Fate of Camlan Page 3

  “One step at a time, Mr. Tanner. For now all you need to know is that you will need to play the game until you get north to the Citadel. From there other members of my team will assist you in your mission.”

  I catch Erinocalypse’s eye. Even though I am most used to her in-game character, I still find myself able to read her expression without any verbal communication. She’s wondering what I think. She seems to be inclined to take on the project, but wants me to as well.

  I look away, watching Fountain as he answers more basic questions for Balderdash13 and TexBadass, trying to read him, wondering if we can trust him.

  Maybe we can. Maybe it’s all true what he said. Or, maybe he just made up some heart-breaking story to get us to steal more industry secrets for him.

  And then I suddenly remember some of the Camlan Realm oddities from our last several days of playing. The game absolutely had seemed as though it were thinking for itself, and acting extremely humanlike. At the very least, Toterra seems to have had moments when they weren’t able to control the AI.

  Sounds like a nineteen-year-old’s behavior to me.

  Besides, I remind myself that I don’t have a job to return to whenever I eventually get back to Los Angeles.

  “You swear, you’re not going to get us in trouble, right? We’re not breaking any laws and you’re setting us up to take the fall?” I ask.

  “I promise, Mr. Duncan.” Fountain places one hand over his heart as he regards me. “And it’s all in the contract as such.”

  “Well.” I catch Erinocalypse’s eye.

  “I’m in,” she says.

  “Me too,” I confirm.

  The other three add their assents, and it sounds like we have the team together, minus Callidus. It’s too bad he didn’t even stay to hear the pitch. I’m confident that we can accomplish this. As long as we stick together.

  “Thank you,” Fountain says, sounding more genuine than I have heard him yet. “You have my word, we will do everything in our power to take care of you. In the game and when it’s over. This service you are offering the world will not be forgotten.”

  I shake my head. I want to believe this is all hyperbole, but something tells me otherwise. There is something about his tone, or his expression that tugs at me and offers more weight than anything else.

  Chapter 6

  True to his word, once we have all agreed to take up the mantle of this mission, Fountain and his team give us the evening to get settled, fed, comfortable and rest before reentering the game. We have a lot to mentally prepare for, and haven’t had a full night of real sleep in days. Once we’re in the full-immersion pods, our bodies will be under a different kind of stress.

  I feel like this is a lot to wrap my head around, but the best thing I can do right now is just sleep. I hope I can sleep.

  Erinocalypse asks for—and receives—permission to borrow one of the books from Fountain’s study, and is looking forward to spending some time reading up on wormholes. SteelFeather laments having to give up his phone so he can’t catch up on all the YouTube videos he’s missing. And TexBadass keeps mumbling things under his breath that I’m pretty sure have to do with what his wife is going to say when he gets home.

  We are all accompanied by FGI handlers as we are shuffled around this compound, just like we had been at Toterra. I suppose it makes sense. There are a lot of secrets floating around, a lot of opportunities for mistakes to be made. We’re guided to our sleeping quarters and given instructions for the following morning.

  Before the rest of the party and I separate to our individual rooms for the night, I call an informal meeting in the hall. There are a couple Fountain Games employees near the end of the corridor, keeping an eye on us, but they don’t come close enough to interrupt. Our group is down to five, and I beckon them all to a tight circle where we can talk in low whispers.

  “How are you guys?” I ask.

  They nod, looking at me puzzled.

  “I just need to know,” I say. “Before we go back tomorrow, that you’re all okay with this. It sucks that Callidus left, but I’m glad he did it already, and didn’t just change his mind once we were in there.”

  SteelFeather nods; Balderdash13 smiles. TexBadass mumbles something that sounds like ‘might as well.’ It’s only Erinocalypse that still looks grim, as she clutches the thick leather-bound book to her chest.

  “As much as I’ll ever be, I guess,” she says.

  “No, wait.” I touch her shoulder lightly. “We need to all be onboard with this.”

  “I just…” She shrugs as she trails off. “Do you really trust him?”

  I pause, weighing how to answer. “I think … I think we will never know for sure that we can trust him. I think we are choosing to,” I say, softly.

  “Yeah, hon’,” Balderdash13 says, putting an arm around the other woman. “Just like anything else. We won’t know until we know.”

  “And you guys believe his story?” Erin asks.

  No one nods. No one says anything. We just exchange looks, waiting for one of the others to be definitive.

  “Great,” she says, sarcastically.

  “Look,” I say. “You can still go home, I bet. It’s not too late. But if you’re going in with us, you need to be with us.”

  She nods. “I know. I am. I … I know. I just … I wish this was more certain.”

  I sigh deeply. “Okay. Well. Sleep well, I guess. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

  After we separate, I lie awake in my room alone, staring at the ceiling in the dark room for what feels like hours. My brain won’t turn off, thinking about all my interactions with Jeffrey Talbot, trying to remember some clue or indication that he is capable of such heartless cruelty to his former friend. I’m not sure how long it takes me to fall asleep, but the next thing I know it is morning, and I am roused from my sleep by the smell of coffee.

  “Whoa,” I say, sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

  The rest of the morning goes by in a blur. Shower, clothes that I don’t know how long I’m actually going to wear, since I still haven’t seen the full-immersion rigs that FGI has. Breakfast, but not too much because we’ll be going under soon. A final pep talk from Fountain. A final grumble from TexBadass. And then our party is being led down the hall by Mrs. Buxton.

  “We’re not going to hold you to the same restrictions that Toterra did while you play. Eighteen hours is overly cautious for their Toterra Capsules and we don’t need to do that. Our FGI Immersion Cells have been in use for more than two years already, tested at up to a week straight of full immersion. We will be in contact with you throughout the game play, but we won’t pull you physically out of the game unless it’s absolutely necessary. Doctors will be monitoring your vitals twenty-four hours a day.”

  Through the time it takes her to explain all this, Mrs. Buxton has been leading us to the cavernous room where we will be playing for the next several days. The ceiling is almost three stories above us, and peppered with skylights that let in the last of the natural sunlight I’ll see for a while. I try not to notice the stares and grim smiles the developers give us as we walk through the door and through their space. I wish the pods were in a separate room. It’s weird to think that my body will just be in here for who-knows-how-long with all these strangers.

  But I swallow my discomfort and prepare for the next challenge.

  Mrs. Buxton assigns each of us a pod, and several of her assistants come forward to help. These FGI Immersion Cells are a sleek stainless steel, cool to the touch and filled with light. Climbing in feels similar, though not exact, to what the Toterra Capsules were like.

  I close my eyes and wait for the nanotech to take over my neurons, immersing me, placing me in artificial hibernation. When I open my eyes again I’ll be in Camlan Realm.

  Chapter 7

  The moment when the darkness of the FGI Immersion Cell interior fades into the darkness of the game is seamless. I slowly become aware of the weight of my armor,
the feel of my bow in my hand as my consciousness establishes itself into the game. I blink several times and my eyes open to the virtual reality. The bright light of sunrise coming up over the tops of trees welcomes me back into Camlan Realm.

  Wait. Trees? That’s not right.

  I rub my eyes and look around. The other players are slowly appearing in the game around me, but this is not where I expected to be. We should be … inside at the very least, not outside. Not … I look around, noticing the dirt road under my feet and the vast forest to the east. We shouldn’t be here. This isn’t right.

  When we had last logged out of the game the day before, after finishing the quest for Toterra, we had been in the Throne Room of Castle Nennius, with Queen Vivian and her guard and all the completed quests from our trek up through the fortress.

  But now, we’re just outside a small walled town on a wide dirt road. I blink, shielding my eyes with my hand and looking at the countryside around us. The sun is rising in the east, over the forest, the vast ocean spreads to the west. The castle—I think it’s the same one—appears to be south of us by maybe half a mile. How did we get here?

  “Where are we?” SteelFeather asks.

  I pull out my map of Camlan Realm, which automatically zooms in on our location. I turn toward the ocean to orient myself. I was right—that’s Castle Nennius to the south. The coast of Camlan is on the west, Dyrnwood on the east, and the small town is called Summerrun.

  “Summerrun?” I read off. “Fountain didn’t tell us this is where we’d log in, did he? Do you think he knows?”

  “Could Toterra people have moved our save spot?” Erinocalypse asks.

  I shrug. “Probably. Maybe Talbot had something to do with that.”

  “The big goddamn baby,” TexBadass says.

  “Well,” I look around at the countryside surrounding us. “We should be able to just follow this road north, right? At least we know that this is the road we should be taking. Fountain did specifically say the road ran along the western coast. Let’s just start. We can head in to Summerrun and see what we need.”

  “I need to sell some armor and stuff,” SteelFeather says. “Let’s take some time here.”

  “Sounds good,” I agree.

  In spite of the defensive wooden wall around Summerrun, the front gate stands wide open with no guards in sight. Instead, as we cross into the town, we’re greeted by friendly NPCs, humble townspeople, merchants and travelers. This seems to be one of the neutral areas in Camlan Realm, where we shouldn’t have to worry about enemies or defending ourselves. I can’t help but grin in return to some of the welcoming smiles that flash our way. Summerrun is bigger than Allynton and we wander through at least a dozen blocks of homes and shops before reaching the town square.

  Or, rather, town rectangle? The center of Summerrun is longer than it is wide, with a brick two-story building on the far end that looks like a courthouse or mayor’s mansion or some other super-fancy building. I’m not close enough to examine it thoroughly. Along the longer sides of the clearing are tall, narrow storefronts, built together like townhouses, almost. It’s early morning in the game, and NPCs appear to be starting their morning errands, visiting shop after shop, crossing the open space and wishing each other good morning. I don’t see any other players, yet, but I bet this is a busy hub later.

  I wonder how many of these characters passing us have quests we could do. I grin to myself. God, I love playing this game.

  I pause to review my character sheet and inventory, so I know where I need to head next.

  Attention: You have one attribute point to distribute.

  Name: SirAsh3r

  Level: 29

  Strength: 33

  Intelligence: 33

  Dexterity: 32

  Stamina: 32

  Magic: 34

  Skills: Woodcraft 3, Slash 2, Club 3, Paddle 1, Climbing 1, Stealth 3, Archery 9, Power Perception 4, Backstab 1

  Abilities: Initiative 2, Focus 1

  Professions: Cooking 2

  Affinities: 12% Earth; 16% Water; 10% Fire

  Fame: 350

  Achievements: First Explorer of Lake Galavant, First Explorer of Foyle Forest, Friend of Water

  I still have one attribute point to distribute from when I leveled up. Going over my current balance, I decide to stick it in Stamina. We’ve got a long walk ahead of us.

  Once that is decided, I quickly skim through my inventory and remember I’ve got that fancy sword to learn how to use. The Blade of Burnical. I grin to myself again. I must look ridiculous to anyone watching. But yeah, I’ll admit it. I’m excited. Sure, save the world. Philanthropy. All those reasons Fountain talked us into taking this job. But at the heart of all of it, I just am so glad I get to play this game some more. The loot and the quests and the alchemy and all of it. I cannot wait.

  This sword that Queen Vivian gave me right before we logged out is eye-catching. I’ve never been one to play a warrior class, but goddamn does the Blade of Burnical look nice. Maybe there’s some quick sword training I can pick up while we’re here. Either way, I sure as hell am not going to give it up, even if I’m actually an archer. I can learn. There’s plenty else in my Inventory that can go, though.

  “So, yeah. I definitely need to find a merchant to sell some of this gear I’ve gathered over the last few days,” I say to the group. “You all coming?”

  “Yeah.” SteelFeather raises his hand. “Me.”

  “I’ll come, too,” Balderdash13 says. “I think my axe is in need of an upgrade.”

  “We’re all going,” TexBadass says, patronizingly. “Come on.”

  The shop is just across the street from where we stand. Summerrun Emporium. As we walk through the front door, I look around for a shopkeeper NPC, and wonder if the game is set up to let all five of us interact with him at the same time. I stroll down the aisle of magic bags of holding, Small Bottles and other containers. The way this shop’s displays are set up, there is only one of each item on the shelf. Whatever video game magic that stores the actual inventory out of sight lets this space feel open and airy and far less stifling that a real store full of supplies would be.

  When I reach the end of the aisle, I spot the NPC I am looking for. Along the back wall of Summerrun Emporium is a counter, behind which stand eight almost identical NPCs. The one closest to me is a short man wearing a beige, homespun shirt and dark brown leather vest.

  Name: Julius Jordan

  Level: 42

  Description: Eager to help however he can, this shop assistant knows what you need before you know you need it. He enjoys haggling, so make sure you get the best price.

  I check the details of the next man over, who wears the same attire but with his vest in a different color.

  Name: Jacob Jordan

  Level: 42

  Description: Eager to help however he can, this shop assistant knows what you need before you know you need it. He enjoys haggling, so make sure you get the best price.

  I laugh to myself as I approach Julius and wonder if the other shopkeepers are named John or Jasper or something similar.

  “Good morning, sir,” he says with a small bow. “How can I help you today?”

  “I’ve got some gear I’d like to sell, if you’re buying,” I reply as I begin pulling items out of my inventory. “And I might need to upgrade some of my other gear.”

  “Of course, sir. Let’s take a look.”

  Julius spends the next several minutes picking up and examining the items one by one. Over the last few days of game play in the White Rock Ravine and in Castle Nennius, I’ve picked up quite a few little items, some of which I have no use for, some of which I have outgrown.

  He haggles a bit, but we finally settle on the price, several Gold Crowns for all of it. I’m happy to free up some space in my bag and get the gold in return.

  “And what items were you thinking about upgrading, sir?”

  I hesitate. My Bow of Elements has been good to me, but I may be past it
. I review the stats again.

  Name: Bow of Elements

  Level: 22

  Requirement: + 10% elemental affinities, Magic level 25

  Changes when equipped: Ability to imbue arrows with elemental enhancements, +15% damage

  With a small sigh, I show Julius the bow. “Do you have anything like this?”

  He takes it and carefully looks it over. “A bow I can offer you, yes. But not with this magic capability. You’ll need to decide if the magical effects are more important to you than the power you can wield with an upgrade.”

  I take the Bow of Elements back and run my hand down the bow’s limbs. I pull the string back one last time and remember how powerful I have been while using it. My Fire arrow is what disintegrated the Master Biolith in the White Rock Cavern. My Water arrow is what helped incapacitate the Colossal Sapphire Dragon. This bow has been integral to our victories.

  But it’s time to move on.

  I hand it back to Julius. “Show me what you have.”

  Chapter 8

  With a warm smile, the NPC Julius reaches below the counter at the back of the Summerrun Emporium for new bows. I want options and I’m pleased to see he pulls out three different bows for me to consider.

  The first one I look at is ornate, with small elaborate scenes carved directly into the dark wood.

  Name: Truestrike

  Level: 28

  Requirement: Archery Level 7

  Changes when equipped: +12% accuracy; + 3% damage

  The second one seems to be made of Ash or some other pale gray wood. The handle riser is a slightly darker shade, with small notches along the length.

  Name: Bow of Eternal Rest

  Level: 29

  Requirement: Archery Level 9

  Changes when equipped: Ability to imbue arrows with Slay Poison; + 5% damage

  The third one is less fancy-looking, but has a certain utilitarian appeal. It’s stark with no extra decor or frills at all.

  Name: Maple Warbow