Life Reset: Human Resource (New Era Online Book 4)

by Shemer Kuznits

  “Totem chief?”

  “Never mind,” I said. “You’ll come with us when we leave here.”

  He lowered his head in submission. “Yes, Totem chief.”

  “Now, who here can give me exact details about the clan logistics, resources, and general information?”

  He blinked at me. “That would be the chief’s area.”

  “You don’t have an administrator or someone who takes care of the clan’s management?”

  “No, Totem chief. Our clan is only classified as a hamlet.”

  I cursed under my breath. Despite their large populace, this clan was pretty primitive. It had only two noteworthy buildings, which were the bare minimum for a level 2 settlement – a hamlet. In comparison, Goblin’s Gorge was level 3, a village, on the verge of reaching level 4 and becoming a town. It looked like I was going to have to send Kaedric down here to make sense of the mess. In any event, I was done here for now.

  “Join the players and wait for me,” I said, turning toward the exit.

  Now that the pressing matters were dealt with, it was time to finally get to know my daughter.

  I put my hand up to push the door open, and it passed right through the thick stone. I looked at my translucent arm in wonder for a split second before realizing what was happening.

  ***

  “… Manual logout sequence initiated …”

  “… Logout in 3 … 2 … 1…”

  I opened my eyes and blinked at the bright light. I was back in reality.

  “Hey, bro, how are you feeling?” My friend Tal’s face came into view, his brows knitted in a frown.

  “Hey, man.” I rubbed my eyes. “I’m alright. There were some intense moments back there, but I made it through. I even made contact with some of the players.”

  “That’s great, they’d want to hear that,” he said, though his expression remained worried.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Your …” He hesitated. “Your neuro signs were a little funky. I’m not sure what it means, but Dr. Berg was worried. He wanted to pull you out sooner.”

  I grimaced. “Yeah, I think I know why.”

  “What happened?”

  “The … the goblin persona asserted itself again.”

  Tal gaped at me. “What? You’re telling me the game was taking control of your character again? But … but the safeguards … oh shit, man. Dr. Berg’s right. You shouldn’t log back in.”

  “I think,” Mr. Emery’s cool and dispassionate voice sounded as the slimy lawyer came into my view, “this is something that should be discussed in detail, don’t you, Mr. Wiseman?”

  My friend scoffed. “Yeah, but if there’s any danger–”

  “That is precisely what we should discuss.”

  A technician approached and started disengaging me from the FIVR capsule.

  The hated lawyer turned to face me. “Mr. Berman, we will await your person in conference room one.” Then he left.

  “Asshole.” Tal threw a disgruntled look after the departing lawyer.

  “I don’t know,” I said with a straight face. “He’s kinda too cold and uptight to be one.”

  We looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  ***

  After I took a quick shower and put on fresh clothes, I went to the conference room to find the others already seated and waiting for me.

  Mr. Emery sat next to Jim, the head technician, and Tom, another familiar face. Across from them sat Dr. Berg, Tal, and Nachum, my lawyer.

  Everyone looked up at me as I entered the room. I felt a little uncomfortable as I took the only remaining chair at the head of the table. An assistant approached and put a cup of a delicious-smelling espresso in front of me.

  Mr. Emery spoke first. “I think we should start with Mr. Berman’s account of his game session.”

  No one seemed to object.

  It didn’t quite feel like a game session when I was back there; it was more like I was transported to another world that was just as real as ours. But that wasn’t the point at the moment. There were other people’s lives at stake.

  “It turned out you were right to be worried,” I said. “It looks like Shiva created some sort of bartering system for the game NPCs. They can trade in the scientific findings of players under their control for in-game bonuses. For example, a rival clan of kobolds kidnapped some of the players from my clan and used them to increase their own strength.” I purposefully avoided mentioning my daughter. I had enough of a hard time sorting through my emotions without further external intervention.

  “Interesting,” the company lawyer said. “This is quite an innovative approach. The VIs seem to have efficiently capitalized on the situation. That would explain the number of technological advancements they showed us in such a short time. How are the players themselves?”

  “So glad to see you have the well-being of the players as your first priority,” I said sarcastically. “They’re doing alright, I think. It’s a good thing I went in when I did. If the kobolds had a few more weeks to grow, they would’ve been too strong for me to mount a rescue mission. As it was, I was able to free the players. They’ll be safe once they reach the clan.”

  “What about their mental state?” Dr. Berg asked.

  I hesitated. “I think it was a little too much for some of them to handle the increased pain levels. Even those that could handle it for short periods preferred to engage in research rather than try to fight. They are being rewarded for making new discoveries, so they managed to carve out a somewhat comfortable existence for themselves.”

  “Diabolical,” my physician said. “That’s the worst type of psychological manipulation; rewards when they do well, brutal punishment if they fail to comply. They are being conditioned to become obedient slaves.”

  Mr. Emery frowned. “I wouldn’t say they’re–”

  “Well, I would,” Dr. Berg shut him down coolly. “And since it’s my area of expertise, my opinion stands. This is a much graver issue than we were first led to believe by your company. Four thousand people are being indoctrinated by your company’s product, Mr. Emery. You must find a way to disconnect them as quickly as possible.”

  “We’re trying,” Jim said tiredly. “But it’s not easy. For lack of a better term, Shiva hijacked their brains. Any attempt to disconnect them from their capsules will result in either a total mind wipe or death.”

  “Which is why Mr. Berman’s assistance is imperative for our efforts,” Mr. Emery said. “In only 10 minutes, he has provided us with more information than we gathered in the past two weeks. Not to mention he managed to secure the well-being of several of the players. Keeping that in mind, and taking into consideration the successful operation of the external logout system, I’m recommending we continue with this approach. Until we find a way to extricate the players, Mr. Berman is our best option for helping them. Who knows? He might even be able to secure a method for their release from the inside.”

  “Absolutely out of the question,” Dr. Berg declared. “At first, Oren’s brainwave patterns were stable, but only five minutes into the game, they started becoming erratic. Toward the end, they gave every indication of extensive mental pressure. I strongly recommend this experiment be terminated in favor of my patient’s continued mental health.”

  “I already told you,” Tom, the technician, said wearily. “Your knowledge in neuroscience doesn’t extend to neuroTec and the effects of the FIVR immersion on the mind. The changes in Mr. Berman’s patterns coincided with his CCP increase. He reached the highest rate toward the end.” He looked at me with a smile. “You achieved 88 percent of the maximum possible cerebral connection with the game. There are maybe 20 other people in the entire world who have reached that high. I imagine that from your perspective, the game looked almost indistinguishable from real life.”

  I nodded. “It was almost as vivid as I remember.”

  “That’s no surprise; last time you reached 99 percent.”

 
“Be that as it may,” Dr. Berg said, “such a rapid mental alteration is not recommended for someone who’s just recovered from severe mental trauma. Besides, I specifically remember you being worried over some of the readings, Tom.”

  The technician shifted uneasily in his seat.

  Jim, his superior, turned to him. “Tom?”

  “Well, the sigma wave patterns were indicative of elaborate decision-making that wasn’t accounted for by the other wave patterns,” the technician admitted. “It’s not exactly out of acceptable range, but it indicates some sort of a mental shift”

  I knew what they were referring to, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to let them know what happened to me. Telling them about the feral goblin resurfacing could be the final evidence my therapist needed to call the whole thing off. There were still players who needed me … friends who were relying on me. I couldn’t turn my back on them. On the other hand, everyone was so sure my mind was safe from external tampering; maybe telling them the truth could somehow help.

  “It was the goblin version of me,” I said, making up my mind. “He resurfaced again. He took charge for a little while and managed to access the game metadata for me, giving me my magic back. You can say he was actually the one who rescued the other players.”

  Everyone stared at me in surprise, even Tal.

  “Well, that’s all I needed to hear,” Dr. Berg said conversationally. “As his physician, I enact my medical authorization to act on behalf of my patient when he’s mentally incapable of making rational decisions. Oren is forbidden from logging back into the game. Permanently.”

  ***

  Everyone looked at the doctor in shock.

  “That is quite an unorthodox use of your custodian power,” Mr. Emery said evenly. “To my knowledge, such clauses are set in place to make sure catatonic or otherwise invalid patients receive the best possible care. This is hardly the case. Mr. Berman is clearly in possession of his faculties and in my opinion, displays a high level of rationality.”

  “Good thing it’s not your opinion that matters,” Dr. Berg said dryly. “This is my field of expertise. My patient has just revealed his mind was taken over – a worrying sign that possibly points to a schizophrenic disorder. He might not be in his normal state of mind at this very moment. As his physician, it’s my responsibility to make sure his best interests are upheld. Especially when an artificial intelligence entity might be influencing his mind.”

  “That’s far-fetched,” Jim said bluntly. “The cerebral buffer we’ve installed is infallible. All three layers of it. It’s impossible for Shiva, or any other VI, to directly affect Oren’s mind.” He looked grimly at the doctor. “That’s my expert opinion in my field of expertise, so where does that leave us?”

  I looked at the warring sides, all arguing about my future. Tal’s eyes met mine. My friend seemed conflicted. I raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged then gave me a knowing grin. I got the message: Whatever I decided, he’d be there to support me.

  I wanted to get back into the game. I wanted to help the other players and make sure they were being treated well. Still, I couldn’t ignore what had happened to me. I was afraid of my mind being taken over by a goblin. I was afraid of losing myself again.

  An image of a young goblinette flashed in my mind. Lirian. Even if she was a virtual person, I felt some sort of connection to her. I had to know more about her. I wanted to get to know my daughter, and that feeling trumped my concerns.

  “I’ll do it,” I said loudly, interrupting the heated argument between the two sides.

  Dr. Berg scoffed. “I’m afraid it’s out of your hands, Mr. Berman.”

  So I’m ‘Mr. Berman’ now, eh? I looked at my lawyer with a raised eyebrow.

  Nachum sighed. “You sure about this, kid?”

  I looked at Jim. “I believe you believe my mind is safe, but how do you explain what I experienced?”

  The head technician hesitated. “I can’t. Not without further investigation. But I’m absolutely sure there’s no way your mind was altered by the game. I’ll need about a day to look into the matter then I’m sure I’ll be able to come up with an answer to explain what you’d experienced.”

  His confidence won me over. I looked back to my lawyer. “I’m sure.”

  Dr. Berg crossed his arms. “I’m afraid that doesn’t matter. The law is clear. My authority over this matter is absolute, and I say Mr. Berman isn’t well enough to return to the game.”

  Nachum sighed again. “You are quite right, Dr. Berg – you have the authority.”

  The doctor nodded. “Thank you.”

  “You’re fired.”

  “What?”

  The smile on Mr. Emery’s face almost reached his eyes. Almost.

  “Since my client was admitted willingly, it is his choice whether or not to remain in your care. As I have the power of attorney, it’s within my rights to facilitate your termination. You are no longer an interested party in my client’s life. Please leave.”

  The look the doctor gave me made me cringe. He wasn’t a bad person and was genuinely looking out for me. But his care came at a price I couldn’t afford. I had to get back in the game. Too many things were depending on me.

  The doctor left the conference room with a huff, not meeting anyone’s eyes on the way out.

  Mr. Emery leaned back in his chair. “Now that that little obstacle has been removed, I strongly recommend Mr. Berman’s return to the game. It has been nearly half a day for the players inside, so we shouldn’t tarry. I recommend trying for a full hour of immersion on the next attempt.”

  That meant 28 hours inside the game. I was good with that, but a problem remained. “I still can’t access any of the player controls,” I said. “That complicates things.”

  Jim leaned forward, back in his usual cheerful mood. “Right, about that. I looked into the matter and found something very interesting. So here’s what I suggest you do …”

  6 - Demigods

  I blinked a few times to reorient myself. I was back in the kobold’s settlement which now belonged to me. The headache, this time, was just an annoying dull throb I could easily ignore.

  I pushed open the door and stepped outside.

  The throng of kobolds had dispersed in my absence, and I could see dozens of workers milling around, handling food and carefully carrying their eggs.

  Twelve players, along with Tika and Lirian were camped outside the oracle’s house. Heavy packs were spread all around. It looked like my fellow players were taking their relocation seriously.

  Lirian was the first to notice me. She nudged Tika, and they both rose and came to stand by my side.

  “Hey girls.” I smiled at them. I knew they weren’t real, but they felt familiar, and their presence was assuring – even Lirian’s, though I hadn’t had the chance to talk to her in private.

  “Hey, Chief.” Malkyr waved at me. “We’ve been waiting for you for hours.”

  “Some people just can’t resist slipping out to real life for a few minutes,” his sister added sarcastically. She was joking, but I could see the longing in her eyes. They were prisoners here, while I got to come and go as I pleased. Sort of.

  I smiled at her teasingly. “At least that ought to be the final confirmation that I’m not an AI, right?” Before, Hoshisu had challenged me to a duel to test her theory and very nearly won, on a technicality.

  “I don’t know,” she said slowly, looking me up and down. “You never explained how you do half the things you’re capable of … how you ended up playing a pure monster and became a chief.”

  I held her gaze. “I’ll tell you guys everything after we get back to the clan,” I promised. “There’s some stuff I need to take care of first to make sure you’re safe, but after that, I’m going to level with you. No more secrets.”

  She was taken aback by the fervor in my voice and simply nodded in reply.

  “Where’s the oracle?” I asked.

  “Right here, Totem chief.” The wrinkly
lizard-man stepped out from behind a large package. “I’ve been waiting as you instructed.”

  “Good. Everyone’s ready to leave?” I looked around.

  All of the players nodded, and one of them shouted, “Let’s get the hell out of here. I can’t stand the darkness down here anymore. I can’t wait to see the open, slightly less dark sky again.”

  I chuckled along with the other players. “You got it. Let’s go.”

  Everyone hoisted their packs, and we made our way through the huge kobold cavern, Tika and Lirian walking beside me.

  I stared at Malkyr, who was carrying a bundle so large it would have given a pack mule a hard time. “Why aren’t you just putting everything in your inventories?” I asked, curious.

  “Can’t,” he grunted under the weight. “It’s mostly big stuff we accumulated over the last year. Furniture, dismantled labs, that sort of stuff.”

  I winced. “Sounds heavy.”

  “Yeah, well, as long as I don’t have to carry this the entire day, I’ll be alright.”

  “It’s only a few hours’ walk,” I assured him. “I just need to make a quick stop along the way.”

  “Oh?”

  “There’s a spider I need to talk to.”

  I kept alert as I led the freed players through the dark tunnels. The last thing I needed was for some underground monster to attack when they thought they were finally safe. I was so focused on watching for danger that I was caught completely off-guard when I felt a small hand slide into my own.

  I looked down and met Lirian’s eyes. She bit her lip and lowered her gaze. I hesitated for a moment then gently closed my fingers around hers.

  ***

  The kobold oracle and I entered the crystal cave.

  I’d left the players to wait for me in the chamber with Tika and Lirian watching over them. It was a little amusing to have two small goblin females safeguard a dozen formidable-looking players. But the reality of the game was that levels and stats trumped physical appearance. And at level 21, Tika was as strong as the entire player group combined. Even Lirian, a mere 12th level, was more battle-ready than level 4 Malkyr.