Raine’s mouth watered at the image in her mind. She’d love to have some huge Evie-made cake.
“Aunt Beth recommended me. It was for a non-magical couple who are friends of the family.” Evie licked her lips. “And I must say, it was one of my best. Seven layers of pure chocolate bliss. No spells at all, simply tasty baking. Now, I’m addicted to making cakes.” Her gaze cut to Philip. “Not that Cloud potion is involved.”
He blushed and cleared his throat. Even though Evie didn’t hold the cookie incident against him and he’d come a long way since then, it didn’t hurt to remind him every now and then so he didn’t get any silly ideas.
Evie laughed nervously. “I did use a little magic for decoration, though.”
“I don’t see a problem with that.” William scooted closer to her, an ease in his posture. It was almost hard to remember how stiff he’d been when they all first met him. Friendship and Evie had changed him a lot.
Raine forked some of her pasta off her plate and ate it. “Decoration? Maybe Sara should consider that.”
The kitsune blinked. “Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Decoration is simply art, and you’re a great artist. It makes perfect sense.”
Sara waved a hand dismissively. “I’m mostly a painter. That’s not the same thing as decorating food.”
“Sure, it is,” Philip interjected a little too loudly. “It’s all about having the artist’s eye, right?”
“It’s more complicated than that.” Sara sighed and shook her head. “After those sentient cupcakes, I honestly don’t know. I still can barely look at a cupcake.”
Philip shrugged. “Don’t decorate those then. Stick to cakes or cookies.”
“I think I’ll keep my art focused on nothing edible for now. At least then, if stuff becomes alive, Dorvu won’t eat it after raising it.” Sara grimaced.
Raine reached over to pat her friend on the hand. When she leaned back, she looked around the room. Something seemed different in the dining hall than outside, but she couldn’t quite place it.
The room was filled with students as always, with all types represented by their different clothes and ages. It took her a good minute until she saw the green glasses protruding slightly out of an elf boy’s pocket.
“Arc Eighty-Eight,” she murmured.
“What?” Cameron turned to look at her, surprised. “What about it? Are you into it?”
She shook her head. “I hadn’t heard of it before coming here.”
“Then why are you asking about it?”
“Everyone’s playing it everywhere else, but I don’t see those ugly glasses anywhere in here.” Raine narrowed her eyes.
Adrien pointed to a sign near the door. She had sat with her back to it so she hadn’t noticed it before.
ABSOLUTELY NO ARC EIGHTY-EIGHT PLAYING ALLOWED IN THE DINING HALL. IF YOU’RE CAUGHT PLAYING, ALL GLASSES WILL BE TRANSMUTED INTO SILVERWARE WITHOUT COMPENSATION.
“The pixies are jealous, I think.” Adrien allowed a faintly amused look to settle over his face. “They don’t want anything to distract us from their food.”
“The girls already said they don’t play.” Raine looked at Cameron. “Is it more a boy thing?”
He snorted quietly. “That kind of thing doesn’t work for me. I don’t have the right kind of magic.”
“I’m sorry, Cameron.”
“Don’t be. It’s not a big deal. I can still play Louper, and that’s cooler than Arc Eighty-Eight anyway.”
William pointed with his thumb at Cameron. “We hung out with the pack anyway—too busy for games.”
Adrien stared at a girl nearby who had placed her glasses beside her plate. “I tried it back home, but I find it strange. You choose characters and have statistics that you must improve.”
Raine bobbed her head eagerly. “It’s an RPG. That’s how they all are.”
The elf sniffed disdainfully in return. “Louper is a test of one’s magical ability against something that doesn’t exist, but the players actually use magic. I prefer a real test of my real abilities.”
Philip had missed the new direction the conversation had taken as he had been lost in his own thoughts. “I did charity work during the break.” Everyone stared at him for a moment, a little confused.
“I wonder if it’s really that fun.” Raine’s attention drifted to the colorful display on the ceiling and thought about all her illusion classes with Professor Powell. She had already forgotten what Philip had said. “I’m not like you all. I grew up playing video games that had no magic involved. I miss them at times, as much as I love magic. I think I might want to try it. Is that silly?”
“You do what you want.” Cameron frowned. “If anyone says anything to you about it, let me know, and I’ll talk to them.”
Someone shouted across the room. A pixie hovered above a male student, his Arc Eighty-Eight glasses held captive by a lasso of light. She flew away and the glasses trailed her. The boy dropped to his knees and groaned. The dining hall filled with laughter.
Raine smiled, but not in mockery of the boy. The game, students, and staff might all be magicals, but the situation was exactly like she’d seen back home. There was even a non-magical AR game that had been popular in her school the year before she started at the School of Necessary Magic, Global Cute Creature Capture. She’d played it for a few months but ended up too busy to make any real progress.
It wouldn’t hurt to try a little Arc Eighty-Eight when she had some free time. Mixing a little of her non-magical and magical passions would be a sure bet.
Chapter Three
The next morning, Raine examined a pair of thick green glasses she held in her hand. She’d borrowed them from someone Philip knew in the Entrepreneurs Club, Tyler, who’d decided he would be too busy to play for a few weeks. She still had the rest of the weekend before classes started, so she could at least give the game a whirl. Everyone else was busy that morning, anyway, with back-to-school, club, or Louper meetings. The Student Council didn’t meet right away.
“Okay,” she murmured to herself. “Tyler said I don’t need my wand. I only need to put them on and say the activation incantation.”
She took a deep breath and slipped the glasses on. To her surprise, her vision didn’t change. Despite the thick lenses, the world looked exactly like it did without them. She moved them on and off a few times to check.
“Huh. Okay.” Raine put the glasses on a final time and rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “Ludamus.”
The magic surged in the glasses almost immediately and she shivered at the sensation. She yelped as a beautiful jade-skinned woman with long, pointed ears appeared in front of her. One of her eyes was a bright solid azure and the other magenta. An iridescent dress clung to her body, and the colors of each thread changed every few seconds in a hypnotic pattern.
“Woah.” Raine backed up instinctively.
The woman’s image was flawless with subtle movement and nothing to suggest she wasn’t real and actually there. Raine had half-expected some of the errors in graphics or movement that always indicated that the newest game wasn’t real. Magic made everything better, apparently.
“Hello, new player.” The jade-skinned woman waved and bowed her head. “I’m Maeve, and I’ll serve as your tutorial fairy.”
“Um, thanks?”
“Of course. And thank you for being polite. Welcome to the world of Arc Eighty-Eight.” She spread her arms wide.
Raine studied her quickly. “Are you real? I mean, I get that you’re not here, but did they summon an actual fairy or spirit?”
Maeve tittered. “No. Nothing like that. I was created with cutting-edge magic and I’m not alive. But enough about me. You’re here to play Arc Eighty-Eight.”
“What’s the deal with this game?”
“You’ll find yourself immersed in a wondrous experience of magic and mystery with no risk.” Maeve held her palm up and a scroll appeared in a flash. She shook her head. “This is
a real pain, but rules are rules, and you need to hear them. First of all, can you confirm that you’re over thirteen years old?”
Raine snorted, vaguely insulted, and wondered if she looked young for her age. Cameron had never said so. “Yes.”
The scroll floated from the woman’s hand and unfurled in front of Raine. The tutorial fairy decided it was a good time to check her nails, each painted an individual color.
“Please look over these terms and conditions. When you’re ready to play, you simply have to say, ‘I agree to the terms and conditions.’”
Raine scanned through the scroll. Half of it was very similar to the language she’d seen on normal games, but it also included a few things particular to magic:
Please note that Arc Eighty-Eight uses partial tracking magic that will broadcast your location to other nearby Arc Eighty-Eight units.
Please note that Arc Eighty-Eight units are not compatible with shield spells. Any attempts to use such spells while wearing the units will result in malfunctions.
Please note that Arc Eighty-Eight units have not been tested on Oriceran, and the company will not be liable for any malfunctions if the units are removed from Earth.
After she’d taken several minutes to read the mostly boring legalese and made sure that she wouldn’t have to give her firstborn to Rumpelstiltskin in order to play, she called out, “I agree to the terms and conditions.”
Maeve held up her hand, and the scroll vanished. “Now, I know different players have different things they enjoy. As your tutorial fairy, I’m here to help you have fun.” She pointed to the mirror in the open bathroom. “Would you like to change your appearance?”
Raine headed to the bathroom and her familiar face looked back at her. “This doesn’t actually change my face though, right?”
“No, no. It’s all only in the game, but other players will see you as whatever you want. You can customize your avatar in a variety of ways and buy special clothes and appearance modifications with premium currency.”
“Okay. Uh, let’s see what I look like with pink hair. I love the hair a lot of the pixies have.”
The hair in her mirror image changed instantly. She grabbed some of it and pulled it up. Even with a direct, focused look, it was pink. She raised her glasses, and her normal color returned.
Raine lowered her glasses. “That sounds like fun. Do I have to do it all right now before I can play? Decide on what I look like?”
“No.” Maeve shook her head firmly. “Arc Eighty-Eight is about having fun. We want all players to learn at their own pace. If you simply want to wander around and see what’s it like, we don’t have to worry about things like picking a character role or finalizing your appearance.”
“Wandering sounds good.” She looked around. “But other than you, this doesn’t seem that different.”
Her guide grinned and snapped her fingers. The bedroom vanished, replaced by a glowing crystal chamber. The beds became blocks of multi-colored crystal, and her door turned into a sloped but closed passage in a luminous wall.
Raine touched the wall tentatively. It felt smooth and warm, not like the wood of her normal room. “It’s not only my eyes.”
“Of course not. What fun is a game that is limited to only your eyes? One thing, though. This is important.” Maeve placed her palms together and leaned forward, a soft, warm smile on her face. “Names are important, and before you check things out, I’ll need a name.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.” She gave the fairy a sheepish smile. “Can I change it later?”
“Yes, but that costs premium currency.”
“I’ll simply go with Raine for now, then.”
The woman glowed for a moment. “Thank you for trying out Arc Eighty-Eight, Raine. I’ll disappear now to let you experience things on your own. If you need me, simply say, ‘Open Tutorial,’ and I’ll come back. Remember, this game is what you make of it.”
“Okay, and thanks.”
She wasn’t sure if it was silly to thank a tutorial fairy from a game, but it was hard not to. Maeve seemed and acted so real.
The guide waved and disappeared. Her body transformed into a mist that started at her head and worked its way down to her feet.
Raine headed toward the door and pulled it open. The hallway on the other side had also been replaced with glowing crystal, but the roof was gone. Twinkling stars filled the sky and somewhere in the distance, soothing musical notes played.
She had taken only a few steps forward when Paige stepped around the corner. They’d barely spoken since the girl had left her room at the beginning of Raine’s freshman year, but it wasn’t like they sent her to the boy’s dorm. She was still around, but honestly, Raine had avoided her when she could.
The other girl’s face pinched in disgust. “I should have known you would become an Ark Zombie.”
“Ark Zombie?”
Paige smirked. “There are worse things the players are called, too, but I don’t want you to whine to a professor.” She folded her arms and strutted down the hallway. “It’s the perfect activity for a clueless lesser witch like you.”
“Maybe you need an alternate reality where you have a nice personality.”
The girl flipped her hair back in indignation and stomped past her. “Some of us have better things to do.”
“Excuse me,” a soft voice called.
Raine turned quickly. She’d expected another student but instead, a willowy dryad stood before her. “Are you…real?”
The dryad flashed her an indignant expression. “One could ask that of you, Raine.”
The girl lowered her glasses and confirmed that the unexpected visitor was part of the game. Another girl in Arc Eighty-Eight glasses emerged from her room and moved down the hallway. When Raine replaced her glasses, the dryad reappeared and the other girl was now clad in an elaborate multi-layered gown, complete with a headdress and hairpins with no sign of her glasses. It wasn’t until she turned again that Raine realized her skin was green and scaly and her eyes yellow and slitted. Everyone wanted something different out of a game, it seemed.
A dull roar sounded, and a massive blue whale soared through the sky overhead.
Raine stared at the dryad in front of her. “Why is a forest being in a crystal hallway with a whale swimming overhead?”
The dryad flicked her wrist dismissively. “You’re very rude.”
“You must be based off Paige.”
When the creature didn’t respond, Raine laughed and made her way down the hallway. At the main stairway, the crystal gave way to a sprawling and vast network of thick branches all linked to a single, large tree that stretched upward into the cloud-filled sky. The grand wooden staircase had been replaced with a massive sloping branch and stairs of golden light.
With dozens of students around, it was easy to pick out the Arc Eighty-Eight players—not only by their elaborate outfits but also by a faint green outline that occasionally appeared around them. A few players looked her way, and some other students glanced at her with varied looks of disapproval, curiosity, or amusement.
Now that she’d adjusted somewhat to the altered environment, Raine moved faster and made her way outside. An elaborate spiral of swirling fire and ice replaced the fountain in the center and climbed to the sky. Foreboding mountains replaced what would have been the trees.
A boy in plate armor moved toward the mountains, a sword almost as tall as him strapped to his back, and a girl in similar armor followed him. Four girls in shimmering saris walked around the corner and chatted and laughed about a party in the Garden of Glamor.
“Open tutorial,” Raine said.
Maeve returned, all smiles. “What did you need, Raine?”
“This is all cool, but isn’t it a little limited? The school grounds aren’t that large.”
“With a little time in the game, or the purchase of premium currency, you can build your own custom land.” The fairy gestured grandly, and an image of an old-West town sprawled
atop an elephant appeared. “The limits of the magic mean that only a small number of players can experience those worlds together, and they’ll need to stay in the same area, but it’s very realistic. Don’t worry, though. Larger dynamic areas are being looked at for future updates. Some of the best technomagic engineers, wizards, and witches are involved in development.”
“I can see how this would be fun, but I also don’t think I have the time for this.”
The fairy’s smile faltered for a minute. “Note that as little as one hour a day in the game can lead to tokens that can be turned in for premium currency. I also recommend spending several hours on your first trip to see the full range of what Arc Eighty-Eight has to offer. If you’re not interested in battling monsters, experience the depth of our social interaction possibilities. Arc Eighty-Eight is reality enhanced.”
Raine chuckled. “I have friends. This is neat, but I don’t need this game.” She reached for her glasses.
“Wait,” Maeve shouted. “I’m sorry, Raine, but if you stay in for at least four hours, you’ll earn special bonus tokens that can be used for premium currency.” The jade-skinned woman gave her a broad smile. “This is a special one-time offer. You’re basically being given money.”
“Sorry.” She pulled the glasses off, muttered the deactivation incantation, and shivered as a wave of cold passed through her. “They sure made their tutorial fairy pushy.”
She folded the glasses and headed back into the building. The fake creatures and monsters she’d seen during Louper matches fought well, but they weren’t as realistic as the tutorial fairy.
But Raine didn’t have enough time to devote to games, not with school starting in a few days and not with Cameron and her friends. None of them played, so there wasn’t much point in playing a social game when none of her friends did.
Chapter Four
Evie beamed happily at the collection of ingredients she’d placed on the counter. She had everything she needed from her cookie crumbs to her Oriceran fruit. It’d been too long since she baked—a whole two days. There was also something pleasurable about cooking surrounded by the kitchen pixies. She loved her family, but she’d missed the pixies.
Oath Of The Witch: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (School of Necessary Magic Raine Campbell Book 4) Page 2