by Dante Doom
“I have my people watching the gate, so no one’s getting out,” the elderly man said as he laughed wickedly. “At least no one’s getting out alive!”
There were more hoots of laughter from the people as they began to discuss tactics. Hem turned to look at his daughter. “Well, this is a compromise, right?”
Chapter Thirty
Reaching the College of Colossus wasn’t particularly difficult. Apparently, before the Virals had done significant damage to the Grind, you could choose your destination from any portal. The game seemed so very different since Savannah had reset the system. There were new areas on her map, information about the game was readily accessible, and players could apparently save their own progress any time they liked. There was no penalty for dying in the original system, other than being sent back to the last area where a player had saved their progress.
Savannah stood next to her father and Timon, looking at the looming tower. It was shiny and clean, humming with an almost cheerful energy. The doors were wide open; there was no cost to enter the tower, unlike earlier.
“So, everything had a point cost?” Hem asked as they entered the building.
“Indeed,” Timon said. “It cost a fortune to open a single door.”
“Well, he gave us twenty-four hours of real time to figure everything out,” Hem grumbled. “I don’t think we’ll be able to fight enough Virals and rack up enough points to get a single door open, let alone whatever we’ll need to turn off the defenses.”
“You’d need to be the rank of King in order to turn them off,” Timon replied. “Which I’m guessing will also be impossible, unless some player glitched through didn’t get the memo, and has enough points to take the hit for us.”
“This game is a ghost town,” Hem said. “I haven’t seen anyone else in this place. Everyone’s too freaked out over discovering the truth about the game.”
“Up ahead!” Savannah said as she pointed at the dais where the floor directory was located. Kireen was standing behind the directory, waving at them. “Kireen? You’re alive?”
“Hello!” Kireen said with a big smile. She was much different from the specter that Savannah had known before. This woman was solid and looked like any other human. Her strawberry blonde hair glistened in the light as she waved.
“You’re still in the game?” Savannah asked. “I thought the reset would have set you free!”
Kireen cocked her head. “I apologize if you think that I’m the original Kireen. I’m what’s known as an Aspect, a tiny sliver of her consciousness, created to help keep the world running smoothly.”
“So, you’re not her?” Timon asked.
“Sort of,” Kireen replied. “Think of me like an echo or a recording that you can interact with. I carry most of her knowledge, but I’m not really her. That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange eons, even death may die.”
“I wonder…” Timon mumbled as he looked at Savannah. “What if Kireen’s Aspect was heavily damaged from the Virals, and the original Kireen’s mind was long gone?”
“Man, I’m not paying for the philosophy and theology section, too,” Savannah said. “Kireen, we need help.”
“Ask and I shall answer!” Kireen giggled.
Hem walked past Savannah and began to inspect the directory, mumbling to himself about all the knowledge that this ancient place held.
“Do you know about the city of Verre?” Timon asked.
“Verre, yes! One of the Genesis Cities designed to help restart civilization after the plague ends,” Kireen said.
“Well, Verre is in trouble,” Savannah said.
“Oh, no, Verre is still being worked on,” Kireen replied. “It will be completed in a few years, hopefully without much delay.”
“That’s not good; I guess the Aspect can’t learn any new information,” Timon whispered.
“Okay, does Verre have internal defenses, in case the city is in trouble?” Savannah asked.
Kireen nodded her head at that. “Oh, indeed it does, friend! The point defenses are designed to prevent the city from being destroyed. As the plague grows worse, we have seen many cities fall due to terrorist activities and opportunists seeking to gain control. The widespread destruction of civilization occurs with each passing hour.”
“How do these point defenses work?”
“The city is designed with a maximum population size of one thousand people in total. Should scanners determine a massive influx of people engaging in combat of any sort, the point defensives will begin to purge the entire area,” Kireen replied.
“Purge?” Savannah repeated. “So, the defenses kill everyone inside?”
“The city will purge all in the area and reseal itself. This is to prevent tribes from warring with one another. Humanity must work together to advance. We cannot allow the Genesis Cities to be seen as any one group’s property,” Kireen explained.
“That doesn’t sound very good,” Timon said. “Total destruction of everyone inside the city and then it seals up. Verre is important, Savannah. We can’t lose control of it.”
“Is there any way to unseal the city?” Savannah asked.
Kireen nodded intently. “Yes, it will reset after a year. This would force the warring tribes to work together to survive or migrate to other Genesis Cities.”
“What exactly do we need from Verre?” Savannah asked. “Maybe it would be better if the big city were sealed up. The first wall will keep everyone safe.”
“Mining equipment that runs deep into the ground, providing us with precious metals, for one,” Timon replied. “It’s entirely automated. What do you think the first wall is made out of? Electric generators, water pump systems, and most importantly, the central server to the Grind. We’ll need all of those things if we want to turn Verre into something amazing.”
“Kireen, how do we turn the defenses off?” Savannah asked.
Kireen chuckled. “You asked the right person. Originally, I protested the creation of this system, but that damn Grei believed it would be the best decision and the military agreed with him. Luckily, there is a way to shut down the defenses in here. But there is a tremendous cost to it.”
“Ugh, we don’t have any points!” Savannah said.
“Not points,” Kireen said as her face grew grim and serious. “Your life.”
“What?” Timon asked. He glanced over to see that Hem was busy inspecting a few of the doors. It appeared he had no interest in the conversation whatsoever.
“The brass decided that whoever wanted to turn off the defenses needed to have a damned good reason to do so—his words, not mine,” Kireen said. “So, if you’re willing to risk your life by going in there, you are proving that your reason is, quote, ‘damn good.’”
“So, there’s some kind of trial involved?” Savannah asked.
“You must enter into a special level, designed by yours truly, where you will face challenges that could potentially kill you,” Kireen replied. “If you can overcome them all, you will be able to turn off the defenses. But if you fail… well, unfortunately, the system will send an intense shock to your brain and kill you instantly. It’s not fun, but it is a decent compromise compared to the all-or-nothing strategy.”
“Well, that’s out of the picture,” Timon said. “I don’t think any one of us here needs to die over this.”
“Really?” Savannah sharply turned to look at him. “You honestly don’t think we should go in there?”
“It would be suicide, Savannah! I mean, we’re all level one. We don’t have any gear; we don’t have what’s needed to face whatever kind of challenge is going to be on that level,” Timon said. “I guess our best bet is to try to convince the people that they will all be destroyed if war breaks out.”
“At this point, no words are going to stop them,” Hem said as he rejoined the conversation. “If it means protecting my people, though, I’ll go.”
“I’m going, too,” Savannah said. “There’s no way that I’m going
to let you go in there alone.”
“Oooh, this is awkward,” Kireen said. “Only one person is allowed in the challenge at a time.”
Hem spoke up immediately, his eyes on his daughter. “I’m going in. Savannah, don’t you dare try to come in after me if I fail. I won’t have you die over this.”
“I can make my own decisions, Dad,” Savannah replied as she crossed her arms. “And I can’t let you go in there.”
“Why not?” Hem asked.
“Because, if you die in there, who’s going to lead our village? No one cares about what Herb says and you know it,” Savannah replied. “They’ve always listened to you. If this goes south, then you will be able to lead them away from Verre. You can save a few hundred of us, at least. Then, in a year, the city will be all yours and you can bring them back and start anew.”
Hem scowled at that. “I… I understand the logic of what you are saying… but…”
“No buts, Dad. I’ve been playing this game for a long, long time. I’ve learned everything that you’ve had to teach me and, in terms of stats, we’re now on an even playing field,” Savannah said. “I know I can do this.”
Grabbing her by the shoulders, Hem pulled her in for a tight hug. “You’re as hard-headed as your old man,” Hem replied.
“You raised me, Dad.” Savannah’s reply was muffled by her head being pressed against his chest. Leaning her head back so she could speak, she looked up at him. “We all need to do our part to save the people of Verre.”
Stepping out of his arms, she turned to look at Timon. “Well? Anything you want to say to me before I go in?”
“I’m trying to construct some kind of eloquent sentence that would convince you to stay here, but I know you’d only interrupt me in the middle and call me a Silvarspoon,” Timon said with a weary sigh. “Look, if I thought you had a chance of winning in there, I wouldn’t put up a fight… but you don’t have any resources or weapons. It would be suicide.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Savannah said. She smiled as she draped her arms around the back of Timon’s neck. “Kireen designed the level, right? It probably won’t be some kind of straightforward run-and-gun.”
“I don’t understand why it needs to be you. Why not ask any of the Nobles to do it? It’s their world, so make them fight for it,” Timon said as he placed his hands on Savannah’s waist.
“Because it won’t be just the Nobles who die, it’ll be anyone in the city,” she whispered, leaning in and gently kissing him. Their mouths touched for a moment, and electricity jolted through her body before she pulled away.
“It’s not fair. We should go with your father’s group and wait it out. A year isn’t that long.”
“It is when half of us get sick from some pox,” she replied as she pulled back. “I’m sorry, but this is the only way to do it.”
“Then I want to wish you the best,” Timon said. “I… I love you, Savannah.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty great,” Savannah replied with a chuckle, and this elicited a laugh from him, as well. “I love you, too, Silvarspoon. Now, I’m guessing that I’m going to need all the help I can get, so let’s go score some points and get me a few ability cards and weapons so I actually stand a chance in there.”
“Good thinking,” Hem said. “I know the place to go for some easy kills and high drop rates.”
“The Krecius Caves again?” Timon asked as they approached the large mouth of the black cavern. The maw was wide, and Savannah felt a surge of excitement. Recently, they had been so busy focusing on solving problems that shooting monsters was a relief. They had all managed to blow off some steam on killing Virals, and Savannah already felt better able to focus more on the task at hand.
“I’m itching to get into a boss fight,” Savannah said as she readied her shotgun. “All of this pressure is getting to me. I’m going to blast everything that I see moving around in there.”
“Tell me about it,” Hem agreed. “It’d been too long since I’d had a chance to see some combat. It’s weird, when you do it every day for years and years, you start to miss it even if you’ve only been gone for a few hours.”
“I miss not having to think about everything on my back,” Savannah said. “I think I’m going to crack from the pressure.”
“Well, hang in there,” Hem said. “Keep your mind focused in the moment. That’s the best way to avoid any anxiety about the future. Why worry about tomorrow when you have today?”
“I literally have a timer running in my UI,” Savannah replied. “That’s a big reminder of what I’m worrying about.”
Hem nodded. “Good point.”
“Over there!” Timon yelled as he pointed to the cavern. “I see something.”
They all pulled their guns out in anticipation of a fight. Much to Savannah’s surprise, the figure that Timon was excitedly pointing to was coming out of the cave and was very much in the shape of a human.
“Aw, what in the hell—the game’s been back for what, half a day, and you’re already robbing people?” the man asked. He was immediately recognizable from his voice.
“Fingers?” Savannah asked. “You’re back in the game?”
“Oh, Savannah! Timon! Strange man!” Fingers cheered once he realized that he was in familiar company.
“What are you doing back in the game?” Timon asked.
“Well, when I was killed, it kicked me out of the game. I went outdoors for a few minutes and… ugh, it was terrible. Sun shining, birds chirping, and the gentle breeze blowing—the worst. So, I turned myself back around and logged in. I’ll be damned if I ever go back into the real world again.”
“What about Elanor?” Savannah asked. “She took quite a liking to you, if I recall correctly.”
“Yeah, well, if she wants to go steady and keep laughing at my jokes, she can do it inside of this game with me. Once a Wild Card, always a Wild Card,” Fingers replied. “What have you guys been up to? Did you defeat Leopold and save the city from… pelicans? I forget what the whole fuss was about.”
“We defeated Leopold, but the city is under siege,” Timon explained. “It’s a long story, but people did not like learning the truth about this game.”
“Tell me about it,” Fingers said. “Those folks were talking about a crazy revolution. Oh well, though; that’s a problem for people in the real world.”
“Do you have any items we can borrow?” Savannah asked. “We’ve got an extremely important mission, but we don’t quite have the gear for it.”
Fingers shrugged. “Afraid not—I’m currently scouting out the land, avoiding fights. Things are crazy-different because of the reset. The good news is that, with the reset, I don’t have to hack into the game illegally anymore. It’s an open system now. I’m gonna build up a new posse. Any of you want in?”
“Afraid not,” Hem said, tapping his foot. “We’re on a bit of a tight schedule.”
“Fingers, can you do something for me?” Savannah asked as an idea came to her mind.
“What, didn’t my valiant sacrifice exempt me from doing more work? You folks are exhausting.”
“I need you to find me some grenades,” she said. “Can you do that for me?”
“Fine, I’ll go looking. But the stores are stripped clean. Without player stores, it’s default crap, and it’s all trash. Where should I find you if I get some?”
“We’ll still be here,” Savannah said. “My dad says that this is the right spot for an easy Grinding session.”
“How is this easy?” Timon screamed out as he tried as hard as he could to break free from the webbing wrapped around his body. The words You are Entangled hovered above his head.
“Oh, relax,” both Hem and Savannah said at the same time. The gigantic spider above them was about dead, thanks to the two Grinders’ fast moves and clever thinking. Savannah raised her new shotgun high, glad that they’d been able to shoot enough Virals to accumulate points to outfit each of them with decent gear before taking on the Spider Qu
een Viral. Savannah laughed out loud as she ran as fast as she could towards the monster. It screeched in defiance, spitting webs at her, but Hem was handy with his own Energy Rifle, shooting the webs out of the sky. The word Disintegrated hovered above each ball of webbing, causing the webs to fade into nothingness.
Savannah fired a few shots, but the creature was out of range. The gigantic Spider Queen, the boss that they had faced near the beginning of their big adventure, was hanging from a nearby wall. A few of its limbs were missing now, thanks to the team’s hard work.
“Dad, give me a boost!” Savannah called as she kept running towards the monster. Her father slid down and joined his hands into a cradle. She stepped on the cradle and felt him throw her upwards. The spider screeched a final hiss of defiance as Savannah’s shotgun fired two more blasts into the beast’s body. 75 damage hovered above its head, dropping it down from 50 points to 0.
The spider fell to the ground, writhing as it faded away. Thousands of points rushed to all three of them, dividing equally among them.
“Nice work!” Hem said as 8,000 points hovered above his head.
“We could have gotten plenty of points by Grinding out in the starting area alone,” Timon said. “Why did we have to come all the way back to the Krecius Caves?”
“Because, my friend, we also needed to level up with some of our skills because, while this area has one of the easiest and most lucrative Instances in the game, we still need to win!” Hem said as he caught the Purple Key that had materialized in thin air. “This key is going to take us to victory.”
“Oh, we found that last time,” Timon commented once he was free of the remains of the spiderweb.
“There’s a place to use it here?” Savannah asked. She noticed that her shooting skill had increased by a few points over the last few hours. Most of her stats were abysmal compared to her original character’s score, but this would have to do. At least there was still some player skill involved with the game itself and having the experience she did.