Jackpot!
“Hold on tight. I think I found a shortcut.”
I aim for the gap, and the swift-moving current whisks us away. Everything blurs as the current rockets us across the track. We gain four more positions, putting us in fifty-first.
The current spits us out back on the track and I slam on the brakes. Fifty yards ahead, a half-dozen cars wait for a group of jellyfish to cross the road. The jellies are moving at a snail’s pace, but they’re packed so tight that they leave no other option. I wait back, not ready to reveal our position.
Deep within the group, sparks zap out. A car respawns above them only to be immediately trapped inside again.
We’re too far away to tell who it is, so I creep up as quietly as I can. As we get closer, I notice laughter. Several drivers gesture at the car as it respawns over and over again.
“Hey, that’s Talia and Chadwick.” Dean points over my shoulder. “We need to do something.”
I focus on the vehicle and even though it’s far away, I can make out Talia’s dreadlocks and Chadwick’s afro. “What can we do? There’s at least six of them against us. If we try to help, they may all turn on us.”
“We have to do something.” He pleads. “You know they would do the same for us.”
He’s right. Talia would do the same for us. But this is Dean’s future on the line. Is it worth risking that for someone we’ll have to fight against in the end anyways? I’ve never been one to stab someone in the back, but Dean is my priority here.
A crack forms in the wall of jellyfish, and the group begins passing through one at a time. I could easily activate invisibility to pass through behind them. Talia would be none the wiser.
“Get closer. I have an idea,” Dean orders.
I push my thoughts of subterfuge aside and do as he says. This is Dean’s show, for better or worse.
Once we are close enough, he shoots an ice beam at one of the jellyfish. It freezes in place, and even the tiny sparks of electricity turn to ice.
He blasts the entire row in front of us. “Now go through. I’ll hit the other side.”
I pass through the crack in their wall, only inches away from the frozen tentacles. Talia and Chadwick respawn overhead, and Dean freezes the jellyfish just before they land.
“Thank the gods for you two!” Talia beams. “I thought we were going to be stuck here forever.”
They hit the frozen jellyfish and bounce off before landing in the sand next to us.
“No ally left behind. Now, let’s get moving.” Dean taps me on the shoulder.
We lost four positions during our rescue attempt, but we still have plenty of breathing room.
“I agree. Only one more stage after this one.” I get straight to business. “What item and charges are you working with?”
We go over everything we have, and luckily, we have a couple of charges that synergize together. Talia has been holding on to an invisibility item as well, so there’s a good chance we can coordinate them if an opportunity presents itself.
The group that snuck through before us is long gone. For the rest of the stage, we fight through sharks, jellyfish, and the occasional eel before we hit the portal for the final stage.
Position: 55/163
Stage: 10/10
This is it. As long as we don’t screw things up, we’ll be into the final round.
We pass through the portal and emerge into another medieval town. My jaw drops to the floor and I slam on the brakes. Talia crashes into our rear and a crack forms in our shield.
“Esil, what’s going on? Why did you stop?” Dean’s voice sounds distant over my shoulder.
Talia says something, but I ignore her.
To my left, smoke emerges from inside the city walls of the town. A drawbridge hangs open and two guards stand sentry outside. Above the walls, a massive pine tree towers over everything, white flowers dancing on the end of its branches.
Florian.
My pulse races. We’re in Carolton, but how could that be? This isn’t full-immersion. That’s not coming until next round. Or did I completely misread everything? Is this what the Broken Lands have become, a sideshow track in Raceworld?
And what about the NPCs?
Carter steps into the archway of the drawbridge, and I instinctively jump out of the car. The red timer flashes across my vision, counting down from thirty.
“What are you doing?” Dean calls after me.
“Just give me thirty seconds!” I take off sprinting. “Carter! Carter, over here!” I wave my hands until I get his attention.
Carter doesn’t acknowledge me. His face is contorted as he looks on in confusion.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“Carter, it’s me, Esil.” I grab his shoulder and he recoils, pointing his trident in my direction.
“I’m sorry, adventurer, but I don’t believe we have met. You must have me confused with someone else. Good luck with your race.”
The timer hits fifteen seconds. I don’t know what has happened to Carter, but it’ll have to wait. I sprint back to the car, climbing inside right as the timer hits two seconds.
“What the hell was that? We’re in a race, and you almost got us disqualified.” Dean scowls at me. “We lost two positions while you were gone.”
“You’re right. I’ll explain everything later.”
I’m flooded by memories as we follow the dirt road that leads away from Carolton. We pass the farmhouse where I first spawned in the Broken Lands. The scarecrow I robbed of its clothing still stands perched above the cornfield.
A group of bandits block the roadway up ahead, but a toxic cloud allows us to bypass them with minimal damage.
In the distance, the black leaves of the forest loom ominously. Some dark challenge will certainly be waiting with the depths of the Cursed Oaks.
Soon, we cross the border into the forest. Broad-antlered deer roam across the road, forcing us to slow down. I dodge what we can, and attack what we cannot. A particularly tough buck runs along beside us, ramming its antlers against our car before Dean is able to take it out.
I turn a sharp corner and slam on the brakes once again. A wall of vines blocks our path. A high-pitched laugh echoes from the other side, sending a chill down my spine.
The laughter fades, and a green-skinned woman appears on top of the vine wall.
The dryad.
Vines wrap down her arms and several branches protrude from her shoulders and back. Moss covers her chest and drapes down her legs like a dress. Her long emerald hair is dotted with crimson flowers and the black leaves of the cursed oak.
I remember battling her with Carter and Kindra. Carter’s fire magic set her ablaze like dry kindling.
“Hit her with fire! That’s her weakness.”
Dean doesn’t hesitate, unleashing a maelstrom of fireballs at the dryad and her vine wall. Chadwick follows suit. The dryad bursts into flames, her screams echoing across the forest as the wall crumbles to ash.
“How did you know that would work?” Dean sounds astonished. “We never practiced this track.”
“I’ll explain everything later. For now, just do what I say and we’ll get through this.”
We zoom through the ash, leaving a smoky trail in our wake. The forest fades, and we find ourselves in front of sweeping wildflower-covered plains. My haptic suit does its best to mimic the aroma, but it doesn’t compare to what I remember.
We grab new charges and a speed boost as they appear. Talia has a speed boost as well, so we activate them on the stretch of open road.
In the distance, there’s a multi-car pile-up. Something darts through the air around the downed cars.
Fairies.
If it’s anything like the Broken Lands, then the drivers have all been put to sleep with fairy dust.
At the front of the pileup, a hulking black figure abruptly turns a pulsing yellow before leaving the others.
I point in his direction. “It’s Ryken. He must have used one o
f those invulnerability items.”
“What’s going on up there?” asks Talia.
I slow down so that we are side by side. “Fairies. They have a sleep debuff.”
Some of the other cars begin moving again, so the effect must be wearing off.
“Still have that invisibility item?” I ask.
She nods.
“Good. I think it’s time to use it. We can bypass the others and avoid the fairies. Once we are in front, Chadwick and Dean can coordinate an attack and slow the other cars down further.”
Once we are close enough that the fairies become visible, I activate invisibility. A countdown appears, telling me I have ten seconds before it quits working.
The fairies dart through the sky. Several dozen of the small, winged humanoid creatures with pale blue skin fly through the air, sprinkling glittery dust beneath them. The creatures aren’t bigger than the size of a kitten, but they fly with great speed.
We pass around them, avoiding the fairy dust. The other drivers begin to regain their composure, but right as we become visible again, Chadwick and Dean unleash their attack. Wind and earth charges combine, forming a tornado. The tornado rips across the road, melding with the fairy dust and knocking the drivers out again.
“Nicely done!” I congratulate them. “Now, let’s finish this.”
Up ahead, I can barely see Ryken’s car. He disappears behind a copse of trees and once we pass through, he’s barely a speck in the distance.
“He must have a speed boost,” Talia yells from behind us.
We come upon another forest. The track leads through it, but I can barely make out Ryken’s vehicle on a path that goes around it. The path is nearly twice as long by going around, but there must be a reason he’s going that way. He must have seen something.
“Take the road to the left,” I tell Talia.
“What, why?”
“That’s where Ryken went.” I glance in her direction and our eyes meet.
“Are you sure? It could be a trap.” She sounds hesitant.
We’re already in a placing position, so I understand her concern, but I also know Ryken. The only thing trustworthy about him is that he will always look out for his own interests. “He would never risk his position this late in the race. If he’s taking a side-route, it’s because he sees something we don’t.”
I swerve from the main track and take the narrow path around the forest’s edge. I stay vigilant, in case I was wrong, but there’s no trap, at least not yet.
Several roars come from within the forest and trees shake in its depths. A moment later, we gain three spots, then two more.
When the path reconvenes with the main track, we’ve gained seven spots total. Only a flat stretch of road stands between us and the final portal.
I press the pedal to the floor, and the sound of snapping trees echoes behind us.
“Faster!” Urgency coats Dean’s voice.
I look over my shoulder just as a massive green dragon emerges from the trees. Its wings flap like sails, whipping against the air. It soars higher, and I let out the breath I’ve been holding.
Then it barrels in our direction.
We’re less than a hundred yards from the finish line with an angry dragon on our tail. Our car hits top speed, but without a speed boost, the dragon is gaining on us fast. It could pick us up and carry us back to the forest for all I know.
I sure wish I had an extra invisibility right now.
Dean shoots at the dragon, but none of the elements work against the dragon’s impenetrable scales, not even the combo effects.
Talia and I are neck-and-neck on the final stretch. Her face is set in stone as she focuses on the portal.
The dragon reaches for us, and I swerve to the right, nearly losing control but leaving the dragon grasping at air. A shrill shriek cuts through the air. A moment later, something jostles us, and I lose all ability to steer. Talia zooms past us and into the portal.
Two large claws rip into our car, cracking the shield and lifting us into the air.
My instincts take over. “Jump!” I say it without thinking. “Jump through the portal.”
Dean doesn’t question the order and stands on his seat. I grab his hand to steady him as he balances on the edge of the car. He pushes off and leaps toward the portal.
As the car lifts higher into the air, I climb onto the hood and jump with all my might, aiming straight for the portal. The dragon screeches again. I hit the swirling galaxy of the portal, and everything fades to black.
Chapter Twenty-Two
We portal back into The Vacuum, where over forty people are already celebrating making it through to the final round. Epic instrumental music blares from every direction, confetti falls from the sky, and Nancy soars through it all riding her pegasus.
“We did it!” Dean embraces me sporting a wide grin.
I return his embrace, but my mind is elsewhere. I can’t get over the distant look in Carter’s eyes when he saw me. He didn’t recognize me at all.
“Man, I thought you guys were goners.” Chadwick wraps his arm around Dean.
Talia extends a hand to me. “Yeah, the last thing I saw y’all were being pulled into the air by the dragon. How’d you manage to get away?”
“We didn’t.” Dean smirks. “We jumped from the car into the portal.”
Talia tilts her head back and laughs. “Classic!” She stops laughing and frowns as her eyes bore into me. “Esil, what’s up with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
In a way, I have. I know I need to find answers, or I’m just going to bring everybody down.
“I need to head out. There’s something I have to take care of. Keep an eye on Dean for me.” I pat him on the back. “You did a damn good job today. I’ll see you back at the apartment.”
He looks at me with a shocked expression, but I don’t wait for him to respond before returning to my home portal.
This is a big moment for him. He should be proud, and I will celebrate once I find out what the hell is going on. But I can’t just pretend like this doesn’t bother me. I spent over a year in the Broken Lands, and the NPCs like Carter were indistinguishable from anyone I’ve met in real life. If they changed their programming or erased their memories…
I have to know what happened to them.
I log out of Pangea and change into my sweatpants in record time, nearly knocking the lamp off the table as I scramble through the apartment. I take one last glance at Dean as he sits peacefully in his haptic suit before I bolt out the door.
I sprint down the sidewalk, across the courtyard, and into Pangea Headquarters.
Benjamin is stepping out of his office just as I arrive. He smiles, but his demeanor quickly changes. “Everything okay, Esil? I was just about to log in and give a speech to everyone who made it to the final round.”
I hold up my hand while I catch my breath. “What did you do to them?”
“To who?” He gives me a confused look.
“The NPCs from the Broken Lands. What did you do to them? I saw Carter, but he didn’t recognize me.”
His smile returns and for the briefest instance, I have the urge to hit him.
“Here, step into my office.” He scans his hand on the reader, opening the door, and gestures for me to step inside. When the door closes behind him, he finally speaks. “You have nothing to worry about. They—”
I cut him off. “I looked him in the eye, and he didn’t know it was me. Did you erase all of their memories?”
He lifts his hands in defense. “Listen to me, Esil. They are all fine.” He sighs. “I shouldn’t even be telling you this, but that was nothing more than a mirror of the Broken Lands. We copied the code and tweaked it to run in Raceworld. All the characters you saw run off of a script. We are going to use the footage from the race as a teaser to announce the last stage of the tournament.”
“What?” I’m suddenly aware of how tense my body is. “So everyone is fine? They still know me.”
>
He smiles again. “Everyone is fine. All of their memories are intact. I’m sure it was a shock to you, but we didn’t think it was fair to let you in on the secret. You already know more than any of the other competitors about what’s coming.”
I take in a deep breath and my shoulders relax, though my hands still jitter from how worked up I was. I fix my gaze at the floor. I know I must seem insane to have made such a fuss.
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t worry about it. Your heart’s in the right place. You were in full-immersion for a long time, so of course, they are real to you. I mean, they act of their own accord. Who’s to say they aren’t real?” He stands up. “I hate to cut and run, but I’ve got a few million people waiting for my appearance.”
Benjamin escorts me out of his office. With a squeeze on the shoulder, he disappears down the hallway. I lean back against the pristine white wall lost in my own thoughts.
After today, I’m not sure if the world is ready for full-immersion. Look what just happened to me. I ruined what should have been an amazing triumph all because of my attachment to lines of code.
What happens when the entire world becomes that invested in all of Pangea?
I take a deep breath. Maybe I’m overreacting. Pangea is already more real to most people than their lives outside the game, so what is another layer of immersion? Most people have more outfits and items in-game than outside of it. Before I experienced full-immersion, I had already bonded with Fenrir and Merlin so much that I experienced real grief when I lost my pet owl.
But even then, I knew he wasn’t real. What happens when the line between game and reality continues to blur?
I meander down the hallway, through the double-doors to the laboratory where I used to test full-immersion. For the first time I can remember, it’s empty. There aren’t even any scientists or technicians in the control room.
There are other labs at headquarters, even an overflow lab from when we expanded the beta testers for the Broken Lands. Maybe that’s where Aleesia is. Either way, it appears that whatever they have planned for the final stage is ready to go.
Pangea Online 3: Vials and Tribulations Page 22