Scout (Blades VR Book 1)

by Terry Schott

  “Do you?” Aleron asked. “Wish that it were different?”

  The old man raised his eyebrows. “Absolutely. If our people could join together in friendship and peace, there is no telling what we could accomplish in this world.”

  “Shale said the same thing earlier.”

  “Did she now.” He raised an eyebrow. “Well, maybe it is possible, and this is what it will take to achieve the impossible.”

  “What do you mean?” Shale turned to face him.

  “I understand that you are a Deceiver as well.”

  “A what?”

  “Master Keaedan is not a fan of our kind,” Aleron explained. “He calls Travellers by a different name.”

  “Deceivers?”

  The old man nodded.

  “Why? Have you already had a bad experience with one of us?” She smiled. “I suppose Aleron can be annoying enough to make you hate anyone else like him.”

  The three of them laughed and Aleron shook his head. “It’s not me. Master Keaedan claims that he met a Traveller long ago.”

  “Is that so?”

  Master Keaedan nodded. “One hundred forty-seven years ago.”

  Shale frowned. “That’s impossible.”

  Aleron spread his hands. “I told him the same thing, but he’s positive it happened.”

  “There was no game to even play back the—”

  “I know, but I believe him.”

  “How would could such a thing occur?”

  Aleron shook his head. “I have no clue.”

  “Nor do I.” The old druid stood. “Let me look at you one last time before I leave, Shale.”

  “Leave?” Aleron frowned.

  Master Keaedan nodded. “I have delivered you safely. Now I must return home.”

  Keaedan examined Shale and declared that she was healed and would be in perfect health after a few days rest. Then he turned to Aleron and gave him a hug. “Do your village proud, Aleron.”

  ***

  “And that”—Kieran turned to face Aleron and Shale—“concludes my tour of our little keep.”

  “Quaint,” Shale said.

  “I like it.” Aleron turned, looking at the structures of the keep again.

  “I’m glad because it will be your home for a while.”

  “That’s what I’ve heard.”

  “How long will he stay here?” Shale asked.

  “Years,” Aleron said.

  “What?”

  The Scout master laughed. “I’m joking. It won’t be that long.”

  “But Master Keaedan said—”

  “He might be a master druid, but he does not know how things work for Scouts. Only Scouts know that.” He smiled at Shale. “And a few of their close friends.”

  Shale laughed. “Most of the things people think are true about Scouts are rumours, aren’t they?”

  “Absolutely.” He winked. “It helps to keep our class shrouded in mystery.”

  Shale laughed again and shook her head.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m glad that you know we are both Travellers. It means I can ask questions and not have to worry.”

  “You don’t have to worry out there either. Across the entire world of Preu Treya, Travellers are well-received.” Kieran grinned. “It is considered a great honour to meet and help a Traveller.”

  Aleron grunted.

  “You sound surprised,” Kieran said.

  “Maybe a little.”

  “Don’t worry, you will see for yourself eventually.”

  Aleron nodded. “You seem different from everyone else I have met in this world so far, Master.”

  “I likely am.”

  “I feel as if I can be brutally honest with you.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, Aleron. And you can.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Kieran laughed.

  “If Travellers only began to arrive on this world a few weeks ago, how is it possible that every race knows of them?”

  “Your assumption is wrong, lad.”

  Aleron frowned. “Pardon?”

  “It is true that recently a large number of Travellers have begun to arrive, but they are not the first.”

  “What?”

  “The very first group of Travellers arrived in Preu Treya one hundred and ninety-two years ago.”

  “That’s impossible.” Shale shook her head.

  “It’s true.”

  “How can you be so certain?”

  “Because”—Kieran smiled—“I was one of them.”

  55

  Isaac opened his eyes and reached for his ringing cell phone. One leg slipped from the couch and he swore as his knee banged against the floor of the darkened office. He brought the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

  “It’s Kara.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I found him.”

  Isaac sat up and reached for the lamp beside the couch, turning it on. “Where?”

  “I can’t tell you over the phone.”

  “I’m in my office.”

  “Be there in fifteen.”

  Isaac ended the call and set the phone on the arm of the couch. He ran a hand through his hair.

  ***

  Ten minutes later, Kara entered his office.

  “Coffee?” Isaac held up the fresh pot.

  “God, yes.” She dropped into the chair across from his couch.

  He poured a second cup and brought it to her, then sat on the couch and took a sip from his mug. “Where did you find him?”

  “Not where we were looking at all.” She wrapped both hands around the cup.

  “He’s not an elf?”

  “Huh?” Kara frowned and shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t mean inside the game.”

  “Oh.” He paused. “You’ve found his body out here? That’s even better. We can bring him out right away.”

  “Isaac—”

  “This is excellent news. I thought we’d have to do things the hard way, but this saves us a ton of time.”

  “Isaac—”

  “He must have gone to one of the remote centres.” Isaac set his cup on the end table and reached for his phone. “He used a different name, right? We knew he did. What name did he use? Was it—”

  “Isaac!”

  Isaac furrowed his brow. “What?”

  “We can’t get to his body.”

  “Sure we can.”

  She pursed her lips and shook her head. “It has been disposed of.”

  “What do you mean?” He frowned, then his eyes widened for a second. “No.”

  “I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you.”

  “Oh god. No.”

  “His ID said he was named John Docker.”

  Isaac leaned back, shaking his head. “This can’t be true.”

  “It wasn’t until the body was fully dead that they realized who he really was.”

  “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

  “Isaac.”

  He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. “You’re mistaken, Kara.”

  “I wish I was, but it’s confirmed.”

  Isaac pursed his lips.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head. “Sebastian opted for permanent log-in?”

  Kara covered her mouth with one hand and nodded. Her eyes were glassy.

  Isaac closed his eyes and tapped his forehead. After a long moment he sighed. “Do we know where he is inside the game?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Of course.”

  “This can’t be that bad.”

  “It can. It is.”

  “There has to be someone else who can do the coding, fix the things that are going wrong. He trained and oversaw a massive team of programmers.”

  Isaac laughed. “There’s no one.”

  “How can that be possible?”

  Isaac shook his head. “We were working to bring his best students up to speed, but he left before finishing their training. He had decades of ex
perience that could never be taught.” He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. “We’re screwed.”

  “It can’t be. We have to do the best we can.”

  Isaac ran both hands through his hair. “I can’t believe he killed himself to get out of his obligations to the game, to the company.”

  “He was pretty mad.”

  Isaac sighed.

  “You would have been too, Isaac.”

  He reached for his cup and nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

  “We could shut it all down.”

  “And lose billions?” Isaac shook his head. “That’s not an option.”

  “I think options are severely limited now.”

  Isaac frowned. “We have to find him inside Blades VR. If we can communicate with him inside, then we still have options.”

  “But we can’t talk with players inside the game.”

  Issac’s expression remained blank.

  “Can we?”

  “No.”

  “What if he has already died and failed resurrection?”

  “Let’s not worry about that unless we learn it’s actually occurred.”

  “But—”

  “Kara.” He raised one hand. “We’re already in a big lake of crap. Please don’t step on my head to keep me from treading.”

  “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

  “They must know what avatar Sebastian was transferred into.”

  “We do.” She nodded. “It wasn’t an elf. Human male, around forty years old. A commoner with no identifiable talents or skills.”

  “We can work with that.”

  “But the avatar disappeared not long after Sebastian took possession. Faded from sight.”

  “Magic.”

  “What?”

  “The only way to disappear from our system inside Blades VR is to use magic.”

  “But the avatar showed no aptitude for magic ability.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Isaac stood. “Start looking for crafters that fit the avatar’s description.”

  “Do you know how many avatars that is?”

  “I know it’s less than all of them, which means we’re already narrowing the search down.”

  Kara stood and started for the door. “I’m on it.”

  Epilogue

  Ezref placed the mugs of ale on the table and sat.

  Sebastian scanned the crowded room as he raised his mug to his lips.

  “See them?”

  Sebastian shook his head. “It’s early. They’ll be here.”

  “I like the idea of forming a group”—Ezref rubbed his nose—“but I’m not keen on bringing two Death Strykers into our party.”

  “One Death Stryker and her apprentice.”

  “A demon and a baby demon.” Ezref shook his head. “I still count two creatures that eat souls.”

  “It’s a good fit. Mercy said she will tank for us and let the young one do most of the damage-dealing as he learns. We need the DPS.”

  “Well, I guess they will be useful. And it sounds like they are doing things the same kind of way we intend to. I’ll cast and teach you as we go.”

  Sebastian laughed. “Except you will struggle to cast a few simple spells while I do even less.”

  “Is that how you sold it to her?”

  “No.”

  “Good. Because if she went for an arrangement like that she’s not very smart.”

  Sebastian tapped his temple. “I told her I had been wounded and lost my ability to cast.”

  Ezref smiled. “That’s close enough to be true.”

  “I will get it back.”

  “Gods help us if you do.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because you will be able to cast any spell simply by thinking you can.”

  “That’s not how it went.”

  “That’s exactly how it went.”

  Sebastian smiled. “It was pretty fun.”

  Ezref laughed. “It could have been dangerous if I had figured out what you were up to sooner. I was only showing you weak spells. If you had learned a powerful one.” He shook his head. “Should your power return, we will use it to our advantage next time.”

  “Count on it.” Sebastian took another drink and looked around the tavern. “I heard there is a ranger and her friend also sniffing about town looking to join a group.”

  “Elves?”

  “Aye.”

  “Let’s find them and get them to join us. Elves are nasty as hell. Anything that lives a long time, has magic in its blood, and kills its own kin for centuries, has to be handy to have on our side.”

  Sebastian gave the apprentice a sour look but nodded. “I’ll ask around.”

  The two sat quietly for a few minutes.

  Sebastian ran a hand through his hair. “You sure that the tower is locked down?”

  “Yes.”

  “No chance they will break through the barriers? I plan to go back and claim that place when we are strong enough to hold it.”

  “It is filled with treasures beyond imagination.”

  “I believe you.”

  Ezref drained his beer and stood. “Don’t worry about that, my new old friend. Nothing can enter that tower until we unlock it with the artifact that we used to create the barrier.”

  ***

  The mage’s eyes closed and then snapped open. Drowsy from her shift on watch, she stood taller, and scanned the forest line. All was clear. She turned toward the north road and started. A young girl approached. She looked no more than ten or eleven years old with shoulder-length, straight white hair, and pale, smooth skin. She wore a dark purple dress and fine black leather boots. As she got closer, the mage noticed that her eyes were icy blue.

  The mage stepped onto the path and planted her staff on the ground, her other hand at her side. The dark tower stood behind her. “Where are you going, little girl?”

  The girl was looking at the tower, a grin on her face. “In there.”

  “You can’t.”

  The girl’s eyes left the tower and settled on the mage. Her smile remained. “Of course I can.”

  “It’s protected by a magic barrier.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’m here to guard it.”

  “Good for you.” The girl stepped forward. The mage reached out and grabbed her by the arm. The girl stopped and frowned. White energy coursed up her arm and enveloped the mage. The crafter arched her head back, eyes wide and mouth open. The light crackled and sizzled as it swept over her, raising her off the ground.

  The godling reached over with her other hand and touched the mage’s arm. The white energy rushed into her hand and disappeared into her body. She laughed, her eyes bright and sparkling. After a few seconds, the last of the energy entered the girl and the mage’s body fell to the ground, crumpling lifelessly in a heap.

  The godling watched the dead mage for a heartbeat, then resumed her walk toward the tower. As she approached the invisible barrier, the air began to shimmer and swirl.

  The godling stepped past the barrier, untouched.

  A few moments later, a patrolling guard stumbled upon the body of the dead mage. After checking for signs of life, the guard looked towards the tower. He stood and stepped closer to the barrier, shouting at the retreating form of the godling. Unable to stop her, the guard could only watch as the godling entered the tower and the door closed behind her.

  To Be Continued…

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