by Cosimo Yap
He’s right, Lambda sent. I can see that you still think of the Exchange as part of the Game, but there are no safeguards in Cyberspace. Let us develop our capabilities before we venture to such places again.
I concur, Eve sent.
“There are tasks I need to complete and resources within the Exchange, why won’t you let me visit? Is there something you are trying to hide?” Alan asked.
“You may not remember what occurred when meeting Prometheus, but I do,” Phantom said. “All I will tell you is that you overstepped your bounds—you still have this idea that all sentient beings are equal. Prometheus and many other entities within the Game have mental capacities far surpassing anything you can dream of. Stop thinking that you are clever and might do something that will surprise them.”
“Alright, I won’t visit the Exchange anytime soon. Still, I was thinking, now that I’m a Revenant can the kill switch in my implant be removed? That was the information you were trying to hide, right?” Alan asked.
“The implant will be removed when I’m sure I can really trust you, but you should never trust anyone in the Game,” Phantom said. “Take that advice to heart, Alan. Besides, you’re still clearly hiding something.”
“What? What can I hide from you—you see everything I observe through the implant!” Alan said.
“See everything?” Phantom scoffed. “I can’t see any of your in-game messages and status screens, even when you’re looking at them. Anything with a screen is blurry, and I can’t look at what you’re up to in Cyberspace. I don’t even know when you acquired another AI. You’re my Squire, but I seem to be in the dark about you, your AI, and their relation to Omega! Will you let me run a full scan of this Lambda?”
I’m sorry, but I can’t allow that, Lambda sent. Such a scan might alert the Administrators, also I possess certain idiosyncrasies that might upset Phantom.
I find that slightly concerning, Alan sent.
Don’t worry, I’m right as rain, Lambda sent. Eve will back me up. We practically share a brain, or at least a storage device.
Lambda’s assistance is helpful for now, Eve sent. I agree that a scan would have negative consequences for everyone involved. I will update you if Lambda exhibits erratic or problematic behavior.
“No! You just told me to not trust anyone, so sorry, but I can’t let you scan Lambda,” Alan said. “And to tell you the truth I didn’t even know anything about my AI’s relation to Omega. Apparently, Omega tried to recruit them to join his cause.”
“Well, that’s not worrying at all,” Phantom said, deadpan. “You weren’t aware? I thought it was your doing.”
Phantom began pacing around the workshop. “There were…complications when I implanted your cybernetic eye. Nothing you need to concern yourself with, but I thought the problems occurred because you had safeguards installed in the Machine Lord Implant. If it wasn’t you, then never mind. That’s why I bought the data on the Abyss Labyrinth—the maps were all blurry in the recording.”
“Huh,” Alan said.
“For now, monitor the area around the Abyss Labyrinth entrance in the Undercity,” Phantom said. “I’ll send you a dossier on the factions and notable players active there. What we are concerned about are the comings and goings of anyone entering the Abyss Labyrinth as we increase activity in the area. This is a non-combat operation. You are only to watch and report. You are not to take any action without permission from myself or another superior.”
“What about my quest, the one to repair the Abyss Labyrinth and restore its power?” Alan asked.
“We aren’t willing to fix a system without discovering what we are fixing,” Phantom said. “I will be going with the next expedition alongside a crew of engineers to figure out exactly what we are doing by helping this ‘Warden.’
“Additionally, this endeavor requires greater manpower than the Black Rose guild possesses. We generally are involved with clandestine affairs, not holding massive control points beneath all of Khersath. We are finalizing deals to either recruit other guilds into a joint venture or possibly sell off the quest.”
“Wasn’t that the point of going to the Exchange?” Alan asked.
“The Archivists are making excessive demands,” Phantom said. “We are still reserving judgment on whether or not to trust Omega, but are leaning against it. Other groups are making moves too, which is why you are being tasked with monitoring one of the main entrances to the Abyss Labyrinth.”
A message appeared:
New quest: Monitoring the Abyss
You have been tasked with watching the entrance to the Abyss Labyrinth in the Undercity. You are to record everyone and everything that comes in and out. You will be accompanied by one Specialist on this mission, who will pass on anything of note and relay orders from the Knights Phantom and Enigma.
Penalty for failure: A guild fine.
Reward: 1,000 credits per day or the equivalent guild points.
“This seems pretty simple,” Alan said. “I’m sure I could be more useful doing a more dangerous task.”
“I do not trust you, or your AIs, especially now that I know Omega is out there!” Phantom said. “There will be no debate—this is your assignment until I figure out how to proceed. Such an easy task does not count as one of the tasks you need to complete to reach the Knight rank within the guild. Your cover while performing surveillance will be as a small-time arms-dealer. We own a bit of property close enough to the Abyss Labyrinth’s entrance that you should have a decent view from the rooftop. The expedition may take upwards of a month, so you might be spending a while there. Details can be found in these files.” Phantom handed over a data cube to Alan.
Alan connected to the cube with his Machine Lord implant and downloaded the data.
“What superior do you have, other than Elissandra?” Alan asked. “Is there a Revenant faction that I should be made aware of?”
“No more questions, and do not mention this to anyone,” Phantom said. “Things change, Alan, and all I can tell you is to be prepared for anything.”
***
A few hours later Alan found himself on the rooftop of a small store in the Undercity, one of Enigma’s Specialists standing guard outside. The store sent out a message to turn anyone without proper authorization away. As only Alan had permission, there would be no customers.
An entrance to the Abyss Labyrinth was across the street from the store. Guards wearing purple tabards with a silver crown surrounded the old ruins. Occasionally guards with a gold crown emblem would visit—they tended to carry bigger guns and had more advanced power armor. Eve estimated their shields to have at least 10,000 energy.
There was a marked increase in activity surrounding the entrance, with a steady number of players entering the dungeon. A few merchant stands had popped up as well, offering various supplies and buying whatever players managed to retrieve out of the dungeon—after the guards had searched any emerging players and taken their cut.
Consulting the information provided by Phantom, Alan learned the gang members in charge of the entrance were called the Royals. The gang followed an almost feudal system, under the control of a single family rumored to possess the bloodline of a Predecessor. Bloodline descendants of the Predecessor displayed impressive physical strength, and the Black Rose guild classified them as dangerous, rank A threats. The gang’s territory encompassed roughly half the Undercity, with the guild members known to be fiercely loyal to the family.
The other major gang in the Undercity was the Crystals, but there wasn’t as much information on them. The Crystals operated on a cell-by-cell basis like a terrorist organization, thus gathering data on the gang as a whole was difficult. Each team within the Crystals seemed to operate independently, but just as often groups of the gangsters appeared together. By Eve’s calculations the team’s appearances were not random, but instead demonstrated a wide network full of players of different species and abilities.
Alan scanned the Abyss Labyrinth entrance
again with his enhanced vision, switching quickly between different electromagnetic spectrums, not wanting to waste too much computational energy. There wasn’t anything of interest, but he downloaded the data into one of the many cubes provided to him by Phantom.
This is boring, Alan sent.
Now would be a good time to discuss plans for future growth, Lambda sent. You have need of training, and I know a number of skills you can train in and unlock.
Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? I thought the only data you had were historical facts, Alan sent.
I needed to get a feel for things, Lambda sent. Obviously, I encrypt some personal data so Eve can’t see it, and she does likewise. Let’s just say that meeting up with Omega stirred up my competitive spirit. We need to come up with a comprehensive plan for future development so that your abilities synchronize well. Don’t worry, Eve and I can organize the training plan, you’ll just need to follow it.
Increasing Alan’s skills won’t be enough, Eve sent. His body and items must be upgraded as well.
Yes, I wouldn’t mind more space and faster processing power, but for now I’d recommend trying to train up major class skills, since they tend to stack the best, Lambda sent. For instance, having two AIs will let you more quickly upgrade and train Machine Lord skills. But this all depends on where you want to go, Alan. You are in charge.
Well, I’m obviously not going for a warrior build, Alan sent. But I don’t want to be useless in a fight, either. I like the idea of an assassin stealth hacker.
Then you should abandon the idea of being a berserker using Predecessor-blood-fueled drugs, Lambda sent. I’d recommend giving up the idea anyway, because even if you managed to get Predecessor bone marrow you’d need a stronger heart to pump the blood through your body, and then that heart would need more oxygen, which would necessitate other upgrades, and so on and so forth.
Lambda continued, To upgrade to the point that you become as strong as a Predecessor—or even only half a strong—would not only be impossibly expensive, but it wouldn’t work with your current Machine Lord implants. Better to go through the withdrawal symptoms. Otherwise, even if you manage another dosage to prevent the detrimental effects, you’d just go into withdrawal again in the future. We’ll have to time it well, though—can’t have you exhibiting symptoms while in the middle of an important fight.
But the soulsteel knives… Alan thought. The first blade had been lost in the Abyss Labyrinth to the Warden, while the second was being held by the Chief Administrator on Khersath for his suspected involvement in breaking out Lambda. Using a soulsteel weapon required Alan to have a portion of Predecessor blood within his system.
The chance of recovering either is slim, Eve sent. Neither the Chief Administrator nor the Warden is likely to return the weapon they took without significant return.
So our plan if we run into a Predecessor is try to hide? Alan asked.
Pretty much, Lambda sent. I don’t think you have realistic expectations for your place in the Game, Alan. You are a human: a new, weak, barely-sentient species. You aren’t expected to fight Predecessors, not alone.
Then why was I given a quest to challenge and defeat one in the Tutorial? Alan asked.
To give you something to reach for, Lambda sent. To push yourself. That’s all the Game wants you to do: to push the limits again and again. But I don’t think that’s the smart move here. Sure, you might succeed this time, or the next, but each time you fail will set you disastrously far behind. How many deaths have you had since entering the Game? You’re taking too many risks, pushing the boundaries too far too fast. Slow down, focus on a few key skills, and improve yourself safely.
I concur, Eve sent.
You seem to forget the only reason you’re even here, Lambda, is the gamble I made that paid off, Alan sent.
Taking risks is also the main reason you are now a wanted criminal on your homeworld, Lambda sent.
Alan paused. He looked out over the city skyline, all the players moving about. He’d witnessed half a dozen crimes occur in the past hour alone—one so brutal he’d almost intervened. Eve had stopped him—he had to follow guild orders, after all.
It just seems too slow, Alan sent. I feel the need to grow stronger now, not sometime in the distant future. Without a significant power boost I’m useless. Every day is another day closer to when Earth’s protection wears off.
Yes, and you can’t do anything about that now, Lambda sent. Let your government worry about it; rushing toward your death will only make things worse. Forget about all the excessive, impossible quests, the onset of chaos. Trust me, it’ll always be there, and the universe hasn’t ended yet. Right now, it’s time to safely grind, Alan. Slow and steady wins the race.
Chapter 11
You will train in Cyberspace with Eve and in-game with me, Lambda sent.
Alan activated divided mind, sending one half inwards, into Cyberspace. The half of him that was in-game focused on Lambda.
It is finally time for you to master using that power armor you wear. Luckily my vast banks of knowledge include details on Revenant equipment, otherwise we’d actually have to go listen to Omega drone on about his second coming, Lambda sent.
Great, it’s about time, Alan sent.
Yes, well, there’s another thing I want you thinking about too. You have been ignoring a major game changer, which is something we will need to remedy, Lambda sent.
And what’s that? Alan asked.
Reality, Lambda sent. You have already begun to feel changes in reality due to the nanobots manipulating your body, but I can also help with translating abilities from in-game to both reality and Cyberspace. We’ll need to find and install a real, comprehensive Machine Lord implant, but I’m sure you can find one with enough money. You are beginning to reach the level where you might be targeted in real life. I’d feel safer knowing that there were more safeguards in place protecting you and your capsule. Remember that the Game simulates reality, not the other way around.
Great, so I’ll eventually need to tell the difference between in-game Cyberspace and then an actual Cyberspace? Alan asked. This is getting a bit complicated; how many levels are there?
More than you know, and perhaps fewer, Lambda sent. The parts of Cyberspace that you connect to in-game—the Market, the Arcade, the Archives—they can all be directly reached from reality, without the need to go through the Game first. There is only one ‘real’ Cyberspace. Except, some of the devices connected to Cyberspace aren’t real, while other devices are actually real-life machines. But real-life devices have security barriers far beyond whatever you’re capable of hacking into at this point, and the same rule that you can actually be killed in Cyberspace applies. Don’t try hacking in reality—the defenses in place are designed to eliminate greater threats than you.
How does that even work? Alan asked. Simulated devices within the Game?
They’re like virtual machines, Lambda sent. Before the Game, computers ran emulated versions of a computer; virtual machines provided the function of a computer without there ever being any physical computer. The same thing is done for electronic devices in-game. Even as emulated devices they still have a space within Cyberspace. Anyways, your takeaway should be that there are still only three things you need to worry about: reality, in-game, and Cyberspace. But you need to start thinking more about reality.
Don’t the Enforcers hold the peace? They’ve been the only ones I’ve seen in reality with weapons, Alan sent.
Not every species was so technologically backward that they had to unequivocally surrender to the Enforcer Fleet, Lambda sent. At least a few empires retained the right to bear arms for self-defense purposes. If the Enforcers decided to annihilate them completely, they could, but I suppose it’s the peace of mind that counts. Now that I think about it, there might even be a few ongoing conflicts. I haven’t kept up with the latest frontier news, and information is often withheld for security purposes. Other ships and weapons aren’t allowed near
Khersath, but that doesn’t mean things are never smuggled. The Enforcers aren’t infallible.
But this is a worry for later, Lambda continued. I‘m sure that the Black Rose guild has defenses in place. Better to be safe than sorry, though. If you’re ever fighting in reality you don’t want to be defenseless.
Okay, Alan sent. He wondered what he would do if an emergency happened in reality. He’d probably run and try to find the nearest Enforcer. If that didn’t work or wasn’t an option Alan had no idea how he’d defend himself—every time he exited the Game there was disorientation that made him very vulnerable. It was hard for Alan to think in reality, let alone fight.
Now, change out of the Scout Power Armor into the Spectral Power Armor, Lambda sent.
What about our job? Alan asked.
We’re doing it. I’ll scan the area every so often to see if there are any interesting players or signals, Lambda sent. Besides, you’re not expected to watch the Abyss Labyrinth entrance 24/7, you have to sleep. The android standing guard is also constantly sending out scans. The Black Rose guild put you here so you have easy access to the Abyss Labyrinth if the original quest holder is needed.
But why give me a list of important figures to keep a lookout for? Alan sent. A few of these players have pretty serious bounties.
Killing two birds with one stone, Lambda sent. The guild definitely wants to know if any major players or higher-ups in the gangs are making moves, but they don’t expect it. I’m sure as soon as we alert the guild to anyone on the list they’ll tell us to clear out immediately.
When did you pick all this up? Alan asked.
It’s called reading between the lines, another skill you’ll need to learn, Lambda sent. But now, power armor.
What followed was a lesson in repetition. Alan went inside the empty store and put on the Spectral Power Armor. Alan took off the Spectral Power Armor. Alan put on the Scout Power Armor. Alan took off the Scout Power Armor.