Darkness Fallen

by Dave Willmarth

  Richard let out a long sigh. “Dayle is still in surgery. I think he is going to live. But he lost both legs in the explosion. And probably the use of one arm. He has significant internal injuries. His life, if and when he wakes up, is going to be very different.”

  Alexander looked at the group. “Dayle will never want for anything. He will have the best medical care. Counseling. We’ll offer him a place to live here at Olympus, or set him up wherever he likes. And of course, he’ll have a pod of his own so he can spend time in-game with his friends. This is exactly what these pods were created for.”

  “What about Warren?” Sasha looked at Lyra.

  “His pod was closest to Dayle’s,” Warren’s sister answered. “He’s got a pretty bad cut on one leg. Smaller cuts in other places. And a mild concussion.” Lyra paused for a moment, looking like she was going to be sick. She recovered and then added, “They pulled a chunk of Dayle’s bone from his leg!”

  “Gross!” Sasha blurted out before her brain caught up with her mouth. She covered her mouth with both hands for a moment. “Oh, god. I’m so sorry.”

  Lyra smiled sheepishly at Sasha. “It’s okay. I said the same thing.”

  The group continued their meals, mostly in silence. A few commented on the tasty food, and how good it felt to have solid food in their stomachs. When all were finished eating, Richard had more news for them.

  “I can give you an update on what’s been happening here in the real world if you like?”

  Alexander went right to the heart of the matter. “Have they traced the money back to whoever is paying for these attacks?”

  Richard shook his head. “No. Not yet. But the FBI now believes that at least one of the members of Light of Truth still lives, and has been rebuilding the organization over the last several years. They’ve found some writings at the homes of several of those they arrested. They’re almost an identical match to what we found back then.”

  He continued. “So far, they’ve arrested or detained more than 50 people here in the US. And a similar number in Canada, the UK, and a few other nations. Some were the folks you fought and detained in-game, others were at those players’ homes when they were raided or had some substantial ties to the organization that is unfolding. Most knew nothing about any terrorism - they were simply taking money to hunt you in game, or make blog posts, or similar seemingly innocuous activities.”

  Max pounded a hand on the table in front of him, startling everyone. “So these anti-technology assholes are using VR tech, the very thing they supposedly despise, to… what? What’s their goal?”

  Richard answered, “Well, we know they want Alexander and myself dead. Maybe more of us. They want to put Jupiter Tech out of business. That we know for sure. Their ultimate goal ten years ago was to destroy the internet and all machines that have replaced human workers.”

  Brick’s opinion was short and succinct. “Assholes.”

  Lyra was putting together a plate of food. “I’m kind of tired. I want to bring some food to Warren and then get some sleep,” she said.

  Richard rose to his feet. “I’ll escort you down. I’m headed that way anyway. We have rooms set aside for each of you. And there will be security outside your doors at all times. If you need anything, just tell them, and they’ll arrange it.”

  Misty, who had been getting to her feet to join them, asked, “Are… are we under arrest?”

  Richard chuckled. “Of course not, my dear. They are for your protection. You are free to go anywhere you like. Though, at the moment, Olympus is on lockdown. So, if you want to go see your sister, let me know, and I’ll arrange a team to escort you.”

  Brick raised his hand. “It’s late now. But in the morning, I’d like to go see my family.”

  Richard nodded his head. “Of course. I figured as much. Your team will be ready first thing in the morning. Just give them ten minutes’ warning when you want to go.”

  Richard began to walk toward the door. Stopping to hold it open for Lyra and Misty, he said, “Our teams are checking every component of every pod right now. It’ll take a full day. Those of you who wish to do so can go back into the game the day after tomorrow.”

  Winking at Alexander, he said, “They started yours as soon as you come out of immersion. It’s clean. In case you want to go back in this evening for… any reason.” He threw a grin at Sasha and Lainey before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

  Lainey looked at Alexander, who was looking thoughtful. “You really should go in and check on Jules. She’ll be worried sick.”

  Sasha got up and moved to where Alexander was sitting. Plopping herself down on his lap, she began to poke him playfully in the ribs and chest. “And don’t forget snuggle time!” she said, tickling him while she had him pinned.

  Max piled on. “But no smooching. Wouldn’t want Brick here to get jealous!”

  Brick, trying hard not to smile, just said, “Bah! Idiot.”

  The five of them teased and poked at each other for a few more minutes, breaking the tension of the day. After things quieted, Max got up to leave.

  “I’m going to go see if I can find Bethany.” He grinned as he walked toward the door.

  The others made mumbled comments of general agreement that it was time to go. They all followed Max out the door and onto the elevator.

  Finding himself alone, Alexander went to his desk, dragging his chair behind him. Sitting at the terminal, he pulled up his admin access to the Io game feed, then opened Jules’ live feed.

  She was curled up on his bed, hugging a pillow, dressed in her ridiculous pink bunny onesie. Her face was buried, so he couldn’t tell if she was asleep. But a sudden, repetitive jerking of her shoulders told him she was awake and crying. That settled it. He closed the feed and made his way out to the elevator.

  Alexander arrived back in the game exactly where he’d logged out, which was near the top of the stairs outside the queen’s chambers. Much to the surprise of the several guards who were stationed at the chamber doors, as well as at the bottom of the stairs. Spears were quickly leveled in his direction, and an alarm called out.

  He raised his hands to show he was unarmed and tried to speak calmly. “My name is Alexander Greystone. I am here as a friend.”

  The queen’s door opened, and Sir Jeffrey stepped out, sword in hand. Seeing Alexander, he sheathed his sword, motioning for the guards to stand at ease. “Let him pass,” he said as he waved Alexander inside.

  In the queen’s sitting room, he found Michael, Tiny Sam, and Princess Kimberly all seated near the fireplace. Kimberly rose and moved to address Alexander. Bowing her head just a touch, she said, “Antalia owes you and yours a great debt, Sir Knight.”

  “You owe us nothing, Princess.” Alexander bowed at the waist. “It was our duty and pleasure to help. Antalia and Stormforge have been friends for many years, and we have simply acted as friends should.”

  “Even though WE have not.” The princess grinned wryly at him. “I have sent messengers throughout the city to announce the death of Lucius, his traitorous scheme, and the lifting of the bounty on your heads.”

  Michael chuckled. “There’s been quite a lot of toasting in your name across the city tonight.”

  Your reputation with the citizens of Antalia has increased to “Liked”!

  Alexander looked embarrassed. Deciding to change the subject, he asked, “How is the queen?”

  Kimberly spoke as she moved to retake her seat. “Gina gave her the correct antidote, and she seems to be recovering nicely. She was awake briefly, but Gina says she should sleep for a long while yet.”

  “I’m very glad to hear that! And speaking of sleep, I should return to my keep and get some myself,” Alexander began. He was anxious to get to Jules. “But before I go, Princess, may I ask a favor?”

  Kimberly nodded and smiled. “Anything within my power.”

  First, I think maybe Lucius has been holding one of King Charles’ messengers here. He came with a request from
the King. I think he would appreciate having his messenger back.” Alexander smiled.

  “Immediately!” Kimberly looked meaningfully at Sir Jeffrey, who nodded his head.

  Alexander cleared his throat. “The message he brought requested that the queen release a man named Martin. The former leader of PWP. He was framed by Henry, the man who took over the guild, for murder. But Henry confessed to the murder that Martin has been convicted of.”

  Michael spoke up. “Martin is a good man. I worked for him when I left the palace. I never believed he would murder anyone. He is a healer.”

  Alexander agreed “Yes. We, that is the Greystone Guild, intend to help him restore his guild of priests and healers. We’ve arrested or killed most of Henry’s minions. PWP should be free of the PK scum and servants of the Dark One. However, Chaos Nation, another guild based here in your city, is still firmly under his control.”

  Kimberly thought for a moment, then nodded. “It shall be as you ask. We will release Martin and support him in rebuilding his guild. But we are short on soldiers after today’s fight. We may need your assistance with Chaos Nation, Sir Knight.”

  “We will help as we can,” Alexander replied. “But you may have noticed our…” he hesitated. Tiny Sam smiled at him. “We all grew up here in the palace, Alexander. We know your secret.”

  Alexander let out a sigh of relief. “Our sudden departure was due to an attack in our homeland by servants of the Dark One. We have lost Dayle, one of the tanks who defended the queen. And possibly a few others. At least for the foreseeable future. So, we are somewhat limited ourselves.”

  Kimberly looked sadly at Alexander. “We are very sorry for your loss. Please know that we will do all we can to free our land from the influence of this Dark One. We shall prepare to engage the Chaos Nation guild, and let you know when we are ready.”

  Alexander bowed once again. “Thank you, Princess. And please, be careful. The Dark One likes to attack from within, as you have already seen. I bid you good night.”

  He produced one of the king’s teleport scrolls, and teleported himself to the palace in Stormforge. Though his teleport skill had leveled considerably, Antalia was too far for him still. He stepped up to the closest guard, who snapped to attention and saluted.

  “Where is Captain Redmond?” he asked.

  “Home, sir! A good hour past,” the guard answered.

  “Then please pass on a message to the king for me. If he’s awake. Tell him that Antalia has been dealt with, and his messenger should arrive soon. I’ll give him a full report in the morning.” Alexander didn’t wait for the guard to ask him to stay. He teleported himself directly to his bedroom at the keep.

  Removing his gear, he considered a shower. Deciding he was just too tired, he crawled carefully onto the giant bed and laid down next to Jules, who was still curved around her pillow. Though now, instead of crying, she was snoring softly. Deciding not to wake her, Alexander pulled her gently into his arms and closed his eyes. It wasn’t long before he was fast asleep.

  Chapter 10

  Attack of the Fuzzy Bunny

  Alexander was awakened by an attack. Eyes blurry with sleep, all he could make out was that something pink and furry had pounced on him, and seemed to be attempting to bite his face. His arms pinned, he began to be concerned when the creature’s face loomed into focus and kissed him.

  Jules. And those damned pink bunny jammies.

  Grinning, he grabbed the pink bunnymonster and hugged her closer to him. Turning a quick good morning kiss into something much more meaningful. After a solid minute, Jules broke away, gasping for breath. She smacked his face lightly with one pink furry paw and rolled off him. “I missed you.”

  Alexander gently booped her nose with one finger. “I missed you too. I came back as quickly as I could. You were sleeping, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  Jules looked sad as she asked “Dayle?”

  Alexander pulled her closer, speaking into her hair as he held her. “Pretty bad. He was still in surgery when I left. He’s… he might not make it.”

  Jules mumbled against his chest. “Melanie told me what happened. She said the others were hurt too. His group, I mean. But they’ll be okay.” She raised her head, tearful eyes looking into his. “Why would someone do this? Dayle wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

  Alexander grimaced, unpleasant memories resurfacing. “They think it might be the same group that killed my mom ten years ago. They hate technology. And especially Io and our company.”

  Deciding to lighten the mood, Jules said, “I’m glad you came back. This bed felt so big and empty without you; I was worried about you. Also, concerned that you’d try to check on me in my pod.” She grinned slightly as she continued. “But Melanie promised to bonk you on the head if you tried.”

  Alexander chuckled. “I’m sure she would.” He kissed the fuzzy bunnymonster on her forehead. “Must you wear this thing? It has GOT to be hot inside there.”

  Untangling herself from him, she rolled off the bed. “It sure is! I’m hitting the shower” she said. “And no, you’re not invited!”

  He watched her walk across the room and disappear into the bathroom, bunny tail bobbing side to side attractively as she went. She glanced quickly over one shoulder to make sure he’d been watching, and then she grinned as she slammed the door behind her.

  With a sigh, Alexander lay back on the bed. He considered logging back out to check on Dayle.

  Not much I can do there. Just sit and wait. Better to get some things done here.

  As he heard the shower turn on in the bathroom, he pulled up his UI. There were still several messages pending that he’d ignored after yesterday’s battle. He immediately saw that the experience for killing Lucius and so many guards had earned him another level.

  Level up! You are now level 57!

  Your wisdom has increased by +1. Your intelligence has increased by +1

  You have 10 free attribute points available

  Quest Complete: Save the Queen!

  You successfully stormed the castle and killed Lucius before he could murder the queen and take over Antalia. Reward earned: 125,000 xp.

  Bonus achieved! You also provided the rare ingredients needed to cure the queen of the poison Lucius had given her. Reward Earned: 75,000 xp.

  Your reputation with the citizens of Antalia has increased to Respected!

  Your reputation with Princess Kimberly has increased to Honored!

  Level up! You are now level 58!

  Your wisdom has increased by +1. Your intelligence has increased by +1

  You have 10 free attribute points available

  He took a minute to pull up his character screen and look at his stats.

  Mage: Alexander Level 58

  Build: Ranged magic/Melee dps

  Health: 18,000Experience 19,000/220,000Attribute pts avail: 10

  Mana: 21,800Skill pts avail: 5

  Stamina: 14(27) Dexterity: 6 Armor: 240 Heath Regen: 120

  Strength: 12(28) Wisdom: 68(97) Defense: 150Mana Regen: 200

  Agility: 12(22) Intel: 68(97) Phys Attack: 65Magic Attack: 150

  Luck: 14(22) Charisma: 12 Stam Regen: 28Race: Elf

  Deciding not to spend any attribute points until he reached level 60 and earned five more, he closed out his character screen.

  He could hear Jules humming to herself in the shower. The temptation to join her was nearly irresistible. But now was not the time. Not while she was trapped in that pod. And not while they were all under attack. A decision made in the heat of the moment might cause regret later.

  Looking out the window, he noted that it was well after sunrise. He and Jules had both needed a good night’s sleep, and for once they weren’t awakened before dawn by an intruding dragon or epic pig-wrestling.

  He checked his raid group status. Lugs, Helga, Beatrix and Benny were all offline. Sometimes Alexander forgot that they were normal players and not in long-term immersion like himself and the other guild members
. Maybe he could do something about that. He made a note to ask his father. They had more than proved themselves in the last few weeks.

  Jules emerged from the bathroom in her black leather armor. It fit her so well that not even a whisper could be heard as she moved toward him. He held out his arms to gather her in a hug, but she quickly spun to her left and dodged past him.

  “Nope. Hungry. Breakfast now,” was all he heard as she passed him by and disappeared out the door. He shook his head, chuckling to himself as he made his way into the bathroom to clean up. He still had bits of Lucius and the guards on him from the fight the day before.

  When he got downstairs, he found Jules sitting with Master Silverbeard, working on a big stack of pancakes with maple syrup and slices of banana on top. He kissed her forehead as he sat next to her, earning a happy sounding “Mmrrmph” from his pancake-stuffed companion.

  “Good morning, Master Silverbeard,” he said to the clearly amused elder dwarf. “Anything urgent that needs my attention?”

  Before his chamberlain could answer, Jules spoke around her mouthful of pancakes. “Pancakes. SO good. You need pancakes. Urgent!” She then shoveled more into her already full mouth and grunted with pleasure.

  Smiling, Silverbeard answered, “Nothin urgent, lad. Ye telled Blix ye’d build the bank today. And if ye’ve got time we can talk about yer expanded lands. And yer raid yesterday.” The old dwarf looked around before looking meaningfully at Alexander. “The lady here weren’t much fer talkin’ last night, and the others disappeared as soon as they got back.”

  “My apologies, Master Silverbeard. Some unfortunate things happened. But the raid was a success. We claimed the guild house from PWP, and we thwarted a plan by the queen’s chancellor to kill her and take over the throne. He’s dead, and things should be returning to normal there.”

  Silverbeard nodded his head. “Jeeves telled me he picked up a new structure. I figgered it were the guild house ye was raiding.”