CA Chapter Three (Patreon)

Getting ready to enter the pod was faster the second day. LeeAn applied the sticky electrodes, but otherwise she left getting into the suit up to Ava. The other woman did double check all the seals before she put a new IV in Ava’s left arm, since the right was still healing after the first one. After all that was done, she picked up a small vial from the table and hesitated.

Turning, she looked Ava in the eye. “This is a drug that reduces aggression and agitation. Just enough to make sure you can’t fight, without knocking you out. They wanted me to add it to your IV, but,” she looked down, clutching the vial in her fist. “It’s unethical to give a patient medication that isn’t required without their consent. I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of since I started working here, but this goes against my beliefs and my training.”

She looked up again, the muscles of her jaw clenched tight. “Ava, would you like medication to help keep you calm, or can you handle it on your own?”

Ava blinked. She’d half expected they’d try something like this, so what surprised her was the fact that LeeAn was refusing to do it. Maybe someone in this place still had an ounce of human kindness left in them, after all.

Silently, she extended her arm, knowing what she had to do. “They expect you to do it,” she murmured softly. “Go ahead.”

LeeAn’s shoulders slumped, and she silently injected the contents of the vial into the hub of Ava’s IV line. Ava felt the wave of weakness flood her, and LeeAn hurried out into the hall, retrieving a wheelchair that hadn’t been there when they went in. Ava nearly fell into it, and LeeAn wheeled her down the hall. It was difficult to turn her head, but the faces Ava saw didn’t look surprised that a woman who had been walking on her own ten minutes earlier was now nearly incapacitated.

In the pod room, Dr. Veralt and Quinn were waiting. Dr. Veralt simply glanced at Ava and nodded, but Quinn’s lip lifted in a sneer. Quinn and LeeAn helped Ava to her feet, and LeeAn supported her as she walked the few steps to the pod. It took both of them to get Ava into the sling bed inside the pod, which was taut and raised almost all the way to the pod door. A few tugs indicated that her suit had been connected to the pod, the mask was placed over her face, and then the bed slowly lowered into the pod. Only once it was in its usual position did the gel begin to pour into the pod.

Warm fluid surrounded her, and though her mask was as dark as the first time, Ava didn’t fight. They had to turn the lights on. They needed her. And in just a few minutes, she would see Amythyst again. The biogel surrounded her head, and Ava breathed out, then in again with a deep gasp, drawing the gel into her lungs. The coolness of the sedative entered her arm, and the mask lit up.

Ava’s avatar was right where she’d left it, standing in the middle of the street. People flowed past, paying her no mind, and Ava shuddered, shaking off the feeling of helplessness that had overtaken her from the moment she’d held her arm out for LeeAn to inject the drug.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she jumped, spinning in place, though she managed to suppress the instinct to strike out this time. It wouldn’t do for Dr. Veralt to start thinking his powerless subordinate was anything other than what she appeared.

A strange man stood behind her. He was a good four inches taller than her, and wore a ragged straw hat that shadowed most of his face. “Ava?” he asked, voice deep but gentle.

She looked around, searching for Veralt, but his avatar wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He must have logged on again after the server was restarted, and left his character somewhere else.

“I… Yes?” she said, stepping away from the man. He didn’t seem threatening, but he was still far too close. Squinting, she tried to trigger [Identify].

Aspen [NPC]

You have learned the skill [Identify].

Damn it! Didn’t they give her character anything? If she’d controlled her own game server, she would have given herself all the best skills and items. She would at least have made sure everyone got the things they should have gotten just by completing the stupid tutorial!

Aspen glanced around, too, and said, “I was sent by… a mutual friend. The lady in the green dress.”

Ava wasn’t sure who he was talking about at first, but then she remembered Amythyst in a green, flowing gown covered in leaves and vining flowers, and nodded. Amythyst had promised she’d send help today, but Ava hadn’t expected an NPC. She’d half expected Amythyst to somehow sneak Tessle in, actually. How was an NPC going to help?

Aspen rubbed the back of his neck tiredly, and muttered, “Now if only she’d told me anything about why I’m here, I might actually be able to do something. I hate this damned place.”

The expression on the lean, tanned face revealed when he tilted back his head was one of suppressed anger rather than nervousness, but he went on before Ava could ask any questions. “Let’s go inside. Millie has a back room we can use, if we ask nicely, and Silus is watching for the ‘King’.” The last word was spoken with intense loathing, and cold topaz eyes glittered beneath the brim of the hat as Aspen turned toward the inn.

When Ava and Aspen entered the inn, none of the NPCs inside so much as looked up, and Aspen shook his head as he walked over to a blonde woman who stood as tall as Ava herself, but had muscular arms as thick as Ava’s calves. She smiled pleasantly at them, and wiped her hands on her apron.

“Hello! I’m Millie, the innkeeper and head chef! How may I help you?”

Aspen held out a hand. “Millie, it’s Aspen.”

Millie tilted her head, her coronet of golden braids glinting in the torchlight. “Oh, I’m sorry. I meet so many people.” Dismissing him, she turned to Ava, smile ticking up a notch in the way that NPCs did when they met a player who had a good relationship with them. So, apparently the programmers had done some tweaking of her character, and Ava wondered if everyone in town already ‘knew’ and ‘liked’ her.

“Lady Ava! What an honor! What can I do for you?”

Aspen growled something beside her, but Ava just said, “Do you have a private room we could use for a little while?”

“Of course!” Millie immediately turned and bustled away, leaving the two NPCs she had been talking to without a word. Ava and Aspen followed, and the innkeeper led them through a nearby door, into a room that was almost completely filled with a large table and several sturdy wooden chairs. There was just enough room left for someone to be able to serve food to the diners, and a swinging door to their left probably led to the kitchen.

“Would you care for a meal? You’re just in time for lunch!” Millie said genially, and Ava hesitated, but nodded. “Wonderful! I’ll get it now!” The innkeeper hurried from the room, leaving Ava and Aspen staring at each other.

Aspen shook his head and removed his hat, revealing short brown hair with streaks of sun-bleached blonde and a few silver threads, along with a simple gold circlet that had been completely concealed by his hat. He ran his fingers through his hair roughly, fingertips briefly hesitating as they touched the circlet.

“Gina told me this place would be… different, but-” he shook his head and replaced his hat just as Millie entered the room again. She looked surprised to see them still standing, and nodded toward the chairs.

“Please! Have a seat! I brought you some stew, apple juice, and an apple tart, all on the house!” The woman slid the tray she was holding onto the table and pulled out a chair, looking at Ava.

Ava sat, flushing as she realized that she hadn’t even thought to check and see if she had any money before ordering. AlphaOmegadon wasn’t rich, especially since Ava traded her in-game gold for real-world currency whenever the exchange rate was good, but she had enough to buy a meal at an NPC tavern. No one had thought to give Lady Ava any items, however, so she was probably flat broke, as well.

Current funds available: 500,000 Gold

Ava felt a rush of relief as she pulled out five gold and handed them to Millie with a smile. “Thank you, Millie, but that won’t be necessary. Please, let me know if this doesn’t cover it.”

Millie looked flustered, but accepted the coins, bobbing an awkward curtsey. “Thank you, Lady Ava. It’s more than enough. I’ll come and check on you again when you’ve had a chance to eat.”

Ava nodded, and the woman hurried away, leaving Ava and Aspen alone. Aspen immediately sat, pulling a bowl of stew toward himself. Taking a bite, he smiled. “Well, that’s right at least. Your king may have lifted the whole damned city above ground, gotten rid of everyone who wasn’t completely human,” his eyes blazed with cold anger as he said this, “and even taken Millie’s accent away, but at least her cooking is still her own.”

Ava sat down beside him and tried a bite from her own bowl. She was amazed at how delicious the food was, and had to force herself to stop eating long enough to answer. “He’s not my king. No king at all, really.” She glanced around the room as she ate another bite of her stew. When her mouth was clear again, she asked, “So, are you from, um, the real Refuge, then?”

Maybe that was why Amythyst had sent this guy here. He was clearly intelligent, and that circlet indicated that he was something more than his ragged hat and simple clothes indicated. If he knew this area well, he might be able to help her figure out how to help Amy.

Aspen nodded. “Gina didn’t tell me exactly what she needs me to do. I don’t think she’s even sure.” He shook his head. “She did send me with gifts, though.” He set his spoon down and reached into the pouch at his waist, pulling out several small rolls of paper.

“Skill scrolls. Even a few spells. Hard to come by, in the real world.” The real game world, he meant, but Ava just nodded and accepted them. Unrolling the first one, she received a prompt.

You have obtained a Scroll of [Invisibility]. Would you like to learn [Invisibility]?

Yes/No?

Ava’s mouth dropped open. As far as she knew, there was no [Invisibility] spell or skill in the real game. The closest you could come was a very high-leveled [Stealth] skill, and that took a whole lot of effort to grind to the point where it could mimic becoming invisible under most circumstances. Only a few of the highest leveled assassins had it, and it still had its weaknesses.

Of course, she selected yes and moved on to the next scroll. By the time she was done, her character would have put any thief to shame. She now had [Steal], [Pickpocket], [Lockpicking], [Sneak], [Hidden Passages], [Trap Detection], [Disarm Trap], [Legerdemain], [Sleight of Hand], [Enchant], and a spell called [Substitution], which let her pretend to be someone else for as long as the skill lasted.

As Ava brushed away the dust the last scroll had crumbled into, Millie reentered the room. She hesitated as she saw that Ava had only eaten half of her stew, and asked, “Is the meal not to your liking, my lady? I can make something else, if you’d prefer.”

Ava shook her head and lifted a bite of the cooling stew from her bowl. “No, Millie, it’s good! I’ve just been occupied talking to my friend.”

Millie barely glanced at Aspen before turning her smile back on Ava. “That’s good then, my lady! Can I get you anything else?”

Ava shook her head. “No, thank you, Millie, just a little more time.”

Millie bobbed another curtsey and hurried away, and Aspen tilted his head as he ate the last bite of his apple tart. “Silus says the false king has awakened. He leaves his ‘Zombie’, as you Travelers say, on his throne when he’s logged out, instead of resting as most of you do.” He snorted. “It’s a pretentious monstrosity, too, nothing like Sarave’s. The hall’s too small for it, and it looks ridiculous.” Aspen sounded almost cheerful as he reached into his pouch, handing Ava one more piece of paper. This one was folded, rather than rolled up, and when Ava unrolled it, she saw that it was actually a note from Amythyst.

Ava,

I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get Aspen transferred before you logged on, so surprise! I can’t maintain my link to the server, or the network admin will notice the increase in traffic. I’m piggybacking on his data requests, so I can only check on you when something goes through normally.

You can trust Aspen completely. He’ll do whatever it takes to help you. Fortunately, they just nerfed his character to a regular farmer, and didn’t bother actually removing all of his skills and stats, so once I get those unlocked, he’ll be pretty powerful, too. Just don’t forget to invite him to party with you.

For now, keep your head down, and grind those skills I gave you. I’ll tell you more when they let you come home. I have a cunning plan!

Amythyst

Ava looked up. Aspen was standing now, waiting by the door. “Come on,” he said, urgently. “I’m not sure if Veralt would notice I’m not like the rest of his puppets, but it’s probably best not to find out. Silus says he’s left the castle and he’s headed this way.”

Ava cast a last glance at her half-eaten lunch and sighed regretfully before pushing back her chair. As she followed Aspen, she asked, “Who’s Silus?”

Aspen remained silent as they passed through the busy dining area, but when they exited out onto the street, he stepped off to the side and glanced up at the eaves of the inn roof. A small, dark shape fluttered down and landed on his shoulder. Gently, Aspen tilted his head so his cheek touched the brown fur of the small creature’s head. “This is Silus.”

Ava took a step closer, peering at the small animal’s adorable, fox-like face. “A bat?”

“Aye,” Aspen said, stroking the silver tufts of fur by the bat’s disproportionately large ears. “But a very special one.” He glanced down the street as they began to hear the distinctive sound of marching boots approaching. “Gina said you’d create a ‘party’ for us.”

That was the second time Aspen had mentioned Gina, but Ava was used to Amythyst’s pseudonyms by now, and just went with it. She quickly created a party and invited Aspen to it.

“Silus too, if you will,” he murmured, and Ava blinked, but did as he asked.

Aspen (NPC) has joined your party!

Silus (NPC) has joined your party!

::Good,:: Aspen sent over party chat, before sinking back into the shadows cast by the inn. ::I’ll contact you after Veralt leaves.::

A young voice, like that of a seven or eight year old child, piped up, adding, ::Me too!::

::Was that-?:: Before Ava could finish, a heavy, gauntleted hand landed on her shoulder, and she caught a glimpse of Aspen hurrying away as Ava turned to face the guard.

Veralt looked and sounded peevish as he said, “Why didn’t you come to the castle when you logged on? It’s a waste of my time to have to come find you.”

Ava forced herself back into her meek persona, and said, “I’m so sorry, Dr. Veralt! You didn’t tell me what to do, so I just waited here.”

He huffed, mouth pinched in disapproval, but finally admitted. “You’re right, I suppose. Better that you wait than go haring off somewhere. From now on, though, if you know I’ll be logging on, make sure you meet me at the castle, unless you’re with Amy.”

She nodded, then tentatively asked, “What should I be doing, sir?”

Time passed twice as quickly in the game as in real life, so Ava would experience her two day immersion as if it were four. That was a long time to just wait for them to finish whatever testing they were doing., especially if Veralt expected her to just wait at the castle for him.

He waved his hand. “Consider this a sort of vacation before your real work begins. I want you to go around town, check out the stores, talk to the NPCs, and make sure everything seems normal. We used broad strokes to get this place ready, and may have missed some details here and there. Your job is to make sure there’s nothing here that could possibly hurt or discomfort Amy when she’s logged in.”

Ava nodded. “Ah, sir, I noticed I have quite a bit of gold, but no items. Am I allowed to-”

Before she could finish her question, Veralt cut her off with a glare. “Do I have to tell you every little thing? Of course you should buy anything you think you or Amy will need. Why else would you have been given so much money?”

Ava shrank away from him, twisting her hands together as if she were nervous. “I’m very sorry, sir,” she managed to whisper through clenched teeth.

“Good then. Don’t make me question my decision to hire you any more than I already am.” His eyes went distant for a moment. “Ah, Amy is having one of her lucid moments, so I need to go. Do you understand your instructions?” At her nod, he said, “Someone will be back to check on you tomorrow morning. Make sure you’re at the castle at this time two days from now.”

He turned away without waiting for a reply, and she could tell from the way his stride shifted that he’d probably logged out already, and his Zombie was obeying his command to return to his vacated throne. As the last of the small crowd of guards he’d brought along turned to trail after him, Ava gave in to temptation and folded her arms, hiding her extended middle finger in the crook of her elbow. One of these days, she was going to tell him how she really felt, and she sincerely hoped she could do it as AlphaOmegadon, not Ava Shaw.

Closing her eyes, she puffed out a slow breath, forcing her shoulders to relax. Well, there wasn’t anything she could do right now except grind some skills and spend some money. She allowed herself a small smile. At least some part of this didn’t suck.