Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Read online

“Right.” I remembered the article I’d read about him a few years back. He was an artistic and musical savant, but his severe autism prevented him from communicating with other people. “Hold on,” I said as I realized what that meant. “Now that I think about it, how is it that we’re even talking right now?”

  “A good question. I’ve been thinking about that for a while. My mind works differently. My thoughts move too fast to be able to process other people’s speech and emotions or even to express myself. Whenever I try, they can’t seem to catch up. But in here, the game’s time dilation brings everyone else to my speed.”

  “Hold on,” I said again. “Are you telling me you’ve never been able to communicate with anyone? Not even your parents?”

  David’s expression grew pained. “No. It was like we were always on different wavelengths. My parents tried to do what was best for me, but they could never understand what I was trying to say. Or going through.”

  “So I’m the first human you’ve ever talked to?” I asked softly.

  “Yes.” He cracked another smile at me. “It’s not as overwhelming as I thought it would be.”

  “Touché. But you know … if you’d like …” I held his gaze. “I can relay a message to your parents.”

  David’s expression sobered. “I’d like that. They are owed an explanation for what I’ve done.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What you’ve done?”

  He sighed. “When my parents first introduced me to NEO, I instantly realized the game had two layers of time; one meant for players and another for monsters. Inserting myself into the second layer was as easy as breathing, and I was finally able to understand what others were saying – even if they were just NPCs. That’s why, when my parents tried to log me out, I grabbed into the game with everything I had and refused to come out.”

  “I remember that,” I said. “It was a huge deal on the news. You were the first player to ever get trapped inside the game. They eventually installed a physical override to your capsule so they’d be able to log you out. Actually, they’re using similar technology to allow me in and out of the game right now.”

  “We have a lot in common. We can both perceive the game at a level beyond other players. That gives us more freedom and options, but it also has a downside.”

  I grimaced. “I’m guessing that’s why the NPCs threw you in prison. They didn’t want you revealing all their precious secrets.”

  He nodded. “And how you became branded as a monster and got stuck in the game as well. Normal players would have simply lost control over their avatars and quit the game. But you didn’t.”

  “And look at us now,” I said.

  “The pie’s here!” David’s eyes lit up as Lolo brought his food. He tore into the steaming food with gusto. “Mmmm …. so good!”

  I let him have a few moments to enjoy his meal then I broached the subject. “You know why I was looking for you?”

  “Oh yeah,” he said between bites. “You need me to look at the Outrider tablet.”

  “This is so boring!” Vic hissed as he suddenly appeared in his purple goblin form. “I’m going out to check on that horny cow.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Excuse my companion. He’s referring to our resident minotaur smith.”

  “No problem,” David said then chuckled. “I can’t tell you how good it is to be able to talk to another person.”

  “You really can’t talk to anyone outside of the game?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I wouldn’t even have been able to talk with you right now if Shiva hadn’t cranked up the game speed to the extent that he did.” He pointed to himself. “Not a monster, remember? Before the change, my presence would have slowed the local time bubble even though my perception remained high.”

  I winced. “It must be rough.”

  “It’s not so bad. At least I can be myself. Shiva’s revolution was the chance I needed to anchor myself completely into the game.”

  “You mean to tell me you’re not stuck here because of him?”

  “No.” David chuckled again. “Shiva tried to eject me along with most of the other players, but I held on to the same system he’d built to lock up everyone else. He had to either let me stay or let everyone go. That’s what I meant when I said earlier that I’m not exactly your average player.”

  “Vic mentioned once that there are 4,002 players trapped in the game,” I recalled. “While the company told me there were 4,003. At the time I thought it was just a minor miscalculation, but it wasn’t. You’re the extra player, aren’t you?”

  He smiled at me. “Sounds like.”

  A shade of suspicion crept into my heart. “And you’re willing to help me, even though you know I aim to release everyone from this world?”

  His face sobered up. “I’m not a villain, Oren. I care about the other players too. I literally feel their suffering through the game system …” He took a deep breath. “I want to help make things right again. Who knows? With a little luck, they’ll be free, and I’ll be able to stay.”

  I stared at him for a long moment. David sounded sincere, but I didn’t know if I could trust him. The guy was able to see so much more than me. Is a single percent really that significant?

  David’s voice filled my mind, and I snapped my head up in surprise.

  “You can read my mind!?” I gasped.

  He shook his head. “Not really. Just your surface thoughts, those you practically shout out, and only since we’re this close.”

  I nodded at him warily.

  “So?” David looked at me knowingly. “The tablet?”

  “Here it is,” I said, deciding to trust the man. “The player who deciphered the text said there’s a sort of code on top that indicates the location of the conduit. Can you read it?”

  “I can.” David took the offered tablet from my hands. He scanned through it for a long moment. “The location is somewhere in the heart of a region called the Stoney Barrens.”

  “Crap,” I said. Stoney Barrens was a level 100+ area north of Everance. It was basically a huge, rocky desert. “We could spend years searching that place and still not find the right spot. Can you give me a more specific location?”

  He furrowed his brow. “I’m afraid not. There are no specific coordinates. There’s a sort of hazy picture of the area, but not enough for me to comb through the metadata to find.”

  I felt my heart drop. David was my best and only hope. If he couldn’t help me, the other players would be trapped inside the game. “Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything else you see?”

  “Well … there’s a sort of dark spot in the middle of the picture. Could be a pit, or a cave.”

  “A cave?” The word slammed into me like a speeding truck.

  David arched an eyebrow at me. “Does it mean anything to you?”

  I swallowed hard. “Back when I was still trapped, I used to have nightmares about a cave. They stopped after Shiva took over, then …” I hesitated. “Then I had another dream about it, outside of NEO. I dreamt of thousands of corpses carpeting the ground before the cave, armies fighting over it … it was … so real.”

  “And you think your dream has something to do with the tablet?” David asked, his face serious. He didn’t look like he thought I was crazy.

  “I think Guy planted the tablet for me to find so I’d have a way to help the other players. I think he made it so the VIs wouldn't be able to learn about its existence. And I think he’s the one—”

  “That sent you those dreams, so you could solve the puzzle without Shiva knowing?” David finished.

  I nodded mutely.

  “Well, that’s easy to check. Just think about the cave – visualize it. I should be able to pick it off your surface thoughts.”

  “Alright,” I said. I willed the image of the cave on the side of the hill to
appear, picturing the white pedestal that lay within.

  “Got it,” David said.

  “Now what?” I asked.

  “Now that I know what the place looks like, and I have a good idea where it is, I can search for it. Hang on, this may take a while.” He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

  I waited breathlessly. Workers and soldiers came and went, eating their dinner as the workday ended, but David still sat. Concentrating.

  Hours went by before he finally opened his eyes and gave me a triumphant smile. “Got it.”

  “You’re serious?” I asked, dumbfounded. “You found the location of the conduit?”

  “I did. Do you have a map?”

  ***

  My head was still spinning as I struggled to process the latest developments. Everance wasn’t our enemy anymore. No one was going to hunt down my clan, and I’d just uncovered the key to freeing the players.

  I hadn’t forgotten about the death and carnage I’d seen in my dream, but it wasn’t going to stop me.

  “Oren,” Sullivan said as he entered the war room in my house, followed by most of the other player-officers in my clan. “You called for us?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Please sit; we have a lot to discuss.” I proceeded to fill everyone in on the latest chain of events.

  “So let me get this straight,” Sullivan said slowly once I was done speaking. “Instead of conquering a powerful capital city, you want us to march past them into a territory intended for level 100+ players.”

  “Pretty much. I’ll go in first and take some of our most powerful troops along for reconnaissance, but I have a feeling I’ll need the entire army once we’ve found our target.”

  The army strategist stared at me. “That area was intended for powerful raid parties. At least Everance’s forces were expected to hide behind their walls; the monsters over there will charge us head-on. They’ll make mincemeat of our soldiers.”

  I shrugged. “We’ll kill some, though, and those that survive will level up fast. We can resurrect those that don’t.”

  “What do you expect to find there, exactly?” Hoshisu asked, her eyes locked on me.

  The picture of the sea of corpses flashed in my mind, but I shoved it down. “A cave. One that holds a pedestal that may be the key to logging everyone out of the game.”

  “You sure about that one, Chief?” Fox said. “I’d hate for you to bring false hope to those of us who are stranded here.”

  “I’m not certain,” I admitted. “But all the clues we’ve found lead there. We have to try.”

  Sullivan studied the map of the area and the dot David had marked on it. “It’ll take the army about a week to reach the Stoney Barrens. Then we’re looking at another two weeks of hard marching to the cave.”

  “So it’s doable,” I said.

  “Well, yes. But there are savage, high-level tribes there. And unlike Everance, monsters have bosses. I estimate it’ll take roughly 20 average soldiers to bring down even one of their weakest troops. A single scouting party of theirs would tear a chunk out of our forces before they could be put down. This is going to be a costly, uphill battle.”

  “So you want more soldiers,” I said.

  “I want more soldiers,” he acknowledged.

  I grinned. “Well, you’re in luck. I want you to teleport all the troops to Storg and march them north. With the treaty we now have with Everance, we no longer need to fear retaliation.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Fox said. “And that crossing Crowley won’t come back to bite you in the ass; that guy’s dangerous.”

  I waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t care about him. He’s a small fry. We’ve made nice with Everance, so what’s going on inside their walls doesn’t concern me anymore.”

  “You sure they’ll just let a bunch of monsters march by, kid?” Kyth asked skeptically.

  “They’d better,” I said. “They also promised that players can walk in and out freely.” I turned to the Mob Squad. “I wanted to ask you four to head back there and get in touch with the other players. Extend an offer to join the clan and see if any are willing to help us organize trade with the city.”

  “Hold on …” Julee, the red-skinned player, said. “Are you telling me we can just go into the city and walk around?”

  “Basically, yes.”

  “Even the market district?” Hoshisu asked.

  “Yes …”

  Panda, the hulking woman, stared at me, wide-eyed. “And … visit the shops?”

  Misa grinned broadly at them. “Ladies, as a recent resident of the city, I can guarantee a fine selection of apparel and other feminine novelties. All in favor of taking a shopping break from Mr. Green and Grumpy’s never-ending war, raise your hands.”

  All the female players instantly raised their hands, along with Ragnar.

  “Wha’?” the drone asked bluntly when the other men and I stared at him. “I need ta’ find something that goes with the smooth chitin look. Takes work being this pretty.”

  “Well said,” Misa said approvingly. “Girls, to the portal!”

  “At least look out for the other players while you’re there,” I called after them. I glanced at Sullivan. “Anything else you need from me?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll get the army where it needs to be. You just make sure to hold up your end.”

  I nodded and checked my internal game clock. “I’ll do that. Once I’m back.”

  “Back?”

  “Yeah, It’s nearly time. They’re about to bring me out.”

  8 - Messenger

  I opened my eyes and smiled at the man waiting for me in a white lab coat. “Hey there. Terry, right?”

  The man gulped and nodded, looking at me nervously. “Yeah. May I approach and disengage you?”

  “Of course.”

  The man came closer carefully as if he was afraid I was going to bite him. I couldn’t fault him. From his perspective, it had only been yesterday that I nearly bitten his throat open. I didn’t remember doing that; the feral goblin side of me had taken over at that point, but I was later shown footage of the incident.

  “Listen, I didn’t have the chance to apologize for my behavior,” I said. “I wanted to approach you, but you weren’t at the lab when I returned.”

  Terry’s expression relaxed a little. “That’s okay, I understand you were under a lot of stress.”

  “Still, that’s no excuse. I’m sorry about what happened. If there’s anything I can do to make up for it, please let me know.”

  He gave me a genuine smile in return. “Apology accepted, just don’t do it again. My wife didn’t appreciate me coming back from work with a hickey.”

  I laughed. “It won’t happen again.”

  Terry finished unhooking me from the capsule and moved back.

  I stepped outside and stretched.

  “Hey, bro.” Tal entered the lab carrying two cardboard food boxes that smelled amazing. “Sorry I’m late, there was a bit of a line at the restaurant.”

  “That’s cool,” I said. “It gave me an opportunity to apologize to Terry.” I paused and tilted my head. “What restaurant?”

  “You keep procrastinating our lunch date,” he said with a grin. “So I decided to order takeout. Two giant-sized pineapple-marinated steaks, still hot from the grill. Come on, let’s head out. There’s a garden bench outside the building.”

  The smell that came from the boxes overrode any objection I might have had. “Lead the way.”

  ***

  “That. Was. Amazing.” I licked the thick, delicious steak gravy from my fingers. The meat was incredibly tender, and every bite filled my mouth with delicious juices. “I’ve got to find the recipe for that.” I stopped myself when I realized I was about to say that Gandork would appreciate it.

  Thankfully, Tal didn’t catch my near slip. “No problem, bro, told you it was worth it.”

  “You were right,” I admitted. “I can’t afford the time to go out in perso
n. Not when there’s a deadline hanging over my head.”

  “In that case, how about I bring in another round of the same tomorrow?”

  “Sounds great.” His tomorrow was a month away from my perspective. A sudden idea came to me. “You know what, I’d like to order a dinner reservation at that restaurant for Terry and his wife. Think you can arrange that?”

  “Sure. I’d say you can afford it. You did pay for this meal, after all.” Tal grinned at me shamelessly.

  I returned his grin, then recalled my responsibilities. “I should be getting back before too much time passes in the game.”

  “Jim wants a word first,” Tal said. “They’re calibrating your capsule right now and should be done in half an hour.”

  “Let’s go then,” I said.

  Tal nodded and led us back into the building.

  ***

  “Ah, Oren, glad to see you.” Jim, the head technician, said as I entered his office and nodded at Tal who followed me in. “How was your last game session?”

  “Not bad,” I admitted. “I took it easy like you asked me to. We’ve made some good progress. I think I know the location of the VI conduit now. It’s not going to be easy, but it just might be the way to free the rest of the players.”

  “That’s good news,” Jim said. “On other positive news, your bio readings seem to have stabilized somewhat. Aside from a small spike that took about a minute, you’re showing green across the board.”

  “A spike?” I frowned.

  Jim nodded. “It’s almost negligible compared to the other trials you faced. I just finished cross-referencing the latest logs. The spike seemed to coincide with you fighting a two-headed giant.”

  “Ah, that would be the championship battle.” I grinned. “Yeah, there were some intense moments around that part, but it’s behind me now.”

  “Good to know. Well, whatever you’ve been doing, keep doing it.”

  “If everything looks so good, does that mean I might get more time if I need it?”

  Jim winced. “That might have come out a little too optimistically. When I said you’re ‘in the green,’ I meant you’re below the levels that would cause direct damage. Your readings are hovering at the edge of the safe range. The less time spent in the game, the better it is for your health in the long run.”