the others. Besides,” he smiled. “It’s way better than being called a dwarf.”
Shale made a tsk sound, then laughed. “I thought you were gonna say something about elves.”
“No way,” Ezref winked. “No reason to be that rude.”
Ezref and Shale both laughed, while Sebastian scowled. “Let’s finish our lunch and go meet this Bramell fella.”
Chapter 15
“Mind if I join you?”
Kara didn’t look up as she continued typing on her phone. “Yeah, I do.”
“Thanks.” In her peripheral vision, she saw the man slide into the booth across from her.
“Go. Away.”
No reply.
Kara closed the email program, set her phone on the table, and looked up. “You like this with all the women in your life, Jerry?”
Jerry grinned. “There are no women in my life, Kara.”
“I find that easy to believe,” she muttered and reached for her drink.
A waiter approached the table. “Do you need a menu, sir?”
“Sure.”
“No.”
The waiter’s eyes met Kara’s. She shook her head slowly from side to side. “A drink then?”
Again Kara shook her head. The waiter walked away.
“I can see why you’re alone, too.” Jerry raised one eyebrow and gave her a stern look. A second later, he grinned. “I’m also surprised you have time to be out and about, what with all your new responsibilities.”
Kara stared blankly.
“For the life of me I cannot understand why he left you in charge. There are so many others who are more qualified. Way more.”
“None of your business.”
“But it is my business.”
“You’re a salesman, Jerry.”
“A top-selling salesman. And head of the sales department.”
Kara barked out a laugh. “You’re kidding, right?” Jerry frowned. “Your job is to sell the world’s first and most incredible virtual reality video game. And as if that didn’t make it self-serve, this new product is based on the most popular fantasy role-playing game of all time.” She snorted and shook her head. “Blades VR sells itself, Jerry. You don’t even have to bother going out and knocking on doors.” She frowned. “Do you even answer your own phone to take the orders as they drop into your lap?”
“That’s not fair. I’ve been in this business for a long time, Kara. You have no clue how tough it can be some—”
“You’re right.” She took a sip of scotch and leaned back. “You’ve been around a long time, which makes you old and out of date. Rather than do your job, here you are, stalking me—”
“I’m not stalking you—”
“You stalk me, and then sit down at my table uninvited to tell me how you should be in charge instead of me.”
Jerry shook his head, clearly angry. “It’s ridiculous. Everyone agrees.”
“Not everyone.”
“Most everyone. Those who count.”
“What do you expect from this little chat?” She raised her eyebrows and sat forward. “For me to say, ‘You’re right, wise old sales guy. I don’t deserve to run ARC Gaming while Isaac is out of town. Even though he made the call himself. Please do me the favour of saving poor little ol’ stupid me before I mess things up’?”
“You will, you know.” Jerry spoke through gritted teeth. “Mess it up.”
“Not your concern.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Oh? It’s not my concern? When customers start panicking they don’t call me first to find out what’s wrong? I know you are clueless on how things go around here, Kara, so I’ll give ya this one for free. They do call me. And over the last couple days my phone has been ringing off the hook.”
“Because I’m in charge?”
“That’s right.”
“Go home, Jerry.”
Jerry stood. “I hope your people skills are better with clients than they are with me, Kara. Starting tomorrow, I’m no longer covering for you.”
“I don’t need the kind of help you’re capable of giving, Jer.”
He mock bowed. “Good. ’Cause you’re not getting it.” He turned and walked away.
Kara retrieved her phone and began to type. She looked up once in Jerry’s direction and then returned to her message.
Chapter 16
Fen sat on the edge of the medical bed eating a chocolate bar as technicians attached electrodes to his body. Across the room, Isaac lay on his own bed and stared up at the ceiling while he
endured the same process.
“Kinda cool that you can drop me in the same general area as your avatar,” Fen said.
“It’s a new function that we developed since we began the beta test.” Isaac continued to stare at the ceiling. “We’ll likely offer that as a premium feature when the game goes live.”
Fen smiled and took another bite of his bar. “Of course you will. There’s no doubt it will save us significant time by spawning in so close together. Couple hours’ walk is way better than days of searching and not knowing for certain if I’m even heading in the right direction.”
“You’ll still have to sneak away from training.” Isaac turned to look at Fen. “Unless you’ve changed your mind?”
Fen laughed. “Nah, starting off as a young new warrior is fine by me.”
“Again with the warrior,” Isaac frowned. “I thought you’d want to try another class.”
“There’s still a lot for me to experience from this class.” He grinned. “Plus, I know some of the basics starting out, which will help me to level up quicker. At least till level seven or so.”
“My path will be a bit trickier, this time.”
“Going in as a higher-level bard.” Fen took the last bite of chocolate and pointed at Isaac with the empty wrapper. “It sure will. There are gonna be a lot of skills that your avatar possesses and has already mastered.”
“My problem will be using those skills without looking like a clumsy idiot. High-level bards are not easy to play in the PC game. It’s only by starting at the bottom and mastering the basics that you can properly learn the next spell or skill when it comes along. I’m gonna have them all, or at least more than a newbie, at my beck and call right off the bat. And no clue how to use any.”
“That’s why you’ll have to keep things simple.” Fen swallowed the last of his chocolate and crumpled the wrapper. “Don’t use many of your spells or talents. None, if you can help it, until you are away from others. You can practice them on the road once we meet up. The class really is difficult to play. Every single player who selected a bard has been ejected from the beta testing at this point.”
Isaac frowned. “The skills are tricky to execute. At this point, I think it’s super-easy to mess up and reveal that you are a new Traveller to the NPCs. Don’t worry, I’ll keep that in mind and avoid discovery.”