by Terry Schott
Aleron’s body jerked suddenly, and he gasped and drew air into his lungs. Then he sagged back and fell into the mattress with eyes closed. Steam began to rise from his body as the spots of light and darkness twisted together, battling for dominance of his body, possession of his soul.
Tansa balled her hands into fists and brought them down hard against Aleron’s chest with a loud thump, speaking a single word of magic as the blows struck. Aleron remained unconscious and still, but the light under his skin moved more aggressively, completely surrounding each patch of darkness and pushing inwards from all sides. The blackness shrunk to a point and vibrated as it tried to survive.
Tansa stood and turned, a smile on her face. “That’s the best we can do for him.”
“What do you think? Will he live?”
“I always think my patients will make it.” Her eyes glinted. “Maybe that’s why I’m such an amazing healer.”
“When will we know for sure?”
“Few hours. Maybe a day.”
Kieran stood.
“You walked a ways to get him here?”
“Yes.”
“Why not simply port straight to us?”
“He was too close to turning.”
“Ahh.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded. “You needed the magic to hold the evil at bay.”
“That’s right.”
Tansa looked down at Aleron. “I wonder if he’s as important as you think he is.”
“If he lives, I guess we’ll see.”
58
“Jules?”
Julie felt a touch on her arm and jumped, her eyes coming back to focus on the man sitting across the table. “What? Sorry, did you say something, Alan?”
Alan laughed. “I’ve said a few things. What’s the last thing you remember hearing?”
Julie frowned and shook her head. “I don’t know. Something about cameras.”
“Cameras? Damn, hun, that was like ten minutes ago.”
“Oh.”
He leaned forward and held her hand. “I think I was right. It was too early to come out in public.”
“No,” she shook her head. “It’s fine.”
“They said it would take a bit of time to get used to being home. Let’s pay the bill and go back to the apartment.”
“No.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Really.”
“Maybe you’re right. I’m sorry, babe.”
“Nothing to apologize for.”
“It’s just that—” She looked at the people sitting around them. “Everything seems so...”
“Different, right?”
She laughed. “It’s all loud, and angry. The world is buzzing with noise, even when there’s nobody talking.”
“Huh.”
“Preu Treya was so calm. Peaceful. Even in the villages that were bustling with activity, it seemed healthy, organic. All of this is—” She shook her head. “Fabricated. Artificial.”
“Wow.” Alan raised his eyebrows and shook his head.
“I know. Sounds crazy right?”
“Kinda. Since, you know, you’re saying that a fake digital reality felt more real than ... well, the real world.”
“It does sound nuts, but—” she sighed. “It’s the most accurate description I can come up with.”
“I wish I could have gone with you, Jules. It sounds like you had an amazing time.”
Jules took his hand. “I’m sorry that Daddy wouldn’t pay for you to go.”
He grinned. “Two million is a bit of a commitment. I don’t blame him.”
“He does like you.”
“I’m sure he does.” He shook his head. “As much as I’ll like my daughter’s boyfriend someday.”
They both laughed.
“I want to go back.”
“You’ll get a chance to play again.”
“Not play. I want to live there.” She looked up at Alan and saw his smile turn to a frown. “It’s so incredible. More real than this could ever be.”
Alan nodded. “Let’s go home and you can tell me all about it.”
She laughed. “You’re just saying that to humour me.”
“I’m not. I’ve seen game play footage. I can only imagine how cool the experience is first-hand.”
“You’re the one that talked me into going.”
“I figured if I couldn’t, then you should. Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re crazy.” He stood and took her hand. “Let’s pay the bill and get out of here. I want to hear all about your adventures. And we can plan new ones for when the game goes public and I can join you.”
59
“Be ready,” Sebastian called from the back of the group. “Within the next few turns we will face our next encounter.”
Fen nudged Xander and the two stopped to face the others. “Want to wait here while we go look?”
“No. From this point until we reach forest, it’s safer if we all stay together.”
Shale frowned. “This far underground?”
“Aye.”
“Cool.”
“Trust me, it won’t be cool.”
“Dryads,” Mercy said.
“Oh, right.” Shale’s smile faded. “Trees with their protectors stuffed into an underground dungeon for who knows how long. No, I don’t imagine that will be fun if we run into them.”
“Not if, when. We’ll have no choice but to run into them.”
“How fun,” Ezref said. “Although I guess the place is called Dryad’s Heart, so this shouldn’t be a surprise.”
Sebastian laughed and nodded at Fen. “Stay close to the rest of us, please.”
“No problem.” The two fighters turned and resumed their pace.
***
They entered a large cavern, the walls far enough apart that they could not be seen from the radius of the party’s light. Sebastian felt the hairs on his neck rise, and he squinted, his head turning left and right to scan for danger.
“Halt,” he called out, and the rest stopped.
“Time for a break?” Shale asked.
Sebastian shook his head and pointed. “Xander, can you see anything over there?”
The Death Stryker looked and shook his head. “Only rock wall.”
“I think we have company in the shadows.” Sebastian turned to look behind them. A tall, muscled humanoid figure with dark skin, curved horns, and leathery wings watched him with glowing red eyes. “There!” He reached out to touch Xander’s arm, but his fingers closed on air. He frowned and snapped his head back to see if Xander had moved—
But the rest of the group was gone.
Sebastian turned back to face the creature: a devil of some sort. It stood in the same place, clawed hands steepled together, white pointed teeth visible as it snarled at him.
“Great,” he muttered, drawing his dagger and retreating a step backwards. “All alone with no powers and facing the most powerful monster we’ve met so far. This should turn out well for me.”
***
Xander’s mind raced as the devil stepped from the darkness and drew a curved, black sword.
It’s charmed me, he thought. Everyone is still here, but I can’t see them and they can’t see me. Visions of Fen swinging his weapon through the air and unknowingly striking the other group members flashed through Xander’s mind, and he felt his pulse quicken. He turned right and ran into the darkness. A quick glance over his shoulder told him the devil was not following.
“Get over here, ya evil bastard,” he muttered. “Come get me. And hurry up, so I can get back to the others.”
***
Three bearded devils lunged at Fen, the four-foot-tall humanoids attacking with claws as they tried to pull him close, so that they could stab him with their poison-tipped beards. He danced back and forth, shield raised to meet the blows, mace in his other hand.
There was a sizzling flash to his left and Xander appeared, his eyes wide and swords covered with hissing black blood.
“Thank the Lady,”
he said. “Fen, don’t swing your weapons. The others are here, we just can’t see them.”
“Charm spell, aye.” Fen grunted as two of the bearded devils attacked at the same time. One clawed hand snuck past his guard. There was a loud swishing sound as the hand raked against his chain mail. He winced, waiting for pain to register in his brain. When none came, he laughed and took two quick steps backwards.
“Take them into the darkness to your right,” Xander shouted. “It’s flat ground all the way to the wall. Go ten steps.”
Fen ran into the darkness, the light from his shield revealing the ground beyond as Xander followed. He bumped against something and turned his body, hoping that he hadn’t knocked whoever he’d just touched to the ground. They would be dealing with their own battles, and the jarring could have made them vulnerable.
“Kill these and the charm will fade.” Xander swung his swords, cleaving the head from one of the bearded devils before it could turn to face him. “And let’s hope we pop into Sebastian’s fight next. He could use the help.”
***
Sebastian danced out of the way as the devil’s sword lunged at him, barely missing a chance to impale him in the stomach. He turned and started to run toward the stone doorway at the far end of the cavern. Two steps later, something struck his shoulder and knocked him sideways. He spun, raising his dagger to defend himself, but no one was there.
A quick look over his shoulder told him the devil was closer than before. Even though it did not run, the tall beast still covered more ground with its strides than he did. He lowered his head and ran as fast as he could. Something whizzed past his ear. Up ahead he saw an arrow clatter against the stone. “Damn it, Shale,” he muttered without slowing.
He reached the doorway and turned. The devil spread its wings and smiled as it made its way toward him.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes and raised one hand, fingers curled as he concentrated on summoning power, willing the devil to burst into fire.
The devil seemed to notice his gesture and laughed, a deep raspy sound as it advanced. Sebastian swore and lowered his hand, raising the dagger with his other. “What’d you expect, old man?” He scolded himself. “With no power, you’ve been living on borrowed time, anyway.”
The devil was reaching toward him when an arrowhead burst through the front of its skull, black blood exploding from the fatal wound.
Eyes wide, Sebastian stepped to one side to avoid being pinned under the corpse as the body toppled forward. A short distance away, Shale stood with bow in hand, another arrow drawn.
“Sorry ’bout the first arrow.” Her grin was filled with amusement. “I couldn’t see you when I shot that one.”
Sebastian laughed as Fen and Xander materialized behind her, with Ezref between them, a bearded devil gripping him with both arms as it stabbed its beard at his chest.
***
Mercy stood with her back to the wall, six bearded devils attacking her from all sides. Swords sheathed, she laughed as the creatures took turns attacking, her gauntleted hands batting theirs away as they tried to touch her.
With a loud pop, the entire group appeared a few feet from her. She waved. “Get over here and kill these buggers before one dies by accident and I get experience.”
Fen and Xander joined her and she stepped back from the fray. Minutes later, the devils were dead.
“Who got the big one?” Mercy asked.
Shale raised her hand.
“Impressive.”
“Well, he had his back to me and was about to grab Sebastian.”
Mercy laughed. “When you tell the story next time, leave that part out.”
Shale blushed.
Mercy examined the rest of the group and raised her eyebrow at Ezref, who had one hand pressed against his side, blood oozing between his fingers. “How bad is it?”
“With a healer,” Ezref huffed, “not a big deal. If someone can sew me up and I get a bit of rest, it should be okay.”
“Don’t be silly,” Shale laughed. “I can close the wound with a spell.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right.”
“The wound is poisoned,” Sebastian said.
“It is?” Ezref’s eyes widened, and the group leader nodded.
“Fen and Xander, go check the hallway outside this cave. It should be safe, but make sure. We can rest a bit out there before we return to this room.”
“What do we want to come back in here for?” Fen asked.
Sebastian smiled. “You’ll see.”
60
ARC Gaming has announced that beta testing of Blades VR, their most anticipated game ever, is now concluding. Over half of those who were fortunate enough to play the world’s first fully immersive virtual reality game—or FIVR, as ARC is calling it—are now back in the real world and lighting up social media channels with stories of their incredible experiences. As ARC continues to work out the bugs and put the finishing touches on the game, everyone is asking the same question; When can we all begin to play?
Ruby Janlin, Gaming News Now
Kara smiled at Isaac as he entered the room. “Morning.”
He lifted a tray with two cups of coffee and winked. “Good morning. Thirsty?”
“No, but it’s the easiest way to get caffeine into my blood, and I do need that.” She accepted a cup with a nod, peeled the tab back and sipped. “Ahh, yes. That’s the stuff.”
Isaac laughed and took a seat across from her, removing the small bag nestled on the tray and pushing it her way. “Some bagels there.”
“Yum.”
He peeled the lid from his cup and blew across the steaming surface. “Anyone come out of the game yet that recalled running into Sebastian?”
Kara shook her head. “No one has reported running into anyone with that name.”
“That’s a shame. I was hoping for some luck on that end. As it stands, we only have one mention of the name, and they are still stuck in Dryad’s Heart.”
“All the players who went into that instance are still inside the game.”
“I really want to know what happened there.”
“I’m sure we’ll find out eventually.”
Isaac took a sip of coffee. “I was also hoping that the Sebastian we know about isn’t our Seb.”
“I know.” She opened the bag and looked inside. “Maybe he did change his name.”
“If that’s the case, then he’s totally lost to us.”
“I’m sure that he’ll turn up.”
Isaac raised his eyebrows.
“On another topic.” Kara took a bite of bagel and chewed. “What’s our next step overall? To get the game ready for the public?”
Isaac shook his head. “Without knowing the real issues inside, I don’t know how to fix them.” He laughed. “Even if I did, it looks more and more as if we couldn’t fix the problems anyway.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Bouncing is a serious issue. Plus, the NPCs have somehow become hostile toward players and adept at identifying them.”
“There is no evidence of code that might be causing such a thing to happen.”
He twirled the coffee lid on the table. “Maybe Sebastian triggered something from the inside that we will never find.”
“What if he isn’t the one responsible for this?”
He frowned. “Who else could it be?”
“I don’t know.”
“No one does.” Isaac broke a piece of bagel off and popped it into his mouth. “Whether it’s him or someone else—and I don’t see how it could be anyone else, by the way—that’s the thing we must discover if this project is to have any chance of surviving.”
61
“Whoah!” Shale exclaimed as she entered the brightly lit room.
“By the Dark Lady!” The excitement in Fen’s voice was clear for all to hear.
Sebastian stood to one side as the rest entered the secret room, a smile on his face. A pile of gold and platinum coins was mounded in the centre of the room, sparkling as light from
above struck them. It wasn’t the money that had everyone so excited, though. Along the circular, smooth stone wall were daises, each with unique items resting on them. Pieces of armour, weapons, items of clothing, a mask on one, chests.
“This is awesome.” Shale moved to a dais that held a slim frame of wood draped with a forest-green cloak, and a pair of supple leather boots placed on the polished white marble. She reached a hand forward, but then paused and looked back at Sebastian. “Can we touch?”
He laughed. “Of course. There are no traps in this room.”
Each member found a dais that interested them and inspected the items. Mercy stood near the entrance, watching with an amused expression. “This is a kingdom’s worth of treasure, Sebastian.”
“It is.”
“These items will help the group through the rest of the journey.”
“They certainly will.”
“Is there nothing here of interest to you?”
Sebastian shrugged. “I’ll let the useful members choose first.”
“You really must stop demeaning yourself.”
“It’s an old habit.”
“It is annoying.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Her eyes scanned the room. “We will have to leave the coins.”
“No, we won’t. There’s a bag of holding in one of the chests.”
“Of course there is. I find it hard to believe that the Scouts put this room here.”
“They didn’t.”
The Death Stryker’s lips pursed. “Be that as it may. Why would they allow it to remain?” She considered the question for a second, and her eyes narrowed. “Unless they didn’t know it was here?”
Sebastian laughed. “You’re right, and that’s a very good piece of information for us to have.” She shook her head. “They are powerful, but not without their own limits. They managed to hijack this instance and use it for their own purposes, but they did not create it. Nor did they know everything about it.” He sniffed. “I’d be surprised if they knew much at all, except that it is very difficult to get through.”
“Impossible to get through,” Mercy corrected him.
He laughed. “We’re proving that assumption wrong, aren’t we?”