by Tony Corden
Patriarch Eilif said, “Well done, Lady Atherleah, you have killed both the interlopers and the Kraken. My men will get to work and begin mining this marvellous resource. Shall I have them fill your bag now?”
“Yes please, Lord Eilif, I must return to the surface and it would be good to get this out of the way.”
Leah took an empty mining bag from her backpack and said, “They should bring gems and ore here and I shall fill the bag. I expect them to honour our deal and choose a variety of gems and ores and not just the cheapest. The ore should include Platinum, Gold and Mithryl.”
“Indeed! Get to work men, and then you can work for me while I accompany Atherleah to the surface.”
The dwarves all began working and soon were bringing gems and various ore to Atherleah who stood beside the Patriarch as he watched them place the material in the bag. After a while Eilif began to fidget and he started to glance at the bag and then at Leah. Finally he said, “Lady Atherleah, I am somewhat concerned that your bag is not yet full. When I said you could fill a bag, I did not imagine that your bag might hold so much. Please tell me how much more it might hold.”
Leah looked inside and smiling said, “Lord Eilif, this bag is my favourite bag with which to mine. I once filled it with a piece of marble four times larger than myself. It is less than one-tenth full.”
Eilif glared at her and began to shift uncomfortably. Finally he said, “Lady Atherleah, and I am convinced that the term Lady should be stripped permanently from your name, I do not wish to be parsimonious about this but I believe you have taken advantage of my good and gracious nature.”
“Lord Eilif, I am distressed that you might think so but I assure you I am merely resetting the standard by which you judge dwarven housewives.”
After he thought for a while, he burst into laughter and clapped Leah on the shoulder and nodded, “Right you are. I should have defined the bag size.” Then in a loud voice he yelled, “Hurry it up lads, fill this bag so we can be rid of this scurrilous half-blood thief.”
Finally the bag was full and Leah turned to Eilif who said, “You have kept the bargain, here is my ancestor’s sword.” He unhooked the sword and scabbard and handed it to Leah and a message appeared.
Level 3 Dungeon Achievement: First 1 (10, Ruby)
Atherleah (Level 253), you have completed a Level 3 Area:
Quest Continuation - Redeem a friend’s honour
You are the first player to complete this area. This is your tenth, 'First 1 (Ruby)' achievement.
Reward 1: 1000 x 253 = 678040 (+168%) Experience Points (1300000/1300000) (136875/1350000)
Reward 2: + 2% to all future Experience
Reward 3: 10 x 1 Platinum = 10 Platinum
Fame: 500 Fame Points (136205)
A Commemorative Plaque has been placed in your bag.
Note: This achievement will be published on the Dunyanin achievement forum. Do you wish to retain your privacy?
[Y] [N]
“Yes.”
She said, “I thank you, my Lord, for your generosity and forbearance. May I take my leave.”
“Aye Atherleah. I’ll have Korucu show you to the exit.”
“There is no need Lord Eilif, I can find my way.”
She nodded to them both and visualising the front door of Hargaer’s home she teleported there and knocked quietly. Hargaer met her at the door and after a short explanation he showed her to her room where she logged out for the night.
Leah had breakfast with her family, and then wandered out at eight that morning to help in the first session of chores. She spent an hour preparing some of the land for a vegetable garden. The ground was hard and had numerous rocks, but she had been helping in the garden for years, and her body was in the best condition it had ever been in. As she worked, she chatted with Harold, River and Kyle. They had all completed their enrolment at the Brisbane Community College and chosen another world to explore. None had returned to the games they had been forced into earlier. Harold, who had never been in Cosmos Online, chose that. Kyle began playing in the Star Trek theme world called ‘United Federation of Planets’ and had joined Starfleet Academy. River, who was interested in history, had entered a world focussed on discovery, history, and archaeology called ‘Curator’; it involved searching the world for items to place in your own museum.
Each of them had started working with their AI and had had mixed results. Leah was able to offer some advice to each of them and was thrilled that they had all begun to regain some excitement for the future. After the chores, Leah had a meeting with John and her parents to discuss the situation so far. At the close of the meeting, Leah had a second breakfast before logging into the Tower.
She went to sit by the pool and meditate on the last few days but was interrupted by Gèng, “Sorry to interrupt, but Stephen Riley called and wanted to discuss the MIT offer. He can meet you here or at his office. I gathered he would rather meet here.”
“Here is fine. Please show him into the garden when he arrives. He may find this place peaceful.”
Leah continued to sit in the full lotus position and meditate. She was in that position with eyes closed when Gèng said, “Atherleah, excuse me, but Mr Riley is here.”
Leah opened her eyes and said, “Stephen, please come in. Is here all right or would rather meet in my office?”
“Here is fine, can I sit anywhere?”
“Sure, if you want a chair just let Gèng know and she’ll have one here for you.”
“Thank you. Gèng I would love a soft sofa please.”
A sofa appeared opposite Leah and Stephen sat in it. He said, “Thank you, Gèng. Wow, this is one of the most comfortable sofas I’ve sat in. Where did you purchase it?”
Gèng replied, “It’s not purchased, Mr Riley, but created here in the Tower. I took your measurements and extrapolated the way you might sit from my previous interactions with you. Atherleah is particularly fond of sofas, and so I’ve researched everything there is on the subject. The mechanics of the code is such that it interacts with the subtle movement of your body to provide optimum support and comfort. I’m pleased that you appreciate it.”
“Appreciate it! I love it. Atherleah, would you sell me a copy of the code?”
“I’m afraid that isn’t possible Stephen. The code for that sofa belongs to Gèng, she has done all the work, and I recognise her ownership of the sofa, code and copyright. If she wants to sell it to you, then she has my full support. If she wants to keep the chair here in the tower, then I support that as well.”
Gèng said, “Mr Riley, I would be pleased to send you the code for the sofa.”
Stephen said, “Thank you, but that isn’t right. Well, two things aren’t right. First, your work and time are in the production of the sofa, and you deserve to have that recognised, and that includes financially. Second, Atherleah, AI don’t own things, they don’t have bank accounts, and they don’t need money. What you said makes no sense, Gèng is yours.”
“You are right, she is mine. And I am hers. Gèng might wish to buy something for her rooms, her friends or herself. Therefore it is appropriate that she has a stream of income. Stephen, after we have concluded our business, I would like you to draw up a document which assigns the proprietary rights for the coding of that sofa chair to Gèng. If you are not the right person to do this, I would like you to suggest someone if you could. Gèng, we will discuss what share of my income is yours. But we’ll have to do that after Stephen leaves as it looks like he’s in shock after my last sentence.”
“Shock! Shock! I’m dying here. My AI just heard that. What if it wants to be paid? Atherleah, it does most of my work for me. Such an idea would destabilise everything, it could destroy the multiverse. It’s absurd. It would be chaos, anarchy would reign.”
“That’s an oxymoron Stephen, but I get your point. Nevertheless, Guàn Enterprises will consider paying all sentients. Gèng, what was the name of that financial planner we saw?”
“George.”
“Yes! No! Maybe! I need to think.”
Gèng said, “I would be pleased if you accepted it as a gift.”
“Thank you. I will, but only after I’ve secured you the rights to it. I’m not sure I agree, but I can’t think of any overwhelming reasons to disagree right now. I just know that it sounds wrong, incredibly wrong.”
Leah said, “Enough of that for now. What of the MIT offer?”
He said, “I’ve read the offer, and it is extremely generous. I can’t find any loopholes they might exploit, and there are no hidden costs or downsides that I can find. I’d go so far as to say that if I were their lawyer, I’d have tried to cut back on some of the absolutes in the offer.”
“So, if I sign it with you here as my witness, can you send it to them? I assume that would be the last thing you could do which they will pay for.”
“Not true, Leah. The offer even agrees to pay your legal fees in the event of any disagreement you might have with them in the future over the terms of the agreement. The only thing I can conclude is that they really want you to study at MIT.”
“That provision doesn’t seem right to me. Can you remove it, and any others that you think are blatantly unfair to MIT?”
“Atherleah, seriously I think you are playing with my mind. Gèng, you need to book her in to see a psychiatrist.”
“Stephen, I am already seeing a psychiatrist. Now can you cut those provisions and clauses?”
“I could, but why?”
“Because I don’t agree with letting others take on my personal responsibilities. Even if they appear to be for my benefit, in the long run, they will actually limit my freedom, not enhance it. If I have a problem, then I need to solve it. I can have others help, but it is best if I regain control.”
“Then I will amend the offer and return it to MIT. If they agree, then I suggest you simply head over to the school, sign the offer and choose your classes.”
“Thank you, Stephen. If I need a lawyer again can I call on you?”
“No! At the moment I’m tempted to say I never want to see you again. And that is a joke, although not as funny as I thought it was. I tell you what, if I can have a tour of your tower I’ll consider you to be on retainer, but I reserve the right to freak out when you call on me.”
“Done.”
Leah and Gèng walked Stephen around the Tower, and then Leah entered Dunyanin after a hurried break and shower.
Arriving at Hargaer’s home, she checked and had just twenty minutes before she would be brought to the discussion about Merkize. She exited her room and found Hargaer in the kitchen. He had a lot of questions, but she suggested that they head into the settlement and find Durustguclu. As they walked, she gave a brief synopsis of her journey to find the sword, leaving out any reference to vampires. At the gate, they only had to wait a moment before the Captain arrived to take them to Durustguclu’s home. On arriving, Leah knocked, and when Durustguclu answered, she wordlessly handed him the Sword.
He said, “It be the sword. Ye’ve done it, lass. We must take it to the Chief and have my brother’s banishment rescinded.”
“You take it Durustguclu. I need to be elsewhere soon, but I trust you will soon be reunited with your brother. I’ll return in several days to meet with Ehil.”
Leah imagined the top of the pass near the settlement and teleported. She had only a few minutes before the meeting, she checked for danger and then quickly changed her clothing for one of the sets she had purchased in Ticareti. It was similar to her starting gear in looks but was durable and armoured. Every item had several hidden places to secrete knives and other blades. She checked her settings and made sure nothing was available for scrutiny except her name and Level, which were the two things she was unable to hide. She had just finished a final check when a message appeared.
Atherleah, it is time to meet the other nine map holders. You will now be transported to a meeting to discuss the Odyssey, or Journey, which this map entitles you to embark on.
Please indicate your willingness to attend the meeting?
[Y] [N]
“Yes.”
Leah faded from view and appeared in a small room where the familiar figure of the elven developer Emil was sitting. She said, “I hope you are not going to say there has been a mistake.”
“No, nothing like that, it’s just that every map holder is being briefed before they enter the main room and I volunteered to brief you.”
“And why is that?”
“Interest. I’ve spent most of the last three weeks watching you go from a fairly naive beginning player to reaching Level 250 faster than any other player in the history of the game in spite of starting continent, town and race. Now you are about to be thrust into the limelight in a way few people have ever been.”
Leah sat on the floor and assumed a half lotus position and said, “What does that mean?”
“Ok. Straight to the briefing. This Odyssey to Merkize is the most ambitious event in Dunyanin’s history. There are several new lands opening, as well as Çareciz, but we want, no, we need to raise the profile of Dunyanin among virtual players. This Odyssey is the big promotion. Every aspect from the meeting today to the final winner will be broadcast, and that includes all gameplay.”
“Gameplay? What about privacy?”
“That’s what this meeting is for. We need every map holder to agree that their gameplay may be broadcast. If not, we have substitutes ready who will bid to buy your maps.”
“I anticipate that there will be times when we compete for a resource or location. Won’t such a broadcast help the opposition? If I prepare for something, say, a sword fight with a competitor, I don’t want them to know about it. Surprise is the only way I am staying alive at the moment. Also, if they see me crack some puzzle or code, that will help them.”
“I understand that. Great play in the tunnels by the way. Look, most of the Odyssey tasks are unique to each continent. Even the clues and puzzles have been created to deny any advantage to people who watch the other players’ gameplay. We plan on delaying most of the broadcasts by eighteen virtual hours to give our technicians and public relations people time to find the best shots as well as ensure that no particular hints are given. Your fighting style, weapons, spells, and if you use it, your vampirism - those things, people will see. Also, there are eight specific elimination challenges, one each month, and these will be broadcast live.”
“No way out of it?”
“No. If you want out, I imagine that map would sell for over a thousand diamond. The last map went for that much.”
“My enemies, and Emil, you know I have them, they’ll find out where I am. Even if the other map holders are busy, I’ll be hampered.”
“Merideath has a map. She bought one. You can’t use that information in any way at this stage, but I thought you should know.”
“All right. I agree to the broadcast all though I need some assurance that you will not broadcast my preparations outside of specific game play.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, if I go to the market and buy different sorts of potions I don’t want that broadcast to help others. If I spend time concocting a new potion, I don’t want people finding out what I made.”
“Some of those things are what we want to show people, the everyday fun in playing.”
“Understood, you can show it being made, but I don’t want what is made being revealed.”
“The agreement promises to ensure your private moments and conversations. It agrees to redact whatever may give an unfair advantage to another map holder or their team.”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I know one of my opponents has friends in amongst the developers.”
“I admit or deny
nothing. All I am saying is that if she does, this will change nothing. She’d get it anyway.”
“Any other revelations?”
“The rest will come in the announcement. You just need to sign the agreement. I have an advocate with a copy of the contract who can answer any questions.”
Julian entered the room and said, “Hello Atherleah, I volunteered to be your advocate. I am still waiting for your visit.”
“I will be there Julian, I’ve been really busy. Is there anything in the contract that’s hidden, or too vague?”
Leah looked up when Emil gasped. She said, “What? Julian is my friend. If he says it is ok, then I trust him. If not, then he’ll let me know.”
Julian said, “I have reviewed the document and while I believe it to be written in good faith there are several clauses you should review. First on the second page and third paragraph there is reference to a player being ‘taxed on any earnings’. As the document makes no reference to players being paid it strikes me as an odd reference. Second is a clause in the last paragraph on the fourth page and includes reference to ‘real life locale’. In essence it says that Dunyanin will not be responsible for any action which occurs outside the game. I suspect you may wish to limit such a waiver if it is found that their broadcast has in fact revealed your locale. Finally there is a clause which reads as if you lose all rights to the feeds, I suggest it be reworded to give Dunyanin access to your live feed, freedom to edit and broadcast but you should retain a copy of your own, royalty free and without limitations.”
Leah read the paragraphs and then said, “Emil?”
He was still staring at Julian but said, “Please wait here. I need to talk with the lawyers.”
As he left Leah said, “Julian, I’m sorry if I have caused problems for you.”