Campaign (Blades VR Book 2)

by Terry Schott

  Tyce looked at it, his eyebrows rising before re-considering the party. “Critter clearance?” His gaze settled on Mercy. “Thought you might be able to handle a bit more than that.”

  Mercy returned his stare with a flat expression.

  Sebastian rested a hand on Xander’s shoulder. “The lady is not—.”

  Mercy cleared her throat and glared.

  “I’m sorry,” Sebastian said. “This woman is not here to participate.”

  Tyce considered Xander for a moment and nodded. “Here to train the cub, then? That makes sense. Got your own tents?”

  “We do.”

  Tyce pointed to a clear spot among the tents. “Set up over there. I’ll send someone to bring rations of food and water once you’re settled in.”

  Shale spoke up. “We can hunt and forage.”

  Tyce laughed. “Won’t find much edible in the woods. Least, not yet. But that’s what you’ll be working on for the next little bit.”

  “How do you mean?” Fen frowned.

  “This place is tainted.”

  “In what way?” Sebastian asked.

  Tyce made a hawking sound and spit onto the ground. “In every way. The water in all the rivers, the meat from the wildlife, even the berries and forageable vegetables. Can’t eat or drink any of it.”

  Sebastian frowned. “Why settle the area if it’s so hostile?”

  “This place was always more work than it was worth to cleanse the land.” He jerked his chin toward the party. “But now that we have a sudden influx of adventurers like yerselves”—he shrugged—“the Dominus feels it might finally be possible to reclaim the area and build a nice new settlement.”

  “We are grateful for the opportunity to help.”

  Tyce snorted. “Don’t be too thankful. Dangerous work is the only type we are offering here.”

  “I’m certain that you’re right.” Sebastian smiled. “The rewards seem worth the risk, though.”

  Tyce nodded. “That it does. Those who survive will be pleased with the experience and rewards.” He looked at Mercy. “Sure you don’t want to get involved, Death Stryker? Someone of your rank and skill could help speed things up for us.” He waited for a response and smiled after a few heartbeats when there was none. “Suit yourself.” He turned towards the house. “Be up by first light, and we’ll hand out assignments for the day.”

  18

  Fen shook his head and laughed, throwing his knife into the ground and watching as the hilt quivered back and forth. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Sebastian rubbed his forehead. “Those are the orders.”

  “They want us to kill squirrels?” Shale laughed and looked at Aleron.

  “No.” Aleron’s finger and thumb pulled at the corners of his mouth to help stifle a grin. “They want us to hunt and vanquish killer squirrels.”

  “Green ones,” Ezref said.

  Shale and Aleron erupted into loud laughter. Fen retrieved his knife and threw it into the dirt again. Xander continued sharpening his sword, while Mercy leaned against a tree and looked off into the woods.

  Sebastian waited until the elves stopped laughing. “We are to kill tainted wildlife. I expect there will be more than squirrels.”

  Shale’s smile disappeared and her eyes widened. “Oh god, I hope not. It will be all we can do to handle them. If something more ferocious comes upon us, we are doomed.”

  “Like a rabbit?” Aleron offered.

  Shale gasped, paused for a heartbeat, then let out a loud laugh, pounding Aleron on the back as he joined her.

  A scream split the air. The laughter stopped.

  “Where’d that come from?” Fen asked.

  “Across the field. Xander.” Mercy paused while the apprentice stood. “What’s happening over there?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, look.”

  He turned and squinted in the direction of the commotion. “I can’t see that far.”

  “Yes.” She tapped her left eye and then pointed at him. “You can. Like we talked about before.”

  “Oh. Right.” He closed his good eye, took a deep breath, exhaled, and opened it. A flash of silver blue light appeared beneath the frosted surface of his empty eye socket.

  “Whoah.” Fen said. “You’ve got an eyeball under there after all, Xander.”

  “Hsst,” Mercy hissed. “Don’t distract him.”

  Xander looked in the direction of the cries. After a few seconds, the glowing light faded. He smiled. “That was fantastic.”

  “And what did you see?” Mercy asked.

  “They are bringing someone in on a stretcher.”

  “If that was a person screaming, then they must be hurt real bad,” Ezref said.

  Xander nodded. “I can’t believe they’re still alive.”

  “Should we go take a closer look?” Ezref asked.

  Sebastian stood. “I think so.”

  ***

  “Oh my god,” Fen whispered.

  The wounded man was on the ground, lying on top of someone’s cloak. He writhed and moaned, a continuous noise that ebbed and flowed with each breath he took. Two clerics knelt at his side and a warrior was at his head, pressing against the man’s shoulders to hold him down. The victim’s clothes were torn, and his arms kept jerking, fingers clawing as they attempted to scratch the exposed areas of his skin.

  “His skin is green,” Shale said.

  “Aye.” Sebastian was frowning.

  “And that smell,” Xander said. “Is it coming off of him?”

  “I think so.”

  “It is.” Mercy touched Xander’s shoulder. “Step back here with me.”

  He did as instructed. “You know what’s wrong with him?”

  She nodded. “Jade taint.”

  Sebastian’s head snapped around. “What? Everyone step back. Now.”

  The group retreated and Tyce looked in their direction. “Shut your mouths and keep it down,” he hissed. “It’s not the jade taint.”

  Mercy snorted and crossed her arms. “He’s afraid,” she whispered, then thrust her chin toward Tyce and spoke. “Then what is it?”

  Tyce surveyed the area. Everyone still in camp had come to see what was going on. All gave the victim a wide berth, but most were still within hearing range. “Nobody panic.” He pointed to the man on the ground. “You can’t get it from being close to him. Only if you get his blood or spit on you.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Sebastian said.

  “Get cut, scratched, or bitten by any infected animal,” Tyce pointed at the infected man. “And this is what will happen to you.”

  “And...” Fen held his hands up like he was being robbed. “We’re outta here.”

  “Don’t be such a baby,” Tyce scowled. “It can be healed.”

  There was laughter from another group. “Yeah,” a woman dressed in crafter’s robes said. “This guy looks like healing totally did the trick for him.”

  “It would have,” Tyce said, “if a healer had been near him when he was first infected.”

  “There are healers present now.” Aleron took a step closer, pulling the sleeves of his shirt past his elbows. “I can help. Cure disease should fix him up.”

  “Too late,” the older cleric at the man’s side said. “Nornton was on guard duty last night and wandered off without anyone knowing. When first infected, the victim loses consciousness. If left untreated for three hours, it can’t be cured. It’s been longer than that.”

  “Damn.” Fen shook his head.

  “Aye.” The priest said. “And a victim sleeps for five to six hours after exposure, as if the sickness does its best to take hold.”

  Shale whistled. “That’s nasty.”

  “It’s also why no one is s’posed to go off on their own,” Tyce said.

  “If there’s nothing to be done, then the body should be taken from camp and disposed of,” Mercy said.

  “Body?” The cleric sneered. “He’s still aliv
e.”

  The Death Stryker’s smile was not pleasant. “You lack the skills to save him. He is simply waiting to be dead. And while he waits, the threat of him spreading the sickness is very real.”

  Sebastian sniffed at the horrible smell around them. “You’re absolutely certain it cannot be transferred through the air?”

  “Yes.” Tyce nodded.

  “Wait a minute,” Shale said. “Any infected wildlife can do this to us?”

  “That’s right. If it’s infected and attacks you, the smallest of scratches can result in becoming sick.”

  “Can the disease be ingested as well?” Xander asked.

  “Yes. Like I told you last night.” Tyce looked toward the forest. “The water from the rivers, meat from the wildlife, it is all infected.”

  “So.” Shale shook her head. “A squirrel could actually kill us out there.” She looked at the rest of her party.

  No one laughed this time.

  19

  Aleron pulled the leather upward, frowning as it stuck to the warm red blood dribbling down Shale’s leg. She gasped. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, without looking away from his task.

  “Not your fault.” The words came out with a strained tone. “Friggin’ squirrels.”

  Aleron smiled and then grimaced as he revealed the wound. “This doesn’t look like a squirrel bite, even though that does seem to be your most popular way of getting infected so far.”

  Shale leaned forward and examined the wound. “Oh. If that’s from a squirrel, then I hope we never meet it.” She reached down with one hand and pressed near the raw flesh. “Badger or something similar, is my guess.”

  “That a Shale guess or a ranger memory?”

  She smiled and leaned back, tapping her head with a finger. “Host memory.”

  Aleron pulled a mostly clean cloth from the small satchel he carried and began to wipe blood and dirt from the bite. “Did we kill any badgers on this run?”

  Shale looked toward the small pile of dead forest animals. Green tinged the fur of all the bodies. “Nope. No badgers. Must have been one in the woods that took a bite out of me as I ran past.”

  “Lie still a minute.” He tucked the cloth away and extended his hands so that both palms hovered above the wound. He closed his eyes and spoke the words of the healing spell, nodding as he felt a tingling warmth in his hands build and then flow outward. After a few heartbeats, the tingling subsided and he opened his eyes. The bite was healed; thin, pink skin covered the area. He leaned down to examine his handiwork, checking to make sure the edges of the new skin were not dark red and that there were no signs of green.

  “Thanks.” Shale leaned forward and pulled the pant leg back into place.

  “You can thank me by taking fewer bites.”

  “It’s not as if I’m trying to get bit.”

  “It’s not as if you’re trying not to, either.”

  “That’s sorta true.” She pursed her lips and then nodded. “Okay.”

  “I know you’ve got the tough job out here. We take the path for the most part and you slink around through the trees and shrubs.”

  “Where the nasty little buggers hide and ambush me.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t know if this infection makes them smarter, but they do seem more aggressive.”

  Sebastian approached and sank down to pat Shale’s leg. “We need to rest, Aleron?”

  The Scout shook his head. “I’ve still got four minor heals, two majors, and three cure disease memorized.”

  Sebastian frowned. “That’s more spells than a level-seven druid should be able to memorize.”

  Aleron shrugged.

  “You didn’t do your Scout thing and level-up too high, did you? You might be able to change class and level whenever you want, but the rest of us need to gain XP the old fashioned way.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not interfering with that.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  Aleron stood. “Kieran taught me how to do this. I know what I’m about.”

  “Okay.” Sebastian stood. “But if you’re wrong and we’ve been risking our lives for nothing, the rest of the group isn’t going to be pleased.”

  The leader walked away and Aleron held a hand toward his friend. Shale grabbed it and got to her feet. “He’s a cranky one today.”

  “I think he’s an animal lover.”

  Shale laughed. “I know I am.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but you realize these aren’t animals that we’re killing. He seems to have forgotten that none of this is real. Which is strange, considering who he is.”

  “But this is real.”

  “Realistic. There’s a difference.”

  She laughed. “If there is, I’m having a hard time seeing it.” She thumped him on the chest with her fist and smiled as his eyes narrowed. “That felt real, right?”

  “Stop.”

  “And the ground, the wind, the sun. This world feels no different to me than the one we were born into. And the animals behave the same way. Well, if animals back home were sick with a disease like rabies or something. You know what I mean.”

  He sighed. “You’re right. It’s very different from hacking away at creatures on the computer screen.”

  “I’m glad that it’s so vivid.”

  “So am I.”

  “Kinda getting tired of killer rodents, though.”

  Aleron laughed. “Every game starts that way. I guess they could only be original up to a point in this one. Let’s catch up to the others.”

  20

  In traditional role-playing games, alignment is defined as the categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures. Behaving differently than society expects is a key component of RPG success. An ordinarily law-abiding, helpful person, while playing, can escape not only the real world but also their own moral characteristics, choosing to let the damsel die instead of being forced to save her.

  This is the case with Blades VR as well. We have designed an intelligent and self-learning system for all non-player characters. This means that as events happen to them, their alignment toward good or evil, lawful or chaotic, will shift and change. Life experience will alter how the NPC behaves toward his or her surroundings.

  There is no such system for players. They are free to role-play however they see fit. Experience has shown that most will behave similar to their real alignment at first and then modify their behaviour as they become more comfortable in their new environment.

  Alignment and Blades VR — Chapter 2 (b), Players Hand Manual

  The group heard Shale’s signal and stopped, gathering closer, hands on weapons.

  The ranger materialized from the trees and raised her hand, indicating the all-clear. Sebastian relaxed and stepped from the group as she ran to them.

  “Pretty sure the entire area is clear,” she said.

  Xander snorted. “Until the critters move back in overnight and are all over us again tomorrow when we come back.”

  Fen grinned. “I don’t think the critters even wait that long. It’s as if they sense a void and slowly seep in to fill it.”

  “Only the tainted animals,” Aleron said.

  “If any are uninfected, they must be hiding deeper in the forest.” Fen rubbed the blond stubble on his cheeks.

  “Isn’t it even worse further in?” the young Scout asked.

  Sebastian grunted. “That’s what some of the other groups say, but I don’t think anyone really knows for sure.”

  “It’s getting late,” Mercy looked skyward. “We should turn back for camp.”

  “Good call.” Sebastian reached into one of the pouches on his belt, withdrew a dried bat wing, and handed it to Ezref. “Let’s move a few hundred feet to our left so that we can clear another patch of woods while we move toward home.”

  Shale jogged away and disappeared into the brush. Fen led the group, with the rest following in what had now become
their accustomed positions. Xander walked slightly behind Fen and to his right, Aleron to the warrior’s left. Ezref followed ten paces directly behind the warrior, while Sebastian and Mercy brought up the rear.

  “Bored out of your skull yet?” Sebastian asked the Death Stryker.

  She laughed softly. “Xander is doing very well, but he still has much to learn.”

  “You have him doing exercises and drills in camp that are ten times more strenuous than our actual missions.”

  “That is proper. His body must be conditioned.”

  “He’s getting experience with us.”

  She snorted.

  “You would rather see him fighting umber hulks or dragons?”

  “The pace is adequate, or I would have increased it out here as well.”

  “How?” He glanced at Mercy and saw her scowl.

  “Your ranger misses a lot of opportunities. Larger creatures that would prove more difficult to handle.”

  “Is that so?”

  She nodded.

  “Why not tell her, or flush the tougher stuff out yourself?”

  “There’s no need. When you are ready, the more challenging prey will show itself.”

  Two sharp whistles sounded from ahead. Sebastian saw Mercy smile as he turned to face the direction of the alarm. “That’s the danger signal,” he said.

  “See?” Mercy laughed as the group broke into a run to find Shale.

  ***

  They emerged from the trees and came to a stop beside the ranger. She had her bow out, arrow nocked. They stood on the edge of a clearing filled with sounds of screaming and battle. A party of twelve stood on the other edge, backs to them as they faced the woods with weapons drawn. Three adventurers lay on the ground, one writhing in pain, with a hand over his stomach and blood pouring out, the other two on their backs, arms splayed and unmoving.

  “That’s Varnix’s group, right?” Aleron asked.

  “It is,” Ezref said. “But I don’t see him.”

  “Twenty in their group, and there are only fifteen in front of us.”

  “The others are likely in the woods,” Mercy said.

  There was a loud crashing sound and one of the thirteen dropped to the ground, neck twisted so that the man’s head was almost facing backwards.