Alterlife III Read online

  Maybe Alterlife isn’t supposed to be that place. That is why it has fallen to chaos.

  Then why am I trying to save it?

  I’m trying to stop the virus, not save Alterlife. Let the chips fall where they may.

  “I wish things would have gone differently.”

  She stands beside me and looks around the room. “Me too.”

  I steal another glance at Deana from the corner of my eye. Something is off about her. She’s colder now—even more guarded than before.

  I guess that’s to be expected, given our past and what we’ve gone through.

  She catches me staring. “What?”

  I grin and fix my eyes ahead. “Nothing. I’m just glad to see you again.”

  “I’m glad you’re back too,” she replies. “Let’s get out of here. I never did like the bank.” She leads the way back out. “Hey, now that you’re here, I bet we can stop Thal from coming back.”

  “You got a plan?”

  “What if we found the fifth stone before the Soldiers and the King’s Blood do? Without it, they can’t perform the rite, and all their efforts would be for naught.”

  “We? Like me and you?”

  She nods. “We make a good team. It’ll be just like old times.”

  “What if the guilds find out you’re working against them? Worse yet, what if the Gamemasters find out that you’re helping me?”

  She stops in the hall and speaks to me in earnest, the sunlight streaming through the open windows and highlighting her natural beauty. “I’m sick of running. It seems that’s all I’ve been doing. Ever since you left and the Black Knights fell, nothing has felt right. I don’t belong with the Soldiers. Baleton is not my home.” She reaches out and the tips of her fingers touch mine. “I’m with you, Ace. I always have been.”

  I believe her.

  But I’m not about to reveal Thannadas and how I’m working with the Saviors to bring down the gods. I’ll play both angles for now. By working in secret with the Saviors and with Deana, my chances of success will be much greater.

  Wrap both hands around hers. “Then let’s make a plan and set it into action. Just like old times,” I say with a smile and let her hand go. Continue walking. “Any idea of where this last stone may be?”

  She shakes her head. “No. I’m counting on you for that. You’ve always been so good at treasure hunts in the past.”

  “If I had a map to go on,” I note. “Maybe then I could use my Cartography skill to find it. But with nothing to go on, I’m in the dark as much as you are.”

  She hands me a piece of paper. “I copied this down to keep for myself. I’ve got it memorized now, so you can keep it.”

  I silently read the words.

  Where eternal life flows

  Safe from the rest

  The fifth and final lay at peace

  And will eternally so

  For no man knows the way

  Paradise in the eye of the world

  I look back to Deana. “A riddle?”

  “Legend has it that when the gods were created, so were the Sanctum Stones. These stones fell from the sky, and when they fell, these ancient texts, or riddles, came into being and were scattered about Alterlife. We’ve found…” she corrects herself. “The guilds have found all five texts, which is how they’ve located four of the five stones. This is the clue for the last one.”

  I think about her words.

  If the Gamemasters created the gods, like Deakins confirmed, then surely they would know about these Sanctum Stones and their location. Why jump through all the hoops of finding these stones if Cari and the other GMs know where they are? It doesn’t make sense.

  Unless they didn’t create the stones. Perhaps it was just a fluke, or some random reaction that the game had when they created the gods.

  Perhaps…

  What does it matter? The stones are there, and we have to find the fifth before it’s too late.

  I ask Deana a question to see if she knows what I know. “If Thal does return, do you know what he will do?”

  She replies instantly. “Destroy Alterlife, and everyone along with it. That’s why he must be stopped.”

  I stop and speak. “If you know that, and other people know that, then why the hell are the guilds trying to bring him back?”

  “Other people don’t know that. I’ve tried to tell them, but they won’t listen to me. They’re all brainwashed by the Gamemasters and the gods who tell them that Thal will bring back balance to Alterlife and destroy the virus. Prosperity and peace will reign once again when he returns, so they say.”

  “And they believe that?”

  She purses her lips and nods. “Yes. They do.”

  Has everyone turned into a crazy-ass fanatic? Damn, they’ll believe anything.

  I decide not to tell her what Deakins told me—about the Creator and his intentions with the virus.

  “Let me ponder on the riddle and see what I come up with. I need to take a break anyway. Still getting used to being back in immersion and all.”

  “I understand.”

  “I’ll text you.” I get ready to log out, then notice her giving me a look. “I’m serious, I’ll text you.”

  “I’m not holding my breath.”

  “Give me a day or two and I’ll get back to you. I promise.” I give her a wink before I log out.

  As I lock eyes with her, everything goes black.

  I’m back inside my house.

  Take the NueView off and place it back inside my duffel bag. Take a deep breath and come back to reality.

  A hard, rapid knock comes at the door.

  I jump at the sound and grab the pistol from my duffel. With weapon drawn and heart racing, I walk towards the front door.

  Another knock, more aggressive this time.

  Walking by the closet in the hall, I reach inside and trade my pistol for the shotgun that rests on a hanger above the door. It’s already loaded and ready to go. I click the safety off.

  Another knock.

  I slowly reach for the handle.

  In one swift motion, I unlock the door, swing it open, and level and regrip my shotgun with my finger on the trigger.

  When the two men standing outside of the door wearing fancy clothes see the barrel pointed at their chests, their eyes go wide and their hands go up.

  “What the fuck do you all want?”

  They stammer, the pamphlets shaking in their grasp. “We just wanted to talk to you about our Lord Jehovah and your personal walk with God.”

  I jerk the gun, telling them to leave. “Me and God got an understanding of each other. Now get the hell off my porch and don’t ever knock on this door again,” I warn.

  One guy pushes his glasses back on straight with a quivering hand and inclines a courteous nod. “Sorry to bother you. Have a blessed day,” he stammers and leaves the pamphlet on the deck railing before they both briskly walk away.

  I watch until they’re up the sidewalk and out of sight before closing and locking the door. Back inside, I lean the shotgun against the door and rest my head against the wall.

  Heart’s pounding and I can barely catch my breath.

  I thought the Gamemasters had found me again.

  11

  Introductions

  The next day, I meet Giovisi at the cleaners.

  I tell him about the riddle and the Sanctum Stones, but leave out all information about Deana and how the Soldiers and the King’s Blood are trying to raise Thal.

  Giology speaks the words out loud, repeating what I just said.

  “Where eternal life flows

  Safe from the rest

  The fifth and final lay at peace

  And will eternally so

  For no man knows the way

  Paradise in the eye of the world.”

  I look to him as he ponders the words. “You have any clue what that means?”

  He walks to the door of his room, silent, and I follow him. He stops before going in and asks
me a question. “How did you come to know about the Sanctum Stones?”

  “I’m just trying to get back into the game and catch up on what I’ve missed. I read about them on a forum somewhere.”

  “And why are you trying to find them?”

  “I never said I was.”

  “Then how did you come by this riddle, which gives a clue to where one of the stones resides? This information would not have been on the forums.” His tone is serious, his demeanor, guarded.

  I blink. “Someone leaked it on a website and I just so happened to see it before it got wiped clean. Took a screenshot before it was gone. Figured it was important and might help us with destroying the gods.”

  He stares at me for a moment, then pushes his glasses back up on his nose.

  “The thing of which the riddle speaks of—one of the Sanctum Stones—resides in Thannadas. Paradise in the eye of the world.”

  My eyes go wide. “Do you know where?”

  Giovisi unlocks both doors. “Of course I do. It’s in my palace.”

  He looks down, collecting his thoughts.

  “When we first met at the cleaners, you spoke of the gods and Gamemasters wanting to kill mankind. You were right.”

  “You acted surprised.”

  “I wanted to get to know you more before letting you know what I know.”

  “What’s that? That they want to kill every human being on the planet?”

  “Not every human. Just ninety percent.”

  Without saying another word, he goes inside his room and closes the door.

  I do the same and lock the bar on top.

  Ninety percent… why stop there? Why not make it an even one hundred and drive mankind into extinction?

  They want to wipe the slate clean and start over.

  Fuck...

  This is the endgame. The book of Revelations. The apocalypse.

  As I prepare the NueView, I think about the guilds looking for the stone and it makes me chuckle.

  There’s nothing to worry about. They’ll never find the fifth stone, which means they’ll never raise Thal. It’s safe in Thannadas and nobody knows that place even exists.

  I sit down and let my shoulders relax. Breathe a sigh of relief, put the contacts in, and ready myself to meet the Saviors.

  Time to make my grand entrance.

  As we walk from the bridge to the Colosseum, Giology tells me that he believes the Sanctum Stone is the source of power in Thannadas; that if it were to ever leave, the magic of the place would go with it. He doesn’t know that for sure, but that’s what he believes.

  “The stone must never leave this place. The Creator would curse Thannadas and all who dwell here if it did.”

  We keep walking, and there’s hardly a soul around.

  “Everyone is at the Colosseum, awaiting your arrival.”

  Ahead on the road, a few people are awaiting us, eager to meet me, I guess?

  Celebrity status is strange. I don’t like it.

  Give it some time. It’ll grow on you.

  No. It won’t.

  To my left, I see a monkey jumping from rooftop to rooftop, as if it’s following us. Just as I suspect, it stops and looks at me. I wait for it to chastise me again but, to my surprise, it doesn’t howl at me like before; it acts more curious than anything. Looks to be the same one from before.

  I think it’s a damn spy of some sort. Little bastard has been following me ever since I came to this place. I begin to ask Gio about the damn dirty primate, but think otherwise, deciding it best to leave it alone. I don’t want him to think I’ve completely lost it.

  We draw into the small crowd that greets us with cheer, swoon, and praise as I walk between them. Gio looks back to me with a grin, and I can practically hear him say ‘I told you that Ace was famous’.

  I smile and say hello to everyone but keep my walk intentional and stay close to Giology. Behind me, I steal a glance at the rooftop and find the monkey no longer following me. It just sits there and stares, as if it’s judging me.

  Rude little bastard.

  As we get closer to the Colosseum, the crowd thickens, and the noise rises. Birds fly over the river gorge on the right side of the road, white and majestic in the morning sun. A jaguar growls from the branches of a tree among the houses and shops on the left.

  The Saviors chant my name.

  “Ace. Ace. Ace.”

  Word of my arrival travels through the crowd, and my name begins to build like a fire from the inside of the arena, slowly at first, then rising into a blaze. Rising higher. Higher.

  I fear the gods may hear it from here.

  “Come,” Giology yells out and leads me around the side of the arena.

  I gaze up in marvel at the structure that is an exact replica of the Colosseum in Rome when it was new. I’ve always wanted to go there and see the place for myself. It’s kind of neat knowing that what I’m seeing now is what the Romans initially saw when they first built the place.

  Giology leads the way around back, through the corridors and up the steps to what I imagine would have been the Roman emperor’s balcony. We ascend to the top, and my eyes behold the entire arena—sand in the middle, the ground shaped like an oval, stands full of people who are all standing on their feet and cheering with glee whenever they see us. As I take my place beside Giology and soak it all in, he speaks.

  “It’s quite a sight, isn’t it? Fifty thousand people. I can only imagine what kind of energy the real thing produced back in the ancient times.” He grins and waves at the crowd, allowing their praise to shower us for a bit longer.

  It’s not just me that they’re here for. It’s obvious that they love their leader and follow him devoutly. And from the look on Giology’s face, he adores their praise and admiration.

  They begin chanting the guild’s name.

  “Saviors. Saviors. Saviors.”

  It’s almost deafening inside the Colosseum.

  Can you hear that, Cari? We’re coming for you.

  Giology pumps his fists and chants with them. After a moment, he puts his hands up to silent the crowd. Slowly, the arena begins to hush, and Giology addresses them once there’s silence.

  His voice booms to be heard. “Saviors. I bring good tidings and great joy. For beside me stands the man who we all thought was lost. Some said he was a myth, that he never existed. Others professed him a legend.” He gazes about the arena, spacing his words out so they can be heard clearly. “Well, today, the legend returns!”

  The crowd cheers.

  Giology steps to the side and extends an arm towards me. “I give to you the new Commander of the Saviors, Ace the Great!”

  The place erupts. Their feet stamping on the wooden benches thunders through their voices as they all cry out loudly, cheering my name. Long, dyed rags are thrown into the arena as a sign of adoration and jubilee.

  Hell, I’m surprised Gio didn’t go all out and release a bunch of doves from the bottom of the arena.

  Perhaps a monkey riding a miniature chariot pulled by some chickens.

  Either way, it’s one hell of an introduction, and I’m humbled by it. I truly don’t deserve it.

  You killed Thal. Who else can say they’ve killed a god?

  I also helped spawn the virus. Maybe I should just go ahead and tell them all about that. Oh, and how their beloved Creator is the one who’s guilty in all of this. How would they feel then?

  I chuckle at the thought of Giology losing his damn mind if I were to tell him the truth about the Creator. He wouldn’t believe me. No way.

  “Thank you.” I put my hand up and wave at them. “It’s a pleasure to be here.” I raise my voice, but it falls deaf, overwhelmed by the sounds within the arena. I put both hands up to quiet them down. “That’s enough, really. Thank you.”

  Giology helps me out and raises his hands to silence them. “They already know about the war that is coming. Maybe you can shed some light on that,” he tells me. After a moment, silence returns and they l
end me their ears.

  I raise my voice to be heard, and it feels like I’m practically shouting. Still, I’m sure those on the far end of the arena will struggle to hear my words. “Thank you for accepting me into your guild. As Commander, I will do my best to lead us to victory.”

  Another round of cheers. When they’re through, I continue.

  “Alterlife has changed. Maybe not here in Thannadas, but the rest of the world has. And not for the better, despite all attempts to stop it. A large part of the population can now be divided into two major guilds—the Soldiers of Justice and the King’s Blood—both of which are allies to one another. Both of which are on a conquest to rule the world. Only smaller guilds make up the rest of the players in Alterlife, and they are scattered about the land, holding no allegiance to the two guilds we speak of. Content with their independence, they are unfazed by what’s really going on in the rest of the world.” I take a moment to let the moment build. “And then there is the Saviors. A guild that, though small compared to our enemies, stands for what is just and true. A guild of talented players that can shape the future for the better. A guild that will not sit on the sidelines while the rest of the world suffers.” I raise my fist to the sky. “The Saviors are going to fight. And we are going to win!”

  The crowd erupts again, fully engaged and supportive of my speech.

  “Together, we will make Alterlife great again!” I walk away after saying the last words, leaving the arena surging with energy. Giology follows me down the steps.

  “A fine speech, Commander. They’ll be more than enthusiastic to train tirelessly now.”

  “When do we start?” I ask. At ground level, there’s a crowd waiting for us to come out.

  “I think tomorrow will be best. Give them the night to ready themselves and anticipate for the training that’s to come.” He takes a few quick steps to lead the way. “Come with me. There are a few people I want you to meet. Some of the best players in the guild. They will be next-in-command under you, so give them orders and see that they follow through.”