~‌‌ ‌‌2.23 ‌‌-‌‌ Outbreak Plans ~‌‌

 

Tenzin’s Lorien

4th Lifeday of the Full Moon

Flea awoke with a stabbing pain in the upper right of his chest. It was getting worse by the second. He then felt pure fear coupled with a sense as if he was falling from a great height, then nothing.

 

 

Opening his eyes, Flea found himself back at the pavilion of his MicroWorld. The Gnome walked into the house and sat down.

 

“I take it the scouting went pear-shaped?”

 

“No, the scouting went great,” came Bob’s voice by his side.

 

Looking over, he found Bob, in his cat form, rubbing his legs.

 

“Why are you rubbing your legs?”

 

“I can’t feel much in them. I’m unsure if it is because of the fall or the new body.”

 

“Fall?”

 

Bob stopped rubbing his legs and looked up at Flea.

 

“Well, first off, we can’t trust the dogs inside town. Second, I got a plan to rescue those inside the baron’s compound. Third, and this is the most important thing I can think of, do not go outside at night. There are giant looking eagles with scorpion tales that just swoop in, pierce your back and pick you up into the air. I shot one of those sleeping arrows into its face, but I didn’t think about the falling back to the ground part.”

 

“Flea rubbed his shoulder. I think I felt it, the pain, your fear, and falling before I got the prompt I had died.”

 

“Sorry, all I could think about was you and screaming for help. It was frightening. The emotion is terrible to deal with.”

 

“No worries bud, it’s only a game. All you can do is learn and do better next time. Well, it’s a bit early, but Shaun Sr. is doing a meeting for Outbreak this morning at the cafe. I’m going to head in and get breakfast. Tell me your rescue plan along the way.”

 

Kyle logged out and showered. Hopping on the bus, he spoke with Bob mentally the entire way. Bob explained the two different plans. After working out some of the finer details, he and his AI came to an agreement on what to do when they logged back into Fantasy.

 

Arriving at The NeXus, Kyle found a new employee behind the cafe’s food counter. After showing his Cafe ID, he was soon walking away with an omelet and orange juice. Finding both Shauns and Julie together in the lounge, he grabbed a seat by them to listen in on their conversation as he ate.

 

“We have over a hundred and ninety players signed up. The plan right now is to reserve the pods from thirty minutes before Outbreak goes live until the servers go down. They will be used exclusively by those on our team during the game. For the chippers, we are setting up cots in the back office,” said Shaun Sr.

 

“Are you really forcing us to play, dad?” Jr. said.

 

“Yes, think of it as work time you get to play. I’ll even pay Julie to help organize everyone.”

 

Kyle could see Julie perk up after hearing that.

 

“Come on, Bubbles. It’s going to be fun,” Julie said.

 

Swallowing his food, he could see Shaun squirm and let out a little groan at the name, Bubbles.

 

“You need to tell the rest of the class, Julie,” Kyle said.

 

Shaun groaned again, this time a bit louder, while hiding his face in his hands.

 

“Shaun here got his first skill after he finally hit level 10. He wanted to play as a tank type. So Shaun bought a shield skill he could place on himself and others. The skill is called [Bubble of Protection], and to use it, he literally blows a bubble out of his mouth, then steps into it. He can also blow bubbles towards the rest of the party, shielding them from some damage. Naturally, our group now calls him Bubbles.”

 

By the time she had finished her explanation, Julie was gasping for air between laughs.  Even Shaun’s father was belting out a solid belly laugh as well. Looking at those two, Kyle couldn’t hold it long after that. The mental image of Shaun blowing bubbles to protect his teammates was spectacular.

 

“That’s amazing, Bubbles. How well do they work?” Kyle asked.

 

“They can take up to three hits before they ‘pop,’” Shaun said.

 

“How’s the game going for you, Kyle?” Julie asked.

 

“Great! We’re out of prison; now planning a prison break of our own for some people being held against their will by the resident bad guy.”

 

The group chatted for two more hours about their gameplay. During this time, more players started coming into the cafe, reserving their pods for the day, and then finding a spot in the lounge area for the meeting. Once it seemed Shaun Sr. was happy with the turnout, he began to speak to the group.

 

“Alright, everyone. I got some information from the rep who came to upgrade all the pods yesterday. He mentioned some of the things he had heard from his side of the grapevine. When you start Outbreak for the first time, you will have thirty in-game minutes to make your character. Don’t bother to rush it; you won’t be able to play for those first thirty minutes. Once that time is over, everyone will spawn in the world where your METADATA says they are. Our pods will place all of you here. Chippers in the building will be placed here as well.

 

“He said, since I own this building and rent the one next door, I can claim both as a single outpost. Once the game starts, everyone will have to join it when prompted to do so.  If you do not register with the outpost, then you will be randomly spawned somewhere else. If you don’t make it back here within two play sessions, I will allow someone else to reserve that capsule to join our team.

 

“The pod representative said there would be some type of event in the first six hours after the game goes live. Failing the event will destroy the outpost and render it unclaimable.  Our priority will be to get through this event, then build up the outpost’s defenses. I’m told that each territory has smaller territories within, and there will be announcements broadcasted when certain things happen.

 

“Kevin here is going to be in charge of our team roster.  With the help of his AI, Kevin will keep track of the entire team in real-time. We have created a spreadsheet with everyone’s real name. Once things are settled here, find Kevin and give him your in-game name, so we know who is who. My son and his girlfriend Julie will also be helping with the organization of the group and outpost. If you have any questions, please seek them or me out.”

 

Kyle could see Julie blush and look down as eyes found their way to the couple on the couch.

 

“Terica will be making her Swedish meatballs for everyone who’s signed up for this group play session and prepaid for their pods. So make sure you’re here an hour early to eat before we play.”

 

There were yells of excitement from the group at the mention of free food.

 

“We have three days left until launch. If you have friends or family who have their own pods or chips and want to join us, have them shoot me a message. Everyone here should know my contact info by heart already. Thanks for coming to this small meeting. Enjoy the rest of your day in your games,” Shaun Sr. finished speaking to the crowd.

 

As everyone left to enter their pods, Kyle stayed sitting in the lounge. Both Shaun and Julie had gotten up as well. Julie went to play Fantasy, while Shaun Jr. had to start his shift. Shaun Sr. came over and sat next to Kyle.

 

“So, what are you thinking about Mr. Analytical?”

 

“Not a lot, mostly about Fantasy and the two quests I’m on.”

 

“Any excitement for Outbreak?”

 

“A little, I was never much of a modern First Person Shooter or Survival Game player. I’m betting that’s how the game is going to play out.”

 

“Safe bet. I was going to ask if you wanted to lead the scavenger groups. Go out and find supplies and figure out what needs to be done within the game.”

 

“I can do that. Be better to have a small crew though at first. A lot is going to depend on the type of zombies the game has. Old school slow-moving ones, fungus filled, or maybe bio-engineered ones with special skills and abilities.”

 

“I hadn’t thought of that. I was only picturing old school Romero Zombies.”

 

“It’s safe to say a lot of people will be thinking the same thing. Knowing Shattered Helix, they will have some interesting things planned for the game. Just have to wait and see. I’m going to try and finish up things in Fantasy in the next three days, so I don’t have to worry about loose ends while playing with you guys.”

 

“Alright, I’ll let Kevin know to send the thrill-seekers your way.”

 

Shaun Sr. got up, gently patted Kyle on his shoulder, and then left to start his day at the cafe. The gesture brought the teen back to some of his earliest memories of this place. 

 

Sr. and Terica had opened the cafe when Kyle was 14. His aunt and uncle rented the apartment directly over the place. They had just recently taken him in after his parents and little sister were killed in the AI tram incident. Being a hermit, Kyle didn’t usually stray far from home, preferring to just bury himself in school work. However, one day for no reason at all, he decided to study out on the back porch. That’s when he met Shaun helping his father make BBQ for their evening meal. The two boys hit it off immediately and before he knew it, Kyle had left his books and joined the father and son. 

 

That night, Shaun Sr. invited Kyle, his aunt, uncle, and little Zoey down for food. As they picked over desert, Sr. offered Kyle a free day in one of the pods. From that day forward, Shaun had become his only real-life friend, and Kyle spent the rest of his time either on his studies or playing Phantasmal Realms. They had lived above the cafe for years after that until William, his uncle, finished school and got a better job out in Naperville.

 

Kyle made his way back home and logged onto his MicroWorld.  He had to wait a few minutes for his lockout to finish. Entering Fantasy, Flea and Bob materialized next to the Dustgrove Crystal. Looking at the guards around the Crystal, Flea waited for them to say something, but they just stood in their positions. 

 

“Let’s head back and do some testing,” Flea said.

 

Getting back to Tenzin’s Lorien, they found nothing indicating the old Elf had returned. They searched the giant tree for any type of writing tools. An hour later, Bob was able to find a couple of primitive pen-like sticks in a small chest. Sitting on the bed, the cat and Gnome wrote on the same page from the two dark red books. They found as they wrote, it would appear in the other book as it was being written. Tearing out the same page from the books, they found they could still send messages between the torn out pages.

 

“Well, that covers plan B then,” Bob said.

 

Bob labeled twelve pages and tore them out, putting all of them into his inventory. He noticed they stacked into two piles.

 

“Let’s go finish the quest for Uglar. The Tanuki said we should get venom from the biggest Desmox we can find,” said Bob.

 

“Let me clean my bag out real fast. If we can loot parts, I want to be able to take everything we can,” Flea said.

 

Flea went through his inventory. He found the six Clouded Cores and used them.

 

 

I have 839 Energy. I should level up everything I can.

 

Adding levels to his Dexterity and Constitution, he hit accept, getting a prompt.

 

 

Surprised by the news, Flea opened his status.

 

 

“I just unlocked my second Mana Gate at level 12. See if you can level now, Bob.”

 

“It looks like I can. I was able to reach level 12 as well and opened my second.”

 

Flea mentally opened Bob’s Status to look it over.

 

Seeing his new skill, Flea clicked the info and read its abilities.

 

“Did you spend a ton of Energy on the [Eagle Eye] skill, and it evolved to a tier two?”

 

“Ah, Yes. I forgot to inform you that it evolved when I maxed it out. Elder Whovian didn’t say anything about that to you?”

 

“No, he didn’t. I wonder what my [Shadow Meld] would turn into?”

 

Flea then took out the ‘Knowledge Book: Cooking’ from his inventory and held it in front of him.

 

“I should have asked Laws on how to use this thing.”

 

“Blood,” they both said at the same time.

 

Flea pulled out a dagger, grazed one of his fingers, then dripped the blood onto the book. The tome immediately turned to dust. Flea grabbed his head as a headache formed. A few moments later, the Gnome let out a breath of relief as the pain subsided.

 

“Woah, that’s crazy. It’s like I’ve been inside a kitchen for years. After we finish rescuing the Tanuki, I want to try cooking some things.”

 

Flea pulled up his inventory for one last glance to make sure he removed everything he could, then looked at Bob’s.

 

 

 

“Remind me to get water for my canteens.“

 

Bob nodded, and they started their trek back to the prison camp.