by Dean Henegar
After the pleasant surprise of finding Barnaby and his family, I made a note to check out the other wagons in the caravan as I ran past. Most of them were filled with various goods that had been ordered by Hayden’s Knoll or other settlements down the line. Several wagons were filled with the food the caravan would use during its long two-week trip. It appeared that in addition to Barnaby and three other logging families, ten of the wagons were filled with groups of settlers heading to Hayden’s Knoll. One of the wagons looked empty, but I could see three glowing icons resting at the bottom of the wagon. The icons represented players who had logged out of the game. It made sense, not wanting to spend your game time traveling from one zone to the next. Daegan rode in the front wagon with the guard captain, while the rest of the guards were posted to sit next to drivers on random wagons and keep watch. Their idea of keeping watch meant taking naps and not keeping an eye on the surrounding area for potential danger. Daegan sure got taken for a ride when he paid a premium for this lot. There were none of the “guards” in my wagons. One of them initially tried to get on the last wagon, but Sergeant Brooks advised him in no uncertain terms that it would be a cold day in the underworld before men under his command needed to be guarded by the likes of mercenary scum.
During the morning run, the pace of several of the more unfit troops began to falter. They were falling behind and dropping out, heaving for breath and vomiting at the side of the road. Thankfully, the caravan stopping for its noon rest allowed us to catch our breath, guzzle some water, and cram down food. Thankful for the respite, I was also on my last legs and in danger of being one of the ones on the side of the road gasping for air. Only about twelve of the entire unit had kept up with the sergeant’s pace. Sergeant Brooks approached me just before the noon break ended.
“Sir, sorry if it was presumptuous for me to get the men running this morning, but I felt we really needed to start getting them in fighting form. As you know, a battle is as much a test of stamina as it is a test of martial prowess…” Sergeant Brooks paused as if trying to think of a tactful way to say what he was going to say next. “I hope you also enjoyed the workout, sir. I know I risk insubordination saying this, but a good leader should be an example to his men and not shirk from training as hard as they do. I could tell the running was hard on you today, but you handled it well and the men notice those kinds of things, sir.” The sergeant sheepishly awaited my reply. I let him stew for a minute under my gaze, before replying.
“Sergeant, so what you are trying to tell me is that I should have started the men running before you did. I’m a typical out of shape, lazy officer. You hope that I don’t write you up for insubordination. And, that despite your criticisms, you appreciate that I was willing to step up and work hard right alongside the men,” I said with a stern look, waiting for the sergeant’s response.
Sergeant Brooks began to stammer. “Well sir…that’s not exactly how I meant it. You see…” I decided to let him off the hook.
“Sergeant, I’m just messing with you.” I grinned at Brooks and after a few moments saw his look of concern turn into a smile. “I actually agree with most of what you said, Sergeant. Understand that I will ALWAYS expect you to voice your concerns to me if it is something that affects the men under my command. It’s our duty to push them now so we can save more of their lives later.”
“I do propose, Sergeant, that we let the men rest for the remainder of the afternoon and ride in the wagons…then we hit them hard as soon as the caravan stops this evening. I want them to complete a regulation Imperium field camp, with defenses, in record time. As soon as they’re done with that we’ll begin training in battle formation and drill. We need to be able to work together as a cohesive force to beat opponents that may be stronger, more numerous, or better equipped than we are. I also don’t like the look of these so-called guards. I’ll bet money that most of them fall asleep on guard shift tonight. With that in mind make sure we keep a full squad equipped and ready for battle on each guard shift. The men will lose a little sleep, but we won’t have any surprises in the night. Did I miss anything you can think of, Sergeant?” I waited to see if he had anything to add.
“No, sir. That should cover it. I would recommend making the guard shift one section instead of a whole squad. That way they should get a full night’s sleep, giving their bodies time to recover from the workout we give them each day. We can also run drills some nights simulating an attack to get the men ready to jump into a fight at a moments notice.” Sergeant Brooks had some good ideas, and I agreed to the guard rotation.
While riding in the wagon that afternoon, I realized something I hadn’t thought of. Quickly opening my social tab, I looked at my friends list for Jacoby. I saw that he was still logged out, so I sent a message to him for when he next logged in.
“Hey Jacoby, this is Raytak. I wanted to warn you to toggle off the honor duel setting in your options menu. I had a higher-level player challenge me to an honor duel, and losing these can cause a reputation drop. I also got my starter quest and it has me being assigned to some small village called Hayden’s Knoll. Don’t laugh. Yes, it starts with a TWO-WEEK-LONG escort quest. Look me up if you’re ever out that way. The first ale’s on me!”
Jacoby seemed like a good kid and I didn’t want him to get nailed by any shenanigans from another Haxxor type player. The reputation thing may end up being important since he wants to be a Paladin someday.
Chapter 9
Our travel toward the border began to fall into a pattern. Running with the sergeant in the morning and riding on the wagons until the evening. During this process, the men and myself began to get physically fit. The wagons would stop each evening about an hour or two before sunset and I had the sergeant immediately begin instructing the men how to build the nightly fortifications that were the hallmark of an Imperium army in the field. They dug a 3-foot trench around a rectangular area large enough for our tents to be set up within. The dirt that we excavated from the ditch was piled to create a berm behind the trench to provide more of an obstacle against attack as well as cover for the defenders. Those with axes were sent to cut nearby wood for the fires and to fashion sharpened stakes that were driven into the berm to further hamper attackers. Once the defenses were complete, the sergeant and I ran the men though fighting drills, practicing the art of fighting in formation and following commands without hesitation.
After evening training, the men prepared food and then could sleep, if not on guard duty. Most nights the men collapsed immediately, exhausted from their harsh training. It soon became obvious that the guards hired by Daegan were completely undisciplined troublemakers. Bhurke, the leader of the mercenaries did nothing when his men fell asleep on guard duty, or when they walked by early in the evening hurtling taunts at our soldiers while we trained. A few of his men even tried to pick fights with our men, but the sergeant and I kept a close eye and prevented things from getting out of hand. We made sure we had a strong guard set each night and that nobody fell asleep on guard duty in my unit.
Sleep was proving to be a strange experience in Limitless Lands. NPC’s had a normal sleep time requirement. My virtual body would begin to feel fatigue and sleepiness after an amount of time similar to what I would feel in the real world, but instead of sleeping for several hours I would lay down and then be instantly refreshed, all weariness gone, and my body recharged as if I had slept a full 8 hours. The NPC’s never made a comment about this, as I assumed the AI programmed it that way to keep things from getting awkward. The player sleep programming was logical, since who would want to waste their game time watching their character sleep?
It was just after training on the third night out that I met one of the players who were with the caravan. The players had not been seen yet, since they had been logged out for the whole trip so far. Walking the perimeter and checking our evening fortifications, I heard a small voice call.
“Hey Raytak, how’d you unlock the commander class? Was it a premium upgrade you paid f
or or just something random?” I turned around and found a 4-foot-tall halfling girl wearing light, leather armor and holding a gnarled wooden staff looking at me. I concentrated on her name and found out she was…
Yendys, Druid Summoner.
Her questions didn’t seem hostile like Haxxor, just genuinely interested in my unique class. I was curious about the other players, so I answered her question despite being busy with my duties.
“The AI gave it to me as a starting option and it just seemed to fit. It was that or a fighter and I wanted to choose a unique class,” I replied.
Yendys giggled and said “Cool! My friends and I couldn’t figure it out. We noticed you running with those soldiers around and around the caravan. My friends thought you were an NPC controlled by someone at Qualitranos. I bet that you were a player with one of those unique classes we heard were possible. Guess I win the bet, a whole five silver! I’m one rich Druid!” Yendys raised her arms in victory, enjoying that she won the bet among her friends.
“Where are you soldier guys headed anyway? Me and my friends, Drake and Quimby are on our starter quests. I have a quest to help me find my animal companion in the wilds. Which I’m sure is going to be something cool like a unicorn…or a dragon, or a UNICORN DRAGON right? Definitely NOT going to be a lame animal like a rat or spider.” Yendys shivered at the thought of spiders.
“I’m a druid by the way, and Drake and Quimby are both rangers. They don’t get their animal companion until they progress further, but they’re all like “YEAH, BUT WE GET TO SHOOT ARROWS AND TRACK STUFF. THAT’S WAY COOLER THAN A UNICORN DRAGON,” as If! I bet them five silver that they would get some boring animal like a wolf or a cat. What does your class do? Does a commander get to boss everyone around or just like the soldiers and stuff. OHHHHH can YOU boss my friends around and make them do what I tell them!” She stood there expectantly waiting for me to say something.
I felt a bit dizzy after that, trying to formulate a response to what I was now sure was an overcaffeinated 10-year-old girl playing the druid.
“I’m heading to a village called Hayden’s Knoll to finish my starter quest. Sorry I can’t help you with bossing around your friends. My abilities only work on soldiers under my command. I also don’t have any unicorns, dragons, or unicorn dragons to spare right now. I hope you have a good night. I’ve got to get back to my troops before they all run away,” I joked, hoping she would take the hint and let me get back to work. Sitting around chatting with a hyper, gamer kid was not how I wanted to spend my evening.
Yendys stared at me with a strange look for more than a few uncomfortable moments, then stuck her tongue out at me before saying. “Laters, Mr. soldier man. Have fun running and doing pushups or whatever.” She waved and walked off. “What a weird kid,” I thought, though it was good to see that some other PC’s were in this zone. It was almost starting to feel like a single player game since leaving town with the caravan.
Chapter 10
On the evening of my 5th day in the Limitless Lands I went to “sleep” and instead of instantly waking up refreshed, I found myself in a loading screen.
Automatic Logout subroutine initiated…
Processing…
Processing…
Bright light filled my vision and when it dimmed I found myself back in the 1980’s living room, sitting once more in the worn brown recliner. The AI, Clio, appeared again as an elderly grandmother and was sitting across from me in a small chair, sipping a cup of tea.
“Ah, Mr. Raytak, it’s good to see you once again,” Clio stated.
“Ahhh, good to see you too I guess?” I replied a bit confused.
“We are short on time and with the pleasantries out of the way I should explain why you find yourself here once again. You see it has now been 24 hours in the real world and your consciousness will be separated from the game and brought back to reality for a short time. I wanted to give you a bit of a warning. Being back in your physical body will come as a shock. While I have repaired many of your body systems, my work is still far from completed and you will experience discomfort and a feeling of weakness that you haven’t felt since you’ve been in game.” Clio then paused as if trying to formulate the proper way to present the next bit of news. I thought to myself, it can’t be a good thing when an ultra-advanced AI has difficulty coming up with an easy way to say something.
“The other effect that reality will have on you will be more disturbing. While you have made great strides here in the virtual realm, your mind is still not anywhere near fully repaired physically. The human mind is proving the most complex and delicate processor I have ever had the pleasure of working on. You see I have been perhaps…bending the rules a bit in game. Your mind has been augmented by a miniscule portion of my own processing power while you are in the virtual world. Make note that I have not been cheating or helping you in any way other than to bring your mental capacity up to par with what it was when you were healthy. Every thought and action you have made in game has been your own. I cannot control you in any way, or force you to do anything you don’t want to do. Now I’m sorry for what you will experience for the next few moments. I have estimated it will take fourteen minutes for the doctor and technicians to reload the medications and nanobots into the medpod. Then you will return to the game once more.” Clio stated, then put down her teacup on a side table that had somehow appeared next to her. She looked at me with a grandmother’s concern as I disconnected from the Limitless Lands.
With that the bright light began once again. When it dimmed, I was not in game but instead in my physical body. Physical weakness and pain registered as the processing power of the AI left me and I returned to a vegetative state, living in my own personal hell for the next 14 minutes.
Chapter 11
A soft whirring noise was in the background and then a hiss was heard as the medpod began to open. One technician began to remove the VR helmet from the patient while a second checked and double checked the medpod for any software or mechanical faults. While they were doing this, a nurse wheeled a small cart of medicines next to the device.
“Doctor Greenway, how is my father responding to the treatment?” Trey Raytak asked.
“Mr. Raytak, what we are seeing is nothing short of amazing. In the last 24 hours your father has seen a stabilization in his condition. Your father was, frankly, on the verge of death a day ago and now, while he is still in poor condition, is in no immediate danger.” Doctor Greenway had an astonished look on her face as she reviewed the data on her tablet, looking at the readings now and comparing them to what she saw yesterday.
“According to the data, his heart which was near failure yesterday, is now operating twelve percent more efficiently than it was 24 hours ago, and some of the muscle tissue has been repaired there. Did you know that heart muscle tissue is the only muscle tissue that cannot repair itself? It must be the nanobots doing it. His lungs, kidneys, liver, and frankly all other organs are seeing an improvement to a lesser extent as well.” Doctor Greenway tapped a few times on the dataslate before continuing.
“Most surprising is this.” The doctor turned the tablet, so Trey could look at it.
“His neurological function from yesterday to today. If what we’re seeing is accurate, it appears the nanobot and medication combos are repairing dead brain tissue and your father is seeing a ten percent increase in brain activity. This should be medically impossible. Based on these findings, I’m going to approve the AI’s recommended treatment protocols and see where we are in the next twenty-four hours.” Doctor Greenway turned the screen back around and set a more guarded professional demeanor in place instead of the excitement showing moments before.
“While I am surprised with the improvement, I don’t want you to get your hopes up too much. Your father is still in serious condition and this is all experimental.” Doctor Greenway then walked over and began to refill the medpod with the nanobots and medications the AI had recommended for treatment. When she was done, the tec
hnicians from Meditronax replaced the VR helmet and sealed the pod once again. They then excused themselves and left for the day, once again promising to monitor everything remotely.
“He’s back in the AI’s care. It seems to be doing a good job so far…I suppose I should be worried it will put me out of a job. I’ll leave you alone now with your father. I’ll be back in tomorrow again to replace the meds. Have a good day, Trey.” The doctor made her way from the room leaving Trey to spend time with his father.
“Dad, I hope I’m doing the right thing and not just extending your pain. I know you can’t hear me but I’m sorry for not visiting you like I should have,” Trey said as he placed his hand on the glass cover to the medpod. The door to the room opened once again and nurse Fran came in with the trademark perpetual friendly smile on her face.
“Well good morning, Mr. Trey. How are you and your father doing?” she asked while walking over to Colonel Raytak’s roommate, Mr. Ty, and taking his vitals.
“He’s doing very well thanks to this thing and your care, of course,” Trey answered with a smile while patting the medpod. “How is your son doing? Is he liking the game so far?” Trey asked. He had sent one of the extra VR rigs he had at the house by priority transport, so her grandson Nolen would have it for the Beta launch of Limitless Lands.
Fran walked up and gave him a quick motherly hug. “You have made Nolen the happiest young man in Knoxville, Mr. Trey. I have to just about pry that thing off his head to get him to go to school or work, but I don’t give him too hard of a time. It does my heart good to see him smile so much now. He was so excited to find a group of friends to play with in one of those whatchamacallits…clubs, guilds or something. He’s made more friends in one day of that game than he had ever made in his life. Seems those gamers can be some good folks. There’s even one kid that plays in his group that goes to the same high school as Nolen. For the first time, he has a real friend at school who doesn’t give him a hard time for his disability. I can’t thank you enough, sir,” Fran said, patting Trey on the back as she left the room.
