“Then what are they using to fund their treasury?”
“Maybe hunting?” Javy suggested. “You can get some pretty valuable resources off from some of the animals that range the forests.”
“But would it be enough?” Gavin asked.
“Well, it would certainly help them, in any case,” Javy said. “Or maybe they sell raw materials. They seem to offer a lot of vulcanite ore on the market.”
“I'm guessing you're thinking of something?” Zach asked Gavin.
“Yeah. Why don't we-”
Selene's voice cut in over the radio. “There's another group coming at us. Looks like the group you took out might have called for help.”
“Do you need backup?” Danny asked.
“We've got this covered,” Ethan said. A few seconds later there was an explosion in the distance. “Man, they're cannon fodder,” he commented.
“They're way too eager to throw under equipped and under trained troops into the grinder,” Selene commented. “They're up to something.”
“They're keeping us distracted while they deal with the Legion Pact,” Zach said. “I don't think that there's anything more sophisticated than that going on.”
“How sure are you about that?” Selene asked. “They're throwing themselves into battles that they can't possibly win, and they're giving us more experience. That's going to hurt them in the long run.”
“Unless they have another objective,” Gavin said. “What if they're doing this to make sure that the fights are happening on our territory? Maybe they're throwing away their low level guys because it keeps us here instead of attacking their weak point.”
“Where would their weak point be?” Xavier asked.
“Like I said, where are they getting their money from? If we could find some way to disrupt that, then they're in deep trouble.”
“Then again, they could take it as an outright declaration of war,” Selene said.
Zach shrugged. “The idea has plenty of merit. But it's going to be your decision on how you want to work this.”
“What, you don't have an opinion?” Gavin asked.
“I'm going to be away for almost a week, and you all know how fast things change here. Just make sure that you have approval from the rest of the council before you act. And try not to wreck everything while I'm gone, please.”
“Will do,” Selene said. “I'll try to keep the others in line.”
“Great,” Zach said, though he was still uncertain. This was probably one of the worst times to be leaving.
“So, what do you think?” Nora asked as they walked in the front door of the cabin.
“Nice. It's bigger than I expected,” Zach said. It was built like an A frame house, with a living space, kitchen and bathroom below, and a sizable loft up top for sleeping, which was accessed by a spiral staircase to one side. There was a large fireplace up against one wall. The cabin was cold, probably from being shut up for the winter.
“If you don't mind grabbing some of the stuff out of the truck, I'm going to go start up the generator,” Nora said.
“No problem,” Zach said. He headed out to the truck and opened up the bed. First came their bags. After that he grabbed a quartet of bags that had food for the week, and then the cooler. After that came another bag with clean sheets. The last thing he unloaded was a half dozen large jerry cans filled with fuel for the generator. Nora had estimated they had plenty to last them the week up here already, but they had brought them along just in case. He grabbed a pair and headed out back.
“Where do you want me to put these?” he asked when he found Nora out back. She was leaning over, adding fuel into the generator.
“Put them in there,” she said, motioning to the open doors of a shed. Zach placed them inside, next to seven other jerry cans, then went back and grabbed two more. He carried those over as well, then went back for the last two. Nora was done firing up the generator when he returned.
“What do you want to do once we're done unpacking?” Zach asked.
“It's a bit late in the day to start hiking any of the good trails,” Nora said. “It'll take us about half the day to do any of them, and we only have an hour of daylight left.”
Zach shrugged. “Might as well make a fire and then do dinner.”
“Do you know how?”
“Of course I do.”
“Do you know how to operate an actual fireplace without burning down the cabin?” Nora said with a raised eyebrow.
“OK, it's been a while.”
“Define a while.”
“Probably ten years,” Zach said.
“Yeah, no. OK, you get to unpack. I'm building the fire,” Nora said. “The fridge is in the back left corner of the kitchen, built into the cabinet. It should be cooling right now.”
“Won't even let me play with fire,” Zach grumbled as he grabbed the cooler.
“All the drinks in the world wouldn't make burning down the cabin any better,” Nora said.
“Oh, not you too,” Zach said. He started to unpack the contents info the fridge.
Nora had ducked outside and came back with a handful of wood taken from the large pile out back. “What, it's your fault for using that as your go to for making things up to people.”
“What else could I do?”
“Not get everyone killed?” Nora suggested as she started to stack some of the wood in the fireplace. Larger logs went on the bottom. Another layer of smaller logs were stacked perpendicular to them, followed by a layer of kindling. She finished it off by putting several pages of newspaper on top, tied into knots.
“Yeah, yeah,” Zach said. He finished filling the refrigerator and grabbed one of the bags to unload.
“Seriously though, you're going to go broke at the rate you're going,” Nora said.
“Maybe everyone else needs to stop dying,” Zach said.
Nora laughed. “I'm sure they'd love that suggestion.”
Zach finished up unpacking the bags while Nora lit the fire, then tossed their clothes and hiking gear bags up in the loft. “Who's cooking dinner?” he asked.
Nora stuck out her hand. “Rock, paper, scissors?”
Zach put his own hand out. “On three. One. Two. Three!” He groaned. Nora had thrown out scissors to his paper. “I'm it then.”
Nora laughed. “Don't worry, I'm not going to just sit around.” She grabbed the railing to the staircase.
“Where are you going?” Zach asked as he started to sort through the food they had on hand, thinking about what to make.
“Someone's got to put the sheets on,” she said as she climbed up.
“Ah. Not going to complain about that,” Zach said.
“Yeah, I bet,” Nora called back from the top.
Zach finally settled on making a stir fry with chicken, vegetables and noodles. By the time he was done chopping up the ingredients Nora had finished up top and had climbed back down. The cabin was starting to warm from the now roaring fire. Zach tossed the ingredients into a large pan and put them on the propane stove.
“Smells good,” Nora commented as she tended to the fire.
“Thanks,” Zach said. It was done in a few minutes, and he divided it up into two portions. “Dinner's served,” he said.
“Wonder how it's going for the rest of them,” Nora wondered aloud as they sat at the table eating.
“Knowing them, they've probably gotten into some sort of trouble by now. Since doing dumb, reckless and borderline insane stuff seems to be our calling card.”
“Ah, yeah. I remember the talk around Old Chicago when I was first recruited. Oh, Black Wolf is a bunch of insane fools who managed to take a fortress through sheer dumb luck, everyone said.”
“That description is pretty accurate, I'd say,” Zach said. “But I guess you can stand our company. Even if we're all insane. Especially me.”
Nora made a thoughtful face as she chewed. “Well, you're different.”
“I'm not insane?” Zach asked.
; “Oh, in the game world you're completely insane,” Nora said. “But that's not why I'm with you now. I'm with you because I'm attracted to your real world half, not your game world self. I mean, I guess interacting with you in the world got my attention somewhat, but it wasn't until I met you in real life that things started to take off.”
“You make it sound so clinical,” Zach said.
Nora poked him. “Well maybe it is. We're kind of dealing with uncharted territory here. I'm surprised that Dr. Unger isn't all over this by now.”
“I can definitely see where that's true,” Zach agreed. “There's too many things that I enjoy about you that are missing in the virtual world.”
“Wonder what that is,” Nora commented.
“I mean other things. Your cello playing, for instance, and your music love. Those are things I appreciate about you that aren't in the virtual world.”
Nora leaned back in her chair. “It kind of makes you think. Can you really form a real relationship in the virtual world? Like, what if we had never met in real life? Could we still have formed a real relationship? Or would it just be an imitation, because there would be so many things about ourselves that would be missing?”
“So the virtual world you isn't the real you?” Zach said. “I can see where that would be true, though I would also argue that a lot of yourself is present in your avatar.”
“Yeah, but even then there's a lot of holes. A lot of people act completely different in the virtual world. Like, out of you, Danny and Selene, who would people peg as the leader in the virtual world?”
“Well, me,” Zach said.
“And that's different from real life, where Selene is the leader,” Nora said. “And there's more. Danny might seem absent-minded at times, but then you learn he's going to have a doctorate in philosophy. That changes a lot of assumptions about him. Or Miko. She's the quiet, cold sniper in the game, but she definitely isn't quiet when we go out.”
“To be fair, neither are you.”
Nora stuck her tongue out. “That was one time.”
Zach laughed. “I see what you're getting at, and it's true, to a point. But that would mean friendships that we made in the virtual world aren't real either, because a lot of our personality is missing or outright misrepresented.”
“Yeah, that would be the logical extension of that thought,” Nora said.
“But is it true? I mean, there's a lot I don't know about people I've met in real life, but that didn't stop me from becoming friends with them. There were things I didn't know about Danny or Selene when we were growing up, and learning about them changed how I saw them. But that didn't keep me from forming a friendship with them. Isn't this the same thing?”
“You're right, and I know it's not logical, but it just feels like the flesh and blood part needs to be there. If it's not present, then there's just something missing. I can't explain it. It just needs to be there.”
“Ah, the old argument of what it means to be alive and human?” Zach said. “So you're saying that the virtual world lacks a soul?”
Nora shrugged. “I guess.”
“The world may lack a soul, but the people in it don't. There's still cooperation and friendship present. There's still room in there for kindness and understanding. Even if it's all just a virtual construct. But it's a construct that's shaped by people in the real world, and we all have souls out here. Who's to say that we can't bring a little soul to the world ourselves?”
“That's a rather romantic view of things,” Nora commented.
“Yeah, and it might be stupid, but it's just the way I feel.”
Nora sighed. “How did we get this far? I can remember playing games as a five year old where you poked the screen like an idiot to blow up lollipops, and now we're playing something that's starting to blur the lines of reality.”
“Heh, it's a lot like my grandfather says. Have you ever seen a VHS tape?”
“Oh yeah. I found some while I was cleaning out my great grandparents's attic.”
“Well, like my grandfather says, he went from VHS tapes, to disks, to cloud streaming in the span of thirty years, and at the end of it all it was just mind-boggling for him how primate the things he had grown up with seemed.”
“Ugh. That makes me feel so old,” Nora said.
Zach shook his head. “I guess every generation goes through that. I mean, someone could have easily been alive to see the first flight and then see people landing on the moon.”
“Yeah, but it makes me realize just how much time has passed. And then I hear the voices.”
“What voices?”
“The 'when are you getting married?' or 'when do I get grandchildren?' voices,” Nora said.
“Oh, those ones,” Zach said. “I'm glad I have Sarah to take the heat off me for that one.”
“Yeah, well only children aren't so lucky,” Nora said. “My mom approves of you quite a bit, because you're a good shot at grandchildren, and you're a good fit for me, and you're a wonderful person. But mostly because you're a good shot at her having grandchildren soon.”
“Gee, thanks,” Zach said, trying to suppress a laugh.
Nora tried to hide her smile. “Well, how do you think I feel?”
“Old?” Zach guessed.
Nora punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Keep that up and you'll be sleeping outside.”
“Isn't that a just a little soon? I mean, we've been dating for only a few months. Seems a bit sudden.”
“Trust me, it's not surprising. I think my mom always wanted more children, but it just never happened. And I guess it's shifted to wanting grandchildren,” Nora said.
“Great.”
Nora smiled. “Welcome to my world.”
Zach rolled over. He could hear the sound of the birds beginning to stir and could see the light spilling through the window on the other side of the cabin. He sat up in time to see Nora coming up the stairs, a pair of mugs in one hand and a tall kettle in the other. She sat down one the right side of the bed and put the kettle down on the nightstand. Zach could smell coffee.
“Sleep well?” she asked as she grabbed one of the mugs and poured a cup of coffee.
“Yes, this was really comfortable,” Zach said. He sat up and poured himself a cup as well.
“Good, because we're probably going to crash after today.”
“Is the trail going to be that bad?” Zach asked, blowing on his coffee before taking a sip.
“I think we should do the lake trail. It's gorgeous, but there are some pretty steep parts, and the entire trail is about eight miles long.”
“Well jeeze,” Zach said, taking another sip. “I'm glad I took the time to exercise every day. Otherwise going from sitting on my rear for ten hours a day to this would probably end up killing me.”
Nora laughed. “That's one thing you can say for this place. As much fun as the virtual world is, you don't get the feeling that you get in the real world. You don't feel your muscles burning, or have trouble catching your breath when you're winded. I mean, you feel it to some degree, but it's just not the same as what you get in the real world.”
“Some people would want to be in a place where the painful things in life hurt a lot less,” Zach said.
“Mmm. Reminds me of a question that one of my sociology professors talked about. Will we end up in a society that lives almost permanently attached to a virtual world because it will provide the illusion of a utopia? A place where everyone is happy and all pain is gone.”
“Would it be an illusion, though?” Zach asked. “Or would it be an advancement?”
“It would be an illusion,” Nora said. “I was thinking about what you said last night, about the world having a soul because of what we put into it. I think that's true. But the world itself has no soul. And as soon as you fully lose yourself to that world, then you become soulless as well.”
“Do you think we're like that?” Zach asked.
Nora shook her head. “The virtual world is a big part
of our lives, and there's no denying that. But it's not the only part of our lives. It's not all-consuming. Like you said, we can add soul to the world. And we can do that because the world is a part of the experience of our lives. But it's not the totality of our lives. I enjoy playing in the world. I also enjoy making music in the real world, with my own hands. It's all part of the experience that's life.”
“I think you're right about that,” Zach said. “I was so eager to get into game when it first came out. And you know why? It was because I wanted to experience the world with Selene and Danny. And then it turned into wanting to experience it with all of you. But if I didn't know anyone, if I was just in it to be the strongest or something, then I think it would have no soul.”
“Without the rest of them, the world just wouldn't be the same,” Nora said. “And I don't think that a virtual world where all pain was gone would be a place I would want to live. Some people might say that I'm a masochist for thinking that...”
“Are you?”
Nora flicked his ear. “Why would you want to know?” she asked.
“Seems like that might be an important detail, that's all,” Zach joked.
“I just think that it lacks the same meaning if it's easy. I just think you have to overcome in order to truly achieve. And that success without opposition isn't really achievement.”
“Next you'll be ranting about the poor state of the public school system,” Zach said, taking a another drink.
“Hey, I just think it means more if you overcome the odds, that's all. And I guess that's why the conflict against Ragnarok excites me quite a bit.”
“You're excited about it?” Zach asked. “Some of the others might think you're crazy.”
“No matter how real it seems, we're playing a game. And if you can't have fun playing a game, then you've managed to suck the soul out of it,” Nora said. “I think that's why enjoy what we do so much. We look for challenges. We take risks, and it's all the more satisfying when we manage to pull it off.”
“But we've always managed to pull it off. What happens if we don't succeed this time?” Zach asked. “What happens if we lose?”
“Then we start from scratch and build our way back up again,” Nora said.
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