by L. R. Wolf
Elohwa took a quick look around, a frown on her face. The Dreamer was right. They had passed plenty of graveyards that Aya should have respawned in, but she had ended up spawning somewhere that was nowhere near where they had been fighting. She looked up at the mountains, a faint familiarity hovered at the back of her mind. She would figure it out later, but for now she needed to get Aya warm and dry. “Follow me,” Elohwa placed a hand on Aya’s shoulder guiding her away from the graveyard and towards a small copse of pine trees that she had spotted. The trees had grown in a rough semicircle so that anyone within the glade would be relatively protected from the wind. Elohwa reached into her bag and withdrew her survival kit. Aya watched her in fascination as within five minutes Elohwa had managed to make a full camp with a two person tent, bedrolls and a crackling fire inside of the tent’s interior. Elohwa ushered Aya into the tent and then followed her in, closing the flap behind her against the pouring rain. Aya stared at the fire before turning to Elohwa, “Is it really a good idea to have a fire in here with us? I don’t want the tent catching fire or the smoke suffocating us.” Elohwa tilted her head to the side a moment, regarding Aya.
“This fire is one of magic, based on the same magic as the fireball spell you use. Did you ever notice when the ball was formed in your hand that there was very little heat?” Aya actually had noticed and had meant to ask, but it had slipped her mind. “The heat and burn effect only come when the fireball has left the vicinity of the one conjuring it. Because I made this and anchored it here instead of my hand it will heat the area and provide light as a normal fire would, but will produce no smoke and it will not burn anything down.” To prove her point she took the cloth she used to clean her blades off a ring of her belt and tossed it into the fire. Aya watched the flames dance around the cloth, yet it didn’t burn. Elohwa then reached into the fire and pulled the cloth out slipping it back onto her belt. She reached into her bag pulling out two bundles of clothing and handed one to Aya. “You may wish to get out of those wet clothes before you end up sick.” She turned her back to Aya as she started to get undressed, placing the wet clothes beside the fire. She used the cloth that was holding the bundle together as a makeshift towel, drying herself off as best she could before putting on the dry clothes.
With fingers numb and shaking, she managed to get the cloak and the rest of her clothes off before using a cloth to dry herself off before slipping into the new clothes Elohwa had given her. The pants had the appearance of charcoal black while the shirt appeared to have flames flickering across them, but Aya couldn’t be sure if it was real or if it was just the light from the magical fire playing across them. She ran a hand over the cloth, it seemed softer than the rough ones she had started with, they were also much better made. She decided to examine the clothes, with a thought she opened an item window to see the stats.
Well made underclothes-Made with cotton, these underclothes offer no protection, rather they offer support to the upper chest and nether regions.
Firecloth Shirt-Made from the silk of the lesser molten spiders found within the outer reaches of active volcanoes. 10 AC +50 fire resist. Enhances fire abilities by 10 +15 Int
Firecloth Pants-Made from the silk of the lesser molten spiders found within the outer reaches of active volcanoes. 10 AC +45 Fire resist. Enhances fire abilities by 10 +15 Int
Well made Brown Leather boots-5 AC
“I...I can’t possibly take these!” Aya was sputtering in shock. These clothes were definitely not starter gear. They likely weren’t even midrange level gear.
“They have been sitting in my bag for the longest time; I doubt I will miss them. Besides, I am sure you will be able to put them to better use than I.” Elohwa finished dressing and turned back towards Aya, but quickly turned away as Aya was still dressing.
“Thank you for the clothes, Elohwa. I will try to put them to good use.” Aya quickly finished putting on her new clothes. “Where is Voksil? Can you tell him where we are? My HUD is still gone, I can’t send messages.” Aya held her hands over the magical fire as she rubbed them together to help warm them faster.
Elohwa took some rations out of her bag and handed some to Aya. “He disappeared shortly after your death. I have not been able to contact him.” She opened the package of rations, taking out a few strips of meat, some bread and an apple.
Aya unwrapped her own rations. Hers were a few strips of meat, some bread and an orange. She watched as Elohwa reached back into her bag and pulled out a rack that she placed over the top of the magical fire and then placed the meat on top of it to warm it up a bit. Aya looked at the meat in her hand, it didn’t really look like much, she sniffed it. It didn’t smell like much either. She threw her meat besides Elohwa’s on the makeshift grill. “Would you please keep trying to contact him? I don’t know if you can friend him, so you know when he’s around?”
“Since he has been a part of my party before, I can sense his presence if he is around. Right now he is not anywhere that I can sense.” Elohwa reached out and poked at the meat to see if it was warm yet. She decided to let it roast a bit more. As it warmed, the meat started to smell like a steak on the grill. Voksil was a master with the grill. The best steaks and meats Aya had ever tasted had been made by him. Aya’s stomach rumbled with hunger. Elohwa raised her eyes to Aya and chuckled. “Bit hungry?”
Aya glared down at her stomach, “Just a bit.” It felt odd being hungry in the Dreamscape. While they had been fighting the gnolls, they had eaten some rations that Elohwa had brought. Those had mostly consisted of fruits though, just something to give them a bit of energy during the time they had been fighting. She hadn’t even realized just how hungry she was until she smelled the meat starting to roast.
Aya finally started to feel warm again. She flexed her fingers a bit, stretching them out to loosen them up.. “Where did you get all of this stuff?” She motioned around the tent.
“It is part of the advanced survival kit. It has come in handy many, many times.” She was smiling and had a far off look in her eyes as if remembering those times. Elohwa once again reached into her seemingly endless bag of tricks and pulled out two tin plates and a fork. “We can not very well eat like barbarians now can we?” She passed one plate to Aya and then used the fork to stab at the meat and pile it up onto their plates.
“Thanks! The meat smells wonderful! What is it? Wait...actually I’m not sure if I want to know.” Aya had played so many different VRMMO’s and knew that some cooking recipes called for some rather unusual ingredients. Things she would never actually eat in the real world.
Elohwa chuckled again as Aya took a bite of the meat, a happy sigh escaping her lips. Her eyes closed in bliss. “Wow, that really is good.” Aya had never actually been able to taste anything in the games, but here in the Dreamscape her memories could be manipulated in such a way that allowed her and others to be able to feel, taste, hear, smell and see everything as well as be able to remember their journeys.
They both finished their meals in contemplative silence as they listened to the soft sounds of the rain pattering on the tent. After a while, Aya noticed her vision flickering for a moment before her HUD finally reappeared. The second the HUD finished materializing in her vision, notifications automatically opened in her vision one after another.
WARNING! Our monitors have detected unusual readings from your physical body. We advise you to logout of both Infinity and the Dreamscape. 6:42 a.m
WARNING! Our monitors have detected unusual readings from your physical body. We have dispatched emergency services to your home. 6:45 a.m
URGENT SYSTEM MESSAGE! Greetings Dreamers! We will be bringing all Dreamscape servers down for emergency maintenance in 5 minutes! We advise you find someplace safe to logout! Upon logging back in, every Dreamer will receive 2 platinum and a rare weapon appropriate to their level. We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience and hope to have the servers available as soon as possible! 6:50 a.m
URGENT SYSTEM MESSAGE! Greetings Dreamer
s! We will be bringing all Dreamscape servers down for emergency maintenance in 3 minutes! We advise you find someplace safe to logout! Upon logging back in, every Dreamer will receive 2 platinum and a rare weapon appropriate to their level. We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience and hope to have the servers available as soon as possible! 6:52 a.m
URGENT SYSTEM MESSAGE! Greetings Dreamers! We will be bringing all Dreamscape servers down for emergency maintenance in 1 minute! We advise you find someplace safe to logout! Upon logging back in, every Dreamer will receive 2 platinum and a rare weapon appropriate to their level. We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience and hope to have the servers available as soon as possible! 6:54 a.m
URGENT SYSTEM MESSAGE! Greetings Dreamers! We will be bringing all Dreamscape servers down for emergency maintenance in 20 seconds. We advise you find someplace safe to logout! Upon logging back in, every Dreamer will receive 2 platinum and a rare weapon appropriate to their level. We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience and hope to have the servers available as soon as possible! 6:54 a.m
URGENT SYSTEM MESSAGE! Greetings Dreamers! We will be bringing all Dreamscape servers down for emergency maintenance in 5 seconds. We advise you find someplace safe to logout! Upon logging back in, every Dreamer will receive 2 platinum and a rare weapon appropriate to their level. We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience and hope to have the servers available as soon as possible! 6:55 a.m
WARNING! WARNING! Due to technical issues it would appear that we are unable to force you to logout from Infinity. 6:55 a.m
WARNING! Dreamscape servers are currently unavailable. 6:55 a.m
URGENT SYSTEM MESSAGE. Greetings Dreamer! If you are reading this, you are likely confused as to why you are still here and unable to log out. Our Specialized Game Masters will be speaking to you as soon as possible to answer any questions you may have. We advise you to move somewhere safe and wait for our specialized GM’s to arrive.
Congratulations Dreamer! You have earned the Accolade Marked by Shadow! Your soul has been marked by an unseen and unknown entity. The bonus of this Accolade is currently unknown. Seek within the Shadows for an answer.
Aya read through each notification, her heart seeming to stop, her stomach dropping. She was in absolute and utter shock. Elohwa reached across and snapped her fingers in front of Aya in an attempt to get her attention, but Aya wasn’t hearing her. Elohwa’s ears perked up as her keen elven hearing picked up on someone or something approaching the tent, she silently slid her twin blades out of their sheathes. The stranger stopped just outside and gently scratched on the tent flap. A man's soft voice drifted into the interior of the tent.
“My name is Brackerd Pala, I am a specialized Game Master of Infinity. I’d like to have a word with you, if you are able?”
Chapter 12: Trapped
∆∆∆
Elohwa stood and opened the flap of the tent allowing the GM to come in. She waved him towards the spot she had vacated a few moments prior and took a seat beside Aya who was still staring at the flickering flames of the magic fire. Her face had drained of all color, her eyes faraway. Brackerd took a seat across from the two women. He was short and stocky, typical of the dwarven races. His pale blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, his beard was well kept and braided. He exuded kindness, but his eyes seemed sad.
“You’re her Companion?” He regarded Elohwa for a brief moment. He knew that Aya would need some time to get over the shock she must have been feeling right now. This was the part of the job he absolutely hated. He had already read her file and knew that she was married with two children, so he could only imagine what this kind of news would do to her.
Elohwa nodded, her face showing concern for her Dreamer. “What exactly is happening here? What is it that ails her?” Elohwa waved her hand in front of Aya’s eyes in an attempt to get her attention.
“I fear I have some news to deliver to her. Normally I would have sent you off as this is a talk that I should have with the Dreamer in private, but as you are her Companion you have been authorized to stay and be included in the discussion. I’ll begin when she seems to be a bit more coherent.” He got that faraway look in his eyes which meant he was reading something in his HUD.
There was nothing for Elohwa to do but wait for Aya to snap out of her shock. To pass the time she pulled some things out of her bag and started working on some crafting projects. She glanced at Aya taking mental measurements of her shoulders and neck. With that done she pulled thread, needle and cloth from the specialized crafting box she had pulled from her bag and got to work making a mantle for Aya. The cloth was the same Fire cloth she had used to make Aya’s other items. Her fingers moved the needle through the fabric with a deftness that belayed her skill. After a few minutes, Elohwa raised her head to peer at Aya and saw her blink rapidly as if to clear her vision, that far away look in her eyes fading as she came back to the world.
“Where’d he come from?!” Her eyes had settled on Brackerd. She raised her hand, a fireball appearing on the palm of her hand.
“He is a game master for Infinity.” Elohwa placed a hand under the hand with the fireball, gently closing Aya’s fingers around the fireball, extinguishing it. “He said he has some news for you.” Quickly, Elohwa put away the project she had been working on, placing it back into the crafting box before placing that back within her bag. She watched as fear crept into Aya’s face.
Brackerd noticed that Aya appeared to be back with them, at least for the time being. He pushed aside the records he had been reading in his HUD and turned his attention to her. “Greetings Aya, my name is Brackerd Pala. I am a specialized Game Master here in Infinity. I have been assigned to your case. I know you may be confused by some of the messages you may have received.” Aya just blinked at him, she opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again. Brackerd continued. “It would appear that there was some kind of an anomaly with your Lucidity visor that has rendered you comatose.” Elohwa turned her head to look at Aya whose face was crestfallen. She reached out and took Aya’s hand in an effort to give her some semblance of comfort. Brackerd added, “We here at Dreamscapes are working diligently to reunite you with your physical body. Dreamscape representatives are currently at your residence with your husband discussing treatment and compensation.”
Aya’s eyes twitched, anger beginning to cloud her features, “COMPENSATION?!?!?! You’re telling me I’m in a coma?! That I won’t be able to see my kids?! To hold them or play with them?! And you’re talking about compensation?!?!” She was practically spitting at the man who had come to tell her of her fate. As her anger rose, her eyes began to flicker, as if someone was sparking flint to steel. Elohwa gasped quietly as she could feel a power starting to well within the Dreamer.
Brackerd sighed but otherwise remained calm in the face of her rising fury. “I know this is coming as a shock, but please, rest assured that once the issue of the faulty visors has been resolved and the Dreamscape servers are brought back online that you will once again be able to fully communicate and interact with your loved ones, albeit if only in the Dreamscape. You will be able to speak with them through any number of virtual services throughout the day during their waking hours.” Brackerd could see the anger smoldering in Aya’s eyes but continued with his preapproved script, “Each member of your family will be given brand new Lucidity visors and unlimited access to the various services offered by Dreamscapes and their subsidiaries at no cost.”
Elohwa was now beginning to get angry. Here he was, telling her Dreamer, the woman that had sacrificed herself so that Elohwa could be free, that she was essentially trapped here within this world. “And how long will it take for your people to figure out how to get her back to her life? What is she supposed to do until she can talk to her family again?!” Aya was so distracted by what Brackerd had been saying that she didn’t realize just how hard she was squeezing Elohwa's hand. Elohwa flinched a bit as she felt the bones in her fingers grind together, but she just gritted her teeth
and channeled that pain at the Game Master.
“Unfortunately, we aren’t sure what caused the issue. Failsafes within the Lucidity visors that should have stopped anything like this from happening, well, they failed.” He spread his hands out in front of him as if to say what can we do. “Our technicians are working diligently to fix the failure and to bring the Dreamscape back online so that you and the others who were affected will be able to communicate with your loved ones.”
Aya’s gaze seemed to bore into Brackerd’s soul, “There are others like me who are trapped?” Brackerd realized he had let it slip that she wasn’t the only one this event had happened to. As soon as he said it, his interface was lighting up with messages from his bosses and the legal department. The Dreamers who were now trapped within Lucidity were supposed to believe they were the only one that this had happened to. If they were to know that there were others out there in exactly the same position then it was possible they would try and find one another and make plans that could very well bring down the company. Severe damage control was already underway both in Infinity and the real world.
“I fear that confidentiality binds me from speaking about any others this may or may not have happened to. That being said,” he paused a moment, mentally swiping away the flood of messages that were obstructing his vision, “I am obligated to inform you that your body will be moved to a specialized facility. Your family will be able to move to housing with access to the facilities so that they can visit your body at any time if they like. They will also be given a stipend every week to spend how they choose. Any and all bills related to your care or the care of your family will be taken care of.”