by Quinn Dallas
“And the pawns are put into play,” Shauna frowned. “I can’t help but think that Varick is more than he seems.”
“It’s like he’s acting independently,” Leonidas shook his head.
“Well, haven’t all the NPC’s gone off script?” I plucked up my HUD display and checked my stored items and XP.
“They definitely have,” Shauna continued. “The game’s storyline is spinning in new directions. Events are unfolding with their own momentum.”
“Is it possible,” Yvir scanned the room. “They are alive?”
“Don’t be silly,” Leonidas slapped her on the back. “There’s still rules.”
“Well the real universe has rules too,” The barbarian shot back.
“She’s right,” Shauna continued. “How are the game’s rules any different from the laws of physics back home?”
“Don’t think about it or you’ll drive yourself crazy,” I interrupted. “I almost went down that path on my way here.”
“Aye,” Leonidas ignored my warning. “Everything here feels so much more real than it did earlier. The sights, smells, sounds-”
“I had breakfast this morning,” Shauna smacked her lips. “And I swear those were the best eggs ever. Better than the real world.”
“Real world food is manufactured slop,” Yvir spat. “So anything would taste better.”
“Do we have to leave?” Shauna closed her eyes. “I mean, what if we lived our entire lives here. Would it be any worse than what we face back home?”
“Clean fresh air,” I took a deep breath. “Instead of the smog. It’s tempting, but let’s not forget it’s an illusion.”
“Maya,” Leonidas quipped.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“In Buddhist philosophy the belief that the world is nothing but illusion,” he answered. “If that’s true, then the Tiberian Kingdom is just as real as anywhere else.”
“Well, it’s a little more complicated than that,” Shauna pointed at Leonidas. “Maya is more like things aren’t as they seem. That our experience of the world is just our brain’s interpretation of the five senses.”
Yvir interrupted. “What if we’re dead and that’s why we can’t escape?”
“And our GM is really God!” Shauna’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Let’s not go there!” I raised my hands in frustration, “We need to focus on getting out of here.”
“You’re right,” Leonidas laughed and sat in an overstuffed chair. “We should stay focused on our quest.”
“So let’s head to the Guild Hall!” Yvir strapped her war hammer to her back.
“Where’s Cairngorm?” I wondered where our guide and the dark mage had gone off too.
“I’m here,” Cairngorm emerged from the shadows. I don’t think I could ever get used the freaky dimensions of Varick’s tower. It was definitely bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.
“Hope you had a nice chat with Varick!” Shauna pulled her cloaked around her shoulders.
“Just filling him in on what I learned.” Cairngorm winked.
“So what exactly are you playing at Cee?” Yvir folded her arms and fixed her gaze on the dark mage.
“As far as the NPC’s here are concerned, I Duke Cairngorm.”
“Oh for Christ Sakes!” Yvir huffed.
“Like it or not, a royal title has proven to be quite useful.” He continued. “I keep an eye on the nobles for Varick and fill him on any interesting topics.”
“Anything we should know?” I asked him as I pulled my hood over my head.
“There is some intrigue regarding the two-princes.” Cairngorm eyed me carefully. “Some at court aren’t happy with the Queen and youngest heir both being elvish.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “We know that.”
“But did you know that Alaric has been in talks with the elves?”
“What?” my jaw dropped.
“He’s forming an alliance to battle Grymme,” Cairngorm continued. “So expect more visitors from the other realms here.”
“This place will be crawling with soldiers soon,” Shauna replied.
“Not just soldiers,” Cairngorm continued. “But immigrants from the Kingdoms that Grymme has conquered.”
“All of them coming here for one last stand battle against the forces of the dragon.” Leonidas slid his shield over his arm.
“With the possibility of assassins hiding amongst them!” Cairngorm finished.
“Shit’s getting real!” Yvir cracked her knuckles. “So it’s best if we get to the that Hall.”
I contemplated the news Cairngorm had just delivered. Things were starting to make a lot more sense. Varick was NPC programmed to protect the Tiberian Kingdom. Under normal circumstances, he just hands out quests. But GM Jason had hacked him into being our benefactor.
But it wasn’t so simple. He was still working on his original mission- to which we were a means to an end. By assisting us in gaining the gems, he also granted us the power to lead the battle against Grymme.
I summoned my HUD and checked or mission progression. We were still so far from completion of the entire quest line. While the side quests we performed to help Varick were useful, we needed to get back on track.
Finding Rolf Alehorn had to become a priority and it was more important now than ever.
“Let’s roll out folks!” I called over my shoulder as I headed towards the door. “We’ve got a wiley new contact to talk to!!”
CHAPTER 13
Our boots clacked on the cobblestone streets of King’s City. Merchants hung up their wares and old women emptied urine filled chamber pots into the street. Horse drawn carts plodded along beside us while steam drifted from the road into the morning breeze.
“Ugh,” Shauna moaned. “It reeks like a freaking toilet.”
“I could use less full immersion,” Cairngorm coughed and covered his nose with his sleeve.
“Medieval times were notoriously filthy,” I coughed and then spat.
“Jesus, let's get inside,” Leonidas shook his head. “Between the piss and the horse shit, I think I’m going to vomit.”
“The guild should be just up the road,” I pointed ahead. “We’ll be fine.”
Two tired pub girls hung out in front of a shabby building. “Fancy a morning snog?” one of them called out after Leonidas. She was attractive enough considering her line of work and conditions.
“Aye,” her plump breasted friend continued. “Come here and let us show you a good time.” She giggled, “Might even let you go an extra round for free.”
“Isn’t it a bit early for whores?” Yvir rolled her eyes.
“Oh, it’s my Charisma stat.” Leonidas grinned wide. “I dumped a ton of points into it!.”
“Are you serious?” Shauna smacked the Paladin’s shoulder. “You were that desperate for in-game nookie?”
“It means I’m extra charming.” He wriggled his eyebrows.
“It means the game is going to spawn whores and toss them at us everywhere we go!” Yvir snorted.
“And the bad side to that is?" Leonidas smiled, revealing his perfect white teeth.
“Great we have a pervy Paladin with us.” Shauna smacked her forehead and kept a good clip ahead of Leonidas.
“Hmmm,” Cairngorm stroked his chin. “I should’ve paid for that too.”
“Nope,” Yvir circled her finger in the air. “It’s too late. You paid to be a bad-ass dark mage. Which we sorely need.”
“And Varick chose to make you royalty,” Leonidas bowed low.
“Being royalty is hard work,” Cairngorm continued. “It’s not all fun and games.”
“You mean being Varick’s spy is hard work!” I responded quickly. “I’m still not sure why he didn’t pick me for spying.”
“You're not really all that inconspicuous.” Shauna mussed my hair and laughed.
“Cut it out smart ass!” I shook her off and pulled up the holographic map. “Ok guild hall is just u
p the street. Let’s go.”
We made our way towards a large stone building. It was decorated with ornate glass windows. A large imposing sign was hung above the door. “The Tiberian Adventurers Guild.”
“And here we are!” Leonidas rubbed his hands together.
There were a ton of player characters hanging about here. Most of them wearing poor starter gear. The sounds of various arguments drifted through the air. Likewise, a few shoving matches had broken out.
“It seems like some players are freaking out more,” Shauna bit her lip.
“Well, we’re still locked in here.” Cairngorm said.
“And there’s been no announcement or updates.” I chimed in. “Maybe there’s a way we can get the GM back.”
“The chapel console was ruined.” Leonidas shook his head. “I’m not sure how else to reach him.”
“This is a shit show!” Yvir shrugged. “Let’s get inside.”
The ruckus inside was even worse. Players were shouting at various NPC mission givers. Most demanding that the game be ended. Of course confused NPC’s had no clue what was going on.
“Let me out! You freaking fucked up AI!,” a rather stout looking Dwarf swung his battle-axe at one of the quest givers. His blade passed harmlessly through the NPC.
“Dammit!” the angry little person screamed. “I want out!”
“This is ugly,” Shauna whispered. “Let’s find the Quest Keeper.”
“Over here,” Leonidas pointed to large door with two imposing Orc guards. I pulled up my HUD to check them out.
“Oh wow,” I said. “Those Orcs are god-modded.”
“What,” Yvir turned to me.
“If you look at them, their hit point bars are grey.” I continued. “That means you can’t damage them at all.”
“But they can sure as hell hit you!” Cairngorm finished my sentence.
“Ok let’s try not to get killed.” I continued.
Our tiny group approached the guild hall doors. The Orcs didn’t respond to our approach. I bravely ventured close and spoke.
“We’re here to see the Master!”
I waited for a minute but the Orcs still remained silent and unmoving. They stood like stone statues with no emotion or intent.
“They are bugged!” Yvir smirked. “Let’s go!” The barbarian woman stepped towards the door. One of the Orcs suddenly sprung to life and swung his battle-club into her chest. Yvir went flying backwards and hit the ground.
“Damn it!” Shauna cried out and went to her aid. The young cleric’s healing glow surrounded her hands as she knelt over the fallen warrior.
“I’m fine,” Yvir spoke in a hoarse whisper. “I don’t think they hurt me.”
“Hmm,” Leonidas scratched his head. “That attack was pure knock back, no damage.”
“They are designed to keep everyone out,” I said. “Unless you have a key.” I produced the Queen’s brooch. “Let’s hope this works.”
Holding the raven’s head brooch out like a shield I approached the guards. Neither moved and I breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, there was a chance they would attack, but I had to risk it.
“I come in the name of the Queen,” I called out. “Please allow us to speak to the Quest Keeper.”
Both of the giant guards focused on the pendant I held. A puzzled look crossed their faces. Then they turned to face one another. A beam of light streamed from the raven’s head pendant and struck the middle of the door.
“What’s going on?” Yvir rubbed her aching head.
“New programming!” Cairngorm gasped. “There’s new programming for those guards in that thing.”
“Another fail-safe?” Leonidas raised his eyebrows.
“The GM must have managed to place it in the game,” Shauna smiled wide.
The Orc guards stepped aside and the massive door swung open. The entire guild hall grew silent as a crowd of adventurers were now enthralled by what was taking place. A throng of voices started to whisper.
“Is that the way out?”
“How did they get that door to open?”
“Fuck yeah!”
“We’re drawing a crowd,” Yvir seemed nervous.
“Let’s go in there’s going to be a rush!” Shauna took off towards the opened doorway. We all followed quickly, with other PC’s right behind us.
We stepped into an enormous lobby. There were paintings on the wall. Each one depicting a notable NPC or monster. Majestic music filled the air, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. Sitting center was an incredibly tall Elven woman. Her long white hair hung to the floor. A glistening aura of light surrounded her.
“Welcome Heroes of Odyssey Online!” Her voice echoed off the walls. “I am Celestia, the Quest Keeper.”
“What in the actual hell?” Leonidas dropped his hands to his side.
“A hidden contact!” Yvir clapped her hand together. “Kira unlocked a hidden contact!”
We approached the majestic Elf with the rest of the player adventurers behind us.
“What do you seek heroes?" The Quest Keeper said.
Suddenly the hall broke out with chatter. Various player characters all begin shouting out at once. Most of them demanding to be let out of the game. Others simply wanting to know what was going on.
“The bearer of the key must step forward,” she demanded.
“She means you,” Shauna pushed me towards the Quest Keeper.
Not certain what to do other than obedience, I approached the magnificent NPC. I held the pendant before me and gave it to her. She reached forth with her unbelievably white hands and took the queen’s gift from me.
“Thus, we face a true disaster.” The NPC held the pendant up to catch the light. She then spoke again, “Emergency protocol 225719A initiated.”
There was a slight rumbling and then a shimmer of light appeared before her. It fought to take shape, and then loud piercing sound erupted. I covered my ears to prevent the painful electronic wail. Suddenly floating above the Quest Keeper was the holographic head of the GM Jason!
“Thank God, you were able to unlock this contact!" He said.
“What's going on,” the belligerent Dwarf from earlier shouted. “We want out!”
Others soon began to shout demands as well. The entire hall broke out in a cacophony of raised voices and demands.
“Everyone please remain calm,” the GM spoke. “We can’t get you out just yet.”
The frustrated responses came all at once:
“Why?”
“What do you mean?”
“Let us out!”
The GM Jason continued, “If we forcibly disconnect you from the neural net, you will go into cardiac arrest. But we’ve managed to move each of your bodies moved to a secured medical facility.”
“What does that mean?” Another anxious voice called out.
“You are all on life support,” his holographic image flickered. “And stabilized for now.”
“That’s not comforting!” the Dwarf shot back.
“I’ve set up NPC contacts for each of you.” The GM said. “You may talk with them to arrange to be as comfortable as possible.”
“This is bull,” the Dwarf grumbled. “How long will freeing us take?”
“We don’t know,” The holographic GM said. “We are trying our hardest.”
“It’s not good enough!” Someone else screamed.
“What can we do?” I whispered. “This is going south and fast.”
“Tell them about our quest line,” Leonidas yelled. “It's the only way.”
The holographic image dimmed and then got brighter. “All right,” he said. “There is a hidden quest in the game to retrieve a magical jewel. It opens a backdoor exit program. The trouble is one of the AI’s has gone rogue. It’s taken over the game and is guarding the exit.”
“Holy Shit!” the Dwarf said. “My folks are going to sue the pants off you assholes!”
“Let’s worry about that later,” the GM kept
on. “The quest line can’t be completed by just anyone. I could only designate it to a team of five hand picked players.”
“These assholes?” The Dwarf smirked and pointed at us. “I feel so much safer now.”
“Be that as it may,” the GM’s image flickered. “It’s been assigned and they are making progress. Defeating the rogue AI is the only way out for now. For those that wish to help, there are a variety of in-game missions available, so you can grow in power.
The GM's image flickered once more.
"While you can’t take part in the main quest. These missions will assist you in eventually defeating the rogue AI." He paused, "In a massive end game raid.”
“Come on guys,” Leonidas pleaded. “We’re stuck in here with few options. This is just as good as any.”
“He’s right,” a random voice called out from the crowd.
“I guess we have no choice,” the Dwarf uncrossed his arms.
“Each player must talk to his guild contact.” The GM said. “Individual quest lines will be assigned to you. Complete them and grow in power. Then, defeat Grymme as a united force.”
“And what about you?” Someone else spoke up.
“I will do my best to maintain contact between players and the outside world.” He replied.
“Then we’ll do what we must,” someone else stated. Soon the mood of the room shifted. Which filled me with relief.
“Fuck,” Yvir wiped her brow. “That played out better than I thought.”
“What do we do now?” Shauna asked.
“Speak to the Quest Keeper,” I said. “I believe she has an important task for us.”
CHAPTER 14
We drew near the GM as the rest of the crowd went about their business. Some talked with contacts and took mission assignments. Others formed groups to hash out what they should do.
More than a few eyed us with distrust. I heard the mutterings of “cheaters” and few other unkind words. Regardless of what was happening, it was best to keep focused. We needed to find Alehorn.
“Then how do we find him?” Leonidas asked the floating hologram.
The GM shook his head, “I’m not sure entirely. The game is behaving weirdly.”
