by Charles Dean
Well, now I don't have to bring up the query. Kass felt relieved.
“Well, there are only around four to five hundred players, and there is no guarantee that their level is that high. I think we are going to have to see how well they perform in the field before we count that egg as hatched.” Darwin paused to look at the gate and then at Kitchens. “How many of them do you think we could take?”
Kitchens shrugged. “It would depend on what magic they had at their disposal. We might be stunned before we can do anything at all.”
“If they didn’t have magic?” Darwin pressed the question. “Or range, for that matter?”
“Then we could easily take the lot of them.” Kitchens bared his teeth in a big grin as he and Darwin both chuckled to themselves.
Yeah, Minx, your dad and Darwin are officially bros in the drinking buddy sense. You will have a lot less quality time now. Kass felt a little bit of an urge to facepalm at their sense of bonding material. Just remember that this was your doing, Minx. You were the one that put them together, she thought. After all, Minx had been the one trying to make room for her dad to have a friend other than her earlier when she had suggested that he go to Peh-Ting Zhou with Darwin.
“Probably.” Darwin smiled. “Definitely, if we use some of those yellow snow cones,” he added. “But the real question is, do you think we’ll get more recruits? Will more turn up as time goes on?”
“Definitely, and that’s something we need to plan for. I’d have Alex issue out instructions along with the armor not to attack anyone who comes unarmored and unclothed to join the ranks of the Demons.” Kitchens nodded as he spoke, something Kass found kind of silly. It made it seem as if he were agreeing with his own idea.
“Alright, I'll take that one. Want me to work with Alex on any additional rules we might need for this operation’s safety while I'm at it?” Daniel volunteered.
“Sure, but try to include Justin in on the talks.” Darwin gave the same slow nod that Kitchens had given moments before.
“Easy enough,” Daniel said before quickly taking off.
“I’m going with him,” Minx said, following after Daniel on a Blue-Drake. Minx might not have been able to see it, but everyone else clearly saw the glare Kitchens gave Daniel’s fading form as Minx went off after him.
You were upset that he was paying more attention to Darwin than you, and you disappear as soon as he shows back up just to chase after a boy? Kass suppressed a chortle.
“That’s not really our only problem though, is it?” Valerie asked, not meeting anyone with eye contact as she focused on a fallen white feather on the floor.
Did she have any feathers left to lose? Kass thought, but then considered how it must feel. Do you think she would have cried in the shower as she watched the feathers float to the drain hole like a middle-aged man?
“What problem are you worried about?” Mclean chuckled. “Not enough people to kill?”
“I’m worried about enemies being within our ranks. How do we assure ourselves that the people who join aren’t here to do us harm?” Valerie asked, still looking at the feather.
“There isn’t really a way unless the game mechanics somehow prevent harming other players. Maybe? I don’t know. I kind of missed the tutorial on the subject,” Darwin responded with a shrug, almost as if he weren’t worried about it.
“No matter what, I'll just stab anyone that tries to double cross us.”
So everyone here is a bloodthirsty killer but me? Kass wanted to blame them, to throw out accusations, but she hesitated. Actually, this game has made me kill more people every night than a clan of cannibals trying to put together a buffet.
“Information could be deadlier to us than a direct attack. We can handle ourselves in a fight, but what if we were to have a spy among us?” Valerie didn't look directly at Kass when she said it. In fact, her eyes were still fixated on the feathers Daniel had lost as he took, but Kass could feel her eyes on her all the same. It was like she knew.
“It's a game, Valerie. I don't think we will have many spies. Who would create a character, leave their main guild and go through a ton of trials just to join another so that they could betray it? I'm not saying it won't happen, but I doubt it will be a common occurrence. Even if it did, they wouldn’t get much information on me or the rest of the guild’s upper management,” Darwin brushed off her concern.
But there already is a spy in the guild: me. Paid for by Charles, specifically to follow the ‘upper management,’ Kass thought with a wince. She had tried not to think about it too much, but the talk of a possible spy was dragging her guilt to the forefront.
“It's not just about how much information they get on you. All they have to do is relay your movements: when and where you'll be and when you’re here and when you’re not. If they followed you to a dungeon while you were on one of your little solo jaunts through monster resurrection land, they'd be able to organize an ambush and kill you while you're in the middle of a boss fight. Just having a pair of eyes will give them enough information to be deadly,” Valerie continued her argument.
Darwin seemed unfazed. “If that ever happens, then I'll just have to kill them and the boss or die and revive at the bindstone. It's not a big deal. This is just a game.”
So that's it? Now that you can resurrect, you don't take your own life seriously? Kass observed his change of attitude. “But you can't die,” Kass said. She felt like she had only mouthed the words but was surprised to find her volume carrying them to the others’ ears. “If you die, then your plan will go to Hell, pardon the expression, in a handbasket.”
“See?” Valerie waved an arm over at Kass. “Even she understands that having a spy in our ranks or you dying is a bad situation. Even she gets why your death would be the end of our symbolic recruitment poster.”
Even though Valerie had been reiterating the point Kass had made herself, Kass still felt uncomfortable and slighted by the ‘even she’ part. That said, the unpleasant nature of Valerie's less-than-hidden stabs did nothing to drive the spike in Kass's heart like the conversation about spying. I didn't agree to it, she told herself, trying to suppress the anxiety that the guilt was fomenting in her. But you didn't reject it properly or tell Darwin either, her conscience answered back.
“Aww Kass, I didn't mean anything by it,” Valerie said as she looked over at her, mistaking her troubled face for one that had been insulted. “I just meant that you usually are trusting, not naive or stupid.”
Trusting. Yeah, I'm trusting--just like I trusted those people at G.O.R.N. to make my lie better, not harder, and look where that got me . . . Kass’s internal monologue drove round in a circle as the stress caused by the conversation picked up. If only I had just been honest with Darwin and the gang about the interview. If I had, then he wouldn't have looked at me like he did at that dinner. . . He wouldn't have judged me like a traitor. It wasn't my fault. I didn't do anything wrong . . . I just didn't do anything right.
“You are okay, right, Kass?” Darwin asked this time. She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she hadn't responded to Valerie and had managed to draw Darwin’s concern as well.
“I'm just not--” she began her usual defensive excuse. No, don't make the same mistake twice, Kass. It doesn't matter if they are paying you five or ten thousand dollars to be a rat. One wrong kiss and even Judas wouldn't be able to enjoy his thirty pieces of silver. “I'm just the spy,” she blurted out, much to her relief. It felt like a weight had fallen off her chest as soon as the words rolled out.
McLean, not hesitating a moment, pulled her daggers and had them touching Kass's back before Kass could even inhale again. “So that's why you weren't with us during the raid, huh? I knew something didn't sit right about you. Speak quickly: What do you mean?”
“Easy there, McLean. She outed herself, so she must have a good explanation for that comment. You're just joking, right?” Darwin looked at her with eyes that screamed, ‘Not you, not again,’ and Kass couldn
't explain them away fast enough.
“I haven't given any information to anyone yet, but after dinner last night, Charles offered to pay me to follow you and report on everything and everyone you talked to. I didn’t agree to it, but he paid me anyway, and I seriously considered it. I’m worried now that I’m compromised,”
“Wait, Charles? Who is Charles?” Valerie looked between Kass and Darwin with a rather befuddled look.
“Charles is the creator of Tiqpa.” Darwin didn’t even turn his head, keeping his concentration on Kass. “He offered to pay you? How much? How much did you just turn down by telling me?”
“Enough to play games and buy anything I need for the rest of my life if I kept ratting you out.” Kass felt another pain as she said it. This time, however, the pain wasn’t one of guilt but of loss. My precious money . . . Why did I have to choose? Her heart cried as the loss of such a great financial opportunity sank in.
“And she gave that up for a guild in a video game when she could have said nothing, so you can put those blades away,” Darwin said as he looked at McLean, whose daggers slowly eased off Kass's spine. “Did he say what he wanted to gain by spying on us? Or why he needed you to do it? As the game creator, couldn't he spy on us through gameplay clips? Or other means?” Darwin shifted his attention back to Kass, who was relieved to both see and hear that he didn't hold her delay in dispensing the information against her--or at least he didn’t seem to.
“He didn't really seem to want to spy on you per say. He was interested in Stephanie. He is trying to figure out what she is up to, what she is scheming. He thought that, if I stuck close to you, I’d overhear something useful. At least, that's what he told me he was focused on.” She did her best to give all the details without telling the others, who didn't know the demons’ back story, all the things she figured Darwin didn't want out in the open. She may have been suffering from a bout of illogical honesty, but it didn't need to turn into something even worse: honest stupidity.
“Hmmm, that means we aren’t his primary targets, but given my current residence and situation, this isn’t exactly good news either. I really appreciate you telling us this, Kass. I know it must have been hard on you to be put in this situation.” Darwin put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile that made her feel a little melty.
“No problem,” Kass managed, which was difficult considering an ‘aw, shucks’ and a blush seemed to be her go-to reaction to Darwin. “You'd have done the same.”
Darwin tilted his head a little bit, his gentle grin somewhat fading before returning again. “I hope I would,” he said and then removed his hand. “I really hope that I have your fortitude of character if I'm ever faced with such a difficult dilemma.”
“Don't count me as being too deep in with the vultures, but my avaricious nature woulda taken the money, Darwin,” Mclean admitted as she sat back down. “Gotta give it to you, girl. You surprised me. Not many would give up cash for imaginary friends.”
Imaginary friends. Kass grimaced at the thought. That’s exactly what my friends at school would have called my friends from video games: imaginary, like the connections between us weren’t real. Like the hours and days I spent talking to them were for not, and my entire life itself was an illusion. She didn’t expect a fellow gamer to share that mentality or be so mercenary about it. “Weren't you just about to stab me in the back over spying though?”
“I hadn't been paid. Darwin is a good guy and a great guild leader, so it seemed logical, but I’ve got more bills than paychecks, so . . . just letting you know ahead of time, boss. But hey, I'll give you a chance to outbid me if someone tries to buy my loyalty. I'll only charge the cost of rent and food for one person.” McLean’s brazen tone made the nature of the comment seem even more disheartening.
Wow, that's a little perspective, Kass thought, feeling a bit abashed about selling someone out for something she had given to her anyway. It made it impossible to judge Mclean.
“Good to know. If I still have my bank account, I might be able to afford you. Years of a decent pencil pushing job and a ramen diet haven't left me starving,” Darwin said. It was clear to Kass that he wasn't trying to brag in the face of someone else's problems, given that the silly goof was incapable of being anything but blunt and honest sometimes, but it was also evident that Mclean would have a few other ways to take it. For the life of him, Darwin just couldn't read the air sometimes.
“Hmmm, I might have to take you up on that sometime. Maybe crash at your place for a night . . . or month,” Mclean laughed.
“Wait, the dive unit and membership aren't exactly cheap for this game. How are you paying for it if you have so many bills?” Kitchens asked, unusually insensitive for his quiet character.
“Where do you think the bills came from? Oatmeal, toast, and eggs sure as heck don't jack them up,” she laughed, the jovial mood returning.
So that's how it is. Kass even found herself chuckling.
“Well, back on topic, you're sure he was only after information on Stephanie?” Valerie asked, trying to get more details out of Kass. “Could he have been saying that just to get information on something else, disguising his motivations and target to make you more likely and compliant?”
“Huh? Well, I guess, but he was worried Stephanie would . . .” Kass trailed off as she thought back on Charles’s lecture. He was worried Stephanie’s plans would spell out doom for humanity, that she'd been using Darwin as a pawn to destroy the people who had committed genocide against her ilk so long ago.
“Would what?” Valerie didn’t let Kass off the hook even for the length a full sentence.
“Would corrupt Darwin and turn him to the dark side.” Kass twisted her lips into a frown as soon as the words left her mouth. Isn’t that what’s already happening though? The guy who was fighting for a town’s right to live peacefully is now talking about conquering nations. What makes him different than the White-Wing nation that set out to subjugate the collected people of our starter island or the PKs who attacked the town and butchered Alex’s comrades? Kass felt a bit defeated. If Stephanie’s plan was to corrupt an honest and good man like Darwin, then perhaps it was already over.
While Mclean, Kass and Darwin all considered what Kass had said about Stephanie’s plan, Kitchens just smirked. “What’s funny?” Mclean asked in response.
“It’s just that the good, the dark--all that talk makes me think that I somehow got stuck in one of those awful teen dramas,” he shrugged. “It’s not about good or bad: it’s about knowing your job, your role on the field, and fulfilling your duty.”
“You don’t care how the jobs get done?” Kass was a bit bewildered. She had kind of expected Kitchens to be heartless given the way he ripped through people in fights, but she also expected him to be the kind of samurai who had a code of honor above the others in the group.
“Why should I? Pick a goal, a target, or an objective and figure out how to accomplish it. Your morals? Your enemy won’t share them. Your enemy will strap a bomb to his chest and walk into a church, and if you don’t share his dedication to victory, you’ll just be insulting him and his past and future victims.” Kitchens flashed his teeth in a way that sent chills down Kass’s spine. “Casualties, bystanders, dead civilians: they are just the unlucky and the defeated, nothing more. Any time you get a chance to worry about those unfortunate souls, feel blessed. It means you’re still alive and your country is still winning. If, on the other hand, you find yourself outnumbered, outgunned and outmaneuvered, well, you just pull the trigger and hope you take one of them down with you. You won’t worry if you shot Anne or Bob or any of the civilians. You’ll be too worried about whether or not you’re going to be dead tomorrow or if you even have a chance of winning. What you say is turning to the dark side . . . I say it’s just a man who has embraced what he needs to be in order to get what he needs to do done.” Kitchens paused for a moment, his eyes momentarily flashing with a light. “If you don’t do whatever it takes to fulfil
your duty, if you don’t complete your objective, then even if you walk away with your life, it’s your country and the comrades who trusted you with their lives who will suffer. Is it honorable to let them die because your commitment wasn’t greater than your morals?”
Darwin, Mclean, Valerie and even Kass found themselves staring at the solemn, monologuing man, all maintaining a silence befitting the implications of his final lines. Did your failure to pull the trigger cost the life of someone you knew? Kass left the question unspoken.
“I think my role was decided for me a long time before the game even started,” Darwin poked at his horns. “If I don’t play the devil, if I don’t fulfil my role, then what’s left for me? What will happen to Alex and the people and the StormGuard Alliance if I lose my sanity during a fight? If I’m the devil, and I lose control to the bloodlust, it’s just what’s expected. People will assume it’s just par for the course and go about their jobs to protect and maintain the guild as if nothing happened. If, on the other hand, I try to play the angel, then who would join? Would I have to warn every member of the possible danger of me losing control during battle? How many would stay if the NPC-saving saint turned rogue demon on them and started attacking even his allies indiscriminately? There isn’t really a good alternative. I have to embrace who and what I am.”
So that’s why you picked this route. Kass was starting to get the picture more clearly. He didn’t just go about farming mobs to protect the guild because he was worried he would eventually lose the ability to do so. He wasn’t trying to make a safe and sane guild, but rather a power-craving group of barbarians. That way, when he joined the ranks of the mindless, they’d stay with the guild and not leave it defenseless. Did he plan things out this far when he started? Am I the only one who isn’t thinking that far ahead? Kass, much to her own chagrin, slowly realized that she was the only one who wasn’t anticipating every ‘what if.’ Darwin was building a strategy based on necessary contingency plans, and she was just criticizing him for ‘following the dark side.’ Maybe I have watched too many teen dramas, Kass reflected with a sigh, feeling her emotional rollercoaster take yet another spinning, looping turn. “Well, if you’re going to embrace who you are, then what’s your game plan? How do you seal the image of the devil?”