“How are we going to get the Staff from her? She knocked all of us out of the game,” Jimmy reminded them as he tried to peek through the crack in the door. “Ideas?”
“Attack her and make her lose her hold on the Staff,” Dennis said.
“That’s it? That’s our grand plan of attack?” Maverick crossed her arms, not impressed. “Great, we’re all going to die.”
“Where’s the way into the reset?” Bishop asked.
“It’ll be there somewhere, but I won’t be able to access it until I have the Staff.”
“That’s fantastic.”
Bishop shot Jimmy a look. “Not helpful.”
“Well I’m sorry, but this is kind of end of the world stuff here and we’re running around without a plan! How do you want me to react?”
“Like you’re not a newb.”
“Did you just compare me, the great Jimmy Exorcist to a newb?”
Bishop smirked. “Yeah, yeah I did. What are you doing to do about it?”
“I’m going to show you I’m not one!”
“Prove it.”
Calista looked at Bishop like he was an idiot, but he hoped she wouldn’t stop their bickering, not yet. Jimmy needed to be riled up in order to come up with a plan. Bishop was completely out of ideas. He’d fought for too long and all he wanted was out, but running in there and trying to attack full force wouldn’t do them any good. They needed a fresh idea, a new way to look at it, and when Jimmy’s eyes lit up, Bishop knew he had just the thing.
“Tavin is a half-demon, right? And Valen, well she’s all Demon, and Rosalyn is also half-demon?”
“Where are you going with this?” Benji asked, annoyed.
“Exorcist. If I can get enough power, I can lock them into an exorcism. They’re all technically the same being, and then the rest of you can attack them and get her to release the staff,” Jimmy rambled on, growing more excited with each second. “Then Dennis scoops it up and we get the hell out of here. Bam! World saved!”
“Do you have enough power to hold them for that long?” Maverick asked.
Jimmy’s smile faltered. “Probably not. I don’t think I can do it on my own.”
“I can help,” Benji said, stepping forward. “One of my Talents allows to majorly buff another player.”
“At what cost?” Bishop asked.
Nell and Aiden, the other healers, stepped up, too. “We have the same buff,” Nell said. “And it’ll cost us our HP in turn, but if it holds the three of them at bay so you can do an attack, we’ll take the risk.”
Bishop wasn’t thrilled about this plan, but it was the best they had and they were running out of time. “Everyone good to go? We focus on Tavin first. She needs to drop the Staff and the second she does, Dennis, it’s on you.”
“Understood.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing else going on you need to tell us about?” Bishop tried again.
“Nothing. I’m merely ready to finally say good bye to my wife and try to remember her as the woman she was before I messed up,” he said softly. “You all truly have my thanks for this.”
“Maybe next time you create a game, don’t upload anyone’s consciousness to it,” Jimmy suggested and everyone laughed. It was an odd time to be smiling and joking, but it was good. They needed the morale boost before they opened those doors and rushed inside to face their last battle in this game.
Bishop checked his potions and made sure every person was ready. “On three, we charge in. Jimmy, it’s on you man and if you start losing your hold, call it out.”
“And if we can’t get the Staff?”
Bishop took Calista’s hand and kissed the back of it. “We run like hell.”
He moved to the doors and counted to three before pushing hard. They swung inwards without a sound as they always did and he led the way inside. The throne room appeared empty at first until three figures separated themselves from the shadows at the back wall. Tavin was in the center, holding the Staff tightly in her hand and her sword in the other.
“You are too late,” she said with a dark smile on her face. “Once their coding is erased, I will be free and you all will be trapped in my prison.”
“Rosalyn, stop this. We can end this right now.”
“You’ll kill me, you mean,” she said. “No thanks. I think I’ll take option number two.”
“Do you have any idea how many people you could hurt through your actions?”
“No, but I’m going off of your method of doing as I please no matter the consequences.” She held up the Staff and the emeralds glowed, ready to be used. “I’m afraid our little chat is over—”
“Now!” Jimmy cried, and a bright white light shot out from his hands.
It ensnared Tavin, Rosalyn, and Valen, locking them in place. The power slowly drained their HP, but it wouldn’t be enough. Bishop unleashed everything he had at Tavin as Calista, Arthur and the rest of their guild attacked with the full force of their arsenal. Bishop hadn’t had a chance to choose his last three Talents and was sure at least one of them would’ve been a big help, but he couldn’t worry about that now. He switched between his Instant Shot, Increased Swift Bow, and Fiery Explosive Arrow.
Calista and Arthur hit her hard with their fury and rage attacks, stunning her every time one wore off for good measure. She tried to raise her sword arm, but Jimmy doubled down and the white light grew even brighter than before.
“You…will not…succeed,” Tavin hissed. “Valen!”
Valenastrious pushed against the snare of the magic holding her down and suddenly she was free, but she didn’t go for Jimmy. She snarled and charged straight for Dennis. Bishop yelled and threw himself in her path, taking them both down.
“Bishop!” Calista yelled.
“I’m fine! Keep going after Tavin!”
Valen gave no indication she knew who Bishop was and, without the Staff, he couldn’t see the coding on her or how much remained. “You will die, hero!”
“After you!” He Slashed at her and spun around to do a quick Stab attack, but she parried the last one and he hardly did any damage. She tried shoving him out of the way to get to Dennis creeping closer to Tavin and Rosalyn.
Bishop didn’t have the patience for Valen anymore. He wasn’t good at attacking up close, but a crazy idea popped into his head. He fired Instant Shot after Instant Shot at her, driving her backwards out of the throne room so she was away from everyone else. It would mean a hit to his power, but he had to knock her out of the running so he could return and continue the attack on Tavin.
“I’m finished with you and your damn influence!” he yelled, and he drew back Assassin’s Tear.
Valen roared and made to lunge around him, but Bishop was faster. He rammed the tip of the shot right into her gut and, with a wide grin, let the shot fly. The explosion blew him back into the throne room with bits of Demon flying every which way. Valen was gone. He sat up and returned his focus to Tavin. Her HP was at half, but Jimmy’s power had already taken a huge toll, even with Benji, Nell, and Aiden’s help. He couldn’t hold her forever.
“Bishop!” Jimmy hollered. “Think this might’ve been a bad idea!”
“You have to hold on!” he yelled back.
“You!” Tavin turned her red eyed glare to him. “You killed her!”
“Yeah, yeah I sure did, and you are nothing but a traitor,” he snapped. “All this time, you played me. You made me think you were the good guy and really, you were working for her.”
Despite the pain she had to be in from the constant stream of attacks, she managed a leer. “And you never suspected a thing. This plan…it won’t work,” she grated. “You will fail, you all will fail!”
Bishop prepared his Explosive Fiery Arrow when Tavin roared and the power holding her in place evaporated, sending a shockwave through the room. Grunts and groans of pain were muffled as Bishop whacked his skull on the far wall. He shook his head, trying to clear h
is blurred vision and cursed. Most heroes were unconscious, laying about strewn in debris with Tavin and Rosalyn standing over them.
“What hope did you ever have to defeat me?” Tavin asked. “None.”
She dropped her sword and reached out for Rosalyn. “No!” Bishop rushed forward, but it was too late. The Red Witch and Tavin blurred into one being, shimmering and flowing with simulated power from the game. They glitched in and out of view, staggering around as the game tried to deal with the sudden change in its infrastructure. Her body jerked and twisted around with a violent spasm.
Her hand opened.
The Staff fell from it and hit the floor.
Dennis was only a few feet from it. He dove towards it and just scooped it up in his hands when Tavin regained her sword, whirled around, and ran him through. Bishop’s jaw dropped and his last hope was dashed…but Dennis had no HP bar and he was smiling. Tavin withdrew the blade and drove it home again and still nothing happened.
“What is this? What did you do!”
“I made it so you couldn’t kill the admin,” he said, and she removed the sword a second time. Sadness overtook him and he reached out a soft hand to her cheek. “I am so sorry.”
“Bastard!”
But Dennis hoisted the Staff over his head and Tavin was stuck. A console much like the ones back in the lap appeared beneath the many mirrors Valen hung in the throne room and Dennis raced to it.
“Bishop, you have to get everyone out of here,” he said over his shoulder, his fingers furiously typing away. “Now, there’s no time!”
“I’m not leaving you here.”
“You don’t have a choice. Once I reset, anyone left within the game will be severely injured and probably not survive. It’s a hard reset.”
Bishop’s stomach dropped to his feet. “You knew this the whole time.”
“I don’t have a choice,” the old man said. “I made this mess and I will pay whatever price to fix it.” He paused long enough to hold out a hand to Bishop. “It has been a true pleasure, my friend. I do wish things turned out differently.”
Bishop took his hand and shook it hard. “So do I.”
Tavin’s eyes flared in rage and she shifted against the power of the Staff.
“Go, quickly! Take this, it will get you all back to Weston and, from there, get everyone out. You only have a few minutes.”
Bishop stood in the center of his guild and, with one final encouraging and sad look to Dennis, he transported himself and the others out of the throne room, back to Weston. When they arrived, everyone was awake, getting to their feet, confused.
“Log out,” he ordered. “Do it quick, we don’t have much time!”
“Where’s Dennis?” Calista asked.
Bishop simply looked at her and she nodded in understanding. Bishop waited until everyone else logged out. A giant white furry body lunged at him and he sank to his knees so he could hug the great beast.
“You’ll find someone else to take care of soon enough,” he promised, sad he would no longer see his friend. “Goodbye.”
Willy nuzzled the side of his head and Bishop logged out, holding onto Willy until the last possible second when his body shimmered away from Samar.
***
Dennis’ fingers glided across the keys, working as quickly as he could to do a hard reset to the entire world he had spent the last decade creating.
“I will never forgive you,” Rosalyn spat behind him. “Never.”
“This is not you,” he said, not looking away from his task. “You died a long time ago and I tried to hold onto you, but I failed. Nothing I created, even with your mind, could ever be as perfect as you were in life. You lack her emotions, her drive, her love.” He reached the end of the line of code and his fingers hovered over the enter key. “The world will be as it should, and you, you can finally be at peace and I will join you shortly, my love.”
Rosalyn yelled, but his fingers hit the key and the room shifted in and out of view around him. Tavin fell away as did the guise of the Red Witch and all that remained was the perfect image of his wife, the woman who loved him. As the game tore away everything that had happened since they had begun beta testing it, Rosalyn’s hand cupped his cheek and he drew her in close.
They remained close together until the very end when they were swallowed up by the game and popped out of being.
***
Harrison blinked against the brightness of the lab as Tyler leaned over him. “Did we do it?”
“Yeah, yeah I think you did. The rest are waking up, too.” He helped Harrison out of the gear and tilted his table back up then moved to help Jimmy and Callie.
The lab was quiet except for his guild mumbling questions asked by the techs as they came out of the game. Harrison felt fine mentally. His body was weak and he knew the road ahead was not going to be an easy one, but he was alive. The servers hummed louder and louder, and the techs told everyone to back away from the stations. The power flickered on and off a few times and then the servers shut down completely.
Harrison held his breath, Callie finding his hand to hold as they waited.
A beeping sounded and Tyler moved towards the nearest station. The lights remained off, but the computers all kicked back on one by one. “He did it,” Tyler announced proudly. “He reset the servers.”
“Did he make it?” Harrison asked. He searched the lab and found Dennis still hooked up to the gear. “Why didn’t you detach him?”
“He told us not to,” Tyler said quietly. “Said we had to leave him hooked up until we knew.”
Tyler and another tech walked over to remove the headgear from Dennis now and try to wake him up. Harrison expected them to announce he passed, but Tyler frowned, holding Dennis’ wrist. “He’s got a pulse! Call for an ambulance, we need to get him out of here!”
Harrison couldn’t believe it. “Crazy old man,” he whispered. “He lived.”
“You think his mind will be okay?” Callie asked as they followed the rest of the players out of the lab and towards the rec room where everyone was gathered, awaiting direction.
“I don’t know. He said it would kill a person to stay in the game while they did a hard reset, but he’s strong. Maybe he’ll make it.”
“Maybe.”
A few hours passed and the players were finally told by Felicity Greyson, the woman who had greeted them all on their arrival and would be sending them on their way home, that they would be paid in full for their time and buses would start arriving tomorrow morning first thing to take them to the airport. Harrison had no idea where he wanted to go but, for tonight, he was going to celebrate this crazy adventure with his friends.
They took a couple bottles of soda and ducked out into the gardens, laughing and talking about their time in the game, how amazing it could’ve been if there hadn’t been a crazy AI on the loose. Harrison liked his character, but as much as he enjoyed being Bishop, he didn’t need a virtual reality character to show him what he could truly be anymore. He was a good guy, maybe not perfect, but perfect was boring anyway.
“Where are you headed after this?” Callie asked later while they wandered the halls towards her room.
“Not sure yet. Not back to where I was.”
“Why don’t you come with me?” she suggested, and they came to a stop outside her door. “Just for a while maybe. See what we make of it.”
Harrison leaned in for a kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I like the sound of that.” She fumbled for the door behind her and dragged him in after her, giggling as she kicked it shut and they started another crazy adventure.
Hopefully this time, Harrison would find a happy ending.
Epilogue
Ten Years Later
Harrison and Callie waited on the front porch of his ex-wife’s house after he rang the doorbell. A lot had happened in the last ten years, but Harrison was finally happy and content. He and Callie wound up getting marrie
d after only six months out of the game, with more than enough money to start a new life together. She had opened her own blacksmithing shop and he had gone into the world of gaming as a creator.
They had a nice house with a forge in the backyard, five dogs, and got together with the rest of the guild at least once a month, flying to one another’s houses to keep up. Jimmy and Alana were married not too long after Harrison and Callie, and they had baby number three on the way. Jimmy was an amazing dad and Alana was a natural born mother, with the mom glare to boot.
“Hey guys,” Juliet said when she opened the door. “Come on in.”
Callie and her hugged and were chatting about who knew what, leaving Harrison to follow, closing the door behind him. His wife had remarried not long after he did and she was happy with Brent. Willy loved having his parents getting along again and he went to stay with Harrison and Callie every summer as well as a few of the holidays. He was fifteen now and Harrison still couldn’t believe it.
“Where is the birthday boy?” he asked when he managed to get a word in edge-wise. “Callie crafted him an incredible helm to add to his collection.”
“Back in his room. Brent gave him his present this morning, said he couldn’t wait to see the look on Willy’s face when he got to play it.”
“What is it?” Callie asked, curiously.
Juliet’s lips screwed up to the side in thought. “Something with a V? I can’t remember. Some virtual reality game he gets to use with his new headgear.”
Harrison’s chest tightened. “You said with a V?”
“Yeah, think so.”
“Wraith of Valenastrious?” he murmured, praying he was wrong. That game was supposed to have been scrapped after Dennis had died a few days after the game was defeated. They said they had shut down the facility and dismantled everything, marked the game as a bust, and moved on. “Juliet?”
“That sounds right. Why, what’s wrong?” she asked, but Harrison was already moving down the hall toward his son’s bedroom.
He knocked. “Will? You in there kiddo?” He waited, but there was no response. “William, open the door now, please.”
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