“Oh, come on now,” Jimmy said trying to look annoyed and failing. “How am I supposed to make fun of Bishop if he can hear me?”
“Miss you, man,” Arthur said and waved at Jimmy so Harrison could see.
The others waved and said they missed him too then told him what they were going to do first. Harrison did not like being outside the game, but not running around was kind of nice for a change. He didn’t interact much with his guild unless they asked him a question and he warned whoever he was livestreaming just so they knew they had a Bishop on their shoulder. Lunch time came and he set the tablet aside as Dr. Sanchez came over to check on him.
“That fever is not budging,” she murmured, more to herself than him.
“You’re not going to send me to a hospital, are you?” Harrison asked. “Please don’t do that.”
“If you don’t get better in another couple of days, I might have to.”
“I’ll get better soon enough.”
“You better.” She glanced up and frowned. “Your friends are here. I shouldn’t let them in.”
“Five minutes?”
Dr. Sanchez rolled her eyes when he gave her big ole puppy dog eyes, and she groaned. “Fine, but no physical contact of any kind or they’re going to wind up in the bed right next to you. Five minutes,” she said, waving them in. “I’m counting.”
They chatted with Harrison for their quick five minutes and he urged them to keep going with the questing since it seemed he was going to be gone a few more days. They promised to still avoid the main storyline at least so they could do all those stories together.
As they were getting ready to leave, Alana leaned in close and whispered, “You don’t think she got you sick, do you? The Queen?”
Harrison frowned. “How could she do that?”
“I dunno, but this game keeps messing with your head and I don’t like it.”
“It’s just a virus. Probably cooties from Jimmy or something,” he teased, hoping her worried frown and her question would go away. “Really, I’ll be back in no time.”
Callie blew him a kiss and then Dr. Sanchez shooed them away. She asked Harrison about lunch, but he was still full from breakfast. She didn’t like his answer, but let him be. He was picking up the tablet to get ready to watch again whenever they logged in when the doors opened and Dennis waved.
“Dennis,” Dr. Sanchez greeted him first. “Do you see what this game is doing to your players?”
“I assure you, this is not from the game. Stop your worrying,” he said.
“And if it is?”
“Tell me how you believe this man caught a virus from a computer game? Unless of course, it’s a computer virus. I did not realize they were jumping from microchips to humans now.”
Dr. Sanchez muttered under her breath, but walked away leaving them to talk.
“I see you received my gift,” he said and pulled over a chair.
“Yeah, it’s brilliant. Nice being able to watch them while they play.”
“Yes. You being out of the game has certainly riled up the other players at having a chance to catch up to the great Harrison Harper.”
“Not that great,” he said, but Dennis shook his head. “At least no one else has to endure the games NPCs targeting them.”
Dennis frowned and Harrison wished he hadn’t mentioned the issue with the Queen. “True, but at the same time their gameplay has not been as exciting as yours, has it? I’ll admit, I never anticipated this game turning dangerous for its players, but I still believe it has chosen you for a reason.”
“Chosen me? Dennis, it’s a computer. It’s not supposed to choose me for anything.”
“You really think it’s still just a simple computer game?”
Harrison frowned as he glanced up at the IV bag. She said it was fluids, but the longer he stared at Dennis, the longer he began to see another face. The one he saw in the game of Dennis’ character. They fused together then shifted again before his eyes and Harrison cringed. He rubbed a hand over his face hard, but when he opened his eyes this time, only the player Dennis sat in front of him. No, not Dennis.
Daemyn.
“Dennis?” Harrison whispered.
“Harper? Are you alright? Do I need to fetch Dr. Sanchez?”
“No, uh no I’m just exhausted is all. Can we talk about this later?”
He’s a liar, Bishop, so many lies hide behind that kind old face. Lies that will get people killed
“Of course. I’ll check on you again tomorrow. You can use the tablet to watch movies, or TV if you like, too.” Dennis rose, his whole body now shifting from Dennis to Daemyn and back again. “I hope you feel better soon.”
Harrison watched him speak with Dr. Sanchez before he exited the infirmary. Harrison wanted to watch his guild play that afternoon, but he set the tablet aside, rolled over, and shut his eyes. Sleep, he just needed sleep. Everything would be fine when he opened his eyes again. His fever would break, Tyler would come back with his gear fixed, and he would laugh about how he heard a voice inside his head and found himself wandering the halls of the facility.
Everything would be perfectly normal.
Chapter 03
Harrison fell into an uncomfortable sleep for the rest of the day. He heard Dr. Sanchez moving around and speaking to someone at one point, but he didn’t open his eyes. He was exhausted, more than he’d been in a very long time. Opening his eyes was too much work.
That and it would disrupt the beautiful voice in his head singing to him.
Somewhere, deep in his subconscious, he assumed he heard the sirens from the game and it was all just a dream. But the song lulled him into an even deeper sleep. He never wanted them to stop and quietly begged for them to continue.
They can sing for you forever, Bishop, another voice whispered. You only have to join me and you know where to find me. You know exactly what you need to do.
Harrison rolled over in the bed and his feet found the cold floor. “Yes, yes I know.”
Come find me, Bishop. Find me and stay with me, forever.
He took a step, but something held him back. Pain bloomed from his hand and he grimaced. His eyes shot open and he stared wildly around the infirmary. It was night, again, and the IV was still attached to his hand. He hurried to get back in bed and tune out the strange voice in his head. He saw nothing the other day in the game. Tyler told him the gear was messed up. It was the gear and him being sick messing with his mind. The Queen could not reach him outside the game. It wasn’t possible. His eyes wide open, he mumbled under his breath, the names of his friends, their characters, anything to keep himself from thinking or hearing anything else inside his head. When his gaze landed on the far windows, they shimmered and he frowned.
He hadn’t seen that since the first time he was brought here. He blinked, and the shimmering stopped. He didn’t see it again that night. But he did watch the sunrise. When Dr. Sanchez came in bright and early that morning, he was waiting for her with a smile on his face. Strangely, his appetite had returned as well.
“Well, your fever’s gone,” she said and carefully removed the IV. “How do you feel?”
“Hungry,” he told her. “Starving actually.”
“Good. I’ll order some breakfast for you. I don’t want you to eat too much yet, just in case, but I’ll make sure they bring you more than toast and juice.”
“Can I get back into the game today?” he asked.
Dr. Sanchez frowned. “Harrison, do you know what day it is?”
“Thursday, right?”
“No, it’s Saturday,” she told him. “You slept all day yesterday. Your friends came to see you, but you were out cold.”
“What?” Harrison’s heart monitor beeped loudly as his pulse jumped.
“Calm down, Harrison, it’s alright. You were pretty sick. I told Dennis if you weren’t better by today I was taking you out of here to a hospital. Miraculously enough, you’re much better.” She stared at him as if she didn’t believe
it herself, but he had no fever and he had his appetite back.
She said she would order some breakfast and if he wanted to take care of his business, he could go right ahead. He slipped from the bed and surprised himself by how easy he was able to walk to the bathroom after the last few days. He closed the door and wondered what happened yesterday. He swore that much time hadn’t passed and no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t find any memories pertaining to Friday. Not that it mattered. He was better now, which meant he would be able to get back in the game, hopefully.
“Has Tyler said anything about my gear?” he asked Dr. Sanchez when he returned to his bed.
“Nothing to me, but you can ask your friends.” She waved for them to come in and Callie rushed to hug him. “They were quite anxious yesterday when you didn’t wake up at all.”
Harrison hugged her back hard. “I’m alright,” he promised, but it took her a while to let him go so Jimmy could shake his hand and Alana could hug him next.
“You didn’t look like it yesterday,” Jimmy said. “You scared us, man.”
“Worse than the other times?”
“You didn’t wake up and your fever spiked,” Callie said. “They were about to send you away in a chopper, but Dennis said to give you a few more hours and then your fever broke enough for Dr. Sanchez to keep you here.”
“I can’t believe I was out for a full day.”
“Don’t worry, we didn’t do much,” Jimmy assured him. “Although we found out what that small group of huts were, by accident.”
“What?”
“We found Winston’s first loyal men,” Callie explained. “All we did was talk to the guy, though, so you’ll be right beside us when you get back in game. We’re level twenty-seven now, but you’ll catch up quick. We all chipped in and bought you an experience booster.”
Harrison frowned. “Those are insanely expensive.”
“Yeah well, you’ve done a lot for us too, so take it as a get well soon gift.”
“And no refunds,” Alana added.
“I’m not sure when I’ll be back up and running. I haven’t heard about my gear yet.”
The doors slid open and Tyler appeared as if on cue. “Good, you’re alive. I was worried there for a few days,” he said, shaking Harrison’s hand. “And your gear should be functioning properly by Monday.”
“Do you know what was wrong with it?”
“One of the main connections was fried. It overheated, but we’re taking the weekend to double check everyone’s gear to ensure this doesn’t happen to you or anyone else.”
“Hell, not even in game you’re saving everyone’s ass,” Jimmy teased.
“What can I say? I’m just a genuine hero.”
Yes, Bishop, you’re a hero, but not theirs. Oh no, you are my champion. You will understand the truth soon enough.
The voice rushed past his ears and he stilled. Still, he kept the smile on his face as his friends hung around and talked while his breakfast was brought in. By lunch, he was feeling so much better, he begged and pleaded with Dr. Sanchez to let him leave the infirmary.
“No, you can be free tomorrow, but I want you to stay here one more night. Your friends are more than welcome to stay with you for a while, but I want to be absolutely certain you’re better, especially if I’m going to sign the ok for you to get back into the game Monday.”
Harrison sighed and gave in. “Alright, I’ll stay.”
Inwardly, he groaned. He was dying to get out of this space with its white walls and white sheets. When his friends weren’t there, he used the tablet to watch movies, and when night rolled around, he forced himself to try and get some rest.
Sunday was the longest day ever. He was released from the infirmary, but he was desperate to get back into the game. He was excited they found a link to Winston and couldn’t wait to talk to the NPC so he could eventually reach Winston. He doubted it would be that easy to find the old Commander, but they were headed in the right direction at least. Callie stayed close to his side all Sunday and made sure to walk him to his room.
“You’re sure you’re ready to get back in the game?” she asked again.
“I told you I’m fine,” he promised, his hands on her shoulders. “Trust me.”
“I do, but this game doesn’t treat you like everyone else. I just worry it’s messing with your head and not in a good way. You don’t want permanent damage.”
His brow furrowed. “You know, Dennis said almost the same thing.”
“About what?”
“About how this game chose me. I told him that wasn’t possible, a game can’t choose people for things…can it?”
Callie shook her head. “I don’t know anymore. Everything’s different.”
“Look, I get it if you don’t want to get dragged into whatever this is,” he started, but she pressed her fingers to his lips and he grinned.
“Shut up, you idiot. Get some rest. You have some catching up to do tomorrow, remember?”
They shared a rather heated kiss and Harrison wondered what would happen if they both disappeared into his room for the night. But Callie was right. Although he felt rested, tomorrow would be a long day for him mentally. He needed to be on top of his game. Reluctantly, they parted and he watched her saunter down the hall and disappear around the corner towards her room.
When Harrison fell asleep that night, he dreamt of only one thing and that was the beauty with the pixie haircut and soft, red lips.
***
“It’s so good to be back!” Bishop bellowed in the middle of the path where he logged in at, stretching his arms over his head. It was like waking up from a very long and exhausting dream, finally being back in the game.
He told the others he would meet them back at Glendow once he picked up the quest involving Winston. There were a few quests they told him about and he planned on doing those, too. They were going to spend most of the day finishing up some crafting and farming for mats. By lunch he hoped to be caught up, especially since they gifted him the boost. He saw the icon for it out of the corner of his eye and grinned. Sometimes, he still wasn’t used to having such good friends.
“Willy?” he called. “Willy?”
He waited for a solid ten minutes, but Willy didn’t appear. He checked his pet status. Willy was alive, just not with him. Bishop hated to do anything without his trusty wolf by his side, but he was wasting time standing there. When Willy was ready, he assumed the wolf would find his way to Bishop’s side.
He trudged down the muddy road, glancing up when raindrops wetted his hair and face. The sky was overcast and the Dead Fortress loomed high up over the trees. The grouping he saw with the others last week came into clearer view and he realized they were tents, ragged and filled with holes, surrounding a sizzling campfire.
He paused when he neared the first one and frowned. There was no one there.
“Uh, hello?” he said hesitantly.
The leaves overhead rustled and three men dropped down on him. Bishop reached for his bow, but a blade was at his throat and he stilled.
“Who are you?” the tall man before him asked, wearing a black cloak and a hood that covered everything, but his mouth. “Speak quickly; we have little time for nuisances.”
“Winston, I’m looking for Winston,” Bishop spat.
“Winston? We know of no Winston,” the man replied. “Kill him.”
“Wait! I’m a half-breed, I was there when the King was attacked,” Bishop rattled off.
“And? Many were present that day.”
“I saw him attacked by the Demon Queen,” he said. “I was there and I fought her off with Winston’s aid. We saved him, but the King is being manipulated by dark forces. He turned on Winston, and me. I seek him out to aid Bronson and Tavin, the rightful Queen of Weston and Samar.”
The dagger at his throat disappeared and the man before him threw back his hood. He had a jagged scar running down the right side of his face and his gaze was intense, studying Bishop as
the two beside him kept their faces covered.
“You are the man Winston told us of. What is your name, traveler?”
“Bishop. I’m looking for him.”
“Winston is not here. He has moved on, but he left a request behind, something he needed you to do for him.”
Bishop nodded and waited for the man to continue. Instead, he removed a letter from his cloak and held it out. Bishop accepted the item, but no prompts appeared yet. Breaking the wax seal, he opened the letter and briefly read the message.
“This says to track down the old texts of Gornath?”
“They have been scattered throughout the ages, all across Samar. Finding them will not be an easy task, but they must be found if we are to have any hope of defeating Queen Valenastrious.” The man held out his arm. “Will you accept this task?”
Bishop shook the man’s hand firmly and a prompt appeared.
Accepted Quest: Break the Queen’s Defenses
“One more thing,” the man said, not yet releasing Bishop’s hand. “There is a Demon encampment south of here. Winston requests you destroy it. Kill every Demon you find, and burn it to the ground as a warning to others.”
“I will do as Winston asked,” Bishop replied, and a second prompt appeared.
Accepted Quest: Salting the Earth with their Blood
“Winston will seek you out once you have completed this task for him.”
“And the texts? What do I do with them?”
“The time for using them will come,” the man said, releasing his hand. “Now go, be on your way. There is much work to do yet if we are to save Samar from her clutches.”
The men sat down around their small fire and Bishop took that as his cue to leave.
Bishop found his way back to the main road and brought up his map. There were no indicators in this territory or any others he could see that would give him a hint as to where these texts were being kept, or even how many there were. He saw where the Demon encampment was, south of Glendow, but would meet up with the rest of his guild before he tackled that quest. He wandered down the road, keeping his eyes peeled for any other quests he might manage to pick up before hitting the small town again, but none came. He tried calling for Willy, too, but the wolf still wouldn’t come to him.
The Dead Fortress: A LitRPG Epic (World of Samar Book 3) Page 3
