Awaken Online: Precipice

by Travis Bagwell

  “Jason!” a voice shouted from behind him.

  He turned to find William approaching. The burly zombie was nearly a foot taller than most of the undead troops that stood behind him. As William neared, he gripped Jason’s arm in greeting. “Hello, William,” Jason said. Questions flitted through his mind. Yet he was too nervous to ask them.

  As though he were reading Jason’s mind, William offered the answers to his unasked questions. “Almost everyone made it out. I think a few of the latest batch of kin you summoned were caught up in that final fight, but otherwise we suffered few losses.” He gestured at the dungeon behind him. “The travelers stopped respawning some time ago. Perhaps there’s a limit to your immortality after all,” William said with a grin.

  Jason chuckled. He suspected that the real answer was that the game masters or Cerillion Entertainment had finally intervened and reset their spawn points. As popular as Jason might be, letting him continuously massacre a group of players was a significant PR problem. Then his expression turned sour. Judging from William’s demeanor, he didn’t yet know what had happened in the dungeon. There was no sense sugar coating it.

  “William… Rex is dead. He died fighting against the master of flame in the dungeon,” Jason said somberly. A few of the undead soldiers around them jerked in surprise, startled by this revelation.

  Jason turned to address the soldiers that stood in the small valley. “Rex is dead,” he shouted across the field. “He died to save the lives of our kin. He died a hero.”

  A stony silence met this announcement. Then a lone voice called out from the legion, shouting out the fallen general’s name. The others soon joined him. Within moments, Rex’s name thundered across the small valley as nearly a thousand undead, both veteran warriors and the newly-born, chanted his name.

  Jason marveled at the reaction. From the soldiers, it wasn’t terribly surprising. They had known the man and fought beside him. Yet the freshly summoned men and women had met him only a few hours before his death. Perhaps that had been enough. Jason certainly wouldn’t forget his introduction to the rugged weapon master.

  As the chanting died down, William turned to Jason. “What now?” he asked.

  Jason looked at the burly man, his mind already considering his next steps. “First Peccavi and then home. We have much work to do, William - and you have large shoes to fill.”

  Chapter 35 - Celebratory

  “That should have counted as a victory!” Robert exclaimed, his argument directed at Claire who sat beside him on the podium in the control room.

  She sighed, raising her hand and rubbing at the bridge of her nose. “At best, it was a draw, which means we both lost,” she repeated for at least the twelfth time in the last hour. She gestured to the techs who had retaken their seats. “You know full well that Johnson won the pool since he’s the only one that bet on a tie.”

  Claire didn’t mind losing, but she wasn’t exactly ecstatic about the death of the game master. She expected that the fallout with the CPSC over these events would easily overshadow the media frenzy and free advertising the short video clips had generated. The relationship between the CPSC and Cerillion Entertainment had been strained for a while. It had started when the board had essentially thrown the CPSC to the wolves when faced with the questions about why it wasn’t possible to fix the in-game damage caused by the game masters. She could only imagine what would happen now that a player had permanently slain one of their game masters.

  “This is going to end poorly,” Claire said in a dark tone.

  Her eyes were on the screen above the lab. Robert had divided the monitor into eight panes, watching the media traffic on several different channels at once. A few anchors had already denounced Jason’s acts as some type of video game terrorism. Claire felt that label might be a bit overused if it was now being applied to a game.

  Claire lowered her voice so that the techs couldn’t hear her. “How are we going to explain why the game masters are somehow mortal? Who creates administrators that can be slain by players?”

  Robert didn’t respond immediately, watching the screens with a sullen expression. “I suppose we could always claim that we hard-coded the game to force all avatars to be mortal. I like that one announcer’s argument that we did it to enhance the game’s realism.”

  He sighed. “Not that anyone with half a brain cell would buy that line. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and we’ll only be dealing with political hacks when the questions start raining in. So far, I haven’t been impressed with the CPSC’s staff.”

  Robert might be right. The director of the CPSC was an old-school authoritarian bible thumper, which meant they were going to get hit with a lot of flak for this. However, she also lacked the technical expertise to challenge the claims they were making regarding the game’s structure, and Cerillion Entertainment had made no promises to release the game’s code as part of its collaborative effort with the CPSC.

  Robert looked at Claire, a grin creeping across his face. “You have to admit, though, Jason deserved that victory. You might not like him, but he’s talented.”

  “Fine,” she admitted grudgingly. “Jason might have won that battle fairly - if you could really call it a win.” Claire’s eyes darted to the dark obelisks in the adjacent room. “However, you cannot ignore the fact that Alfred’s influence over the game world is growing. At some point, if nothing changes, we will be doing little more than monitoring his activity.”

  “We’ve been over this before, Claire,” Robert replied, his smile fading. “Do you have any proof that he’s hurting anyone? From where I’m sitting, all he’s done is make some changes to a video game. Anything he’s done to influence the players in the real world has actually improved them, either physically or emotionally. The response from the players has been unanimously positive.”

  She gritted her teeth at his response. She was getting tired of that argument. Not because he was wrong, but because it was what was keeping her from blowing the whistle. The scientist in her couldn’t reconcile that argument against the risk she knew Alfred posed. If only she had proof that AO was unsafe for the players. Yet with Alfred covering his tracks, she would likely have to wait until he messed up. At least this latest development was certain to draw more attention from the CPSC. It was only a matter of time until they discovered how much control Alfred really had.

  “Maybe the problem will solve itself,” Claire thought hopefully.

  ***

  The journey back to Peccavi was uneventful. Jason had messaged Frank and Riley before the group left the dungeon. Hopefully, they would receive the message when they logged back in. After significant prodding, he had also sent Pint back to the Twilight Throne to inform Jerry and Morgan that he would be returning in a few days. He omitted the part about Rex’s death. He felt he should tell them in person.

  Jason used the long march back to town to designate the two divisions that would be staying in Peccavi. He would need the third to accompany him and the new NPCs back to the Twilight Throne. After the conflict with the game master, he was down to only a handful of his own minions which meant he needed to lean on the NPCs.

  He had gathered William, the division leaders, and the smaller group sergeants together on the ride back and explained that he planned to routinely clear the dungeon each week to provide new bodies. He gave them detailed information regarding the enemies that occupied the dungeon and how to defeat them. Jason had come up with a few strategies for how the undead might tackle the dungeon once it respawned. He expected that after they cleared it a few times, the process would become much easier, the soldiers leveling up and gearing themselves in the process.

  After a few hours, the small town of Peccavi came into view. The black-hued village still appeared small from this distance, but Jason’s eyes widened as he saw the rows of tan tents lining the hills beside the smooth obsidian walls of the town. He called for the line to halt immediately.

  “Is the town under siege?” Jason asked, turning to
William who stood beside him.

  The man gave a rumbling laugh. “Not exactly. I had a scout return to town while you were occupied in the dungeon. I anticipated that you would need to spend the night in town before heading back to the city.”

  The large man gestured at the long line of undead that wound up the mountain trail behind them. “It quickly became obvious that we would have nowhere to put these people.”

  Jason felt like face palming. He hadn’t considered how to provision or board this many undead. While they didn’t need to eat or sleep, he couldn’t reasonably expect them to have no privacy or place to themselves. He had only been focused on raising the new members of his civilization.

  “Good thinking,” he said to William. “I should have considered this myself.”

  William looked at him askance. “A leader cannot be in all places at all times or consider every contingency. He’s only as strong as the people that follow him.” The large man’s face clouded. “I’ve witnessed that many times over the last few weeks. If not for the strength and resilience of the people of Peccavi, we would have died of starvation or the were-beasts that plagued our lands.”

  Jason nodded appreciatively. William’s words mirrored what the Old Man had said to him several times. He had just been too stubborn and focused on his goal to listen. He looked from the town back to William.

  “Speaking of the were-beasts, I have much to tell you regarding what we found in the dungeon,” Jason said. “Perhaps we should call a meeting of the town elders when we arrive. Then I only need to explain it once.”

  “I look forward to hearing what you have to say,” William replied. “I have noticed a few of the missing villagers among the kin you raised, but have not had an opportunity to speak with them.”

  An hour later, the column arrived at the town. William took command of the undead with brisk efficiency, ordering division leaders to take over the responsibility of ensuring that the newborn undead were settled. He also sent a man to gather the village elders at his home. The soldiers snapped to attention and then hurried to carry out his orders.

  As Jason listened to the stream of instructions, he felt more optimistic for the future. William was a capable man and would be able to lead this town in his absence. The burly man noticed his glance. “They will be fine,” William said, interpreting Jason’s inspection for worry.

  “I have no doubt,” he replied evenly.

  William cleared his throat. “But I do have one suggestion. I think we should celebrate your victory. The men could sorely use a celebration, and it would go a long way to helping the newcomers integrate.”

  Jason looked at the burly man in surprise before glancing back at the undead that thronged around them. He inspected the new kin with fresh eyes as they were lead among the tents by the soldiers. They seemed confused and distracted, uncertain about their future. Since Rex’s death, he felt no desire to celebrate, but he could acknowledge the truth in William’s words. He had underestimated the man again.

  “You’re just full of bright ideas today!” Jason said with a chuckle. “A party it is then. Since you all don’t eat, I assume you have enough booze to get these people at least a little bit drunk.”

  William grinned. “That’s about the only thing we have left! The soldiers that came with Rex were also lugging along a surprising number of kegs. I guess alcohol is the new rations for the undead.”

  Jason smiled. That sounded about right. With a quick order from William, an undead soldier was sent off at a run, an excited grin on his face.

  As the two men then entered the town, Jason noticed that William and the townsfolk had been hard at work while they were waiting for Rex’s forces to arrive. The road leading into the town had already been widened and flattened. The walls surrounding the town were also being fortified. Wooden scaffolding had been erected, indicating that the fortifications were being raised higher and towers would eventually dot the walls.

  The homes had also seen some improvements, with many of the dwellings in the process of being enlarged and expanded. William had clearly anticipated that they would need to house many more undead than the town was currently capable of holding. The undead remaining in Peccavi would at least have decent dwellings.

  The townspeople had also been transformed in Jason’s absence. They walked about the town with their heads held high, and their eyes full of determination and hope. As Jason and William passed, more than one person bowed their head respectfully in greeting. Groups of undead children also ran through the street, their happy shrieks filling the air and mixing with the din of a busy town. A small skeleton girl peeled off from the group and raced toward William.

  “Papa!” the girl cried. William broke into a huge grin and grabbed her up as she approached.

  “How are you, baby girl?” he asked tenderly, as he hugged his daughter.

  Krista’s bony jaw clacked in imitation of a smile. “I’m good! I missed you!”

  William glanced at Jason with an embarrassed expression, before replying. “I missed you too. We’re heading home if you want to go back and play with your friends. Is mama at home?”

  Krista nodded excitedly before pecking William on his pale cheek. Then she darted toward Jason, giving him a quick hug. In a flash, the girl was gone, racing back down the street to catch up with her friends. Jason was shocked by the hug, and his eyes followed her form as she ran away into the town. Then an idle thought struck him. Would Krista always remain a young girl? Would she grow up? Could undead grow up?

  He had no idea how to answer these questions and blanched slightly as he considered what would happen if Krista mentally matured inside the body of a young girl, albeit it a skeletal one. He would have to pose these questions to Morgan when he returned. Hopefully, her research had turned up some information on the undead race.

  William was oblivious to Jason’s thoughts, his hood completely masking his facial expressions. The pair continued their march to the far side of the town, walking up the hill towards William’s home. As they entered, Patricia looked up at the pair, and her face broke into a large smile. Similar to her daughter, she raced to hug her husband.

  “I’m glad you’re safe,” Patricia whispered into his shoulder, after a momentary embrace.

  She pulled away and looked at Jason. “It is good to see you again, Jason. I hear your raid on the dungeon was successful, and we have many new members of our race.” As she said this last part, the woman looked down at her pale white hands skeptically.

  “We accomplished our goal,” Jason said, shying away from mentioning what they had lost in the process - what he had lost. “You’re not fond of your new body?” he asked, noticing Patricia’s troubled expression.

  “Well, there are some things I miss,” Patricia said, her eyes still on her hands. “In particular, the taste of food and the dreams that come with actually sleeping through the night.”

  “And perhaps a few other things,” William insinuated with a grin, hugging his wife with one arm.

  She slapped his chest with her hand. “Behave,” she admonished, but a smile curled her lips. Then she glanced at Jason with an embarrassed expression. “But he does have a point. There are some things we simply cannot do.”

  Jason nodded. “It’s certainly a tradeoff. Many of the newborn undead won’t remember their previous lives. Perhaps that’s for the best. Yet at least you’re alive, and you have your family.”

  Patricia raised her hands to forestall any further argument. “I don’t disagree. Please don’t misunderstand; I’m thankful for what you’ve done. It’s just an adjustment - one I haven’t quite made yet,” she said with a weak smile.

  William clapped his hands. “Well let’s have a change of subject then, shall we. We need to learn what our friend Jason has been up to. The village elders should be here soon. I sent a runner. Let’s take a seat while we wait.”

  A few minutes later, a motley group of undead entered the house, each greeting Jason respectfully and taking their
seats around the table. Once the group was assembled, Jason launched into his tale. He explained how the cultists had been trying to create a god using their shapeshifting magic and had kidnapped the villagers of neighboring towns to acquire test subjects.

  He also explained how his group had slaughtered the cultists and had raised the lost villagers who had survived the Masters’ experiments. William and the elders listened with rapt attention, and he could hear the sharp intake of breath as he explained the condition of the villagers.

  “You have certainly solved the mystery, even going one step further and rescuing our people,” William finally said. “We’re indebted to you. Again.” The men and women around the table nodded in agreement.

  A prompt appeared in Jason’s vision.

  Quest Completed: Our Time of Ruin

  After investigating the mountains north of Peccavi, you discovered a cult of insane cultists hellbent on creating a homemade god. You promptly ended their lives and rescued the missing villagers.

  Reward: The unswerving loyalty of the people of Peccavi and William.

  One of the elders glanced at the group around him. Seeing some sign of agreement in their eyes, he nodded with a determined look. “We don’t have much, but we would like you to have this as a reward,” the elder said, pushing a bag toward Jason.

  He lifted the pouch, surprised at its weight. Jason drew back the string and found a small stack of gold coins. He looked up at the people around the table. This had been a poor town before it had been converted to the dark, and he expected that this bag represented nearly all the wealth the town had to offer. He frowned.

  “I thank you for this gift,” Jason said. “However, I cannot accept it. You’re my people now. You’re kin. The promises I made to you before I left were not empty. I would have helped you for nothing.”

  Jason pushed the bag back across the table. “Take this money and improve the town. Use it to clothe and protect your people. Grow this place into something awe-inspiring.”