The Player Plague

by Lucas Flint

  “Yeah,” said Gerald, nodding. “And after how badly the last one went, I thought for sure you weren’t going to do this Sidekick thing again. Guess you just can’t let it go, huh?”

  “What happened with your last player?” I said, looking at Cy again.

  “I still don’t want to talk about it,” said Cy in an uncharacteristically serious voice. “Too painful.”

  I bit my lower lip. For as long as I’d known Cy, I had always assumed he had just been randomly generated by the game to be my Sidekick and that his ‘past,’ such as it was, was simply another creation of the game’s in order to make him seem more realistic. It appeared, however, that Cy actually did have a much deeper past than I first assumed. My curiosity was definitely piqued now, but at the same time, I decided now wasn’t the time to interrogate Cy about it.

  Instead, I looked up at Gerald and said, “Hi, Gerald. Nice to meet you. My name is Winter.”

  “I know who you are,” said Gerald with a chuckle. “You saved the city from that Dark Kosmos fella. Every person in the city knows your name, in fact. But nice meeting ya anyway.”

  I had forgotten that my ridiculously high Fame meant that even players and NPCs I had never met before in my life knew exactly who I was. It was slightly disconcerting, but at the same time, it did make things a bit easier, because I could just skip the introductions and get to the good stuff. “Right. Well, Cy tells me you sell Base upgrades.”

  Gerald chuckled. “You don’t need Cy to tell you that. Look around you at all of my wares. I can sell you anything you need for your Base. From doorbells to death bots, I have it all, and then some.”

  “Death bots?” I said.

  Gerald chuckled again, this time more evilly. “Ah, never mind that. Those are probably outside your price range. But I also sell a variety of upgrades at a variety of prices. Whether you’re living paycheck to paycheck or you have so many credits you need to open a second bank account, I have anything you need at a great price.”

  I nodded. “Well, I’d definitely like to look around at your products. But is that the only reason why you called us? We spent some time looking for you earlier, but couldn’t find you.”

  Gerald began tugging at his large, gray mustache, which appeared to be an unconscious habit of his. “I tend to move around a lot. My upgrades are only for the finest players. I don’t want just any customers. I want the best, most famous ones. And you, my good sir, are definitely one of the most famous.”

  Ah. I recalled that Fame was supposed to give you a lot of benefits, but I didn’t realize just what kind of benefits I would get. “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” said Gerald. “But, er, there is another reason I wanted to meet you.”

  I frowned. “What other reason would that be? You wouldn’t happen to have a mission for me, would you?”

  “No,” said Gerald, shaking his head. “Well, not yet, anyway. But I do have a message.”

  “A message?” I said. “From who?”

  Gerald scratched the back of his head. “Well, I am not entirely sure who it is. He didn’t give me a name. Just said he was a ‘friend.’”

  “A friend, huh?” I said. “Wonder who that could be.”

  “No clue, pal,” said Gerald. “But he did leave a message for you with me. Do you want to hear it?”

  I shrugged. “Okay. Shoot.”

  Gerald nodded. “All right. Your friend says that he knows where you are … and is keeping a very close eye on you.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  I frowned, puzzled. “Is that it? Sounds like a really short message.”

  “It is, but he also gave me this item he wanted me to give to you,” said Gerald. “Think of it as a gift.”

  I suddenly got a new notification, which read:

  [CIVILIAN GERALD] would like to give you Snowshoes. Do you wish to accept this gift? Y/N

  Tilting my head to the side, I hit accept and found a brand new item in my item inventory. Clicking the item, I began reading its text:

  Snowshoes

  Rarity: Rare

  Material: Wood

  Description: A Synth Group product, Snowshoes are designed to make it easier for people to walk through snow and across icy surfaces in general. Although slightly cumbersome, they can also increase a player’s stability. +5% boost to all Ice Powers.

  “Wow,” I said. “This is a pretty nice item. A five percent boost to my Ice Powers? I can’t possibly say no to that.”

  “Good,” said Gerald, “because I am not in the business of taking back gifts. Nor could I, because I don’t know where your friend went.”

  I looked at Gerald again. “Did this guy say anything else before he left? Like how he knows me or a way to contact him?”

  “Nope,” said Gerald, shaking his head again. “He didn’t tell me a thing about himself. Nor did I ask. He did, however, pay me really well to deliver that message and give you that item. Personally, I don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

  I could tell Gerald was being truthful, but I still wondered about who this ‘friend’ of mine was and who he was and why he was helping me out like this. My only real in-game friends were my Teammates, but if they wanted to give me a gift, they would have done so themselves, rather than work through someone like Gerald. His message was also rather ominous, but if he was giving out items like this to me, then maybe his intentions, whatever they were, weren’t all bad.

  In any case, I quickly equipped the Snowshoes and found that they fit comfortably on my feet. They even looked good with my Costume, which got me another notification:

  You equipped: Snowshoes. +5% damage output to all Ice Powers. -10% chance of slipping on ice.

  Congratulations! You are wearing the Ice Man Costume and Snowshoes! These Equipment are part of a Set. Collect all parts in a Set to have a Complete Costume, which will give you unknown benefits that you wouldn’t get from wearing any of the items individually.

  Current number of Equipment you have in this Set: 2/6. Check out your Equipment section under your Character menu in order to see how many pieces you have left to collect.

  Interesting. I didn’t know you got benefits for having a Complete Costume. I wished the prompt had told me what those benefits were, or even just hinted at them, but I guess the designers just wanted you to play the game and find out rather than be spoon fed everything. In any case, that just made me want to complete the Costume even faster if only so I could see exactly what kind of benefits I would get for doing so.

  “Man, that’s really cool,” said Cy. He nudged me in the side. “Get it, boss? It’s cool? And you’re Winter? Get it?”

  I sighed deeply. “Yes, Cy, I get the pun.”

  Gerald laughed. “Still making puns, I see. You really haven’t changed at all over the years, have you, Cy?”

  “I would rather die than stop making puns,” Cy declared with utmost seriousness. “That’s one thing that will never change about me for as long as I live.”

  “Right,” I said. I looked up at Gerald again. “All right, Gerald, we didn’t come here just to say hello. We came here to see what you’ve got for sale.”

  “Of course, of course,” said Gerald. “Are you looking for anything in particular or are you simply wanting to upgrade your Base?”

  “I’m looking for something I can use to make my Base more secure,” I said. “Last night, a couple of ninjas from the Ninja Guild broke into my Base and nearly killed me. I want to know if you have any ninja-proof security features.”

  Gerald stroked his chin. “The Ninja Guild, huh? Tricky little rats. Part of their training includes learning how to use both Thief and Assassin techniques in order to break through most ordinary security systems. Trying to stop a Ninja Guild Ninja from breaking into a place is like trying to stop the tide.”

  “Does that mean there’s nothing I can do to keep my Base safe?” I asked in concern.

  “Of course it doesn’t mean that,” said Gerald, wagging a finger at me. “Just bec
ause the Nina Guild can get past most basic security systems doesn’t mean that everyone can. There are quite a few ways you can make your Base more secure, even make it harder—although, of course, not impossible—for even the Ninja Guild to break into. Come with me.”

  Gerald turned and went down a nearby aisle, his pod hovering silently as he did so. Cy and I began following him, doing our best to keep up with the flying man, although Gerald’s hover pod meant he could always stay just a few feet ahead of us.

  “Here is what I was thinking of,” said Gerald, coming to a stop in front of a display. “A Password-Locked Door.”

  I stopped in front of the item Gerald showed us and looked at it. It looked like an ordinary wooden door with a big, heavy lock on it. Above the lock was a small keypad with a small display above it.

  “What does it do?” I asked, looking up at Gerald.

  “The Password Locker can be attached to all doors,” Gerald explained. “Once installed, you simply enter the password for your Base and it becomes impossible for all but high-level Thieves, Assassins, and Ninja to break into your Base. It’s one of the simplest but best security measures I offer. Additionally, it can be easily combined with other security features, like a Security Camera, so you can see anyone who attempts to hack into it.”

  “Interesting,” I said. “And useful. But can it be destroyed?”

  “It can,” Gerald said, “but only by very strong Fighters. And if you try to disable it, then it will automatically explode. That might not kill the person who tried to disable it, but it will leave a mark. Also, even if a hacker or someone manages to break through it, an alert will be sent to you via your inbox informing you that someone has broken into your Base.”

  I nodded, again finding it very interesting. “That definitely sounds useful. How much does it cost?”

  “About five hundred credits.”

  I started and looked up at Gerald again. “Five hundred credits? For a simple lock?”

  “It’s actually quite a bargain,” said Gerald. “Other stores sell similar—but of much lesser quality—locks for far higher prices. And normally, I charge seven hundred and fifty credits for a single lock. But since you saved Adventure City from Dark Kosmos, I am willing to sell it to you for a measly five hundred credits. Surely you can afford that.”

  I frowned. According to my Wallet, I had about 20,000 credits, mostly obtained from the various missions I had completed around the City ever since the death of Dark Kosmos. Five hundred credits seemed like a drop in the bucket, but somehow that seemed like way too much even for a high-quality lock. I considered searching for lock prices on the Capes Online Forum this very moment to compare his prices with competitors, but realized that Gerald would likely notice me doing that and might even get angry and force me to leave his store if I did that right in front of him. Gerald probably wasn’t a big fan of showrooming.

  “My Base has two doors,” I said. “How much would it cost for two doors and a basic security camera?’

  “One thousand two hundred credits,” said Gerald without missing a beat. “And I’ll throw in a free recording system for your camera as well. How does that sound?”

  Hmm. That didn’t sound like too bad a deal, but I knew I could get better than that if I tried. “I’ll pay nine hundred credits. No more, no less.”

  “Nine hundred credits?” Gerald repeated incredulously. “What, do you think I’m an idiot? One thousand credits is the absolute minimum I will accept.”

  Seeing as that basically meant I would get the Security Camera thrown in for free, I nodded and said, “Fine by me. One thousand credits for two Locks, one Camera, and free installation, right?”

  “Yes,” said Gerald, nodding. “I will have my boys deliver and install your new security features to your Base free of charge later. Deal?”

  I smiled. “Deal.”

  As soon as Gerald and I shook hands, a new notification popped up in my view:

  Congratulations! You just learned the Skill: Negotiation [Level 1]! With this Skill, you can negotiate not only for lower prices and better deals in the market but also form alliances with other Heroes and perform various other acts of negotiations! Level up this Skill further in order to unlock even more benefits!

  Huh, I thought as I let go of Gerald’s hand. I hadn’t realized that Negotiation was a Skill, but it made sense. And seeing as it saved me about 200 credits, it was definitely a Skill I would use as frequently as possible in order to get the best possible deals available to me. It seemed like kind of a strange Skill to have in a superhero game of all things, but then again, I did just use it now to score a good deal on security features for my Base. It had the potential to be one of my more useful Skills.

  “All right, then,” said Gerald. “Once you make your payment, I will schedule a delivery and installation date for your Locks and Camera.”

  “Sure,” I said, nodding. “Is there anything else I need to do until then?”

  “Nope,” said Gerald, shaking his head. “At this point, it’s all on us.”

  Nodding again, I looked at Cy and said, “What are we waiting for, Cy? Let’s do some level-grinding before tonight’s mission.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Later that night …

  The Old Warehouse District was one of the more rundown areas of Adventure City. Although many legitimate companies still used the hundreds and hundreds of warehouses here to store their products until they needed to be shipped out to stores and individuals alike, the place had definitely seen its better days and was now home to a number of shady operations. It was also known as a fairly high crime area and was a popular spot for Heroes looking to level-grind thanks to the unusually high number of medium to high-level criminals. I had come here a couple of times myself over the past two weeks since the Blackout, but this was the first time I had ever come here at night.

  In fact, this was the first night mission—technically sub-mission—I had ever done, not counting the Universal Mission I undertook to defeat Dark Kosmos. Normally, I slept at night. That might have seemed strange, given how this was a video game and video game characters were typically not known to need rest, but the developers of Capes Online really had gone all out in making the game as realistic as possible. Sleeping well would get you a debuff that granted a 10% increase to both Stamina and EXP gain for the next four hours, while skipping sleep would usually result in a debuff that did the exact opposite.

  But I didn’t feel tired at all as Cy and I climbed up the side of a particularly rundown-looking warehouse, which, according to my map, was where Aimi, Riku, and the other ninja were supposed to be. That’s because I had drunk a big cup of coffee a couple of hours ago. As a result, I now had the Caffeinated buff, which increased my Stamina and Agility by 10% for the next few hours or so. It also made me slightly jittery, but I didn’t mind that. Knowing I was going to have to fight some ninja, I wanted to be as awake as possible for the inevitable fight that awaited us.

  “Boss,” Cy hissed as we climbed the ladder, “boss, I have a question.”

  Pausing on the ladder, I looked over my shoulder at Cy, who was directly below me, and whispered back, “What? Can’t it wait?”

  Cy shook his head. “It can’t wait, boss.”

  I sighed. “Then what is it?”

  “I just realized I didn’t set my alarm clock for tomorrow morning.”

  I slapped my forehead. “Why didn’t you do that before we left the Base?”

  “Sorry,” said Cy sheepishly. “It didn’t occur to me.”

  I sighed again. “Just forget about it. I doubt this mission will take long to complete. You can do it when we get home.”

  Shaking my head, I continued climbing up the ladder. I heard Cy follow me, but I could tell he was a little disappointed at being told we couldn’t go back so he could set his alarm. It seemed like a weird thing to get hung up about, but Cy was a weird guy, so I ignored it for now.

  Reaching the roof of the Warehouse, I pulled myself
up and looked around as I stood up. It was extremely dark tonight, with a sharp cold breeze blowing in from the north, but I didn’t see any of the Ninja Guild members present. It looked completely deserted, with nary a hint that any ninja was here.

  “Where is everyone?” asked Cy as he climbed up onto the roof and stood next to me.

  “No idea,” I said slowly, looking around at my surroundings. “I’m sure this is the place, but—”

  “Hello, Hero Winter,” said a female voice to my right. “I am glad to see you made it.”

  Cy and I both jumped. In fact, Cy almost fell off the roof entirely, but I caught him at the last minute and thrust him forward accidentally, making him fall onto the roof rather roughly. Even so, it was probably less painful than falling to the street below and cracking his skull open on the asphalt.

  Looking to my right, I saw Aimi standing a few feet away. Riku was crouched next to her, grasping a knife in his hand, although he didn’t look like he was going to stab me with it.

  “Aimi, Riku,” I said, speaking softly, even though there was no one around to hear us. “I … didn’t see you guys standing there.”

  “Good,” said Aimi. “It means our Stealth is working. That is the way of the Ninja.”

  “Right,” I said. I glanced around but did not see any other ninja nearby. “Are you guys alone or—?”

  “The others are nearby, but will attack the building from different positions,” said Aimi. “The plan is to hit the warehouse from multiple positions in order to overwhelm its defenses. If we can pull that off, then destroying the illegal goods of the Stalking Shadows should be a piece of cake.” She looked at me severely. “I take it you and your Sidekick have been preparing for the assault?”