by Rick Scott
“Maybe,” Rembrandt says. “One is close to Citadel, we think. And the nano shards are getting scarcer from boss drops. It might be the only option we have to save the city.”
“And you think what I’m trying to do is crazy?” Val Helena lets out a short goddess laugh. “No one’s even seen one of those things for hundreds of years. You really think you can destroy one? That’d be like fighting a god.”
Rembrandt shrugs. “Or a devil.”
I share a look with Gilly and I can tell our thoughts are the same: These guys are nuts.
Maxis just shakes his head, his eyes fixed on the ground still perplexed. “This crap keeps getting better and better. A mission from hell and I’m stuck here with my stupid kid brother and Bruce’s daughter?” He then points up at Val Helena. “I don’t care what you say now. The game’s just changed. As soon as we get to a village, I’m finding some way to send these two back home.”
And with that he turns. “Let’s go, Rem.”
The three of us stand frozen as we watch my brother and his sidekick stalk away.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do, Reece,” Val Helena says leaning down to me. “But it sounds like you got some decisions to make.”
Chapter 2: The Village
We travel on through the forest for an hour, making our way, surprisingly with ease, through the darkness thanks to a bright full moon overhead. The sounds of night creatures keeps me on edge; hoots from owls and the cries of other things in the distance, that I can’t identify and frankly rather not see. Gilly clings to my bicep, keeping close to me while Val Helena’s large form clears a path for us through the relatively light underbrush in between the towering pine trees.
Further ahead, my brother Maxis and Rembrandt are scouting to determine which direction we should head to find this village.
“You okay, Gilly?” I ask softly, patting her hand as it clutches my arm. “You haven’t really spoken much since we got here.”
“Sorry,” she says after a pause. “I’m still trying to come to grips with all this. Especially the part with my dad.”
I don’t really know what to say, so I just nod.
“It kind of feels like I don’t really know him now, you know?” Gilly says. “Like everything I’ve known is based on some…lie.”
I swallow, feeling a bit guilty. I knew her dad’s involvement even before she did. I contemplate if I should tell her or not. Would it make her feel better or worse? I’m not sure, but I can share what I think about him. “Gilly, don’t feel bad about your dad. From what I know, he’s doing whatever he’s doing to keep the city working and he kept it all a secret to spare us from having to worry about it. It must be a pretty tough job. I wouldn’t think any less of him. Besides, he seemed a pretty cool guy to me.”
Gilly lets out a chuckle and I feel her head nuzzled into my arm. “Thanks, Reece.”
Val Helena comes to a sudden stop in front of us.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“Smoke,” Val Helena says and as I inhale the cool air I can smell it too. “Your brother stopped as well. Might be the village up ahead. Come on.”
Val Helena trots through the underbrush and we follow behind her. We find Maxis and Rembrandt standing at the edge of the tree line, peering into a valley below. Moonlight casts a pale glow over the grassy banks that slope downward toward a small cluster of wooden structures a half mile away. There must be a couple dozen of them in all, small cabins built alongside a river.
And about a quarter of them are on fire.
My heart quickens as I hear the faint cries of panic in the distance.
“What do you see?” Maxis says to Rembrandt.
The bald cyberpunker leans forward, peering through his mirror shades. “Something’s attacking them. Little green buggers…riding wolves.”
That doesn’t sound good.
“Damn goblins,” Maxis says. “The area must be overrun. Really don’t feel like having to liberate a town on top of all this other stuff. Let’s try and find someplace else.”
“What?” I say. “We’re not going to do anything about this? There are people crying for help down there.”
Maxis just sighs. “They’re not real people.”
“Oh…” Gilly says. “So are they like NPCs?”
“They’re both,” Val Helena says. “Sort of.”
“Huh?” Both Gilly and I look up at her confused.
“From what I can gather from my time here,” she says. “The people and creatures in the safe zones are very much real but I’m not sure if they are truly alive. They eat, they sleep, but I’m not sure if they age or reproduce. Although I have seen children.”
“So what are they?” Gilly asks.
“They’re AIs as far as I can tell,” Val Helena says. “And they’re as real as any person you’ll meet. Not programs on a set routine, but true sentient beings that feel pain and emotion, just like us.”
“I don’t care how you dress it up,” Maxis says. “They’re not humans.”
“I dunno.” Val Helena shrugs. “Are we even human right now?”
That one sends my head for a spin.
“The point is, were skipping this,” Maxis says. “We got better things to do than waste our time rescuing NPCs. We got real people to save. We’ll find another village. Or better yet, a city.”
“Hey!” Gilly says. “If they can feel pain, then that’s real enough for me. We need to go help them.”
“Ditto for me,” I say and lock eyes with my big brother. “We need to go help, Mike.”
“Hey, it’s not up for debate!”
“Isn’t it now?” Val Helena grins down at him while retrieving her double headed battle axe. “I don’t recall us officially joining your team, Maxis, so we don’t really answer to you. But if you’d like to help out…” And then she gives him a playful wink. “…I’d appreciate it.”
The goddess half giant releases a cry as she buffs herself, igniting in red flames.
Val Helena uses Berserker!
Attack speed and damage increased!
“Let’s go, Reece!”
She takes off down the hill and I quickly start to buff as well, casting Shadow Haste and Shadow Copy, Kanji swirling around me. Gilly hits us with a Minor favor of the Goddess and a golden light engulfs us as our HP, Stamina and TP bars all get a mild increase.
Rembrandt pulls out his pistols with a shrug. “When in Rome, mate.”
Maxis mutters a curse and then performs some kind of karate stance. “Can’t believe this crap.”
Maxis uses Fists of Iron!
Attack speed and damage decreased but block and counter increased.
“You guys stay in the back where it’s safe,” Maxis barks and then points at Gilly. “Especially you!”
He then takes off after Val Helena and we chase after him.
My heart rate soars as we clamber down the hill and the scent of smoke gets stronger. As we draw closer to the village a message bounces onto my HUD.
New Quest Objectives found!
1: Repel the goblin raiding party
2: Extinguish House Fires (4)
3: Aid wounded villagers (15)
What the heck? “How are there quests here in the real world?”
“It’s the safe zone,” Rembrandt says, his trench coat billowing behind him. “The whole thing is run by the builder’s AI. It mirrors the game world, but don’t let it fool you, mate. This is all still very real!”
I then recall being able to see my spell effects again; that didn’t happen when I was in the wild zone earlier. I’m really going to need to get my head around all these new rules. As we get closer to the village I can start making out the houses and especially the four that are on fire. Ten-foot-high flames lick into the air, setting the night aglow with dancing shadows as embers crackle high into the night sky.
Screams for help and cries of anguish ring out against the roar of the fires. Villagers run in a panic toward the center of the village, w
here someone is ringing a bell. I focus on one of the villagers, a woman wearing a simple dress who is running with a crying baby in her arms.
Name: Edith
Level: 12
Class: Villager
She certainly looks like a real person to me. But is she really? A few paces behind her, a short humanoid with green skin, is giving chase. Its head is abnormally large for its body and it has large yellow eyes, a beak like nose and pointed ears like an elf. It snarls and gnashes its yellowed teeth as it thrusts a spear at the fleeing woman.
Goblin Raider
Level: 25
These goblins are known for their ferocity and are of the select few that are chosen to leave the burrows to plunder from the towns of men.
Holy cow! This really is just like in the game. And only level 25? We can save this village with ease!
I use Charge Strike and the wind rushes in my face as I fly across the ground to peg the goblin with my katana. It releases a horrid cry as my blade enters its side, piercing its dirty green skin and spilling red blood. It collapses to the ground in a heap, stumbling over itself in mid run.
You defeated the Goblin Raider!
You gain 823 experience points.
I see several more messages of goblins being defeated and acquired XP as Maxis and Rembrandt head into the fray. Gilly stops behind me and we both look down at the corpse of the dead goblin. An uneasiness runs through me as I study it. The blood on my katana looks real, as does the body. If this is the real world and the NPCs are no different than the monsters, then did I just murder something that was alive?
“What are you doing?” Maxis shouts at me as he buries a fist into a goblin’s face, killing it instantly. “Just loot the nano from the corpse and move on! There are a lot of these stupid things!”
Loot the nano?
I then recall what I saw Maxis do to those wolf corpses when we were in the wild.
I kneel down and timidly reach my hand to the dead body. It’s still warm when I touch it.
Do you wish to convert the corpse? (Y/N)
I focus on yes and the goblin’s body, as real as it looks, turns to sand and disappears.
You find 1 nano fragments.
I then see a new set of counters appear on my HUD.
Nano Bits: 0/10000
Nano Fragments: 1/1000
Nano Shards: 0/100
Nano Crystals: 0/10
Nano Cubes: 0/1
“Whoa did you see that?” I say. Maybe these things aren’t exactly ‘real’ after all. But then what does that make the villagers? And what are these new figures?
Gilly casts a heal spell and a bright light washes over one of the villages that’s suffering from burns. His skin heals immediately and the half-depleted health bar above his head goes to full. The man looks at Gilly and clasps his hands in thanks.
“Thank the gods for you, Shard Warrior!” he says and then runs off through the village.
Quest updated 1/15 Villagers aided.
Shard Warrior? What the heck?
“Let’s find some more people to help,” Gilly says.
“All right,” I say to her. “These mobs aren’t too hard. I’ll protect you while we search for them.”
Gilly nods with a smile and I can’t help but feel good about it. Real or not, this was the right thing to do. We head into the village where the main dirt street is awash with chaos. Wolf riding goblins terrorize the villagers, while a hapless few try to ferry buckets of water from the nearby river to douse the raging fires.
Val Helena is going to town with her big axe, chopping the goblins in two with a single cleave. Maxis is doing much the same, except with his fists. Finally, Rembrandt is unloading on the wolf riders, cutting them down and crippling their mounts in a stream of bullets. Experience points drop with each kill, about a thousand or so each time and I hear Gilly level up a couple times as we search for more villagers to heal.
“Gratz!” I say. “What level are you now?”
“23,” she says as she casts Heal on a young girl who’s suffering from a nasty wolf bite to the leg. “I’ll be catching you up in no time at this rate!”
A new quest appears on my HUD.
Quest: Repel the Goblin Raiders:
Defeat the Goblin Champion and Mount!
A massive howl fills the air as the ground shakes beneath my feet.
I pull Gilly closer to me as a huge shadow emerges from the forest. It’s lupine in form but has to be some twenty feet tall! The massive beast gallops down the hillside and charges toward the village. On its back I see a goblin that’s as tall as an elf, wearing a suit of ornate silver armor that looks like it may have been stolen from one. It rides atop the giant wolf, bareback, gripping onto its shaggy mane with one hand as the beast gallops down the main street of the village. The wolf slides to a stop near the village center, about twenty yards from us and where most of the villagers are now gathered.
With its freehand, the goblin unravels a massive whip. With a sharp Crack! it ignites into flames. With another crack, the goblin lashes at the group of villagers now fleeing from the wolf’s snapping jaws. Three health bars flatline as the flaming whip sets a group of unfortunate victims alight.
The villagers scream in horror and pain as they die and sends chills through my soul. Then Gilly lets out a second cry as the wolf ravishes the flaming bodies and swallows them whole.
I’m in a state of shock. This is all too real. And horrible!
The goblin champion rounds the massive wolf in a circle, pulling at its fur, and his bloodshot yellow eyes set upon us.
Oh crap…
Two monster readouts pop up on my HUD.
Goblin Champion
Level: 80
After slaughtering and consuming thousands of its weaker brethren, this goblin has been blessed by the powers of the dark gods to lead the goblin hordes to victory against the realms of men.
Affinity: Dark
Giant Wolf Mount
Level: 80
Only the most savage of goblins could ever tame such a fearsome beast.
Affinity: Dark
I recast Shadow Haste as the Goblin Champion drives the wolf in our direction.
My heart is in my throat! Dying in game is no longer an option. Not for me and most definitely not for Gilly. I push her behind me as the ground shakes beneath my feet again.
I freeze in a panic as the massive creature bears down on me. What do I do!?
Something comes flying from the side, and nails the wolf in the head, causing it to yelp and stumble, taking away 3% of its health. I grab Gilly and dash out of the way, just as the huge beast slams into the wall of the log cabin behind us, taking off another 1%. The rider is thrown from its back and hits the ground with a roll that brings him surprisingly back to his feet.
I realize it must have been Maxis that hit the wolf, because he’s now assaulting it with a series of punches and kicks. He then crossing his forearms in a block as the wolf snaps at him with its huge jaws. My heart leaps again when my brother’s HP bar goes down by a third. He dances and spins, shifting almost like he’s using Active Dodge. He performs another block, literally slamming his forearms into the wolf’s huge face and while his HP goes down again, so does the wolf’s, but Maxis’ also pops up afterwards a bit higher than before.
Maxis blocks the attack!
The Wolf hits Maxis for 357(842) HP.
Maxis regains 447 HP.
The crack of a whip pulls my attention away from my brother and to the tall goblin standing twenty feet from me. The flaming whip lashes through the air a second time, but he’s not aiming for me, he’s aiming for Gilly!
“No!” I cry and I leap in front of her.
You rescue Gilly!
Your shadow absorbs the attack!
“Stick to me ugly!” I shout using War Cry and the Goblin’s vile yellow eyes shift to me.
The Goblin Champion twirls his whip and I can’t tell which way he’s going to attack. It feels li
ke I’m up against one of those octopus type monsters again. I need to focus. I can’t get hit.
I can’t get hit!
Gilly casts a spell and I see Maxis’ HP bar go up from 75% to full. Val Helena is chopping away at the wolf’s hind quarters, while Rembrandt is circling it, blasting away with his pistols to steadily take down its life. My brother is surprisingly keeping hate, perhaps through pure damage alone, as he wails on the wolf’s snout with powerful blows.
Everyone is doing their part. I’ve got to snap out of this and start doing mine!
This is real but it’s no different than the game.
I can do this. I’ve tanked far worse than this guy.
The goblin snarls something at me in a guttural language I don’t understand.
He then cracks the whip again and I dash to the side, avoiding it with ease. My confidence returns with my successful dodge and I Charge Strike into him, stunning him with my katana and removing 2% of his life. I let off a flurry of triple attacks, taking down his HP 3% at a time. The goblin yells something and retreats under my assault, backing away to get distance to use his whip again.
I don’t pursue.
Instead I cast Shadow Cloak and vanish.
The goblin starts snapping the whip blindly and defensively as he turns left and right, trying to determine where I am. It speaks its strange language as I make a wide arc around it, but then it does something I don’t expect. It makes a mad dash for Gilly just as she casts another heal on my brother.
Oh crap!
I instinctively try to Charge Strike but it’s on cool-down. I do the only thing I can think to do next. I toss one of my blades at it, nailing the goblin right in the neck.
Critical hit!
You backstab the Goblin Champion for 773 damage!