Didn’t sound good.
Archvillains—that sounded even worse.
“Prepare to fight,” Jenni said, “the great Dark one can sense you.”
Lathyr handed Kiri a speargun with nasty barbs on the end, pulled a long and shining blade from an open treasure chest. “Does it have minions?” he asked.
“No minions at this time,” Jenni intoned.
“Ready your spells,” Lathyr said. “This Dark one is vulnerable to poison. You have a poison spell, right?”
For not knowing the game, the guy was moving ahead fine, right on top of events while Kiri struggled to keep up. Her spell info gave her the proper words and gestures to initiate the poison from an herbal mixture she had. When she touched her shell-belt bag a vial fell into her hand.
“Stay out of reach of your spears and my sword,” Lathyr said grimly. “They’re silver and can harm us.”
She glanced at the hilt that looked wrapped in snakeskin or sharkskin or crocodile or something. “Why—”
“They’ll hurt the great Dark one more.”
That was good, but she eyed the weapons.
“He’ll be within range in thirty seconds,” Lathyr said, angling his body behind the cave wall so she could have a good shot. “Fade back—”
“I know!” She flipped open the shell top of the vial—good thing they didn’t use a damn cork—and poured the oily mixture all along her spearhead, chanting what the spell instructions told her to. Her heart beat fast. Sure didn’t feel like a game.
She tucked the empty vial back in her belt, sighted the gun. Gritted her teeth as she heard a high-pitched garbled sound and a grotesque thing came into view, vaguely humanoid but massive. Schools of fish scattered.
Head shot would be best, especially since he was leading with that as he swam toward her. Then his head tilted up and she saw glittering red eyes and a huge mouth with jagged teeth.
Don’t choke. Too much at stake. Lathyr was beside her and if she missed the shot— No!
She sighted, pulled the trigger slowly.
Shhzzhht! Thunk.
The monster had been fast, dodged, but took the spear in his throat. A roar hit her ears. With long, bony fingers the thing pulled the spear from his throat, and the gaping wound began to heal like a zipper going up. He yelled again and his eyes glowed bloody as he saw her.
She backswam, fast. Luring him.
He shot into the cave.
Lathyr decapitated him.
Black ichor gushed from the severed neck, clouding the water and a huge suction swept her out of the cave, sending Kiri’s heart racing into panic. She couldn’t see. She wasn’t on ground! Pressure—stuff—pushed on her. She was in some three-dimensional space; enemies could be under or above her. That was okay in Fairies and Dragons, but not here, not in virtual reality.
She wanted to scream but the ichor coated her tongue and she spat and spat and spat, naasssty! She tried to stay in the same place, forced herself to calm—and as her fear eased, she felt Lathyr near.
“Thing’s dead and disintegrated. Great Dark ones do that fairly often,” Lathyr stated calmly. He sang a lovely snatch of a strangely foreign song and the water cleared. Fish abounded, but she was within a large bubble with him. As she settled, she realized that she hadn’t seen some of the fish before and a couple were large and gobbling at...the great Dark one?
“Scavengers,” Lathyr said. “Lowering my shields now.” The bubble vanished.
Lathyr pointed. A great peach-pink pearl, as large as a truck, was embedded halfway in a cliff wall.
“Well done!” Jenni said.
“What’s with the pearl?” Kiri managed.
“That is your first goal, to find the great pink pearl, defend it from those who wish to take it and learn what you need from it.”
“Learn what I need? What, like the next clue?”
“You might say that,” Jenni said.
“I didn’t know of this goal,” Lathyr said. His body, nearly as fluid as the water around them, went stiff and tense.
“It was changed just as you departed. It’s a later goal from the game that we decided to insert now.”
“Along with an archvillain?” Kiri asked.
“I thought you might be getting bored,” Jenni said guilelessly.
Snorting in the Water Realm wasn’t wise, Kiri found out.
Lathyr nodded to the pearl. “Go take care of that.”
Slowly she swam up to the large gem, held still. “Learn what you can from it,” the mission info said. She reached out and brushed it with her fingers, satin under her touch. Her nostrils opened wide as she inhaled deeply. Yes, most excellent water magic! This close she saw tiny swirls of bubbles, the same pink-peach, lifting from its surface as if it were alive like a jellyfish, instead of a hard gem. She placed her hand on it.
And it popped.
Kiri gasped, heard Lathyr do the same. Failed Goal, scrolled across her vision in bright blue. Before they could take another breath, they were back in the computer room.
The rest of Friday passed quickly. Somehow the Water Realm simply made sense on an instinctive level to Kiri.
Since it was the end of the workweek, and now more than a full week since she’d started, a two-hour debriefing had been set for the afternoon. Though it was a time for Kiri to present her ideas on how to refine the game—and she was plenty nervous about that—she begrudged the time out. A good and bad sign that she was becoming invested in Transformation.
Jenni, Aric and Lathyr started the meeting by complimenting her on her progress, with only one line about her “difficulties” in the Fire Realm.
When it came to her turn, Kiri handed out suggestions she had for the program, ideas for story arcs, for new types of character aspects and costumes.
Those were well received, by Aric with a big grin, Jenni by interested humming. Lathyr only smiled at Kiri...and winked. He was changing, too, loosening up. Good to see.
At the end, as the others began to rise, Kiri stood and cleared her throat, lifted her chin and matched gazes with Jenni. “I’d like to take home the software again this weekend. And play in the Fire Realm.”
The older woman sat and leaned back in her chair, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You don’t think you’re going overboard on this?”
“No.”
“I do.”
Kiri blinked. “Yeah?”
“Though I must admit that you might do better in the Fire Realm without the enhanced virtual reality gloves and the visor.”
“Exactly! And if I can make my own character.”
Jenni’s fingers drummed on the desk. “Understood. But I still believe that you’re pushing this too much.”
Despite herself, Kiri felt her face go into sulk mode.
Leaning forward, Jenni said, “How long did you play Transformation last weekend?”
Kiri had to sit down and rack her memory for last weekend. Saturday she’d...pretty much hit the game in the morning and played all day. Her shoulders wiggled in stiff memory. “Sunday I only played—”
“Worked,” Jenni corrected.
“Gamed a few hours.”
“How many hours total?” Jenni’s brows lifted.
“Um, four?” Kiri made her eyes big and innocent.
“On Sunday, right? How many hours on Saturday?”
Now Kiri’s shoulders wanted to hunch. She kept them straight, but wet her lips. “I’m not sure.”
“I didn’t see you go out to look at the koi pond last Saturday,” Jenni said.
Kiri jerked. “Of course I did. I do every day.” She had, hadn’t she? She honestly couldn’t remember, and that was a warning. The days, the games, reality and realms were running together. She grimaced, flung up a hand like a fencer who’d taken a hit. “All right. I spent too much time on it last weekend—last Saturday.” She leaned forward, too. “This job, this career is important to me.”
Jenni’s face softened. “It’s very important to us, too, but
we don’t want you burning out.”
Kiri longed to push a little, ask for the damn job. But she had three more days. “I can take it easier.”
“You will take it easier. Not only did you play Transformation, you spent some hours writing up notes, making outlines of stories.” Jenni tapped the thickish hard copy of the file before her.
Kiri said, “Yes.”
Jenni swiveled in her chair, angled it toward Lathyr. “And your take on this, Lathyr?”
“Kiri is doing very well.”
Always good to hear.
“But I think she should slow down and...savor...the realms, the experience.”
Kiri’s face went hot. She forced herself to meet his eyes. He’d reverted to serious mode, didn’t look like he was making a double entendre. What had their brief kiss meant to him—and why the hell was she thinking about that now! Absolutely the reason workplace affairs were bad.
“We don’t want you to wash out of the program, Kiri,” he said.
Now her insides went cold. Her face stiffened into what she hoped was impassivity.
“So I have an idea.” Jenni raised her index finger and Kiri turned to listen to her with relief.
“Yes?” Kiri asked.
“We’ll give you the regular program for the Fire and Water Realms this weekend. You may spend two hours in each realm. There will be a time limit on the software and it will lock after that.”
“Only two hours each!”
“That’s right. We are not looking for full immersion here, not this week,” Lathyr said.
Thoughts buzzed in Kiri’s brain.
“I will join you in playing in the Fire Realm,” Jenni said. “I’d like to schedule that now.” She pulled out her pocket computer, and Kiri did the same. Lathyr opened the protective cover of his tablet.
“Tomorrow morning from ten to noon would be good for me,” Jenni said. “Come over to Aric’s and my place then.”
“Fine,” Kiri said.
“And I have invited everyone in Mystic Circle to dinner Sunday evening at 5:00 p.m.,” Lathyr said.
“We’ll be there,” Aric said.
“I’d love to,” Kiri said.
“So why don’t we schedule our session early Sunday afternoon, say 1:00 p.m.?” Lathyr said.
“Fine.” Kiri wondered if Lathyr was having the meal catered. He didn’t seem to be a guy who cooked.
“Your goal in the Fire Realm is to figure out how to cross the Lava River successfully,” Jenni said. She slid a chip with the software down the polished wooden table to Kiri, who stuck it carefully in her wallet in her tote.
“Our goal in the Water Realm is to collect several jewels for a crown for the Water Queen. All of which are heavily guarded, of course,” Lathyr said.
“Right,” Kiri said.
“I guess that’s it.” Jenni rose and smiled and stretched.
Lathyr said, “We have no overall project meeting today?”
“Nope.” Jenni linked fingers with her husband. “See you tomorrow, Jenni.”
The couple left.
“Would you ride to Mystic Circle with me?” Lathyr asked, circling the desk and holding out his hand.
“This isn’t a good idea,” Kiri said, putting her fingers in his.
He smiled slowly. “I like the idea fine.”
She shook her head. “Workplace...attractions shouldn’t be acted upon. It becomes awkward.”
Lathyr tucked her hand in his arm, picked up her tote. “All will be well, Kiri.”
She didn’t want to argue, and the workday—the workweek stress—began to roll off her shoulders. She liked being with him.
The car awaited on the street and Lathyr opened the door for her. They both greeted the driver by name and asked after his day. When the courtesies had passed, they let the quiet spread between them. She’d never been with anyone, let alone a man, who she was so easy with. That it was Lathyr was a mystery to her.
In the evening they walked around the Circle and watched the koi and went down to Clara’s Creamery for ice cream.
And they kissed again and this time Kiri drew away.
The whole weekend went well, slid softly by with good food and good company and good fun.
* * *
By lunch break Tuesday, the second to the last day of her time at Eight Corp on the Transformation project, Kiri had become determined. She wouldn’t lose this opportunity. She knew she was doing well in the games, though they gradually began to feel more and more real. Her files on the program grew to eight storylines—two that she thought would work in each realm. She remained unenthusiastic about Fire Realm, and had completely finished all the current goals in the Water Realm.
She’d sketched out some marketing bullets for the game, added more alternative character types, including various sorts of humans. She had lists of new spells, valuable items, weapons and rewards. She’d used the costume creator of Fairies and Dragons to give some idea of what she thought folks playing Transformation would like as garb. She’d shot all the files to Jenni, Aric, Lathyr and the CEO, Alex Akasha, who’d appeared on her company email list and requested to be updated.
Since it was a lovely autumn day, and Jenni and Aric and Lathyr were all stuck in a meeting and had told her to take a long lunch, she walked to the Downtown Mall and ate in an actual restaurant, even outside on a patio, sitting by herself in the sun. Good.
She was feeling confident, in charge and in control, sure she’d be fine, when clouds began rolling in and someone near her commented about the weather and how freaky it had been with the bus accident and all.
Kiri stood, caught the waiter’s eye, stuck money under her plate and left. She walked around a long block, in the sun, keeping her mind blank. She’d had a feeling that this afternoon’s game session would be like a final in class—and heavily weighted for her whole grade.
Still, muddy, cruddy streamers of thought slithered through her mind. She hadn’t forgotten the bus accident, and when reminded her chest seized and she had to breathe through the fear. And she’d had bad dreams that she couldn’t quite recall...but reality and the game, the changes and slight strangeness of her life, the advent of Lathyr and the lilting desire between them—all had dimmed the recollection of the tragedy.
People had died and there was a tight block in her gut that she should feel more, grieve for them, but she hadn’t been able to. Except maybe that’s what she was doing when she woke up with tears on her face and crying.
Too many things pressed in on her, and now the wind had picked up, too, and the day had turned cold.
She was glad to go back into the building, stuck a smile on her face as the elevator rose and was relieved when she walked into the computer room to see Jenni and Lathyr waiting for her.
Jenni shared a glance with Lathyr and grinned. “We’ve received approval for sending you into the portion of the prologue that removes the barriers between the realms. There are, of course, obstacles to overcome to pass between the realms that you should have already mastered.”
The Lava River in the Fire Realm hadn’t been too bad. Really. Especially since Kiri and Jenni had played it with regular computer keyboards and not the gloves and visors of virtual reality. Kiri had cleared the river with seconds to spare.
Kiri’s mind zipped around, her heart picked up a beat—wonderful distraction from reality! Or the reality of lunch and outside and people as opposed to the reality of Eight Corp and the game and her career. Resolve swelled within her again. She would not fail.
“Lathyr will accompany you on the tour of the realms. Claim a marker in each realm and bring it to the Air Palace and you win the game.” Jenni’s grin widened. “With appropriate bonuses in game and out.”
Excitement shivered through Kiri. Lathyr was already pulling on his gloves. He cocked a brow at her. “Which realm do you wish to start in?”
“May as well begin now where I originally began, Earth Realm.”
Lathyr nodded and donned his visor. “The
earth cave, then.”
Kiri drew on her own gloves. “And perhaps my brownie.”
Jenni scowled at her computer. The large monitor had flickered, gone dark and recovered. “No brownie or team. Just you and Lathyr, I think.”
“Is everything okay?” Kiri asked as Jenni’s fingers flew over the keyboard.
“Maybe,” she grumbled. “Go.”
Kiri put on the visor and in a few seconds felt like she was in the cave—but as a stronger character than before. She checked. Yes! Both magic user and melee fighter. She’d grown in the game. Cool.
Glancing at Lathyr, she found his avatar was much like herself. So they’d draw tough enemies and have to think and strategize more rather than rush out and bash.
“Ready?” he asked with a smile, as he did lately. He was finally becoming a gamer.
Kiri consulted her map, huffed a breath. “The goal is in the middle of that maze of twisty little passages all the same. Jenni probably did that on purpose.”
“There’s two of us—it will be easier.”
“True.”
After spending some time negotiating the little twisty passages all the same, they’d gotten the object—a golden nugget—and were headed toward the closest realm, Water—when the earthquake smacked them.
* * *
The earth shook and they fell to the ground. Lathyr hit hard, and felt every bit of it...the game had become even more real. He wasn’t sure if the royals had manipulated it again, or the game itself was pulling reality and magic and power from the Meld Project housed in the same building, but Lathyr had a marrow-deep feeling that fighting and injuries were real—they could be hurt and die here.
Chapter 17
LATHYR LEAPED TO his feet, helped Kiri up, scanned her chain mail. “Change into your earthen elemental armor,” he ordered.
“What?” She rubbed her head, blood trickled from her hairline.
Would blood draw predators? Lathyr didn’t know, but a heaviness and the stink of evil invaded the water molecules in the air—his nostrils widened to catch the scent, and he strained so much his nose frills unfurled.
Thunder came. Again. Motes of black dirt showed beyond the hill. Crash! and Crash! Footsteps, Lathyr realized with dread. Something huge. He sniffed. Something evil.
Enchanted Ever After (Mystic Circle) Page 15
