“Bullshit,” Dave said. “This is a billion-dollar game. They’re not going to leave the crown jewels unguarded just because Susie Softsweater walks in wearing her ‘fuck me’ shoes.”
“You five are ready to sign over a quarter of your winnings to us because of Susie Softsweater, genius. Stop being a know-it-all Internet ass for a few minutes and listen.”
“How will kidnapping a level 40 princess get us anywhere?” Robb asked.
“Because after the rest of the player base watches you tear through her guards, chase her down in her most alluring negligee, throw her over your shoulder struggling and kicking, and carry her off to be forced into marriage, every chivalrous idiot in this game will abandon all reason, saddle up and ride to her rescue,” Jason said. “She will be chained by the wrists to a wooden post in your barbaric arena to be leered at by foul creatures while you meticulously and publicly plot her deflowering on the dark night of her marriage.”
“One dumbshit after another will ride into the band saw we construct to slaughter them,” Rich added. “We will take out every other high level character, leaving you and your team so far ahead in the race to Safekeep nobody will be able to stop you. At that point the map will be sauce for the goose.”
“But that’s not all, is it?” Dave asked.
“Of course not. We have Alyssa, and since she controls the Doncella character, she will be able to drive the playerbase into a mouth-foaming monkey riot the likes of which mortal man has never beheld,” Rich said.
“How long have you been planning this?”
“Since launch,” Rich replied. “Surely you people know how the average MMO fan would react to the possibility they could save the virtue of the hottest girl in class using their video game skills? I can tell you Fairly Unusual understands it. In fact, I can prove it.”
“I’m listening,” Jordan said, folding his arms.
Alyssa placed the printouts on the table.
“Do you know how many players have attempted and failed the Empress of Tharm quest line?” Jason asked.
“Couldn’t tell you,” Marc replied. Amy frowned.
“One out of three. As of last week’s subscriber count, that means more than three hundred thousand people. More than the population of San Diego, California. Guess how many succeeded?”
Jordan looked back and forth impatiently.
“None of them,” Alyssa said. “Half a million attempts in a few weeks.”
“All killed and fed to the wild dogs surrounding the cage where the Empress is being kept.” Rich added. “Teams of these guys rode in there, all planning to be the bearded alpha dude the partially dressed young princess would cling to as he carried her off to his bed. Every one of them was launched ass-first into the fire magic equivalent of a garbage disposal, cooked to a firm juicy medium rare and served with garnish and choice of potato.”
“All that for a girl who isn’t even real.” Alyssa said.
“I’m not following this,” Jordan replied.
“The difference here is I am real. I’m going to start a channel on Videowall and plead with the KNC players to save me. I’ve been perfecting my ‘cry on cue’ talents for nineteen years. And if one of them does save me, I’ll be planted in their court with my diplomacy, intrigue and persuasion skills.”
“And her level 40 combat multipliers,” Rich added.
Alyssa walked over, leaned down and whispered in Jordan’s ear, forcing him to adjust his position in his chair. “I’ll be your spy, my Lord Husband.”
Jordan felt her slip a note into his hand.
“It’s time to make some serious money, ladies and gentlemen.” The evil look on Rich’s face sent a chill down Dave’s neck.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kacey Gossamer was quite grateful for Kings and Conquests. Over the eight weeks since release, the game had helped her triple her audience. She was now sponsored by one of the most successful game guide publishers in the world. As a result, she had access to guests that were reserved only for the top-rated hosts in the industry.
She had been forced to turn down a lucrative exclusive offer from Lion Share TV, the up and coming streaming service challenging Videowall for industry supremacy. That, among other things, was one of the reasons she had gotten such a great deal from her new sponsor. Videowall was feeling the heat and needed to keep its key personalities.
Tonight’s show was an hour-long recap of Kings and Conquests news with none other than the Mad Cupbearer himself, Fitz Breaker. Once again, he had outdone every other streaming guest, wearing a bright yellow three-piece suit and a fake red mustache and goatee.
“Masterful is all I can say, my dear Questing Heart. Masterful.”
“Is it true they haven’t spent a dime on advertising yet?” Kacey asked from the comfort of her brand new studio.
“They didn’t have to, it seems,” Fitz replied as he poured himself a drink. “They pulled off the most legendary low-profile game launch I’ve ever seen. That just seemed to amplify the word-of-mouth to the point where advertising would have been redundant. They succeeded far beyond their wildest dreams.”
“Well, we know from published reports Fairly Unusual Games emerged from Chapter 11 and is now on the verge of setting a new record share price at $61. There was a rumor they were planning some kind of announcement on a dividend, of all things, but we haven’t gotten any more updates on that front recently.”
“Let’s get to the fun part,” Fitz said as he added an olive-crowded toothpick to his drink. “Let’s talk about the Ashelrian Casino.”
“Okay, according to the four people who survived, one of the KNC Founders claimed a plot of land on the western edge of Ashelria. It was built in a relatively hard-to-reach spot along the foothills and mountains. The guy who put it all together really leveraged everything he could out of the Founder’s toolbox. He set up a nice little hamlet, defended it well, guided it to the point where it was generating positive revenue, and then it all fell apart.”
“Well, Kacey, I think a more accurate description would be that it all went straight to hell,” Fitz replied with a satisfied chuckle.
“Tell us about it.”
“Everyone is well aware of the potential for games of chance in a massively multiplayer game. But what this guy did was beyond anything even attempted before. He set up a full-fledged casino operated by plug-ins and add-ons. Now technically this isn’t against the rules. KNC has been famously hands-off about what players are allowed to do and how they are allowed to interact with each other. But once you get that much money and that many gigantic assholes in the same room, it’s only going to be a matter of time before it all goes up in a shit-scented fireball, and that’s what happened last Friday.”
“Do we have any definitive information on who instigated it yet?”
“We’ve all been to at least one tabletop gaming session. Now, take the kinds of personalities willing to spend an entire evening arguing about saving throws and armor class bonuses, give them huge weapons and magic powers, pour a big pile of gold in the middle of the room and leave the door unlocked. It doesn’t take a genius level intellect to guess what’s going to happen next.”
“Based on reports from people who have leveled up high enough to go back there, that player’s keep is still on fire.”
“It will burn until the spells expire, which could be days, weeks or months from now. For the time being, we do know that more than 300 player characters were killed and looted. A self-styled thieves guild claims they carried off most of the treasure, but there are other reports the gold melted into a massive blob that now occupies the center room in the burned out castle. The only way anyone will know for sure is if they manage to equip themselves with enough fire resistant armor to get back in there and investigate first hand.”
“You know Fitz, I’m starting to worry about this game. It doesn’t sound like much fun to me to have so many weeks of progress wiped out because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“True, but it makes for one hell of a story.”
Kacey sorted through her printed notes. “I got a press release from Fairly Unusual today about their subscriber numbers. We’re just now ready to close the books on their second month in operation.”
“I’ve seen it.”
“Two point seven million subscribers at an average of nearly $25 a month.”
“Yeah, it gets more expensive the more often your character dies. The average player quickly learns to avoid risk, but it doesn’t help much. The major cities are thriving, however. There are more than a few players who are just trying to level their crafting and appraisal skills and gather treasure. There’s a fishing guild on my server. Those guys are having a blast just sitting around their phones with split screen video calls and fishing interfaces. I’m not sure I’d pay a monthly subscription to catch virtual fish, but if it makes them happy, more power to them.”
“Isn’t it interesting all the traditional gameplay of MMO’s is being pushed aside in Kings and Conquests and replaced instead by all kinds of other activities?”
“Kacey, I have to tell you I’ve been watching this community closely and I think the most remarkable thing we’re witnessing is people are having fun without chasing the latest big dungeon or boss and trying to get a sword that is 1% more powerful than the one they already have. People are getting to level three and then just staying there because there are fun things to do at level three that don’t involve obsessive collecting of more treasure.”
“Okay, let’s move on to the 400 pound elephant.”
“Garrett Wyland is still dead.”
“Are you sure about that, Fitz?”
“I’m sure. There were eyewitnesses who saw him shot twice and saw him fall from an off-ramp. They never recovered a body, but there hasn’t been a single sign of the man for two months, despite what the rumor-mongers are peddling. Brace Coogan is set to be installed as permanent CEO of Fairly Unusual next month after deftly guiding the company through their whirlwind Chapter 11. We’ll see if their quarterly results are as good as everyone thinks they will be. In the meantime, Wyland is gone, and the rumors about the hidden quest in Kings and Conquests are just as much a fantasy as his surviving that police standoff.”
“Apparently the Hinds County medical examiner is planning to file the necessary paperwork to have Wyland declared legally dead, so you may be right. That’s not going to stop the rumor machine, though.”
“The rumor machine thinks Wyland hid the keys to his company in the game, for goodness sake, Kacey. There’s no telling what they’ll come up with next!”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jordan puttered his crappy hatchback along through the residential neighborhood behind his local grocery/fitness/auto parts/sandwich maker shopping center. He was as confused as he had ever been, and the events of the last 24 hours weren’t doing anything to help him make sense of any of it. He knew he was way behind on his leveling, and that made the prospect of a shortcut through all the danger and uncertainty relatively appealing.
The problem was he was beginning to wonder who he could trust. “It’s all fun and games until there’s a billion bucks on the table,” was the way Robb put it, and Jordan couldn’t say he disagreed. The prospect of easy money never seemed to have a positive impact on the average person, and based on what he had seen so far, Jordan was beginning to think it might be better for all involved if he just sold what he knew and bailed out.
Then he got the note from Alyssa.
“Rappaport Park fountain, 8PM, come alone” it said. If there was one thing Jordan knew, it was that the average male was three orders of magnitude stupider about having a chance with a girl like Alyssa than he was about easily snagging a ten-figure paycheck. He knew what Amy would say. She had never been a big fan of the lip gloss and baby powder crowd even in the best of circumstances. Jordan smiled. Amy would have popped him upside the head and told him to get a grip, and he probably would have listened to her to avoid having her kick him in the backside too.
That was at the top of the list of reasons why Jordan hadn’t told anyone about the note, especially Amy. Was Alyssa trying to trick him? Was she just trying to raise the stakes, or did she have her own angle in all the intrigue? It went without saying that having a level 40 anyone as part of the group would be a fantastic advantage, especially if they could get her someplace where she could make the best use of her “skills.” But that wasn’t all Jordan was interested in. He wanted to know about this whole Videowall thing. Were Rich and Jason really planning to have Alyssa cry on camera like a hostage? It sounded more than a little far-fetched. They couldn’t possibly really believe people would come running to her aid in a video game just because of some melodramatic performance in a web video, could they?
Jordan’s heart jumped into his throat. There was only one other car in the Rappaport Community Center parking lot. That meant she was here. He was going to be alone with the peasant girl from Supercon. He took a breath and exhaled in as measured a fashion as he could. It didn’t help. He could feel the stupid pouring over him like motor oil.
The decorative fountain was part of the playground complex behind the main building. The night security lights made the whole area look peaceful and reassuring. It didn’t make him feel any better. Other people weren’t here to meet her.
Jordan guided the crappy hatchback alongside the white technomobile Alyssa was apparently driving. He got out and listened to the tinny sound of the bell indicating his keys were still inside. He zipped up his jacket and checked his phone. It was 7:57PM. She was early. His insides fluttered again. Jordan retrieved his keys, closed the door and activated the locks.
He looked around. The neighborhood across from the community center was appropriately parochial-looking. The single-story houses belonged to mostly young families with children enrolled at one of the four schools within a short drive of the centrally-located park. Rappaport was one of the largest park complexes in the county. It was crowded year-round. If visitors weren’t gathering on the grass, playground equipment, sports fields or amphitheater, they were indoors making use of the gym equipment, racquetball court, Olympic-size pool or auditorium.
With his hands in his pockets, Jordan walked as non-chalantly as he could towards the opposite end of the main building. He was sure his attempts to look cool and collected were actually making him look like a clumsy, out-of-place spaz, but it was too late to do any real planning. It seemed like everything he had seen and done for the last several weeks had been taking place just outside his reach. He felt exhausted, as if he were constantly trying to catch up to his life. Everyone was faster, more nimble, and far better informed about what the hell was going on than he was. And he was still only level seven.
All he really had to go on was the wildly improbable possibility this incredibly hot girl wasn’t part of some plot to either rob or cheat him of any chance he was going to win the big prize. He could imagine her laughing as his character’s dead body was being looted.
She was wearing all black. The knee-high boots, skin-tight black jeans and Piretto leather jacket all combined to make her look just a little dangerous. Her alluring physique only amplified her profile. Jordan was having trouble believing it, but her hair looked as if it had been arranged into the third salon-quality style he had seen in as many encounters with her. From behind, her chestnut curls looked like a shampoo commercial. When she turned at his approach, he caught a breath. The look on her face stirred a feeling inside that Jordan simply wasn’t prepared for. There weren’t any words to describe the intensity of his need to take her in his arms and–
“You made it.”
“Aren’t you worried about standing out here in the dark?” Jordan asked in a sincere half-whisper.
“I’ve got my stun gun.” Her smile inspired a feeling of weightlessness in Jordan’s legs. “Sorry for all the cloak and dagger, but I have to be honest with you, and we can’t talk with everyone else interrupting. I
also can’t take myself seriously in that ridiculous dress.”
“I can.” Jordan immediately cursed himself for leading with a compliment. He knew better, but he couldn’t help it. His chances were gone. Girls like Alyssa were made for better guys anyway, and–
“Let’s go for a walk.” She just came out and said it. Jordan wasn’t prepared for any of this. It was almost like she were just another person. Granted, her voice was like sunshine on butterfly wings, but for all other intents and purposes, she wasn’t any different from Amy. Except that if Amy knew about this meeting she would have levitated six inches off the ground and fired lightning out of her fingers.
“Alyssa, what’s going on? Where are Jason and Rich?”
“They’re going to kill your character, Jordan. This whole thing is a charade. All that talk about how the game is a ‘scam’ and how they are trying to set things straight is just a front to get you to lower your defenses. They think they can recruit you and your team and find out what you know. As soon as they get what they want, they have an ambush planned. All the guys they hired are in on it, and their characters were leveled from the ground up to counter yours.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I’m the secret weapon. They don’t want to use me against all the other dorks in this game. They want to use me against you. They offered me a hundred thousand dollars if I seduced you and got you to divulge the location of the Safekeep.”
“You know, you could be setting me up right now, making me think you’re a double-agent so you can get close enough to me to get the information you want.”
“Well, that’s the way a bad novelist would write it.” The look on Alyssa’s face was too much. She and Jordan laughed, and the tension eased a little. “I just realized what was really at stake when I turned in the two quests for that dress and those silk flowers. Orbit’s Gamer offered me twice what Jason did. All I had to do was model the dress for them. They offered me another fifty grand for an exclusive interview. Then I found out practically everyone in the game is trying to find you and beat that quest.”
Overpowered: A LitRPG Thriller (Kings and Conquests Book 1) Page 12
