“What are those up there?” I ask Ken.
He leans over. “Customization pods. Where all the magic happens.”
“Oh, come on. Details.”
“Those take us up to the simulator room after we’re done with our personal game settings. They’re also where you come back when you die in-game,” Vampire says.
Thank you, not-Ken.
“If we die in-game,” Ken corrects with a smirk.
“When you die in-game,” Vampire says flatly. “Most game modes are set to lock out. So the customization pod won’t let you back in the simulator until after the session is over. Meaning we’re fucked with less people if you die, bish. So don’t.”
“I wouldn’t put it in those words, but she’s right,” Blunts says. “We only have one life in this game. And it’s hard to progress without everyone.”
“I think we’ll be fine as long as we all stick together,” Tempest says, taking the first steps toward the pods.
Each of us enter one.
A hologram screen appears in front of me.
Game>>>Dynasty Mode>>>Difficulty:Normal
Please choose your class.
>>>Ninja
A model figure wrapped in a cowl, a mask, a short-sleeved tunic and belted black trousers appears in front of me.
Attack: High
Defense: Low
Stealth: High
HP: Low
Speed: Medium
MP: Medium
Is this okay?
>>>Yes
Preparing game. Waiting for other members to finish…Please standby.
Next to me, Ken just finishes locking in his choice and leans against the side of the glass. He’s sucking in a breath.
The pod rumbles, then the floor lifts.
My heart burns in its socket as if someone gassed the edges and struck it with a match. My palms shake. This is it.
“Game begins in 3…2…1,” An automated voice says.
Bright white shines up above. The pod speed up.
Racing toward the light.
4-4 'Ah'
A crisp, vegetal smell tickles my nostrils. The whiteness fades. Bamboo sways in every direction, stretching high above my head. And the ground beneath me has been replaced with dirt and vibrant green undergrowth-tufts like fine brush hairs.
My breath leaves me. I can’t help but reach out to touch a bamboo stalk. It’s cool and wet under my thumb. Rain came and went. So have the seasons. I’ll give Heaven credit. I was expecting a cheap fixed space like a labyrinth, but this simulator genuinely looks and feels like it could be just another place in the real world. And my workout clothes have changed too. I’m in the model costume that was on my pod screen earlier. The clothes are light and easy to move around in. I pinch the cloth between my fingers. This is Praise Fedora worthy.
“Bish, will you stop touching yourself and get over here?”
I jump.
The others are grouped near a cluster of bamboo shoots, watching me.
Fire flares in my face. And of all the people to catch me, did it have to be her? “Sorry.”
Ken waves a gauntlet-clad hand. “No worries, Jun. You aren’t the only one who got excited their first time, but we need to get moving. Everyone get your weapon ready and tune your watch to the server.”
We all stand in a pentagon, setting our watches.
I switch to my weapon menu.
Connecting to server 289.67.324…
Connection successful! Current weapon: Bo-scope Staff (Rental: Expires in 8hr)
Materialize now?
>>>Yes
A cone of red light flashes from my watch. The frame of the blue staff materializes, then it turns solid. I grab it with my empty hand, then switch it over. Heh. It’s official. I have the best job in the world.
My screen changes to show everyone’s HP and MP bars. All green and full of course. Vampire and I are tied for lowest HP pool at 300. Ken is the highest at 450. Blunts and Tempest, are tied at 400. The map also appears. Clusters of red dots move about. Enemies, I’m guessing. There are some blue dots too. Items, maybe? And finally a blinking yellow ring. The seize goal.
“Blunts, Tempest since you’re both the second tankiest, why don’t you bring up the rear in case of an ambush?” Ken says. “Jun, stick close to me. You’ve got the highest stealth out of all of us.”
I walk up front. “You sound like you’ve played this before.”
“This is pretty much a rip from ZenGaming’s Warring Kingdoms. And believe me, there’s more in the game than you see on the map,” Ken says. “That’s why we need you up front.”
“Then what does this stealth do?” I ask. “The panel didn’t really explain how to use it.”
Vampire gives a minute shake of her head, folding her arms in her blue cloak. “Probably because you were supposed to read it.”
I whirl on her. “Will you fuck off?”
Blunts steps between us. “Cut it out you guys. We need to move.”
Before I can say anything else, Ken puts a hand on my shoulder. “Easy, Jun…Stealth lets you see other units from farther away and move in close before they notice you.”
His cool touch thaws the anger. I turn away from Vampire with a scowl embedded on my lips. "Alright."
We tread through the damp earth without talking. Everyone either has their eyes glued to their Gene Watch map or to the thickets that seem to cluster closer and closer with every step.
I’m scanning every moving bamboo stalk, every leaf. Now that the whole novelty feeling is dead, this actually kind of…creepy. Where are the enemies?
Shik! Shik!
My stomach pulls. “Something’s out there.”
All of us press in, backs toward each other.
Shik! Shik! Shik!
I look around.
A flicker of movement catches my eye. My pulse thuds in my ears.
“Vampire look—”
A black-clothed figure leaps at the mage from invisibility.
She raises a hand. A stream of flames fly from her hand, roasting it.
Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik!
Men charge in from the surrounding trees with blades and knives.
Liquid adrenaline roars through my blood. I lunge at the nearest, ramming my bow staff into his face. He staggers back. Another man takes his place, face twisted into a snarl; he slashes.
Ken deflects the blow with his lance. He knocks the man off-balance, and finishes him with a thrust to the chest. The thug disappears in burst of blue smoke.
I thwack another on the head, kicking him into a tree. He dissolves. Spotting three men cornering Blunts, I run for him.
“Jun, behind you!”
I spare a look behind me.
A dagger whizzes toward my head. I veer. It nails a tree trunk.
Whew. Whirling my staff, I whack the gut of Blunt’s nearest assailant. He totters. Blunts finishes him off with a horizontal slash.
A globule of fire hurtles past my shoulder, singeing another. Blunts runs his blade through the belly of another.
I turn around.
Ken finishes his last enemy, breathing heavily. Tempest stands up straight, her crystal staff pulsing brightly. Vampire still has fire at her fingertips, scanning the area.
"Is anyone hurt?" Tempest asks.
Blunts joins us last, using his katana as a cane. "I'm down to 320."
Tempest waves her staff over him. His HP bar restores back to full while Tempest's MP meter drains by a fifth.
Ken walks over to me. "Are you alright, Jun?"
"Yeah, I'm fine but…" I watch Tempest. "Are there items in this game?"
“There should be,” Blunts says. “I mean we aren't that far in game, are we?"
Vampire checks her map. "Almost to the mid-way point. Kinda sketchy that we haven’t found anything if you ask me.”
Ken folds his arms. “Hmm… well we should be careful from here on out. If we really are stuck with four heals, then we shouldn’t waste them unless we’r
e low health.”
Come to think of it… I don't remember seeing items used in any of the trailers. A shudder climbs up my back. Maybe we really are stuck without them.
We change course to follow a running stream, hoping to avoid some of the enemies, but it does little good. We avoid the guaranteed enemies, but only to get ambushed again. Granted the ambushes are smaller, but honestly the randomness of the attacks make it hardly seem worth the choice. We lose three more heals.
One more wave of enemies between us and the seize ring.
A few men pace back and forth around a fire. One scraggly-bearded guy hunches alone. Some pitch tents. Others tilt spits of seasoned fish over the fire. Sentries stand watch at the borders of the camp. And the seize ring is just behind a line of them.
We crouch together in a thicket.
“Think we can just run for it?” Blunts asks.
Vampire shakes her head. “Too many.”
“A diversion, maybe?” Tempest asks. “Jun, you could get close with your stealth and we can get the sentries attention while you go for the ring.”
I shift from one foot to another. “I don’t know guys… We’re all pretty low on health.”
“But what other choice do we have at this point?” Ken asks. “A frontal assault means we’ll all just get wiped. And your health is kinda decent.”
“But if she gets surrounded, then what?” Vampire snaps. “The ambushes are hard enough and those have way less enemies.”
Then what? That’s a good question. Even though we’re stronger than each man individually, a whole cluster of enemies can easily drain my 220HP to 0 in a heartbeat. “You have full health still. Why don’t you go then?”
Vampire snorts as if I clearly asked a stupid question. “Because lower stealth bish. I can’t sneak in as close as you.”
I grit my teeth. Everyone is looking at me, waiting for a decision. “Alright. I’ll do it.”
“Maybe you should tail behind her, Vampire?” Ken asks. “Keep a little distance. The enemies might change targets.” To the rest of the group, Ken says, “We should be fine on our own.”
A hot clamping squeezes my chest. “You’re sure the three of you will be fine?”
Ken gives a dismissing wave. “Yeah, and even if we’re not. It’s just a game you know…”
Hearing those words from him makes something in my head click. Like a switch flipping on. Only an hour in this simulator and I’ve already forgotten that this is still a game. It’s so easy to forget here. If anything, it feels more like survival of the fittest.
“Alright…” My gaze slides to Vampire. “You comin’?”
Vampire pulls her cloak tighter around her. “Whenever you’re ready, bish.”
Keeping an eye on the camp, I inch around the borders of the camp. Vampire hangs a few feet behind. Her hands are in a weird gesture. Two middle fingers pressed against her thumb.
I'm tempted to ask, but I'm sure Vampire will just tell me to fuck off if I do. Instead, I settle behind three stalks of bamboo and a thicket. Any closer and I’ll be out in the open. But at least from here, it’s a straight sprint to the ring. I hold up a hand.
Vampire pauses mid-step and nods.
Ken and the others rush out into the open.
The camp guards spot them. But only a portion rush from their stations, whooping and hollering.
Uh-oh. I look at Vampire. “There’s still too many.”
“Well, they can’t take it back now.” She makes a shooing motion. “Move it!”
Pulse skipping in my ears, I run out first, bo-scope ready. I shoot the nearest guard down. Vampire flanks me, bringing fire to her fingers. She launches a fireball at another guard.
They fall. More guards cluster together, storming across the earth.
I fold my staff back to full-size. Bash one guard’s head. Kick another.
But more are coming. More black boots churning the ground. More of them jabbing their blades forward. More of them pour in like a bursting dam water. Cutting me off from Vampire. A sword clips my shoulder. The sting knocks my health down by thirty.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I can’t see the goal. I thrust my staff forward. He’s done.
“Player defeated!” The announcer calls.
My heart lurches. Was that Ken? He had the lowest health of all of us. I sweep the staff in front of me. The guards in front stagger back.
“Player defeated!”
I glance at my watch. “Tempest and Blunts have X’s next over their face icons. Ken’s at full. Tempest got one heal off before she died. Vampire’s health is dropping fast.
“Agh!”
Ken! Blood crashing in my ears, I whip around, fighting my way through the crowd. I can’t see him anywhere. I can’t see anything anywhere. There are too many!
Vampire staggers next to me. “Bish! What are you doing? You’re supposed to be running for it!”
Fire sweeps through my veins. “Do you see anywhere to run?”
“Player defeated!”
My heart squeezes. That’s Ken!
“You’re standing here like a damn moron!” Vampire snaps, before launching another globule of fire at an incoming enemy. “Move.”
I bring up my bo-staff to deflect a hit. “Well if you’re so good at this why didn’t you—”
Something hard hits the back of my skull.
Blackness slams down on me.
Mission Failed.
Would you like to continue?
Yes No
The instant we set foot in the Review Room, Vampire whirls on me. ”Why the fuck didn't you go for the ring?"
My fists clench and unclench.”I couldn't even go for the ring. We were fucking surrounded."
She jabs a finger at my face. “Wouldn’t have been if you ran for it like you were supposed to!”
Heat flares through my face. “Me? You’re not fucking handicap, last I checked. If you can make it to me and talk smack, you can touch the ring.”
Blunts thumps the carton of orange juice down on the ground. “Guys c’mon! Not this again!”
Vampire snorts. “Well if dingbat here didn’t—”
My fingers itch. I snap, “What the fuck is your problem? Ever since I got here—”
“You are my problem. I’ve never seen such fucking—”
Muscles tightening, I raise my voice. “You’ve had a problem since I walked in the damn—”
She raises hers too, stepping to my face. “I know trouble when I see—”
I shove her back. “Because look at how you act you—”
“Dumbass—”
“Ignorant bitch!”
“HEY!” Ken pushes us apart. “Look. What happened in game was new for everybody and none of us expected the enemies to split that way.” He gives Vampire a hard stare, then turns it on me. His voice loses its hard edge. “But it’s still a game. And there’s no reason to act like this over it. We can talk about this like decent people, can’t we?”
The room falls silent. I look at Vampire, but she’s got her arms folded, staring at her shoes. I take deep breaths to calm myself. “Yes.”
Ken nudges Vampire. “Can’t we?”
Vampire throws me a cold glare. She steps around Ken and walks out the door.
4-5 'Ah'
Harassing me all fucking game. Yelling at me when I try to help. My fists clench and unclench. I haven't been this angry since I played platinum rank in Lords of Earth. Platinum, land of overinflated egos because diamond rank is so close. But to have that here? Should I even be surprised?
I push the thought away and punch in the button for the lowest floor.
The elevator lets me off on a dim-lit hall. Broken glass is strewn across the tile. A lone light panel flickers down the hall. Char reaches across the walls outlining hand shapes, as if someone was there, struggling to get up before a wave of fire swept over; the smell of burning is still faint.
A chill riles up my skin. Looks like the zombie apocalypse hit this place. I
check my Gene Watch map of the building. Well, I'm not in the wrong place. Why did Heaven schedule me to come down here? It's not like there's a lack of nice rooms in the building.
So which room is B85? I start down the right side of the corridor. Looking at the door numbers.
B60. B61. I pivot around the corner. Follow the arrow-shaped tessalation tiles all the way down. B71. B72. Good. They're getting bigger. I get to the next corner.
Pssshhh. A door at the other end chuffs. A red-cloaked figure exits, head down.
Maybe they might know where B85 is. “Excuse me? Do you know where I can find room B85?”
At once, the person’s head shoots up. I only glimpse amber eyes and a pale feminine face before she runs down another corridor.
Or you can run from me in terror. That’s always nice too. I sigh. Looks like I’m on my own finding that room. Huh? Something is on the ground where that girl was. I walk towards it. I glance in the direction that the girl left. Finding no one, I kneel down.
There’s a vermilion feather, a beige leather wallet, and folded piece of paper. I open the wallet to see if there’s any ID inside, but it’s empty, save for a bookstore coupon that’s a day past the expiration date. I open the paper. It’s a blank application to Bo’s reservation. Guess that must be why she ran away. Maybe she’s a newly-turned kitsune. But what was she doing down here? She didn’t look like any of the staff. I stand up and peer into the window near the door the girl exited from.
Medical equipment and chords loll all over the place; it’s a intensive care unit, I think, a bit odd to see on its own, but I suppose it makes sense given how physically intensive our jobs are. Beep. Beep. Beep. A red line peaks and dips on the cardiac monitor screen. IV tubes are attached to a still body. The head is turned away, but judging from the long brown hair, it’s probably a woman.
A friend of that girl’s? Though…there’s something about her that’s familiar. I can’t place it, but—bah, what I doing? I’m supposed to be on my way to meet Heaven for that training. I’ll just give this stuff to Heaven. I should be finding my way, not lallygagging. I go down another corridor, opposite the one that the girl went down and much to my relief, the numbers start getting close to what I need. B79. B80.
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