by Alex Mulder
“Hey, where you going, buddy?” A cocky, masculine voice echoed through the street. Luke stopped and turned around.
“Surprising to see a kid out so late, isn’t it, Travis?” A second man stood to the side of the first. They hurried over to Luke, one of them looping around to cut off his escape.
“I don’t have time for this,” said Luke. He reached down to his waist and then…
This isn’t Yvvaros. I don’t even have a pocket knife on me, let alone my sword.
“Oh? You don’t have time for this?” The man behind Luke laughed. “He says he doesn’t have time for this, Travis!”
A fist slammed into Luke’s stomach. The wind was instantly forced out of his lungs, and he dropped to one knee. Another blow struck the side of his head. Stars sparkled across his vision.
“I… don’t have any money.”
Luke screamed as a foot leaned onto his shin. It was incredibly painful, and had the additional effect of making it impossible for him to stand, let alone escape.
“Who says we want your money?” asked the man in front of Luke. “Who says we didn’t come out tonight looking for somebody to have fun with? Nobody’s left to investigate a murder here or there.”
“You… bastard.” Luke grabbed at the foot on his shin, twisting it and eliciting a reaction from the man behind him. He gained enough room to scramble to his feet, but one of the men immediately pulled him into a grapple and slammed him into a nearby trash can. His lip cut open on his teeth as his face hit the edge of the metal, and garbage slashed all over him.
“Check his pockets, Travis,” said one of the men. Luke felt hands digging through his pants. HE rolled and swung his fists wildly. One of the men punched again, landing a glancing blow on his forehead and swearing as his knuckles continued moving, grinding against the concrete.
Luke tried to stand up, but the men pushed him back down, pummeling his abdomen. His body ached in a dozen different places.
“He’s got nothing!” said one of the men. He spat on Luke, and his friend followed suit.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” said the first man. “Find someone with real money.”
They took off. Luke rolled onto his stomach, and then lifted himself to one knee. His lip was bleeding profusely, and he wiped a torrent of blood off his chin.
He sighed.
I can’t even protect myself. How am I supposed to protect anyone else?
CHAPTER 12
The rest of the walk home was a sobering affair. Luke made his way inside and into the bathroom. The face staring back at him in the mirror was a complete mess, and he smelled awful.
He took a shower, put on the cleanest clothes he still had, and then collapsed into bed. His first instinct was to get back into Yvvaros, but he needed to take care of himself, first. Part of that was letting his body sleep, and giving his mind time to recover.
I’ll meet up with Tess and Kaoru in the morning.
Luke closed his eyes, and soon fell asleep.
He wasn’t sure what time it was when he woke up. The bright sunlight streaming in through his window made him feel as though he’d overslept. He ran a hand across his face, and sat up to reach over to his VR headset and laptop.
Luke reappeared exactly where he’d last been when he’d logged out. Tess and Kaoru stood facing each other a short distance away. From the angle they were at, they couldn’t see him.
“It’s not up to you, it’s up to him!” Tess’s voice was firm and a louder than usual. “I’m just putting it out there as an idea.”
“Well as an idea, it’s a terrible one,” said Kaoru.
“We don’t have anything else to go on!” yelled Tess. “Luke is the key to all of this, and you know it.”
“You don’t have to tell me what Luke is or isn’t.” Kaoru leaned away from Tess, and spoke in a quiet tone. “I know well enough for myself.”
Tess glared at the other woman, interpreting her words in the worst possible way. Luke cleared his throat and stepped forward.
“Good morning,” he said. “What exactly are the two of you talking about, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Tess and Kaoru’s reactions were mirror images of one another.
“We…” Kaoru blushed, an unusual expression on her usually stoic face. “Tess brought up the idea of you tampering with the server in the real world. I was explaining to her that-”
“I brought it up because it’s the only option we have left on the table!” Tess crossed her arms and looked morose. “We don’t have any leads to go on from here.”
“If we head back to Dunidan’s Rest and put our ears to the ground, something will come up,” said Kaoru.
Tess stepped forward, getting right up in the other woman’s face.
“You begged Luke and I to come back and help you,” she said. “So let us help.”
“This won’t help, I’m telling you!”
Luke stepped forward and pushed his way in between them.
“Enough,” he said. “Kaoru. I understand where you’re coming from. But I think Tess has a point here.”
Kaoru opened her mouth to object, but Luke continued before she had the chance.
“I found Ben.” He turned to Tess. “He’s back at your old house. He’s fine, better than ever, in fact.”
“What does this have to do with anything?” asked Kaoru.
“With the two of us together, we stand a much better chance at getting to the server, and figuring out what, if anything, we could do with it. If we could find a way to make small changes, tiny alterations, I could trust Ben to handle them while I log in and out of Yvvaros to see what works and what doesn’t.”
Kaoru didn’t say anything, but Luke could tell that she wasn’t objecting to his logic.
“He’s okay…” whispered Tess. She was smiling, and her eyes were clouded with mist. “Thank you, Luke.”
Luke smiled.
“No problem.”
The three of them spent the next half hour tearing down their camp. They had no immediate objective, but somehow, Luke felt much better about their prospects than he had the day before. He stuffed the last few components of the tent into his inventory and walked over to Tess and Kaoru, who were already finished.
“Ready?” he asked. The two of them nodded. It looked as though at least for the moment, they’d set their irritation for each other aside.
“We should head north.” Kaoru pointed along the coast ahead of them. “The Huzuni River is in that direction. If we head up to it and follow it back into the Inner Plains, we shouldn’t have to worry about the Formicks.”
“Sounds good to me.” Luke nodded to both of them, and then started walking.
The three of them walked along the sandy beach. It gave under each of Luke’s steps, and reminded him of the time he’d spent at the lake in the physical world.
Despite everything that had happened, Luke felt resilient. The sun was out, the sky was clear, and he felt energized after resting for the night.
The Tymians are still active. They aren’t attacking us, which means they’re attacking someone else.
He buried the thought and focused on the area ahead. He could see the mouth of the Huzuni River off in the distance. It was wide, and a triangular delta sat in the center of it. Even from afar, Luke could see the strength of the current, which splashed against the rocky shore and poured out into the eastern ocean.
“This a beautiful area,” said Tess. “If things were different, I would love to be able to claim one of the zones around here.”
Luke nodded, and then noticed something on the edge of the river.
“Is that… an NPC?” He squinted, trying to make out the figure in more detail. It was bent over into the water, rinsing something.
“Hello?” yelled Kaoru. “Hey there,”
The NPC stood up, and Luke got a clear look at him. He was tall, several inches above Luke’s own height, and completely bald. His body was thin and wiry, and he wore a long blue robe,
wrapped at the waist with a yellow sash.
“Hello,” said the man.
“What are you doing out here?” asked Tess.
The man looked down at the bundle that sat in the shallow water in front of him. It was full of vegetables, and Luke could now see that there were more behind him, still covered by thick shells of leafs.
“I am cleaning the Zara fruit.”
“Do you come out this way often?” asked Luke. “My friends and I came to investigate the blue flash in the sky from a few days ago.”
“I do not know,” said the man.
“What’s your name?” asked Tess.
Instead of answering, the man just stared at them. The look on his face was neutral, and stiff enough to be a little intense. Luke turned away from him and realized with a start that several other NPCs, all of them very similar looking to the first, had begun walking out from the forest and from down river to join them.
“We are the Huzuni.” The NPCs spoke in tandem, male and female voices alike laying over each other, and creating a strange depth to the words. “Our village Elder may have answers about what you seek.”
“Uh… okay,” said Kaoru. She fidgeted slightly, keeping one hand on one of her whips. More Huzuni appeared out of seemingly nowhere, until the three of them were surrounded by a group of at least ten.
“We will take you up the river, to our village,” said the Huzuni.
“Why do you all speak like that?” asked Luke.
The Huzuni smiled in tandem.
“We are the Huzuni,” they said.
Luke looked at Tess and Kaoru. Both of them looked as confused as he felt.
“I don’t see any harm in going with them,” said Luke. “The one we first saw was washing vegetables. They say they have a village. I don’t think they’re going to attack us, and we might be able to get another lead to go on.”
Kaoru nodded.
“You’re right,” she said. The Huzuni were watching the three of them carefully, and after a moment, the ring of them began to move forward. Luke, Kaoru, and Tess moved along with it.
The walk upriver was strange, and a bit surreal. Luke had a dozen questions that he wanted to ask, but the all sounded rude, and a bit too personal in his head.
Do the Huzuni have a hive mind, like the Formicks? Have they been here since the beginning of Yvvaros? Are they part of a quest?
“We can sense your curiosity,” said all of the Huzuni at once. Luke snapped upright, surprised.
“Yes…” said Luke. “Do you mind if I ask questions?”
The Huzuni were silent, and Luke took that as an affirmation.
“Do all of you share thoughts?” he asked. “Is that how you speak in unison so perfectly?”
“We share some thoughts, when the Elder wishes it,” said all of the Huzuni.
“But we have our own thoughts underneath those.” This time, only the first one that Luke had seen, the man closest to him, spoke.
“Interesting…” said Kaoru.
They rounded a bend in the river, and ahead of them Luke could see a small, powerful waterfall. The path forward looked like it ended in front of the ridge to the side of it, but the Huzuni made no movement to stop or divert to either side.
One by one, The Huzuni dropped into position, leaning over and creating platforms with their backs at various heights. The tall man that Luke had seen originally gestured for him to go first. Luke nodded slowly, feeling genuinely uncomfortable at the idea of using a person so flippantly.
“Alright,” he said. “I’ll step gently.”
He walked along the Huzuni, grabbing the edge of the ridge as soon as it came within reach and pulling himself up. It felt a bit like sword stepping, but much less appropriate.
Tess and Kaoru followed after him. The Huzuni had their own method of pulling themselves over, working in pairs of two and alternating between climbing and assisting the other up. They made it up, and then reformed the ring around the three human players.
They traveled through a small stretch of forest, and then spilled out into a clearing that surrounded a small lake. Luke could see a sprawling village on the edge of it, and more Huzuni.
“Welcome.”
CHAPTER 13
The Huzuni adopted a more relaxed formation as Luke, Tess, and Kaoru made their way into the village. As the group passed others in the tribe, it became clear to Luke that all of them were not always under a single control.
Can any Huzuni lead a group, or is there some kind of in-game overseer with sole power?
“The surrounding jungle provides most of the sustenance for the tribe,” said the Huzuni around Luke. “The land near our village is also very fertile. We live a comfortable life, free of strife.”
“That’s… nice,” replied Luke.
“We will bring you to our village Elder,” said the Huzuni. “He can give you the answers which you seek.”
The Huzuni surrounding Luke and the others split off, leaving the three of them alone with the tall Huzuni from the beginning. He began walking, leading them toward the largest hut in the village, which was decorated with blue colored flags, dangling from the roof.
Kaoru grabbed Luke’s shoulder and pulled him in so that only he could hear her words.
“What do you think?” she whispered.
“They seem innocent enough,” said Luke.
“I’m not so sure.” Kaoru frowned, and glanced back at the village. There were at least a few dozen Huzuni milling about in the open, and likely even more within the huts and nearby forest.
“If we end up getting another lead, it’s going to be worth taking the risk,” said Luke. “Just be ready for anything.”
The tall Huzuni NPC pulled back the cloth door covering of the large hut for them. Luke stepped through first, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness inside. An old woman sat behind a burned out fire. She wore one of the same blue robes as the other Huzuni, but there was something about the way it hung on her frame that made Luke see her differently.
“Welcome,” she said. “Please, have a seat.”
Luke nodded to Tess and Kaoru, and slowly sat down across from the woman. The two of them took up spots on either side of him.
“I understand that you’ve come searching for something,” said the woman. “Please, ask of me what you need.”
Luke chewed his lip.
She gets right to the point.
“We’re investigating an event that happened a few days ago,” he said. “Did you or any of your people see something strange in the sky two nights ago? A blue light, streaming across the sky?”
The woman was silent for a long moment. Finally, she coughed into her hand, clearing her throat.
“I understand what it is that you seek,” she whispered. “I must know why you’ve come looking, before I decide whether or not you are worthy.”
Luke stiffened. Kaoru reached her hand over and squeezed his wrist.
What is she trying to tell me?
“We…” He paused. “We came looking for the Universal Truth. She’s done something to Yvvaros, to my people. She’s cursed us, in a sense, and we wish to get to the bottom of it.”
The old woman stared at him thoughtfully. She slowly stood up, and Luke realized that she was much taller than he’d thought she was.
“You must receive the blessing of the Huzuni, first.”
Luke waited for her to elaborate further. She didn’t, and instead moved around them to the door flap of the hut. He stood and slowly followed after her, along with Tess and Kaoru.
“They don’t seem like they mean us harm,” whispered Tess. “Let’s go along with this.”
Luke nodded. Outside, the Huzuni elder slowly walked over to the shore of the lake. It reminded Luke of the oasis back in Dunidan’s Rest. The water was shallow, with thick underwater plants obscuring the view of the lake bottom.
More of the Huzuni began walking over to where they stood, surrounding the group and watching. The Huzuni elder took a
few steps into the lake, letting the bottom of her robe soak in the water.
“Only a friend of the Huzuni may accept the gift of the knowledge.” The Huzuni elder spoke, and this time the rest of the Huzuni echoed along with her voice. “The three of you must walk out to the center of the lake and receive the blessing.”
Luke scanned the surface of the water. It was relatively calm. There was a single outlet on the eastern edge of it that led to the Huzuni River, and on the norther side, Luke could see a series of large rock openings.
They’re probably the underground rivers that feed into this lake, and let it keep a stable water level. Nothing strange about that, is there?
“Let’s just get it over with,” said Luke. Tess nodded, but Kaoru looked slightly skeptical, and a little worried.
“I don’t know about this,” she said. “I just don’t know.”
“This is the best lead we have to go on,” said Luke. “We’ll stay on guard.”
She sighed, but didn’t object as Luke slowly began to lead the group of them out into the water of the lake. It was cold, much colder than Luke had expected. The water only gradual grew deeper, and the underwater plants tickled Luke’s legs as he waded through them.
“Walk out to the very center, and then submerge yourself to receive the blessing,” said the Huzuni. Luke studied the old woman’s expression, but it remained a blank, unreadable mask.
He walked further out, until the water was up to his waist. After exchanging looks with Tess and Kaoru, Luke slowly lowered himself down and underwater.
Nothing happened. He surfaced, feeling no different than he had a moment earlier.
“There,” he said, calling back to the Huzuni. “It’s done.”
Tess and Kaoru emerged from the water. Luke looked at them and froze.
Their eyes were rolled back into their heads. Tess began splashing wildly. She turned to the side and fell into the water, her hair shifting and revealing a large, grey colored leach attached to her neck.
What the fuck?