“Thank you,” I said.
Part of me had been worried about running across another one of those binding stones or whatever was used to keep [Criminal]s in line. My next task required running around town, and there could have been one near the old guard post or anywhere in town. Now I had no need to be concerned.
“Thank me by finding whatever Carver left behind.”
“I will.” I nodded to Wyl again and tried not to feel overwhelmed by the kindness. While the [Convict Brand] hadn’t hurt me much, it felt good to have my actions acknowledged.
As I turned to leave, Awesome Jr. shouted, “Hermes! I’ll get the other Travelers to fight those creatures. If you can nearly solo one, I’m sure a mess of us can take down two.”
My head shook and eyebrows lifted. It hadn’t occurred to me that we had an army of Travelers who were probably all skilled in some regard. “Don’t let yourself fall into that pit.”
“Of course not. Based on what you’ve said, we don’t know if that might be game over or not.” The teen shrugged.
“What?” the boyish-looking Traveler that had been begging for healers asked.
They could sort it out. I waved good-bye to Awesome Jr. Now that the [Convict] status was removed, I could freely send messages. A flood of icons displayed on my screen as people talked.
Thorny: Uncle Grant! We’re going to try to hold this one back!
Hermes: Be careful! And don’t let Xin near it!
Thorny: Of course not. Believe it or not, I actually paid attention to your story.
My cheek lifted in a slight smile. Beth sounded carefree a lot of the time, but she managed to prioritize correctly. Part of me still expected her to be a little girl asking me to play games.
I looked around, trying to figure out which way to go. It had been almost a year of game time since my quest in [Haven Valley].
“Hey!” a young man shouted. The familiar person’s voice cracked from puberty’s onset. “Need a ride?”
A shiny-looking metal contraption with round wheels was nearby. Behind it sat a cart with worn but comfortable-looking cushions. Atop the bicycle’s seat was a grumpy youth wearing loose clothes with a hole in one knee.
“Neat!” I ran over. “Yes, Voices above. I need to get to Carver’s house!”
Hitching a ride would let me save my stamina and energy. I could run around, but I would probably get lost. Most of the city had been on William Carver’s map, but all the old landmarks looked to be half destroyed.
“Seven copper,” the young man said.
“I don’t have any money,” I said while struggling to remember his name.
“Rides aren’t free, and you don’t look like a freshie.”
The attitude finalized my guess. He had grown a bit recently, and his clothes were a step up from before. My mouth flattened, and I felt old annoyance pass through me.
“Help or go away, Phil!” I grumped. [Morrigu’s Gift] sat in its original cane form and I used it to bop Phil.
He tried to duck away but took a light rap on the head. Phil rubbed the sore spot while glaring at me. “Jeez. You’re just like the old man. What are you, his son or something? Plus you got the lizard. At least I think it’s ‘im. Though the last one was smaller.”
“People grow up,” I said.
“Ain’t that the truth, mister.” Phil’s feet kicked the bicycle pedals around. The chain link spun and rattled.
I wanted to bop him once more. Doing it as William Carver had taken too much work, but my Hermes body was faster by far. Dusk clacked his jaws, then ran down the road.
“No time. Follow Dusk!” I leapt into the back of Phil’s cart and pointed.
“Voices,” Phil grumbled but went anyway.
He moved the carriage swiftly past Travelers and Locals alike. People were talking and pointing in the distance. Guards were trying to get people evacuated. I looked around as Phil drove. This place looked a wreck. The bakery stall where I had purchased a number of goods was in pieces. Cobblestones had been uprooted or shattered. The trees that used to lace together overhead to shade walkways had been burned in places.
“What happened here?” I muttered.
“Monsters have been going haywire. Them Travelers can’t even make it five feet out the door without a pack of critters showing up.”
“But there’re no monsters right now?” We passed a lot of buildings that looked war torn, but nothing leapt in our direction.
“The guards just fought the last wave this morning.” Phil grunted while pedaling. I looked at his legs. They had put on a lot of muscle. “The littles are out scraping a few coins together for food and trying to do repairs in between.”
“Damn.” My eyes closed briefly.
Mother’s systems were definitely breaking down. The monster-spawning system that kept players entertained during their wanderings might be triggering uncontrollably.
Thorny: You’ll never believe who’s here! Jesus, it’s like one of those movies. It’s—
Beth’s message cut off. I typed back but got no response. Her character should still be alive or messages wouldn’t go through. I assumed combat caught her off guard.
“We’re here, mister.”
“I’m Hermes. Can you help me check inside? I need to find a hidden secret.”
“I dunno. No one’s been inside since the geezer passed away. I don’t think we can even get in,” Phil said while getting off the bike. He put up the kickstand and let the bike’s weight rest.
Getting into the small cottage hadn’t occurred to me. William Carver used to have a key, but that might be gone. I didn’t know exactly what had happened to his body after death. Wait, I could probably use [Morrigu’s Gift] to get in.
I walked down the short stone path to the doorway. William’s home looked untouched by the war around it. [Morrigu’s Gift] came up, and I tried to remember the feel of that key.
“Whoa! How did you do that?” Phil exclaimed.
My eyes opened. In one hand sat a black version of William’s house key. I hadn’t even gotten that far into my mental imagery. Laughter escaped while my head shook. This wasn’t a shape I had impressed upon the weapon. The old man must have forgotten his key enough to use [Morrigu’s Gift] instead.
I opened the door. Objects were piled all around the room. Dust had gathered in huge quantities. The trash can we’d put cupcake wrappers stank fiercely. Dusk nosed around.
“Don’t get distracted!” I said to him. “Find whatever William left behind.”
“What are you looking for?”
“I don’t know, Phil. Anything unusual. Something special.” I prayed the answer would be obvious if we saw it.
Books came down from shelves. No secret doors opened. I flipped past pages and double-checked journals for new mystical pages. None of it worked. Phil walked around but looked as lost as I was.
William’s house rocked under the force of a huge explosion. Books fell and haphazard piles of already searched goods turned into a mess.
“I’m going to look!” Phil sounded excited. He slammed the door on the way out.
“There’s nothing here!” I exclaimed in annoyance.
Dusk huffed once, then nosed around again. That marked his fourth lap through the house, and so far, nothing had been discovered. If a [Messenger’s Pet] couldn’t figure it out, then maybe the answer wasn’t here. I looked around once more, then hustled outside.
“Look! They’re fighting a huge monster!” Phil pointed off in the distance.
There were still two of the giants roaring and fighting an army of players. I squinted but couldn’t make out anyone specific.
“Phil, listen, where else would William have hidden something?”
“I dunno.” Phil thumbed toward a cliff overlooking town. On the ledge above was a white building with columns running up the side. “Not at the temple. He hated Selena.”
“Okay. That’s something. Maybe at the orphanage?”
The young male raised his eyebro
w at me, then shook his head. “Nah. He only came over at night to tell stories. Ain’t nothing we can hide there anyway. Too many littles.”
“The beach?” I asked.
“Maybe. He sat there all the time. Always fiddling with that cane of his. Though that one never changed shape like your stick.” Phil pointed.
“Maybe.” I had nowhere else to go and couldn’t remember another locale in [Haven Valley] where William went as himself. My time had been filled with visiting the training school for new fighters, but that was me trying to learn how to swing a blade.
“Let me guess, you need a ride and still don’t have money?”
I smiled. “You got it.”
Dusk ran out of the house and leapt into the air. His body quickly grew smaller in the distance. He seemed to be headed toward the battlefield.
I frowned for a moment. Xin was out there, and I had no way to contact my fiancée. Not with the game mechanics.
Hermes: Beth? Are you okay?
Thorny: Super busy! Aunt Xin is fine! Have you found the whatever?
Hermes: Okay. Thank you. No. Dusk is coming, I think.
Thorny: k
That conversation didn’t help. The huge creature was ignoring most of the damage headed its way. Either they got tougher or bigger or had more health. I resisted standing in Phil’s cart to get a better view.
“Move, people!” Phil shouted, but no one paid attention.
We had stalled out near the marketplace. Travelers were busy arguing with Locals over the price of goods. Our carriage was too big to get by, and rubble blocked other nearby paths. I couldn’t wait for Phil to figure out the way through.
“Thanks! I’ll go ahead!” I jumped down and gave Phil a pat on the shoulder.
“That’s fourteen copper, mister!” the young orphan yelled behind me.
Risking [Blink]’s disorientation wasn’t worth it yet. I felt certain that the solution existed somewhere on that beach. It was the first place I had seen upon coming to [Arcadia]. The old man had spent endless afternoons sitting on the bench, staring at a sunset.
Was it because he felt struck by nature’s beauty, or because he had been planting a program there?
[Light Body] made me feel like a speed dart zipping through a crowd of people. Almost like being a [Red Imp] again. Travelers and Locals cried out as I shot through.
The marketplace disappeared behind me. Blocks of vaguely familiar territory passed by. I ignored a path up to Selena’s temple. Two corners later, I saw the circular bricked flooring where new Travelers popped in.
I took a breath as the feeling of coming back to the beginning hit me. Ahead lay the bench William Carver used to haunt, waiting for new players to arrive. Near the bench was a statue of a man sitting down, his arms around his knees. Its chiseled form faced a peaceful ocean. At its side was a giant sword and a familiar [Messenger’s Pet]. Dusk hadn’t gone toward the monsters like I’d thought. Instead, he’d made it to the statue before I did.
“William?” I asked Dusk.
The [Messenger’s Pet] nodded, then hopped over. After I made two laps around the bench and statue, I felt clueless. There was nothing on it that blinked, flashed, or looked like a keyhole.
I stood behind it and studied each part of the body. [Morrigu’s Gift] was represented here. William Carver’s simple robe garb sat a bit tighter on a more idealized version of the old man. His hand held up to the sky looked out of place.
“Is this the statue William told me about?” I muttered. In my mind was a faint memory of our time together in the Room of Trials. He’d mentioned a statue being put up in his honor.
His bench was empty. My last trip here had involved being nearsighted and old, but that bench had shone with life. The place where new players began felt dull in comparison to its prior vibrancy.
I studied the tall carving but didn’t understand how this might help. My eyes ran up the arm and saw how it might catch the setting sun if only for a moment. Nightfall wasn’t upon us yet, but the image would be picturesque on an Internet ad if Trillium allowed them.
To the right of William Carver’s outstretched hand sat an out-of-place black dot. I squinted, then stepped in closer. The dot didn’t move or fly about like a normal object in the sky. This spot felt within arm’s reach yet a million miles away.
“This has to be it.”
Dusk circled the statue’s base, letting out noises. His head tilted with confusion, and question marks appeared in the thought bubble. His nostrils flared, then an exclamation mark showed up. He climbed the statue’s side to get a closer look at the floating hole.
I walked around once more and noticed that the odd hole in the sky didn’t exist from every angle. The best place to see it was right behind William Carver’s statue, and even then, I had to look in that one spot specifically.
Was this part of [A Kiss for Luck]? I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer that this spot was the solution, and not a doomsday device or crazy trap planted by insane Travelers.
Hermes: I think I found it, Beth, gonna try to trigger it.
Thorny: Be careful! We’re still alive, but this thing isn’t going down like the last ones! People are saying those getting pulled in are vanishing from friend and guild lists!
That confirmed part of my worries. Falling in there certainly did function as a deletion of our avatars at least. Who knew if any of them would have other issues. What kind of brain damage might result?
There would be a time for musing later.
“Damn. Okay, here goes nothing.”
I looked at [Morrigu’s Gift]. It sat in the shape of a key to William Carver’s house. With no better ideas, I stuck the key in the floating keyhole. Abrupt resistance surprised me. The keyhole did exist somehow, floating in the air. I wiggled the tip and managed to get [Morrigu’s Gift] to enter the hole.
The air clicked, and a visible wave rippled outward. Everything slowed down. My breath felt delayed like with [Awareness Heightening] but even more intense. The giant creature sat a mile away to my right, frozen with its hands balled into fists. Dozens of tiny Travelers were locked in various poses. A bright star of light went still mid-gleam.
Pain twisted in my chest, and my legs gave out. I fell to my knees while desperately holding on to the transformed gift. The key heated up, and a message displayed. I turned to look at the system prompt while my eyes watered.
Cypher accepted
Authorized account registered
[Deletion Script] currently running
Adjusting program…
Adjusting program…
Warning!
Please do not move your avatar from current port or disconnect terminal during update. Progress may be lost.
Around me, everything went white and the world resumed motion once more. Noise blended together. Fresh pain surged up my arms, and I struggled to hold on.
Session Eighty-Eight — ‘Til Death Do Us Part
Pain in the ARC was nothing new. For most simulations, damage would be mitigated by traits, abilities, Paths, or armor. Even then, limitations made being eviscerated feel like breaking a bone. At least I assumed so. I had broken bones in reality but never had my guts ripped out.
Virtual reality made it hard to form a proper frame of reference. Trying to quantify this new sensation took a moment of scrambled thought. Holding [Morrigu’s Gift] in that key slot was simply pain for a few moments before a correlation hit.
This felt as though I was sticking my arm gradually into boiling water. Searing heat climbed upward, making muscles clench in a tight grip despite a voice in my head screaming to let go and run away. A moment of pride at resisting the impulse was buried under fresh agony.
I hung on while gasping as more of my body reported boiling. The hole itself was up high enough that I could have easily allowed gravity take me away from it. Instead, I remembered the message and grit my teeth. One hand slapped over the first, and both held on.
My mind numbed as my breath shortened. The
air around me felt warm. Dusk’s chirps faded into the background. Survival instincts tried to overwhelm me, but I had never been good at paying attention to those.
Xin’s life mattered more than any of this. An unstable hand reached into the air. I stared at a new floating box until it responded to my scattered thoughts. Trying to focus paid off as it moved into a clearer spot.
“I’m okay. I’m okay.” I wasn’t.
A strangled gasp made it out while my head shook at Dusk. The [Messenger’s Pet] was pacing frantically. He growled, then chirped, his head bobbed.
A new wave of pain hit me, and my muscles quivered. My feet kicked to retain my position. I hung with my arms overhead and the hole to one side. The boiling pain shifted to a low voltage zap that was steadily increasing. My eyes were watering, and something in my head popped. Sound went out completely.
Rocks fell nearby, making me jump. I steadied myself between jolts and turned. The huge monster was getting closer. Near enough to touch the city’s wall. Travelers were all over the place, their mouths opened wide as they shouted ideas and orders.
Two people bearing shields tried to stand in the way of one large swinging arm. Travelers with bows pulled back arrows that sailed through the air. One of the players wielded an absurdly sized longbow that glowed a reddish-black hue. It fired javelins instead of arrows.
The colossal shadow of a man ignored them all. Messages popped in from the other players.
Thorny: We’re not making a dent! I don’t know what’s different!
Awesome Jr.: Anyone out there got ideas? Have you found it?
Shadow: It ignores [Blind], [Tear Muscles], [Cause Hemorrhage], and isn’t responding to any of the poisons.
HotPants: Hermes, move faster, fucker! Jr., we need Sweetie out here! This town has shit for heals!
Awesome Jr.: That’s because they’re all busy trying to put the guards back together. SweetPea’s getting tons of bonuses from working her ass off. Mana’s run dry six times.
“I. Don’t. Know. Either,” I told the message box while trying to take a breath. My words probably didn’t get through, and more notes from the other players kept popping into being.
The quartet had been added to my friends list before my adventures in Advance Online. We used to talk occasionally, but all of us had different missions. Their words helped distract me for a few moments before the next crackle of electricity raced up my arm.
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