Star Divers- Dungeons of Bane

by Stephen Landry

  Another starship, dropped into view, Light of Teva: private yacht. The Light of Teva had a ring-like primary hull connected to several smaller ellipsoid structures. It was equipped with a single luxury suite and defensive ion cannon. It landed near the Solar Queen and provided a second option for refugees as well as protection from alien fauna and rogue raiders that still roamed the wastes.

  All of the starships that came were paid for by Lady Gray. Maybe she felt responsible for the chaos in a way, but the truth was that each and every starship that landed had requested a visit from the five of us: myself, Cass, Kira, Gorge and even Chaz. Together we had become legends. Views had gone up exponentially. Our entire dive including the battle above had been live for the world to see and now we were the heroes of Bane.

  In the aftermath, we found several piles of loot dropped by the golem that Ra and Set had created. The more interesting items that we procured:

  The Punisher - Silenced Shotgun

  Description: The weapon has its receiver located behind the pistol grip to save on weight. The pistol grip is made out of plastic. The stock is made out of red oak, but other stock materials are widely available. There is a spray-painted skull on the side of the stock, which has mostly faded away.

  Level: 3

  Damage: 40

  Weight: 5.5 Ibs

  Weapon Type: Silenced Shotgun

  Rarity: Rare

  Impact: 10

  Range: 3

  Stability: 5

  Reload Speed: 5

  RPM (rounds per minute): 8-16

  Affinity: 4

  Sharpness: 7

  Elemental: None

  Critical Chance: 80%

  Modifiers: None

  Flaming Choppa - Auto Rifle

  Description: A body made from melted chains, the Flaming Chopper is a custom designed auto rifle for those looking to melt their enemies with flames.

  Level: 5

  Damage: 80

  Weight: 5.5 Ibs

  Weapon Type: Auto Rifle

  Rarity: Rare

  Impact: 10

  Range: 8

  Stability: 1

  Reload Speed: 5

  RPM (rounds per minute): 300

  Affinity: 6

  Sharpness: 6

  Elemental: Fire

  Critical Chance: 60%

  Modifiers: Flamethrower attachment under sling.

  Aiden, of course, stored the weapons but I wasn’t too upset. We had made a small fortune for ourselves and the other divers and I didn’t need to keep swapping out my weapons anymore.

  All of us celebrated the fact that Naomi had levelled up again.

  AKA Naomi.

  M7-7 Ki / Energy Rifle

  Description: Robot killer.

  Level: 4

  Damage: 65

  Weight: 5.5 Ibs

  Weapon Type: Scout Rifle / Ki Rifle hybrid

  Rarity: Rare

  Impact: 8

  Range: 8

  Stability: 9

  Reload Speed: 8

  RPM (rounds per minute): 300 bursts

  Affinity: 9

  Sharpness: 8

  Elemental: Unknown

  Critical Chance: 80%

  Modifiers: Bonus EXP gained against Robots, Bonus EXP against Hollows

  And I was less than a thousand EXP from levelling up again myself.

  Before logging out, one last ship came. The Lady of Lani: passenger carrier. The Lady of Lani had a narrow hull and an upgraded STL drive that required frequent maintenance. It was a luxury ship. Expensive. Made like a billion-dollar yacht. It was equipped with 100 passenger seats and a landing shuttle along with a pool, game room, and private suites. The entire ship had been cleared out and made available for us and the rest of Echo-1.

  Inside The Lady of Lani, Kira found me and took me aside. Kira was an expert at slicing and data mining and while we were taking a quick break she had been busy extracting information from the data in Ra’s equipment.

  ‘Breq, there is something I found that may be of some interest. I dug this data cube from Ra’s mech, if I hadn’t put so many points into hacking it would have been impossible to crack.’

  Inside the Spire, inside the chambers below the Chel there is a dungeon. Inside the dungeon is an artefact. An artefact that alters time and hides player levels from the game structure, allowing them and others connected to them to pass through quadrants without restrictions.

  Ra wasn’t lying. There were secrets.

  15.

  I-U

  Quick Lore

  A young monk ventures fourth into a portal made of fire. When he emerges he finds himself met by a wonderful world. Snowflakes fall from the air as he stands in a thick layer of snow. The light plays tricks on his eyes as shadows cover the landscape. His imagination goes wild as he fears he has crossed into a world of treachery and lies. After a minute, he can hear the songs of strange creatures. Some look at him as he moves forward, pushing his way through the cold. He prays that they have no ill will towards him for he knows he is nothing more than a trespasser, a stranger in a strange land that might or might not be a threat to all they hold dear. He keeps his distance. He sets his eyes on the horizon and begins his life as an adventurer, a wanderer, an explorer in a new world. With some courage, some resourcefulness, and a bit of luck, he might actually survive. Even if this place becomes his deathbed he knows…he’s known…from the moment that he walked through the fire this place became his new home.

  Location: The Lady of the Lani

  Deep Space

  I should have stayed logged out when I had the chance. I managed to get a bite to eat and a small nap but just as I started dreaming I was called back to action. Woken up by one of the security guards that now stood outside my penthouse. I had two guards in total at my door now. Two guards that would accompany me anywhere I went in the real at all times. I wasn’t a prisoner per se, but every move I made had to be recorded. I couldn’t just wander off on my own. Apparently, I had started getting death threats and my mail was now being monitored. The guards were protection but a part of me wondered if they were trying to hide something. I lost access to all of my personal social sites: I was told it was too dangerous, Keen Industries had hired a public relations officer to post for me. This news didn’t make me too mad, I barely used any of it. Still, it felt strange not being able to look up other players or friends. I couldn’t look at Damien’s profile anymore either or bring up any of our video files, gameplay or not. I couldn’t even contact Hannah anymore.

  Update 1.11.8 found.

  Access granted.

  I went through it all again and came to back inside The Lady of Lani. A message had been sent to me by Aiden asking that I meet him on the bridge. Kira, Gorge, and Chaz had been asked to attend as well.

  The inside of the Lani was sleek and clean, unlike on most ships, small robots maintained both the inner and outer walls of the vessel, continually polishing it twenty-four seven. The entire ship was automated. The rich didn’t have to worry about leaving a mess or tending to their own discomforts. There was even food waiting for me as I gathered my newly minted gear and set out walking through the pristine hallways. There was something off about the whole thing. The ship felt too nice, too spacious. Even the bed was more comfortable than the bed I had been given in the real world. If I could have, I would have laid there for another fifteen minutes.

  It was possible to ‘sleep’ inside virtual reality but most experts advised against it. Waking up in a virtual environment was dangerous and could cause cognitive dissonance. I couldn’t blame those that had rested here though. In many ways this world was better than the world back home. It certainly beat the cot I had been sleeping on before becoming Keen Industries MVP.

  Most of the ships I had been aboard, even Titans, were always dirty, lived in. Here, the scent of vanilla filled the air as I walked towards the bridge. I found the others gathered around. Not just Kira, Gorge, Chaz, and Aiden, the rest of Echo were in attendance as wel
l. Kira was sipping some kind of tea while Gorge sat in the corner, Indian style, cleaning one of his rifles. Chaz was having some kind of beer. The Lady of Lani was exquisite, a paradise, and for a moment I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to play the game outside this ship. In a way that was the beauty of Bane, the beauty of virtual reality. Worlds within worlds. In this space you could be whoever you desired and so long as you worked hard enough you could acquire power, skill and - if you were lucky enough - fame.

  There were no cameras following me. None in the room. I thought maybe Kira might have had some hidden but that wasn’t the case. For the first time in days my actions weren’t being broadcast to the world. I gave a sigh of relief as I looked around at the others. The room was oval and had a giant table in the centre, surrounded by eleven seats. Egyptian artwork hung on the walls. Not actual Egyptian artwork but something made to imitate - with a slightly more modern take - the Book of the Heavenly Cow. I wondered was there a hidden meaning. The Ancient Egyptian text told the story of humans rebelling against the sun god Ra and losing. The loss brought death to the world as humanity was ‘separated’ from Ra who resided in the sky on the back of Nut, the heavenly cow. The loss also put different gods in different positions of power as they had been during the Middle Kingdom.

  ‘Want anything to drink? This ship can make anything,’ Chaz raised his beer enthusiastically.

  ‘I’m good, thank you,’ I answered. I only ever drank anything when necessary. Food, drinks, it all cost in-game currency and I could never afford to pay out unless I was using something to help with my health or stamina. I once thought about getting an implant to bypass all material needs but it would have cost six months of what I earned. Right now, it was all free and I still couldn’t bring myself to avail of it.

  ‘What about food? These robots can cook up anything from anywhere in the world, you can try whatever you like and the taste is supposed to be ninety-seven percent accurate of the real thing,’ Chaz added.

  ‘Not interested, thanks again.’

  Aiden studied the room as I studied him. He seemed more highly strung than ever holding his shoulders back and his head high. His eyes and mouth looked almost completely motionless. After standing around a few minutes he asked everyone to have a seat. There were eleven seats total and ten of us.

  ‘Who are we waiting for?’ I asked before sitting down.

  Aiden smirked, ‘nice observation.’

  ‘Not going to answer the question?’

  ‘I can’t say, I was called here just before you. Things have changed. Become somewhat complicated.’

  ‘What’s changed?’

  ‘People are scared, scared of what all of you are doing out there in the wild. Other corporations are requesting that Keen Industries reel you in.’

  ‘What do you think?’

  ‘I don’t think. I’m only here to follow orders.’

  The room became silent. A door opened and standing before us was Lady Gray.

  ‘Now that everyone is here let us get started,’ she said. I couldn’t help but think about the little girl I had met at the doughnut shop. How was it possible the two of them were one-and-the-same? In the donut shop she wore a light dress and was dressed like a kid but here she was older looking, full grown almost, ripped tank top made of ballistic thread hanging just above her waist with small plates of armour around her shoulders, her legs wrapped with leather armour over the top of baggy cargo pants tied with tribal bands. She had a necklace of Vrax teeth hanging down around her neck. Knowing her, she probably ripped them out herself. Along her back was a giant sword and across her hip a small energy pistol. Her hair was short and dreaded, braided with bands in some areas while the rest of her hair was being held back by a black bandana. Everyone was sitting now. Including myself. I hadn’t even realized I had sat down. A holographic contract appeared before Kira, Gorge, and Chaz.

  ‘The three of you already read it before coming to the meeting I assume,’ said Lady Gray, ‘by agreeing to being here, you three are honourary members of the Corpse Divers, crew of the Lani, Ibanez, and Wave Maker, and agree to the terms and conditions that apply, blah, blah, blah, etc., etc., I really hope the three of you read it and aren’t wasting any of our time,’ she finished.

  Kira, Gorge, and Chaz (who was smiling like a kid in a candy shop) pressed down with their thumbs on the holo and it disappeared.

  ‘Great, welcome to the Corpse Divers, let’s get down to business,’ Lady Gray pronounced, ‘first thing first,’ and she looked over at Aiden who in turn looked towards me. A moment later I was staring at my own reflection.

  Aiden’s face, body, it all morphed until he looked just like me. ‘What do you think?’ he asked, sounding just like me.

  I wasn’t sure what to say as he looked at me. Slowly, he moved away from his chair and moved towards me. The only difference between us was our clothes. I felt sick. Was this some evil ploy to replace me? I felt like I was about to be kicked from the game.

  ‘A perfect copy in almost every way,’ Lady Gray said.

  ‘What is this for?’ asked Gorge.

  ‘Patience, we’re getting to that,’ the Lady said.

  Aiden morphed back again. Changing his appearance so that he returned to normal. ‘It’s an artefact. Picked it up off the wreckage of the Malevolent Crescent from a quest I picked up called Desolation, Secret of Trials. A rare artefact that allows a player to copy the avatar of one other person. There is no time limit and I can change between my own appearance and the selected avatar at any time,’ Aiden explained.

  I found my voice. ‘I’ve never heard of that quest.’

  ‘It was an old one, I ran it almost three years ago and have been holding onto the artefact since, Lady Gray instructed me to never use it unless absolutely necessary,’ he continued, ‘the artefact is a once-in-a-lifetime drop, not the kind of thing you would hear about in message boards but rather something rumoured to exist but never found.’

  Lady Gray began to speak, ‘That said, the artefact was discovered shortly after a main quest had been completed. I have no question in my mind now that as we advance the main quest more and more strange and unusual artefacts will be appearing: the rules of Bane are shifting and we have more at stake now than ever before,’ she paused, ‘as of this moment Aiden will be taking Breq’s place in front of the cameras.’

  I wanted to scream. It wasn’t fair. After everything I had done, they were going to toss me aside. I was angry. Angry at everything. Damien wouldn’t have let this happen. I didn’t say a word. I felt like my lips had been sewn shut. I wanted to beg. Beg for my life back. For forgiveness, but there was nothing I could do or say. Everything was being done for me and I was lost. Why Kira, Gorge, and Chaz had been brought into this was a mystery to me but it wouldn’t matter soon. I stared up at Lady Gray who was standing and smiling now. I imagined her taunting me, waving her hands up in the air and pointing down at me. Casting me aside. Casting me out.

  ‘With that said, I have a new mission for the rest of you.’

  I felt like Lady Gray was looking right at me, through me. I could hear the significance of her words in her voice, the way she almost trembled when she spoke, ‘Breq, Cass, Kira, Gorge, Chaz: the five of you are going to infiltrate the Spire and dive down into the tower’s lower levels. You are to investigate rumours of a dungeon, a dungeon that holds the key to breaking into the Cold Zone.’ My heart began beating faster than ever. A second ago I thought I was going to be begging for my life but now I knew the real plan… I was going to be fighting for it.

  Lady Gray was one of the few people that knew the truth of Damien’s death, of the players killed in the Cold Zone and what it meant for the game as a whole. She wasn’t turning a blind eye to the truth even if she was too scared to risk everything she had acquired and venture there herself. The rest of us were pawns. Players in a game she could move from one place to another on a whim. She was smart. If I was in her position I would do exactly the same thing.

&nbs
p; With the aid of holographic images, Lady Gray explained the plan to us. We were going to separate into two teams. The five of us would take the Lani and venture back towards the Spire while Aiden, disguised, would re-join the Ibanez along with the others and lead the Crimson Kings on a wild goose chase across the galaxy, venturing after an artefact called the Soulcursed Silver Edge, a rumoured sword of power that once belonged to an ancient alien civilization. The cameras would be following him, while we found a way into the deepest, darkest parts of the Spire and from there hopefully to the Cold Zone to confront Skull-Faced Man and avenge Damien’s death.

  Quick Lore

  An unexpected encounter with a Wraith, a howl in the void, a planet in ruins. What once must have been a beautiful, thriving world is now nothing but dust and dying forests. There is a rustling of leaves and suddenly you’re face to face with a young figure that looks like that of a man made of heat and embers. Two black eyes stare at you with a hollow dread and again a howl rages from its abysmal mouth in a show of force. This is not a man. Not a beast either. Nor like any creature on any other world. Two lights on dangling stalks adorn its withered head, which itself is covered in glowing tattoos. It looks more like a reptile now as your eyes adjust to the dark light. From gnarled nostrils set within a shriveled nose escapes the smell of death. Chains are stuck within its flesh; the creature seems to take pride in this. The creature bolts toward you and you can see four legs carry its glowing body smoothly with a chaotic energy. Two draconic wings extend themselves fully. Blackened bones and ripped membranes stretch upward before gently lowering again. The creature comes closer and closer, its eyes never leaving yours. The last thing you see are the teeth which glow white in the night as it opens its jaws and you can’t help that you aren’t running. You know you are going to die…you just wish you could catch one more glimpse of it, one more glimpse of the face of death.