Yvvaros: The Digital Frontier

by Alex Mulder

  He headed through Kantor and toward the rune circle. There were a couple of other players respawning at the Temple, at least one of which he recognized as another member of the Winter Beast assault team. Their faces looked shell shocked and weary as if their deaths had aged them by years in an instant.

  Mine must look the same way.

  Luke teleported down to Stark Town and immediately began heading south toward Dunidan’s Rest. As he passed by the merchant’s district, he saw Tess standing outside of a vendor stall, perusing through colored dyes.

  “I’m a fan of the blue,” said Luke. “It matches one of the moons.”

  Tess glanced back at him in surprise and then smiled.

  “That’s actually exactly what I was thinking.” She leaned in toward him and crossed her arms. “How did it go with the Winter Beast?”

  “It went, uh, a little different than I’d been expecting.” Luke swallowed hard. He felt a bit ridiculous at how affected he still was by the in-game death. It was the way someone might feel after an intense nightmare, even knowing that it had only been a dream.

  “Luke…” Tess shook her head slowly.

  “I sort of lost the sword you gave me, too,” he said, frowning. “I know, I know, I’m really sorry.”

  “Oh no! Look, don’t worry about it. It didn’t cost me too much in the first place.” Tess reached her hand out and set it on his shoulder. “I just thought… Well, you’re the strongest member of our guild. You’re the toughest player I’ve encountered in-game so far. I thought you’d be the one to strike the killing blow.”

  “Thanks,” said Luke. “It’s no big deal, really. Hey, I’m headed back to the guild hall to meet with Silverstrike and some of the players that he’s working out a deal with. Want to come with?”

  Tess smiled at him.

  “I would love to.”

  The walk across the Inner Plains and over the border into the Sarchia Desert was exactly what Luke needed. He made small talk about nothing in particular with Tess, a back and forth exchange of words that was more for the sake of hearing the other’s voice than anything. It made him feel as though everything was just as it should be. It made him feel like he was returning home.

  Dunidan’s Rest was unchanged from when he had last been there, save for a few unfamiliar players that were milling around outside the guild hall. As he drew closer, Luke spotted Silverstrike in the center, gesturing about something with his hands as he spoke.

  “Here he is!” Silverstrike pointed toward Luke, and the attention of the entire group turned to him. “This is Kato, the co-leader of the guild. And behind him is Tess, another one of the founding members.”

  “Hello, Kato.” The player standing next to Silverstrike was a tall, attractive woman, with platinum blonde hair. “My name is Katrina.”

  Luke reached out and shook her hand. She was wearing tight leather armor, which hinted at one of the rogue subclasses.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “Silverstrike mentioned that another guild was looking to reach a deal with us. What is it that you need?”

  The other unfamiliar players around Katrina were also female, and Luke began to wonder if that was a mere coincidence. Katrina was smiling at him warmly and stretched out one of her arms toward the oasis.

  “I think our guild and yours can help each other in many ways. Have you had any dealings with a guild by the name of the Revolutionary Rebels?”

  Luke nodded.

  “Did Silverstrike fill you in on our background with them?” He glanced over at his friend, who shook his head slightly from side to side. “They came to us a couple of days ago and made it clear that they aren’t interested in being reasonable.”

  “That’s what we took away from our encounter with them, as well,” said Katrina. “Our zone is just southwest of here, bordering the mud flaps.”

  Luke felt a tug on his arm. He turned and looked at Tess, who was sending him a signal with her eyes that he couldn’t identify right away.

  She looks worried… Maybe she’s picking up on something that I’m not.

  “Let’s cut to the chase.” Luke walked over to the guild hall and positioned himself in front of the door of it, as though assuming the role of the diplomatic gatekeeper. “What are you asking for and what are you offering?”

  Katrina smiled warmly at him. Luke could tell from her expression that she appreciated his straightforwardness.

  “My guild wants the same thing that the Revolutionary Rebels want,” she said, “access to your oasis. We are not interested in taking it by force, what I’m suggesting is for you to let us set up an irrigation and farming project on the side of it.”

  Luke thought about what Katrina was asking. Before he could respond, he felt Tess tugging more deliberately at his sleeve.

  “We need to talk about this in private!” She pulled him toward the entrance of the guild hall, grabbing Silverstrike as they went by. “Wait here for a moment.”

  Tess closed the door behind the three of them once they were inside. Luke had never seen her be so assertive before and found it a little intriguing.

  “Tess, what’s up? Are you picking up on something that I’m missing?”

  She let out a heavy breath and looked toward the window.

  “Kato, I’m not sure if we can trust them.” She glanced over at Silverstrike, as though looking for backup. “They just show up out of nowhere, and make a case for why they should have access to our most valuable resource? This feels like a power play…”

  “First off, they didn’t show up out of nowhere, and this isn’t a power play.” Silverstrike stepped in between Luke and Tess and held his hands out. “They control the zone diagonally to the southwest of us. The Revolutionary Rebels are directly to the south of us. This guild, Athena’s Wrath, is our natural ally against them.”

  Athena’s Wrath?

  Silverstrike saw the look on his face and continued.

  “They’re a gamer girl guild,” he said. “No guys allowed, as far as I can tell. But they’re good people, and decent players. We need their help.”

  Luke thought for a moment about what his friend was saying. Tess didn’t speak up, but he could tell from the look on her face that she had a lot on her mind.

  “Alright, let’s bring their leader back in and talk this out.” He paused, seeing the look on Tess’s face. “We can give them a trial run. We’ll authorize them to set up a small base here in our zone, just one or two players. A number that won’t be a threat.”

  Silverstrike clapped his hands together, a smile coming across his face.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking! The enemy of our enemy is our friend, and in this case, our enemy has us badly outnumbered.”

  “Whatever,” said Tess. She turned toward the back of the guild hall and crossed her arms.

  She’ll understand, especially once the situation comes to a head.

  Luke walked over to the door and opened it and gestured for Katrina to come inside.

  “We’ve come to a decision,” he said. “Your guild can set up a small-”

  “The situation has changed.” Her voice sounded small and shaky, and Luke immediately felt concerned. “My guild… our zone… They’ve attacked it.”

  “What?” Silverstrike moved over toward the eastern window of the guild hall, as though he expected to see a battle on the horizon.

  “They struck while we were here meeting with you,” said Katrina. “We only have five players in our guild. Our base was undefended.”

  For some reason, guilt began to sweep over Luke. He knew that it wasn’t his fault in any way, but his conscientious, moralistic side insisted that he take responsibility.

  “You can set up a base here, whatever you need,” he said. “We’ll host you for as long as it takes for you to get your zone back.”

  Both Tess and Silverstrike looked over at him in shock. Luke held his hands out toward them and furrowed his brow.

  “Look, if they can take
out a guild with five players that quickly, what do you think they’ll do to us when they get the chance?” He paused, and then looked back over to Katrina. “Let your guild members know that they can gather here.”

  She lowered her head into a nod that was deep enough to be a bow.

  “Thank you,” she said. “We won’t take more from the oasis than what we strictly need. And when the time comes, we will fight with you to protect it.”

  Luke smiled.

  “That’s all we can ask for.”

  Katrina and the other members of Athena’s Wrath went outside and began scoping out a building site on the other side of the oasis from where The Consulate’s guild hall was. Luke went over to the water pool and stood next to it, watching the gentle breeze slowly waiver across the reflective surface.

  “Are you sure about this?” Tess walked up next to him, wearing her skepticism openly on her face. “It might not be so easy to change our minds once they get set up.”

  “I’m sure. Don’t worry.”

  Luke felt an arm wrap around his shoulder as Silverstrike pulled both of them into a huddle.

  “We’re getting exactly what we need,” he said. “This is perfect. This is huge.”

  I hope you’re right.

  Tess was not nearly as enthusiastic, and, in fact, looked even more distraught after hearing the opinions of her friends. Luke watched her as she began to walk back toward Stark Town, and after a moment, he pulled away from Silverstrike to go after her.

  “Hey…” He had to jog at a decent pace to close the distance between them, Tess refusing to compromise her pace. “What’s up?”

  She didn’t say anything. Luke matched her speed with his own steps and walked next to her in silence, letting the bright desert sun warm his face. After a couple of seconds, Tess sighed and looked over to him.

  “Sorry, I don’t mean to be dramatic. I just like it how it was. I liked that it was just… the three of us.”

  “I can understand that,” said Luke. “You should know, though, that Silverstrike was already planning on expanding the guild with new members. This is no big deal.”

  “Kato, there’s something I think I should tell you.”

  Tess stopped walking. Luke looked at her and saw emotion flicker across her eyes.

  “What is it?”

  Tess opened her mouth, and then closed it and shook her head. She opened it again and then turned away from him.

  “Never mind,” she said, “I… I trust you. And you can trust me.”

  “I do trust you.”

  Something is up.

  Tess looked like she was biting her tongue, using all of her willpower to hold something back. She started walking again.

  “Okay,” she said. “I guess we should… head back to Dunidan’s Rest.”

  Luke took her hand, and instead of turning around he pulled her forward. The sun was slowly setting off in the distance and he began leading her toward it, to the west.

  “Hold on,” he said. “There’s something I’ve meant to check out.”

  Tess did not object. They continued across the Inner Plains until the sandy beaches and blue of the ocean came into view, the continent’s western coast.

  “The Western Sea,” said Tess. Luke looked a little closer and saw the tiny islands that were scattered amidst the water.

  The two of them walked forward until they were on the beach, looking out into an ocean massive enough to swallow them up. Waves along the western coast had carved smooth curves into the land, making the beach look like a long zigzag of inlets.

  Luke looked over at Tess and smiled.

  “It’s so beautiful here,” he said. “If I had been thinking clearly at the start of the game, I would have tried to take one of the island zones across the water.”

  “You would have tried and failed,” said Tess. “Those are all high-level zones. Besides, it was me who roped you into heading south, and I like the zone that we ended up with.”

  Luke met Tess’s eyes. The mist from the water was cool and wet on his cheeks. A rogue wave crashed a little further in against the beach and wet his shoes, but he still didn’t look away.

  “Tess…” he said. “This game, what we’ve been doing. It means a lot to me.”

  You mean a lot to me.

  “We’ve spent all day in-game,” said Tess. “All day in a virtual world.”

  She reached her hand out and gently slapped the sand, knocking grains of it askew along with a tiny ant.

  “What does it mean for us to be taking it so seriously?” she asked, quietly. “It looks and feels so real! The people in it are real, the problems we face…”

  She let her palm come to rest on top of Luke’s.

  “The relationships we build…” she whispered. Luke smiled at her.

  “It’s complicated,” he replied. “But I don’t mind.”

  He leaned over to her and kissed her right as a bigger wave crashed against the shore. She tasted sweet, and her body was warmer than the ocean spray that splashed down against them.

  “I should log off,” whispered Tess. “It’s probably later than I think it is.”

  “Yeah, me too,” said Luke. “Tess…”

  She watched him and waited for him to continue.

  “This is real to me.”

  Tess smiled and then disappeared. Luke reached into his own bag, pulled out the journal that doubled as an in-game menu, and signed his name, logging off.

  CHAPTER 23

  Coming back to reality was like being dropped out of a plane. Luke was suddenly aware of his entire body, flesh and blood, and all its needs. He was ravenously hungry and needed to use the bathroom. He could see that it was already night through the window, and felt as though he’d stepped into a time warp.

  “Jeez, Ben, it’s already…” Luke looked over at his friend and saw that he still had his headset on. He sat at his desk limply, like someone who’d gone into a coma while studying.

  Is that what we look like when we’re playing?

  The new headset didn’t require Ben to move at all in the real world. He was frozen in the office chair, but in-game, Luke was sure that he was active.

  It’s like having two bodies and transporting your control from one to the other.

  Luke’s bladder pulled him away from the sight and across the hall to the bathroom. He could hear footsteps moving down the hall, and remembered that Emily was probably somewhere around.

  When he came back into Ben’s room, he was surprised to see his friend pulling the headset off gingerly. Luke leaned against the door frame and shook his head.

  “Did you hear me through the headset?

  “Hear you… what?” Ben shot him a confused look and then pulled something out of his desk, which Luke realized, after a second, was his pipe. “I’m just topping myself off.”

  Luke sighed.

  “Come on man, when aren’t you high these days? Maybe think about giving it a rest?”

  “Don’t give me that shit.” Ben pulled a bit of green bud out of a small jar and packed it into the bowl of the pipe. “You’ve been playing Yvvaros like a game addict. It’s no different.”

  It is different. I know it is.

  Luke didn’t put his thoughts into words, wanting to avoid pushing his friend too far. After Ben had taken a massive hit, he exhaled smoke and turned back to him.

  “Besides, it helps me focus,” he said. “I’m putting everything I’ve got into preparing the guild hall, and you should, too. We’re fucked if the Revolutionary Rebels hit us before we’re ready.”

  “Yeah, yeah man, whatever.” Luke leaned out into the hallway and absent-mindedly looked over at the stairs. “Hey man, I think I’m going to head home for tonight…”

  Ben wasn’t listening. Luke turned to him and saw that he’d put the headset back on and returned to the limp, unresponsive state. It was as though he’d logged out of his real life body. Luke sighed and walked down the hall, and then down the stairs.

  The do
wnstairs bathroom door was shut, and the sound of the shower running was coming from inside of it. Luke figured that it was Emily, washing up before bed.

  She was incredibly patient, letting us play for that long without making a fuss.

  He headed back up to Ben’s room, packed up his computer and the new headset, and then headed out. The night sky was overcast, and it made the walk home a bit darker than usual. A couple of fireflies were out, and in the under-lit areas of the street, they shined with magnificent color.

  Luke didn’t think twice about walking up the front steps of his house and heading inside. It was a Sunday night, and usually that was the one day of the week when his dad would head to bed early.

  “You have school tomorrow.” Chris Smith was not asleep. He was sitting with a bottle of liquor in his hand directly across from the front door,.

  “Oh, sorry dad,” said Luke. “I’m going to head straight to-”

  The bottle crashed against the wall next to Luke’s face, spraying him with glass shards and disgusting smelling liquid. He flinched back as his father slowly stood up.

  “What’s in the bag, Luke?” He knocked over the chair as he stepped forward. “Your computer? Your headset?”

  He’s out of his mind…

  “Dad, look, I was just-”

  “Shut up!” His dad rushed forward, closing the distance between them and grabbing Luke by the shoulders. “You’re falling for it, Luke! Like the rest of the fucking morons that we built it for.”

  “I’m not a moron!”

  Luke tried to shrug off his dad’s solid grip and felt the man’s fingers dig deeper into his arm. He twisted away, and then suddenly felt something collide with the side of his head.

  “You don’t understand!”

  Another blow struck Luke in the stomach, this time from a fist. He gasped in pain and doubled over, and then felt another slap on the other side of his face.

  The fucking bastard…

  Forcing himself to his feet, Luke swung his own arm forward, his tightly balled fist striking a glancing blow on his dad’s neck. Chris Smith flinched back.

  “Why you little…”

  He pushed Luke back, and he fell to the ground tripping over a pair of shoes tangled against his foot. Another blow rained down on him, and then another, and another. Luke was furious, but all he could do was curl up into a ball, incapable of dealing with such an onslaught from someone taller, heavier and stronger than him.