Main Hall, Gaming Sanctuary, Paris

As awful as I honestly feel right now, like someone took a warm ice cream scoop to my insides and scraped out my bone marrow, a talk with Sherry is something that's a little overdue. So, waiting at where the corridor leading to the private rooms where the cafe's capsules are leads out into the main hall, I do my best to keep my fuzzy head from devolving into unconsciousness, which is something that will go better once I have some real food in my stomach.

"You're looking more and more like a zombie every day, dude," Sherry's voice snaps me back to attention, "Not even joking. Hell, even I'm starting to feel it."

Facing her and squinting at her through the muggy lighting, I have to admit that she's definitely starting to deteriorate as well, "You've got work tomorrow don't you? Might as well take it easy."

"And you're just going to ignore good advice and keep playing, aren't ya?" Jade sighs, disapproving, "Like, at this point your blood has to be about 50% dive enabler. When your corpse turns up at the funeral home it's going to come pre-embalmed."

"I'll send you an invitation," I remark drily, "In any case, this isn't really the best place to talk, and I'm starving. So, what do you say we split the difference at that pizza place from last time?"

Reluctant as she is, Jade gives in fairly quickly, "Yeah, sure. Only a large though, spent most of my paycheck booking the capsule."

---

 

Anetti's Late Night Pizzeria, Paris

"Large chicken and mushroom, please," I order what we decided upon on the way here.

"Not a problem, dear," The proprietor smiles, "Just the two of you today, then?"

"Winfrey's gone back to Florida," Sherry informs her sadly, "And Henry was working the early shift, so odds are he's asleep."

"Really?" Ms Anetti blinks, "Always a shame to see a regular go - but take a seat, take a seat! It'll be out before you know it. Oh, and it'll be €11.20."

We split the bill and take a seat opposite one another at the joint's lone table. The air between us is a little on the tense and awkward side, mostly originating from Sherry herself as she shuffles in place, looking anywhere but straight at me. It's on me to start this off.

"Sherry, stop fidgeting and look at me," I admonish, trying to keep my tone even despite my fatigue making me sound a little more raspy and irritated than I actually am, even if it's somewhat appropriate given the circumstances, "I don't believe I really need to explain why your behaviour today was out of line, so I'm going to skip the part where I explain what you did wrong then shout at you, and just ask something more pertinent: Why did you choose to join Truthseekers? You've made your opinion of me and the game very clear over the past two weeks, and yet, you remain."

Sherry struggles to maintain eye contact, reluctant to speak up.

"Because of Win," She eventually admits, not surprising me in the slightest, but not really answering the question.

"And? So what? That doesn't mean you have to go so far as to join the Guild of a man you profess to dislike in a game you claim to hate," I reason, "A little honesty, would be appreciated."

"Oh, now that's reeeeal fucking rich coming from you," Sherry scoffs, switching from timidity to anger instantly, "That's fucking why, you shady bastard."

She inhales deeply, then leans in, her voice low, "Win's been feeling pretty lost lately, then here you come along all snake oil and prophetic wisdom and she latches onto it like a drowning orphan clinging to a hunk of rotten driftwood. Never mind how convenient all this is, I just can't bear to see her being taken advantage of, even if she doesn't want to realise or admit how fucked this is."

Rapping my fingers on the cheap plastic table, I consider my response before speaking, "Admirable though your loyalty is, I have no intention of 'leading her astray' or whatever such nonsense you've cooked up, and my actions so far should speak for themselves."

"Yeah, see, fuck off, no they don't," Sherry denies flatly, "Win's just finished her degree and left behind everything she knew,so  she should be looking to the future instead of wasting her time on a dying VRMMO with a tight-lipped weirdo who doesn't know the meaning of 'responsible VR usage' that walked in off the street one day. Your actions so far have consisted of selectively imparting knowledge you shouldn't have, because you sure as shit ain't a beta tester, and convincing her to waste time on the aforementioned dying VRMMO for your own nebulous benefit. You wanna ask a question? Alright, I've got a couple for you: What's really going on up there in that travel brochure you call a brain? Why the fuck are you so unreasonably fucking obsessed with Astral Reckoning?"

Frowning, I wet my lips then echo some I said before, "As I already said once, before, I have very reliable information that there will be a major patch in a couple of weeks time, that will fix many of the current issues plaguing Astral Reckoning. This update will bolster player numbers thereafter, but only those who've stuck around since launch will see the full benefits."

Sherry clenches her fist, hitting the table, "Again, you're doing it again. You're avoiding the fucking question with half an answer. What information? Where's it coming from? Huh? Why the fuck do you care so goddamn much you're about ready to die from exhaustion just to keep playing?"

Idly, I wonder how exactly this has come around such that I'm the one sitting in the metaphorical hot seat here. There's not really an easy way to talk my way out of this without telling the unabridged truth if I'm honest, since she's poised to shoot down whatever excuse I can come up with regardless of how true it might be. I'm not convinced myself that she's even prepared to do anything but find an excuse of her own to give me a verbal beatdown.

"There's a lot I can say," I begin slowly, "But won't. Not out of malice, or to present myself as a 'prophet' as you put it. I'm not looking to manipulate you or Winfrey. Quite simply, the explanation is more than I can expect someone not already exposed to it to swallow. So, even if I did tell you, you wouldn't believe me even if you were inclined to be persuaded - which, it's plain to see, you aren't."

"I can make my own judgement, thanks~" Sherry replies with exaggerated sweetness, "By the way, you're still behaving like a pretentious know-it-all, just for the record, and you're still not explaining jack shit. Word to the wise, I ain't impressed. Now spill."

My train of thought is disturbed by the introduction of a large, steaming pizza gliding in from the corner of my eye and finding itself a home on the table between us, "Here you go, lovelies, enjoy!"

Anetti beams a smile and leaves, the distraction of food gives me some space to consider my options once again. Ultimately, if she's not going to swallow a half-truth, then all I can do is feed her the whole thing. I confess a great deal of reluctance to do so, all the same, but I'm not sure if I've got much of anything to lose since Sherry seems determined to stick around as long as Winfrey does, and I've got her promise to assist in the guild until March at the very least, so even if they leave after that, which would be a shame, I can still find others to take their place, as callous as that sounds.

"Well?" Sherry stuffs half a slice of pizza in her mouth, "I'm wai'in'."

I sigh, take a bite and swallow, "If you really want to know, I can tell you, but I'll ask you to keep any sarcastic comments about my sanity to yourself, please."

Saying nothing, she takes another bite of pizza with a single eyebrow raised.

"Through means unknown to me, my mind has been kicked thirty years into the past, from a time where Astral Reckoning was the VRMMO and the financial backbone of much of the modern world's entertainment, banking and real estate businesses, with 5 billion subscribers, approximately," I explain, "So, my goals are twofold: Take advantage of the coming boom in popularity, and from there, try to figure out why I'm back in 2108 to begin with, and why other people also have memories of the original timeline - thus far, I've confirmed two other people to be in a similar position, but of the three of us, I'm the only one to Inherit the entire thirty years."

Scrunching her face, Sherry wags the remnant crust at me, "You fucking with me?"

"You're not my type," I snark, finishing off my first slice, "Too young, for one thing."

Disgusted by the implication, Sherry recoils back, "Eugh, don't even joke about that. Alright Mr 'Time Traveller'. Prove it."

"Besides the knowledge of Astral Reckoning I've already demonstrated, I don't have anything else I can offer as evidence," I raise my hand in defeat, "As I said, I don't know why it happened, or how. Only that I'm here, and that I'm not alone."

"Well then, you're obviously in violation of several Mental Health clauses concerning safe use of virtual reality," Jade smiles sweetly, "Consider yourself banned from Gaming Sanctuary until you've gotten permission from a licensed psychiatrist. We can make a recommendation to four clinics operating in Paris, and refunds for remaining time spent are available during opening hours."

I frown, "That's unnecessary."

"Sorry, but the obviously crazy guy doesn't get to make that call, I do," Sherry shrugs, taking another bite of pizza, "Suck it up, get some help, 'cos you clearly need it."

Gritting my teeth, I try to come up with a solution - I can't afford to lose access to VR, "A wager, then. On the 21st of February, Rise of the Adventurers, the first major update to Astral Reckoning, will launch. If I'm proven correct, you'll let go of this animosity for good and serve the terms of the contract you signed faithfully. If I'm wrong, I will never touch VR again for as long as I live, and the remaining money on my balance will go to you after the refund. Naturally, in the meantime, I do expect you to behave as befits an Officer, or else the bet is off. No more mouthing off."

"Only if you take a day off this week," Sherry stipulates after some thought, "Sure."

---

 

Alex's Room, Le Chevalier

"Well, crisis averted, temporarily, I suppose," I mutter, peeling off my unwilling t-shirt and tossing it into the corner that's my designated dirty laundry pile. Speaking of things that are overdue, I need to get an armful of that cycled through in the morning.

Lowering my stiff body onto the bed and laying back, I bring my phone up and start a call to Olrica. And as much as I'd love to sleep, I need to go online and make an official statement concerning Truthseekers as well.

"Hey, Silver, later than I was expecting," Olrica greets me as she picks up the phone, the clatter of metal on porcelain in the background, "Convenient though, just finished eating."

"Mmm," I mumble agreement, "I'll be keeping this brief, since I'm gonna pass out soon. What the hell has Hadrian all up in arms? I had him pegged as arrogant and petty, to be sure, but his behaviour strikes me as more reckless and desperate compared to the person I'm familiar with."

"You don't know, huh?" Olrica remarks blandly, "Well, what's it worth to ya? Info ain't free, 'specially when it's on my employer."

"Would the return of your dagger suffice?" I had planned on just giving it back, but if she's going to be difficult, I don't mind leveraging it.

"You can keep it, to be honest," Olrica rejects it, to my surprise, "Something about it just puts me off. Besides, I'm back down to Level 6 now, not like I can use it anyway."

"From the sounds of it, the rest of Rambling Rose isn't much better off," I hedge.

"Pretty much. Most of us lost like two levels today, between you guys and The Brand," the assassin admits candidly, "Hadrian wanted to try again, but the officers convinced him to let it go. For now, anyway, he's still got a major hardon that can only be satisfied by skullfucking your severed head."

"That's...a pleasant image to be imparted right before I go to sleep," I grimace.

"You're welcome," Olrica responds smugly.

Stifling a yawn, I return to the original question, "If you don't want the dagger, what do you want?"

"You to ask nicely," she feigns innocence.

I roll my eyes, "Olrica, please tell me why Hadrian is fixated on me and uncharacteristically self-destructing."

"Hmmm, not really feeling the sincerity, y'know?" I can hear the shit-eating grin that's assuredly plastered across her face.

"Don't push it," I warn.

Snickering, Olrica magnanimously gives up the abridged explanation of what's going on behind the scenes of Rambling Rose. Essentially, Hadrian's parents set him a test, which was to make a name for himself and take control of a region in Astral Reckoning. Thereby proving his capabilities as a leader, administrator and strategist to further prove his eligibility to take over as the Vice President of the family-owned corporation, Kings and Queens Ltd, making him the official heir to the throne, so to speak. If he fails to do so within a year, the position will be passed on to someone more qualified.

In other words, if he fails to take over Meteo City, he'll be all-but kicked out of his family as a useless incompetent. Outsider wisdom would suggest that Hadrian look for a territory that's less contentious and more easily manageable to attempt to conquer, but seeing me rapidly rise to prominence - I'll admit privately to having cheated outrageously - before he can even finish laying the groundwork for his own ambitions has ignited some sort of inferiority complex, according to Olrica, and he won't be satisfied unless he can prove himself my better, essentially.

"How...childish," I sigh in exasperation, "That's the best way I can describe it. I'm not some obstacle to overcome so a petulant silver spoon manchild can earn Daddy's approval."

"Too bad, man, that little firecracker of yours set a fire under his ass and he already had trouble sitting down with that massive stick he's got lodged up there," Olrica replies colourfully, "So he's your problem now. Good luck."

"Thanks," I deadpan, "Putting that aside for now, Arevas has summoned us for an audience. I'm sure you felt the tremors."

"Saw the announcement, yeah. Wasn't green this time, but the wording was exactly the same," Olrica yawns, "So, that was pretty uncanny."

"I can empathise," I laugh drily, "We'll be going in a couple of days from now. I'll let you know the night before exactly when and where to go."

"Cool," Olrica comments, "Oh, before I go, Generous Morning was asking after you - one of the Vice-leaders."

Frowning, I swap ears, "What did she want?"

"Dunno, exactly," she demurs, "Asked what I thought of you and your guild. Wanted to meet you in private sometime."

"I take it this was after your ambush failed."

"Yep," Olrica confirms, "Thoughts?"

I inhale, "Sure. I can make time after the audience with Arevas."

"Ok, I'll pass it along to her then," she offers, "A-anyway, I've gotta go."

"Alright, ta-"

She hung up again.