Crystal Shards Online Omnibus 1

by Rick Scott

  “It’s Ryan, Mom.” Gilly corrects her with a playful eye roll. “Ryan, these are my parents.”

  I look to Gilly’s dad next. He’s a tall, somewhat portly guy. He has a full beard streaked with gray, and for some reason, he looks kind of familiar to me. He extends his hand, and when I grip it, his shake is firm.

  “Pleased to meet you, son,” he says with a smile. “Jill’s mentioned a lot about you.”

  “Oh, has she?” I feel like a bit of a heel. My mom only knew about Gilly a couple hours ago. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. and Mrs. . . .”

  Holy crap! I’ve only just realized I don’t know Gilly’s last name!

  “Peters,” her dad says quickly with a warm smile. “But you can call me Bruce.”

  The floor drops out from under me as the recognition hits.

  It’s Bruce. The same Bruce my brother was talking to last night!

  My heart hits my throat. I can’t believe this. It’s like a sick joke. Gilly’s father is the man who’s forcing my brother to risk his life.

  “Come on,” Bruce says casually, jerking his head toward the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready.”

  Chapter 28: Dinner

  Dinner with Gilly’s parents is simultaneously the most wonderful and terrifying experience I’ve had in my entire life. I’m practically sweating bullets by the time Gilly’s mom places a heaping bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in front of me. It looks and smells like something that should only exist in-game.

  “Hope you like Italian,” Bruce says with a smile.

  I nod like an idiot, and after Bruce says grace, I dive into the food like I’ve never eaten before—half from nerves and half from the way it’s making my mouth salivate. I chomp into a meatball that’s smothered with sauce and literally let out a moan as the food fills my mouth with a pleasure like no other.

  I try not to wolf down my meal too fast, but it’s like telling a man who’s dying of thirst to sip and not chug. I’m halfway through my plate before everyone else has barely had their first forkful. I only stop when I notice them all staring at me like I’m a rabid dog.

  Gilly just grins, though. “Good, huh?”

  I nod stupidly again, my mouth full of spaghetti. “Mmmm-hmmm!”

  “Plenty more, if you’d like,” Gilly’s mom says.

  I could probably finish off all their plates, but I don’t want to seem like a pig. Plus, food like this must cost around 2000 credits a plate. “This is plenty, thank you.”

  Dinner continues on, but my heart beats with trepidation the entire time. In the back of my mind, I’m still trying to figure out what the heck I can say to Gilly’s parents and, more importantly, what I shouldn’t say. As much as I’d like to find out what Bruce has got my brother doing and why, I can’t give away anything that might tip him off to me being the “kid” who was eavesdropping on them.

  “So, tell me about yourself, Ryan,” Bruce says in between bites. “Where’s your family from?”

  “Um . . . the upper levels,” I say, leaving it vague. “Above the main hub a bit.”

  Bruce nods politely. “Any siblings?”

  Oh crap . . . I didn’t expect a question like this. I grab my drink and take a chug of delicious fruit punch to buy some time. Mike and I share a resemblance. Not too close with his present haircut, but the eyes are a dead giveaway. If Bruce finds out we’re brothers, I don’t know where that might lead. But I can’t lie about not having a brother in front of Gilly, either.

  “Unfortunately, yes,” I say. “We can’t all be as lucky as Gilly—I mean, Jill.”

  I crack a smile, and they laugh at my joke.

  “It’s okay to call her Gilly, by the way.” Bruce jerks a thumb toward her. “We were calling her that long before you.”

  “What?”

  Gilly rolls her eyes. “Dad, please don’t . . .”

  “It’s her nickname,” he continues, ignoring her. “When she was a toddler, we used to call her Jilly, but when we’d ask her to say her name, she could only pronounce it as Gilly. Guess it kind of stuck.”

  Gilly shakes her head, exasperated while we all share a laugh. The look on her face is priceless. It makes me like her even more.

  “So, Gilly tells me you’re both in maintenance?” I ask, steering the conversation further away from me.

  Gilly’s parents look at one another and chuckle.

  “That’s one way to put it,” Gilly’s mom says. “Bruce is the head of Physical Infrastructure for the city. I’m his right hand.”

  “And my left,” Bruce adds with a grin.

  “Oh, cool,” I say, nodding. I’m itching to ask more questions, like what he actually does. And what he’s doing sending my brother to the surface.

  “And how about your parents?” Gilly’s mom asks. “What do they do?”

  “Oh, Mom,” Gilly says quickly. “Ryan’s dad is . . .”

  “It’s okay,” I cut her off. “My dad died when I was young. And my mom works from home. Retail.”

  “Sorry to hear that, son,” Bruce says.

  Thankfully, Gilly hasn’t mentioned my mom being sick. That’d be another set of dots that’d be way too easy to connect me to my brother with. I change the subject to ensure it doesn’t happen. “Gilly mentioned stuff is always breaking down in the city?”

  “Boy, is it ever . . .” Bruce twirls his last meatball with some spaghetti. “You wouldn’t think most of this stuff is supposed to be automated, the way it works. Or doesn’t, rather.”

  Then I remember something that both he and Gilly mentioned separately. Or perhaps it wasn’t Bruce who mentioned it; maybe it was that guy Dennis who was with him. Nevertheless, the word was the same. “Does that have anything to do with the nano-shards? I remember Gilly mentioning them earlier and I wanted to ask you what they were.”

  Bruce pauses mid-bite and shoots a glance at Gilly, as does her mother.

  Gilly shrugs. “What? You two are always mumbling about them.”

  Bruce clears his throat and smiles. “Well, they’re kind of like batteries. But they store nano-machines instead of electricity.”

  Seems I might have gotten him on the back foot with that one. I decide to press my luck a little further. “Oh, so we’re running low on them, then?”

  “Huh?”

  “On the nano-shards. To fix everything.”

  Bruce swallows like I’ve just asked him if the world is about to end. He laughs, probably to hide his discomfort. “Something like that.”

  “Hope you have room for dessert!” Gilly’s mom suddenly stands and collects my empty plate. “We have apple pie and ice cream.”

  “Sounds delicious,” Bruce says, standing as well. “Let me help you, dear.”

  They hustle away, and I wonder if maybe I pushed that last question too far. Even if I did, though, perhaps it was a good thing. It seems to keep them from asking me any further questions. We enjoy dessert, and this time, I don’t shy away from seconds.

  “Why don’t you two go have a sit in the living room,” Bruce says when we’re done. “We’ll clean up in here. We’ve got some great movies you can stream on the holo-viewer.”

  “Thanks,” I say.

  Bruce seems like a genuinely nice guy. But still, he’s holding a hatchet over my brother’s head—to get these nano-shards, or whatever they are, from the surface, it seems. A dark part of me wonders if maybe he sent my mom to the surface to do the same.

  Gilly distracts me from my thoughts by taking my hand. She leads me into the living room and onto one of the couches. It’s a welcome distraction. I’ve been waiting my whole life for something like this. A chance to sit alone with Gilly, a girl I really like, who likes me back, and watch a movie together, in real life! It’s like a dream come true.

  Gilly picks something from the holo-viewer and we start to watch. It’s a pre-war action comedy I’ve seen before, but I don’t mind. Gilly snuggles into me. She places my arm over her shoulders. I think I’m in heaven.

  “So, wha
t did you need to tell me?” Gilly says after a bit.

  I’m so in the moment that I have no clue what she’s talking about. “Huh?”

  “You said you needed to tell me something in person. About your brother?”

  Oh crap . . . I nearly forgot about all that!

  My mind is running a mile a minute. What am I supposed to tell her? “Hey Gilly, your dad is forcing my brother to go to the surface, could you talk to him for me?”

  There’s no way I can mention her father. But I suppose I could still tell her everything else.

  “Mike’s going to do something really dangerous to get Mom’s surgery done.”

  Her eyes widen with concern. “Like what?”

  “I’m not too sure,” I say, although it’s now half a lie, since I do have some inkling. “But he’s going to do it in a few days. I need to get the money for Mom’s operation before then. If he sees Mom cured, I’m sure he won’t go through with it.”

  “You said you need it in a couple of days?” Her voice strains with incredulity. And then she says something that both shocks and warms me. “What the heck are you doing here, then? You need to be leveling!”

  I chuckle. “My number one cheerleader.”

  She elbows me. “Hey, I’m serious. You can’t let your crazy brother do something stupid like that. We need to go make this money!”

  It touches me when she uses the word ‘we’. It makes me think that Gilly really is the best girl in the world. After all the crap I’ve put her through, she’s still got my back 100%.

  “Well, I did make around 250k from killing Sheeba,” I say, but then sigh. “Still a long way from 3.5 million, though.”

  Gilly barely seems to be listening to me anymore. “Okay, I got a plan. I’m going to be your manager.”

  “My what?”

  “I’m going to manage your money and drops for you. I do know the markets pretty good, you know. Plus, I’ll map out the best things for you to kill for money and leveling at the same time.”

  I nod. That actually sounds like a decent plan. I suck at all that stuff, but Gilly thrives on it. This is a much better way for her to help me than leveling as a healer. “All right.”

  “Okay, let’s do it,” she says, and she gets up from the couch. “Mom, Dad! Ryan’s got to leave!”

  “What?” I say, bewildered. “Right now?”

  “Hey.” She pulls me up off the couch. “We got the rest of our lives to watch movies together. But you’ve only got one brother and one mom. So go home. Log in. And get your butt in gear. I’ll do some research while you’re on your way.”

  “Are you serious?”

  She gives me the eye. “Does it sound like I’m joking?”

  I laugh nervously. “Sounds like this is going to be an interesting development in our relationship.”

  “Oh!” Her eyes pop open. “Speaking of that . . .”

  She grabs me by the collar and pulls my lips to hers. The kiss takes me by surprise, as does my body’s reaction to it. We’ve kissed in-game before, but just like the hug, this feels way different. Way better. She breaks it off just before her parents enter the living room to say goodbye.

  “Leaving a little early?” Bruce asks.

  “We’re going to continue the rest of the date online,” Gilly says.

  Bruce shares a puzzled look with his wife, and then chuckles. “Guess you guys do it differently these days. It was great meeting you, Ryan.”

  He extends his hand, and I shake it. “Same.”

  “Give our regards to your mother,” Gilly’s mom says, and I shake her hand as well.

  I then give Gilly a warm hug and a wave as I leave through the door. Right as I do, Bruce puts his hand on my shoulder and leans in to whisper to me. “Do me a favor and don’t mention those nano-shards to anyone else, will you? They’re sort of a . . . back-of-the-shop kind of thing.”

  I nod. “Okay, sure. No problem”

  He then squeezes my shoulder with a smile and closes the door behind me.

  Chapter 29: Grinding Gears

  When I get back home, my mom is waiting up, and apparently quite excited, judging by the way she’s grinning at me as I hobble through the door with Mutt and Jeff.

  “So, how was it?” she asks, beaming.

  “It went great, Mom!” I can barely contain my excitement and want to tell her everything. Or at least the stuff I can, talk to her about anyway. I spend about ten minutes recapping dinner with her, and the sparkle that fills her eyes as she listens means the world to me. I tell her about Gilly, her parents, their amazing house, and the awesome food.

  Mom especially laughs when I tell her about how Gilly got her name. “You’ll have to invite her over here sometime. I really want to meet her.”

  “Definitely,” I say, but then I hesitate. I wonder what Gilly might think of our rundown house compared to hers? But honestly, I don’t think she’d mind at all. Gilly is Gilly. She’s never been one for material stuff. “Hey, I’ve got to go meet her online, Ma. We’re continuing our date virtually.”

  Mom laughs. “You crazy kids.”

  As I go to leave, a question burns in the back of my mind.

  “Hey, Mom, do you happen to know her dad?” I had purposefully left his name and details out earlier, but now, I just have to know. “His name is Bruce Peters. He’s head of infrastructure?”

  Her face goes unreadable for a moment. “That’s her father?”

  “Yeah . . .” Damn, maybe he did work with my mom. Maybe he forced her to go to the surface, just like he’s doing to my brother. My stomach sours a bit. I was really starting to like Gilly’s dad, too, but maybe he’s the reason my mom has cancer. “You know him?”

  “Of course, I know him.”

  “So, you worked with him? When you were doing the vents and stuff?”

  “Ryan, everyone should know him. Don’t you know who he is?”

  This one takes me totally off guard. “No . . . should I?”

  She lets out a laugh. “I really need to contact the board and complain about the education feeds. Ryan, he’s the Chairman of the Board. He’s basically like our president.”

  My legs go woozy, and I’m glad I’ve got Mutt and Jeff for support. “What?”

  “Oh my goodness!” My mom claps her hands together, laughing. “My son is dating the chairman’s daughter, and he doesn’t even know it!”

  Chairman’s daughter? Holy crap! Then that makes Gilly like . . . some kind of princess! Well, not really, but close! “Holy cow . . .”

  “And no, I never worked with him,” Mom says, and I feel a great relief lift off my shoulders. “I think he worked with your father when they were younger, though.”

  My stomach flips again. This stirs up a whole new set of questions. Bruce knew my dad?

  “You’d better go log on now, hon,” my mom says as she starts to puts her rig back on. “You shouldn’t keep the chairman’s daughter waiting.”

  * * *

  I log on with my head still spinning. As soon I materialize at the main spawn point in Swifttide, I send a message to Gilly.

  Me: Hey! You didn’t tell me who your dad was!

  Gilly: Huh? o_O

  Me: He’s the Chairman of the Board!

  Gilly: Oh, yeah! lol :P Well, that’s not really his main job. It’s more just like an added responsibility.

  Me: But that means he’s, like, in charge, right?

  Gilly: I guess! :D Anyway, come meet me on the Steppe of Andor. I’ve got a way for you to make 1 million credits tonight. ^_^!!

  I fast-travel to see Gilly, but I’m still struggling to figure out how I can possibly make one million credits in only one night. As I materialize, I see she’s already waiting for me, and I check to make sure my live stream is off. I don’t want to expose Gilly to the world like that, especially now that I know she’s a celebrity. Well . . . sorta.

  Gilly’s dressed in her Level 12 Mage gear, and looks as cute and sexy as ever, especially with her witch’s hat. She runs
over and gives me a quick hug and kiss before yanking on my arm. “Come on! We’re headed east!”

  I laugh as she drags me along and invite her to my party. “Where are we going?”

  “To the Grimstone Canyon.” She accepts the request. “We’re going to do a jumping quest tonight.”

  “What’s a jumping quest?”

  “One of the most horrible, annoying things ever invented by the devs,” Gilly says as she marches through the rock-filled terrain by my side. “Honestly, I don’t even know why it exists. Practically no one ever does it.”

  “Oh,” I say. “So, then, why are we going to do it? And what exactly is it?”

  “Well, technically, you’re going to be doing it,” Gilly clarifies. “And as for what they are, think of it like being in an Indiana Jones movie.”

  “A what?”

  She sighs. “Never mind. You’ll see when we get there.”

  We continue our journey through the rocky steppe, which slowly transforms into low hills. After a few minutes, we finally reach a sheer cliff face that looks like it’s made out of solid granite. It towers above us by some three hundred feet, and blocks out the sun as we draw close to its base.

  I whistle as I gaze up at it. “I hope we don’t need to climb this thing.”

  “Nope,” she says. Thankfully. “But there will be some climbing involved. Follow me.”

  We traverse the cliff face until it opens up in a crack that’s as wide as the tunnel for my hab. I marvel at how the sheer walls rise up about us. They leave only a sliver of sky at the very top as we travel through. The words “Grimstone Canyon” appear over my vision.

  “Are there any aggressive monsters here?” I ask. “And what level is this place?”

  “Not where we’re going,” Gilly says. “And don’t worry about the level. You could do this quest as a Level 1.”

  We continue on until we discover a set of stone steps carved right into the canyon wall. Gilly takes the lead and bravely plows ahead up the narrow, roughly hewn steps. I follow her, but start to feel somewhat queasy from the height as we get to the midpoint. Just then, I get a private message, which serves as a timely distraction.