Change

by Tony Corden

  Her third bout was against the tall insectoid with four swords. As she moved onto the arena, Leah unsheathed both her swords. She knew she needed to finish this quickly. Her foe moved forward quickly in a set move where all four blades seemed to move independently. Leah blocked two of the blades and managed to side-step a third, but the fourth sword made full contact with her right shoulder. The force was more of a slash than a thrust, and one of the rods she’d included in the armour stopped the damage from being too severe. Still, she felt the blow and almost dropped her primary weapon. Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward and attacked with both swords. She had practised the various forms with both hands, and she managed to strike close to the elbow joint of a lower limb and damage one of the arms.

  When the insect next stepped forward, it used a similar mix of strikes, and Leah found herself unconsciously moving to protect her right shoulder. This had never happened to her before. She was caught on the wrong foot and off guard. She received a vicious blow to her right thigh and then a thrust which penetrated her armour and cut deep into her left arm. Leah stepped back from the fight only to have the insect take the initiative and follow her with a series of blows to Leah’s left side which resulted not only in a second wound, but it swept the sword from her grasp. Leah flinched from the blow, and although she managed to block the next two attacks, she was disarmed on the third and killed by a thrust through her heart.

  She was resurrected at the entrance to the arena and found Farron staring at her. He said, “We will work on your defence. You need to conquer your fear. We will talk more in the next lesson.”

  As he walked away Leah began to tear up, but she shook herself and after making her way out of the Amphitheatre, she logged-out.

  When she arrived in the tower, she sat on the sofa and just lay there for a while. After maybe ten minutes Gèng said, “Leah, you have an appointment with the psychiatrist in a few minutes.”

  “Are you certain I need to go?”

  “Yes! Consider your fight, or better yet, consider the last ten minutes. You have just sat and stared into space. Before your experience of extreme pain, you would have been active and preparing for the future. Anyone can lose a battle, but you are struggling with something more.”

  Leah had a quick bathroom break and ate some biscuits her mother had left and then re-entered the Pod. Gèng said, “I have placed a temporary portal near the entrance to Dunyanin. The psychiatrist's name is Dr Ellen Roberts.”

  Leah walked steadily to the door which represented the portal and after knocking she walked through and into a small office space with a desk and two plush armchairs. In one sat a middle-aged woman with a notepad. She said, “Please come in Atherleah, and have a seat. My name is Dr Ellen Roberts, and I am pleased to see you. How may I help?”

  “To be honest, I’m not sure. My AI, Gèng, is the one who suggested it and made the appointment. She is concerned that a recent event is causing me some distress.”

  “Your AI? Well, we must return to that later, but please describe the event for me.”

  “Do you know the world of Dunyanin?”

  “Yes.”

  Leah looked down to her lap and described how she had come to an agreement with a vampire and the circumstances which occurred. She left nothing out, and when she had finished, she looked up at the Doctor. Leah said, “It was horrible. I just realised as I told you about it that I didn’t honestly describe the despair I felt. Everything else in the virtual world has seemed real, but wasn’t. This was real. It scared me. It scarred me.

  "I think more than anything this has made me realise that the threats I feel in the virtual world can spill over into my real world. Just before coming here, I was in a Duelling Tournament in a virtual game. I just lost my first fight in the virtual world. I responded to fear in a situation that never before would have unhinged me. I reacted not to the pain or even to the attack at the time. I reacted to the memory of pain from the trauma of my change into a vampire. People are trying to capture, kidnap or kill me in at least two virtual worlds, and now I think that my mind somehow understands, or feels, that nowhere is safe. I've had to hire people in the real world to protect my family and me. I’m distressed, I need to move forward, but the fear is controlling me instead of me controlling it.”

  “That was a very thoughtful answer, and I think you would have reached these conclusions on your own. Did your AI give any other indication as to why she suggested you see me?”

  “No! But if you will give her permission to enter the office, I’m sure she would be willing to explain.”

  “Wonderful! Please have her come, I do give my permission.”

  Gèng entered the room and stood next to Leah and said, “Hello Dr Roberts, my name is Gèng, and I am Atherleah’s AI. I suggested this for three reasons. First, because Atherleah needed some impetus to work through her feelings. She values privacy and professional competence, and I believed you would be the best example of both. If she were unable to make the connections, then you would help her do so. Second, Atherleah has one of the latest SIMPods. It has a comprehensive suite of diagnostic tools. There have been some changes in several key metrics when comparisons are made pre and post the extreme episode of pain. Finally, certain factors will become apparent when you consider the test results, and my research suggests that you are possibly the only privately practising practitioner who will have had prior experience in this area to deal with those factors.”

  Leah said, “Are you sure this is a good idea Gèng?”

  “Atherleah, I believe so. I can show you the research if you wish but Dr Roberts will be able to allay your fears.”

  Dr Roberts said, “Why are you unsure, Atherleah?”

  “I'm afraid you will share my story with others. Others who are trying to get me. I'm not paranoid, they really are out to get me. Last week I helped stop a slavery ring and the people who ran it are violent and rich. They have contacts in government and in the international community.”

  The doctor replied, “I am a bit dubious until I verify facts, but I am wedded to the idea of patient confidentiality. Without your permission, I promise not to tell a soul what happens in our sessions. May I look at the scans and tests?”

  Leah nodded to Gèng, who passed the doctor a data chip. Another chair appeared for Gèng, and she and Leah sat there while the doctor reviewed everything Gèng had given her. The minutes passed, and the doctor read and re-read the information. Finally, after almost twenty minutes she turned to Gèng and said, “How did you know I had prior experience? Those records are top secret, I’ve signed watertight NDA’s and so has everyone involved.”

  “When I was searching through the coding and test parameters for the various nanites, I uncovered a small elegant sub-routine which kept track of the section of the basal ganglia in which I noticed changes. On reviewing the available literature on temporal manipulation, I read a paper published by you which contained the same sub-routine. Atherleah needs assurance that either this change is beneficial and expected or that it needs treatment. You are the best choice to help come to a reasoned decision.”

  “Atherleah, do you understand what Gèng is saying?”

  “Not completely, it feels a little like you both know more than me. I understand she is worrying that the intense pain not only kickstarted my additional neural connections but it also made changes in the additional connections to the parts of the brain which influence my understanding of time. She thinks that reliving the experience is normal and I would get over it in time except if some the changes were forcing me to relive that experience in a way I could not adapt to. She’s worked out that you were a psychiatrist involved in neural manipulation but for some reason have left the military and government sector for the private. You can tell her, and by extension, me, if something needs to be done about it or if the changes in the basal ganglia are what is to be expected. She didn’t tell me everything beforehand because she didn’t want to cause me additional stress. She knew I would protec
t her rather than letting any of this information get out. She is so getting in trouble when we get home.”

  “Atherleah, these results are to be expected from the application of the extreme sensory overload which appears to have initiated a temporal feedback loop. I expect that even though you only suffered the pain for less than a second, your brain, because of these connections, experienced the echo of that pain for some time, and this may continue for several days. Your thoughts and reactions are both expected and justified, but if you continue to show the excellent mental health practices you have today, then the effect will be manageable, if not to some extent useful. If the feelings or reactions continue to debilitate you, then I can talk you through some behavioural and cognitive ways to help facilitate and speed up healing. Gèng, I expect you understand the unique nature of the connections and are both able and willing to modify Atherleah’s perceptions if she asks you to, or if you think it benefits her.”

  “I am, and I have.”

  “Then I suggest you limit such modifications for at least another week. Atherleah, I will prescribe a site specific neurological antihistaminic which I suggest you take once each day before you enter NREM3 Sleep. Gèng, please send me daily test results. I need to see you both in 48 hours, and I would like to meet in your world. Also, Atherleah, I would appreciate your trust and ask that you allow me to spend your next NREM3 sleep assessing the neural changes with Gèng.”

  “I will allow it. Is that everything?”

  “For now, I’ll wait for Gèng to contact me about your sleep time.”

  Leah and Gèng walked back through the portal and Leah said, “You should have told me everything.”

  “It was contraindicated Leah, it may have caused more damage, and that was something I could not do.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. Eeither way, I want to have control of my life.”

  “You have it. Once you knew what was happening you still had time to stop the information being shared. If you were not aware what was going to happen, I would have explained before sharing.”

  “I know, and I do trust you. Thank you for caring and for arranging the talk, I think it helped put things in perspective.”

  “Thank you, now you best hurry if you are going to make church with your mother. I believe she would suggest that is another necessary perspective.”

  “Thanks for reminding me, and yes she would. She would encourage me to have faith.”

  Leah logged out and had to jog most of the way but arrived just as the first hymn was finishing. It felt weird to walk into church with two bodyguards, but she thought Jimmy’s boys felt even weirder. She could see the glint in the preacher’s eye as he seemed to focus on the consequences of sin and the need for repentance.

  After church, she walked home with her mother, brother, and the four bodyguards; each member of her family each had one. She had an early Sunday lunch with them and then headed back to Dunyanin.

  Arriving on the road to Tekne Leah looked around, and seeing no one, she looked down the road and teleported as far as she could see. She ran until her cool down period expired and repeated Teleport. Leah continued to do this for almost an hour when she spied someone she thought was Rana 400 metres ahead of her. The person was jogging quickly in the direction of Tekne. She'd passed others on the journey, but none were wearing similar clothing, and she had moved on. Rather than call out, she kept Rana in sight until the cool-down was over and then teleported about fifty paces in front of her.

  Rana quickly caught up, and after a quick greeting Leah released Mĕi, and they continued the journey at a run. Mĕi seemed to understand their need for speed and would fly ahead for a time and then hunt until they reached her. They only stopped for lunch, and this was more to give the dragon egg time in Dunyanin rather than any particular need to eat. After eight hours Leah returned Mĕi to her statue form and returned to the Tower after agreeing with Rana to meet in the morning.

  She took a break and then headed to MIT where she was tested in Chemistry. She was pleased she had just taken the Community College course in Chemistry as everything was fresh. Leah finished the testing earlier than expected and hoped that wasn’t a bad sign. Still, she sat on her sofa back in the Tower and thought through the exam; on reflection she didn’t believe she had made any major mistakes.

  Leah was due for a deep sleep and Gèng contacted Dr Roberts, who said she was available and would arrive in ten minutes. Leah walked out to the podium with Gèng and admired the view while she waited. Dr Roberts arrived on schedule and looked around in surprise. Leah said, “Welcome to the Tower. This is where Gèng and I spend a lot of our time. Well, to be honest, Gèng more than I. She lives here while I mostly pass through from one world to the other. Here is my ‘safe’ place. I’ll let Gèng show you around while I go have another meal before the NREM3. My metabolism has really ramped up.”

  When Leah woke from her deep sleep, the doctor had gone. Gèng said, “Dr Roberts was very helpful and identified several areas where I might aid your recovery while you sleep. She was very impressed with the Tower. Apparently, she plays on Ringworld almost excessively. She was amazed at the various loot you’ve obtained and said she just might try Dunyanin out.”

  “Well, speaking of Dunyanin, I’m heading there now. I expect to be in Tekne today.”

  Arriving in Dunyanin Leah used the teleport spell in the same way and was soon running along beside Rana. After an hour of travelling this way, they crested a small rise and looked out on a town which could only be Tekne. They had a panoramic view of the coast and the Great Central Ocean. They had travelled the fifty leagues in just over a day and a half. Slowing to a stop, they discussed the next part of the journey as they walked.

  Leah said, “I hope to find a boat that is leaving almost immediately. Is there anything you need to do or see?”

  “Nothing! Father advised me of a grandson of his who lives in town. Although they have not communicated in the last two centuries Father assumes he still resides here. If we need assistance, then he may be able to help. Apparently, he lives in the largest manor on the hill overlooking the dock.”

  “Do you need to speak with him?”

  “There is no need, but if we need help then Father assured me this person would provide it.”

  Leah and Rana were only given cursory glances as they passed the town gates and made their way into the medium-sized town. The main road led through the markets and Leah took the opportunity to change her resurrection point. Afterward, they headed to the port and discovered, after talking with the port master, that there were two ships headed for Ticareti later in the day. One was a fast three-sailed clipper and the other a larger, slower, carrack. The clipper was scheduled to make several stops at various ports on the way whereas the carrack was heading directly to Ticareti. Leah was given the ship names and berth numbers. The closest ship was the clipper Ileri, but it turned out to be fully loaded and unable to take more passengers. The carrack, Lucky Star, not only had room but was captained by a player.

  Leah approached the gangway, and a sailor indicated they should stop. Leah said, “I was wondering if I might trouble the Captain? We seek passage to Ticareti.”

  “Wait here, I’ll get the captain.”

  Several minutes later a tall bearded human walked down the gangway. Leah checked his name as LJ_Masters_Esq, he was Level 157. He said, “Morning, I’m Captain LJ, master of the Lucky Star. I hear you need to travel to Ticareti.”

  “Yes Captain, my name is Atherleah, and this is my companion, Rana. We have business in Ticareti, and you seem to be the quickest way to get there.”

  “Aye, I would be. Unfortunately, I’m a little wary of taking two passengers on board who are so much stronger than I. I’ve enough trouble with possible pirates on the journey without the possibility of trouble on board.”

  “I promise we’ll be no trouble and will even make an oath to that effect if you wish. As for pirates, surely having two more fighters on board would be a good thing?”


  “It would. I haven’t heard of such an oath before, how does it work?”

  “I imbue my words with magic, and they become binding. If I break my word, then I die and lose respect with everyone else I meet.”

  Just then, an elven sailor walked up to the captain and whispered in his ear. The captain turned to Leah and said, “Derya here is a sea elf and my companion. He says you are known to him as the Markiz Atherleah and are considered trustworthy. He suggests I merely accept your word and not anger you by agreeing to an oath.”

  “I am Markiz Atherleah, but it would not make me angry. There are untrustworthy souls everywhere these days.”

  “Truer words have never been spoken. On his recommendation, I have a berth available for you both and will be leaving with the tide in two hours. The cost is twenty gold each if you provide your own food. If you wish to eat from the galley, the cost is twenty-five gold.”

  Leah gave the captain fifty gold, and they boarded the ship. Two hours later they were on deck when the sails were loosed, and the ship began to move from the dock. Within an hour they had left the land behind, and both Leah and Rana were standing on the poop deck watching the sailors run up and down the masts and simply enjoying the journey. Neither of them suffered from seasickness and were discussing the various birds, sounds and scents which they were experiencing. The captain joined them and said, “I love this time of the day. We have a tailwind and nothing but us from here to the horizon.”

  Leah said, “I imagine there are dangers out here, what earns you experience?”

  “We have some sea monsters, and there are occasional pirates. But I’m a sailor by profession and I gain experience from having other sailors work under me, from distances travelled out of sight of land, and from cargo carried safely. I’m not wired for battle, but I enjoy the thrill of navigating the sea by the sun and stars. In fact, the danger from pirates in this area is new, and I may move elsewhere.”