by Dante Doom
“It’s a mystery what happened to them. I sometimes wonder if they were keeping the World Before safe,” Savannah said. “And when they vanished, everything went into chaos.”
“That’s a sound theory. Or at least the start of a new legend. We should tell that story to our kids someday,” Timon said. He paused. “Well, I mean our respective kids, is what I meant.”
“Oh, of course,” Savannah said, chuckling. She was starting to like Timon more and more. He was quiet and reflective. And more importantly, he didn’t talk much, but he treated her with respect. She liked all of those qualities in a man. Besides, if they were both on the path to becoming Nobles… she paused to banish that thinking from her head. He was probably set up for an arranged marriage anyway. House laRange was well known for marrying children off aggressively in order to increase their strength.
As questions surrounding matrimony popped into her head, she heard a clicking sound from behind them. She spun around and went to pull out her gun, but a bolt of blue energy crashed into her. She took no damage, but the words You Are Stunned 8s hovered above her now. She dropped the gun to the ground and stood motionless, unable to move.
“Yeehaw!” shouted a man as he and a gang of seven others came out from one of the nearby craters. He was holding a stun gun in his hand, and fired it again, striking Timon before he had a chance to react. The gang swarmed around Savannah and pointed their weapons at the two of them.
“Ah crap,” Savannah grumbled once the stun wore off. She raised her hands high.
“What’s going on? Are these the Kleptos?” Timon asked as he held his hands up, too. His eyes were wide. It looked as if he’d forgotten that he was inside of a game at this point.
“Relax, Timon, they’re Wild Cards,” Savannah replied. She turned to face the motley crew of men and women who had their shotguns raised high. “Who’s in charge?”
“I am!” said a man with a cowboy hat. How he’d gotten a hat like that was beyond her, as the nature of the game was science fiction, but somehow he had one. “The name’s Tex.”
“Tex?” Savannah repeated. “Like, as in the city?”
“Yeah!” Tex said. He took his hat off. “May she rest in peace. Most beautiful city in the whole wide world.”
“Right…” Savannah said. “I’m a Grinder. May we pass in peace?”
“Grinder?” Tex repeated with a scowl. “Damn Grinders have been busting on us lately. I’m afraid we’re going to rob you of all your items. You may keep one weapon of your choice, each.”
Savannah growled.
“Who the hell are these people?” Timon asked.
“They’re called Wild Cards. So, you know how much fun it is to be in the Grind? Well, sometimes a person comes to the conclusion that the Grind is better than real life, so they stay in the pod forever. They usually form gangs and mess around, robbing players or policing areas. They’re known as Wild Cards.”
“Are they dangerous?” Timon whispered.
“Not any more than I am,” Savannah said. “Although, I wouldn’t try anything idiotic.”
Timon cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, ladies, I would implore you to hold back from your violence and wrongdoing.”
“The hell you just say?” Tex asked as he waved his gun in front of Timon’s face.
“I said, I would implore you to act in a manner becoming of your station. Are you not the guardians of this place? What benefit would you have from robbing us when you could stand to gain far more by assisting us?”
Tex paused and looked at the others. They all shrugged at him. “I’m listening,” he answered.
“Our items are fine, sure, but do you know what we can do for you outside of the Grind?” Timon asked.
“Outside of the Grind?” Tex asked with a chuckle. “What could you possibly do for me?”
Timon smiled at that and crossed his arms. “Never mind, then. I guess by your tone that you’re not interested.”
“No, no, I’m interested,” Tex said as he lowered his gun. “I mean, I’m curious. You have no idea where any of us are.”
“Forget it,” Timon said. “I doubt you’d like it anyway.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Tex replied as he raised his gun again. “You’re going to tell us now, or else!”
“Yeah, or else!” one of the goons echoed.
“Fine!” Timon said with a huff. “I was going to say that I would be able to arrange that your pods be given upgrades, but like I said, you probably don’t care.”
Tex frowned. “Upgrades? What are you talking about?”
“How long have you been in here, Tex?” Timon asked.
Looking on, Savannah just listened, wide-eyed at the way Timon so effortlessly negotiated with them. He might suck at shooting a rifle, but his charm was unmistakable.
“Hard to remember, with all the time dilation,” Tex said. “But I’d wager maybe eight years.”
“So you don’t know?” Timon asked with a smirk. “Oh, wow.”
“Know about what?” one of the female gang members asked.
“Well, they’ve recently figured out an incredible setting for the pods—they call the mode Realism. Everything feels completely real,” Timon said.
“That makes no sense,” Tex replied. “Everything’s already as realistic as it can be.”
“Is it?” Timon asked. “Because I can guarantee you that I’m experiencing far more than you are right now. The tastes, the touch, the smell. It’s all so… lifelike.”
“He’s messing with us, boss,” said another thug, this one also wearing a cowboy hat.
“Shut it,” Tex said. “Tell me how it works.”
“It’s simple,” Timon replied. “Imagine what life would be like if you were born colorblind. Until someone told you that you were, you’d never notice. It’s like that in here. The simulation makes us feel like everything is realistic, but in reality, there is a setting that increases it tenfold. You think you can see the color green, but until you can experience the contrast, you’ll never know the difference.”
“If I don’t know the difference, then why would I want it?” Tex asked.
“Why see the world in full color?” Timon replied.
“He makes a compelling point,” the other cowboy-hatted thug said.
“Shut it,” Tex said. He lowered his gun a little more. “All right, so how can we upgrade?”
“You’d need the right chipsets. As you can see, I am working my way to nobility. I am from a very powerful house in Verre. Once I finish this sojourn through the Grind, I will happily give you the chips. We can use this Grinder here to manage the transaction.”
Tex tapped his finger against the side of his shotgun. Savannah tensed, wondering if he might shoot at them, but instead, he shrugged. “I like this idea, but how am I gonna keep tabs on you?”
“I’ll go with them, boss!” said a young, purple-haired boy. He was tall and slender, with a face somewhat like an elf.
“Getting rid of you for a bit will be a bonus on top of that,” Tex said with a sneer. He pointed to the boy. “Fingers, you go and keep tabs on them. Once they finish their mission and are ready to send us the chips, you all come find us. We’ll be at the usual base.” He looked at Timon. “I’m not an idiot, but… I figure that upgrade has got to be worth more than whatever you’re carrying with you. I’m willing to roll the dice on the chance of it being true.”
“Savvy and shrewd,” Timon said as he reached out his hand. “I like it.”
Tex shook the man’s hand with a grin. “Come on, gang, let’s get out of here!”
They turned and left Savannah and Timon alone with Fingers, who was watching them with a big grin on his face. After the gang vanished from eyesight, Fingers burst out laughing.
“I cannot believe you two pulled that off!” he said, bending over and holding his sides as he continued to laugh. “You actually sold a bridge to Tex and he bought it!”
Savannah tried her best to keep a straight face, but she co
uldn’t help herself. She burst out into laughter, too.
Timon chuckled. “What’s your deal, Fingers? Tex didn’t seem to like you much.”
Fingers nodded. “Yeah, well, I’m not really part of his gang. At least, I wasn’t planning on being part of it. I ran my own crew, the Crazy Aces, for a long time. But… one day they sorta vanished. Been looking for them ever since, but found nothing.”
“Vanished?” Savannah asked. “That’s weird.”
“Right? Where would they have gone?” Fingers replied as he slowly surveyed the land. “We were in this game for life and… gone.”
Timon shrugged. “Maybe they went home?”
“All at the same time?” Savannah answered. “That seems unlikely.”
“Anyway, it gets lonely being in the game without a crew, so I followed Tex and his people around while I searched for clues—but all Tex seems to do is jump out at strangers and act like he’s a cowboy. You don’t mind me tagging along with you guys, do you?”
Timon looked at Savannah. “It’s your call, boss.”
Boss. That word sent a thrill through Savannah’s entire body. No one had ever recognized her as being in charge before. She had never been the leader of someone so willing to listen to her. She felt her knees wobble a little as the rush of power went through her. She glanced at Fingers then. Wild Cards weren’t malicious. More than anything, they were a generation of Peter Pans, living in a world where they would never have to grow up and deal with the misery of Verre. She had thought, once, of becoming a Wild Card, but the idea of running around in a make-believe world for the rest of her life had been too childish. She didn’t want to play games; she wanted to be a Noble.
“Well, Fingers, we’re out here Grinding points for Timon,” Savannah said. “We’re not going to take any detours on your behalf, but we don’t mind having the company. My name’s Savannah and this is Timon.”
Fingers nodded. “Nice to meet you both. Travelling sounds good to me. I don’t particularly know where to look for my friends anyway. They might not even be in the game anymore. It’s strange, you know? One minute, we’re all battling some Virals to daringly rescue people who we were going to rob, and then, the next minute, I’m all alone. Something’s not right.”
“How long have you been in the game?” Timon asked. He shot a questioning glance at Savannah, but she shrugged. Wild Cards usually left Grinders alone, so she never paid them much mind. Grinders and Wild Cards were essentially roommates in a very large house, and it was better for them to be at peace with each other. If Fingers and his people were robbing normal players, it wasn’t a big deal to her.
“Hah, I have no clue how long it’s been. But, I can tell you this much, Tex was still a living city when I came into the game.”
“It’s been dead since before I was born,” Savannah said with a gasp. “You’ve really been in here that long?”
Fingers shrugged. “What’s so great about the outside world? Famine? Poverty? This place is far safer. I’ll get to live a thousand lifetimes here. And when my body finally dies because the power goes out or the tube somehow malfunctions, it will be a fate better than wandering the world.”
“That’s poetic,” Timon said. “Also a little sad. I’m sorry that wherever you’re from is so terrible.”
“Tell me about it,” Fingers said. “Verre was a real hellhole.”
Timon and Savannah exchanged irritated glances. “Well, whatever,” Savannah said. “We’re going Grinding through the Krecius Caves. You can’t get points, can you?”
“Nah, not anymore. I used to a long time ago… but something shut that off. I won’t be cutting into your scoring, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Fingers said.
“Great! Let’s get moving!” Savannah clapped her hands as they began to make their way to the caverns. Having an extra hand around that didn’t soak up points? This was the perfect way to expedite the process. Still… something about the way Fingers spoke about the vanishing worried her. Between that incident, her father going missing, and the Aspect sending her waves of telepathic fear, she was starting to worry that something terrible was going down. But what?
Chapter Five
Savannah fiddled with the panel on the arm of her suit of armor. After a moment, a bright light began to shine out of the panel in response, illuminating the dark cave.
“This place is huge!” Timon exclaimed as he gazed around. “Look at all those Machina!” There were large drilling machines working on the walls of the cavern, tearing through the granite with their big spinning drills. Virals were wandering around, too, these versions of the monsters shaped like large spiders or hulking beasts with long arms and short legs.
“You’ve never been here before?” Fingers chuckled. “Boy, I wish I still had that kind of appreciation for this world. I’ve been here so long, it all seems so… mundane.”
“I still get excited, sometimes,” Savannah replied. “Just not as often as I used to. I’ll never forget the first time I came into the Grind. You could have picked my jaw up off the floor.”
“I would kill to feel that way again,” Fingers said with a nod. “But you can never go home again, ya know?”
“So what’s the plan?” Timon asked as he looked at Savannah expectantly. He was smiling more widely at her now, and she felt a little guilty that she was taking him around on a secret mission to find her dad. But then again, it’s wasn’t like they hadn’t been scoring points this whole time. She checked his point bank.
Timon’s Points: 22,000/1,500,000
That was a drop in the bucket compared to the millions needed, though. They’d fought a few odd Virals along the way, but they’d need to start fighting some heavy hitting ones if they were going to get anywhere close to a high score. She wondered if maybe she should put a bigger party together. Splitting points sucked, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to spend an actual year inside of the game trying to get the points necessary. A larger party meant that they could fight stronger enemies, which would lead to more point than on their lonesome, as smaller encounters wouldn’t bring as many points. She just wasn’t sure what she wanted to do that just yet.
“Over there,” Savannah said as she led her small group to one of the mine cliffs. Each cliff stretched downward like a set of stairs to the black bottom of the pit. She pointed down to the bottom, where a nest of Spider Virals was located. “If we dive down there, we can clear that nest out. It’ll give us a lot of points and a Purple Key.”
“Keys? What do they do?” Timon asked.
“Doors, my friend!” Fingers replied before Savannah had a chance to. The purple-haired man slung his arm around Timon. “You see, in this crazy world, there are two types of places you want to be—first, there’s the Overworld, which is here, connected to all sorts of different levels and portals. Then, there’s the much-coveted Instances. These Instances can only be accessed with special keys. When you get your hands on a key, you’re opening the door to a ton of points.”
“And a lot of risk,” Savannah added. “So we only do the Instances when we have the best chance of succeeding.”
“Gotta play it safe in here,” Fingers said, nodding his head. “There’s no leaving an Instance until you finish the whole thing.”
“I see,” Timon said. “So which Instance are we going to do when we get the key?’
“I’ll find us a nice one,” Fingers said. “A safe and easy one.”
“Yeah, let me do the guiding here, Fingers,” Savannah said. “You focus on fighting and finding your friends.”
“I was only trying to help,” Fingers replied, and then he sighed. “I do miss my people, though.”
“Hey, look at that,” Timon said as he pointed down at one of the cliffs beneath them. “Those are bodies.”
“What?” Savannah knelt down to get a better look. Indeed, she could make out a few corpses lying on the ground. It was an odd sight, and she definitely needed a closer look. Without thinking, she leapt off the side of th
e cliff and gently sailed down to inspect the bodies up close.
“I forgot about the gravity thing,” Timon said as he began to fall down alongside of her. “Hah, it’s almost like we’re flying.”
“Almost,” Savannah said. She was seriously getting a kick out of his enthusiasm. There was something so innocent about the fact that a grown man could be so full of humor and happiness. Perhaps that was why he didn’t care for the Noble lifestyle. Maybe the children weren’t allowed to play around? Granted, it wasn’t as if Savannah had been able to play much when she was a child, either. The moment that her body had been strong enough to pick up a scythe, she’d been put to work in the fields until she’d been old enough to learn how the Grind worked.
Fingers jumped a moment later, after both Savannah and Timon had landed. He appeared to be worried about some kind of ambush, and so he had kept his weapons, two six-shooters, drawn. Savannah appreciated the sight of them, too. Having a guy with ballistic weapons was valuable, especially since using ballistics was a different skillset from the energy weapons she preferred.
“What in the world is happening?” Savannah whispered as she gently tapped one of the bodies with her foot. There was a weight to it. The body was a woman, adorned in golden armor. The armor had blast marks on it and her right hand was wrapped around a laser sword.
“What’s so special about a body?” Timon asked. “I figured you’d find them all the time in a place this dangerous.”
“Bodies vanish,” Fingers murmured as he knelt down to run his hands across one of the other dead stiffs. “Virals turn into points and, when a player dies, they are ejected from the game and all their items land on the ground in a neat little cargo box.”
“I’ve never seen a body stay behind before,” Savannah agreed as she poked the dead woman’s face. It was fleshy, and resisted her touch—as if it were an actual body. She felt a shiver go up her spine. Something was definitely wrong.
“Are they players?” Fingers asked. “I mean, they’d have to be, right?”
