Alterlife III Page 18

  “And that was about a week ago you say?” Jim asks.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jim gives Jenny a look, and she leaves the room. He follows her, and Gio is the last one out of the room.

  Their voices trail off. I go to the door, take the full-face respirator off, close my eyes and hold my breath so I can place my ear against the crack to listen.

  “If you hear from John, will you please call me? Here’s my number,” Jenny tells him.

  “I will. And if you get any word, please let me know. Though I haven’t known John for long, we quickly became good friends. I would very much like to know any information you get. I’m sure that, wherever he is, he’s okay,” Gio replies.

  “Thank you for your time,” Jim says.

  “If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know,” Gio tells them.

  I put the respirator back on and take a deep breath.

  Did they buy it? I don’t know. If this was the last known location of someone I loved, I would think that the whole place looked suspicious—including the owner, Giovisi Espanza.

  Maybe they’ll come back. Part of me hopes they do. But a bigger part hopes they don’t because I don’t want anything bad to happen to them.

  That was too close...

  A minute later, I open the door that Gio left unlocked. The place is empty. Step into the cleaning room and softly close the door behind me.

  Without thinking, my feet lead me towards the hall to my right. There’s a back door near the bathroom that I can make an exit from.

  Running down the hall, my heart races and I hope Jenny and Jim have already left. I don’t want them seeing me try to escape, coming to my rescue, then taking a bullet.

  I press the crash bar on the exit door and push. It doesn’t open. Put my shoulder into it, but it’s no use. The door is locked from the outside.

  “Shit.”

  I turn around, looking for another way out. Giovisi stands at the end of the hall.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Ace?”

  “Getting the hell out of here, that’s what I’m doing.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  If the shackles weren’t on my feet, I’d tackle that son of a bitch and drive him through the wall.

  “Where’s my wife?”

  “They left. It’s just us here now.” He holds his arm out, gesturing me back towards the room. “If you truly want out, then go free yourself. You are the only one confining yourself here.”

  “Kinda looks like you are the one confining me here.”

  “It’s your choice to free yourself or not. You know the rules.”

  “To hell with you.”

  Gio shakes his head. “When are you going to get it? Time is running out. If you do not stop the gods from raising Thal, then we will be too late, and you will have lost your purpose. I will no longer have a need for you.”

  “You’ll let me go, then?”

  He scowls. “No. If it comes to that, you will rot inside this place, and everyone you love will die because mankind will soon cease to exist. Once the virus spreads to this world, there will be no stopping it.”

  There’s no changing this guy’s mind.

  I drop my head.

  “Ace. Do what you know is right.” He holds his hand out again, urging me to go back into the room.

  Defeated, I do as he says.

  He keeps a safe distance from me and stops outside my door. “You can stay in my room until I get yours cleaned up.” Unlocks his door and lets me in.

  I slowly walk into his room; the scent of lemongrass and honey mixes with the acetic acid from my room. There’s white noise coming from somewhere—water sounds; not from the fountain but from speakers—that add to the relaxing atmosphere.

  Gio offers me the chair. “Please, take a seat.”

  I sit in the familiar recliner.

  He brings my NueView system and holds it out for me to take.

  I stare at it, then up at him.

  Take it. Be who you were meant to be.

  I… don’t want to.

  “If you don’t do it for yourself—or anyone else, for that matter—do it for your family, John. Don’t let them die for the sake of your pride.”

  My family…

  Slowly, I reach for the system and take it out of his hands.

  Gio folds his hands behind his back, and a gleam suddenly shines in his eye. “I’ll leave you alone now.”

  After he leaves, I stare at the system in my lap.

  Be legendary. For Ben. For Carla. And for Jenny.

  Ben and Jenny believe in me. Carla does too, though she’s too young to truly understand.

  It’s time to believe in myself again.

  If this really is my only way out, then I must choose it.

  I must choose to fight. To get back to my family.

  Filled with a righteous anger and ambition to match, I stand up, strap the system onto my chest, put the Brainwave on, and place the contacts in. Ease back down in the chair.

  You want legendary?

  I’m about to show you what legendary looks like.

  Alright, John. It’s time to lace the boots up and pack a lunch, because we’re about to go to work.

  It’s time to grind.

  18

  The Grind

  I appear at the bridge in Atlantis, startling Fance, who nearly jumps out of his skin.

  “Gods damn you. Never sneak up on a Dwarf like that unless you want an axe in your eye.”

  “It’s good to see you too, Fance.”

  “Fine time to take a week-long family vacation, Ace. How could you do that with all that’s going on? We march to war in seven days.”

  “Vacation?” Gio must not have told the Saviors that I had quit; just that I was away temporarily. Smart thinking. Even if he didn’t know whether I would come back or not. “Oh, the vacation went well. Feels good to be back,” I tell him. It’s not entirely a lie. I’ll admit, though I do loath nearly everything about Alterlife, it still grips me to the core every time I’m in the world.

  It feels like my second home.

  “Well, while you’ve been away having fun, we’ve been busy at work, doing just as you instructed. Nearly everyone has trained up to Grandmaster in all the skills you requested—primarily Mage for Healing—and there’s a boat-load of magic potions ready.”

  “A boat-load?”

  “Yeah. As in Hedwig’s airship. Haven’t you ever heard the term?”

  “Sure I have. It’s just been awhile.” I fold my arms. “That’s good work.”

  “Everyone is ready, Commander,” he says.

  And in a week’s time. Impressive. Things truly do move fast here in Thannadas.

  I wonder how quickly I can level up some of my other skills and statistics in this place.

  I’ve already trained many of my skills to Adept. A quick jump for a few to Master, then to Grandmaster shouldn’t take but a few days if my calculations are correct.

  “No. Everyone is not ready; including myself. We’re nowhere close.” I look toward the Colosseum. “Fance, gather everyone up. It’s time to go to work.”

  “Yes, sir. To the arena, then?”

  I grin. “To the arena.”

  We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there.

  I stand in the middle of the arena and speak to the guild.

  “I’ve got an idea about how to level up faster. Correct me if I’m wrong—you all may know of a better way—but I imagine that if many of us work together in raising each other’s skills and stats, we could progress much quicker than if we try to do it in small groups.” I look around and find grinning faces. “I’m assuming you all already do that?”

  Meric nods, standing at attention. “We do indeed, Commander. We’ve found that’s the best way to maximize our potential.”

  I knew it. “Tell me how you’ve done so in the past.”

  Seric, Meric’s twin sister, speaks while standing beside her brothe
r. “Usually, we divide into large groups and work on whatever skill or attribute we want to raise, typically sparring with one another. Those who partake raise both offensive and defensive stats and skills.”

  I nod, knowing good and well that a large group is not enough for me. If I’m to raise myself to the highest potential, it’s going to take more than a large group to train with—I’m going to need the whole guild.

  “We’ve never trained with someone as strong as you, though, Commander Ace,” Squirt notes, then shuffles his feet on the dirt the way a young boy often does.

  “Aye, we should get some good gains sparring with you, mate,” Fance notes.

  Strength, Durability, Intelligence, and other stats are raised more quickly when a player engages with more powerful opponents. Correspondingly, stats do not rise as quickly if a player engages with a similar or weaker opponent. It makes sense that most of the players here aren’t seeing many gains because they’re all about the same in terms of their statistics. They’re maxed out, so to speak.

  I’m going to need a horde of opponents to attack me in order to see any substantial gains.

  “Then let’s get to work.” I point to Meric. “You, Dragoon, attack me.”

  Meric takes a Spear of Power, a simple yet effective weapon for dealing damage, and stands ready in front of me. The others take a few steps back.

  I stand unarmed.

  He hesitates, as if he’s afraid to hurt me.

  “Go on. We don’t have time to waste. Attack.”

  Meric lunges and attacks. He continues with a flurry of strikes.

  My health begins to drop, but not by much.

  “My Strength is rising fast,” Meric notes.

  “Good.”

  After a minute of his constant attack, my durability has barely moved.

  Step it up.

  “All of you have trained in Healing, yes?”

  They nod and answer.

  “Good. Alright then. Squirt, come heal me. Seric, Fance, attack with Meric.”

  “Are you sure?” Fance asks.

  “I’ve got potions in case my health drops too low,” I say, though I know using them won’t be necessary.

  Fance shrugs, takes out an axe, and commences with trying to chop me down. Seric takes a spear and attacks as well.

  There. My durability is rising slightly now. My health is dropping faster, but not enough to concern me, especially with Squirt healing me. His Intelligence statistic needs to rise to make his spells more effective. Likewise, the more he uses the spell, the more his Intelligence will rise.

  “My Strength is rising like never before. This is incredible!” Seric notes.

  “Mine as well,” Fance says, thrilled.

  “Guys, my Intelligence is going through the roof right now,” Squirt says. “I just passed ten thousand.”

  You’re going to need at least one-hundred-thousand if we’ve any chance of winning this war, kid. All of you are.

  The Saviors are stronger than most players in Alterlife, due to the advantage that comes from Thannadas. But they’re untrained and are far from tapping into their true potential. We’re going to need all of them to dig deep and become heroes.

  I see the excitement on their faces—the sort of excitement that comes only from gaining power so quickly. I remember that feeling. Slayed countless Gazers until my stat gains became almost nothing. Still, I kept at it, day after day, constantly grinding. Even a little bit at a time adds up after a while. Back then, it was for the money. Now, it’s life or death.

  My Durability continues to rise, but I basically want to become an indestructible tank, so I’m going to need to speed this up. Seven days will come and go before we know it.

  From an outsider’s perspective, this must look ridiculous. Three players attacking one player who’s deliberately standing still and taking the damage.

  Silly as it may seem, it’s working.

  I remember when I was young, I was afraid of what other people thought about me. Fear of other people’s opinions kept me from doing a lot of things. One of the best lessons I ever learned was to stop worrying about what other people think about me, because all that really matters is what I think about myself. That if I believe in myself, anything is possible. Knowing this gives me peace. It gives me confidence. It gives me power.

  I motion Squirt and two other players to start attacking me. “Don’t hold back,” I tell them.

  “What about healing you?” Squirt protests.

  “Just attack,” I tell him.

  They engage with the other three, and my health begins to drop even more, but my durability is rising again.

  “Healer,” I say as I flag another player to assist me.

  “Intelligence is rising like crazy!” a Mage says after only a minute. I don’t know her name.

  “These gains are incredible,” Meric says, still stabbing and slashing with his spear.

  More…

  I wave Hedwig over.

  The old man shuffles near to me, but not too close. “Commander?”

  “Round up fifty more and bring them here.”

  He nods, then takes off.

  I call for more players to heal me. I assume they’ve all trained in the Mage class as instructed. “Cast Mass Regeneration Aura.”

  As one of the Mages prepares the spell, their healing is taken away from me. My health drops faster, and I’m forced to use a healing potion while he conjures the aura.

  His arms wave in circles as sparks of red and gold fly around his hands until the spell completes and surrounds our party. The colors envelop around everyone’s feet, swirling quickly, regenerating our health, stamina, and mana pools two times faster than normal. After the spell is cast, the Mage gets back to healing me.

  As the six continue to attack me and raise their attributes, Hedwig, as instructed, comes back with fifty more players. They circle us, a bit confused about what’s going on.

  I give them a command. “I want half of you to physically attack me. Fifteen, heal me. Ten, attack me with spells.”

  They’re apprehensive, afraid that it’ll be too much. Understandable. Imagine being the one who hammered the final nail in the coffin and finished Ace the Great for good. No doubt, there are some in Alterlife who would do anything for that chance, but nobody here bids me ill will or wants that guilt hanging over their head.

  I’m their savior…

  I give Hedwig a stern look; one that says ‘do as I command’. He clears his throat, looks at all the others and barks orders. “You heard the Commander. Get to work!”

  Slowly, they all jump in and partake in the fun.

  I begin to Heal myself.

  My health begins to drop more quickly than the Mages, and myself, can heal me.

  I hear all of their exaltations.

  “Strength is rising faster than imaginable.”

  “Intelligence, too.”

  That’s what we want. You will all grow in power and then spar against one another to raise your own Durability and Resistance.

  Speaking of Durability and Resistance, both of those stats are now rising for me at a much faster rate.

  Yes. This is what I’m talking about. Now we’re cooking with grease.

  Health drops to fifteen percent, and I’m forced to use a health potion. Before, Thal’s Amulet would have saved me somehow. Now, it’s just a useless piece of jewelry, but I still wear it. Part for comfort, and part to remind me of where I came from. Its largest reminder, though, is that, now, I don’t have a saving grace; that my luck has run out and everything from here on out is on me. I feel equal parts pride in myself and fear of the unknown.

  Pretty much sums up life, then, doesn’t it?

  Yeah...

  In the middle of the Colosseum, among more than fifty thousand people who are all engaged with me in one way or another, I stand still.

  Put that on the forums.

  The power of Thannadas, and how it raises stats and skills, is incredible. At this pace, an
d in a week’s time, I would put fifty thousand of us against one million of them. Knowing that there is no ceiling to our potential here gives me the utmost confidence in the Saviors.

  We will win this war.

  But we need to utilize whatever time we have left to maximize our full potential.

  I shout above the clammer of battle. “Each of you have exactly eight hours of which you will be forced out of Alterlife. Make note of that time and do not waste another minute. I don’t care if you have work, or other plans or obligations; as soon as those eight hours are up, you’re back here with me. For the next week, Alterlife is your priority. Nothing is more important, is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir!” they reply.

  “What about you? They say you have no logout time requirements. Is that true?” a woman, who I’ve yet to meet, asks.

  “That is true. And I intend on spending every single minute of it here, with you. I will remain here, in the arena, training tirelessly until there’s no time left. Because that is what is demanded of me. That is why I demand every minute of your time from you.” The attacks fade away as everyone breaks for a pause, intently listening to my words. “Make no mistake about it, we’re going against insurmountable odds. But I have faith that we will win. We will be victorious. And when we stand triumphant on that field of battle, we will know that our victory came from our hard-earned efforts leading up to the war. Put the work in, and let fate decide the rest. That’s the best we can do. If we do that—if we put in the work to our utmost ability—we will win the war, I can promise you that.” I look around at all the faces and raise my fist. “Are you with me?”

  They raise their weapons, their voices resounding a war cry that could wake the gods and shake the ground from beneath their feet.

  “Good. Then let’s get back to work and show our enemies, and ourselves, what we can truly become.”

  The horde begins to engage with me once again. I welcome it. I take it all.

  Not just for me.

  For them, as well.

  It makes all of us stronger.

  One day, the world will tell stories of what we’re doing here.