Robb drew up alongside Jordan in the spacious and elegantly appointed Hacienda lobby.
“Are you going to be having the young lady as your guest here in this wildly overpriced hotel filled with sexy reasons to stay in your room?”
The question stopped Jordan in his tracks. He knew better than to even ask if Amy would mind staying in the same room with Alyssa. Lowering prime rib into an inflatable pool full of sharks would have been safer.
“Can we get her own–?” At that precise moment, Alyssa wandered up and showed Jordan the screenshot of the volcano monster or demon gate or inferno doom or whatever it was that was menacing the virtual seafood patio across the parking lot. She had also found fifty silver monarchs in the gift shop, which she collected and sent to Highwayman.
Nobody would ever be able to explain how he did it, but Jordan just looked directly into Alyssa’s eyes and said “You and I have a room with side-by-side king beds.”
“Okay,” Alyssa replied. Then she yawned. Robb’s face erupted into a gigantic smile and changed colors three times before he whirled around and got as far from Jordan as he could.
The energy of the NNG team had well and truly dissipated by now. They wandered across the bamboo paths towards their cabins. Robb and Marc took bungalow five. Amy and Dave claimed number six and Jordan and Alyssa were left with bungalow eight. The little structures looked much smaller than they actually were. The floorplans were situated four wide steps lower than the outside ground. Jordan opened the door on number eight and was left dumbstruck. A fire had already been lit, refreshments had been delivered and arranged on the spacious table, and his and hers towels, sandals and evening clothes had been laid out on the beds. A QLED 70-inch television was on and displaying a dizzying selection of movies, television shows, music and sports events in a slow scroll. There was even a chilled bottle of champagne.
“They just deliver adult beverages without even checking our IDs, I guess,” Jordan said as he held the door. Alyssa took the steps gingerly and walked over to the bed where the the “his” clothes had been arranged. She flopped over face down and let herself bounce on the mattress.
“You have no idea how tired I am,” she said, her voice partially muffled by the mattress. “Wake me up next week.”
“You’re going to get awfully hungry if you sleep for a week,” Jordan said as he took the lids off the some of the invitingly warm plates that had been delivered. There was an entire tray of roast beef, turkey and chicken served with mustard, horseradish, mayonnaise and avocado, sliced sourdough, Swiss, Jack, Provolone, white American, Colby and Muenster. The vegetable platter looked like a millionaire’s salad bar. Right next to it was a gallon-sized tureen of fruit. A gigantic pan of baked chicken filled the back half of the table. There was a generous container of vegetable soup in the center surrounded by rather expensive looking water crackers and cups. An entire cheesecake was there for dessert. Coffee, hot water, iced tea and a silvered cooler full of soft drinks and bottled wine spritzers were placed on a small side table.
“Maybe $2500 wasn’t such a bad price after all,” Jordan muttered. Alyssa didn’t answer. He went to the bed and found her asleep again. He knelt down and brushed a few stray hairs away from her face.
“Hey,” he nudged her just enough to wake her up. Her eyes fluttered open. They were just as beautiful as he remembered them from only a few minutes ago. “You really don’t want to sleep on top of the bedspread in a jacket and boots, do you?”
Alyssa’s smile brightened the room. “Are you worried about me?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Or do you just want me to put on my pajamas?”
Jordan smiled. For the first time, he wasn’t self conscious about what he should say.
“That too.”
“Well, I’ll agree, but only if you feed me first.”
“It just so happens I have arranged a feast fit for the Doncella of Lish herself right over there on that table. The soup is hot, the champagne is cold and I can guarantee you we won’t be interrupted by strange men or arguments about loot.”
“That sounds grand.”
“I’ll tell you a secret if you promise you won’t make fun of me.”
“What,” she replied playfully.
“I’m really looking forward to eating off a plate for a change instead of out of a bag.”
Alyssa smiled again.
“I just have to check on our guildmates real quick and I’ll be right back.”
“I can’t wait.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Robb answered the door. He and Marc had already set up their computers and unpacked most of the A/V equipment.
“What’s the story on the network here?” Jordan asked.
“Get this. Wired and wireless. 35 megabit down and about 21 up. Both sustained on a high-load connection. Nice and meaty. We can videocast from here and we’ll have no trouble logging everyone on to the game simultaneously.”
“Alright, do me a favor and set up a connection relay and point all our rooms to our proxy on the NNG server.”
“Secured?”
“Naturally. I don’t want the resort snooping either. This way if someone is crazy enough to try and track our location everything will look like it’s coming from a co-located box in Northern California. Let’s do that with the phones too.”
“Capital idea, boss.”
“How do you like the food?”
“It was gone before we set our luggage down,” Robb said with a grin. “So they brought more.”
Jordan rolled his eyes and waved goodnight. He made his way to the first cabin. Amy was already asleep. Dave was scrolling through third-run movie options, very likely looking for one of his obscure action adventure movies he had already seen five times or more.
“Robb’s going to set us up with a secured connection to our proxy. We’ll meet up at breakfast tomorrow and take a look around.”
Dave nodded without taking his eyes off the TV. “That’s a plan. ‘Night.”
Jordan passed the crystal clear swimming pool on the way back to bungalow eight. Perhaps they would have a little peace for a while. The butterflies just under his ribcage went into overdrive as he got closer to the room. He knew the thought of Alyssa Heatherly in sleeping attire would carry him beyond reason and squarely into the realm of the impossible, so he chose not to fantasize. Why settle for imagination when the real girl herself is joining you for a nightcap?
She looked exactly the way he expected she would. The pink silk pajamas monogrammed with the Hacienda Beachcomber logo were roughly half-a-size too large, but somehow Alyssa still made them look unreasonably alluring. She had let her hair down completely by now. Even the Duchess of Ashelria couldn’t compete. Robb would be so disappointed, even if he managed to complete the career-level quest line necessary to get within a mile of her castle.
“I could get used to this place,” she said as she picked over the fruit bowl. “Have you seen the room service menu?”
Jordan closed the door and stepped out of his shoes. He grabbed a clean t-shirt out of his overnight bag. The carpeting felt like walking on money. There was no such thing as a wood floor in a $350 a night room. He went into the spacious sink and mirror section of what could only be described as the “bathroom complex” section of the bungalow and turned on the light. Huge frosted bulbs surrounding the mirror came on, revealing two stainless steel sinks surrounded by complimentary soaps, powders, perfumes, colognes, conditioners and hair care products. These weren’t the tiny budget-motel versions either. The bath and shower area was even larger. The shower was a five-nozzle affair with four glass walls that became opaque through the use of the same electronics that controlled water temperature and pressure. The bathtub was big enough for two and deep enough to allow one to recline as comfortably as they might on the king beds.
“I realize I was tired and may have been hallucinating, but I distinctly remember you promising to feed me,” Alyssa called.
; “No need to get saucy, my darling betrothed.” Jordan switched the light off and emerged in his No-Name-Games Videocast fan reward shirt and jeans. He tapped the champagne service before taking a seat across from his unexpected guest.
“What was that for?” Alyssa finished another strawberry.
“Static. Old programming habit. The last time I forgot to discharge the static electricity after walking across a carpet in my socks, it cost me two hundred dollars worth of ruined electronics.”
“You really are a geek, aren’t you?”
“Card carrying. Now that we’ve successfully evaded capture by the mysterious forces opposing us, I have a question that you haven’t had a clear opportunity to explain yet.”
Alyssa took a bite out of another strawberry.
“How did you really steal those stats from Fairly Unusual? How could you possibly get a 40-page document out of the building without someone noticing you?”
“You mean you don’t believe my story about all the guys there?” she replied sincerely. Then she got up and stood beside Jordan. “You don’t believe I can distract them by reeeeeaching across the desk to pick up an envelope?”
As she spoke, she leaned across Jordan’s lap and dipped her strawberry in the cheesecake icing. Her hair slid off her back as she leaned further to pick up a cookie. She stood up again and put on a show of pouting while she ate the rest of the sweet fruit. “Or when I adjust those cute little buckles on my strappy sandals?” She turned and lifted one foot. She looked back over her shoulder while she pulled her sock up higher on her ankle. The temperature in the bungalow climbed a full degree.
“Okay, point made.”
Alyssa smiled again and celebrated making her point by plopping down on her chair, tossing her hair across her other shoulder and taking a bite of her cookie. “Now it’s my turn.”
“You don’t believe my story about being a videocaster who used to have a crossbow as a co-host?”
“You know exactly what we have to do to get to Safekeep, don’t you?”
“I do,” Jordan grinned. “No pun intended.”
“Okay, stop teasing me. What is the real story?”
“Wyland hid a controlling share of stock in Fairly Unusual Games inside this Kings and Conquests game. I think either the shares or the key to getting the shares are hidden in the Safekeep location. According to the company, that location is very dangerous for even high level characters. We don’t have time to play this straight, so we’re going to have to bend the rules a little.”
“Ooh, I like the sound of that.”
“I think you provided half of the answer. I think I can provide the other half. Right now, my Founder’s privileges give me a lot of options. You being level 40 and having the developer powers you have give you other options. If we get married in-game, it opens up a ton of diplomacy and intrigue possibilities. However, there is an ‘X’ factor which none of us have considered yet.”
“What happens if a Founder gets married?”
“Exactly. I think it procs another level of strategic options, one or more of which we can use together to get to Safekeep without having to reach max level. The problem is you’re probably the character that is going to have to make the journey. Founder or not, I don’t think I can make myself powerful enough to withstand a max level challenge.”
“You’re trusting me? What if I just make off with all the treasure myself?”
“Slave girls are not allowed to disobey their Lord Husbands, young lady.”
Alyssa made another show of getting out of her chair and pouting as she settled on Jordan’s lap. She put her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his. “You better be nice to me. I have all your money.”
“Yeah, but it’s not going to be any fun being rich unless you have someone to spend it all with. Besides, who is going to believe you when you tell them you got rich playing a video game for geeks?”
Her warm smile brightened the room again. “Nobody,” she purred.
Jordan felt a momentary flutter of surprise when she kissed him. It was swiftly replaced by a feeling of contentment when he kissed her back.
“Now you better feed me like you promised or I’m going to pout for the rest of the night.”
Jordan smiled. “I can’t wait.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Foobar was back at it. Each time he had died, his creator had gone back and meticulously reviewed the combat logs, game event logs, screen grabs, video and all other records of the fight. Options for accomplishing his goal were tested, evaluated, re-evaluated and compared to others. Spreadsheets were prepared. ‘A’ vs. ‘B’ testing results were stored in databases, extracted, munged, pureed and blended.
And now he had it. Foobar Mark Six was about to combine the perfect formulation of character skills, speed, evasion techniques and immunities to entice Kukalesh the Foul from his starting location to the guarded bridge outside the City of Rook. He knew exactly what would happen when the first soldier fell to one of the giant’s devastating attacks. The others would sound the alarm, which would focus a virtual firehose of antagonists at the indestructible world boss. Like it or not, math was math. There was no other character, monster, NPC or random effect in this part of the world that could kill Kukalesh. All they could do was enrage him, which was just fine with Foobar, because he was fully prepared to collect everything in the giant’s wake of destruction.
A gray stone about the size of a golf ball sailed across the bloodstained glen where the giant waited for opponents. It whacked the enormous creature’s ankle. A shout echoed and the chase was on again. The ground heaved and crashed. The sound of huge inhaling breaths swirled around the trees. Foobar ran for his level two life yet again. Fortunately for him, this time he had precisely the right skills with precisely the right equipment, potions and familiarity with the area to reach his goal. He knew video games were not based on intuition, thinking, strategy or good looks. Video games ran on computers, which meant they were based on math and nothing but math. As long as his numbers were better than the opponent’s numbers, he knew he would have the best chance to win. Granted, there was always a margin for error with so many interlocking variables, but the underlying mathematical principles were always the same.
The only goal in a game like Kings and Conquests was to have better numbers.
As he came screaming out of the forest, swiftness potion in one hand and Wand of Blurred Evasion in the other, Foobar was roughly a hundred yards away from his opponent. Based on his mission timer, he knew he had about eight seconds before Kukalesh would have the opportunity to proc his first sprint. Four of the six times Foobar had tried this, that first sprint had been his demise. This time, he was ready.
The timer counted down. Six. Five. Four. Foobar’s creator held his hand over the number pad asterisk button, which was mapped to the “use readied object” function in his customized Kings and Conquests user interface. Kukalesh the Foul crashed out of the trees at forests edge. Two seconds.
Foobar downed his swiftness potion. His speed boost activated within three tenths of a second of Kukalesh’s sprint. The giant was unable to close the distance, which triggered his enrage reaction, exactly as Foobar predicted. While the enrage didn’t increase the world boss’ speed, it did provide the basis for his first attack doing precisely what Foobar wanted it to do, and that was to crush the first guard that challenged the angry giant. The bridge was now less than two hundred yards away. Foobar ran and ran.
The timer numbers turned red again. Five. Four. Three.
The second sprint proc, which had killed Foobar on the two occasions he had lived this long, was about to activate. He readied his wand. The giant accelerated forward and Foobar became a dodging and weaving blur of color. The giant was unable to target its foe with a physical attack, and since Kukalesh had no other offensive abilities, that meant it could not hurt the blurry insect-sized quarry. That triggered another enrage. Now the giant had three times its normal attack power.
Forty yards to go. Foobar’s exhaustion level was high enough the stat numbers had turned yellow in the heads-up interface. The ground around him shuddered as if he were causing the earthquake he was desperately trying to outrun. Then it happened.
Kukalesh used his shout. This was unexpected, but entirely welcome. The reason was because the shout, while it caused no damage, did function as a very effective taunt. All four of the guards aggroed just as Foobar ran past them. The first armored human was yanked off his feet by a teeth-shattering crash of Kukalesh’s inelegant weapon just as Foobar cannonballed into the river with one hand holding his nose and the other raised in a rude gesture.
As the splash sent water high in the air, the world event board lit up. Everyone in the realm now knew the King’s Mighty City of Rook was under attack.
And there wasn’t a single, solitary creature in the entire world that could stop it.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jordan’s phone beeped. An instant later, Alyssa’s phone went off. The volume was maxed. Unnecessarily cheery mariachi music blared. The occasional group “Ole!” sounded like a cheap compressed air horn. It sounded funny the night before when Jordan and Robb installed it as a joke. Now it was more or less the equivalent of auditory assault. The phone’s owner was sprawled across Jordan’s legs, with her arms spread and hair splashed across the expensive pillows. She wouldn’t have awakened to anything less than an artillery barrage.
“Gahhhh!”
Overpowered: A LitRPG Thriller (Kings and Conquests Book 1) Page 15