Star Divers- Dungeons of Bane

by Stephen Landry

  ‘Trace wouldn’t hide from his friends; he was selective as to who could see him, but if you were in his company you were a part of his family,’ Gorge smiled.

  There was a banging on the door we had come through, then it opened (Gorge wasn’t lying about our access) to reveal Chaz, who was battered looking, as though he had just survived some kind of arena. ‘Found one of the gauntlets!’ he shouted.

  ‘Bracer,’ Gorge corrected him under his breath.

  Chaz continued without noticing, ‘funny thing, one of the chests turned into a monster and we had to fight it. After we killed it, we found the gauntlet in the guts. It was epic.’

  Kira held up the second one and without speaking of Gorge’s battle with the mimic, we pressed on towards the inner sanctum.

  Location Discovered: Hall of Great Fortunes

  /Maitreya

  Once inside the hall, we had to solve several puzzles to unlock a chained door. The puzzles were simple. There were several rooms inside the hall, each holding a switch. All the switches had to be pressed at the same time. For one person this would have involved creating some kind of golem (something only an advanced tech-mage like Trace could have done) but since Gorge had brought a team, we each took room and counting backwards from three activated the switches. It took us three tries to manage this in unison.

  The chains opened and inside was a massive computer terminal alongside a 3-D printer, one of the largest I had seen inside Bane. Alongside it were dozens of mechs in all shapes and colours. It looked like Trace had been building some kind of mechanical army. Some of the mechs looked like they had been re-skinned from other, older games while others had gears and stickers attached to the sides as though they were built to run on steam or water. Different mechs made from different materials and different technologies.

  ‘What is this?’ Chaz asked.

  ‘The Hall of Great Fortunes, otherwise known as the armoury.’

  ‘Any of these ever used?’ I asked.

  ‘A few of them during the Battle of Vel,’ Gorge pointed at one in particular that had a large dent in the side.

  ‘This is an incredible find, no wonder the Silvermanes want it,’ said Cass, ‘imagine what Lady Gray would say if we returned with even one of these.’

  ‘Don’t even think about it; we made a deal,’ I said.

  ‘I know, but just imagine how fun driving one of these would be, I bet they are as tough as guardians.’

  ‘Not quite, most don’t even work. Trace scrapped parts from one to build another, adding and modding a few here and there but at this point they are probably no more than husks,’ said Gorge.

  ‘Guess he didn’t want them to fall into the wrong hands,’ Chaz said.

  ‘To many, his hands were the wrong hands,’ Gorge smiled.

  My concern was that one of the mechs would react to our presence. Another trap or some kind of trial for us to pass. Didn’t matter what Gorge had said, I imagined at least one would be living. It would swing a mighty sword down and strike us with fire for intruding on their underground kingdom.

  No blows came to pass. The terminal in the back reminded me of a throne. Some of the larger mechs seemed to be bowing.

  The terminal had a large screen and another input for the key.

  ‘Going to use it?’ Kira asked.

  ‘No, we are here for one thing,’ Gorge responded.

  ‘Seems a waste not to check and see if Trace might have left you a message or something,’ she said.

  ‘Speech doesn’t work on players.’

  Kira moved closer, her fingers tapping across the terminal’s keyboard.

  Gorge shook his head, grey beard wagging. ‘Neither does charisma.’

  Kira almost broke a smile.

  ‘Remember, I assigned us this quest, it was to explore Trace’s vault, not just retrieve the gauntlets,’ she was smiling now as Gorge too began to grin.

  ‘Fine, you probably won’t be able to understand anything on there anyway, Trace had a way with words, making his own languages, probably take anyone unfamiliar years to decipher.’ Gorge placed the key inside and gave the terminal his hand print. A flash of red light quickly scanned the entire room.

  The words, ‘OD UST HLE’ appeared in red letters across a black screen and Gorge looked afraid. For a moment I thought maybe he had logged out or that his avatar had frozen. The rest of us read the letters, unable to figure it out. Chaz and Kira both attempted to say them aloud.

  ‘What does it say?’ I asked.

  ‘Don’t trust the Chel,’ Gorge replied.

  ‘That’s not all.’

  ‘The last three words are a code for “do not trust”. HLE is code for Chel. The UST mean “they see us”, and OD means that death is upon us.’

  ‘That’s never scared you before why does it now?’

  ‘Because Trace never used the word death when talking about a game, he always used the word frag, or the phrase player-death.’

  ‘He knew the end was coming, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have...’

  Gorge held up his hand, ‘it’s alright, you were right, I needed to see this. He knew it was coming and he knew we would come looking for a way to stop it; maybe he didn’t plan to die this early in the game but he understood well his part in this.’ Gorge held out his hand and transformed in front of our eyes into a new person. A human version of his own avatar without scars or cybernetics that was mid-twenties with a five-o’clock shadow and short hair wearing a white tank top and black cargo pants. The avatar was skinnier than Gorge’s actual avatar but he was still able to control it just as easily. He was almost in tears as he looked down at his hands and the bracer that had appeared wrapped around his wrist. He looked at his fingers like he hadn’t seen them in a long time, the same with his wrists and again towards his right leg before moving his hand back up against his arm.

  ‘That you? Not bad,’ Kira said.

  ‘This was me.’

  And like that, the image of his earlier self was gone.

  Quest complete!

  + 5000 EXP

  + 20 Detection (stealth)

  Temporary Bonus

  + 10 Forager

  + 10 Constitution

  + 10 Divinity / Fame

  + 10 Charisma

  20.

  Vault

  Location: Silvermane compound

  Maitreya

  While we were inside the vault the Silvermanes had been planting small shield generators around the compound both hiding it and protecting it from the FTC who were still patrolling the planet. We were lucky. If they wanted to, they could glass all of us. Most likely, they too were searching for the vault. Most likely too, at some point they would tire of their quest and make this world inhospitable.

  ‘Nel, you have the tow in place? Can you bring the ship around?’ I asked through a long-range comm.

  ‘Sir, this channel is not secure, yes,’ Nel responded.

  ‘Thanks for the warning, don’t let them track you,’ I replied, turning towards the others, ‘they know we’re on the planet, they are going to be tracking the skies, Nel is bringing the ship around but it might be awhile. I don’t think we should log out until we get to safe space.’

  ‘That’s great, two Titans in the sky; they probably have radar over the whole planet. How exactly is the Lani going to pick us up?’ Chaz asked anxiously.

  ‘Don’t worry about that,’ I smiled, ‘as for the others, any Silvermanes that want to come with us are welcome, we are taking the fight to the FTC, to the Spire, we’re not running anymore.’ The Silvermanes that were nearby turned to me for a moment, but quickly went back to their own business.

  ‘They aren’t coming any further, our deal is done, they want us gone by tomorrow. If we aren’t they are going to turn us in for the bounty,’ said Gorge.

  ‘That’s the kind of thanks we get,’ Kira shrugged.

  ‘That’s the game, I would be hard pressed to find any other guild who honoured such a bargain,’ Gorge responded.
/>
  ‘We won’t have to wait long,’ I said tracking Nel and the Lani.

  Three minutes later I was right. Meteors began to rain down from the sky. Thousands of them.

  ‘What the hell is that?’ said Chaz.

  ‘Nel is creating a diversion, get ready,’ I smiled. It was tactic I had read about a player using once. I couldn’t remember the players name but the idea was simple. They needed to land on a planet that was heavily guarded so they towed an asteroid towards the planet and broke it apart at the last second, just enough that it would rain across the sky and disrupt any radar in the area.

  The Lani landed a moment later, opening the back hatch. While Nel waited for us in her mech, Aiko came rushing out of the ship. Already distinctly larger, Aiko jumped on top of me and licked me with her long tongue. It felt like sandpaper but I was happy to feel like I was coming home.

  ‘I know if not for Trace you wouldn’t be the man you are today and that you did this for him, but it was nice working with you again. Take care of your new friends,’ Yueng said to Gorge shaking his hand.

  ‘Thank you, don’t let the FTC get a hold of this place, I’ve unlocked all the doors, no keys required anymore.’

  ‘You’re kidding! Thank you old friend,’ Yueng smiled.

  As we boarded the ship I asked Gorge why he had unlocked the vault.

  ‘Nothing there but relics, I deleted the terminal, the logs. They might find a few items worth a few thousand credits. Let us go before trouble,’ Gorge hit the hatch button and the light of Maitreya faded away.

  I sat down in a room I had all to myself. A guitar sat next to my bed. I thought about playing it for a moment. I wasn’t that great in real life but Bane had a way of improving anyone who was musically inclined. Had this been a fantasy game I think I would have played a bard. In some ways I wish life could have been that simple. I envied my old life as a diver. Exploring the unknown for artefacts and echoes. Discovering the secrets of the dead. It was easier. Now I felt like I was leading the galaxy into a war that was impossible to win.

  Location: The Lady of the Lani

  Deep Space

  From the observation window I could see the three planets in the Maitreya system. We were nearing the world gate but this time we were going to bypass it and drift in deep space until the STL drives could jump us straight into orbit above the Spire. Simple plan. We would jump, dive, land at the Pier, walk right in and steal our way into the Chel’s temple. From there we would sneak or fight our way underground. Fingers crossed. I felt the hair on my arm stand up. Another ship was following us.

  I picked up my comm, ‘we have someone on our tail.’

  Nel responded, ‘Sir, it looks to be a freighter of some kind.’

  ‘Armed?’

  ‘Negative.’

  ‘Can we shoot it down?’

  ‘Not from this distance.’

  ‘Is it going to hit us?’ The freighter was traveling faster than we were. Something about it seemed wrong. It came from nowhere.

  ‘Negative. Should I fire?’

  It was obvious. They were going to board us. But the question was whether or not they were friendly. Maybe even traders of some kind.

  ‘Have they hailed us?’

  ‘Communications are being blocked through the system by the FTC. If they have tried, we are unable to know.’

  ‘Contact the others, have them meet me in the ready-room.’

  ‘Negative.’

  ‘What do you mean negative?’

  ‘Detecting radio silence and stasis.’

  I cursed under my breath. This was a terrible time to log out. The others should have been more cautious. Not that it would matter. We were all running on fumes. The battle ahead of us was weighing heavy on our minds and no one would have expected this.

  ‘What about Kira? Cass? Can you reach them?’

  ‘Negative. As I said before...’

  ‘I know what you said before Nel. What are our options? Can we contact the Silvermanes?’

  ‘Negative. The freighter is already prepping to board us.’

  ‘Any idea who they are?’

  ‘Scans detect a vast variety of weapons. Most likely raiders.’

  ‘What guild?’

  ‘No affiliations exist.’

  ‘Any idea how they tracked us?’

  ‘Most likely they saw the Lani leaving the planet and are investigating.’

  ‘Options?’

  ‘Let them board and see what they want or fire upon them.’

  ‘Can we disable their ship?’

  ‘Negative. Anything at this range will permanently destroy their vessel.’

  I didn’t want this decision.

  It was possible they meant no harm.

  ‘Fire!’ I shouted. From the observation deck I watched their ship disappear. Whether they were friend or foe remained a mystery.

  ‘How many players were on board their ship?’

  ‘One hundred and twenty-two.’

  ‘Raiders?’

  ‘Unknown.’

  I knew the truth. The freighter could have been about to board us or it also could have been fleeing the FTC. They could have been asking for assistance. They could have been offering assistance for all I knew.

  ‘I had no choice.’

  ‘I know,’ Nel’s voice was calmer than usual. I tried to remind myself that this was a game. That I had just saved my crew.

  ‘Send everyone a message about what just happened. I am going to retire to my quarters.’

  ‘I shall write it in one of those pretty fonts,’ Nel answered.

  Aiko climbed up on the bed with me, laying her head down in my lap. I brushed my hand down her head and the metallic scales turned to blue fur. I continued to run my hand down Aiko’s back and legs. As I did, she adapted. The metallic scales were an armour that seemed to disappear into the ether. The animal before me now looked more like a wolf than a dragon. Even Aiko’s eyes blinked with a different intensity than they had before. Suddenly, there was a knock on my door. Aiko’s armour returned as she growled. It was Kira.

  ‘There is something I feel I should share with you,’ she said.

  ‘Aiko calm down,’ I said running my hand back down her head. The scales turned back to fur before I touched her. She knew Kira wasn’t a threat and had already begun to transform back to her softer side.

  ‘Interesting; that’s new,’ Kira said sitting down beside me.

  ‘Yeah, my cute little monster,’ I smiled, turning towards Aiko who made a funny squeak.

  ‘Do you think it can talk too?’

  ‘Doubtful,’ I replied scratching behind Aiko’s long ears, ‘what is it you had to tell me? Is it about the freighter?’

  ‘No. And to be honest, I believe that you did the right thing.’

  ‘I’m not sure.’ I felt full of guilt.

  ‘You did.’ She moved closer to me, then backed away as if she wanted to comfort me but couldn’t.

  ‘Would you have made the same call?’

  ‘A lot quicker than you,’ she answered. It didn’t make me feel any less bad about what had happened. I reminded myself again that this was all a game.

  ‘I’m sorry, I’m not sure if I can talk right now, I kind of want to be alone.’

  ‘I know. Don’t beat yourself up about it. We have to stay focused.’

  ‘Where were you?’ I wanted to scream it, to yell, to fight over what I had done but that wasn’t going to happen. I knew the others would have made the same call. We had no choice. Even if they were fleeing the planet they had the numbers and three of us had a giant reward plastered across our foreheads.

  ‘I was doing some research.’

  ‘Into what? Why so important you couldn’t wait?’

  ‘Gorge hasn’t been completely honest with us.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘It’s complicated, let’s say I did a little digging.’

  ‘What do you mean it’s complicated? Were you spying on him?�
�

  ‘Yes, I guess you can call it that.’

  ‘That’s low.’

  ‘I’m a journalist, I search for truth.’

  ‘Any means necessary.’

  I was bothered by the fact that Kira had spied on Gorge, but it wasn’t a surprise. Alexis, aka Lady Gray, had spied on me and it wasn’t like anything in my world outside the game or my own quarters was private, in fact the only privacy I had was between myself and Aiko. I was bothered but I wasn’t upset. Gorge, on the other hand, probably would have been furious.

  ‘I don’t actually think he’s a player.’

  ‘You mean you think he’s an NPC?’

  ‘Right, I couldn’t track him down in the real.’

  ‘So you couldn’t spy on him and that’s your problem?’

  ‘Don’t put it like that. I just think maybe we should watch our backs.’

  ‘If he is an NPC does it matter? The artificial intelligences in Bane operate independent of one another and can basically think for themselves. Honestly, there isn’t much to distinguish them from humans as far as free-will. The only real difference is we have bodies we can return to whenever we want. If he is an NPC he knows his limits.’

  ‘That is a part of what is bothering me. He knows about the game, the mechanics of the game, the man with the skull mask. What if Gorge managed to get hold of a weapon that could kill players.’ Kira was terrified of the idea, of what could happen.

  ‘Do you think Skull-Faced Man is an NPC gone mad?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘So that’s your fear, an uprising. NPCs killing players. If that happens they will just scrap Bane and lock the servers. Probably physically destroy the servers. They might do that anyway if we expose the truth. A weapon capable of causing such neurological harm that it kills the player. They might ban VR just for that.’

  ‘I know,’ Kira was nearly in tears.

  ‘I’m sorry. I know what this world means to you. The memories you have here with your brother.’ It was more than that. I felt just as badly that I didn’t want to lose Bane. My memories of Damien; my new family; my new life. It was all here. All in this virtual environment made of numbers and probabilities. There was nothing in the real for me. Nothing I truly wanted to go back to except Hannah. If I had to choose, I don’t know which I would pick.