Aleesia must know I’m overwhelmed by the grandeur of it all, because she squeezes my hand firmly. We walk down a hallway, past a dining room with a table of the finest wood I have ever seen, and into a kitchen.
A blonde woman pulls a pan from an oven. The dish steams when she places it on the counter. Her eyes are a brilliant blue.
“Mom, this is Esil. Esil, this is my mom.” The two have very little in common physically. Is it possible Aleesia was adopted?
“Oh, dear, how nice to finally meet you!” She practically runs over to embrace me. A red apron hangs from her neck over a black dress. It’s covered in flour and who knows what else. “I hope you like casserole,” she says enthusiastically. “Cooking has become a hobby of mine. Sometimes I cook just for the fun of it and then dump the food in the waste bin.”
Another squeeze from Aleesia. Throwing food away is something unheard of where I come from. People spend an entire day working to buy food and here, she can cook for fun. Is this the world I’ve been missing?
“Esil’s had a crazy couple of days. I think we’re going to go sit down at the table. Where’s Dad?”
“Oh, you know. He’s upstairs in his office. It was a miracle he had tonight free. He promised he’d be down for dinner.”
We take a seat at the table. The water goblets are made of crystal, and the silverware is real silver. I can’t help but think about how far the money spent on these items could go to help those less fortunate.
“Hey…” Aleesia looks me in the eye. “I know it’s a lot. I always thought so too. I mean…” She picks up a crystal goblet. “Who needs this shit, really?”
I’m glad we’re on the same page.
“Daughter.” The voice is deep and resonant. When I look up, I finally see where Aleesia gets all of her looks. Her father stands behind her, dark hair, dark almond-shaped eyes. He wears a black suit, immaculate in the same way as Benjamin. Is it a requirement to wear suits once you reach a certain level at the company?
“And you must be Esil.” He extends his hand and we shake. “I’m Curtis. Glad to have you join us for dinner.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” I say. For whatever reason, I can’t take my eyes off the man. His very presence commands respect. He’s definitely not how I would picture any programmer looking.
“Likewise. I followed along with your journey through the Developer’s Tournament. I didn’t know if anyone would beat my son, but you did it. His pride and arrogance have cost him a great deal in life. But that is neither here nor there.”
Aleesia’s mother comes in carrying a casserole and places it on the table. Behind her, two women follow carrying the rest of the meal. Greens, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and lamb are on the menu.
“Servants,” I mumble under my breath and Aleesia pinches my leg. Of course she has servants.
We serve ourselves and dig in. The food is delicious, but I wouldn’t have expected anything less. I’ve been eating very well since moving out of The Boxes and there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not thankful to be eating something that doesn’t come out of foil packets.
Silverware clashes with plates and there is the occasional slurp of water.
“How was your flight in? That’s the newest model of pod they have. Smoothest and fastest ride around,” asks Curtis.
“It was fine.” I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be impressed or not. It got me from point A to point B the same as the pod I rented back in The Boxes. So what if it has a smoother ride?
“I knew your father, you know,” Curtis says between bites. “He was a good man, and a very talented programmer. I was heartbroken when I heard the news.”
“I’ve heard a lot of good stories about him.” I never know what to say when people comment on my father. It has happened several times since I moved to Pangea Headquarters. I never knew the man. I’ve read articles on him, I’ve watched interviews he gave, and I have the letter he sent me on my eighteenth birthday, but aside from that, I only have a handful of memories because he died when I was so young. He sounds like a great man and I’m sure he was, but I’ll never know. “How come we never see you at headquarters? Most of the programmers live there.”
“Aleesia didn’t tell you? I’m not a programmer anymore. I haven’t been one for many years now. Of course, we all still get labeled as developers by the public, that just goes with the territory. I’m the head of the business side of things. I was a good programmer, turns out I’m a hell of a businessman.”
“He’s modest too,” says Aleesia’s mother.
“Don’t you think it is more than just a business? You have more power and more influence than any other company in the world. You could use that to do a lot of good.”
“We do a lot of good. You of all people should know that. You’ve seen life outside The Boxes. What happens to those who don’t take up our offer of working in the mines. If not for what we do, then the majority of those people would not be safe, they wouldn’t be fed, and they’d probably be dying.”
“Keeping someone alive isn’t the same as letting them live,” I argue. It’s so frustrating trying to talk to people who will never understand because they haven’t lived it. “They get by on nothing, while you…you drink from crystal glasses. How is that fair?” I push my seat back from the table, my appetite gone. “Thanks for dinner, but I feel it’s time to go.”
No one says anything, but Aleesia follows me as I walk outside.
“Well, I think that went well,” she says dryly. “I especially like the part where you played it cool.”
I can tell she’s joking, but I’m not in the mood.
“You don’t get it. You just don’t, and I doubt you ever could unless you lived like I have. It’s just not the same living up here in your ivory tower when people are working their lives away for nothing more than scraps.”
“Ivory tower? Really?” Tears well up at the edge of her eyes. “You’re being incredibly unfair. I can’t help how I grew up. I didn’t ask for any of this. I was born into it. And if your parents hadn’t had that crash, you would have grown up the same way. So think about that for a minute before you start throwing stones.”
Damn. She’s right.
Chapter Fourteen
“Where do you want to go?” asks Buzz. We’re hanging out in my home portal while we wait for Grayson. Buzz throws a ball across the room, sending Fenrir bolting after it, knocking over the sofa and rattling the floor with his massive stomps. Despite his size, he still behaves like a puppy at times.
Buzz has upgraded some of his armor since the last time I saw him. His dented battle helm has been replaced with a full-face helm in the shape of a wolf. The muzzle lifts up when not in battle so that his face is visible. A black cape hangs over his shoulders, covering his black tunic and red pants. With his large shield engraved with a wolf, soon people will be calling him ‘Buzz the Wolf.’
“Doesn’t matter to me. You’re still spending a lot of time in Asgard, I see.” I don’t care where we go. None of these worlds hold the same luster they did before. Not after experiencing full-immersion.
“Oh yeah, I’ve gained a bit of reputation there. The locals seem to really like me.” Fenrir brings back the ball and Buzz tosses it again. “What about you? Everything okay? You look a little worse for the wear.”
“Eh, this new project I’m working on has me questioning a lot of things I believe in. Not to mention I met Aleesia’s father for the first time last night. I kind of blew that.”
Fenrir returns with the ball and this time, Buzz keeps it.
“What do you mean, ‘blew it’?”
“Well, the short version is that I told him he was a prick for being rich.” The more I’ve thought about it, the more I realize I was an ass. Regardless of my own personal beliefs on wealth, I was a guest in their home and practically attacked the man.
“Smooth. And how did Aleesia respond to all of this?” Buzz fakes throwing the ball, but Fenrir doesn’t fall for it and poun
ces on Buzz instead, licking his face with laps of his massive tongue. Buzz squirms and moans until Fenrir rips the ball from his hands and takes it with him to the couch.
“She was actually very understanding in spite of it all.” We talked this morning and I apologized. She said she knew I was under a lot of stress with testing and was much kinder to me than I probably deserved. Her dad knows all about the alpha testing as well, so it seems he wasn’t too upset with me either.
Buzz stands up and flings drool from his arm. It droops to the floor in a long globby string.
“I still don’t get how you managed to find someone like that. You’re a lucky bastard, you know that?”
“Yeah, I know. How’s your mom?” If not for her, then I never would have entered the Developer’s Tournament and my life would definitely not be what it is today.
“She’s doing great. She’s started back working in the mines a little. For whatever reason, she says it’s good to be doing some actual work. Personally, I’d rather not be mining my life away. Doctors are saying she will make a full recovery, though.”
That’s great to hear. I’m glad Buzz has finally gotten to the point where he doesn’t thank me every time we talk about his mom. I know if the roles had been reversed, he would have done the same for me. Still, I plan on talking to Benjamin about how they treat those in The Boxes. I might not have Curtis’s seal of approval, but I can’t let it go. There has to be something that can be done.
Ding!
A notification pops up in my vision, letting me know I have a visitor. Grayson. I grant him permission to enter my home portal and he materializes in the middle of the room wearing his sexy pirate garb. A white vest hangs unbuttoned, exposing a roaring bear head tattooed on his chest. Several necklaces and amulets dangle from his neck. A belt with a revolver sits on his hip. Two golden battle gauntlets cover his hands. His mustache curls up around the edges, forming two semicircles above a full gray beard. Just like I remember.
“What took you so long?” asks Buzz. “I had to sit here and listen to Esil talk about how he can’t get along with rich people.”
There’s nothing like old friends to put everything in perspective. They look happy enough. But then again, when I was poor, I wasn’t unhappy. I just didn’t know how different things could be. There were days I hated working in the mines. Days I loathed my position in life. But having a friend like Buzz always made things fun.
“Life on the other side not everything you thought it would be? It’s a different world, that’s for sure.” Grayson curls his mustache between his fingers. “Still, you’re better off. Nothing will ever be perfect. That’s part of life, you’ve got to take the good with the bad. Now, where are we going? Some of us have work in the morning.”
“If you guys want to, I’ve got a quest I could use some help with,” says Buzz. “But we might need a few more people.”
You are now entering Asgard, one of the nine worlds of Norse mythology. This is a non-technological world. All electronics have been disabled upon entering Asgard.
Our group materializes at the entrance to Asgard. A long bridge is the only thing standing between us and the famed city of gods. The city is a massive maze of stone towers that reach into the heavens. Clouds cling close to the castle as if hiding its secrets.
“You have got to be kidding me,” says Talia. “A non-technology world. I mean, you have looked at me, right? I’m wearing flubbing space armor. How did you think this would be a good idea?” She wears white battle armor made out of some futurist plastic and a white helmet that covers the entirety of her face. By the look of it, you could never tell she was a woman. A black visor on the helmet reflects the world around her. Her weapon of choice, a plasma rifle.
“Hey, you agreed to come,” says Buzz, arms flailing. “You knew this is where my quest was.”
“Oh, put a sock in it. I’m just giving you a hard time. Give me a second while I equip something more…primitive.” She goes still for a moment as she sorts through her items.
I remember the first time I came to Asgard. It was the day I teamed up with Buzz, Grayson, Aleesia, and several of her dwarven followers. We battled our way to Tyr, the Norse God of War, and released Fenrir from his chains. It had been the first time I felt like a part of a team.
Now, I’m part of a new team. Talia and Benji join Buzz, Grayson, and I. When I asked Benji to team up with us, he was ecstatic. He didn’t even ask what the quest entailed. Buzz has been very secretive about it, so none of us know what we’re going up against.
“Ah, that should do it,” Talia says. Her space armor disappears and is replaced with gray pants, a yellow tunic, and intricately engraved leather bracers. Her hair hangs in long dreadlocks tied together with a ribbon down her back. She carries a longbow that’s as tall as she is. A small gold dagger hangs from her waist. “Judging by the looks of you all, we’re gonna need some ranged attacks.”
With Talia playing an archer, we’ve got a pretty good team composition. She is level fifty-two. Buzz is our tank with his thick shield and defensive spells. He’s managed to raise his level to eighteen. Grayson, level forty-nine, is our brawler. His dual gauntlets pack a heavy punch and he moves with the speed of a boxer. Benji, level fifty-seven, has his healing spell, but also uses ranged battle magic. He probably has a few more tricks up his sleeve as well. And then there’s me, at level twenty-four, jack of all trades, master of none. I have a mixture of spells and physical attacks, though I use most of my spells to set up my attacks. Does that make me a spell-sword? I don’t know, but it works for me.
I call Fenrir to my side and heads turn in our direction. It’s not every day you see a wolf as tall as a human. I glance around and notice the dawn of recognition on people’s faces as they realize where they know me from. Several of them talk to each other in hushed voices. A few point in our direction. That’s part of the reason I quit exploring Pangea after the tournament. People recognized me everywhere I went. In Carolton, though, I was nobody again, and it felt kind of nice.
Today, I’m not going to let it bother me. I’m here to spend time with my friends and hopefully clear my mind of everything else that’s been going on. For the next few hours, I’m going to enjoy myself.
“Alright, Buzz. Time’s up. What’s the quest?” I ask.
He smirks at me and a notification flashes across my vision.
You have been offered to help with the quest “Protect the Farm.” Do you accept? Y/N
I accept, and a wall of text appears in my vision.
Your farm is under attack. Vermin and other creatures have discovered your eggs and descend upon your farm from the city sewers and surrounding areas. Stand fast, defeat them, and be rewarded. Reward: Increased structure building tree and healthy crops for one season.
A tiny green dot appears on the map in the bottom right corner of my vision. That must be where Buzz’s farm is located.
Wait, what? “You have a farm?” I ask.
“Well, sorta. I was going to surprise you when it was finally upgraded better. Long story short is that I came upon some land. I’d rather not say how. The point is, I have upgraded it from just a piece of earth to a shack and now I have a coop with some chickens. In time, I hope to breed chickens big enough to mount. There’s surprisingly little supply in that department. I’ve built my farm up twice already and it has been attacked. There’s just too many vermin. I think with your help, maybe this time, I can save the farm.”
“Buzz the farmer,” scoffs Talia. “No wonder your kill-death ratio is so bad in other game modes.”
“Talia, dear, you have wounded me.” Buzz places his hand over his heart and she rolls her eyes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they are hardcore flirting.
“What are we looking at here?” asks Grayson, cutting right to the point. He’s never one to beat around the bush.
“Basically, waves of no-good vagrant sewer dwellers come and steal my hard-earned eggs. Each wave is harder than the last.”
“Not sure. Never made it past wave two.”
“This is going to be fun!” says Benji. He bares his teeth in a wide smile.
“Thanks again for doing this,” I say to Benji.
“Anything for you, my friend. If not for you, I would not have the Pearl of Monteluna.”
We cross the bridge that leads to Asgard and instead of following everyone else into the city, we take a dirt trail that leads down into a valley. We don’t pass many people along the way. The city is where all of the action and entertainment happens.
It doesn’t take long for us to make it to Buzz’s farm, if that’s what it can be called. It’s more like a shed with a single chicken coop. Several chickens run through the yard, clucking and pecking at the grass. I focus on the building and its stats flash before me.
Buzz’s Chicken Farm.
Level 2.
HP: 2000/2000
“This is your farm?” asks Talia. She waves her hand as if putting it all on display.
“Hey, I never said it was glamorous. I used all of my money on the chickens and the coop. That’s where the money is if I ever make it through this quest.”
The surrounding countryside is empty of any other farms or settlements. Asgard looms over everything from the distance. Prairieland stretches out for miles and ends against a wall of forest and mountain.
“Is there a reason you’re the only farm for miles?” I ask.
“I think most people give up after the first couple of times their farm is destroyed. But not me, I’m as stubborn as they come and before it’s all said and done, the city won’t be the only attraction in Asgard!” He pulls the muzzle of the wolf down over his face and it closes with a clank. “Now, let’s get ready. It’s about time for these turdbags to show up.”
“All hail the chicken king!” shouts Talia and we all laugh, even Buzz.
We all take our positions in front of the small farm. Talia and Benji take the rear, Buzz takes point, and Grayson and I flank him on each side.
Pangea Online: The Complete Trilogy Page 35