Yvvaros: The Digital Frontier (19 page)

It was an entirely new realm for Luke, unlike anything he’d had the pleasure of experiencing before. When it was over, he lay next to Emily in bed, spent and even more confused than he’d been heading into it.

What did we just do?

He felt as though he’d betrayed Ben, committed the ultimate act of treachery right underneath his friend’s nose. Emily was running her hand through his hair, and he could tell from the way her fingers meandered about that she felt much the same way.

“These things just happen,” she whispered. “We can’t tell him about it, not ever. And I also… I think we should step back a little for a while. Both in the real world, and in-game.”

Luke nodded, though his heart ached at the implications of her words. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could. He wanted to adventure with her in-game and sneak off with her outside of it. But he also understood that her suggestion was the only logical path, given the circumstances.

“Okay,” he said. “You’re right. I understand.”

Emily didn’t say anything for a minute as Luke climbed out of bed and began getting dressed. She sat up in her bed, keeping the sheets wrapped around her chest like a woman wearing a towel after taking a shower.

“Luke… did your dad do that to you?” Emily’s concern was evident in her voice as much as her words. “If he did, you can’t go back there tonight.”

“It’s okay.” Even as he said it, Luke knew that it was a lie.

Am I just afraid of admitting that I need help?

“It’s not fine,” said Emily. “Stay here tonight. Please.”

Luke looked over at her. Meeting her eyes was painful, and yet also somehow comforting and warm.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll just rest for a few minutes on the couch, and then head back.”

A few minutes of rest on the couch turned into a few hours. Before Luke knew it, the sun was shining in through one of the windows and pulling him out of his light sleep. It took him a minute to remember what had happened the night before and accept it as anything more than a dream.

Emily… I still can’t believe it.

He was in the midst of debating whether or not to leave before anyone else woke up when Ben made his way downstairs. His eyes were bleary and surrounded by dark circles, but they still opened noticeably in surprise when he saw Luke on the couch.

“Luke? What are you doing here?” Ben made his way into the living room and then looked even more surprised as he came closer. “Jesus, what happened to your face?”

“My dad…” Luke sighed and shook his head. “I couldn’t stay there. Emily let me inside late last night.”

Emily let me inside, and Emily is Tess.

“That’s fucking ridiculous!” Ben looked furious, and he clenched both of his hands into fists as he paced the floor. “He’s a fucking scumbag. We have to do something about this, man.”

What can I do? File a police report? I’d rather just get in-game, become Kato, and live in a world where none of this is an issue.

“I’m okay,” said Luke. “I just needed a place to crash for the night. It’s no big deal.”

“You’re my friend.” Ben put both his hands on Luke’s shoulders and looked into his eyes. “It is a gigantic deal.”

Luke forced a smile and then shook his head.

“Just let me handle it. Anyway, it’s Monday. We’ve got school. You should just get ready.”

“I’m lending you some clothes,” said Ben. “They might be a little baggy, but it’ll be better than having to wear the same thing twice in a row.”

I hadn’t even thought of that.

“Thanks, Ben,” said Luke. “For everything.”

He followed his friend back upstairs, and the two of them began getting ready, hurrying through the process to make up for their late awakening.

Ben joked about how things were going in-game, about the new guild they were teaming up with, and what their next move should be. Luke knew that his friend was only doing it for his sake, but he didn’t care. It made all of the difference in the world.

He didn’t say anything when Ben pulled out his pipe to get high and preempt the day. He didn’t say anything when his friend took a shot from a bottle of vodka stashed away under his bed. Luke had come to terms with the fact that, as Ben had said, they all had their own demons to face.

Mine have taken on human form, apparently.

“I’m surprised that Emily still isn’t up,” said Ben. “Did she seem tired last night?”

“I uh, couldn’t really tell,” said Luke. “I passed out almost right after I came inside.”

“Come on, no time to waste.” Ben picked up his book bag and started for the stairs. “Let’s make it through today, and then we can swing by your place after school and grab what you need.”

“What I need?”

Ben furrowed his brow and nodded.

“Yeah. To stay with me for the next few days.” He clapped a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’ll let you go back to being in the same house as that psycho.”

He really does have my back. Do I have his, after what I did with Emily?

Ben did most of the talking during the walk to school. Luke wanted to say something, anything, to let his friend know that he was alright and put his mind at ease, but no words came to him. Instead, the urge to play Yvvaros, to be Kato instead of himself, began to pull at him.

“Hang in there, man,” said Ben. “Remember, we’re meeting up after school. Don’t take off without me if you get done early.”

They were walking through the double doors and into the locker-lined hallway. Luke pulled himself out of his thoughts and nodded.

“Yeah, I will,” he said. “Ben… Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” said Ben. “You can count on me.”

Ben headed off toward his locker, and Luke took a left up the stairs to the second floor. Loitering around his locker was, unsurprisingly, a group of jocks, including some of his regular tormentors.

“Jesus, guys look! It’s Slow Mo! He’s on time today, but check out his face.”

Luke ignored them as he began to spin his combination into the locker door.

This is nothing compared to what I’ve been through. This is a joke.

“He’s so serious,” said another jock. “What, you can’t take a joke, Luke?”

Luke didn’t say anything. His gut reaction was to do what he’d already done the other day, to punch one of them and offer up another reminder of what happened when he was pushed too far. But even thinking about making a fist reminded him of his dad. The thought of becoming more like that sad, controlling, violent man pulled him back.

“I’m not in a laugh out loud mood right now,” said Luke. “Sorry, guys.”

The jocks laughed at him but seemed to lose interest. He grabbed the books he needed and started toward his first class, already anticipating the end of the day.

“Luke…” A familiar voice came from behind him. “What’s your problem, Luke?”

Sam was standing with a textbook clutched against her chest. Her eyes were angry and sad, lacking their usual enthusiasm.

“Sam…” Luke bit his lower lip as he tried to think of a way to explain. “I’m sorry, I-”

“What happened to your face?” Sam reached out her hand and ran it across one of the cuts on his cheek. “Luke, who did this to you?”

“It’s complicated,” he said. “Look, I’m sorry that I didn’t text you back.”

“It’s not just about that, Luke.” Sam shook her head softly. “I feel like you’re changing. The second I started to tried to get closer to you, it’s like you started becoming a different person.”

“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.”

Sam stared at him for a moment, as if wanting more than just a simple apology.

“Do you even care about me? Do you care about anything?” She smiled cruelly at him. “Do you care about anything but that stupid fantasy world of dragons, or whatever?”

“Sam, why are you bothering?” Luke shook his head and sighed. “If you don’t like the way I’m living my life… if you don’t like me… why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Because I care. I care about you, Luke!” Sam was yelling loudly enough to attract the attention of some of the other students in the hall. “I care about you, and I left my boyfriend to be with you!”

“Sam, I’m sorry…” Luke felt like a broken record, and he could tell from the tears cresting in Sam’s eyes that his apology wasn’t enough for her.

“I don’t know why I even bother.” She took a couple steps backward away from him, not turning around at first. “I’m trying to reach you, Luke, and you’re too distracted by a fucking video game to even notice.”

She stormed down the hallway and Luke leaned back against the lockers on the wall before shutting his own.

I can’t make anyone happy. I’m not good enough.

The first bell rang, and he arrived at his class, as usual, a couple of minutes late.

The rest of the day went by in a walking daze. Luke endured more taunts and more jeers and anticipated the last bell as though it was the second coming.

His life was slipping out of his control, slowly but surely. The only things that he found himself feeling confident about were related to a digital world, and the knowledge that he had a second life waiting for him to escape to.

When the final bell did ring, he wasted no time heading for the hallway and outside. Ben was of a similar mindset and met up with him only a few seconds later next to the fence, still long before most other students had finished at their lockers.

“Come on man, let’s get going,” said Luke.

Ben nodded but fidgeted his fingers between each other as he moved forward to meet his friend. He looked preoccupied and a bit troubled.

“Luke…” He paused and glanced over his shoulder. “I read something today. An online article on one of the library computers.”

Luke had already started walking down the street and had to slow down a bit to give Ben time to catch up with his quick pace.

“What was it?” he asked. “It must have been pretty serious to put you in this kind of mood.”

“Yeah I guess you could say that.” Ben leaned toward Luke and brought his voice to a whisper. “There have been a few reports of people dying with the new Gamesoft headsets on.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Some kind of seizure thing from how it connects to the brain. It’s very rare, and Gamesoft has already promised to release a patch addressing the issue, but that’s not the part that’s crazy.”

Ben glanced over each shoulder, as though making sure that there was nobody around who could overhear him.

“In two of the cases, other players reported seeing the avatars of the dead running around, still continuing to, well, exist, afterward.”

Wait… what?

“Some kind of, I don’t know, glitch or something?” asked Luke.

“That’s what I thought. But I checked around on the forums and a couple of players are claiming to be in the same guild as one of them.” Ben swallowed and looked somber. “They say that he’s still alive in-game, and that he just can’t log out now.”

“Well, I mean, I guess that would make sense, given that his body…”

Luke trailed off as he began to realize the full implications of what he’d just been told.

He’d be in the game, for good, then. That would be his life, his real life, with no outside world to return to, or deal with.

“They’re calling it ‘going all in,'” said Ben.

“Going all in?”

“A couple of players on the official forums were talking about trying to do it intentionally.”

Luke didn’t say anything. They had arrived back at Ben’s house, and as they walked inside, the phrase continued to echo in his head, like a prophecy.

Going all in…

Emily was in the kitchen when the two of them arrived, washing dishes and facing away from the door. She turned and looked at them as they walked into the living room. Her eyes met Luke’s for a brief moment, and he felt strangely awkward holding the gaze.

“Hey, Ben,” she said. “Hey, Luke.”

“We’ll be gaming upstairs if you need us, sis.” Ben started toward the stairs and then stopped and snapped his fingers. “Shoot, we forgot to grab your stuff from your place, Luke.”

Emily glanced over at him curiously, and Luke felt his face heat up a little bit.

Are things always going to be this weird between us now?

“We can head out for it later,” said Luke. “And I’ll have to at least check in with my dad at some point, make sure he doesn’t file a police report.”

“Luke…” Emily was drying a plate as she turned to face him directly. “You’re always welcome, here. Always…”

Why is she looking at me like that? And why is it so hard for me to look away from her?

“Come on, we need to get started,” said Ben. “There’s a lot for us to work on in-game.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Luke followed Ben upstairs and quickly set up his laptop and headset. He made himself comfortable on the side of Ben’s bed and then logged into the game.

He still wasn’t entirely used to the feeling of the new headset, the way it just flipped a switch and transported him into a different reality. He was at the last place he’d been the day before, the beach, where he had sat and talked with Tess.

Tess… who is Emily, my best friend’s sister.

Luke did his best to shake off the weird feeling that had taken hold of him and started heading back toward Dunidan’s Rest. His stamina bar was dangerously low. Instead of risking it and trying to get all the way through another zone to the oasis he stopped in Stark Town to buy some food.

One of the food merchants was selling fresh fruit, and he spent some of his dwindling gold supply on an orange and a banana. He walked through the town as he peeled and ate them, tasting it instead of just watching it disappear. As he walked, Luke listened to the hum of conversation around him.

“Only a fool would risk it.”

“Only a fool wouldn’t try!”

An argument was taking place between two players that were about the same level as Luke. They looked solemn, and he could tell even without having them say it that they were talking about ‘going all in’.

“We aren’t even sure if the people who’ve gone all in are really even themselves or not,” said one of them. “They could just be convincing NPCs!”

“Convincing NPCs? That’s ridiculous and you know it!” The other let out a derisive laugh. “No NPC in the game could match human level intelligence well enough to completely fool so many people.”

“Maybe we just haven’t seen the full extent of what an NPC can be, yet!”

“They have memories, and they claim to still be alive and conscious,” insisted the first man. “There’s no way to disprove their experience any more than there would be to disprove yours or mine.”

Luke took a step away from the two and had just started heading south through Stark Town when he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

“Hey…” It was Tess, and seeing her in-game made him feel a lot like seeing Emily out of game had.

“Tess… I mean, Emily…” said Luke. “Hey.”

There was an awkward silence, only alleviated by crowds of other players jostling and making conversation all around them. Tess looked a little distraught, as if above all, she didn’t want things to be uncomfortable between them.

“Look, I didn’t mean to change how things were,” she said. “I only thought… Well, I didn’t think it would make a difference to you who I was in the outside world.”

“It doesn’t,” said Luke. “I mean, it’s a little strange, but…”

But what? Do I tell her the truth? That the fact that she’s my best friend’s older sister means that it’s impossible for us to ever be together? She already knows that…

“You must have heard,” whispered Tess. “About the people who are disconnecting from the outside world.”

Luke nodded.

“Yeah. It’s insane stuff.”

“I don’t think it’s that insane.” Tess smiled at him, the same mournful smile that he’d seen so many times before, both in the game and on Emily.

“Tess, what are you saying?”

“You know what I mean, Kato,” said Tess. “Luke…”

Of course, I know what she’s saying, but how can she be saying it?

“Come on, let’s head back to the guild hall,” said Luke. “We can see how far along the other guild has gotten with their setup.”

Tess shrugged her shoulders.

“You’re changing the subject,” she said. “But that’s okay. I just want you to know, Luke… I’m interested in seeing what the results are with this, with people going all in.”

“So am I, Tess.”

I really, really am. More than I can readily admit.

The two of them made good time on their way through the Inner Plains, reaching the edge of the desert and their zone within a couple of minutes.

The fence that Luke had built days ago had been extended, including more of the area on the other side of the oasis that they had leased to Athena’s Wrath.

Katrina’s guild had set up its own guild hall, and it sat to the left of the oasis, within the fence. It was slightly smaller with a different architectural style than The Consulate’s headquarters.

Silverstrike was standing outside the double doors that led inside the walls, talking with Katrina about something in whispered tones. When he saw Luke and Tess approaching, he waved them over.

“Kato, we have a problem.” Silverstrike scanned the horizon and then leaned in close. “The Revolutionary Rebels are mobilizing to the south of here.”

“It’s true,” said Katrina. “They have already moved through my guild’s zone. Or should I say my former zone. They’ll be here in under an hour.”

Luke walked over to the wall and set his hand against it.

I should have spent more time upgrading our defenses.

“Alright,” he said. “We’re going to have to make a stand. Katrina, how many members of your guild can you have in-game in the next couple of minutes?”

“Everyone in our guild is already logged in.” She frowned. “Even with both of our guilds combined, we’re going to be outnumbered.”

“We can’t just abandon our zone to them!” Tess looked genuinely upset at the prospect.

“No. We can’t give up.” Luke pulled his sword out of its sheath and ran over to the edge of the wall so that he could look off into the distance to the south. There was no visible sign of the invaders, but that wasn’t enough to put him at ease. Silverstrike walked over and stood next to him.

“Do you have a plan?” he asked, in a quiet voice. “Because we’re sure as hell going to need one. The reports I’ve gotten from people who’ve encountered the Rebels put their numbers at around thirty. We don’t even have ten players between both guilds.”

“We can’t take them out in a head on attack.” Luke thought back to the struggle against the Winter Beast, and how the sheer imbalance of power in the assault had made it impossible to take down. “No… What we need to do is bring them inside.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Silverstrike’s jaw dropped open, and he shook his head back and forth as though Luke’s words had been blasphemy.

“We’ll send a message to them that we’re willing to meet their terms,” said Luke. “It’s the only way.”

A chill went down his spine as he thought about what his plan was going to entail for him personally.

This is going to be a hard sell.

Over the course of the next half hour, Luke managed to convince everyone, though Silverstrike held out until the very end. It was impossible for Luke to tell him exactly what was going to happen, and because of that, his friend remained stubborn, right up to the point when the Rebels appeared on the zone’s horizon.

“They’re coming!” yelled Katrina. Luke glanced over at Silverstrike, and then to the members of Athena’s Wrath, and to Tess, who were all waiting inside of the guild hall.

“Open the gates,” said Luke. “There’s no point in us committing suicide.”

The gates opened. Luke could see the surprise in the movements of the approaching invaders as they drew in closer. He looked over at Silverstrike, shooting him a look that leveraged all of the trust that had been built up between the two over the years, and then walked out of the compound.

As the Revolutionary Rebels closed the final distance to the guild hall, Luke recognized, Marcus, along with another familiar face. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Marcus in front of a force of around 30 players was Arex.

“Long time no see!” Luke smiled at him, despite himself. Marcus smiled too, but Arex’s expression was one of anger and loathing.

“I’m just here to repay the favor,” said Arex. “My new guild has been looking to expand, and I didn’t see any reason not to bring my old guild into the fold.”

“Quiet, Arex.” Marcus barked out the words and then stepped toward Luke, his hand extended cordially. “Kato, I’m glad to see that you have come to your senses. There is no reason why you can’t continue to operate in this zone if you’re willing to meet our terms.”

Am I really about to do this?

“Yes, well, we’re only interested in making peace, not war.” Luke paused and gestured to the second building that had been constructed on the other side of the oasis by Athena’s Wrath. “And for the record, we have recently accepted in another guild you defeated. They’ve agreed to go along with whatever compromise we come to.”

Marcus laughed.

“I’m sure they were eager to, after what happened to their old zone.”

There was a moment of silence, in which the only sounds heard consisted of the sand and crabgrass being blown about by the wind. Luke coughed into his hand and tried to ignore the intense, suspicious look that burned in Arex’s eyes.

He knows something is up. I didn’t plan for this.

Luke smiled as convincingly as he could manage.

“Come on, let’s head inside and discuss this in the guild hall.” He started walking without looking over his shoulder, praying that Marcus would act through his ego instead of through common sense.

Marcus, Arex, and two other guild members walked through the gates following Luke into the guild hall. It took all of his effort to keep his face relaxed and neutral. He saw Tess look warily at him as they walked inside, and then flinch back when Arex followed in after him.

“You…” Her voice was quiet but full of red hot, unbridled anger.

“Yes, me,” said Arex. “Careful. You’re not exactly in a position to be throwing tantrums over the past.”

“Shut up.” Marcus cut him off and then reached into his own satchel, pulling out a sheet of parchment that looked very similar to a guild contract. “Let’s hash out the terms of your fealty and be done with it.”

I just need to buy a minute more. Once Silverstrike and Katrina are in place, I can do what needs to be done.

“Of course,” said Luke.

“For starters, the zone and the oasis will now officially belong to us,” Marcus spoke like a man who was unused to getting anything other than his way. “Your people will need to find alternate sources of food and water. We will be checking the water level regularly to ensure that none of it is being siphoned.”

“Sure,” said Luke.

“Second, your guild and the guild you harbor will both be incorporated into the Revolutionary Rebels. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement, as our guild will soon be far and beyond any other on the server. You wouldn’t stand a chance against us in any way if you decided to fight.”

Luke glanced out the window. Silverstrike and Katrina were on either side of the gate, and the members of Athena’s Wrath, all armed with ranged weapons, were on top of the wall.

He looked back at Marcus and saw a man. Not a monster, but a man. From his perspective, it really was just an immersive game. There was nothing in the rules against being a bully, taking what he needed for himself and his guild.

There’s nothing in the rules against deliberate, cold-blooded murder, either, but that doesn’t make it right.

“Kato, are you listening?”

Luke nodded.

“Yes.”

He pushed his hand forward, directing his palm toward Marcus. The three conjured swords he’d hidden around the inside of the guild hall flew from the corners of the room and stabbed into the leader of the Revolutionary Rebels. Luke immediately launched forward.

CONJURE SWORD 3

PIERCE ATTACK 3

Luke’s plan had been audacious in its simplicity. Both guilds had pooled their money together to buy one vial of experience serum, which Luke had used himself to reach level 10 and gain the skill upgrades needed to stand a fighting chance in an assassination attempt.

The look on Marcus’s face was one of shock and rage. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as his health bar zeroed out, and Luke’s skin crawled at the nature of what he’d just done.