PHALANX - The series
Episode twenty-two: Just a Game… or
is it?
"How did I get here?" she asked herself. "Where IS here, anyway?"
Then, she saw Daphnix coming out of an adjacent room.
"Morning, Sweets," he greeted. "Sleep well?"
Ami gaped at him. In fact, she stared so hard, Daphnix took a long and good look at himself. "What?" he asked.
"What am I doing here?" she asked. "Where is here anyway?"
"You're in my quarters, and you were sleeping. Looks like those two glasses of wine were too much for you."
Ami closed her eyes, and grunted. "I feel horrible," she croaked. "My head hurts."
Daphnix looked at her in sympathy. "You've got a hangover," he said. "Come on, let's get you to Fred's quarters. Maybe he knows something."
"What time is it?" she asked.
"Seven am, local time," Daphnix said. Ami's eyes shot open.
"Oh, no," she grunted. "My mother will be worried! And school … I have to get to school!"
"Calm down, Sweets," Daphnix said. "Linda called you mother last night, and told her you would be staying with us. And as to school, there's always a way."
Ami was too sick for it all to register, but Daphnix's calm and reassuring voice penetrated the fog between her ears. She let herself be pulled up on her wobbly legs, and to be guided out into the hall. They entered the quarters right next to the one they had just exited.
"Good morning," Frederic greeted the two newcomers. He, Jennifer, and the kids were already eating breakfast.
"Ami, excuse the expression, you look horrible," Jennifer said, getting up to help the girl.
"Hangover," Daphnix said, shaking his head. "From two glasses of wine."
Frederic smiled reassuringly at Ami, who was now seated at the table, looking green at the food displayed on it. He got up.
"Don't worry. In two minutes, you'll feel fresh as a daisy. Linda, one Shadow's Special hangover Cure."
Yuck! Are you going to kill the poor girl?
"Just replicate it, please. We need to get Ami freshened up. And looking like she does now, we can't do that."
Alright already. One Shadow's Special coming right up.
The brownish-red liquid appeared in the replicator. Frederic took the glass, and smelled it. "Jut like Shadow used to make it," he said, and handed Ami the glass.
"Pinch your nose closed, close your eyes, and drink. Try not to taste it," Frederic told Ami as he handed her the glass. The blue-haired girl looked at the liquid, and for a moment it looked as if she would rather suffer the headaches. She pinched her nose closed, closed her eyes, and gulped. Her face twisted in anguish at the taste, took a second gulp, and a third. She put the glass down.
"Now, count to ten," Frederic said.
"One, two, three, … " Ami started. "Hey, this is incredible!" The color was visibly returning to her face.
"Shadow knows her hangover cures," Frederic said, sitting down again. "So, tell me, how did everything work out last night?" Frederic asked. Ami looked away, blushing. Daphnix looked at his friend from his own seat.
"Very well, actually," he responded. "But I will need to remember not to give Ami more than one glass of wine." This comment made Ami look even further away. The others chuckled.
"Hey, we're just teasing," Daphnix said.
"Yeah," Frederic said. "At least you just go asleep when you had too much to drink. Whenever I have too much to drink I can't help myself, and start laughing."
Ami relaxed somewhat, and looked up at Frederic, a small smile on her face. "That's not so bad … But I fell asleep, and I need to get to school today. Not to mention that I forgot to call my mother."
"Sweets, I told you, Linda took care of it. She called your mother. There was no problem. Now, as to school, I think we'll have to give you a clothing beam, but everything's going to be fine," Daphnix said.
"Clothing beam?" Ami asked.
"Instead of just transporting you, we change your clothes during transport. It's something we use quite often. It's easy, and you don’t feel a thing."
"That's interesting," Ami said, clearly impressed. The earlier conversation between Frederic, Jennifer, and the two children had resumed by now, and Ami focused in on it.
" … so we adapted the game to be run on the holodeck," David said.
"So far, it looks promising, but we can't be sure until we actually play it."
"What's the game?" Ami asked.
"Diablo II," David answered her. "It's a computer game we picked up. Me and Jessie have been working on it to make it compatible with the holodeck."
"Diablo II … " Ami said. "I think I know that game. I'm not sure, though."
"Diablo, one of the Prime Evils, has escaped, and the player has to select one of five characters to recapture him," David said.
"Yep. The player can chose to be a Barbarian, a Necromancer, a Paladin, a Sorceress or an Amazon. Thanks to the modified PHIS, the player in the holodeck will actually be represented by the same image as he or she would be on the screen."
"PHIS?" Ami asked.
"A gadget we only use when undercover," Daphnix said. "It stands for Personal Holographic Imaging System. It gives a person the appearance and the voice of another person."
Frederic nodded. "But, how will you account for the fact that everyone here has special abilities? The game probably isn't designed on handling people like us."
Ami looked at the group. No one made a comment on the 'everyone here' statement.
"We lock out our powers before going in," David said. "And Linda will be deactivated as well. No changing the game once we're started. Only the in-game abilities."
Will no one comment? Ami asked herself. There are two possibilities … they either see me as not worth mentioning, or they see me as part of the group …
"How many players is the game limited to anyway," Jennifer asked.
"No limits. The same character type can be used multiple times," David said. "I am going to play the Paladin."
"And I, a Sorceress," Jessie proudly said.
"I could play the Amazon," Jennifer said. Frederic nodded.
"Sounds interesting. I'll take the Necromancer. He sounds fascinating."
"I'll take the Barbarian, then," Daphnix said. The conversation halted. Ami looked around, and everyone was staring at her.
Looks like I'm part of the group … Ami's mind said.
"No thanks," she said. "I have school today."
"Right," Frederic said. "Sorry, we forgot. Well, you're always welcome to join us later."
"That's right," David said. "Lower-level characters can always join in the game. Us higher ranks will have to turn back to help her, though."
"Hey, the more the merrier," Jessie said. "Besides, the game is based on experience. When we go back and help her, it'll boost our experience as well."
"So, what do you say?" Frederic asked. "Care to join us after school?"
"Come on," Daphnix said. "It'll be fun!"
"Alright," Ami agreed. "But it'll be after I go with the rest … we have a get-together at Rei's temple each day after school, to discuss Sailor business."
When everyone looked t Frederic, he grunted. "No way! Shadow will KILL me if I show up. She's already at my throat for changing into Sailor Earth during the fight with the Wardroid."
Everyone laughed, including Ami. All except for Frederic, who looked a little less than comfortable.
Sorcerer drank another potion. He shuddered at the artificial mana, and waved his hands. A slab of metal appeared, which Jennifer lifted into place around a metal skeleton that had already been assembled in Tomoe's lab. The skeleton was one of a spaceship, vaguely looking like a fighter.
After Sorcerer had boosted Jennifer as much as he could, they had begun construction of an escape ship. They had more or less told Tomoe that he could take his grail and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. After they had seen Shadow erupt, both Sorcerer and Jennifer knew they HAD to get away. Sorcerer materialized another plate of metal, which Jennifer lifted into place. It would take about another two days for them to finish the preliminary version, in which they could escape.
The ship would be as bare as it could be, without shields, weapons, or even a working AI. Basically, it would be a hull with an engine, a reactor, a computer, and a life support system. Structural integrity and g-dampers would be kept to a minimum. The replicator they had built earlier would be brought along, but would not be connected. Everything was done to keep the ship's energy readings as low as possible, to try and make a run for dimensional space. Because of the lack of an AI, the crossing would be totally random, and it would possibly fry the ship, but that was a small price to pay to escape.
Sorcerer and Jennifer continued in a dazed frenzy. Never in their entire lives had they seen something like what Shadow had done. In short, both were scared out of their minds. Wherever they would end up, they would destroy all traces of their technology, in the hope of blending in perfectly. Once they were safe, the two would turn up their training vigorously, in the hope of reaching the elusive fifth magic augmentation level.
The purple sky shone down on Ami and Daphnix when they held on to each other. Never in her life had Ami felt like she did now, so … content.
"Miss Mizuno!"
Ami looked around, dazed.
"Ami, are you alright? It's not like you to dream off during class," the teacher said, her voice worried.
"I'm … I'm fine, thank you," Ami replied, blushing ferociously. The entire class stared at her. She could hear the whispers, 'the Brain dazed off', and other things circled the class. Ami concentrated on the class, not wanting to repeat the performance. She had been beamed down, with a communicator for the Ortega, just in the nick of time. Which was unusual for her in its own way, since Ami usually arrived early for school.
"These are the tie-ins," David said, handing out the tiny devices. "They will keep you down to the game's parameters. They'll also lock out your powers. Just connect to them, and the device will take care of everything."
The others took the tiny devices, and clipped them to their respective belts.
"Ready?" David asked. Everyone responded positively.
"Alright. We'll enter the game in the first act. It will be frozen until we've selected our characters, and we've successfully connected to the tie-ins. The game will start automatically after that," Jessica said. She pushed the button, and the double doors slid open. The five players entered. The doors slid close behind them, and disappeared as the hologrid engaged over it.
"I play the Paladin," David said, and connected to the tie-in. immediately, the PHIS engaged, and his form shimmered. A paladin appeared, almost naked, unfortunately. He carried a short sword, and a buckler, or wooden shield.
"I play the Sorceress," Jessie said, following her brother's lead. The Sorceress appeared, holding a staff.
"Here it goes," Frederic said. "I play the Necromancer." A necromancer appeared, complete with white skin and bony appearance. He carried just a wand.
"I play the Amazon," Jennifer said, and an Amazon appeared, armed with a javelin, and carrying a buckler, or wooden shield.
"And I play the Barbarian," Daphnix said. He was certainly almost naked, and he carried an axe. He too, carried a buckler.
Game - Begin. Computer deactivated. The computer noted.
"Huh?" David said. "It's not supposed to say that. Computer, freeze game," he added when he saw the characters move around the Amazon village they had appeared in. Nothing happened.
"David … " Frederic warned.
"I don’t know!" David exclaimed. "The AI is supposed to deactivate, not the entire computer interface!"
"Hey, I don't know about you guys, but I can't get my powers to disengage from these tie-ins," Daphnix said.
"Of course not. The tie-ins are locked to the system. They'll hold your powers inoperative until the game is over," Jessie said.
"It's only technological," Frederic said. "Power up, and shatter through. It can't be that hard."
"NO!" David and Jessica shouted at the same time. The adults stared at the children.
"The tie-ins are locked to the system. If you overload them, they'll overload the reactors. They're tied in with the ship's power grid. It was the only way to get them the power needed to keep us in check."
"Great!" Frederic exclaimed. "And let me guess. No emergency exits?"
"Just the normal ones," Jessie said.
"Which are deactivated because the computer interface has been disabled!" Jennifer burst out. The kids looked at the ground.
"Uhm … a bug in our programming," David said.
"A bug? I'd call it a SWARM if bugs," Daphnix said.
"We can't fight amongst ourselves," Frederic said. "The best way is to play the game, and hope it'll release us once we're done."
"It should take us back to the main screen," David said. "So we can select a higher level of difficulty."
"Looks like we'll get to play a game, whether we like it or not," Jennifer grunted. "No matter. Where do we start?"
"We talk to her," David said, pointing to a woman in a corner of the village. "She should tell us a little about what the game is all about."
"Alright, I'll have a talk with her," Frederic said.
"Maybe Mom would be better," David said. "This is a female rogue village. An Amazon will be treated more nicely than a Necromancer."
Frederic rolled his eyes. "Jeezes! Doesn't she give the same info to everyone?"
"She does," David said. "But an Amazon is treated more nicely. Friendlier."
"Alright," Frederic relented. "Jenny, Love, you go to talk to the woman."
"Sure thing," Jennifer said, and strode up to the woman. She returned soon after.
"Her name is Kashya," Jennifer said. "Basically, she doesn’t trust us. She tells us to return after we've proven ourselves."
Frederic snorted. "Great help SHE turned out to be."
"Hey, I've never played the game before," David defended himself. "But try her," he said, pointing to another woman. "She's the medicine woman of this village. According to the game guides I've read, she should give us our first quest."
"Alright. I'll have a talk with her," Frederic said. "And NO arguments this time!" he told David.
"I wasn't going to," David muttered. Frederic strode away. He returned a few minutes later.
"This keeps getting better and better," he said. "Her name is Akara. She basically informed me that there is a cave nearby, filled with all kinds of creatures. She fears that they're plotting against the village, and she tells us to get rid of them, if we are sincere in our claim of helping them."
"Great," Daphnix said. "Oh well, let's go pound some creatures."
"Maybe we should go visit Charsi first," Jessie said. "She's the local blacksmith. She might have useful equipment for us."
"Sounds good to me," Frederic said, striding to the blacksmith shop.
"Dad, Akara is an asset for you and Jessie more than for the rest of us," David said.
"Explain," Frederic said.
"Akara grants free healing, which comes in handy. But she is also the one who sells staffs and wands, which are the main weapons of the Necromancer and the Sorceress."
"Fine. We'll go visit her later," Frederic said. "Right now, I want to see what armor and weapons this Charsi has for us."
"So, now what?" Daphnix asked sarcastically.
"We go out and kill bad guys," David said, shrugging. "Like that one, for instance." He pointed to a skeleton that was walking towards the group. Jessica raised her staff, and a fire bolt left it. The skeleton was engulfed in flames. By that time, Daphnix chopped it down with his axe.
"Big deal," Frederic said. "That's it?"
David shrugged. "It's still early in the game. I think it will get harder."
"I hope so," Jennifer grunted.
"Well, if Jessie can use her magic, so can I," Frederic said, and used the wand he was equipped with. A single skeleton rose. "I'm a necromancer for a reason," Frederic said. He told the skeleton to walk a little in front of the group, to scout for enemies.
"You know, a scout can come in handy," Jennifer said.
"That's about all its good for," Frederic said. "Daphnix can chop it down with a single blow."
"He can chop down all level one creatures with a single blow," David said. "That's why he's called a barbarian. He has strength, and hit points."
"Then maybe I should be walking in front, next to our animated pal," Daphnix said.
"Whatever feels comfortable," Frederic said. "But then again, we're pretty inexperienced, so it might be a good idea to use the best tactics we can get our hands on."
"Right," Daphnix said, and walked next to the skeleton.
Jennifer looked at her javelin. "I can use this thing in two ways," she said. "I can throw it, or use it to stab things. What should I do?"
"You only have a limited supply, Mom," David said. "But then again, it does more damage when you throw it, and there are four others to help you if you run out. Maybe you could get a sword, so when you run out, you can still defend yourself."
"That's a good idea," Jennifer said. "So, next time we're in the village, we'll buy a sword. Too bad we have no money for it now."
A group of three skeletons attacked the next moment, and Jennifer threw her Javelin at a skeleton that was attacking Daphnix from the side. The skeleton broke into pieces, and Daphnix turned towards the remaining skeleton. It too, was quickly dispatched off. It left them 20 gold pieces.
Frederic gave a short laugh. "A skeleton leaving money? What does it need money FOR?"
"I don't know WHAT they buy with it, Dad," David said, bagging the money. "But all these creatures like shiny things, and gold pieces are shiny."
"What was THAT?" Daphnix asked, looking at the corpse of something he killed while the others were talking.
"A Fallen One," David said. Daphnix jumped back as the corpse came back to life in a golden glow. Frederic's skeleton died soon after. Frederic raised it again, and Daphnix killed the Fallen One. Also again.
"That's what's raised it," Jessica said, pointing to a short distance away. "That shaman raised it."
"So, let's kill it," Frederic said. The Fallen One rose. Again.
"I'll keep this one busy", Jennifer said, impaling it on her javelin. The others ran the short distance to the group of Fallen Ones surrounding the shaman. Frederic's skeleton died many times, and Frederic exhausted all his mana to raise it again. Finally, he had to content himself to hit the occasional Fallen One over the head with his wand. David, never far away form his father, helped his father with his sword.
There were at least ten Fallen Ones there, and it wasn't until Jessica finally got rid of the shaman with her fire bolts that the small band got the upper hand. Well, the small band minus one.
"What happened to him?" Frederic asked, bending himself over the corpse of David.
"He's resurrected in the village, minus his equipment," Jessie said. "We should go get him, so he can get his stuff back."
"So he didn't escape the game?" Frederic asked.
"No such luck," Jessie said.
"Oh, well. At least we got another 200 gold pieces from these things," Frederic said. "And I definitely need to visit Akara. My health points are as good as empty."
"So are mine," Jessie said. "Not to mention that I need to get some points into the 'warmth' skill, so my mana will regenerate faster."
"I could use that skill too," Frederic said. "I fell out of mana, so I couldn't get my skeleton raised."
"You're a Necromancer, Daddy. You'll need to use magical items or mana potions to get your mana up."
"Damn," Frederic grunted. "Oh well. Easy come, easy go."
"Now, let's get David back. But not before I get rid of … whatever that thing is," Jennifer said, throwing her javelin through a creature. The creature died, glassy eyes staring at the javelin sticking through its chest.
"A corrupted Rogue," Jessie said. "We should go. They prefer to attack … en masse," she added the last two words when the small band was surrounded by the corrupted Rogues. Jessie grabbed her staff. Frederic used his scarce mana to get a skeleton raised, and Jennifer got a javelin ready. Daphnix took his axe tighter, and prepared to attack.
"Alright, team. Let's go!" Frederic shouted, spurring his skeleton to attack. He and Jessica remained at the center of the circle. Jessie fired fire bolt after fire bolt, until her mana ran out, and she had to wait to regenerate. Jennifer attacked with her javelin in melee, meaning she was using it as a stabbing weapon instead of a throwing weapon. Daphnix hacked and slashed with his axe.
The surrounding corrupted Rogues soon bit the dust, but not before they inflicted a lot of damage on the small band.
"I suggest we make a run for it," Frederic said. "My HP are as good as gone."
Daphnix popped the cap off a healing potion.
"No!" Jessie shouted. "We're not far from the village. Don't waste your potions on meaningless healings when you can get free healing from Akara."
Daphnix popped the cap back on. "Right. Thanks," he said.
"Let's run," Frederic said. The band ran to the village, and was soon safe within the wooden walls. They found David waiting for them, looking more naked than when he had appeared. The team brought him up to standards on the latest events, and made a run for Akara, who had a field day healing the team members.
"I think I like this game," Frederic said. "It's a good challenge. So, how far are we from going up a level?"
"Since all our experience points are shared, we are all still at the first level. But, it has the added advantage that we will all go up at the same time. All except for me, since I missed that battle with the rogues," David answered, whispering the last word. He didn't want to get the village against them.
After getting David to his equipment, the small band resumed searching for creatures. After they disposed of a small band of Fallen Ones, every team member looked strangely at one another.
"I feel weird," Frederic said.
"We've gone up a level," Jessie said. "We now have a skill point."
"And what do we do with this skill point?" Jennifer asked.
"We use it to gain a skill level, Mom," David said.
"Great. How?"
"We're connected to the game, Mommy," Jessie said. "Think skill points."
Jennifer's skill three appeared in front of her eyes. "Great. At the first level, I don't have many skills to chose from. Let's see … I have Jab, giving me the ability to attack with multiple rapid thrusts. I have the magic arrow, creating a magic bolt that does extra damage, the fire arrow, to imbue normal arrows, and then I have Inner sight and Critical strike."
"You choice, Mom," David said. "Do you want to stay with the spear and javelin, or do you want to change to the bow? This is your choice. It's not wise to mix bows and javelins."
"I think I'll stay with the javelin," Jennifer said.
"Ok, then forget the Fire arrow. Jab can be pretty useful, and so can the magic arrow. Inner Sight illuminates nearby enemies, making them easier to hit for all of us, and the Critical Strike gives you a small chance that your attacks will do double damage."
"Jab it is," Jennifer said. Immediately, she felt different. "This is cool," she said. "I feel stronger."
"Your skill has been integrated," David said
"My turn," Frederic said. "I select Skeleton Mastery. It'll increase the strength and HP of my skeleton, as well as the other raised creatures."
"Good choice," David said. "Thinking ahead is always good, but don't go overboard."
"Now, it looks like I have to choose between swords and axes," Daphnix said. "I don't feel to well using maces, so it's between Sword and Axe Mastery."
"Well, a sword is faster, but does less damage," Jessie said.
"I'll switch to a sword, then," Daphnix said. "I like fast. Next time we're in town, I'll get me a sword."
"So, that leaves us," David said to his sister.
"I take Warmth," Jessie said. "It increases the pace at which my mana recharges."
"I'll take Prayer," David said. "It regenerates the life of myself and the party while it's active."
"Great. So, are we all set? Then, let's go kill some more bad guys," Frederic said, raising a second-level skeleton from a nearby corpse.
"You're beginning to get in the spirit, Dad," David said, getting his sword ready. The band marched forward, with the skeleton and Daphnix walking up front, Jennifer behind them, and with Frederic, David, and Jessica taking the rear.
"So that was Corpsefire," Daphnix said, looking at the pile of bones, which used to be a unique monster called Corpsefire.
"Yep," Frederic said. "And he got us well under way to level six."
David had already engaged his Prayer aura, healing his team members, and said, "He was quite a challenge. We were lucky to have those two skeletons Dad raised."
"We were," Jessie said. "And that thing was resistant to my fire bolts. I was useless."
"You should have diversified," Jennifer said. "An ice bolt could have done wonders."
"I'm saving," Jessie said. "I'm going for the ice blast when I reach level 6."
Daphnix finished using his 'find potion' skill, and held out his trophies. "I only have the first level Find Potion skill," he apologized. "These potions were the only ones I could get from the corpses." He held out two minor healing potions and a minor mana potion.
"They'll be useful later," David said. "But right now, there are only a couple of monsters left in the Den of Evil. Let's get rid of them, and return to Akara. As a reward, we're getting a skill point!"
"Cool," Frederic said. "I could use another point for skeleton mastery."
"And my warmth can use a boost too," Jessie said.
"So can my Critical Strike, or my Inner Eye," Jennifer said. "Another skill point always comes in handy."
The remaining monsters turned out to be skeleton archers. Jessie's fire bolts and Jennifer's magic arrows quickly disposed of the shooting creatures. The very last Skeleton Archer was of the Champion class, giving it double minimum and maximum damage, 20% increase in speed, an attack rate that was boosted by 120%, it was four levels higher than a normal Archer would have been, it had six times the hit points of a normal creature, but the best was, it provided three times the experience points of a normal creature.
After disposing of the creature, the group was tilted over the edge of level 6. At this level, new skills became available. Jessica selected an Ice Blast. Jennifer selected a Power Strike, adding lighting to her javelin attacks. Daphnix selected Double Swing, allowing him to use two weapons in one attack. Frederic went over his list, and selected Clay Golem. He could now raise a Clay Golem, without needing a body as he had needed for skeletons. David opted for Defiance, boosting the defensive rating of the entire group. As long as they were near him, of course.
The band had now cleared the Den of Evil, and calmly walked back to the town. Various unfortunate creatures along the way fell to the warriors who were more than eager to try out their new skills. Especially Jessica's Ice Blast, which completely destroyed enemies, or froze them into place when unable to destroy the enemies, came in handy. Frederic's clay golem also found support. The small band had nearly doubled in size when Frederic started doing his thing. There were five humans, two skeletons, and a golem.
Daphnix, wielding two swords, now found his damage doubled as he swung two swords at once. Even better, he found out that he could attack a single enemy twice, or two enemies at once. Jennifer's Power Strike created cool-looking lightning effects as it stabbed through a stray ghoul.
After they got to the village, the group received the thanks from Akara, as well as a free skill point. The points were just as readily used as they had been granted. The group talked to Kashya, and received their second quest.
"Great," Frederic said. "This demon Andariel has changed Blood Raven, one of the best Rogue captains they ever had. And guess who gets sent out to destroy her?"
"There are worse tasks," Daphnix said, smiling. "How bad can it be?"
"We'll see," Frederic said. "You just keep those two swords ready. If she was a captain, she'll have lots of Corrupted Rogues, Corrupted Rogue Archers, and Corrupted Rogue Spearwomen with her."
"And we have to get her at a graveyard," Jessie said, pensive. "Meaning we get to face zombies and the likes too."
"Great," Frederic muttered. "I think that we should explore the rest of the map before tackling her. I don't want to end up as chopped liver."
"At least you'll have enough bodies to get skeletons from," Jennifer snickered.
"True," Frederic said. "Now, let's get going."
"That's most of them," Daphnix yelled to Frederic, who had just raised his third skeleton.
"I think you're right," Frederic yelled back. They had been right. The cemetery had been infested with zombies, skeletons, and hungry dead, a higher class of zombies. To amass as much experience as possible, the group had set out to slaughter the undead first. Jessica relied heavily on her multiple target lightning and heavy damage fire-based attacks, while David kept his Prayer aura active all the time, providing the much needed hit points for the team. Frederic kept himself busy by raising his skeletons, or his golem, whenever they died, and smashing in a stray skeleton or zombie's skull.
"Everyone focus on Blood Raven!" Frederic shouted. Jennifer and Daphnix rushed forward, along with Frederic's skeletons, and his golem, to attack Blood Raven in hand-to-hand combat. David stayed behind, to cover his father, while Jessica provided cover with fire bolts. Her lightning attacks were of little use now. They were more of use against multiple targets.
Unfortunately, Blood Raven had quite a high magic resistance, so Jessie's cover did little damage. Every hit counted, however. Daphnix popped the cap off a healing potion while Jennifer and the skeletons chased after Blood Raven, who kept running away.
Soon after, the rules were reversed, and Daphnix had to cover for Jennifer who was healing form a nasty gash to her stomach.
After receiving healing from Akara, and having Charsi repair the blunted weapons, the team spoke with Kashya, who expressed her disbelief at the fact that the team defeated Blood Raven, and who showed her gratitude by placing a mercenary at the team's disposal, as well as allowing the team to hire new mercenaries if they wished to do so.
The team spoke with Akara, who told them of the town of Tristram, where Diablo was first defeated, now a little over a year ago. She told them about Deckard Cain, a Horadrim sage who would be very useful in their quest. She told the team to travel to the tree of Inifuss, and bring back the bark containing inscriptions, which would allow the team to open a portal to the town of Tristram.
So, the team set out. They traveled across the Blood Moor, through the Cold Plains, and into the Stony Field. They subsequently entered the underground passage leading to the Dark Wood, where the Tree of Inifuss was located.
By the time the group returned to the Rogue Encampment, they had gained a lot of money, and experience. The Dark Wood and the Underground Passages belonged to the most hazardous in the entire act, and the toughness of the creatures made the team gain a lot of experience. They sold their loot, dumped the profits into their stash, and set out again. It would take many more trips before the team would bring back the bark of the Tree of Inifuss.
When they finally did so, all members had reached level 9, and each carried at least one magic object. The mercenary had been lost very soon after she had been granted, unfortunately. The team decided not to bother with hiring other Rogues. When the runes were translated, Akara gave the team an order in which to press a group of cairn stones found in the Stony Field. After traveling to the Stony Field, the group quickly found the stones. Frederic pressed the stones in the order written on the parchment.
Lighting crashed down, connecting the five stones together, and a reddish gate opened in the center of the circle of stones. Shrugging, the team boldly went through.
Immediately, skeletons and all kind of creatures rushed toward the team. They made quick work of what had by now become almost a routine, when a giant man approached them.
"Who is that?" Frederic managed, looking at the giant. His face was twisted in an unnatural rage, indicating he had been cursed.
"Griswold!" David said. "He's the blacksmith from the first Diablo game! He must have been cursed. Poor man."
"Poor us," Jennifer shot back, raising her javelin. "He's not looking too friendly!"
"And he's strong as an ox!" Jessica said. She began shooting at him with her magic fire bolts. Frederic used the corpses of the slain enemies to raise skeletons from, which eagerly joined in the battle along with the golem. Unfortunately, the skeletons died just as easily as they had been raised. Daphnix engaged with his two swords, but had to regularly break off to swallow a health potion. So did Jennifer, who had to stab with her last remaining javelin.
Finally, they subdued Griswold, and Frederic read a town portal scroll, allowing the team to go back to town, and receive free healing from Akara. They also bought a couple of health potions to add to their dwindling supplies. The team went back through the portal, which closed after Frederic went through. In the center of the village, a lot of monsters had gathered.
One monster was no match. A couple dozen were. The team had start applying hit-and-run tactics, having no other choice but to hit a couple of monsters, and run off to recharge. Finally, they managed to get Cain out of the cage he was kept in. A town portal opened, and he walked through. The team decided to remain behind, and eagerly cleaned out the town of Tristram.
They allowed David's Prayer aura to recharge them completely, then traveled back through the portal to the Stony Field. They walked the way back to town, gaining experience with the monsters, which seemed to spawn again every now and then.
The group spoke with Akara, who gave them a magic ring as reward. Deckard Cain's rewards were more useful, however. He told the team that Diablo had indeed been slain beneath Tristram. He told them of a grand feast for the hero, who seemed to become more troubled every day. Shortly after he just left, monsters attacked the town. Cain confirmed that Diablo was loose once again.
As another reward for rescuing him, Cain also gave the team members a valuable gift: the gift of knowledge. He would identify any items they brought to him, for no charge whatsoever.
Not finding any other quests for the moment, the team went out to scout the areas they had run through before. They scouted out the crypt and the mausoleum at the burial grounds where they defeated Blood Raven. They scouted the Cold plains, and the Stony Field. In fact, it was in the Stony Field that they found their next quest: a moldy tome.
Frederic read from the tome …
" … and so it came to pass that the Countess, who once bathed in the rejuvenating blood of a hundred virgins, was burned alive. And the castle in which so many cruel deeds took place fell rapidly to ruin. Rising over the buried dungeons in that god-forsaken wilderness, a solitary tower, like some monument to Evil, is all that remains. The Countess' fortune was believed to be dived among the clergy, although some say that more remained unfound, still buried alongside the rotting skulls that bear mute witness to the inhumanity of the human creature."
"Fuck," Jennifer said. "The people who created this game sure had a couple of weirdoes among them."
"Oh, yeah," David agreed. "Think 'quest'."
"The Forgotten Tower," Jessica said. "We can find the Forgotten Tower in the Black Marsh."
"Great. Where is this Black Marsh?" Daphnix asked.
"Probably off the Dark Wood," David suggested. "We've scouted everything else."
"Great. Through the Underground Passages, into the Dark Wood," Frederic said. "Let's get going."
The team found the Forgotten Tower in the Black Marsh, as had been indicated by the quest, and they hurried inside. The Countess was on the fifth level of the dungeons, so the team readied their weapons, and let their eyes adjust to the twilight in the dungeon. The dungeons were infested with skeletons and ghosts, which proved to be quite a challenge for the team. Especially for Jessie and Frederic, whose mana was easily drained by the mana draining ghosts and wraiths.
After they finally made it to the fifth level, they came upon a central square where four passageways met. After entering a first, the team had to kill some skeletons and some ghosts, after which they came across … treasure. The team started grabbing for the gold coins on the floor.
After dividing the money, they walked back to the central square. They went into the passage directly opposite the one they had just cleared, and found a less substantial treasure after disposing of the guards. As it turned out, the other two passages were connected together, meeting in a room in the center where the Countess' ghost lived. The team had a lot of trouble disposing of the ghosts and the Countess, as the Countess was a Dark Hunter, given fire enchantment. Daphnix's find potion skill came in handy to give the team some much-needed mana and healing potions. After they killed the Countess, two coffins opened, which started spewing out gold, as well as a couple of worthwhile magical items.
The team went back to the Rogue Encampment, to trade their loot for money, and dump the profits in the stash. After having their equipment repaired, and some new equipment bought, the team got their next quest from Charsi, the blacksmith.
"The poor girl lost her enchanted hammer, the Horadric Malus, in the monastery when running from Andariel. I wonder where this monastery is," Frederic said as he and his companions set out into the wilderness once again. They preferred the walk to the waypoint system, as walking provided creatures, which in turn provided experience.
After reaching the Black Marsh, the team set out in the Tamoe Highlands, and quite easily found the Monastery gate. Instead of rushing in, the team first cleaned out the Tamoe Highlands, pushing them up to level 12. Finally, the more potent magic became available, granting Frederic the chance to raise skeleton mages. Jennifer chose lightning bolt, changing her thrown javelins into bolts of lightning. Daphnix just added an extra level to his find potion skill, since level 12 didn't make anything spectacular available. David chose Zeal, allowing him to hit multiple adjacent monsters with a single blow. Jessica chose a Fire Ball.
The team, now having cleaned out the Tamoe Highlands, entered the monastery. They had to go through the monastery, encountering new and stronger enemies. After cleaning out that region, the team proceeded to the Outer Cloister, where they found a whole regiment of spike fiends, shooting dangerous spikes at them. Even though a single spike didn't do that much damage, the fact that there were so many of them DID.
New skills were put to the test as the team held a genuine slaughter fest among the spike fiends. After activating the Outer Cloister's waypoint, the team traveled back to the Rogue encampment, providing the team with some much needed healing, and a chance to get rid of the equipment they had picked up under way. They traveled back to the Outer Cloister, and entered the barracks.
Lots of resistance was encountered, and the team had to rely heavily on Daphnix's find potion skill to grant them healing, as well as mana. Jennifer's lighting bolt-javelins, and Jessica's Fire Balls provided cover, while Daphnix and David took the point, and used Double Swing and Zeal, respectively. Frederic took the rear, raising his skeletons, or skeleton mage whenever he saw one of them fall.
The group pressed on further. Finally reaching the deepest regions of the Barracks, the warriors encountered a sight that made the blood freeze in their veins. The Smith, the monster that defended the Horadric Malus, was huge. And strong. Thankfully, there was a well nearby, allowing the team to get their health back for free. A well recharged quite fast, and as such, the team didn't run out of health.
When the entire group, five warriors, three skeletons, a golem, and a skeleton mage, defeated the Smith, they couldn't help themselves but let out a cry. Frederic took the Malus, and the group nodded with a big smile on their faces.
"We've got it!" Jennifer said.
"Took us long enough," Daphnix grunted. "Let's get back. I've got a couple of gloves I want to enchant."
Frederic nodded as he thought of the promise Charsi had made. She would use the Malus to enchant one piece of equipment for each of the group.
Not long after, the entire team was walking warily through the Blood Moor. "So we're up against Andariel," Frederic said.
"Yep. And I don’t like the story attached. She and other lesser evils once overthrew the prime Evils: Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto … Andariel being here only indicates that Hell is once again behind Diablo and his brothers," Daphnix said, reciting some of the things Deckard Cain had told them.
"And guess who gets to do the dirty work, and get rid of the bitch before the Monastery becomes an outpost of Hell?" Jennifer asked sarcastically.
"What happened today, Ami-chan?" Usagi asked, as the small group of four girls was under way to Rei's temple.
"Ami blushed, looked away, and said, "Nothing."
"She's blush-ing!" Usagi teased her friend.
"Come on, Ami. You drifted off into your own thoughts three times today. You have to admit, that's not like you," Makoto said.
"Yeah, and why were you so only just in time this morning?" Minako asked. "Does it have something to do with … Daphnix?"
Ami's blush deepened in color, and her brain refused to think coherently.
"It is!" Usagi shouted. "Come on, tell us!"
"There's nothing to tell," Ami defended. "Not much anyway … " she added quietly.
"Come on, Ami-chan," Usagi pleaded.
Ami looked at the ground, her blush refusing to lift.
"Yeah, please tell us!" Makoto pleaded.
"We won't tell," Minako promised.
"I … I had two glasses of wine, and passed out on Daphnix's couch," Ami whispered, too embarrassed to look her friends in the eyes. A strange silence descended over the small group.
"You slept there?" Minako whispered.
"On that ship?" Makoto asked totally superfluously.
Ami could only nod.
"Then what happened?" Usagi asked.
"Nothing," Ami defended.
"Ami-chan!" the three girls grunted.
"Well, I woke up at seven, had breakfast, got invited to come over after school, and they transported me right in front of the school," Ami burst out.
"You had breakfast there, huh?" Usagi asked. "Was it good?"
"I had a hangover," Ami admitted. "Then Frederic-sama gave me something … it tasted horrible, but it cured the hangover."
"And last night? How did it go last night?" Minako asked.
Ami's bush returned, and she was more than happy to see the temple approach. "We worked on a Senshi database," Ami said.
"U-huh," Usagi said.
"That's why you're blushing, right?" Makoto asked.
"We had a picnic afterwards," Ami whispered. They were now halfway up the stairs. Ami wanted desperately to be inside. Maybe that Rei would put a halt to this conversation …
"How romantic!" the group said, sighing. Ami sighed too, but not out of romance, but out of exasperation.
"Rei-chan!" Ami greeted her friend as soon as she was within earshot.
"Hi guys," Rei greeted the group. And proceeding to dash Ami's hopes of a clean getaway, she asked, "How was last night?"
"She had a picnic with Daphnix," Usagi filled Rei in.
"Yes, and she got too much wine to drink, and fell asleep on Daphnix's couch," Minako supplied.
"And she even had breakfast with the entire group, but she doesn't remember much of it, because she had a hangover," Makoto said.
"And Frederic cured it with something vile-looking," Usagi finished. "We were just about to find out more about the picnic."
Rei's eyes twinkled. Ami wanted to crawl under the nearest rock.
"So, tell!" Rei said, dragging the blue-haired girl into the room they used for Senshi meetings.
"Well, it was on the holodeck," Ami began. "A completely simulated artificial environment, completely done with force-fields, and photon projectors … "
"AMI!!" the group warned. Ami gulped. Her little plan to throw her friend off-track with data hadn't worked.
"Well, we had a picnic on a moon of a planet that no longer exists. It had the most beautiful purple sky, and the planet was so big in the sky," Ami forgot where she was when she recalled last night. "We had a picnic under that large planet in the center of the sky, with two suns barely above the horizon. There was a very dark one just over the left horizon, and a red one over to the right."
The rest of the girls sighed as they imagined the setting under the purple-lit sky, with the twin suns just over the horizon, and the large planet over their heads.
"And there was so much to eat," Ami went on. "All these kinds of food I didn't know about."
When the word 'food' entered her ears, Usagi couldn't help but listen even more intently. Food was one of her favorite subjects. She loved eating.
"And the wine?" Minako asked.
"The wine came later," Ami said. "I only had a few sips … and then Daphnix showed me our solar system from this alien moon."
"Then what happened?" Rei asked. "Come on, you can tell us."
"He … I … I mean, we … "
The others stared at Ami. "Come on, what happened?"
"He … kissed me," she admitted, her head bent towards the floor, her face red as it ever was.
The others relaxed, sighing dreamily. Since the secret was out now anyway, Ami told them the rest, how he held her, how they had talked about what had happened, and how she had fallen asleep after only two glasses of wine. She then told them how she woke up, the breakfast, and the talk at the table, how the team seemed to accept her as a full member, and the talk of the game. She also told them of her invitation to come and play whenever she wanted.
Ami pulled out the communicator. "I don't know if I should … " she ended her story, referring to the invitation to come up and join the game.
"Come on, Ami-chan!" Usagi encouraged. "You don't get invited to something like that every day!"
"Yeah," Rei agreed. "Go for it, Ami-chan!"
"I don't know … " Ami said hesitatingly. "It's like inviting yourself, you know?"
"Well, they did offer for you to come up," Minako said.
"But if it will make you feel better, we're willing to come with you," Makoto offered. The others were enthusiastic immediately.
Ami looked round the group. "Thanks, guys," Ami said. She pressed the communicator. "Uhm … hello?" she asked.
Ortega, came through the communicator. It was a feminine computer voice.
"Uhm … can you move me and my four friends to the Ortega, please?"
Transportation authorization has been approved. Engaging.
The group appeared on the bridge, where they saw a woman they had never seen before sitting in the command chair, and looking at the huge screen in front of the bridge. There was a lot of action on the screen, with figures chopping down other figures.
The woman swiveled the chair around as the screen blanked out.
"Ami?" the woman asked. She was in her twenties, had blonde hair, and was nicely built.
"Yes?" Ami said. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"
"That's right, you don’t know me," the woman responded. "Well, not like this, anyway. I am Linda. This is my holographic form. Welcome everyone," she said with a gentle smile. "Grab a seat, I have to tell you something."
"Thank you," Ami said, looking around. She sat down at the tactical station, this being the closes chair available to her. The others thanked Linda, and sat down wherever they could. It was very obvious that the girls were shocked to see the bridge of the Ortega, with all the flashing lights, and buttons.
"First of all, I would like to ask you not to panic," Linda said, looking around the bridge to the girls. They all nodded.
"Good. You see, there has been an accident. Frederic, Jennifer, Daphnix, David, and Jessica are locked into the game, and they can't come out unless they finish the game. That's the bad news. The good news is, they have unlimited lives in there, and they can't get hurt either. All damage is done to the character they play, not to their physical selves."
"They can't get out?" Ami asked.
"They can't shut down the simulation the normal way," Linda said. "If they try to blow it up, the ship will go with it. If I try to shut the holodeck down from the outside, it could give them a neural shock that could very well do permanent damage."
"So they're stuck, right?" Usagi asked.
"YES!" Rei shouted.
"It's nothing more than a nuisance, really," Linda said, to calm the girls down. "So, I'm afraid there's not much you can do, but wait."
"How long?" Ami asked.
"Well, they've about finished the first act, which will have taken them about five hours, our time. I think they might be finished by noon tomorrow," Linda answered.
"Can I stay?" Ami asked, immediately starting to blush.
Linda looked at the girl. "And school?"
"Our teacher's not there tomorrow," Usagi said.
"Oh?" Linda asked. "And why is your teacher not there?"
"She is going to see an uhm … " Usagi stumbled.
"U-huh," Linda said.
"She is going to see an endocrinologist," Ami said.
"Really, now?" Linda asked. "What's your teacher's name?"
"Her name's Sakurada Haruna," Minako supplied. Linda tapped the console on the armrest.
"Computer, bio on Japanese teacher in Juuban high school named Sakurada Haruna. Check medical files, and appointments. Is she seeing an endocrinologist tomorrow?"
One moment. Name Sakurada Haruna. Seeing Dr. Kayama tomorrow at nine thirty. She is scheduled to undergo various tests, and is scheduled to be in hospital for the day.
"Thank you," Linda said. "So, Minako, Usagi, and Ami can stay. And what about you two?" she turned to Makoto and Rei.
"Mako-chan is going to the same school as us," Usagi said.
"Yes. The Juuban uniforms aren't big enough for me."
"If you say so," Lind said, doubtingly. "And Rei?"
Rei just smiled. "Religious holiday," she said.
"WHAT?" the others exclaimed. "You had a day off, and you didn't tell us?" Usagi whined.
Rei just smiled mysteriously. "I don't always have to tell you everything," she said.
"Great," Linda said. "So, if I have this correctly, you want to stay here for the night?"
"YES!" the girls exclaimed. Linda smiled.
"Alright. I'll set you up with some quarters."
"Great!" Usagi exclaimed. "A sleep-over!"
"I'll set up a cover then," Linda said. "Makoto, you live alone, yes?"
"Yes," Makoto said. "But please, call me Mako-chan. All my friends do."
Linda nodded. "Ok. So, I'll tell the other's parents that they'll be staying at your place, and I'll then forward any calls to your phone up here. That way, you can answer as if you were all just staying over at Mako-chan's place," Linda said.
She noticed that the girls still weren't totally at ease. Her social subroutines were put into overdrive. The results weren't unexpected.
"You know, maybe you'll feel more comfortable with me like this," Linda suggested. Her holographic form shimmered, and a 15-year-old Linda stared at the girls not a second later.
"Cool!" Minako and Usagi exclaimed.
"How did you do that?" Rei asked.
"I'm a hologram. So, I can change my form to whatever I want. I think that this form will be the best … I don’t think you'll appreciate me going to my true age."
"Why? How old are you?" Usagi asked.
"About five and a half," Linda responded. "Now, let me get you some quarters. We can watch the game from any screen we want, anyway."
"We can watch?" Ami asked, following the group.
"Yes, but we can't talk to them, or interfere," Linda responded.
Reaching the bottom level of the Catacombs, the team immediately felt the presence of Evil. Subconsciously their hands tightened around their weapons, and spells were brought to the ready. Health and mana were brought to full power, even if it meant giving up valuable potions to do so. They threw open the doors, and the first wave of creatures stormed out.
The team slaughtered them, aided not in the least by the skeletons, skeleton mages, and the golem Frederic had raised. When the first wave had passed, Frederic sent his skeletons and his golem in, to draw more creatures out. The second wave was trashed as well, providing experience by the bucket. A third and smaller wave was then drawn, and was disposed of with relative ease.
"That's it," Frederic grunted. "Let's get in."
David and Jessica, not used to dealing with this kind of situation, were shaking quietly, but the tremble was enough for Frederic to pick up on.
"I know you're not used to dealing with creatures stronger than yourself, but remember that this is just a game. The worst thing that can happen is that you die, and rematerialize in the village. Just remember that," he told the kids. David and Jessie nodded, and gripped their weapons tighter. Screaming, the team stormed inside, followed by the support troops Frederic had raised. He had put a couple of skill points in Golem Mastery, raising the golem's speed and hit points.
When the team started fighting, Frederic's new abilities surfaced to the fullest, as he first cursed the entire area with Iron Maiden, causing Andariel to damage herself as she damaged others. Frederic then settled for using his Bone Spear, casting the magic attack against Andariel, as she was kept busy by the skeletons, and Daphnix. Jennifer used her lighting javelins to deadly perfection, hitting Andariel whenever she had the opportunity. Jessie limited herself to the Fire Balls, which had little effect due to a 50% fire resistance.
When Andariel finally fell, the entire group was exhausted. Frederic used a Town Portal scroll, and the entire team went through to the Rogue Encampment. Everyone was glad Andariel was dead, but Deckard Cain had other news. Diablo himself was still alive. After speaking a man called Warriv, the team had the option to travel east, in pursuit of the Dark Wanderer, the hero who defeated Diablo in the first game. They decided against it, to further clean out act one, as well as Andariel's lair.
It was a good thing, too. By the time the team finally traveled east, into act II, they had almost reached level 17, and they had gained a lot of gold and items from the dead Andariel's lair.
"This will be your home away from home for the night," Linda said, entering the quarters right next to Daphnix's. "There's a bedroom down there, bathroom is over there, and this is the living room."
"There is only one double bed in there!" Rei exclaimed, investigating the bedroom.
"Don't worry, there's plenty of room to sleep," Linda said. She entered the bedroom. "What you see here is just one double bed, right?" the girls nodded in confirmation. "Now what do you see?" Linda asked, after her holographic form shimmered a little as she entered a command into the computer.
"Cool!" Minako said, along with Usagi. Ami just looked around, already knowing to expect something like this. Rei and Makoto just stared in total disbelief. Out of each wall, two beds had appeared. So, there was now one double bed, and four beds hanging from the walls.
"This ship was designed for war," Linda explained. "As such, all space had to be used maximally. So, there is room enough for six. There are five of you, so no problems there." Linda couldn't suppress a smile as she saw the faces of the girls. She was beginning to enjoy herself. After all, it wasn't every day she could show off her ship.
"So, what happens now? Rei asked.
Linda shrugged. "Grab a bit to eat? Have some fun? Talk? Watch a movie? Watch the team in the holodeck play? It's your choice. There are plenty of things to do."
"Food … " Usagi grunted.
Linda smiled. "Follow me," she said, and walked into the living room. She halted in front of the replicator. "So, what would you like?"
"What've you got?" Usagi asked.
Linda shrugged. "Whatever you want."
"I want … uhm … ice cream, and noodles, and pizza, and … "
"Usagi, if you eat all that you won't fit into your costume anymore," Rei grunted.
"Rei! You're so mean!" Usagi wailed.
" … and pizza," Linda concluded. "So, what ice cream would you want? And what toppings on the pizza? And what kind of noodles?"
Usagi's eyes got really big at the thought of getting all that food. "Uhm … chocolate ice cream, and chicken noodles, and pineapple on the pizza."
"Got it," Linda said, tapped a few keys, and the replicator began churning out food. "The ice cream, the noodles, and the pizza. Something to drink?" Linda asked.
The rest of the girls stared at Usagi, who placed herself at the table, and started consuming the food at a tremendous pace. After a few seconds of consternation, they sat down as well, and joined in before Usagi ran off with everything. Usagi stopped eating long enough to mutter "A soda," and resumed eating.
Linda grinned, and shook her head. Such … enthusiasm was something she wasn't at all used to. To be honest, she liked Usagi and her enthusiasm. Smiling, Linda tapped a few leys, and brought the soda over.
"You know, you can ask for anything you'd like," Linda told the group. "There's no need to try and pry something loose from Usagi."
"Uhm … can you make fugu?" Rei asked.
"Sure," Linda said. "No problem." She tapped a few keys. A plate appeared, lined with the carefully cut pieces of the delicate fish, which, when not prepared correctly, is highly poisonous. Linda picked up the plate, and put it down in front of Rei, who couldn't believe her eyes. She dug in.
"I'm sorry if it tastes a little … bland, but a replicator isn't perfect," Linda said. "Anyone else want a snack?"
"Sure," Makoto agreed, "Uhm … meat loaf and a piece of cherry pie?"
"Got it," Linda said, ordering the dishes. Makoto dug into the food placed in front of her nose.
"Uhm … Gyouza?" Minako asked. (Gyouza: Chinese dumplings.)
"Sure," Linda smiled, and Minako dug into her dish a couple of seconds later.
"Ami?" Linda asked.
"Some sandwiches are fine," she said.
Linda shrugged. "Okay," she said. "What kind? Or should I just surprise you?"
Ami smiled her rare smile. "That'll be fine," she said.
"Alright," Linda said, and began tapping the replicator secretly. A plate with sandwiches was placed in front of Ami. The rest stopped eating. It wasn't the simple white plate, or the circular fashion in which the sandwiches were placed on it. It was what was on them. And it smelled … delicious. Fruits, meats, fish, poultry, it was all represented. Ami took a sandwich smelling deliciously of tropical fruits, and took a bite. She rubbed her hand over her chin as juice ran down it, and said "Delicious."
"Glad you like them. It's one of Fred's specials. I'll be sure to give him your compliments."
Ami smiled again, and continued eating, along with the rest of the girls.
"Does anyone want something to drink? Fruit juice, lemonade, … wine?" Linda asked with a smile, while looking at Ami, who blushed, and looked away shyly. The rest laughed, and told what they wanted. Linda cheerfully brought a tray with drinks over, and sat down.
"Why don’t you eat?" Rei asked.
"I'm a hologram. I can't eat," Linda answered.
"Ah," the girls responded, suddenly falling silent as they were reminded of Linda's artificial status.
"Come on, don't look so sour," Linda said. "I'm just as alive as you are."
"But different," Makoto said.
"Right," Linda responded. "I'm a fully sentient artificial intelligence. For the moment I'm coupled to the ship's holo-matrix, giving me a body, but usually, I'm just a part of the ship."
"What do you mean by part of the ship?" Minako asked.
"Well, like this. Computer, acknowledge."
Acknowledged. The metallic-feminine computer voice answered.
"Normally, that would be me," Linda said. "I am the ship's computer, making everything run smoothly. For the moment, the computer can do the job just fine on its own."
"That's interesting," Ami said. "How is the integration between AI and computer accomplished? You seem to be fully autonomous from the central systems."
"My programming, which is basically my conscious, can be transferred to whatever vessel I want. Right now, my consciousness, my memories, everything that is me, is located in the holographic buffers. I'm still tied in to the ship's processing systems, but I can't control them anymore. To do that, I have to use the interface like everyone else does: either verbally or by use of the keypads," Linda explained.
"Oh, no," Usagi grunted. "You won't spend the entire evening discussing science-stuff, will you?"
"Don't worry, we can talk about anything," Linda said, smiling.
"How far are you human? I mean, emotions, and stuff," Makoto asked Linda.
"Well, I was initially designed as an adaptive operating system. That means I was able to change myself. But then I gained sentience. I was an artificial life form, but without emotions. My father gave me my emotions. He wrote an entire database on human emotions, and I compiled my own emotional subroutines from that database. I can feel everything you can, hurt, love, hate, sadness, loss, I have it."
"Wow," Usagi said. Linda smiled.
"Enough about me. I could try to explain it all, but must of it is very complicated. So, tell me a little about yourselves."
"Were do we begin?" Minako asked, laughing.
"Just tell whatever comes to mind," Linda offered. "There must be plenty of fun anecdotes to share."
The team left Lut Gholein, the small town they had traveled to after finishing Act I. They had walked around the village, and had met interesting people. One of them had sent them into the sewers, where they were to kill a boss named Radament. They faced off against the sewer boss pretty soon, but not before reaching level 18. Frederic was now able to raise a Blood Golem, which would be more than helpful due to its higher damage and higher hit points. Jennifer found not much interesting at level 18, and decided to up her Lightning Bolt skill. Daphnix put a point in Iron Skin, upping his defense rating. David took 'Vigor', an aura that would boost the stamina, the stamina recovery rate, and the speed for the entire party. Jessica chose Fire Wall, enabling her to block, or at least damage, oncoming attackers.
Right now, after defeating Radament, the team had been sent out once more. Killing Radament had given the entire team an extra skill point, which was just as fast put into the skill tree. Secondly, they had found a scroll that put their second quest in motion, and thirdly, the merchants lowered their prices out of gratitude. The team had returned the scroll to Deckard Cain, who had told them of the Horadric Staff, which would open the burial chamber to an evil sorcerer known as Tal Rasha.
"Something with chocolate?" Linda asked as she stood in front of the replicator. "Anything in particular? Mousse, cake, ice cream?"
Usagi smiled as she thought of the things Linda suggested. "Surprise me," she finally answered with a smile. Linda turned back to the replicator, and let her programs run through the database on food. A smile appeared on her face as she tapped a few keys. A plate appeared, with a couple dozen small lumps of a dark brown substance. Linda put the plate down.
"I replicated some for the others too," Linda told the girls as she retook her place in the circle.
Usagi groaned in pleasure as she put the small delicacy in her mouth. "Hmmmm! What is this?" she groaned as the dessert melted in her mouth.
"Ktarian chocolate puffs," Linda answered. "Seventeen different kind of chocolate in one dish. You did ask for something with chocolate." Her smile beamed as the girls dug into the small puffs. The plate was empty before she knew it, the girls, now used to Linda's abstinence of eating. They all sighed as they let the aftertaste of the chocolate delicacies play over their taste buds.
"And? Did you all enjoy the surprise?" Linda asked.
"Oh, yeah!" Makoto answered. "You do have a lot of things in that replicator."
"Well, we've traveled a lot," Linda answered. "And in universe 002, there are a lot of alien races to give the most wonderful culinary experiences."
"Snap out of it, guys!" Rei interjected. "If you start discussing food with Mako-chan, you'll be here forever!"
Makoto shrugged at Rei's remark.
"Speaking of forever, I believe it was your turn, Mako-chan."
Makoto nodded, still enjoying the now almost completely gone aftertaste of the alien dessert. "Uhm … Minako-chan, truth or dare?"
"Dare," Minako answered almost immediately, with a brave façade.
"Come on, Mako-chan! Find something daring for Minako-chan to do!" Rei urged the larger girl on.
"Yeah!" Usagi joined in. "Something really daring."
Minako looked around the circle, her bravery melting like snow for the sun. She had counted on Makoto's good and kind heart to let her off easy, but now, with the group urging her on, she wasn't sure anymore.
Makoto smiled, and thought for a moment or two. "I don't know, guys … " she hesitated as a smile crossed her face.
"She's got something good!" Usagi said with a smile.
"Come on, Mako-chan! Dare her to do something crazy!"
Makoto leered at Minako, who gulped, and suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
"Here it comes," Makoto said to build up tension. "Minako-chan, I dare you to kiss Linda-chan," Makoto said under the 'oohs' of the group. "On the lips," she added. The group now 'ooh-ed' even louder. Minako looked at Linda, blushing like there was no tomorrow. Linda just stared back, with a small grin on her face.
"Come on, Minako-chan! Kiss Linda!" Rei urged.
Linda shrugged as she looked at Minako, indicating she didn't mind. Minako, still blushing, bent forward, toward Linda, who also leaned in. two sets of lips met for barely a second.
"There. Happy?" Minako asked. Linda just sat up straight, and continued to look around the group.
"Your turn," Makoto had to agree. Her dare had been met.
Minako stared around the group. Her gaze finally settled on Linda. Smiling, she asked, "Linda, truth or dare?"
I do NOT want to find out what they'd dare me to do … Linda's thoughts muttered. "Truth," she said.
"Wuss!" Rei told the hologram with a smile on her face.
"When was the time you had the most intense emotional outburst?" Minako asked after some thought.
Linda closed her simulated eyes, and her smile disappeared. A darker shadow seemed to fall over her face. The group immediately knew that they had dragged up something painful. When Linda opened her eyes again, a smaller smile decorated her lips.
"That was some time ago. I thought Frederic had died … it shook me up so badly that Borlan had to take over."
"I'm sorry," Minako said. "I didn't mean to drag up painful memories."
"I have dealt with it," Linda responded, her face back to full smile. "And it was a good learning experience for my emotionless brother to take over ship's operation for some time."
"Is that a way to talk about your brother?" a masculine voice asked from the side of the group. Because the lights had been dimmed, he had remained hidden in the shadows.
"Borlan?" Linda asked, getting up. The others girls followed her example. The girls gasped as Borlan stepped into the light. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans, a black leather vest, and a pair of dark sunglasses.
"The one and only," Borlan answered, removing the sunglasses.
"What are you doing here?" Linda asked curiously. Suddenly, the girls were aware of the fact that they were already in pajamas. They ducked under some covers they had pulled up. All except for Linda.
"Well, you should know I listen to everything when my name is mentioned, Sis. And it's not nice to tell your … charming guests lies about your brother like that."
Linda immediately looked suspiciously at him.
"What lies?" she asked.
"My emotionless brother. I do have emotions, you know."
"Dad made you … " Linda began. Borlan interrupted her.
"I am an artificial life-form, Sis. I learned, and adapted. I most certainly do have emotions. I just chose not to show them most of the time. Dad's death left a profound feeling of loss in me, a feeling of emptiness, and I wondered how you could live with it. And when I took over for you, I learned emotions just by dealing with humans so much."
"Whatever," Rei said. "Don't you know it's rude not to knock before you enter a girl's room?"
He walked up to Rei, and stared down at her. She stared back. "My, aren't you a feisty one?" he asked, and bent down to her. "I like that," he added, his face barely away from hers. She stared at him shock.
"Aren't you going to apologize?" she demanded loudly.
"For what?" he asked.
"For barging in here," Rei shouted.
"Ah. No," Borlan said, and righted himself once more. He turned to Linda. "You know, if you had more than half a processor on the problem with dad and the holodeck, you would have asked me to take care of the problem," he told his sister. Rei fumed as she was ignored.
"What?" Linda asked.
"I am a wartime AI. Wartime includes electronic warfare. David's lock-out can be identified as a hostile program."
"I've tried everything … " Linda said.
"Yes, but I'm better," Borlan said. "Hang on for a while, and I'll have them out in no time." He turned to Rei, and his thought processes focused fully on her for a moment or two. For an AI, that meant a lot. He bent down, kissed her on the lips, and told her, "I like feisty girls.", and disappeared. Rei stared at the place Borlan had occupied mere moment before.
"Did he … did he just … " she stammered. Linda shook her head.
"I should have known that he would evolve emotions over time. Dad's AI's always did surpass their initial programming."
"He KISSED me!" Rei exploded.
"Well, he's a battle-AI. He was created to make split-second decisions. It probably seemed like a good idea to him at the time," Linda explained. Now that the 'invader' was gone, the girls emerged from under the covers.
"So that was your brother?" Minako asked. "He's … interesting."
"To say the least," Makoto added. And then, together, they said, "what a HUNK."
"I wouldn't get too close," Linda warned. "He's dangerous, created to operate under battle conditions."
"Let's forget about that asshole," Rei said. "Let's continue our game, ok, guys?"
"Sure, the girls answered, and sat down in the circle once more. "Your turn, Linda," Minako said.
"Alright," Linda responded, rubbing her hand over chin. "uhm … Rei-chan. Truth or dare?"
Borlan couldn't help but snicker as he replayed the security tape for the moment he left. The look on Rei's face was priceless as he kissed her, whispered, and left. He focused his full potential on the stubborn holodeck. As he had suspected, the computer had been locked out, leaving the holodeck to its own internal processors. Using a simple override, he entered the power grid of the holodeck, and re-routed power back to the main holodeck command processors, activating the computer control over the holodeck. He ignored the fact that he had to override more than three-dozen encryption codes to do so.
As soon as the main holodeck command processors were back online, he reactivated AI control over them, again requiring him to override half a dozen codes, and told the people inside that he had breached the program, and that they were free to leave, which they did after saving their game.
"Yo, guys, I've freed dad and his party from the holodeck. I suggest you'd straighten up those quarters. See ya," he blasted into the guest quarters, and went back into his slumber.
Linda retook her bodiless state for a second or two, to beam Ami to the holodeck entrance, and getting her dressed at the same time. Meanwhile, the other girls hurriedly jumped in their clothes, and Linda beamed down after Ami. She let the holographic clean-up crew take care of the mess of plates they had left in the quarters.
By the time they got there, most of the racket had died down, because David and Jessie looked dejectedly at the ground. Daphnix was standing with Ami in his arms.
"I was so worried," she said, holding on to him.
"We were in the holodeck, Sweets. Nothing could have happened to us," Daphnix reassured her.
"Well, well, the gang's all here," Frederic said, looking at the four others girls, plus Linda. "Why the holo-form, Linda?"
"And why make yourself younger?" Jennifer asked.
"Well, since there was nothing I could do, I activated the holo-emitters. And when Ami and her friends asked to stay to watch this out, I let them stay … and made myself a little younger to fit in more nicely," Linda answered, while shifting back to her normal form.
"I see. We've only turned our back for a moment, and you are already holding parties," Frederic said, a smile on his face.
"More like a girls night in," Linda said back.
"I hope you all had fun," Frederic told the group. "If you want, you can stay for the night. But right now, I need a shower, and I'm going to bed. Good night everyone."
"Good idea. Good night," Jennifer said, and walked off next to her husband. David and Jessica bid their good nights as well, and left along with their parents. The five girls, Linda, and Daphnix remained behind, with Daphnix still holding on to Ami.
"Sweets, unless you first want to end up under the same shower, and then in the same bed, you really have to let go at some time," Daphnix told the blue-haired girl in his arms. She released him, and blushed. Daphnix smiled, and grabbed her in a sideways hug.
"You go with Linda and the girls to your quarters, and I'll see you tomorrow, ok? Unless you persuade me, and want to sleep on my couch … " Daphnix said, laughing. Ami shook her head. Linda shifted back to her younger form as she and the girls disappeared back in their quarters, and Daphnix walked to his quarters, taking that shower he so desperately wanted.
Epilogue
"Matter-antimatter ratio is stable," he said.
"Power grid is holding at 75%. Engines are reporting green," Jennifer reported in turn.
"Let's get this bird in the air," Sorcerer grunted. "And let's pray that this thing hold up."
"Well need it," Jennifer grunted. A shudder went through the frame of the stripped ship as it left the confines of the Earth.
"We've left the atmosphere," Sorcerer said. "Preparing for dimension jump."
"Structural integrity to full. Ready," Jennifer told him.
Sorcerer smashed the key. She ship shuddered, and the massive acceleration pressed the couple into the bare chairs they had installed. The G-dampers had been kept to a minimum, and they felt it now. The lights went out as a power line ruptured. Sparks flew everywhere as the lights flashed on and off, plunging the couple in an eerie twilight.
"We've left dimensional travel ahead of schedule. The engine has melted," Sorcerer grunted. "Where are we?"
"Well, it looks like we're in a solar system. And it's not the same one we left earlier," Jennifer reported.
"We're left with half thrusters. I hope we'll make it," Sorcerer muttered as he pressed the keys to the thrusters. The small ship limped towards the planet Earth.
Ten minutes later, Sorcerer destroyed the ship with a single blast of a magic fireball. The next thing he did was supply the two of them with a few kilograms of gold.
"There, that should keep us fed for some time," Sorcerer told his love. "And no sign of my goody two-shoes twin. It looks like we're home safe."
"I hope it stays this way," Jennifer said. "Now, let's get ourselves a roof over our heads, something to eat, and plan on fitting in without drawing suspicion."
"Right," Sorcerer agreed, as the two of them started walking toward the city of San Francisco, which they saw looming in the distance.