Odyssey

by Tony Corden

  “I'm glad you like it. I am also pleased. I know I'm not truly present here but somehow having an Avatar has given me a clearer sense of self.”

  “Is there anything to discuss or is it ok if I head to class?”

  “No, I thought it beneficial to get your impression and thoughts.” I will continue to work on my development and the tower. I need to add a room for the clan.”

  Leah spent the next few hours in class and finished just in time to dress and portal to Zach’s v-world with the present she and Gèng had prepared for Zack. It was a picture of him fighting the enormous Wight. Zach had a huge man cave; there was a pool table, table tennis, a bar and lots of sports memorabilia. There was a basketball hoop and a small swimming pool. Off to one side was another room which was his library and where he did his research when he worked. Leah could see all this from the small porch where she arrived, as the door was open. Zack called out for Leah to "Come on in".

  She had only taken a few steps when Gèng said, “Leah, nothing has attacked us, nor can it, but the code which attacked you at Jackson’s has been used in this space. I believe Zack has been influenced by it. What would you like me to do?”

  “Wait for a moment and let me talk to Zack.”

  Leah walked over to the others who had all arrived. She handed Zack his gift and then said, “Zack, do you trust me?”

  He looked at her strangely and said, “Yes, but that’s a strange thing to ask when you visit someone.”

  “I have a couple of AI friends who work in the Security department. I believe you have a security breach. I would like to invite one or both of them here and have them check your world. It is a violation of your privacy, so I ask you if you trust me enough to let them in. I haven't talked to them yet, and will not, if you say, ‘No’.”

  Zack just stared at her and then said, ”You've been virtual for one week, and you have AI friends? What the heck, sure, because you know; I do trust you.”

  She said aloud so they all could hear, “Gèng, could you please contact Security Controller 11-5 and Security Oversight AI 4 and ask if they could visit us here in this world?”

  Moments later, Zack looked a little shocked, but apparently, he had given his consent as the two AI Avatars arrived. They greeted Leah and then turning to Zack, Security Oversight AI 4 said, “Mr Williams, I understand why Ms Carroll called us. If you permit it, we would like to talk with you, if you require privacy, we can wait until your visitors leave.”

  “No need, these are my friends. Please, what is the issue? Atherleah mentioned a possible security breach.”

  Turning to the others who were all watching in amazement Security Oversight AI 4 said, “My name is Security Oversight AI 4, and I would request that what I say be kept in confidence, are you all in agreement with this.”

  They all nodded, and she continued, “That is sufficient for me.” She then went on to explain the malicious code and what Atherleah had done in the mine. She told them that there was residual evidence in the coding of Zack’s world that at some time Zach had been infected. With Zack’s permission, she did a complete scan, purging the code and determining the time and culprit.

  “Mr Williams, I have ascertained the person who inserted the code and who used it to direct your behaviour. Do you wish to press charges personally? I will be instigating an investigation which is likely to result in criminal charges being laid, but the person is known to you, and you may prefer not to become involved. As we speak, I have identified several other people that may have been abused similarly by the same person.”

  “Can you tell me who it is?”

  “I will do so, but only in your mind, unless you wish to share with your friends.”

  She obviously shared with Zack as he went white and sat down. She then turned to the others and said, “I will forward my contact details to each of you. Should you wish me to check your AI and your virtual-world, I will do so. Please note, this is not usually a service offered by Security Oversight but we are in Atherleah’s debt, and you are her friends.” She then said goodbye and the two avatars left.

  Leah walked over to Zack and said, “Should we leave? You look like you've had a terrible shock and might need your privacy.”

  “No, don't leave. Your right, I've had a shock. Apparently, my professor, my mentor, a guy I've known for years has been directing me the whole time. After the code was removed, I still remember everything, but now I also remember that he has told me for years that I love history and that I want to do a PhD. I don't know if I do or I don't. All I know is he told me to like it, so I liked it, he told me to want him as a mentor, and I wanted him as my mentor. He's so popular, but that's all a lie. Maybe I don't like history. Shit! I'm so confused.”

  They all sat and stared at each other and then Wisp said, “I'm scared, what if my life's a lie?”

  Leah quickly interjected, “Most people are fine, just have Security Oversight AI 4 check your AI and v-world. Even if something is there it doesn't mean your life is a lie; it just means you've been taken advantage of, you've been abused by someone.“

  Thad said, “Atherleah, do you know who tried to enslave you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do they know it was you who rescued all the slaves?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you safe from them?”

  “Not really, they've already sent some thugs after me, but I should be ok. I'm not without friends and not all my knives are virtual.”

  “You're serious, they've sent thugs, and you think you might need to knife them to keep safe.”

  “I hope not, I'm sure they have guns, and if I have a choice I'll run, not fight, but sometimes things don't happen like you want them to. It's ok, I'm safe at the moment, and my friends probably have similar toys as the bad guys, so I'll be all right.”

  “How about in Dunyanin, are you safe there?”

  “At the moment, I think so. I am being hunted, but they have some faulty information about who they think I am and that’s thrown them off the track. Look, I'm sorry I've put a dampener on the party but let's remember we also have a lot to celebrate. We all have good friends, we own a platinum mine, we've only three stages to go, and Zack might be cooler than we think, he might not love history. Also, we now know his name isn’t ‘Butthead’ but ‘Williams’.”

  Everyone including Zack laughed and the tension slowly eased. After an hour they agreed on meeting again after they had finished the Odyessy, but everyone was now a little wary of hosting it. Leah hesitantly offered her place which they all accepted eagerly.

  With less than an hour real time Leah hurried to Dark Moon Duel and after learning another two sword forms, she checked out, had a small meal, and then logged into Dunyanin. Everyone else was already there, early, and they had been talking. Before Leah could say anything, Amy said, “Are you Qiáng Tiē Chuí? And what did you do to piss off Merideath and the Y’Haul Clan?”

  “I was Qiáng Tiē Chuí and you ‘know’ what I did to annoy Merideath and the Y’Haul Clan.”

  Thad was muttering under his breath, and then he said, “So Andy, Ernst and Jackson were involved?”

  “I don’t know the names except for Jackson, but if you mean him and his brothers, then yes. Do you know them?”

  “We move in the same circles, and they have been my friends. I wasn’t going to get your AI friends to check my place as I’ve top shelf firewalls, but now, I’ll check. The next time I see those three I’ll …, well I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  Leah just looked at him with compassion and said, “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault; I’m just mad, that’s all.”

  “Fair enough, now put it aside. We’ve a dungeon to defeat. Get your minds in the game. We can discuss this later but for now, ‘The Dungeon of the Dark Lord Kotu at Platin’.”

  She waited for their affirming nods and then placed her hands on the second Platinum door.

  They arrived in a circular room with a marble floor and six closed d
oorways. The walls were covered with nightmarish pictures. People in agony and evil, horrible looking, monsters. The pictures weren’t static and moved as the victims writhed in pain and succumbed to death. As they took it all in, a message appeared.

  Atherleah, you and your companions are charged with completing the Dungeon of the Dark Lord Kotu at Platin.

  This is a special instance of the dungeon at Platin. Even though you are the first to complete this particular instance, others have already completed it and no substantial rewards are offered. You will receive the award for being in the first 10,000 to enter the mine.

  The starting level for the MOBs in this dungeon is set at 90. This is the minimum for the dungeon and is above the mean level of your group. There are six levels to this dungeon, and the final boss level has been increased from +10 to +20. So Dark Lord Kotu is currently at Level 110.

  Also, there are several additional challenges beyond the normal. Enjoy!

  Level 5 Dungeon Achievement: First 10000 (1, Emerald)

  Atherleah (Level 98), you have entered the dungeon:

  The Dark Lord Kotu

  You are one of the first 10000 players to access this area. This is your first, 'First 10000 (Emerald)’ achievement.

  Reward 1: 100 x 98 = 13818 (+41%) Experience Points (121299/146000)

  Reward 2: + 0.5% to all future Experience

  Reward 3: 1 x 1 Gold = 1 Gold

  Reward 4: Increased probability of valuable drop. Luck is increased by 0.5% whenever you are in this Dungeon.

  Fame: 50 Fame Points (20050)

  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.”

  After everyone had read the messages, the whole room began to slowly turn on its axis with the walls turning at a faster, ever increasing rate. The movement disorientated everyone and when it suddenly stopped the doors were gone and in their place were blank walls. The face of a dark elf appeared in multiple places on the walls, and as he opened his mouth the voice came from all the different images, and they were all just a little out of sync, the voice reverberated and echoed.

  “More trespassers! Here to feed my minions, train my warriors, and entertain my subjects. Your choices are to ‘Leave and Live’ or to ‘Stay and Perish’, but wait; you have no choices. This is my realm, my world, and you now belong to me.”

  As he finished speaking the lights went out, and the floor dropped out from beneath them. The fall was no more than two metres, and although they were bruised, they were quickly able to heal that. They had landed in a cage in the middle of a large room made of large granite blocks, torches lined the walls, and various goblins and dark elves were wandering through the dungeon going from one open door, to another. After several minutes one of the figures moved toward them and peering out from behind a deep cowl, he said, “This will never do. You are joined, you share a bond. No! Ah, but let me change it, not to share the benefits but the agony.”

  Taking a silver knife from his belt he slit his wrist, and as the blood began to flow he started chanting, while the blood sizzled on his skin. Before he was halfway through, he suddenly sprouted an arrow out of his mouth. Everyone turned and looked Leah who said, “What? That was creepy, why would I let him finish?”

  Her body went stiff, and her hands were forced down to lie along her sides. She could see the rest of them forced into the same position. She could just turn her head slightly, and looking around she saw that another dark elf had arrived.

  The new arrival kicked the fallen mage and said, “He was an idiot, time after time, I’ve told him, ‘Be careful of prey, sometimes they bite.’ Now, I should thank you for disposing of him, but instead, I will finish his task.” Slashing his wrist, he also began mumbling, this time as the blood sizzled the smoke drifted toward the six friends and surrounded them.

  Just before it arrived, Amy said through the rings, “Don’t breathe.”

  The mage laughed and waited until one after the other they all were forced to draw a breath and the smoke slid into them. He then grabbed a knife and plunged it into the arm of Amy whom he could reach through the bars. Although they couldn’t move, they all seemed to tense as they felt the pain of her wound. Stepping back, the mage said, “Yes, you all felt that, but only one lost health. Whatever happens to your friends, you will feel. You travellers also have a way of sharing the experience from battles, this we have studied. Know this; it has been negated. You all must learn that you are alone, with no support. Already, I feel your agony and desperation, this pleases me, and it nourishes our Lord Kotu. Each of you will be taken from here separately and taught the price of failure.”

  Laughing, the Mage walked away and left the room. Leah tried to initiate a new group but was unable to. She then tried communicating via the ring and found that the rings still worked. She said, “Keep a note of where you're taken, should we get separated. If someone escapes, they might be able to rescue the others. This is unusual for this dungeon. Normally it is a series of traps and mini-bosses. I imagine this is ‘a mini-instance’, we just need to solve this and then we can move on.”

  A tall elf was the first to remove one of them. He came, and after some examination, he waved his hand and the bars bent back so he could reach in and grab Zack. He had four goblins grab him and drag him away. Zack described the route he was taken and then described being thrown into a hole in the ground and a grate placed over it. One by one they were all dragged away, James and Wisp were strapped to tables, Thad was spread-eagled over an unlit fire pit, while Amy had a chain tied around her feet and hung over a large altar. Finally, the Mage who had left them returned and said, “So, you are the last, I always take the last. Usually, they are the weakest, and their screams entertain me. Other times they are the strongest, and it is their final capitulation which brings me joy. I wonder which you are.”

  He motioned for several goblins to drag her out of the cage and into a room at the end of a long corridor, the room was filled with instruments of torture. He walked around her in a circle and said, “Now where will we start?”

  She tried to talk but was still frozen. He waved a hand, and her head could now move freely. As he continued to circle her he continued to speak, “I think you were going to say something defiant, and it is the defiant ones who I find the most amusing. Now, what were you trying to say?”

  Leah was timing his walk, and as he walked past her left side, she began, “I was going to say, ‘If you like pain, you’ll love this’.” As she finished he passed her right side and she cast Chain Lightning. Her hands had been forced to her side. Her left hand was holding the bow, and her fingers pointed toward her body. She had cast Grounding on herself, but even so, she felt the current pass through her, some attached itself to her and then before it could do much damage it grounded, the rest jumped directly to the mage who began to shake as the electrical charge shocked him. Leah suddenly had control of her body and equipping her Haladie shifted slightly then removed the mage’s head. She moved through the room killing the goblins. Leah harvested the five bodies and began running toward the central chamber. She checked who was in the most danger and headed for Amy who said that there were several dark elves and mages in the room and they were drawing symbols on the ground and beginning to mutter.

  On the way, she disturbed some mages and goblins, but she never gave them a chance to speak. Using any and every spell in her Spell Book she waded through them. Killing everyone and anyone who got in her way. She ran down the hallway that Amy had disappeared into and was soon at the doorway into the room. Leah Froze one guard and Petrified the next. Opening the door, she cast Chain Lightning just as the mage uttered his final word, but before he could cut Amy’s throat. Lightning began to flash within the strange diagram on the floor, but Leah ignored that as she entered, she embraced the calm her Ki needed and somehow initiated a new Ki skill which
increased her speed, she seemed to blur through the motions bringing death to everyone except Amy. When she stopped, she felt a deep weariness and noticed her KP and SP were almost depleted. Before she could cut Amy down, Amy yelled: “Look out”. In the diagram a massive shape was slowly forming, Leah reached into her belt and swallowed two restore potions, one for Stamina and one for Ki. The shape was almost formed as she stepped toward it, but the diagram on the floor prevented her from reaching it.

  MINOR DEMON (Level 100) 11000HP (5000EP)

  Suddenly the diagram flared and began to fade. The demon looked around and said, “Fools, without blood I cannot be contained in this portal. You should have sacrificed your friend for then you might have lived to see me banished. But now, you are eternally damned for I will not be inside the portal when it fades.”

  As it stepped over the diagram Leah attacked, she tried to keep it inside the circle. It used claws and a spiked tail to fight, and she used her knives and the Haladie. She was losing ground slowly but was also starting to understand its fighting style. Amy yelled, “The portal, it’s closing!” Leah, for the second time, activated some Ki ability that sped up her reactions. She stepped in front of a swinging arm and using her momentum drove the demon back over the edge of the diagram and into the portal. Together they both disappeared from the room.

  Leah and the demon fell through the darkness, and while the demon howled in frustration and despair, Leah took the advantage and placed her hand on the demon’s chest and cast Petrify. Together they arrived with a thump in an arid wasteland. Leah was the only one to arrive alive. She looked around at an environment similar to pictures of what the centre of Australia had looked like before the massive reclamation effort of thirty years previously. The ground had waves like ripples on the water. It was a red-orange and vegetation was sparse and low to the ground, but here the leaves were brown and black with red edgings. There were other differences here as well, she could see volcanoes in the distance, and instead of a blue sky, this was purple with streaks of green mist or cloud that ran from one side to the other. It was a wholly, or more accurately an unholy alien environment. Suddenly a message appeared: