Gaia's Rebirth Box Set

by Caiden Walker

  Standing outside the station, Nika looked at each of them and lowered her voice. “Okay, once inside Ash will strike up a conversation with the clerk. We’ll go in and check on Louella and make sure she’s ready to go.” She met Ash’s eyes. “You good?”

  Ash hesitated but nodded.

  “Okay, try to get him over on the far side of the room, if you can, with his back to the work room. I’ll stay with the computer in the work room until Louella makes it to the save point and back. Then we’ll let her take the computer and run. After all, she’s the thief.”

  It made sense. She didn’t have to like the plan for it to work.

  She let the rest of the party enter the station first, and sure enough, the clerk’s eyes immediately went to her as she walked through the door. Picking her over Nika? What kind of judgment did this kid have, anyway?

  Ash gave him a small smile and looked at the other side of the room. There, that might do.

  Along the back of the room on the wall opposite the work room door, there was a large display case of town history. Windmills prevailed. She pretended interest in the display and it worked. Within a few minutes, the clerk was standing beside her.

  “Any questions I can answer for you?” he asked. And just like that, she had him.

  Her first question was how the windmills actually worked, figuring that would be a lengthy answer. She was right. As he was explaining their function, she watched over his shoulder as Louella crept out with Dean. It made her feel better that Nika and the tiger… no, Evan, she reminded herself… remained behind with her.

  The clerk pointed out one picture after another in the case and had actually moved on to the town’s history by the time the two returned. She watched them disappear into the work room and braced herself. It shouldn’t be long now.

  The system’s soft voice spoke in her ear. “Congratulations, you have reached level four. Your fire spell is now at level three. Your heal spell is now level two.”

  Then seconds later the voice was back. “Congratulations, you have reached level five. Your fire spell is now at level five. Your heal spell is now at level five. You now have access to area map.”

  As much as she wanted to pull the map down and take a look at it, she restrained herself. That could come later, but she did have a horrible thought. They’d gone to all this trouble so that all of them could save, and now what if they rebooted before they saved again? Would the new level be gone?

  Crap. She wouldn’t be comfortable leaving town without saving again, and the save point was the other way from the gate they needed to leave by.

  “Is something wrong?” the clerk asked. He must have been able to tell that he’d lost her attention. Not that he ever really had it.

  On a whim, she decided to try something.

  Pointing to a picture that featured the save fountain rather predominantly, she asked, “That fountain is quite lovely. Is it close by?”

  She could see Nika now standing in the doorway and waved her back with one hand, smiling at the clerk the whole time.

  “Yes, just a couple blocks from here.” He leaned in close. “Would you like to see it?”

  Ash tried fluttering her eyelashes. She’d always heard that worked with men, though she didn’t quite understand why. “I’d love to,” she said. “Could you show me where it is?”

  He glanced around to the empty lobby and gave her a wistful look. “I’m not supposed to leave when there are people here.” His face brightened. “Maybe when my relief comes in an hour?”

  She gave him her very best pout, pushing her lips out. “I’m afraid I can’t wait that long.” Ash reached out and brushed the back of her hand against his. “But my friends are bound to be tied up for at least ten more minutes. Surely that’s long enough for a quick visit to the fountain?” She leaned over to whisper in his ear. “It looks like a great place for a first kiss, don’t you think?”

  The boy’s face turned red, and he nodded quickly. Then giving one last quick last look at the work room’s empty doorway, he took her hand and led her out of the building.

  They practically ran to the fountain, but that was fine by Ash. She just wanted this part over with. Once there, she didn’t waste any time touching the fountain. She felt much better after the save message played.

  The clerk was looking at her funny. Oh yeah, the first kiss thing. She guessed she owed him that much. She wasn’t really sure how the NPC thing worked, but it was possible he really would get into trouble for letting them make off with a computer. A kiss might help ease the pain.

  She leaned in and put her hands on either side of his face. Not really as a sign of affection, but rather to keep him from seeing the other members of her party sneaking up behind him. They must have had the same thought about saving as she had. Or maybe they were just following her lead.

  Ash hadn’t really known what to expect when their lips met, but it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation at all. Funny how the pain in the game was muted, but the pleasure seemed to be amplified. Experimenting, and telling herself it was purely to give her friends time to save, she really got into the kiss.

  The clerk did too. By the time their embrace ended, the others were nowhere to be seen. She’d kind of lost track of them for a while it seemed. Hopefully, they had all managed to save.

  Taking the clerk’s hand, she walked back to the station with him. Along the way, she caught a glimpse of Nika and the others standing a block down. The woman nodded to her and they headed off in the direction of the gate.

  So once at the station, she leaned in and kissed the clerk one last time. When she pulled back, it was with a little sadness. She wasn’t really the deceitful type. Even if he was just an NPC, it was obvious that he was programmed with feelings.

  “I really enjoyed the short walk,” she said, feeling far guiltier than she should have. “And the kisses, too.”

  “Why do I feel like this is Goodbye?” he said.

  She sighed. “Because it is. I have to go now, but I really do like you. I wish I had more time to get to know you.”

  He leaned his forehead to touch hers. “Me too. But if your time frees up, you know where to find me.”

  That she did. And if Nika kept her word, on her next run through of the game, things would end between them quite differently. She started to walk away, then stopped.

  “You know, I don’t even know your name,” she said.

  He smiled and pointed to his badge, which she hadn’t even noticed until then. It just said “Tyler”.

  “Tyler. I like that.” And, not knowing what else to say, she left him to catch up with her friends. As he entered the station, she started running.

  Chapter Nineteen: Making Camp

  The map feature was great, Nika thought, taking a look around to see what the forest beyond Riser’s Creek held.

  They were standing just off the path right outside the town’s gates. So far there hadn’t been any outcry that they could hear, so they were taking a minute to gather their bearings. For her, that meant checking out the area for enemies.

  For Louella, that meant seeing if their plan actually delivered the results they were hoping for. The girl booted up the computer and by her smile, Nika could tell that it had. She would have worried about keeping it powered up, but it was a newer model with a built in solar charging panel. As long as they kept the panel in the light a few hours each day, they should be golden.

  The best part was that now Nika would be able to communicate with her lawyer and hear what was going on from his side of things. But she knew that wasn’t likely to happen until the morning. They had a night of camping ahead of them first.

  She saw Ash looking back toward town. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

  The girl shook her head. “No. I guess I just expected bells and whistles or something. Do you think he isn’t telling anybody? Giving us a head start or something?”

  Nika smiled at her. “After seeing the two of you at that fountain, I wouldn’t doubt t
hat a bit. He really seemed quite taken with you.” And you with him, she thought, but that she didn’t say.

  “How does the game work with NPCs?” Ash asked. “Will he get into trouble?”

  “I’m thinking your friend back there is a pretty resourceful little guy,” Nika said. “If he wanted to hide the theft, I’m betting he could.”

  “So we didn’t really have to run?”

  She shrugged. “Better safe than sorry. Besides, we are going to have to start camping sooner or later. And the town’s accommodations didn’t seem too keen on taking in Evan, there.”

  The girl sighed but nodded. Ah, young love. Or perhaps simply young lust? Just how powerful were emotions in this game, anyway?

  Nika concentrated on the map again. “Looks like we are clear for quite a ways in. I’d like to see if we can make it a little further into the forest before setting up a camp.” She glanced up at the sky and the sun that had almost hit the far horizon. “We don’t have much daylight left, though, so we’d best start moving.”

  Ash walked over to Louella and touched her neck, causing the girl to start. “Time to close it up for a while,” she said gently. “Unless you can walk, fight, and hack at the same time that is.”

  The pixie smiled shyly. “Oh, I’m good, but nobody’s that good.” The computer went up and into a physical backpack that the pixie wore.

  Funny, Nika hadn’t noticed the backpack before. Could it have been in her inventory?

  Louella noticed her interest. “I programmed the backpack while I was in there. I don’t like the thought of putting the computer back into their code. As long as I hang onto it, physically, they shouldn’t be able to take it as it’s already in play.”

  Good point.

  They gathered up for their walk deeper into the forest, and Ash surprised them once again by handing them each a sandwich and bag of chips. While Dean had grabbed a quick bite while he was out exploring with Nika, the others probably hadn’t had the chance to eat.

  That didn’t stop Dean from wolfing down the offered food though.

  “There is a thought,” he said. “What are we going to do about food in the forest? We didn’t really have much room in our packs for food, and jerky will get old after a while.”

  “It really isn’t all that far to Griffondale,” Nika said. “And I’m pretty sure we will find some nuts and berries along the way. We should have enough to see us through as long as we don’t gorge ourselves. But if you feel so inclined, you can always shoot something and I’m pretty sure we can roast it over the fire.”

  He shuddered. Okay, so he wasn’t a hunter. Not that she was judging him. Hunting monsters was one thing, innocent forest creatures was another.

  “Since the clerk didn’t sound an alarm, we might be safe to go back and have a proper breakfast tomorrow,” Evan said, doubt evident in his voice.

  “No, that’s alright,” Dean said. “I mean it isn’t like we can really starve, right? We’ll make do.” He paused. “But just out of curiosity, how long before the next town?”

  “According to the original program design, it’s about twenty miles along the path.” Twice the distance between the last two. “But there are orcs between here and there, and we are going to need to level up a bit before we take them on.”

  “I could always…” Louella started, then stopped when she saw Ash’s face.

  Ash looked over at Nika. “If we need to cheat, then let’s just do it. I’d like to play the game like it should be, but I don’t have the weight on me right now that you do. If you want, we can bulk up and powerhouse through to the end.”

  It was tempting, Nika had to admit. “Right now, I’ve managed to get a message to my attorney and I trust him to put the solution back home into the works. There isn’t much I could do that he can’t.” She smiled. “Besides, as we get stronger, so do the monsters. It really doesn’t take that much time to level up, and at least one of our player’s needs some more gaming experience under their belt before tackling Gaia.”

  Ash brightened even as Dean blushed. “Cool. But anytime you change your mind, just say the word.”

  Nika put an arm around the girl and pulled her into a half hug. “Thanks for that. I know how much this little trip means to you.”

  They walked about a half mile before it started to grow too dark to continue. There was just enough daylight remaining to set up the large tent and build a small campfire. The map didn’t show any enemies yet, but there was always the possibility that they only spawned after dark, too, so they needed to keep a sharp eye out.

  Dean glanced about at the quickly darkening forest. They were so far off the path that the trees were pretty close here. As monsters generally spawned and attacked in clearings, they were actually just setting up camp right among the trees. Their entire campsite consisted of about ten square feet, and most of that was taken by the tent.

  Yes, it was a clearing of sorts, but such a tiny one that Nika was hoping it had been missed in the whole monster generation thing. She wanted to go hunting the monsters, not have them show up while she was sleeping.

  "Okay, so how do monsters show up on this thing?" Dean asked.

  At the moment, he and Nika were the only two in camp. The others were out taking care of personal hygiene issues and gathering wood and water. The game had been designed so that water was always available in abundance in the forest area, so there was a decent sized creek running about twenty yards from their site.

  Nika rocked back on her heels and looked up at him. "If there is an enemy in the area, it will show up as a small red dot. A cluster of red dots means a group of enemies. A green dot is a friendly NPC, and a purple dot, which we really shouldn't see unless we get separated, indicates another player."

  He nodded. "I'm not seeing the next town, though. Is that a problem?"

  She shook her head. "No, it just means we're out of range yet. The map only covers the general area we are in. You should see a small green arrow in the upper right-hand corner though."

  "Okay, I see it."

  "That arrow will always point to the next place we should be headed. Right now, most likely it's pointed at that Orc Camp we are supposed to be taking out. But we can change that by selecting which quest we want to start and the arrow will point the way."

  "What if we decide to head straight for town in order to save or something?"

  "Go into the Quests menu and that option will pop up with all the quests. You'll have the option of the next town or the one last visited."

  "Got it," Dean said. "Sorry I'm such a noob at all this. You deserved someone better than me."

  "Don't worry about it. Like Ash said earlier, sometimes having a noob along helps out. And if you have questions, just ask. It really isn't a sign of weakness. Actually, it's the only smart thing to do when you don't know how something works."

  Evan was the first to arrive back at the site, his arms filled with heavy logs for the fire. "This should do us for the night," he said, stacking them a few feet from the blaze.

  Dean took his leave to go off into the trees and take care of his personal business before going to sleep. That left Evan and Nika alone for the first time in-game.

  "How are you holding up?" Evan asked softly.

  Nika shrugged. "Not all that well, actually. I'm trying to convince myself that Maxwell, my attorney, can handle things, and maybe I'll be a little better at that once I hear back from him." She grabbed one of the logs he'd just stacked and situated it to use as a seat. "Gaia has been my whole life. The thought of Blake destroying her is almost more than I can take. Especially knowing that it is all my fault. I should have seen him for what he was."

  "Don't beat yourself up about it. Blake is a douche bag, but a charming one. All the girls at Gaia were jealous of you and would have made the same mistake if he'd looked in their direction for even a heartbeat."

  "Maybe. But the future of the company wasn't riding on them. They could afford to be stupid in love. I couldn't."

&nb
sp; Evan’s hand reached out to take Nika's, covering it in a soft warmth. "You'll get through this," he said. "And you won't have to do it alone either. You have Maxwell on the outside, and me and the team here on the inside. Blake won't even know what hit him when we get through with him." Then he gave her a nasty grin. "Strike that. He'll know exactly what hit him and why."

  She gave a short laugh. "I do so hope you're right."

  His hand squeezed hers. “You know I am.”

  Sounds of footsteps echoed through the trees and reluctantly Nika withdrew her hand from Evan’s. It wouldn’t do to give the team the wrong idea about their relationship. Evan was a good friend and nothing more. More’s the pity, she thought. If he’d even shown her an ounce of attention in that direction, they wouldn’t be in this mess today.

  Ash came in and set down the bucket of water she had gotten from the creek. “This water is great. Fresh, clean, and so cold that there should be ice chunks floating in it.”

  “Cool, then it’ll wash these berries down well,” Louella said, floating into the tiny clearing. “There is a huge patch just a few yards away. I didn’t even make a dent in it.”

  She opened up the cloth wrapped parcel she was carrying and Nika’s mouth watered at the sight. A huge pile of raspberries, her favorite, sat on the cloth just waiting to be devoured.

  “Man, but those look good,” she said.

  “Hey, guys, look what I found,” Dean said as he strode into the campsite. “Walnuts! Lots and lots, too.”

  His shirt was tucked up around his bundle and as he lowered it, the glorious green balls rolled onto the ground. Walnuts were a great find, but they required a little work before eating. Getting the green casings off, then cracking the nut, and finally digging out the wonderfully tasty meat within. Work, yes, but totally worth it.

  When a quick glance at the map showed no enemies in their area still, they all decided to take the night off. After everything they'd been through, they needed it.

  So the evening was passed with laughter--who knew Dean was such a comedian--and a whole lot of eating. Cheese, berries, and walnuts were enjoyed, and when it was time to head into the tent, no one was left hungry.