Chapter Two: Imogen
The dedication ceremony was surprisingly lovely, even in that awful, arid wasteland. I, of course, made a magnificent speech, and the audience loved it. Even Alex spoke a few words; he pretends to hate all the attention we get, but I know that he appreciates a bit of heartfelt admiration. Who doesn’t?
And speaking of admiration, I do feel that Zeke wasn’t given quite enough. Oh, they were pleased to have him there, of course…or so they all claimed. The statue itself, however, only depicted Alex and myself striking dramatic, heroic poses; Zeke wasn’t shown at all.
He, at least, did not seem to mind, but I was offended on his behalf.
“It isn’t fair,” I complained as we sat on a bench at the edge of the Unbearable after the ceremony had finished and the audience had dispersed.
“It’s exactly how I like it,” returned Zeke, shrugging.
“Well, I don’t think it’s right.” I tapped him on the knee. “I don’t think the people truly understand how instrumental … no, how irreplaceable you were, but I have an idea as to how to fix that problem. I think we should write a book! And by we, I mean-!”
“No,” said Alex and Zeke at almost the same moment.
I huffed at them.
“My literary talents are going to waste,” I mumbled.
Alex raised an eyebrow at me.
“Literary talents?” he asked. “Since when are you a writer?’
“Since I discovered that it may be my true calling, Alex.” I shot him a serious look. “Did you not hear my masterful speech, just now? I’ve always had a way with words, and it becomes more and more apparent by the day; I really should do what all great retired heroes do and write my memoirs. I promise to paint you kindly in it; you as well, Zeke. There are, of a course, a few things we’ll want to go over before I begin, and a few moments might be best left to the imagination, but-!”
“Okay,” interrupted Alex. “As long as we’re out here, I think I’m gonna go to the dragon cages. Might not be a bad idea to let off some steam, after all that.”
Zeke nodded.
“You kids have fun,” he said, standing up. “I promised I’d head over to the bar to meet Ryce.”
“Oh yeah?” Alex frowned. “Alright, fair enough. Just … take it easy, would you?”
“We have plenty of ‘drunk,’ at home.” I added.
Zeke snorted a laugh, then, infuriatingly, patted me on the head and clapped Alex on the shoulder. He started down the only road that existed in the Unbearable, which led to the only strip of establishments available outside of the ICRRs. There was a bar there that I knew he often patronized, but I didn’t remember who this ‘Ryce,’ was. In fact, I’m not sure Zeke had ever mentioned the man before. I suppose I was just pleased to discover that our rather grumpy bit of sunshine had any friends to speak of other than Alex and myself.
“Come on, Imogen,” said Alex. “Let’s go work out.”
I stood up, stretched, and then hurried to fall into step alongside him as he strode through a nearby portal.
***
We emerged on the other side in a bold, colorful, blue-skyed land where rainbows arced overhead, and the hills beyond our vantage point were dotted with castles and cottages. This was all virtual, of course, but it looked, felt, and even smelled real. I could almost taste the bread baking in the town below, and, unfortunately, the stink of dragon breath on the wind.
Modern technomancy was an incredible luxury, and I always delighted in the sensual marvels that science had brought us.
At least … I did now that we were allowed to access them on our own terms, and in our own time. And these particular delicious sensations couldn’t harm us; they weren’t as sophisticated or as wicked as the ones designed for torture and subjugation, naturally. We could easily turn them off and on with menu panels that appeared before us when we entered the ICRR, and all we had to do to operate those manuals was to think at them.
Science truly is remarkable!
A woman’s bright, melodic soprano voice rang out, and at the same time, a notification appeared before our eyes, this one shaped like a half-furled scroll edged with silver,
WELCOME, ADVENTURER, was the announcement, TO THE KINGDOM OF EDGELIGHT. PLEASE REST A MOMENT WHILE I EXAMINE YOUR SAVED DATA.
We received this message every time we entered the Kingdom of Edgelight; it conveniently saved any progress we’d made on previous visits so that our stats and weapons remained available to us even if we left and returned.
There was a pause as the ICRR scanned Alex and I, and then it spoke/messaged again.
ALL HAIL, LADY IMOGEN, LEVEL 67 SIREN QUEEN. ALL HAIL SIR ALEX, LEVEL 65 BLESSED BERSERKER. DO YOU WISH TO UNDERTAKE A NEW QUEST, OR TO BATTLE THE VIZIER’S DRAGON ARMY?
“We’ll fight the dragons,” said Alex, selecting “Dragon Army” from the menu that presented itself.
UNDERSTOOD. Again, the world paused for just a moment as it processed Alex’s request. THE DRAGONS WILL BEGIN TO DESCEND IN THIRTY SECONDS. FARE THEE WELL, ADVENTURERS. FIGHT HONORABLY.
Alex cracked his neck and then his knuckles as a huge two-handed axe appeared, hovering in the air before him. This was the Axe of the Elder, a weapon he’d purchased with the points he’d won from his last several battles against the dragons. I made endless fun of him about the name, since he was, after all, the elder of the two of us and well into what we humans think of as middle-age. Unfortunately he seemed to have grown used to my teasing, and recently, had stopped reacting entirely. I’d have to find something new to needle him about as soon as possible.
He grasped it, then took up a fighting stance, glaring up at the “sky” from whence the dragons would soon be falling.
I always got a little thrill, seeing him like this again. Most of our lives were relaxed and mundane, on Exodus, and although I was a bit ashamed to admit this, I did get bored. There were parts of me that missed being a powerful, beautiful battle mage, racing through dangers and sniping any enemies who got too close to my beloved berserker.
I knew it was wrong to feel like that, but what was a girl to do? I had needs, and after everything that we’d been through, those needs included an opportunity to battle and overcome in the most stylish and triumphant possible way. Here on Exodus, I could do so without any real risk to my or Alex’s safety.
Here, unlike in that disgusting prison, it really was all just a game.
This particular reality, rather fancifully named “The Kingdom of Everlight,” was a community of recently wealthy former refugees who also had heroic dreams. Their world was one of swords, sorcery, princesses, faeries, and elves, not unlike the popular holo-sensory program All’s Fair in Love and Gore. Like most of the planet’s ICRRs, this one allowed for thousands of people to live within a bloody fairytale; each resident could, at any time, turn on various fantastical simulations, which would allow them to battle, trade, hunt, and even romance royal characters from the safe confines of their bedrooms. Whenever they wished to return to a peaceful, uninterrupted day, they could simply turn the simulation off, and they would go back to living in a quaint, classical realm which resembled Earth’s medieval England, but which provided no dangers or adventurous opportunities.
There were, of course, many real things in the virtual realm. The food provided was real, as were the beds and facilities that we all require to stay clean and alive. The local color, the trappings, the decor, and the fun were all virtual, however. I won’t pretend to understand exactly how it worked, and I never really had to, because there are people whose job it is to do exactly that sort of thing, thank goodness.
For the last several months, the quest “Defeat the Vizier’s Dragons” had been available in Everlight. I wasn’t clear on what the full storyline was; presumably, there was some sort of evil vizier attempting to take over the world with dragons. Alex and I had been coming here with some frequency to train against the virtual horde. I think he rather fancied himself a brave knight, which was silly, and charming, and very like him.
It helped calm him down when the nightmares about the Planet 7 became too vivid and horrific. Even I occasionally found the memories a bit too real and alarming to turn away from. I know that Zeke experienced something similar when he was sober enough to feel anything, and his tolerance was now so high that he was acutely aware more often than not, poor creature.
There was a name for that post-incarceration horror, of course. It was colloquially referred to as “cleansing sickness,” and most of the escaped prisoners had it, to some degree.
We aren’t here, however, to talk about the nights that Alex and I lay awake, shaking in each other’s arms and trying to push away the nightmares. We’re here to talk about dragons.
The dragons, at that moment, began to plummet down from the sky in sets of two and three, flaming as they descended.
Months ago, when we had first entered this simulation, Alex and I had selected classes that worked well in concert. I, as a Siren Queen, could sing dramatic songs that summoned magical waves with various charming results. Alex’s Blessed Berserker class awarded him enchanted weapons that offered impressive amounts of radiant damage to the enemy.
As the first wave of dragons fell, I cast “Tsunami Sonata,” summoning a giant wave to wash the dragons out of the sky. Drenched and disoriented, they collapsed on the ground, conscious, still dangerous, but with their long, golden health bars half-depleted.Alex wasted no time, stepping forward and decapitating each of them with one quick, downward strike of the axe, sending out a pulse of radiant energy with each strike. Each radiant pulse shot up and grounded another dragon, and I cast “Wicked Waves,” which encased each newly-downed dragon in a column of rushing water, soon drowning them.
We continued our battle for several minutes, until the last dragon was vanquished. It was, unfortunately, far too easy.
WAVE ONE DEFEATED, announced the voice of the Everlight kingdom. THE VIZIER IS ENRAGED. CONTINUE?
“We didn’t level up?” I frowned. “That’s unfair. We did a very clean job on those vile lizards!”
Alex shrugged.
“We’re too high level for this quest already,” he told me. “It’ll take days of doing this to gain another level. We’re gonna need to either commit more regularly, or find somewhere else to train at a higher level.”
CONTINUE?
The way Alex was speaking of our playtime didn’t make it sound very much fun, and that worried me more than a little bit.
“Alex,” I asked, gazing up into his red-rimmed eyes and laying a hand on his arm. “We…don’t actually need to train for anything…do we? Not anymore.”
The look on Alex’s face became…well, I can only describe it as complicated. It was some strange combination of frustrated, tired, and grateful
“Yeah,” he sighed. “Yeah, you’re right, Imogen. We can relax. We’re not actually training, it’s …just a game.”
I said nothing, because I understood. Alex gave me an uncomfortable smile, and squeezed my hand.
“We should probably go check and make sure Zeke makes it home alive,” he sighed. “Come on.”
He tried to release my hand, but I grabbed his and held for just a second longer, and his smile deepened.
CONTINUE???!!
“Oh dear,” I said, as the voice of Everlight began to strain.
“Uh, no,” Alex muttered. “No, thanks. We’re done.”