by Dean Henegar
Looking across the arena, I could see Yendys had just finished off the last of the soldiers I had sent against her. Her health was just above half and her mana was nearly drained. Even as I watched, two crossbow bolts hit her, dropping health to half. I charged toward the small druid, followed by the sergeant, as the scouts continued their punishing fire. Yendys nearly depleted her mana pool to, once again, entangle the scouts in damaging vines, taking them out of the fight until the spell expired. The sergeant with me was then stopped by a dog Yendys summoned from her next cast. The sergeant had to stop and deal with the animal before he could continue. Yendys hit me in the chest once again with her nature’s wrath spell, burning through my armor and causing more damage over time. My health was now below half and I still had twenty yards to cover before I entered melee combat. I was nearly out of options, knowing I would likely lose to a one-on-one melee fight against the druid without any supporting soldiers. At ten yards, Yendys used the last of her mana to cast a final nature’s wrath. The glowing green ball unerringly shot toward my face, fizzling as it connected.
Nature’s wrath has been resisted.
Yendys frowned as my magic resistance kicked in on her last spell. An evil grin then slowly came over her face as I entered melee range and she readied her staff to attack me. The druid knew from our previous conversations that I was weak in one-on-one combat. Her confidence melted as I activated honor guard and two elite soldiers appeared next to her. The honor guard ability forced her attention from me onto the newly summoned elite soldiers, preventing her from targeting me until the honor guard was defeated.
“Totally not fair, old man Raytak! I was just about to beat you down!” Yendys yelled in frustration. The honor guard soldiers flanked Yendys, their blades flicking out from behind their shields as they tested her defenses. I joined the party and began to attack with my blade as well. I had hoped for help from the scouts, but looking over I saw that they were all down. The last of their previously depleted health pools had been drained away by the piercing vines holding them. The sergeant would be no help either, he was winning the fight with the summoned dog, but this fight would be over one way or another before he was done. Yendys, to her credit, never gave up and took out one of the honor guards and had nearly finished the second before I scored a lucky critical hit and dropped her health to zero.
Victory! You have defeated Yendys in a duel. This was an unranked duel, no reputation gain or loss for either party.
The arena faded away and I found myself facing Yendys and Crunchy just outside the now roped-off area entrance. Yendy’s pouted a bit waiting for me to say something.
“A close fight, Yendys! Well fought by you and Crunchy, you almost had me with that mandible attack,” I offered, trying to lighten the mood. Yendys looked thoughtfully for a moment before rushing over and hugging me.
“It’s ok, old man Raytak. You don’t have to call me the unicorn queen. You beat us fair and square. Just promise you won’t trick me with any more unicorn stories!” Yendys muttered. A memory surfaced as the halfling hugged me. I could just make out holding my child, giving him a hug while telling him goodnight…the thought then faded quickly, something blocking it once more. This kid somehow reminded me of my own. Maybe playing the game was helping after all. If only I could have held onto that last memory. It was finally one from my family. The other memories had been appearing fairly regularly, but the ones of my family were nearly nonexistent. Gathering my thoughts, I replied to Yendys.
“Don’t worry. No more tall tales, kid. You know, you shouldn’t be out chasing other unicorns when you have such an awesome unicorn beetle animal companion. You don’t want Crunchy to get jealous, do you?” I added. Yendys tilted her head in thought for a moment.
“You’re right, old man Raytak. I’m soooo sorry, Crunch Crunch. Who’s the bestest unicorn in the world? You are!” Yendys baby talked, as she hugged the oblivious beetle.
“Nice fight, man! Good to see you in action again. What have you been up to? I heard some crazy assassin ganked you in town a few days ago,” Jacoby said, shaking my hand as he, Drake, and Kathala joined us.
“Been fighting the good fight, Jacoby. Yeah, was ganked by some high-level assassin. Keep your eyes peeled for any others you might see skulking about. I’m glad you all are here. What about Quimby? I have a raid quest that has a huge experience reward I can share and I was hoping you would all join me,” I offered, hopeful that my friends would join me. The commander class prevented a lot of group play and I found I enjoyed and missed the company of this particular bunch of players.
“Quimby will be online in a bit and I’m sure he will join as long as we set a time that works for everyone. Drake here won’t be able to though. He took a new class after our last wipe on the Foul Spore Pit and has a lot of restrictions, like your class does. So, you gotta hear this. That crazy dryad, Tessel, looks at him just before she kills us and says she sees in him the desire to rule the dungeon at her side. Just like that he gets offered the unique class of Pitmaster. I thought he was being offered a job as a barbeque chef, but apparently he gets to manage the Foul Spore Pit dungeon. He always liked those types of resource management games, so I guess it makes sense for him,” Yendys said as she gave Drake an “I don’t approve” look. I couldn’t fault Drake for wanting to play a class that fit his style; I had chosen to do the same thing.
“What about you two? Are you game for a raid if we can find a time that works for everyone? My friend, Ty, will join us, but we’ll need to find four others to have a full raid if you join us,” I asked Jacoby and Kathala. Jacoby looked at Kathala and she gave him a slight nod.
“That would be great; share the quest. I’ll see about rounding up some others from the guild if we need a few more,” Jacoby told us. I opened the quest and shared it out to everyone, forgetting to exclude Drake.
“Woah, it actually sent me an invite! Check it out, let me share the system prompt,” Drake exclaimed as he sent the prompt over for us to look at.
Raid quest offered. Rise of the Ghoul Lord. The ghoul lord, Dunderman, has been gaining power. If he is not stopped soon he will sweep over the entire zone consuming or turning all humanoids to join his flesh-eating army. *Note, this raid event presents a potential threat to the entire zone, including the Foul Spore Pit. You have been offered an exception that will enable you to participate in this one-time raid for the purpose of protecting your dungeon. Reward, 2500 experience, 25 gold, 500 dungeon resources. Possible bonus reward (based on performance) of additional creature types for the dungeon.
Drake and the others accepted the quest and another notification popped up.
Your party has been formed for the raid quest Rise of the Ghoul Lord. You have seven days to complete the quest. Destroy the ghoul lord and his minions. *Note, the player Drake has the pitmaster class. This class has the powerful ability to summon dungeon creatures to fight for the party. Accepting Drake into the raid group will take three of your ten player slots. The Raid members are as follows.
Raytak, commander level 6.
Jacoby, fighter level 6.
Kathala, priest of light level 5.
Quimby, ranger level 5 (spot held pending player confirmation).
Yendys, druid summoner level 5.
Drake, pitmaster level 4.
Ty, Imperium scout level 6. (pending confirmation)
Open spot: You can fill this spot at any point.
Do you wish to form this raid group? Y/N.
I hit yes and confirmed the party. Everyone present accepted immediately, but we would have to wait for Ty and Quimby to accept once they were back on. It looked like Ty was logged for his normal medpod resupply, which meant it would soon be time for me to do the same.
“I have to log in a bit gang. How about we meet in the morning at my garrison? Everyone should come up with ideas on how to combat the ghouls’ paralyzing touch. That ability really took my soldiers out of the fight last time. Jacoby, if you and Kathala can find one more
player that would be great. I don’t really know a whole bunch of folks. We could really use a support class that can help large numbers of troops and, I guess, creatures if Drake’s class works like I think it does. Otherwise, I’ll see everyone in the morning,” I told everyone as I left the Petty Dispute to head to the garrison. I wanted to get back and check out the newest upgrade before the system forced me out.
The trip back to the garrison was uneventful, though the new entry point to the headquarters was a bit annoying to get through. I’ll take annoying over dead any time, so I just told myself to be patient as I made it through all the locked doors and mantraps. The new engineer barracks was placed next to the other long barracks buildings. The structure was double the height of the others and on one side it had large barn doors, presumably to move siege equipment into and out of. Once I made it to the war room, I activated the map table and pulled up the engineer barracks information.
Engineer Barracks: Utilizing the plans and expertise of the engineers, all of your defensive structures have been upgraded. All roads constructed will have improved efficiency. Continue to upgrade the engineer barracks to unlock further improvements. Recruitment of the engineer advanced soldier type is now unlocked. You are currently at max capacity for advanced class soldiers. You may choose to retire any number of your current advanced class soldiers in order to recruit this new troop type. The old troops will be unsummoned and one hour later their replacements will arrive.
Engineer of the Imperium: This advanced soldier has the same stats and armor as that of the standard soldier. Engineers do not use a shield and carry only the currently issued dagger to defend themselves with, needing their hands free to operate their siege equipment. The engineers will defend themselves, but their true strength lies in their siege equipment and their ability to create defenses. Review the following equipment available and make note of the number of engineers required to crew the equipment.
Small, crude catapult. The catapult hurls a large stone up to 200 yards with devastating force. Best used against static defenses. The catapult requires a crew of 5 engineers. Cost 25 resources.
Simple Scorpion. The scorpion resembles a huge crossbow and can hurl its large, bronze-tipped bolts at an effective range of over 100 yards for individual targets and up to 200 yards against large formations of enemies. The scorpions are deployed in pairs and each pair requires a crew of 5 engineers to operate. Cost 25 resources per pair.
Battering Ram. The battering ram is placed inside a covered and wheeled cart that can be used against gates and walls. Requires a crew of 10, but the crew can be composed of any soldiers and is one of the few siege engines that does not require engineers to operate. Cost 10 resources.
The upgrade to all our defenses was a pleasant surprise that helped soften the blow of finding out the engineer’s equipment would be yet another resource sink. I had twelve advanced soldiers now and decided to replace five of them and purchase a pair of scorpions for the coming battle. This would be a good test as to the effectiveness of the equipment in a large battle. I had to admit, I had a soft spot for field artillery, even if it was just throwing huge wooden bolts at the enemy. I issued the orders to “retire” five of the scouts and replace them with engineers that would crew my newly purchased scorpions. I had just finished when the AI notified me that it was time, once again, to be pulled from the game. I dreaded the countdown that appeared in the interface, hating that I was forced back to my feeble body and destroyed mind every five days. I soon couldn’t think of anything as the AI removed the processing power supporting my mind in preparation for logout.
Chapter 25
VA Medical Center, Knoxville TN
Trey looked down at his father as the medpod slowly opened. He had missed the last few revival cycles due to work and his mother’s failing health. His father looked much the same to him, but Nurse Fran smiled as she passed the dataslate showing his fathers condition to him.
“It may not look like it Mr. Trey, but your father is doing better. Just don’t get too impatient. This here medpod doohickey is doing amazing things, but even with all this technology it takes time for the body to heal,” Fran said, smiling as Trey read the data provided by the AI. Skimming the worst of the medical jargon, Trey zeroed in on the summary.
Patient’s physical condition is improving. Nanobots have achieved functional stability of all systems and homeostasis is achieved, though the status should be considered tenuous at this time. It should be noted that there does appear to be a limit as to what the current technology can achieve. Cellular degradation due to age-shortened telomeres cannot be reversed, though it does remain theoretically possible once advances in DNA therapy have been attained. In summation, the medpod with AI controls can only achieve so much for the patient. Age and degradation of the human body can only be slowed for a time, never overcome completely.
Mental state of the patient continues to improve. Neural degradation in the neocortex is extensive and repairs are slowly progressing. The patient is functioning at a high level in the gaming environment with the use of processing support, and mapping of neural responses in the area of memory is proceeding. Suppression of overstimulation in the realm of emotional responses has continued, especially in relation to the memories of familial experiences. Several memories have been remapped and unlocked. Several areas of his memory are still at risk of cascade failure should the patient be exposed to an abundance of stimuli. Remapping of memory structure to the intact and repaired neural pathways is currently at 54%. Unlocking of substantial past memories can be attempted at the 90% mark, but it is strongly suggested to not attempt this action until the 98% mark.
Clio interface report z334r786 is complete.
As Trey finished, the door to the room opened and Dr. Greenway entered. Trey handed her the dataslate and moved toward the medpod, holding his father’s hand while Nurse Fran prepared the medication refills the AI had suggested. Dr. Greenway finished the review and tapped a few minor medication changes before handing the dataslate to Fran.
“Here you go, Fran. I made a few changes, but overall I agree with the AI’s assessment. Well Trey, your father is doing well and it’s good to see you visit him. I know the science doesn’t support it, but I can’t help but feel that the presence of a loved one benefits a patient. How are things going with your game? I’m surprised the AI has time to deal with all that, now that we’re expanding the medpod program,” Greenway added, referring to the recent approval of several more medpods being added to the testing queue. This batch would include more veterans, as well as the first civilian patients. The bulk of the new patients were also older, though a few younger patients were being included to test how their bodies responded to the nanobots.
“Good to see you again, doctor. I wanted to see dad and check on his condition, since I knew it was about time for his meds to be updated. As far as the game, things are going well. My work on the medpod team keeps me from the day to day stuff the gaming division is working on, but from what I understand they’re breaking records left and right. I’ve been off for a few days. My mother has taken a turn for the worse and we’ve had to arrange for more care for her,” Trey added, with his smile vanishing once he mentioned his mother’s condition.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Trey. I hate that you have to deal with both parents being in a bad way. Hopefully we can get your mother into a medpod quickly. I’ll gladly head over to her hospital and help set it up once we’re approved,” Dr. Greenway said.
“That would be appreciated, Dr. Greenway. You’ve done a great job with my father and Mr. Ty. Part of me feels guilty that I may not be able to help my mother in time,” Trey sputtered, stopping as he felt tears begin to burn his eyes.
“If it’s any consolation, I think you’re doing as well as a son could be asked to do. Sorry to rush out, but I have to finish up the reporting from the AI’s latest data. I have a lot to do in getting the additional medpods ready for the VA patients that are being added,” Greenway
said as she collected the data from Mr. Ty’s medpod before leaving the room.
“Sorry to interrupt you Mr. Trey, but my grandson Nolen wanted me to give this to you. He’s not much of a writer, but he spent a few hours working on this. His disability makes it hard for him to write, but he decided on his own, that it was the right thing to do.” With that, Fran handed me an envelope. Opening the envelope, I found a small handwritten note and a printout of a screenshot from the game. The screenshot showed a huge half-orc barbarian wielding a giant club and standing triumphant over the corpse of an ogre that he had presumedly slain. The note was poorly written, but Trey could feel the heart that Nolen had put into it.
Mr. Trey. Thanks for giving me the game. I now have lots of friends to play with that I would not never ever meet without the game. I am a barbarian and level 6 in game that is called Smashem. I’m in a guild called Exhort and we will help you if you ever need help in the game and stuff. Thank you again for letting me play and giving me all the VR stuff. I enclose a picture of my cool character too. Nolen
Trey smiled, glad he had been able to help the kid. He said his goodbyes to his father and left the hospital as the medpod closed once more. The medpod sent his father to the Limitless Lands, the only place he could be himself…and a place Trey could not yet visit him in. He would have to content himself with watching from the admin gear, at least until the AI finished repairing his memories…54% complete and only 46% to go.
Mantuco Enterprises Customer Care Center
Rose had just finished her last call of the shift. Working the customer service line was a far cry from assisting with a big project like she was doing before, but she was grateful for the work. The job would pay the bills until she finished school and, if she did well, another good position was waiting for her in the company. The company would place her in various positions over the next few years while she finished school. She would, by then, be more zeroed in on which department would be the best fit for her future career. Being on the phone with angry customers was no fun and she suspected that was part of the process to weed out those that couldn’t cut it. Rose was determined to not only cut it, but to also do the best job she could. Her father had told her once, “If you take a paycheck from someone, make sure your give them their money’s worth of work!” Her father was strict, but that work ethic had stuck with her. She was relieved that her parents hadn’t been mad when her previous position in the company was eliminated. They had been nothing but supportive of her just working part-time on the internship while she went back to school, continuing to let her stay at home for free until she finished.
