by Alex Mulder
Luke walked forward up to the entrance of Dunidan’s Rest. The sandstorm had died down, and he could see a member of Athena’s Wrath standing on the wall next to the gate.
“Hey,” he called up. “Mind letting us in?”
The player offered him a look that he couldn’t quite decipher, and then shouted something down into the compound. A moment later, the gates creaked open. Katrina stood a few dozen feet inside, arms crossed and flanked by her teammates.
Luke sighed.
“Where’s Kaoru?” he asked. Katrina shook her head and waved one of her hands dismissively.
“Just like that?” she said. “After the way you took off and left us here?”
“This is my zone, Katrina,” said Luke. “The way I left you ‘here’? This is my fortress!”
“If it’s yours, then why did you run off?” shouted Katrina. “We’ve been fighting for our lives! People come here for sanctuary, and we let them in! We don’t run away like scared children!”
“Is that what you think?” Luke pointed an accusatory finger at her. “How did you end up behind these walls to begin with, Katrina? Who was it that offered your guild sanctuary?”
Tess tugged his arm and stepped in front of him.
“Katrina, we’re here to help,” she said. “Emotions were running high before. None of us really knew what was going on.”
Luke took a deep, calming breath.
“Yes,” he said. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t come here to argue.”
Katrina stared at him for a moment, and then slowly nodded.
“She’s in the guild hall, Luke,” she said. “Things have been crazy. I didn’t mean to come at you like that.”
She started to walk over to where several of her guild members were waiting in the courtyard, and then turned back.
“Tess, your garden has been well cared for,” she said. “We’re only eating what we need, and storing the rest in the basement of the general store.”
Tess smiled.
“Thank you, Katrina,” she said. “It’s good to be back.”
He walked through the compound. It felt different than it had. Memories of the beginning, when he, Silverstrike, and Tess had claimed the zone flooded through his mind. Yvvaros had felt so different back then, open and innocent.
Luke opened the door to the guild hall and stepped inside. Kaoru was sitting behind the table in the back of the room, running her hand along one of her whips. She looked up and stiffened when she saw him standing in the doorway.
“You’re back?” She looked at him curiously. “You were adamant about keeping to yourself earlier today.”
“Well, I changed my mind,” said Luke. “I’m here. You have a plan. Let’s just get on with it.”
Kaoru didn’t say anything. Tess had walked in next to Luke, and she cleared her throat.
“He’s serious, Kaoru,” she said. “And so am I.”
Kaoru nodded. She stood up from the table and walked around to the center of the room.
“Kato…” She frowned, and shook her head. “I don’t have a plan. Not really…”
“Don’t fucking give me that,” said Luke. “You’re the one with the plan. You came to find me. What would you have had me do if I’d agreed?”
Kaoru looked out the window of the guild hall. Several members of Athena’s Wrath were handing out food to the refugee players harbored within the walls of Dunidan’s Rest. Luke’s own stamina bar was running low, but he ignored it.
“I’ve heard rumors from some of the refugees,” said Kaoru. “A few of them said they saw a shining blue comet heading off to the west after the beginning of the Second Severence.”
“That’s her,” said Luke. “It should be easy enough for us to follow up on that. What else?”
Kaoru scratched her head.
“That’s it,” she said.
“No, what about the server in the real world?” Luke walked over, closing the distance between them. “Your private server, the one that got us in this mess to begin with. Where is it?”
“Kato, I’ve thought a lot about this.” Kaoru took a deep breath and then pushed it out of her lungs. “Trying to mess with the server in the real world isn’t going to get us anywhere.”
“And why is that?” Luke looked over at Tess. She met his eye, but shook her head slightly.
“Because I don’t know what you could do,” said Kaoru. “I didn’t develop the game, and neither did you. We were… overconfident, in thinking that we could take control of Yvvaros.”
“The plan worked, Kaoru,” said Luke. “We didn’t expect there to be pushback from something inside the game, but it worked.”
Kaoru didn’t say anything. She reached out one of her hands and rubbed a finger along the glass of one of the guild hall’s windows.
“What’s happening in the outside world right now?” she asked.
Luke bit his tongue.
“It’s not good,” he said. “People have been locked inside other VR simulations, too. From the sounds of it, a lot of technology related to AI has been malfunctioning.”
Is malfunctioning even the right word? It all seems so coordinated.
Kaoru nodded.
“That’s what I figured. I don’t think what’s happening in Yvvaros is an isolated incident. This is bigger than this world. It’s bigger than us.”
It was Luke’s turn to be the one pushing in the name of hope. For the first time in the past few days, he felt motivated.
“It might be bigger than us, but that doesn’t mean we’re powerless.” He walked over to the table and leaned against it. “Let’s start in looking, and head out to the east. I’ll keep an eye on things in the real world. If it comes down to it, I am going to go after the server, even if there isn’t anything I can do.”
Kaoru met his eye for a moment, and then smiled.
“So be it,” she said. “It’s good to have you back.”
Luke smiled.
It’s good to be back.
CHAPTER 8
Luke talked a bit more with Kaoru before heading back outside into the courtyard. Tess meandered her way over to her garden, and he was left with free time to check in on the compound, and see how everything was holding up.
According to Kaoru, there hadn’t been any major Tymian attacks since the last one he’d helped them fend off. Luke felt a massive burden that he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying melt off his shoulders. Dunidan’s Rest held a place in his heart that he couldn’t ignore, even if he tried. Its people were his people. The land was his land.
He walked up on the outer wall, staring out into the desert and north along the plains. Katrina and her guild had repaired all of the damage that they’d taken in the battle. There wasn’t much they could do to upgrade with the resources they had, but having the walls standing helped, both physically and psychologically.
Luke headed over to the oasis. A small group of player refugees was lounging around the edge of it. One of them had stripped of their clothes and was bathing within the water. Luke smiled.
It filters itself out through the sand spring below. There’s no harm in washing up in it.
Some of the players noticed him, staring with eyes that bordered on being reverent. Luke kept a smile on his face, even though the attention made him feel uncomfortable. They were counting on him, and just the fact that he’d come back played into their hopeful narrative.
Can I really save them? Or am I just going to get them killed by trying, like I have so often in the past?
He tried to not let the discord inside of him show on his face. Tess was explaining to a couple of fresh faced women the basics of gardening. He turned around in a circle, looking for something to distract him from his thoughts.
Luke’s eyes settled on the tiny outdoor tavern that had been constructed on the side of the general store at the behest of Silverstrike. It felt like it had been an eternity ago, but in reality, it couldn’t have been more than a couple of days. He made his way over to i
t. The original bartender had long since taken off, but the drinks and mugs were still there.
Sitting down on one of the bar stools, Luke reached around to underneath the counter and began pouring himself a drink. He took a sip. Alcohol in Yvvaros affected players much like it did in the physical world. The only obvious difference was in the way it tasted, much sweeter and much less bitter, almost like soda.
“We aren’t holding up that well.” Katrina sat down beside Luke, pulling the bottle that he held in his hand over to herself and taking a sip directly from the lip. He looked at her.
“I don’t think anyone is holding up that well,” he said.
“You are.”
Luke looked up into the sky. The sun was slowly dropping over the horizon. The sky was turning from blue to a darker shade of bluish gray.
“I don’t have much of a choice,” said Luke. “People treat me like I’m the physical manifestation of their hope.”
“Aren’t you?” asked Katrina.
I’m just a teenager, in over my head..
Luke bit his lip, keeping the comment to himself.
“I’m going to do what I can,” said Luke. “I don’t know if I can stop this, but I have to try. It’s just as bad outside of Yvvaros, and there is even less that I can do out there.”
He took a deep swig of his drink. The edges of his vision blurred. Luke remembered drinking in the Stark Town Inn with Silverstrike, and taking shots of liquor in the real world with Ben. The futility of using alcohol to escape reality burned more vividly than it ever had before.
“The more time that goes by with me stuck in this game, the harder it is to think about the real world,” said Katrina. “I didn’t choose this, not like the all-in players from before did. This isn’t what I wanted.”
Luke didn’t say anything. Katrina was waiting for a response, but he didn’t have one.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t be dumping all of this on you,” she said. “You’ve already done enough, Kato, just by coming back.”
Luke nodded to her and then stood up from the bar counter.
“It’s just going to be you and your guild here for a while, Katrina,” he said. “Can you handle that?”
Katrina glanced up from her drink. She looked tired, but there was a glimmer of determination in her eyes that answered his question for him.
“We’ll manage,” said Katrina. “Just make sure that you don’t take too long with whatever it is that you’re doing.”
Luke smiled at her. He headed across the courtyard up onto the front wall of the compound. It was dusk, but he could still see the area around Dunidan’s Rest, the golden yellow sand reflecting what was left of the sun’s light.
A few Dunidans swam through the desert off in the distance, their giant, wormlike bodies kicking up clouds of sand as they surfaced or sank. The sandstorm that he and Tess had passed through earlier had shifted in a westerly direction. Other than that, the region was empty.
That’s a good thing.
Luke hopped down, landing just outside the wall. He hopped forward across the desert, tracing a large circle around Dunidan’s Rest. There was no real point in it after what he’d seen, only to clear his head and relax his nerves.
The Sarchia Desert cooled off surprisingly quickly at night. The sand had been hot to the touch earlier in the day, but now it was only lukewarm. The moons of Yvvaros were visible in the sky, the larger, azure blue one taking center stage, with the tiny red moon slightly off set from it on the diagonal.
“Running patrol?” Kaoru’s voice came from directly behind Luke. He turned around and saw her walking toward him, arms crossed. He nodded.
“I already did a lap through the nearby zones,” she said.
“It’s as much for me as it is for-” Luke cut off in midsentence as his friend flew forward at him, swinging her whips in a wild attack. He dropped low to the sand and rolled, managing to unsheathe his sword smoothly as he stood up.
“Kaoru, what”- Again, she attacked, silencing his protest with a hail of whip strikes. Kaoru was faster than she should have been, likely because of a combat ability, and one of the whips made contact with his arm. A sliver of health was removed from his status bar.
“Things have been tense between us lately,” said Kaoru. “Let’s have a friendly sparring match, air out some of the emotions.”
Luke looked at her for a moment, and then smiled.
“Alright,” he said. “First one to land three hits wins. You already have one.”
Kaoru jumped into the air, tucking into a flip as she traced a downward arc with her whips.
CONJURE SWORD 4
Luke set up his magical blades behind him and began using them as steps, as though he was walking up a staircase backwards. It was a new way of using his ability. He called it ‘sword stepping’, and he was still getting accustomed to using it effectively in actual combat.
Kaoru spun in fast circles, her whips forming a motion blurred barrier around her. She hopped up after him, the combat ability she was using giving her a bit of extra boost, as well. Luke sword stepped around her as she broke out of it and swung her whips. He tried to jab his physical sword into her shoulder, but she turned and kicked with one of her legs, knocking him off his sword and to the ground.
“That’s two,” said Kaoru. “Come on, Luke. You aren’t going to win at this point unless you use your new ability.”
Luke stared at her, trying to read the expression on her face. He shook his head.
“I’m not going to use it, Kaoru.” He looked at her for a moment longer, and then sheathed his sword. He was suddenly not in the mood for further sparring.
“What does it do to you?” she asked. “It’s easy enough to see that it drains you, makes you tired. Do you know what it’s actually doing, and how long you can fight with it before that happens?”
Luke shook his head.
“No, I don’t,” he said. “And yes, I know I should probably test it out. But I…”
He frowned, finding it hard to put his feelings into words.
If I tried to use it in a situation like this, something would go wrong.
“Fine,” said Kaoru. “But you’re going to wish that you understood it better the next time that we’re in a situation where you have to use it.”
“Maybe,” said Luke.
He started walking back to the compound. Kaoru followed a short distance behind. It was dark by the time they made it to the gates, and one of the members of Athena’s Wrath let them in.
Everyone was gathered around the bonfire, eating food, drinking, and enjoying the night in spite of their circumstances. Luke watched the scene for a moment before making his way over. Kaoru caught up with him and leaned in close.
“They’re only acting like this because you’re back,” she whispered. “They can have hope now. They can believe things are going to get better.”
“Are things going to get better, Kaoru?” asked Luke. “Or…”
Or are we just going to lead these people to an even quicker doom?
Kaoru nudged him with her elbow, and Luke took it as a sign to put a lid on his pessimism for the night.
He walked over to where Tess was sitting in front of the fire and took a seat on the wooden bench next to her. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. Luke didn’t say anything.
Dinner was a mix of vegetables from the garden and various odds and ends contributed by the players. Luke ate from his plate silently. He could feel the eyes of many of the players on him, but he felt strangely reserved. There wasn’t anything he could say to give them hope. His presence was all that he had to give.
“We should set out early tomorrow morning,” whispered Tess. “Without making a big scene.”
Luke nodded.
“Sounds good to me,” he said.
“You should log out at least once before we leave.”
Luke frowned. It was strange. Her reminding him of the fact that he still had that option made him feel the weight of his resp
onsibility all the more powerfully.
Why the hell can I still log out, when nobody else can? What am I supposed to do?
“Luke?” Tess put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you don’t have to face this alone. I’m here with you.”
Luke forced a smile onto his face and kissed her on the cheek.
“Thanks,” he said.
They sat in front of the fire for a while longer. Kaoru spoke with Katrina and several of the other players of interest in Dunidan’s Rest. Luke couldn’t hear what they were saying, but from their reactions it was clear that she was giving them the details of their plan.
The fire slowly burned out. Luke and Tess retired to the guild hall, the same one that they’d built so many nights ago, and setup their bedrolls.
“Are you okay, Luke?” whispered Tess. For some reason, he found the question infuriating.
“I’m fine,” he said, keeping his anger in check. “Just fine.”
The two of them shared the silence for a while, cuddling against each other, bedrolls pushed together. Then, Luke pulled out his character record, and as Tess had suggested earlier, he logged off.
His body in the physical world was hungry, and had a full bladder. Luke stumbled to the bathroom, and then downstairs. None of the food left in the kitchen was anything that particularly interested him. He forced pop tarts and dry cereal down his throat with a glass of water. Eating was a mechanical process for him, now.
I still haven’t talked to Ben yet. Maybe I could…
He mulled the thought over for a second, and then discarded it. It was the middle of the night, both in Yvvaros and the real world. It wasn’t the time for that.
Luke spent the next half hour taking care of his physical body. He took a shower, made sure that his oral hygiene was up to snuff, and then headed back into his room. The VR headset sat on his bed, inviting him to pull it on.
He did so, and in seconds, he was lying on the bedroll again, with Tess sleeping beside him. He closed his eyes.
CHAPTER 9
Luke awoke early the next morning. Tess was already up, and a throng of chirping birds was helping itself to the water in the oasis, creating ambient noise over the otherwise quiet compound air.