Pangea Online: The Complete Trilogy

by S. L. Rowland

I stand and head to the door, turning around before leaving. “You should be proud of getting this project off the ground. Even if you’re not directly involved anymore, this will help a lot of people because of you.”

  I close the door and head toward the lab, not sure if Aleesia will be there or not. After scanning my retina to enter the hallway to the lab, I stop in front of a window overlooking the laboratory. Technicians scurry around the floor below disassembling the massive units that have been used for full-immersion for the past year.

  The tanks have been drained of the blue gel filled with nanoreceptors. Drills zip as each screw is tediously removed and the glass casing placed on a dolly. There are close to a hundred units they’ll have to take apart, so this process will definitely take a while.

  I won’t be going back to the Broken Lands anytime soon.

  I shift my gaze over to the viewing deck and catch Aleesia just as she is leaving. The automatic door shuts behind her and she steps into the hallway.

  “This is crazy, right?” I ask.

  “Yeah, you would think we would have gotten more warning. It looks like I’ll be working from home this week.” She gestures to the laptop she’s holding.

  “Why? What is there to do if no one is logging in? Benjamin said we were all getting a vacation.”

  She laughs. “Maybe for you guys. But the programs are still running. The world of the Broken Lands still turns even if you aren’t there to watch it. Somehow less work for you means more work for me, so I don’t think I’ll be making it into Pangea tonight.”

  “Hmm, maybe I’ll see what Buzz and Grayson are up to.”

  Aleesia smiles. “There you go. Make the most of your free time. I really do have to get going though. Do you want to walk me out?”

  I walk with Aleesia to the pod waiting to take her to her father’s mansion located on a beautiful estate. I kiss her good-bye and head back to my apartment, messaging Buzz while I walk.

  Yo Buzz,

  It’s been a while since we explored Pangea. What do you say we hit up some of the old haunts tonight? Maybe a game of steamball?

  -Esil

  By the time I reach my apartment, he’s already responded.

  Esil!

  I wish I could. With my tournament coming up, I’ve got a lot of last-minute details to get ready. It’s kind of a blessing that they are shutting down beta testing for a bit. You’re welcome to stop by.

  -Buzz

  The scanner outside of my apartment reads my palm and I go inside. I flop down on the couch. For once, I have nothing to do. I reach out to Grayson. Maybe he’s free.

  Grayson,

  Want to go listen to the mermaids sing tonight?

  -Esil

  While I wait for him to respond, I play a mindless game on my tablet where I match different colored fruits together in order to get them to explode. I make it to level twenty-five before a message from Grayson pops up.

  Esil,

  I’m enjoying my time out of VR for the night. Maria and I are cooking if you would like to join us.

  -Grayson

  I’ll leave Grayson and Buzz’s mom to their evening together. As I sit on the couch exploding fruit on my tablet, hours pass, and before I know it, I drift off to sleep.

  When I wake up, it’s dark out. I call out to the apartment AI to turn on the lights and a soft yellow glow fills the room. The clock on the wall says it’s a little past midnight.

  Well, there went my evening. I get up to go brush my teeth and get ready for bed when I notice I have a new message. I don’t know how he got the number, but it’s from Dean.

  What could he possibly be messaging me about? I tap the screen on my tablet and the message expands.

  Mr. Esil,

  I wanted to apologize for giving you a tough time today. It’s hard to believe that anyone would be looking out for us in The Boxes. Mr. Green does the best he can, but this is not exactly paradise. We never talked much when you lived here, but I remember you always rushing through your work so that you could sit alone in your room and watch streams. When we look at you, we don’t see someone we can become. We see someone who got out and never came back.

  Except you did come back. You’ve done more for us, and for those in The Boxes, than anyone else.

  Mr. Green gave us our Worldpasses. The haptic suits will be here later tonight, but I couldn’t wait. I put on my headset and gloves and went and explored Triassic World. I’ve always had a thing for dinosaurs, and it was an amazing experience. I can’t wait to feel it with the haptic suit!

  The real reason I’m messaging you is because I wanted to ask you a favor. I know you don’t want to be involved in the tournament, but I was hoping to give it a shot. This is the only way someone like me would ever have the chance to intern at a place like Pangea Online. If you know any champions who are looking for someone to mentor, I would appreciate it if you told them about me. I don’t have a lot of gaming experience, but I promise to work hard if given the chance.

  Thanks for everything.

  -Dean

  I read the message over several times. He must have gone through a lot of effort to get that to me. I don’t blame him for reaching out. This would be a big opportunity for anyone, but for someone from The Boxes, it could be life-changing.

  Tomorrow, I’ll reach out to Aleesia and see if she knows any former champs looking to take on an apprentice.

  I hop in the shower and let the hot water wash over me. Steam quickly fills up the bathroom, making the glass and mirrors opaque. I try to clear my mind, but I keep coming back to Dean’s message. There’s something about him that reminds me of myself at that age. Maybe it’s the dream of something greater. Or grasping at straws. Whatever it is, it has struck a chord.

  After I get dressed, I send Dean a message.

  Dean,

  Meet me at my home portal tomorrow after your classes. I’m attaching the pass code.

  -Esil

  Chapter Six

  Fenrir rests his massive head in my lap as I wait for Dean to show up. I’ve already messaged Aleesia about finding him a mentor, but I don’t know how willing someone will be to train a kid from The Boxes. There’s still a certain stigma associated with living there. I remember the first time we took Buzz’s mom to the hospital. Even the nurses treated us like we were contagious.

  I scratch Fenrir behind the ears and he wags his giant tail, knocking the arcade machine I bought a few inches across the floor. It’s a mindless game, one from the 1980’s where you guide a hungry yellow circle as it tries to eat fruits and clear a maze of dots before being attacked by a gang of ghosts. I’ve sunk countless hours into its monotony.

  Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of gold bringing my home portal to life. It’s filled with statues of great warriors, paintings depicting some of my favorite moments in Pangea, and plenty of knick-knacks to keep me entertained without ever having to step foot into a game world. I have a display with a livestream of the Mortican Mountains town square on one wall. Sometimes I will just sit and watch the various heroes as they walk about for hours. It reminds me of all the people-watching I did when I lived in The Boxes.

  A portrait of Merlin, my pet owl, hangs over the fireplace on the far wall. It’s been more than a year since I lost him and sometimes, I still feel a pang in my chest when I look at it. The flames of the fire alternate colors every minute or so, cycling through every color of the rainbow.

  Once upon a time, this would have been my paradise. Nowadays, I find just as much solace in my own apartment. I come here for Fenrir, to keep him company. Maybe I’m crazy for thinking he needs me around, but I’ve always treated Pangea as more than a game.

  A loud ding announces a visitor outside of my portal. A moment later, a rift of energy opens and Dean steps through. Fenrir stands in a hurry and pounces on the poor kid. His face is stricken with panic until the wolf licks him, covering him in slobber.

  “Fenrir, down.” I pull the giant Asgardian wolf off Dean and offer him
a hand. “Sorry about that. He doesn’t get many visitors these days.”

  Dean wipes the slobber from his face and slings it to the floor. He wears dull gray pants, a white t-shirt, and a pair of plain white sneakers. Starter gear from the education worlds. We’ll have to change that at some point.

  His eyes are wide with wonder as he looks around my room. “All of this is yours?”

  “It is.” I’m sure this place is like a mansion to him. I take a few minutes to give him the tour. When we’re done, I press a button on the wall and a portal opens. “Ready to get out of here?”

  He scrunches his brow. “Where are we going?”

  I grin. “Are you wearing your haptic suit?”

  He nods.

  “Good, let’s go see some dinosaurs.”

  I step through the portal and focus on the destination for Triassic World. It’s not a game world I’m familiar with, but if Dean likes it, I think it would be a real treat for him to experience it in his haptic suit. Who knows, if things go well then maybe one day, he can experience it in full-immersion.

  Hundreds of portals surround us as we zoom toward Triassic World. The Mortican Mountains, Steamworld, The Haunted Forest, and hundreds of others are now open to Dean and the other teenagers.

  Welcome to Triassic World. This is a non-magical and non-technological world. All levels and abilities have been reset while entering this world.

  The portal empties us into a dense jungle. The stone structure that houses the portal is the only thing that shows we aren’t actually millions of years in the past.

  Giant ferns as tall as trees with drooping leaves the size of my body cast shade on where we are standing. Brightly-colored birds chirp, and dozens of lizard creatures the size of cats scurry across the jungle floor. One turns and hisses at us before darting into the underbrush.

  Fenrir sniffs at the air. Next to him, Dean grimaces as he holds his hand over his stomach.

  “Upset stomach?” I ask. “It happens to everyone the first time they use a portal wearing a haptic suit.”

  Dean stands up straight, looking around. “This is amazing. It was cool in my old headset, but this is better than I imagined. I can smell the hot air.” He reaches out and touches a dangling branch. “I can feel the weight of this against my palm.”

  I pat him on the shoulder. “One of the perks of a top-of-the-line suit. Just don’t fall into a pile of dinosaur poop. So what is this world? Do you go on quests or what?”

  He grins at me. “Not quite. You explore and you survive. You can unlock trophies for certain achievements. It’s all based around the Triassic period, where dinosaurs first evolved. This is also when Pangea the supercontinent existed.”

  “So this is where Pangea Online got its inspiration?” We’ve come a long way since the age of dinosaurs.

  Dean nods. “One giant world. No barriers. Survival of the fittest.”

  “How do you know all this?” I always knew about Pangea, that it was the basis for Pangea Online, but I never dug too deep into it.

  Dean blushes. “I’m a bit of a history nerd. Dinosaurs always fascinated me.”

  As soon as he finishes the sentence, a giant red three flashes across my vision, then a two, then a one. I guess it’s game on.

  There’s a rustling of movement behind us, and Dean steps behind me. I equip my elvish spear just as a skinny dinosaur with a long neck and even longer tail emerges. The dinosaur is as big as Fenrir, but not nearly as muscular. Its tan scales are speckled with brown dots, and a hawk-like face with dozens of sharp teeth stares at us as its long, whip-like tail swishes back and forth. It leans back and roars in our direction. Next to me, Fenrir growls, showing his teeth. The dinosaur stays at bay for the moment as I keep my spear extended. I focus on its stats.

  Coelophysis. Length: 3 meters. Weight: 27kg. One of the first true dinosaurs of the Triassic Era, the coelophysis feeds on smaller reptiles and amphibians. Its sharp curved claws allow it to slash, making it capable of taking down larger opponents when necessary.

  The bushes rattle again and two more surround us. I jab my spear in their direction, keeping a safe distance between us. They look at us with interest but don’t attack.

  “What’s the plan, kid?” I ask.

  “I don’t know. This didn’t happen last time.”

  One of the dinosaurs snaps at us, and I jab my spear again. “Do you have a weapon?”

  “Nope.”

  Alright, it looks like this is up to me and Fenrir then. None of my abilities will work in this world, so I’ll have to fight using only my skill. I try to calculate which dinosaur to attack first when a deafening roar echoes over my shoulder.

  The trees shake violently and the earth trembles as the roar grows louder. The coelophyses turn and run, and I pull Dean behind a tree just as a massive dinosaur steps into range. Its dark green scales blend into the landscape, making it nearly invisible from a distance. Branches snap as it barrels through in pursuit of the smaller prey.

  I catch its stats as it passes by.

  Gojirasaurus. Length: 5.5 meters. Weight: 199kg. Gojirasaurus, also known as the Godzilla Lizard, is one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs in the Triassic Era.

  My heart pounds as the monstrous dinosaur disappears into the jungle. Dean grins at me excitedly.

  “Close call. What do you say we get out of here before they come back?” I pet Fenrir on the shoulder. His muscles are tense, and his eyes are still locked in the direction the dinosaurs went.

  “Yeah, let’s go. I know a pretty cool spot where we should be safe.” He leads us in the opposite direction of our attackers.

  “Hold up.” I pull my battle-axe from my inventory and hand it to him. “We can make you a spear when we stop, but you should have this just in case.”

  I check the stats as I hand him the weapon.

  Item: Meteoric Iron Axe. +10 strength. 10% armor penetration. This double-edged axe was forged from the heart of a meteorite.

  He looks at the axe with wonder. “Wow. This is beautiful. You used this during the tournament, didn’t you?”

  “I did.” That was the first weapon I ever bought in Pangea. “Keep it. It’s yours now.”

  Dean gives the axe a few practice swings, grinning as it cuts through the air. He pauses for a moment and his eyes glaze over. “Here, I shared our destination on the map.”

  I focus on the map in the corner of my vision and the image expands. There’s one giant landmass, with the word “Pangea” written in the center. A tiny purple dot marks where we are headed.

  It’s crazy to think that the world used to be like this. That the ground we walk on in the real world has shifted over time into seven different continents.

  I zoom in on the dot and notice it’s at a location called Triassic Falls. It must be some sort of waterfall. Most of the map is covered in jungle, except for a small area of plains. A red square on the map catches my eye. Next to it, it says “Shop.”

  “I see there’s a shop here. What do they sell?” I ask.

  Dean shrugs. “Mostly just survival gear. I don’t have any gold so I never checked it out.”

  “Time to change that.” I wink, adding my own destination marker to the shop. “We’ll hit up the falls after.”

  I keep an eye out for stampeding carnivores as we make our way toward the shop, but all I see are small reptiles scurrying through the forest floor. The slate-colored creatures dart around like chickens from one area to the next.

  We pass by a calm river, where a giant dinosaur plucks leaves from a tall tree while cooling its body in the water. It would be terrifying except for the fact that all its teeth are square. They grate against one another as it chews the leaf like a cow at pasture. The dinosaur has a thick tail and frame, and dull gray skin with black stripes that run along the crest of its spine. Its neck is long and skinny, with a tiny head.

  Plateosaurus. Length: 10 meters. Weight: 4000kg. A bipedal herbivore, the Plateosaurus usually travels in herds like modern elep
hants.

  Wow! This dinosaur weighs over four tons and only eats plants. It must eat all day long to get enough food.

  Trees shake behind the massive creature, and I notice several more of the herd feasting further back. Fenrir watches them intently, but he doesn’t seem threatened by their presence.

  “Pretty cool, right? Can you believe these things actually existed?” Dean shakes his head in astonishment. “They’re so huge.”

  “Yeah, they’re pretty cool. I’m more partial to minotaurs, griffins, trolls, and things like that, but I can see why you like this place. So, where’s the T-rex?” It’s about the only dinosaur I actually know.

  Dean laughs. “Wrong era. The T-rex came around in the Jurassic Period. That’s when dinosaurs really took over the world. T-rex, triceratops, the giant brontosaurus. When most people think of dinosaurs, that’s what they think of. Everything you’re seeing here will go extinct long before they ever come around. And then there will be another extinction in many millions of years.”

  “And then in the far future, we’ll nearly kill off ourselves and be forced to hide from radiation inside metal boxes.” It turns out humans can be just as devastating as Mother Nature.

  The shop is pretty underwhelming when we arrive. I don’t know what I was expecting in a prehistoric world, but it’s basically a wooden hut with items sitting on shelves. I glance over the contents, but there’s not a whole lot I need.

  Item. Rope. For tying things.

  Item. Dino Treats (Carnivore). Treats for luring meat-eating dinosaurs to your location.

  Item. Dino Treats (Herbivore). Treats for luring plant-eating dinosaurs to your location.

  Item. Wooden Spear. A basic weapon for protecting yourself across Pangea.

  There are more items, but nothing I’m interested in. Dean is the brains of this operation, so I defer to him.

  “Do we need any of these items to help you get those trophies you’re after?”