Heralds- The Proving Grounds, page 28
Jen groaned a bit as she rolled over. She’d been laying on her arm and it wasn’t happy about it.
She rubbed at her bleary eyes. The alarm clock said it was 6:17 a.m. Still a while before it would go off. A few slow and steady breaths later she wasn’t sure she’d get back to sleep. How long had she slept? She had no idea when she had fallen asleep, so… she had no idea. Her eyes burning a bit said “not long enough” but her brain was awake now.
Jen sat up with a short yawn before reaching over to switch the alarm off before it made noise in a while and freaked her out.
Ugh. She hadn’t made the coffee. Again.
It didn’t take long and wasn’t complicated. Open the thing, dump the thing out, put in a filter, one level scoop, close the thing, put in water, hit the button. Wait. She was conscious enough to manage.
That last one was the kicker. It was a small pot. It only made four cups. She stared at it. Her mind still a bit fuzzy around the edges. It started to smell right a minute or two of bubbling later.
There was no mug by the coffee pot. She glanced around the room for it. It couldn’t have gotten far. If it wasn’t by the coffee pot it was probably at her desk.
Which is where Sam was. She was still in the chair. Her head was resting on her arms, which where were folded up on the desk. The keyboard had been shoved forward a bit.
Well that couldn’t be comfortable. She’d have a crick in her neck and probably a sore back. Jen didn’t fancy hearing about it all day. She held out a hand…
Then again… Sam wasn’t really a morning person, so waking her might be hazardous. Besides, Jen didn’t want to kill all the good will that had shown up the night before. Turns out Sam was human after all. She just hid it away most of the time. Sad.
Jen was pondering why she would do that when the coffee pot beeped. Much more important at the moment. She gingerly lifted the mug without touching Sam.
A few minutes later she felt better.
Sam hadn’t moved a muscle.
Hmm. Jen decided to err on the side of being technically correct, and didn’t move to wake Sam so much as she went about making the room difficult to sleep in. She turned on all the lights and turned up the television, which had never been turned off. She didn’t have a vacuum or she would have turned that on, too.
At least the weather would be nice today. Sunshine alert in full effect.
Sam was fidgeting for a few minutes before she lifted her head and glanced around. She didn’t look at Jen, her eyes were drawn to the coffee pot. The little pot was still half full. Jen didn’t typically drink more than two cups.
It was just after 7 a.m. now. Quite early for Sam. She lurched over to the coffee pot and glanced around for a few moments, no doubt seeking a mug, before simply taking the glass pot and returning to the chair.
Jen was mildly concerned but it seemed like Sam had done something similar in the past. She managed to sip from the thing without spilling it or burning herself. Weirdo.
“You suck, by the way.”
Jen smiled behind her mug. “Aww, and we were making such progress.”
“That was then. This is now. Things change.”
“But I made you coffee.”
“If that’s what you call this dirt water. You also woke me up.”
Ah. Nice to have everything back to normal. “Technically… the TV did that. But yeah, I didn’t want you getting neck and back problems. Why would you sleep like that?”
Sam shrugged… and winced a little. “Didn’t mean to. Was just resting my eyes for a minute.” She moved the mouse which turned the monitor back on. “I was watching the chatter. There are a ton of locked out people, and most of them never seem to shut up. They’re more obsessed with what’s going on than we are.”
Jen nodded. “Makes sense. Outside looking in.”
“Scrubs.” Sam sipped at her dirt water.
“Says the one who has died… what… three times?”
“Shut up. And it was only twice. Get it right.”
“That’s two more than anyone else gets.”
“Like I said, scrubs.”
Jen just shook her head. This argument was going nowhere. “So, what’s everyone talking about?” She sipped at her coffee. She didn’t really care, but Sam did. The answer wasn’t likely to change anything.
“The fun rumor going around? The event isn’t official. Or at least it wasn’t planned. Some people are convinced someone else set it off and now the developers are just running damage control and trying to get through it.”
Jen tilted her head. “That seems… paranoid. How would anyone else get access to that sort of thing? The devs would have all of that under lock and key. Way too risky to their bottom line.”
“Right? But people are talking about this thing that happened a few months ago where some of the source code got leaked and one of the top programmers got canned. They’re putting two and two together and blaming him.”
“On nothing more than that tiny bit of circumstantial evidence?”
Sam glanced over her shoulder at Jen. “The guy’s name is Henry Miller.”
“So?”
Sam turned the chair around. “Henry? Duh?”
Jen just shrugged. She hadn’t been awake long enough for that to mean anything.
“Hank. Hank is short for Henry.”
Jen blinked a few times. “How the hell is ‘Hank’ short for ‘Henry?’ That makes no sense.”
“That is beside the point. It just is. Our ‘Hank’ could be that very Henry.”
The black coffee stared up at Jen as she frowned down at her reflection. “That would… explain some things.”
“Like how he’s a prick that can’t make up his mind?”
“Well, like how Jesse was talking about someone named Miller.”
Sam spun the chair a bit. “Jesse… your Kingsmen friend?”
“She’s a dev. We talked some. She said they weren’t happy with what was going on. Kinda backs up your conspiracy theory. Maybe.”
“Easy enough then. Ask her about it, point blank.”
Jen scoffed. She almost spilled some of her coffee. “Right. Lets just reveal that we not only might know about something they are keeping a tight lid on, but that we are working for the guy that’s screwing everything up?”
Sam shrugged. “We’re not working for him anymore. I’d say that’s a point in our favor.”
“With how many against us? You personally tried to kill Tobin twice.”
“And I paid for it each time.” She spun the chair again. “Seems fair.”
“You have an odd notion of ‘fair.’ “
“Not really. I died twice and didn’t even kill him once. If anything I have been wronged here.”
“You…” Jen shook her head. “No, you’re messing with me now. It’s too early for that.”
Sam grinned. “Aww. Look who wakes up slowly.”
“Bite me.” Jen set her coffee cup down and stifled a yawn. She stretched her hands up over her head. “Well, I guess I can try to confirm your story with the Kingsmen. Though I’ll need to be… diplomatic about it.”
“Or not. What’s it cost them to tell you?”
“Their reputation? Still a business. You don’t want bad press running around.”
“Hmm.” Sam tapped a finger against her chin. “That really depends on how all this pans out. If Hank is messing with them and trying to screw up the launch, or the subsequent game, that needs to be addressed.”
Jen stumbled to her feet and picked up the VR headset. “Not arguing… but how? He’s a GM. He can do anything.”
“True.” Sam spun in the chair a few more times while Jen drug up the gloves and vest. And her trusty plastic sword, of course. “I guess…” Sam let the chair slow down, “we need to take a page from his playbook. He can only mess with them in certain ways because he isn’t more powerful than the other GMs, right? So, we aren’t more powerful than him but we can mess with him given what we have. Whatever he is trying to accomplish, we throw wrenches into it.”
“Until he snaps his fingers and teleports us to the bottom of the ocean.”
“Well that would probably make our task more difficult, yes.” Sam hopped up and put the glass coffee pot back in its holder. The brewer… thing. Probably a word for it. It was too early for Jen to be pondering these things. “Huh… you think Hank is still running around playing at being that guy from the Reserve Corps?”
“I dunno. Maybe? Why?”
“Because that guy has a name and we can search for it.”
Jen had the gloves and vest on but was still holding the headset. “You want to try to assassinate him? What would that accomplish?”
“Depends.” Sam shrugged. “One of the usual requests I get is to hit people somewhere crowded. Public. It’s not about offing them, people come back from the dead pretty fast, it’s about the message. Not just to them, but to everyone around. It’s about telling people they’re not safe. That someone can get to them anywhere. It changes the way people approach conflicts. Makes them paranoid. They turtle and that means less hostiles for the other side to deal with in the open. Typically means turtle force loses ground because they’re unwilling to spread out for awhile.”
“You…” Jen mulled it over, “want the Reserve Corps to see him die. Because they didn’t last time, which let Hank step in. But if they see it themselves, he loses the disguise.”
“And whatever he is trying to accomplish with it.” Sam nodded and smiled. “Look at you figuring it out. You’ll be a bloodthirsty psychopath yet.”
“… thanks?”
“You’re welcome.”
28
Jen hadn’t crafted anything in awhile. It seemed like ages ago. There were plenty of resources to keep her skill level climbing but she doubted she’d have time to make much progress. The forge only worked so fast.
There was nothing in particular she was after. She was waiting on Sam, and for Anna or Bulorn to show as well. She ducked her head out of the door to the crafting room now and then to look for Sam and Bulorn. Anna logging in would still give her a notification.
Jen had sent her their working theory to Anna in text messages. It was safer than trying to do it here. Hank had already said he could read anyone’s typed discussions. Hopefully that didn’t extend to verbal conversations unless he was close enough to eavesdrop.
Unlikely. Best to be safe.
Then again was anything here safe from what amounted to a god in this place? She was rather happy Anna had been okay with the phone number thing.
Bulorn was another matter… but she didn’t think him a problem, at least.
Kail remained the wild card.
“Industrious, aren’t we?”
Jen’s head whipped up from the forge.
The monk was standing in the door, little more than a shadow with the morning light behind him.
“Apologies. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Sorry.” Jen shook her head a few times. “Distracted.”
“Mmm. It does appear to be an in depth process.”
“What, you haven’t tried it?”
“Ah, no. I’ve never been fond of making things. The world has a way of providing what I require.”
Jen grinned a bit. “How very zen.”
The monk winked. “Just so.”
She made a show of looking over the forge. It wasn’t doing much. She had a pair of sabatons in there at the moment. The timer would be counting down for a little while yet. Hopefully it made her look bored enough for field vague questions. “So, how’s it going? Haven’t run into you much the last few days. I usually get stuck with Sam. Tends to get us into trouble.”
“I’m sure she has positive sides to her personality, even if they are difficult to see. You knew her before this, yes?”
“Mhmm.” Jen nodded at the forge. It was still ticking away. “Weird we were both picked.”
“Perhaps. I prefer to think there was a guiding hand involved. In any case, I’m sitting at forty six. I hope to hit the level cap today though it’s become difficult to find strong enough mobs. It only stings my pride a bit to know the world first is beyond my reach.”
Jen chuckled. “Yeah… can’t say I mind, though. I don’t really want everyone knowing my name.”
“No. From what I have seen you prefer they know your actions. Admirable.”
Jen shrugged. “Do what I think is right. I’m sure some terrible people said the same.”
“I’m just as sure people of glorious renown and resolve have said so as well.”
“Ah, optimism. I had forgotten what it sounds like.”
The monk shrugged. “It can’t have been all that bad.”
“Are you fond of stabbing people? People that don’t know you’re there or aren’t looking for a fight? I’ve seen a lot of that lately.”
“Ah. Not a fan, no. Though one might argue that we were set on a path to war, and that sort of thing is simply part of it.”
Jen tilted her head as she watched the forge. “Maybe. I still don’t care for it.”
“That is good to hear.” Kail nodded. “Well, I’m off. Just heard the forge running in here. Best of luck hitting the cap. I’ve made some inroads for when the time comes, but I’m not sure we’ll have the strength to field an army. Not with the issues with the Seven Eyes.” He shook his head. “Regardless of my low opinion of them, they did have numbers and considerable strength. It might have been foolish to burn that bridge.”
Jen laughed. It was short and bitter. “No. They wouldn’t have been a reliable ally. Their only goal is to improve themselves and make everyone else’s life suck. And the suffering part might be the more important bit to them.”
“Truly?” The monk rubbed at his chin. “I haven’t had many interactions with them, myself. I’ll just have to go with your take on the situation I suppose. In that case, good riddance.”
Jen chuckled. “Best of luck out there.”
“And to you.” He bowed his head politely and wandered out into the sunlight.
She could never read that guy. He always seemed likable, but the others had misgivings. She must be missing something. Or they were paranoid tinfoil hat wearing nut jobs. A distinct possibility.
They were operating on a half baked theory about Hank at this point… but she didn’t really see much of an alternative. If Sam and the other internet dwellers were right, he could be a major threat to the game in general. If they were wrong? No big deal and the event would end with Tobin’s side the victors. No better or worse than their side winning.
The forge completed its work. A fresh pair of level twenty three sabatons waited within.
She barely noticed. The others would arrive soon.
The greater risk lay along the path of inaction. She didn’t want to have the game fail or the company crash and burn. Especially not if she had to live with knowing she could have done something.
Sam was the first to arrive but Anna wasn’t far behind.
Jen was seated on top of the forge. She often had an uncontrollable urge to climb things in games, especially when she wasn’t able to do much else. She raised an eyebrow at Sam. It had taken her quite a bit longer to show up than walking back to her own dorm would explain.
The rogue shrugged. “What? I took a shower. I don’t like sleeping in my clothes.”
Anna glanced from Jen to Sam and back. If she had any comments on what Sam had said, she kept them to herself. “So, what’s the plan here?”
Sam whipped out her daggers and spun them around her fingers. “Stabby, stabby.”
“Uh-huh…” Anna turned to Jen. “So, what’s the plan here?”
Jen hopped down. There was a set of bracers in there at the moment. Cheap on mats. Good for grinding crafting levels. Someone would take them out… eventually. “Pretty much what she said.”
“Right.” Anna nodded. “And yet I am still confused.”
Jen cut her eyes to Sam. “You got a location yet?”
“Yup.”
“Map room, then.”
Anna rolled her eyes. “Goody, road trip.”
Sam was the first out of the door. She made for the map room with quick strides. Jen walked out beside Anna. “Plan hasn’t changed. Find him, try and publicly take his mask away.”
“Yeah, and I don’t disagree, but I’m fuzzy on why you think that’s even possible. I mean… GM?”
Jen shrugged. “It works either way. If someone like Sam goes to town on him in sight of others and he dies, he can’t use the identity anymore. If she goes to town on him in sight of others and he doesn’t die, that’s all the more suspicious. Might even serve our purposes better.”
“Okay. But what happens when he waves his hand and we are thrown across the continent into a volcano, or die and stay dead like everyone else? We don’t really benefit from this.”
“Maybe not.” Jen shrugged. “But right now it’s more about him losing than us winning. Taking one for the team and all that. ‘The team’ being everyone in this case.”
Anna tilted her head a bit as they approached the map room. She tapped a finger against her chin a few times as she mulled it over. “Alright, I can get behind that.”
Sam was leaning over the table, her hands already moving the surface around. “Got him. Looks like he’s rallying troops.”
Jen leaned over the table. “They’ve been scouting to find events and mobs. Guess he’s still doing that.”
Anna was the last to look down at the table. She shrugged as she stood up straight again. “Leveling. But that just raises the question: Do we hit them now, or level up ourselves? Won’t take us as long to hit the cap. We’re not that far and we have advantages.”
“Hmm.” Sam moved the map around back and forth. “We could… but if we show up as level 50s, and no one is supposed to be 50 yet, that’s suspicious. Rule one in my line of work is to avoid being suspicious.”
Jen scoffed. “I thought rule one was ‘people suck.’ You made quite the fuss over it.“
“That is a life rule. But it’s also a professional rule. Look, there’s a lot of rules and all of them are equally important. Therefore, they all rule one.”
