by Mason Roth
"Bulls eye." She smirked to herself, before donning a face of horror as the Chimera 's three sets of eyes bore into her before screeching and launching itself in her direction.
"Shit, now you've done it." Jeremy grabbed her arm and sprinted in the other direction. But the Chimera was too quick. It flew overhead and landed directly in their path, merely a foot away from them. The eagle head snapped its talons while the lion and wolf growled. The sharp talons pawed the cobblestones, cracking them beneath its weight before launching itself at Piper. She raised her pistol again, but it was too late.
Searing pain penetrated both the front and back of her body. The talons sank into her flesh as her head collided with the stone. Her head swirled in and out of consciousness. She heard Jeremy yelling and hacking with his clockwork axe, but he did no good. She wondered briefly why she could feel pain. Out of all the sensations she barely questioned in her stay in Rookstorm, she never considered that should feel pain.
The pain was icy, hot, and then numb as the eagle head went for her neck. Then darkness. Nothing. She felt like she was naked, floating through space. Was this death? But it was only a game. Or so she thought.
It felt like she was starting to sink through the black viscous space around her. Was this all she would be? Twenty-two-year-old porn artist killed at a clinical study? It wasn't right. She wanted to fight. She wanted to live. As soon as that concrete thought entered her mind, her body began to shoot upward towards the brightest light she ever saw. It enveloped her with brightness and warmth and she heard a piercing ringing.
She was suddenly on all fours on the cobblestones of Smekt. She heaved, feeling as if she was breathing for the first time and she clutched her chest. She had died, really died. Before she could fully process what had happened, she felt wet breath near her face. The lion's head sensed her return and had turned to her. She scooted back desperately, not wanting to die a second time. The lion's head growled at her but did not follow. Its other heads were preoccupied. When Piper saw what they were preoccupied with, she screamed and heaved again.
Jeremy was being ripped apart by the beast. The eagle had had snapped his neck while the wolf was making quick work of his entrails. His body lay limp, his neck horribly askew and his eyes blank and staring at nothing. The gears of his clockwork axe were sunk shallowly into the beast's chest, but it seemed to bother it no more than a small splinter. Just as Piper couldn't bear to look anymore, Jeremy started to fade. His body slowly became transparent until nothing was left but his pools of blood and pieces of entrails.
The Chimera roared, furious that' its feast had been taken from it. Piper unlatched both of her holsters and aimed two shaking pistols at the Chimera as it wheeled on her. Before she could fire, Jeremy tackled her out of the Chimera's path. Warm light swirled around him, similar to the sensation she felt herself moments before. They had both died and both had re-spawned. And were both faced with an insurmountable enemy.
"Can you run?" Jeremy asked her, helping her off the blood-soaked stone. She nodded and they both sprinted for the field. The Chimera did not seem to have any interest in following, as it found more citizens of Smekt to enjoy. Piper closed her eyes and ran faster when she heard their screams.
"We have to get out of here," Piper wheezed, trying to catch her breath.
"I don't know where the next town is…”
"No! That was too real. This is just a game we have to log out of, right? We'll both still get a grand, which is enough for me, but I’m done with this hellscape."
Jeremy opened and closed his mouth helplessly, but seemed unable to argue with her logic. Piper called up the UI, navigated to settings and selected "log out". She heard a loud beep in her ears as red words flashed across her vision.
"ERROR". She tried again. The beep was louder and the font was bigger "ERROR".
"Are you seeing this?" She asked, panicked, as her eyes flicked across the invisible screen.
"Yeah... this... this isn't right." Despite his tough exterior, Piper could have sworn she heard his voice tremble. "Fuck this." He started clawing at the flesh around his eyes. Of course, removing the headset! It was so simple. They had gotten so caught up in the fiction of the game, they had forgotten the reality. Rookstorm was merely a projection on a set of goggles. In reality they were both sitting in the quiet white room of the Elysium Institute. All they had to do was simply get up and leave. Yet, Jeremy still fumbled with his face. His hands moved to the back of his head, as if looking for a latch to unfasten. He dropped his hands as his eyes widened and mouth went slack.
"There's nothing,” he whispered. “Nothing is there.” Piper's eyes bulged as she slowly raised her hands to her own face. Sure enough, there was nothing - nothing covering her face. Nothing covering her ears. No wires to grasp onto. Nothing. They were trapped. She let her arms fall to her side.
She barely looked up when the Chimera grew tired of Smekt and advanced on their position. What did it matter? Die, re-spawn. Die, re-spawn. If there was no escape, there was no point resisting. She looked wearily at Jeremy and then at the monster as it made deep claw marks in the earth with its sharp talons. She wondered if it was really all that bad. Her real life wasn't worth living. Maybe she could make something of herself here in the virtual world. She could get stronger, slay this foul beast, and live out her days in peace. It wouldn't matter how long it took because she could always die and come back. She even supposed that Jeremy wasn't the worst person she could have been condemned to spend the rest of eternity with.
She began to laugh. Quietly at first, but then loudly and maniacal. Jeremy stepped away from her slowly. She dropped her pistols into the grass and stepped towards the beast with her arms outstretched, begging it to take her.
"Come on, you big fuck!" She sneered at the Chimera. "Kill me all you want. I can't die."
"Piper.... stop it!" Jeremy begged. He seemed like he was barely holding on to his sanity, himself. His voice trembled and cracked. "We can find a way out of this together." Piper could tell that he didn't believe a single word that he said.
She looked back briefly to give him a pitying smile before advancing unarmed on the Chimera even further. It reared up on its hind legs, talons glinting in the artificial sunlight as it prepared to strike her down. Just as it was about to come down on her again, the chimera was gone.
The chimera fizzled out of existence in a burst of static. Piper stood dumbfounded in the middle of the field; mouth agape. The digital sound contrasted sharply with the fantasy world and was a shock to her system. Suddenly, the melodic and familiar voice of Candace echoed across the virtual landscape.
"Participants, it seems we've been experiencing technical difficulties. The study will resume momentarily."
Piper immediately felt at ease. Of course! Something had gone awry and Candace was going to fix it and set everything straight. She looked back at Jeremy to give him a reassuring smile, but his face was darkened with distrust as he glowered up at her image.
Candace's face flickered across the sky with her sickeningly sweet smile before it twisted and changed. The sweetness in her face was suddenly cold and mocking as the mirth left her eyes. She heard Jeremy draw his axe behind her and every muscle in her body tensed as Candace laughed joylessly.
"Oh you would very much like that to be true, wouldn't you?" She sneered and burst into another fit of cruel laughter. "Ah... but no. It won't be that easy." She smacked her tongue against her teeth.
Piper jumped as she felt a hand encircle her wrist. Jeremy pulled her back slowly and did not let go, his intense eyes still boring holes into Candace's face.
"As you might have already deduced," she continued, "This study won't be quite as simple as you originally thought...although none of you are particularly bright."
Piper gritted her teeth, fighting back tears. Deep down, she knew something wasn't right. From when she entered the Elysium institute to when Candace turned, she had a pervasive sinking feeling that something was wrong. Yet she sti
ll allowed herself to be played a fool at the promise of money and beta testing.
"Now, now." Candace chided. "You all still have a very important role to play for us." Her voice seemed to double briefly. A deep, dark undertone rumbled just under her words. "But in order to play, you first need the rules n-"
"Let us out you frigid bitch!" Jeremy screamed desperately. Piper could feel him shaking. The dark undertone in her voice overtook her original timbre.
"SILENCE, PEON!" Her unholy shriek shook the ground they stood on. Piper's heart beat in her ears and tears began to roll silently down her cheeks.
"Now," Candace continued, sweetness filling her voice once more. "The rules." Red block letters appeared in the sky as she explained.
THE AVERAGE HUMAN CAN ONLY WITHSTAND 3 IN-GAME DEATHS.
"Yes little ones, your lives are not unlimited." Candace tossed her fiery locks over one shoulder, still composing herself from her outburst.
"Most of you have already died at least once." Candace looked disinterested as she examined her virtual French manicure. "Odd sensation isn't it - dying? You see, you died in real life, momentarily at least."
Piper's blood ran cold. She died, really died. Jeremy too. And most of the other participants as well.
"You see, you can't just die and come back again and again and again. Your heart can't handle that kind of stress and your brain can't survive that lack of oxygen. The average is three. Some of you might be able to handle more, some of you less. You'll need to discover your limit for yourself." Her mocking tone was unbearable.
FEAR NOT. YOU CAN ESCAPE.
Despite knowing better, Piper felt the flicker of hope spark in her chest.
"Yes, you read right." Candace beamed. "You can escape. It just won't be easy." She said, smile widening. "Recall the beasts you 'fought' earlier." She scoffed.
With the same burst of static, the chimera appeared before her. Piper's breath hitched in her throat; her fear of death restored. But the chimera didn't stay for long. It was soon replaced by a giant creature that was half woman, half spider, then a cyclops, then a great red dragon.
"Yes, yes. All of you saw one of these foul beasts that you were too weak to take on, randomly spawned, of course. But one of you, yes one of you, saw your true goal."
The red dragon fizzled out replaced by one of gold. If the red dragon was huge, about the size of the chimera, the gold dragon was almost too vast to behold. It filled her vision, larger than a house with clinking clockwork beneath its wings.
"Ah yes." Candace clapped her hands. "The Alpha - this is the beast you must slay to log out." It was unfathomable. Killing something like this had to be impossible. It was a cruel joke. "Now now, don't dismay. It's not like you'll be level 0 forever! It's only a matter of time before you're strong enough to tackle her. If, you can survive until then that is." She sneered.
THE ALPHA CAN BE FOUND AT OGOLOTH MOUNTAIN
"Could I make this any easier?" Candace praised herself. "I've even given you the location: Ogoloth Mountain.” Her voice transformed into that of a travel guide. "Located in the scenic lava pits of Rookstorm is Ogoloth Mountain, the highest peak in the realm."
THE ALPHA SPAWNS RANDOMLY
"Oh my dears, you thought you could just walk up and kill her if you're strong enough. I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy. The Alpha has a spawn rate of less than one percent. May the RNG be in your favor." Candace spoke quickly now. She seemed to tire of this mind game.
COLLECT THE GEM, ESCAPE THE GAME.
The Alpha spread its legs to reveal a large octagonal emerald. The artificial sunlight glinted off of the gem and reflected the metallic gold of the Alpha. It was mesmerizing.
"Every dragon has its hoard. And the Verdante is the Alpha's prize, and your key to freedom. Collect it and you will be permitted to log out. And," she added with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You will receive the full $20,000 reward."
Fat chance. Piper thought. She stared up past the goliath of a dragon to glare at Candace.
"Ah, I see you all don't trust me." She laughed in a sing-song way. "But you don't have much of a choice now do you? Collect the gem or die here." Like a TV being turned off, she disappeared abruptly. A final red message dripped and faded across the sky.
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU.
Chapter 6
The Alpha disappeared with Candace, and Piper and Jeremy were left alone in the field with nothing but the virtual breeze and the smoldering remains of Smekt. They sat together in silence for a long time, trying to process what they had just seen and heard. Jeremy broke the silence.
"Check your traits." His voice sounded hoarse. Had he been crying too? She hadn't noticed.
Nevertheless, she called up the UI to check her traits.
Level 2
EXP to next level: 1500
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 16
Intelligence: 13
Vitality: 10
Points not yet allocated: 10
She couldn't help but snort. All that sneaking through the forest for the stupid doffles wasn't for nothing after all. Yet, she still felt hopeless. "Level two," she managed.
"Level two." He croaked. "Even skipped level one." He laid back in the grass. “Where are you going to put your points? Fighters have a low intelligence score, so I think I’m going to spend mine on that, and vitality.”
“Hadn’t thought about it.” She mumbled back.
He looked into the distance towards Smekt. "We need a quest so we can level up, get some loot - something. There might be some survivors. We can’t just sit here."
"What difference does it make?" Piper laughed but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "You can't honestly believe her."
"What choice do we have? We can either fight for the chance at an escape or rot away here. I'd rather die trying." He sounded like an anime protagonist. He sounded ridiculous.
"You do you, guy." Piper shrugged before laying down and turning her back to him. "You don't need me on your hero's quest." Piper felt the biting sting of her own words. There was no need to take out her frustration on him.
"You know damn well we'll both die on our own." He stood up and dusted himself off. "Have it your way. But I'm not dying here. Later." He waved and headed off for Smekt.
Piper didn't respond, and laid in the grass contemplating suicide. All it would take is two more in-game deaths. If she laid here long enough, she was sure something would come along to destroy her. Her real life was meaningless. Why fight for it in this hellscape? She thought back to leaving the house that morning. Was it even the same day now? She had no way of knowing. She remembered looking into the mirror in her blouse and jeans, finally out of her sweat pants. Her blonde bob pulled into the neat bun at the base of her neck. Her glasses free from finger prints for once. It was supposed to be a fresh start. Clean her apartment, get back on her feet. If she won enough money, she could even go back to school to get that graphic design certification she always wanted. She felt the hope stirring within her in spite of herself.
As if she had lost control of her body, she rose from the ground and began shuffling her feet towards Smekt. She glanced down at her thigh high boots and chuckled. At least Candace gave her killer style.
Along the way, she finally decided to allocate her ten points. Better to be the best at one thing than shitty at everything, she reasoned. Without much thought, she dumped four of her ten points into Dexterity. She also had no interest in dying anytime soon, so she put another 4 into Vitality. Her remaining two she gave to Strength and Intelligence, respectively. She figured Jeremy had those skills more or less covered.
It didn't take her long to catch up with him as he walked briskly through the wreckage of Smekt.
"Knew you couldn't stay away." He turned and smirked at her before she could say anything.
Jeremy didn't slow his pace as he sidestepped crushed clockwork and twisted steampipes. He certainly wasn't wandering the city aimlessly. He had an end goal in mind.
"Hey, hey!" Piper stumbled forward as she nearly tripped over a particularly large bronze pipe at her feet. "Wait up, will you?"
"No can do. We have to be quick before he flees." He tapped the back of his axe against his hand impatiently. Piper looked at the barren, smoldering village. Blood soaked the streets and she was doubtful there were any survivors. But someone small, clever, and quick might have been able to slip away unseen.
"You don't mean..."
"I do. As far as I'm concerned, we're still playing. We're going to find Cornelius." He took a sharp left turn down an alleyway.
"What the hell is the point of that?" Piper gritted her teeth and jogged to keep up. "His idiot schemes and motives don't matter anymore. We have bigger fish to fry." She huffed.
"That's exactly why they matter more than ever." His tone was thick with condescension. "I'm going to milk that imp for every experience point he's worth." Piper rolled her eyes at his machismo routine. Jeremy couldn't be any taller than 5'7" and his giant, rusted clockwork axe only made his frame look even wirier.