Life: Online: A gamelit novel Read online

  “Lucy,” the man confirmed.

  “Kitty,” she said, after a few seconds of waiting for him to ask for her name. “You alone?”

  “You didn’t see all my friends standing around in that cave with me?”

  Kitty’s sword dipped. “What happened?”

  “Got bit by the kraken, mate.” Lucy pointed his chin toward the sea. With his thick Australian accent, he seemed sorely out of place on Chimera’s rocky gray shore. “Managed to get into the cave. Thing was too big to get inside. By the time that monstrosity had retreated, I’d used up everything: health potions, food, regeneration scrolls. And my health was too low for me to carry armour or weapons. If you hadn’t come along when you did…”

  “Then you’d have died, come back to life, and could’ve carried on playing.” Kitty sheathed her sword with a rattle and stabbed a finger at the player. “Now you owe me a health potion, mate.”

  She turned on her heel and strode down the beach. The sound of footsteps caught up to her a few minutes later. Why was he following her?

  “I heard fighting,” Lucy said. “And the kraken’s gone. Did you defeat it?”

  “Something like that,” Kitty said with a shrug.

  “That’s impressive. What level are you?”

  She glanced at him, hand still on her sword hilt. “So you can’t see player info either, then?”

  “Not since the second glitch. How many lives you got left?”

  Kitty cocked her head at him. “Who’s asking?”

  Instead of answering, he asked: “What’s your handle?”

  “Bad Kitty sixty-nine,” Kitty said.

  “Stats aren’t displaying on your profile either?” Lucy asked. “You have a few lives left at least?”

  Kitty opened her chat console without slowing down. A new friend request had been added to her rather empty console. She snorted, swinging around to face him, and walked backwards over the sand.

  “Lucy Fur triple six?”

  The man’s face remained impassive. “Yeah?”

  “Not bad,” Kitty admitted, accepting his friend request and closing the console.

  Her eyes roved over his dark clothing. He wore a broad-rimmed hat and a black pair of trousers, narrow, with dark boots. His jacket looked like leather, a dark brown, and he had two empty belts slung over his hips.

  “You supposed to be an assassin or something?”

  Lucy looked down at himself. He stopped walking. Kitty came to a halt too, eyes narrowing as the man shook his head and lifted an arm in front of him.

  A tremor shook him.

  His avatar rippled into a cloud of green and white pixels before snapping back into shape. When he’d settled, he no longer wore foreign clothing. Bright steel armour encircled him, ridges of shining blue metal joining his limbs to a presumptuously moulded torso with more muscles than were strictly required on any biped.

  “My avatar must have glitched out. That stuff was all still from Helical.”

  Kitty gaped at him. “You’re from Helical?”

  He hefted an enormous shield that briefly reflected the white-specked waves behind her before it disappeared into his inventory.

  Lucy faced her with a clang. “Last thing I remember, I was sitting in the Rusted Mug saloon…” His voice trailed away. His eyes were hidden in the shadow of his armour’s sharp visor.

  “So you’ve got just as far to go as us, then. To get to the Arena?”

  Lucy glanced over his shoulder at her, eyes still hidden.

  “That’s a long way from here,” Lucy said.

  “Not really.” Kitty opened her inventory and drew out a tightly-rolled scrap of parchment. It appeared in her hands, unrolled, and she glanced over it again. “It says the nearest exit is just past that.” Kitty pointed to the distant bank of clouds.

  Lucy didn’t turn to look where.

  “Can I see it?” His voice echoed inside the suit of armour.

  “You didn’t get one?” Kitty flourished the scroll at him before making it disappear inside her inventory.

  “I was in Helical,” Lucy said. “Maybe yours is different.”

  Kitty shrugged and stepped closer. A gust of wind tugged at her, whipping the long strip of cloth that draped her own, appropriately inadequate, armour. Hers gleamed dully, a much lower level than what she assumed Lucy’s bright steel plates amounted to.

  She dropped the parchment on the ground and Lucy picked it up, holding it up as if he was about to make a decree. For an instant, the parchment flickered a pale blue.

  “Hey—”

  Lucy dropped it on the floor. “Nope, same as mine.”

  She grabbed the parchment up, opening it and giving it a quick scan.

  “What did you do to it?”

  “Nothing.” Lucy held out a hand, closing and opening his fingers. They flickered too, just for a second. “Guess my avatar’s still glitching out.”

  Kitty took an involuntary step back.

  “I’ll be all right,” Lucy said, lifting a hand. “Just need to get out of this rift.”

  “Rift?” Kitty let out a soft snort. “More like this game. Me and Will—” Kitty stopped. “Excrementi!”

  She spun around, but Lucy caught her arm. Kitty jerked it free with a scowl.

  “You’re not alone?” With his face hidden from view, all she had to go on was his voice: and she couldn’t tell a thing from his deadpan tone.

  “No, I’m not alone, you creep,” Kitty said. “And I have to go.”

  She was on the edge of the shoreline, her feet slapping on the mushy sand as she scanned ahead for something, anything, that would provide a clue to her next move. Maybe if she could find a boat. Or she could build a raft. There were planks and things further inland. Maybe there was a helpful NPC around the next corner who would send her on a quest that would land her exactly where Will had been whipped away to. Where had he gone?

  “You try texting him?”

  Kitty lost her footing and tumbled to the sand. An armoured glove clanked over her arm and hoisted her up. She jerked her arm free again.

  “You think I’m a complete moron?” Kitty said. “He’s not replying.”

  “What happened?”

  “I… we were…” Kitty stuck her hands on her hips, exhaling loudly as she twisted away from Lucy, her eyes taking in nothing despite their furious scan. “I made a mistake. The spell I used to kill the kraken kind of got rid of Will too. All I know is he’s somewhere in that direction.” She waved vaguely toward the bank of clouds.

  “Happy coincidence then. That’s exactly where—” Lucy began.

  “Look, Lucy,” Kitty cut in. “No offense, but—”

  “You don’t need my help?”

  Kitty’s mouth worked for a few seconds before she produced words. “No, I actually don’t—”

  Lucy took a step closer to her. “Do you know what’s waiting for you behind those clouds?” The suit of armour shook its head. “Any idea at all?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Lucy stepped closer. “You think that kraken was the boss?”

  “What? Of course.” Her hand flew up. “It had like a gazillion hit points and—”

  “You’re wrong. Dead wrong, most likely.”

  Kitty reeled back. “And how would you know?”

  “I completed this rift hours ago before moving on to Helical,” Lucy said, speaking slowly. “I’ve already beaten the boss.”

  Kitty crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought the kraken had you trapped in a cave?”

  Lucy’s armoured glove clanged over his visor. He drew it away a few seconds later. “I’ve been here before,” Lucy said, speaking in short, abrupt sentences. “I beat the boss. I moved onto Helical. Then the game glitched—” he sighed irritably “—again, and I arrived back here weak as anything. I couldn’t equip any of my weapons or armour, and that, mate, is how the kraken got me.”

  “Should’ve said that in the first place,” Kitty said, but under her
breath. “So who’s the boss then?”

  Lucy’s helmet disappeared. His dark eyes gleamed at her from beneath a slash of black hair. He probably hadn’t been able to choose how his avatar looked, not if he ended up in this rift due to a glitch, but his eyes would be the same here as his body back on earth.

  “What’s your quest log say?” Lucy asked.

  “My—” Kitty broke off, opening her quest log. “Blah-blah-princess…” she murmured. “Blah-blah-imprisoned—”

  “So where’s the princess then?” Lucy’s arm swept the empty beach. “I don’t see her. And I would know. I’ve seen her before.”

  “Spoiler alert!” Kitty drew her mouth to the side.

  “Tell you what.” Lucy’s helmet reappeared, along with a different sword. This one was a double-handed blade that dwarfed Kitty’s.

  “I’ll help you get through that—” His sword gleamed nastily as he twisted his hand and gestured toward the distant bank of spurning clouds. They circled the sea like a collar, rendering everything a few feet past the surf-line invisible. “We find your partner, then we all three head on over to the Arena.” He turned back to her. “Sound good?” he prompted.

  “I can do it myself.” She wished her voice didn’t sound so weak.

  Lucy drove the point of his sword into the sand and stretched out his hand. “Do we have a deal?”

  Kitty furrowed her brow. “Whatever. But I want my health potion back.”

  Lucy whipped away his hand and retrieved his sword from the sand. “I’ll give you the next one I find. I used all of mine, remember?”

  She nodded, running her gaze over the blasted shore.

  Lucy’s sword stabbed the distant clouds again. “That’s where the princess lives. All we need to do is get there, off the princess, and I reckon we’ll find your other half right there, safe and sound.”

  “Your plan is flawed,” Kitty said. “I left my boat in my other metal bikini.”

  Lucy glanced at her over his shoulder, expression hidden by the helmet.

  “No worries,” he said. “I never leave home without one.”

  Kitty frowned at him. “What? A metal bikini?”

  “A boat,” Lucy corrected, but she could detect the slightest touch of mirth in his voice.

  3

  Kitty clung to the railing of the boat, her teeth gritted in rigged defiance of the wind howling and tugging at her hair and clothes.

  “Isn’t there like an inside to this thing?” she yelled.

  A wave broke over the side, plastering her hair against her face. She narrowed her eyes, trying to make out anything through the black, toiling mass of clouds around them.

  “I only had enough planks for a row boat,” Lucy shouted back.

  The tiny boat bobbed on the sea’s house-sized swells like a leaf on a churning river. Pure luck, or bad programming, meant they hadn’t capsized yet, but it was only a matter of time. Or experience, perhaps.

  The thought prompted a question. “You need experience to row this thing?”

  “No,” Lucy shouted. “Which means you can start helping out any time now, mate.”

  Kitty compressed her lips, clinging to the side of the boat for a few more seconds before forcing her fingers to disengage. She began rowing, her avatar jerking into position without any instruction from her mind. The game planted her squarely behind Lucy, binding her hands to the oar. It began moving of its own, and she glanced around, trying not to fix for too long on the sea as it humped up around them.

  “Is this really the only way?” Kitty asked.

  “That I know of.” Lucy’s armour had been replaced by civilian clothes as soon as they’d boarded the boat — perhaps the game didn’t think drowning in armour was a good way to go. His tan pants and grubby white shirt clung to him.

  Kitty shook her head before she realized Lucy couldn’t see her. Her own attempt at armour had been transformed into the same clothing as Lucy’s — except for some or other reason the drawstring at her collar was undone and her shirt was cinched at the waist with a plaited leather belt.

  “I don’t get it,” Kitty said. “Why didn’t you just teleport away from the kraken before it bit you?”

  Lucy glanced at her over his shoulder, mouth tightening before he replied.

  “The spell was in the barrel. The one in the cave. I only found it after I’d crawled in there. There was also an apple, a bottle of water, and a scrap of a letter that begins a quest I’ll never get around to completing.”

  Kitty opened her mouth, but Lucy’s monologue was as relentless as the rain sluicing down over them.

  “Would you like to know what it says? It’s actually quite cute. The quest starts off in the northern hills of Chimera—”

  “No, I—” Kitty began, but Lucy cut in.

  “You don’t? Would you like me to recite the exact order in which I used all my regeneration spells, healing potions, and various edible delights that I had hoarded away in my inventory, hoping that someone would find me before I died?” Lucy shouted over the storm.

  Kitty remained silent.

  “Not?” Lucy cocked his head at her. “Then whatever will we talk about on this long and arduous journey into the heart of Chimera?”

  “Your love of sarcasm!” Kitty yelled.

  Lucy didn’t reply.

  Who was this man, back on Earth?

  A few minutes later, the storm abated. The only sound was the splash of their oars as they moved through the now still waters.

  “How long have you been connected to the game?” Lucy asked in a disinterested monotone.

  “Seven hours or so.”

  “About five hours before the first glitch,” Lucy commented. “No one at home to disconnect the two of you, I guess.”

  Kitty kept silent; she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of confirming the statement.

  “And since no cops have arrived to unhook you either…” Lucy gave her a quick glance over his shoulder. “I’m going to wager you’re running on pirated Mindware.”

  “Aargh, me matey,” Kitty replied with a sneer. “That a problem for you? You going to throw me overboard? Stab me to death with your pointy sword? Report me to the moderators and get me kicked?”

  She released the oars, leaning back on the row boat’s bench and crossing her arms.

  “Oh please, Lucy,” Kitty simpered. “Please report me.” Her voice became rough. “At least then I’ll get to back to my body before I starve to death.”

  Lucy remained silent for a moment as if considering his options. He released his oars and rose to his feet, turning to face her.

  Finally, with a slow blink, he said, “Suit up, Kitty. We’re here.”

  ‘Here’ was the smooth curve of a pale shore, the sand brighter and more finely crushed than that of Chimera’s main coastline. Wind sculpted the shore into a series of gentle rises. A fine mist shrouded whatever lay behind the first few feet of dune.

  “What is it?” Kitty asked as she disembarked.

  “An island. At least, that’s what I gathered from my last visit. The mist is a permanent fixture here.” Lucy strode past her, his aforementioned pointy sword in hand. His armour gleamed dully in sunlight weak from its struggle through the mist.

  Kitty hurried after him, checking her weapons and armour to make sure nothing needed repairing. Should she equip her bow or stick with the sword? It wasn’t near as impressive as Lucy’s, which probably cleaved enemies in twain with minimal effort. After a moment’s intense internal deliberation, she equipped her bow.

  The pervasive mist was reluctant to part, but it did thin enough to reveal the sharp, smooth stone of a broad staircase. The mist swallowed Lucy as Kitty came to a halt, her stomach clenching. His torso reappeared a few seconds later.

  “There a problem?” His eyes were invisible behind the featureless crease of his helmet.

  “Just hope I’m strong enough. Without William—”

  “What level are you?” Lucy asked, his words quick and
terse.

  “Twenty-three. At least, I was at the last time I could check my stats.”

  Lucy was silent for a few seconds. He swung around again. “Check your inventory. And hurry, time’s wasting.”

  Kitty started up the stairs, but halted again after her inventory flashed open. A golden bow sat in one of the slots.

  It glittered.

  It gleamed.

  And she was sure if she took it out and held it to her ear that it would hum, too.

  Her eyes widened when she compared it to the one she had slung over her shoulder. Twice the level, double the damage, and with additional damage in each element to boot.

  She scowled. “Hey, I’m no twinker!”

  “Twinker?” Lucy turned back to her.

  “I earned all my weapons,” she grumbled.

  “I’m sure you did,” the man said, sounding as if he could barely hold back outright laughter. “But, in this instance, I’m sure a little… twinking?—” he sounded unsure of the word “—is acceptable. The game has, after all, pretty much crashed. It’s not like our stats are being recorded.”

  He paused another second, maybe waiting for an objection from her, before trotting up the stairs.

  “Fine,” she whispered, rushing after Lucy before she completely lost sight of him in the occluding vapour.

  Moments later, Kitty ran into the man with a crash of metal meeting metal. Shuffling aside, she tried not to look at him, feigning intense interest at the door they stood in front of.

  He faced the door and held out his hand. “The key, Kitty.”

  “Key? What key?”

  “The key.” Lucy’s visor turned to her. “The one the kraken dropped when you killed him?”

  “There wasn’t a key!” Kitty hastily lowered her voice. “I swear it. No key. I would have seen a key.”

  “I know there was a key, because when I killed the kraken, it dropped a key. That key opens this door.” Lucy lifted a hand to his visor. He was probably face-palming in his mind back on earth. “It’s fine. I’ve still got mine.”