World War VR

by Michael Ryan

  She buttered her warm bread as he watched with anticipation.

  Despite noticing a creepy feeling, she admitted that the sensation was like nothing she’d experienced before.

  The bread was soft and tasted of fresh grain and yeast.

  The butter created a sensation of pure joy in her mouth.

  “My Goddess,” she whispered after swallowing a bite. She tore into another piece and, due to the mead, shouted with her mouth full, “I’ve never had anything so divine in my mouth!”

  “My lady,” Robur said. He bowed and smiled.

  Rohini experienced another creepy feeling.

  “Are you,” she whispered to him, “an NPC?”

  “I’ll be anything you want me to be, my lady,” he answered as his tongue crossed his upper lip.

  “Ruthann!”

  Rohini’s aide nudged herself between them and performed one of her assigned tasks, role-playing cock blocker.

  “Thank you,” Rohini said to Ruthann.

  “Don’t mention it,” Ruthann answered. “And I suggest, Roh, that you sleep in my tent tonight.”

  “Fabulous idea,” she agreed. “More mead!”

  Two servants carried a golden platter to the table. The roasted delicacy had a pear in its mouth, and its skin was seared to a golden, crispy brown. It smelled heavenly.

  “What beast is this?” Rohini asked.

  “That, my lady, is a suckling razordillo, a delicacy of delicacies,” a Sig answered. “They’re only edible if harvested during their last week of suckling. They gorge themselves on poisonous berries after being weaned, which makes them deadly to eat. You’ve never eaten such a beast?”

  “Of course,” she answered. “I mean, yes, I love roasted razordillo, but I’ve never seen a whole one. It’s usually served thinly sliced with mayo and mustard. At least at home, I mean.”

  “You’re in for a treat, my lady,” the servant said. He bowed, sliced expertly into the creature with a stiff, curved knife, and served Rohini a choice cut.

  She placed a chunk of the tender meat into her mouth, slowly chewed, and allowed the flavors to explode in a glorious mixture of juicy warm flesh and spices.

  “Oh, yes!” she exclaimed after she swallowed. “God, that’s amazing.”

  Robur leaned around Ruthann. “I am glad you’re pleased,” he said.

  “Another week of this, Robur, and I’ll be needing a tailor.”

  “Another minute of watching you eat,” he said, “and I’ll be needing a shower.”

  The meal continued with many additional dishes.

  It was beyond what anyone could finish, even if they ate until morning. Besides the roasted meat, there were vegetables, salads, a whole salmon, sautéed trout, and dishes of unknown fruits, casseroles, pasta, and of course, more bread.

  When they had aching bellies, more mead was poured, and then the servants presented a massive pie.

  “Arodian pecans, my lady,” Robur said.

  “I thought they’d been wiped out in the great fire?”

  “The king has always kept an orchard, my lady; he saved the species. I’m sure he’ll provide you with a young, healthy sapling if you wish.”

  The following morning, the troop slept late.

  As noon approached, Rohini heard a commotion and forced herself to wake up.

  “The falcon has returned, my lady,” Ruthann said.

  “I’ll be right there.” Rohini left her tent and entered the bright sunlight, which caused her eyes to hurt for a moment. When she was able to focus again, she saw the falcon on Robur’s arm. He served the bird of prey a mouse.

  As the messenger tore into the tiny creature’s flesh, Rohini heard a desperate squeak in its final moment of pain.

  She almost threw up. “Do even the tiniest NPCs in this world have to experience such wretched torture?”

  “Coffee, my lady?” Robur asked while handing her a mug. “I’m sorry that disturbed you. It won’t happen again.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  The coffee was rich and sweet. Lia, in her Rohini avatar, still couldn’t believe it was possible for her to be surprised again by the tastes created in the Almaach construct, but she had to admit she was. Again.

  “This is unbelievably good,” she said between sips.

  “Breakfast is prepared,” Robur announced. “Excuse me, my lady, the scroll delivered by the falcon is addressed to you.”

  She unrolled it and read.

  Welcome to the Kingdom of Moschatel.

  The enemy has landed!

  Scouting platoons of Declanian Faction soldiers have been reported entering the realm.

  Your mission is to deliver the ambassador safely to the castle.

  You may attack or evade the enemy as you choose.

  A Quest is offered: Deliver Ambassador Robur.

  Existing Open Quests: [One]

  Accept? [Y/N]

  Rohini accepted.

  The mission dovetailed nicely with her current objective.

  By the time Rohini’s and Robur’s groups had broken camp and marched towards the river, the sun had dipped below the tall mountain peaks.

  Long shadows turned from musty gray to dark.

  The sound of wolves echoed through the trees. Tiny chirps of bats chasing insects rang in Rohini’s ears, and she slapped a mosquito that was trying to land on an exposed portion of her neck.

  “What kind of sick mind created mosquitos?” she asked.

  “The gods are fickle, my lady,” Robur answered. “Some blame the sins of men; others say it’s only evolution in action.”

  “You’re a sentient being, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “My lady,” he said as he stopped walking and put a hand on her shoulder, “one of the things you’ll discover here is that such questions are impolite. It would do you–”

  Thaaaaack!

  A spear, thrown from the edge of the forest, nearly impaled Rohini.

  Only the quick action of Robur saved her, and with the enemy spear still stuck in his shield, he pulled her to cover. “Everyone! Take a defensive position!”

  Rohini was surprised because some of the Sig servants changed into professional fighting avatars the moment the battle began: lion men, reptiles, jaguar-like creatures similar to her avatar, and several others she didn’t recognize.

  Her platoon also changed quicker than expected, and Rohini realized that she hadn’t been as alert as she should have been.

  John: You must always be on guard.

  Rohini: Thanks for stating the obvious.

  Just doing my job.

  Well, if you’re so smart, why didn’t you tell me–

  Roh! Get down!

  She ducked under a log. An arrow struck a tree behind her. “Crap!” she exclaimed, and retrieved her longbow.

  She imbued an arrow with ice magic, even though the warm-up time was three seconds. The battle grew more intense. Arrows, spears, and axes flew through the air. Rohini kept her head down and hoped the decision to wait for an ice magic spell was sound.

  When the arrow was ready, she peeked her head above the log.

  An enemy bolt nearly hit her in the face, but one of her advanced skills was reflex ability, and it allowed her to dodge projectiles if she saw them in time.

  She peeked over the log and called up an enemy screen for the nearest opponent. Above the soldier’s head, a health bar displayed the enemy’s current health at ninety percent. She dropped to her knees, keeping most of her body shielded by the log in front of her, and released the bowstring. The imbued arrow flew to its target and exploded in a burst of bluish brilliance. She fired another arrow. And another after that without pausing to imbue the shafts.

  The soldier dropped.

  As the enemy’s HP neared zero, she reflected on the pain she’d felt when she’d died. A twinge of guilt struck her. She didn’t care to cause unnecessary suffering.

  John: You must pay attention.

  Rohini: I know, it’s just–

>   A brutal blow to her head knocked her to the ground.

  She felt intense pain, not unlike a terrible migraine, and her HP dropped below twenty-five percent.

  An apelike creature stood above her with a blood-soaked battle hammer raised above its head.

  She rolled to her right, and the hammer struck the ground centimeters from her head. She jumped to her feet and lunged behind a tree.

  With little to defend herself against a massive tank, especially one with two levels on her, she ran.

  She reached another tree and began the spell to imbue another arrow with ice magic. The huge creature was getting close – he was slower than her, but not by much.

  Rohini stepped from behind the cover of the redwood trunk and fired an arrow straight into the face of her foe.

  The bolt exploded on impact in a blinding display of color.

  “Arrrrrrg! You bitch! I will crush you!” the wounded beast screamed.

  Rohini ran as fast as she could, but he continued to chase close behind her.

  A notification popped into her view, obscuring her range of vision.

  +500XP

  Killed: Naphil Level 5

  Rohini: John! What the hell?

  John: It’s from that first soldier. You got a tag in there, and he–

  Fuck, disable all–

  Duck!

  Rohini had learned enough to not think in these situations.

  She hit the ground.

  A double-headed axe flew over her body.

  The soldier with the apelike avatar stood above her. He had chased her down and was swinging his war hammer at her legs.

  Rohini stared into his eyes and saw an unforgettable look of pleasure.

  The heavy weapon landed on her right hip.

  She was sickened by the sound of bone splitting, but there wasn’t time for her to contemplate the pain before shock hit her. Someone had fired healing magic at her avatar.

  Her HP jumped to fifty-five percent, but then an arrow struck her in the other leg, and it fell again.

  One of her allies had dropped the ape momentarily, so she ran, but not before she pulled up its player screen.

  Unable to quell her curiosity, she selected the All Entries feature to see if other players had tagged the ape avatar with anything interesting.

  A new window popped open when she ran behind a tree. Her attacker’s real name was Randy “Ace” Whitman.

  The entries logged on him included:

  Ablogcat98: His weakness is against fire magic.

  Ron Tanglewood: Watch for use of battle pet, a monkey with a venomous bite.

  SheWolf14: This bastard is a cruel sexual deviant. If you’re a chick and he traps you, kill yourself before he touches you.

  Rohini closed the pop-ups and raised her bow.

  The enemy used the Sagittalian race for his avatar, a creature similar to a gorilla, only taller and heavier. The one that advanced on her wore heavily decorated armor. Besides the war hammer, he’d brought out a short, ugly concave sword called a falcata.

  He grunted.

  With a single step towards her, he raised the hammer above his head and screamed like a demon as he brought it down to crush her knees.

  Rohini fired her imbued arrow.

  It struck him in the middle of his chest, probably where his armor was thickest, and she had no way of knowing how much damage she’d done.

  He fell on top of her before she had time to react.

  Rohini’s knees were crushed and useless, but her mind barely registered the pain.

  Instead, she felt the falcata against her throat.

  “Such a pretty little soldier,” her attacker whispered hoarsely into her ear.

  “Finish me,” she said. “Don’t be such a fucking sadist.”

  “Ah, a fancy talker, too,” he said while drawing blood from her neck with his blade. “I like that. Big words. Nice tits.”

  Rohini felt his free hand on her chest.

  A surge of panic flooded her mind.

  She looked back toward the primary battle. Soldiers, arrows, explosions of magic, and various burning things filled her vision.

  Her string of ponies had panicked and raced away.

  Her priority had always been to keep her pony alive. It was a good strategy; players didn’t drop loot, or anything, with one exception. Players dropped jewels on death, so she could never safely carry the stone herself.

  Rohini had a tag on her pony, so barring any tricks, she could come back to the valley after she respawned and recover the animal.

  Her health dropped below ten percent and continued to decline.

  Rohini: John?

  John: Yes, I’m here.

  I’m scared and uncomfortable.

  I know, dear. It’ll be over soon.

  Is there a way to…

  No, not in your present situation–

  A shame.

  You might tag the bastard.

  I can?

  Yes, he’s an arrogant one. He has no enchantment to protect–

  I see. It’s done.

  Good. Now, listen to me. Stay out of your own consciousness the best you can.

  Rohini tried to follow John’s advice while the cowardly enemy soldier satisfied his lust. She was only partially successful.

  As Randy “Ace” Whitman grunted, groaned, and licked her face, Rohini convulsed.

  Before she died, she vomited, and her last memory of her first battle with the enemy was of blood, bile, and mucus filling her throat.

  Lia’s mother brought her a hot tea.

  “Are you feeling better, dear?” she asked.

  “A little,” Lia answered. She sat up on her bed and took the cup from her mother’s hand. “Thank you, Mama. You’re a good nurse.”

  “It’s a mother’s job.”

  “I know.” Lia half-smiled at her. “But you go beyond the call of duty.”

  “You were in no condition to clean up, darling,” her mother said. “I can’t imagine what you ate that made you so sick.”

  “I don’t know,” Lia said. “But please, let’s not talk about it anymore. The thought of it makes my stomach turn again.”

  “Okay, love. Do you need anything else?” her mother asked as she walked toward Lia’s bedroom door.

  “No, thank you,” she answered.

  “You stay out of that ridiculous suit,” her mother scolded. “Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, Mama.”

  “You’re not going to listen, are you?”

  “I have friends, and I’m–”

  “Nope,” her mother interrupted her with a raised hand. “I don’t want to hear about your quests and dragons and experienced mana arrows. I don’t care to hear about any of it. I don’t understand, but you’re old enough to make your own life choices, Lia.”

  “Thank you, Mama.”

  “Just get a little stronger before you put on that ridiculous thing again, okay?”

  “I will,” she promised.

  After her mother left, Lia checked her social networks and email. The most significant news bouncing around the echo chambers of the web was the announcement of the Nagant War. Apparently some clever, or perhaps stupid, media expert had named the threat of potential world war after the greatest and most realistic VR-MMO ever built: Nagant Wars, a Rhith World construct.

  It was, she admitted to herself, both frightening and maddeningly addictive.

  In spite of her trauma, she decided to shower, eat something, and then get back into her Rhith Suit to find her damn pony before someone else did.

  And she had another thought.

  That fucking bastard!

  If there’s nothing else I do, I’m going to make that prick pay.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I can’t believe he’d be so stupid, sir!

  ~ Sergeant Dyfrig

  Dale stared at the scene as if he were a child at a zoo that happened to have real African elephants, Burmese pythons, and Triceratops.

  Captain Redding
led him from the sterile waiting room into what appeared to be a vast field exercise, or another dimension. No game he’d played or holo-movie he’d seen had created such vivid and stunning lifelike graphics.

  “Wow,” he stammered.

  “Wow, what?” the captain asked.

  “Wow, that’s some amazing creature generation,” he answered.

  “Wow, that’s some amazing creature generation, what?”

  “Sir!” he shouted in excitement.

  “Better. You slow or something? You’re drooling.”

  “No. No, sir. I’m amazed. I never knew such realistic things could be created.”

  “Created?” she said. Captain Redding looked at him and smiled before shouting, “Sergeant Dyfrig!”

  A lizard-like humanoid that stood over two meters tall rushed to Captain Redding and stood at attention. “Yes, sir!” he snapped.

  Dale was astonished.

  “Sergeant Dyfrig!” the officer yelled. “This young man, soon to be one Private Brown, if he can get his shit together, thinks you’re a fucking construct in some child’s game. Can you believe that?”

  “No, sir!” the lizard-man shouted in answer. “I can’t believe he’d be so stupid, sir!”

  “Don’t break him, Dyfrig!” she said crisply, like a soccer coach, “but please disabuse this private of the notion that you are some stupid Rhith construct made for his amusement.”

  “Yes, sir!” As the word sir exited the mouth of the lizard creature, he dropped to the ground and swept Dale’s feet out from under him. Before Dale could regain his composure, the lizard had wrapped its tail around his legs, pinned his arms behind his back, and had his fangs at his throat.

  His breath smelled like rotting meat, his forked tongue flickered against Dale’s neck, and he made a low hissing sound that caused Dale to shiver with fear.

  “That’ll be all, Sergeant Dyfrig,” she said. “Disssss-missssed!”

  The lizard went back to a mixed group of men, women, reptiles, and a few other strange creatures that seemed only vaguely familiar to Dale.

  He stood and brushed himself off.

  “This isn’t a game,” the captain said as she walked towards a large gray tent. “Follow me, soon-to-be-Private Brown. Let’s see if you’re as stupid as you look or if you’re just having a bad day.”