by Alex Mulder
Even as the words left his mouth, Luke felt a stab of anxiety.
Katrina… Were you able to hold out?
They hopped down on the other side of the partition and started south out of town. Luke led the group with more urgency than he’d felt before. Every time they passed an alleyway, or one of the buildings that was still standing, he was sure that he could hear Tymians with their unnaturally low pitched growls hiding just out of sight.
There was a group of three of them waiting on the edge of the settlement. One of them was hunched over a fallen body, ripping at its chest and preparing for the ritual that would turn it into another Tymian. Luke hesitated, remembering what had happened with Truth.
Can I trust myself?
Kaoru glanced at him once, and then rushed forward. Her whips were formidable, and she’d already dropped one by the time the group was able to shift into defensive stances. Tess cast a buff on her, and Luke covered her back, just in case.
One of the remaining Tymians lunged at Kaoru, gnashing its needle teeth and swinging its claws. She jumped, kicking off its head into an attack against the other Tymian. The first one continued forward, however, readying itself for a followup attack.
CONJURE SWORD 4
Luke launched summoned blades at it, spearing them through its limbs. It let out a blood curdling scream. He closed the distance to it and pulled out his physical sword, decapitating it with a single arcing strike.
LEVEL 30 ATTAINED
CONJURE SWORD 5 ATTAINED
PIERCE ATTACK 5 ATTAINED
Luke watched Kaoru finish off the last Tymian, and then quickly set about assigning his attribute points. He put all of them into luck, shaking his head at how pointless it was beginning to seem.
“What was that?” asked Kaoru. “You going to leave me to do all the fighting, now?”
Luke took a deep breath.
“Sorry,” he said. “I just… don’t want it to happen again.”
Kaoru watched him for a moment and then nodded. Tess set a hand on his shoulder, and then the three of them hurried out of town, headed south.
The sky was clear, and between the stars and the moons, it was light enough out for Luke to see where he was going without the aid of a torch or a spell. He could still see the tiny dot of Makorin against the backdrop of the azure blue moon
“Does the moon seem bigger to you?” asked Tess. Luke started at the question.
“What?”
“The moon…” Tess shook her head. “It looks bigger, tonight.”
Luke frowned. He took a closer look at the sky, and began to notice what Tess had seen. The moon did look a bit bigger, and Makorin along with it.
“Come on,” he said. “We can star gaze later. We need to get to Dunidan’s Rest.”
Luke felt tired as the three of them made their way across the desert. His stamina bar was almost depleted. Tess handed out some food, bread and a small smoked sausage split three ways. It helped, but Luke’s fatigue went deeper than that.
I’ll have to take a break to tend to myself in the real world pretty soon.
The desert sand was still warm, the heat from the day’s sun trapped inside of it. A few nocturnal birds and insects could be heard in the distance. It almost sounded to Luke like they were louder than usual.
Dunidan’s Rest soon appeared on the horizon. Luke slowed as the three of them approached their front gate. Something was off.
“The walls have taken damage,” said Kaoru. “And the gate is definitely not at full strength.”
Luke nodded and hurried forward. One of Katrina’s guild members stood up on the wall and called down to him as he came within view.
“Who goes there?”
“It’s me,” said Luke. “Kato.”
The gate opened, and the three of them walked inside. Dunidan’s Rest looked as though it had suffered an attack of its own. The guild halls and the general store had a few smashed windows. Tess’s garden had been ripped up, and one of the palm trees next to the oasis was in splinters.
The gate guard came down to meet Luke, saluting as she approached.
“Where’s Katrina?” asked Luke. “What the hell happened here?”
The gate guard frowned.
“She’s inside her guild hall,” said the guard. “She… hasn’t been herself lately.”
Luke turned to walk in that direction, but the guard grabbed onto his hand.
“Please…” said the guard. “We’ve lost people. It’s hard to tell at night, but the casualties have been severe for the past few attacks. We’re fighting a losing battle… we need your help here, sir.”
Luke nodded slowly and then pulled his arm free. He made his way over to the Athena’s Wrath guild hall and walked in through the front door.
Bedrolls lined the floor, each of them harboring an injured player. A silhouetted figure moved from one to the next, checking wounds and handing out gourds of water.
“…Katrina?” asked Luke. The figure looked up at him.
“You’re back.” She walked over and let out a sigh of relief. “Kato, we’ve needed you here. This… this is good.”
The guild leader looked tired. Luke set a hand on her shoulder.
“How are you on supplies?” asked Luke. She stared at him.
“We need everything,” she said. “More food, medical supplies, healing potions. Crafting resources to repair the gates and walls. More players…”
“I think Tess might be able to help get the garden set back up,” said Luke, looking over his shoulder at her. “And I can give out what gold I have to buy some of the other things.”
“Thank you,” said Katrina.
“There’s something I need to ask you,” he said. “We found the Universal Truth. But… something happened. We’re going to need more help in order to stand a chance. Can we count on you and your guild?”
Katrina nodded slowly.
“Alright,” said Luke. “That’s… one guild down.”
He left the guild hall, feeling his exhaustion starting to get the better of him.
“Come on,” said Tess. “Let’s get some sleep tonight and figure out what comes-”
“Kaoru,” said Luke. “I need to get to the server.”
He collapsed into a sitting position in front of his own guild hall. Kaoru knelt down beside him and frowned.
“I don’t know if it’s possible, Luke,” she said. “From what you’ve told me, it sounds impossible for you to even get there. Are commercial airliners still running?”
“You must have something up your sleeve,” said Luke. “Your father… he doesn’t have a private jet, or something?”
Kaoru blinked slowly. She was frowning, but she leaned in close to him, pulling out a quill and scrap of parchment.
“Here,” she said. “This is the email address of my contact, the one helping me with the server. He should be able to figure out a way for you to get to Japan. Tell him that I’m alive and well, and that I don’t want him fooling around on this.”
“What’s his name?” asked Luke.
Kaoru locked eyes with him for a second.
“Jun…” she said, softly. “He’s my half-brother.”
CHAPTER 31
Things settled down in the compound afterward. Luke helped Tess get her bedroll set up, and then pulled out his character record to log out. Tess walked up behind him as he started writing, leaning her head against his back.
“We’re going to make it through this,” she whispered. “Don’t give up.”
“…I won’t,” said Luke.
I can’t.
He logged off, and was instantly aware of new surroundings. His physical body was soaked in cold sweat, and his lungs felt scratchy and weak. Luke pulled off the headset, cursing his luck and the fact that he was still sick in the middle of the ongoing crisis.
“Ben,” he called. “Are you… still here?”
It was early in the morning. Luke had missed his chance to get sleep at a proper hour. He s
tood up from his desk and made his way into the bathroom, relieving himself before heading back out into the hallway.
“Ben?” Luke leaned over the railing and glanced down into the living room. He started toward the stairs when the door to his father’s room opened. He jumped back in surprise.
“Hey,” said Ben. “I slept in your dad’s bed, hope you don’t mind.”
Luke held a hand to his heart. It was beating fast.
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s fine. Listen… I need your help.”
Ben raised an eyebrow at him.
“We’re going on a trip,” said Luke. “To Japan.”
Jun, Kaoru’s contact, was very quick when it came to responding to emails. Luke explained the situation in the manner that Kaoru had instructed, and Jun began helping them formulate a plan.
“Why can’t we just ask this guy to look at the server?” asked Ben. “Do we really need to go halfway around the world to fiddle with some computers?”
“We found the Universal Truth in-game,” said Luke, softly. Ben looked surprised.
“And? Could you do anything?”
Luke shook his head.
“No. But she did say something about me being special, or different.” Luke looked up at the ceiling. “It’s a long shot, but maybe there is something I can do at the server that nobody else can.”
Ben didn’t say anything. Luke felt his phone vibrate, and opened up his email app to find another message from Jun.
There’s a private airport a couple miles outside of your town to the west, on Traverse Road. A private jet will be landing there in a couple of hours to bring you over. I’ll send you the exact time once I’ve confirmed it with the pilot.
Jun
“Well, he and Kaoru definitely share a straight to business attitude,” said Luke. “We have to get to the town’s airport later today, Ben.”
His friend looked stunned.
“I… wasn’t aware that planes still flew out of that dinky landing strip,” he said.
“We’ll be on a private jet,” said Luke, grinning.
A smile crept onto Ben’ face. He reached his hand over to Luke, who summarily high fived it.
“Things are getting close, aren’t they?” asked Ben. Luke nodded.
“Something big is going to happen soon, Ben,” he said. “I’m just trying to make sure that we are the ones in control of it.”
Luke spent the next few hours resting in his bed. He was tempted to log back into Yvvaros, but even just the thought of pulling the headset on in his tired, sickened state made his exhaustion ten times greater.
So instead, he rested. He’d reached the point where it was easier for him to go to sleep in-game than it was for him to sleep out of it. Unfortunately, there was only so much that in-game sleep could do for the body. And so Luke tossed and turned, fussed with his blankets, and finally managed to drift off to sleep.
He woke around noon, his body feeling cold and clammy. Ben was walking around downstairs, and Luke had to force himself up and out of bed. He dressed quickly and then stopped by the bathroom to suck some water out of the faucet and into his semi-dehydrated body.
“Are you all set?” asked Ben.
“Yeah.”
Luke stopped back in his room, packing his VR headset and laptop into his backpack. It would be at least half a day before he’d be able to get back in-game, and it seemed like an enormous amount of time.
I don’t have a choice. This is our best shot.
He shouldered his bag and then met Ben down in the kitchen. He was munching on a granola bar and peering out into the streets through one of the windows.
“How do things look?” asked Luke.
“I don’t see anyone,” said Ben. He reached into the granola bar box next to him and tossed one to Luke, who caught it and immediately tore it open.
“Good. We’ll be okay. Let’s move fast.” Luke bit into the granola bar, realizing his own hunger for the first time in a long time.
“I have more granola bars in my bag, along with some dried fruit and candy bars,” said Ben. “In case you’re hungry.”
Luke smiled.
The two of them headed outside. Luke took a second to lock the front door behind him, though he had a feeling that it would make no difference to anyone that really wanted to get in. In fact, many of the houses on the block had broken windows, or doors with broken lock mechanisms that swung freely with the wind.
The sky was clear and the sun was eerily bright, given the scene that Luke and Ben found to greet them. It looked like the town had been abandoned. The only people they saw were holed up in their houses, watching through the windows in the same way that Ben had been earlier.
Several crashed and abandoned cars adorned the street like statues. A few of them were packed full of bags and furniture, or canned goods and survival supplies.
“I still don’t understand,” said Luke. “Why would people flee their homes? What is there to gain by running?”
Ben looked over at him.
“I probably should have told you,” he said. “There have been unconfirmed news reports of drone bombings happening throughout the USA and other countries.”
Drone bombings?
“Most of the targets have been somewhat random,” continued Ben. “Or at least, that’s how it seems. I doubt they are, knowing how the AI thinks.”
Luke nodded. The two of them hurried forward, keeping a brisk pace that made Luke’s out of shape body feel the burn.
“Hold on.” Ben held a hand in front of Luke as they moved to round the last turn onto the road they needed. “I hear something.”
Two male voices were talking, intermixed with the sound of metal on metal. Luke carefully leaned until he could just barely see around the edge of the building.
A man was standing in front of a car, tapping on the front hood with a lead pipe. Another man was leaning in and staring into the driver’s side window, speaking to whoever was inside.
Wait a second… That’s Sam’s car!
Luke took a step forward. Ben immediately grabbed his arm, holding him back.
“Luke,” he said. “What are you doing?”
“It’s Sam!” Luke hissed. “We have to help her!”
He pulled his arm free and hurried out into the street. The reality of what he was doing only set in once the men had turned their attention onto him.
“And who do we have here?” said the one with the lead pipe. He stepped away from the car and held his arms out wide to either side, a gesture that looked oddly threatening.
“I don’t know, Danny,” said the other one. “Let’s find out.”
The second man was armed as well, with a tiny pistol that Luke wished he’d seen earlier. He gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists.
I can’t back down. I’m not going to let anyone else get hurt or killed.
The car’s engine roared to life behind the two men. One of them glanced over his shoulder a second too late. Sam had thrown it into reverse and sped back toward them. The rear bumper slammed into the man with the gun’s legs, and he fell to the ground hard, dropping his weapon. It skipped across the pavement and landed at Luke’s feet.
“Jesus…” The other man took a step forward, but Luke picked up the gun and pointed it at him.
“Get the fuck out of here,” he said.
He helped his friend up and then the two of them sprinted off. The door to Sam’s car opened, and she stepped out of it. She shook her head and crossed her arms.
“What are you doing here, Luke?”
“Really? No, ‘thanks for saving my life’?” He smiled at her, ignoring her frown. “We’re on our way to the airport. Think you could give us a ride?”
Ben stepped up next to Luke. He realized that it had probably been weeks since the two had seen each other. Ben almost looked like a different person.
“Hey Sam,” he said. “Long time no see.”
Sam took a deep breath and then sighed.
“Look, I’m just trying to get out of town,” she said. “I can’t stay here anymore, it’s too dangerous.”
Luke nodded.
“If you bring us to the airport, we’ll, uh…” He scratched his head. “We’ll let you come to Japan with us.”
Sam rolled her eyes, and then walked back over to the car and climbed in. She honked the horn. Ben looked at Luke and shook his head.
“Hey, a ride’s a ride!” said Luke.
CHAPTER 32
The drive to the airport was only a couple of minutes, but it felt like it dragged on forever to Luke. Sam didn’t say anything. The inside of the car was tense and a bit awkward, and it made Luke feel guilty over the way they had last parted.
I couldn’t help her parents. I’ve never been able to give Sam what she wanted.
“I’m not mad at you.” Sam finally spoke as they were pulling into the tiny, under maintained parking lot of the private airport. “And I appreciate what you did for me back there. I would have been in trouble if it hadn’t been for your distraction.”
“Alright,” said Luke. “Sam… I am sorry. For a lot of things.”
She frowned and shook her head.
“Quit apologizing to me, Luke,” she said. “You always do that. Not everything is about you.”
Well, good to see she’s still her old self.
“There’s the plane!” Ben pointed to the only vehicle on the runway. It was smaller than a commercial jet, but still large enough to seat at least ten or twenty people. Luke climbed out of the car and grabbed his bag.
“Come on,” he said. “No time to waste.”
A balding man with a white speckled beard stood outside the plane’s door. He was reading a book, and when he heard Luke and his friends approaching, he flinched with surprise.
“Hi,” said Luke. “I’m Luke Smith. I’m the one you’re here for.”
The man scratched his head and wrinkled his brow.
“I honestly didn’t expect anyone to show,” he said.
“Why’d you show up then?”
The man smiled at Luke.
