"So... What?" The leader repeated in disbelief.
"Yes! So what? I have been working here for seven months, and all I did was create secondary characters! And the AI makes them better than I do! The only important one you allowed me to create was Renno! And he killed her! He cheated and killed her, and you did nothing!"
"What kind of absurdity are you talking about?"
"I gave her my best! I stayed up for weeks and thought about her background and her quests and her personality! She would unite the Underworld and start a Surface invasion! And when she died, you didn't even care!"
"She was just a game character!" Ethan yelled back. "She died! It happens! I never told you to do that much!"
"But I did! And he killed her! And he'll die for it! He'll lose the Challenge and his precious legendary items and be resurrected in the trap they left for him in the prison. Then he'll have to suicide. I bet my salary he'll quit the game!"
"Out! Now! You're fired!"
She spat his direction and left.
"I believe her nemesis would say something in the lines of 'that escalated quickly.'" Stewart said. He was black, thin and bald, and wore a suit to work, much to the surprise of everyone. Why wear such uncomfortable clothes when you didn't have to?
"She interfered." Ethan looked back at the main screen. "This is my game, my world. No one interferes without my say so! No one!"
"Should we change Shai back?" Louis asked.
"Didn't you hear what I just said? No one interferes." He was suddenly back to his calm mood. Ethan's emotions fluctuated quickly, and everyone in the team could understand Megan, if not support her actions.
They watched in silence until the Ruined Kings appeared.
"See, that's what I'm talking about. Complete freedom. They are doing what their personalities tell them, forcing the world to adapt to their will. I created a true world, with real inhabitants! I'm a god!"
David rolled his eyes. Yes, Ethan had been the one to design most of the game, including making Valia as free as it was, but he was nothing when compared to Alpha – and he wouldn't have been able to do anything without the AI.
The other two people in the room just kept looking at the screen, having learned early on not to point out his delusion of grandeur.
Shai got killed.
"Boring. Stewart, you're the one responsible for patching that ridiculous glitch and forbidding helmets to be opened by others. Too much freedom hurts a game."
'Fixing the glitch' meant telling the Guardian to tell Alpha what to change. They didn't even have to type it, just say what had to be done, and the AI obeyed.
Lazy bastards.
Jack got the cheating message – auto-generated, since David would've banned the boy if it was a real cheat –, and they all heard his blackmail.
Ethan laughed. "I love this boy! Take him off of the hook."
Sighing, David obeyed, ordering the Guardian to remove Jack Thorn from the watch list.
Manhart appeared, and Ethan commented again on the genius of his game and world.
And the Challenge ended.
"Good ride. I'm starving, see you." The lead game designer left the room.
"I have to say that I partially agree with him," Stewart said. "What the AI did was impressive. That wasn't a scripted quest line, was it?"
"No," Louise said. "No, it wasn't."
They got back to work. Each felt proud in his or her way but knew better than to relax. Theirs was the current dream job of game developers, and they didn't want to lose the opportunity.
Five hours later, already back in his room, David received a call. "Ted? Oh, I'm sorry I forgot the dinner. I'll come home right now."
"Wait, dad." He could hear her cry, and his heart ached.
"Honey? Are you crying? What's going on? Did someone hurt you? Where are you? Are you home? I'm coming, honey. Just wait." He grabbed his jacket and walked to the door.
"Wait, dad! Wait!" She kept crying. "I need your help."
"Sure, honey," he kept walking. "Just say it. And don't hang up, okay? I'm listening."
"It's Jack."
His pace slowed.
"What about him?"
"Jack told me that you are doing something bad, dad. He was lying, wasn't him? Tell me he was lying."
David stopped walking.
"Honey? What did he say?"
"He said you work for criminals. That you are reading people's mind and blackmailing them. He said- He said-" She cried harder. For a long time. "Please tell me it's a lie, dad. Please."
"I- How-"
"Dad," she interrupted, "please. Tell me he's lying, please."
He had heard something about it, but he also knew V-Soft was connected to the government somehow. And since the creation of the Commonwealth, you couldn't simply point fingers at the politicians.
"Honey, it's more complicated than that. And I can't discuss it with you. Not by phone." He picked his pace again. "I'm coming home for you."
"More complicated? You are doing it, aren't you? You're a monster!"
"Honey, aren't you exaggerating a little?"
"Exaggerating? Exaggerating?! I hate you!"
She hung up. His heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. He kept walking, half believing this was one of those manipulations of hers, her new way of earning a trip to a tropical beach.
She had done it before and he was pretty sure she would do it again. He usually played her game until it was a convenient time to travel.
It was both funny and offensive that he worked with one of the most advanced AIs in the world and his daughter thought he was an idiot.
His phone rang again, and he looked at the screen. Unknown number. He answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey there." It was a male voice. "Is this David Williams?"
"Yes. Who is it?"
"My name's Jack McHolen, but you probably know me as Jack Thorn. Let's talk about your daughter."
Afterword
What a ride! Thank you for reading! A few quick topics with cool links for you:
1. If you liked this book, please, leave a review on Amazon. It really helps an indie author, especially a first-timer like me.
2. My website: Edward-Castle.com
I release book two's chapters on the website as I write them (first drafts). Plus, it has a mailing list that you can subscribe to for updates on future books.
3. My Facebook page also has updates on everything.
4. Twitter: @ECastleWriter
5. LitRPG Society, a Facebook group with lots of LitRPG fans and authors.
6. LitRPG Group, the largest Facebook LitRPG group in existence.
I would like to recommend a wonderful series of books by Aleron Kong. This guy is hilarious! In his own words it's like "Warcraft, DnD and Sword Art Online had a sexy baby!" Fair warning, if you start reading, don't plan on having a life for the next week! Lol Cheers! Just click here!
7. Other recommendations
Delves LLC
This is a soft LitRPG; it has gaming elements but isn't a game per se, with all those tables, levels, and whatnot.
A great read and a good way to introduce your friends to the LitRPG genre if you're afraid they might not like something with tables and items descriptions.
Ascend Online
This book is awesome. It gave me the feeling of novelty and adventure that hooked me on LitRPG in the first place.
Give it a try. You won't regret it.
Awaken Online
Do you want a dark setting and an anti-hero main character?
You'll like this.
There are so many more, but my editor won't let me keep going. :-P Join the Facebook groups and you shall find them!
8. That's it
Thanks again for reading, it means a lot to me.
Don't forget to review the book on Amazon, please!
See you next time! =-)
Challenge
Unbound Deathlord: Challenge Page 53