“Okay. You are good, Leo. Thanks for relaxing. You are in great health,” the doctor said.
“Thanks, doc.” I opened my eyes and saw that Zarra and Jennifer were still in the observation room.
Zarra turned her head to smile at me, and then she said something to Jennifer. The blonde woman nodded, pushed her glasses up her nose, and then glanced at me before looking at the monitor.
The look she gave me was weird.
It was almost as if she was afraid, but she didn’t seem to be afraid of her boss standing over her shoulder. It seemed as if the pretty blonde woman had directed her terror at me. It was a quick look, and maybe I had misread it, but if we had been in the same room, I might have asked her what was wrong.
“Let’s go sign the contract,” Zarra said as she stepped out of the observation room.
“Everything alright with Jennifer?” I asked as I stood from the stool.
“Oh. Jennifer?” Zarra turned back to look at the blonde woman, but the software engineer was absorbed in her screens. “She is fine. Just commented that you didn’t spend your attribute points when you logged out. There was a bug that we need to fix. She is filing a ticket with the developers right now.”
“Bug? Did I lose all of them?”
“No. Of course not. We’ll have it fixed by the time you login next.” Her mouth turned into the smirk I liked. “Which will be after you sign the contract, eat some food, take a shower, and get a full eight hours of rest. Let’s go.” She gestured for me to follow her out the other door of the lab room and into my suite.
“I’m not really tired. I’ll be fine to play after I eat. I’m actually not very hungry either.”
“Leo, I want to make sure you are healthy. That is why I’ve got Trina on staff. How many people have died from over exhaustion while playing Astafar Unlimited?”
“Ahhh. Plenty,” I said. She was right. It seemed that every month a hand full of gamers would die playing the game because they didn’t eat, or sleep. Astafar Unlimited even had reminders on the clock and a pop-up window that appeared every hour after a six-hour session. Once a player had logged in ten hours at a time the reminders to take a break came in at fifteen-minute intervals. There were still people that just ignored all those warnings, and kept playing.
Ohlavar Quest was even more realistic. I could easily see players logging into the game and never wanting to quit. I had kind of felt that way when I was running toward the temple. The lure of getting new loot was strong.
“We are meeting in this room,” Zarra pointed me to a door down the hallway a bit from my room.
I walked into the smaller conference room to see the two lawyers and a screen of Dinah’s face.
“Leo! How is your game?” my lawyer asked. It was kind of an unusual question, but I could see from her facial expression what she really intended to ask me.
She was worried.
“It went fantastic Dinah,” I said with a smile. “I’m ready to sign.”
“Okay. Our friends here have agreed to all the changes. Do you want to speak privately before you sign?”
“Sure.” I looked at Zarra and the other two women, but they were already getting out of their chairs.
“We’ll be right in the hallway,” Zarra said as she closed the door.
“Okay, Leo. I figured you would sign. I’ve arranged retainer payroll for your trainers, cornerman, and bodyguards. I can call your parents care center and let them know you will come move them. What date do you want to give?”
“Let’s do the day after tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’m no Sal, but I’m guessing that you don’t have any problem with me acting as your agent while you are testing this game?”
“Nope. I don’t think there are going to be any more endorsement deals, but I can pay you--”
“Hon, don’t worry about it. You pay me just fine right now. I’ll take care of everything. Do you want me to issue an announcement to the press?”
“Let’s do it after I move my parents here. Some people know where they are being treated, and I don’t want the place to turn into a… well, a mad house when I go there.”
“Ha. Good point.”
“I’m going to call my housekeeper and have her send me some clothes. Is there anything else I’m missing?”
“Calling your friends?” She winked at me. “They can come and visit a few times, but you three haven’t been apart for more than a few weeks for as long as I have known you. I think the three of you are going to miss each other a bunch.”
“Yeah. I’ll call them tomorrow morning. Then get my parents the day after.”
“Great. That’s pretty much everything. Can you call me once you get your parents back to Arnacript? I want to make sure they are okay with the transition. Then I can do the press release.”
“I doubt that they will be okay with the change. You know how the last move went.”
“Yes. That is why I believe you are doing what is best for them.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You wouldn’t want to do that to them again unless you really felt that these people were going to be able to help. You are a good son, Leo.”
“Thanks, Dinah,” I said with a relieved smile.
“So let’s sign this contract. You are about to become a really rich young man. Well, you already were, but now you will become a billionaire.”
“If this game works out,” I laughed.
“You wouldn’t be doing this if you didn’t think it was going to work,” she said.
I nodded at the screen and then opened the door to let Zarra and her lawyers into the room.
“Show me where to sign.”
I scrolled through the datapad places with Zarra’s lawyers while Dinah watched from her video screen. There were six or so places to sign, a few fingerprints, and then we were done.
“That’s the last of it,” Zarra said with a beautiful smile. “Welcome to the family Leo. I am so happy you’ve joined us. I’m also glad you are letting us treat your parents. We will take great care of them.” She reached for me and wrapped her arms around my neck. My arms circled her waist, and her lips lightly kissed my cheek. The movement felt like more of a European-style greeting at first, but then her body pushed against mine slightly, and her lips brushed across mine as we parted. Her strange purple eyes gazed into mine, and I felt my heart quicken.
“I’m glad to be here. Ohlavar Quest is already great, but we’ll make it even better together,” I said.
“Yes, we will. Now, let’s go grab a late lunch while you tell me about your last session. Then I want you to get some rest. There is food waiting for you in your suite.”
“I have to talk to Chip first,” I reminded her.
“Oh, of course. We’ll go there next.”
I said goodbye to Dinah, and then walked out of the conference room with Zarra and the two lawyers. The women congratulated me again, and then the four of us parted.
Zarra led me down the drab gray hallways for another few minutes. I recognized the door of the sitting room and gave Chip a big smile when I walked inside.
“Leo! Damn buddy. I’m glad to see you,” he said as he stood from the couch.
I saw that he had turned the TV on and was watching the news.
“Hey, Chip. I’m glad to see you too. I’ve signed the contract, and Dinah has taken care of payroll for the next two years.”
“Ahhh.” He nodded. “So that’s it then.”
“Yep. I’ll probably need you when the testing is done. We can talk about that later, but you’re set for two years. I feel like I owe you that.”
“Leo, you don’t owe me shit, but I’m grateful for your employment, and friendship. If you want me when this test is over, I’ll be there for you.”
“I’m sure I will.”
We shook hands and then hugged each other.
“Mr. Smith, our security will escort you to a jet pod, and then we’ll take you back to New York,” Zarra said as she
shook Chip’s hand.
“That is kind of you. Thanks.”
“Bye, Chip,” I said.
“Bye, Leo. I’ll be in touch.” The ex-SEAL nodded at me again.
Zarra opened the door and gestured for the two security guards to enter.
“Please escort Mr. Smith to one of our jet pods. We are giving him a ride home. Make sure you pick up his personal items on the way out.”
“Yes, Ms. Zerne,” one of the men said, and Chip gave me a final smile before he left with them.
We returned to my room and found a bunch of food arranged on the dining table. It was Japanese style again, with sushi rolls, sashimi, tempura, and more of the miso soup that I liked. As usual, there was plenty to eat, and I talked to Zarra about the changes she needed to make.
“Logging in without clothes is a pain in the ass.”
“I know,” she sighed “I forgot that was still there with your login. We are going to fix that. Might not be ready by tomorrow morning, but it will be by the time you return with your parents.”
“It is just my login? No one else has this problem?”
“I’m not a programmer,” she said with a laugh, “but we had this issue with a previous version of our launcher. They updated it with a newer version, but then they had to roll it back for you. I’m embarrassed that this happened, but we’ll get it fixed.”
“It’s my fault really. I forgot to tell you when I logged out to speak to Chip. I entered the game on top of the pile of my clothes where I had logged off on the church roof.”
“This is why it is good you are going to be testing this for a while. We’ll have the game very polished on release,” Zarra said as she poured some sake from a large ceramic pitcher. She handed me a cup while she took one herself. “It isn’t champagne, but we can have an official celebration once your parents are here.”
“Sounds good,” I said as I touched my sake cup to hers and took a sip. “Oh, this reminds me. How did you incorporate the taste sensations? That beer was really good.”
“Modeling in the mouthpiece,” she said with a shrug. We can send you all sorts of flavors. You can actually eat in the game, and you’ll taste what the VRIU gives you, but it will be a water base, and you won’t be able to survive on it. So you’ll have to log out at least once a day to have a meal with me.” She shot me a dazzling smile and then took a bite out of one of her rolls.
“Maybe I might want to have more than one meal with you every day?” I smiled at her.
“I’d like that, but I think you are more in love with my game than me.” She chuckled.
“I have spent more time with your game than with you.”
“Yes. This is true, and I do want you to play the game. I’m sure we can find time outside of that. What else did you have problems with during your last session?”
I talked the beautiful woman through my impressions of the last game session and gave her my thoughts about each part. I asked her why my Ember spell came across more powerfully than I had expected, but she just gave me a ghost of a smile and asked me to try and figure it out. Then we talked about the pain feedback I experienced during the game.
“We can tone it down some, but we do want it to feel real,” she said.
“It felt really real.” I laughed. “I’ve stubbed my toe a bunch. I think I may have broken some of them in the game. It was really distracting.”
“But don’t you think that is part of the fun? Won’t it feel more real for the players?” She asked.
“I don't think they will like it. I--”
“Did you like it?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“The pain. Did you like it?”
“Uhhh. No. I didn--”
“Think about it some more,” she said as she raised a finger in the air to interrupt me. “As long as the pain isn’t permanent, or damaging, won’t it be the best way to punish bad behavior?”
“There are other ways to punish bad behavior, and I didn’t think my behavior was bad. It was just---”
“Think about it again, Leo,” she interrupted. “Everyone needs feedback. Either positive or negative. Why were you injured? Because you were doing something smart, or foolish?”
“Oh, it was all sorts of dumb. I agree,” I laughed. “But it really hurt.”
“I’m not saying that we shouldn’t tone it down, I’m just asking for you to play the game for a bit more until you give a more enlightened opinion. You might not feel the same way if you were running around with clothes or armor on,” she laughed.
“Good points. I’ll think about it some more.”
There was a knock at the door to the lab.
“Come in,” Zarra said, and Jennifer poked her head inside.
“Ky is done with the VRIU, and I’ve finished my log parsing.”
“Great.” Zarra wiped her full lips with her napkin and then stood from her chair.
“Thank you for your feedback, Leo. I need to follow up with my team so they can go home. So I’ll leave you now. Please eat the rest, take a shower, and get some sleep. We’ve put some pajamas in your closet if you wish to wear them.”
“I normally sleep naked,” I said with a chuckle.
“Ha! I guessed it,” Zarra laughed while Jennifer blushed.
“Someone will come wake you up in the morning for breakfast. Then you can play again.” Zarra walked to the lab doorway as she spoke.
“Sounds good. I am actually starting to feel a bit tired,” I admitted.
“Great. When you need the food cleared, you can pick up the phone. The operator will send someone from the cafeteria staff to take the plates.”
“Sounds good. See you tomorrow,” I said.
“See you tomorrow,” Zarra winked at me.
“See you tomorrow, Leo,” Jennifer gave me a shy wave, and it looked like the woman wasn’t terrified of me anymore. Maybe I had imagined that look she gave me earlier.
Once the women had left, I ate a bit more of the food and drank a little more of the sake.
Then I picked up the phone to talk to the operator.
“How can I help you, Mr. Lennox?” the woman asked immediately.
“I finished dinner, and Za-- Ms. Zerne said I could have the plates removed.”
“Of course. I’ll send someone right away. If you need anything, please just pick up the phone.”
“Great. Thanks. Bye.” I hung up the phone and then moved through my bedroom and into the bathroom. It had been an amazing day of gaming, and I was really looking forward to playing tomorrow. I realized that I had forgotten to ask Zarra about spending the attribute points, but I could ask her over breakfast.
I turned the shower on and hung the robe up on the wall. It was one of those multi-spray units and the water got hot quickly. I jumped in and grabbed the bar of soap. It was the brand that I normally used, as was the shampoo. I couldn’t remember an interview where someone had asked me about my hygiene products, but I guessed that Zarra’s team had done a thorough investigation to figure out what kind of stuff I liked.
I finished the shower, and then towel dried myself off before stepping out. The mirror was fogged up from the steam, and I wiped my hand across the glass so that I could inspect the length of my beard.
“What the fuck?” The words escaped my mouth as I stared at my reflection.
My eyes were purple.
I blinked and then rubbed my eyes before I looked in the mirror again. I must have imagined the color. Now my eyes were back to their normal hue. I blinked a few more times, rubbed my eyes yet again, and then leaned closer to the mirror.
“Fucking weird. I must be tired,” I said out loud as I thought about Jacob's note again. He couldn't have possibly meant that I shouldn't trust my own eyes.
Even though I’d just gotten out of the shower, the hair on the back of my neck was standing on end, and I felt a chill descend down my spine. I shivered a bit, squeezed some toothpaste onto the brush, and then took care of my
teeth. As I brushed, I stood at different angles to the mirror and tried to see if something in the bathroom light had made my eyes look the same color as Zarra’s. I didn’t see a change, so I reasoned that it was probably just my brain getting tired from playing Olhavar Quest so much. It had been a long time since I had slept.
“Definitely bed time,” I yawned to myself after I swished my mouth out with water from the sink.
I walked into the bedroom and slipped under the covers of my new bed. It was beyond comfortable, and the pillow cradled my head perfectly. Exhaustion rolled over me like a warm ocean wave, and I thought about what the loremaster would tell me tomorrow when I logged back into the game. There would be a lot to do tomorrow in the game, and I started making a quick list of equipment Artus, Allurie, and I would need to make the trip to Arnicoal. The list started to get kind of blurry in my head as I fought against the fatigue, and then I gave up planning. It would all work out tomorrow.
Then I fell asleep.
End of Book 1
Thank you for reading this novel. Leo’s adventures will continue in Lion’s Quest Book 2!
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Lion's Quest: Undefeated: A LitRPG Saga Page 37