Chapter Thirty-Two
Robb’s phone beeped. The text was from Jordan. “Location Delta.”
He texted back. “Affirmative.”
“Jordan’s on his way,” he said. The NNG membership was gathered around their semi-official table at the donut shop. Robb figured they had about an hour before they were discovered or recognized. He was the one who presciently pointed out the augmented reality mobile app might light up if it was in the vicinity of other devices so equipped. Looking through the app at other people might then display their character stats and the jig would be up.
“We split up from here,” Dave said. “How the hell are we supposed to defeat this mega-quest if we can’t even get in to the game?”
“Well, we’ve accomplished something few humans ever do,” Amy replied. “People are trying to kill us in two worlds, not just one.”
“We need a base of operations,” Marc said. “Bad enough we’re the targets here, but we can’t outrun the bad guys if our asses are planted in a chair leveling and doing quests.”
“If only one of us had dinged eight we could use the app,” Robb muttered.
“Jordan is level seven,” Amy offered.
“Jordan might not live much longer,” Robb replied. “In real life or Kings and Conquests.”
Alyssa’s car roared up outside.
“Shit!” Robb hissed as he ducked down. “They found us!”
Amy peered over the edge of the donut shop’s corner bench, breathed a huge sigh of relief when she saw Jordan, then shouted “what the fuck?!” when she saw Alyssa.
Jordan rushed into the donut shop and whisked past everyone to take his seat at the table. He started digging in his laptop bag. Alyssa looked more than a little thankful to get to their destination. She quickly divested herself of the firearm by placing it on the table. Robb would have jumped back several feet if he wasn’t already standing with his back to the wall.
“Uh, boss?” Dave asked tentatively. “What is going on?”
“Change of plans.”
“No shit?”
“You brought a gun to a donut shop?”
“Someone tried to kill us, Marc. Why did you just leave my front door standing open like that?”
“We didn’t do anything. I put your authenticator in the safe and we locked up and came here. We figured you’d want to meet to talk about your slave girl before we got back to Rich and Jason,” Robb said.
“What is she doing here?” Amy finally snapped, arms folded just like at the house.
“Well, I can’t really outrun international fugitives and guys with guns without my wife,” Jordan replied as he opened his laptop. All four of the NNG members not named Jordan stared at Alyssa, who wore a rather convincing “who me?” expression.
“Something you two want to tell us?” Marc asked.
“Yeah, I’m pregnant. And it’s hers,” Jordan quipped. Alyssa tried not to laugh. “Look, she joined the team a half hour ago, and we just narrowly escaped the guy who is trying to steal my character so he can kill it and take the Safekeep quest. Let’s keep our eye on the ball, okay?” The laptop finally booted and Jordan rapidly logged in. He navigated to the Founder’s Dashboard and set his character for continuous progression. Then he parked himself in the Gorian capital’s guard barracks and set all of his goals to maximum defense and minimum risk-taking, which essentially meant Highwayman would be pasted to the side of a guard’s head until he logged in again. He reset his password to 36 characters of line noise, registered it with his mobile phone’s password app and then logged out.
“Let’s go back to Casa Hall, then,” Robb said.
“Can’t go back there,” Alyssa replied.
“Right now the cops are arresting the guy who broke in ready to use that gun on us,” Jordan added. “I called them on the way over here, but if they can send one guy, they can send others, and my house is the first place they’re going to look. Everyone log in and change your passwords.” Jordan got up and started rifling through his other bag.
The other four NNG members took turns using Jordan’s laptop and KNC installation to log in to their character accounts and change their passwords. A rapid consensus was reached that everyone should adopt Jordan’s all-defense continuous progression policy until further notice. Finally Alyssa logged in. Robb watched carefully as she moved her character to a safe location and used the Developer equivalent of the Founder’s Dashboard to set her defensive options. Then the light went on.
“Holy fibbities! Dude! She’s level 40!” He took Alyssa by the shoulders and pulled her up out of the seat. He guided the surprised girl to the next table and sat down across from her. “Give me your phone.”
“What? No!”
“Just trust me for a minute. Let me see. Gimme gimme gimme.”
Alyssa reluctantly reached into her inside jacket pocket and gingerly offered it to Robb. He swiped and tapped, looking for the KNC mobile app. Marc watched over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
“She’s level 40. She can use the augmented reality features and she can control her character from her phone. Basically she can play Kings and Conquests without having to sit in a chair and shove fistfuls of crackers into her face.”
“So what?”
“Jordan has a Founder’s account. Between the two of them, we can pull off some serious shit in the next few hours.”
“Cheerleader or not, we need a base of operations,” Amy said.
“I’m not a cheerleader,” Alyssa snapped.
“Sure thing, sweetie.”
“Are you and I going to have a problem?”
Amy stood up. “Yeah, we’re going to have a problem. You might think you’ve pried your way in here because Jordan can’t control his hormones, but the pretty face and tight jeans aren’t going to work on me, honey.”
“Hey,” Jordan said. Amy only acknowledged him because she was fully prepared to quit the No-Name Games Guild if he didn’t say the right thing in the next fifteen seconds.
“What.”
“Jason and Rich sent a guy after her armed with that gun. The whole slave girl thing was a ruse. They tried to set me up. They set her up first.”
“What makes you think she isn’t just trying to trick you?” Amy asked. Jordan and Alyssa glanced at each other and both tried not to smile as they remembered the “bad novelist” line at the same time. Jordan glanced back at Amy. “We’ve been over that. She’s clean.”
“Ohhhhh,” Dave teased. “Now it’s pretty clear what’s going on.”
Jordan avoided blushing by looking busy. Finally he found what he was looking for. It was his backup address book where he kept the names and numbers of all his streaming contacts. “We need to do an NNG episode, and we’re going to have to do it on the road.”
Robb was in the process of getting Alyssa’s KNC mobile app squared away. He had finally finished all of the installation and configuration. He handed the phone back to her so she could log in and establish her profile for obtaining real-world quests. While she worked, Jordan sent a quick text to AngryFluid, his guest from the NNG videocast when they discovered the Frosty Cat crowdfunding launch. It seemed so long ago now.
“Turns out Tim has a lot of property, and he has a guest house. How fast can the rest of you get an overnight bag packed?”
“So we can fly to Alaska!?” Amy exclaimed.
“You want us to go back to our houses?” Dave asked in an incredulous tone.
“It’s risky, but I really doubt they’ve staked out everyone’s house,” Jordan replied. “We at least have to find someplace to stay that isn’t obvious, just for a few nights.”
“I’m not going home. No way. I’ll stay in a motel or something first, but there’s no way I’m going home,” Alyssa said. “I already texted my stepmom to get out of the house.” The look on her face told Jordan there was no possibility of persuading her otherwise.
“If we’re going on the road, we need cash,” Robb said. “An
d probably a lot of it.”
Without answering, Jordan excused himself. Alyssa finally got her phone configured and logged in to the mobile app. Her character selection screen came up and she chose the highlighted “Discover Quests” option on the main screen. The interface parted like theater curtains and produced an image of the donut shop table. It was exactly as if she were looking through her camera interface except there was a small full-color rotating KNC logo in the lower right corner.
“Use it as if the phone were a lens. Point the camera at things and the app will tell you if it has some significance in the game,” Robb said. Alyssa pointed the camera at Jordan as he came back in to the restaurant. He was carrying the crossbow.
“Whoa!” Dave exclaimed. Jordan froze. The app correctly recognized the Crossbow of the Disgraced Prince and produced a button to bring up its statistics, powers and value. The app also displayed a frame around Jordan himself that correctly recognized he was Highwayman, a level seven Kings and Conquests player with Founder status. Another button appeared to bring up his vital statistics, equipment, achievements and status.
“I have an idea,” Marc said. He commandeered Jordan’s laptop and navigated to the Orbit’s Gamer message boards. He logged in to his throwaway account, clacked out an inquiry, marked it urgent and posted it, then directed the responses to his phone.
Nothing else in the donut shop seemed to have any significance in the game, at least as far as the mobile app was concerned. Neither did any of the vehicles, which made Alyssa feel quite a bit better. At least game factions wouldn’t be putting all-points bulletins out on her car.
“So what exactly am I supposed to do with this app?” Alyssa asked.
“You can look for real world quests,” Robb said. “Things that might advance your character, allow you to obtain gold, treasure, crafting skill increases and so on. It also allows you to see and peer your phone with other players if they have the app installed. That’s probably why it recognized Jordan so fast.”
“Well, at least it isn’t recognizing him from his face, because that would be–”
“I hope the word ‘creepy’ interrupts an armed robbery,” Amy snapped. “I hope the word ‘creepy’ gets out of a cab and is run over by a paint truck.”
“I wasn’t going to say ‘creepy!'" Dave protested.
“Good. Use a different word, because I hope the word ‘creepy’ slips while feeding an alligator.”
Dave frowned.
“I can go on for days,” Amy said with a facetious smile.
Marc’s phone beeped. He checked his Orbit’s Gamer post.
“Someone just offered me fourteen grand for that crossbow.”
“Oh good, let’s meet them in the park so we can get mugged,” Robb said.
“We have a gun, a crossbow and a stun gun,” Jordan replied. “Any meeting would be more dangerous for them than it is for us.”
“He says he will bring cash.”
“Who the hell has fourteen grand in cash!?” Robb exclaimed. “For that matter, who the hell spends fourteen grand on a crossbow?”
“Ask him where he got the money,” Jordan said. “I don’t want six police cars to pull up while we’re trying to keep a low profile.” Marc typed. “Is he local?” Marc nodded.
“What a great image. The King of the Dorks caught in the headlights of fast-responding police cars as he tries to sell a crossbow. Videowall gold!” Robb cheered.
“What was all that about an NNG episode?” Amy asked. “It’s going to be a little weird without our gear.”
“Well, that’s one reason we need to hit our houses, even if it’s just long enough to grab what we need and abscond,” Dave said.
Marc’s phone beeped again. “The guy says he earned the money by selling the Anchor of Seven Pirates, a Phantom Ring, a Kukalesh the Foul action figure and a scale model of the city of Tyree.”
“Well, that would do it,” Dave said.
“Tell him we’ll meet him at the Rappaport Highway Patrol station in an hour. Tell him to come alone and that he’ll be on live video during the entire meeting right after we take pictures of his license plates.”
“Affirmative,” Marc muttered. He typed furiously.
“Alright boys and girls, let’s saddle up. Once we’ve got the cash, we’ll hole up in the nearest budget motel, order ourselves a big spread and make our plan.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Game Company IT Staffers Fired for Tampering” – Fantasy Network
“Brace Coogan New Fairly Unusual CEO” – San Diego Caller
“Alabama Grandmother Sells Level 31 KNC Account for Thousands” – WTUY TV
“Kings and Conquests Three Million Strong” – Orbit’s Gamer
“Brawl Injures Six in Video Game Dispute” – Arlo Chronicle
“Videographers Launch Complain-a-Thon to Raise Charity Dollars” – The Game Dudes
“FUG Stock Price Breaks $70 on Record Earnings” – Cavanaugh on Business
“Make Money Crafting Virtual Fishing Poles” – The Fabulous Fabster
“I’m So Tired of Video Games” – Daily Quest
Chapter Thirty-Four
“I feel like a criminal,” Amy said as Team NNG Plus One returned to their vehicles. They were one medieval weapon lighter, but they had 140 neatly stacked and bundled $100 bills stored in a pink dinosaur that doubled as a backpack.
“Why? We sold a valuable item. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Robb said.
“I know, but still–”
“Contrary to popular belief, having money isn’t illegal,” Robb said sarcastically. “Right, King Dork?”
Jordan was lost in thought. He was busy working with Alyssa’s phone. He was comparing the abilities she had in her Developer Interface with his own Founder’s page.
“There’s a hidden message in Wyland’s map.”
That statement stopped everyone in their tracks. The entire NNG membership gathered around their leader and the phone with the mobile app installed. Once again Alyssa was close enough Jordan could just catch the scent of her body spray. It was making it very difficult to concentrate.
“How can you tell?” Dave asked.
“I need to send the original copy of it to my character in the game. How do I do that?”
“Players that reach level five have real-world e-mail addresses,” Alyssa replied. “It shows up in your in-game mail.”
“Hey I’m starting to re-think the idea of having her around,” Robb said. “She’s got the inside scoop on this game. Might come in useful.” Amy didn’t look convinced, but at least the potential for rending of garments and gnashing of teeth had subsided. Jordan wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. He was busy retrieving the Safekeep map from the co-located NNG server where the group kept their private file storage.
“Done. Marc, get us some rooms. Three doubles. Get something along Pacific Coast Highway so we don’t have to navigate freeways day and night.”
Marc pulled up his travel app and went to work looking for open reservations on the Southern California coast. He performed some of his bidding magic and managed to get three premium off-market side-by-side bungalows at the Hacienda Beachcomber Resort not far from Catalina Island. Alyssa had relinquished the driver’s seat in her car, allowing Jordan to drive so she could close her eyes. She was fast asleep by the time they merged into freeway traffic.
“Stone fireplaces, 24 hour room service, pool, spa and Jacuzzi, complimentary breakfast, accommodation dining rooms, single or side-by-side king beds. This is going to be like staying at the Basque in Vegas!” Robb said.
“As long as they have a shower and quiet so we can sleep, I couldn’t care less,” Amy said before stretching and yawning. “Running from crazy people is exhausting.”
Alyssa’s and Dave’s cars caravanned south along California Highway One, the world-famous Pacific Coast Highway. The route took them through some of the world’s most expensive neighborhoods, past iconic landmarks and al
ong the world’s most familiar beaches. Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and the Balboa Peninsula, Crystal Cove, Emerald Bay, Aliso Beach, Dana Point Harbor and finally to the Hacienda Beachcomber. From the highway, the entrance to the beachside resort was well concealed. Once they were past the guest gate and were able to navigate around the gentle curve to the main parking area, the true magnitude of the five-star resort location became clear. The bungalows were literally right on the water. A miniature pier was built in to the north edge of the grounds, and Captain Crawley’s Seafood Shack took full advantage, providing guests with seaside patio seating.
“Marc, just out of curiosity, how much is this going to cost us?”
“About $2500. I got the first night free with the three-night special.”
“You booked us three nights?!” Jordan exclaimed, looking through the rear view mirror at his smiling amateur travel agent.
“They have free wi-fi. I got the deal because it’s mid-week.”
“Okay, from now on, we discuss expenditures before we actually spend the money. Fair enough?”
“Come on, you’re going to love it,” Robb said. Everyone piled out of the cars. Marc and Dave went inside to get the room keys. Jordan woke Alyssa and Amy and gave his in-game betrothed her phone back. Alyssa wandered along, following the others partially because she had no idea where she was and partially because it just seemed like the thing to do.
She absently pulled up the augmented reality interface for Kings and Conquests again. The quest indicator highlighted a directional path back into the parking lot. She turned around and pointed her phone at the restaurant. Sure enough, the patio area was surrounded in ominous graphics that made it look like infernal smoke was pouring from it. She didn’t have the energy to be surprised or alarmed, but somewhere deep in her subconscious she presumed Jordan would probably want to know about the demon lair only a few yards from their rooms.
Overpowered: A LitRPG Thriller (Kings and Conquests Book 1) Page 14